Unspeakable Horror!

Here is a Press Release from Dark Scribe Press, the publisher of the Unspeakable Horror anthology:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LONG ISLAND, NY, April 1, 2009 - Dark Scribe Press announced today that it has acquired award-winning author Lee Thomas’ short story collection, IN THE CLOSET, UNDER THE BED. Slated for publication during the fourth quarter of 2009, the collection will bring together - for the first time anywhere - some of Thomas’ rich catalog of previously published shorts and new material written expressly for the collection.

IN THE CLOSET, UNDER THE BED was originally acquired in 2006 by Harrington Park Press, an imprint of The Haworth Press. In 2007, when The Haworth Press was sold, the Harrington Park imprint was not picked up in the deal and the imprint folded, leaving all of its scheduled projects without homes. Since then, the collection has been reworked to include newer stories, including the Bram Stoker Award-nominated “An Apiary of White Bees” which first appeared in the anthology INFERNO (Tor Books).

Thomas is the author of 2007’s THE DUST OF WONDERLAND (winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror) and STAINED (winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel). His other novels include PARISH DAMNED, DAMAGE, and a series of young adult books from HarperCollins penned as Thomas Pendleton and Dallas Reed.

Dark Scribe Press launched in 2007. In addition to its popular virtual publication, DARK SCRIBE MAGAZINE, the press published UNSPEAKABLE HORROR: FROM THE SHADOWS OF THE CLOSET in 2008 to widespread acclaim. The collection of GLBT horror originals is currently a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology. In addition to the forthcoming Thomas collection, the company is readying BUTCHER KNIVES & BODY COUNTS, a collection of non-fiction essays on the formula, frights and fun of the slasher film.

“It’s a thrill to be working with Dark Scribe on this collection,” says Thomas, who worked with DSP on both the UNSPEAKABLE and BUTCHER KNIVES projects. “After seeing the tremendous amount of work they put into creating UNSPEAKABLE HORROR, I knew they weren’t a typical small press start up. The editors [on that project] took their time with every aspect of that anthology from reading submissions to marketing the finished product, and the results speak for themselves.”

Although Dark Scribe Press places strong emphasis on the integration of gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters and themes into works bearing its insignia, Thomas says, “Dark Scribe understands that a queer element does not mean a book has to be shoved into a literary ghetto. I’ve always believed that literature should be inclusive, not exclusive, which is to say that regardless of a character’s sexual orientation, the story should be inviting to all readers. I’d like to think the stories in IN THE CLOSET, UNDER THE BED will appeal to anyone who loves dark literature as much as I do.”

DSP President and CEO Vince Liaguno is equally as thrilled to be partnering with Thomas. “Lee is an incredible talent, an eloquent and unique voice among the new crop of literary talents in dark fiction today. We’re honored that he’s selected Dark Scribe Press as home to this outstanding collection.”

For more about Lee Thomas, click here.