If you have come here to read about Jim, please see About Jim for the full story.

I am still processing everything that has come to pass since that horrible day seemingly both forever ago and yesterday, but I feel I need to update our social media with our new reality.

At the end of the summer, when the weather was nice, and the birds were finding their feeding schedule in our backyard at home in Calumet, Jim walked into the stars.  It was sudden; it was swift; and it dismantled our world in ways I didn’t even think possible.

Even now, six months removed, I can’t bring myself to write an actual obituary.  It seems too final, too real.  As for the things that would go in one, James Arthur Rudkin was 57 years old when he left this realm to venture on to whatever is next.  He is an incredible father and the perfect husband to the woman who so loves him.  He is an artist, a gamer, a lover of good beer, a true Renaissance Man, a photographer, a philosopher, a chef, a handyman, an academic, and a mostly reformed rakehell.   He has his wife of nearly 30 years (me, Casey) and two amazing daughters, Boudicca and Zobeida, as well as brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, uncles, aunts, cousins, and a host of close friends, the family he chose and who, in turn, chose him.

I will be keeping his social media account active with his pictures, at least for the time being.  I will continue writing as JC Rudkin because of the detailed notes and writings he created, the stories and tales he wanted told. 

I don’t really want any condolences at this time, and I don’t believe our girls do either.  Although well meaning, I just can’t reply “thank you” anymore to “I’m sorry for your loss.”  I know you possess the best of intentions, and that is more than enough, but every time I have to type or say those words in response to your kindness, a little more of my soul dies.  It’s an ongoing reminder of our loss.  The kindest thing you can do is think of Jim fondly and share your good stories about him.  Thank you for understanding.

Our debut novel Cthulhu: A Love Story is available now in both hard copy and Kindle formats. Please give it a look and leave us a review! You can also find our short story “Christmas Cookies,” a tale about holiday spirit taken to Eldritch extremes, in Angela’s Recurring Nightmares and “Your Plaintive Cries,” featuring an historical occultist and his quest for power and immortality at the turn of the century, in Erie Tales 14: Secrets. Both anthologies are published by the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers.

We got some news on the publishing front late last week, which was certainly nothing we wanted to hear.  Our publisher has chosen to close down operations, meaning our book, Cthulhu: A Love Story, and the books of several other authors, no longer have a publisher.

While this is a setback, and our title might not be readily available for a little while, we are working on self-publishing it as soon as possible.

Our fantastic and fantastically talented cover artist, Dr. Diane Keranen is revising the look of the new upcoming edition of C:aLS, as well as working on a cover for the sequel, Morningstar, which we are hard at work writing for you now.  We need to make some adjustments to the book files, then we will begin the process of uploading them to various sites to make them publicly and widely available once again.

In the meantime, if you absolutely HAVE TO HAVE A COPY RIGHT NOW, thank you!  You can contact us through our website contact form, and we can work out getting you a copy ASAP.  You can also find us at the Festival of Oddities on 4 September in Charlotte, Michigan.  We will be at the GLAHW table with copies for purchase.

The moment Cthulhu: A Love Story is available again, we will let you know.

We want to thank you for supporting our writing and purchasing Cthulhu: A Love Story. To do that, we’ve created some swag, and we’d like to send it to you!

To get your swag, DM us on Instagram or Twitter, or Messenger us on Facebook. Include a picture of your receipt for Cthulhu: A Love Story or a picture of you holding our book, as well as your complete mailing address. In return, we’ll send you a bookmark and a bookplate, signed by both of us. If you want us to add a short inscription on the bookplate, please include that with your information. We’ll mail those to you right away. Unfortunately, due to shipping issues at this time, this offer is only valid in the US.