It took me 44 years to finally sell a story to Analog—and just a few more months to sell them a second.

Last weekend at Balticon, flanked by Michael M. Jones and Day Al-Mohamed, I shared the opening three scenes of that second story—a novelette titled “How Val Finally Escaped from the Basement,” which will appear in the magazine’s November/December 2017 issue.

If you weren’t there, check it out below. Heck, even if you were there …

Want to know what happens next? Then be sure to track down that issue, which should go on sale around the third week of October.

My zombie novelette collection Liars, Fakers, and the Dead Who Eat Them officially launched aboard the Queen Mary last month during StokerCon, and though sales have been good, the book hasn’t gotten any reviews … until now.

And it’s a good one.

Eddie Generous of Unnerving magazine reviewed the two stories in the collection, and after stating he was “enthralled” by the first, he ended by writing—

These stories are gritty visions of people being people in a time when the dead roam and priorities are in serious flux. The writing is smooth and inviting, colourful and vivid. I am wholly impressed and as far as zombie shorts go, Only Humans Can Lie is the best I’ve ever read.

I couldn’t have asked for a more positive summation.

If you’d like to learn whether you’d agree, why not buy a copy right now?

As I told you earlier, going into Saturday’s Bram Stoker Awards ceremony I was tied at 6-0 with three other writers for the most nominations without ever having won. I even wore a button throughout the weekend to ensure the other StokerCon attendees knew of my exalted state, as this Thursday night selfie with Becky Stratford, the Librarian Guest of Honor, proves.

What waited for me on the other side of that ceremony was either an award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction … or something far more historic. How historic? So much so that emcee Jeff Strand felt moved to take notice of my potential achievement during his opening monologue.

Give a listen to what he had to say … (more…)

Michael Bailey just announced the names of two more contributors to Adam’s Ladder, an anthology he’s co-editing with Darren Speegle for Dark Regions Press—and one of those two names is mine!

Michael’s a fan of the slow reveal, and so plans to spill two new names each week until the full table of contents has been released. As you can see from the latest iteration of the cover, my co-conspirators so far include Damien Angelica Walters, John Langan, Roberta Lannes, Tim Lebbon, Erinn L. Kemper, Laird Barron, and Brian Evenson. I am honored to be among them … as well as those still to come. Keep checking Michael’s Facebook page for future updates.

The title of my 6,425-word short story, as you might have already figured out by matching up the list on the front cover with the one on the back, is “Pity This Busy Monster Not.”

Adam’s Ladder will be published later this year.

My mini-collection Liars, Fakers, and the Dead Who Eat Them won’t have its official launch party until next month’s StokerCon—but you can order a copy today.

That’s right! Head on over to Amazon, and in just a few days, you’ll be able to read my two zombie novelettes—”Only Humans Can Lie” and “Faking It Until Forever Comes”—as well as ooh and aah over the many awesome interior illustrations by artist Daniele Serra.

You’ll also get to read a glowing introduction from Brian Keene, in which he has many embarrassingly complimentary things to say about me, including that—

Had it not been for Scott Edelman and the other comic book storytellers of that time, I would have never wanted to become a writer, I would have never persisted until I actually became a writer, and I would certainly have never written The Rising, which means that zombie literature might not have enjoyed this new heyday.

Liars, Fakers, and the Dead Who Eat Them is a 154-page, 8″ x 5″ trade paperback, and costs a mere $8.95. I hope you’ll shamble over to Amazon and take a bite!

A few minutes ago, the Horror Writers Association revealed the final ballot for the 2016 Bram Stoker Awards. And while I’m happy for all the nominees, I’m especially happy about one particular nominee—me!

That’s right—my story “That Perilous Stuff” is one of the final five in the category of Superior Achievement in Long Fiction.

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

Cushing, Nicole – The Sadist’s Bible (01Publishing)
Edelman, Scott – That Perilous Stuff (Chiral Mad 3) (Written Backwards)
LaValle, Victor – The Ballad of Black Tom (Tor.com)
Malerman, Josh – The Jupiter Drop (You, Human) (Dark Regions Press)
Waggoner, Tim – The Winter Box (DarkFuse)

If you’d like to hear me read some of the opening to that story, check out this video recorded at the 2015 World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs.

One reason I’m so thrilled about this nomination is that I’m currently tied—per this screen grab from Locus—with three other writers for the most Stoker nominations without a win. And since none of those three have made the final ballot this year, even if I lose, I’ll still be a winner—for I’d stand alone as the only writer to achieve a record of 7-0.

I’d be the Susan Lucci of the HWA!

We’ll all find out what happens this April at StokerCon. I hope to see you there!

Liars, Fakers, and the Dead Who Eat Them, containing two zombie novelettes—”Only Humans Can Lie” and “Faking It Until Forever Comes”—will officially launch from Written Backwards at StokerCon the last week of April.

The book, which I’m told will be available for preorder within a few weeks, is an 8″x 5″ trade paperback priced at only $8.95, with a cover and many interior illustrations by Daniele Serra, plus an introduction by Brian Keene.

Here’s the beautiful, near-final cover, missing only the UPC code and price.

To find out what the two novelettes are about, read the back cover blurb.

You’ll want a copy, I’m sure.

Maybe even two.

I woke this morning to a press release from the Horror Writers Association announcing the 2016 Bram Stoker Awards Preliminary Ballot—and look who appears in the category of Superior Achievement in Long Fiction—

Me!

Anderson, Paul Michael – Bones Are Made to be Broken (Bones Are Made to be Broken) (Written Backwards)

Boden, John – Jedi Summer with the Magnetic Kid (Post Mortem Press)

Cushing, Aric – Vampire Boy (Grand & Archer)

Cushing, Nicole – The Sadist’s Bible (01Publishing)

Drinkwater, Karl – Harvest Festival (Organic Apocalypse)

Edelman, Scott – That Perilous Stuff (Chiral Mad 3) (Written Backwards)

LaValle, Victor – The Ballad of Black Tom (Tor.com)

Malerman, Josh – The Jupiter Drop (You, Human) (Written Backwards)

Matthews, Mark – All Smoke Rises: Milk-Blood Redux (Wicked Run Press)

Shane, Simmons – Raw (Silent Screams: An Anthology of Socially Conscious Dark Fiction) (Serpent & Dove Speculative Fiction)

Waggoner, Tim – The Winter Box (Darkfuse)

You can find the full preliminary ballot here.

Please note that this does not make me a Bram Stoker Award nominee or finalist—those will be determined by members of the HWA voting from February 1 through 15, and the lucky few who make the final ballot will be announced on February 23. But hey, I’m thrilled to have gotten this far!

If you’re a voting member of the HWA, and would like to receive a copy of my story to consider as you make your final decisions, please let me know and I’ll send one off right away.

And whatever happens next, I hope to see you at Stokercon!

My novella “After the Harvest, Before the Fall” is in the January/February 2017 issue of Analog, which went on sale December 20th, and though I took note of that event over on Twitter and Facebook, I made no mention of it here, because I thought I’d said everything I want to say back when I’d made the sale, which was 44 years in coming.

Apparently not.

Holding the issue in my hands, peeling back the cover, and seeing my name at last on the Table of Contents, I wondered … what would 17-year-old me have felt if given a peek into the future, and allowed to peer over my shoulder at his name there?

I suspect he would have said something like, “What took took so long, old man?” (more…)

A few days ago, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America announced that the nominations period for the Nebula Awards had begun, and since all my 2016 short stories have now been published—and the recommendations period for the Bram Stoker Awards from the Horror Writers Association is ongoing as well—it’s time to gather info about my publications in one place so eligible voting members of those two organizations can take them into consideration.

First up, two science fiction tales—

“101 Things to Do Before You’re Downloaded”

This 5,850-word far future science fiction story appears in the anthology You, Human, edited by Michael Bailey for Dark Regions Press. With the Earth about to end for our descendants, there are still a few more things that need to get done before it’s all over …

[UPDATED November 27 to add video from Chessiecon, so you may now see and hear me read all four stories I published in 2016. Enjoy!]

(more…)