Hotter Than Satan's Balls!

Okay, so most of the country is suffering from this ungodly heat, but I'm going to chime in and say that I freaking HATE it! Its miserable. I'm basically a North Pole -- if there were a place where it was autumn and winter year round I'd move there and be happy. Luckily (?!) I'm presently "between jobs" (that's unemployed for anyone not sharp enough to catch my subtle hint) because the LAST place I want to be when its 90+ degrees out is in a kitchen where the temperature is 20+ degrees higher.

So I promised to talk about what I was working on and so forth, so here's a little peek:

-- I'm putting the finishing copy edits on a book of Call of Cthulhu scenarios set in New York City called Tales of the Sleepless City. Miskatonic River Press will be publishing this one probably around the end of the year. I'm also writing a short adventure for the book called "Children of the Night".

-- I'm in the process of reading for my next anthology, Horror for the Holidays. As the title suggests, each story takes place on some holiday. This one is just about done -- I just have a few more slots to fill and I can choose my stories, assemble the book, and send it off for publication.
Miskatonic River Press will also be publishing this one, hopefully by the end of the year. Did I forget to mention that I'm the Vice President in Charge of Fiction for Miskatonic River Press?

 -- I have a short story waiting to be read and considered for  inclusion in an Arkham House book to be titled Arkham Nightmares.

-- I'm working on a story to submit to Joe Pulver for his forthcoming The Grimscribe’s Puppets, a Thomas Ligotti tribute anthology.

-- I'm working on a story to submit to a forthcoming anthology about the undead. Can't say anything else about that one.

-- I'll soon start work on assembling the stories for Wilum Pugmire's The Strange Dark One: Tales of Nyarlathotep. Another MRP book, this one we hope to have out in the first quarter of next year.

-- I have also recently struck a deal with an up-and-coming author for his first collection that we'll be doing in 2013. Can't give much away about this one, but if you follow other blogs you can put the pieces together for yourself.


-- And for Call of Cthulhu fans -- here's a scoop -- I've been in talks with Chaosium about doing a Malleus Monstrorum Companion. This one is still in the planning stages, so I'll update as required.


Gosh! That looks like an awful lot. I must be busy! Now if I could only get this writing thing to PAY OFF. Unfortunately, it doesn't bring in enough to even cover living in a cardboard box under a bridge (well, not a high class, luxury box to which I've become accustomed, anyway!). Eh, the House of Secrets would miss me.

Until next time,

I feel a hot wind on my shoulder
And the touch of a world that is older....

Testing, testing... is this thing on?

So I'm trying out this blog thing just to see what all the fuss is about. Its still early days, and I haven't figured out how the hell to DO anything here yet, so it'll be a learning experience!

Anyway, my intent is to share bits of random nonsense with any readers I may happen to attract or fool into coming over here! I'll talk about my writing, what I'm working on both as a writer and editor, things that inspire me or piss me off, punk and new wave music of the 80's, some chef stuff (I'm a trained Executive Chef by profession), various authors whom I admire and love (or hate and loathe -- depending on my mood), and just general inane thoughts.

I guess appropriately enough is the explanation for my blog's name: I own a big old Colonial house in Lockport, New York that I've taken great effort (not to mention time and money) to try to bring back to its former glory. I love my home and its an extension of me. The land was parceled off by The Holland Land Company in 1822 and the house built in 1874. Its a beautiful beast with grand bones. I call it The House of Secrets -- a name that just came to me when I first moved in because I felt there was more to the place than meets the eye. In a future blog I'll go into some of the more interesting details of the place, like the Satanic altar that used to be in the basement, or the time I found all my shoes tied (but I live alone with two cats!).

But this, then is just the beginning. Until next time,

Unpleasant Dreams....