What's New

June 25, 2009
RECENT UPDATES

On June 13, the 2009 Stoker Awards were given to those works published in 2008. Since I didn't make the final ballot, I didn't win. It's okay, though, like I said, to make the long list is still a very big deal for me. So while I didn't win, I've lost nothing. And I'm very happy that Sarah Langan did take the short story Stoker, because she can write circles around me.

In other news, I finished the novel on the 31st of March. I changed the name from Jackson Breakdown to Blood Grove. I think Blood Grove may resonate with my target market, and may grab people from supermarket shelves.

Lastly, in response to some folks asking, "Where can we read your stuff?" I've added a list of free stories I have on the web (see right) as well as an additional one that unfortunately is not free, but is well worth the download. It's the beginning of Nick and Lysette's adventures, the story that gets them together and puts them on the road. I'd get it if I were you.

March 15, 2009
THREE BITS OF GOOD NEWS

First, "These Eyes" is a contender for Stoker nomination. It made the preliminary ballot -- which means it passed the first cut, but it has to make the second -- primary voting -- to be nominated. This week we find out how it went. I've been kind of freaking out the entire time. This week we find out if I made the cut.

The way I look at it, I've already won. I made the preliminary ballot, and that's farther than I've ever gone. If I make a nomination, that's just icing on the cake.

The second is that "The Minimart, the Ruger, and the Girl" is up on Wily Writers,. And here is the direct URL for the story. This one was previously published in Thicker Than Water in 2005, and it's the first Nick story.

Third is that today, I reached a word count of 75,500 on the Nick and Lysette novel. I've changed the working title to Jackson Breakdown. I'll be finishing the rought draft this week and working to pretty up those first three chapters, you know, the money chapters.

So that's it. I'll do an update to let you know how it's going. If you want a day-to-day update, you can find Mark Worthen on Facebook or nitewanderer on Twitter.

December 4, 2008
WRITING, WRITING WRITING...

It's been a long year, and I've only updated a couple of times. I've had a few health problems, which are mostly corrected now, and a few other issues, which I'm in the process of dealing with.

In writing news, I just cleared word number 30,000 in the Nick and Lysette novel I've been working on. That's about 104 pages in dog years. I'm shooting for 85,000, but I'm pretty certain it's going to go above that, because in the process of writing, I've discovered two subplots and a new villain that don't appear in my outline. I'm as anxious as you are to find out what happens.

"These Eyes" (see below for a link to read it), has garnered four Stoker recommendations. It looks like it actually might be a contender for the ballot. We'll see.

There's a new short story in the works, which I'll begin as soon as I've gotten my grades together. The semester's nearing it's close, and I need to focus on the students, so that means limiting my writing to a few hundred words on the novel until that's out of the way. Grades are due at the close of next week, so for a month, I'll shift into high gear while the university is at rest.

Well, back to work on the book. There's an editor who wants to see it.

May 5, 2008
WOO HOO......

I know, I know. In my position as Stoker co-chair, I've told everyone in the HWA not to get overly excited when your story or book gets recommended for a Stoker, because all that means is one guy liked it enough to put it on the sheet.

But...

One guy liked my story enough to put it on the sheet! If you want to read it, it's here. If you like it, email me about buying the book it's in: Thinner Than Mist. I can give you a deal.

March 22, 2008
THREE TO GO, AND NOT A MOMENT TO SPARE

All three of the anthologies we've been working so hard on got put down this week. And with the World Horror Convention less than a week away, it's not a moment too soon.

J.P. Edwards was my coconspirator on all of these, and ever since they were announced, one at a time, we've been working like madpeople trying to get them finished up. Well, of course we finished our WHC grouping first, and within the deadline the printer had set for us. So what happens? At the last minute they (no names please, much as I'd love to) pull out of the deal and say they can't do it.

Lovely. Well, J. P. spent days on the phone and came through with a new printer who could do it at the last minute. Bravo!

The title is Desolate Souls, and I can't decide what's the best part of this anthology. I can't tell you who's in it yet, but I can show you the cover. Is it not awesome? I am so proud of this one.

The two other pieces we've been working on editing are companion pieces to Open Graves and Thinner than Mist (see right). Beneath the Stones is a second compilation of horror and dark fantasy from the Midwest Writers of Horror. While there is one specific piece Open Graves that I put in because I felt I had to, and will remove if I ever do a second print run, every single piece in Beneath the Stones is strong and entertaining. I'd like to think a couple are even Stoker-worthy. This is one that I'll be sending to WHC with pride. With one tiny exception: the cover itself is cool, but when you reduce it down to the small image you get here, the gravestone looks like a phallic symbol. Sigh.

Finally, there's Thinner Than Mist. Same four authors as Thicker Than Water, except, instead of vampire stories, we're talking ghost stories. Another awesome cover and set of strong stories! Look for it at WHC as well.

I've got three pieces in here, and they've been stories that I've been working on for years. Decades in one case. I don't know what my problem was with finishing these particular three. I started one of them, "Those Eyes," in 1995, and the first draft was just awful. Bad. I tried throwing it aside, but it turned out to be one of those stories that won't be left untold. It finally had its way out. I can't say I'm happy with the draft that turned out, but it's about 3,000 words shorter and a definite improvement. "Old Hippies, Duct Tape and Tough Choices" is a story I've been working on for nearly two years, and "With Black Curtains," I began two years ago as well. Last year was a bad year for writing for me.

Here's to 2008! There's one story I'm editing now that may be my best work yet. And I'm finally back to work on that darn novel.

January 4, 2008
NEW YEAR, OLD PLANS

So hear we are, Christmas season has passed us by, the new year has come and gone, we've returned all the stuff we didn't want or found out too late that someone already had, or heaven forbid, that we hid too well and never gave.

Now we're in that strange time of year where those of us who got paid early are now trying to make ends meet or trying to avoid post-season letdown or simply just trying to keep it going. I, for one, don't remember much of the holiday season. Did I drink or drug it away? Of course not. Those who know me well know I don't touch the stuff, but many of my vacation days just vanished in a blur of conflict and difficulty as my wife got fired from her job for Christmas for something she did not do. Hooray! A step forward for fair-minded people everywhere.

Fortunately, it looks like she may recover, but she's now connected with a startup business that some guy you may or may not have heard of is designing the web page for. Let me know if you have any ideas to make it better, and keep in mind, it is a work in progress. That's why there's no domain name.

Did I accomplish anything over the holidays? Not really. Am I working on anything now? Yes. Going to be finishing up Beneath the Stones (aka Open Graves II)this month and a couple of other anthologies that will be appearing (hopefully) before the World Horror Convention in March.

I'm well into a new screenplay right now, and still working on that Nick and Lysette novel. But before I can do that, I"ve discovered I have to finish up work on a Nick and Lysette short story before I can do that. This thing is growing from a short story into a novelette -- it's the tale that will not be completed! Maybe it'll be a novella and I won't have to write anything else for Thinner Than Mist. We'll see.

Well, friends and neighbors, that's about it for now. Talk to you soon!

November 10, 2007
LEARNING TO UPDATE...

This online presence thing is still new to me. I realize that's a silly thing for a webdesigner and an author to say, but it's true. I've got one foot in the Baby Boomer boat and the other in the Gen X boat, and neither of those ships is really quite hip to doing much besides sailing the web. Grabbing the tiller and steering is really a Generation Y and later thing, so it's hard to actually remember that there are people who only know me here in cyberspace. So for you, my friends old and new, I officially promise to do better at keeping updated, no matter how busy I get in the physical world.

So here are the updates: No new stories sold. No new business done. Tons of papers graded and several newsletters placed. I've been busier than a lunatic with my work at Lincoln and my teaching gig. That, and I've been placed on the Strategic Planning committee, and good golly, Miss Molly, is that a time consumer! No fear, that will be over soon. I'm also participating in National Novel writing month, so I should have the fleshless bones of a new Nick and Lysette novel by Decemberish. I started late, so I'm not really going to break my neck to finish by the first of December. I'm shooting for the eighth.

Wish me luck!

August 8, 2007
NASFiC WAS AWESOME!

I met a lot of cool people, met a guy who might be able to distribute my audio recordings of my stories, and learned a lot of amazing things about the universe. One very cool person beat me to one of them here.

NASFiC and Archon were the same con in the same place this year, and I hope to be able to go to Archon next year, since there'll be no Nasfic. For those of you not in the know, when WorldCon -- the World SF Convention -- is out of the country. It'll be in Japan this year, and Denver next. Right now, Canada and Kansas City are battling it out for WorldCon 2009. Obviously, I'd like to see KC get it because it's an easier drive.

July 30, 2007
A MIDSUMMER (well, close) NIGHT'S DRIVE...

After running around every weekend for the last three weeks, I can finally relax (sort of) this weekend and go to Archon, also known this year as NASFiC (see link at right), with only minimal additional running around. It's been quite a while since I was at a large convention, and it should be interesting.

Oh, and yes, I'll be selling books. Look for the Tigress table in the Dealer's room. I'll be helping to staff it.

And if you know my brother, wish him a happy birthday tomorrow.

July 4, 2007
NEWBORN TOPICS AND GRAVE PLOTS

The fourth of July 4 marked two landmarks for the 21^st century. The first is my daughter's 21^st birthday. Wish her well, everyone. Right here is where I'd normally embarrass her by discussing how in 1986, I could see the fireworks through the skylight in the birthing room minutes after she was born. As my firstborn in the wilderness, she was all the fireworks my life needed at that point in time. And after the nurse put her to sleep, and I could no longer stare at the miracle that was a new life on this planet, I reflected on that in front of a twilight zone marathon right there in the birthing room with her right next to me. But I won't embarass her by doing any of that. Not in any great detail, anyway. Hee.

The second was that I began assembling the stories for the second volume of tales from the Midwest Writers of Horror, which will not be entitled Open Graves II, though that is certainly the working title while in progress. This one will contain poetry as well as stories from that august body, and some great pieces they are. I am so looking forward to sharing them with you. There isn't one in there that I haven't thought carefully about including, and a few that are not there that I truly agonized over having to reject. It definitely represents a work of love, and so I wanted this volume to be perfect. I hope you'll agree.

June 1, 2007

LOST IN THE MISTS

I wasn't sure it was going to happen, but Tigress Press has requested a second volume of stories from the authors of Thicker Than Water. I'm hard at work writing and revising the three stories of mine that will go into it. You can see discussions of these

May 24, 2007
Master with No Servants

Well, it looks like once Chris Fulbright, redoes the HWA webpage, he's going to retire as HWA webmaster. Three guesses who's consented to succeed him.

April 21, 2007
Come Back Tomorrow and You Shall Find Me a Grave Man...

It's official. For those of you who have actually read Open Graves, there will be a second volume, but it doesn't look like it's going to carry the same title. I'll be editing it again, and hope you won't think me too crass if I put one of my own stories in it.

January 27, 2007
NEW STUFF

I started the South Beach a little under two weeks ago, and I've already lost 12 pounds. I hope to be able to fit into a smaller suit for World Horror in Toronto. The current plan is to go, but there are other things going on that month which may have to take precedence.

January 3, 2007
A FRIEND'S SUCCESS

A good friend of mine, Milton Grasle, just released his first collection, A Higher Place. It's available at Amazon.com. Trust me, you don't want to miss this one.

It's a collection of rather unique short stories

December 7, 2006
COOLNESS FROM THE EAST

Well, I didn't expect to be this excited about this, but I am. Quite some time ago, circa 2002, J and I wrote a story for a Taiwanese book company, Caves Books, to be used in their English teaching series. It's actually the first time I've been able to use my degree in English as a Second Language materials development because I actually got to write a bunch of exercises that go with it.

We hadn't heard from them since we signed the contract in 2003, and they said they'd had to put in on hiatus for a year. Well, in publisherese, that usually means, "We're strapped for cash," and we turned around and forgot about it, moving on to other projects. Turns out they weren't strapped at all, they were just waiting for other writers of other books in the series to finish things up.

A big box of books came in the mail today, and J and I tore into the box like little kids, examining each copy, marvelling that it came with a CD. We gave a copy to the folks at our favorite Mexican restaurant who know us. Great fun.

December 7, 2006
CAPTAIN'S LOG, SUPPLEMENTAL

It's Pearl Harbor Day. The anniversary of the day the Japanese forced the United States into World War II by attacking our nearest air force base while government envoys were in the process of negotiating in Washington DC.

The classic diversion strategy. And we fell for it.

October 11, 2006
ALEXANDRIA IT AIN'T, BUT IT'S A START

Today, the local branch of the library called. We left a copy of Thicker Than Water there and the acquisitions chief called us up and said, "This is a wonderful book. I especially loved "Maslow's Magic 8-Ball." That would by my story, thank you very much.

It's in the stacks now. Working on placing others. Watch for it at a library near you!

September 29, 2006
THE HONORABLE MARK WORTHEN...

Ellen Datlow (along with Kelly Link and Gavin Grant), in her definitive annual collection of the best fantasy and horror of the year has given two of my stories from Thicker Than Water an honorable mention.

Now, no, that doesn't mean I've gotten stories printed in the book, so don't rush out to buy a copy just for me, Beloved Reader. While it is an excellent collection of marvellous stories, my words aren't in it. That milestone is down the literary road. But a mention by Ellen Datlowis a very big deal. That means that I made the list of stories Not Quite Good Enough to be Included, but Not Quite Pedestrian Enough to be Left Out.

Thus the honorable mention.

And I can't tell you how stoked I am about it.

September 29th, 2006
Captain's Log Supplemental

It occurs to me that you might like to know what stories were in it. The first two stories in my Nick and Lysette cycle, "The Ruger, the Minimart, and the Girl" and "The Carrion Bird, the Angel of Death, and Me" were the two tales mentioned, and they are contained in Thicker Than Water, a collection of vampire-related tales described by Ms. Datlow as being written by "promising writers."

Last monkeyed with on July 4, 2009
Copyright © 1998-2009 Mark W. Worthen, all rights reserved

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KillerCon 2009