534th Post - Like to be Scared?

Many years ago, I joined a battery club through Radio Shack. I am still trying to live that one down. I was entitled to one free AA or AAA battery each month for each card I could pull out of my pocket at the RS store when I needed a battery or 3. I was only supposed to have one card, but by times I'd have several on the go. It is one of the cheapest things I have ever done in my life. Not quite as cheap or stingy as now, when I freeze Hallowe'en candy for eleven months and 29 days as preparation for the following October 31st, but the free battery club thing was certainly up there. Not a nice way to impress the ladies.

I am careful about the clubs I have joined ever since. Or at least, I am careful what I tell people pursuant to the clubs I check out.

Earlier this year, I joined a horror book club, run by Dorchester Publications. Each month, for one low fixed cost, they mail me two hot-off-the-presses horror paperbacks, by established and upcoming horror writers. The books are great fun if you are into that type of fiction. If you're not, they're not.

They can be deeply disturbing books if you want to look at them that way. I choose not to. YMMV, of course.

I have spent quite a bit of time at that publisher's website. They have a writer's guidelines link that tells them how long a book they will accept, what type of genres they will accept, and the type of story they will entertain within the genres.

You know, I have always marveled at how writers are able to work within what can be construed as limitations or constrictions to produce work of great quality. Here: Read the guidelines, if you want to. You'll see what I mean.

I don't really have a point here. Just wanted you to know that the December 2008 selections arrived in the mail today. They will go in the queue of books to be read. And, you'll see them in book stores in the next week or so.

Another overly long day. Still trying to recover from what a bunch of us saw on Monday morning while having coffee at Tim Horton's. Still not sure how or even whether to discuss it here on the blog. I guess I'll provide this link to the story as starters. It may be the only allusion to the story on the blog at all. I have discussed it a little bit on my facebook page, but not here. The story is still too raw, too emotional, for me to discuss here yet. Sorry.

Bevboy