Christina Kiplinger Johns: Grave Business

[dem]

While updating the Vault WordPress pages recently, I was delighted to find that Christina Kiplinger Johns (Grave Business, Pan Horror 25) had left the following comment. I've since been in touch, and Christina has kindly allowed me to reproduce her remarks here.

Hi! If anyone is still reading this. I ran across the site while searching the web
It was really neat reading the posts on this book!
I remember that this was my very first professional sale! The first submission of this story was rejected by van Thal, but he told me what to fix and asked me to send it back and he would read it again. On the second time, he accepted it! Karl Edward Wagner was the editor who told me to try Pan with the yarn.
I could not believe that I would have a story beside work by Stephen King (my idol, before I met him, and Alan Ryan who I had read books by.
After publication, I went to DeepSouth Con, held in Knoxville that year. It was difficult for me to get there, I didn’t drive. But I ended up hooking up with poet and writer, Joey Froehlich of Frankfort, Ky., for a ride. All I had to do was get to Ky.
It seemed like the biggest struggle of my life, but I made it to Froehlich’s place. Both of us were a bit star struck once we got there. It all seemed like a dream to me. I actually conversed with King and another favorite–Peter Straub like anyone else.
The funniest thing was when Wagner introduced me to King. He said, “This is the girl that Pan Books paid more to than they paid you, Christina Kiplinger.”
Of course, the event was that my story is very short, and Pan Books apparently had a limit on how little they would pay so, per word—I made more than King.
What a time!
The next year, I sent another story to van Thal. After a time, I received the piece back and a note from van Thal’s wife. It said,
“Herbert has passed on. Good luck with this. He thought a lot of you, Rosemary Timperley.”

*********
You can go ahead and repost the story because I am not sure where you want to put it in the messages. I haven't really had a lot of time lately, but will devote some time to the forums when time permits.

I am very glad to have found you all!!

All Best,
Christina


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Biting Midnight is a collection of dark fantasy poetry by me and Maria Alexander www.mediumrarebooks.com
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[allthingshorror]

Very Nice Dem!

Would you mind passing on my details onto her, and ask if she'd mind being interviewed for the Pan book?

cheers

Johnny

[dem]

Be delighted, John. I mentioned that 'one of the guys' was writing a book about Van Thal & the Pans, just wasn't sure if you and Charles had already been in touch with her. Probably the best way would be if i ask if it's OK to pass on her email address and you can take it from there? From her enthusiastic and anecdotal post, Christina will be a fun interviewee, so good luck!

[allthingshorror]

Sure thing or just give her this address: [e-mail]

Always liked Grave Business. And she sounds like a great anecdotal interviewee!

[David A. Riley]

I remember that this was my very first professional sale! The first submission of this story was rejected by van Thal, but he told me what to fix and asked me to send it back and he would read it again. On the second time, he accepted it!

She was extremely lucky to have had a response from van Thal himself. I was in volume 11 and only ever received correspondance from Clarence Paget, who I had the impression was the true editor by that stage. Presumably there must have been other avenues through which to contact van Thal direct!

The next year, I sent another story to van Thal. After a time, I received the piece back and a note from van Thal’s wife. It said,
“Herbert has passed on. Good luck with this. He thought a lot of you, Rosemary Timperley.”

Was Rosemary Timperley van Thal's wife by then? I know she was a regular in the Pan series, but this really surprises me as I've come across this bit of information - if I'm reading it correct - nowhere else. Indeed, after the death of her first husband, I had been led to believe she never remarried.

David

[christinakiplinger]

I would be honored to be interviewed for a book about van Thal. I will email you today.

David; No, van Thal's wife thought that I was Rosemary Timperley. The story she returned was mine, but she basically called me Rosemary. Unfortunately, I no longer have the actual mailings to check. I was a much older writer when I realized the value of keeping things.

It's weird, but van Thal's death served as a kind of precedence in my career. Once I found editors who liked my work, some kind of death would happen to prevent book length works from being published. Bizarre but true!

As far as Grave Business...Sometime after it was published, I became involved with some actors, etc. I wrote a script of Grave Business and we shot a 30 minute film of it. Nothing ever came of it, but Mr. King, at the convention aforementioned, applauded my "gutsiness" for shooting the film in an actual cemetery where there were actual graves. Something I will never forget!

Just as an added note; I hope to sometime write a biography for Mary Elizabeth Counselman. I corresponded with her before she died and thought she was wonderful. I hope to make a trip to Alabama and meet her son. He owns a furniture store, I think.

Thanks for your time...

[David A. Riley]

Unfortunately, I no longer have the actual mailings to check. I was a much older writer when I realized the value of keeping things.

I know what you mean. I long ago lost or threw away my own acceptance letters from Pan, even though that was my very first professional sale too.

Thanks for straightening out that missunderstanding over van Thal's wife - though it did have the positive result of making me look up some details about Rosemary Timperley's life on the internet, which were fascinating anyway in a quiet, literary sort of way.

David

[dem]

Apr 7, 2009 9:19:13 GMT christinakiplinger said:

I hope to sometime write a biography for Mary Elizabeth Counselman. I corresponded with her before she died and thought she was wonderful. I hope to make a trip to Alabama and meet her son. He owns a furniture store, I think.

Good luck with that! My personal fondness is for her horror stories as opposed to the ghost stories, many of which seem to owe something to folklore, but no doubt about it, MEC is among the most underrated of the Weird Tales crew. I've read a few brief but enlightening interviews with her, mostly reminiscing on pulp days, and she seems to have known everyone, having struck particularly strong friendships with Seabury Quinn and Robert Bloch. As far as i'm concerned, having known Seabury Quinn warrants a biography in itself.

Thanks for joining, Christina.

[christinakiplinger]

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted you to know that I am on Twitter; www.Twitter.com/ohiopoet

come by and follow me! If you haven't tried twitter--you should...