Saturday, November 29, 2003

CHIMERAWORLD #2
Hell is a sorry shit hole

Still reeling from the nightmare excesses of CHIMERAWORLD #1?
Relax a while and enjoy the ambient tones of sadness, depression, degradation and utter hopelessness of CHIMERAWORLD #2. A perfect paperback anti-dote to that brain battering bitch, the pure power-chords of deep, deep despondency. I will again want 23 original stories. 1000-4000 words. Pay is equal share of royalties. And just to speed things up at my end, there's a one month submission window of SEPTEMBER 2004.

There is no hope, only CHIMERAWORLD #2. Available from Cyber Pulp, Q1 2005.
TERROR TALES ISSUE #2 - FUCK HORROR
TERROR TALES - quarterly webzine; h (fic/poem). Pay: exposure. Words: up to 1-4k (poems: 100 lines). RT: 2 weeks. Reprints: yes. E-subs: only. Hertzan Chimera, Editor. Issue Two, Theme/Date: Fuck Horror/Easter 2004

THE EDITOR SPEAKS:
The relaunch issue of Terror Tales (BODY HORROR, due Xmas 2003) achieved everything I set out to do. The site has been successfully redesigned to give it a more mature and darker look. The issue with Message Board security and discipline have been resolved. Some stunning articles decorate the new look.
This second issue FUCK HORROR is gonna set a new standard. For me, traditional horror is a lame dog that needs putting out of its misery. Basically, I am taking off the gloves and accepting anything that says FUCK HORROR as a dying genre --- that could be ANTI-HORROR stories --- that could be GAY romance, that could be SURREAL, NON-CONSENSUAL, UNDERAGE.
As I can offer no pay for your twisted worlds of words, I will happily take reprints --- however, I recommend that to truly do justice to the FUCK HORROR theme you'll be looking to unleash your anger on something that will never have been published anywhere. Send me your answer to the franchised greyness that is the anaemic mainstream horror turd.

send submissions to ttfiction@hertzanchimera.com
THE LIBERATION OF NON-HORROR
You will see that the title of this blog has recently switched over from "Hertzan Chimera, horror author" to "Hertzan Chimera, psycho-erotic author". This is more a reflection of what I enjoy writing. For just a while there, I thought I could crack it as a pure genre writer in the horror field. It was a pointless daliance. And after negativity from my ex-agent after a year of waiting, I decided to kick the horror bit into touch.
Hertzan Chimera cannot restrict his output to mainstream monsters and mainstream narrative. The cap just don't fit. So here, liberated from having to comply to restrictive genre practises, the writing beast within me has a hunger that is difficult to sate.
For over the last year, my third novel Yôroppa has been in limbo - it was doing alright up until one point earlier in 2003, this inertia peaked round about the time I visited Japan in May. What usually happens is I go on holiday, the change of scenery is an inspiration. But with Japan, nothing happned.
Slowly though, the urge to complete this third novel has grown and grown, climaxing with my split from this literary agent. It's like someone has pulled a dark heavy cloth from over my eyes, unleashing my creativity. Whereas last week or so Yôroppa weighed in at exactly 50,000 words, it now stands proud at 65,000 words and getting better all the time.

I am actually 'enjoying' writing again.

Friday, November 28, 2003

CHIMERAWORLD VIRTUALLY COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT
Last night I edited the latest correction galley and added a few bits and bobs like author names to the content page and bios from the writers. The style, theme and stories themselves are getting A LOT of praise from the writers themselves, who are all spellchecking the first full draft pdf - and we all know how bitchy writers are with each other.

['8>)

this communal positivity is a great sign!

Thursday, November 27, 2003

SPIDERED WEB RECOMMENDED FOR A STOKER AWARD
The first recommendation for a non-fiction Bram Stoker Award has just arrived on the HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION website.

"I've been a member of the HWA for a few years now and I knew I'd never get a Bram Stoker Recommendation for my short stories, collections or novels (not pure horror enough, I fear) but tonight my non-fiction collection of bizarre horror-author interviews with the likes of Jack Ketchum, Tom Piccirilli, Edward Lee, Charlee Jacob, DF Lewis and many more entitled SPIDERED WEB (published only last week by Cyber Pulp) received its first recommendation." Hertzan Chimera reports from his hostpital bed late last night, where he is recovering from the shock of the news.

It'll take more than one recommendation to beat the likes of Monetleone, Rohrig and McCarty in the same non-fiction category but it's a step in the right direction.

Monday, November 17, 2003

SPIDERED WEB PAPERBACK AVAILABLE FOR $10.14p

Category: Books > Fiction & Literature > Horror
Copyright Year: © 2003
Description: Cyber-Pulp presents an author Interview book like no other! Hertzan Chimera interviews some of the great horror/dark fantasy authors around today. Join him as he interrogates Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Tom Piccirilli, and many others with his highly unusaul bondage/journalism techniques. Then try to collect as many autographs as you can at signings and conventions to make this book a valuable collector's item.
(160 pages)
available now in paperback from LULU

INTRODUCTION
Back in the year 2000, while building up a career as a psycho-erotic horror writer, I came up with the now legendary interview technique where the interviewee is set inside the world of his own words. Some of the great genre gentlefolk and some of the angry young horror upstarts have fallen under the cosh of their own creations thanks to this unique interview style. With authors like Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee and Tom Piccirilli, this is the a completist’s must-have paperback – something to cherish.

LIST OF INTERVIEWEES
Jack Ketchum
Edward Lee
Charlee Jacob
Tom Piccirilli
Michael A Arnzen
Alex Severin
Kurt Newton
Christina Sng
John Lawson
Queenie Tirone
John Turi
Amy Grech
MF Korn
Monica J. O'Rourke
polycarp kusch
Destiny West
DF Lewis

a fanboy's wet dream!

Monday, November 10, 2003

HWA_UK_CHAPTER AND TERROR SCRIBES MEETING
There was a large-ish gathering of horror-minded folk in central London just recently; John B Ford represented the Terror Scribes and Rainfall Books; Ed Clayton represented the HWA_UK_chapter (of which I am a member). There were some readings from recently released Rainfall books, there was some drinking of beers, and ale, and wine and shorts, and.... (well you get the idea) and great fun was had by all.

Fully photo-enhanced report courtesy of Hertzan Chimera, the dirty old bast:
PHOTO REPORT

I can't be bothered redoing the photo report in two-column so I can accurately caption the folk per photo, but to help you all out (because who knows the Brits, right?) the folk in the second-to-last group picture are (from left to right): writer Steve Goldsmith, writer Paul Pinn, writer Carrie White, writer and HWA_UK_president Ed Clayton and that drunken prat at the end is writer (and reporter) Hertzan Chimera.

shouldn't be allowed out in public!

Friday, November 07, 2003

TERROR TALES ALMOST READY FOR RELAUNCH
what's there now is a temporary TITLE SCREEN, temporary INTRO and the old colour scheme but last night I finalised the brand new design for the 5 basic template windows of the new TERROR TALES, which will relaunch before Xmas with a pulverising theme of BODY HORROR.

My ethos for the redesign is LESS IS MORE. The old Terror Tales was a bit cluttered visually, as if it was trying to appease to too many eyes at once, trying to pander to too many sensibilities and offend none of them - however, the palette was a tad garish and primary colour. Well, the new Terror Tales has a bit more balls than that. It is edgy wihtout being flashy. It is subtle without tumbling into pastel territory. It knows EXACTLY what it wants the reader to experience and it delivers it in a direct and minimalist format, where space on the page and arrangement of the elements is calming, reassuring and straight to the point. It draws you confidently into its easy-going environment then splits your mind in half with its EXTREME body horror content.

Nobody would have believed they'd give Terror Tales to Hertzan Chimera - and when they did the anticipation was legendary. Soon, the reader will know what it is to live in fear.

he will be part of the New Dream.

Tuesday, November 04, 2003

HERTZAN CHIMERA'S HORROR WORLD MESSAGE BOARD
it is with odd trepidation that I see HORROR WORLD have given Hertzan Chimera a shiny new Message Board.

use it, don't abuse it.