Greetings.

I thought I’d make a quick update and inform you of the some of the goings-on at Turn to Ash HQ, and make an announcement regarding another recurring non-fiction article that will appear in the pages of Turn to Ash.

Line edits and rough layout work have begun on Turn to Ash, Vol. 1. The cover art for Vol. 1 should be in my hands by around May 15th, and rest assured that I will share a mock up of the cover at the earliest possible second. I hope to have the full TOC  and final cover ready to share in June.

Work is already well underway for Vol. 2, and I can’t wait to tell you what’s in store. An official announcement and call for submissions for this themed issue will come sometime in May. Keep your eyes peeled.

There’s also…something else… but whenever I try to recall exactly what it is, my vision goes white and I l0se my train 0f th0ught. I’m sure I’ll remember it s00n enough and pass it al0ng.

Anyway, I’m pleased to announce another recurring non-fiction column that will appear in Turn to Ash. “Take It From Me (But Give It Back When You’re Done):
Random Thoughts On Horror Cinema”, by author James Newman, first ran in the Splatterpunk zine. We are thrilled to begin by offering the original article that appeared in the now out-of-print Splatterpunk 6, in Turn to Ash, Vol. 1. This first installment is an examination of several horrific scenes occurring in movies that don’t necessarily have both feet planted firmly in the genre. James will continue to offer his insights into silver screen horror in future installments of Turn to Ash. I’m extremely happy to have James on board, and I implore you to check out his excellent fiction if you haven’t already. A bio and a couple of links are included below to help you in this endeavor.

Til next time,

Ben

Find James at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Newman/e/B0082Z5L18/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1461651864&sr=8-1

The contracts are signed. Not gonna go full TOC yet, but I am thrilled to announce that Turn to Ash, Vol. 1 will feature fiction from…

Lucy A. Snyder

Jason A. Wyckoff

Betty Rocksteady

Michael Kelly

Alana I. Capria

J. Daniel Stone

Jordan Kurella

C. C. Adams

Tim Jeffreys

Terence Hannum

Andrew Wilmot

Adrian Ludens

Matt Thompson

More details soon. Have a great weekend.

With submissions closed, I’m hard at work finalizing the line-up for Turn to Ash, Vol. 1.  I should be able to announce the fiction selections in the next month, but I thought today I would highlight a little bit of the non-fiction that will appear in the zine.

Jose Cruz, author, light-keeper at The Haunted Omnibus, and regular contributor to the bare•bones e-zine, will be contributing two non-fiction pieces. One will be a recurring column that will act as something of a counterpoint to The Haunted Omnibus, and shine a light on forms of short storytelling in the horror/weird vein that occur outside the typical literary forms; anthology segments from movies and television, comic books, radio dramas, and anywhere else where something strange and dark may bloom outside the usual channels.

His second offering is a fantastic, insightful interview with filmmaker Philip Gelatt, writer of the excellent Europa Report, and screenwriter and director of the upcoming film adaptation of Laird Baron’s “–30–.”

With the aid of Jose and a couple of other folks whose work I will tease in the coming weeks, I hope to make Turn to Ash an aggregate of not only quality dark fiction and artwork, but vital non-fiction works, as well.

Salutations from Turn to Ash HQ,

Most of us tinkers, some of us tailors,

Ben

That’s that, for now. Submissions for Turn to Ash, Vol. 1 are now closed.

I should have a response out to everyone who has submitted anything by April 10th. If you haven’t heard from me by then, please send an inquiry.

I will announce a TOC and release a mock-up of the cover sometime in May.

I’d like to offer my genuine, heartfelt gratitude to everyone who submitted. The response has been worlds beyond what I had hoped for when I put out the initial call for submissions. I’m really chomping at the bit to be holding this book in my hands, and I hope you will be, too.

Expect an announcement regarding guidelines for submissions for Vol. 2 in a couple of weeks.

‘Til next time.

Ben