Social Media: I'm doing it wrong.

Those of you who have also been following me on Twitter (thank you) may have noticed a few more tweets from me recently, in addition to a #GBSMM hashtag.  

For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is my upcoming self-published collection of short stories, I've decided to try and get a little perspective, and a lot of help using this "Social Media" thing properly. To that end, I've enrolled in a fourteen week night-school course in Social Media Marketing.

I can tell you, after just two classes, that there is so much more to all of this new way of connecting than I ever suspected. 


Already, two constants are emerging, upon which all good efforts are based: 

• Be consistent
• Be genuine.

Consistency and I have had a love-hate relationship; often eyeing each other ruefully across a table full of jello shots and wondering where it all went wrong. 


I'm hoping to make some amends and begin getting a little more frequent with the posting, or at least more predictable.  There's also (minor announcement with a snare-drum-roll) a new blog coming. The new blog for the course, but the content is at our discretion, so it's absolutely connected to my writing life and, as such, I'll be joining it up with this one at the right time.

Also, I'm starting (starting -- I'm still just two weeks in... well three, I missed the first class...) to understand what Twitter is really good for, and frankly, I've been a pretty crap-tastic tweeter.

So - even though I'm still as mired in WIP as ever, I will definitely be around more in the social-sphere. If you see me there, please do jump in and say "hi".

Oh - one last thing I've picked up from my course so far? This guy. He's awesome.

The Darker Side of Fairy Tales

I received some fantastic news over the weekend. Father Grim's Storybook, the latest publication from Jessica Weiss and Wicked East Press is now available at Amazon! 

Shown: not Rapunzel.

As a parent who's watched his fair share of family films, and more than my share of Disney, it's always completely liberating to take the happy, shiny cartoon filter off these tales and let their original, cautionary dark magic reassert itself. In Father Grim's Storybook, the authors have taken this further, and pushed past a lot of the redemptive quality that remained, to give the reader a collection of tales that are truly disturbing, in the classical tradition.

My own piece, "Rapunzel and the Undead" has been seeking publication for over a year under various long-term submission periods, etc. So - to see the story up and around and out in the world is a tremendous boon. 

(And take that Tangled.)

Here's that link again.  

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Promo done- update time - the collection will be sent to the "publishing machine" this month, as advertised, but I neglected to factor in the proofing process, so it's most likely it'll hit the virtual shelves just in time for my 37th next month.

My Blood Runs Hot for Carnaval! (Just thought you should know.)

I know, I know, I'm about three months too late for Mardi Gras and Carnival fun.

That didn't stop me from subbing a story about it to Thrillers, Killers, n' Chillers.

I'm extremely happy to say that they've accepted it, and it's up and ready to read today!

Here's the link.

Have a read if you've got a moment. This little tale marks a bit of a departure for me in that I haven't really tackled a certain type of story before (can't tell without ruining, sorry) and it was a blast to see what the old idea-kittens did with it as they batted it back and forth.

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9DOM update - we've broken 100 Downloads! Also, the book is now available in its entirety at Goodreads if you're a regular denizen in those parts. 8DOM is running at 400 + downloads, and still going.

That's about it for the moment - sorry for the quiet, but I've got a couple of big, exciting things in the works, one of which is a very exciting interview (the first-ever at The Leaky Pencil) and the second is the upcoming publication of my short story collection - but that latter deserves its own posts, a little further on.

Keep writin'

CA