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Shock Totem #10 (Jan 2016)
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Recent Posts
- The State of Shock Totem Publications, or We Are Not ChiZine Publications
- Closing for Submissions
- Shock Totem Returns!
- Apex Publications Acquires Shock Totem Book Line
- The Head, the Tail, the Whole Damn Thing: Musings on Jaws, Part 8
- The Head, the Tail, the Whole Damn Thing: Musings on Jaws, Part 7
- The Head, the Tail, the Whole Damn Thing: Musings on Jaws, Part 6
- The Head, the Tail, the Whole Damn Thing: Musings on Jaws, Part 5
- The Head, the Tail, the Whole Damn Thing: Musings on Jaws, Part 4
- The Head, the Tail, the Whole Damn Thing: Musings on Jaws, Part 3
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Author Archives: K. Allen Wood
The State of Shock Totem Publications, or We Are Not ChiZine Publications
In recent days, many in the small press have banded together in support of Ed Kurtz and others who were mistreated by those running ChiZine Publications and some of its authors. I have never had any interaction with ChiZine or its owners, but all of us here at Shock Totem Publications stand in support of any author abused by unprofessional publishers.
Sadly, through the various and many discussions across social media, one person in particular tossed Shock Totem into the fray, particularly to assail my character.
I have been very open about my mistakes as a publisher. I regret them. I publicly detailed all of it here, here, and here.
“At some point in the past year, I stepped back and realized I was slowly but surely becoming a bad publisher.”
I said that and more. There’s no need to go over it all again. There are no smoke and mirrors here.
To further add to that, there have been delays with Shock Totem 11. Life is different for me now. I no longer work third shift from home; I work day shift in the office, and I have an hour commute each way. One of my kids is now in kindergarten, the other is in preschool, and I have to drop both of them off before I head into work. My father is dying, and for the past year I have been taking care of him. If you’ve been paying attention to my Facebook feed, you know I do a lot of fishing and traveling on the weekends. All of these things and more—life has changed for others on staff as well—has dramatically slowed the Shock Totem train compared to our early days. This new issue has taught me some lessons, knowledge which will be used to alter and improve the process for future issues.
I am human, I have made mistakes, and I have owned up to them and righted my wrongs as best I could, as detailed in the posts I linked above. I won’t repeat what vile lies this person has spread about me. I have interacted with countless people in the eleven years Shock Totem has been in existence, and while I am certain not everyone—staff and authors alike—has liked me or agreed with me at times, I am equally certain you will find no one in or outside the small press who agrees with this person.
Shock Totem Publications is not ChiZine Publications. I am not the monster this person describes.
The next issue of Shock Totem is about to drop, and that is far more important. We have eleven fantastic stories from eleven equally great authors, and I’m hoping we can focus on that instead of all the drama and lies.

Cover art by Mikio Murakami.
Closing for Submissions
Heads up! We will be closing for submissions on January 15.
Though our reading period runs through May, the response to our reopening has been overwhelmingly greater than anticipated. We’re nearing 600 unread submissions, and we’ve already gone through hundreds. As such, we’re going to close the door on submissions early so we can work through all that we have in the queue. Once we clear it all out, if we still need stories for our next issue, we will reopen.

Cover art by Mikio Murakami.
So if you have something to send us, send it soon!
Thanks for understanding.
Posted in Shock Totem News
3 Comments
Shock Totem Returns!
Last week, on Halloween, to the surprise of many, we announced the return of Shock Totem magazine after a relatively long hiatus.
When I put the magazine on hold a few years ago, I was certain we’d return someday. The amount of time and work it took to produce the magazine had become something I couldn’t continue to manage at that time, but I was committed to bringing it back. And though the magazine was on hold, we forged on with the book line, releasing Michael Wehunt’s outstanding Greener Pastures, which quickly became our bestselling book, and had future releases by Kristie DeMeester (Everything That’s Underneath) and Kirk Jones (Aetherchrist) on deck and pretty much ready to go.
Then things changed…
In a nutshell, at some point I realized that, despite my best efforts, I had become incapable of performing the duties required to be the honest, respectable, hardworking publisher I once was—or hoped I was. And that led to my dissolving our book line, which effectively laid Shock Totem Publications to rest.
That hurt. Especially since it was my fault. I killed something I love dearly.
Then things changed again…
On February 23, 2017, a little over a month after transferring most of our books to Apex Publications, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, from which, it became clear, I’d been suffering for years.
But all of a sudden, after I got over the initial fear of dying and losing everything, there were potential answers to the massive questions that had been casting shadows over my life. A few months later, with a new diet and my health on track, all those questions had been answered. I was no longer constantly tired and moody, I was motivated, positive, my mental game was on point, I was sleeping through the night. All of the things that I had previously attributed to simple parental exhaustion, work, burnout, and so forth, had become non-factors. I had been sick all along, and I didn’t know it.
Nearly two years have passed since that day. I am no longer on any diabetes medication—metformin, Invokana, insulin, etc.—and my blood sugar levels remain in the normal range thanks to a new diet and a greater understanding of nutrition and my overall health. I could certainly lose some more weight, but that’s a much slower process and will come in time. The important thing is, I’m good, I’m ready to roll, I’m committed once again.
Out of respect for our past authors, I will not resurrect our book line.
The magazine, however, is different. I put the magazine on hold when I wasn’t as sick as I would become, and now is the right time to bring it back.
John Boden, who’s been with me from the start, is of course on board, as is my wife, Sarah. Mercedes M. Yardley is back as well, and we brought some fresh blood to the table for this new chapter: Chad Lutzke, who I’m sure you’ve heard of, and Tom and Billie Moran, both of whom ran the outstanding Sideshow Press and Gallows Press before taking a break years ago. Together, we make a fine team, and I hope you’ll agree.
We’ll unleash our eleventh issue in 2019!

Cover art by Mikio Murakami.
If you want to be a part of it, please check out our guidelines here.
Thanks for sticking with us all these years!
Posted in New Releases, Shock Totem News, Video
Tagged Apex Publications, Chad Lutzke, Gallows Press, John Boden, Mercedes M. Yardley, Shock Totem, Shock Totem #11, Shock Totem Magazine, Sideshow Press, Tom Moran
5 Comments
Apex Publications Acquires Shock Totem Book Line

Shock Totem Publications was born in 2008. With the help of John Boden and Nick Contor (and many more in the years to follow), we created Shock Totem magazine, of which there have been a total of thirteen issues to date. Eventually we branched out into books. We produced some great ones, written by equally great authors.
Then my wife and I had kids, and everything changed.
I’ve discussed all of this before, so I won’t bore anyone with the details yet again. The bottom line is, I’ve tried to keep it all together, but certain things have slowly fallen apart despite my best efforts. The reasons are many, but mental exhaustion is the biggest, I think. I have struggled greatly.
At some point in the past year, I stepped back and realized I was slowly but surely becoming a bad publisher. Royalty payments were late; e-mail replies weren’t sent in a timely manner if they were sent at all; promotion was non-existent; and the distance between me, Shock Totem, and our readers was growing. Worst of all, my relationship with our authors—all of whom I respect greatly and consider friends—suffered because I was not present to perform my duties as a responsible publisher.
Because of this, I have put an end to the Shock Totem book line.
Instead of simply dumping all of our authors and leaving them responsible to find a new publisher, I reached out to Jason Sizemore at Apex Publications. I have great respect for Jason and what he’s done with Apex (the original Apex Digest was the biggest inspiration for Shock Totem magazine, after all), and so I asked Jason if he was interested in acquiring our books, a simple transfer of rights (and cover art, illustrations, the whole nine).
Thankfully, he was. And so very soon the following books, including two that were forthcoming from Shock Totem Publications, will have a new home at Apex Publications:
Beautiful Sorrows, by Mercedes M. Yardley
The Wicked, by James Newman
Ugly As Sin, by James Newman
Shine Your Light on Me, by Lee Thompson
Greener Pastures, by Michael Wehunt
Everything That’s Underneath, by Kristi DeMeester
Aetherchrist, by Kirk Jones
Adam Cesare has decided to self-publish Zero Lives Remaining under his own Black T-Shirt Books. John Boden’s Dominoes will remain with Shock Totem.
As much as I regret having to make this decision, I have no doubt Jason and Apex Publications will do right by our authors and present greater opportunities for them in the years to come. They deserve at least that much.
Shock Totem Publications is not dead. We will carry on and focus on one-off limited editions, special projects, and Shock Totem magazine, things I can work on in fits and starts, as time permits. More on that soon…
For now, we sadly say goodbye to some fantastic authors and books.
Posted in Shock Totem News
Tagged Adam Cesare, Apex Publications, James Newman, Jason Sizemore, John Boden, Kirk Jones, Kristi DeMeester, Lee Thompson, Mercedes M. Yardley, Michael Wehunt
1 Comment
Cultographies: They Live
I have long been a fan of D. Harlan Wilson‘s distinct brand of Bizarro. Wildly intellectual yet just goofy enough to keep you on your toes. When I was asked to review his volume of the Cultographies series, I said I would. It’s a total dissection of the 1988 cult classic film, They Live, directed by John Carpenter.
The book did its time in my reading pile until the unfortunate passing of wrestling legend and star of They Live, Roddy Piper. I then withdrew it from the stack and dug in.
This is not a book for everyone. It is a serious essay (a long one at that) about the film’s historical, cultural, and social implications. The politics at play in the film and even in the way it was shot. I found the entire book and the concepts jaw-dropping. Sure, it gets a bit dry, but if you weather through you’ll be amazed. The amount of research that had to be done, the days of watching that fucking movie over and over and over… Wilson is a force to be reckoned with. His writing is sharp and academic, but not alienating in any way. If you’re a fan of the subject matter you can easily gobble the book down in a single sitting.
There are several other films tackled in the Cultographies series, from The Evil Dead and Donnie Darko to Bad Taste and Blade Runner. They are all written by different authors and are available through Wallflower Press.
Posted in Blog, Book Reviews, Reviews
Tagged Bad Taste, Blade Runner, Cultographies, D. Harlan Wilson, Donnie Darko, John Carpenter, Nonfiction, Roddy Piper, Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Evil Dead, They Live, Wallflower Press
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Open for Novel/Novella Submissions
Shock Totem Publications is once again open for novel/novella submissions!
Please read our updated guidelines and submission requirements on our Submittable page prior to uploading your work.
If you have any questions, please e-mail us.
Posted in Shock Totem Digital, Shock Totem News
Tagged Guidelines, novel, Novella, Shock Totem, Shock Totem Publications, Submissions
1 Comment
The One-Hour Flash Fiction Challenge
This Saturday, August 8th, at 8 PM EST, we will once again be hosting our bi-weekly flash fiction challenge. The challenge: You have just one hour to write, edit, and post your story.
This is a “prompted” challenge, meaning your story must be based on the prompt, which will be revealed just before 8 PM. The challenge takes place here on our forum, so you’ll need an account if you want to participate.
The purpose of the challenge is to force you, the writer, to clear your mind of all distractions and write a complete 1,000-word-or-less story within the allotted time. You’ll have to not only write the story, but also edit it, and then post it by 9 PM EST.
For those interested, here are the rules:
Unlike our bi-monthly flash fiction contest, the bi-weekly one-hour flash challenge is just for fun. The challenge will be held every other Saturday, officially beginning at exactly 8 PM EST. There are no prizes! And the rules are simple.
1. All stories should be complete, written and posted within one hour, and can be anywhere from one sentence to 1,000 words in length.
2. You may choose to write your story in any genre.
3. Your story must be built around the restrictions—words, themes, photo prompts, word limits, etc.—provided by the Flashmaster at the beginning of the challenge.
4. Once the participants’ work is posted, the voting and comment session begins and continues until all votes are in. Time limit for voting will be determined on the spot, depending on how many people finish the challenge.
5. The winner becomes Flashmaster and hosts the next contest.
And that’s it. Simple and fun.
Think you can do it? Join the forum and be present this coming Saturday at 8 PM EST. More information can be found on the forum.
Posted in Shock Totem News, Writing Challenges
Tagged Flash Fiction, Flash Fiction Challenge, Forum Events, Shock Totem, The Forum, Writing Challenges
10 Comments