Welcome to the second issue of my rebooted newsletter, which is named The Goreletter after my creative horror website, gorelets.com, and my poetry collection, The Gorelets Omnibus. I don’t send it out as often as days of yore (i.e. the previous issue was mailed in April 2021), but I still enjoy using it as a creative playground and a means to share updates about my life and work as a horror writer. I appreciate you. Thanks for subscribing!

Happy Holidays? Wait….
Well, I probably should have sent this to you last month, but I’m sure you do miss the holidays already, don’t you? Of course you do. Your gifts are in the cupboard and your candy canes are stale. And some of you must be feeling like me – a month behind (if not further) on everything – perhaps even still stuck in the year 2019 – as the daily grind tries to whittle away your soul….

But I say the New Year’s vibe is still hazy in the air like a mist the color of Blue Curaçao on the tundra. And it’s also still Xmas on Planet Omicron. So in that spirit, here’s a seasonal reading on video of my short-short, “All Naughty, No Nice” (from the book, Collected Christmas Horror Shorts Vol. 1), and my expression of well wishes to all my friends and readers as we wrap up one hell of a crazy time-fractured year. Kudos to all of you reading this. You survived. May your 2022 by the year of something grand, something new, and something sickness free (achoo).

“All Naughty, No Nice”: https://youtu.be/GMVbWDjZ9hY

Belated Happy Holidays! Yours, Mike Arnzen, http://gorelets.com/

New Class 1/31: Treacherous Settings | Horror University
SIGN UP ASAP IF INTERESTED. This new online class runs live on Monday, January 31st, 8pm eastern! See elsewhere in this issue for an exclusive discount!

“Treacherous Settings” is the topic of my writing workshop for authors on the dark side, hosted by the HWA’s Horror University, part of their winter session which is currently in full swing.

We’ll look at what makes setting so important in horror. The location where a story takes place can be as scary and surprisingly deadly as the creatures and killers who populate our books. From craggy caverns to undersea cities, haunted houses to alien landscapes, they can threaten characters with their very lives, and their inherent fear factor always offers a potential stage for delightfully dangerous action, creative conflict, and shocking surprise.

Sign up for my special two-hour online class now to be a part of it live. Otherwise, if you sign up afterward, you can get a recorded version in the archive a few weeks later. HWA members are eligible for a discount for a 4-course bundle, but if that’s not you and you just want to sign up for my class last minute, I’ve got your back. See elsewhere in this newsletter for a bonus coupon code you can use if you want to attend.

Horror U: https://horror-university.teachable.com/
Treacherous Settings: https://horror-university.teachable.com/p/treacherous-settings

p.s. I believe you can also tap into my recorded class on “The Uncanny and The Abject,” taught during last year’s virtual StokerCon. It was a blast, and students sent me lots of positive feedback. I am not sure if the discount code from the previous goreletter still works or not, but you could try it if you ever want to enroll in that prerecorded one too.

The Uncanny & The Abject: https://horror-university.teachable.com/p/the-uncanny-and-the-abject-applying-psychology-to-your-fiction

The Wicked Library releases “The Filling”
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, The Wicked Library published my new story, “The Filling” in a professional audio format, with a great vocal performance by actor/podcaster Graham Rowat. I’ve gotten some good feedback on the story, which essentially involves a curse gone awry… and many, many pies.

Listen to it on your favorite podcast player: https://thewickedlibrary.com/1105/

And hey! If you liked “The Filling” you might want to tune in to youtube channel “StoryTime with Crystal Connor” – horror writer Crystal and I had a lively chat about the story, its various messages and themes, and the horror genre at large. Crystal’s a hoot and a writer who knows her stuff. The video should be up by the end of January if it’s not up by now… https://www.youtube.com/c/WordsmithCrystalConnor/videos

Exploring Dark Short Fiction #6: A Primer to Ramsey Campbell
Dark Moon Books released the latest entry in the amazing “Exploring Dark Short Fiction” series of “illuminated” anthologies, this time featuring the great UK horror writer, Ramsey Campbell. I contributed academic pieces on all the stories, and a longer essay on “Why Ramsey Campbell Matters.” Get it, if only to read his new original story “The Bill,” or to catch up with the best short tales by this grandmaster of weird terror.

It’s been a joy to be a part of this series from the beginning. Next up will be writer Gemma Files, author of Experimental Film, Kissing Carrion and the Hexslinger series. News to come!

http://darkmoonbooks.com/Primer_6.html

HWA Poetry Showcase Volume VIII
Another HWA Poetry Showcase (Volume VIII) has been published, and I’ve contributed to it. Each volume features at minimum 50 poems written by members of the Horror Writers Association, and there are a lot of recognizable authors to be found in its dark pages. I think you should collect the whole set.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0753JH32N?binding=kindle_edition&language=en_US&linkCode=ll2&linkId=7fb7d057661c8178b4afc1a30fd4375f&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=michaearnzenhorr

Writing in the Dark Books from Raw Dog Screaming Press
RDSP recently announced the future publication of a new collection of instructional essays called Writing Poetry in the Dark – a sequel, of sorts, to Tim Waggoner’s fantastic Writing in the Dark guide for horror authors (look for the upcoming Writing in the Dark Workbook for that soon! I penned the introduction, so I can vouch that it’s fabulous). Writing Poetry in the Dark, edited by Stephanie Wytovich, is a craft book for speculative poets, by speculative poets, and contributors include many award-winning poets and friends of mine, such as Linda D. Addison, F.J. Bergmann, Carina Bissett, Leza Cantoral, Timmons Esaias, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Claire C. Holland, Jim and Janice Leach, Donna Lynch, Alessandro Manzetti, Jessica McHugh, Cynthia Pelayo, Saba Syed Razvi, Marge Simon, Christina Sng, Sara Tantlinger, Joanna C. Valente, Bryan Thao Worra, and Albert Wendland.

https://rawdogscreaming.com/book-deal-writing-poetry-in-the-dark-guidebook/

My contribution is an article on humor and horror poetry, called “Like Fright On Lice.” Keep your eyes on the RDSP website for more news!

Creating Something From Nothing
Shortly after publishing the last issue of The Goreletter (#13.1 - yes, all the way back to last April), I was interviewed by author Matt Betts on the subject of creativity and instigation for his fun podcast, Creating Something From Nothing. See the entry about it on gorelets.com for a discussion of this and also my talk with Brain Squalls.

https://gorelets.com/blog/arnzen-news/creating-something-from-nothing/

“Horror is the Removal of Masks” - Robert Bloch
I often cite that quotable quote from Psycho author, Robert Bloch – “Horror is the removal of masks.” He was talking about how it isn’t just the proverbial Halloween costumes of horror – such as Jason Vorhees’ or Michael Myers’ masks – that are scary, but what really might be lurking behind them, twitching its wet eyes with unknowable intent. Masking often hides truths we can’t confront. That’s the power of horror: to unveil (with a grand guignol flair) to show us what we might need to see, no matter how disturbing it might be.
But sometimes masking is smart. And even fun. Consider this my little Public Service Announcement for wearing facemasks in the age of Covid and Omicron and whatever other variant of the virus might be awakening in the phlegm of the world as I type this. I gave an academic talk on “Masks and Messages” at Seton Hill University last Spring, and thought I’d share it here as a reminder about why masks work, how we communicate through masks, and what the real cost is if we don’t wear them when we’re asked to. I can’t believe almost a year has passed since I gave this talk, and so little has changed.

Watch it on my youtube: https://youtu.be/fE8vLaW4Ubw

Seton Hill University is a pretty great place to teach, by the way. I love working with horror and fantasy novelists in our MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program, and I just launched a new literature/film class in “Global Horror” for the undergraduates (how cool is it? I’m teaching Adam LG Nevill’s Cunning Folk and talking about UK Folk Horror, next week, that’s how).

http://fiction.setonhill.edu

March 23rd-26th: 2022 AWP Conference & Bookfair - Philadelphia Conference Center
Each year, more than 12,000 writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers join our community for four days of insightful dialogue and networking.

You might find Arnzen in the huge bookfair room, manning a table to promote Seton Hill University’s MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program. We are seeking new horror writers, so don’t hesitate to email me if you ever want information about #SHUWPF.

May 12th-15th: StokerCon 2022 - Curtis Hotel, Denver
Home of the international Horror Writers Association’s annual literary and film convention, StokerCon 2022 promises to be a blast.

I’m registered again for this annual conference put on by the Horror Writers Association to celebrate the Bram Stoker Awards with lots of live programming, from panels and readings to classes. The conference has both an in-person and a virtual track this year, thanks to the pandemic. If you can’t afford either, well I hope you’ll set aside some money for 2023, which I know will be a special event for sure, as there’s a good chance it’ll be transpiring very close to my own backyard.

DISPOSAL

A truck drives by
that says Paper Disposal on the side,
and my son in the seat beside me
spells out the words,
and then asks why people
don’t just throw the paper out?
So I tell him:
they’re sensitive documents,
all shredded,
and that those are bad
for the environment.
He accepts this lie
about the flatbed
brimming with white plastic bags
lightweight as balloons
stuffed with as much air
as they are paper-thin strips
spit out from the shredder –
some of them
grade reports
some of them
suicide notes
some of them
blood-stained
some of them
even tattoos

Trick or Tweet : Halloween Microstories
Last October, I posted a microstory a day on twitter, responding to prompts on the #TrickOrTweet2021 challenge. Click below to read a collection of these little horror stories, and while you’re there follow my profile on twitter – I am currently posting poems inspired by CrowCalls and also sharing research in my own personal #folkhorrorexpedition

Trick or Tweet: https://twitter.com/i/events/1448221048961441794

Arnzen on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mikearnzen/

HORROR U
Here’s your exclusive DISCOUNT on my “TREACHEROUS SETTINGS” class at Horror U! Enter code DARKCAVE on checkout to receive 10% off tuition in my class. Hope you’ll join us! If you are a member of the HWA this code won’t work (because they offer their own). Anyone interested in writing can sign up. The homework is to read “The Raft” by Stephen King (from Skeleton Crew), a classic short story that not only is a chilling masterpiece, but which also utilizes setting in an instructive way.

A SPORTUARY SNEAK

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I’ll be offering my chapbook of horror poetry inspired by the weird world of sports, SPORTUARY, for free on amazon kindle, over Super Bowl weekend, Feb 11th-13th! Go to amazon.com on any of those days and you should be able to download a kindle version gratis. Enter the “pentagramathlon” of pain!

FREAKY (BANDCAMP) FRIDAY
Next week (Feb 4th, 2022) is “Bandcamp Friday” (info), so I decided to set my online audio collections at a discount on that day to celebrate. Everything’s already fairly cheap, and you can always get a heaping 30% off if you buy the entire discography in one shot… but visit https://arnzen.bandcamp.com/ on Bandcamp Friday, 2/4/22, and you’ll find everything’s a little cheaper than usual!

Win a Lovecraft Puzzle Book & Arnzen Audio!
To win a free copy of The H. P. Lovecraft Book of Puzzles: Cosmic Conundrums from Beyond the Black Seas of Infinity (which includes such headscratchers as “Worm Infested Sudoku” and “Dimensional Wordsearches” and “Tentacle Tests”) PLUS a free hard copy of my audio cd, AUDIOVILE, PLUS a handful of free download codes to other audio projects by Arnzen on bandcamp and audible (!), then simply share a link to this newsletter on your favorite social media platform and email me the URL link to your post(s) at arnzen @ gorelets.com (if you post but don’t email me, you won’t qualify, because I can’t hunt all these entries down).

The best link to share is:
https://www.getrevue.co/profile/mikearnzen
I appreciate anything you can do to remind people about this newsletter, since I had to switch servers and lost so many subscribers in the process.
Update: Contest ends on Valentine’s Day: 2/14/22
Disclaimer: I am not responsible if you are pulled down to drown in the abyssal depths by a slimy tentacle lined with razor-edged suction cups before being kissed gently by the quincunx of its accursed lips and swallowed whole into the sphinctering esophagus of doom after solving 4 across….

“I have sampled this life and it is sufficient…. Annihilation has no terrors for me, because I have already tried it before I was born – a hundred million years – and I have suffered more in an hour, in this life, than I remember to have suffered in the whole hundred million years put together.” – Mark Twain (Died 1910)

Read the back issues (https://gorelets.com/repository/doku.php?id=goreletter:start) !

Copyright 2022, Michael A. Arnzen - All rights reserved

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