Thank you to M.R. Sellars for tagging us CM folks on this new review! You can check out the full review on Murv’s Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=422869909001

and here’s a snippet below:

“I have read a lot of strange stories in my time. I have read a lot of anthologies as well. I thought I was fairly conversant with the workings of writer’s minds. But this book is, by far, the strangest collection of strange I have encountered in years.

I was both pleased and disappointed by the brevity of the stories contained in this collection. There are stories by 13 authors, so although they share a common setting, there are many differing points of view.

I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite story from those I read. I have found several authors whose names I will be looking for in the future. This is a collection of first-rate writers and, if horror is your genre, I am sure you will agree with me.”

–Mike Gleason, Syndicated Book Reviewer

Courting Morpheus
by Jodi Lee (Editor)
© 2010 Belfire Press
ISBN: 978-0986483110
192 pages
Paperback $13.99 (U.S.)

Grab a copy now from Belfire or Amazon

Thanks for the review, Mike!

Belfire Press would like to extend a big welcome to the family to Rich Ristow, who will be heading up our brand new poetry imprint - Needfire. Many more details will be coming soon! For now, go pay Rich a visit at: http://richristow.wordpress.com/

Death in Common and These Apparitions… will now be published through the Needfire imprint.

Belfire Press has tons of other great news to share, so you should hop over there and catch up!

www.belfirepress.com

One book at a time…

Courting Morpheus is now available from Belfire Press and Amazon in trade paperback. Grab your copy now, and take advantage of a contest, and a release special to help promote Belfire’s latest release, At The End of Church Street.

Courting Morpheus
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-9864831-1-0
Editor: Jodi Lee
Publisher: Belfire Press
Pages: 196
Dimensions: 6″x9″
Cover Price: $13.99

E-book ISBN-13: 978-0-9864831-2-7
Formats: .pdf (secure); more soon
Price: $5.00

With contributions by M.R. Sellars, Geoffrey Girard, Angela Gray, Ann Tupek, Louise Bohmer, Brandon Layng, Bruce Barber, Camille Alexa, Jeff Parish, Kevin J. Hurtack, Donna Shelton, and David de Beer, Case Files by Rhada McKai and Jodi Lee with an introduction by New York Times Bestselling author, Alethea Kontis.

Some time in 2006, two writers spoke in hurried whispers… what could cause the wretched insomnia that had taken them over, compelling them to write words of horrors never seen, only imagined? What could keep them from finishing their works, from containing the monsters within, from binding them with one simple word? How could they find their way out of the darkness they called home… into a darkness of release at Morpheus’ hands? An idea was born that night. It grew into one monster after another until finally it has broken free.

* * * *

Courting Morpheus Contest

Before the files went in to the printer, we were thinking. What could we do to create some buzz… create some curiosity. And we did come up with a little something we hope is noticed. I mean, it’d suck if it wasn’t, right?

And of course, this means there will be a contest.

Everyone that purchases the trade paperback edition of Courting Morpheus, notices what’s different from one story to the next – besides titles and authors, hehehe – and emails it to us, is entered to win a copy of each and every title we release between May 1st (Gregory L Hall’s At The End of Church Street) and March 2011 (Steven Shrewsbury and Peter Welmerink’s Bedlam Unleashed). There will be at least one, possibly two titles outside of our regular schedule as well, including the print collection from The New Bedlam Project.

That means at least 11 books could be yours, and you’d receive the first publicly available copy of each one.

Interested? Just pick up your copy of Courting Morpheus, and we’ll begin…

Contest closes for entries July 1, 2010.

Release Special: Buy a copy of Courting Morpheus from Belfire Press, and we’ll give you a 20% discount on At The End of Church Street! Just use the new button on the catalogue page, type yes into the space provided, and we’ll invoice you when At The End of Church Street is available…

Tabloid Terrors 3 is now available from Skullvines Press, and I’m happy to be a part of this installment in this hilarious series.

Nick Cato recently reviewed TT3, and here’s some of what he had to say:

“The third installment of this whacky series begins with S.D. Hintz’ hysterical redneck crop-circle invasion (also titled Alien Perverts Wreckied My Pubes). I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at a picture of a crop circle again without laughing my ass off! Next up, Louise Bohmer keeps the laughs going as ‘Space Dildo Runs Amok in Nursing Home!’ After a nurse from an old-folks home is abducted by aliens, a space-dildo with a mind of its own sneaks into her purse and is transported back to earth. What follows is a pure riot and will even have the guys blushing.”

Full review can be found at:
http://nickcato.livejournal.com/69659.html

Much thanks, Nick!

And I’ve still got my author board there, so please come by and visit us: http://merchantskeep.com/forum

Merchant’s Keep will be a new bookstore for all things small press, too. Watch for it at: http://merchantskeep.com

Last year, I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Joel Sutherland (aka Soootherland) climb his way to the final ballot with FROZEN BLOOD–a book I was proud to edit. This year, I’m happy to say my debut novel–THE BLACK ACT–has made it to the preliminary ballot. I can’t say if I’ll make it beyond this point, but I’m pleased with all the recs I received and making it this far.

Many congratulations to all who’ve made the preliminary ballot, and good luck in making the final and beyond. Thanks again to all who enjoyed THE BLACK ACT enough to recommend it, and thanks to Mark Worthen for all his hard work, many hours, devoted to collecting recs and compiling this preliminary ballot sheet. Below is a look at the first novel category:

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

THE BLACK ACT by Louise Bohmer (Library of Horror)
BREATHERS by S. G. Browne (Broadway Books)
SLAUGHTER by Marcus Griffin (Alexandrian Archives Publishing)
THE DEAD PATH by Stephen M. Irwin (Hachette Australia)
SOLOMON’S GRAVE by Daniel G. Keohane (Dragon Moon Press)
DISMEMBER by Daniel Pyle (Wild Child)
THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan (Delacorte Press/Random House)
DAMNABLE by Hank Schwaeble (Jove)
THE LITTLE SLEEP by Paul Tremblay (Henry Holt)
SLIGHTS by Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot)