Change of Pace

I'm still working on my novel, but I've decided to write a Science Fiction short story or two for something different.

Wish me luck ;)

Short term goal reached!

I just got an email telling me that my story, The Office Zombie, was accepted for publication at Untied Shoelaces of the Mind.

That's it! My short term goal has been met. The payment for that story will be just enough to qualify me to join the HWA as an Affiliate Member.

Woohoo :D

Busy Busy

Wrote two new short stories (yeah, I know, I was supposed to be working on a novel).

Midnight at the Morgue has been subbed out to an anthology titled Fear of the Dark.

Honeysuckle Manor has been subbed out to an anthology titled Haunted.

I've heard that The Office Zombie has now reached stage three at Untied Shoelaces of the Mind. I'm not sure but I think stage four would mean it made it.

Still working on the novel, just not as much as I'd like because short stories keep calling to me. I think I'm going to try and spend some time on the novel each day, and reserve some time for short stories. I have an idea for a Sci Fi story I want to write, it will be an interesting deviation from the Horror stuff I've been writing lately ;)

More good news!

Found out this morning that my short story, Revenge is a Dish of Warm Brains, made the short list for the zombie anthology Hell Hath No Fury.

I'm psyched ;)

Woohoo, got some news!

I just received notification that my flash fiction piece The Office Zombie made it to "Stage Two" at Untied Shoelaces of the Mind.

That will be funny as Hell if it makes it considering it was the little piece that I wrote for my daughter based on her Facebook status one day.

It would be funny as Hell because the paycheck for that story would be 26 bucks and change. Just enough to join HWA as an affiliate ;)

Meanwhile I'm working on my Novel. I'm up to chapter three so far. Trying to keep the momentum going...

Okay, somebody kick me in the butt

I need to get outta my funk and get back to writing. I'm going to try and schedule a two hour time slot for myself where I'm not allowed to do anything but write and see how that works for me. I need to get serious about this stuff.

It would be really nice right about now if one of my short stories I have subbed out would actually get accepted somewhere, that would give me the little boost I need I think.

Looks up at the sky, taps fingers on desk. Well? I'm waiting...

That was a weird feeling

Today I gazed upon the faces of two of the men who murdered my brother, well, their pictures anyway. The family had a meeting with the prosecutors of the case, so they could tell us what was going on and give us an idea of what was going to happen.

Towards the end they asked if anyone had any other questions and I asked if I could see what they looked like. They conferred with each other and agreed there was no reason why I couldn't so they took their mug shots out of their files. Turns out, everyone else wanted to see them too. We passed the pictures around. I guess it's all part of closure.

I don't feel much like writing today. I think I'll take a break and start again tomorrow. Maybe I'll just relax and read a bit.

Decided to turn the short story into a novel

The one I was going to start work on, about a woman who's brother was just murdered. I've known all along it really is a story that requires a novel length, I'm just afraid I'm too ADHD to finish a whole novel. I'm going to try though, so this will be my first novel.

I already have a pretty good idea what the second one will be, an adaptation of a screenplay that was already written but needed major revising. I think it will be easier for me to make the revisions as I write it as a novel, and then go back and add them into the screenplay.

I was going to keep writing short stories until I got a sale good enough to join HWA, but I've got 7 of them subbed out right now that I am waiting on, for all I know one of them could end up being the one that does that for me.

Write on ;)

I think my house is haunted

Yesterday early in the day my cat was chasing a bug around my office. I went outside to water some flowers and vegetables and when I came back in I didn't see him.

As I sat here writing I kept hearing what sounded like human footsteps upstairs. It got my attention enough that I looked outside to make sure my sisters car wasn't in the driveway, thinking maybe she came home early when I was outside and I didn't notice. No car.

At that point I gave up and figured I was just imagining things. Until my son came home from school. He asked me why I locked the cat in the basement. I said I didn't, and to make my point I got up and checked the basement door. It was open. I called out "Cat!" down the basement stairs, nothing. He almost always answers me. My son said he heard the cat meowing somewhere. I checked my bedroom downstairs. No cat. I checked the downstairs bathroom. No cat.

I went upstairs and yelled "Cat!" and heard a response this time. I figured maybe he got into the attic again via my sister's closet because she seems to leave her door cracked open and her closet door open so he can get to the access panel and push it in. But when I went in her room and called for him the response was not coming from that direction.

Stumped, I checked my sons room, which also had the door left cracked open. No cat. I checked the bathroom. No cat. The other two doors up there were closed. Those two doors are always closed as I insist on it. They are the doors to my stepsons rooms, and they are total slobs. I don't want my son or sister bringing a friend home and seeing in there.

I stood in the middle of the hallway and called out to the cat again. The response sounded like it was coming from my oldest stepsons room. I opened the door and sure enough, the cat ran out, all freaked out looking with his pupils wide open. Very strange. :/

Finished the Zombie story

I think that's the last of those I'll write for a while. I'm all zombied out. I went ahead and subbed it out to the previously mentioned anthology. If they don't take it I know there are several other markets looking for that kind of thing, so no worries.

I think I'll start on the next short story. This one hits a bit close to home and might be hard to write. Could take me awhile to get it just right. It revolves around someone who's brother was just senselessly murdered and well, my brother was senselessly murdered last November. Figured I could bring a bit of realism to that character.

Write on ;)

Plugging right along

This zombie story isn't coming to me as easily as I'd hoped. Oh well, that happens sometimes. When I'm done with this I have a killer idea for another short story and I think I know what I'm gonna do for my first novel, but it will require a lot of research. Should be cool as hell when I am done though.

I'm still sticking with my original plan of writing short stories until I get one published for enough money to join the Horror Writers Association at least as an affiliate. Then I'll start the novel.

I guess there is nothing stopping me from doing the research for the novel now though, and that will keep me busy when I am bored ;)

And...More Zombies

Sometimes when I run out of inspiration I'll go look through Duotrope and check out what different markets are looking for and try to write something specifically for that market. That's what I did for the piece that got published in Sex and Murder magazine, and obviously it worked.

Here's me hunting for a market for a story I wrote and I come across the name Sex and Murder magazine. I chuckle, then I think about it for a moment, then I think to myself: I wonder if I could write a story that has both sex and murder in it and get them to take it?

So Robbing the Cradle was born. Sure enough they snatched it right up, it was in issue 6. I must note that normally my stories do not contain sex, as for some reason I am just not comfortable writing those scenes. I guess I'd suck as a romance novelist. Snicker.

Anyway, as I looked through the markets yesterday I came upon an anthology that was looking for Zombie stories. But there was a catch. They will only accept stories from female writers. Hell Yeah! My last two stories involved Zombies, but they were primarily animal Zombies. This one wants the traditional human brain eating variety. I think I've come up with an idea that involves both traditional Zombies with a little man hating thrown in. It's gonna be awesome ;)

I'm such a sicko!

Yesterday I wrote another short story. This one may be my sickest yet. Turned out pretty good though, if I do say so myself. It's called Nightmare at the Farm.

Now to try and publish the thing, so that other people can enjoy it. I've given Pseudopod another go. I think the pacing on this one is better for their purposes. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

On another unrelated note, one that I find quite humorous, my husband got a bite from an agent from his query letter. She wants to see a partial MS, and a Synopsis. What's funny about this is that try as I might, I can't find a single male author that this agent represents.

So my husband writes stuff that appeals to women, and I write Horror. Go figure ;)

Well that's just Sucktastic!

So yesterday in my email I received an unwelcome surprise. A "not really a rejection" rejection of one of my short stories from Strangetastic magazine.

Seems the guy got in over his head and can't keep up with the submissions, so he's just sending everything back and starting over with some seriously more limited submission guidelines. My story would have fit those guidelines except that it was about 250 words too long.

Can I tell you how bad that sucks? I spent a long time searching through Duotrope looking for just the right fit for that story. Now, well, just let me give out a Charlie Brown "Augh!"

Oh well, all is not lost, I found another possible home for it. I just submitted Grandmother Dearest to Arkham Tales. We'll see how that goes ;)

A story borne of a Facebook status update

The other day my daughter Caitlin posted this as her Facebook status:

"it is seriously deader than that cat in pet semetary in here. Do I work with live people or corpses? (yikes, zombie coworkers. nope, zombie coworkers would at least be trying to eat my brains)"

To which I responded:

"You just gave me an idea for a short story ;)"

And the story The Office Zombie was born. I kinda intended it as a joke, but it turned out to be an awesome horrific and funny flash fiction piece, so I couldn't help but try to find a home for it where it would be loved and cherished ;)

I've submitted it to and ezine titled Untied Shoelaces of the Mind, we'll see how that goes ;)

In a sea of many agents, one bad fish

In a previous post I told you that my Husband recently finished his first novel and we've been sending out Query letters to agents. I've been monitoring the e-mails for him as they come back. So far we've gotten a few rejections and I am pleased to note that most of them are at least professional and nice about it, even the ones that use form letters still use a form letter that is professional and nice.

Except for one guy. He sent back a one line response.

"Thanks, but we will pass."

Thinking I may just have a thin skin and that wasn't maybe as rude and dismissive as I thought, I Googled the guy.

Where I found other authors complaining that he was rude and dismissive.

Then I looked up some web pages on him.

Where I found out he is a pompous ass.

Now I won't do this, but I sure am tempted to reply with:

"That's okay, I think you did me a favor. Besides, I was apprehensive about sending a query to an Agent who's main office is in Florida anyway. Would you like a coupon for some depends? I think I have one sitting around here somewhere. Snicker."

Write on ;)