So I’m not under a deadline but I’ve been writing like crazy lately. Flash fiction, short stories, novellas, and novels. All writing all the time.

That’s even why I haven’t been blogging much lately. Writing fiction has consumed me!

I’m unsure what’s inspired this spate of creation. It might be that after January I had no books under contract (which quickly changed). Or it could be that I’m learning how to fit writing time into my busy daily schedule.  Or it could be that I’ve needed a little more escape from the world lately.

Whatever the reason, I find myself surrounded by stories. This has been my most prolific year ever!

 

I started the year with the republication of a longer, more detailed version of The Applicant by Dreamspinner Press. Forbes and Oliver’s first adventure became even more of a jaunt through time and love. Readers not only got to see more of Forbes’s mansion but also the wacky applicants that applied for Oliver’s position.

Then in February, I wrote a new female/female short story titled Pretty Polly. First love is always the sweetest but the heart isn’t always wary of strange women who live alone in the woods. It’s a paranormal that takes place post US Civil War. And the best part, I published it here on my website!

Then in April I entered the annual Queer Sci Fi Flash Fiction contest and my story LightHeart was chosen to be part of the collected edition Re*new*al that is now on sale! The theme was “renewal” and all the stories in the collection are only 300 words each. My story is female/female and a little surprising and involves a volcano. 🙂

I ushered in May by publishing The Klockwerk Kraken Collection which contains Prism Award-winning novella, The Klockwerk Kraken, its sequel Spindrift Gifts, as well as a special never before published epilogue to the stories. These books were dear to my heart and opened up a wealth of opportunities for me, so I wanted to give them a beautiful print edition. Natasha Snow made the gorgeous cover.

In June I wrote a real honest-to-goodness Christmas novella. My first strictly contemporary story. MLR accepted it and will publish it this December. Remember to check out A Hundred Promises of Love. It’s about a barista bringing a little Christmas cheer to the life of a scarred glassblower. A shattered Christmas ornament helps them see the holidays in a new light.

By the time July arrived, I’d finished a paranormal shifter novel which I sold to Loose Id. Wolf Around the Corner is a little different from your normal werewolf story. It’s about a down-on-his-luck director who’s trying to put a theatrical version of Beauty and the Beast. He has a leading lady, he has the perfect venue, he just needs to find someone to play a beast. And who better to play one than a guy who can turn into one?

After seeing a call for submissions, in August I submitted several flash fiction fairy tales to an anthology to be published in November by Between The Lines called Fairy Tales and Folklore Re-imagined. Five of my flash fictions will appear between their pages. In the Tower has an unexpected origin to fairy tales. Upon Falling In Love With A Bear is another mashup, but one with a definite happy ending. The Road Block previously won third place in the QSF 2nd Annual Flash Fiction Contest. Rosewall is probably the oldest story and an early horror story I’m still fond of. The Blue Chamber is a fairy tale re-imagining I’ve been trying to write for several years.

In September Debussy Ladnier and I republished our first Lawrence and Myrna story, Lawrence Frightengale Investigates. Also in that month, we contracted with a narrator to record an audiobook. It’s a new venture for us, just like this story was when it was first published in the Closet Capers anthology.

And this month, October, I submitted a couple of flash fictions to a new contest Flash Monster! The idea was to create a whole new monster. Caught in the Act has a very unlikely monster…definitely not one that is apparent at first glance. And it takes place at a circus. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

So I’ve still got a couple of months left in this year but I think I might take a break. I need to leave a couple of stories for next year. 🙂

But….

If you’d like to talk to me in person about any and all of my new stories, make sure you buy your ticket to the Southern Magic Readers Lunchon!

 

 

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