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FEO NEWS FOR SPRING 2005:
MAY

AWARDS

MAY

MAY 31

From Simon Clark
NAILED BY MIDNIGHT
HOTEL MIDNIGHT is now available in hardcover. The publisher is Robert Hale Limited (ISBN 0-7090-7819-6) and the team have done a heck of job making sure that it's a beautifully produced book on high quality paper with an original water colour by Derek Colligan. The artist has drawn his inspiration from the Vampyrrhic creatures and one of them, rendered in silver and grey, moves before a background of eerie purples and blues. I've talked about the book on the website before but just to quickly recap, a third of the content is brand new with a pair of meaty novellas, THE HOUSE THAT FELL BACKWARDS and JACK OF BONES. JACK OF BONES is the longest - I think it had ambitions of becoming a stand alone novel! - and forms part of THE ELECTRA SUITE. This is a trio of stories that allude to the VAMPYRRHIC series and are linked by Electra's highly individualistic commentary. Most of the other stories may well be new to you as well. All but one or two appeared in hard-to-find anthologies and magazines.

Visit Simon at Nailed by the Heart.

From Tom Piccirilli
NOVEMBER MOURNS - TODAY!
Today, Tuesday May 31st, is the official on-sale date of my latest novel NOVEMBER MOURNS. The book has been filtering into various stores over the past week or so, but it should be easily found on most bookshop shelves starting tomorrow.

Spectra did another outstanding job on the production values, plus they've included the first chapter of my next novel HEADSTONE CITY. So you can have a sneak peek at that before it hits stores in February.

NOVEMBER MOURNS deals with an ex-con who returns home to his backwoods mountain moonshine running town and finds his sister has died under strange circumstances on a dirt road supposedly haunted. He investigates and runs into plenty of oddball characters including a church of snake-handlers, a dwarf granny lady, ill children, a bunch of brain damaged moonshine swillers, ghosts of one sort or another, and Hellfire Christ.

Also, you can find a feature on me in the latest (June) issue of RUE MORGUE. Thanks to Monica Kuebler & Rod Gudino for the coverage. Go pick up an issue, or better yet, subscribe. You won't be sorry.

I'll be a guest of honor at HYPERICON in Nashville, TN on June 17-19. Also on hand will be Brian Keene, Glen Cook, and Bryan Smith.

TWILIGHT TALES TAKES THE PLUNGE
It was inevitable, really. For years, small press and pod press publishers in the Horror Thriller genres have been largely resistant to taking a chance on publishing comics or graphic novels. Why? No one I ever spoke to had any solid reason. One editor for one of the largest of the "small press publishers" (I guess that would be uh ... medium small?) actually said, "Our offset presses can't print pictures, only text." Fortunately, this guy lost his job a few months after this ignorant statement.

On the bright side, Tina Jens of Twilight Tales has wrote to say the following:

Twilight Tales is proud to announce its first serialized comic strip and graphic novel. Featuring the work of author/artist Tim Broderick, both the strip and the soon-to-be-released graphic novel star David Diangelo – a high-tech drifter with a talent for keeping secrets and fixing problems that are too sensitive, or too personal, for the police. He's not afraid to operate outside the law when murder, paternity and betrayal are the stakes – especially when his live is on the line!

The first adventure in the series is "lost child," now re-running in strip form every Monday thru Friday at TwilightTales.com, beginning Monday, May 30th. Don't miss a single installment!

The second Diangelo adventure, SOMETHING TO BUILD UPON, will debut in book form in June from Twilight Tales. It's the first time any of the Odd Jobs adventures have been available in print form, and it's a keeper!

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MAY 30

From J.A. Konrath
HAVE A JACK WITH JOE
My second Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thriller novel, BLOODY MARY, is being released in hardcover and on audio this June. The first novel in the series, WHISKEY SOUR, just came out in paperback. To celebrate, I'm going to buy beer for everyone I know on June 18, 2005.

The fun lasts from noon until 2pm at
Damon's Grill
1140 East Higgins Road,
Schaumburg, IL 60173.

There will be liquor, food, raffles, give-aways, and plenty of books to buy. Then, afterwards, party at my house with even more beer.

If you're reading this, you're invited. I hope to see you there.

FeoNote: Also, Joe is nearly always running contests all his website. Try and enter! Try and win! Joe's Promos.

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MAY 27

From Matthew Warner READ YOUR DEATH SENTENCE Matthew Warner (THE ORGAN DONOR) has sold DEATH SENTENCES: TALES OF PUNISHMENT AND REVENGE to Undaunted Press. Limited to just 250 softcover perfect-bound copies, this five-story collection will be autographed by the author and by the illustrator, Deena Warner. Introduction by Gary A. Braunbeck. Ships August 2005, right after Horrorfind Weekend, where Matt will be an author guest. Visit Matt Warner.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Harlan Ellison (I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM, A BOY AND HIS DOG, SOLDIER, TERMINATOR) is 71.
Writer Tony Hillerman (THE SINISTER PIG, THE WAILING WIND, DANCE HALL OF THE DEAD, PEOPLE OF DARKNESS, THE DARK WIND, THE GHOST WAY, SKINWALKERS) is 80.
Actor Christopher Lee (THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA [1958], THE HOUND OF BASKERVILLES [1959], THE MUMMY [1959], HORROR HOTEL, THE WICKER MAN, SLEEPY HOLLOW, LORD OF THE RINGS, and over 100 more!) is 83.
Writer Tom Piccirilli (GRAVE MEN, HEXES, THE DECEASED, THE NIGHT CLASS, A LOWER DEEP) is 40.
Actor Linnea Quigley (PSYCHO FROM TEXAS, SANCTUARY FOR EVIL, "SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT", THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, CREEPOZOIDS, SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIME BOWL-A-RAMA, A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET 4, INNOCENT BLOOD and over 50 more!) is 47.
Linnea shares a May birthday with her co-stars from INNOCENT BLOOD, Chaz Palminteri (May 15) and Anne Parillaud (May 6).

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MAY 26

From R. S. Rhine
DEATH SENTENCE
To kick off my Horror World message board, I'm throwing the shortest flash fiction contest ever. Just one sentence!

Just message to me your worst, most evil, vile, disgusting and horrific sentence. The sentence must be between 5 and 50 words. The contest will end on August 1st. The winner will receive $50 bucks and an free autographed copy (by myself and ten of the artists) of my new 270 page, color graphic novel SATAN'S 3 RING CIRCUS OF HELL. I will also put the top 3 winners on my site at RobertRhine.com and announce it them at
Feo Amante's Horror Home Page.

If there's enough great sentences I may even put together a book of them called (surprise) "Death Sentence."

Rules: Young children, animal torture or rape senarios aren't my cup of tea and will not be rewarded. But pretty much anything else goes. No fee to enter. Anyone can play. Offer not good with other offers not offered.

Ready... set... sentence_____________________ .

Feo Amante

HORROR OF IGNORANCE
You know, between things like looking the other way when hocus-pocus morons in the Northwest try to invent what science is and isn't and can be taught in the state of Kansas - and throwing his support toward vile scumbags who purposefully take jobs in pharmacies just so they can play doctor and let their consciences determine what life saving medicines a doctor can deliver to his/her patients, its pretty damn hard to support the idea of our president as anything that smacks of intelligent. Superstitious? Or sure. I'd believe that. Determined, honest, steadfast? I'd even swallow all of that. But intelligent? Nahh, I can't buy it.

Continued at Stem Cells

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MAY 25

From Nanci Kalanta
A DEN OF INIQUITY
Horror World is proud to announce The Writer's Den! Moderated by Dan Fox, the Den will host a monthly Flash Fiction Contest. The winning entry will be showcased on Horror World. The winner will also receive $25 as a well an additional prize courtesy of Hellbound Books.

We look forward to your participation. Bring your quill, bring your tablet, but most important bring your talent!!

The Writer's Den will be open and active June first.

Horror World also welcomes to their message boards, Robert Steven Rhine. Rhine is the author of MY BRAIN ESCAPES ME (Sun Dog Press), the graphic novel SATAN'S 3-RING CIRCUS OF HELL (Asylum Press) and the comic books SATAN GONE WILD, CHICKEN SOUP FOR SATAN and SELECTED READINGS FROM SATAN'S POWDER ROOM (Asylum Press). He has sold fiction to over one hundred magazines and the published anthologies: "DARK DELICACIES," (Carroll & Graf) alongside Ray Bradbury and Clive Barker; "DEAD CAT BOUNCING"; "FRAMED"; "THE FRINGE"; SCREAM WHEN YOU BURN"; "THE ALTRUISTIC ALPHABET"; and "CONJURING DARK DELICACIES," alongside STEPHEN KING. In 2005, R.S. Rhine won first prize in the WORLD HORROR CON Dark Fiction Contest for his story "Propeller Boy." The story will be published in CEMETERY DANCE MAGAZINE. He wrote, directed and produced SICKCOM, which toured with SPIKE and MIKE's SICK and TWISTED FESTIVAL OF ANIMATION.

Mike Philbin

From Mike Philbin
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF HERTZAN CHIMERA
(PRWEB) June 1, 2005 - It took artist/author Mike Philbin fourteen years to give birth to, nurture, allow to grow and then kill off his psycho-erotic writing persona Hertzan Chimera.

Hertzan Chimera R.I.P.
April 1, 1990 - August 5, 2004

Mike had learned to live with Hertzan's craziness as his writing persona's perversity and online confidence grew. He had accepted Hertzan's whacked-out control over his fingertips at the expense of some literary understanding on the part of the reader. After all, he was purposefully trying to make the reader's life more difficult. Trying to get the reader to think a little more about the shit he was reading, the sheer crap publishers throw onto the shelves these days. Trying to challenge 'accepted' standards of what was sellable fiction, format, narrative.

In this fifteen year spell of disconnected insanity, Hertzan Chimera penned the extreme books Szmonhfu (novel), United States (novel), Animal Instincts (collection), Spidered Web (horror writer interviews), Broken (collaboration with Wrath James White and Alex Severin), BoyFistGirlSuck (collaboration with Alex Severin), Skin (collaboration with Star Jewel Smith), Chim+Her (8 female collaborators) and Chim+Him (7 male collaborators).

This is the official autobiography of one of horror fiction's most extreme creative writing talents. It tells of his dramatic upbringing, his subsequent failure as an artist and his struggle to come to terms with his own uncontrollable alter-ego.

Mike Philbin's new novel Yôroppa (under the name Mike Philbin) is due from Hellbound Books in early 2006. He remains the editor of the annual Chimeraworld anthology.

The Life and Death of Hertzan Chimera will be available June 1 in paperback from Cyber Pulp Books.

Mr. Boffo.

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MAY 24

HORROR TOONS
The Frankenstein monster represents both Horror and Science Fiction. Not surprisingly, many consider Mary Shelley's book. THE MODERN PROMETHEUS or FRANKENSTIEN, to be the very first Horror novel as well as the very first Science Fiction novel. For good reason, in addition to wanting to scare people, she also wanted the science to be as accurate as possible, and kept up a correspondance with none other than Naturalist Charles Darwin (Yes, THAT Charles Darwin) to make sure she didn't stray into fantasy. So through the century markers, Dr. Frankenstien's creature remains relevent to every generation. Of course, the creature also gets his share of barbs and satire, which brings us to today's Horror Toon. This one is a political toon by Mike Thompson of the Detroit, Michigan, paper: The Detroit Free Press or Freep.

Politics

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Alan Beatts (Owner of SF / Fantasy / & Horror Bookstore, Borderlands)
Actor Alfred Molina (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, DEAD MAN, SPECIES, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS [TV], IDENTITY, SPIDERMAN 2) is 52.

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MAY 23

Right now, David is trying something a little different from his normal Thriller. He's going for Horror Thriller! That novel is CREEPERS.

On a cold October night, five people gather in a run-down motel on the Jersey shore and begin preparations to break into The Paragon Hotel. Built in the glory days of Asbury Park by a reclusive millionaire, the magnificent structure, which foreshadowed the beauties of Art Deco architecture, is now boarded-up and marked for demolition.
The five people are "creepers," the slang term for urban explorers: city archeologists with a passion for investigating abandoned buildings and their dying secrets. On this evening, they are joined by a reporter who wants to profile them - anonymously, as this is highly illegal activity - for a New York Times article.
Balenger, the sandy-haired, broad-shouldered reporter with a decided air of mystery about him, isn't looking for just a story, however. And after the group enters the rat-infested tunnel leading to the hotel, it becomes clear that he will get much more than he bargained for. Danger, terror, and death await the creepers in a place ravaged by time and redolent of evil.

Now the thing about Creepers is, they're real! "Creepers" is the slang term for urban explorers: history and architecture enthusiasts who share a keen fascination with exploring abandoned buildings and tunnels. The Internet reveals hundreds of thousands of urban-explorer contacts throughout the world. But for every group that decides to publicize itself, there are many who don't - because urban exploration is illegal and so unsafe it can be deadly. Authorities impose serious jail terms and/or fines to discourage it. Creepers liken their adventures to the covert-ops military expression for invading hostile territory: infiltration. As infiltration.org indicates, the objective is "places you're not supposed to go".

CREEPERS will be released in September and I'm in contact with his publicist. Over the course of this summer and fall, feoamante.com will try and give you an informative insider's look into the progression of publishing a novel. I'm joining HorrorWorld.org in this, who will also be doing their own promotion of David Morrell's upcoming book.

"The absolute master…the craftsman so many of us look to for guidance."
-Andrew Vachss

"Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his own rules and leaves you dazzled."
- Dean Koontz

"It's been years since I've read a thriller as good as CREEPERS. Crack this novel and it's like an alien abduction of your brain -- forget resuming your normal life until it's finished.
- Douglas Preston

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MAY 19

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Drew Fuller (VOODOO ACADEMY, ANGELS DON'T SLEEP HERE, VAMPIRE CLAN, CHARMED [TV]) is 24.
Actor Grace Jones (NIGHTMARE CITY, CONAN THE DESTROYER, VAMP, WOLF GIRL / BLOOD MOON) is 56.

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MAY 18

WANGO FANGO
If you plan to be in the Los Angeles area the first weekend in June, you may want to know about this.
R. S. Rhine (SATAN'S POWDER ROOM, SATAN GONE WILD) will appear (poof! Just like that!) on June 4th & 5th 2005 Rhine will be exhibiting at FANGORIA'S WEEKEND OF HORRORS Burbank Airport Hilton and Towers 2500 Hollywood Way. FRANK FORTE (Asylum Press) and KEVIN KLEMM (The ED GEIN COLLECTION) will join Rhine for the mayhem.

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MAY 17

Michael Laimo

LAIMO SIGNING
If you plan to be in the Long Island area of the U.S.A. this Thursday, you may want to know about the following.
Horror writer, Michael Laimo will be signing books in the Huntington Barnes & Noble this thursday, May 19, at 7:30pm. There will be a discussion, signing session, and a Q&A. There will be copies of THE DEMONOLOGIST there, as well as copies of his novel DEEP IN THE DARKNESS, nominated this year for the Bram Stoker Award.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers
380 Walt Whitman Road
Huntington Station, NY 11746
631-421-9886

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MAY 16

Feo Amante

THE HORROR OF STUPIDITY - THIS WEEK
This has been one hell of a week for world wide stupidity. There was Newsweek printing an inflamatory story about interrogators in Guantanamo destroying pages of the Koran, which Newsweek editor, Mark Whitaker, knew would cause all manner of violence and murder in the Muslim world (let's be honest: could he really plead ignorance of world reaction, being the editor of Newsweek? Well actually, I guess he could). He knew that the article would likely get American soldiers and innocent bystanders killed, as to desecrate the Koran is punishable by death among the most whacked out extremist Muslim facists. But the truth must be told - as long as it IS the truth and you have your facts straight: Which is a sticking point for much of the U.S. Media in general - something that other nations point to when they say they hate us. Just a few days later Mark Whitaker said that they could no longer be sure that Newsweek's source was credible, or that the source wasn't sure that he was truthful, or that Newsweek didn't merely invent the entire story for filler - or something. So for mean spirited, irresponsible lunacy on an international scale, Newsweek wins the fool's cap. Newsweek has been sliding into tabloid boobery for some time now. But wait 90 days (or less) and their own batch of extremist defenders will deny on endless message boards that Newsweek ever did what they are owning up to at the moment. Or if it did happen, then Karl Rove was behind it. Like he was behind the idiocy of Dan Rather and CBS.

Newsweek Lied - People Died

Political Teen

Jamie Plascencia

Anna Ayala

From Del Howison
THE LIVING GODFATHER OF HORROR
If you plan to be in the Los Angeles, California area this month, you may want to know about the following.

On Sunday May 22nd at 2:00p.m. Dark Delicacies will be hosting a signing for author and Horror legend Richard Matheson signing his new novel WOMAN. This is a free but ticketed event. For tickets and further information contact Dark Delicacies.

Dark Delicacies is located at
4213 West Burbank Blvd,
Burbank, CA.

The new venture will focus on developing new bands and providing them with a home that is both artist friendly yet aggressive in its pursuit to rebuild a brand name that established itself as one of the most forward thinking labels in metal and hardcore.

There are no immediate plans to re-issue previously out-of-print catalogue titles, the joint venture will focus entirely on new releases.

The first of 3 releases already scheduled under the new COMBAT imprint is a new full-length album from the Texas-based metal/hardcore act, AT ALL COST. The release is currently being recorded with Rory Phillips (Recover, The Rise, The Hire) and is slated for an early September '05 street date.

Following At All Cost later in September will be the debut release from Southern Californians, HORSE, who were recently named one of the "100 bands to know in 2005" by Alternative Press.

And an October release of the debut from LOOK WHAT I DID.

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MAY 13

From Lauren Rhoads
NUMBER 9. NUMBER 9. NUMBER 9
The official release party for Morbid Curiosity #9 takes place Saturday, May 14 from 7 to 9 p.m at Borderlands Books. Readers will include Dorian Katz, Allegra Lundyworf, David Booth, RuthAnn Spike, Will Walker, Beth Touchette-Laughlin, Jude Gibson, John A. Domeier, and of course M. Parfitt. Topics will range from death to violence to thwarted love to corresponding with a murderer to simply trying to fit in when you make art from blood and hair.

Borderlands Books is located at 866 Valencia Street in San Francisco's Mission District. Parking will be impossible, but the free entertainment will be worth it.

NOW AVAILABLE: Morbid Curiosity #9 may be ordered by sending well-concealed cash or a check made out to Loren Rhoads to P.O. Box 12308, San Francisco, CA 94112-0308. We can also accept paypal. Morbid Curiosity is $6 in the US, $10 overseas, postage included.

Morbid Curiosity #9 wakes up on the operating table, cleans up after its brother's suicide, dates trannies, loses its home in a hurricane, spends hours in SF General's emergency room, performs its first autopsy, works in a county jail, and much more.

Contributors to Morbid Curiosity #9 include
DAVID NIALL WILSON (author of The Temptation of Blood and The Grails Covenant Trilogy),
LORELEI SHANNON (author of Vermifuge and Other Toxic Cocktails),
TREY R. BARKER (author of Veil of the Soul and Where the Southern Cross the Dog),
SIMON WOOD (author of Accidents Waiting to Happen and Dragged into Darkness), and
MICHAEL HEMMINGSON (author of The Rose of Heaven and the House of Dreams trilogy).

Celebrities include Rob Zombie, Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Campbell, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, Jennifer Tilly, Kelly Stables and many more.

HAPPY HORROR / THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - Big birthday wishes to Actor Ving Rhames (JACOB'S LADDER, THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS, TERROR ON TRACK 9, PULP FICTION, FINAL FANTASY, DARK BLUE, DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004]) is 46. Actor Gabriel Byrne (THE KEEP, GOTHIC, STIGMATA, END OF DAYS, SPIDER, GHOST SHIP, SHADE) is 55. Actor Stephen Baldwin (BITTER HARVEST, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, DEAD WEEKEND, MR. MURDER, SCARRED CITY, X CHANGE, DEAD AWAKE, SPIDER'S WEB, SHELTER ISLAND, FALLACY, BOUND BY LIES) is 39. Stephen shares a May birthday with THE USUAL SUSPECTS co-star, Gabriel Byrne.

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MAY 11

QUICK BITE
Horror writer, MF Korn tells us that his book, SWAMP WITCH PIQUANTE AND SCREAM QUEEN BISQUE will be translated into German and published by Eloy Edictions. But relax, it won't be released there for another 3 years. Try and remember this note in 2008. Eloy Edictions is currently translating MF Korn's novel, RACHMANINOFF'S GHOST.

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MAY 10

HAPPY HORROR BIRTHDAYS TO - Director David Fincher (ALIEN³, SE7EN, FIGHT CLUB, PANIC ROOM) is 43. Editor, DP, Actor, Director, and pretty much everything else in film, Danny Draven (HORRORVISION, THE FRIGHTENING, CRYPTZ, HELL ASYLUM, DEATHBED, DARK WALKER, WITCHES OF THE CARIBBEAN) is 27. Actor Meg Foster (WELCOME TO ARROW BEACH, THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW, THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND, THEY LIVE, LEVIATHAN, STEPFATHER II, SHRUNKEN HEADS, OBLIVION, THE KILLERS WITHIN, THE MINUS MAN) is 57. Composer Jay Ferguson (PULSE, BAD DREAMS, TALES FROM THE CRYPT [TV], A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET 5, TREMORS 2, TREMORS 4) is 58.

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MAY 9

Feo Amante

STUPID HORROR or OKAY, MAYBE HE'S AN IDIOT AFTER ALL
(Feo Caveat: I fully supported Alberto Gonzales for United States Attorney General. His opinions vary from mine, but I'm not so parochial as to think my nation's leaders should be my clones. That would be a bad thing. Because they'd all stop governing and go start up Horror websites.)

I hope that this news item at family.org is untrue. Because if it IS true, (update: And, sadly it is true) then our new Attorney General of the United States is a moron. And I don't mean that lightly. There is such a thing as book smart and life stupid. If Alberto Gonzales has really listed the prosecution of pornography as his priority, then the man is a fool.

Now by pornography, Alberto wasn't talking strictly about Child pornography. Everyone supports the protection of not just our children, but children everywhere. Humanity has lost its reason to exist when it stops protecting the lives of children. But Alberto was talking about Adult pornography. I don't know how you feel about porn and everyone reading this is going to have a different level of tolerance I'm sure.

My point isn't porn, it's WAR.

Hey Alberto! PLEASE tell me you didn't really say this! Because I'd like to tell you something. Something important. Something that is here and now and you should be aware of it:
WE ARE IN A F*CKING WAR!
(FeoNote: I don't have to put an asterisk in that word. Slate doesn't. Rolling Stone doesn't. imdb.com doesn't. But I do it because I'm not running a porn site. That plus my Mom reads this. Love ya Mom! On the other hand, my Pop also reads this and he's an ex-Navy man, like me. So the word stays. Love ya Pop!)

Anyway: We didn't win WWI and WWII by having various branches of the federal government making the War a secondary or tertiary consideration. During times of War, THE War is, and should always be, the FIRST consideration!

And in case you haven't noticed:

THIS IS A TOUGH F*CKING WAR!

And in case you haven't bothered to look, or have been too busy cuddling up to the Focus on the Family folks to pay attention,

AMERICANS ARE DYING IN THIS WAR!

And YOU,Alberto, are part of the United States Federal Government that is supposed to make sure that their deaths, and their efforts, are for a REASON! That means protecting and defending the Constitutional freedoms of the United States. So stop attending cozy little circle jerks with a bunch of porn gazing blue noses and DO YOUR JOB!

You can worry about how much you get to watch and prosecute porn after the WAR!

Recruiting Office.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Anthony started in Horror, got older and turned toward Mysteries (even playing Sherlock Holmes). But even in his dramas teeter on Horror and Thriller. I mean, there's just something a little off, a little disturbing, about the roles of today's birthday boy. How disturbing? Take, for example, his dramas: A WALK WITH LOVE AND DEATH, BLOOD OF THE LAMB, BLACK FLOWERS FOR THE BRIDE, VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED, SWEET KILLING. And those are just the dramas! So Happy Birthday to
Actor Anthony Higgens (TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, VAMPIRE CIRCUS, FLAVIA THE HERETIC, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE COLD ROOM, YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES, SHERLOCK HOLMES RETURNS and more) who is 57 today.
And on Sunday -
YARRR! THAR BE VARMINTS IN THE SEA, SAYS I! Happy birthday to a man who has made his name terrifying folks with tales of nasty - but real - varmints from the depths. Of course, he's sorry about his novels inspiring people to go out and kill sharks by the tens of thousands. And soon he'll be sorry for people going out and killing squid. And so on. But Happy Birthday to -
Writer Peter Benchley (JAWS, THE DEEP, THE ISLAND, CREATURE) who is 65.
This character actor hasn't stopped working since 1979! But starting in the year 2000 - and I don't know why he started then - today's birthday boy has turned his career toward Horror Thriller Mystery and Suspense. So Happy Birthday to
Actor David Keith (FIRESTARTER, TEMPTATION, DEADLY SINS, EPOCH, ANTHRAX, CARRIE [TV], SABRETOOTH, WATERVILLE, DAREDEVIL, HANGMAN'S CURSE, DEEP SHOCK, EPOCH: EVOLUTION [TV], ALL SOULS DAY, LOCUSTS: THE 8th DAY) is 51.
And on Saturday -
Actor Traci Lords (NOT OF THIS EARTH, SHOCK 'EM DEAD, RAW NERVE, THE TOMMY KNOCKERS, SERIAL MOM, CIRCUITRY MAN II, SKINNER, VIRTOUSITY, UNDERWORLD [1996], BLADE, YOU'RE KILLING ME, DEATHLANDS) is 37.
Director Ruggero Deodato (CASTLE OF BLOOD, UNA ONDATA DI PIACERE, JUNGLE HOLOCAUST, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK, ATLANTIS INFERNO, CUT AND RUN, CAMPING DEL TERRORE, UN DELITTO POCO COMUNE, THE WASHING MACHINE [TV]) is 66.
Actor Darren McGavin (FEAR [1946], MISSION MARS, THE NIGHT STALKER [TV], SOMETHING EVIL [TV], THE NIGHT STRANGLER [TV], THE DEMON AND THE MUMMY, THE CRACKLE OF DEATH, HANGER 18, CHILD IN THE NIGHT [TV], HAPPY HELL NIGHT, GARGOYLES [TV], MILLENNEUM [TV], XFILES [TV]) is 83.

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MAY 6

Feo Amante

CREDIT WHERE ITS DUE
I didn't vote for Albert Gore, I think he'd have made a lousy president. Worse than Bush? Yes. But that said, hell: I'd make a lousy president! So would Albert Einstein or even Mother Theresa: Doesn't make someone a bad person! So I want to add my voice to those who give kudos today to Al Gore. He didn't invent the Internet, but at one time he was the lone voice in the wilderness with the political influence to insure that such a thing would have a chance to survive and thrive. There are tens of thousands of innovative technologies that have died for lack of funding or support. Among them there are likely hundreds that were visionary. So Gates, Jobs, Torvalds, even Limbaugh and more, all owe Gore a sincere debt of gratitude for being far-sighted enough, at a crucial point in time, to pull the very idea of what the Internet could be from the wasteland of abandoned technologies, and remove all roadblocks to its growth.

Sometimes someone just happens to be in the right place at the right time. And how they behave in that moment determines their legacy as a hero, villain, or nobody. Al successfully got the government to back the hell off of a fledgling technology that could have been regulated and taxed into an early grave by narrow minded short-sighted bureaucrats. At its best, the Internet has both the power and the potential to act as a platform of freedom world wide. Knowledge is power and the unbridled distribution of that knowledge is freedom. Something that dictators world wide fear.

Yesterday, May 5, Vint Cerf, one of the real inventors of the Internet, presented Gore a Webby Award for Al's enormous contribution to the Information Superhighway. Thanks, Al!

Mike Oliveri

THE MALICE ENGINE
My good bro, Mike Oliveri (The Bram Stoker award winning novel, DEADLIEST OF THE SPECIES) is both a Horror writer and a Linux Geek like me. Actually, he's even more of a Linux Geek than me. His old message board was getting buried by hit & run morons so he now has a new message board over at Horror World, courtesy of Ron Dickie and Nancy Kalanta. To keep out the idiots, the board requires registration. Drop by and say "Howdy". Also check out Mike's informative and often hilarious blog, The Malice Engine, at MikeOliveri.com.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAY TO -
Actor Anne Parillaud (NIKITA, INNOCENT BLOOD, PASSAGE À L'ACTE, DEAD GIRL, SHATTERED IMAGE) is 45.

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MAY 5

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!
On this day in 1862, a small Mexican Army of 4,000, led by Texas born General Zaragosa and his Colonel Porfirio Diaz, destroyed the much larger invading French Army and traitorous Mexican Army (a combined force of 8,000). The victory was short lived. Under another pretext, the French sent 30,000 troops the following year, installing a relative of the French governing family, Archduke Maximilian of Austria. As ordered by President Lincoln, a small, standing Union Army, under General Sheridan (near the end of the American civil war), came to the Texas/Mexican border where they supplied the victorious Mexican Army with weapons (the worst was yet to come). Union soldiers were discharged and allowed to fight with Mexico against the French if they chose and some did. So why should Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo? The American Legion of Honor marched in the Victory Parade in Mexico City. It was a good idea for Americans and Mexicans to party together and get drunk then and it's a damn good idea now! CINCO DE MAYO! YEE-HAAWW!!!

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor John Ryhs-Davies (SPHINX, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, WAXWORK, THE LOST WORLD, THE UNAMEABLE II, LORD OF THE RINGS, CHUPACABRA TERROR) is 61.
Actor Lance Henrickson (MANSION OF THE DOOMED, DAMIEN: Omen II, THE VISITOR, PIRANHA II, NIGHTMARES, THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, PUMPKIN HEAD, ALIEN³, NEAR DARK, SCREAM 3, MIMIC 3, ALIEN VS PREDATOR, HELLRAISER: HELLWORLD) is 65.
Actor Vincent Kartheiser has been turning to Horror Thrillers ever since reaching adulthood (RICKY 6, THE TIES THAT BIND, ANGEL [TV]) and turns 26 today.
BizMan Sage Stallone, founder of GRINDHOUSE RELEASING, which brings digital remastering and quality re-releases to both theaters and DVD of some serious old Hardcore Horror and exploitation movies like CANNIBAL FEROX and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST and more. Sage is 30.

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MAY 4

From Jonathan Reitan
IF YOU AIN'T HAD ENOUGH O' THIS PALAVER YET...
PalaverCon 2005, a Dark Tower convention put on by Donald M. Grant Books and TheDarkTower.net with guests Michael Whelan (artist of THE GUNSLINGER and THE DARK TOWER), Phil Hale (artist of THE DRAWING OF THE THREE), Darrel Anderson (artist of SONG OF SUSANNAH), Rick Berry (artist of The TALISMAN and BLACK HOUSE), Robert Wiener (President of Donald M. Grant Publisher) and more, will be held July 22-24, 2005 in Durham, New Hampshire. Events include games, an art show, panels, movies, parties and a dealers room to spend all your cash. Registration is limited to 150 attendees and can be done so through palavercon.com.

Judi Rohrig

These film awards will honor both long and short form films in a variety of categories including Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Comic Book Related, Fannish, Series inspired, Animated, and Music Video. Complete guidelines are available at the Astronomicon website created for these awards.

The celebrity judges this year were best-selling author F. Paul Wilson, the father-daughter writing team of Michael Slade: Rebecca & Jay Clarke; and Sci Fiction editor, Ellen Datlow. Bill Breedlove served as the emcee.

Left to right front row: Christopher M. Cevasco (2nd place), Martin Mundt (1st place), Bev Vincent (also 2nd place). Back row, judges for the competition: F. Paul Wilson; the father-daughter writing team of Michael Slade, Rebecca & Jay Clarke; and Ellen Datlow.

From Ralan
RALAN'S SPECTRAVAGANZA CONTEST
This is the official kick-off for this year's SPECTRAVAGANZA CONTEST. The reason for the new name (it was The Grabber Contest) is a basic change in the rules. This year it's not about beginnings, but about endings. The submission period will be 1-31 August 2005 - get on your marks!

Continued at Spectravaganza.com.

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MAY 3

William Gagliani

From William Gagliani
THIS IS THE LAST GASP OF THE WORLD HORROR CONVENTION 2005?
(FeoNote: The following is from Horror writer, William Gagliani [WOLF'S TRAP])
Whether or not you came to WHC in New York last month, you may want to stop by my website and either revisit the fun or live vicariously and see the many pics culled from all those I shot at the convention, plus a few from guest photographers! Many (well, a few of you - Feo) of you on my list were there, and I'm glad we had a chance (however brief) to reconnect.

Consider this World Horror 2005's last gasp.

Feel free to pass on the link to anyone else who might be interested.

My thanks to Deena Warner, without whose help my gallery would not exist, as well as everyone who put up with my flash popping in the face during the various events. There were more pictures, but my hands aren't as steady as they were, and this camera (a Sony digital) seems less forgiving than my trusty Elan. So I kept only the better (or less blurry) pictures to give an overview of the whole convention. Alas, I apologize for missing the gross-out contest this year! There's always next year.

Visit William Gagliani's website.

Feo Amante

HYPOCRISY HORROR
Hey, it happens to me and it happens to you. We go along through life, thinking we're doing the right thing, secure behind the wall of our own ideologies, then one day POW! we get caught with our pants down! Many of us not only have ideologies (i.e. self-rightous), but we also have our wants (greedy desires!). HA! Serves us all right when we get busted! I was 25 when it happened to me (an issue over honesty, lying to girfriends, and having more than one at the same time - I lost SO big!). Now I can laugh at others (in empathy) because I know how they feel. First comes the victimhood (I've been caught being a hypocrite? Well, I'm the victim here!) as amply demonstrated by one Steve Huff, who has his backtracking on speed dial right now. Check out his heavy handed shadow casting of John Mason (Nearly Groom to be of the runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks). Then check out his injured pride at his blog, The Dark Side. He practices being judge, jury, and executioner of anyone, anywhere, who could be under suspicion for anything. Sometimes he's been right, but just as often he's been wrong. Hopefully he'll learn.

Then check out this political cartoon from Ann Telnaes, Runaway Bride. Ann drew this cartoon on May 2, only 24 hours after Jennifer Wilbanks was found in New Mexico and everyone realized that she simply got cold feet. Ann acts like the news has been beaten to death like The Pope election, or the Michael Jackson case, or the many entries in her archive where she continues to pound into the ground events that were years old irrelevant when she decided to draw something about them. Like Steve, Ann doesn't seem to be an actual bad person, just someone caught up in her own self-rightousness.

As for me, I'm no longer ideological or self-rightous: Just skeptical, critical, and judgemental. So you can see how I've grown as a person!

*Update May 4, 2005: Steve Huff responds:

Yeah. Guilty as charged.

At first, after getting the hits from your site and reading why I was getting them I was ready to be seriously pissed, then I realized:

- Your site kicks ass. I may write about 'true crime,' but being a serious consumer of horror goes along with that. Just never had much reason to blog about it.

- You, unlike numerous commenters who agreed with you, had the courage of your convictions to not only call me out from your own site and under your own online identity, but you made your point pretty well, without being seriously insulting. Tell you what pissed me off more than anything about negative comments on my entries that assumed Mason was the potential ogre in the scenario? The anonymous assholes. I may not enjoy another guy poking me with a stick from his website like you've done, but I respect the way you did it. It was fair.

- There is no such thing as bad publicity.

- We appear to have similar grooming habits.

Seriously, I like your site. Weird way for me to discover it, but I'll be back.

Woundedly, pridefully yours,

Steve

FeoNote: As far as I'm concerned, Steve has human foibles like the rest of us, but is a class act all the same.

HORROR TOON
Today's Horror Toon comes from Joe Martin who, incredibly, holds the Guinness World Book Record for creating over 1,300 comics a year!

Wife of the Fly.

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MAY 2

From Matthew Warner
AH! MY EYES!
In a first for Horror World, the same author has written both the monthly short story and the monthly column. Naturally, Matthew Warner takes the opportunity to focus one on the other, as his article WITH THE EYES OF A WRITER, discusses the composition of WITH THE EYES OF GOD, featuring scans from idea notebooks. It includes a contest for whomever can read his handwriting.

It is still a bit early in the year, but things are happening fast, and we want to remind new visitors as well as our old ones as soon as possible about our new location, The Marriott Convention Resort.

Although we have moved it this year to the larger location, there is still a limited amount of hotel rooms and spaces for exhibitors. If you have been to our event before, you know that just about everything is sold out ahead of time.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Since 1989, actor David Suchet has been successfully playing and replaying Agatha Christie's infamously famous detective, Hercule Poirot on numerous television movies. David is 59.
And on Sunday -
He hasn't made many Thriller movies, but man has he ever influenced a lot of modern Thriller movies.
John Woo (MO DENG TIAN CHI, FACE/OFF, PAYCHECK) is 59.
Julie Benz (DUE OCCHI DIABOLICI aka TWO EVIL EYES, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], BAD GIRLS FROM VALLEY HIGH, SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS [TV], ANGEL [TV], SHRIEK IF YOU KNOW WHAT I DID LAST FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH, TAKEN [TV], HALO 2 [Game]) is 37.
And on Saturday
Today's birthday girl is teetering on the edge of NOT having her birthday celebrated here (like she'll care!), but for now, and for the direction of her career since SPIDERMAN, let's wish a Happy Birthday to
Actress Kirsten Dunst (INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, TOWER OF TERROR [TV], THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, THE CROW: Salvation, SPIDERMAN, KAENA: THE PROPHECY, SPIDERMAN 2) who is 23.
Throughout the 1970s and a few times in the 1980s, this birthday boy served up the "look" of varmints in a variety of monster movies. Happy Birthday to
Make-up Artist Joe Blasco (GARDEN OF THE DEAD, THE TOUCH OF SATAN, SHIVERS, ILSA: SHE WOLF OF THE SS, RABID, DEAN KOONTZ: WHISPERS) is 57.
Joe shares an April birthday with fellow RABID alumni, Marilyn Chambers.

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Contributors to feoamante.com are going places!
See below!

THE BREED Starring Adrian Paul (THE HIGHLANDER), Bokeem Woodbine, and Ling Bai (THE CROW), This Alternate History movie is part Horror, Part crime, part S.F. and all Vampires. From the screenplay by our own Christos N. Gage and Ruth Fletcher Gage.