Where have I been? I have been working on a short story called Under the Big Top for submission to an anthology titled Fear of Clowns. The story revolves around a haunted truck stop and is inspired by actual events. The piece was due on April 1st. I submitted it on Easter and have my fingers crossed that it gets picked to be in the anthology. But the odds are not in my favor. It’s just a numbers game. They only have 30% of the book allotted for submissions; the other 70% are invited, meaning people they asked to be in the book. So, the competition will be fierce. That said, I am remaining optimistic. I am very proud of the piece.
Now that it has been submitted, I am working on another short story for submission. This is one I had in my back pocket. It is called The Ghouls of Dr. Forbes. It is also based on actual events (is that my thing?). It is a period piece set in the 19th century. This will be for an anthology called Stories to Take To Your Grave, Mortuary Edition. The deadline is April 30th. I have written a good chunk of the story, so I have less than a month to tweak it. That makes me nervous, but I am trying to wake up at 5 am to work on it. I am not a morning person. I am reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg to help develop new habits, including getting up early and writing every day.
And this is the point of all this—to get better at my craft. I work better with deadlines, and finding calls for submissions and writing for them gives me the goal I need (even if the pay is s#!t). It is sad how low people pay—if they even do pay. Book Worms pays well for how small we are—eight cents per word. We could get away with paying less, but as writers, Regina and I feel strongly that we should pay the highest we can afford.
Speaking of Book Worms, issue 5 will be out in May. The theme is Rock-n-Roll Horror. I’m super stoked about this issue. If you haven’t picked up a Book Worms issue yet, you can still get issues 2 and 4 at bookwormshorror.etsy.com.
I have been posting regularly on my YouTube channel. Please subscribe to watch my latest videos. I do book reviews, thrift store book hauls, and what I’ve been reading. I will have a video soon about the books I read in March. I will also be participating in Old School April. OSA is a fun event where you read, watch, and do nostalgic things. There is a list of prompts for points. It sounds like fun. So join me and share my love of reading and writing.
So, with my copy of The Power of Habit in hand and a “spring” in my step, I hope the future brings healthy habits and that I can share some publications with you. Until the following newsletter, stay gold.
James