Tuesday Twosome: Weird Thrills

I got the Weird Thrills comic at NYCC, and just got around to reading it.

I really enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek, pulpy quality of this adventure with a fin-de-siecle, Lovecraftian vibe. Retired and confined occult Professor Cyril Finch is amusingly ascetic and volatile, and occasionally addresses readers through the page like we're an imaginary friend, another symptom of his decline. Fun! The second part of the comic, an illustrated adaptation of Poe's The Black Cat, is just plain dark, a beautifully depicted downward spiral.

Here are two sentences from Kingdom of the Vampires: Is it mad to sense the existence of a spectral world no one else can perceive? Such madness has saved my life many times.

As to what I'm writing- Mystery Writers of America is doing its annual short story anthology (examples here), and slots are open for judged submissions by any members in good standing, regardless of publication status. Yearly, less-known or absolutely unknown writers' stories are selected to appear side-by-side with other terrific and bestselling MWA member authors who are commissioned to write stories. This makes for a strong and interesting collection, but also a wonderful opportunity. This year's anthology-- as I think of it since I'm submitting in this year-- will be published in 2010. It's being edited by the prolific Charlaine Harris, and will have a supernatural theme.

The fantastic elements are relatively open to writer interpretation, as long as the stories play fair with the reader and real detecting occurs. As you may know, the weird is always in my wheelhouse, but I'm writing a combination of mild deduction and pastiche. We'll see how it goes, but it feels better to fail big right now. Six copies of the best story ever are due to MWA by March 15th, where they'll be stripped of writer identity before a panel of 5 MWA authors judges them. Unlike most of my tightly tweaked and shaved final copy, this one's loose, slangriffic, and in the first person POV of a geeky slacker in NYC. It helps the thing get written briskly, but I don't know how they'll like it. Then again, I never do. Here are two:

In addition to creative curses, Sorry and Excuse Me are as ubiquitous as sushi places, insincere expressions of remorse that make us imagine ourselves civilized, a vital feature if you’re not going to plotz while living ass-to-elbow. So, I look back over my shoulder to receive my well-earned crust of apology, and the ragbag is actually smiling at me.

I'm working away. Let us know in the comments what's thrilling you to read and write this week.

UPDATE: David Cranmer shares essentially Western Randisi and some unnecessary modesty.
Crystal Phares offers up flinches and Darkness.
Barbara Martin gives us cliffhanging description.