Swirling to the bottom of the sea . . .

9:54pm: Jonesy. Get well soon!

11:16pm: Ernesto
Looks like Ernesto plans to pay a visit later tonight. Last forecast I saw projected a direct hit here in Georgetown, SC. As storms go, this one doesn't look too bad. Bring in the pets and the lawn furniture and all should be well...

School has been canceled for Thursday, which I do not mind at all. Cameron started kindergarten last Monday and I'm still having a tough time adjusting. Of course, he has adjusted just fine already and is disappointed that there is no school tomorrow.

This little weather disturbance has made for some fine surfing yesterday. Alicia and I hit the waves and had a blast. I know we must have looked crazy--two giggling blond chicks on big pink longboards. I had hoped it would happen again today, but the water was just too rough and choppy for anything but a futile battle to paddle out.

Alicia starts the 11th grade next week (Lordy, I know that can't be true!), but she is home-schooled. And she will need a PE credit!

My poem "See You Monday" is now up at From The Asylum
http://www.fromtheasylum.com/august2006/seeyoumonday.htm

It seems to be a nice companion piece to tonight's depressing episode of 20/20!

Every issue of FTA rocks, so it is a great feeling to be included this month.

9:47am: A new day
I decided to remove the option to post a comment due to some nut who had developed a compulsion to send a reply every ten minutes or so. I am constantly amazed by the time some people have on their hands.

I am also rather sad that I had to do this, as I was a bit awestruck by the fact that this person was able to squeeze the word "drivel" into almost every post.

I guess I miss him (or her)...

Anyway, if Mr. or Ms. Drivel would like to vent further, he/she is welcome to email me. Repressed anger is bad for the ol' ticker.

Now, through the window, I see the sunshine. Another day in paradise. My stick is waxed and I should be able to catch a few rides before starting work.

9:20pm: Facts about NSP
Hi. First I want to apologize for my crude response yesterday, as some have taken issue with it. In that post, I mentioned that if I wished, I could publish 45 page of the word FUCK formatted in different fonts. Apparently, that upset some NSP authors or former NSP authors. In simpler and less obscene language, the point I wanted to make was this: NSP is my project. I am the one who puts in the time and the money to continue it. Therefore, I think that nobody--readers or authors published by NSP--should feel that they are in position to dictate what and whom I publish.

Anyone who needs to decide who sees publication should start their own small press publication. Obliviously, almost anyone can do it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here...

I also apologize for stating that writing for the small press should be fun. I view NSP as fun and I certainly hope that anyone who submits their work to me had fun creating it. This is horror, not world changing literature. If the creation process was not FUN, then it is certainly reflected in the finished piece. This is not to say that you should not also take it seriously, but it can be taken a little too far.

I have also added a few facts for the many who seem to be misinformed:

First and most importantly, I use the very reputable printing company Comixpress for perfect bound books. I also use Omega Press and Ka-Blam for saddle stapled chapbooks. I do post almost all books at Lulu as an extra outlet, as some readers only visit the Lulu store or else find out about NSP through Lulu. Sorry for trying to drum up additional sales, but most authors do receive a royalty, as well as an advance. I thought that might be a good thing.

Most of the little, sad sketched cover illustrations that have appeared on some of the previously published chapbooks are the work of family members or friends of the authors, not picked by me. Instead of opting for something better, I thought I might instead be agreeable. Bad choice, obviously, as I do believe it has hurt sales of some books that might have done better.

And finally, despite the recent complaints concerning my lack of professionalism, one fact remains--all authors do receive the agreed compensation along with their copies. All authors also have the opportunity to purchase extra copies at cost. A few times, this has been the only copies that have sold, unfortunately. This is not for the lack of talent, but for the fact that this is the very small press and sometimes sales just aren't going to happen...

So, I will say in closing, I do view NSP as fun. Why else would I do it?

8:06am: UPDATE!! Bookstore is back with Paypal!
The bookstore is back up, with the Paypal option. I have a couple of advance orders and a special or two. Check it out and buy something, dammit!

New stuff includes a wonderfully strange collection from Thomas Wiloch, plus advance orders from Eric S. Brown and M.W. Anderson. Place an advance order and receive a free chapbook of your choice.

Also, Poe Little Thing #5 is finally available. Contributors copies will begin going out this week, as well.


Finally, potential contributors to The Blue Lady and SALT, the Surfrider Anthology--git yer shit together--these two markets are about to close to subs! The final date to email subs for SALT is 8/15. THE BLUE LADY is 8/30.

Responses will begin immediately upon closing. Remember the longer it takes, the better your chances. Please don't start inquiring about the status of your work until the end of September. It's sort of a pain.

POE is now closed--I am booked up for at least two issues. All submissions I currently have for POE will receive a response by the end of the month.

All other markets are also closed, except for articles and reviews for the website. I will announce new reading windows later in the fall. (There's another themed anthology cooking, but more later...)

Art remains open. I prefer digital art to traditional at the moment--it seems to work better with the printing company I am using.

Wow! That was a LONG entry--should do me for about three months! Anyway, buy something or ELSE!

7:10pm: Mickey Spillane

A cool guy...

Bumped into Mr. Spillane shortly after moving to the area in 1997 at a Murrells Inlet restaurant. It was a warm welcome to the coast, as everyone was so friendly.  He gave my little daughter a balloon. (I didn't realize who he was that night.)

11:00am: Syd Barrett
R.I.P, Syd

10:10pm: NSP Bookstore
Still don't have the bookstore operational yet, as I change account info and implement new payment options. Should be back up sometime next week. In the meantime, you can visit Shocklines.com to make any NSP purchases, or you can write me and make Paypal arrangements.

10:18am: This "Holiday"
 The quote below is from greygirlbeast's jounal. I LOVE the way this chick thinks... (This is a review of The Hills Have Eyes movie...)
---
"I think perhaps this film is most interesting, though, as a comment on exactly why so much of the rest of the world has come to hate Americans, here in the early part of the 21st Century. Of course, it was made by a French director, and no, the French are no angels their own selves. In the film's opening moments, I found myself instantly detesting the gun-toting, gas-guzzling, Jesus-worshiping family, as white as the desert sky, as they proceeded to listen to the nice inbred man at the gas station and drag their great silver behemoth of a trailer down a nameless dirt road and into the wasteland. I decided then and there I'd have no choice but to root for the mutants. And I tried, but found them at least as loathsome as the tourists they were busy preying upon, simply a degraded mirror image of their prey, and so I resolved to root for the surviving dog, instead. The problem here isn't so much the loathsomeness of Americans, per se, as the loathsomeness of Humanity. For all their macrocephaly and cleft lips and cannibal appetites, there's little to distinguish Aja's mutants from the nice white family on their way to San Diego. Human gluttony is human gluttony, which might be one of the film's messages that's been overlooked in the French bashing and baiting and the whining about excessive gore and violence (really, people). It would have been nice, I think, if the director might have concentrated a little more on the latent fairie tale aspects of the script as aspects of fairie tale: the stolen child, for example. In the end, I was surprised to find myself sympathizing with one of the mutants, Ruby, and one of the lost family, Bobby. Of course (SPOILER), Ruby dies protecting the insufferable token Democrat, and we can only guess that Bobby will go on to years of trust-funded therapy, followed by a ruthless, NRA-supported campaign to hunt down and exterminate radioactive troglodytes everywhere to protect other lost white families dragging their privileged carcasses through places they ought not be in the first place. But it was certainly worth a rental, unless you've a low tolerance for gore, violence, dust, and unspeakable sadism, in which case you'd probably be best off watching something else."

--------
From my end, I think this is the most infernal holiday of the year.  This is when even greater hoards of idiots crowd the beaches and leave all manner of crap out there--cans, bottles, plastic bags, cigarette-related shit.  But of course, they think they can--they don't live here.  It doesn't matter to them. 

But on the lighter side, in a couple of days, they will be gone.  Of course, it's a revolving door of stupidity until public school starts in August...

1:33pm: Monty Python- I'm a lumberjack THE BEST VERSION by Eric Idle

Here's the Idle one--so sorry Mikey--Eric's version is better!

1:32pm: Monty Python's Flying Circus

Found these two cute Python video clips -- Cleese and Idle are sooo cute...

11:18am: Paypal
Hi everyone.  Just to let you know--my Paypal access for the Naked Snake Press bookstore is down, as I change my banking info.  If you are interested in making a purchase this weekend, please hop on over to Shocklines.  Matt has all of the NSP titles available, plus free shipping.

10:52am: How much is the asshole going wreck before he's out of office?
I don't like to express personal or political views here because I'm sure most people just don't care what I think, but I just have to say it.  America as a whole should be ashamed that they voted in a complete retard, not one but two times! 

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=70844§ion=localnews 

Also there is an interesting article at Sierra Club. Here.

I encourage all to sign the petition.

12:13pm: New Stuff and Sub Info
Right now I am responding to subs for The Blue Lady & Poe Little Thing. If you don't receive anything from me this week, you can assume that your submission is still being considered.

Poe Little Thing #5 is being finished up this week, also. I'll post the cover later, along with new offerings from Thomas Wiloch and M.W. Anderson (both of which are currently at the printer).

Preliminary art for the covers of Eric S. Brown's THE WAVE and Christopher Fulbright and Steven L. Shrewsbury's THE SERPENT GODS will also be posted (hopefully).

Let's see what else--last night, one of our kitty-children thought it would be nice to knock a full bottle of Mich Ultra over onto my laptop. Needless to say, the old HP is no more...

On the lighter side of things, the waves are pretty decent right now, so I need to hurry and finish with this stuff!

7:37pm: I hate this journal shit
Okay, I'm not a big-time blogger. I'm not going to pretend I don't have the time, or anything of that nature. I just don't have a lot to say. But this journal will be the place to hook up with what's happening with Naked Snake Press, NSP BOOKS, Poe Little Thing, The Blue Lady and whatever else I have cooking.

Plus, for those who give a damn (my mommy, one or two other people...maybe) -I'll be mentioning where my own work can be seen. Also, I might touch upon some personal odds and ends here, if I feel like typing it up or am bored enough to mess with this thing. Books that I like, movies. Monty Python. Surfing.

Okay--I'm not very deep...

Anyway, welcome. Check back often for those NSP market and submission updates.