Michael Barsa's Blog

The inaugural issue of Underland Arcana was published today, including my short story "The Gardener." This might be my last foray into the world of "The Garden of Blue Roses," but I don't know. You can read all the stories for free using the link below. The entire volume is also available in ebook and print format, with links also pasted below. Enjoy!

https://www.underlandarcana.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SV27B14/...

Like most of us, I can't say I'm sad to see 2020 in the rear view mirror, and here's hoping for a better 2021!

In publication news, my short story "The Gardener" will appear on January 13 in the inaugural volume of Underland Arcana. I don't know if this will be my last foray into the world of "The Garden of Blue Roses," but the story is almost a prequel to that book, told from a very strange perspective. I'll leave it at that for now.

It should be available both online and in print, and I'll supply links when I have them.

Until then, stay safe and be well.

Michael

Hi Folks,

Looks like there's a new Giveaway for The Garden of Blue Roses--just in time for the Halloween season. It's the biggest Giveaway for the book yet! Details below.

Keep reading!

Michael

Just returned from two weeks in Europe, facing jet lag and language lag, as I'd already begun, in my mind, to switch over to speaking and thinking exclusively in German, and now I'm stuck in this limbo where I'm half here and half there, both in imagination and in how I verbalize that imagination. It's like having just arrived at a party and it's already time to go. You keep thinking about what you're leaving behind.

Friends--Underland Press has just released a new edition of The Garden of Blue Roses! Last chance to pick up a first edition on Amazon, where it's still discounted!

I'm deep in the throes of writing a new novel. I can't say anything about it right now. But as a result I find it incredibly difficult to read very much. A few pages a day at most. Mostly I stare at cereal boxes.

Dear Fellow Writers,

Just wanted to spread the word that Underland Press is open again for submissions for novels! Also for stories for an upcoming anthology.

The Press publishes science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy, "noir mystery with a tinge of otherworldliness," and literary horror, and has published early work by authors such as Jeff Vandermeer and Brian Evenson.

For further details about what the Press is looking for, check out the following link:

http://firebirdcreative.net/underland/

Good luck, and keep writing!

Michael

I'm thrilled to announce that The Garden of Blue Roses has made the Preliminary Ballot for the Bram Stoker Award for First Novel! I had to look at the email twice before I believed it, but it's true!

I'm pretty new to this whole "wiki" thing, but I was just notified that THE GARDEN OF BLUE ROSES was featured in "9 Terrifying Horror Books That Will Quicken Your Pulse" on the Ezvid Wiki, "the world's first video wiki"!

You can check out the feature here: https://wiki.ezvid.com/m/9-terrifying...

The Garden of Blue Roses

Sometimes words really aren't adequate, but they're all we've got. So here goes: thank you, my dear GR friends, for sharing your illuminating journeys through great books with me and others, and for the most enlightening and smile-inducing literary discussions I've had since I was a wide-eyed student. I hope you all have a lovely holiday season, with lots of time for reading. And, of course, I look forward to many more of your reviews!