The Lurker on the Threshold...

...was a box of eldritch description. Inside, bound in packing tape and bubble-wrap, was a tome of unspeakable imaginings celebrating the dark worlds of one Howard Phillips Lovecraft, late of Providence, Rhode Island and the Mountains of Madness.

I've got to say, PS Publishing certainly did a knockout job on the extra-crunchy traycased version of S. T. Joshi's Black Wings: Tales of Lovecraftian Horror. The wonderfully understated dust-jacket art by Jason Van Hollander is reproduced on the cover itself, and most of the contributors have signed the volume much more legibly than I did (damn them). For his part, S. T. has assembled a group of writers both unexpected and pleasing to the Lovecraftian aficionado. In other words, I can't wait to crack the covers and get to work reading this one. Up first: a new piece by David Schow (i.e. I just can't restrain myself from jumping ahead).

For you non-collectors, there's also an unsigned hardcover of Black Wings available. And when it comes to synchronicity: while I was writing this post I received an email from an editor about my contribution to Black Wings, a novella called "Lesser Demons" (also the title story in my new SubPress collection). Nothing to report just yet, but sounds like this one's advanced in the second round with shotguns blazing and more than a little grue....