 Eulogies II Cover Every now and then a book comes along, that deserves to get some special attention. Sometimes it's a book that is so well well written it that it hammers itself into my psyche. and sometimes it's a book that has been published by people who are very dear to me, and a book that contains some of my favourite authors. Eulogies II - Tales From The Cellar first came to my attention via my good friend Tony Tremblay. I have known Tony for more years than either of us care to remember. When Tony told me he was editing this book I knew it was time to another Ginger Nuts Special feature. Plus when you factor in that this anthology contains some of my all time favourite authors, I just had to do something special. So sit back and ready yourselves for a weeks worth of special guest posts from the likes of Tom Piccirilli, Gary MacMahon, Keith Minnion and Eric Dimbleby. Click on the read more tag for the first guest post, from the Editors of this excellent anthology TONY TREMBLAY  I’ll be the first to admit that I am as surprised as anyone who knows me to see the word “Editor” after my name. It’s not because I wasn’t up to the task (my problems with apostrophe’s not withstanding), it was simply that I had never thought about editing someone else’s work professionally. When Chris Jones and Nanci Kalanta initially asked me to be part of their team I was glad to help, but it never occurred to me that I would be performing the duties of an editor. My friendship with Chris Jones and Nanci Kalanta goes back to the old Leisure Publishing Message Board days. It was there where I virtually met them as well as many of the legendary horror authors who appear in Eulogies II. Tom Piccrilli, Gary Braunbeck, and James A. Moore were only a few of the horror author’s who visited the board, but those three had left a lasting impression on me with their frank discussions, honesty, and kindness. When the Leisure Boards developed problems, we migrated to Nanci Kalanta’s message board site at Horror World, and many of the authors who frequented the Leisure Board also dropped by to chat. In the fall of 2012, when Chris Jones came up with the idea of publishing a horror anthology, it was natural of him to think of Nanci to partner with. They decided to go ahead with a collection of horror stories, declaring it a sequel to the first Eulogies anthology, and then they called for submissions. After submitting a few stories to Chris and Nanci I finally struck gold and they accepted my story, Chiyoung and Dongsun’s Song for inclusion. I thought this the last of my involvement until publication, when I would then gladly do some promotion. It didn’t work out that way. Nanci had some business problems arise and she could not devote all of her time to the anthology. Since Chris wanted someone to bounce his thoughts off of, he asked me if I would assist him until Nanci’s workload eased. How could I say no? It was not only a chance to help a friend, but it was an opportunity to read stories from my favorite horror authors before anyone else did! I agreed, and of course I discovered that one cannot know joy without first experiencing heartbreak. There were many more great stories submitted than the anthology had room for. Having to put aside stories by talented authors, friends, and even those I did not know was often a gut punch. It bothered the hell out of me, but Nanci’s words to me about this still echo in my mind…”If you want to be an editor, you have to get over it.” Well, I never really got over it, but I have come to terms with it. In the end, both Nanci and Chris wanted to credit my work by listing me as an editor. It was an honor to be asked and I accepted. Little did I know they were just setting me up for all the prep work in Eulogies III. NANCI KALANTA  I can’t really add much to what Tony said – if he hadn’t stepped in to help Chris and me with the slush pile, I think we’d still be reading for Eulogies 2. It was a lot of fun to put together and a lot of work but I think that Chris and Tony did a great job of keeping things going and a testament to how well we worked together is that we’re planning on a Eulogies III which will probably be announced after the first of the year (January 2014). CHRIS JONES  The horror genre is blessed to have many gifted writers. Many of these writers quietly ply their trade in the background, perfecting their art, submitting story after story, waiting for an opportunity to have their work read by a wider audience. When conceiving Eulogies II, I wanted to give as many new writers as possible a chance to participate in the anthology. Eric j. Guignard’s first submission to Eulogies II was extremely written but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for, so I asked him to re-submit. He did, and once again it was very well written, but not quite what I was looking for. After the second submission I didn’t ask him to submit again as I was drowning in new stories. He did anyway. Thank the Anthology Gods. Eric’s third submission was a gut punch. Like the best type of dark fiction it disturbed the hell out of me; made me feel something. When you read it I think you’ll agree with me that Eric is a talented writer who deserves a wider audience. Looking back, I count my interactions with Eric as one of my best experiences as an editor. He was open to new ideas and willing to work with an editor to make a great story even better. Though our goal for Eulogies II was a mix of established and new writers, I have to admit that my heart is with the new guys (and gals). Many anthologies get published and many fall between the cracks. We didn't want this to happen to Eulogies II – Tales from the Cellar. We owe it to the many people that contributed and made Eulogies II a better book. I hope you enjoy it. Stay tuned for a guest post from Tom Piccrilli and Eric DimblebyPlease consider buying this anthology via the links below. The small remuneration I receive helps to pay for the hosting of this website/Eulogies II on Amazon.
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