December 2024 marks the approach of my ten year writing anniversary coming up some time in 2025. I’m not sure which month it will be in, and I’m not sure it matters. The milestone I’m celebrating (or at least acknowledging) is that I’ve had over 100 short stories published in addition to my books.
Damn. That’s not too shabby, especially for someone who never expected to write fiction and views this whole endeavor as an experiment. Although I take writing seriously, I am dedicated to opposing “the hustle” and interested in art that is fun in the sense that it’s an exploration, not a chore. This flimsy work ethic seems to be a sensible approach for me. My final tally for 2024 publications is:
- 1 traditionally published book – INVAGINIES
- 1 self-published chapbook – Come And Admire Him
- 17 short stories/creative non-fiction pieces
Four of those above include new stories released this month from both dream publishers and old friends. Here they are:
Cutting A Mermaid In Half – The Magician’s Secret Revealed in Ghoulish Tales, Issue #3 – a transgender mermaid finds what may be love behind the scenes of a stage magician’s deceptions; is it true? Is it enough to heal old wounds?
Bury Me Under The Frozen Lake in Cursed Morsels Zine #10: The Nebraska To Minnesota Issue – sometimes you bury your doppelganger in the lake, and sometimes the lake buries you. It’s very very cold under here.
The Meat Of The Starfish in the anthology “Little Guts” from Little Ghosts Books – a boy with very special anatomical attributes escapes their comfortable captivity as a sexual pet. What does freedom mean if you’ve never had autonomy and your history has been erased? (God help me, I did worldbuilding in this one, and it has an uncharacteristically happy ending.)
Child Of Rawfrog in Cosmic Horror Monthly #54, December 2024 Issue – A psychotherapist gives bitter faggot Pasha a peculiar object as homework. He’s not amused.
2025 looks promising, with about 10 new stories coming out over the course of the year if the projects reach fruition. One never knows! With so much writing, submitting, and promotion, I’m feeling the risk of burn out right now. (Maybe it’s just Winter getting to me. I always feel the need to hibernate when the days are short.)
I find I’m functioning better by pulling back from social media a bit. I’m also saying no to most blurb requests for the moment. I love supporting other writers, but it’s important to be realistic when you know you haven’t got the bandwidth and to admit that a strained blurb would do their work a disservice.
If you’ve read this far, thank you! Come And Admire Him is almost sold out, so if you want a copy, grab one now or let me know you’d like me to hold one for you briefly. You’ll find my contact form below.
Follow here to get links to new stories as they’re published, as well as news of upcoming book releases and events. Seriously, this is the best way not to lose touch in our ever-shifting social media landscape! I won’t spam you, and I’ll only post when I have something worthwhile to share.
Horrorsong 