11/12/07 BOOK UPDATES :

Taint of Lovecraft has gone out of print, but a second (corrected) edition is in the works already, also from Mythos Books. Ancient Exhumations +2 will be in print for a few more months; a second edition is in the offing, again from Elder Signs Press.

H.P. LOVECRAFT FILM FESTIVAL :

What a weekend! Several of my favorite people in the world - Wilum Pugmire, Joe Pulver, Robert M. Price and Victoria Price, Scott Connors, Maryanne Snyder and Greg Lowny, and more - were there. We had a great time!

The guest of honor was the esteemed scholar S.T. Joshi. I've known S.T. for about a decade, but he's never made positive comments about any of my work apart from "The Black Brat of Dunwich." Imagine my amazement when he announced on stage to an audience of about 300 that they were lucky to have "two of the finest writers of Cthulhu Mythos here in the audience - Stanley C. Sargent and Wilum H. Pugmire." He held up a copy of the Taint of Lovecraft and told the audience to buy it as they would not regret it. Of course, I called out that it had just gone out-of-print. He responded that, after what he'd just said, he was sure it would be reprinted. He was right! S.T. later told a number of Lovecraftians (at the festival and later at the World Fantasy Con) that he includes "The Black Brat of Dunwich" among the ten best Cthulhu Mythos stories ever written! Wowzers! S.T. is currently reading a number of stories I've sent at his request for a possible new collection from Hippocampus Press. S.T. has already provided me with glowing comments for the covers of the forthcoming second editions of Taint and AE+2 .

Yes, S.T. is a changed man! (I suspected an alien replacement at first!) He's mellowed. After several of the authors gave a reading, S.T. told Joe Pulver that the two short tales he'd read are "splendid." A more than welcome collection of Joe's short tales may very well be in the works! S.T. also praised Wilum Pugmire's recent Hippocampus collection, The Fungal Stain . Keep an eye out for that book

A used copy of my first collection, Ancient Exhumations , sold for $277 last week at Amazon.com; the original price was $12. There's another for sale at present for $399.99! Wish I was getting a cut of that! Used copies of Taint are currently posted for sale at Amazon.com for $25 to $48; the original price was $20.

CURRENT PROJECT :

I'm currently hard at work on a couple supernatural tales set in ancient Egypt. I have several other projects in the works as well.
More news soon!

8/28/07 UPDATES

BOOK UPDATES

Here's a shocker, at least to me: While browsing Amazon.com on 8/27/07, I discovered they are offering an "unread" copy of the first edition of my Ancient Exhumations for sale - the price is $399.99! Man, oh man, if only the authors would see money like that for even the entire run of a book!

The first edition of my Taint of Lovecraft (Mythos Books) collection officially went out-of-print last week. Dave Wynn of Mythos Books and I are in the midst of negotiations for a second, corrected edition to be published ASAP.

My Ancient Exhumations +2 (ESP Press) collection is very near to going out-of-print as well, so get your copy while you can. I have a few copies I'm willing to sell to interested readers for the cover cost plus shipping and handling. I'll even sign them and stamp them with my special Egyptian stamp. Email me at my new address as I finally have high speed: scsargent@sbcglobal.net
[Be sure to put the book title in the subject line so I won't think it's spam!]

RECENT REVIEWS AND COMMENTS ON MY WORK :

"Weird Tales" magazine, Wildside Press (No. 343, Feb/March 2007):

I am not a big fan of the so-called "Cthulhu Mythos," but neither am I automatically predisposed to dismiss the efforts of contemporary writers to work the vineyards planted by H.P. Lovecraft. Given that the story satisfies basic criteria regarding plot, narrative development, atmosphere, characterization, etc., there remain certain additional factors that need to be evaluated in determining whether a Mythos story makes the grade. If a story can stand on its own without relying upon the reader's knowledge of other Mythos stories, and if it is a story first and a Mythos tale secondarily, it might pass muster, especially if it is written in a spirit not dissimilar to that found in Lovecraft's own efforts. One writer whose efforts easily surpass these standards is Stanley C. Sargent (no relation to Joe Sargent - that we know of), whose first fiction collection of tentacular fiction, ANCIENT EXHUMATIONS , has been reprinted with two additional stories.

Stories such as "The Rattle of Her Smile" can stand on their own merits, and do so quite eloquently. Sargent's prose is precise, elegant without being verbose, and quietly ironic. Some of his work is quite funny as well, such as "The Hoppwood Tenant," which is a tall tale about how a refugee from Yuggoth became a backwoods mascot and tourist attraction. "The Black Massif" is a moving tribute to Clark Ashton Smith that showcases what is perhaps Sargent's most salient feature: the gentleness and humanity that pervades his work. This is nowhere better illustrated than in one of the stories in his collection THE TAINT OF LOVECRAFT , "Black Brat of Dunwich," which reminds us that regardless of who or what was Wilbur Whateley's father, his mother was human, which for Sargent is free of any misanthropy.

---- Scott Connors

---

Dead Reckonings , Hippocampus Press (No. 1, Spring 2007)

[excerpt from review of Hippocampus Press' TALES OUT OF DUNWICH]:

Also welcome is Jack Williamson's scarce story, 'The Mark of the Monster'( Weird Tales , May 1947), although the influence of the Lovecraft story seems tangential at best. That cannot be said for Stanley C. Sargent's 'The Black Brat of Dunwich' (1997), one of the cleverest deconstructions of 'The Dunwich Horror' ever written."

---- S.T. Joshi

---

Summarize.com

- This web site holds several collected reviews of my books plus a few reviews of one anthology in which I had a story. Check it out: ✦

2007 HPL FILM FESTIVAL :

I'll be at the H.P. Lovecrarft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon the first weekend in October again this year. Joining me will be Robert M. Price, Wilum Pugmire, Joseph Pulver, Sr., Scott Connors, and S.T. Joshi - what a combination! We will be on panels and doing readings. Lots and lots of films too, including surprises. Hope to see you there! It sure was fun last year.

MISCELLANEOUS:

I see one of my paintings is posted on a Lovecraft web site in Russia! Raskanyakoff!" as Natasha Fatale would say. www.lovecraft.ru/illustratiohns/gods/nyarlathotep.htm

CURRENT PROJECTS :

It seems there's no way for me to make accurate predictions about what this publisher or that will do these days. So all I can say is that I'm hard at work on a group of supernatural tales set in ancient Egypt. When I finish with them, hopefully someone will want to publish them, possibly with a reprint of my "Nyarlatophis, A Fable of Ancient Egypt" novella! So far, no bids from any direction. Do I hear an offer?

11/09/06: LATEST NEWS

Back from the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland

I traveled to Portland's Hollywood District to join the fun on October 6 through 8 at the annual H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, held at the multi-screen vintage Hollywood Theatre and hosted by Andrew Migliore.

The festival has been strictly film oriented in the past, but that's changing. On Saturday, Oct. 7, I participated in a "Filmmakers vs. Writers" panel pertaining to the way Lovecraft's work has been and should be adapted to film. Representing the filmmakers on the panel were Christian Matzke (director of "Dunwich," which premiered at the festival, and "Experiment 17" short films) and Anton Vaneck (director of a number of Lovecraft short films), and Jay Woelfel (winner of Interactive Academy Award for Best Documentary for "Titanic," which he produced and directed, and director of "Beyond Dream's Door," a 2006 full-length feature which premiered at the festival). The writers were Ramsey Campbell, Robert M. Price, Scott Connors, and myself. I'm pleased to say Christian Matzke was very excited about the ideas in my story, "The Black Brat of Dunwich," so we will be discussing a possible film version in the near future.

The many, many films ran nearly all day and night, the blocks of shorts being repeated. There was lots of great merchandize relating to the films and to Lovecraft in the sellers' room, and Barbara Crampton (former soap star who has appeared in a number of films, including "Re-Animator," "Castle Freak," and "From Beyond" signed photos and chatted with fans.

It was great to see and spend some time with my friends Wilum Pugmire (unfortunately, his new book from Hippocampus, The Fungal Stain , wasn't back from the publisher in time for the festival), Bob and Victoria Price, Maryanne Snyder, Scott Connors, and more. I had a short but pleasant chat with Ramsey Campbell after the Sunday readings.

Wilum and Bob nagged me to do a reading on Sunday, but I held out until the last minute. I finally gave in, and apparently my first ever public reading (of a few pages from "Live Bait") went over well with the audience.

The most popular film was undoubtedly director Alex Turner's "Dead Birds." The surprise film (not announced but shown 'after-hours' on Sunday night) was Elwood's "Dreams in the Witch House," which was a laugh riot hit. The director was present for the showing of this cult classic, but I am sorry to say I missed it.

This festival gets bigger and better every year, so consider joining us next year. Andrew Miglore is a great host and has invited me back for the 2007 festival. I do believe I'll be there! I'm trying to talk my friends Joseph Pulver, Jr. (author of the great Mythos novel, Nightmare's Disciple and many short tales, and editor) and Daniel Ross (author and artist who did the majority of the interior illos for my books and the cover art for Ancient Exhumations + 2) into coming next year too.

John Carpenter and Peter Straub are the scheduled special guests for the 2007 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. I'm hoping director Guillermo del Toro will show up too. He saw to it that 2 different posters for his December release of "Pan's Labyrinth" were free for everyone who attended the festival. The graphics are dynamite, so I can't wait to see the film. His next project is "Hellboy II," then, if all goes well, he will direct "At the Mountains of Madness." I can't imagine any other director doing that one!

Welcome Visitors

Remember that great British Lovecraftian chapbook magazine "Al Azif," published by Peter Worthy a few years ago? He's published a number of tales since then and is currently editing anthologies for my publisher, Elder Signs Press. Peter and his wife, Jan, are very dear friends of mine, and I'm delighted they and Jan's adult daughter, Angela, will be arriving on Oct. 30 for a two-week visit Peter and Jan visited me from Reading, England, about 9 years ago, before moving to Scotland. I can't wait to see them again and meet Angela. We'll be discussing lots of things, including new and current projects. Help needed for vital Egyptological Work!

My web site contains a notice that I'm a member of the Amarna Research Project, a non-profit group of archaeologists who excavate annually at the site of Akhenaten's capital city, Akhet-Aten (modern day Amarna or El-Amarna). I contribute what I can to the great work. This year the Amarna Trust and Amarna Projects were formed to further excavate, educate, and build a museum at the site. I was happy to donate to such a worthy cause. The groups' first newsletter, "Horizon," was published in October, 2006, and I was shocked (but proud) to see my name among only 24 individuals in the entire world who contributed to these two groups.

These are the people who may someday answer the many questions about not only Akhenaten and Nefertiti, but about Akhenaten's son, King Tutankhamun! They are working on a shoestring budget, thus they can only afford to excavate at the site for 2 months each year. No one is paid for this work as they volunteer their time and pay their own way. The ending budget for fiscal year 2004 was a mere $20,084, but by the end of 2004, the ending budget had dropped to $8,621! They need your help. You get a newsletter twice a year with all the latest news of discoveries and more. One of Akhenaten's famous Boundary Stelae ("S") was completely blown up by a greedy local this year, and a "new" Boundary Stelae ("H") was discovered just this year. The only place to read about the latter and see a photo of it and other recent discoveries is "Horizon."

Please check out the web sites www.amarnatrust.com and www.amarnaproject.com for further details. The first issue of "Horizon" mentioned above is available as a free download PDF format. But please donate to this very worthy cause so you can be part of history too!

8/28/2006: LATEST NEWS & RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Coming soon -- H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival 2006!

I will be attending the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon on October 6 through 8, 2006. Wilum Pugmire, Maryanne Snyder, Scott Connors, (hopefully) Ron Hilger, Ramsey Campbell, Robert M. Price and his elder daughter, Victoria, and more will be there too! Should be a great time. At present, Andrew Migliore, who runs the festival, is arranging a few discussion and question & answer panels. Not to mention there will be lots of new films and lots of filmmakers there. Hope to see you there!

For more information, go to: www.hplfilmfestival.com

Coming soon - Reviews

A general review of my writings by Scott Connors (the top Clark Ashton Smith scholar) will appear in the next issue of "Weird Tales" magazine, probably in October, 2006.

Don Herron (top Robert E. Howard scholar) will be reviewing my Ancient Exhumations +2 collection for "Lost Worlds," a fairly new trade paperback journal dedicated to the scholarly study of the work of Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Scott Connors. Don's review is slated to appear in either issue 4 or 5.

WeirdCon 2006

Don Herron drove Leo Grin (owner/editor of the great Robert E. Howard scholarly journal, "The Cimmerian") and myself to Marysville, California (2 hours plus drive from San Francisco) on August 13 th for the annual WeirdCon hosted by Scott Connors in his home. We had a great time exchanging books and opinions! Others who attended included Ron Hilger, Dr. William Farmer (a friend of Clark Ashton Smith's for many, many years), and Dennis Rickard (author of The Fantastic Art of Clark Ashton Smith) and his wife.

2006 World Horror Convention

In May I attended the World Horror Convention here in San Francisco. Attendance was less than hoped-for, but we still had a good time. Dick Lupoff, James Chambers, and others joined me at the Elder Signs Press table. It was great to finally meet my publishers, William and Deborah Jones of Elder Signs Press. Wilum Pugmire and Maryanne Snyder came down from Seattle for the event, which was great fun. Wilum introduced me to Peter Straub, who proved to be a very likeable guy to say the least. I got to meet Scott Connors for the first time too. He, Dick Lupoff, Ron Hilger and Don Herron presented a panel discussion about Clark Ashton Smith, which was great. Scott and Ron are working on a biography of Smith as well as 5 volumes of manuscript-corrected versions of Smith's work for publication by Nightshade Press. The first volume should be out soon.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS :

Books

LOST WORLDS IN SPACE AND TIME, VOL. II

7/2006 (Rainfall Press, U.K.) - "The Black Massif" is reprinted in this 2 nd volume of tales paying tribute to Clark Ashton Smith.

TALES OUT OF DUNWICH

10/05 (Hippocampus Press, Robert M. Price, ed.) - "The Black Brat of Dunwich" is reprinted in this anthology.

THE TSATHOGGUA CYCLE

10/05 (Chaosium Press, Robert M. Price, ed.) - "The Tale of Toad Loop" is reprinted in this anthology.

ANCIENT EXHUMATIONS +2

(Elder Signs Press, 2004) - Trade paperback 2nd revised and expanded (2 extra stories with illustrations) of my first collection (Mythos Books, 1999). The book contains 11 tales of horror and the supernatural illustrated by various artists, including the author. New color cover by Daniel A. Ross.

ELDRITCH BLUE -LOVE & SEX IN THE CTHULHU MYTHOS

(Lindisfarne Press, Kevin L. O'Brien, ed.) - "The Tale of Toad Loop" (reprint; story included in ANCIENT EXHUMATIONS +2 collection).

Magazines

"STRANGE TALES" magazine #8, 2003

(Wildside Press, Robert M. Price, ed.) - "Famine Wood" (reprint; story in ANCIENT EXHMATIONS +2 collection).

"STRANGE TALES" magazine, #9

11/05 (Wildside Press, Robert M. Price, ed.), contains 11 new illustrations for stories by various authors plus a very short piece revealing the facts behind "The Legend of Nitocris."

"THE ACTIVE PAGE" magazine, December 2005

(Applepie Press, Vancouver, B.C., Ralph Griffiths, ed.) - My fun Mythos Christmas illustration and accompanying poem, "Tentaclaws Is Coming Undrowned" made its first appearance in several years.

"THE ACTIVE PAGE" magazine, 10/05

(Applepie Press, Vancouver, B.C., Ralph Griffiths, ed.) - My short story "Dark Family Values" was reprinted for this Halloween issue.

"THE ACTIVE PAGE" magazine, 8/05

(Applepie Press, Vancouver, B.C., Ralph Griffiths, ed.) - "The Getaway Plot" made its first appearance in several years (originally appeared in "Talebones" magazine, Fall 1996 issue).

"THE ACTIVE PAGE" magazine, 7/05

(Applepie Press, Vancouver, B.C., Ralph Griffiths, ed.) - "A Youthful Quest" made its first appearance in print.

"TERROR TALES" magazine #1

(Rainfall Books, U.K., 2003) - "Dark Family Values" (reprint, also appeared in "The End" magazine).

Journals

"THE CIMMERIAN"

12/05 issue(Leo Grin, ed.) - My 20-line poem, "The Unseen Gods of Ancient Egypt" made its first appearance in print in this handsome Robert E. Howard scholarly magazine, regular and deluxe editions.

Artwork :

"Strange Tales" magazine #9, November, 2005

(Wildside Press, Robert M. Price, ed.) - 11 line drawings, serving as interior illustrations for all the stories in the issue.

FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS :

CHARNAL FEAST

(Lindisfarne Press anthology, Stephen Wilson, ed.) - "Dark Family Values" will be reprinted in this print-on-demand & E-book in 2006.

THE YIG CYCLE

(Chaosium Books, Robert M. Price, ed.) - "The Rattle of Her Smile" and "From Darker Heavens" will be reprinted in this anthology in 2006.

IN THE WORKS :

A new volume of my work from Elder Signs Press (due sometime in 2007) - This new book will contain a reprint of my Nyarlathotep novella (first appeared in THE TAINT OF LOVECRAFT), "Nyarlatophis, A Fable of Ancient Egypt" along with my purely historical tale of Egypt's 'heretic pharaoh,' entitled "Akhenaten - Son Rise in Ancient Egypt," my "Unseen Gods of Ancient Egypt" poem, and another tale of Egyptian theme.

I'm also working on a project with a photographer friend, Phil Bliss. He will provide the photos and I'll write the text for a pop-up children's book about a family of alien robots who come to Earth to vacation and see the glories of Earthly nature. We hope to get this published sometime in 2007.

PRIOR NEWS UPDATES

DARK TESTAMENT

A 2002 anthology of 21 horror tales, based on biblical themes, including Mr. Sargent's "To Err Divine." In the April 7, 2002 issue of "The Washington Post," reviewer Paul de Filippo singled out "To Err Divine" as one of the two finest stories in this impressive volume. Limited Edition Hardcover copies of DARK TESTAMENT include 3 signature sheets personally signed by every contributor, full-color dust jacket by GAK, and gold foil stamping on cover and spine ($45). The Trade Hardcover edition includes gold foil stamping on cover and spine (signature sheets and dust cover not included) is available for $29. Shipping and handling included in book price.

THE INNSMOUTH CYCLE

1998 trade paperback Chaosium anthology edited by Robert M. Price. Includes Mr. Sargent's "Live Bait." This book is available directly from Chaosium Books, $12.95 plus shipping and handling.

TALES OUT OF INNSMOUTH

1999 trade paperback Chaoisum anthology edited by Robert M. Price. Includes the first 2 tales in Mr. Sargent's Jeb and Martin Deep Ones series, "Trust Me" and the Origin award winning "Just a Tad Beyond Innsmouth." This book is available directly from Chaosium Books, $13.95 plus shipping and handling.

LOST WORLDS IN SPACE AND TIME, VOL. II

2006 trade paperback anthology (tribute to the work of Clark Ashton Smith) published by Rainfall Books, U.K., edited by Stephen Lines. Contains my "Black Massif" story set in the last days of the continent of Zothique.

SCHEDULED PUBLICATIONS

THE YIG CYCLE

Trade paperback edition anthology edited by Robert M. Price. To be published in late 2006 or early 2007. This volume from Chaoisum Books will include two of my tales, "The Rattle of Her Smile" and "From Darker Heavens."