Christmas Thimble World 2012!!!

Well, folks, it's that time of year and I have finally got my Thimble World up and going. If you're interested in taking a look at the thimbles I added to my Christmas decor along with the annual Christmas Thimble World, head on over to my ThimbleWorld blog.  Click this link.

Too many things; too little time

I know, I know. I always have an excuse. But, really, between work at work and work at home, I don't have much time for anything else. But, somehow I manage to get done what I need to get done. However, updated my blogs and website and facebook, are on the bottom of the list. It gets ugly when I finally sit down to do this stuff. Hours and hours go into updates. Oh, if only I had the time to keep up with them.

Unfortunately, I don't. So, I'm taking almost an entire night to do it all.

Forgive me if I repeat some things, but here's a list of my most recent accomplishments.  You can check out my website for more info. I updated it first. (YAY!)

"Trip of A Lifetime" anthology from Sleeping Cat Books with my story "Snow Angel" is now for sale! Click this link to purchase a copy. You can even get a mug!

The Whortleberry Press anthology "Strange Christmas" has my story "Proof" in its pages.  It is also for sale, and just in time for Christmas!! Here's the link to go buy yourself (or someone else) a copy.

Third Flatiron Publishing will soon be releasing "Origins: Colliding Causalties" in which I have "Of Men and Gods."

I made it into another Rainstorm Press anthology. This one is "Glimpses of Insanity" and its about unusual mental issues--not the ordinary everyday coo-coo's nest. My story is titled, "The Clonal Blake Jones."

I have had many stories accepted at Static Movement as of late.  "The Gauntlet" and "One Last Christmas" were accepted for "Last Night."  The anthology "Bloody Ghost Stories" accepted "A Little Girl."  An anthology of drinking stories, "In Vino Veritas" will include my tale "A Restaurant in Culver City."  "A House Named Ernie" was welcomed for "A Journey You Say?" anthology of life's journey stories.

Finally, I responded to an ad on Craigslist (don't bash me yet) for a call for submissions to a Gorge Writers Anthology.  I've already had my story "Buckets Full of Blackberries" accepted, so now all I need to do is wait and see if the editor gets enough writers interested in submitting.  I should hear something back on this shortly.

Ok, so I guess that wasn't the "final" update, after all.  I am editing a story for Strange, Weird, & Wonderful's "The Inanimates I" anthology.  They really liked my submission titled "Precision Sharpened for Perfect Slicing" but they want changes.  I'm trying to muddle through it for a final acceptance, so wish me luck! My first submission to them was "A House Named Ernie" which they didn't accept because they already had a house tale.  So, I asked what they DID want, and the editors gave me a prompt for a meat cleaver. I went for it and they said it was "kick ass." (Their words, not mine). Now, I'll see if I can make it fit for them. I'm glad it's a paying market.

Alrighty, then. I think that's all I have to update for now. I'll try to keep you posted on changes and publications and further acceptances, but I don't know how well that will go. Nonetheless, keep watching...I'm always writing and submitting.

Take the Trip of a Lifetime!

And you can win a free travel mug! Announcing the release of Trip of a Lifetime: An Anthology.

What is your idea of the trip of a lifetime? Is it relaxing on a sandy Caribbean beach? Traveling through parts of Europe? Or do you prefer to stay closer to home and travel through your imagination? Sometimes the trip of a lifetime can be the one you never expected to take. And sometimes a trip becomes quite memorable for the wrong reasons.

In this collection of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction, you will find our contributors' ideas of the "trip of a lifetime." Perhaps you'll find your own ideas in these pages, or perhaps we'll spark the desire for you to go out and make your own memories!

To celebrate the release of this anthology in both paperback and ebook formats, Sleeping Cat Books will send a Trip of a Lifetime travel mug to one reader chosen at random (see website for image). The rules for entering this drawing are below.

Trip of a Lifetime: An Anthology is now available in paperback (http://sleepingcatbooks.com/trip-store.html) and for Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A9ZJWYQ), NOOK (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-storm-is-coming-various/1109651115?ean=2940015727876), and Kobo (http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Trip-of-a-Lifetime/book-R8iEe9djM0qE1mXzG57BoQ/page1.html?s=ep0CfocqHk-fAKdoh4lw6w&r=1).

Rules for Entry

·         One entry per paperback copy ordered.

·         Only orders placed through Sleeping Cat Books (http://sleepingcatbooks.com/trip-store.html) are eligible for entry.

·         Orders placed and paid in full prior to 12:01 am Saturday, 1 December 2012 are eligible.

·         Contributors to this anthology and their family members are eligible provided they place orders through the website at full retail cost.

·         The winner will be chosen at random on 3 December 2012 from all of the eligible entries. The winner's first name will be announced on the Sleeping Cat Books blog (http://www.sarah-holroyd.com/blog/) that day.

·         In the event that we are unable to contact the winner by 10 December, a second name will be chosen at random and announced on that day.

More Updates

In trying to keep up with new updates, I'm posting my latest news and correcting some old.

First off, Whortleberry Press' Strange Halloween 2012, accepted "Hootenanny Holler" not "Snow Angel"  In fact, the WP book is now for sale.  My story's title was changed to "Horror in Hootenanny Holler" and there are a couple modifications from the original, just to keep people on their toes. (Ha, ha).

Next, "Snow Angel" was accepted, but to Sleeping Cats Books for an anthology entitled "Trip of a Lifetime."  This story is also a reprint from the closed Fictitious Magazine site, but at least it has a new home.

Rainstorm Press accepted "In with the New" for their "Undead that Saved Christmas" anthology.  This is a charity anthology of monster stories with Christmas themes.  Should be interesting.  Of course, my story is SF, but hey, what did you expect?

I don't know if I mentioned it previously, but "Hootenanny Holler," and "Snow Angel" had been submitted to Thadd Presley Presents: along with a couple other stories of mine.  Unfortunately, I needed to pull them all from Thadd Presley.  I really didn't want to do that, but he was having difficulties and not responding to emails or FB posts, so I thought it best to put my stories in other places.  The other 2 stories, "The Gauntlet" (a reprint) and "A Little Girl" (original) are still awaiting decisions, but if they are not accepted there, I have another place for them already lined up for acceptance.  Just playing the waiting game on them.

And, don't forget to read my "Aurora's Waverider" article on Unexplained Mysteries.

So, there's the latest on my writing.  Hope you all are buying (or bought) some of these anthologies to support us small-time writers.

Time to Update

Ok, so long time, no posting...again.  Well, I've been very busy.  See that Winner pic?  Yup, I am one of the winners in the August Camp NaNoWriMo!  My final total is 51,202 words.  I started on August 1 and finished August 24.  Well, I finished the challenge, but I did not finish my novel.  In fact, I'm not certain I'm even half way, yet.  Nevertheless, doing the NaNoWriMo Challenge tells me that all I need to do to write more is DO it; quit worrying about it and just do it.  At least write the story.  Edit later.

So, there you have it.  I've been busy writing, not only the Camp NaNoWriMo, but other stories as well.  I've been busy enough that I have not had enough time to update news and post to the blog and website and facebook and any other medium it's considered necessary for a writer.  Therefore, since I've finished NaNo, I think it's time to update everyone on what I've done in my writing world.

Outside the Camp NaNoWriMo, I've submitted not only older stories, but new ones.  I'm still waiting for responses on most of them, but I did have a couple acceptances.  "The Biggest Fan" was accepted to Rainstorm Press' "I'll Never Go Away 3."  I submitted for #2, but apparently there were so many submissions, the press decided to make a third installment.  I was accepted for the third one.  No word on release dates or anything, but I will post when it's out.

A story "Snow Angel" previously published through the now defunct Fictitious Magazine, has been accepted to be included in Whortleberry Press' "Strange Halloween 2012."  This anthology is supposed to publish September 15, 2012.  I'll update on that when it happens as well.

A new article posted on Unexplained Mysteries called "Aurora's Waverider."  You can read it by clicking here.

I'm not sure I posted this before, but Whortleberry Press' "Strange Summer Mysteries" is available to purchase now.  Click this link to buy it.  Whortleberry created a "book trailer" to view through youtube.  Here's the link for that.

Well, I think I've caught up with everything I needed to report to the world.  I'll let you process all this information (ha ha) and get back to you later with further updates as they develop.