But first, updates:
On September 9th, I’ll be in Champaign, Illinois at the Dark History and Horror Con. Stop by my booth for advanced copies of The Broken Heart (one whole week before its debut!), a heartwarming joke, and perhaps a rectal foreign body anecdote or two.
The first standalone short story related to The Broken Heart is out! The heart wasn’t the only organ that serial killer donated… Click the link to download your FREE copy of the short story, See No Evil.
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/27jwgc2mjt
After putting our dues in at work, we scored some time off and boy did we celebrate! When tickets went on sale for Beyonce’s Renaissance tour, I snatched them up. I’d seen her and Jay-Z at Soldier Field back in 2015 and they put on a hell of a show. Plus, my wife has NEVER been to a concert before and I wanted her first show to be in complete style!
First, dinner at The Purple Pig. One will definitely need a reservation (ours was for 2 p.m.) and the place was packed. The beef tartar didn’t make the picture cut because we devoured it like wolverines but the meal was amazing!
Then, Beyonce! The atmosphere was fabulous as was the outfits. Everyone was themselves with no room for hate. And I scored some great seats (unbeknownst to myself). When Queen Bey belted out Formation and Diva, it was heaven!
Did someone say it’s time for a BOOK ROUNDUP?! Yeehaw.
First is Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica:
I absolutely adored Tender is the Flesh so I preordered this and started reading immediately. While I enjoyed some of the short stories, others really didn’t do it for me. I think Bazterrica’s long work is much more impactful than her shorter works. Still, worth the read if you enjoyed Tender is the Flesh.
The story Candy Pink was my favorite, following a woman reeling after a breakup. This story is a great example of what NOT to do when the end comes.
Find it here: https://a.co/d/8URvEUo
I Am AI: A Novelette by Ai Jiang:
I always enjoy Ai’s work and this was no exception. I picked this copy up at StokerCon (signed and everything!). The story follows Ai, a mostly human creator, living in a dystopian future where AI reigns. When Ai “upgrades” a part of her body, her work suffers and she discovers what it truly means to be human. I would love to read a full length novel about this world.
Find it here: https://a.co/d/1UOXco5
Bad Memories of Buzzard Hill: 8 Tales of the Macabre in the Weird West by C.B. Andrews:
I first encountered C.B.’s work in Hellbound Books Anthology of Splatterpunk and immediately gravitated to his work. When this debuted, I snatched it up. This book is centered around a western town, Buzzard Hill, which has no shortage of suspicious folks: outlaws, crooked pastors, and the supernatural all make an appearance. Each story enriches the rest. C.B. reminds me of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series with its western horror motif as well as the constant callbacks to other characters and events. If you like the old west, monsters, sex, and chili, this is the book for you!
Find it here: https://a.co/d/dyajmHH
Sex after Death by Collin J. Rae:
Collin J Rae’s Sex After Death is a mind-bending journey told through a collection of images that suggest dimensions bleeding into domestic tranquility, revealing the sometimes alarming and uncomfortable edges we often deny exist. Some are a Lovecraftian acid flashback while others inspire an agony and ecstasy one might feel during death… dare I say almost Clive Barker-esque? In words, the reader is taken through the author’s—at times—profoundly painful look at mortality and the human condition. For someone interested in the macabre as well as the evolution of life changes—beautiful and devastating—this was an enlightening read. Pick this one up if you want to be uncomfortable… in the best way possible.
Find it here: https://a.co/d/6Rf1qHQ
And ya’ll have a great rest of your July, ya hear?!
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