Simon Strantzas

Interviewed on "Savvy Reader's Bookshelf"

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:17:00 +0000

For those interested, I once again find myself the subject of a short interview, this time at the Savvy Reader's Bookshelf. Sarah L Covert, the brains behind the blog She Never Slept is guest blogging there this week and has chosen me as the subject of her first author interview, something about which I'm deeply honoured. I only hope the readers of the blog are as interested in what I have to say as I most obviously am.

On Writing Horror . . .

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:37:00 +0000

"The pay for fiction in general is a joke. And the solitude necessary to create that work is seldom as romantic as it may seem from the outside. But writers are incredibly lucky in one respect: they have the opportunity—if they're willing—to make this testament, this public testimony as to how it was to be alive on this planet at this point in time, what they saw and what they felt, but especially what they imagined, even if sometimes it meant imagining the worst."

— Steve Rasnic Tem, from the Night Shade Books forum, 2/26/03

Ellen Datlow on COLD TO THE TOUCH

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Though not official out until March, 2010, I've been able to see the contents of THE BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR VOLUME TWO, and in the summary Ms Datlow calls my second collection "quite powerful and dark".

For this, I thank her, and hope the next collection impresses her even more.

The book can be ordered from many retailers or from Night Shade Books directly. In it, along with the summary and some great stories, Ellen includes a short list of outstanding work that didn't quite make it into the pages (due to space or other considerations). I'll leave it to you, dear reader, to buy the book to see if one of my tales made the cut.

"Her Father's Daughter" reviewed once again

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:04:00 +0000

In a new review of STRANGE TALES III (Tartarus Press) posted to the blog Tales from the Black Abyss, my tale was singled out as one of two stand-outs from the very strong anthology. CG Leslie called it "... an outstanding and brilliantly atmospheric tale" which is all one can hope for, I'd think. I hope anyone else who reads the story agrees.

CTTT: Reviewed at Publishers Weekly

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:19:00 +0000

I'm happy to report that COLD TO THE TOUCH has received another great review, this time from Publishers Weekly.

Outcasts and disaffected loners find their alienated states of mind mirrored in eerie and inexplicable experiences in this noteworthy collection of thirteen weird tales . . . Readers who prefer subtlety to shocks and suggestion over explicitness in horror fiction will find much to enjoy.

I'm thrilled to see the book so well received at such an institution, and hope it motivates those still on the fence to give it a read.

Richard Gavin's THE DARKLY SPLENDID REALM: a review

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:55:00 +0000

Published by Dark Regions Press

I should start this review with some honesty. In the spirit of full disclosure, Richard Gavin is a good friend of mine. Do our friendship and our discussions influence my opinion of his work? I suppose it's possible, but I don't believe it does so in a way that differs from how any of us treat our favourite authors. Should you enjoy the work of Thomas Ligotti, then you might come to a new collection of his with a pre-determined approval — an opinion that might change only after you've read it. I don't believe that's unnatural, and certainly describes how I come to THE DARKLY SPLENDID REALM. For, you see, I am a "Richard Gavin fan", and had been for some time before I met him. In fact — and this feels a bit embarrassing to admit — it's feasible the primary reason we became friends is because I launched a serious endeavour after meeting him a few years ago to make it happen. I chased him as a young school-boy might chase a beautiful girl, trying to tempt and woo her into being his. I assure you, though, it wasn't quite as creepy as it sounds, but the intent to win him over was there. Why? Because Richard's work, even from the beginning, seemed to be a dark mirror to my own, and subsequent discussions have only further cemented that belief. We are two different writers, of course, and use language in our way, but fundamentally, underneath it all, we share a view of the world based on liminal places, of nightmarish existence, and of things that live beyond the veil. I like to think this puts me in a unique position when it comes to reviewing Richard's work, one that might not be possible from other sources. True, my biases are set, and the fact that this review is posted means I enjoyed the work tremendously (as publishing a bad review of a friend's work can strain that friendship), but I believe, beneath it all, I can objectively express my thoughts in no more a compromised way than any other review you might read.

But enough justification as to why my opinion on the work can or cannot be trusted. What about the book itself? I'll be honest here: though it's only been two or three years since OMENS, in that time I've read virtually no work from Richard's pen, so in many way receiving THE DARKLY SPLENDID REALM was like discovering a friend of mine was a writer. Here was a fellow I'd spent a good amount of time talking to about nightmares and the way horror fiction works who had actually produced a volume of fiction. The Richard Gavin who wrote OMENS, after all, was a completely different fellow than the one who wrote this new book, one I'd met only once during a World Horror convention, but of whose work at that time I was already a large fan. How strange, I thought, it was going to be to read this new volume by an author I knew infinitely better than I was used to. It did not take long for that strangeness to wear away, replaced with that familiar sense of waking nightmare Richard so deftly delivers.

I've probably gone on too much in the past about the "different style" Richard is working in for this collection. The truth is, the fiction is very much the same Gavinistic fiction it's always been. Perhaps it's a bit more accessible to the layperson, but not much more. And what I mean by that is that it's not really language that proves a barrier but perception, or at least the willingness to perceive. Richard's work asks only that the reader put aside the glasses through which he or she sees the world and instead open his or her naked eyes to the truth. We all see the world through filters of some sort, but Richard's work is an attempt to by-pass them all. He deals in revelations. Is it his fault that truth is something that is so existentially terrifying?

There are many standout tales in THE DARKLY SPLENDID REALM, of which the following are just a sample:

"Where the Scarab Dwells" is a Campbellesque journey into a new housing project in which the loss of heritage that haunts a young man drives him to a fruitless search for absolution.

A paper dealer, a junkie, some greed, and a book of ciphers form the ingredients for "Phantom Passages", a tale that harkens back to earlier Gavin stories, and focuses on his strengths as a writer. A sense of gnostic mystery, of mysticism, and strange sects collide in a way we don't see enough of in fiction. Gavin's roots here are solidly in the weird, and prove his command of fiction's liminal spaces.

"Primeval Wood" is the longest piece in the book, a novella previously published by Burning Effigy Press. I've mentioned it before, but it's an extended journey into the darkness of loneliness and its outward manifestation in strange northern woods. Gavin makes good use of his Canadian heritage here, depicting the inherent eeriness of the country's boreal forests.

"Getting the Strap" exposes the ying-yang of strength and frailty in all of us through a rite of abuse. I can only come at fiction sometimes as a writer, and there is a small scene in this tale that I not only wish I'd written myself, but that I'd been able to think to write in the first place. The story in turn fills me with jealousy at and inspiration of what Richard is able to do.

I'd like to think that "Waterburns" is a tale I might have written (you're free to consider that a compliment or a criticism). Dream-like and metaphorical, it hints at the effects of existence on a soul without the use of standard tropes. The finale of the tale, the poetry of the outcome, will continue to haunt as all great stories should.

"The Bitter Taste of Dread-Moths" is perhaps the best story in this great collection. A familiar face (for us Gavin acolytes) returns to the life of a girl who is compelled to travel down the rabbit hole of her research. What she finds there is as bizarre and hallucinatory as one might expect from Gavin's pen. With secret cults and strange transformations, a tapestry that is so much greater than its sum is woven. An outstanding piece of work, and the climax of the collection.

And, as a fitting conclusion, "Following the Silent Hedges". Gavin shows his delicacy in describing the veil between worlds, and the passages through that liminal space from one to the other, though its never clear which direction the named you is travelling.

In the author's afterword, Richard explains his views on horror and its place in the modern world. Many writers are steeped in the factual background of the genre, but few are also equipped with an innate understanding of the intangible aspect of horror. Gavin here shows a perception for the emotion of horror, for the effect reliving nightmares in prose might have on a reader and on his world in general. An essay as fascinating as any fiction, and a great way to close out a singular experience.

What ties much of this collection together, as I've suggested earlier, is the concept of what lies beyond. Richard is fascinated with "the other side", with our travels there, and with what might return. Tales like "Following the Silent Hedges" and "The Astral Mask" are most obvious about it, but it also plays a bit in "Waterburns" and the wonderfully bizarre "Children of the Mound". Richard's work is concerned a great deal with this topic, and his use of mysticism to convey it is rare in today's fiction. It harkens back to masters such as Machen and Blackwood, and reminds me of tales like Lewis's "The Tower of Moab" which suggest a deeper, longer history to events than anyone is aware. As I've said, Richard's work and my own share a similar "dreamscape", but whereas I'm fascinated by the minutiae of the individual experience, he's fascinated by the history of that dark world's intrusions upon our own. I honestly believe there is no one writing like Richard Gavin today, and it's only a matter of time before his contributions to the field of the weird are recognised and given their due.

Author, critic, and intellectual curiosity Matt Cardin was the first to suggest to me that something interesting was happening in the sub-genre of weird fiction. There's a movement occurring, a wave of new talent that we haven't seen in some time. Laird Barron makes mention of the same phenomenon in the introduction to this book. We're seeing a renaissance in weird fiction, work by writers who have read beyond the work of the past twenty or thirty years, writers who are familiar with past-masters and are able to take these influences and weave them into something new. Writers like the aforementioned Barron and Cardin, like McMahon and Pugmire and Ballingrud. My own pet theory for why this has happened is focused primarily on the rise of small presses like Ash-Tree and Tartarus and Ghost Story Press, publisher who brought back into print a lot of work forgotten during the boom-bust the genre went through in the eighties and nineties. Young writers were exposed to these works and from them a new generation of literate writers was born. Richard Gavin is a prominent member of this movement, and if there's any justice this latest book will finally earn him the accolades his work so richly deserves.

CTTT: Reviewed in "Dead Reckonings"

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:02:00 +0000

I'm pleased to mention my collection, COLD TO THE TOUCH, has been very favourably reviewed in the ST Joshi edited DEAD RECKONINGS 6. The reviewer says:

"...Strantzas succeeds in imbuing his strange tales with the sense of intellectual fear..."

DEAD RECKONINGS is fast growing to be my favourite source of reviews. Anyone who isn't a regular reader ought to investigate it further. After all, a subscription is only $15 . . .

"Her Father's Daughter" reviewed again

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:03:00 +0000

Mario Guslandi has positively reviewed STRANGE TALES III for BookGeeks and singled out my contribution, "Her Father's Daughter", as "really excellent". He calls it "an elegant journey into the darkness."

Please visit BookGeeks.co.uk and read the entire review, then if you haven't, visit Tartarus Press to buy the volume.

Now Available for listening: Pseudopod

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:40:00 +0000

A quick note to announce my story, "Fading Light", is now available for download/listening at Pseudopod.

It sounds great, doesn't it?

CTTT: Reviewed at "Tales from the Black Abyss"

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:20:00 +0000

The new year brings a new review for my collection, COLD TO THE TOUCH, this time from author CG Leslie at his review-blog, Tales from the Black Abyss.

"Dark but with frequent glimpses of light and beauty creating a dazzling mix of heady highs and tragic lows. . . . A work of great quality."

I must admit I'm particularly pleased with the reception the book has been receiving, and only hope that some new readers have been introduced as a result to my brand of fiction.

"Her Father's Daughter" reviewed

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:01:00 +0000

The Speculative Fiction Junkie has posted a review of STRANGE TALES III, the latest anthology from Tartarus Press, in which my story, "Her Father's Daughter" appears. Amongst the positive things said about the rest of the book's contents, the Junkie says about my contribution:

...my high opinion of this story should perhaps not be unexpected, but I was a little surprised that it stood out so much even among such worthy companions.

I urge you to read the rest of the review, then travel to Tartarus's website to procure yourself a copy of the volume. Everything I've read so far between its covers has been spectacular.

John Pelan on CTTT

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 05:39:00 +0000

John Pelan — author, editor and publisher of much renown — has mentioned COLD TO THE TOUCH in a recent interview with the website Hyraxia. When discussing Pelan's dormant imprint, Silver Salamander, he said:

The concept was the same as with Axolotl, collections or novellas by authors on the way up that I felt deserving of the attention of a special edition; something that says "Hey, this is important work, you need to check it out." Quite frankly, there are other people doing the same thing and doing it well.... Just for fun I'll list some of my colleagues and give you a title out of their catalog that would fit the definition of the type of thing I'd characterize as a SSP book:

Ash-Tree Press - A Hazy Shade of Winter - Simon Bestwick
Cemetery Dance - Blue November Storms - Brian Freeman
Night Shade Books - The Imago Sequence - Laird Barron
PS Publishing - Glyphotech - Mark Samuels
Subterranean Press - Dreadful Skin - Cherie Priest
Tartarus Press - Cold to the Touch - Simon Strantzas

It's flattering to be in such good company.

The Year in Review 2009

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:16:00 +0000

The past year, on the whole, has been a positive one. Great changes in my personal life — for the better, of course — but that's not what this blog is about. Instead, let's see just what happened over the previous twelve months in my writing life.

I sold a second story to Stephen Jones's MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW HORROR series, as well as STRANGE TALES III and PSEUDOPOD. My second collection of short stories, COLD TO THE TOUCH, saw print to rave reviews across the board. It also seemed to rank on a few "best of the year" lists, include those from The Speculative Fiction Junkie, and author Michael Kelly. Also last year my story "Pinholes in Black Muslin" was nominated for a British Fantasy Award. I attended ReaderCon 09 with fellow writers Richard Gavin and Ian Rogers, cementing two good friendships that will last I suspect a long time . . . or at least until one of us gets ridiculously famous and wealthy (I'm looking at you, Rogers). I met a good number of new people this year and I feel — even if it's not true — that my light shone brighter in the dark morass of struggling writers. I did my second-ever reading in front of people and I think it went over fairly well. I also somehow managed to find time to write seven or eight new short stories to fill my coffers with.

So, all in all, a good year. There were a few personality clashes that put a damper on things unfortunately, but overall I can't complain.

Next year, I have high hopes for even more good news. I intend to take a break from short fiction for a few months to try and tackle something larger and longer, if only to prove I can. I have nebulous plans to attend the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio, in November, and a return trip to ReaderCon in Burlington, Massachusetts in July. By then, I'm hoping my story in Cemetery Dance, "Out of Touch", will have seen print, a tale which I think is arguably the best thing I've ever written. It's a going to be an eventful year, if nothing else, and I'm looking forward to what's coming down the pipe.

One of the things I didn't do enough of over the past year was read. I wanted to — oh, how I wanted to — but life kept conspiring to keep me from it. As a result, the list of what I finished is miserably small — too small to form a "best of" list as so many others are doing right now. Instead, I'll highlight some of what I read, or am still reading.

Ian Rogers TEMPORARY MONSTERS
Robert Shearman TINY DEATHS
Reggie Oliver MADDER MYSTERIES
Barbara Roden NORTHWEST PASSAGES
Joel Lane THE WITNESSES ARE GONE
Ramsey Campbell JUST BEHIND YOU
Richard Gavin PRIMEVAL WOOD
Peter Straub A SPECIAL PLACE
Terry Lamsley R.I.P.
RB Russell PUTTING THE PIECES INTO PLACE
Gary McMahon DIFFERENT SKINS
John L Probert THE CATACOMBS OF FEAR
Joel Lane THE TERRIBLE CHANGES
John Langan MR GAUNT
Stephen King "N."

And in the coming year, what am I looking forward to?

Richard Gavin THE DARKLY SPLEDID REALM
Peter Straub THE HEART OF THE MATTER/THE SKYLARK
Michael Kelly UNDERTOW AND OTHER LAMENTS
John Langan HOUSE OF WINDOWS
Matt Cardin DARK AWAKENINGS
Gary McMahon PIECES OF MIDNIGHT
Mark Samuels THE MAN WHO COLLECTED MACHEN
Simon K Unsworth LOST PLACES
Steve Duffy THE MOMENT OF PANIC
Rosalie Parker THE OLD KNOWLEDGE

And no doubt a whole lot more I don't ever remember at the moment. Frankly, it's getting harder and harder for me to keep up with all the fiction I enjoy, which I think is a great sign! We're enjoying a real renaissance right now and I can only hope it continues indefinitely.

Here's to a spectacular 2010 for one and all! Cheers!

Useless pretensions

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:30:00 +0000

You know, I've always been irritated by authorial quirks like the one — the "big one" — outlined in this brilliant post from Laura Miller at Salon. I've worked hard myself on trying to strip the affectations from my own work, things that part of my mind thinks are clever but clearly aren't. It's pretension, top to bottom, and it's a failure in the writer when he leaves unnecessary obstacles between his work and his reader.

(Yeah, I said Cormac McCarthy has a failing. Deal with it.)

Merry Cthulhumas '09

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Once again, the festive days are upon us. For any readers still online instead of stuffing stockings with nasty surprises, let me be perhaps the last one to wish you all nightmarish holidays for the next week or so.

I hope the Mad Monk brings you all you hoped for.

BTS: Reviewed by Mark Leslie ... sort of

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Perhaps "review" is a bit misleading, but Canadian author Mark Leslie, as part of the Second Canadian Book Challenge, has read my first collection, BENEATH THE SURFACE and commented upon in at his blog. Of it, he says:

"The tales within this collection contain a disturbing undertone and read like literary tales that have been injected with a solid dose of the bizarre, disturbing and surreal. This certainly isn't one of those books that you rush through reading, but is rather one that you absorb and experience."

You can read more, plus what he thinks of the other books he's read, at his blog, but I have to say it's nice to see some people are still reading and enjoying the book, even if it's been out of print for over a year now.

A pleasant accolade

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:02:00 +0000

I'm proud to announce that The Speculative Fiction Junkie has picked COLD TO THE TOUCH to top their "Top 5 Reads of 2009" list. It's nothing less than an honour when someone feels so strongly about one's work.

CTTT: Reviewed in "Flux Magazine"

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:57:00 +0000

The latest issue of FLUX, the UK magazine of life, fashion, and mischief, contains a short review of COLD TO THE TOUCH that calls it...

"[a]n impressive collection of stories that subtly unsettles..."

CTTT: Reviewed at "A Blog of Mars"

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

COLD TO THE TOUCH has been reviewed once again, this time by David T Wilbanks at his blog, A Blog of Mars. Among the quite astonishingly pleasant things he has to say is this:

"As your tour guide to nightmarish zones of mind and firmer terrain, he has done his job and done it very well. His brand of fear challenges your perceptions and might even prompt you to reconsider what you think you know about the universe, that perhaps the veil between delusions of safety and the terrible unknown is only as sheer as the page of a book. These stories stare cold, hard life and imminent death straight in the face without flinching, yet you’ll still find yourself reading on..."

Please follow the below link to read the rest, then be sure to check out the rest of the site's astute reviews.

A Blog of Mars Reviews: Cold to the Touch by Simon Strantzas

Evolving Style

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:57:00 +0000

It's been a looong time since I promised this entry, but finally, for those waiting, here it is. Keep in mind, though, despite the lapse in time, my comments are just as ill-thought-out as ever.

In the wake of my announcement that my story, "Fading Light", has been sold to PSEUDOPOD, I find myself thinking once again about the metamorphosis of a writer over time as he refines his craft. When I wrote "Fading Light" it was really only the second tale I'd penned — at least, the second once I became serious about writing. As a result, the story reads differently than my later work. I was still trying to find my voice then for the most part and what this story has is a more clipped tone than what I do now. I think it makes it a perfect candidate for a reading, but I have to admit I feel distant from that sort of story, and not just because it's been seven years since I've really written one. If not for the strong reaction it's received over the years, I'd probably have retired the piece and chalked it up to youthful folly.

You see, the style of my fiction has changed over the years as I close in on just what my strengths are and how best to display them. I think we see this from most, if not all, writers. It's one of the explanations as to why we can like the early work of a writer and not the later. Time changes a writer, changes who he is and what he cares about, but also changes the tools he uses. Sometimes, to his fans' disappointment.

The same thing happens with music, of course, perhaps more dramatically as well. The band that played pop to great success at the beginning plays reggae-infused island pop at the end when nobody cares. It happens (though not always that drastically). The artist, he wants to change sometimes, needs to in order to keep his work refreshing and exciting and new. The reader, he's not bothered by all of that. What he wants is what he had before, just more of it. Or, rather, he wants what he thinks he had before, because getting what he had before will soon be boring. The reader expects something that will affect him like the work originally did, and that doesn't come from art staying the same or from deviating too far from its beginnings.

But, again, the changes in a writer's work come primarily from his or her endeavours to be "better", or if not better then to at least create a challenge — not to the reader but to the writer himself. After a while, one finds that writing the same sort of story over and over loses its lustre. Unless one gets very rich — rich enough that being repetitive is incentivised — most writers will long for something different. After all, the act of writing is a long process, and a lonely one. To spend that amount of energy on something one's heart isn't in is difficult, and it only leads to further problems with the work. So, the writers says to himself, "What can I do differently this time? What might be fun to try?" and that first step outside his box can lead him very quickly to a land none of his readers recognise. All because he followed his muse.

The reason I initially mentioned the changing styles of a writer was in reference to Richard Gavin's novella "Primeval Wood" (available on its own from Burning Effigy Press or in his new collection, THE DARKLY SPLENDID REALM). The tale seems a departure in style somewhat from anyone familiar with Gavin's work from his two previous collections. That departure, though, is in fact a natural progression of his work. I like to imagine his journey was similar to mine. My early work is coloured at times with an urge to show off. Imagery is bright, language purposefully florid, all in an attempt to say: "Look here! This is writing!". In the years since I've worked on removing the most egregious examples of this from my work, and perhaps Gavin's done something similar. Or perhaps as above he feels he's reached a comfort level with writing in that style and wants to push out in another. Will it lose him readers? It may, as people resist change, but I'm sure we can all agree that becoming stagnant will only lose an author more in the long run, whether by the reader becoming bored or the writer.

Because we're all book lovers here...

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:42:00 +0000

A Ghost Story for Christmas

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:55:00 +0000

I'll be taking part is a holiday reading in Toronto on December 27th. I hope anyone close by can come. I'll be selling copies of my collection there and maybe a few other things (if I can manage).

Pseudopod

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:20:00 +0000

It's with great excitement that I announce my short story, "Fading Light", will be featured on the PSEUDOPOD podcast early next year. True, the tale is already available now (most specifically in my collection COLD TO THE TOUCH) but this will mark its first time in audio form. I couldn't be happier. The team at Pseudopod do a fantastic job with their readings — I was turned onto the podcast when fellow author Gary McMahon pointed me to a piece by Mort Castle they were featuring. I was very impressed with the voice work done, which made me immediately wonder what piece of my own would best translate to their style. Really, there wasn't any other option. "Fading Light" is an older tale of mine (one of my first sold — definitely the first for money) but the style of language is quite unique for my work, and a perfect fit for Pseudopod's style. I'm glad they feel the same way.

Subscribe now to the podcast so you'll be ready for mine when it finally appears. Happy listening!

The nature of fear

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Welcome to the newly designed website. It was with great trepidation that I changed the title from the beautiful "All Hail the New Madness" to something as boring as my own name, but it's a bit more descriptive now. (Those of you reading this on LiveJournal still get the wonderful "The Church of the Inner Sight" there, however.) The previous layout was beginning to grate on me; it was too cluttered. This site simplifies things and presents what I think is a cleaner, handsomer site. I do hope you all agree.

In the midst of working, I took time out to see the film "Paranormal Activity", which is this decade's "Blair Witch Project" it seems. Regardless of how one felt about it or about the Project before it, it did start me thinking on the nature of fear. Why are we frightened?

The nature of fear, especially in horror films. Where does fear come from? It's juxtaposition, of course — finding something where it shouldn't be — but this is the same for comedy as well. So, if both comedy and fear share juxtaposition, where does one end and the other begin? How do we know which to feel? What makes something frightening when it's juxtaposed? Dreams are juxtaposed, and what makes that juxtaposition so affecting is the fact that no one reacts to the mismatch — it's treated as fine. But even that... in comedy the same thing happens. So what else could it be? Perhaps it's based on how impossible it is. Something we can't comprehend. Comedy of juxtaposition comes from finding something where it's not supposed to be, but horror of juxtaposition is finding something where it cannot possibly be. The horror comes from the feeling of confusion and incomprehensibility evoked by seeing the impossible. It feels as though our minds are not big enough to grasp what we are seeing — something that shatters our world — and that shock evokes fear. We fear the threat of our reality being harmed.

This is much different from the fear of our merely physical harm, another fear exploited in the Horror genre, but the fear there is quite different. It's not a fear born of juxtaposition. The killer at the door does not have to arrive in surprise for fear to be instilled — it's not the killers arrival that evokes the fear, rather what that killer represents: a threat to the physical being. This threat, though more identifiable to people, is a much more limited threat — at least in terms of effect on the reader/viewer. In horror that strictly deals with this brand (and often we called these "thrillers" instead of "horror") the fear is felt, but when the covers are closed or curtain goes up for the most part these fears dissipate. Or do they?

Of course, the two can appear at once — the strange monster with the sharp teeth — but it's arguable which of the fears is the more central. Perhaps this dichotomy — mind fear vs body fear — is another example of extremes that one ought to try and plough the ground between when writing supernatural fiction.

These are the things on my mind as of late, so forgive me if they appear a bit jumbled as I work through them. Understanding our fears is perhaps the best way I can think of to imbue my work with that frisson required to make it touch the reader's core.

CTTT: Reviewed at "The Speculative Fiction Junkie"

strantzas@gmail.com (strantzas) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:26:00 +0000

My latest collection receives another stellar review from "The Speculative Fiction Junkie", where a love for weird fiction is just starting to be born. Among other incredibly complimentary things is said:

"Cold to the Touch is easily one of the best books I have read this year."

I hope it doesn't spoil the surprise to say the book was rated 10/10.

The Speculative Fiction Junkie: Cold to the Touch Reviewed