Blood and Devotion Anthology

Here's a new anthology to try.

Quoting from the copy:

The clash of steel. The scent of blood. The heat of fire from heaven. The cries of the dying and of the dead.

Brave warriors and devotees to the gods follow the paths their faiths have put before them, and when religious fervor meets skill of arms and magic, kings will fall, armies will collide, and men and women will perish for their beliefs.

I'm pleased to post that this anthology is now available. I have a tale of war, magic, and treachery in the anthology (the fire from the Heavens tale). The anthology has several wonderful interior illustrations, and the editor William H. Horner (W. H. Horner) did a fantastic job in putting this project together. He even tolerated my dry humor!

I urge anyone interested, or slightly interested in the book, to read all of the stories. They work together quite nicely. Below is a TOC:


Editor, W. H. Horner
Cover Art. Nicole Cardiff

Introduction by David B. Coe

“The Daughters of Desire” by Jay Lake
“In the Light of Dying Fires” by Gerard Houarner
“Hammer Song” by K. L. Van der Veer
“The Treachery of Stone” by William Jones
“The Perils of Twilight” by Peter Andrew Smith
“The Gifts of the Avalea” by I. M. McHugh
“Eye of the Destroyer” by Aliette de Bodard
“Greatshadow” by James Maxey
“Magic’s Choice” by R. W. Day

The Anthology of Dark Wisdom and Stoker

After receiving the always welcome email from Eric Christ, the Horror Writers Association (HWA) Stoker Awards verifier, it appears that The Anthology of Dark Wisdom: The Best of Dark Fiction has been recommended for a Bram Stoker Award.

Do note that there is quite a bit of difference between a "recommendation" and "nomination." The "nomination" part comes after enough recommendations have been made. Typically, there are only five final nominations. Nonetheless, the anthology is on the path to a potential nomination. Sadly, I cannot remember my HWA account, so I'm unable to read the Stoker list (that is being corrected presently).

In either case, it is worth mentioning all of the authors and thanking them for their work - which I can do again if the anthology reaches the nomination stage. My guess is this will particularly please Christian Klaver (as he has a tale in the anthology connected to Bram Stoker).

Authors:

Peter Straub, Alan Dean Foster, Tom Piccirilli, John Pelan, Richard A. Lupoff, John Shirley, Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Wendy Leeds, Lee Clark Zumpe, Gerard Houarner, Christopher Welch, Sam W. Anderson, C.J. Henderson, Paul Melnickzek, Richard Wright, Deanna Hoak, Christopher T. Leland, Bruce Boston, Lee Ballentine, Sherry Decker, Gene O’Neill, James Argendeli, Patricial Lee Macomber, David Niall Wilson, Christian Klaver, Tim Curran, Neddal Ayad, and Rachel Gray.

Books, Books, Books

I wanted to post this Friday, but I never managed to find the time. So I'm playing catch-up.

I have a few books of which I wanted to make mention. One the upcoming anthology Dark Wisdom: The Best of Dark Fiction. But the others are two titles that are great reads.

If you haven't had a chance to read John Shirley's novel Black Glass (the lost cyberpunk novel), give it a shot. It is available in bookstores, with a recent re-stock arriving at Barnes and Noble either very shortly or within the next week. Like all of John's works, it's clever, contemporary, and sharp. John never pulls any punches.

Also heading to bookstores, including Barnes and Noble as well, is Tim Curran's classic novel Hive. It's not too late to enjoy a chilling summer read. This novel has been in print for a while. Still, if you haven't read it, add it to your reading list. Tim captures the mood and feel of a cold, unforgiving antarctic research station that uncovers eternal horrors. And he'll be following this novel up with a sequel. So even if you've read Hive, it might be time to re-read it

As for Dark Wisdom: The Best of Dark Fiction, it isn't in bookstores yet. But I've had a few emails asking about what authors are in the anthology. The anthology is named after the internationally distributed, full color magazine Dark Wisdom. You might say it's the next stage of the magazine's evolution. For those who read Dark Wisdom, (originally named "Book of Dark Wisdom Magazine"), you'll know it went from digest size to full size, from B&W to color, and soon it will be reborn online.

As a "real" book, the anthology includes some of the classic tales printed in the magazine, some that were in the queue for future publication, and some collected tales of dark fiction. This makes it an amalgamation of things. But mainly, a "best of dark fiction" anthology. A complete table of contents will be revealed when the book ships to stores. Until then, I can reveal the author names. The following list is in order of appearancee in the anthology. For those familiar with the anthologies I edit, I tend to place tales in thematic progression, or in an order that highlights a story's theme. And it's always delightful to read the emails from readers who have divined the method to my madness. Of course, my hope is to make the anthology read like a larger work, not simply a collection of stories (something I did as the editor of the magazine as well).
Onward! Here is the present ordered list of authors:

Tom Piccirilli
Tim Curran
C.J. Henderson
John Pelan & Paul Melniczek
Wendy Leeds
Sherry Decker
John Shirley
Neddal Ayad
Rachel Gray
Alan Dean Foster
Shane Jiraiya Cummings
Peter Straub
Patricia Lee Macomber & David Niall Wilson
Christopher T. Leland
Richard A. Lupoff
Christopher Welch
Gene O'Neill
Bruce Boston & Lee Ballentine
Deanna Hoak
Christian Klaver
Lee Clarke Zumpe
Gerard Houarner
Sam W. Anderson
Richard Wright
James Argendeli

Depths of the Ocean: More High Seas Cthulhu

It was my intention to post about product placement in television and fiction books - oh, and films, etc. But as other matters press upon me, I'll save that one for later in the week. Right now, I'd like to talk about stories set on the high seas.

For those who don't know, after my reading of a few million words for a previous anthology, I started to avoid sending open anthology calls around the Internet. In fact, some of my calls are still lurking in the pages of Writers Digest, which means I get submissions for books printed years ago.

To help slow the flow of submissions, I now make a cunning mention on my blog. Usually word gets around, but not quite as much as "major announcements."

And, as some people were not completely sure of what I was hinting at in the last three anthologies request, I'll be blunt this time. :) I'm looking for stories for a 2010 anthology.

What type of stories? They must be set on or darn close to the ocean or large body of water. The book is a sequel to High Seas Cthulhu.

Setting: Still an ocean or big body of water. Mostly modern, some historical is welcome.

Word Count: 5K (longer must be negotiated)

Payment: 5 cents/word first publication, 3 cents/word reprint.

Deadline: June 2010 - Although it could move up (never sure about these things)

Reference: If in doubt, read the existing book: High Seas Cthulhu. You might also consider visiting the link on my blog, where the authors of the last book wrote about how their stories came to be: High Seas Cthulhu: Below Decks

As for High Seas Cthulhu, it can be found in most books stores and online, ebay, game stores. Pretty much anywhere. I urge reviewing a copy to save yourself time by avoiding the repetition of tales from the first book.

How to submit? (Umm. I get plenty of email, and much of it is blocked by spam software. But let's try it this way. Submit to:

william@williamjoneswriter.com (Subject: High Seas 2 YOUR NAME).

The subject is very important because I'll use software to sort the submissions, and without High Seas 2, it'll likely get dumped into spam).

Suggestions:

• Deep Ones are easy to write about in this anthology, so only use them if you have a unique slant. Most everyone will submit Deep One tales and you want yours to stand out. Or better yet, avoid Deep One tales.

• Edgy is good. Please avoid this opening: "Dear reader, you might think me insane for what I'm about to put to paper..." (I've read that story. :> ) Put a modern spin on the story/creature/character, and make it yours.

• Dark is good. Mood, tone, and a feel of darkness works in this anthology, but know that many people will be going the same way, so play with the approach.

Lastly, Cthulhu: Nope, no Cthulhu unless requested. Next to Deep Ones, this big fellow is the most popular critter people write about for this type of anthology. We can only have so many Cthulhu awakens and destroys the world tales in the anthology. So to improve your chances, avoid using him. Or at least query me about it before you do.

Feel free to post questions here, as that way I can answer them and create a FAQ at the same time.

MU Twitter Contest Over

First, let me apologize, I'm typing this from a moving car - and my display screen is very small. I'm on my way to the GenCon convention. Oh, and I'm not driving. :) Although I haven't mentioned it much, I just had a surgery last week, and as a result I must be a passenger (among other limitations). Still, I'll be at GenCon, and I'll be posting updates from the convention on my Twitter (@RudolphPearson) and from the account I use for Chaosium (@Ab_Chaosium).

But right now, I'm here to speak about the Miskatonic University Twitter contest. It ihas end, and it did very well. A little over 650 submissions in three days. Obviously, I can't include all of them, but I'll do my best to include as many as I can.

What I learned about Miskatonic University from the Twitter feeds is that there is an overwhelming worry about Deep Ones on the campus. Yes, the bulk of Tweets references Deep Ones in one fashion or the other - only 1 Tweet was used as an excuse for not finishing a homework assignment.

I also learned that while the bulk of the MU faculty are "normal," there are a handful that worry the students (usually strange nocturnal activities). And there are some professors who are concerned about the students, although not in an academic sense. More of a "don't want to be consumed by them" fashion.

Good rule of thumb: Stay out of the library and basement.

Perhaps the best news is that no economic crisis has reached MU. At least there were no complaints about tuition, salary, or funding for insane experiments. This latter part is great news for the "crazy theory" department.

Excluding an abundance of Deep Ones, the university campus - based on Twitter response - is one of the safest in the world. It seems many students have eldritch spells or artifacts to defend against prowling creatures and janitors.

All and all, the staff, faculty, and students appeared overworked - usually engaged in occult endeavors rather than academic. But perhaps the most over worked person, and risky occupation, belongs to the librarian. This is a university where avoiding the library is a good thing.

When I started the contest, I had no idea I'd learn so much from the statistics of the Twitter messages. It was great fun, and my thanks to all who participated.

Ancient Shadows Anthology

As this anthology appeared in distribution catalogs yesterday, I figured I might post a bit about it. True, Amazon seemed to have a listing for a while, but that was do to another distributor's mistake. In either case, here is a sneak peek.

The cover is by Steven Gilberts - and it has been done for quite a while. (not quite sure were this copy text came from, although I suspect it will be replaced). And a list of authors will soon follow. This is a late 2009 release, available in all fine bookstores.

Ancient Shadowws: Dark Tales of Eldritch Fantasy

This anthology of dark tales touches upon a dark mythos unseen beneath the surface of the real world. Conducting a journey into a timeless universe of what might have been, this collection of stories contains narratives composed by today’s most popular authors of eldritch fiction. Ideal for sword and sorcery aficionados and written in the authentic style of traditional dark fantasy, this compilation is a must-have for fans of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft.

Tales Out of Miskatonic University

This anthology is ready to be handed to the publisher, Mythos Books, LLC. I don't have a publication date yet, but when I do, I'll be certain to announce it.

Many thanks to all of the authors, the artist, and everyone involved in the project. It was a great pleasure, and I'm looking forward to it being published.

For those curious, the book will be divided into university departments: Science, Arts, Philosophy, etc. (Those are not the actually departments). And stories related to the departments will be included in the appropriate sections. The tales range from the past to the present, and include some student blogs, and a few "Tweets."

Here's a list of stories and authors included in the book -the contest winners don't appear yet for covert reasons. The names are in no particular order, although from some of the titles you can probably guess the department the story will appear in:


Richard A. Lupoff - "Admissions Committee"
Lois H. Gresh - "There's No Place Like Void"
Robert M. Price - "The Third Oath of Dagon"
Lee Clark Zumpe - "If Skin were Parchment"
MR Keaton -"Strings"
Charles A. Gramlich - "The Vivarium"
Jeff W. Edwards -"Admission and Expulsion"
Lon Prater - "Symphony for the Aligning Stars"
Ferrel D. Moore - "A Horrified Mind"
John Goodrich - "Dreams of Raw Flesh"
Tim Curran - "He Who Calls the Pets"
Cody Goodfellow - "The Anatomy Lesson"
Stewart Sternberg - "The Idols of Canaan"
Stephen Mark Rainey -"To Be As They"
Sarah Newton - "The Apprentice"
C. J. Henderson - "Cruelty"
William Jones - Editor/Introduction

www.williamjoneswriter.com
www.williamsramblings.blogspot.com

Miskatonic University Twitter Contest

3 day contest, starting August 8th, 2009. #MUcontest

Send Twitter posts as though they were from students, staff, or faculty of H.P. Lovecraft's famous university.

Selected winners appear in the anthology TALES OUT OF MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY, and get 1 free copy if the book.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

Either send a Twitter message directly to me, or to my Facebook account, or to my email: William@williamjoneswriter.com (with the topic MU Twitter Contest).

You can submit as many times as you like, and use L33T Speak if you like.

What's in a Book?

Tales Out of Miskatonic University

What's in a book? Paper, glue, binding, ink, sentences, words, numbers, ideas, secrets. All manner of things can be found in a book - including authors (a tough squeeze).

In this case, I'm really asking who is in the book? The book being Tales Out of Miskatonic University, to be published by Mythos Books, Inc. Trying to guess who is included seems to have become a popular feature on the blog, so I thought I'd continue it with this anthology. But first, let me make a statement about the MU Blog Contest. It will come to an end in 3 weeks. So if you have additional posts (or emails), send them promptly. Remember, you can enter as many times as you like. For more details, click on the Miskatonic University Contest link.

Now it wouldn't be fair not to give everyone a starting point. And I suppose there should be some sort of prize involved. The top three folks who supply the most information will win prizes. I'll offer up - a choice of a copy of the book, or a cover print from the artist (Steven Gilberts). I'm offering the prizes, so these poor folks don't know about it yet. :) Not to worry.

Rules:

*Help each other, and everyone wins
*Post in the comments to prove you're helping, or go it alone and email
*(if emailing) Include the subject "INSIDE MU CONTEST"
*Be nice


What to find? (Trick or Treat)

As it the nearby holiday is Halloween, I thought we might try a twist. You can trick others by offering false information. How sinister. I'll not hold that against anyone. But, please, be kind and polite with such information.

I'm looking for author and artist names, websites, and story titles. The more the better. Finding all of them might be difficult. But who knows?

The more detail, the better. And don't overlook the obvious. That's part of the trick.

Starters:

Here are some authors who are included in the anthology, but I'm not mentioning story titles:

Richard A. Lupoff
Robert M. Price
C. J. Henderson
Stephen Mark Rainey

-- That's all you get.


Enders:

The challenge ends Novemeber 15th, 11:59 p.m., EST (that's -5/4 hours GMT depending upon the time of the year).

Getting Into Anthologies

Because I edit a number of fiction anthologies, I'm often asked about how one gets into the anthologies. There is a bit of a trick - not really a secret, though. At one time, I used to do open calls (and I still do for some anthologies). However, open calls produce millions of words of reading. Yes, that many people submit to anthologies. I enjoy the variety, but sometimes responses bounce, email addresses change, or submissions are overlooked. When you consider the volume of stories coming in electronically and by post, there is room for all many of mishaps.

To help manage this, as of late (last couple of years), I've taken to posting queries on my blog. The last time I did this was about a dark fantasy anthology. These posts are not open calls. Why? Because, if I made an obvious post, someone would submit it to many of the wonderful market services, and I'd have countless submissions. And beyond having numerous "subs," many of such submissions are off topic. Many writers have ready made tales that border the requirements of an anthology. This results in increased submissions that are not really focused on the theme of the book I'm editing.

The result of all of this is that I post seemingly rhetorical questions about topics, and the writers who are interested in the topic typically email me with a story, or ask about writing for the anthology.

Oh, I also mention anthologies in my newsletter. Writers often get a head start by reading that.

Perhaps you're wondering why am I mentioning this? Won't it defeat the purpose of this strange system I'm using? Or, if you're one of the writers who knows, you're saying, "Shhh...don't tell everyone." :) Well, the truth is, I do tell most everyone. And mentioning it here won't undermine the tactic because I still don't post all of the information about the anthology - which keeps it from appearing elsewhere. My main motivation for mentioning this now is the number of emails I've had over the last week or so, asking about getting into anthologies. I figured I'd simply make a post to let everyone know.

Other methods of getting into one of these mysterious anthologies is by my contacting you. Sometimes I read a story by a writer, enjoy the story, and find a match with the style with what I'm working on. I also try to bring in a few new writers whenever I can.

This probably leans to the question: Are you about to mention a new anthology. :) No, not right now. I do have a few in the works, but they are mainly full. If a determined writer is interested, that shouldn't keep the writer from emailing me a query at the least (for existing anthologies). Most importantly, keep an eye out for any cryptic messages. Or, the less cryptic version of, I'm editing anthology X (that one is easy to figure out).

Time to stop typing. I'm at Gen Con, and I need to be somewhere else. If you're at the convention, and you run into me, ask me about my latest anthology. :) Or just say "Hello!"

Origins Award Nomination

I'm quite pleased to announce that Frontier Cthulhu: Ancient Horrors in the New World. has been nominated for an Origins Award. Yes, it was in the semi-finals, but now it has made it to the nomination stage.

The anthology is a collection of Lovecraftian tales that move from the east to the west, exploring early North America to the days of the Wild West. Below is a table of contents, and related information:

The Long Road Home by Paul Melniczek
In Waters Black the Lost Ones Sleep by Angeline Hawkes
Where Men Had Seldom Trod by Lee Clark Zumpe
Something to Hold the Door Closed by Lon Prater
Terror from Middle Island by Stephen Mark Rainey & Durant Haire
Children of the Mountain by Stewart Sternberg
They Who Dwell Below by William Jones
Wagon Train for the Star by Scott Lette
Incident at Dagon Wells by Ron Shiflet
Ahiga and the Machine by Robert J. Santa
The Dead Man’s Hand by Jason Andrew
Jedediah Smith and the Undying Chinaman by Charles P. Zaglanis
Snake Oil by Matthew Baugh
Cemetery, Nevada by Tim Curran
The Rider of the Dark by Darrell Schweitzer

William Jones ed., cover art by Steven Gilberts. 272 pages. Trade Paperback.

ISBN 1-56882-219-7

For those interested in reading about how the authors devised their devious stories, click on the colorful words Frontier Cthulhu and read the comments.

Here is a list of the final 5 nominees:

• Astounding Hero Tales
  Published by Hero Games
  Edited by James Lowder

• Dragons of the Highlord Skies
  Published by Wizards of the Coast
  Written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

• Frontier Cthulhu
  Published by Chaosium
  Edited by William Jones

• The Orc King
  Published by Wizards of the Coast
  Written by R.A. Salvatore

• The Time Curse
  Published by Margaret Weis Productions
  Written by James M. Ward

Dark Fantasy Ponderings

I enjoy dark fantasy fiction - I have a few tales slated for this year and next year in anthologies from various publishers. And what I mean dark fantasy in the Howard or Smith sense of fiction, but darker in mood, and bit more up to date for modern readers. Also, I enjoy the "weird" elements these authors brought to the fiction.

If you're wondering, this post is not really going anywhere, except it allows me to speculate upon how many people would email me if they to had an interest in a dark fantasy anthology. Such a book would have limited space. And the last thing I need is another project for this year. Still, it is an interesting thought experiment.

Origins Award Semi-Finalist: Frontier Cthulhu

It was announced this week that the Chaosium anthology, Frontier Cthulhu: Ancient Horrors in the New World is on the semi-finalist list for the Origins award. This is an award that spans the gaming industry and fiction publishing. Having the anthology make the semi-finals is quite an honor and a tribute to all of the authors and the artist involved. For a table of contents and some of the author's thoughts on their stories, click here.

I'm also pleased to be a part of Hobby Games: The 100 Best, edited by James Lowder. This book is on the non-fiction semi-finals list. My part in the book was an essay on the WWII miniatures rules system Flames of War.

Below is a list of all semi-finalists. This group will be reduced to 5, and from those five a winner will be selection. The award ceremony is held at the Origins convention in Columbus, Ohio - June 26th - 29th:

PUBLICATION, FICTION
Astounding Hero Tales
Hero Games
Edited by James Lowder

Dragons of the Highlord Skies
Wizards of the Coast
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Duty Calls
Games Workshop
Sandy Mitchell

Fire at Will
Roc
Blaine Lee Pardoe

Flight From the Dark
Mongoose Publishing
Joe Dever

Frontier Cthulhu
Chaosium
Edited by William Jones

The Orc King
Wizards of the Coast
R.A. Salvatore

Ravenor Rogue
Games Workshop
Dan Abnett

“The Shae Mutiny,” (from No Quarter #11)
Privateer Press
Doug Seacat

The Time Curse
Margaret Weis Productions
James M. Ward

Stoker Preliminary Ballot

The Stoker Award preliminary ballot list has been announced (not the nominations), and in tribute to all of the authors and artists involved, both Horrors Beyond 2 and High Seas Cthulhu made the list of 10 titles.

For those unfamiliar with the process, you might wonder what does it mean to be on the preliminary ballot? It is something like being in the presidential primaries. At this moment, ballots are being mailed to Active members of the Horrors Writers Association. Members vote in each of the categories (HB2 and HSC are in the Superior Achievement in an Anthology category). Once the ballots are returned, the list of 10 titles will be culled to the final list -- those are the Stoker nominations. And from there it goes onto selecting a winner. Nonetheless, it is great to be in the race at all, and for both titles to be included.

Naturally, I invite any Active HWA members to contact me for review copies of either or both books. And of course, they are in the local bookstores for those simply interested in reading the books -- which I hope you do!

Frontier Cthulhu

Ancient Horrors in the New World

Chaosium has announced the release date for Fronter Chtulhu -- October 26. This means it is just in time for Halloween. And really, what better than a book about places, people, and things that appear to be one thing, but are another.

There has been much speculation about the contents of the book, even though the table of contents are available. Yes, there are weird westerns to be certain, but there are many other frontiers explored. Perhaps it is best described as Lewis and Clark's untold journey through the cosmic horrors of the New World (add in the the Newfoundland sagas of the Vikings, tales of John Smith, and the legends of Native American Indians with a few other variations). With some luck, the authors might drop by to offer a few answers about the setting of their stories (without giving away to details). And speculation is always welcome.

The book is available from Amazon for pre-order and from Chaosium directly (click on the names to follow the links). Also, the cover here is the final.

Below are all of the important details:

It is only within the last few years that most people have stopped thinking of the West as a new land. I suppose the idea gained ground because our own especial civilisation happens to be new there; but nowadays explorers are digging beneath the surface and bringing up whole chapters of life that rose and fell among these plains and mountains before recorded history began.

—H.P. Lovecraft, “The Mound”

As explorers conquered the frontiers of North America, they disturbed sleeping terrors and things long forgotten by humanity. Journey into the undiscovered country where fierce Vikings struggle against monstrous abominations. Travel with explorers as they learn of buried secrets and the creatures guarding ancient knowledge. Go west across the plains, into the territories were sorcerers dwell in demon-haunted lands, and cowboys confront cosmic horrors.

The Long Road Home by Paul Melniczek
In Waters Black the Lost Ones Sleep by Angeline Hawkes
Where Men Had Seldom Trod by Lee Clark Zumpe
Something to Hold the Door Closed by Lon Prater
Terror from Middle Island by Stephen Mark Rainey & Durant Haire
Children of the Mountain by Stewart Sternberg
They Who Dwell Below by William Jones
Wagon Train for the Star by Scott Lette
Incident at Dagon Wells by Ron Shiflet
Ahiga and the Machine by Robert J. Santa
The Dead Man’s Hand by Jason Andrew
Jedediah Smith and the Undying Chinaman by Charles P. Zaglanis
Snake Oil by Matthew Baugh
Cemetery, Nevada by Tim Curran
The Rider of the Dark by Darrell Schweitzer

William Jones ed., cover art by Steven Gilberts. 272 pages. Trade Paperback.

ISBN 1-56882-219-7

High Seas Cthulhu: Below Decks

After the announcement of High Seas Cthulhu, I’ve been asked a few times how the book came about. Early on I posted an article detailing the inspiration (Surprise Anthology), so I’ll not cover that here. Instead, feel free to follow the link back to the topic. I’ll skip ahead to the framework of the anthology. (Click on the image or here to follow a link to Amazon.com).

Initially, the premise was based upon a number of tales submitted to Dark Wisdom magazine, and to various anthologies I had edited in the past. When the book started, the underlying premise was to gather stores set between the 1500s and 1850s. At first it looked like easy sailing, but as I gathered more tales, it appeared that the anthology might become overburdened with historical works – in some cases, only loosely connected to Lovecraft and his Mythos. So a change of direction was needed. I invited a few writers, expecting most not to be interested. After all, “high seas” Lovecraftian tales do require specific historical knowledge – it is a mixture of two sub-genres. I anticipated few positive responses.

To my surprise, every writer I contacted seemed interested in the project. There were a few who simply didn’t have the time, so maybe we’ll catch them the next time around. I was delighted to learn that I wasn’t the only one with the unusual interest in the particular angle of Lovecraftian tales. Also, some authors contacted me after word of the project was out, adding to the final list.

The basic requirements, originally, were to write a story that takes place on water with Lovecraftian elements. Fearing the anthology would be overrun with tales of prowling Deep Ones, I asked some authors to avoid the topic. Later, hoping to change the pacing of the book, I tried another tack. I asked some authors for contemporary tales – and some found their way to me. Doing this created variety within the anthology, shifting across times and places.

Of course, the cover artist, Steven Gilberts did much to bring the flavor of the anthology to life, producing the cover long before the body of work was completed (and perhaps inspiring some of the tales in the process).

The final order of tales was a challenge. After much debate, I attempted to assemble the tales by thematic connection and juxtaposition, sometimes using one work to foreshadow another work. Although the references in some tales to similar occurrences in other tales was unplanned, it was very convenient when ordering the stories. And with any luck, a few authors will show up to elaborate on how they developed their ideas. Questions are welcome as well.

Hobby Games: The 100 Best

For those attending GenCon, I've learned that Green Ronin's book Hobby Games: 100 Best will be available at the convention (it was a close race). It is also available on Amazon.com for pre-order. If you get a chance, take a peek and see if your favorite hobby game is included in the 100 essays. The book is not limited to any one type of game. Everything from RPGs to board games to card games to miniature games to hybrid games are included. It is also a great way to re-visit some forgotten games, or be introduced to new games.


Below is a rather lengthy list of authors. And, until the book is released, we are only left to guess what topics the authors wrote about:

* Justin Achilli
* Shannon Appelcline
* Wolfgang Baur
* Mike Bennighof
* Richard H. Berg
* Uli Blennemann
* Bill Bodden (appendix)
* Mike Breault
* Bill Bridges
* Stan! Brown
* Timothy Brown
* Alessio Cavatore
* William W. Connors
* David "Zeb" Cook
* Monte Cook
* Peter Corless
* Greg Costikyan
* Tom Dalgliesh
* Richard Dansky
* Dale Donovan
* James F. Dunnigan (afterword)
* Jack Emmert
* James Ernest
* Bruno Faidutti
* Mike Fitzgerald
* Matt Forbeck
* Anthony J. Gallela
* Richard Garfield
* Marc Gascoigne
* Ed Greenwood
* Jeff Grubb
* Gary Gygax
* Scott Haring
* Larry Harris
* Shane Lacy Hensley
* Tracy Hickman
* Kenneth Hite
* Steve Jackson (Games Workshop)
* Steve Jackson (Steve Jackson Games)
* Paul Jaquays
* Tom Jolly
* William Jones
* Steve Kenson
* Chris "Gerry" Klug
* Reiner Knizia (foreword)
* John Kovalic
* Thomas Lehmann
* Nicole Lindroos
* Ian Livingstone
* Dana Lombardy
* Steven S. Long
* Rick Loomis
* Andrew Looney
* James Lowder (introduction)
* Marc W. Miller
* Joseph Miranda
* Alan R. Moon
* Bruce Nesmith
* Douglas Niles
* Christian T. Petersen
* Sandy Petersen
* Mike Pondsmith
* Chris Pramas
* Lewis Pulsipher
* John D. Rateliff
* Ted S. Raicer
* Philip Reed
* Thomas M. Reid
* R.A. Salvatore
* R. Hyrum Savage
* Steven Savile
* Steven E. Schend
* Jesse Scoble
* Mike Selinker
* Bruce C. Shelley
* Zev Shlasinger
* Lester Smith
* Warren Spector
* Ken St. Andre
* Greg Stafford
* Greg Stolze
* S. Craig Taylor, Jr.
* Gav Thorpe
* Jeff Tidball
* John Scott Tynes
* Allen Varney
* George Vasilakos
* Martin Wallace
* James Wallis
* James M. Ward
* Darren Watts
* Tom Wham
* Jordan Weisman
* John Wick
* Stewart Wieck
* JD Wiker
* Skip Williams
* Kevin Wilson
* Ray Winninger
* Steve Winter
* Teeuwynn Woodruff
* Erick Wujcik
* Phil Yates
* Lou Zocchi

High Seas Cthulhu

High Seas Cthulhu is preparing to raise anchor! Yeah, the line is campy, but what else could I use?

First, let me announce a contest at www.shoggoth.net. Go there and maybe win a free copy early. Follow this link.

For those who are not familiar with the anthology, here is a quick bit of text:

High Seas Cthulhu

Hoist the anchor and set sail for the High Seas!

Discover a time when tall ships ranged the oceans and creatures lurked in the dark depths. Journey across the world from the reign of pirates to the Age of Napoleon, to the present. Learn what fears dwell in sailors' hearts. All hands on deck, ready the cannon, and prepare to engage terrors unknown!

Swashbuckling adventure meets the Mythos in this exciting original anthology of Lovecraftian tales.

Authors include Alan Dean Foster, John Shirley, Darrell Schweitzer, William Meikle, Tim Curran, Gerard Houarner, John Shire, and many, many others.

Editor: William Jones
Cover: Steven Gilberts

Wired Blog: Table of Malcontents

High Seas Cthulhu Washes Up on Wired Blog

On May 31st, it seems the monster in the bottle reached John Brownlee, editor of Table of Malcontents. Here is a snapshot of the post:

Of all the Pirates vs. X permutations that have caught the fancy of the Internet, perhaps the showdown that makes the most sense is Pirates Vs. Cthulhu. Logistically, ninjas are not likely to take to the high sea, where as pirates patrol and plunder the very waves under which R'lyeh rots and Great Cthulhu lays dreaming.

It is an excellent idea for a book, and the Elder Signs Press is now making it a reality with High Seas Cthulhu...

Herbert West at sea -- maybe ship's surgeon? The fun Dr West would have.

Frontier Cthulhu Cover

Frontier Cthulhu
A New Land Founded upon Forgotten Horrors

As explorers conquered the frontiers of North America, they disturbed sleeping terrors and things long forgotten by humanity. Journey into the undiscovered country where fierce Vikings struggle against monstrous abominations. Travel with European colonists as they learn of buried secrets and the creatures guarding ancient knowledge. Go west across the plains, into the territories were sorcerers dwell in demon-haunted lands, and cowboys confront cosmic horrors.

(See the contest posted in June)