Tag Archives: cover art

Fairly Wicked Tales has been released! [fairly wicked tales]

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

(Edit 4/24/15: updated links to point to current reissue of this anthology by Ragnarok Publications)

Fairly Wicked Tales“Once upon a scream…

“Think you know the real story behind those fables and fairy tales you read as a child? Stories are written from the viewpoint of the heroes, but the lines between hero and villain, good and evil, are often blurred.

“We’ve gathered twenty three tales that turn those stories you think you know on their heads by letting the villains have their say. What if Snow White wasn’t as pure as the newly driven snow? What if Red Riding Hood was far more dangerous than the Big Bad Wolf? What if Rapunzel was hell bent on revenge? Forget Disney, forget the Brothers Grimm, say hello to Fairly Wicked Tales—re-imaginings of both fairy tales and fables.

“Fairly Wicked Tales, a book for adults who harbor the wicked child within.”

(Click on the cover art by Rebecca Treadway to see it in full-sized wicked beauty!)

Fairly Wicked Tales, edited by Stacey Turner, is an anthology of dark fantasy and horror published August 6th, 2014, by Angelic Knight Press, and includes my horror short story Sweetheart, the Dream is Not Ended (a reimagining of the lesser-known Grimm fairly tale “The Robber Bridegroom”). I’ve got a blog post in the works regarding how utterly strange “The Robber Bridegroom” is and why I had to make it the basis for my tale, but for now, I wanted to get the word out that the anthology’s been released.

So far just as e-books, but fear not, dead tree lovers, physical book form is on its way. Fairly Wicked Tales is now available from Amazon.com for Kindle and in Print.

Here’s the table of contents, in the format of: “Story Title” by Author: Fairy tale it gives a good hard twisting to.

Table of Contents

“Song of Bones” by Vekah McKeown: A retelling of “The Singing Bone”.

“Red” by Katie Young: A retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood”.

“Sweetheart, the Dream is Not Ended” by Gary W. Olson: A reimagining of “The Robber Bridegroom”.

“Crumbs” by Adam Millard: A retelling of “The Crumbs on the Table”.

“A Thrice Spun Tale” by Suzi M: A retelling of “The Three Spinners”.

“His Heart’s Desire” by Fay Lee: A retelling of “Sleeping Beauty”.

“Little Beauty” by Matthew Hughes: A retelling of “Beauty and the Beast”.

“Hare’s Tale” by Jay Wilburn: A retelling of “The Tortoise and the Hare”.

“The Golden Goose” by Robert Holt: A retelling.

“A Prick of the Quill” by Lizz-Ayn Shaarawi: A retelling of “Hans My Hedgehog”.

“Sacrificed” by Laura Snapp: A reimagining of “Snow White”.

“The Glass Coffin” by D R Cartwright: A retelling of “The Glass Coffin”.

“The Price of the Sea” by David R. Matteri: A retelling of “The Little Mermaid”.

“A Blue Light Turned Black” by Wilson Geiger: A retelling of “The Blue Light”.

“Let Down Your Hair” by Eugenia Rose: A retelling of “Rapunzel”.

“The Wolf Who Cried Boy” by Armand Rosamilia: A retelling of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”.

“It Comes At Night” by JP Behrens: A reimagining of “The Billy Goats Gruff”.

“Bloodily Ever After” by Reece A.A. Barnard: A retelling of several fairy tales.

“Al-Adrian and the Magic Lamp” by Tais Teng: A retelling of “The Arabian Nights”.

“The Fisherman and His Wife” by Bennie L. Newsome: A retelling of the story “The Fisherman and His Wife.”

“Rum’s Daughter” by T. Eric Bakutis: A retelling of “Rumplestiltskin”.

“The Ash Maid’s Revenge” by Konstantine Paradias: A retelling of “Cinderella”.

“Gingerbread” by Hal Bodner: What happened afer “Hansel and Gretel”.

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Gary W. Olson is the author of the dark fantasy novel Brutal Light and a contributor to the dark fiction anthologies Fading Light and Fairly Wicked Tales. His blog originates here. Cover art: Rebecca Treadway.

Fairly Wicked Tales Cover Reveal! [fairly wicked tales]

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

Fairly Wicked Tales

Alright, alright, I know it’s been far too long. And I’ve got a blog entry that explains everything, along with where those scratch marks on the sofa came from and why the basement smells like quicklime. But for now, I just wanted to show you all the cover of Fairly Wicked Tales, the next anthology in which I have a short story (“Sweetheart, the Dream is Not Ended”) included, with gorgeous art by Rebecca Treadway. Click upon it to see it in all its wicked glory!

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Gary W. Olson is the author of the dark fantasy novel Brutal Light and a contributor to the dark fiction anthologies Fading Light and Fairly Wicked Tales. His blog originates here. Cover art: Rebecca Treadway.

Fading Light, Reading Pics, Site Maintainance, Free Links

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

Fading Light CoverI got some good news recently — my bizarro/horror short story Goldilocks Zone was accepted into the anthology Fading Light: An Anthology of the Monstrous, edited by Tim Marquitz. That’s the awe-inspiring cover on the left, with artwork by Jessy Lucero–click on the image to see it in its full-size tentacly glory. Fading Light‘s gonna be droppin’ on September 1st from Angelic Knight Press, and in addition to my story, it features monstrously good tales from Malon Edwards, Jake Elliot, Lee Mather, Edward M. Erdelac, and more. You’re gonna want to catch this one!

Also, Bethany Grenier recently posted some pictures from the reading/q&a/signing we did at Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor on May 7th… here, here, and here. (Left to right, that’s Bethany, Jim C. Hines, me, and Emmy Jackson.) Had a good time, and am looking forward to possibly returning in the fall!

In other news, I’m going to be doing some website upgrades this weekend–basically upgrading GaryWOlson.com from Joomla 1.5 to 2.5, and slipping in a new template for the site’s look. Hopefully this will be smooth and mostly transparent, but if you drop by the site this weekend and things are looking screwy… well, I’ll be workin’ on it. (Hopefully after this upgrade, it’ll be easier to leave comments on the blog, and I’ll be able to implement some things I’ve been putting off.)

But enough about that. You’re here for the free links, right? (Yeah, I said free links, not free drinks… hey, where’re you goin’?)

One of the big blowups from the past week started here, with an author’s story of how her first short story to be accepted for publication was mangled and slimed by the anthology’s editor and publisher (Undead Press). A harsh tale, but heartening in how that, since the story came out, a lot of light has been shone on this festering boil of a publisher.

In other news of dickery, Lincoln Crisler recently related that bureaucracy is making it very difficult for spouses of military personnel to find employment. But the pushback has started, led by his wife, Consuela, and there’s a way you can help–by signing this petition. It just takes a few moments, and will help a lot of people.

Mad Science: Giovanni Aldini, Corpse Reanimator–all about Giovanni Aldini, the macabre scientist rumored to be a real-life inspiration for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Shocking!

Apparently, now, there’s a project going on that involves mounting laser guns on sharks. Really. Of course, when I read this, I immediately suspected that Karina Fabian was behind it somehow…

This Turkish Doctor Who takeoff is… is… look, it just is, okay? I had to lie down for a while after watching this.

Here’s a video that’s evidence that Farmer Brown’s switched crops, and is now growing magic mushrooms. That, or the cows are more than they seem.

Finally, there’s this video, which is simply titled “Japanese racing rendition.” As far as I can tell, it’s technically SFW (safe for work). It is also weird as hell, and something you will never, ever be able to unsee. You have been warned!

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Gary W. Olson is the author of the dark fantasy novel Brutal Light and several previously published and forthcoming short stories. He can be found via his website, his blog A Taste of Strange, as @gwox on Twitter, and in many other far-flung places on the Internet.

Brutal Light pre-release trailer 2.0, Free Short Story, and Food for Thought

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

Here’s what I’m calling the ‘2.0’ version of the ‘pre-release’ of my book trailer for Brutal Light. ‘Pre-release’ because it contains an enticement for signing up for my e-mail newsletter that expires on 12/1; ‘2.0’ because I’ve incorporated Dawne Dominique‘s great cover art.

(Edit 12/1/2011 — I’ve replaced this with the ‘final’ trailer version, which no longer contains the newsletter enticement.)

The ‘enticement’ is that I will be drawing from the list of those signed up for the newsletter by 12/1 for the following: 1 person will win a signed trade paperback copy of my book Brutal Light, plus an electronic copy in PDF format. 2 second place finishers will get electronic copies in PDF format.

Additionally, anyone who subscribes to the newsletter will get a download link for a PDF copy of The Body in Motion, one of my early ‘science fiction horror’ short stories (revised and hopefully improved). I do caution in the link that it is violent and bloody, and contains mature subject matter (though not presented in excessively graphic form). The only thing I really remember about its genesis was that it was written in the weird, fiery state I was in for maybe a day after reading Harlan Ellison’s Deathbird Stories for the first time, and that the first draft was done in a day, which virtually never happens with me.

And if you don’t like it… hey, that’s okay. Just stay subscribed, as I’ll be making other stories (and other kinds of stories) the ‘free’ enticement in its place as the months and years roll on.

One other note, on another topic: I’ve made it so you no longer need to be registered to this website in order to comment on blog entries. Just enter your name (real or pseudonymous) in the top bar (and the bar below it), then your comment, then the CAPTCHA. At this point, I’d rather make it easier for the casual visitor to drop in and say something, and just take the increased risk of being spammed.

One still another note: while browsing through the site of Bryan Thomas Schmidt, whom I befriended (in the old, pre-Facebook sense of the term) at ConClave, I found the second half of a dialogue between him and another author (Anthony Cardno, whom I have not yet met) that resonated with me. I’ll link to the first half of the dialogue, on Anthony’s site. I encourage everyone reading this to go there, think on what they are saying and how it reflects on your own life and conduct… it’s certainly given me much to reflect on as far as my own is concerned.

Two Writers in Dialogue: A Conservative Evangelical and a Gay Liberal

Behold! The cover art of Brutal Light!

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

Brutal Light Cover
(Click the image for the large version)

This incredible cover was done by artist Dawne Dominique. It’s my first ever book cover… very exciting!

While I’m here, I also now have my panel schedule for Conclave:

The Death of the American Author – Fri 6:30pm-8:00pm – Ballroom 5
Ebooks. Anyone with a computer can format a novel and sell it on Amazon for download. What does this mean for the future of books, for the future of publishing? Why should it matter? Do we need to redefine what constitutes of literature? And will the democratizing of publishing redefine what is what it means to be a writer and a reader?

Self-Promotion and Networking – Fri. 8:00pm-9:00pm – Ballroom 5
It’s not just about the promoting writing, it’s about promoting yourself, whether it’s in search of a new job, or keeping the one you have. What is your digital footprint? How can you clean it up? How can you get people to “like” you online? What are some do’s and don’ts for Twitter and Facebook? How can you build a circle of professional and personal contacts?

When Should a Series End? – Sun 10:00am-11:30am – Ballroom 5
With a new novel in the Harry Dresden series, and an ending of the Harry Potter and Twilight series, the question must be asked: is there some point where a writer needs to close the door and move on? Should Laurel K. Hamilton or Charlaine Harris bring their series to a close? Did Stephen King do one Dark Tower too many? Should 007 put away his Walther PPK and take a desk job?

What Makes A Book Unreadable? – Sun 2:00pm-3:30pm – Ballroom 5
Bad grammar? Bad characters? Bad ideas? Each person has their own ideas as to what constitutes acceptable fiction, but are there some deal-breakers? And do we hold different standards for books based on film or video-games, or other existing franchises? And should we? Should we be more demanding? Or are we programmed to feed at the corporate trough? Is bad literature a statement about our culture? Is it what we deserve?

Hope to see you there!