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.

Halloween Treats

I've added a reading of "The Ox-Cart Man" to my podcast stable. One of my favorite (written-by-me) stories, "The Ox-Cart Man" appears in Northern Haunts and won the 2008 Whispering Spirits Flash Fiction Contest.

Enjoy the story.

Also...don't forget to read "Seven-Year Itch" by Joshua Reynolds at 52 Stitches today. This is a special, Halloween treat (our 53rd story). 52 Stitches also opens to submissions today. Pour 'em on.

Oh, the candy I'm going to eat later...

I Couldn't Help Myself...

Catherine J. Gardner mentioned making a trailer for a piece of flash fiction...so I took my favorite short-short ("The Ox-Cart Man", a 700 worder from Northern Haunts) and made this "trailer":

A Love Letter to January

Actually, I'm pretty glad January is over. It's been cold, so cold. The kids at school are about ready to explode with cabin fever. I'm tired of dry skin and cracked hands.

Bring on the sun! Bring on spring!

But first, let me pause to reflect:

I wrote three new short stories ("Tommy of the Flood", "Empty Vessels", and "The Distillery") plus one flash piece ("Fuzzy") inspired by one of Owen's books and another flash that will remain nameless for the time being. I edited a couple other bits and launched them in to the ether.

I placed a drabble with Drabblecast, a weird flash piece with Everyday Weirdness, and a magical realism short with A cappella Zoo.

A few things were published on the web, but my favorite appearances for January landed in Monstrous from Permuted Press and Northern Haunts from Shroud.

I tinkered with Rock Gods and Scary Monsters a bit and wrote about 3.5K on The House Eaters.

In support of the small press, I took out a subscription to Murky Depths and purchased the latest edition of Black Ink Horror (#5).

Whew.

January was a good month for personal reflection, too. Thanks for all the great discussions.

I'm going to go play with my kids.

Northern Haunts Release, Other Thoughts on the Biz

Northern Haunts has officially been released. Buy a copy at Amazon or Shroud's website as the profits go to the American Cancer Society. I'm pleased that my work could be part of this project.

I have a jumbled stew in my brain right now, so have patience. Yesterday's NY Times article about the state of self-publishing only served to stir the pot. Thankfully, I don't use this many overdone metaphors in my own stories. (usually)

One other integral part of my brain stew is a Brian Keene interview in the latest issue of Cemetery Dance. Jeremy D. Brooks addressed part of the interview on his blog. The bit that stuck with me (other than the evil of Wal-Mart) was that Keene discussed spending his advance for a book on promoting that book. Mid-listers (and I'm paraphrasing here) receive little or no cash or support for book promotion, so it is all up to the writer.

I'm a terrible salesman. I hate promoting anything (except reading and writing); that's why I became a public school teacher. The students are a captive audience and I really believe in my product.

Look, I love writing. I do. I've talked about the therapeutic qualities of sitting down in front of my computer and hammering out a story. I just don't know if I have the marathon legs to keep running the hamster wheel if/when I have a book published. (fingers crossed here that a book of mine ever would be published)

The benefit, it seems, to receiving a book deal from a major house is that one would have the advance money to spend on promotion. This won't be the case with self-publishing or smaller presses.

Aimee (my wife) is a guidance counselor at a local high school (not the one where I work, thank God; that would be too weird). She had a student come in to her office who was interested in becoming a writer. I remember being starry-eyed, thinking: gee, once I get that book deal^tm, I'll be set for life. Wow, was I ever naive.

The kids at school are definitely creating and consuming in a different way than I do. I don't think they feel the same about self-publishing. Maybe I should take a poll, but I can tell the times are a'changing. I'll always be a digital immigrant. They are the natives, and the future.

I'm not sure what to make of all this...stuff. Just my thoughts at the moment. Nobody ever said it would be easy, and the illusion that it is easy for guys like Keene, writers who have "made it", is only now beginning to crumble. Bye bye, illusion.

Writing is hard work, folks, for the published and the unpublished. It seems the game board is only becoming more slippery, at least in my mind.

Wow...I Thought Harvest Hill's TOC was Long...

Most* of the Northern Haunts TOC is complete, and I'm truly humbled to find two of my "bits and pieces" among such company (and all for a good cause).

1. BARN AND BRIDLE, Michael R. Colangelo
2. OFF THE BEATEN PATH, Nathaniel Lambert
3. ON A LONELY STRETCH OF ROAD, Erik Williams
4. OPEN HOUSE, Phil Kuhlman
5. PREY, John P. Wilson
6. RUSSEL STOVER IS YOUR PAL, April Grey
7.THE PHANTOM HIGHWAY PATROL, Rodney J. Smith
8. THE TREES RAN RED, Joel A Sutherland
9. TOURIST TRAP, Ayne Terceira
10. ASYLUM, Linda L. Donahue
11. BOGG’S ISLAND, Barry Napier
12. INCIDENT ON ROUTE 44, John Grover
13. LET THE COLD COME, Shadow Kain
14. LONESOME PINE, Catherine J. Gardiner
15. MOTHER OCEAN, Blu Gilliand
16. THE NAYJU, Natalie L. Sin
17. PUNKIN CARVING, Will Gorrell
18. THE WELL OF GHOSTS, Kurt Newton
19. THE THING IN THE WOODS, Bill Ward
20. BAD PLACE, Martin Hayes
21. IN OLD WATER, Aaron A. Polson
22.RAVEN’S HOUSE, Jason M. Tucker
23. THE HUMAN DEER, Kurt Newton
24. THE NATICK NASTY, Paul Milliken
25. THE OX-CART MAN, Aaron A. Polson
26. THE SHADOW MEN, Mark Leslie
27. BROKEN CHAIN, Craig D.B. Patton
28. HEART AND SOLE, Allan Leverone
29. MANY COMFORTING WORDS, J.C. Tabler
30. METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING. Morven Westfield
31. SINISTER MIRTH. John Weagly
32. SO FAIR AND FOUL A DAY, David E. Chrisom
33. THE FEAR OF INNOCENCE, Justin Pilon
34. THE PREDATOR, Douglas E. Wright 3
5. TOM VANE, Sheldon S. Higdon
36. TUNNEL VISION, Derek M. Fox
37. BIG JIM CAN WAIT, J.C. Tabler
38. FISH TALE, Jim Ehmann
39. LURES: A FISH STORY, Jason M. Tucker
40. PLAY TIME, Ginger Nielsen
41. SHOES, Brandon Layng
42. THE CAVES OF GOOSE ROCK BEACH, Alex Moisi
43.THE DECOY, Patrick Rutigliano
44. THE OFFERING, R. Scott McCoy
45. THE PLUMBER, Matt Hults 4
6. THE TALE OF SIX, Sheldon S. Higdon
47. THE VIGIL ON THE BANKS, Patrick Rutigliano
48. TRUE LOVE. Alex Moisi
49. VERMONT IS FOR LOVERS, John C. Caruso
50. VOGO, Ian Rogers
51. WINTER WONDERLAND, J.C. Tabler
52. THE CREATURE OF MOUNTAIN GATE, Nate Kenyon
53. DOWN THE CELLAR, Joseph Grant
54. LOOKING BACK, Steve Vernon
55. PUKWUDGIES: LITTLE MONSTERS OF NEW ENGLAND, Pamela K. Kinney
56. RELIVING THE BATTERY, Shadow Kain
57. SELF EMPLOYED, Sharon M. White
58. TAKE THE EXIT, Nathaniel Lambert
59. THE WRITING ON THE CHALKBOARD, John Lance
60. ALONG COAL HOLLOW ROAD, John Connors
61. HOW BEST TO SEE AXQA, Gene Stewart
62. BABY GIRL, Jeremy Kelly
63. BAG OF GUTS, Robert Masterson
64. CAT’S CRADLE, Roger Lord Zeck
65. COVENTRY GREENS, Jason M. Tucker
66. CRANBERRY FOG, Stephen D. Rogers
67. THE WHISTLER, Dana Pearson
68. DREAM CATCHER, M.G. Ellington
69. GHOSTLY TREATS, Bobbie Metevier
70. GRAVEYARD SHIFT, Adam Whitlach
71. JUG MEDLEY, Brandon Layng
72. LEFT HAND WAY, Frida Westford
73. NIGHT SCARES, Joel Jacobs
74. CREEPY CRAWLEYS, Mary Rajotte
75. PASSION PLAY, Michael Josef
76. PEMAQUID POINT, Michael J. Hultquist
77. THE PUKWUDGIE, Linda L. Donahue
78. BLACK TOM, Stephen Mark Rainey
79. SIGN OF THE BEAR, BV Lawson
80. SNIP AND RIP, William T. Vandemark
81. THE DARE, Jason A Lavertue
82. THE EXCHANGE, Michael Stone
83. THE HUNT, Lee Anne Carlson 8
4. THE LOST KING OF ATLANTIS, Dawn Allison
85. THE RESTORATION OF PURPLE CURTAINS & OTHER THINGS, Catherine J. Gardiner
86. THE STRAND, Gina Ranalli
87. THE T’ANGLE, Rio Youers
88. TOOTH FAIRY, Stephen D. Rogers
89. WHEN THE DEAD CARRY US AWAY, Barry Napier
90. WHERE SPIRITS DWELL, Brendan P. Myers
91. SOME THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT THREE- FINGERED WILLIE, James S. Dorr
92. A YETI IN GREEN, John Weagly
93. COYOTE DATE, Christa M. Miller
94. THE OLD BASSLER HOUSE, Kevin Lucia

...whew.

*If you are in the anthology, and don't see your story, contact Tim Deal at Shroud ASAP.

Contracts can be downloaded at http://www.shroudmag.com/downloads

Order your copy, now. http://www.shroudmagazine.com/anthologies.html

Help fight cancer.

Cancer sucks.

The Ghost of my Father

Yesterday, I received word that "In Old Water" made it into Northern Haunts. Yes, I jumped for joy. The idea that I could donate my meager talent to a project to help fight the big C, well that thrilled me. My dad died in 1989 after a protracted battle with brain cancer and a cure that may have been worse than the disease.

I kind of like that particular story, too. In thinking about the Northeast, my imagination kept lingering on Walden Pond (I occasionally teach Thoreau). I thought about the age of things in that part of the country, all the violence during the French/Indian War, the Revolutionary War, etc. The water, it seems, has a memory of those things...

This will make a fine gift for Mom, although she probably won't read a word. She doesn't really like "scary" stuff.

Drip, Drip, Drip...

Poor Tim Deal over at Shroud has been subjected to three of my short-shorts for Northern Haunts this week. Hopefully one of them squeaks into the anthology; my father died after a protracted battle with brain cancer, so I really love the cause.

I played rejection-turnaround roulette quite a bit this week as well. The rejection sting is a little less potent when I enourage my wicked little progeny to go play with others immediately after a rejection.

One of my early creations, "Taking Turns," is in Twisted Dreams Magazine this month. Swing by Lulu.com and check it out (I love the cover art).

By the way, the dripping is the sound of maple sap--of the three little babies I sent to Northern Haunts, "Bleeding the Trees" is my personal favorite.