HERE is Kevin J. Anderson's blog announcement for Blood Lite III: Aftertaste.  This humorous horror anthology will be released to book stores and online outlets on Tuesday, May 29th.  I've already read several of the stories, and I think readers will have a lot of fun with this title!

Zombie Kong Print Anthology

Received my print copies of the Zombie Kong anthology in the mail today. Rave reviews at Amazon.com, so check it out. Should be available any day now at your favorite online book seller. 

My story, "The Elephant in the Room" will resonate with anyone who is disgusted by the ludicrous, inane, spiteful, ignorant or downright hateful "comments" folks post online every day!

Thanks to editor James Roy Daley for purchasing my story.


I also have to say that it's a pleasure to share a Table of Contents with David Niall Wilson, Amanda C. Davis, and William Meikle again. 

Blood Lite III Author Roundtable

Click HERE to read comments from several of the authors who contributed to "Blood Lite III: Aftertaste". Thanks to DL Snell for asking the questions and compiling the answers! Save the link as more questions and answers will be added each week.

Blood Lite III: Aftertaste will be released on Tuesday, May 29th. Check your favorite book store!  Editor Kevin J. Anderson has assembled an incredible lineup: Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Heather Graham, L.A. Banks, Christopher Golden and many more!

Yeah, I led with the big names, but it's a pleasure and an honor sharing a Table of Contents with Lisa Morton, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Ken Lillie-Paetz, Jeff Strand and DL Snell as well.

This book should be widely available. Check your favorite book seller!

Anthology spotlight: I'm Going to Flash You

I'm a big fan of reading and writing flash fiction, aka micro fiction.

In 2009, I stumbled on a web site/anthology called FIFTY-TWO STITCHES. I submitted a story called "Bubble Gum Tongue". It is less than one page long (!) but it was accepted and later appeared in the print version of the anthology, edited by Aaron Polson. Most of the stories are three pages or less.

I discovered several great tales in this anthology. My favorite was "Little Problems" by Patricia Russo. Absolutely loved it. Cate Gardner, Felicity Dowker and Rachel Green all had really good stories as well. 

There's an anthology called Flashshot that is available on Lulu. It's from a Canadian small press publisher. I have over FORTY 100 word stories in this collection! Worth checking out! Lots of personal favorites included.
The most recent flash fiction anthology I've contributed to has turned heads thanks to its stellar lineup of authors. Jack Ketchum, Simon Clark, Joe McKinney, Ramsey Campbell, Nancy Holder, Tim Lebbon, Nancy Kilpatrick, Graham Masterton, Rick Hautala, William F. Nolan, Lisa Morton & Nate Kenyon, for starters.

As of this writing, I am exactly half finished with the book. My favorite stories (so far) have come from Stephen Volk, Kaaron Warren, J.R. Parks, Jeremy C. Shipp and Aaron Polson.

I almost forgot!  My story, "How To Make A Monster" is about a man in a coma. He gets a second chance at life when he miraculously wakes. But, since this is a horror anthology after all, it would have been best if he'd stayed locked up within himself.

My story was partially inspired by a distant relative of mine who got hit by and 18 wheeler when he was out riding his motorcycle. He spent several years in a coma. Then he miraculously woke up! Only a few short months later, he was killed by an 18 wheeler while riding his motorcycle. Fate?

Anthology spotlight: Pill Hill Press

Headed up by Jessy Marie Roberts, Pill Hill Press is a relatively new horror/fantastic fiction publisher. Their first anthology was released in 2009 and WOW have they released a ton of titles since then!  I have appeared in four PHP anthologies, though I haven't submitted anything to them recently. This is a publisher that (at least at the time I was submitting) did not offer payment. I think they might have offered contributor copies or offered copies to contributors at reduced rates. I'm so tired right now that I don't remember!

One of my earliest anthology appearances was "The Middle of Nowhere", featuring horror in a rural setting and fantastic cover art. My story is called Beneath Kent's Bed and was verrrrry loosely based on one of my Uncles. It's a murder mystery, and rather dark.

Also included in this anthology are stories by Jessy Roberts, Aaron Polson, Amanda C. Davis, J. Troy Seate and Rob Rosen, all of whom I would encounter again. I really look forward to seeing what other authors I am sharing a Table of Contents with, to see who I know, who I admire, and so on.

It's been a long time since I read this anthology, but I recall being freaked out by Tommy of the Flood by Aaron Polson.

The second PHP title I contributed to was "Love Kills", a horror/dark fantasy anthology about love gone wrong. WAY wrong! My entry is called Swollen Tick and tells the story about an unusual fellow named Martin, who is perfectly content when his neighbors fight, but faces grave health problems when (because) they work things out and rekindle their romance.

If you get this anthology, make sure you read All Your Pretty Things by Harper Hull. His violent stories always horrify me (in a good way).

PHP has a nice series called "Dark Things." I have a story in Volume II, titled The Old Man of Weevil Creek. It was meant as an homage to one of my favorite old horror stories and one of my favorite old country/southern rock songs. But I'm not saying what they are...

The Weeper by Tim Lewis was my favorite story in Dark Things II. Tension-filled and a really creepy villain/monster. Don't look up!

The most recent Pill Hill Press anthology I contributed to features my number one all-time favorite cover. It's called "Gone With the Dirt" and is a Civil War-Zombie-theme anthology. That makes it sound like you'd be reading the same story over and over doesn't it?  Not the case. I wrote a very positive review for GWTD on Amazon. I really enjoyed it start to finish and am so pleased to be a part of it. Tons of variety, viewpoints, perspectives, plots.

My story, The Restoration Room is about two women whose root cellar is actually an enormous cavern. Thanks to its legendary restorative powers, the Confederacy appropriates the cavern to heal injured soldiers. But the results aren't quite what they'd expected.

Two excellent stories in "Gone With the Dirt" are The Diary of Horatio White by Mark Souza and "Rotten Peaches" by Vic Kerry. But like I said, this whole anthology is consistently good.

That's all for now. Check out the Pill Hill Press web site. They have a lot of titles available.