Literature and Me

My parents always had books around. Tons of them. Even before they became booksellers there was always ample reading material around for me. My initial memories are of comic books.

 Here, then, are the literary influences that stuck in my brain throughout my life. Not necessarily the most important influences for me, but the ones that made initial impressions. Starting from as far back as I can remember.

The first comic that I can recall reading was the Jesse Marsh version of JOHN CARTER OF MARS from Dell Comics. I couldn't have been older than four or so when it was given to me. The next comic that I read was FANTASTIC FOUR #4. Again, I must have been five...it was before I entered first grade.

By the time I was eight I had discovered Hugh Lofting's DR. DOOLITTLE books. My mom watched me consume those and she gave me a copy of Bradbury's THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. Scared the shit out of me, and cemented a life-long love of horror. Then I discovered Ernest Thompson Seton and learned a respect for wild animals and later, I developed a love for our fellow creatures.

My dad gave me a copy of Darwin's VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE when I was nine. That began a love of science and learning and initiated a constant thirst for knowledge and kindled what I can only call a hatred for religion.

After that, of course, it was one discovery after another without any direction from my parents. I was too busy finding my own works to read. And of course it never stops. I'm always searching for the next writer to engage my imagination and to inspire my sense of wonder.

 

Best Zombies in Media

For years I've loved the zombie trope created by George Romero. As I've mentioned before, his creation of the shambling undead incorporate and encompass just about every fear and phobia you could name. The possibilities for themes both covert and overt are endless. This is one reason that I felt I had to try my hand at penning a zombie novel.

So, I want to do a list. Everyone seems to like compiling lists. Lists of bests, worsts, must-haves, you-name-it. The following here is a simple list of the best uses of the zombie in various forms of art. This is by no means a complete list, but is a compilation of the creations that spring to mind and which were instrumental in my own development as a writer, and as a creator of the zombie novel, THE LIVING END.

Top of the Heap: This one is easy. The original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD directed by George A. Romero, screenplay by Romero and John Russo, a variation on a theme by Richard Matheson. This movie is the masterpiece of claustrophobia and paranoia. Romero never made it a secret that this film was an allegory based on the Richard Matheson novel I AM LEGEND. To this day, the original NIGHT is still the best adaptation of Matheson's seminal themes.

"They're coming to get you, Barbara."

Second: The original DAWN OF THE DEAD film by George Romero. In this film we see for the first time the zombie utilized as the instrument of apocalypse. It was as brilliant a move as the original concept Romero revealed in the 1968 film. The underlying commentary of consumerism has not been lost on the audience over the intervening years. If there's a movie with a more kinetic and frantic opening, I've not encountered it.

"What floor is this?"

Third: Richard Matheson's novel, I AM LEGEND. Yeah, I know. It's vampires and not zombies. But it might as well be zombies, the way Matheson portrays the pathetic and ravaged infected who have surrounded the last living man on Earth. I encountered this novel when I was fifteen years old and the first line grabbed me. I was hooked. It's a pity that no one has ever done the novel justice as a film. Until then, we have Romero's first zombie movie, and that's good enough.

Richard Matheson, one of the great fantasists of our age.

Fourth: Len Barnhart's indie novel, REIGN OF THE DEAD. I stumbled upon this novel after meeting Len Barnhart either at a convention or online. I honestly can't recall how I first found the book. But once I'd found it, I was really happy that I had. When Mr. Barnhart published REIGN OF THE DEAD there had been virtually no other zombie novels. To my knowledge, only Phil Nutman's WET WORK and the various novelizations of Romero zombie movies preceded it. In those days, who the heck would publish a novel about flesh-eating zombies? Well, apparently, nearly no one. Len Barnhart pretty much started the zombie wave and created a whole new market for apocalyptic fiction about the undead overwhelming the living. The book was great when it came out and it's still great now.


Fifth: THE WALKING DEAD. Robert Kirkman wasn't the first to bring zombies to comics, but he was the first to do it effectively. There had been some notable attempts to do comic book zombies; however, Kirkman blew the others away with something the rest of them lacked: characterization. With THE WALKING DEAD you had finally found a continuing series that had people in it who were not bland cutouts. I first heard about the title when I found myself talking to fans of the comic who didn't normally even read comics! They were following the series for the simple reason that it was so well written and that the situations seemed true to them, despite the fantastic setting. For comics, zombie fiction doesn't get any better.

Zombies well done.

Sixth: WET WORK by Phil Nutman. Wet Work is a term that describes the task of killing people, principally by those who work as assassins for various governments. The world of WET WORK begins in just such a situation as a zombie plague begins to envelope the Earth. This was another what-the-heck-is-going-on-here? experience. When Nutman published this book as a mass market paperback it was unique: a zombie novel. It actually preceded REIGN OF THE DEAD and it had zombie fandom to itself for a very long time. Why Nutman never followed it up with another similar novel is a mystery. I kept waiting for another, but it never came. The book is out again in a deluxe format, and I recommend it.


Seventh: THE WALKING DEAD television series. It's not quite the series I was expecting, but it's pretty darned good, so far. If you haven't seen it, go rent the DVD or buy a set. If you're a zombie fan, you'll like it. If you enjoy drama in general, you'll probably still get a kick out of it.

"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Darabont."

Well, as the seventh-born of a seventh-born of a seventh-born, I'll leave it at that lucky number. For now. In the meantime, you can buy my own zombie novel THE LIVING END in both trade paperback and Kindle.

"This guy James Robert Smith can write! Not since Philip K. Dick have I read an author who so convincingly paints the social milieu of his story's world. From the very first page I felt eerily and alarmingly at home in James Robert Smith s The Living End. Every detail is masterfully rendered on the page. Plus, he gives us zombies. And dogs! I loved The Living End. Bravo, James Robert Smith! Your book blew me away." - Joe McKinney, author of Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead

LA Trip

Carole and I are planning a trip to Los Angeles in February. It's been a very long time since I've visited California, and I've never been to LA. So this will be all new territory for both of us. While there I'll get to meet Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Earl Hamner Jr., John Shirley, and a host of other area authors whose work also appeared in THE BLEEDING EDGE.

I'll post more later.

The novel is going to be keeping me extremely busy over the next weeks (and probably months). Not sure how much I'm going to be able to post here on my blog. We'll see.

Earl Hamner, Jr.

Ray Bradbury

Richard Matheson

THE BLEEDING EDGE Arrives

Some months ago Jason Brock and William F. Nolan announced that they were going to be editing a new horror anthology entitled THE BLEEDING EDGE (Dark Barriers, Dark Frontiers). It would feature stories that were to be cutting edge horror with themes that pushed the envelope of the genre. I had a story that I figured would qualify and submitted it. They bought "Love & Magick" from me and soon paid full pro rates for the tale. Bill Nolan had me make a few changes, but having my work edited has never been an issue with me.

Last week the book arrived. Jason worked long and hard putting this anthology together and ensuring that it would be an impressive book when it was off the presses. I have to say that I am impressed with the look and feel of the package. The paper quality is grand, as is the binding. The book is bound in blood red stock with appropriately black title.

The contents, too, are excellent. The lineup of authors is impressive, with stories by some of my favorite authors and many professional writers from my youth. Some of the names present are William F. Nolan, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, John Shirley, Earl Hamner, Jr., Joe Lansdale, Gary Braunbeck, Steve Rasnic Tem, and others. Brock and Nolan included not just stories but also teleplays. It has been a long time since I've seen that format presented in a fiction anthology.

I've now received my copies of the trade hardback version, but the signed and numbered limited edition won't be release until later in the month. I look forward to seeing it. Thus far, quality-wise, this is the best anthology of which I've been fortunate enough to be a part.

You can order the book at Amazon, or directly from the publisher.

The Bleeding Edge (Repost)

I posted a while back about reconnecting with an old friend, Jason Brock. Which resulted in me getting to spend part of a day with William F. Nolan, one of the great writers of my youth.

Subsequently, Jason and Nolan decided to co-edit a hardback horror anthology called THE BLEEDING EDGE. Jason partnered with James Beach at Dark Discoveries to publish the book. It's going to appear as a classic limited edition, both signed and numbered, and as an unsigned edition. These books tend to be expensive, and I've had fiction appear in such books in the past, but it has frankly been a long time since I was invited to submit to this kind of anthology.

Cover art by the startlingly talented Kris Kuksi.

The lineup of artists is particularly impressive, with new material by Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Joe R. Lansdale, and a host of others. I'm looking forward to the book, as it will also be the appearance of my first short story in quite some time. I got away from short story work some years back and I rarely work in that form these days.

I wrote "Love & Magick" because I felt many horror writers seem to have forgotten what a horror story is supposed to be. Most horror stories seem to be not horror at all, but rather moral fables in the Judeo-Christian tradition wherein the "horror" is represented by a bad person getting their due in a most unfortunate (but deserved) manner.


Some years ago I wrote a story called "An Embarassment of Witches". It dealt with a witch who had been murdered by her husband, but who'd used a spell on herself that enabled her to come back to life and continue her marriage as before, all the while slowly rotting away (her powers only went so far). It eventually saw print somewhere (I forget just where), but initially I had submitted it to an anthology being co-edited by a fine fellow who had, at one time, been preparing to be a rabbi. He liked the technical aspects of the story but rejected it because "I don't see where she (the witch) deserved what happened to her". Alas, he was locked into that method of horror stories being as I described them--comeuppance tales. But of course a rabbi would see things that way.

My story in THE BLEEDING EDGE would definitely not be the kind of story where the bad guy gets what's coming to him. It's something else entirely. I'm hoping that most of the stories therein will be of a similar vein. I can only wait to see. The book is supposed to appear within the next couple of months, and I am looking forward to it. The best limited edition books are works of art. I have high hopes for this one.
Here are details about the book and how to order:

BLEEDING EDGE PRE-ORDERS...

We're getting ready to head to the printer's very soon, so we're opening up pre-orders now for just the Deluxe Signed Edition. There will be only 75 copies of this for sale and with advance interest, we anticipate it will sell out very quickly. The Deluxe Edition features a special handmade binding with textured faux leather, foil stamping, a reading ribbon, individual signed colophon author sheets, 7 art inserts, and a color dust jacket.

This anthology features all-new/previously unpublished work from an amazing group of writers. Here's the lineup:

Cover and Interior Art by Kris Kuksi

Foreword - S.T. Joshi

Introduction - William F. Nolan and Jason V Brock

"Some Of My Best Friends Are Martians…" - Ray ..Bradbury

"Just A Suggestion" - John Shirley

"Love & Magick" - James Robert Smith

"Madri-Gall" [A short play] - Richard Matheson & R.C. Matheson

"Hope and the Maiden" - Nancy Kilpatrick

"The Death and Life of Caesar LaRue" - Earl Hamner

"A Certain Disquieting Darkness" - Gary A. Braunbeck

"The Boy Who Became Invisible" - Joe R. Lansdale

"Getting Along Just Fine" - William F. Nolan

"The Grandfather Clock" [Twilight Zone teleplay; purchased, but unproduced] - George Clayton Johnson

"Triptych: Three Bon-Bons" [Three short-short stories] - Christopher Conlon

"The Hand That Feeds" - Kurt Newton

"The Central Coast" - Jason V Brock

"Omnivore" [Screenplay excerpt; Illustrated by O’Bannon] - Dan O'Bannon

"De Mortuis" - John Tomerlin

"I, My Father, and Weird Tales" [Essay] - Frank M. Robinson

"Silk City" - Lisa Morton

"Red Light" - Steve Rasnic Tem

"How It Feels To Murder" [A teleplay] - Norman Corwin

"At The Riding School" - Cody Goodfellow

To order, follow the link to our special page we've set up for the book. The Deluxe Edition is on sale for $175.00 (We're offering $20 off for pre-orders). Shipping will be a flat $15 in the US for Priority Airmail with Insurance and Delivery confirmation. More for overseas.

Purchase here

There will also be a Trade hardcover retailing for $65 ($55 with newsletter coupon or pre-reserve). These will be unnumbered and 400 copies will be done. These will be signed by the editors William F. Nolan and Jason V Brock We're not taking pre-orders for these as the number being produced is much larger, but you can drop us a note via email or post to reserve a copy for you.

James R. Beach of Dark Discoveries Publications

and

Jason V Brock of Cycatrix Press.

The Bleeding Edge

I posted a while back about reconnecting with an old friend, Jason Brock. Which resulted in me getting to spend part of a day with William F. Nolan, one of the great writers of my youth.

Subsequently, Jason and Nolan decided to co-edit a hardback horror anthology called THE BLEEDING EDGE. Jason partnered with James Beach at Dark Discoveries to publish the book. It's going to appear as a classic limited edition, both signed and numbered, and as an unsigned edition. These books tend to be expensive, and I've had fiction appear in such books in the past, but it has frankly been a long time since I was invited to submit to this kind of anthology.

Cover art by the startlingly talented Kris Kuksi.

The lineup of artists is particularly impressive, with new material by Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Joe R. Lansdale, and a host of others. I'm looking forward to the book, as it will also be the appearance of my first short story in quite some time. I got away from short story work some years back and I rarely work in that form these days.

I wrote "Love & Magick" because I felt many horror writers seem to have forgotten what a horror story is supposed to be. Most horror stories seem to be not horror at all, but rather moral fables in the Judeo-Christian tradition wherein the "horror" is represented by a bad person getting their due in a most unfortunate (but deserved) manner.


Some years ago I wrote a story called "An Embarassment of Witches". It dealt with a witch who had been murdered by her husband, but who'd used a spell on herself that enabled her to come back to life and continue her marriage as before, all the while slowly rotting away (her powers only went so far). It eventually saw print somewhere (I forget just where), but initially I had submitted it to an anthology being co-edited by a fine fellow who had, at one time, been preparing to be a rabbi. He liked the technical aspects of the story but rejected it because "I don't see where she (the witch) deserved what happened to her". Alas, he was locked into that method of horror stories being as I described them--comeuppance tales. But of course a rabbi would see things that way.

My story in THE BLEEDING EDGE would definitely not be the kind of story where the bad guy gets what's coming to him. It's something else entirely. I'm hoping that most of the stories therein will be of a similar vein. I can only wait to see. The book is supposed to appear within the next couple of months, and I am looking forward to it. The best limited edition books are works of art. I have high hopes for this one.
Here are details about the book and how to order:

BLEEDING EDGE PRE-ORDERS...

We're getting ready to head to the printer's very soon, so we're opening up pre-orders now for just the Deluxe Signed Edition. There will be only 75 copies of this for sale and with advance interest, we anticipate it will sell out very quickly. The Deluxe Edition features a special handmade binding with textured faux leather, foil stamping, a reading ribbon, individual signed colophon author sheets, 7 art inserts, and a color dust jacket.

This anthology features all-new/previously unpublished work from an amazing group of writers. Here's the lineup:

Cover and Interior Art by Kris Kuksi

Foreword - S.T. Joshi

Introduction - William F. Nolan and Jason V Brock

"Some Of My Best Friends Are Martians…" - Ray ..Bradbury

"Just A Suggestion" - John Shirley

"Love & Magick" - James Robert Smith

"Madri-Gall" [A short play] - Richard Matheson & R.C. Matheson

"Hope and the Maiden" - Nancy Kilpatrick

"The Death and Life of Caesar LaRue" - Earl Hamner

"A Certain Disquieting Darkness" - Gary A. Braunbeck

"The Boy Who Became Invisible" - Joe R. Lansdale

"Getting Along Just Fine" - William F. Nolan

"The Grandfather Clock" [Twilight Zone teleplay; purchased, but unproduced] - George Clayton Johnson

"Triptych: Three Bon-Bons" [Three short-short stories] - Christopher Conlon

"The Hand That Feeds" - Kurt Newton

"The Central Coast" - Jason V Brock

"Omnivore" [Screenplay excerpt; Illustrated by O’Bannon] - Dan O'Bannon

"De Mortuis" - John Tomerlin

"I, My Father, and Weird Tales" [Essay] - Frank M. Robinson

"Silk City" - Lisa Morton

"Red Light" - Steve Rasnic Tem

"How It Feels To Murder" [A teleplay] - Norman Corwin

"At The Riding School" - Cody Goodfellow

To order, follow the link to our special page we've set up for the book. The Deluxe Edition is on sale for $175.00 (We're offering $20 off for pre-orders). Shipping will be a flat $15 in the US for Priority Airmail with Insurance and Delivery confirmation. More for overseas.

Purchase here

There will also be a Trade hardcover retailing for $65 ($55 with newsletter coupon or pre-reserve). These will be unnumbered and 400 copies will be done. These will be signed by the editors William F. Nolan and Jason V Brock We're not taking pre-orders for these as the number being produced is much larger, but you can drop us a note via email or post to reserve a copy for you.

James R. Beach of Dark Discoveries Publications

and

Jason V Brock of Cycatrix Press.