Anthologies & Coming Back

It's been awhile since I did Abandoned Places and there are things I apparently missed about putting together anthologies.

Now that the call for submissions is over, and the last few stories for my Anthropomorphic Science Fiction/Horror Anthology (ASfHA) are trickling in, I find myself quite pleased. I forgot the pleasure of receiving a large selection of stories in which I get to read. New authors and old ones, each bringing their own style to the mix.

There is something magical about it.

After almost a year of inactivity in my own writing, this is probably the best thing to happen to me. It's inspiring, it's exciting, and it reminds me why I started writing professionally in the first place. I am sure I will be grumbling at some point, or rushing my butt at others, but until those hit, I am happy. Very happy.

I also forgot just how much of a pleasant exercise in editing slush pile reading is as well. Even though I am not in editing mode, awkward sentences, bad dialogue tags, and repetitive word use remind me of things to avoid in my own writing.

What I didn't expect however, was for another anthology idea making itself known as the call for submissions ended for this one. It's a unique one, and I am excited to start it once ASfHA is finished. (Hint: It's erotic) Maybe I will get a call put out once I have ASfHA handed in for the final review. Maybe before, maybe after. We will see. But for now, I am going to let it stew for a couple months to see if the hype remains high for it.

Until then, back to ASfHA and the amazing stories it has brought in!