I bet you thought that I was nothing but Four Bullets postings these days.
I mean, I AM, but, today is different. Today, we are here to talk about a little short story I wrote called “BloodBrook Road”
Some of you might recall hearing this name before. That’s because you have. BloodBrook Road was one of my very first acceptances in this wacky thing I am calling a career. It came out all the way back in 2012.
Ah, remember 2012? When things made sense and the world wasn’t falling apart? Except that it was. It always is falling apart.
It’s a shame we didn’t get the extended warranty on this fucking planet…
Alas, the issue of Dark Moon Eclipse in which my little story about regret, being haunted by the past and unable to move on, has since fallen out of print.
In comes MJ Preston, my favorite Canadian and legitimate superhero, and the Dark Passages II: Tales from the Black Highway anthology.
MJ is not only a prolific author, he is an artist, photographer, pod-caster, Ice Road Trucker, and, as I said before, my favorite Canadian. He was kind enough to invite me to submit to this anthology, of which, I honestly was not certain that I had the time to do, as Four Bullets publishing activities were ramping up, as well as a little thing called “Buying a House”. I asked if he would consider a reprint, as BloodBrook Road, while not taking place on the cold, dark stretches of pavement that we’ve hammered into the earth, does take place on its little brother: the dusty, forsaken and forgotten back roads. Well, wouldn’t you know it, but that MJ said yes, and BloodBrook Road lives again!
“But, Kile,” you may be asking. “What’s so special about THIS anthology?”
I’m so glad that you asked. I COULD tell you, but why not let the man himself tell you about it:
“In the early 80’s, I subscribed to Rod Serling’s, Twilight Zone Magazine and when they expanded to a paperback copy of Night Cry Magazine I scooped that up as well. I loved the horror and science fiction you could only find in these little gem magazines; Night Cry, especially. It was larger than a paperback but bound like one, and along with the great stories, there was artwork that accompanied them that was candy for the eyes.
Sadly, the magazines did not live to see the 90’s, falling victim to the cost of maintaining a monthly press then, like now, it’s still a very risky endeavor. The first one to go was Night Cry, which honestly broke my heart, and eventually, Twilight Zone Magazine disappeared from the local shop I purchased it. It was the end of an era. But all is not lost. Today, there are still great magazines that host horror writing. Most notably, Cemetery Dance, and thanks to the internet there are plenty of places to seek out virtual horror.
For years, I have been considering putting together a collection that pays tribute to the old Night Cry Magazine. I wanted it to promote writers from the indie community, to give a voice to small press, and I wanted it to be a piece of artwork. So, approximately six months ago I started making queries and sending out invites to writers I thought would sign on for such a project. The response was fantastic. Initially, I was looking at a trade paperback format but opted for an 8X10 layout and decided in the tradition of the magazine layout the text would be two columns instead of one. I also wanted there to be artwork for each story so that it would be pleasing to the eye, as well as the mind’s eye.”
THAT is what makes this anthology different, party people. Passion. The passion for the old school ‘zines and independent horror/suspense tales. And, thanks to the Herculean efforts of one man, you can have that delivered right to your doorstep right now!
Check it out on Amazon for purchase today!
Kile the WonderBoy!! 