Itch.io is having a sale!

And many of my books are up for grabs. Give it a look. https://itch.io/s/90907/march-2023-creator-day-and-sale

Six Song Saturday

I’m not dead! It’s just it’s been a long year – what do you mean it’s only February?! – and stuff has been hard. Which is why I decided to treat myself to a six song Saturday. All songs listed in order they came up in shuffle. Public Interest – Undone Oh, I bought this, and a couple days later saw this band and album highlighted on the Bandcamp “New and Notable” section. It does my old heart good to know I can be on the cutting edge of something from time to time. G.L.O.S.S. – Fight Ah, with all the bigoted anti-trans laws going around, this song is still a sad and necessary anthem. And if you don’t stand with your trans brothers, sisters, and others, you can fuck right off. We came to fight...

Playlist time

Because why not? https://bndcmpr.co/f910b9d8

A piece of my WIP

I just thought I’d give you a little piece of Infected: Revenant to prove I was still alive, and also, still writing. Please keep in mind this is unedited. May change a bit before reaching its final form. Maybe paying a visit to Rosa’s Diner – a place he knew very well – was stupid, except he couldn’t imagine the cult knowing him that well.They weren’t organized enough to have a dossier. It was only half full, which was a relief, but honestly, in places where they made food, that was usually the predominant smell for him. It was why he didn’t mind the bakery, no matter how long the lines. Food took precedent. One of the few things that he and the lion could agree with was food was good and deserved their full...

Get some of my books cheap

Itch.io has a winter sale, starting tomorrow, and I have some of my books included, in case you’ve missed something. https://itch.io/s/86045/itchio-winter-sale

My best albums of 2023

It was a really good year for deathgaze, metal, and experimental music. Just so you know what you’re in for. Also, I made this available as a bandcmpr list. https://bndcmpr.co/c41efcf2 As always, not in order, no #1 on down progression, because honestly that’s too hard. They’re all winners. (Yes, the These Arms Are Snakes pull is a cheat, but damn it, it’s my list. I can cheat if I want.) Holy Fawn – Dimensional Bleed Health – Disco4, Part 2 Sonja – Loud Arriver Hoaxed – Twin Shadows Star Party – Meadow Flower Asunojokei – Island Backxwash – His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are All Suffering Russian Circles – Gnosis...

Join me on Mastodon!

Since Twitter is a right wing circle jerk now, follow me here – https://mastodon.lol/@aspeed

Josh of the Damned Halloween sale!

Because who doesn’t need some comedy\horror sometime? From Amazon and my itch.io page. https://aspeed.itch.io/josh-of-the-damned-complete-collection

Bandcamp Friday tomorrow! Here are some recommendations…

If you like it weird and/or loud, this might be up your alley. Although there is some stuff for people who like actual music in their music. I’m done my best to tamp down my weirdest impulses. Sargent House https://sargenthouse.bandcamp.com/?from=search&search_item_id=3074265780&search_item_type=b&search_match_part=%3F&search_page_id=2152764739&search_page_no=0&search_rank=1&logged_in_menubar=true Am I recommending an entire label? Well, yeah. They’re been putting out some great stuff lately – the new Russian Circles album, the new Brutus, a new Botch track, The Armed’s whole deal, and other people such as Chelsea Wolfe and Helms Alee. It’s hard to go too wrong with their line up. Like it aggressive? Just...

Flash fic – Blood and Mud

I guess there’s too many heat waves and droughts on my mind. Content warning – mentions of murder, drugs, blood. And based on one of the pictures from here –https://terribleminds.com/ramble/2022/08/12/flash-fiction-challenge-the-revenge-of-the-insane-art-robot/ (It’s the last picture, if you didn’t guess.) Blood and Mud The flower was first reported growing in a weedy lot off the I-5 corridor outside of Seattle. Bright red like a poppy, but slightly different in both shape and size of petals. The body amongst them was noticed second. From his stringy hair and grungy wardrobe, he was initially assumed to be an indigent who picked a pretty place to O.D., until someone noticed how dry his skin seemed, and how light the body...

Scream Like You Mean It playlist

Pretty much what it says on the tin. https://bndcmpr.co/151558ea

Summer sale!

I have a special on my itch.io page running for a couple of weeks, where you can get a bundle of my first four Infected books super cheap. You can also buy them at a discount separately. https://itch.io/s/72047/infected-summer-sale-2022

An all Infected cast one card tarot read

I was informed today was World Tarot Day, which I didn’t know was a thing, even though I have and can read Tarot cards. In my latest book, Infected: Fallout, someone does one card quick reading for some members of the cast. Rather than simply name cards for them, I pulled one for each character. Not only did it work narratively, but it was a lot of fun. So today, the whole cast gets a one card reading. Dylan – Knight of Swords Knight of Swords Traditionally this card either means a dashing young man, or the coming or going of misfortune. But all I see is Roan here. Roan really is his defender, and personal One Punch Man. And also? Dylan’s career has been on an upswing lately, so it can mean that as well. Good for him....

For Pride month, enjoy a snippet of my WIP

Yes, it’s a new Infected story, and this snippet is unedit, so you get what you get. He left the car with Dyl, as the hotel wasn’t too far from Capitol Hill, where he and Dropkick had scheduled to meet. On the walk over, he was a little amazed – and saddened – by how much gentrification had carved away at the gayborhood. There were still bits of it here and there, and certainly there were still rainbow flags hanging from apartments, but a lot of the bars and other hang outs were gone. How could they have closed the Eagle? It was as old as he was. Damn, another thing he outlived. But there were tiny bits of weird Seattle left, such as the place Dropkick wanted to meet. Amy’s Free Range Tea Shop sounded exactly like twee bullshit...

Just another playlist

Because I needed it. https://bndcmpr.co/16557b85

Random Songs Friday

Here’s a random assortment of songs from my ipod, because I’m old and I love my music player. So there. Regional Justice Center – Taught To Steal Oh wow, coming in hot with Seattle fastcore band – I think that’s what speed metal is called now, right? – Regional Justice Center. Faith No More – The Gentle Art of Making Enemies This is a gear shift, isn’t it? I suppose anger could be a connecting thread. The St. Pierre Snake Invasion – Casanovacaine I swear I’m not making any of this up. This is a band name. I have no idea what it means. Catchy tune, though. Ghosh – Bang This Ghosh is awesome. And apparently they’re opening for My Chemical Romance (!) on...

Infected: Prey free or pay what you want this weekend!

On my itch.io page! https://aspeed.itch.io/infected-prey

Infected: Fallout out now!

Well, Amazon usually takes its sweet time. But it’s definitely available on my itch page! All good electronic bookstores and my itch.io page .

Infected: Fallout releases soon!

Hello! Well, with everything going on in the world, it seems kind of ridiculous to do book promotion or anything else, because who cares? So I’ll be releasing Infected: Fallout next week, on the 10th. Because why not? I hope we’re all here to read it. Below is the cover and blurb. Infected: Fallout – Roan and Dylan’s life has changed since harboring a runaway infected, and weathering Roan’s notoriety from the Profeta case. Still, it’s not all bad news – a mid tier celebrity wants to hire Roan for an unusual case. Only the case takes a dark turn, and while trying to deal with it, Roan also has to deal with a medical issue. It falls to Roan’s family – including reckless Holden and imposing teddy bear Grey – to figure...

I’m on itch.io now!

Because Gumroad are getting into the NFT grift, I’m migrating to a much better site. Hopefully I’ll get to add something new soon. Itch.io page.

Instrumental playlist!

I know some people missed these. If you did, you’re in luck. https://bndcmpr.co/511b019f

Best of 2021 playlist!

I doubt anyone’s been waiting for it, but here’s my playlist of the best songs/albums of 2021. Boy, it pinballs all over the place. https://bndcmpr.co/611be8f9

The second part of the Infected: Fallout soundtrack

Just in time for the holidays. Although it doesn’t seem appropriate. https://bndcmpr.co/81e45ed9

Infected: Fallout soundtrack, part 1!

I finally found an app that allows me to soundtrack! So I am back on my bullshit again. https://bndcmpr.co/a5b0a9de

The Next Six Chapter Titles/Songs From Infected: Legacy

I’m not dead! I’m getting better! And as such, here’s some more chapter title songs. Yes, there’s a lot of chapters. (But fear not! Some are short.) Paradise Lost – Small Town Boy Sure – What’s Left Glaare – Young Hell Pony – Chokecherry McClusky – Dethink To Survive Spirit of the Beehive – There’s Nothing You Can’t...

The next six chapter titles of Infected: Fallout

Oh guys, I have so many chapters, it’s kind of nuts. 7 – Administrative Violence 8 – Fixed and Dilated 9 – Coming Up Roses Dee thought Dylan and Roan were a kind of living Elliott Smith song. No, this has nothing to do with anything, why do you ask? 10 – Boot Soup I mentioned once that this song sounded like a very Holden one to me. No, this has nothing to do with anything, why do you ask? 11 – Bulletproof Heart My Chemical Romance has shown up twice because Dylan admitted to Maya they were his favorite band. I always knew Dylan straddled a line between Goth and emo. 12 – The Old Man of Crete This song has clever wordplay that a couple of people in the story would...

The first six chapter titles of Infected: Fallout

I decided to share the names of the first six chapters in the upcoming Infected: Fallout. Most of my chapter titles are simply songs, and they don’t necessarily tell you anything about those chapters. Or do they? Hmm .. 1 – Kodokushi 2 – Deconstructing Self-Destruction 3 – Boy Division 4 – Pretty Face 5 – Far From Ideal 6 – Tell Me When We’re Having...

Random Weekend Music Mix

It’s been a bit, so here’s a new playlist to remind everyone I’m still alive, and still writing. Smile Machine – Pretty Today Ethereal, shoegaze like vocals over grunge influenced rock. Sounds good to me. Divide and Dissolve – Far From Ideal (Chelsea Wolfe Remix) Starting off with some big feminine energy here, and I like it. Of course, from the ethereal to the haunting, with more than a little anger in it. D&D and Wolfe should collaborate more. Chvrches & Robert Smith – How Not To Drown A man finally shows up, and it’s Robert Smith. Somehow that seems appropriate. Hands up – who guessed The Cure would have so much of an influence on modern music? Antonioni – Mouth...

Bandcamp’s Juneteenth Charity Drive Is This Friday

Bandcamp is doing a charity thing for Juneteenth – June 18th – and I thought I’d share some of my recent discoveries, on the off chance that maybe you’d like them too. (All groups here have songs that can be bought on Bandcamp.) Fiddlehead – Down University Zeal & Ardor – Run Backxwash – Spells Breanna Barbara – Big Bang Blues Dogleg – Kawasaki Backflip   Death Hags – Off/On Pleasure Venom – We Get What We Deserve Spartan Jet-Plex – All The Time In The World Svalbard – Open Wound Divide and Dissolve – We Are Really Worried About You Gumiho – Underwater Meat...

Random Music Mix

It’s been a bit again. Sorry. But let’s enjoy a random weekend music mix. Igorrr – Downgrade Desert I once asked people for music recommendations on Twitter, and this band was suggested. They’re really weird – like you couldn’t tell that from the spelling – and therefore right up my alley. Peeping Tom – Mojo (featuring Rahzel & Dan the Automator) Oh, speaking of weird, here’s one of Mike Patton’s many side projects. If you didn’t know, Patton has so many side projects, I know for a fact I can’t name them all. Nice if you can keep that busy. Cry Club – Robert Smith Don’t know a lot about this band, except it’s a couple of queer Australian musicians, and the song is catchy as...

Character Theme Songs

Ever since I mentioned that I felt Roan’s life had a theme, I realized a lot of my characters did, but I hadn’t shared them. So I’m doing it now. In a couple of cases, the characters had an opinion that differed from mine, but they won. Roan Of course, he kicked this all off, when I revealed his life’s theme song, as I saw it, was Modest Mouse’s Dashboard. Because the repeated theme of “It should have been could have been worse than you would ever know”, as … yes. Roan’s life has been a bit like a slow motion car crash, and yet somehow it’s still not the worst case scenario, and he knows it.   But the major conflict was in picking a personal theme, as Roan would personally pick a dozen songs, all shuffling...

Saturday Music Mix

Another day, another random music mix. Why not? Kilo Kish – Collected Views From Dinner Kilo! Not a bad start to things. And if you ever get a chance to see her live – even virtually – you should. She’s awesome. clipping – Baby Don’t Sleep Ooh, fun. About a guy being hunted while also being literally lost in space. Sisters of Mercy – This Corrosion Aww yes! Rise up, my old school goth fans. Listen to a bedrock hymn of our ghostly people. My Chemical Romance – Thank You For The Venom Ha! Rise up my emo people, for here is one of your foundational bands. (For Infected readers only – this is Dylan’s favorite band. Really!) The Twilight Sad – Dead...

Music Mix Monday

We’re just going random again. Let’s see what we get. Metz – Blind Youth Industrial Park I did not realize this had a big video attached to it, but it does. It’s a weird one. Future of the Left – Arming Eritrea We are developing a shouty/loud theme, music wise. Pretty much par for the course for me. Murder City Devil – Bear Away This is one of those rare songs that I think is better in its live form. Why? Listen to it. It still slaps. Zeal & Ardor – Devil Is Fine This is a slight deviation from the theme, but not really, because most Zeal & Ardor songs are ten times harder than this. But the lyrics fit perfectly. Babymetal – Distortion And here we have...

Random Music Monday

Holy shit, what a rough week. Let’s try and distract ourselves with some tunes. clipping – Blood of the Fang Considering this week – and honestly, the last few years, decades, century – this feels like an ironically dark and appropriate opening gambit. I mean, the “Hands up don’t shoot” line is the first honestly chilling moment, and the second is the repeated line “They still shooting”. Yeah, they are. And Diggs’ flow could kill us all, but so far he hasn’t weaponized it. yet. Police Teeth – Send More Cops Can an ipod weaponize sass? Because, wow, coming after Blood of the Fang? For those not in the know, the line “Send more cops” is from the horror movie Return of the Living Dead....

Sunday Mix Tape

So I decided to do another random music shuffle, to prove I’m alive and still writing. Sometimes while I’m writing I have my ipod on shuffle and listen to whatever, and sometimes an interesting mix comes up. And this is one of them. ** Grove – Fuck Ur Landlord You know you’re in for a fun time when this one kicks everything off. Elliott Smith – Ballad of Big Nothing Talk about whiplash! Although the songs have something in common – they’re both very angry. But only Grove sounds like it. These Arms Are Snakes – Horse Girl Please get used to this musical phase shift. It happens quite a bit with me. Shredders – Xanthrax Another tonal and genre change. I think that’s the...

Gumroad sale!

Infected: Prey, Josh of the Damned Complete collection, City of Monsters, and Hearts of Darkness is pay what you want! Also, get the rest of the Infected books for 50% off with the code gimme. Limited time! https://gumroad.com/andreaspeed?sort=page_layout

The 50k words playlist!

I’ve just crossed 50,000 words on my work in progress, Infected: Fallout! And on this occasion, I’ve put together a little playlist of what I’ve been listening to, and what may have some relevance on the new story. This song might actually give away some of the plot, but it’s so vague, I feel it’s pretty safe. I’ve said Crystal Sword is very much a song that reminds me of Roan. Well, this is a song that reminds me of Holden. (Yes, he’s in the story.) Also in the story? Grey. Feel free to to guess why this is the song for him. Dee did say that Roan reminds him of an Elliott Smith song. And yes, Dee’s here too. Got to have some nice, heavy instrumental rock. Which is...

I have a Gumroad page now!

If you’d like to buy my writing from me directly.

New author pic!

Were you expecting a photo? Why would I do that when I have this wonderful portrait by Lynn Jung? Did I have to look so melancholy? The answer is a resounding yes.

Everywhere you can get Infected: Legacy…

At least right now. Including Amazon! https://books2read.com/u/47lv1a

Infected: Legacy out now!

Right now, it’s live on Kobo, but I will update links throughout the day.

2 Days away!

For the release of Infected: Legacy.

The blurb for Infected: Legacy

Guess who forgot to publish a blurb for this book, and expected you to buy it, sight unseen? Sorry. Self-publishing is a real learning curve. The werecat virus has altered society, and for Roan McKichan, a born infected ex-cop turned private investigator, life is a capricious landscape.   With all the unknowns of his mutating virus, Roan has relocated to Canada, and he should be enjoying early retirement, but his restlessness makes it impossible to walk away from being a detective. Taking on the case of a missing teenager gives Roan the chance to use his heightened senses to see through the deceptions—and reunites him with a few old friends.   As Roan and Dylan adjust to their new reality, everything shifts again… when Roan discovers he might not be...

Flash sale!

It starts now! The Infected: Throwaways 99 cent sale! At All online retailers. https://books2read.com/u/brWvQk Sale only lasts until Tuesday, so get in on it while you can.

Best Albums of the Year + Bandcamp Friday!

With Bandcamp having another no fee day on Friday, I decided to jump the gun and release my favorite albums of the year list early, in case you want to check out some music and support some artists. Let’s go! ** Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide https://aesoprock.bandcamp.com/album/spirit-world-field-guide I thought that anything following the great Malibu Ken collaboration would suffer in comparison, but boy oh boy, did Aesop Rock teach me a lesson. Is this his best album ever? I think an argument could be made. His flow is unstoppable, and his mixing of the surreal and symbolic, personal and flippant, is a wonder to behold. Another thing? This album is fun to listen to. In these times, that’s probably all you need to know. Touche...

A preview of Infected: Legacy

As a holiday treat (?) I thought I’d post a bit of the upcoming Infected: Legacy (out December 18th). Here, Holden pays a visit, and we learn that he’s gone full antiifa … with some help from Roan? Roan came back to find Holden making weird drink combinations in the kitchen, much to Dylan’s… amusement? Dylan’s aura was bleeding red, which meant some annoyance. But Holden did bring that out in him. Holden looked subdued, at least for him. His hair was pale-brown, shaggy but short, and he was wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt and jeans that had probably been washed—and also in style—back around Seattle’s grunge phase. Still, with him wearing them, he was probably bringing them back into style again. Holden was also...

The playlist for Infected: Legacy

This is in no way an endorsement of Spotify, who suck. But right now, they’re the only soundtracking game in town. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Y8pdwoIl1jLrlhibM5sAL

The cover to Infected: Legacy!

It gives absolutely nothing away! Which I am okay with.

The next six chapter titles of Infected: Legacy

Because why not? 11 – Distortion 12 – Ghost With Teeth and Hair 13 – I’m Not Here 14 – Videograms 15 – Color In Your Cheeks 16 – Holy...

Infected: Legacy – How Many Chapters Does It Have?

I’m hoping to get Infected: Legacy out by the end of the year – cross your fingers and let’s hope democracy/the world doesn’t blow up before then – but I’m also stuck with doing advanced hype for it. How on earth do I do that? I’m awkward at the best of times. I’m a writer, not a PR person. so while I ponder what to do, I decided to give you the titles of the first ten chapters of the story. If you know my previous Infected books, you’ll know the chapter titles are mostly song titles. Do they tell you what the chapter contains? Rarely. Often it’s more of an atmosphere thing. Keep that in mind as the chapter songs roll. * 1 – The Reason They Hate Me (Daughters) https://youtu.be/cqa4_YuQQV8 2 – Down To Drown (Night...

The birthday sale begins!

Infected: Prey, The Josh of the Damned Complete Collection, and Shotgun Bastards and Other Stories are all 99 cents until the 17th! So if you don’t have these, now is the time!

Five Song Friday

Decided to unearth five song Friday, because the world sucks. Let’s put the music on random, and see what comes up. Neon Trees – New Best Friend So when I first heard this song, I immediately thought of Holden and Scott. Oh, poor Scott. (Yes, I know they’re fictional. Still … ) Forest Bees – Subverter of Geography Oh, it’s fun band name day! Forest Bees and Neon Trees should anchor a concert with Screaming Trees and Forest Swords. I mean, I’d go. Christelle Bofale – Origami Dreams This playlist has a kind of pop sensibility so far. Different for me. Daughters – The Reason They Hate Me Okay, this is more my usual speed, I suppose. Metz – Pig Yep, this is...

I decided to re-release Lochlann …

And here’s the new cover for it.

How about a playlist?

Yes, I haven’t posted anything in forever, which is my bad. But man, this endless fuckwaffle of year has taken it out of all of us, hasn’t it? Plague and creeping fascism does it to us all, I suppose. Anyhoo, I decided to post a soundtrack, because sometimes that cheers me up. So I won’t call this the dystopia soundtrack. (Oh, who am I kidding? It is.) clipping – Chapter 319 Mr. Bungle – USA Backxwash – God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It Dessa – Balance Pinkshift – On Thin Ice Sarah and the Safe Word – Dig A Fancy Grave Street Sects – Tomorrow Is A Trap Zeal & Ardor – Blood In The River Color TV – Last...

Birthday sale!

From August 15th to the 17th, Infected: Prey, Josh of the Damned Complete Collection, and Shotgun Bastards and Other Stories, will be 99 cents! I’m hoping to get some new readers infected by my particular brand of madness, so feel free to share. Infected: Prey – https://books2read.com/u/mVwQwp Josh of the Damned – https://books2read.com/u/mgG0z7 Shotgun Bastards and Other Stories...

Updated Book List

Everything I have for sale right now, and where you can buy them. If you’d like to buy them all directly from me, you can do that here: https://aspeed.itch.io Infected: Prey – https://books2read.com/u/mVwQwp Infected: Bloodlines – https://books2read.com/u/bMpD6v Infected: Life After Death – https://books2read.com/u/bzoXjq Infected: Freefall – https://books2read.com/u/b551Z6 Infected: Shift – https://books2read.com/u/b68eKZ Infected: Lesser Evils – https://books2read.com/u/bQR086 Infected: Undertow – https://books2read.com/u/bpDp1X Infected: Epitaph – https://books2read.com/u/4XnKjg Infected: Holden – https://books2read.com/u/bpDKxg Infected: Throwaways –...

The last Infected title – for now – has a new cover!

And I will be the first to admit it’s kind of crazy to base a cover solely on the idea that the main character of your series would absolutely fucking hate it, but he would, and I did.

A couple more new covers

I know there’s a lot going on, and who cares, but here are a couple other new covers for the Infected series. All done by germancreative on Fiverr....

In case it isn’t clear …

I haven’t said anything, because I figured the last thing the world needed was an opinion from another white person. (Although maybe corporations take more of that cake. You don’t let your employees unionize or get health care, but sure [insert corporate monolith here] you care about Black Lives Matter all the sudden. This applies to everyone but Ben and Jerry’s, who actually know how to do this well.) But I also didn’t want to seem like one of those people who didn’t say anything. So here’s my absolutely worthless two cents. Of course Black Lives Matter, but not only that, but defund the fucking police. They’re a racist institution that needs to be abolished. And after that, we should work on breaking down other racists systems, which is...

Two more covers!

Hopefully the books will be out soon at most online booksellers. (Oh, and libraries! Feel free to request them.) Infected: Lesser Evils Infected: Paris

New stuff alert!

The longer, expanded story of A Boy and His Monster will be in the upcoming Write Like Hell Volume Three: Kaiju! And what’s kind of neat to me is, this isn’t a gay anthology. It’s just monster stories. Because a love of giant beasts knocking down cities knows no sexuality.

Some new covers for you …

Well, I went to fiverr, and found a great cover artist! She’s germancreative ion there, and I recommend her to those who need a cover done quickly. Here are the ones I have so far (and yeas, I wanted Shift’s cover to echo Life After Death. Deliberate choice on my part!) – These should be filtering out to most ebook retailers, assuming Amazon doesn’t block me from selling because a pirate site has my book. Ha ha! Cross your fingers for me. This has happened one too many times....

Infected: Bloodlines finally out again

This time with a neat new cover by TL Bland. In case you’re wondering, no, there’s no new material beyond the cover. So if you’ve been waiting to get your heart broken, here’s your chance! Should be at all your favorite ebook providers, but here’s the link to Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Random Song Monday

So we’re all still home, ideally avoiding people, and as such, I thought I’d bring back the five random song pull. Because, what else is there to do? And also, maybe you’ll find some new to you music you might like. Let’s go!  Bartees Strange – Lemonworld This is a very interesting project, where the singer takes and reinterprets The National songs. If you don’t know The National, they make generally depressing music, but also, pretty white. You’d think that wouldn’t make a difference, but it does. Check it out, even if you don’t like The National. Gold – Tar and Feather At some point, I hope something cheerful pops up. Of course, now I’m wondering if I have anything cheerful on my ipod. (Yes, I still use one. I use a...

Flash Fic – A Word From Our Sponsor

I initially wrote this for Queer Sci-Fi’s recent collection call, but this didn’t really meet the brief. So enjoy the latest in weight loss technology. ** (Fade in, generic Doctor’s office) Doctor (sternly): You have to lose at least twenty pounds. Patient (frustrated): But my low wage job means I can only afford calorie-rich processed foods, not fresh food like the one percent can afford! (Voice Over – a confident-sounding man) Has this happened to you? You want to lose weight, but diets and exercise equipment cost too much money. What are you supposed to do? (Smash cut to two ten year old girls walking through a field of wildflowers) V.O.: Introducing Vermilia, the new product by Amtechco Laboratories. Not a drug, or...

Bandcamp’s Friday Sale!

Bandcamp is having a sale Friday, starting at midnight, with all the money going directly to the artists. In order to support that, and maybe help you find a new(ish) band you might like, I decided to list some of my favorites. Links included! Metz – https://metz.bandcamp.com/album/strange-peace Aesop Rock – https://aesoprock.bandcamp.com/album/malibu-ken Gaythiest – https://gaytheist.bandcamp.com/album/lets-jam-again-soon The Twilight Sad – https://thetwilightsad.bandcamp.com/album/forget-the-night-ahead Spartan Jet-Plex – https://spartanjet-plex.bandcamp.com/album/touch-tone-remastered Health – https://youwillloveeachother.bandcamp.com Zeal & Ardor -....

The first chapter of the in progress Infected novel

Okay, yeah not the best series title to have right now. But I wanted everyone to know I’m still working on this, and what better way is there than to prove it in print? But here’s the deal – this is first draft. So it’s messy as hell. As long as you don’t mind that, enjoy! (And no, I don’t have a title yet. Of course I don’t. It’s always the last thing.) 1 – Royal Pigs Roan honestly hoped Dylan wasn’t going to kill him for this. Although he wouldn’t blame him if he did. He was supposed to be retired from all of this, and basically he only talked Dylan into letting him do his private detective thing again if he took unambitious, not at all dangerous cases. This one was supposed to be...

Recommendations for Mystery Science Theater 3000 Movies Currently On Netflix, For the Quarantined and/or Bored

Because many people are self-isolating – which is also known as being a writer (ha ha!) – I thought I’d put up a list of Mystery Science Theater 3000s that are on Netflix right now, that you can watch, to distract yourself from the world being on fire and whatnot. Let’s have some fun! Deathstalkers and The Warriors From Hell – This is my favorite of the older episodes currently offered on Netflix, and for several good reasons. It’s a terrible sword and sorcery movie, made indifferently on a tight budget, with random but powerful bouts of overacting and underacting, exceptionally poor writing, and a bit of misogyny mixed in. Why does this work? Because it’s so ridiculous you can’t ever take this movie seriously. (“Potatoes...

Master list of all the ebooks I have for sale …

New editions! At least cover wise. Hearts of Darkness – https://books2read.com/u/49ZWZX The Little Death – https://books2read.com/u/mZKLKJ DMZ – https://books2read.com/u/ban0dx Infected: Prey – https://books2read.com/u/mVwQwp Josh of the Damned – https://books2read.com/u/mgG0z7 City of Monsters – https://books2read.com/u/mv27z8 Shotgun Bastards and Other Stories – https://books2read.com/u/bWBRG1 Strange Angels – https://books2read.com/u/3JVJlv About A Bot – https://books2read.com/u/mlaaqq Merged –...

A snippet of the new Infected story

This is all first draft, not edited, so there may be some minor changes later. But I wanted to prove to everyone I was not kidding about it. (No title yet. because of course not. They’re always the last thing I come up with.) Roan honestly hoped Dylan wasn’t going to kill him for this. Although he wouldn’t blame him if he did. He was supposed to be retired from all of this, and basically he only talked Dylan into letting him do his private detective thing again if he took unambitious, not at all dangerous cases. This one was supposed to be one of those. It went off the rails quickly. It really did look simple to begin with. Blair Pender, a boring suburban type, hired him to find out if her husband, Hank Pender, was cheating on her. He...

Writing update

Okay, so, writing type things going on with me. As of the 23rd, Dreamspinner will no longer be publishing the Infected series. I have yet to decide on what I’m going to do with them. A new story in the Infected universe may be in the works, though, so stay tuned. I ‘ve taken back all my Dreamspinner properties but one, an upcoming book titled Darlings of New Midnight. I signed the contract for it before I realized how bad things had gotten – what a bad time to be on a self-imposed social media break. They did pay the advance, and I can’t afford to pay it back, so it’s theirs for now. If you’re boycotting Dreamspinner and don’t want to buy it, that’s cool, I totally get it. I assume that someday, it’ll be independently published,...

Best Songs of 2019, Part 2

And 8Tracks is shutting down at the end of the year, so you have a very limited time to listen to all my playlists, sadly. Best Songs of 2019, Part 2 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Best Albums of the Year

Oh boy, it’s almost the end of the year, when everybody comes out with their lists. (And some are getting a jump on their best of the decade lists, but there’s no way in hell I’m going there.) And far be it from me to buck the crowd, so here’s my personal list of the best album of the year. Your mileage, as always, may vary. Malibu Ken – Malibu Ken The collaboration of Aesop Rock and Tobacco was something I looked at with cautious optimism. After all, I like both musicians separately, but I wasn’t honestly sure how they’d be able to combine rap and neo-psychedelic music and make it sound coherent. Not only does it work incredibly well, but it has been my favorite album since its January release. This is has been a hell of a bad year,...

Flash fic – The Thing

CW: body horror As you may well know, I’ve had some health issues, and I had this kind of gross idea for a story partially based on those woes. So here it is. The Thing The first doctor thought it was a cyst. It was a bulbous mass that grew on Evie’s right hip. It was almost perfectly circular at first, and kind of hard. But then it started to take on a worm like appearance, and became a bit more spongy. It didn’t hurt, although sometimes it felt kind of funny. She couldn’t say exactly what it felt like though, and really she only went to the doctor because her pants wouldn’t fit. There were tests taken, and they added up to nothing. The only thing in the cyst appeared to be blood. It wasn’t cancerous, wasn’t pus,...

Best Songs of 2019, Part 1

Best songs of 2019, Part 1 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Flash Fic – The Devil’s Soup

So I was encouraged on Twitter, by @gb_gordon, to write a story based on this prompt by @McClellandShane – *demon stands amid your destroyed kitchen* Demon: *booming* HOW? How were you able to summon me?! You: (standing in the corner flipping through your grandma’s handwritten cookbook as fast as you can) *screaming& crying* I don’t know! You were supposed to be chicken and noodles. So here is that story. The Devil’s Soup Claire found her grandmother’s handwritten cookbook while cleaning out her mother’s attic.She had never met her grandmother. She’d died when Claire was super young, and her mother, for whatever reason, didn’t talk about her much. But what little her mother had told her about...

Not dead yet! And a soundtrack …

So, the good news is I don’t have cancer. Whew. And I ‘m doing nanowrimo, and I put a soundtrack together for my superhero tale. Listen here … My Nanowrimo 2019 Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks...

Review – El Camino

(N.B.: No spoilers for El Camino, but a couple huge ones for Breaking Bad.) For Comixtreme/CXPulp, I reviewed Breaking Bad for a while, right up to the end. And it had one of the all time great endings for any TV show, because it closed the circle of its story. We began with Walt, and we ended with him. Jesse was a loose end, but that seemed okay, because while he was the heart of the series, he had been so abused, driving off into the unknown screaming was probably for the best. Walt poisoned the lives of everyone around him, if he didn’t outright kill them. Getting out of his shadow alive was no small feat. So I wasn’t all that excited about the Breaking Bad movie, because I was good with where things were left. Why gild the lily? But curiosity got the best...

Flash Fic October – Mine

Hello everyone. Because I have a whole bunch of doctor’s appointments and surgery coming up, I decided I’d write horror flash fics throughout the month. I can’t say how often they’ll spring up, because my schedule is weird. But expect horror – some weird, some funny, all of them written by me. The first one up is about monsters, both literal and figurative. ** Mine The child was in the closet. Monster couldn’t believe it. When the veil between worlds thinned and they were able to step inside the human world, it expected to see what it always saw: clothes hung from a rail, stuck in infinite darkness. Why the barrier between the worlds always frayed in darkness was a mystery, but a good one, as most of them found sunlight too...

A personal update

Maybe you’ve been wondering why me, a general loudmouth, has been so quiet lately, what with all the publishing mishegoss and whatnot. (Every time I say whatnot, I feel like I owe comedian George Wallace some credit.) Well, I’ve had some personal stuff that lately, got a thousand times worse. I thought about keeping this to myself, but I’ve already bitched a bit about it on Twitter, so cat is out of the bag. To make a long story short – I have a nearly dinner plate sized cyst on one of my ovaries, and a tumor in my uterus. We probably won’t know if it’s cancerous until the biopsy, but the bottom line is I’m probably looking at two surgeries, one way more involved than the other. Right now I’m fine, and I’m in edits for my paranormal...

Everything Sucks, So Let’s Enjoy Some Music

Everything Sucks, So Enjoy Some Music from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Romance For RAICES Auction!

I’m taking part in this! Along with a bunch of cool people. All money raised is going to RAICES. Check it out, and bid if you can! Details and auction page here....

Hide – An Infected Flash Fic

If someone donates to my Ko-Fi , I take flash fic suggestions. Roan was the suggestion, and I figured I had nothing. Which is how you end up with this story, south of two thousand words, about how retirement is going from him. Short answer – it’s not. No matter what, Roan is going to Roan. But at least he’s trying.      **   A Tim Horton’s seemed like the weirdest possible place for this confrontation. But Greg was pretending to be Canadian, right? He was sticking to his cover identity, and you had to respect that, at least from a remove. Because otherwise, he was a despicable person. Such a piece of shit it was hard to believe he wasn’t part of the Trump administration. Yet. Give it time.   As it turned out, the coffee shop...

A master list of all my self-published books

These links will add stores as the books becomes available there (a/k/a hopefully Amazon will pull its head out of its ass and list my books already).   Josh of the Damned – https://books2read.com/u/mgG0z7 City of Monsters – https://books2read.com/u/mv27z8 Shotgun Bastards and Other Stories – https://books2read.com/u/bWBRG1 Strange Angels – https://books2read.com/u/3JVJlv

The Start of A New Serial – The Wind Blows Through Their Skulls, Part 1

Hello everyone. Because I got a mad posh to do so, I’m serial fictioning again. This is a sort of cyberpunk noir, set in the near future, involving a genderfluid assassin, and a target that owns his own island. But things get odd, as they are wont to do. I will try and stay on a regular schedule if possible, but you know how life goes. I will update appropriately. As such, I also included a mini soundtrack for the chapters, because why not? I don’t know if I’ll do this each time, but we’ll see. I realize I should be on Patreon to do this, but I feel like I could never post regularly enough to be worth it, and besides, I’d feel weird making my readers pay for my rambling. So if you can, or feel you’d like to, you can throw some cash in my Ko -Fi, or buy...

Random Five Song Shuffle

Another terrible day, so I decided to do a random song shuffle to distract myself. Let’s go! (And yes, I’m an old person who still uses an iPod.) Lost Arts – Marlowe (L’Orange & Solemn Brigham) A sort of oldie now, but a good one. And to show you how out of the music video loop I am, I had no idea one existed for this song! So I am pleasantly surprised. Milano – Russian Circles Ooh, what a one-two punch. Rap followed by instrumental metal. But I think it works extremely well together. They kind of have the same energy. Propulsive and demanding attention. Honesty – Eric Slick Now this is pressing on the brakes. This a strange little song, but I like it. Can’t say why, though. Dig A Fancy Grave – Sarah and the Safe Word ...

If You’re Reading This, Thank You

This is not a great time to be a writer. It’s not a great time for a lot of things and people, but let’s settle on a narrow viewpoint for the moment. Lots of indie presses are hitting the rocks – Less Than Three Press being the latest, saddest example – and Amazon seems to spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to screw writers (and musicians, and artists), as well as their own workers. And all this pales in comparison to a lot of other stuff right now. But I wanted to take a moment to say thank you, to the readers who have perused my stuff over the years. I don’t know why you picked me, but thank you.I will try and do my best, against impostor syndrome, depression, and the outside world, to be entertaining, or, at the very least, kind of...

Flash Fiction – The Copier

I know what you’re thinking – what the hell are you doing writing a flash fic about a copier? But this is for my sister, who hates the goddamn things, and for good reason. Not these reasons, though. ** The first thing Ava was ever told about working at Huston-Wexler, was never use the third floor copy machine. The reasons were pretty pedestrian – always out of toner; ink ran; smelled like an overheating radiator in an unwashed sock – but the most fascinating one was told to her by one of the cleaning crew. “It’s haunted,” the woman, Justine, said, emptying a trash bin. “Management has tried to get rid of it, but every time they do, something awful happens. So they simply hid it on the third floor, and tell people to stay away from...

Five Song Sunday

I missed Friday somehow! Maybe it’s because I was in a rage fugue about America having concentration camps now. Because we are fucking monsters. But, okay, let’s try and momentarily distract ourselves with music. The Hold Steady – Denver Haircut Hey, The Hold Steady are back. Did they ever tour with Tom Waits? They should, as both tell stories in song format, usually about people who often don’t get songs written about them. Admittedly, Waits’ songs are usually much sadder. Malibu Ken – Corn Maze I have been leaning on this entire album lately for support. It calms my nerves, for reasons I can’t quite explain. Except it beautifully encapsulates how fucked up the world is right now, with great flow and a soothing, almost ambient background...

Some Rifftrax Recommendations

Everybody knows I’m a fan of MST3K, but, in these dire and dismal times, we all need to laugh. So I decided to go ahead and recommend some Rifftrax for those who might be new to it, and not sure where to start. (Also, they’re having a father’s day sale, so now is the time!) Of course, humor is subjective, and your mileage may vary. But I tried to narrow it down to the most ridiculous. Because, as in all thing, a solid foundation is a great place to start. R.O.T.O.R. – This has to be the quintessential Rifftrax, because the movie – even without the riffing – is extremely silly. An ’80’s mash up of both The Terminator and Robocop, this movie boils down to a mechanical cop going rogue. But it doesn’t encapsulate the insanity of this...

Five Song Friday

Mostly new, but one really old one, because it is still relevant, somehow. God, the world’s a fucking mess. Metz – Dry Up Okay, let’s get noisy. Although, for Metz, this isn’t that noisy. Maybe an eight and a half on their scale. But hey, Canada won a sport last night! So we needed some Canada rep. Brutus – Cemetery ‘Speaking of noisy, here’s a slice of aggression from Brutus. I’m not sure if the video is genuine, ironic, or a bit of both. You decide. Sarah and the Safe Word – Dead Girls Tell No Tales On a different tip entirely, enjoy this band, who I don’t know a lot about, but I like their style. I’m sorry I didn’t find a video for them. Christelle Bofale – Origami Dreams Let’s try something a little more...

Flash fic – A Portrait of an Artist in Repose

I had an odd idea for a flash fic set in the Infected world, in the form of an interview with Dylan. Minor spoiler alert if you haven’t read the series, but why are you here if you haven’t? ** Now that Dylan Harlow is leaving the art world, collectors can’t get enough of him. “The art world is ridiculous,” the handsome artist says, gripping a glass of iced tea. “No one can buy it anymore. The one percent have made sure that only they can afford art, and yet most artists are starving anyway. Late stage capitalism is fun, huh?” He says this with a great deal of irony, especially considering he is speaking from the dining room of a neat, well appointed house on the outskirts of Vancouver. Through a gauzy curtain, the backyard is visible, as is his...

The Josh of the Damned pre-order is live!

Not only does it have a spiffy new cover, but it has some never before published shorts included! Click here!

Five Song Friday

As America sinks deeper and deeper into autocracy, I thought I’d do this in case you didn’t want to think about how bad things are. (On the plus side, we probably have only a decade or so before global climate change kills us all, so that’s something to look forward to.) Anyhoo, let’s enjoy some new music while Rome burns. Marika Hackman – I’m Not Where You Are A lesbian break up song? The video makes it look that way. I’m here for it. Otherwise, the song is very catchy for being rife with alienation. Russian Circles – Arluck The heavy instrumentalists are back, to soundtrack the end times. Sounds good to me. seablite – There Were Only Shadows For those who need something a bit more shoegaze-y, here’s some for you. Torche...

New flash fic – The Body

Enjoy this weird little, which I’ve been threatening to write for a while now, but I put a tiny twist on it. Maybe it’s an allegory or a metaphor, who knows? It can be what you want. ** The Body When April first saw the body on the floor, she thought it was a joke. Another terrible, thoughtless prank by an office full of men who peaked in high school. She was about to tell Petersen it was very funny – sarcasm dripping from her voice – when Brooks came into the meeting room, and stepped on the body on his way to his chair. He didn’t react at all. Now she wasn’t sure it was there at all. As everyone took their seats for the meeting, April wondered why she’d be hallucinating a dead body. He looked to be an average man, in a cheap off...

New soundtrack based on my WIP …

Because I’ve been sadly remiss in updating everyone. Soundtrack For The Book I'm Working On from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

New music for the new year …

And maybe the days haven’t been great, but at least the music is! 2019 Has Just Started and Already There Is Too Much Good Music from notmanos on 8tracks...

Book news!

Infected: Prey is on sale right now! And the City of Monsters re-release just started!

Not that anyone ever asks, but here are my best albums of the year. As always, an unusual bunch. Zeal & Ardor – Stranger Fruit Well, of course. You all saw this coming down main, didn’t you? The weird gospel/death metal group Zeal & Ardor threw this musical grenade at us this year, a story of slavery, racism, and revenge, which really shouldn’t have held a frightening relevance, but of course it did. And, if you’d prefer to ignore the gut punching lyrics, you can, and just enjoy getting your eardrums kicked in. But frankly, the whole package is dynamite, and Zeal & Ardor should soundtrack the end of the world. Oh wait, they are. Tim Hecker – Konoyo Who requested eerie ambient music? Well, Hecker serves it up as he always does....

The pre-orders for Strange Angels is now live!

Yes, it’s the relaunch!

A Message From The Dumb Ass Author

Hey everybody! I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holidays if you celebrate it, or if you don’t, happy Mythbusters marathon days! (I’ve been enjoying that myself.) Anyways, I wanted to take a moment to also thank everybody who read my books and stories this year. This hasn’t been a super productive year for me – depression is great, isn’t it folks? – but I hope to turn that around next year. I have two WIPs well over fifty thousand words, and Less Than Three Press will be re-releasing both Josh of the Damned and Strange Angels. I hope to post updates, and maybe a little flash fic along the way. Thank you so much for the reviews and book recommendations. It all helps, and you’ve basically kept me going this year....

Poem For A Shadow

All apologies to Hughes Mearn. (Photo by Brian J. White.) ** Yesterday, on the street, I met a man not so fleet. He’s a shadow without body, a wayward sort, Who haunts the areas around the port. He never says a word, only waits, Like a man not aware he’s been stood up for a date. I asked him several times if I could aid him, Before light and time would surely fade him. Finally one night he answered me, Much to my surprise and glee. “I am but a portent of doom, Staying here until you all join me in the Stygian gloom. Your end is coming fast and messy, So if I were you I’d wear something a little less dressy.” So if you see a shadow without a man, There’s no point in running away. For you and I will join him soon, And here we will all...

Coming To A Theater Near You …

Thanks to Jenn Burke and her typo for this flash fic. ** Fade in on a sunny, well appointed kitchen – basically a Martha Stewart kitchen, or a Williams-Sonoma catalog display come to life. Voice Over (ominous male voice): From the producer of “Girls Gone Stabby”, and the director of “Don’t Open That Door” comes a new tale of shocking horror … A woman enters the kitchen, followed by a man carrying grocery bags. They’re young and upwardly mobile, a bland sort of “every couple”. Woman: It was so nice of that man at the farmer’s market to give away pies. What did he say they were made of again? Man: Fruits from his greenhouse, I think? All I know is he called them Venus pies, and I am here for it. They put groceries away, but the...

Best Songs of 2018 playlist …

Okay, I’ll admit it’s long … Best Songs of the Year 2018 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Weekend sale!

Hey! Less Than Three is having a sale this weekend, and that includes stuff I’m in! Including my short story collection, Shotgun Bastards.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Capsule Review – 1206: Ator, The Fighting Eagle

Here we go, the last film of the abbreviated season. The final episode seems apt, as Cave Dwellers is a beloved classic of the first iteration of the series, and it was the sequel to this movie. If you’ve seen that episode, you saw tiny bits of this film in one of their interminable exposition scenes. Is this movie as cheap as Cave Dwellers? Yes, absolutely. In fact, I think the same sets, slightly redressed, were used in both films. Probably costumes as well. The actors were mostly swapped out though, save for Miles, and I couldn’t even guess where the bear ran off to. But I hate to say I didn’t find this quite as good as Cave Dwellers, if you can even call that good. Which you can’t. Maybe it hurts that I knew how the story was going to go. This ticks...

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Capsule Review – 1205: Killer Fish

Next up is the silly horror movie/crime hybrid with the bare bones title Killer Fish, which you probably would have guessed was a ’70’s movie even before I told you it stars Lee Major and Karen Black. Yeah, I didn’t know they did a movie together either. The only way this could have been more ’70’s was if the Village People showed up. (Sadly, they do not.) I’ve already admitted to being a sucker for bad sci-fi movies. I’m also a sucker for bad horror movies, or at least ones that don’t strive to be masochistic or dull as dirt. This starts off baffling, with some hoo-haa about a gem heist, and although the cast is white American, we’re in Brazil, which is important for the whole killer fish angle. I should warn those of you who are sensitive to...

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Capsule Review – 1204: The Day Time Ended

Oh, as soon as this said it was a Charles Band film, I knew we were in for it. If you don’t know who he is, lucky you. Let’s just say he’s known for his Z grade movies, some of which manage to be entertaining even though, honestly, they’re terrible. I had a feeling this wouldn’t be one of those ones. I was right. This is a ’70’s film about a couple of with it grandparents in the southwest who construct a fully solar powered home, with a surprise. Namely that cheaply stop animated aliens are around, some good and some bad, tossing around furniture and appearing in green glows of psychedelic mist. What do they want? Why have they bonded with the little girl of the family? Will any of this ever add up to anything entertaining? Since I’ve agreed to no...

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Capsule Reviews – Episode 1203: Lords of the Deep

As they tell you before the film starts, this is a rip off of a rip off of a rip off, which means it’s almost an original idea again. Except, no. Although I haven’t seen a single one of the films that this is a watered down version of, immediately my first thought was it was a combination of Seaquest and Aliens – a James Cameron turducken, if you will – but so much worse. And while it’s very easy to do with the former, it feels like sacrilege with the latter. One thing I will give it is it manages to get to plot action fast, and without the incoherence of Atlantic Rim. But that might be the only nice thing I can say about it. Although let me preface this by saying it is actually the best of the movies so far this season, but that’s an easy...

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Capsule Review – Episode 1202: Atlantic Rim

Episode 2 is an Asylum film – maker of cheap and cheesy rip-off movies, and the actually not terrible Z Nation (seriously, it’s much more fun than the Walking Dead). And as you may have guessed from the title, this is a cheap and cheesy Pacific Rim knock off, with a touch of Godzilla and by the end, the first Avengers film. The CGI is terrible and never believable, but is at least a break from ugly alien puppets. It eschews plot and coherence for poorly filmed action and stock footage, as well as sweaty actors on small sound stages. Pacific Rim was an enjoyable if kind of silly movie, but this makes it seem like a masterpiece in retrospect, with great character work and a generally comprehensible story line. The immediate drawback of the film –...

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Capsule review – Episode 1201: Mac and Me

Of course I’m watching the new MST3K season, and as I do, I’m posting my reviews. Here we go with the first one. No movie spoilers, if you want it to be a surprise, but honestly – none of these movies are worth it. ** The rebooted Mystery Science Theater 3000 is back, with a shorter six episode season. They hand wave away the cliffhanger the Kinga/Jonah , which may annoy people, but it feels like a very MST3K to do. (And it may come back – this is episode one, after all.) It’s not important, let’s move on. So we do, and the first movie up is the epic piece of shit known as Mac and Me, a crass McDonald’s sponsored rip off of E.T. I’ve known about this film but never seen it, although I felt like I had. Truth is, I hadn’t. Wow....

Books on sale alert!

I rarely do this, which shows. I should do this more often. All my books are on sale at DSP! From shifter PIs, hooker urban vigilantes, and supervillains in love, there’s a lot of weirdness to go around. (And I mean it in a good way.)

Josh of the Damned is returning!

Less Than Three Press will be publishing a new edition, with never before printed Josh stories, and that lovely Lex Chase cover. More soon.

A Work In Progress preview …

So far I’ve given you little glimpses of the manuscript in progress, but here is a much bigger piece, where the gang meet Alex for the first time, and get to know their god … kind of. It’s always odd when a god you’ve never heard of, who can crush you like a bug, shows up on your doorstep.    ** There was a stranger sitting on their purple velvet sofa, though. It was either a slightly effeminate man or a slightly butch woman, attractive either way, in spite of the nose ring. They had dreadlocks held back in what looked like a ponytail, and awesome yellow boots. The person looked at them with a sunny, guileless smile, and Logan wasn’t sure if they were in their late teens or early twenties. Logan had opened his mouth to say...

Latest piece of the WIP

Esme uses her evil eye … and goddamn, we all need them. (Full marks to anyone who sees the Transmetropolitan homage in this.)           There were a lot of cars in the parking lot, but no people, so that was a bit of a break. “Damn, the pavement is really hot,” Lyn commented.   “Should have worn shoes,” Ahmed said, unhelpfully.   Lyn glared at him. “Next time I’ll wear Crocs.”   “Don’t you fucking dare,” Ahmed snapped. He hated Crocs and flip flops with an equal passion. Mainly because they were so damn ugly, and Logan agreed with him, but honestly, he didn’t care either way. Not true for Ahmed, who seemed to take every fashion faux paus personally. Except he’d given up complaining about Logan’s...

Next WIP snippet …

In this one, Lyn and Logan muse about Ahmed’s misanthropy.   ** Also, much like no one warded against harpies, no one warded against mummies – or the mummy cursed – either. Since he was sand, he could travel through this house a lot faster than them too, and never trigger a trap. “Hey, Ahmed, you wanna check out the upper floors?” Logan asked. “At the rate we’re going, we’ll get there by Tuesday.”   He sighed, which was always a neat trick since he didn’t technically breathe, and said, “Fine. What am I looking for again?”   “A nasty book that gives off mucho bad mojo,” Lyn said.   “Should I destroy it?”   “No, we might need it,” Logan admitted.   He rolled his eyes. “Of course we do. We need all the bad...

Snippet of the new work in progress

Still no title – Apocalypse Nowish still remains on the table – but here’s a tiny bit of it. I’ll be posting a couple of these. First up, let me introduce you to Cthylla, Cthulhu’s daughter. She’s really not someone you want to invite to a party.   **   Logan had just beheaded an angel, who seemed deeply confused by this development, when the windows turned black. This time, out in it, Logan could see it wasn’t a dimming more than it was like a bloom of ink over the windows, rapid and gloomier than true darkness. Gooseflesh busted out all over his body, starting from his scalp all the way down to his toes, and he could taste something like ashes in his mouth. His muscles instantly weakened, and it seemed to take...

The last WIP Interview

The last but not least person in my WIP interviews is Alex Rayasi, a genderfluid messenger for a god. I think. I still have many questions. But Alex definitely wins in the “my gods can eat all your gods” contest.   Can you give us the dating ap rundown? I’m Alex, they/them, not interested in a relationship because I have all that I need.   Are you in a relationship? Not as you understand it, no.   Uh, what do you mean? I don’t need another person for my happiness. I am very happy, and not alone.   Not alone? That’s the same as being in a relationship, is it? Depends on your point of view, I suppose.   Is this related to you being a messenger for Cthulhu? Cthylla.   Pardon? Cthulhu’s daughter. He sleeps, she watches. Although using gender...

Latest WIP interview!

This interview is with Ahmed El Karim, who is an interesting fellow. And not the easiest to talk to.    Why don’t you give me the dating ap breakdown? The what now?   The dating site rundown? I have no idea what that is.   You’ve never heard of online dating? I’ve heard of it. I don’t know what the point is.   People want to meet and hook up. Why? People are the fucking worst.   Well … I’m not sure how to respond to that. Because it’s true and you know its true.   Even the humans you work with? I work with one human. The rest of them aren’t.   Esme may be a witch, but she’s still human. I was talking about her.   Oh. Logan’s human, despite angel blood in his family. That’s debatable. Angels are the fucking worst.   I thought...

Latest WIP interview!

This time with Logan Fox, the human of the group. He’s special without being special. Or something like that. (And I can confirm he is the male equivalent of the face that launched a thousand ships.)  Why don’t you give us your dating ap breakdown. Okay, I’m Logan, twenty nine, a Sagittarius I think. I work hard and I play hard, only I’ve not really had time to work or play recently, as I’m too busy trying to stay alive and prevent an apocalypse. So what I’m saying is I’m exhausted, and running on three hours sleep and too many iced coffees. My stomach is currently undergoing its own personal Ragnarök. TMI, dude. Well, that ap shit is ridiculous. I’m not disparaging anyone who uses them, but, fuck, where do you find the time? But then again, I...

The latest interview!

Next up in my interviews is Lynnaea “Lyn” Argyris, who you might now from Esme’s interview, is not your average person. Far from it.    Want to give the whole dating ap spiel? Ooh, let’s see – my name is Lynnaea, I like kicking ass and taking names. Turn ons include men who shut up and women who can rock a spiffy hat. Turn offs include mansplaining, being a Trump supporter – but I repeat myself – and pistachios. I mean, good god, have people ever eaten those? Ick.   Is there an age range? Age isn’t that important to me, as long as you’re legal. And I see what you’re doing, and no.   No what? Not telling you my age. But I am so much older than I look.   Esme told me you’re a harpy, which means you’re a limited shapeshifter....

Another character interview! (And work in progress mix!)

This time, my interview is with Ceri, who is an … interesting fellow. If you read Esme’s interview, you may already know this. Want to do the dating ap breakdown? The what now? The basics, of who you are. Well, I’m Ceri, human/demon hybrid. That’s it? Do you need more? Well, what’s your full name? How old are you? When’s your birthday? Things like that. By human measure or Hell measure? What? Human time and Hell time are different. Which do you go by? It depends on where I am. On Earth, human time. In Hell, Hell time. Okay, so, how old are you in Earth years? No clue. What? I’ve never done the math to figure it out. I don’t think it’s relevant. You do realize an apocalypse is nigh, right? I have other things on my mind. Okay. How...

An interview with one of my characters!

As a teaser for my work in progress novel, I decided I’d ask the characters questions, and see how they responded. It’ll give you some idea of who they are, and not piss them off too much. First up is Esmerelda “Esme” Navarro. Want to give any dating ap style answers? Oh, you mean like “Hi, my name is Esme, I’m thirty three, my birthday is January 29th, making me an Aquarius with Leo rising. I like being left alone, working on my magic, and trying not to die. I’m a gold star lesbian who actually doesn’t give a shit about most litmus tests, but there it is.” This seems like a good time to ask what your hidden talent is. I don’t really have one, as I don’t believe in hiding anything. I’m the most powerful witch alive, and I have an evil...

Bandcamp is doing a great thing today!

So Bandcamp is doing a voter rights and registration thing all day today, and to encourage participation, I wanted to post a few of my favorite albums available on Bandcamp that you can purchase now, and for a good cause. Zeal & Ardor – Stranger Fruit My favorite album of the year so far is this one, a real banger from Zeal and Ardor that combines metal and gospel, and is also an album all about racism and slavery, and the lingering toxic effects thereof. Which doesn’t take away from t he fact that this album rages in every way possible. Sannhet – So Numb Here’s some hard charging instrumentals from Sannhet, as I really do enjoy hard charging instrumental bands, and more may show up on this list. They’re good to write to, if you need...

New Flash Fic – Writer’s Tour

Part of my flash fic initiative, here’s a tour of the near future. Thank you, Simone! ** “Welcome everyone to the Writer’s Virtual Walking Tour. Make sure your visors are secure before we begin. The miracle of new TruView technology allows us a glimpse into the minds of fellow wearers, especially those who have onerous contracts with the company. You can look through their eyes, and see what their lives are all about. If you’re secure, we will begin. Follow me.” A brief moment of blackness is followed by a title card, reading “Elliott Kavitski, the “it boy” of the moment, known for his award winning book Everything is Negotiable, a book about an upper middle class white family torn apart by the patriarch’s affair with a friend of his...

New Music Mondays

I haven’t posted for a bit, so why don’t you enjoy some new music while I get my act together. The Twilight Sad are back! Now that the world has caught up to their particular brand of Scottish misery, they’re more relevant than ever. Ladytron is also back! While not miserable, they do specialize in alienation as a sound, buried in a sugary coating that just enhances the unease, and again, this is perfect for the end times we seem to be living in. Again, more relevant than ever. Speaking of alienation, here’s a good electronic track from Emika, that still manages to sound creepy as all get out. Yes, I do consider that a compliment. Shadow Age have a new record out! It is shiny and pretty, and seems to be dominated by themes of near death and...

New soundtrack – Shotgun Bastards!

And until I can fix the embed code, here’s a basic link!

Flash Fic – Closing Time

This is part of my ko-fi initiative, where I write a flash fic for anyone who buys me a tea. And thank you Tom, for this story, about a werewolf who just wants a drink … Closing Time It was the start of every bad joke he’d ever heard. A werewolf walked into a bar. But Miles had had a bitch of a day – no pun intended – and was in no mood for any jokes. Or anything else, besides a nice stiff drink. Stoney’s was the kind of bar a hipster would set up, but ironically. They were deadly serious here. That jukebox whose lights only worked occasionally; the tables had genuine drink rings and cigarette burns on them, even though smoking in bars had been banned for decades now; the old drunk at the end of the bar, with an eye patch and three missing...

New Flash Fic – Folk Art

This is part of my Ko-Fi initiative, with the idea courtesy of Simone. Hope you like it, and that I’m not terribly disappointing! This is a science fiction flash fic, so the name is kind of ironic. Folk Art The hardest thing about being a galactic negotiator was the emotional whiplash. People thought it was the whole navigating the languages/postures/rituals part, but it wasn’t. There were only two dozen other species in the United Worlds, and and Aneela prided herself on her memorization skills. Even if she didn’t, there were pills and body mods for that now. No, it was picking up and reading all the emotions that was the worst. There were no mechanical substitutes for telepathy or empathy – or both, as she was technically a tele-empath –...

New Short – Night Work (and an appeal)

Hello! I have a ko-fi page – – and I’ve decided for every donation, you may request I do a flash fiction for you. Just send me one sentence, or name a couple of items, and I’ll write a flash fic for you! This opening one is for Gillian, and I admit, it went a bit beyond flash length. But only because I kind of ran with the idea. Thanks, Gillian! ** Night Work The library closed at nine on Thursdays. And that was when Julian’s second job began. He made sure to always be working the last Thursday shift, which wasn’t hard. He and his contact had worked out a rotating system. His orders would be in the last book on the fourth shelf in whatever aisle corresponded with the week of the month. For instance, today was the second week of the...

New soundtrack!

Instrumental this time, because why not? https://8tracks.com/notmanos/more-instrumentals-you-can-shake-a-stick-at

A neat new Josh of the Damned cover!

So I will be attempting to self-publish my Josh of the Damned series. I think I’m looking at an October release, which makes sense, but I wanted to show you the neat new cover, done by Lex Chase (and paid for by the wonderful Angel Martinez). How beautiful is that? And this Josh of the Damned will have some extras in it. Newish material! More as things progress.

Book’s out! Woo!

My weird short story collection, Shotgun Bastards! If you want to read about the crab apocalypse, a Cthulhu restaurant horrible yelp reviews, or the stupidest diet in the world, now’s your chance. Shotgun Bastards

I have a pre-order available!

For my weird flash fic collection, Shotgun Bastards. It has a little bit of everything. Including many apocalypses that we can kind of hope for. https://lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_bookx_info&cPath=95&products_id=1626&zenid=rsg1u4lrdbk2hg276co9oeifl3

New Music Tuesday

Everything remains terrible, and unless you’re a straight white male, you’re about to have rights stripped away from you in the United States. But, here’s some new music I’ve been listening to, while trying not to die. Zeal & Ardor Zeal and Ardor have a new album out, called Stranger Fruit. It’s about slavery and racism, and like the album before, is an intriguing mix of old Negro spirituals and death metal. He is one of the best musicians in the world right now. Seriously. This is top to bottom amazing. And sadly, still topical. Half of this group was killed in the tragic Ghostship fire, so this is the final album from the group Them Are Us Too. It’s a good album, and is all the more sad for it. Some fine...

Alert!

I’m doing the Clarion Write-A-Thon … or trying to. With so many horrible things going on in the world, it’s kind of hard to do. Clarion profile.

New music mix

Writing based! I’m still alive! Kind of. Current Writing Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Infected Universe Short – Little Knives, Part 2

Now, the conclusion of the story. ** Little Knives, Part 2 “You’re ridiculous, you know that?” Trevor said. “I said the last time I saw him was at the motel, and that was it. This isn’t fucking Law and Order. If the guy has gone off, it has nothing to do with me.” “That was my hope, you know?” Chai said. “Despite it all. His roommate was adamant Danny wouldn’t just flake out on him. He liked his job, he wouldn’t abandon his cat, and I have to admit, it’s adorable. But people can still do these kind of things, right? Especially nowadays. It feels like the world’s ending, and nothing means anything anymore. No one’s in charge and no one cares. It’s a depressing time to be alive. But there’s enough circumstantial evidence to indicate...

Pre-Order Alert!

If you like my short fiction, especially if it’s strange, I have a collected edition coming out! It’s called Shotgun Bastards, and it should be out in July.

Infected universe short – Little Knives

A two part story with Chai and Holden. This one takes place months after Infected: Throwaways, but doesn’t really contain any spoilers, so you can read it regardless. ** Little Knives It was not what Chai was expecting, but what, in retrospect, had he expected? It wasn’t something he had honestly thought about. And yet, he still had unconscious expectations. Weird how that worked. All he knew was it was an address that was in a part of Seattle where he had never been, which was strange, because he’d been sure he’d been everywhere in this city. But it was on the seedier side of town, although far from seediest – otherwise known as his old stomping grounds. It had that odd zoning that seemed like it was all commercial until, bam, an A-frame house...

Flash Fiction Challenge – No Country For Old Ghosts

So here’s the challenge, and what the hell, right? ** No Country For Old Ghosts The ghosts appeared before her in a sudden rush of cold air, semi-translucent, shadowy figures in dated clothes with dark,haunted eyes. Heather gave them her best professional smile, and asked, “Can I help you?” The male ghost, who looked more than a little like a nineteenth century miner, replied. “We used to haunt the Westmore building on Southern, but it was torn down and replaced by a Whole Foods.” “We tried to haunt it,” the female ghost said. She looked like a nineteenth century governess, which was kind of par for the course for this kind of spirit. “But it was depressing.” “And frightening,” the male ghost said. “Do you know how much they wanted...

A new playlist …

Mainly because I felt like it. A\K\A the usual reason. Let's listen to some new music while we wait for the end from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Twitter WIP update …

So my seven sentences were too much to actually post on Twitter, so here is the segment: “Or he was fine with doing damage to himself to stop it transmitting.” Cass tried to imagine what that would be, and shuddered. You’d think someone wouldn’t go that far, and yet, when a chrononaut snapped, nothing was off the table. He’d heard of one who somehow lopped her own arm off and used it to beat people. She had style, you had to give her that, even if it was self-defeating in the end. Rain was flinging itself against the windows like it was attempting suicide, and sometimes it pressed so forcefully against the bus he could actually feel it, like it was trying in vain to tip this vehicular behemoth over. Hardly a night for man or beast, so of course...

Flash Fic: The Days of Our O’Sullivans

So, this Tweet came up on my Twitter feed – @WritingPrompts A sitcom family moves to a soap opera neighborhood, has trouble fitting in. #writingprompts #writing – and how could I not, really? ** The Days of Our O’Sullivans Open: Patriarch Dave O’Sullivan knocks on the next door neighbor’s door, the Mulvaneys. Dave: Howdy neighbor! Can I come in? (Audience responds with knowing chuckles) Dave opens door and peeks inside, only to see fabulously wealthy and glamorous Sable Mulvaney crying decorously on the sofa. Dave: Oh no! Sable, what’s wrong? Sable: Oh, Dave! You remember my first husband, St. John Worthington? (Dave approaches couch slowly) Dave: Er, umm … maybe? (Audience chuckles) Sable: He was the wealthy oil magnet and stunt pilot....

Infected Universe story – Anhedonia

I might be doing more of these, as I had a mad urge to wrap up some things, possibly things that don’t need wrapping up. But you know how authors are. Minor spoilers for Infected: Throwaways, if you haven’t read that yet, and CW – talk of abuse, eating disorders and drug use. ** Anhedonia A gay nightclub wasn’t the most obvious choice for a wake. And yet, it did a surprising amount of side business in that area. There had been talk about doing it at another gay club, Skylight, except it would definitely object to such a thing inside its walls. Also, Chai was certain they were too old, too poor, and too ethnic for that crowd. So here they were at Panic instead, mourning the guy you figured would outlive the rest of them – Trix....

Something I’m working on …

So I asked on Twitter if people would rather read a bit of my Farscape but gayer thing, or my drunken time travel thing. Farscape won, so here we go, the “introducing most of the gang” moment. Keep in mind, this is still rough. But I wanted to prove I was still writing, contrary to all the evidence. And as of now, I have no title. Titles always seem like the last things to appear. ** Sayeed woke up with a huge pain in his neck, and a chalky taste in his mouth. That was usually the end result of being hit with a nerve disruptor. Also, having a shunt jammed into his nexus cluster to prevent it from operating. He sat up, and the shunt began broadcasting its canned message straight into his brain: “Sayeed Jackson Singh, you have been tried and...

New playlist …

Seemed timely and appropriate. Bye President Shithole from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Flash Fiction Challenge – No Tell

New challenge, new story. I put the tweet I chose at the bottom, mainly because I wanted to see if anyone could figure out what it was before we got there. ** No Tell It started small at first. Stolen towels, broken ice machine, keys that didn’t work. It escalated to frogs in the bathroom, centipedes in the bed, torn sheets, and pillowcases full of garbage. The owner of the Nite Owl Motel couldn’t figure it out. He set up hidden security cameras, only for them to be found clogging toilets. The security tapes revealed nothing. There wasn’t a hint as to who might be doing this. No wayward shadow, no glimpse of a car. For all the world, phantoms were haunting his motel, turning it slowly into a trash pile. The Nite Owl was not a four star establishment by any...

Infected Series Bundle #2 Is Up For A LR Cafe Award!

Yaay! To celebrate that, here’s an excerpt from Infected: Undertow that I just kind of like. Gives you some idea of the hard boiled world this takes place in. ** Holden hung up and got out of the car, heading towards the night manager’s office. It was funny, but after all these years, Sivan was still the night manager. He was a squat but gaunt man with skin the color of a caramel macchiato and an indefinable accent that was almost as comically thick as his mustache, which was definitely a pornstache to be proud of. He was quick to anger but also quick to calm down, which was a good thing since it wasn’t always clear what he was angry about. He was a fighter, though, or had been at some point; his thick sausage fingers had callused knuckles, the type...

A talk with Roan, Holden, and Chai …

And things get a little weird.

Flash Fic Challenge – A Date With Death

This is this week’s challenge, and I chose this photo.   (Photo credit to Piximus) ** A Date With Death   When Alfred first said he was dating Death, everyone thought it was a joke.   He had always been eccentric – preferring green tea to black, wearing full tie and tails down to breakfast, preferring women’s boots and nightgowns – but no one thought such a thing was even possible. Until Alfred was spotted riding a bike in the park with Death.   In this instance, Death was its skeletal self, although everyone quickly learned it had several guises, including the spectral figure in the hooded black cloak, a dog headed god being of some sort, and a sizable vulture. Alfred’s twin brother, Wilfred, was absolutely apoplexic. “What...

Enjoy an interview with Holden and Grey!

Also, there’s a nice review too. 

Win a book from my back catalog!

And enjoy if you can my small rant about homelessness. 

Infected : Throwaways out today!

And this may be the last Infected universe book – at least for the immediate future – so if you’ve put off the series until it finished, now’s the time to jump in. Go here to buy the book!

Holden mood board!

@DanielleRogland on Twitter was putting mood boards together for authors or their characters, and she did this one for Holden. I loved it so much I had to share! 

Flash Fic Challenge – Hearts Aflame

This is a flash fic challenge, I did it, and right away I want to say this has spawned a hell of a plot bunny. This isn’t the last you’re seeing of Leo, Yuki, and Cain. I got occult detective/paranormal romance, and I so want to get into it. I know how Leo/Yuki came about, I know how Cain got all his stuff … I have so much back story guys! So consider this a teaser. N.B.: Yuki is genderless, and is referred to with they/them pronouns. ** Hearts Aflame Leo Sakai barely shut the door before the hounds of hell were slamming against it, making it rattle in its frame. He laughed darkly, pressing himself against the door. “Okay, Yuki, now’s a good time to stop being mad at me,” he said. “Oh, did you two have a fight again?” a voice asked...

Book sale today!

Today, all Dreamspinner and DSP books are four dollars! So if you want to buy some of mine, I would appreciate it. Books!

Facebook chat with me Saturday!

I have a chat this Saturday (the 10th) Facebook! Ask me about the Infected series, or anything! https://www.facebook.com/events/164089427527716/

Infected: Throwaways Soundtrack, Part 2

The pre-launch for the book continues … Infected: Throwaways Soundtrack, Part 2 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Dee interviews Roan …

…right here, and we are a week away from the release of Infected: Throwaways!

Troublemaker, Part 2

I should apologize for taking so long to finish this story. Life got in the way, but so did my migraines, which have been on a real tear lately, and made everything hard. I also want to extend a special thank you to Simone F. That really helped a lot. ** 2 – In A Former Life 8-Ball squinted at the phone, and Chai got the distinct impression it was something of an act. Why? What was the point of that? “Oh yeah. This dude bought half my Freddie a coupla days ago.” Chai thought he was being honest, but he glanced at Holden for conformation. His expression was stone, so Chai honestly couldn’t tell. But he guessed Holden would have looked angrier if he’d thought he was being lied to. “He tell you why he wanted it?” 8-Ball chuckled and shrugged....

New Infected universe story – Troublemaker

You can consider this a tease of the new Infected novel, coming out in February. But really, I felt like cheering myself up, so here we are. A story about Holden and Chai, perhaps the strangest private investigators in the business, searching for someone, with an unexpected third wheel … ** 1 – Boy Division Chai had never been in a straight club before, and he felt like a spy behind enemy lines. Well, that was a tad over-dramatic, but he honestly couldn’t shake the feeling he didn’t belong here. The club had a sign near the door saying that all sexualities were welcome, so technically it wasn’t a straight club at all, right? Except he was surrounded by hetero couples, man/woman pairings all over the dance floor, and part of him felt like fleeing...

Character New Years Resolutions

Well, there’s no doubt this year has been fucking horrible, and 2018 is looking like it will be worse yet. Yaay. But, before we all kill ourselves, I thought I’d try and cheer myself up by asking various characters what their New Year’s resolutions would be, even if they didn’t believe in such a thing, Roan. What’s your New Year’s resolution? Roan: No. Dylan: I think it would just be to do more for my fellow human beings when I can. Roan refused to do this didn’t he? Holden: I haven’t freaked out enough straights lately. I really need to get back to doing that. And destroy capitalism at the same time, if I can figure out how to swing it. Chai: Just take one day at a time, and try and learn to listen to my therapist a bit more. I mean, I do listen,...

Best Songs of 2017, Part 2

Best Songs of 2017, Part 2 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Best Songs of 2017, Part 1

So large, I had to split it into two pieces. Best Songs of 2017, Part 1 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Infected/Holden flash fic- Karma

Holden meets a guy in a motel room. Things do not go as one of them planned. ** Holden agreed to meet him at the Pinecrest Motel at ten thirty, room 3-C. It was funny how a phone app could somehow make buying sex even more anonymous and impersonal than ever. Of course, you could get it for free with the app, and Romeo thought that’s what he was getting. Which is exactly what Holden wanted him to think. Much to his chagrin, he realized dressing for the part was his favorite thing about all of this. God, how stereotypical. He disgusted himself at times. Still, he couldn’t let on about his prostitute day job, so he went with jeans and a Seahawks t-shirt he picked up cheap at a grocery store – for fuck’s sake, they sold them at grocery stores! Why?!...

Hearts of Darkness was a runner up in the Rainbow Awards!

Yaay! I really liked Kaede and Ash, and their story, and I’m glad readers did too. Thank you all for making this possible. Woohoo!

Flash fic – Sacrifice

Why not welcome the month with a small horror story? Sacrifice Elena woke up chained to the altar. The cult was chanting, intoning low words of encouragement to an Elder God who demanded blood and souls just to get out of bed. They were nonsense phrases chanted over and over, the echoes of a long dead language where the meanings were lost, but the malevolence remained. She knew this because she bothered to do the research. Her mother hooked up with some shady guy, and it was up to Elena to protect herself, because her mother couldn’t. Her mother was kind, but too kind to the wrong people, as if someone had once taught her the way to deal with a monster was to be as accommodating to them as possible, and maybe then they wouldn’t destroy you. In Elena’s...

Black Friday sales!

All my stuff at Less Than Three and DSP are on sale! Including Infected: Throwaways!

Turkey Day Recommendations – Lesser MST3Ks

Thanksgiving is usually when I roll out my Turkey Day marathon suggestions, but usually I end up recommending the same movies. Although they remain good, I’ve decided, this year, to recommend MSt3Ks that have grown on me over the years. Maybe at first I thought they were okay, not special, but in time, I learned to appreciate them more. Minor MSt3Ks, if you will, that get very little love. (Oh, and a live Turkey Day marathon is happening too.) ** Human Duplicators – Although originally memorable for the sketch bit involving a dangerous, pent up Hugh Beaumont, this was the first movie I noticed had grown into one of my favorites. A truly inept, low budget science fiction film that seems to think androids sent as alien soldiers would have delicate china...

Five Holden Songs

Since the pre-order for Infected: Throwaways is now live, I thought I’d do a quick little thing: Five songs that never fail to remind me of Holden. ** Five Fingers – Aesop Rock Almost too easy, this one. Holden is a very adept pickpocket, a survival skill he learned early on in his street kid days, and he can still do it today. He’s quite proud of this, and if you dare him to steal anything from you, you’ll be the victim of identity theft before you leave the room. So don’t dare him, by any means. The Room – The Twilight Sad This probably needs a bit of explanation. The song seems to be about abuse and secrets within a family – there’s always wiggle room with a Twilight Sad song, but they are resolutely miserable, so this is a safe bet – but...

A preview of Infected: Throwaways

This is the brief bit I read at Read With Pride. So if you couldn’t be there, this is what you missed from me. Burn was one of those people Holden liked to think of as liminal: everybody knew him, and at the same time, nobody knew him. He was a ghost of a man who hadn’t yet died. And that was the way he liked it. Hard to catch a ghost. It seemed like someone finally had, though. As far as Holden knew, Burn had no family, here or anywhere. He was a man without a country, a home, a basic understanding of dental hygiene. All that was generally known about him was that his appetite for drugs was bottomless, and if you needed something questionable fast—untraceable gun, pharmaceuticals, car of dubious provenance—he was the guy to see. He’d been around...

A Master List – All My Stuff For Sale & Series In Order

Hello! Here’s something I should do on a regular basis, which is run down my list of available books, where they are, and, in the case of series, what order they progress in. And, may I add if you’ve read all or most of this stuff, to leave a book review on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever? It really helps authors get the word out. Thank you! So here we go: Infected series: Book 1: Infected: Prey Book 2: Infected: Bloodlines Book 3: Infected: Life After Death Book 4: Infected: Freefall Book 5: Infected: Shift Book 6: Infected: Lesser Evils Book 7: Infected: Undertow Book 8: Infected: Epitaph Infected: Paris is a prequel, but I really feel like it should be read after the others, or at least after Bloodlines. The Holden series is a spin off, and yet I...

See me in Seattle this weekend!

This Saturday I will be taking part in the Read With Pride meet up! I will be reading a passage from Infected: Throwaways later that night. And if you come say hi, you can get a profane political sticker (while supplies last), and I have one thing for a fellow Doctor Who fan. See you there!

Halloween Recommendation: Hannibal

(A/K/A All That You Love Will Be Eviscerated) When I considered writing a piece for Halloween movie recs, I realized I didn’t want to promote a horror movie – I wanted to talk about the best horror movie in years that is not, in fact , a horror movie. The TV show Hannibal. It’s impossible to think anyone may have missed this. Even if you didn’t watch it when it aired – which was a lot of people – you know about it. Still, it remains a haunting, beautifully grotesque story all about how love will kill you. There are many themes in Hannibal, but many boil down to a simple fact: love is a beast. It will kill you one way or another, but it will kill you. And maybe that’s what you want. To boil the series down to its simplest elements, the...

Josh Vs The Fairies of Doom, Part 2

Josh reflexively ducked when the glass of the door shattered, although Colin didn’t seem the least bit surprised. And why would he? Clearly he’d been fighting these things before he came here. Colin jumped over the counter, grabbed Josh, and pulled him down behind it for meager cover. There were sounds like pebbles smacking against the glass, but Josh was willing to bet it wasn’t pebbles. “How do we fight them?” “Very carefully,” Colin said. Josh scowled at the terrible joke, but Colin added, “No, I mean that. Medusa would rather have them back alive. Luckily, reverse tooth fairies are tougher than they seem for three inch long insects that sound like if a squeaky toy could talk.” “I could use some practical advice here,” Josh admitted. “Do...

Roan Answers Some Musical Questions …

Rather than do a trip through an ipod thing, I decided to ask Roan to pick out songs that remind him of people in his life. That way it’s telling from two perspectives at the same time, and I get to annoy Roan for a bit, which is always a win/win. Dylan Roan: I have two answers to this. One dark and one sweeter. Let’s start with darker: Jeff Rosenstock – Polar Bear or Africa Roan: Part of me hopes that after I’m gone, Dyl will forget me and move on like I never existed, and the world lets him. Because he’s put up with a lot of shit because of me and for me, and it’s unfair. But I know that Dyl would hate that, so don’t tell him. Killing Joke – Love Like Blood Roan: The only reason I’m still here and not dead yet is all him. Dylan is...

Infected Volume 2 bundle out today!

And on sale!

New Josh of the Damned – Josh Vs The Fairies of Doom, Part 1

Funnily enough, Halloween was usually a quiet time for the Quik-Mart. Most of the monsters didn’t know about it, save for a few vampires and others, who took the time to go out among humans and get a quick bite. As far as Josh knew, no one went crazy and actually killed anyone, for fear of risking Medusa’s wrath, but who knew? Maybe some monsters gave it a shot. But tonight, it was humans who were bugging him. Namely, three lightly toasted frat guys who were apparently dressed as some of the Stranger Things kids, which Josh didn’t recognize until the guy in the too small dress bought a box of waffles. They were hanging around the microwave, pretending not to be stoned, and failing. Finally, Josh just had to ask, “Why are you guys here?” “You guys have...

Three Infected books part of DSP’s daily deal!

Just good today! Act now!

New instrumental playlist!

Because it had been a while since I posted one, and I felt like it. Instrumentals to enjoy while waiting for the end of the world from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Some free fic for you …

This is the first chapter of a story in process. It’s an urban fantasy that will get dark and weird – would you expect anything else? – starring an asexual female lead, and several weirdoes to come. As per usual, there is no title as of yet. ** It was bad enough that the goblin was using a shitty time freeze spell that was unraveling by the second. He was also tripping balls on bathtub meth, which was the icing on a shit cake. Rain always found it odd walking into a place where a spell was affecting everyone but her – and the goblin this time as well. She knew she should be grateful, seeing people frozen in mid-motion, the air around them thick like syrup. But it always reminded her how different she was, and how fun the world might be if...

Six Song Wednesday – Another Trip Through Holden’s iPod

In the hopes of being a bit light-hearted, I decided to do a bit of character ipod surfing. I quickly concluded that Holden listens to more cheerful stuff than Roan, and how is that even possible?! But it’s true. Weird. So here we go, on a random tour of his ipod. Wolf Alice – Heavenward It may be because Holden is a big fan of setting moods with music, and doesn’t necessarily listen to music specifically to overwhelm his senses like Roan, that he seems more upbeat. Leading to nice little moments like these. My Chemical Romance – Boy Division But we can’t forget that Holden, at his core, is pretty goddamn emo. He might admit that, depending on his mood. The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die –...

Got an honorable mention in the Rainbow Awards!

For Hearts of Darkness. Yaay!

Newsletter is out!

And the final part of the Holden serial is in it. Newsletter link

New playlist!

Because I’m getting to the point where I can only communicate in playlists. Nazi Trumps Fuck Off from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

New newsletter out! With the second part of the story – and a sale!

Yes, the second part of Holden’s Nazi punching adventure is now up …

New newsletter is out – with an exclusive story!

I’ve resurrected my newsletter! And there’s an exclusive serialized story in it, about Holden joining an anti-fas group and going Nazi punching. It just started here: http://mailchi.mp/91ac598c7193/newsletter-sign-up And if you’d like to sin up for the newsletter, click here – https://andreaspeed.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c2c00e0831d76d0798fc70236&id=4531e0879e

New music mix – Resistance Summer

Because it’s been a while … Resistance Summer from notmanos on 8tracks...

Infected Flashback Fic – Love Like Blood

For my birthday, I thought I’d treat myself to a little Roan fiction. Namely, teen Roan sneaking out to a punk concert, where something monumental happens. This is a little longer than I intended, because it’s been fun being back in Roan’s mindset. Yes, he can be wrong, but you can never underestimate how ballsy he is, even as a kid. Some people are just born warriors, and Roan’s one of them. Enjoy. And sorry for the length. ** Love Like Blood Roan wondered how long he had before he was caught. The thing was, when you were in a temporary crisis home, like he was, curfews were strict. You could work for some privileges, but there were none that were going to allow him to sneak out to a punk show in Seattle that he was too young to attend....

Cover Reveal Post 3 – A Trip Through Holden’s Ipod. And the goddamn cover.

Day three of cover reveal week takes a dive into Holden’s ipod. Sure, the little music machines are being replaced by … nothing really, just iPhones, but Holden would like you to know that’s very classist, and he’s sticking to hard to trace burner phones, thank you very much. So, in that spirit, let’s see what he listens to, and how he justifies it. (NB: Because there’s a good chance we’re all dead soon, I’m revealing the cover below. Feel free to jump to the end if you wish.) Kilo Kish – Collected Views From Dinner Holden: I’ve pretty much been there, or in a situation so similar this is almost painful. The problem is, sometimes if you’re someone’s secretly paid for date, you can’t tell your obnoxious dinner companions they can suck...

Cover Reveal Week Post 2 – An Interview With Chai (and a cover tease)

Day two of cover reveal week has me interviewing Chai Nayar, Holden’s friend and investigative partner. I’m happy to say he’s not a willful little snot, Holden. A; Hello Chai, how are you? C: I’m good, considering. Therapy’s been helpful. A: Depression’s a beast. C: Isn’t it just? I’d love to say I was cured, but I know it doesn’t work like that. A; No, but I wish it would too. How’s the investigating going? C: Oh! You know, before I started working with Holden, I didn’t even know this was a career option. Hey … can I call him Den? A: Sure. C: I know that’s what Scott calls him, and it is so adorable. But Holden threatened to post me as a water sports enthusiast on Grindr if I ever called him that. So I’m calling him that in secret. A:...

Cover Reveal Post 1 – An Interview With Holden

As part of Holden: Throwaways cover reveal week, I decided to start off with an interview with the star of the Holden series, Holden himself. He is a slippery fellow, so I want it noted for the record I did my best. A: Why don’t you start by telling everyone a little about yourself? H: Fine. I was born the son of a goat herder – A: Can you be honest for once in your life? H: Where the hell’s the fun in that? Fine. My father was a complete lying asshole, as was my mother. I come from a long line of lying assholes, which is why I’m so good at it. Next question. A: You’re glossing over a lot of cont- H: I said next question. A: You really are an asshole. Okay, why not tell us something about you that people may not know? And please don’t lie. H: How...

Buy Some Music, Help Some People

Today, Bandcamp is doing a neat thing, in that they’re donating their profit from sales on their website to the Transgender Law Center. https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/07/31/this-friday-stand-with-bandcamp-in-support-of-trans-rights/ But maybe you’re saying “I don’t know if there’s anything I want to buy”. Let me help you! I’ve singled out some notable groups, and added genres as well as links. (Also, just added: bands and labels donating their profits: https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/08/03/labels-artists-join-us-in-donating-todays-profits-to-transgender-law-center/ ) Aesop Rock – https://aesoprock.bandcamp.com/album/the-impossible-kid Indie rap Aye Nako – https://ayenako.bandcamp.com/album/silver-haze Queer punk with an alt-rock...

Infected Universe Short – The Crawl

This is a small story involving Grey and Scott, two of the Seattle Falcons hockey team from the Infected series. If you’ve never read those stories, you can follow this, which is just a little character piece during a night out on the town. I just thought we could all use a little something nice, since reality’s been really shitty lately. ** The Crawl Scott started this thing a couple of years ago, so it was weird to call it a tradition. But it kind of was anyway. Before the grueling training for hockey season began – and that window grew ever shorter, especially if you were in the pros – they all got together for what was essentially a marathon of drinking and eating foods they couldn’t touch while on a training regimen. Not that Grey worried...

To Patreon or Not To Patreon – One Writer’s Thoughts

Making a living as an artist is really hard, guys. Unless you’re Stephen King or the Fifty Shades of Gray lady – forgot her name, and don’t care enough to Google it – you need at least one day job, and possibly two, to make ends meet. In other words, it’s hard out here for a book pimp. (I apologize.) One answer has been Patreon, a service that allows all sorts of artists to set up subscriptions to their work. It’s a neat service, and I think it’s helping a lot of artists. I have considered joining it. Let me tell you why I haven’t. I couldn’t get past the fact that there are a lot of readers out there who simply can’t afford to do that. Although Patreon tiers can be small – Dave Kellet, the web cartoonist, has twenty five cent tiers, which is...

A writing preview …

If you’d like to read a chapter of my Social Justice Warriors superhero thing, I have it posted under updates on my Clarion page. https://www.clarionwest.org/members/aspeed/

Fourth of July sale!

All e-books at DSP and Dreamspinner Press are $4 today! Including my catalog. If you’re missing some titles, now may be the time to catch up. My stuff.

Soundtrack time!

Holden: Throwaways isn’t out until very early next year, but I thought you’d give a taste of it … musically. Holden: Throwaways Soundtrack, Part 1 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Clarion West Write-A-Thon!

I’m doing it! Here’s my page: https://www.clarionwest.org/members/aspeed/

Flash Fic Challenge – Thorn of Prophecy

This is the challenge. I had no idea where this story was going when I started it. It does remind me I want to get to this paranormal horror story I’ve had brewing in the back of my mind for ages. I wonder if I’ll ever get to it. ** The Thorn of Prophecy He ran to the very end of the earth, and still, he couldn’t escape. He tried to hide in the coldest, darkest crevices of the world, in ice caves so slick and cold they’d have been death traps for anyone else. But they found him. He had no idea how, except they always did. He had gifts, but they did as well. He put up a fight, but he was badly outnumbered, and it was always a done deal. When he woke up chained to a chair, bag over his head, he wasn’t surprised. He also wasn’t surprised by the...

The Writer and Music

As you probably know from the sheer number of soundtracks I make, music plays a big part in my writing process. It helps me get into the zone, into characters’ heads, and moves things along. Sometimes, for reasons I don’t understand, certain bands or songs will announce themselves as vital to the story in progress. For example, These Arms Are Snakes are pretty much entirely responsible for the Infected series (with some assist from Porcupine Tree, Pansy Division, and Aesop Rock). In the chaos of the noise, you could find Roan there, trying to bury himself. He used noise to block out all other noises, smells, and sights; he tried to confound all his sense with sound, and hide from his depression. Did it work? Kind of; sometimes. And that was enough for him. You...

Lochlann is out today!

And here, I talk a little about what inspired it.

New music mix!

It’s new music! So hopefully you’ll find something new you like. What's New With You? from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Flash Fic Challenge – Witch

This is the latest writing challenge , and I got haunted house/Weird West. So here’s that story. Witch The Waterford Ranch radiated evil like fire gave off heat. You could sense it as soon as you stepped on the property. Everyone in the Waterford family was slaughtered one night, in a grisly display of violence, but no one was ever caught for the crime. It was considered especially baffling since there were seven guns in the family, and none were fired, even though the oldest boy was strung up in the barn and bled out like a slaughtered sheep, the baby was thrown down the well, and the patriarch of the family was somehow impaled on the weather vane on the house’s roof. The violence was spectacular, and in most cases, impossible. Bandits were blamed, then...

Books!

New books have arrived!

I’m relaunching my newsletter!

It’s going to have new stuff in it, and be released on a regular schedule. There will be giveaways and more! Please sign up.

Andy’s Music Corner 1

Welcome to the debut of my music corner. This is a recurring segment where I will share recent musical purchases, so you can point and judge me harshly. Also, I thought there may be people who would like some of the weird ass music I like. I’ll include links, and this covers a loose collection of time – the last month or so? Thereabouts. I’m going to generally recommend albums, although I may have just picked up a song or two. I’m going to make you guess. I’ll identify genres with Bandcamp tags. christian fitness– Slap Bass Hunks https://christianfitness.bandcamp.com/album/slap-bass-hunks Genre: Tagged as alternative guitar rock, and the cryptic but fabulous “protein words”. What the fuck does that mean? No idea. I like it, though. This is a...

New book alert!

Lochlann is now available for pre-order! It’s my book in the Order of the Black Knights series, and my homage to La Femme Nikita, with an obvious twist. Violence has been Lochlann O’Connor’s companion since he was born into a family of old-school Irish terrorists. From there he is recruited into Alpha, a secret government agency dedicated to fighting terrorism—with extreme prejudice. Lochlann’s bravery, efficiency, ruthlessness, and the natural deadeye aim that lets him hit anything that moves, quickly make him one of the shadowy organization’s most valued operatives. Cas Vega joins Alpha because it’s marginally better than a prison sentence. He’s a former drug cartel assassin—or at least that’s his story. But Lochlann is suspicious....

Construction Zone, Part 2

Remember this flash fic I wrote? I finally decided to follow it up, although the story isn’t complete quiet just yet. Still, enjoy part 2. ** 2 Steve opened the door to reveal pitch blackness. In the moments it took for his eyes to adjust to the dark, he considered the possibility that he was looking into a void. Maybe the outside world had been swallowed whole, leaving them in a weird area that existed but also didn’t, like they were loose change that had slipped between the sofa cushions of existence. But no. He started to see shapes, small piles on the ground, abandoned tools. It was the building site. It had gone from just after noon to the dead of night in no time at all. “How is it night already?” Joni asked. Steve shrugged, stepping out onto...

Last Time Movie Sign! The End of My New MST3K Reviews

12 – Carnival Magic – Another shitty, low budget kid’s film with fantasy elements, another MST3K regular. This time, it concerns a shitty carnival, and a sad man who has a mysterious gift with animals, and pals around with a talking chimp, who just may be special enough to save the carnival. I’ve made it sound more exciting than it is. For both a kids film and a fantasy, this whole thing is weirdly lackadaisical, meandering from scene to scene with no energy or life to speak of. Even the talking chimp is weirdly taciturn and joyless, which they point out in a host segment. It’s like the film has been cursed with terminal lethargy. Slap on a rote, desultory love story, and you have a snoozefest. This film would make an excellent sleeping pill. The guys...

Movie Sign Anew! MST3K Reviews, Part 3

8 – The Loves of Hercules – The big news about this stinker is that it stars Jayne Mansfield and her bodybuilder husband. But if you know MST3K at all, you’ll know bad Hercules movies are their bread and butter. MST3K has had some doozies throughout the years – remember sandstorm?- and this one is right up there with them. The main problem with the movie is Jayne’s husband, bless his bronzed, buff heart, can’t act worth a damn, and his thick accent is nearly enough to distract you from it, but no. She isn’t much better, trying to use her beauty to distract you from her stiffness – it almost works, and might work for some. Add to that the clunky script, the super cheap special effects – dig that painted cow/bull, the hydra, and the Montessori...

Movie Sign Again! New MST3K Capsule Reviews, Part 2

4 – Avalanche – This is by one of Mst3K’s favorite directors, Roger Corman, and this is his attempt at a star studded ‘70’s disaster film. Being a Corman film, there really isn’t that many walking scenes – he is as famous for those as Ed Wood is for parking scenes – but there is a lot of padding in this sad attempt at a film. Even star power like Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow – seriously! Doing the worst acting of their careers – doesn’t stop this from being a lesser Corman effort, ticking absolutely every box in the ‘70’s action movie cliché list (except no super pregnant lady – probably couldn’t afford to film a labor sequence). It’s more like Swamp Diamonds Corman, than Night of the Blood Beast Corman, which means...

Movie sign! My capsule reviews of the new Mystery Science Theater 3000, Part 1

Here’s something no one asked for – my opinions on the new round of Mystery Science Theater 3000! I’ll eventually report on all of them, assuming the world doesn’t end in the meantime. I mean, I wish that was a joke, but sadly it’s not. Okay, so, let’s go. 1. Reptilicus – It’s hard to believe the original MST3K never got around to covering this one, as it is the perfect MST3K movie, in that not a single element works. The script, the acting, the effects, the directing, the editing – all terrible, top to bottom. A Danish attempt at Godzilla, this one fails to conjure up a single scare. It also crashes down hard in the suspension of disbelief phase, which is critical in any movie of this nature. You have to agree to go along with the movie’s...

Lochlann soundtrack!

Yes, I know I’m jumping the gun. But I need this. Lochlann the Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Five Song Wednesday

Sadly, since it seems we’re all going to need cheering up for the near future, I decided to go ahead and do another random song thingy. Here we go. And this took on more of an international flavor than I was expecting. ** Snowball II – Anais & Me Ah, here’s a cheerful sounding thing to kick things off with. I know nothing about this band, save for their name being a Simpsons reference. They sound fun, though. Japanese Breakfast – In Heaven Today it’s going to be the day of bands I don’t know a lot about. This is actually one performer, I think, but don’t quote me on that. I’m not sure either of these songs are genuinely cheerful, but they sound like they could be, and that’s good enough for today. De Osos – Todo el ruido entre...

Book news!

My novel in the Order of the Black Knights series, Lochlann, will be released May 22nd. And I just signed the contract for the next Holden novel, Throwaways, out at the beginning of next year.

A new list of MST3K recommendations

With the series reboot of Mystery Science Theater 3000 coming to Netflix in April, and me in need of some cheering up anyways, I thought I’d give you some opinions on the new to Netflix episodes you should definitely watch. Also all are available to watch online elsewhere, as well as purchase. ** Werewolf –This movie is wonderfully ridiculous, and could have been tailor made for MST3K. The movie is about a writer – who, I should note, is never actually seen writing – who picks up a case of werewolfism from being hit with the skull of a skinwalker. I should point out that none of our stars seem to be American, which wouldn’t be a problem if this wasn’t taking place in Arizona, and if anyone could, say, act. But save for Joe Estevez, who makes the...

Story alert!

I have a story in this! Considering it’s a story by me, it’s really sweet.

Six Song Thursday

Because it’s been a hell of a week, I decided to go ahead and be light, and just do an ipod shuffle thing. Why? Because sometimes, you need to. ** You May Die In The Desert – Signals To Safety Ah, an old stand by of instrumental music. This has a nicely epic feel to it, and would make excellent trailer music, if anyone ever used instrumentals in trailers. (I’m not sure they do anymore.) But feel free to imagine what an Infected series trailer would look like, cued to this music. Gaytheist – Elderly Assassin Yep, the song is about exactly what you think it is: folk dancing. No! It’s about an elderly assassin. It’s at once kind of funny, and kind of horrifying. Which fits. Constant Lovers – Mush Teeth There is a mild theme of local-ish bands –...

Flash Fic Challenge – Construction Zone

The latest challenge is here, and I got this picture. I decided I saw something in the picture that isn’t true. But why not? ** “You’re gonna hafta come look at it, Steve,” Russ said, pushing his hard hat up higher on his head. Steve rubbed his eyes and sighed. This was supposed to be a simple building demolition, but at some point it had turned into a nightmare. Steve stepped out of the trailer and followed Russ, who stopped barely twenty feet away. Steve waited, not sure what he was supposed to see, and then, when he started examining it, he thought maybe it was a prank. What did they call it? A “tromp loll” or something? A realistic picture of something painted on something else? “There’s another building inside the building,” Russ said,...

An artist, you say? This may interest you ..

Please share! There’s going to be a volume 2 and/or issue 2 of the Friends For Equality music compilation and zine. Proceeds we receive online are being split evenly between ACLU, Planned Parenthood and Southern Poverty Law Center. The zine will also be sold at local events in Richmond to raise money for local social and reproductive justice organizations. The deadline for both is tentatively April 30. We would like this compilation to be even more diverse than the last one and encourage submissions in all genres and especially would like to give a voice to people of color, women, and non-binary/LGBTQ folks. Songs should be unreleased and under 10 minutes in length. We hope that unreleased songs will generate more sales! Artwork and writing for zine does...

New soundtrack!

Because why the hell not? Who The Hell Are You from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

I did a fun thing!

It’s an interview, but not a typical one at all. I talk about animal books and candy corn. Check it out.

A new playlist!

The F the Inauguration playlist. Speaks for itself, really. F*** The Inauguration Playlist from notmanos on 8tracks Radio. As requested, here’s the entire playlist in print form: Governed by Contagions by At The Drive-In Burn the Witch by Radiohead Singing Of The Bonesaws by Future Of The Left The Shit Sisters by These Arms Are Snakes Body For The Pile by clipping. feat. SICKNESS Atom Bomb by Beach Slang Country Kills by Popstrangers Can’t Truss It by Public Enemy Thank God For Worker Bees by Botch Mark 13 by Error Fate The National Front Disco by Morrissey Wearing A Bear by P.O.S Kill the Poor by Dead Kennedys Motherfucker by Faith No More Everybody Gets What They Want by Wax Idols Bear Away (Live) by The Murder City Devils Give Violence A Chance by...

New flash fic, and new interview!

Friday is busy for some reason, so here you go. Got a flash fic at Lex’s (warning: kind of depressing), and an interview up at Nicki’s. Hopefully not depressing, but I suppose that depends on your point of view.

Random Shuffle Wednesday

I haven’t done this in a while, and I thought it might be nice to do something, so here’s a random song Wednesday for you. Just hitting shuffle on my iPod and seeing what come up. (Footnote: After doing this, I am now worried about myself.) Fvnerals – Shiver Oh, here’s a nice little creepy song. Can’t tell you what it’s about, but do you need to know? It’s creepy! Soak in that atmosphere. Fois Gras – Devotee Speaking of creepy songs, here’s another. The lyrics are clearer, but that’s no help. It seems to be eerie days in my ipod. Lionizer – Stone A more high energy song, but this time about preferring violence to seeing someone again. Um … yeah, I’m sensing a theme here too. Slug – Godstopper Okay! It’s classic noise rock from...

New Year, New Flash Fic, New Soundtrack …

I have a NYE’s themed flash fic set in the Infected universe! Right here. And I have the soundtrack Scott put together, in hopes of impressing Roan. Old School Punk Party from notmanos on 8tracks...

Got a nice review!

I appreciate them all. Link!

Artists, aspiring or otherwise! Want to help out a good cause?

The great musician Spartan Jet-Plex – seriously, check out her stuff on Bandcamp – is organizing a zine and live benefit show in Richmond, VA in February. The zine is looking for contributors! It can be drawings, photography, comics, poetry, editorials, whatever. The theme is social justice/civil rights but it can be general or specific, literal or abstract. It will likely be black and white due to cost. Deadline is January 2nd. It will likely be sale on the Friends For Equality Bandcamp as well. Proceeds for show and zine are going to Forward Together and Sister Song. Great causes, and I’m hoping to contribute to the zine. Won’t you join me? If you’d like to join in, drop me an email at aspeed2 at gmail dot com, and I will pass on the submission email.

A snippet of the work in progress Holden sequel …

I’m still working on the Holden sequel, which is too damn long. So I thought I’d treat everyone curious about it to updates and snippets. Such as this one. I will give you no context. This is simply a random part. Sorry, but I think it’s more fun that way.This bit has Roan and Chai in it, with a cameo by a couple of hockey players. ** “Roan!” Grey exclaimed, sounding remarkably like an excited little kid. And unlike an excited little kid, Grey grabbed Roan in a bear hug and lifted him off his feet. He even shook him around a bit, like he was no more than a rag doll. Roan looked both amused and slightly ruffled at this. “Put him down before you hurt him, you big oaf,” Scott said, with weary affection. That alone told Chai Grey had done...

Andy’s Best Albums of 2016 Playlist Roundup

Andy's Best Albums of The Year 2016 Playlist from notmanos on 8tracks Radio. I know it seems a little early for a best records of the year compilation, but these last couple of months of terrible 2016 have been dedicated to distracting myself from thinking about reality. And what better solace is there than music? More than a few great musicians died this year too, which seemed like adding insult to injury. (David Bowie, as usual, knew exactly when to go. That bastard! Always ahead of the rest of us. If someone told me he was The Master, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.) But, putting Bowie’s prescience aside, it actually was a pretty good year for music. A lot of people released good albums, and some even released great albums. In no particular...

Free flash fic! And a contest!

You have to vote to win. Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Cyber Monday sales!

Okay. All my books are on sale somewhere. Here are links. DSP: https://www.dsppublications.com/books/searchresults?q=andrea+speed Riptide: http://riptidepublishing.com/authors/andrea-speed Less Than Three: https://lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=nskkvnuthmh9n5o3ljfvka7hr0&keyword=andrea+speed

Happy holidays! A new playlist for you!

Not a huge holiday person myself, but if you celebrate, I hope you have a good one. But for all my fellow grouches, enjoy this themed collection of songs that don’t say anything positive about families or holidays. Or both. Or neither. Andy's Anti-Holiday Playlist from notmanos on 8tracks...

Heartifact guest post

This is a book written to help very worthy causes. Please support it! HEARTIFACT IS OUT on NOVEMBER 24TH! Join me in welcoming Ash to my blog today with his newest novella, Heartifact! Ash advocates for abused youth and the net proceeds of this book benefit those youth in three countries. Thank you for supporting this novella! And don’t forget to scroll down and enter the giveaway! Net proceeds benefit the The Trevor Project in the US, le Refuge in France, and Arcigay in Italy Heartifact is available from Men Over the Rainbow, Amazon, Amazon UK, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords WRITING THE ANTI-ANXIETY DUDE A special thanks to Andrea for hosting me today. It’s great to be here! If you’ve read Andrea’s books, you know she has writing...

Let’s try and cheer ourselves up with a Turkey Day marathon …

I have to admit, I consider Thanksgiving cancelled. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything to be thankful for in this terrible, awful, beyond shitty year. 2016 should just go and eat a bag of dicks. For instance, I am personally hoping an asteroid wipes all out before 2017. But, in an attempt to not be all doom and gloom, I decided to put together a small MST3K Turkey Day marathon that you can legally stream yourself, any time you want. You don’t have to wait for (No) Thanksgiving. If you could use the levity, feel free to watch some now. Click the titles to be taken there. ** Teenagers From Outer Space Let’s start with this evergreen classic, about a teenaged alien – maybe in his late twenties/early thirties? – coming to Earth and falling in love with...

And two more nice reviews!

It’s really difficult to be at all positive right now, but these reviews are lovely. Thank you! Rainbow Book Reviews and Divine Magazine .

Got a nice review!

The one good bit of news among all the horror.

Hearts of Darkness is out now! And here’s a soundtrack too.

Yes! The book is here! And as I usually do, I have the next part of the soundtrack for you. Hearts of Darkness Soundtrack, Part 2 from notmanos on 8tracks...

Josh’s Work Diary, Continued

N.B.: I meant to have this up by Halloween, but it wasn’t a great writing week for me. Sorry it’s late! October 30th 11:23 Cindy, the woman who does the late shift – the one before my overnight hell shift – came back at this absurd time, because she forgot her phone. Normally this type of thing wouldn’t bother me – except how do you forget your phone, right? But the thing was, while she was telling me this story that I honestly didn’t care about, a zombie came in. It wasn’t a really gnarly one with bits falling off, it was a pretty fresh one, but still, clearly a zombie. To start with, zombies are always vaguely bluish, grayish, or a sort of ashy brown, depending on their original skin color. Their lips are whitish, grayish, or black,...

In time for Halloween … an MST3K marathon!

It’s no secret I am a big fan of horror movies, horror novels … horror. I love it, and could discuss it in great length and detail. In fact, I have before, and that includes previously listing movies I think you should watch for Halloween. This time, I decided to do something different – namely, I’m moving my annual MST3K – another thing I unabashedly love – Turkey Day marathon to now. Let’s call this an MST3K Candy Day marathon, and make a new tradition, of terrible horror movies that MST3K has made fun of over the years. Think there aren’t that many? Au contraire! MST3K covered quite a few horror movies in their time. All terrible in their own unique ways, and in several similar ones. You can find these all playing online, but it would be...

More soundtrack fun …

Because that’s what I do. Alternate Soundtrack: Freaks from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Josh’s Work Diary of the Damned, Part 2

Josh’s work is never done. (And, super subtle plug – the collection is still on sale …) ** October 5th, 11:11 PM The night’s first zombie, wearing the tattered remains of a Free Mustache Rides t-shirt. No one could have been deliberately buried in such a thing, right? I assume he was a frat boy who died during a keg stand and was hastily buried by his panicky brothers, who ran home and concocted some sort of missing person story. I’ve decided his name must be Cody, because they’re usually named Cody. 11: 20 I think I have a pitch script here. Accidentally killed frat brother comes back from the dead to enact revenge on his faithless brothers during pledge week. I’d call it All Frat Boys Go To Hell. The hero would be the gay college...

Hearts of Darkness Soundtrack, Part 1

Yep, it’s about that time again. Hearts of Darkness Soundtrack, Part 1 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

New! Josh’s Diary of the Damned

Josh Caplan, clerk at the Quik-Mart convenience store and lead of the Josh of the Damned series, doesn’t look forward to Halloween. If you think it’s related to his job selling snacks to monsters, you’d be wrong. Here now are some never before seen work diaries of Josh, and his overnight gig, as clerk to alternate dimension monsters and regular old humans alike. (And, if you don’t have the Josh of the Damned series, they’re all on sale this month at Riptide.) ** October 1st, 11 PM Arrived at work to find the Sloshy machine had backed up, and there was a small pool of Orangawesome syrup by the magazine rack. I wish when I was applying for this job, Mr. Kwan would have mentioned how much mopping I was going to have to do. I hate mopping. I...

Join me today at the Seattle Library!

It’s GRNW 2016, and I will be there, along with many great authors. Check out the schedule. If you see me, I’ll have poorly made paper misfortune cookies for you to rip up in anger and disappointment, as well as Roan pins, Paris postcards, and Infected: Holden cover stickers. I will sign anything, within reason.

Infected: Holden is out now!

And in honor of that, I have two things for you. A blog post about Holden’s origin story, and the second half of the soundtrack! Infected: Holden playlist, Part 2 from notmanos on 8tracks...

A Trip Through Holden’s iPod

As you may or may not know, I make a ton of playlists for my stories. But while Roan’s love of punk and noise rock is well known, Holden’s musical tastes are less well known. (Although still somewhat questionable.) So here’s a spin with Holden’s iPod, with six random songs pulled up. ** 1. Green Day – Geek Stink Breath Look, I know I’m not Roan, who’s all cool and edgy, and listens to bands no one’s heard of. I liked a few Green Day songs, and I’m not apologizing for that. We can’t all like obscure shit. Hell, before the internet, where did you even find it? We couldn’t all run away from group homes and head to the shadier clubs where they didn’t bother to card you. Not that that was an ideal way to grow up. Oh hell, I don’t know what...

Infected: Holden Soundtrack, Part 1

Busted it into two. Second part will come out publication day! Infected: Holden Playlist, Part 1 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

New books coming!

I’m sure you all know Infected: Holden is out September 20th. But also coming out, on August 30th, is Private Dicks: Packing Heat, an anthology I have a story in. On September 19th, the charity anthology One Pulse will be released, and in that I have a slightly longer version of the Roan story Pride. And on November 8th, is Hearts of Darkness , my supervillains in love story....

More musical mucking about …

This is what happens when I have time to dick around. 8 Song Titles That Together Tell A Story from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Infected: Holden has a release date!

It’s September 20th. Click for more details.

Infected: Holden cover reveal!

I could have – and probably should have – done something special, or at least wait until the buy link was active, but screw it. I’m bypassing the middlemen and passing the savings on to you. Just promise me you’ll buy it when it’s out, and we’re all good. And, with no further ado, the cover –

More Random Musical Pulls, Because Why Not?

Just to remind you I’m still alive – writing away, as always – I thought I’d do the five song random shuffle thing, and see if I can apply it to my characters. Let’s go. Botch – Thank God for the Worker Bees This one is a Roan song. Not just because he likes the screamy, aggressive music – although he does – but the repeated line “I’m the human shield” is very much applicable. Although how human is up for debate. Pack A.D. – Haunt You Bit of a toughie to start with, but this feels like a Holden song. Much like Roan, he’d like to believe in an afterlife, just for the possibility of haunting the fuck out of so many people. Modest Mouse – Dashboard This one is problematic...

Even More Stupid Questions With The Infected Cast

Today’s stupid question – If you could live within one fictional universe, what would it be? Roan: Star Trek. Dylan: Um, hmm … tough one. I’m torn between Doctor Who and Harry Potter … let’s go Harry Potter. It’d be great to throw spells around. It’d certainly make doing the laundry a lot easier. Holden: Mad Max. (Why?) I’d be a great killer of warlords. Paris: Ooh … I’m trying to think of a sexy one, and it just brings to mind that there aren’t a lot of sexy alternate worlds, are there? What about Cowboy Bebop? That seems like it’d be fun. Grey: Slap Shot. (Not sure that counts.) Fine, what did Roan pick? Trek? Fine, yeah, I’ll go with him. We can be roommates. Oh, hey, can I be a Klingon? Fiona: Wow, this is a tricky one. How...

More Random Songs Attached To Random Characters …

This has been a sucky year, and so, I thought I’d distract myself with more of this nonsense. As always, I hit shuffle on the iPod, and try to attach them to my characters. All instrumental tracks are skipped, because those could arguably go to everyone. ** Future of The Left, A Guide To Men – Oh, this is a Holden song. From using “civilized people” as an insult, and repeating the phrase “this is a song about total war”, this is all about someone’s probably doomed war against conformity and society in general. That’s Holden to a T. (And there’s this great bizarre video, which only hints at how honestly bizarre the thing the footage is taken from must be.) Sisters of Mercy, Dominion – Ah, this little...

If you’ve read me, you might like … (List updated! And may continue to update for a while)

I was asked about other writers readers of my work might be interested in. There’s a whole bunch, and I would encourage everyone to explore and find authors for yourself, but here are a few of my favorites. Alexsandr Voinov (I can’t recommend Incursion enough.) L.A. Witt Rhys Ford Joseph Hansen (The Brandstetter mysteries were a direct influence on me. They are so good.) Jordan Castillo Price Kelly Jensen & Jenn Burke Richard Stevenson Madison Parker Piper Vaughn Heidi Cullinan Josh Lanyon Huston Piner S. Reesa Herberth Brett Hartinger Angel Martinez Kim Fielding Ginn Hale C. Kennedy Jeff Adams Jamie Fessenden Rick R. Reed Megan Derr John Inman Jordan L. Hawk L.J. LaBarthe Jason Nichols Scotty Cade Lex Chase Pat Henshaw Rebecca Cohen J. Tullos...

New soundtrack – Gay As F**K

My answer to hate? Things can always be gayer. Gay As F**K from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

A Story of the Infected Universe – Pride, Part 2

Considering all the awfulness that has happened since I wrote the first part of this story, I just wanted to write something nice. So that’s all this is. Something nice. ** Weirdly enough, Roan thought he could get into this, especially if a mosh pit formed. He was hoping maybe he could create one if nothing else. He ended up talking to some guys with Mohawks and band t-shirts, and they discussed music for a bit, especially the local scene. They were all despairing the upswing in twee bands, and were probably too down to start a mosh pit. Also, the music playing right now was dance music, as Holden had said, and it was impossible to mosh to that. Roan enjoyed this, until he realized he was at least ten years older than these guys, and he got depressed....

In time for Pride month – A Story From The Infected Universe: Pride

Consider this a “lost” chapter of the Infected Holiday Special – this isn’t technically a holiday. But it’s enough of an occasion that it’s worth mentioning. Roan’s first trip to a Pride Parade. Whether he likes it or not. ** Roan couldn’t believe what he had been reduced to. “I am not doing this,” he insisted, for what felt like the hundredth time. Dylan sighed, and opened his car door. “You are. Now get out.” With a dramatic groan, Roan got out of the car. They were in a parking garage, ground level, so it wasn’t a huge walk from there to the street. There were steady streams of people moving down the sidewalk, and Roan started popping peppermints to combat the overwhelming scent of so many people. He could...

Rainbow Snippet – From Infected: Holden #2 (WIP)

I don’t actually know what the title of this one is going to be, as I haven’t officially titled it yet. (Titles are the hardest thing for me.) But here’s a preview. ** Holden scoffed, mainly at his holier than thou tone. “You are aware that the only two people in the world who give a shit that he’s dead are in this room? We’re it. Burn may have been street, but he was a bottom feeder, and you’re not gonna find a lot of people mourning him. There’s probably already a line forming to take his place. “ Kevin’s dark glare continued, but he looked away after a moment, and ran a hand over his face, the only acknowledgement from Kevin that Holden was correct. *** Read more Rainbow snippets here: Rainbow Snippets on Facebook ...

Got a nice review!

For Infected: Prey.

Join me later today!

I’m doing this around 5 Pacific/ 8 Eastern on the 25th on Facebook, with a couple of other authors. There will be Amazon gift cards and maybe more. I should be talking Infected, and taking questions. Please join us! RSVP here

Roan and Holden’s advice column

It’s short for a very good reason. Ask them anything, you’re taking your chances.

Out now! The Infected Holiday Special!

  Available wherever books are sold, and also here. And of course I made a soundtrack for it. The Infected Holiday Special Playlist from notmanos on 8tracks...

A not so stupid question for the Infected cast …

Since we’re coming up on publication date – the 17th! – I thought I’d ask a question that’s actually kind of relevant.   What do you think your best quality is?   Roan: Okay, now that I’m braced for idiocy, you throw a serious question at me? Fine. I guess my sense of humor.   Holden: My adaptability.   Dylan: Uh … I’ve been told I’m patient, so let’s go with that.   Roan: I feel duty bound to butt in here and say Dylan’s best quality is everything. He is a saint of a man and deserves a Nobel Prize.   Dylan: Except when I steal the covers, right?   Roan: Yeah, ‘cause then you’re a complete bastard, and I’m taking the Nobel Prize back.   Grey: I can’t say my overwhelming size? (No.) Can I say my...

Buy some tea, help charities

I made some Infected series tea, and I hope you maybe want to give some a try! All help various charities. Infected teas

More stupid questions with the Infected cast …

Two this time! A softball before we get really stupid.     If you were held at gunpoint and to sing a song for karaoke, what would it be? (And no, Roan, you can’t disarm this person in any way. There’s no getting out of it.)     Roan: Fuck Tha Police by NWA.   Holden: Demons by Sleigh Bells.   Grey: Paranoid Android by Radiohead.   Dylan: Oh, um. Maybe something by Elliott Smith? Not the same song everybody does. Maybe St. Ives Heaven. What did Roan say? Oh dear …   Tank: Big Balls by AC/DC.   Fiona: Whip It by Devo. You just walked into that, didn’t you?   Paris: I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses. I bet you thought I was going to say I’m Too Sexy, didn’t you?   Scott: Okay, I have two I really...

Book sale!

As part of Dreamspinner Press’s 9th anniversary, all my books with them are on sale this week! So if you’re missing something, now’s the time to get them.

Flash Fiction Challenge – Green

Another Flash Fiction Challenge, this one involving random photos. I pulled up this one, and the end result is a story that’s a little paranormal, and a little superhero. Green They called themselves the Four Horsemen, even though there were only three of them. Whether they were the real ones or weren’t was up for debate. The one who called himself War showed up in our city on an overcast night, the full moon bright, although the strange fireball that announced his appearance made it seem dim by comparison. He appeared to be just a man, almost skeletally thin and gangly, his skin like toughened leather stretched over a skeleton. He wore a long coat that flapped like broken wings and a wide brimmed hat that hid his face in shadows, although his eyes had...

Stupid Questions With The Infected Cast, Part 1

Okay, this seemed like a fun idea at the time. Ask some of my Infected characters stupid question. Some took to it better than others. P.S.: I was going to do multiple questions, but since no one could just answer the damn question succinctly, I will spread these out until release day. (May 17th!) 1, If you could be any kind of animal, what kind of animal would you be? Note: Humans and big cats don’t count for this question. Roan: How is that fair? I mean, my answer’s built right in. Fine, I’ll be a honey badger then. People will leave me alone, right? Holden: What the fuck kind of question is that? Can I be mythical? (No.) Okay, platypus then. Or vampire bat. Maybe a wolverine. This is harder than I thought. It’d be much easier if I could just say...

Art for my story in the SPN Case Fic Mini-Bang 2016 – Drown With Me

The theme was monsters, and I decided to do it as a writing exercise. It was a lot of fun! Kudos to the artist, deanwingedchester, for her work. The kelpie is amazing! (And if you’d like to read the story, you will find it...

Got my first review for the Infected Collection Volume One set …

And it’s great! Thank you! Prism Book Alliance

Random Music Time With The Infected Cast, Part 2

Since the last one was kind of fun to put together, I decided to do this again. Five songs randomly pulled up by shuffle on my iPod, and I’ll tell you who they’re most likely connected to in the Infected universe. Let’s go. Levitate The Pentagon, Publicist UK – Ooh! Possibly the most Infected universe song on my iPod right now. It’s not only a Holden song, but a weird Holden love letter to Roan kind of song. There’s lots of great bits in here, from the choruses “pain’s a secret no one keeps/you’re the lie that I believe”, to “You were born to die in a better world than this one”, which is a thought I’m sure Holden has had about Roan. And letting the losers tell their side is pretty much what Infected is all about. Will They or Won’t...

A new review for Infected: Paris!

Thanks, Christy! Rainbow Book Reviews

I attempt to interview some of my characters from the Infected series …

It doesn’t go well. Dawn’s Reading Nook

Random music time with the Infected cast

I decided, as part of the whole build up to the release of the Infected Holiday Special, to play a sort of game where I put my iPod on random shuffle, and the first ten songs that come up – minus any instrumentals – I will attach to characters in the Infected universe. So let’s go. 1. Motherfucker, Faith No More – Okay, this is a super easy one. Although Roan is the Faith No More fan, this is definitely a Holden song. It fits him perfectly. 2. Bathtime In Clerkenweld, The Real Tuesday Weld – This is a weirdy, but I can see this being a song Grey likes, if only to annoy and irritate others. 3. I’ve Seen Footage, Death Grips – This is easily a Tank song. In fact, I could see him insisting this be the song he skates out to in games. I can also see...

Book sale!

Did you know my Riptide books are on sale? If you need some goofy fun in your life, I recommend them. Riptide Publishing

More Tarot readings for characters in the Infected universe

The first Tarot card reading for characters in the Infected universe got such a good response, I decided to do it for other characters in the series as well. Mostly the hockey guys, although there’s others in here as well. As before, it’s a random draw from the Major Arcana. Here we go.   Grey: For him, I pulled The High Priestess, which was a really weird card to pull for him. It’s a mystical card, and usually is good for artists to pull. But I could see how this could apply to him. He does have a certain creativity in how he presents himself to the world. He is asexual, even though he was unaware of the label until recently. But he has pretended to be mostly straight all his life, playing the role he was expected to play, with this little rebellious...

A new writing playlist!

All instrumentals, for you writers out there. Yet More Music To Write To from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Got a another great review!

These give me life.  Thank you!

Fun With Tarot Cards & The Infected Universe

Just for fun, and in honor of the new Infected Holiday Special coming out in a month – Amazon link here! –  I thought I’d draw Tarot cards for some of my characters. I limited the draws to the Major Arcana, and I want to specify that these are random draws. I let chance pick them. They just came out really apt.  Roan: The card I drew for him was Strength, which is super ironic, since it’s a Tarot card with a lion on it. And as you might guess from the name, the card is about force of character and the triumph of a higher nature over carnal desires. Does this mean Roan eventually triumphs over his lion side? Who knows? But it’s a good sign for him.   Dylan: The card I drew for him was Justice, which never occurred to me, but once I pulled...

Flash Fiction Challenge – Seven Days of Fang (Two Stories For The Price of One)

So, the latest fic challenge is here, and I randomly got the title Seven Days of Fang. I actually had two ideas for this. One which I thought was obvious, the other which was really weird, but I ran out of room to explore. So here’s both. Pick your favorite if you have one. Seven Days of Fang – Story 1 Ultimately, no one was sure how it happened. There were lots of theories, from genetically modified crops to terrorist action to global warming, but there’s no answers as of yet. What happened was every human in the world woke up one day turned into animals. There was no rhyme or reason to any of the changes. The President woke up a hamster, while the Vice President woke up a musk ox. Families all became different animals entirely, including some...

A great review for Infected: Undertow!

Thanks! Review is here.

New playlist!

Because I get antsy once I haven’t done one in a while … Let's All Pretend This Dark Cloud Doesn't Portend Our Doom from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Infected: Holden Soundtrack preview!

Because I kind of had to. Preview: Infected: Holden Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

New book news!

I just signed the contract for Hearts of Darkness, based on the free story I did for the M/M Goodreads group, Villains. So it’s a full length adventure involving Kaede and Ash, as two supervillains fall in love and leave a high body count. Out through DSP by the end of the year!

Chew #55 Advance Review

Quick Rating: Very Good Savoy explains his plans to Tony. Writer: John Layman Artist: Rob Guillory Cover Art: Rob Guillory Publisher: Image Comics Remember how last review I said Chew had a trope in it I didn’t like? Well, the jokes one me – and all of us – as it isn’t that trope at all. Narratively, it’s a bit of a cheat, but I’ll allow it. (It’s not like I can disallow it.) Tony is eager to go after Savoy after what he did, and Savoy wants him to, as it’s part of his plan. Most of this issue is a long narration, as he tells the reader – and Tony – about his big plans for … saving the world, I guess? It started as a quest to tell the truth about the so called “bird flu” that led to the restriction of chickens, but ended up so much more....

Wonderful review for Infected: Bloodlines

Yes, I know it’s a hard subject for everyone. But the review is great. Review! Kleenex optional.

Infected Holiday Special cover reveal! And pre-order link!

I’m just going to admit it: I love writing anything set in my Infected universe. The universe is very close to our own, with subtle and not so subtle differences, (That whole cat virus thing? And cults dedicated to it? Not subtle. Although an argument can be made for the cults ….) But more to the point, I love the characters. There are way, way more than I anticipated when I started writing it. I thought there’d be this small core group, but the world expanded, and suddenly I had a boatload of lovable and not quite lovable weirdoes. If there’s any overall theme to Infected as a whole, it’s that we’re all weirdoes, and it’s okay. Although some people are just weirder others. (And that’s okay too.) Somehow that all leads us to the upcoming Infected...

New soundtrack!

Because why not? A Dark Musical Interlude from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

A new thing I’m a part of …

Black Knights – more info as things become available.

Chew #54 Review

Savoy declares war on Tony.   Writer: John Layman Artist: Rob Guillory Color Assists: Taylor Wells Cover Art: Rob Guillory Publisher: Image Comics Building off last issue, Savoy doesn’t take Tony’s rejection of his plan to work together well at all. This leads to some bloody consequences. I won’t spoil, but I will say a trope I hate is used here, and yet the writier in me says it’s okay in this instance, because at least this person was a character in their own right before this happened. Also, shit happens, and just because it happens to this particular character, doesn’t make it a trope. Still … am I a little uneasy about it? Yeah. That’s unavoidable.   But you knew Savoy was going to react badly to rejection, and this makes sense for...

New Infected: Holden chapter!

So The Infected Holiday Special isn’t out until May 17th, and Infected: Holden isn’t out until fall. But I did start writing the next Holden book, and this is the first chapter of it. It’s not edited, but there are no spoilers for Infected: Holden. It’s just Holden acting as a P.I. on a case that just irritates him. Grumpy Holden is fun Holden. ** 1- A Guide To Men Holden had always been very proud of the fact that he didn’t give a shit about fashion. He was happy whenever he could subvert a shitty stereotype. Which was why it was annoying him that he was so bothered by his wardrobe. He prided himself on dressing to fit the role, whatever the role was, from cheap ass street hooker to classy, expensive dom. But dressing down to blend...

Listen to the opening of all the stories in the Infected Holiday Special!

Yes! The only problem is, you get stuck with my terrible voice and sometimes stumbling delivery. And I do talk about a couple of the stories, so there’s that, if it sweetens the pot at all. http://AndreaSpeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/book1.wma

Chew #53 Review

Quick Rating: Very Good Title: Last Suppers, Part 3 Savoy tries to come to a détente with Tony. Writer: John Layman Art: Rob Guillory Cover Art: Rob Guillory Publisher: Image Comics From that description, as meager as it is, you should know this is a bad idea. As it turns out, an ambitiously bad idea, as Savoy comes up with a way to force Tony to see his side of things, or so he thinks. This flawed plan goes bad immediately, and while they have to work together – kind of – to find a way out of it, Tony isn’t really swayed by Savoy’s arguments. And how could he be? Even if you ignored everything else Savoy has done to Tony, the fact that he cut off a piece of him and ate him is pretty unforgivable. Tony even reminds him of this, but Savoy is pompous...

New flash fic!

Over on Lex Chase’s site! The title pretty much says it all: Karma

New instrumental mix!

Because, why not? A Musical Interlude from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Infected Holiday Flash Fic – Hannukah 2: The Reckoning

Hanukkah 2: The Reckoning (There is a story in the upcoming Infected Holiday Special entitled Hanukkah. So calling it #2 and giving it a nonsensical sub-tile felt appropriate.And minor spoilers if you haven’t read Infected: Epitaph yet. ) ** Roan had a feeling Dylan was up to something. He just had no idea he’d spring it on him at the gallery. Dyl had a two week showing at the Lohmann-Chang Gallery, a small but apparently super hip place in downtown Vancouver. It struck them both that Dylan was an odd choice for the showing at the middle and end of December, but since when did any hipster place have a sense of sentimentality? So Dylan’s paintings of bleeding machines, colorful, geometric abstracts, and isolated, painted body parts – all...

And Keep The Stars Running just won a Rainbow Award!

And it’s a fabulous anthology, and I hope everyone reads it.

Infected: Epitaph just won a Rainbow Award!

And I may need to go lay down for a bit. What a fantastic list of authors to be included in. Yes, I know the grammar’s wrong, I don’t care right now. Too thrilled. See?

Infected: Epitaph …

… picked up an Honorable Mention in the Rainbow Awards! Woohoo!

My Best Albums of the Year Mix

It’s all over the place, and long and weird. Which probably isn’t a shock to anyone. Andy's Best Albums of '15 Mix from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

I’m one of Piper Vaughn’s Authors She’s Thankful For

I’m so chuffed.

Infected Holiday Flash Fic – Throwaways

How does Holden spend the holiday, now that Roan has moved? Now you know. ** Throwaways Holden had been hoping global warming would eventually give Seattle a warm November, but no luck this year. He sunk deeper into his bomber jacket and felt like an idiot. He needed a more stylish warm weather jacket, but what was that? They probably existed, but he had no idea where to look for them. Once a peasant, always a peasant, he supposed. He wished gay boys were just born with a fashion guide in their hand, like some assholes seemed to think, but he supposed he and Roan – especially Roan – were living proof that this was not true. The boulevard was as close to deserted as it ever got, because most people were home, dealing with the bullshit holiday that was...

The Infected Holiday Special playlist

The book isn’t out for a bit, but it seemed like the soundtrack would be appropriate earlier. No holiday songs! These are character specific songs. So you’ll know who’s in the book. The Infected Holiday Special Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks...

Infected: Holden is coming …

Just signed the contract, so it will be published in the fall of ’16.

Some lesser known MST3K Turkey Day recommendations

So Mystery Science Theater 3000 is being relaunched, which is great, but in the meantime, Thanksgiving is getting here first, and you need something to watch right now. I thought that I’d recommend some of the lesser known MST3Ks for your Turkey Day perusal. We all know The Final Sacrifice, Werewolf, and Manos: The Hands of Fate are great, but there are other treasures waiting to be found in their massive back catalog. Here’s a few you may not have seen. And while they’re all available online, and I have included links, some are available for purchase, and I must encourage you to buy them if possible, and if you enjoy them. Prince of Space A badly dubbed Japanese children’s film is a wonderland for the crew, as there’s so much weirdness and little...

Another soundtrack for your listening pleasure …

This is just a random assortment of recent Bandcamp purchases. Enjoy! Bandcamp Is My Record Store from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Win a story from me!

And other stuff too!At Piper’s birthday bash! Go there and wish her a happy birthday too.

Casting Hearts of Darkness

There’s a Tumblr bit going around, about “casting” your NanoWriMo projects, and I thought that might be a fun way of prodding me on to finish my novel (along with the soundtrack.) So here’s the cast of Hearts of Darkness … at least for now. The story of two super villains in love, and the heroes and villains that get in their way. Kaede – The son – or possibly the clone – of a infamous mad scientist supervillain called Doctor Terror. Having grown up semi-secretly in the looming shadow of a hated, yet eccentric and strangely distant villain, Kaede is at once feared and ridiculed, and uncertain about his own identity and place in the world. He is constantly underestimated by heroes and villains alike, taking him for a fragile, pampered boy nothing...

New soundtrack!

For my NanoWriMo thingy! NanoWriMo Soundtrack: Hearts of Darkness from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Free flash fic, part 2!

And here’s a little horror tale about Home …

Free flash fic, part 1!

I did a thing, with a bunch of other authors. My story is of a weird apocalypse. (But check out the other stories on the site! The one with the robot is aces.) When The Rains Came

Keep The Stars Running picked up an Honorable Mention in the Rainbow Awards!

This is a big deal. And I got a nice compliment out of it too....

Some Halloween viewing recommendations

For Halloween, I usually put out a list of movies, but I’m repeating myself and decided to do a little something different this year. I was going to recommend a Hannibal TV series viewing party, where you’d just watch all the episodes. I don’t know if they’re all available legally online, but you can get the DVDs that are out and watch those. I recommend every single episode, because even the ones that don’t cohere completely are a visual feast for the eyes. The cinematography is top notch. And I’m completely in the tank for the new Ash Vs The Evil Dead series, sight unseen. But there is another series that has been on the air for coming on eleven seasons (no, really, that’s a fucking ridiculous amount of time), Supernatural. It’s been on way too...

New Halloween playlist!

Let’s face it, I just love doing this. A Halloween Mix That Doesn't Suck from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Come see me at GRNW tomorrow!

It should be fun. I’ll be speed reading Tarot cards and everything.

Got a great review for Josh of the Damned

Yes, the entire series. It’s neat! Clicky-click!

New playlist!

Just because I can, pretty much. Songs For Tragic Love That Don't Suck from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

The Charmed & Dangerous anthology is out today!

So of course I made a soundtrack for my story. Josh of the Damned Vs. The Bathroom of Doom Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

And another soundtrack!

I wrote the fic, so I may as well soundtrack it. Another Supernatural Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

New playlist!

It’s quite random. Let's Get Random from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

New anthology pre-order available! Josh of the Damned alert!

Yes! There is a new Josh of the Damned story in this brand new anthology. Check it out! There are many great people involved.

They judge, and they judge …

Because I haven’t posted anything for a while, I thought I’d post a picture of all the figurines that stand at the top of my monitor as I write . They judge me harshly, in all their plastic wisdom. And yes, I realize only one is human, and he’s technically a mutant. But I can take or leave non-mutant humans, I suppose.

Supernatural: The End, Part 11 (The Actual End)

  11 – Back In Black Sam looked out at the pond, and tried to remember when he had ever seen this place. When he was five maybe? He was standing on a back porch that looked kind of rickety, but you couldn’t argue with the view. A placid blue-gray oval of water, a couple of ducks bobbing on the surface, with scattered clots of willows and aspens arranged around the perimeter. This was some hunter’s home, wasn’t it? A friend of their dad’s. Sam couldn’t recall any of the finer details, just this peaceful view, which was so unlike the motels and truck stops and other random places that made up his scattered childhood. “Hey Sammy,” Dean said. He turned to find Dean standing there, but he knew somehow this was Dean and yet not Dean. What was...

Supernatural: The End, Part 10

  10 – Misfits and Mistakes (Falling, falling forever -)   Dean had had just about enough of waking up in pools of blood. If only he could stop it. When he had the strength to move, he pushed himself off the floor, and felt his gut tear. He gasped and put a hand to his stomach, only to feel warm blood gushing out of him. He wasn’t sure if it was a gunshot wound or a stab wound; it was an opening that was making his blood drain out. He sat back against the wall, putting pressure on the wound, until he got an idea of where he was. He was back at Bobby’s place, which was good, because he had buttloads of first aid stuff, but he was in Bobby’s study, which didn’t have that kind of thing. Had booze, though. He managed to reach one of Bobby’s...

Supernatural: The End, Part 9

  9 – Pushing The River Dean regained consciousness running.   Which would seem impossible, but he had no memory of anything before he suddenly found himself running through a forest, jumping over fallen logs and swerving to avoid trees. He had the sense something big and bad was after him, and had been after him for a very long time. His lungs were burning, and his knee was starting to ache. He had a handgun in his right hand, and when he turned to look back at what exactly was following him, he saw nothing but darkness. Darkness that was corrosive, eating the woods at it progressed, flowing like water and washing away everything in its path. He emptied the gun into it, but it did nothing. Reality was simply being erased, and why did he think shooting...

Supernatural: The End, Part 8

  8 – Drown With Me Sam knew he had to pick both the time and space where he deployed the Belial artifact carefully. He would be damning a particular spot to constant death. Nothing would ever grow there again. But it was better a mile of land died than the whole planet, so certain sacrifices had to be made.   He figured out the best bet was Oak Grove Cemetery, on the far outskirts of town. It was near an industrial area that was pretty well contaminated anyway, and the cemetery itself had gone to seed. It was mostly just a hang out spot for bored Goth teens. They’d probably find everything being mysteriously dead around it a huge turn on. On his way there Sam stopped to see if anything worked on the Darkness. It was a big fat no on rock salt and...

Supernatural: The End, Part 7

  7 – Bear Away Crowley tried to remember the last time he was in London. Was it ’82? Something like that. The Thatcher years had been a real boom time for him, as people couldn’t sell their souls fast enough. Since these things were cyclical, he was pretty sure the city was ripe for harvesting, as he had a feeling the new boss was going to be great for business. You could smell desperation in the air. Well, mostly it was smoke at the moment, because half the city was on fire. London wasn’t alone in having Great Fire number two, as most major cities worldwide were burning. Governments had been overthrown, the economy had broken wide open, and everything was burning. Humans were not coping well with their new reality, which would also be damn good...

Supernatural: The End, Part 6

  6 – Dam That River Sam knew he was taking as long as humanly possible to secure the Book of the Damned in the forbidden vault. But he also had no desire to move any faster. In fact, he wished he could stop time completely. Because Cas was eager to get this whole Ascension thing started, and seemed to either not notice or just ignore the fact that Dean’s time as a Human could now be counted in minutes. Sam guessed that if he were alive, his anxiety about this would be in the stratosphere, but at the moment it had a weird removed quality to it. He could see his anxiety, examine it from all angles, and yet could neither dismiss it or experience it entirely. He was starting to feel death in bits and pieces, even if it couldn’t fully commit. This was...

Supernatural: The End, Part 5

  5 – This Corrosion “Find another way,” Sam said, still steaming mad at Cas. But why? Dean knew that getting Death involved in any of this was all his fault. “That isn’t happening.”   But Dean, after his initial shock, realized that it didn’t scare him as much as it should have. In a way, this reeked of inevitability. He was always very good at killing. Seemed he was born to it. “What if you killed me, taking the mantle back?” Dean asked. He could see Sam’s reaction out of the corner of his eye, and it was exactly what he expected. Cas shook his head. “You’d have to fully take the mantle first. Believe me, I looked for a loophole.” “This is crazy,” Sam said. “If I’m Death, I can bring everyone back to life,...

Supernatural: The End, Part 4

  4 – Diamond Dogs There was little doubt that things were as bad as they had ever been. But Crowley wasn’t sure what to do about any of it.   Hell was a little chaotic, because panic was slowly but surely leaking out into the demon population. It was hard to say if the lack of death or the reemergence of the Darkness was the more bothersome thing, because they both had some solid negatives. None of this was a win for demon kind. It wasn’t a win for anyone, except maybe some Humans who really wanted to live forever, no matter how shitty the world was. He was pouring himself a drink in his throne room when he sensed the angelic incursion, and he turned to find Castiel standing there. Somehow he was not surprised. Two of his largest demon guards...

Supernatural: The End, Part 3

  3 – Witching Hour Metatron couldn’t believe those shaved apes did it.   He knew it was within the realm of possibility that they would destroy the world, and in fact it was a guarantee they would at some point – most evolved races ran into that problem at a certain point. But the thought that the Winchesters would? Crazy. They were so stupid! Did they not think that maybe the Mark of Cain existed for a reason beyond the obvious? He knew Castiel was out of the loop, because obvs, but it was hilarious to think those buffoons could accomplish anything. They weren’t good more than they were lucky, and they had a habit of picking good allies. While Cas was pathetic, he did have his moments, and Crowley was quite possibly the cleverest demon he had ever...

Supernatural: The End, part 2

  2 – Game of Thorns Crowley could not recall a time when he was so furious. You’d think, in all his years, from mortal to King of Hell, he’d have gotten this enraged. But oh no. What a mother did to her children.   While that witch bitch somehow froze him, powerless, to the spot, he wasn’t really as powerless as she thought. As Castiel was growling like a pit bull and bleeding from the eyes, bearing down on him with an angel blade, Crowley summoned minions to put space between him and the rabid angel. A couple died, sure, but one of the smart ones brought some holy oil, and now they had Castiel confined to a circle, which he kept trying to get out of, as mindlessly as a rat in a cage. He was still snarling, still crying tears of blood, and still...

If You Don’t Like The Ending, Write Your Own – Supernatural Fan Fic, Part 1

  So, Supernatural has limped to a close, and once again, I find myself underwhelmed, and a little upset. Yes, the show has been on way too long, but it can be a whole lot better than it is. So, between more “serious” writing, I decided to write my own fanfic, fixing the problem, and giving everyone an idea how I’d end Supernatural. You probably don’t care. But if you do, here it is. (Yes, these aren’t my characters, no ownership intended, it’s fanfic, you know the drill.)  (Season ten spoilers, obviously.) ** 1 – The Beginning of the End Even before he fully regained consciousness, Dean knew something was wrong. The hell of it was, he didn’t know what. He wasn’t in pain, which was the first thing he noticed. If...

Hop Against Homophobia, Bi-, and Transphobia 2015

The hop has come around again, and I am forced to ask why is this still a thing? (For more about this day, please go here: http://dayagainsthomophobia.org/) Seriously, homophobia is the stupidest thing ever, and that goes for biphobia and transphobia as well. What are you scared of, exactly? Afraid you’ll catch it, and suddenly think boys or girls are the best thing ever? Or that you’re trapped in the wrong body? These things aren’t communicable. Your kids can’t “catch it” by simply acknowledging that these things exist in the world. In many ways, society has been moving forwards in leaps and bounds, but yet there are still pockets of ignorance and resistance that seem to be becoming more intractable as things get better elsewhere. Why? There’s...

New Roan flash fic!

Not here, but at the DSP site.

News!

just signed the contract for the Infected Holiday Special, which is a group of holiday themed shorts set in the Infected universe! Along with short stories involving Roan, we get stories from the POV of Paris, Dylan, Kevin, Fiona, Grey, Dropkick, and more! Looks like it will be out next year.

Sale time!

DSP is having a storewide sale to celebrate May the 4th Be With You! From May 4th-10th, everything on the site will be 25% off. My books included!

New music mix!

I mean, why not? The Work In Progress Holden Mix from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Click and help!

Okay people – we need more people to enter this giveaway. It’s for charity, and you can win some really neat stuff. So please enter!

Flash Fic Challenge – Past Prologue

.The latest writing challenge I used Pavowski’s opening line, for my sci-fi/cyberpunk throwback. Past Prologue I had hoped that my past had forgotten me… right up until the moment they kicked the door in. I rolled out of bed, blaster in my hand, and fired even as I dropped to the floor and hid behind the frame. Green bolts lit up the room like a disco, dissolving furniture and leaving huge holes in the wall. “I’m wanted alive, you stupid fucks,” I yelled, shooting back. Well, assuming the original wanted call was still ongoing. Maybe something had changed in the interim. My assailants wore the concealing black armor of the UPF, meaning they were kind of out of their jurisdiction … maybe. The laws were pretty loose on Gaora, which was why I’d been...

LGBTQ Push Back Charity Giveaway!

You can win books from me and other great authors. Check it out! LGBTQ Push Back Charity Giveaway! It’s not about pizza! It’s about human rights! ENTER NOW. 

Flash Fiction – Pure Filth

Although it was a genuine writing challenge, I just wanted to write something with as many curse words as possible in the smallest amount of space. This has no redeeming qualities. ** “What kind of fucknuggets did people used to be?” Roman asked, scratching his head. They’d been hard at work unearthing artifacts of the early twenty first century, and this was one of the most startling yet. It was right up there with that woman famous for her gigantic ass on a show that was purported to be reality. “I don’t know,” Audra admitted. “This fucking Clean Reader app supposedly sanitized books for motherfuckers who couldn’t take one fucking bad word or dick-punching anatomical terms.” ““What the fuck ..? What kind of dick...

Everybody Hates Monday – A Microfic

This was a writing challenge, to a write a story of one hundred words or less. Here’s mine. ** Everybody Hates Monday When the ground shook, Luis thought it was an earthquake. But once the explosions started, he realized something else was going on. He joined many of his office mates crowding up to the twelfth floor windows, looking out on the city. A huge red alien octopus looking thing had squashed the Tacoma Dome, and was slapping fighter jets out of the sky like flies. “Who had giant aliens in the apocalypse pool?” he asked, hoping it was no one. Not that it mattered. He doubted he’d be around long enough to pay off on...

Picked up a nice review …

For Infected: Paris! Woohoo!

Who doesn’t want to talk to Paris?

Final days of the Kindle giveaway! And a new interview with Paris.

An embarrassment of riches! And the Kindle giveaway is almost over!

First I got a lovely review for Infected: Paris. Then I got a lovely review for Infected: Prey. And then I got a lovely one for the Infected series as a whole. Thanks everyone! And the Kindle giveaway is nearing its end date. Join now if you want to get in on...

An interview with Paris! And I take over Twitter!

Kind of. The interview (and giveaway) with Paris is here. And I take over the DSP twitter feed tonight from 5pm to 7pm Pacific time. Join me!

Happy Infected: Paris release day! Enjoy an interview with me.

There’s a giveaway!

The Infected: Paris soundtrack is now up!

The story itself is out the 24th! Infected: Paris soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Got a review for Infected: Paris …

… and it’s not really spoilery! So yaay!

Next stop on the tour!

I talk Pansy Division! And it made me unreasonably happy.

The blog tour goes on!

Much stuff to be won. Don’t miss it!

Blog tour continues!

That Kindle is still up for grabs. Books Direct

Win a Kindle!

You could also win some of my books. But I know the big one’s the Kindle. Mythical Books

I won something!

Infected: Epitaph picked up a Sensual Reads’ Reviewer Choice Award! And I’m in some great company too. http://sensualreads.com/extras/awards/sensual-reads-reviewers-choice-award-2014/

Reminder, and a new wallpaper!

First, I’ll be having a Twitter takeover of @DSPPublications on February 26th, from 5-7 pm Pacific Time. (Adjust your time accordingly.) I’ll be talking Infected: Paris, the Infected series, and anything you want! Please join me. And as a bribe, here’s a free all Infected covers wallpaper! If you want a different size, let me know on any one of my social networks.

The Infected: Paris cover!

I know some of you have been waiting for it. Here it is. And remember, the book is out February 24th.

Flash Fic Challenge – Dark at Heart

This was the latest writing challenge, latest writing challenge, and I got Harry Potter meets True Detective. Well, I tried. ** Dark at Heart The letters burned green in the air, hovering over the charred corpse like a video advertisement. Her partner, Burdett, sighed, impatiently shifting his weight foot to foot. “So, is it?” Katya’s green eyes finally glanced away from the mystic sigils only she could see, the scar on her cheek tingling with residue magic. “No, Holt, people routinely burst into flames in meat freezers. Of course it was done by him. Or his people. The magic’s so similar it’s kind of hard to tell.” He groaned and turned away, heading for the open door crisscrossed by crime scene tape. They’d turned off the freezer, but there was...

Holden, Part 3

3 – Krill Holden was in the shower, pondering whether he should use the fruity smelling conditioner or the one that smelled a bit like bad aftershave – for some stupid reason, all “men’s conditioner” was a variation of bad aftershave – when his phone hummed and jittered on the sink. Because of its proximity to the porcelain, it made much more noise than he anticipated, and was kind of startling. Still, he conditioned his hair, mixing both kinds together, because what was he, an animal? He wasn’t risking split ends due to a text. When he got out of the shower, he checked his phone, and saw that he was indeed texted an address from an unknown number. Towel around his waist and still dripping, he went to the living room so he could check the...

Holden continues, Part 2

As a New Year’s treat, here’s part 2 of the Holden story. Mostly set up, but I hope it pays off … 2 – Part Man/Part Negative Space Holden headed home to take a shower and wash the blood and fear stink off of him. Other people’s fear stink was always the worst, as it seemed to cling to you like cigarette smoke. Still, he had this good peppermint goat’s milk soap that seemed to obliterate any scent, no matter how tenacious. Even hockey stink, which he knew was difficult to get rid of at the best of times. Afterward, he slipped into his velvet “lounging pants” (pyjama pants, but that seemed too immature), and poured himself a big tumbler full of gin, which he threw a lemon wedge in for vitamins. (He could just about hear...

Got a nice review for Infected: Prey

Thanks, Beth!

Flash fic – At The End Of The Tunnel

More Twitter fun: @FrogCroakley @aspeed Your standing challenge is now “the girl who could only see trains”. the story must also contain a tame bat. Here’s the result: It figured that the first day of his new job, his car wouldn’t start. On the bright side, it gave Jeremy the chance to worry about how he was going to get to work, rather than obsesses over whether or not he’d make a fool of himself in front of his new boss. He wasn’t too far from the train station, so he caught a lift with a grumpy neighbor. Something about the station looked run down, gone to seed. Then again, when was the last time he’d caught the train? University, probably. Seemed like a lifetime ago. He went up to the ticket booth, digging out his wallet, and said,...

A little holiday treat – Merry Christmas, Roan

If you know anything about Roan, you probably know he’s not big on holidays. Which is probably why I’m putting together a collection of Infected shorts based around holidays. He may hate them, but he keeps running up against them again and again. This one concerns him and Dylan at Christmas, a holiday that neither particularly look forward to. But it’s good to have friends. ** Merry Christmas, Roan Roan was taking a long, hot bath, when he thought he heard voices downstairs. Now Dylan was up, he knew that simply because he could smell his heavenly huevos rancheros cooking, and also he wasn’t in bed when he woke up. But Roan assumed Dylan was alone. It was technically Christmas Eve, though. Had his sister Sheba come over? Dylan normally told...

Flash fic – Crabby

This one came from a request on Twitter: @FrogCroakley – @aspeed will you do me a 200 one about a man with crab DNA struggling to make it as a con artist in future las vegas? Okay. It’s actually a bit over 200 words, and the bizarre thing? I could have kept going. ** Crabby Carver looked out at the heat waves rising from the asphalt, and wondered how anything human ever survived such heat. Even in the walkway suspended between Shell’s Tropicana Casino and the Hallburton Mayfair Hotel, you could feel just a bit of the heat bleeding in through the plasteel. The air conditioning was fighting a losing battle when the sun was out. A couple of pasty, overweight tourists trundled past him, and he pulled his baseball cap low over his eyes, even though he...

Flash Fic Challenge – Murderer’s Corps

Another random title challenge random title challenge, and I came up with Murderer’s Corps. Any relation to any other super powered group is coincidental. Murderer’s Corps Cariad knew something had gone wrong when she heard a high pitched shriek that could only be Ko getting caught off guard. “Is there a situation?” she asked. Delphi came over the comm.. “Blockhead showed up. Wasn’t he supposed to be in jail or dead or something?” Cariad sighed. Blockhead – well, he called himself Hardhead, but somehow that was even worse – was one of those super strong guys who was also really brutal and really dumb. He gave all the super strong blockheads a bad name. “I’ll fry the son of a bitch.” Tomas said, with his usual homicidal...

Flash Fic Challenge – Seasons Greetings From R’lyeh

This time the challenge was seasonal horror, which is a specialty of mine (please search for Jingle Hell on this site, the first of my holiday horror stories). But this one took a weird turn, and it might be a dark comedy? At least at the end. Don’t know if it works, but if you know what R’lyeh refers to, you can probably see this one coming. Seasons Greetings From R’lyeh When Ben first heard the noise downstairs, he thought it was Santa Claus. Until he remembered that Santa Claus didn’t exist. It had to be a burglar. Never mind that he lived in a gated community, and it was specifically advertised as being more crime free than those other neighborhoods. Nowhere was safe nowadays, was it? He grabbed his gun from the drawer of his nightstand and...

Chapter 1 of the untitled Holden spin-off

Maybe you know by now that I’m working on an Infected Holden spin-off. I have no idea what the title will be (Infected: Holden makes sense in one respect, but not in another), but I do have a first chapter I thought I’d share with you. Holden is a very different beast than Holden, as you surely know, and any story told from his point of view is going to be different. Perhaps this chapter is a good representation of that. As you can see, he’s going soft. *cough (*Using sarcasm online. Always a tricky proposition.) 1 – Blood, Muscles, Bone His cell phone hummed in his pocket, and Holden answered it without looking. It could only be Otter. “It’s him,” he said, and hung up. Holden pocketed his phone, and pulled the black leather gimp mask...

New wallpaper!

For the release of Infected: Epitaph, I decided to make an all Infected wallpaper. So here it is!

My Ficathon Into A Bar entry – Singularities

I used to write a bit of fanfic, and when I heard this was going on, I figured what the hell, might be fun to do a bit of ficcing again. Their page is here, and my assignment was to have Captain Jack (from Doctor Who and Torchwood) and Commandant Grayza (from Farscape) run into each other in a bar. From there, the story was mine. So this is the result. (And Grayza’s exile is actually a reference mostly to the post-Peacekeeper Wars comics. I’m just assuming that’s in canon.) ** Title: Singularities Author: AndreaSpeed Prompt: Captain Jack Harkness goes into a bar and meets… Grayza (Farscape)! Fandoms: Farscape (TV), Doctor Who (TV), Torchwood (TV) Word count: 12,833 Rating/Contents: PG – Some bad language. No warnings...

Infected: Epitaph Soundtrack, Part 2

Infected: Epitaph Soundtrack, Part 2

A somewhat incomplete list of Roan’s tattoos

Per request, here is a list of Roan’s tattoos. It is incomplete, because I’m pretty sure I always forget one or two. I’ll edit and add as I remember them, but please keep in mind this guy has so many now it’s hard for me to keep track. But here we go. Bleeding heart with a Paris ribbon across it Leo astrological symbol Biohazard symbol Paintbrush with Dylan ribbon Quote from Krapp’s Last Tape (I will reprint it here if you want, but it’s depressing) Japanese inkbrush style tiger (Dylan did this for him) Koi fish forming a yin/yang symbol (Dylan did this for him too) Cat’s eye peering out of a rip in the skin (Dylan did this too)

The first review of Infected: Epitaph!

No spoilers!

The First Chapter of Infected: Epitaph

Out November 18th! While it wasn’t the first time Roan had been at Gracie’s diner at one in the morning, it was the first time he’d been here with Dee. Roan had been at Panic, trying to make up with Dylan for a fight they’d had earlier (over Roan sleeping in the cage, of course, a common thing to fight about nowadays), when Dee called him and asked to meet at the all-night diner. He sounded so oddly subdued and distracted that Roan agreed. He wondered if Dee and Luke had finally broken up for good. When he arrived, he found Dee at a back corner table, alone with a cup of diesel-grade coffee and a picked-at slice of apple pie. On closer inspection, Roan realized Dee hadn’t eaten any of it, simply autopsied it with his fork, leaving a jumble of innards...

Infected: Epitaph Soundtrack, Part 1

Another long one, so I split it into two. Infected: Epitaph, Part 1 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

I’m doing a thing at my local library!

In January! It’s a writer’s workshop. Maybe you can join me. F-Andrea Speed Writer Workshop

Infected short: Saint Patrick’s Lament

Just a couple of things, as a bit of background. I’m putting together a collection of holiday related Infected universe set shorts. Why? Because it struck me as a kind of funny idea, as holidays don’t really mean a lot to Roan or his friends. But in the course of writing these, I have discovered there are things I actually want to say. Be it ruminations on them themselves, as characters, background info, or small moments that never made it to the novels but feel like missing scenes. Which brings me to Connor Monaghan, Roan’s tragic, bad boyfriend. For a man who’s never technically showed up in any of the Infected novels (a dream sequence doesn’t count), he plays a huge part. Roan did love the guy, and yet Roan also left him shortly...

An interview with Holden …

Good think he’s not real, or he’d have the cops on his ass.

New mix …

This time involving songs with some kind of shouting in them. Really! Ow, My Ears! from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Flash Fiction – No Exit

This was inspired by the latest Chuck Wendig writing challenge, but those stories were supposed to be horror, and this deviates from that. It’s just me being silly with the idea of a disease caused apocalypse … and the disease is pretty underwhelming. (If the title doesn’t make sense to you, Google Jean-Paul Sartre.) ** No Exit We knew the disease had reached our shores when the news anchor on channel five just gave up, mid human interest story. He was talking about an otter that had befriended a goat, when he suddenly glared at the teleprompter like it was insulting his mother, and slumped back in his chair. “Whatever, I don’t fucking care anymore,” he said, as the adorable footage played on in a small square to the left of his well...

The cover for Infected: Epitaph!

If you didn’t make it to GRNW, you didn’t see this yet. I don’t have a pre-order link, I’m afraid. By the always wonderful Anne Cain, as always.

Flash fic challenge – Important!!! Please Read!!!

I should say that the title of the story of this fiction challenge is Important!!! Please Read!!!, as it’s based on spam. I tried. Much like actual spam, the punctuation is deliberately hit and miss. ** Important!!! Please Read!!! Do you want a longer, harder cock? A cock as hard as stone, a cock that would plunge through the earth’s surface like a missile, a cock that throbs like a second heart, a cock that is damned and howls with the names of the Old Ones, hard as a soulless homunculus, one that screams into the void and is answered by the Nameless Horror that lurks in the shadows behind your eyes, waiting to pounce, waiting to corrupt you, to enfold you in its long, hard cock, and fuck the world, fuck the universe back into void and shadows, fuck the...

Infected: Prey & Infected: Bloodlines relaunch today!

And on the occasion of the relaunch of the Infected series, I thought I’d write a little something about it. But when I sat down to do it, I realized I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. What is there to say? The Infected series has been a part of my life for longer than the books have been published, and it’s a place I like to be. It’s like our own universe, except not quite. Things are a little different. Namely, there’s a cat virus, but also, on a very minor level, I’ve altered Seattle’s geography a little. (There are some streets that don’t exist in actual Seattle, and some genuinely existing streets that lead to other places – this is called the whims of an author with a very bad sense of direction, who just likes to monkey around with...

Got a great review for DMZ!

!It’s pretty neat.

Get your ass to Mars!

Or at least your name. Come on, it’s fun.

An interview with Dylan!

I go on Kim’s site with an interview of Dylan from the Infected series.

A sneak peek of Infected: Epitaph!

Angel Martinez was nice enough to feature me in her Story Time segment. And it’s a part of an Infected: Epitaph chapter.

New flash fic challenge – Rapture

This is the latest flash fic challenge from Chuck Wendig. And here’s my story. Thanks to CDNWMN for the sentence. ** Rapture Demons and angels are sometimes hard to differentiate, and they are even harder to kill. I know this the hard way. I fired off the last round of silver buckshot before slamming the door. Salt and silver nitrate were fixed to the floor by glue, but that would be a minor inconvenience for the big boys. Even the sacred symbol made of iron nails hammered into the ceiling wouldn’t hold them back for long. This was it. I retreated behind the overturned sofa, where I had piled up all my ammo. I broke open the shotgun as I sat down, and loaded the chambers with the hybrid shells I’d invented. They contained silver shavings, iron...

Twitter take over!

@dreamspinners Today at 8pm EDT/5pm PDT, I will be taking over the DSP Twitter account talking about “DMZ”. Come by and check it out!

DMZ is out today!

So of course I made a soundtrack. DMZ Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Infected: A Day In The Life

I was kind of curious to check in with Dropkick, one of Roan’s few cop buddies, and see how she saw Roan. So here’s a story that does just that. ** Not for the first time, Darinda Murphy was sure that she was married to a crazy person. If the alarm clock was on her side of the bed, she’d have probably have had it tuned to the Mexican pop station, because it was the type of music that annoyed her enough to wake her up, but didn’t annoy her enough to make her homicidal. (That would be the country station.) But it was on Kim’s side of the bed, since Darinda had broken the last two clocks (the second time was an accident, but Kim didn’t believe her), and she kept it tuned to NPR. Their low voices and dry subjects threatened to put Darinda back to...

I have a Tumblr page now …

And no idea what to do with it. But here it is!

Great new review!

This time for City of Monsters! (Please buy this one, so I can write more stories in this world. Thank you.)

News on release dates …

GRNW was great! Hope I saw you there. (Or you saw me.) And I have some release date for you. The new, DSP versions of Infected: Prey and Infected: Bloodlines releases October 14th. October 21st will see the release of Infected: Life After Death and Infected: Freefall, and Infected: Shift will be released October 28th. Infected: Lesser Evils will be in stores November 4th; Infected: Undertow comes out on November 11th. Then, on November 18th, Infected: Epitaph. I will post pre-order links as they come in.

Some nice reviews …

For Infected: Lost Weekend and Josh of the Damned: The Final Checkout

Infected: Devil’s Night, Part 2

  The story concludes here. But it could always go on, I know … * Another thing that sucked about hunting big cats in the city? The noise level. Roan could hear everything around him, from the music leaking from Panic to the music thudding from car stereos jacked up to weaponized levels, to conversations on the street to revving motors at red lights, to the audio cues from electronic street signs. It was easy to get distracted by this discordant symphony of noise, but it didn’t have the built in, inherent danger of scents. That’s where the real danger was.   His sense of smell was better than his hearing (although his hearing was a bit better than the average human –lucky him) by far. He was a legal bloodhound, after all. But what absolutely...

Minimalist Infected “posters”.

I got these on fiverr, for Infected “minimalist” series posters. What do you think?  

Infected: Devil’s Night, Part 1

Yes! So, I got a mad posh to offer another free Infected story, this time taking place on Halloween. Only it became a longer one than I expected. So here’s part one of Devil’s Night.   ** Infected: Devil’s Night       Sometimes, Roan was genuinely horrified at how geeky he was. At least he wasn’t alone.   Panic was having a big Halloween party, and it fell on one of Dylan’s work nights, so of course he was going to do it up big. He wanted Roan there, and he knew he’d have to be in costume too.   He grumped about it, but the truth was, Halloween was probably the only holiday Roan genuinely liked. When he was a kid, he loved dressing up, and most of all he loved free candy. What kid didn’t?t He didn’t...

Wallpapers!

I was going to call these Infected Wallpapers, but realized I might get spam tagged. Anywho, two sizes of all the Infected covers out there. Right click to save.  

Flash Fiction Challenge – Interstitial Eschaton

I know, another story? But yes, another. Here was the challenge,and the title I ended up with was Interstitial Eschaton. This is the story that resulted out of me puzzling out that title. ** Interstitial Eschaton From a distance, the body floating in the water looked like a log. It was impossible to say how long it had been there. It was face down (mercifully), but as swollen and discolored as you might expect, its arms missing and ragged strips of fabric trailing from its shoulder sockets like streamers. Jace used an oar to push it away from the boat, even though it could be nothing but a smelly and gross distraction. She had nothing to fear from its diseased flesh. She was immune from the virus that had wiped out about two-thirds of America. She had no idea...

Another free read!

A quick shorty, but I honestly like the idea of this a lot.

Two more things …

DMZ is finally on the coming soon page! Check it out – it’s on sale! And I picked up an awesome review for Infected: Shift.

Infected: The Lost Weekend is available right now – for free!

Right here! And there’s a soundtrack you can listen to as well. Infected: The Lost Weekend Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Flash Fic Challenge – Shades of Blue

Latest flash fic challenge, and this resulted. I’m not quite sure why this story happened the way it did. Hmm. Whoever knows? ** Shades of Blue He was a vision, a bronze god with a chest like sculpted gold. His torso was a vee, tapering down to a slender waist and a firmly muscled stomach, his hipbones visible but not prominent. Cullen found this god on Grindr, and miraculously was able to come over to his place. He lived in a condo on the East side, not cheap, and his décor looked like it came wholesale from a mid-range catalog. The Adonis, who said his name was Gavin, was honestly a five in the face. He had a rugged jaw, but it didn’t quite fit with the rest of his visage, from his small nose to his sunken eyes. His haircut was trendy, short, and...

Five Song Shuffle Tuesday – Doing It On Purpose Edition

I decided to call it that since I seem to be weird on purpose. I apologize. ** Black Cab– Sexy Polizei I’m the type of person who will blindly click Bandcamp links of people I follow on Twitter, just to see if I find something I like. That’s the case with Black Cab, a band I know nothing about, except I liked two of their songs enough that I bought them. This is one of those songs. Esben and the Witch – Deathwaltz Okay, sometimes I download the free mixes of record labels to see if there’s any songs I like. Which is where I got this song from. I can’t be alone in doing these things, right? Antigen Shift – This Is An Exit Another random Bandcamp find. I ended up buying the entire album. It’s really good....

Reverse tooth fairies and more …

Today on the blog tour, everything you’ve ever wanted to know about reverse tooth fairies – don’t forget to comment & enter the big contest!

The City of Monsters blog tour starts!

And to kick it off, I interview … a blender?

More infor on The Lost Weekend, and an announcement

And here’s the Coming Soon info for Infected: The Lost Weekend! Roan is hired by Scott to look for a hockey player friend of his. After a long night of celebratory drinking, Scott can’t quite remember what happened to his friend, and he isn’t answering his cell. Roan discovers Scott’s friend was much more troubled than he ever realized, and that some mysteries should remain unsolved. Now, just a note: If you want to buy any of the Infected books under the Dreamspinner Press imprint, you must do so by August 30th. Because the whole series is going out of print September 1st (save for The Lost Weekend), so it can be relaunched under the DSP imprint in October. The covers are the same, but I have been through the books with a fine toothed comb, so there will...

A sale, and an announcement!

Dreamspinner is having a sale, that includes all my books. And … the release date for Infected: The Lost Weekend is September 1st!

Flash Fic Challenge – Breathing Around Our Abandon

New Chuck Wendig writing challenge, new fiction. I’m not going to lie to you, this is super depressing. But it’s what came to me. Breathing Around Our Abandon Ultimately, we don’t know what caused it. Communication had been spotty at best for the three days before, blamed on an increase in sunspot activity as well as a variety of disruptions to the electrical grid. From the viewing ports at the base, we could make out the red algae bloom that took up a good third of the Pacific Ocean. It was actually kind of pretty, if you didn’t think about what it meant. The same was true of the hurricanes along the Eastern seaboard. We knew tensions were high. Hell, the moonbase was staffed by Steve, a Canadian; Kathleen, an American; and Ivan, a Russian,...

Coming soon …

Infected: The lost Weekend.

Writing advice, and a pre-order!

First up, here’s me giving writing advice. Should I? Write On The Edge And I have a story in the First Time For Everything YA Anthology. Check it out!

City of Monsters soundtrack!

Of course I was going to make one. That seems inevitable. City of Monsters soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

New graphic!

I’ve always been told I should have a general “writer’s graphic”, but I never knew what it would be or how it would be done. To my rescue came Dany Yáñez, @ashesafirewoken on Twitter, who made this great graphic for me. (He also did that great fan art of Roan I posted a while back. Talk to him, he loves making art.)

5 Song Shuffle Thursday – Please, Can’t You Stop Being Weird?

Of course, that’s a trick question, as the answer is always no. Apparently I can’t stop it. Kinski – Last Day On Earth A bit of shaggy rock, with no overarching message. And at under two minutes, it makes its point and gets the hell out. Dead Milkmen – Stuart A classic bit of punk comedy, where the redneck of the song begs Stuart to listen to him about what the “queers are doing to the soil”. In concert with gay aliens, of course. Everybody who talks about gay marriage being the ruin of society always reminds me of this guy. Thanks, Dead Milkmen. Porcupine Tree – Synesthesia Mopey prog rock! I don’t like a lot of it, but I do like Porcupine Tree, who always try and do something interesting with it. Bear In...

Play Cards Against Humanity? Familiar with the Infected and Josh of the Damned universes?

I know, I’m really specializing this. But they had a customizable card thing, and I couldn’t help myself. Right click, save, and print them out. If you actually use these, you must email me and let me know what the funniest ones were. I’d love to know. customcards

5 Song Shuffle – Musical Mayhem Edition

The only connecting thread here is gloom, doom, noise, and weirdness. Which figures. ** Nine Black Alps – Cosmopolitan Quite possibly the most “normal” song on this list, a straight ahead rock song … until you realize it’s totally taking the piss out of women’s magazines. Which is pretty cool, just weird from an all male rock band. The Sisters of Mercy – This Corrosion A piece of weirdly pop-y goth rock from the masters of weirdly pop-y goth rock. My ipod has the standard length song, which means almost ten minutes of this nonsense, which is honestly great fun. But check out this so ’80’s post-apocalyptic video! Goddamn it. It didn’t matter that it was the ’80’s, they fucking refused to...

A Roan & Dylan short – Art, Interrupted

Just a brief, fluffy story, but I felt it’s the least I owe everyone. ** Roan put his finger against the plastic fishbowl, wondering if the big goldfish inside would see it. He wasn’t going to tap it, because that seemed cruel, and non-humans had to stick together, right? Unless one was dinner, but that was another story. Besides, if Dyl had his way, he’d be the first vegetarian lion in existence. (Possibly also the last.) Dylan pulled out one of the red leather stools and sat beside him. “We’re not so bored we’re taunting the fish, are we?” For whatever reason, the goldfish and its habitat were planted on the bar of this art gallery/bar. It wasn’t a part of the exhibition; it was just the pet of the gallery. Or more...

Now available for pre-order!

My Haunted Blender’s Gay Love Affair, and Other Twisted Tales! Also, my novella in it, City of Monsters, is available separately, if you insist. It has a haunted blender in it. And a vampire with crystal legs.

Part 1 of the soundtrack for Infected: Epitaph

Infected: Epitaph Soundtrack, Part 1 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

The Vermilion in pictures

So Sunday I did a reading at The Vermilion Art Gallery & Bar, along with Layla Hunter, and I took several pictures before things got going. It’s mostly reference material, as I plan to write a story set here with Roan and Dylan, but before that, I thought I’d just share some photos with people who may have wanted to come but couldn’t make it. Thanks to Layla, for the notes, thanks to Tracy for the help, thanks to Old Growth Northwest for putting on the shindig, and thanks to the Vermilion for having us! (Also, thanks Joe!)

You can now download Villains for your e-reader!

Still free too.

My Love’s Landscape story is now up!

Supervillains never win … except when they do. Go here to read Villains.

Pub Crawl – A Roan & Paris Short

Since Infected: Epitaph has been pushed back a couple months to accommodate the new publisher, I’ve decided to put out some shorts as an apology to fans. There should be a free downloadable short coming soon, but until then, I’ll be posting short ones on the website. Consider them “cut scenes”, lost moments between mysteries. The first is all about Roan and Paris … and Randi? ** “How did you blackmail me into this again?” Roan asked. Paris gave him his most charming grin, which was powerful enough to persuade a dead man to come back to life. “Blackmail is such an ugly word,” Paris replied, putting his arms around him and resting his chin on Roan’s shoulder, so he could look at Roan in the mirror. “I encouraged you to go...

Flash Fic Challenge – 25 Minutes Into the Future

Another writing challenge, and this is my odd response. There were too many good photos to just pick one, so I picked a few. Hope you enjoy my brief dip into sketch comedy. ** 25 Minutes Into the Future *computer boots up, ad starts to play* V/O (Cheerful, male): Unsure of what to do with your excess cloned Hitlers? At Hitler University, we train your Hitler to do many time consuming chores, giving you more time to enjoy the good life! Send us your uncoordinated, megalomaniac Hitlers, and we’ll send them back to you gifted in the art of lawnmower repair or kitchen maintenance! There’s no reason to junk your Hitler when we can turn them into productive members of society. Click on the link below for more information! * ad fades out, new ad fades in ...

Won’t Back Down available right now!

I have a science fiction story in this! I think it’s pretty neat. Hope you do too.

I am comics

Better late than never, here’s my #iamcomics. I’ve been reading comics since I was a kid. I’m even the Editor In Chief of CX Pulp, a comics website where all are welcome, and bullying and abuse are not tolerated. Why? Because it’s the 21st century. If comics aren’t for everyone, then they’re for no one. Feel free to drop by and say hi sometime. But if you’re an asshole? Feel free to walk on by.

Flash Fic Challenge, Big Bad

Chuck Wendig had another flash fic challenge, and this is my addition to it. A little story about a werewolf, and a surprising weakness. ** Big, Bad Fear smelled like honeyed wine. Carlo followed its bright, intoxicating trail through the dark woods, running so fast it felt like his paws barely touched the ground. Up ahead he could hear the helpless cries of his prey, hopelessly trying to escape. Up ahead, he saw a squat square building that reeked of rotten, moldering wood. Did they think that was enough to save them? He charged towards the flimsy door, and flung himself at it with all his strength … … and rebounded off of it as he heard a sickening crack, and felt a lightning bolt of pain strike deep inside his skull. He landed on all fours and shook his...

All my titles with Riptide are on sale until Sunday!

Here’s where I make a plea to buy more Josh of the Damned, so I can write more of it ( if you don’t mind.)

Library talk time, in photos!

It was a lot of fun, and if you were there, thanks for joining me, and checking out my page. I took a few photos, but mainly of the room as we were setting up. I didn’t want to infringe on anyone’s privacy, so I didn’t take a pic of the people there. But know you were appreciated. And good luck with your writing endeavors! Thank you Laura and everyone at the Parkland/Spanaway Library! Remember to support your local library today!

How to work with your local library

All authors should try it. It’s fun!

Wallpapers!

There was a request for Infected covers wallpaper, and while I’m hardly good at photo manipulations, I gave it a shot.Right click to save....

Just an update …

I am doing Camp NaNoWriMo this year, basically creating a longer story spun off from the Love’s Landscapes story I’ve done this year for the Goodreads M/M group. Does that make sense? I hope so. You can read a little bit of it and follow my general progress here.

Hat Party!

I’m interviewed, and I’m wearing one of my hats. I have many hats. This one is pretty sedate, for me.

Now, a Merged Soundtrack!

Two within days of each other! I do believe that’s a record. Merged Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Merged is available for purchase right now!

You can buy it from Less Than Three press. Woohoo! Merged

Grand Adventures is out today!

And of course, I made a soundtrack for my story in it. The Exhibition Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

A new Roan & Dylan short!

In this book, which is available for pre-order, and all the money goes for a good cause. Check it out. Grand Adventures

Another brief bit of Infected: Paris …

This time, as requested, with Paris in it. But it’s short … ** “I’m about done with that Bruen book you brought me,” Paris said, around a mouthful of breakfast croissant. Paris still ate like a feral cat, like he was afraid someone was going to rip it away at any second, and Roan didn’t begrudge him that at all. There had been times in his life when he was that hungry. “When I started reading it, I wondered how anyone could write a book with so few words, y’know. I mean, he hardly describes much of anything, does he? But then at some point I got sucked in. He can say a lot with a little.” Roan smiled. That’s what he always thought about Bruen. “A good way to put it. He has a lot of the terse machismo of Hemingway without a lot of the...

Another little snippet of Infected: Paris

Roan is really good at being an asshole. (Posted unedited, without total context.) ** Roan dropped his phone back in his pocket, but didn’t say anything until he joined George in his office and closed the door. “Why the act? You know exactly who I am.” He scoffed as he retreated behind his desk. It looked like a big box warehouse special, a cheap metal desk with a couple of nicks and dents in it. There were some papers piled on one side, a computer monitor and keyboard, a phone, nothing else. The walls were surprisingly bare, with his just his framed detective license on it. “Sorry guy, I don’t know every private detective in town.” Roan sighed, doing his best to rein in his temper. But the urge to growl was almost overwhelming. “If...

Got a lovely new review!

Of course I’m evil. We all knew that, right?

Merged – now with a pre-order discount!

Merged, part of A Loose Screw, is 15% off until 4/1! Less Than Three Press

Just an update …

I am writing many things! A lot of it hasn’t showed up yet, but hang in there, it will. I promise. (I also hope to get a flash fic up before the end of the week. And maybe another Infected: Paris snippet?) The M/M readers group on Goodreads is having another story prompt event, and while I thought I wouldn’t do this year, I ended up grabbing one. This is the prompt I grabbed, and the picture that went with it. Dear Author, I know that everyone believes that I’m the monster, and that He keeps me in a leash. I don’t mind, it’s funny how everyone is deceived by our act and while they look at me with fear and loathing, His secret is safe. No one is going to know that behind his innocent look and smile there is soulless and sadistic man. I love...

New soundtrack! Kind of!

See what happens when I goof off? Infected Series: The Personal Theme Songs from notmanos on 8tracks Radio. (Go to 8Tracks site to see the list of characters in order.)

Flash Fic Challenge – Kill It In The Morning

Latest flash fiction challenge involved pulling up a random song title and writing a story with that title. I shuffled my iPod and used the first song that came up. It was this one. A story of post-apocalyptic revenge. ** Kill It In The Morning It was almost impossible to tell which was worse: the noise or the smell. In reality, it was a false choice, because long enough exposure kind of deadened you to both, But Amira found them both excruciating. The smell seemed to get everywhere, it just parked in your nose and refused to go away, and there was no air freshener in the world strong enough to cover it. Not even the scent of freshly made coffee. Right now the noise was mainly coming from the basement, as Edgar pounded on the door, occasionally yelling. She...

New story alert!

I just signed the contract for a new novella, titled DMZ, to be released in October/November through Dreamspinner Press. More details when I have them.

Valentine’s freebie!

A short set in the Josh of the Damned universe. But, sorry, no yeti this time out.

Now available for preorder ….

Merged, my sci-fi pulp story about pilots in mech suits battling alien dinosaurs. Yep. ** After barely surviving a surprise attack by long-time enemy the Lharaz, mech pilot Takeshi is tasked with a new mission: Protect the people of Ia, and capture a live specimen of the local fauna that has been turned against them by the Lharaz, who are using Ia as a testing ground for suspected new weaponry. The mission would be a lot easier if Ia’s local fauna wasn’t...

Twitter take over!

Tomorrow, join me & Indra Vaughn as we take over Dreamspinner’s Twitter feed, @dreamspinners, at 6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern. You can ask us any question you want, there will be a secret discount code, and I will more than likely make a fool of myself, so come join the fun.

New Flash Fic Challenge – Creme De Nepenthe

New flash fic challenge, this one concerning the invention of a drink. So here’s my drink, and the story to go with it. ** Crème de Nepenthe 1 jigger of water from the river Lethe 2 Niobe’s tears One shot of milk from a golden cow One hair of the Minotaur 2 drops of Proteus’s blood Splash of absinthe Pinch of regret ** It had taken Martin what felt like seven years to find the place. And the terrible thing was it could have actually taken seven years. It wouldn’t be Purgatory if the time wasn’t all kinds of fucked up. How he’d ended up here was a mystery to him. He was from a good Christian family! Okay, so maybe he could be kind of a jackass, that didn’t mean he should end up here, a place that was neither heaven nor hell. But clearly very...

Infected: Undertow is a runner up!

In LRC’s Best of 2013 awards, paranormal/urban fantasy! I will happily take that. Thanks all of you who voted for the book. It’s one of my favorites. (Although I say that about every Infected book. But I swear they are at the time I finish them.)

Flash Fiction Challenge – Wolf and Fox

Yep, another challenge, this time a “fairy tales remix”. So here’s the fairy tale of the wolf and the fox, told after the zombie apocalypse. ** Wolf & Fox “This better pay off, squirt,” Wolf said, yanking his leash hard. “It ain’t ending well for you if you keep leading me to empty houses.” Fox tugged at the leather dog collar Wolf made him wear. He could have just cuffed him or something, but oh no, he wanted this extra bit of humiliation. Wolf was a total fuckhead. Wolf didn’t need any of this. Not only would three of Fox make one of Wolf, but he was about two hundred pounds of solid muscle. Before Z-Day, he was probably some gym bunny ‘roidhead, who still managed somehow to keep from turning to complete jelly when his...

Flash Fiction Challenge – Bottom Fishing

There’s a new flash fiction challenge, and here’s the result. I hope the title makes sense at the end. ** Bottom Fishing If you had asked Ben before it happened, he would have said living in a trailer park was the lowest thing possible. But dying in a trailer park? Holy shit, who knew there was a false bottom on the bottom of the barrel? Worse still, he seemed stuck here. Crammed in the Sunny Acres Trailer Park as some kind of half-assed ghost, wedged between worlds like an empty beer can jammed in a door. What had he done to deserve this? Actually, come to think of it, he deserved worse, as hard as it was to imagine anything worse than this. Sure, he’d been a cop, and he put some bad guys away, but … he was kind of a bad guy himself. He...

Five Song Shuffle – Soundtrack Edition

Somehow, most of these songs turned out to be the “personal” songs of some characters. So soundtrack edition it is. These Arms Are Snakes – Horse Girl Okay, while this song isn’t technically anyone’s theme song, its story of drug addiction could apply to Roan. Also, a bit of this song floated through Roan’s head in a pivotal scene in a book. Because Roan’s mind deals with extreme pain by throwing music at him. It’s a valiant but vain attempt to distract from the overwhelming agony of a partial change. (See, there’s a reason he’s a drug addict.) Elliott Smith – Some Song Here we go with the soundtracks. This is tied with Sun Kil Moon’s somber cover of Dramamine as Dylan’s theme song. I think a lot of...

I’m an LRC Best of 2013 Nominee!

I got some nominations in the LRC’s Best of the Year awards. Notably best paranormal/urban fantasy and best author. I probably don’t deserve either, but if you want to throw any votes my way, I’d appreciate it. (There are many great authors up for many things. Feel free to vote your...

Fan art!

Got some lovely fan art from a Twitter follower. Thank you!Roan

Chat & Giveaway!

I’m talking at Bitten By Books today, and there’s a $20 Riptide Publishing gift certificate up for grabs! Please enter! a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Year’s Giveaway!

Books up for grabs, and not only mine. Check it out. New Year’s Kisses

New Year’s Eve 5 Song Shuffle

Why not have a New Year’s Eve shuffle? I have no idea what that has to do with anything, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Baroness – Take My Bones Away A bit of sludgy hard rock to kick things off. Why not? Dave Porter – You’re All They Talk About From the Breaking Bad soundtrack, here’s a representative tune. Quiet, somewhat ambient, somewhat eerie, I’m afraid this show was so good it kind of overwhelmed the stellar work done by Porter on the soundtrack. Even if you didn’t watch the show, you should give the soundtrack a listen, as it’s a masterpiece of minimalistic mood. Buke and Gase – Hard Times I bought this “single” online for charity, but it turned out I rather liked this little piece of slightly emo art rock....

Christmas cookies

And a giveaway of Infected: Lesser Evils. Because why not?

A holiday flash fic – The Christmas Visitor

Keep in mind, I’m a terribly cynical person. Happy holidays. ** The sound of the bells was the only warning we had. “Get down,” Momma whispered, tightening her grip on her shotgun. She peered over the back of the couch. The chimney was shut, and we piled up stuff in it so it would be impossible to open. Well, impossible for a normal person. Momma didn’t think it would be good enough. We heard dull thuds against the flue, and a weird growl, kinda like what I imagined a dragon would sound like, if they were real. Dust flew, and the pile collapsed. There was a boom, and the chimney exploded near the bottom, sending fragments of bricks and junk flying all over the room. “Ho ho ho!” The Santa Claus monster roared. He was big and red, eyes and hair as...

My best music picks of 2013

I almost didn’t put this together, because my picks are so obscure. If you get these, I love you. Best music of 2013 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Where I shamelessly pander for votes …

Roan is up for sexiest shifter! It would annoy the shit out of him to actually win, so I hope we can make i t happen. His bitching will be awesome. Also, the M/M Goodreads Awards are in the voting phase, and I’m up for a couple. The great thing? You don’t need to be a member to vote!

A Five Song Friday the 13th Shuffle

No spookiness here, unless you count wild swings of mood and genre. Then I suppose it kind of is. The Presets – Get The Fuck Out Of Here Dance music that isn’t quite danceable, this song is a strange one, and yet I like it a lot. I may like it just because it isn’t a radio friendly unit shifter, and I can really identify with the song’s main sentiment. I also think it’s a strong runner up for Holden’s theme song. We Are Scientists – Chick Lit Now we swing into alt power pop that sounds cheerful, but is all about a bitter break up. The dichotomy between the tone of the music and the words could give you whiplash. Porcupine Tree – Strip The Soul Well, at least the music and words match. A gloomy, creepy song by a band that isn’t Tool. Perfect for...

A snippet of Infected: Paris ….

Just to prove I am indeed working on it. Keep in mind, this is unedited, so there may be errors. You’ll have to forgive me for them. ** Roan was aware of a minor headache just starting to bloom when there was a knock at his door. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but he never expected anyone. He wasn’t much for entertaining. Roan opened the door, hoping for the UPS guy (he wasn’t Paris hot, but he was pretty easy on the eyes as long as you didn’t look down at his knobby knees), but it was Dee, dressed down in civilian clothes for once, in jeans and a red plaid shirt. “I thought grunge was dead,” Roan said. Dee frowned at him. “You’d know more about that than me. C’mon, get your coat, we’re going out.” “You remember we broke up,...

I won a Rainbow Award!

Again! Infected: Lesser Evils got the bronze medal (I came in 3rd) in the Gay Science Fiction category! Woohoo! I am chuffed. Check out my esteemed competition here. Congratulations to everyone – and thank you, readers!