All Blog Posts (538)

Malevolent Magazines Live

The first issue of Killing Time Horror E-Rag(TM) is available now in the Battered Spleen Productions(TM) Store. ( http://tinyurl.com/yhwoocu ) Please check it out and pass the word. Thank you. Creating PDFs is not as easy a task as might be imagined. This is especially true when using new software. I created this issue by laying out pages in HTML and then printing them to PDF. Then with each page created I assembled them in some PDF software, added links… Continue

Added by Robert G. Male on November 20, 2009 at 3:03pm — No Comments

"The Sheerie" in APHELION

My speculative cinquain "The Sheerie" has been published in the November 2009 issue of the web-zine Aphelion. Check it out! In case anyone was wondering, I once again dip into the well of fairy folklore for inspiration. More specifically, I again delve into the connections between the realm of fairy and the realm of the dead… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on November 18, 2009 at 9:18pm — No Comments

Why Lovecraft?

Welcome back after the break for all of the Hallowe'en madness. I have one more guest blogger for you, Stewart Sternberg. When I set out the call for guest bloggers Stewart was the one person I did not know already. I looked over his blog and immediately decided I had to have an article from him. He asked me what I would like to see and based on his recent blog entires I said something on Lovecraft or making a mythos would be great. This is it and I won't hold you up any more. Why Lovecraft? by… Continue

Added by Robert G. Male on November 6, 2009 at 5:00pm — No Comments

"weeping tree" in SCIFAIKUEST

My horrorku "weeping tree" has been published in the on-line version of Scifaikuest. Check it out! (THIS should take you right to the horrorku page. Just scroll down the page to find my contribution.) "Weeping tree" combines the concept of a weeping willow with the potentially dangerous, and possibly even murderous, a… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on November 1, 2009 at 7:24pm — No Comments

Why Monsters?

Talking about monsters seems to be appropriate this time of year. So, why do certain people (like me) write about monsters, read about monsters, draw monsters, watch monster movies, and just tend to find great fascination in all things monstrous? Is it creepy? Is it abnormal? Or is it just good, clean fun? At times, I like to think of drawing monsters and writing about monsters as a bit of monster-slaying, creating diabolic beasts on paper to vanquish the demons in my past. And there are plenty… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on October 29, 2009 at 7:13pm — No Comments

Niteblade Art Blog: House of Chamberlin

This Halloween, for a different kind of treat, visit the House of Chamberlin. Open its heavy oaken doors, step through its dark stone threshold, and prowl its eerie halls. Spy strange, wondrous, fantastic, and frightful scenes. Meet lusty vampires, hungry werewolves, macabre musicians, and deadly dragons. Check out examples of Ric Chamberlin's artwork in the latest Niteblade Art Blog entry, "House of Chamberlin". Ch… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on October 28, 2009 at 11:50am — No Comments

Witch House

Hello everyone, just wanted to let you know that I have written a new Halloween short story called "Witch House" and it is posted on my blog at www.myspace.com/donboivin. ~Don Continue

Added by Don Boivin on October 27, 2009 at 2:12pm — No Comments

Greg Schwartz's Article About Horrorku

Greg Schwartz, a fellow poet and composer of haiku both light and dark, penned a very interesting article about horrorku entitled "Trick or Treat: Haiku and Its Place in Dark Poetry". I strongly suggest checking it out (and not just because I'm mentioned in there alongside the likes of Josh Gage, Aurelio Rico Lopez III, and Deborah Kolodji). All fans of dark poetry, and all dark poe… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on October 26, 2009 at 8:29pm — No Comments

Find Your Author's Path

Have you ever heard of the Bizarro genre? Well today I'd like to introduce you to one of its finest writers, Jeremy C. Shipp. Jeremy has been published in the likes of Cemetery Dance, ChiZine, and The Bizarro Starter Kit (blue). He has also received great reviews including a memorable glowing recommendation from Piers Anthony. Besides his Bizzaro work--or nestled squarely within it--Jeremy also writes a mean horror story. Now Jeremy is going to tell us about how he writes and what he has learned… Continue

Added by Robert G. Male on October 23, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Yet Another 5 Star Review - Legacy of the Ripper

Hot on the heels of the wonderful review that 'Legacy of the Ripper' received on Amazon.co.uk yesterday, another terrific review has appeared, this time on the site of… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on October 23, 2009 at 7:02am — No Comments

Legacy of The Ripper Receives 5 Star Review

I'm so pleased to be able to share the latest review of my novel 'Legacy of the Ripper' which has just appeared on the Amazon.co.uk site. Here's what Mr. Mike Covell had to say about the book. 5.0 out of 5 stars Another Ripping Yarn from Brian L Porter!, 22 Oct 2009 By Mr. Michael Covell "Mike Covell" (Hull) - See… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on October 22, 2009 at 1:12pm — No Comments

"Gathering of the Dead" in TALES FROM THE MOONLIT PATH

My dark speculative poem "Gathering of the Dead" has been published in the Halloween 2009 Issue of the dark and haunting e-zine Tales from the Moonlit Path. Check it out! Gathering of the Dead" combines two things near and dear to my heart - ghost stories and fairy folklore. The fairy connection may simply be implied through the mention of… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on October 21, 2009 at 9:57pm — No Comments

Guest Blogger at LEARNING DARK ARTS

Today, I am a guest blogger over at Robert G. Male's blog Learning Dark Arts. Robert graciously asked if I could be a guest blogger sometime this month. He hoped I could come up with an entry discussing my personal creative process. Well, I did, resulting in "Traditional Meets Digital". If you want to le… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on October 19, 2009 at 12:27pm — No Comments

Store Revamp 2009

This is just going to be a quickie. I have been hard at work revamping the Battered Spleen Productions Store ( http://tinyurl.com/7qshz8 ). Please head on over and check it out. If you find any problems, mistakes, or such please do not hesitate to contact me. I have redone the layout and add pages, streamlined some bits, and there are some more behind the scenes changes yet to come. Be sure to check out the Magazines tab. There you will find a sneak peek of the cover for Killing Time -Horror E-… Continue

Added by Robert G. Male on October 16, 2009 at 4:45pm — No Comments

'A Study in Red' Selected by Readers Club

I'm so pleased that 'A Study in Red - The Secret Journ… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on October 16, 2009 at 3:45am — No Comments

"The Haunted Castle" at THE ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW

My dark speculative poem "The Haunted Castle" is now on-line at The Absent Willow Review. Check it out! In this poem, I combine my love of castles with my interest in things supernatural, something which I admit to doing once or twice before. And this time, the castle's ruinous state and the strange goings-on within are told from the perspec… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on October 15, 2009 at 10:09pm — No Comments

"Coach-a-Bower" in APHELION

My horrorku "Coach-a-Bower" is now on-line in the October issue of Aphelion. Check it out! Although the kernel of inspiration for many of my works comes from conceptual seeds gleaned from various reading materials, once in a while something I see in a television program or in a movie sprouts into a usable concept. "Coach-a-Bower" act… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on October 15, 2009 at 11:08am — No Comments

The Banshee's Cry

The Banshee's Cry A fell keening echoes across the moor, Punctuated by the pealing thunder. Pouring rain lashes at the windowpane While argent cracks flash in the darkened sky, But the tumultuous storm cannot quell The ominous wailing of that fey hag. A figure wrapped in a funeral shroud… Continue

Added by Richard H. Fay - Dark Speculative Poet & Artist on October 10, 2009 at 9:37am — No Comments

It All Starts with an Idea

Today I would like to introduce you to author Lee Pletzers, who has graciously offered to tell us about finding and forming ideas for writing and screenwriting, and then progressing from there. Lee is a writer who is very active in the genre world, online and off. Over 40 of his short stories have found publication in anthologies and magazines, zines and online. Lee is an avid reader and writes reviews for HarperCollins and Hachette via SFFANZ (Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zeal… Continue

Added by Robert G. Male on October 9, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

The Author's Five P's

It's no secret that an author is a business. Sometimes though it feels as if this gets lost in the reams of information and sites on how to write, and the courses that push the writing. It is extremely important to write well, to strive to improve constantly. There is no denying this, but where is the help once the writing and editing are done and the business part takes over? There is one writer's camp sort of deal that actually involves speaking with editors and other potential buyer types at… Continue

Added by Robert G. Male on October 2, 2009 at 4:04pm — No Comments