No matter how many times I open a box of something I’ve edited or written, it never gets old seeing my baby for the first time.  I knew what this book was going to look like, since the designer and publisher were kind enough to solicit my input on its design.  I even saw the final PDF, right before the book went to the printer.  And yet, here they are, lovelier than I imagined.  I am so incredibly proud.

This book first occurred to me at the end of the 90s, while I was writing a monthly column on visiting cemeteries for Gothic.Net.  I decided then that there were cemeteries I needed to visit in order to round out a book on the subject.

Many of the essays were written in 2004 and 2005, when I attended meetings of the Red Room Writers Society at the Archbishop’s Mansion in San Francisco.  Once a month, writers could hide away in this amazing place, eat a gourmet breakfast and lunch, and write for four exquisite hours at a stretch.  Most months, I drafted or polished an essay an hour.

I was getting ready to publish the book myself last year, when John Palisano and Western Legends Press swept up to my rescue.  I’ve never been so spoiled while working with a publisher before.

And now, barely six months after signing the contract, I have this thing of beauty.  I can’t wait to show them off at the World Horror Convention next week.

If you’re curious, you can peek at the book here on Amazon.  Hopefully, it will be making it into your local independent bookstores soon.