The Statement of Clark Ashton Smith

   Saturday 6:30 am. Doing a little literary archeology this morning. (Yes, I wake up like this.) While I was reading 'Dawnward Spire, Lonely Hill', the correspondence of HP Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, last night, a letter from January 1930 caught my attention. Smith was complimenting Lovecraft's story 'The Statement of Randolph Carter' and he mentioned that he had just written a story, 'The Epiphany of Death', which was his tribute to 'Carter'. He even dedicated it to Lovecraft. So of course I had to pull out both stories for a reread. It's very easy to see how CAS adapted the basic structure of Lovecraft's tale, the nervous, scholarly narrator, the occult expert, the visit to a graveyard and the night journey down into the depths of the Earth. (Though here Smith's protagonist does actually accompany his mentor) There's the last revelation, the twist ending. Lovecraft's story still has more impact, but not surprisingly, Smith's is more dreamy and poetic. (Okay, HPL's was based on an actual dream, but you know what I mean) HPL was quite flattered by the dedication and he compared 'Epiphany' favorably with the works of Poe. Anyway, much fun to read both tales back to back and the letters that spin around them.

A Hell Within Delayed

Due to some restructuring going on at Cohesion Press, the new Griffin and Price novel, A HELL WITHIN  has been delayed. More news when I have it. The book will come out eventually. I appreciate your patience.

Hell's Empire

Next year from Ulthar Press will bring out a new anthology, HELL'S EMPIRE. Alternate history with the British Empire versus the forces of Hell. Author Matt Willis will be writing the beginning and I'll be writing the end. Everything else is open call. Information and guidelines here.


http://greydogtales.com/blog/hells-empire/?fb_action_ids=552570951740880&fb_action_types=news.publishes

Monsterama!

This weekend I'll be a guest and the Monsterama Convention. I'll be on panels discussing Horror, Barbarians, vampires, and Girls Running Away From Houses. I'll also be signing books, so come on down and say hi.


http://www.monsteramacon.com/

A Hell Within Available in October

The third Griffin and Price novel, A Hell Within, will be available October 26th. Check out that cover!

And speaking of the small town of Wellman Georgia, the second book in the Griffin and Price series by James A. Moore and me is available right now in a new edition from Cohesion Press.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073RQZWLZ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

First post for my new blog! The cover of CLICKERS FOREVER. I've got a story in here, featuring Kharrn, the Immortal Barbarian, called 'Bleeding Through'. I'll give the release date when I have it. You aren't going to want to miss this one.