Horror Novels

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  • I Cain't Unfollow You, John Cusack

    Diving in the Snark Cage
    25 Apr 2012 | 1:56 am
    As few of you might know, I originally came to Los Angeles not because of a film mentorship with Clive Barker. That was just my cover story, a convenient excuse, as it were, to pursue my true calling, which was to marry John Cusack.I had The Plan all worked out:1. Arrive.2. Find John Cusack.3. Charm him instantly with my wit and get him hooked on that thing I do with my tongue.4. Get married.A really good plan, thought I, who had a crush on him big enough to collapse a freeway overpass.Soon, however, life had its own mind of how things should go -- damned life -- and I lost sight of my…

  • Puzzling Banner

    gorelets.com » blog
    Michael Arnzen
    7 May 2012 | 8:02 pm
    I have to assume this banner was won by an impressively hungry cannibal.

  • Going Solo With Venom

    Cullen Bunn - The Official Web Presence
    cullenbunn
    12 May 2012 | 8:45 pm
    Cover art by Patrick Zircher Rick Remender and I have been c0-writing the current arc of Venom. It’s been a lot of fun siccing The Savage Six and Flash Thompson and his family and friends. This week, it was announced that I’ll be assuming the writing chores on Venom as of issue 23. Once the dust settles from Flash’s encounter with Crime-Master and his crew, I’ll be throwing a new batch of challenges into the mix. Code: Uatu missions, tabloid muckrakers, demons, and the Son of Satan himself will be entering Venom’s orbit as he tries–really tries–to…

  • A new interview with me about editing

    ellen datlow
    10 May 2012 | 7:42 pm
    Anna Kashina just interviewed me a few days ago about editing. What an anthology editor does--the process of what's involved in putting together a good anthology. The timing as it happens, is perfect, because I just read an unbelievably ignorant post by a self-titled "editor" who informs us: "The work is not hard. In fact, it takes very little time although one must be an able communicator. ... I can tell you that the time it takes to work on an anthology is negligible when compared to the time it takes for writers to contribute their stories. It mostly consists of waiting for the short…

  • If I were to run for Colorado governor

    A Blister to My Eye
    11 May 2012 | 12:14 pm
    I’d lose in a landslide, because my platform would be: Free healthcare for everyone except the rich (ETR) State pension for everyone ETR Free ETR high-speed rail everywhere Good cops No doofuses on the bench No religion in state government and no hidden subsidies for churches A fence around El Paso County (with some way of letting good people out — and in, if they insist). Garden of the Gods would be accessible, however. Gay marriage No state- or city-level war on drugs, alcohol, porn, prostitution, or any other victimless crimes, and no cooperation with the Feds for the same Lots of…
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    Diving in the Snark Cage

  • I Cain't Unfollow You, John Cusack

    25 Apr 2012 | 1:56 am
    As few of you might know, I originally came to Los Angeles not because of a film mentorship with Clive Barker. That was just my cover story, a convenient excuse, as it were, to pursue my true calling, which was to marry John Cusack.I had The Plan all worked out:1. Arrive.2. Find John Cusack.3. Charm him instantly with my wit and get him hooked on that thing I do with my tongue.4. Get married.A really good plan, thought I, who had a crush on him big enough to collapse a freeway overpass.Soon, however, life had its own mind of how things should go -- damned life -- and I lost sight of my…

  • Bigfoot Not Dead! I HAVE PROOF!

    19 Jan 2012 | 10:46 pm
    Last weekend, I went to Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego to sign the anthology Mutation Nation with editor Kelly Dunn and other authors. It has my story about a poor, misshape and misunderstood monster named Nickelback Ned.While there, Lord Arux bought me this totally hysterical book called Bigfoot: I Not Dead. This memoir of the misunderstood forest creature on the run from celebrity, cannibalism, and celebrity cannibalism had me laughing until I cried at the comic genius that is Graham Roumieu. Then today, I got this in the mail...Yeti? In Santa Ana, huh? Um, okay. I know someone in…

  • San Diego Signing, Anthology Releases and More!

    9 Jan 2012 | 7:26 pm
    Mutation Nation Signing Mysterious GalaxySan Diego, CAJanuary 14, 20122:00 p.m.Join me for my first signing of the year as I hang with editor Kelly Dunn and authors Wendy Rathbone, Jarret Keene, Stephen Woodworth, and Charles Muir. We're signing the anthology Mutation Nation, which includes my story, "Nickelback Ned." More about Ned soon.Author and Rainstorm Press publisher Lyle Perez-Tinic will be there, too, signing his own collection, Death's Too Short.Night Terrors IIBlood Bound Books is releasing Night Terrors II this Friday, January 13th, 2012! The anthologies includes my horrific…

  • LosCon Panel and Signing Schedule

    16 Nov 2011 | 9:16 pm
    Hey Los Angeles! Come check out my panels and stuff at LosCon, the annual science fiction, fantasy and horror convention held at the Marriott LAX. I'll be selling and signing copies of At Louche Ends: Poetry for the Decadent, the Damned & the Absinthe-Minded. No cash? No problem! I have a nifty device that lets me sell you things with your credit card. :)Friday, November 25"Getting Your Short Story or Poetry Published"Me and Neda Ansari1:30 PMMarquis 1Saturday, November 26No panelsAlthough, I'll hold a special bar panel that night entitled"The Importance of Drinking…

  • Interactive Theatre

    9 Nov 2011 | 12:31 pm
    I've been thinking a lot about the idea of balancing audience participation and storytelling. I've mostly been on the side that audiences can't get a satisfying story out of such an experience if they get too much input on the story arc.A few years ago, I came up with the concept of a play that involves in Act I a series of characters each completing a dating profile on their computer. Then, the audience would vote on which two characters they think should go on a coffee date. During intermission, the director and writer gather and read the input, which might include notes as to…
 
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    gorelets.com » blog

  • Puzzling Banner

    Michael Arnzen
    7 May 2012 | 8:02 pm
    I have to assume this banner was won by an impressively hungry cannibal.

  • Onomatopoeia Gone Wild!

    Michael Arnzen
    7 May 2012 | 7:14 pm
    For your next movie night, rent: Sssssss (Kowalski, 1973) Kaw (Wilson, 2007) Eegah (Hall, 1962) *** This triple feature brought to you by Jeffrey Thomas’, Aaaiiieee!!!

  • The Dream People Hand You a Cookie

    Michael Arnzen
    4 May 2012 | 2:17 pm
    The latest issue of the bizarro journal, The Dream People, includes my story, “The Fortune Cookie,” excerpted from The Gorelets Omnibus. You may have seen this before, but go check out The Dream People anyway, because it’s got some good features this issue, including a focus on my Master’s thesis advisor from way back when, the inimitable Lance Olsen (who I recently learned won a Guggenheim Fellowship…way to go, Lance!).

  • ICFA33 reflections

    Michael Arnzen
    25 Apr 2012 | 7:58 pm
    ICFA33 Program Cover art by Guest of Honor, China Miéville As you’ll see in the long scroll of photos below, I was a lousy photographer this time around but generally had a good time at this year’s International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA 33), which transpired in Orlando, FL, last month (March 21-25, 2012). The photo brevity is a symptom of being overprogrammed and otherwise entirely focused on the events, rather than on shooting snaps. If you want photos, they’re already out there, anyway. If you’re looking for the best of the bunch, I recommend…

  • Former Gorelets Gallery Art Now on Flickr — and Announcing “Ambulations”

    Michael Arnzen
    16 Apr 2012 | 10:20 am
    'Demonaurus' I’m still overhauling this website to consolidate things and make them easier for me to manage (so I can spend more time writing).  I recently pulled my microblog from the Posterous website (and dumped my pinterest account) and those posts are now happily reintegrated into this blog, which I’m trying to make more active as a genuine blog and less of a page for only sharing Goreletter department drafts.  I also started a new department on this blog, called “Ambulations,” to make up for it:  it will feature mobile posts, road trip photos, and…
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    Cullen Bunn - The Official Web Presence

  • Going Solo With Venom

    cullenbunn
    12 May 2012 | 8:45 pm
    Cover art by Patrick Zircher Rick Remender and I have been c0-writing the current arc of Venom. It’s been a lot of fun siccing The Savage Six and Flash Thompson and his family and friends. This week, it was announced that I’ll be assuming the writing chores on Venom as of issue 23. Once the dust settles from Flash’s encounter with Crime-Master and his crew, I’ll be throwing a new batch of challenges into the mix. Code: Uatu missions, tabloid muckrakers, demons, and the Son of Satan himself will be entering Venom’s orbit as he tries–really tries–to…

  • The Sixth Gun on the NYT Bestseller List! Thank you!

    cullenbunn
    9 May 2012 | 8:37 am
    The third volume of The Sixth Gun showed up on the New York Times Bestseller List! Thanks to everyone who helped to make this happen! If you haven’t checked the book out yet, now’s the time! Support your local comic shop and order all three volumes of the series! If your shop can’t or won’t order the books, then you can get them (often at a significant discount) from Amazon.

  • Free Comic Book Day at Acme Comics

    cullenbunn
    1 May 2012 | 7:37 am
    This Saturday, May 5th, is Free Comic Book Day! If you’re not familiar with the event, it’s the one day a year when participating comic book shops across America join together in handing out comic books for free to anyone who walks through their doors. It’s a very cool event. Check with your local shops to see if they are participating, then head on out! My Sixth Gun co-creator Brian Hurtt and I will be signing books all day long at Acme Comics in Greensboro, North Carolina. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about the store, so I’m really looking forward to…

  • The Complacency Equation

    cullenbunn
    30 Apr 2012 | 8:59 am
    “Are you ever going to be happy with the way things are?” I’ve been asked that by a number of people. My wife, friends, co-workers, fellow creators, and family. Hell, I’ve even asked myself that question. I mean, I worked my ass off to achieve my dream of being a full-time writer. I made a lot of mistakes along the way and my journey took longer than I would have liked. But I made it. I reached this goal I’ve been working toward for at least half my life. I spend my days telling stories, some featuring my own characters (such as The Damned, The Tooth, and The…

  • Interview Round-Up – 4/20/2012

    cullenbunn
    20 Apr 2012 | 10:24 pm
    This week, I spoke to Newsarama and Comic Book Resources about Wolverine and Captain America & Hawkeye. Give ‘em a read! I’m sure I divulge some great universal secrets! Bunn Gets His Hands Dirty With Wolverine, wherein I answer reader questions about everyone’s favorite clawed mutant. Cullen Bunn Scares Wolverine, Teams Up With Captain America, wherein I talk about some of the books I have coming out next week.  
 
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    ellen datlow

  • A new interview with me about editing

    10 May 2012 | 7:42 pm
    Anna Kashina just interviewed me a few days ago about editing. What an anthology editor does--the process of what's involved in putting together a good anthology. The timing as it happens, is perfect, because I just read an unbelievably ignorant post by a self-titled "editor" who informs us: "The work is not hard. In fact, it takes very little time although one must be an able communicator. ... I can tell you that the time it takes to work on an anthology is negligible when compared to the time it takes for writers to contribute their stories. It mostly consists of waiting for the short…

  • Reading, discussion, signing of Poe with me, John Langan, & Laird Barron

    4 May 2012 | 11:31 am
    Tuesday May 8 6-7:30 pmBook Discussion: Poe, 19 New TalesLocation: Mount Vernon Public LibraryReading, book discussion,and book signing with Ellen Datlow, John Langan, andLaird Barron about the stories in Poe: 19 New Tales28 South First Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY (near the Mount Vernon East Metro NorthStation:Bet: East 1st.Street and 2nd. Street.)(914) 668-1840 x219 or x220http://tinyurl.com/bvck6ll

  • Karen Heuler and Victor LaValle read May 16 at KGB

    27 Apr 2012 | 9:23 am
    FANTASTIC FICTION at KGB reading series, hosts Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kresselpresent:Karen Heuler’s stories have been published in over 60 literary and speculative magazines, anthologies and “Year’s Best” collections, including the forthcoming The Year’s Best SF #17. Her most recent novel is The Made-up Man, published by Livingston PressChiZine Publications will publish her short story collection, The Inner City, early next year.&Victor LaValle's novel, Big Machine, won the Shirley Jackson Award, the American Book Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His next novel, The Devil in…

  • Table of Contents for Hauntings

    24 Apr 2012 | 2:11 pm
    Here is the final table of contents for Hauntings, which is coming out in March from Tachyon.And here’s the cover http://www.tachyonpublications.com/book/Hauntings.html?Session_ID=new Table of Contents Eenie, Meenie, Ipsateenie Pat Cadigan Hunger: A Confession Dale Bailey Cargo E. Michael Lewis Delta Sly Honey Lucius Shepard Nothing Will Hurt You David Morrell The Ammonite Violin (Murder Ballad #4) Caitlín R. Kiernan Haunted Joyce Carol Oates The Have-Nots Elizabeth Hand Closing Time Neil Gaiman Anna F. Paul Wilson Mr. Fiddlehead Jonathan Carroll The Fooly Terry Dowling The Toll Paul…

  • The Shirley Jackson Award short list is out

    22 Apr 2012 | 6:52 pm
    So this was my big secret (the anthology part). I did not know how many stories from my various anthos were nominated--and am especially pleased that stories from a ya anthology made the cut, along with the anthology itself.I'm proud to have my work on the same ballot as the other anthologies nominated.Congratulations to all the nominees, thank you to the judges, and good luck to everyone. We are all winners for the next several months. The Shirley Jackson Award nomineesNOVEL The Devil All the Time, Donald Ray Pollock (Doubleday) The Dracula Papers, Reggie Oliver (Chômu Press) The Great…
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    A Blister to My Eye

  • If I were to run for Colorado governor

    11 May 2012 | 12:14 pm
    I’d lose in a landslide, because my platform would be: Free healthcare for everyone except the rich (ETR) State pension for everyone ETR Free ETR high-speed rail everywhere Good cops No doofuses on the bench No religion in state government and no hidden subsidies for churches A fence around El Paso County (with some way of letting good people out — and in, if they insist). Garden of the Gods would be accessible, however. Gay marriage No state- or city-level war on drugs, alcohol, porn, prostitution, or any other victimless crimes, and no cooperation with the Feds for the same Lots of…

  • The Girlfriend on Your Desk

    7 May 2012 | 2:39 pm
    In the 1980s, I was working at an oil and gas software company in Denver. We programmed in Fortran (ah! beloved language!) on DEC-20s (ah! beloved mini!). We used IBM PCs, but at that time only as dumb terminals. A coworker brought her new toy in to show us. It was the first version of Apple’s Macintosh computer — a funny, boxlike little thing with a black-and-white screen on which were displayed cute icons instead of the command line we were all used to. We gathered around and made comments ranging from skeptical to admiring. I don’t remember how much she said she had paid for it, but…

  • A Singular Prophecy

    19 Mar 2012 | 10:39 pm
    A Singular Prophecy Gary Raham Biostration, 2012 70 million years ago, an alien race, fleeing the destruction of their world, landed on Earth. Here they would recreate the world they had lost. Unfortunately for them, Late Cretaceous Earth was a fiendishly hostile place, and it destroyed them. That is, it destroyed their bodies. Before they died, they used their technology to preserve their personalities in anticipation of the evolution of a more hospitable environment. In our own time, a young paleontologist on a dig pries a sphere from the midst of fossil dinosaur bones and suddenly finds…

  • The Arm and Flanagan

    21 Feb 2012 | 7:44 pm
    My latest fiction publication. I'm putting it out as an e-book on Amazon, etc. It's a novella or a very long story, or something like that. A mixture of suspense and sf, and hopefully Twilight Zoneish. It's just over 13,000 words. Publishing fiction of this length is something new for me. You can't charge less than 99 cents on Amazon, and I have no idea how people feel about paying a dollar for something of that length. So far, The Arm and Flanagan is available in Kindle format on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BQDG48), and also on Smashwords in various formats. It will be showing up in…

  • Steve Weddle eviscerates Jonathan Franzen

    31 Jan 2012 | 11:24 am
    Well done, Mr. Weddle. http://dosomedamage.blogspot.com/2012/01/franzen-gets-it-wrong.html
 
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    gabriellefaust.com

  • What is your vampire age?

    Gabrielle Faust
    15 May 2012 | 10:04 pm
    With my birthday looming like an angry griffin on the horizon a few days away I’ve decided to come up with a new age system since, frankly, I’m tired of the one we’re using. Yeah, yeah. Years since you were born of mortal flesh. Blah blah blah. My fellow vamps out there will agree, it [...]

  • HIGH STAKES meets Popcorn Horror

    Gabrielle Faust
    14 May 2012 | 3:47 pm
    I’ve been speaking recently with the developer of the exciting new horror film mobile app called Popcorn Horror about teaming up for an exciting cross-promotion through the creation of a horror film contest. Felix and I will soon be launching the very first Popcorn Horror short horror film contest with a tie-in to the High [...]

  • New REVENGE giveaway!

    Gabrielle Faust
    11 May 2012 | 11:35 am
    New REVENGE giveaway! This weekend, beginning today through Sunday evening, I will be giving away 5 FREE ebook versions of REVENGE and 1 signed paperback edition! Here’s how to enter. It’s so simple it should be shameful. • Visit the REVENGE Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RevengeNovel • Don’t just look at it silly! LIKE IT! • Leave [...]

  • New Poem: “Broken”

    Gabrielle Faust
    9 May 2012 | 12:47 pm
    “Broken” by Gabrielle Faust Place your heart within it, you fool, You are only worth what is darkest in the Midland folds of night, The sweet velveteen spaces in between Self and sanctity where the soft Vulnerable aspects of our selves are stored, Cowering with fairly unbalanced swords, Fledged like warrior beckoning wounds they Once [...]

  • New Poem: “Vampyre Prayer”

    Gabrielle Faust
    8 May 2012 | 11:21 am
    “Vampyre Prayer” by Gabrielle Faust Could I be dissuaded to decide between That which is best forgotten, Shredded seams of screams that Bind us to that which is taught To covet by society gleaming in the Falsetto staccato sunlight Generated by the multitude of Envious souls that throng about The base of the substantial recreation [...]
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    Something to Talk About

  • Make Something Useful Monday: Spiced Apple Rings

    7 May 2012 | 9:40 am
    Make Something Useful  Monday: Spiced Apple RingsNumerous “homecooking” style restaurants serve these red, luscious confections. Some people refer to Spiced Apples as Candied Apples or Cinnamon Apples. Whichever name you recognize them by, these red, syrupy apple slices are a yummy dessert by themselves or served as an ice cream or pie topping. I have even seen spiced apples chopped into chunks and used as pie filling. For speed, I usually end up cutting mine into chunks or pieces rather than rings. I have had some problems locating the necessary little red cinnamon candies…

  • Friday Fellow Writer Spotlight: David Hardy

    4 May 2012 | 2:18 pm
    Friday Fellow Writer Spotlight: David HardyBe sure to pick up a copy of David Hardy's new e-book,Crazy Greta from Musa Publishing. A great tale of intermingled history and fantasy, Crazy Greta will keep you on the edge of your digital seat.About the book:One woman against Death, Hell, and Heaven.As the Netherlands descends into the chaos of religious and political civil war, Crazy Greta runs her tavern, keeping order among the drinkers with her skillet. But when the Dead rise from their graves to slaughter the living, Greta faces a far greater challenge. Crazy Greta’s journeys take…

  • 25% off OUT OF THE GARDEN by Angeline Hawkes

    3 May 2012 | 2:26 pm
    Use the coupon code Spring25 for 25% off all in stock items at Bad Moon Books!May I suggest some vicious Sword and Sorcery action?OUT OF THE GARDEN AND OTHER TALES OF THE BARBARIAN KABAR OF EL HAZZAR by Angeline HawkesThrough brutal landscapes and savage places, the barbarian Kabar of El Hazzar travels an ancient land full of witchery, forces of darkness and foul creatures. What makes a man? Is it wealth, customs and lineage; or is it the weapon in his hand and the courage in his heart? Cold steel meets hot flesh as Kabar fights, conquers and loves his way through primitive and ruthless…

  • SORROW CREEK available for PreOrder or NOW for Digital Books!

    9 Apr 2012 | 2:55 pm
    SORROW CREEK, our new Fulbright & Hawkes novella, is available for Preorder as a hardcover or purchase NOW in digital format. Don't miss the Voodoo Madness!Kindle version here: http://www.amazon.com/Sorrow-Creek-ebook/dp/B007QLYH78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334001193&sr=8-1

  • Writing Wednesday: Various Updates

    4 Apr 2012 | 12:54 pm
    **Check out the new and improved Fulbright & Hawkes website. Sign up for our newsletter, connect with us on Twitter, subscribe via RSS, whatever works for you!** Snag a hardcover copy of BLACK MERCY FALLS for only $12.50 during the Delirium Books clearance sale of last year's titles!** Grab a copy of my 394-page sword & sorcery/heroic fantasy collection at Bad Moon Books today! Kabar of El Hazzar invites you to join him on his journey. Or don't. Either way he rides. Ready your sword and join Kabar of El Hazzar on Facebook. "Like" his page to learn about the mythical…
 
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    Marcy Italiano's Journal

  • "Tanorexic" vs Pink

    11 May 2012 | 8:11 am
    I have two major problems with the word "Tanorexic" that has popped up lately.First, as a former Anorexic, this brings back bad juju. But I get what they're going for, a catchy phrase that punches in the media. Yay for them. Pfft.But more importantly, I am affected as a "Pink" person.Perhaps we need to raise awareness, but every summer, people forget that not everyone has to lie in the sun for hours on end, for days and days, to get that I-got-sun look. We, the Pink people, are generally not sun worshippers.I married an Italian family. They can spend all summer outside…

  • Diabetics?

    6 Apr 2012 | 9:36 am
    Diabetics? I need your advice.You see, I'm cleaning out my office and I came across a bag full of stuff I needed when I had Gestational Diabetes. That means this stuff is four years old. (This also means I haven't been able to clean out my office in four years. LOL!) Things like the insulin injector has an expiry date on it and I threw it out.But I found an Accu-Check Aviva pack. There are sealed lancets, test sticks, and the electronic reader. I have the booklets that came with them, the whole package. I would like to donate them if they'd be helpful to someone who needs it, but…

  • Staying healthy

    26 Mar 2012 | 12:49 pm
    Let's pretend for a moment that any of you reading this blog already know me. You know I've struggled with Anorexia in the past, you know I've had twins, and you know I've made strides towards being healthier ever since I quit smoking in 2005. My Fibro pain was no longer in my way as of a few years ago, and I took my first karate class last summer. I sprained/fractured my ankle in September and started full-time-cubicle work, kids in full-time daycare since November which meant we were all sick for four months straight. A huge setback. All caught up on the big picture?

  • That is SICK, yo.

    20 Mar 2012 | 12:53 pm
    I may have mentioned before that since the kids have started daycare, they have brought home every kid-crud there is. More than I expected, actually, in four months time. But things have been good lately, until yesterday when I was called to get Tommy who had/has a fever. Let's hope this is the last one.So, are you curious as to what's hit this house? If you're planning in having kids, you'll need to know that the first year of anything, daycare or regular school, this WILL happen to you - as every other parent had told me.Between the four of us we've had:- Two ear…

  • one of those days

    4 Mar 2012 | 5:07 pm
    Having own of those "Type A" overachieving days. I knew it when I woke up ready to go.My Horoscope today?"You're finally feeling in control again, and it's a good feeling! The energy you've been lacking is back, so take advantage of it today. You'll probably want to do everything and go everywhere today. Pick three things that are the most stimulating and go with those."LOL! The LAST time I gave my whole list to G at the beginning of the day I got sick, so best no to jinx anything.I decided my "three" things that were important included going to…
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    Scary Monkeys and Other Childhood Phobias

  • The Rehearsal

    27 Apr 2012 | 7:35 am
    When I first had a website, circa 1998 or so, long before the term "blog" was around, I would write short essays or simply jot down my thoughts as the muse struck me. 1998. That was 14 years ago. Yikes. Anyway, on June 21, 1999, a couple of weeks after my daughter Amanda's very first dance recital I wrote the following essay (which had been lost for so long I feared it was lost forever, until now). Remember, this was 1999, Amanda was 5 years old and it was the end of her first year dancing at Chickee's Dance World (where she still dances today, at the ripe old age of 17). Aside from a…

  • Reading in Princeton MA this Sunday

    26 Apr 2012 | 10:13 am
    I'll be joining other Wachusett-area writers and readers of all ages from from 7-8:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 29, for an "oral celebration of the written word." Not sure what I'll be reading from yet, but should be fun.Anyone can bring a piece of writing they enjoy — a poem, short-short story, essay, paragraph, scene from a play —to share with the audience. Original writing is welcome, as is the work of others.Sponsored by the Princeton Arts Society, the readings will take place in the PAS Room of the Princeton Center, 18 Boylston Ave. princeton MA. For more information, e-mail…

  • What's So Funny? Everything, If You Let It

    24 Apr 2012 | 12:50 pm
     Been talking with writer Matt Mikalatos about possibly posting as a guest-blogger on his website THE BURNING HEARTS REVOLUTION soon - OK, well, he asked me last September, via email, and like everything else these past couple of years I said, "Sure" only to be distracted by something shiny across the room. In cleaning up my inbox yesterday I found the email chain. Jumping to the end of this off-topic intro, I'll be posting something over there soon. Now, back on topic: Matt's first book is called IMAGINARY JESUS which sometimes has a "MY" preceding it... I read the opening chapter-…

  • Supernatural vs Materialistic Worldview

    23 Apr 2012 | 8:02 am
    Wanted to share a very cool post - short but really should make you think, from Mike Duran: http://mikeduran.com/2012/04/the-christian-fiction-market-reflects-a-dangerous-worldview-shift/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Decompose+%28Decompose%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

  • New Movie Review for LOCKOUT at Cinema Knife Fight!

    18 Apr 2012 | 9:03 am
    Hi, everyone. There's a new movie review of mine for the newly-released LOCKOUT over at Cinema Knife Fight. Check it out, let me know what you think...
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    Nicholas Kaufmann's Journal

  • A Publishing Horror Story

    14 May 2012 | 6:08 pm
    And the horror micropress shits all over itself again, once again proving how little they actually care about the genre or its writers. Read this account of unbelievably shoddy treatment of an author by Undead Press. I’d already suspected Undead Press wasn’t worth working with just from looking at their website and their output, but now, thanks to one brave author speaking out, we all know they’re to be avoided at all goddamn costs. Originally published at Nicholas Kaufmann. You can comment here or there.

  • Awake, Put to Sleep

    14 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    NBC has canceled their new drama Awake. It’s too bad. I think Awake was the only new program from the past season I was still watching. (Terra Nova, Persons of Interest, Grimm, and Once Upon a Time all got dumped from your faithful TV Nerd’s schedule pretty quickly in yet another lackluster TV season.) However, I suspect the reason I liked Awake so much may be the same reason it didn’t take off with viewers. It was slow and overly thoughtful, but most importantly, it didn’t have a mythology. In the story of a man shuffling between two realities, one where his son…

  • Happy Mother’s Day

    13 May 2012 | 7:24 am
    The alien queen would like to wish all you moms out there a happy Egg-Laying Day Mother’s Day! Here’s hoping no crazy, flamethrower-toting Earth women come to mess everything up! Originally published at Nicholas Kaufmann. You can comment here or there.

  • I Have Reached the Apex

    10 May 2012 | 7:18 am
    I had chocolate-covered bacon last night. It’s all downhill from here. Originally published at Nicholas Kaufmann. You can comment here or there.

  • Monsters in the Movies

    9 May 2012 | 8:57 am
    When I was a kid, I loved monster movies. Every Sunday morning, a local TV station would show Abbott & Costello movies, all of which I loved, but my favorites were always the ones with monsters in them: Hold That Ghost, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man, Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy. I have fond memories of birthday parties spent renting monster movies on 8mm film from the library: Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, Gamera, Rodan, King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, The Mummy. And equally…
 
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    Slasher Speak

  • Spring Cleaning Needed for a Cluttered 'Cabin'

    25 Apr 2012 | 1:38 pm
    Poor horror movie fans. We, the purveyors of ghosties and other bad things that go bump in the night and scare the bejesus out of us, are starving. Fed a barely palatable diet of uninspired remakes of Japanese horror imports and 80s slasher flicks served up with paltry sides of three-dimensional gimmicks and computer-generated imagery for the past several years, and we’re malnourished. It’s no surprise then that we’re so hungry for quality, so ravenous for something to satiate our horror taste buds that we’d pounce like a slobbering alien on the crew of the Nostromo on the first…

  • Own Your Inner Homophobe

    16 Aug 2011 | 4:35 am
    Michele Bachmann is, quite simply, a twat of exponential proportion. Now, before the feminists go wild, I mean that in the British sense of a derogatory insult, a pejorative meaning a fool, synonymous with the word twit and not the more vulgar euphemism for a certain part of the female anatomy. And she is. And I challenge anyone to argue the point.All one had to do was watch Bachmann’s little performance on Sunday’s Meet the Press, during which she evaded nearly every direct question on LGBT issues raised by host David Gregory, to fully grasp this concept. Repeating what must be the new…

  • Corndoggin' with the Bachmann's

    15 Aug 2011 | 4:45 am
    Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.

  • The Glory of 'Unnatural Acts'

    4 Aug 2011 | 6:01 pm
    Unnatural Acts: Harvard’s Secret Court of 1920 is the story about – really – one man’s vision and determination to bring a hidden piece of history from the darkness into the light. To understand the labor of love that this play has been for the creative forces behind it, a brief history of the project:Unnatural Acts is the brainchild of Tony Speciale and concerns a secret cadre of Harvard University administrators who launched a campus-wide witch hunt into the private lives of its students that resulted in the expulsion of a group of promising young gay men and several subsequent…

  • Deconstructing Jude: Maternal Madness in ‘Mother’s Boys’

    27 Mar 2011 | 8:42 pm
    Jamie Lee Curtis toplines Canadian helmer Yves Simoneau’s Mother's Boys, a visually stylish psychothriller about the bonds between mothers and their sons — and the sometimes psychopathic ties that bind them.Curtis shines as Jude Madigan, a prodigal mother from hell who returns after three years of gallivanting around Europe and tries unsuccessfully to charm her way back into the lives of the husband and trio of blank-faced sons she abandoned. But despite Jude employing the most beguiling of her feminine wiles, estranged husband Robert (thick-browed Peter Gallagher) doesn’t bite, instead…
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    A Writer's Mind and Memories

  • Looking for artist suggestions

    30 Apr 2012 | 5:39 pm
    Hi, everybody!I'm looking for a cool cover artist for a book I'm going to be putting out with a horror theme. Can you recommend someone who might do a piece that you'd like to have on a Tshirt or hanging on your wall? :) Thanks!Angel...

  • Advice on how to delegate, please!

    23 Apr 2012 | 1:59 pm
    I've been quiet for some time, primarily because about 7 months ago (God, has it really been that long?!), I took on the role of Webmaster for the Horror Writers Association and proceeded to dive headlong into it.I don't regret it one bit. It's been fulfilling, and I've met some awesome people as a result. However, the president of the HWA has informed me that the time has come when I need to delegate more of the menial tasks so I can focus on the broader picture. And, he's absolutely right.I haven't written more than a thousand words of my fiction since I took on the job (for 7 whole…

  • Tales for Canterbury anthology nominated for an SJV award!

    23 Apr 2012 | 1:52 pm
    Woo hoo! An anthology containing one of my stories is on the final nominees list for a Sir Julius Vogel Award. These awards are given to works published in 2012 by New Zealand publishers and authors. The publisher of Tales for Canterbury (Random Static) resides in New Zealand. It was edited by Cassie Hart and Anna Caro. This is the benefit anthology put together as a fund-raiser to help those people affected by the terrible earthquakes in New Zealand last year. I contributed "Pipsqueak," one of my favorite little urban fantasy stories.Other contributors to the anthology include: Neil Gaiman,…

  • Wily Writers/SpecFicNZ Short Story Contest Winners

    25 Jun 2011 | 10:07 pm
    Dan Rabarts took first place in the Wily Writers/SpecFicNZ short story contest. His science fiction short, entitled "Crucible," had to work very hard to beat its competition, but it did it!Wily Writers podcast the story, using the rich voice talent of Scott McGough. Give this wonderful story a listen. After millennia spent crossing the galaxy, spawning new worlds out of barren wastes, meteorologist Cyran considers himself no longer a man, but a god. But when his lover Kayla betrays their ship, the Crucible, Cyran must choose between love and immortality as the life he has known spirals into…

  • What's Game Writing Like?

    15 Jun 2011 | 1:30 pm
    Occasionally, I get people who ask me questions about my job, and I know others may also be interested. One bright young woman just sent me a bunch of questions, so I thought I’d share my answers here as well. They're on my professional blog, here. Feel free to comment there or here, either place, if you'd like. :)
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    Cynsations

  • Guest Post: Laurisa White Reyes on What Once Upon a Time Means to Me

    15 May 2012 | 9:08 am
    By Laurisa White Reyesfor Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations Once Upon A Time in Montrose, California (est. 1966) is the oldest children’s bookshop in America.I had the privilege of working there just out of high school back in – er, never mind.Founder and then owner, Jane Humphrey, graciously hired me – a naïve, inexperienced 18-year-old – and put me to work alongside several more mature and much more knowledgeable women, each of whom became a mentor and friend to me over the year that I worked there.Falling in Love with BooksWhat I remember most about Once Upon A Time is the smell…

  • Book Trailer: Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter

    15 May 2012 | 8:44 am
    Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smithfor CynsationsInterview with Executive Editor Mary-Theresa Hussey of Harlequin Teen, editor of Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter, & Giveaway from Jen Bigheart from I Read Banned Books. Peek: "I found out that Aimée was so young! Still in college! And that amazed and impressed me even more. And once we started talking about aspects of the story and the structure and what her intentions were, I grew even more excited by her potential."Giveaway features "a copy of The Goddess Test, a copy of Goddess Interrupted, Goddess French tote bag, Goddess…

  • New Voice: Elisa Ludwig on Pretty Crooked

    14 May 2012 | 8:05 am
    By Cynthia Leitich Smithfor CynsationsElisa Ludwig is the first-time author of Pretty Crooked (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins, 2012). From the promotional copy:Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the…

  • Interview: Carol Lynch Williams on the Writing & Illustrating for Young Readers Conference

    13 May 2012 | 9:48 am
    By Cynthia Leitich Smithfor CynsationsCarol Lynch Williams is the author of more than 20 books for children and young adults. She has an MFA from Vermont College in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She is the proud mom of five daughters. Her newest novel, Waiting (Simon & Schuster, 2012), was released on May 1.The videos featured below offer glimpses of past years at the Writing & Illustrating for Young Readers Conference (WIFYR). What is the Writing & Illustrating for Young Readers Conference?Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers--now in its 13th year--is a…

  • Hunger Mountain Call for Submissions: Celebrating Sendak

    13 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    By Bethany Hegedus for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations One of children’s literature's finest and most outspoken figures, Maurice Sendak, has died at the age of 83.To celebrate his life and his life’s work, Hunger Mountain: A VCFA Journal of the Arts is asking illustrators, authors, editors, agents, parents, young readers, teachers and librarians to contribute to "Celebrating Sendak."Please submit anywhere between 50-300 words on any of the topics listed below to be considered for this special feature. Submissions must be received by May 20, with the piece to be published in the…
 
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    Somtow's World

  • A Dark Moment for Thailand

    9 May 2012 | 5:07 am
    The media madness and the conspiracy theorists have already begun.  Blame is being assigned, bucks are being passed, and every partisan is using this old man's death to blacken the name of his political opponent.  This is all perhaps to be expected.  But all the obfuscation shouldn't obscure the fact this is perhaps the worst PR disaster that could happen to Thailand at this moment.  No one can possibly win, and no one's agenda can possibly be served.It is a PR disaster not because of the debate over whether whether he committed the crime or not, nor because of the debate…

  • Mahler and Childhood

    9 Apr 2012 | 5:51 pm
    In ten days the Sinfonietta, the youth orchestra I founded two years ago, will do a very daring thing — it will play its first Mahler symphony.  It's daring because no group of 12-23-year-olds in this country has ever attempted such a feat - the closest was the Silpakorn Music Camp's recent performance of Mahler's First, but that was a performance by kids and faculty, with the section leaders all being reliable professionals including a former concertmaster of the London Philharmonic.There will only be two "seasoned professionals" in this performance: myself and Nancy Yuen, one of…

  • Watch the Whole Concert - Mahler Six

    21 Feb 2012 | 1:30 pm
    I’m trying this out for the first time ... the idea of posting entire concerts on youtube.So many of my blog readers made this concert possible without the chance to actually come to it — not all my readers live anywhere Bangkok, let alone Asia.  So this is the next best thing ... enjoy!

  • Feet of Clay

    20 Feb 2012 | 11:35 am
    Today there is a huge celebration of the hundredth anniversary of M.R. Kukrit Pramoj, one of Thailand's most gifted and famous artists, to which (for reasons that may become apparent in the course of this blog) I haven't been invited.  This is a pity, because I would be one of the first to recognize that Kukrit's genius was unique.However, I have not in the past, nor would I now, attempt to whitewash those aspects of Kukrit's career as a novelist which stand in the way of his achieving true international stature.I'm referring of course to Kukrit's propensity to imitate the actions of a…

  • Coffin Up....

    14 Feb 2012 | 2:37 am
    The Seven Things The Public Has Shown the Most Interest in about my Forthcoming Performance of Mahler's Sixth Symphony(Thursday at 8 pm, Mahisorn Hall - Don't miss it!) - in Descending Order....***scene from the Ken Russell movie "Mahler"1. I'm using a coffin to receive the hammer blows of fate.2. Because Thai musicians are superstitious, it will be a fake coffin.3. The coffin isn't full-size because the first hammer-blow is said to represent the death of Mahler's daughter.4. I used social networks to raise the money for the concert, but social networks are not being used to pay for the fake…
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    Darksome Thirst

  • NEHW at Foxboro Craft Fair Saturday

    15 May 2012 | 9:53 pm
    Foxboro Craft Fair May 19, 2012 9:30-3:00 On the Common Foxboro, MA 02035 Web site On Saturday, May 19, 2012, join me and Tracy Carbone, Scott Goudsward, Stacey Longo Harris, K. Allen Wood, David Price, and Rob Watts at the New England Horror Writers' table. We'll be enjoying the outdoors at this fundraiser for the Foxboro Jaycees, which is free and open to the public. Current weather predictions are for a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70s. If you're in the area, stop by. We'll have books for sale, and plenty of smiles for everyone. Yes, smiles. Just because we write some…

  • Review: Deadlocked, by Charlaine Harris

    9 May 2012 | 9:24 pm
    Deadlocked by Charlaine HarrisMy rating: 4 of 5 starsThis is the second-to-last book in the Sookie Stackhouse series and many of the Goodreads, Amazon, and Audible reviews are not very glowing.A common complaint is that there's not enough action and sex, and too much uninteresting detail. (One person complained that Sookie spent so much time cooking that she now knows how to make sweet potato pie.)Another complaint is that Harris spends too much time on minor characters. Admist chaos, we're learning that characters from the previous books are getting married or having children or working…

  • Women's History Month

    27 Mar 2012 | 11:12 am
    There are still a few days left in March, which is Women's History Month. If you love genre fiction by women writers, use these last few days to help them make a place in history. Help others find their work through blogging, reviewing, and rating.If you find writing a blog or a full review daunting, how about logging on to Amazon or Goodreads or a similar site and giving a rating to books you've read by women? Every little bit helps women writers get noticed and stay in the minds of agents, editors, and publishers. That, in turn, increases the chance that more women writers will be published…

  • Appearing at Heritage Craft Fair in Framingham

    20 Mar 2012 | 10:41 pm
    On Saturday, March 24, 2012, I'll be at the New England Horror Writers' table at the 39th Heritage Craft Fair in Framingham, MA. Along with me will be other NEHW writers including Stacey Longo, David Price, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Rob Watts, and K. Allen Wood.This is pretty exciting for me. I know where it is (no GPS needed this time!) and I know where it is because not only did I grow up in Framingham, but the town, which I renamed Danforth, figures highly in both my novels.The first novel, Darksome Thirst, starts in Framingham when a lone second-shift computer operator, Alicia Anderson,…

  • I'd Rather Read this on my Kindle

    20 Feb 2012 | 10:42 am
    Writers often read other writer's works in draft form. We critique, proofread, review, and blurb.In the old days, the other writer would send you a printout by postal mail. You'd carry around a sheaf of paper, scribbling furiously in the margins. When finished, you'd package the marked-up copy and take it to the post office for mailing back to the author.Things got even easier when it became possible to email versions one could review. Microsoft Word, for example, has a review feature that tracks comments. Starting with version 10 of the free reader, Adobe Acrobat allows you to highlight and…
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    Horror Books with the Undead Rat

  • Horror Short Story Collection: Stories from the Plague Years

    The Undead Rat
    14 May 2012 | 10:22 am
    In 1998, Michael Marano won the Bram Stoker and International Horror Guild Awards for a First Novel with Dawn Song. Now he offers a book of horror short stories including Displacement which has been nominated for the 2011 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novella. Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the icon below the book summary to order it from an online bookseller through an affiliate link. Stories from the Plague Years Author: Marano, Michael Cover and Interior Art: Gabrielle Faust Format: Limited Hardcover Edition Type: Horror Anthology Page Count: 400pp. Pub.

  • Horror Anthology: A Book of Horrors

    The Undead Rat
    13 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Today’s anthology, A Book of Horrors edited by Stephen Jones was not only nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award but contained several stories within that also received nominations. “Roots and All” by Brian Hodge was nominated for the 2011 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction, although it did not win. Both “A Child’s Problem” by Reggie Oliver and “Near Zennor” by Elizabeth Hand were nominated for the 2011 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novella. Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the icon below…

  • Horror Anthology — Obsession: Tales of Irresistible Desire

    The Undead Rat
    12 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    This weekend we continue our look at anthologies coming out from Prime Books with one set to be published next month. Obsession: Tales of Irresistible Desire edited by Paula Guran with contributions from authors as diverse as Edgar Allan Poe and Tanith Lee or Lawrence Block and Lee Thomas. Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the icon below the book summary to order it from an online bookseller through an affiliate link. Obsession: Tales of Irresistible Desire Editors: Guran, Paula Format: Trade Paperback Type: Horror Anthology Page Count: 360pp. Pub. Date: June 6,…

  • Horror Anthology — Witches: Wicked, Wild and Wonderful

    The Undead Rat
    11 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Today, Let’s check out Witches: Wicked, Wild and Wonderful edited by Paula Guran — a witch horror anthology. Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the icon below the book summary to order it from an online bookseller through an affiliate link. Witches: Wicked, Wild and Wonderful Editor: Guran, Paula Cover Art: Shutterstock/Bliznetsov Format: Trade Paperback Type: Horror Anthology Page Count: 384pp. Pub. Date: March 13, 2012 Publisher: Prime Books A bewitching brew of stories sure to enchant. Surrounded by the aura of magic, witches have captured our…

  • Short Horror Movie One of Those Faces Returns

    The Undead Rat
    9 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    This will be a short post letting you know that a short short horror film called One of Those Faces — which is based upon a great novella by one of my favorite horror authors Gary A. Braunbeck called “Rami Temporalis” — is now available for viewing from Gary’s Facebook page. Just point your browser to http://www.facebook.com/gary.braunbeck to watch it. This is a golden opportunity for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet and a chance to remember something special again if, like me, you already have. It’s also a terrific instructor — it can show you…
 
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    WordPress.com News

  • Stay In The Conversation

    Beau Lebens
    15 May 2012 | 6:01 pm
    It’s now much easier for you and your commenters to keep track of the conversations you’re involved in across WordPress.com. Some recent tests have shown that by subscribing commenters to new comments by default, they are more likely to stay engaged and come back and comment more on your blog. With that knowledge, we’ve changed the default comment following behavior to help you get more conversations going on your blog. We made the initial changes last week and after great feedback from you we just launched an update. Here’s how it works: By default, posting a comment…

  • Look at These Gorgeous Blogs

    Sheri
    15 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    We’ve added a user showcase where you can view stunning customizations made by people just like you. From complete redesigns with CSS to adding pizzazz with Custom Fonts to clever use of options like background and header, this showcase will spark your imagination and inspire creativity. Discover details about what each showcase blog is doing with WordPress.com themes and customizations by clicking a thumbnail to see a colophon-style list of credits on the left. We’ve also updated footer links so blog owners can show off the types of customizations they’ve made and visitors can…

  • Photo Blogging 101, Part 1

    Erica V.
    14 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Spring is in the air. With the weather warming up, now is a great time to get started on a photo blog. Creating a photo blog is a wonderful introduction to blogging on WordPress.com or an opportunity to refresh your current site. Ready to get started? You can sign up for a new blog right over here. Getting started Photo blogs, sometimes called phlogs, use pictures instead of words. While many photo bloggers choose a type of photo that they want to focus on, such as portraits, others use their photo blog to document their life’s events. Photo blogs come in a variety of styles, including…

  • New Themes: Just Desserts and Oxygen

    Michelle Langston
    10 May 2012 | 8:11 am
    Happy Thursday! We’ve added some exciting new themes to our ever-growing collection, and we’re happy to tell you all about them. First out of the oven is…Just Desserts. Yep, that’s a theme! Designed by Andy Rutledge, Just Desserts is a deliciously stylish premium theme that’s perfect for blogs centered on food. With its responsive, single-column layout and unique presentation of images and posts on the front page, Just Desserts gives you a delectable canvas on which your mouthwatering photos and text can really shine — even when viewed on smaller mobile devices…

  • Find Friends Who Use WordPress

    Nick Momrik
    1 May 2012 | 2:32 pm
    Are you curious to see how your friends are using WordPress? Give the new and improved Friend Finder a try to connect with your Twitter, Facebook, and Google contacts who have WordPress sites! After authorizing WordPress.com to use your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account to find your friends (don’t worry — none of this account information is saved!) you’ll see a list of people you know who have WordPress sites. Click Follow and each time your friend publishes a new post it will show up in your Reader under Blogs I Follow. If you have multiple blogs, make sure to set the…
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