Tuesday, January 26, 2021

New Cover Art For a Horror Western

 I like to refresh cover art every so often. I'll be doing this with some of my titles this year. I'm updating the cover art for my gunslingers vs. monsters novella, Vanished. 

Here's the latest cover. You can buy Vanished here. 

And a synopsis:

Sheriff Will Barnaby is summoned when a member of the missing Hanson party stumbles into the mining town of Wilton, Colorado. Tommy Hanson is dazed and muttering about terrors in the valley near Wilton. The Hanson family disappeared six months prior while setting out in wagons for a new life. Will realizes he'll have to round up a posse and investigate the Hanson boy's story. With the help of his deputy and two hired guns, Will sets out to discover what lurks out in the valley near Wilton.

He will find death and terror waiting for him outside Wilton. And an investigation into missing persons turns into a fight for survival.

An action-filled novella from the author of Murderland and the Last Ride. 





Monday, January 18, 2021

When Social Media Is Bad For Writers

Social media can be a great thing for writers. It allows us to touch base with fellow writers, bloggers, reviewers, and publishers. Writing can be a solitary, lonely endeavor, and social media lets us connect, especially during this time of social distancing. 

Recently, I learned of two anthologies looking for submissions. I promptly wrote some stories and sent them off. Both calls for submission were on Twitter. Had I not been on Twitter, I would've missed the opportunities. As much as social media creates opportunities, at times it can be a detractor.  For myself, I find social media (Twitter, in particular) can bring me down at times. Sometimes, when the following start to happen, I feel the need to unplug from social media for a bit:

1. The news is making me anxious and depressed.

2. I find myself repeatedly doomscrolling instead of spending time reading books.

3. I'm spending more time on social media than writing new books and stories.

4. I'm constantly comparing myself to other writers, wondering if/when I'll have the same success.

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more (I've already read four books) and focus on writing, art, and music, rather than repeatedly refreshing my feeds and scrolling. Social media can be amazing for keeping up on the writing business, but none of us should be afraid to take a break.

And I still believe the most important part of writing is writing. The best marketing you can do is to write the next book or story.  

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Ramping Up the Writing

I didn't write much between New Year's Eve and January 6th. Didn't write at all in the few days following the attempted coup. The news and the state of the country have been pretty much a horror show. I've been ramping up the writing the past few days. I guess, as a writer, you need to go to work, the same as any other profession. Writing also provides a distraction from things.

I'm working on the last third of The Foundation. Not sure which book will come after The Foundation. I'm debating writing a sequel to The Island, which would tie into the Nightshade World. I'm also considering writing in some series/shared world series. 

I finished up this pen and ink horror piece yesterday. You can buy prints here. 





 

Saw A Quiet Place II This Weekend

Jenn and I went for lunch yesterday, then saw A Quiet Place II at the Aurora Theater. The Aurora is a great little theater. One screen, and...