My 2022 Year in Review.

This has been a weird year with a lot of ups and downs. I started this year one of five authors shortlisted for an amazing writing grant, only to learn fifteen days into the year that I had not been selected.

I started a new Amazon Vella venture, with a beloved novel, Princess of Scars and Stone, and have had a great time getting involved in the Vella community, but while I’m enjoying working on Princess again, I’m disappointed with the platform. Amazon does not seem to be doing much to promote it and it doesn’t seem to be the right venue for my work.

I found a home for one of my favorite short stories, “A River in the Desert”, in the Summer, with Electric Spec Magazine. They were absolutely amazing to work with and I highly recommend them to both read and submit to.

I also should have another story that is close to my heart coming out in the Out of Darkness Anthology this month, tentatively released December 20th.

Both of these stories have rattled around on my hard drive a few years, looking for their ideal home and placing them was a big deal.

Speculation Publications became a real thing this year, after publishing the collection of publications as a collaboration with Writers Block workshop members, under the umbrella of Freeze Time Media. We put out our first open call and jumped into the process with The Dancing Plague.

It was a lot. Mostly in the best ways.

Working with other authors, helping to bring their stories to light and pulling a bunch of ideas together to make a thing, a BOOK was an amazing process. I loved it so much I barely paused before we did it again with Incubate, my passion project, born out of my rage over the RvW overturn.

There were a lot of victories this year, but there were as many or more defeats. My Historical LGBTQ+ medieval novel got sparse requests from agents all year. Mostly I heard nothing on queries. I did start to put it out to small presses and had more response there, until…

I got a request and than an offer to rep.

Man, that was a lovely two days. The agent had a great vision for the book, a clear path to take and wanted to take me on as a client for all my work.

Apparently that was the problem. She didn’t realize that I wrote in several genres. (Yes, I had a variety of writing credits in my cover letter)

While I know I would have had plenty of strictly historical work for her, and if she’s brought up her concerns I would have been happy to publish my other work under a pen name, on my own or with another agent, she contacted me the day she was supposed to send the contract, instead withdrawing her offer.

Ouch.

That hurts even now to type.

I rallied by joining HWA, which was a great choice. Who needs an agent who won’t let you write horror when you can surround yourself with the glorious weirdos who sing your bloody songs.

Lady is also out with several small presses, so I hope she’ll find a home soon. I sat and thought for a while about trying to focus on just one genre, but the idea of not being allowed to write what was demanding to be written sounds absolutely miserable. So fuck that noise.

I have several new novels that I am writing. Two that are completed first drafts awaiting edits. One that I put out to query years ago that I shelved to do rewites on. I have tons of work. Spec Pub has some awesome projects in the works for next year.

I currently have 15 active submissions out. A few I will probably hear back from before the end of the year.

It was a weird year, but the most fruitful I’ve had so far.