NPR and Edits and The Loup Garou Kid

This has been a big week. On Tuesday, my son drove down to spend a few days. I haven't seen him for six months, and with deploying to Afghanistan in November, I might not see him for another year. So it was very special to have him down. Wednesday was my 47th Birthday. I engorged myself in seafood at a local sushi bar, especially loving the Hamachi Kama, or Grilled Yellowtail Cheek.

Of course, also on my birthday I was given a present by St. Martin's Press-- 400 pages of copy edits for SEAL Team 666. This came with a style sheet, a list of questions and a manuscript marked up with enough pencil marks, I thought a blind man had had an epileptic seizure.  You never would have known I'd had three previous edits. Whomever is working for St. Martin's is on top of it. He or she caught some previously missed inconsistencies, as well as smoothed some prose that got broken from all the insertions and deletions from previous edits. I'm about half way through. I need to have it back to them by Wednesday, so I have to get cracking.

While doing edits yesterday, I was called by Arizona Public Media, the state National Public Radio Station. Mark McLemore, host of Arizona Spotlight, wanted to run an interview we'd previously conducted. He had some follow up and framing questions and we spoke for about forty minutes. It was a very pleasant interruption. I'm writing this blog after having heard the first broadcast. I'm becoming more accustomed to hearing my voice on the radio. I actually think I sounded semi-intelligent, if not partially intellectual. The interview can be found here (or there is a link here to follow).

Last week saw shipment of The Loup Garou Kid to collectors. I didn't want this to get lost in all the hooplah of summer. The Loup Garou Kid finishes the story started by Vampire Outlaw of the Milky Way, and continued in Lord of the Lash. This is the final tale of our young epileptic hero, Jimmy Kinder. He gets to meet the characters in real life he thought only lived in his mind. This is a fine finish to the trilogy. I especially like the cover. It represents a Boris Vallejo-themed pose, while giving nods to the characters love of comic books and Saturday morning cartoons.

If you have a hankering, there are still a few copies of this limited edition, signed and numbered chapbook left.

I'm up on NPR for a Halloween Special - Boo!

I'm up on NPR for a Halloween Special. Although they have regular broadcast times, here is a permanent link. Of the 28 minutes, about 8 of them are mine. Not too bad. In addition to my essay and interview, there's a segment on Zombies in Arizona (about 3:30 mark) - a tongue in cheek man on the street parody. Just great! Please post his and pass it on and let me know how you like it.

http://radio.azpm.org/azspotlight/podcasts/2011/10/27/2127-the-haunted-halloween-show-2011/


If you scroll down the link, it looks like the host of Arizona Spotlight, Mark McLemore, parsed the links so that each separate section is available.

For my zombie interview.

For my Halloween story.

But it is worth it to listen to the rest. Jane Eppinga is a folklorist and historian and has some great tales about what's spooky in Arizona.

For those who listened and wanted more information about Multiplex Fandango-- Multiplex Fandango is subtitled "A Weston Ochse Reader" for good reason. This collection contains a comprehensive representation of short fiction and novellas by the Bram Stoker award winner and Pushcart Prize nominee, including his recent powerful Stoker finalist short story, "The Crossing Of Aldo Rey" and his brilliant Stoker finalist novella, Redemption Roadshow, as well as acclaimed favorites, "Catfish Gods" and "Big Rock Candy Mountain." Also included in this omnibus volume of sixteen short stories and novellas are six original new works of short fiction written especially for this collection including such future classics as "Tarzan Doesn't Live Here Anymore," "Low Men Weeping," and the stunning, "City Of Joy."

“Multiplex Fandango. What we’re seeing here is quite possibly the most comfortable, relaxed, and expert takeover that the horror genre has ever seen. With Multiplex Fandango, Weston Ochse has created an incredible collection, and has given the reader one of the smoothest, most satisfying reads they could ever come across. To drive the point home, Joe Landsdale says in the intro that "This is a book that could almost have been written for me.", but I disagree - this book was written for anyone looking for imaginative, intelligent, and thoroughly awe-inspiring, but strangely uplifting scares that force the reader to think more than react." - Paperback Horror

"This is a book that could almost have been written for me."
- Eight-Time Bram Stoker Award Winner Joe R. Lansdale on Multiplex Fandango

"Multiplex Fandango is a smooth mix of the old school pulp horror vibe and new storytelling, elegantly crafted for the modern reader.” - Rain Graves, Bram Stoker Award winner for The Gossamer Eye

 “Weston Ochse is to horror what Bradbury is to science fiction -- an artist whose craft, stories and voice are so distinct and mesmerizing that you can't help but be enthralled. Multiplex Fandango is yet another in a long line of exclamation points that reminds us of that fact.” - Dani Kollin, Prometheus Award-winning author of The Unincorporated Man

"The truth of the matter is that for all the drive-in movie references, what Weston Ochse has really created in Multiplex Fandango is a travelogue. Acting as narrator and guide, Weston takes you on a trip to places familiar and obscure—New Orleans, the Sonoran desert, Mexico’s Pacific coast, and the dark, impenetrable reaches of the soul. He shows off sights that chill the blood, and as with any good trip, the things seen and experienced along the way will stay with you for a lifetime." - Jeff Mariotte, Novelist and Comic Book Author

National Public Radio Interview - Weston Ochse

Yesterday was pretty exciting. Mark McLemore interviewed me for the local NPR affiliate. We actually spent two hours together. Not only did I talk about writing, SEAL Team 666, Blood Ocean, Empire of Salt and Multiplex Fandango, but we also talked about our shared passion for horror. He'd recently seen the movie The Sentinel for the first time, recently, and we talked a lot about that. Wow. What a terrifying movie.

We also did some fake man on the street recordings, but I won't give that away until I'm sure it made it into the broadcast. Additionally I read a 1000 word essay about a Halloween when I was seven years old.

The broadcast is scheduled for 27 and 28 Oct. Not sure what time yet, but my work and interview should be a good portion of it. When I have times, I'll make sure I post them along with links for those of you who don't live in the general vicinity. That way you'll be able to listen online if you want.

Here are some photos, courtesy of Yvonne Navarro:

Being interviewed by NPR