9 Jun 2006

An AW Project and a Horror Mag

This post is part of an Absolute Write (AW) project, where certain AW members who signed up for the project are linked together in a chain. Every blogger in the chain takes a cue from the previous participant and writes a new post. Find more on this interesting event here.

My predecessor, Forbidden Snowflake, mentioned a fascination for horror films. Since the subject has come up, I thought I should introduce you to a terrific horror magazine that's receving rave reviews from critics and readers alike. It's Surreal I am talking about. This quarterly magazine is engrossing mind candy for those interested in dark tales. It features top notch fiction, incisive non-fiction, and is even publishing a serialised story in comic format for the past two issues now. Despite being new, Surreal has set high standards for itself and its peers when it comes to content.

Surreal isn't limited to being just a print magazine, though. It has two websites, one that gives you information about the magazine, authors guidelines, and advertising information; and another one called Surreal Interactive that gives you a peek into future issues, what with flash-powered trailers and minisites. Surreal has grown a dedicated community for itself, too, as can be inferred from the vibrant discussions on its forums, which even give you the chance to interact with the magazine's editors directly. I find that rather cool.

This year, Surreal goes a step further with the launch of Shadow Regions, an anthology of stories that reflect the supernatural. These 20 stories promise to be rivetting reads, as they throw a perfectly normal scheme of things out of order with the invasion of something weirdly extraordinary. The anthology even features a story by the horror maestro, Gary A. Braunbeck. Find more on this potentially gripping anthology here. Beware, it's due out very soon.

So what's stopping you from getting Surreal?


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14 comments:

Matt said...

I haven't actually had the chance to read Surreal yet, but I'm definitely going to give it a go now.

Have you ever been to the forums on shocklines.com? Loads of popular horror authors hang out there. I used to post there a lot, but I haven't in a while.

Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...

Thank you, dear Bhas. Will certainly look it up.
from yours truly who's on the way to becoming surreal...

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an interesting magazine!

Bernita said...

Made me think immediately of Jason and his "Cottage" story.
I admire good horror, but I can't do it.

Anonymous said...

I haven't had a chance to read surreal yet. In fact, I have read a horror mag in ages.

I used to like Weird Tales, but those weren't horror, they were weird. ;)

Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...

Hi again Bhas, just a short detour to say that I've had a look at your publisher's website, Cavern Press and that's a truly surreal (no pun intended) feeling. I felt a mounting excitement for you on seeing the book jacket and reading the description. Once again, so happy for your success.

Bhaswati said...

Hi Matt . Do take a look at Surreal, some good stuff in it. Shocklines is great too; a haven for horror writers.I like reading good horror, but can't write in that genre.

Forbidden , Surreal is a rather nice magazine for horror buffs. Do take a look if you can.

Bernita , good idea! Jason should definitely submit to Surreal. One thing the fiction editor over there doesn't like much is first person stories. So those who sub just need to keep that in mind.

D.T., if you get a chance, peek inside Surreal. If you like horror, you are going to enjoy it. Check out their forums and websites, too.

Susan , that's so sweet of you to say that. Many thanks for visiting the Cavern site and for your sincere kind words :)

Bhaswati said...

Jason, do take a look at it when you can. You might also consider submitting to them.

Lotus Reads said...

Hi, Bhaswati!

I think I know just the person who might be interested in "Surreal". She used to be the moderator for an online group that enjoyed chatting about the paranormal and other such exciting things! :) If I remember correctly, she also wrote a couple of really short horror stories.

Thanks so much for pointing me to the magazine -I'll go take a longer look now.

I am also going to follow Susan's lead and visit your publisher's website - I'd love to read about your book there.

Bhaswati said...

Great, Susan. Do let your friend know about Surreal.

And thanks for following Susan's lead to my publisher's website (*blush*).

Anonymous said...

It looks like an interesting magazine. :) Will it give me nightmares?

Bhaswati said...

Hey, Laurie, thanks for dropping by! Surreal is known for its nightmarish and creepy reputation. Now, don't take that literally. LOL

Yes, do take a look at it if you can. Some good horror writing there.

Kappa no He said...

I love Surreal's homepage. I submitted something to them several weeks ago...(wait wait fingers crossed, wait...)...

Bhaswati said...

Thanks for dropping by, Kappa. I am adding you to my blog links.

And good luck with the submission to Surreal!

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