Todd Keisling

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About Todd Keisling
TODD KEISLING is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Devil’s Creek. His other works include The Final Reconciliation, Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors, and The Monochrome Trilogy, among several shorter works. He lives somewhere in the wilds of Pennsylvania with his family where he is at work on his next novel.
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Blog postToday's been the longest day of my professional career.
For those out of the loop, I have some bad news: my publisher, Silver Shamrock, has closed its doors following recent controversy. DEVIL'S CREEK will be going out of print. The audio book will remain available.
I'm grateful to have been surrounded by my friends and peers today. Your kind words and encouragement made today a little easier to swallow. You know who you are, and I love you all. Thank you.
As for the book2 months ago Read more -
Blog postThis one’s aimed at the newer writers in the audience. Learn to value you work and avoid predatory compensation. Read Part I - Read Part II
6 months ago Read more -
Blog postI was barely awake at 3 AM when the email came through. I stared at it, not really sure if I was asleep or not, tweeted “Holy shit!” and promptly passed out. I woke up 9 hours later to a billion tweets, messages, and comments. I’m still speechless about the whole thing. DEVIL’S CREEK made the f
1 year ago Read more -
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Blog postThis morning I woke up to a message from my friend, Mercedes Yardley, about the announcement of the preliminary ballot. It seems some folks liked my book enough to recommend it to the HWA, and now it’s on an extremely intimidating list of works for Superior Achievement in a Novel.
I’m honored and elated, but I’m trying to stay focused on the Now of things. I went down this road once before a few years back with Final Rec and set myself up for eventual disappointment. I don’t write to1 year ago Read more -
Blog postHey, folks. I was fortunate to be interviewed by Kristen Tsetsi for Jane Friedman’s publishing blog. I talk a bit about what scares me, tapping into dread to scare the reader, Thomas Ligotti, the Uncanny Valley, and more.
To me, that’s the most effective form of suspense—creating that crawling
2 years ago Read more -
Blog postMorning, folks. Today is the big day. Here are a few things you should know.
1: DEVIL'S CREEK is currently available on Amazon Kindle and as a signed paperback pre-order via my website (through June 19th).
2: Unsigned paperbacks will be available via Amazon at some point. I'm not sure what's going on there. I've made the publisher aware and they are looking into it.
3: If you've reviewed the book, please consider cross-posting your review to Amazon.
4: There's a l2 years ago Read more -
Blog postMe ‘n Frank hanging out in Kenneth Cain’s basement for one of our HWA meetings - Circa August 2018
So here we are on the eve of release day. I’m excited for tomorrow, maybe even a little anxious, but mostly I’m feeling a little melancholy. H
2 years ago Read more -
Blog postSince so many folks have tweeted, commented, and emailed to inquire, I'm happy to say you can now PRE-ORDER a signed paperback of DEVIL'S CREEK.
Please note: I won't have copies on hand for at least a couple of weeks, so you will NOT receive it before the release date on June 16th.
For International Buyers: Yeah, I know, the shipping is outrageous. That's beyond my control. However, I am looking into having customized bookplates available for a much lowe2 years ago Read more -
Blog postSpecial thanks to Somer Canon, Nikki Nelson-Hicks, Anthony J. Rapino, and Kevin Whitten for lending their voices for this project!
2 years ago Read more -
Blog postSadie Hartmann (aka Mother Horror and co-founder of Night Worms) gave DEVIL’S CREEK a five-star review over at Ginger Nuts of Horror! To say I’m humbled is an understatement. You can read the full review here, but here’s an excerpt:
This is a sprawling story with a large cast of characters. In
2 years ago Read more -
Blog postThe wait is over. Sort of. You can now pre-order DEVIL’S CREEK on Amazon Kindle for the cost of a fancy coffee with a couple shots of espresso. The book releases June 16th.
2 years ago Read more -
Blog postYeah. This is happening next Friday, March 27th. I’ll be reading from SCANLINES and DEVIL’S CREEK, and also participating in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) in YouTube Chat afterward. I do hope you’ll join me. You weren’t going out Friday night anyway. ;-)
TK
2 years ago Read more -
Blog postI’m late in sharing this here, but I recently had a wonderful chat with Shane Douglas Keene for the Ink Heist Podcast. We had a blast discussing the origins of Devil’s Creek and all the other irons I have in the fire. You can listen here.
2 years ago Read more -
Blog postMy latest novella, SCANLINES, is now available for pre-order from Dim Shores! It’s a limited run, likely between 150-200 copies depending on demand. Here are the details:
In 1987, Congressman Benjamin Hardy III died by suicide on live television amidst accusations of political corruption. Years
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Blog postThe wonderful folks at Nightscape Press accepted my story “Pro-Life” for their debut issue of Weird Whispers! Luke Spooner also captured the story’s grim essence in this excellent illustration. You can read the full story here!
2 years ago Read more -
Blog postPhoto (C) 2020 by The Night Worms
The Night Worms crew named DEVIL’S CREEK one of their most anticipated releases of 2020!
There’s my book next to the likes of Stephen Graham Jones and Paul Tremblay and Josh Malerman and Kathe Koja and so ma
2 years ago Read more -
Blog postI’ve received some questions from some of you about the setting for several of my stories (published or forthcoming) and how they tie in with DEVIL’S CREEK. Allow me to explain.
I established a small town setting with DEVIL’S CREEK to serve as a “sandbox” of sorts for my characters. Call it a shared universe if you want. Me, I prefer sandbox. You may see references to some events, people, or neighboring locations from other stories. Some may take place in or around the same time perio2 years ago Read more -
Blog postThis announcement was originally published via the Night Worms blog on Friday, 12/13/19. A big shout-out to Sadie and the Night Worms crew for helping to make this big reveal happen!
A HOLIDAY ANNOUNCEMENT FROM TODD KEISLING Earlier this year, I announced a partnership with Bloodshot Books regarding a secret project titled “Project: Willoughby.” Here’s what I had to say then:
“This post is the last time I’m going to talk about it here until it’s done. It’s likely that when th2 years ago Read more -
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Titles By Todd Keisling
Liminal Spaces is a quiet horror anthology from Cemetery Gates Media featuring stories from well-known dark fiction writers such as: Joanna Koch, Jessica McHugh, Mark Allan Gunnells, Anthony J. Rapino, Gwendolyn Kiste, Michael Wehunt, Bob Ford, Kelli Owen, Richard Thomas, Todd Keisling, Chad Lutzke, Kristi DeMeester, Joshua Palmatier, and Norman Prentiss.
“The word ‘liminal’ comes from the Latin root limen. It means ‘threshold.’ A liminal space is a ‘crossing over’ space–a space where you have left something behind, yet you are not fully in something else. It’s a transition space.
“This is my favorite kind of horror and speculative fiction. Fiction which takes place in that ‘crossing over’ space. Stories about characters who have–wittingly or unwittingly–crossed a threshold. Those who have left something behind, yet are not quite somewhere or something else. They are in-between, and are neither one thing, nor another. Classic anthologies like Shadows, edited by Charles L. Grant epitomize these kinds of stories, as did Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, the work of Charles Beaumont and T. M Wright, Joyce Carol Oates, Shirley Jackson, and the ‘strange stories’ of Robert Aickman.”
-Kevin Lucia, Editor
Bram Stoker Award-winner for Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction!
Nightmares come to life in this comprehensive how-to guide for new and established authors…
Book two in Crystal Lake Publishing’s The Dream Weaver series picks up where the Bram Stoker Award-nominated Where Nightmares Come From left off.
It’s Alive focuses on learning the craft in order to take your story from concept to completion.
With an introduction by Richard Chizmar and cover art by Luke Spooner. Featuring interior artwork from horror master Clive Barker!
Table of Contents:
- Introduction by Richard Chizmar
- Confessions of a Professional Day Dreamer by Jonathan Maberry
- What is Writing and Why Write Horror by John Skipp
- Tribal Layers by Gene O’Neill
- Bake That Cake: One Writer’s Method by Joe R. Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale
- Ah-Ha: Beginning to End with Chuck Palahniuk and Michael Bailey (Discussing the Spark of Creativity)
- They Grow in the Shadows: Exploring the Roots of a Horror Story by Todd Keisling
- Sell Your Script, Keep Your Soul and Beware of Sheep in Wolves' Clothing by Paul Moore
- The Cult of Constraint (or To Outline or Not) by Yvonne Navarro
- Zombies, Ghosts and Vampires─Oh My! by Kelli Owen
- The Many Faces of Horror: Craft Techniques by Richard Thomas
- Giving Meaning to the Macabre by Rachel Autumn Deering
- The Horror Writer’s Ultimate Toolbox by Tim Waggoner
- Sarah Pinborough Interview by Marie O’Regan
- Conveying Character by F. Paul Wilson
- Sympathetic Characters Taste Better: Creating Empathy in Horror Fiction by Brian Kirk
- Virtue & Villainy: The Importance of Character by Kealan Patrick Burke
- How to write Descriptions in a story by Mercedes Yardley
- “Don’t Look Now, There’s a Head in That Box!” She Ejaculated Loudly (or Creating Effective Dialogue in Horror Fiction) by Elizabeth Massie
- Point of View by Lisa Mannetti
- What Came First the Monster or the Plot? In Conversation with Stephen Graham Jones by Vince A. Liaguno
- Building Suspense by David Wellington
- Conveying Horror by Ramsey Campbell
- Unveiling Theme Through Plot: An Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” by Stephanie M. Wytovich
- Interview with Clive Barker by Tim Chizmar
- World Building (Building a terrifying world) by Kevin J. Anderson
- Speak Up: The Writer’s Voice by Robert Ford
- Writing for a Better World by Christopher Golden
- Shaping the Ideas: Getting Things from Your Head to the Paper or on Screen. Interview with Steve Niles, Mick Garris, Heather Graham, Mark Savage, and Maria Alexander by Del Howison
- On Research by Bev Vincent
- Editing Through Fear: Cutting and Stitching Stories by Jessica Marie Baumgartner
- Leaping into the Abyss by Greg Chapman
- Edit Your Anthology in Your Basement for Fun and Profit! . . . or Not by Tom Monteleone
- When It’s Their World: Writing for the Themed Anthology by Lisa Morton
- Roundtable Interview by John Palisano
- The Tale of the Perfect Submissions by Jess Landry
- Turning the Next Page: Getting Started with the Business of Wri
Or so the story goes. In truth, no one has ever seen the supposed Duncan Tape, presumably because it doesn't exist. It's a ghost story perpetuated on the forums and chat rooms of the internet, another handful of bytes scattered across the Information Superhighway at blistering 56K modem speeds.
For Robby and his friends, an urban legend is the last thing on their minds when a boring Friday night presents a chance to download porn. But the short clip they watch turns out to be something far more graphic and disturbing, and in the coming days, they'll learn even the most outlandish urban legends possess a shred of truth...
Robert W. Chambers’s classic work of weird fiction, The King in Yellow (1895), contained two stories that have exercised wide influence in the genre. “The Repairer of Reputations” introduced the world to The King in Yellow, a play in two acts, banned for its reputed power to drive mad anyone who reads its complete text. Another story, “The Yellow Sign,” used the experiences of an artist and his model to elaborate on the mythos of the Yellow King, the Yellow Sign, and their danger to all who encounter them. In those tales Chambers crafted fascinating glimpses of a cosmos populated by conspiracies, government-sanctioned suicide chambers, haunted artists, premonitions of death, unreliable narrators—and dark, enigmatic occurrences tainted by the alien world of Carcosa, where the King rules in his tattered yellow mantle. In Carcosa, black stars rise and Cassilda and Camilla speak and sing. In Carcosa, eyes peer from within pallid masks to gaze across Lake Hali at the setting of twin suns.
You might have clutched it in your church pew on Sunday mornings. You know the one?
With the pebbled black soft cover, the words HOLY BIBLE stamped in gold ink.
Perhaps it strengthened your faith, comforted you in dark times.
Multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated John F.D. Taff has assembled a Last Supper of Dark Apostles to turn some of those "good book" parables on their heads--twisting Bible stories into sinister horror tales.
Blasphemous? Heretical? We sincerely hope so.
As you read on, remember one thing, though.
There’s no comfort to be found in The Bad Book.
No comfort at all.
Including stories by
Philip Fracassi
Kristi DeMeester
John Langan
...and many more...
Includes story illustrations by Giuseppe Balestra.
This is Writers On Writing – An Author’s Guide, where your favorite authors share their secrets in the ultimate guide to becoming – and being – an author.
In this first volume you’ll find in-depth essays from authors such as Jack Ketchum, Brian Hodge, Mercedes M. Yardley, Tim Waggoner, Jasper Bark, Kevin Lucia, Monique Snyman, Todd Keisling, and Dave-Brendon de Burgh. Edited by the Bram Stoker Award-winning Joe Mynhardt:
- “The Infrastructure of the Gods: 11 Signposts for Going all the Way” by Brian Hodge
- “The Writer’s Purgatory: Between Finishing the First Draft and Submitting the Manuscript” by Monique Snyman
- “Why Rejection is Still Important” by Kevin Lucia
- “Real Writers Steal Time” by Mercedes M. Yardley
- “What Right Do I Have to Write” by Jasper Bark
- “Go Pace Yourself” by Jack Ketchum
- “A Little Infusion of Magic” by Dave-Brendon de Burgh
- “Never Look Away: Confronting Your Fears in Fiction” by Todd Keisling
- “Once More With Feeling” by Tim Waggoner
Writers On Writing give young authors the guidance they need, but has advice for all authors, from the interested newbie to the seasoned veteran (sounds delicious, right?).
Are you ready to be an author?
Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing - Tales from The Darkest Depths
Interview with the Authors:
So what makes Writers on Writing so special?
Todd Keisling: Writers On Writing is unique in that it provides a collection of essays from both newcomers and established professionals, providing a wide range of perspectives on the art and craft of writing.
Tell us more about you essay in Writers on Writing.
Todd Keisling: My essay “Never Look Away: Confront Your Fears in Fiction” is an anecdotal look at an important lesson I learned early on in my writing career: That you shouldn’t look away from your subject matter, no matter how disturbing it is to you. Looking away does a disservice to your story, and by proxy, your reader.
Why should authors read Writers on Writing?
Jack Ketchum: It's rich in the variety of subjects discussed, written by people who know whereof they speak.
Todd Keisling: There are decades of experience contained within the book’s pages, covering multiple genres. I can’t think of a more diverse collection for the established—or aspiring—writing professional.
Do you have other non-fiction books authors should try out?
Jack Ketchum: Stephen King's ON WRITING and DANSE MACABRE. William Goldman's ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE. Syd Field's SCREENPLAY.
Todd Keisling: A few come to mind: Stephen King’s On Writing, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, and Ariel Gore’s How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead.
THIS IS GOING TO HURT.
The eleven stories in Ugly Little Things explore the depths of human suffering and ugliness, charting a course to the dark, horrific heart of the human condition. The terrors of everyday existence are laid bare in this eerie collection of short fiction from the twisted mind of Todd Keisling, author of the critically-acclaimed novels A Life Transparent and The Liminal Man.
Travel between the highways of America in “The Otherland Express,” where a tribe of the forsaken and forlorn meet to exchange identities. Witness the cold vacuum of space manifest in the flesh in “The Darkness Between Dead Stars.” Step into the scrub of rural Arizona and join Karen Singleton’s struggle to save her husband from a cult of religious fanatics in “When Karen Met Her Mountain.” Visit the small town of Dalton in “The Harbinger” and join Felix Proust as he uncovers the vile secrets rooted at the heart of Dalton Dollworks. And in the critically-acclaimed novella “The Final Reconciliation,” learn the horrifying truth behind the demise of the rock band The Yellow Kings.
With an introduction by Bram Stoker Award-winner Mercedes M. Yardley and illustrations by Luke Spooner, Ugly Little Things will be your atlas, guiding you along a lonely road of sorrow, loss, and regret. This is going to hurt—and you’re going to like it.
Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing - Tales from the Darkest Depths.
Interview with the Author:
What makes this collection of horror stories so special?
Todd Keisling: These stories represent some of the darkest fiction I’ve ever written. I was in a bad place when I wrote most of them, and I put my thoughts to paper with the intention of sharing my dread with potential readers. These stories will cut deeply. They’ll make you weep and they’ll make you bleed.
Tell us more about the theme you were going for in this horror collection?
Todd Keisling: There’s a story in the collection, “The Harbinger,” which is about a doll maker who infuses her creations with the pain of her victims. The title “Ugly Little Things” comes from that story, as each tale in the collection is intended to be one of those dolls, each filled to the brim with the darker qualities of the human condition.
Categories:
- Horror
- Horror Short Stories
- Horror collection
- Thriller
- Suspense
- Weird Fiction
- Dark Fantasy
- Short Fiction
- Single Author Collection
- Speculative
- Literary Horror
- Occult
Lush. Brutal.
Beautiful. Visceral.
Crystal Lake Publishing proudly presents the Bram Stoker Award-nominated Arterial Bloom, an artful juxtaposition of the magnificence and macabre that exist within mankind. Each tale in this collection is resplendent with beauty, teeth, and heart.
Edited by the Bram Stoker Award-winning writer Mercedes M. Yardley, Arterial Bloom is a literary experience featuring 16 stories from some of the most compelling dark authors writing today.
With a foreword by HWA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Linda D. Addison, you are invited to step inside and let the grim flowers wind themselves comfortably around your bones.
The line-up includes:
The Stone Door by Jimmy Bernard
Dog (Does Not) Eat Dog by Grant Longstaff
Kudzu Stories by Linda J. Marshall
Dead Letters by Christopher Barzak
The Darker Side of Grief by Naching T. Kassa
Welcome to My Autumn by Daniel Crow
Still Life by Kelli Owen
Three Masks by Armand Rosamilia
Doodlebug by John Boden
Happy Pills by Todd Keisling
What Remained of Her by Jennifer Loring
Blue Was Her Favorite Color by Dino Parenti
In the Loop by Ken Liu
The Making of Mary by Steven Pirie
Mouths Filled with Sea Water by Jonathan Cosgrove
Rotten by Carina Bissett
Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.
Interview with the editor:
Mercedes, this is your debut as an anthology editor. Can you tell us how you went about choosing the Dark Fiction stories included in Arterial Bloom?
MMY: Yes, absolutely! Crystal Lake Publishing put out a call for short horror stories. My job was to ensure authors heard about the call. I basically beat down doors trying to spread the word, making sure that people realized it was an open, inclusive anthology and I was interested in stories of all types. Several hundred stories rolled in. It was a massive undertaking, but by reading open submissions instead of invitation-only stories, I was able to come across several authors who were new to me. This collection is full of award-winning, well-known authors as well as fresh voices. It’s a beautiful mix and I’m very proud of it.
This was an unthemed horror anthology, which means that you weren’t particularly looking for any specific themes. But did you find that a certain theme emerged?
MMY: Oh, yes. The Arterial Bloom anthology is all about monsters. Some monsters are literal. Some are human. But every story shows the juxtaposition of the ugliness and the beauty of humanity and the way we deal with things. It’s an emotional anthology. We deal with horror, grief, trauma, love, and healing. It’s gut-wrenching. It’s visceral and quite lovely, in a way.
How did you come up with the title?
MMY: The anthology itself is gutting and gorgeous. I was trying to find a title that played with that hardness and softness. My friends from The Geeky Writers and I went into our chat and brainstormed titles. Different words, different phrases. We just put them together in combinations until we came up with Arterial Bloom. It was the perfect title. It has that primitive, animal feel as well as being artistic. In my mind’s eye, I could see arterial spray, which is graphic and horrifying, painting exquisite flowers on a white wall.
WHO IS DONOVAN CANDLE?
In A Life Transparent, first published in 2007, Todd Keisling welcomed readers to the Monochrome—a nightmarish parallel reality—and introduced Donovan Candle: a modern everyman experiencing an early mid-life crisis. Now, Precipice Books is proud to present a revised and expanded edition, featuring Keisling’s all-new afterword series, “Who is Donovan Candle?”DONOVAN CANDLE IS BORING.
Consummate husband, supportive brother, hard-working employee—a paragon of the diminishing Middle Class. Like so many others, he has fallen into routine and compromised his dreams for the sake of a paycheck. After a bad day at the office leaves him low, all Donovan wants is to sleep off the disappointment and start over.DONOVAN CANDLE IS TERRIFIED.
His body is fading out of existence. He’s seeing strange visions of the world in monochrome and horrific creatures lurking in his periphery. No one else seems to notice, and as the odd afflictions intensify, Donovan fears he is losing his grip on reality.DONOVAN CANDLE IS DISAPPEARING.
Someone breaks into his home and abducts his wife. Before he can contact the authorities, a stranger’s ominous phone call urges him on a path to her rescue, but only if he follows the rules. The clock is ticking, and with every step Donovan slips further into a state of transparency. Will he be in time to save his wife—and himself—from the dangers of A Life Transparent?Well...the harvest is here. And it's dead.
With these 50 dark tales (and nearly 700 pages of terror!) readers will experience fear, depravity, love, and loss. And a kind of chill that won't soon leave your bones.
DEAD HARVEST is a crop like no other—and includes stories from: Richard Chizmar, Tim Lebbon, Jeff Strand, Ronald Malfi, Greg F. Gifune, James A. Moore, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Tim Waggoner, David Bernstein, Richard Thomas, Jon Michael Kelley, Brian Kirk, Chad P. Brown, Lori R. Lopez, Stuart Keane, Tim Jeffreys, Ahimsa Kerp, C.M. Saunders, Martin Reaves, M.L. Roos, Gregory L. Norris, Angeline Trevena, Jeremy Peterson, Christine Sutton, Gregor Cole, Lori Safranek, Jaime Johnesee, Bear Weiter, Kyle Yadlosky, Aaron Gudmunson, Sara Brooke, C.L. Hernandez, Patrick Lacey, John Grover, Todd Keisling, Jason Andrew, Dana Wright, Andrew Bell, E.G. Smith, Amy Grech, Mark Patrick Lynch, Wayland Smith, Jonathan Templar, Marie Robinson, Michael McGlade, Jordan Phelps, Nick Nafpliotis, Matthew Pedersen, Bryan Clark—and introducing Billy Chizmar.
Enter the harvest and get lost . . .
(Editor: Mark Parker, Scarlet Galleon Publications, LLC)
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