Carey Burns

I figured if the world is supposed to end tomorrow, I better get one last blog in... Let's see...I'm officially a 5-time NaNoWriMo failure, but I'm okay with that because I got an A+ in my class.  Priorities.... My contributor copy of The Snuff Syndicate arrived and I'm pleased to see my story "Tipping the Odds" in print.  I did get a rejection for my story "The Witches in the Walls," but the editor was kind and gave me some really good criticism.  Now I have a new twist for the story, but I can't quite bring myself to write it yet.  We'll see what happens. Right now I'm enjoying the first day of my vacation and gearing up to make almond bark and stories sing.  If we're all still here after tomorrow, I'll do something fun on the blog.  Maybe share a story for free or post bits from a project (hint:  cartoon crabs)...hmm.... 

I've been dreaming about my dad a lot lately.  They aren't nightmares and aren't anything horribly emotional.  He's just there, smiling.  I miss him a lot and yesterday was strange without him watching football and hollering with the guys.  As I looked around the table after dinner, it struck me how much older we look.  I don't know if it is all the things this year has put on us or if I just finally took a moment to really, really look at my family.  My youngest niece is almost taller than me, the nephews have abandoned their video games for girlfriends, and my sisters and I have similar twinkle wrinkles.  It made me wonder how long we'll all have to be together and it made me grateful for the time we have.  I think my dad was with us, or his spirit was.  (maybe that's what got my husband so excited about the game???)  At any rate, I'm thankful for the time.

Haiku Horror Stories is now available on Kindle and as a real book !  I'm really proud of this book and hope people enjoy it.  I've been smiling and basically floating on a cloud since this little runt went live. Self-publishing, for me, was hard at first.  I'd never worked with Gimp (I'm a novice user of PhotoShop) and I really struggled through the ins and outs of the cover.  (pixelation is my enemy)  In the end, I'm happy, but wish I could have the title and my name on the spine of the book.  But, now I know in order for that to happen, I should have over 130 pages.  Gives me something to work for. NaNo isn't going as well as I'd hoped, but I'm writing strictly as my evil, evil vampire, Roman, and I'm seeing his motives much clearer.  He's almost sympathetic.  Almost. One final thing before I get back to homework and NaNo. I want to say thank you to all of our veterans.  (especially my big brother!)  As I get older,...

Halloween is done and gone and while I feel satisfied, I'm sad.  Christmas has taken more square footage at the stores and my neighborhood looks so plain now.  I even took down the Halloween decorations at work.  The hubby and I are already making plans for next year, so that helps lessen the blues.  There is just something magical about opening your doors to share treats with total strangers and letting yourself be whatever you imagine for just one night.  I wish we could capture this spirit and sprinkle it throughout the year. The second proof of my book had a wonky cover so now I'm eagerly waiting for proof three.  I could do this again and again...but hope I don't have to. No More Heroes is finally available!  I can't wait to see what the world thinks of that project--it was truly a labor of love. Well, I'm off to snack on leftover candy and work on my NaNo project.  It feels great to be with my bad, bad vampires again. 

The big day is almost here and I am so excited...a few of our neighbors are having spookiness for Halloween as well.  Right now my house looks like this... ...and it keeps getting creepier!  Gotta love Halloween! I'm patiently (yeah, right!) awaiting the arrival of my second proof copy of Haiku Horror Stories and then she'll be ready to unleash on the world!  It has been a fun learning experience and I think if I self-pub again, I'll be more prepared for the amount of work it truly is.  The amazing Zombies Gone Wild! is now available on Kindle with a print book out soon.  My story "Being Neighborly" appears in it alongside some pretty great authors and I can't wait to get a copy of this book.  Have a happy Halloween if I don't make it back to the blog before then!!!

Ah, to the person that passed the Stomach Virus to me, I thank you.  I was upset about gaining that half pound last week but after having severe diarrhea and not being able to keep fluids down (thus getting dangerously dehydrated), I think I've lost that half pound AND MORE!  The chills, fever, and general body aches made me appreciate sick days so that I could lay in one spot all day in my own sweat and misery while I hallucinated.  The headache?  Oh, that just gave me a reason not to think.  (as did the lightheadedness) But the sudden, violent nosebleed this morning?  Oh, that was the BEST part.  What horror writer doesn't like blood, especially when it cascades from your own face to be cupped into your hands?  That gave me divine inspiration, so thank you!  Thank you for exposing me to your virus.  I think I already have a story worked out. 

Why hello there, been a while, hasn't it?  So much is going on right now and I finally have a blessed moment of peace before it starts swirling around me again.  Let's see.... ...I've completed my Haiku Horror Stories book and it is in the hands of the beta readers right now.  I've been experimenting with a back cover and think I've discovered something dreadfully fun.  ...the Slimming continues and I've lost 11 pounds so far with quite a few more to go.  I jogged recently.  Properly jogged (nobody saw me, I made sure of that!) and wheezed and sweated.  It felt pretty nice.  I haven't really jogged since I was 14.  Wow.  Don't I feel old now? ...I believe I've got an A so far in my online class and have learned that I do not want to leave anywhere near a volcano or earthquake zone.  No thanks. ...tomorrow night I teach a jewelry class with the loveliest of Swarovski crystal combinations.  Here it is:   ...