Mentioned Honourably

I picked up a couple of Honourable Mentions in Ellen Datlow's Year's Best Horror. Whilst there were 608 HMs in all, and it could be argued that they are 'close but no cigar' entities in that the stories mentioned didn't make it into the actual anthology, my inclusion never-the-less made me smile.

Ellen datlow

I suppose we cling to any nod that we're heading in the right direction. And there is, of course, the thought that Datlow is amongst the top editors in her field.

First mention was for my story This is Mary's Moon, published in Black Static issue 22.

The second was for 'Ruth Across the Sea', published as a flash fiction winner in issue three of Shock Totem.

Brian Does, urm, Kindle, too

Fresh on the heels of Digging up Donald's Kindle appearance, I can now report that Burying Brian is also now available for the Kindle.

The links are here:

amazon.cu.uk

amazon.com

Should you be kind enough to take a look.

Donald Does Kindle

After much tinkering and tutting, formatting and fist-waving, my first novel, Digging up Donald, is now available for the Kindle at Amazon.

Basically, it's a sprawling plot of a comedy that tells of a small town, semi-rural England family and their fellow town's folk, and how they might battle the demons of Armageddon. In it I wanted to explore just how far I could place the ordinary alongside the extraordinary, and if I say so myself the tone of the tale is unique. It forced me to find that elusive entity, my own authorial voice.

"It was biscuits at ten paces."

I really love that opening line. How can anyone battle with biscuits? Only where the ordinary meets the extraordinary.

The novel was first published in hardback in 2004. It then saw release as a paperback in 2007. The sequel (though in truth it's more of a second book in the same universe), Burying Brian, will also be on Kindle soon. Along the way a number of people whose opinion I respect have said some wonderful things about Digging up Donald.

Such as:

"...not simply one of the most
enjoyable books I've read this year,
but one of the most enjoyable
books I've read for many years."
Steve Redwood,
author of "Fisher of Devils"
and "Who Needs Cleopatra?"

"This reviewer found himself
dreading finishing the book - it truly
is that entertaining a read."
Kevin Etheridge,
The Horror Express

"Pirie's book is a shot in the arm of a
jaded genre and if there's any justice he
will be welcomed with open chequebooks by
the devotees of comic fantasy."
Peter Tennant, The 3rd Alternative

...the best book I have ever read in my
entire life...
Garry Charles, Amazon.co.uk review

Links to Amazon are below, and thanks for looking in should you choose to do so:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Recent Reads

"What have you read recently, Steve?"

Well, (who said that?) me and my new Kindle have been busy, since you ask.

First off I read Cate Gardner's "Theatre of Curious Acts", which in true Gardneresque style is a strange tale of madness and intrigue based around the trenches of World War I. The plot swirls and chokes like mustard gas, and the thin line between the real and the surreal is, as is so often Gardner's hallmark, decidedly blurred.

Theatre of Curious Acts

Definitely one to pick up, and at a mere £1.97 for a download, Gardner's practically giving it away.

Mark Gunnells' "The Quarry" is a 'High School Horror/Suspense' work that tells the tale of the close-campus lake that now hides the old, abandoned quarry, and the evil that lurks therein. When this evil is disturbed, we have what is essential a very visual piece of writing which I think it would make a good film. Chock full of love interests, there's a depth to this story beyond that of the lake itself.

The Quarry

I also read and reviewed for The Future Fire the novel "Panoptica" by Patrick Hudson. The full review is here (scroll down to Panoptica):

The Future Fire

But in a nutshell this is a near-future tale of a dystopian society of invasive surveillance coupled with an insatiable appetite for the 'reality show'. What follows is not only a delicious parody on today's 'X-Factor' culture but also carries real depth as to the fears for privacy and reality such a society would surely trample upon.

Panoptica

To Pull a Child from a Woman

I have a story published online right now. "To Pull a Child from a Woman" is the featured story at Darker.

The story is a reprint, having been published first in 2007 by the UK magazine Sein und Werden, and again in 2010 in Sam's Dot's anthology Sideshow 2.

I like this story—I think it has a lot of depth to it. It tells of the lowly clown Hobo and his yearning for a mother's love. The fact that it's now seen three publications suggests to me editors like it, too.

The link to the story is here: Darker should you wish to take a look.

Season's Greetings

Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Reviews are like buses...

Two reviews of Burying Brian have surfaced online this week. The first is on my own website, where Peter Tennant and Andy Cox have kindly given me permission to reproduce in full the March Brian review published in Black Static issue twenty-two.

To read this click on my website link below and select What's New, and then the link to the review itself.

www.stevenpirie.com

The second review is from Shock Totem 4, written by Robert Duperre and made available on Rob's blog the "Journal of Always".

Journal of Always

It's always a thrill to read a positive review, and my thanks go out to both Rob and Peter for their continued support.