Tuesday, January 01, 2008

So Long, 2007

I’m one of those guys who has the tendency to focus on the things I didn’t get done or that I screwed up, rather than the things I got right. So to look back at 2007, I’m adopting the do-the-opposite tactic employed once by George Costanza. And it turns out that it was a pretty good year.

The biggest and best event of the year was my brother’s wedding, followed by the news on Christmas Day that Dave and Charlene are going to make me an uncle. Boy or girl, this is one kid that will be getting a lot of action figures and comic books.

On the writing front, things went pretty well. Deadneck Hootenanny was released and sold out. Putting that book together with Nick Cato at Novello Publishers was one of the best experiences of my fledgling career. If you’re interested in humorous horror I hope you’ll support Nick’s hard work.

2007 finally saw the release of Dead Earth: The Green Dawn. PS Publishing produced a beautiful book, and the response to it has been very positive. Now if we can get the sequel revised...

I sold Bone Songs, a collection, to Delirium Books. Over the weekend I spoke to publisher Shane Staley, and it looks like the book should show up by Summer, if not earlier.

I had a few short story sales this year. I wish it were more, but I haven’t written many short pieces in the last 12 months. I have two underway now for theme anthologies.

I’m just getting back to writing anything, after the cluster&^@% that was my life over the last few weeks. First came the pre-Thanksgiving chemical burn to my foot, followed by a back injury that resulted from the odd way I limped due to the foot thing. Throw the holidays into the mix along with the busiest time of year at work, and my time at the keyboard quickly vanished.

Anyway, I’m working this week to polish off a story for a pulp anthology set in the old west, the two short stories and a serialized novella. Work on Reaper Road is also about to resume. It was the main casualty of the whole foot burn incident.

Pod of Horror seems to be doing well. After scoring an interview with Robert R. McCammon, can talks with King and Koontz be far behind? Yes. Yes, they can. :^)

So bring on 2008. I’m locked and loaded.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi, Mark.

Great December episode of PoH! I read McCammon's vampire novel They Thirst when I was a teenager and it really left a strong impression. Need to track that one down again. His new work sounds really interesting, too.

Glad to see you raring to go for '08. Hope your foot is better. From my perspective, you accomplished a great deal in '07, but I know how it is. Congratulations on getting your books out. I am just hoping to get one finished and edited this year so I finally have something I will let my wife read after all this time at the keyboard.

Cheers!

Mark Justice said...

Thanks, Bryan. Good luck with your writing.