Month: September 2014

Cover Art for Shock Totem #9 Featuring The Box Wife

~ emmakosborne ~ Leave a comment

I mentioned Shock Totem in my last post, and happily, I now have something to show off!

Behold, the absolutely GORGEOUS art for Shock Totem #9!

Shock Totem 9 Cover 04 (Mock Up) (1)

I have been completely spoiled with my covers from this year’s publications. Part of me wants to get this one (and hey, the delightful August Bastion SF cover) framed so that I can put it up in my house to swoon over.

My story in Shock Totem is called The Box Wife and it’s definitely the most disturbing thing I’ve ever written. I tend to write more fantasy and SF than horror, but this one came out of nowhere with an incredibly insistent voice that could not be ignored. Weirdly enough, when I made some edits (I ended up using this as a Clarion submission story for this year) I found that I could click into the voice pretty much at will. That’s never happened to me before, and it was rather disconcerting to have it happen with such difficult and challenging subject matter.

Shock Totem will be out shortly and when it is, I’ll trumpet the issue to the sky. I’m very excited and proud to share this story and I can’t wait to see what y’all think!

Long Haul Writing

~ emmakosborne ~ 4 Comments

I mostly write short stories. In the last couple of years I’ve been writing and editing and submitting and editing and submitting and reworking and trunking and occasionally finding success and writing and editing poems and short pieces of fantasy, horror and SF. This year, I’ve had a couple of things come out (in places like Apex Magazine and Bastion SF, no less!) which has been very exciting and fun. I still have a story due out shortly at Shock Totem…

Aaaaaaaand that’s about it. Nothing out on sub, except a reprint. I’m waiting for a couple of markets to re-open, and I’ve been tinkering with some stories, but mostly, I’ve been clawing my way through draft zero of the novel I’m working on.

The first 25,000 words were pretty breezy. I knocked out quite a bit during Nanowrimo last year (although November is basically MONTH OF DEATH for my day job, so that kinda makes it difficult).

Let me tell you, the next 10,000 words or so were like simultaneously pulling teeth and fingernails whilst riding a large excitable dog and trying to put on eyeliner.*

Luckily for me (and anyone who spends time in my company) things are getting (slightly) easier. I think I’ve finally broken through the tricky bits and the end is in sight.

So, with a bit of work and luck, I’ll have my draft finished by October, which is the deadline Chuck Wendig gave me.

He’s promised to steal the idea if I don’t write it all down by then, the bastard.**

So! Wish me luck writing my rather queer YA science fiction adventure! I’m having a blast and I hope that I manage to pull it off!

 

 

*I am really, REALLY not good at this. It’s basically an awful lot of poking and cursing.

**I actually wildly adore Chuck and would never question his lineage.