Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 17, 2012 - 10:10am
I am enjoying it, but it's not what I expected. This is why I don't normally like to get into things that are really hyped, because then my expectations get blown out of proportion. I don't read memoirs that often, either, so that's probably another reason why I'm not entirely into it. My favourite parts of the book are when she speaks directly about her father. Those moments are so tense and the most well-written.
Jason Van Horn
from North Carolina is reading A Feast For CrowsFebruary 17, 2012 - 10:38am
What's the name of the site again? I know it used to be in the first post but then it got changed.
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 17, 2012 - 10:45am
SurLeQuai
from Indiana is reading The Night CircusFebruary 17, 2012 - 3:39pm
Danny! I just sent you my final draft! And now need to go somewhere to calm down!
University of Florida library, I have spent way too much time in you the past few days.
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup
from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck WendigFebruary 17, 2012 - 4:44pm
That last revision was fucking emotional. I swear I changed it three times in two days. I hope it lives up to the rest of the anthology, and hopefully I'll be around more now!
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 17, 2012 - 4:52pm
Thanks everyone for your enthusiasm and motivation. The best part of this process has been getting to know all of you as friends and writers. You proved to me not all writers are self-serving egomaniacs, we can be support of each other and also desire to be successful on our own. Now I am just going a lot of reading and editing so please be patient. Also Jeremy Robert Johnson the well known bizarro writer has made a contribution to the anthology.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 17, 2012 - 5:47pm
@Alien: I am ceaselessly amazed by your efforts. My hat's off to you.
@Everybody: and now it's time to re-prove to Alien that most of us are self-serving egomaniacs. You should all sign up on the WAR: The (Un)Official LitReactor Battle Tournament thread and make war on your friends.
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 17, 2012 - 6:56pm
Jeremy Robert Johnson?
Very nice Danny.
I have only read his Warmed and Bound piece Laws of Virulence, but I really enjoyed the Sci-fi and non traditional format.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 17, 2012 - 7:30pm
wow, JRJ? that's fantastic.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 20, 2012 - 12:37pm
Any new news?
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersMarch 21, 2012 - 6:46am
I
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 20, 2012 - 12:45pm
Nice Jessica, good job. A voice like warm honey and clenched teeth you have.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 20, 2012 - 6:04pm
Okay, so there are still people who never sent me a final draft, I did Friday extentions but haven't heard anything. You know who you are, let me know either way. I really want to compile the final cut of the book this weekend and have a definitive copy. That way I can show the entire manuscript to interested parties. Author bios by the end of the month along with a pic. I am still waiting on hearing back but publishers always say four to six weeks or longer for a reply and I don't want to push it. Traci Foust did back out of writing the intro so I need a new writer. Chester, do you think Lidia would do it?
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 20, 2012 - 6:41pm
I don't know, she might. But what if she winds up submitting something? I'm not sure how that usually works. Do authors do intros for projects they also contribute stories to? Also, do publishers frequently pursue authors to do intros?
Curious about how that all works.
Jason Van Horn
from North Carolina is reading A Feast For CrowsFebruary 20, 2012 - 7:47pm
Psst - I think she's married, so flirting won't get you anywhere. :P
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 20, 2012 - 8:07pm
She is. I know her husband. An ex semi-pro football player.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 20, 2012 - 8:23pm
another great person i could reach out to is antonina crane. she's a wild child, great author, might be fun to have her write it:
ReneeAPickup
from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck WendigFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:27pm
Just to be clear: Author bios and statements are only supposed to be a few lines, right?
And for the bio--are we allowed to write something really off the wall or does it have to be true to life? I am flip flopping between writing something completely ridiculous or something straight forward.
I always hate this part.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 20, 2012 - 9:37pm
Sure, Richard, I just want someone professional to do the intro but that means they have to read the stories lol or be willing to.
@Renee--the author bios can be like a paragraph, a mix of serious and absurd is fine. I wouldn't say you are a pirate from the 1800's who became a vampire and now fly spaceships or anything.
@Chester--well, I assumed she wasn't going to submit a story at this point but if she still is that would be nice.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 20, 2012 - 9:38pm
I will post the final story list once I get all the rewrites back.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 20, 2012 - 10:15pm
ah, right, you expect them to READ it first. antonia did a book review of Warmed and Bound, so that's why i thought of her. if you have other people in mind, go for it. lidia is great.
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup
from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck WendigFebruary 20, 2012 - 10:49pm
@Renee--the author bios can be like a paragraph, a mix of serious and absurd is fine. I wouldn't say you are a pirate from the 1800's who became a vampire and now fly spaceships or anything.
You're joking, but one of the ones I wrote on the plane yesterday involved space ships. I'll mark that one off the list.
Nick Wilczynski
from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. MartinFebruary 20, 2012 - 10:51pm
Do you think I could get away with claiming I wrote "Grapes of Wrath"?
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup
from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck WendigFebruary 20, 2012 - 10:52pm
I'm considering claiming I am the inspiration for the film GI Jane, so I say...sure, why not?
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 20, 2012 - 10:54pm
@Danny: Last time we spoke I told her by March first. Not saying that is going to happen because she is running a pretty heavy load, but I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt. She has been known to surprise people.
But I did tell her not to lose any sleep over it. My suggestion is to just wait and see, leaving that slot open. She is a big girl and her work will come in tight and ready to roll.
Yeah, someone should probably read the stories, right!
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 20, 2012 - 11:05pm
@Richard:
My years as a counselor made me a better stripper.
Yum.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 21, 2012 - 1:01am
You guys can be as creative as you want with your bios as long as you don't mind getting sued for libel. I will make sure that you all sign contracts that make you responsible for your own claims to fame lol. So yeah, this book is hella long, after all is said and done, it will be just under 400 pages.
Dwayne
from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updatedFebruary 21, 2012 - 3:33am
You going to do another one?
Dave
from a city near you is reading constantlyFebruary 21, 2012 - 4:02am
About funny or unusual sexual experiences.
Dwayne
from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updatedFebruary 21, 2012 - 4:18am
I meant about crazy.
wickedvoodoo
from Mansfield, England is reading stuff.February 21, 2012 - 4:38am
Phew, well I was one of the naughty kids that was late sending the work in. But finally I mailed it over. Been a really weird couple of weeks, so cheers for being patient Danny. I am gonna have a read over all the new posts and the PM stuff when I get back from work, so I shall be back later.
Rock on!
Jason Van Horn
from North Carolina is reading A Feast For CrowsFebruary 21, 2012 - 6:59am
I invented the Internet. Screw you Al Gore!
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 21, 2012 - 8:22am
@chester - yeah, antonia's cool as hell. i thought since she wrote the W&B review for the Rumpus that she might be a good fit for this. she's a great author too, very generous, out in LA. here's a link to her review of W&B, if you want to see her style and POV
My favorite story was Richard Thomas’ brave “Say Yes to Pleasure” because it was horrendous perfection: believable and impossible guilt folded into an origami swan. He played with victim/perpetrator in a farm fresh way, steering his tractor of self-punishment from a terrible accident he caused into an internal avalanche of remorse and hot sex. His vital, crisp story contained the most delicious sentence in the anthology: “This one moment of beauty in our lives, always hidden under a cloud of despair.”
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 21, 2012 - 8:36am
Geez, she had me at "hot sex".
Jason Van Horn
from North Carolina is reading A Feast For CrowsFebruary 21, 2012 - 9:00am
I agree with Utah - seeing 'hot sex' makes me want to read it
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 21, 2012 - 9:10am
@Richard,
She looks and sounds very, very cool. Shit, hangin' with Strayed and Almond. Sounds like fun. I would tend to agree with her on your story, though I really have too many 'favorites' in there to narrow it down to just one--yours really struck me. For one I have frequently felt like your main character waking up in the fetal position, then going on to feign be 'happy' again. Touching story.
Thanks for the review link.
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 21, 2012 - 9:11am
Me too. That was an awesome review, though, although I have taken notice of the lack of female writers in Warmed and Bound. That said, I am incredibly pleased with the balance of male and female writers we have at LitReactor, and the balance in our anthology. It's like a sexy co-ed party in here.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 21, 2012 - 12:43pm
thanks, guys. i was shocked to read the review, but pleased, obviously. if you want me to approach her about this anthology, let me know. the reason we didn't have a ton of women in W&B is that there weren't a ton of women AT the Velvet. but, as we expanded to included outsiders (most had to have SOME kind of relationship, such as a book review at the Velvet, etc.) we could have included more women, for sure. i wasn't the editor. it was pela's first anthology, we all learned a lot.
Typewriter Demigod
from London is reading "White Noise" by DeLilo, "Moby-Dick" by Hermann Mellivile and "Uylsses" by JoyceFebruary 21, 2012 - 1:48pm
What would make it perfect, would be another kid here. But I hope and fucking pray that said kid doesn't do fanfic. I fucking HATE fanfic.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 21, 2012 - 6:07pm
I am glad there are a lot of women writers as well, I think women are pretty good about understanding the human psyche and the depths of human emotion even more than men sometimes, no offense. I think everyone did an amazing job, as I go over the stories again I am really pleased at how you guys actually listened to feedback and perfected your drafts. That being said I will do one last draft of mine #4 and I'm changing the title, my story is too dark for that title, "All the Whims of my Daily Calamity", I want to change it to "The Long Halls of Dead Days". The halls metaphor will be explained because its based on a dream of mine where all my memories were living in rooms and pictures and the hall went on forever but each memory could be altered if you stuck your fingers in the paintings. I may use that and develop Jill more. Plus half of you like the last line and half of you said they didn't. I should make a poll...is "it's a scary thing to know you have become addicted to your own madness" a good ending? I mean it summarizes the theme of the whole story but is it being too obvious like saying, "She realized nothing would ever make her happy." Should I just let the reader infer this or does the tagline work? I mean the narrator is self-aware of what he is doing, he chooses madness over medication.
@Dwayne--we have discussed this. If we do another one, its going to be medical anomalies like conjoined twins or lobster boy syndrome.
Nighty Nite
from NJ is reading Grimscribe: His Lives and WorksFebruary 21, 2012 - 6:13pm
@Danny: Stupid question, but I'm assuming we should only be getting you rewrites if you specifically asked us for one? I've been so wrapped up in school and work that I'm terrified I overlooked a message or an email or something. Just being neurotic and double-triple checking.
.
February 21, 2012 - 6:19pm
I wander if we could get a quote for the back of the book by oh I don't know, lets say...Bret Easton Ellis perhaps? That would make me pre my pants.
Jason Van Horn
from North Carolina is reading A Feast For CrowsFebruary 21, 2012 - 6:22pm
I'd just like to say it's been great so far getting to work and talk with you all. I don't know anybody who cares about my writing or bothers to actually read it. It's nice to find (I guess you'd call it) a community of people with similar thoughts and ideas and goals and passions. People who will dig something I wrote even if it's sickening.
I've read the interviews and articles about Chuck Palahniuk and his little gang of writers who get together and critique each other and strive for everyone to accomplish their goals and have a place to belong. Maybe it's hokey, but I'd be honored to be in a group with each and every one of you. It's nice to have a place where you can feel accepted and as if you're a part of something bigger.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 21, 2012 - 6:58pm
No, you are cool, Nighty.
Thanks Jason, we love you too, big guy!!! Stick around, maybe we will do another one.
Jack, good luck, you ask him.
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 21, 2012 - 9:10pm
@Richard - Thanks for the response. I did read that in the comments on the book review about The Velvet's lack of female members. It's strange how some places become "boys clubs". Even The Cult was a bit of a boys club, although it seemed there was a decent number of female members there. I suppose it's just the type of literature that attracts more male readers, and it always makes me wonder why more women don't get into the "transgressive" or "dark" side of things and instead prefer to read about shopaholics and Victorian era vampires. I wish more ladies would be willing to dig a little deeper.
Nathan
from Louisiana (South of New Orleans) is reading Re-reading The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste, The Bone Weaver's Orchard by Sarah ReadFebruary 21, 2012 - 9:42pm
@Rebecca: I'm taking an intensive right now with Suzy Vitello and there are a few female writers in that class, if it makes you feel any better, and I'll tell you what, they're all stellar. Talk about digging deep. They're out there. But I'm glad you're among the visible ones.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 21, 2012 - 10:26pm
@bek - yeah, by the time we realized it was a sausage fest it was kind of too late. you'd be surprised though (or maybe you wouldn't) that of my readership, from my novel to my wide range of short stories, i have a pretty even split of 50/50 male to female. it's really made me rethink authors, demographics and different genres. and in fact, if you look at the books i reviewed at The Nervous Breakdown, there are a lot of fantastic women up there. Lindsay Hunter, xTx, Ethel Roha, Lidia Yuknavitch, so many excellent voices. out of 27 reviews, 13 were women.
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 21, 2012 - 10:32pm
I love Lindsay Hunter. Her story, "The Fence", is one of my all-time favourites. Have you heard of Jenn Farrell? She has two short story collections, Sugar Bush and Other Stories and The Devil You Know. They are both superb and I can't recommend them enough.
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 21, 2012 - 10:38pm
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 22, 2012 - 3:54am
Okay, this is my final list as promised. If I messed up anything or left anyone out, let me know. The second part is still in limbo because I am waiting on some rewrites before I lay it out. The first 20 stories have been laid out though.
Psychosis Anthology
Part One: Deep Dementia
1.Another Lost Day by Bryan Howie
2. Grin on the Rocks By Rebecca Jones-Howe
3. In the Absence of Violence by Joshua D. Moyes
4. Jump by Dakota Taylor
5. Perfectly Natural by Jessica Taylor
6. Sine Qua Non by Kenneth Goldman --reprint
7. The Return by Liana V.
8. Puppet Show by Nicholas Wilczynski
9. Saturn’s Game By Jeremy Robert Johnson
10. Released by Richard Thomas --reprint
11. The Thing About Finn by Renee Asher
12. The Long Halls of Dead Days by Daniel W. Gonzales (final rewrite being done)
13. Job Security by Bradley Sands –
14. The Woman Ahead of Me by Monica Drake
15. Run Into His Arms by Sam Jackson
16. Everywhere and nowhere by robin van eck
17. Pest by Christi Zanelli
18. Grandmother by Sarah Davenport
19. Dear Baby Doll by Scott Carver
20. Trial by Fire by Nathan Pettigrew
Part Two: Heavily Medicated
21. Holes, Fillers and the Days Between by Jami Kali (still waiting)
22. A Table for One by J. Dulouz --done
23. Time and Place Martin Garrity--done
24. Doughboy in Control by Scott Barbour--done
25. Phantom Pains by Jason Van Horn--done
26. Shrill Cries Cut the Quiet by Rachel Cohen--done
27. The Frequent Flyer by Jamesey Lefebure--done
28. Wake by Robert Thomas--done
29. Numb by Winnie Ferree---waiting on rewrite
30. Sermons of my Childhood by Josef L.--done
31. This is what living like this does by R.Moon---waiting on rewrite
32. Neurotic Hooky by Christopher Jaramillo---rewrite
33. Charred by Sara Leslie--done
34. Silence by Tessa Yelton--done
I am enjoying it, but it's not what I expected. This is why I don't normally like to get into things that are really hyped, because then my expectations get blown out of proportion. I don't read memoirs that often, either, so that's probably another reason why I'm not entirely into it. My favourite parts of the book are when she speaks directly about her father. Those moments are so tense and the most well-written.
What's the name of the site again? I know it used to be in the first post but then it got changed.
Danny had the submission guidelines on his personal site. The "official" anthology site is here: http://psychosisanthology.tumblr.com
Danny! I just sent you my final draft! And now need to go somewhere to calm down!
University of Florida library, I have spent way too much time in you the past few days.
That last revision was fucking emotional. I swear I changed it three times in two days. I hope it lives up to the rest of the anthology, and hopefully I'll be around more now!
Thanks everyone for your enthusiasm and motivation. The best part of this process has been getting to know all of you as friends and writers. You proved to me not all writers are self-serving egomaniacs, we can be support of each other and also desire to be successful on our own. Now I am just going a lot of reading and editing so please be patient. Also Jeremy Robert Johnson the well known bizarro writer has made a contribution to the anthology.
@Alien: I am ceaselessly amazed by your efforts. My hat's off to you.
@Everybody: and now it's time to re-prove to Alien that most of us are self-serving egomaniacs. You should all sign up on the WAR: The (Un)Official LitReactor Battle Tournament thread and make war on your friends.
Jeremy Robert Johnson?
Very nice Danny.
I have only read his Warmed and Bound piece Laws of Virulence, but I really enjoyed the Sci-fi and non traditional format.
wow, JRJ? that's fantastic.
Any new news?
I
Nice Jessica, good job. A voice like warm honey and clenched teeth you have.
Okay, so there are still people who never sent me a final draft, I did Friday extentions but haven't heard anything. You know who you are, let me know either way. I really want to compile the final cut of the book this weekend and have a definitive copy. That way I can show the entire manuscript to interested parties. Author bios by the end of the month along with a pic. I am still waiting on hearing back but publishers always say four to six weeks or longer for a reply and I don't want to push it. Traci Foust did back out of writing the intro so I need a new writer. Chester, do you think Lidia would do it?
I don't know, she might. But what if she winds up submitting something? I'm not sure how that usually works. Do authors do intros for projects they also contribute stories to? Also, do publishers frequently pursue authors to do intros?
Curious about how that all works.
Psst - I think she's married, so flirting won't get you anywhere. :P
She is. I know her husband. An ex semi-pro football player.
another great person i could reach out to is antonina crane. she's a wild child, great author, might be fun to have her write it:
http://antoniacrane.com/
Just to be clear: Author bios and statements are only supposed to be a few lines, right?
And for the bio--are we allowed to write something really off the wall or does it have to be true to life? I am flip flopping between writing something completely ridiculous or something straight forward.
I always hate this part.
Sure, Richard, I just want someone professional to do the intro but that means they have to read the stories lol or be willing to.
@Renee--the author bios can be like a paragraph, a mix of serious and absurd is fine. I wouldn't say you are a pirate from the 1800's who became a vampire and now fly spaceships or anything.
@Chester--well, I assumed she wasn't going to submit a story at this point but if she still is that would be nice.
I will post the final story list once I get all the rewrites back.
ah, right, you expect them to READ it first. antonia did a book review of Warmed and Bound, so that's why i thought of her. if you have other people in mind, go for it. lidia is great.
You're joking, but one of the ones I wrote on the plane yesterday involved space ships. I'll mark that one off the list.
Do you think I could get away with claiming I wrote "Grapes of Wrath"?
I'm considering claiming I am the inspiration for the film GI Jane, so I say...sure, why not?
@Danny: Last time we spoke I told her by March first. Not saying that is going to happen because she is running a pretty heavy load, but I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt. She has been known to surprise people.
But I did tell her not to lose any sleep over it. My suggestion is to just wait and see, leaving that slot open. She is a big girl and her work will come in tight and ready to roll.
Yeah, someone should probably read the stories, right!
@Richard:
You guys can be as creative as you want with your bios as long as you don't mind getting sued for libel. I will make sure that you all sign contracts that make you responsible for your own claims to fame lol. So yeah, this book is hella long, after all is said and done, it will be just under 400 pages.
You going to do another one?
About funny or unusual sexual experiences.
I meant about crazy.
Phew, well I was one of the naughty kids that was late sending the work in. But finally I mailed it over. Been a really weird couple of weeks, so cheers for being patient Danny. I am gonna have a read over all the new posts and the PM stuff when I get back from work, so I shall be back later.
Rock on!
I invented the Internet. Screw you Al Gore!
@chester - yeah, antonia's cool as hell. i thought since she wrote the W&B review for the Rumpus that she might be a good fit for this. she's a great author too, very generous, out in LA. here's a link to her review of W&B, if you want to see her style and POV
http://therumpus.net/2011/10/what-began-as-a-love-letter…/
Of course, I may be biased:
My favorite story was Richard Thomas’ brave “Say Yes to Pleasure” because it was horrendous perfection: believable and impossible guilt folded into an origami swan. He played with victim/perpetrator in a farm fresh way, steering his tractor of self-punishment from a terrible accident he caused into an internal avalanche of remorse and hot sex. His vital, crisp story contained the most delicious sentence in the anthology: “This one moment of beauty in our lives, always hidden under a cloud of despair.”
Geez, she had me at "hot sex".
I agree with Utah - seeing 'hot sex' makes me want to read it
@Richard,
She looks and sounds very, very cool. Shit, hangin' with Strayed and Almond. Sounds like fun. I would tend to agree with her on your story, though I really have too many 'favorites' in there to narrow it down to just one--yours really struck me. For one I have frequently felt like your main character waking up in the fetal position, then going on to feign be 'happy' again. Touching story.
Thanks for the review link.
Me too. That was an awesome review, though, although I have taken notice of the lack of female writers in Warmed and Bound. That said, I am incredibly pleased with the balance of male and female writers we have at LitReactor, and the balance in our anthology. It's like a sexy co-ed party in here.
thanks, guys. i was shocked to read the review, but pleased, obviously. if you want me to approach her about this anthology, let me know. the reason we didn't have a ton of women in W&B is that there weren't a ton of women AT the Velvet. but, as we expanded to included outsiders (most had to have SOME kind of relationship, such as a book review at the Velvet, etc.) we could have included more women, for sure. i wasn't the editor. it was pela's first anthology, we all learned a lot.
What would make it perfect, would be another kid here. But I hope and fucking pray that said kid doesn't do fanfic. I fucking HATE fanfic.
I am glad there are a lot of women writers as well, I think women are pretty good about understanding the human psyche and the depths of human emotion even more than men sometimes, no offense. I think everyone did an amazing job, as I go over the stories again I am really pleased at how you guys actually listened to feedback and perfected your drafts. That being said I will do one last draft of mine #4 and I'm changing the title, my story is too dark for that title, "All the Whims of my Daily Calamity", I want to change it to "The Long Halls of Dead Days". The halls metaphor will be explained because its based on a dream of mine where all my memories were living in rooms and pictures and the hall went on forever but each memory could be altered if you stuck your fingers in the paintings. I may use that and develop Jill more. Plus half of you like the last line and half of you said they didn't. I should make a poll...is "it's a scary thing to know you have become addicted to your own madness" a good ending? I mean it summarizes the theme of the whole story but is it being too obvious like saying, "She realized nothing would ever make her happy." Should I just let the reader infer this or does the tagline work? I mean the narrator is self-aware of what he is doing, he chooses madness over medication.
@Dwayne--we have discussed this. If we do another one, its going to be medical anomalies like conjoined twins or lobster boy syndrome.
@Danny: Stupid question, but I'm assuming we should only be getting you rewrites if you specifically asked us for one? I've been so wrapped up in school and work that I'm terrified I overlooked a message or an email or something. Just being neurotic and double-triple checking.
I wander if we could get a quote for the back of the book by oh I don't know, lets say...Bret Easton Ellis perhaps? That would make me pre my pants.
I'd just like to say it's been great so far getting to work and talk with you all. I don't know anybody who cares about my writing or bothers to actually read it. It's nice to find (I guess you'd call it) a community of people with similar thoughts and ideas and goals and passions. People who will dig something I wrote even if it's sickening.
I've read the interviews and articles about Chuck Palahniuk and his little gang of writers who get together and critique each other and strive for everyone to accomplish their goals and have a place to belong. Maybe it's hokey, but I'd be honored to be in a group with each and every one of you. It's nice to have a place where you can feel accepted and as if you're a part of something bigger.
No, you are cool, Nighty.
Thanks Jason, we love you too, big guy!!! Stick around, maybe we will do another one.
Jack, good luck, you ask him.
@Richard - Thanks for the response. I did read that in the comments on the book review about The Velvet's lack of female members. It's strange how some places become "boys clubs". Even The Cult was a bit of a boys club, although it seemed there was a decent number of female members there. I suppose it's just the type of literature that attracts more male readers, and it always makes me wonder why more women don't get into the "transgressive" or "dark" side of things and instead prefer to read about shopaholics and Victorian era vampires. I wish more ladies would be willing to dig a little deeper.
@Rebecca: I'm taking an intensive right now with Suzy Vitello and there are a few female writers in that class, if it makes you feel any better, and I'll tell you what, they're all stellar. Talk about digging deep. They're out there. But I'm glad you're among the visible ones.
@bek - yeah, by the time we realized it was a sausage fest it was kind of too late. you'd be surprised though (or maybe you wouldn't) that of my readership, from my novel to my wide range of short stories, i have a pretty even split of 50/50 male to female. it's really made me rethink authors, demographics and different genres. and in fact, if you look at the books i reviewed at The Nervous Breakdown, there are a lot of fantastic women up there. Lindsay Hunter, xTx, Ethel Roha, Lidia Yuknavitch, so many excellent voices. out of 27 reviews, 13 were women.
I love Lindsay Hunter. Her story, "The Fence", is one of my all-time favourites. Have you heard of Jenn Farrell? She has two short story collections, Sugar Bush and Other Stories and The Devil You Know. They are both superb and I can't recommend them enough.
Bekster, this is decent:
http://www.bookslut.com/fiction/2011_12_018429.php
Okay, this is my final list as promised. If I messed up anything or left anyone out, let me know. The second part is still in limbo because I am waiting on some rewrites before I lay it out. The first 20 stories have been laid out though.
Psychosis Anthology
Part One: Deep Dementia
1.Another Lost Day by Bryan Howie
2. Grin on the Rocks By Rebecca Jones-Howe
3. In the Absence of Violence by Joshua D. Moyes
4. Jump by Dakota Taylor
5. Perfectly Natural by Jessica Taylor
6. Sine Qua Non by Kenneth Goldman --reprint
7. The Return by Liana V.
8. Puppet Show by Nicholas Wilczynski
9. Saturn’s Game By Jeremy Robert Johnson
10. Released by Richard Thomas --reprint
11. The Thing About Finn by Renee Asher
12. The Long Halls of Dead Days by Daniel W. Gonzales (final rewrite being done)
13. Job Security by Bradley Sands –
14. The Woman Ahead of Me by Monica Drake
15. Run Into His Arms by Sam Jackson
16. Everywhere and nowhere by robin van eck
17. Pest by Christi Zanelli
18. Grandmother by Sarah Davenport
19. Dear Baby Doll by Scott Carver
20. Trial by Fire by Nathan Pettigrew
Part Two: Heavily Medicated
21. Holes, Fillers and the Days Between by Jami Kali (still waiting)
22. A Table for One by J. Dulouz --done
23. Time and Place Martin Garrity--done
24. Doughboy in Control by Scott Barbour--done
25. Phantom Pains by Jason Van Horn--done
26. Shrill Cries Cut the Quiet by Rachel Cohen--done
27. The Frequent Flyer by Jamesey Lefebure--done
28. Wake by Robert Thomas--done
29. Numb by Winnie Ferree---waiting on rewrite
30. Sermons of my Childhood by Josef L.--done
31. This is what living like this does by R.Moon---waiting on rewrite
32. Neurotic Hooky by Christopher Jaramillo---rewrite
33. Charred by Sara Leslie--done
34. Silence by Tessa Yelton--done