On the classic side:

On the funnier side:

On the “Creepy AF and I loved it” side:

I read eclectically — some classics, some thrillers, some literary fiction, a LOT of spec-fic — but this summer (and fall, I guess) I’ve made a concentrated effort to buy and read a) debut novels and b) recent horror novels in both the YA and Adult categories.

Here, in no particular order and with no commentary, are some of my Summer/Fall reads. Give them a try!

Say what you will about twitter, I’ve found the twitter writing community to be an amazing and supportive group. Not only do other writers at all stages of their careers exchange thoughts, suggestions, and encouragement, but agents and editors also wade gleefully into the fray, answering questions and posting their #MSWL (Manuscript Wish List).

A recent twitter exchange with an agent about acceptable word counts (i.e. how many words a novel in any particular genre can be, before an agent will reject it on sight) ended with her giving me a recommendation that has turned out to be, no word of a lie, the BEST editing resource I’ve ever found.

The Word Loss Diet, by Rayne Hall https://www.amazon.ca/Word-Loss-Diet-Professional-Self-Editing-Techniques-ebook/dp/B00AWA7XEE/

If you write, get this book. It took me two days to apply it to one of my manuscripts. Add another two days for an in-depth read through, and another two for a final polish, and you essentially have a one-week deep-edit. I cut 6000 words from my YA manuscript, and 11,000 from the adult one. With no (negative) changes to plot, character arc, world-building, or flow. I thought my writing was tight before…now it’s so tight you could bounce a quarter off it!

Our daughter turns fourteen this Friday. I wanted to write this post as a celebration, but it’s hard. She won’t get a birthday party. She won’t get to go to her Grade 8 graduation, either. A year’s worth of milestones, accomplishments, and next steps will likely play out in the solitude of our own little house. She’s been stoic and phlegmatic about it, which is to say, she’s complained less than most adults. Certainly she’s complained less than us! But that doesn’t mean she isn’t keenly aware of what she’s missing. You don’t just get your 14th birthday back.

I’m sorry 2020 sucks, Little Person. I’m sorry it’s scary, and sometimes it feels like men fueled by hatred rule the world. And I’m sorry you’re spending your 14th birthday in quarantine with only your parents and two strange cats for company.

You’re the one who’ll get to make a wish when you blow out your candles, but I’m making one too. I hope 2020 will bring not only fear, but CHANGE, and that the world you live in will become a better place. And I hope you will be part of that change. Be you. Stand up for yourself and others. Keep being the strong, empathetic, caring, and brave young woman I see you growing up to be.

A ranking of the various hot sauces in our house:

• Sweet Chili Chicken Sauce – A nice, sweet heat
• El Yucateco Red Hot Sauce – Perfect. Adds heat, makes your nose run, doesn’t kill you
• Smokin’ Hot Sauce (part of a 4-pack of Valentines Day hot sauces) – Got bite. Made Dan sneeze.
• After Death Sauce – One drop is enough. Seriously, I kid you not. Any more and it will kill you.

Things I can’t find in the grocery store:

• Any frozen fruit other than “citrus blend”
• Sorbet (other than “citrus” flavor)
• Konjac noodles
• Scent-free laundry detergent
• Will power

Things I’ve read in the past month:

• Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
• The Burrowers Beneath, by Brian Lumley
• Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King
• Wings of Fire: The Hidden Kingdom (MG Graphic Novel) by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Mike Holmes
• Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir (MG Graphic Novel) by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Mike Holmes
• Sunny Rolls the Dice (MG Graphic Novel) by by Jennifer and Matthew Holm
• 30 Days of Night (Graphic Novel) by Steve Niles, illustrated by Ben Templesmith
• A literal crap-ton of news, AITA, and Not Always Right

Things I like about editing:

• Feeling the story come together with every little change I make
• Pulling small threads, inserting scenes, and tweaking dialog to strengthen themes and character arcs
• Cutting out EVERYTHING that doesn’t need to be there:
  • Scene doesn’t move the plot forward? Gone
  • Sentence doesn’t ring quite true? Gone
  • Sentence duplicates a thought or feeling I’ve already expressed, and isn’t needed for rhythm? Gone.
  • Filler words (just, really, that etc.) Gone
  • “could see”, “could feel” – replaced with “saw”, “felt”
• Watching that word count go down

Things I dislike about editing:

• I’ve been doing it non-stop since November and I REALLY want to work on my new project now! Please? Can I just work on my new novel?

Quarantine Cats!

Stay safe!

The Gypsum Sound Tales bush-fire relief collection, Amongst Friends, containing my short story “Todd Anderson’s Last Day at Work”, is now live on the Amazon store. The profits from this limited edition charity anthology will go to support bush-fire relief efforts.

I don’t usually heavily market my own work, but in this case I’m shamelessly encouraging people to pick up a copy. The money will go to a good cause.

• The kindle version is available here:
  • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085LDL82C
• The paperback version is available here:
  • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085KR55RV

• The paperback version with the alternate cover is available here:
  • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085KBRV4X

Happy reading!

Apparently, I thrive on anxiety, and the very real possibility of a globe-spanning illness has upended my to-be-read and to-be-watched lists.

And it’s not just me. The twitter-verse is filled with mentions of re-watching and re-reading old pandemic-themed fiction. What does it say about human nature that we are so drawn to the very things that scare us?

Horror has always been about confronting, exploring, and engaging with fear. It peels back the skin of a visceral reaction and looks at what makes it work — physically, emotionally, and socially. I would argue that the disaster/disease/apocalypse genre is similar. It explores how people (as individuals, communities, or society at large) react in adverse situations. It explores what happens when the rules and structures holding us together break down.

I’ve always enjoyed this kind of fiction from a purely anthropological point of view. What happens when society comes apart at the seams? This is the zombie genre through-and-through, and as I’ve said before, I stand by my argument that a good zombie story is never really about the zombies. Rather, a good zombie story is about what happens to humanity when everything we take for granted is stripped away. Pandemic and outbreak fiction often explores the exact same thing.

On a more immediate and personal level, I guess watching and reading these stories is one of the ways I process my own fears and worries.

So here are some of the things I feel like reading and watching right now:

My short horror story “The Gate at the End of the Garden” is now available as part of the Thuggish Itch – Close the Gate anthology on Amazon. Check out this great, spooky cover.

More exciting news coming soon!

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE books and movies that make me cry.

Smiles come easy, and I’ll chuckle at a well-placed pop-culture reference any day. Scares aren’t that hard either. Cue up the minor-key music, throw in some creepy camera work, and bingo. Add a jump scare, cheap as they are, and you’ve got me for sure.

But for a work of fiction to make you cry…that’s something else all together. That, I would argue, takes art. To make you cry, a work of fiction has to woo you first. It has to make you love the characters, or at least imagine yourself in their skins. You need to care about what happens to them and their world. Then it has to deliver its punch — the blow, the twist, the loss — in a way that makes you believe. It doesn’t need to be epic…in fact, attempts at epic often result in cheesiness galore. What it needs is to feel real, possible, and honest. On screen, that’s a magic combination of good script, good direction, and REALLY good acting. On the page, it’s everything…good pacing, good character building, believable dialog, and beautiful language. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does…WOW.

Here, for your reading and viewing pleasure, is a list of the books and movies that have made me cry.

Movies:

• The Little Princess (1995 Alfonso Cuaron version)
• On the Beach (2000 Russell Mulcahy version)
• Dead Like Me – Pilot Episode
• The Impossible (2012)
• Gladiator (2000)
• The Sixth Sense (1999)
• Odd Thomas (2014)
• Schindler’s List (1993)
• Up (2009)
• My Girl (1991)
• Beaches (1988)

Books:

• The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
• Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
• The Unfortunates by Kim Liggett
• The Crow (Graphic Novel) James O’Barr
• Maus (Graphic Novel) by Art Spiegelman
• The Things they Left Behind (Short Story) by Stephen King
• The Bridge to Terebithia by Katherine Paterson

I’m sure I’ve missed some, and I’m sure there are many more to see and read, so I look forward to tearful times to come.

Ah, it’s that time of year again…the season of holiday specials. Everyone has their favorites, from the classics like How the Grinch stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, to newer offerings, spin offs, and even holiday horror.

Holiday specials are family traditions, and as with most traditions, we sometimes lose track of WHY we watch them. We watch them not because they’re great movies (although some are) but because we just always have. We enjoy them not for themselves(or not solely for themselves) but because watching them is what we do at the holidays, and the very act of watching them makes us feel festive, or homey, or comforted. Even if we actually kinda hate the specials themselves.

Here are a few must-watch holiday movies that we don’t hate. Some we watch because we always have and some we watch because they ROCK, but it’s not the holidays in this house without at least one screening of the following:

Whatever your traditions, I hope you have a great holiday season and a happy New Year!