If you’re reading this then you might be deciding whether or not you should buy The Godgame by Keith Deininger, so let’s cut to the chase. Should you buy The Godgame? Absolutely yes!
I have been following Keith’s work since before he even published his first book, and I must say, he just keeps getting better. With each new release he shows that he is constantly honing his skills and becoming a true master of his craft.
In The Godgame, Keith displays what a truly exceptional storyteller that he is. And that’s what it all comes down to, the story. The story is what keeps us reading, what keeps us turning the pages late into the night, and The Godgame is a wonderfully captivating story set in a vivid and dark fantasy world that is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It is enticing, thoughtful, and absolutely fantastic!
Buy it, love it, tell your friends about. You won’t be disappointed.
I’m a little late in posting this, but Bete Noire Issue #17 is out now and it includes the first-time publication of my poem, The Death in Me.
In case you don’t know, Bete Noire is a great little quarterly magazine full of “…stories that are well written, character driven and have a dark bent to them.”
My poem, The Clog was first published in Issue #6 back in 2012 and it’s great to see this publication not only going strong, but getting better and better with each new issue. So pick up a copy of Issue #17 in print or digital format, and if you enjoy the stories in this magazine, (which I have no doubt you will) consider supporting this small press publisher by grabbing a subscription so you will never miss an issue again!
[P.S. In January look for a slightly revised version of my poem Another Light (first published in Phantom Kangaroo issue no. 9, July 2012) to be included in Bete Noire Issue #18!]
Today’s poem from Come Fly with Death is called ‘Ocean Eyes.’ While it was initially inspired by Zdzislaw Beksinski’s painting seen in the image above, this poem is really about my wife, Brenda. It is a quick, simple little poem that I think displays some variety in the book (not every poem included is quite as horrific as yesterday’s ‘One in Hell‘ but many are) and it is actually one of my personal favorites, possibly due to its sheer simplicity. I hope you enjoy.
OCEAN EYES
Beneath the crescent moon
I’ll know your scent,
buried in the breeze that sweeps your hair.
I’ll taste you on the shore,
salted skin sweet with sweat,
flesh made orange upon the grit.
I’ll swim inside your ocean eyes,
pulled so hard within your tides,
and drown inside your depths.
Come Fly with Death: Poems Inspired by the Artwork of Zdzislaw Beksinski releases on Sunday, October 12. Pre-order the ebook here on Amazon for $0.99 or the trade-paperback (List Price: $5.99) on Amazon or the Createspace Storefront. Or wait a week or two and support your local bookstore by ordering directly from them (recommended!).
I’ve given this quite a bit of thought, and after a few years of living with my WIP poetry chapbook as Nightmare Dreamer, I have decided to completely change the title prior to publication. Better to change it prior to, than after the fact, I suppose. So the new title, as given away by the little graphic above, is…dun dun dun… Come Fly with Death: Poems Inspired by the Artwork of Zdzislaw Beksinski.
There are several reasons I’ve decided to make this change. Both titles come from poems included in the book, but the poem, Come Fly with Death is one of my personal favorites, and honestly I just think it proves to be a more original title. Nightmare Dreamer has always had a slight generic taste to it, at least to me. And although that title and its poem are direct references to Beksinski himself, the genius artist whose work the entire book is inspired from, I feel that the title, Come Fly with Death and its corresponding poem both speak much more closely to the overall spirit of the book as a whole. So, there. It is done.
Along with a new title there will be an all new cover design. While my attempts at creating original digital artwork for this title have taught me much in the ways of Photoshop, sadly I must admit that I am not a graphic designer. I will still be creating the cover as far as layout, text placement, etc., but I will be contracting the actual artwork. Perhaps one day I can tinker around and learn enough about Photoshop and the digital arts to do my ideas justice, but in the meantime, I will focus on the writing and leave the visual arts to the visual artists.
As far as publication goes, I am getting very close to releasing this chapbook. A few of the poems included had been pending publication elsewhere, and I have been waiting for all that to resolve so that rights could revert back to me. At this point, I am free to publish these poems as I see fit, so I will be moving full steam ahead. Once I finish with the interior layout and scour it for final line edits, I will finalize the cover. I am hoping to have all that done so that it can be released in Ocober, just in time for Halloween. The initial release will be as an ebook on Amazon Kindle, and will also be available as print on demand. I will expand that to include all the other major ebook distributors such as iTunes and Smashwords, but as this is my first adventure into the world of self-publishing, it may take me some time.
In other news, my novella, Feeding Lazarus is in final revision and I am looking at a release date of early next year. It will also be getting a new cover design, which I will reveal here as we get closer to publication.
Until next we meet, be cool, be safe, and of course, just write.
Hi all! Here's a quick update on where things are with my forthcoming novella, Feeding Lazarus:
First, this is still a working cover, but I've had a few moments recently to tinker on it and wanted to share the changes. It needs back cover text of course, and I'm still tweaking the front image to make it pop, as well as fine tuning the title text to make it more readable, but I do feel it's getting closer to where I want it to be.
Also, the beta version of the book will be ready soon for anyone who'd like to be part of the process by doing a beta read. For those interested, free copies will be available in your choice of format. And yes, that includes a limited number of print copies for the e-reading impaired, or for those who just prefer a physical book. If you do request a printed beta copy, (due to the cost) all I ask is that you are sincere in your intent to read the book and provide honest feedback. I will be including a brief questionnaire in all versions to make this process simple for everyone.
Oh, and to all of my beta readers who provide honest feedback by completing the questionnaire, I will show my undying gratitude by giving away signed copies of the final print version once it's published! There's a limited number of beta slots available, so if interested, message me here or by email: rafegrayson@gmail.com.
On a side note, I'm (finally!) starting a newsletter (courtesy of Mailchimp) in order to better provide updates concerning future releases and publication announcements. New editions are anticipated quarterly. Click HEREto opt in!
Hi folks. I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, but i assure you, I’m still alive and kickin’. Despite what the rumors may have you to believe, I haven’t been abducted by aliens, nor have i become a rogue zombie and ventured into the wilds in pursuit of sweet, sweet brain meat. I have, however, returned from the netherworld in order to share a creative project that I’m involved with. Oh, and I’m also here to shamelessly enter a plea for your support. Don’t worry though, because if you do lend a gracious hand (and dough, I’m talkin’ serious amounts of hard currency!), you get stuff in return, so it’s cool. I mean let’s face it, we alI like to get stuff.
I’m very excited to share with you the news of this creative project—a fiction anthology called The Memory Eater: Stories that Erase the Past to Save the Future, created and edited by Matthew Hance. The science fiction-inspired anthology consists of 27 uniquely written and illustrated stories based on a futuristic device with the ability to locate and destroy any memory in the human mind. The concept—that everybody wants to forget something, don’t they?—is intriguing, as is the format. Each of 27 authors wrote an original story around the concept, and 27 artists contributed a companion original piece of art for the stories. My story, Vanishing Cycle, was accepted for inclusion in the anthology.
Here’s the promotional video for my story:
The anthology was pitched to select publishers with positive feedback, but ultimately, Matt decided to take advantage of the evolving book publishing landscape and retain control over the book publication and distribution by raising the funds to self-publish. April 2 marked the launch of the Kickstarter.com fundraising campaign to raise funds to publish The Memory Eater, which is ready to print right now!
Kickstarter is a unique Internet funding platform for creative projects by writers, musicians, artists, designers, filmmakers and visionaries of all kinds. Artists post an in-depth profile of their creative work and ask interested people to pledge a donation over a short period to reach a funding goal. If the goal is reached, the pledges are funded, and the artist can help bring their creative project to life.
Please visit The Memory Eater fundraising campaign at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/875080901/the-memory-eater-anthology and support my story. The page includes a project introduction video, story and art samples and links to several contributor web sites. The platform offers several pledge levels ranging from $1-$300 with rewards attached to each donation. Rewards run the gamut from written acknowledgement in the anthology, to free books, to bookmarks and T-shirts, to custom created, artist-signed The Memory Eater artwork on canvas. Pledges are not collected (via PayPal or credit card) unless and until the project goal of $4,250 is reached in the 40-day campaign period.
Just for fun, I’m making a little prediction. Are you ready for it? No? Okay then, here it is:
Beginning from January 2012, I will publish five books in the span of five years.
Since I am not in any way Psychic (although I do occasionally have these dreams… er never mind), I suppose you could call it a goal of sorts and not actually a prediction, but that’s a debate for another post. I’m giving myself the remainder of this year to finish my final semester, graduate, and (hopefully) settle into a full time job. Once the new schedule pans out, I’ll slip into a good writing routine (fingers crossed). I’ve already got a few books planned, so I don’t see it as being too far out of reach to publish (or have published) an average of one book per year for the next five years.
Now I’m not talking five 700+ page epic novels here. I’m no Stephen King, or Stephen Hawking, or what was that other guys name? But I can see two or three poetry chapbooks, maybe a poetry collection, one or two standalone novels/novellas, one or two story collections, and perhaps even a memoir/non-fiction book. (Aside from me not being Psychic or anyone named Stephen, I’m also no Math Wizard, so please understand if my numbers here don’t add up to exactly five.)
January 2017, we’ll all meet back here to see how I did. That is, assuming the world still exists. But if it doesn’t, we won’t really care, will we? I mean, if that’s the case, and the world as we know it has been obliterated, I do hope you won’t still hold me to this little goal/prediction/thing I made. I mean after all, the end of the world seems like a pretty darn good excuse for not meeting milestones. A notch better than “the dog ate my homework,” I’d like to think. Besides, it’s all just for fun, isn’t it?
Well anyway, I’ve heard it said that it take ten years to become an overnight success. So when we meet again in 2017, assuming that the world is still the world and we are still alive and in it, (and assuming I’ve fulfilled the prophecy/met the goal), I will be happily half-way there!
If you’re reading this then you might be deciding whether or not you should buy The Godgame by Keith Deininger, so let’s cut to the chase. Should you buy The Godgame? Absolutely yes!
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Marrowroot 