Author Insides: Richard J. O'Brien - Author of THE GARDEN OF FRAGILE THINGS

Interview with Richard J. O'Brien

Richard J. O'Brien was born in Camden, New Jersey. He served in the army, attended Rutgers University, and worked a variety of jobs before attending graduate school. In 2012, he received his MFA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Currently, the author lives in Pennsylvania and teaches English composition at Mercer County Community College, Rowan College at Gloucester County, and others.

His horror novel, The Garden of Fragile Things, releases today from Dark Alley Press, an imprint of Vagabondage Press.

Richard, what was your inspiration for The Garden of Fragile Things? 

The inspiration for this novel came from a dream. I was a boy again hanging out with some friends I had, and one of them had a hole in his chest. In my dream, my friend lifted his shirt to show me. He told me he could never go home again. That's where this tale began.

What inspired the title? 

For many years, owing to my Irish heritage, I was enthralled with old fairy stories. In Irish folk legends, things sometimes turned out bad for humans who experienced a brush with the fairy realm. The title for this novel came from thinking about a garden in which eldritch creatures were not kind to children.

How much of yourself and your childhood is represented by the main character?

The main character in this story is more a portrait of many boys I knew. Throughout the novel there are many violent scenes. As a child, I did not like violence in any of its permutations—physical, verbal, mental, or otherwise. In many ways, I am a bit like Joe Godwin and a bit like Bobby McMahon. Both characters share a thirst for knowledge to some degree or another. And like them I learned at an early age that there was power in books.

These four friends tend to get themselves into trouble now and then on their adventures. Did you have similar experiences with your friends growing up? If so, can you share a story with us?

Growing up, I got into trouble now and again the way most boys did. There were a host of people in my old town that we developed stories for the way the Swansons brothers in my novel did Mr. Von Braun. Also, the scene in which Joe takes Jack to a Catholic mass one Saturday afternoon was based on a true event that happened to me. I took a friend to mass when I was a boy. There were no cell phones. And everyone's phone numbers were listed. So by the time I got home that Saturday afternoon my father had heard all about it. In those days, part of good parenting was maintaining a loyal ring of spies. My father didn't raise hell over what had happened. He just told me that I would never take that friend to church again.

What was your favorite scene in The Garden of Fragile Things to write and why?

It's a relatively short scene, but in the beginning Marcella and her friends follow the boys to the dock on Granny Swanson's property. Granny Swanson in no uncertain terms lets the girls know what she thinks of them. The response Marcella's friend Annie gives to Granny Swanson's accusation is one that I could hear some girls from my old neighborhood saying.

Which was the most difficult and why?

The most difficult scene for me to write was when Bobby realizes his fate, and afterward Adele leads the other boys to the garden behind the mansion. What happens to the Swanson brothers there in the garden still haunts me.

What sort of research, if any, did you do for The Garden of Fragile Things?

A good amount research for this book had to do with the forest. I was born in Camden, NJ. I don't think I spent any length of time in the woods until I joined the army. What I spent most of the time researching for this novel was the mansion the boys find and ancient belief systems concerning birds and the souls of the dead.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

My earliest memory of making things up was when I was sitting on the stairs in my old house. My mother came into the hallway and asked me if I was talking to someone. I was, of course; though I never had a name for my imaginary friend. I began making up stories based on comic books when I was a little boy. Then I got my first library card. By the eighth grade, I was heavy into science fiction and fantasy and horror as well. I started writing stories around that time. It seemed healthier than maintaining a relationship with an imaginary friend. That sort of thing was frowned up, I guess. As children grow up, they are not allowed to have imaginary friends past a certain age. Personally, I always liked their company. So I created characters in stories.

Why do you write? 

I write because I love language. I love how characters act and react. I love that in real life and in stories people have all kinds of faults, and, for the most part, they endure no matter the hardship. But most of all I love creating a reality based on a premise or a situation, or even one particular character.

Is being a writer anything like you imagined it would be? 

It's better than I imagined it. There's a certain amount of rejection that comes with writing if you put your work out there. A writer has to be thick-skinned if they are going to submit their work for possible publication. One thing I have little tolerance for is hanging around with other writers for too long. It can be depressing. People think actors are fickle. Try joining a writers' group.

What do you think makes a good story?

A good story stays with you. It is a dialogue between the writer and the reader. We hear about 'voice' all the time in fiction. An authentic voice lends itself well to a good story. We know it when we read it. It's like when someone tells you a fantastic story. The story is so good you don't worry or wonder if it is at all true. The way a story is told makes it sound true. That helps to make a good story.

What's your favorite genre to read? 

I don't have a particularly favorite genre. There's good writing and there's bad writing. The writer's job is to read both over time so he or she learns the difference. As a teen I lived on science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Then when I got to college I had professors who more or less told me that those genres are not worthwhile pursuits if I wanted to be a serious writer. Never mind that these same professors taught Frankenstein or Fahrenheit 451, The Turn of the Screw or The Picture of Dorian Gray. It took a long time for me to come back around. I write stories and novels that satisfy me. If they are scary, so be it. If they are not, then that's fine.

Who is your favorite author or poet? 

Like most writers, I have many favorites. But if I had to make a list I would include Salman Rushdie, William Faulkner, Shirley Jackson, Jonathan Carroll, Toni Morrison, J.D. Salinger, Angela Carter, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Vladimir Nabokov, Thomas Pynchon...the list could go on and on.

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer? 

The summer after I left the army I read Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. That was the first time I thought seriously about writing a novel. There's something about the way that Hemingway put that novel together that made it seem so effortless. And of course I fell into the trap of thinking novel-writing would be easy. Before that, in my early teens, some of the old fantasy novels I had read like Michael Moorcock's Elric Saga and others like it moved me as a writer. Likewise, much of the early Stephen King novels (Cujo, The Stand, and the like) kept me enthralled. One book I return to almost every year since I had first read it is Boy's Life by Robert McCammon. People either hate it, or they love it. I am among the latter of those two categories.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person? 

When I read Nabokov's Lolita the first time I knew that I had so much to learn about writing. Thomas Pynchon's novels are the same way. Some people can make heads or tails out of Pynchon. For me, especially in Against the Day, there are few who can construct a sentence like him. Salman Rushdie was another writer who influenced me as a person. His Satanic Verses was such a work of the imagination. And Octavia's Butler's Kindred kept me awake for weeks after I read that novel.

Where/how do you find the most inspiration? 

Inspiration can come from anywhere. This particular novel's initial spark came in a dream. Sometimes I eavesdrop on people and just listen. The way other people construct sentences in their everyday speech is enough to inspire me. Other times I will read something in a magazine and think 'what if...' And still more often than not I hear voices as I am falling sleep. I find it best to let stories stew a bit before I put them down on paper.

What does your family think of your writing? 

My wife is supportive. Growing up, my parents loved to read. But it was other people who wrote, who painted, who composed songs, and such. My father always said find something practical (read: pay-worthy) to do with your life. I was never much for following advice of that kind. My brother once asked me long ago if I was going to be one of those guys with a closetful of manuscripts when I die. If there's a God, maybe.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I try to write every day. And when I do it's mostly at night. All writers have different schedules. For me, as long as I am working every day on something then I know I am doing something write.

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals? 

I don't like people reading over my shoulder when I write. Also, I write everything longhand first. Then I transcribe handwritten pages onto the computer. And I have favorite pens. I am superstitious about letting anyone else write with them.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? 

At times I find myself wanting to write big sprawling novels with a thousand characters in them. That can be a challenge. Also, research for a particular story can be challenging to me. At the same time it is rewarding...if that makes sense.

What are your current projects? 

Right now I am reworking a novel that concerns a man who pursues a young woman that might be purely a figment of his imagination after he's diagnosed with brain cancer.

What are you planning for future projects?

Some of my future projects a novel about a university professor and the author he admires most, and how their worlds intertwine with each other, even though nearly a century separates them, when a series of strange events tear rents in the space-time continuum.

I might also revisit Franklin Forest depicted in The Garden of Fragile Things. Since I have completed this novel, I have been thinking about the girl Adele the boys meet at the mansion in the woods. I would like to write her story. And I would like to set another novel completely within the mansion in Franklin Forest...perhaps reveal the person who made the mansion and populated it with so many books and other curios.

Also, my wife recently challenged me to write a novel about aliens who abduct a heroin-addicted vampire and what might happen to a vampire in throes of addiction on a planet where none of its inhabitants have blood flowing through their veins, or even possess veins for that matter. It could be fun...

Do you have any advice for other writers? 

Write for yourself. It sounds like bullshit you'd read in a writing magazine, but it's true. And I would echo people like John Gardner and Toni Morrison when I say write the stories and the novels you would want to read. Another important thing to remember is to write every day. Always be working. Lastly, accept the fact that some works may shine while others are going to not as good. Whatever the case, never throw anything away. A character in one failed story may end up saving the day in another.

Where else can we find your work? 

My stories have appeared over the years online and in print at various magazines. And I am eager to publish my next novel. In the meantime, the best way to keep up with my writing pursuits is to visit me at obrienwriter.com or look for me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/richard.j.obrien.904) and Twitter (@obrienwriter).

In the late 1970s, Joe Godwin was just twelve years old, living in a working-class neighborhood. Plagued by bullies and a volatile home life, Joe spends his time with his three friends in search of adventure. The discovery of an abandon mansion during a simple camping trip in a state forest sets of a series of consequences in motion between the boys, inhabitants of the mansion, and the others who occupy the garden behind the colossal home. 

The Garden of Fragile Things is a literary dark tale that chronicles four boys’ coming of age against paranormal forces that operate between two worlds.

Read an except here. The Garden of Fragile Things is available at the VBP website, Amazon, B&N, and other fine book retailers. 

Present and Past - Guest Post from J.S. Watts

Present and Past

I am really pleased that this current stage of the blog tour celebrating the May launch of my paranormal novel, “Witchlight”, is being hosted by the Battered Suitcase Press blog of my publisher, Vagabondage Press.

Vagabondage are the people who, in the past, have had sufficient faith in me and my writing to publish two of my novels, first “A Darker Moon” and now, in the present, “Witchlight”. It gives me the opportunity, in the here and now, to thank them for their past trust and the mammoth and ongoing effort involved in designing, publishing and promoting a book and to say, “Thank you, guys. You rock!”

I love the way present and past so often come together, sometimes positively, sometimes not, but inevitably in an intriguing and fascinating way. Two sections of existence’s timeline, separated by months, decades or centuries, but influencing one another and combining to create and shape new events and occurrences.

Writing, whether a letter, a blog post or a novel, is a way of capturing the present and fixing it so that, however long ago something was written, it will always seem the present for someone reading it for the first time. My present thanks to Vagabondage for their past efforts will be available for you to read in your present for as long as this blog remains on line, even when this moment, as I am experiencing it, has long since faded into the past.

There is a coming together of past and present in “Witchlight”. The novel’s lead character, Holly, is content with her present at the start of the novel, but it turns out her past has been holding out on her. The birth mother she has never known, and was sanguine about not knowing, has gifted her magical witch powers. Moreover, these powers turn out to be stronger than anyone initially realised, so the secrets of the past suddenly become rather pressing in the present and the present is dramatically changed for Holly because of them.

Holly, supported by her fairy godfather, goes in search of her and her biological parents’ past. In the present, however, something is stirring: accidents start to happen, people die, Old Magic is on the hunt, but in the age-old game of cat and mouse, just who is the feline and who is the rodent?

After the initial fun and amusement of discovering her magical powers, Holly has to learn the hard way that, in a world fuelled by magic, appearances, and reality itself, can be magically deceptive and trust can be difficult, if not downright dangerous.

Before the novel ends Holly will discover the truth of her birth, find love (and struggle to keep it) and learn that a darkness begun centuries before has shaped her past and is now influencing her present.

“Witchlight” is a book set in contemporary Britain, but in a world grounded in the here and now, present and past come together in a conflagration of mystery, magic and (what else?) witchlight. 

About Witchlight: Holly has been mortal all her life. Now at thirty-eight, her fairy godfather arrives to tell her she’s a witch, and suddenly she's having to come to terms with the uncertainties of an alarmingly magic-fuelled world. Magic is not like it is in the books and films, and Holly starts to doubt whether her fairy godfather, Partridge Mayflower, is the fey, avuncular charmer he appears.

When appearances are magically deceptive, Holly cannot afford to trust those closest to her, including herself. Accidents start to happen, people die, Old Magic is on the hunt, but in the age-old game of cat and mouse, just who is the feline and who is the rodent?

About The Author: J.S.Watts is a British writer who lives and writes in the flatlands of East Anglia in the UK. Her poetry, short stories and reviews appear in a diversity of publications in Britain, Canada, Australia and the States. Her poetry collection, “Cats and Other Myths”, and subsequent multi-award nominated poetry pamphlet, “Songs of Steelyard Sue”, are published by Lapwing Publications. Her dark fiction novel, “A Darker Moon”, is published in the UK and the US by Vagabondage Press. Her second novel, “Witchlight”, is available at Amazon, B&N and other bookstores. You can find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/J.S.Watts.page or on her website www.jswatts.co.uk

Author Insides - Interview with Stacey Longo, Author of Ordinary Boy

Stacey Longo is the author of My Sister the Zombie and Secret Things: Twelve Tales to Terrify. Her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, including Shroud, Shock Totem, and the Litchfield Literary Review.

A former humor columnist for the Block Island Times, she maintains a weekly humor blog at www.staceylongo.com. Longo lives in rural Connecticut.

Her young adult novel, ORDINARY BOY, has been released today by Dark Alley Press.

What was the inspiration for Ordinary Boy?

I knew a boy in high school who was murdered by his stepfather. It always bothered me. I learned a little more about the actual case as an adult, and realized what I’d imagined had happened was much more interesting, so I decided to write that story instead.

Do you see any of your life in your book? If so, how?

Of course—I grew up in the eighties, so Curtis is growing up in a world I’m familiar with. Some of his memories—watching MTV, playing Atari, the People magazine with Rock Hudson on the cover—are certainly mine. And while his relationship with his sister is much different than the one I have with mine, the true moments of camaraderie they share are lifted right from my sister and me.

What was the hardest part of this book for you to write and why?

Killing off Curtis was terrible, even though I knew it was going to happen as soon as I started writing the book. I enjoyed Curtis so much as I wrote him—his sense of humor, in particular—that I considered letting him live. But his character and the story demanded he die, so I had to do it. It hurt, though.

As a female writer, why did you choose to have a male protagonist?

I wanted to stretch my writing chops. I had a pretty non-eventful childhood, and a story about a girl growing up in the eighties and developing a crush on the members of Duran Duran would be pretty boring. Writing about Curtis opened up a whole new world for me.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

I’ve always been a writer. I grew up on a dairy farm. When I was bored as a kid, I’d make up stories about the cows and pigs and cats on the farm. Then my friends started asking me to tell them these tales when they came over. I thought “Hey, maybe these stories aren’t just entertaining for me!” and started writing them down. I haven’t stopped since.

Why do you write? 

I can’t not write. It’s stress release, revenge, and entertainment all in one.

Is being a writer anything like you imagined it would be? 

Yes and no. I always thought I’d be like Fitzgerald or Capote, traveling in literary circles and being invited to fabulous parties where we’d discuss books and writing into the wee hours. Ha! But I do get to hang out with other writers and talk about writing, even if it’s on someone’s back porch over coffee. That’s all I can ask for.

What do you think makes a good story? 

Intriguing characters. Plots that aren’t transparent from page one. Well-written prose that makes me think long after I’ve finished the book.

What's your favorite genre to read? 

I read everything except romance and fantasy. Non-fiction, fiction, horror, history, true crime, mysteries . . . everything.

Who is your favorite author or poet? 

I’m a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe. And Erma Bombeck. Augusten Burroughs, Wally Lamb, Stephen King, Carl Hiaasen, Larry McMurtry, John Irving . . . it’s impossible to narrow it down to just one.

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer? 

Probably King and Bombeck. It’s impossible to write in the horror genre these days and not be influenced by the King. But growing up I also studied the clever nuances of effective humor, and I’ve re-read everything by Erma Bombeck several times.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person? 

Probably Bloom County by Berkley Breathed. I quote him daily. Nothing makes me laugh quite like an old Opus or Bill the Cat cartoon.

What does your family think of your writing? 

They’re mostly supportive. I have to be careful when I’m killing off a character in some horrible way to make sure that character doesn’t too closely resemble anyone I know, so as not to cause offense. But my family is my biggest cheerleading section.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing? 

I try to write every day, though it doesn’t always happen. And if something’s coming up that I don’t want to put down on paper—like Curtis’s death—I’m a huge procrastinator. I left Curtis hiding in the closet for weeks while I did more important things, like laundry.

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals? 

I require a lot of coffee while writing—several pots. And complete silence. My husband’s a talker, so it’s hard sometimes.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? 

Did I not mention my husband is a chatterbox?

I’m so fortunate, though, because I have an awesome support system in place. When I’m done with a story, I have several trusted writers I can send it to for critique, and they don’t pull any punches. They’re vital to my process, but when they’re all done, it’s rewrite time, which can be daunting.

What are your current projects? 

I just sold a YA novel, so I need to start the recommended edits on that from my publisher. And I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a novel about Penny Paradise, Curtis’s girlfriend. I thought I wanted to make it parallel to Ordinary Boy, but I’m about 10,000 words in and I think the story really wants to be about her as an adult.

Do you have any advice for other writers? 

Make sure you love writing, because otherwise, it’s not worth doing. And don’t quit your day job!

Where else can we find your work? 

On Amazon, of course, and wherever books are sold. Visit my website at www.staceylongo.com to order books, peruse anthologies I’ve been in, and get a weekly dose of all things Stacey on my blog.

His name is Curtis Price. Until his extraordinary death, he lives an ordinary life on the poor side of town in Osprey Falls, Maine with his mother and older sister. He is the boy that nobody sees, ignored in the shadows of the hallway. He is the kid that is picked last in gym. He is the student that is never called on in class to answer the question, and, after a while, he stops bothering to raise his hand.

It is not until his stepfather shoots him that he is finally—finally—noticed.

Before he meets his untimely end, let him start at the beginning of his tale.

ORDINARY BOY is available in digital and print from Amazon, B&N, iBooks, and other online retailers. 

New Release: Coming of Age Novel from Geoff Hyatt

Birch Hills at World's End

Geoff Hyatt

Birch Hills at World’s End begins between Detroit and nowhere, in 1999, when high school senior Josh Reilly senses an apocalypse approaching. Josh's unease increases as his privileged but disturbed friend Erik schemes in a journal he calls "The Doomsday Book," where he plots revenge against the suburbia he's learned to despise. When Lindsay, a sixteen-year-old famed for dramatic self-mutilation and questionable poetry, becomes Josh's girlfriend, Erik finds companionship in a circle of bikers and small-time meth traffickers. Josh, suspecting his friend Erik has become a competitor for Lindsay's affections, peeks into the Doomsday Book and is shocked by what he learns. A web of domestic strife, romantic rivalry, and millennial anxiety challenges two boys to stand together as their youth comes apart.

Columbine... Y2K... can friendships survive the end of the world?

Read an excerpt here.

New for Jack The Ripper Week! from Jon Hartless

Jack The Theorist
by Jon Hartless

Only one man dares to confront the meaning behind the crimes. Only one man sees through the tangled skein to the truth. Only one man knows the answers.

Or, at least, only one man thinks he knows the answers... Follow Professor Wolf, the world’s first Ripperologist, on his delusional journey into the world of the Ripper. Follow his long-suffering friend, Sir Arthur Smythe, who suspects that it will all end in tears.

Gasp at the revelations. Tremble at the truth. Wonder at the sanity of a mind that leaps from conspiracy to conspiracy without ever touching reality.


Check out the fabulous new tongue-in-cheek murder mystery from Jon Hartless. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Omnilit and the Vagabondage Press Bookstore.

READ AN EXCERPT

New From Vagabondage Press: Jam Don't Shake

Jam Don't Shake by Nicholas J. Carter

They seem so innocent: jars of jellies and jams. But the inhabitants of the town of Goodman know better.

An additive in Auntie Goodtimes Jams and Jellies turns good people into rioting murderers when their supply is cut off, the factory burned to the ground, and the National Guard closing in.

Doug is trying to survive in this post-Goodtimes world, sating his addiction with a carefully dosed tablespoon a day of jelly. And, when supplies get low, Doug, like others, finds that cravings can be quelled with the blood of fellow addicts. 

Is it really murder when it’s a matter of survival?

Genre:  Dark Literary Fiction/Dystopian

Format: Digital (ePub/Mobi/PDF)

Length: 19K / Rating: 18+

ISBN: 978-1-4524-3647-0

READ AN EXCERPT

New Release - Jack the Theorist by John Hartless

Jack The Theorist

John Hartless

Only one man dares to confront the meaning behind the crimes. Only one man sees through the tangled skein to the truth. Only one man knows the answers.

Or, at least, only one man thinks he knows the answers... Follow Professor Wolf, the world’s first Ripperologist, on his delusional journey into the world of the Ripper. Follow his long-suffering friend, Sir Arthur Smythe, who suspects that it will all end in tears.

Gasp at the revelations. Tremble at the truth. Wonder at the sanity of a mind that leaps from conspiracy to conspiracy without ever touching reality.

READ AN EXCERPT



Happy Release Day!

 New Release from Vagabondage Press:

EXPERIENCED: Rock Music Tales of Fact & Fiction


EXPERIENCED is an anthology of compelling narratives giving new insight into the drama of the rock music world from every literary angle, and exploring rock’s profound effect on our culture and its divine influence over the devoted faithful.

Cutting to the core truths of rock music culture, Experienced is among the first rock anthologies to explore rock music and culture from the inside-out. Featuring works by some of the premier performers, writers and chroniclers of rock music: James, Greer, Jim DeRogatis, David Menconi, Brad Kava, Fred de Vries and others. You’ll read about touring musicians and touring fans. Label signings gone awry. A late-night DJ and a serial killer. The evolution of life as a roadie. These are stories unique to each writer; yet, you’ll discover within them an experience that is universal. Some are fiction and some non-fiction, but they’re all true.

Edited by Roland Goity and John Ottey

Buy at our Website in in ePub, Mobi & PDF and trade paperback EXPERIENCED

Also at Amazon, B&N, Omnit, GoogleBooks, or order from an independant bookseller near you.

New Release: Candy and Cigarettes by CS DeWildt

Candy and Cigarettes by CS DeWildt

In the face of revenge, innocence is meaningless.

Death is omnipresent to small-town loner Lloyd Bizbang. Today proves no exception. After being attacked yet again by a pair of sociopaths who have targeted him since childhood, Lloyd stumbles upon a sight he wishes he could unsee in the town junkyard. Now as he just tries to live through another day, the bodies are stacking up in the town of Horton, and Lloyd finds himself connected to each of them via the drug-and-drink-addled, unhinging police chief, yet another person who has an old score to settle with Lloyd. A game of revenge and survival is underway, but will there be a winner at the day’s end?

Formats: Digital; ePub, Mobi, PDF
ISBN: 978-1-4524-6478-7
Genre: Dark Literary
Rating: 18+
Length: 21K words

To Purchase all formats, visit Vagabondage Press
About the Author:

CS DeWildt lives and writes in Tucson, Arizona. He is currently working on a novel and a collection of shorts. His work has been showcased on sites like Bartleby Snopes, Word Riot, The Bicycle Review, Writer’s Bloc and Mobius Magazine.

New Release: Lyrotica ~ An Anthology of Erotic Poetry and Prose

Now in Print:

Lyrotica ~ An Anthology of Erotic Poetry and Prose

With special guest editor, Rebecca Ammon, syndicated sex and relationships blogger/columnist.


Twenty poets and eighteen authors come together under the editorial dominion of syndicated sex and lifestyle blogger and columnist Rebecca Ammon to bring you a divine taste of debauchery. With work from established erotica writers to literary storytellers, Lyrotica is a masterful mosaic of lyrical and sensual short stories and poems.

Inspired by the classic masters of literary erotica, Lyrotica is brings you captivating depictions of love, lust, and pleasure that will keep you enthralled. More than just a collection of titillating stories, Lyrotica is thought-provoking literature about the transformational power of human sexuality. Within these pages, you'll find tales of empowerment and revelation told through the ancient language of lust and desire.

From the Editor's Foreword:

"Through the words of this expressive manuscript, expect to find yourself swept away momentarily to a place not far from your dreams and quite possibly far, far away from your real life. Similarly to my own manuscript of life, the pages before you express an anthology of poetry and prose so sexually arousing, you won’t be able to put it down." ~ Rebecca Ammon

Read an Excerpt HERE

Contributors include Lyn Lifshin, Richard Godwin, Maxine Marsh, Laura LeHew, Heller Levinson, Ran Walker and more...

Author Insides - GK Wuori

G. K. Wuori, a Pushcart Prize winner and Illinois Arts Council Fellow, has published more than a hundred stories in such journals as The Gettysburg Review, Prairie Schooner, The Missouri Review, The Kenyon Review, and Shenandoah. His novel, An American Outrage, was a Foreword Magazine Book of the Year, and his story collection, Nude In Tub, a Quality Paperback Book Club New Voices Award Nominee, continues to grow its cult-classic following. He is associate editor of the literary journal Kippis, and currently lives in Sycamore, Illinois, where he writes a monthly column called Cold Iron at GKWuori.com.


Jerry - when did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?


It probably happened in college after I placed a few pieces in the literary magazine. Not only did writing seem like a cool thing to do, but it seemed like I was able to do it really, really well. Plus, I didn’t have the faintest idea of what I wanted to do with my life.

Why do you write?

I write because I think someone has to be an official, recording witness to the wild and phantasmagorical array of convoluted, contradictory, interesting, and amusing stuff that is life as we know it in our time. Fortunately, I’m not the only one because that’s an awful lot to write about.

Is being a writer anything like you imagined it would be?

I’ve never been terribly sure of what life itself is supposed to be like, although I revel in its surprises and occasionally despair over its insanities. I could probably say pretty much the same thing about being a writer.

What do you think makes a good story?

Interesting people doing interesting things – usually by getting themselves into trouble and then getting out of it.

What's your favorite genre to read?

Newspapers.

Who is your favorite author or poet?

Kurt Vonnegut (fiction) and Charles Bukowski (poet)

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer?

I think Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics are among the greatest influences in my writing and my life. They’re like two pillars holding me in place as my characters struggle to find an ideal world in which to live and to answer the basic question of what it means to be a decent human being.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person?

I read Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 once a year. It nourishes me and tells me a) that what I’m doing is worthwhile and b) that there are bastards out there who would really like that I not do it.

Where/how do you find the most inspiration?

By planting myself at my keyboard every day and hoping that something pops into my head. It usually does.

What does your family think of your writing?

Since I’ve published a couple of books and over a hundred stories and they still include me in family/holiday gatherings I like to assume they approve. I also think it’s unfair ever to put any family member on the spot by asking what they think of your work.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

There’s not really any “when” to it. I simply write every day, sometimes for just a few hours, sometimes all day. Depends on the work at hand.

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals?

I have a nice window near my writing table. I stare a lot.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Poetry. I love writing poems. I’ve written probably sixty-four zillion of them and published about a dozen. So I’ve concluded I’m not really much of a poet but I keep trying.

What are your current projects?

I’m writing plays.

What are you planning for future projects?

More plays.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Just read and stay away from writing programs.

Where can we find your work?

The best place would be to start at my website, http://www.gkwuori.com/.

GK's novella, Now That I'm Ready To Tell You Everything is now available from Vagabondage Press.

It can be purchased at Amazon.com for Kindle, in Print and at B&N for Nook

New Release Tuesday! The He and She of It by Barry Spacks

The He and She of It by Barry Spacks

A ’50s tale, seen from today, of two male poets in love with a demanding muse, both willing to do whatever her Dionysian heart desires ~ three gleeful and wounded hearts at play, sympathetic, ambiguous, engagingly human.


For some, the decade of the ’50s played out as an erotically turbulent era.

So it was, for noted poet Elton Gold, who looks back on a life-forming affair in the with intense, queenly Gloria Zissic, a generative figure to him and to his British fellow-poet Andrew Norton as well.

These three gradually find themselves experimenting with combinations and cohabitations that their conservative university can't allow, as they grow in strength, affection, and wit by insisting on being who they are: a literary-savvy folie-a-trois.

Digital Novella
Praise for The He and She of It

“I loved this novella from start to finish. It has tremendous zest and lift, the embedded poems enriching the story, le mot juste at every turn, the voice never flagging in its convincing recreation of the ’50s, seen both as happening in real time and in retrospect from the present day. This is inspired work.”
— Bob Brill, author of Hibiscus Sex and Old Man on a Tricycle

"A daring confession of relations between two young poets and a sexually liberated 1950s-era feminist provocateur, this story takes us on quite a trip through a labyrinth of youthful Eros and bravado. Marked by taut and shimmering prose, The He and She of It is wise, witty and wondrous."
— Tai Carmen Warner, author of the prize-winning poetry collection Pollen

New Releases from Vagabondage Press

An Animal's Guide to Earthly Salvation by Jack R. Johnson

"Where do animal souls go when they die? Do animals even have souls? Kierkegaard suggests not," Jeffrey Rawlings notes. "Something to bear in mind while kissing your hound."

An assistant at an urban veterinary clinic, Jeffrey Rawlings has decided to take a break from graduate studies and instead pulls nightshift at the animal hospital while studying the modern philosophers - "from Kierkegaard to Marx" - to no avail: wounded animals hound his existence. Jeffrey’s hypochondriac mother may be dying of ovarian cancer, his money-hungry sister needs bucks for her 40-year-old husband’s braces, and a heroin-hooked runaway is set on his seduction. Meanwhile, the neighborhood transvestite swears he is Billie Holiday raised from the dead. But the worst comes when his perpetually indiscrete Uncle Raymond winds up getting shot. Soon enough, Jeffrey learns, it’s not just the animals that need a cure.

Available in Digital and Print HERE
Also on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Omnilit

FRESH OUT TODAY:

The Tradesman’s Entrance by Cameron Vale

Virginal Stephen Patterson is suffering from writers block on his latest money-spinning bodice-ripper, and his mood can only get worse when Dave the plumber shows up two hours late, mocks him, and plunders his pantry.


But first impressions can be deceptive; Dave is a highly unusual tradesman with an odd line in biscuit-based philosophy, an open-minded approach to sex, and a cast-iron certificate in unblocking all sorts of pipes.

When Dave decides that it’s long past time for Stephen to unclog years of fear and insecurity, Stephen may finally discover who he really is.

Download Digital for Kindle, Nook, Stanza
Soon on Amazon, B&N and AllRomance

New Release! Children by Maggie Clark

New Digital Short Release

New technology, old grievances, ageless crimes: Chris’s world as a news editor runs the gamut when a missing person’s case collides with a mysterious website in her old haunt, the arts beat. Chris should be thrilled, but a thick slice of office politicking stifles her quest for understanding at every turn. Chris can’t shake the feeling of futility dogging her every move. In a world of increasing uncertainty, what passes now for inner strength?

CHILDREN is a deftly woven tapestry of beautiful language, haunting imagery and tension, a moving and thought-provoking work.

Maggie Clark was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and attended the University of Waterloo, where she completed a joint honours in Political Science and English Literature, spending two years as full-time Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper. Maggie has since seen her first play read at the 2010 Magnetic North Theatre Festival, as well as having on-going writing opportunities emerge in film.

Read an excerpt here

On Sale at Amazon, B&N and Vagabondage Press

New Release - The Battered Suitcase Spring 2011

The Battered Suitcase, Volume 3, Issue 4, Spring 2011:

A quarterly journal of intelligent and imaginative prose, poetry and art.  If you love literary fiction, humorous fiction, flash, short stories, outsider prose and poetry and fresh work from emerging artists, check out The Battered Suitcase, free to read online since June 2008.  Available in PDF download and in print, and soon to be released for Kindle, Nook and other eReaders.

The Spring quarter issue features fiction by: Cooper Sy, Mihaela Tudor, Nathan Pensky, David Seavor, Susan Tepper, Bruce Bromley, Douglas Sullivan, Tammy Salyer, Adam Russ, Aubrey Bemis, Nathanial Kressen, Kate Lu, Corinne Wasilewski, Sara Basrai, Steven Gulvezan, Charles Heinemann, Matthew Dulany, Dan Lundin, Laura Bogart, Robert Doyle, Sandra Hunter, Nathan Tavares, Emily Capettini, and Sahar Delijani.

Narrative Non Fiction by Kevin Ritter, Nath Jones, Tom Panarese, Alana DiGiacomo, and Libby Cudmore.

Poetry from Joanna Weston, Kate Armstrong, Jacob Kaiser, M.P. Powers, Shannon Cavanaugh, Rebecca Schumejda, Kristine Ong Muslim, Robert Scotellaro, Jennifer Styperk, Miranda Merklein, Karen Garrison, Shelly Reed, Betsy Brown, George Bishop, Madelaine Caritas Longman, Jospeh Kerschbaum, Andrea Judy, Ana J., Ian Smith, and David Snyder.

Artwork by Jaap van der Wel, Steffen Flauger, Roger Regner, and C.R. Ventura.

Visit our website at http://www.vagabondagepress.com/ to download, purchase print copies or read online for free.

"In the Storm" debuts today

"In the Storm" by Karen Metcalf; February 2011; published by Vagabondage Press; $2.99.

Vagabondage Press is proud to present "In the Storm" by debut novelist Karen Metcalf.

I first came upon "In the Storm" in the Vagabondage Press slush pile. The story drew me in with its brilliant imaging and the is-it-real-or-is-she-losing-her-mind dilemma of the heroine.

"In the Storm" is the story of a teenage girl trying to protect her brother and herself from their abusive stepfather, when she discovers her life choices may not be her own to make.

Abandoned by the world around her, Carly believes she is fated to a life of torment at the hands of her stepfather and is desperate for an escape. When she can bear the abuse no longer and gives in to a thunderous rage, she suddenly finds herself in an unfamiliar, yet beautiful, storm world.

This limbo between dimensions appears to be her private sanctuary, but it may just be her purgatory.

No one escapes fate without sacrifice, but is the price more than Carly is willing to pay?

One of Karen's strengths is the imagery she creates in her writing. Here's an example of some of the beautiful description she uses in "In the Storm":

The sky is quickly darkening as the sun retreats behind the trees across the field. The night sky sweeps forward to erase the day, like waves washing away footprints, leaving only clean, black sand. A star peeks out with one eye and signals to the rest that the coast is clear. They creep out of hiding one by one and join it, twinkling with excited conversation. The moon is only a sliver tonight, like a hammock, inviting the stars to play.

"In the Storm" is a must-read for all fans of young adult literature. It is a story that will stay with you long after the last word is read.

See a teaser for it here. Be sure to watch it full-size with your volume turned up.

"In the Storm" is available in digital formats from Vagabondage Press, Amazon, iBookstore, Smashwords, Issuu and more.


About Karen Metcalf

There’s a phrase in the South, “telling stories,” which means telling lies. Growing up, Karen Metcalf told a lot of stories, which wasn’t always a good thing.

She was raised on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where she spent most of her time reading science fiction and horror. She continues to explore those worlds through her writing, today.

Karen is 23 years old and lives in Tucson, Arizona.

You can follower her on Twitter or visit her on Facebook and Selfari. Also be sure to check out her blog tour schedule.

Author Spotlight - James Vachowski

James Vachowski is the author of our debut digital release, OUTSPOKEN.

James Vachowski previously worked as a police officer and as a civilian contractor in Iraq before fixing his sights on the lofty goal of middle management. James is a graduate of both the University of South Carolina and The Citadel, and currently lives with his family in Jacksonville, Florida.

You can find him online at http://www.jamesvachowski.com/ and on Facebook.

New Release Day - OUTSPOKEN by James Vachowski

Vagabondage Press its pleased to announce the launch of our new line of digital shorts today! Our debut digital is a comedy for both teens and adults -- the hilarious OUTSPOKEN, by James Vachowski.


Abraham Lincoln Jenkins is a teenage vandal, social activist, and aspiring revolutionary, but with only four months left until his high school graduation Abraham’s lifelong dream of attending Harvard College is put in jeopardy when he learns that he is still in need of two core credit hours in Physical Education. Unfortunately for Abraham, the only available spaces in a P.E. class are as a cadet in the Army’s JROTC program!

Told almost exclusively through Abraham’s one-sided complaint letters, OUTSPOKEN is the natural result when the War on Terror collides with the War on Christmas.

OUTSPOKEN is now available at Amazon, Amazon UK for Kindle, and epub, mobi and pdf versions at the Vagabondage Press website.

UK's National Short Story Day

On Tue 21st December revel in National Short Story Day – a UK-wide celebration of prose’s short-yet-perfectly-crafted form!! A multi-organisational collaboration, National Short Story Day will consist of a series of linked live and online events up and down the country, offering a variety of stories, old and new, to be read, listened to and enjoyed.


For more info: http://www.nationalshortstoryday.co.uk/

In celebration of National Short Story, The Battered Suitcase (which is a UK-US collaboration) would like to offer you three free issues (your choice) of our journal. You will receive a zipped file with this issue in pdf, mobi, epub, lrf, and pdb formats.

Use the coupon: SHORTSTORYDAY for three free downloads at Vagabondage Bookstore

Make sure you sign up for our newsletter for further release dates and discounts.
Coming Soon:

EXPERIENCED: Rock Music Tales of Fact and Fiction - edited by Roland Goity and John Ottey

OUTSPOKEN - a social-comedy from James Vachowski

IN THE STORM - speculative fiction by Karen Metcalf

TRADESMEN'S ENTRANCE - a romantic comedy by Cameron Vale

And much, much more . . .

The Winter Issue is Now Live

The Battered Suitcase Newsletter – Winter 2010

available in print, digital and online viewing

We are delighted to announce the Winter 2010 issue of The Battered Suitcase! This issue brings a range seasonal art, prose and poetry. We’re delighted to present musings on art, music and life from artist and Sky Cries Mary and Hana frontwoman, Anisa Romero, whose haunting paintings with their vivid splashes of colour are featured in this issue.

IN THIS ISSUE
Non-fiction in this issue explores life choices. Julie Strasser's "Tugging on the Rope" and Diane Hoover Bechtler's "Grounded" take a look at pivotal moments in relationships.
Winter fiction faces birth and death, including the eerily touching "Waterproof" by Kristi Petersen Schoonover. Bill West’s "Superwoman" takes a poignant look at a family facing death, while Marjorie Maddox explores a more positive hospital trip in "What She Hears." Jessi Lee Gaylord's "Conversations About The Weather" looks at pregnancy and childbirth from another angle, with a teenager out of her depth.
In Diane Kimbrell "Last Chance" and Danyael Halprin's "Babushka’s Potatoes," we meet a few loveable family eccentrics.
Abbie Bergdale's "Spun" tells a grim tale of sex and drugs and no rock and roll. On a lighter note, Robin Merrill paints an amusing portrait of the trauma of a thirtieth birthday involving a skunk, strange rescues and a marriage proposal in "Happy Twenty-Ten."
Flash fiction includes another appearance by Megen Toole in "The Pea Coat" in which relationships are mirrored through the migration of cold weather gear.
In poetry, Bryan Borland explores a forced coming of age, in ‘Dark Horse’. Amy Shreibman Walter takes a glimpse at the less-than-festive side of the holidays in "December 25th, Chinatown." Janice Krasselt Medin admits "I Never Wanted To Be A Princess," and John Tustin takes a wry look at love in "Better to Wonder." Rigby Bendele explores dark aspects of childhood and Sami Schalk takes a humorous look at big feelings through the observation of everyday things.
Winter visual art includes extraordinary images from artist Blue Bliss and her stunning urban images, Jane Linders’ surreal still life photography, Simon Currell’s striking photo art exploring workspaces and Sparky Campanella’s multi-faceted, patchwork murals.
Not to forget the forthcoming Yuletide, we’re happy to wish you all a merry Christmas with Lindsay McBirnie’s fluid, movement-filled seasonal illustrations.

Contents

Interview with Anisa Romero

Flash Fiction by Bill West, Wendy Thornton, Marjorie Maddox, Magen Toole, Jake David, and George Sparling.

Short Stories by Bryan Smith, Danyael Halprin, Eva Gordon, Jaime A. Heidel, Jessi Lee Gaylord, Megan Starks, Melissa Chadburn, Nick Hinton, Paul Medus, Robin Merrill, S.J. Webb, Tim Millas, SR Mishler, Abbie Bergdale, Ross Barkan, Diane Kimbrell, Natalie Jacobs, and Cameron Mount.

Novelette by Kristi Peterson Schoonover.

Narrative Non-Fiction by Dave Migman, Julie Strasser, Diane Hoover Bechtler, Phibby Venable, Timothy L. Marsh and Susan White.

Poetry by Adam Church, Corey Cooper, J Brasseur, Laura Dennis, Alexis Donitz, Katie Manning, Sami Schalk, Tango Barraza, Lindsay Miller, Rigby Bendele, John Tustin, Eric Johnson, Bryan Borland, Sally Smith, Luiggi Carlin, Scott Owens, Christopher Leibow, Pavel Rubin, Scott Weiss, Janice Medin, Amy Nawrocki, Meg Johnson, Amy Schreibman Walter and Aunia Kahn.

Artwork by Blue Bliss, Jane Linders, Lindsay McBirnie, Ruth Weinberg, Simon Currell, Sparky Campanella and Anisa Romero.

http://www.vagabondagepress.com/