Caleb J. Ross Archives » Page 5 of 10

Video book review of The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski (Video Blog ep 021)

July 30, 2012

I anticipate some reactions to this video book review will be negative. Of those negative reviews, I anticipate 3 response types: Hatred from those that haven’t read the book, but simply want to defend Mark Z. Danielewski (I understand this feeling, believe me; and despite how I feel about The Fifty Year Sword, I will continue to defend Danielewski, even if only for his potential; House of Leaves remains one of my favorite novels of all time) Hatred from those who have read the book, and claim that I’m simply too dumb to “get it” (again, I understand this feeling and am willing to embrace this possibility) Hatred from those who have read it and claim to like it. It’s this last group that I’m most interested in. Those of you in this last group, please, please, please help me understand what I must have missed. I want to like…

Video review of Room by Emma Donoghue (Video Blog Ep 020)

July 24, 2012

For some reason I tend to shy away from the BIG books, those being the books that rountinely make best of lists, fill the limited space in book review columns, and can generally be purchased at Wal-Mart (not that I have something against shopping at Wal-Mart...I went there just today, as a matter of fact...though, I only do so when hurting for money; see, I can't agree with the business ethics of the company, and oh crap, I'm rambling). I don't know if my aversion to widely-praised books can be simply diagnosed as hipsterism, or if there's something more sinister at play. But none of that matters, as I recently read one such department store paperback, Room by Emma Donoghue, and I really, really liked it. Click the image below to watch the video review (links to YouTube). What did I buy during my Wal-Mart trip today? The Bedwetter by…

Stranger Will to see a new life with a new publisher

July 23, 2012

Many people have been asking me if Stranger Will is to be reprinted following the news of it's current/previous publisher closing down. The short answer is yes, Stranger Will is to see a new life. The longer answer--to the assumed question of "when?"--is that I'm not 100% sure. I do know who the publisher will be, and I do have a pretty good idea of when it will be published, but I'm a bit of a superstitious geek when it comes to revealing good news. Suffice it to say that the novel should come back even better and bigger than every before, toting extra materials not seen in any of the previous printings.

I’m not boring anymore, I swear. Wanna play Dominoes? (Video Blog Ep 019)

July 17, 2012

I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos lately. A lot. Too many. I think I’m falling in love. YouTube personalities (the ones I watch, mainly video blogs, or “vlogs” as those cooler than me can say) aren’t too concerned with polish and appearance (though again, qualifier, many appear quite polished). The personalities, generally, aren’t the focus and purpose of the videos. It’s the passion these people have for their subject matter that’s on display. I admit, my watching began more as a study to learn how to bring people to my own author YouTube channel. It was a selfish endeavor. But something happened. Something amazing. I suddenly “got” what so many others have understood for a long, long time: YouTube (specifically the vlog aspect) is a grand, grand thing. I actually appreciate and truly enjoy everyday, non-famous people talking about books. I’ve long loved talking with my friends in…

Interviewed at Slit Your Wrists Magazine, bar tabs, story origins, and suicide – yours, not mine

July 16, 2012

The amazing Laurance Kitts interviews me for his Slit Your Wrists Magazine website, a site that frequent visitors may recognize; my story "Sebaceous" appeared there back in April. Laurance knows how to ask questions without bowing to a person's ego, so you can read this Q&A without anticipating a pretentious me basking in the warmth of praise. I mean, sure, Laurance does feed me some softballs, but...those are easier to chew.

More Perverted Book Covers (Video Blog Ep 017)

July 9, 2012

A few episodes back I presented some book covers that, through the twisted lens of perversion (is that redundant?), were made to appear more depraved than perhaps they were meant to be. Here, I present three more perverted covers that you won’t be able to unsee. Hey, I didn’t make these book covers to be easily perverted; don’t blame me. Here I manipulate the intentions of Gordon Highland's Flashover, Rob Roberge's Working Backwards from the Worst Moment of My Life, and Paul Bowels' The Sheltering Sky.

Vertigo Unbalanced is now available to read FOR FREE in the new Nova Parade anthology from Solarcide Magazine

July 2, 2012

The guys at Solarcide do wonderful work. One could argue that I say this only because they've been kind enough to interview me about, among other things, my penchant for domestic grotesque fiction. That One doing the arguing would be wrong, however, as Solarcide has been a refuge for great literary content for long before I tainted them with my talk of familial morbidity. Solarcide extends their great work into the world of anthologies with the publication of Nova Parade, a FREE .pdf download collection of stories from some fantastic writers, many of whom I shared space with in the Warmed and Bound anthology, in addition to Nova Parade (my story "Vertigo Unbalanced" appears in Nova Parade). Here's a table of contents for you. Click over to Solarcide to download the free collection. Richard Thomas – On A Bent Nail Head Martin Garrity - Walking On Water Bryan Howie –…