Goodbye, Sleep!

In celebration of Halloween month and all things that go bump in the night, I've got a few treats - no tricks! - for you:

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My flash fiction collection, Garden of Lost Souls, is FREE this week (Monday - Friday.) Think of these creepy tiny tales like those miniature candy bars - some are full of nuts, none are particularly good for you, yet they're so small, so yummy, they keep you coming back for just . . . one . . . more.

Available on Amazon

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I've opened up the Ask the Author feature on Goodreads, so if you're a member over there and have questions about my stories, my writing or how I sleep at night with all those creepy-crawlies lurking in my imagination, please stop by. I'll keep my eyes peeled for your questions. (Peeled eyes. Sleep? What sleep?) 

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And so I won't be the only one around here not sleeping . . . . Back in September, I entered one of lit agent Janet Reid's flash fiction contests. (Some of the rules include keeping the word count to 100 or fewer and using the required words, which in this case were - snap, gator, ask, tie, iron.) My story didn't win or place, but it did receive one of my favorite mentions ever by the Shark herself -

"THE START OF A STORY (OR NOVEL) THAT I'D BE TOO CHICKEN TO READ"

Mwahahaha! Enjoy!

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Beneath a sky the color of iron, through air as heavy, Lily paddles her kayak. Spanish moss, gray and tangled, hangs like the hair of bent old women.

The river is blocked. Gnarled fingers of branches reach, twine across the water.

Gators watch with hooded eyes. Their silence ties her nerves in knots. Lily focuses on one task – leaving.

No breeze caresses Lily's skin yet the Spanish moss shivers. A rattling rips through the silence. She looks up. Hanging bones judder, collide. Lily's sanity snaps. She screams as a creature older, deeper than the dark, creeps down toward her. 

***

We Interrupt This Motivational Monday for . . .

ABOUT THE BOOK

Twenty dark tales to shiver your spine, to shudder your soul, including:

A landscaper gets a taste of what happens when he covers up a mistake.

A child learns that best friends can come in all shapes and sizes, and with many, many legs.

A boy worries that his “imaginary” friend won’t let his family move.

A homeless woman revels in post-apocalyptic opportunities.

Some are previously published, most are 100 words or fewer, but they all give you just enough time to turn away, to run away, before it’s too late. You don’t want to stay in the dark too long. You never know what might slither out . . . and lick you.

** Available exclusively through Amazon **

(Click here if you don't have a Kindle or a Kindle app)

** Add on Goodreads **

GARDEN OF LOST SOULS - Cover Reveal

*** COMING SOON ***

Goodbye, July!

I don't know about you all, but I am done with July and ready for August . . . .  

* My Camp NaNo experience was a good one - I came out a winner! My goal was less about the word count - 20,000 words, on the lower side for me - and more about achieving a sense of accomplishment, something I've been lacking lately. I'm not sure yet what exactly I'm going to do with this project, but those creative juices are sizzling away on that hot summer sidewalk in my mind. 

* I'm still aiming to get my 2nd flash fiction collection, Garden of Lost Souls, out this summer. I've been stalling for all kinds of reasons, but that stops here and now.

* I also need to make health - physical and otherwise - a priority this month. (More on that in August's IWSG post!) Once again, stalling for all kinds of reasons. Once again, that stops here and now. 

So, how was your July? Did you win Camp NaNo? Complete any other projects or achieve any other goals? What are your plans for August? 

IWSG: The Dark Side

Click here for more information

I'm getting ready to release my second collection of short fiction, Garden of Lost Souls, and the nerves are jangling.

One reason is that it hasn't been all that long since I've truly and publicly (yeh, new blog header!) acknowledged my penchant for writing dark fiction and horror. Even though I've been writing it for awhile, I've always treated it as an acquaintance - one you shake hands with, not one you happily embrace. 

Sure, the previous collection is not all sunshine and unicorns but this one is decidedly darker. I wonder if I will lose readers who prefer some of my "lighter" stories? Will I gain others? Will readers familiar with horror stories mock my attempt to join the big boys and girls of the genre? 

I admit, I'm kind of scared. 

Ironic, isn't it?