I've realized: I write to be somewhere other than where I am. Over the years, I've found my favorite non-where to be is Bluffton, a little town in the Driftless Zone of the Upper Midwest. Whenever I'm here, I'm there. Come visit.
What's "The Dream Quarry?" Go find out. By the way, below? That's a ghast. He and his buddies have a part in my Dream Quarry story, "God Screamed and Screamed, Then I Ate Him." That's the stand-alone story that eventually found its way into my novel, "Just North of Nowhere," and which, as it was originally published in the Lovecraftian anthology, "Cthulhu and the Co-Eds, Kids and Squids," became my first Bram Stoker-nominated story. That was in 2000 or so. Looking back at the thing when I was about to send it to Alex, I only vaguely remember writing it. Well, I hope you enjoy it. Okay, here's what the publisher -- Alexei Collier -- says about The Dream Quarry: What is it?
The Dream Quarry is now and will be a series of online anthologies, collections of fiction written to a theme or subject. Most material will have a weird bent.
So where are the stories?
Volume 1 is now up. (http://dreamquarry.net/) The next volume is still being quarried from the raw strata of the collective unconscious. When the stories are ready, they will be brought into the collective consciousness which we call the internet. Are you accepting submissions?
Submissions are currently closed to the general public. This may change in the near future.
Who is responsible for this abomination? The Dream Quarry is curated by Alexei Collier, author and speculative fiction enthusiast. Well, I already told you that.
From: James Rogers Date: June 14, 2013, 9:51:14 AM CDT To: talestoterrify@gmail.com Subject: Synthetic Voices Feature - May 2013
Dear Intrepid Editors over at Tales to Terrify,
I wanted to let you know that "Little Girl Down the Way" was featured on the May 2013 episode of Synthetic Voices (http://scienceismagic.com/?p=1456). The Bram Stoker nominees you had recorded were also featured on the show. Just thought you'd like to know!
What is Synthetic Voices? Why, it's a speculative audio fiction podcast, of the aggregation/news variety. For over a year, I have been listening to almost ALL of the podcasted fiction produced on the web and narrowing down a few stories to share each month with my readers and listeners. Here in Maryland, we also conduct a monthly discussion a few weeks after the podcast has gone out.
If you'd like to know more about Synthetic Voices, you can visit scienceismagic.com or drop me a line at magicscientist@gmail.com.
Keep up the good work!
-Jimmy Rogers Synthetic Voices, Writer and Producer scienceismagic.com Jimmy sent me a note about Synthetic Voices's take on "Little Girl Down the Way." You can listen at: http://scienceismagic.com/?p=1456 or read Jimmy Rogers's comments, below.
*A Dark, Powerful Story* This story needs its own feature section. Reader beware.
“Little Girl Down the Way” by Lawrence Santoro Tales to Terrify Ep. 70 ~30 mins
– Rather than “sum up” this story as I do with so many others, I’d like to share how this one made me feel. It is dark and frightening, and it is read expertly by the author, Lawrence Santoro. His reading sent shivers down my spine, but also made me feel an intense feeling of discomfort and vulnerability. A strong warning, the text essentially describes an unfathomable level of child abuse. Normally I toss out such stories as fast as I can, especially in the horror genre, where they are far too plentiful, but this one drew me in and earned, I think, the discomfort it caused. I won’t say I even LIKE this story, but I definitely recommend it to people who can stomach the subject matter.
Also, I strongly recommend listening to Santoro’s own thoughts on the story, which frankly provide about half of the reasons to listen at all. For those who think about horror, this one will set your mind working.
Started writing at 5. Won a playground storytelling contest at 8. In my 50s I got 2 nominations for the Bram Stoker Award by the Horror Writers Association. In 2001, my novella "God Screamed and Screamed, Then I Ate Him," was first. In 2010, I was named Best Narrator for 2009 by the StarShip Sofa in Great Britain.
In 2002, I adapted and directed an audio version of Gene Wolfe's "The Tree Is My Hat." The show had Neil Gaiman in the cast and the script was my second Stoker nod. Fun, but not as much as the playground contest.
As associate producer of the "Hyde & Seeke" tv series, I wrote, directed and supervised production throughout the show's first season. That was fun.
In 2003, "Catching" was Stoker Recommended and received Honorable Mention in the Annual YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR antho. "So Many Tiny Mouths" was so-mentioned the next year.
My first novel, JUST NORTH OF NOWHERE; was published in 2007. A mess of fiction will be out in 2010...much of which is still being written. Look for DRINK FOR THE THIRST TO COME.
I live in Chicago and am married to Tycelia, the love of my life. That’s the ultimate fun!
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