My New Website, The Ultra Project, Is Live!

Ultraman-using-zap-weapon

A piece of news I’ve been sitting on for the last monthly during quiet preparation: I’ve launched a new website as a companion piece to this one, The Ultra Project. The site is dedicated to exploring the Ultra series, a long-running Japanese live-action special effects (tokusatsu) franchise. You may be familiar with it’s most famous figure — the giant silver-and-red alien hero Ultraman. In this website, I’ll move through the many different shows that make up the series, taking them on one episode review at a time. As a bonus, I’ll include some side-trips to other monster movies, both Japanese and elsewhere in the world

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I’m Writing the Introduction to a Clark Ashton Smith Collection

Well, it has been a couple of years, hasn’t it? I haven’t put up a post here since the publication of Turn Over the Moon (purchase here). There are many reasons for this long stretch of silence, main among them some long post-pandemic recovery. Maybe I’ll address all this at some point once I figure out what different direction I want to take this website.

The reason I’ve come back is to announce that I’m writing the introduction to an upcoming collection of the stories of Clark Ashton Smith, one of my favorite authors. The introduction is for a Brazilian publisher, Editora Clock Tower, which specializes in collections of Portuguese translations of classic weird tale writers like H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, and Algernon Blackwood. The publishers approached me several months ago to see if I was interested in writing the intro to Os Habitantes do Abismo (The Dwellers in the Gulf, based on the CAS story title “The Dweller in the Gulf”), which collects Smith’s Martian stories along with two other science-fiction works. I was happy to say “yes,” and a few weeks ago the editor informed me that the collection had met and exceeded its crowdsourcing goals. I’m working on writing the introduction now; I’ll post updates on when the collection will be available.

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Turn Over the Moon Is Now on Sale!

It’s finally arrived: Turn Over the Moon, the first novel of the Saga of the Sorrowless, is now available for purchase at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

This has been an exciting journey, and I’m thrilled at last to share this story with the world. If you enjoy the novel, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, which helps immensely in increasing the book’s visibility!

Kickstarter for Turn Over the Moon Is Finished: Thank You Everyone!

The Kickstarter campaign for my novel Turn Over the Moon concluded this morning, with a total of $2,187 raised, twice our original goal! Thank you to everyone who contributed. I’m incredibly grateful to see this level of support.

Because we reached the $2,000 stretch goal, all the backers will be listed in the book. I have to make the changes to the files, and then the novel will be ready for its publishing debut. All backers will receive their copies and other rewards during November. We’ll keep everyone up to date.

A Messy List of My 10 Favorite Hammer Horror Films

I’m not a fan of making Top 10 Lists because setting anything in stone—unless you’re a gorgon—is only asking for regrets later. Favorites are fluid, and personal tastes fluctuate. But readers like lists, as do search engines, so for my Happy Halloween post, I’ve put together a sloppy list of my favorite horror movies from Hammer Film Productions during their original years.

Hammer movies are my horror brand. They’re what I think Gothic horror should be. They’re my constant companions each October. And here are ten, listed alphabetically so I won’t get into fights with myself over ranking, that I think represent the best of the studio during its grand era.

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