How far would you go to eliminate evil if you discovered the metaphysical and physical aspects of evil could in fact be understood, mapped, and constrained? Would you dabble, brushing against the fringes as a scholar, or, as the narrator to this treatise, throw yourself wholly into the eternal struggle, certain that the ends justifies the means?
I believe it does, and we are carried along as the narrator plunges headfirst, sparing with the greatest of all adversaries – both within and without – in a fascinating journey that makes for a wild, slippery, and yes, totally weird ride.
Two Thumbs Up – Worth a Read
Peter Gutiérrez is a writer and poet who lives in New Jersey. His collection of macabre stories, From Bad to Worse, is available now from Anxiety Press.
Knock on wood, but it may possibly be Spring here in Okotoks. Birds are back in force, squirrels are squirrely, the grass is turning green, and I managed a run today in shorts and t-shirt. Which is definitely the kicker. Damn tired of tights and coats and all that.
Writing
Still finishing a hopefully, cross my fingers, final draft of my King in Yellow/Lovecraftian novel titled A Queen in Amber. It ended up needing ‘more’ stuff at all levels. It’s a lot better now at least – better, stronger, faster. Just doing a polishing pass to make sure the additional material is clean, but with luck it will be totally complete this week. Hallelujah.
Once that’s done I’ll get back to a couple of short stories I started a few months ago. Then do an outline for the sequel to Queen.
Running
Spent a week in Victoria (British Columbia) trailing running with my best bud Steve. Lots of mountains, lots of trails, lots of recovery cocktails. Of course, while out there I picked up a cold which sucked, so training sucked, but did get a serious vert/climbing run in last weekend.
The Hidden Oasis Ultra race in Cyprus Hills in June is only a month away!
Life
The new/old house now has new carpet, which really helps brighten it up. Next up, hardwood for the front entry area. By Wednesday all the hideous brown shag will be a thing so the past.
Work is still, frankly, insane. I’ll be hitting my 22nd anniversary at the company this week and I think it’s been insane the entire time. Or maybe it’s just me…
What I’m Watching – TV
From (Season 1) – bit slow in parts but so intriguing. Loving the endless mysteries. Jumping into season 2 shortly.
Star Trek Discovery (Season 5) – Bit of a different season, it being more of a treasure hunt/quest story arc, but I’m digging it so far after five episodes.
Letterkenny (rewatch) – lol
What I’m Watching – Movies
Late Night with the Devil – Loved the aesthetic and the characters (especially the magician/skeptic). Didn’t really stick the ending, but still enjoyable.
What I’m Reading
Lord Of The Feast by Tim Waggoner
Elric of Melnibone (The Elric Saga, Vol. 1) by Michael Moorcock
What I’m Listening To
Darkest of the Hillside Thickets – Cthulhu Strikes Back
I may be on a roll for once with this damn blog. Not that life is terribly interesting, with Fimbulwinter conditions here in Southern Alberta, but Spring is around the corner.
Writing
I can finally talk about the second story I’ve sold this year. It’s called ‘Eden’ and it’s a more literary kind of Prairie Gothic sort of story and will be appearing in Prairie Devil, edited by the dazzling Stacey Kondla and published by Gentleman Jim Jackson and Prairie Soul Press.
In yet another draft of my King in Yellow/Lovecraftian novel called A Queen in Amber after receiving some excellent feedback from my favourite, brutally honest, beta reader. The pain is real. But, whatever makes the story better. It’s getting there!
Not working on much else until that’s complete.
Running
Training, so much training. Slogged out a solid 40km training last week and still feeling it. Planning on some serious vert/climbing training starting next week.
Getting quotes for putting in hardwood and carpet in the new house to replace the absolutely nasty brown shag and tile. House will look completely different when that’s in.
Brightwood – “A couple’s marriage is troubled. So when they find themselves trapped in a time warp around their local pond, they’re forced to face the monsters both within and without.” – Not a perfect film (the acting was… hmm) but thought provoking.
Insumasu o ouu Kage (Japanese adaption of Lovecraft’s Shadow over Insmouth from 1992). Damn strange but I kinda loved it.
What I’m Reading
The Trees Melt like Candles by Peter Gutiérrez
The Black Maybe: Liminal Tales by Attila Veres
The Miskatonic University Spiritualism Club by Pete Rawlik
Of Saints and Sinners by Christopher Golden (Complete – enjoyable vampires and world building. I guess I’ll have to read the other… six books in this series now)
Bam Barrow’s follow up to Arcanum Fabulas has two of my favourite elements – a series of interconnected stories and a tightly integrated cosmic horror mythos that’s both familiar yet horribly original. I loved how various characters and places reappear both in the past and future, intertwined in strange and wondrous ways. There is a nice variety of story structures, with always tantalizing chapter introductions, and prose that brings to mind Robert E. Howard and Lovecraft, with shades of Ligotti in some and Laird Barron in others.
Not every story hits it out of the park, but overall it’s a solid work with stories like A Calamity at Croxton, The Eldritch Six, Outbreak at the Outpost, Black Maggots of the Urchin Church and Lady Void standing out for me.
Two Thumbs Up – Worth a Read
Bam Barrow is an East Anglian based writer of occult fiction with an unquenchable thirst for the dark, mysterious and extremes of human behaviour. Co-editor for Black Shadow Lit, Bam is also known for his photography, filmmaking and as a musician. His band Raining Colour have released their first album Realms available to download from all major streaming outlets.
Another day, another week, another year – and I’m still not doing a great job keeping my site up. Shrug.
But… 2024. Let’s talk about that!
Writing
Sold a couple of short stories. Can’t talk about one of them yet, but the next one out is going to be in NECRONOMI-ROMCOM (Romance. Laughter. Tentacles… Welcome to where Mythos Meets Cute). It’s a story called “The Loveseat” and I had a lot of fun writing it.
I’ve also completed (after many, many revisions) a King in Yellow/Lovecraftian novel called A Queen in Amber. Once I get some feedback on it I’ll figure out what the hell I can do with it.
Beyond that, I’m in the midst of more short stories and I’m going to jump back into my occult detective novel I’ve chipping away at for years.
Running
Lots of races planned for 2024.
Frozen Ass 50 – Did this one a few weeks past on a thankfully not freezing ass day.
Hidden Oasis Ultra – New’ish race in Cyprus Hills in June, should be fun.
Lost Soul 100 – Done this race half a dozen times now and it’s always (well, almost always) amazing. Last time I did it it poured rain and the race turned into a loop race of terrible mud and pavement, ugh. Looking forward to returning to the old stomping grounds in Lethbridge in September.
Life
Settled into the new house. It’s lovely place out in Okotoks right off the river. After the last few decades in Calgary, it’s nice and quiet and has tons of room for all my books.
Well, that was a rather exciting and action packed summer. Loads of adventures including a road trip around Southern Alberta for story research, a trip to Victoria for cocktails and general and specific mayhem, and a scorching and challenging fifty kilometer trail ultramarathon in Kalamalka Lake Park (Vernon, B.C.).
On the publishing side, The Seventh Terrace published two novellas – Someone Else’s Story by Laird Ryan States and 30 to 50 Feral Hogs by Dayna Ingram. We’re also finishing up the next entry in our Purgatorio series, this one a flash holiday anthology titled Solstice in Purgatory. It’s looking fabulous and will be out in November.
On the writing side, I recently sold a short story called The Loveseat. More details on this once I can share! I’m also working on a pile of prairie gothic related stories including a novel. Pretty stoked about this project.
And I’m co-hosting the October Connections Brewing (Calgary) event next Monday. Come on down!
Connections Brewing (Calgary) Monday, October 2nd, 2023, 6pm – 9pm MST Prairie Dog Brewing 105D 58th Ave SE, Calgary Come ready to mingle and network with the Calgary literary community. Our October event will feature Monsters & Villains trivia.
Last week was rather fun, if I do say so myself. Had the pleasure of being interviewed by the amazing Steve Stred for his 3Q series. Check it out here!
And if that wasn’t enough, on February 9th, we celebrated the recent launching of the latest Seventh Terrace anthology, Penitent’s Gold. Great party, with fabulous readings and literary camaraderie.
What I watched: Skinamarink (not sure what the hell I watched there), Dave made a Maze (fun) and Head of the House (weird).
What I read: When the Sky Comes Looking for You: Short Trips Down the Thunder Road by Chadwick Ginther (some entertaining short stories – the raven’s need their own book).
I should post more here. I should. Just a head’s up I mostly hang out and post over at the small press publishing house The Seventh Terrace. I should cross-post at least. I should…
Anyways, news! While I’ve mostly been working on novels and contributing to the Purgatorio anthologies (the latest being Penitent’s Gold) at The Seventh Terrace, I did have a short story published last week. It’s called “Well Hung” and it fits rather appropriately in a new anthology called The F**ckening from Sci-fi Lampoon.
And speaking of Penitent’s Gold, we’re having a book party for it on February 9th at cSpace in Calgary, Alberta – so if you’re in the vicinity, considering checking it out.
I’ll also be at Wordbridge on February 25th where I’ll be on a panel talking about horror, and giving a presentation about collaborative writing. Should be fun!
I should do a better job keeping the site current. I should… I spend most of my free updating/SM time on The Seventh Terrace and Twitter and such though, so that’s where you’ll typically find me.
WRITING
Had a few short stories published. Wrote a bunch, subbed a bunch, hoping 2022 will be a good year.
Finished many drafts of A Queen in Amber, my Lovecraftian/Zelaznian novel.
“The Last Wave” – my surfing short story was published in the AWCS 40th Anniversary book WonderShift.
“Corn Dogs” – a co-write with Sarah L. Johnson was published in Home for the Howlidays by Tyche Books.
“Cheeseburger Philosophy” – another weird and wild story for Terrace VI: Forbidden Fruit.
“Gravesend” – a fun Trace & Solomon novella co-write with Sarah L. Johnson in Terrace VI: Forbidden Fruit.
EDITING/PUBLISHING
Sarah L. Johnson and I edited and published three books through The Seventh Terrace in 2021.
Edited/Published Terrace VI: Forbidden Fruit – with Sarah. L. Johnson and a bunch of fabulous authors (The Seventh Terrace)
Published Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy by Hailey Piper (The Seventh Terrace)
More great work is in the pipe, including Hell Hast No Sorrow Like a Woman Haunted by R.J. Joseph and the next Purgatorio book Terrace V: Penitent’s Gold, for 2022 – stay tuned!
RUNNING
Lots of running in 2021. Too much really, as I damaged both Achilles, didn’t recover, got tendonitis, ignored that, then got wretched bursitis. And tried to run/race through that… until I couldn’t even walk anymore. Anyhows, once I realized how much of an idiot I was, I started a recovery program, stopped running, got Shockwave therapy (or as I like to say, expensive voluntary torture), and have been resting up. I should be able to run again soon!
Welcome to Torrington, Alberta. A wide spot in the blacktop, home to the world-famous Gopher Hole Museum above, and a massive convergence of mystical energy below. When a rogue exorcist acquires a soul translocating relic, the Vatican reluctantly – very reluctantly – turns to the only mercenaries capable of taking it back. The hard-drinking, double-crossing, catastrophe-courting mercenaries that sold it to him in the first place.
Trace and Solomon ought to know better. Church work is always a handshake with the Devil, but this time there’s more than money on the line, and it forces them to question what matters most. In this life, and the next.
Robert Bose 
