Phil Giunta's Blog, page 31
July 6, 2019
Over the River and Through the Woods…
On the main page of this site, in the NEWS section, I mentioned that my Christmas story, “Limited Time Offer,” was accepted by the editor, Demi Stevens, in less than 24 hours. Over the River and Through the Woods will be published in time for the holidays by Year of the Book Press.
Below are the gorgeous front and back covers to this delightful winter holiday anthology.
I’m honored to be included among such an august body of writers. Stay tuned for more info, including the release date!
June 30, 2019
The Fandom Fifty to Launch at Shore Leave 41
Writer pal Diane Baron will launch her latest book, The Fandom Fifty, at Shore Leave 41 SF convention in less than two weeks!
The Fandom Fifty is a collection of interviews and anecdotes from many of the organizers, guests, and attendees of Maryland’s SF Convention scene. The Baltimore region is home to a number of popular and enduring SF cons that include Farpoint, Balticon, Shore Leave, and others. The Fandom Fifty covers much of the rich history of the cons and honors many of the dedicated people who make them happen.
Attendees of Shore Leave 41 will be able to buy copies of The Fandom Fifty–and all other Firebringer Press titles–at the Friday night Meet the Pros book fair from 10PM to midnight.
Further, Diane, Steven H. Wilson, and I will host the traditional Firebringer Press Presents discussion panel in Salon A from 1-2PM on Saturday to celebrate The Fandom Fifty’s launch!
We’ll also showcase Firebringer’s current titles and update everyone on what’s to come, including the third volume in the Middle of Eternity anthology series and the next installment of The Arbiter Chronicles, Steve Wilson’s popular SF series.
Hope to see you there!
June 27, 2019
My Shore Leave 41 Schedule
If you’re attending Shore Leave 41 SF Con in Hunt Valley, MD in two weeks (that would be July 12-14 to be precise), here is where you can find me if you want to stop by and say Hi!
FRIDAY
Aging Science Fiction – Chase Room, 6-7PM. There’s a lot of SF that remains timeless, and there’s a lot that has aged badly. Is it because the stories are getting old—or is it the fans? Glenn Hauman, Greg Cox, Phil Giunta, Roberta Rogow, Robert Greenberger
Meet the Pros – Hunt/Valley Corridor, 10PM-Midnight. Meet all of the author guests and pick up signed copies of their books at Shore Leave’s traditional Friday night book fair!
SATURDAY
Firebringer Press Presents – Salon A, 1-2PM. The writers of Firebringer Press will discuss current and future book projects, including the Shore Leave debut of The Fandom Fifty by Diane Baron and our upcoming third installment in the Middle of Eternity anthology series. Steven H. Wilson, Phil Giunta, Diane Baron
Getting the Word Out – Derby Room, 3-4PM. Social media, blogging, Facebook ads, Amazon ads, giveaways, book trailers, and more—what are the best platforms, and the best strategies, for getting your name out there? How can you enhance your brand without pushing too hard? Phil Giunta, Kim Headlee, Jenifer Rosenberg, Amy Imhoff, Richard White
SUNDAY
How to Cut that Story or Novel Down – McCormick Suite 10AM-11AM. Writers often hear from editors that the story needs to lose 1000 words or that the novel should be cut 20% (or even 40%). Panelists will discuss some tricks of the trade to trim some of that fat and keep your editor or agent happy. Joshua Palmatier, Phil Giunta, Hildy Silverman, Susan Olesen, Kathleen David
Building an Anthology – Chase Room 1-2PM. From author-wrangling to story order, cover design to well-balanced plot lines, how to ensure an anthology or collection comes together in its best final form. Mike McPhail, Joshua Palmatier, Phil Giunta, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Michael Jan Friedman
June 26, 2019
Read “Moongarden” by Sarah Stegall on The Infinite Bard!
Click here to enjoy!

June 22, 2019
After Action Report: Lehigh Valley Comic Con
It was great to chat with writer pal Jack Hillman, and my buddy Kevin Miles showed up to keep me company for the day. I was interviewed by a representative of the convention, and of course, there were cosplayers galore.
The next show is August 17th. I can’t make it to that one, but I look forward to returning for the October 12th and December 7th shows.









June 21, 2019
What’s Doing?
A lot has happened to me over the past year and I’m afraid the associated stress, anxiety, and depression (notice the abbreviation of those three words is S.A.D?) have taken a toll on my health and state of mind, not to mention my writing productivity. To say that I’ve been burned out and dispirited would be an understatement.
Nevertheless, I push forward—albeit slowly. It’s June and the most I’ve finished in 2019 are three short stories and the first draft of a SF novel. However, three of my short stories from 2018 were published earlier this year in two anthologies, Rewriting the Past (March 2019, Greater Lehigh Valley Publishing Group) and Beach Pulp (April 2019, Cat & Mouse Press).
Also, one of my latest short stories, “Take a Cue from the Canine,” just took Honorable Mention in the Bethlehem Writers Group annual contest. More on that in a week or so when they send the award certificate.
I’m currently finishing a short story to be submitted to a winter holiday anthology on Wednesday, June 26. After that, I’ll get to work on a tale of the macabre for a horror anthology with an August 31 deadline, followed by a detective noir story for yet a third anthology.
Eventually, I hope to start revisions on that SF novel that’s been dragging on for three years.
Tomorrow (Sat. June 22), I’ll have a table in Creator Alley at the Lehigh Valley Comic Con at Lehigh Carbon Community College from 10AM to 4PM tomorrow. If you’re in the vicinity, stop by and say Hi!
June 14, 2019
A Banner Day!
I’m having a banner day! This just arrived from Vistaprint. ‘Tis a thing of beauty. Thanks to writer pal and graphic designer, Christopher D. Ochs, for his brilliant work.
June 6, 2019
Ghosts, Vampires, and American History…
I’m thrilled to announce that the Kindle version of Firebringer Take Two has been released! This double novel features Steven H. Wilson’s vampire tale Freedom’s Blood and my paranormal novella, Like Mother, Like Daughters. Two stories for $2.99!
And at $10.99, the paperback version (released in November 2018) might appeal to fans of the classic ACE double novels where you read one story, then flip the book over to read the other.
Thank you for supporting small press authors!
June 4, 2019
The Gratitude Box
The Gratitude Jar has become an increasingly popular method for recording positive moments in one’s life and reinforcing a mindset of—you guessed it!—gratitude. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s simple. There are several variations, but the basic steps are:
Find a jar.
Whenever something good happens in your life, write a short note about it, fold it up, and drop it into the jar.
At the end of the year, open the jar and review all of these wonderful moments in your life for which you’re grateful.
The following year, repeat steps one through three.
Mine is a clear acrylic box, the kind used to store trading cards. I have plenty of empty jars at home, but I chose a small container when I started it because at the time, I was spiraling into yet another bout of depression and anxiety, two demons that have plagued me since childhood. Gratitude was the furthest thing from my mind.
The past ten months have been turbulent for me and I’ve been struggling to adjust to the changes. I won’t bore you with the details and I’m certainly not fishing for sympathy. Suffice it to say that it’s been an enervating experience which exacerbated my chronic depression and sent my writing productivity—not to mention my outlook on life—plummeting. As a result, I felt myself foundering, failing, and generally falling apart.
Given all of that, I couldn’t see too many positive moments in my future, so why bother with a jar?
As you can see from the above image, the box is nearly full and we’re only halfway through the year. I also tossed in some uplifting fortunes from the occasional cookie.
Thus, I stand corrected. Clearly, I have much to be grateful for and seeing it manifested in this collection of notes reminds of this even through the darkest times.
While I’m still working to find the right direction for myself and struggling to surface from what has become the longest bout of depression in my life, perhaps I need to upgrade to a jar after all.
May 31, 2019
Take a Cue from the Canine
Excited to announce that my short story, “Take a Cue from the Canine,” earned Honorable Mention in the 2019 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Contest! The story will be published online in the Winter edition of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. I’ll post that link here when it goes live.
Contest winners will be announced in the Summer issue of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, available online on or about July 1 at: bwgwritersroundtable.com.