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Active and agented

Well, today I achieved active status in the Horror Writers Association (which puts me in the ranks of HWA's professional writer members) and it looks like I've acquired the services of an agent on the same day. Now I only hope events in the future continue in the same way.

Latest story

Another story of mine entitled, Venetian Kiss has now appeared in the Monsters Ink anthology, which makes one story a month published for the last three months.

Upon my return ...

I've just returned from Majorca, where I've been recharging the batteries. Upon my return, I found my contributors copy of Surreal Magazine on the mat. It looks an interesting publication, but it was annoying to see they had misspelled my name on the contents page (spelling it Shawn, instead of Shaun), although it was spelt correctly on the actual story page!

The story I sold to Dark Discoveries will appear in issue 5, which will be published in late June. Contents: INTERVIEWS WITH: BRIAN KEENE, MICHAEL LAIMO, CRAIG SPECTOR, MICHAEL A. ARNZEN and SHANE RYAN STALEY (DELIRIUM BOOKS).

FICTION BY: MICHAEL LAIMO (A special Excerpt from THE DEMONOLOGIST), PAUL FINCH, STEVE VERNON, SHAUN JEFFREY, and JOSH ROUNTREE.

NONFICTION: BILL GAUTHIER, DARK REVIEWS

Scrapbook snippet

Here's another story from my scrapbook concerning the little town of Ringaskiddy on Ireland's south coast, and home to the local Viagra factory, the fumes from which are reported to have sent the locals sex crazy.

"One sniff and they're stiff," one wife smiled.

The plant makes something called sildenafil citrate, which just happens to be the active ingredient in Viagra.

In three local pubs, regulars ages 18 to 80 bragged about their capacity for loving, rather than supping Guinness.

A spokesman for the company said, "As far as we are concerned there isn't any Viagra dust in the air."

But the locals swear something is escaping from the plant. The local infant population, they say, has soared.

Plant officials say emissions are strictly controlled by Irish environmental laws. No chance of a leak.

I think they're perhaps taking too hard a stance.