the league of reluctant adults

So, as usual, I've been watching way too many horror movies in the lead-up to Halloween. And because I tend to over-think these things, I've started composing lists of things I need to watch for just in case I'm destined for some sort of SyFy Channel Halloween death match. And because you're my blog peeps, and I love you, and I want you to survive if such a situation comes up, I thought I'd share them with you. Five signs you are about to be bitch-slapped by the zombie apocalypse. 1) You have drunkenly stumbled into a mausoleum, hunting cabin, abandoned hospital/mental ward, derelict amusement park or closed shopping mall to do something juvenile and asinine. 2) You recently achieved a life milestone- marriage, a promotion, pregnancy, or retiring. In zombie movies, God will only let you be happy for so long. 3) You fiddle with chemicals and/or bio-hazardous materials you neither appreciate nor understand. 4) You are feisty and/or plucky. Zombies are drawn to ...

No plans on Halloween? I'll be hosting a video chat at VYou, from 9-10 p.m. (CST) Monday, Oct. 31. Stop by, leave a question, you'll get an immediate video response! My profile is linked here .

I've been a busy little bee spooking it up for the haunted holiday season, and here are all the details that will bring you almost 2 hours of awesome story goodness! (USA, NY, NY) - Speculative fiction author Anton Strout announce s a very special haunted episode of The Once & Future Podcast- a new weekly book-centric podcast focused on all things fantasy and science fiction. Episode 7, posting on Monday, October 24 th , promises hours of dark and creepy tales of the season, including many of them read by the authors themselves. “I love the Fall,” says Strout, host and curator of content for the show. “I always have. The change of seasons where everything is slowly dying, a chill filling the air, and all the horrors that are associated with one of my favorite holidays, Halloween. To help celebrate, I’ve invited some of my most ghoulish and delightful author friends to join in this danse macabre and regale us with stories inspired by their darker nature. Being t...

((Cross-posted at On Literary Intent )) Anyone who has more than a passing acquaintance with me knows my one great phobia: zombies. Can’t explain why, but they freak me out like nothing else in this entire world. Yes, I know they’re fictional. No, it doesn’t help. And for some reason, even knowing that they scare the bejeezus outta me, I still feel the need to poke at that open wound. Hence, watching the AMC series, The Walking Dead. (It should be noted that I watch a lot of it with my eyes closed) In discussing this show with others, it has been brought up that they never use the word “zombie”. (they call them “walkers”) And of course, in my mind, this is because a “zombie” was never part of this world’s mythology, and therefore they don’t HAVE that word. I find this simple concept interesting, however, because it tends to illustrate one of my key theories* about the concept of a zombie apocalypse. (*key theory also translates to “things I will rant about for hours if you do...

First, thanks to all of you for your support of our "boycott me!" post. The attempts of a few bullies to undermine some of the best information sites out there truly is scary, but you guys aren't afraid and that gives us a warm, goopy feeling... but more like chocolate lava cake than whatever Mark and Mario where thinking. And thanks to you guys, we're going to be sending money off to support Absolute Write's and Writer Beware's continuing efforts to keep writers safe from scammers and lying cockwaffles. Meanwhile, since it's October, I've been thinking about Hallowe'en. When I was a kid, this was always my favorite holiday. You got to go out after dark (yay!), get candy (more yay!), and dress up as someone or something you weren't (Excellent!) Maybe my parents should have realized right then that I was destined to be a writer because I always wanted to dress up and be someone else and tell lies. Because writers are usually insecure loonies wit...

Well, the cover hasn't been "officially" released yet, but I've been given the go ahead to give away cover flats, so here's a quick shot of the new A Sliver of Shadow cover! New model, new artist...and yes, a shot of Phin on the back there.  Though for some reason I couldn't convince the art department to put him in a wombat brothel. Alas. (There's actually a bit of a gork-up on the image on the spine, but that will be fixed with the book release, so chalk these up babies up to potential collector's items. You know, some day when I've got that massive movie deal.)

(Cross-posted from my blog ) Last October I was lucky enough to enjoy an extended weekend frolicking around New York City with a good friend. We went to see the fabulous show "Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson," eat good food, walk a bazillion miles, and even throw in a little book research. You see, the opening chapter of TRANCE takes place in Central Park. In it, sixteen teen and tweens training to be superheroes are running from a group of bad guys. It's the final battle after years of fighting between the adults, and everything has come to a head in Manhattan. The problem was, I had never been to Central Park, and while I'd found lots of nice photos online, it's an entirely different experience to walk the Park itself. For one thing, it's huge! And you can't really get a sense of scale without being there. So we went, and we walked, and I took lots and lots of pictures. You can read Chapter One of TRANCE here, or you can hang around and read here, as well...

As a fan of low cut shirts, I usually don't have a problem with sexy anything. Each Halloween, however, I'm forced to re-evaluate this position as costume manufacturers continue to inundate me with new and increasingly outlandish "sexy" ideas for women to strut their stuff in. While these aren't the skankiest outfits out there, these are the top three that have caught my attention this year: 1. Risky Raccoon This is part of an animal set, which also includes sexy fox and skunk costumes. Now, one might argue that the skunk is the more appalling sexy choice. And that would be a fair argument. Yet, this is the one I'm continually fascinated by. I don't know why, nor can I figure out who would be on board with this. Mostly I think it has to be someone like me who keeps scratching their head over it and finally just gives in. I suppose the mask and tail have sex appeal, but I'm not going to lie. Every time I look at this, I just think this girl is saying: ...

Sometimes, I write a scene that I love, but then can't fit it in the novel. Maybe it doesn't fit with the flow, or maybe I wrote it as backstory, just so that I would know exactly what happened. This vignette is one of those times where I wrote a piece knowing it wouldn't fit. To reader of the Void City books, it will fill in a little background, but o those who haven't, hopefully it will provide a tantalizing glimpse (I've always wanted to type that phrase) on the father/daughter relationship that is at the core of the series... A Void City Beach Outing by J. F. Lewis © 2011 As my tent disintegrated in a lurid flash of heat and flames, so did I. Well, okay, I didn't quite go fwoosh, but there were definite flames involved. Vampires and the sun don't play well together. Then again, the people with whom I play well can be counted on one hand. The people I love? Well, for that you only need two fingers. The bright sandy beaches of Gulf Shores sparkled ...

Holy shit, people and others! Holy shit! MORE THAN 100 AUTHORS INSIST ON GETTING BOYCOTTED ALONG WITH THE LEAGUE!!! Maybe you're doing it because you believe that Absolute Write and Writer Beware are among the greatest resources available for writers, and you're showing solidarity. Maybe you're doing it because all the cool authors are getting banned. Or maybe you're doing it because you thought it would enter you into a contest with a chance to win free shit (you were totally wrong, but whatever, not our problem). Maybe something else entirely! Who cares why you did it -- you insisted on getting banned! Rock on, you nasty, bad-ass, awesome authors! Hats off to the amazing Ann Crispin, John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, and Rachel Caine, among others, who tweeted the shit out of the League's call to arms!!! Speaking of Rachel, she pointed out that the cockwaffles at TWA were looking to host its "first annual book burning." (I'd link to the TWA website that ...

WE at the League of Reluctant Adults are pissed. Miffed. Put out. Thoroughly riled. We don't often get political, nor do we often get angry. But an angry Leaguer is an UGLY thing. Just look at Mark over there, all snarly with rage. Why are we angry, you ask? BECAUSE WE DIDN'T GET BOYCOTTED. There's this group calling itself "The Write Agenda," who claims to be a bunch of authors looking out for other authors. In reality, we're pretty sure they're a bunch of con artists who got mad at people calling them con artists. Why? Because they attack two of the best friends an author or an aspiring author can ever have: Writer Beware and Absolute Write Water Cooler . Here's John Scalzi's breakdown of what this Write Agenda is, and why they're doing what they're doing. For those not in the know, Writer Beware and Absolute Write Water Cooler are free services that collect information on agents, editors, and publishers. They report on thin...