The road to writing and publishing is paved with a whole lot of self-doubt and countless rejections. Writers need to celebrate any accomplishment, big or small, to help fuel motivation and bade away the naysayers (internal and external). New Year’s Eve is a good opportunity to pause and take stock of accomplishments of the past year and reflect on upcoming goals.
Personally it’s been a year of firsts, with some accomplishments of note:
International: This year I broke into the Australian (Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, COLP, and Things in the Well series); Canadian (Renaissance Book Publisher); and British (Tales to Terrify podcast) marketplaces.
Cover feature: My Weird Western tale “Dusty Arrival” was the cover story for the award-winning Andromeda Spaceways Magazine (March 2018 issue). This was a particular thrill: it never gets old to see how talented illustrators interpret your work.
Audio: Another big highlight was a foray into audio storytelling with the acceptance of my reprint story “The Peerlings” for the Tales to Terrify podcast. Much like when an artist visually manifests your story, it is surreal and gratifying to hear a talented voice actor interpret your tale.
In summary, I’ve had 6 publications and 1 author interview this year:
- Andromeda Spaceways Magazine issue 70 (cover story): “Dusty Arrival” – Weird Western/horror
- Andromeda Spaceways Magazine issue 72: Authors Unearthed – author interview
- Beyond the Infinite anthology: “The Peelings” – scifi horror
- COLP magazine Sky’s the Limit issue: “Night Call” – dark speculative fiction
- We Shall Be Monsters anthology: “Wanting” – scifi horror
- Tales to Terrify podcast episode 354 : “The Peelings” – scifi horror
- Trembling with Fear: Year One anthology from the Horror Tree: “Turning Tides” – horror flash fiction
I am incredibly grateful for the writing and editing community, particularly in the areas of genre fiction, which often are misunderstood (e.g., horror = slasher). I am also indebted to friends and family who provide support in this tough craft. I hope the coming year leads to new stories that provide respite, intrigue or food for thought. Happy 2019!
