What the Hell? Where Have I Been?

I have been horrible with keeping my blog up to date, and I apologize. I kind of had some heavy gender identity issues I was working through which made it hard to focus on creative things. So the first part of this post is going to talk about that.
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I am transgender.  I’ve already come out via social media, but if you don’t follow me on any of those platforms, here it is. I guess the genderfluid thing was a stepping stone for me. A path on my gender identity journey that got me where I am today. It finally hit me (after talking with my counselor for a long time, my spouse, family, and close friends) that I was more than just genderfluid. Once that revelation came to light, I started down the path.

I’m now on hormone replacement therapy. Almost within 24 hours of taking the first dose, I found myself in a better place mentally. All of the foundational level of stress and anxiety I had thought was just normal kind of disappeared. It was amazing! I’m so much happier now than I was before. The future is still scary, and I’m sure there will be speed bumps along the way, but I feel so much better now that I’m on the path.

I’ll be updating my journey more as it continues to develop. But for now, know that I’m back at it, and pushing forward.

As for the writing, that too slowed down during my gender identity struggles. But the happiness and calm I’m experiencing now with HRT has reponed the floodgates and I’m back to writing again. I’m still hella busy with Timber Ghost Press, but I’ve designated Fridays as my writing days and try to limit the scope of my work on that day to my writing and nothing else.

I just finished the Quills Conference in Salt Lake City. While there I co-taught a workshop about Indie Publishing with Willow Dawn Becker of Weird Little Worlds Press and Jodi L. Milner, an award-winning author. It was amazing and fun. I also taught a class on Archery Elk Hunting, and Cosmic Horror 101. I was the moderator for the Horror After Dark Panel featuring Gabino Iglesias, Terra Luft, Theresa Braun, and Johnny Worthen. I also got to sit on two panels about editing and took pitches for Timber Ghost Press. 
I was also appointed as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair for the League of Utah Writers. I can’t tell you how excited I am to start that role. It’s a topic that is near and dear to my heart.

I also pitched a novel to an agent and editor of a small press and they both wanted to see the first three chapters, so winner, winner, chicken dinner on that! :) 

Finally, I won the Gold Quill Award for Collections for Dead Stars and Stone Arches: A Collection of Utah Horror. I say I, but really it was my press, and the only reason it won was due to the amazing stories and poems by the contributors, the great cover art from Greg Chapman, the beautiful interior design by Firedrake Designs, and the hard work put in by Beverly Bernard with the editing.

Huge shoutout to all of them. Thank you for making this possible.

As for me, I’m finishing up some projects, and I’ll be releasing my upcoming collection: Branches and Bone: The Collected Tales of Evelyn Horn in October, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Take care!
Cover Art by Carter Reid