Official Announcement: Wallwork is Guest Editor at Menacing Hedge Magazine

Last autumn my short story about cannibalistic fine dining titled Human Tenderloin was published by Menacing Hedge magazine, a cool, and at the time, new zine that stood out to me as one of the better fledging magazines around.  Nearly a year on Editor Kelly Boyker has asked me to be Guest Editor for this Fall’s edition.  I did check to see if she had sent the email to right person, and to my disbelief, she had! 

Kelly has been a real advocate of my work since she published Human Tenderloin, nominating it for a Pushcart award and making me blush with kind and flattering words that allow me to crawl from under the shadow of self-pity and bask in a moment of contentment.  Suffice it to say, I could not say no, not out of obligation, but more because Kelly’s faith has instilled a strange confidence in me.  I’m not too sure how to deal with that emotion at the moment, but I’ll keep you all informed of its development (if you know of any medication that can help temper the side effects of constant narcissism and rapid hair growth around the lower face region, please let me know). 

So yes, there you have it. Those of you who would like a chance to appear in the Fall edition of Menacing Hedge, please send along stories that lean either toward horror, surreal, absurd but with lots of humour, dark or otherwise via Menacing Hedge’s SubMishMash: http://menacinghedge.submishmash.com/submit  And if you heard about it through this website, mention it in the covering letter.  

A bit about Menacing Hedge: 

Menacing Hedge is a quarterly journal of poetry, fiction and artwork, that is committed to fostering access to emerging and experimental poetry and prose. Ongoing publication is scheduled for the first weeks of July, October, January, and April. All editions are available in Kindle format, and Menacing Hedge plan to publish a yearly Best of Print edition. All editions are carefully archived to ensure that an author's/artist's work will remain on the web for many, many years to come. Regrettably, Menacing Hedge cannot pay its contributors at this time.

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The Cat Piano & Nick Cave

I had to post this link up.  Last night I downloaded a Wiki App on the iPad for reference purposes (even I can see the funny side to that) and to try out if it works my first search aimed toward singer, musician, writer and actor, Nick Cave.  I’m a huge fan of his and know pretty much all I need to know about his work and his life.  Or so I thought.  Half way down my eyes latched onto a project he was involved in called The Cat Piano. Released in 2009, The Cat Piano is an award winning animated short film directed by Eddie White and Ari Gibson and narrated by Nick Cave.  I dropped by YouTube hoping there may have been a version uploaded, and to my surprise I found one.  

It’s less than 9 minutes in duration, but it’s a wonderful little film and probably one of the coolest things I’ve seen for a while.  And coming from someone that HATES cats, that’s really saying something.  Check it out. It’s Puuuurfect (couldn’t help myself)

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Interviews

Occasionally, people lose all common sense and ask for interviews. You'll find various ramblings about my writing here.  If you have a leaning toward acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation, or are just bored out of your mind and want to interview me, then please email me at: 

paperbackwriter72@gmail.com

Curiouser & Curiouser May 2012

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Curious about Craig Wallwork?

For those of you who are still living under a rock or scratching your head at that big yellow ball in the sky, you won’t know who Amanda Gowin is yet.  But all the cool kids, dilettantes and cowboys in the world know of her awesomeness already, which is why I jumped at the chance of being interviewed by her for Curiouser & Curiouser.  The prolific and annoyingly brilliant author Stephen Graham Jones kicked off the series, a tough act to follow, I’m sure you’ll agree.  Curiouser & Curiouser boasts many more superb writers in the weeks to come.  I’m not too sure if I can tell you the line up, but trust me, I am a mere dust particle in a supernova of genius. 

So, if you’ve ever wondered what my feet look like, who my first crush was, if I've ever shot a gun, why I thought I was from another planet, and why my wife keeps forcing me under water whenever the opportunity arises, then go check out my interview.  If nothing else, you’ll get a laugh.

Amanda has also squeezed in time this week to join the Booked Podcast peeps, Livius and Robb, to talk about the post-fan fiction novel, Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James, which, as I’m typing this out, I’m listening to. 

And yes, before you ask, that is me as a baby.  I can’t believe I had chubby legs!

 

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Quintessence of Dust Reviewed by Booked

Livius Nedin and Robb Olson of Booked Podcast have kindly taken the time to read and review my short story collection, Quintessence of Dust this week.   They go through five of their favourite stories and pull out quotes that appealed to them, as well as give their overall verdict.  It was very endearing to hear them try and describe the stories while at the same time not give any of the narrative away.  But what I found more pleasing about this review is that both Liv and Robb were able to scratch at the bawdy and, at times, weird veneer of each story to see the pathos and emotion playing out beneath.  I always get worried that my stories will be seen as smutty, or gratuitous, with little merit but to shock the reader.  That I can’t handle writing so openly about issues of love, loss and acceptance and so wrap these themes within absurdity shouldn’t really distract from the message I’m trying to convey.  Robb  and Liv got that and for that reason, I’m humbled beyond words.

You can check it out by clicking this link.  And check out their previous and future podcasts  too. 

About Booked: 

Booked is a weekly podcast where two avid readers review and discuss books, conduct author interviews, and make recommendations for good books they’ve read. Our goal is to deliver book reviews by everyday readers, for everyday readers.

We strive to strike a balance between reviewing books with large readership, and independent or small press books that don’t benefit from the publicity that comes with a large publishing house.

We review timely books. We’re always looking for recent or soon-to-be released books to review. We consider books of any genre a possible review – as long as our listeners can find and buy them.

In addition to reviews we do author interview episodes, open format episodes where we discuss topics our listeners suggest online, and “Intro to genre” episodes where we explore genre fiction with a guest ‘genre expert’. Using social media, we do book giveaways and share interesting book-related articles and discussions.

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Sick Art

When I heard that writer and good friend Gary Libero had a design business up and running, well, I dropped down to my knees and begged him to put together a cover for Sicko, my novella.  As you can see, the guy is as talented as interpreting an idea and making it tangible as he is at writing prose.  I would recommend anyone wanting a slick book cover or website overhaul to approach him.  http://www.slickdome.com/

Sicko is complete and I'm in the throes of editing it into something worthy of reading. Having enjoyed writing Revenge of the Zombie Pussy Eaters last year, I've gone for a similar style and feel, though probably not as gratuitous and bawdy. The story is very simple, which I think is the basis of all good horror stories; a group of friends come together for a bachelor party that involves a spot of deer hunting.  But when they get lost on the way to the lodge and have to stay at a remote Bed and Breakfast in the country, they soon realise they are the ones being hunted.  The only difference is, by what? 

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The ZOUCH Lit Bits 140 Word Super Flash Fiction Contest Winning Stories!

Long title for this blog, which is ironic because I’m promoting my shortest ever story!  Cooking with Gas is a flash fiction piece that I entered into the first ever Zouch Lit Bits contest.  And hey, can you believe it, the story came #8 out of… well, I don’t know the exact numbers, but because I want to keep my ego intact, I’ll say for now it was anywhere from 1 to a 100, but I have heard it was probably triple that.  Okay, maybe double.  Come on, what do you want from me?!  I would be better suited to the role of lion tamer than flash fiction writer.  Honestly. 

If you have 30 seconds to spare, or need something to read while on the toilet, then please following this link.  There are 11 other fabulous stories available, ranging from #4 through #14.  And if I may draw your attention to one in particular, other than my own, it would be Richard Thomas’s, Charlotte Sometimes.  Enjoy. Spend a little time slouching on the couch reading Zouch.  It won't make you pregnant.    

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The Powder Trail that Leads to Pulp Metal Magazine

The very dark, twisted and entertaining, Pulp Metal Magazine has just published my flash noir piece, The Power Trail.  Two things I find hard writing is flash and noir, so I’m beyond happy that this little story has found a home in their Spring Edition.

The place is headed by Jason Michel, a man whose first novel “Confessions of a Black Dog” is available in the U.S. by (Brown paper Publishing) and short story collection “The Wrong Mind And Other Fictions” at lulu.com.  He has also had a Pushcart Prize nominee for his flash piece “Looking Through Roadkill For Answers” at the splendid Full Of Crow magazine and has a couple of stories in the hairy horror anthology – HOWL by Lame Goat Press.

Behind him is Spinetingler Award nominee Paul D. Brazill whose writing has appeared in all sorts of print and electronic magazines and anthologies, such as Beat To A Pulp, Crimefactory, Dark Valentine, Needle- A Magazine Of Noir, Radgepacket and the 2011 Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime. His blog is YOU WOULD SAY THAT WOULDN’T YOU?

Added to that list is Kevin Shamel, Jodi MacArthur, Matt Dukes Jordan and Walter Conley.  All of whom hope that you join them in making the internet publishing underground a little bit more of a diverse place to be and dare I say it, a little less pompous.  Definitely go check them and the Spring Edition out, which features:

Spring Issue 2012: 

Paul D Brazill’s Column: I Didn’t Say That, Did I? Bulman the Bulldog.

Non-Fiction- BLUE HIGHWAYS: Evening with a Junkie by robinpostell

Art by Gonzalo Canedo

Music -Slovenian Postcard From Space! – Music – Coma Stereo – Interview & Review

Writer’s Interviews – Sex, Blood and Fairy Tales- Jodi MacArthur talks to Yelena Sabel

Writer’s Interviews – Jason Michel chats to Mr Glamour, Richard Godwin

Writer’s Interviews – Katy O’Dowd speaks to Jason Michel

Fiction:

Whiff of Poe by Katy O’Dowd

Bill is Dead by K. A. Laity

Something Wonderful by U. V. Ray

Chief of the Angels by Daniel Mkiwa

The Shack by Ben Renner

Night Music by A J Savage

The Powder Trail by Craig Wallwork

Senator Swine by Melanie Browne

Love Hurts by Michael Keenaghan

Joey Tran by Jim Winter

Monkey Business, With Dogs Included by Colin Graham

Cunt Talk by Samantha Traina

Grasshopper by Rob Bliss

A Cauldron For Angelo by Jamie Grefe

Freon / Craig Caudill

A Little Luck by Richard Shiers

PROJECT X by Dr. Mel Waldman

Justice by Stephen Cooper

DOUBLEBACK – A Cliff Drouin Story by C. R. Fausset

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The Sound of Loneliness

This is not Kansas.

Where to begin.  Since my last post, I have finished Sicko, as planned, and it is now sitting somewhere on my hard drive scaring the crap out of all the other stories.  It will remain there until I have caught my breath, which is in short supply of late.  The reason is, I have recently had my second novel, The Sound of Loneliness, accepted for publication by the very cool publishing house, PerfectEdge Books.

Perfect Edge is an imprint of John Hunt Publishing and is run by Phil Jourdan, a founder of the online creative writing workshop, LitReactor, and fronts the band Paris and the Hiltons.  Phil is one of those guys that you just get help but caught up in his enthusiasm and passion for the prose.  He’s a great guy and if you do anything after reading this blog, then I suggest you seek out and order his novel, Praise ofMotherhood. 

So I’m really happy to be part of Perfect Edge’s history, and all going well, the novel will be out before the year’s end. 

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Sicko

I don’t normally do this, but I’ve embarked on a journey which I feel needs documenting in some form.  A while back I began what I assumed would be a short story.  It wasn’t meant to be anything but a little fun.  I had the title, a basic structure and off I went.  However, the idea quickly developed into something else.  With a little inspiration from one of my writing companions at Write Club, Stuart Gibbel, the story took a strange turn, and as such more words were committed than usual.  In fact, it’s currently stacked up at 10K, and I’ve not even finished it yet.  Because of its length, it would be near impossible to get this published with most magazines I know.  Therefore, I have decided to self-publish the “novella” via Kindle once it’s complete.

I mention this because it’s my first time self-publishing.  I want to do it right, and hopefully get a lot of people to read the story as a result.  I will be designing the cover too.  With the assistance of a illustrator I know, I’ll be attempting to learn Vector graphics with a view to producing something very Olly Moss (don’t know who that is?  Shame on you!).  It will be the first time I’ve had complete autonomy over a project, from start to finish.  I’m looking forward to it.  

What's it about? 

The story is called, Sicko. It’s a horror story similar in style to Revenge of the Zombie Pussy Eaters, but less crude and more gory.  If I can liken it to anything, I would say it’s like Dog Soldiers meets Deer Hunter.  Now if that’s not got you interested, I don’t know what will.  I have tomorrow booked off work so I’m hoping to have it finished.  Then I’ll let it rest for a while and start the editing process.  Between this I’ll be putting together the artwork.  I’ll post the various covers up as and when they’re complete.  If any of you would be so kind to pass comment on your favourite, it’ll help me decide which will make it to the final edition.  

That’s it.  I have the chickens to secure in their coop and a cup of tea on the boil. Adios.

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