jacob weisman

February 3, 2025

Meet Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman at 2025 San Francisco Writers Conference

Rick Klaw Events jacob weisman, san francisco writers conference

Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman is participating in the 2025 San Francisco Writers Conference, February 6-9 at Hyatt Regency San Francisco.

This will be the 20th Celebration of Craft, Commerce, and Community for all writers. Attendees will join 100+ presenters and fellow writers from across the country and around the world at this year’s event. The SFWC events are consistently rated among the top writers’ conferences anywhere. Our goal is to help writers become published authors as we help them become better at the craft of writing and the business of publishing. The SFWC is also one of the friendliest conferences around.
SFWC About

Weisman is involved with several events.

Saturday February 7

9AM

Meet the Agents & Acquiring Editors plus AMA (Ask Me Anything)

Vicki DeArmon, Jennifer Joseph, Brenda Knight, Gordon Warnock, O’Cyrus, Andy Ross, Laurie Fox, Lynnette Novak, CoCo Freeman, Kesia Lupo, Georgia Hughes, Lisa Kastner, Maeve MacLysaught, Stefanie Molina-Santos, James Moorer, Jen Newens, Natalie Obando, Jennifer Pien, Jacob Weisman, Connor Smith, Vicki Weber, Moderator: Lissa Provost

3PM

Fiction in the Marketplace: What You Need to Know to Polish and Sell Science Fiction/Fantasy in 2025

Michael Carr, Jacob Weisman, Julia Vee, Radhika Sharma, Moderator: T. A. Chan

February 23, 2024

Happy birthday to our fearless leader, the visionary Jacob Weisman

Rick Klaw birthday, blog birthday, hellhounds, invaders: 22 tales from the outer limits of literature, jacob weisman, mingus fingers, the new voices of fantasy, the new voices of science fiction, the sword & sorcery anthology, the unicorn anthology

Writer, editor, and publisher Jacob Weisman founded Tachyon Publications in 1995. Originally the goal was to bring back the old masters who were out of print, as evident by Clifford Simak and Mary Shelley collections and novels by Stanley Weinbaum and Robert Nathan. Tachyon published 2-3 titles a year and only sold to specialty bookstores. In 2003, Weisman decided to “start the company over from scratch.” He wisely hired Managing Editor Jill Roberts, secured distribution that brought Tachyon books to mainstream bookstores, and expanded the line to 8-10 books a year. The Tachyon titles have won Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, Shirley Jackson, Theodore Sturgeon, John W. Campbell, Neukom Institute Literary Arts, Mythopoeic, and Locus awards. Weisman, himself, garnered World Fantasy Award nominations in 1999, 2009, 2010 and winning the 2018 Best Anthology Award for THE NEW VOICES IN FANTASY (with Peter S. Beagle).

Cover by Jean-Sebastien Rossbach
Design by Elizabeth Story

While Weisman oversees all of Tachyon books, he was directly responsible for several anthologies including THE TREASURY OF THE FANTASTIC (2001 with David Sandner), THE SWORD & SORCERY ANTHOLOGY (2012 with David Hartwell), INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE (2016), the above mentioned THE NEW VOICES IN FANTASY (2017), THE UNICORN ANTHOLOGY (2019 with Beagle), and THE NEW VOICES OF SCIENCE FICTION (2019 with Hannu Rajaniemi).

Cover art by Camille André
Design by Elizabeth Story

Cover design by Patrick Swenson and Elizabeth Story

Prior to Tachyon, Weisman edited and published 14 issues of the quarterly fantasy magazine The Thirteenth Moon and worked for the Seattle SuperSonics. His writings have appeared in The Nation, Realms of Fantasy, The Louisville Courier-Journal, The Seattle Weekly, The Cooper Point Journal, Field of Fantasies, and in the college textbook, Sport in Contemporary Society. He’s responsible (alongside David Sandner) for the acclaimed novelettes Mingus Fingers (2019) and Hellhounds (2022).

Everyone at Tachyon wishes the extraordinary Jacob a happy birthday. And not just because we’re told to.

February 6, 2024

Meet Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman and managing editor Jill Roberts at 2024 San Francisco Writers Conference

Rick Klaw blog, Events jacob weisman, jill roberts, san francisco, san francisco writers conference, sfwc

Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman and managing editor Jill Roberts are participating in the 2024 San Francisco Writers Conference, February 15-18 at Hyatt Regency San Francisco.

This will be the 20th Celebration of Craft, Commerce, and Community for all writers. Attendees will join 100+ presenters and fellow writers from across the country and around the world at this year’s event. The SFWC events are consistently rated among the top writers’ conferences anywhere. Our goal is to help writers become published authors as we help them become better at the craft of writing and the business of publishing. The SFWC is also one of the friendliest conferences around.
SFWC About

Weisman and Roberts are involved with several events.

Friday, February 16

10:15AM

Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 2
Joey Garcia, Rusty Shelton, Lynnette Novak, Bruce Wawrzyniak, Brooke Warner, Leticia Gomez, Susie Meserve, Michael Carr, Andy Ross, Kesia Lupo, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Monica Wesolowska, Heather Lazare, Patricia Nelson, Jill Roberts, Andrea Stewart, Malaga Baldi, B Lynn Goodwin, Natalie Obando, Ralph Scott. Gini Grossenbacher, EJ DeBrun

11:30AM

Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 3
Rusty Shelton, Bruce Wawrzyniak, Karly Dizon, Mary C. Moore, Brooke Warner, Michael Carr, Jim McCarthy, Kesia Lupo, Maeve McLysaght, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Isidra Mencos, Monica Wesolowska, Carole Bumpus, Heather Lazare, Jill Roberts, Andrea Stewart, Stefanie Molina, Kaitlin Ketchum, Tanya Egan Gibson, EJ DeBrun, Natasha Yim

2PM

Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 4
Peter Dudley, Karly Dizon, Joey Garcia, Jennifer Joseph, Andy Ross, Jim McCarthy, Maeve McLysaght, Georgia Hughes, Monica Wesolowska, Carole Bumpus, Heather Lazare, Kristen Tatroe, Jill Roberts, Stefanie Molina, Jodi Fodor, Kaitlin Ketchum, Camille Kantor, B Lynn Goodwin. Gini Grossenbacher, Tanya Egan Gibson, EJ DeBrun

3:15PM

Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 5
Peter Dudley, Jennifer Joseph, Alyssa Maltese, Andy Ross, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Isidra Mencos, Monica Wesolowska, Kristen Tate, Marika Flatt, Patricia Nelson, Jill Roberts, Susan Wooldridge, Malaga Baldi, Camille Kantor, Natalie Obando, Ralph Scott, Barbara Rich, EJ DeBrun, Brenda Knight, Susan Woolridge

Saturday, February 17

9AM

Agent & Editor AMA in the Ballroom
Michael Carr, Camille Kantor, Lisa Abellera, Kaitlin Ketchum, Mary C. Moore, Jennifer Joseph, Georgia Hughes, Patricia Nelson, Brenda Knight, Alyssa Maltese, Jacob Weisman, Jill Roberts, Lynnette Novak, Andy Ross, Leticia Gomez, Natalie Obando, Brooke Warner, Jim McCarthy, Maeve McLysaght, Malaga Baldi, Stefanie Molina, Natalie Obando, Kesia Lupo Moderator: Laurie McLean

10:15AM

Fiction in the Marketplace: What You Need to Know to Polish and Sell Science Fiction/Fantasy in 2024
Maeve MacLysaght, Andrea Stewart, Jacob Weisman, Mary C. Moore, Jill Roberts Moderator: Victoria “Nicole” Shi

11:30AM

Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 8
Cara Black, Jennifer Joseph, Jacob Weisman, Mary C. Moore, Brooke Warner, Michael Carr, Kesia Lupo, Maeve McLysaght, Georgia Hughes, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Linda Joy Myers, Monica Wesolowska, Marika Flatt, Patricia Nelson, Kristen Tatroe, Stefanie Molina, Mary Knippel, Lisa Abellera, Natalie Obando, B Lynn Goodwin, Brenda Knight

3PM

Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 9
Jacob Weisman, Mary C. Moore, Leticia Gomez, Alyssa Maltese, Andy Ross, Jim McCarthy, Maeve McLysaght, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Linda Joy Myers, Julie Broad, Kristen Tatroe, Mary Knippel, Kaitlin Ketchum, Lisa Abellera, Camille Kantor, B Lynn Goodwin, Ralph Scott, Patrick Aylward. Gini Grossenbacher, Joan Gelfand

4:15PM

Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 10
Lynnette Novak, Cara Black, Jacob Weisman, Georgia Hughes, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Linda Joy Myers, Julie Broad, Marika Flatt, Mary Knippel, Kaitlin Ketchum, Camille Kantor, Natalie Obando, B Lynn Goodwin

Sunday, February 18

10:15AM

Writing for Change: Agents for Change: The Publishing Industry’s Role in Your Mission
Jacob Weisman, Georgia Hughes. Gini Grossenbacher Moderator: Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte

11:30AM

Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 13
Jacob Weisman, Isidra Mencos, Monica Wesolowska, Julie Broad, Marika Flatt, B Lynn Goodwin, EJ DeBrun

October 25, 2023

Tachyon well represented at the 2023 World Fantasy Convention

Rick Klaw blog, Events body shocks, driftwood, eileen gunn, Ellen Datlow, ellen klages, fairwood press, Gordon Van Gelder, Izzy Wasserstein, jacob weisman, John Joseph Adams, John Kessel, jonathan strahan, josh rountree, kansas city, marie brennan, Naseem Jamnia, pat murphy, sam j miller, sharon shinn, the bruising of qilwa, the legend of charlie fish, whispering wood, world fantasy convention

Publisher Jacob Weisman, Jonathan Strahan (Editor Guest of Honor), John Joseph Adams, Marie Brennan, Ellen Datlow, Eileen Gunn, John Kessel (virtual only), Ellen Klages, Pat Murphy, Josh Rountree, Gordon Van Gelder, Izzy Wasserstein, and current World Fantasy Award nominees for their Tachyon titles, Naseem Jamnia and Sam J. Miller, are scheduled to appear at the 2023 World Fantasy Convention in Kansas City, MO, October 26-29.

GUESTS OF HONOR

Author: Kij Johnson and Adam Troy-Castro
Editor: Jonathan Strahan
Artists: Elizabeth Leggett and Vincent Villafranca
Toastmasters: Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes

The World Fantasy Convention offers a massive selection of readings,
signings, and panels. To find any of these authors, check out the entire
schedule on their site.

Be sure to visit the Tachyon tables in the dealer’s room, where we’ll be hosting several signings. We’re sharing space this year with Fairwood Press.

The Legend of Charlie Fish — Cover by John Coulthart

Friday

2PM

Ellen Datlow
Josh Rountree

Cover for THE BRUISING OF QILWA by Naseem Jamnia — Cover by Elizabeth Story

Saturday

2PM

Marie Brennan
Naseem Jamnia

3PM

Sharon Shinn

October 10, 2023

Goodbye to the beloved Pat Diggs

Rick Klaw blog jacob weisman, obituary, pat diggs

On September 27, we lost the extraordinary Pat Diggs. A member of the extended Tachyon family, she first become a fandom fixture in the early 70s with her championing, as a writer, reader, and often illicit distributor, of fan fiction. Pat was fluent in Japanese and sang in the chorus of the San Francisco Opera.

Pat regularly attended science fiction conventions, often organizing panels and assisting publishers. It’s in that latter role when Tachyon entered her life.

Martin Wolf, Jacob Weisman, Pat Diggs, and Eleanor Farrell

Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman shares this remembrance.

Pat Diggs used to sit beside me in the dealer’s room and, when the foot traffic slowed, she’d tell me stories.

Pat was a multitalented woman who had sung in various bands and for the San Francisco Opera. She’d been involved at the beginning of the slash fiction scene, editing, trading, and selling zines where Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock continued their various adventures and took their personal relationship to another level. She’d tell me about the early Star Trek conventions, hiding magazines under the table when television officials inspected the dealer’s room. She’d been a bodyguard for Leonard Nimoy, clearing his hotel room of amorous women who would sneak in and wait for him when he wasn’t there. She’d posed nude for Laurie Edison’s groundbreaking photography book, Women en Large.

She suffered from a myriad of health problems, including Lupus, and was told long before I met her that she’d probably only live a few more years. She quit the opera when it became too hard for her to sing. She stayed connected to science fiction, though, volunteering at conventions.

Already a veteran of the infamous Locus collating parties, Pat volunteered to work the Locus table. She worked tables for Dave Clark at Cargo Cult too. It was Dave who introduced me to Pat when I needed help at the Philadelphia WorldCon in 2001. Pat and I quickly became fast friends and Pat would call me, when I should have been the one calling her, to ask if I was going to this convention or that convention. She was the door monitor for SF in SF, the monthly reading series that Tachyon has sponsored for the last 20 years.

She had the knack of charming people who didn’t charm easily. People like Charles Brown. People like me. Robert Silverberg would always stop by the table to say hello to Pat. She had shared an ill-fated flight once with Bob and Karen, finally landing in the early morning hours. She’d introduce me to friends of hers at conventions and remind me after a half hour of vigorous conversation that we needed to get to dinner or to move on to the next party.

The last few years were not kind to her. She’d finally had to take the advice of her doctors and stop traveling. And she wasn’t able to work the door anymore at SF in SF because of the dangers of Covid.

Those of us who knew her are grateful for all of the extra time that Pat received after her initial diagnoses. That I knew her for decades, let alone at all, has truly been a blessing in my life.

The amazing Pat will be missed by everyone who knew her. Our thoughts are with her loved ones.

August 28, 2023

STARTING THIS THURSDAY Join Tachyon Publisher Jacob Weisman and Mia Tsai, author of the acclaimed BITTER MEDICINE at Dragon Con

Rick Klaw Events atlanta, bitter medicine, dragon con, jacob weisman, mia tsai

Jacob Weisman and Mia Tsai are attending the 2023 Dragon Con, August 31-Sept 4 in Atlanta, GA.

Both Wesiman and Tsai are participating in the extensive Dragon Con events and signings

Saturday, September 2

11:30 AM

Editor Here, Editor There: So Much Red Ink that It Looks Like Blood!
Embassy CD Hyatt

Editors are a necessary evil: sometimes authors love them, sometimes they kill them in novels. But how do we know which is the kind we need? There are many varieties of this demon: Copy, Developmental, and who knows what else.
Panelists: Trisha J. Wooldridge(M), Steve Saffel, James A. Hunter, Lezli Robyn, Jacob Weisman, Anne Sowards

5:30 PM

Editors Reveal All
Embassy EF Hyatt

What is an editor looking for? What are the advantages and disadvantages to publishing today among traditional, indie, and self-publishing? These editors have the answers.
Panelists: Oriana Shani Leckert, Anne Sowards, Toni Weisskopf, Bill Fawcett(M), David Afsharirad, Jacob Weisman

Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai — Cover art by Jia-Ling Pan
Design by Elizabeth Story

Sunday, September 3

10 AM

Signing Jacob Weisman
The Missing Volume booth 1201

2 PM

Signing Mia Tsai
The Missing Volume booth 1201

4 PM

Trends in UF: Editors & Publishers Share the Scoop
Chastain 1-2 Westin

Our panel of editors and publishers will share their knowledge and expertise in a discussion of what readers can look forward to next in the Urban Fantasy genre.
Panelists: John G. Hartness, Steve Saffel, Toni Weisskopf, Jennifer Morris(M), Jacob Weisman, Lezli Robyn

7 PM

That Has Such People in It: the Unwritten Rules of SF
Embassy AB Hyatt

What are the unwritten rules of modern Science Fiction? Are there any? And if so – are we required to follow them?
Panelists: James Nettles, Jacob Weisman, Trisha J. Wooldridge, Gray Rinehart, Steve Saffel(M), Lezli Robyn

Mia Tsai author photo — Copyright (c) Rebekah Chavez Wynne

Monday, September 4

10 AM

IP Here, IP There, Intellectual Property Everywhere
Embassy CD Hyatt

Intellectual Property can be a tricky business, but is very important. Sometimes it is sharing a universe, sometimes it’s jumping into a new medium, sometimes a name becomes a catchall. How do you keep your special child and yet share it with the world?
Panelists: Toni Weisskopf, Oriana Shani Leckert, B.L. Blanchard, James Nettles(M), Harmon Cooper, Jacob Weisman

July 28, 2023

Tachyon infiltrates Armadillocon 45 with Jacob Weisman, Cory Doctorow, Joe R. Lansdale, Marie Brennan, Josh Rountree, and Rick Klaw

Rick Klaw blog, Events armadillocon, austin, cory doctorow, jacob weisman, Joe R. Lansdale, josh rountree, marie brennan, Rick Klaw, the legend of charlie fish, things get ugly

Join publisher Jacob Weisman, Editor Guest Rick Klaw (THE APES OF WRATH), and a cadre of Tachyon authors including Special Guest Cory Doctorow, Joe R. Lansdale (THINGS GET UGLY: THE BEST CRIME STORIES OF JOE R. LANSDALE), Marie Brennan (DRIFTWOOD), and Josh Rountree (THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE FISH) for ArmadilloCon 45, August 4-6 at Austin Southpark Hotel in Austin, TX.

ArmadilloCon is an annual literary convention sponsored by the Fandom Association of Central Texas, Inc. The primary focus of ArmadilloCon is science fiction and fantasy, but we also pay attention to art, animation, science, media, and gaming. Every year, dozens of professional writers, artists and editors attend the convention. We invite you to attend the convention, especially if you are a fan of reading, writing, gaming, and generally having fun.

Things Get Ugly, cover by John Coulthart — Covers by John Coulthart

Featured Guests

WRITER GUEST: Sequoia Nagamatsu
SPECIAL GUEST: Cory Doctorow
SPECIAL GUEST: Gabino Iglesias
EDITOR GUEST: Rick Klaw
TOASTMASTER: Tonia Ransom
ARTIST GUEST: Gonzalo Alvarez
FAN GUEST: Charles Siros

April 19, 2023

Tachyon tidbits featuring Nalo Hopkinson, Marjorie Liu, Marie Brennan, R. B. Lemberg, and Jacob Weisman

Rick Klaw blog book riot, driftwood, falling in love with hominids, forever and everly, in calabria, jacob weisman, k. w. colyard, marie brennan, marjorie liu, nalo hopkinson, nina shepardson, nourish-n-cherish, outside of a dog, r. b. lemberg, Rick reads some books I dunno, suhail rafidi, the four profound weaves, the tangleroot palace

The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web

**For their Book Riot list, K. W. Colyard includes Nalo Hopkinson’s FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS among The Most Influential Sci-Fi Books of the Past 10 Years.**

Authors of color swept the Hugos in 2016, but Nalo Hopkinson’s collection was sadly not among the winners — not because of any failure on the author’s fault, but simply because there is no Hugo Award for best anthology or collection. Despite that little oversight, FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS has been a fan favorite since its publication in 2015. Here, post-apocalyptic monsters mingle with ghosts stranded in shopping malls. It’s an eye-opening look at what science fiction can do.

Cover art by Chuma Hill
Design by Elizabeth Story

Forever and Everly recommends Marjorie Liu’s THE TANGLEROOT PALACE as one of 12 Books to Read When You’re in a Slump.

Short story collections are truly a savior for me whenever I’m struggling to read, and this one is one of my favorites! I adore a majority of these stories, and they are wholly captivating with their rich fantasy (and often fairytale-like) settings, magical weirdness, and focus on female characters and voices. Marjorie Liu has such a unique take on fantasy, and if you’re a fan of the genre, I think you’ll really enjoy her fresh twists on typical tropes and storylines!

Cover art by Sana Takeda
Design by Elizabeth Story

**Nina Shepardson on Outside of a Dog praises Marie Brennan’s DRIFTWOOD.**

While an individual person can move into other parts of Driftwood, their birth-home will inevitably fall to the Crush. Some become despairing, others bitter, but a few manage to maintain hope. Some do this by preserving what they can of their homeworlds, others by intermarrying with people from other worlds and building a new home in the multispecies society of the Drifters. The characters in DRIFTWOOD are diverse, not just in appearance and customs, but in their outlook and reactions to what has happened to them. My only complaint is that I wish the book had been longer so I could have seen more of the world Brennan created.

Nourish-n-Cherish recalls a conversation with their son about Peter S. Beagle’s use of poetry in IN CALABRIA.

We chuckled at the feeble attempts of poetry and I told him about the way poetry was woven into the book written by that mastermind of unicorn stories, Peter S Beagle. In the book, IN CALABRIA. In the book, a farmer writes poems and reads poetry (not his own but famous poets) out to his goats and cows.

Rick reads some books, I dunno loves R. B. Lemberg’s Nebula Award-nominated THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES to a rating of 5 out 5.

This book throws you in at the deep end of its world and its magic, and is all the better for it. Lemberg weaves exposition and conceptual brilliance into their narration with such ease that I immediately let myself go into the dream-logic of cloths woven from change, wanderlust, hope, and death. It all made deep intuitive sense. The magic within this book, within this world, was palpable, hungry, too brilliant to encompass in mere words on the page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story based on initial concepts by Francesca Myman

Suhail Rafidi was excited to visit with Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman at San Francisco Writer’s Conference 2023.

I had the opportunity, for the second time ever, to speak with Jacob Weisman, the founder of Tachyon Publications. And he remembered me! Well, he mostly remembered my friend David Gill (“The Philip K. Dick Guy”). The first time I met Mr. Weisman was at an SF in SF event, when the featured guest was Robert Silverberg. At the conference, we stood by the bookstore table and spoke of everything from sci-fi novellas to the next SF in SF event at the Bookbinder’s Museum. I love a friendly chat among nerds.

February 23, 2023

Happy birthday to our fearless leader, the visionary Jacob Weisman

While Weisman oversees all of Tachyon books, he was directly responsible for several anthologies including THE TREASURY OF THE FANTASTIC (2001 with David Sandner), THE SWORD & SORCERY ANTHOLOGY (2012 with David Hartwell), INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE (2016), the above mentioned THE NEW VOICES IN FANTASY, THE UNICORN ANTHOLOGY (2019 with Beagle), and THE NEW VOICES OF SCIENCE FICTION (2019 with Hannu Rajaniemi).

Everyone at Tachyon wishes the extraordinary Jacob a happy birthday. And not just because we’re told to.

February 7, 2023

Tachyon tidbits featuring Lavie Tidhar, David Liss, Joe R. Lansdale, and Jacob Weisman & David Sandner

Rick Klaw blog andrew wheeler, david liss, David Sandner, Ellen Datlow, hellhounds, jacob weisman, Joe R. Lansdale, john coulthart, kate of mind, kate sherrod, lapl blog, lavie tidhar, my favorite bit, neom, the antick musings of g.b.h. hornswoggler gent., the peculiarities, things get ugly

The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web

Lavie Tidahe author photo — Lavie Tidhar

**Andrew Wheeler on his The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent. praises Lavie Tidhar’s NEOM.**

This is a smart, open-hearted, short SF novel deeply steeped in the history of the robot and mechanical man in SF, and that has plenty of its own changes to ring on those ideas, set, as I said, in a deep, complex, interesting universe of its own.

Neom by Lavie Tidhar — Cover by Elizabeth Story

**The LAPL Blog interviews Tidhar.**

What was your inspiration for Neom?

It was really, I think, our second lockdown over here, in the middle of winter, and I was supposed to be writing this big historical epic, Maror, which is out now in the UK…But I just couldn’t concentrate. And I had this image that came into my mind, of a robot holding a flower. I didn’t know anything else about it, so I wrote what I thought was a small story about the robot, and then realised I had no idea what it was doing, so wrote more to find out, and eventually realised I was writing a novel! The city I explored earlier in a short story, “Neom,” that is more or less the first chapter here, and the whole idea of the Ghost Coast and the Green Caravanserai came from a visit to the Sinai quite a long time ago, when the whole coastal area seemed half-built and abandoned. And I woke up for the sunrise as it emerged from behind the Saudi mountains on the other side of the Red Sea, and I thought, you know, I’d love to go there. So I did, even if it’s in the far future of my own imagination.

**Kate Sherrod on Kate of Mind enjoys THE PECULIARITIES by David Liss.**

I would read many more volumes of stuff set in this world, whether the hero be Thomas, Esther, Ruby (a wolf-girl who helps them quite a bit) or even some brand new characters. Like the aforementioned Tim Powers, Liss has created a truly original and intriguing magical system and thus a world with room for many more cool adventures. Crossing my fingers for more of this!

**On his feuilleton journal, book designer John Coulhart discusses THINGS GET UGLY: THE BEST CRIMES STORIES OF JOE R. LANSDALE.**

The stories may be described as crime but quite a few of them are dark enough to be included in horror collections. Things do, indeed, get ugly. The intersection between crime and horror fiction isn’t exactly new, the two genres have been entangled since The Murders in the Rue Morgue, and the boundaries remain permeable to this day. The most well-known piece in the new collection is Incident On and Off a Mountain Road, a story that was filmed for TV by Don Coscarelli for the Masters of Horror series, and which also opened the first season in 2005. Coscarelli’s adaptation is even nastier than its source but not everything in the collection is unrelentingly grim. Lansdale has a flair for black comedy which is to the fore in another story, Driving to Geromino’s Grave, in which two Depression-era children have to bring home the rotting body of their deceased uncle. This may not be everybody’s idea of an amusing read but the witty dialogue made me laugh.

**David Sandner and Jacob Weisman talk about Hellhounds for My Favorite Bit.**

Jacob:

Hellhounds is part of a larger collaborative project between David Sandner and myself. The larger story cycle follows the adventures of two brothers, Kenny – also known as The Prophet — and his older brother Lamond.

There’s two of us involved with this story, and while David may have a favorite bit all his own, I suspect we share the same favorite, and that is the character of Lamond that we discovered while writing this story.

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