Beyond The Darkness 20
Stephen Kozeniewski loves French fries on his sandwiches
Hello, Beyond The Darkness Newsletter subscribers! It’s been a few weeks, hasn’t it? I’ve been pretty busy, so let’s get into it.
First thing’s first…
DISASTERPIECES, the new book from myself and author Wile. E Young is up for pre-order over on Amazon! Right now it’s only the e-book because we’re waiting for the paperback to populate from Ingram Spark over to Amazon’s website, but I imagine it’ll be on there very soon to reserve your copy. It’s my first time publishing through Ingram Spark, so the entire process has been a learning experience for me.
Wile E. and I will also be offering a book bundle over at my webstore as soon as copies arrive at my doorstep. They will include a paperback copy (signed/personalized by myself and will come with a bookplate signed by Mr. Young) and will come with a ton of goodies only available in this bundle that will be limited to twenty-five. Again, copies have been ordered and will be available very soon.
Until then you can pre-order the e-book here: Kindle
And the paperback over at Barnes and Noble: Paperback
Amazon paperback available soon.
Last weekend I was fortunate enough to attend StokerCon in Pittsburgh, PA. If you don’t already know, StokerCon is much more of a business/movin’-and-shakin’ conference than a fan convention. It’s where a good bit of the horror writing community gathers each year to take part in panels, readings, and general discussions and pitch meetings, not to mention it’s where the Bram Stoker awards take place. Every year it’s in a different location, this year being Western PA. The last StokerCon I was able to attend was way back in 2019 (you know…back in normal times) with was in Grand Rapids, MI. I was still pretty green then and didn’t know a whole hell of a lot of people, but this time, four more times around the sun, I’m far more fortunate to have grown relationships with so many of my peers. This year it felt like, akin to AuthorCon, a giant family reunion. Authors from all over the world come to this show, which makes the show extra special because I only get to see those individuals maybe once every year or two.
I drove in with author Stephen Kozeniewski on Friday morning and we got settled in to the hotel around 11AM. We mostly spent time hanging with Brian Keene at the Scares That Care auction table and perusing the dealer’s room, catching up with various other authors and publishers we knew. I ended up attending a panel and then had lunch right after with author Michael Allen Rose and librarian Trevor Oakley. I hadn’t seen either in while, so it was great to catch with both.
I had my own panel to take part in at 2:30, which was themed around Extreme/Erotic Horror and included myself, Keene, Wrath James White, Hailey Piper, Eric LaRocca, and CJ Leede. I was actually pretty nervous about this one, but once we got the ball rolling, it turned into quite an enjoyable experience. I didn’t know what the turnout was going to be like, but the room was absolutely packed with librarians from all over the country and eventually became standing room only. It was definitely the biggest panel I’ve ever taken part it.
A few hours later I took part in the mass author signing from 5 to 6PM and sold a few books, then myself, Keene, Young, Kozeniewski, and author Amanda Headlee got dinner down the street at Buca Di Beppo, which wasn’t too bad.
On Saturday morning at 9AM, I had a reading slot which I shared with Tim Waggoner, Solomon Forse, and Marie Croke which went off great. I performed my flash story “Confusion in Southern Illinois” which is always a fun one to do for live readings. I wasn’t sure what sort of crowd we’d get that early, but the room filled up fairly quick.
After that, I was pretty much done for the weekend as far my scheduled activities. There was a lot of hanging out and chatting it up with old and new friends. I was especially happy to see my friend Aaron Dries, who flew out all the way from Australia for the event. I haven’t seen him since 2019, so we spent a good deal of Saturday night catching up and having fun at Keene’s room party after the Stoker Banquet.
I don’t take a whole lot of pictures at these events, or any events much these days. I either forget, it feels awkward, or I just prefer to live in the moment. Either way, here’s some pics from the show. Photos credited to those who are holding the camera.
All in all, I had a great time this year, and though I won’t be able to make it to San Diego next year, if what I heard through the grapevine is correct, StokerCon 2025 will be fairly close to me again, so I will absolutely attend that show.
As far as my personal life goes, I’ve unfortunately been off work for the majority of the last two weeks. Parts shortages have gotten the better of my day job, so I’ve been home with my son nearly every day while my wife is at work. Suffice to day, very little actual writing got done.
We did however find some fun activities to pass time. Last week, I was told about a local dairy farm called Perry Dale Farms not too far from us that let you pet the calves and purchase fresh ice cream made right on the farm. We spent some time there in the sun while he ran around and played amongst the pens. Their ice cream was pretty damn good too.
This week I took him to a local Alpaca farm, which was a little less exciting since it was a guided tour at someone’s private residence. My son wasn’t really feeling it, but we still got to feed some of them and their sheep.
Over all, despite not being at work, there were some great days spent with my one year old I absolutely wouldn’t take back.
Currently Reading: DMV by Bentley Little. Yes, I know, I’m still reading it. I barely have time to read much anymore, but I’m in the last 100 pages or so, so I’m hoping to finish it this week.
Currently Watching: Burial Ground (1980). I love this terrible film, probably more than most. I’ve owned the Severin Films blu-ray for a while now, but when 88 Films announced a 4K edition, I immediately jumped on it. I was stunned to see the difference in the two formats. For a film that was never meant to look that damn good, it looks that damn good in HDR.
Book of the Week…
This week is my Imadjinn Award-nominated short story collection THEY MOSTLY COME AT NIGHT.
A high class restaurant where the food brings out the worst in its patrons…
A man whose mind won’t stay inside his own body…
A mother and daughter’s trip to a zoo full of dead animals…
An Italian immigrant’s idea of the American Dream ripped from his grasp…
A mysterious woman’s unquenchable hunger for negative energy…
Darkness looms ahead in these eleven short stories from the Splatterpunk Award and Imadjinn Award-Winning author Wesley Southard.
Keep the lights on. It’s a long time before sunrise.
"Southard's work bends the mind and punches the gut. His chilling tales offer all the carnage and chaos horror fanatics lick their chops for." ― Kristopher Triana, Splatterpunk Award-winning author of Gone to See the River Man
“Southard writes true blue collar characters who are achingly real and endearing, and monsters that absolutely terrify. While one might note echoes of Richard Laymon, Southard's voice is all his own, and he uses it to deliver a compelling and powerfully enjoyable read.” ― Mary SanGiovanni, author of Beyond The Gate
“Wesley Southard’s writing thrums with uninhibited energy that’s both infectious and entertaining. Discovering Wesley’s work has been a joy, and you should seek out his books too. He’s definitely a writer to watch.” ― Jonathan Janz, author of The Siren and the Spector and Exorcist Falls
“Southard writes with an intensity not seen since the original splatterpunks. I devoured every page.” ― Wile E. Young, Splatterpunk Award-winning author of The Magpie Coffin
Available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.
Signed copies available at my webstore.
As always, if you’re looking for any signed copies of my books, they can be found at www.wesleysouthardhorror.com. All books 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! Thanks, everyone for stopping by!
My favorite scene in CRUEL SUMMER is when Hoyt forced Patrick to put french fries on his sandwich. That was when I knew he was a true monster.