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Office Vlog #1. A brief update about what's been going on.
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Thanks to those who recently joined Where the Corners Don't Square. As always, this month's installment offers an eclectic mix of personal blogs, some free fiction (this month, a short story, "On A Midnight Black Chessie"), Brian Keene's interview with me from The Horror Show, my most recent Cemetery Dance column, and my latest book reviews.
Also, a bit about my recent blogs. Though I'm not someone who makes a big deal about his Christian faith, the last three years I've been re-examining my life and re-evaluating my priorities, and one of those priorities which has come under my own scrutiny is my personal faith and relationship with God. This has led me to pondering what it means to be a Christian while writing in the horror genre, a lot more openly that I used to.
However, rest assured: the goal of these musings will never be evangelical in nature, and I'll never proselytize to you through this newsletter, or my blog. As always, I'm merely sharing with my readers some of what's been going on in my head, as I continually pursue the art of telling stories, while trying to balance my pursuit of this art with other priorities - some of them emerging and growing - in my life.
Enjoy the newsletter!
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Free Fiction - "On A Midnight Black Chessie"
Bradley’s train layout filled over half his basement, its wooden tablework skirted with blue cloth that just touched the floor. Underneath he stored his supplies and extra parts. Unused rolling stock: boxcars, flat cars, oil tankers, engines and cabooses. Boxes of automobiles. Unassembled houses, gas stations, stores and warehouses. Miles of track....
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Brian Keene interviews me on The Horror Show as we talk about writing horror and my faith.
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Blog: I'm Okay, Really I Am....
So it occurred to me that my last blog post may've come off a little...out there. Spacey. Might leave folks wondering if I'm in the middle of an existential crisis. Anyway, I just wanted to add a little note that, not to worry, I'm fine.
It's just that...the last three years haven't always been so fun. I imagine many folks who chase an artistic dream - like I have been - are eventually forced to come to grips with how they've been chasing their dream, and if it's been healthy or not.
And, I've just recently come to the conclusion that my dogged pursuit of writing the past ten years eventually turned toxic, and decidedly unhealthy. Along those lines, I realized a startling truth this morning: I didn't have to write to be happy, today. In fact, I didn't feel like writing, and my day would actually be better at work (teaching) if I chose NOT to write this morning.
I didn't need to write this morning to feel happy.
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Three years ago, on the outside, I looked great. On the inside? I was toxic. Insecure. Jealous. Obsessed. Desperate to “make my mark.” What if I never attained my dreams? What if my “progress” shriveled up and stopped, and people “forgot” about me?
And then, with a mighty swipe, God swung his ax and took a gigantic bite out of the tree of my dreams...
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"Revelations" at Cemetery Dance Online: The Pines, by Robert Dunbar
....along came The Pines. It offered me a monster—The Jersey Devil—and the opening sequences certainly seemed the standard opening chapters of a “monster” novel. A young woman lost in the woods, stalked by something horrible, something bestial…something which hungered for her flesh. The action was violent and visceral, as would be expected—though written with precision and care.
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I don't often read post-apocalyptic novels - even less so post-apocalyptic novels involving a "vampire virus." Like zombie novels, or vampire/werewolf novels, they too often fall into cliche. ....
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Most Recent Reviews:
I'm never going to be upset when someone compares my work to The Twilight Zone:
If you are a fan of the original Twilight Zone show, this is a must-read!
Fellow author Glenn Rolfe has some wonderful things to say about my new short story collection, Things You Need:
"THINGS YOU NEED is one of the best books I've read this year. Full of heart, character, and Twilight Zone creepiness, you have to add THINGS YOU NEED to your bookshelf..."
So incredibly pumped to see this review of Things You Need from the acclaimed horror site This is Horror...
"... the way Lucia creates his worlds and their inhabitants is masterful. And the way he crafted the book as a whole, using each story to not only entertain the reader but reveal a little of the narrator’s character before his emotional conclusion, is especially well done. We’ll be returning to Clifton Heights in the future."
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One book I wish would get more attention is my coming of age novella, A NIGHT AT OLD WEBB. It's not horror, (which why I think it doesn't capture much attention), with only the slightest supernatural twist.
This snippet of a recent review is a good reflection of what kind of story it is: "This tale takes us back to a summer in Kevin's past, and an event that happened which changed his entire outlook on the future. To tell much more of this story would be giving it away. The beauty lies in Lucia's prose, descriptions, and the inherent emotions expressed by our characters. There is a deeper meaning underlying the words that seeps into our minds as we go along this journey."
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"... an entertaining collection, an exploration both of social morality and situations with dark suggestions of Lovecraft-style creatures, scuttling just out of sight. There’s a very traditional feel to this collection; it’s old school ‘horror’ not modern spatter-shock. It echoes Stephen King, especially in its small-town setting, where young people on the cusp of adulthood encounter the creeping things which normally exist just out of sight." - Murder, Mayhem, and More
Saw two great recent reviews here and here for my novella quartet, Through A Mirror, Darkly. Though I could never hope to touch the work of Charles L. Grant, this was my poor attempt at a homage to his wonderfully enthralling Oxrun Station quartets.
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Thank you, as always, for your support. I hope everything is well with everyone, and if you have any ideas how to improve this newsletter, or elements you might want to see, feel free to contact me and let me know!
Kevin Lucia
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