meanie

Apparently, heading back to a 9-5 job has turned me into a bastard.

As I have said in previous posts, writing time is really nothing more than a dream these days.  I have put down about 4,000 words in the last week, divided between two projects.  But, as I work my days away, all of my works in progress are parading around in my head, pretty distractions that help speed the day along.

Today, while sitting in my cube and doing some research for my first assignment, The Masks of Our Fathers took the reigns.  This book is a pretty dark little venture into isolation and ghosts that practically haunt themselves.  It is morose from the first paragraph and I have written and re-written it so that there is a sense of unease throughout the entire thing (currently 28,079 words).  This novel is my first real attempt at a “page-turner”…one of those you don’t want to put down because a) you absolutely have to see what happens next or b) you’re afraid that if you don’t read to the resolution, you open yourself up to the horrors on the page, their  terrors still unknown.

Anyway, our main character goes through quite a bit.  Already, I pity the guy.  But there has been this illusive plot hole that I have not been able to pin down that was keeping him in the “safe” zone.  I pieced that little bit of plot together today and now our MC is basically screwed.  To be quite honest, I’m not sure that my well of darkness goes that deep.  I’m sort of disappointed in myself that I’d stoop so low.

But we shall see.  As soon as I post this, I am going to pick that story back up.  And just to give you an indication as to where we are…well, at 28,000 words, the MC is bound to something, bleeding pretty badly and is very much aware of the man with his insides spilling out on the floor next to him.  And then of course, there is the fact that the trees of the forest are screaming at him through the walls of his cabin…

And there I go, almost giving too much away…

Any other literary masochists out there?

pokes head in, mumbles, makes exit

Being that writing remains a much-sought luxury these days, there’s really not much to report.   I will take a moment to share a surprise with you: Not only did I pre-order King’s Under the Dome for $8.98 from Walmart.com last week ($9.46 with tax and FREE shipping), but it actually arrived yesterday, on the actual release date.  And that was without my paying extra for speedy shipping.  So yes…I am all for this store competition over books…

The only writing of note I have done as of late are my daily poetry scribbles.  Sometimes these last about 2 minutes…other times I manage to drag them through the course of an entire day, giving them some attention here and there.  I realized on Monday that I am about 10 poems short of putting together a collection.  Granted, I usually only manage 1 poem of value (that is, to keep and work on at length later on) out of every 6 or so.  But still, hey…a goal is a goal.

Also, there is a new review of Debris up over at Horror and Fantasy Book Reviews that is far too kind.  You should check it out and drop a comment or two.

And that’s it for now.  Work is calling.  Actually, it’s screaming threats at me in a voice that reminds me of the Sargeant in “Seargeant Baker” by Primus.  So off I go…

MIA

Hey everyone.  Remember me?

I think it’s safe to say that my time of being something of a regular in the online writing circles has come to an end.  I knew that making the change from freelancing to 9-5ing would result in that but it had to be done.  Of course, this means that I am behind of new anthology guidelines, the success of friends and tons of blog reading and Twitter updates.  (Wow, that almost sounds like a job in itself).

I am beginning to find a groove for myself as far as a schedule is concerned.  While writing time is few and far between (mostly lunch breaks and every now and then at night), I am beginning to value it so much more.  Also, oddly enough, this new 9-5 schedule makes acceptances much sweeter.

For instance, I was on a high for about 2 days when I received word that my story “The Mannerisms of Runners” has been accepted into 2010’s 52 Stitches.

Meanwhile, my endless pimping of Debris continues.  Check out the interview over at one of my old freelancing haunts Freelance Writerville.

And as always, for any of you that may have purchased it already, your comments and reviews are appreciated.

Now back to writing…it could very well be the only writing I get done this week…

…but really, you’re ALL winners…

The Debris Giveaway winners have been selected!  And I apologize for the delay, but this new job has me busier than I can even begin to explain.

The GRAND PRIZE winner is Aaron Polson.  This only seems fitting seeing as how a great majority of the entrants selected his stories.  Seriously Aaron…remember us all when you’re rubbing elbows with the Big Boys.  (Also, you just keep in mind that your name was drawn from a Redksins hat…and that we LET your Chiefs get a W this year).

The runner up is Mary Rajotte!

So both of you guys send me your snail mail addresses and I’ll send the prizes your way!

In other news, Hellnotes has put up a posting about Debris.  Swing by and check it out!  And read it slowly and savor every word because if this job continues to be this swamped, I’m not sure how often I’ll be able yo pop back in on here.  Also, for those generous souls that have purchased Debris online, your reviews would be greatly appreciated.  Here’s one from Jennifer Brozek at Apex:

Debris is a chilling, imaginative and provocative collection of short stories. This collection covers the gamut from urban legends to human frailties to alien menaces and almost everything in-between. Barry Napier shows his technical skill in the craft through his use of poetry, flash fiction and short stories as well as his skill as an author with the well-turned phrase. Definitely a collection to read and enjoy. Just don’t read it in the dead of night if you have an overactive imagination.

Congrats to the winners!  And here’s wishing you other NaNo’ers all the best (I currently sit at 8,009 words).

3 more hours

I really suck at this contest thing.

While it may seem unfair to those of you that already entered, I have decided to try adding 3 BONUS hours to the contest…between 9PM and midnight tonight.  When I realized that only 10 people entered (10 very AWESOME people), I wondered if my marketing of the contest was all wrong somehow.  But in the interest of trying to make a better contest (and maybe, just maybe, give out more prizes), I thought I should at least give this a try…

(Not only that, but this new work schedule and 2 very active children had me forgetting that winners were to be announced yesterday and rather than admit my negligence, this seemed like a better and nearly intentional idea).

Anyway, for those of you here for the 3 bonus hours, check out the simple contest details here.

For those of you that entered from the start, thanks so much for your support!

Newness

Having had my head under the water that is the new job for the past few days and then a weekend that was both tiring and hectic, I have been basically MIA from all blogging, blog-reading, Twittering and other forms of e-communication.  Not that I was ever the world’s best about faithfully commenting on people’s blogs, but still…Not even a week has passed yet and I feel left out somehow.

So to compensate, I figured I would try out NaNo again.  Last year was a failure…I only managed about 13,000 words of a novel that has since then only grown to 31,000 words.  But I figured that with the newness of my new job and a desperate need to find as much writing time as I could, perhaps this little challenge (not just NaNo but the hunt for any available writing time) is a new page of sorts in my writing career.  Maybe a situation like this is what it will take to really prove whether or not I have the motivation to “make it.”

Yet of course, the 1,600 words I wrote today for my NaNo project (previously titled The Nowhere Tree but now without a title) is not nearly enough productivity to get so insightful about the future of my writing.

In other news…

The winners of the Debris Giveaway Contest will be announced tomorrow!  Thanks for entering, everyone!

Also, I received word on Saturday that my very dark poem “Cars Abandoned on Friday Night” has been accepted by Everyday Poets.  I had a blast writing this poem and the few folks that have beta-read it (as well as the authors) seem to be very pleased with it.

Now let me see if I can get in another 1,000 words or so to this NaNo project before turning in for the night.  Have a great week, folks!

It Lives! (sort of…)

Day #2 of the New Job has been put into the record books and I must say that it is looking impossibly cool so far.  Of course, that means that there have now been 2 entire days of no writing, but I expected that.  Truth be told, I don’t know that I’ll get any writing done in the next week.

In other news, Debris is now available on Amazon.  If you have purchased a copy (thank you, by the way) there, I would GREATLY appreciate your reviews and comments on Amazon.  Even if you brought yours through CreateSpace, you SHOULD still be able to post reviews on Amazon.  I’m honestly not sure HOW that works.

Anyway, my free time these says is scarce, so I’m going to make this quick.  I am quite pissed that the World Series is taking the place of Fringe tonight, but perhaps I can use that time to get some much needed sleep.

Here’s hoping all is well with everyone else…

(Jeez…2 full days away from the internet and I already feel like a stranger to everyone…)

News flashes

Ever since kicking off the Debris Giveaway Contest, I’ve had a very exciting couple of days.

First of all, my poem “We Are Speaking Through the Conduit” was accepted into the brand new ‘ Ezra Pound-influenced poetry anthology These Apparitions from the brand spanking new Bandersnatch Books. Not only that, but I was also told that my 2 other attempts at the anthology may also end up in the book as well.

Then came Monday…a day I usually hate.  But shortly after 9 in the morning, I received word that Debris is now officially available for purchase.  You can buy it here or wait a few days until it pops up on Amazon.  With Halloween being so close, you have to appreciate the timing…I’d be both humbled and honored if you guys would check out Debris.  And of course, feel free to write a review!

Another great thing about yesterday was that I received my contributor’s copy of Shadows of the Emerald City in the mail.  The presentation of this book is amazing…it’s without a doubt one of the more beautiful small press releases I have ever seen.  I have only read 2 stories so far but I can already tell that this is going to be a dark and fun read.  I highly recommend buying a copy today.

So as Tuesday rounds the corner and I am only one day away from starting my new 9-5 job, this looks to be a very promising week.  Perhaps I will try to take advantage of this good fortune and actually get some writing done today!

The DEBRIS Contest

Hey guys…with a little less than 2 weeks before Debris becomes available, I wanted to get the Debris Giveaway Contest kicked into gear.  I’m hoping it’s going to be as fun as I have it pictured as well as a unique way to pimp the work of our other writer friends!

To enter the Debris Giveaway Contest, here’s all you have to do:

Locate a horror or dark fiction story or poem online that really stuck with you.  It can be a story by anyone at all but it would be awesome if it was a work by an author that you have listed in your blogroll…an author that frequently leaves comments on your blog…an author that, while you may not find their work in Barnes and Noble, still rocks the online horror community we have all come to know and love.

Post the link to that story in the comments section of this post.  Briefly describe why you think the story or poem is awesome.  You can enter no more than 2 times.

And that’s it.

Upon entering, your name will be written down on a Post-It, folded in half and thrown into my old school throwback leather-type Washington Redskins helmet (because apparently, that is all it is good for this season).  Winners will be drawn out of the helmet on November 2nd.

You have between right now and 11:59 p.m. on Halloween to enter.  There will be two winners and they will receive the prizes listed below

Runner Up

* An autographed copy of Debris

Grand Prize Winner

* An autographed copy of Debris

* Little Grey Man by C.S. Morse:  This is just a fun little extra.  I was obsessed with this comic/graphic novel a few years back.  One of the stories in Debris was loosely inspired by it.  After reading it, you will never view UFO Conspiracies the same way ever again.  Complete with crashed saucers, robotic turtles, Men In Black and even ninjas, this book is a ton of fun!

* An advanced test copy of Birdwatching From Mars, Issue #1: There are only going to be a few copies of this printed.  These will only be given to the Birdwatching From Mars team, reviewers and, now, YOU.  You’ll get Issue #1 roughly 3-4 months before it is officially released!

Okay folks…start weeding out all of your favorite horror stories online and post your favorites in the comments section.  Remember, you can enter up to 2 times.

Spread the word!

Requests

It’s no secret that I stink at keeping secrets…

Therefore, I often have to resort to thinly disguised posts like this one….enough to get the curiosity of you fine folks kicked into gear.

Now, if you had have told me two years ago that I would be getting requests from publishers and editors for poetry rather than short stories, I would have assumed you were playing a mean trick on me.  But, that’s the way the ball bounces I suppose.  In the three years that I have been taking this Writing Thing seriously, I have been approached by one fiction editor with one request.  Yet I have somehow managed to attract three poetry requests.  I received one yesterday for a project that sounded awesome from the first sentence of the pitch.  I tinkered with a few ideas a bit and think I finally have something worthy of sending off.

More on this as I am given permission to spill the beans on it (Don’t get excited…it might be a while…)

And in other news…it’s almost time…

I have a pretty great contest planned in the next few days, so keep your ears and eyes peeled.