In a Hautala Vein

I have two announcements to make for fans of recently-lost Maine horror author Rick Hautala.

First of all, I have copies of Rick's autobiography The Horror -- The Horror available in the shop now, for those of you (like myself) who prefer ink and paper to electronic books. This book is only available by a fluke -- according to Rick's wife Holly Newstein Hautala, "He wrote it in 2009, unbeknownst to me, and I found a hard copy with his hand edits after he died. Characteristically, he must have decided nobody would want to read it and deleted it from his hard drive. It’s reminiscent of King’s ON WRITING, but with that special Rick Hautala perspective."

I can testify that, especially for those of you who knew Rick, reading this book is like being able to have one last conversation with him. His voice comes through on every page, with typical humor and openness. Thank you, Holly, from rescuing the pages from the recycling bin, and thank you to Crossroad Press as well for bringing this into print! It is an unexpected gift that drives back the shades of mortality a wee bit.

If you're not in the area, and you prefer an electronic version (a steal at $2.99), please order directly from Crossroad's website:
http://store.crossroadpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=696

In addition, the folks at JournalStone Publishing are releasing a 2-volume anthology titled Mister October, dedicated to the memory of Rick Hautala. 100% of the profit generated by book sales will go to the family. Please consider ordering a copy for yourself if you're a horror fan!

You can pre-order directly through JournalStone's site:
http://journal-store.com/fiction/mister-october-an-anthology-in-memory-of-rick-hautala/

The collection looks great. It is tremendously heartwarming to see so many folks in the horror genre, big and small, set ink on the page in memory of a friend we all miss so much and lost so suddenly. Here's a list of all the great contributors, including among their number Rick's widow, Holly Newstein, and his son Matti Hautala:

Volume I Contributors:

Neil Gaiman – FEEDERS AND EATERS, Graham Joyce – UNDER THE PYLON, Matthew Costello – A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR, Michael Marshall Smith – HELL HATH ENLARGED HERSELF, Chet Williamson – FIGURES IN RAIN, Elizabeth Massie – AS YOU HAVE MADE US, Peter Crowther – THOUGHTFUL BREATHS, Matti Hautala – NEVER BACK AGAIN, Mark Morris – A GIRL, SITTING, Richard Chizmar – BLOOD BROTHERS, Stephen R. Bissette – LITTLE BROTHERS—PORTFOLIO, Joe R. Lansdale – TIGHT LITTLE STITCHES IN A DEAD MAN’S BACK, Yvonne Navarro – CRAVING, José R. Nieto – lXCHEL’S TEARs, Duane Swierczynski – LIFE DURING DEATH, Gary A. Braunbeck – AFTER THE ELEPHANT BALLET, Craig Shaw Gardner – OVERNIGHT GUEST, Jack M. Haringa – SPRINGFIELD REPEATER, Tom Piccirilli – CONJURER—BOOK I: THE GRIEVE, F. Paul Wilson – THE YEAR THE MUSIC DIED, Jonathan Maberry – PROPERTY CONDEMNED—A Story of Pine Deep, John M. McIlveen – PLAYING THE HUDDYS, Weston Ochse – CRASHING DOWN, Glenn Chadbourne, Morbideus W. Goodell

Volume II Contributors:

Clive Barker – TOM REQUIEM, Peter Straub – LITTLE RED’S TANGO, Jeff Strand – HOLOGRAM SKULL COVER, Thomas F. Monteleone – LUX ET VERITAS, J. F. Gonzalez – DEVOTION, Stephen R. Bissette – INN CLEANING, Christopher Golden – BREATHE MY NAME, Lucy A. Snyder – MAGDALA AMYGDALA, Sarah Pinborough – THE BOHEMIAN OF THE ARBAT, Brian Keene – JOHNSTOWN, Kevin J. Anderson – ROAD KILL (A Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. story), Tim Lebbon – JUST BREATHE, Nancy A. Collins – CATFISH GAL BLUES, Kim Newman – ILLIMITABLE DOMINION, Sarah Langan – INDEPENDENCE DAY, Rio Youers – THE GHOST OF LILLIAN BLISS, Jack Ketchum – HOTLINE, John Skipp – THE LIGHT OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS, James A. Moore – WAR STORIES, Amber Benson – IT’S…, Nate Kenyon – THE DREAMCATCHER, Holly Newstein – KRISTALL TAG, Rick Hautala – GHOST TRAP, Cortney Skinner, Glenn Chadbourne