May 29, 2010

My short story, The Relic, has been short-listed at Electric Spec.

Also, my newest chapbook, PAIN FACES, will be available for purchase shortly. It collects 5 previously published short stories: Cauliflower, Agents of Karma, Marbles, The Accused, and the title story.

April 29, 2010

My short story, Cuts, will be appearing in Death Head Grin.

Still waiting to hear back from Weird Tales and Dark Discoveries about my stories The Relic and WWJD?, respectively.

March 27, 2010

My short stories Putting Blackie Down and Adventures in Narcolepsy will be appearing in Death Head Grin ezine.

March 20, 2010

The Horror Zine's second anthology now has an official name: TWICE THE TERROR: THE HORROR ZINE. This anthology features numerous up-and-coming authors (myself included), as well as some established pros: Joe R. Lansdale, Bentley Little, Graham Masterton, Deborah LeBlanc, Ed Gorman, and Simon Clark.

I'm also in the initial stages of a collaboration with fellow Michigan authors, Rick McQuiston and Joshua Scribner. It's a collection of our favorite personal (previously published) stories. Working title: MICHIGAN MADMEN.

March 4, 2010

It's official: I'll soon be sharing a table of contents with Graham Masterton, Joe R. Lansdale, and Bentley Little, among others! (My short story, This Moment Will Haunt You Forever, will be appearing in the as yet untitled Horror Zine anthology Volume 2.) Seeing my name listed with these masters of the craft is a great honor and a huge confidence boost. It's definitley the high point of my career so far.

In other news, my short story, Sisters, has made it onto the short list for the Blood Bound Books extreme horror anthology, DOA.

VILE VISIONS BOOK SIGNING!

Sorry for the repetition, but I just want to make sure everyone sees this: This Saturday, February 27, from 11 am until 4 pm, I'll be at Beyond Coffee on S. State Rd., Davison, selling and signing copies of my first short fiction collection, VILE VISIONS. I'll also be doing a live reading at 3pm. For those who are unfamiliar with my work, I write weird fiction, often brutally disgusting and laugh-out-loud funny in the same story. (And yes, venereal warts CAN be funny!) Stop in and warm up with a hot beverage and enjoy some tripped-out stories.

February 18, 2010

Party like a Rock Star! will appear in Midnight in Hell ezine.
This Moment will Haunt you Forever will appear in The Horror Zine.

Almost time for the book signing/reading at Beyond Coffee on the 27th. Been too busy to think about it, but starting to get a little antsy now.

January 20, 2010

Patience will appear in The New Flesh ezine.
Agents of Karma will appear in Rotten Leaves #2.
Azz-Izz will appear in Death Head Grin ezine.

January 15, 2010

My short story, Pain Faces, will be appearing in the March issue of Death Head Grin ezine. Did NOT expect to find a publisher for this one. It's pretty brutal.

Also, I'll be selling and signing copies of VILE VISIONS, DEATH VIBES, and DANCING WITH THE TERRORISTS at Beyond Coffee 1509 S State Rd. Davison, MI, Saturday February 27, from 11am to 4 pm. Will also be doing an interview with the Davison Index next Monday to drum up some interest in the event.

Despite all the positive things that are happening, I've been experiencing a barrage of rejections lately. It can be disheartening at times, but I just keep telling myself that's what happens when you're so prolific--More stories means more rejections, right? BUT, I have been able to use some of the criticisms that accompany these rejections to fine-tune the stories and make them stronger. So thank you to all the editors who have the courtesy to include a little mention of what worked and what didn't work for them. As the old saying goes, "Writing is rewriting."

January 2, 2010

My flash story, Something Different, will be appearing in the 2010 edition of 52 Stitches.

Shifting gears once again to focus my creative energy on USED ADDICTIONS. Currently laying down the inks for issue 6. Once this is finished, I'll be working on UA #7, then it will probably be back to fiction.

December 6, 2009

My new chapbook, DANCING WITH THE TERRORISTS, is now available! This mini-collection is signed and numbered to just 50 copies. Contains the following previously unpublished stories:

Dancing with the Terrorists
Adventures in Narcolepsy
Conan vs. Rosa Parks

Check out the side bar for ordering information!

October 30, 2009

My short story, Cauliflower, will be appearing in House of Horror.

My short story, Boy Parts, will be appearing in the first issue of Rotten Leaves, which debuts tomorrow. I'm especially glad to see this one find a much-deserved home, after the debacle involving the "Until Somebody Lose an Eye" antho a few years ago. Apparently divorce is grounds for reneging on a binding contract. I don't know. Hmmm. Maybe we should ask Tom McIlveen about that.

October 11, 2009

My short story, Sick John, will be appearing in the December edition of Midnight In Hell e-zine. And it IS sick.

My 5-story chapbook, DEATH VIBES, will be available here on the Web site shortly. VILE VISIONS, the book-length collection, is still scheduled for release on Halloween.

October 7, 2009

My flash story, Intruder, will appear in the 10-15-09 edition of The New Flesh. Check it out.

Gearing up for the Skelebration of Scares at Pages Book Store, Friday, October 9th in Downtown Flint. I'll be there signing copies of my new chapbook, DEATH VIBES, which is a mini-collection of 5 stories taken from the full-length book,VILE VISIONS. This full-length collection will be available right here on the Web site on October 31st. More updates soon.

September 30, 2009

My short story, Security, will be appearing in the October 2010 issue of Blood Moon Rising.
My short story, Satisfaction, will be appearing in a future issue of Sex and Murder Magazine.

September 28, 2009

Taking a mini-break from Used Addictions to spend a little time working on fiction. First point of order is the Skelebration of Scares, which will take place at Pages Book Store in Flint. I'll be signing copies of my new 24-story collection, Vile Visions, as well as reading a few select stories. When I say "new" collection, I should clarify that this is NOT all new material; rather, it is a compilation of some of my favorite published stories from the first 6 years of my career (2004 thru 2009). Many of these stories appeared in my first 2 collections, No Lemons and The Next Batch. While these two books were honest efforts at getting my stuff out into the public eye, they were also rushed efforts, chock full of rejected stories that were rejected for good reasons. Vile Visions, however, is a much better representation of my work. This collection will be for sale soon right here on the Web site.

August 31, 2009

My flash story, Downwind, will be appearing in The New Flesh e-zine next month. This is an older, sort of odd little tale, but one that I've always felt deserved to be read.

May 3, 2009

My flash story, Sole Provider, will appear in Midnight Echo, the Magazine of the Australian Horror Writers Association. It's been a long, strange trip for this one, but I'm happy it has finally found a home.

April 9, 2009

As it's been a while since I've updated this thing, I figured it was time to stop in and explain why. After 5 years of dealing with the ups and downs of the small press fiction world, I've decided to take a break and concentrate on my other love--drawing. As I stated in my BIO, I've been a comic book fan since I was a kid, and I really miss the artform. So I've decided to resurrect my comic book, USED ADDICTIONS. It's about a cigarette butt, an empty wine bottle, and a used condom and their adventures on the streets of Flint and Detroit. You can read more about it here: http://www.usedaddictions.com/. I'm also on Facebook and MySpace, but the web site is where you can order copies of the comic, as well as keep up on all the news involving my discarded dudes.

I may resume writing short fiction some day, but for now I just seem to have lost the love. For me, making comic books is the perfect balance of creativity and fun. And while there was never a shortage of story ideas in my head, the process of writing fiction has ceased being fun for me.

So, to everyone who read this blog on a regular basis, I extend to you a very heartfelt THANK YOU, and I hope you'll check out my comic.

Chris

February 3, 2009

Procession will be appearing in Everyday Weirdness.
Before and After the Rain will be appearing in Splat/Bang.