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Dead City Soon to be Released as Audio Book

Dead City Sell Sheet

Overturning Convention

Not too long ago, a wonderful writer named Janice Gable Bashman let me guest blog over at her site.  Talk about Flesh Eaters, she told me.  Tell us about the writing process.

Well, I took her up on that, and the article below was the result.  Enjoy!

Reprinted from Janice Gable Bashman’s The Writing Life.

Zombies are the monster world’s equivalent of a good pair of blue jeans: they go well with just about anything.  In recent years, they’ve gone up against everybody from the police and the military to superheroes, the cast of Star Wars, vampires and unicorns.  They’ve even taken on Jane Austen.

The living dead have worked their way into our hearts…one bite at a time.

So it’s not hyperbole to say that zombies are the hottest thing going.  Unfortunately, with that popularity has come a flood of mediocre works that at best read like carbon copies of each other.

This is perhaps an inevitable consequence of success.  Somebody does something great and the herd follows.  Soon, even the really great stories are lost in a sea of worthless drivel.  And that begs the question: In such a flooded market, how do you make something that is both genuinely and meaningfully unique?

For me, the answer has always been about character.  A really interesting character has a cascading influence throughout the story in which they find themselves, coloring our perception of everything from the setting to the plot’s central problem to our attitudes about the other characters in the novel.  The truly great characters even teach us something about ourselves.  And when we close the cover of a book, it is always the characters we miss the most.  They are the Scarecrow to our Dorothy.

But how does one go about creating a character capable of breathing life into a book about the shambling dead?  How does one do the unexpected?

I’m sure there is no end of answers to this question, but for me, the best characters are outsiders in their own world.  There are at odds, not only with the zombies who have invaded their world, but also in their daily lives.  And that’s the kind of person is was looking for when I came up with Eleanor Norton, the main character of my most recent zombie novel, Flesh Eaters.

Allow me to explain.

During my fifteen years as a disaster mitigation specialist and homicide detective for the San Antonio Police Department, I watched female officers treated as second class citizens, both by their fellow officers and by the public at large.  If the woman in question was pretty, or petite, many assumed she was too much of a girly girl to do a job that frequently demands raw physical strength and the ability to kick some bad guy’s ass.  But if she was tough, people called her mannish, or butch.  They assumed she was a lesbian.  They snickered behind her back and called her a bull dyke.

The situation was even worse for those who promoted.  Officers working for a female supervisor sometimes assumed she promoted because she couldn’t handle the street cop’s job.  Or worse, they spread rumors that she slept her way to the top.

Respect for the female cop is still hard to come by in what may be the last remaining boy’s club in the American workforce.

It’s sad, but it’s true.

I watched the women I worked with endure that inequity with mounting frustration and sometimes heartbreak, all the while struggling to live within the more traditional roles of lovers for their husbands and nurturing mothers for their children.

The cop in me felt for them.

I wanted to help them, champion them, if I could.

But the writer in me often reacts differently than the cop, and where the cop saw injustice, the writer saw a character simply ready to burst off the page.

Sergeant Eleanor Norton, executive officer of the Houston Police Department’s Emergency Operations Command and the main character of my novel Flesh Eaters, was the result.

Eleanor Norton is a twenty year veteran of the Houston Police Department.  She’s seen it all, and despite the fact that she’s lived with the usual prejudices, has still managed to maintain a loving relationship with her husband and managed to be a fairly good mother to her teenage daughter.

But when a series of hurricanes levels Houston and floods the ruins, stranding millions of survivors in seawater and giving rise to an army of the undead, Eleanor Norton finds herself struggling to hold her life and her family together.

Quite a few recent zombie novels have featured superhuman leading characters.  A few of them, most notably J.L. Bourne’s Day by Day Armageddon series and Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger novels, are amazingly well done.  There are even a few films, such as the Resident Evil franchise and Quentin Tarantino’s Planet Terror, that feature superhuman female leads.

When a superhuman character is done well, he or she can keep readers glued to the page.  We naturally project ourselves into that character’s circumstances, and their successes become our successes.  It’s a form of wish fulfillment.

But most zombie stories written in this vein fail to achieve any real sense of humanity.  The authors fail to show us the man behind the superhero.  Their characters don’t live and breathe.  They don’t share recognizable problems or dilemmas.  In short, they have no humanity.  And humanity is really the essential element to any zombie tale.  After all, what is a zombie but a body separated from the soul, that one ineffable thing that makes us human?  If a character lacks that soul, that uniqueness, he or she is no different than the zombies trying to break down the door.

So I saw the trend toward superhuman zombie killers, and started looking for a different angle.  I saw what had become a convention, and I looked for the type of character that would turn that convention on its ear.  A cop assigned to the Emergency Operations Command was a natural choice for my character’s occupation, given my own background and the circumstances of the novel, but a male officer might have easily been lost in the background.  He had a good chance of becoming another soulless superhuman character.

So, in the hopes of doing something unique, I turned back to the frustration and heartbreak I remembered from the female officers with whom I’d worked, and put a woman in the role of Emergency Operations Commander.  Suddenly, I had a character with a built in history, someone with a unique set of struggles.

A stranger in her own land.

Going for the unexpected, overturning the conventions of a given genre, can make all the difference in a story.  It can, and usually does, separate a work from the rest of the pack.

But a great character has at least one more major advantage.  Looking for the unique perspective, and staying true to the character voice that drives that perspective, can force the writer to engage their craft in ways they haven’t done before.  Every page forces the writer to focus on character development, and when the character develops, most of the time the writer does too.

And if a story doesn’t make you grow as a writer, chances are it’s not worth telling.

Publishing News – Quarantined to be Rereleased

Quite a few readers have asked me what’s going on with my second book, Quarantined.  Well, here’s the scoop.

My contract with Lachesis Publishing ran out on April 1st, and I’ve decided not to renew with them.  Lachesis is a good outfit, run by some wonderful people, but they’ve had some real difficulties dealing with distributors here in the U.S.  That’s made availability a problem, to the point that nearly all sales of the book over the last three years have come from Amazon.  Getting the title into the brick and mortar stores has been nearly impossible.

So, after some difficult decision making, I’ve decided to reposition the book with Permuted Press.  They will be doing an inexpensive ebook version that can be read on both the Kindle and the Nook, plus a trade paperback edition that I’m really looking forward to, as it will include a few technical revisions to bring the fight against the San Antonio Flu up to date.

Rollout will occur in two parts, with the ebook version appearing first.  Hopefully, the ebook version will be available within a few weeks.  The trade paperback edition is still waiting on new cover art and should be coming out sometime this summer.

I’ll have full details and exact release dates soon.  In the meantime, I’m told that the few remaining new copies of Quarantined are running for over a $100, with used copies going for over $50.

2011 Thriller Awards Nominees Announced

2011 Thriller Awards Nominees

ITW is proud to announce the finalists for the 2011 Thriller Awards!

Best Hard Cover Novel:

Michael Connelly – THE REVERSAL (Little Brown)
Jeffery Deaver – EDGE: A NOVEL (Simon & Schuster)
Brian Freeman – THE BURYING PLACE (Minatour)
Mo Hayder – SKIN (Grove)
John Sanford – BAD BLOOD (Putnam)

Best Paperback Original:

Robert Gregory Browne – DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN (St. Martin’s)
Max Allan Collins and Matthew Clemens – YOU CAN’T STOP ME (Pinnacle)
J.T. Ellison – THE COLD ROOM (Mira)
Shane Gericke – TORN APART (Pinnacle)
John Trace – THE VENICE CONSPIRACY (Hachette Digital)

Best First Novel:

Carla Buckley – THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE (Random House)
Paul Doiron – THE POACHER’S SON (Minatour)
Reece Hirsch – THE INSIDER (Berkley)
Thomas Kaufman – DRINK THE TEA (Minatour)
Chevy Stevens – STILL MISSING (St. Martin’s)

Best Short Story:

Mike Carey – “Second Wind” (THE NEW DEAD, St. Martin’s)
Michael Connelly – “Blue on Black” (Strand Magazine)
Richard Helms – “The God for Vengeance Cry” (Dell Magazine)
Harley Jane Kozak – “Madeeda” (Crimes By Midnight)
Nicolas Kaufman – “Chasing the Dragon” (ChiZine Magazine)
Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins – Long Time Dead (Strand Magazine)

Congratulations to all the finalists!

2011 Thriller Awards Winners to be announced at ThrillerFest VI July 9, 2011,
Grand Hyatt, NYC.

Special thanks to:

Allen Wyler, VP Awards
Julie Korzenko, Awards Committee Chair
Liz Wolfe, Awards Coordinator
And the 2011 Thriller Awards Judges

Calendar of Events for the 2011 World Horror Convention

Well, it’s almost here…

The 2011 World Horror Convention will be in Austin from April 28, 2011 to May 1, 2011.  You’ve probably seen a few announcements here at Old Major’s Dream about this one, as I’ll be managing the Dealer’s Room as well as participating in the events.  But this is probably the biggest announcement yet…the calendar of events.  That’s right.  Want to know what’s going to be happening over the weekend?  Your answers are right here.

Nick Mamatas and Martel Sardina worked incredibly hard to put this program together, and it shows.  My hats off to both of them.

So, here it is, the program of events:

Nate Southard and Lee Thomas
Co-Chairs, World Horror Con 2011

SPECIAL NOTE: Guests of Honor will be performing readings as part of their Q&A sessions.

All programming is final.

6:30 PM – Phoenix Central

What Do Editors Want?

8:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Phoenix Central

Jonathan Oliver, R.J. Cavender (M), Roy Robbins, Andrew Fuller, Liz Gorinsky

Editors don’t want to send out endless numbers of form rejection slips, but they do.  Nor do they want to dig through piles of unsolicited submissions, though sometimes they must.  Do editors really just want “a good story” after all?  Come grill a few editors from publishing companies and magazines, and find out!

Reading – Benjamin Kane Etheridge

8:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson

Reading –  Joel Sutherland

8:30 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson

What The Hell Happened in the 2000s?

9:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Phoenix Central

Monica O’Rourke, C. Mellick III, Brett Savory, F. Paul Wilson, Vincent Chong, John Everson (M), Gene O’Neill

Horror boomed in the 1980s, and busted in the 1990s. How will the years 2000-2010 be remembered? Did the Internet save the day, or did ebooks ruin everything? Has horror become a subgenre of romance?  Are those signed/limited editions actually going to be worth anything some day? Our panelists have lived through the 2000s, and they have stories to share.

Reading – Jesse Bullington

9:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson

Reading – Molly Tanzer

9:30 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson

How Much Money Do We Make?

10:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Phoenix Central

Victoria Blake, Del Howison (M), Brian Keene, Rose O’Keefe, Yvonne Navarro,

Not a lot, probably. Talking about money is the last taboo, and horror is nothing but the genre of taboo breaking. Come hear from authors, publishers, booksellers, and more about that most vital of professional questions—“Are you rich yet?”

Reading – Sylvia Shults

10:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson

Reading – Norman Prentiss

10:30 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson

Pitch Workshop/Editor Meet-and-Greet

10:00 AM Friday, April 29 – Dover’s Banquet Room

Reading – Yvonne Navarro

10:00 AM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Reading – Weston Ochse

10:30 AM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Why Write Short Stories?

11:00 AM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central

Joe Hill, Suzanne Church, Orrin Grey, Claude Lalumière, Molly Tanzer (M), Brad Sinor

Eighty years ago, the pulp magazines had millions of readers, and paid one to five cents a word for short fiction. Today, the magazines have thousands of readers at best and…still pay one to five cents a word. Why bother writing what almost nobody reads and what the marketplace has declared is worth virtually nothing?

Reading – Livia Llewellyn

11:00 AM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Reading –  Simon Stranzas

11:30 AM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Reading – Broad Universe   Broad Universe is an international organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging, honoring, and celebrating women writers and editors in science fiction, fantasy, horror and other speculative genres.  Readings by: April Grey (M), Leadie Jo Flowers, Jessica Reisman, and Camille Alexa.

12:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Reading –  Broad Universe

12:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Brian Keene Seminar

1:00 – 5:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Boardroom

Requires pre-registration.  SOLD OUT!

Reading – Dark Arts Books Author Showcase Featuring Gary McMahon and S.G. Browne

1:00 – 2:00 PM,  Friday April 29 – Robertson

Join host John Everson as Dark Arts Books presents readings from their latest anthology, SWALLOWED BY THE CRACKS.

Guest of Honor Q&A – Brett Alexander Savory/Sandra Kasturi  (interviewed by Colleen Anderson)

1:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central

The Horror of Workshops, Classes, and MFA Programs

1:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala

Sarah Langan, Livia Llewellyn, Lee Thomas (M), Sheldon S. Higdon

Edgar Allan Poe never took a creative writing class, but today’s aspirants have many choices—Borderlands’ Boot Camp, Clarion, MFA programs, local writers’ groups, and more. Are academics still biased against horror? Heck, are science fiction and mystery writers still biased against horror? Can one even write the stuff without getting into trouble with sensitive classmates? Learn how to avoid a nightmare workshop.

Book Launch – EDGE Books

2:00 – 4:00 PM, Friday, April 29 – Convention Suite

Join hosts Michael Kelly and Jaym Gates for the multi-author book launch of “Chilling Tales”, “Rigor Amortis”, and “Those Who Fight Monsters”. Plus get a special sneak peek of EDGE’s Fall Horror line up, including “EVOLVE Two: Vampire Stories of the Future Undead”, and “Gaslight Arcanum: Uncanny Tales of Sherlock Holmes.”

New Blood

2:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central

Rio Youers, John Horner Jacobs, John Rector, Jesse Bullington (M), Guido Henkel, Norman Prentiss

“Horror is dead”—everyone knows that. Except for these new novelists. What does the next generation of horror writer have to say about breaking in and making a career in the horror field?

What Happens To Your Book After It Sells?

2:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala

Yanni Kuznia (M), Mel Odom, Louis Greenberg, Matt Moore, Del Howison

Selling a book isn’t the last step; in many ways it’s the first. Hear what editors, copy-editors, designers, publicists, and booksellers have planned for you, and how best to work with the professionals that could make, or perhaps even break, your career.

Guest of Honor Q&A – Joe Hill  (interviewed by Bev Vincent)

3:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

3:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala

Sandra Kasturi (M), Steve Niles, Ben Kane Ethridge, John Mantooth, Weston Ocshe

Elmore Leonard’s rules for writing begin with an absolute: “Never open a book with weather.” But the weather can be important for setting mood, establishing location, and in some stories can even be a major part of the plot. How is weather best handled in fiction, and what clichés must be avoided? Must it always rain at a funeral?

Artists Are People Too!

4:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central

Scott Edelman, Russell Dickerson (M), Vincent Chong, Steve Niles, GAK

Thanks to the Internet, a right-click of the mouse lets anyone copy an artist’s work right off the Web. It’s not unusual for someone to look at a piece and declare, “My kid could paint that!” or to assume that art’s easy—just be creative once in a while and then the money flows in. We’ve heard from writers about their rights; now it’s time to hear from artists.

Frightening Small Children

4:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala

Jordan Hamessley (M), Joel A. Sutherland, Lynne Hansen, Dottie Enderle

It sounds easy, but it’s not, if only because parents and teachers are lurking behind every corner, ready to ruin the fun. How do authors approach writing horror for children and middle-grade readers, and what’s hot in this section of the market today?

Reading – Rio Youers

4:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Reading –  Peter Straub

4:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Guest of Honor Q&A – Vincent Chong  (interviewed by Gak)

5:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central

The Horror of the Academy

5:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala

SJ Chambers (M), Stephen Graham Jones, Helen Marshall, Chesya Burke, John Langan, Matt Cardin

The Gothic is a major part of literary history, but that doesn’t mean you can write a term paper about last week’s horror paperback and get away with it. What’s the state of literary criticism’s relationship with horror today, and what’s the best way for horror-loving students and scholars to navigate the academy?

Reading – John Everson

5:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Reading – Joe Lansdale

5:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Guest of Honor Q&A – Jack Ketchum  (interviewed by Wrath James White)

7:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central

Why Horror Movies Are Terrible

7:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala

Brad Keene, Thomas Sipos, Joe Hill, SG Browne, Gemma, Files (M), Mark Wheaton

It’s not even a question—most horror movies are terrible, with stories that would be rejected from the smallest zine, acting to embarrass late-night Creature Feature hosts, and YouTube-ready cinematography. But WHY? Is it truly difficult to make an effective horror film, or are the producers and audience just so indiscriminate that quality isn’t worth the bother?

Reading – Simon Clark

7:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Reading – John Llewellyn Probert

7:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

THE WHC CARNIVAL and Damnation Books–Book Launch

8:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Multiple Spaces

The traditional Art Show Reception has gotten Austin-ized with a multi-event carnival, taking place throughout the hotel! In addition to the Art Show Reception, we’re offering Drinks, Nibbles, Movies, Live Art Show, Cthulu Revival Meeting (you read that right), and the…

Damnation Books–Book Launch

8:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Convention Suite

Come meet some of the folks inside Damnation Books. The publishers and a few editors will be in the house, as well as some of Damnation Books’ authors. Join us to relax, listen to a few readings while enjoying refreshments. Prizes throughout the night.

Reading – Brian Keene

10:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Reading – Mary SanGiovanni

10:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson

Chizine Party

10:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Convention Suite

Books! Babes! Booze! CZP co-publishers Brett Savory and Sandra Kasturi—with authors Gemma Files, David Nickle, Claude Lalumière, and more—will treat you to a dazzling night of books and booze (you’re on your own for the babes) to celebrate our new Spring titles. Join us!

Vampire Mega-Panel

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central

David Wellington, Nate Southard (M), Marcus Pelegrimas, Joe Garden, Colleen Anderson, Steve Niles,

Scary. Sexy. Grotesque. Dreamy. Vampires are the unquestioned champs of horror monsters, and they are everywhere. This extended panel will look at all things vampire as they continue to dominate the dark side.

Reading – Juan Perez

10:00 AM Saturday April 30  – Dezavala

Reading – Gary Clark

10:30 AM Saturday April 30  – Dezavala

Reading – Suzanne Church

10:00 AM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Reading – Angel Leigh McCoy

10:30 AM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

I’ll Kill You With My Bare Hands! (Well, Maybe a Gun…)

11:00 AM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala

Brian Keene, Joe Lansdale (M), Wrath James White, Hank Schwaeble, Lincoln Crisler, Sandra Wickham, Adam Coates

Violence is easy, but writing violence is difficult.  Hear from martial artists, gun aficionados, and combat veterans on how to get the blood, guts, and fistfights correct.

Reading – Scott Edelman

11:00 AM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Reading – Rain Graves

11:30 AM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Reading – Hank Schwaeble

12:00 PM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Reading – Monica O’Rourke

12:30 PM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Horror Without Stephen King

1:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central

Jack Ketchum, Lawrence Person (M), Del Howison, William Nolan, Rocky Wood, Bev Vincent

Stephen King is the undisputed grandmaster of modern horror. But what if he had never lived, or went right to publishing literary fiction without ever writing a single scary story. What would the field look like today without the man from Maine? Would there even be a horror genre as we know it?

The End of Good Advice

1:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala

Mikal Trimm, Ian Rogers (M), Vanessa Fewings, Peter Straub, Gord Rollo, Wayne Allen Sallee

In the old days, there were a few solid ways to build a career—get some attention with short stories, or get an agent and sell a novel to New York. But good advice often has an expiration date, especially in the rapidly changing publishing field of the Internet era. What good old advice still works, and what new advice do the old pros not even know?

Reading – Wrath James White

1:00 PM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Reading – John Langan

1:30 PM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Book Launch – Bad Moon Books

2:00 – 4:00 PM, Saturday, April 29 – Robertson

Book launch for two new titles from Bad Moon Books. Joe McKinney’s tale of killer ants gone bad, The Red Empire; and Gene O’Neill’s haunting tale of a man’s struggle against forces he cannot comprehend, Not Fade Away. Don’t miss meeting these two fabulous authors and grabbing these great new titles.

The Future of the Book

2:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central

Jeff Burk, Kim Glichrist, Nicholas Kaufmann (M), Robert Fleck, Joe Hill, Fred Venturini

Ebooks make up ten percent of the trade marketplace, and that number is only going to grow. One of the most successful new writers around self-publishes novels through Kindle, and sells hundreds of thousands of copies each month. People read on their phones and MP3 players even as bookstore chains close hundreds of stores. What will books, and book deals, look like in ten years? Hell, what will they look like next week!

Genre Mash-Ups

2:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala

Sarah Langan, Cathy Clamp, (M), Sandra Kasturi, C. Cameron Pierce, Robert Boyczuk, Paul Tremblay

Horror is a genre of tone and emotional response, and as such it can be found virtually anywhere: in literary fiction, romance, crime, science fiction, and even experimental fiction. Find out how best to get the peanut butter in your chocolate  (chocolate in your peanut butter?) with some of the field’s favorite genrebenders.

Guest of Honor Q&A – Sarah Langan  (interviewed by David Wellington).

3:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central

Commonwealth Horror

3:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala

Simon Stranzas, Brett Savory, Allyson Bird, Gary McMahon (m), Simon Clark

Does horror from the nations of the Commonwealth of Nations—Great Britain, Canada, Australia, etc. —read differently from horror from the US, or other parts of the world? Is there such a thing as a Commonwealth aesthetic, and if so, what is it? Do the non-Anglophone members of the Commonwealth such as Cyprus or Jamaica have a commonwealth aesthetic?

How To Break In To Comics

4:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central

Steve Niles, Joe Hill, Brian Keene, Joe Lansdale, James Chambers

Comics are fun! Comics are colorful! Comics are…gross? The rise of an adult audience for comics means that horror is back in all its four-panel glory, but what does it take to write for the comics industry? Do you need art skills, or an artist of your own? Can a beginner get a crack at established characters? No cliffhangers here, we’ll just tell you!

Reading – William Ollie

4:00 PM Saturday April 30  – Dezavala

Reading – Claude Lalumière

4:00 PM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Reading – Wayne Allen Sallee

4:30 PM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Guest of Honor Q&A – Steve Niles  (interviewed by Scott Edelman).

5:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central

Things We Used To Care About

5:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala

Brian Keene (M), Chad Savage, Lois Gresh, Kelly Laymon, Rain Graves, Chad Hensley

Splatterpunk versus quiet horror! Dare you publish a story on the Internet?? Which email newsletter should I read first? Will role-playing games save the genre?  And how’s about all those great new small presses that are being founded every month? On this panel we talk about the old controversies and contentious issues that history has solved for us.

Reading – Jeff Strand

5:00 PM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

Reading – F. Paul Wilson

5:30 PM Saturday April 30  – Robertson

7:30 – 10:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central

Cutting Block Press Party

10:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Convention Suite

Cutting Block Press celebrates the pre-launch of the sequel to the highly acclaimed long fiction anthology Tattered Souls.  While Tattered Souls 2 will be coming out this summer, there will be a number of copies available for this pre-release, and several authors/editors including Chief Editor Frank J. Hutton will be in attendance.  Please enjoy a variety of refreshments including beer, margaritas, wine, and specialty ice teas, and rumor has it there will be a surprise pizza run late night.

Zombies Mega-Panel

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Sunday, May 1 – Dezavala

Joe McKinney (M), RJ Sevin, Julia Sevin, Nathan Robert Brown, John Skipp

Fast ones. Slow ones. Sharp as tacks. Dumb as stumps. Zombies have gnawed their way into the cultural consciousness, and their ranks continue to swell. Discuss all things Zombie with a panel of authors and editors, and find out where this popular trend is headed.

Technology and Art

10:00 AM Sunday, May 1 – Dezavala

Chad Savage, Vincent Chong, John Picacio

How are digital technology, new materials, and even the ease of multimedia creation changing horror art? What’s next for the field, and how horror art is created and distributed.

Reading – Scott A. Johnson

10:00 AM Sunday, May 1  – Robertson

Reading – Sheldon Higdon

10:30 AM Sunday, May 1  – Robertson

Which Religion is the Correct One?

11:00 AM Sunday, May 1 – Dezavala

Don Webb, Matt Cardin (M), Scott A Johnson

We’re not letting our panelists out till they decide.

World Horror Society Board Meeting

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Sunday, May 1 – Convention Suite

Comments?  Questions?  Ask the members of the World Horror Society until noon, at which point the meeting closes to the public.

Reading – Dark Region Press Author Showcase – Joe Morey (M)

11:00 AM to closing  Sunday, May 1  – Robertson

Join host Joe Morey for readings from DRP’s recent publications.

Closing Ceremonies

1:00 PM Sunday May 1 – Pre-Function Area

Zombies and Their Haunts

Here’s an article I wrote for on the connection between zombies and the apocalyptic landscapes in which they frequently appear.

For as long as I can remember I’ve thrilled at the sight of abandoned buildings. Something about those dark, empty windows, the vacant doorways, the sepulchral quiet of an empty train station or hotel lobby, spoke of discontinuity, and of trauma. There was a vacancy in those wrecks that evoked loss and heartache and the memory of dreams that have fallen by the wayside. They were a sort of negative space in the landscape, symbols of our world’s mortality.

And then zombies came along, and I fell in love with them for many of the same reasons.

But here’s the thing.

It took me a while—as a writer I mean—to figure out that abandoned buildings, and even abandoned cities, don’t just appear because a horde of zombies happen to show up. Sure, most everybody gets eaten, and so you end up with a lot of buildings and very few people, but it goes a little deeper than that. Zombies and abandoned buildings, it seems to me, are actually two sides of the same coin. Aside from the obvious similarity—that they are both miserable wrecks somehow still on their feet—both are symbols of a world that is at odds with itself and looking for new direction. And in that way, zombies merge symbolically with the abandoned buildings they haunt in ways that other monsters never really achieve with the settings of their stories.

But just because the zombie and the abandoned building are intimately related symbols doesn’t mean that they function in exactly the same way.

Consider the abandoned building first.

When a building dies, it becomes an empty hull, and yet it does not fall. At least not right away. Its hollow rooms become as silent as the grave; but, when you enter it, its desolate inner spaces somehow still hum with the collected sediment of the life that once thrived there.

When we look at graffiti scrawled across fine Italian marble tiles, or a filthy doll face up in a crumbling warehouse parking lot, or weeds growing up between the desks in a ruined schoolhouse, we’re not just seeing destruction. We’re also seeing what once was, and what could be again. In other words, we’re seeing past, present and future all at the same time.

The operative force at work here is memory. Within the mind, memory links past, present and future. But in our post-apocalyptic landscapes, our minds need a mnemonic aid… and that aid is the abandoned building. The moldering wreck before us forces us to consciously engage in the process of temporal continuity, rather than simply stumble through it blindly.

Put another way, we become an awful lot like Wordsworth daydreaming over the ruins of Tintern Abbey. Like Wordsworth, we’re witnessing destruction, but pondering renovation, because we are by nature a creative species that needs to reshape the world in order to live in it. That is our biological imperative.

And so, in the end, the abandoned building becomes a symbol of creative courage.

But now consider the abandoned building’s corollary, the zombie.

Zombies are, really, single serving versions of the apocalypse. Apocalyptic stories deal with the end of the world. Generally speaking, they give us a glimpse of the world before catastrophe, which becomes an imperfect Eden of sorts. They then spin off into terrifying scenarios for the end of the world. And finally, we see the survivors living on, existing solely on the strength of their own wills. There are variations within the formula, of course, but those are the nuts and bolts of it.

When we look at the zombie, we get the same thing—but in microcosm. We see the living person prior to death, and this equates to the world before the apocalypse—or the ghost of what the abandoned building used to be, for that matter. We see the living person’s death, and this equates to the cataclysmic event that precipitates the apocalypse—or the moldering wreck of an abandoned building, if you like. And finally, we see the shambling corpse wandering the wasteland in search of prey, and this equates to the post apocalyptic world that is feeding off its own death.

It is in this final note that the symbolic functions of the abandoned building and the zombie diverge. As I’ve mentioned, the abandoned building, so long as it stands, calls to our creative instincts to rebuild. But the zombie, so long as it stands, speaks only to our ultimate mortality.

And so, the ruined hotel or office park becomes our mind’s cathedral, the spiritual and creative sanctuary of our memory, while the zombie becomes the devil that drives us into it.

I see a satisfying sense of symmetry there.

Holiday of the Dead

Holiday of the Dead features my zombie story, “The Day the Music Died.”  This one comes in at more than 500 pages, making it one of the biggest anthologies I’ve seen in a while.  Check this one out if you can.

The HWA Announces the 2010 Speciality Awards

I just got the following from the HWA’s Internet Mailer.  Congratulations are in order for all the winners.  These folks have really made a difference in their profession, and I hope they feel as proud for themselves as I am thankful for them.

Dark Regions Press, of Colusa , California , will receive the Horror Writers Association’s Specialty Press Award for 2010. The award will be presented during the gala Bram Stoker Awards Banquet to be held this year in Long Island as part of the Stoker Awards weekend, June 16–19.

The annual Specialty Press Award recognizes a publisher outside the mainstream New York City publishing community that specializes in dark-themed fiction. Winners are typically “small presses” specializing in limited editions, small print runs, or the work of new and relatively unknown authors. The winner of the award is determined by a majority vote of the HWA Board of Trustees.

Joe Morey’s Dark Regions Press emphasizes horror and publishes novels, novellas, single-author collections, and poetry. They publish finely-bound limited editions and trade editions, and their authors have included Michael A. Arnzen, Bruce Boston, Angeline Hawkes, Charlee Jacob, Scott Nicholson, Stephen Mark Rainey, Tony Richards, Gord Rollo, Steven Savile, Harry Shannon, David B. Silva, Marge Simon, Jeff Strand, and David Niall Wilson, among many others.

Dark Regions was started by Morey in 1985, and their books have since won numerous awards. They’ve also published several periodicals, including Dark Regions magazine.

Past winners of the Specialty Press Award include Tartarus Press, Delirium Books, Earthling Publications, PS Publishing, and Bloodletting Press. Cemetery Dance won the first Specialty Press Award in 1997.

For more information about Dark Regions Press, visit the company website at

The Board of Trustees of the Horror Writers Association is pleased to announce that the 2010 Silver Hammer Award is being awarded to Angel Leigh McCoy. The Hammer Award is given periodically to an HWA volunteer who has done a truly significant amount of work for our organization, often unsung and behind the scenes. It was instituted in 1996 and is decided by a vote of HWA’s Board of Trustees.

The award is so named because it represents the careful, steady, continuous work of building HWA’s “house”—the many institutional systems that keep the organization functioning on a day-to-day basis. The award itself is a chrome-plated hammer with an engraved plaque on the handle. The chrome hammer is also a satisfying allusion to The Beatles’ song, “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” a miniature horror story in itself.

Angel McCoy currently oversees HWA’s Dark Whispers blog, which promotes members’ books to hundreds of librarians, booksellers, and readers; under Angel’s management, the blog has been redesigned to include a Twitter feed, making it even more popular and timely. Angel also built and oversees HWA’s Wiki, on which members can promote their accomplishments and their books, and she works behind the scenes with HWA’s web team to ensure that the organization’s massive website is as up-to-date and streamlined as possible.

Past winners of the Silver Hammer Award include Lawrence Watt-Evans, Sèphera Girón, Kathy Ptacek, Robert Weinberg, and Douglas Winter.

The Richard Laymon President’s Award for Service was instituted in 2000 and is named in honor of Richard Laymon, who died in 2000 while serving as HWA’s president. As its name implies, it is given by HWA’s sitting president.

The award is presented to a volunteer who has served HWA in an especially exemplary manner and has shown extraordinary dedication to the organization.

HWA’s current President Rocky Wood has chosen Michael Colangelo to receive the 2010 Richard Laymon Award. Michael serves as HWA’s Membership Chairman, overseeing applications of both new members and of upgrades for current members. “Michael Colangelo soldiers away every week working almost invisibly to keep the turnstiles to the park that is HWA open,” President Wood said in regard to his choice for the 2010 Award. “Dealing with new member applications and verifying membership levels for those new members is far from glamorous but also absolutely vital, and Michael completes the task with a suitably diplomatic hand. For that, I as president and our entire membership show our respect by bestowing the Richard Laymon Award.”

Past winners of the Richard Laymon Award include Kathy Ptacek, Judi Rohrig, Lee Thomas, Lisa Morton, Stephen Dorato, Christopher Fulbright, Mark Worthen, John R. Little, and Vince A. Liaguno.

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More Pain

I was on my feet all day around the kitchen. I made a couple of batches of cookies and did some cleaning. By the time late afternoon came around, my lower back was in extreme pain.

I don’t remember a time from when my back didn’t hurt. It’s fairly permanent it seems. It’s just the level of pain changes. Most days I can deal with it. Yesterday was really bad and I had to lean on the counter at one point in order to not fall over. Today was almost as bad. I struggled to get comfortable. Standing and sitting only lasted a few minutes before the pain forced me to move again.

My solution?

Try and take a nap.

My forty five minutes of relaxing gave me an hour afterwards of no pain. I need to make it through the evening so I can get back to bed for a good night’s sleep. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Or maybe I can ask Santa for a new spine.

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text:
Bunbury Water Playground

A one hectare multi zoned water play facility planned for the south west coastal city of Bunbury.

The Bunbury Water Playground is a one hectare multi zoned play facility planned for the Point Parker peninsular 175km south of Perth in the coastal City of Bunbury.

The ‘Under the Old Jetty’ water playground theme was selected from several JBA concepts, which draw from the historical and ecological values of the area. JBA conducted comprehensive project analysis and information gathering during the earlier concept design phase of the project, which also included the preparation of an Opinion of Probable Cost for construction and maintenance budget estimates. JBA also won the contract to deliver the detailed design of the playground.

JBA Role

City of Bunbury

JBA Role

Landscape Architect
  • Lead consultant responsible for engagement and management of consultant design team
  • Concept design
  • Detailed design and documentation
  • Project costing


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A step closer to shaping the new Swiss-Made

A step closer to shaping the new Swiss-Made

Monday, 16 April 2012
By Quentin Simonet
Quentin Simonet

Read More

5 min read

Swissness, which proposes to increase the Swiss-made value of industrial products to 60%, has reached an important stage in its adoption. Debate is rife among watchmakers, particularly concerning the objective to raise the threshold for mechanical watches to 80%.

The amendment to trademark law, or Swissness as it is also known, has reached an important stage. The National Council (the lower house of Switzerland’s Federal Assembly) has adopted the project – which defines the percentage of production costs that must be incurred in Switzerland for an industrial product to qualify as Swiss-Made – by a large majority. It now falls to the Council of States (the upper house) to take its decision. Meanwhile, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) has made clear that it will not be satisfied with the proposed figure of 60% Swiss-made value for mechanical watches. This umbrella organisation, along with the majority of its members, is petitioning for an 80% threshold that will protect the public from misleading claims and ensure greater authenticity.

"The ball is in our court"

According to Philippe Merk, CEO Audemars Piguet, “we must defend and promote the unique expertise, inventiveness and craftsmanship which have developed in our country over the years.” For Jérôme Lambert, CEO Jaeger-LeCoultre, this is about the preservation and future of the branch: “We must do everything within our power to prevent the demise of our industrial fabric. The ball is in our court.”

In a word, Swiss-Made must be synonymous with prestige. However, the FH’s 80% objective raises several issues, one of which is the question of watch cases. Switzerland doesn’t produce enough, and many of the more complex cases are only available from overseas manufacturers. “Most of these products come from the Far East,” declared Peter Stas, owner of Frédérique Constant. He is campaigning for legislation that applies only to the movement, where Swiss expertise is really concentrated. Other watch companies, including Mondaine, share his view. Some thirty in all, they have joined forces under the lobby IG Swiss Made to counter the proposal to reinforce Swiss-Made criteria. However, through lack of courage or fear of reprisals, they refuse to reveal their identity, none of which helps see clear in an affair where each of the players argues its point as a matter of life and death.

The day will come when Chinese customers realise not everything is made in Switzerland.
Bilateral agreements with the EU are at issue

Another company boss claims that imposing a higher Swiss-Made value, be it 60% or 80%, won’t make an iota of difference. Manufacturers have never been subjected to controls, and chances are that even at the higher 80% rate, some will continue to make the same misleading claims. Éric Loth, CEO of Graham in Neuchâtel, takes a tongue-in-cheek view: “The day will come when Chinese customers realise not everything is made in Switzerland.” This might well be a rude awakening. Another CEO, speaking at Baselworld, asked whether “this is customers’ main concern. I think they buy a brand more than an origin.”

Not everyone shares this view, and the debate has even gone beyond Swiss borders. France has already warned its neighbours that it will be keeping a close eye on the matter to ensure that any decisions taken in Switzerland comply with prevailing bilateral agreements. Put simply, France will oppose any measures it considers as protectionist, and has already made it clear that an 80% figure for mechanical watches would be a step too far. The mid-range segment is another potentially vociferous opponent, given the difficulties of meeting the new criteria without driving prices skyward. Clearly we haven’t heard the last of the revamped Swiss-Made.

"Time for action"

Éric Loth raises a point that warrants attention. It’s a well-known fact that Switzerland draws on the expertise of subcontractors based just across the border, in France. Why exclude these essential suppliers, the majority of which are alone in providing their services? Would it not be a better solution to incorporate them into the process? Why not create a supra-regional hub that would combine Swiss competencies and excellence with French production, with the advantage of greater honesty vis-à-vis the end customer? Of course the idea is a non-starter even in today’s global economy, and one which the profession won’t even begin to consider as it goes against the very idea of a reinforced Swiss-Made.

In January this year, Jérôme Lambert made a solemn appeal in favour of a more stringent Swiss-Made, commenting that Swiss watchmaking enjoys unique status, an effective monopoly that would be unthinkable in any other sector. This lies in the immaterial assets such as a history, culture and centuries-old savoir-faire which “even with massive investment, no other country can hope to rival.” Lambert went on to emphasise the importance of “preserving this heritage at all cost, hence the absolute necessity of strengthening Swiss-Made criteria to further entrench its values, its roots and its local origin. […] This is no longer a time for pointing an accusing finger at those who are hesitating, but a time for awareness and action.” A time for unity of the kind that will enhance the uniqueness of Swiss watchmaking.

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Home / Opinion / Jonathan Small / Free Market Friday: Lives and livelihoods require lawmakers focus on economy

Free Market Friday: Lives and livelihoods require lawmakers focus on economy

Jonathan Small

Jonathan Small

To fully recover from COVID-19 shutdowns, policymakers must pursue job growth.

Legislators should make permanent the waiver of regulations lifted to address COVID-19. The state functioned without those waivers and lives and livelihoods were saved.

“State aid” from federal taxpayers is coming to address COVID-19 and help assist in innovation and other ideas to help states recover. These funds should be used to offset state revenue shortfalls, finance some strategic projects, and finance pro-growth reforms.

Pro-growth tax reform and building a tax code for the 21st century is desperately needed. With the oil and gas industry collapse and COVID-19, now more than ever Oklahoma must position itself to diversify with new businesses, preserve existing businesses and attract business from other states. It’s time to eliminate the corporate income tax, put a revenue-neutral plan in place to phase out the personal income tax, and then adjust the code accordingly to protect the most vulnerable from any tax increases. All of this would result in more stable revenue and make Oklahoma extremely attractive for job creation and diversification.

Lawmakers should also use a portion of the aid to reform the teachers’ retirement system and enroll all new teachers in a robust defined contribution plan. This will help with teacher and talent recruitment in a world where employees are extremely mobile and prefer to change employment regularly. Adopt the reform plan that was adopted for the state employees’ retirement system, which has proved successful.

Wherever possible, state and local governments should delay collection of taxes, including the collection of business property taxes, until at least Oct. 1 and remove the experience rating on unemployment-insurance tax rates related to COVID-19.

Policymakers should also provide permanent and full expensing for new investments in machinery and equipment, allow faster depreciation deductions, and establish crowdfunding infrastructure to provide more capital to small businesses. These measures would encourage investment and job creation, by companies big and small, which is desperately needed.

Protecting patients from surprise medical bills by requiring advance notice of costs, placing caps on noneconomic damages in the Oklahoma Constitution, and avoiding Medicaid expansion are a must.

In education, lawmakers should support tax-credit scholarship programs that increase K-12 educational opportunity and scrutinize tuition rates so colleges focus on productive teaching.

If they take these steps, lawmakers will help Oklahoma recover.

Jonathan Small serves as president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (www.ocpathink.org).

One comment

  1. John Sakelaris

    This longtime pension-hater is obviously not going to let the coronavirus crisis go to waste.

    The loss of many defined benefit pensions, public and private, is one of the biggest challenges to face American workers in recent decades. And OCPA is wanting to further this anti-worker trend.

    One especially laughable claim in this article is where he claims that eliminating the defined benefit pension plan for new hires will help with recruitment.

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text:
Chocolate Ice Cream Bread

chocolatebread1Well, here it is ‘Chocolate Ice Cream Bread’.
It tastes like a cross between a brownie and a chocolate cake.
chocolatebread2I’m happy that I’ve tried all 3 flavors in the Neapolitan ice cream.
It’s an easy recipe and bakes up beautifully.

Wishing you all fun with creative cooking.

*I used a small batter made like my basic ‘Boiled Custard Bread’ recipe.
Use melted ice cream instead of boiled custard.
Add flour a little at a time to the melted ice cream until the batter is a creamy consistency.
If you get the batter too thick, thin it with a little bit of water.

10 thoughts on “Chocolate Ice Cream Bread

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Friday, November 15, 2013

Book Review: Blood Drama by Christopher Meeks

Blood Drama
by Christopher Meeks
Publisher: White Wiskers Press  (June 15, 2013)
Available in: Print & eBook, 242 pages

Note: several major and many minor edits on November 19th.

This is a thriller, a page turner with a noir edge and elements of a romance woven in.  But it is much more.  The use of metaphor and the emphasis of aspects that appear to reflect a theme raise it to the level of literary in my eyes.

The theme on first blush is ineffable and I will be struggling as I attempt to put it into words as it is more of a strong feeling tone at this point.  I would need a second read through once I'm able to hold the entire story arc in my mind like a faceted jewel to do it justice.  Making it harder is the convention of book blogging to take extreme care not to give spoilers and when you are dealing with a thriller or mystery that constraint is even stricter.

Sometimes I miss the early days of my blog when I knew nothing about book blogging and its subtle rules and didn't have an audience that I was aware of and was still naive enough to let rip off the cuff when I was touched or excited about a book.  This was before I knew about ARCs and what seemed at the time a marvelous opportunity to get free books.  The only kind I could afford.  And to get them before the libraries had them and thus bypass those first several months of waiting on my hold to rise to the top.

But there is always a trade off isn't there?  Nothing is ever really free.

For me the price I pay is loosing the freedom to say what's really on my mind and the time to keep up with my favorite writers living and dead.  I've stopped rereading Flannery O'Connor, Jane Austen, Mark Twain and Tolstoy.  To name just a few of the latter.  I've missed more than half of the last ten from Joyce Carol Oates and Stephen King whom I'd followed since the early 80s, and all of Alice Munro, Margaret Drabble, Barbara Kingsolver and Margaret Atwood since before 2001 which was six or seven years before I started getting ARCs so that was more about differences in selections between the library systems in the Rogue Valley OR and The Silicon Valley CA where we lived for two years before the tech bubble broke.

And apparently it isn't just the size of the library systems for as I've wandered the stacks of my childhood library in Longview WA this past year I've noticed I see a selection that resembles the one in Sunnyvale CA more than that of the Southern Oregon Library System with two large libraries and 13 rural branches and the two campus branches of the Rogue Valley Community College.

I don't know how to do a scientific analysis but my gut tells me that has to do with the attitudes of the local community and politicians.  Support for funding services of any kind is low in Southern Oregon with a very loud anti-tax crowd and officials, most male businessmen, who deem their caste a dime's thickness below divinity and did not blush when bragging that they got to the top of their current pinnacle having never set foot in a library.  Then watched with satisfaction when their fellow fundamentalists  in DC with the same doctrine and loud bull horns, acquired the power in 2006 and refused to renew the funding the system had depended on for decades.  Then together they turned their bull horns on the valley during the bond campaign to replace that funding and forced its defeat.  And then stood by with indifference as all fifteen branches closed their doors in 2007.

That funding was not sourced by tax dollars.  It was more like a trust fund created during Teddy Roosevelt's Presidency as reparations for the looting over the previous decades by the Robber Barons. Stopping the use of the funds from the forest lands held in trust is the first step toward returning them to private ownership so strip mining and clear cutting can resume.

Bitter much?  Yeah, a bit still.  But there has been a positive trade off.

It was during those six months without a library that I went from a dilettante blogger who'd posted less than once a week to posting daily.  It was during that time I discovered the free public domain ebook collections, the power of Google, book blogs and ARCs.  It's also when I discovered online writer support groups, tutorials on creative writing and gathered my courage to return to my own fiction and poetry writing after grieving for six years over the loss of all my WIP files except for 100 pages of excerpts and short pieces that I'd deemed worthy of the ink and paper to make hard copy and kept in a single portable folder that traveled with me when we stepped onto a bus in San Jose with one large duffle, two backpacks, two cat crates and the large beach bag I called my purse.  Leaving behind our storage unit--forever as it turned out.

But I've digressed yet again.  I've been doing that a lot lately.  I've deleted swathes of text below the third paragraph twice and was about to do it again when I reread that paragraph's first sentence:  The theme on first blush is ineffable and I will be struggling as I attempt to put it into words...  And it clicked and I realized that if I deleted the following paragraphs I would just find another tangent because this is how I figure out what I'm trying to say.

So bear with me please as I remain on this path.  I will bring it back to the topic in that third paragraph.  The ineffable theme of Blood Drama.  And now that I understand what I've been trying to do I see the path back a bit clearer. I do not think in the tidy linear flow charts of rhetoric and dialectics.  I think in images, both still shot and moving and both containing stories that I cannot explain short of telling them whole.  It brings to mind this quote from Flannery O'Conner: “A story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the meaning is.”   When I first read that in my early twenties I had the most electrical Aha! moment that gave me back to myself.  I began to accept my way of thinking as legitimate and slowly stopped feeling inferior to the linear thinkers and stopped engaging in debates with my brother and husband who were both black and white linear thinkers who loved to argue.  At least at that time when in there twenties.  They've both mellowed in the last thirty years.

OK time to wrap this up.  Once I realized what I'd been trying to do with my memoir-like stories I looked for commonalities between this ramble and the other two.  And sure enough there was one.  All three were trying to get at the concept of how one reacts to adversity--with passive acceptance tinged with pessimism and despair or proactive acceptance honed with hope and effort and a willingness to see new opportunities in the situation and take them on with vigor.

In story this is the difference between a character who is willing to grow and one who is not.  The passive's story will fizzle like a dud firecracker while the proactive's will take off like a rocket breaking the bond of gravity.  Both Ian Nash, the protagonist, and FBI Agent in charge of the case, Aleece Medina, who has the role of Ian's antagonist are strongly proactive.  Both are exquisitely drawn with clear motives that drive their actions which are often at odds with each other.  And both, though they often do aggravating, off putting things are easy to empathize with and once you are connected to them you are connected to the heart of the story and though it is their actions that drive the story is who they are that makes you care enough to keep turning the pages.  For me anyway.  The action in and of itself is never enough to keep me involved.  I need to care deeply about those who act and react to the onslaught of events and the repercussions of thier actions.

Medina's actions grow out of her gut instincts backed up by decades of experience.  Ian's action's are rooted in his understanding of the theory of story and drama after years of academic study in the field of theater and the years he's worked on a dissertation about the playwrite Mamet.  Whenever he's confused by the actions of those around him he pulls up a quote from Mamet or other writers or from plays and other story forms that helps him sort it out and find a direction to aim his action.  Sometime he blurts it out but mostly he keeps it to himself.  Sometimes it directs him true and sometimes leads him astray for his motives are not always pure but tainted by the seething rage his traumatic experience at the hands of his kidnappers instilled in him.

Medina wants justice as defined by the law but Ian wants revenge.  It's easy to understand why and some might agree its the way to go even though they themselves have never experienced the level of brutality Ian had.  But I rooted for him to snap out of it before he was was further damaged by his own actions which in his fantasy rose to an equivalent level of brutality.  Brutality, in my opinion, rebounds upon the the perpetrator at least as severely as on the victim.

The novel began with Ian being booted out of his dissertation program.  Though it was partly campus politics that forced it, he'd probably have been protected from it if he'd had a strong dissertation in the works but as he was told, he was not breaking new ground.  I suspect that after the events in this story he'd have an easier time writing a dissertation with the heart and originality his first attempt lacked because now, having used it to comprehend the traumatic events and contrive responses, he has real world visceral knowledge of the dry theory.

I had more to say but I have to stop now.  I've officially missed my committed date as it just passed midnight.  I cringe at the realization I can't do a line edit.  I can no longer bring the words into focus. Forgive the errors some of which could be as big as misplaced phrases as I kept loosing the cursor and continuing to type for several seconds before I realized it and I'm not sure I found them all.

Well I guess I've made it obvious that I was moved by this story and intensely intrigued.  I'm fairly sure I'll want to reread it.  It is gems like this one and many others I've encountered as ARCs once I'd shifted my aspirations from the big names and big house titles to the indie small press and self pub titles, that keep me coming back in spite of the penalties I mentioned earlier.

From the Publishers:

Everyone has a bad day. Graduate student Ian Nash has lost his girlfriend in addition to being dropped from a Ph.D. program in theatre at a Southern California university. When he stops at a local coffee shop in the lobby of a bank to apply for a job, the proverbial organic matter hits the fan. A gang of four robs the bank, and things get bloody. Ian is taken hostage by the robbers when the police show up. Now he has to save his life.
FBI Special Agent Aleece Medina’s analysis of the bloody bank heist drives her into the pursuit of a robbery gang headed by two women. She doesn’t anticipate how this robbery will pit her against both the bandits and the male higher-ups in the FBI while the media heats up during a giant manhunt.
The robbers are about to kill Ian, and all he has at hand is his knowledge of the stage.

What they are saying:

Praise for Christopher Meek’s Love at Absolute Zero:
Top-Ten Best Fiction 2011 at Book Chase: “It is impossible not to like Gunnar Gunderson. As he progresses from one disaster or near miss to the next, one views him with a mixture of compassion and laughter.” Sam Sattler, Book Chase
Winner 2011 Red Adept Reviews Indie Award-Romance: ”The author hit a home run. It’s a very good story, very well told.”- Jim Chambers, Red Adept Reviews
Winner 2011 Noble Award (not Nobel): ”The tension between science and emotion has never been more keenly felt.” - Carolyn Howard-Johnson
“Thermodynamics are nothing; it’s that love thing that is so frustrat- ingly hard to figure out. Love at Absolute Zero is an excellent read that is very much worth considering, highly recommended!”- Midwest Book Review
Here’s what Some of the Reviewers Said From the First Tour of Blood Drama:
“What sets this novel apart from other thriller is the development of the characters.  Not only is Medina more complex than the stereotypical FBI agent found in many suspense novels, but Nash is a new type of victim.  His theater and academic background give him an interesting perspective.  This is definitely a suspenseful, can’t-put-it-down thriller.  Clear your calendar in order to have time to read this from start to finish!”Tammy, The Self-Taught Cook
“Blood Drama was highly entertaining and extremely enjoyable. It is a combination black comedy and crime novel. The characters of Ian and Aleece are memorable, quirky, and unique. I  reveled in Ian’s quoting David Mamet (or some other playwright or work of literature) to deduce and interpret the information he had to ascertain where the clues were leading them.   Meeks is a gifted writer. He has a pleasing way of propelling the action forward while developing his plot and characters. I enjoyed Meeks Love at Absolute Zero quite a bit, but I liked Blood Drama even more. I’m hopeful that Meeks will bring back Ian and Aleece to solve another crime.”Lori, She Treads Softly
“This is one action packed thriller that you don’t want to put down. The author doesn’t waste time with the trivial, he gets right to the action and stays there. Just when you think things are as bad as they possible could get…wrong!
This was different from most thrillers I read in that it also has a little humor, I absolutely loved that aspect of the book.  The characters are well written, they seem like real people, flaws and all. There’s also romance in this book, which gives you a little relief from the gripping adventures.  I liked this book very much and so I will be checking to see what other books this author has written.”Vicky, I’d Rather Be At the Beach
“This story had me hooked just out of pity for the poor guy, but when things turned from bad to worse I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next. This was far from the typical suspense/thriller. Yes, it does follow the MOs you expect in some areas but the characters make it so unique.  I loved these characters. They were so unique that I could see them as real. They had their quirks and secrets that revealed their flaws and their vulnerabilities Nothing is really too farfetched. Yes, there is one character you might argue is but I live in a huge city. Trust me, it is not farfetched. Can’t say more or I let a big secret slip which is a no-no in reviews.  If you love suspense/thrillers that have some humor, you’ll love this book. Yes, it kept me riveted. You have to read this book. You’ll enjoy it and want more. Plus you’ll learn to appreciate your own days a little bit better.”Rebecca Graf, A Book Lover’s Library

Christopher Meeks first published short fiction in a number of literary journals, and the stories are available in two collections, The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea and Months and Seasons. Recently, he’s focused on novels. The Brightest Moon of the Century is a story of a man who yearns for love and success, covering over thirty years—a tale that Marc Schuster of Small Press Reviews describes as “a great and truly humane novel in the tradition of Charles Dickens and John Irving.” His last novel, Love At Absolute Zero, is about a physicist who uses the tools of science to find his soul mate–and he has just three days. Critic Grady Harp calls the book “a gift.” The new novel, Blood Drama, has him edge into a thriller. Meeks also runs White Whisker Books and publishes four authors.

Christopher at the Red Room
Christopher’s Website
Christopher on Facebook
Christopher on Twitter

Follow the blog tour for more reviews, giveaways, author interviews and guest posts:

So Many Precious Books Nov 12 Spotlight & Giveaway
Rebecca Paperback Writer Nov 13 Guest Post
Joystory Nov 15 Review
I’m a Voracious Reader Nov 18 Review
Kate Eileen Shannon Nov 19 Review
Kate Eileen Shannon Nov 20 Interview & Giveaway
Deal Sharing Aunt Nov 20 Review
Celtic Lady Reviews Nov 21 Review
Teena in Toronto Nov 22 Review
The News in Books Nov 25 Review
The News in Books Nov 26 Interview
FU Only Knew Nov 26 Review
Sweeps for Bloggers Nov 27 Review & Giveaway

2 tell me a story:

Teddy Rose 11/16/2013 1:11 PM

Thanks for taking part in the tour. I'm so glad you enjoyed Blood Drama and really got what Christopher Meeks was doing when he wrote it. You definitely delved under the surface and picked out the pearls. That is what I love about his writing, it's not just "skin deep."

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Recommended Books

As you know, I love literature.  So here is a non-comprehensive list of my favorite, recommended books, in Alphabetical order by Title.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

If you have not read Bleak House, you are missing out one of Charles Dickens greatest classics.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

My absolute favorite book.  There is no question about that.  Everyone should take the time to read this classic title.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Before I read Dracula, I could not stand the pop-culture obsession of vampires.  Now that I have read Dracula, I think that every depiction of vampires since Dracula have been a cheap copy.  Seriously, this book was incredible!

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

If you are one of those readers only familiar with Card’s Ender-verse titles, then you are missing out on some fantastic reads.  This fantastic fantasy adventure is a modern twist on classic Russian fairy tales, and I loved every minute of it!  A fantastic read.

The Ender-verse by Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game and Shadow of Ender are by far my favorite titles from the Ender-verse, but the entire series is well written, and great reads.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

The book is nothing like the various monster movies.  In the book, we get to look into Dr. Frankenstein’s motives for creating the monster, how the creation of the monster changes the doctor’s life.  I love this book.

I am John Paul by Cris Pasqueralle

This Christian Coming of Age story is fantastic!  I loved every minute of it!  In my humble opinion, this is Pasqueralle’s greatest work, and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.

Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

Never before has a fantasy series single-handedly changed the face of the genre within the lifetime of the series.  I loved these books.  My absolute favorite was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, my least favorite was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but I could not put down any of these titles.  This is a fantastic read for fantasy lovers of all ages.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I was first introduced to the story of Les Miserables through the popular Broadway musical, and decided to read the book.  The book was a life changing experience for me.  It features two of my favorite all-time literary characters, Eponine and the Bishop.  The story held me captivated and interested. I did not mind Hugo’s incredibly detailed tangents and back-stories.  I loved this book, and highly recommend it to every lover of literature.

The Lord of the Rings Series by JRR Tolkien

By series, I am including The Hobbit.  I loved experiencing Middle Earth through literature.  I have returned to Middle Earth on a number of occasions, and look forward to returning again soon.

The Pirate Princess (Sovereigns of the Seas Book 1) by KR Martin.

Renee became a pirate to save her kingdom from an impostor, what would you do? KR Martin tells a beautiful story full of action, adventure, and romance.  While not a fan of romance myself, I loved the getting to know the characters.  I highly recommend this read.

Potion of the Hound (Magical Mishaps Book 1) by Alicia Scarborough

This title was a lot of fun to read.  It is a great fantasy adventure of three sisters which I greatly enjoyed.

Shadows of Lela (Book 1 of the Lela Trilogy) by Tessonja Odette

This was a fantastic fantasy adventure story.  I loved it, and know other fans of fantasy will as well.

Veil of Mist (Book 2 of the Lela Trilogy) by Tessonja Odette

I loved this title even more than Book 1!  I refrain from saying too much about the book itself, but I must say that I was surprised and I loved the twist of Morkai that we discover in Book 2!

Wyrms by Orson Scott Card

If you have yet to discover Wyrms, then you are missing out!  I loved this fantasy adventure story from Card.  When I finished reading it, my initial thought was, why haven’t I heard of this story before?!


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When I was a kid, I watched all the James Bond movies, several times over, because my Dad loved them. So, I know the storylines well and have views about who is my favourite ‘Bond’ (Sean Connery, of course!). In recent years, the Bond movies have got darker, more erotic (rather than just sexy with a smile) and have greater psychological depth, more adult in other words. But there is something about the Bond marque which remains innocent, boyish and which has an appeal across the age groups, despite the inevitable multiple death toll! And it’s not just the baddies who die, which is awkward for younger viewers. However, I watched them all as a child and I think I’m okay.

Red Nemesis imgTo my shame I have never read any of the Fleming novels (my husband has and he likes them a lot), so I was delighted to pick up this book from the children’s section of my local library and if you have pre/young teens in your household, I think they might like it. Red Nemesis by Steve Cole, is the ninth novel in the ‘Young Bond’ series by Penguin Random House (under their imprint Red Fox). Five have been written by Charlie Higson (author of ‘The Enemy Novels’ – The Enemy, The Dead, The Fear, etc) and four so far by Steve Cole (famous for his Astrosaurs books). They are all closely linked to and published under the aegis of the Ian Fleming novels. In these books, we meet James Bond as a schoolboy. He already has connections with the British Secret Services, thanks to his father’s career in defence sales, and becomes involved in improbable missions and adventures. All part of the escapism! In Young Bond we get to see the life events that shape the man we know so well. (In my case through Sean, Roger, Pierce, Daniel, et al).

Red Nemesis is set in the summer of 1935 during James’s summer break from Fettes College, a smart public school in Scotland. He is about to go home with his Aunt Charmian; his parents are dead, having been killed in a skiing ‘accident’ when he was younger. The story opens a couple of years earlier in London with a mysterious Russian, Ivan Kalashnikov, deliberately breaking the legs of his daughter, Anya, in a car crash that was meant to look like an accident. Anya is a promising ballerina set for a glittering career on the international stage. Why would a father do this?

On the train back from Scotland, Charmian hands James a backpack which belonged to his father and which has been retrieved from the ice where he died. The contents are mysterious and include items which James senses are clues to an unsolved mystery in which his father may have been involved, in particular a cryptic postcard penned to his brother Max, James’s uncle and Charmian’s late husband. James also feels the contents of the backpack may bring him closer to the truth about his parents’ untimely deaths.

Following the clues, James goes to London. He first visits the Secret Intelligence Service to hand over copies of the documents in his father’s backpack to a former acquaintance of Max’s, the SIS agent Adam Elmhirst. He then goes to the Mechta Academy of Performing Arts, an international school near the SIS building. He masquerades as a prospective pupil, the son of a diplomat, pretending he has made an appointment to look around. He is given short shrift by the cold foreign authorities at the school but manages to break free of security. He conducts his own tour of the basement and finds a large stock of a powerful explosive. He is discovered and gets into a fight with a young man who is apparently a pupil. James wakes up in a cell, locked up for trespassing on the premises of the school without permission, until he is rescued by the aforementioned Elmhirst, who immediately invites James to accompany him to Moscow to help solve the mystery of the contents of the backpack, which Elmhirst says will lead them to uncover some malign Russian plot.

Most of the rest of the book is set in Moscow, as James and Elmhirst get into numerous scrapes. There are dramatic chases, villains, fights, plus of course, a bit of young love interest when James tracks down Anya Kalashnikov (he was clearly already powerfully attractive from quite a young age). Anya becomes James’s sidekick after her father is brutally killed; she realises she is not safe and has nothing to lose by getting involved with the mystery-solving activity.

There is violence, peril, quite a few deaths, unlikely villains, stereotypes and spies, but all of it in true James Bond fashion. It’s not as tongue-in-cheek as some of the earlier Bond films; there is an element of the troubled soul, the three-dimensional human we have come to see in the Daniel Craig incarnation of Bond (though not that dark), which is probably truer to the Fleming novels.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book – it has nail-biting action, problem-solving, and James feels like a well-developed character with fears, feelings and flaws as well as bravery, resilience and strong fighting instincts. There is quite a bit of violence and death, so I would recommend for 12-14 year olds. Alongside James, Anya provides a strong female character so I think both girls and boys would enjoy this. I did!

What do your kids think of the ‘Young Bond’ novels?

If you have enjoyed this post, and would like more reading recommendations for the young people in your household, follow my blog.

Kids book review – “Kick” by Mitch Johnson

I read a super little book for children last week – Kick the debut novel from Mitch Johnson. It is set in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the characters are the poor people of that city, and, more specifically, young children who have to work in the sweat shops and on the streets of that city to help their families make ends meet. The theme is an important one and it is a book that will enlighten your child to international issues about which they may know very little, but it is not preachy.

Kick imgThe central character in the story is Budi, a football-mad eleven year-old boy whose hero is an English footballer called Keiran Wakefield, who plays for Real Madrid. Budi and his friends spend all their free time playing football, role-playing their favourite teams and stars. One of Budi’s friends has an old television and they sometimes watch matches together too, late at night Indonesia time. To that extent Budi and his friends are like any other boys their age and your children will be able to identify with their passions and their aspirations. The similarities end, however, when you compare the daily lives of these children with ours in the developed world; Budi and his friends work in factories, mainly sweat shops, where the conditions are poor and where the manager is cruel and exercises discipline through the use of corporal punishment. Budi makes football boots that are shipped off to Europe. They work for a pittance and, despite both Budi and his Dad working, the family still does not have enough income to eat a meal every day. Budi’s best friend is Rochy who lives with his mother and two sisters (his father is dead). Budi tells us that Rochy is the cleverest person he knows but that he had to withdraw from school because he needed to work to support his family. His existence is altogether darker – his mother barely communicates (depression?) and there is the suggestion that the two sisters are involved with the sex industry, although younger readers will not pick this up.

The community is also threatened by corruption; a local gangster, the Dragon, extorts protection money from local businesses and residents with impunity due to his familial links with the head of the police, and is reputed to have murdered his own brother. Unluckily for Budi, he crosses paths with the Dragon one day when he accidentally kicks a ball through the window of the Dragon’s apartment. The Dragon demands that Budi steal a pair of football boots for his nephew from the factory in recompense. He tells Budi that if he fails to deliver, then his family will be evicted and they will have to go and live in the slums.

Budi perceives the task as impossible and is ready to accept his fate, even to die, but then miraculously, the boots get to the Dragon. There is uproar in the factory as the foreman threatens everyone that they will suffer unless and until the thief is identified. A young girl is blamed and brutally ejected from her job. Budi learns only later that it was Rochy who stole the boots and passed them on and that he has effectively saved Budi’s skin.

The first half of the book is good fun: young readers will be able to engage in some gentle comparison of their lives versus Budi’s, the differences in wealth and circumstances as well as the similarities in outlook and dreams. The author subtly juxtaposes the poverty in the factory and in the society more generally with the excesses of the footballing world which the children so admire. Budi and Rochy discuss Western advertisments for cars, which they see whilst watching football matches, and to see the absurdity of them through their eyes is very funny and very enlightening

The second half of the book is darker. Budi’s life becomes even more challenging and some of his innocence is lost as he has to grapple with the realization that his dream of becoming a professional footballer like Keiran Wakefield may never be realized. We learn more about the activities of the Dragon and in particular a plot to traffic people to the West that Budi becomes embroiled in. This strand of the plot involves a dock-side shoot-out. There is also an earthquake in which Budi’s Grandma dies and Rochy’s mother and sisters go missing and are presumed dead.

This is a book which will need to be read with younger readers; parents will need to be on hand to explain and reassure. For readers 12+ the characters and writing style may feel quite immature on one level, but they will better understand some of the themes, which may well complement their secondary school syllabuses in a very accessible form.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book myself and ultimately it is uplifting. Although some of the events are bleak, Budi hangs on to his dreams and hope ultimately triumphs.

“The trouble with being a dreamer is that occasionally you’ll have nightmares – you’ve just got to make sure they don’t ever spook you enough to want to wake up.”

Recommended for 10-13 year olds.

How do you feel about exposing younger readers to difficult issues, such as the human rights abuses that many children in the world endure?

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Kids book review: “The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare” by Zillah Bethel

The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare imgThis book is set in a familiar country (England) but in a future time where life has changed and the world is very different: bus journeys cost hundreds of pounds, many routine tasks and jobs are carried out (not very well) by robots and everyone carries a QWERTY, which it seems is some next generation pocket computer. Auden Dare is an eleven year-old school boy who lives with his mother in Forest Gate in east London. When we first meet him we learn that his father is away fighting in the war in Europe. Climate change has taken hold and water is scarce. Indeed, water, or the lack of it, seems to be the root cause of the conflict in which Auden’s father is involved. Auden has a condition called achromatopsia, which means he is unable to see colours, only shades of grey.

Auden and his mother move to Cambridge when Auden’s uncle, Dr Jonah Bloom, his mother’s brother and a brilliant scientist, dies and leaves them his cottage. She sees it as an opportunity for them to make a fresh start. When they arrive at the cottage, however, they find that it has been ransacked, as have his rooms at Trinity College, where he worked. It is clear that there is something amiss. Auden makes a friend at his new school, Vivi, who, it turns out, also knew Dr Bloom very well. The two young people decide there is something suspicious about Jonah Bloom’s death and set about to uncover the mystery.

Very soon Auden and Vivi discover that Dr Bloom had invented a robot, Paragon, which they find in a secret chamber underneath the garden shed in the cottage garden. Initially, Auden believes that his uncle was in the process of inventing a machine that would enable Auden to see in full colour. However, it turns out that the robot, in fact, has a much higher purpose.

This book is part adventure story, part mystery and has all the usual tropes you would expect from a children’s book of that nature: a brave and bold character in Auden, a brilliant female mind in the form of Vivi, an external threat in the form of the Water Allocation Board, which also wants to get hold of Dr Bloom’s work and in particular the robot Paragon, and a race against time, with moments of high tension. There are underlying themes here around the power of friendship to overcome adversity and how individuals can take control of their own lives and defy the destiny society has decided for them. It is also about taking a stand and doing the right thing.

As a rule of thumb, kids like reading books about characters who are slightly older than them; Auden is 11, but I would say this is a book for 10-12 year olds, rather than 9-11s. For a start it’s quite long and the plot is at times quite complex. Also, some of the themes may be quite challenging for younger readers, for example, the vision of the future, a kind of police state where the head of the Water Allocation Board is hostile and threatening. There is also the suggestion that Dr Jonah Bloom has been illegally murdered by the state and that Auden’s father has been wrongfully imprisoned by a corrupt military authority. Echoes of 1984!

Spoiler alert….

Also, the robot, Paragon, who develops a strong personality and whom Auden grows to love, ‘dies’ when he self-destructs after fulfilling his purpose as a rainmaking machine. Younger children might find some aspects of the book challenging or unsettling.

In places it is really funny; it reminded me a little of Time-travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford, so kids who enjoyed that book might like this one too (although for me it’s not quite as good or as well-written).

Recommended for 10-12 year olds who like an adventure mystery and can cope with some threat.

If you or your children have read this book, do you agree with my thoughts about the reading age?

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December Cooking Tip – Baked Kale Chips

I came across the Vegan Epicurean blog recently and found a great recipe for baked kale chips.  I think often we are looking for a substitute for crunchy chips and think this is fantastic.  Not only is kale so great for you but the taste is delicious.

Alicia was kind enough to let me post it and share it with you.  Enjoy!

“On Sunday when we went to the farmers market I bought an enormous amount of kale for chips. Since I had far more kale that would fit in my little dehydrator I knew I needed to try to bake it in the oven. I won’t have this problem after Christmas when I get my new large dehydrator, but for now the oven was the answer.

I am not going to post the recipe as I don’t really use one anymore. However, I will post the method, which is all you need.

Take the kale and remove it from the stems and tear it into big pieces. I wash the kale and spin it dry. Then I place some of the kale on a half sheet pan and drizzle it with a little olive oil and toss the kale. I use only as much oil as the kale needs to be completely coated with a thin film of oil. Now I add seasoning to the chips and toss to coat the kale evenly.

Typically I use my homemade curry powder. I have also used turmeric, chili powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, freshly ground black pepper, and smoked paprika. The last batch I made was turmeric, black pepper and garlic powder. These chips were spicy and flavorful.

Place the coated kale on a half sheet pan, in a single layer and bake in a 250-degree oven until crispy. I waited one hour and thirty minutes before checking and they were crispy and delicious. They may have been finished earlier so next time I use the oven I will check the texture at the one-hour mark.

My husband and I eat kale chips everyday now. They are a staple item in our lunch. We both find that we like the taste and crunch of the kale chips. I hope you enjoy them too.”

5 thoughts on “December Cooking Tip – Baked Kale Chips

  1. Jprdan

    I make these at home as well! I use olive oil and some apple cider vinegar along with celtic sea salt and pepper. Rub it all together (“massaging” the kale) and pop in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes. I’ve exoerimented with seasonings like Alicia too!

  2. Carol

    too late for this year in our part of Canada. Will keep this on file for next years kale crop.
    I chopped my extra kale before winter in the food processor and froze it flat in bags for adding to rice and soups all winter.

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How To Screen For Stocks In A Coronavirus Market Using Value Line

Originally posted on Forbes.com

Now Is The Time To Get Your Buy List Ready

Safety is on everyone’s minds these days, for good reason. In just 23 trading days from the market high of Feb. 19, 2020, to March 23, 2020, the stock market fell 34%. Over the next 13 trading days, from March 24 through the end of last week (April 9, 2020), it retraced 50% of that decline.

The Market Is Moving

The market is moving fast, and it’s very volatile. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a down day of 12% (March 16, the third worst since the 1920s) and an up day of 9.4% (March 24, the ninth best historically). Read “The Coronavirus Stock Market: A Market Gone Wild” for more details.

Should Investors Be Buying Now?

A self-directed investor acting on his or her own may still be fearful. Professionals are in a different place: watchful for opportunities the beaten-down market offers. Some with a “risk-on” temperament might be buying with conviction; others who are more neutral are buying over time; and of course, some are still in “risk-off” mode.

Perhaps the middle ground could be the place to be.

Years ago, I used to visit the library to read The Value Line Investment Survey. Founded in 1931, Value Line is the essential independent resource available to both professionals and everyday investors alike.

Now, that survey is available online, which makes it a lot easier to screen for stocks based on any number of historical and forward-looking characteristics. The online version has the advantage of providing all of the same reports that I used to read at the library, with the added benefit of tools, such as pre-built stock and industry screens, model portfolios, a portfolio tracker and the screening tool that we will discuss here — a decided advantage for someone who wants to create a watch list of stocks to buy when the time is right.

I asked Ian Gendler, Executive Director of Research at Value Line, how he would screen for high-quality dividend payers that could be expected to keep up their dividends in a pandemic market and beyond.

Keep in mind that screens are the starting (not the ending) point for a list of stocks to buy.

Value Line Concepts

Before sharing Gendler’s screen, let’s talk about how Value Line “thinks.” Value Line uses proprietary ranks and ratings that need to be understood before creating a screen. Value Line ranks stocks relative to each other based on expected price performance during the next six to 12 months, but that’s not all. Value Line also ranks for overall risk.

Let’s start there with risk. Value Line measures risk on a relative basis — that is, relative to the other stocks in its universe of 1,700. That measure is reported as a “safety rank.”

Safety Ranking

In the Value Line system, each stock is given a safety ranking from 1 to 5, with 1 being the most safe. “The 1s are the safest stocks in our coverage universe and tend to hold up better in down markets, and meaningfully participate in bull markets,” explained Gendler.

That’s what we want in this market: stocks that tend to be less volatile, yet have upside potential.

The safety ranking is based on price stability and financial strength. The price stability index measures “a relative ranking of the standard deviation of weekly percent changes in the price of a stock over the past five years.” While price stability takes in the recent coronavirus market, since it uses five years of data, just a few weeks of volatility may not meaningfully alter the price stability score all that much, explained Gendler. Rankings are updated on the website on Monday mornings around 8 a.m.

The “financial strength” rating is Value Line’s assessment of a company’s financial risk, including “balance sheet leverage, business risk, the level and direction of profits, cash flow, earned returns, cash, corporate size and stock price.” That’s another plus: Stocks that have financial strength potentially have a better chance of holding up during an economic downturn.

These and other rankings are described in “The Value Line Ranking System,” which you can find online.

Since we’re talking about dividends, we also want to understand the payout ratio, which is the ratio of dividends paid divided by net income. The higher the payout ratio, the greater the risk that a company may not be able to keep up the dividend payout if economic conditions worsen.

Value Line has its own term for payout ratio called “Percent Distributions to Net Profits,” which includes preferred dividends as well as regular common stock dividend distributions divided by net profits.

We also need to know how much debt the company is carrying. If debt is high, a potentially problematic economy ahead may inhibit the company’s ability to raise capital through a debt offering, should it need to do so, thus potentially suppressing growth, or worse, losing ground.

The Gendler Screen

Here is Gendler’s screen for finding safe, high-quality stocks that can potentially preserve their dividend payouts:

  • Safety Rank = 1
  • Dividend Yield greater than 3.5%
  • % Distributions to Net Profits of 65% or less for “Next Year”
  • % Long-Term Debt to Capital 50% or less for “Next Year”

Notice that the last two filters are for next year, based on Value Line’s forecasts. The screener also allows you to filter for “3 to 5 years out” or for “last year.”

Follow Along

I used the Value Line Stock Screener Tool to execute the screen in four steps. You can follow along using the free trial.

Results From The Gendler Screen

Here are the results from the Gendler screen that I ran on April 13, 2020. Keep in mind that you’ll different results as markets and data points change.

Safety Rank

Filtering the 1,700-stock database for only those stocks with a safety rank of No. 1 resulted in 117 stocks as of today (April 13, 2020). If you are following along with the free trial, take some time to explore these stocks before going any further. Click on the Ranks & Ratings tab; you’ll see that all of the stocks that passed the safety screen have “A” or better financial strength ratings (A++ is the highest rating; ratings range from C to A++ in nine increments).

Other tabs give you estimates and projections (including the current dividend and projected dividend growth rates); profitability; annual rates; and industry statistics.

Dividend Yield

I added a dividend yield criterion of 3.5% or greater, narrowing the field to 28 stocks as of April 13.

Payout Ratios

Next, I added the payout ratio (% Distributions to Net Profits - Next Year) of 65%, filtering for payout ratios of less than 65%. That level or lower is an extra layer of conservatism that the companies will be able to pay their dividends even if earnings decline significantly. This narrowed the list to 8 stocks.

Long-Term Debt To Capital

Finally, I filtered for the last criterion, long-term debt to capital of less than 50%. Now, only four companies remained: Emerson Electric (EMR), Genuine Parts (GPC), Pfizer (PFE), and AT&T (T).

Not A Buy List, Yet

Keep in mind that this is not a BUY list. It’s a RESEARCH FURTHER list. Screens are the first step toward a buy list. The list is a start for doing further research.

Now, On To Research

Research brings me back to my library days. All of the reports that I was familiar with are now online (Ratings & Reports; Selection & Opinion; Summary & Index) – and more. Explore “tool guides” to become familiar with these and other resources. “How to Read a Value Line Report” will be most helpful to familiarize you with Value Line’s data presentation.

When To Buy

Before buying a stock, consider whether this is the right time. Value Line has a rating for when to buy, called Timeliness: “Investors should try to limit purchases to stocks ranked 1 (highest) and 2 (above average) for timeliness.”

Timeliness is “The rank of a stock’s probable relative market performance in the year ahead. It is derived via a computer program using as input the long-term price and earnings history, recent price and earnings momentum, and earnings surprise. All data are known and actual. Stocks ranked 1 (highest) and 2 (above average) are likely to outpace the year-ahead market. Those ranked 4 (below average) and 5 (lowest) are expected to underperform most stocks over the next 12 months.”

These four stocks from the Gendler screen all have a Timeliness rank of 3, which is average; in Value Line’s words: “Stocks ranked 3 (average) will probably advance or decline with the market in the year ahead.” That’s not a bad place to be for a cautious investor.

Not Enough?

Of course, if you are eager to buy now, you can redirect your search to start with a screen of stocks rated No. 1 for Timeliness. But watch out for safety as well. We’re still in a very volatile market, even though the VIX, a measure of volatility, has calmed down somewhat (but hardly enough) from previous weeks.

You may need to take a stand: Do you want to find potential big movers? Or more slow and steady stocks? Value Line will help you do both.

We’ll review more stock screeners in future posts. In the meantime, take this survey your experience with stock screening to share your thoughts on this post.

Don’t hesitate to email me (readers@juliejason.com) with questions.