Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Scream is Out

Yesterday was the official publication date of Scream and Scream Again! from HarperCollins and the Mystery Writers of America (MWA). Edited by R.L. "Goosebumps" Stine, this horror-mystery anthology for middle-school readers includes a story of mine, "The Trouble with Squirrels."

When I joined the MWA, I hoped to have lots of leads into anthologies. This expectation didn't entirely pan out, but the MWA does sponsor an anthology most years. (The organization has taken some years off and did a cookbook a few years ago.) I've submitted a few times, but this story is my first MWA acceptance. (Another story that was rejected by the MWA got accepted by a storied magazine; a few others are moldering in drawers.)

"The Trouble with Squirrels" began as a dark story for adults, simply called, "Squirrel." I thought of it as my Roald Dahl-inspired story. I kept the overarching story for "Trouble," but made many, many changes, including transforming my adult protagonist into a curious kid. I also toned down the horror and gore.

In my Portland, Oregon, neighborhood, there is a house whose owner feeds squirrels. Peanut shells strew the property and then radiate outward across the neighborhood. Some years, we are overrun with squirrels. This is the genesis of the story.

While Bob Stine made the final selection of stories, provided a story, and wrote the introduction, the project itself was managed by John Helfers of Stonehenge Editorial. John was a pleasure to work with.

Though Scream published yesterday, I think the bigger promotional push will come in the weeks leading up to Halloween. The movie Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween hits theaters on October 12, and maybe this book will try to ride the coattails a bit.

Monday, March 19, 2018

I'm Still Alive

Wait a minute. Three years just flew by. That's right. After maintaining this blog for several years -- usually with a post every few weeks or once a month -- I totally fell down on the job.

What happened? Well, mostly Goodreads happened. (See the widget to the right.) Instead of posting here, I wrote little book reviews on Goodreads. I guess I should cross-post my Goodreads reviews here -- if I can figure it out.

I also didn't have much news to report. The previous post, for instance, highlights an essay I wrote for The Big Click about Patricia Highsmith. Since then, I haven't had any startling authorial news to report.

But now I do have a small bit of news -- which has been in the works for more than a year. I recently completed copy edits of a story, "The Trouble with Squirrels," which will be published in the Mystery Writers of America anthology, Scream and Scream Again, edited by R.L. "Goosebumps" Stine. The book comes out in late July -- and is really timed for Halloween.

The MWA has been publishing anthologies on and off for many years, but this is the organization's first book for kids. It is also my first story for children -- aimed at middle-schoolers. I'll say more about the story when the book comes out, but since the advance reader's edition is making the rounds, I thought I'd better announce that I'm still alive. I've also set up a contact form (below, to the right), so readers can send me lavish praise.