She Spake Too Soon -- my next book to be publish'd by.....

OH, darling, I can't seem to catch up with meself.  As soon as I publish'd that last blog--

I was certain that my next book would be Bohemians of Sesqua Valley and that it would be publish'd in early or mid-March.  But now Chris at Dark Regions Press has express'd ye hope of bringing out Encounters with Enoch Coffin (written in collaboration with Jeffrey Thomas) late next month.  Thus Larry Roberts and I have decided to move ye release date of the Sesqua book to mid- or late Spring 2013.  Jeff and I are hoping that Santiago Caruso will be able to do the jacket for the Enoch Coffin tome.  Have you seen the daemoniac, magnificent art that Santiago has done for a Spanish edition of "The Dunwich Horror"?  Feast your eyes, my loves:

The initial release of both books will be limited edition hardcovers, although Bohemians of Sesqua Valley will quickly be available in trade pb and digital editions as well.

My pa had this house built when I was five and one-half years old.  I have always loved living here, and it is the only place where I have lived that totally feels like home.  I moved back in with mom about five years ago, as she became disabled and wasn't able to live alone.  Her condition has deteriorated, and she can no longer stand or walk on her own and suffers from intense dementia.  We've found a wonderful nursing home for her to move into and that will probably happen late next week.  We, her children, are going through a myriad of emotions about this.  We know it's for the best, and yet there is that sense of guilt of taking mom out of her home.  Taking care of her has been problematic for me, as lifting her from her wheelchair, out of bed or on/off the toilet puts a real strain on my weak heart.

Being alone, living in a state of complete silence and solitude, is something I've longed for, because such a peaceful atmosphere makes it possible for me to concentrate fully on my work as an author.  And yet Oscar Wilde sagely confessed that "When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers."  In the five years that I have lived here, I have written my finest books.  I've written an astonishing number of things.  I end the year by selling a new story to S. T. for his forthcoming Fedogan & Bremer anthology, Searchers After Horror -- a thrilling sale for me, as I have long ached to be in a book from this publisher.  But, more and more, mother's condition is making it difficult, almost impossible, to concentrate on new writing.   So, it will be interesting to see if living in an atmosphere of lonesome quiet will really benefit my writing.  I feel that I have many books inside me, just boiling to spill from my brain through my keyboard.  I have this little fantasy of writing novels, even though every time I've told myself "Okay, you're writing a novel," it has never worked out.

Happy holidays, my darlings, and a prosperous New Year.