Stoker Nomination

Well I've been nominated for a Stoker Award in the short story category for my tale "Six-Legged Shadows". The story appeared in Monstrous earlier this year, which was edited by Ryan C. Thomas and published by Permuted Press.

For the record, the story is a collaboration with Brian M. Sammons, who is not an Australian author as many people think, but rather he is from Michigan, USA. Brian and I got to know each other working with the Book of Dark Wisdom and the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. To date we have collaborated on three short stories, which is more than I've collaborated with anyone. Brian's a damn fine author too.

Getting back to the Bram Stoker nomination, this means that Brian and I have at least one vote from a member of the USA Horror Writers Association who thought our story was worthy enough to be judged. Whoever has voted for me, thank you. I believe now I need five votes to get through to the next round. Here's hoping. More news later if I hear any.

Lastly, I wanted to thank Juliet Bathory and everyone at the Australian Horror Writers Association for promoting all Australian authors nominated for a Stoker Award this year.

The Reviews Keep Coming

Another positive review of The Spiraling Worm has just appeared on Amazon.com. It's interesting to see in reading this one how different stories appeal to different readers, although "Impossible Object" and "False Containment" remain most reader's favorites. The reviewer, Michael J. Tresca, had this to say about the two stories in question: "Imposslble Object" is "more a science fiction tale, is awesome" and "False Containment" as "one of the few stories in this collection that isn't afraid to drive home the insane horror of the Mythos". I should note for the reviewer's benefit that there was never any intention of writing a Call of Cthulhu role-playing game supplement for Chaosium set in the world of The Spiraling Worm.

John Sunseri, who co-authored the collection with me, said early on that he beleived our book would be a sleeper, and it looks to be that way. I have more fan mail today about this book than I ever did when it was first released, and questions about the sequel. Well, I better keep working on more Harrison Peel (the hero of The Spiraling Worm) stories then.

Recommended Books: Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror Vol.4

The Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror series edited by Angela Challis is a great 'best of' anthology series published by Brimstone Press. I've always found the stories to be well mixed so that a most horror readers with their various tastes will find something that suits their reading habits.

I have appeared in Volume 3. Alas I will not be in Volume 4 which has just been announced and will be out in March 2010. But just because I'm not in it doesn't mean it is not worth buying. The latest edition features stories by Peter M. Ball, John Birmingham, Kirstyn McDermott and Jason Nahrung, amongst others, and then there will be summaries of the year of Aussie dark fiction that was.

Now if Brimstone Press would only release Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears (I have a vested interest in this one because I have a story in it that I wrote more than five years ago now).

Read about Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror Volume 4 here.

Interview over at Innmouth Free Press

An interview I did with Innsmouth Free Press went up today. I talk with Silvia Moreno-Garcia on The Spiraling Worm and the Harrison Peel series, my influences and favorite books, the Australian speculative fiction scene, H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos, and the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. Read the interview here.

More Reviews

The Specusphere has just posted several reviews of Australian books in which my short stories have appeared. Felicity Dowker said of my story "Subtle Invasion" in Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror Volume 3 that it was "unnerving, horrific, and well written". Midnight Echo 1 and 2 and Black Box: Shadow Box 2 were also reviewed in the same issue, each of which featured several of my stories.

Over at OzHorrorScope Stephanie Gunn in a review of Midnight Echo #1 said that ""Cactus" by David Conyers is a story at once grounded in reality and yet completely surreal. One of the most original pieces in the magazine, it displays a mastery of imagery."

Some of my stories earlier tales appearing in US anthologies over the last couple of years have been reviewed on Goodreads. Of "Regrowth" appearing in Arkham Tales one reviewer said "Another author worth watching for; a PI takes on the case of some bizarre plants which alters his life forever. A very cool story, one of my favorites." The same reviewer said of my story "False Containment" appearing in Horrors Beyond: "Now, I truly enjoy this author's work, and here he did not let me down one bit. An awesome story that will leave you thinking about politics, the environment and what's wrong with the freakin' world... Very very fine writing."

Always nice to have a positive review, wherever they appear.