From the duck
Latest News
July 1,2008
Hellbound Snowballs is the first original novel from the author of Damaged Goods - A Collection of Mostly Short Mostly Stories. Delving deeply once again into the darkened depths and random fissures within the human soul, Rob Callahan dredges up from the murk a torrid tale of love and chaos for our times. If you only buy one novel this year, buy Steinbeck. But if you buy another, make it this one!
May 18,2008
Why does no one tell me when nothing works. Okay the links are fixed in the sidebar.
May 6, 2008
It's been an incredible year for me so far.
haven't been posting like I would like but that due mostly to availability to Internet as opposed to sloth.
This year so far has seen me published in Murky Depths #3 and Black Ink Horror #4 (which at last check was on the verge of selling out!). I've been asked to appear in three other anthologies so far, and it's only May.
I spent a week in Minneapolis with my partner (that's "writing", not "life") and progress was made on the novel. I hope to have a nice little write-up about our adventures in a little bit. There are pictures in various places, you just have to hunt for them. I like to slip in under the radar when I head out to Minnesota because we make such intensive use of our short time and I know it irritates people when they miss me. My apologies
More to follow on the Duck in a litle bit as soon as I collect all of my thoughts.
March 5, 2008
*Waves hi to people surfing in from Kim Barclay's Pop Thought*
Do you know how thrillling it was to read an article about a magazine I'm in and be randomly mentioned? Took me ten minutes to find the eyeballs that had popped from my head. Plus, she got my name right. *swoons*
February 22, 2008
This is the Issue I'm in, by the way, though I would promote it shamelessly anyway.
Contents Page (this is an Adobe link, so either Right Click and Save As or let it load on your screen)
Murky Depths #3 ContentsDecember 31, 2007
Dear God, what a year!
2007 saw me pulished not once but twice, and commitments for more work to be published in 2008.A banner year for me and I can only work towards continues success.
I spent several days in Minnesota with my writing partner, Rob Callahan, working on Isle of Shadows which nears completion with every day. We skipped the convention circuit this year, but I have a feeling 2008 will see up gawking at all manner of freaks and weirdos.
I closed the my old blog, the Diner, as well as my old site, Penda's Realm, after many years of snarkiness and mis-guided service, and while I don't really miss it, I miss the persona that was Penda. She lives on in various forums and in that dark secret place that used to house my heart.
I lost my job of eleven years which broke my heart, but then found a great part-time one that, while not financially lucrative, at least gets me meeting people again. Plus I smell fantastic all the time now.
This is the short form of the long end of the year post that I'll have at the duck in a few days, but one of my resolutions is to keep this page updated on a weekly basis. Nothing is worse than having a stagnant front page. There will be more writing, because as a writer, that's what I must do.
Here's to 2008, may she be a damn sight better than the last.
November 27, 2007
Update to upcoming publications:
Confirmed by the ever popular and super smart Terry Martin, managing editor of Murkey Depths, "Suicide Bar" will make it's printed debut in Murky Depths #3 due out in March 2008. I'm excited because I will be making my International Debut. YAYS! I encourage everyone to shoot over and grab #1 and #2, because it's that kind of support that ensures not only that three will hit the shelves, but that there will be Issues 4, 5 and 6.
Confirmed by the brilliant and hard-working Tim Manning, "And On The Seventh day" will see print in January/February of 2008 in Black Ink Horror: RED. Because of issues having nothing to do with me, publication has been pushed back to give time for Issue #3 to be released in December. I believe wholly in supporting our smaller presses, because that's how they become big presses, and how authors like me get a little more recognized.
September 28, 2007
Wanted to mention, there is the most interesting of podcasts floating on the Internets. It's an interview between Scott Sigler (he of EarthCore, Infection, and Ancestor) and Howard Hendrix, (he of some suff I've never read). I say interesting because it's the old and new vanguard of Science Fiction writing duking it out over those writers that have found success in sampling chapters on the internet, either via text or podcasting (like our dear friend Sigler) and the slowly antiquitated way of finding an agent, finding a publisher and hoping against hope said writers get noticed (like the other guy).
To be fair, it wasn't much of a debate, as Hendrix is suprprisingly short-sighted for a science fiction writer.
The Agony Column has it here,it's at the bottom of the page, or you can download it directly from this (please right click and save as). Take a listen and feel free to weigh in with your comments wherever there is room. I'm writing a post about it as we speak, but it won't be up for a few days.
September 28, 2007
(yeah, yeah, I know it's the same info as on the blog(s) but believe it or not, most people never migrate to the blogs, so nyah)
Kick-off the the 2007 Boobie-Thon starts October 1.
I’ve got one pic on the freebie page and two on the Pay-Per-Boobie page.
I wonder if there are any other writers doing this…
Talk about marketing…
September 24, 2007
Goodness, has it been that long since I updated my main page? Sick, I tell you. Just sick.
Irreverently Serious - The Boobies are BackFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Everywhere, USA
Six years of tradition has the blogger community sharing, and baring, their chests for the best reason they can think of - fighting cancer.
That’s right, the racks are back Oct. 1-8 and they’re committed to raising more than $10,000 in one week by unveiling Mother Nature’s greatest gifts. That’s right, we’re saying it, BOOBIES.
“I love the idea,” says Melissa Connolly, 2007 coordinator, “If someone’s going to ogle my goods, they can at least make a donation to save boobies and lives!”
No one ever said that bloggers were afraid of expressing their opinions or sharing their ideas. Those are the very catalysts that make blogs the influential medium they are today. So when a joke between friends turned into an empowering fundraiser and awareness-raiser bloggers nationwide signed on. And they’re saddling up again for another wild ride in 2007.
In an effort to gain donations for breast cancer research, hundreds of women and men are donating images of their chests for ogglers world-wide to check out. Generous donor bloggers are seriously strutting their creativity in both the clothed and bared arena on boobiethon.com.
As you all know an eagerly anticipate (much to my mother's chagrin) I will be once again participating in the Boobie-Thon, because I can and I want to. Again there will be articles posted by "feminists"claiming that we are being exploited because of our beautiful racks, to which I say - "shove it, sister." I love how I should have the right to do what I want and at the same time be made to feel ashamed of what I want to do.
Not this year, not last year, not the year before, etc... Seriously, if you don't want to look at pages and pages of boobies, don't. You'll jam up the bandwidth for those that do.
We are in a rough economical climate and donations are down across the board, however that doesn't stop Cancer from claiming lives of the men and women we love.
Beginning October 1 and running through October 8, 2007: stop by - oogle, admire, and donate. We want to crack $10,000 this year, and we can do it with your help.
Who's girls are coming out to play this year?
June 27, 2007
Okay, So I'm a month late.
Now available for download:
Available formats:
PalmiSilo
Mobipocket
Sony Reader
PDF (full size for regular computer screens)
This version (little black duck sampler, v. 1.0) can be printed and read and/or given to family and friends, so please feel free to hand it out, leave it in bus depots, on planes, in cabs, with your minister, with your AA sponsor, etc...
For those who would are reading this and sniffing with derision because you don't *do* electronic versions, yes I am compiling an actual, honest to God Pocket Book that will be available from fine online retailers everywhere. Some day.
May 16, 2007
On June 1, 2007 a free mini-horror anthology will be released for your literary imbibement, featuring three previously published short stories and a chapter excerpt from a novel in progress (no, not Isle of Shadows).
This download will be available in Acrobat, Palm, and a few others. This download will be released without printing or distribution restrictions and I encourage you to share it with everyone you know. Yes, I may release it as a pocket book if the interest is strong.
January 24, 2007
I am pleased to announce that "And On The Seventh Day" has been accepted by Black Ink Horror for their October release of BLACK INK HORROR: RED.
*bows*
They also sent me the most complimentary acceptence letter I have ever read. I might have it framed it made me feel so good.
November 12, 2007
Within my circle of fans, stalkers and assorted hanger's-on, there are camps that will read everything I put out, regardless of grammar, context, how long it's been sitting in the dumpster, or how many rats they had to wrestle to pry the shredded pages from various nests.
"The best pages smell like cheese," they say.
This PR is sorta for them. I come not to bury RJ but to praise him, mostly because it serves my own nefarious ends.
Rob Callahan.com
This will be the last (and, in a few cases, the first) time I ever commit these stories to print.
I've been caving in to your demands that I supply them on paper for your ocular consumption for years now, and while I'm always glad to satisfy your needs in exchange for small amounts of money, it really is just about time for me to move on. From here on, there'll be no more milking on my part of the DAMAGED GOODS Collection. I am busy now working on other more novel ideas. I do, of course, encourage you to buy the final edition of this book, then loan it to someone who'll never return it, thus forcing you to buy it again, and so on.
The Wheel turns. Wash, rinse, repeat.
It's worth the price alone just to read MontiLee Stormer's brilliant introduction, but if that alone somehow fails to satisfy you, there are a bunch of short stories (and one novelette-sized thing) that should do the trick. You can buy it any way you see fit. You can buy a distributable Adobe e-book for a little over four bucks. You can buy it in print from Lulu.com. You can get it at Amazon.com eventually. You can force your local shop keeper to order it for you. You can buy it direct from me here on the website (which gets you free shipping to the lower 48 and an autograph, which I'm sure you'll appreciate) or face to face. In fact, tell you what: if you come up to me on the street and ask to buy my book, I'll give you a two dollar discount in honor of your having tracked me down and handed me money.
No. Don't fuss. You totally deserve it.
So for those who though the above paragraphs were tl;dr - I'll sum it up: RJ has pulled together a final compilation of his babies to present them one more time to the adoring public before murdering them and burying them in a ditch someplace in Wiconsin, and I wrote the intro. Go buy it. Buy several, in fact, because the holidays are coming up and you gave gift cards last year that still sit in a shoebox somewhere, because really, what will $10.00 at Value Village get your loved one other than a nasty rash.
Supporting your favorite author's writing partner is almost like supporting your favorite author. And then maybe he can become your favorite author too. I totally know how to share.September 29, 2006
Speaking of going without underthings (sorry, holdover from another conversation - ah to be a fly on the wall for that one), the 2006 Annual BoobieThon starts in two days.
Main page has no boobies and is work safe!
What is the BoobieThon
?
"The fifth annual blogger "Boobie-Thon" launches on Sunday, October 1, 2006. It will run through 11:59 p.m. EDT on Saturday, October 7, 2006. This yearly event features bloggers showing their (covered and uncovered) breasts in order to raise money for charity during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (Please click here for the 2005 site)." (from the official site)Last year we raised $9,240.40, and it would be awesome to break $10,000.00. Please, help us do that. I will have two photos this year - one on the gawkers page (free gallery) and one on the pay per boobie page. Yeah - my mom is so proud. Open your wallets like we've opened our shirts and give, give, GIVE!
Rob Callahan: Damaged Goods
My turn for a release thingy.
This is RJ.
I mean Rob Callahan.
He writes words for a living. He has bribed many a person with his charm and ill-gotten money. He's also managed to get himself published in Confessions: Admissions of Sexual Guilt and the fall and spring editions of The Misfit Library. I knew of him when Hellbound Snowballs was available as a download for my eReader on my Palm- that makes me a wee bit more special than you. Anyway, we've entered into a "We're now collaborating on Isle of Shadows, a book-length story taking place in modern times and featuring some fairly normal people trying to interact with a creature or two of myth and legend. Those of you familiar with both our narrative voices are no doubt now trying to imagine the fusion thereof. If so, you've probably guessed that this will most likely turn out to be the tale of some embittered, spineless nice guys and the women who love to mutilate them. You're probably not too far off on that guess, so go with it. We're in the very early stages of it right now. Such stages as involve scribbling notes over an outline and sending dozens of texts back and forth every hour, these are the ones we're in. The story does exist, though, and won't be something we have to make up as we go, so progress should be fairly expeditious. We don't know how or when it will be published at this time, but we'll be sure to tell you when that's decided. We're like that. A lot of ego and insatiable hunger for external validation. That's us."
Black Petals #36
Black Petals #36
On sale now
Featuring "The Serpent Bearer"
Sinister Bedfellows
Sinister Bedfellows: Anthology
20 short short stories based on the critically acclaimed photobased webcomic by mckenzee, featuring David 'Starchy' Grant, Shawn Scarber, Rob Callahan, Annastasia Snyder, Peter Venables, Matthew Messenger, Maaret W., Jhayne Holmes, Chris Peloso, Colleen AF Venable, Larry Holderfield, Phil Khan, Jody Johnson, Eric A. Burns, Samantha Kyle, David Milloway, MontiLee Stormer, Amy Frushour Kelly, Sarah Lynch-Walker, and Matthew Wood.
You can but a print copy for $15.99 (US) or join the revolution by downloading the eBook for $1.26.
Featuring "So Much For Love Potion #8"
Bound #1
Bound #1 has been released and is available through Hopper Comics. Support a writer and shell out $2.99.
Sorry (and thank you!) sold out Featuring the graphics version of "I Do This Because I Love You".