Så er det på tide, der kommer et blogindlæg på dansk. Og hvad er mere passende end denne lille teaser?;-) Jeg vil da ikke lade jer gå ind i weekenden uden… Så jeg kan afsløre, at der senere denne januar måned udkommer det længe ventede 3. bind i hplmythos.dk serien, Grufulde mørke. Ret cool cover, ikke? Det er den fantastisk talentfulde Tom Kristensen, der står for illustrationen — og jeg kan glæde jer med, at han har illustreret hver novelle med en afsindig (!) flot tegning. Eller rettere: Med en afsindig flot radering, for, ja, der er skam tale om ægte raderinger; flotte, flotte kunstværker i sig selv.

Her er listen over forfattere og deres historier:

Trods stilhed de sidste måneder på forlagsfronten, er der nu kommet gang i hjulene igen. Og de er godt smurt i blod;-)

Dystre Danmark 2 er endelig udkommet (d. 20. december 2011) og det er en skøn vifte af mørke fortællinger, der afsøger krogene i horror-genren – og til tider også bryder grænserne for, hvad der er horror og hvad der ikke er. For også i det mere “almindelige” kan man finde rædslerne.

Det er i skrivende stund nytårsaftensdag, så jeg har ikke den store mulighed for at skrive en masse pt. I skal dog ikke snydes for bagsiden-teksten til denne dystre udgivelse:

HVAD LURER UNDER OVERFLADEN?

Udkantsdanmark. Provinsen. Storbyen. Overalt i Danmark lurer mørket under den pæne overflade. Det satte liv. Familielivets idyl gemmer på dystre hemmeligheder: I hjemmets trygge favn, en tur i cirkus eller et brændende ønske om at få barn.

Mordgåder. Ensomhed. Sex. Eksistenser i tilværelsens skygge. Vi kender det alle. Man skal bare se efter – lige under overfladen …

Dystre Danmark 2 er en samling spændende, foruroligende noveller skrevet af danske forfattere. Alle med en mørk historie fra hverdagens skygger.

Bidrag af flg. forfattere:

• A. Silvestri: “Jacobs stige”
• Lars Ahn Pedersen: “Blomstervanding”
• Sandra Schwartz: “Jægeren”
• Patrick Leis: “Babyalarm”
• Jonas Wilmann: “Sammenhold”
• Freddy E. Silva: “Stumt vanvid”
• Nikolaj Johansen: “Strålende lys, udstrakt verden”
• Morten Carlsen: “Røg”
• Jeppe Bisbjerg: “Ild under byen”
• Thomas Daugaard: “Ønskebarnet”
• Søren Kayser: “Stemmen”
• Thomas Bøttern: “En morders drøm”
• Bjarke Schjødt Larsen: “Portræt af dukke og dreng”
• Henrik Sandbeck Harksen: “Tusind generationer før min fødsel”

I ønskes alle et herligt og godt nytår 2011/12!

Well, well, well. In spite of the delays and interruptions of the most annoying kind publications from H. Harksen Productions have now resumed again.

Yes, that’s right, Ran Cartwright’s Darktowne has now entered the world, eager to wreck havoc and, well, simply misbehave in the most hellish way imaginable. (The odd white lines on top and bottom of this picture are not present in the final product, don’t you worry.)

As you know, it is now New Year’s Eve, and therefore I don’t have much time right now to tell you much more. But I can tell you that January 2012 will see the spawning of more than one horror book.

In a minute I will write a similar post promoting the latest Danish publication, Dystre Danmark 2, but I will leave you with the blurb to Darktowne:

Welcome to Hell on Earth.

It all began on a hot August afternoon in Mill Creek Park. That’s when the mad slime from the sky infected its first victim. Jamie George was the first – but he wasn’t the last. Oh no. Soon nightmares are taking over the city. The streets are burning and cries of horror cut through the night. Unspeakable creatures of the shadows prey on all who happen to cross their path. The dead are walking, ready to feast on the living. And behind it all something even more monstrous is lurking.

Blood whores. Demons. Ghosts. Vampires. Witches. Zombies. Mutants. The mad. They are all here for the party. Do the few citizens who still resist the tide of horrors stand a chance? Welcome to Hell on Earth – welcome to Darktowne.

What better way to end the year 2011?;-)

I apologize, but don’t worry. They will be published. Just not this month.

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Let me for a moment write about something else than my small press, H. Harksen Productions, and the various projects on their way… Yes, Ran Cartwright’s Darktowne is a little delayed but now that I have received a new file to use for the cover, from the amazing artist, Allen Koszowski, it’s well on its way again (with a little luck we’ll see publication by the end of this week), and “real life work” has taken a little too much of my time to just forge ahead with other projects in between then and now. But that’s not what I want to talk about in this post.

My own horror short story “Just An Accountant” has been accepted for publication! Yes — by another publisher, not by me;-) My first sale. I am ecstatic! A huge thanks to The Lovecraft eZine. So my tale about an accountant and his first experiences with the more, hm, occult aspects of the world is finally about to be released to the world. H. P. Lovecraft meets Philip K. Dick… With a pinch of inspiration from a Norwegian Phone Book! (More about that later.)

Many probably think of me as a publisher and not as a writer in his own right. And, well, there’s some truth to it. After all, I have published way, way more as a publisher (publishing other people’s stories, that is, not my own) than I have as a writer, even counting the few stories included in anthologies from H. Harksen Productions. So I am, in reality, more of a horror & weird tales publisher than I am a horror & weird tales writer… But that’s not necessarily the proper balance, if it was all up to me and my artistic ego. If I could have it 100% my way I’d probably be a publisher about 30-40% of the time — a publisher of other people’s work, mind you — and spending the rest of the time writing my own dark tales. Hopefully resulting in publications here, there and everywhere.

Don’t get me wrong — I love being a publisher of weird tales. And I have made not only contact with talented people but friends because of that, from all around the world, something that’s worth more than I can ever say. I do not regret anything.

But I also have a more… What shall I say… free, creative spirit? One that isn’t allowed to surface as much as it should. Because of my other duties, be that as publisher, father, husband and a human being working for other people in the so-called “real life” order of things. This inner part of me needs release now and then, needs to write, to write stories, to write dark stores.

Seeing one of my attempts to write finally succeeding, receiving an e-mail telling me this submission has been accepted for publication — from someone else, from someone I have high respect for and hold in high esteem, is so nurturing to that creative spirit, you have no idea. Unless you’re such a spirit yourself, of course. Then you know very well what I am talking about.

It’s not that I write because I want to be famous as a writer (man, is this the wrong genre!) or that I write to please other people. In no way is that the case. But I have a craving — more often than I let on — to write… Because I just have to. It’s essential to being me. It’s lifeblood. I can’t really say it any other way. And I really should be better to listening to that part of me, give it more space and time (yes, by all means think along Einsteinian lines here, if you want to;-)). And while I don’t write stories when I finally sit down and write (and complete) them to satisfy other people it sure does help to know that there are other people who appreciate the story one has written word by word, sentence by sentence, on the wings of imagination’s inspiration.

I’d almost given up hope that would ever happen.

I am highly appreciative for the support I’ve received from various (trustworthy) friends, who game me critical feedback. Even the fabulous person, Mythos & weird tales writer (& Mr. YouTube Extraordinare! Mr. Willum Pugmire gave me positive, yet critical feedback to “Just An Accountant” a few years ago. Yet, as nothing really happened every time I sent in a submission… the belief diminished. Almost disappeared. I knew of course that one must expect a huge amount of rejection notes.

But still. Every time — for so long?

And the few times I was told the story was in the “maybe” pile — the publisher in question went broke, out of business and whatnot??? Argh!!!!

But no more! Now I’ve received that first, believed-to-be-ever-elusive acceptance. And what a great feeling!

I could rant on, but I better stop for now. Just wanted to share this, and write a little about it. Maybe my next post will be about the vast difference of being on the receiving end of submissions (publisher) and on the sending end (writer). Two different worlds, I tell you. And maybe a little reflection about that strange thing called “inspiration” too.

Again: Thanks The Lovecraft eZine! This sure made my day! Hell — the rest of the year!

Now… Back to writing (and editing publications as well;-))

P. S. The illustration to this blog shows a few pages from my “Commonplace Book”, with my very first and very (very) rough draft to “Just An Accountant.” To avoid spoilers I have blurred the overall timeline-idea;-)

Så er det officielt: Dansk Horror Selskab er født. Muhahahaha… Ahem… Nå ja, lidt miljøskadet er man vel altid:-P

Dagen i dag byder altså på hele to store begivenheder i Danmark: Et regeringsskift og oprettelsen af Dansk Horror Selskab.

Et af formålene med selskabet er at skabe fokus på, at horror-genren sandelig også er for voksne. Og at der netop i disse år sker en masse på dette felt. Der vil årligt blive uddelt en pris for “Årets bedste danske horrorudgivelse.” I juryen sidder  Jette Holst, Janus Andersen, Jakob Stegelmann, Rikke Schubart og Lars Bukdahl.

Formanden for selskabet, Steen Langstrup, siger det så fint på sin blog. For at undgå unødig gentagelse vil jeg vil derfor nøjes med at henvise til hans blog og opfordre enhver til lige at klikke her og læse, hvad han har at sige om denne store begivenhed.

Her lige et foto taget i smukke Hald, fra den stiftende generalforsamling i sensommeren:

Fra stiftelsen af Dansk Horror Selskab på Hald Hovedgård, fra venstre: Patrick Leis, Nikolaj Højberg, Christian Reslow, Helle Tietgen Tofft, Henrik Sandbeck Harksen, Jacob Hedegaard Pedersen, Jonas Wilmann, Steen Langstrup og Michael Kamp.

Jeg får desværre nok ikke selv mulighed for at komme til arrangementet (suuuuuuk), men jeg vil da lige dele med alle interesserede:

CPH PIX, Husets Biograf og Lund Fantastic Film Festival afholder i denne weekend SON OF FRANKENSTEIN FILM FESTIVAL, med mange interessante genre-film. Der er endda særligt spændende på plakaten for Lovecraft-fans: Søndag, d. 2. oktober er der Danmarkspremiere på den tyske filmatisering af H.P. Lovecrafts “The Color out of Space” — en meget rost fortolkning, som går under titlen “Die Farbe” (passende, må man sige:-))

Den vises kl. 19.00. Hele programmet samt andet info kan i øvrigt ses her: http://www.cphpix.dk/p/art.lasso?n=47&news_id=480

Her er lige den fede trailer:

Things are going well with the preparation for Ran Cartwright’s Darktowne. The proofreading is now done, and soon the typing is also done. As you’ve already seen the cover is also more or less finished. The keyword here is “more or less”…

Not only will I make a few, minor changes to the cover, I have also requested from the artist Allen Koszowski a file in higher resolution. You see, I am not sure it will work flawlessly with the file I have on hand now. He has kindly replied that he will send me one — but he cannot do so before the coming weekend.

That’s very understandable, of course, but it also means that the book will be a little delayed. So expect publication early October instead of late September. After that I will begin work on Hex Code and Others by John Mayer (hardcover) and Two Against Darkness by Ron Shiflet and Glynn Barrass (paperback).

It’s getting close. For now — prepare for the mayhem… of Darktowne.

Here’s an updated Table of Contents:

CONTENTS:

• “Dancer of the Dying” by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
• “The Neighbors Upstairs” by John Goodrich
• “Carcosapunk” by Glynn Owen Barrass
• “Architect Eyes” by Thomas Strømsholt
• “Slou” by Robert Tangiers
• “Ozeelah’s Lake” by Morten Carlsen
• “The Statement of Frank Elwood” by Pete Rawlik
• “In the Shadow of Bh’Yhlun” by Ian Davey
• “The Screamer” by Ted E. Grau
• “Night Life” by Henrik Sandbeck Harksen
• “the guilt of each … at the end…” by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.

Believe me, it’s worth the wait!

Much has happened over the Summer and into September… It’s a good thing not all of it has been bad;-)

One of the very good things is that 2012 seems to be fully booked already. That’s a new one for me — but a wonderful situation, of course, already knowing what books to publish over the next year and a half.

Here’s a list:

ENGLISH PUBLICATIONS 2012:

• Henrik Sandbeck Harksen (ed.): Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities, hplmythos.com Vol. 2 (paperback, fiction). January 2012.
• Franklyn Searight: The Eltdown Shards (paperback, fiction). Collecting for the first time ever all Cthulhu Mythos “Eltdown Shards” tales in one volume. Incl. letter excerpts from Richard F. Searights to his correspondent H. P. Lovecraft, and tales by the Searights, William Lumley and H. P. Lovecraft. Quite a collection for the collector. Franklyn Searight has published stories for years, incl. Lair of the Dreamer (Hippocampus Press, 2006). The volume titel may change. Spring/Summer 2012.
• Henrik Sandbeck Harksen (ed.): Whisperers in Darkness (paperback, fiction). Anthology of tales inspired by H. P. Lovecraft’s “The Whisperer in Darkness”. I will open for submissions later in 2011. Summer/Fall 2012.

DANISH PUBLICATIONS 2012:

• Henrik Sandbeck Harksen: Pix (paperback, fiction). Anthology of all-new stories by established and new-coming horror writers in Denmark, featuring modern takes on gothic horror and the weird. Title subject to change. Publication Summer 2012.
• Mads Højmark Jensen: Ondskaben fra Alhambra (novella/novel). Publication date second half of 2012.

There’s also a couple of “maybes” but I won’t say more about those ’till everything’s been settled. Either way, this doesn’t look bad, now does it?:-)

Last, but certainly not least, we’re still working on that new website for H. Harksen Productions. This will hopefully see fruition already this year, 2011, but it is taking longer than anticipated. Until then hplmythos.dk and hplmythos.com are still the sites to use;-)