Arnzen News

Dark Cloud Press has just published Thou Shalt Not..., a very generous anthology of short horror and crime stories involving "The Ten Commandments" from the Old Testament. Contributors include Lawrence C. Connolly, Bev Vincent, M. Stephen Lukac and many more. My contribution, "Blasphemebus," invokes the biblical commandment against "misusing God's name" (a.k.a. "taking God's name in vain") and details the dark fate of a prankster who likes to playfully change the platitudes on those roadside church signs when no one is watching. You can order this unique new anthology now at Shocklines Bookstore or directly from Lee Howard, editor and…

Cemetery Dance magazine issue #55 has just been published and will soon be delivered to subscribers and a magazine rack near you. It features a story I co-wrote with Mark McLaughlin, called "Help Yourself" -- a surreal and humorous tale about a very strange 'self-help' bookstore that preys on its visitor's self-esteem. Artist Keith Minnion's great illustration for the story is viewable on his website. You can order a copy of the magazine from the Cemetery Dance website; check out the book, Poe's Lighthouse, while you're there!

I had a great time in Morgantown, WV, last weekend for a fiction reading alongside Alyssa Sturgill (author of the FANTASTICALLY sick and surreal book of short-shorts, Spider Pie). We commandeered the stage in the children's book section of their Barnes and Noble bookstore, to read our dark fiction to a good-natured audience. Fantasy writer Andy Duncan was in attendance and gives a full and funny report in the article on his weblog, "Horror in the 100-Aker Wood", with more photos. So do Jason & Heidi Ruby Miller, authors of the great guidebook, Pennsylvania Camping, and the publishers who sponsored…