Kevin Lucia

Madison and I were washing dishes yesterday when she decided to take a die cast figurine of Magneto, Master of Magnetism, (yes—one of mine), swimming while we worked.  As she plunked and dunked poor little Magneto, (whose mastery over magnetism proved utterly useless amidst suds, ceramic plates and plastic cups), with gleeful delight, she exclaimed…

Madison: Look, Daddy! Superman is taking a bath!

Me: No, honey—Superman is DC Comics. That’s Magneto; he’s Marvel Comics. Can you say Magneto?

Madison: I dunno (plunk, plunk).

Me: Here, let’s sound it out. Mag…

Madison: Mag…

Me: ne….to…Magneto.

Madison: Mahneto!

Me: Good enough, kiddo.

Madison: Daddy, I like Magneto!

Me: Really? Why’s that?

Madison: I dunno. (proceeds to vigorously dunk poor Magneto).  Because he likes water!

Me: You like Magneto because he likes water? Isn’t the Sub-Mariner the big water guy in Marvel?

Madison: (frowns) Huh?

Me: Never mind. Waitaminute. You don’t like Magneto better than the Hulk, do you?

Madison: Uh-Huh (dunks some more).

Me: (Uh, oh). Why?

Madison:  Because Magneto’s nicer.

Me: How’s he nicer?

Madison: I dunno. Because he likes water?

Me: Wait—Magneto is nicer because he likes water?

Madison: Yup! (Proceeds to drown poor little die cast Magneto).

Hulk took this moment to object:

Hulk no like baths. Make Hulk look like wrinkled grape. Hulk like sponge baths; with nice squishy loofah.

What about Magneto?

Hulk hate Magneto. Magneto stupid dumb-head. Magneto go shoot beer cans with Hulk in woods, but no talk to Hulk at parties. Puny Magneto.

Unfortunately, Magneto happened to overhear all this.

You brainless mass of primitive brawn! How dare you insult the great Master of Magnetism? Of course the little girl likes me better! I’m die cast, shinier, and I can bend metal to my will! You will pay for your arrogance, and bow before my horrible might! This, I command!

Hey, wait a minute. You stole that last part from Serpentor, that guy Dr. Mindbender made to replace Cobra Commander back in the ‘80’s.

Uh….no I didn’t. I, uh…overheard it at a...comic Convention … somewhere….

Hold on….you are Serpentor, aren’t you?

Er….oops, look at the time. I’m Meeting Professor X for lunch. later! (Jumps on flying serpent throne and speeds off)

No disrespect to Madi, but I’m gonna have to go with the Hulk on this one. You just can’t trust mutant masters of magnetism.

Stupid Magneto. Stupid Serpentor. Hulk smash both, then take nice loofah bath.

Indeed, Hulk. Indeed.

Posted by kevinlucia at 09:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, so I'm almost done with S & V, by Seton HS grad and Binghamton native Claudia Gabel, and this is what I have to say:

Lizette and Bryne suck. Big time.

Lizette and Dane are cheating. HAVE to be.

Sawyer has it bad it for Marnie. BUT...he might like Nola, too. NOW that would be a pickle, wouldn't it?

Matt is either a secret agent, a crack dealer, or a secret agent who deals crack. I haven't figured it out yet.

Ian SO wants Nola. Personally, I'm rooting for Ian, but a surprise play by Sawyer would be cool, too.

Maybe Weston and Lizette should hook up? Naw. They're already involved...with themselves.

Anyway...on to the finish.

Posted by kevinlucia at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Issue 3 of Shroud Magazine is ready to be shipped. I'm no one to listen to in particular, but I've been reading a lot magazines this summer - Cemetery Dance, GUD, Something Wicked...and Shroud is right there with all of them. They're feature the best in the business, have been vouched for by the best in the business, and are solid and professional, and are just darn good people all around.




Go to your local bookstore, comic book store, magazine store - ask them to carry Shroud. Get a subscription with that economic relief check, tell a friend, blog about them, link to them.

A lot people talk about "word of mouth". These guys are one of the few who are worth it.

http://www. shroudmagazine. com/index. html

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

Please spread the word!

Posted by kevinlucia at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

News From Darkened Horizons:

"Darkened Horizons Issues 1-5 have all been issued ISBN's and will soon (within 10 weeks) be available in all bookstores. Halloween and Till Death Do We Part have also been issued ISBN's with the same time frame for global distribution. With this new development the prices have been increased due to the Retail Mark Up costs. That's the drawback, now here's the good news.

With the availability to be sold in bookstores and through alternate internet channels the authors in the series will be able to arrange for copies to be available at book signings, promotions, conventions, ect.

The new process has cost me a bit of money, a lot of time and no little heartburn. I hope it proves fruitful for all of those involved in the projects. Of course, I am hoping with the expanded distribution my feeble attempts to make Darkened Horizons a paying market will be easier realized.

Thank you to everyone that has supported an endeavor that has been called, "Extreme," "Inventive," "Enterprising," "A cause to celebrate" and (my favorite) "Perhaps too hardcore".

To order copies now visit www. lulu. com/darkenedhorizons

Editor - Jordan Bobe"

I had two stories appear in Darkened Horizons publications:

"My Brother's Keeper" in issue 4:



"The Sliding" in Issue 3:



So, more stuff by me availible to the wider public. This could be good, or bad....

Posted by kevinlucia at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This site will be going under at the end of the month, while I search for a more cost-effective web hosting plan. Essentially, I'll be moving my "base of operations" over to my Myspace Page at:

http://www.myspace.com/kevinblucia 

 

Sorry for all those who don't have myspace. I should be situated by the end of August. Thanks. 

Posted by kevinlucia at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So, here I am, ready to write, rock and roll, and hit it. It's 3  AM, as usual, and for some reason I'm bright-eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to go.

Why so chipper, so early, you ask?

Well,  part of it is I'm used to it by now. Been doing the 3 AM thing almost a year, and it boggles the mind how much work I've gotten done. In a crazy house filled with two wonderful, adorable, INSANE children, (ages 1 and 3), it's quickly become "Daddy Time".

Secondly, I actually have this little old project due for Shroud Publishing: Hiram Grange & The Chosen One, a novella in Shroud's upcoming dark fantasy series: The Hiram Grange Chronicles. I haven't been this driven on a story since "The Way Station", which was Editor's Choice in Coach's Midnight Diner, and "The Water God of Clarke Street", which was just in Shroud's Abominations. Both of those are my best stories to date, so a good sign. Also, this is the first time I've worked on something of this length were I actually know how to end it. This is good, also.

So, lots of great reasons to be up and ready to go: none of the real reasons why.

Why am I, you ask?

Because - at the age of 34, mind you - I just had my first freakin' nightmare ever generated from reading a horror novel.

No kidding.

There's a huge anthology being opened by Permuted Press called The World is Dead in August - about a world overrun by zombies - and zombies is a new sctchick for me. I had sort of a story I was working on for Blu Ph'ier's anthology, Night of the Working Dead, but I didn't get it done in time. Anyway, I thought I'd do some research, and picked up Brian Keene's The Rising yesterday.

And then had nightmares about it all night. Seriously. My first freakin' novel-induced nightmare.

It's a fabulous work, though. Well worth it.

Okay. The writing - and The Rising - are both calling.

Posted by kevinlucia at 07:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My three year old daughter Madison and I were coloring in Daddy’s Incredible Hulk coloring book this morning, (note, that’s Daddy’s Incredible Hulk coloring book, with 250 pages of Hulky goodness), when she made this rather astute observation about a picture of the Hulk carrying a huge boulder:

Madison: “Wow! He must be really strong to carry that big rock!”

Me: “He is, sweetie. The Hulk is very strong.”

Madison: frowns. “He always looks so mad. Why is the Hulk always mad, Daddy?”

Me: “Maybe it’s because his pants are always ripped up, sweetie. That would make me mad.”

Madison: “Oh, yeah. Maybe, if we got all our thread and needles and fixed his pants, he wouldn’t be mad anymore!”

Me: “Indeed, sweetie. Indeed.”

Note: To get just the right color for the Hulk’s skin, (from the comic books, that is), using the Granny Smith Apple choice in Crayola’s 64-crayon box is best, not straight green. Straight green or forest green is best for the Hulk’s hair.

When asked, the Hulk said this:

Hulk: “Hulk wants to be left alone, so Hulk can color in peace. Hulk likes coloring. Hulk likes peace. Hulk no like ripped pants. Ripped pants make Hulk angry, but sweet little girl who wants to fix Hulk’s pants makes Hulk happy.”

Thanks, Hulk, and thank you, Madison, for wanting to help out a gamma-irradiated behemoth who just wants to be left alone to color in pants that fit.

Posted by kevinlucia at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

My poem, "What Happens", is due to be published in the Fall 2008 issue of The Penwood Review. Pretty cool, because honestly, I'd forgotton all about that one. I love it when that happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Also...this from www. shroudmagazine. com:

The long awaited monstrous anthology is on its way back from the printer. This is what people are saying about it:

"Abominations is a knockout collection of original stories from some very talented writers. Shroud does it again. I'm impressed!"

-Nate Kenyon, Bram Stoker Award Finalist, author of Bloodstone and The Reach

"The stories in this anthology provides a bone-chilling glimpse of the evils lurking in those shadowed-corners of life that are best left alone. This book is a treat for traditional horror fans."

--Jason Sizemore, Editor-in-Chief of Apex Publications

Abominations features my short story, "The Water God of Clarke Street". A tweenage girl with no friends, an evil water demon, and a shiftless drunk behind the wheel of a pickup. What's not to like?

Get your copy today:



WWW. SHROUDMAGAZINE. COM

 

 

Posted by kevinlucia at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My short story, "The Sliding", has been reprinted in the first issue of a new UK magazine called Morpheus Tales. Pretty cool for a story that was essentually an experiment in first person. Anyhoo, I think it may be time to retire this particular one. It's made its rounds, by now. Click here to purchase the first issue of Morpheus Tales.

Posted by kevinlucia at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)