Brent Van Horne in The Madison Review

From the above photograph, it's safe to assume one of two things: 1.) Seth has kidnapped himself and is attempting to prove to the authorities that he was still alive as recently as Spring of 2009 - or - 2.) He finally got his copy of The Madison Review's latest issue, which features a fantastic story by Brent Van Horne.

Van Horne is pretty talented and has publications popping up all over the place (you can find his work in Fugue, New Orleans Review, and Sou'Wester). Van Horne and I have gotten into the habit of riffing on each other's work. We've also been kicking around the idea of writing a collaborative story. It's too early to tell if that's something we'll actually do - but, if such a story does get written, it's probably going to be the literary equivalent of this.

In addition to being a kick ass story writer, Brent is also responsible for making this blog look nice, a responsibility that he has taken on for no discernible reason as there's absolutely no way I could ever pay him. Plus one time I accidentally dumped a whole beer onto his carpet, which was pretty much brand new (the carpet, that is ... though the beer was new too).

Frost Mountain Picnic Massacre

My issue of One-Story is currently available. You can grab a copy of the issue here or, even better, you can subscribe to One-Story here. I'm also pleased to announce that One-Story is now available on the Kindle.

If you had told me five years ago that one day people would be able to beam a short story of mine into their homes by means of a wireless device, I would have thought it was only a beautiful dream. And while I think the good people at Amazon might be flying a little too close to the sun in this regard, I refuse to stand in the way of progress.

Also, if you would like to enjoy a free copy of my story over some world-class Japanese cuisine, then check out this post by Pei-Ling Lue for details.

My thanks to everybody at One-Story, especially Pei-Ling Lue and Hannah Tinti, for this incredible opportunity. One-Story is a mind-bogglingly cool enterprise, and I'm pretty honored to have gotten the chance to contribute.

Forthcomingapallooza

Some stories are on their way! Right now you can check out an excerpt from Frost Mountain Picnic Massacre at One-Story.com. There's also a quick Q&A with me. My answers are all lame, because I am a genuinely lame person. But if you're looking to have your socks rocked off, you should check out One-Story's archive, which includes interviews with Stephen Dixon, John Hodgman, Kelly Link, and many other awesome writers.

I also have a story called Those of us in Plaid forthcoming in McSweeney's #33, and a story called The Misery of the Conquistador forthcoming in StoryQuarterly. However, unlike One-Story, there are currently no online excerpts for these stories. And, for contractual reasons, I probably can't put any excerpts up on this blog. So instead I have written an alternate first sentence for each story, both of which are included below:

The Misery of the Conquistador

"Wow, I sure am miserable ... for a conquistador," said he.

Those of us in Plaid

We realized from the very beginning that we were not like all those people who did not wear plaid, but that we were actually very different.

There you have it! No firm release dates for either, but - having tempted you terribly with these alternate first lines - I will make sure to do the decent thing and keep you informed.

"A haircut, said the Dead Father. I turned myself into a haircut [...]"

I am currently re-reading The Dead Father by Donald Barthelme. You should read it too, because it's awesome.

I've prepared some questions that will help you discuss this book with your local reading group:

1.) What do you think Seth will read next?
2.) What do you think Seth does when he isn't reading?
3.) Where is Seth right now?

Speaking of me, I should have a short story showing up in One-Story very soon. Keep your eyes peeled!

Ninth Letter Spring/Summer Issue

The Spring/Summer issue of Ninth Letter is out, featuring work by yours truly. The magazine has a great new look. You can check out some sample spreads here.

Thanks in advance for buying dozens and dozens of copies and throwing a series of really elaborate Ninth-Letter-themed dinner parties to which only your most good-looking friends will be invited.