Carey Burns

I'm giddy to announce that The Zombist is now available through Createspace and will be on Amazon very soon. I wrote a story called "Goldfield Goes To Hell" for this zombie western anthology and it looks like this will be a very big book. 450 pages big. I can't wait to get my copy to see what the other writers came up with! Here's another thing that made me giddy today. Gotta get into the Halloween spirit somehow!!

A nice, plump envelope filled with semiprecious stones was waiting for me on the porch last night so I had to make up a bunch of bracelets right away. My favorite is a big chunky strand of rough faceted seagreen jade. I liked it so much that I decided not to sell it. It kinda reminds me of Wilma Flintstone's necklace but honeydew melon colored. Pretty! And, I've got goodies coming to me so that I can make a little something wickedly adorable for Halloween. Here's hoping it turns out as well as I imagine it. I should be getting "The G.O.R.E. Score, Volume I" by Tony Schaab too. Yes, another book. I can't help it. I will be putting the brakes on book-buying soon so I can sink my funds into other things like...oh...I don't know...flooring. We've been putting it off and putting it off but it needs to get done. Ah, the joys of homeownership.

I don't know what it is or was in the air, but it had a hint of Halloween to it. Now, I've been feeling the Halloween itch for a few weeks now...doing double-takes at every splash of orange I see in the stores, daydreaming about how our front porch will look this year, craving caramel apples... There's nothing to cure the itch but to scratch it (metaphorically) and by jove, I've done it. I'm going to make a shadowbox shaped like a house and dress it all up in black and orange and scary things that go boo in the night. My supplies are on their way and I cannot wait to create something spooky all on my own. And I'm not stopping there. I've got oodles of scary stories to write to get me into the holiday spirit. I mean, we only have 94 days left, people! I gotta get busy!

So I knocked over the "To Read" pile of books on the coffee table and decided that I will give more time and energy to reading all the lovely books and writing up reviews for Amazon. Good times. Here's what's in store for me this week: Empire by David Dunwoody (loving this book so far) The Blooming by Tonia Brown The Apocalypse and Satan's Glory Hole by Tim Long and Jonathan Moon Hopefully...I'll finish all of these and then get to Bigfoot War by Eric S. Brown.

The Library of Horror has yet another anthology that I've got a story idea for. Behold, Made You Flinch: Horror Stories to Unnerve, Disturb, and Freak You Out. I worry about the word limit though. My idea might make better flash than a 4-7K story, but who knows. Because I haven't been writing after work everyday since June, the battery on my Mini is totally dead and to get a replacement won't be cheap. So, I'll have to work with it plugged in all the time until I have the extra cash to get a new (perhaps even better) battery. I've been battling with work stress and my GERD for about a week now and early this morning I had the joy of gagging on stomach acid in my sleep. Nothing like fearing choking in your sleep to keep you awake the rest of the night. So...after dinner tonight I'm going to relax and then perhaps go to sleep early. Here's hoping for an acid-free night.

I'm trying to keep myself thinking positive and being happy so that work stress doesn't eat a hole in my stomach. So, without further ado.... My story "Tipping the Odds" will appear in the serial killer anthology called The Snuff Syndicate that will be released by Library of Horror. I'm very honored to be included in this book and it looks like it will be something special. :) While working on an idea for the second Groanology , I had a vision of something grand and unique to the zombie world and am working like mad to finish it. I don't want to divulge too much yet until I've run it by a few people to see if it is even a possibility. Cross your fingers... Rumor has it that our AC might be fixed tomorrow. I won't place any bets on it, but one can hope.

Not just because I want to win the prize, I love 7gypsies because they make my jewelry and art special. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5lXygFkanc&feature=player_embedded

Well, with the AC still dead at our house this heat wave is just no fun for anyone. The cats seem wilted and grumpy...kinda like me. Ah well, it'll be over soon. I sent off my contract for Groanology and am almost done with my rewrites. Progress is a good thing! Tomorrow I have a cervical (neck) epidural and I'm even more nervous than I was about the EMG. I keep telling myself that it will make me feel better but it is pretty scary. At least I get a day at the salon Saturday and I'm going to make sad puppy dog eyes to get a treat from Cold Stone...

However that saying goes...whatever. We're supposed to have a heat index of up to 101 degrees (who loves Illinois???) today and our AC bought the farm--crapped out--said the big farewell--died. There's two things I'm not looking forward to: the cost of repair or replacement and trying to sleep in that hot bedroom. I'm hoping the cats will be wise enough to just lay around in front of the fan all day, but that Elfie is kind of a dink sometimes so she'll probably think today is THE DAY to run sprints around the house and harass Zoey. *shakes head* I'm working on rewrites for the No More Heroes anthology and hope to have them done either today or tomorrow. I'm really anxious to see how my little tale gets interwoven with all the other authors' stories to create an entire universe. That's just so magical to me.

I've often wondered what happens when a writer gets too old to write or they are afflicted by Alzheimer's. Do they just stop writing? Do they repeat story ideas? My hope is that by using the brain so much and being creative that it remains healthy but...can over-using it cause damage? I think I have a story here.

I won't lie, it hurt. I've got bruises and my arms feel tender where the various purple dots and X's are drawn on me and the needle portion of the test was NOT a piece of cake. While the doctor and assistant looked at the wavy line on the computer and the needle was just hanging out in the back of my hand, I felt a bit woozy and asked to lie down. I must have been pure white cuz they obliged and lifted my legs up to get the old blood rushing to my head again. Oh, then there was the needle in the spine...that was rather hurty too. When it was over I was kinda sad that I didn't get a prize for not crying but I almost passed out so I guess that negates any prize. I did get breakfast and a double chocolate fudge brownie and two homemade caramels and later that night I got a caramel cashew sundae from Culver's so that was my reward. In the end, I'm glad I had the test done and am hopeful I won't have to have neck surgery.

I submitted "Being Neighborly" so now I wait to hear back from the publisher. I'm a little more than nervous about sending my writing to a different publisher but I've got high hopes that he likes it enough to include it in the anthology. Tomorrow is the big EMG day. I'm not sure whether I'll have a needle jabbed into my neck, spine, or hand, but in any case I'm VERY nervous about it. At least I get some ice cream afterwards. That should keep me going. I hope...

Well, 2 more days until my EMG and I'm just a wee bit apprehensive. I don't like having needles jabbed into my skin unless it is worthwhile, like getting a tattoo. Anywho, at least I get a 2 day work week out of the deal. I'm working on my final edits before I send my story "Being Neighborly" off to the publisher. I think after so many submissions, I'm getting used to the sick worry feeling. Either that or the Tramadol is easing more than just my pain... I went on a fantastic canoe trip yesterday and there is one part of the river where these huge ancient trees expose their twisted and gnarled network of roots and you can almost imagine some horrific monster lurking inside, watching you as you float by...I got lots of ideas from this trip. Hopefully I can make them into something that is readable and enjoyable as well...cross your fingers! Speaking of a full day in the sun...I highly endorse Neutrogena Spectrum Advanced SPF 100+ sunblock. I was out from ...

I just got the fantastic news that my story "Dracula Meets the Clutter Crew" will appear in the upcoming anthology from Library of Horror Press , Groanology: Amusing Monster Mash-Ups Unleashed. It is a thrill to be included in this anthology because what I think is funny usually gets rolled eyes or requests for me to shut my yap. All in all, today is shaping up to be a good day and an even better extended weekend. Hooray for time to relax, time to spend with friends and family, time to laugh, and (with any hope) time to welcome a new soul into the world. *fingers crossed for a speedy, safe, and relatively painless delivery for L and B*