1 down 11 to go

Okay, I know that today is not the last day of the month, but I am not writing tomorrow. I just can't believe it got here so quickly. With so much left to do this year and the calendar not caring at all what I have to do and how much time it takes to do it, it gets to be frustrating. I can see why time travel stories are so popular.

I was just wondering, thinking about what is the line between 'horror' and 'dark fantasy.' Is there a line or is it just something we come up with to differentiate us between other writers? I find some stuff I write to be dark but not necessarily terrifying. I find other stuff I write to be fantastic but not that dark. I find some stuff I write to be more true to life but dark and it is considered literary and not genre at all.

I am so confused.

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend.

It could have been an exciting day yesterday

Yesterday, just from looking at the news, could have been a very exciting day in the life. It looks like I just missed being involved in a high speed chase through the streets of Council Bluffs, IA and had I taken the Interstate just a little later I could have witnessed a motorcycle crash. I am still trying to figure out what the hell a motorcycle was doing out when it didn't get above 20 degrees. To top it off the rider wasn't wearing a helmet. WTF! I think he must have been high. It is the only explanation I have for that one. To top it all off my wife biffed a deer with her car (probably one I took a shot at earlier this year). the car is still drivable and the deer ran away so it could have been much, much worse.

I did, finally, get my first acceptance of the year yesterday. It is a little for-the-love market for a flash piece I had written earlier this month called Premonition. It is more dark fantasy than horror but I am fine with that. I don't know when it is supposed to come out but I will post it when it does.

I am currently reading King's newest book, Just After Sunset. It is different than most of his other collections of short stories. While it is well written, it does not feel like King. You can tell when you are reading the stories (mind you I am only about a third of the way through it right now) that he took his time with them. They are very deliberate and slower paced stories than he wrote in his earlier books. I think it is the sign of a maturing writer, one who has the luxury of writing what he wants and can do it however he chooses. I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of the book compares and if he will continue to veer away from his roots while staying in the forest.

Have a great day.

It is official

I am the world's worst at grammar and spelling. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever seen any of my work in any form before an editor gets hold of it. It is something that should have been a New Year's resolution but, since I don't believe in them, I will start now. I have two old Grammar books I am pulling out and am going to read and even do the exercises. (I keep misspelling grammar as grammer. You can see my dilemma.) My goal is to be better. I know that most editors do not want to put in as much work as my writing takes to get it up to speed. I will be spending the next couple of weeks, when I am not working on a novel, editing the hell out of everything that has not been accepted and I deem still worthy of anyone reading.

It is going to be a daunting task and not easy I will admit but I hope to make it out of my own slush a better writer.

God help me.

Hello Monday! (and happy Chinese New Year!)

Well it is Monday. Happy, Happy Monday. We managed to get more snow over the weekend but it wasn't a blizzard or anything. Just a nice little 4 inch dusting of snow. We are supposed to get more over the next couple of days so I have my snowthrower ready.

I managed to write another flash fiction piece on Friday. kind of a different take on most of my stories. It is almost a creepy fantasy story as opposed to horror. I am going to be interested if it will sell or if it will be relegated to my dead story file. I will find out in a couple of weeks. Two stories in two days and here I was only supposed to write one piece a month. So far I am up to April and ready for May at this point I guess. In case any of you were wondering I heard nothing from any editor over the weekend so no news is good news in my opinion.

This week is shaping up to be quasi-busy, I have dental appointments, I need to schedule truck repairs (minor but they still need to be taken care of) stories to write and my laundry pile seems to have gotten rather frisky and multiplied over the weekend. I also have a couple of business ventures to look into (something my wife and I have been wanting to do since we started seeing each other which will be 14 years this week) My sister, Melissa, who is 11 months my junior will be celebrating the fifth anniversary of her 29th birthday as well this week. (for those of you with weak math skills or brains that don't function that well in the early morning that is 34 years) She will kill me if she ever reads this.

I want to thank Aaron. I won a copy of Zombie Haiku (only slightly used) because of my ability to pick names that five year old will enjoy saying (kind of like the marketing McDonald's put into Happy Meal (tm) )

One more thing. I am sure most of you have read Felicity's Post from yesterday already but if you haven't go here. It is quite possibly the most exciting news that any of my online friends have offered this year, to date and I think this is going to be a big year for this online circle of comrades (just a little voice in my head that is telling me this. I keep jabbing him with an icepick but he won't go away)

These stories and chores aren't going to get done by themselves. Happy Chinese New Year.

TGIF

TGIF. Truer words have not been spoken. Managed to squeak out another rejection this morning from Shock Totem. Sent the story on to Necrotic Tissue. We'll see how that turns out. I did manage to write a flash story yesterday afternoon. That was fun. I hadn't written flash since the story I wrote for 52 Stitches in late October (Dang has it really been that long?).

I am planning on nothing today but getting groceries and having a drink, or four (I really don't do that anymore, only the first two taste good.) I might get some writing in but I don't know what on. It could be a book or it could be another flash piece.

I am really looking forward to this weekend. My wife and I get to go out on a date and we are going to go antiquing (there is a big show in Des Moines this weekend. We try to go every year but we missed it the last two, I think.) Other than that I am ready for January to be over with and start February on a happy, acceptance filled- rejection free, note (Hah!)

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend as much as I am planning to.

On a lighter note today

I felt yesterday was a downer post. Today will be much lighter. There will be music and dancing and good natured skeletons passing their skulls to one another in perfect synchronization. Just stick with me.

I did receive another rejection yesterday putting my total up to. . .well nevermind. Still no acceptances. Today is another day. Let us see what it brings. Yes, I did have a dentist tell me that I had a cavity that he needed to fill (that will happen sometime next week and I don't think 2 cavities in 35 years is too bad considering the amount of chocolate I can put down in any given year) My boy and my dog wouldn't let me sleep last night. I am very thankful I don't have a regular job to get to, I would get to it on time every day but I would be more like a zombie than an employee. Again, nothing to get down about- can't change it so lets roll with it.



I hope you all enjoy the day and this little musical interlude from two classics. Now I am off to continue spreading cheer and happyness throughout the world.

I quit

This month is not going well. This morning my sixth rejection came. It was for my Dead Bait story, Undertow. I realize that my longest dry spell in rejections came last year when I received no good news between January and July. In July things started picking up and I made six sales the rest of the year. Now as anyone in my family would say, 'stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something about it.'

Okay, now that the moment has passed, I need to find a market for that story. Too bad their aren't any other creature antho's out right now. I didn't use fish as my bad 'guy' in that story but instead a giant pond slug with a tendency to travel in packs and eat anything that bleeds. I like the image. I just don't find fish all that scary. Not even sharks. Mostly because I live in Iowa and sharks aren't an issue. Leeches and stuff are nasty though. It only takes seconds for them to attach to you and then they won't let go. They are good to fish with and fish seem to like them however.

I had better get to work. I have a book to finish drafting and a market to research. Happy Wednesday.

update: I just sent it off to Big Ol' Face Full of Monsters. We'll see what happens- in a couple of months. I am a glutton for waiting I guess. Speaking of waiting, has anyone heard back from Devil's Food yet?