THE GOSSAMER EYE Winner of the 2003 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in the Poetry Collection category! THE GOSSAMER EYE is a book of poetry, and some fiction, too, by a new breed of wordsmiths. Mark McLaughlin, Rain Graves and David Niall Wilson-the three authors represented in this collection-write in numerous speculative genres, with an emphasis on horror and dark fantasy. They give readings of their work at conventions and other literary venues, and are active in various national writers' groups. Their fiction often appears in major anthologies, but they haven't forgotten that poetry is an important part of their creative lives. Their writings breathe new life into the world of dark verse. They prove that the poetry of the macabre can be much more than just the silken, sad rustling of purple curtains. They explore many new avenues of expression-with wit, humor, anger, and always, passion. The stories in The Gossamer Eye range from very dark and macabre to humorous and quirky to absolutely bizarre. You'll meet a cross dresser who impersonates Marilyn and his friend Ziggy, a Bowie impersonator; witness "The Fall of the House of Escher"; and be introduced to 13 of Frankenstein's monster's various parts-individually. This is a reading experience unlike any other! So try looking at the night sky through THE GOSSAMER EYE, and you'll see visions and wonders that you never knew existed.
Rain Graves is a Bram Stoker Award (2002) winning poet and writer currently living in San Francisco with one large black cat, and one small white cat. She has been published in the horror fiction and poetry genre since 1997, in various magazines, books, and webzines. She is a retired dance instructor, and former musician.
REVIEWS AND BLURBS
"Bukowski meets Lovecraft in this collection of more than 100 short poems from Stoker-winner Graves (Blood of a Black Bird). She explores a diversity of themes, including love, the search for self and the ubiquity of death in all its forms, from a scorned woman contemplating murder to a flying dinosaur devouring all in its path. Graves' cynical wit and macabre imagination are showcased in "Ladies of the Night," where female barflies are likened to melancholy vampires; the brilliantly allegorical "Unwanted Yellow Flowers," where lawn mowers have "metallic teeth" and dandelions "lay in wait/for the kiss of death"; and "Slick Eddie Dog One-Fifty-One," where a killer describes his victims as matchbooks full of dormant fire. Though there's no real narrative thread of progression to the hodgepodge of dark imagery, horror aficionados will enjoy the wry, nihilistic verse." -- Publishers Weekly, January 19, 2009
"Rain Graves writes really nasty poetry. She is a mistress of creating images that stick, the kind that you cannot get out of your mind--not even using steel wool and a small, extremely sharp knife." -- Neil Gaiman, New York Times Bestselling Author, CORALINE, AMERICAN GODS
"Rain Graves' poetry is, by turns, surreal and very real, grand and romantic as the tango and nasty--even downright gross--as bugs crawling through your bed at night, burrowing through your sleeping bones. She can be funny and spooky and angry and tender and sometimes truly haunting, essaying life's tragedies and joys and triumphs with equal vigor. She's erotic and she's wicked." -- Jack Ketchum, Author, THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, RED
BLURBS FOR THE GOSSAMER EYE
"Rain Graves' work is a delight to read. It easily runs the distance from softly dark to pleasingly perverse. I highly recommend The Gossamer Eye-and everything else she does." --Charlee Jacob, Author of Haunter, This Symbiotic Fascination
"Lush and bloody, Gothic in every sense, the poetry of Rain Graves has a murderously seductive voice." --Poppy Z. Brite, Author of LOST SOULS, DRAWING BLOOD, EXQUISITE CORPSE, LIQOUR
"Rain Graves writes with power, darkness and grace. A strong, new voice in the field of horror fiction and poetry." --Richard Laymon, Author of ISLAND, ALL HALLOW'S EVE, BITE, TO WAKE THE DEAD, ENDLESS NIGHT and more...
"The beauty of Rain Graves' poetry is a guilty pleasure; both passionate and horrific in the same breath." -Barry Hoffman, Author (Leisure books) and Publisher, Gauntlet Press.
"I've seen Rain Graves' short fiction before, but I never knew she was such an accomplished poet. The title poem alone is magnificent. Graves writes about death, matriarchs, and love." --Patrick Swenson, Publisher, Talebones, Summer 2003
"The Gossamer Eye is a unique venture invigorated by three talented writers who have plenty to say and their own individual way of saying it. It's an odd duck of a book, which is part and parcel of its charm. Lovers of dark verse should hope for its commercial success-and should support it by buying a copy. Publisher Stephen Pagel of Meisha Merlin deserves credit for taking a risk on so unusual a book. I can only pray he will be rewarded for his courage by vigorous sales. The folks who buy a copy will have already received their reward." --Garrett Peck, Dark Fluidity
"[The Gossamer Eye] is a collection of mostly poetry, about equally divided among the three authors, with a few short stories sprinkled in. Most of the poems have a fantastic connection, primarily horror. I know many people have difficulty reading poetry, but that shouldn't be the case with these, which in virtually every case contain a discernible narrative. So try this for a collection of creepy, disturbing images wrapped in clever prose." -The [formerly Sci-fi] Chronicle
