Universal Monster Legacy... just a click away!

All my Rowdy Friends... at Universal Monster Legacy

As you know, I'm a monster junkie... especially if it involves those of the Universal Studios kind. Therefore, I was howling with delight when I came across the Universal Monster Legacy website that Universal has started in connection with the promotion of The Wolfman movie, due out in theatres on Feburary 12th of 2010.

There's alot for a monster-lover to enjoy on the Legacy site. A timeline covers every classic Universal monster movie made, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Lon Chaney Sr. to the third in the Gillman trilogy, The Creature Walks Among Us. When you click on each movie, it gives you a wealth of information, including a story synopsis, cast members, and rare stills, all accompanied by the soundtrack from the film. It'll make the twelve-year-old in you remember those late night creature features of your youth, when you were first introduced to Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Wolfman.

The Wolfman prowls again... on February 12th!

You can access the site at http://www.thewolfmanmovie.com/legacy . You can also find out more about the remake of the new Wolfman movie, along with a very cool trailer. Check it out!

2009 & 2010: Publications Past and Things to Come

With 2009 coming to an end and 2010 looming near, I thought I'd reflect on my publications during the past twelve months, as well as what I have in store for the coming year.

2009

Feburary brought Cemetery Dance's release of my first short story collection, Midnight Grinding & Other Twilight Terrors; 32 tales of Southern horror between two covers. It garnered great reviews and was even chosen as Kent Allard's Favorite Horror Book of 2009 on his Dead in the South blog. http://deadinthesouth.blogspot.com/

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Around the same time, CD released the fifth addition of Richard Chizmar's Shivers anthology. Among tales by some of the best writers int he horror genre, was my story, "Cumberland Furnace", an old-fashioned ghost story based on a story my grandmother told me when I was a child.

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The Sick Stuff from Thunderstorm Books arrived in April. The second in TSB's Elemental Series, this mini-collection of extreme horror tales that I penned back during those Splatterpunk days of the early nineties, boasted art by Zach McCain and an introduction by James Newman. Among the seven stomach-churning offerings were "Diary", "Housewarming", "Mojo Mama", and a favorite among my circle of friends, "The Abduction".

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Autumn brought Harlan County Horrors, an anthology of rural Kentucky horror tales edited by Mari Adkins and published by Apex Books. This handsome volume contained my story "The Thing at the Side of the Road". It also showcased great tales by Maurice Broaddus, Alethea Kontis, Stephen Shrewsbury, and more.

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Also this fall, Woodland Press released Appalachian Winter Hauntings. This collection of holiday horror tales set in the rustic setting of the Appalachian Mountains and edited by Michael Knost and Mark Justice (Pod of Horror) featured my ghost story, "The Peddler's Journey". The collection also contained stories by Elizabeth Massie, Scott Nicholson, Steve Vernon, and many more. You can read "The Peddler's Journey" for free -- my Christmas gift to you -- at http://www.ronaldkelly.com/sample.html .

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2010

Well, as many of you may have guessed, my first novel in thirteen years, Hell Hollow, was not realeased in November as was anticipated. This was mainly due to Cemetery Dance's sincere push to catch up on their overdue backlog of titles and their new emphasis on bringing us Cemetery Dance Magazine in a more timely manner. So it looks like it will be early to mid 2010 before HH makes its appearance. This 500-page whopper of a book is embellished by a wonderful cover by premier horror artist, Alex McVey. You can preorder your copy from CD at http://www.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/PROD/kelly01 .

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Also at the printer is Issue #63 of Cemetery Dance Magazine; the special Halloween Issue. Of course, Halloween is past, but wouldn't be cool to settle down before a fire on a frigid winter night to a jam-packed issue of cool Halloween tales? This issue contains my story "Pelingrad's Pit" and an interview with me by Joan Turner.

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Currently, I'm signing the signature sheets for CD's Halloween round-robin novella, The Crane House. This collective tale features such great authors as Brian Keene, Kealan Patrick Burke, James A. Moore, James Newman, Norman Prentiss, Brian Freeman, Ray Garton, Al Sarrantonio, Rick Hautala, Bev Vincent, and yours truly.

I'm also hard at work on the "You can be a Star" story promotion that CD has offered to their loyal customers. Using detailed questionaires, I am writing specialized short stories for twelve individuals, using them as the main characters and key points of their day-to-day lives (family, home, work, etc.) I'm also incorporating their worse nightmares and fears, which is making this particular job both challenging and incredibly satisfying as a writer of horror. As well, I'm exploring settings that I'm not normally accustomed to, with several stories set in places like Austrialia, Canada, Germany, and other locations around the globe.

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Also on the horizon is volume #1 of Full Moon Press's Essential Ronald Collection, the hardcover edition of Undertaker's Moon. Yes, I know what you're all thinking. Is this really going to finally happen? Is this book for real or is it some sort of urban legend? Hopefully, after years of delays, UM will see be released sometime in 2010. This book will contain the original novel (formerly released by Zebra Books as Moon of the Werewolf) and include a bonus novella titled "The Spawn of Arget Bethir". It will also boast the infamous "blue werewolf" cover by Alex McVey.

Also in 2010, I will be starting a brand-new novel and working on a Signature Series book for Cemetery Dance, as well as working on more short stories for Cemetery Dance Magazines. So 2010 looks to be even more promising for my fans than 2009 was. Of course, a big thanks to all of you for your interest and support. It's what keeps a writer of horror full of fresh ideas and keeps meat and taters on his supper table. I promise bigger and better things from the Kelly workshop of terrors in the coming year. Hope y'all enjoy it!