as a machine and parts Archives » Page 2 of 4

New short story available at Amazon.com, “The Lipidopterist.” Man collects human lips. Ex-wife wants half of his collection.

March 9, 2012

It has been a while since I've had a short story to whore out to the world. While I've been busy bombarding poor souls with news of my 3 recent book releases, I haven't had much to say in the way of short stories since...well, since September, if you can count my non-fiction piece "Denis Johnson Almost Drank My Pee" as a short story at Dark Sky (though "short story" implies fiction, and the Dark Sky piece isn't). Anyway, my story "The Lipidopterist" is now available as a Kindle story over at Amazon.com. I recently read this story in St. Louis at the Meshuggah Cafe. The reactions were quite good, I must say. I believe it is also part of the Kindle lending library thing, or at least will be shortly. Still, though, it's only $0.99. Fork over the coins! Available now from the fake publisher Viscera Irrational. Buy. Read.

Quotes from Flannery O’Connor’s “Some Aspects of the Grotesque in Southern Fiction”

February 26, 2012

In the world of grotesque fiction, Flannery O'Connor is the go-to mouth to voice what's worth our academic time and what's worth ignoring. Knowing my love of the grotesque and my respect for Flannery O'Connor, Richard Thomas passed along a copy of O'Connor's important "Some Aspects of the Grotesque in Southern Fiction" (1960) which somehow I had never read before. I'm glad I have now rectified that problem. Below are a few choice quotes, words I'm sure I will cite for the rest of my writing career, especially when citing my own grotesque fiction. On mystery as motivation ...if the writer believes that our life is and will remain essentially mysterious, if he looks upon us as beings existing in a created order to whose laws we freely respond, then what he sees on the surface will be of interest to him only as he can go through it into an experience of mystery…

Booked Podcast. Noir at the Bar. The Velvet Podcast.

January 28, 2012

I’ve been non-stop busy the past few weeks. I feel as though I’ve done nothing, as my to-do list never shrinks. But somehow, as I look back, all that I felt never happened, is done. Here’s a few things: The wonderful Robb Olson and Livius Nedin at Booked Podcast did a full episode about my work, splitting time with my two newest books, I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin and As a Machine and Parts. The things these guys say, it makes me blush colors of red never before blushed by humans. Listen to the full episode now, and be sure to stay to the end to hear Mlaz Corbier say awesome things about my awesome socks. Pablo D’Stair and I recorded another episode of The Velvet Podcast. We talked about one my recent tweets: [blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/calebjross/status/158648828218707968"] I hope to have the episode edited and posted within a week. As…

“As a Machine and Parts: LOVING IT! So sharp, so sharp…”

January 14, 2012

As a Machine and Parts is getting some love: "As a Machine and Parts: LOVING IT! So sharp, so sharp..." -Mr. Sean P. Ferguson "Fucking insane" -Mr. Chester Pane "This book is fantastic. I think you guys are going to love it. Very inventive but it doesn't crumble under its own weight and devolve into merely clever." -Mr. Nik Korpon So, if you are easily swayed by the words of people you might not know, then rush out to get your copy of As a Machine and Parts now. While you are at it, this guy I know says that Cheez-Its are good. So, I guess you should buy those.

As a Machine and Parts is the official January 2012 Book Club pick at LitReactor

December 23, 2011

For those of you not in the know, LitReactor is a writer-focus site spawned by the minds behind ChuckPalahniuk.net, the official Chuck Palahniuk site. The site has received some high-praise not only from the writers who've come together to make up the blood of the community, but even Huffington Post has come out to offer a few kind words. Having my new novella, As a Machine and Parts, as the January Book Club pick for LitReactor feels a bit like a legacy of sorts, as my novel Stranger Will was the ChuckPalahniuk.net pick back in May 2011. So, head over to Amazon.com or directly to the Aqueous Books (the publisher) to purchase a copy and get ready for some elitist discussion on the finer points of snobbery.

It’s official. I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin releases January 17, 2012. Preorders start December 19th.

December 17, 2011

Preorder details for my new novel, I Didn't Mean to be Kevin are forthcoming. Until then, get all excited with this synopsis. Tis the season for Caleb, more Caleb, and a little bit of Jesus (if there's time).

A selection of my strangest gifts ever given

November 29, 2011

I write domestic grotesque fiction, which is a term I think I made up, but is quite suiting to the themes and content of my stories and books. The most famous short story that I think would fit into the domestic grotesque genre is “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Conner (visualized quite creepily in this short film from the 1960s and quite cheesily in this student clip). Take a family situation—usually some sort of broken family dynamic—mix in something grotesque—possibly morbid but not necessarily—and you’ve probably got domestic grotesque. As you can imagine, Christmas is a fun time for my family. I’ve given quite a few quirky gifts. Though none could be tagged as grotesque, they are representative of the type of mind that would write a domestic grotesque story, I think. Tis the season and all that, so I figured I would share a few that I’ve so graciously…