Writing 2009 In Review

I just revisited last year's goals/"resolutions". My goals and how I did:

1. Always have one story in front of a pro-paying market. Right now I have six...granted, three are flash pieces, but I did receive a rewrite request on one longer piece. Still waiting.

2. Finish Rock Gods and Scary Monsters and query that sucker by year's end. Done and done. Still waiting. I currently have two fulls out.

3. Write The House Eaters. Um, done.

4. Write at least one high-quality story a month. Well...I averaged more than one a month. Quality? That's for someone else to decide. I've become a better writer, that's for sure.

5. Give myself some breaks. Check. (Actually, I need to get my lazy butt to work)

Now there were two items on the list that needed "assistance" (i.e., I wasn't in total control).

1. Land an agent/sell a book. Agent, no. A few close calls, but nil. Sell a book...check: The House Eaters to Virtual Tales.

2. Sell a story to a pro paying market. Until three days ago, it didn't look like this would happen...but I did land my first pro-rate sale last weekend. More on this later (trying to keep the cat in the bag for now...poor kitty). I'm thrilled, of course.

So all in all, I did okay. Some other highlights include:

• Reading the first reviews of my writing (the very first was for "A Plague from the Mud" at Horror Drive-in.com--and it was positive).
• Sales to Nossa Morte, Murky Depths, Necrotic Tissue...all markets I'd tried and tried and tried.
• Seeing sweet books like Monstrous, Northern Haunts, and Harvest Hill in print. Hell, seeing Monstrous on a shelf at Borders (with my name on the back...WTF?) was pretty effing cool.
• A growing circle of bloggy-people with whom to share successes and process set-backs. Y'all are awesome.

A pretty darn good year, I 'spose. I'm sure I can scrounge up goals for next year, but for now, I'm out. Have a good New Year's Eve. Stay safe.

Catch of the Day

I received the nod from Severed Press today; "Grim Adaptations" will be part of the Dead Bait anthology.

Part of the story takes place at a pond from my childhood (in my fictional world, it is filled with zombie catfish). The same pond inspired "The Scavengers Lying in Wait", due in Harvest Hill next October.

These shots were taken last spring. Behind the camera, through about twenty yards of trees, is Greenwood Cemetery, home to more dead than the number of living in my hometown. Damn if this isn't a great locale for a horror story.

The pond used to stretch off to the right in the bottom picture. A buddy and I would hang out on Sunday afternoons and catch dozens of bullhead. We used to freak each other out, too, what with the scores of tombstones within shouting distance.

Good times.

A Bit of a Downer and a Sweet Cover

First, the downer: Harvest Hill has been postponed until next year. I'm a bit bummed, but the reasons for the delay are valid. In fact, I feel more comfortable with the delay than I would with a rushed project. My pocketbook feels better too, 'cause I have plenty of other anthos I'll be dropping my dimes on in the next couple of months.

I've had a sneak peak at the cover for Monstrous (Permuted Press), and it looks delicious--very comicbook/1950s creature feature. I'd post a link/pic but I think it is hush-hush for now. If you like creature oriented sci-fi/horror, you will want this. I think I'm going to watch Them! again this weekend, just to get pumped.

Stay Tuned.

Yikes! One Heck* of a TOC

The Harvest Hill TOC is out there for the world to see, and gosh if it isn't a whopping thirty-one stories long!

"Poor Andrew Boyd" by K.V. Taylor
"Teeth" by Gustavo Bondoni
"The Confession of Jeremiah Heath" by John C. Caruso
"The Magician" by Damien Navillus
"The Seance" by Beau Forbes
"A Trilogy of Expressions" by Bobbie Metevier
"Demon Whiskey" by J.C. Tabler
"The Last Job" by Jim Kelley
"The Feasting" by Robert J. Santa
"R" by Lawrence Barker
"The Church of Dead Music" by Rick Moore
"Met Halfway" by Jezzy Wolfe
"The Outlaws of Hill County" by John Palisano
"Pumpkins" by Christopher Dykes
"Mona" by Gerald Rice
"The Light Knight Returns" by Michael Stone
"Animating the Dead" by John P. Wilson
"Cold, Dark, Deep" by Camille Alexa
"The Scavengers Lying in Wait" by Aaron A. Polson
"Time is Mine by Steven L. Shrewsbury
"The Orchard" by Andrew Shvarts
"Harold" by Mike Sweeney
"The Harvest Hill Theatre" by Gregory L. Hall
"The Pumpkin Smasher Massacre" by Richard Pitaniello
"Rogut" by Joe Nazare
"The Midway" by J.G. Faherty
"Space Cowboys Don't Ride Electric Horses" by Robby Sparks
"Don't Eat My Face" by Briane F. Pagel, Jr.
"WSCK" by Rio Youers
"Stone Heart, Vinyl Floors" by Jeff Parish
"The Hoax" by Matt Hults

(salivates)

*Hell

Happy Birthday, Owen! (with a little gift for Dad)

My oldest son, Owen, turns five today. Poor kid had to go to the doctor (wellness check up) and received four shots today. Ouch.

He was a trooper though, and his mother and I have a big surprise later today. Think floppy ears and a twitching little nose...he's going to freak.

I opened my mailbox this morning with a sweet little acceptance from Harvest Hill. Soooo excited. "The Scavengers Lying in Wait" has been out there for some time, and I'm happy to be part of the project. I like stories about ponds...ponds with things in them. Probably something to do with all that fishing I did as a kid.

...have to get that rabbit hutch ready now...