Podcast appearances and mentions of Glen Hirshberg

Send us a Text Message.We return to Australia for the second time in a month, to find that (once again), home invasion isn't the worst thing to happen on a typical day. Alan Baxter's Blood Covenant is a violent, thrilling story of a threeway battle between an innocent family, a nasty criminal gang of bogans (see, I'm learning!) and an otherworldly force that is even worse! Think, what if The Strangers took place in the Overlook Hotel. It's a hugely enjoyable book that prompts a conversation about the influence of 70s and 80s paperback classics, the overlap of horror and crime in Australian fiction, some extreme horror movies and a whole long celebration of unpretentious storytelling. Enjoy! Blood Covenant is released May 24th from Cemetary Dance  Other books mentioned: The Gulp (2021), by Alan BaxterHidden City (2018), by Alan Baxter The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding (1986), by Robert Hughes“Devil” by Glen Hirshberg, in Screams From the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous (2022), edited by Ellen DatlowThe Fog (1975), by James HerbertThe Hunted (2021), by Gabriel BergmoserTerra Nullius (2017), by Claire G. ColemanDirty Heads (2021), by Aaron Dries Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

To kick off a new year of Talking Scared, I've gone and hooked us a big guest, with a whopper of a story. John Langan is the author of The Fisherman. It's one of the great works of supernatural fiction written this century, but its story doesn't end at its back-cover. The strange mythology of The Fisherman extends beyond, swimming further downstream, to pop its monstrous head above the surface in John's wider universe of short stories and novellas. In this special episode, we talk at length about The Fisherman – about the classic books, real-world legends and cultural beliefs that inspired it, and about the process of building a  whole new mythos. John is the poet-scholar of horror. This is the class you wish you'd taken in college.  Enjoy! Other books mentioned: House of Windows (2009), by John Langan“Mother of Stone”, in The Wide Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies (2013), by John Langan“Bor Urus”, in Sefira and Other Betrayals (2019), by John LanganOur Share of Night (2023), by Mariana EnriquezThe Croning (2012), by Laird BarronThe Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All (2013), by Laird BarronPet Sematary (1983), by Stephen King“The Monkey's Paw” (1902), by W. W. JacobsAbsolom, Absolom (1951), by William Faulkner“The Call of Cthulhu” (1928), by H.P. LovecraftThe Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony (1988), by Roberto Calasso“Development” (1889), by Robert BrowningIronweed (1983), by William KennedyCome Closer (2003), by Sara GranMotherless Child (2012), by Glen HirshbergScreams From the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous (2022), edited by Ellen Datlow (contains “Glen Hirshberg's “Devil” and John Langan's “Bludzuger”)Furnace (2016), by Livia Llewelyn Join the Laird Barron Readalong Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

Peter Atkins returns to Your Creative Journey!We continue to explore some of Pete’s adventures as a writer in Hollywood as well as explore other creative topics that presented themselves as the evening proceededAlways an incredible guest, and great conversation.Peter is the author of the novels MORNINGSTAR, BIG THUNDER, and MOONTOWN, and the screenplays HELLRAISER II, HELLRAISER III, HELLRAISER IV, and WISHMASTER. His short fiction has appeared in such anthologies as THE MUSEUM OF HORRORS, DARK DELICACIES II, HELLBOUND HEARTS, and GHOSTS, and has been selected eight times for one or more of the various “Year’s Best” anthologies. His recent book, RUMORS OF THE MARVELOUS, a collection of his short fiction, was a finalist for the British Fantasy Award. He is the co-founder with Glen Hirshberg of The Rolling Darkness Revue, an annual folly they commit at whatever theatre will have them.Highlights from the show:Kevin meets a deadlinePaul got to do a live table read via Zoom for his latest scriptPaul’s been prepping for New Year’s Eve show live recordingPete talks about the recent Tom Cruise outburst on the set of Mission Impossible 7Pete talks about how he got to reconnect with Tony Randel and do some musicPete and Kevin talked about the history of swear wordsChange of cultural referencesPete gives a nod to producer Christopher Figg who took a chance with him on Hellraiser IIPete talks about “being good in the room” to make people comfortable with what needs to getPete talks about how he grew up with the auteur theory of directors Good screenplays teach a writer three very important things: precision, clarity, and economyRumors of the Marvelous book cover painting by Les EdwardsLinks mentioned:Tickets to Paul’s New Years Eve celebrationFlim Critic Andrew Sarris talking about Auteur Theory about Directorshttp://www.lesedwards.com/Pete's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/limeybastard55/

Welcome to the 2020 Halloween Special Edition of Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! and join us as we play alongside Pete Atkins and Glen Hirshberg in The Rolling Darkness Revue radio drama! Join the Thorne & Cross newsletter for updates, book deals, specials, exclusives, and upcoming guests on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! by visiting Tamara and Alistair at their websites: alistaircross.com and tamarathorne.com This is a copyrighted, trademarked podcast owned solely by the Authors on the Air Global Radio, LLC.

Peter Atkins is the author of the novels MORNINGSTAR, BIG THUNDER, and MOONTOWN and the screenplays HELLRAISER II, HELLRAISER III, HELLRAISER IV, and WISHMASTER. His short fiction has appeared in such anthologies as THE MUSEUM OF HORRORS, DARK DELICACIES II, HELLBOUND HEARTS, and GHOSTS, and has been selected eight times for one or more of the various “Year’s Best” anthologies. His recent book, RUMORS OF THE MARVELOUS, a collection of his short fiction, was a finalist for the British Fantasy Award. He is the co-founder with Glen Hirshberg of The Rolling Darkness Revue, an annual folly they commit at whatever theatre will have them.Highlights from this episode:Growing up in Post WW II England and the profound effect American movies, rock n’ roll, and comic books had on Pete.Meeting Clive Barker and Doug Bradley as they started their theatre company Dog CompanyPete’s rock n’ roll days with his band The Chase and the night they heard their song on the radioTips for aspiring writers – do this because you love itThe challenges a writer facesBONUS CONTENT:Kevin Gregg Show expanded interviews with Pete from 2009Kevin and Pete's commentaries for Universal classic horror moviesThe Wolf Man, Frankenstein, and The Bride of Frankenstein

EACH HALLOWEEN SEASON for the past ten years the Rolling Darkness Revue, a traveling fraternity of some of horror fiction’s premier talents, has presented an evening of new supernatural stories in celebration of the genre’s favorite holiday. A full theatrical experience which incorporates comedy, drama, and live music to illuminate and enhance the Halloween tradition of ghost story readings, the Revue was founded by Peter Atkins, Dennis Etchison, and Glen Hirshberg in 2004 and has been curated by Atkins & Hirshberg since 2006. The Revue began performing in bookstores, libraries, and parking lots, making the move to small theatres in 2009 as the show grew in nature (and audience). As well as becoming an October ritual for fans and readers, RDR has received glowing notices from, among others, the Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition. Stories which have premiered at the Revue have many times been selected for inclusion in annual ‘Year’s Best’ anthologies from such noted editors as Ellen Datlow, Stephen Jones, and Paula Guran, and guest authors over the life of the show have included such genre and mainstream notables as Norman Partridge, Nancy Holder, Aimee Bender, Michael Blumlein, and Kim Newman. From the beginning, live music has been provided by the noted local ambient musicians Jonas Yip & Rex Flowers and, since 2009, acclaimed local actor Kevin Gregg has become an invaluable part of the cast. PETER ATKINS: Author of Morningstar, Big Thunder, Rumours of the Marvellous, and the movies Wishmaster and Hellraiser II-IV. “Atkins is a brilliant supplier of shudders and splendors” – Clive Barker. GLEN HIRSHBERG: Award-winning author of The Two Sams, American Morons, and Motherless Child. “A writer to watch and treasure” – Peter Straub. Join the Thorne & Cross newsletter for updates, book deals, specials, exclusives, and upcoming guests on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! by visiting Tamara and Alistair at their websites: alistaircross.com and tamarathorne.com This is copyrighted, trademarked podcast owned solely by the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network

Peter Atkins is the author of the novels Morningstar, Big Thunder, and Moontown and the screenplays Hellraiser II, Hellraiser III, Hellraiser IV, and Wishmaster. His short fiction has appeared in such anthologies as The Museum of Horrors, Dark Delicacies II, Hellbound Hearts, Gutshot, and The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes and has been selected eight times for one or more of the various ‘Year’s Best’ anthologies. He can be found on the web at: peteratkins.blogspot.com Three-time International Horror Guild Award Winner Glen Hirshberg’s novels include The Snowman’s Children, The Book of Bunk, Motherless Child, Good Girls, and Nothing to Devour. Hirshberg is also the author of four widely praised story collections: The Two Sams (a Publishers’ Weekly Best Book of 2003), American Morons, The Janus Tree, and The Ones Who Are Waving. Hirshberg is a five-time World Fantasy Award finalist, and In 2008, he won the Shirley Jackson Award for the novelette, “The Janus Tree.” Join the Thorne & Cross newsletter for updates, book deals, specials, exclusives, and upcoming guests on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! or visit Tamara and Alistair at their websites. This is a copyrighted, trademarked podcast owned solely by the Authors on the Air Global Radio.  

Three-time International Horror Guild Award Winner Glen Hirshberg’s novels include The Snowman’s Children, The Book of Bunk, Motherless Child, Good Girls, and Nothing to Devour. Hirshberg is also the author of four widely praised story collections: The Two Sams, American Morons, The Janus Tree, and The Ones Who Are Waving. Hirshberg is a five-time World Fantasy Award finalist, and In 2008, he won the Shirley Jackson Award for the novelette, “The Janus Tree.” With Peter Atkins and Dennis Etchison, he co-founded the Rolling Darkness Revue, an annual reading/live music/performance event that tours the west coast of the United States every fall and has also made international appearances. Join the Thorne & Cross newsletter for updates, book deals, specials, exclusives, and upcoming guests on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! or visit Tamara and Alistair at their websites. This is a copyrighted, trademarked podcast owned solely by the Authors on the Air Global Radio.  

Glen Hirshberg received his B.A. from Columbia University, where he won the Bennett Cerf Prize for Best Fiction, and his M.A. and M.F.A. from the University of Montana. His first novel, The Snowman’s Children, was a Literary Guild Featured Selection. His collection, The Two Sams, won three International Horror Guild Awards and was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly. Hirshberg has won the Shirley Jackson Award and been a finalist for the World Fantasy and the Bram Stoker Awards. Join the Thorne & Cross newsletter for updates, book deals, specials, exclusives, and upcoming guests on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! by visiting Tamara and Alistair at their websites: alistaircross.com and tamarathorne.com This is a copyrighted, trademarked podcast owned solely by the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network LLC.

GLEN HIRSHBERG received his B.A. from Columbia University, where he won the Bennett Cerf Prize for Best Fiction, and his M.A. and M.F.A. from the University of Montana. His first novel, The Snowman’s Children, was a Literary Guild Featured Selection. His collection, The Two Sams, won three International Horror Guild Awards and was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly. Hirshberg has won the Shirley Jackson Award and been a finalist for the World Fantasy and the Bram Stoker Awards. Join the Thorne & Cross newsletter for updates, book deals, specials, exclusives, and upcoming guests on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! by visiting Tamara and Alistair at their websites: alistaircross.com and tamarathorne.com This is a copyrighted, trademarked podcast owned solely by the Authors on the Air Global Radio, LLC.

This episode's guest is Glen Hirshberg (https://amzn.to/2Mnu7Sc), author of THE ONES WHO ARE WAVING, THE SNOWMAN'S CHILDREN, and other books. "With Peter Atkins and Dennis Etchison, Hirshberg co-founded the Rolling Darkness Revue, a reading and dramatic production which appears (like the carnival in "Mr. Dark's Carnival") in different venues and with appearances by different horror authors every year." (From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Hirshberg). I referenced Ghostwoods Books in this episode. To help them out, please Paypal to: ghostwoodsbooks@gmail.com - They truly deserve the help. Later we talked about CASTLE ROCK, GHOST STORIES, and much more! Become a Patreon: get access to our bonus podcasts, get free books, become a guest panelist, and more! Help me to keep the eZine projects going: http://bit.ly/2ojoby9 Check out the Lovecraft eZine Press books: https://lovecraftzine.com/ezine-books/ Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/misanthropemike Follow Mike on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/misanthropemike Email the show: lovecraftezine@gmail.com If you prefer to watch this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/RlqLNfTVNi8 If you shop Amazon, you can help Lovecraft eZine out tremendously by doing all your Amazon shopping through the eZine Portal. It WON'T cost you anything extra, but Lovecraft eZine will receive a referral fee off of whatever you buy. Thank you! Please bookmark this link: http://amzn.to/TLQKIT

Thanks for subscribing and listening to the Clive Barker Podcast. The only podcast dedicated to the imagination of Clive Barker. In this, episode 190, Jose and I (Ryan) talk news. Where you can get the Hellraiser anthology, some Clive Barker acting alumni are cast in new movies and a Hellraiser brownie recipe? From the Reef Anthology Vol. 2 at Tom Holland Terror Time Dark Regions CB book sale Craig Sheffer movie Claire Higgins movie Don't forget The Torturer Hellraiser Cookies  Glen Hirshberg of Rolling Darkness Review interview  Dark Places Evil Faces II Will have a Clive Barker story Liverpool Horror Festival  Nicholas Vince: So We Are Many Features Beetlejuice Writer The Fobidden behind the scenes Ep 189 Hellraiser Part 8 Coming Soon Cenobium and fanzines Ed and Nina Galilee More News Feedback / Comments William Heddricks - I wish Clive would make a hellraiser about pinhead instead of everything else with his greatest creation being a side note. David Wayne Signorino - The poster book is the only missing piece for me for that entire series. I have issues 1-20, the holiday issues, & the HR companion books. Richard Rich - I asked the publishing company on their Instagram and their reply was "I don't have the table of contents nearby..."   And this podcast, having no beginning, will have no end. The Clive Barker Podcast (or @Barkercast) is an independent editorial fan site and podcast that is not affiliated with or under contract by Clive Barker or Seraphim Films. This is a labor of love by the fans, for the fans. web www.clivebarkercast.com iOS App| Android App, iTunes (Leave a review!), Stitcher,Libsyn, Tunein, Pocket Casts, Google Play, DoubleTwistand YouTube Facebook and Join the Occupy Midian group Twitter: @BarkerCast| @OccupyMidian  

Hey class!  Welcome to our very first Horror Pod Class Extra Credit Episode, where we take the opportunity to interview professionals from the horror genre.  Today, we are talking with the incomparable editor Ellen Datlow.  Ellen has a brand new theme anthology out right now named The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea.  We talk with Ellen quite a bit about the new collection and you can also read our review over at Signal Horizon.   Here are some Amazon affiliate links to the just released and upcoming books we talk about today: The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea   The Year's Best Horror Volume 10   Echos: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories   Signal Horizon:  For fiction readers who might not know, how important is a good editor and what techniques do you use to help authors craft a powerful story? Ellen Datlow: Well, that's kind of complicated.  First of all I don't read unsolicited manuscripts anymore.  So what I see is usually from people who I have worked with before or I know they are professional writers already and they know the basics of writing.  When I buy a story I work with a writer to basically make sure what they want to say is on the page.  So I ask a lot of questions when I am editing.  I think it is important for writers to have an editor because we are going to help you not stumble.  I consider myself as an editor, the ideal reader.  When I am looking at material I am going to help you see what missteps you might make or have already made.  My job is to help you rewrite, or revise, to get those those mistakes out of the manuscript.  And that's not copy editing, that's different.  We aren't talking about punctuation and grammar necessarily, we are talking about consistency in tone, consistency, of course if I notice words or phrases repeated I will make note of those and say "are you sure you repeat this 5 times?"  There are certain words that writers repeat a lot and with computers you can see them really easy.  Once one jumps out at me, like that or just or but, and then you can look it up and see that there are 200 buts in your 20 page story, get rid of most of them.  If you can, and that might mean you have to rewrite the sentence or cut out something.  so basically my job is to make good stories become great stories, hopefully.  Or really good stories even better.  That's kind of what I feel my job is.   Signal Horizon:  So I got a chance to read an advance copy of your newest anthology, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea.  It was great, I was super impressed.  Its 15 new horror stories all with a nautical theme.  I'm really interested in the creative process you use when you come up with a theme for a new anthology and what was it like for this one in particular? Ellen Datlow:  First I pitched it to my editor that I have worked with on The Best Horror of the Year, and he liked it, it was the first original anthology that Nightshade has bought.  Sometimes the in house editor, the publisher, wants to know who you are going to try to get to write.  I don't remember if I got them the names in advance, but once we agree on a contract and it is in process I will solicit the writers.  Writers whose work I like, writers whose work might be perfect for the theme.  I'll contact them and ask them if they are interested and give them a broad outline of what I am looking for or what I am not looking for.  For the sea horror, I said I want all kinds of seas, oceans, by the sea, and even inland seas.  As you might have noticed we have an inland sea story, by Brad Denton, that takes place in the desert out in the west.  It was a former sea and so there is no actual water in the story, but I encourage writers to do that.  Basically, they have about ten months to write a story, if its a new anthology.  Over time I will periodically poke them and ask them how the story is going.  For every anthology I do I ask about a third more writers than I need because usually a third drop out for whatever reason or I don't like the story.  I keep pushing and asking how is the story coming and if writers say "what story?" then I say, hey I need a story now! Or, I need it in three months!  Sometimes they say, I can't do it or I tried, I don't have any ideas or I'm too busy.  Sometimes they send me a story and I just don't think it works.  Through the whole process as the stories come in I judge, what do I have?  What do I need?  Are too many stories similar to each other?  At that point you start contacting the authors who havn't sent anything in yet and say, I don't want any more of this or that.  So thats basically how it works, some people don't buy the stories until they have all come in, I buy them as they come in.  If there is a substantive edit I will do that before I buy the story.  That means if I think that is good and I like it, but I think it need work I won't commit to buying the story until the writer fixes it.  Then I let them sit, it usually not until about two months before I have to hand in the anthology that I start doing the line edits.  I try to start with the earlier stories, the ones I bought first, so I have had time to digest them.  Then I do the line edit where I do a line by line reading to make sure that everything seems to be in its place.  Every line is comprehensible, there is no "I don't know what you are talking about here" kind of thing.  I do the final line edit, then I have to figure out the order of the stories, usually I do that when I get all the stories in.  Thats kind of when you balance and see what you've got.  You try to balance the reading order so that the reader will enjoy it, but the thing about putting a table of contents together is that there is no guarantee that anyone is going to read it front to back.  Editors have to assume you will, because there is nothing else we can do.  The first and the last stories are the most important, the first you want to be inviting to get the reader into the anthology.  You don't want to make it too complicated.  You want to show this what the book is going to be about, so the first story is really important because you don't want to turn the reader off.  The last story is usually the one that the editor thinks is the most powerful.  Either that or sometimes I do a grace note, I put the really strong story second to last, usually a longer one, and then the last story is a shorter one that has a little punch to it.  Thats the basics of putting together an original anthology for me, then I write the introduction.  That usually comes from the proposal, I usually add to the proposal and that becomes the introduction.   Signal Horizon:  So I heard that when you solicited some of your past anthologies you will also come out with, "I don't want this".  In Children of Lovecraft I think it was no pastiche, no tentacles.  In the Doll Collection it was no Chuckie style murderous dolls.  Was there anything with the with the the Devil and the Deep that you didn't want? Ellen Datlow:  Well I didn't want to concentrate on sea monsters.  I'm trying to remember I don't really think I did.  I was pretty vague on that, for that one there didn't seem to be any obvious things to avoid.  I said I wanted horror rather than dark fantasy but other than that no.  I think that's an usual one because I don't think that the sea has been over done. The problem is with a lot of theme anthologies is that you've seen the theme and the specific types of stories on the theme over and over again. That's when you have to make sure and clarify this is what I don't want, but I don't think there has been that many sea horror anthologies so I didn't have that problem.   Signal Horizon:  One of the stories that just really stood out to me was Michael Marshall Smith's short story, "Shit Happens." I think it was legitimately one of the funniest short stories I've I've ever read and I'm dying to ask: did you know that you were going to get something that funny when you when you ask them to contribute?   Ellen Datlow:  I had no idea.   This is one of my faves too because it is funny and I usually hate funny horror.  But it works beautifully and also I love the secretary or the assistant,  she is that the fixer. I want her to have her story she's great. I forget her name but it's like oh my god I know that you've got to do more with her in the future.  Michael doesn't usually write funny but this was very funny.   Signal Horizon:  So I I know better than to ask what your favorite story from the collection is, but are there any you want to highlight that really stand out from this collection?   Ellen Datlow: It's difficult to do.  That one, but also "Haunt" which is the last one in the anthology and I it the one by Siobhan Carroll.  I put that last because I thought it was really powerful I don't want to give too much away, but it's about a boat stranded in calm water.  I forget what century it is in, maybe the nineteenth century.  I don't remember, but it's not our contemporary time.  I think it's horrifying from it's based on.  Some of the incidents in the story are real, I mean they are historically accurate.  It is just horrendous but you know it's hard to describe without giving away spoilers but that's one that I thought was a really strong story.  And of course Michael's.  I found Stephen Graham Jones' story very peculiar, I mean it's also very humorous in it's weird way.  It's about a young guy, I don't remember if he's a teenager a little older than that, but he's stranded on a desert island and things start washing up that he believes he wished for.  Be careful what you wish for because you might get it is the kind of moral of that.  It's got its mute amusing bits too, but Stephen is a really powerful writer and this is actually one of his quote unquote "lighter pieces" I think. He's very good crime writer and he's very good at dark and horrific material.  I don't you know it's like picking a favorite child.   Signal Horizon: I know it is it is difficult to talk about "Haunt."  Once I read it I wanted to tell everybody about it but it's it's difficult to talk about it without giving too much about it away.   Ellen Datlow:  The information will diminish its power.    Signal Horizon: Exactly, yeah I think one of the most powerful pieces of of short fiction I've read in in in a long time. So, you previously said that the story order, well we already talked about that.     Ellen Datlow:  But I didn't talk about things other than beginning and the ending.  You judge by various things, by the tone, the point of view, where story takes place, and how long it is.  I mean the length of the story to try to very them.  You don't want like three really long stories in a row.  Sometimes if one story is complicated and really difficult or hard to take you might put that in the middle or two thirds the way through because you want to have your readers get used to the rhythm of the book  You want them not to be slapped in the face too much until they're ready for it.  So you put a difficult, complex, or offensive, or maybe a provocative one you put that later on.  You don't put that first thing.   Signal Horizon:  I was also struck by the by the diversity of of all the of all the stories and it seems like it's a it's a real balancing act you to make sure they have a wide enough appeal and to keep the reader interested but the same time ensuring that there is a common element there that runs through the anthology.  How much of that is credited to work do you do?  Either who you solicit or how you polish them once they come in and how much of it is just kind of kind of good fortune I guess?   Ellen Datlow: It's both it depends on the anthology.  Like when I did my Poe anthology, I didn't want all of them to be House of Usher stories.  There were three stories that were kind of House of Usher stories in a way but they were different from each other. What I would do is before people wrote this story is I would say what are you writing about? I wanted them to write about one of Poe's pieces of poetry or prose. Even essays too, Glen Hirshberg wrote the Pikesville Buffalo based on short news item I think that Poe had written or read.  So it depends on the anthology.  This new one is good because it's not based on anything specific.  So I didn't have that problem. In that I was was lucky, but at a certain point you have to see how much is left, see what's coming in and if you see that everything's about a certain thing you have to steer people away from certain things.  In my Black Feathers anthology, several people have pointed out that there are quite few stories about crows and ravens. It's like well yeah because those are really popular birds!  So once you realize you've got three stories about ravens you say okay no more crows and ravens. Other birds now.  It depends on the anthology, what I did for my Alice in Wonderland anthology Mad Hatters and March Hares, is I asked each writer what you can about right about before they wrote. What creature going do, what aspect are you going to write about? To get the best variety it could. They're not meant to be retellings of events in Alice in Wonderland.  So the editor has to direct so you don't get all the same stories. Signal Horizon:  Writers are are pretty pretty open to that kind of that kind of direction? Ellen Datlow: Well, if you tell them straight out, yes.  If you tell them from the very beginning what you want to write about. I don't want to know the plot I don't want to know every detail, I just want to know what you are going to write about.  In Devil and the Deep I know Brad Denton came to me and asked me if it is okay to write the story that has no water in it. I said I asked for an inland sea story, sure go ahead. So that is the one that is the most far out there, thematically.  There is no sea in that story but it takes place in a former sea and there is a boat.  If you want to guide your anthology, then yes you have to have some input.  Some editors will give them strict assignments and say I want this or that.  I'm not that way I'm not a writer.  Those are usually editors who are also writers.  I'm not a writer, I do not have ideas. I do not want to give my ideas to the authors I want them to create their own stories and I will work with them to make the story better.  So I give guidance but I would never give them the plot line Signal Horizon:  So I saw I saw a couple weeks ago that the cover art and table of contents for The Year's Best Horror Volume ten is out.  The cover art as always is is amazing and the lineup for this year looks pretty strong. It's it's due out this summer so what are your overall impressions of that this year's line up? Ellen Datlow: Well I realize I have more women writers than ever before. Its almost even, which is unusual.  There is a substantial increase in female voices in the last twenty years and certainly the last five years.  That's been increasing and I'm finding that fabulous.  I'm gratified to see that there are women writers getting they're due coming out and writing really great stories.  I'm currently working on the best of best, which the best of the first ten years of the book.  So I am going through early volumes and I'm writing notes.  I'm not taking any stories that were in Nightmares, which was the Tachyon anthology that had the idea of the best of anew decade a modern horror.  It was like stories that I thought were really terrific from 2005-2015.  It was a sequel to my Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror. I'm not using any of the stories from Nightmares, which restricts me a tiny bit.  Obviously I love the stories in that anthology but I didn't want to use them again.  Its also a juggling act to pick three or so stories from each of the ten volumes.  I'm trying to get take stories that aren't over reprinted.  Things that have been reprinted only one or two times, but that is hard because over the years people have put out single author anthologies and reprint anthologies.  That's what I'm busy doing right now, but I thought last year was very strong. I always find at least twice as many stories as I can actually use. Last year's volume is a hundred thousand words which is I think the biggest I've done and I'm happy with all the stories.  I think they are great.   Signal Horizon: So when you do the Year's Best what does your workflow look like I mean?  Are you like constantly reading throughout the entire year?   Ellen Datlow:  Yeah, although I haven't really officially started for this year yet because of the Best and Best.  I will probably by the end of this month be deep into reading for this Year's Best. It's like a never ending thing. I do more work to the best of the year, not even a complaint but I do more work for the Year's Best compare to any other anthology and I get paid the least, because they are all reprints. I have people who are reading electronic magazines for me.  Something like light speed which doesn't have that much horror.  There's more and more material to read every year. Every year it they're more anthologies coming out and I always find out after the fact when it's too late. Sometimes I miss out on anthologies because the publisher doesn't send to me. I went to a con recently and it was in the dealers room and there was a publisher that had like 3 anthologies out that were published in 2017. I said you never said this to me and they said who are you?  What kind of publisher hasn't heard of the Year's Bests?  Not just mine but others.  They should be doing this to help the writers get recognition.    Signal Horizon: You know way better than me that the publishing industry has changed significantly in in the span of your career.  Right now there's a lot of really good horror coming out of very small presses.   Ellen Datlow:  Yes, right.  Well very few large presses will publish collect single other collections. A few do, but it is usually to promote or go along with a novel they are publishing.  I've been mostly with medium size and large publishers who publish my anthologies. It started with desktop publishing, and now because it's even easier with computers and everything. Writers can self publish, but it doesn't mean they should. Writers think that they should just go their work out there and someone will see it, but the problem is unless you have a following to begin with it's very hard to get anyone's attention. So in a sense things have changed, but they haven't changed that much. You still need to get your work out there and have people see or you are not going to make any money.    Signal Horizon: From my own point of view what I think one of the one of the values of the year's best horror is not only do you get all these great stories but that you also get exposed all these authors that you might not have they have read before. Sometimes you can you can pick up an author you never heard of and then you find that they have a novel and they have all these other short stories and you can really get engaged that way. Another part that I really like is that is your introductions are super detailed about what the state of the industry is is that year.    Ellen Datlow:  Well thanks, gratifying. I mean, don't love doing the summary but I take notes. I do it as I as I read I take the notes, so it's an ongoing process through the whole year.    Signal Horizon:  So I I know that you're always super tight lipped about your next themed anthologies but what other kind of things are you working on right now?    Ellen Datlow:  I'm not working on anything right.  For 2 years I worked on a huge ghost story anthology that this coming out October from Saga Books called Echoes.  It is over 200000 words so I have been working on that.  I haven't had time to sell anything else right now. In a way I feel free, I don't feel under as much pressure as usual which is kinda nice.   Signal Horizon: I really appreciate you coming on and sharing some of your knowledge with us.   Ellen Datlow:  Yeah, its been a pleasure and it's been a lot of fun.   Signal Horizon: So okay class where the big takeaways? Well if you are a  publisher make sure Ellen gets your stuff! That's the only way that you and your authors are going to get into the year's best. If you are a reader made sure you check out new anthology The Devil and the Deep, its fantastic and as always The Year's Best Horror Volume 10 is going to be is gonna be great.  So make sure you go out and pre order some Ellen's books and maybe even go to a real life brick and mortar store and buy a couple of them. Until next time, class dismissed.

We talk with the Shirley Jackson-award winning author of the "Motherless Children" series.

We talk with the Shirley Jackson-award winning author of the "Motherless Children" series.

11/1/2015 Today on the @Barkercast we have the great pleasure to have with us as a very special guest: he rocked out with the band Chase as composer, musician and singer,  he's the screenwriter of Hellraiser2,3,4  and Wishmaster, as well as comics and TV, author of books like Morningstar, or The Vampires of Summer, Big Thunder and Moontown, featured in several anthologies like Hellbound Hearts.  Twice nominated for a British Fantasy Award, and one half of the Rolling Darkness Revue along with Glen Hirshberg, please welcome Peter Atkins. (Author's blog link! Click it!) In this episode we talk about Rolling Darkness Revue (2015 poster above), Hellraiser  II, III and IV, Wishmaster, his books, and several other projects and stories from “behind the scenes” Hollywood. Over the years, Peter Atkins has been a screenwriter, author, occasional actor, musician, you name it. This episode was certainly a very personal favorite of mine so far in our 3 and a half years of activity, and I'm sure it will rank in the top 5 best episodes with a guest that we've done at the @Barkercast. Peter Atkins is an extremely interesting conversationalist and a real treat to have for a couple of hours. We are very happy with the time he spent patiently answering our questions and, like he says “shooting the shit” and we hope to have him again in the near future. Pete is a fantastic author and we urge you to find and read his books Morningstar, Big Thunder and Moontown, as well as his short stories that have been published in various anthologies. This episode is also being published on his birthday (November 2nd), so please be sure to comment with messages for  Pete and  we'll do our best in forwarding them to him, or send him comments on his blog. Some Show Notes follow: 1) The Rolling Darkness Revue started on October 31st 2004. The 2015 shows were last Oct 23/24 at the Missing Piece Theatre, Burbank CA. Go ahead and Like their page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RollingDarknessRevue The Rolling Darkness Revue  are Peter Atkins and Glen Hirshberg. Go check out http://glenhirshberg.com/site/ and http://peteratkins.blogspot.com/ 2) Pete's story “Children of Fire” was published in “Dread” Summer Special (1992). It features backstory vignettes for certain characters in Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. Recommended. 3) Recently Peter Atkins was in the Leviathan documentary, narrating his experiences as screenwriter for Hellbound:  Hellraiser II, as well as other anecdotes and he recorded a new commentary track for Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth for the Arrow Hellraiser Scarlet Box Set. 4) Wishmaster (1997). Watch the trailer here. 5) Motorhead music video directed by Clive Barker:”Hellraiser” (Watch it on YouTube) 6) Wikipedia article on Alan Smithee. Hellraiser: Bloodline was a movie “without a director”. We're currently working on our YouTube  mini documentary about this troubled production. 7) The Naked Monster (2005) – Watch the trailer for this movie that's really and homage to and spoof of the “giant monster-on-the-loose” films of the 1950s.   web www.clivebarkercast.com iTunes (Leave a review!), Podomatic, XBOX Music Store, Tune-In Radio, Stitcher, Doubletwist, Blackberry and Pocketcast. Facebook and Join the Occupy Midian group Twitter: @BarkerCast | @OccupyMidian forum: www.clivebarkerfans.com/forum Theme by Mark Buckle  

This episode, join Sean, Mallory, & Charles as they discuss Glen Hirshberg's short story "I Am Coming To Live In Your Mouth" & the 2014 film "The Taking Of Deborah Logan". Music: Eyes Gone Wrong Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Show Notes: Glen Hirshberg - I Am Coming To Live In Your Mouth That scene in Shutter Island with Sean

Dennis Etchison, Peter Atkins and Glen Hirshberg discuss the dark.