Here are the covers of two upcoming anthologies that contain stories by James Robert Smith. I'm really excited about seeing both of them in print.
HORROR for the HOLIDAYS is edited by Scott Aniolowski and will be published by Miskatonic River Press.
THE DEVIL'S COTTAILS is edited by Jason Brock and William Nolan and contains stories by some of the greats of horror fiction. I'm especially excited to see a story in it by Ramsey Campbell. This is the second anthology this year that I have shared with the great Mr. Campbell. (I was also in DEAD BAIT2 with him.)
I'm just going to spend my blog today posting links for my work from Severed Press, the Australian publisher who picked up and published my zombie novel, THE LIVING END. Just some odds and ends.
First of all, a really good review of THE LIVING END hit the Internet last night. The author understood the book better than most seem to have grasped. I wrote THE LIVING END because I was frankly sick of the thinly-veiled racist, gun-crazed screeds that most zombie novels are. There's a very thin line between most zombie novels and THE TURNER DIARIES. I wanted to write something to change that.
If you like short stories and themed anthologies, buy a copy of DEAD BAIT 2. The theme is "fishing" and if for no other reason, buy it because it contains a new story from Ramsey Campbell, one of the greatest living horror writers. Hell...he might be THE greatest living horror writer. (Sorry, Mr. King.) While he writes excellent novels, Campbell excels in the short story form, and no on can transport you to a completely disturbing world the way he succeeds within those stories. Also, I wrote one of my best short stories for this book--I'm very proud of "The Krang".
I've been told--and since it's on the author's website, I reckon it's okay to talk about it--that Len Barnhart's zombie novels are ALL moving to Severed Press! Len Barnhart is a true innovator. He started the zombie wave in horror fiction when his novel REIGN OF THE DEAD initially appeared from iUniverse Books some years back. No one--and I repeat "no one"--was writing zombie novels in those days. But after Barnhart tapped that particular vein in horror fandom, the floodgates opened. First dozens, then scores, then hundreds of other writers tumbled onto the market with their own takes on the zompocalypse. Len took the time and the effort and the risk when he was the only one willing to do it. And now we're going to see re-edited versions of ALL of his zombie novels coming to Severed Press! If you're a zombie fan...well, this is going to be the jackpot!
Coming soon from Severed Press! ALL of Len Barnhart's revised novels!
I'm currently working on two short stories. Both are for anthology invitations. For years, while I pursued the writing of strictly novel-length manuscripts, I ignored the short story form. Then, a couple of years ago after being invited to submit short stories to some anthologies, I took brief breaks from novels to work again on short fiction.
I enjoy writing stories, but they're an awful lot of toil, and I think it's true what many writers say about the form. It really is harder to write a short story than it is to complete a decent novel. I was exceptionally pleased with my effort for the anthology DEAD BAIT 2, and that got me working at the short story form again.
Now I'm signing contracts for my short story collection A CONFEDERACY OF HORRORS and I'm hoping that will soon appear as an ebook. I'll post here when it's ready for purchase.
Some of the illustrations that were originally to grace A CONFEDERACY OF HORRORS (by the late Harry Fassl). Click to embiggen.
There's a new short story collection out with one of my stories. DEAD BAIT 2 has just seen print from the publisher of my novel THE LIVING END (Severed Press). I got a huge kick out of writing the story for this one, "The Krang", which I covered in an earlier post. The thing about creating a story for this anthology is it got me interested in the short form again after spending so many years strictly creating novel length work. And, of course, it got me obsessing over new plots for novels.What can I say?I am looking forward to getting my contributor's copies of the book. There's a Ramsey Campbell story in this one, and he's probably--to my way of thinking--the greatest living writer of weird fiction. Nobody can create atmosphere the way Campbell can. He seems to actually transport you to the world he's writing about. This can be quite harrowing.So buy a copy of DEAD BAIT 2.
Kickass cover to DEAD BAIT 2.
Cover to DEAD BAIT II coming soon from Severed Press (with one of my stories).
HORROR for the HOLIDAYS is edited by Scott Aniolowski and will be published by Miskatonic River Press.
THE DEVIL'S COTTAILS is edited by Jason Brock and William Nolan and contains stories by some of the greats of horror fiction. I'm especially excited to see a story in it by Ramsey Campbell. This is the second anthology this year that I have shared with the great Mr. Campbell. (I was also in DEAD BAIT2 with him.)
Some of the illustrations that were originally to grace A CONFEDERACY OF HORRORS (by the late Harry Fassl). Click to embiggen.
THE LIVING END! Zombies galore! Excitement! Action! Pathos! Blood and gore! Puppies!
THE FLOCK! Giant terror birds! Fightin' Seminoles! Babes! Soldiers! Lawyers! Guns and money! Soon to be a major motion picture!
DEAD BAIT 2! Horror yarns about how it ain't safe to go back into the water! Buy yers now!
Kickass cover to DEAD BAIT 2. 
