Tenebrous021: We're all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?
<start things off with a joke to deflate the tension>
So, Twitter, amirite?!
...
And how 'bout them midterm elections? Eh? Eh?
...
...dammit Alex, these cue cards suck.
So. Life's pretty fun right now, yeah? For my part I've got one foot in the grave, as usual, and the other stepping out the door to Mexico for the next two weeks. Sayulita, to be precise. I'm fairly certain we'll return stateside afterward, though I honestly don't know why most days. The cats and the house and the kid's school, I guess? Though he's in a Spanish immersion program and at five years old his comprehension is already roughly 1000% mucho mejor than mine, so no guarantees on that front either.
All of which is to say: Tenebrous Heart&Soul&Editor-in-Chief&Cracker of Whips Alex Woodroe will be captaining the Twitter account and the Tenebrous Discord board for the time being (moreso than she already does, anyway).
...what's that, you say? You didn't know there's a Tenebrous Discord now?
Well now you know, buckaroo.
It's only a few days old, but we've got a hundred-and-change swell folks in there talking Horror shop; Horror publishing; Horror comics; Horror films; Horror pets (and horrible pets, and good-boy pets, and lots of pets, really; easily the most popular section of the board right now) You should join us! No one knows what the F is going on with the Goodship Tweeter other than it's run by a Gazillionaire Crazypants which, granted, is amusing for a few seconds here and there. But if you're looking for a place to find some Indie Horror community—if you're looking for your people—then come dip your toes in. Lurk if you like, engage if you want, so far everyone's been a delight and no one has been forcibly ejected except for myself and occasionally Alex. But we know the passwords and hold the keys so we keep sneaking back in.
Join the Tenebrous Discord.
Tenebrous '23 is getting a lot more crowded
So, you know about BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror of 2022, which lands pre-loaded with outrage on February 6th.
And Carson Winter's SOFT TARGETS has a tentative release date of March 22nd. (Cover art by Blacky Shepherd coming next month!)
But we've got a pair of freshly announced novellas to share with you as well! First up, making its debut at Ghoulish Book Fest in San Antonio April 14th:
AGONY'S LODESTONE by Laura Keating nails elements of the classic Gothic to a truly Weird, gnarled tree composed of Found Footage Horror and covered in the Autumn foliage of Heavy Family Drama. There's also some Creature Feature elements in there and things get all kindsa wonky Timey-Wimey, which is my favorite kind of Wimey. So, y'know, boilerplate Tenebrous fare:)
In a wonderful act of synchronicity, AGONY'S LODESTONE cover artist and illustrator extraordinaire, Trevor Henderson, will be attending Ghoulish Book Fest as a Guest of Honor, so we'll try to think up some fun ways to augment this book release extravaganza.
AGONY'S LODESTONE by Laura Keating. April 14. More info to come.
And after that? Coming up in June, and making its debut at StokerCon in...Pittsburgh? Is that right? I've honestly got so many flights booked next year I'm losing track...
Danger Slater makes his Tenebrous debut with HOUSE OF ROT! A black-hearted tale of the ultimate renter's nightmare, the grue and guts in HoR fly so far and so colorfully that this novella will come packaged with its own splash-guard (not really, although...hmm, maybe?)
Danger's signature style is all over this one—if you've read him, you know of what I speak—but this is undoubtedly the most Horror-centric work he's produced. Ghosts, black mold, a Neighbor from Hell, and the Ultimate Splurge Purchase Super-Mattress all converge, in HOUSE OF ROT.
It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: more info to come.
**EDIT** Just as we were finishing this newsletter, Publisher's Marketplace released our latest announcement. I would be remiss not to include it here:
We'll give you more details on this one next time as well, but the short of it is:
Ashley Deng. DEHISCENT. Climate-driven Weird Horror. July 2023. You want.
Now here's Alex with the weather:
I've just got a quick thought for you today in the Whipmaster Alex section of the newsletter, and it's this:
We need to do better.
I desperately need us to do better than continuing to reward wealth, fame, and the ability to acquire both no matter the cost to the people around us.
You're seeing the results of someone being wealthy beyond their ability to be kind on Twitter right now, and you hate it.
But do you notice how much of that same kind of power we give to people within our own writing community? People who may not be money-rich, but who are connections-rich, privilege-rich, holding-the-gate rich? We need to do better than praise and reward people for "how much they do for the community" without so much as a glance at how much they don't, and for whom. People who make one 'rule' of access into their graces for one person, but immediately throw that rule out the window when someone famous enough wafts by. It's hateful, and we see it, and we don't speak up. Because we're afraid.
People who wield names like currency. We see it, and we don't speak, because we hope against hope that if we behave the right way, and invest enough effort into their fame-value, maybe we can tip the exchange rate of our own name in our favor.
People who are here to use, and consume, and grow. Devour and grow. Grab onto others and grow. Flatten everything in their path, and grow. Form hungry, impenetrable circles, and grow.
We're not currency. And if deep down, in the privacy of your own home, you see these things too, and they turn your stomach, I have a challenge for you:
You don't need to put yourself in harm's way and speak out against the bad. You just need to do better.
It doesn't take much, but it starts with knowing what you can do, writing it down, and making yourself commit to it. That's something I'm working on for myself, and for Tenebrous, too: a mission statement. Something like:
“We will always make every opportunity we can give open and accessible to anyone who can take advantage of it.”
“We won’t play favourites based on names, fame, or relationships.”
“We will get external help when it comes to decisions on work from our friends and network.”
“We will prioritize paying the artists and authors before ourselves.”
“We will not take advantages that marginalize or harm others to our benefit.”
And lots more. When the statement is fully formed, we’ll post it on our website and hold ourselves accountable to it. There’s no reason for every author, reviewer, podcaster, editor, etc, not to have one of their own, even if it’s one or two lines. Even if it’s as simple as, “I will not do harm.”
Then, once you know where you stand, take to the metaphorical streets and talk about this with your friends and community. Did they notice anything unfair? Do they notice imbalances of power? Do they notice old ways of doing publishing business that just need to die out? What does it feel like to be on the receiving side of privilege? What does it feel like on the other side?
What can you do?
That one most importantly: what can you do? Even if it’s just one small thing a day, do one thing for another person that brings you absolutely no advantage. Do one thing that doesn’t include your name, that doesn’t bring you any fame, that doesn’t position you as a big deal, that doesn’t cause others to owe you favors.
Make no mistake: this isn’t something I’m preaching for your salvation. Nepotism and clout-chasing and cliquishness in publishing do significant damage to the future of the genre that we love. They limit real progress and diversity; they actively stop writers from blooming; they promote echo chambers, and hollow victories, and miserable lives we pass off as accomplishments and stardom.
Finally, look for the helpers. There really are people out there who aren’t out for themselves. Don’t let them get lost to the exhaustion and heartbreak of life in publishing, and don’t let them get too big for their own heads, either. But look for them, and work together to be better tomorrow.
Love in the Time of Capitalism
The holidays are just around the corner! Which holidays? Take your pick! There are some obscure ones like Christmas and Thanksgiving, but this year, in honor of, uh—Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day!—what better way to say NO to ruining your poor eyes staring at a computer screen than by ruining your eyes staring at a good book?
Or in this case, three good books.
From now through the end of the year, you can get all three of our 2022 novella releases bundled together and specially priced. Included are:
ONE HAND TO HOLD, ONE HAND TO CARVE by M.Shaw
LURE by Tim McGregor
CROM CRUACH by Valkryie Loughcrewe
Pick up the Tenebrous Novella Bundle here, for yourself or a loved one.*** Save some eyes. Death to computer screens.
***A note on shipping: I'll be travelling the next couple weeks, so all orders from the Tenebrous store between now and the end of November will ship on December 1st.***
We should have a few more announcements to round out our 2024 publishing schedule when we reconvene in December. Talk to y'all then. Don't forget to affix your own airmask before- yeah yeah, you know the rest.
Seriously, breathe, and do it a lot. It's one thing that no one (yet) can monetize for $8/month.
Hail the Tenebrous Cult.
Hail Indie Horror.
Matt & Alex