A Question for the Sages.

Believe it or go to hell, but I am not the snobbiest snob that ever snobbed when it comes to grammar, except where writers are concerned. Or, more accurately, people who refer to themselves as writers. When someone does that, it's impossible to take them seriously when they send me a note, even one that's positive, containing an error so egregious, my innards rupture and fill my digestive tract with many fluids.

Case in point: I received the following well-meaning note from someone on a certain social networking who self-identifies as an Independent Writer and Management Consultant:

"Christopher,

I just seen your updates congrats, keep up the hard work."

I repeat: Independent Writer and Management Consultant!!!

Sigh~

Am I being an elitist here?

Funeral for a Matriarch.

Tomorrow, after one-hundred years on this planet, my grandmother will be "laid to rest" following a funeral service at the very church she helped to establish more than three decades ago. I've chosen not to write anything. I did that for my mother's funeral and very nearly lost it. If I do speak, I will do it from the heart and stop when I feel I've said enough.

Author Q&A

Feel free to join the discussion by clicking here regarding the Zippered Flesh anthology, feauturing the authors of our individual short stories. Ask us anything...except that! Never that!

A Feast of Frights, My Official Press Release.

Michigan writer contributes to international horror anthology






Southfield, MI – April 10, 2012 – Southfield writer and Greak Lakes Association of Horror Writers member Christopher Nadeau's “Always Say Teat” will appears in the horror anthology, A Feast of Frights from the Horror Zine, available in print and digital formats from The Horror Zine Books. A Feast of Frights, edited by Jeani Rector, features a roster of acclaimed writers, comprising a who’s-who of the genre for the past half century.





The mission of The Horror Zine is to support and promote emerging writers, poets, and artists by featuring their work alongside masters of the macabre A Feast of Frights from The Horror Zine will also include short fiction from Simon Clark (The Night of the Triffids), Graham Masterton (Showtime’s The Hunger), Joe R. Lansdale (Showtime’s Masters of Horror), Susie Moloney (A Dry Spell), Tom Piccirilli (The Coldest Mile), and Ed Gorman (Gun Truth) with a forward from Ramsey Campbell (Grin of the Dark) and essays from Earl Hamner, Jr. (The Twilight Zone) and many others.





Two-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Bentley Little says of The Horror Zine: “I have seen the future of horror—and so has Jeani Rector. In fact, she’s publishing it. The Horror Zine books are not only fantastic reads, but they provide a valuable public service, exposing the world to up-and-coming talent in fiction, poetry, and art. Amazing stuff.”



Apex Magazine Submissions Editor DeAnna Knippling says the following of “Clawed Sod” by Christian A. Larsen: “I really liked the setup and the humor in what [he] had the main character try to solve his problem,” and “the story's funny and matter-of-fact disturbing.”





A Feast of Frights (The Horror Zine Books) edited by Jeani Rector

478 pages, $16.99 (trade paperback), $4.99 (Kindle)





About the Author





Christopher Nadeau is the author of 'Dreamers at Infinity's Core' through COM Publishing as well as over two dozen published short stories in such august publications as The Horror Zine, Sci-Fi Short Story Magazine, Ghostlight Magazine and more anthologies than one could take out with the toss of a single hand grenade. He was interviewed as part of Suspense Radio’s up and coming authors program and collaborated on two “machinima” films with UK animator Celestial Elf called “The Gift,” and 'The Deerhunter's Tale,” both of which can be viewed on YouTube. His novel “Echoes of Infinity's Core” is slated for a 2012 release.



An active member of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers, Chris Resides in Southeastern Michigan with his wife Lorie and two petulant long-hair Chihuahuas.



For more information, please visit thehorrorzine.com or contact Christopher Nadeau at christophernadeau71@yahoo.com or http://christopher-nadeau.blogspot.com/.

The Wait Is Over.

As I wrote a while ago, the Static Movement "Shadows Within Shadows 2" anthology is one I've been looking forward to since my "un-gettable" short story was accepted for publication in its pages. The story, "Hawk Vs. Dove at a Coffee Shop," is the tale of divisive politics taken to a murderous extreme and told from the perspectives of two represenatives of both sides of the so-called "aisle" with escalating tensions and eventual tragedy.

It also features a story by me called "Bringing Down the Curtain," which is about one man's chance to end all warfare...but it the final result worth the means to reach it?

Amazon Author Page Now Up.

It's frustrating, though, because since the editors of the various anthologies featuring my work didn't list me as one of their contributing authors, I have to send individual emails to Amazon to try and get myself authorized to link them. So, the few books you'll currently see there are the only ones I can post at this time.

Click here for the page.

*Note*
Amazon claims it can take up to three days to get this issue resolved, but they'd already resolved the first one by the time I posted this.

A Welcome Invitation.

I've been invited to submit a story prior to the official submission period to the next Smart Rhino Publications anthology being edited by writer/editor/unfortunate Libertarian Weldon Burge called "Uncommon Assassins." My short story "You With Me" appeared in the previous one pictured below:

As it so happens, I have a story already written. I just need to find the damn thing and polish it up.

The Dumbest Facebook comment yet.

I'll preserve the person's annonymity despite my desire to post her name everywhere, but here's what she wrote on the "Atlas Shrugged 2" page:

"While on a business trip, during two separate dinners, drinks were omitted from my bill. When I told the waiters of the errors, they both shook their heads and said "Oh, that's ok. Its on the house. My error." But I insisted. "No. I am a follower of Ayn Rand. We believe in paying for things fairly negotiated. Please correct my bill."

Nothing wrong with paying what one owes, but "Follower?" Apparently, they admit to be Randroids. Good to know. My arsenal just grew by leaps and bounds!

Praise from Wordcraft Wednesdays.

Two days ago, I journeyed out to Macomb Community College, where I read two stories before a small but attentive audience. I knew my second story fared very well, considering the laughs it ellicited (it was a satirical piece, I swear.) Still, only a couple people approached me afterwards, although plenty asked me questions when I was finished reading, unlike the other guest writer of the day.

But you never really know what impact you had on people until someone else confirms it for you. That happened last night when Nicole Castle sent me the following email:

Chris,

Wow, it was so awesome having you at WW. Both of your stories were fantastic.

I had several of my students talk about you and your work. They were quite impressed.

I hope "Dusk" gets published soon! I will definitely have you back another time!

Please email me info. about your Author Page and your blog address so I can put it on WW facebook page.

Also, info. about the Green Pen conference.

Thanks again!

-Nicole

'Nuff said?

A Couple Quick Updates.

The Ghostly Reflections anthology I edited and contributed to (pictured below) actually premiered at #1 on Amazon's ghost tales list and mainted a spot in the top five for a couple days before powerhouse authors moved it down to #18:

Also, if all goes well, I will be a presenter at the Greenpen Writer's Conference, the brainchild of my publisher COM Publishing and its partner illustrator, Dark Elf Designs. Early registrants get $100.00 off the cost! Check out the flyer below:

From a Work in Progress Currently Titled "The Trickster God Revealed."

There is a Pool. A place where all powers originate. A place that can be tapped into if one possesses the proper knowledge. All things that come into the worlds must pass through the Pool on their way out. Few have any memory of it, but those who do often seek to return to it. These are the gods of old, immortal beings with their memories of birth intact, the true measure of what makes one powerful.
The Pool assigns most of us with whatever abilities or traits we wind up possessing. But when someone winds up with power that was not meant for them, they return to the Pool without knowing that they have. And that is where the real problem lies.
Transformation is the natural order’s way of adjusting things in accordance with any changes that have been made. But when a man has godhood forced upon him…

“He will go insane,” Louis said, surprised by the sound of his own voice.
Fern nodded. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“That stupid son of a bitch.” Louis brushed the hair out of his eyes with his right hand. “What has he done?”
Fern raised an eyebrow. “You mean you don’t know?”
Louis shook his head, not really wanting to hear the rest. He felt responsible. No, he was responsible. Surely there was some way he could have prevented this from happening. His own passivity might have given rise to something truly terrible.
“He’s declared himself God and started demanding total obedience to his ‘divine will.’ It’s been on all the websites and cables shows. The FBI has been looking into his practices to make sure he isn’t abusing anyone, but what they couldn’t possibly know is that he doesn’t need to abuse anyone.”
“But our powers only work if someone is wishing for something.”
Fern smiled in a decidedly humorless manner. “When you’re the Trickster God, you can get people to wish for anything you want.”