Upcoming Anthology Release Cover!

The anthology I wrote about back in September has a cover:

From the website:
"Compiled by Bad Dream Entertainment founder and editor Brett Reistroffer, readers will explore fifteen stories of dark contemporary fiction from the likes of Bram Stoker Award winner Eric J. Guignard, Spanish author Santiago Eximeno, Christopher Nadeau, MP Johnson, Brian Culp, Mark Patrick Lynch, Louis Rakovich, Travis Burnham, Tim Jeffreys, Robert G. Ferrell, Anna Yeatts, Gerri Leen, Jay Seate, and Birney Reed."

My Thoughts on the "Exposure as Payment" Non-troversey.

Basically, people are waking up to the notion that publishers who only offer "exposure" are offering an intangible they can neither guarantee nor quantify. And since there have been no studies I know of detailing the supposed benefits of such an arrangement, it's safe to say at this point exposure remains unmeasured and, sadly, most likely not worth a helluva lot in the long run. This is especially true for writers who actually need money in their bank accounts.

That's not to say I haven't submitted work to publishers who promised exposure. I not only have, but I've also been published by some of them. I've even developed pretty good working relationships with some of them and have sent them stories from time to time when they were short of filling an anthology.  But would I recommend doing it as an ongoing practice in the hopes that there will be some sort of positive outcome beyond seeing one's name on in the table of content? Hell no.

I have known many writers in my time and, while personalities vary sometimes wildly, we all have one thing in common when it comes to our writing: We work our asses off to get it as good as we can. The operative word in that sentence is, of course, work. Imagine interviewing for a job with some company or municipality and being told by the hiring manager how much they look forward to hiring you but just so you know, this is a "for the love" position so it only "pays" in networking opportunities. Would you take it?  Maybe if you were just starting out and needed to get some work experience for your resume. Flash forward a few years or even a decade later: Would you still be willing to accept employment on that basis?

That is, ultimately, the crux of the negativity towards exposure-only markets. Many feel they take advantage of new writers who are so desperate for publication they will gladly give away the result of their sweat and tears. That's probably not an entirely wrong point of view, but a lot of people who get into small publishing do it because of a love for the field and a genuine desire to help writers find outlets for their work. As with most issues, there are not clear cut villains an victims. 

The rise of online publishing has given rise to a glut of publishers trying to maintain their concerns with as little in the way of expenditures as possible.  Not having to pay writers can mean the difference between their websites remaining operational and not.  But as with any piece of decent journalism, what happens when we follow the money? Who exactly is making money off these ventures? It's a sure bet the web designer got paid. If not directly, then through some other back-end means. The same goes for the owner, who surely gets ad revenue and makes money from the hits the site receives.  In some cases, the artists get paid because their work is what often draws readers to the site, despite the fact that the writing keeps them there.

I've worked for people who thought I should have been so giddy over the fact that they were publishing me that I didn't deserve much of anything. I've written for a place that did pay me but then decided it couldn't anymore while still offering to allow me to publish my work for free if I so chose because, apparently, being published is the same as getting paid as far as they're concerned. I know all about the disrespect writers receive, especially in the United States.

So, is exposure a worthy form of "payment?" In the beginning, when I was building a list of published credits, I guess. Now? After having published dozens of short stories and two novels? Again, hell no.

However, to quote the great Obi-Wan Kenobi, "You must do what you feel is right, of course."


*Meanwhile, check out this cartoon.

Author Irony #498,123

Receiving emails that say, in essence:

HI! We're the ones who have rejected your work left and right. How about you contribute to our Kickstarter Campaign so's we can keep doin' it!?

I am MAN! Hear my snore...er, roar!

Not sure how I missed the news of this one coming out, but it did and I am in it not once, but twice with my short story "True Fiction" and my death row-themed flash fiction piece, "Love at last."

Both are previously unpublished and, despite the creepy-ass cover below, neither is a horror story.

Upcoming Annual Anthology Release News.

A while ago, one of my favorite short stories was selected for inclusion in the Bad Dream Entertainment annual anthology titled "Bad Little Dreams." The story was, of course, originally published on their website back in October of 2014.

"The Love of a Good Entity" remains one of my personal best as far as I'm concerned, as it not only melds my older style with my current one but it also ushered in my newer, better approach to storytelling.

You can actually read the story by clicking here.

I'll post further news on the anthology as it becomes available. Right now all I have is a title and a tentative release date of March 2016.

The "Earth-God" Saga Continues in the Virtual Pages of Beyond Science Fiction Issue #10!

The next installment in my "Earth-God Saga" titled "A Darker Trinity Arises" is now available to be read here.

The Power of Fiction to Traumatize the Reader.

I don't think I've ever mentioned this on this site before, but as of this writing, I am employed by two separate but equal libraries.  One is located in an affluent, multicultural area while the other is in more working class environs. However, the response to one particular controversial novel's release has been almost the same at both places.

Harper Lee's original draft for the novel that eventually became "To Kill a Mockingbird" has apparently always existed in some form despite its author's fervent desire that it never see print.  In that draft, the beloved Atticus Finch (Immortalized by the late, great Gregory Peck in the film version) was a vicious racist and member of the Ku Klux Klan. That's a far cry from the liberal, social justice oriented Finch of the final version.

Prurient interest caused multitudes of readers to place the book on hold at their local libraries.  Since July 14, "Go Set a Watchman" has been on constant hold at both libraries where I work.  The moment a copy is returned and checked in, a hold slip prints off for the next person.  But something interesting has taken place at both locations and, according to one of my co-workers, it has been a rather consistent and ongoing occurrence.  Many people are getting as far as holding a copy in their hands before walking up to the circulation desk and asking us to remove their holds.  The consensus?  "I don't want this book to ruin 'To Kill a Mockingbird' for me."

As someone who has never cared for the novel, who has in fact found it condescending and emblematic of a greater issue I won't discuss here, it's difficult for me to wrap my brain around the idea that people are so enraptured by Lee's final version that what amounts to an alternate history "what if" tale disturbs them so greatly.  Perhaps it's because most of them are not speculative fiction readers, meaning they're unprepared for the concept of alternate realities.  For them, "Watchman" is capable of wiping out all the perceived good gained from "Mockingbird."  For while those who overcome the urge to read the new novel look unhappy, those who have actually read it seem downright traumatized.

"Atticus Finch as a racist?" they say in tones normally reserved for discussions about real-life killers and sex offenders.  It is as if the very notion is enough to destroy their concepts of right and wrong.  It cannot be denied that Lee created something special in that character.  It also cannot be denied, based on admittedly limited observation, that the strongest reactions have come from essentially the same type of person.

As my co-worker said, "I've only really heard those reactions from white folks. I'd love to hear the whole response."

She is not a woman of color, by the way, nor is she particularly fond of Lee's original novel.  She's also right.  Every single person who has either refused to read "Go Set a Watchman" or read it and been thoroughly horrified has been a white female, and none of them young.  That means "Mockingbird" is a book that defined at least two generations of whites, if not more.  No doubt the movie helped the novel attain its prominence, but the fact remains: older white women are not happy about this new Harper Lee novel featuring a character many of them probably wished was their father.

That's the sort of response/devotion that tends to go to disreputable scumbags these days such as the title character of E.L. James' ridiculous ode to abusive relationships.

The response from these library patrons, while perhaps a tad over the top, is testament to the power of lasting literature and the ideas it imparts unto its readers. Those mental midgets who decry "message fiction" haven't the slightest idea what they're talking about. All good fiction contains a message and here it is boiled down to its barest essence as put by the late, great Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. whose works impacted me greatly:

“Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.”

The "Earth-God" Saga Begins in the Virtual Pages of Beyond Science Fiction Issue # 9!!!

The headline pretty much says it all, but just in case it didn't explain things well enough, the wonderful folks at Beyond Science Fiction have graciously agreed to post at least three stories (although it might run longer) in my ludicrously ambitious "Earth-God" Saga, where a delusional deity struggles with those members of the humanity race who see is true nature.

Read the first installment up in heah!

A Tough Year for Writers Who Aren't Well-known.

Judging by me own experience as well as what I'm reading from other writers, 2015 has become the Year of the Rejection Letter. It would seem as if publishers have grown more conservative in their selections of late and don't feel comfortable taking as much risk with less easily accessible material.
Fortunately, I have some good relationships with a few people who are. Case in point, the publishers of Beyond Tomorrow and Beyond Science Fiction have run several of my flash fiction pieces. Now, they have accepted the first of my three-part "Earth-God Saga." News on that story's availability when I know more.

"Do-Over" Now Available.

One of the most intensely personal, heartfelt things I've written in quite a while, "Do-Over" is a short story that explores the very nature of choices and destiny at the cosmic/divine level in just over 1000 words.

Read it by ordering your copy of Beyond Science Fiction here.


And here's the issue's cover:

The best example of purple prose, hyperbole and melodrama in years.

I'm not here to discuss the recent supreme court decision regarding same-sex marriage but this guy is all over it with some truly laughable ranting, not to mention an astounding lack of sensitivity:


On this day, June 26, 2015, five justices of the Supreme Court became moral jihadists who blasted the twin pillars of truth and righteousness into rubble. 

**UPDATED** "The Good Fight" Now Available on Kindle and in paperback!

Purchase the anthology here.


(Paper copy coming soon!)

Talk About Your Mixed Reactions.

"Christopher,

 

We really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to read your story! After reading and discussing it, we've decided that while we enjoyed it, we can’t use it for the anthology."

 

 

Well, I'm glad I could entertain all of you...for free. That's always fun.

 

Reprinted Short Story

"The Party," which first appeared here   and was pretty much slammed by this guy  but deemed worthy of reprinting by these good folks is available in the anthology pictured below:

 

It can be purchased here.

First Time Available on Kindle!

There was even talk of adapting this one into a short film at one point.

This was/is probably my most twisted and bizarre story to date. Originally published in 2011 by the tragically defunct Static Movement Press, "Toilet Bums" is a novella focusing on childhood fears being realized in the form of hideous creatures living in our sewers.

The best part about the title is it's absolutely hilarious to English-speaking people outside of the U.S., where a bum is what they call a posterior. Here, bums are what we call filthy, no good scoundrels.

Priced at a mere $2.99, this is about as dark and disturbing as a Nadeau joint gets!

Latest Short Story

Fresh off the heels of the Kindle release of my novella, "Bill's Little Friend" comes this recently completed and accepted "flash fiction" piece titled "Open Door Policy." The story appears in the latest ish of Beyond Science Fiction, a monthly online publication of quality featuring kick-ass covers by the quiet yet dangerous Larry Lonsby, Jr.

Some may remember his cover for my second novel, Kaiju, which was published by Source Point Press.


This is, I believe, my third time appearing in this zine and I couldn't be happier to once again be working with them.

Here's the Beyond Science Fiction so you may drool:

Excerpt from the magazine - "From the Editor's Desk":

Open Door Policy by Christopher Nadeau is a super short piece, though it evokes a sense of horror rarely found in flash fiction.

New (Never Before Published) Novella Release!

Now live on Kindle...My long-ago written but never published novella about workplace weirdoes and the disembodied, parasitic entities that inhabit their bodies and direct their actions. Yes, that old chestnut.

"Bill's Little Friend" is something I wrote when I was much younger, so even though this final version is the fifth draft, the spirit of younger-me is still very much present in its plot and action.

This story is currently exclusive to Kindle.

Click here to order yours today and don't forget to leave comments whether good or bad :)

Why Harlan Ellison is my Hero.

When You Feel Dumber than a Linguistic Genius.

We all make mistakes. Even Sara Palin does, and she's the smartest person in the world! The grizzly mom's vast intellectual prowess aside, I recently contacted the wrong editor about the wrong thing, only to realize too late that I'd actually done it once before, as the following email from the wonderful Brett Reistroffer of Bad Dream Entertainment will attest:

Hey Chris,

By any chance are you confusing email addresses/editors again? Because we haven't been accepting subs for a little bit now.

But since I have you, I'll give you a quick update. We're getting our annual antho together right now, which will feature 'The Love of a Good Entity'. We're shooting for a fall (Oct) release, and it's tentatively titled 'Dark Little Dreams'. I'll keep you, and the rest of the authors updated as things move along. In the meantime, you could send over your mailing address for the contributor copies, payment info (Paypal address or if you want checks I can use your mailing address), and an author bio if you want something other that what originally appeared with the story.

Thanks and talk to you soon,

Brett Reistroffer - Editor, Bad Dream Entertainment

 

 

 

I think "The Love of a Good Entity" is one of the best things I've ever written and I am proud to see it going from one published format to an actual collection.

 

So, despite being dumber than Sara Palin, it all worked out in the rear.

Superhero Meets Monster in the Anthology Everybody Should be Talking About.

So, this Emby Press anthology is coming out soon and it features possibly the best short story I've written in a while, "The Hero Disease."

Plot: Vanishing Act can teleport himself anywhere in the world. He uses his powers for good, but when he tries to create a coalition of other costumes heroes, a powerful creature appears to wipe the "infection" of heroism from the Earth. Now Vanishing Act must conquer his fear of this monster in one final battle that will determine the very definition of what makes us heroic.

 

More on this'n as it becomes available.

Charity Anthology Reprint

My rather lengthy yet-still-considered-short story "Across the Pond" has been reprinted in this Thirteen Press anthology with proceeds going to Greenpeace:

It's only $1.00 for Kindle and even if you disagree that it goes to a good cause, it's got me in it, damn you!

Why patience.often pays off for writers.

This acceptance for an upcoming anthology is from a story I submitted in July of last year!

Always Nice to Run Across a Positive Review!

An older review of the "Zippered Flesh" anthology containing my short story, "You With Me."


"You With Me by Christopher Nadeau: you can feel the horror coming on this one, like little flickers of light at the corners of your vision.... You don't quite want to look the whole way! Nothing prepares you for the ending, but it is a good one! Nothing says I love you quite like this!"