Yesterday’s signing at Word on the Street went extremely well. I want to thank everyone, family, friends, fellow writers, my buds at Biff Bam Pop, and all the total strangers who came out and bought a copy. It was great seeing you all and I really appreciate your support. Big thanks to my publisher, Monica, for organizing the event and putting together a truly snazzy chapbook. Here are some pics from Word on the Street:

I’m told that Temporary Monsters was the big seller of the day, which makes me very happy. For all the short stories that I’ve sold, I’ve never had my name on the cover of anything, so it means a lot to hear that this one is actually selling well.

If you weren’t able to be at Word on the Street but still want to pick up a copy of Temporary Monsters, it is now officially for sale on the Burning Effigy Press website. And for only $8.00! I did sign some stock before I left yesterday, so if you want a signed copy of TM, they are available by selecting that option on the website.

And the Temporary Monsters fun has only just begun. If you haven’t noticed already, I’ve posted a new TM-themed splash page on the ian-rogers.com website with a link to a page featuring information about the chapbook, including some behind-the-scenes notes. I’m also planning a small contest with details to follow soon. Stay tuned.

I will be at Word on the Street this Sunday, September 27th, signing my brand new chapbook, Temporary Monsters from 11 am to 12 pm. So if you’re planning to come out to the festival, please come by and say hello. And if you’re interested, pick up a copy of the chapbook. It’s a measly $8.00 and I’ll even sign it for ya.

Here’s the cover and blurb:

TEMPORARY MONSTERS
by: Ian Rogers

Felix Renn is a private investigator in a supernatural world, an alternate reality where a dark dimension called The Black Lands co-exists alongside our own. Travelling to and from The Black Lands is dangerous – and illegal – but that doesn’t stop some of the creatures that reside there from crossing over into our world from time to time. After a man goes berserk in a posh Toronto restaurant, Felix suddenly finds himself torn between both worlds as he is drawn into a deadly game of movies, murder, and monsters.

The Burning Effigy Press table will be located at FB17 on Queen’s Park Crescent East, just south of St. Joseph Street.

Hope to see you out there!

This evening I had the chance to meet one of my very favourite writers, Andrew Pyper, as part of Trent University’s Writers Reading Series. Pyper is the author of several books including Lost Girls, The Killing Circle, and the short story collection Kiss Me. His work occupies a unique position in Canadian publishing with its strange combination of literary themes and genre tropes. Pyper is one of the few successful Canadian authors who actually writes stories that are entertaining as well as thought provoking.

Pyper and I have corresponded a bit, but this was the first time we had a chance to meet in person. I have to admit it was kind of gratifying (and exciting) that he recognized me right away. “Hey, Ian!” he said, and came over to shake my hand. Pyper was very funny and told some great stories about his time living in Peterborough, where he wrote the first draft of Lost Girls. He read, among other things, a section of The Killing Circle that pokes fun at a fictional book award fashioned after the Giller Prize, replete with a host who bears an unusual resemblance to Ben Mulroney. Ahh, satire. Gotta love it.

During the q&a, I asked Pyper what he was working on now. His response: “A book about becoming middle-aged, male friendships… and a haunted house. And hockey!” Yes, folks, Andrew Pyper is a literary thriller writer and a Canadian one at that.

Pyper said he wouldn’t be able to make it to Word on the Street this year, but he asked me to send him a copy of my chapbook, which I will be doing once it is in my hot little hand… in three short days.

Speaking of which, I’m told I will have my signing schedule by tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled here for all the deets.

• Currently reading: The Hunter, by Richard Stark

As promised…

My short story, “Cabin D,” has been accepted for publication in Supernatural Tales. It won’t be out until 2010, but I don’t mind because, hey, I get to be in Supernatural Tales!

I’ve taken a bit of a break on the novel this week to concentrate on edits for “Temporary Monsters,” my chapbook which is due out from Burning Effigy Press in just a little over a week.

I have confirmation from the publisher that the chap will be launched at this year’s Word on the Street festival in downtown Toronto. Details on the event will be coming very soon, as well as a sneak peak at the cover art. I can tell you that it looks absolutely amazing and I’m incredible happy with it. This is the first publication with my name on the cover and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.

• Currently reading: Quiver, by Peter Leonard

I received a number of e-mails about my Facebook/Twitter post from a few days ago, the one about my favourable nod in Tesseracts Thirteen. In addition to the flurry of congratulations, people have been asking what exactly was said about me in the essay. Instead of replying to each e-mail individually, I figured it would be easier to simply post the excerpt here on the website:

“A writer to watch is Ian Rogers, previously cited for his contribution to Ash-Tree’s Shades of Darkness anthology, who has been producing a steady flow of innovative stories that freely range over genres in search of the authentic shudder. “Charlotte’s Frequency” from Horror Library 2 is a good example, spinning a web of electronic vampirism, while “Relaxed Best” in Not One of Us #38 is a peculiar melding of hard-boiled noir with high finance and netherworld diabolism, deftly juggling its disparate parts into a satisfying whole. Rogers’ novella Temporary Monsters is forthcoming from Burning Effigy in the fall of 2009.”

I still get chills reading that. My work has been reviewed individually in a few places, but never as a whole. I write these stories, occasionally get them published, but I never really know if they’re reaching anyone. It’s nice to know some people are finding the publications featuring my work. It’s even nicer to know they’re actually reading my stories – and remembering them later on. That’s all I’ve ever wanted as a writer. To entertain and to endure. I think if you can keep doing both those things, then you’re well on your way to a career.

You can read the rest of Robert Knowlton’s excellent essay, “Out of the Barrens: Two Centuries of Canadian Dark Fantasy & Horror,” in Tesseracts Thirteen, which also features 23 stories by some of Canada’s most talented writers of dark fiction. The book is available at a number of locations, including Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Indigo.ca.

• Currently reading: Pandemonium, by Daryl Gregory