With the Werewolves Way Up in the Mountains, at Owl Pen Books

Photo courtesy of David Surface. I don’t know what the name means, either; although if any bird could write a book, it would have to be an owl, right?

This past Saturday, I drove just about two hours north-northeast to join David Surface and Julia Rust at Owl Pen Books for a Halloween reading. The reading had been set up by the notorious Glen Hirshberg, whose former student is one of the (newish) co-owners of Owl Pen. I was looking forward to seeing Glen in person again for the first time in years; while David and Julia were looking forward to seeing him for the first time in person. Alas, at the last minute, a combination of airline incompetence compounded by illness prevented Glen from crossing the continental divide, leaving the rest of us to do the best we could without him. To a charming crowd, Julia and David gave terrific readings I did my best to live up to. Afterwards, I pressed a tiny guitar into David’s hands and we led the group in a rendition of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” that Julia recorded and you can watch here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=314964317931218

Photo courtesy of Julia Rust. We’re available for parties, witches’ Sabbats, and Walpurgisnacht.

Owl Pen has a terrific (and terrifically affordable) selection of used books. The physical store is open seasonally, which means it’s closed now in preparation for winter. Some of their stock is listed online, but really, if there’s something you’re looking for, shoot them a message, because they just might have it. They have great and exciting plans for the spring, and I’m hoping Glen can convince them to hold a spring ghost story event.

Photo courtesy of David Surface. The bookstore is located inside a former chicken coop. It is much bigger than it appears on the outside. It may be haunted by the ghost of an angry rooster named Big Fitzy.

Also: I know I don’t need to tell you about Glen Hirshberg (though if you haven’t, you should absolutely check out his novel-in-stories, Infinity Dreams, and his most recent collection of ghost stories, Tell Me When I Disappear), but if you haven’t picked up David Surface’s collection, Terrible Things, I heartily suggest you do so. He is a terrific, graceful writer who writes stories that move from eerie to horrifying in a heartbeat. Julia Rust doesn’t have a collection (yet), but once she does, you’re going to want to get your hands on it. In the meantime, take a look at Angel Falls, the novel she and David co-wrote.