Michael Picco, Author

Review notes from Instagram Reviewer Danielle V. "luna13darke."  I think my favorite comment from her review was "Ho. Lee. Shit." ;-)  

Full disclosure: I hardly ever look at my reviews on Goodreads. It's not a platform that generates a lot of traffic or sales for me, so it tends to get overlooked when I am promoting or reviewing what readers say about my work. Still, it came as a bit of shock to see the low star ratings piling up there.   Independent authors and publishers rely on HONEST (and thoughtful) reviews. Whenever I send out a story or a collection, I ALWAYS mention the  thoughtful  part to the reviewer. EVERYONE has an opinion. But, if you can't justify it (or at least explain how you arrived at that opinion), it's JUST an opinion. Most of these sorts of reviews say more about the reviewer than the work itself. Shrug. Trolls are gonna troll.  I saw a book dedication once that read: "This is not for you." That really resonated with me, and I might just make that a boiler plate dedication for future books that Sisyphus produces. Why? I write because I LOVE to do it! It's challenging an...

When I tell someone that I'm an author, usually the first thing they ask me is: "Have you published anything?"  Of course, the easiest way to check my publishing credentials is  HERE Or, if you prefer the longer way around… Award-Winning Essayist: Odd Fellows and Rebekahs Pilgrimage for Youth (Colorado Winner), 1986. Anode II Publishing: “ The Vampyre’s Last Dawn” (poetry), 1990. Mountain Thought Review: “ The Vampyre’s Last Dawn ” (poetry),  “Perspectives (A Politically-Incorrect Short Story)”, 1992. Western State College: “Nemesis” (playwriting). Performed by WSC Honors Theater Group, 1992 (Directed by Theresa Hicks). Mile High Poetry Society: Olympus : “Charnal Love” (poetry), 1993. CTales Publishing: Fraser: The Disappearance of Michael Pitts (novel, written with Mark Clodi), 2014.  Get it here Bloodshot Books:  Not Your Average Monster Anthology, Vol II . Editor: Pete Kahle. “The Esurient Hyrst” (short story), 2015.  Get it here Wolf Singer Publica...

Some works in progress, posted for your amusement...

I am happy to announce that my short story, "Hey Nonny Ding Dong, Alang, Alang Alang" will appear in Craig Spector's latest anthology, Freedom of Screech (Published by Crossroads Press). The story appears alongside stories from GIANTS in the horror genre including: Chet Williamson, Elizabeth Massie (a two-time Bram Stoker Award Winner), Thomas Monteleone, Richard Christian Matheson, David N. Wilson and a ton of others. I must say that I am thrilled and humbled to be in such revered and talented company.  Of course, the BEST thing for me, personally is the chance to work with my idol , Craig Spector! He's the author who started me down this path, and I am enormously grateful for his advice, direction and inspiration. If you are unfamiliar with Craig, do yourself a favor and pick up either The Light At The End , or The Scream . Not only are the both excellent, but both have given my nightmares for years. Here's his brief but exceptional bio: You ca...

My contributor copies for  Stranded: Lone Survivor Deserted Island Horror Stories   arrived in the mail yesterday!  This anthology from Dark Regions Press, contains my flash fiction short story, "Isle for One?" — which took Fourth Place in their writing contest this last summer!  Considering that there were "over 1,000 entries" in the contest, I consider this a pretty big deal (like in the 99.5 percentile!)!  It's great to be a part of this anthology — especially from such a well-respected publisher. 

I am seriously contemplating writing a second of short stories (put together much like  Scenes From The Carnival Lounge ). This story is definitely a contender for that! Stay tuned, kids!

I was trying to estimate just how many hours I spent putting this collection together. I thought maybe a couple of hundred at first, but then calculated that amount to be only a couple of months! This project took YEARS to complete...many thousands of hours, I suspect. Great to finally have it FINISHED and in hand!

{Author's note: although this story won't find its way into Corpse Honey (I simply do not have the room for it), I was happy with how it turned out, that I just had to share it. I think my regular readers will find it delightfully twisted and macabre. My thanks to Rob Mosher for inspiration and collaboration on the piece. } The ones who screamed the longest were the first ones to die.  Cimarron, the stone mason’s daughter, had been the first to go. Her desperate pleas had changed to cries as the wheel turned. Those cries steadily dissolved into ragged screams as she was lowered down, into the trough. Sebastian could still hear her even after she was plunged under the murky black waters. Even now, days later, he could still hear her gurgling screams as she had thrashed and strained against her lashings. He’d watched her go under that first time. Watched as she had closed her eyes, her tears running down, over her forehead, falling down into the basin. Sebastian remembere...