2023 in Review

Well, another year has passed. When I was young life seemed move at a snail’s pace, and now that I’m older, the years are flying by. 2023 was an eventful one, both for my “brilliant career” and for me personally.

I published ten short stories and one little essay. One of my stories was nominated for the Pushcart Prize – no word on that yet. But that’s a real feather in my cap since my writings have never been nominated for anything before. Here is a list of my credits for 2023:

Night Terrors: Volume 24, January 2023. You may purchase the volume featuring my story, “The Competition,” here. 

“Tales of Fear, Superstition, and Doom,” March 2023. Features my story, “Wabash Valley Devil.” You can purchase a copy here. Nominated for the 2024 Pushcart Prize. The feather in my cap! Special thanks to Ann van de Bergh for all of her support and believing in this story.

Dragon Gems Spring 2023. You may purchase this anthology featuring my story, “Shadows From the Past,” here. 

Black Cat Weekly #87, April 29, 2023. You may purchase this issue featuring my story, “The Weary Are At Rest,” here. 

Mystery Magazine, May 2023. You may purchase this issue featuring my story, “Family Ties,” here. 

Lay It Out Issue 9, Summer 2023. You may read the issue featuring my story, “Bringing Charlie Home,” by subscribing/joining Lay It Out’s patreon, here. 

Starlite Pulp Review #2, June 2023. You may purchase the issue featuring my story, “Of Two Minds, here.

Guide Magazine, June 2023. You may purchase the issue containing my essay entitled, “The Deadly Furnace,” by clicking here.

OFIC Magazine, Issue #7, June 2023. You may purchase the issue featuring my story, “Stand and Deliver,” here.

Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #32, October 2023. You may purchase the issue featuring my story, “No Place Like Home” here. 

Black Cat Weekly #115, November 2023. You may purchase the issue featuring my story, “Tytchfell Abbey” here. 

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I thought I had a couple of interviews lined up – unfortunately, those never transpired. ::pouty face:: I have nothing scheduled to be published, except for “Grandma’s Unexpected Visitors,” for Creepy Podcast. I’ll update about that as soon as possible.

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My writing productivity came in spurts. I started out strong, but hit a snag when I got covid in the spring. My energy level bottomed out and my thought process was different. I only managed to write five short stories this year, however, I rewrote two novels, started and abandoned a third, and started on a fourth only a couple of weeks ago. I’m currently pestering agents and publishers for those two rewritten novels. No luck yet, but you never know, right? I did my usual blog posts of reviews and ramblings on classic lit and period dramas.

I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year! I’ll see you in 2024.

Tales of Fear, Superstition, and Doom – Paperback Edition

I’m late in posting this, but…

“Tales of Fear, Superstition, and Doom” is now available in paperback. My historical gothic horror story, “Wabash Valley Devil” is one of the twenty-seven stories published in this anthology. If you’re interested in reading it, you can buy it here!

There’s something else!

The editor of the anthology, Ann van de Bergh, nominated “Wabash Valley Devil” for…

The Pushcart Prize!

I was completely stunned and touched by this. No one has ever nominated my writing – or yours truly even – for anything. I had also thought that pieces nominated for the Pushcart Prize were highbrow literary fiction. According to the website:

The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America – including Highest Honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Since 1976, hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have been represented in our annual collections. Each year most of the writers and many of the presses are new to the series. Every volume contains an index of past selections, plus lists of outstanding presses with addresses. The Pushcart Prize has been a labor of love and independent spirits since its founding. It is one of the last surviving literary co-ops from the 60’s and 70’s. Our legacy is assured by donations to our Fellowships endowment.

God only knows what the outcome will be. But I’m beyond pleased and honored for “Wabash Valley Devil” to be under consideration. When I hear of the results, I’ll be sure to post it.

Special thanks to Ann van de Bergh for her thoughtfulness and support and for including my story in the anthology in the first place.

Until next time!

Happy Halloween!

I don’t really celebrate Halloween – I mean I think playing dress up and getting candy is fun, but sometimes the holiday is a little too dark for me.

Ironically (or maybe hypocritically, your call) I have written some dark stories. So, if you’re looking for something dark to read, you might be interested in the following stories.

ParAbnormal Magazine, June 2020. You may purchase the issue that features my story, “The Witch’s Hour,” here.

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NoSleep Podcast, S15E07, October 2020. You may listen to the episode featuring my story, “The Pink Palace,” here.

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ParAbnormal Magazine, September 2022. You may purchase the issue featuring my story, “Lost Souls,” here. 

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Night Terrors: Volume 24, January 2023. You may purchase the volume featuring my story, “The Competition,” here. 

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“Tales of Fear, Superstition, and Doom,” March 2023. Features my story, “Wabash Valley Devil.” You can purchase a copy here.

~@~

Hmmm….I really thought I had written more spooky things. Guess I’m going to have to start writing some more!

I hope you have a wonderful and safe Halloween!

The July 2021 issue of Mystery Weekly has been released, and my mystery “Night Without End” is the feature story! Check it out!

My short story, “Tears In a Bottle,” has been published at McCoy’s Monthly. To read it, CLICK HERE!

Check out my literary achievements in 2020!

https://veronicaleighauthor.wordpress.com/2020/12/29/2020-in-review/

I published another story! Please check it out!

I published another story! Please check it out!

I’ve acquired some new followers (bless you guys) since I last mentioned my original work, so hey, maybe it’s a good time to make a new post. Especially since I’m really hurting for income. 

I have two books I’ve self-published through Amazon under different pen names for different genres. Both are available in paperback and ebook formats. As for what they’re about…

Husk is a pre- to mid-apocalyptic zombie novel that revolves around the experiences of sisters Evie and Julie from the first days of everything going to hell, all the way through trying to get themselves to safety. Husk was written to quite purposefully not be the typical dudebro zombie/apocalypse novel. It’s a pretty solid 550+ pages, and it’s the longest original work I’ve written thus far. 

If you’re interested, you can buy the paperback here on Amazon, or you can get the ebook here. (I have a longer post with more info and some spoilers here, for anyone who needs trigger warnings.)

And All the Trees of the Field Shall Clap Their Hands is an LGBT YA novel that follows two young lesbians through their first meeting and last year of high school. It’s set in the Deep South, deals quite a bit with religion since one of the main characters was raised super religious, and homophobic encounters do happen. Writing this book helped to exorcise some personal issues. There is a happy ending, no worries. No lesbians-end-miserably bullshit here. This was my first published novel, and it’s about average length. 

If you’re interested in this one, you can get a paperback here on Amazon, or buy the ebook right here. (Again, longer post with more info and some spoilers here, for anyone in need of warnings.)

Welp, that’s it. Thank you so much for your time!