23 #NaNoWriMo Days Later

I mentioned on Twitter that I’m missing my dad, particularly at this time of year. He took such pride in my nightly word count recaps. He was a writer, in his younger days, and always regretted not following up on a few leads he had. He used to ask what agents were looking for these days. I would tell him I’d let him know when I found out.

I haven’t found out yet, but I haven’t been actively querying. November is a time for creating something new. I’ve had mixed feelings about my work-in-progress, but it’s fun and even if it took a good two-plus weeks to start picking up steam, so be it. At first I spent a lot of time questioning having a story-within-a-story like I do, but the more I tried not to have it there, the more reluctant I got to write.

I’ve written mystery before. My first published short story was a noir detective story called The Case of the Bloodstone Dragon. It’s in Dragonthology from Untold Press. I will forever be grateful to the folks there for believing enough in my work to publish it. I almost called it The Curse of the Bloodstone Dragon, but I didn’t have enough room to go into the history of the curse itself. Maybe some day!

With this November novel, I’ve gone from horror/supernatural to mystery, which is a much better fit. Just because something features a ghost doesn’t mean it’s got to be classified under horror. Mystery it is. Right now it’s called The House on the Hill, which isn’t particularly innovative. I’ll change that up once it’s done. Today it sits at just a smidge over 45,000 words and I’m so happy to have come this far. I will definitely meet the NaNo word count, but I also know it needs to be almost twice as long as it is now.

First drafts, I always say, are for barfing out all the details. Revision passes are for deciding what stays and what goes, but all the words in this manuscript are ones I need to know. Even if nobody else ever sees them, I still need the backstory and background.

I’m having fun not censoring myself. Once November has run its course I’m sure I’ll be knee-deep in revisions, back to my regular critique group, back to the three or four novels I have that I’m still finessing…and this one.

Happy Halloween from Untold Press!

Happily Ever Afterlife

Revisit your favorite childhood fairy tales…with a paranormal twist. Eight classic stories rewritten by eight talented authors with one common theme, they all feature the undead. From angels to vampires and ghosts to zombies, you’ll be sure to fall in love with the classics all over again and quickly learn that even the undead can have a happily ever after.

In the Belly of the Wolf by Amanda Carman

Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t stray from the path. If you do, the wolf will eat you. Once swallowed, you will be trapped forever in the dark and musty limbo of the belly of the wolf, a larger and more crowded world than you ever suspected. You can’t blame him, though. After all, wolves will be wolves.

The Glass Coffin by Emmalyn Greyson

When Marianna’s stepmother betrays her by having her turned into a vampire, she must flee home and the love of her life. Darren, her werewolf lover, believes he’s found a cure. Will it lead to heartache or happily ever after?

Hans and the Best Day Ever by G.L. Jackson

After a seven-year apprenticeship with the Boss Lady, Hans decides it’s time to go home. Accompanied by Gabe, the two boys make their way back to the house in the woods where they hope to find Hans’ mother. Gabe is never at a loss for words but Hans is always quick to act on what might either be a fantastic idea…or the worst idea ever.

The Baron and the Firebird by J.A. Campbell

In the depths of the Russian wilderness, Baron Pyotr Vasilyev does his best to care for his people but his long years weigh heavily and he’s beginning to lose his taste for life. The only things that keep him going are his devotion to duty and his magical cherries. When his cherries go missing the thief turns out to be the Firebird. The desire to hear her sing one last time drives him through the centuries.

Clara and the Coon by M.K. Boise

Clara is born the height of a quarter-an abomination to the village of Fankfret. On the outskirts of town, she’s left to die in a hole that’s the size of a teapot. She soon learns her story is far from over though. Getting eaten by a raccoon is just the beginning.

Blood Borne Pathogen by Shoshanah Holl

Javier is too young to be waiting for death, but in the hospital battling late-stage AIDs there isn’t room for much else in his mind. A mysterious woman begins visiting him and they form a strange friendship. Aurora only comes to visit after the sun goes down, leaving long before dawn. On the Day of the Dead, they both face the choice between life, death…and what comes after.

In Spite of Fire by Tilly Boscott

Alice’s husband, Henry, died, leaving her to wander the world alone, searching for a way to bring him back. When she stumbles upon village gossip describing a place where ghosts dwell, she sets off to find her lost love. Instead of her husband, she discovers a ghost with eyes of fire, keen on the contents of a ragged tree. Alice clambers into an adventure of fear, darkness and true love.

The Angel by Troy Lambert

Abel is a poor urchin, trying to survive on the streets with only his wits to protect him and a tiny garden of struggling flowers to bring him pleasure. Zach is a young boy struggling in the fight of his life against the blight of cancer who wants to see the flowers of spring one last time. It seems inevitable that these young souls will soon leave the earth. But what awaits them in the beyond?

** In Support of the Boston Children’s Hospital:
Troy Lambert, author the The Angel, will be donating 50% of his Happily Ever Afterlife royalties to the Boston Children’s Hospital. Untold press has pledged to match his donation. J.A. Campbell, author of The Baron and the Firebird will also be donating 50% of her royalties! Pick up your copy today and support a great cause!**

DRAGONTHOLOGY

Enter the pages of the Dragonthology. No single story has ever been great enough to contain the mystical, wondrous creature known as the dragon. We assembled the greatest draconian tales and put them between the covers of a single tome to satisfy your hunger for everything dragon. Seven magnificent stories, ranging from science fiction to mystery, await you within.

The Case of the Bloodstone Dragon by G.L. Jackson

A washed up has been, Private Investigator Clark is down to his last $100. That is, until the night a mysterious femme fatale walks through his door weaving a tale of intrigue in hope of recovering an artifact steeped in mystery and danger. What follows is a raucous ride through a little known human and dragon history, played out on the streets of New York City.

Unto the Breach by Jason Andrew

Jonathan Heller uncovers an unusual secret during one of the bloodiest campaigns of World War One in the middle of horrific trench warfare. Can he convince an ancient dragon that humanity is worthy of life during their darkest hour?

The Dragon of Sullivan Hall by Marian Allen

A dormitory full of fun loving female students, an angry red dragon with a litter full of hungry whelps, and a particular student of Irish descent. This won’t end well for the dragon.

Egg Hunt by Jay Wilburn

A lonely smuggler must make decisions he never dreamt possible in the darkness of space to elude capture and protect his precious cargo of dragon eggs. When one of them hatches, it threatens to damage his ship. Can a person change enough to save a ship, a dragon, and himself?

The Clan by Troy Lambert

Dragons return to the earth and humanity enslaves them with the last remnants of technology of their dying race. Now the technology of old is fading. Will the dragons be able to rise again? Will the humans declare war, or will a peaceful solution be found? It all rests in the hands of an ancient dragon, and a lowly shepherd and his clan.

Dragon Seeks a Wife by Sandra Graves

What happens when a dragon falls ill and is told he will die in a year and a day unless he finds his one true love? The only thing a dragon can do. He sets out on a quest to win the hand of the perfect mate for a dragon–the daughter of the king. Aided by a Quetzal bird sorcerer, he begins his quest. An old fashioned fairy tale with a Meso-American twist.

Darkness Taken by J.A. Campbell

In a land where children are warriors and the only adults are mythical creatures, all are called to fight the Darkness. Til and her dragon partner, Heliodor, complete the perfect Welcome Ceremony, but their joy is short lived. The Dark has slain a unicorn and taken her foal back to the Darklands. Can Til and Heliodor venture where none go and rescue the young unicorn?

FLASHY FICTION AND OTHER INSANE TALES

(Volumes 1 & 2)

An anthology of the strange, bizarre, and just plain weird.

Zombies, vampires, ghosts, and …crickets? Try a taste of writing from two very different fantasy authors. Flash stories are super short and perfect for when you ‘just have a minute’. This anthology contains 15 stories from authors Sean Hayden and Jen Wylie. Run the rampart of emotions in this exciting mix of tales. From humor to twisted, there is something for everyone.

Unicorns, zombies, devils, dark whispers, teddy bears, and …fireflies? Try a taste of writing from two very different fantasy authors. Flash fiction stories are super short and perfect for when you ‘just have a minute’. This anthology contains 15 stories (both flash and longer short stories) from authors Sean Hayden and Jen Wylie. Run the rampart of emotions in this exciting mix of tales. From humor to horror, sweet to twisted, there is something for everyone.

~*~

Note: Some stories contain adult language.

Don’t pay attention to Polonius

…go on, be a borrower and I’ll be the lender by proxy.

You can now borrow both Dragonthology and Happily Ever Afterlife from Amazon if you’re an Amazon Prime member with a Kindle account.

(Sorry, for taking your character out of context, William Shakespeare. But imagine if Polonius had an e-reader: would he still have spent all that time eavesdropping from behind the tapestry?)

Now Available

Do you like the feel of a physical book in your hand as much as I do? Good news! Dragonthology (Untold Press) is now available as a trade paperback at Createspace and Amazon.

The Kindle edition is of course still available at Amazon.

There are seven distinctly different dragon stories in the collection, ranging from mystery to mythology, from sci-fi to historical and more. Every storyteller’s voice is different, and every version of every dragon is unique. I’m thrilled to be in the company of my fellow authors for this anthology. The stories are geared toward adult readers, although there’s nothing to keep teen audiences from reading and enjoying the stories as well.

Happy reading. I’d love to know what you think of the collection.

For Your Consideration

Today, I offer two things for your consideration. The first is an announcement: the Dragonthology anthology is available as a free download today through Wednesday on Amazon’s kindle store. If you’ve been waiting, now’s a great time to get the book. Seven stories, seven authors, seven entirely different takes on dragon mythology. There’s something for everyone!

Download from Amazon US
Download from Amazon UK

If you like the collection, please consider letting Amazon know by clicking the LIKE button and by leaving a review. Thank you!

***

My second item has more to do with writing than might be apparent. Getting there is a long circuitous route, so I won’t bore you with the details unless you’re curious or if you don’t trust me when I say the two things are related. On Saturday I chased down some beautiful waves with my camera in Lincoln City, Oregon at the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic. It was well worth the drive. It’s not often that the waves at the reef top out at around 30′.

The best place for viewing the surfing was from a bluff above the beach. The reef itself is a half-mile out to sea. The waves are perfectly visible with the naked eye, but even more exciting with a scope or binoculars because the surfers don’t look like dots that way. I had my camera (I did warn you somewhere that I take lots of pictures, right?) with a nice zoom lens, and my family obliged me by watching one of the heats with me from that vantage point on the bluff. Afterward we walked down to the beach where the haze was thick and covered everything like a memory from a dream. I can’t wait to work that feeling into a piece of my work-in-progress.

Here are the photos, for your viewing pleasure.

Revisiting Old Friends

Some stories, I believe, deserve to be finished. I have stacks and stacks of what I lovingly call UFOs, my favorite unfinished objects. As any writer knows, going through old works can be the very definition of mixed blessing. Sometimes we uncover gems. More often than not, we uncover pieces of writing that make us cringe in a lot of places. But shake the dust off those pieces, and there are kernels of good work hiding.

I recently dusted off something I started four years ago. Wanting to see if it still held any merit, I sat down to read. Aside from some grammatical conventions that really made me shudder, I realized it wasn’t bad. I spent the bulk of the day yesterday rereading (and changing all those annoying punctuation quirks) before deciding to sleep on things. Is the story salvageable? I think so. Knowing more than I knew then, I can see where changes need to be made, where antagonists need to be introduced, and where the meat of things needs to be plumped up. It feels like a go to me, and I believe with these modifications I can almost double the length and make it workable. The bigger question is whether or not I can recapture the mood and the intent from the past and make it work with what I’ve become in the present.

I know what I’ll be working on this January!

In the meantime, as a first-time published author, I can’t go without mentioning a few things here.

• Being published is fun!
• Check out the book! Available on Amazon.
• While you’re there, please take a moment to “like” the page.
• If this makes you long for a $25 Amazon gift certificate, you can enter to win one courtesy of Dragonthology and Untold Press.
• We also have a blog tour, starting with WordPress’ very own Julie Campbell.

There we have it. Happy 2013! May your year be filled with creativity!

Reviewers Wanted

Dragonthology is now available for purchase at Amazon.

Dragonthology

Untold Press has released the cover art for Dragonthology.

Enter the pages of the Dragonthology. No single story has ever been great enough to contain the mystical, wondrous creature known as the dragon. We assembled the greatest draconian tales and put them between the covers of a single tome to satisfy your hunger for everything dragon. Seven magnificent stories, ranging from science fiction to mystery, await you within.

In addition to my story, this anthology features work by Marian Allen, Jason Andrew, J.A. Campbell, Sandra Graves, Troy Lambert, and Jay Wilburn. It’s due out in January 2013.

Coming Soon

I’m so pleased to be a contributing author to the latest anthology offering from Untold Press, Dragonthology, due in January 2013.