Curious Stories

Along with my good friends John Everson and Mort Castle, I will be at the Printer’s Row Book Fair this Sunday 13 June, 2010, from Noon to 2pm.  We will be the guests of the wonderful Old Towne Books & Tea, at their location, which are tables 176-178.  I guess the “official” name of this gig is “Chicago Tribune’s Printer’s Row LitFest” but it will always be “Printer’s Row Book Fair” to me.

Anyway, stop on by if you’re there.  Printer’s Row Book Fair is awesome, tons of bookstores, authors and lots and lots of books, all outdoors in the gloriousness of Chicago in the summer. The entire Dark Arts Books catalogue will be on hand, so you can fill in any missing volumes easily.  Old Towne Books & Tea has a great lineup of authors, so check out their website to see who will be there signing all weekend as well.

The World Horror Convention 2010 in Brighton, UK was a blast.  There are many, many more things to tell, but I am going to plagarize steal nick borrow word-for-word the excellent con report of genius Brit writer (and new friend) Gary McMahon.  If you haven’t read this guy’s work, you should immediately.  He’s the real deal.  And, he is also incredibly generous for allowing me to plagarize steal nick use his brilliant con report, complete with editorial comments, since I am too fucking lazy to do one myself in complete agreement with him.

So, without further ado, here is Gary McMahon’s my complete and sincere summary:

Well, that was a blast.

I can’t be bothered to do one of those long, back-slapping, name-dropping blog posts where you list all the genre luminaries you had a pint with and go into the minutiae of what went on.

So, instead, here’s a brief overview of what I did:

• Met some heroes
• Made some new friends
• Drank with some old friends
• Slept nowhere near enough
• Did a panel
• Did some book launches
• Did a reading
• Signed some books
• Bought some books
• Had a whole load of fun
• Felt glad that I’m part of a great and thriving artistic community

As if a reading featuring myself and the extraordinarily-talented Scott G. Browne wasn’t exciting enough, the news just gets better:  we have secretly been working on a piece together that we will co-perform as part of the gig.  If you aren’t familiar with Scott’s hilarious novel BREATHERS: A ZOMBIE’S LAMENT, you should stop reading right this second and go to Amazon or your favorite online bookseller and order a copy.  You will thank me later.

Working with someone as talented and as gracious as Scott was pure joy, and I think the story rocks as well.  Typical of the amount of professionalism and artistry you can expect from the collaboration, we also created a flyer to promote this gig with all the details.  We took special care to find appropriate photos to convey the seriousness and import of this piece.  Hopefully, if you’re in Brighton, we’ll see you there.  If not, please enjoy this flyer as a taste of what you’re going to be missing:

First off, how about the great cover for WHEN THE NIGHT COMES DOWN?

That’s more of the wondrous handiwork of John Everson. This new release from Dark Arts Books contains some of the best stories we’ve published yet. Joseph D’Lacey, Bev Vincent, Robert Weinberg and Nate Kenyon all contributed unbelievably fantastic work to this book, and it was a real joy to work with all of them.

WHEN THE NIGHT COMES DOWN will be debuting at the World Horror Convention in Brighton, UK, March 25-28, 2010. So, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, stop by and say “hi.” If you, for some illogical reason, will not be in the Southern seaside part of the UK at the end of March, you can pre-order WHEN THE NIGHT COMES DOWN here.  I will be doing my best to keep the local pubs solvent, but also I can be found at the following:

Thursday 25 March: S.G. Browne, the author of the stupendous zombie-romance-comedy-just-great-book BREATHERS and I will be doing a reading from 7-8 pm. This is not your average reading. I think the plan is first Scott will read a bit, then I will read a short piece and then we will read together a story we co-wrote specifically for this gig! Collaborating with Scott on this piece has been one of the most fun things I have done in quite awhile, and I think people will like it, too. As they say, “expect the unexpected.”

Friday 26 March: At the crack of Noon, I will be moderating a panel entitled SIZE MATTERS.  Yeah, I thought the same thing, but before you get too excited, it is actually a panel about small press publishing.  The REAL reason to get excited?  Check out this list of distinguished panelists:  Storm Constantine, Peter Crowther, W. Paul Ganley, Jeremy Lassen and Brett Alexander Savory.  Those are some quite impressive people who are whip-smart and very savvy about publishing.  If I wasn’t moderating, I would actually attend this panel, that’s how awesome it is.

Later on at some point, there will be a mass signing.  If people are daunted by the lines for (among others) M.M Smith, Ramsey Campbell, F. Paul Wilson, and John Ajvide Lindqvist, I figure that is my opportunity to scribble on a few books.  From 10pm-Midnight, I will be hosting the launch party for WHEN THE NIGHT COMES DOWN in Bar Rogue.  Free booze and the opportunity to meet and chat with NIGHT authors Joseph D’Lacey and Bev Vincent and also Free Booze.

Saturday 27 March: I will definitely be attending the Wine Drinking Contest Stoker Awards Banquet.  Last year, I think the table I was at (Hello, Steve Jones, Mandy Slater and Pat Tallman) went through enough bottles of wine to stock a small French village.   Things I learned last year at the Stoker Awards Banquet:  drinking ridiculous quantities of red wine causes overly loud conversation and inappropriate laughter during awards banquets. Hopefully Steve Jones has learned his lesson, though.  Mort Castle is up for a Stoker for his story “Dreaming Robot Monster” from MIGHTY UNCLEAN, so I will be rooting for him in a polite and respectful manner.

As well, Dark Arts Books will have a table in the Dealers’ Room, selling all six–count ‘em six!–of our great titles.  For anyone who has missed CANDY IN THE DUMPSTER, WAITING FOR OCTOBER, SINS OF THE SIRENS, Stoker Award-Nominated LIKE A CHINESE TATTOO, or MIGHTY UNCLEAN, you can either order them now by clicking on the title, or you can save the postage and just buy it from me in Brighton.  And, for those of you who haven’t yet started collecting the line of Dark Arts titles, now is the time to catch up and get them all before the number gets too out of hand.  If you wait until, like, 2023 to start, it’s gonna be a shitload of books you need to order.  Just sayin’.

Lastly, I am just now in the stages of shaking my head at all the nonsensical shit I wrote finishing up writing and editing a new novel that I started last summer.  There should be more news about this project shortly, but I can say, if it’s not the best thing I have ever written, I did have the most fun writing it, and it is definitely a fun read.  Again, more news to follow.

Hope all is well with everyone, and look forward to seeing many of my old friends–and some new ones–in Brighton in a couple of weeks.

Over and out,

Bill B.

If you’re looking for something to do on Friday 16 October, and are in the vicinity of the Barnes & Noble in Geneva, they will be hosting “Horror Author Night at 7pm.  There will be book signings as well as a bunch of other interesting, educational and fun activities.  More importantly, there will be the opportunity to meet in person such wonderful and talented writers as Dave Benton, John Everson, W.D. Gagliani, Martel Sardina and Travis Thrasher, as well as yours truly.  It should be a good time, so stop on by if you’re able.

All the info is here: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/3009547

Hope to see you there!

BB

This year the Stoker Awards, which are the highest level of recognition given to authors, editors, publishers and artists from the Horror Writers Association, return to Los Angeles, CA. (Burbank, actually).

I was very honored and humbled to garner a nomination for editing the anthology LIKE A CHINESE TATTOO.   Considering the tremendous talent involved in the other works in this category, it really is quite an honor just to be nominated. 

The actual awards ceremony/banquet is Saturday evening.  There are also numerous parties, and John and I will also be manning the Dark Arts table in the Dealers’ room.  It will be great to see many of the old freinds that it seems we are only able to connect at a con or an event like this once every year or so.

As well, on Thursday 11 June, at 7pm there will be a HUGE author mash-up/signing taking place at one of the greatest bookstores in the entire world, Dark Delicacies.  If you’re in town, come on out and see the all the writers who will be there (including me).

On Friday from 2-3pm, I will be participating in a panel on “Editing an Anthology” with distinguished editors R. J. Cavender, Ellen Datlow, Chad Helder, Stephen Jones and Vince A. Liaguno.

With all of the great events planned, it should be a really fun weekend. I hope to see you there if you can make it!

We are pleased to announce that the latest title from Dark Arts Books–LIKE A CHINESE TATTOO–was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology. 

The Bram Stoker Awards are awarded every year by the Horror Writers Association for superior achievement in horror.  This year, the Stoker Awards will be handed out during the Stoker Awards Weekend, June 12-14 in Burbank, CA.

We congratulate all the nominees, and especially the authors from TATTOO–Cullen Bunn, JA Konrath, David Thomas Lord and Rick R. Reed.

Here is a complete list of the Stoker Award Nominees:

Superior Achievement in a Novel
Coffin Country by Gary Braunbeck (Leisure Books)
The Reach by Nate Kenyon (Leisure Books)
Duma Key by Stephen King (Scribner)
Johnny Gruesome by Gregory Lamberson (Bad Moon Books/Medallion Press)

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

Midnight on Mourn Street by Christopher Conlon (Earthling Publications)
The Gentling Box by Lisa Mannetti (Dark Hart Press)
Monster Behind the Wheel by Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin (Delirium Books)
The Suicide Collectors by David Oppegaard (St. Martin’s Press)
Frozen Blood by Joel A. Sutherland (Lachesis Publishing)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

The Shallow End of the Pool by Adam-Troy Castro (Creeping Hemlock Press)
Miranda by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)
Redemption Roadshow by Weston Ochse (Burning Effigy Press)
The Confessions of St. Zach by Gene O’Neill (Bad Moon Books)

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction

“Petrified” by Scott Edelman (Desolate Souls)
“The Lost” by Sarah Langan (Cemetery Dance Publications)
“The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft” by Nick Mamatas and Tim Pratt (Chizine)
“Evidence of Love in a Case of Abandonment” by M. Rickert (Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)
“Turtle” by Lee Thomas (Doorways)

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

Like a Chinese Tattoo , edited by Bill Breedlove (Dark Arts Books)
Horror Library, Vol. 3, edited by R.J. Cavender (Cutting Block Press)
Beneath the Surface, edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
Unspeakable Horror, edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder (Dark Scribe Press)

Superior Achievement in a Collection

The Number 121 to Pennsylvania by Kealan Patrick Burke (Cemetery Dance Publications)
Mama’s Boy and Other Dark Tales by Fran Friel (Apex Publications)
Just After Sunset by Stephen King (Scribner)
Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters by John Langan (Prime Books)
Gleefully Macabre Tales by Jeff Strand (Delirium Books)

Superior Achievement in Nonfiction

Cheap Scares by Gregory Lamberson (McFarland)
Zombie CSU by Jonathan Maberry (Citadel Press)
A Hallowe’en Anthology by Lisa Morton (McFarland)
The Book of Lists: Horror by Amy Wallace, Del Howison and Scott Bradley (HarperCollins)

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

The Nightmare Collection by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions Press)
The Phantom World by Gary William Crawford (Sam’s Dot Publishing)
Virgin of the Apocalypse by Corrine De Winter (Sam’s Dot Publishing)
Attack of the Two-Headed Poetry Monster by Mark McLaughlin and Michael McCarty (Skullvines Press)

Bill Breedlove and Dark Arts Books will be appearing at the Bram Stoker Awards Weekend in Burbank, CA on 11-14 June 2009.

My particularly nasty story “Highsmith Beach” won the top prize at a contest sponsored by Killer-Works.com.  The story will be published in an upcoming anthology, and you can read it on Killer-Works’ site here.

Bill, John Everson and Marty Mundt will be signing at the Printer’s Row
Book Fair in Chicago from 2-4:00 pm on June 3, 2006.