Patrick Scalisi's Blog - Posts Tagged "hex-mcgowan"
News: April 2013
The life of a writer is one of ups and downs, of acceptances and rejections, of good days of productivity and bad days staring at the blinking cursor of death. I've been fortunate over the past five years to work with a great number of talented writers and editors, and to have my work appear in some great publications.
The last few months have been a creative trough. Despite promises to myself to work diligently most days of the week, I've found it harder and hard to write in the evenings after work, especially when it's easier and more attractive to simply relax. This is coupled with the fact that the only story I had scheduled to be published (which should have been published last fall) will likely not see the light of day since there are have been no updates on the project since last December and all my queries to the editor(s) have gone unanswered. With this piece in limbo and another piece being considered by a project that I also suspect has been canceled, I haven't submitted any stories all year.
I'm not explaining all of this to complain about my situation because, let's face it, no one likes a smarmy, whiny writer. Rather, this is more of a retrospective on where I've been and where I'm going.
Things are going to change April 1.
Beginning this month, I have shifted my work schedule forward by one hour to accommodate a guaranteed hour of writing each morning. I'll be getting up at my regular time and getting ready for work at my regular time. But instead of leaving the house at 7 a.m., I'll be sitting at my computer to write for an hour, Monday through Friday.
And I'm going to need that time. Here's what I'm currently working on:
1.) My collection The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West is being considered by a major Canadian publisher. If the collection is rejected, I'll begin marketing it more extensively to markets that specifically want short-story collections.
2.) I'm finishing my current edit of The Lamplighters, an urban paranormal fantasy novel set in New Haven, Conn. Depending on how the latest round of edits go, I may or may not decide to market the book. If not, it will be put on hiatus to be revisited in the future.
3.) If my short story "Hex McGowan and the Cat's Meow" is rejected by the current project where it is under consideration, I hope to do extensive edits. It currently runs 6,900 words, which is a bit much for most short story publishers. A word count of 5,000 would be ideal, but likely unreasonable. I'd be happy with 6,000 words.
4.) If my short story "Salvage" is not published in the project where it has been accepted, I hope to submit it extensively elsewhere.
5.) Finally, I've begun work on a new longer sci-fi work in the vein of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. With projects 1-4 in a better place, I hope to continue work on this novel-length work.
In the meantime, I have plenty of work out there for you all to read. Click on the stories tab at the top of the page to see some of the stuff I've published over the past five years.
Until next month, thanks for reading!
The last few months have been a creative trough. Despite promises to myself to work diligently most days of the week, I've found it harder and hard to write in the evenings after work, especially when it's easier and more attractive to simply relax. This is coupled with the fact that the only story I had scheduled to be published (which should have been published last fall) will likely not see the light of day since there are have been no updates on the project since last December and all my queries to the editor(s) have gone unanswered. With this piece in limbo and another piece being considered by a project that I also suspect has been canceled, I haven't submitted any stories all year.
I'm not explaining all of this to complain about my situation because, let's face it, no one likes a smarmy, whiny writer. Rather, this is more of a retrospective on where I've been and where I'm going.
Things are going to change April 1.
Beginning this month, I have shifted my work schedule forward by one hour to accommodate a guaranteed hour of writing each morning. I'll be getting up at my regular time and getting ready for work at my regular time. But instead of leaving the house at 7 a.m., I'll be sitting at my computer to write for an hour, Monday through Friday.
And I'm going to need that time. Here's what I'm currently working on:
1.) My collection The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West is being considered by a major Canadian publisher. If the collection is rejected, I'll begin marketing it more extensively to markets that specifically want short-story collections.
2.) I'm finishing my current edit of The Lamplighters, an urban paranormal fantasy novel set in New Haven, Conn. Depending on how the latest round of edits go, I may or may not decide to market the book. If not, it will be put on hiatus to be revisited in the future.
3.) If my short story "Hex McGowan and the Cat's Meow" is rejected by the current project where it is under consideration, I hope to do extensive edits. It currently runs 6,900 words, which is a bit much for most short story publishers. A word count of 5,000 would be ideal, but likely unreasonable. I'd be happy with 6,000 words.
4.) If my short story "Salvage" is not published in the project where it has been accepted, I hope to submit it extensively elsewhere.
5.) Finally, I've begun work on a new longer sci-fi work in the vein of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. With projects 1-4 in a better place, I hope to continue work on this novel-length work.
In the meantime, I have plenty of work out there for you all to read. Click on the stories tab at the top of the page to see some of the stuff I've published over the past five years.
Until next month, thanks for reading!
News: February 2014
As usual, January has flown by and we're already into the second month of 2014. But the start of the new year has already brought with it a bounty of good news.
First, I'm proud to announce that after more than 20 rejections, my short story "Hex McGowan and the Cat's Meow" has finally found a home at Solarwyrm Press. The story will be released in an upcoming anthology that will be partially funded through Kickstarter. I'll post more information about the crowdfunding campaign when the initiative has launched.
Second, the magazine that I work for by day is up for a whopping 45 awards at this year's industry press conference. (I know, because I made PDFs for all of them!) Of those entries, three are stories that I wrote in 2013. Here's keeping our fingers crossed for the awards banquet in June.
Finally this month, I've seen some of the preliminary cover art for The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West. I'm pleased to let you all know that the eminently talented Dwayne Vance will be providing the cover art, and it's a doozy. I simply can't wait to share it with the world.
Once the final cover art is in, the publisher should announce a release date for the book, at which time I will shout it from the rooftops.
Thanks for making the start of 2014 great! Until next month, happy reading!
First, I'm proud to announce that after more than 20 rejections, my short story "Hex McGowan and the Cat's Meow" has finally found a home at Solarwyrm Press. The story will be released in an upcoming anthology that will be partially funded through Kickstarter. I'll post more information about the crowdfunding campaign when the initiative has launched.
Second, the magazine that I work for by day is up for a whopping 45 awards at this year's industry press conference. (I know, because I made PDFs for all of them!) Of those entries, three are stories that I wrote in 2013. Here's keeping our fingers crossed for the awards banquet in June.
Finally this month, I've seen some of the preliminary cover art for The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West. I'm pleased to let you all know that the eminently talented Dwayne Vance will be providing the cover art, and it's a doozy. I simply can't wait to share it with the world.
Once the final cover art is in, the publisher should announce a release date for the book, at which time I will shout it from the rooftops.
Thanks for making the start of 2014 great! Until next month, happy reading!
News: March 2014
Things are moving quickly this month for my short story, "Hex McGowan and the Cat's Meow." After more than 20 rejections, the story has found a home in the Allusions of Innocence anthology to be published by Solarwyrm Press. You can see a preview of the book's cover here on Goodreads.
The anthology is being funded through the crowd-funding site Indiegogo, and you can find the campaign HERE. We've reached our initial goal of $500, but the editors would ideally like to raise $2,000 to provide as much support to the authors and to promotion. There are some great perks, too, like being able to pre-order this and another anthology in a variety of formats. If you would, consider making a contribution today.
The cover art is still pending for my debut book, The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West. As I mentioned previously, Dwayne Vance is doing the art. He's kept me appraised of the painting's progress, and it's coming along great. I simply can't wait to share it with the world.
Once the final cover art is in, the publisher should announce a release date for the book, at which time I will shout it from the rooftops.
Until next month, happy reading!
The anthology is being funded through the crowd-funding site Indiegogo, and you can find the campaign HERE. We've reached our initial goal of $500, but the editors would ideally like to raise $2,000 to provide as much support to the authors and to promotion. There are some great perks, too, like being able to pre-order this and another anthology in a variety of formats. If you would, consider making a contribution today.
The cover art is still pending for my debut book, The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West. As I mentioned previously, Dwayne Vance is doing the art. He's kept me appraised of the painting's progress, and it's coming along great. I simply can't wait to share it with the world.
Once the final cover art is in, the publisher should announce a release date for the book, at which time I will shout it from the rooftops.
Until next month, happy reading!
News: April 2014
Things continue to move forward with the publication of my short story, "Hex McGowan and the Cat's Meow." After more than 20 rejections, the story has found a home in the Allusions of Innocence anthology to be published by Solarwyrm Press. You can see a preview of the book's cover here on Goodreads.
Last month, we completed our crowd-funding campaign, raising nearly $900 in pre-orders to support the authors and defray publishing costs. For those who missed it, the anthology will be released in a variety of formats at the end of April. We're also getting some great advance praise on the book's Goodreads page.
Meanwhile, the cover art is still pending for my debut book, The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West. As I mentioned previously, Dwayne Vance is doing the art. He's kept me appraised of the painting's progress, and it's coming along great. I simply can't wait to share it with the world.
Once the final cover art is in, the publisher should announce a release date for the book, at which time I will shout it from the rooftops.
Until next month, happy reading!
Last month, we completed our crowd-funding campaign, raising nearly $900 in pre-orders to support the authors and defray publishing costs. For those who missed it, the anthology will be released in a variety of formats at the end of April. We're also getting some great advance praise on the book's Goodreads page.
Meanwhile, the cover art is still pending for my debut book, The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West. As I mentioned previously, Dwayne Vance is doing the art. He's kept me appraised of the painting's progress, and it's coming along great. I simply can't wait to share it with the world.
Once the final cover art is in, the publisher should announce a release date for the book, at which time I will shout it from the rooftops.
Until next month, happy reading!
News: June 2014
June already! Where does the time go? May simply flew by because of how busy the month was and because I needed to set up a new computer after my old laptop had an untimely run-in with my cat and a glass of water. Unfortunately, this meant that I was able to accomplish very little in the realm of writing. To resolve this problem, I have pledged to write every day for at least 30 consecutive weekdays, both to get back on track and to see if I can maintain such a streak.
It has been about a month since the release of Allusions of Innocence, a new anthology from Solarwyrm Press that includes my short story, "Hex McGowan and the Cat's Meow." Hex -- in case you couldn't tell from his name -- is a very unlucky individual who gets drafted by the Cat Guild to steal back their most precious treasure from the clutches of the Rat King. You can buy print and digital copies HERE.
Also, I'll be doing a cover reveal for my book, The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West, once the publisher and I decide on a release date. The fantastic artwork for the book was done by Dwayne Vance. Watch this space and my various social media pages for more updates.
Speaking of social media, did you know that you can find me on several platforms that I'm sure you already use? In addition to Goodreads, you can check out my pages on Facebook and Instagram for fun updates, discussions and contests. (And I promise that all of the Instagram pictures won't be manuscript pages; occasionally, you get burrito Frisbees.)
Until next month, happy reading!
It has been about a month since the release of Allusions of Innocence, a new anthology from Solarwyrm Press that includes my short story, "Hex McGowan and the Cat's Meow." Hex -- in case you couldn't tell from his name -- is a very unlucky individual who gets drafted by the Cat Guild to steal back their most precious treasure from the clutches of the Rat King. You can buy print and digital copies HERE.
Also, I'll be doing a cover reveal for my book, The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West, once the publisher and I decide on a release date. The fantastic artwork for the book was done by Dwayne Vance. Watch this space and my various social media pages for more updates.
Speaking of social media, did you know that you can find me on several platforms that I'm sure you already use? In addition to Goodreads, you can check out my pages on Facebook and Instagram for fun updates, discussions and contests. (And I promise that all of the Instagram pictures won't be manuscript pages; occasionally, you get burrito Frisbees.)
Until next month, happy reading!
