Welcome back to my bi-monthly newsletter. Sit back, sip a coffee or maybe a cocktail, and dive in. If you’re new to my newsletter, please subscribe to get each edition emailed directly to you. It’s FREE.
What’s New?
My latest short story “Blood Expectations” was published in the brand spanking new anthology Counting Bodies Like Sheep (The Evil Cookie Publishing), alongside a grip of great talent. These are extreme horror stories. Real nasty stuff. If you’re into that kind of thing, consider buying a copy. One of the contributors is the king of extreme horror, Edward Lee. A little birdie told me that Mr. Lee has read the book and listed my story as one of his favorites. That’s pretty damn cool. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to even mention that, but what the hell . . . I just did.
On the horizon I have a few books under contract. Later this year or sometime in 2023 my splatter western Sing Me a Death Song is to be published by Death’s Head Press as a part of their hugely popular Splatter Western series. This book was a blast to write, and I cannot wait for everyone to read it. More info as we near publication. The novel has been written and turned into the publisher.
My Evil Awakens trilogy is coming to a close. Book One, Terror of Rattlesnake Mountain, and Book Two, Ghost of Rattlesnake Mountain are currently available. Book Three, Cult of Rattlesnake Mountain is currently on second draft. As soon as it’s finished I will turn it into Raven Tale Press. So far the reception for this series had been lackluster. I recently did a convention, selling copies of every single title I brought with me . . . except Terror of Rattlesnake Mountain. Why are these books not taking off? Who knows. More on these books in a future newsletter.
I will be tabling at Scares That Care AuthorCon in 2023. The tables sold out in 33 minutes. Yeah, that fast. I got one. I’m beyond excited to do the event. I already have a room booked in the hotel. More tables became available, but I believe they’re sold out now too. I could be wrong. Check out the AuthorCon Facebook page for details. I look forward to meeting fellow writers and fans alike next year.
FrankenCon Recap
I tabled at the inaugural FrankenCon convention here in Knoxville, Tennessee. How did it go? Great! It was a one-day event. 9:30 AM to 5:30. In that time I sold 30 books. Doesn’t sound like much, but for a one-day event that’s not too bad. Paid for my table with a few bucks on top. But best of all I got my book into some people’s hands, met a few fans, and even met a couple of authors who were also selling books. There was a decent turnout thanks to Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl. The set up was good, sort of forcing people to pass the vendor tables to get to the back where the special guests were. I brought my A-game, no doubt. I’m a quiet person. Not a social butterfly whatsoever. With each event I do I get better at interacting with the attendees. I talked to a lot of people at FrankenCon, about anything from movies to music to books. I sold some of those people books, and had good chit chat with others. All in all it was a sucess. If they do the convention next year, I will most certainly sling my books. I hope to get a few of my author friends who live nearby to come along next year. You know who you are.
Book Cover Reveal!
Here is the cover of my latest novel Circus Oasis (Encyclopocalypse Publications). We’re looking at a June 21st release. More information on the book in the next newsletter. Let me know what you think about the cover art.
Last Newsletter Contest Winner
I was hoping to record a video drawing a winner, but the forces that be prevented that from happening. There were only a few entrants, which I pretty much expected. It’s all good. I’ll do another contest next month . . . or next newsletter. Who knows?
The winner of a signed copy of mine and Jack Bantry’s limited edition chapbook A Lesson in Renegade Filmmaking is Pete! So, Pete, if you are reading this and you left a comment in the last newsletter, please drop me an email at robertessig.writer @ gmail.com with your mailing address.
Killer Reads
I’ve been reading The Fog by James Herbert. About a hundred pages in. Enjoying it very much. There are some pretty extreme scenes, especially for the time of original publication. I mean, nothing like the extreme stuff published these days, but certainly hardcore for the early 70s. Still working through the Borderlands anthology. John Shirley’s story “Delia and the Dinner Party” was fantastic. A bizarre tale about a little girl who is shown, in a bizarre sort of haunting way, just how two-faced her mother and father really are. That one stuck with me. I listened to the audiobook of Killer Flies by Mark Kendall. This is a book that was impossible to find at a reasonable price until Encyclopocalypse Publications got the rights and rereleased it. The audiobook was great. Narrator Sean Duregger did a fantastic job. The story itself is pretty good. It’s pulp horror for sure, but quite enjoyable. Some of the material didn’t age well, but those parts gave me a chuckle. I love reading old books and getting a glimpse into bits of pop culture or odd things that, at one time, were acceptable that are shunned in modern society.
Spotlight On:
Follow the Maggot Wagon. While doing FrankenCon last weekend I would be asked which of my books is my favorite. That’s always a difficult choice. I don’t love them all. I consider some better than others for one reason or another, but I found myself saying that Follow the Maggot Wagon and Tweaker Creatures were my favorites. They’re both very different books. Tweaker Creatures is a bonkers extreme horror story, while Follow the Maggot Wagon is far more personal. It’s dark. It explores a crumbling friendship under the microscope of taking a road trip to a family farmhouse for a weekend of drinking and reminiscing. Two guys in a car. Once best friends who had become estranged. Things from their past come up and it becomes very clear that their relationship has been somewhat of a tumultuous one. I used a lot of personal experience for this book. I bled on the page. A lot. A good friend of mine had burned every bridge in his life. I was probably one of the last friends he had, and he did me dirty. Too dirty to forgive. I wrote the story to work through my feelings. It had been a few years since I wrote him out of my life. While writing the story I found out that the individual had killed himself. It was very strange, going back to this story after finding that out. I almost put it down, but realized that though I was working through my thoughts and feelings on our failed friendship, I was also writing a piece of fiction. The real shit is for me. The story is for you. Consider grabbing a copy. It’s available on Amazon and Godless.com.
See you in a couple weeks. Read more horror books! And remember to leave reviews and ratings. Our books live and die by reviews and ratings.
Great newsletter, Robert. I really enjoyed FTMW and could tell it was an important story.