A new Felix Renn story, “Out of the Blue,” has been sold to an anthology called Fungi, edited by by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Orrin Grey, to be published by Innsmouth Free Press later this fall.

I remember meeting Orrin Grey a few years ago at Readercon, and he told me about his fungus fascination. It was one of the first things he told me, in fact, and I recall smiling, nodding, and backing away slowly. Then he explained that he was interested in fungus-related stories (Hodgson’s “The Voice in the Night,” Lovecraft’s Fungi from Yuggoth, Jeff VanderMeer’s Ambergis books) and that it was his hope to one day put together a collection of them for a themed anthology. Well, it finally happened, and I’m very happy to be a part of it.

I’m particularly excited about “Out of the Blue” because it introduces a new character to the Black Lands universe. Jerry Baldwin is a smooth-talking real estate agent (and Felix’s sometime lawyer) who only represents haunted properties. Haunted houses, haunted apartments, haunted condos, haunted farms, etc. In addition to providing a bit of comic relief, Jerry is an example of the way ordinary people have adapted to live in a world where the supernatural exists as a part of their daily lives. In Jerry’s case, he tries to make a few bucks out of the situation.

Fungi will be published in hardcover, paperback, and as an e-book. The hardcover will feature some bonus material not included in the other editions. Very excited about this one!