The Fear County Chronicle #15
Out with 2022 and in with '23... time for more Southern Fried shenanigans for a brand-new year!
Howdy, folks, and welcome to the first edition of the Chronicle for 2023. As I reflected on 2022 yesterday, I realized that I published a total of nine books last year (Hindsight, After The Burn, The Saga of Dead-Eye Book Two, Southern Fried & Horrified, Somewhere South of Hell Books 1,2, and 3, Haunt of Southern-Fried Fear, and The Dark’Un). I also wrote stories and introductions to six anthologies and story collections, appeared on sixteen podcasts (including This Is Horror and Dead Headspace), and appeared at Scares That Care in Williamsburg and LitFest in Chicago. On top of that, I retired from my job of 22 years to write full-time. So, for Ol’ Ron, it was a danged good year. And it looks like 2023 may be even better. Let’s take a look at what’s going on so far…
RKHORROR Online Bookstore is now live!
That’s right! I’ve gone an online bookstore now. It’s called RKHORROR and there you’ll find all the books I currently have available in paperback and hardcover, as well as signed Ronald Kelly art prints and apparel like Zebra Books Alumni and Southern Fried Horror t-shirts. I decided to set this shop up in order to better serve my readers who want signed books, giving them a better selection of Southern-Fried horror to choose from and a wider range of payment options. It also helps me keep track of book orders better than I have been in the past (when folks are contacting you through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, it’s easy to lose track!). So, if you have a hankering for some horror fiction south of the Mason-Dixon Line, head on over and take a look. And, as always, each book purchased always includes personal inscription and hand drawn RK artwork on the title page, free of charge. And I may just throw in some signed bookmarks and swag to sweeten the pot, too.
FEAR: AUTHOR’S PREFERRED EDITION is coming!
That’s right! My magnum opus, FEAR, hasn’t been available in a print edition since Sinister Grin Publications shut their doors in 2021. But now it’s coming back in a special Author’s Preferred Edition from Crossroad Press. The new edition includes a FEAR testimonial section featuring how the book touched the lives of readers and fellow authors, an introduction by author Brian Keene, and the original 1994 Zebra Books novel, as well as the stories “The Seedling” and “Beneath the Branches”, and an afterword by Ol’ Ron himself (perhaps whetting your appetite for the long-awaited sequel, Fear Eternal, which is now in progress!) And take a gander at the new cover artwork by the incredible Alex McVey! FEAR: Author’s Preferred Edition will be available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover. At 547 pages, it’s gonna be a whopper of a book! You can pre-order the ebook now. The official release date is January 10th! If you haven’t read FEAR yet, I hope you enjoy your dark journey across the Fear County Line. If you already have, maybe it’s time for a return trip. But be sure to bring along a good pair of walking shoes and plenty of ammo for your slingshot!
Southern Fried & Horrified makes Keene’s Top 10!
Yesterday morning, I was honored and grateful to discover that Brian Keene had included my memoir/writing guide, Southern Fried & Horrified, as #3 in his Top Ten Favorite Books of 2022 in his Letters From the Labyrinth newsletter. Here’s what he had to say about it:
“Speaking of Richard Laymon, FINALLY there is a worthy successor to his criminally out-of-print and long sought after by legions of writers and fans memoir, A Writer’s Tale. This is Ronald Kelly’s memoir — recounting his life as a horror writer, and the trials and tribulations that have come from that chosen vocation. I’m a sucker for horror history, so this was a very welcome and long overdue addition to my library. A fascinating read for anyone who enjoys horror fiction, regardless of whether you’ve read Ron or not, and an absolute must-read for anyone who wants to enter this field.”
Truthfully, this meant an awful lot to me, considering that Brian is pretty much one of the reasons why you’re reading this newsletter (or anything I write at all) at this very moment. Way back in 2005, when I was at the tail end of a long ten-year hiatus from writing (due to the downfall of the Zebra horror line and the implosion of the horror genre in 1996) I was given a signed copy of The Rising by my friend Mark Hickerson. It was what the book’s author wrote on the title page that made me consider the notion of abandoning my self-exile from the horror genre and returning to the fold. After reading The Rising and James Newman’s Midnight Rain, I decided to return to writing in the summer of 2006. So, you see, Mr. Keene has been very influential during the second half of my horror writing career over the past 17 years. Not only has he been a great supporter of my work, but a wonderful friend as well. That Brian read and loved Southern Fried & Horrified really means a lot to me.
Signed copies of Southern Fried & Horrified are available now at RKHORROR, or in ebook at Amazon.
RK’s TOP TEN READS OF 2022!
So, now it’s time to reveal my Top Ten Reads of 2022. And (drumroll please!)… they are:
1. A Bouquet of Viscera by Bridget Nelson
2. Bishop by Candace Nola
3. Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi
4. Below by Laurel Hightower
5. Noose by Brennan LaFaro
6. The Death House by Joshua Macmillan
7. Plastic Monsters by Daniel J. Volpe
8. Things Left Behind by Brian Keene & Mary Sangiovani
9. Aliens: Vasquez by V. Castro
10. Tales My Grandmother Told Me by Heather Miller
All ten of these books thoroughly entertained me and made a lasting impression on me as both a reader and writer. I urge you to seek out a copy of these and give them a read if you haven’t already. These ten books alone are an extremely good sampling of how very strong and promising the horror genre is at this point in time. Thank you, authors, for writing these wonderful books and creating worlds for me to dwell in for a brief period of time.
Well, it’s about time to bring this edition of the Chronicle to a close. I’ve been putting this one together for you for a couple of hours now. It’s a few minutes past 2am and I reckon it’s time for this ol’ horror hound to saunter off to bed. Funny how, even after retiring, I’m still a certified night owl.
I’ll be back in a week or two with more Southern-Fried news, as well as my writing and publishing plans for 2023. Until then, hang in there and Many Happy Nightmares, y’all!
Own wittily.