Rebecca Jones-Howe's Blog, page 21

Nerve-Wracked

Richard Thomas tells me that VILE MEN is 99% done. I spent the last week reading over the entire collection. It’s better than I remembered. I’m excited to put it out there, but also a bit nerve-wracked.

One of my biggest worries as a writer was letting people really see the stuff I write about. I’ve lived a bit of a double life in that regard. Bits and pieces have trickled out with the stories I’ve had published over the last couple years, but there’s some pretty dirty stuff mixed with the fresh pieces in VILE MEN. I won’t lie. I’m nerve-wracked about people (as in, the people who know me) reading it.

Nevertheless, I figured I’d make a list of the going’s on that I’ve failed to mention in the past few months.

– My story, “Ghost Story” was published at Revolt Daily.

– A flash fiction piece, “Dead Stars” was published at Solarcide.

– I was a guest on the Books and Booze podcast. In the episode, I talk about some of the stories in VILE MEN and complained a lot about not being able to drink (as I was still pregnant at the time).

New Baby, Vile Men

2014 was a bit of a disaster year.

I don’t know if it was the pregnancy or my early morning warehouse job, but my creative thoughts seemed completely blocked by something. At this point it doesn’t so much matter. Because now it’s 2015 and I’m no longer working and I no longer have this fetus kicking all my insides.

This is firstborn spawn, Margaret Emma Howe, born on January 2nd, 2015 at 9:30 PM. (We sort of named her after Peggy from Mad Men, but we call her Maggie at this point, so she’s still got a kickass name for when she becomes a copywriter guru.) She was 6 pounds, 15 ounces and I spent the first few days with her terrified that I was going to snap her neck. Things are better now. Babies are durable.

That all said, this blog isn’t going to get all mummified. I’ve got another project on the side to deal with all that shit. In truth, aside from having the occasional obvious breakdown at night from not being able to get her to fucking sleep, I’m doing relatively well, and most surprisingly, a large chunk of my creativity has returned from its extensive nine month hiatus.

I’m crafting and writing and editing during those quiet moments Maggie gives me during the day. I’ve always wondered how being a parent would affect my writing, and thus far it’s been for the better, specifically because I’m not overwhelmed with too much motherly instinct. All that dark stuff is still there. Sometimes the baby blues make it pretty damn dark, but when I wake up in the morning refreshed to the sound of a baby crying, it’s a new chance to start over.

Now I’ve only got the release of Vile Men to worry about. Curbside Splendor has a 2015 preview that features my collection, slated for release this July. I’ve also got photo of the cover:

Over the next few days I’ll be making further updates as to the going’s on. Lord knows I’m behind with all this shit. Pregnancy just made me the laziest fucker of all time.

"Tourist" in PANK 10

PANK 10 is out, which means that you can finally read some new fiction from me. The story featured inside is called “Tourist”. It’s a love story, or at least my version of a love story.

This dude on Twitter already called it a “must read”:

Must-read short story by @Rebnation in the spring issue of @pankmagazine. #litmags #shortstorysunday pic.twitter.com/AvLeLtRFKu

— Daniel Olivas (@olivasdan) July 27, 2014

To order your copy of PANK 10, just click the image below:

“Tourist” in PANK 10

PANK 10 is out, which means that you can finally read some new fiction from me. The story featured inside is called “Tourist”. It’s a love story, or at least my version of a love story.

This dude on Twitter already called it a “must read”:

Must-read short story by @Rebnation in the spring issue of @pankmagazine. #litmags #shortstorysunday pic.twitter.com/AvLeLtRFKu

— Daniel Olivas (@olivasdan) July 27, 2014

To order your copy of PANK 10, just click the image below:

Here's Why I Haven't Been Updating

I don’t write much personal stuff on this blog, but if you’ve visited at all lately, you’ll have realized that I’ve been pretty shit that updating as per usual.

Well, it’s because of this:

I’m hoping this kind of life change won’t affect my writing all that much, because the last thing I really want is to start writing Twilight-inspired erotic fan-fiction like all the other writer-moms seem to.

Being a pregnant diabetic used to scare the shit out of me, because of all the complications that come along with parts of your body not working correctly. Thus far, however, things have been pretty smoothly and I didn’t spend the first trimester throwing myself up inside out like Kate Middleton, so I’d say that’s a sign that all is well.

I’ll keep you all updated but I promise you this won’t become a mom-blog.

Here’s Why I Haven’t Been Updating

I don’t write much personal stuff on this blog, but if you’ve visited at all lately, you’ll have realized that I’ve been pretty shit that updating as per usual.

Well, it’s because of this:

I’m hoping this kind of life change won’t affect my writing all that much, because the last thing I really want is to start writing Twilight-inspired erotic fan-fiction like all the other writer-moms seem to.

Being a pregnant diabetic used to scare the shit out of me, because of all the complications that come along with parts of your body not working correctly. Thus far, however, things have been pretty smoothly and I didn’t spend the first trimester throwing myself up inside out like Kate Middleton, so I’d say that’s a sign that all is well.

I’ll keep you all updated but I promise you this won’t become a mom-blog.

Bookfie: The New Black

Contributor copies are a pretty neat thing, but they’re an awful pain to wait for. Over the past couple weeks I’ve been obsessively checking the mail box, and obsessively checking The New Black’s Facebook page, where pictures are being posted of other contributors receiving their copies earlier than me (because they live in the US where it seems to take no time at all for stuff to arrive). Today my wait for The New Black: A Neo-Noir Anthology finally came to an end!

It’s a damn nice book. Smooth matte cover and all. In all honesty, though, it’s still odd to flip it over and see my name on the back, surrounded by other authors who I’ve come to read and love and enjoy wholeheartedly. I’m just the girl from the dumb-sounding city in Canada, so…

Oh, and yeah, you should probably get yourself a copy as well.

"The Paper Bag Princess" at Cease, Cows

It’s been a while since ManArchy Magazine faded away into the depths of the Internet. Since then, nobody has been able to read what is probably my most “well-received” story (in terms of response, that is). Until now. Fellow writer H. L. Nelson recently solicited it as a reprint over at her online magazine, Cease, Cows and I was more than pleased to give it a brand new home.

If you haven’t read “The Paper Bag Princess”, then you should probably know that it has nothing to do with the Robert Munsch book, apart from paper bags, of course. It’s more about hipsters and banging in bars and cripplingly low self-esteem.

Since it was originally published, it’s been interesting to see others responses to the tale. It’s been enlightening to hear from other people with similar experiences, people who’ve all probably had an idea of who they’d rather be in those shared intimate spaces (be they with strangers or otherwise). It’s nice to know that I’m not the only person in the world who wishes she was Kate Middleton.

So, if you’re up for getting a little angsty, just click below and read:

“The Paper Bag Princess” at Cease, Cows

It’s been a while since ManArchy Magazine faded away into the depths of the Internet. Since then, nobody has been able to read what is probably my most “well-received” story (in terms of response, that is). Until now. Fellow writer H. L. Nelson recently solicited it as a reprint over at her online magazine, Cease, Cows and I was more than pleased to give it a brand new home.

If you haven’t read “The Paper Bag Princess”, then you should probably know that it has nothing to do with the Robert Munsch book, apart from paper bags, of course. It’s more about hipsters and banging in bars and cripplingly low self-esteem.

Since it was originally published, it’s been interesting to see others responses to the tale. It’s been enlightening to hear from other people with similar experiences, people who’ve all probably had an idea of who they’d rather be in those shared intimate spaces (be they with strangers or otherwise). It’s nice to know that I’m not the only person in the world who wishes she was Kate Middleton.

So, if you’re up for getting a little angsty, just click below and read:

It’s Totally Legit

It’s sort of weird to talk about this because it’s the sort of thing I used to fantasize about since I first got the whole handle on what “being a writer” really meant. You know, after all the nights spent writing drunk in front of the computer and all those days working endless retail jobs and all those awkward moments trying to explain to friends and acquaintances that I’m like, really trying to achieve my dreams and shit. I sort of bailed on university for all this. I work a shitty customer service job (and sometimes actually enjoy it) for this.

Over the weekend I signed a contract that had my name on it, plus the name of my book, plus the name of a publisher. And I signed it. And then on Tuesday the editor of said publisher made a Facebook official (as in, official) announcement:

Dark House Press is thrilled to announce that we are going to be publishing a short story collection by Rebecca Jones-Howe in 2015. The collection, entitled VILE MEN, is dark, seductive, powerful, touching and told with a voice that lulls you into submission with elegant, enlightened prose. Rebecca has had work published, or is forthcoming, in PANK, Punchnel’s, Pantheon Magazine, Out of the Gutter Online, Pulp Modern, and Pulp Metal Magazine as well as both of our anthologies, The New Black and Exigencies. She was also the winner of the 2012 WAR writing competition at LitReactor. Welcome her to the family?she?s an emerging voice that you?ll be hearing a lot from in the near future.

I’ll keep the bragging short. But in all honesty, it’s been an overwhelming couple days, hearing congratulations from family and friends, coworkers (both former and current), and online writer friends I’ve never met in real life, and from absolute strangers (or fans, or whatever). It really does mean a lot.

I’d say more about all this but I tend to sound super arrogant when I talk about myself for too long. In the meantime, if you’re on Facebook you can:

Like the Dark House Press Facebook page.

Like The New Black Facebook page (Dark House Press’ first release which features a reprint of my story, “Blue Hawaii”).

Like my Facebook page.