Upton Sinclair died on 25 November 1968.

A Young Upton Sinclair. Bain Collection. Library of Congress.
Upton Sinclair died on 25 November 1968.

A Young Upton Sinclair. Bain Collection. Library of Congress.
My short horror story Beyond the Boneyard Gate, which initially came to life a year ago in a lovely on-line magazine called The Paperbook Collective, is being published in an anthology due out in February.
I am happy and honored to be part of Fossil Lake II: The Refossiling.

Partial Table of Contents for Fossil Lake II: The Refossiling.
The book is full of stories from wonderful writers.
Brian Keene is penning the foreword.
The cover art will be spectacular.
Big thanks to Christine Morgan, the editor/publisher/ringleader.
I’ll keep you updated. In the meantime, feel free to head over to Fossil Lake to view the full Table of Contents or just poke around.
Today’s Daily Prompt-Good Tidings:
Present-day you meets 10-years-ago you for coffee. Share with your younger self the most challenging thing, the most rewarding thing, and the most fun thing they have to look forward to.
This is my contribution!
Positively Dickensian
Two women sit across from each other at a table in a coffee shop. They take their tea the same way: Earl Grey, strong, two sugars. Turbinado, please, stirred clock-wise.
Their conversation goes like this:
2004 Mae: Hey, why are we blonde? We haven’t been blonde since we were seven, and we both know that was way more than ten years ago–yours or mine.
2014 Mae: We’ve met before, right? We’ve been radically altering our hair every few months since we were twelve. Some things don’t change. Wait until you get to 2012. That was a great hair year for us, even if we got sick of the Miley comparisons.
2004: Who is Miley?
2014: Never mind. We’ll know soon enough, and we’ll wish we didn’t.
2004: Oh, okay. Anyhoo, this is kind of weird. Why are we here, again? Do you have big news for me? Because I’m not sure that I want to know. Even if it doesn’t suck.
2014: Good, because I didn’t plan on giving you specifics, anyway.
2004: Well, what if I changed my mind? What if I want to know now?
2014: Too fucking bad. It doesn’t work that way.
2004: Did you bend time and space just to have tea with me? Honestly, that is kind of creepy. Is this some next-level Miss Havisham shit? Future me is so bereft that she finds a way to come back to a point when life was better? Oh, my god. Do I really turn into Miss Havisham? Seriously, is my future that pitiful?
2014: I’m not wearing a tattered wedding dress, am I? So, no. I forgot how kooky we can be.
2004: Wait. Wait! Do I-do we-become…normal? I’d rather be Miss Havisham.
2014: Haha, no! We’re amusing, too!
2004: Hey, don’t take credit for that line! I said it, so I am the amusing one. Continue reading

Don Quixote in the Library by Adolf Schrödter, 1834
Carmilla is a vampire tale. It was initially serialized in a magazine in the early 1870s.
The full text is available for free.

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Illustration by David Henry Friston, 1872.
An illustration of Liza Kalitina, a character from Home of the Gentry:

Home of the Gentry: Liza Kalitina. The illustration is from circa 1880.
This gallery contains 11 photos.
[R]evolving Incarnations: A Questionnaire for Passionate Readers is back!
If you’re new(er) to A Small Press Life, here’s what you need to know:
[R]evolving Incarnations is an interview series done in classic Q&A format. Each entry features one intrepid writer/blogger/artist/creative mastermind as they take on the same 40 reading-themed questions and scenarios. It’s a fun, non-traditional take on the bookish survey format.
We are looking for new participants! If this sounds interesting, please leave a comment!
Here are past entries:
Be sure to check back on Friday, 5th September for the next installment.
I ran across this on Not a Punk Rocker. I enjoyed reading her answers, so I thought I would participate, too. It’s not as if I am working against a deadline today. Nope, I am not shirking my professional duties to write this post. Okay, so maybe I am taking a slight break. Yes, that is it. A break.
If you’re a long-time reader of A Small Press Life (and if you are, thank you!), you’ve probably wondered what happened to our own reader questionnaire series, [R]evolving Incarnations. Never fear. It returns this Friday.
Until then, there’s this.
Oh, and I’ve decided to do it backwards. Z to A, which is how my books are organized.
ZZZ-SNATCHER BOOK (LAST BOOK THAT KEPT YOU UP WAY LATE): I am a late-night reader, so this is a pretty normal occurrence. It helps that I work from home and set my own weird hours.
YOUR LATEST BOOK PURCHASE: You can read about my most-recent book shopping extravaganza here. I don’t think I’ve bought any since then, but I cannot be totally sure. Yes, I have a problem. Oops, okay. I was wrong. I purchased a book whilst on vacation, as well as this one in early August:

The Winning of Barbara Worth by Harold Bell Wright
I totally have a problem! Continue reading
The cover of Cabbages & Kings by O. Henry, 1904:

Cover of Cabbages & Kings by O. Henry, 1904