Happy Halloween!

 

It’s finally Halloween! And like every good writer, I’m spending this holiday at the desk, writing!

 

But of course, the celebrations of all things spooky have been going on all month. However, as a writer of horror, I’m all about the spooky stuff all year long!

 

But for this month in particular, I have had quite a lot of writing released, and I’m sharing it here for anyone looking for something spooky to read or anything related to Halloween.

 

It has been quite a month! I have had more of my writing published this month than at any other time. I am extremely grateful for this. And I am very grateful to the publications who took the time to read my work and also edit and publish it!

 

Let’s dig in, shall we?

 

My short story, “Blood Moon,” was published in Sirens Call Magazine’s Halloween issue. You can read it free online here

 

HNDL Mag included a few of my stories from my new book, 30 Flash Horror Stories, in their Halloween issue! You can read it online here 

 

The new horror magazine, Monstrous Femme, published my short story, "Extra Baggage," in their debut issue. Here's the link to the story. 

 

And if you prefer some nonfiction to add to your reading pleasure, Monstrous Femme also published my article, "Turning Real Life Horror into Horror Fiction," in their debut issue. Here's the link to the article.

 

Wicked Shadow Press published my short story “Ding Dong Death” in the first of their series of Halloween anthologies: HALLOWEENTHOLOGY: JACK-O’-LANTERN. You can check out the book here:

Paperback link

Ebook link

 

And over at Androids and Dragons, I have a drabble titled “Boycotting Halloween” published, which you can read for free here

 

Thank you to everyone who published my work!

 

And if you’re interested in grabbing a free copy of the ebook, 30 Flash Horror Stories, go here 

 

Speaking of “boycotting Halloween,” did you know that I really did boycott Halloween once upon a time? This was the year following the Halloween when I caught spinal meningitis from someone. I was a 13-year-old trick-or-treater out with my family and this particular person who answered the door to hand out candy was standing right in front of me, meaning I was directly exposed to his sickness. I became ill the next day and eventually ended up in the hospital. Gradually, I became deaf. I may have lost my hearing at that time, but I’m grateful that I didn’t lose my life! (Sadly, the man who gave me that illness eventually passed away from it.)

 

But because of that experience, I was too terrified to go trick-or-treating again. It was maybe one or two years that I “boycotted” Halloween. One of my sisters eventually talked some sense into me and I slowly began to enjoy the holiday again.

 

These days, Halloween has a special meaning to me. My sister-in-law passed away three years ago, shortly before Halloween, and Halloween was her favorite holiday. So every year, I go all out celebrating Halloween, and it’s all in her memory.

 

However, as every writer knows, there’s another thing to be afraid of on Halloween: The next day is the first day of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! EEEKKKK!!!!!!

 

While some writers have been spending days or weeks preparing for this month-long writing marathon, some writers dread it because they can’t figure out how to start their story.

 

Which is why I put together a list of 30 fist lines to help them out. And it’s also available as a free download!

 

Of course, that first line may not be what can get the writer to start writing their story, but it can be a good jumping off point!

 

Check out 30 First Lines for Fiction Writers here

 

As for me, I’m excited for next month! I have had YA horror stories published, and now I’m finally getting a YA horror book published as well! Yay! My collection of YA horror stories, The Worst Thing You Ever Did, will be released by PsychoToxin Press in mid-November. I’m thrilled by the prospect of this book’s release!

 

As for horror and Halloween books read this month, I managed to read and finish reading 9 books! That is also unusual, which is why I mention it.

 

Dracula the Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt

October Screams: A Halloween Anthology edited by Kenneth W. Cain

 

The Book of Drabbles edited by Eric Fomley

 

Monster Maelstron: A Flash Fiction Halloween Anthology edited by George Donnelly

 

We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III

 

Wrapped in Plastic and Other Sweet Nothings by Robert P. Ottone

 

Go Hunt Me by Kelly Devos

 

The Screaming Child by Scott Adlerberg

 

Written Tales Chapbook V: All Hallows Eve edited by Kevin Saitta

 

Horror books I am currently reading:

 

Let the Woods Keep Our Bodies by E.M. Roy

 

Curse of the Cobb Man by Robert P. Ottone

 

Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke

 

The Exorcist’s House by Nick Roberts

 

Lockdown Horror #4 edited by Ben Thomas, D. Kershaw, Maggie Pawsey, and S.N. Graves

 

Haunted by Danielle Vega

 

(Yes, I read several books at once!)

 

Whatever you decide to do during next month, whether it’s participating in NaNoWriMo or writing an insane amount of short fiction, I hope that November is a good month for you. Good luck, and happy writing!

Another Poetry Book About Dreams: Only In My Dreams Focuses on the Deeper Issues When Dreaming

 

I don’t usually write poetry books on a topic that I have already covered in a previous poetry book, but when I saw a call for submissions on poetry chapbooks that explored dreams and the subconscious, I jumped at the opportunity to write another poetry book about dreams. But unlike the poems in Dream World, these poems explored the deeper issues about dreams.

 

Specifically, how our subconscious affects and influences the dreams we have.

 

As someone whose own subconscious has influenced my dreams, going so far as to create a dream experience that has lasted for over 30 years, I felt I was a good candidate to write such a book!

 

Since the theme was “dreams and the subconscious,” I figured that a majority of the poems featured in my own collection should be about those very dreams. My subconscious created a “dream man” based on a picture of someone I had just seen and it pretty much ran with it from there. At the time the dreams happened, however, I did not understand that they were a product of my subconscious meeting my own lingering needs for love. As someone who is a burn survivor, and also someone who is deaf, I knew rejection VERY well in my teen years. I longed to find someone who loved me unconditionally and loved me in a way that was without fear, without judgment, without any kind of negativity or the normal downsides of a relationship, such as jealousy, comparison, resentment, etc. That was all there in my dreams with this particular dream man. My subconscious created someone that gave me all that and met those needs.

 

At the time, though, I didn’t realize it was my subconscious having that kind of influence. Since the paranormal was a HUGE topic in my family, I thought those dreams were the result of some kind of paranormal influence. And one person I know had me convinced for the longest time that the dreams were the result of a past life relationship. Then I thought they were a result of precognition, like I was fated to be with this person.

 

But, no. Getting older and wiser (not to mention sober!), and having researched dreams and the subconscious further, I realized those dreams were a product of my subconscious. The person created in my dreams was based on a real person – one whose image I saw in a poster my sister hung in our bedroom. I was not into music at the time and I was not even a fan of this band (well, duh, because I couldn’t hear their music!), but my subconscious just took that ONE person from that poster and threw him into my dreams. I have had several of the dreams since then and I occasionally have them still.

 

My subconscious didn’t always exactly influence GOOD things in my dreams. Sometimes, it created nightmares resulting from bad things that happened in my life, such as when I was abused, sexually assaulted, used, taken advantage of and generally mistreated by others. These things were amplified in my nightmares.

 

I may have been able to escape from them in my real life and block those certain people in my real life, but I could not escape from them or block them n my dreams. This is covered in this new book as well. I also write about how dreams may sometimes not make much sense, how a group of people can tend to have the same dream at the same time, and how I have often had dreams where lost loved ones have visited. I have had many dreams of my parents, either alone or together, and these dreams often include my siblings, so we are all together with our late parents again. And sometimes, my late  grandparents have been in my dreams.

 

Writing this book was a fun challenge for me. I love exploring and analyzing dreams. It’s one of my favorite hobbies.

 

Unfortunately, my book was not selected for publication by the publishing company hosting the contest. However, a writing magazine I am subscribed to recently started publishing poetry chapbooks (they published my chapbook, The House That Madness Built), so I submitted my manuscript there. It was accepted for publication and the result is the new poetry chapbook, Only In My Dreams. I gave the book this title because it represents how some things can happen only in my dreams but never in reality.

 

Here is the blurb:

 

Step into the enchanting realm of 'Only In My Dreams,' a collection of 49 mesmerizing poems. These verses offer a window into the profound influence of reverie, which has played an extraordinary role in the author's life. From visions that glimpse the future to ethereal encounters with love and solace, this poetic odyssey is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. 'Only In My Dreams' invites you to close your eyes and embark on a voyage of hope, inspiration, and the limitless possibilities found within the world of slumber. Discover the enchantment within your own nocturnal journeys as you immerse yourself in this captivating exploration of the dreamscapes that shape our lives.

 

Buy link