Linsey Knerl's Blog

As some of you already know, I'm making my non-fiction debut this year with a homeschool book I've been working on for a very long time.

Homeschool Hacks: How to Give Your Kid a Great Education Without Losing Your Job (or Your Mind) will be available April 6th and is available for pre-order now!

If you can't wait, be sure to enter the Goodreads giveaway for the book going on now through Feb. 26th.

Enter here: https://t.co/26ZqiwrVFb

I can't wait to share my favorite homeschool tips with you!

Linsey

I have a flash piece in the latest edition of the SHALLOW WATERS anthology series, published by Crystal Lake Publishing. You can read this collection for free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. Buy it for just $.99. If you like short fiction, this should be a fun addition to your digital collection. I'm particularly fond of Jennifer Carsten's THE MASCOT. A very creepy read, indeed!

No sooner had I shared that I would be participating in this year's Borderland's Bootcamp than I was regretting my decision to go. I'm tricky like that. Or unstable. (Your call.) In fact, I was in bed the night before my flight to Baltimore, crying to my husband about how I didn't want to go. "I change my mind." With so much invested in the event, including going through over 20 manuscript samples and buying a first-class ticket to the city (because I had points to use and who wouldn't want to fly first-class?) -- I packed my bag, including the giant binder of writing samples. Why was I so afraid? It's simple, really. I have, over the course of a decade, created the words you see on websites for brands like HP, Walmart, American Express, and Mastercard. I've been to big corporate events where some of the branding for billion-dollar marketing campaigns was created with feedback from writers like me. I am comfortable doing everything from ad scripts to white papers. I have no problem hopping on a call with a complete stranger at 2 pm on a Wednesday and having a case study done by 6 pm. Fiction, however, terrifies the hell out of me. Writing about the newest 3D printing extrusion technology is someone else's story. The dark tales I eek out a little at a time over years are MY story. Turns out, other people's stories are much easier to write. So, I went to Borderlands fully aware that I have so much to learn. I was OK with getting feedback. Harsh feedback propels me. I've had my share of dance instructors and piano teachers who have yelled or criticized me to get my work to be the best it can be. My fear was in what those who weren't the teachers would think. Like the guy who wrote about room 308. Or the lady with the cat. Or the very creepy zombie "intimacy doll" partner which shouldn't have been readable by my own topical preferences but captivated me with how well it was written. I was walking into a mosh pit of transgressive and mature ideas, and all I had to bring to the table was a story about a big-headed little Rooster named Baldwin, who may or may not be undead, depending on how I decide to wrap up the details. Could this farm girl with a passion for "quiet" horror even hang with these bold and freaky writers? Yes. Yes, she could. And I loved almost every minute of it. While I won't get into the ins and out of how the boot camp works, I will give you some highlights. 1) My two-page writing sample was shot down by the audience before it got past the first paragraph. Something about knee-socks triggered them. I don't really know. But the story about a training academy for young artists who perform for the last dying moments of VIPs in palliative care will go on. Nothing will stop me. 2) My manuscript had holes. I knew this going in. I had loved my opening chapter, and with the knowledge that I must scrap 7-11 pages, I'm actually more in love with it. All four of my instructors and a few of my peers told me to cut it down. I will. I'm hoping to wrap up Baldwin's adventures by mid-year and submit to somewhere. Maybe my current publisher will take a bite. 3) Tom Monteleone kept asking attendees if they are submitting anywhere. Most were not. I at least have this going for me. My rejection pile is enormous. Some have some very thoughtful feedback. I had submitted to a Borderlands anthology in the past and was given some encouraging words. "Very good writing. Not a story." I'll keep submitting. It's the writer's way. 4) The freakiest people I imagined through their stories were actually the most humble and relatable. Transgressive writing doesn't mean a person is unstable or dangerous. I knew this in my heart, but my head often has a hard time envisioning what people are thinking when they write the things they do. As it turns out, some of the most wicked plot details were "thrown in" for kicks. Other details were carefully mulled over before adding in. We can't know what is in another's heart. We just can't. I hope this continues to remind me that there are many forms of expression. While I will probably never get on the bizarro or super-transgressive writing train as a reader, I have a better understanding of where this develops. The Venn Diagram between someone who writes like this and myself (with my muted horror themes) is quite interconnected. There's a lot of overlap. 5) I know people always come out of these things saying "I made friends!" I did, as well. Some folks don't share enough to fall into that category, but many do. Those that I connected with have added something extra to my writing and my personal life. I'm grateful for that. 6) The teachers at this event put in a lot of work. I can't imagine. They took each piece of work as its own mission, applying skill and nuance to get the feedback just right. I have always struggled to transition between newspaper writing, corporate copywriting, and prose. After being told that I have a crippling "love affair for passive voice," I know where to go next to get better. Thanks for not holding back, guys. I adore you all the more for not wasting my time with 101-level writing advice. This is why boot camp works. Want to know more about Bootcamp? Get the details for next year here. Updates should happen around May or June-ish. Cheers!

Have you heard of the Borderlands Press Writing Boot camp? This conference/learning event has been going on for years, and I am one of 24 writers accepted to this year's program. If you're not familiar with the program, the full details can be found here. I'll join a couple dozen other writers in a weekend of feedback, instruction, and writing challenges, and I've heard very good things from past years' attendees. In addition to this year's guest instructor Chet Williamson, we'll be led by Ginjer Buchanan, Thomas F. Monteleone, F. Paul Wilson, and Douglas E. Winter. I'm looking forward to this Baltimore event next week, and I encourage you to keep your eyes on their event website for details on how to apply for next year's event.

I'm super excited to finally share that my debut novel TVILLING has been given a release date. The full-length book is set for December 11, 2020, by the always amazing Giles Press. We have a cover, too, which you can see perfectly highlights the book's title. (For those who don't know, the word "tvilling" is Danish for "twin." It's the perfect title for a book about doppelgangers written by a girl who loves all things Danish and has been very proud of her Danish heritage over the years.) It's early days, with so many other things happening between now and the release date, but I wanted you to be the first to know! P.S. If Giles Press is new to you, that's OK. It's new to everyone. This brand-spankin' publishing house is doing some very cool things, however. They just put out their first title from the very talented Gemma Amor. TILL THE SCORE IS PAID is an enthralling read bursting with imagery, perfect prose, and delightfully-spooky little illustrations. Don't miss this epic first offering from our publisher.

The publisher for my upcoming novel is working on something quite amazing for next year's Halloween season, and I'm included! HALLOWEEN IN HOOPER is a holiday-themed anthology set in the small English town of Hooper, and things aren't exactly what they seem to be -- especially on All Hallow's Eve... Stay tuned for more information on this Giles Press title. It appears I'm in some VERY good company! I'll be joining writers Richard Chizmar, Kealan Patrick Burke, Jeff Strand, John D. Taff, Ramsey Campbell, T.J. Tranchell, Gabino Iglesias, Lisa Morton, Christopher Buehlman, Jeff Howard, Jennifer Soucy, and Gemma Amor. Many are my all-time faves. Subscribe to the mailing list to be alerted to it FIRST (form is at the bottom of the page) -- or check out updates on my Facebook page.

So, maybe you've heard of a fantastic publisher called Crystal Lake Publishing? If not, you're truly missing out! Not only does this pub have a Stoker or two behind their talent teams, but they frequently do author challenges and competitions on their Patreon to give writers like me a chance to test our skills and possibly even end up in a future anthology. Shallow Waters Vol.2: A Flash Fiction Anthology was birthed out of this latest batch of writers as they went head-to-head with flash fiction. My short story "Remy and the Elephant" is included in this anthology, along with over 20 others. See amazing work from Jess Landry, Chad Lutzke, Mark Allen Gunnells, Raven Dane, Austin James, and so many more! This great little read is just $.99! Pre-order to have it in your hot little hands when it goes live on July 26th. And be sure to check out the Crystal Lake Patreon page if you're a reader looking for fresh voices in horror and FREE books on the regular -- or a writer wanting to get support from a publisher who gets what today's writers want.

Been to this site before? Noticed that it was named something else? After what seemed like a most agonizing decision, I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to use a pen name. Most people know me as Linsey. It's how I've formed my friendships within the dark fiction and publishing community. It's also a natural leap from my career as a non-fiction writer and journalist. I won't be going by that other name, and I've had the frantic experience of contacting all the publishers and outlets that had work of mine ready to go soon to let them know that I want to be mentioned by my real name. They were all really easy-going about it, and (if I can be honest) I think they were pleased by the decision. Part of making sure a book sells well and has good traction is knowing that your writers can promote it naturally. Starting over with a pen name meant no social media footprint and a very small, untested platform. Using my real name assures that I can continue doing what I do online with these books and projects; they can naturally piggy-back off of the buzz I get for other work I do. It's the best way forward, and I'm glad to be here -- as Linsey Knerl. #announcements