The Ghoulish Times | 04/16/22
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The Ghoulish Times | 04/16/22
Trans Body Horror | Maggots Screaming! | Book Fest Panels
Hello and welcome to the latest issue of The Ghoulish Times. My name is Max Booth III. I am a writer, publisher, podcaster, and owner of a fridge that finally works after three weeks of waiting on a new compressor to arrive. Groceries! We have groceries! Holy crap.
Anyway. Welcome to all the recent new subscribers. I am sure you found your way over here thanks to a recent anthology announcement, which I will now recap below for those who missed the news:
Announcing BOUND IN FLESH: AN ANTHOLOGY OF TRANS BODY HORROR—Now Open for Submissions!
We are very excited to announce the first anthology project under our new horror imprint, Ghoulish Books—Bound in Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror edited by Lor Gislason.
FROM THE EDITOR:
Hello, my name is Lor Gislason (they/them) and I will be the editor of BOUND IN FLESH. Body horror has been a part of my life for many years, in one way or another; From cartoons that stretch and twist characters, to personal favourites like Hellraiser and Possessor that push the human form beyond what is imaginable. While being uncomfortable with your body is not the case for all trans and NB folks, it is very common–hence why I think the genre draws so many of us to it. The cathartic nature of horror is the connective tissue that brings us together. I want to give other trans and NB authors the chance to showcase their work in a genre that so often is cis-centric, to tell their own stories and reaffirm that trans writers belong in horror.
This anthology is only open to writers who identify as Transgender and Non-Binary.
We want to uplift Trans/NB voices. New writers are encouraged to submit!
Submission must be BODY HORROR, however you define that. Stories relating body dysphoria to horror are fine, but get creative with it! We’d also like to see funny, silly, wacky body horror.
Please include a small bio with your submission, along with any relevant info.
Payment: $0.05 per word
Deadline: July 31st
Word count: 3k-5k
Multiple submissions: No more than 2 stories per author
Simultaneous submissions: Yes
Reprints: No
Please submit all stories to boundinfleshsubmissions@gmail.com with [STORY TITLE]_[LAST NAME]_[WORD COUNT] in the subject line.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Lor Gislason (they/them) is an autistic non-binary homebody from Vancouver Island, Canada. Their articles have been featured on Hear Us Scream, Horror Obsessive and several upcoming anthologies. Their dream is to one day make an encyclopedia covering body horror films.
Follow Lor on Twitter @lorelli_
Maggots Screaming!, a gross body horror existential crisis, is available now
My new novel, Maggots Screaming!, is officially available. If you pre-ordered a signed paperback from our webstore, they've been shipped. Expect them to arrive any day now if they haven't already. And, if you want to get a signed paperback but haven't ordered yet, simply click this link and proceed with the purchase. It will make you feel good in the soul, and also in all your other parts. The book is also available on other retail outlets. I recommend using Bookshop.org as an alternative.
Here is the jacket cover art for the book.
Front cover art is credited to Corinne Halbert, and back cover art is credited to Luke Spooner.
Want to hear me talk a bit more about the book? Good news. I have just the links for you.
Over on the Scarred for Life podcast, I recorded an episode about one of my favorite movies of all time—Demon Knight. The first chunk of the podcast is also an interview about my career—specifically, working on the We Need to Do Something movie and writing Maggots Screaming! Listen to it HERE.
Erica Robyn interviewed me on her blog about the book. Some very fun questions here. Read the interview HERE. She also wrote up a kind review of the book HERE.
On the Night Worms YouTube channel, Sadie Hartmann chatted with me about the novel among several other fun topics. Watch it HERE.
I was also a guest on the Paper Cuts YouTube channel. Watch it HERE.
And on my own podcast, GHOULISH, I thought it would be fun to do something a little different this week and record a quick Q&A episode about indie horror publishing, body farms, maggot therapy, book piracy, collaborating with Stephen King, screenwriting, decomposition, and whether or not maggots eat ass. Listen to it HERE.
Finally, if you are desperate to read MAGGOTS SCREAMING! and can't afford a copy right now, you can download a digital copy for free. Click HERE for more information. Otherwise buy it HERE.
Wait, one more thing since it was finally announced! On May 13th, I will be hosting a Frank Henenlotter double feature of BASKET CASE (4K) and BRAIN DAMAGE at the Alamo Drafthouse in Houston. I will have copies of my new book for sale there. I will also be doing some sort of reading. Please come on down if you’re in Houston! Tickets available HERE.
Ghoulish Book Festival Updates
Programming for the inaugural Ghoulish Book Festival is finally ready to be announced, and holy crap do we have some fun activities to share with you. First, if you haven't already secured a badge, click HERE. The festival is later this month, on April 30th and May 1st, in downtown San Antonio. Just take a look at all these amazing vendors who'll be tabling with us.
And now, here are our amazing panels, readings, and contests lined up. Trust us. You do not want to miss this festival.
SATURDAY (APRIL 30TH)
10:00am — Bookstore Opens
10:30am — Panel: Horror Cartoons of Our Youth
Moderator: Andrew Hilbert
Panelists: R.J. Joseph, Susan Snyder, Victoria Nations, Miguel Myers
Let’s kick off the festival discussing the cartoons that made us the way we are today. From Scooby Doo to The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror specials and everything in between. Cereal not provided.
11:30am — Live Readings
Featuring: Jay Wilburn & John Baltisberger
12:00pm — Panel: Cryptids!
Moderator: Susan Snyder
Panelists: R.J. Joseph, Laurel Hightower, Victoria Nations, Kelli Owens
Mothman, Bigfoot, Paul Rudd, Chupacabras…everybody’s fascinated by at least one cryptid, so let’s gather around and discuss all things Cryptozoology!
1:00pm — Live Readings
Featuring: Ryan C. Bradley & R.J. Joseph
1:30pm — Panel: Horror Screenplays
Moderator: Max Booth III
Panelists: Brian Asman, John C. Foster, Robert Ford, Shane McKenzie
A conversation about working on horror screenplays from people who actually have the experience to talk about them. How impressive!
2:30pm — Live Readings
Featuring: Robert Ford & Brian Asman
3:00pm — Panel: Small-Town Horror
Moderator: Kelli Owen
Panelists: Tom Deady, Bob Pastorella, Victoria Nations, Jessica Leonard
Why are small towns so often the setting for horror stories? What, exactly, makes them so unsettling? Why do we remain obsessed? Let’s talk it out, together (safely, in a city).
4:00pm — Live Readings
Featuring: Laurel Hightower & Jessica Leonard
4:30pm — Panel: DIY Horror
Moderator: Brian Asman
Panelists: Jay Wilburn, Tom Deady, Eve Harms, Cynthia Pelayo
Listen to some of the best indie horror creators in the genre discuss inventive ways they’ve managed to pave a path in an industry that often feels impossible to enter.
5:30pm — Dinner Break
Go take a break. Go eat. Or eat before this. Or after this. We aren’t your parents. You can eat whenever you want to eat. But this might be a good time if you don’t want to miss any of the panels or readings. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
6:30pm — Panel: Crime & Horror
Moderator: Jessica Leonard
Panelists: Laurel Hightower, Cynthia Pelayo, Robert Ford, John C. Foster
Crime and horror often co-exist. Let’s talk about how these two genres tend to bump into each other, and why we continue to love it when they do.
7:30pm — Panel: Urban Legends
Moderator: Lucas Mangum
Panelists: Ryan C. Bradley, Jessica Leonard, Laurel Hightower, Cynthia Pelayo
Everybody loves a good urban legend. Or maybe they don’t. Either way we’re doing a panel about them, so you might as well come check it out. What else are you going to do? Go to sleep? Like a little loser?
8:30pm - Bookstore Closes
8:40pm — Mothman Costume Contest
Judge: Laurel Hightower
Come show off your best mothman cosplay and be judged by the author of BELOW. Winner…gets something! Let’s keep the prize a surprise for now. (It’s a mothman T-shirt.)
9:00pm — The Annual Ghoulish Book Festival Spooky Campfire Storyteller’s Horror Storytelling Contest™(aka the AGBFSCSHSC)
Host: Max Booth III
Each contestant will be given a flashlight and up to 5 minutes to tell the spookiest story imaginable in a pitch-black room surrounded by an eager audience; winner receives a trophy and bragging points as the spookiest writer of the festival. If you miss this, you are a coward, and for the rest of the festival people will point and laugh at you and say, “Oh, there goes the coward.”
SUNDAY (MAY 1ST)
10:am - Bookstore Opens
10:30am — Live Readings
Featuring: John C. Foster & Cynthia Pelayo
11:00am — Live Readings
Featuring: Susan Snyder & Danger Slater
11:30am — Spooky Trivia!
Host: Lori Michelle
Think you know a lot about the horror genre? Then come prove it, geek!
12:00pm — Live Readings
Featuring: Tom Deady & C.S. Humble
12:30pm — Live Readings
Featuring: Lucas Mangum & Shane McKenzie
1:00pm — Live Readings
Featuring: Andrew Hilbert & Max Booth III
1:30pm — Panel: Horror Comics
Moderator: Zach Chapman
Panelists: John Baltisberger, Brian Asman, C.S. Humble, Shane McKenzie
Comics? Horror comics? Wow, we’re really doing it all, aren’t we?
2:30pm — Panel: Ahh, Fake Monsters!
Moderator: John Baltisberger
Panelists: R.J. Joseph, Ryan C. Bradley, Susan Snyder, Bob Pastorella
You’ve heard of real monsters. Now we’re talking about the fake ones. Werewolves, vampires, NFTs, you name it.
3:30pm — Panel: Horror Movies That Never Happened
Moderator: Max Booth III
Panelists: Lucas Mangum, Andrew Hilbert, Danger Slater, Shane McKenzie
None of these goddamn movies exist!
4:30pm — Last Call
This is your last chance to snag something from one of our kind vendors in the bookstore area. Forget about your mortgage. Forget about your children. These books are far more important than any of that stuff.
5:00pm – FESTIVAL IS OVER, BABY
Holy shit we did it.
Thank you to our sponsors: Tom Deady, Tenebrous Press, Bucket O’ Blood Books & Records, My Horror Confessional, Night Worms, Whitty Books, Horror DNA, Vic Kerry, and Nightfire.
Recent GHOULISH Podcast Episodes
140. Possibly in Michigan with Matt Brandenburg!
Matt Brandenburg is the co-host of the Staring into the Abyss podcast. On today’s episode of GHOULISH, he joined me to discuss the 1983 short film Possibly in Michigan, written and directed by Cecelia Condit.
141. Imaginary Horror Movie Soundtracks with Gerardo Preciado!
Gerardo Preciado is a writer and musician. On today’s episode of GHOULISH, he joined me to discuss imaginary horror movie soundtracks, hypnagogic art, writing comic books, and indie filmmaking.
143. Strange Encounters with Shane Hawk!
Shane Hawk is a writer and the co-editor of Never Whistle At Night, an anthology of Indigenous dark fiction publishing through Penguin Random House in 2023. On today’s episode of GHOULISH, Shane joined me to discuss the many strange things both he and his family have encountered throughout the years—including run-ins with UFOs, cryptids, and government conspiracies. Plus: Ever wondered what it was like to drop LSD at Disneyland? Then this is the podcast for you.
Okay, that’s it for this week. You can support us on Patreon, browse the books in our webstore, and follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter (PMMP | DMD | Ghoulish podcast | Ghoulish Books | personal). Reserve your ticket for the first annual Ghoulish Book Fest. You can also join us on the Ghoulish Discord.
See you next weekend, ghouls.