I had been working on my usual stories - Gothic romance, historical fiction, fantasy - when I received the surprising, and flattering, invitation to be a part of Pyke Publishing's debut horror anthology.
Horror? Me?
Don't get me wrong... I love horror and explore it often in my work (especially A Drink for the Bride and even my fantasy series). And most everything I've enjoyed since I was a wee child has been crawling with horror. But I panicked a bit, seeing all the well-established scary-as-hell authors I'd be published alongside. I wasn't sure I would be able to conjure something up strong enough to stand beside them!
But ever since I was a young writer embarking on my literary quest (about ten years old, for those who didn't know my nerdy self back then), I vowed to write every genre, every thing. And horror was something I particularly wanted to master. Like I said, I've always been fascinated by it. It's a genre that truly takes skill and is an ART in itself!
So, even though I was discouraged, I agreed. And I wroteandwroteandwrote.
Have you noticed that I haven't posted much in the past few months? Well, that's because I have been OBSESSED with writing this short story.
I spent an entire month writing one short story, only to realize it wasn't at all what I wanted to write. Then another month was spent trying to write another, which had more promise, but ultimately fizzled out into panic, for I had only one month left before my deadline and this current story was not what I wanted either. What was I to do?!
I want to dive more into the detail of my despair, how close I came to giving up, and my excruciating impostor syndrome, but I will save that for another post.
I had only a few weeks to come up with the perfect horror short story, something that I felt confident in - something that captured ME as an author. Finally, one rainy spring-ish morning, it poured out of me. And from there it consumed me body-and-soul. It was the perfect story for me to write. And best of all, it captured my own personal brand of horror.
I can't wait to share the details with you!
It's already been submitted to the publisher and is being readied for its grand release in Pyke Publishing's "Lunatic Lullabies" this coming October. Pre-orders for e-book are already available.
(here's a link to its Amazon page if you're interested in checking it out!)
