Darby Larson's Irritant

Darby Larson's book Irritant is a 711 page manuscript that's going to be somewhere between 520 and 700 pages when published in the next few weeks.

This is a massive book for an indie press to pursue and publish. It has taken a lot of time and planning. I am so proud, excited and thankful for so many people who've supported this book with pre-orders and press. Thank you! Thank you!

Pre-orders are here for $20 (domestic) including shipping: http://mudlusciouspress.com/blue-square-press/  

I wrote a review for Kevin Catalano's book The Word Made Flesh at The Small Press Book Review.

1970s Tokyo.

Guest Post: Michael J Seidlinger's 'My Pet Serial Killer' Blog Tour

Alias/Known As: “The Preserver”

Real name: Ben Spivey

Number of victims: 11

Method:

~Targeted customers of a local franchise restaurant where employed as head chef. 

~Fed victims food treated with a quick acting drug inducing effects akin to inebriation. 

~Offered to drive victims home; those that agreed were never seen from again. 

~Upon slipping into a deep sleep, victims were wrapped / smothered and set in plastic.

~Selected portions were preserved and later used in daily specials at the restaurant. 

~Remainders of wrapped bodies were portioned out into small pieces and disposed of in a dozen locations across the tri-state area.

Be Mine:

“I try and try and try and he still won’t tell me what they taste like afterwards. He’s eager to let me know what he did to them to make her, every side of her, unique, but when it comes down to the way they taste on second suck, second lick, second insertion, he’s stopping short, falling silent, moving on to the next one and then the one after that. What does she taste like after her breath falls and her heart stops?”

You can buy the book from Amazon, here.

The Next Big Thing: BLACK GOD

Nick Antosca, most recently the author of The Obese, tagged me in the "Next Big Thing" interview series. What is the "Next Big Thing" interview series? It's a blog series in which the tagged author answers 10 questions and then tags another / other authors who will then do the same thing. There are a lot of writers participating in this series. For a place to start check out: Michael J Seidlinger's post here and / or Jamie Iredell's post here. 

1) What is the title of your latest book?

BLACK GOD (Goodreads)

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

It felt like a black hole.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Maybe some sort of slipstream? But probably not. Peter Markus said: "...it is a book that might have been written by the son of Kafka and Braque." I was reading Kelly Link's collection PRETTY MONSTERS the other day and noticed that Audrey Niffenegger said of Link that "...[Link is] the literary descendant of Jorge Luis Borges and Franz Kafka." Existentialistic Cubism as literary genre sounds good.  

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Michael Fassbender and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Repetitious love, looping walls, lost children and a dying wife.

6) Who published your book?

Blue Square Press.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It was a year before I had something that felt like a good draft. It was another year before it was finished. I started it, shelved it, picked it back up, assembled, cut, added and completed it over the course of about 2 years.   

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  

I was influenced by Peter Markus, Brian Evenson and the memory of H.P. Lovecraft. Any book by Markus, FUGUE STATE by Evenson and the literal weight and idea of Lovecraft's complete collection.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Something like depression but more like brooding. 

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

For the people that read my first novel, FLOWING IN THE GOSSAMER FOLD, there is a "cameo" by the main character of that book for about 5 pages or so.   

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That's it. Thanks for reading and be sure you go read Nick's interview if you haven't already.


Next up I've passed the Q & A to two authors:

1) David Peak is one of my favorite writers and he will be talking about his recent collection of short stories, GLOWING IN THE DARK. GLOWING is an amazing collection of literary horror from Aqueous Press. Check for the post in a few days. 

&

2) Christopher Bundy will be talking about his upcoming novel, BABY, YOU'RE A RICH MAN, from C&R Press. Check for the post in a few days.