The second installment of my interview with Jack Ketchum is now live at Dark Scribe Magazine. This portion deals more with the literary side of things. How he got into writing novels in the first place and his journey in the world of publishing where OFFSPRING and its predecessor, OFF SEASON, are concerned.

Enjoy!

I recently had the pleasure of visting the set of Jack Ketchum's OFFSPRING (the film adaptation of the novel), a Moderncine production. In addition to observing portions of the actual film shoot, I also had a chance to sit down with Ketchum and get his thoughts on the film making process as well as discuss the history of the novel and its predecessor, OFF SEASON and the journey from print to the big screen.

Part I is live at Dark Scribe Magazine now.

Part II will run next week.

Enjoy!

If you're looking for a great read to wind down the summer with, I highly recommend JACK HARINGA MUST DIE! Edited by Nicholas Kaufmann. My official review at Dark Scribe has been posted, you can read it here.

What started on March 7, 2008 as "Kill Jack Haringa on Your Blog Day," has come to its fruition with this anthology of collected blog entries and a few additional stories from authors who missed out on their first chance to send Haringa to an early grave. Sale proceeds will be donated to support the newly created Shirley Jackson Awards.

The anthology features thrills, kills and chills from authors such as Jack Ketchum, Christopher Golden, James A. Moore, Lee Thomas, Nick Mamatas and many others. At the bargain price of $10 (the same price as Nick Kaufmann's Blue Shirt of Awesomeness, I might add) how can one go wrong?

Copies can be purchased here. Check it out and support a good cause.

I am happy to report that I have moved up the ranks to the post of Contributing Editor at Dark Scribe Magazine. It has been a pleasure working with Vince Liaguno and the rest of the staff this past year to bring horror fans to the best site for dark fiction news/reviews on the web. If you haven't taken a peek, stop over and check out Dark Scribe today.

This weekend I will be signing copies of Hell in the Heartland, The Book of Dead Things and Tales From The Red Lion in the Peoria/Pekin, IL area.

Here's the schedule:

Saturday, June 7th

11am -1pm - Illinois Prairie Booksellers, Pekin, IL
3pm - 5pm - I Know You Like A Book, Peoria Heights, IL

Sunday, June 8th

11am - 1pm Borders at The Shoppes at Grand Prairie, Peoria, IL

Also signing at these events are: Wayne Allen Sallee, Larry Santoro, Roger Dale Trexler, Joshua Doetsch and Sylvia Shultz. If you're in the area, stop in and see us.

I will also be reading at Twilight Tales on Monday, June 30th at 7:30pm. Check the Twilight Tales website for updated schedule information.

My poem, "Poison," has been published in the current issue of Space And Time Magazine. Many thanks to S&T's poetry editor, Linda Addison, for accepting the piece. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be in a magazine with an Alan M. Clark cover. I might actually like Monday this week :)

The TOC for Issue #103 can be viewed here. Stop over and order a copy today.

Ever since the announcement was made that WHC 2008 would be held in Salt Lake City, I heard nothing but complaints on various message boards about the "bad" choice of venue. Prior to making the trip, I will admit I was a little concerned about how the con would turn out in light of all the negative commentary. I'm happy to report that my fears were unfounded.

When I stepped out of the airport, I was awed by the scenic view of the mountains that surround the city. The breathtaking scenery made up for the fact that it was as cold in SLC as it had been in Chicago. (I patted myself on the back for bringing my winter coat.)

I got settled at the hotel, noting that my roommate, Bailey Hunter of Dark Recesses Press, had not yet arrived. I figured that we would catch up sooner or later and headed off to registration to get checked in.

WHC 2008 Chair, Charlie Harmon, was at registration making sure everything was running smoothly. Charlie did a fantastic job of pulling things together and her team of volunteers were friendly and helpful, every step of the way. I had the pleasure of coordinating the readings again this year. And while I didn't get to do as much hostessing as I would've liked, I received many compliments on the line-up. The readers and audience seemed to be very happy overall and I couldn't ask for anything more.

When I wasn't in the reading room, I could often be found in the dealers' room tempting patrons with the fictional wares of Dark Arts Books. We were lucky to have several of our authors in attendance. John Everson, Bill Breedlove and Mort Castle from Candy in the Dumpster. Jeff Strand and Adam Pepper from Waiting for October. Loren Rhoads and Maria Alexander from Sins of the Sirens. And last but not least, Cullen Bunn from our latest collection, Like A Chinese Tattoo.

I was also a panelist on the Persephone: Male or Female? Gameshow. The point of this panel was to discuss gender bias in dark fiction. For some reason, there are people out there who don't think women can write horror. Each of the panelists brought a couple of selections from their favorite authors. After reading the passages, our contestants, Gary Braunbeck and Mike Myers, had to guess if they thought the author of the passage was male or female. Gary made the assertion that female writers tend to focus on the internal thoughts of the character while male writers tend to focus externally. I was able to stump Gary with a selection from Jack Ketchum's short story, "Closing Time." I will admit that the first time I read the scene in question, I actually remember thinking "I can't believe a man wrote this." So I guess gender bias works the other way, too.

I attended a lunch meeting with agent, Kristen Nelson and learned a lot about current trends in the marketplace. I was also fortunate enough to have a pitch session with Kristen where I also got some great feedback on some of the projects that I am currently working on.

The Stoker Banquet was held on Saturday night and followed by the 1st (and hopefully not last) annual Dark Arts Books Pajama Party. I had the pleasure of chatting with many fine authors while serving as one of the bartenders.

The next thing I knew, Sunday arrived and it was time to head home. Every year, I tell myself that I am not flying back early on Sunday and every year the flight schedule just works out that way. I hope I can get a late flight back from Winnipeg next year...LOL!