The Walking Read or Frankenstein in ABQ

You've heard of the Walking Dead? Well, in a few weeks, we'll have the Walking Read! Storyteller's Anthology, a collection of writing from local and celebrity writers is shuffling out of the ground, hungry for your brains. Thus, I will have a book coming out during National Novel Writing Month, it just won't be mine. Have we created a monster?

A few months ago, I was at a Southwest Writer's meeting when I heard  about how a flood ravaged the building. I was about to say the words "Hey kids, let's put on a show!" like they did in the old movies. After looking around at the possible singing and/or dancing talent in the room where the average age was 60, it hit me."Hey kids let's put out a book!"

In about a week or so, we will! And for all you film people looking for something to film, you actors looking for something to act...well chances are that you will be infected by one of the stories in the book and want to bring that to life as well.

Why do I consider the anthology a monster, that is not quite living, not quite dead? Well, the book is an amalgam of the souls of the various writers. We have some big names like David Morrell, who wrote First Blood, the book that became the basis of Rambo. We have work from Anne Hillerman who wrote the sequel to her father Tony's award winning series of books. We have the nice story about the early days in Albuquerque by that nice lady who sits in the back.

The amount of submissions was so overwhelming that not everything made it in. I have a feeling that the submissions that didn't make it in, are somehow connected psychically to the project. They might not make the 90,000 words, but those words will be there in spirit.

I must admit that I'm not quite Dr. Frankenstein on this one. I would be Dr. Frankenstein's resident physician, or the surgeon general of Transylvania, whatever you want to call it. I came up with the idea, went to a few pep rallies, but Peggy Herrington did the actual editing with the help of some friends.  She will be doing the final selection. One of my stories didn't make it by the way....

Much like putting together Frankenstein, the cutting will be the hardest part. The stitching won't be easy either.

At the meeting this week, it did feel like the peasants had stormed the castle with torches and pitchforks. Members of another writing group came and made an announcement for their anthology. With our project literally on the slab, but before coming to life. The members of the other group said that we were welcome to learn their secrets on how to put out a book. It was all meant well. but those pitchforks prodded us to put the final touches on our book and literally raise the dead!

In a few days, the switch will be thrown, and the book will be available to order through amazon. It's alive! It's alive!