Chantal Boudreau's Blog, page 12

Local WiH Spotlight – Mandy DeGeit

Okay, I’m off to a slow start because I got so caught up in my research yesterday that I didn’t finish my post.  I have all my posts lined up now, so I’ll have to sneak an extra one in at some point – maybe on the weekend.

My first Women in Horror local star of the day is Mandy DeGeit.   AKA Mandy J De Geit and Mandy DeGeit-da Costa (a newlywed), this lady is in the process of going local. She started off in Ontario but has bought a farm here in Nova Scotia and is moving here so I count her in amongst the Nova Scotian Mistresses of Horror.  She walks the dark and wild side, and strikes me as being a lot of fun.  She describes herself as “gypsy-like/nomadic”, enjoying travel, “an author of creepy fiction,” never offering up anything tame, and “a chef and a farmer, a writer and a wife.”  I live vicariously through her sometimes, especially when she talks about her farm plans and posts pictures of her awesome dishes (I’m a foodie at heart but I don’t get out much.)

I love how risque and bold her horror stories and poems are.  I’ve been lucky enough to share pages with her in a few different anthologies, including the charity anthologies “Shifters” and “Deathlehem Revisited,” and the all women writer “Mistresses of the Macabre”.

If you want to learn more about her published works, check out her Amazon author page or you can find a full list of publications here:  http://mandydegeit.wordpress.com/publications/

WiH and Other Things

I feel a little guilty that I haven’t blogged anything for Women in Horror month so far this February, but I’m still recovering from a few weeks at my day job that have been extremely taxing. Staff on extended holiday, new trainees and the prolonged loss of an administrative employee as the result of a medical emergency, plus the usual winter colds and storm day closures, have put some strain on me and my co-workers. It seemed to suck away any motivation to do anything requiring any effort, particularly creative effort, when I got home. I still have to help around the house and do my share of cooking so my artistic output and support work, like blogging, were put on hold. With some vacation time to recharge, I’m going to strive to get back on track and at least contribute something for the last week.

I also haven’t been involved in much in the horror genre lately, aside from my participation in a Christmas charity anthology. My latest endeavours have been fantasy, steam punk, dystopian, comedy and dark fantasy, so I feel a little out of touch with horror at the moment. Of the six anticipated releases I have coming out over the next few months, only two of them I’d describe as horror – one’s a fairy tale mash-up and the other more of a “weird tale” horror than the standard type. I even have a very non-horror children’s story that will be included in a charity anthology…definitely not my usual fare.

Instead of my shared pages offerings I’ve posted in past Februaries, I’m going to pick my favourite local/Canadian female horror writers to spotlight for a week. I haven’t participated in an all female anthology this year, but I have been paying particular attention to other folks this far North, especially those who live nearby. I think it would be great to have a little local writer convention for speculative fiction writers. Since there isn’t one, I have to find other ways to celebrate my peers.

So keep an eye out. We have some great talent up here that I will be pleased to showcase.

Clockwork Canada Pre-Orders

Source: Clockwork Canada Pre-Orders

Off to a Start

I was planning to save my next blog post for the next anthology release. It’s now available so here’s a link to the latest charity anthology from Grinning Skull Press.

I’m still waiting on three other releases from three other publishers. One is going through the editing process now. One was tied up by legal issues that have been settled but required some reworking as a result. The other has hit multiple unfortunate obstacles, but hopefully will soon see the light. Almost everything is in place but no release date has actually been set for any of them…so I sit…and I wait. Okay, I’m not simply sitting, but more about that later.

I have a couple of stories I was trying to decide if I should submit to another publisher. One got mixed reviews from test readers that spawned some doubts. A part of me wishes I could expand the story a little more but I ran into the top end of the word count restrictions and despite editing efforts, I couldn’t find enough give. I decided to send it in “as is.” The last time I was foiled by word count limitations, the editor who eventually accepted the story gave me leeway to go a bit bigger so that I could expand on what I had a little. This submission is to the same publisher but a different editor, so I can’t expect the same consideration.

The other story is based on true events and outside my normal genre. I already had one rejection from that venue and I’m not sure why. They said they liked my writing but passed on the story. I’m not sure if this new attempt is more like what they wanted or even farther off base.

That, and with winter’s snow comes the wall I often hit this time of year. I don’t know if I suffer from SAD, but I get a bit mopey in the winter and that dulls the enthusiasm I need to push things out, It’s the reason I prefer spring and fall submission blitzes, Summer is for gardening and winter is for glum.

In my attempt to combat that glum, I continue with jugger on Sundays and I have tried out trabampolining (as my friend, Gil, likes to call it) and dodgeball I’m hoping the best cure for the winter blahs is staying active and attempting to have fun (I’m not a huge fan of dodgeball but it was fun because nobody cared how bad I was.) I’m not sure if staying active is working. Time will tell.

I hope I can figure out what does work by February. I have two weeks off then, and I want to make the most of them.

More later…

Yuletide Plans

I’ve been tinkering away at a story I just recently finished, with a few new submissions I intend to send in over the holidays. Another rejection came my way recently and I’m hoping to get the opportunity to resubmit so I’m digging around to see what calls are out there.

I don’t know when I’ll get around to returning to working on Fervor #6, which is partially complete. I’m not feeling all that invested in writing novels with so many manuscripts here waiting for a home, and since I don’t have the inclination to make a serious shopping effort, nor do I have the time, resources or drive to self-publish (the right way), they’re more than likely going to sit here gathering dust. At least I can say that they’ve all been read by at least one person who enjoyed them, some of them by multiple people, and at the moment, that’s all I can ask for. Things could change some day. We don’t know what the future holds.

In the meantime, my holiday plans involve less writerly things. Tomorrow my daughter and I will be working my workplace’s kids’ party. I do face painting (it’s not pro-level but I’m volunteering so they seem okay with what I produce) and she does balloon animals (self-taught as of age 8 – she amazes me.) After the party wraps up, we’ll be headed out for celebratory sushi. It’s not exactly standard holiday fare, but it’s a favourite in my household.

Other than that, Christmas will be a quiet time at home with the kids and my mother-in-law, just the inhabitants of my house. Not that guests wouldn’t be welcome, but my relatives are spread to the four winds (France, England, Calgary) and friends have plans of their own. My hubby’s family is also spread out, his sister a couple of hours drive to the south and his brothers and father in Alberta. Home’s best for my youngest anyway, Because of his autism, he’s not big on crowds and he’s most at ease when holding to regular routines.

I will miss my friends, Kelly and Pierre’s, open house this year, but they moved away. It was one of those outings I knew would be Etienne-friendly. They always had a gluten-free spread and his stimming and strange ways never seemed to bother anyone all that much. We’ll raise a cup to them though, and wish them well in their new home in Montreal.

Here’s a big happy holidays to all of you out there, no matter what you celebrate (or don’t). I hope this festive time of year brings you time with family, friends and fun.

And Some of the Waiting is Over

I can now happily share the cover for the steampunk anthology that will contain my story “The Curlicue Seahorse,” scheduled to come out in May. Thanks to today’s cover release at Black Gate, everyone can get a good look at it, and I think it’s pretty spectacular.

I also signed and sent back two contracts today so I’m expecting to be given the go ahead to share some news on one of those (the other has already been shared.) But for the sunshine there must be a little rain – I also received a couple of rejections. They were nice rejections, complimenting my writing, but rejections are never all that welcome, even if they are nice about it.

I still have some more waiting to do for other things in the works, and a new story to work on, but this was a happy pre-Christmas surprise.

The Season for Waiting

I’ve had lots of news lately, but unfortunately not things I’m at liberty to share. I got a peek at an anthology cover but I have to wait for it’s official release. I recently received an acceptance and contract but mum’s the word until the official ToC is announced and I’m still waiting to spread joy about an earlier acceptance which I’ve been asked to keep quiet for now.

I’m also waiting on the release of three anthologies I’m in, two horror, one fantasy, that are supposed to be released soon, but I haven’t had word on any exact dates.

With all this waiting, I’m getting a little twitchy – kind of like a kid waiting for Christmas Day.

So I’m trying to keep myself occupied by enjoying my new netbook (with its 9 hour battery life -yay!) and writing and submitting a few short stories. That way, the waiting doesn’t seem so bad.

Twitch, twitch.

Tis the Season

This has been a good week for me. To begin with, I have a new notebook computer. It was going to be a “family” Christmas gift to me, but thanks to my lovely mother, Christmas arrived early. This means I’m writing consistently again and I will have a number of submissions to make over the next month, even though I won’t be blitzing. It also means a return to regular blog posts – happy, happy.

I’m also celebrating the release of “The Hack-Jack Prospect” in time for Christmas.  And Grinning Skull’s latest Christmas charity anthology should soon follow.  Watch here for more details.

So I’m off to saturate myself in coffee and get in more writing – happy holiday season to all.

October 2015 Submission Blitz Overview

This October’s blitz started with a bang and ended with a bit of a whimper – but I did get all 31 submissions in for the month. Honestly, I need to get back to writing regularly, which I should be able to do now that things won’t be quite as busy (but still busy) at work and I should hopefully be purchasing a new netbook shortly. Once I have something with ample battery longevity that can’t be reclaimed by my daughter on a whim, I can start writing something meaningful again, I hope. I haven’t felt very inspired lately and maybe that will change with some technical motivation.

I also happen to have a new sense of hope I haven’t had in a long time. I’m thrilled with what’s going on politically in Canada at the moment – bright skies and sunshine of the metaphorical kind. It’s enough to get me to break the usual political silence I try to aim for. My mouth will likely get me in trouble because if I do speak, I tend to be extremely outspoken, but I just can’t help myself, with happy victories for feminism and representational diversity…well, this is much more like the Canada I want to live in. It also happens to fall in line with a book idea my hubby has been pressing me to write. If I start to open up about my real thoughts on socio-political issues, the book will be much easier to write.

And in other writing news? I can happily say I got an honourable mention in a flash fiction writing competition  and one of the anthologies I’m in is now available for pre-order . They are even offering up a little contest with the chance to win some books. I’ll describe it as I sign off for the day:

PHOTO CONTEST TIME: Everyone who posts a photo with the book (authors have their own ARCs they can lend to locals if you want to participate pre-release) on our page and their own Facebook page (or any other social media site) will be in the running for one of 5 prizes. Each of the 5 winners will receive a copy of the anthology and another Intrigue Publishing novel of our choice. Winners will be chosen pretty much at random, but the coolest poses, locations and outfits will have a big edge.

If you live in the Halifax area and want in early, contact me so we can set something up.

October Submission Blitz 2015 – Query and Micro Fiction

My plans for blogging multiple times this month are as dead as my poor tomato plants after the first serious frost. Unfortunately, my time available for writing has been cut short by the slow demise of a netbook battery that has proven difficult to replace and my daughter reclaiming her laptop – so I’m limited on what I can do away from home.  This includes finding time to write my blogs.  So, I’m abandoning my Scary Litte Girl theme and just focussing on the blitz itself until the end of the month.

Actually, it did take a bit longer for my garden to die this year.  The warm weather lasted longer.  I was still picking kale, broccolini, beets and chard on Monday.  A happy time suck, but one nonetheless.

Anyway, aside from the first couple of acceptances, I’ve only had a handful of rejections and I’m waiting on the rest.  One story was rejected a couple of times, only to be sent off again – but I have made my 27 submission goal as of today.  Only four more to go before end of month and multiple possibilities.  My submissions did include three micro fiction submissions, not my norm, and a rare agent query.  I haven’t tried that in a couple of years, but I stumbled across one today that might click with my work, and at least now I have a couple of pro-rate acceptances to mention in my query letter.

So I’ll push my way on to Halloween.  I’ve asked for a new computer for Christmas so I can get my writing back on track.  We’ll see how that one turns out.

More later…