Monthly Archives: July 2017
DARK DISCUSSIONS rediscovers DONNIE DARKO
Photo collage by Philip Perron.
Dark Discussions rediscovers 2001’s Donnie Darko! On Stitcher, iTunes, and here: http://www.darkdiscussions.com/Pages/podcast_288.html
THIS WRITING LIFE EPISODE 9A: SNOWBOUND WITH ZOMBIES is live!
One of many amazing Halloween items at Cracker Barrel. I left with an almost empty wallet.
This Writing Life Episode 9A: Snowbound: with Zombies is live! You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/BE0wZM3cTtk
Copies of Snowbound on the Dent sisters’ display table.
In this episode, we jam the Snowbound: with Zombies release event into a full weekend! Snowbound: with Zombies is a collection of scary stories by several New England writers, and 100% of the proceeds benefits the Whittier Birthplace Museum in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Available in both print and Kindle. Get it here: http://bit.ly/SnowboundPrint (Kindle link posted on that page too). Oh…and we also find a cool Cracker Barrel.
Don’t know much about Whittier but want to? I recommend The Poetry of John Greenleaf Whittier: A Reader’s Edition, edited by William Jolliff.
http://bit.ly/WhittierIntro. Or plan your visit to the birthplace! Visit http://www.johngreenleafwhittier.com/
There’s now a second collection for mystery lovers! If you love mysteries, give back to the community and pick up Murder Among Friends (which contains my story “The Cricket in the Wall”) here: http://bit.ly/MAFCricket
DARK DISCUSSIONS gets hooked (or not) on THE LURE
The masthead for DARK DISCUSSIONS episode 287. Photo collage by Philip Perron.
Dark Discussions gets hooked (or not) on The Lure, a strange little 1980s-style rock musical that toys with the original Hans Christian Andersen version of “The Little Mermaid.” On Stitcher, iTunes and here: http://www.darkdiscussions.com/Pages/podcast_287.html
Short Story Sunday: Partial Eclipse
In a future devoid of creativity, a couple is about to become parents for a second time. This comment on expectations and disappointment manages to flesh out an entire world—replete with an alternate history—beautifully in its few short pages, although its real message is cleverly revealed in an ending the reader doesn’t expect.
Personally, I love this story for its corporeal rendering; there are at least two images I never forgot after having read this for the first time over a decade ago.
“Partial Eclipse” is the opening story in Joyce’s collection Partial Eclipse and Other Stories. I did not realize how lucky I was to have a signed, numbered, limited-edition copy of this book (and now I’m sorry I wrote in it, but hell, it’s what I do with every book I cherish!) until I went to find information for this post. Everywhere I looked was sold out. Amazon, it looks like, occasionally gets some second-handers: https://amzn.com/B000MVQWTA If you’re desperate, reach out to me through my Contact Page.
DARK DISCUSSIONS delights in THE DEVIL’S CANDY
The DD masthead for THE DEVIL’S CANDY. Montage by Phillip Perron.
Dark Discussions delights in the much-admired The Devil’s Candy — an interesting little indie horror film with religious undertones set near Austin, Texas, from the director of The Loved Ones. Hear what we have to say about the movie about a passionate painter who must sell out–and gets more than he bargained for. You can listen to our episode here: http://www.darkdiscussions.com/Pages/podcast_285.html
Summer road trip? Get TRICKS AND TREATS on audio!
Nothing makes a road trip go faster than a good audio book…Tricks & Treats: A Collection of Spooky Tales by Connecticut Authors–which contains my short story “Crawl” and was selected as Best Anthology in Preditors and Editors Readers’ Poll 2016 — is now available in audio format; you can pick it up here: http://a.co/hP5G4l5
IF YOU ARE A REVIEWER, WE HAVE CODES AVAILABLE! Please reach out to me through my Contact Page.
With a Foreword by writer Rob Watts, Read the rest of this entry
DARK DISCUSSIONS contemplates LIFE
DARK DISCUSSIONS Masthead for Episode 279, LIFE, by Phillip Perron.
I won’t reveal too much about what we thought about the film (you’ll just have to listen to our episode on Stitcher, iTunes or right here: http://www.darkdiscussions.com/Pages/podcast_279.html), but there are some interesting articles about the movie’s realism floating around, one of which is here in Geekwire: https://www.geekwire.com/2017/alien-horror-movie-life-biology-space/
Life is now available on VOD and on Amazon here http://a.co/b7vDnJE and probably on other platforms.
TOT TERRORS: WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE’S EARS
I often get asked about what influences my work as a writer. Inspired by the amazing website Kindertrauma–which is right up my alley–I’m compiling all of my childhood (and some adult) terrors.
One of the things that lead to my becoming a writer was my extraordinary love of reading, and this was instilled in me by my parents, who read to me every night before bed and sometimes during the day (they also taught me to read before I was in kindergarten, so I could disappear into my room at any time and read on my own—which I’m sure they did for their benefit more than mine, actually).
I have a number of favorite childhood books, among them Rabbit and Skunk and Spooks, The Penguin that Hated the Cold, The Monster at the End of this Book, and The Courage of Sarah Noble (this last one was hugely popular in our area because it was about a real event in my hometown). Each left an indelible impression on me, but one that frightened me—but made me understand a few things about death, moving on, and taking responsibility for your actions—was called Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears.
The book, written by Verna Aardema and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, is a retelling of a West Read the rest of this entry
