Evolution Vol. 1

Boys and girls, before we get into the epic-deep-breath that is a New Years Resolution post, I thought I'd share a few updates with you. Not much to say concerning "new news," though I'm happy to say I've been shortlisted at a few great places, but there have been a couple book releases since last we blogged.

First up, a December e-book release sure to please ya:

Evolution Vol. 1
Edited by talented Lane Diamond
Published by Evolved Publishing (check out their facebook page)
Current E-book Price: 4.99

Official Description:

A collection of 10 short stories resulting from Evolved Publishing's first-ever Short Story Contest. Stories cross over many genres, and range from 2,000-5,000 words each.

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER was "If I Should Die," by Amanda Papenfus. 6 other stories were chosen from the almost 200 submitted.

Additionally, stories are included from 3 of Evolved Publishing's regular stable of authors: Lane Diamond, D.T. Conklin and Ruby Standing Deer.

EVOLUTION: VOL. 1 is the first in an ongoing series of semi-annual anthologies planned by Evolved Publishing.

And, boy, are they not kidding when they say Evolution Vol. 1 ranges many genres. For example, the collection kicks off with its prize-winning tale by Amanda Papenfus, a deeply moving story I'd classify as literary fiction, and then the jumps into speculative fiction soon after.

My story, "Sirius Issues," for example, is comedic science fiction. I'd say 'deep space', but, truthfully, the human characters are still in the right galaxy, just stuck in their overpriced alien condos. What's "Sirius Issues" about? Well, taxes, rebellions, drunken sex, alien landlords...the usual stuff.

You can download a copy at Smashwords or Amazon.

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Also, amongst my newer releases is Pill Hill Press' Daily Frights 2012 (Leap Year Edition).


Official Description:

DAILY FRIGHTS 2012: 366 DAYS OF DARK FLASH FICTION (LEAP YEAR EDITION) is a 2012 flash fiction calendar anthology, with a 500 word or less short story featured for every day of the calendar year. Filled with 366 short stories, this is a fun and practical anthology designed for busy readers.

Can you honestly think of a better way to ring in the New Year? Come on! This is 366 tales, one snippet for every day--just enough to read over a cup of coffee in the morning or before you turn out the lights at night. And, at this moment, Amazon has it available for a swell 21.89 (normally, it runs 24.99). I'm not sure when the e-edition will be available, but I'll let you know as soon as it's released.

I only have one tiny contribution in this collection (though the antho is littered with so many great authors!), and it's called "Class Project." Kids, horror, Egyptian mythology: my name might as well be stamped all over that one... Oh, wait, it is. :D

December's Super Blog Post

Happy holidays, everyone!

This is an exciting time of year, isn't it? Or, maybe I should just trade out the word "exciting" for "stressful." Everyone has their fair share of busy work this season, cleaning house for guests, shopping for gifts, working extra hard at their retail jobs. Usually, by the time Christmas Eve rolls around, I'm standing between a group of fussing family members, having a Clark Griswold style freak-out and giving the "Hap-Hap-Happiest Christmas" speech, cursing included.

But, Christmas isn't entirely to blame. It's almost as if we're all running about in a mad rush to finish as much as humanly possibly before the arrival of the new year. As if we can somehow defeat Father Time through our will alone. (Note: this method only seems to work during the college years, when essays are due the next morning.) Writers, of course, are not immune to the crazy.

We wrack our brains, check our graphs twice, count our filed submission emails...just to see how much work we put in over the past year. How do the stats add up? Did we put in enough effort? Should we have spent more time at the keyboard and less time watching Big Bang Theory? Should we have spent more time at a Word doc and less time on Facebook? The answer to both questions is simple: "yeah, probably." Which only adds fuel to the New Years Resolution fire... But that's a topic for another blog.

Let's get back to 2011, shall we? I can honestly say...this wasn't the best year ever. Not for my personal or professional life. And I'm not alone, which is somehow even more heartbreaking.

Had some great experiences with small publishers, though, and I also came up with a few characters I hope are going to fully come out to play next year. The "started in 'll" line-up includes a paranormal series that doesn't take itself too seriously, a kid's book that has truly tried my patience, a handful of superheroes who are simply begging me for more adventures... It's been fun. Half of me wishes I had another month in this year to work on projects, the other half just wants to start fresh in January with a full to-do list and 12 months to complete it.

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Since my last update, my story "A Mind Most Desirable" has been accepted into Pill Hill Press's steampunk anthology CONQUEST THROUGH DETERMINATION. This Submission Call is still wide open, so if you'd like to give it a shot as well, please check it out here. "A Mind Most Desirable" has been one of those favorites sitting lost in my "completed stories" file, awaiting a home. It started out a hefty 13,000 words and was slowly trimmed down each reading until it hit below the 10,000 mark. Obviously, it's steampunk, with a large cast, set in England during the Victorian Era, but it's also a bit of a murder mystery at heart--I'll gladly admit, that aspect was completely inspired by my mother's love of Agatha Christie.

"A Mind Most Desirable" was also my first serious attempt at writing steampunk. My second attempt (my first accepted) was called "A Gun for Jebediah" and is due out in the soon to be released STEAM WORKS by Hydra Publications. (And I do mean soon. I'll post when the listing becomes official.)

Also, over the past month, I took part in Pill Hill Press's Shootout. Think online creative writing workshop. Authors write short stories based on prompts, then the stories are sent out anonymously for other writers to critique (also anonymous). This Shootout, the host held a contest in the final round for those with the highest scores, and I ended up winning! (Using the "Bragging Rights" part of my prize here.) Now, I've got four stories ready to go (after some editing) find new homes. If you want to participate in the next Shootout, keep an eye out at the Pill Hill Forums.

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Lastly, let's talk shopping. It's December. Gifts are expensive. You probably don't have a very heavy wallet right now. Which means you're not going to put aside much money for yourself this month. So, let's talk cheap thrills, shall we. (Also, yes, self promotion.)

For those of you out of the loop, Kindle books don't require actual Kindles or e-readers of any sort. You can get the software free for your PC at Amazon.

With this in mind, there are a few ebooks that are listed at prices too good to resist. Oh, and I have stories in these.

PATENTED DNA
Kindle Price: .99
Published by Pill Hill Press, this is a collection of dark clone stories at a price that can't be beat. That's right, a whole anthology for less than a buck... Get it while you still can.





MONSTER MASH
Kindle Price: 3.99
Published by Pill Hill Press, this is a collection of horror tales where monsters of all types meet and duke it out. Come on, now, treat yourself. Your inner monster geek needs this book.






WICKED BAG OF HORROR TALES
Kindle Price: 3.99
Published by Wicked East Press, this is a collection of nine tasty, novelette-sized horror stories. For those who like a bit of meat on their bones.






Ok, let's say you don't have a couple bucks. Well, I happen to know that, through the month of December, Permuted Press is giving away free e-copies of five of their zombie books. I'm not in any of them, but I'm sure they're still great, even without me. Check them out at the bottom of their sales page, here. They also have several books for 2.99. (I plan on checking out Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter, myself.)

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Well, until next time, friends... Stay safe as you brave the malls, watch out for crazed shoppers with knifes and pepper spray, and have a bit of fun this holiday season.

Making the Most of a Bad Situation

Undead Friends,

Several authors, myself included, received really sad news yesterday from Twisted Library Press. Due to financial obligations and the massive number of books on the "to-be-released" queue for the small press, most of their upcoming anthologies were dropped from the line-up. From my understanding, the Library will continue to publish their fantastic horror novels, as well as a few other anthologies, over the next year.

Unfortunately, that means I can no longer officially say I'm a writer at the Library. I had six short stories due out, four horror tales and two horror-comedy shorts. On the bright side, that means I now have several stories to read over and send off to new publishers. Hopefully, I'll get some bites.

If you love zombies, horror, anthologies, head over to the Library and lend them your support. Their books are available on Amazon and other sites, in e-book and print format in most cases. Their main site can be found here. If you're interested in hanging out with other zombiphiles, check out their forum here. The Library is a beloved publisher, and they could use the support.

Thanks!

Of Scaled Beasts...

Since the final Table of Contents are now up, I thought I'd share a couple of my recent acceptances with the blogosphere.

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Fish

Dagan Books is publishing an anthology called Fish, which promises to be filled with tales of underwater wonder and rediscovered fish mythology. As soon as I saw the charming cover by Galen Dara, I went to work on a short story to fit the call for submissions. I'm happy to say that my story "Fish Tears" is listed in the Table of Contents. "Fish Tears" is a post-Apocalyptic glimpse at a world without rivers. And, if you know me well, the heavy dose of Egyptian mythology comes as no surprise. It was a joy to write.

The anthology is due out in February 2012. I'll be sure to post more information closer to the release date.

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Here There Be Dragons

Wicked East Press (their submissions forum can be found here) held their first writing contest recently, and though I didn't win a prize, my story was accepted for publication in Here There Be Dragons. My tale, "A Trade of Ice," concerns an unwilling messenger sent to make a terrible trade with a great monster (hint, she has wings, scales, and fits the cover art--which was put together by the lovely Rebecca Besser). From the Table of Contents alone, I can tell this is going to be a great "gift" anthology for fans of dragons--in fact, I'm pretty certain I'll be giving my brother a copy.

I'll give you an update on the release date as soon as I have more information.

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Random Chicken

And now for a segment I like to call "Random Chicken". Because chickens, when they appear, usually are, well, random.

This week, Patricia Louise Puckett celebrated the birth of her first niece, Madeline Rose. Congratulations to the lucky parents, Laura and Lee! She's one of the most beautiful baby girls I've ever seen, and I might just have to use her for inspiration in one of my upcoming middle reader stories, which is only fitting since she's certain to be spoiled like a princess ;)

It's Coming....

Yes, that's right, it's on its way.... NANOWRIMO 2011!

And I'm way more excited than I should be about NaNo season. Sure, I've got tons of deadlines I haven't yet met, a slew of unfinished stories in the works, a dog that needs a bath every once in a blue moon. But, come on, folks, we're talking epic NaNo word slayage! Alright, alright, so maybe I wrote over 50k in August. So, why is November somehow different? Because NaNo begs you to start anew and to join the masses as they bleed out from the forehead.

Yesterday, I chose the story I plan on writing in November. I have back-ups in case this one doesn't work out. I'd be crazy not to. But, I really hope this one develops. I'll probably take the last week in October to outline this sucka.

This will be my first time tackling the Middle Grade Reader audience, and that alone is scary, but this story has been haunting my dreams for months now. It's pleading for life.

Here 's the banner for--what I really, really hope to be one of my first completed tales in 2012--Troll for Hire.

Halloween Hell-o-ween Released

"The Gourd"

So, about a year ago, I wrote and sent off a short story called "The Gourd" about a young man who fulfills his grandmother's final wish and gets to see the other, not-so-human side of Halloween. Whortleberry's Halloween antho at the time was filled, though, so the lovely Jean M. Goldstrom asked to keep it for this year's release. Well, it's finally available, if you'd wish to give it a read.

Sure, Halloween is about a month and a half away, but with so many anthologies to choose from, let's get the reading season started with the new release by Whortleberry Press: Halloween Hell-O-Ween, available at lulu.com.

"A Halloween tour of the Underworld, conducted by authors who know what they're writing about!"

Hmm, maybe I should be worried about how well I know the Underworld...

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In Other News

I have a Kindle. Yes, ok, officially, it's a Christmas present, but I'm already using it--and loving it, by the way. Does this mean I'm an "all e-books" kinda girl now? Nope. I still love the smell of old books. And new ones. But being able to pick up an affordable copy of a new book, and try out new authors and publishers for only a couple bucks...so worth it.

Have an e-book over at Amazon you'd like me to look at? Well, advertise it in the comments. I'm always looking for new reading material.

Also, you might have noticed I haven't been as active with my short story subs as of late. That's because I've been working on a few novella projects.

Yes. I'm still working on those.

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Flash Fiction? Yes, Please

On another note, Patricia Puckett--yes, you know her by now--has a short flash fiction piece up at Columbus Creative Cooperative's Bland to Grand Flash Fiction Writing Contest. Her story is called "Piece Of" and if you enjoy it, you should lend her your vote. And if you don't enjoy it? Well, there are several other shorties awaiting a good read. Go check it out. Or, hey, enter it yourself--I hear you win a nifty Kindle.

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Other Recommended Reading

The Monster's Corner: Stories Through Inhuman Eyes by Christopher Golden

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I won an ARC of this anthology from the Goodreads' Giveaways, and I'm rather glad I did. The Monster's Corner was definitely a book I'd pick up in stores. This is an excellent selection of stories, though not necessarily what I was expecting when I cracked open the spine. There are a few stories I liked less than others, but, for the most part I felt all the contributing writers had something fresh to say. My favorite tales--and I do hate picking favorites because several of the stories featured characters I found entertaining--included "Torn Stitches, Shattered Glass" by Kevin J. Anderson (a must-read for fans of Frankenstein's monster), "Less of a Girl" by Chelsea Cain (short and...well, not so sweet--but that's the point, right?), "Rakshasi" by Kelley Armstrong, and "Breeding the Demons" by Nate Kenyon (how are demons made, anyhow?). Also, Simon R. Green's closing number gave me a laugh and helped round out the bunch.

All in all? Worth the read if you're a fan of the genre.



View all my reviews

From the Depths of the Writing Cave

It's a monstrous place where few dare to enter. Yellow ledger pads stack high against a wall of shelves. A treasure-trove of unwatched dvds sit to one side. Notebooks of gibberish lay scattered about. And, at center, the beast itself, with her machine of death.

I refer, of course, to myself and my laptop.

This is just a quick update to let you know how very sorry I am. Sorry for what, you may ask? Well, this is an apology in advance.

In the upcoming month or so, I need to work on over half a dozen new short stories, four novellas, a children's book, and a collaborative novella collection.

Then there's fanfiction. Poke fun of the fanfiction writers if you like, but Mercedes Lackey is on our team, as are several other established writers. For example, I recently discovered (thanks to Patricia ) that writer R.J. Anderson has been successfully published several times now. See, I remember Ms. Anderson from her Harry Potter fanfiction writing days. Hers were some of the first novel-length fanfiction I enjoyed. Suffice to say, I now plan on purchasing her books.

Back onto subject, yes, I intend to continue writing my fanfiction amongst all the crazy of July/August/September. Why? a.) I have too many readers. I just can't stand the thought of letting them down. b.) Writing ff keeps my mind on the game. It reminds me how to write for *characters* instead of two dimensional paper people. It keeps me focused on writing for an audience, as well. c.) It's fun. Yeah, I'm going to spend half my time daydreaming, anyhow. I might as well do something constructive with those random fandom thoughts, right?

So, in conclusion, I'm sorry. I'll probably be hiding from the world in my writing cave. Good news? I have Wi-Fi. Bad news? I probably will be an oily-haired, snarky hag by the time this write-a-thon is over and done.

Expect to receive this warning again in November, when National Novel Writing Month steals my remaining social life away.



Oh and this picture? (Disclaimer: it's not mine.) That's my inspiration for a minor character in one of my upcoming novella projects. See what I'm dealing with here?