The Willows have just accepted my The Space Beneath the Church - a Lovecraftian tale, as the title hopefully suggests, and something of a companion piece to my first Willows appearance, The Gate in the Jungle .
Also, Strive to be Happy is up at Flash Fiction Online. I'm immensely grateful for editor Jake Freivald's faith in this little tale, in the face of some strong negative reactions. A couple of the FFO team really despised the protagonist, and were frustrated by the female character, seeing her as little more than a doormat - certainly a valid reading, though not the one I intended. It was the first time anything I've written provoked fierce dislike*, and in some strange way I enjoyed it as much as, if not more, than the positive reactions I've had. Does this mean I'll be going all out to provoke from now on? Perhaps! Anyway, please leave a comment, whether you love it or despise it I'd like to know.
* With the possible exception of the G.N.O.M.E individual alluded to in July 2007's post. But they were certifiable.
27 June 2008
Following from my last bit of news, another repeat sale: Hub who published New Skin for the Old Ceremony last year, have accepted another science-fiction piece, this one named Exodus. If there's anyone out there who isn't already subscribed to Hub then I'd highly recommend it - it's weekly, it's free, and in only a few months it's become one of the strongest voices in the UK fantasy / sci-fi scene.
While I'm plugging, my review of Gary A Braunbeck's horror novel Coffin County appeared in issue #56, which can be downloaded here.
Also ... I just discovered that The Living Dead is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com, at a bargain price of $10.85!
Finally, I stumbled across a review of the January and March editions of The Willows that contains the following:
"The most enjoyable story I read in the two issues was “The Facts in the Case of Algernon Whisper’s Karma” by David Tallerman. It is a macabre extravaganza about a man who makes a science of reincarnation merely in order to come back as a meerkat. What ensues from Whisper’s miscalculation in this project is a fine joke, gravely told."
Flash Fiction Online, who published my The Desert Cold earlier in the year, have accepted another story. It's one of my rare excursions into non-genre writing, a brief study of the end of a broken relationship and the beginning of healing called "Strive to be Happy." It should be out in the next couple of months.
06 June 2008
A couple of bits of news: firstly, I've sold a poem, titled "Doppelganger", to professional web magazine Chiaroscuro.
Secondly, Eric Reynolds of Hadley Rille Books books recently got in touch to announce that proofs of the Barren Worlds anthology will be going out soon. That means that the collection (which includes my story "Allotment") should be released in the fairly near future.
03 June 2008
Following on from last month's news: Futurequake Press have just accepted my second script, "The Unleashing of the Ineffectual", for their horror imprint Something Wicked. No details regarding publication date or who'll be on art duties yet, but I'll post as soon as I know more.
small press British comic aimed to fill in some of the
gaps left by 2000AD's shift away from using 'futureshock'
style short stories and introducing new talent. It's cheap,
consistently strong, and puts out a kind of stories that
almost no one is doing these days - all good reasons to
have a look.
28 April 2008
Before the month ends, one piece of very exciting news: John Joseph Adams has posted a table of contents for his and Night Shade's forthcoming zombie-themed anthology, now definitely titled The Living Dead. As well as my story "Stockholm Syndrome", it features a few big names, not least of them Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker and George R R Martin! All in all, "Stockholm Syndrome" is set to appear amidst some awe-inspiring company - follow the link above for the full TOC.
15 March 2008
Responses to The Desert Cold are positive so far, and I was pleased to find the following review:
In “The Desert Cold” by David Tallerman, our nameless narrator tells us about the difference between the desert during the day and the desert during the night. Oddly enough, it is not the heat that can kill you, but the cold. Yet so long as one has water and a good guide they can survive the trek, and our talkative chap has both those items. Yet he is still afraid, and the reason why only becomes clear at the last sentence of the story.
There’s some lovely descriptions in the piece, which really help bring out the scenery. Since we can’t get to know our leading man, we must instead know our leading land. They say that Mother Nature is a bitch, and if that is so then the desert is her quietly creepy nephew lying in wait to steal some poor fool’s life. Not surprising, it’s a bleak tale, and does not shy away from the unhappy ending. I’d have liked for more though, and even though the protagonist admits that he is no philosopher it would’ve been nice for a bit more introspection on the why and how of his chilly findings.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Comments on the rest of the issue can be found here.
Also, the final list of contents for the Barren Worlds anthology is up on editor Eric T. Reynold's Live Journal.
If you like it (or if you don't) don't forget to rate it and maybe leave a comment in the forum.
26 February 2008
A few months ago I noticed that someone had been kind enough to recommend my story "Stockholm Syndrome" (as podcast in June last year by Pseudopod) to editor John Joseph Adams, for his announced zombie-themed anthology. I was very pleased, and promptly e-mailed John a copy of it, on the off chance.
A couple of days ago, to my considerable suprise and pleasure, John e-mailed me an acceptance and contract. The anthology is provisionally titled The Living Dead. That's about all I know at time of writing, further details will of course get posted here as I receive them.
31 January 2008
Lots of news for the month, so I thought I'd better get it out while there's still a little January left.
Most exciting from my point of view, I've made my first pro-rate sale, to Flash Fiction Online. Despite being relatively new on the scene they're putting out a superb webzine, and I heartily recommend the January issue, which - since it's flash - takes all of about ten minutes to read! My story, "The Desert Cold", should be appearing in the March issue if all goes well.
Next, and nearly as exciting, I have two more stories out in print this month. Firstly, making it by a nose, the january issue of The Willows featuring my "The Facts in the Case of Algernon Whisper's Karma" came out yesterday; secondly (and perhaps a slight cheat), issue 9 of OG's Speculative Fiction (as already plugged below) is now available in print from Lulu.com.
6th January 2008
I've just had final confirmation that my story "Allotment" will be appearing in the Desolate Places anthology, from Hadley Rille Books.
This is my first anthology, and hopefully, my first story to be available from a multinational bookseller (in this case, Amazon.com).
To the left is the provisional cover art.
19th November 2007
The Willows have accepted another story, this one The Facts in the Case of Algernon Whisper's Karma. Part pastiche of Conan Doyle's Holmes stories, part weird tale, it's one of my stranger efforts and I'm glad it's found a good home.
Also, with another amazingly quick turnaround, OG's Speculative Fiction issue 9 - containing my The Other Ten Thousand - has just come out. Seth's comment, "a dragon makes a terrible mistake," sums it up nicely. Read the issue for free at the above link.
Finally, I got to see Adrian Bamforth's finished art for my Futurequake strip Fleshworld a couple of weeks back, and it's absolutely stunning. I also found out that we're going to be the cover story! Still no release date, but I'm guessing start of next year.
5th October 2007
With undoubtedly the fastest turnaround from acceptance to publication I've ever seen, Life Sentence- a very short, very dark flash piece about the perils of immortality - is now up at Mytholog.
In other news, my issues ofThe Willows(with my The Gate in the Jungle as one of the cover stories) arrived, and I can honestly recommend it to anyone who has a fondness for Lovecraft and wierd tales in general - Ben Thomas has conjured up a lovely period atmosphere, complete with appropriate illustrations, design and even adverts, (some of which, like the Kafka-gram, are very funny, and strangely tempting.)
Finally, I've had a provisional acceptance on another flash story, The Other Ten Thousand, fromOG's Speculative Fiction. Fingers crossed...
26th September 2007
I found the following review of My Friend Fishfinger, which appeared in last month's issue of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. It's not the first I've seen, but it's the first by someone who appears to have actually read the story (and to have got the Lovecraft references):
"Tallerman creates a new take on the Dagon mythos of a family searching for new sacrifices told through the eyes of the victim, a seven year old girl. A flash fiction piece, its strength comes from the underlying darkness and the innocence of the naïve protagonist. Sure we know what’s coming, but that’s half the fun."
Thanks to Mark Smith-Briggs ofHorrorscopefor the kind words - follow the link for the complete article, including some extremely positive comments about issue #30 as a whole.
17th September 2007
The Gate in the Jungle - a homage to the works of Mr Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and to wierd tales in general - appears as one of the cover stories in this month's issue of The Willows magazine.
28th August 2007
Online literary magazine Mytholog have provisionally accepted my story Life Sentence - a flash piece about the trials of being the last two living beings on Earth - for publication in their next issue, due out in Autumn.
24th August 2007
A little late, but Issue 30 of Andromeda Spacways Inflight Magazine is out, and contains my story My Friend Fishfinger, by Daisy, Aged 7. I'll hold off commenting until I've seen a copy, but here's the press release:
The Editor-in-Chief and his trusty sidekick have done it again! Andromeda Spaceways proudly brings you ISSUE 30!
Edited by Robbie Matthews and Stu Barrow, this issue gives you: * Really cool cover art! * Bucketloads of fiction, including work by perennial favourites Dirk Flinthart, Kevin Maclean, Aliette de Bodard and many others! * Poetry! Rayguns! Time Travellers! Recipes! * What more could you want?! (My beloved leader tells me I've now used up my year's supply of exclamation marks. Wait – one more!)
My Friend Fishfinger, by Daisy, Age 7 . . David Tallerman Autumn's Country . . Aliette de Bodard The Fairytale Cookbook . . Amanda Sichter Fendraaken . . Kevin G. Maclean Finding Each Other Again . . Kieran Morgan Hare Redux . . Simon Petrie Thyme Machine . . Darren Goossens Collecting Whispers . . Bren MacDibble Truckers . . Dirk Flinthart
Poetry
The Reluctant Orc-Maid to her Swain . . Marcie Tentchoff
Special Features
State of the Art: Rayguns! . . Dirk Flinthart Devoted Husband, Intrepid Time-Traveller . . Stuart Barrow Seriatem, Seriatum, Omnia Seriatem . . Ian Nichols
24th August 2007
A couple of reviews have come out for New Skin for the Old Ceremony (published in issue #17 ofHub). Firstly, by Yael Artom, fromTangent Online:
"In “New Skin for the Old Ceremony” by David Tallerman, Mark is a sheriff who has just finished his shift. He thought he could have a quiet evening, but the local drunk reports seeing weird lights in the woods. As tired as Mark is, he's a good cop and goes to check, even though he's also a skeptic. And something is in the woods, and it's not human.
“New Skin for the Old Ceremony” takes a mundane situation and makes it increasingly weird with the plot taking an interesting twist in the middle. Tallerman makes the reader examine familiar elements of reality by making them unfamiliar. The effect is powerful: a mixture of eeriness, sarcasm, and anxiety to make you read the last two pages holding your breath."
Secondly, from Shaun Green's review of issues 12 to 18, onhis blog:
"For Hub #17 David Tallerman offers us another story with a title more intriguing than itself. It’s a pleasing enough tale of small-town Americana meets alien visitation, with enough inversions and twists to keep the reader amused. It’s slight, but it never pretends to be more than it is, which is a story that is more about human beings than about aliens. The protagonist’s reactions to his discoveries are quite understandable."
Thanks to both Shaun and Yael for their thoughtful and mostly positive comments. Although I should point out that if, like me, you're not a terribly fast reader, it might not be a good idea to read the last two pages while holding your breath as Yael suggests. It's important to support short fiction - but it's important to breath sensibly too.
My third and last story out this month is New Skin for the Old Ceremony, in issue #17 of weekly online magazine Hub - simply follow the link and go to the downloads section. New Skin came out of wondering about that age-old question: if we're really visited by extra-terrestrials then what the hell do they want? The answer I came up with was, hopefully, a fairly original one and also - to me at least - fairly plausible. But the story is also to some extent a meditation on ideas of justice and retribution, and there's even a sneaky 'green' agenda lurking in the background if you want to look for it.
Mainly though, it's a creepy story about a guy and a possibly-dead alien.
I couldn't think of a good title, so in the end I stole one from Leonard Cohen. In retrospect, 'Old Skin for the New Ceremony' would have made more sense and got around the whole plagiarism thing. Ah well, you live and learn.
Finally, if you haven't subscribed to Hub then I can heartily recommend it, since it's free and (all bias aside) they publish some pretty decent stories.
14th July 2007
Another new story up, this one being King Gob's Warcry at From the Asylum. It's a very short piece, that came out of noticing a strange and deeply sinister garden ornament at a friend's house. Strangely, this story provoked the most vociferous reply from an editor I've ever had - how dare I suggest, they asked, that gnomes were anything other that sweet and friendly creatures? Didn't I know that their name is an acronym for Guarding Nobly Over Mother Earth? There are some strange people out there.
2nd July 2007
My story Stockholm Syndrome, a gruesome tale of one man coming to terms with his son's death in a town overrun by the living dead, is now up at Pseudopod. I couldn't be more pleased with the job they've done, Cheyenne Wright's reading unnerved the hell out of me and I wrote it. Thankfully, others seem to be enjoying it as well - the comments so far have been very positive, and at time of writing it's been downloaded 7669 times!
be appearing in the March issue if all goes well.
The Willows have accepted another story, this one The Facts in the Case of Algernon Whisper's Karma. 
