4 Upcoming Anthos

Pleased to report the full table of contents of Ellen Datlow's upcoming anthology SUPERNATURAL NOIR. Very proud to have my tale appear besides the work of so many uber-talented folks.

SUPERNATURAL NOIR, edited by Ellen Datlow
Introduction Ellen Datlow
The Dingus by Gregory Frost
The Getaway by Paul G. Tremblay
Mortal Bait by Richard Bowes
Little Shit by Melanie Tem
Ditch Witch by Lucius Shepard
The Last Triangle by Jeffrey Ford
The Carrion Gods in Their Heaven by Laird Barron
The Romance by Elizabeth Bear
Dead Sister by Joe R. Lansdale
Comfortable in Her Skin by Lee Thomas
But For Scars by Tom Piccirilli
The Blisters on My Heart by Nate Southard
The Absent Eye by Brian Evenson
The Maltese Unicorn by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Dreamer of the Day by Nick Mamatas
In Paris, In the Mouth of Kronos by John Langan

Look for the antho at some point next year. I'll, of course, report when I have more info.

Also: Bev Vincent had a little more information about the upcoming anthology SPECTERS IN COAL DUST, edited by Michael Knost. I hadn't heard who else was slated for the book, but Bev reports that besides me and him, the lineup will include Gary A. Braunbeck, Christopher Golden, Steve Rasnic Tem, Elizabeth Massie, Lee Thomas, Ronald Kelly, William Meikle, Nate Southard, Joshua Reynolds, Barbara Jo Fleming, Brian J. Hatcher and Michael Bracken. To be published this fall.

And: just received the gorgeous chapbook of Joe Lansdale's DREAD ISLAND, which is being used to promote CLASSICS MUTILATED, a new antho line coming from IDW. My tale "Benediction," about a hitman forced to deal with witches and a succubus in the form of Jayne Mansfield, will appear beside such fellow contributors as Joe Lansdale, John Shirley, Nancy Collins, Mike Resnick, Kristine Rusch, Thomas Tessier, Marc Laidlaw, and Rio Youers.

From the product description: "Monster Lit meets Remix Culture in IDW's all-new, all-original story collection by top talents from horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy scenes. IDW's first foray into genre prose takes the formula of "literary classic/historic figure + supernatural element" and drives a stake through its heart with fourteen brand-new stories, all written specifically for this collection, that transform the so-called Monster Lit movement in ways the mainstream could never imagine. Notable characters include Huck Finn, Capt. Ahab, Billy the Kid, Emily Dickensen, Jim Morrison, Edgar Allan Poe, and Albert Einstein."

Speaking of Joe Lansdale, he'll be editing a reprint anthology of supernatural/horror/crime/noir fiction entitled CRUCIFIED DREAMS. All I know about it so far is that it'll be out from Tachyon in early '11 and feature fiction by the likes of Joe Hisownself, Harlan Ellison, and David Morrell. He's taken a reprint of my novella "Loss," a noir-ghost story fusion that spotlights a talking monkey and the real creator of aluminum foil.

Here's the product description I nabbed from Amazon: "Crossing noir with the supernatural, this luridly visceral anthology attacks polite society and plunges into the unthinkable horrors lurking in its underbelly. Searching for some beauty in a time of increasing poverty and neglect, the desperate are all the more menacing, and in a brief moment, ordinary people turn into something far less human. Offering stylish yet savage tales of private dicks, serial killers, lurking demons, and femme fatales, these surreal and often bloody tales provide glimpses into sinister worlds that mirror our own. Boasting an intriguing assortment of stories from celebrated authors such as Harlan Ellison, David Morrell, and the infamous editor himself, each gritty and sensational undertaking proves that being human is a far cry from being civilized."

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Also, I just returned the line edits for my next novel THE LAST KIND WORDS to my editor at Bantam. Man, these people have some eagle eyes and caught a ton of small (and not so small) errors on my part. Big-time kudos to the editors and copyeditors who go all out to make the authors look so damn good.

LKW looks like it's slated for an April '11 release in trade paperback.