I was going to post a summary of last night’s “A Ghost Story for Christmas” reading series at The Central, but Michael Kelly already beat me to it and did a better job of it than I ever could.

Suffice to say, I had an incredible time. The venue was packed and everyone seemed to enjoy the readings. We had a nice diverse mix of styles and stories that I felt complimented one another quite well. I read an excerpt from my new Felix Renn tale, “The Ash Angels.” The story is not quite finished, but since it takes place on Christmas Eve, and the theme of the event was Christmas ghost stories, I couldn’t resist trying it out in front of an audience. The crowd seem to really dig it. I had a lot of people approach me afterwards to sign copies of “Temporary Monsters,” and ask me when “The Ash Angels” would be published. Since the story isn’t done yet, I had to tell them there are currently no plans to publish it at this time (but to keep an eye on this website for updates!). It was a bit of a tease, I suppose, but at the same time I liked the idea of sharing something new and unpublished with those who made an effort to come out during the busy holiday season to hear me read.

I took some pics, but since I only had my little Canon Elph with me, they came out kind of dark. I tried to spiff them up a bit with Adobe Lightroom.

Michael Colangelo reading from “Behind the Black”

Michael Kelly reading from “Princess of the Night”

Thanks to Simon for taking this shot of me reading from “The Ash Angels”

Simon Strantzas reading from “Under the Overpass”

Me, Simon Strantzas, Richard Gavin, Michael Kelly, and Michael Colangelo

Unfortunately I was sitting behind the book table during Richard’s reading so I didn’t get a chance to snap a picture of him. (Sorry, Richard!)

I want to extend my thanks to everyone who came out to hear us read, to the people who bought my chapbook and came up to me and said hello, to Simon and Fran for driving me downtown, to Lora (and Rowan!) for taking care of the book table, and to Richard for organizing the event and making the entire evening such a wonderful experience for everyone.

Over the past week or so I’ve received a couple of excellent reviews of “Temporary Monsters.”

The first one is from Kurt Dinan:

Mark my word, Ian is going to be big someday. His writing reads effortless, and his stories are just plain fun and entertaining. TM, a chapbook available from Burning Effigy, is about a private detective in a world where supernatural activity isn’t necessarily common, but is a bit more accepted. A hell of a fun read.

The second is from The Horror Fiction Review. Here’s an excerpt:

TEMPORARY MONSTERS is a fun hybrid of P.I. noir, classic monsters, and some well done humor that doesn’t overshadow the action. Nifty ending, too.

Read the rest of the review here.

Thanks to both for the kind words. They certainly made my day. If anyone is interested in picking up a last minute copy of “Temporary Monsters” for someone this holiday season, copies are still available from Burning Effigy Press.

I doubt I’ll be posting again until after Christmas – I have a reading on the 27th, for a story I haven’t quite finished yet! – so I hope everyone has a great holiday. Eat lots of bird, drink lots of nog, and stay warm.

• Currently reading: The Devil's Alphabet, by Daryl Gregory