Warmed and Bound - Book Club September '11

SWEET! I'm excited to talk about this book as an author who is in here, and about my story "Say Yes to Pleasure" but mostly about all of the other great fiction in here. Really, this is one of the best anthologies I've ever read.

i managed to convert the kindle version to run on my kobo, so i might join you

(by the way, any hopes of a legit epub version?)

Yes, very soon. I'd thought it was completed at the same time as the Kindle Edition, but apparently not. Anyway, shouldn't be long.

as a teaser or taste of what's to come, why not check out The Fuse?

http://warmedandbound.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/the-fuse/

I'm interested in this discussion, curious to see how people react to the writers they may have known only as members, you know.

(PS: I suppose I should say I'm Anthony David Jacques in this collection, for anyone unfamiliar with my username/real name.)

Cool. I am just getting rolling on this. What strikes me so far is the quality of writing.

examples:

It seems you have fucked the wrong kind of stranger again.

and

It was easy to blame the Eschers.

and

She has black hair but wears it like it's blond.

So far I've read "Act of Contrition" by Craig Clevenger, "Say Yes To Pleasure" by Richard Thomas, "Soccer Moms and Pro Wrestler Dads" by Bradley Sands, "Click-Clack" by Caleb J Ross, "If You Love Me" by Doc O'Donell, and "Mantodea" by Matt Bell.

Clearly, I have lot of ground to cover, but so far as a reader, I can say the stories are great. Should've started sooner (yesterday it was July and then today it's September), and maybe I should've gone in order, but I hadn't read anything new from Clevenger in some time, I'm always into Thomas, and Sands and Ross had me uber curious after Rico Slade and Stranger Will.

What's cool is how each of these stories defied my expectations as far as content, but still delivered as far as the writing style I've come to know each writer for.

Not sure where everyone is or what we're supposed to be talking about, but that's my starting point. Plan on reading "Laws of Virulence" by Jeremy Robert Johnson, "Fading Glory" by Brandon Tietz, and "My German Daughter" by Nic Young this week.

And Anthony, since you're here and introduced yourself, I'll check yours out next before those three and try to start some discussion. I'm Nathan, by the way -talk to everyone soon...

Out of order! Just kidding. Hey Nathan, nice to see you. Well I am reading them in order just to see what Pela might or might not have had in mind in arranging them the way she did.

I am only up to Midnight Souls, but have on several occasions been laughing pretty hard. Nice humor vein running through it.

You know, I tried reading in order, but I was getting such a literary hard-on over Clevenger's story I had to skip ahead. Heading to the reading in LA, I couldn't have him sign the book without reading it first. And yeah, it was worth it. But everyone knows he can write and everything he puts out is golden.

I was really impressed with Death Juggler, right off the bat. From the interview I discovered (much to my surprise) that Axel Taiari writers in English as a second language. I loved the theme of the story, anticipated a couple moves but not in a way that took away from the enjoyment of the story.

The other great thing, over all, is how so many of these stories stretch the boundaries of what I might normally pick up. I don't branch out as much as I should, I know, and this collection puts my feet to the fire once again.

I don't want to do any spoilers this early in the discussion, so I'll think I'll stop there for the moment. It seems people are still reading.

And thanks for the bump in line, Nathan. You'll find mine is pretty short and compact, but hopefully worth unpacking.

I'm reading Vincent Louis Carrella's story right now. Updates as events warrant.

I highly, highly recommend reading the stories in their prescribed order. Though I can't fault anyone for not, because pretty much every other anthology except this one I've picked out the authors I'd heard of first. Still, I think you just might eventually find that your favorite will be one you never expected.

I read the whole thing in order. Figured I would get to the stories by the folk I know of in due time. To be honest even just reading two or three stories a day this book seemed to fly by.

Guess the easiest thing to post about would just be my favourites. Not gonna even try to narrow it down to one, maybe I could do a top 5 though. Edit - turns out I can't. Top 6 it is. Not in order.

Chance the Dick by Paul Tremblay
The Killer by Brian Evenson

These two I liked just because they put such interesting twists on how they told the story. Both were very clever. The kind of ideas that make you think, goddamn it - I wish I'd thought of that.

Soccer Moms and Pro Wrestler Dads by Bradley Sands

Hilarious. Rico Slade was quality - looks like the next book is going to be quality too.

Seed by Gayle Towell
If You Love Me by Doc O' Donnell

These two were the best of the shorter flash fiction style stories. Both were very
beautiful in a cold way.

Fading Glory by Brandon Tietz

This one read like a perfect example of how to put the essays from Chuck P into practise. Clever, funny, a little discomforting, - great mixture.

So I think what I'm going to do is this:

I'm going to try and read a story or two at a time. And then post what I've read. And then put some points on what I thought of that (or those) story.

We'll take it on a piece at a time.

So tonight's mission is to read the intro (I know I suck - I haven't read anything yet). And then tomorrow I will be able to start reading some stories.

I think breaking it up this way might spark some conversation though.

Also - if it takes longer than a month to discuss, who cares? I leave these discussions up for 2 months usually. And I have no problem leaving it a little longer if I have to.

Cool deal, Pete -whatever you want to discuss, I'm in.

And Nice To See You Too, Chester! Hey remember this?

"What we really need to do is say 'fuck it' and open our eyes to the glaring pulchritude of the moment, regardless of whether or not it burns." -Chester Pane

ahahahhaha -I saved that one from our intensive. Best quote of all time. ahahaha

But yeah I got a chance to read some more stories. Finished yours, Anthony, and you were right -it Is freakin' short. Lot of 'em are, but yours was really good and I liked the imagery and all with the watch and the rug. Don't know what else to say about "The Liberation of Edward Kellor," really, other than based on that story, I'd check out more stories from you. That's the best feedback or compliment that I can give, I guess. Ending was good and while there's somewhat of a dreamy element to it all, I found it wholly realistic. Guy had enough and that's that. And freedom is the point and not where he goes from there -or at least that's what I took from it. Just that he's gone where he wants to go, and no matter what happens or what anyone tries to do him, he's free. (Could be reading too much into these things as I sometimes do, but...) I definitely dug it.

"Fading Glory" left me thinking you could take that situation and those characters and get a whole book or at least novella out of that one. I wanted to keep reading or go deeper into that world. Guy's a thief at the end of the day, but the family members of the residents are painted much worse, and the thief takes a certain amount of abuse himself by having to deal with these people and their lost minds, day in, day out. Yeah it's his job and all, but it's like police -they get paid shit to take more shit than most of us ever will. Point I'm making is that Brandon does a good job taking the questionable morality of one character seem not as offensive in comparison the actions of others. Find he's good at doing this in a lot of his stories. Loved the line about the Civil War pistol.

Jeremy Robert Johnson's story did not disappoint as far as taking me somehwere far the fuck out, but it is just a conversation -not sure if that throws people off or not. Don't get me wrong, he does tell a story, through conversation, so it's there and if you keep reading, I mean it's crazy enough to where you don't think about it anymore. But yeah that one was the strangest I've read. Not even sure how it fits in with the rest but I"m glad it's in there.

Which reminds me -some stories seem to read like they come from the same neighborhood, while others do not. Would be interesting to see if anyone's picking up on themes or common threads, other than the obvious like love. I dug Nic Young's story too, by the way. That's not long -My German Daughter -but what's Really interesting: Read that one after Click-Clack by Caleb J. Ross, or vice versa -switch 'em up but read those two together.

Ok, I've read the Forward by Erickson and the Introduction by Logan Rapp.

Tonight I'm going to read the first 2-3 stories.

The Forward was ok. Mostly it was cool because it was Steve Erickson talking about this website that I remember growing into existence. This great writer talking about how special the community is and how talented the writers are - it was pretty cool to read that.

The Introduction was a pretty touching story. Who's Logan? Does he post here too?

His story gives me hope. That's kind of what I always envisioned the Cult being. A place where people are there for each other. A crutch to lean on. A place for encouragement. Something solid in your life.

I'm glad The Velvet was able to give him that. I hope he continues moving forward and keeps writing.

The Erickson intro blew me away. He KNOWS the big names, Clev and SGJ, and even gave props to many of the emerging and unknown authors too. I was impressed.

Logan helps run the Velvet. He's the man behind a lot of what happens over there, as you may have gleaned from his introduction. There are other things in the works, that's all I can say about Logan and Pela and the Velvet (and Velvet Press). Good things. Exciting things.

While we're on the subject of the Velvet -I'm a little confused about it. I hear it said that it's a sister site to us. So is it a good idea to join and get involved in the experience there in some way, or is that a place for more established writers with books or multiple credits to go? Sorry if that sounds stupid but I've been wondering for a while. I check it out every now and then and like what I read, but they seem to have their own thing going.

The history of the Velvet is talked about in the intro to the W&B anthology by Logan. It spun off of the Cult. Originally it was just a fan site for Clevenger and Baer, who know each other. Stephen came into the fold later. Now it's more of a community, and the W&B anthology is the first of many things to come, I think.

It's a more "serious" site, but there is a lot of joking too. It's about the trio (CC, SGJ, WCB) but has evolved into much more. For sure, come on over. It's not just writers, established or not, there is a wide range of people. A lot DO write, but all levels of success there as well.

There will be news soon, but a lot of the writing part of this site is going to be migrating over to http://www.litreactor.com and this site will go back to being a fan site for CP. Come on over to THAT too!

I'm involved on many levels with both.

And that's what I"m asking really -if it's just for established vs. all levels -thanks for answering that. I'll have to join for sure, then -and yeah Definitely LitReactor -I'm already super excited about that one. Glad to hear you're involved, too. 2011's been great.

Man, I've gotta find the time to get stuck into this - from what I've read above it sounds like my kind'a cuppa. Ta for providing for all the feedback; just now need to find that darned elusive "time"...

More great shit:

I will do this after everybody goes anarchy.

genuflect

Now why in Jewish hell would anyone want--

wicker covered most of what I'd say, but I'll add that it's about both reading and writing. Many of the members and visitors don't even write, and are just fans of "velvety" reads and the conversation that spurs from such shared tastes.

Some of the people who originally helped put The Velvet together were/are core Cult staff as well. They're not as active there these days, but there's still much in common.

Death Jugglar by Axel Taiari
I've always been a fan of magic. I've practiced "mind reading" and "sleight-of-hand" off and on for most of my life. (Currently off lol) When I was a kid, I never missed any of David Copperfield's specials on TV. And, yes, when Criss Angel first showed up - I payed attention.

Now Criss Angel has turned into a cartoon character by pushing the boundaries too far. He's crossed some line somewhere and it's hard to take him seriously.

Those were my thoughts when I first started reading this story. I thought I knew where it was going in that first page. But it pulled me this way and then that way and then I just decided to go with it.

It was pretty solid story. The genre was nothing like what I would expect from the first story of a book put together by members of our communities. Sci-fi/fantasy? I'm not sure what the genre is really. But it was not what I was expecting.

This story set the stage to be surprised I guess. Hopefully? Can't wait for the next one.

Does Axel have any books out or does he have anything coming out? (I'm sure you can expect this question about every author)

I'm going to try and get 2 or 3 more of these written today.

He's got a short up on Matt's site.

You can get his "A Light to Starve By" e-single for 99 cents. It's a re-vamp (get it?) of a story he originally had published in a neo-vampire anthology. Most of these W&B contributors have web sites where they list their publications/news and would no doubt appreciate your patronage.

I too was surprised by this story. Both for its content and place in the Anthology. Whether Pela intended it or not (I assume she did) it seems to make a statement: Whatever you think you are about to read, think again because it won't be what you expected. Be prepared to be surprised.

In many of the stories that follow, that is precisely what happens. Surprise. So it does set the tone for much of the material that follows, a lot of which evades simple genre classification.

I thought it was interesting that Axel didn't quote his dialogue, but that it functioned well anyway.

See, y'all got me too curious now. I'll have to read that first story tonight -sounds really good.

And Gordon, thanks for adding that velvet info. -I definitely plan on making my way over there. Also noticed you have a story in Warmed and Bound too? I'll have to check that out then. Tonight I'll read that and Death Juggler -the last one I read is called "Love," which was the shortest so far, but definitely memorable and right to the point. I like it. At first I was thinking, 'that's it? yeah okay. whatever.' but the more I've thought about the stories, that one keeps sticking out for the strength of its punch. I like it a lot.

Gordon's story kicks ass. Very creative. You are going to love it.

Click-Clack by Caleb J Ross

Sometimes when I read Caleb's work I think that he must think up his worst fears and then multiply them by 10.

For a new parent, your kid being injured and retarded for life must be one of those fears. That and knowing that your child will one day leave the home has to be another anxiety filled thought.

So, like I said - Caleb takes these and multiplies them by ten.

Sometimes with Caleb's writing I have a hard time getting sucked in right away. But once I'm there, I have to finish. I have to know how this ends. That happened here. The first couple sections, I felt a little lost. But once I was halfway I was sucked in.

I liked this. Again it was a story that I wasn't expecting from this collection. (I guess I don't really know what I was expecting, but I'm still surprised by these first two stories.)

So far we have a father like figure in both stories. Connection/running theme?

I probably shouldn't be guessing at that yet having only read two stories. lol

Something that occured to me more than once across the book was that some of the stories seem to be 'grouped.' I dismissed it as me looking for patterns that weren't really there. Your comment has made me wonder again.

As for Caleb's story - *spoilers* - I reread it and I have to say it's very bizarre. It's rather tragic at the end there when the lad ran, but the whole set-up seemed a bit too weird for me.

I do like Calebs prose style though - he's good at painting the old mental pictures.

Yes, there is no overarching theme, really, so the best that could be done is to find those with a couple things in common, and those are sequenced after each other, so it's subtle overlappings. The end of the collection doesn't necessarily have much in common with the beginning, but the transitions in between are pretty natural. There's sort of a crime-fiction section, some bizarro, domestic, etc.; though it's not always by genre, either, but the content.

That is also something I noticed about Caleb's work...the use of the senses to construct audial sensation. The sound of the train became a sort of rhythmic motif that, as I read arose again and again, Click-Clack through my head.

But it didn't stop there. I really liked how he fused the heartbeat of the train with Ernie's and, ultimately, the abandoning Mother's.

I have definitely noticed patterns and connections through the stories in the first half of the book. Sometimes they are very simple things like laundromat dryers. Other times they tend to be thematic like you mentioned, Pete.

Even beyond classified groups, patterns arise in regard to plot, theme and style. One specific morsel: several authors' deconstructivist antics yield very dynamic results. Tremblay, Evenson, Highland, Pierce and in some ways, Johnson.

Just read Craig Davidson's excellent piece. Head authority is admirable. All I have to say for now is:

shameful pocket

The beauty of Rumpleminze: it's pepperminty, so you just tell everybody you'd brushed your teeth.

there are definitely some groupings, and the collection was opened/closed in a certain way - there is a great podcast with Pela that gets into some of the details

http://www.bookedpodcast.com/2011/07/22/episode-24-pela-via-warmed-and-b...

i'll see if i can't get Pela to come over, maybe send out a mass email to the collection, get some more discussions going

Great podcast. Did he say they were going to interview half of the W&B authors?

Thought that was very interesting, the amount of editing that took place. That seems like a really important point: That such a big part of writing is editing. And not just the author's.

oh yes, a lot of us were interviewed

http://www.bookedpodcast.com/wb/

i listened to all of these, they were great

Nice. Thanks.

His reading style makes it even funnier.

None of you guys ever sound like I think you would sound.

I'm gonna try and read a story or two at work. Keeping fingers crossed that I don't really have to work tonight.

It's fun to hear the voices.

This is one of those collections that I will forever be thankful to have been a part of. I truly think this will go down as a highlight reel, or sampler of work from writers who will just get huge and forget all about the rest of us. (EDIT: re-reading that, it sounds pretty egotistical. Of course, I exclude myself from those who will get huge and forget).

Something about Click-Clack I'll mention, because Chester touched on it, I really want to read this one live someday. There's a section (page 34, paragraph that begins "A train whistles...") that has a lot of internal rhyme that is mean to represent a train chugging along. I think that rhythm would shine brightest when read live.

As for my thoughts on the collection, there is so much greatness going on. Axel's story blew me away. I've known his writing for a while, and even had the pleasure of meeting him in person; he's one of those guys that has quite distinct writing and real life personas. His writing is quite serious, often dark, but in real life he's so funny, so cool, the kind of guy you'd wake up next to in the morning and regret nothing.

Jeremy Robert Johnson's story worked for me in so many ways. I've always grouped him, perhaps unfairly, in the bizarro group of writers. But he stuff is always so much "smarter" than most bizarro fiction (no offense meant for other bizarro writers; just that the genre is typically candy). If you liked his story here, I urge you to pick up Extinction Journals.

i've sent an email to pela, and we'll try to get more of the authors over here to check in and comment, etc. - keep reading

bradley sands, every time i see him read it is almost holy, he's a great guy, and that story is one of my favorites of this collection

axel always blows me away, he's a voice i can slip into anytime, always a bit off-center, and i like it that way

gayle's story is one that i saw a long time ago, WC/Cult and it still destroys me

caleb's train story, as a parent, yeah it kind of tore me up too, and i guess i've just come to expect greatness from caleb, i set the bar high

chris deal is the other bookend in this collection, and his way of seeing the world, i'm not surprised that erickson called him out as his work often gets into that erickson/evenson world, heavy on atmosphere but able to span centuries in a sentence and then reel it back in to the present and the grounded

really, i could probably just list the whole collection here - the obvious ones clevenger, jones, minor, davidson, and bell, i knew they'd be tight and dark and strange...and they didn't disappoint

we should take a DAY and just talk about ONE STORY since i think they ALL have something to offer

The World Was Clocks by Amanda Gowin

I just read this story through twice. The first time through I was distracted (I am at work after all). And I kept trying to remember the name of that movie where the girl is at this house with her sister and they are having fun and then she realizes that she killed her sister and her mom (or something like that). All because at first I thought this story and that movie were going to be similar.

I was wrong. So I read it again. Really paying attention.

I've never read Amanda's writing before. But for some reason I thought it was going to be gentler. She's a confident writer and she brought it.

I'm still a little sketchy on a few details. The girl was suffering from some kind of psychosis, but I can't figure out exactly what. I'm guessing schizophrenia. That was a reason that I thought her sister was never real. She was though right?

And she really brings you into the mind. All images. Important life changing events just lumped in there. Pure detachment? "And what is love? Yellow urine on a stick turning pink, pails of blue paint obliterating the room she and Tilly had known."

If not, at least I have a goal. lol

Pete and Richard,

I am basically falling in line with that approach, responding to Pete's lead. I agree that every story (and Author) deserves to be considered on its own merits, and that each engages the reader in different as well as related ways.

SPOILER: CLOSE YOUR EYES!

The World Was Clocks by Amanda Gowin

Interesting point Pete brings up about not being familiar with Amanda's writing style. Style to me sometimes feels like little micro-languages or unique dialects that require a bit of familiarity to assimilate--or even translate.

I must acclimate myself into this world

Some of my favorite writing falls into this category. I think it's because the author's mindprint is so distinctive, so unique and unlike anything else. It is frequently challenging as well, with a depth of voice that resonates.

Amanda's voice seems to warrant a bit of this literary voice assimilation.

I too read it twice. Twice and a half or three times. Maybe more. A twin mourning the loss of her other half who she can only see in the mirror after that fateful stair step (metaphorical?) into oblivion.

Then there is the psychological devastation that follows. Does Tabitha actually have a child that is hers but re-imagines that child to be that of her dead sister? And does Tilly, her dead sister come to visit her in the end? After Tabitha has committed suicide? Is the ending post-life? I like the obscurity. It is the face of mental illness.

A very sad story. It is heart rending enough to lose a sibling. One that feels like the better half of you? Or does the other one, the one in the mirror, always appear that way?

And Amanda's gift for language (I am a sucker for good prose):

She grew fat as the tree out her window unfolded tiny green hands. Love was the color in the world. Her laughter drew laughter from the mouths and eyes of her parents--rusty notes that became well-oiled and silver, and came easily. Tabitha browned in the sun.

A moment of happiness and clarity before the disintegration of sanity?

This anthology is a killer read. I've read the stories (even mine, Gary Paul Libero, because it's surreal to see my words along side all of these names, especially two of my lit heroes, Clevenger and Erickson) in order, out of order, back and forth. The stories should be read in sequence, at some point, to appreciate the genius editing at the hands of Pela Via. The stories should be read at random to appreciate the unique array of individual voices.

At times, I feel most honored for having a story accepted into Warmed and Bound. Other times, I feel undeserving because, as a writer, I've slacked over the years, taking time to begin a beautiful family and make advances in my career to support them. Seeing this anthology come together was something to behold and has relit the fire under my ass to get words to paper again. With any luck, I'll be at the level of my fellow writers as time goes on. With more luck, I hope to meet most of them at an east coast W&B event or an upcoming AWP. These amazing people have become friends without ever having exchanged a handshake, family without blood lines. It is truly an honor to be part of this experience.

One of my favorite pieces in this mix is Chris Deal's contribution, In Exile. I've returned to that story more than others because I stand in awe of the time expanse and emotion it covers in so few words. This is minimalist writing at its best.

I've rambled long enough. Read the book. Visit the site (http://warmedandbound.com/). Listen to the Booked podcasts. These are experiences you won't soon forget.

Oh good, I'm glad you had a lot of the same questions as me.

I really liked the story. And I'll probably read it again to try and piece more of it together.

And, yeah, the moments of "clarity". It's hard to tell if those were there to real you back into reality, or push you farther away...

Mantodea by Matt Bell

This is the first story I've read by Matt Bell. I liked his style. Simple and straight forward. Good imagery. Hit all the senses.

Like I said before, my mind wonders a lot when I read. I'm always thinking, "What if..." So when I was reading this and they got into the bathroom and she started to bite him, I thought "What if she ate his whole head while he's getting her from behind? It would be like a preying mantis!" I know, I'm weird.

So I looked up the word Matodea. Guess what?!

Mantodea (or mantises) is an order of insects that contains approximately 2,200 species in 15 families[1] worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats.

If you didn't know, now you know!

So, yeah, I liked this story. It was a quick, fun read.

Any thoughts on his "oral fixation"?

Some of these stories I find that while they are fantastically written I don't understand the plot and require multiple readthroughs...

valmont, i think some of the best fiction does this, makes you take a second look, Matt is really becoming a voice i enjoy and this story was more gritty than i expected from him, really dug it - plus Mantodea is such a great word

Jay I know exactly what you are talking about. And while it works in short story form, sometimes when people do that in novella or longer it can be a challenge to get through.