Interview: Ray Garton on Re-releasing Ravenous

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 4, 2021May 25, 2021InterviewsGauntlet Press, Interview, Ravenous, Ray Garton, Rick HipsonLeave a comment

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Ray Garton is a World Horror Convention Grand Master award-winning author with over sixty books and approximately a ton of short stories to his credit — so far. Although I have been hearing about Ray’s work for the past twenty years, I only first got around to reading him earlier this year with his monumental vampire novel, Live Girls. Man, have I been missing out and clearly have much reading to catch up on. Suffice to say the hype is real and if you haven’t read this man’s work yet, do yourself a favor and don’t wait as long as I did.

Most recently, I was lucky enough to get a hold of his werewolf novel, Ravenous. Originally published in 2008, Gauntlet Press is giving it the limited signed hardcover treatment, complete with gorgeous cover artwork by the always outstanding Harry O’Morris. With the same treatment being given to its sequel, Bestial, this is a great time to jump on board the beast train and find out what nightmarish thrills Ray Garton has in store for you.

Get ready to whet your appetite as Ray and I discuss his werewolf novels, revisiting old haunts, the danger of censorship, and so much more.Continue Reading

A Preview of Lisey’s Story on Apple TV+ by Bev Vincent

Bev VincentJune 3, 2021June 1, 2021Stephen King News from the Dead ZoneBag of Bones, Bev Vincent, Columns, Lisey's Story, News from the Dead Zone, Stephen KingLeave a comment

Preview: Lisey’s Story on Apple TV+

“Grief is a Bool hunt”

Lisey’s Story, the Apple TV+ adaptation of Stephen King’s 2006 novel of the same name, begins its eight-episode run on Friday, June 4. The miniseries features a stellar cast, including Julianne Moore as Lisey Landon, Clive Owen as her husband Scott and Joan Allen and Jennifer Jason Leigh as her sisters Amanda and Darla. Rounding out the cast are Ron Cephas Jones as Professor Dashmiel and Dane DeHaan as Jim Dooley. All eight episodes were scripted by King and directed by Pablo Larraín, who previously helmed the bio-pic Jackie.

King frequently cites Lisey’s Story as his favorite of his novels. His general policy towards adaptations of his books and stories is that he is either “all in” or “all out.” In the latter case, he has cast and script approval but he generally leaves the directors and other producers alone. However, he was heavily involved with every facet of the Lisey’s Story adaptation. In the video included below he says, “I thought if someone was going to screw it up, I used to tell my wife that no one was going to screw it up more than me.”

Review: The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie Liu

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 2, 2021May 27, 2021ReviewsChris Hallock, Marjorie Liu, Reviews, The Tangleroot PalaceLeave a comment

cover of The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie Liu The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie Liu
Tachyon Publications (June 15, 2021)
239 pages; Paperback $16.95; Digital $9.99
Reviewed by Chris Hallock

The boundless creative energy of prolific author Marjorie Liu flows through The Tangleroot Palace, a collection of seven genre-defying tales set in worlds both strange and familiar. This eclectic anthology contains work selected from various points in Liu’s career, displaying astounding growth and versatility along that trajectory. Evidenced is Liu’s knack for cultivating deep intimacy within grandiose dark fantasy — exemplified in her romantic urban fantasy series Hunter Kiss and Eisner award-winning comic series Monstress — where demon-hunters, shapeshifters, and superheroes grapple with issues of identity, sexuality, race, and acceptance, while engaged in spectacular battles. As expected, Liu’s flair for world-building is on full display, as well as her penchant for representing diverse voices, embodied in the powerful women and people of color who inhabit her fantastic realms.Continue Reading

Review: Where the Wolf by Sally Rosen Kindred

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 1, 2021May 27, 2021ReviewsDiode Editions, Joshua Gage, Reviews, Sally Rosen Kindred, Where the WolfLeave a comment

cover of Where the Wolf Where the Wolf by Sally Rosen Kindred
Diode Editions (June 15, 2021)
82 pages; $18.00 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Sally Rosen Kindred is a well-known poet and teacher. She has multiple chapbooks and full-length collections published. She has also been the recipient of two Individual Artist Awards in Poetry from the Maryland State Arts Council. Her upcoming collection, Where the Wolf, was the winner of the Diode Editions Book Prize. Continue Reading

Revelations: Russell Kirk

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 28, 2021May 18, 2021RevelationsColumns, Kevin Lucia, Revelations, Russell KirkLeave a comment

Banner for Revelations, the column written by Kevin Lucia for Cemetery Dance

When you engage in any kind of artistic “career” over a certain period of time, lots of preconceived notions are shed. Nowhere is that truer than in writing. It’s part of the gig. Over time, idealistic goals either vanish altogether, or, in the best case scenario, transform into more obtainable goals.

For me, it was the notion of writing full time. Writing as the day job. Spending my workday solely in my invented worlds. Many of my fellow writers have gone through the same transition. Realizing that for whatever reason, writing as a full-time career simply wasn’t in the cards.

When I began my exploration into the history of the horror genre, accepting this as a reality became a lot easier. It amazed me how many wonderful writers I encountered who never broke into a “full time” writing career. In some cases, they wrote one or two stories, and never wrote again.Continue Reading

Review: Possessed by Peter Laws

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 26, 2021May 23, 2021ReviewsKevin Lucia, Matt Hunter, Peter Laws, Possessed, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Possessed by Peter Laws Possessed by Peter Laws
Alison and Busby (July 2020)
330 pages; $4.57 paperback; $4.34 e-book
Reviewed by Kevin Lucia

I first encountered Peter Laws in his nonfiction book The Frighteners: A Journey Through Our Cultural Fascination With the Macabre. I stumbled over it quite by accident on Amazon, looking for who knows what, and of course by Reverend Peter Laws caught my eye. An ordained minister writing a nonfiction book about how it’s totally normal to love the dark and the weird? Sign me up.Continue Reading

Review: Dark Across the Bay by Ania Ahlborn

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 24, 2021May 23, 2021ReviewsAnia Ahlborn, Dark Across the Bay, Dave Simms, Earthling Publications, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Dark Across the Bay by Ania Ahlborn Dark Across the Bay by Ania Ahlborn
Earthling Publications (2021)
$50 limited edition (Sold Out)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Readers are given an unexpected treat by the sterling Earthling Publications with this novel by a rising star, Ania Ahlborn (yes, she’s been around for awhile — her Seed and The Bird Eater cemented her place in the world of horror and thrillers).

Typically, Earthling chooses a supernatural route, yet with Dark Across the Bay, readers are given a straight-up suspense thriller reminiscent of classic Alfred Hitchcock or Rod Serling. Cape Fear is mentioned as a comparison, yet I believe that it’s a bit unfair to this book. Ahlborn has created a entrancing tale that even takes on a shade of Stephen King’s Storm of the Century, and not because it takes place on an island off the coast of Maine.Continue Reading

Dead Trees: Old Fears by John Wooley and Ron Wolfe

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 21, 2021May 20, 2021Dead TreesColumns, Dead Trees, John Wooley, Mark Sieber, Old Fears, Ron WolfeLeave a comment

banner reading Dead Trees by Mark Sieber

I like a lot of new horror fiction. I just recently read one of the best, if not the best, novel in years: The Last House on Needless Street.

I never want to stop reading current writers, but I spend a lot of time back in my roots. I’m talking about the early 1980s. Post Stephen King, but pre-Splatterpunk. A time of small towns, ancient evil, diabolical children, delightfully garish paperback covers, and bookstores everywhere that still had horror sections.

It didn’t take a lot to please me. I trusted blurbs from other writers! That alone shows how different a time it was.Continue Reading

Review: King of Eden by Takashi Nagasaki and Ignito

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 19, 2021May 18, 2021Graven Images, ReviewsColumns, Danica Davidson, Graven Images, Ignito, King of Eden, Reviews, Takashi Nagasaki, Yen PressLeave a comment

cover of King of Eden volume 1, showing a man in a trenchcoat with his back to us

King of Eden by Takashi Nagasaki and Ignito
Yen Press (September 2020)
384 pages; $24 paperback
Reviewed by Danica Davidson

In Spain, some police officers find a mountain of grotesque bodies that no longer look quite human. One man, a Korean archeologist named Teze Yoo, is there to burn the bodies. He’s taken into police headquarters for questioning, where he tells police they must evacuate the area, because it’s a virus that attacked all those people, and then he starts talking about the world’s first murder. He asks the police if they’ve ever heard of the neuri, because all this began with them. Some sort of human-turned-beast attacks the police department and Teze walks off into the night.Continue Reading

Review: Transmutation by Alex DiFrancesco

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 17, 2021May 16, 2021ReviewsAlex DiFrancesco, Joshua Gage, Reviews, Seven Stories Press, TransmutationLeave a comment

cover of Transmutation buy Alex DiFrancesco Transmutation by Alex DiFrancesco
Seven Stories Press (June 8, 2021)
140 pages; $16.95 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Alex DiFrancesco is a multi-genre phenom who is taking the literary world by storm. In 2019, they published their essay collection Psychopomps (Civil Coping Mechanisms Press) and their novel All City (Seven Stories Press), which was the first finalist for the Ohioana Book Awards by a transgender author. DiFrancesco is the human companion of a rescue Westie named Roxy Music, Dog of Doom. Their newest book is a collection of short stories titled Transmutation, and it is a necessity for any fan of horror literature.Continue Reading

Exhumed: “In Utero” and “Down There”

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 14, 2021May 11, 2021ExhumedColumns, David Starkey, Down There, Exhumed, In Utero, K. Edwin Fritz, Keith MinnionLeave a comment

banner reading Exhumed - The Fiction of Cemetery Dance by K. Edwin Fritz

Exhumed is my humble attempt to read and review every short story & novel excerpt ever published in Cemetery Dance magazine. In their 32 years of publication, that comes to a total of 577 (and counting!) pieces spread out over 77 issues. For a comprehensive list of issues 1-75, you’ll want to check out Michael P. Sauers’ Cemetery Dance Magazine Index.

Since each Exhumed post covers just two pieces (one “old” and one “new”), I think I’m going to be doing this for a while. I sure hope you’ll join me along the way.

ALSO, to better satiate your reading needs, starting in 2021 all reviews of “new” stories will come from CD issues that are still in print (#65, #69, #71, #73, #74/75,, & #77… they’re all available right here).

SIDE NOTE: I’m always looking for requests from this lot, so please do comment letting me know which “new” story you’d like me to review.

Feel free to read each story along with me or just take it all in while I do the hard work and wax poetic with my observations. Either way, grab your shovel and dig in. There’s no telling what we’ll unearth together.

As promised last time, this installment of Exhumed will feature works by David Starkey and Keith Minnion.

Starkey’s story, “In Utero,” appears in CD#2 (1988). Minnion’s piece, titled “Down There,” is from CD#73 (2016).

Ok then.
Let’s get to it…Continue Reading

Gwendy’s Final Task by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar: Brand New Novel Announced Today!

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 13, 2021Breaking NewsLeave a comment

Gwendy’s Final Task
by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar
Cemetery Dance Publications Exclusive Trade Hardcover Announced Today!
Win a Copy Signed by BOTH Authors!

We’re very pleased to announce Gwendy’s Final Task by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, a brand new original novel that will be published by Cemetery Dance Publications as the World’s First Edition Hardcover on February 15, 2022! Featuring cover artwork by Ben Baldwin and interior artwork by Keith Minnion, this will complete the Gwendy Trilogy (Gwendy’s Button Box, Gwendy’s Magic Feather).

This trade hardcover edition is available through the Cemetery Dance online store, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and independent booksellers everywhere including Caprichos Books in Bel Air, Maryland.

Win a Copy Signed by BOTH Authors!
We’re also thrilled to report that Stephen King and Richard Chizmar are signing THREE copies of our World’s First Edition Hardcover to be given away!

There are three “groups” of eligible booksellers for this giveaway, and anyone who orders from one of the groups can enter to win the copy that is being given to someone who orders from that specific group. And yes, since we know someone will ask, you can order from all these groups to enter three times!

* Cemetery Dance online store
* Indie bookstores like Caprichos Books
* Chain stores like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million

To enter, just forward your email order confirmation to [email protected] and we’ll do the rest! There’s also a free method of entry, which you can read about on the official giveaway page.

Get a FREE Signed Bookplate For Your Book!
Copies preordered via the Cemetery Dance Online store or Caprichos Books will be signed by Richard Chizmar!

If you order from another store, you can forward your order confirmation to [email protected] to enter the giveaway and request a signed bookplate!

About the Book:
When Gwendy Peterson was twelve, a mysterious stranger named Richard Farris gave her a mysterious box for safekeeping. It offered treats and vintage coins, but it was dangerous. Pushing any of its seven colored buttons promised death and destruction.

Years later, the button box entered Gwendy’s life again. A successful novelist and a rising political star, she was once again forced to deal with the temptation that box represented.

Now, evil forces seek to possess the button box and it is up to Senator Gwendy Peterson to keep it from them. At all costs. But where can you hide something from such powerful entities?

In Gwendy’s Final Task, “horror giants” (Publishers Weekly) Stephen King and Richard Chizmar take us on a journey from Castle Rock to another famous cursed Maine city to the MF-1 space station, where Gwendy must execute a secret mission to save the world. And, maybe, all worlds.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Hardcore Kelli by Wrath James White: Surprise In-Stock Trade Paperback!

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 12, 2021Breaking NewsLeave a comment

We’re pleased to announce another surprise in-stock trade paperback: Hardcore Kelli by Wrath James White!

About the Book:
Bullets whizzed past Katy as she dashed through the grass and weeds, and the maze of broken recreational vehicles, farm equipment, and other slowly oxidizing junk.

She gripped the gleaming battle axe in both hands as she waded through gunfire, determined to reach her archnemesis and end his reign of terror forever. Murder Man stood in the doorway of the rundown mobile home, firing at will. She had found his lair. Now it was time to bring him to justice.

Katy hurdled the rusting skeleton of an old ’77 Ford Thunderbird like an Olympic gymnast. She had once been a cheerleader, a good one. Once upon a time she could do flips, handsprings, and somersaults with ease. That was so long ago it felt more like an ancient story from some dusty old history book than something that had actually occurred in her lifetime.

Like someone else’s life…

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: The Golem & the Nazi by Anna Cates

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 12, 2021May 11, 2021ReviewsAnna Cates, Joshua Gage, Red Moon Press, Reviews, The Golem & the NaziLeave a comment

cover of the golem & the nazi by anna cates The Golem & the Nazi by Anna Cates
Red Moon Press (2020)
118 pages, $15 Paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Haibun is an interesting form. From 17th-century Japan, the term was first used by haiku poet Basho to describe a hybrid writing style of terse prose accompanied by haiku. In her book The Golem & the Nazi, Anna Cates uses a Western version of this form to weave a very dark and fantastic spell for her readers.Continue Reading

The Compendium of F: Vol. One—The Complete Short Fiction of F. Paul Wilson

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 7, 2021May 7, 2021Breaking NewsLeave a comment

Borderlands Press is soon to publish the first of three volumes of the complete short fiction of fan favorite F. Paul Wilson, and we’re very pleased to report we’re getting a few copies for our collectors!

This first volume collects all the stories Wilson published in the 70s and 80s. Presented in chronological order with introductory notes by the author, this is a monumental and historical document as well as a wonderful celebration of a staggeringly impressive career by one of our best.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Preview: Lisey’s Story on Apple TV+

“Grief is a Bool hunt”

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