Are You Mad Enough? Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales Pre-Order is Open!




















Are You Mad?
You know how time goes fast and slow at the same time sometimes? Well, this is one of those moments for me (and no this is not an episode of LOST, thankfully). It's a long process from the conception of a book to its final printing, but then suddenly it's there. Yes, suddenly it's ready to be unleashed on the unsuspecting!

So I'm very pleased to tell you (finally!), if you're mad enough to jump in this Gemini's twisted pool of dark fiction, then jump, baby, JUMP! The pre-ordering has begun for MAMA'S BOY AND OTHER DARK TALES!

I understand that of the 100 limited edition hardcover copies available, 30 were gone by noon. Woohoo! But the trade paperback is also available, so no worries unless for some crazy reason you want my chicken scratch of a signature in your collection (the fabulous cover artist, Billy Tackett, will also be signing...not sure if he does chicken scratch...I doubt it).

Click Here for the PRE-ORDER link for the MB collection at Apex.

Just In Case
By some small chance you haven't heard my yammering about Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales, then here's the basics. The title story, Mama's Boy, was a Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Finalist in 2006 for long fiction and it's the title story (surprise!) of this fiction collection. There are 14 pieces of fiction in all, including 3 additional novellas written expressly for the collection. The magnificent Gary Braunbeck is slated for the intro and the book will be released June 28th. It will having its debut at Hypericon in Nashville TN! Shall we call it a literary cotillion of sorts?

Here's what a couple of wonderful writers had to say about the collection:

“Fran Friel has a genuine gift for storytelling. Her highly adaptable prose boils over with emotion: love, guilt, fear, and the myriad shades between. Mama’s Boy and Other Dark Tales marks the arrival of a stunning new talent.”
– Michael McBride, author of the God's End trilogy and Bloodletting


"Fran Friel is a rosy-cheeked, cheerful woman with a world-class seductive smile. Her obviously warm nature makes her icy fiction appear all that more unsettling. Her stories are well written, compelling, all with a muscular hard edge, with often surprising but very appropriate endings...and always absolutely brutally chilling. From the short-short shockers like "The Widow" and "Close Shave" that surprise like an unexpected poke in the eye, to the longer moving ones like "The Sea Orphan" and "Beach of Dreams," that jar you and linger like a solid, well-placed left hook to your kidney. Many have the quality of the renown title piece, MAMA'S BOY: At some point they make your sphincter muscle clench and spasm with shock. Scary stories that are not soon forgotten. And from such a nice person. Highly recommended."
--Gene O'Neill, Author of COLLECTED TALES OF THE BAJA EXPRESS and THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. ZACH

Not too shabby?

The Horror Mall is also carrying the collection, and if you have a favorite bookstore you prefer to patronize just drop me a note and I'll give you the ISBN numbers for ordering.

I can't thank you all enough for your support. You're why I do this crazy writin' thing--you make it all worth while.

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

FREE Subscription to APEX? Yuppers...plus AJ























Free Subscription
Is that not just an absolutely gorgeous cover? Oh yes...oh yes it is. Like so many of the Apex Digest of Science Fiction and Horror covers, this one blew me away. This mag has been my favorite since I discovered it a couple of years ago. I'm a Apex for Life subscriber and when I saw that publisher Jason Sizemore put out a somewhat desperate plea for subscriptions I felt like I needed to help.

SO, I offered a chance for a Free Subscription as a way to draw some more attention to Jason's subscription drive, then a whole lot of other folks have jumped in to help with additional prizes. So pop on over to Shocklines for the details (register for the forum if you haven't already...it's an awesome board with LOTS of well-known genre writers in attendance) and just add a post to the thread. It's TOTALLY easy.

Clickety Here for the Link and a chance for a Free Apex Subscription!









Goodkin
You know how it is sometimes when you meet someone and they feel like kin? Well, that's AJ Brown and me. He's like my "little" brother and we have so many strange quirky things in common, you'd think we were really kin...and the best kind, goodkin.

Anyway, AJ has been a great inspiration to me with his talent and unbounded enthusiasm and energy. His love of the art of writing and his undaunted pursuit of a good story has helped to keep me writing sometimes when I didn't think I could, so I'm immensely honored that he dedicated a blog to me. If you have a moment, please stop by and visit AJ Brown's blog at the Horror Library Blog-O-Rama at Blogger or at HLBOR MySpace.

You can visit AJ at his Friday column at the HLBOR and anytime at:

MySpace

Theater of Nightmares

Enjoy and have a great week, gang!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

BEASTIAL! And a Sign of Lincoln...



















Mister Wolfie Romero
I've been too busy to keep up on what's going on with all my writing buddies, but with my stories for the collection complete and the edits almost done, I can breathe a bit and share some tidbits from my friends.

Notably, my pal Bill Carl's book, BEASTIAL: Werewolf Apocalypse is coming out in July from Permuted Press. And the thing that makes this especially notable is the blurb it received from one of the horror genre greats, Ray Garton.

Ray's blurb for BESTIAL:
"If you have an appetite for werewolves, this book is an all-you-can-eat buffet! Carl has done for werewolves what Romero did for zombies, and he's done it with flair and a sense of gruesome fun."
-- Ray Garton, author of LIVE GIRLS and RAVENOUS

I've dubbed Bill, Mister Wolfie Romero, and I can't wait to have a read of this fine bit of wickedness. Permuted Press (through the Horror Mall) has a nice free shipping pre-order deal if you have a hankering for a little werewolfie apocalypse action.

First Signing
I remember my first book signing. It was both exciting and scary. Would anyone stop? Would people buy the book? But I survived and actually enjoyed the whole process. A young and ambitious Horror Library member, author Lincoln Crisler recently had his first signing event. He's in the U.S. Army and has spent time in Afghanistan, so I figure a table at Barnes & Noble was a piece of cake for him.

I haven't had the pleasure of reading his book, Despairs and Delights, but I just wanted to take the time to congratulate him on his first signing. Quite an event for any young writer. Woohoo, Lincoln!

With the Mama's Boy collection done (editing not withstanding), my computer shackles have been removed (for now) and I'm off to have a leisurely breakfast. Wish you were here to join me!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

Tree-Hugging Anyone?

Oh yes, my friends, I'm a tree-hugger...AND kisser!



















Just A Little Change
Do me (and my tree buddies) a favor?

Small Favor - When you go to a restaurant or stop in for fast food, use one napkin instead of two. Many of us just grab a handful by habit and millions of napkins and the trees that are cut down to make them are wasted everyday. Same thing with public restrooms, when you wash and dry your hands using those crank paper towel machines - consider cranking out a foot as opposed to three feet of paper towel. Takes a lot less to dry your hands than you may think!

Medium Favor - Switch to cloth napkins at home. Napkins take up very little space in the wash and you'll save a ton of money. I've bought a variety of colors and textures for everyday use and I've picked them up for 50 cents to a dollar each on the clearance racks at Target. I keep a basket of them on the kitchen counter.

BIG Favor - Switch to recycled paper products for your paper towels and toilet paper (our Stop and Shop carries it now - also Trader Joes). We did this last year. I used to think these products wouldn't be very good, but they're actually very good quality. They're more expensive, but 1) that makes us conscious over overusing them, 2) we'll pay in many other nasty ways such as pollution and deforestation 3) they use some nasty chemicals for bleaching paper in commercial toilet paper and paper towels...not nice for the bum or for things that may be associated with food (like microwaving...which btw, we don't own one).

Okay, enough favor asking on my part. What are some of the things you all do for the Green of it? Don't be shy. It's okay to be a tree-hugger!

www.grist.org
www.treehugger.com
www.sundancechannel.com/the green

Happy Earth Day, my friend!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

Booty Results Coming Soon - Arrrgh!















Loot News
The Pirate Contest results will be posted over the weekend, not that anyone is sitting on the edge of their seat waiting, but I thought I'd let you know just in case.

I finally finished the pirate tale (now titled, "The Sea Orphan") and I'm working hard of an even heftier novella for the collection titled, "Fine Print" (from Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales, for those of you who haven't heard me yammering about it yet). Some of you folks may have read the earlier version of this story in its incomplete two parts at the Horror Library. I've been asked by a number of extremely patient readers to finally finish it already so I took their request to heart. Turns out, if I were to continue the story in series form that baby would have been in at least five parts, so it will be a nice addition to the collection -- that is if you like a hefty story.

For Those Patient Readers
If you remember reading the first two parts of the original "Fine Print," please post a comment here. I'm contemplating something for you folks, since the first two parts were free and the final version won't be...if you get my drift. I want to be fair to you if you were one of the kind folks who read my stuff before anybody was willing to pay for it.

Well, I've got to get back to work here, since I'm sailing fast toward my deadline a little too quickly. And please forgive me for not being around much. I wish I had more time to visit...I miss you guys. But I'll spare you the maudlin rant and invite you to come back over the weekend for the booty call, pirate style! *wink*

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel