Revisiting the Making of a Goal Sandwich

Last December, I did a Toastmasters speech about setting goals, and I thought, as the year winds down to a conclusion--and won't we be glad to see the back of it?--that I would reprise this entry from last year and expand upon it a little.

To recap that post, a goal has three parts, and those parts can be equated to the making a sandwich.

First, you set a goal. This is equivalent to deciding you are hungry and NEED a sandwich.

Now, you may not NEED to set a goal, but if you WANT to focus your efforts, it is where you start. You can see from that earlier post that my goal in 2015 was to submit something everyday for the year. In 2016, it was to make $5000.

Your goal can be simpler: write 100 words a day; submit to 5 new markets; find a writing group.
Or, it can be even more ambitious: get a New York publishing contract; land an agent; write 5000 words a day.

The important thing is to set a goal in the first place.

Secondly, you work to make that goal happen. Make the sandwich.

It was hard work to make that submission a day goal a reality--but I did it. In fact, I actually made over 400 submissions that year. Some days, it was a tiny submission--like a haiku sent to Haikuniverse. Some days it was a novel. The important thing was to submit something.

Getting to $5000 this year...didn't happen. But I got to over $2700...which was over a thousand more than my best year since I started keeping track.

Pushing for a goal helps you focus. It can increase your output. It gives you an amazing sense of accomplishment as you hit milestones. And, even if you don't reach the goal--working toward it makes you feel in control of your work.

The third section of the process is to reward success--eat the sandwich.

This is not a step you can skip. If you don't reward a successful goal's completion, you have given yourself no incentive to set another goal. However, make sure that your reward doesn't sabotage your NEXT goal.

For example, when I completed the submission a day goal, my reward was a few days off...and that really destroyed the goal to submit one thing a week that I made this year.

And, don't beat yourself up if you don't complete a goal. No, I didn't make my goals this year. However, I worked probably harder than ever to sell more books at conventions, to find new shows to sell at, to submit to higher paying markets. And next year, I will try again.

If you don't make your goals, adjust the next year. Build on what works. Re-evaluate what doesn't. Next year, I will be trying to write a piece a day--this is building on the submission a day goal of 2015. I will be shooting for $3500 in revenue. Still more than I made this year, but a more realistic advance on 2016's figures.

What are your goals? How will you accomplish them?  I'd love to hear from you. :)

Has It Really Been a Month Already?! -- Endings and Beginnings

Time flies when you are having fun...

It looks like October will be a month of endings and beginnings here at Mocha Memoirs. First of all, if you haven't gotten your story in to Alexandra Christian for the latest Sherlock Holmes anthology call, submissions END on October 14th. Time is running out--so if you have been procrastinating...get a move on!

It will also be the BEGINNING of availability for Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires, the Steampunk Horror anthology that debuts on October 27th. I can't wait to see the book in print. There are some wickedly awesome stories in it.

Of course, Halloween is also coming--that is the END of October (and my personal favorite holiday) and marks the BEGINNING of National Novel Writing Month. If you have never participated in NaNoWriMo, give it a shot! What have you got to lose? Even if you don't finish, you will have more words than you started with. :)

The goal is 50,000 words in a month, which is a bit daunting, I know--but that works out to only 1667 words a day to make the goal. That isn't so bad. After all, this post has over 200 words, and look how short it is... It is a lot of fun, and I've gotten at least five or six completed manuscripts from the rough first drafts of November. Who knows? You might be the next discovery for us!

Why Do My Posts Always Seem to Land on Holidays?

Because the first Monday of the month often is, I suppose...

It's been a busy time for me this month, and part of that was getting Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires ready for bed. The manuscript is currently in production's hands. Can't wait to see the final package!

Putting together an anthology is a labor of love. It is a very fine balance making sure all the stories work together, make the page count, show variety--a thousand other considerations. As both an anthology editor and frequent contributor, I just wanted to remind all our writers out there that an anthology rejection is not always because your story needed more work than we could realistically give it...sometimes, the story is PERFECT--for another anthology. I got so many submissions that were well-written but without a speck of Steampunk. Couldn't use them. They didn't fit the theme of the anthology.

As a writer, it is your job to read the requirements carefully and make sure that your story meets them. The Pac-Man story wasn't even Victorian...I might have been able to stretch a little, but not that far.

As an editor, it is my job to think outside the box if there is a quirky story that fits the requirements but might need a little work to polish it up. It is NOT my job to make your story fit the guidelines.

I love editing anthologies, but I don't see how someone does it all the time. It is exhausting! My hat's off to those who do nothing but anthologies--or even more extraordinary--still manage to make time for their own work as well. I'm a once-a-year anthology editor. At least for the time being. ;)

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines!

One of the hardest parts of being a writer is sticking to the deadlines. And, when they are stretched out before you, several months out, it is easy to ignore them.

"I'll get to that tomorrow...I have time."

Until tomorrow IS the deadline, and you still are no where near the Finish Line.

Procrastination is one of a writer's biggest foes. It is so easy to put things off, and so hard to focus on getting them done now. That is why I am struggling with three books to finish by the end of August...

That old saying "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today" is really good advice. But you can't do everything in one day either. Make a list of everything you need to do and prioritize it to get the big stuff done first. And it is best to write this list down, as checking things off or crossing them out is a great incentive.

Mix in a few quick and easy tasks here and there so you don't get completely discouraged, but keep your eye on the Big Picture so you don't run short of time.

It is okay to focus on one project at a time, but it is equally okay to do something from several projects in a day, as long as they all get completed on time.

Give yourself a workday. "I will write/edit/promote/clean house/etc. from 9 AM to 5PM" (if it is your entire job...) or "I will write two hours a day." (if that is all you have available.) And limit distractions for that time-frame. But don't work straight through on one project for eight hours without a break, because you stop seeing what you are editing, or miss things in your proofreading, etc, if you don't get up and at least circle the living room now and then.

And one of the things of extreme importance is reward yourself for milestones. (Even if it is something as simple as watching a rerun of America's Next Top Model...or catching Pokemon.)

If you can't tell, I am codifying this for myself as much as you, Gentle Reader! ;)

Last Chance!

This is it. The deadline was extended a week, but this is your final opportunity to be part of the Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires Steampunk horror anthology. We have some really great reads for you, but there is still room for a few more. If you've been hesitating or procrastinating, this is the time to put pen to paper! (And I am in the same boat...)

So far, I am really pleased with the Table of Contents. I'll be revealing it soon. ;)

Mocha Memoirs is beginning to have quite a nice collection of Steampunk:

Heliodor by Shannon Wendtland

Avast Ye, Airships edited by Rie Sheridan Rose

"The Head Above the Gate" in RieTales...



But we can always use more, and that is where you come in. Get me a story by Friday! I want to see what YOU have to add to the genre. :)

We Haven't Finished Yet...

...there is still time for you to be a part of Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires! Submissions have been a bit slow, which is odd, because Steampunk and Horror are made for each other. The Victorians had a fine sense of the macabre. After all, remember, the practice of Post-Mortem Photography began with the Victorians.

They believed quite strongly in the supernatural. Spiritualism as we know it, with mediums contacting the dead, also had its roots in the Victorian Era, providing a lucrative living for many.

Remember, there were no radios, no televisions, and no movies to distract people. Books and shared tales were the most common forms of entertainment. Fairy tales and ghost stories were passed from generation to generation.

These are just a few suggestions for inspirational material. I've got a couple of ideas just writing this post!

If you need a refresher on the guidelines, look here. And for a little more detail on the information above, as well as further links, check out these posts:

http://mochamemoirspress.blogspot.com/2016/02/spooky-victorian-sensibilities.html

http://theconnmannchronicles.com/2016/02/22/moving-on/

Now, go write me stories -- deadline is the 31st!

Spooky Victorian Sensibilities

When you think of Steampunk, it harkens back to the era of Victoria. The streets were dark, lit by sputtering gas lights. There was a dreariness to the London air enhanced by the coal dust and damp which created the infamous "pea-soup" fogs.

So...is it any wonder that the era also abounded with mediums and spiritualists? Ghosts were very real to the denizens of Victorian England. Remember, this was the heyday of the post-mortem memorial photo. The science of photography was not something everyone carried around in a smartphone. Photographs were fairly expensive, and time-consuming. Sometimes the photo of a dead child was the only representation of them that a family would have.

The desire not to lose all connection to their loved ones kept many a spiritualist well-fed and dressed.

Steampunk seems an ideal genre to marry with this era of mysticism. Imagine a steam-powered magic lantern device that could project the image of a deceased loved one -- and how that loved one might be angered if the medium tried to cheat those left behind.

Or perhaps a safety-coffin goes horribly awry. The "deceased" could be relying on rescue -- literally being "saved by the bell," and instead finds themselves buried alive with no hope of escape.

A couple of free story ideas for you. Now someone go and write me more submissions for Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires! The pickings have been thin so far. If you've forgotten the guidelines, check them out here.

Attention all Steampunkers! -- Announcing a New Submission Call!

Attention all Steampunkers!

Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires

Mocha Memoirs Press is pleased to announce a new anthology,

Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires is currently open for submissions.

Submission Guidelines:

What We Want: Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires will be a horror-themed Steampunk anthology of short stories, released as an ebook and as a paperback. We are looking for Steampunk featuring the supernatural—as well as a beautifully crafted, original story.

Read our general submission guidelines at http://mochamemoirspress.com/about/ for more information.

What We Don’t Want: Any stories that contain rape, bestiality, and/or the abuse of minors. Violence and sex are acceptable but make them integral to the plot.

Submissions: Submit your work to mmpsteampunk@gmail.com with Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires Sub: Your Story Title_Your Last Name in the subject line. (for example: Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires Sub: Something Amiss Midship_Poe)

Attach your story as a DOC or DOCX file. Submissions sent in the body of the email will not be read.

We prefer to see submissions using something approaching Standard Manuscript Format, which can be found here: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

The only exception is that italics MUST appear as they will be used; no underlining.

Include a brief cover letter in the body of your email stating your name, pen name (if using one), story title with word count, address, website or blog, and any professional publication credits you think might interest us.

The anthology will be edited by Rie Sheridan Rose.

We will accept works of 1,500-6,000 words. Please query first if you wish to submit outside of these guidelines.

No simultaneous submissions, please. Don’t submit a story to us and to another market at the same time.

Multiple submissions are acceptable. If sending more than one story, please send them in separate emails.

We’re not accepting reprints for this anthology. We will pay a flat $10 per story via Paypal only.

Payment will be made within 45 days of publication. We are seeking Worldwide English Language rights for 12 months in print and digital formats.

Authors from outside of the United States are welcome, but submissions must be in English. Please be aware that at this time, we have a largely American readership. Feel free to help us expand that base.

Submission Deadline and Publication Schedule:

We will remain open for submissions from January 4-April 1, with an expectation that the anthology will be published by November 1, 2016.

It's December! Let's Talk About Goals...

I am giving a speech tomorrow on the importance of goals, so I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and give you my thoughts on the subject.

Goals. That's a scary word sometimes. But setting goals can really change your life. I've talked enough about my personal challenge goals, but I think something similar is a great things for anyone to do. If you are on the writing side of the table, your goal can be something similar to those I've talked about:

1) submit X pieces in the coming year.
2) get X acceptances (or rejections) in 2017.
3) write X number of pieces next year.

or some other goal focused on whatever aspect of your career you want to improve in the New Year. My goal next year is to increase my income to $5000 from writing/selling books. It's a big goal, but go big or go home, they say.


If you are on the reading side of the table, you can do a goal based on that activity. For example:

1) read X number of books next year.
2) read X number of authors you've never discovered before.
3) read every book in your favorite series (if you haven't already done so -- or find s new series of you have.)


Having a goal gives you something to shoot for. It's like making a sandwich. You decide you are hungry so you want to make a sandwich. That is your goal. Actually making the sandwich is the steps to accomplishing that goal. BUT HERE IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART. When you finish your goal, reward yourself. If you make a sandwich and set it on a shelf somewhere, the goal may have been completed, but it really isn't finished. Finishing the goal is eating the sandwich.

If you go to all the work to accomplish and complete a goal -- not a little one, like get out of bed in the morning...unless that is something you don't normally do, in which case, it deserves a reward -- you owe yourself some recognition of that accomplishment. You better believe I will somehow celebrate if I make it to the 31st without missing a submission. :)

Three P's of Success

People are always making tip lists...well, here is another. The three things that will best help a writer in my opinion.

1) Prioritization -- Decide on your goals. What do you want to accomplish most?

Is your writing goal to write a novel? Okay! That's not hard. (Not promising that it will be a good novel, but you can write one.) Make a daily goal. Put it on the top of your To Do list -- Write 1500 words a day (or 1667, and you can get in shape for next year's NaNoWriMo...or start in late on this one--you can catch up.)

Want to write a poetry collection? Make a daily goal. Put it on the top of your To Do list -- Write a Poem a day. Baby steps.

Whatever you want to do is possible. Prioritize it along with the rest of your must dos for the day. Make it a daily habit, and you will be surprised what you can accomplish.


2) Perseverance -- Stick to the goals. It isn't always easy, but nothing worth doing is.

Do that daily goal first thing in the morning. Or last thing at night, if you work better then. Some days, you won't feel like it. Those are the days it is most important to get it done.

If you do miss a day, don't let it get you down. But don't let it slow you down either. Make up the missed day as soon as you can. The whole is greater than the some of its parts, remember. ;)


3) Persistence -- It's similar to Perseverance, but to me, it's not the same. Remember my personal mantra from Galaxy Quest -- "Never give up. Never surrender." Where perseverance gets the work written, persistence is what gets it out there. Once your work is finished, send it to potential markets, self-publish it, whatever you want to do--but get it in front of people.

Remember that sometimes you don't get a homer on your first at bat. You will get rejected. It's part of the business. Don't let it get you down.

I highly recommend the immersion therapy of sending things out until rejection is just another email. You get to the point where you say, "Oh well." But you send it out again. Sure, there will be some rejections that sting more than others--mourn and go on. Send it out again by the end of the day if you can.


So, there are the Three P's for you. 1) Prioritize; 2) Persevere; 3) Persist.

Go forth and write!

The Truth About Being a Writer

All my life, I wanted to be a writer. I'm not sure why the child me decided that was what I was going to do when I grew up, but it did. Almost from the moment I knew what books were, I wanted to write them.

The magic of words! Putting them together to create stories that other people would find interesting. It would be awesome!

But the reality of the profession is not all glamour and accolades. It's not easy, and writing the book is the least of it. After the book is done, there is finding a publisher. After you find a publisher, or decide to publish it yourself, there is marketing/promotion. There is always something else to do. But don't let that fact scare you away.

If you really want to be a writer, you will do it, no matter what the deterrents--but you need to go into the profession with open eyes.

Where do you start?

Sitting at your notebook, or computer, or typewriter and beginning to put letters together into words. Yes, it is that simple.

But that doesn't mean that the words you come up with will be a masterpiece out of the gate. When you finish your first draft, the party has only just begun. Then you need some real, critical beta readers to give it a look. You need an editor who will tell you what works and what doesn't.

Then, once your work is as polished as it can be (in your opinion), there are query letters or submission guidelines to check out. Submission packets go out. The WAITING begins.

When you are finally accepted, then there is the editorial period with the publisher. After the story is finally COMPLETE, and published, then you will be pushing that book from now on.

But don't despair. There are places to go for help.

Writing: Writer's Village University -- online classes
               Writer's Cafe -- challenges and feedback
               NaNoWriMo -- 50k words in 30 days -- good way to push yourself forward

Submitting: Writer's Market -- online version of the best list of mainstream markets
                    Ralan.com -- best list of speculative markets
                    several Open Call groups on Facebook (just ask to join.)
                   
Promotion: Great challenge for building platform going on this month at Writer's Digest (still time to catch up)
                   CafePress -- marketing promotions
                   VistaPrint -- business cards and promotional items
                    4Imprint --  marketing promotions


Of course, that is only the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands of websites that can help a beginning author get started. Just go into the profession with your eyes wide open. :)

             

Persevere!

Today, I am going to show you something that might seem a bit off topic. And, frankly disgusting...I admit that. But in the end, you will see how it relates to writing, and never giving up on the dream!

Okay, so our bathroom shower has a textured floor. I could NOT keep it clean. Finally, I gave up. After straight bleach didn't work, I despaired of ever getting it clean again. At the worst, it looked like this:

I warned you...disgusting! (I know, you want nothing to do with me ever again, now...)

But I kept trying. I tried EVERYTHING I could think of. And I finally hit on the trick. Dow Scrubbing Bubbles, left on for hours before rinsing. (They say a few minutes, but hours work better. I have been spraying them on in the morning after our showers and leaving them till bedtime.)

Little by little, it began to get better. Last night, when I rinsed the floor, it looked like this:

As you can see, there is still work to be done, but the difference is AMAZING!

But what does this have to do with writing, you ask? It's a metaphor, son...

A lot of times, our first drafts are like the Before picture. Nasty, ugly, wretched things that you feel a bit embarrassed to show your best friend, much less the world. You feel like giving up. It's too much work to figure out a way to fix it. You try everything, and nothing makes it better.

But somewhere, underneath all that crud is something clean and lovely. "Never give up, never surrender!" as the Galaxy Quest cast would say.

Keep trying things. 

Maybe you need a new point-of-view. Try rewriting it in first person instead of third.

Maybe you are telling the story from the wrong character's perspective. Try rewriting it in another character's voice.

Polish and elbow grease are the best tools for success. Tweak one aspect of the story and send it to a pair of fresh eyes. What does your new beta reader say?

Don't forget the rich tradition of rejection after rejection until an author hits the right editor at the right moment and becomes a Household Word. :)

And don't forget that crucial step of letting a project rest for awhile before doing more clean-up. It can save you a draft or two. ;)

Above all, persevere! 

July Snuck Up on Me!

Did I get my June ambition met? Nope. How about you?

I got a bit of writing done, but no cleaning. That seems to be my lot in life.

Maybe this month I will do better, but don't hold your breath. Too many exciting writing things to do! Will have at least one, if not two, books debuting at ArmadilloCon at the end of the month.

Have hit and passed the two hundredth submission for the year.

But I can still be brought up short by the power of someone else's work and say "Why can't I write like that?" We can all keep learning, striving, and improving. No matter how many books we have written or submissions we have made.

I finished The Grave Tender this morning. If you haven't read it, do so at once. It is a wonderful example of craft. I had to immediately write the author an email and tell her how humble it made me feel. I want to write like that.

I know an email like that would make my day. I hope it made hers.

Then I started a book on How To Write Horror and Dark Fantasy. Not because I never have--I just finished a dark short and sent it in--but because I know I can always do it better.

If you are a writer, you can never stop learning your craft. I don't care how many publications you have under your belt, you can always do better. If you forget that, you are doing yourself an extreme disservice.

Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep growing. It keeps you young--and humble. ;)

Summer Challenge for You

You have heard a lot about my challenges. Now, I have one for you! I'll even join you.

Let's do some Spring Cleaning this summer...okay,yeah--technically, not spring. But I want to inspire you to go to those files on your computer and take a look at them. Are you a writer too? If so, there are probably at least a few WIPs somewhere on your hard drive.

Let's revisit them. Are they something that you can finish? If not, are they something you can re-purpose? If not, are they something that you really need? If not--use that little key up in the corner, and delete them. (I know...that's very hard to do--if you can't quite bring yourself to delete, move them off the computer onto a flash drive. If you still haven't looked at them in six months...revisit deleting them.)

Next, does your office look like this? (This is one of the reasons I do my work on a table in front of the bigscreen instead of in my office. Another reason is...bigscreen.)

I am going to be working on cleaning this too this summer. Let's get our offices in shape for NaNoWriMo in November. That gives us a goal, and a deadline. I'll tell you how far I get, you tell me your progress. :)

Do we have a deal? 

The Merry Month of May--Make It Matter!

Hard to believe that the year is a quarter gone already. That's what happens when you are busy. And I have been busy--how about you?

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal. At the time, it seemed like a lark. By March, it seemed like a chore. Now, it feels natural. That's the way a daily habit gets to be. Even though I have already promised myself I won't keep it up next year, I don't know if I will be able to stop...I know, at the very least, I will continue to produce more work faster as a result of this year's challenge.

The goal this year was to submit at least one piece every day this year. Counting today, that was 124 days ago. I've made 137 submissions. I tell you this to show that making a goal can push you to heights you never expected!

Set a goal. Any goal. It's not too late for a Resolution! Write 3 pages a day. Submit 2 pieces a week. Write a novella this year. Make it as small as you want, or as daunting--share it or don't--it's all up to you.

If you like, come and post your goal in the comments. We will encourage you!


And for a bit of inspiration, check out the deals at the Mocha Memoirs Spring Fling Sale. It runs through the 10th.

What Do You Want to Read?

I had been sitting here trying to decide what to write about this month, and realized I was trying to think from the writer's perspective...and what the blog is about is the reader. :)

So, I want to ask you--the reader--a few questions. 

1) What do you want to see in a story?

Sweet Romance with a touch of Spice?

Try Jacqueline and the Giant or the lovely stories in The Golden Apple and Other Stories.

Science Fiction?

How about Subject 82-42 or Drink My Soul...Please.

Fantasy?

The Portal Guards is fascinating, or the stories in Avast Ye, Airships! run the Steampunk gamut. :)

And if you like Horror, we have lots of titles to choose from

The Grotesquerie is an anthology by women writers of horror, and In the Bloodstream combines horror and dark fantasy.

2) Do you like to read series connected by theme?

Try the spicy romance of C.A.K.E. -- visit Death's Cafe or the witches of Toil, Trouble, and Tempation

3) What would you like to see more of?

Leave a comment with your dream story and we will see if we can find it for you. ;)

Being a REAL Writer is Tough Work!

That title might annoy some people...but it says what I want to stress. Being a real writer isn't as easy as writing a book. And I am not saying that it applies to anyone but me. However, since I am the only person I can speak for, it is true for me.

I started calling myself a professional writer in 2000 when my first novel was published. I was quite proud to finally be able to claim that title after all the years I had wanted it.

For the next twelve years I considered myself a professional writer...

But it wasn't until three years ago that I actually started acting like it.

I have talked about this before, but it bears repeating, because it is a lesson that can't be stressed enough. You aren't a real writer unless you write.

And it isn't enough to write. You have to do something with what you write. You can't just pop it in a drawer and expect to be famous someday.

I've told you about my rejection challenge. First year three hundred rejections, last year two hundred.
Trying to meet this challenge gave me incentive to write more than I ever had in my life. It taught me that the more you write, the easier it is to be polished, and the quicker a polished draft appears.

This year, I've upped the game. It didn't start out to be a thing, but after I got started on this year's challenge, it has become a point of honor. This year, I have challenged myself to make a submission a day.

Now, I know what being a writer really is. It's exhausting. It means writing a LOT. It means making connections. It means perseverance. It means not letting a rejection bother you--but looking at it as an opportunity to get another submission out the door.

And, as a side benefit, the piece you get rejected today might be perfect for the next market you send it to. I've almost hit the absolute bottom of my orphan pieces. Stories that had been out four, five, six times finally found the perfect home.

Set what looks/feels like an impossible goal. Work to achieve it. Nothing feels better than making that goal. And even if you don't make it, as long as you are working to achieve it, you are working. And that is what makes a REAL writer. :)

If you want to see how my personal goal is going this year, follow me on Twitter at @RieSheridanRose and #howlongcanitgo

So far, I've made 62 submissions this year.

MMP Celebrates Women in Horror Month: Rie Sheridan Rose

Mocha Memoirs Press has long since celebrated and embraced diversity in speculative fiction. Join us as we spotlight our talented female horror authors throughout the month of February. Follow us on twitter @mochamemoirs to get daily tweets and more.

Rie Sheridan Rose (@RieSheridanRose) is MMP's Editor-in-Chief. Here are her thoughts on the importance of horror and the women who write it.

It always amazes me that people seem to feel that horror is the province of the male. After all, one of the first great classics was Mary Shelley'sFrankenstein, first published in 1818. 

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is a psychological horror story that never fails to make me shudder...and it was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892.

Shirley Jackson has been cited as an inspiration by Neal Gaiman, Richard Matheson, and Stephen King--who considers The Haunting of Hill House one of the most important horror novels of the twentieth century. My personal favorite is We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which I first discovered as a girl.

Women have just as vivid imaginations as their male counterparts. Why shouldn't we write horror? If you think that women are too sensitive to face the darkness, you've never read Charlee Jacob, or Angeline Hawkes, or Mira Grant, or...you get the idea.

We've got a lot of good stories to get you started here at Mocha Memoirs! From short stories like "Bloody Rain" to series like Death's Cafe or Toil, Trouble and Temptation to anthologies like The Grotesquerie--written by some of those women in horror.

It's February! Get Ready for Pirates!

February is going to be a HUGE month.

First of all, it is Women in Horror Month. If you haven't heard about this before, Women in Horror Month celebrates the female in what is traditionally considered a male dominated genre. Mocha Memoirs will be posting blogs about this all month, so I am just going to leave that there...

Even more exciting for me, it will see the publication of Avast, Ye Airships! I feel like I am sending my first child off to school to interact with the public for the first time. This anthology has been dominating my thoughts since April--so basically nine months--I guess it is my baby. :)

The manuscript has been turned in. It is a solid mix of adventure, humor, and romance. We have eighteen stories altogether. They come from all over the country, all over the UK, even as far away as Romania.

Steampunk, Airships, Pirates--what else can you ask for? Coming February 26th.

Airships Preparing For Take Off!

After months of preparation, the final boarding call has been sounded. The contacts have started, the crew is being finalized, and the Airships will soon be climbing into the skies.

We had over forty submissions (thirteen of them in the last two days!). They came from as far away as Romania, and as close as my downtown.

We had really great pirates, really bad pirates, and a few airships with no pirates.

There was a submission with cat pirates and a submission with squirrel-like aliens.

I had the pleasure of accepting a writer's first sale.

We had stories set on other worlds, and stories where the airship was almost a world unto itself.

It was difficult indeed to narrow things down. But I think you will be pleased with the results. I know I am.

It's time to bring the last provisions aboard. I'm assigning the crew to their quarters, and then we head to the skies! We will be heading your way the end of next month, so prepare a berth for us.

And chocolate..,all pirates love chocolate!