Social Media is broken...

I know you're all looking at this post title going..."what is she on about? Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/(insert other social media site I am oblivious to) is working fine." Yes, the sites might be working fine, no glitches, no outages, but I'm talking about our use of said sites. So maybe I should have titled this little rant "people are broken." I'm not alone in stating recently I decided to limit my use of Facebook. I check my notifications, I sometimes scroll through my newsfeed, but I've snoozed/unfollowed/unfriended a vast number of people. I only stop to read the posts that are about people's personal lives/careers/kids, funny memes, animal pictures, and recipes. I've subscribed to several motivational pages in an attempt to lighten my newsfeed. I'm so tired of the ranting/complaining/whining and sheer hatred I'd been seeing every day. It's funny, my mother used to tell me, "if you can't say something good, don't say anything at all." And though she meant it in regards to commenting on other's appearances, I think it kind of applies in this situation. WTF is up with all the negativity?

"Oh that," you say. Because I know you feel me here. Sadly, some of you reading this are probably offenders. I get that a vast majority of people are unhappy with the political and social climate of the country, and I'm not even going to go there because I try so hard to keep Politics, Religion, and Meanness off of my wall/blog/Twitter.

 "But, Stacey," you whine. "Things are SO bad. And people need to KNOW." Newsflash: People already KNOW. We read/watch the news ourselves and form our own opinions. "But maybe they didn't see this article!" Ah, but maybe you didn't see THIS article. Let's face it, you can find articles/videos/news reports/statistics to back up every side of every argument if you look hard enough. And the real truth is: you aren't going to change anyone else's opinion by blasting yours all over the place. Seriously. Especially, if you're nasty about it. Not even once have I read a rage filled rant on the internet that countered my own views and thought, Man, that person is so right! And neither has anyone else. In the history of ever. All you are going to get from that post is either people who share your views posting comments equivalent to, "Hells yeah, bro!" or the opposite, "Shut the F*ck up, you moron!" Because negativity breeds negativity. And hate? Well that breeds more hate. So why the hell are so many of you spreading that shit around? Who has convinced you that divisiness and sheer fury are going to heal our country? Because that shit is the real fake news.

And don't even get me started on the people from other countries doing it. Sorry, guys. I LOVE my foreign friends and followers, but tend to your business. Isn't there a saying about glass houses and stones? There's not one country on this planet currently that is problem free. There are skeletons in every continent's closet if you dig deep enough.

"Stacey, this is most unlike you. What prompted this little outburst?" you ask. I could make you a powerpoint presentation, complete with color coded handouts, but since we are all also pressed for time (I'm like a super busy author, don't you know?), I will make it short. The tipping point today was my Twitter feed. I logged on because I wanted to see what some other authors were tweeting. I don't really focus on my tweeting much, but decided I need to up my game before the new releases I have coming out. But instead of seeing awesome tweets by people much farther along in their careers, all I saw was politics. Either their own tweets, or retweets of others. It made me sad. I don't read your books because of your opinions on politics or religion or vegetarianism or even if you got your kids vaccinated. I read your books because I enjoy them, and often in spite of those other things (although, I don't know if I could set aside the vaccination one, but that's a personal trigger). So I want to hear about your process, your life, your next book, what films you've liked recently, what books you read. Simple stuff. Good stuff. Happy stuff. And if you want to give me a serious opinion on something? How about which charities you support and why you think they're worthy.

Okay, rant over. I had to get that off my chest, because sometimes that's how you let it go. "Why don't you just stay off social media," you casually suggest. I try to. Honestly, my amount of time spent on those sites has dwindled measurably in the last year. But I pop on to check out some groups I'm in, catch up with a few friends, look at videos of my grandbabies, and hopefully post something that makes people smile. Sure, sometimes I post about being chronically ill or in pain, but I try to make is casual. I'm not asking for sympathy when I do so, though a bit of empathy would be lovely. But I post to let myself and others know that we are not alone in this battle. So many people with serious health issues (and especially work from home creative types) have a tendency to be isolated. Whether by choice, or circumstance, it can be lonely. So I hope that people can connect with my posts. If even one person laughs, I've made the world a little brighter. And gosh knows, we could use some light nowadays. Happiness is a choice, but it's also a lot of work somedays. I'm trying to do my part. Join me, won't you?

I really do 💗 you guys. Well, most of you anyway.

💋 Stacey

Did You Know There Are Travel Sites Dedicated to Visiting Cemeteries?

Well, did you? Why didn't I know this?

I've always been fascinated by cemeteries, the older the better. My Grandma's house was near the oldest cemetery in Quincy--Woodlawn Cemetery, and we used to go there and play hide and seek when I was young. Once, my uncle took my cousins and I to the cemetery at dusk, told us a vampire story, and then drove off and left us. (This explains quite a bit about me.) I have been known to stop the car and venture through a cemetery or two, taking photos and soaking up the atmosphere. My husband and I used to picnic in the cemetery. He's used to my brand of weird. But, apparently I'm not the only one with this fascination. Imagine how stoked I was to find out an author I know wrote a book, 199 Cemeteries to see before you die? Super stoked! And, she graciously wrote a blog post for us today! So without further ado, here's Loren's explanation for why she likes cemeteries and visits as many as she can~

I got started vacationing in graveyards by accident.  I mean, it wasn’t like I’d never been to a cemetery before.  I’d been to the graveyard where my grandfather was buried.  My family had visited John F. Kennedy’s grave in Arlington and the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg.  After the junior prom, my date organized a field trip to take prom pictures on the steps of a local mausoleum. I’d gone to sit in the graveyard down the road when I needed a quiet place away from my parents.

Still, it seemed breathtakingly weird when my husband decided he would rather see Highgate Cemetery than visit the Tower of London. I’d bought a book of luminous black-and-white photos of Highgate in the tourist bookstore in Victoria Station, but I’d never considered spending one of the limited days of our unexpected trip to London to poke around a graveyard.

To my delight, Highgate Cemetery was glorious.  The cemetery had been all but abandoned by the 1970s, when parts of Taste the Blood of Dracula were filmed inside it.  Real-life vampire hunters had broken open tombs and staked corpses before the Friends of Highgate Cemetery formed to rescue the place.  When my husband and I visited in 1991, parts of the cemetery were being maintained as managed woodland.  Ivy crawled over the marble angels.  Hedgehogs and foxes roamed between the headstones. A feral cat befriended us: my first cemetery cat, although certainly not the last. Overall, even on a blustery, gray day in January, Highgate Cemetery was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. That beauty inspired me to want to see more cemeteries.

Once you start to notice, people really are buried just about everywhere. Every tourist destination has a cemetery, from New York City to Paris to Honolulu. Some tourist destinations are tombs: the Great Pyramids of Egypt or the Taj Mahal, for instance. There are permanent residents in museums, houses of worship, ghost towns, battlegrounds…even in national parks. You may have already visited someone’s grave without giving it a second thought, if you’ve been to Pompeii or Westminster Abbey or the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

But why would anyone go out of their way to visit a graveyard intentionally? In addition to the fascinating stories they contain, cemeteries can be open-air sculpture parks full of one-of-a-kind artwork. They provide habitats for birds and wildlife.  They can be gardens of surprising beauty. Cemeteries appeal to art lovers, amateur sociologists, birdwatchers, master gardeners, historians, hikers, genealogists, picnickers, and anyone who just wants to stop and smell the roses. Our relationships with the places we visit can be deepened and enriched by learning the stories of those who came—and stayed—before us.

Why visit cemeteries?  Because every day above ground is a blessing.  Because there is no better place to feel alive than a graveyard.  Because people visiting cemeteries tend to be on their best behavior.  Because there’s something really healing in breathing fresh air, looking at green grass, and listening to the birds sing.  Because life is short and that is the most beautiful thing of all. A little reminder never hurts.

Bio:

Loren Rhoads is the author of 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die and Wish You Were Here: Adventures in Cemetery Travel. She writes about graveyards for the Horror Writers Association and blogs about cemeteries as vacation destinations at cemeterytravel.com.

You can find her books on Amazon, or by clicking these links. 199 Cemeteries To See Before You Die and Wish You Were Here: Adventures in Cemetery Travel. 

Thanks for joining us today. I'll try to get better at blogging so it's not a year between posts this time. 🙂

Happy Reading,

💜 Spot

A little bit of everything....

What a week, month, year this has been. Not quite what I'd expected that's for sure. But it's not time for the yearly wrap up yet, so I'll just talk about this last few weeks. I thought November was going to be a "quiet" month. I actually had a plan for NaNoWriMo (which is probably where I went wrong, you know, planning). I wanted to write ten stories instead of a novel, roughly the same word count, but so that I'd have something to submit. Know how many stories I wrote? Zip. Nada. It was a failure of epic proportions. Although I did get one story edited and subbed and rejected. Once. And I got my novella finished, edited, and sent off to the publisher. So there's that.

We didn't get back from California until the 5th and then I took a day or two off to rest. The grandbabies were sick pretty much the whole time we were there so I wanted to make sure my body had time to adjust and not end up sick myself. Then we got heavily involved in a project I'm doing that has nothing to do with writing and cannot be explained at this time. Let's just suffice it to say it's huge and I'm super excited about it and will share as soon as I can. But it ate up like a whole week. Then we got CJ for a visit. And two days later Mike got sick and was hospitalized for six days. We've been home for less than a week and boom! the month is over. How does that even happen??

Good news, Mike is mending. Not as quickly as he'd like, but he's mending. And he doesn't have colon cancer, and he didn't end up septic (just really, really close). That's a lot to be thankful for. Sometimes I think The Universe gives us these little scares in order to remind us not to take things for granted.

Mo's pregnancy is going well. She's fifteen weeks along. We're all super excited for that 20 week sonogram so we can find out if it's a girl or a boy. I'm betting boy. She's going to have a houseful of rough and tumble hooligans.

Sean is doing well in North Carolina. Unfortunately he won't be making it home for Christmas. I had planned to drive out for Thanksgiving, but you know, The Universe intervened and all. I miss that boy like crazy.

And, I put up three previously published short stories on Amazon and Smashwords. All three had been published in different anthologies but the rights have since reverted to me, so I thought, why not? Maybe those of you who don't want to purchase a whole anthology of authors you don't know might like to purchase a story at a time. The fantastic covers were done by Rebecca Treadway of www.atrtink.com. I highly recommend her excellent cover art. She's the master behind the truly frightening Snow Globe cover. So here are the covers, click on any of them to be taken to Amazon. But if you have a Nook, or other reading app, they are also available on Smashwords.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving, and are going into the holiday season with the most joyous of moods. I, myself, am feeling unusually Christmas-y this year. And for a change, I'm almost done Christmas shopping.

 

Stayed tuned for some big news headed your way on the Angelic Knight Press front this week. But above all, be good to each other. 'Tis the season.

 



♥Stacey

This is not about writing...

I wanted to be up front about that just in case anyone wandered in looking for author type stuff. This blog is about being an amazing pioneer woman/catch, I mean, canning things. Yep. I can things. So far, mostly jam. But today is salsa day. Yum!

We have a huge area near us that is full of blackberry bushes and we picked tons and tons of blackberries over the month of July. Now, just in case you've never been blackberry picking, and have visions of wandering through a beautiful sunlit meadow with a wicker basket, let me break this down for you. Blackberry picking, while extremely rewarding, basically sucks. You have to put on long sleeves and pants, and I recommend rubber knee boots. Because blackberry bushes have thorns, large ones, that will scratch your skin. And our blackberry bushes grow wild, which means in a jungly tangle, amidst other weeds, and trees. Also, the grass is really tall and there are snakes (hence the rubber boots). Although I only saw one once which is awesome since I froze for a full fifteen minutes afterwards and then had to pep talk myself into continuing in that direction. And it's Illinois in July, so it's hot and humid and sweaty, especially since you are wearing all those damn clothes. And we get so far back in the patch that you can't see us, and we get tangled up in the vines, and bitten by mosquitos, and fight with spiders, anyway, it's not particularly fun. I think it's the sense of accomplishment that keeps us going. (And by "us" I mean myself and my daughter, Molly, when she's home, and my niece, Madi, when she's here; don't even think that Mike is picking berries.)

But as Molly, Madi, and I were discussing once while picking, we all evolved from tribes that basically hunted and gathered. And women were the gatherers. So being good at it, fearless in the face of the heat and (sort of) danger, fulfills some deep need in your evolutionary core. I told Molly that since she's a good gatherer, a good gardener, and births babies easily, she'd be quite a catch in her tribe.

So we picked many times over the month (once in the dusk and rain, talk about difficult and spooky), and gathered a shit ton of blackberries. The boys ate a lot of them. Who knew toddlers could pack away so much fruit? We made some cobblers, some blackberry shortcake, and then I decided to make jam. Now, I'd only made jam once before, in England when I was about 13, with an elderly neighbor lady. We made black currant jam and it was awful. So my knowledge of jam making and canning was almost nil. So I turned to the internet and by toggling between a few sites learned what I needed to know. Then I bought canning supplies. Hello, expensive. But since you only have to buy the pot and tools once, it's worth it. And then I made jam.

First you have to rinse, smash, and cook the berries. Then you spoon it into jars, leaving headspace, getting out air bubbles, putting on lids, and then bathing the jars in a hot water bath. And that's the part that worried me--what if they didn't seal right? What if I gave everyone botulism? But they did, and I didn't, and I heard the satisfying "ping" of lids sealing very clearly. So I made more. I ended up with three batches: Blackberry, Blackberry Cherry, and Blackberry Blueberry. It was delicious. So much so, that I went from this:
 

 

To this:

Way too quickly. I sent some home with my parents. I sent some home with my niece. I sent a jar to Sean. I gave a jar to the neighbors. And then Molly and Luke took 5 jars with them when they left. But, because I'm a nice person, I offered a jar to my mailman yesterday. And it went like this:

 

 

Mailman: (handing over three boxes of books) Here you go.

 

Me: Thanks so much for bringing them to the door.

 

Mailman: No problem.

 

Me: Would you like a jar of homemade jam?

 

Mailman: (Huge sigh) Thanks, but my wife makes jam. She made so much we're trying to get rid of it.

 

 

And he left. What?? But, but, you don't understand. I don't have much left so my offer was not me trying to get rid of it, but me being really generous. It's my first jam making. It needs to be celebrated!! Don't turn down my jam!! But he did. And then he walked back to his jeep. And I felt this odd sense of rejection. Although, if I think about it, he may think I'm slightly odd, and well, I wouldn't take jam from someone I thought was odd either. It's like taking candy from strangers.

 

So, in closing, I've thought a lot about the amazing feeling of accomplishment I got from making and canning homemade jam. Cooking always fills me with a sense of "rightness" and accomplishment. And I think it's because I grew up in a family (and extended family) where that's what women did. We do the cooking, and it's a way of showing love and taking care of your family. And I know that a lot of folks today will think that's old fashioned and silly, but frankly, I don't care. For me, fixing a meal and having everyone at the table will always be my happy place.

 

And learning the art of canning, which I know isn't that big of a deal considering women have been doing it for centuries, and with far less convenience than my modern kitchen, still filled me with a sense of wonder and an amazing satisfaction. And maybe it's because I joined those ranks: I can grow a garden, I can make food, and put it away for later use. I can make sure my family is fed from my own labor. I rock.

 

 

Also, I can make a mess:



And clean it up.

 

 

Today, I'm making and canning salsa with tomatoes and peppers from my garden. Because I can. And also because it's yummy.

 

 

What do you do that gives you that amazing feeling of pride? Seriously, I want to know!

 

 



♥Stacey

I hate it when things don't go my way...

And by that I mean how I pictured them in my head. Take last Friday, for instance. I had scheduled a Dr. appointment to discuss with my doctor decreasing some of my meds. In my mind, he was all, "sure, no problem. What a great idea." In real life it went more like this:

The nurse takes all my vitals (down another two pounds since I saw him in April), blood pressure and heart rate good. Unfortunately, I've managed to catch a really bad cold/sinus gunk. The doctor enters.

Me: Ironically, I'd scheduled this appointment to convince you of how healthy I am, but now I have a cold...

Him: Stop talking.

Me: My niece came home from camp with a cold and then my grandson caught it...

Him: Seriously, stop talking!

At this point I notice that he's taking out and donning a surgical mask as though I was typhoid Mary. It should have been a clue, maybe, that this wasn't going to be my best visit ever.

Him: Any drainage? What color? Blah, blah, blah...

And he prescribes me an antibiotic.

Me: Okay, so this bout of whatever not with standing, I've been really doing great. I've been eating healthier, slowly (excruciatingly slowly) losing weight, my check up was great, so what I've been considering is xxx (sorry, but this part is a secret unless it becomes a reality).

Him: That's a really bad idea. You have Fibromyalgia.

Me: Yeah, I know, but I'm feeling really good lately.

Him: That's because you take medicine. In order for your plan to work you'd have to stop taking most of the meds. Then you'll feel awful.

Me: No I won't. Because I'm being healthy.

Him: Yes. You will. My answer is no.

Me: Okay, so this isn't going the way I thought it would and you aren't giving me the answer I want so I'm just going to keep talking until I've coerced you...

Him: I'm not going to change my mind.

Me: But it's not like this will cause any lasting damage or be fatal.

Him: There's no way to predict that. And that's why the answer is no.

Me: Hmm. Well, let's say that hypothetically I do this against your better judgment, how would one go about cutting down my medication? I know you can't just stop cold turkey.

Him: Stop taking this, this, and this, and cut this down to half. The call the office when you can't take the pain and we'll put you back on the meds.

Me: Oh, Ye of very little faith. I think you're seriously underestimating my stubbornness and pain threshold.

Him: We'll see.


And that is how my doctor became an unwilling accomplice in what he seems to think is my craziest idea yet. Later, I relayed the news to Mike.

Me: So, Dr. L is so not on board with this idea.

Mike: I'm not sure why you thought he would be.

Me: Well I'm not giving up yet.

Mike: Of course you aren't. Because you are one of the most stubborn people I know.

Me: Hmph. Have you met your son, Sean?

Mike: Yes. Where do you think he gets it from?

Anyway, I decided to wait to cut down the meds until the grandkids go home to California, as they are a bit hard on my body. Then we'll see.

Also, apparently I can be allergic to every antibiotic they can prescribe as I broke out in a horrendous rash and had horrible stomach cramps from the one he gave me. Thank goodness the sinus gunk cleared up anyway. Now if I could get rid of the rash, I'd be a happy camper.

The moral of this story is, "I do what I want." It's kind of our family motto.


♥Stacey

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

Travel funnies

So, I'm in the process of changing over my blogging to this one blog. I'm going to combine what used to be my family life blog, What Passes for Sane on a Crazy Day, over to this blog. There may or may not be a book coming about from the other blog, but mostly I'm just too busy to do both (as anyone who reads my sporadic blog posts can easily confirm). I also prefer to read author blogs that contain snippets of their lives, not just writing advice and news. Maybe it's because I'm a bit of a stalker, or maybe it's just more interesting. I like to know people I admire are just that--people. People a lot like me who are doing what they love while raising families and dealing with life. So, in the spirit of combining both, I give you the following post which would normally be on my other blog. Oh, and so as not to be confusing, I'll be using my children's real names this time.

During our rather long (3 day) car trip to California, Mo and I had this conversation:

Me: We have to stop listening to your iPod.

Mo: Why?

Me: *pointing to my lips, which are closed* What are my lips not doing?

Mo: Um...

Me: Singing. And if my lips are not singing, I'm not driving "happy." And trust me, you want me to be driving happy. I don't know most of these songs. Put in my CD. (I know, I'm old school like that, making CDs and all.)

Mo: *huge sigh* She puts in the CD and the first song is "Feel this Moment" by Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera. If you don't know the song, you can find it here.

Me: This is my jam.

Mo: *laughing* 'Cause you're from the Dirty?

Me: No. Partially because it references Fifty Shades of Grey and even though I hate that book and all it's horrid grammar, any song that references what could loosely be termed "literature" in an intelligent manner is cool. But also because it's about living in the moment. That's what the chorus is talking about.

Mo: Is it?

Me: Don't you listen to the words?

Mo: I can't understand them.

Me: *singing rather loudly* Someday when the night is glowing, I'll be in my castle golden. But until the gates are open, I just want to feel this moment.

Mo: *and because she never believes a word I say, she Googles the lyrics* It's "Someday when the light is glowing."

Me: Oh, my bad. One freakin letter.

Mo: So it's your "YOLO" song?

Me: Yep. You know I was all about Yolo-ing before it was an acronym.

Mo: So she's talking about YOLO-ing before she dies.

Me: Um ... Mo ... you kind of have to YOLO before you die. It really doesn't work the other way around.

Some days I wonder about her...



♥Stacey

I bet you thought I died or something...

Well, I'm still here. And yes, I am the worst blogger in the history of blogging. So without further ado, here's what's going on ...

On the author front, I got a new Facebook fan the other day. How on earth they found me is anybody's guess, but thanks new guy (Jason)! You made my morning. Currently I'm working on some new short stories to add to that "will be published at some point in time" collection of mine. Meanwhile, I've subbed one story lately, with two more waiting to go out. One is waiting for an image to go with it, which Rebecca Treadway is being kind enough to make for me. And the other is in beta reader extraordinaire Caren Widner Hanten's (aka C.W. LaSart) hands.

Fading Light: An Anthology of the Monstrous was released in September, and my story, "Born of Darkness," got a little bit of good attention. Thank you to all who read it and commented. People keep asking me to tell more of the story, or "What happens next?" Originally, I didn't plan on writing anything with those characters. But as the months have gone by, I've found myself contemplating the world they live in, and the lives of the other Lightbringers. It all may just have to be written down. You can click on the cover of the anthology on the right side of the page to bring it up on Amazon. To those of you who already bought it-- "Thank you!"

I'm still plugging away at Olivia's Tale, though rather slowly. Finding time to write, or even submit my own work is difficult. I know, I know, if I was dedicated I would. But, sometimes there's so much life going on that I get distracted. Also, running a publishing company and being a full time editor is kind of time consuming. About that~

Angelic Knight Press has released a slew of new books since the last time I blogged. And we've got something for everyone. We have paranormal romances in the form of the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan series by Cindy Keen Reynders. If you like your romances a bit on the spicy, humorous, and magical side, you can't go wrong with these books. For those who like creepy southern gothic ghost stories we offer the Southern Hauntings Saga by Bryan Hall. His protagonist, Crate Northgate, a man haunted (literally) by his past, is easy to fall for. Any of you ladies who like bad boys--once you start reading about Crate, you'll be hooked. Not that they're romantic by any means. They are full on scary.

We have the gritty historical drama, Amery House, by Samantha J. Moore. Miss Nadine is yet another character unable to escape a less than perfect past. If you like Jazz, New Orleans, or historical dramas, look no further. We've also got a chilling tale about an elemental demon, possession, and gruesome murders in Tool Shed by Armand Rosamilia. Armand is well known for his zombie fiction, but this book proves he can write just as well about non-zombie horrors.

And we've released the third and final installment of the Satan's Toybox series: Terrifying Teddies. Personally, I think we saved the best for last. All of the anthologies are good, but the stories in this one are creepier. Maybe it's because Teddy Bears look so innocent? These stories will make you think twice about your choice of a fuzzy bedtime companion. My story, "Dead Nicky," is included. It's one of my favorites that I've written. So if you read the book, please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought.

Upcoming anthologies include 50 Shades of Decay, a 50 story anthology about zombie erotica. A little weird? Maybe. A little over the top? Nah. It promises to be an eye-opener. Hoping to have it available on February 14th. What's more romantic than zombies? We'll also be releasing the long awaited No Place Like Home anthology this month. You won't want to miss these tales of government gone horrible wrong. It's packed tight with great authors, both established and new. And we've just started taking subs for Fairly Wicked Tales. Think you know your fairy tales? What if they were all wrong, horribly wrong? This anthology's about to bust that world right open.

You can find links to any of these titles on the website www.angelicknightpress.com. Along with submission calls, guidelines and upcoming releases.

And just reading those last few paragraphs should tell you how busy I am as an editor. Plus, I'm still doing a few freelance jobs. But I love it. I wouldn't trade my job for any in the world. And I want to thank everyone out there, especially my team at AKP: Rebecca Treadway, Danielle Day, and Blaze McRob, for every ounce of support, encouragement, friendship, and love you throw my way. Also, my family for everything.

♥Stacey

If you're still reading my ramblings...

You'll note that I somewhat fudged the truth when I said I was going to be posting more frequently. Sure, I started out with good intentions, but we all know where that leads. So I'm not going to promise that again. However, I do have a couple of interviews and book reviews lined up for this month so my posting more frequently is a possibility.

What have I been doing? Oh my, where to start? Well, first things first. After some tough love from my editor, I've decided to postpone the short story collection until sometime next year. Some of the stories I planned to include are stories I wrote quite some time ago and are not as well written as I would like. I want the entire collection to be of high quality, so some of those stories are going to need a revision (or three). As a good friend of mine says, "readers can tell when you're phoning it in." And I don't want to let anyone down. So it's back to the desktop for more work.

However, Fading Light: An Anthology of the Monstrous was released and widely praised. If you haven't gotten a copy, you can do so here. It's an absolutely stunning anthology. I'm so proud to be a part of it. And, in a surreal turn of events, my story, "Born of Darkness," has gotten some high praise from reviewers. Another reason I don't want to disappoint anyone with a so-so collection.

Next up, Satan's Toybox: Terrifying Teddies, is slated to be published the end of this week. I'm extremely excited for it to come out. I think, personally, that it's the very best of the Satan's Toybox anthologies. It's got some of my favorite stories in it. You won't want to miss Lisamarie Lamb's chilling tale "The Woods Today." You'll never sing the Teddy Bear Picnic song again after reading it. Another fine scare is "Benji" by Adam Millard. How do you get rid of a Teddy Bear who doesn't want to leave? My story, "Dead Nicky," is my favorite story of any I've written. All of the stories are interesting and will definitely change your view of those fluffy stuffed toys.

Also out this month will be Tool Shed, an eerie novella from Armand Rosamilia. While Armand is best know for his zombie fiction, this little novella will show the reading public that he's much more than a zombie writer. His story combines an ancient demon, teenagers, an unlikely band of demon hunters, and dead cows. Intrigued? Look for it the end of this month.

Also at the end of this month, I'll be a panelist at Coyote Con. Coyote Con is a FREE online conference for writers, published and unpublished alike. It has all the benefits of a regular conference: networking, editor pitches, and panels; without the negative cost or travel issues. I strongly urge every author to take advantage of this awesome con. I attended the first year, 2010, and the amount of info and energy that I gained was enormous. It really spurred me to start taking this whole writing thing more seriously and well, look where I am today. There will be many genres represented in panels: horror, sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk, erotica & romance, to name a few. I will be sitting on three panels myself: The end of the world as we know it: Apocalyptic Fiction with Todd Brown and Suzi M; Things that go bump in the night with various authors; and Giving up the ghost: writing horror with Billie Sue Mosiman and C.W. LaSart. Don't miss this con! Again, it's FREE and you can attend in your jammies!

And that's all I have time for today. But stay tuned! There are lots more projects to talk about. Along with some interviews, reviews, and th e truth about KillerCon...

♥Stacey