Nothing in Mind

Wagner’s 2008 award-winning series “Fiction Clemens” will be re-released in a single collected trade edition on May 31st. Originally published by Ape Entertainment as three double-sized issues, Fic will hit presses just as WOWIO finishes up their 6 part digital release of the book.

“Fiction Clemens” is the psychedelic fable of a cosmic conspiracy to push an old west world into the space age. The trade release will feature a new cover by original artists Joiton and Alejandro Marmontel, and pinups from a variety of artists, including industry favorites, Camilla d’Errico and Chris Moreno. Shadowline virtuoso Tim Daniel will be designing the book.

For more info visit: http://fictionclemens.joshwagner.org/wp/

Wagner’s latest play, “RINGING OUT”, starring Howard Kingston, Ann Peacock, Jennifer Flemming-Lovely, and Ali Tabibnejad comes to the Crystal Theater this January. You can experience the show as a dinner theater on the 17th and 18th or come to the general admission show on the 19th and 20th.

Directed by Rebecca Schaffer, RINGING OUT is a dark comedy about a family of survivalists living in an underground bunker one generation after the end of the world.

General admission for Thursday and Friday shows (Jan 19th and 20th) will run $15 at the door ($10 for students). Tickets can be purchased in advance for a discounted rate at Bridge Pizza or on-line: CLICK HERE.

Tuesday and Wednesday (Jan 17th and 18th) are gala evenings with a three-course meal provided by The Silk Road. Tickets are $75 (gratuity included), and can be purchased at The Silk Road restaurant, or call 406-541-0752.

Wagner’s new novel, SMASHING LAPTOPS is now available to order direct or from Amazon.

David Allan Cates, author of X out of Wonderland calls the book, “A tumbling, unpredictable and hilarious guide for anyone seeking the way back home again.”

And the Missoula Independent hails it as “beautifully written, and true, and filled with serious tenderness… You can see the words of certain passages scrawled in a notebook before they’ve been transcribed. It’s the sort of writing that can only come from experience, given to us raw and unfiltered with a charm that requires only a little prodding to fall for.”

John Nilles of Dashing Gents Productions assembled this promotional video for the book’s release:

A release party will be held Friday November 11th, at Zoo City Apparel (139 E. Main, Missoula, MT) between 7pm and Midnight.

More information at www.smashinglaptops.org or check us out on Facebook.

I’ve got a new novel on the way…. Also, something pretty for you all to see.

The novel is called SMASHING LAPTOPS and officially releases on 11/11/11. There will be more info very soon. Meanwhile, check out The Official Site for more information, and please do LIKE it on the old Facepage if you want.

And now onto the pretty….

Jeremiah Goldson created this beauty for me based on my short story “Allure” which was published over at Lovecraft eZine. Soak in the tentacley badassery!

photo by Melissa Wax

Production is moving along on the DEADWIND SEA Audiobook Project. A big slovenly thank you to director Kate Morris and sound engineer Nate Biehl, as well as the talented cast who shall remain nameless for just a little bit longer until I get a full credits list together. We’re about half way through the recording process and hope to have a final product by the end of summer.

Speaking of final products, the SALEP & SILK video is complete. You can view all three acts in their entirety, in High Definition, for free HERE. In addition, the play will be available in print form by the end of the summer.

In other news, I am honored beyond all reason to announce that I have joined the Montana Actors’ Theater as this season’s “Writer in Residence”. My summer will be filled with play writing. Expect two new productions at the Crystal Theater before the year’s end.

The long awaited release of my fictionalized memoir about Missoula (a novella that will be accompanied by a collection of my short stories and poetry published over the last few years) is slated to release in early September. Stay tuned!!

Meanwhile, I’m finally spending a summer in Montana, so I plan on filling any days not slaving over projects with rivers, woods, and mountains.

Love to you all!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, so in the interest of thwarting time’s drift, I slap down for you this mostly clerical update as a bit of punctuation.

2011 has been a year for horror. After beginning an experimental session watching horror flicks, to catch up on a genre that I never really got into in my youth, I was given the synchronous opportunity to write a horror story of my own. Never having dipped into this style before, I wrote not one but four stories (to practice). Within two months, THREE of these stories have been accepted for publication. The first one released this month through SNM Magazine and won the “Story of the Month” prize. You can read it online by clicking HERE and scrolling down to the bottom of the page. The second story launched on March 1st in a new online journal called “Lovecraft eZine“. You can read the “Allure” for free HERE. The third story is a gothic western and I can’t really say much more about it yet.

The whole series of events took me by surprise. I’ve never been a big horror fan, so perhaps that allows me to bring a new perspective to the genre. Maybe it’s all just a fluke. In any case, it’s working for now, and I’m enjoying the process, so I’ll probably stick with it for a bit and see what else emerges.

Plenty more involving comics, novels, film, and stage in the pipeline, but those details will have to wait for another time. Meanwhile, here’s a generous new review of DEADWIND SEA by fellow writer and former editor at DarkHorse and Oni, Jamie S. Rich. Thank you, Jamie!!

My dear friend and talented artist, William Childress, drew up this smoking hot pic of Syllabus Shivvers–the dark heroine from “Fiction Clemens”.

Go see his art HERE!

To get more of Syllabus, check out Fiction Clemens online HERE.

MONDAY NIGHT IS PREVIEW NIGHT!! Come experience the performance for only $5 (See below)

The raffle has closed. Congratulations to Alex Martinez for winning two free tickets to Salep & Silk.

Tickets are still on sale for the show, but are selling fast. To get yours click HERE or call 406.241.8209 or 406.541.0752

Monday night is Preview Night!! On Monday, September 13th at 7pm the cast will be performing a preview of Salep & Silk. There will be no dinner, but you can see the full play. Tickts will be $5 at the door.

Montana Actor’s Theater and The Silk Road restaurant present “Salep & Silk” a new play by Missoula novelist Josh Wagner (Author of Deadwind Sea and Fiction Clemens). The play explores the lives of two traders traveling along the Silk Road, one from the East and one from the West. Once a year, the two friends meet in the middle to share food, stories, and philosophy.

The menu for this dinner theater production features delicacies designed by Abe Risho, head chef of The Silk Road restaurant. Audiences are able to choose between two menus: the Eastern cuisine (China) or the Western plates (Turkey).

The food intertwines with the plot, as the travelers share their culture and history with each other through these meals passed down from generation to generation, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.

Directed by Rebecca Sporman. Staring Reid Reimers, Ali Tabibnejad, Sarina Hart, and Saquoia Raymond. Costume design by Kara Chandler. Menu designed by Abraham Risho.

For more information click HERE.

Image Comics’ “OUTLAW TERRITORY vol. 2″ featuring a story by Josh Wagner and Jose Jaro is in previews now. If you’re a sucker for gritty westerns, this is the book for you. If not, you can still help out by hobbling on down to your local comic shop and suggest they stock a few copies.

The solicitation shows off the incredible cover art by Nic Klein:

And here is a sample page from Wagner’s story. Virtuoso Jose Jaro is responsible for pencils, inks, and colors.

Wagner’s award-winning comic cult classic, “Fiction Clemens” is finally going digital! You can read the first episode (9 pages) now…. Every few weeks or so we’ll upload a new episode until the entire series is available in ye old interweb pantry, ready to be plucked and pureed upon your pallet. Only at WEvolt.com! Enjoy!!