Blog Post No. 515
My first story submission to an open call was rejected. I’m not surprised. I wrote it last minute, it was for a horror collection, and I struggled to make the story any scarier than intense. It would have been nice if it had made the cut, though. I was happy with the idea, if the execution was a bit lacking. Plus, even though it wasn’t a big payday or anything, the little bit of extra cash would have been a tiny boon to my current focus on financial goals.
Blog Post No. 509
Just before I started to get back into editing the Invasion Novel (see last week’s post for details) I finished off a short story that I was writing for the specific purpose of submitting to an open call. Christian has had so many good things to say about Eerie River Publishing (the publisher that released Infested) and he’s been doing so well with selling short stories, that I was inspired to submit to one of Eerie River’s Open Calls. The thing is, it’s a horror publisher and the open call is for a horror story. Which would be great if I wrote horror stories.
Blog Post No. 499
Continuing the run up to the 500th post, this week we have a guest post by C.M. Forest, better known on this blog as jerk Christian Laforet.
Alright, picture this: It’s early, like, the sun isn’t up yet early. The day is promising to be a hot one, but the chill from the night before is still in the air. I’m standing in front of my house, a small suitcase and a bag of books on the ground beside me and a Monster energy drink in hand (with a few more tucked into my suitcase). I’m anxious. Toronto is a four-hour drive (through some of the most boring landscape ever spewed from the Earth) and the event, a reading at a bar for a genre publisher, will not pay near enough to cover the costs of the trip. I can’t even say I’m looking forward to the event itself. I’ve always been an introverted person and the idea of standing before a group of strangers and reading aloud is not an appealing one. So, yeah, I’m anxious. And then I see the red pick-up truck turn the corner of my street and that anxiety begins to dissipate like the nighttime chill. A moment later, Ben is parked in my driveway, my bags are loaded and I’m climbing into his truck. Some sort of joke has already been cracked, as has my Monster, and with a last glance at my house, we’re off. And now I’m no longer anxious, but exited (and not just because Ben is a good-looking guy either!). I’m excited for the hours I get to spend with my friend with nothing but conversation to fill the time. Continue reading “Thousands of kilometers, Baconators, and how to fix Star Wars – Guest Post by C.M. Forest”
Blog Post No. 450
Christian has a horror novel called Infested (at least the working title was Infested, I’m not sure what it’s called now). Not to give anything away, but it had big bugs in it and it was super creepy. While he was writing it, he decided that the bugs in question would look like earwigs, but much larger. The reason he chose earwigs out of all the creepy, crawly, critters out there, is that the earwig is among the most unsettling to look at. Over the last week (and weekend) my entire life was consumed with stoping an infestation of my own. And you’ll never guess what critter I had to deal with (unless you can put two and two together, or you read the title of this post). Continue reading “Ben (and his Brother) VS the Earwigs”
Blog No. 339
Over the years since I’ve been writing, I’ve had a regular summer slump. I’ve mentioned it on this blog (probably a hundred times) but I’ve also talked about it with other authors. Most of the time people explain it away with good weather and lots of activities, but I feel the need to point out that (since I am a basement dwelling hermit) the good weather does little to change my day-to-day routine. Part of the problem is that the day job gets busier (and the usual schedule gets tossed in the trash due to lots of special rentals and yearly occurrences. Another part is that, yes the weather is nice, so there are more events. Some are ones that I attend, and some are just fun to go to. Some are neither and I’m just there to support a friend, but I do that willingly. The thing that seems to really throw me off track is the dreaded other half of writing. Editing. Continue reading “I’ve Discovered Something”
Blog No. 319
It is technically (or more accurately, literally) a new year right now. 2019 is happening, but if you’ve paid any attention, you’ll know my end of the year is the closest post to January 10th, so I’m not quite there yet. That’s a good thing, though. That means that I get to spend this post talking about the Workshop happening on January 19th at Gertrude’s Writing Room. I may also say a little something about how Neon Heart is coming, but really, the only update I have is that I’ve managed to finish the second draft. It was a bit cleaner on the front end then expected (which is terrifying) but the back half was a trash-fire-mess, so I think I had used up all my good writing in the beginning. Third draft will be starting soon, but I’m talking about workshops, here! Continue reading “Workshops for the Uninitiated”
Blog No. 248
Next Wednesday (in six days from now) is the second quarterly ChiSeries Windsor reading. You may have remembered my post about it a few weeks ago (or at least the title if you don’t actually read this blog). To refresh your memory, this may end up being the last ChiSeries Windsor reading, or maybe the last for a while, since their normal funding hasn’t come through. I say they because there is a dedicated group of people from ChiZine Publications who started and support the series (at the moment from their own pockets) but I suppose I’m part of that now. Even thought I said it last time, I think it’s really important to stress how big a deal this is and what a great thing it can be for Windsor. Continue reading “Now’s Your Chance”
Blog No. 245
I’ve mentioned the ChiSeries here a few times already. Back in February, Christian and I went up to Toronto to take part in a reading up there. It all happened to fast. We went in, met folks, had a drink, did some readings, and hung out for the rest of the night. At time time, before we headed back to the hotel, we had agreed to start hosting a ChiSeries in Windsor in the next few months. In the span of a few hours, we had been completely indoctrinated into the Chiaroscuro Series family, given a taste of the life of a genera writer with friends, and took up the charge to bring the experience home. The whole night shows what happens when like-minded people hang out. Continue reading “The National Chiaroscuro Reading Series”
Blog No. 233
It turns out that last year, I only got half the Shock Stock experience. That thought is leaving me reeling since the last time I was completely wiped out. The convention is busy, hectic, and a bit wild, and it goes for three days. What I found out this year was that when the day’s events end, the evening’s parties start. Boy, do those Shock Stock people know how to party. Since the convention was in a hotel this year, and nearly everyone was staying in that hotel, as soon as the day was wrapped, the parties started. Official, unofficial, after, after-after, and after-after-after parties went way latter than I could last. The entire hotel was overrun. Continue reading “What Remains After Shock Stock”
Blog No. 232
Tomorrow morning, I’ll be on the road with Christian, heading for London, Ontario. We’ve been invited to be guests at Shock Stock, the three day horror convention. I’m getting really excited and not just because the three days away are also like a mini vacation (even though it’s a lot of work). There were some cool things last year and there are more cool things scheduled this year. Not only that, but I get to be part of the VIP stuff since I’m a guest. If it’s well attended, I should be able to sell a lot of books. (Seeing as that’s my primary reason for going). On average we do more than ten percent at most events. That is, selling a book to ten percent of the people who walk through the door. Some have been much more and even last year we did about that, but the attendance was way down. An event like this has the potential to be the biggest success yet. Continue reading “Shock Stock Take Two”
Ben Van Dongen 