happy cobra books

A Jello Horse

2009-04-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

My book, A Jello Horse, will be published in May by Publishing Genius Press.

There will very likely be a pinball-related contest to celebrate, and some special hardcover copies as prizes.

This is the cover:

I will be doing a May reading in Ann Arbor. And a June reading with Ryan Boudinot and Joe Meno in Seattle.

TOUGH!

2009-03-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

There is now a Happy Cobra Books website.

Our first ebook is TOUGH! by Matthew Savoca. It contains multiple illustrations by lots of people.

It's really good.

It took forever for me to finish. This is because I am a terrible person. I am sorry.

Young Revolutionaries

2008-08-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

There is a new chapbook. It features Chelsea Martin, Catherine Lacey, and Ellen Kennedy.

It is called Young Revolutionaries. It is very, very good. Blake Butler said:

"Someone told me that Oprah Winfrey, Bjork and the woman that was a woman before she turned into David Foster Wallace were writing a chapbook together. I got really excited and started burning other books cause fuck them. I got a tattoo of what I thought the book would look like on my small intestine and prayed every night for god to hurry. Then I heard about Chelsea Martin, Ellen Kennedy and Catherine Lacey's new chapbook coming out and I was all like fuck that other fucking book. Getting the new tattoo over the old hurt at first, but now at night I never feel afraid."

I sent unbound copies to Catherine Lacey, and she has sewn them together.

I will be sewing and sending copies of it to Chelsea and Ellen next.

I'm printing 50. Most of the copies will go to the authors. They can sell them to you at whatever price they want. The copies I have will be going to Powell's because Kevin Sampsell asked for them. If they make any money, I will be sending it to the authors.

This is a photo of the book, as sewn by Catherine Lacey.

I used Catherine's photo because she has fingers that are more attractive than mine.

Wordle Creation Stories Shirt

2008-06-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

I used Wordle and the text of the reviews I've gotten on Goodreads to make a Creation Stories t-shirt.

Some new stuff

2008-05-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have a 4.20 rating on Goodreads. Please make pot jokes.

I was interviewed by The Elegant Variation. Thanks, Jim.

Ross Simonini asked me a question or two, as well.

Other things in the works: the first print non-me Happy Cobra Book. (Mostly designed.) Hobart interviews with Lydia Millet and Leni Zumas. (They will appear online.) A long interview with Paul La Farge, Jeffrey Brown, Ryan Boudinot, and John Roderick for the Hobart Games Issue. (Subject: teen-age role-playing years.) Essay in The Believer Music issue. Story in the Sycamore Review. Lots of rejection.

Creation Stories

2008-03-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

The copies of Creation Stories for blurbers and the cover artist are done. Some more people have ordered them, too.

So. Yes. It is now available. Write me if you want one, and we'll figure out how to get you one.

Here's a video I made of making it:

The brother

2008-02-28T10:34:00.001-08:00

Here's something. I was out of town when this appeared and just learned about it.

Creation Stories

2007-12-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

Want to download it? Here.

And here's the cover.

***

Also free:

w00t by Bob Ostertag. He's really good.

The First Book!

2007-12-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Cobra Books now has an actual book! Here are images:

It's a very story I wrote called "Stations." It's about pirate radio, and 9/11, and babies.

There is only one copy of this book. It is a gift for my niece, who is too young to read it. Maybe some day she will be old enough.

Regardless, she gets the only copy and there will be no more. How's that for non-profit!

Other projects

2007-10-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

There are a couple. Billy Sauce and Brandon Scott Gorrell might collaborate on a book for me. It will be a downloadable only sort of thing. A pdf file to read on your computer. And maybe something else.

Should I make Creation Stories available that way, too? I will make little hard copies as well, but I don't care if I make any money on it. I don't mind giving it away.

A Question from A Reader

2007-10-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

(Actually, no. I'm asking myself this question.)

Q: God, you're slow. Can we, I don't know, see the cover or something at least?

A: What? Oh. Hi. Ummm. Cover...cover..cover. Book cover. Um. Sure. Yeah. Here it is.

That image is by Joseph Biel. It's hanging in my living room.

this interview is a little e-book

2007-10-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

The first sort of official happy cobra books book is now available. It is an e-book. It's an interview with the writer Victor LaValle conducted by my friend Amy Minton.

Go here and you can download it.

Question

2007-10-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Where's the book?

Sorry. It's designed. I just need to print it. And sew it together. I am trying to figure out how to do all that.

Cobra at Night

2007-09-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is not so much a logo as it is a picture. It's from Kevin O'Cuinn.

Here's his description of the picture:

"I am attaching a picture of a cobra. It lost an eye in an altercation with a lion. The lion later died from horrific injuries suffered as a result of mixing it with the cobra. Dumb cat. The cobra later swallowed the lion whole."

Thanks, Kevin!

Others: send logos, or drawings/paintings/sculptures of cobras to me.

2007-08-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

Coming soon: Creation Stories by Matthew Simmons.

That's me. This is my small press.

I may do other things with the press, too. Comments section open for ideas.

2007-08-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

This is the logo of Happy Cobra Books. I designed it.

Would you also like to design a Happy Cobra Books logo? Go right ahead. Send it to me and I'll make an archive.