Words In: The Visible Filth by Nathan Ballingrud

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Nathan Ballingrud’s novella The Visible Filth was published as a standalone novella by This is Horror, and was a finalist for the 2015 Shirley Jackson Award. It tells of Will, a likable but somewhat burned-out bartender who, in the aftermath of a brawl in the bar where he works nights, finds a cell phone. The calls he receives on that phone change him, at once repelling him and drawing him in. Frightening, disturbing, and always confidently written, The Visible Filth exerts a visceral, almost physical impact upon the reader. This is one of the best things I’ve read in years! Memorable, and strongly recommended.

visible-filth-nathan-ballingrud-horror

The Visible Filth on Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24791985-the-visible-filth

The Visible Filth on Amazon:

The Madness of Dr. Caligari is Coming Soon

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One of the most anticipated anthologies of the year, The Madness of Dr. Caligari, is almost ready. If you want proof, here’s a photo of an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) posted by Mike Davis on Facebook:

caligari-arc-MikeDavis

When the ARCs are being sent out, the real, official book can’t be far behind!

In case you missed it, here’s the Table of Contents:

Ramsey Campbell – The Words Between
Damien Angelica Walters – Take a Walk in the Night, My Love
Rhys Hughes – Confessions of a Medicated Lurker
Robert Levy – Conversion
Maura McHugh – A Rebellious House
David Nickle – The Long Dream
Janice Lee – Eyes Looking
Richard Gavin – Breathing Black Angles
S.P. Miskowski – Somnambule
Nathan Carson – The Projection Booth
Jeffrey Thomas – The Mayor of Elementa
Nadia Bulkin – Et Spiritus Sancti
Orrin Grey – Blackstone: A Hollywood Gothic
Reggie Oliver – The Ballet of Dr. Caligari
Cody Goodfellow – Bellmer’s Bride, or The Game of the Doll
Michael Griffin – The Insomniac Who Slept Forever
Paul Tremblay – Further Questions for the Somnambulist
Michael Cisco – The Righteousness of Conical Men
Molly Tanzer – That Nature Which Peers Out in Sleep
Daniel Mills – A Sleeping Life
John Langan – To See, To Be Seen
Gemma Files – Caligarism

Preorder HERE.

I’m Interviewed on Ginger Nuts of Horror by Shane Douglas Keene

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Shane Douglas Keene, who just gave a wonderful rave review of The Lure of Devouring Light HERE, also recently interviewed me. That lengthy interview now appears on Ginger Nuts of Horror.

lure-of-the-devouring-light-by-michael-griffin-fiction-book-novel-review_orig

http://gingernutsofhorror.com/interviews/-lure-of-the-devouring-light-an-interview-with-michael-griffin

Maybe unsurprisingly, we talk a lot about the new book, but also spend a fair amount of time discussing ambient music and my record label Hypnos Recordings, the importance of setting and in particular the Pacific NW, upcoming projects, what it’s like to be published by Word Horde, and more. My thanks to Shane Douglas Keene for taking the time to put together the interview, and to Jim Mcleod for hosting it at Ginger Nuts of Horror.

Shotgun Logic on The Lure of Devouring Light

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A wonderful new review of The Lure of Devouring Light just appeared, this one by Shane Douglas Keane and posted on his Shotgun Logic blog. It begins:

“With stories published in a diverse array of publications such as Apex and Black Static and anthologies like The Grimscribe’s Puppets and The Children of Old Leech, plus a cornucopia of work forthcoming, Michael Griffin has been garnering some impressive accolades from such high profile voices as S. P. Miskowski, Michael Cisco, and the reigning king of literary weird fiction, Laird Barron. So it’s no surprise to see that his debut collection, The Lure of Devouring Light serves as a showcase of some of the finest short horror fiction to be published in recent years.”

Follow the link to read the rest.

https://shotgunlogic.com/2016/08/26/book-review-the-lure-of-devouring-light-by-michael-griffin/

My sincere thanks to Shane for the detailed and perceptive review. Shane and I also recently completed a lengthy interview, which should be posted soon, though my understanding is that the interview will be posted not at Shane’s own blog but at another prominent horror-focused web site. I should be able to share a link to that soon.

Portland’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival Kickstarter

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One of my favorite events every year is the Portland H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, the next installment of which happens October 7-9, 2016. This year I also visited the San Pedro, California version for the occasion of my book release, and they’re also doing a Providence, Rhode Island version which just happened this past weekend. The Portland event is the biggest of the three, and the original.

While I was busy with other things this weekend, I neglected to post about the new Kickstarter for the Portland HPLFF. It looks like it won’t have a lot of trouble meeting its goal… in fact, literally as I type this sentence, it just watched it click over the $15k mark in another browser window. Congratulations, Gwen and Brian Callahan – funded!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hplffpdx/cthulhu-and-shanghai-tunnels-21st-hp-lovecraft-fil

Now, just because they’ve reached their goal doesn’t mean you won’t want to pledge. This is the best way to get your package of tickets, t-shirts, art and other goodies related to the event. I’ll be a guest again this year, and for the first time I’m participating in a fiction round robin, a collaborative story written along with John Shirley, S.P. Miskowski, Nikki Guerlain, Andrew S. Fuller, Wendy Wagner and Aaron Besson. If you want to read that story in the souvenir book, it’s a $10 add-on to any other pledge level.

Even if you won’t be able to attend, you can support the event and get some cool stuff. There are several packages available for non-attendees, allowing you to obtain various souvenirs just as if you were going to attend.

I assume there will be some cool stretch goals, as there have been in the past. Who knows what kind of interesting special guests might be on the horizon?

Madness of Dr. Caligari Up for Preorder

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The upcoming anthology The Madness of Dr. Caligari, edited by Joseph S. Pulver Sr., is now up for preorder fro the publisher, Fedogan & Bremer. The trade hardcover edition can be purchased HERE.

There will eventually be a signed/limited edition available, though of course that will be more expensive. The table of contents will be the same in all versions:

THE MADNESS OF DR. CALIGARI table of contents:
Ramsey Campbell – The Words Between
Damien Angelica Walters – Take a Walk in the Night, My Love
Rhys Hughes – Confessions of a Medicated Lurker
Robert Levy – Conversion
Maura McHugh – A Rebellious House
David Nickle – The Long Dream
Janice Lee – Eyes Looking
Richard Gavin – Breathing Black Angles
S.P. Miskowski – Somnambule
Nathan Carson – The Projection Booth
Jeffrey Thomas – The Mayor of Elementa
Nadia Bulkin – Et Spiritus Sancti
Orrin Grey – Blackstone: A Hollywood Gothic
Reggie Oliver – The Ballet of Dr. Caligari
Cody Goodfellow – Bellmer’s Bride, or The Game of the Doll
Michael Griffin – The Insomniac Who Slept Forever
Paul Tremblay – Further Questions for the Somnambulist
Michael Cisco – The Righteousness of Conical Men
Molly Tanzer – That Nature Which Peers Out in Sleep
Daniel Mills – A Sleeping Life
John Langan – To See, To Be Seen
Gemma Files – Caligarism

If you need more convincing, check out this cover!

Caligari

I’m terribly pleased to find myself in the midst of such an amazing roster of talent. The subject matter is very promising, I trust the taste of Joe Pulver, and Fedogan & Bremer always creates such beautiful books, so I’m confident this will be one of the important anthologies of the year.

A Day After the Lovecraft eZine Chat

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I enjoyed myself on yesterday’s Lovecraft eZine chat. We talked a lot about The Lure of Devouring Light, spent some time discussing individual stories and also talked more generally about my approach to characters, relationships, and themes in my work such as nature.

If you missed seeing it live, you can now view it on YouTube HERE

It should be available in audio format soon, and I’ll post a link at that time.

My thanks to host Mike Davis and panelists Joe Pulver, Pete Rawlik, Rick Lai, S.P. Miskowski, Kelly Young, Matt Carpenter and Philip Fracassi.

Recent Happenings, August 2016 Edition

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A few things that are happening recently:

My debut collection The Lure of Devouring Light passed the 90 day mark. I’d stay it’s still being well-received, and more people seem to be discovering it every day. Here are links to the two latest reviews of the book:

John Boden Reviews Lure of Devouring Light on Ginger Nuts of Horror

Lure Reviewed for Hellnotes by Brian Sammons

I just received advance electronic proofs of two books in which my stories will appear:

Eternal Frankenstein, coming from Word Horde and edited by Ross E. Lockhart, will include my novelette “The Human Alchemy.”

Nightscript #2, edited by C.M. Muller, will be led off by my short story “The Carnival Arrives by Night.”

Also, I completed final edits on my story to appear in the next Lovecraft eZine, issue #38. That story is “Endure Within a Dying Frame.”

Most recently, I received word that my submission has just been accepted for a nifty, brag-worthy anthology coming next year, but I don’t yet have the go-head to announce specifics.

Lastly, I will be appearing on the Lovecraft eZine video chat this Sunday, August 14. Read about that HERE.

That’s all for now!