The Nineteenth Delusion

A southern fried Broth House of what it means to be a writer.

News

Broth House will be out soon. I’m looking at early to mid February. I just ordered proof copies of the paperback. If everything looks good, the book will be out. I will probably take signed paperback pre-orders, just so I have an idea of how many to order. Those will come with a Broth House sticker and bookmark (both are pretty damn cool).

I will be opening an online store for signed copies and maybe a few other limited merch items. I’ll start with signed books and see how that pans out. I think the Death Obsessed cover would make a killer shirt, and people seem to really like the Broth House cover as well. My goal is to have the shop up and running by the end of February.

The next edition of Infected Voices will be coming at you on the 23rd. This one is called “Back For More”. The story originally appeared in the swan song issue of the awesome magazine Necrotic Tissue. That was many moons ago, so I figured it would be good for this series.

Recent Reads from Hell

I read Graythings by Pat Graversen (Zebra, 1995). That was a weird one. Some really good ideas for what was ultimately a cosmic horror story, but the plot was flimsy and the protagonist was all over the place. It was like watching one of those bad B-movies in the background, only with a book it kind of has to be in the foreground…

Finished The Cormorant by Stephen Gregory (St. Martins, 1986). I really didn’t know what to make of this one. It came highly recommended, but just wasn’t for me. I kept expecting it to go somewhere, but it never really did. It was the same thing over and over again. Maybe the story is just one big metaphor? Also, the scene with the family taking a bath together was . . . weird. Kind of creeped me out, but not in a good way. Strangely, I enjoyed the ending more than the story as a whole. I feel it would have worked better as a short story or, maybe, a novelette.

Read Southern Fried and Horrified by Ronald Kelly (Stygian Sky, 2022). More on this book later in the newsletter.

What I’m Working On

I’ve been working on a lot of behind the scenes sort of stuff with a few of my Infected Voices books that will be dropping in next few months. I submitted two short stories for anthologies I was invited to. I am working on a novel called The Traveling Movie Show, and doing a final read on two other projects.

Southern Fried and Horrified

I read this book in a couple of days, which is a feat for a slow reader like myself, but it’s no wonder, because I’ve been a fan of Ronald Kelly for quite some time, and in recent years even a friend. reading his life story was fascinating. Not just the publishing part, but even his formidable years. What I really loved about the book was how much I could relate to from being the horror kid to struggling in the publishing industry. Reading it couldn’t have come at a better time. The past year had me struggling with my place in this whole writing thing, but my concerns are nothing compared to some of what ol’ Ron has been through. I highly recommend this book to readers and writers alike. I guarantee you’ll find something to take away from it like I did. And, of course, it’s a Ronald Kelly book, so it was just a damn pleasure to read.

What Makes You a Writer?

Recently on social media there was a post that said writers who consider and talk about hanging it up because they’re not getting anywhere are not really writers. That’s the Cliff’s Notes version, the gist of the post. The poster said writers write because they have to. I used to think the same thing. I used to say that I would write no matter what, that I have to get the stories out of my head. That’s partially true, but my mind has changed. Now that I’ve published over 150 short stories and fifteen books, not to mention several novellas, I have a totally different point of view than I once had. I would love to make writing my career. I can’t write to market, so to speak, but I can write what I love, and my goal is to make that my career. I’ve been very, very slowly scaling the ladder to that ultimate goal. Any steps backward cause me to question whether I’m wasting my time. Stagnation causes me to wonder if there’s no audience for me. Shitty book sales make me wonder if I have what it takes. That’s just the nature of my brain and how it fights me. Does that make me not a writer? Don’t answer, because I’m here to say that’s a bunch of bullshit. At this point, I strive on forward momentum. I’m writing for myself, but I’m also trying to achieve something, to make something of this passion I have for horror fiction. I am a writer, a published author, and like most other writers and authors I have loads of crippling self-doubt, but that makes none of us any less of a writer.

The person who posted that opinion about writers actually read the responses and said that they realized that maybe they were being too narrow-minded. I think that’s fair, and I like that people can still learn from others’ experiences.

Closing Words

That’s all for now. Remember to read and review books. I mean, I probably don’t have to remind you to read, but it’s easy to sleep on the reviewing part. I reviewed every newer book I read last year (I don’t tend to review the vintage ones).

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope to see you again in two weeks.