Getting Back To It.

It's been SO long, I had to go back and read my first three blogs. Ha! A lot has gone on since I wrote last. I never heard anything back from anybody about the novel I'd queried last year, but then I decided that I needed to make it less YA, and more "my style", which is dark. That project will be on hold for a while, and has become a bit of a saga.

Currently, I've been working on rewriting/revising/editing what I call my "alien story". I'm over halfway through, then I'll fix all of the edits and hopefully "pitch" it at KillerCon Vegas which I'll be attending in late September. I've received more positive feedback from my writer peers on this story, than any other so far, and that keeps me motivated to finish it.

Last month, I attended World Horror Con in Austin, Texas. It was pretty big considering it was mostly only for horror. I didn't pitch while I was there, so I wasn't stressed out, except for meeting new people. I got to meet Jack Ketchum and Peter Straub, among many other horror author favorites. Everyone was very friendly, especially at all of the hosted parties which all lasted until the sun came up. Funny though, people would ask me what I was reading, or who my favorite author was, and it was hard to respond. My reading is truly across the board, which is probably why my writing is such a mash up of genres.

Last week, I attended the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival held every year at The Bourbon Orleans in the French Quarter. It was a lot fun too, but I didn't drink hardly at all because I'm still recovering from Austin. This year, I ate my way through. I didn't read, and wasn't on a panel, or pitching. Actually, I didn't attend any of the classes or panels either. I mainly went to support my friend David Matthew Barnes, who has a few Young Adult books out. I left early Sunday and missed his reading. It was still a great trip however, because I got to spend time with friends and the weather was fantastic, although the Mississippi River flood warnings loomed over everyone like a dark cloud.

As for reading, I recently finished Jack Ketchum's, The Girl Next Door, which I thought was well done. It reminded me of a "Wonder Years" gone wrong. Previous to that, I read the novella Wild, by Lincoln Crisler, whom I met at WHC, Austin. It was a great Western Zombie story. I'm currently reading Brian Keene's, A Gathering of Crows, which he also recommended. There were so many books I got from the convention, it'll take me forever to read them. I never thought of myself as a slow reader, but compared to some of my new friends, I guess I am. I used to find it hard to write while I was reading, but it's getting much easier.

My new goals are to finish the alien story, pitch it, then keep my fingers crossed. I've also been writing some short stories which I'd like to start sending out. And I'm going to try and keep up with posting blogs.