Deby Fredericks's Blog, page 18

Open Anthologies

Today I’m sharing a couple of anthologies that are open or will be later this year. Wolfsinger Publications is a micro press, not a big payment but pleasant to work with. All anthologies have a word limit of 1,000 to 7,500. You can read their full details here.

Cowboy Up is open now until July 31st, for stories set in the world of rodeo. It will benefit a medical fund for injured rodeo riders.

Midnight Menagerie opens June 1st until October 31st. Stories should be set in a circus or carnival.

Spirit of the Wolf opens November 1st until March 31, 2025. They are seeking wolf tales beyond “wolf is evil” and proceeds will benefit wolf conservation.

Wolfsinger’s fiction magazine, Lorelei Signal, is also open for general sf/fantasy submissions until May 15, 2024.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Busy Months

After I finished setting up the pre-release for Aunt Anne’s Archive, I paused to take stock. I’ve been shocked at how much has gone on for me within the past six months.

In August, I released Renegades of Skaythe, the paperback that combined my novellas “The Renegade of Opshar” and “Prisoners of the Wailing Tower.” Then in November, I published the series finale, The Tale of the Drakanox.

In January, Wolfsinger published Borne in the Blood, an anthology that includes one of my stories. In February, I was Author Guest of Honor at RadCon. That’s something I will never get tired of talking about! Another anthology, Wee Folk and Wise, was re-issued in late March. That was one I edited.

Next month, Aunt Anne’s Archive comes out. Then in June it’s Queen Titania’s Court. People who aren’t familiar with my career might have the impression that I’m such a dynamo all the time, but honestly… I think I might need a break after all that!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Aunt Anne’s Archive

Yes, it’s up for pre-orders, with a release date of May 15th. I just received the printed proof, and am going through it for last minute corrections.

What’s in it? Twelve short stories, from the brooding “Bonewood Forest” and “Hag” to the humorous “Buried Treasure” and “Rosewood’s Challenge.” Some of them are previously published, while others are coming to the public for the first time. And all for just $9.95!

Pre-order from Amazon or Books2Read if you’re interested.

Aunt Anne’s Archive

Behind the velvet curtain, beyond the secret door, lies a lost archive of literary enchantments. From the creepy to the cozy, the mysterious and the magical, the witty and the wondrous, each tale casts its own rare spell. Welcome to Aunt Anne’s Archive.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Sold!

I’ve just received the contract for a short story I submitted to an anthology last fall. Whoot! Of course, it won’t come out until 2025, so it’s hard to get too excited.

Anyway, I’ll be over here basking in a moment of success.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Getting it Done

How do you know when you’ve written enough for one day? In terms of productivity, that is. This was a topic in one of the panels I did at RadCon last February. It was very interesting how many different techniques people have to stay on task and meet their goals.

One of the authors worked in Hollywood and almost everything was written toward deadlines. He basically worked in a series of sprints. Setting a timer, writing as hard and fast as he could without doing revision. Then at the bell taking breaks, having drinks or snacks, answering e-mails and secondary writing tasks. After a while, he set the timer and did it again.

One of them went by word count. She set out to write a certain number of words before her session could be over. I know another who only has weekends for writing, and he crams in as much as he can until he’s exhausted. At a convention, I once heard an author say he began writing at midnight and went until six o’clock in the morning. That would never work for me!

For myself, I go by pages. I have to finish two pages before I can be done. But if I’m near the end of a chapter, then I have to finish the chapter. That may not sound like much, but I have a day job and a house to maintain. I have basically an hour after dinner for writing. One night of the week is reserved for gaming, and two nights my siblings will call to talk. If only they all got along and would call me together on Discord! I could have another uninterrupted work night.

Anyway, I’m curious how you get your writing done. In sprints, by the clock, or by the word? Something else? Let me know in the comments!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Woman at Work, April 2024

What’s Happening? Confession time: I’ve been struggling a bit this week. The Hugo Award nominations were announced, and I see so many happy congratulations to the nominees. While I, myself, will never have the honor. I’m not envious, just a sense of being left out. This is part of being an Indy author, and I’m well aware of it. Not sure why it’s bothering me this year.

What I’m Working On. The Spirit Binder travels on to a new location, Willow Shrine. I’m at a point where I need to sketch the area and think about plot turns. Onward!

What’s Next? Most of the layout is done for my next short story collection, Aunt Anne’s Archive. Both ebook and trade paper layouts are mostly finished. I plan to work on that more so I can release it on May 15, just in time for Queen Titania’s Court in June.

Where I’ll be. Speaking of which, I’m recruiting more authors for Queen Titania’s Court for 2024. If you know any fantasy authors, especially independents, feel free to share the link to the details.

Fun and Games. Right now I’m playing Animal Crossing with some upgrades to my village. Dragon Age Inquisition is coming in second because the companion my character wants to romance keeps pushing them away.

Time to get out in the garden and plant my potatoes and early crops like lettuce and peas.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Kill the Dead

Continuing my read-through of vintage fantasy by Tanith Lee, I’ve come to one of her books that I remember most clearly. Kill the Dead is a gothic fantasy of a ghost killer and those who haunt him.

Parl Dro is the main character, the grim ghost killer whose notoriety is at odds with his charismatic presence. He’s joined by Myal Lemyal, a brilliant but klutzy bard who plays an instrument no one else could ever handle. The two of them share an obsession: to banish a legendary haunted city.

Then Myal witnesses Dro’s tactics in banishing a young girl’s ghost. He becomes entangled with her sister, Ciddey Soban. Though disgusted by Myal’s confusion and vulnerability, Dro can’t quite turn his back. It’s a quirky and atmospheric adventure into the dark places of the world — and his own past.

Kill the Dead was first published in 1980. The ebook is still available, but if you want a physical copy, your best bet is to haunt some used book stores. Finding one may be a quest worthy of Parl Dro himself.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Works in Progress

Lately I’ve been posting a lot about books that are on special or being re-issued. It’s time to talk about the new things I’m working on.

My current work in progress is The Spirit Binder. Cleodora is a young girl who can see nature spirits. Her land of Tenebira has been suffering a drought for seven years or more. Cleodora has learned that someone offended the spirits and they stopped letting it rain. She’s off to find out what happened and try to fix it.

A trend I’ve noticed in my novels is how often my characters are traveling. I’m kind of proud that she got 30+ chapters in before she had to go anywhere. It’s been slow of late, but I’m still making progress. After I finish this blog I’ll start in on chapter 37, and the story is over 48,000 words. That’s quite a bit longer than I expected. The second draft is likely to see some severe cuts.

My secondary project is Aunt Anne’s Archive, a short story collection that I plan to bring out in early May. That’s the one I showed off a possible cover for last week. I’ve got the stories in their final order. I’ve almost finished the layout in print format, as well. I’m hoping to get that mostly set up by the end of spring break, so I can focus on Queen Titania’s Court and just click “print” when the time comes. We shall see.

Speaking of Queen Titania’s Court, there’s still lots of space for more authors to take part. If you know someone who might be interested, I hope you’ll pass the info on to them.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Lovely

Just sharing a screenshot I got yesterday from a friend who bought my Minstrels of Skaythe series at RadCon. I’m going to cry a little, too.

This is your periodic reminder that authors need to get our backs patted sometimes.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Venturing Out

In social media, that is. Like a lot of us, I have been let down by changes in the online landscape. Twitter was important to me as a way to reach potential readers, and I was also part of the communities around a couple of my favorite fandoms. I left that site about two years ago, after various actions by the new owner that didn’t come up to my standards.

A number of other social media sites popped up trying to capture the Twitter-expat market, but I couldn’t immediately find anything to fit my needs. Since then I’ve mostly been active on Instagram and Facebook. However, they both are owned by the same corporation, and they are absolutely swarmed by ads and fake groups. Plus, I am aware of the risks around being present on just one platform.

Now some time has passed, and I’ve waited to see which of the alternatives have thrived. I’m venturing toward Bluesky, where I understand there are good writing and fannish components. They also are run as a non-profit, so hopefully the ads and fakery will be at a minimum. Any new platform has things to learn, but so far I like what I see.

So if you’re on Bluesky or are thinking about it, you can find me there now. The link is in my footer.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.