More about Charactered Pieces, here. More about Stranger Will, here.
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As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be one of a great group of writers to read at Leela European Café on April 9th in Denver. I’ve done a few readings in the past, despite the live aspect being something writers don’t often get to experience. I’ve been lucky, I guess. I am perhaps more excited to see and meet these people more than I am to actually read some of my own work. That’s natural. I’m humble by nature. Humble and handsome. The unwritten rule is that writers should read from something either freshly published or contracted for publication. For me, that would be my story collection, Charactered Pieces. But another, perhaps not entirely unwritten rule, is that when crowds and drinks are involved, the best type of material to read is work both funny and short. Charactered Pieces, though it contains elements of each, doesn’t contain any…
My story, “The Word Will Die Too” is now live at Cherry Bleeds. I have long been a fan of Cherry Bleeds, as they consistently deliver the most visceral, oft-grotesque fiction around. It’s an honor to be a part of that legacy, though fodder for my own self-criticism as well (“Am I really that disturbed?”). Author’s Note: This is by far the most depressing thing I have written to date. It is said that silver lining can be found in even the filthiest Goodwill coat, but when shit like this story comes out of me, I wonder. Also included: perhaps the most disturbing image I’ve ever written (challenged only by an abortion scene in Stranger Will – which you haven’t read, because it hasn’t been published yet).
Another fine yarn from ye olde Caleb J Ross takes valuable web space away from more needy charities. This one, an excerpt from my unpublished novel, Stranger Will, is called Formaldehyde and appears at the never disappointing Red Fez. Formaldehyde is a bastardized version of the opening chapter of Stranger Will, very much pulled apart and reassembled into something with its own horrible intentions. This is all to say that if you don't like this story, then you may still love Stranger Will. However, if you do love this story then I take back what I said above; this story is exactly like the rest of the novel.
..."How old were you the first time?" "The first time I shot someone? Nineteen." Leksi nodded and opened his mouth, but forgot what he had meant to say. Finally, he asked, "Who were we fighting back then?" Nikolai laughed. "How old do you think I am, Aleksandr?" "Thirty-Five?" Nikolai smiled broadly, flashing his crooked teeth. "Twenty-four." He pressed the poker's tip against the base of Leksi's skull. "Here's where the bullet goes." From "The Devil Comes to Orekhovo" as included in When the Nines Roll Over I can be a literary snob when I have to be. I'll admit that critically praised contemporary fiction is never something I go out of my way to jump on. You'd sooner catch me reading a forgotten receipt than something sitting on a grocery store book shelf. Why? I just feel that a lot of great writing goes unnoticed, and it's my job as…