I have been horrible with keeping my blog up to date, and I apologize. I kind of had some heavy gender identity issues I was working through which made it hard to focus on creative things. So the first part of this post is going to talk about that.
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I am transgender. 

I’ve already come out via social media, but if you don’t follow me on any of those platforms, here it is. I guess the genderfluid thing was a stepping stone for me. A path on my gender identity journey that got me where I am today. It finally hit me (after talking with my counselor for a long time, my spouse, family, and close friends) that I was more than just genderfluid. Once that revelation came to light, I started down the path.

I’m now on hormone replacement therapy. Almost within 24 hours of taking the first dose, I found myself in a better place mentally. All of the foundational level of stress and anxiety I had thought was just normal kind of disappeared. It was amazing! I’m so much happier now than I was before. The future is still scary, and I’m sure there will be speed bumps along the way, but I feel so much better now that I’m on the path.

I’ll be updating my journey more as it continues to develop. But for now, know that I’m back at it, and pushing forward.

As for the writing, that too slowed down during my gender identity struggles. But the happiness and calm I’m experiencing now with HRT has reponed the floodgates and I’m back to writing again. I’m still hella busy with Timber Ghost Press, but I’ve designated Fridays as my writing days and try to limit the scope of my work on that day to my writing and nothing else.

I just finished the Quills Conference in Salt Lake City. While there I co-taught a workshop about Indie Publishing with Willow Dawn Becker of Weird Little Worlds Press and Jodi L. Milner, an award-winning author. It was amazing and fun. I also taught a class on Archery Elk Hunting, and Cosmic Horror 101. I was the moderator for the Horror After Dark Panel featuring Gabino Iglesias, Terra Luft, Theresa Braun, and Johnny Worthen. I also got to sit on two panels about editing and took pitches for Timber Ghost Press. 

I was also appointed as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair for the League of Utah Writers. I can’t tell you how excited I am to start that role. It’s a topic that is near and dear to my heart.

I also pitched a novel to an agent and editor of a small press and they both wanted to see the first three chapters, so winner, winner, chicken dinner on that! :) 

Finally, I won the Gold Quill Award for Collections for Dead Stars and Stone Arches: A Collection of Utah Horror. I say I, but really it was my press, and the only reason it won was due to the amazing stories and poems by the contributors, the great cover art from Greg Chapman, the beautiful interior design by Firedrake Designs, and the hard work put in by Beverly Bernard with the editing.

Huge shoutout to all of them. Thank you for making this possible.

As for me, I’m finishing up some projects, and I’ll be releasing my upcoming collection: Branches and Bone: The Collected Tales of Evelyn Horn in October, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Take care!

2022 has come and gone, and oh boy, what a year! Regarding writing, I had three short story acceptances, and I wrote 82,569 words. That may seem like a lot, but it is far below what I had hoped. Running Timber Ghost Press took up a lot of my time. I published eight titles under Timber Ghost Press. If you want to see them, you can head to www.timberghostpress.com.

I made excellent headway on my Alone meets Cabin in the Woods novel. In a nutshell, it is about a group of expert wilderness survival experts who think they are competing on a reality television show to win a bunch of money. However, they were duped and are sacrifices to a creature that awakens every so often to feed.

I also finished up a novella about Evelyn Horn, a badass Pinkerton in the Old West who has found herself entangled in a cult’s plot to summon an ancient tree demon. That novella will come out later this year as well as a second collection of my short stories titled, Through the Branches. Finally, I’m going to shop the Alone/Cabin in the Woods book around in the hopes of getting it picked up through a publisher.

I’ll be writing a few more short stories to answer a number of open calls, as well as drafting and hopefully finishing up another novel or two. I have one that’s about 50% done and two more solid ideas for novels/novellas that I want to start on.
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However, I think my real achievement in 2022 was finding myself. In Dec of 2021, I came out as genderfluid, and ever since that moment, it’s been a crazy rollercoaster of self-discovery and emotions. As I evolved as a person and became more comfortable with myself, I started to go out in public more and more as my feminine self. It was scary. It was nerve-wracking. It was exhilarating as well. 

I’m always a little on edge when I’m out in public, as I’m always waiting for some asshat to make a bigoted comment. But other than the expected stares, nothing of the sort has happened. Instead, I’ve encountered more love and acceptance than hate which is quite refreshing.

I’m still on my journey, but I’m making that journey with the love and support of my family and close friends.
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Here’s to 2023! 

If you didn't know, I did a lot of freelance writing and editing in 2021. I could go through and detail that journey, but Patrick Young breaks it all down in easy to digest steps. So if you've considered becoming a freelancer, then check this out. 

Whether being a freelance writer is your dream job or just a desirable side hustle, there's nothing stopping you from starting your writing career today. Business experts believe that freelancing is great for college students, particularly because the experience can help you land other jobs after graduation. Freelance work also lets you earn money on a flexible basis as you continue your education or other personal goals. If you want to start writing as a freelancer right away, there are just a few tips to keep in mind as you set out on the path.
 
Accumulate Practical Writing Experience
Your career as a freelance writer begins long before you land your first paid gig. It starts when you write something that can be placed in your writing portfolio. Anything you write in a personal blog or during your university coursework can be used to hone your skills and showcase your proficiency. If possible, try to focus on writing with a specific niche in mind that you want to appeal to when you start searching for jobs.
 
If you want a college degree that will really work in your favor as a freelance writer, there are specific fields to consider. Earning a bachelor's degree in English, journalism, or communications will impress upon potential clients that you have deep experience with writing. 
 
Find Your First Paid Gigs
If you have a portfolio with several quality examples of your writing work, it might be time for you to start searching for your first gigs. Freelance job boards will probably be your first stop. You may face much competition in vying for gigs on these boards, but they are great resources for scoring your first paid jobs as a writer. Once you've built up some confidence, try pitching your services to businesses or contacts in your own network. With some luck, you might even find amazing opportunities right on your college campus.
 
Build Your Web Presence to Attract Clients
After getting some paid work under your belt, you will be ready to start marketing your freelance writing business. Setting up your own writing website is crucial for hosting your portfolio and showcasing your services to potential clients. If possible, collect positive testimonials from previous clients and post them on your website to generate some beneficial word of mouth. Let the power of social media marketing take over from there as you expand your network to include businesses and other writers who may seek to hire you.
 
Establish a Business Structure
As your writing work evolves into a bona fide business, you might consider forming a limited liability company. Under an LLC, you will operate with certain benefits including limited liability, tax advantages, less paperwork, and certain flexibilities. Different states have their own rules around the formation of LLCs, so be sure to check local regulations before proceeding. To easily ensure compliance and save money on lawyer fees, you can use a formation service to establish your business as an LLC in Utah.
 
Freelance writing can be a great opportunity for college students, as well as graduates trying to find their way after earning their degree. A career in freelancing offers flexibility in many ways. Not only can your freelance career conform to your other life goals, but it can also grow alongside you and become as big or as small as you need it to be.
 
For writing inspiration and submissions, explore Timber Ghost Press.

Patrick Young is an educator and activist. He believes people with disabilities must live within a unique set of circumstances--the outside world often either underestimates them or ignores their needs altogether. He created Able USA to offer helpful resources to people with disabilities and to provide advice on navigating various aspects of life as a person with disabilities. ​

When it comes to writing books, there are a few different camps. Some writers are plotters. They will take the time to fully outline their book, create character bios and descriptions, and have it all mapped out before they ever write a single word of their book. Then there are the pantsers. They don’t outline at all and write everything from the seat of their pants, so to speak. Basically, they will know what they want to write and just start writing and see where the words take them. There is no wrong way or right way to write, as both pantsing and plotting are effective.

For the longest time, I was a pantser. I had tried plotting, and many times my story would jump the rails by chapter two or three, and all that hard work was gone. When I would write my stories or books, I would have a general idea of what I wanted to write and a handful of scenes or beats I knew I wanted to include, and I’d make it happen. However, as I grew older, I found I would flounder on my projects, frequently hitting roadblocks or not being sure where I wanted to go.

Fast-forward to today. I’ve been freelancing on Upwork, writing novel outlines for a client. They would give me a general idea sometimes, or now that they trust me, they let me run free with it all. I would produce a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of what would happen in the book, develop character and faction bios, and then, in turn, they would hand that to another writer, and someone would write a book based off that outline. Recently I’ve been struggling with my book. I know in a general sense where I want it to go, but after five chapters in, I’m floundering again. I decided to finally outline it, and I think it is going to be magical. Why do I think that?

Well, I might start ghostwriting for this same company that I’m doing outlines for and they wanted a sample chapter. Using the outline I wrote, I was able to produce 1700 in an hour. Those 1700 words were probably the easiest thing I’ve written in the last six months. I no longer have to stop and think where I want it to go or worry about writing myself into a corner because the entire thing is laid out in front of me. What is even nicer is the sample I am writing is based on an outline I completed for them, so I know the characters and the story well. I also know where it is going across multiple books so I can start laying breadcrumbs and foreshadowing events that take place in book three.
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Is pantsing a bad way of doing things? Heavens no. I wrote a lot of things using that method, and it worked for me until I changed and it didn't anymore. As I mentioned above, there is no right or wrong way to do things. Just find the way that works for you and run with it. Hell, it may even be a hybrid of the two and that is fine! Just write and have fun with it. If that means plotting first, then plot. If it means pantsing, then do that. Now go write! 

The long awaited third book in my Dark Tyrant Series is finally live! It took me way longer than I anticipated to finish this book. I had to battle through busy life getting in the way, burnout, writers block, and just about everything under the sun. However, it's done. It's ready. It's here! Get your copy today.

Thulisile Mahlangu is the captain of an elite team of paramilitary soldiers trained to deal with large-scale supernatural crises. But when an Alpha Protocol is radioed in from an agent who was reportedly dead, Thuli and her team are put to the test. Their mission: verify the radio call, exterminate the problem, and bring the agent back to the Bureau of Investigation, Observation, and Defense of Extraordinary, Extraterrestrial, Demonic and Paranormal Activity. As time runs out, Thuli begins to question everything and wrestle with her own inner demons. If she doesn’t succeed, the Bureau will release an Omega team, and the Omegas have no problem scorching the earth to fix problems. Alpha Protocol is a fast-paced tale that is one part action thriller, one part supernatural horror, and a dash of dark comedy. ​

It's alive! My second collection of short stories is live! I'm super stoked about this one, because not only does it have stories that have appeared in recent anthologies, it also has some stories that have never been released as well. That's right! You, dear reader, can experience these tales for the first time. This one also has some flash fiction and a rare poem (rare because I rarely write poetry). 

Inside this tome of horrors you can find the following tales:
"The Devouring Maw" which initially appeared in Hunger: A Collection of Utah Horror. It's about some folks down in southern Utah on the hunt for a lost arch. Well, they find it, but they also find something else. Something sinister.

"The Dark Place" which appeared in the anthology, Peaks of Madness: A Collection of Utah Horror. It's about a young girl who's on the run and takes refuge in a cabin in the woods. The cabin has a small door upstairs with a note that reads, do not open. Simple enough, but then something starts knocking from the other side of the door.

"The Temptation of the Moon to Shadow" is a poem I wrote that appeared in the HWA's Poetry Showcase Vol. 5. 

"The Demons We Bring" appeared in Old Scratch and Owl Hoots: A Collection of Utah Horror and if you're familiar with my short story, "Horishi Tom" then you'll recognize the main character. The events of this story take place before the events in "Horishi Tom". 

"The Cedar Box" is my fantasy western, think gunslinging elves trying to survive in a hellwaste. An old elf carries a precious cedar box with him as he searches for someone. 

"Mr. Abernathy’s Music Box" appeared on this very website as a bonus and is about a peculiar passenger on a sea voyage and his mysterious music box. 

"The Horror of Sunshine Meadows" was a piece of flash fiction I wrote that appeared online. It's about someone who finds a young girl standing outside of a forest. Things are not always what they seem. 

"Final Moment" has never appeared in any anthology, so you're getting it now for the first time. It's about a woman who buys a horrifying painting at auction only to find she's bringing much more home with her.

"Kathy Loves Kittens" appeared on the Tales to Terrify podcast. It's about a man who survives a horrifying car wreck only to find that his daughter isn't only missing, but seeming has disappeared from existence. However, someone knows where she is.

This collection is full of suspenseful stories. If you like horror or dark fantasy, check it out!
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Today we meet Betty Rocksteady who writes stories about cat mythos, bizarro, and cosmic sex! What more could you ask for? I'm currently reading her collection of shorts, In Dreams We Rot for a review. Once finished, I'll post that as well, but so far I'm really digging it. It's worth grabbing once it comes out. Now onward to the interview!

1)      Who or what inspired you to become an author?
 
I can't pin it down on one particular author so much as just… books, as an object, as an escape, as my main way of learning about the world as a kid. As an introvert growing up in the 80s, writing and art were always a huge part of my life. Surprise though, I didn't start REALLY writing until I turned 30 and realized, oh heck, it's now or never.
 
2)      Tell us a about your upcoming collection, In Dreams We Rot, and what inspired you to write it.
 
In Dreams We Rot is a collection of my best short stories that have been published over the last few years. The bulk of my writing thus far has been short fiction and I've had a lot of pieces published by cool indie publishers that I'm so excited to share with my readers. In Dreams We Rot bleeds with imagery you'll recognize from your nightmares, inspiring the title. I take a lot of writing inspiration from my dreams, and I really dig weaving surrealist themes and creatures into my work.
 
3)      Your writing is categorized as cosmic sex horror and bizarro. What attracted you to those genres?
 
A reader described my novella, The Writhing Skies as cosmic sex horror and it seemed like the perfect description to me! I don't think about genre a whole lot when I'm writing unless it's for a specific call. I mostly just think of my work as the very general "horror." As for bizarro, it's a really wide genre but the whole cult movie/Eraserhead vibe is definitely something that gets me going.
 
4)      Tell a bit about your writing process. Do you have a special space you like to use, or do you have to be in a certain mindset?
 
I'm still trying to figure this out, but no matter what I do, writing rough drafts is always absolute torture! I much prefer brainstorming, and then the editing process. The first draft is just a skeleton that I try to bang out as quick as possible. Lately I've been using a little laptop to type on, but I think I actually focus better when I'm sitting at the desktop computer, so I guess I'll have to keep fine-tuning there. I do usually listen to music while I write, either movie soundtracks, or trip hop playlists on YouTube, or, very often, Aesop Rock's soundtrack for Bushwick.
 
5)      What’s one of the most surprising things you’ve learned in creating your books?
 
Well, my first novella, Arachnophile is about an arachnophobic guy in a world where giant spiders coexist with human. He accidentally falls in lust… or maybe love with a giant spider. So, not only did I discover how to write sex scenes for the first time in the most bizarre way possible, but I discovered that uh, a surprising amount of people will read those sex scenes and see spiders in a way they never expected, at least according to the reviews it's gotten.
 
6)      What’s your next project?
 
Right now I'm working on a kidnapping book about the depths of female friendships and doppelgangers! It's inspired by John Fowles' The Collector and its shaping up to be the best thing I've ever written.
 
7)      Where can people follow you online to keep up with all your updates?
 
I'm all over twitter and Facebook as Betty Rocksteady, and my website is www.bettyrocksteady.com! People should feel super free to reach out and hang out.
 
If you're interested in checking out my work, I have a disturbing cat mythos story available to read free here: https://theoutwardinn.wordpress.com/2019/05/10/the-backwards-path-to-the-limbus-by-betty-rocksteady/
 
In Dreams We Rot is being released October 17, 2019, and you can preorder it here! http://journalstone.com/bookstore/in-dreams-we-rot

So what's been going on with me lately? Where to begin? First off, I'm getting ready to retire from 20 years of military service. That alone has been eating up a lot of my time and energy. Who knew retiring was a full-time job? So many damn appointments, getting documentation and records in order, all that jazz. I've got so many plans for post-retirement, I'm pretty sure I won't have any extra time at this point. What are those plans you might ask? Well, for starters, I'm super excited to start my life as a stay-at-home dad and help raise my two kids. 

Second, I'll be writing full-time. That's right, full-time. I don't plan on going out to get a job anywhere (although raising kids is a full-time job, but I have the help of family). I will be carving out a portion of my day to dedicate to nothing but putting words on digital paper. At the moment I'm actively working on the third book of the Dark Tyrant Series, my grimdark/post-apocalyptic fantasy serial, the second Terrence book, and a couple of other secret projects. In the queue is a fantasy western serial, a horror short story for an upcoming anthology, a haunted house novella that takes place in three different timelines, a YA/horror series involving a high-school ghost hunting team that always seems to get involved with dark and scary entities (think Ghost Facers from Supernatural meets Scooby Do meets Lovecraftian horrors) and a choose-your-own-adventure style of horror books that involve gruesome deaths.

I finally made some headway with book three of the Dark Tyrant Series. My biggest hold-up was I didn't really know how it was going to end, so a lot my writing speed slowed to almost nothing because I was floundering. Well, I figured out where it's headed, so now we're making headway again. 

Moving on to another aspect of my life that I enjoy--hunting. This year I'll be retired when hunting season starts, which means I can be out in the wilderness longer, which means hopefully a better chance of harvesting something. Over the years, I've come to find being up in the mountains is my zen place. I love it. The sights, the smells, the connection to nature. It's amazing and magical for me. I'm taking my oldest daughter with me elk scouting this year and I can't wait. I'm tempering my expectations of what I'll be able to accomplish as far as distance and area covered since she's still pretty young, but the memories and experience that both she and I will gain will more than make up for it. 

Anyway, what are you up to these days?

Daniel Yocom, creator of the Guild Master Gaming blog did a really nice review of my collection of horror stories, Tales from the Storm: Vol 1. Check it out!

http://guildmastergaming.blogspot.com/2018/06/tales-from-storm-volume-one-by.html 

Things have been pretty crazy in the Langille house as of late. For one, my kids picked up a virus at day care, RSV to be exact. I'm pretty sure RSV translates to, really shitty virus. Here's the funny thing too, I don't even need to take my kids to day care. My mom lives with us and helps out tremendously by watching the kiddos while my wife and I work. She's a godsend. That being said, my kids are in the house most of the day and don't get to interact with anyone outside of family, especially other kids. My oldest, who is three years old, LOVES playing with other kids. Whenever we go to the park, or Kangaroo Zoo, or anywhere else another kid could possibly be, she lights up and wants to play. Enter the day care....

I've been wanting to get them to a place where I could have them play with other kids. We found this day care that seemed pretty good and safe, so we took them there for 1.5 hours. Both my children had a blast! Loved every second of it and still talk about wanting to go back to this day. However, they brought back a special friend named RSV. This virus has swept through our house taking us all out one by one. Plus, RSV likes change. It can't just be a simple virus, no it changes into sinus infections and ear infections. Double plus, it doesn't know when to leave. It gets its grubby little talons hooked into you and won't let go. We've been dealing with thing in one form or another for two weeks now.

Coughing, puking, infected eyes, fevers, crying, ER visits, Insta-care visits...the whole shebang. #partofit. #nosleepfortheweary #OMGcanweallstopbeingsicknowplease

Basically what this translates into is, go to work, come home take care of sick kids, rinse and repeat. Progress on much else has come to a halt. I'm hoping there is a bright side, that perhaps they are growing antibodies to this particular strain and won't be affected again. 

Meanwhile, my writing has come to a slow crawl. The time I used to find is fading away and I haven't found a new groove yet. The shitty thing, is that I've got a deadline looming so I need to kick it into new gear and get the words flowing again. Along with that particular deadline (book three of the Dark Tyrant Series by the way), I've got so many other projects I want to start it's insane. I need time. Which brings me to my next point: the future (future, future, future, future....echoes).

I'm less than 18 months away from retiring from my current career. If things work out, the stars align, and Cthulhu wakes from his dreamlike slumber, then I can step away from the grind and focus on raising kids and writing books. I find the future to be exciting and scary as F#&K! I've got no idea how it's going to turn out. I suppose nobody does really. What I'm hoping for, is that with the new time I can really kick my writing in to high-gear and fully embrace that part of me. I know it is going to take discipline to make it happen, but I also know that I can do it if I put my mind to it. Which is why I need to get back into the groove NOW. I can't keep waiting for the proverbial later. I think to keep me honest, I'll post regular updates on my works-in-progress.

Finally, on top of all of this, I found out that I drew out for a Black Bear hunting tag! About three or four years ago I got an itch that I wanted to hunt and eat a bear. I'd done a lot of research and found tons of info saying how tasty they are and how incredibly hard to hunt they are. I started putting in for the draw. Well fast forward to now, three years later, and I finally drew a tag. My reasons for wanting to hunt a bear go deeper than mere curiosity. There's something about it that draws me in. Bears are elusive, and the particular hunt I've drawn means I either have to use dogs or spot-and-stalk. I don't have bear dogs, nor do I know anyone with dogs, so it means I've got to spot-and-stalk which also means that my hunt just got that much more difficult. Bottom line, I'm looking forward at the prospect of getting into some new wilderness, pursuing new game, and putting my hunting skills to the ultimate test. (Given my track record, the bears will probably be very safe around me)

I'll keep you all posted on what happens with this, and it may be the only time I ever go bear hunting. If you don't approve of hunting, I can understand that and respect it. It's definitely not for everyone. I'm not here to argue my point. I'm just here to share my experience. 

Final thoughts...stay healthy, stay active, keep writing, and beware the Really Shitty Virus!