This is gearing up to be one horrific summer (fictionally speaking). From new releases to convention appearances to macabre projects, I’ve been hard at work while looking at the months ahead. I hope you’ll share in the excitement!
The first big news is the official release of the long-awaited fourth issue of The Obituaries. For those who may not know, this is the popular anthology series I put out with Aron Beauregard and Daniel J. Volpe. In this latest issue, we are featuring our first ever guest author, Edward Lee.
That’s right—the godfather of gore himself has given us a brand-new novella, exclusive to this series. He also wrote his own hilarious faux-obituary! While previous issues featured short stories, each gruesome tale in issue #4 is novella length, making this our meatiest one yet. It also features brutal cover art by Corlen Kruger (who many of you know from his work on the Body Art Coloring Book), and interior illustrations by our house artist, Nick Justus. And of course, there are all new faux obituaries in the back of the book.
Plus, it comes signed by Lee, Beauregard, Volpe, and Triana!
The Obituaries #4: Summer of Blood goes up for preorder today, June 16th, 2023. It is limited to 500 copies. The bundle includes a high-quality magnet and bookmark, and is available exclusively at The Obituaries website. Get yours before they’re gone!
My next appearance will be at this year’s Killercon in Austin, Texas—August 11th to 13th. I’ll be speaking on panels about writing dialogue and using personal pain for creative writing. I’ll also do a live reading. There will probably be more announcements as the event gets closer, but you can check out their current programming here. Best of all, my book Ex-Boogeyman has been nominated for this year’s Splatterpunk Award for best novel.
I previously won this award in 2019 for Full Brutal and won a second time when my collaboration with Ryan Harding, The Night Stockers, won in 2022. Both times I was deeply honored, and being nominated this year, I feel that way once again. If you’re a fan of 80’s slasher films and have not read Ex-Boogeyman, I suggest unfucking that. It’s my love letter to the glory days of masked maniacs and now it’s also nominated for one of the best awards in horror fiction. I can’t think of a better pitch than that.
In other book news, They All Died Screaming has finally been released as an audiobook. It is narrated by Chuck Brugee, who also did the audiobooks for And the Devil Cried, Toxic Love, The Night Stockers, and Ex-Boogeyman. While his performances on each are spectacular, the wide variety of characters in They All Died Screaming offered Brugee the chance to really show his acting chops, and I think it’s the best work he’s done for me yet (though I’ll always be partial to his sinister performance as slasher Nicky Hector in Ex-Boogeyman).
The Prettiest Girl in the Grave has had a tremendous first month in print. New reviews are popping up each day and I’ve seen many readers sharing their thoughts on social media. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to write Amazon reviews, film TikTok videos, and give other forms of word-of-mouth promotion. It may seem like such a little thing to you, but they mean so much to authors.
Only eight copies of the limited signed hardback bundle remain on my website. But you can now also buy signed paperbacks from me. Or you can pick up the paperback or ebook wherever books are sold. Both are available from Grindhouse Press. An audiobook version of The Prettiest Girl in the Grave is also in the works but there have been some delays getting it finished. I’ll keep you all posted on the progress.
This week I’m also building a bat house as part of a DIY article I’m writing for Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine. I am a regular columnist with this fine publication, having already done articles on building an axe-throwing target, cross country road tripping, making your own cutting board, and best dog hiking practices. My most recent article was also dog training related and was featured in the latest issue of Prepper Magazine.
So, hopefully, the next time I send out a newsletter, I’ll be showing you my homemade bat house, and maybe I’ll even get some photos of my new tenants. If you’re looking for the best natural pesticide that is also synonymous with spooky, I suggest you put up a bat house of your own. Yes, I could get into more details, but I’m saving them for the article, so stay tuned!
The other big bat business going on right now is Michael Keaton’s triumphant return to the cape and cowl in the new movie, The Flash. Keaton has always been my favorite Batman, with Batman Returns being my favorite film to feature the caped crusader. Get a load of this nerd!
For many years now, I’ve steered away from comic book movies, mostly due to the oversaturation of them, with Marvel (and to a lesser extent DC) pumping out new movies or Netflix shows nearly every month. The IPs are now milked for infinite content in multiple timelines, generating flashy yet soulless films. It is just impossible for me to care about characters when they obviously only exist as cogs in a company’s business strategy.
That said, you KNOW I’m breaking my comic book movie hiatus to see The Flash, and you’re DAMN RIGHT the only reason is the nostalgia bait of Keaton’s Batman. I do not apologize.
It’s summer. Let’s just grab some popcorn and enjoy ourselves like when we were kids, before the crushing weight of adulthood turned our hearts to ash.
Currently listening to: Elmore James Street Talkin’.
If there’s a ballad more pining than “It Hurts Me Too”, I’ve never heard it. This version is the one James rerecorded in the early ’60s and features more slide guitar work than the single released in 1957. It’s been getting excessive airplay in the Triana lair, along with many other Elmore James tunes.
Currently reading: yet more edits of my forthcoming book.
It’s grueling but it’s worth it.
Currently watching: The Cleveland Show.
Hey, this is way better than I remembered.
Currently snacking on: watermelon and tomatoes.
Because the best thing about summer is the produce.
Until next time, keep reading, and try to be happy.
Your pal,
Kris
100% agree about THE FLASH. Batman Returns INDEED!