10p024: Things look a little WEIRD around here; and SOFT TARGETS COVER ART REVEAL
Do not adjust your browser, traveler. Secure your eccentri-scope and step into the Brave New Weird frontier.
We knew it was imminent, but the time has arrived to officially make the jump to Substack. On the reader’s end, this shouldn’t make much difference other than you might get to watch me figuring out the new interface in real time, where the light switches are, etc. Should be good as ever in no time.
In the event you stumbled in here accidentally:
Best regards, good world! I’m Matt Blairstone, Publisher and Founder of Tenebrous Press (or 10p, when we don’t feel like typing that out). My partner—Editor-in-Chief/Fly-in-Ointment Alex Woodroe—and I wage an endless mission to unearth only the finest specimens of New Weird Horror from the loam, and deliver them unto a readership hungry for the unexpected and unsettling. And we’re damn good at what we do.
Odds are, though, that you do already know why you’re here. In which case, let’s skip any further introductions and dive in face first.
BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror, Volume One, is out February 6th; preorders are open now
We’re less than three weeks out from release date; if you haven’t preordered yet, you can do so here.
Oh, and also here.
That’s right: you can now purchase eBooks directly from us, and they work just as well on whatever device you fancy (you can still buy from our good friends at Godless, of course, and our “I’m sure there are some great folks working here” at Amazon.)
The chief reason for this is that now, when you buy a print book direct from Tenebrous, you get the eBook free as well. Honestly, it’s a no-brainer move, and it’s overdue. We’re not the first to do it, but I hope more indie publishers will follow suit.
But back to BRAVE NEW WEIRD: If you wanna get to know some of the contributors a little better, we’ve been talking to a number of them over on the 10p blog, about all manner of things: what Weird means to them; what the future of Artificial Intelligence in art might look like; and in one particularly poignant interview, what it’s like to be a journalist on the war front in Ukraine. They’re all good reads, so go check ‘em out and get to know the Class of ‘22 Weirdos!
BRAVE NEW WEIRD, out February 6th. Step bravely into the Weird frontier.
SOFT TARGETS bends time, breaks hearts, emerges March 22nd to permanently scar some brains
And now, you’ve earned it, Tenebrous Cult; feast your eyes on this, our first public reveal of the cover art for Carson Winter’s SOFT TARGETS, illustrated by the ever-incredible Blacky Shepherd:
About SOFT TARGETS:
You know that office bromance: two of a kind, always taking their lunch together, always wearing the same sly grin. Only ever a hair away from a cold joke about how spreadsheets are a living hell; about taking a bullet if it means going home early on Friday. Sometimes in these fantasies, they’re heroes being hauled out on a stretcher.
Sometimes they’re the ones pulling the trigger.
Now, say these guys discover a loophole that makes some days less real than others—less permanent—and start to act out their violent fantasies without fear of reprisal. Why shouldn’t they? Tomorrow, everything will go back to normal, with no one the wiser but them.
They’ll always remember what it felt like to act on their basest impulses. They’ll know how it could feel to do it again.
Maybe you don’t know these guys. Maybe you don’t want to.
SOFT TARGETS is a reality-bending novella about malignant malaise; the surrender to violence; and the addictive appeal of tragedy as entertainment. Out March 22nd.
Contains graphic depictions of gun violence in the workplace; caution recommended.
We’ll have much more to say about this, our first original release of 2023, next month: including preorder packages, live readings by Carson, and why the hell we’re publishing a book that triggers me (sorry not sorry, but pun very much intended) more than just about any other subject. Stay tuned. Meanwhile…
Here’s Alex with the Weather
Today is all about showcasing three projects that really deserve your love.
I know some of you are disappointed that I’m not standing on a box waving a great big stick this time, so I’ll just solemnly promise that in the next newsletter, we’re going to have a chat about some great big publisher implosions over the past year, and what we’re doing to make sure Tenebrous doesn’t go down that road.
But, for now, let’s focus on someone else:
ASEPTIC AND FAINTLY SADISTIC
This gorgeous anthology edited by Jolie Toomajan explores hysteria as a way to both cope with the world’s desire to keep people’s bodies under strict control, and play a part in fighting against it—proceeds will be donated to the Chicago Abortion Fund.
From the book:
“Are you sure something’s wrong? Or are you just hysterical?”
Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic is rage-made-art, an unsettling meditation that also serves as a charitable platform to support abortion rights in the United States. Inside are twenty-six haunting speculative tales that explore the social, political, and personal dimensions of hysteria.
Featured authors: Hailey Piper, Alex Laurel Lanz, Jennifer Lesh Fleck, Cheyenne Shaffer, Diane Callahan, Aya Maguire, Marisca Pichette, Susan L. Lin, Tania Chen, Dee Engan, Erin Keating, Lillah Lawson, Laura Cranehill, Sarah Pauling, Ian Gabriel Loisel, K. Wallace King, M. Regan, Sarah Zell, Joe Koch, Kelsea Yu, Laura Blackwell, Dante O. Greene, Kenzie Lappin, J.Z. Kelley, Katherine Marzinsky, Christi Nogle.
Check back here to find out when you can get your hands on this book!
THOUGHTSCAPE COMICS #1-#3
On Kickstarter right this minute, you can be part of the force that helps bring this Sci-Fi comics project to fruition.
From the creator:
“ThoughtScape Comics is an anthology series serving up sci-if action, thrills and chills in the tradition of 2000 AD, Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone. Anything is possible in these taut tales of trauma and transformation, of people pushed past their limits by the gods and monsters they meet - or become - at the edges of technology and reality.
After raising over $9,500 to launch ThoughtScape Comics #1 in 2021, we're back with ISSUES #2 and #3! Over 110 pages of new material! And if you're new to the ThoughtScape we've got plenty of ways for you to pick up ISSUE #1, so it's a great time to jump aboard the series that The Comic Book Yeti calls "a must read."
Find out more, and back Thoughtscape here!
AHH! THAT'S WHAT I CALL HORROR - A TUBULAR 90S LIVE READING!
Another fun anthology to get involved in: AHH! THAT'S WHAT I CALL HORROR is an anthology of short horror stories that positively scream 90s nostalgia, put together by a small community under elected leadership and doing, quite frankly, more through the power of sheer enthusiasm than many manage on a big budget.
You can hang out with the authors, support the project, and join a raffle through this event on the 21st of January.
From the creators:
“With fourteen horror stories set during the decade of flannel shirts and neon dolphin Trapper Keepers, Ahh! That’s What I Call Horror features a PHAT (pretty horrific and terrifying) collection of totally rad horror and Weird fiction authors exploring the darker side of what many consider a time of relative peace and prosperity. When it comes to ‘90s horror, this is one anthology guaranteed to be all that and a bag of haunted chips.
On Jan 21st, you get the chance to hear eight killer stories from the mouths of their creators themselves—SICK!”
Attend the live virtual reading and find out more here.
Now back to Matt to wrap it up-
HANG OUT WITH THE 10p CULT; NOT AS CREEPY AS IT SOUNDS BUT ALSO, NO SPACESHIP RIDE AT THE END
…or is there?
No. There’s not.
But, if you’re in the Pacific Northwest—or are really ambitious with your casual travel plans—I’ve been slooooowly coordinating with Carson and Danger Slater and a few other locals about getting a monthly/bi-monthly Horror/Weirdo gathering together to eat and drink and laugh and scare and reinvigorate the Portland-ish Horror scene, post-Covid. If and when that happens, we’ll make an announcement here.
No matter where you are, in this world or another, you can come hang out with us right now on the Tenebrous Discord server! Right now the link is valid; next week, who knows?! It’s been a bit pesky of late, but you can always email me at tenebrouspress@gmail.com to get access. Just a couple hundred folks talking all things Indie Horror…and usually straying very far from the topic. It’s a fun group.
Alright, that’s all we got for you.
Preorder BRAVE NEW WEIRD (or any of our other books, shirts, art and more) here.
Hail Indie Horror.
Hail the 10p Cult.
Yours,
Alex & Matt