Sunday, October 12, 2003
I spent pretty much the entire day yesterday proofreading material for the Subterranean Press Low Red Moon edition, including my afterword and Jack Morgan's introduction. I'll be going over some of it again this morning, but this afternoon is my monthly AD&D session.
Last night, Spooky and I rented the remake of Willard, which I thought was actually really very good, a beautiful and funny and strangely haunting film. Crispin Glover's cover of "Ben" was superbly creepy. In fact, Crispin Glover is superbly creepy. Sadly, we also rented the lamentable Final Destination 2, which somehow manages to be worse than the original.
I hadn't allowed myself to get particularly angry about Del Rey's hatchet-job on "The Drowned Geologist" until I made yesterday's blog entry and began to write about it. I mean, this is the third time they've done something like this to one of my stories. I ought to be used to it by now. Hell, I even half expected it of them, despite my previous complaints. I am becoming cynical and I hate that, but it's getting hard to deny. This job can make cynics of the most determined idealists. Bill Schafer has offered to release a limited version of the story, in "handwritten" letter form, complete with envelope. A very cool idea, but I have to check the contract and see what sort of exclusivity I've granted Del Rey on the piece. I think I've reached a point in my career where I may need to be a little less willing to sell my short fiction to just anyone, no matter how many times they've fucked me over. It's hard to get over that "oh-you-like-me-you-really-want-to-publish-me" reaction I usually experience when asked to write a story.
My favorite personal Del Rey horror story, because it has a sort of happy ending: When John Pelan (who also edited Shadows Over Baker Street) was working on Children of Cthulhu, he had to argue with an editor at Del Rey who wanted to cut "Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea" because, said he, it "wasn't Lovecraftian enough" and didn't belong in the book. John insisted that the story be included. Del Rey even sent me a list of the changes they wanted, changes that indicated that the editor in question had serious problems with reading comprehension. I ignored the list and thanked John for standing by me. So, the book comes out and "Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea," along with China Miéville's "Details," was chosen by Steve Jones for The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, which was all the satisfaction I needed. Anyway, I'll keep you posted as to whether or not there will be a Subterranean Press edition of "The Drowned Geologist." The correct text will certainly be included in my next collection, To Charles Fort, With Love (due out late next year).
There are good reasons for buying Shadows Over Baker Street. It includes some great authors and is a wonderful concept. But please, if your only reason for buying it is to read my story, don't buy it. Wait for the story to appear somewhere else.
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