I’ve documented all and the last three weeks of my JaNoWriMo adventures with my work friends in photos on Facebook, but wanted to check in on the blog with an overall update on my progress, as well as the projects and events I have coming up. We switched our location from Barnes and Noble to a cozier, more laid-back Sodalicious in Provo with lots of table space, an aesthetic gas fireplace display, chill music, and an overall delightful atmosphere we’ve greatly enjoyed for hours of chatting, brainstorming, and writing together. Not to mention Sodalicious (and the Hot Potato they share space with) has wickedly tasty fries, cookies, and soda flavor combos.

With one flash fiction piece down and a longer novelette to polish up and send off before the month is through, the third short story I was hoping to write this month may not happen before I get my wave of edits back for three anthologies I’m currently committed to. But I’m excited to be busy, and to be taking part in so many fun collaborative projects this year. The three anthologies where my stories will appear this year include Redneck Eldritch through Nathan Shumate’s Cold Fusion Media (coming in April!); Windows Into Hell, based on Steven L. Peck’s A Short Stay in Hell through Curiosity Quills Press; and a third as yet untitled anthology based on Jason King’s Valcoria fantasy series (this is the story I’m currently polishing up, and, assuming my story isn’t so bad it makes Jason weep with sadness and despair, this is the third anthology I’ll be in this year ;-).

I’ll also be appearing on panels at LTUE in February (just two weeks away!). Salt Lake Comic Con Fan Xperience is my next stop in March (look for me at the Xchyler Publishing booth, sponsored by Kelly Olsen of Keller Williams South Valley Realtors). After FanX, I’ll be joining the World Horror Convention in Provo to sell my books, and hopefully talk about horror and writing and stuff there too. With any luck, Redneck Eldritch will be out and available by then as well.

For any aspiring writers, artists, pop culture fans, and writers-and-artists-and-pop-culture-fans who love horror, I highly recommend looking into these events–and bringing a notebook for taking notes in panels! These are great opportunities to network and grow, and I’ve learned a lot about craft and business over the years by attending events like these.

See you at LTUE!