Hummel Park Legends Come to Life

So I was on TV this morning...

For those not aware, my new short story collection The Legend of Hummel Park and Other Stories is available now. Right here. You should really pick up a copy because, well, why wouldn't you? You know you need to read more. Stop talking about it and do it!

Anyway, we shot it last week, and they did a fantastic job of editing the story together. I loved the shifts to black and white and the images they spliced over me reading from the first story. Loved how they panned around the cover image. The folks at Channel 6 did a great job and had a lot of fun with it, which was the whole idea behind me writing it. It's fun.

Well, except for the people dying part. But other than some gruesome murders, assaults, and so forth, it's fun! And from time to time, maybe I have something to say, but not in a way that gets in the way of it being fun. I hope.

Check the story out at the link below, and thanks very much to Jenna Jaynes and Channel 6 for making it happen!

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/331983602.html

A Year of Midnight Circus

With the announcement that EAB Publishing will soon be cutting off the further publication of the first four issues of Midnight Circus in order to release a collected anthology of all of the contents contained in those issues, it seems to me that it's a good time to take a look back at both the issues themselves as well as my experiences in working on those issues. Naturally, we'll start with the beginning!

New England Fear started things off right and I believe it let people in the literary community know that this was a magazine to look out for. I had heard the plans from people involved, and it sounded exciting, but the truth was plans like that always sound exciting. I could sit down right now and tell you some grandiose ideas, and you could do the same to me, and it would sound great. But when I had the journal in my hands with a collection of great stories, well, I had to acknowledge there was something here. I was intrigued.

I can find something of value in every issue, but I think my favorite in this issue was The Dullahan's Curse by A.E. Stueve and Britt Sullivan and it's tie-in with the Titanic. I also thought Christopher McLucas did a nice job with his brief story The Man. Good stuff all around, and with that I decided to look into the theme for the second issue to see if perhaps I would submit something.

Aw, the second issue. Classic Lit on the Side. Different perspectives of classic stories from the public domain--a necessary evil to avoid evil lawyers, but a limiting one to a degree and so this was a risk, because it was drawing close to fan fiction. fan fiction has its place, but probably not in a serious journal.

Yet I believe that was avoided, and spectacularly. You be the judge, but I think the pieces were of merit and avoided that label nicely.

Furthermore, while the first issue was great and set the template, I thought this represented a giant leap in some ways. In this issue you could really see that the mag was branching out with a host of new faces writing material. They even published a piece by some guy named Jeremy Morong. . .

So about that. It's no secret to anyone that knows me that Adventures of Huckeberry Finn is my favorite book. I've probably read it twenty times, and that is a conservative estimate as I first cracked it open at the age of six. If you want to debate its merits or discuss the racial aspects of it, I'm your, well, Huckleberry. So this was my chance to play in that sandbox and while it was daunting, I thought I was able to have just enough of a different approach to keep it fresh. I wrote in the second person in order to put the reader in the shoes of Jim, who had to leave behind his family to attempt to secure his own freedom. I'm my own worst critic, and my story could have used a little more punch I think, but overall I'm pleased with it and I'm honored that it was chosen.

Again, I enjoyed all the stories, but my favorite (including my own "Jim") was David Atkinson's brief "The Side Grind." I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might read it, but I've always thought of fictional characters of having a degree of sentience (News flash: I'm weird) and this story took that approach. A Christmas Carol is another of my favorites and I enjoyed this take on the old classic.

Issue number three was a milestone of sorts for me, because I was asked to do some copy editing. I had never done copy editing before and truth be told, I was not looking forward to it, because obviously I have to edit my own stuff--and it's painful. Yet I agreed because I believed in what EAB was doing and wanted to help in anyway I could.

And so I learned something interesting: editing other people's stuff is not painful. In fact, it's downright fun--you sort of get the satisfaction of creation without all the pain, torture, self-doubt, and agony that often accompany that creation process! I had a blast and I believe it was of use to the group, who I know had spent a lot of time editing this issue.

Hard to pick a favorite in this issue, as always, but "Degenerating" by Megan Mealor was quite powerful. "The Hearthrob and the Ladybug" by Jeremy Johnson was also a lot of fun.


Now to the fourth issue. I did not get an opportunity to do any editing on this one as there were some deadline issues, and truth be told, I was a little bitter about it as I had so much fun with the prior issue. But I eventually got over it, sucked it up, and cracked the issue open, where I could view it as any other reader would.

And the issue was great. Invasion and Occupation. To me, the theme implies war, and yet the submissions were so much more than that, which says a lot about the creativity that goes into Midnight Circus. I read this issue in one sitting and enjoyed it all, as usual (sense a theme), but the standout for me was again from Mr. David Atkinson, who scored with "Home Invasion: Single Guy Problems." I enjoyed it so much that I actually emailed him and suggested expanding the story to a full novel, for I think it has that much potential. Of course, a writer has to write what they want to write, as a novel is a huge undertaking (trust me), and so it was only a suggestion. But I really did enjoy it and would love to see those devilish children antagonize Irwin the single guy for another 200 or so pages. I have this feeling that he might even start to like the little bastards by the time it was all over. . .

And so that's where Midnight Circus took me through it's first year. I've done quite a bit more work on the first two issues this year, which have all been outstanding, and will be doing even more work on future issues, which I am looking forward to. Yet I know that thanks to the work that has been done, there is an awfully high standard to fill.

Finally, there is one elephant in the room I should acknowledge: Midnight Circus is not only made up of short stories, but also poetry. I enjoy many of the poems, but the truth is, I often could not tell you what makes a good poem and what doesn't. I even get confused when sentences don't rhyme, if that tells you anything. While it is an important part of Circus, I don't feel qualified enough to even comment on the pieces to pick out faves. So let's just say I like them all, equally. ;)

Ellen and Helen

Happy Halloween! A trick? No. A treat? Up to you. Here's a little short story I wrote in the vein of one of my favorite shows, "Tales from the Crypt." Just something I thought up while watching the party scene in "The Addams Family" movie. Also my first "stab" - heh - at a horror story. Turned out a bit more gruesome than planned and outlined, so reader be warned...

Ellen and Helen 

by Jeremy Morong

(Free PDF available here for easier reading)

Ellen kissed her boyfriend good-bye for the umpteenth time, sending shivers down her sister Helen’s spine. Worse, when their lips smacked together, they created little kissy noises that further repulsed Helen.

Helen was forced to listen, having no choice in the matter. But she didn’t have to watch them kiss, too. So she turned her head and closed her eyes.

The lovebirds finally finished their bit of unpleasantness. Helen resisted the urge to upchuck along with the stronger, more primal urge to strangle her sister. Helen shuddered: how much more of this could she take?

“Good night, dear,” the boyfriend said. A stupid grin spread across his face, which masked his evil intentions as far as Helen was concerned. “And Helen, please think about what we have asked—it would mean so much to us.” He grasped Ellen’s hand as he said this, very much playing his ridiculous part of one-half of a happy young couple in love. Disgusting.

Helen merely nodded in reply, indicating she would think it over. Which was a lie. The only thing Helen would be thinking over would be the finishing touches on how to murder her sister.

It had been a long time coming.

***

Body Of Science

Body of Science by Jeremy Morong

Landon always took pride in getting early to work. Every job he held was filled with those sad sacks that rolled in ten minutes late only to head straight to the coffee pot. But Landon was never that way, except, for, well, when things spiraled out of control.

But now he was back in control. He had been clean since he got out, and he would stay that way. He had no choice.

Still, when he showed up early today, he was not the first one. Not even close. Twenty minutes before opening and he was fifteen back in line. Fifteen! Who knew that donating plasma was such a popular life decision.

Fifteen back meant he was behind a bunch of scumbags, drug addicts, and alcoholics. In other words, people just like him. He wished he could be anywhere else, but he needed the fifty a week. Stocking shelves at Dollar Tree twenty hours a week just didn't cut it by itself.

He glanced at his watch – five minutes left to opening. He looked back to find that he was still last in line, but his eyes made contact with a young man holding a clipboard. He had long hair that crawled out from underneath a beat-up trucker hat. A hipster. And as soon as Landon made eye contact, the hipster started coming his way, wearing a broad grin on his face.

“What's up, man?” The hipster asked. “You donating today?”

Landon could feel the shame rising in his face. “Yeah,” he mumbled. He wished this guy would leave him alone.

“Cool, man. Right on,” the hipster said. “You gotta do what you gotta do, right?”

“Yeah,” Landon replied.

“Well, check it man. I've got something better than donating plasma. You got a few seconds?”

Landon cringed. What was this clown selling? But what could he say – he was fifteen deep in a plasma line. He had a few seconds. He had many few seconds.

He was trapped.

“Yeah, you could say I've got a few seconds,” he said dryly.

The hipster laughed, way too enthusiastically. Landon was certain he was an Amway salesman.

“Yeah, bro, I can see that!” he said. Landon cringed. He hated being called bro. But the hipster took no notice and continued. “Look man, my name is Steve.”

He stuck out his hand, which Landon shook. “Landon.”

“Landon, good to meet you, bro. Listen, I know you're busy but I kind of wanted to talk to you about something. See, I'm with this company. . .”

Landon cut him off. “Amway, right? I've heard the pitch, man. It's not for me. But thanks.”

“No. No, bro! Nothing like that! No, listen to me. Times are tough right now, I get it. I know! But listen. I have a way to make you the easiest $5000 you'll ever see. One hour, boom, five grand. You interested?”