Steven James Scearce

H.P. Lovecraft (Aug. 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was a man possessed of strange genius. He is one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century. Clive Barker, Stephen King, Peter Straub, Robert Bloch, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and countless other writers, artists, and filmmakers refer to Lovecraft as one of their greatest influences.

And although most would gladly avoid a chance to walk around in Lovecraft’s shoes for a bit – considering the madness that governed his life and career, I was personally thrilled to hear that Dagan Books had a call for submissions and excited to tackle a daring new Lovecraftian project that took his work in bold new directions.

After a few weeks of intense research, writing and editing, I turned in a horrific little tale titled “The Assistant from Innsmouth” that was accepted for inclusion in the anthology.

So, when the submission period finally closed on September 15th, and all the dust had settled, the project was filled with stories and artwork that will surely impress even the most-hardened Lovecraft fanatic.

It is now my great pleasure to announce  “Cthulhurotica,” a new take on the Cthulhu Mythos, “where sex and madness meet.”

Publisher: Dagan Books

Cthulhurotica, an anthology of seductive and scary horror tales inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.

Editor: Carrie Cuinn

Cover Artist: Oliver ‘Fantasio’ Wetter

Contributors: Richard Baron, Gary Bernstein, Kirsten Brown, Clint Collins, Nathan Crowder, Carrie Cuinn, Mae Empson, Constella Espj, Gabrielle Harbowy, Asima Kerp, Travis King, H. P. Lovecraft, Juan Migel Marin, Matthew Marovich, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Don Pizarro, Andrew Scearce, Galen Smith, K. V. Taylor, Leon West, and Madison Woods.

Genre: Horror / Erotica

Release Date: December 15, 2010

Website: http://cthulhurotica.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Cthulhurotica

I was recently given an opportunity to write a short story within the confines of the Cthulhu Mythos (still having trouble spelling Cthulhu correctly, but I’ll get it right). Although I’m fascinated with the works of H.P. Lovecraft, I cannot honestly say that I’ve read a great deal of his writings (and I realize that they are short in number). I’ve seen a variety of films and shorts based on his work. None of them seem to do his vision (or nightmare) much justice.

So, off I went to the bookstore to pick up a few selections. One title, “Tales of H.P. Lovecraft,” has a phenomenal introduction by Joyce Carol Oates. The other, “Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos,” is a tribute by a good number of famous authors. I selected this book solely because I wanted to see how others treated Lovecraft’s unique atmosphere and environment.

Given a little free-reading time in the next few days (what are the chances?), I may just get my head wrapped around the setting and character styling I need to “flesh out” this little story of mine. Tentatively, the short story is called “The Assistant Appears” and will be submitted for a to-be-named anthology of Lovecraftian horror and lust. Here’s hoping they like it!