More Writing Updates

Couple more writing updates... 

COVID-19 and the slow motion apocalypse we find ourselves in aside, it's still been a good couple months in terms of publishable work for me. 

I had the Scary Monsters Magazine article, and I have two stories coming out in the next couple of months in various and sundry anthologies. I had a burst of writing mania back in the fall of last year... and turned the stories around pretty quickly in terms of publishing. 

The first up is progressing pretty well. 

It's an anthology by Transmundane Press entitled On Time. They're publishing a story of mine called 'The Unloved Dead'. We're moving pretty quickly on edits and it should be out within the next couple of months. 

Next up is an  anthology entitled Fearrington Road by Dark House Publishing. Contracts have been signed, and what not... and it was supposed to be published at the end of last year; but I've heard no updates, other than a Facebook post on their authors' page mentioning a hard drive crash. I plan to follow up soon for any kind of an update, but I'm assuming they've pushed production back. This accursed plague has probably not helped with that much either. The story I'm having published in this antho is a Lovecraftian story that I wrote entitled "The Raven's Lookout Regulars". This story was a labor of love from me. I absolutely loved the story and it's characters, and I shopped it for over a year. I knew it was a good story, and I just needed to find someone who loved it as much as I did. Hopefully, Dark House will move on the anthology soon... so I can share it with you, dear readers. 

Working cover for the Dark House anthology

So that's where I'm at. I'm working hard to try writing more (and part of that may be driven by my sudden brush with and glimpse at the mortal existentialism of incurable illness, but, hey... whatever, man. In the meantime, I'm trying to get over the deep, biting disappointment of this apocalypse having exactly zero fucking zombies in it. 

This is the worst. Apocalypse. Ever. 

In the meantime, cover up, shelter in place, and stay healthy! 

Writing Update - My Monster Kid Memories

I had a nonfiction article published back in February in this really cool magazine called Scary Monsters Magazine. 

I met the publisher and editor when I went to the 2019 GhoulardiFest in Berea - which is also home to my undergrad college alma mater, Baldwin-Wallace University. I'd been dying to attend a GhoulardiFest for years, and I finally got the chance in October. GhoulardiFest, for those who don't know, is an annual con dedicated to Cleveland's classic horror hosts - Ernie 'Ghoulardi' Anderson, 'Big Chuck' Schodowski, Bob 'Houlihan' Wells, and 'Lil' John' Rinaldi. These were the horror hosts I grew up watching, and it was a blast to finally meet these guys who were such an indelible part of my growing up. I've written about them before.

As an update - and more background - Ghoulardi was THE original horror host. He started the whole horror host thing and was a genuine super star local celebrity. Unfortunately, Ghoulardi was a little bit before my time, and left Cleveland for Hollywood before I was born. He found fame as an announcer. You might know his voice from numerous 70s and 80s television shows, including The Love Boat and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Interestingly, his son, Paul Thomas Anderson - is the director of films like There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, The Master - and has been nominated for seven Academy Awards. He's also married to Maya Rudolph - who I have a weird celebrity crush on.

Ernie 'Ghoulardi' Anderson - "Turn blue, ya purple knif!"

So that's kind of cool.

After Ghoulardi left, Big Chuck and Houlihan took over the late night show. They eschewed the usual horror host schtick of being creepy - with tons of spiderwebs, coffins, and dry ice fog. Instead, they  did funny skits between the horror movies. This established the tenor of the show. At some point, Hoolie left CLE for Florida and radio work, and Lil' John took his place.

Houlihan and Big Chuck

I remember the Hoolie and Big Chuck era, but not as well as The Big Chuck and Lil' John era. They were my horror hosts, and I watched them every Friday night growing up. It's been said, you never forget your first Doctor - in reference to Doctor Who. I feel it's likely the same with horror hosts.

While Tom Baker will always be my first doctor, Big Chuck and Lil' John will always be my favorite horror hosts.

My personally autographed photo of Big Chuck and Lil' John! 

I also attended GhoulardiFest this year for more pragmatic reasons as Chuck is getting older and not doing any public appearances anymore, except at GhoulardiFest. I figured it would be a prime chance to reconnect with the guys one last time. I should note that, when I was twelve, I went to a taping of the show and it's one of my cherished childhood memories. Seriously.

Cleveland horror host royalty - and Doctor Zombie! 

So, anyway, I've digressed a little bit.

While there, I met and talked to a bunch of people - or as many people as my social anxiety and introversion allowed. I met several new horror hosts, and was a little jealous because - truthfully - my Doctor Zombie alter ego was always intended to be a horror host in his own right. I also met Don Smeraldi - editor for Scary Monsters Magazine. I was immediately struck by how cool his magazine was. It was a throwback to the awesomeness of Forrest Ackerman's Famous Monsters of Filmland. I can't begin to tell you how much I loved that and Fangoria when I was younger. I mentioned to him I was a writer, and he encouraged me to send something along. I repurposed an older piece I'd written and not done much with, and sent it to him. He quickly wrote back, said he loved it, and published it.

It felt like the easiest and most stress-free effort I've ever made to get something published. Seriously. And, it's also admittedly a bit nostalgic and smarmy. You see, I wrote about my late Uncle James. He's who introduced me to my first really bad horror movies, and the wonder of Cleveland's storied horror host history.

So, anyway, I've attached a copy of the cover below, as well as the article. Feel free to check it out.

And, feel free to check out Scary Monsters Magazine on your own. You can get digital copies and physical copies at their website... www.MyMonsterMovies.com.

Don and his crew are holding up a classic horror tradition with their magazine. If - like me - you're a horror freak like me, you should definitely check it out.  See below for images.

The cover of Scary Monsters 116

My article and tribute to my late Uncle James

Some ridiculously long overdue updates

... so yeah. It's been like years since I've done an update on the blog. That being said - I recently had some short stories published, so I've realized that I need to be better about my social media presence. I've been posting stuff on Insta and Twitter... but I really really need to get better about the old blog.

It's the closest I have to a website now (that will maybe change sometime in the near future, but who knows).

All I known is that - with the COVID-19 apocalypse upon us - I have no excuse to NOT update the old blog-aroo.

So... in that vein...

Old Doctor Zombie will be dusting off the Midnight Theater of Terror and making a bunch of updates. This will include some horror-themed travelogues I've done, some general updates and writerly shenanigans, and some updates on work I've sold and that will be published over the next few months.

All of this, however, has been overshadowed by some pretty big news on my part. It's not the best news (he wrote, with a masterful flourish of understatement).

You see, a few months back (around the middle of November 2019), I realized that I was having trouble catching my wind. About that same time, I pulled a muscle in my side. It was pretty debilitating. After toughing it out for a month or so, I said fuck it and went to the doctor. I used the health services clinic at my workplace. The doctor, at that time, focused an awful lot on the shortness of breath - you see, my dad died of a major heart attack about 3 1/2 years ago. So, the thought was that it might be a heart problem.

So, they did nothing about the stitch in my side, did an x-ray, and saw what might have been pneumonia in my lung. They gave me an antibiotic and wanted me to follow up with a cardiologist and a CT scan. Thing is, I was now getting other 'pulled muscles' in my core - and they were really painful - and the breathlessness was getting worse.

That didn't sit right with me, so I followed up with my regular GP. He didn't think it was my heart at all, but did think I should get a CT. So, at the end of February, he called me back with the bad news.

The CT scan showed my cancer was back.

For those who don't remember - I was diagnosed with male breast cancer in 2009. I was treated surgically, went to the doctor for a couple years afterwards, and was told I was clear.

Unfortunately, cancer sometimes comes back.

I have stage 4 metastasized male breast cancer. It's in my bones and in my lymph nodes. The pulled muscles I was feeling was cancer causing my lymph nodes to swell, and the other general soreness I attributed to arthritis or just middle age, was the bone cancer. The breathing issues was because of swollen lymph nodes as well - they were pressing against my lung and irritating it. This led to a pleural effusion - which is basically fluid on the lungs.

So, I've now - since March 12 - been on chemotherapy. The thing is my oncologist is confident that he has a good course of treatment in order. He has people who live for years on this treatment. And, I've responded really well to it - which is good. The hope is to fight it to a standstill and get at least a few more years under my belt. I've a lot more writing to do. I've got a lot more time I need to spend with my family. I've still got time. So I hope to make the most of it.

And - with the compromised lung, and lowered immune system - this whole COVID-19 is especially terrifying and worrisome. Seriously - a little over five months ago I was strong, healthy, working out several times a week. Now - I've got to worry about getting coronavirus and ending up on a ventilator. This is NOT the apocalypse I was hoping for. Fuck - there's exactly ZERO zombies in this one. COVID-19 is the WORST apocalypse.

Anyway - that's it for now.

Just know - Doctor Zombie is here for the foreseeable future.

I’m young, I’m strong, I have an amazingly supportive family, and I have a great doctor. I will survive this.

As Lord Byron said, “Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey”.