Honored To Have My Story Re-Released Upon The World

One cool thing (among many cool things...) about becoming part of a writing community, is meeting some of the most amazing people that walk this earth. I'm not saying all authors reach this level of awesomeness, or that non-authors cannot achieve this as well, but it's just something I've noticed.

Case in point...

Craig Nybo.

If you're unfamiliar with Craig's work, you're missing out. He's an accomplished musician, writer, performer, businessman, event-putter-on-er, and all-around cool dude.

And, he's a podcaster.

Craig's podcast, Terrifying Lies, is in between seasons, so since that creative "Off" button does not exist inside Craig's brain, he has dug into his treasure trove of previous projects and released another podcast episode. This time...

I'm part of it!

A few years ago, Craig had this wild idea of having local authors read original works while his band created a totally original music composition backing up the author's words. For one of his sessions, he asked me to read a short story I wrote that was included in a horror anthology, Redneck Eldritch.

It's a story (except for me not knowing Louisiana does not have counties...) I'm proud of. It's called, Taxed. I want you to check out the podcast episode--you can access it by clicking: HERE. I'd also love for you to check out the book in which the story is included. You can access that by clicking: HERE.

Yes, it's not a Christmas story...more suited for Halloween. But, I think stories like this should be enjoyed any time of year. Thanks, Craig, for the re-telling! It's truly an honor.

Don't Take Too Much Stock In Good Reviews...

I've heard this piece of advice more than once and from people involved in many varied walks of life:

Don't take too much stock in good reviews.

I think I first heard it from my university choir professor. Occasionally, we would receive a review of a concert we did, or a specific piece of music we performed. I remember, when news of a good review appeared in the newspaper (how we received news back in the day...), our group was giddy, and when a critic wrote something less than flattering, we would discuss their point of view before and after (sometimes, during...) class. Dr. Thompson (an amazing man...) would caution, "Don't take too much stock in a good review," 

The reason being, because if you believe the good reviews, you'll have to believe the bad ones, too.

The older I get, the more I understand the wisdom behind the words.

Tonight, as I'm waiting for my daughter to finish up her rehearsal, I found myself pulling up my author pages from Amazon and Goodreads. I don't have page after page of published works, but I have more than a couple. Most of my listings come from anthologies. Reviews of anthologies can be hit/miss. If the reviewer especially liked your story, they'll single out your story and give comments. The same can be said if the reviewer did not like your story. You get the same treatment, only the words are the opposite of uplifting, inspiring, grin-provoking.

I remember, after a couple of my stories were printed, pulling up Amazon and Goodreads often to see if there were any new reviews. Most of the time, my name was not mentioned and I was never sure if I was one of the stories included in the "some of the stories were strong" category, or if they belonged in the "of course, not all stories were good" pile.

I should have heeded my professor's advice.

It's been a while since I've even checked for comments on my pages. The last book in which one of my stories is featured has only one review on Amazon, and it's pretty short:

I really enjoyed this anthology. The stories do not require any knowledge of Mormons or Mormon beliefs, which makes them accessible to anyone who enjoys steampunk, alternate history, fantasy, or science fiction. Check out the first anthology in the series, too!

I found myself wondering what people think of my story in Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel--it is, after all, the first one in the anthology (to order the book yourself, click: HERE--shameless self-promotion...). I suppose craving a good review is my way of seeking validation, of having someone tell me my stories deserves to be included with the other authors. Then I remind myself, if it wasn't, my story wouldn't have been chosen in the first place.

Though I don't have a lot of comments/reviews, one from Redneck Eldritch singled out my story. He said he couldn't get into the book because I wrote about counties in Louisiana, not parishes. This time, I took my dear teacher's advice and let it (mostly...) roll off my back.

All in all, most of the reviews/comments are positive, which means, mostly people who have read my stories have been pleased. And really, isn't that the most important thing? If not, it should be.

We Wish You A Cthulhu Christmas...

There's a new kid in town and its name is Cthulhu. My friend Steve has somewhat of an affinity towards the mythical god so as my wife and I searched for Christmas gifts, I snapped a few pictures featuring Cthulhu and sent them over.

He never replied.

It's not that unusual, him not replying. Personally, I thought the games were great--sort of a way for those people--like Steve--to have a little fun and somewhat honor Cthulhu. Of course, I didn't buy the games--we've got the godless versions at home.

Cthulhu is big right now. Maybe he's always been big. I don't know, but I doubt his image would be used to push decade's old parlor games. Earlier in the year I was asked to include a short story in an anthology. I wrote about a Louisiana taxidermist who ran into a pod of Cthulhus (not quite sure if "pod" is an appropriate term for more than one Cthulhu gathered...). I'm about 1/3 through the entire collection. I haven't run into any other Cthulhu stories, more of a H.P. Lovecraft-style themed menagerie.

Now that this year's Christmas has passed, I wonder how many Cthulhu games are left lining the shelves of toy and department stores. Did they sell well? Will more be on the way? Will we be seeing "Are You Smarter Than A Cthulhu?" or "Cthulhu Chess," "Cthulhu Operation," (I'd hate to see what objects they'd pull out of there...) or "Cthulhu Clue" next year?

I guess time will tell.

Signed And Sent Back A Contract...Kind Of A Dream Come True

I've been at this writing thing for many years, but have only taken it seriously for the past couple. I remember when I first began attending writing conventions and comic cons, I met many authors and saw the books they were selling. I noticed many of my new friends had short stories in a couple of anthologies, Space Eldritch, and Space Eldritch II. 

One thing that I noticed about these anthologies in particular is they sold. People bought these books. I came to realize the reason they sold so well is because of the names on the covers and who wrote the stories inside. I know that's a very basic principle in marketing books--second nature stuff, really. 

But as I've gone to more and more of these events where books are sold, I know that fans of a particular author are loyal. If they like the author, they'll buy anything that person has written and when they see an anthology that they never knew existed, to quote Field of Dreams, "They'll pass over the money over without even thinking about it."

I hoped one day to be in one of Nathan Shumate's Eldritch anthologies.

Faster forward a few years and it looks like that hope, that desire has come to pass. I signed and sent in my contract as a contributor to the most recent Eldritch project. My name will be included with so many incredible writers and people might not buy the book because I'm in there necessarily, but if past is prologue, they will buy it.

It's kind of a dream come true--something I hoped would happen one day, and I can't wait to get a copy of this sucker and check it out! I'll keep you updated.

"Redneck Eldritch"...Coming Soon!

So, this was e-mailed to me the other day.

Isn't it awesome?!

Yes, would be the correct answer.

This is the cover to Redneck Eldritch, a horror anthology that is coming soon. My little story was chosen to be part of this Lovecraftian collection. I'm honored to be included with such amazing authors. It's something I wanted to do ever since I first heard of the Space Eldritch anthologies.

Thanks to Nathan Shumate for asking me to participate, and thanks for the Hugo-nominated genius of Carter Reid for the fantastic artwork! I will have more details when more is known about when this great collection is available.