LisaMannetti

Meli Denton Hooker interviews Lisa Mannetti at Dreadful Tales

2012-02-11T10:56:00.001-08:00

Meli came up with some very creative questions and I think we both had a blast doing this interview for Dreadful Tales.

Feature article on Dreadful Tales

2012-02-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

Meli Denton Hooker is featuring women in horror this month and has posted an article about me on Dreadful Tales

Little Miss Zombie: 50 Kindle Horror Books Written By Women

2012-02-09T17:37:00.000-08:00

Little Miss Zombie: 50 Kindle Horror Books Written By Women

Paraphilia by Lisa Mannetti

2012-02-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

My new short story, "Paraphilia" has been published in the anthology, ZIPPERED FLESH, edited by Weldon Burge.

Be a Part of World Book Night!

2012-01-19T15:49:00.000-08:00

World Book Night

Free E copy of Deathwatch!

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Il Posto Nero is giving away free e books (including DEATHWATCH which contains the novella, "Dissolution" which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award)and is offering the chance to win copies of dark favorites like Brian Keene, Stephen King, Richard Laymon and a whole lot more!

Happy Holidays!

"Castello, 985"

2011-11-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

My short story, "Castello, 985" written while I lived in Venice is online at Il Posto Nero. The pictures are fabulous and I'd like to thank Alessandro Manzetti for his translation and for choosing to include it in Arkana.

The photographs he chose to illustrate the story are simply magnificent!!

"Castello, 985"

Robert Dunbar--Witty and Brilliant

2011-11-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

The Demon Stole My Pencil: Robert Dunbar, Author of Willy, Guest Blogs On Writing and the Horror Genre

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:48:00.001-07:00

Review of Bye Bye Sally

2011-09-21T01:57:00.000-07:00

Read Meli's review at Dreadful Tales

A short film based on my story, "Everybody Wins"

2011-09-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Paul Leyden directed the 15 minute movie, Bye Bye Sally, based on my story, "Everybody Wins," and which stars the talented Malin Ackerman. If you look closely, I'm visible for a nano-second at the table with the screaming woman~

Link below.

Creature Feature New Blood Showcase!

Review of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER AND HUCK FINN

2011-08-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

Read J.L. Comeau's review of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER AND HUCK FINN
at Creature Feature in the Tomb.

An analysis of The Haunting of Hill House

2011-08-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

Alessandro Manzetti graciously asked me to dissect Jackson's work in his guest blog series of literary autopsies:

Lisa Mannetti analyzes The Haunting of Hill House

Kindle and Other E-Readers: New Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn

2011-07-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

For a limited time you can purchase The New Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn for only $2.99!

Purchase at Amazon and start reading it in two minutes or less!

The New Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn

2011-07-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

"Huck always said it was a powerful lot of trouble to write a book, and if he’d a known it ahead of time, he wouldn’t a gone through with it. That’s his version of the truth, anyhow. And it’s a lot more work than anyone bargains for when they sit down to write—but you add writin along with me and Huck comin back as twin brothers and the feline familiars of a twenty-first century witch—and you got even more trouble. A whole cauldron-full more. Anyhow, this time I guess it’s me that has got to tell our story."

Now at Amazon....Kindle edition (and other e-reader formats) will be available shortly!

Please note: the YA version will be published later this summer.)
Tie-in website: The Chancery House

The New Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn

2011-05-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

In the novel, Twain's original Tom and Huck have been reincarnated as the feline familiars to a witch. Even though they long to be boys again, they also love having magical powers and being 'adventuresome.' And when Lady Bastet loses her powers, they help her and two werewolves run a haunted Bed and Breakfast called The Chancery House:

www.thechanceryhouse.com

Shadowfall Publications
Publication Date: June 2011

Because Twain can be read and enjoyed by both younger folk and adults, there will actually be two editions of the novel--one for those who don't necessarily need parential guidance, and one for young readers.

This cover is for the adult version:

BEA Signing

2011-05-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Had a blast at the BEA signing and it was great meeting everyone!

Book Expo America

2011-05-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

I will be at the Javits Center in New York on Wednesday, May 25th autographing free copies of DEATHWATCH, which contains the Bram Stoker nominated novella, Dissolution.

Main Autographing room, Table 22, 11 am till noon.

http://searchitfindit.bookexpoamerica.com/

The Dog Ate My Invitation

2011-05-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

Back in April, I came across a nifty little article called “Instantly Improve Your Social Standing!” in one of those chic coffee table magazines my urologist seems so fond of.

According to the author, the uppermost of upper crust society neatly lines up engraved invitations to galas, weddings, private funerals and movie premieres along the mantel piece in their drawing rooms.

The idea being that when visitors drop by, there’s no need to brag—or even mention-- where you’ve been or where you’re going. That discreet parade of small, expensive ivory and white rectangular cards with the raised black ink tells the world you’re somebody.

The piece intimated you may be serving nothing more than dismally weak tea, moldy crumpets and stale gossip, but it doesn’t matter in the least: your guests’ eyes will be riveted on those high class invites. The hottest summons of all--a White-Tie State dinner at The White House—especially when the Queen of England has been invited—is so mesmerizing in fact, that even if you were wearing nothing but a silver sequined g-string while you pole-danced around the legs of the sofa, your visitors would stare at that 3 by 4 inch smidgen of vellum as if they’d just seen a genie miniaturizing the entire District of Columbia and plunking the resultant ceramic landscape right on the shelf over your fireplace. Which, maybe, considering the current state of budget cuts and economic strictures could be happening.

Anyhow, the author very upbeat. There was no need to worry if your “fireplace” was a plug-in made from three pieces of “wood” veneer (glued together with the casualness used in selecting the nearest handy tree limb that typifies lynching parties). Or that the whole shabby contraption surmounted a pitiable heap of ceramic “logs,” that two-year olds find laughable. You have a fireplace, the article urged. You have a mantel just waiting for those high-quality engraved invitations.

I have a fireplace, I thought. I have a mantel just waiting to be graced with high quality invitations. And my social life (never mind my social standing) desperately needed improvement because, painful as it is to admit, I was regularly penciling in non-events on my calendar like Dry cleaning Ready! Lunch in the Office Cafeteria! and Shoprite Can-Can Sale!

I was on fire from the minute I got home. The mantle revamp was going to be hundred times more successful than that wild feng shui binge back in '97 which resulted in keeping the kitchen garbage pail in a corner of my bedroom and, being hit on the head by the mirror I hung over the front door at least once a month.

I ripped through the hall closet and pulled out all the knick-knacks on hiatus, the shopping bag with the last six months mail, the most recent Christmas gifts from my maiden aunts, and dragged the whole mess into the living room.

Two hours later, the mantel sported a selection of imitation Lalique, a crystal vase from the Home Shopping network and one small wooden box—all of it artfully arranged around my cache of invitations: A computer generated 4 by 6 sheet of lime green paper announcing a block party on June 10th, three hush-hush mentions about secret sales events from department stores, and a blue and pink card for a baby shower with a wooden teddy bear glued in the upper left hand corner.

I stood back to look at the effect. It was depressing. There wasn’t anything up there worth kicking to the curb for the Wednesday trash pick up.

Sterner measures were clearly called for.

You can buy invitations sent from The White House on e-bay; unfortunately the cost is almost as high as whatever you would have had to spend in order to do whatever it is you have to do to get yourself on the A-list and actually be invited. Sure, some of those people have donated millions, but don’t you feel in your bones that even the lesser luminaries rounding out the party--like Arnold Palmer or Itzhak Perlman--probably spent a fortune on golf clubs and violins (not to mention greens fees and music lessons) over the years?

I pay taxes, so I called The White House. (And, by the way, do you know they answer the phone “White House?”) It took a few minutes, I had to talk to what seemed like twenty different aides and confidantes, but I finally got hold of the First Lady’s press secretary.

“And you are?”

“Lisa Mannetti.”

“Well, I’m awfully sorry Ms. Minelli—or may I call you Liza?—but you don’t seem to be on the list.

“Look," I told her, " I don't actually want to attend—I haven’t a thing to wear—not to mention I already have plans for May 7th, but couldn’t you just send me the invitation, anyhow? As a memento, a keepsake—you know?”

“The First Lady was very specific about Hollywood guests—”

“Do you mean to say you people think the guy who won the Kentucky Derby is going to provide more interesting dinner conversation than, say, Steven Spielberg?”

We went around like that for a while and then I said, “For God’s sake, the Queen can’t even vote here. I vote.”

She took down my address.

*

Last week a heavy white stock card arrived in the mail with raised lettering that said:

The White House
Thanks you for your Participation.

God Bless America.

I put it right up on the mantel, and I’ve already had three visitors gawking at it. I tell them, it’s unfortunate, but the dog ate the actual invitation to the State Dinner, and they all seem pretty impressed. Two of them have already asked me to Memorial Day barbecues on the strength of my White House connection alone.

I don’t know what the Obamas sent Liza Minelli.

The Dog Ate my Invitation

2011-05-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

Humorous piece, posted on my blog at Port Chester Patch

http://portchester.patch.com/blog_posts/the-dog-ate-my-invitation

Mother's Day Contest!

2011-05-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

In honor of Mother's Day and the...um...shall we say, 'less than stellar' mothers (Anyeta, Regina and Noreen) who populate my books, I'm giving away two signed copies of THE GENTLING BOX and DEATHWATCH in random drawing) of all those who follow/subscribe to my blog. (4 signed copies total)

Also the first ten people who subscribe will be given a free e reader copy (Kindle or Nook or Sony) of their choice of either E-Book. (10 E copies total)

The contest will end tomorrow night at 6PM.

Please contact me to be sure your name is included in the drawing.

Hey, my own mother was a Saint, but I still write wicked.

WILLY by Robert Dunbar

2011-05-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

JL Comeau invited me to review Robert Dunbar's terrific new book WILLY. Read it here:

The Tomb at Creature Features

New Review of Deathwatch

2011-05-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

New Review of Deathwatch:

http://www.destroythebrain.com/2011/05/06/book-review-deathwatch-by-lisa-mannetti/

And many thanks to Melissa Denton--it's not every day I get compared to Stephen King and Shirley Jackson!

The Writing Life: Horror and Humor ~The Devil's Homestead Act~

2011-05-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Devil’s Homestead Act

“Every industry—from publishing houses to pantyhose manufacturers—organizes itself by departments, divisions, specialty areas—whatever you want to call them--each unit focuses on a particular product or market. In the real estate game, we traditionally used types and locations. Brownstones on the Upper East Side; Ski Aspen Vacation Properties; Homes over 5 million in Boca. We have some new ideas to market—not just location and price, but concept. Homes geared to an individual’s penchants and avocations. For example, if you were a horror writer wouldn’t you want to live in a genuine haunted house? Of course you would, and with interest rates plummeting like depression-era stockbrokers from skyscrapers, we can’t miss. And I tell you, some of these concepts—and the houses themselves--they’re going to blow you away.” ~Paula Rand, CEO, World Wide Realty.

Advertisement in NADAA, the National Association for Dark Authors and Artists Newsletter, May 2010

Real Estate: Sales and Rentals

World Wide Realty: Of course you could find a charming little atelier sous les toits de Paris. Or we could find it for you, quicker than you can autograph your latest chapbook. But let’s face it, kids: being an expatriate is passé. And you’re not Hemmingway. Plus you probably cannot afford the Dakota or you wouldn’t have time to read this ad. Does this mean you have to be doomed to four square on a fifth floor walkup? No. Does it mean if you want a house, we’ll bring you to look at a lot of hyped up—but, ultimately, depressing—domiciles in need of thousands of hours of work and thousands of dollars period--and drag your ass all over Greenwich, Connecticut or Westchester, which you also can’t afford (even with all the goddamn foreclosures so don't get me started,) then foist you off on an associate in some hick town in Dutchess County? No and no and no.

You write dark, you want dark.
We got dark.
How dark?
How dark do you want it?

Town Properties

Studio, Upper West Side. Sublet. Former tenants have imprinted the walls of this monastic-looking cell with vibrations of their wretched life experiences. Haunted by alcoholics, wife-beaters, dog kickers and a suicide from 1971. $1200 a month.

Two BR, No View. Small eat-in kitchen, working fire place. East 50th. This one won’t last, get your down payment down. Aside from the usual assortment of misfits (dating back to original owners, renters, etc.) this charm-filled apartment’s curricula vitae includes a mass-murderer whose next residence was on death row. It has been repainted in white to conceal its once blood-stained walls. In fact, since the blood stains keep reappearing, you may be doing a little whitewashing yourself in your spare time. In 1938, Phillip Pentergast murdered his entire family, cut them into pieces and attempted to burn their remains in the working fireplace. After the third go round at roasting failed; and, uncertain how to get rid of the bodies, Pentergast boiled and ate his victims. The place practically screams Jeffrey Dahmer, darlings. Private. Quiet. Access to a small courtyard garden behind the building is through a third floor window and down a drainpipe. Small enough to be cozy, large enough to swing a cat or a cleaver, this pied a terre is the perfect retreat to absorb old evil like fine wine and turn it into productive writing. 360K

Country Living

Poughkeepsie, NY. A real shack in a seedy neighborhood, but oh boy what we found and what a deal. We can’t guarantee you’ll find even more bodies in the basement, and we can’t mention the killer by name, but over time this serial slayer did away with eight slutty but vulnerable women and kept their rotting bodies right in the house. If you can’t get a bestseller out of this one—with the very bones of the dead crying out for their stories to be told—you should find another line of work; maybe as youth counselor at the YMCA or even something less demanding like a lighthouse keeper, because you will not do well even in an ugly job like used car sales. Bank Foreclosure close-out. 112K

Brewster Bargain! It’s a crappy-looking house originally built in 1966 and selling then for the low-end price of $6500, so you already know you’re not getting decent-sized bedrooms, storm windows that go up and down or hardwood floors—much less grown-up type amenities like a Jacuzzi. On the other hand, at today’s market price, its current tag of 278K is a real steal. The lot is a half-acre desperately in need of mowing and landscaping because all the previous owners were too busy dealing with their various mental problems to take care of the yard or the house. To date, the notorious Brewster Raised Ranch has been home to three manic-depressives, four schizophrenics and twelve chronically depressed individuals. Rumors have it that the children of one couple who were forced to use the basement bathroom which only had cold water shower facilities can still be heard whining in the plumbing. Serious arguments often erupt among the families living there and the police have been called on too many occasions to count. Something pervasively evil lurks here and the color schemes of mold gray and shit brown and the dirty non-descript flocked wallpaper covering the foyer, kitchen and hall areas should be a real boon to the serious dark fiction writer.

Around the Nation, Around the World:

Georgetown. This is it kiddies. The big Casino. World Wide is the exclusive agent for—gasp—yes! The original home owned by the original family whose kid was possessed and later “fictionalized” as Regan MacNeil by William Peter Blatty in The Exorcist. Lights flicker. Thumping sounds can still be heard in the attic. Furniture hurls itself across entire rooms and hired help run screaming out the front door never to return. Jesuits have walked and prayed here to no avail, and occasionally occupants report they hear the sound of cassocks lightly brushing the floor of the bedroom where the demon boy puked his last. Frankly, we could get millions for this house from some big name writers who are not only jaded, but whose career slumps practically demand they get their asses kicked, but pride keeps them from realizing their imaginations are dead and this could be their last ticket to a blockbuster. You, on the other hand, even though your visions burn like a Colman lantern, might as well take a stab at catapulting yourself onto the New York Times bestseller list. Don’t think of it as reporting….think of it as enhanced storytelling. Among the unusual features of the house, are a Butler’s Pantry—with handy escape hatch to the garage below, 5 Boarded Over Fireplaces (could be brought into working condition again, but we don’t recommend it, considering you- know-who’s predilection for fire and flames); Kitchen with built-in bolt down lock slots to secure sharp knives and assorted cutlery; 3 to 4 “softwall” (i.e. padded) windowless bedrooms, (the fourth smaller bedroom could used as an office, confessional or sacred space to pray the Mass); and, on every floor including basement, Code Red Direct Telephone line to local Parish Priest. 402K.

Cotley-on-Stokes-Trent-Newbury-by-the-Well, England. Once a private asylum, and later turned over to local magistrates for use as a work house-cum-debtor’s prison, this medium-sized stone fortress is a veritable beggar’s opera of suffering, abuse and despair. The cellar was home to various maniacs and troublesome peasants from the 18th century onward, and the old heavy wooden doorways to the barred cubicles can still be seen along with random scratchings on the floors, walls and ceilings. Few of these carved musings are legible or comprehensible, but there are lots of them.
Moving upwards through the house, the next floor showcases the great room, where criminals, terminally ill folks and the mildly insane mingled freely. Masturbation and fornication abounded in this atmosphere and there were plenty of knife fights, strangulations and bludgeonings thanks to the warder’s policy of slinging in a communal trough of oatmeal during the infrequent mealtimes. Fires on this level were common since the only illumination allowed inmates were a few small dishes that held dirty rags burning in rancid grease. Outbreaks of pox, catarrhs and the like not quelled by raging fires were kept in check by the aid of a system—similar to our modern household central vacuums-- that allowed scalding steam to be sprayed through the entire room in under one minute. This was considered revolutionary in its time, since few contemporary homes in Britain even had running water. The steam—heated to 1200 degrees by large copper kettles housed in an unused portion of a sub-cellar and forced upward to the inmates’ living quarters through pipes—was also used as a method of exterminating lice and other vermin, and further ensured that overcrowding—so typical of substandard facilities like Bedlam—was not part of the day-to-day experience at Cotley’s Motley as it was quaintly called by the locals.
Though considered humane and state of the art for its time, troublemakers--those deemed vicious, lazy or even a little bit “hinky” by the headshrinkers and quacks who ran the place--lived under the constant pressure of knowing that merely on a whim they could be starved, burned, beaten, steam blasted or unceremoniously flung down into the locked iron boxes and foul cages of the cellar where things were really grim. This tended to increase anxiety, tears and riots. It has also been rumored that on occasion bored and/or sullen orderlies conducted lotteries among those who would not sign over their property and lands, and that these unfortunates were chosen for “special treatment” either in the steam room or below stairs in the sauna.
The upper floors of Cotley-near-the-Elms-by-the-Well Manor were reserved for staff, family and visiting dignitaries. And while these environs may not contain the imprints of the colorful house memories that the lower quarters continually exude like a stinking miasma, there were plenty of shenanigans, japery and perversions up there, too. One family diary notes that Dracula was a guest sometime toward the end of the 19th century and stayed in the small tower room on the right.
In short, Cotley is fount of pain and misery and bleakness—as dark a house as you can get in Merry Old England, and practically guaranteed to set your juices flowing, end any creative blocks and give rise to nearly every possible plot situation demanded by your novels, screenplays, stories or your personal life. Indeed, the last tenant, Sir Geoffrey G. Geoffrey Jeffries, Earl of Wandsworth-by-the-Brook, chased three of his illegitimate daughters with an axe up through the attic and out onto the leads where they jumped to their deaths on the flagstones below rather than submit to his incestuous advances. A small fire—long since repaired and hidden so you can hardly see the scars or smell the dirty smoke and soot—ensued shortly afterwards when Sir Geoffrey became further deranged just like the first Mrs. Rochester in Jane Eyre and tried to burn the devil out of Cotley.
A steal for any writer from gothic to gothic romantic to just regular dark and nasty and horrific at a mere 2million £. That’s about four million or so American for you, bub.

For these and other outstanding properties to suit every real estate need call 1-800-Wor-ldwi
Or E mail us at www.worldwiderealtyhauntedpropertiesatasteal.info or fax us or write a letter or give us a shout or consult your local yellow pages. Use your imagination, for Chrissakes, will ya…we’re not exactly hard to find…that’s why we’re called World Wide.

* End of Advertisement*

--LM--
--END--

Richard Laymon Month: Guest Post at Grade Z Horror

2011-04-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

Patrick Bonanni graciously asked me to contribute a guest blog about Richard Laymon:

http://gradezhorror.blogspot.com/

New Interview at Il Posto Nero

2011-04-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

Alessandro Manzetti has interviewed me:

http://postonero.blogspot.com/2011/04/horror-street-interview-with-lisa.html

Article about Bram Stoker Nominations

2011-04-15T18:38:00.001-07:00

http://portchester.patch.com/articles/port-chester-novelist-on-short-list-for-bram-stoker-awards?ncid=M255

Read a short story

2011-04-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

A new horror story, "Castello, 985" on line:

http://www.lisamannetti.com/read_story.htm

Deathwatch available in Paperback!

2011-03-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Deathwatch, Lisa Mannett's critically acclaimed collection which includes the Bram Stoker nominated novella, Dissolution, is now available in paperback. The print version has a frontispiece for each of the tales with wonderfully eerie and evocative artwork, as well as a text separator that encapsulates the themes of both novellas.

Available at Amazon and other online retailers.

New Review of Deathwatch

2011-03-21T13:03:00.001-07:00

Nick Cato reviews DEATHWATCH~

http://nickcato.blogspot.com/2011/03/great-late-night-read.html

New Video Book Trailer for DEATHWATCH by Lisa Mannetti

2011-03-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

Dissolution, the opening novella in the collection, has been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in the Long Fiction category.

Bram Stoker Finalists

2011-02-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

Congrats to all and am thrilled to announce that I have received two nominations!

Superior Achievement in a NOVEL

HORNS by Joe Hill (William Morrow)

ROT AND RUIN by Jonathan Maberry (Simon & Schuster)

DEAD LOVE by Linda Watanabe McFerrin (Stone Bridge Press)

APOCALYPSE OF THE DEAD by Joe McKinney (Pinnacle)

DWELLER by Jeff Strand (Leisure/Dark Regions Press)

A DARK MATTER by Peter Straub (DoubleDay)

Superior Achievement in a FIRST NOVEL

BLACK AND ORANGE by Benjamin Kane Ethridge (Bad Moon Books)

A BOOK OF TONGUES by Gemma Files (Chizine Publications)

CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES by Lisa Morton (Gray Friar Press)

SPELLBENT by Lucy Snyder (Del Rey)

Superior Achievement in LONG FICTION

THE PAINTED DARKNESS by Brian James Freeman (Cemetery Dance)

DISSOLUTION by Lisa Mannetti (Deathwatch)

MONSTERS AMONG US by Kirstyn McDermott (Macabre: A Journey through Australia’s Darkest Fears)

THE SAMHANACH by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books)

INVISIBLE FENCES by Norman Prentiss (Cemetery Dance)

Superior Achievement in SHORT FICTION

RETURN TO MARIABRONN by Gary Braunbeck (Haunted Legends)

THE FOLDING MAN by Joe R. Lansdale (Haunted Legends)

1925: A FALL RIVER HALLOWEEN by Lisa Mannetti (Shroud Magazine #10)

IN THE MIDDLE OF POPLAR STREET by Nate Southard (Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology)

FINAL DRAFT by Mark W. Worthen (Horror Library IV)

Superior Achievement in an ANTHOLOGY

DARK FAITH edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon (Apex Publications)

HORROR LIBRARY IV edited by R.J. Cavender and, Boyd E. Harris (Cutting Block Press)

MACABRE: A JOURNEY THROUGH AUSTRALIA’S DARKEST FEARS edited by Angela Challis and Marty Young (Brimstone Press)

HAUNTED LEGENDS edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas (Tor)

THE NEW DEAD edited by Christopher Golden (St. Martin's Griffin)

Superior Achievement in a COLLECTION

OCCULTATION by Laird Barron (Night Shade Books)

BLOOD AND GRISTLE by Michael Louis Calvillo (Bad Moon Books)

FULL DARK, NO STARS by Stephen King (Simon and Schuster)

THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY by Stephen Graham Jones (Prime Books)

A HOST OF SHADOWS by Harry Shannon (Dark Regions Press)

Superior Achievement in NONFICTION

TO EACH THEIR DARKNESS by Gary A. Braunbeck (Apex Publications)

THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE HUMAN RACE by Thomas Ligotti (Hippocampus Press)

WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE by Jonathan Maberry and Janice Gable Bashman (Citadel)

LISTEN TO THE ECHOES: THE RAY BRADBURY INTERVIEWS by Sam Weller (Melville House Publications)

Superior Achievement in a POETRY collection

DARK MATTERS by Bruce Boston (Bad Moon Books)

WILD HUNT OF THE STARS by Ann K. Schwader (Sam's Dot)

DIARY OF A GENTLEMAN DIABOLIST by Robin Spriggs (Anomalous Books)

VICIOUS ROMANTIC by Wrath James White (Bandersnatch Books)

New Profile

2011-02-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

Horror Bound Online has done a profile of me.

It's something of a tie-in to my short story, "Spy Glass Hill," which is now in print (and PDF) in
FEAR OF THE DARK ANTHOLOGY.

"Spy Glass Hill"

2011-02-24T17:28:00.000-08:00

My short story, "Spy Glass Hill" is now available in FEAR OF THE DARK ANTHOLOGY!

Order the anthology with works by authors Paul Kane, Christopher Fowler, Brian Mazur and more here

New Interview

2011-02-15T08:35:00.001-08:00

A new interview at Little Miss Zombie Blog Spot who is celebrating February as Women in Horror month.

Loverly!

2011-02-03T18:03:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Gef Fox for including me in his list of his five favorite women horror writers!

http://waggingthefox.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-five-favorite-women-in-horror.html

Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot

2011-02-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

I received a lovely note from the HWA compiler explaining that my collection, DEATHWATCH, is ineligible because it contains only two novellas (they're companion pieces) and in order to qualify, a collection has to have three works.

However, I'm thrilled my short story, "1925: A Fall River Halloween," and my novella, Dissolution (actually published in DEATHWATCH) are both on the preliminary ballot.

Congrats to everyone!

Here's the link:

http://www.horror.org/news-2010stokerprelim.htm

Preliminary Ballot Bram Stoker Awards

2011-01-16T17:17:00.000-08:00

Some good news. Jeannie Eddy (she's Mark Worthen's--the HWA compiler's wife)
just called me to let me know that "1925: A Fall River Halloween" (published in Shroud Magazine #10) made
it to the next level and is on the preliminary ballot in the Bram Stoker Award process.
More good news: Also on the preliminary ballot: my collection, DEATHWATCH, and one of my novellas, "Dissolution."

Deathwatch by Lisa Mannetti, Shadowfall Publications, Dec 2010

New Review of DEATHWATCH at Wag the Fox

2011-01-07T13:39:00.001-08:00

New Review of Deathwatch: http://waggingthefox.blogspot.com/

New Review of DEATHWATCH

2011-01-02T23:07:00.000-08:00

A new review of DEATHWATCH at Paperback Horror: http://www.paperbackhorror.com/2011/01/deathwatch-by-lisa-mannetti.html

Deathwatch named to Top 10 List

2011-01-01T18:31:00.001-08:00

Deathwatch, my collection of two novellas, has been named one of the top 10 books of 2010:

http://www.countgore.com/gore/library.htm

Port Chester Patch follow-up article: Deathwatch

2010-12-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

Talk about pleasant surprises!!

http://portchester.patch.com/articles/holiday-horror-port-chester-novelist-releases-new-novellas

New Review of Deathwatch

2010-12-25T17:49:00.001-08:00

A new review of DEATHWATCH has been posted: www.countgore.com/gore/tomb.htm

I know a little secret....

2010-12-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

Just got the word that my awesome publisher, Shadowfall Publications, will be doing another book trailer video for my collection, DEATHWATCH.

They did an incredible job for the new edition of THE GENTLING BOX, so I can hardly wait to see it!

Should be online next week!

Here's the trailer currently up and running:

Deathwatch, a new collection of two novellas on Amazon!

2010-12-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

DEATHWATCH, a collection of two novellas by Lisa Mannetti

Shadowfall Publications
December 17th, 2010

Both novellas focus thematically on broken childhoods and are set in the 19th century; and the total word count is around 50,000.

In the first work, Dissolution, Stuart Granville is a would-be medical student from the South who's been sent down for drinking and believes he's heading north to Hyde Park, New York to tutor twin girls. Instead, he discovers that his charges, Abby and Eleanor, not only have never been to school of any kind, but that they are Siamese twins their father, a doctor with grandiose dreams, means to separate surgically, taking advantage of Stuart's expertise and his vulnerability--as well as the supernatural forces at work in the house itself.

In The Sheila Na Gig, Tom Smith is on a ship in steerage and bound for New York from his native Ireland after facing down the the constraints imposed by his family, overcoming the loss of his first love, circumventing his grandmother's wiles and occult knowledge, and trying to save his younger, mentally challenged sister, Delia, from both witchcraft and sexual abuse.

Guest Post

2010-11-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1359363252

Interview in Local Newspaper

2010-11-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Interview in local paper:

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1550542947

Guest Post by Lisa Mannetti: My Favorite Night Terrors

2010-10-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

Guest Post by Lisa Mannetti: My Favorite Night Terrors

The Gentling Box on Kindle

2010-10-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

Whether you have a Kindle or any other type of E reader or, if you prefer to read on your computer, you can download
THE GENTLING BOX and enjoy it!

My Favorite Story this Week

2010-10-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine told me that when her son was in Montessori school his teacher described
the time he got into a spirited discussion with the other students who were talking about
different types of vegetarians.

One boy said he was the kind of vegetarian that ate eggs.

A little girl said she was the kind of vegetarian that ate cheese.

Another kid said he was the kind of vegetarian that ate fish.

Her son, age three at the time, said "I'm the kind of vegetarian that eats bacon."

I knew I liked that boy the minute I met him.

New Trailer for THE GENTLING BOX

2010-10-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

I'm stunned. Floored. Enormously grateful.

Shadowfall Publications has created an incredible book trailer for The Gentling Box:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeBiZmebPiY&feature=player_embedded

New Edition of The Gentling Box

2010-08-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

--A new edition of THE GENTLING BOX in both trade paperback and all E Book formats will be published September 30th by Shadowfall Publications.

The cover art is by Glenn Chadbourne.
New Introduction by New York Times Best-Selling Author Heather Graham.

Pre-Orders available at http://www.shadowfallpublications.com/
ISBN: 978-1-936457-00-7

Pre-Order now and receive a free copy of the E book edition in the format of your choice!

http://www.shadowfallpublications.com/

Legends of the Mountain State IV edited by Michael Knost

2010-08-11T13:21:00.001-07:00

Pre-orders now being accepted!
Includes my short story, "Condemned."

http://michaelknost.blogspot.com/2010/08/pre-orders-for-legends-of-mountain.html

Beach Boys

2010-08-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today's book of the day at Ravenous Romance is Beach Boys edited by Sephera Giron.
It's gay erotica. My story, "It's Magic," a paranormal encounter opens the anthology and is excerpted. It's an e book, but you can also buy it as a paperback from Amazon.

BEACH BOYS

BEACH BOYS (trade paper back at Amazon)

Happy summer reading!

Review of 51 Fiendish Ways

2010-06-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Check out this review of 51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover at Horror World (Scroll down on the page to read the review!)

http://www.horrorworld.org/may_2010.htm

Review of Dead Set, Zombie anthology edited by Michelle McCrary and Joe McKinney

2010-05-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

Review can be found here: http://dollarbinhorror.blogspot.com/

Shroud Magazine, Issue number 8

2010-05-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Kevin Lucia interviewed me for this issue of Shroud Magazine:

http://www.amazon.com/Shroud-Quarterly-Journal-Dark-Fiction/dp/0981989489/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273156266&sr=8-3

Review of Dead Set by J.L. Comeau

2010-04-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

A review of Dead Set, edited by Michelle McCrary and Joe McKinney online here:

http://www.countgore.com/gore/tomb.htm

Take Action for the Center for Biological Diversity

2010-04-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

Take Action for the Center for Biological Diversity

Dead Set now at Amazon!

2010-04-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

DEAD SET (from 23 House), a zombie anthology edited by Joe McKinney and Michelle McCrary which features my short story, "Resurgam," along with tons of other terrific stories is now available at Amazon!

Table of Contents:

“Resurgam” by Lisa Mannetti
“Jailbreak” by Steven W. Booth and Harry Shannon
“Recess” by Rob Fox
“Biting the Hand that Feeds You” by Calie Voorhis
“Judgment” by Stephanie Kincaid
“Hatfield the Usurper” by Matt Louis
“Ruminations from Tri-Omega House” by David Dunwoody
“Zombies on a Plane” by Bev Vincent
“Category Five” by Richard Jeter
“Survivors” by Joe McKinney
“Pierre and Remy Hatch a Plan” by Michelle McCrary
“Recovery” by Boyd E. Harris
“In the Middle of Poplar Street” by Nate Southard
“Seminar Z” by J.L. Comeau
“Only Nibble” by Bob Nailor
“Inside Where It’s Warm” by Lee Thomas
“Survivor Talk” by Mitchel Whitington
“The Zombie Whisperer” by Steven Wedel
“Good Neighbor Sam” by Mark Onspaugh
“That Which Survives” by Morgan Ashe

Proceeds from sales are being donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

New Review of 51 WAYS

2010-04-03T12:51:00.001-07:00

There's a new review of 51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover online:

http://www.countgore.com/gore/tomb.htm

Unbound!: 51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover - Lisa Mannetti

2010-03-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Unbound!: 51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover - Lisa Mannetti

New Review of 51 WAYS

2010-03-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

A new review for 51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover is up:

http://hagelrat.blogspot.com/2010/03/51-fiendish-ways-to-leave-your-lover.html

51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover by Lisa Mannetti and Illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne

2010-03-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Now available at Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982154690/ref=cm_cd_asin_lnk

51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover--Signed Copies

2010-02-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

To get a signed copy, pre-order from Horror Mall while there's still time:

https://www.horror-mall.com/badmoonbks/product.php?productid=20380&cat=0&page=1

Praise for 51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover:

“Macabre and raucous, tempered with the outré, the grotesque, and the hilarious, Mannetti and Chadbourne have commingled their unique skills to produce an unforgettable Gorey-esque wonderworld that continues to fascinate no matter how often you delve into it. It’s the genre’s ultimate coffee-table tome as well as a wicked showcase of dark entertainment.”
--Edward Lee, author of BLACK TRAIN and HEADER

***

“Deliciously macabre! A must read for anyone who’s had a bad break-up
and needs to resist the urge to boil a bunny!”
--Hal Bodner, author of THE BITE CLUB

***

“What a marvelous blend of humor and horror, offering several ways to end a relationship that Paul Simon never thought of.”
--Rick Hautala, author of UNBROKEN and THE WILDMAN

***

“Mannetti's latest reveals not only her acerbic wit, but her mordantly ebullient personality. This one is a keeper!”
--Tom Monteleone, author of M.A.F.I.A. and SERPENTINE

***

“Do you like sick, bitter, twisted humor? Boy, have I got a book for you—51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover is hilariously frightful and frightfully hilarious!”
--Robert Dunbar, author of MARTYRS & MONSTERS

Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbGjDkYaSAI#watch-main-area

DEAD SET

2010-02-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to co-editor, Joe McKinney, here's a sneak peek at the line-up in DEAD SET:

“Resurgam” by Lisa Mannetti

“Jailbreak” by Steven W. Booth and Harry Shannon

“Recess” by Rob Fox

“Biting the Hand that Feeds You” by Calie Voorhis

“Judgment” by Stephanie Kincaid

“Hatfield the Usurper” by Matt Louis

“Ruminations from Tri-Omega House” by David Dunwoody

“Zombies on a Plane” by Bev Vincent

“Category Five” by Richard Jeter

“Survivors” by Joe McKinney

“Pierre and Remy Hatch a Plan” by Michelle McCrary

“Recovery” by Boyd E. Harris

“In the Middle of Poplar Street” by Nate Southard

“Seminar Z” by J.L. Comeau

“Only Nibble” by Bob Nailor

“Inside Where It’s Warm” by Lee Thomas

“Survivor Talk” by Mitchel Whitington

“The Zombie Whisperer” by Steven Wedel

“Good Neighbor Sam” by Mark Onspaugh

“That Which Survives” by Morgan Ashe

For now, McKinney says, "you can pre-order the book from 23 House Publishing at a reduced price. When the book drops in April, 2010, it’ll be available through Amazon and most chain book stores."

You can also watch a really cool video trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFjy5Ya8qgs

51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover--Book Trailer

2010-02-08T04:51:00.000-08:00

Catch the book trailer on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbGjDkYaSAI#watch-main-area

Pre-Order 51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover

2010-02-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

Pre-orders are being accepted for my macabre gag book, 51 Fiendish Ways to Leave Your Lover, illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne with an introduction by P.D. Cacek.

Advance Praise:

“Macabre and raucous, tempered with the outré, the grotesque, and the hilarious, Mannetti and Chadbourne have commingled their unique skills to produce an unforgettable Gorey-esque wonderworld that continues to fascinate no matter how often you delve into it. It’s the genre’s ultimate coffee-table tome as well as a wicked showcase of dark entertainment.”
--Edward Lee, author of BLACK TRAIN and HEADER

“Deliciously macabre! A must read for anyone who’s had a bad break-up
and needs to resist the urge to boil a bunny!”
--Hal Bodner, author of THE BITE CLUB

“What a marvelous blend of humor and horror, offering several ways to end a relationship that Paul Simon never thought of.”
--Rick Hautala, author of UNBROKEN and THE WILDMAN

      Bad Moon Books, mid-February 2010

                                               http://horrorgy.com/badmoonbooks/

Short Story

2010-02-02T16:03:00.001-08:00

My short story, "Resurgam" will be published in DEAD SET, an anthology edited by Joe McKinney and Michelle McCrary http://www.23house.com/

Book Chat Thursday January 28th

2010-01-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

I'll be live on Evil Editor's book chat on Thursday, January 28th at 6 PM.

http://evileditor.blogspot.com/

Here are instructions for participating:

At the bottom of the post it'll say "0 comments." Click there and you're in. Type your comment in the box at the right, then click publish. Everyone's comments appear on the left side of the page. Unlike a chatroom, you have to refresh the page to see the most recent comments.

Hope to see you there!

Shroud Magazine's Top 20

2010-01-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled that THE GENTLING BOX was chosen for Shroud Magazine's 20 recommended books for 2009:

http://networkedblogs.com/p22570281

New Interview, new review

2009-12-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

My thanks to Kevin Lucia at Shroud magazine for the following interview and review:

Interview: http://shroudmagazinebookreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/interview-with-lisa-mannetti-author-of_04.html

Review: http://shroudmagazinebookreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/gentling-box-dark-hart-press-by-lisa.html

More at Shroud Magazine Review Bookstore: http://astore.amazon.com/shroupubli-20/detail/0978731891

Resurgam

2009-11-21T22:02:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a zombie short story for an anthology edited by Joe McKinney and ran across two fascinating books which harmonized perfectly with the background and story involving 19th c. grave robbers.
I already had part of the story completed and decided to hunt around the Internet for some interesting facts (did you know that to foil grave robbers iron contraptions called mort safes were used?) and I ran across these two books which happily arrived today from Amazon. I love research and the richness it can add to a piece. I just read that for a time, executed criminals were often used for dissection and became a part of their punishment. When that law was changed, the poverty stricken could contemplate where they'd end up. Now that's horrific--and imagine (in a time before people willingly donated their organs) how terrifying that thought must have been to them.

Dissection:

Cranioklepty:

And now available at Amazon

2009-11-20T04:47:00.000-08:00

My short story, "It's Magic," which is part of the anthology, Beach Boys: Erotic Encounters edited by Sephera Giron is now available in paperback at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Boys-Anthology-Erotic-Encounters/dp/1607778459/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258721031&sr=8-7

New Short Story

2009-09-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

My latest short story, "It's Magic" in the anthology, BEACH BOYS edited by Sephera Giron has just been released; the antho is the book of the day at Ravenous Romance.

It's a dark piece about a magician's assistant on a cruise ship.

http://www.ravenousromance.com/m/m/beach-boys-an-anthology-of-erotic-encounters-with-the-gay-boys.php

Two part interview online

2009-08-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

A two-part interview beginning today is online here:

Helluo librorum - http://frohock.wordpress.com/

Great News!

2009-07-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to announce that Cargo Cult Press is going to publish my novella, Deathwatch. It's scheduled to be released during spring/summer 2010.

Bram Stoker Awards 2009

2009-06-27T18:15:00.001-07:00

Standing left to right: Chad Helder, Vince Liaguno, Lisa Morton, F. Paul Wilson,
Lisa Mannetti, Larry Roberts, Sephera Giron, John R. Little

Here are the winners of this years Bram Stoker Awards, presented by the Horror Writers Association…

NOVEL: THE DUMA KEY by Stephen King
FIRST NOVEL: THE GENTLING BOX by Lisa Mannetti
LONG FICTION: MIRANDA by John R. Little
SHORT FICTION: “The Lost” by Sarah Langan
FICTION COLLECTION: JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King
ANTHOLOGY: UNSPEAKABLE HORROR edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder
NONFICTION: A HALLOWE’EN ANTHOLOGY by Lisa Morton
POETRY COLLECTION: THE NIGHTMARE COLLECTION by Bruce Boston
HWA also presented its annual Lifetime Achievement Awards to F. Paul Wilson and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
The Specialty Press Award went to Larry Roberts of Bloodletting Press.
The Silver Hammer Award, for outstanding service to HWA, was voted by the organization’s board of trustees to Sephera Giron.
The President’s Richard Laymon Service Award was given to John R. Little.

I am more honored than I can say!!