April 2023
dispatch 07
Happy Easter! šš« š
As this goes out, Iāll be waking up to make coffee, blueberry-lemon biscuits, and breakfast potatoes for my wife and I to enjoy in bed. After that, weāll paint eggs, work on coloring pages, watch zombie movies and TV shows (a wonderful tradition!), and exchange Easter baskets overflowing with goodies.
While I cook, Iāll also be doing some personal reflection. Iām a morning person, so it's the perfect time for me to meditate on the season. However you celebrate (if you do) I wish you a meaningful, restful day, and blessings from my family to yours!
Rest, he says wistfully. Thatās been in short supply recently. March went by in a whirlwind. Diet Milk was slammed, my personal and professional life was a jumble, and my mood was frankly all over the place. That happens now and then, particularly when lots is going on.Ā
Now that the dust has settled, Iām ready for the metaphorical new day. Spring is here, and the mornings are beautiful and perfect for bike rides. Everything feels so fresh that itās impossible not to smile. Iām looking forward to the next few months for a variety of reasons.
Whatās going on in the writing world?
Submissions, submissions, and more submissions! I have a lot of stories and poems under consideration. As a result, my longer projects havenāt been getting much attention. The inspiration just hasnāt been there, but Iām not stressed. The drafts are in the wings, ready whenever I am. Right now, Iām allowing myself to focus on what I willāwhatever that happens to beāand itās been working out wonderfully.
In fact, I think itās helping me grow creatively. I used to think a writer's success hinged on longer works exclusively. Since getting more involved in the literary community, and in particular with running my own magazine, my feelings have changed dramatically. Iāve come to deeply appreciate the art of micro, flash, and short story writing; additionally, my love of poetry has been rekindled. Getting to experiment has 1) gained me many writing/publishing friends; 2) exposed me to new ideas and forms of storytelling; 3) honed my creative edge; and 4) provided more opportunities to get my name out there, all of which has been enriching.
Will I return to long form? Of course! I have a lot of projects in various stages that I love and absolutely will see published. For now, though, Iām pleased with how things are trending. Iām a believer in going where the creative current guides. Heās learning! Heās evolving!
To that end, I both finished āDeathdayā and submitted it to the Wilted Pages Anthology. While I didnāt make the cut, Iām glad that I tried! There are so many names I recognize in it and ones that I donāt but am eager to learn about, and Iām beyond excited to receive my kickstarter package for backing it. Itās going to be a wonderful book, and Iām honored to have been considered.
I also drafted a new poem (out on sub as well, currently) that gave me an idea for a small collection. Itās something Iāve been chewing on for a couple of weeks. I plan to talk about it in more detail later, along with a collection of short fiction Iām working on. Exciting news on the horizon, yāall!
On Sub
Girl, Missing, Found At Panagia Pefkovounogiatrissa, a true crime poem
ābeing considered by Psaltery & Lyre
Lotās Wife, a lamentation
ābeing considered by Psaltery & Lyre
My Best Friendās Deathday, the story of a summoning
ābeing considered by Seize the Press, Interzone, Uncharted Magazine, and Three-Lobed Burning Eye
Blood, Bitch! (chapters 1 & 2), a dark fairytale fantasy
ābeing considered for Uncharted Magazineās Novel Excerpt Prize
The Well & The Web: on St(horr)orytelling, a horror-themed personal essay
ābeing considered by Susurrus
The Blighted Bride, a bleak folk horror tale
ābeing considered by Infinite Horrors, and for Campfire Stories (anthology, Hollow Oak Press)
SAILORS, Take Warning!, a cautionary verse
ābeing considered by Seaside Gothic
Gladys Glows at Night, a story of radium and revenge
ābeing considered by Nocturne Magazine and for The Crawling Moon (anthology, Neon Hemlock Press)
Acquisitions & Publication Annoucements!
Banana Bread Wife, a love gunsaku, debuted in the latest volume of Hearth & Coffin, CONSUME. It can be read here!
To Walk the Woods This Night: An Instructionary is on track to debut later this month! Keep an eye out for purchase links from Ram Eye Press!
Writing Corner!
WT: Seaside Spooky (status: brainstorming/early drafting)
Goal word count: 2ā4k
Completion goal: 8/28
This is a plot bunny at the momentāa collection of disjointed paragraphs, notes, and daydreams. Iāve been wanting to do a seaside spooky (reading Sacculina last year inspired me!) and have got a couple ideas circulating. Some are more robust than others, better suited for my standard length (2ā4k), while others I can see lending well to micro/flash. In the end, this exercise might result in a handful of new stories. Weāll have to wait and see! Only getting into it will tell.
I got the push to start picking because recently Dark Matter Magazine announced that theyāll be opening submissions for an anthology this JulyāAugust. Itās going to be a collection of coastal new weird (full details here), which sounds ultra interesting, and Iād love to have something ready to throw into the ring.
As it stands, I donāt have much to say about this piece. Keep your ears perked for developments, though! My other story drafts are either completed and on sub or currently languishing, so this is likely what Iāll be spending most of my upcoming free writing time on.
April Reading Line-up
The Hangman Feeds the Jackal, Coy Hall
Comfort Me With Apples, Catherynne M. Valente
The Vessel, Adam Nevill
The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris
Itās a modest list this month! I ended up reading loads in May (due to how busy it was, Iām still working through a backlog of reviews) and my brain needs a rest. Also, I want to leave room for any seaside horror I come across. Itās officially in season, so I have my feelers out. If youāre reading this and have recs, please share! Iāll take anything.
Last year I read Sacculina by Philip Fracassi and Yellow Jessamine by Caitlin Starling. They were both so fun that Iād love to ride a similar wave over the next few months. Iām so eager, in fact, that I feel like nothing else is going to quite hit the spot.
The one exception is Coy Hallās book! Iām devouring that gem as we speak and cannot wait to get my hands on more. I actually spoke with him about getting an ARC of an upcoming release, which Iām chomping at the bit for!Ā
Upon starting Hangman, Hall immediately became a new favorite. His prose is immaculate and the plotting is propulsive and deeply interesting. I love a gritty historical horror, and the trappings of a Western pair beautifully with the Gothic. Heās a master storyteller whose background in and love of history really shines, and, more than that, genuinely lovely. I love the indie horror community; itās such a cool, inviting space, and Iām grateful to be making connections in it.Ā
On a similar note, Zach Rosenberg is another who shot to the top of my list recently. Heās an immensely talented darling with a story forthcoming in Diet Milk Magazine (Spring/Summer II debuts April 15th, can yāall believe?!), as well as several promising full-length releases (up next: Hungers as Old as This Land). His work is a blend of Gothic occultism, pulpy horror, and Judaism, which makes for an indulgent layer cake of a read. You wonāt find, in my opinion, comparable atmospherics anywhere!
Thatās all for this month! Keep an eye out for updates from this and my snatch of other series. In the meantime, follow my journey elsewhere! You can find me on insta, twitter, and goodreads! If you like my work and want to support me, also consider dropping a donation on ko-fi.
Stay spooky!