Tag Archives: weird menace

Get ‘Em While You Can

I’ve gotten word that three anthologies I have stories in won’t be available much longer. If you want them, you should act now. All of them are available in print and electronic editions. The anthologies are:

WEIRD MENACE – This is a two volume set of weird menace stories in the vein of what were known as weird menace pulps. One volume contains stories with contemporary settings and the other contains stories set during the pulp era. I’m only in the pulp era one, but all the stories are fun. You know you need both volumes. If you’re not sure what weird menace is, think Scooby Doo without the kids and the dog but with a lot more titillation. Volume 1 Volume 2

TALES FROM THE OTHERVERSE – This is an alternate history collection. Some stories are serious. Others are just gonzo fun. James Reasoner’s story was runner up for the Sidewise Award, and Bill Crider’s story won.

ROCKET’S RED GLARE – This is a science fiction anthology that presents positive views of the future. Three of the stories in this volume were selected for one of the Year’s Best anthologies for the year it was published, which was the source with the most selections that year.

I’m proud and honored to have been published in these anthologies alongside some amazing writers. The anthologies won’t be available for long, so if you don’t have them and think you might like them, click the links. They won’t last long. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

A Brief Recap of 2015 and a Look Ahead to 2016

Normally I do a long post discussing my favorite books and publishers of the year, but I’m going to pass on that.  Besides the thought of writing that kind of post simply making me tired, there were too many things I missed.  I’ll mention a few favorites, but that’s all I’m going to do.  Mostly this will be a recap of the year’s highlights and set some goals for next year. Continue reading

Weird Menace Volume 1 Now For Sale

Weird Menace 1 aJames Reasoner announced this morning that Weird Menace Volume 1 is now for sale.  Electronic copies are $2.99 and paper copies are $9.99.  Volume 2 will follow soon.  Look for an announcement here when it does.

Here’s an excerpt from the introduction along with the table of contents.

The Weird Menace pulps flourished for less than a decade, from the mid-1930s to the early ’40s, but while they were popular, they delivered adventure, excitement, and spine-tingling thrills in quantities rarely seen before or since. Mad scientists, deranged henchmen, damsels in distress, and stalwart heroes raced through their pages in breathless, over-the-top, never-ending action. A good Weird Menace yarn really is just one damned thing after another.

Rough Edges Press asked some of today’s best authors of popular fiction to write Weird Menace stories, and they delivered. Settle back and let us spin a few yarns for you…

But keep an eye out behind you. You never know when something might be sneaking up on you.

Stories in this volume include:
“Bodies for the Brain Butcher” by John C. Hocking
“A Night on Madhouse Mountain” by Bill Crider
“The Curse of the Monster Makers!” by Scott Dennis Parker
“Farmhouse of the Dead” by Keith West
“The Hideous Blood Ray” by Robert E. Vardeman
“Blood Treasure for Satan’s Buccaneers” by James Reasoner

Weird Menace Volume 2 is Coming

Weird Menace 2 WebI’m not in this one, but if you’re interested in Volume 1, I suspect you’ll want to know about Volume 2 as well.

Here’s the Table of Contents:

“The Spider-God of Nauru!” by Mel Odom
“Lust of the Cave Spirit” by Keith Chapman
“Attack of the Nazi Snow Warriors” by Michael Bracken
“Ghost Writer” by Paul Dellinger
“The Hades Mechanism” by John McCallum Swain
“Howl of the Werewolf” by Ray Lovato

Unlike the first volume of Weird Menace, which contains period pieces, these are the type of story the weird menace pulps would likely have published had they continued past the early 1940s.

I’ll post a publication date when one becomes available.

Weird Menace Volume 1 is Coming!

Weird Menace 1 aI am very pleased to announce that Weird Menace Volume 1 will be published sometime in the next few weeks.  (I’ll let you know the exact date when I know.)

You can see from the cover to the right that it will contain stories by James Reasoner, Bill Crider, John C. Hocking, Robert E. Vardeman, Scott Dennis Parker, and…er…ahem…Your Intrepid Blogger.

Here’s the ToC: Continue reading

Weird Menace Anthology Open for Submissions

dime_mystery_193409There was a discussion on James Reasoner’s blog yesterday that he may come to regret, but I certainly hope not.  He was featuring Dime Mystery Magazine, which was one of the top weird menace pulps back in the 1930s.  The September 1934 issue, which is shown on the left.  James said he’d considered doing a weird menace anthology for Rough Edges Press.  Several rabble-rousers, myself included, urged him on.  Any resemblance to the crowd chanting for the guy on the ledge to jump is a product of your warped imagination.

Well, James has taken our advice, and we hope he doesn’t live to regret it.  He sent out an announcement today for the anthology.  Some of you should seriously consider submitting to it.  You know who you are.  I’m going to try to get something ready.  Click the Read More tag for the announcement. Continue reading