Check out this star-studded line up!

The results are in from the Writers of the Future awards (which is HUGE). Children of Earth got an honourable mention!

But that nice little accolade is overshadowed by the sudden and star-studded Table of Contents drop of It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right:

Art by Evangeline Gallagher

Why, yes, that is THE Wendy N. Wagner’s name just above mine! AND Gabino Iglesias to the left of hers! In fact, please, go ahead and just take a moment to absorb that fantastic lineup!

No release date yet because the publisher is commissioning interior artwork for the stories, but I’ll keep you posted.

This is really exciting for me because my twisted little story, Castoffs, has been one of my most popular AND most rejected. It features both a “deal with a devil” trope and a rather insider writers joke, which has made it a really hard sell.

But editors LOVE it. Here’s some of my favourite rejection notes:

• “This is extravagantly bizarre, and I mean that as the highest compliment. The “deal with the devil” scenario has been done so often that it’s difficult to make that scenario seem new and imaginative, but you manage to do just that. The mixture of lavish, mouth-watering food descriptions with the macabre scenario and the pound of flesh is equal parts tantalizing and perverse—I love it. Best of luck getting this published.”

• “It was funny – truly. Referring to the female character as dinner was hilarious (…) The journey of the demon putting out the candles is nice – especially because the candle names and scents themselves evoke an aura of middle-class blandness that becomes vivid for the reader. We also thought the bit about the publishing contract would resonate with many. The end was hilarious. Both characters ending up happy is rare and added much humour to the piece.”

• “It’s fun in its own insane, visceral way.”

And from Hungry Shadow Press’s very own Brandon Applegate: “It’s exactly the kind of bonkers, inside-baseball, disgustingly great spin on a well worn trope I was looking for when I started putting this together.” (!!) Seriously, just absolutely glowing over here! And can’t wait to see what else made it in (28 stories total~)

So, look forward to this insane, funny, and somehow happy (?!) gross-out horror comedy and a truly awesome linup of other horror stories one day soon!

Writing Short Fiction for StoryStudio Summer Camp 2022: Imaginary Islands

Date: August 2, 2022

Time: 10-11 am PST

Location: virtual

Type: workshop + Q&A

StoryStudio is a a Victoria, BC-based charity that provides free and low cost creative writing programming, resources, and contests for kids and teens across Canada.

This is a private event for Imaginary Island registered campers ages 10-16 and registration is now closed, but if you’re a young writer (or a parent), check out their site for how to get involved, upcoming programs, and regular writing contests!