Fare thee well, my one true love …

Well, I didn’t love 2018; but there was a lot to celebrate this past year. As we approach the end of another rotation of Planet Earth, I’m looking back and remembering everything I read and wrote.

This was a great year for reading. I read 73 books this year, much more than I did in 2017. I wanted to get back into my old reading habits, which took a stall when I was in the thick of writing Please Give. Reading, I found, was a way to both relax and to replenish the writing well.

I read many good books, and I met many great authors whose works I enjoyed. I want to give a special shout-out to the following works and their writers:

–Sacrificial Lambs and Others by Sheri White, an excellent collection of flash horror and short stories

–Breathe. Breathe. by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi, a collection of short horror and dark poetry

–Wish You Were Here by Loren Rhoads, a wonderful travel memoir detailing cemetery visits (read my interview with Loren Rhoads here)

–Spin by Tiffany Michelle Brown, a time travel novelette about a man who tries to change his past by listening to a very special record (read my interview with Tiffany Michelle Brown here)

–A Peculiar Curiosity by Melanie Cossey, a gothic/Victorian tale about two men driven to danger by their obsession with the possible discovery of a zombie (read my interview with Melanie Cossey here)

In between all of the books I read, I also found time to write. I completed my second novel, Without Condition. It was a much different experience than writing Please Give. One would think it’d be easier to sit down and write the second novel, but I found the words a little harder to come by and the doubts flickering in and out even more. There’s something to be said for putting pressure on yourself for what’s next. Still, I’m excited to share the final book with all of you on February 12, 2019. I hope you’ll pick up a copy!

2018 also saw my first acceptance. My short story, “Hearts are Just ‘Likes,'” was included in Camden Park Press’ Quoth the Raven. I also had works included in The Sirens Call and Mercurial Stories. You can see my latest works, including links to stories available online, on my Books page.

I also completed several short stories, both flash pieces and longer stories. I’ve completed enough to where I plan to release another collection by the end of 2019. Be on the lookout for Little Paranoias: Stories.

Thanks to all of you who’ve read my work, commented on my posts, and joined me on this writing journey. As always, I’m cautiously optimistic about what 2019 holds for my writing. Onward and forward.

Happy New Year!