New Meth

The new book is in. If you haven't ordered it yet, visit Aardwolf Publishing.

The book's unveiling (unleashing? uncaging?) will occur "officially" at Manitoba's Bar in NY City. You don't want to miss this party. Stay tuned for details.

Mike Henderson: Art Worth Owning

The extraordinary young artist Mike Henderson has just finished 150 unique sketched-on bookplates for the new Hank Magitz book, which he also illustrated (and ya'll know how much I dig mean old Magitz). The book's introduction is by Dictators' frontman Handsome Dick Manitoba and the cover is by Kelly Freas. What're you waiting for?!

Be a smart cookie: Don't just get this book because I tell you it's a great read--get a sketched-on bookplate before young Mike becomes a household word and you're forced to pay ten-times what they're going for now to some bottom feeder on Ebay. I was getting sketches from Jim Steranko and John Romita Sr. and Gene Colan 30 years ago. Know what they're worth now?

Speaking of Colan, here's the master weighing in on young Henderson: "Mike has caught my imagination. There's a drama there that is compelling. His linework is economical and sharp yet one sees all the curves. There's magic in that!"

Order here.

The Whorehouse Madrigals

Review copies of The Whorehouse Madrigals by Hank Magitz recently went out to selected writers and friends. Then I received this lovely note last night:

We're convinced that Clifford Meth is 1,000 years old at the very least. You step into the world of his fictional creations within the first paragraph of everything he's ever published; and his worlds are never ones we're familiar with...yet we are. It's the humanity, the truth of human nature he observes so keenly as to put Shakespeare on alert. We want to cry, even when the sadness is not overtly expressed, or bust out laughing, even though a moment is bitter. It's impossible to articulate why or how Cliff does this to his audience. It's impossible to know how he, in his one singular life, can so deeply know and express the lives of others... You marvel at his genius at turning a phrase and virtually creating new words by complimenting them and combining them with others, but he never fails to sweep me away and leave us humbled and awed by his talent."
--Gene & Adrienne Colan

Still Handsome After All These Years

Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators (and late of the MC5) will be writing the introduction to THE WHOREHOUSE MADRIGALS. I am choked with delight. The book, from Aardwolf Publishing, will feature a cover by award-winning fantasy painter Kelly Freas. It is scheduled for February 2010.

I will have a handful of lettered copies, signed by Dick, artist Mike Handerson and myself. Want one?

The Whorehouse Madrigals...Sneak Peak

I'd previously announced that my new short fiction collection from Aardwolf Publishing would be entitled A Structuring Absense. That's changed. The new book, slated for early 2010, will be called The Whorehouse Madrigals. Cover by celebrated SF/fantasy artist Kelly Freas and Christain Krank (who worked on SNAKED with me). Here's one of several cover treatments (left) that are being considered--still rough and unfinished but very cool. Also pictured is one of my favorite Kelly Freas' images from Astounding (and reused on Queen's News of the World LP cover).