Beyond The Darkness 19
It's the end of the world as we know it!
Well, hello! Yes, it’s been a while. I know I’ve already said it on social media, but my apologies for taking a few weeks off. The last two weekends have been chock full of great stuff in my personal life, as well as my professional career, so let’s get into it.
Two weekends ago was the much-anticipated wedding of Mary SanGiovanni and Brian Keene. I’m honestly not a huge fan of weddings. They tend to drag on far too long, usually further away than you want to travel, and you’re stuck making small talk with relatives you normally don’t talk to outside of the Christmas or Thanksgiving. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. My wife and I already knew probably 90% of the people that attended, many of which I don’t see but a few times a year at conventions, so it was great to catch up with so many of my friends and peers. Hell, there were a few I wasn’t even able to talk to, even though we were a few tables apart the whole time (looking at you, Paul Tremblay!). The ceremony itself was fantastic, with Rio Youers providing music and Maurice Broaddus acting as the wedding official. There was food and drinks and corny wedding music and lots of dancing, tears, and good times and memories. Since moving out to Pennsylvania in late 2017, Mary and Brian have become like older siblings to me. I love them both death, and I’m so happy to finally see them married. They both deserve all the happiness life can give them.
Outside of that, I was happy to get to spend that Sunday night over at author Stephen Kozeniewski’s home since Wile E. Young was in town for the wedding. We don’t get to see him all that often as he lives out in Oklahoma, so the few times a year he’s able to get out this way we always try to have fun.
All in all, it was great weekend for everyone.
Last weekend, my parents came to town for a visit. I sadly don’t get to see them as often as I’d like, since they live out in Indiana, but we try to make the most of the time we have. I took off from work that Friday and my son and I picked them up from BWI airport. From there we went straight to the National Aquarium in downtown Baltimore. My wife and I are season members (which is surprisingly cheaper than you might think), so we go there semi-regularly. The first time we went with our son, he was only just learning how to walk on his own, so he was far more interested in stumbling around and being independent than paying any attention to the animals. This time he actually wanted to look into the enclosures. My parents had never been there, so they were also impressed with the facility and its offerings. I think the only thing that’s changed since I was there last was they stopped charging for the area where they keep the dolphins and now let everyone come in and see them. It was fun watching my son marvel at them as they swam past the windows and flip through the air and speak. I know these types of trips and outings he’s never going to remember, but I will, and those memories are ones I can fall asleep remembering with a smile.
Much of the weekend was us just hanging out with my parents. Trips to the local parks, lots of long walks around the neighborhood, eating good food. My wife booked us train ride at the Strasburg Rail Road. I had no idea that even existed, so I was pleasantly surprised at how nice and well maintained the whole train station was. The ride itself was fairly short and uneventful, but our son had a really fun time staring out the windows and seeing the scenery as it whipped past. We even got a small wooden train whistle, which he laughs he ass off when we blow into.
Writing updates…
If you follow me on social media, you most likely saw the big book announcement author Wile E. Young and I put out last Friday, but if you didn’t…
Wile E. Young and I are proud to present our latest work: DISASTERPIECES! This book contains two brand new novellas, one by each writer, with the overall theme of natural and man-made disasters. We're both super excited with the way this book came out and hope it shows a new side of our storytelling.
Cover art by Justicia Satria. Cover layout by Scott Cole.
Official Back Cover Copy:
Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. They can be as intimate as a house fire. As unpredictable as a sinkhole. As random as a car crash. Or as overwhelming as a landslide.
But what about the bigger ones? The ones that can affect hundreds―if not thousands―of people all at once. The ones that trigger wide-spread destruction and disorder. That push ordinary individuals to their limits, forcing them to rise above the devastation…or drown in the disarray and hysteria.
Award-winning authors Wesley Southard and Wile E. Young bring you “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Rivers of Mercy”, two brand new novellas of natural and man-made catastrophes, and the fateful souls thrust into their unpredictable chaos.
Disasterpieces… The damage isn’t the only thing to be frightened of…
Available in paperback and e-book on July 4th 2023 from South of Heaven Press. (Online retailer pre-orders soon)
Webstore exclusive book bundles available very soon.
Currently Reading: Beyond Terror – The Films of Lucio Fulci by Stephen Thrower (This might be the coolest book I own. It’s an giant, over-sized hardcover that’s nearly 450 pages of in-depth information about Fulci’s film history and contains hundreds of photos. An absolutely stunning book.)
Currently Watching: I Saw the Devil (I just received the new Umbrella Entertainment blu-ray, which looks fantastic. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a Korean murder/revenge story that’s incredibly bleak and extremely graphic.) Also about to start watching the new season of Human Resources on Netflix. (I loved the first season.)
I’m currently getting my 2024 touring schedule together, but I’d like to hear from my readers about where you’d like to see me. Please leave a comment on this post on what shows are in your area that I could look into. I love to travel and want to get out to the Midwest, the South, and the West Coast more, so hit me up and throw me some ideas.
Speaking of touring, my next stop is next weekend at StokerCon in Pittsburgh, PA. My current schedule for the weekend is thus:
Friday – THE RISING POPULARITY OF EXTREME AND EROTIC HORROR Panel for Librarians’ Day, Hall of Fame Room, with Ben Rubin, Hailey Piper, Eric LaRocca, Wrath James White, CJ Leede, Brian Keene, and Wesley Southard.
Friday – Mass Author Signing from 5 to 6 PM. I won’t have all my titles with me, but I’ll have a little bit of each for sale.
Saturday – Author Readings 9 to 9:45 AM, Brighton II Room, with Solomon Forse, Tim Waggoner, Marie Croke, and Wesley Southard
Hope to see you there!
WHERE THE DEVIL WAITS, the novella I co-wrote with author Mark Steensland, is on sale this weekend for only $0.99! Take advantage while the e-book is dirt cheap.
Book of the Week…
I’ve got new and old readers now subscribing to this newsletter, so I’d like to start highlighting a book in my current catalog every week.
This week is my Imadjinn Award-Winning novel CRUEL SUMMER.
Melissa Braun is a broken woman. Only wanting what’s best for her family, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to mend her fractured relationship with her abusive boyfriend. In a last ditch effort, she hopes the sun and sand of a much-needed Florida vacation will bring them and her son closer together.
Patrick Braun is a demoralized kid. Quiet and sullen, he only wants his mother to see her boyfriend’s torment as it cripples everything he loves. After years of silence, he refuses to stand by and let the abuse continue to tear them apart.
Hoyt Rainey is a vile man. Unable to keep his hands to himself, he finally takes his anger one step too far. Only this time he finds himself on the receiving end of his own punishment. Down and down he goes, plunging deeper into the dark blue abyss of the sea.
Melissa and Patrick finally believe they are safe, the trouble now behind them for good. They are wrong.
Gods never really stay dead - they only lie in wait. And when a beast as old as time discovers Hoyt...he, too, won’t stay gone for long.
The nights grow darker, the water flows colder, and the cruelty of summer lives on.
Now available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook.
Signed copies can be ordered directly from www.wesleysouthardhorror.com
As always, if you’re looking for any signed copies of my books, they can be found at www.wesleysouthardhorror.com. All book bundles come with stickers, bookmarks, and buttons, and some even come with hard shell magnets! Every book in-print is currently in-stock.
And that’s it for this week. There more than likely won’t be a newsletter next Sunday because of StokerCon, but we should be back on schedule after that. Once again, thank you for subscribing. See you soon!
LOVE this edition of the newsletter! Such awesome photos!! I cannot wait for Disasterpieces! :)
For your 2024 tour, I highly recommend Gibsons Bookstore in Concord, NH if you head this far north! Ryan is WONDERFUL and organizes such great events!