A Guide to the Black Lands
Everything you need to know before the publication of SYCAMORE in Fall 2024.
Howdy, folks!
Good to see you again. I hope your autumn is going well. It never lasts long enough for me. And the snow always comes wayyyy too soon. I live in Canada, and some people think we have snow all year round. I can tell you this is not true at all. Some people also think that all Canadians love the snow, and this is most definitely not true.
In my opinion, it’s pretty to look at and that’s about it. Snow lost its allure for me after too many years of shovelling the stuff and driving in it. I’m not quite ready to spend winters in a warmer climate, but I can tell ya, I’m starting to see the appeal.
Anyway, you’re not here to listen to me complain about the weather. I wanted to talk to y’all a bit about my debut novel coming out next year.
As some of you already know, even though Sycamore is the first Black Lands novel, I have been writing and publishing stories in the series for almost 15 years.
It started way back in 2009 with a series of three novelettes — “Temporary Monsters,” “The Ash Angels,” and “Black-Eyed Kids” — all of which featured PI Felix Renn. Eventually I collected all three of those stories, along with a longer novella called “The Brick” and published them in a collection called SuperNOIRtural Tales (which will be reprinted by Cemetery Dance in 2025).
Over the years, I wrote several more Felix Renn short stories, as well as other Black Lands stories, some featuring other recurring characters — like Jerry Baldwin, who sells haunted houses for a living — and some which were standalone tales.
In this series, I have always considered the Black Lands itself to be the main recurring character, which allows me to write about whatever I want, and whomever I want, in this dark and sometimes terrifying world where ghosts and monsters exist as part of everyday life.
With the publication of Sycamore coming late next year, I thought it would be fun and helpful to provide a list of Black Lands stories that are currently in print, as a way of preparing readers for the first novel in the series. Especially those of you who may not be familiar with the Black Lands at all.
The following is a list of those publications, along with a short description of each story, and where they take place in the series.
“Out of the Blue” in Fungi, edited by Orrin Grey and Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In the middle of the night, PI Felix Renn is called by his friend Jerry Baldwin (huckster of haunted real estate) to come with him to check out a house that isn’t quite ready for market. The not-so-dynamic duo end up encountering a very dangerous type of supernatural fungus that threatens their lives… and gives Jerry the idea for another entry is his long-running series of Time-Life Books on the Black Lands.
“Eyes Like Poisoned Wells” in Shivers VIII, edited by Richard Chizmar
One of the things I enjoy most about writing the Felix Renn stories is playing with the conventions of detective fiction — changing them, subverting them, and most of all, dipping them in the supernatural.
In this story I explore the idea of the femme fatale, a stock character sometimes called a “vamp,” although in “Eyes Like Poisoned Wells” she’s actually something even more deadly.
“You Can’t Save Them All” in Weird Horror #1
A social worker gets more than she bargained for when she delves into the background of a mysterious child.
This is one of my standalone Black Lands stories, which doesn’t feature Felix Renn or any other recurring characters, although it does have a connection to one of my more memorable entries in the series, “Black-Eyed Kids.”
“Nightlight” in Nightmare Abbey #3
During a citywide blackout, Felix offers to walk a girl home from a bar and they end up in a frightening situation where one of them has to make a very important choice with serious consequences for them both.
As much as I like playing with the conventions of detective fiction, I had a great time writing a Felix Renn story that is more about his character and personality than the latest case he’s taken on. Which is not to say there isn’t still a whole lot of spookiness going on.
“Plutonian Shore” in Nightmare Abbey #4
In a world where monsters exist, I figured there must be people who would fight for their right to live. Paranormal activists who picket and protest on behalf of vampires, shifters, and all the other nasty critters from the Black Lands.
This novelette is about what happens when one such person becomes involved with a group of militant para-activists, the fallout from their actions, and the penance she seeks in the aftermath.
“A Glass Darkly” in Worlds of Light & Darkness, edited by Angela Yuriko Smith and Scot Noel
Felix receives an unpleasant blast from the past when he’s asked to help an old colleague set up a meeting with the Paranormal Intelligence Agency.
What follows is a nightmarish bloodbath from which Felix might not be able to escape.
“You Have What I Need” in Screams from the Dark, edited by Ellen Datlow
Another standalone Black Lands stories, this one takes place at a hospital during the wee hours of the night. Without spoiling too much of the plot, let’s say it’s a cross between ER and From Dusk Till Dawn.
Consequently, this is also the Black Lands story that received more exposure than any other, appearing in Tor/Nightfire’s very first horror anthology. It was also the very first story in the book.
I think those are enough stories to prepare you for the Black Lands series and to tide you over until Sycamore is published.
To stay apprised of further developments leading up to the publication of Sycamore in Fall 2024, or for updates on any other Black Lands stories, you can visit the official Black Lands website at theblacklands.com.
October was a very busy month for me. It usually is, with Canadian Thanksgiving, my wedding anniversary, my birthday, my wife and I celebrating our meet-iversary, and of course, Halloween.
This year — because apparently I wasn’t busy enough — I threw in a couple of extra events. The first was an unexpected surprise. I found out that Corin Hardy, who is going to be directing the Every House Is Haunted film next year, was in town working on a new horror film called Whistle. I connected with him and, despite his busy schedule, we were able to have dinner together — on my birthday!
This was the first time I’d met Corin in person and it was like meeting a kindred spirit. I think the moment we truly connected was when we both mentioned our love for the classic horror mockumentary The Legend of Boggy Creek. Corin is a big monster fan and a huge supporter of practical special effects (best seen in his debut feature The Hallow). He’s also an incredible artist and brought along a number of his sketchbooks, showing us designs from The Hallow, an unproduced yeti picture he hopes to make one day, and, of course, Every House Is Haunted.
I don’t want to spoil anything about what he showed me regarding the film. All I can tell you is that you’re in for a real treat. Like Raimi, Corin really cares about horror, and he knows the best way to effectively instill horror in an audience is to create great characters, ones you will care about and feel for. In his hands, I know Every House Is Haunted will be a great film.
For more updates on the film, you can check out everyhouseishaunted.com. You can order a copy of the book there as well.
On October 28th, I took part in an event at Take Cover Books in Peterborough. Joining me was my good friend and fellow author, Richard Gavin. The event was called “Haunted Houses and Primeval Woods,” and we spent a pleasant couple of hours reading from our work, talking about our influences and future projects, taking questions from the audience, and signing books.
The Trent University student newspaper, The Arthur, did a great write-up of the event. Thanks to Sean and Andrew of Take Cover Books for hosting, and to everyone who came out to support us.
Daniel Braum, author of the excellent collection The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales, interviewed me for his Night Time Logic series, and I feel like it's one of the better interviews I've given lately. Probably because Daniel asks really good questions. The kind I really had to think about before answering.
I was also the guest on the DNF Happy Hour podcast and had an absolute blast talking about books, writing, the Every House Is Haunted film, my recent debut novel sale, the Black Lands series, and, most importantly, CATS! You don’t want to miss this one!
And finally, every year for Halloween I dress up as Spider-Man to give out candy to the kids. I’ve been doing this since we moved into our house 17 years ago. Why? Well, for one thing, it’s a reason to stay in shape throughout the year — to make sure I can still fit into the costume! For another, there was one year early on when I didn’t dress up as Spidey, and some parents brought their kids to their house because they wanted them to meet Spider-Man. The look of disappointment on their face when they saw middle-aged Peter Parker answer the door instead…
So every Halloween, I suit up and hand out candy. This year, one kid, who looked to around 12 years old, maybe getting close to his final Halloween, said that every time he went out trick-or-treating, coming to see me as Spider-Man was the best part of his night.
What can I say, folks? With great power comes great responsibility!
