Kevin Lucia's Blog, page 37

Even Though I'm Insecure, I'm Still Thankful...But This Is No Longer "Just for Fun"

It goes without saying that I'm very thankful for everything I've accomplished so far, and I don't think I conveyed that in yesterday's post. Even though I'll always grapple with the worry that I'm not good enough, that I'll always be stuck on one "rung" and never climb any higher, I'm still very thankful for everything I've accomplished so far.

I've sold some short stories, seen my name in print, both for fiction and nonfiction in a variety of venues. I wrote a novella that's darn good and fun reading, and it was well received. I had the chance to edit a Halloween issue of a respectable magazine, edited a Lovecraftian poetry collection, sold a serial novella (which I think is my best work to date) , served as a submissions reader for Cemetery Dance Magazine, and I'm moving on to an even better editing position I can't talk about yet. 

I have some teaching opportunities coming up, I've got Horror 101 on Tales to Terrify, I have an open door to pitch Billy the Kid: Down in the Dark to a midlist publisher, and let's not forget both those novellas I'm worrying over were solicited. Even if they are turned down, that's the beginning of a relationship, pure and simple. AND, let's not forget about the upcoming collection, which I'm alternatively excited about and  SCARED OUT OF MY MIND (because of the folks reviewing it).

And yes. I have goals, still. I want to be a midlist novelist, I'd LOVE to see those novellas accepted, and I want to "up my game" when it comes to my short fiction.

But at the same time, I'm so very aware that many of the people I started this journey with fell by the wayside either immediately or got knocked aside early on, and I have no idea what they're doing, now. So I am very, very thankful for what I've been allowed to accomplish.

But I've also had to admit something to myself. This is no longer "just for fun." Yes, I love writing, enjoy every minute of it. You'll never see posts from me about being "forced to write" or grudgingly writing because I feel compelled to do so against my free will. And yes, I LOVE making up stories and my own worlds...

But somewhere along the line, this stopped being a "hobby." It stopped being something I "dabbled" in, and became deadly serious business. And I have to admit that to myself. Because let's face the facts:

- I've been getting up at 2:30 AM every morning for the past five years to find time to write despite a busy family life and work schedule

- whenever I have a free moment, I write. Before bed, during lunch breaks, at Madi's swim and soccer practices (not basketball, because I'm a freak about that too, and have to watch)

- whenever I'm not writing, I'm reading (which is an entirely different obsession)

- and I don't want to do anything else

So it's time to admit the truth: I don't see this as something I do JUST for the love, anymore (though obviously I DO love it, or else I wouldn't do it). I have goals, I want to succeed, and I'm driven to accomplish those goals. AND, like anything else...as my drive has increased in response to my accomplishments...that insecurity has increased, because I wonder...will there be a time for me to simply call "Uncle?"

Let's be painfully honest: in the next five or six years, if I'm not where I want to be...will it be time to reevaluate my goals? Maybe in the next five or six years as the kids get older and more self-sufficient, maybe I won't have to keep such extreme hours, maybe it'll get much easier to write every day. But maybe not. Six years from now, if I'm still a small-small press writer, will I still have the drive to get up every morning at 2:30 and write, at the age of 44, 45?

I work out a lot. I eat healthy, I don't smoke, I drink alcohol sparingly, and even when I sleep in, I still retire early in the evening. Hopefully, this sort of lifestyle - coupled with the fact that I just wake up well - will store up years of "early morning rising." But, maybe not. Maybe six years from now, with no light at the end of the tunnel, I'll be ready to reconsider all this.

Of course, that's when I think of this guy named Rio Youers. If you haven't read his novel Westlake Soul , you're missing out. And recently, it was optioned for film by the guy who wrote The Grudge and Texas Chainsaw 3D.  

So he's living "the life" right now.  He's in demand.

But his journey started in 1998, with a novel that didn't quite land with a major publisher.

That was fifteen years ago. 

Fifteen years. And Rio had been writing LONG before that.

Thought I've been writing all my life, this only REALLY started for me about six years ago, in 2007.

Fifteen years, stacked next to six.

Nothing like perspective, my friends, to kick ourselves back into gear...

I'd Like To Think I'm Not An Insecure Writer...

...but I'd be lying, of course. Insecurity hides within all of us, and different folks handle it in different ways, or exhibit it to greater or lesser degrees, or are impacted more or less by it, depending on their character and make-up. The same is true of writers, and I'm no more or less insecure than the next. But I realized something this morning when I dragged myself out of bed...

Insecurity doesn't go away with publishing scores.

I know, I know. You're probably thinking: "Duh, Kevin. I could've told you that." And I'm sure in some practical, logical sense I did  understood that. BUT, this blog has been all about expressing myself, the ups and downs along my writing journey, and blogging often has a cathartic effect, helping me get things out of my system, so here goes the obvious...

A year ago, it felt like everything had fallen into a standstill. Two years after Hiram Grange, I felt like my "career" progress had pretty much halted. Now, Hiram Grange was a niche character, a pulp hero for pulp audiences through a respected small press, so I didn't expect that to break any sales records. AND, it garnered great reviews and comments, even notched a few Stoker Recommendations, whatever those are worth.

But I thought I'd get a lot more done after that, and I didn't. Part of the problem was starting a novel twice only to have it fall apart in the final stages, then begin Billy and leave off that for long stretches. BUT, things were going nowhere fast, and I definitely started to feel a little insecure.

However, then I sold the serial novella to Lamplight Magazine last June, sold another story, was asked by Crystal Lake to put together a collection, and some other cool stuff happened, like "Horror 101" and my stint at Cemetery Dance as a submissions reader. And, there's some cool stuff on the way.

But, after all that, I find myself battling with insecurity once again. Part of it was being really tired this morning, and the simple fact of the matter that, for the most part, I'm still writing novels and novellas on-spec. I guess there will always be a certain amount of insecurity in that, because you really have no idea during all that labor if you'll see a return for that work.

However, I think my insecurity has a different angle to it, this time. See, the novellas are sitting with the biggest publishers I've submitted to yet. The Billy novel will go to a certified mid-list publisher.  And, I can't help grappling with little thoughts in my head that go like this...

you're not good enough to run with those big dogs

you'll always write for the small and smaller press

your writing is only OKAY and will never have that SNAP it needs

it's just not meant to be

And to be honest, a big part of it is just the concept: I can't imagine myself published by these houses, just don't have that self-confidence yet, I guess. I know if those projects get rejected I'm not going to rush right off and submit them to small markets just because I want them "published," because I am committed to moving up the ladder. But it's just hard to see myself in that position, much as I want it.

Anyway. After groggily rolling out of bed, getting some caffeine in me, I pounded away on Billy, and I'm good to go. Occasional bouts of insecurity is just something all of us have to deal with, writers even more so, in many ways.

More on this tomorrow, perhaps.

On Wanting Your Mentors and Colleagues to Read and Like Your Work: And Being Totally Okay With It If They Don't

To clarify - this is one of those blogs I want to tread lightly on. It came up as a subject between myself and a non-writer about a completely different medium entirely, and it provoked a lot of thought, and because this blog (among other things) has always been about my journey as a writer: the ups, downs, learning curves, harsh realities and more, I wanted to blog about it. In fact, I've wanted to blog about it for a really long time.

I just have to...tread carefully.

AND, to clarify - this isn't one of those "tests" to see who is reading the blog, and to anyone who comes to this blog - no offense is meant, honestly. Just trying to share what I've experienced honestly and respectfully.


Anyway, the other day a friend and I were talking about their foray into their chosen field of art. One thing this person mentioned was how they noticed that someone else they'd known for a long time who also practiced their art had no comments at all on this person's work. The person in question didn't know if they should be offended by this, or if it was just what they called "an artist thing."

I thought for a moment and answered very honestly it was probably just an "artist thing," sharing my experience...because I've gone through that myself, really wanting my colleagues and mentors' approval of my work, but also realizing they probably hadn't read much or any of what I'd written and probably never would, and how that was totally okay.

To be clear: MANY of my colleagues and one or two mentors have read my work and have had really nice things to say, so I'm not lacking in support at all. HOWEVER, as I blogged about recently, publishing is an interesting, very PERSONAL business. You develop business relationships with editors and other writers, but you also become friends with them too, and it's not long before you ask yourself why they haven't read what you've had published, why they don't like your writing.

This is worse when we want to impress those we look up to. It's like wanting to impress an older sibling, and all we really want to hear from them is, "Nice job, bro!" But, even critical comments are okay. One of my mentors has consistently pushed me and challenged me on pieces that others have loved, and that's just as good as a compliment, maybe better, because it means they're invested in your improvement and want to see you get better.

But dead air?

That can be hard to deal with.

And it's especially hard to deal with when you realize these folks you look up to haven't read any of your writing and probably never will, especially a mentor who's given you lots of good advice about the business. There's the inevitable knee-jerk reaction (hopefully kept all inside) to think: "Geez, they haven't read anything I've written.  Why I should I listen to them?"

Or, there's this: I endured a  really awkward experience once when one of my students asked a visiting writer-friend: "Hey, Mr. Lucia wrote this novella thing. Have you read it? Didja like it?"

Cue the crickets, and a little good-willed stammering by the author as they worked out of that spot, citing the good reviews and all the good things they'd heard about my novella. I felt bad that student had put my friend on the spot, a little annoyed (because honestly, that student wasn't exactly one of my more astute and this was clearly a prank and not a show of support for me), but also...felt a sinking feeling when I realized that one of the writers I'd admired most hadn't read anything written by me, despite being given a copy of the novella by my publisher.

But that's completely okay, and I'm completely over that, because here's the thing - maybe there are some writers below me on "the ladder" who want me to read some of their work, too; or colleagues who'd like me to read their work. AND, many of my colleagues have produced some fine work that I've really loved. But what do I spend the bulk of my time reading?

The greats. The giants, in both literary and weird/strange/dark/horror fiction. And those whom I look up to - I know, just by my long conversations with them - are busy reading those things, too. They SHOULD be reading those things, and not work by someone like me. And also, as I said to my friend, there's simply style to consider. Many of my mentors write a considerably different style and have different ideas about fiction than I do. So rather than give me empty praise they don't really mean, they've chosen to be honest and give nothing...which is definitely better than empty praise in the long run.

There's nothing wrong with this whole experience. It's very natural, and part of the gig. But it's so, so important to never take anything personal and to grow past all these things, because once again, the publishing industry - especially the horror genre - is amazingly personal, and these waters must be navigated with great care, and an essential part of a writers' development, I think, is becoming more and more motivated by internal standards and less by what others think, or what we WANT others to think of us.

The photo in this blog is a section of my library populated by my friends' books. Some of them have read my work (others not in this picture have read my work) some haven't, some have said they're looking forward to the collection. And if they do buy it and like it, I'll be delighted. But they may not, may not ever read my work, because they're busy reading the work of the masters, maybe our styles are different, or - like as not - they're very busy with their own writing. So they may not ever read anything I write, ever.

And that's totally okay.

Writing Short Stories: REDUX

First of all, I changed my website and blog format at bit. It was due for a change, but most importantly, someone commented on Facebook this morning that they never read white on black backgrounds, and though I'd heard this comment elsewhere before, there was such a resounding voice of assent in that FB thread that I decided it was high time to tweak the blog format. I like the results. Hopefully, it will be easier for folks to read.

Secondly, after posting about writing short stories last week, I received a comment from author Robert Swartwood  that he felt pretty sure that mostly writers read short stories, and that he wondered also about the time efficiency of publishing short stories to Amazon.


And he's got a point, especially considering the fact that Rob is doing very well self-publishing his novels and novellas to Amazon. In that sort of situation, if one form is selling much better than another and your livelihood depends on it, you need to focus on the format drawing in the revenue.

Yesterday, I posted a FB thread asking the question: who reads short stories? A large number of folks posted they did, and I also noticed a large number of the posters were also writers. However, you do have to consider this - if you say only writers read short stories, that doesn't mean only ten people in the world read short stories. There's a lot more writers out there than that, obviously. Also, FB friend Curt Jarrell posted this:

"The New Yorker crowd, folks who subscribe to Asimov's, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Cemetery Dance and the mystery magazines read short fiction regularly or they wouldn't be published."
Interestingly enough, several folks stated they weren't likely to read just one story at a time. More than likely, they're going to read a collection. Or, as one poster pointed out, a short story collection is a way to "test-drive" an author. In my experience, I end up getting an author's short story collection when I've come to like them, because then I want to read EVERYTHING they've written.
Again, I'm not going to re-hash the old question: Why Write Short Stories? That's like asking why do people breathe? Or eat sushi, maybe. Some folks love the short form and prefer writing to all other forms. Some very fine novelists can't even conceive of writing a short story. Some folks simply prefer to focus on the form they feel most people are going to read.
And hey, I even said it in my last post: TIME is a consideration for me. I've just enough time these days to keep plowing away on Billy the Kid. Unfortunately, right now, I haven't got nearly enough time to write the short stories I'd like to. And to be honest, the Billy Project has much greater financial and exposure POTENTIAL, and I have a partly-open door that I need to take advantage of, so I need to focus on that right now.
Which means, of course, that my half-thought-out experiment The Shelf probably won't fly this summer. And publishing single short stories to Amazon? Probably not even worth it, unless, as Rob Swartwood pointed out, you're Stephen King. However, self-publishing a collection - like Robert Swartwood has - of either previously published stories or unpublished stories is still something to toy with down the road.

More Thoughts On Short Stories, the Realities of Writing Them, Magazines and Anthologies

Yes, I know. Blogging three days in a row. That's one of the benefits of summer: more time to blog. Anyway...a threshold moment, yesterday, sorta, when it comes to my thoughts on writing short fiction.

First, a splash of reality: I had these lofty goals of writing one short story a week this summer. Seeing as how I've transitioned over to typing all my first drafts, I figured now would be a good time to try it. Seemed like a good idea.

REALITY: Finishing an epic, 100,000 word weird western while spending the summer with my daughter and occasionally doing some work around the house (just enough to retain my MAN CARD and keep the place from looking ramshackle) doesn't leave a whole lot of time left over. 

I mean, don't get me wrong. I was able to finish off a novella and get it to a publisher, I'm nearing the end of the novel, I dashed off a short nonfiction story the other day, and I've got at least two more short stories to write. But the idea of writing one short story a week was a little ambitious, to say the least. Which reaffirms another reality - for me, anyway - that I've suspected for a very long time...

REALITY: If I really want to crack into the short story market, especially the upper level, given my limited time to write every day, I need to do nothing but write short stories for a year, or least six months. See, when it comes down to it: I write EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. During the school year, often during lunch. Sometimes before bed at night. But really, I have the one time slot in the morning, and that's it. I simply don't have it in my schedule right now to consistently concentrate on more than one thing at a time. Which brings up ANOTHER....

REALITY: My musing the other day about there not being enough horror short fiction markets is a lot of rot. I think I've hit on something in that Amazon can be a great place to regularly release short stories into the wilds, especially if you HAVE a large readership and they're eager for your next release, but to be honest, I think if I started writing and releasing short stories on my own, they'd receive a collective yawn and not much else. Because who am I? No one, really. So, the...

REALITY is if I really want to make it in the short fiction market, I need to finish off Billy, get it to beta readers, get it to the publisher I'm pimping it to, and - depending on whether or not it sells - then buckle down and focus on short stories. Actually make a LIST of markets (which, GASP, I've never actually done), gird my loins, start writing and submitting, take my lumps, and send my short stories around. Of course, if I DO sell the Billy trilogy, the...

REALITY is my life will probably be tied up in that for a few years. It's an epic weird-western-mythic trilogy that will require a lot of time and research, and because I'm committed to selling this to midlist or higher, there will be a contract and due date. But I'm ready for that, honestly. I write like gangbusters when I know something is expected from me.  

And, yesterday as I was tinkering with an older story because I'd seen a submissions call for this type of story, I was stressing a little about the fact the deadline was only two weeks away, when I realized: this collection, though paying a decent rate, probably won't be read by many folks. 

So, ergo, I'm killing myself and stressing over a story that I'd only get paid a little for in a collection that not many people would end up reading, which I realized was stupid, especially when I HAVE started a relationship with decently paying magazines AND ezines that would at least offer a slightly HIGHER readership. Does that mean I'm no longer going to submit stories to anthologies?

Not necessarily. Especially if they pay REALLY well, are of higher visibility, or I've been invited to submit. But it's time to stop cold-submitting to semi-pro pay anthologies that probably won't reach much of an audience. I'm proud of my earlier fiction, and I really like the stories in Things Slip Through , coming in November, and I think they're great stories. But also those stories were published in small press, semi-pro collections with limited exposure. It was a great way to start out, and I'm hoping that the collection will reach a much wider audience....but the...

REALITY is this: the past year, I actually made some decent money writing, and that's made me realize that I AM a good writer, and my work is WORTH the higher pay. Does that mean I'll sell more short stories right away? That people will recognize my greatness and start throwing money at me to write short stories for them? Heavens, no. But going back to a certain pay scale now is just not what I want to do, and I've gone past a certain point, now, that just won't let me follow that route anymore.

So, what does this all mean?

Again...who knows? In fact, all I know is:

1. I will be finishing Billy in the next few weeks, sending it off to the beta readers
2. While they beta read, I'll be polishing the trilogy synopsis and proposal
3. When the beta readers are done, I'll implement their suggestions and then send it off to
     the publisher
4. And then I have two short story solicitations I need to make good on....

And then who knows? Bottom line is: I think I was wrong in my assumptions on the short story market, and depending on the fate of Billy, if I really want to sell short stories, I need to study the market, just buckle down and start writing. And, as always, that last part is the only thing I have any control over, so....

Do I Want to Be An Editor or Writer? I WANT BOTH.

One week ago today at Horrible Saturday  I was interviewed and asked some questions about my non-fiction writing endeavors in the horror genre, my editing gigs and my gig at Tales to Terrify, Horror 101. Basically, I was asked the following: If I want to be a writer, why am I spending time doing these other things?

Now, these questions were framed mostly for the benefit of structuring an interview that would highlight my activities in the horror genre. Still, it got me thinking about what I  believe is a false divide, the idea that a writer must only ever write and not waste time doing anything else.

I want to be a writer. I want to be an editor. I want to study the history of the horror genre and tell the world about it. And I can balance and do them all, darn-it. 



To be clear: I'm in a phase of my career right now in which the only fiction deadlines I have are self-imposed. I'm writing an on-spec weird western. My three novellas with publishers right now were written on-spec. And my short story deadlines are mostly the end of the reading periods for collections, not a "Hey Kevin, I need that story by such-and-such a date." 

So right now, I have time to balance all these things. Someday, that may not be so. In fact, if my career progresses the way I'd like it to, I HOPE I'll someday only have time for fiction and editing. 

But that's the thing. While I'm sure at some point I'll get too busy to continue at Tales to Terrify, I'm going to hold onto it as long as I can,  and I'm also pretty determined to be an editor and writer at the same time, because I think the credo "If you want to be a writer just write and that's it" is FALSE. 

Or, at the very least, it doesn't apply to everyone. Take me, for example. I have no life, really, outside my family and teaching and reading and....gardening. I'm in a position right now where I have no friends outside the writing biz, which is okay, because I've come to view writing as more important than a social life anyway, and a whole lot more satisfying. Just because others can't conceive of someone balancing writing and editing doesn't mean it can't be done.

Charles Grant did it. Al Sarrantonio did and still does it. Karl Edward Wagner did it (though it may have killed him, honestly.) Greg Gifune does it, and so does Robert Dunbar. 

And I want to do it, too. And have been doing it, and will continue to do it. Why?

Because I want to.

Of course, I've been selective. I haven't gone out an edited tons of micro-small-press anthologies. First, I edited the Halloween issue of Shroud Magazine. Then, I edited the long-awaited (and yes, still alive), Lovecraftian poetry anthology (think Lovecraftian Spoon River) The Terror at Miskatonic Falls.

But then I just chilled.

Waited. Took my time. Both those experiences were so enjoyable I knew I wanted to be an editor as well as a writer, but I also felt that to be the kind of editor I WANTED to be, I couldn't go out and just start editing everything under the sun. So, I waited for a LONG TIME for the next editing gig.

Which, two years later, turned out to be a submissions reader for Cemetery Dance Magazine and Publishing, which I'm just finishing up, now. THAT had been what I was waiting for, a chance to move UP the editing ladder. And honestly, after my run at CD ended, I was more than prepared to wait some more...until I was offered an even BIGGER editing gig that I can't talk about yet.

So I've done both. And I CAN do both, and ANYBODY can do both or do more in their genre than just write. It really depends on that person's available time and natures.

Also, I think it's important - VITALLY important - for writers to find something they enjoy doing for intellectual pleasure to offset the sometimes grinding pressure of writing every day (again, depending on deadlines, your mileage may vary with this). With Horror 101, I have the chance to read a bunch of horror novels and talk about them once a month in a very respected, public forum in the horror genre. 

AND, I'm an English teacher with a BA in English Literature and an MA in Creative Writing, so I naturally like talking about what I'm reading and talking about literature in general. All this reading and studying can only help sharpen my writing and keep it fresh and informed, and Horror 101 has exposed my name to tons of listeners over the past year, and even if those folks don't ever cross over to being fans of my fiction, this is all win-win, in my book.

So I can do both. And you can do both. In fact, I think it's really important that while striving for a writing career, you find something you just REALLY LIKE DOING, to give you a breath and help you keep going.

You just have to be okay with not having a life while doing it.  Or okay with foregoing sleep.

And I'm totally okay with both those. For now, at least...

The Horror Writer Reading More Non-Horror, 12 Dead Skinned Dogs and Connecting to a Larger Audience

So I've noticed an interesting trend this summer. I've been reading like a maniac as usual, and yes, still reading a lot of horror - for myself and for my continuing podcast series with Tales to Terrify , Horror 101 - but I've also been reading a TON of non-horror, literary/mainstream fiction this summer, too.

So far, I've read Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (wonderful), several westerns (priming me for finishing Billy the Kid), of course my daily Bradbury, and I'm working on William Faulkner's short work, just started David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, and I'm in the middle of Ford County, John Grisham's first collection of short stories (really enjoying that so far). Flannery O'Conner's Everything That Rises Must Converge and Bleak House by Charles Dickens are also on the map.

But I'm not giving up writing the weird and strange and horrific, either.



So what gives?

I think it comes from something I read in Bradbury's biography right before summer. In it, he stated that he rarely - if ever - READ anything in the science fiction or the fantastic genre, hardly ever read work by his contemporaries for fear of subconsciously borrowing or stealing from or imitating their work, and that also, even as he was writing strange and fantastic stories, he really wanted to touch the human experience and condition, so he wanted to read works that did so.

And I have to say, the notion has gotten under my skin, especially because lately (Billy the Kid aside) I seem to be channeling my childhood and real-life experiences much more than ever before (whether or not that work will sell anywhere remains to be seen). 

In FACT, I've had the urge - quite a bit, lately - to write childhood stories with little or no supernatural elements to them at ALL. Those stories would still take place in my mythical town of Clifton Heights, because that's very quickly becoming the stand-in for my childhood town, but lately very mainstream plot ideas and characters are surfacing FIRST, with the inclination to add in the supernatural coming later.

And I like that. A lot. Because here's the thing: I want to someday grow PAST the horror genre, and connect to mainstream readers.

Look, I'll never stop writing weird stuff. There will ALWAYS be weird little twists in my writing, if only because LIFE has weird little twists - like the 12 dead and skinned dogs my Dad found laid out neatly in a row by the railroad tracks in the woods behind my house when I was ten or so. That's MORE than a weird little twist.

But that HUMAN ELEMENT is not only something I desperately want to capture in my writing, it is - what I believe - attracts scores of non-horror fans to horror. Look at the Twilight Zone. While not strictly "horror" it was often dark and brooding and strange and surreal, and its popularity is legendary. Thousands of people profess their love for that show....thousands of NON HORROR FANS.

Which is not to say I can ever hope to be as good as TWZ. But I love this quote by TWZ writer George Clayton Johnson, (at about 3:00) about TWZ's strength:

"It's absolute realism in the strictest sense in the total realistic school of writing, no matter how fantastic the situation was, the lingo and the approach was mainstream, but then, it would have a touch of strange, it would get a twist to it."

I want to write all sorts of stories. And, hey, let's be honest: if I got a solicitation by a respected press to write a teen vampire romance or epic zombie drama tomorrow, I'd take it. Writing is writing, and I really like to write. But for my personal work, I want to get closer and closer to the above quote.

Such an approach doesn't guarantee anything. It doesn't guarantee a wider audience, it doesn't guarantee I'll ever sell anything to anyone. But lately, it seems to be much closer to what I WANT  to write...of course, understanding that if I get the offer to write Gulliver Travels Through Zombieland tomorrow, I'd totally take it.

Because I do love writing, after all...

Scheduling Readings At AnthoCon

I'll be in charge of the reading schedule this year at the third annual AnthoCon, a Speculative Fiction and Art Conference in New Hampshire. If you're interested in a reading, send an email to: kevin@kevinlucia.com, and I'll pencil you in.

I'm going to assign two folks per reading block, similar to readings performed at Horrorfind every year. This will hopefully draw a greater crowd, as well as expose different sets of fans to different writers. We'll be looking at two writers per block, depending, of course, on the amount of requests.

I'll do my best to honor all requests but still keep everything fair. I can't promise that everyone will get what they want, but I will do all I can to make sure your reading experience is an enjoyable and profitable one.

Horrible Saturday RECAP, A Travelogue and the New Author Page

Horrible Saturday  at The York Emporium in York, PA went wonderfully this past weekend, despite the rather sweltering weather. The interviews and readings went great, I moved some product, and generally we all had an awesome time, although we did learn a very, very important lesson: I should always read last.

Anyway, The Emporium treated us like kings and queens, and it was just a wonderful time. It was also great seeing Kelli, Bob, Matt and Pam , Jacob, Savage Mouse, Sue and Dave. I really enjoyed it, and hope to attend again next year.


Also, I experimented with my first ever Travelogue. I had Zack's Ipad with me for the weekend, so I decided to record the trip down and back. I don't know if the results were amusing, interesting, both, or boring. In any case, it kept me awake, and seeing as how the bus trip to Context in September will be eight hours long, I'll probably record that, too, if nothing else but to kill the boredom. Here it is, put in a playlist on Youtube so you don't have to watch the whole thing, but can skip around if you choose:



Also, I finally heeded a close writer friend's advice and created a separate author page, converting my FB page to a personal page for folks I know in real-time, have known and interacted with for years in cyberspace, former classmates, family and horror/genre industry colleagues.  I did trim through my friends list, referencing people to my Author Page, and most folks either just dismissed the email, or promptly LIKED the author page.

UPDATE:

Someone took offense at this, but has since apologized, and I apologized for perhaps a curt tone in my email that I didn't mean. So we're all good. Still, here are my reasons for the author page:

1. I have lots of family pictures on my personal Facebook page, my children, especially, that I don't want just anyone to see

2. I have MOSTLY family, real time friends (in the industry and outside), former classmates, current and former coworkers on my Facebook that I don't want to ask to move to a different page, and I don't want to create a new personal page
3. And the rest of the folks on my Facebook personal page I've never "met" but have either worked with on a professional level, or have engaged with in a lot of comments and blogs and emails
4. Those I referred to my Author Page were folks I didn't really know or interact with at all. I offered them my author page not because I wanted to cram them with sales pitches but simply because I didn't want to ask family, coworkers and colleagues and real time friends to move, and I didn't want to create a page just for them
It's as simple as that. I wasn't trying to be self-centered or narcissistic, as was implied, just trying to balance my role as a writer and a father and husband. If I could go back, I would've created two separate accounts to begin with. I can't do that, so I did the next best thing.
Anyway, here's the author page, if you'd like. For me, the whole thing's done, and it's off to do some writing, then read some great horror on the beach.

This Saturday I Will Be Horrible in York, PA

This Saturday is the York Emporium's annual Horrible Saturday  horror event. Every year, this fabulous bookstore - one of my favorites, by far - assembles a collection of horror writers and speakers for a free, day-long celebration of the horror genre with readings, signings, panels, a movie screening, (this year, it's the classic 1958 flick The Blob) and a screaming contest.

And this year, finally, I can attend, because usually it's just my luck and Horrible Saturday falls on a weekend which Abby works. But even better than just attending, I've been invited as one of the author guests. Even better than that, The York Blog's Book Buzz did a nice write-up about the event the other day and offered me a nod.

Here's this weekend's lineup, as listed by York Blog:

Kelli Owen, York-area author of “Life Specimens,” “Six Days” and “Waking The Dead”

Jacob Haddon, Baltimore-area author and editor of “Lamplight,” a horror literature magazine
Kirk Allmond, York-area author of “A Father’s Quest,” “Declaration of War” and the forthcoming “Legion”
Noel Sloboda, a poet and professor at Penn State York. (Read more about Sloboda and his new book of poems, “Our Rarer Monsters” at www.yorkblog.com/versify.)
Robert Ford, York-area author of “The Compound”
Kevin Lucia, a New-York-based author whose first novel, “Things Slip Through” is expected in fall 2013 (that's me)
Lancaster County author Chet Williamson, Penn State York professor Kristin Lynn Cole and York-area editor Chuck Miller will cover the diverging of the science fiction and horror genres in a panel discussion.
And also, good friend and fellow monkeybread fiend Matt Blazi will present his amazing collection of horror memorabilia, and York-area professional make-up artist Aaron Chernak will be creating zombies (Here's some of his work).
Anyway, I'm not only looking forward to the event as a participant, I'm really looking forward to hanging out with old friends I haven't seen in quite a while. I'll have some copies of Hiram Grange and The Chosen One , the Halloween Special of Shroud Magazine, and there should be copies of Dark Bits (a flash anthology featuring my bit JUST A DREAM), and Lamplight: Volume One, which will feature my serial novella, And I Watered It In Tears, in its entirety. 
Yes, Horrible Saturday promises to be pretty awesome, indeed, so if you're in the area this Saturday, come join the awesome horribleness at the York Emporium.