H.P. Lovecraft and Me

Yeah, I know. H.P. Lovecraft’s star is in decline these days, what with his racism and all. Ironically, Edgar Allen Poe was a racist AND a pedophile, but he still seems to be okay.  Everyone and everything we love turns out to be horrible.

Go figure.

There’s room, I think, for a fairly nuanced discussion of both Lovecraft’s racism and the racism of his era. I’ll write about that one of these days.

Like it or not, Lovecraft was an incredibly influential writer. Just out there, his weird scary stories had generations of shy young nerds stumbling around mumbling about tentacles and yog sothoth and whatnot.

I was one of those. I’ve actually written a couple of major Lovecraft stories: Dawn of Cthulhu, and Life, Love and the Necronomicon. Major in that they’re long, and I think, unique. Not that they’re famous or anything. But they’re good stories, so check them out. This blog is about trying to sell you on my work after all.

For me, the Lovecraft story was ‘The Colour Out of Space,’ a story which if you are concerned, has no racist aspects whatsoever as far as I can tell, and can be happily read by the most woke among us.

First I read it.

And then I lived it.

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Shut Up! That’s why!

So what am I working on right now?

Well, I could be working on Lexx Unauthorized, Volume II, revising and preparing it for upload. That’s written, I just need to fine tune it. I’ll get that done soon, though.

I could be working on a short story collection called Dark Places Have No Doors , the stories are written, it’s just a matter of commissioning a cover, and getting it edited and uploaded. I’ll get that done soon, though.

I could even be working on The New Doctor, or the Greatest Unauthorized Doctor Stories, Axis of Andes, some additional material for The Luck that Lorina wants, yet another collection of horror stories, a couple of collections of humorous fantasy and sci fi,  Princess of Asylum, A Change of Life, etcetera, all knocking around my hard drive, waiting to be unleashed on an unsuspecting world.  All of which I’ll get around to, sooner or later.

But what I’m working on right now?

A novel about a 1967 giant movie monster from Korea called Yongary?

Why?  Shut up! That’s why!

Is that a good answer?

Probably not.

But bear with me, maybe I’ll have a better one.

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D.G. Valdron Books Carousel

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World Fantasy Convention

Attending the World Fantasy Convention in Los Angeles at the end of October. Just a regular attendee, but I’m looking forward to it.

Who Con

I’m preparing for Who-Con in San Diego! Yay! The San Diego Doctor Who Convention ‘Whodunnit’ is one of California’s leading fan based, non-commercial science fiction conventions, noted for its quality of programming. It runs from October. 4 through 6, 2019. I’m attending as a guest, in person, for the first time, and featured on several panels including Doctor Who on Stage, the History of the Female Doctors, Fan films and many more. I’m enthusiastic and excited.

The Luck progress

The Luck – revisions have been sent to my Editor at Five Rivers. I’m happy with that one so far.

Bear Cavalry

A True (Not) History of the Icelandic Bears – the cover has been commissioned, and I’m looking at roughs. This is a funky weird story, not necessarily for everyone. It’s a short novel, but written as a documentary movie, and it combines history, science, biology, war, politics, the influences of pop culture, and humour, and draws on so much esoteric knowledge in such peculiar ways, I feel like my entire life has lead up to this.

LEXX II

Lexx Volume Two, To the Ends of the Universe – cover is done, editing the manuscript, and it should go up online any day now.

Interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH D.G. VALDRON

Lorina Stephens sat down virtually with D.G. Valdron recently to discuss his forthcoming novel, The Mermaid’s Tale. We think you’ll find the discussion as fascinating as the novel, set to release August 1, 2016.

Q: Tell me about the inspiration for The Mermaid’s Tale. What was it that informed this complex and brutal story?

DGV: It started a throwaway bit of writing—the first scene at the Mermaid’s dock, where the Arukh, fearsome, scarred, battered, terrifying but secretly afraid goes to see the Mermaids, beautiful, innocent, fearless and a little dumb. It was played for comedy. It was a bit of fun, creatures of light and darkness, and carefully subverting expectations, all the way up to a punchline. Four or five pages, an interesting character, an interesting situation, not even a full short story. Just a throwaway bit.

It sat for a few years. Then it turned into this thing, all of a sudden. Like a seed that had been sitting in a corner, minding its own business and suddenly decided to grow into a tree.

Q: You chose to have your protagonist a female. Was that a conscious decision? And why, when the world of SF&F, even horror, is so dominated by male figures?

DGV: Very much so. Part of it was subversion. Monsters and protagonists are stereotypically male. I wanted to undermine that. When I was doing the original piece on the Mermaid’s dock, I portrayed the Mermaids (Mermen?) as sexually…if not aggressive, then enthusiastic and casual. It just seemed to work better to make the Arukh female, and emotionally closed.

Honestly, the thing is, it shouldn’t matter. If something is trying to kill you, you’re not really interested in checking between its legs—that’s not going to make a difference to whether you live or die in the next five minutes. If something is trying to save you, gender isn’t an issue in whether you accept that help or not—or it shouldn’t be.

So if doesn’t matter, it can go either way. What’s important about our Arukh is her willingness to kill, and her inclination to talk instead.

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