I’ve been out of the loop the last couple of weeks. Wizard World Comic Con was great, our table was about ten feet away from Amy Acker’s, I met a lot of really nice people, sold a bunch of books, was even interviewed a couple of times. Unfortunately, during all of my glad-handing, I picked up an extremely unpleasant flu virus that hit me with five days of fever. Even now, a week later, I’m on the mend but still very weak.

It’s taken me a little while but I’m finally starting to catch up on things. Pictures from Comic Con are now available on my Facebook page. One of the two interviews I gave is now online, over at Press +1. The two best things about this con: seeing people come up to the table and pointing at one of the Felix Renn chapbooks and saying, “I already have that one!” And a couple of people who bought chapbooks coming back to the table later in the day to say they already started reading them and couldn’t put them down.

I found out that my Felix Renn story, “My Body,” and another short story, “The Candle” (that appeared in Shadows & Tall Trees), received honourable mentions in Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year, Volume 4.

I also came upon a review of the three Felix Renn chapbooks by Robert Morrish. Here’s an excerpt:

“…I’m usually not a fan of horror/comedy mash-ups. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that I do enjoy horror-comedy when it’s done well, but more often than not I find attempts to combine the two genres fall flat. So when I say that I really enjoyed Ian Rogers’ three darkly humorous Felix Renn novelettes, understand that I’m a tough critic when it comes to these types of tales.”

Read the full review.

In other news, I have seen the almost-final draft of the cover artwork for my forthcoming ChiZine collection, Every House Is Haunted, and it is absolutely fantastic. Ever since my book was accepted, I’ve been imagining what my cover was going to look like, because the CZP covers are always so incredible. Artist Erik Mohr didn’t disappoint, and I think you’re really going to dig his take on haunted houses. I should be able to post it here in the next day or two, and the pre-order info for the limited edition hardcover should be online around the same time.

Two new reviews to help ring in the new year. The first comes from Gef Fox over at Skull Salad Reviews. Here’s what he had to say about “Temporary Monsters”:

“The world Ian has created here is surprisingly robust when barely using thirty pages to know only set the stage, but tell the whole story. The added twist of a drug that seems to temporarily morph users into monsters of choice is both macabre and original. There’s a good payoff at the end with enough of a teaser for future installments… Seeing Canada portrayed as something other than a snowbound land of overly polite syrup-suckers is always welcome, and Ian did a heckuva job layering grime all over Toronto. I’m looking forward to reading what else he has in store for the great white north and abroad.”

Read the full review.

Meanwhile, over at the Toronto Writing Examiner, Mary Rajotte has written an article on the series as a whole. Here’s an excerpt:

With a catalog of stories that are dark in tone and which explore everything from ghosts to demons, Rogers is well-schooled in the art of scaring readers.

But his supernatural detective series of stories deftly mixes darker tones with the thrilling adventure that comes with the classic whodunnit.

Read the full article.

Thanks to Mr. Fox and Ms. Rajotte for the kind words. And best wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year!

I’m very excited to announce that I will be one of the featured guests at “An Evening with the Authors,” along with fellow scribes Tobin Elliott and Jeff Cottrill. The event, which will be hosted by Monica S. Kuebler of Burning Effigy Press, will be held at the Black Swan Tavern (154 Danforth Ave.) on Sunday, November 27th, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

I don’t know about you guys, but with a name like the Black Swan Tavern, I’m hoping for a homicidal Natalie Portman sighting! 

I’ll be reading from the latest Felix Renn novella, “Black-Eyed Kids,” as well as from a new, unpublished Felix story called “Out of the Blue.”

Hope to see you there!

In other news, The Man Eating Bookworm has posted a really incredible review of “Temporary Monsters.” Here’s an excerpt:

If you are a fan of urban fantasy fare as delivered by Jim Butcher or Simon R. Green, you’ll be sure to love what Rogers has in store. This short novella introduces readers to a world where things that go bump in the night and our own are separated by only the most delicate of veils.

Read the rest of the review.

And finally, Dreadful Tales posted an article on their favourite Canadian horror authors, and they included me on their list!

All in all, a great way to start the weekend. Thanks, everyone!

There have been a lot of reviews of the Felix Renn chapbooks popping up lately.

Mary Rajotte over at Bloody Bookish had this to say about “Temporary Monsters”:

“Right from the 1st line, “The waiter got killed before he could drop off the bill”, which is so stark, it immediately plunges you into the heart of the action, readers are thrown into a world where monsters are the norm and the Paranormal Intelligence Agency (PIA) and the paranormal itself acts as a dangling carrot that entices both readers and Renn alike.”

Read the rest of the review at Bloody Bookish.

And she had this to say about “The Ash Angels”:

“From the very start, Rogers conjures up a darker more melancholy universe for Renn. Set against the backdrop of Christmas Eve, The Ash Angels is a darker, grittier read that adds more depth to Renn and continues to peel back the layers of the story that readers will undoubtedly be intrigued with the same way I was.”

Read the rest of the review at Bloody Bookish.

Meanwhile, The Ginger Nuts of Horror covered all three Felix Renn chapbooks in a single review, which is a first for me, and includes the first review of “Black-Eyed Kids.” Here’s some excerpts from the review:

On “Temporary Monsters”:

“A fast paced story, where the action kicks of from the word go and never lets up.”

On “The Ash Angels”:

“…this is a much quieter tale than it’s predecessor, however it still has the same great dialogue, great writing and snarky humour of Temporary Monsters. It was good to see such a different style of tale, it shows that Rogers is no one trick pony.”

On “Black-Eyed Kids”:

“This is a brilliant example of noir horror, chilling, thrilling, full of excellent dialogue, and a great cast of characters. Rogers has excelled in creating a truly chilling adversary in the Black Eyed Kids, these kids are creepy to the max.”

Read the full review at The Ginger Nuts of Horror.

There are more reviews coming down the pipe, as well as some interviews and other cool announcements that I’ll be able to tell you about soon.

Until then, if you have yet to check out the world of the Black Lands, Burning Effigy Press is currently offering a sweet deal where you can get all three Felix Renn chapbooks for only $20.

I’d also like to take a moment to once again thank everyone for their continuing support. The interest in this series has been overwhelming (and the hunger for a Felix Renn novel is voracious). If I could spend my days writing Felix Renn/Black Lands books, I’d be one happy cat. I don’t know if that will ever happen, but I do know that every time someone buys one of my stories, I’m one step closer to achieving that dream. It means a lot. So thank you!

I came home from work today to find an unexpected surprise: a double-header review of “Temporary Monsters” and “The Ash Angels” by Nick Kaufmann, author of the Stoker-nominated General Slocum’s Gold, and the Shirley Jackson Award-nominated Chasing the Dragon.

Here’s my favourite part:

Temporary Monsters dwells in the gray area between horror and fantasy. It is essentially an urban fantasy, or what urban fantasy was for a short time before it became synonymous with tattooed female slayers and their supernatural bad-boy boyfriends.

You can read the rest of the review over at Nick’s blog.

In other news, I sent off the final edits on “Black-Eyed Kids” this morning, and I expect to have the final layout and the cover very soon!

I just received word that “The Ash Angels” is now available for pre-order from Burning Effigy Press. Also, for a limited time, you can pick up “Temporary Monsters” and “The Ash Angels” together and save $1 on the chapbooks, and a $1 on shipping.

Of course, if you’re in the Toronto area this weekend, why not stop by the Burning Effigy Press table at Word on the Street and pick up your copies in person? I’ll be signing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and for those of you who do show up, I may be inclined to reveal a few secrets about the next Felix Renn chapbook… or maybe even the first Felix Renn novel… or the second Black Lands series I’m currently plotting out…

With “The Ash Angels” coming out soon, I’m feeling very generous, so be sure to swing by and take advantage of it!