WELCOME TO BRADBURYLAND!

My collection of essays on the life, legacy, and work of Ray Bradbury will be published in 2027. This book goes deep into subjects I may have just touched upon in my previous Bradbury works. Bradburyland: Essays on the Life, Legacy, and Writings of Ray Bradbury features 18 essays, some of which have been in published in The Paris Review, The LA Review of Books, LitHub, and elsewhere. There are also several all-new essays. This will likely be my last Bradbury-related book as I am hard at work on a biography of a new subject that I can’t yet divulge. What I can say is that this bio is a complete dream come true for me. Adding to this, I have been having a splendid time working on my fantasy-horror novel, set amidst the world of demons, monsters, and the occult.

"THE SHADOWS BEHIND THE TREES" — HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween, everyone! I thought I would do something special to mark the occasion, so here’s an absolutely free downloadable short story. I wrote the first page of this in Ray Bradbury’s house, hoping to capture some of that elusive Bradburian magic. “The Shadows Behind the Trees” is a title I heard Ray Bradbury say in passing one day and I said, “That’s a great title for a short story.” He encouraged me to use it and so, I did!

I set out to write a melancholy ghost story about a little girl who gets lost in the woods while on a family vacation and is never found. Until, decades later, people start to see her wandering spirit in the forest, still looking for her family. . .

I hope you enjoy it! Happy Halloween! Love and Candy Corn to All!

Sam Weller

New Anthology Appearance

Thrilled and honored to have my short story, “Creepy Crawly” included in the forthcoming Whisper House Press anthology, Costs of Living. The book won’t be out for awhile—pub date is around Halloween 2025. And that’s the thing with old school books—they take time! Production from inception to publication is a laborious and painstaking process. But in this day and age of instant digital gratification, I find the physical book to be most endearing. Books represent patience and a slower pace of life. Publishing books takes time, reading them takes time, too!

It has been a delight working with Steven Capone Jr., editor and creative-in-chief at Whisper House Press. Steve has a terrific vision for this anthology, and a totally innovative marketing plan replete with a behind-the-scenes initiative that illuminates the entire labor-of-love process of putting an anthology together. All writers and editors should check it out.

“Creepy Crawly” is a modern slice of urban mundanity. I aimed for punk rock Poe, a story about a man and his obsession with an unlikely apartment mate—a Midwest centipede.

I hope you will check out Costs of Living upon its release.

MY NEXT BOOKS

I worked hard for the two Bram Stoker Awards you see here and display them proudly in my home. They are beautiful little statues and surprisingly heavy when you pick them up. The small brass doors even open up to reveal the award category and titles of my books.

But these trophies represent the past. I am now very much focused on the future. So what’s next? Here’s an exclusive: I’m hard at work on two books at the moment. The first is a horror/fantasy novel set amidst the world of the occult and demonlogy.

Along with this project, I have been working on a proposal for a collection of essays on the life and work of Ray Bradbury that delves much deeper into specific areas of his life and career that my other Bradbury books did not.

Finally, I am back on the speaking engagement trail, giving presentations on the great Ray Bradbury and also leading writing groups. If you are interested in having me visit your library or school, drop a message to custombuiltcommuincations@gmail.com.

Be cool. Be positive. Never forget—gratitude is an attitude.

NEW PODCAST!

So excited to announce that I will be co-hosting the IT CAME FROM GENERATION X! podcast with the brilliant and hilarious Tom Dieboldt. Each week, we will cover rock n roll, movies, television, comic books, literature, and all-around sugary sweet pop culture. We will be joined by awesome guests and provide a respite from the absolute lunacy of our mad, mad, modern-day world. The first episode will be out soon!

The promo trailer for It Came from Generation X! Theme music by Chris Wimsett ©️ 2023 Logo by Leo Malkin ©️ 2023

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