The Madness from Arkham Sanitarium

I spent a fair portion of the afternoon devaluing the deluxe edition of Tales from Arkham Sanitarium (Dark Regions), edited by Brian M. Sammons, by scribbling my John Hancock on the signature sheets. The deluxe edition apparently sold out in advance, so if you didn’t pre-order it, I reckon you’re out of luck. The trade hardcover and ebook came out last year. This one features my short story, “Clicks,” which is pretty fucked up, along with 14 other tales of madness and terror.

“Knowing too much, getting a glimpse of the truth behind the curtain we call reality, casting aside the bliss of ignorance and succumbing to the insanity that follows in the pursuit of damnable truths, is at the core of many of the stories of the Cthulhu Mythos. Insanity is central to Lovecraftian horror, so there is no wonder that in his witch-cursed and legend-haunted town of Arkham, a cathedral devoted to mending broken minds was raised. Arkham Sanitarium. Where the screams and cries of the damned are commonplace. Where those that have seen the faces of cosmic entities gibber with regret over their curiosity. Where men and women are cosigned to never ending purgatory for knowing too much. The machinations of the Old Ones are beyond the mental capacity of mankind, and these are the tales of those who learned that too late.”

Table of Contents
• “The Crying Man” by Tim Waggoner
• “Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation” by William Meikle
• “Malformed Articulation” by W. H. Pugmire
• “Bit by Bit” by Don Webb
• “Let me Talk to Sarah” by Christine Morgan
• “The Hunger” by Peter Rawlik
• “The Colors Of A Rainbow To One Born Blind” by Edward M. Erdelac
• “The River and the Room” by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.
• “Veteran of the Future Wars” by Orrin Grey
• “Folie et déraison” by Nick Mamatas
• “Red Hook” by Glynn Owen Barrass
• “Clicks” by Stephen Mark Rainey
• “...& My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You” by Edward Morris
• “Forbidden Fruit” by Cody Goodfellow
• “Stained Glass” by Jeffrey Thomas

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Tales from Arkham Sanitarium
at Dark Regions

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A Graveside Chat with Brian M. Sammons

Author/editor Brian M. Sammons is one of the busiest gentlemen in the business, with dozens of anthologies he has edited/co-edited, short fiction aplenty, and a possible movie deal in the works. He may be best known for his work in the world of Lovecrafian/weird fiction, and he frequently collaborates with author/editor Glynn Owen Barrass (whose Graveside Chat interview may be found here). Brian took a little time out to participate in this edition of A Graveside Chat.

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GC: You are very active in the writing and editing business — particularly in the world of Lovecraftian horror. What draws you to this particular sub-genre, if we should call it that? Do you tend to write tales that fit into specific Lovecraftian lore — i.e., the myriad conventions of the Cthulhu Mythos — or are you more inclined to draw on the concepts that inspired those conventions and veer off into your own territory? Or some of both, perhaps?

BMS: I guess a bit of both. I am not above rooting around in the big sandbox left to us by H.P. Lovecraft or even playing with some of his well-used toys. But then I am also keen on doing my own thing within the broader sub-genre of Cosmic Horror. I am a fan of many different types of horror, from classic ghostly tales to splattery stories of psychos, but whatever the flavor, I love the unexplainable and the inescapable, and Lovecraft’s brand of horror does that far better than most. I think that is why when I first read him at a tender age I instantly fell in love with his weird world.

GC: Who are your favorite contemporary authors? Do you find that they inspire and/or influence your writing (or editing)? Are there any particular authors you haven’t yet published that you would like to?

BMS: By contemporary, I guess you mean living, so that's how I’ll take it. Of course, there’s both Stephen King and Clive Barker. Ramsey Campbell is in my opinion the best living author of Cthulhu Mythos stories, not to mention his own brand of terror. There’s also the wonderful Joe Lansdale. All of them (along with long-gone greats like Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Robert Bloch, and Richard Matheson) have had a huge influence on my own writing. I have had some dealing with Campbell and Lansdale and both were a joy to work with and would love to do so again. As for some newer names, I am a huge fan of Adam Nevill and would love to do something with him, and Paul Tremblay, whom I’ve worked with just a little and would love to do so again. As for others, well if you check out my anthologies you will see a few names that appear again and again. That’s because I love their stories and they are absolutely a joy to work with. There are far too many to name them all, but some highlights would include Jeffrey Thomas, William Meikle, Mercedes Murdock Yardley, Pete Rawlik, Christine Morgan, Tim Waggoner, John Langan, Lois Gresh, and man, there really are too many to mention.

GC: You’ve collaborated on numerous projects, perhaps most notably with author/editor Glynn Owen Barrass. Do you prefer collaborating with others, as opposed to working solo, particularly on editing projects? Does collaborating pose any unique creative challenges — or specific benefits? Is there anyone you’d particularly care to collaborate with that you haven’t already?

BMS: Yeah, I adore Glynn and we have done a bunch of books and stories together. I've also done a bit with David Conyers, as well as one-offs with a handful of others. I love collaborating in both writing and editing, as it’s fun to bounce ideas back and forth with someone and, like they say, many hands make for light work. But I’ve also done many things on my own, so I guess I’m easy and just go with the flow when the opportunity presents itself. As for any challenges, well I’ve got to have a good relationship with whomever I collaborate with, and we soon discover a shorthand between us to make things easier. I mean, Glynn and I have been doing this for so long that each of us can just focus on our own part of things and trust completely that the other guy will hold up his end. It sometimes feels like that twin ability to finish each other’s sentences.

GC: Can you talk about any upcoming publications — either that you’ve edited or written? How about any special projects you’d like to set in motion in the future?

BMS: As far as upcoming projects, Glynn and I just finished up an anthology for PS Publishing called Mystery, Murder, Madness, Mythos. It’s a collection of detective/mystery fiction of all stripes that meets the horror of the Cthulhu Mythos. From Dark Regions Press there is Tales From Arkham Sanitarium that I did by myself. That one focuses on how madness and insanity are integral parts of Cosmic Horror. And no, I don't just mean that the protagonist goes cuckoo at the end and writes a rambling note before offing themselves. Lastly, there is a HUGE project that David Conyers and I are working the logistics out now. I can't say more than that right now, only that it will be awesome if we do it right. Other than that, I’ve always got other titles in the works, and taking up space in my head until I can get them out. As for special projects that I’d like to see set in motion, there is a film production company that optioned the rights to my story, “One Way Conversation” about eight years ago. They keep renewing the option and saying that they want to do it, I just really wish they would get it done already.

GC: Thank you, Brian, and best wishes on all your upcoming projects.

BMS: Thank you so much for having me here.

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Visit Brian M. Sammon’s Amazon.com
book page here.

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Coming Soon: Graveside Chats with Maurice Broaddus and many more!

It's a Book! Summer of Lovecraft

The Kindle edition saw the light of day just before the most recent New Year's, but the big old paperback edition of Summer of Lovecraft is now roaming about in the wild. My contributor copy arrived from Dark Regions today. This one features my tale "Short Wave," which, for my part, I consider one of my most eerie, unsettling works of short fiction.

In the summer of 1969, a couple of teenage boys find an old short-wave radio. Man has, for the first time, set foot on the moon, and although the boys realize it's a silly idea, they decide to try contacting the astronauts of Apollo 11 on their radio. To their shock, a voice responds to their attempts—but it is immediately clear to them that the voice is not of human origin. They soon realize that something—an intelligence not of this earth—has taken notice of them. And now, no matter what they do or where they go, they cannot escape the malevolent attention of this unknown intelligence from outer space.

CTHULHU MEETS FLOWER POWER in this weird, wild, trippy, far-out, cosmic, and horrific anthology. Summer of Lovecraft - Cosmic Horror in the 1960s, edited by Brian M. Sammons & Glynn Owen Barrass, published by Dark Regions Press.

Night Trippers by Lois H. Gresh
Operation Alice by Pete Rawlik
The Summer of Love by C.J. Henderson
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Sullivan by Lee Clark Zumpe
Dreamland by David Dunwoody
Lost In the Poppy-Fields of Flesh by Konstantine Paradias
Five To One by Edward M. Erdelac
Keeping the Faith by Samantha Stone
Mud Men by Sean Hoade
Misconception by Jamie D. Jenkins
No Colors Anymore by Joe L. Murr
Shimmer and Sway by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
Short Wave by Stephen Mark Rainey
The Song that Crystal Sang by Tom Lynch
Through a Looking Glass Darkly by Glynn Owen Barrass and Brian M. Sammons
The Color from the Deep by William Meikle
The Long Fine Flash by Edward Morris
Just Another Afternoon in Arkham, Brought to You in Living Color by Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr.
Crystal Blue Persuasion by Jeffrey Thomas

Order the paperback from Amazon.com here.

The Summer of Lovecraft Is Coming

From the editors of World War Cthulhu: A Collection of Lovecraftian War Stories...

Cthulhu meets flower power in this weird, wild, trippy, far-out, cosmic, and horrific anthology. Summer of Lovecraft - Cosmic Horror in the 1960s, edited by Brian M. Sammons & Glynn Owen Barrass, published by Dark Regions Press. For my part, I consider Short Wave to be one of my most eerie and disturbing tales.

There are FIVE days left in the Dark Regions Press Summer Sale where you can pre-order Summer of Lovecraft, which features the following stories and authors:


Night Trippers by Lois H. Gresh
Operation Alice by Pete Rawlik
The Summer of Love by C.J. Henderson
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Sullivan by Lee Clark Zumpe
Dreamland by David Dunwoody
Lost In the Poppy-Fields of Flesh by Konstantine Paradias
Five To One by Edward M. Erdelac
Keeping the Faith by Samantha Stone
Mud Men by Sean Hoade
Misconception by Jamie D. Jenkins
No Colors Anymore by Joe L. Murr
Shimmer and Sway by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
Short Wave by Stephen Mark Rainey
The Song that Crystal Sang by Tom Lynch
Through a Looking Glass Darkly by Glynn Owen Barrass and Brian M. Sammons
The Color from the Deep by William Meikle
The Long Fine Flash by Edward Morris
Just Another Afternoon in Arkham, Brought to You in Living Color by Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr.
Crystal Blue Persuasion by Jeffrey Thomas

Initially, Summer of Lovecraft is being released as ebook, but a paperback release will follow shortly. Pre-order in the next FIVE days at the Dark Regions Press Summer Sale.

Through a Mythos Darkly

I received my contributor copy of Through a Mythos Darkly the other day, and people, let me tell you, this is one big, beautiful monster. It's from PS Publishing in the UK, edited by Glynn Owen Barrass and Brian M. Sammons, and features my story, "Excerpts From the Diaries of Harold P. Linklatter" (no, not Art Linkletter, you great sillies), along with 16 other tales by the likes of Cody Goodfellow, Jeffrey Thomas, John Langan, Robert M. Price, Pete Rawlik, Don Webb, William Meikle, Christine Morgan, Konstantine Paradias, D. A. Madigan, Sam Stone, Edward Morris, Tim Waggoner, Lee Clark Zumpe, Nick Mamatas & Molly Tanzer, and Damien Angelica Walters. The gorgeous cover is by Tomislav Tikulin.

Within these pages lurk 17 stories of alternate history, set in the dark universe of H. P. Lovecraft, kith and kin. Indeed, here you'll find Great Old Ones, Deep Ones, Them Ones, All Kinds of Ones, woven into worlds that might have been or are yet to come.

"Excerpts From the Diaries of Harold P. Linklatter" begins in the familiar world of the late 1960s—the day of the Apollo 11 moon landing. And as time moves toward the present day, the world becomes something altogether not the one you see out your window today. It's something much different. Much stranger (and yes, might ought believe that).

I must tell you that this book is not inexpensive—£30, (just shy of 40 US. dollars)—but for real, this is just about a dark fantasy reader's darkest dream. In addition to a stellar list of contributors, the packaging is gorgeous and sturdy, with a glossy slipcover around the bound, illustrated cover.

You can pick up Through a Mythos Darkly direct from PS Publishing, and they do take Paypal as well as major credit cards. Dawdle not!

A New Smorgasbord From Dark Regions Press

Dark Regions Press is officially announcing three new horror anthologies, including Return of the Old Ones (edited by Brian M. Sammons), which features a right scary little tale of the Cthulhupocalypse, titled "Messages From a Dark Deity," by this old man. Dark Regions is kicking off an Indiegogo campaign for all three books, with a regular smorgasbord of perks and extras, much like their highly successful campaign for World War Cthulhu (which featured another of my Cthulhu Mythos tales, "The Game Changers"). The other two anthologies are You, Human (edited by Michael Bailey) and The Children of Gla'aki (edited by Brian M. Sammons and Glynn Owen Barrass).

"Messages From a Dark Deity," takes place during the days leading up to the eve of global destruction, seen through the eyes of an investigative journalist. As the world around him becomes increasingly more bizarre, he attempts to deny the evidence of his senses, attributing the horrors he witnesses to some kind of hysteria, but Nyarlathotep — the messenger of the Great Old Ones — refuses to allow him even this dubious comfort.

The fantastic cover work you see above is by Vincent Chong. For more details about all three anthos and their attendant perks, visit the Dark Regions Indiegogo campaign page. And here's the promo video — knock yourself out on these visuals.

The Dark Regions Press Interview

Author/editor Brian M. Sammons recently interviewed me for Dark Regions Press, and it's now gone live. In-depth info about my horror fiction, Deathrealm, Dark Shadows, upcoming work, and much more. Read it, weep, and gnash those teeth. Check it out here:

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR STEPHEN MARK RAINEY

Return of the Old Ones

Look what's coming out of the darkness from the frightening folks at Dark Regions Press! It's Return of the Old Ones, a new anthology of Cthulhu Mythos stories, edited by Brian M. Sammons. The book includes stories set in three distinct time periods: just before the stars come right to release the Great Old Ones to spread calamity over the earth; during those moments that civilization falls and the earth trembles beneath the onslaught of its new, horrific masters; and after the fall, when those few humans who survive must eke out an existence in an unimaginable hell.

My story, "Messages From a Dark Deity," takes place during the days leading up to the eve of destruction, seen through the eyes of an investigative journalist. As the world around him becomes increasingly more bizarre, he attempts to deny the evidence of his senses, attributing the horrors he witnesses to some kind of hysteria, but Nyarlathotep — the messenger of the Great Old Ones — refuses to allow him even this dubious comfort.

Return of the Old Ones features 19 stories by some of the finest storytellers working today. The amazing cover art you see above is by Vincent Chong. The full table of contents appears below.

IN THE BEFORE TIMES
"Around the Corner" – Jeffrey Thomas
"Tick Tock" – Don Webb
"Causality Revelation" – Glynn Owen Barrass
"The Hidden" – Scott T. Goudsward
"The Gentleman Caller" – Lucy A. Snyder
"Scratching from the Outer Darkness" – Tim Curran
"Messages from a Dark Deity" – Stephen Mark Rainey

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE WORLD ENDED?
"Time Flies" – Pete Rawlik
"Sorrow Road" – Tim Waggoner
"The Call of the Deep" – William Meikle
"Howling Synchronicities" – Konstantine Paradias
"Chimera" – Sam Gafford
"The Last Night on Earth" – Edward Morris
"The Incessant Drone" – Neil Baker

LIFE IN THE SHADOWS OF THE LIVING GODS
"Breaking Point" – Sam Stone
"The Allclear" – Edward M. Erdelac
"The Keeper of Memory" – Christine Morgan
"Shout/Kill/Revel/Repeat" – by Scott R Jones
"Strangers Die Every Day" – Cody Goodfellow

Return of the Old Ones, coming in Fall 2016 from Dark Regions

The Game Changers

M. Wayne Miller — fellow connoisseur of Thai food, rabid Godzilla fan, and artist extraordinaire — has unveiled his illustration for my story, "The Game Changers," coming up in the Dark Regions' Press anthology, World War Cthulhu: A Collection of Lovecraftian War Stories, edited by Brian Sammons and Glynn Owen Barrass. And here's the illustration — scaring me to pieces it is. I reckon it's a good thing I know how the story ends. (Or is it?)

World War Cthulhu is scheduled for release on August 19. It features all new fiction by Neil Baker, David Conyers, Tim Curran, Ed Erdelac, Cody Goodfellow, Ted Grau, C. J. Henderson, David Kernot, William Meikle, Christine Morgan, Edward Morris, Konstantin Paradias, Robert M. Price, W. H. Pugmire, Peter Rawlik, John Shirley, Darryl Schweitzer, Jeffrey Thomas, and Lee Zumpe. Cover art is by Vincent Chong, interior illustrations by M. Wayne Miller. Visit Dark Regions Press for more info.