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 ;)