I know, I know--everyone wants to know what's up with the Million Writers Award. The short answer is I'm still working my way through the notable stories, and hope to have my selections made by the middle of the month.

One thing I've noticed during my MWA reading is that very few horror stories made this year's notable list. This is my fault because I failed to select a preliminary judge who specialized in horror literature. Before people jump on me, I will fix this before next year's award.

By an amazing coincidence, an advance copy of the paperback edition of Laird Barron's The Imago Sequence and Other Stories arrived in the mail this week. At first I avoided the book because 1) I have way too much MWA reading to do, and 2) I'm really, really picky about my horror. But then I started reading Barron's stories and couldn't stop. Anyone interested in some really creepy but well written stories should check out this collection. You can learn more about Laird Barron here. And if anyone asks why I'm behind on this year's MWA reading, I'm blaming Laird Barron!