Why I owe Cynthia Pelayo and Todd Keisling a huge thank you

It turns out breathing can inspire

I debated writing this one because it can easily be interpreted as trading off on the accomplishments of these two creative, driven people. I hope that does not become the case. But I believe I owe a debt, so here we go.

During StrokerCon 2022 in Denver I found myself significantly struggling to breathe. A combination of the high altitude and a lifetime of sketchy lungs due to allergies and “a touch of asthma” (as my childhood allergist used to say) made the trip kind of harrowing for me. When things got really bad, which proved to be often, I would slip off to my hotel room and freak out. Standing did not help and laying down proved to be worse so I returned to my childhood remedy.

Back then I would sit with a pile of comics or a paperback and read. As I became absorbed in the story my lungs tended to relax. I needed to do the same in Denver, so I grabbed what was nearest. It turned out to be the StokerCon souvenir anthology, edited by Cynthia Pelayo with art and layouts by Todd Keisling.

Gorgeous to look at, with consistently interesting stories, profiles, and features, this book saved me throughout StokerCon, and for three days afterward as I wheezed through a shameful number of flight cancellations. As we finally took off, I was clutching that book like a talisman against the evils of Denver’s elusive oxygen.

Ever since, that book has been in my line of sight while I write. The Pelayo/Keisling tome proved a direct inspiration when I responded to a growing need within me to serve this wildly diverse community in my own small way.

I wanted to create a horror con you could hold in your hands.

This month, I published the results. Stories, author profiles, horror-related pop culture essays, and even a “panel” of sorts, Soul Scream Antholozine is an homage to the lifeline Pelayo and Keisling unknowingly threw me.

While not as beautifully designed or as perfectly edited, this combination anthology/magazine seeks to honor the energy and diversity of topics, styles, and people represented in their book. Even the color tones bow to them.

And so, I say it here: my deepest thanks go to Cynthia Pelayo and Todd Keisling, for their wonderful work, for significantly easing my struggle for air, and for inspiring what I hope some readers will enjoy as much I have enjoyed your collaboration.

But what is Soul Scream Antholozine?

In the StokerCon 2022 Souvenir Anthology, the Mighty Pelayo, working with the Horror Writers Association, celebrated the 2022 Guests of Honor and their breakthrough work, and that is the book’s function. While inspired by that wonderful collection, Soul Scream Antholozine seeks to fulfill a different goal.

I am hoping Soul Scream can serve as a gateway drug for horror fans, something veteran readers can enjoy for its wide variety and also feel comfortable passing on or recommending to new readers.

To that end, the stories here do not get more violent than what might be called a “soft R” rating. Further, the stories offered explore the incredibly wide variety of quiet horror sub genres, seeking to show how diverse the horror community is.

It is a celebration of the lighter side of horror, where the most versatile genre in lit mixes stories of psychological suspense, adventure, cultural myths, rock’n’roll, creeping terror, folk magic, ghosts, fantasy, and updated classic monsters for readers to feast on. Add to that in-depth author profiles, horror pop culture essays, and a great big ol’ “panel” discussion, and Soul Scream reveals itself to be a portable horror convention, a fistful of fun for the imagination. 

There is even early praise for Soul Scream Antholozine, Volume 1:

“A phenomenal debut! A powerful, eclectic package of fiction, non-fiction, and commentary, Soul Scream Antholozine delivers great reading paired with a deep dive into what makes authors tick in an exciting new format.”
–James Chambers, Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of On the Night Border and On the Hierophant Road.

“Editor Christopher Ryan sprinkles interesting characters into the premiere issue of Soul Scream Antholozine (anthology + magazine), much like the Crypt-Keeper, to guide the reader through some terrific horror content featuring strong women. The stories themselves are fierce, with interesting essays on works in the horror genre mixed in. Check it out!”
- Carol Gyzander, Bram Stoker Award® finalist

“Living up to its mash-up of a title, Soul Scream Antholozine is a mix of great stories by some of the brightest scribes in the game. On top of that, instead of quick blurbs about the contributors, you get full blown interviews and insights that bring the reading experience to a whole other level. So many anthologies get thrown together, especially in this genre, but this was clearly painstakingly curated. Absolutely superb!”
-Steven Van Patten- Award Winning Horror Writer and Tequila Enthusiast

Here’s the Table of Contents
From the Publisher - Christopher Ryan Introduction - Desdemona de la Cruz Sharper Than She Ever Imagined – Robert Masterson
(Author Profile) A Few Words from the Professor – Finbar McGuinness
Desdemona: Come Dancing – Christopher Ryan
(AP) Using a “Feature” in a Short Story – Connie Marie Marchello
Rough Beast, Slouching – Randee Dawn
(AP) Mixing Folklore and Rock’n’Roll – Finbar McGuinness
(Feature Essay) Mighty Mina: Vampire Hunter – Michael Rogers
(AP) Reading Uber Alles! – ZeBop Maruder
The Silver Avenger – Teel James Glenn
(AP) Horrifying the Street Horrors – Finbar McGuinness
(FE) Giving Books a Good Listen – Victoria Weisfeld
(AP) A Champion of Consistency – Connie Marie Marchello
Hairs – Kathleen Scheiner
(AP) The Slow Spreading Chill of Doom – Connie Marie Marchello
A Marked Man – Marc L. Abbott
(AP) Modernizing Classic Monsters – ZeBop Maruder
The Match is Lit/Embers – Oliver Baer
(AP) Ecstasy and Regret as Greeting Card Horror – Finbar McGuinness
(Panel) Riding the Time Machine W/Alex Simmons and Teel James Glenn – C.Ryan/Dez
(AP) Talking With Time Travelers – Connie Marie Marchello
The Quilting Circle of Bygone Gardens – Rebecca Cuthbert
(AP) Folk Magic, Modernized – ZeBop Maruder
Negotiations – Yolanda Lebron
(AP) Launching a Publishing Career – Connie Marie Marchello
One More Ghost Story – Ef Deal
(AP) A Big Effing Deal – ZeBop Maruder
(FE) Fay Wray Was Anything but Frail – William Rogers
Crimson Moon – Bobby Nash
(AP) Dreaming for a Living - Finbar McGuinness Connie’s Final Question - Desdemona de la Cruz All art by Juan Cruz Prats

There are more volumes coming this summer. I am hoping they can serve as relaxing reads like the beloved back-in-the-day Giant-Sized annuals from Marvel, 100-Page Spectaculars from DC, or summer reading paperbacks (for me it was Night Shift by Stephen King and, much later, Prime Evil).

And maybe, just maybe, Soul Scream Antholozine might comfort some gasping writer in Denver, or allergy sufferer in The Bronx. If it does, they ought to thank Cynthia Pelayo and Todd Keisling.

Extras

Here’s a goofy pic of me about to mail out the contributor copies. Yep, you do everything yourself in the independent game!

And here’s a link to the Soul Scream Antholozine unboxing video, if you enjoy seeing a dreamer nearly giddy as a dream comes true: https://youtube.com/shorts/O2MExfXBYHQ?feature=share

FUEL:

This week’s work was helped along by the following:

Whitsitt Chapel - Jelly Roll (A country, rock, rap collection of gutter spirituals recommended by my sons. Thanks, fellas)

All The Sinners Bleed - S. A. Cosby (Damn, he’s a great writer.)

Harold - Steven Wright (About a third in, this might be a masterpiece.)

All right, thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you again next time.