Grave(yard) news

Entrance sign; I had to pull out a few weeds to make it semi-legible.

Two things today- news of a project I’m considering developing and a few photos from a graveyard. First the project: I’m considering writing a Keeper’s Guide to Graveyards (particularly those of Lovecraft Country). It would cover topics like history, layout, gravestones and symbols, maintenance and upkeep, and perhaps funerary practices. It would also give expanded notes about the various graveyards in Lovecraft Country, from the Old Wooded Graveyard in Arkham to Dunwich’s pickled Bishops as well as Mythos beasties and cults that frequent our burial places. At this point I’ve not found an interested publisher (and don’t want to go the monograph route), so I might self publish as a PDF, look at other licensees, etc. I’m curious what my readership (all 6 of you) think about such a book. I’d rather not post about it to Yog-sothoth.com until it is a little more concrete.

After the break, my visit to Spring Hill Cemetery…

How many synonyms for ‘potpouri’ are there?

No earth-shattering news, but since it has been about a week since my last update, I figured it was time to post my meager bits of new information:

• I have continued to add and expand the Massachusetts Graveyards page; in addition to expanded notes about resources I’ve also continued to enlarge my listing of sites for Middlesex County. I’m now up through the Ns.
• I managed, for the first time in a long time, to get to the library and do a little research. I found a copy of Inscriptions from Burial Grounds of the Nashsway Towns, which is a compilation from Lancaster and all its ‘daughter’ towns, which includes portion of gravestone inscriptions, some cemetery information, a little on some local gravestone carvers, and whatever the local historical society saw fit to include.  It is very helpful in those cases where they saw fit to include information about the history of a town’s graveyards (like for Sterling).  Still, it is odd when local historians overlook facts I’ve learned elsewhere (Lancaster’s cemetery list omits one family plot, Harvard’s records neglect the burials at the Still River church… for example)
• There has been an update from Thomas Phinney regarding Cristoforo, including a spiffy contributor only limited preview.  I must confess I had the pleasure of playing around with seeing a few of my titles up in ‘Cthulhu font’.  Looking forward to seeing the finished version in the fall.
• It looks like Goodman games has another Cthulhu release in the works – The Timeless Sands of India.  I would normally not mention yet-to-be-released products (though there have been so few of late) but the author, Jon Hook, and the editor, Matthew Pook, were contributors to the Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion, so plugging their book is the least I can do. {For the record Jon did the layout for our pre-gens, while Mr. Pook wrote, edited, and provided much moral support}.  Also, India is a seriously neglected corner of the world when it comes to Cthulhu gaming (a few brief sections of Spawn of Azathoth and Tatters of the King aside… and Mysteries of the Raj, a book I’ve not read) so anything set in the subcontinent is going to garner my interest.

  

• Voting for the ENnies is going on now.  Call and Trail of Cthulhu are well represented; give them some love, yes?
• LATE DEVELOPMENT: Shane Ivey is now reporting reception of our psychic emanations!  Behold: “Did I hear that correctly in the whispers the night brought me?”  Keep up the meditative focus people (and people-like entities)!

Hello Albania!

Isn’t he adorable?

Assorted news of a most propitious sort! Take it away Manservant Hecubus!

• As previously mentioned, all the proof-readers have returned their sections of the Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion.  I will have more news once I have heard back from Adam Crossingham about how things are progressing.
• After having someone actually commenting on my page about Massachsuetts graveyards, I have updated my annotated list of sources, including useful books and websites.  Give it a look.  I hope to find the time to visit the remaining graveyards of Worcester County – Royalston, here we come?
• Our psychic efforts to attract the attention of the Unspeakable Oath gang have succeeded!  I  received an email from Shane Ivey… regarding another matter, but still… and he, no doubt feeling the untold psionic pressure of my readership, said that they’d try to get another episode finished soon, by Gencon at the latest.  Huzzah!
• In totally unrelated news, I might have something in the next issue of the Unspeakable Oath.
• Finally, I would like to welcome our first reader from Albania.  Përshëndetje! Na vjen keq për Hoxhën!

 

MoNC proof-reading done

Just a quick note- I have received the final section of the Companion back from our proof-readers.

That now leaves Adam Crossingham to correct the text and for me to finalize the index, table of contents, and fix all the “see page xx” references. We also need to finalize printing issues (and I need to update my contact info for our contributors, of course…)

All that being said, I’m cautiously optimistic we will actually see the Companion unleashed soon…

Unspeakable Oath news, another^2 Kickstarter, and the Hypnotoad

My psychic campaign continues with increasing success!  Shane Ivey recently posted to YSDC that, regarding issue #21 of the TUO:

I couldn’t find a suitable image of Sir Simon Milligan so I figured this Farey-esque Hypnotoad would have to do.

“It’s been held up by one thing or another on my end for ages.  Right now I’m gritting through the also-belated PDF and paperback revision and release of our World War 2 RPG ‘Godlike.’  I expect to be done with that in a couple of days and do a blitz on TUO 21 starting next week. We have a ton of great material for it, ready to roll.”
This is especially happy news for me since I have asubmission that was being considered for #21 that I hope will see print.  In the mean time, mediate upon this graven image of the Hypnotoad ——————————>>>>>>>>>>>>

(Yeah, it would probably be easier just to write to Shane, but this is more fun.

There is yet another Kickstarter I should mention, and, in this case, I’m actually involved with the project, albeit tangentially.  Stone Skin Press (the fiction wing of Pelgrane Press) is raising money to print their first round of books, including Shotguns vs. Cthulhu.  In said book appears a story by Adam Scott Glancy based on my shotgun scenario “Last Things Last“.  It is exciting, and just a little weird, to have one of your scenarios turned into a bit of fiction.  It is especially edifying to have someone whose work I have so much enjoyed found my little scenario so inspirational.

The Dan Harms media empire grows

Stare into this image of Hecubus and mediate on how we need a new episode of the Unspeakable Oath podcast…

Just in time for my (very modest) mention of Cthulhian podcasts comes an interview with Mythos scholar, reptile enthusiast, and Lovecraftian tourist by way of Disinformation.com. In it he talks about his new scholarly edition of The Long Lost Friend (a project for which I provided a minor bit of research), the Cthulhu Mythos, and let’s say his passion for the zither. Give it a listen and increase your skill % in Cthulhu Mythos and Occult.

As for my ongoing psychic campaign to get the Unspeakable Oath gang to create a new episode of their podcast; we’ve had limited success! Someone on YSDC has asked after Issue #21 of the Unspeakable Oath magazine. Close, but no cigar.

Keep up the meditation and chanting everyone.

And then there was one…

Odds and ends on post-fireworks day.

• If someone offers you Rogue’s Bacon Maple Ale… decline.  (Unless you want to know what a house fire tastes like).  Also, if you are choosing a bottle for your brewery, Pepto Bismol pink is not what you are looking for.
• Cookies that contain chocolate chips, M&Ms, quick oats, and peanut butter are delicious.
• We are down to a single section… no wait, just checked my email, we’re down to half a section still due for the Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion.  Soon, my pretties, soon.
• I am starting a campaign of sending psychic vibrations urging the gang at the Unspeakable Oath podcast into making a new episode.  Stare at the bottle of revolting beer and meditate on why they should record a new episode.  I need more to things to listen to while driving.
• Speaking of podcasts, I’m adding a set of links to my favorite CoC related podcast to the sidebar.  Enjoy.