The horror community suffered a devastating loss when Rick Hautala passed away on March 21st.  Anyone who has ever read Rick’s work will attest to what an amazing writer he was, but more importantly anyone who [...]]]>

In Loving Memory of Rick Hautala (February 3, 1949 – March 21, 2013)

To quote our Publisher Bob Booth (slightly cleaned up for publication), “This has been one hell of a year.”

The horror community suffered a devastating loss when Rick Hautala passed away on March 21st.  Anyone who has ever read Rick’s work will attest to what an amazing writer he was, but more importantly anyone who ever had the pleasure to know him will attest to what an amazing person he was.  As such, the online world of Facebook and blogs such as this has been overwhelmed by a flood of tributes, remembrances, and appreciations ever since he passed (and rightfully so).

Amidst all those articles, however, Christopher Golden published the following on his blog, No Rest for the Wicked —

Unfortunately, Rick’s sudden death could not have been more untimely. The life of a freelance writer is often one lived on the fringes of financial ruin, and Rick struggled mightily to stay afloat in recent years. Just within the last couple of months, that struggle became difficult enough that he could not afford to continue paying his life insurance bill, and allowed it to lapse. Though he could never have foreseen it, the timing, of course, could not have been worse. Then, just this morning, Holly discovered that the social security benefits she might hope to receive as Rick’s widow are not available to her until she turns sixty, three years from now. Efforts are under way on projects that we hope will earn some money for Rick’s estate, but meanwhile there are costs involved with his death to consider, and then, for Holly, the struggle will continue. If you’d like to help, any donation would be appreciated. You can PayPal directly to Holly at holly_newstein@hotmail.com. Thank you so much for your time.

Holly Newstein is more to us than just another author on our roster or the beloved wife of the first writer who ever signed with us — she’s our dear friend and an essential pillar of the Necon Community.  Therefore, we humbly request that all those who can please consider responding to Chris’ call.

For our part, effective immediately and lasting through June 30th (i.e. the entire second quarter of 2013), Necon E-Books will not take our usual Publisher’s share of all sales of Rick or Holly’s titles — WINTER WAKE, DEAD VOICES and THE EPICURE.  Instead, we’ll be passing those profits directly to Holly.  Naturally, Ralph W. Bieber will continue to receive his share of sales of THE EPICURE, and all third party vendors (i.e. Amazon, B&N, etc.) will take their standard percentage as well.  Otherwise, for the next three months, everything will go straight to Holly.  Holly, we wish we could do more and we sincerely hope that this helps (even just slightly).

Along those lines, we have never once requested that our customers consider purchasing our titles directly from our own web site rather than through a third party vendor; in fact, we consider it a point of pride and emphasis that we make our titles available as widely and conveniently as possible.  However, once and only once, I’m going to make an exception in this case because the PayPal transaction fees generated by sales on our site are far less than the percentage owed to outside vendors, which means sales from our site will equate to more for Holly (and to hopefully spur our customers in that direction, we’ve made all three titles available in one easy-to-purchase bundle HERE).

Thank you all in advance for doing everything you can to help Holly during this unspeakably difficult time.

This is Matt Bechtel, once again hacking into Bob’s email account to use his universal mailing list to deliver the latest on his condition. On behalf of all of us, I apologize for the length of time which has passed since our last update (as I’m sure you [...]]]> Good evening to the entire Necon Community.

This is Matt Bechtel, once again hacking into Bob’s email account to use his universal mailing list to deliver the latest on his condition. On behalf of all of us, I apologize for the length of time which has passed since our last update (as I’m sure you all understand, things have been rather hectic!).

I’d also like to take this moment to apologize to anyone who might have been a bit worried by a certain Facebook post this morning by Necon’s Fearless Leader, our Chairwoman Sara Calia. Sara posted a brief note asking for thoughts and prayers for Bob, and a number of people (understandably) jumped to some fairly dire conclusions. Sara, please allow me to say that your strength, love, and courage throughout these last few months has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I’ve been humbled and honored to stand by your side … but damn it, couldn’t you have dropped a little more info than just, “Please pray for Dad, he needs them!” into your Facebook post??? Judging by the way my cell phone blew up this morning, your minimalist Status Update really scared a lot of people!

Okay, all joking aside, here’s what’s what on “The Bob Front” — what Sara was alluding to is the fact that the last 24 hours have been far from the best. Last evening, Bob spiked a fever of 101 degrees; seeing as he’s undergoing chemotherapy, his doctor did NOT screw around and ordered him immediately to the E.R., and from there he was readmitted into the hospital. His medical team identified multiple possible causes of infection which could explain the fever (including a VERY small amount of the VERY early stages of pneumonia, which was gratefully caught so early!), so they put him on an I.V. of antibiotics to clear everything up. As such, I’m thrilled to report that he is already feeling much, MUCH better; the fever broke almost immediately, Bob’s less fatigued, and he’s in his typical high spirits. They’re going to keep him in the hospital for a few days and run some more tests/cultures to determine exactly what type of infection he has, but at that point they plan to switch him from the global I.V. antibiotics to an oral dosage of antibiotics which will specifically target whatever particular type of infection this happens to be. So, long story short, we’re knocking on wood that they’ll be able to send him home on Friday.

Which brings up another key piece of news which happened since our last update …

On Monday, February 4th, BOB WENT HOME!!!

(Granted, even before last night’s fever he’s been back-and-forth a few times for tests and for another round of chemo, but that last sentence is still worth repeating …)

On Monday, February 4th, BOB WENT HOME!!!

I’m not going to go through all the boring nuts-and-bolts details of having equipment installed at the house and arranging a visiting nurse schedule (particularly ‘cuz that tends to change on a daily basis anyhow!) What I can tell you is that I honestly don’t have the words to describe what a difference being home has made for him … and that you all played SUCH a significant part in that triumph. Once again, your outpouring of love, support, prayers and well-wishes have done far more than just lift Bob’s spirits — you’ve given him strength. From the bottom of all of our hearts, I cannot thank you all enough.

As I referenced earlier, the plan going forward is to continue returning to the hospital for his chemotherapy treatments (which last for three days) every three weeks. However, first things first — let’s knock out the rest of this infection and get Bob back home within the next few days. In the meantime, anyone who wishes to reach out to Bob is happily encouraged to do so! Sara is still receiving emails for him atsaracalia08@gmail.com, while cards and letters can be sent directly to: Bob Booth, 67 Birchland Ave., Pawtucket, RI 02860. And once again, this email will be turned into a Facebook post, a Necon E-Books Live Blog, and posted on various message boards, so please feel free to use those various web sites to convey your best wishes as well.

Thank you all again so much for all of your love and support. And thank you for being such an important part of …
– The Necon Family

Good evening (and I’m happy to report that it IS a good one!).  This is Matt on the con; Sara asked me to send out an update on Bob’s condition, and unlike the last email, this is one you’ll be glad to read.

I’ll start with the “big picture” — Bob’s improvement over the [...]]]> Dear Necon Community,

Good evening (and I’m happy to report that it IS a good one!).  This is Matt on the con; Sara asked me to send out an update on Bob’s condition, and unlike the last email, this is one you’ll be glad to read.

I’ll start with the “big picture” — Bob’s improvement over the last four days has practically been miraculous.  He feels stronger and stronger each day, he has been eating consistently since Friday evening (after over a week of having no appetite whatsoever), and he reports being in NO PAIN.  His eyes are clear, his spirits are high, and I don’t have the words to tell you how much he appreciates the outpouring of love you have all shown him.

Now for a few particulars.  An MRI on Friday showed tumors pressing against Bob’s spine; ironically, this was actually decent news because it explained many of his symptoms (such as the weakness in his lower body).  As such, he immediately began an aggressive regimen of radiation and steroids, and as I wrote earlier, his improvement was instantaneous.  His doctors have decided to complete the full regimen of radiation (which will run through next Wednesday) before moving on to chemotherapy, but in the meantime, Bob has already met with his Physical Therapy team, who have been tasked with building back the strength in his legs.  They plan to begin his PT within the next few days, and they’re not messing around — they’re planning on putting him through the paces for three hours a day!

Bob also received some of the best news he’s gotten this weekend, and in classic Bob fashion, it didn’t take him long to twist it into a funny story.  According to Bob, his doctor’s EXACT WORDS were that a CAT Scan taken a few days ago “showed nothing.”  ”So,” Bob explained, “either he means I have no brain, or he means I have no brain cancer!”  While most of us have suspected the former for years, I’m pretty damn sure his doctor meant the latter.

So that’s where we stand, gang — with a long road ahead, but with Bob feeling better and stronger by the minute.  Yes, these are the beginning steps forward, but each and every step forward, and each and every day which Bob feels better, deserves to be celebrated.

Which is where you all come in.  On behalf of Bob, Mary, Sara, Dan and Jillian, I humbly THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your positive thoughts, prayers, well-wishes, and energy.  The way you have all rallied to Bob’s side has absolutely touched his heart and given him strength.  Your cards, letters, emails, Facebook posts, and visits have made an immeasurable difference towards lifting his spirits; as such, please, by all means, keep ‘em coming, ‘cuz they’re obviously working!!!  Once again, you can email Bob via Sara at saracalia08@gmail.com, while cards and letters can be sent directly to: Bob Booth, 67 Birchland Ave., Pawtucket, RI 02860.  Finally, this announcement will once again be turned into a Facebook post, a Necon E-Books Live Blog, and posted on various message boards, so please feel free to respond and send your best wishes to Bob via those social networking sites as well.

Again, thank you all so much for your kindness, support and love.  And thank you all for being a part of …

– The Necon Family

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we write to you today to ask for your prayers, good thoughts, and positive energy for our Papa Necon, Bob Booth.  As some of you may have heard, Bob came down with bronchitis in November.  He was sent for a chest x-ray and it [...]]]> Dear Necon Community,

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we write to you today to ask for your prayers, good thoughts, and positive energy for our Papa Necon, Bob Booth.  As some of you may have heard, Bob came down with bronchitis in November.  He was sent for a chest x-ray and it came back showing a shadow that the doctor didn’t like.  Further tests revealed spots on his lung and lesions on his liver, which led to still further tests.  He has been diagnosed with stage four extensive small cell lung cancer and stage four liver cancer.  The doctors also believe that it has spread to his bones, and he is undergoing further testing to discover if it has reached his brain.  Early next week, when all of the results are in, decisions will be made regarding the wisdom and usefulness of chemotherapy and other treatments, but it must be said that options are limited.

Over the more than thirty years since Necon’s founding, it has become ever clearer that Necon is more than a convention.  It has been called summer camp, but always feels like more of a family reunion, and our Necon family grows and changes  with every passing year, spreading further and adding new members.  Bob has been the center of that family–truly Papa Necon–since the very first day, and it is one of his greatest pleasures.  We trust that many of you will want to send Bob your thoughts, kind words, and well wishes, and we gratefully encourage you to do so.  Prayers and positive energy are powerful and would be deeply appreciated by all of us.

Cards and letters can be sent directly to Bob at home.  Bob Booth, 67 Birchland Ave Pawtucket, Ri 02860.  If you’d like to send e-mails and want to be sure they reach him, the best way is to send them to Sara, and she will see that he receives them.  Her e-mail is saracalia08@gmail.com.

Thank you for your kindness, past, present, and future.

Sincerely,

The Necon Family

P.S. — The following announcement has also been posted as this blog page so that people may use the “Response” section below to convey their well wishes to Bob, Mary and the entire Booth Family.

In a typical month, our Flash Fiction Contest will receive somewhere around thirty submissions (light months may be around twenty, heavier months around forty).  [...]]]> I have a really cool story to share here, but for the life of me I can’t come up with a good intro, so I’m just gonna dive right in —

In a typical month, our Flash Fiction Contest will receive somewhere around thirty submissions (light months may be around twenty, heavier months around forty).  Our topic for October this year, “Halloween: A Child’s Perspective,” must have really struck a chord with our writers, because we were already sitting upon well over forty submissions on the last day of the month … when suddenly, the floodgates opened.

Between 12:30 and 3:00AM on October 31^st, the Flash Fiction submission inbox was overwhelmed by over thirty-five entries; in fact, there was such a dramatic increase in traffic that my email software flagged them all as potential spam!  But one quick look revealed they were all legit submissions … and all from the same email server … and another email address was CC’ed on all of ‘em.  Donning my Sherlock Holmes hat, I Googled the CC’ed address (side note: how much easier would Holmes’ life have been if he’d had Google?  Can anyone who watches Elementary tell me if Jonny Lee Miller uses a smartphone to crack cases?).  Low and behold, the email address belonged to an English Teacher at the Bangkok Patana School in Bangkok, Thailand.  And suddenly, the pieces all fell together.

I sent the teacher an email and he happily confirmed my assumptions — he had ASSIGNED our Flash Fiction Contest to his students (hence the flood of last minute submissions, and also why he was copied on all their stories; it was their way of verifying they’d completed the assignment).  However, it was an additional piece of information that he offered that really floored me — his students were all eleven or twelve years old.

As I wrote to the teacher, my first instinct upon receiving all the students’ stories was to create a separate category for them, to judge them only against one another.  That thought lasted about five seconds before I dismissed it.  These kids had all submitted to our contest, just like any other writer; out of pure respect, I felt we owed it to them to do the exact opposite of my first instinct, and to NOT treat them with “kids gloves.”  They threw their hats in the ring, so so be it; they were going to get judged just like any other submission.

This is the point in the story where the Rocky moment is supposed to happen, where a young writer half-way around the world is supposed to show burgeoning prodigy talent, blow away the judges, and defeat over eighty other submissions (over half written by authors twice his or her age) and win our Flash Fiction Contest.  Of course, that’s if the story is fiction.  The truth is, the students went a perfect 0-for-38 (or however many stories they sent in).  All Hollywood endings aside, what would you expect to happen?  They were competing against writers with years more experience than them!

But the fact is, much like Rocky, winning and losing isn’t the point of this story.  From the bottom of my heart, I’d like to thank and congratulate each and every student from the Bangkok Patana School who submitted to our contest this month.  School assignment or not, the courage you all showed in submitting your work, in putting it out into the world to be judged and criticized, is absolutely HUMBLING.  I know I wouldn’t have had the guts to do that when I was your age; heck, quite frankly, it still isn’t always easy to do at my age!

Along with the rejection letters they all received, I created a short PDF file of tips for submitting their writing and sent it to all the members of “the Patana gang.”  Some were very basic (like SPELL CHECK!!!!!), some were more trivial (like no matter how much fun it may be, don’t dress up your submission with fun fonts, color, or Word Art).  But I’d like to quote a piece of the last tip I sent, because I think … no, I know that it applies to writers of all ages —

… Rejection is literally part of the job description of being a writer, as you know, for a FACT, that not everything you send out is going to be accepted.  So the very best advice I can give to you all about the rejection letters you received from me today?  Ignore ‘em; after all, what the heck do we know?  Consider them a badge of honor, your first “battle scar,” and then move on to your next story … You’ve actually all already taken the hardest step — you submitted your writing for the first time. Sure you got rejected, but guess what?  Nothing worse can ever happen when you send out a story than that, so you’ve already experienced the bottom!  Keep at it, ‘cuz you’ve got nowhere to go but up and up …

I could gush on and on about how impressed we all were by the gumption and effort of the Bangkok Patana students … but I need to wrap up this blog sooner than later, ‘cuz I have some submission letters I’ve been lax about crafting myself, and if you guys all took this initiative, what possible excuse could I have?

But, just a few “buckshot” comments before I go (‘cuz that’s my schtick on our Blog, after all!) —

• Congratulations to the gang from Shroud on an amazing second AnthoCon this past weekend; two years in, and you guys are absolutely, without question, a “must attend” event for the fall season!

• As could be expected, much of the conversation at the con drifted into the political realm (that happens when you’re less than a week out from an election, whether people are trying to pussyfoot around the topic or not!).  No matter where you may land on the left / right spectrum, one thing everyone agreed upon was an overall pride in the American voting populous for such a terrific turn out; after all, our government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” only works if the people show up to vote, and we certainly rose to our civic duty this year.

That said, I personally experienced a really strange anomaly on Election Day.  I vote at a small elementary school about a block from where I live; this is by no means a large polling place, and there are multiple others within walking distance.  There were two lines to vote, one for people with last names which begins with a letter from A to L, the other for M to Z.  I had to wait over ninety minutes in line to vote … while the M to Z line never had more than six people in it.  By the time I left, the A to L line was literally three times as long as it was when I arrived, and yet people with a back-half of the alphabet last name continued to walk right up and vote without any wait whatsoever.  Like I said, I’m certain this was just a fluke occurrence, but why the heck did so many people in my neighborhood have names that started A to L?  Where were all the Smiths, the Thompsons, the Petersons, the Pattersons, or the Whites?

• I’ve mentioned the TV show How I Met Your Mother on this blog before, and I stand by my assertion that it’s the best sitcom on network television in a long, long time.  That said, even the best need to know when it’s time to call it a day, and I feel they officially “jumped the shark” two weeks ago.  Why?  Because they recycled a plot line from Friends.  Victoria tells Ted she’ll only marry him if he ends his friendship with his ex, Robin; sub in the names Emily, Ross, and Rachel, and I’ll need to crank out one of my old flannel shirts and listen to Hootie and the Blowfish, ‘cuz it’s 1998 all over again.  On the one in a million chance anyone associated with How I Met Your Mother ever reads this article — c’mon guys, you’re better than that.  You were the show that turned standard sitcom conventions on their head; heck, you even once made fun of how a bunch of twenty-something single friends would prefer a bar to a coffee house!  Please get off the clichés and tell the end of your story; at this point, your redemption lies in bringing this thing home with a bang.

• Speaking of television and redemption, I actually had the idea for The Next Iron Chef: Redemption almost a year ago.  Naturally, I have no way to prove that, as I never suggested it to the Food Network; I only off-handedly said it to my family, like, “Hey, you know what would be cool?  For the next season of Next Iron Chef, they should bring back chefs who’ve already competed and lost before!”  Oh well; Food Network, if you actually have bugged my cell phone, a free tee shirt or something would be a nice gesture.

• I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving in advance; eat too much, drink too much, and fall asleep on the couch by 8:00 p.m. (after all, it’s the one day of the year where that’s socially acceptable!).

I’ve been thinking about that.

When I was twelve, I had been reading and watching horror on a steady diet. Save for a few Christopher Pike books, I’d graduated from Young Adult horror when my much-older [...]]]> Anyone catch that Today Show segment that spotlighted the young man who had a conversation with his twelve-year-old self?

I’ve been thinking about that.

When I was twelve, I had been reading and watching horror on a steady diet. Save for a few Christopher Pike books, I’d graduated from Young Adult horror when my much-older brother dropped a Lovecraft collection in my ten-year-old hands because he’d shown me all the film adaptations that were available and said, “Remember that movie with Prince Humperdinck where he was a mad scientist? That’s in here!” Thanks to him, I’d already read The Stand, It, and Ghost Story at that point. I was always going to the local library when part of it was still in a dank-smelling old building with books that had absorbed the odor so I could carry it right into my home. If I could talk to that kid who carried stacks of books bearing names like Rick Hautala, Thomas Monteleone, Charles Grant, I’d be tempted to tell her she’d publish new editions of those books many years later, and that they would be safe from carrying the scent of questionable plumbing with them. I like the smell of actual, physical books, and I still like being able to hold a book in my hands, but I love my growing e-book collection, too.

A co-worker recently asked me about Necon E-Books. I had placed a copy of Servants of Chaos on the tabletop where I would soon be eating lunch.  When he asked what I was reading, I happened to be hellbent on getting to the bathroom after a Pepsi-Max-fueled morning, so my response of “a horror novel we’re publishing, good, Lovecrafty stuff, but I really need to use the ladies’ room” gave him cause for more questions. Worse yet, I really thought he and I had discussed Necon E-Books at some point before, so wasn’t I a jerk for just tossing the topic out there amidst pronouns. Not a shining public relations moment for this member of the Necon E-Books team, but there was ample opportunity to recover it.

Fairly well-read himself, he had a number of questions and all his reactions were tinged with some bewilderment: this was someone who thought he was pretty familiar with all corners of literature and all subjects with a cult following, but horror? Not really his tumbler of absinthe, but he’d like to know about this little corner of the reading culture.

I answered all the questions he had. Some of them were a lot like questions that get asked on panels at conventions.  I reigned myself in from bragging or being too long-winded as a courtesy, but I’m pretty proud of everything we’ve accomplished with this company, and I dig the chance to hype everything from the stories themselves to the cover illustrations to the victories in battles with formatting. Maybe this guy doesn’t like horror as a rule, but maybe he’ll give a few of our titles a try or tell other people he knows about it. Never pass up the opportunity for word-of-mouth promotion.

A few times, my comments touched upon how I’m happy to work with a group of people who have given me some rewarding reading experiences over the years, and inadvertently steered my life into some fun and memorable directions. When I was a little kid writing my first stories, I wanted to grow up, write books, and create covers for them. I learned somewhere along the way that authors didn’t often get to determine what appeared on the covers of their books, so I canned that part of the dream. Now I get to discuss what our authors want to see on their covers and work with their feedback on the ideas and illustrations, and I was reading a lot of these titles back when they were in paper — or hardback! The most rewarding spin on a personal dream-come-true is our authors being able to weigh in on what the covers of these new editions should look like. I’m a fortunate fan who gets to help make that happen and draw people’s attention to these works so they can get the same enjoyment out of reading them that I did.

Some of the works we’ve published feature illustrations that were attached to print editions of the titles. We get a chance to keep that terrific artwork associated with the title in its new format.  With our increasing productivity, we also get to tap the talents of such accomplished established artists whose work draws attention to some incredible new works and new editions of previously published work.  At horror conventions, I get to hang out with talented people who love the same work I do and introduce me to new work.

I don’t think I’ve ever done anything more thoroughly rewarding, and I told my co-worker that in so many words. I’d tell my twelve-year-old self the same thing.

The premiere title in our first library of books, Necon Classic Horror #1, was Rick Hautala’s Winter Wake.  In fact, Rick participated on the [...]]]> You never forget your first.  As such, this article is dedicated to two tremendously talented writers, each of whom we’re honored to say, were “firsts” for your friendly neighborhood e-book company.

The premiere title in our first library of books, Necon Classic Horror #1, was Rick Hautala’s Winter Wake.  In fact, Rick participated on the panel at Necon XXX at which Bob Booth announced the founding of our company, and Rick’s novel was our first project announced that day.  The reason (beyond the fact that Rick Hautala is a pillar of the horror writing community, a master craftsman, and should be required reading for all fans of the genre)?  Rick was the first author to sign on the proverbial dotted line with us, who agreed to dive into this brave new world of digital publishing, and as such gave our fledging company the immediate weight and credibility of  his name attached to our brand.

Remember all those nice things I just wrote about Rick?  Yeah, that wasn’t me just blowing smoke about one of our contracted talents.  It turns out we’re not the only people who appreciate Rick Hautala the way we do … apparently, none less than the Horror Writer’s Association agrees with us, because they just bestowed their Lifetime Achievement Award upon Rick at the 2011 Bram Stoker Awards Banquet:

The achievement of a lifetime: Rick Hautala accepting his honor.

Rick, from the bottom of our hearts, congratulations!  Simply put, this honor could not have gone to a more worthy author.  This recognition was well-earned, and we sincerely hope that YOU, personally, recognize that fact as well.

To celebrate his Lifetime Achievement Award, we proudly published TWO new Rick Hautala titles this week.  The first is Dead Voices, his classic horror novel first published in 1990 (available for purchase HERE).   The second is his brand-new mainstream offering, Rough Winds (available HERE).  We’re particularly proud to offer Rough Winds; in fact, Bob considers this tale of the real Coastal Maine “the best novel Rick has ever written” (and that’s some statement, considering he just won the Lifetime Achievement Award!).   So why did it take so long for this gem to see the light of day?  Because, no matter how good they all agreed it was, agent after agent told Rick it couldn’t be sold.  We sincerely hope, and believe, that Rough Winds will prove to be another “first” for us — the first amazing novel which, when finally given the chance thanks to being freed of the shackles of the print industry business model, will find its audience and receive its due acclaim.

But, as it turned out, Rick wasn’t the only Necon E-Books author who had a good night in Salt Lake City.

For those who don’t know her, Linda Addison is truly one of a kind; in fact, she is as unique, vibrant, and quirky as the prose and verse she pens.  Moreover, I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love and respect Linda as both a writer and a person; she is truly one of the special people I’ve been blessed to know.

Naturally, we were thrilled when Linda agreed to let us publish her latest collection of poetry and short fiction, How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend (available HERE).  As all who follow our company know, the majority of our titles are classic re-editions we’ve brought into the digital age.  Linda’s collection was one of our first new titles … and as such, was nominated for the 2011 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection.

You know how all the losers on Oscar night always say, “I’m just honored to be nominated?”  Yeah, I always thought they were full of it, too … until Linda’s collection was put up for this award.  It really didn’t surprise me at all that Linda was nominated; in fact, continuing with this Oscars theme, I tend to think of Linda like Meryl Streep (i.e. she warrants a nomination every time she deems to share her talent with us).  But there was a genuine disconnect in my brain that we were involved with it.  It honestly boggled my mind to think that one of OUR books was up for a Stoker; after all, if Necon E-Books was a baby we’d literally still be in diapers!  This just isn’t supposed to happen for a publishing company that’s barely a year old, right?  Right?

Then again, most fledging publishing companies don’t have a talent on their roster like Linda Addison.  And we got to ride her coat tails all the way up to the podium.

Linda Addison, with her Bram Stoker Award in hand, giving special thanks to her mother.

Winning this award actually wasn’t a “first” for Linda; in fact, she received the same distinction in 2001 for Consumed, Reduced to Beautiful Grey Ashes (when she was the first African-American to ever do so).  But it most certainly was a first for our company, and it’s a BIG first — our first ever Bram Stoker Award.  Delivered, and fittingly so, by Linda Addison, a unique star in the horror galaxy and, not coincidentally, one of our very favorite people.  Linda, we are all SO proud of you, and SO proud to have played a role in your richly-deserved achievement.  Thank you for making us look good, and for allowing us the honor of publishing your award-winning collection.

To celebrate Linda’s achievement, we decided to put her to work!  April is National Poetry Month, so we adapted our monthly Flash Fiction Contest into a verse poem competition … and we enlisted Linda as the sole Guest Celebrity Judge!  Think you’ve got the chops to have your poetry judged by a two-time Bram Stoker Award Winning Poet?  Then just click HERE to read the rules and enter your submission!

Like I wrote at the top, you never forget your first … any of them.  Rick and Linda, again, we are so proud of you; congratulations, and thank you both again for being a part of the Necon E-Books family.

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 Since this blog wouldn’t be “buckshot” without at least a few random thoughts —

•  As we come to the end of this television season, I’d like to get something on the record (so I can brag about this in a year or two when the big reveal happens and I’m right) — for all fans of the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” I know who “the mother” is.  I have never read this theory anywhere else online, I don’t believe in reading spoilers, and I actually came up with this about two years ago.  Okay, so here it is — Ted is going to wind up marrying Barney’s half-sister.  Remember the episode when we met John Lithgow as Barney’s long lost father?  He showed Barney a picture of his family, and told him, “That’s my son, and that’s my daughter, who’s in grad school.”  We know Ted meets “the mom” at Barney’s wedding, so it makes sense that A) Barney’s half sister would be there; and B) that Ted wouldn’t have met her yet.  Plus, it then explains why SO much of this seven-years-and-counting story of how Ted met the mother of his kids has centered around Barney and Robin (assuming the two of them wind up together, which I’m still betting on), because Ted will wind up meeting his kids’ mom at their wedding.  Not to mention, it also means the show’s writers have hidden the truth in plain sight all along.  Remember all the times Ted has called them “Uncle Barney and Aunt Robin?”  Yeah, they’d actually be the kids’ aunt and uncle if their mom is Barney’s sister!  It just all fits.

• Speaking of parents, one of the best ones I’ve ever known needs your support.

 THE JOHN MCILVEEN LEGAL FUND

Our great friend, John McIlveen — one of the best-loved members of our writing community — is involved in legal proceedings that may endanger his custodial rights as a parent. John is one of the most loving, giving fathers we know, and for the sake of his whole family, his friends have put together the John McIlveen Legal Fund to aid him in his efforts. Without our help, John simply can’t afford legal representation. He needs someone who knows the law and the Massachusetts court system. For legal reasons and for the sake of the family, we’re keeping the details to a minimum, but let me be clear — John is not accused of any misconduct. He’s a fantastic dad involved in a fight that is dramatically lopsided where dollars are concerned.

There are several ways that you can help. If you’re an author, you could donate signed books for auction. When those auctions begin to be posted, readers can bid on them to help John and his family out. To everyone else who’d like to help, the best and fastest way is to donate directly to the PayPal account that has been set up specifically for this purpose. An anonymous donor has already pledged to match the first $1000!!! This challenge will cost thousands — possibly many thousands — so anything you can contribute would be deeply appreciated.

The other thing that you can do is spread the word. Share this on your own Facebook page or on Twitter or your blog. (Note from Matt: We’re doing our part; please feel free to copy this announcement and share it on your own social networking sites!) And if you know John personally, please comment here and let everyone else who might be considering a donation know what a wonderful guy and father he is! Thanks so much!

The PayPal email for the John McIlveen Legal Fund is JMcLF@comcast.net