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On the Hierophant Road–New Story Collection!

Far ahead down this strange and winding road await fourteen visions of alternate realities. Worlds of the distant past and the far future. Worlds where people forget they possess the power to fly, where artists’ creations overtake their creators, and where the bond of human and machine defines existence. Worlds where magic changed history, reality runs fluid, and planets imprison terrible secrets. Worlds within worlds where technology makes people into ghosts who possess bodies, where refugees from another dimension shatter everyday life, and where answers to the mysteries of existence lie on the far side of an all-encompassing darkness.

From a forgotten sitcom about walruses to the truth behind an interplanetary war, from the steampunk streets of New Alexandria to an enigmatic flood world where people surrender themselves to things that live beneath the water, each of these stories marks a single stop….on the Hierophant Road. Featuring the all-new novella, “Long the Night and Low the Flame.”

Order from Raw Dog Screaming Press. (Preorder here for signed hardcovers.)

Order from Amazon.com.

Order from Barnes and Noble.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“Chambers enthralls with this disquieting and eclectic collection of bizarro tales which span the galaxy, the ages, and the human psyche, On the Hierophant Road reasserting his role as a veritable master of new pulp.”—Lee Murray, two-time Bram Stoker Award®-Winner and author of Grotesque: Monster Stories

“…the work really sings when its weirdness is married to narrative tropes readers know well. Readers searching for something unexpected will find a lot to admire in this ambitious, inventive collection.” —Library Journal

“These tales are united by their slightly askew proximity to reality with just enough detail to immerse readers in the well-built worlds and sympathetic protagonists, both of which drive each story. All are satisfyingly unsettling, with tones ranging from existential terror to an uneasy sense of awe. For fans of the new breed of dark-speculative-fiction writers who actively play with genre confines to create reads that are inventive, thought-provoking, and creepily fun…” —Booklist starred review, Becky Spratford

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Shadows Over Main Street 2

Artist Luke Spooner created this rich and evocative illustration for my story in the forthcoming anthology, Shadows Over Main Street 2. Much of my tale, “A Song Left Behind in the Aztakea Hills,” is grounded in research I did in my hometown, Northport, and mixes a fair bit of fact with its fiction regarding the time Jack Kerouac spent here in the 60s. I went out on a limb with this one narratively as well so it’s very close to my heart. Edited by D Alexander Ward and Doug Murano, Shadows should be published later this year.

Art by Luke Spooner for “A Song Left Behind in the Aztakea Hills,” forthcoming in Shadows Over Main Street 2.

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“In Wolf’s Clothing”–The Twisted Steampunk Fairy Tale Your Mother Never Read to You

My latest short story, “In Wolf’s Clothing,” will appear in Gaslight and Grimm next month. A dark (and sexy!) steampunk retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood,” it also continues my Machinations Sundry short story cycle.

Once Upon a Time… ageless tales were told from one generation to the next, filled with both wonders and warnings. Tales of handsome princes and wicked queens, of good-hearted folk and evil stepmothers. Tales of danger and caution and magic…classics that still echo in our hearts and memories even to this day, told from old, cherished books or from memory at Grandma’s knee.

Oh yes, tales have been told…but never quite like these. Order here!

GaslightGrimm_Gold Leaf
Journey With tales by James Chambers ~ Christine Norris ~ Bernie Mojzes ~ Danny Birt ~ Jean Marie Ward ~ Jeff Young ~ Gail Z. and Larry N. Martin ~ Elaine Corvidae ~ David Lee Summers ~ Kelly A. Harmon ~ Jonah Knight ~ Diana Bastine ~ Jody Lynn Nye.with through the pages of Gaslight and Grimm to discover timeless truths through lenses polished in the age of steam.

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New Release: The Society for the Preservation of CJ Henderson

Last year, when my good friend CJ Henderson was diagnosed with lymphoma, many of his friends, fans, and colleagues rallied to help him and his family through a difficult, horrible time. Several fund-raising efforts were launched, including one spearheaded by Danielle Ackley McPhail, The Society for the Preservation of CJ Henderson. Over the course of several months, several thousand dollars were raised and directed to CJ and his family to help defray medical bills and everyday costs while CJ was unable to write or attend conventions, his primary source of income. The Society anthology was intended as a fundraiser, with all proceeds to go to CJ and his family, and as a tribute from CJ’s friends in recognition of all the years of friendship, support, and mentorship CJ shared with us.

Sadly, CJ passed away on July 4, 2014, before the anthology was completed.

Thanks to tireless efforts of Danielle and co-editor Greg Schauer, though, The Society for the Preservation of CJ Henderson has now been published by eSpec Books and all proceeds will continue going to help CJ’s family recover from medical expenses and keep on their feet.

My story, “Every Second of Every Day,” was inspired by one of my favorite stories of CJ’s, “All Around the Mulberry Bush.” It happens to be CJ’s first Monkey King story, and it was published in Weird Trails, an anthology which also included my first published piece of short fiction, “The Last Stand of Black Danny O’Barry.” CJ helped me connect with the editor and encouraged me while writing the story, so in that sense, my piece for the Society anthology comes back full circle to my short fiction beginnings. The title comes from one of the principles by which CJ lived, the idea being that we are free at any moment to choose another path, to be who we want to be or not, and that every second of every day, we make that choice. It’s a powerful idea that has stayed with me a long time, and I hope the story does it justice.

Other contributors include  John L. French, Jean Rabe, Patrick Thomas, David Boop, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jeff Young, Leona Wisoker Robert M. Price–and featured is a previously unpublished story by CJ Henderson. Jason Whitley provided illustrations for all of the stories, and Ben Fogletto painted the covercover_societyCJH_lrg.

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New Release: Shadows Over Main Street

cover_shadowsmain_lrgMy story, “Odd Quahogs” was recently published in Shadows Over Main Street, edited by Doug Murano and D. Alexander Ward. It fits into my cycle of Knicksport tales, a series of Lovecraftian stories and novellas interconnected by small town on Long Island with a horrific history, most richly explored in my novella collection, The Engines of Sacrifice.

I wrote a “behind-the-scenes” piece about the background of the story and Knicksport over on the anthology website.

Legendary horror author Ramsey Campbell wrote the introduction and the work of many excellent authors is featured, including Nick Mamatas, Lucy Snyder, Josh Malerman, Rena Mason, Stephanie Wytovich, Kevin Lucia, Chesya Burke, Brian Hodge, Mary SanGiovanni, Tim Curran, Aaron Polson, T. Fox Dunham, Richard Thomas, Gary Braunbeck, Adrian Ludens, Cameron Suey, Lisa Morton, Jay Wilburn, and John Sunseri.

“Shadows Over Main Street demonstrates most convincingly that fear lurks in our towns and villages, in darkened alleys, and in the shadowy human heart. This anthology represents a dynamic cross section of contemporary horror.” –Laird Barron, Bram Stoker Award winning author of The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All

“Shadows Over Main Street is a masterful blend of stories fit for both die-hard Lovecraft fans and readers new to the genre. Each and every tale is wickedly delicious.” –Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Fall of Night and V-Wars.

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Qualia Nous / An Anthology of Psy-PhyH0rr0r

To be published by Written Backwards later this year, Qualia Nous will include my story, “The Price of Faces,” part of an incredible line-up of fiction from some of today’s best horror and sci-fi writers. This one will also feature “The Jaunt” by Stephen King, marking the first time I’ve shared a table of contents with the master of modern horror. A genuine thrill! Editor Michael Bailey continues his streak of producing high quality anthologies. More information soon about publication date, price, and so on, but for now prepare for fiction from Max Booth III, Gary Braunbeck, Jason V Brock, Patrick Freivald, Erinn Kemper, Usman T. Malik, Rena Mason, Lori Michelle, Thomas F. Monteleone, William F. Nolan, Gene O’Neil, Lucy Snyder, Richard Thomas, and many others.

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QualiaNous_cover2

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“The Flying Rock” Coming in May in Bad-Ass Faeries: It’s Elemental

Back in the summer of 2011 I wrote a story called “The Flying Rock.” It’s one of my favorite things I’ve written.

It’s part pure fantasy, drawing on classic faerie lore and legend, on Ariel, the faerie queen of the winds, and her dark counterpart, the queen of storms. And it’s part portrait of a father struggling to help his children grow up while his family crumbles around him. And on a another level, it’s deeply personal story about the beauty of childhood and the price we all pay to grow up. I’ve been eager to see in print since I first sent it off to my editor almost three years ago.

Well, the wheels of publishing sometime move at a crawl, but move they do, and Bad-Ass Faeries: It’s Elemental, the fourth volume in the BAF series, will be published this May. I’m thrilled to be in another BAF book and grateful to my editors–Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jeff Lyman, L. Jagi Lamplighter, and Lee C. Hillman–for keeping the series going and letting me be a regular part of it. Dark Quest Books will be launching it this in May, with a fantastic line-up of stories from many talented authors. I hope to have an excerpt from “The Flying Rock” to post soon. In the meantime, here’s the cover and the final table of contents.

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Earth Elementals

Kimberley Long-Ewing — Spin, Weave, and Measure

Jagi Lamplighter — On Rocky Ground

Judi Fleming — Friends in Dark Places

Air Elementals

James Chambers — The Flying Rock

Danny Birt — To Thy Sylph Be True

Danielle Ackley-McPhail — Ride Like the Wind

Fire

DL Thurston — The Face of the Serpent

James Daniel Ross — The Legend of Buck Cooper and the Child of Fire

James R. Stratton — Ties That Bind

Water Elementals

Patrick Thomas — Looking a Gift Horse

NR Brown — Melia’s Best Wave

Bethany Herron — Fairyland Local 2413

Spirit Elementals

Jody Lynn Nye — Fifteen Percent

Keith R. A. DeCandido — Undine the Boardwalk

Lee C. Hillman — Bad Blood

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New Anthology: Chiral Mad 2

Seeing my story, “Mneomonicide,” published in Chiral Mad 2 among the work of so many other great and accomplished writers gives me a wonderful–and thrilling–feeling. Editor Michael Bailey has assembled an astounding collection of fantastic, short, psychological horror fiction here, with all profits from sales of the book to go directly to Down syndrome charities. I’m very pleased and proud to be part of this book. It’s a win-win-win for everyone involved–we writers get to be part of a beautiful anthology, you readers get to enjoy a feast of fine fiction, and together we all raise some money for a good cause. That’s the genius of Michael Bailey at work. I hope you’ll give Chiral Mad 2 your support. It’s now available on Amazon and would make a great gift for all your friends and loved ones who need a little good, dark fiction to take the edge off their holiday cheer.

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In keeping with the theme of the anthology, all the stories involve an element of chirality–the property of asymmetry, which exists when an object does not match its mirror image. Human hands are one example. You can learn more at chirality.org. Each author wove this concept into their stories.

With an introduction by Michael Bailey, Chiral Mad 2 includes:

  1. Another Man’s Bones – Mason Ian Bundschuh
  2. Mnemonicide – James Chambers
  3. Flowers Blooming in the Season of Atrophy – Max Booth III
  4. The Counselor – Mort Castle
  5. Dear Boy – John Biggs
  6. Interference – Andrew Hook
  7. Picture-in-Picture – Dustin LaValley
  8. When I Was – Thomas F. Monteleone
  9. Tight Partners – Gene O’Neill
  10. Approaching Lavender – Lucy A. Snyder
  11. Orange is for Anguish, Blue for Insanity – David Morrell
  12. In the Eyes of the Beholder – Ann K. Boyer
  13. Empathy – John Skipp
  14. Versions – E. L. Kemper
  15. The Tended Field of Eido Yamata – Jon Michael Kelley
  16. Playing with Fire – Richard Thomas
  17. Indian Summer – Philip C. Perron
  18. Blood Women – Usman T. Malik
  19. Whitechapel – P. Gardner Goldsmith
  20. The Chute – Gary McMahon
  21. Scavenging – Kevin Lucia
  22. The Word – Ramsey Campbell
  23. Welcome Home, All You Uninvited – Erik T. Johnson
  24. The Geminis – John Palisano
  25. A Guide to Etiquette and Comportment for the Sisters of Henley House – Emily B. Cataneo
  26. The Right Thing – Jack Ketchum
  27. Passing Affliction – Patrick O’Neill
  28. The Great Pity – Gary A. Braunbeck
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Dogs of War–Defending the Future, Volume VI

Catching up on some recent releases, my short story, “Father of War,” was published last month in Dogs of War, the sixth volume in the Defending the Future anthology series edited by Mike McPhail. This volume is dedicated to military working dogs, and my story, which features a team of cybernetically enhanced solider dogs, is a thematic sequel to and set in the same universe and conflict as “Mother of Peace,” my story in Defending the Future, Volume III, By Other Means. With the exception of DTF Volume IV, No Man’s Land, which spotlighted only women writers, my stories have appeared in every volume of DTF. The award-winning series is well worth a look if you like military science fiction.

Defending the Future, Volume VI. Cover art by McP Digital Graphics.

 
Defending the Future, Volume VI. Cover art by McP Digital Graphics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!”

They have fought for us for centuries, not because of the ideals of service to King and Country, but out of unwavering loyalty and devotion to their human Masters. The future, it would seem, is no better than the past, as some animals become expendable weapons, or augmented semi-machines, while others receive the honor and dignity of being treated as fellow soldiers.

In tribute, we bring you seventeen new stories of our animal comrades-in-arms.

Featuring: David Sherman, Bud Sparhawk, Brenda Cooper, James Chambers, Judi Fleming, CJ Henderson, Tony Ruggiero, Christopher M. Hiles, Janine K. Spendlove, Jeff Young, Patrick Thomas, Edward J. McFadden III, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Peter Prellwitz, Eric V. Hardenbrook, Robert E. Waters, and Danielle Ackley-McPhail.