Back then, I'd just started out on my indie self publishing venture, put out a couple ebook shorts that my friend and editor Erin Al-Mehairi had so kindly helped me with. And that started our wonderful professional relationship as editor and client (along with her partner Tim, who's awesome to work with). I'd been working on the first draft of my scifi horror novel The Ravening five years ago, and had been close to completing it. Mister Jack, my Halloween horror novelette, would come next and then Roseblood. And because Mister Jack had been my most popular work to date, I wrote Night of the Pumpkin God, my first full length horror novel and followup to Mister Jack.
Again, if you're really bored or just mildly curious, my last blog post back at the beginning of the year was to promote my latest horror novel, the 2nd book in the Roseblood trilogy called Bloodletting. In my usual rambling on style, I explain how my first-ever published horror story called "Roseblood" became the horror novella Rose Blood. Do check it out, but more importantly, stay tuned because the 3rd and final Rose Blood novel Bloodlust will be out later this year!
In five years, I've produced and self published two full length horror novels and three novellas, not to mention several short stories and two more books that need to be edited/revised. One is Island of Devils, the followup to The Ravening, which in its first draft form is my longest book to date (even edited, I suspect it still will be) and two, is of course Bloodlust, which will be a full length horror novel.
I also broke into horror anthologies with a story in each three volumes of the Books of Horror Community Horror Anthology, part of the hugely popular Books of Horror FB group.
Not too shabby for five years worth of hard work.
One of my biggest challenges is standing out to some degree amongst all the other extremely talented newer crop of Horror authors and growing my readership. I'll probably be launching an email newsletter in the coming year to help with that. Moreover it's not so much book sales as it is getting book reviews, which in turn helps the former. At the end of the day, I just want folks to enjoy my work, post an honest review, and hopefully buy my next book (or other books of mine). That's not too much to ask, right?
As for the next five years, who knows? I'd like to eventually do much less self publishing and focus more of getting my work in with an indie horror publisher. Five years ago, it was all about getting my name and work out there, but doing it myself (with the help of an editor and professional cover artist and book designer) is an expense that I can afford. But it is an expense. Besides the forthcoming and future novels mentioned above, I also want to self publish two short story collections, The Nightmare Season, and another centered around my demonic entity (featured in my ebook shorts Clowning Around and The Last Chord) entitled No Laughing Matter. There's also a horror novella called Rebirth that I'm toying with, sort of a fun side project that may get written by the end of 2022, but we'll see.
