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2018 has been a year, as evinced by the lack of updates on this site.  A book release, a major move, two major health crisises, two conventions, transitioning our youngest into an adult home.  Yet I'm still here, so I'll call it a win.

Perhaps the biggest news of the year is the release of my short story collection GODFALL & OTHER STORIES from Hydra House Books (available here).  The collection is all Cat Rambo's fault.  She said, "You're at a point in your career where you need to get your name out there.  Send me some of your stories.  Convince me that you have a collection, and I'll help you put it together."

Two weeks later, she agreed to edit the collection and voila!

Godfall Front Cover Final

The collection received a starred-review from Publisher's Weekly.  Four stories are original to the collection and eligible for fiction nominations for 2018:  "The Home For Broken" (listen to it for free here); "Scarecrone"; "Good Boy"; and "Black Widow".  Many of the other stories such as "Ink", "A Troll's Trade", and "Blue", are also available in podcast form.  The collection itself is also award eligible.

Of the new stories, "The Home For Broken" is the most personal, touching on the joys and pains of raising a disabled child.  I wrote it for myself, and am both surprised and humbled that it has resonated with so many readers.

What else?  I am now an Editor at the Drabblecast podcast.  I still listen to podcasts, though I don't write about them as often as I once did.  I am an Associate Editor in charge of author spotlights at NIGHTMARE MAGAZINE.  I have a Patreon where I ask questions, make paper craft cards, and explore what it means to be queer and disabled.  I have slowly begun to write again.  I attended Worldcon in San Diego, saw many wonderful people, and sat with the amazing Escape Artists, Inc., crew for the Hugo ceremony.  I also panicked, panicked more, hid in my room, and almost believed the shadows when they insisted everyone hated me and the world would be better off without me.

What's in store for 2019?  I don't know.  My only hope is that I will be here.  Thanks for reading.

The season is upon us, the season of ghosts, haunts, haints, and the delightful chill of dark tales whispered at the dead of night.  Over the last two weeks on Twitter (hint: follow me @WriterOdell) I've shared some of my favorite horror podcast stories to help set the mood and I wanted to add a few more to the list because, let's face it, you can't have enough scary stories.  So, in no particular order: ...continue reading "HEAR THAT? HALLOWEEN SPECIAL"

Let's hear it for podcasts!

See what I did there?  See?  See?. . .suit yourself.

THE DRABBLECAST may well be my favorite fiction pocast.  It certainly is the one I've listened to longest, introduced by a friend who thought I would appreciate the show's mission to bring "strange stories, by strange authors, to strange listeners such as yourself", and I am happy to say I've been a fan ever since.  THE DRABBLEAST looks at weird fiction not only as ann expression of other genres, but as a genre of its own.  From ...continue reading "HEAR THAT? The Drabblecast"

I love stories (I'm a writer, part of the job), audio fiction in particular.  While I appreciate radio dramas and podcast plays, I have a particular fondness for audio productions of written work.  There is a certain comfort in hearing "Once upon a time..." and "He said" and "She gripped the fighter's" that never fails to capture my imagination.  Podcasts are shorter than audio books (another love of mine), and are the perfect bite-sized chunk of fiction to fill an afternoon of errands or housework, or the stillness of bedtime.

Fast forward to July 2011 and ...continue reading "HEAR THAT?"