Throwing Muses

 I have been posting more light-hearted, silly, and/or things-I-find-interesting things recently on my Facebook page again. It reminds me of what life was like pre-2016 when the Great Division started. And that's as political as this post will get.

A few days ago, I posted this poem, Throwing Children, by Ross Gay. It was the daily Poem-A-Day, The Academy of American Poets. It brought back warm memories of my daughter's youth. Sadly, I don't have as many from before her 4th year as she was already five when my wife and I married, but I do have a few and they are treasures. 

That post touched many of those who read it, in the same way—bringing joyous memories. It also did something else. It inspired a comment by Ramsey Campbell. That made my day. And put me on a feel-good high and, actually, helped me over a rather nasty dry spell writing. So, thank you, Sir! 

For those of you who don't recognize the name, he writes horror. Fantastic Fiction describes him as "the world's most decorated author of horror, terror, suspense, dark fantasy, and supernatural fiction." No small feat, that, but certainly well-deserved. Collider calls him, "the UK’s Stephen King."  in a recent article about why we aren't adapting his books to film & streaming.  That is an excellent question and one Hollywood should be taking to heart. Instead of regurgitating and remaking things like the Harry Potter movies. (Gah! An altogether different rant!) I came to reading Ramsey Campbell as I started my own career writing horror, fantasy, and the weird. Like the aforementioned, Stephen King, he is prolific. I am still slowly working through his canon and I urge all of you to do the same. 

Campbell reveals, 

"My fellow clansman Paul Campbell will remember the birth of this tale. At the Dead Dog party after the 2010 World Horror Convention in Brighton, someone was throwing a delighted toddler into the air. I was ambushed by an idea and had to apologise to Paul for rushing away to my room to scribble notes." 

The result is his short story, WITH THE ANGELS. It's less than $1 at Amazon, or for a dollar more at Barnes & Noble, you can get Mammoth Books presents A Ghostly Gathering: Four Stories. It includes stories from three other writers in the field—Thana Niveau, Mark Morris, Angela Slatter. 

Possessed

This story appealed to me on many levels. It is a nuanced and horrific tale mixing Mexican folklore, possessions on various levels, and the exploration the generational trauma of Alejandra’s family history. At first glance, Alejandra is not a likable character. Tortured by her life choices and pondering suicide, and worse, she is also considering taking her children with her. She is hurting and filled with self-loathing, so it was a little hard to stick by her side early on, but Castro has told many great stories, so I stuck with it. Once Alejandra started with Melanie, her therapist and curandera, the story became much more interesting. On another note, as an adoptee and adopter, I found this aspect of her journey highly relatable. My main complaint is that toward the end of the story, some of the ancestor stories acted like cardboard cutouts making the end feel a little rushed. A 3.5-star rating for one of V. Castro’s stories is a 4 for most other authors. 

The Haunting of Alejandra

by V. Castro

Published by Del Rey

March 18, 2023 | 272 Pages | ISBN-13: 9780593499696

I would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.

So Little Time…

I grew up during the height of the Cold War. The USSR was the big boogie man. Communism wanted to destroy our way of life. Then the Wall came down and the Soviet Empire fell. The insidious fear of the ever-present threat was gone. We had PEACE and the promise of a new world. But that didn’t last. The world found itself being forced to deal with threats from the past. Putin claimed Russia for himself and the World finds itself confronted with the brutal invasion of Crimea and Ukraine, Russian oligarchs, and Russian crime. So as an escape where did I turn? Television? Slow Horses on Apple+ and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime. Reading? RED LONDON by Alma Katsu. Russia is once again. EVERYWHERE. The stories are engaging. The menace is real. And Putin’s Russia makes for a great villain. 

Lyndsey Duncan is back, and what she is involved in is complicated and a little confusing. Katsu teases us with the story of a Russian war criminal, but we end up getting the story of a Russian oligarch. While I did not find RED LONDON as engaging as Katsu’s first book in the series, RED WIDOW, at times I did lose myself in the story. You won’t lose your breath trying to keep up with a Jason Bourne or a Jack Ryan, but the real-world stakes are just as high. The psychology of manipulation was intriguing, as was the Anglo-American intelligence cooperation but I couldn’t find much to like about Emily, the British wife of the oligarch and Lyndsey’s target. By the end, I did feel a bit sorry for her. This story is rife with secret identities, private contractors, ex-lovers, clandestine meetings, and so much more. Who can Lyndsey trust? This is a different type of spy game. 

This book is fiction, but Katsu pulls from her 30-plus career in national security. And while she did her best to portray world events, she, like so many others, couldn't have predicted that the war on Ukraine would still be taking its murderous toll on the country and the people there. It seems with Putin, there is no level to his depravity and with the rest of Russia, they seem too scared to do what is right and put an end to this madness. 

I really tried to get this book read before launch day. It didn’t have anything to do with the book itself, it was how busy I had made my life. I often find that I stretch myself a little thin. I have my own writing and a few illustration projects that would be enough to keep me busy on their own, but I also have a house to paint, then there’s yard work, the pool, and family life. On top of all that, I try to get in at least an hour of reading every day. I reserve the night for TV with my wife. It’s not quite how I had envisioned retirement. 

Red London

by Alma Katsu

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons

March 14, 2023 | 352 Pages | ISBN-13: 978-0593421956

I would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.

Hang On Tight and Try To Keep Up

I went into this one completely clueless other than knowing I was in for some kind of ride.

More than a romp, this road trip book is crazy. You'll find more twists, turns, and surprises in this story than you would if you made it to the last call in a dozen of the South's most insane dive bars listening to THAT guy tell the most unbelievable stories you have ever heard. Like much of Lansdale's work, this one is hard to pigeonhole. JANE GOES NORTH is a buddy story/road trip of two women who really don't like each other. It's a little comedy and a little crime painted with a broad brush of violent, Southern Gothic. One bit of advice to take with you after reading this one—if you are driving through any tiny, hole-in-the-wall, backwater Southern towns make sure you have a full tank of gas and you do NOT stop at the Save-Mart for anything.

I listened to the audiobook. Kasey Lansdale's reading of Jane Goes North adds an extra layer of Lansdale goodness. I'd suggest you give it a listen, even if you have already read it.

The image above is the cover from the Subterranean Press release, but I have to include the paperback cover version of this from Pandi Press. It features a vintage Thunderbird. It is not the car from the story, but for those who have known me for a long time, I used to have one of these beauties. My father bought it off the showroom floor. The family took it West for an epic road trip of our own back in 1969. It was my mom and dad, my sister, Debbie, and our dog, Peanuts, all jammed into the T-Bird and hauling a 13-foot Shasta camper. Florida to California and back. We were packed so tight we couldn't put the top down. My father gave it to me not long before he died. I had it up until a few years ago. It was getting too expensive to maintain. I sure did hate to part with it. 

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On a side note, since I mentioned Kasey Lansdale. I had the pleasure of working with her a while back on one of my own stories, TALL TALES 'N' TREMBLIN.' It is a short story that came out of some character development and research that I was noodling on for the novel that I have been working on for years. The good news is that I am finally on the editing stage, so I hope to be ready to query agents before year's end. My story was originally published as part of the weekly Kaidankai: Ghost and Supernatural Stories podcast. I had heard Kasey read DEAD MAN'S CURVE, a story she and her father co-wrote for the anthology, NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD. We I got word that my story was going to be read, I thought I'd reach out to Kasey and see if she would be interested. I couldn't believe she was available. Thanks again Kasey!