Carey Burns

I checked the Cafe Doom website before work to see if they posted the winners and found out that my story won 2nd place--I'm stunned and pleased to say the least.  Next up is to query a few editors to see if they would be interested in publishing it.  All I can say is thank goodness I saw a centipede squiggling around on a coworker's back because if I hadn't, this story never would have written itself.  NaNo is going a lot better.  I broke 32000 words and would really like to finish either Sunday or Monday.  Wish me luck...

I've been purposefully avoiding the blog until Cafe Doom's Seventh Annual Short Story Contest was over.  I hate trying to keep secrets and not blabbing the title of my story was VERY painful.  But, the contest is over and now I can say that my story "Penny Farmer and the Bad Day" received some votes and quite a few honorable mentions.  Right now I'm tied for 9th place and waiting to see which top 10 story makes it into One Buck Horror and which is Ed's pick.  If you're a writer with a penchant for the dark side, you really need to check them out, join the forum, and participate in next year's contest.  The contest is judged by fellow writers (anonymously) and some people take the time to give brief critiques of the stories.  Even if my story isn't a big winner, I've gotten some great feedback and know what to do before I try sending it out to other publishers. NaNoWriMo is flying by and I'm over 21,000 words.  I'm behind and really ne...

First, the good news!  Zombidays: Festivities of the Flesheaters is available NOW so run and buy it.  With a hot dog eating contest and zombies, you can't really lose, can you?  My short story is called "Time to Eat." On to the sad news.  Twisted Library Press has announced that due to the economy, all anthologies except for a few are cancelled and all rights revert to the authors.  TLP will still be producing novels, but for an undetermined time, no anthologies.  You can read more about it here .  I'm sad that these stories no longer have a home, but I support Doc and when he opens a call for submissions in the future, you can bet I'll be right there with a story in hand. Short Stories that are now released to me that I will be finding homes for include: "All Fun and Games" released from Made You Flinch--Again! "Dracula Meets the Packrats" released from Groanology 2: Monsters, Madness, and Mayhem "Zombi...

I've decided to stop waiting on a reader.  I'm going to dust off my novel, crack open the notebook and revise it to the brink of collapse and then I'm going to do the scariest thing in the world.  I'm going to take my list of 5 dream agents and I'm going to submit my story to them.  It won't be pretty and I'm sure there may be vomit involved in the whole ordeal somewhere, but I have to do it.  If you're a waiter like me (no, not a 'Did you save room for dessert?' kind of waiter) I encourage you to stop waiting too.  Things happen when you wait.  Sometimes they're bad things and you kick yourself and ask  "Why did I wait so long?"  Why the change?  I looked at my list of goals for 2011 and noticed that the big three are nowhere near being done because I'm waiting on one person.  Not good, considering 2012 is mere months away.  Also, someone very dear to me is celebrating 8 years since having surgery to remove cancer.  L...

Ah, that cool air of fall has me spazzing out and flitting from one project to another like some kind of crazed bee getting ready for winter.  We're already 3 days into October and I've already been mourning the loss of Halloween.  Silly, I know, but the season just goes by too quickly.  Way too quickly. But, I've been busy making and plotting and today was incredibly productive.  See for yourself here: I got off my duff and revised a story called "Old Friends" and submitted it to Evil Jester's Attic Toys anthology.  Cross your fingers for me that they like it.  Tomorrow I get back to a story I'm submitting to a contest and then I can seek out places to submit "Hair Baby" to since they've released all stories from Weird Tales.  All these things need to be completed before November 1st when NaNo springs forth and rocks my world for 30 days and nights.  I forsee many sleepless nights.  Or late nights at least.  Again, cross those fin...

Time flies when you're a busy bee.  Just finished a submission for Evil Jester Press *fingers crossed* and have begun a short for Cafe Doom's 7th Annual Short Story Contest .  Last year's was so fun I have to give it a whirl this time but without talking vultures.  I'm still working on the outline for my vampire novel--NaNoWriMo, here I come!  The slimming is stalled at the moment, what with the food I've been cramming into my mouth every waking minute of the day...  Still, I only gained 1.5 pounds so there's that.  My head is back in the fight now so I just need to get back to work.  (sitting next to a magazine with caramel apples on the cover isn't quite helping) After reviewing my goals for this year I'm falling short, but I've made big strides.  I have yet to send my novel out to an agent, but I've submitted 7 stories so I'm 3 short from achieving that goal, and I should (in theory) finish a novel this year.  I'm pretty pleased....

This month flew by and due to reasons beyond my control the blog was left behind.  Sorry!  But, my home computer will actually let me post now so here we go!  Baconology is available for purchase here .  I got a very nice rejection for a short story that made a short list, so there's lemonade in them thar lemons!  Right now my insides are all a-twist while I wait and wait on the submission I sent to my Dream Magazine Gig.  Their response time is 6-8 weeks...it has been 7 and I'm a wreck.  I'd love to see "Hair Baby" be my breakthrough piece...ack, hope I didn't just jinx it... I'm maintaining an 18 pound weight loss and am still in the fight.  I should have taken 'before' pics.  Ah well. Last Saturday I had the opportunity to volunteer my time helping to relocate an abandoned/neglected cemetery.  It totally re-ignited my love of archaeology and cemented the fact that I WILL sign up for field school next summer.  Life is too sho...