Waiting for rumors of thunder

So there's this feisty little publisher here in Los Angeles which has begun charming its way into the hearts of readers of discernment all over the globe. Shadowridge Press technically started up several years ago but really began throwing its weight around just in the last twelve months or so. They boast books by Sarah Pinborough & F Paul Wilson, Tracy L Carbone, Stephen Woodworth, and Gardner Goldsmith among their catalog and have recently embarked on the ambitious project of bringing all of Dennis Etchison's collections back into print in attractive uniform editions.

Clearly, they've been doing everything right. So it must be in the spirit of the master carpet makers of ancient Persia -- who routinely introduced a deliberate flaw into their otherwise perfect creations so as not to offend the gods -- that they decided to slip a bit of Atkins into the mix.

In what is both the first American print edition and -- astonishingly, at least to me -- the twentieth anniversary edition, they've dressed my novel BIG THUNDER up in a stylish trade paperback and sent it back out into the world. It's "a neglected masterpiece", says Glen Hirshberg. And the fact that I have certain photographs in my possession shouldn't make you doubt his word.

Refusing to learn from their mistakes, Shadowridge are also unveiling the first USA edition of my short story collection, RUMORS OF THE MARVELOUS, previously only available -- as I'm sure you loyal blog readers remember -- as a rather lovely signed limited edition from the magnificent (and now award-winning) Alchemy Press in the UK. That edition was of course called RUMOURS OF THE MARVELLOUS because ha-ha you Brits are so funny and quaint.

Along with a bunch of my Shadowridge stablemates, I'll be at Dark Delicacies in beautiful downtown Burbank on July 8th at 4pm ready and willing to sign these books and, as usual, anything else you might care to put in front of me (local bylaws permitting). Please swing by and say hello if you can. And if you can't, I'm sure those nice people at Amazon would be happy to sell you the books anyway: amazon.com/author/peter_atkins

"It's all well and good, repackaging your old neglected masterpieces, Pete," I hear the less pleasant of you mumble. "But haven't you got anything new for us to neglect?" Well, as a matter of fact I have, Mr and Mrs General Public, as a matter of fact I have. So pipe the fuck down. Come this October, THE LOVECRAFT SQUAD: WAITING will hit the shelves of the fourteen brick and mortar bookstores left in the continental United States and will feature -- among sterling work by Angela Slatter, Brian Hodge, Reggie Oliver, Michael Marshall Smith, Steve Rasnic Tem, Richard Gavin, Jay Russell, Thana Niveau, Stephen Baxter, and Kim Newman -- a new novelette-length contribution by yer 'umble servant called "The Stuff that Dreams are Made of". The book is the brainchild of the illustrious Stephen Jones, not only one of the most respected editors in our field but a mate of thirty years standing. We contributors had a lot of fun working on this one and I hope you all might enjoy it too. To whet your appetite, check out this fantastic pulp-throwback cover from Doug Klauba: