Tobias Fünke clip courtesy of Insert Me Anywhere.

David James Keaton (Fish Bites Cop)
Brandon Tietz (Out of Touch)
Fred Venturini (The Samaritan)
J David Osborne (Low Down Death Right Easy)
Salvatore Pane (Last Call in the City of Bridges)

Please use the Facebook event page to RSVP, so they can get an accurate head count, because we’ve got our own area in the bar. The event itself is free, but not whatever comestibles you shove or pour down your gullet. It makes me proud to see people are driving and flying in from all over the country, as it’s not just about the authors, but a gathering of the literati and attendant book nerds. Sexy, sexy nerds.

I’ll be around the Loop from Friday night until Sunday sometime, if you’re looking to hang or say hey. See ya there! Oh, and here’s my interview episode from last summer.

B&B Ep 6: Gordon Highland/Winebox



Books and Booze LIVE in St. Louis!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
6:30 pm

Cicero’s
6691 Delmar Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63130

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Usually, this is where I would regale you with tales of torporific panels led by respected authors, new writerly techniques learned, rockstar-studded reading events, and sweaty hands shook. This recap will contain none of those. Okay, very few of those.

AWP is a yearly conference for writers, publishers, and writing programs. I’ve written about it before. Ten thousand literati descend upon some unsuspecting city, touting their wares and knit caps (my inbound flight featured a redolence of patchouli and a dearth of cosmetics), hungry to discover forbidden knowledge that’ll land them an agent or faculty position. Difference being, this year, I—and most of my peers—forewent the conference proper. We were there just for the hang, having burned ourselves out on its formalities in years past. Lodging next to the conference, we benefited from a contact buzz, and planned for many off-site hybrid events. Instead, we mostly kept our own company, while inviting along a few of our favorite, more-dedicated attendees.

When I say “we,” I refer to the ManArchy magazine staff. We come from various factions and intersecting circles, but ManArchy’s the one that unites most of us these days. That group includes folks from Booked. podcast, Perfect Edge Books, and LitReactor, among many. We enjoy one another’s company in more than just a professional capacity; we’re those people you find at the party congregated out on the patio deciding the fates of nations. AWP’s social opportunities were more appealing to us than its academic or creative ones. At least this year.

One official event did manage to transpire on our watch, which was a joint reading by authors from Perfect Edge and Lazy Fascist presses, held at an upscale poster gallery wary of such a hedonistic presence. I was enlisted as a last-minute emcee, and Caleb J Ross live-streamed its video to shut-ins worldwide. That’s embedded below (the audio cuts out in the first couple of readings, then returns for the remainder), and Booked’s audio recordings will be shared during their next few episodes. UPDATE: Part One | Part Two

The only other official haps was the free-to-the-public bookfair, whose entirety I walked while stopping only at a handful of tables to buy from and commiserate with such authors as Rob Roberge, Matt Bell, and Cameron Pierce. After all that indoor lone-wolf hiking (my peeps bailed early), I got lost for an extra two miles of downtown wandering.

I always joke that I’m excited to try chain restaurants in other time zones, and the area near the Prudential Center provided plenty such opportunities, whether it was The Cheesecake Factory, Coldstone Creamery, Five Napkin Burger, or Pinkberry. It felt like home. (Where’s that damned sarcasm font?) Our first night in town, we proceeded to get wicked shit-hammered in a tavern called Bukowski’s, but much of the off hours were spent lazing and blazing (okay, maybe hazing) in a hotel suite we rented to serve as the group’s social hub, often punctuated by the shushings that failed to repel the noise police before their multiple interventions. Also, the two feet of snow I thought I’d left at home in Kansas City followed me to Boston, making for some nasty excursions, limited as they were.

Highlight of the trip? The collected tweets of so many of our random utterances. I also got to meet people from as far away as The Netherlands, for better or worse.

Some quality photos below, courtesy of Lindielu, and you can also see some cellphone snaps in my Facebook gallery.

The February 2013 issue of Word Riot features my flash-fiction* story “Speed Ramp,” about a homeless Indian boy with a flanging disorder, wherein his perception of time speeds and slows. It was partly inspired by the music video for “Guttersnipe” by Bhi Bhiman (below), which you may as well peep first—don’t worry, no spoilers there. Also, because it’s how they roll at Word Riot, you can listen to me read the story to you as well, for a multi-sensory experience.

Coincidentally, the last piece I had published online also contained Indian themes and was flash-length. Hmm …

In other news, The Booked. Anthology has announced their complete lineup (including me). Some heavy hitters in there, for sure. More on that nearer its publication date. And as always, you can find all my published short stories (and some exclusives) linked here.

* Flash fictions are also known as short-shorts, are under 1000 words, and often eschew traditional story structure, being more of a scene or vignette as opposed a complete story arc. They’re great for reading on the john.

Recently, I re-vamped this beast with a gnarly, Zeppelin-esque guitar tone, layered in some organ for color, beefed up the mix, and now share the definitive version with you. It’s my first song where I feel like all the elements really gelled equally, from the lyrics and melody to the performance and production.

If that track does it for you, please check out other Winebox jams (originals and covers) via BandPage, ReverbNation, or SoundCloud, share them, and be sure to Like us on Facebook for updates.

Also visit my Music page right here on this site to listen and learn more about my other projects, or even take a studio tour.

Leah Rhyne, author of the Undead America series, lowered her Louisville Slugger and caught her breath long enough to ask me some writerly questions over at her site (apologies if you were expecting reversed roles; I never know how to word these things). We gnawed on such fleshy topics as sadistic plotting, choosing your own adventures, and nonautobiography, among others. Get clicky and sate your appetite for brains. Then be sure to check out her latest e-book, Zombie Days, Campfire Nights. Of course, if you haven’t read my Flashover yet, stop whatever you’re doing and remedy that, for Christ’s sake.

I first crossed paths with Leah in the LitReactor community, where we’re both competing in a bracketed short-fiction contest over the course of several months. Should we happen to meet in the final match, we’ll suspend our friendly façade and the gloves will come off for the duration. It will end in tears—though whose, I cannot yet say.

Author Interview: Gordon Highland

Other recent interviews:
Carbon-Based Lifeform Blues
Curiouser and Curiouser
Books and Booze

Look for other flash-length frights from Richard Thomas, Chris Deal, Bob Pastorella, Michael Paul Gonzalez, Caleb J Ross, Craig Wallwork, and Put Pujolas.

This web zine should top your bookmarks list, with several new weekly articles sure to entertain men and women alike, so please share/Like the ones you dig to help us spread the word. And while you’re there, peep my ongoing Telecine film/TV column.

As always, you can find all my published short stories (and some exclusives) linked here.

The former Outsider Writers Collective recently torched their old site and, rising from its ashes, re-dubbed themselves OW III. [EDIT: Since posting this, they've taken the name Carbon-Based Lifeform Blues.] Long ago, they were kind enough to take a chance on this tyro scribe, reviewing my then-unsung debut novel, Major Inversions. Recently, whilst surveying my vast fictional empire and basking in its accumulated golden chattel of the intervening years, guilt overcame me, reminding me of the importance in giving back. Thus, I granted them an audience in the form of a (semi-exclusive, many holes barred, legally-vetted) interview: an “after photo” of sorts.

Pela Via, renowned editor, leader of men, and all-around swell gal, handles the interrogation. Through my confessions, you’ll learn about evangelical terrorism, assholic TSA screeners, and my description of a sexual encounter with Minka Kelly (total cochlea tease).

“Music to Def Ears”: An Interview with Flashover Author Gordon Highland

Other recent interviews:  Curiouser and Curiouser and Books and Booze

Special thanks to OW III’s “expert amateur” Caleb J Ross.

The first Noir at the Bar volume was one of the year’s best-selling books in St. Louis, as well as a Spinetingler award-winner for best cover, so when I was invited to take part in the live-reading series of its namesake last winter, I of course hopped the first thing smokin’ and doused myself in alcohol for the occasion. Here’s a recap of the event.

Volume Two, once again collected and edited by noir czars Jedidiah Ayres (A F*ckload of Shorts) and Scott Phillips (The Ice Harvest) features well-known crime/noir authors as well as emerging ones, none of whom should be entrusted with your liquor cabinet or spouse’s company or firearms. Which also means I’m humbled to share pages with them. In addition to selections from Ayres, Phillips, and myself, the other contributors include:

Duane Swierczynski
John Rector
Benjamin Whitmer
Frank Bill
Hilary Davidson
Fred Venturini
Caleb J Ross
Jane Bradley
Les Edgerton
David James Keaton
John Hornor Jacobs
Robert J. Randisi & Christine Matthews
Jesus Angel Garcia
Matthew C. Funk
Cortright McMeel
Kevin Lynn Helmick
Mark W. Tiedemann
Nate Flexer
Glenn Gray
Matthew McBride
Aaron Michael Morales
Jason Makansi
Tim Lane
Nic Young
Sonia L. Coney
Erik Lundy
Jon McGoran

Booked podcast reviews the anthology in Episode 109. Also see their previous three episodes for interviews with the linked authors above.

As always, here’s where you can find all my published short stories.

Combining two of my favorite things into one of my favorite new podcasts. Sensing that some of their former guests (though entertaining and knowledgeable) had been far too sober given its namesake, for my appearance this week, I took it upon myself to lower my inhibitions, articulation, grammatical skill, and possibly good judgment by way of some very strong beer before, during, and after the recording. Did I pick a fight or get gropey with their sisters? Break down in blubbering, sniveling tears? You’ll just have to listen for yourself.

I can tell you that we covered lots of ground, both writerly and musical, including discussion of the jawbone as an instrument, the rise of transgressive fiction, performing cover songs, genre-hopping, and lapsed Catholicism. You’ll want to bookmark this site, as other/future guests include horror legend Jack Ketchum (The Girl Next Door), Lidia Yuknavitch (The Chronology of Water), and Patrick Wensink (Broken Piano for President), among so many talented others.

Thanks so much to the wonderful hosts Renee Asher Pickup, Dakota Taylor, and Jessica Taylor for having me on and carrying my inebriated ass out to that taxi, and a special fist-bump to the LitReactor community for helping put it together.

UPDATE: 382 listens … not bad!