In between the battle of the plague which decided to go 2 rounds with me – it fooled me into thinking I was getting better then sneakily came back and hit me all over again – I have been able to continue reading, writing and submitting. This post is really written as a note to myself to remind me of what I have actually done with my time lately, a little taking stock if you will. Sometimes you can feel as if you’ve not actually done anything.
Reading. This has focussed on my fellow authors at Demain Publishing’s Short Sharp Shock’s Series. I wanted to see the nature of the works amongst which my Asylum of Shadows had been included and I wasn’t disappointed. Whilst some styles of horror were more to my taste than others, they were all extremely well-written and none were a disappointment. I have posted reviews for each of these on amazon and goodreads (when I read a book from smaller presses I do try and give a review, even a short one rather than just a rating). I am quite pleased that editor Dean Drinkel is publishing a variety of takes on the horror genre as it means there is definitely something for everyone with a taste for the darker side of life. I am looking forward to the next batch which should be published soon. With life being so fast-paced, these are great stories to read in those precious moments of downtime.
I’ve also tried reducing my TBR pile – a continued fail I must say as the pile has now increased again with my purchase of Tim Lebbon’s The Silence. I had watched The Quiet Place but had never heard of Lebbon’s book. When I read the blurb I honestly thought TQP had been based on it although there was no apparent acknowledgement. I’m looking forward to reading it and seeing the film when it comes on to Netflix.
Writing. I’ve now joined a sort of subset of HWA’s Fright Club where a small handful of writers submit one story a month and critique two others. I’m hoping this will keep the short story writing aspect of my life disciplined and productive(!!).
In terms of the Waiting Game for responses I have:
One novel out chasing agents
Another novel sent to a publisher for consideration
A novella with yet another publisher
8 short stories with different publications
I have fingers-crossed on all the above but who knows …
In the meantime, I’m just carrying on … like we all do. And I managed to get back to the gym so things are looking up.
Stephanie Ellis 
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