A tall, dark, and handsome “Alpha” is coming to dinner on Halloween!
The Deception Anthology from Writing Bloc is available for pre-order on Kindle for $2.99. I’m so honored and humbled to be a part of this collection, which includes twenty four stories from newcomers like me and accomplished award winning authors, as well as my husband’s chilling “You Might Get It”.
His satirical “Convict 45” appeared in the Writing Bloc inaugural anthology, Escape.
I had concerns about submitting a story to their second outing, but submissions were assigned numbers and rated by a committee of readers. The anonymity of the process eased any concerns I had. I’m glad I took the leap. It’s nice being accepted by your peers, and knowing it’s based solely on the quality of your work.
It’s also easier to brace for rejection when you know it isn’t personal. My ADHD comes with a side helping of rejection sensitive dysphoria. Rejection goes with the territory when you’re involved in the arts, and mostly I find it manageable, but it’s magnified when it comes from people you know because you’ll always wonder if it’s you they’re rejecting.
I now have an official author page on Amazon. So far I only have one short story to show for myself, but it’s a start. I do have a couple of projects in the works.
I’ve talked a lot about Grimalkin, which is developing nicely. In a strange way, scaling back from a planned trilogy to a stand alone novel has allowed me to open the story up to more subplots and thematic content that enriches the overarching plot. At the same time, I’m building a ‘world’ I may draw on for future stories. Grimalkin was always more lightweight than my short stories; now it has a little more heft.
I’m continuing to work on a collection of stories “Alpha” was originally intended for (and can still be used in). I may submit some of the other stories to other publications, but ultimately look forward to housing them all in one collection of my own. The stories range from horror to sci-fi to urban fantasy. One may even be realistic fiction; it’s up to the reader to decide if events are simply cause and effect, or if there’s something supernatural afoot.
I may consider self publishing, especially as one title that seemed so clever at the time is losing pop culture relevance and another is appearing all over holiday décor. “Resting Witch Face” was written in 2017, well before the phrase adorned shot glasses and wall plaques. That’s all I’m saying. (Basic witches stealing my thunder.
In the meantime, I’m exciting to share “Alpha” with readers. I’m also wrestling with a bit of Imposter Syndrome. (Then again, the anthology is called Deception. If I’m only pretending to be a writer for Halloween, that makes me even more on theme!)
If you’d prefer a physical copy for that new book smell (my second favorite smell after puppy breath), the release date will be announced soon.
