Take a look back at…

• The release of my new sci-fi/horror novella JK-LOL
• The release of And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel (an anthology edited & published by me)
• A new interview with me
• The latest installment of Your Favorite Author’s Favorite Author where I talk Roger Zelazny with Laird Barron

No Laughing Matter

Tuesday saw the release of not one but two books from yours truly. First, we had my latest sci-fi/horror novella JK-LOL which was published by Mad Axe Media.

Ted Hideman is a family man and a renowned tech start up guru.

He’s also the notorious impossible-to-track online troll JK-LOL.

When his online persona spills over into the real world, attacking those he’s virtually harassed and leaving a trail of bodies from California to Mississippi, the disgraced Silicon Valley wünderkind must abandon the protective anonymity of the online sphere and desperately search for answers in the real world.

As the authorities close in on him, and with the unlikely allyship of a cybercrimes-focused federal agent who’s been trying to nail JK-LOL for years, Ted is brought face-to-face with the living embodiments of his vile, hateful speech. Following in the tradition of Black Mirror and Barb’s sci-fi/horror novelette Helicopter Parenting in the Age of Drone Warfare, JK-LOL highlights the dark side of tech and how terrifying connectivity can truly be.

JK-LOL is a social media Jekyll & Hyde story that takes on toxic masculinity, the dangers of online anonymity, the inhumanity of Silicon Valley, and more. Lot of content warnings for this one.

So happy with how the final book turned out. I mean, just look at this creepy-as-hell cover care of Mad Axe’s Renaissance Man publisher Joey Powell.

You can check out links to buy the book here. Note: I should have more author copies coming soon and those will be added to my Ko-Fi shop so folks can order signed books. (Or message me directly here or at patrick.barb@gmail.com to order.)

And the Day Has Come

Also one of this past Tuesday’s new releases: And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel, a weird & speculative fiction anthology curated, edited, and published by…me.

Y’all, I cannot capture how truly proud I am of this book and how wonderful it’s been to see such positive responses from reviewers. Check out the book’s Goodreads page (and added to your Want to Read while you’re there) for look at what readers are saying.

Every single author—Lillah Lawson, Helen Victoria Murray, M. Lopes da Silva, Camila Hamel, Briar Ripley Page, Joe Koch, Tiffany Morris, D. Matthew Urban, Christi Nogle, Tim Major, Dan Coxon, Matthew Kressel, Lindz McLeod, Erin Brown, Brian Evenson, Edward Barnfield, Dale Light, Corey Farrenkopf, Ai Jiang, Michael Horita, Richard Thomas, John Langan—deserves their kudos and flowers and chocolates and kittens, as do Foreword writer Adam Clair and cover artist extraordinaire Chris Bilheimer.

And, of course, my thanks to original publisher Brandon Applegate for helping me get the big ball rolling down the hill here.

Even if you have never heard any of NMH’s music, I think there will be something for you in this anthology if you enjoy strange, weird, melancholy, dream-like, haunting, baffling, uplifting, heartbreaking, mind-blowing stories.

Order links are available here and editor-signed copies will soon be available on my Ko-fi shop or direct from me here or at patrick.barb@gmail.com.

Also! If you’re in the Athens, GA-area (home of NMH), then save the date for February 4th, when a launch event for the book is slated to take place. More info to come as soon as I have it! But there will be live music, books for sale, giveaways, and more.

Yapping about Books and Writing and the Weird

Ivy is one of those uber-talented authors who makes it look easy. She writes weird fiction in a way that isn’t always horror but is baffling, befuddling, and alluring, all at once. I consider her one of my measuring-stick contemporaries. One of those people whose output I look to for new challenges, new goals, etc., etc.

Check out the chat and my ramblingly long answers here.

Also, I’ve been jealous of all my other writer pals who’d been interviewed for Ivy’s Substack, so I’m glad to have made the cut!

Favorite Authors from A to Zelazny

Finally, this week also saw the newest installment of my interview column Your Favorite Author’s Favorite Author go live (for FREE) at Shortwave Magazine.

For January, I chatted with one of my personal faves Laird Barron about his favorite author Roger Zelazny. In the conversation, we talk about humor, early inspirations, writing with depth, and more.

I love when these conversations cover authors with whom I only have a passing acquaintance, as it guarantees my TBR is about to get a boost.

Have you read any Zelazny? If so, what’s your favorite?

Wrapping It Up

Well, it’s been quite a week. I think I’m gonna celebrate by going to see the new Wolf Man tomorrow.

Until the next time…