Category: Announcements

Draft II Away!

2/1/2019

Honestly, I'd like this post to be a bit longer discussion on writing what you want versus writing what you've been contracted to write, but for reasons this is just an announcement. This morning I sent the 1st draft of my second contracted book to my publisher! Two down, one to go! Woohoo! Wish me luck on book #3!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

Post Nano

12/15/2018

SO, big news post NaNoWriMo is that the publication date for my three book deal may be moving up to spring 2019! This means that after the holiday craziness - still haven't put up our Christmas tree or finished Christmas cards or finished Christmas shopping - I get to finish fleshing out WHISPs II and get that off to the publisher by February 1st, then start on the first draft of book three. No rest for the weary, but deadlines can be great for productivity! May not get in a post on the 24th, so Happy Holidays! See you in 2019!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

BIG NEWS!!!

10/19/2018

Okay, so a while ago I hinted that I was awaiting some big news. Here it is: I've signed a 3-book deal with Scarsdale Publishing. I'm absolutely thrilled and will let you know when the first of the three is due out. Thanks to everyone who's been supporting me through these lean publication years.

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

Wish I had some news...

8/24/2018

But if wishes were horses...also, no news is good news.

If you're not sure what I'm talking about, I was solicited for the entire manuscript of my 5-minutes-in-the-future detective thriller based on a Twitter pitch from #IWSGPit and subsequent outline. It was very exciting since this particular publisher doesn't accept unsolicited materials. I'm anxiously waiting to hear back. I'll let you know...

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

Woohoo!

6/29/2018

Finally, some happy news. Though it is not official on the website yet, Writers of the Future just informed me that my short story Ferris Wheel has received an honorable mention for the contest's 2nd Quarter 2018. I am super excited about this because I've experienced a bit of a WotF drought since my short story Alchemical Reminiscence of Death won an honorable mention back in 2015.

For those of you not familiar, the contest is actually the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contest presented by L. Ron Hubbard. Politics aside, it is a wonderful free contest open to science fiction and fantasy short stories under 17,000 words. There are 4 quarters each year and you can enter each only once, but that's still 4 free entries a year! (Personally, I'm lucky to write 4 short stories a year). Also, not only do the first, second, and third prize winners receive cashy money, they are also invited to attend a complementary writing workshop in California taught by some huge name authors as well as a gala awards ceremony. Please note that this contest is only open to non-professional writers and you can only win once. Visit the website Rules Page for further clarification.

Anyways, just wanted to share. Woohoo!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.

Not Good News

4/20/2018

I often try to make this blog as inspirational to writers as possible, so I apologize for this post in advance. I just found out that my publisher has had to shut down. In one minute I went from published author to self-published author. In one minute I went from receiving royalties, to having to go through the hassle and pain of submitting a novel to publishers again. In one minute I went from having four novels out to having one novel out.

However, don't mistake this rant. I'm not mad at my publisher. This is what needs to happen for them and I support them completely in what had to be an extremely difficult decision. I'm just incredibly bummed out, particularly because this comes less than two weeks from Penguicon where I typically promote my books.

While it is true that I now have the opportunity to perhaps find a larger publisher for my books, I also will have to go for an unknown amount of time with three of my books being unavailable for purchase except for at the Barnes and Noble in Brighton Michigan which still have copies in the store for sale. Thank you B & N Brighton!

Hopefully my next post will have some better news on this front.

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.

New Year, New Experiences

1/5/2018

So, welcome to 2018. The new year finds me breaking new ground with my writing. I have sent my first query letter to an agent (2 actually, woohoo!) and am putting together my first author resume for the Isle Royale Artist-in-Residence Program. These experiences remind me that as a writer, I should always be expanding my writing in some way. Joining panels at conventions and talking about new and exciting topics is one way of doing this. Also, making new networking connections. Trying a writing contest or a new writers group can also keep you on your writerly toes. Even if you don't have anything to pitch right now to an agent, work on an elevator pitch for your half-finished novel. It will be great practice for later. I guess what I'm trying to say is this: there are lots of experiences of being a writer other than writing. Try some! :)

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!

I Can Only Do What I Can Do

10/6/2017

The reason prioritizing is difficult for me is that I never want to admit that I can't get everything done. I make a simple list and think, oh yes, editing, blogging, preparing for NaNoWriMo, getting ready for the holidays, no problem. There are people with way more going on than me who get way more done everyday, so this should be a piece of cake. But then I fall behind, things don't get done, and I'm left frustrated, feeling like I let myself down. So, this time I'm actually going to admit that I can't do everything and one of those things is writing this blog every week. I'm now officially going onto an every two weeks schedule to free up a bit of time and brain power for editing. I may get back to weekly posts in 2018, but as for now, look for my next post 10/20/2017. Cheers.

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!

Publication and Kittens

9/1/2017

I am super excited to announce that my short story "Snick" will be published in Ghostlight, The Magazine of Terror, this October. Ghostlight is dedicated to horror fiction, art, and poetry, and is published by the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers (GLAHW). This will be my first short story publication! "Snick" is a short story about the horrors of working retail and was inspired by my personal experiences. I'll post another link when the Ghostlight issue with "Snick" is live.

This post is late because we somewhat spontaneously drove down to Lima, OH today to pick up two kittens. The 4 hour round trip drive to Lima, plus the 2 hour round trip drive to my folks to pick up some kitten supplies, plus the time spent cleaning and rearranging our household to accommodate said kittens kinda threw our lives into a crazy spiral today. I hope you understand.

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!

Shameless Self-Promotion

8/11/2017

Okay so I'm not going to lie, as an author you sometimes you have to commit acts of shameless self-promotion. This post is one of those acts.

Come join me Saturday, August 19th, 2:00pm-4:00pm for an author panel and book signing for teen books at the Barnes & Noble in Brighton, MI.

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.