The 67th Delusion
DISCO RICE is here!
I’m an avid music fan. I cannot imagine life without it. At 43, music has always been there. It’s only the elderly who can remember a time before rock ‘n’ roll. To me, that seems preposterous. I like that I have this bounty of music that stretches way back to classical compositions that I can choose from. Music for every mood. I could bitch that there’s nothing good coming out these days but that would merely be a sign that I’m getting older, so I’ll refrain. Musical tastes often reach a crescendo at some point and the stuff that follows isn’t written for those of us growing older anyway. It’s for the younger generation. If we dig it, that’s cool. It’s another sound to add to the massive catalogue we have to peruse.
I like rock ‘n’ roll. But there are many different types of rock out there going back to the early stuff like Chuck Berry and Elvis to whatever is considered rock these days. When I say rock, I’m not including different subgenres like alternative or goth or whatever the fuck. Just good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. For funsies, here’s short list of ten of my favorite rock albums. This is the stuff that, for me, really defines what I love about a good rock ‘n’ roll tune.
Desolation Boulevard - The Sweet
Rocks - Aerosmith
Too Fast for Love - Motley Crue
Blue Oyster Cult - Blue Oyster Cult
Killer - Alice Cooper
On Parole - Motorhead
Appetite For Destruction - Guns ‘N’ Roses
Hair of the Dog - Nazareth
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Disco Rice is OUT!
My latest novella, Disco Rice, came out today. I do not do trigger warnings but this one will test many triggers and perhaps even ruin a few foods for you. It is about as extreme as I get with my writing. But one thing I feel is important and really makes a hardcore horror story work is some kind of emotional connection, something relatable, something that tethers the insanity of the text to the real world. In this book I write about a man on a downward spiral. I examine the pitfalls of mental illness. And I look at those themes through the eyes of something absolutely revolting and sick. Enjoy!
People don’t understand why I do what I do. I’ve always been misunderstood. I have accepted this but maybe I’ve gone too far.
I just can’t help myself. I like the soft texture, the squishing of them in my mouth. The way they pop between my teeth. And I can’t get enough.
It all started when I worked at the landfill. But that was taken away from me. So I brought my habit home. My family doesn’t understand but I think they’re coming around to seeing things my way. If only people tried it they too would grow to appreciate the feeling of squirming in their mouths. The complex flavor profile. The thrill of engaging in something so exclusive, so . . . taboo.
It’s an experience. A way of life.
Nothing hits quite like Disco Rice!
My appearances are few this year. Mostly stuff in and around Knoxville. I’ve decided to put some of the money I would otherwise lose on paying for travel, hotel, and table costs to better use promoting online. I’m no salesman, folks. And public appearances tend to fill me with anxiety. So, here’s where I will be in 2025 as of now.
Knoxville Book Festival - April 5 & 6
TBR Con Knoxville - Sep. 13 & 14
Books & Brews - Aug. 2, McCordsville, IN
I just finished Karl Edward Wagner’s collection Why Not You and I? It wasn’t quite as good as his other horror collection In a Lonely Place, but it was so very different that it hardly seems fair to compare the two. The stories were something more than horror whereas his first collection is one of the finer examples of great quiet horror. In Why Not You and I? there seems to be more self-reflection and deeper character studies. There’s also a pseudonymous novella in the style of a thirties pulp that reads more like an adventure that an outright horror. And the following story is about the pseudonymous author! Which was pretty cool. I absolutely love Wagner’s style and wish he’d written more horror. I don’t think this one is in print, but Valancourt reprinted his other collection In a Lonely Place, so maybe something is in the works…
Another book I recently finished was The Home by Judith Sonnet. This one has been called Stephen King’s It meets A Nightmare on Elm Street, and I think that’s pretty accurate! The story follows a few elderly folks drawn together by the boogeyman of their childhood, Mr. Friendly. These people were involved with something that happened in The Home back in 1961 that has reared its ugly head all these years later. The story bounces back and forth from the present day and that fateful night in ‘61 and Judith does this with ease, never confusing the reader. The story is creepy and tense, with loads of atmosphere that winds the reader down pathways that lead to an ending you won’t see coming. I enjoyed the hell out of this one and I am a big fan of Judith Sonnet embracing more quieter horror as she continues to bring us such great stories.
If you have passed on Judith’s work because you are not a fan of extreme horror—her name has kind of been synonymous with extreme—don’t pass this one up. You will absolutely love it!
That’s all for this edition of Confusions, Delusions, and Formidable Impressions. Let’s do it again, yes? In the meantime, read Disco Rice and keep a puke bag handy!