The Evil Flatwoods Tree is Still Rocking the Evil

Taken from my walk earlier today. The ol' gal is showing her bones.

Of Possible Interest

Last weekend I participated in a local Halloween Storytelling Festival. I wrote a children's ghost story for the event and read it live, along with Tammie Womack and Geoff Moore providing award-worthy performances in bringing two of the characters alive.

It seemed to go over well. I've enjoyed every children's or YA piece I've written, and I find myself wondering why I don't produce more of it.

I have two YA book series I would like to write. It's a matter of getting proposals and actual first volumes written. Which will come after I finish up a number of other projects.

Meanwhile, the story I wrote, "The Ghost and the Constable" is my column in this week's Ashland Beacon. You can read it here on page 2.

Also, Dave Wilbanks and I recently chatted about the beginning of our writing relationship. He's put the conversation up on his blog. If you like this sort of thing, please let one of us know and we'll share more if it.

Thanks to Matt Cowan at Horror Delve for including my novella “The Autumn Man” on his annual Halloween Reading List.

I was more than a little stunned to be included on a list of legendary writers like Manly Wade Wellman, Ramsey Campbell, Joe Landsale and Norma Partridge.

“The Autumn Man” is included in my collection Looking at the World With Broken Glass in My Eye. I believe the publisher is out of business, but Amazon still lists new and used copies here.
I have plans to eventually turn “The Autumn Man” into a novel, hopefully in the next year or so.

Dead Earth Tweets

Earlier today I answered some Dead Earth questions on Twitter.

Hi @MarkJustice just finished reading Dead Earth sanctuary. I really enjoyed it. Would i be right in thinking there will be a 4th book?
— Graham Adams (@firstclassmale) October 6, 2014

@firstclassmale I would love to write a 4th Dead Earth book, if @PermutedPress  and @sloughmagus were up for it.
— Mark Justice (@MarkJustice) October 6, 2014

@MarkJustice @PermutedPress @sloughmagus The way the book ended, i thought it was the start of another chapter in the guys life's.
— Graham Adams (@firstclassmale) October 6, 2014

@firstclassmale @PermutedPress @sloughmagus Me too. :)
— Mark Justice (@MarkJustice) October 6, 2014

@MarkJustice @PermutedPress @sloughmagus You can't leave the fans hanging with an ending like you did.
— Graham Adams (@firstclassmale) October 6, 2014

@firstclassmale @PermutedPress @sloughmagus I would prefer not to.
— Mark Justice (@MarkJustice) October 6, 2014

@MarkJustice @PermutedPress @sloughmagus So how does a wee man like me persuade the publishers to give you the ok to write another book?
— Graham Adams (@firstclassmale) October 6, 2014

@firstclassmale @PermutedPress @sloughmagus Wee man, if you figure it out let me know. Seriously, let PP know.
— Mark Justice (@MarkJustice) October 6, 2014

@firstclassmale @PermutedPress @sloughmagus And when DTW and I are in a position to write another one, there are many ways to publish.
— Mark Justice (@MarkJustice) October 6, 2014

My Favorite Comics

In the early 1970s America–and much of the world–had kung fu fever. On October 1, 1972 the TV show Kung Fu premiered and I was there for every slow David Carradine kick to some ignorant cowpoke’s head. Suddenly, the comics racks were filled with martial arts titles, and the best of them began right here. Master of Kung Fu (which would soon graduate to its own title) was the story of Shang-Chi, son of the infamous Devil Doctor, Fu Manchu. I was drawn in because of the kung fu connection, but the quality of the writing and the art, not to mention the pulpish undertones from the Sax Rohmer characters. Unfortunately, Marvel no longer has the Fu Manchu license, so the stories have not been reprinted yet. The original series lasted for well over a hundred issues, much longer than the fad that inspired it.

Pod of Horror #71

After a lengthy hiatus, we've attached the electrodes to the corpse,  shot a million volts of current through the rotting remains and viola! Pod of Horror is back! Episode #71 features interviews with authors James A. Moore, Hunter Shea and Daniel Boyd, along with regular features The Call of Kalanta, Jason Keene's Moonshine Matinee and Scary Words. Listen on iTunes or here. 

When I’m 55

I never think of my age that often. But when I do, especially in the last couple of years, I’m am totally, abso-freakin’-lutely gob-smacked.

I’m 55. How did that happen?

In a recent conversation with a friend of similar vintage, we discussed how old we would guess we were if our memories were wiped. I told him I would guess I was in my mid-thirties. The only concessions to my age (aside from hair color) is the occasional twinge in the back and the need for more recovery time when I miss sleep. That’s it.

But I am 55, and that number does carry some meaning for me.

It means that my time is more valuable than ever before. That means that I have less patience with people who want to sell me things and expect me to sit through a 30 minute pitch before they tell me the price (please note: if someone doesn’t want to tell you the price, the price is going to be fairly ridiculous) or with physicians and other professionals who think nothing of asking you to wait three hours past the time of your appointment..

55 means that every second I spend with my wife is precious. Same goes for other close family members. It means that when it comes to movies and TV shows and books, my choices will be made carefully.

It also means the things I put my energy into have to be important to me. I have quite a few writing projects I want to get to. When I’m not working my day job, that’s what I’m spending most of my free time on.

It’s been a pretty good 55 years. I've managed to accomplished things the 12-year-old me would never dreamed of. I only hope the next 55 are just as good.

My Favorite Comics

 

In 1973, DC Comics secured the comic book rights to The Shadow, the pulp magazine and radio star of the 1930s and 1940s. Around the same time as his series debuted, DC had The Shadow meet up with Batman. In the story, we learned that The Shadow had been an early inspiration to Bats. They teamed up once more before DC gave up their Shadow license, thus preventing the stories from being reprinted. But for those of us lucky enough to hold on to the originals, we can still thrill to the vigilante who was even scarier (and nuttier) than Batman.

 

My Favorite Comics

This stands out in my memory as the moment when my love for comics and love for horror (stoked by Saturday night viewings of Chiller Theater) came together. Marvel’s line of black and white horror magazines was not regulated by the Comics Code Authority, so, in theory, they could be R-rated. In truth, there was never much of anything shocking, but the very idea that something naughty could happen gave these magazines even more appeal to a kid.

The very next issue began the origin of Dracula, illustrated by the incomparable Neal Adams. That was 1973 and it remains one of my favorite comics stories.

I have a lot of love for these magazines. Some of the other titles included Monsters Unleashed, Tales of the Zombie, Haunt of Horror and Vampire Tales.

A.S.S. Update

 In this week's column for the Freakin' Ashland Beacon, I share a new escapade of the Argillite Secret Service. As always, it's on page 2. You can read it here.

My Favorite Comics

 

This is why I loved Marvel Comics in the early-to-mid 70s. There was a try-anything feel to the books. Oddball ideas were guaranteed at least a few issues. Bother Voodoo was another reluctant Marvel hero who takes over the role when his brother, the first Brother Voodoo, is murdered. The series boasted good writing and fantastic art by Gene Colan, who also drew every issue of Tomb of Dracula, another of my favorites. Brother Voodoo’s series ended after five issues, but his story continued in the pages of one of Marvel’s black and white monster magazines.

Well, this is unexpected.

Post by David T. Wilbanks.

My Favorite Comics

When this came out, I was 10 years old. I had never heard of Robert E, Howard, nor had I been exposed to sword and sorcery fiction. But something about the writing and art transported me in a way that nothing had before. And that first issue wasn’t even that great. Future installments deserved to be called masterpieces. This influenced my reading for years to come. All in all, the first hundred issues or so of Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian remains my favorite interpretation of the character.

Pod People

If you're a fan of Pod of Horror (and if you are, thank you) the show will be in about a week. For hardcore followers of our show's The Call of Kalanta, here is something to tide you over. By the way, this isn't an old clip. It was freshly recorded yesterday.

My Favorite Comics

When this came out in 1972, my brother and I thought it was one of the coolest things we’d ever seen. Like most kids, we were big fans of Evel Knievel, watching all of his jumps on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. So the idea of a guy with a flaming skull on a chopper was mind-blowing. I think I read this issue a dozen times before the next one showed up at the drug store in two months.

Cover Guy

Today is the birthday of Bob Eggleton, immensely talented artist and the creator of amazing covers for fantasy and SF book. 

Of course, I have a preference for one of his pieces in particular. Thanks to Nick Cato at Novello Publishers for scoring this cover.

By the way, I have an idea swirling around in my head for a novel that would link the Deadneck stories. I hope funny zombies never go out of fashion.

News From The Future

The secrets are revealed this week in my newspaper column in the Ashland Beacon. It's on page 2! Read it here.

Reading

I just finished Personal by Lee Child, the new Jack Reacher novel. This one has Reacher, the former Army MP, drawn into the search for a deadly sniper he originally put in prison years ago. Set partly in France and England, and concerning possible multiple assassination attempts, Child crafts a supersonic page turner. It's possible that he's the best thriller writer in the biz.

Up next on the reading list:

Still Supernatural After All These Years

I recently wrapped up watching the 9th season of Supernatural. 17 episodes were on my DVR for months.

My TV watching time is very limited during the week, so I mostly watched the show here and there on weekends. Now the season is finished and here are a couple of thoughts.

(I know the season ended a long time a go, but there will spoilers. Consider yourself warned.)

Generally, I thought it was a successful season. Supernatural is strongest when it follows the shows mythology. Nine years of continuity can be intimidating for new viewers, so the show makes a token effort to appeal to newbies with a few episodes that don’t tie in to the main story.  Some of those stand alone monster-of-the-week episodes worked well, except for “Bloodlines”, which was a backdoor pilot for a spinoff series–a failed pilot, as it turns out. In hindsight, it’s not hard to understand why the CW passed. The pilot was about as generic as a show with Supernatural in the title could be.

As for the major arc–the fallen angels, Metatron, Abaddon, Dean’s descent into evil–it took a surprising and therefore, refreshing turn (a turn which was spoiled by much press this summer. I’m not complaining. It’s my fault for waiting so long to watch the show. But had the big finale not been spoiled, I would have been stunned. Stunned, I tells ya!).

So Dean’s a demon. This sets up interesting story possibilities for next year. More good news is the promotion of Mark Sheppard and Misha Collins to series regular.

Confession time: does any other longtime Supernatural viewer get chills when the season finale begin? When that “The Road So Far” title card comes up, followed by “Carry On, My Wayward Son”, I’m in need of an adult diaper. Er, was that too much info?

Reader Mail

I answer it in this week's column in the freakin' Ashland Beacon. You can read it online. It's on page 2.