Author: Craig Gidney

Author of "Sea, Swallow Me & Other Stories" (2008 Lambda Literary Finalist); "Skin Deep Magic" (2014 Lambda Literary Finalist); "Bereft" (2013 Bronze Moonbeam Award and 2014 Independent Publishers' Award) "The Nectar of Nightmares" (Dim Shores Chapbook) and A Spectral Hue (2019)
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New Audio story coming out from Tor Nightfire Books

I am excited to have a story in Nightfire Books’ audio anthology, COME JOIN US BY THE FIRE. “Spyder Threads” is near and dear to my heart — be on the lookout for a more in depth essay about what inspired the story. “Spyder Threads” went through several revisions before it found a home. I love the voice actor they got to read the piece can’t wait until it’s out in the world. October 15 is when the stories drop.

The full Table of Contents is as follows:

Cassandra Khaw- “Some Breakable Things”

Sarah Langan- “The Changeling”

Shaun Hamill- “Music of the Abyss”

Caitlín R. Kiernan- “Standing Water”

Tade Thompson- “Bone”

T. Kingfisher- “Origin Story”

Silvia Moreno-Garcia- “The Sound of Footsteps”

Laird Barron- “Jōren Falls”

Damien Angelica Walters- “Tooth, Tongue, and Claw”

Sunny Moraine- “If Living is Seeing I’m Holding My Breath”

Matthew Lyons- “Blood Daughter”

Jessica Guess- “Mama Tulu”

Daniel M. Lavery- “Prodigal Son”

Seanan McGuire- “Emergency Landing”

Indrapramit Das – “You Will Survive This Night”

‘Pemi Aguda- “Things Boys Do”

Kelly Link”The Specialist’s Hat”

Clay McLeod Chapman- “The Fireplace”

Nibedita Sen- “Pigeons”

Camilla Grudova- “Ghost Bread”

Catherynne M. Valente- “The Days of Flaming Motorcycles”

Brian Evenson- “The Cabin”

Maria Dahvana Headley- “The Krakatoan”

Craig Laurance Gidney- “Spyder Threads”

Mariana Enriquez- “Things We Lost in the Fire” 

Gabino Iglesias- “The Song of the Lady Rose”

Nick Antosca- “The Quiet Boy”

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Working with the International Assoc for the Fantastic in the Arts

I have been appointed the “Creative Liaison” for the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts newly formed BIPOC committee. The IAFA puts together an annual conference of academics who study Speculative Fiction and the authors who write it. The BIPOC committee seeks to increase minority participation in the conference and the organization. I will serve as a liaison between the committee and those in the writer community. The position is new, and thus the scope of the duties is somewhat amorphous and undefined. It’s a completely voluntary position, and I hope to become a resource for both communities.

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KGB Reading link for September 16

The YouTube link for my upcoming reading with Livia Llewellyn on September 16 @ 7pm EST is now up. Participating in the Fantastic Fiction at the KGB has always been a bucket list item for me. I hope to read there in the physical space sometime in the future! Thanks again to Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel for the opportunity!

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Outtakes from an Essay on Horror Fiction

Aesthetic beauty and horror are intertwined for me. Snow White’s stepmother, the witch queen, was glamorous in her severe black raiments, her eye make up flawless. Snow White by comparison was a pretty but bland goody two-shoes. The witch queen was dramatic and elegant as she entered each scene of the movie. Even the demon that lived in the mirror had a stylish pizazz about him, always wreathed in mist. The question the queen posed was “Who is the fairest in the land?” To me, that was the wrong question. Maybe the mirror demon was a literalist; maybe Snow White was fairest in complexion. A better question would have been, “Who is the most fabulous in the land?” The witch queen would win, hands down.

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My forthcoming Black Vampire Story!

My story “Desiccant” will appear in Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire, edited by Nicole Givens Kurtz.

From the back cover copy:

Mocha Memoirs Press is proud to present SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire — a revolutionary anthology celebrating vampires of the African Diaspora. SLAY is a groundbreaking unique collection and will be a must-have for vampire lovers all over the world. SLAY aims to be the first anthology of its kind. Few creatures in contemporary horror are as compelling as the vampire, who manages to captivate us in a simultaneous state of fear and desire. Drawing from a variety of cultural and mythological backgrounds, SLAY dares to imagine a world of horror and wonder where Black protagonists take center stage — as vampires, as hunters, as heroes. From immortal African deities to resistance fighters; matriarchal vampire broods to monster hunting fathers; coming of age stories to end of life stories, SLAY is a groundbreaking Afrocentric vampire anthology celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the African Diaspora.

“Dessicant” was partly inspired by the work of my fellow author pal Sam J. Miller and the classic novel The Street by Ann Petry.

Other authors include:  Sheree Renee Thomas, Milton Davis, Jessica Cage, Michele Tracy Berger, Alicia McCalla, Jeff Carroll, and Steven Van Patten, Penelope Flynn, Lynette Hoag, Steve Van Samson, Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald, Balogun Ojetade, Valjeanne Jeffers, Samantha Bryant, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Miranda J. Riley, K.R.S. McEntire, Alledria Hurt, Kai Leakes, John Linwood Grant, Sumiko Saulson, Dicey Grenor, L. Marie Wood, LH Moore, Delizhia D. Jenkins, Colin Cloud Dance, and V.G. Harrison.