Absolutely- Kate Pilarcik comes to Georgia!

That's right, the woman behind the veil is no other than Harbinger 33's indomitable force, Absolutely- Kate Pilarcik. She lowered her sails and docked here alongside my home in the peach state. Last night, I had the pleasure to sit down with her and share coffee in the lobby of her hotel.

It's always wild to meet someone you've only corresponded with in the virtual world. You really don't know what to expect. Gotta say, I was impressed.

Our encounter began with a warm hug and a somewhat spiritual assessment of each other's unique energy frequencies. A showdown of wills, so to speak.

I gave her my best hypnotic horror stare and she easily slipped into a jazz note look of surprise. Yes, I know, a bit odd. But our common goal as writers is to bring the weird back… and I think we achieved that. Anywho, this concentrated vibe spawned not only the makings of inspiration, but also a super-critical caffeine crave.

Hell, she even managed to whip out packets of sweetener (Sweet 'n Low, Splenda and Equal) and incorporate them into an improvised pyramid chart of sorts. I got the (Sweet 'n) lowdown on Harbinger 33, discussed up-and-coming writer conferences she'll be attending, and booked a seat on a future Amtrak, mobile writer's symposium. The woman has a wealth of ideas.

I'm so glad I got to meet her and her sweetheart, Matt.

Oh, and in the middle of our conversation her cell phone rings. She answers it, and then says, “Angel, it’s for you.” I was like, “Huh?” Turns out, on the other end of that line was no other than central Florida writer, Harry B. Sanderford himself. How cool is that?

For those of you wanting to learn more about Kate, you can find her lurking in the projectionist’s booth At The Bijou.

Kate, you’re an amazing woman. Maybe next time we’ll meet up at the Waffle House and have ourselves some hashbrowns, smothered and scattered.

My interview at 1st Author Interview

1st Author Interview is a dynamite site that allows the author to promote their book and create their own personal interview.

Per their website, K. J. Robinson states, "1st Author Interviews is a unique website that allows you a chance to personally promote your book and allows your reading audience a chance to get to know you! You'll attract more readers, giving them the opportunity to get to know you and your work better. You get your material out there in front of readers, literary agents, publishers and development executives from films, cable and TV. 1st Author Interviews is your first stop to getting your book promoted to that vast online audience. We offer this outlet to any traditional or self-published author, whether in e-book or print formats."

Head over to their site, follow them on Twitter, and like their Facebook page. BTW, it's offered to authors FREE! My interview can be found here.

The Man of Shadows reviewed at Darkeva's Dark Delights

Darkeva has done a wonderfully thorough and honest review of my book, The Man of Shadows. Check it out here at Darkeva's Dark Delights.

Author, Richard Godwin interviews me over at Chin Wag

Recently I was interviewed by author, Richard Godwin. We had a wonderful time discussing Blake, Wordsworth, Michel Foucault, and cannibals (yes, I was feeling a bit peckish). You can read all about it on his blog Chin Wag at the Slaughterhouse.

Not only is Mr. Godwin a true gentleman, but he’s also author of Apostle Rising, a novel author, Vincent Zandri says is “…a noir tour-de-force that will leave you breathless and teary-eyed…” and Crimetime Magazine calls, “…an arresting and cleverly plotted police procedural married to gothic horror and the aesthetics of the slasher genre.”

I am so grateful to have had the privilege of sitting down with this incredible writer. Thanks, Richard!

You can purchase Mr. Godwin’s Apostle Rising here on Amazon.

Moon Pie featured at The New Flesh

It's been awhile since I've had anything published over at The New Flesh. This time, I give soft sci-fi a try. The story is called Moon Pie.

It begins, "Glen Horn believed his mother was a portal for interstellar travel..."

Stop by and support this publisher of all things weird.

Thanks to editor, William Pauley III.

5x5 Fiction presents ISSUE TWO: Secrets, Scuffles and Surprises

ISSUE TWO is out! 5x5 Fiction.

My story, Keeners wins First Place for The Lost on the Rock Contest!

I’m very happy to say my story, Keeners has won first place for The Lost on the Rock Contest! It’s a departure from my usual supernatural horror, and deals more with the reality of death. It was hosted on Laurita Miller’s Calling Shotgun and Alan W. Davidson’s Conversations From Land’s Edge. They also feature an interview with me here.

There were several winners and honorable mentions, so please make sure to read them all as they are posted over the next few days.

1st Place
Keeners by Angel Zapata

2nd Place
Lost by Denise Covey

3rd Place
Oubliette by Susan Harding

4th Place
Where is Esther? by Mike Jackson

Honourable Mentions
Simply Lost by John Wiswell
Numbers by Gerard Smith

Upcoming schedule at Calling Shotgun:

Monday - 1st Place story Keeners by Angel Zapata
Tuesday - Interview with writer Denise Covey
Wednesday - Interview with writer Susan Harding
Thursday - 4th Place story Where is Esther? by Mike Jackson
Friday - Honourable Mention story Simply Lost by John Wiswell

Upcoming schedule at Conversations from Land's Edge:

Monday - Interview with contest winner, writer Angel Zapata
Tuesday - 2nd place story "Lost" by Denise Covey
Wednesday - 3rd place story "Oubliette" by Susan Harding
Thursday - Interview with 4th place writer Mike Jackson
Friday - Honourable mention story "Numbers" by Gerard Smith

Thank you Laurita and Alan!

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia is up at Flashes in the Dark

It’s been awhile, but I have a new flash piece up at Flashes in the Dark.

Jim’s little phobia has a very long name. Drop by and read Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia.

Many thanks to editors, Lori Titus and Robert Eccles.

BTW, Lori has a couple of dynamite books, Green Water Lullaby and Lazarus, both available at Amazon. I’m sure she won’t mind you buying them.

And Bob was just nominated for a Parsec award. He provided voice for a podcast over at Cast Macabre. Swing by his blog, Tiny Terrors and wish him luck.

Book Review: Grave Echoes by Erin Cole

Some of you may not know Erin Cole. She's a dynamite writer from the west coast, a writer I very much admire. She's also the author of the mystery novel, Grave Echoes. Here's my take on why you should buy and read it:

Kate Waters is a woman of science, a geologist who suffers from narcoleptic visions. The sudden death of her sister, Jev catapults her into unfamiliar ground, ground that seems to be steadily crumbling beneath her feet. Now she’s seeing the ghost of a little girl in her home, and even worse, suspects a very real stalker may be after her for the key she acquired from her dead sister’s belongings. And to top it all off, it seems Jev may have been a practicing witch.

I think mystery, horror, thriller, and paranormal junkies will find this book quite delicious. There’s a wonderful balance of ghostly happenings and witchcraft with concrete, by-the-book police procedurals and scientific fact. Erin shows great skill at creating creepy atmosphere and nail-biting suspense. And her characters are people we can relate to, void of clichés or one-dimensional caricature studies.

It’s always the small things that win me over. Early on in the book, the lead investigator attends an autopsy, and, in order to mask the smell of death, he chews on a piece of peppermint. Most readers would skim right by this. But as a person who’s actually attended autopsies, the use of something as mundane as peppermint validates this novel for me. It shows me an author who pays meticulous attention to detail.

You can classify Grave Echoes as a paranormal mystery, but at its core, it’s really about transitions and transformations. Kate Waters is at a crossroads. On the one side, she must remain true to how she's defined by her vocation, standing firm on rock. But on the other side, she must deal with her grief by stepping off the cliff of her emotions and trusting in unseen forces. Erin Cole has done an outstanding job at scripting a very believable parallel between Kate’s emotional turmoil and the seismic rumblings of Mt. Hood’s volcanic activity happening all around her.

Erin Cole’s Grave Echoes does just that; it resonates perfection. I anxiously await the sequel.

Learn more about Erin Cole and her writing at her blog here. You can purchase Grave Echoes on Amazon here.

Social Networking: How Do I Know My Net’s Working? or Yep, I Totally Suck at This

Author, Anne R. Allen recently posed an intriguing question on her blog. The post heading:

Does Social Networking Make You Feel like Your Back in High School?

Read it. How much of it do you agree and/or disagree with it?

Many of you reading this are fantastic social networkers. You cast your net and draw out a boat full of fish. You’re well-spoken (I guess, well-typed in this instance), leave thoughtful feedback, and engage other writers with genuine relationship building skills and carefully presented self-promotion. You’ve got tons of Twitter, Facebook, and blog followers.

Me, I’m terrible at small talk and self-promotion. And don’t get me started on my net-flinging skills.

I often ponder; how social does a writer have to be? Personally, I’m not a social butterfly. For that matter, I’m not even a social caterpillar. In fact, truthfully, I write so I don’t have to speak aloud. I understand that as a writer, I have to take responsibility in promoting myself via all available media outlets. And I know this may include public readings, mingling with like-minded individuals, and general social schmoozing. I know this…yet, I remain hesitant to participate. Why? I think Ms. Allen’s right; to me, in a lot of ways, social networking is like high school all over again. There are the cool kids, and then there are the rest of us. Sadly (although there’s the hint of a smile as I type this), my high school no longer exists. The building was torn down. Terrible, I know. But I don’t have many fond memories. Of course (and please feel free to refer to my psychologist for further details), this may be due to my own self-induced ostracism.

Anyway, I do spend time lurking the halls of Twitter; waste time in front of my Facebook locker, nervously pretending to search for a textbook that doesn’t exist, willing myself to turn invisible. Is this something innate in me? Can a non-social person/writer flip the coin and change? I’m not shy; I’m just somewhat…disconnected, disconcerted.

Anne speaks of feeling ignored on social networks. I partake in conversations, add my two cents when opportunity presents itself, but the drive to engage individuals, who may or may not be who they portray (especially online), usually leaves something to be desired. And selfishly I think, man, I should be using this time to create.

I’d like to build stronger relationships with writers. I’d like to see more folk read my book, The Man of Shadows (like how I worked in a hyperlink to Amazon here?), AND have it increase in sales. But how do I successfully balance between writing and networking?

And with that question (yes, and now my sad attempt to throw my net out and gather ye little fishes up), I leave the mike open for social commentary.