Michael Louis Calvillo Must Be Destroyed

It’s been a rough week, Loyal Reader. I spent most of it queasy, clutching my ribs, mumbling, ick, ick, icky. I’m still a little shaky. Not a 100% just yet, but getting there…

I finally made it in to work today (sad to report I missed most of the week battling pain medication and going insane). Rolling out of bed this morning I still felt a bit kooky, but I screwed up my resolve, rolled with my wife (we work at the same school – killer, huh?) and then went to work siphoning as much youthful energy as possible.

(Ugh!)

The crazy kids in my classes are great at bolstering my spirits. They’re awesome well-wishers. This cancer fight is an unruly mix of individual strife (damn, how I ache!) and collective compassion. My students know all about what I’m going through and we talk about it openly. I talk their ears off about radiation and chemo and needles. We have fun with the horrid stuff and keep it positive. It’s super cathartic. Besides, after three days of sitting on the couch with Wendy Williams (big fan), and Anderson Cooper (big fan), and Jeremy Kyle (not so much), work is a breezy dream.

Thus begins the weekend. For the first time, in a long time, the missus and I don’t have anything planned on the calendar. I am sooo looking forward to just chilling with my girl, watching movies, reading, relaxing, and recouping.

Oh, and hey, check it out! The HWA has released the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards (not the official ballot – that’s coming soon). 7BRAINS is a potential Long Fiction contender. There are some heavy hitters in the running and it’s gonna be tough to make the final cut, but it’s nice to be listed among so many great works. Follow the link – http://www.horror.org/blog/?p=2245 – seek out some titles, and go on a horror literature shopping spree (you lucky dog you)!

I’m losing track. There might not be 365 posts in 365 days. I missed a few days and still owed one and…

Forget it. I’ll just keep writing and find a way to deliver.

(Makes sense to me)

There’s been lots of stuff to write about, I’ve just been lazy. I went in to Vacation Mode at exactly 2:31PM, on Friday afernoon. For the next week we can stay up late, and wake up late, and what we want when we want. I’ll tell you what (go , Hank Hill!), that’s all our country needs. We all get up later, and we all go to bed later, and we take our time in starting the day, and then unwinding at night, and poof! Just like that, everybody is well rested and happy.

Nice long lunch breaks help. Work a few hours, take a few hours off, then you get in a few more hours before cutting out.

Anyways.

I all ready posted the good news on FB, but I suppose it belongs here for posterity’s sake, huh?

I sold a book to DARKFUSE, a new imprint of Delirium. In addition to running a novella and novel line up,DARKFUSE also serves as a storefront for indie horror. DARKFUSE / Delirium is putting out books by the brightest in the business, giving good homes to good, freaky books. They’re pretty great.

(All indie horror, all the time)

Check out their IN PRODUCTION page, where’ll you’ll see a Cover Coming Soon designation holding a spot in the April 2012 production schedule for my novel LAMBS.

I’m excited. The best thing is, the book is coming out in all formats – hard cover, paperback, and digital, so everyone will have a chance to check it out.

Can’t wait for the cover art.

I know, that’s an old reference. Do you think it’s been long enough to bring it back around?

In any case, today I sold a book. Cool, huh? That makes for two novels being published in 2012! Both will be hard cover limiteds & trade paperbacks & digital, so we will be doing the mass marketing thing, getting the books out to everywhere and everyone we can. Should be good. Expect some nice promotion in the near future.

(Killer)

So, the books?

Okay. I’ve got BIRDBOX, a book in which the Garcia children inadvertently free an ancient witch whose soul has been embedded into the DNA of every bird on earth. These birds have to join with the poor soul the witch infects so that the sinister woman can manifest and take over the world. Can the kids band together and fight the evil? Not likely, you see, though they are charming and sweet, Children are pretty dumb. They make lots of grave mistakes. Fun and gruesome! (We already have a cover for this one – once Bad Moon edits, then lays it out, we’re set, but their schedule is pretty backed up).

Next up is LAMBS. This one is about some seriously screwed up teenagers. Arthur sees dead people, and phantom wounds, and may or may not be responsible for spectral murders every four years of his sixteen years on the planet. His roommate at the grouphome (after his parents died he fell into the system), Conor is crack baby with an interest in arson. Melanie is an all-American Satanist. Their lives collide in interesting, often bloody ways. It’s a bleak one, but I had some fun with making Satanists over into Norman Rockwell golly-gee-whiz types. It’s strange. And kinda cool.

So then, good news on the career front. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy them as much as I like writing them.

Covers and more news coming soon.

In case you haven’t heard, I’ve been running a contest for the past few months (follow me). I’ve gotten a nice healthy response, but it’s not too late to enter.

Here’s the skinny (once again).

(Oh, and before I continue, my apologies, Loyal Reader. I hate to repeat myself, but when running free book contests it simply has to be done…)

Write a review of any of my previously published works, send me the link (email me at: mlcalvillo@yahoo.com), and presto! You’re in! What do you stand to win?

How about a nice, limited hardcover (1 0f 150 copies) of my latest novel DEATH & DESIRE IN THE AGE OF WOMEN (a $55 value! Woot! Woot!). I also run the winning review on this here blog and spread the good news all over the place.

(Hey look! It’s only the zillionth time I’ve featured this splendid book cover in my blog, except this time it’s BIGGER!)

I’ll even throw in a copy of my latest chapbook, the lovely Burning Effigy release, 7BRAINS!

Okay then, get up off your lazy butt and do some critical writing why don’t you? Don’t keep me a secret! I am not a secret or a guilty pleasure!! I am apt to destroy you with words and won’t hesitate to do so!!!

Why am I yelling?!!!

What?

Huh?

Anyways, you still got until Monday, October 31st to enter (I’ve been running this giveaway forever – can’t wait to finally announce the victor – who knows? Maybe it’ll be you?).

Get out there and win, win, win!

(Can’t wait to read my free MLC book while lounging in my golden shorts and boots!)