Before I get into my talk about milestones, I have a fun surprise: there’s a new album up at The Decorative Writer! This time my bestie Kelsey Macke is sharing her ah-mazing home office with us. This suite is spacious, colorful, organized, inspiring, AND it has every reader’s dream: a hidey-hole!!! I’ve spent my share of snuggly nights in that book nook planning, working, dreaming, and giggling, and I can vouch that it’s a truly magical place.
So definitely head over to Kelsey’s album and click through her pictures. (Read her captions to catch special notes and details.) And if you enjoy the snooping, leave her a comment to let her know! And if you can’t get enough snooping, check out the rest of the albums at The Decorative Writer for more beautiful, unique writers’ spaces of all stripes.
Okay, onto today’s topic: celebrating milestones. I’ve had several really cool ones gather up lately, so I felt like sharing them here. (And I will.) But, as is often the case, I find myself struggling to share them in a way that doesn’t feel like bragging. No one likes a bragger. But then another part of me is annoyed at my hesitancy—which is certainly tied to the requisite humility all women are trained to put first—and I think I should share things with no caveat. And then I remember that I’ve already vowed to stop apologizing for sharing my successes. (And I also remember sharing some of the negatives, too, so at least I’m not painting a false picture that everything is kittens and rainbows.) So, okay, now that I’ve pseudo-caveated by talking myself out of caveating, let’s celebrate!
The bookshelf where I display my contributor copies (which, ironically, I’ve seen other authors call their “brag shelf”) is finally totally full. As in can’t-squeeze-in-one-more-copy full. That’s really freaking cool! I insist on keeping one or two front-facing spaces for displaying my latest publications, and one of those I’ve bumped onto a stack of spiral-bound books (which don’t stand well). Even so, I’ve had to squeeze in my little copy of Shadow Booth up top, which I’m not crazy about.
I can procrastinate a bit more by taking away the front-facing display on the right and lining up more books spine-out, but I really want more time to appreciate each new book before the next one hides it from me. And lately they’ve been coming one on top of the other, which is awesome, but means I really want to hang onto my two spots (at least). So!
Time
for
a
new
shelf!
Whaaaat? Seriously, such a cool problem to have! But I am kind of stumped on how/where to put this additional display. The shelf pictured is actually just the top of our entertainment stand; the TV is below it. I like my books there because they’re out in the main part of the house instead of tucked away in my office, but I think adding floating shelves to that wall might look odd. And as much as I dislike that TV stand, an entirely new one isn’t quite in the budget. Any bright ideas on what to do? Cute shelving solutions you’ve seen? Votes?
Really, it’s amazing to think back to how my brag shelf has grown. It used to be a single magazine on the coffee table. Then it became a small stack on a side table. Then it became a tiny little row sandwiched between book ends on a low shelf. Then it grew to a mostly-empty version of the shelf up top where it is now. And now that whole shelf is packed full, and if I’ve ever needed tactile, visual proof of how hard I’ve worked and how much I’ve grown, here it is. 🙂
Another milestone that has me geeking out is this:
My name on the cover! Okay, I’ve definitely had my name on several really great covers before now. BUT. This is the first time I’ve had my name written out on a cover that had the option of shoehorning me in with “and many more.” There is nothing wrong with being one of “many more.” But it’s kind of funny. In fact one of my favorite tweets uses it:
When you’re listed as “and many others” on the cover of an anthology. pic.twitter.com/BO0pqQn7R9
— Annie Neugebauer (@AnnieNeugebauer) May 28, 2016
I’ve long been “and many more,” so it’s really freaking fun to not be this time. Even knowing that there are probably many more “and many mores” in my future—really fun. So there’s a happy dance.
Haunted are These Houses, the relevant cover, is a gothic anthology of stories and poems, fresh out. You can order it in ebook or paperback now. It has my short story “The Call of the House of Usher” reprinted in it, which is my homage to Poe. One reviewer once called it “the most elegantly crafted story I’ve ever read,” which is definitely one of my favorite compliments ever! I’m honored to be along side many authors I admire, including Poe himself and some other classics.
When I get my contributor copy of Haunted are These Houses, it will also serve as another new milestone for me: it will be the first time I have a single story in four different physical books! “The Call of the House of Usher” was first published in The Spirit of Poe, a charity anthology to help save the Poe house in Baltimore. Then it was reprinted in Killing it Softly, an all-women horror anthology. Then it was reprinted in a hardback edition of Killing it Softly because the book did so well. And now it’s reprinted in Haunted are These Houses, so I’ll have the same story on my shelf four times, which speaks highly of this story. It’s always good to feel you’ve done Papa Poe proud. <3
And last but certainly not least, the latest milestone I’m tucking under my belt: I’ve been invited to submit a story to a literary magazine I love. This is my first direct solicitation, and I can’t tell you how flattering it feels. Someone out there read and liked my work so much they sought me out for more. I’m not crying; you’re crying. I’ll tell you more about this if/when I can, but the invitation alone feels like joy worth sharing.
Okay, those are all the milestones I have to share for today, but before I send you to my “what you might have missed” wrap-up, a quick call for input. October is juuuuust around the corner–insert all of the Halloween emojis here–and I’m busy planning my tricks and treats. I’ll be flitting around the interwebs sharing strange and spooky things, but I also plan to do a blog series here, which will include a book giveaway or two, per my tradition.
What I want to hear from you, dear readers, is how you’d like this to shake down. Do you have any requests? Things you’d like to hear more about, topics you want covered, ideas for me, types of content you favor? Do you like commenting here as the easiest way to enter a giveaway, or would you prefer I open it up to Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram with a hashtag, like last year? How often do you want to see new posts? (My standard has been once a week for the month of October, but people read blogs much less than they used to.) I want all of your brains thoughts!
Okay, on to the things that have come out since I last posted, in case you missed them:
My creepy gross horror story “Cilantro” is out now in the anthology Fire: Demons, Dragons and Djinn by Tyche Books! You can order this in ebook or paperback now! It’s full of great fire-themed tales, but be warned that mine in this one is not for the faint of heart (or stomach). It is, however, wickedly fun, and horror lovers shouldn’t miss it.
And last but not least, my latest blogs elsewhere. Click the image to visit the post:
Thank you guys for your shared excitement, and thanks in advance for any input you have on my October blog series!
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