OMINOUS 13 SERIES: DARK POEt & HALLOWEEN GURU RICH ORTH

13 Ominous Questions with Dark Fiction POEt/Halloween guru Rich Orth

You have a poem, ‘My Night as Poe’ hanging in the Poe Cottage in the Bronx, New York. Very impressive! Tell us how that came about?

The POEm is contained in a time capsule within the walls of the Cottage.   This was the home in which his beloved, Virginia, succumbed to consumption. Words cannot express the honor of my name even mentioned in the same breath as Poe.  As for how it came to be, I came across mention of the contest…I sent in 2 entries.  I was told City By The Sea was a 1^st place winner.  What a thrill to visit another Poe House(been to Philly’s many times and Baltimore’s once) and to share the moment with Cait was amazing.  When my daughter Cait and I arrived there was a twist...I am asked if I want to read my poem aloud.  I agree to this(hate reciting)and they hand me the copy and it is My Night as Poe..I state quickly that this is not the winner..I was then told both were chosen and either one was a 1^st place finisher…very cool!  I made many friends that day and have collaborated with 3 since…Juan Borona , Berenice Wakefield and Levi Lionel Leland.  Juan is a choreographer, Berenice, an author and poet and Levi, an amazing young artist!

You have your own compilation book out, POEtry Girls. What inspired you to bring this to life?

I have written forevermore and finally met the right person to bring the project to fruition!  James Ward Kirk has a publishing  company…JWK Publishing.  We worked together on several Splatterpunk Saints projects and since he was a fan and an accomplished writer himself, it was a no-brainer.  I chose poems from 1983 til literally 2 days prior to publication...and it seems to have worked very well…Thanks also to Alexander Kautz for his original artwork on the cover and within the pages, Mike Jansen for his editing..William Cook for cover  graphics....Eric Roth for his photo…Erica Schneider for her artwork..and lastly my LoraLee and Caitie for taking so many cool photos over the years and putting up with me!

We both share a love of Edgar Allan Poe. Is he your main inspiration for writing dark poetry?
Poe is what inspired me…EAP is the Gothic God….all other pale in comparison!  His darkness  too often causes many to delve into the Romanticism.   Ok, maybe that is just me!  Also kudos to Hammer, AIP, Amiscus & Universal Films and James Douglas Morrison.

There are many great old movies inspired by Poe. I love them, especially the ones done with Vincent Price. Some stray far from the original story though. As a Poe fan, do you think these give an honest representation of his work?

 
As a Poe fan…anything Poe that brings someone into the fold is worthwhile.  I have heard many Poe aficionados hated Cusack as Edgar, but I saw it as many getting to live Poe for the first time.  By doing so I hope they revisit EAP’s work!

You’ve done some work with an upstart Heavy Metal band called Demon Boy. How did you hook up with them and what’s that experience been like?

DemonBoy and I have been friends for a few years.  He liked my poem Cemetery Girl!  After some time DB asked me to do some work on the tune he had come up with for my 2 poems..The Lonely and Cemetery Girl……………….We have since written Zombie Dance and This Halloween..and have at least 7 others in the works…DB is a perfect storm for me..He is in the “vein” of Cooper & Rob Zombie..Manson & Wednesday  13…He’s been  spit out of heaven…kicked out of HELL!!

Do you get to perform with them at all?

I am merely a lyricist …..but I have gotten to introduce them on stage..what a RUSH!!

Your day job is District Manager for Halloween Adventure. That sounds like a great job. Did you start at the bottom and work your way up?
 

This year they expunged the DM role.  I did get a superstore in NJ.   I had worked for them from 97-99. Then I worked for a company that was all about corporate insanity..I got a concussion and was fired for non performance..Halloween Adventure brought me back..they realized what my true capabilities were..after my respite that took many months I was ok except for permanent vertigo! And to my past company.. &^#$ you!

What’s the craziest costume request you’ve seen over the years?
    

I talked a stripper into being a clown….She asked what to be..all the usual suspects were taken..and apparently the clown idea worked!

When is the best time to buy a Halloween costume, when the season first starts, closer to the actual holiday or after it’s over and the markdowns happen?

Always buy early…………but we do our best to have as much stock as possible till the end!  Markdowns depend on companies!

Your wife, the lovely Loralee, lists Photographer/Creative Consultant at Orth Chronicles Poetry on her Facebook page. Is she the one responsible for all the cool pics we see of you?
  

Lora, my daughter Cait and I take most pics!   Without their support, I am nothing!

It must be great to have that kind of support.  Is she the ‘Sharon’ to your ‘Ozzy’?

   

She is there to keep me on the straight and narrow!  Lora is the inspiration for a majority of my writes!

You seem to be a big dog lover. How many do you have?

   

I have 2 rescues…  My Siberian is Sobe..Sobe is God..he survived a stroke..we rehabilitated him..Truly Sobe did it all…God I love him,,,,,,,,,Ligeia is a German Shepherd,  she was found by me last year.  We call her Gia and she is a huge part of the family now.  And a deepest Thank you to my love of my life..TAZ, our Chow, whom we brought home on our honeymoon in 1988…Taz  was with us till liver cancer stole him in 2002..We miss him always…….

What are you going to be for Halloween this year?

 
I shall be a retail manager…  but love making others happy ..for this tis the Real Season…………  Thank you so much for allowing me to be shared to your masses

Want to give a final shout out to my literary agent Wednesday Corey!  Also, thanks to Alexander Kautz,  DemonBoy, Todd Card, James Ward Kirk and so many more…the list has become nearly infinite…and to all that have purchased my book, POEtry Girls!!!  Your support keeps me going! 

Thanks for taking the time to do this Rich!

Now, here is a look at some of Rich’s POEtry which can be purchased @ http://www.amazon.com/Rich-Orth/e/B00D5SKHKM:

City by the Sea! ©Rich Orth  09/23/10 07:12pm

In a city by the sea

She captured my heart

Placed it in a jar

With it she dare

not part

In a city by the sea

She taketh my soul

Locked it away

Piece by piece she

owns my whole

In a city by the sea

She doth devour me

Savoring every bit

Consuming all, refusing

my reprieve

In a city by the sea

I drown in her wares

Am lost forever..and

then forevermore

Resuming only if I dare

Whilst Waiting on the Sun! ©Rich Orth 10/13/2013 09:10pM

Within blackened forest...

Wherest beauty frolics

Palette of Nature

Awakens to the call

This Autumn ..

...oh how beautifully...dutifully

 it falls....

Blanketing landscape..

Renovating dreams.....

Wherest pool's reflection

Captures the captivating

   extremes

Enraptured at Nature's

   beauty

Even as finality rears

Darkest of fears.....

Summarily,  Winter....

Splinters into springtime

Festered wounds

Sequestered alienation

Too soon...too soon

as undecided ...said winter

unstated divides ...

Too soon..too soon

Reconsidered in my mind

Tag a long misfortunate tunes

Compose disposable thought

Decompose ...

Whilst waiting on the sun........

Whilst waiting on the sun........

My Night as Poe! ©Rich Orth    

On this moonless night

You could catch your death

Draft so chilling

Straight to the bone

...Gnawing to the marrow

Stars cower in fear

Aware of the night's events

Lamplight needed

Candle flames extinguish

Snuffed ominously

By nature's unseen fingertips

In my solitary confinement

Resolute in my cause

Decanter nearby

Snifter at hand

The spectres do frolic

Spirits of the dead

House it doth speak

Visions Guide me

Form words with the quill

The ink may fade

Memories, however,

quite permanent

My Ligeia, My Lenore,

And yes...Annabel Lee

All, though you see

Are my Virginia

My love for evermore

Forming nightmares

Haunting me till death

Escaping only...

Only, when I expunge

Or expel my demons

Empty the asylum

Let them loose

Loose upon...

an unsuspecting world

While all I long for

Is my, my Virginia

My lost little girl

My ethereal love

Aquarium of Souls! ©Rich Orth 9/21/2013 10:55PM

Guided by Miss Guidance

Gated passages...

Into the mist...

Forward we're fooled

Onward we persist

Aquarium of Souls

Within Devil's pool

Swirls tempest storm

Click To Purchase Paul DeThroe's Dark Fiction @ Amazon

KNIGHTS OF LORE SERIES: KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

KNIGHTS OF LORE SERIES: KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

The Knights Templar were a group of religious knights formed to create safe passage for European Christians to visit Jerusalem after the first Crusade in the early twelfth century by Hugues de Payans.  He and eight other knights convinced King Baldwin II of Jerusalem to allow them to camp at the site of the Dome of the Rock, otherwise known as Solomon’s Temple.

Somehow along the way they became rich. It is quite unknown how they came to possess such fortune and power, but it is widely assumed they found ancient secret knowledge during their early time at the temple, and thus used their find to blackmail the Church and the kings that they ruled at the time. One thing is for certain though, the Knights Templars sudden accumulation of lands and wealth, no matter how righteous their use of it, doomed them and their order to death.

An elite fighting force, the Knights Templar grew in size, fortune, land, power and influence over the years. One of the biggest moves was when the Pope made them a charitable organization. This allowed them to cross any borders without reprisal and exempted them from paying taxes.  

Eventually they became like a bank. When a nobleman made the trip to Jerusalem, they often gave all their wealth and businesses to the Templars to hold until they returned, in return for their safe passage. Most of the men in the Order had more to do with economics than they did with actual combat.

Before long they were issuing credit and collecting interest. This was an idea that was strictly prohibited by the Church, but since they had the Pope in their pocket, they got away with it. If they couldn’t charge interest, then they charged rent, or in other words, they collected whatever was produced on the land used for collateral until the mortgage was paid in full.

But how did they come to possess such power in the first place? It has been speculated that they came upon secret, sacred knowledge during their time at the Temple Mount. The legends range from finding the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, proof that Jesus survived his crucifixion, proof that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had a child, whose bloodline still survived, to even proof that humans were created by aliens instead of the ‘all powerful’ God of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. Whatever the case, they started with nothing and ended up with more power than any king or religious leader in Europe.

But their power and wealth created great enemies. King Philip the Fair of France wanted to take what they had and make it his own. His first act in making the plan happen was by having the Pope of his choosing elected. With the Pope in his pocket, instead of the Templar Knights, he had them outlawed and arrested. Those that weren’t killed were tortured into confessing to crimes such as urinating on the cross and kissing other men in black magick rituals. Needless to say, once the once brave knights confessed in order to stop the torture, they were then burned alive at the stake.

This passage is from http://www.catholic.com:

“King Philip the Fair—grandson of St. Louis of France—had engineered the election of the pope and the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. Although the papacy may have been in the ambitious king’s pocket, one of the most powerful and wealthy institutions of the day was not: The Order of the Temple. Philip knew its vast wealth and schemed to seize it.

The arrests of the Templars in France was easy: The fighting men of the order were then on the bloody border with Islam, in Spain, and on Cyprus. The Templars in France were aged veterans of the Crusades, well into their second childhood.

The things the knights confessed under torture defied belief: trampling and urinating on the Crucifix, secret rites of obscene kisses, sodomy, usury, treason, idolatry, heresy. After the arrests came seven years of inquisition, then hundreds and hundreds of public executions by burning. In the end, Pope Clement V abolished the order.”

The date of their mass arrests was on Friday, October 13, 1307. Since that day, Friday the 13^th has been associated with bad luck.

Many believe that the Knights Templar were warned of the upcoming arrests at the last minute and some of them were able to escape with their most valued treasures, or holy relics. Those relics are still sought after today and have inspired many books and movies.

Some claim that the Knights Templars survived even unto our current times as secret societies such as the Free Masons and Skull and Bones. These organizations have many of the same rituals and beliefs and they also have tremendous power, as many presidents have come from the annals of these groups such as William Howard Taft, George W. Bush, George Washington, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Trumand and Gerald R. Ford, amongst others.  

Whatever the case, the Knights Templar have left their mark on history.

Click To Purchase Paul DeThroe's Dark Fiction @ Amazon

OMINOUS 13 SERIES: Interview with ALEX S. JOHNSON (Bizzaro/Dark Fiction Author, Editor, Publisher)

13 Ominous Questions with Alex S. Johnson

Alex, thanks for appearing on my dark fiction author interview series, Ominous 13! Congratulations are in order for the news of your upcoming novel, Bad Sunset, being published by Chupa Cabra House. What are the details?

Thank you for having me, Paul. Bad Sunset started out as my own take on Western movies, which I've been a lifelong fan of. I love watching Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and other genre veterans doing their thing. There's this kind of monolithic quality to the classic Western--it's so simple, you have good and evil facing each other down in a shootoff, corrupt or nonexistent law enforcement, grotesque villains and stylish heroes, or antiheroes. Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns take those elements to a cartoon place, stylized and fluid, like pop art. The gunfights are slower, the hats are bigger, the action is ritualized to the point of absurdity. With Bad Sunset I took those elements and exaggerated them even further, with a little help from watching Alejandro Jodorowsky's movies like El Topo, which is a completely nonlinear, psychedelic mindfuck of a film--a Western only in a very limited sense, more of a journey through symbolic/ritual space along alchemical lines. I had a lot of fun developing characters like El Brujo, who is a bit of a Jodorowskian trickster figure, this ancient shaman who rides a salamander; the Christo Kid, who is basically a pop culture Jesus turned revenger/gunfighter; his girlfriend, the Contessa Von Pussystein, who is really Satan, as well as various sidekicks and weird minor characters like Jabber Jaws. Bad Sunset is an exploration of all the Western tropes we know and love, with tongue firmly placed in cheek. By total coincidence, it will be released on my birthday, which is Halloween. Couldn't have asked for a better B-Day present!

I met you by chance when an E-zine (The Shwibly Press) you were Editor in Chief for published one of my dark fiction short stories. By the way, thank you for that! What magazines/e-zines have you worked for?

Wow, good question. That would take me all the way back to the depraved 90's. I was a book and movie reviewer for zines like Midnight Zoo, Deathrealm, Carbon 14 and others, then got sidetracked for about a decade into writing music journalism, which eventually led to gigs with Metal Hammer and Metal Maniacs. Originally, I just wanted to write fiction, but my stories kept bouncing back to me, whereas reviews and interviews tended to stick. I did a number of interviews with horror writers I admire such as Ed Lee, Craig Spector, Poppy Z. Brite, Lucy Taylor, Nancy Kilpatrick, then switched gears and began to talk to heavy metal and gothic rock musicians, extreme filmmakers like Joe Christ, anybody who was out there stretching the boundaries. For a period of time I was associated with these publishers in Orlando who put out some very slick-looking publications, and at one point I was given the editorship of an extreme music magazine called Juggernaut. Which devolved in a fairly nasty fight for control that I won't amplify, other than to say, if you're going to put someone in charge of the ship, let them pilot. They had me rewriting stories to cater to people who didn't necessarily understand or appreciate death metal, for example. It was completely the wrong tack to take if you were competing with authoritative zines like Maniacs. The whole point of putting out a niche publication is that you respect the reader's knowledge and background. I was sending the Orlando folks these fresh-from-the-grille interviews with Slayer, for example, which they literally lost! Ooops. What Slayer story, right? The publishers had no clue what they were doing but they wouldn't let me steer the ship. So the whole enterprise sank. Pity.

To be honest, when I first met you I had no idea what ‘Bizarro’ fiction was. Can you give us an idea of what Bizarro is and isn’t?

That's both a good and dangerous question. Good in the sense that the whole distinction between Bizarro and not-Bizarro-but-just-weird is very vexed and political, dangerous for the same reasons. And then again, I am probably the last person you should be looking to for definitive answers on this question. Rules and orthodoxies make my brain bleed, and I get a sense from some quarters of the Bizarro publishing world of this elitist, exclusivist, almost cult-like mentality, where if you aren't 100% completely committed to serving the cause and given the secret handshake and the password then you're out there in the cold. The safe and chickenshit answer is that it depends on who you talk to. There are Bizarro primers available and these will give you a taste for the particular requirements of the premiere Bizarro press, which is located in the Pacific Northwest. Fortunately, with more and more publishers out there expanding the parameters of Bizarro, fewer writers who are intrigued by the subgenre will be excluded from the party, and that can only be positive. I would prefer to define Bizarro proactively and for my own purposes and say it's a radically transgressive blend of genres and styles, from science fiction, horror and fantasy to magical realism, noir, post-writing, postmodernism and everything in between. The kitchen sink of speculative fiction. It will be what writers do in practice that ultimately defines Bizarro, not what one clique or party line says it must be. What does the word suggest to you? What would you like it to be? Which end of the pencil do you do prefer doing business with? I'm all for a writing mode, practice or realm that allows each writer to revise the guidebook themselves; otherwise, you might as well join the Krishna Consciousness folks and chant the chant, or tongue the donut as the case may be.

What drew you into the Bizarro genre?

I've always been intrigued by the cutting edge. I haven't changed that much from the kid who was totally into Andy Warhol and Dali and writers like Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar, and later Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, Pat Cadigan. Not to mention musicians, whether they be classical composers like Bartok and Stravinsky or the Japanese master of Death Jazz, John Zorn, or Keith Richards or Miles Davis. Underground comic books. Midnight movies. Art, writing, music that develops a cult because it responds to the basic impulse we have to explore what is new and exciting--smashing the rules, mixing it up, pushing the conventions all the way and having a good time doing it. I love that high-octane, adrenaline-pumping place where the wages might be madness or death, but at the very least you aren't stuck recycling the same old shit. (Pauses to drink more coffee.) Extremes. When Splatterpunk came along, it felt like exactly where I wanted to be--in the storm center, crashing the party, or whatever hyperbolic metaphor you like. It's the quality of revolt I find in writers from Celine to Dennis Cooper. When I saw a description of Bizarro fiction as being or corresponding to a kind of cartoon-like hyperreality such as found in the movies of David Lynch, for example, I thought 'Beautiful.' With everything I've written up to now, I've been trying to develop my own style and voice, which is a merger of everything I love, from stupid stoner comedies to John Milton to black metal to acid exploitation films to Kit Marlowe. Brent Millis was actually the guy who pushed me in the direction of thinking of my work as Bizarro, but I'm not sure that it fits any genre, or anti-genre. If Surrealism is forbidden in strict Bizarro terms, for example, that leaves me right out. And happily so, I might add. But I tend to doubt that we would have such a thing as hammer-headed wives and guys with eyes growing all over their bodies if it wasn't for, I don't know, Salvador Dali? Again, it depends on who you talk to.

On your Facebook page, you’ve listed Erotica as one of the genres you’ve written in. What have you done in that genre and have you been published in any magazines like Hustler?

My erotica work has been published in anthologies like Master/slave and Noirotica III, Cthulhu Sex and some other places. I would love to be published in magazines like Hustler but haven't managed to crack those markets--yet. Most of my writing has a strong erotic, sexual component because sex is a driving engine for me. I believe the renegade psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich was correct when he said that a civilization that represses the erotic is in big trouble. I don't mean just sexual acts, I mean the attitude of freedom and pride about the body that we can find in Walt Whitman's poetry, for example. Or in classical literature. Deny sex and you deny human reality. That is extremely dangerous. And I'll get off my high horse now, he he!

You sent me an autographed copy of a heavy metal magazine, Hails and Horns, that you contribute to. 

What was the coolest band you personally met in the process of doing that gig?

Motorhead, without a doubt. I have met so many great bands and have wonderful memories, but Lemmy and Company are just the coolest, nicest, funniest, snarkiest people in rock and roll. They're not just a band, they're a phenomenon. A religious experience. All hail!

You have a Master’s Degree in English and have quite a bit of experience editing other people’s work. What advice could you give to an author on what I call the ‘submission game’?

My major piece of advice on this front would be: submit clean copy. Follow manuscript conventions. If an editor asks for a specific document format, font, type size, etc., do it. Know grammar and punctuation. Use a spell check. Get someone who knows what they're doing to go over the manuscript with an exceedingly fine toothed comb. The more professional your presentation, the more likely you'll stay out of the slush pile. Then, don't submit a story in a white heat--let it sit, look at it in the cold light of day, polish it till it gleams. Read everything you can find in the genre you want to write in. Analyze how other writers do it. Take notes. Of course at the end of the process you may still get a rejection slip, but my advice is to make it really, really hard for the editor to dismiss you. And don't be discouraged if you get a lot of rejections. The best writers have gotten them. Sylvia Plath. Hemingway. Stephen King collected hundreds. Now, do I necessarily follow this very sage advice I've just laid down? No, not always. But let's just say that you can't go wrong if you show respect for your craft and your reader and love everything about writing, including the disasters. Maybe especially the disasters.

Growing up in California and witnessing the thrash metal scene from the very beginning must have been an eye opening experience. How does the underground rock/metal scene differ today compared to the glory days of the ‘80’s?

I find a lot of exciting trends in underground rock and metal today, especially when you see young musicians who have grown up internalizing the furthest reaches of the recent past and cut their teeth on Eddie Van Halen, for example, There is a lot going on with hybridity and fusion between and among noise, jazz, metal, ambient sound, trance, techno, etc. I wouldn't say that I witnessed the thrash metal scene in California, other than suddenly becoming aware of bands like Testament and Metallica. I still remember the first time I heard Metallica. They were the fastest, heaviest, crunchiest band ever. But now heavy, fast and crunchy is just the appetizer. There's so much to choose from. On the down side, I hear more bands that play it safe by following trends and just mixing and matching the most successful sounds, and I frankly can't stand the jumper bands, the stop and starters, that kind of thing. And Slipknot sounds like crap to this fortysomething dude. But phases and fads come and go, and there is always Iron Maiden to fall back on, thank the Antichrist!

You have penned quite a bit of poetry in your career. When you write, how much of your work is about personal experiences and how much is just your imagination?

With my poetry, particularly the Death Jazz collection, I would say both, equally. All of my writing is grounded in personal experience, but certain themes tend to rise and get filtered through my imagination, so something that began as an actual incident that happened to me becomes emblematic of a wider experience or understanding...it's hard to talk about without sounding pretentious. I like something that Steve Martin said once in an interview, where he starts with the particular, individual and personal and translates it into a universal context--Martin called it 'the art part.' I think that's true whatever type of writing you do. Also, I love to play around with voices. Some of my poems are written in the voice of another, real person I know well enough to appropriate, or from the point of view of a character I made up. In the end, the work should speak for itself. If it's artful, it will stand alone.

Could you see some of your poems turned into heavy metal lyrics?

I would love to write heavy metal lyrics. Heavy metal is a constant inspiration for me and leaks into everything I write. If anybody is reading this who needs some metal lyrics, let me know! I've been thinking about turning my flash/Lucid Fiction story 'Matador of Mirrors' into an epic prog-metal song. By the same token, some of my poems would make great rap tunes. Music of one kind or another is always implicit in the poetry for sure.

I’ve notice a lot of similarities between the music industry and the publishing industry, from bad contracts to oversaturation of the market. Which do you consider harder to break into, music or writing?

My experiences in the music industry are all second-hand. As for breaking in, it all depends on why you're doing it in the first place. I saw an interview with Iggy Pop where he says it was only in the past 15 or so years that he's had anything like real material success. It's almost impossible to make money in rock and roll, except for a handful of bands. If you don't do it for love, don't do it, that would be my bottom line, bedrock response. Would you rather write something crass and idiotic like 50 Shades of Crap and be wildly successful, or write a story that is true and meaningful and speaks to the actual human condition that a few people buy, but sustains their souls? The German poet Rainer Maria Rilke told a young correspondent to ask himself, from the depths, if he had to write, no matter what. My answer to that question is an unqualified 'Yes.' On the other hand, it would be nice to be able to pay some bills with writing. What other cliches can I commit in this interview? Follow your heart? But I do believe that if you are true to yourself you will be heard, and published, and be recognized for the right reasons. Writing or making music are two of the least likely avenues to riches.

I’ve noticed that you are true blue professional with a huge variety of professional experiences, yet you have been hit hard by the recession. What is your dream job and if someone who reads this blog has an opening that suits your area of expertise, how could they contact you and view your resume?

My dream job would be to teach English Literature at a college or university. I can be contacted through my email, Trolleydogs@aol.com.

Finally, what is on the horizon for Alex S. Johnson, author?

Several things. I'll be co-editing a magazine with Timm Tayshun, the publisher at Chupa Cabra House, finishing up the anthology of heavy metal horror fiction I'm also doing for Chupa--Axes of Evil--and expect to have a new novel out around April of 2014 title Pudding Spooks Apocalypse. I suppose you could call it Bizarro, although I prefer plain old speculative fiction with a big dose of satire. I'm also working on a couple of other books for Jordan Krall and Dynatox Ministries, including a cannibal story. Those are the only semi-definite projects I can talk about right now; who knows, maybe by this time next year I'll be writing paranormal romance--between Jello puppets, of course!

Alex, it was a pleasure interviewing you. I appreciate your time. If there is anything you’d like to add, like links to purchase your work or excerpts, feel free to add them here:

Thank you so much for the interview and your great questions, Paul!

To order The Death Jazz: http://www.amazon.com/The-Death-Jazz-Alex-Johnson/dp/1477619003 

To order The Matador of Mirrors: http://lucidplaypublishing.weebly.com/ 

To order Akashic Shotgun: http://www.amazon.com/Akashic-Shotgun-Alex-S-Johnson/dp/1492331260 

To pre-order Bad Sunset: http://www.chupacabrahouse.com/p/badsunset.html

Click To Purchase Paul DeThroe's Dark Fiction @ Amazon

KNIGHTS OF LORE SERIES: Sir Lancelot of the Lake

Perhaps the most romantic fictional figure in the history of literature not named Romeo, Sir Lancelot has captured the hearts and minds of readers, theatre goers and movie fans for nearly a millineum. His sex appeal is timeless; changing ever so slightly to match modern ideals, the enchanted lover/fighter consistently steals the hearts of adoring young women and inspires the passionate undertakings of envious young men of each new generation who read of his adventures.

Created by author Chretien de Troyes in the twelfth century, Lancelot took the place of Mordred, who was previously cast as Queen Guinevere’s lover. The aspect that Lancelot brought to the table was the idealization of being the perfect knight until his loyalty turned to betrayal because of lust. The treachery was so profound that it brought the fabled Camelot to come to a screeching halt.  His perfidy to the unsuspecting King Arthur ranks him right up there with other great traitors such as Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of the Christ, Brutus assassination of Julius Caesar and Benedict Arnold’s traitorous turn against George Washington.

Even so, Sir Lancelot has never been reviled like other famous turncoats. Perhaps this is because his disloyalties were inspired by simple affairs of the heart, which we can all relate to.

Born to King Ban of Benwick and Queen Elaine, he was left by a lake as a child. Vivien, the Lady of the Lake took him and raised him as her own. It is striking, to me, that the Lady of the Lake gave the magickal sword Excalibur to Arthur and not Sir Lancelot. Only a mother knows the true intentions of her son’s heart and she must have had insight that he could not control his own licentious desires.

In another twist of fate, another Elaine comes into Lancelot’s life. This Elaine is the daughter of King Pelle of Astolat. He breaks her heart though, because of his love for Guinevere. She tricks him into thinking she is Guinevere and that union results in a child: Sir Galahad, the purest of all the Knights of the Round Table.

When Arthur sends his knights on the quest for the Holy Grail, everyone expects the great Lancelot to be the one to find it. His sins, however, prevent him from seeing anything other than a blurry vision of it. Later, his son, Sir Galahad is the one that finally sees the Holy Grail. After finding the much sought after relic, he requests to die, and his wish is granted. The Holy Grail is never seen again.

Sir Lancelot, though heroic and brave, is never portrayed as being as noble as his son. Though willing to serve others on the battlefield, he never embraces his role as King Arthur’s champion in such a way as to make him virtuous. Instead, he used his position to seduce King Arthur’s wife Guinevere, though by all accounts, she seduced him just as well. A mutual seduction, if you will.

When Arthur uncovers the tryst, his is furious. He banishes Lancelot and his court condemns Guinevere to death. The dashing Lancelot saves her from execution at the last moment, but instead of living happily ever after, they go their separate ways. Unable to cope with the guilt of tragically bringing an end to the fabled Camelot, Guinevere becomes a nun at a monastery while Lancelot becomes an unkempt, homeless, travelling wildman of a monk.

When Arthur overcomes his own secluded madness caused by the betrayal of Lancelot and the fall of Camelot, he challenges his bastard son Mordred, who has come to take his place a king. Lancelot returns to help his old friend and the old betrayal is forgiven, but it proves too late to save Camelot, as Arthur is fatally wounded by Mordred and taken to Avalon by his sister. Some accounts have Sir Lancelot dying as well in that battle, while others have him surviving. However, he and Guinevere are never able to rekindle the flames of the fiery tryst and live out their lives in servitude to their God in penance for their own heartbreaking sins.

As times have changed and taboos fell away, the myth of Sir Lancelot has also changed. Author Marion Zimmer Bradley portrays Sir Lancelot as a man who has such insatiable sexual appetite that he has affairs with both Guinevere and King Arthur in Mists of Avalon! One of my favorite authors, Bernard Cornwell portrays Sir Lancelot as a sniveling fool and coward in his Warlord Chronicles, which is a devastating and violent look at the Dark Ages legend.

Through it all Sir Lancelot still survives in books, novels, plays and movies. There are restaurants, flour brands and Ipad protectors that bear his name. He is a character in video games about King Arthur. His character has been played by such notable actors as Richard Gere, Nicholas Clay, John Cleese and Jeremy Sheffield, amongst others. Not too shabby for literary history’s most famous adulterer.

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OMINOUS 13 SERIES: Interview with Dark Fiction Author, Editor, Publisher JAMES WARD KIRK

James, thanks for agreeing to be a part of Ten Questions for Authors for Paul DeThroe’s Dark Fiction Blog!

Paul, it’s my pleasure. I’ve been a longtime fan of your fiction.

1) You have done a lot over the years to help authors make a name for themselves with your anthologies. What made you decide to take that route?

A few years ago I was a member of a social group here in Indianapolis intended for horror writers. At times I sensed that some members were actually opposed to the success of others as if their success was threatened by that of another. My experiences with that group influenced me in more than a few ways. In many ways, they considered themselves “guardians at the gate.” I managed to get banned for life from that group (which is now defunct). But I wondered: what if there was an annual anthology designed sole for Indiana horror writers? From that thought was born the annual Indiana Horror anthology, a book highlighting Indiana horror writers only. And I enjoyed that project so much that I put together an anthology of my Indiana Science Fiction 2011. Not soon after Indiana Science Fiction published, I was approached by my friend Murphy Edwards, author of the novel Dead Lake, about doing an anthology concentrating on crime fiction. I jumped at the chance to work Murphy Edwards, and Indiana Crime 2012 was born. By this time, I had fallen in love with the process of producing anthologies. I so enjoyed the writers that contributed to those anthologies. They became like family to me. So I moved on to more anthologies. My newest anthology is entitled Bones. Some well-known authors now publish through me. I’ve published collections from Scathe meic Beorh, and a novel by W. Franklin Lattimore entitled Freedom Fight. I have two more novels in the queue. I have a collection by Mike Jansen ready for publication. And there is the much anticipated anthology edited by William Cook coming named Fresh Fear. Business is booming. The wonderful Shawna Leigh Bernard has joined JWK Fiction as associate editor, and is producing even more quality anthologies. The beautiful Cellar Door anthology is the perfect example of the kind of work she does. I consider authors I’ve published, and Shawna, as part of the JWK fiction family. When these fine people move upward in their careers, I am the first to help promote their work.

2) You seem to have the ability to get other authors to collaborate with you. What advice would you give to others looking to do the same?

First I want to say that collaborating with another author doesn’t always work, and it is not the fault of either writer. Sometimes voices just don’t match. I’ve attempted this four times and it has worked out twice. So if first you don’t succeed . . .

3) How challenging is it to narrow down short stories submissions you receive for your anthologies?

The quality of submissions I get is actually quite high. Rarely do I get a submission that is of poor quality. I accept work as I go, and my anthologies fill up rather quickly. There are so many writers that deserve publication. Finding a publisher that is willing to take on a new author is very difficult, it seems. Because of that, a lot of great stories are passed on. That’s a shame. If a writer sends me a submission and if it is excellent then it matters not to me that this will be the writer’s first publication. Everyone starts somewhere. I think a lot of established writers forget that.

4) Besides publishing and editing, you are also an accomplished author. What is your best piece and were can it be found?

I think “best” is in the “eye of the beholder”. One of my favorite pieces is included in the Splatterpunk Saints 2013 anthology. The title is “Bereft.” I have given up all hope on the notion that the story will ever be truly understood. That’s probably my failure. Horror is rarely looked upon as literature, and critiqued as such. Folks just want to have fun with horror, and that’s perfectly fine. Another favorite is a Lovecraftian piece entitled “The Rose Garden,” published in The Shadow of the Unknown. I’ve published one Science Fiction story, entitled “Joe” that appeared in M-Brane SF Quarterly #2 March 2011. “Joe” is a story about a dystopian future and one old man, a writer, who brings hope to young people looking for a better world. I also have a favorite piece appearing in an upcoming publication under a pen name. I’ve enjoyed various publications under the pen name. Of course, I cannot mention the pen name as that would defeat the purpose. Smile.

5) I’ve worked with you a few times and have been impressed with your editing talents as well as your ability to communicate ideas. How difficult is it to tell an author his story needs to be significantly changed?

This action is not at all difficult. Respecting a writer and his or her work goes a long way in communicating such ideas. I take the time to point out certain problems, suggest ideas for revision, and offer the writer the opportunity to re-submit. Nine out ten times this is a successful operation.

6) You founded Splatterpunk Saints FB Group as a way to help other authors collaborate and navigate the publishing world. Are you satisfied with how it’s grown?

Todd Card founded Splatterpunk Saints. He invited me to serve as Vice President. We shared similar experiences with the group mentioned above. We were both on the same page. We wanted to HELP writers achieve their highest ambitions. Unfortunately, Todd became ill and had to step away. It is my sincerest hope that I am achieving his dream.

7) Which do you prefer writing? Short stories or novels? Why?

My editing and publishing duties take up about ten hours a day. So I write short stories. If I didn’t have so many duties as editor and publisher, I quite likely would write only short stories. I love both the simplicity and complexity of the short story.

8) With so many different stories crossing your path, how do you keep your own ideas fresh and original?

My stories are so odd that keeping my voice is no problem.

9) If one of your stories could be made into a movie, which one would it be and why?

Without hesitation I was say “Joe.” “Joe” comments upon the worth and value of the old because they remember the past.

10) You seem to be a generally open person. Sometimes you relay your own political beliefs publically. Do you ever fear a backlash from potential readers who cannot be open minded enough to see the positive benefits of a good debate?

No.

11) What anthologies do you plan to release in the near future?

Currently I’m working on a Bizarro novel by Scathe meic Beorh. I also have collections by Mike Jansen and Alex Stephens in the works. I also have a novel by David Greske in line. Much to do. Shawna Leigh Bernard is working on anthologies: Cellar Door Volume II and Ugly Babies. The response to Ugly Babies has been so excellent that we foresee a Ugly Babies Volume II.

12) What project (s) are you working on as James Ward Kirk, the author?

I have a short story I’m working on, a prequel to the story I mentioned earlier appearing under a pen name. I plan to take a break from publishing in November and December and shoot some truly odd work out there for publishers and editors to scratch their heads over.

13) With a name like James Kirk, I have to ask, are you a trekkie?

I am a fan of the original TV series and the movies with the original cast. My first love as a reader was science fiction.

Thanks for participating in OMINOUS 13, James!

Links:

https://www.jwkfiction.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Ward-Kirk-Fiction/324556554309963

http://www.amazon.com/Bones-James-Ward-Kirk/dp/0615888615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380391078&sr=1-1&keywords=bones+james+ward+kirk

Bio:  James Ward Kirk lives in Indianapolis with his wife of twenty-three years, the artist Monica M. Kirk.  They share space with a mean Chihuahua named Lucy.  James has lived many lives.  He’s taught literature and composition at Indiana University at Indianapolis.  He joined the Marine Corps in 1977.  James grew up in the foothills of the Appalachia Mountains and among the lakes of Northern Indiana.  He loves horror films.  He hated the series finale of Dexter.

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