“For I have always been a seeker, a dreamer, and a ponderer on seeking and dreaming...”
- H.P. Lovecraft
Welcome to the Bizarre Tales site
Bizarre Tales is a catch-all for my creative hobbies, which include reading, writing, painting, the occasional poem. Initially, I created this site to promote my pulp-style stories. After I started creating fantasy oil paintings it became a way to share those as well. So, please, explore the site. Information on stories can be found on the Stories and Coming Next pages. Paintings will be found on the Fantasy Art page and there's usually a Poem somewhere on the homepage.
The Messy Cave
Seriously, it's a mess, much more so than in this photo--which I should update. This is a typical shot, though, of my cluttered office where I often write and paint and store old helmets
News & Items of Note
In this section I capture just a few of the things in which I become involved that might be of interest, and any Bizarre Tales news I deem worthy.
Bizarre Tales is now on Facebook
So Bizarre Tales is a one man show. There is no team updating the BT website, so sometimes it goes awhile between updates. Sometimes quite a while.
However, I am a bit more active on Facebook. If you are, too, shoot me a friend request at ChrisLAdams BizarreTales. But please, only if you are interested in discussing authors we love or Bizarre Tales titles. I don't need any snake oil salesmen.
I'm also active in several Facebook groups, such as For the Love of All Things Edgar Rice Burroughs, The A. Merritt Fan Group, The HPLHS Group, ERBzine by Bill Hillman (Bill's website is a most excellent ERB resource), and others. If you enjoy discussing authors and book collecting, come check out some of these groups.
Look for this Bizarre Tales Banner, and the guy in the helmet holding a Viking sword. If you spot those elements, you're in the right place!
March 2023 ***The Valley of Despair comes to audio!***
Bizarre Tales has teamed with author/narrator William L. Hahn to bring another BT title to audio. The Valley of Despair has reached most retail distribution sites as of this month. The title saw limited audio release back in December but I wished to wait until it had reached most major retailers before announcing.
I have a limited number of Spotify codes available; feel free to ping me from my Contact page for a link to a free copy, or send a message on Facebook to ChrisLAdams BizarreTales. Really, holler at me.
January 2023 Mailed ERB-APA No #156 (the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association) to Bob McGeeney - the ERB-APA Official Editor (OE).
This submission consists of my article, Collecting ERB: 2022 in Review, a look back at the ERB books I added to my collection in 2022. For more about the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, visit the official site on ERB-Zine.com.
Did you know you can purchase back copies of ERB-APA? These fan-produced publications are an amazing source of Edgar Rice Burroughs ephemera. Follow the link to email the OE for more info.
October 2022 Mailed ERB-APA No #155 (the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association) to Bob McGeeney - the ERB-APA Official Editor (OE).
This submission consists of my article, Jetan: The Martian Chess of Edgar Rice Burroughs, an ERB Book Review of the book written by ERB-APA member Fredrik Ekman. For more about the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, visit the official site on ERB-Zine.com.
Did you know you can purchase back copies of ERB-APA? These fan-produced publications are an amazing source of Edgar Rice Burroughs ephemera. Follow the link to email the OE for more info.
July 2022 Mailed ERB-APA No #154 (the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association) to Bob McGeeney - the ERB-APA Official Editor (OE).
This submission consists of my article, Chessmen and Headless Men, based on Burrough's novel, The Chessmen of Mars. For more about the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, visit the official site on ERB-Zine.com.
Did you know you can purchase back copies of ERB-APA? These fan-produced publications are an amazing source of Edgar Rice Burroughs ephemera. Follow the link to email the OE for more info.
April 2022 Mailed ERB-APA No #153 (the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association) to Bob McGeeney - the ERB-APA Official Editor (OE).
This submission consists of my article, A Soldier of Poloda, an ERB Book Review of the novel by Lee Strong. For more about the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, visit the official site on ERB-Zine.com.
Did you know you can purchase back copies of ERB-APA? These fan-produced publications are an amazing source of Edgar Rice Burroughs ephemera. Follow the link to email the OE for more info.
Januray 2022 Mailed ERB-APA No #152 (the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association) to Bob McGeeney - the ERB-APA Official Editor (OE).
This submission consists of my article, Beyond the Farthest Star: Restored Edition, an ERB Book Review of the restored text recently released by ERB Inc. For more about the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, visit the official site on ERB-Zine.com.
Did you know you can purchase back copies of ERB-APA? These fan-produced publications are an amazing source of Edgar Rice Burroughs ephemera. Follow the link to email the OE for more info.
October 2021 Mailed ERB-APA No #151 (note I skipped 150) (the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association) to Bob McGeeney - the ERB-APA Official Editor (OE).
This submission consists of my article, Five Themes to Conquer, a look at five literary themes utilized by Burroughs in his storytelling. For more about the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, visit the official site on ERB-Zine.com.
Did you know you can purchase back copies of ERB-APA? These fan-produced publications are an amazing source of Edgar Rice Burroughs ephemera. Follow the link to email the OE for more info.
August 2021
Back in August of this year Gary Buckingham asked me to paint an image to be used in his new novel, Tarzan and the Lion of Judah.
Click the image to read more on the Fantasy Art page about the project.
April 2021 Mailed ERB-APA No #149 (the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association) to Bob McGeeney - the ERB-APA Official Editor (OE).
This submission consists of my article, Firepower of The Legend of Tarzan, a closer look at the firearms used in the movie. For more about the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, visit the official site on ERB-Zine.com.
Did you know you can purchase back copies of ERB-APA? These fan-produced publications are an amazing source of Edgar Rice Burroughs ephemera. Follow the link to email the OE for more info.
February 2021 The Blonde Goddess of Tikka-Tikka now available in Paperback!
For years, my Bizarre Tales were only available in eBook format. When I released The Hunter and the Sorcerer I made a concerted effort to come out with a bound book edition. This can be more difficult than one might imagine.
With the success of Hunter/Sorcerer, I've gone on to convert the remaining Bizarre Tales titles that can be published in book form.
January 2021 “I have seldom been able to resist the allurement of a bookstore…”
—Clark Ashton Smith, The Hunters from Beyond (1932)
Deuce Richardson of DMR Books Blog asked me for an article to mark the birthday of Clark Ashton Smith. CAS is one of my favorite authors and one I collect, so I couldn't resist.
Click the image to check out the article.
January 2021 Mailed ERB-APA No #148 (the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association) to Bob McGeeney - the ERB-APA Official Editor (OE).
This submission consists of my short story, Tarzan and the Saboteur, a sequel to ERB-APA 141's Tarzan and the Forest of Stone. For more about the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, visit the official site on ERB-Zine.com.
Did you know you can purchase back copies of ERB-APA? These fan-produced publications are an amazing source of Edgar Rice Burroughs ephemera. Follow the link to email the OE for more info.
December 2020 *** New Bizarre Tales Release! ***
This novel has literally taken me years to finish because of interruptions. I've paused so many times to write and paint other things that I can't recall now what brought about all of these cessations regarding The Banshee of the Atacama . . . Volume 2 in The Tales of the Tomahawk series. But at long last, it is available, and I'm quite proud of it. Banshee is available in both eBook and paperback editions on Amazon.
Tales of the Tomahawk Vol II
He had the heart of a Viking and the spirit of an Arapaho warrior...
After being evicted from his parents' village Ansen Grost ends up in a small coastal town in the Shetlands. In the aftermath of a dust-up in the pub where he is staying, Ansen is befriended by an old man who--once he sees the Norseman fight--offers him an interesting job.
To make it tempting, the pay is better than just right and down-on-his-luck Ansen can hardly refuse. After all, a guy has to earn a living, and fighting cosmic entities and supernatural bad guys don't put ale in a glass or food in a belly.
But this job involves finding a Scottish lass lost in Peru. And she's not like other girls. This one has a centuries-old banshee as a familiar who can be slightly over-protective.
This might get hairy.
October 2020 Mailed the 50 requisite copies for ERB-APA No 147 (the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association) to Bob McGeeney - the ERB-APA Official Editor (OE).
This submission consists of my article ECOF: Fort Atkinson, WI
2020, the historic pandemic ECOF with only 12 attendees. For more about the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, visit the official site on ERB-Zine.com.
Did you know you can purchase back copies of ERB-APA? These fan-produced publications are an amazing source of Edgar Rice Burroughs ephemera. Follow the link to email the OE for more info.
Poem of the Day/Week/Whenever
The Divergent
I think in shades of dreams –
not shades of blacks and whites,
nor shades of reds and greens
Imaginings fill my day –
where yours is filled with toil,
mine is filled with play
Time does not exist for me –
Where you bow to the mighty hour,
I'm never late, because I’m free
I'm not bound to this Earth –
Where your life is filled with gloom,
mine is filled with mirth
