Prologue to an unfinished work

/ Timothy G. Huguenin / 3 Comments

I don’t know what will happen with this. I had been working on an idea for a novel set at the Moundsville prison, but this opening scene for a totally different story came to me the other day. I’m still keeping the prison novel in mind, but I think while this other idea has captured me I might follow it through and see where it leads. This is not part of my upcoming book, Little One, which I am currently finishing up and plan to publish in the summer. Soon I will share more of that. Until then, here’s the opening of—of what? A novella? Novel? I’m sure it will be longer than a short story. I don’t know where it will go and when it will end. Time will tell—or will it, if the watch is broken?
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Hemingway vs. Bradbury

/ Timothy G. Huguenin / 5 Comments

I mentioned in a previous post that I had a goal of finishing both The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway and Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales over the course of the year by reading at least two stories from each per week. So far I’ve read ten from Hemingway and eleven from Bradbury, so I’m ahead of my goal.

I’m not totally inexperienced with either of these writers, though I’ll admit to not having investigated their work as much as I should have. Before this year, I had read Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Old Man and the Sea, a handful of his short stories, and Ernest Hemingway On Writing, a book published posthumously collecting a bunch of quotes about writing he made over the course of his career. For Ray, it was Fahrenheit 451 (an inevitable favorite, as I’m a huge dystopian fan AND a huge book fan, so there you go) and Something Wicked This Way Comes (in which I was a little disappointed, I’m afraid).

The title of this post is “Hemingway vs. Bradbury.” Of course it really isn’t fair to pit the writers against one another, but of course going into a book you can’t help but have certain expectations. And one of those expectations I had was that Hemingway’s stories would be “better” literature than Bradbury’s, while Bradbury’s would be more fun to read. I was wrong (about the first assumption).

Hemingway is a master at inner conflict, human nature (emphasis on the man), and epiphany, of course, but none of his stories have floored me yet like Bradbury’s. “Lafayette, Farewell” and “The Rocket” nearly brought me to tears (okay okay, “The Rocket” really did bring me to tears…). Of course, to be great, a story has to do more than engage your emotions in some way, but it should do at least that, and while Hemingway’s whole shtick is melancholy and beautiful prose, Bradbury’s got ’em both in spades, as well as joy and the fantastical, whimsy and humanity. No disrespect to Papa, either, because he certainly deserves it. But I definitely went into Bradbury with my expectations inappropriately low. He’s amazing.

Whew!

/ Timothy G. Huguenin / 5 Comments

Finally moved! Had a big scare with my computer, looks like there still may be some damage done but so far I haven’t lost any important files.
But still much to do to get settled in, like get internet set up, get vehicles registered, post office box, billing addresses changed…Will be trying to get a new post up and an email newsletter out once we get internet to our house! Until then, it may be hard to reach me. Glad to be back in West Virginia, though!
 

Dark Horizons available now

/ Timothy G. Huguenin / 2 Comments

Now available on Amazon: Dark Horizons: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction edited by Charles P. Zaglanis, published by Elder Signs Press, and featuring short fiction by—guess who—me!—among other very talented writers. And though I haven’t been able to confirm this for myself, as the closest one is over 300 miles from me, Zaglanis announced on his Facebook page a while back that Barnes & Noble has agreed to stock the book in their stores.

I’m proud to have my story “Drifting Into the Black” reprinted in this very nice volume next to other good fiction by various authors, including James Dorr. Everyone, please get a copy for yourself!
 

Halloween bluegrass!

/ Timothy G. Huguenin / 2 Comments

Happy Halloween, folks! Here’s some Halloween bluegrass for ya.
The first one is performed by Blackstone Valley Bluegrass, but the real reason I’m eager to share is because the lyrics are written by my grandfather Marcel “Pepe” Huguenin, also remembered by some in the Connecticut area as “The Bluegrass Coyote“! Lots of great memories with him at bluegrass jams and teaching me how to play bluegrass in his garage. Thanks, Pep! Hope you have a great Halloween!

 
And thanks to Mark Lynn Ferguson from over at The Revivalist for finding this spooky song from one of my all-time favorite bluegrass artists, Del McCoury!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nmu53fAN0DI%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Del McCoury Band and The Fairfield Four deliver a perfect tune to get you and your goblins in the Halloween mood. Recorded for the All Star Bluegrass Celebration II, this one’s become a contemporary classic.

via One Song: It’s Just the Night — The Revivalist
The Revivalist is a stellar website dedicated to Southern Appalachian culture, highly recommended.
Don’t forget, today is the last day of the 99 cent sale of the Kindle version of When the Watcher Shakes. Don’t miss out, get it before it goes back to full price!
Of course I want to show off our jack-o-lantern, so I’ll leave you with some pics of what Emily and I did this year. The all-seeing pumpkin eye will bring about the New Pumpkin Order. The Pumpkinati is amongst us, waiting patiently to strike when the time is ripe.