News, news, and more news!

Yeah, it's me. I know it's been awhile and I'd promise to be more forthcoming and prolific in the future, but since we both know that probably won't happen, I'll not bother. That way I won't feel like I'm letting anyone down.

So I moved to Macomb. It's about a 45 minute drive from camp. The house is old (built in the 1920's) and beautiful. Small, but cozy. And I love it. I did not love the moving process (who does?). Packing, cleaning, unpacking. And I've still got to get at least two of the rooms painted before Thanksgiving when I have company. That is Sunday's goal. Other than that, I love being here. Well, okay, I miss Mike. But other than that, I love being here. I will say the house has some strange noises and goings on, but I'll save the story for my next post.

Onward to news--since I last blogged, my beautiful daughter has had another baby boy. Killian Gilbert Flanagan made his entrance on October 3rd. I was present at the birth and just want to say Molly is a baby-birthing rock star. My first grandson, Dylan (or Boo, as we call him), is in love with his baby brother. I see the beginnings of a super strong sibling bond. So excited for their futures.

My baby, Sean, left for Air Force BASIC training on October 7th and it was more than a month before I got to talk to him for the first time. He's doing well (knew he would) but has to shave twice a day because his beard grows so quickly. Totally his dad's fault. We will be heading down to San Antonio to see him graduate the first week of December. I can't wait! Molly's family will also be there which is just icing on the cake.

CJ is doing better in his group home and I get to see him much more now that I'm living in the same town. I also get to see more of his staff so I can see what's being put in place to support him. You have no idea how much stress that lifted from my life.

And on a professional note, AKP is doing well. We've got an amazing line up for next year and I'm super stoked to work with all the fantastic authors we've signed. We have some awesome books to finish getting out this year as well: Cadaver Dogs (a zombie novella), No Place Like Home: Tales From a Fractured Future (scifi/horror anthology), Death's Kiss (our first YA paranormal), and Conversations with the Demon of Devil’s Tower: The Story of Rose Jenkins (a Gothic tale of horror and romance).

I've also sold two more stories since the last blog. "The Depths" sold to Daverana Enterprises for their Fossil Lake anthology, edited by Christine Morgan. And "Martin" (first published in Rymfire's Erotic Horror anthology) sold to Crowded Quarantine Publications' Of Deviants and Devils anthology. I'm super stoked to be included in both.

I've also received four rejections from places I subbed to that asked me to send something else. The problem is I don't have any "something elses" written. So I'm going to have to carve out some writing time around all of my other business and life shenanigans.

And just so you know what to expect in the future, I'd like to go back to doing author interviews and maybe some publisher interviews on this blog. And blogging more regularly. We'll see how that goes...

Take care, everyone!

♥Stacey

News, updates & a photo

I know, right? I'm a horrible blogger. Which is funny because I used to be a fantastic blogger. My other blog, What Passes for Sane on a Crazy Day, was like my baby for a long time. I blogged faithfully (and funnily, so I'm told) nearly every day. For years. Now, I'm lucky if I post once a month. What happened? Did I lose my zest for blogging? Did my life become unfunny? The answer is a resounding "no" to both questions. I still love blogging, I just can't seem to find the time. And my life become unfunny? Seriously? With my family? Not likely.

So what did happen? I got busy. I know, it's a pretty lame excuse for a writer. "I was too busy to write." Um, but I am. I'm running a company. It takes a lot of time. Seriously, some days I barely have time to go to the bathroom. I know you think I'm kidding, but I swear I'm not. My bladder pinky swears. But I'm not here today to give you excuses or facilitate a conversation between my readers and my bladder. I'm here to give you news! Yay! News! No, no, not that boring election coverage news (how many different ways can they insult each other after all?), not sad news about murders, hate crimes, tragic accidents, or drought conditions (but seriously, if it doesn't rain soon and settle some of this dust soon I'm probably going to sneeze myself to death). No, news about me.

I'm hoping that some of you have been seeing the posts on my FB author page or AKP's FB page about the upcoming anthology Fading Light, which I'm ecstatic to be in. I'm sharing a table of contents with some amazing heavy hitters in the horror genre. I'm very proud of my story, though it's a huge departure from my usual writing. And to top it all off--the cover art rocks. The anthology should be available on September 1st. So start saving those pennies now if you want to purchase it. In the next few days I will be posting some excerpts and a closer look at the antho.

And--in even bigger news--I have a short story collection coming out next month. I'm equal parts excited and petrified. Excited, because, well, it's all about me. And I love the stories in it (surely hoping you do too). They are all tales of horror or dark fantasy, some previously published, some new to the public. There are also a few poems. And yes, AKP is the publisher. I know that some look down on releasing work by the staff of a publishing company. If it's all we ever did, promote the work of our staff, I could understand the criticism. But we don't. The fact is we publish a variety of works by new and established authors in multiple genres. I could have shopped my collection around, but why? AKP has a very generous royalty split with it's authors (and yes, I'm taking the same deal that we give our other authors, so that part of the royalties go back to the company). AKP has a fantastic cover artist and is getting a good reputation for quality work. So it seems like a no-brainer to me. But, in part to help silence the critics, and in part because I just think he's a damn fine editor, I have hired Rob M. Miller (you can check out his website here) to edit the collection. It would be impossible for me to edit my own collection, I don't believe anyone is that good of an editor. And I wanted someone outside of our staff to take a look at it.

I'm working with Rebecca Treadway, AKP's amazing cover artist (her new website is under construction), to incorporate a photo of my daughter, Molly Flanagan (she doesn't have a website), on the cover. Molly is gorgeous (okay, I could be slightly biased, but I doubt it), has modeling experience, and will work for books. It's a win-win. And I'm having a blast playing photographer and scouting locations. I posted some of the photos we took, but unfortunately weren't quite awesome enough for print covers (something about DPI's & ISO settings & light) on my FB page. You can see them there, but my favorite is this one:

She looks so sad.

 

 

Although, all of them were cool, in my opinion. So hopefully, we will manage to take one that does work for the cover. We're doing a photo shoot next week in a historical cemetery. Fingers crossed.

 

 

And last but not least, I'm currently reading the submissions for the upcoming anthology No Place Like Home: Tales from a Fractured Future. I will be editing the antho, but will not have a story in it. This one is strictly an editing cred. The theme is sci-fi/horror dystopian. It's an odd amalgamation, but the authors who've submitted really ran with the theme of the future gone horribly wrong. I'll have a table of contents on this one by the end of the month and hopefully, a sneak peak at the cover art (which is amazing) to share.

 

And that's what's going on in my world. How about yours?

 



♥Stacey

Meet M. H. Mead, aka Margaret Yang and Harry R. Campion

I met Margaret and Harry through email. I'd left a comment on Scott Niven's blog when he reviewed their book and they emailed me to ask if I would also like to review it. Scott had made it sound so good that I immediately said yes, even though it wasn't a genre I usually pick up on my own. I'm very glad to say that I absolutely loved the book. In fact, you can read my glowing review over at See Spot Read. Go on- you know you want to.

Margaret and Harry are a writing duo. This amazes me. I don't think I could write with a partner. Maybe I just don't play well with others. Yep, it's probably just me. But I'll let them explain how it works for them.

1.) How long have you both been writing?

We both majored in creative writing in college, but we were writers before that. Maybe even as far back as elementary school. We’ve been published writers (short stories, articles) for over ten years.

2.) Do either of you write full time? If not, what are your day jobs, so to speak?
Harry teaches High School English and creative writing. He’s also a very involved dad with four kids. Margaret is a stay-at-home mom of two.

3.) Is this your fist published novel?
FATE’S MIRROR is our first published novel. Up to now, it’s all been short stories and novellas.

4.) What made you decide to go the Indie route?
Science fiction writers love to anticipate the future. Spotting trends before they are trends is something we’re good at. Ebooks and indie books are small now, but very soon will be the norm. With that in mind, it was an easy decision to make. We’d rather do the new thing than the old thing.

5.) What's it like being writing partners? Is it easier or harder than writing on your own? Do you write on your own or strictly as partners?
We love writing together. It’s the most fun either of us has at the keyboard. We’re not kidding when we say we share a brain. We occasionally write short stories alone, but even then, we’re always each other’s first readers. We rely on each other for the unvarnished truth.

6.) What scares each of you personally? Do you have any silly phobias?
Harry hates spiders. He can’t stand to watch that scene in Harry Potter with all the giant spiders. And that one part in The Lord of the Rings? Even worse.

Margaret has no problem with spiders or any other bugs. You know what she finds creepy? Light-up shoes. You know, the ones where the kid’s sneakers light up with every step? Those things are scary.

7.) What is your writing routine, both separately and together?
We live an hour away from each other. So, when we get together, we have all-day writing marathons that double as play dates for our kids. In between marathons, we phone or email almost every day.

8.) Have you always been a fan of the sci-fi genre?
Oh, yes! We worship at the throne of Larry Niven.

9.) What other authors inspire the two of you?
Besides Larry Niven, we love reading Stephen King. He has a natural, easy style that makes us feel like we can do it, too. We also have a soft spot for Neil Gaiman, but who doesn’t?

10.) What advice would you give to newbie writers out there?
Read a lot, write every day, and trust your beta readers.

BIO:

M.H. Mead is the shared pen name of Margaret Yang and Harry R. Campion. Margaret is a parent, reader and writer who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She loves all things shiny and modern, and can’t wait to someday drive a flying car.

Harry R. Campion is a writer, teacher and parent who lives in Harper Woods, Michigan. He loves to camp in the wilderness and explore rivers by canoe.

For more about Margaret and Harry, including links to their published stories, visit their website at www.yangandcampion.com

They recently created a facebook page (look for M.H. Mead) and you can follow Margaret on Twitter @Margaret_Yang

FATE’S MIRROR is available for kindle http://amzn.to/qHl2eF
nook http://bit.ly/qY0cj4
or any other ereader www.smashwords.com/books/view/73204
or as a paperback http://amzn.to/oqU4dL

A one-minute book trailer can be found here http://bit.ly/rlkvqh

♥Stacey