September 15, 2008

Married!

I am happy to announce that Nicole and I were married yesterday in a wonderful handfasting ceremony.  The rain stopped long before the ceremony and we surprisingly had clear skies for the event despite the original warnings of scattered thunderstorms – not that a thunderstorm at a castle on a mountain would be a bad thing.  We actually had a great view of a mountain called Storm King and as its name suggests, it would have boasted a most interesting view had storms rolled in!

If you are ever considering a wedding in the Hudson Valley, consider Osborn Castle (“Cat Rock”) - http://www.osborncastle.com.  The staff really helped make the event go smoothly and were great – the type of people you end up considering as much a guest as a host. The site is very cool too.  Hopefully someone of our photographers took shots of the site.

(Photos will be made available as they come in and we get them organized.)

In the mean time I did want to make one apology since it was bugging me quite a bit.  The location we chose was perfect in all regards except for capacity so when we made our master list of invites we were significantly over so I had to reluctantly cut my cousins and the old “Bronx crew” among others.  Even then we were over but expected the usual number of cancellations to even out but by the time the RSVPs were chased down and tallied we found rather late in the game that we had room, hence the late notice to try to pull in the folks I had on my original list.  So I apologize for that!  I am sure you know the insanity of this sort of planning but it still bugs me since the whole theme of the reception was a laid back, informal gathering of all those who we consider “family” in one way or another and my cousins and “Bronx crew” played an important part in my history and would have been a nice time to catch up. 

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July 5, 2008

Summer update

Been pretty busy between the new house and bookbinding.  I’d say two-thirds of my time has been to house projects and the rest mostly to getting the remaining copies of Black Venus out of the way.  I have yet to formally announce the book outside of my direct circle of contacts (like via my infrequent blog) but I am happy to say I am finally ahead on the books with all pre-orders fulfilled. So now it is all about creating enough to have stock on hand. I hope to get some final photos on the website this weekend.

Now that the biggest of the house projects are out of the way it means more time for bookbinding, but also, time to play with another personal project of mine: Art! Long story, wanna hear it?  Whaddayamean no???!

In early June Coley and I went to a local event called “Second Sunday” in Beacon NY where all the art galleries have an open house of sorts.  Beacon has really been becoming a bit like SoHo recently which is a nice change from the rather depressed area it had sank into.  There is a nice energy in that area now. 

While there I admired some of the art and was baffled at others.  For example how does one tack two pieces of bread to a wall with thread and sell it for $800? I guess I am just not hip enough to get it.  Whatever.  Other art was very nice and we even purchased a small painting on silk by Jane Blake which I look forward to receiving. I enjoyed speaking with her about her work. 

Anyway, as often happens when I go to art shows, I left feeling inspired to explore some of the ideas I have had for my own art and wondered if I could ever actually make enough decent art to have my own show.  Now, being a magician, I often find myself in a predicament.  I suddenly have a desire to do something and I know that AS a magician it is my duty to manifest my Will and not necessarily steep in idle wishful thinking (tho I guess daydreams have their place too).  My point is, if I say I wish I could create art, and I mean it, I instinctively answer with “so DO something about it – see where it takes you!” 

 And so I began formulating my ideas more.  I would need to teach myself to sculpt and I would need to teach myself photography, since most of my ideas used those media.  I may also need to learn to paint too.  Being the geek I am, I (of course) have spent the last several weeks buying and reading books on those subjects and now have eased into experimenting a bit.  I have even gone so far as to start locating models I will need for the photography portion. (Anyone in my area with “expressive eyes” who would like to volunteer some time for face photos please contact me!)

That’s all I will say on that topic for now.  I don’t like to talk too much about my work until it has reached a point where I feel it has become something worth talking about.  I’m weird that way I guess. For now consider my art a series of experiments to articulate some thoughts I have.

 I have tons of other ideas and projects to do but it comes down to pacing myself.  So for now, art experiment #1 and bookbinding will likely take center stage in my schedule the next few months.

I have not been doing any public speaking.  I had originally planned to do another Beltane with the Mid-Atlantic Pagan Alliance but was not available due to the insanity of buying a new home. Maybe if things quiet down a bit to allow for travel I’ll do a few talks.

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June 5, 2008

Interview on The Magical Buffet

The Magical Buffet posted a 10-question interview of me regarding my work on Waning Moon Publications.  Check out
http://www.themagicalbuffet.com/Issues/Vol03_Iss20/Article_137.html

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June 2, 2008

new email address

Wayyy too much spam these days and good emails are getting harder to locate in the mess so I am changing my email address.

New address can be found at http://waningmoon.com/contact

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April 21, 2008

Moving and Catching up

For the last several weeks I have been working hard on the new house and will finally be moving in this weekend – only a week past my initial schedule.  Not bad for the amount of work that unexpectedly had to be done.  I’m tired and sore in muscles I did not even know I had, but it was worth the effort since I knew I would not do any of that work once the furniture was in place.

Down side is I have not been working on my Waning Moon Publications projects.  Once the move is out of the way I’ll probably take a 3 or 4-day weekend to catch up on production and begin to plan out the rest of the year.  I have so many projects and ideas lining up so it really comes down to getting the work currently in production out of the way so I can dedicate more time to the new things.  I’ll finally have enough space to work on more than one project and/or production phase at a time which will help streamline my work. Maybe I’ll finally have the time and space to explore some of my other artistic projects I have been contemplating.

Once I am settled into I will take and post the final pictures of Black Venus – the book came out really nice and has been getting great comments which is very exciting.  In mean time, all new orders will probably not ship for two or three weeks since I need to do some catch-up.

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January 6, 2008

Looking for a new logo design for WMP

When I first made Waning Moon Publication's logo (an inversed triangle enclosing a waning moon crescent) I started to realize it had certain similarities with another publisher's mark. While there was some unintentional irony in that similarity which amused me, it was clear I would probably need to change the logo since not only did it open the door to future legal headaches, but I had a certain legal and ethical responsibility to avoid logo confusion with books when I start producing paperback and hardcover titles which will make their way to the shelves of stores. (I refer to the publisher's mark on the bottom of the spine of a book.)

To make a long story short, I want to change the logo asap so I am revisiting my other ideas for logos and wanted to open this up to those who might wish to help.  As a token of appreciation, if I use anyone's submission, or if a submission inspires me to create the logo I ultimately use, I will offer a gift of your choose of one copy of any hand made WMP title currently in stock or in production (with a value of $200 or less).  I hope to make a decision in the next two weeks.

Submissions must actually contain two items:

1) A long logo which includes the words "Waning Moon Publications, Ltd." Which would be used as letterhead, on website, etc.
2) A short logo or publisher's mark which is used on spines of books and on title pages.  This need not have any letters or words. (i.e. some of my drafts use the WMP initials but that is not necessary.)

The two designs should be related as one is ultimately a shorter form of the other.

My email address can be found at http://www.waningmoon.com/publications/contact.shtml.  Images should be should be black and white Scans of hand-drawn designs will be accepted (you can also mail sketches to our POB found at the above link.

[Usual legal crap: one winner only and not guaranteed since I may prefer my own ideas, not refundable for money, the offer has no monetary value, choice of title must be made in 30 days of award announcement.]

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December 5, 2007

Last call for the High Priest editions of Liber Yog-Sothoth

I have 3 or 4 copies left of the larger-sized High Priest editions of Liber Yog-Sothoth (I ended up only making 10) so will be sending the rest to some dealers on Monday, so if you have been considering one please let me know soon so we can make arrangements to reserve your copy.

As for the 100 special editions, I probably won't do "last call" until late January since I still have a few left to bind but I do have copies available to ship now.

For photos, info, or to order please visit http://www.waningmoon.com/publications/books/yog/

-John

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November 26, 2007

Made a myspace page for WMP

 Yup... time to start networking....

For those on myspace interested in my work with Waning Moon Publications please visit http://myspace.com/waningmoonpublications and add to your friends.  

And should you not already know it, my personal page is http://myspace.com/jcoughlin 

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November 21, 2007

What ever happened to John?

I have been a bit incognito of late since I am busy binding my Liber Yog-Sothoth and preparing The Little Book of Black Venus for printing.  Needless to say, the next two months will be busy ones, which is ironic since I will technically be using quite a number of vacation days at my “day job.” Go figure!

 Well for those following, all 10 copies of the High Priest Edition of Liber Yog-Sothoth are done and will probably be shipping on Friday.  Only a few left of those.  The standard edition is still in production but I have enough to fulfill the pre-orders and should be able to ship those out Friday as well with a few left over.  I won’t be officially announcing them as “done” until all 100 copies have been bound but chances are starting this week I should have enough completed to fulfill orders as they come in.

Good news on the Little Book of Black Venus which I am publishing via Waning Moon Publications.  I am currently proofing the completed draft.  So much for “little” – this book is over 225 pages!  The supplemental essays truly bring the book alive, so not only will this be the first English translation, but it will also serve as an excellent resource to understanding and appreciating the grimoire itself.  I am still aiming for at least the first batch to be done in late December, if not early January.

Info on all the above mentioned books can be found at http://waningmoonpublications.com

I have lots of great things planned for 2008 with Waning Moon Publications so stay tuned!

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September 24, 2007

RIP, Leo (Little Evil One)

The closest thing to a child passed this morning as I held him.  Always seems silly to hear of pets being equated with children but perhaps the bonding period when I carried it as a baby in a pouch clipped near my heart for two weeks was more of a 2-way process than I thought. 

As southern flying squirrels go, he lasted years past his expectancy.  And now, as I wrap him in a shroud laden with my tears and place him in his little box with his favorite nut, I already hear the stirrings of a new day.  The first chirp of the birds, the faint drone of cars in the distance, the stir of my neighbors… and soon the clatter of my own morning routine, as I try to pass the day.  Seems wrong somehow.  But life goes on, however less colorful.

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September 21, 2007

First English translation of The Consecrated Little Book of Black Venus

Waning Moon Publications is pleased to announce the coming release of the first English translation of The Consecrated Little Book of Black Venus (also known as Tuba Veneris), translated by Teresa Burns and Nancy Turner and illustrated by Jeffrey S. Kupperman and DARLENE, with contributions by Vincent Bridges and Phil Legard. The text is attributed to Dr. John Dee but veers from his better-known Enochian work. It appears to be a traditional grimoire which instructs the magician in the proper preparations and tools needed to summon the six sprits ruled by Venus, but in fact may be a connection back to the benandanti witch cult and forward to Dee and Kelley's angelic workings.

This translation was made primarily from the handwritten Latin text of London's Warburg Institute MS. FBH 51 dated  around 1600 CE, with other versions of the text referred to as needed. Both the English and Latin text are together. Also included in the book are several related articles to further elaborate on the significance of this work.

Estimated release date is winter of 2007/2008 although pre-sales will be fulfilled as books are completed. Each of the 256 hand bound copies will be of quarter leather green goatskin with a metallic copper cover paper, as attributed to Venus. The text is black with color frontispiece and green page borders. Some of the 256 copies will be privately distributed and the remaining made available to the public.

We are excited to be part of this significant contribution to occultism! This is the first publication in book form of an English translation of this grimoire and we have gone to great lengths to use the best materials and bind each and every copy by hand, starting each batch on the day of Venus.

For more information or to secure a copy though pre-order visit
http://www.waningmoon.com/publications/books/blackvenus/

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September 16, 2007

A thank you to everyone at Stone Circle

Just a quick thanks to all the folks at Stone Circle for an enjoyable Saturday.  What a great group of people!  I knew the day would go well after all the interesting road kill discussions. ;)

Oh, that reminds me... Dead Possum.  As promised, here he is, tucked away in a dusty corner:




Also I promised someone a link to freely accessible Lovecraft stories on line: http://www.templeofdagon.com/lovecraft-archive/stories/

We ended up leaving early Sunday since we forgot we had laundry to do.  We did check out Hickory Park on the way out... very interesting with the grouping of trees!  I wonder if someone planned it that way?  Very curious.

I look forward to a future visit.

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September 6, 2007

Public release of Liber Yog-Sothoth

Well I have been busy binding my formally private book, Liber Yog-Sothoth which should be released in Late Fall. However in mean time, those wishing to secure their copy can pre-order a copy now.   

 For details visit
http://www.waningmoon.com/publications/books/yog/

I will probably have pre-orders fulfilled before the official release, depending on how soon the backordered leather I need arrives. If you wanted to reserve a specific number please include that in the notes with the order. First come, first served.

 Few other bits of news:

 * I will be announcing another release in the next week which I am very exited about but not yet ready to say (tease!)

 * I have an unnumbered copy of my Cthulhian Grimoire of Dreamwork left. I won't have time to make more custom copies for many months so if you want one, this is your last shot! (This is the standard edition, I will NOT be making more of the High Priest editions – too much work!) To order go to http://www.waningmoon.com/publications/books/cthulhian/

 * Midian Books has very few copies left of the special edition of the Cult of Cthulhu Bible. I will not be binding more of those and I only made 30 so once those are sold that will be that. To order a copy contact j.davies@midianbooks.co.uk. I no longer have copies in stock.

For first notification of new releases as well as discounted prices make sure to join the WMP mailing list at http://www.waningmoon.com/publications/mailinglist.shtml

 

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September 5, 2007

Dream Work presentation - Newark Valley, NY

On Saturday, September 15th at 4pm I will be giving a Dream Work presentation as well as open discussion on all things magical at Stone Circle in Newark Valley, NY.

Due to the many projects I have been working on lately this is one of the few speaking engagements you are likely to see me at this year so if you are in the area be sure to drop by and say hi. 

For more details here is the organizer's contact info.

'Light' aka :Lise Weaver
'Stone_Circle'
49 South Main Street,
Newark Valley
New York..
 
1 607 642 5697 after 6pm please.
Dream Work Presentation Saturday 15th September 4pm.
 
EMAIL: astropaths@gmail.com   head as : John Coughlin Occultist Author and Publishertur

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September 2, 2007

A quick update

Much in the works!  I am getting close to the public release of 100 hand bound editions of my previously private Liber Yog-Sothoth.  Also I am working on another rather interesting project which is not yet ready to be announced but which I think will excite many in the magical community.

So for those wondering where I have been, sufficed to say, I have had my hands full.

Posted by darkwyccan at 11:44AM | comments (1)
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July 9, 2007

Two unnumbered copies of my Cthulhian Grimoire available

Well the 23 copies of my _Cthulhian Grimoire of Dream Work_ have long sold out and I definitely regret binding so few since the demand on them was much greater than I had anticipated.

 Unfortunately I don’t have time to make a new release per se, but I did have enough extra materials on hand to bind two unnumbered editions with the same look and feel.  They are available to ship next week after they have time to sit in the press for a while.  I can also make additional copies to order but it may take several months due to my other binding projects. 

 So if you missed this the first time, now is your shot to grab one.

 For more info go to http://www.waningmoon.com/publications/customcopies.shtml

 (I have two standard editions completed.  Anything else will need to be pre-ordered so I can buy the materials and make them fresh.)

 First come first served. 

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July 6, 2007

Seeking a Support Group

It’s difficult when a loved one is going down a long dark road and you just don’t know how to help them. 

I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening.  Some of our friends had this problem and that was close enough to home, but now my fiancé? 

First she said it was not a regular thing but sometimes I stayed home late and I saw she was hooked. 

So I am seeking a support group. There MUST be one!

I am almost embarrassed to even say it… my woman watches Charmed!  …Regularly.  In fact once I joked about a mermaid since I recall hearing something about it and she got excited and proceeded to tell me the story line.

I only hope it’s not too late.

There must be a PAWTSCS (People Against  Watching that Stupid Charmed Show) or something. No?

Posted by darkwyccan at 2:46PM | comments (9)
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June 13, 2007

Anyone want PaganPicnic.com?

I was going to put a free public calendar on it for free listings but just don't have time.  $25 or best offer for anyone wanting PaganPicnic.com

Posted by darkwyccan at 10:53AM | comments (0)
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May 29, 2007

Last call for Cult of Cthulhu Bible

We still have a few copies left of the Cult of Cthulhu Bible.

In a few weeks I plan to contact the UK distributors after which
direct sales period will end. If you want to grab a copy at the
discounted price please do so soon.

Photos, info, and ordering details can be found at
http://www.waningmoon.com/publications/books/coc/

Posted by darkwyccan at 9:00PM | comments (0)
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May 17, 2007

New Book: Ethics and the Craft

I had been meaning to publish this since 2003(!) and have just been too busy on other projects.  Fear not, I have other books in the making but this one basically just needed a little editing so I decided to finally get it out.

Since I may seek a traditional publisher I am considering this a limited pre-release and not going to have it listed on Amazon, etc. or bother getting and ISBN assigned at this time.  The only way to get the book is via the below link.

Feel free to send me feedback so I know if the book needs more work before I look for a publisher and by all means please spread the word if you like it.

For more information or to order a copy, go to:

http://stores.lulu.com/waningmoonpublications

You will also find another book which I did really for myself called The Collected Works of John J. Coughlin (Volume 1).  It is mostly some of my old poetry and writings from the 80s and 90s with a some more recent stuff.  Nothing overly exciting and nothing I would bother trying to formally publish.  Like I said, I did it more for me, but thought others might find it of use.

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