Long Live The King!

No, no...I'm not talking about me, I'm not that egotistical...yet

Let me explain...

At the end of last year I set myself a goal of getting one publication credit per month for 2010. Reach for the stars, I've been told, and even if you don't make it, you'll still have a hell of a trip. In some ways, my target is a little ambitious, but then again if I really am a storyteller of any worth, I should be able to do it. Let's consider it a sort of litmus test...

So, to this end, in January I had Cruisin' published in House of Horror Issue 8. This is a bit of a fudge because I actually knew about it last year, but I'll take every free hit I can get.

As announced in my last blog, Ease of the Midnight Visit was accepted for publication in Short and Twisted 2010 for June publication. Not exactly a 'Feb publishing credit' in the true sense, but I refer to my 'free-hit-rule' again and have the score as 2 - 0 in my favour.

And yesterday, I was advised that my new American crime short story, Long Live The King!, has been accepted by the US ezine, Sex and Murder. It's described as 'a magazine of extreme horror, dark fiction and splatterpunk', so another departure from the Horror, Romance, etc, genres I've been published in, and yet it isn't really. It's crime, gritty and real, (vaguely reminiscent of the 'American/Pulp Fiction/Gangster' mode) and I really like the main character. Could there be a follow up/longer story  to be written from it? I hear you ask.

We'll see...anything's possible.

Haven't got a publication date for it yet, but when I know, so will you.

So, I make that three publication credits so far (2 KO's and 1 on a points count). Maybe a publishing credit per month was a little rigid...Maybe I should go for twelve (or more) for the year...never let it be said that I'm not prepared to move the goal posts in the middle of the game...

And, as usual, something from the past...

Twenty years as a debt collector taught me a lot of things...one of the most important is that if you lead an argument, you'll win the argument. Think about it...if you're answering the questions, if you're on the back foot, you've already lost. Try leading next time...you'll be surprised.

Gotta run...haven't written anything in a while...been 'researching'...

Cheers

It's Been That long? Really?

2 months since we last spoke, I must be getting slack.

Things have been pacing along, I received my manuscript back from my copy editor, Catherine Hammond. Have I mentioned the title, Jack Be Nimble, yet? I'm shopping for an agent (if anyone is interested) and running into all the usual difficulties like the ones that say they are open to new clients, but really aren't...ahhh the fun, the fun!!!

Luckily, I've had a few wins as well. My story, The Cat called Follow Me (which appeared in House of Horror Issue 4), is back by popular demand, appearing in print in the House of Horror Best of 2009 Anthology (can be ordered through House of Horror). I must be on a good horror streak, because House of Horror have also accepted my story, Cruisin', to be published in Issue 8, in January 2010.

On an altogether different slant, my story, Homesick, has just been accepted by The Chick Lit. Review and will be available from November 14, 2009. It's not in the crime genre (like Jack Be Nimble), or in the horror genre (like The Cat called Follow Me and Cruisin') but instead focuses on 'relationship issues'. It's similar in style to the two manuscripts I've completed (Dream A Little Dream and All Other Places) before writing Jack Be Nimble, so maybe they will get another airing and see what I can do with them. Hope springs eternal.

Most recently, in between the short stories (the next one is also a horror piece - Art for Art's Sake), I've been working on another manuscript, The Cabin, a pyschological/suspense thriller set in the Colorado mountains. Another departure, but I just can't let the main character go. About six chapters done and the people I've showed it to all say they like it, so I've just got to complete it, I suppose.

So, what's that? Two manuscripts to edit/rewrite, two to complete and some short stories to unleash...should be a breeze.

Roll on summer, roll on...