short stories – Page 10 – Writing Wrongs

Weekly writing check-in: the one with Dating on the Dork Side

Yes, I think most everyone knows about the Dating on the Dork Side launch. It … launched. There was a flurry of activity there for a while. Now I think Darcy and I can both sit back and breathe a bit. Sort of.

I am getting Ghosts of Christmas Past ready to go. It would be nice to have that one out before Christmas. Ideally. We’ll see how it goes.

Also, I see that it’s snowing on WordPress. I love it when it snows on WordPress.

Writing Work:

Launch activities for Dating on the Dork Side
Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode one: revision and listening proof

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

front cover rgb jpg Well, yes, you probably already know about the release for Dating on the Dork Side. And you can still head over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway for an autographed copy.

But … Keeping Time now has a new home over at Luna Station Quarterly in issue #24. You can also pick up the issue in a variety of formats, including Kindle and print.

Weekly writing check-in: the one where we’re almost there

Lots of behind-the-scenes work this week for the launch of Dating on the Dork Side. Looking at the e-book on this Kindle, on that Kindle, on my phone. You know, exciting stuff.

I went on a submission frenzy this week. I also made it past the holiday without a rejection, so there’s that as well.

And … I completed The Ghost That Got Away, the second episode in season two of Coffee & Ghosts. It’s 28,000 words, too, which is a healthy size for a novella.

Writing Work:

Launch activities for Dating on the Dork Side
Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 9,137 words for a total of 28,000 words complete!

Submissions:

The God of Bright Red Things
Knight in the Royal Arms
The Life Expectancy of Fireflies (reprint market)
Chicken Fat and Whipped Cream

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

front cover rgb jpg None, but as you probably know by now, Dating on the Dork Side launches tomorrow.

In the meantime, be sure to hop on over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway for an autographed copy.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the Dating on the Dork Side cover reveal

front cover rgb jpg So, if you’ve been following along, you know we had our cover reveal this week for Dating on the Dork Side.

We are pleased and excited and getting ready for the release on November 30th.

I also had a nice surprise this week when my contributor copy of Dragons, Droids and Doom, Year One arrived. Links below. It is full of speculative fiction: 370 pages of it from 49 writers. I’m thinking it would make a pretty awesome holiday gift for anyone who loves short speculative fiction.

And somehow despite the cover reveal flurry, I managed to write +7,000 words this week on The Ghost That Got Away. I’m so close to the end. So. Close. I’m hoping this next week to finish it up.

Writing Work:

Dating on the Dork Side cover reveal and blog tour
Proof review, e-book final builds for Dating on the Dork Side
Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 7,343 words

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

A Measure of Sorrow

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

year-one-cover-web My story Incriminating Evidence is part of Dragons, Droids and Doom, Year One, the very first anthology from Fantasy Scroll Magazine.

It’s in print and e-book, available in all sorts of formats from all kinds of retailers. Check out Dragons, Droids and Doom for more information.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the frozen fairy tales

Darcy and I have been busy with getting everything set for the launch of Dating on the Dork Side. We’re gearing up for a cover reveal on the 19th, along with a variety of other things.

I did manage some Coffee & Ghosts writing, nearly 5,000 words.

And, of course, the publication of the Frozen Fairy Tales anthology, which includes my story Simon the Cold.

Want to get in on the frozen fun? Hop on over to Enchanted Conversations for a chance to win $100. No, really. All you need is no more than 700 words, but no less than 200, depicting some aspect of Sleeping Beauty set in winter. For all the details, see the contest post.

Writing Work:

Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 4,750 words
Dating on the Dork Side launch activities

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

Knight in the Royal Arms
The God of Bright Red Things

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

It’s in the (snowy) wild! You can read more about it in my post here.

You can also hop on over to World Weaver Press for more information on this anthology and a bunch of other really cool speculative fiction.

Now Available: Frozen Fairy Tales!

In the bleak midwinter, heed the irresistible call of fairy tales.

Frozen Fairy Tales from World Weaver Press is now available, and it includes my story Simon the Cold.

I wrote this story during the very long, very cold winter of 2013/14. After that, I tucked it away. I wasn’t sure what it was, exactly, wasn’t sure where to send it.

When I saw the call for submissions for the Frozen Fairy Tale anthology, it clicked. I had a fairy tale about winter, albeit a modern/urban one.

Winter is not coming.

Winter is here.

As unique and beautifully formed as a snowflake, each of these fifteen stories spins a brand new tale or offers a fresh take on an old favorite like Jack Frost, The Snow Queen, or The Frog King.

From a drafty castle to a blustery Japanese village, from a snow-packed road to the cozy hearth of a farmhouse, from an empty coffee house in Buffalo, New York, to a cold night outside a university library, these stories fully explore the perils and possibilities of the snow, wind, ice, and bone-chilling cold that traditional fairy tale characters seldom encounter.

In the bleak midwinter, heed the irresistible call of fairy tales.

Just open these pages, snuggle down, and wait for an icy blast of fantasy to carry you away. With all new stories of love, adventure, sorrow, and triumph by Tina Anton, Amanda Bergloff, Gavin Bradley, L.A. Christensen, Steven Grimm, Christina Ruth Johnson, Rowan Lindstrom, Alison McBain, Aimee Ogden, J. Patrick Pazdziora, Lissa Redmond, Anna Salonen, Lissa Sloan, Charity Tahmaseb, and David Turnbull to help you dream through the cold days and nights of this most dreaded season.

Available: Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Print

Weekly writing check-in: the one with more vine leaves

I’m happy to report that the first episode for season two of Coffee & Ghosts is complete at 24,000 words.

Yes, I’ve moved into novella territory, and it feels right. I hope it reads that way.

I even have tentative titles for the three episodes:

Ghosts of Christmas Past
The Ghost That Got Away
The Wedding Ghost

But that’s changeable. And I realize that there are about 20,000 other stories on Amazon with a similar title to Ghosts of Christmas Past. That’s just the way it is. It’s a Christmas story. It’s about ghosts (and coffee). What are you going to call it?

Darcy and I continue to fill in all the blanks for the Dating on the Dork Side release. I added in pieces that were missing from the book files (about the authors, acknowledgements, etc.). We reworked descriptions–short and long–for the book, and other small things that pop up when you’re getting ready to launch a book.

And of course, the nice surprise below. I found out this week that Steps to Goodbye will be included in the 2015 Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal.

Writing Work:

E-book and print layout for Dating on the Dork Side, tweaking and adding
Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode one: 4,600 words, complete at 24,000 words
Outlining and brainstorming episode two.

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

Incriminating Evidence

Acceptances:

Steps to Goodbye will appear in the 2015 Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal

Publications:

None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the print layout

I completed the print layout for Dating on the Dork Side, mostly yesterday. I always think that I’ll do a little at a time, pace myself, not go all crazy and try to do the entire novel all at once.

Seriously, I think the InDesign interface has some sort of subliminal messaging, or crack, or something. I’m always telling myself: Okay, after this chapter, I’ll get up and do the laundry/eat/let the dog out.

Then it’s all: Okay, after this chapter, I’ll go be a human being again and do what other human beings do.

Yeah. Not exactly. On the upside, the print layout is (mostly) done.

I ended up with ~7,600 words on episode one for season two of Coffee & Ghosts. I did not finish it this week (so … close), but this coming week for certain. Or mostly certain. I probably shouldn’t jinx myself. But we have clearly moved into novella territory.

Writing Work:

Completed print layout for Dating on the Dork Side
Coffee & Ghosts season two: 7,600 words

Submissions:

A Measure of Sorrow (reprint market)

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with fun with graphics

So, a little fun with graphics this morning, a really good writing week, and more fun with print layout in InDesign.

I ended up with ~7,000 words on episode one for season two of Coffee & Ghosts, and I’m closing in on 12,000 words for the episode so far. I’m thinking I can finish it off this week (!).

After turning around that rejection this week, I ended up with a milestone of fifty story submissions for the year. So there’s that.

Writing Work:

Print layout work
Photoshop tutorials/graphics fun
Coffee & Ghosts season two: 7,000 words

Submissions:

Gretel and Hansel

Rejections:

Gretel and Hansel

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None, but don’t forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway for Selfies from the End of the World. See yesterday’s post for more information.

Goodreads giveaway: Selfies from the End of the World: Historical Accounts of the Apocalypse

It’s Goodreads Giveaway time again! Head on over to the giveaway for a chance to win one of five copies of Selfies from the End of the World. The print layout is seriously gorgeous.

No one understands an apocalypse like the people who have experienced it. Mad Scientist Journal has brought together twenty-three tales of people who have seen the world end. These accounts range from irreverent to surreal to heartbreaking. Zombies share space with global wars, super-viruses, canned peaches, and the death of the sun.

Want to know more about the anthology? Garrett Croker has completed a comprehensive review of all the stories–in four parts! Included in part three is the review of my story:

In a Manner of Speaking by Charity Tahmaseb is another real favorite of mine. As far as Soshi Patel knows, she is the last person on Earth, surviving by candlelight in a shelter she can never leave. Then, one day, she begins to receive a transmission on a makeshift radio. Jatar, the voice on the other end, knows things he should not be able to know. The connection the two grow to have builds slowly and is truly lovely in its execution, and the ultimate explanation for how Jatar knows the things he does is guaranteed to break your heart. This is a story I could go back to again and again, and again and again.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the Goodreads giveaway

Look! Some new writing this week on season two for Coffee & Ghosts. Writing a second season? It’s challenging. If nothing else, I’ll learn something from this. Learning = good.

Finished up revision work/copy edits for another project (more on that later) and started in on the doc clean up and formatting.

And I have a Goodreads giveaway running this week (until the 15th) for a signed copy of the paperback. So, if you like your reading in paper form, head on over to enter.

Writing Work: