Hot Off The Presses

The virtual presses, I suppose. For those of you who don't know, I am part of Pankhearst, an independent writers collective who have been working tirelessly to deliver quality writing that will leave readers saying "Yes, this is exactly what I have been missing in my life." Some of you might remember a little book called Cars & Girls, or not. If you do and you liked my story Roadrunner, then you might be interested to learn I have now had a single published called Mini. It is available for purchase at a very reasonable price and you can find it here.

Like my previous Cars & Girls short, these two stories both have swear words and some sexy stuff in them, and they actually have mention of suicide as well. If you are squeamish or cringe easily at the mention of misery, there is an option to simply purchase the single and not actually read them. That being said, you might actually enjoy them, even if they make you a tad uncomfortable. These two shorts are a bit on the dark side. They feature women, cars, love, lust and a bit of melancholy for balance.

The tracks on my single are as follows. Side A is called Thunderbird and revenge on a cold night is a pivotal plot point. A small town rocked by fear is waiting for the ghost of Amelia Banes to take her next victim. Side B is a tale of the most beautiful suicide and the complexity that often accompanies life.

If you do pick this gem up, please let me know. All feedback is genuinely appreciated. If you like them, or even if you don't, feel free to share them with friends, or even enemies. Because I am a generous lady, here is a random snippet from Thunderbird:

Lost The Plot

So, I started writing this short story for a collection called 'Mermaids' for Pankhearst. I was super stoked about it, but when I got about halfway through, I realized the plot wasn't going to work. It simply didn't generate the feeling I wanted it too. Instead of a gritty, youthful vibe, it gave off a more adventure Nancy Drew tone, which is nice, but didn't really work for me, or the anthology it was going into.

What did I do? I stopped writing, put it to the side, and have been obsessing over it ever since. I have literally wracked my brain over what to do with the story. I thought to myself, surely I can come up with another plot to work with these amazing characters and crazy world.

Apparently not. It's been sitting for weeks. And I've tried so hard to develop it into something I can share with the editor of the project, but it's just embarrassing. Which is why I am going to stop altogether and put it away. It's not working and it isn't worth me stressing over. Besides, I feel terrible leaving a beautiful and talented hanging in the balance, wondering when I am going to deliver.

Of course, as soon as I officially sign off the project inspiration will strike. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Sigh.

What's Your Damage?

Collectives never used to be my thing. They came down to being a big fat headache riddled with whiners and excuse makers.

I don't want to know why you couldn't make a deadline. How life inexplicably fell apart for you. Or that your muse packed up and left you the day before you started your story.

None of that's for me.

But apparently, with the right crew and captain, the boat called Collective can actually win.

I am winning at collectives now.

As some of you may know, I wrote a long short story, almost a novella, for a little know book called Cars & Girls for a writerly group called Pankhearst.

Well, now the second installment by this fantastic mob is out.

It's called Heathers.

And it is authentically young adulty. Meaning, it is rough, gritty, and true. The emotions behind it. The subject matter.

It comes with a warning, but don't let that sway you.

Square your shoulders, take a deep breath and click this link.

Then buy the book.

You won't be disappointed. My story is last because . . . well, it's good to finish with a bang, right?

Cars & Girls

For some strange and inexplicable reason, I haven't announced the release of Cars & Girls here.

This raging romp of a read is highly important to me because I have a short in it. The novel was released by Pankhearst, an independent collective, and features four nearly novella length stories all centring around revenge and badass women.

Word on the street is it's all about femme noir. And is incredibly sexy and violent.

Because I also write a few things for the Pankhearst blog, located here, I sometimes forget my friends, followers and fans in this realm need to be kept in the loop. So, first thing first...

If you want to follow an awesome, and I do mean awesome, blog and get a butt load of fantastic information, sign up and follow the Pankhearst blog.

Second, if you are interested in buying Cars & Girls, you can find it on Amazon, or you can click this link. It's available in Kindle and paperback. Choose whichever pleases you.

And last, if you want to try to snag yourself a FREE copy of Cars & Girls, then you should invest your time and energy into the very first ever Thisisnotagiveaway Contest Pankhearst is holding over on their blog. It starts Sunday night at 12:01am. Basically, you write a crime/noir themed Haiku. Details can be seen here.

Oh, and if you want to hear my voice talk about this book, I am featured on For Books' Sake's podcast. CLICK HERE.

Here I am holding the new book:

You're Not Going To Like This

Some of you may or may not know, I penned a fabulous story sort of novella thing for Pankhearst’s first publication Cars & Girls. I say fabulous because I am actually incredibly proud of what I’ve put on virtual paper. It’s raw and harsh, kick you in the gut, with a tormented leading lady and a shit ton of cuss words. The interesting part, as much as I like it, I tend to think you're not going to enjoy it at all.

Yeah, you, the one reading this. Okay, fine, maybe I should give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you love edgy, in your face stories about revenge with dirty sexy stuff and bloody gorrific twists too.

Still, here are the five reasons why you won’t like my story. OR, more so, five reasons why I think you're not going to like my story. Because, let's be honest, this is all in my head ... but we all have reservations about our work. Perhaps it's kind of brave of me to be able to put mine out there for you to read. Or perhaps not.

1 - The shit ton of cuss words. Alright, fine, you say you don’t mind a bitch here and an ass there. You think, if it benefits the story, then it will work for you. Then cool, I say, this might actually be a match made in heaven. work for you. And with labels such as tart noir, fem noir and pulp being tossed around like candy at Halloween, I only hope grandmothers aren't popping their false teeth in and lining up with their walkers to snatch this up as soon as it hits shelves. Then again, there are some rather edgy grandmothers in this world and, despite the stereotype, it’s not g-mas who are the uptight ones. If you’re a stuck up twenty-something year old who thinks masturbation is dirty or, dare I say, one of the PC Brigade of Yummy Mummys who fell in love with the virginal sparkly vampire who refused to drink human blood, well, this probably isn't going to end well. But I have a feeling you will be head-over-heels for 500. It’s really a very romantic story. (Cough-cough)

2 - There isn't a happy ending. And no, I'm not giving anything away, but there really, truly isn't a happy ending. If you’re reading this and thinking, she’s just saying that. I’m not. Personally, I think of it as a realistic ending and, if I am being honest, it leaves me with a comforting sort of feeling. Here’s the deal, this is the first thing I've ever put on virtual paper that doesn't end with sunshine coated strawberries and unicorns helping kittens across busy highways. Seriously. I am a fan of happy endings. Maybe that’s why I love Road Runner so much, because it’s different. For me. There are other people, like Nicholas Sparks who wouldn't be able to write a happy ending if someone held a gun to his head. No seriously. What the hell is wrong with that guy?

3 - On principle. It’s indie, which means, to some people, it’s unworthy. But I am a firm believer there are literary works of genius swimming around in the Indie pool. Little nuggets and gems waiting for someone to scoop them up and treasure them forever. I’m not saying this reflects my own work, no, my ego certainly isn't that big. Still, there are some people who will dislike it simply because there isn't a little Penguin stamped on the side. That said, the penguin is the cutest of all the publishing house logos.

4 - You were looking for an escape from the every day horribleness. There’s dirty stuff and angry stuff, harsh reality stuff and ‘ugh, gross’ stuff in Road Runner and you might want your stories sugar coated and tied up with pretty ribbon. A delightful package for you to undo at your leisure and enjoy every step of the way, riddled with brilliant insights and dazzling turns of events so sweet and lovely you have to cock your head to the side and say awwwww. Well, you might as well move along. In defence of Road Runner, it truly is woven together with lush sentences, so juicy and ripe they burst on your tongue with amazingness. Still, it won’t give you the hot chocolate and homemade cookies feeling you may be craving.

5 - Because you don’t like me. It happens. I get it. Maybe you don’t like my face. Or voice. Or hair. It’s up to you.

With all that being said, I sincerely hope I’m wrong and everyone loves it.

Do you ever have reservations about the things you create? Or is it just me?