Spring is springing and I thought I’d share a general update, sparked by my registration for StokerCon this May…
StokerCon — the annual convention of horror genre professionals run by the Horror Writers Association — announced it was going virtual this year (due to the Covid pandemic; a wise move), so I registered and WILL be attending and probably be a part of the program in some fashion. I’m proud to report that there are several alumni from the MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program (where I teach horror) in the running for the Bram Stoker Award to be given at this event: EV Knight, Sara Tantlinger, RJ Joseph and Patricia Lillie. It’s running May 20th-23rd, 2021 and promises to be a highlight of the year. Interested? Register now!
To mark the occasion, I decided to give away my Stoker-inspired “Tale of Van Helsing” — Murrmann — for free for the remainder of the week. If you’re lucky enough to see this between 3/3 and 3/5/21, head to amazon.com and download the kindle edition of Murrmann for zero bucks. (Reviews are always much appreciated.)
While I was on amazon, by the way, I noticed that the ebook edition of my Stoker-winning fiction and poetry collection from Dark Regions Press, Proverbs for Monsters, was also put on a “countdown deal” this week. That means the sooner you order, the cheaper it is. Right now it is at 99 cents. I think the countdown expires on 3/6/21. If you don’t have this book, and you haven’t read much of my work, this “best of Arnzen” title is probably the starter kit I’d recommend. Act quick – buy now!
To learn more about the Bram Stoker Awards, check out the nifty website dedicated to the trophy: http://www.thebramstokerawards.com/
There you can read my tribute, “Why the Bram Stoker Award Matters” or drop by my own awards page.
In non-Stoker related news, I’ve been busy so far in 2021 with teaching Writing Popular Fiction and other courses at Seton Hill University — as always — but steadily working on a few projects…
Like many writers, I’ve been turning to videoconferencing to stay in touch. Recently I gave a lecture to the college on “Masks & Messages” — a topical look at the way facemasks not only prevent the spread of disease, but also both hide and send messages revealing our troubled discourse during the Covid-19 global pandemic. [I’d really like to give this talk elsewhere, as the issues it addresses are so timely and important — i.e. I’m open to paying invitations for guest speaker gigs! Email me!]
I’ve also updated my YouTube channel with links to interviews and readings I’ve given over the past year. Highlights include a talk with Lorne Dixon on my career (especially with Dell/Abyss Books) at VisitedByVoices; a reading and interview at the 2020 International Vampire Film & Art Festival, and an insightful talk (alongside my editor, Eric Guignard) with David Agranoff at Postcards from a Dying World about the Exploring Dark Short Fiction series of books that I regularly contribute to as Academic Advisor. (I’m currently getting ready to turn in my essay on author Ramsey Campbell for the next book in the primer series!).
Other updates to my YouTube channel (which, honestly, is just an archive of other people’s things) include a lively talk on The Exorcist I had with the Ink to Film podcast and some panel discussions from the virtual Confluence science fiction convention last year (my favorite being the conversation on The New Weird alongside Rachel Swirsky (whose collection, How the World Became Quiet is amazing) P. Djeli Clark (whose book, Ring Shout, I loved) and Martha Wells (the awesome creator of Murderbot!)). And in the near future, you’ll also find an audio recitation of a new “crime” poem for National Poetry Month coming from The 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly and perhaps even a new audio story in the year ahead from The Wicked Library.
We’re one year into this pandemic, and I know it’s been hard on everyone… but as I’ve said elsewhere, you’ve made it this far for a reason. Keep masking up. And stay strong, folks. Keep in touch with me through twitter and instagram, where I do most of my online socializing anymore. Trust that I’ve washed my hands.
Cheers, — Mike Arnzen
