Category Archives: Works in Progress

Blog, New Releases, Upcoming Projects, Works in Progress

What I’ve Done and What’s in the Works…

It’s been too long since I wrote a blog post that wasn’t merely a catalog of interesting articles about writing and publishing.

We’re over the midway point of 2021 and while this year has been nowhere near as miserable as its predecessor, the past six and a half months have served up generous portions of stress and change. I lost two dear friends, turned 50, started a new full-time job, and finished a few home renovations and landscaping projects.

Love on the EdgeJust to recap events on the writing front, the first quarter was marvelous. In January, my story, “Where It’s Needed Most,” was published in the Mindful Writers anthology, Love on the Edge, by Year of the Book Press. For some unexplained reason, the anthology briefly went missing from Amazon in June but was quickly re-released using Ingram Spark.  Proceeds from the anthology benefit Allegheny Children’s Initiative-Partners For Quality, Inc.  As a sample, you can read my story for free on Wattpad.

In that same month, my South Korean ghost story, “Before She’s Gone Forever,” was accepted by Gravelight Press for the next volume of their Halloween Party anthology series to be published in September. More details on that soon.

A Plague of ShadowsAnother of my ghost stories, “Bottom of the Hour,” reached the quaterfinals in the Screencraft Cinematic Short Story Competition and to this day remains in the top 35% of discoverable works on Coverfly.  “Bottom of the Hour” was originally published in A Plague of Shadows (Smart Rhino Publications, October 2018).

Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity CoverMarch saw the publication of Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity, the final book in the Middle of Eternity anthology series that I created and edited for Firebringer Press. It’s available in all formats except for Kindle, which has been delayed but should be out eventually. In keeping with tradition, three of my stories were included. You can read two of them for free here on my website: “Take a Cue from the Canine” and “So Hungry…” The third is a Finnish fantasy tale called “The Forest for the Trees.”

Writes of Passage CoverAlso in March, the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group released their latest biennial anthology, Writes of Passage. First in that book is “Help Me Rise,” my tale of a female rock star and recovering alcoholic who struggles to resurrect her career following the death of her husband. It’s the first of two general, or “mainstream,” fiction stories I wrote this year.

The second was “Where Do I Begin?” in which a middle-aged man moves to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to start a new life only to be tormented by voices from his past. This story was submitted to the annual Rehoboth Beach Reads short story contest, sponsored by Cat & Mouse Press and Browseabout Books. The theme this year is Beach Secrets and the winners will be revealed during the first week of August. Stay tuned!

Speaking of (writing of?) Rehoboth Beach, on July 1, I submitted a detective story, set in that town, to Hawkshaw Press for their 2022 anthology, Hardboiled and Loaded with Sin. They accepted the story within two days! If you’re a writer of detective noir tales and 40 years of age or older, check them out. The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2021.

Of course, no writer’s life would be complete without rejections and I received about a half dozen of them this year. There’s an old adage in this business—if you’re not getting rejections, you’re not submitting enough. I’m shopping around two SF adventure stories and a dark horror tale while working on draft three of a science fiction novel.

That about sums it up for the first half of 2021. I’m immensely grateful for the successes and hopeful about the future. Later this year, I plan to submit several short stories, and one of my novels, to various contests. I’ll post details in the months to come.

Enjoy the rest of summer and stay safe.

 

Blog, Works in Progress, Writing and Publishing

Short Story Acceptance: A Plague of Shadows

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Now it can be told! I am beyond ecstatic to report that my short story, “Bottom of the Hour” has been accepted by Smart Rhino Publications for their 2018 paranormal anthology A PLAGUE OF SHADOWS edited by Weldon Burge and JM Reinbold.
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About “Bottom of the Hour”— After surviving a car accident that killed his parents twenty years ago, Victor Orologio has the ability to hear death approaching… yet he has never been able to save any of its victims. When he buys a used Camaro that turns out to be haunted by a vengeful ghost, Victor eventually begins to fear that the next death knell he hears might be his own.
 
For more information on A PLAGUE OF SHADOWS, check out the Written Remains website by clicking HERE  or on the cover image below.
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A Plague of Shadows
Blog, Opinion, Works in Progress, Writing and Publishing

Getting Back on Track

So I recently finished a short story about a young man who buys a haunted Camaro—and inadvertently destroys the life of a paroled car thief. The story is now in the hands of critique partners and happens to be the only writing project that I actually finished this year. If you followed any of my previous updates, you’ll know that 2017 has kicked the shit out of me and in doing so, caused my writing output to plummet. 
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Going into 2017, I promised myself not to write any more short stories this year so I could focus on the first draft of the SF novel I started writing last year. Four chapters into the first draft by April 2016 and the novel ended up on the back burner for a home renovation, a Kickstarter to fund a new anthology, the release of said anthology, and writing six new short stories for contests and anthologies.
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As productive as that was and as proud as I am of those stories, the SF novel languished. Then came 2017 and I set my sights on finishing the first draft by December. Four more chapters were written between January and May… and the novel was again sidelined while I edited submissions to a new anthology, finished a month-long home renovation, then watched my summer collapse along with the roof at my workplace as a result of a severe storm. I want my summer back, damn it!
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So, to get my writing chops back in shape, I cranked out the aforementioned short story about the haunted car—just so I could feel good about finishing something this year.  I thought I would then return to the SF novel…
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Instead, I’ve spent the past week crafting the plot synopsis for my next full-length Miranda Lorensen novel. Almost there. I spent more time working on it in my sunroom this evening—and peeking up every so often to watch a tiny bunny roam around my neighbor’s shed. Who can resist bunnies?
If all goes as planned, this novel will tie directly to the novella that my publisher accepted back in June. The novella, Like Mother, Like Daughters, addresses some aspects of Miranda’s life mentioned in my novels Testing the Prisoner and By Your Side. 
 
I jotted down a quick jacket blurb for the novella recently. It needs work, but…
 
Psychic-medium Miranda Lorensen and her daughter Andrea set out for a “girls night of ghost hunting” at the home of Andrea’s closest friend, Wendy. When Andrea Lorensen stumbles over Wendy’s dead body in the woods, the shock triggers Andrea’s own latent abilities as a medium. Against her mother’s wishes, Andrea decides to ensnare Wendy’s killer with help from the other side.
Meanwhile, Miranda travels to Salem, Massachusetts to speak at a paranormal investigators conference. When she is invited to participate in a local ghost hunt, Miranda encounters a spirit that leads her to the truth about her past life.
Like Mother Like Daughters title
Now, hopefully, the novella will be released next year with the novel to follow a year or so later. My concern is that as of 2018, it will have been FIVE years since my last novel. Yikes!  
 
During that time, I’ve been focused on short stories and editing anthologies, which has proved fruitful. My publisher and I have released two volumes of the Middle of Eternity speculative fiction series, my work has placed high in a few local contests, and I’ve been published in a handful of other wonderful collections such as the ReDeus mythology series and Beach Nights. I firmly believe that short stories and novellas are nutritious parts of a well-balanced writing career. 
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As much fun as those projects have been, a few solo publications are definitely needed within the next year. While Miranda has earned a modest fan following–and several readers have contacted me to ask when to expect her next adventure–people have short memories these days so I hope all of this works out as planned!