Tag: Scary Snippets

First One of the Year

Posted on by joepowersauthor

The New Year has started off with a bang in this part of the world. Yesterday I awoke to blinding, sideways snow which persisted well into the evening. I don’t know what the total accumulation was, other than “more than I would have preferred”. Thankfully, aside from dog walks and keeping the back deck cleaned off, I was happy to sit and watch from the comforts of my couch, all snug and warm.

Today, now that we’ve dug out from underneath the wintry blanket, I have some exciting news to share. First, the final edition of the Scary Snippets franchise was released just before New Year’s. The follow-up to last fall’s Campfire Edition, this time around it’s the Virtual Edition – technology gone wrong and wreaking havoc. This has been a fun series to participate in, it inspired me to write original pieces for both editions my work appeared in, and I’m proud of my stories.

And now, the main event. My publisher, World Castle Publishing, contacted me with an offer. I’m pleased to announce that as of this morning I have signed a contract for two more books – one novel and a short story collection. Release details and dates aren’t finalized just yet, but we can expect to see one or both later this year. It’s a good feeling, after a nearly sixteen-month gap between novels, to see the results of my patience and diligence bearing fruit. As with most of the things I’ve written, I’m proud of these forthcoming projects, and I’m excited to share them with you. As always, details to follow as they’re available.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year, and wish you all continued health and happiness moving into 2021. Until next time, stay safe, talk soon!

-JP

The Dark Side of Writing

Posted on by joepowersauthor

It’s November – early days, but November nonetheless – and it feels like spring out there. Sixteen degrees today, and a reported 20 tomorrow. High teens the rest of the week (That’s mid to high 60s, for my American friends). It’s as if I accidentally slipped into hibernation during last week’s sub-zero temperatures and arose from my slumber to happily discover I’d skipped ahead to April. I suspect these temperate days are destined to be short-lived, but considering what November usually feels like around here, we’ll take it.

On to more writerly matters: as of about two hours ago we wrapped up another successful run of Crafting the Short Story. It was a great group and we had a lot of fun, and everyone really impressed me with the cool stuff they came up with for the finale. It seems like a good time to plug the next offering, which moves to Thursday evenings for the winter session and beyond. The next round kicks off on January 28th and runs through March 25th (no class March 4th).

Why have we shifted to Thursdays after such a long run in the Monday slot? Oh, I’ll still be grinding away on Monday, fear not. But now, I’m pleased to introduce the debut of Writing Horror: The Dark Side. It’s an all-new course which, I’m told, was heavily requested by former and prospective students alike. So the good folks at the CEL asked if I’d be interested in offering such a course, to which I quickly agreed. This will occupy my Mondays beginning January 25th through March 15th (no class Feb. 15th and March 1st). I’m excited for this one – as much as I love teaching CTSS this is right up my alley, more in my wheelhouse, whatever tired cliche works for you.

Just before I go, I wanted to remind you that Scary Snippets – Campfire Edition is now available in Kindle and paperback. It’s my second time working with these publishers, along with Mother Ghost’s Grimm Vol. 2. Unlike MGG, which was written primarily for the little ones, Scary Snippets is aimed at a more mature audience. It’s filled with spooky stories that are on the shorter side (hence the ‘snippets’ thing) in there, including two of mine that are both loosely based on real events.

There, I think we’re mostly up to date now. If you’d like to have the latest blog posts delivered directly to your inbox, drop by my contact page and let me know, and we’ll make it happen. Until next time, be safe, talk soon!

-JP

Scary Snippets, Mother Ghost, and More

Posted on by joepowersauthor

It’s been far too long since I checked in with everyone. I hope you’re all doing well! Summer has come and gone – it’s been unseasonably warm here for this late in the year, but you won’t hear me complaining. A nighttime dog walk in a tee shirt in October? Yes, please. Meanwhile, I see WordPress has changed a lot since I was here last. It may take me a while to get used to how things work again here, so bear with me.

Unlike most years, I kept going with Crafting the Short Story throughout the summer. Normally everyone’s too busy or otherwise occupied to bother taking courses in the summer, but for obvious reasons people were hanging a little closer to home this year. So we decided to offer online classes to help break up the time and give folks something to do during a stressful time when travel and vacations were all but impossible. The latest session started last week, and so far it’s been great. It’s a fun and insightful group, which for me makes it that much more enjoyable.

On top of that, I have been asked to offer a new course beginning this winter. It isn’t listed on the website yet but for those interested, this one will focus specifically on horror writing. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.

In other news, the long-awaited and highly-anticipated Mother Ghost’s Grimm Volume 2 is now available in Kindle and paperback. It’s horror for kids, something I hadn’t really done much of before but had fun experimenting with. It’s also something else I’d never done before: the first time sharing a table of contents with my better half, Sheryl. Of the forty two authors who contributed, some are friends, some I hadn’t heard of before, all brought their own unique voice to a very diverse collection of kid-friendly stories.

Finally, I have two stories in the upcoming anthology Scary Snippets: Campfire Edition. They’re shorter pieces, based on real-life experiences, included in what will surely be a very spooky and fun read!

I’ll provide a link when it’s available for sale. For now, here’s a sneak peek at the cover:

I know it’s just a quick note, but for now that brings us more or less up to date. For my Canadian friends, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving next weekend. Be safe, see you soon!

-JP