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CD eBook Spotlight: That Which Grows Wild by Eric J. Guignard

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 21, 2019August 20, 2019Free Fiction, Spotlight on Cemetery Dance eBooksColumns, Eric J. Guignard, Fiction, Free Fiction, Norman Prentiss, Spotlight on Cemetery Dance eBooks, That Which Grows WildLeave a comment

Coiver for That Which Grows Wild We’re devoting this latest eBook column to Eric J. Guignard’s story collection, That Which Grows Wild.

In May of this year, the book won a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection. Instead of an interview, this time we asked the author to provide a story that’s not in the book, as a kind of bonus/addendum, but also to give a sample of the kind of eclectic fiction you’ll find in the full collection. Without further ado, please enjoy the melancholy, romantic apocalypse of “Carmine Lips and a Fade into Oblivion.”Continue Reading

My First Fright featuring Josh Malerman

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 16, 2019August 7, 2019My First FrightColumns, John Brhel, Josh Malerman, My First Fright, The Twilight ZoneLeave a comment

The Twilight Zone is one of the most respected and beloved television series of all time. Horror writers regularly cite it as an influence on their writing, like Christopher Golden did for this very column. But what about the 1983 film adaptation? Twilight Zone: The Movie is an anthology, featuring (mostly) remakes of famous episodes by famous directors like Steven Spielberg and John Landis. It wasn’t well-received upon release, and it gained notoriety for a helicopter accident that claimed three lives, but it’s achieved somewhat of a cult status over the years. For some, like author Josh Malerman, it was their first real exposure to horror, an eclectic blend of spooky, fantastical storytelling. Continue Reading

Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #213

Bev VincentAugust 9, 2019August 8, 2019Stephen King News from the Dead Zone'Salem's Lot, Bev Vincent, castle rock, Columns, Creepshow, Cycle of the Werewolf, dark tower, Doctor Sleep, Finders Keepers, Flight or Fright, Gwendy's Magic Feather, If it Bleeds, In the Tall Grass, It, Joe Hill, Lisey's Story, Mick Garris, Mr. Mercedes, News from the Dead Zone, Revival, Richard Chizmar, Roadwork, Sleeping Beauties, Stephen King, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Institute, The Long Walk, The Outsider, The Stand, Wizard and GlassLeave a comment

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of everything that’s going on in the Stephen King Universe. There are so many projects underway or about to get underway or that could possibly some day get underway that it boggles the mind. This is a new Golden Age for King, especially when it comes to the various adaptations of his work to screens large and small, silver and otherwise. I’m here to help you keep track!
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My First Fright featuring Gemma Amor

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 19, 2019July 18, 2019My First FrightColumns, Cujo, Gemma Amor, John Brhel, My First Fright, Stephen KingLeave a comment

What was your gateway to Stephen King? The Shining? It? Pet Sematary? These are a few of the more common examples, but being that King has written approximately fifty thousand books, it’s not that unlikely to get into the author through some of his less-famous (though, really still quite-famous) works.

For author Gemma Amor, it wasn’t The Losers’ Club’s adventures that sparked her love for King, nor was it Jack Torrance’s escapades at the Overlook Hotel. It was a gnarly, rabid St. Bernard named Cujo. In fact, the 1981 book had such an impact on Amor that it inspired her to pursue character-driven horror and short stories. Continue Reading

Revelations: Reverend Peter Laws

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 12, 2019July 11, 2019RevelationsColumns, Kevin Lucia, Revelations, Reverend Peter Laws2 Comments

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

Portrait of Reverend Peter Laws — Reverend Peter Laws

When I proposed “Revelations” to the fine folks at Cemetery Dance, my intent was to examine writers I’d encountered during a specific period in my career. Writers’ whose work had impacted me on a profound level, changed the way I thought about horror, and changed the way I wrote. Never once did I imagine I’d stumbled onto something profound or unheard of. Continue Reading

Dead Trees: The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 7, 2019June 6, 2019Dead TreesColumns, Dead Trees, George R.R. Martin, Mark Sieber, The Armageddon RagLeave a comment

Many look back to the Splatterpunk days of Skipp, Spector, and Schow for the birth of heavy metal horror. And, certainly, The Scream and The Kill Riff were extraordinary examples of groundbreaking, rock and roll horror of the time. But they were not the first.

My social media feeds are filled with talk about Game of Thrones. The beloved show has finally ended, and the last episode was hotly controversial. George R.R. Martin is the most popular fantasy writer since J.R.R. Tolkien, but once upon a time Martin was poised to be a horror writer.Continue Reading

Revelations: Robert McCammon

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 31, 2019May 30, 2019RevelationsColumns, Kevin Lucia, Revelations, Robert McCammon4 Comments

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

Author Robert McCammon

(Before we begin, a moment of shameless self-promotion: For a limited time, the ebook of my novella quartet, Through A Mirror, Darkly, is free on Amazon. That’s a price you can’t beat! Grab it while you can.)

I have friend and colleague Bob Ford to thank for introducing me to Robert McCammon’s work. I’m not sure exactly when I stumbled across his blog entry about Boy’s Life, but it must’ve been late summer or early fall 2010, because I read Boy’s Life for the first time not long after. And, I can say—without an ounce of hyperbole—that novel impacted me more than any novel I’ve ever read. It changed me, fundamentally, as a writer. I made me realize the limitless possibilities of speculative fiction. Continue Reading

Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #212

Bev VincentMay 3, 2019May 2, 2019Stephen King News from the Dead ZoneBev Vincent, castle rock, Columns, Creepshow, dark tower, Doctor Sleep, Duma Key, Eli Roth, Finders Keepers, Flight or Fright, Gwendy's Button Box, Gwendy's Magic Feather, In the Tall Grass, It, Joe Hill, Lisey's Story, Mick Garris, Mile 81, Mr. Mercedes, News from the Dead Zone, Pet Sematary, Rest Stop, Richard Chizmar, Stephen King, The Institute, The Outsider, The Stand, The Talisman, Throttle, Wizard and GlassLeave a comment

CD eBook Spotlight: The Girl Who Loved Animals by Bruce McAllister

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 1, 2019April 28, 2019Spotlight on Cemetery Dance eBooksBruce McAllister, Columns, Norman Prentiss, Spotlight on Cemetery Dance eBooks, The Girl Who Loved AnimalsLeave a comment

Cemetery Dance is famous for its long-running magazine and its impressive span of collectable print editions, but we’ve also been quietly building an extensive list of eBooks. We’ve started this column to draw attention to eBooks that some of you might have missed.

This installment is devoted to Bruce McAllister’s story collection, The Girl Who Loved Animals. Continue Reading

Dead Trees: Horror Show by Greg Kihn

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 26, 2019Dead TreesColumns, Dead Trees, Greg Kihn, Horror Show, Mark SieberLeave a comment

Yes, MTV used to show music videos.

Nearly everyone I knew professed to hate the network, but I don’t know many who didn’t watch MTV. It was perfect background fodder for the burnout generation. You could laugh at what you hated, but sooner or later something you wanted to see would air.

One of the mainstays of early MTV was Greg Kihn. Kihn had a few hits, rocking out with cheerfully depressing songs like “The Breakup Song” and “Jeopardy.” I neither loved nor hated Kihn. His stuff was harmless and rather pleasant, but I didn’t buy his records.

I don’t think anyone could have predicted that, out of the blue, Greg Kihn would publish one of the best horror novels of the ’90s. The perfectly titled Horror Show was an immediate favorite of fans everywhere.Continue Reading

Revelations: Norman Partridge

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 19, 2019April 18, 2019RevelationsColumns, Norm Partridge, Revelations1 Comment

Author Norman Partridge poses in the Nevada Desert. — Author Norman Partridge poses in Nevada.

I first heard Norman Partridge’s name when talking to Norman Prentiss at my second Borderlands Bootcamp in 2010. It came up by happenstance. During dinner, Norman was talking about how someone at the most recent World Horror Convention had mistaken him for Norman Partridge, because of their similar first names. Norman Prentiss‘ wistful response was, “I only wish I was Norman Partridge.”

Not only has Norman Prentiss been a wonderful friend and editor, he’s also been a trustworthy guide to powerful voices in the genre. His endorsement certainly put Norman Partridge’s name on my TBR list. So, the following Halloween, when folks started chattering about this Halloween novel which had been published a few years before—Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge—I figured it would be the perfect entry point. And, boy howdy…what an entry point it was. About the time I hit this beautiful block of prose, which snapped with the ferocity of high-voltage wire, I was hooked…Continue Reading

Video Visions: Why Slashers?

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 12, 2019April 4, 2019Video VisionsA Nightmare on Elm Street, April Fool's Day, Black Christmas, Columns, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Hunter Shea, Last House on the Left, Psycho, The Burning, The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Video VisionsLeave a comment

Any horror fan who grew their first pubic hairs during the golden age of the genre in the ’80s has a special place in their cold, dead hearts for slasher movies. How could we not? We were surrounded by game changing flicks like Halloween, Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (a VHS darling in my neck of the woods), and A Nightmare on Elm Street. And then there were the likes of Maniac, The Burning, Madman, My Bloody Valentine, Prom Night and so many others, good and very, very bad. It seemed like every month there was a new villain hacking his way through scores of pot smoking, beer swilling, hormone raging teens and twenty-somethings. Continue Reading

Exhumed: “Markers” and “Scree”

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 15, 2019March 17, 2019ExhumedColumns, Exhumed, K. Edwin Fritz, Steve Rasnic TemLeave a comment

Exhumed is my humble attempt to read and review every short story and novel excerpt ever published by Cemetery Dance Magazine. In their 29 years of publication, that comes to over 550 pieces spread out over 76 issues. For a comprehensive list, you’ll want to check out Michael P. Sauers’ Cemetery Dance Magazine Index (Issues 1-75).

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. Continue Reading

Revelations: The Repairman Jack Saga by F. Paul Wilson

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 8, 2019March 7, 2019RevelationsColumns, F. Paul Wilson, Kevin Lucia, Repairman Jack, Revelations4 Comments

As I’ve written this series, I’ve found it necessary to achieve a tenuous balance in my recommendations and recountings of the horror which has impacted me as a reader and writer. I’ve bounced a lot between the descriptions “fun and fast-paced” and “literate and full of substance.” The truth of the matter (as I’ve come to discover it) is this: good fiction and, even more importantly, a good reading diet, shouldn’t ever cater to one end of the spectrum exclusively. Stories should move us emotionally, they should make us ponder the world around us, our existence, and life in general. They should say something about the human condition. Continue Reading

Dead Trees: Dead White by Alan Ryan

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 1, 2019February 25, 2019Dead TreesAlan Peter Ryan, Alan Ryan, Columns, Dead Trees, Dead White, Mark Sieber1 Comment

Do you ever think back to times you spent with books? Reliving pieces of your life and the books that defined your existence? Yeah, so do I.

Lately I was thinking of a night back in the winter of 1986/1987. It was a cold year, and I was living in less than ideal accommodations. I was still pretty poor at the time. I had enough for the monthly bills, and I ate reasonably well. Books were a luxury. Well, new books anyway. I mostly did my reading purchases through the local used bookstores. Remember when they were everywhere?Continue Reading

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