Over on LitReactor I wrote up a pretty detailed essay about Stephen King’s pseudonymous history. I think it turned out really well. I cover every book he released under Bachman’s name and even speculate over a possible future work, something he mentioned back in Dance Macabre about the Patty Hearst kidnapping. Check it out.
Also, a few months back Lori and I did an episode about Bachman for Castle Rock Radio. You can listen to that here.
Also I really want to get a new dog and name him Bachman.
Chiral Mad 3 is now available as an ebook, paperback, and limited edition signed hardback. Edited by Michael Bailey, this anthology includes what I consider to be my best short story (so far): “Blood Dust”. It’s about dogs that eat trash. Other things happen, too. I think. I don’t know, it’s been a while since I wrote it.
But I can say it was directly inspired by a Modest Mouse song called “Wild Pack of Family Dogs”. I recommend listening to the song before and after reading the story.
If you wanted a signed hardback, looks like there’s only 13 left. After that, you’re out of luck. Get one here. You can also buy an ebook or paperback from the same link. Or you can shop on Amazon, if you’re one of those…types.
Here’s a photo of my contributor copy, along with a print of Glen Chadbourne’s beautiful illustration that accompanies my story.
Also included in this massive, glorious anthology:
Introduction: Observations on Horror Burnout – Chuck Palahniuk
Fiction:
01. The Poetry of Life – Richard Chizmar
02. The Last Rung on the Ladder – Stephen King
03. A Rift in Reflection – Hal Bodner
04. Windows, Mirrors, Doors – Jason V Brock
05. Prayer – Mort Castle
06. The Agonizing Guilt of Relief (Last Days of a Ready-Made Victim) – Paul Michael Anderson
07. The Black Crow of Boddinstraße – Emily B. Cataneo
08. A Flash of Red – Erinn L. Kemper
09. Red Runner vs. The Surgeon, Issue 18 – Jessica May Lin
10. The Dead Collection – Mercedes M. Yardley
11. Watch Me – Meghan Arcuri
12. The Bigger Bedroom – Josh Malerman
13. That Perilous Stuff – Scott Edelman
14. Know Your Code – Ramsey Campbell
15. 3-Dot People – Gene O’Neill
16. Silver Thread, Hammer Ring – Gary A. Braunbeck
17. Those Who Watch From on High – Eric J. Guignard
18. Blood Dust – Max Booth III
19. The Offering on the Hill – Richard Thomas
20. The Whipping Girls – Damien Angelica Walters
21. Seconds – Jack Ketchum
Poetry:
01. Fair – P. Gardner Goldsmith
02. Fail-Safe – Jonathan Balog
03. Folie à Deux – Sydney Leigh
04. Reflecting on Reflections – Bruce Boston
05. Mirror Image – Marge Simon
06. Black River #1 – Elizabeth Massie
07. Prescience – Rose Blackthorn
08. The Speed of Sound – Ciarán Parkes
09. Welcome Home, Darling – Stephanie M. Wytovich
10. Whisper #1 (A Warning) – Erik T. Johnson
11. Whisper #2 (A Prophecy) – Erik T. Johnson
12. Put Me to Dream – Stephanie M. Wytovich
13. Recognizing Trees – Ciarán Parkes
14. Arbitration – Rose Blackthorn
15. Black River #2 – Elizabeth Massie
16. Reflections Through the Raven’s Eye – Marge Simon
17. Beyond Symmetry – Bruce Boston
18. Folie à Plusieurs – Sydney Leigh
19. Insomnia in Reverse – Jonathan Balog
20. Promise – P. Gardner Goldsmith
Michael Bailey’s newest anthology, Qualia Nous, is now available on Amazon. Along with stories by Stephen King, William F. Nolan, Gary A. Braunbeck, and many others, it also includes my own short story, “The Neighborhood Has a Barbecue”. Qualia Nous is an anthology blending both science fiction and horror. It’s a 120,000 word tome consisting of 25 short stories, 2 poems, and 4 novelettes.
Buy your copy HERE.
00. The Jaunt – Stephen King [ novelette ]
01. The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family – Usman T. Malik
02. The Shaking Man – Gene O’Neill
03. Dyscrasia – Ashlee Scheuerman
04. The Rondelium Girl of Rue Marseilles – Emily B. Cataneo
05. The Angel Chaser – Erik T. Johnson
06. Psychic Shock – Ian Shoebridge
07. Peppermint Tea in Electronic Limbo – D.J. Cockburn
08. Second Chance – John R. Little
09. The Effigies of Tamber Square – Jon Michael Kelley
10. Shades of Naught – Lori Michelle
11. The Price of Faces – James Chambers
12. Simulacrum – Jason V Brock [ novelette ]
13. Shutdown – Marge Simon [ poem ]
14. Lead Me To Multiplicity – Peter Hagelslag [ novelette ]
15. Cataldo’s Copy – Christian A. Larsen
16. The Neighborhood Has a Barbecue – Max Booth III
17. Tomorrow’s Femme – Marge Simon [ poem ]
18. The Jenny Store – Richard Thomas
19. Night Guard – Erinn L. Kemper
20. A New Man – William F. Nolan
21. Voyeur – John Everson
22. Kilroy Wasn’t There – Pat R. Steiner
23. In the Nothing-Space, I Am What You Made Me – Paul Anderson
24. Dura Mater – Lucy A. Snyder
25. Ruminations – Rena Mason
26. Good and Faithful Servant – Thomas F. Monteleone
27. Twelve Kilos – Patrick Freivald
28. Breathe You In Me – Mason Ian Bundschuh
29. 18P37-C, After Andrea Was Arrested – Elizabeth Massie
30. No fixed Address – Gary A. Braunbeck [ novelette ]
…
Also, my new novel, The Mind is a Razorblade, is now available to pre-order. So click HERE to check that out, too.
Many of you have read recent reports that author Melissa Foster (among many others) purchased fake Amazon reviews on the website fiverr.com. These reports were made on an anonymous blog with no more than 7 posts already published. Without any doubt, we have all believed this to be true, because hey, why not.
Well, constant readers, you will be excited to know that I actually tracked down the writer for that blog, and Fiverr Report agreed to tell us, right here on my own blog, the latest author to succumb to the hellfire of fiverr.com. You’ll never guess who it is, either–unless, of course, you’ve already read the title of this blog post, which I have to assume you’ve done.
So, okay, right. It’s Stephen King.
I know! I was as surprised as you. I told Fiverr Report that they had to be shitting me. Fiverr Report then went on to tell me that nobody was, in fact, shitting me.
Evidently, Stephen King was a bit nervous about his latest novel release, and thought it best to buy a few hundred reviews from fiverr.com just in case something went wrong. As you can see now, there’s only about 50 reviews up on the book–they are all legit (presumably). I’ve been told it takes some time for the fake reviews to start rolling in, but we should all expect them soon.
Fiverr Report also revealed something else odd. King apparently requested that he be allowed to write “at least 150 of the reviews” himself. They were all already written before King even contacted fiverr.com. The reviews were mailed to the company’s P.O box, a dirty rubber band confining the pages together. Fiverr Report went on to mention that there were suspicious bloody fingerprints throughout the individual reviews–and, every instance of the words DOCTOR SLEEP, one could spot the words ODD THOMAS below, sloppily scratched out.
Well, constant readers, you aren’t the only ones doubting these latest reports. After my meeting with Fiverr Report, I felt obligated to continue the investigation and tracked down King himself. He is surprisingly easy to find, if you’re not afraid of prison. And if you’re familiar with my past, then you’ll already know that no such place can hold me for long, anyway.
Fortunately, I was wise enough to bring a tape recorder to our meeting. So, dear readers, I now give you our conversation, verbatim:
King: What the hell? Who are you? How did you get into my bathroom?
Booth: We could spend all day talking about how I get into people’s bathrooms. No answer is going to satisfy you.
King: What do you WANT?
Booth: I came here for the truth. I know what you did.
King: Oh my God, you found the body.
Booth: I…wait, what? No. What body?
King: Uh…nothing. There’s no body. Why are you talking about bodies? [nervous laughter]
Booth: I’m here about fiverr dot com. I’ve been told by a possibly reliable source that you’ve purchased fake reviews from them to promote Doctor Sleep.
King: Doctor Sleep? What? You mean that new Stephen King novel?
Booth: Don’t play stupid with me, Steve!
King: I’m not playing! Why did you call me Steve? Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? My name is Marvin.
Booth: [laughs] Nice try. I know all about your scheme, mister man. Now confess!
King: You’re crazy. I am calling the police.
There was then a brief struggle as King jumped off the toilet and ran, pants around his ankles, through the house. Just as he found his cell phone, I managed to leap on top of him and briefly knock him out with a nearby vase. At least I assume it was briefly. Truth be told, I left the house almost immediately afterward.
I’ll give it a few more days to make sure the heat is clear, then I’ll pay ol’ Steve a visit again and hopefully we can straighten all this out. Until then, here is a book about our impending deaths (and also pie).
First off, I have helped put together another STEPHEN KING MONTH at the Dark Moon blog, Last Writes. Very excited to have contributions from writing all stars like Joe McKinney and C.W. LaSart. Read this post for further details.
I also just received news that my story, “Oh Just Shut Up Already”, has been accepted in the classy eFiction Magazine. Will post more about it when the information comes available, but pretty excited about this one. I am still anxiously waiting to see if I made it in the White Cats anthology, Airships & Automatons, which would pay some hella good cash.
Also, in case you didn’t happen to notice the beautiful little button on the top right of my site, I am now an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association! Which is awesome! So suck it! YEAH!
