Wilum H. Pugmire Has Been Hospitalized !

I don't really know Wilum. I might have met him at a few conventions or not, but I do enjoy watching his YouYube videos. I've always enjoyed his thoughts on the horror world and community, his stories and experiences.

I got an e-mail today by Will Hart with some sad news about Wilum. This is what he had to say:

"The Greatest Living Lovecraftian Author - Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire - Has Been Hospitalized with Heart Disease in Seattle!

I just got word today, that 60-year-old Wilum has been admitted to a Seattle area Hospital due to the worsening condition of his heart disease.

It looks like his heart may be in worse shape than anyone imagined; so there is no way to tell how much time he still has left to share with us.

I spoke with him a few minutes ago by phone, and he said I could reveal that he is in the hospital; but he's not sure when (or if) he's going home from there.

He has no computer access in the hospital, but I hope everyone will keep him in their thoughts, prayers, emails, and blogs; and that we will all be aware of just how special a person he is, and how much he has brought to each of our lives.

Will Hart"

My thoughts and well-wishes are with Wilum and his loved ones. I hope you get better soon, Wilum. In honor of him, I've uploaded a favorite of his YouTube videos of mine below.

Malice by Griffin Hayes

Malice by Griffin Hayes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been on a roll lately with my reading. One great book after another has passed through my hands all year, both independent and professional fields of publishing, too. When I decide to do my top ten reads of the year in month or so, it's going to be one of the most difficult lists I've ever had to make since I started recording these things.


One book that might make that list is Malice by Griffin Hayes. I felt a familiarity with the prose and characters almost right away. It reminded me of late summer nights I used to stay up and read the darkness away when I was a lonely teenager. Back then, I would read books from the likes of Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Stephen King. Malice reminds me of them.


Lysander is the new kid in town. Right away he makes more than a few enemies, but he also makes some friends. Which is a good thing, because he's going to need their help. Something is after Lysander, something that is killing other people in town and making it look like suicide.



I don't want to go into too much more plot for fear of ruining things. But, let's just say that there are a few twists and turns and a lot of action along the way that will keep you guessing.


The two main characters interested me a lot, too. Both Lysander and Samantha were both the reason I was reminded of those other authors. Watching them develop and get out of the perilous dangers hunting them was a lot of fun. As this is a YA novel, I think that Hayes will have similar sixteen year old readers, identifying with always being the odd one, the outcast.







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Halloween 2011

For Halloween this year, Jen and I decided to decorate our dwelling with tombstones and zombies and pumpkins. It's the first time we've done this together; I'm not sure why we never really did so in the past. I think it was partly my fault. When I was a kid, my parents' never decorated for Halloween. So, technically, this was my first time.

Popping my Halloween decorating cherry went very well, too. I was a little nervous about carving the pumpkins. I have memories of trying to do so when I was a kid at school, and the horrifying results. The results of my pumpkin carving present day were pretty horrifying, too, but I'd say they turned out much better than those early, sloppy attempts.

It was fun carving them. Jen and I got ourselves some beer to keep our throats wet, put on some horror movies, and got to the slaughter. Here are some pictures of the end results:

This is my werewolf:

This is Jen's Cthulhu:

I fucked up his teeth, but here's my Jack Skellington face:

And Jen's haunted tree:

And finally, our outdoor display:

Okay, that's it. As you can see, Jen is much more talented at detail than I am. Who knows, maybe I'll choose some more complicated outlines next year. I'm not so sure that that's a good idea, though.

I hope that everyone's Halloween was as fun as mine was.

Coming soon: A review of Malice by Griffin Hayes. Plus some interesting news on my own writing front. I hope you stick around.