Click here for your FREE ebook: The SPARREW One-Year Anniversary Ebook!
****************************************************
Please help support the SPARREW Newsletter!
Your purchase of the Gift Sample Collection Ebook will help the newsletter remain a paying market for writers!
Purchase your copy of this ebook here.
****************************************************
SPARREW ISSUE FORTY
Welcome to the SPARREW Newsletter!
The newsletter for Self-Publishers, Authors, Readers, Reviewers, Editors and Writers!
Welcome to the April 2025 issue of the newsletter!
So glad to have you on board!
Many authors dislike promoting and marketing their books. They’d rather use that time writing. But the truth is, if you don’t get the word out about your books, they won’t sell. Additionally, people won’t know about your book unless you’re shouting about it from the rooftops. Authors want to write their books instead of promoting them.
A solution? Try to make time for both things.
I’m not one of those authors who spends hours every day writing my books. I do spend some time working on them, but I also make time for book promotion and marketing. This is an important aspect of the author’s life, because zero promotion of books will always result in zero sales.
On the other hand, I have also experienced zero sales of books even when I have actively promoted and marketed them. But I firmly believe that authors need to take some time to promote their books. Even if the books don’t sell, you owe it to yourself to spread the word about them.
What I have also noticed is that some authors don’t really know how to promote and market their books. But if you network with other authors, you might see some of the things they are doing to promote their books. Pay attention to how other authors promote and market their books and see if you can do the same things.
This newsletter is just one way I get the word out about new books. I also have other things in place to promote all of my books:
Social media accounts
Additionally, the bios included at the end of the articles, essays, short stories and poems published include some of my book titles, along with my website links and socials.
If you are struggling with ideas for how to promote and market your books, here are some things you can do:
Read the ebook I wrote on this very topic, Promote Your Book on a Shoestring … or Less, which is available free through Kindle Unlimited
Type “book promotion” or “book marketing” into your favorite search engine and see what comes up
Check out the links in the author section of this newsletter and if the article or website is about book promotion and marketing, click on it then check out the other relevant articles on that website
These are just a few suggestions but if you take some time to look at author accounts on social media or talk with other authors about how to promote your books, those answers are available for you to put to use. Yes, there are people out there who you can pay to promote your book, as well as marketing reps at publishing companies who are willing to help get the word out about your books, but the job of promoting your book is mostly on you. So take some time each week to do that book promotion so that more readers will be aware of your book just waiting for them to read.
We’ve got a great issue for you this month!
In the self-publishing section, you’ll get to meet prolific self-published author, Marisa Noelle! I first connected with Marisa a couple of years ago when I reviewed one of her books. After I shared my review on Twitter (when I HAD a Twitter account!), she thanked me and we both started following each other. I have kept up with Marisa’s work ever since and was surprised to learn that she was self-publishing her books! (Yes, her books are so good and her covers so professional that you can’t really even tell they are self-published!) Marisa took the time to be interviewed for this newsletter and I’m excited to share her knowledge and experience as a self-publisher!
You’ll also get to meet author Ivy Grimes! Ivy is another author who I connected with after reviewing her book and I have been excited by her successes with her writing ever since! She’s here to share with readers about her new book, The Ghosts of Blaubert Mansion.
And because April is National Poetry Month, I knew I had to find a poet to interview for the writing section of this newsletter! A recent acquaintance, LindaAnn LoSchiavo, was able to make time for an interview! She is one of the most prolific poets I know, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to feature her in this newsletter! She’s here to share about her experiences writing poetry, as well as provide some thoughtful insights on the art and craft of poetry writing!
For this month’s feature article, Jerry Blaze is back with more writing advice! This time, he explores the topic of writing erotic horror. If you’ve ever wondered how to write this subgenre of horror, check out Jerry’s article for some helpful tips!
And, once again, the lovely Carolyn Howard-Johnson returns with the latest installment for her “Tricky Edits” column. What does the SPARREW Gift Sample Collection include from Carolyn that can help you with editing your writing? Check out her column to find out!
I hope you enjoy this issue! Feel free to drop me a note or connect with me on social media! I'd love to connect with you!
Enjoy this issue!
Check out archived issues of the SPARREW Newsletter here:
https://sparrewarchives.blogspot.com/
All current issues will be posted on my website here:
https://www.dmcwriter.com/the-sparrew-newsletter
Meanwhile, here are my most recent blog posts:
Dawn Colclasure’s Blog: “I Wrote About My Trauma to Tell My Story, Not to Hurt Anyone”
**********************************************************************
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!
The SPARREW Newsletter is now a paying publication!
If you have an article you think might fight our needs, please send it our way!
We are interested in articles on the following topics:
Self-Publishing
Authors (interviews, articles promoting new releases, book marketing and promotion, website building and pointers, etc.)
Anything to do with books (analysis, reviews, breakdowns, etc.)
Book Reviewing
Editing and Editors
Writing
Each article should be no more than 2000 words. Must include a headshot and bio with your submission. Payment is $10 through PayPal, on publication. Reprints welcome and you retain all rights to your work. You grant SPARREW Books the right to reprint your article in a future ebook edition as well as the right to promote your article online.
Submit your work to Dawn at DMCWriter@gmail.com with "SPARREW Submission" in the subject line. Please submit your article as a .doc or .docx file. No PDFs. Any articles not relevant to the newsletter will be deleted unread. Please send your best work; articles will be published as-is.
**********************************************************************
ATTENTION WRITERS OF BOOKS AND ASPIRING AUTHORS!
A new publishing company is in town! This indie press specializes in horror, but it is also open to books in other genres.
Twisted Dreams Press is a brand new independent publisher accepting submissions of short story collections, novelettes, novellas and novels from authors in a variety of genres!
Check out the new website to find out all the details!
Be sure to follow us on our Facebook page and our other social media platforms, which are all easily accessible from our website and Facebook page.
Please like our Facebook page
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our news
**********************************************************************
MY APRIL SUBSTACK POSTS:
You Can't Resurrect a Person, But You CAN Resurrect a Book!
Sometimes, All it Takes is One Book
THANK YOU…
Thank you to CultureCult Press for publishing my poems in the #GENOCIDAL anthology
Many thanks to First Chapter Plus Magazine for publishing my article on alternate history books! My article is on page 21.
Many thanks to C Hope Clark for publishing my article "Find Paying Opportunities Through Social Media" in the April 18, 2025 issue of FundsforWriters. You can read it here.
Thank you to Twisted Dreams Press for publishing my short story “The Tree of Death” and my poem “What Do We Say?” in the new anthology, Dark Harvest: Terrifying Tales from the Poisioned Planet.
**********************************************************************
SELF-PUBLISHER CORNER
Self-Publisher Interview with Marisa Noelle
1. What can you tell me about your experience as a writer?
I have been writing for over 15 years and have now published 18 books with more on the way. I started with very little experience (my first book was an adult sci-fi at 45k words with no dialogue – OMG!!!!) and slowly built up my skills through courses and workshops books and anything I could get my hands on until I felt that I could write a book worthy of being published! I love to learn and still try to improve my craft by attending workshops whenever I can. I’ve had a couple of agents over the years, a few minor indie publishing deals, but now all of my books are self-published.
2. What made you decide to write a book?
I have always been a bookworm, but it didn’t occur to me to try writing until I started having problems with anxiety. I turned to poetry to help express what I was feeling and found the experience really cathartic. Bitten by the bug, I decided to play with a novel. It was the adult sci-fi that remains in a drawer. It was a concept that I’d discussed with my dad over the years and still fascinated me today (The idea that entire universes exist within people, and that our universe is like an atom in a giant). I may dig it out of that drawer if I can figure out the science behind it more effectively!
3. What circumstances brought you to the decision to self-publish your book?
After having my first two books published with small presses, and one going out of business and the other being not so honorable, I was devasted to lose my books after I had worked so hard on them. I decided to self-publish them. One was a standalone, and the other the first of a trilogy. I was desperate to see the remaining books of the trilogy out in the world, and so learned the ropes of self-publishing and put them out there!
4. What has your experience as a self-publisher been like?
All the things! All the emotions! It’s hard, it’s rewarding, it’s satisfying, it’s fun…so many different things. I love being in control of my own covers and timelines and edits and not having to give any royalties away! But it’s really hard to market the books and not have a support team (or the budget that comes with it) behind me to ensure my books get into the right hands. But I have found a joy in making social media posts and graphics on Canva – I just wish it wasn’t all so time consuming. Self-publishing is like being a jack of all trades!
5. How do you respond to the negative stigma attached to self-publishing and self-published books?
Ooff. That’s a tricky one. There are times when I myself feel that I’m not good enough b/c I never got that deal with an agent or big publisher. Part of me still wants that validation. And I think that is because of the stigma around it. I’ve read a lot of self-published books. Some are the best books I’ve ever read. Some are really not written well. Which is why the stigma exists and will continue to do so. But I have seen a slow growing respect for the self-published authors. When books do well, and they are doing this more often, it shows people that we are quality writers and often write the things more inline with what readers want to read. All the dark romance and romantasy came from self-published authors. So I love seeing how it’s affected the traditional publishing market. I love how more authors are choosing this path and taking back the control. And to be honest, I’m not sure the average reader even considers whether a book is self-published or who the publisher is! Onwards!
6. What is one very important lesson you have learned as a self-publisher so far?
It’s really important to have other writer friends. With self-publishing, writing is lonely. We don’t have a team of editors and marketers behind us, so it’s really important to build a support network to help us during the tough times. To support each other. And to celebrate the successes together.
7. What do you know now about self-publishing that you wish you knew at the beginning?
Ads! Marketing! I’ve spent so much money on ads courses thinking it was going to be a game changer. At the end of the day, ads are different for everyone. One person’s extremely successful method might not work for you. Algorithms change all the time. What worked last year or last month or even yesterday, changes constantly and ads need continual updating. I could have saved myself a lot of money if I had stuck to the free webinars to learn the ropes, and then tried things out on my own!
8. A lot of authors of self-published books have reservations about promoting and marketing their book. Some even feel that it is a form of vanity or self-importance. What is your opinion about this?
It’s tough. Most authors are introverts. We don’t want to shout about out books or shove them in people’s faces. But if we don’t, then how are people going to find them? Although I am on social media and do promote my books that way, most of my sales come from ads. These ads are aimed at the right readers. Which is much better and more palatable than shouting about my books on TikTok! I, too, struggle to blow my own trumpet, and I do try to put together engaging posts, but it is my hope that my posts will reach interested readers.
9. How do you promote your books and what form of book promotion has worked the best for you?
The spaghetti approach is valid! Ooof, promotion is hard. I am on ALL the socials but my favorite place is TikTok. I do move the occasional book but I don’t rely on it for sales. I have a newsletter, but it’s hard to get people to sign up and stay signed up! Amazon ads have never worked for me, but Facebook ads do. I advertise my mermaid fantasy series and that tends to bring readers through to my other books. I’ve also been running some BookBub ads for my dystopian trilogy, which helps a little. I struggle with staying profitable when scaling up – I’m still working on it! I also attend loads of events. Like I’ll be at the UK MCM ComicCon this year, UK Games Expo, And Authors at the Armories in October.
10. What are some other important things you have learned as a self-publisher?
I’ve learned so many new skills. From cover design, to internal formatting, to all the ads platforms… Self-publishing is so much more than “just writing” (Bummer), and you have to be a jack of all trades. You also have to be doggedly persistent!
11. Do you feel that self-publishing is a viable choice for other authors?
I LOVE this! I adore seeing new authors on TikTok deciding to self-publish and not go anywhere near the query trenches. It gives self-publishing a better reputation. And as more and more indie authors hit the bestseller lists, it shows self-publishing is a force to be reckoned with.
12. How do you feel that self-publishing their books has helped many unknown authors finally get the recognition their books deserve?
I love this too. I just wish there was a winning formula. Aside from the prerequisite of good writing, when an indie book goes big, it’s usually because of one of three reasons: 1: a large social following 2: luck and timing 3: ads. No one method can be copied to launch every indie author, so it’s really important to celebrate the ones who do make it. And it helps build hope that others can too.
ABOUT MARISA:
Marisa Noelle is the author behind a treasure trove of young adult and adult novels across multiple genres, but they all have running themes of mental health or the ocean. She tends to gravitate toward the speculative arena and loves to write science-fiction, fantasy, horror, dystopian, romance, romantasy, or a combination of them all.
Marisa's books include:
The Shadow Keepers—a spine-tingling tale to keep you up all night and semi-finalist of the BBNYA book awards.
The Unraveling of Luna Forester—a novel impossible to talk about because of its huge twist, but it snagged several awards, including: First Place Incipere Award, WriteBlend Finalist, BBYNA Semi-Finalist, Bookshelf Finalist shelf.
Plastic— a powerful eco-thriller exploring grief, corporate corruption, and the fight to save our oceans. This contemporary YA novel blends activism with heartbreak as Sara Monroe battles her brother’s death, a plastic-choked ocean, and the secrets of a billion-dollar beverage empire.
The Unadjusteds Trilogy delves into one of her favourite genres—dystopian. The Unadjusteds, the Rise of the Altereds, and The Reckoning make up the trilogy, but there are eleven further companion novellas that follow the secondary characters. The Unadjusteds also placed as a semi-finalist in the BBNYA awards. There are also eleven origin story novellas set in The Unadjusteds universe that are completely FREE when you subscribe to my website.
The Mermaid Chronicles is a seven book romantasy series that includes: Secrets of the Deep, Quest for Atlantis, Fight for Freedom, Ghost Pirates, Vendetta, Denizens of Darkness, Vorago Returns, as well as its own companion guide. The entire series is coming to audio with Tantor Media soon!
Marisa also writes steamy romance under the pen name Savannah Wilde.
When Marisa's not weaving literary spells, she's helping mold the future of MG and YA authors as a mentor for the Write Mentor program.
When not writing, Marisa likes to imagine herself as a mermaid, and can often be found in the local pool … or lake … or ocean. Despite her undeniable bookworm credentials since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, the author gig took Marisa by surprise. You see, she had a secret past as a bit of a science geek during her school days. But hey, science and storytelling make a surprisingly magical concoction! Currently, Marisa calls Woking, UK, her home sweet home, where she resides with her trusty squad, including her husband, three amazing kids, and a furry four-legged friend named Copper.
Marisa loves to hear from her readers. You can find and connect with her at the links below.
Twitter & Instagram: @MarisaNoelle77
TikTok: @MarisaNoelle12
NEW IN SELF-PUBLISHING:
"Should you set up a preorder for your book?" by Kim Catanzarite
via Self-Publishing 101 Blog
"Tips for Social Media Use" by Kim Catanzarite
via Self-Publishing 101 Blog
"Self-Publishing on Amazon: 12 Pros and Cons"
via NowNovel
AUTHOR CORNER
Author Interview with Ivy Grimes
1. When did you start writing?
I played around with writing poems and stories as a kid. I got more serious about it in college, and then I got a Creative Writing MFA in poetry from the University of Alabama. I didn’t learn too much in school, but it was mostly a fun experience. While there, I also took some fiction classes and enjoyed writing absurdist tales. I stopped writing for a few years while I pursued a different career (one I found boring), but once I switched to something less stressful, I began regularly writing stories and occasionally writing poems again.
2. What was your journey towards becoming an author like?
Since I started out around academic types, my understanding was that the goal was to publish poems in academic journals and eventually collections with university presses, knowing very few people would read what I wrote. I knew how competitive that was. I’m forty now, and even that landscape has changed so much over the past couple of decades in terms of social media and online publishing. I changed, too, and I began writing more fiction than poetry. My reasoning for switching was realizing that I read a lot more fiction than poetry.
I still have few people reading my work, but I feel more in control of my own destiny since I publish many of my stories online and share them through social media. I feel like I can seek out likeminded people this way.
I’ve also enjoyed publishing novellas, a novel, and a short story collection with small presses. I published Star Shapes originally with Spooky House and Glass Stories with Grimscribe Press. My novel The Ghosts of Blaubart Mansion is set for release on April 21 of this year with Cemetery Gates. My novella The Cellar Below the Cellar is set for release with Violet Lichen Press in 2026.
3. What can you tell me about your latest book? (Feel free to include an excerpt.)
My latest book is The Ghosts of Blaubart Mansion with Cemetery Gates. It’s about two sisters, Ruby and Opal, who grow up with their mother in the woods without much contact with society. Their mother is always afraid of something she won’t explain, so she stays hidden. Their mother gets sick, though, and when they need money, Ruby marries a very rich man from an infamous local family, knowing she won’t have the position of “wife” for very long. Her sister Opal tries to rescue her and discovers some disturbing secrets about the mansion. The story is inspired by the fairy tales “Bluebeard” and “Snow-White and Rose-Red.” It’s a Southern gothic story, but in many ways, it’s also a comedy. It doesn’t stick closely to reality.
Here's a little snippet from the second chapter (narrated by Ruby):
As you might have guessed, I married the bad man. I doubt if we would have learned about each other if not for the sick possum and Phew. I wouldn’t have ventured far enough in that direction to find his mansion. Maybe I would have gone to Nashville instead. Memphis. Macon. Birmingham. Jackson. Hard to say.
The bad man’s name was Glaucon Blaubart, but I swear he wasn’t nearly as bad as Phew said. Finding his mansion was the first thing I ever did alone, without Opal. Once I married him, I was in charge of the festivities his family had held for centuries and centuries. As a kid, I never really went to a party, so it was strange that parties became part of my job. I soon realized I wasn’t up to the task.
A few weeks after our wedding, I had to host the St. Al’s Day event. It took place every March 1, when all the landowning families were invited to our mansion for a breakfast buffet, which was followed by a hunting competition, and ended with a supper buffet. Glaucon said he would be absent from breakfast because of his allergies or some other excuse, but he promised to be present with me at the supper. I was curious to meet the “finer families” around, even though I didn’t want to face them alone. Whoever brought the greatest number of dead little critters to supper was the winner. The catch was, they had to use their bare hands to hunt. No weapons.
I didn’t like the idea at all, but what could I do? I put on the clothes the servants set out for me, nice jeans and high-heeled boots and a bright yellow sweater (canary yellow was the color of St. Al’s Day), and I did my best to be a good host.
4. What sort of methods do you use for book promotion?
I experiment with various methods. I have a feeling I’ll never be an expert! I don’t write books that are for everyone, but rather for a small, specific audience. I have a hard time knowing exactly how to reach that audience, but I have tried methods like posting about the book on social media (especially on Bluesky), using BookSirens as a substitute for NetGalley, and generally doing my best to help my small press spread the word about the book. Book promotion doesn’t come naturally to me!
5. Where do you get your ideas for stories?
I love taking the ideas/plots of fairy tales and myths and significantly messing with them. Often, readers will finish a story I’ve written and say they didn’t recognize the story I was referencing. I’m not writing retellings of fairy tales, but rather using the fairy tale as a place to leap from. What I love about fairy tales is their dark hiddenness, the way they feel like reading dreams. I try to keep that dream-feeling in my stories as I explore the always-relevant themes of fairy tales.
6. What are you working on right now?
I’m working with Marissa Van Uden, editor of Violet Lichen books, on editing my novella The Cellar Below the Cellar (set for release in spring 2026). This story was inspired by elements of the fairy tale Vasilisa the Beautiful, as well as mythology around Frau Perchta, a witchy figure from the Alps.
Recently, I’ve been writing poetry again. I always knew I’d want to return to it from time to time. It allows me to express my feelings in an even more obscure language than I use in my stories.
7. Any advice for other authors?
Do what you love, and try not to worry too much about anyone else. When you’re making art, your opinion matters most. With other kinds of writing (informing and entertaining), audience perception is perhaps most important, but not with art. It’s your world, and not everyone belongs there.
ABOUT IVY:
Ivy Grimes is originally from Birmingham, Alabama, and she currently lives in Georgia. She has an MFA from the University of Alabama. Her stories have appeared in The Baffler, Vastarien, hex, Maudlin House, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Seize the Press, ergot., Potomac Review, and elsewhere. To read stories available online and learn more, please visit Ivy’s website.
AUTHOR NEWS:
"'We need to speak up': Authors protest against Meta training AI on their work" by Andrew Rogers
via BBC
"To Blurb or Not To Blurb" by Jillian Forsberg
via Writer Unboxed
"Beware! Top Writing Scams Every Author Must Know to Protect Their Work"
via BadRedhead Media, LLC’s All Things Book Marketing!
"How (and Why) To Define a Strong Author Brand" by Jenny Hansen
via Writers In The Storm
"How to Sell Your Book (Online and In-Store)"
via NowNovel
REVIEWER CORNER
My Reviews:
Good Love Gone Bad: Seventh Circle is a horrifying story of revenge fiction
Unnatural Bodies in the Water: Girl in the Creek offers a harrowing tale of loss and cosmic horror
A Graveyard of Horrors: Banshee Graveyard is a frightening story of monsters and murder
Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Queer Horror
Vengeance from Beyond: Ruthie is a terrifying tale of one dead child's quest for revenge
Other Book Reviews:
BookTrib.
"Death Is Full of Surprises in Touching Literary Fantasy" by Jim Alkon
"Rags-to-Riches Memoir Is a Wild Ride that Speaks to Society’s Misfits" by Joanna Poncavage
"Centuries Later, Michelangelo’s Secret Is Finally Unearthed …" by BookTrib. Staff
"Unravel Family Secrets Through Art and Legacy in Transformative Tale" by Monique Snyman
"An Epic AI Apocalypse Thriller That Will Leave You Questioning Everything" by Monique Snyman
"Profound Poetry Examines Our Shared Experiences of Love and Pain" by Katie Bloomer
"Page Getz Delivers Frank Capra for the 21th Century in Goodnight, Kansas" by JeriAnn Geller
"Buried Secrets, Murder and Vengeance in Chilling Slow-Burn Thriller" by Natalia Kavale
"Romance Novel Captures the Magic of Second Chances and New Beginnings" by Kelsey Hall
Hellnotes
"Advance Review: THE SOLSTICE" by Nora B. Peevy
Horror Bookworm Reviews
Summer Bloody Summer by Alex Hartwell
Super Beast ‘96 by T.D. Lawler
KittyLisha Reviews
Book Review: 10,000 Things I Hate About You by Lili Valente (The Virgin Playbook)
Book Review: Haunted: Perron Manor by Lee Mountford (Haunted Book 1)
Book Review: Dimension Shifter BY T. M. Neilson (Dimension Saga Book 1)
Book Review: 1 Night by Bethany Lopez (Time for Love book .5)
Book Review: My Cowboy by Sierra Rose (A Cowboy to Love Book 1)
Uncomfortably Dark
04/02/2025: Sweet Reviews: Lovely Dark & Deep by Megan Stockton
04/04/2025 Guest Review from Warn Iverson: CUDDLE BUDDIES by Harrison Philips
Rachel Schommer Reviews: 4.7.25
04/09/2025 Sweet Reviews: These Things Linger by Dan Franklin
04/10/25: Sonja Ska Reviews “Shy Girl”
04/12/2025 Guest Sally Feliz Reviews THE UPSIDE-DOWN VOICE THAT SPEAKS BACKWARDS by R.J. Benetti
Rachel Schommer Reviews: 4.14.25
04/16/2025 Sweet Reviews: Stuck by Ben Young
4/17/2025 Sonja Ska Reviews ‘A Woman Like Jo’ by Kenzie Jennings
Other Book Reviews
THE MONOCLE, A WILDLY FUN, SMART AND EXCITING YA SCI-FI ADVENTURE
via The New Book Review
"Poetry Collection Inspired by Music Celebrates April National Poetry Month" BOOK REVIEW
via Newport This Week
"This True Crime Book Was So Unnerving and I Absolutely Devoured It" by Patricia Elzie-Tuttle
via Book Riot
"It’s Like Howl’s Moving Castle Meets Birdbox" by Megan Mabee
via Book Riot
"Book review: Celebrate Poetry Month with new work by veteran Fairbanks poets" by Nancy Lord
via Anchorage Daily News
The Unstable Forms of Grief: A Review of Virginia Bell’s “Lifting Child from the Ground, Turning Around” by Giovanni Olla
via New City Lit
"Mad House: new book exposes Capitol Hill’s absurdity and dysfunction" by Lloyd Green
via The Guardian
Calls for Reviews:
I’d love to find reviewers for my books! Contact me at DMCWriter@gmail.com if interested.
READER CORNER
NEW RELEASE!
3 A.M. Poetry by Dawn Colclasure is a collection of poetry covering the author's struggles following an abusive childhood as well as coping with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and panic disorder. CW: self-harm, suicidal ideation, trauma and addiction.
Book Excerpt:
You Weren’t Supposed to Hurt Me
You.
I looked up to you.
I thought you were someone
Who would take care of me.
Who would raise me with love.
Compassion. Guidance and honesty.
But, no. You hurt me instead.
You weren’t supposed to hurt me
But you did.
You took that position of “parent”
And turned it into something
That it wasn’t supposed to be.
You weren’t supposed to make me fear you,
But you did.
I had to walk on eggshells around you.
Do everything I could to keep you happy
And keep the peace.
Because when you got angry,
You would throw things.
Break things.
Hit anyone or pull them down.
This is why we would run and hide
Anytime you got angry.
We didn’t want to get caught
In the crossfire
Of your rage.
You weren’t supposed to hurt me.
You were my parent!
You were supposed to be kind to me
And to all of us.
But you weren’t.
You made us cry.
You made us scared.
You left bruises on our bodies
And blood on our faces.
You drove us away from you
Yet even at a distance,
Your reach still poisoned us
And nurtured our anger
Over why we were cheated
And given a parent
That decided
To be
A monster
Instead.
A book which one reviewer heralded as “powerful, honest and all too relatable,” 3 A.M. Poetry tears down the walls of secrecy and taboo surrounding the topic of child abuse and mental health to explore a painful past in order to find strength to create a better life in the present and have hope for the future.
BOOK BLOGS:
BOOK NEWS:
"10 Mysteries Set in the Bleak Midwinter" by Bailey Seybolt
via CrimeReads
"Hegseth’s ‘Big Brother’ book purge models the worst of McCarthyism" by Steven Lubet
via The Hill
"Book bound in human skin found in museum office" by Laura Foster
via BBC
"A small Michigan bookstore moved down the block. Town residents passed 9,100 books, one by one, to their new home." by Associated Press
via Anchorage Daily News
"First Lines For LL & LD Awareness Month" by Lynette M. Burrows
via Lynette M. Burrows Blog
"The Currency of Tomorrow" by Elana Gomel
via A Guide to Unreality
"Plant-Based Pros on the Books They Recommend Again and Again" by Courtney Davison
via Forks Over Knives
"8 Books on the Evils of Unchecked State Power" by Rav Grewal-Kök
via Electric Lit
"5 Escapist Books to Help You Ignore the Fact That the Country’s on Fire" by CT Jones
via Rolling Stone
NEW BOOKS:
What to Expect When You're Dead: An Ancient Tour of Death and the Afterlife
Robert Garland
Category: Philosophy
Collin J Rae
Category: Art
Brian Rosenberger
Category: Poetry Collection
Don't Trust Him (Book 4 of the East Rise series)
Lisa Cutts
Genre: Crime Thriller
Peter J Donnelly
Category: Poetry
The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters
Diane Coyle
Category: Economics & Finance
A Crack in the Code: Cybertronic Stories of Rebellion
Edited by Rie Sheridan Rose
Genre: Science Fiction Anthology
All Grown Up Under a Big Sky Moon
Craig Strete
Genre: Short Story Collection
Kristin Dearborn
Genre: Supernatural Creature Feature
Poems by Gia Rose
Category: Poetry Collection
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Genre: Women's Fiction
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris
Evie Woods
Genre: Historical Fiction
Katie Kitamura
Genre: Women's Fiction
Jon Hickey
Genre: Literary Fiction
London Sperry
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Andy Anderegg
Genre: Literary Fiction
Kate Folk
Genre: Literary Fiction
Belinda Bauer
Genre: Mystery
Kayla E.
Category: Graphic Memoir
Forget the Camel: The Madcap World of Animal Festivals and What They Say about Being Human
Elizabeth MeLampy
Category: Science, Health and The Environment
Sailing Paper Boats & Other Stories
Swetha Ami
Genre: Short Story Collection
Karl Hill
Genre: Thriller
Benjamin B. White
Category: Poetry Collection
Sarah Bourne
Genre: Suspense
Found poetry and flash fiction by Janet Dale and Allson Renner
Genre: Hybrid (Poetry and short fiction)
Dave Freer
Genre: Middle Grade Adventure
Unerased: Trans Lives in Southern Illinois
Jo Christian
Category: Poetry Collection
Dark Tide 19: What Swallows The Light
John Durgin, Gage Greenwood, Andrew Van Wey
Genre: Novella Collection
Royally Lucky, ROYAL MC book 15
Elle Boon
Genre: Erotic Romance
Madness of Love: Book 4 in Madness of Kanaan
Karina Fabian
YA Paranormal Fantasy
The Seven O'Clock Club: A Novel
Amelia Ireland
Genre: Women's Fiction
Abbi Waxman
Genre: Cozy Mystery
The Fairbanks Four: Murder, Injustice, and the Birth of a Movement
Brian Patrick O’Donoghue
Category: True Crime
Ashley Whitaker
Genre: Literary Fiction
Seán Hewitt
Genre: Literary Fiction
Written by Hanne Ørstavik, Translated from Norwegian by Martin Aitken
Genre: Literary Fiction
Bailey Seybolt
Genre: Thriller
Written by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh, Illustrator Mina Ikemoto Ghosh
Genre: YA Fantasy
The Raven Scholar: Eternal Path Trilogy #1
Antonia Hodgson
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Into the Ice: The Northwest Passage, the Polar Sun, and a 175-Year-Old Mystery
Mark Synnott
Category: Travel/World History
Zara Thorne
Genre: Romance
A Novel by Ashley Grant
Genre: Fantasy
I'm Like a Tree and a Tree's Like Me
Written by Sylvaine Jaoui, Illustrated by Anne Crahay, Translated from French by Claudia Zoe Bedrick
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Sadie, Queen Of The Swollen Nose Saloon
Poems by Martina Reisz Newberry
Category: Poetry Collection
Shaun Meeks
Genre: Coming-of-Age Horror
Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1)
Alexa Grave
Genre: Fantasy
Passage Up The Mekong (Rick and Rose Sinclair Adventures Book 4)
Russell James
Genre: Action/Adventure
J.D. Rhoades
Genre: Action/Thriller
Magic Malfunction (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 51)
By Various Authors
Genre: Fantasy Anthology
Shredder Orpheus: The Novelization
A novel by David Irons, Based on the screenplay by Robert McGinley
Genre: Post-apocalyptic Fiction
Scareville: Monsters of Mt. Hope (Book 7 of the Scareville series)
John Ward
Genre: Middle Grade Horror
Battle Bard (Book One in the Bards of the Broken Empire series)
Robyn Wideman and Cooper Wai
Genre: Fantasy
Sarah Maria Griffin
Genre: Fantasy
Emily Henry
Genre: Women's Fiction
Sarah Damoff
Genre: Literary Fiction
Jo Harkin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Morgan Jerkins
Genre: Historical Fiction
Slither: How Nature's Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World
Stephen S. Hall
Category: Essay Collection
Louise Hegarty
Genre: Mystery & Detective
S. J. Baker
Genre: Dystopian YA Thriller
The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders
Sarah Aziza
Category: Memoir
America, América: A New History of the New World
Greg Grandin
Category: U.S. History
Jeff Strand
Genre: Children's Horror
Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) (A Vera Wong Novel)
Jesse Q. Sutanto
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Heartwood (A Read with Jenna Pick): A Novel
Amity Gaige
Genre: Literary Fiction
Brownmoor: Episode 1: The Beginning
DE McCluskey
Genre: Zombie Horror
Julia Bartz
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Terror! Horror! Agony!: A Collection of (Mostly) Quiet Horror Stories
Judith Sonnet
Genre: Quiet Horror Short Story Collection
Fairies Don't Fall (Singsong City Book 7)
Juliann Whicker
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Romantic Comedy
Jerry Blaze
Genre: Slasher/Crime Thriller
Emilia Hart
Genre: Historical Fiction
Lost and Stolen Gods (Labyrinth of Gods Book 1)
Debbie Cassidy
Genre: Fantasy
Amanda Ruzsa
Genre: Horror Short Story
Saving Alice Ryan (The Whales of Time Book 3)
Craig Robertson
Genre: Science Fiction
Katy Hays
Genre: Suspense & Thriller
The Twisted Throne (The Bridge Kingdom Book 5)
Danielle L. Jensen
Genre: Fantasy
Haunted Secrets: Tales of Frank Benedict Volume 3 (Haunted Secrets Series)
By Various Authors
Genre: Short Horror Stories Anthology
The Maid's Secret: A Maid Novel
Nita Prose
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Red X Wolf (Damsels of Distress Book 1)
Dakota Krout
Genre: LitRPG Adventure
Jasmine Guillory
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Ben Farthing
Genre: Paranormal
The Crew: A Chicago Horror Short Story
Bryan Alaspa
Genre: Horror Short Story
BROTHERHOOD: A Midnight Eye File (The William Meikle Chapbook Collection)
William Meikle
Genre: Cozy Horror
By Various Authors, Edited by Edward Lee
Genre: Horror Anthology
Nighty Night Pig Tales (Nighty Night Tales)
Samuel DenHartog
Genre: Children's Story Collection
Quest for the Incan Treasure (Chronicles of the Ages)
by Samuel DenHartog
Genre: Historical Fiction
Nighty Night Turtle Tales (Nighty Night Tales)
Samuel DenHartog
Genre: Children's Story Collection
Nighty Night Fox Tales (Nighty Night Tales)
Samuel DenHartog
Genre: Children's Story Collection
by Robert Gaspari
Genre: Supernatural Mystery
Jerry Blaze
Genre: Bizarro Fiction
Todd Keisling
Genre: Cosmic Horror
Spy Code (A Sam Taylor Thriller)
Ben Baldwin
Genre: Spy Thriller
SPAWN OF NIGHTMARES: TEN TALES FROM HELL
By Various Authors
Genre: Horror Anthology
A One-Act Play by Samantha Scott
Genre: Drama
A Meaningless Romp through Weightlessness
A Story by Jessica Harman
Genre: Fiction
Heather Tracy
Genre: LGBTQ Science Fiction
Alison Irving
Genre: Women's Fiction
By Various Authors
Genre: Anthology
A.V. Donaldson, John Clements, Tina S. Transformation, Revna Zil and Brody Butcher
Genre: Thriller Story Collection
Kris Ashton
Genre: Horror
Edward M. Lerner
Genre: Science Fiction/Technothriller
The Growers: Best of NewMyths Anthology Volume V
By Various Authors
Genre: Science Fiction Anthology
Samuel DenHartog
Genre: Folklore
Becoming Nosferatu: Stories Inspired by Silent German Horror
Edited by Matthew Sorrento and Gary D. Rhodes
Genre: Horror Stories and Poetry
Jason Walz
Genre: YA Graphic Novel
Sarah Green
Category: Poetry Collection
By Heart: Recipes to Hold Near and Dear
Hailee Catalano
Category: Cookbook
Bridesmaid by Chance (Bridesmaid for Hire #3)
Meghan Quinn
Genre: Romance
All About Brains: A Book About People
Written by Lake Bell, Illustrations by Rachel Katstaller
Genre: Children's Picture Book
The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward
Melinda French Gates
Category: Biography & Memoir
Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy)
Lauren Roberts
Genre: YA Fantasy
Honey, What Do We Got?: A Week-by-Week Pregnancy Cookbook
Tom Sullivan and Rachael Sullivan
Category: Cookbook
Dessert Course: Lessons in the Whys and Hows of Baking
Benjamin Delwiche
Category: Baking & Desserts
Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Brian Selznick
Genre: LGBT YA
Night of the Dream Dragon: A Branches Book (Dragon Masters #28)
Written by Tracey West, Illustrated by Matt Loveridge
Genre: Fantasy Children's Chapter Book
EDITOR CORNER
Tricky Edits from Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Celebrating Three Years of Tricky Edits
Celebrating Newsletters as Resources for Indie-Minded Authors
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
You may be wondering about that “Indie-Minded” thing in the title of this monthly “Tricky Edit” in Dawn’s newsletter. It’s something I espouse for authors no matter how they publish because—having tried so many different publishing possibilities—I know the author who learns enough to be so confident about what’s right for a do-it-yourself book would also be right for partnering (read that as sharing) with their traditional press’s editor or publisher! Smart and progressive is the basis for a win-win. So is listening. It has been a couple years since I borrowed a motto from NBC that they might have borrowed from someone else. “The more you know…” You get to fill in the latter part with all that good stuff you dream about for your book.
So, when Dawn and I realized she had been doing this SPARREW newsletter for three years and I had been writing column from the get-go we decided to celebrate. The “we” part disappeared in the difficulties presented by Los Angeles’ fires and the mandatory evacuation from our home. That required tearing apart my office to get all essentials into our trunk to get them out of danger. As it happens, our home survived with a little wind damage, but my office is still suffering a bit.
Dawn just proceeded to work on our idea and by the time the smoke cleared, she had The SPARREW Newsletter Gift Sample Collection up and ready for you to benefit from the best-of-the-best from those years in 2025. Help us celebrate. Gift it to a fellow author. Find it on Amazon. And here is a short list of things to consider in your final edits that you might not have considered before. If not, you’ll get them in the winningest book in my series for writers, The Frugal Editor, in Dawn’s newsletters in the coming year, and in this new celebratory book.
1. Some of those tricky words you always use without looking up because you think you’ve got them down or think Word’s spell checker will catch them.
2. What front matter might do for your new title that wasn’t needed or suitable in your last.
3. How you can get more reviews (tactfully!) using your back matter.
4. How back matter is used even by the big five publishers to sell more books.
5. The two things authors and some publishers do to save paper but makes their interior design look amateurish (and might not save paper anyway!)
6. How to let Amazon’s logarithms work harder for your book.
7. What you might be missing in newsletters unless you think of them as resources for your own networking and marketing opportunities.
8. What you might be missing if you don’t read Appendices in books that have them.
In fact, watch for Dawn’s May SPARREW for the more on that last point.
MORE ABOUT CAROLYN:
Once a month Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares something writer-related she hopes might save some author from embarrassment (or make the task of writing more fun or creative.) The third edition of The Frugal Editor from Modern History Press includes a chapter on some of the words most misused by the very people whose business it is to know them. It is the second multi award-winning book in her multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. The Frugal Editor has been fully updated including a chapter on how backmatter can be extended to help readers and nudge book sales.
Carolyn blogs sporadically on editing at http://www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com and at her SharingwithWriters blog on other aspects of the publishing world and welcomes guest posts with ample author credit lines and links. She also tweets writers' resources and tips at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo using #FrugalBookPromoterTips hashtag.
New in Editing:
That awful pronunciation of 'nuclear'
WRITER CORNER
Interview with Poet LindaAnn LoSchiavo
1. Have you always been a writer?
Yes, I’ve been writing since my Crayon-hood. When I was 3 years old, I started searching through cabinets for lined paper for my short metrical poems, set forth in a toddler’s block capitals – vowels and consonants loud with an insistence to BE. By my 9th birthday, one of my poems had been accepted for a school magazine. That year I also had my first one-act play onstage in New York City for a cast of five girls. Shortly after my 16th birthday, I won my high school’s gold medal for “Literary Achievement.” The die was cast.
2. What compelled you to start writing poetry?
Since my parents couldn't afford housing when first married, we lived in a large household with grandparents, aunts, and a Great-Uncle until I was 4½ years old. Many greeting cards arrived for family occasions and, since I learned to read at age 2, I was given the privilege of opening the cards and reading them aloud when everyone gathered at suppertime. But those awkwardly rhymed poems from popular greeting card manufacturers offended my little girl sensibilities! Even then I hated clunky moon-June-spoon rhymes. Why couldn’t mass-produced sentiments be better? This frustration led me to create my own line of bespoke greeting cards. My artistic aunt illustrated each cover while I wrote poems that aimed for more natural rhythms, surprising imagery, and a personal connection. This early appreciation for sound and structure continues in my work today. Thanks to those horrible Hallmark clichés, a young formalist was born.
3. How do you feel about only being paid to have your poetry published?
Compensation is important. My first choice would be to send a poem (or prose) to one of those paying markets before trying another lit-mag. Or save the material for my WIP and not release it until the book is published.
4. How has writing poetry helped you in other areas of life?
Poetry has sharpened my command of language across all type of writing. The precision, imagery, economy, and rhythm that formal verse demands have enhanced everything else from my storytelling and drama reviews to professional correspondence – including effective complaint letters. I've learned to convey complex ideas through vivid metaphors and to select words not just for their meaning but for their emotional resonance—skills that make any type of communication more compelling, engaging, and memorable.
5. What was your biggest accomplishment as a poet?
So far it has been the recognition I have received for my hardcover collection published in England “Apprenticed to the Night.”
Here is the press release:
“LindaAnn LoSchiavo’s Apprenticed to the Night Receives Accolades and Global Acclaim”
6. What other poets have inspired you the most?
When I attended a Catholic elementary school, the nuns assigned us to memorize narrative poems and recite them in front of the class. I loved memorizing Longfellow’s “Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie” and I’ve often performed it during lulls at Jury Duty. This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, ...
Years later, some of my favorite moments would be sharing these long narrative pieces in front of a captive audience. A jury room, for example, usually has great acoustics and NYC jurors welcome a poetry recital during those inevitable wait-times.
Another beloved classic is “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll, ideal for being enhanced with comical gestures, thrusting that vorpal blade – snicker-snack! – at the audience. Poetry is meant to be heard and dramatized.
However, a sea change occurred when I was 9 years old. A fellow classmate introduced me to medieval authors: Christine de Pizan, Jean Froissart, Chaucer, and, of course, Dante. My fascination with this era led to my first graduate degree in Medieval Literature.
I’m still obsessed with Chaucer and his “Canterbury Tales.” My short story inspired by The Wife of Bath (based on my stage play of the same name) was just published by The Yard: A Crime Blog: “A Worthie Woman All Hir Live.”
7. What are some of the challenges you have faced in writing poetry and how did you overcome them?
The main challenge I have faced is getting a poetry book released by an indie publisher who, not only will do no marketing, but who will actively work against my marketing.
How to overcome this: never engage with a disappointing press twice.
8. What is the best writing advice you have ever received and why do you feel it is important?
When he autographed my copy of Story, Robert McKee wrote: “Write the truth.” Some of my most successful poems – be it speculative, horror, or literary – are based on nonfiction, i.e., true events, real people.
9. If you have books of poetry published, please list the titles and where they can be purchased online.
Currently, these titles are all available on Amazon (occasionally on B&N and Bookshop):
1. A Route Obscure and Lonely – earned an Elgin Award
2. Women who Were Warned
3. Messengers of the Macabare: Hallowe’en Poems – Elgin nominee
4. Vampire Ventures – Elgin nominee
5. Apprenticed to the Night – earned the BREW Seal of Excellence from The Chrysalis BREW Project, the Spotlyts Story Award from Spotlyts Magazine, as well as recognition from Book World Front. 6. Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide
7. Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems – earned the BREW Seal of Excellence from The Chrysalis BREW Project
10. Where can we find some of your poetry published in publications online?
Dawn, please select from any recent credit below - - -
LindaAnn LoSchiavo, 3 Golden Shovel poems: "Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man"; "Self Defense"; and "Ten" in Shot Glass Journal Issue # 45 from Muse-Pie Press, on February 4th, 2025; three links --
"G.S.: Self-Defense"
"G.S.: Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man"
"G.S.: Ten"
LindaAnn LoSchiavo, abecedarian poem, "Nostalgic Terrors: Cropsey, an Urban Legend with Bloodstained Hands" in Quail Bell Magazine, on February 8, 2025
LindaAnn LoSchiavo, poem, "Involuntary Manslaughter on July 12, 2014" in Quail Bell Magazine, on February 8, 2025
LindaAnn LoSchiavo, 3 non-genre poems, “40 Days of Weeping,” “Back in the Black,” and “Autumn Leave-Taking” in “Piece by Piece: An Anti-Valentine's Day Collection” from Dark Moon Rising Publications, on February 10, 2025
LindaAnn LoSchiavo, one poem, "Ghostly Footprints in the Snow" and one nonet "Ice Skating on a January Night" in Sublimation: A Magazine of Speculative Poetry and Art, Volume 2, Issue 1, The Heart of Winter, Edited by TS S. Fulk, January/February 2025, on February 17, 2025
LindaAnn LoSchiavo, poem "Our Lady of Holy Death I" in Collaborature, on February 27, 2025
LindaAnn LoSchiavo, 5 non-genre poems, "After Lam Doy Died"; "Kinetic Kissing"; "Invitation to a Kiss"; "Boardwalk Soda Fountain Shop"; "Valentine Villanelle" -- in Creativity Webzine, "Love" theme, Volume 11 -- Issue 3, published on March 1, 2025
LindaAnn LoSchiavo, poem, "Dracula Considers Writing a Memoir" in Dissections, The Magazine of Horror, 20th edition, on March 13, 2025
(Apologies, LindaAnn. I chose them all!)
11. What advice do you have for aspiring poets thinking of getting their work published?
Join a critique group. Devote time to reading current issues of lit-mags before you try to submit there.
12. Is there a type of poetry you enjoy writing the most?
Yes, writing a dramatic monologue (also called a persona poem) in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) or in the format of a prose-poem.
13. Why do you favor it more than the others?
It takes a special sensitivity to take on the voice of a character, a fictional identity, or a real person.
Moreover, as a playwright-poet crafting a dramatic monologue for the page instead of the stage, I enjoy the way that poetry offers not just self-expression but liberation from the self—an escape from personality into universal experience. I think of it as a creative leap off the cliff into the realm of wonder — equipped with wings that won’t melt.
14. What is it about poetry that you love?
What I love about poetry is the transformation of ordinary expression into graceful articulation. A good poem elevates language beyond pigeon-toed prose through images, metaphors, and rhetorical devices — because, without these elements, what’s left is mere dullness disguised and “dignified” by line breaks.
What I love about formal verse: I am drawn to formal verse for its delicious constraints and its invitation to master the diverse implements in a poet's toolbox—sonnets, Echo Verse, abecedarians, mesostich acrostics, Golden Shovels, etc. — each form presenting its own particular challenge and satisfaction.
15. How does this influence your writing of poetry?
My love of poetry is inseparable from my practice—it's the engine that drives my formal experimentation and thematic exploration. What began as admiration for poetry's architectural possibilities has evolved into a dialogue between emotion and structure that defines my work.
When crafting “Apprentice to the Night,” for example, I found myself drawn to centos and Golden Shovels because they allowed me to honor the voices that shaped me while creating something uniquely mine. These forms weren't just technical solutions for transitions; they became vessels carrying emotional resonance across the collection's landscape, echoing the very apprenticeship the title suggests.
In contrast, my crime poetry manuscript [WIP] emerged from my fascination with poetry's capacity to simultaneously conceal and illuminate. The mesostich format transforms verses into visual investigations where the vertical text offers clues that complement — or sometimes contradict — the horizontal narrative. This little-used format is especially well-suited for a crime poem because it mirrors the detective's journey from mystery to revelation, giving readers the satisfaction of solving the poem's puzzle alongside the speaker.
In my werewolf collection [another WIP], my love of poetry's shape-shifting nature found its perfect subject. Different formal structures let me embody transformation on the page. The Glosa, a four-stanza structure, can expand on moments of humanity and philosophical reflection, for instance, whereas a haibun (with its duality of prose-poem and haiku) can amplify metamorphosis.
What sustains my writing is this continuous discovery: that the poetic forms I love are not constraints but catalysts. They create the necessary pressure that transforms raw experience into something crystalline and enduring. My relationship with poetry is ultimately reciprocal—the forms I cherish reshape my vision, allowing me to discover truths I couldn't access through prose or unstructured verse.
With each new poem I'm compelled to explore how that structure can unlock new dimensions in my work.
= = =
Thanks for the opportunity, Dawn. I appreciate this.
(You’re welcome!)
= = =
ABOUT LINDAANN:
Native New Yorker and award-winner, LindaAnn LoSchiavo is a member of British Fantasy Society, HWA, SFPA, and The Dramatists Guild.
Titles published in 2024:
“Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems” [Wild Ink], “Apprenticed to the Night” [UniVerse Press], and “Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide” [Ukiyoto].
Forthcoming: “Cancer Courts My Mother” [Prolific Pulse Press, Nov. 2025] and an E-book version of "Vampire Ventures" fully illustrated by Giulia Massarin.
Book Accolades earned:
Elgin Award for “A Route Obscure and Lonely” and the Chrysalis BREW Project’s Award for Excellence & Readers' Choice Award for “Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems” and the Spotlyts Story Award from Spotlyts Magazine for "Apprenticed to the Night."
BlueSky: @ghostlyverse.bsky.social
YouTube: LindaAnn Literary
News for Writers:
"Your Book May Be Ready for Publication, But Are You?" by Milo Todd
via Writer Unboxed
"Scandal-hit creative writing website NaNoWriMo to close after 20 years" by Ella Creamer
via The Guardian
"A Hidden Reason Why Readers Read" by Donald Maass
via Writer Unboxed
"5 Ways Writing a Book Will Help You to Unlock Your Hidden Creative Genius" by Rebecca Camarena
via Writers On The Move
"Should You Use Profanity in Your Writing?" by Joy York
via Kill Zone
"How can you make time for book writing?" by Kristen Hare
via Poynter
"10 Writing and Directing Tips From Michael Mann" by Jason Hellerman
via No Film School
"David Foster Wallace's 5 Rules For Great Writing" by Jason Hellerman
via No Film School
"Worldbuilding in an Instant: How 'Love+Death+Robots' Crafts Fully Realized Universes Quickly" by Jason Hellerman
via No Film School
"5 Writing Tips From 'The Handmaid's Tale' Author Margaret Atwood" by Jason Hellerman
via No Film School
"What Was Hemingway's 3 Step Writing Exercise?" by Jason Hellerman
via No Film School
"What Stand-Up Comedy Can Teach You About Storytelling" by Jason Hellerman
via No Film School
"What Working on Films Taught Me About Writing Fiction" by Heather McGowan
via Literary Hub
"Travel, Type, Thrive: How Writers Are Turning Social Media into a Business" by Sophia Latamaniskha
via WritersWeekly
"7 Animal Magazines and Websites That Pay Freelance Writers" by Karoki Githure
via WritersWeekly
"Taking Humor Writing Seriously" by Ira Nayman
via SFWA
"Transforming Your Draft: How Beta Readers Can Elevate Your Writing" by Lisa Kovala
via Women Writing
"How to Fall in Love with Writing Over and Over Again" by Michael Thompson
via Writing to (L)Earn
"The Power of Unspoken Words: How to Write Subtext in Fiction" by K.M. Weiland
via Helping Writers Become Authors
"Developing a More Efficient Submission Process" by Bernadette Geyer
via FundsforWriters
"Writing with a Backup Reader" by Alex J. Coyne
via FundsforWriters
"The Most Dangerous PR Scams Targeting Writers And What To Look Out For"
via BadRedhead Media, LLC’s All Things Book Marketing!
"To Get More Reads, Write About The Same Old Things" by Darius Foroux
via Writing to (L)Earn
"The Unexpected" by Kathleen McCleary
via Writer Unboxed
"When To Stop Revising" by Fallon Clark
via MetaStellar
"Overcoming Story Submission Fatigue" by Fallon Clark
via MetaStellar
"Disillusionment Arc in Storytelling: A Powerful Tool for Character Growth" by K.M. Weiland
via Helping Writers Become Authors
"Creativity in a Time of Chaos" by Lynette M. Burrows
via Lynette M. Burrows Blog
"Writing in my Bubble." by Kim Haas
via No Credentials Necessary
"The Power of Psychological Tension" by Margot Conor
via Writers On the Move
"Thursday Thread: The Morning and Afternoon of Writing" by Jeannine Ouellette
via Writing In The Dark
"Who Is Telling This Story—and When? Creative (and Purposeful) Uses of “Person” and “Tense”" by Barbara Linn Probst
via Writer Unboxed
"The Inside Story of Character Reactions" by Julie Duffy
via Writer Unboxed
"The Wolf Under the Table" by J. Scott Coatsworth
via Writers In The Storm
"Choose a Powerful Foundation for Your Story" Lynette M. Burrows
via Writers In The Storm
"3 Writing Aspects You Should Never Let Anyone Mess With" by Julie Glover
via Writers In The Storm
"How to Write: Conflict is NOT Tension" by Sarah (Sally) Hamer
via Writers In The Storm
"5 Red Flags Your Novel Might Be Too Much Work to Read" by Janice Hardy
via Writers In The Storm
"A Peek Inside the Mind of a Developmental Editor" by Jenn Windrow
via Writers In The Storm
"Do You Really Want to Get to Know the Villain?" by Natalie Hart
via Writer Unboxed
"The Key to Creating Suspense Is..." by Janice Hardy
via Fiction University
"How to Write A Dystopian Story: 5 Steps to a Terrifying Future"
via NowNovel
"Yes, Writers Can NOT Focus on Audience-Building (And Still Earn Well)" by John Pucay
via Writing to (L)Earn
"Common Children's Writing Mistakes" by Karen Cioffi
via Writers On The Move
"A Guide to Descriptive Writing" by Sam Mayer
via The Writer's Workshop
"Lessons From a Writer and Her Rejections" by Melissa Witcher
via Authors Publish
FEATURE ARTICLE
Erotic Horror: Combining Horror with Sex!
By Jerry Blaze
Erotic Horror (or, EH) is a subgenre of the much larger Horror genre of fiction writing. It combines the sensual proponents of Erotica with the chilling proponents of Horror writing. This can be done in a series of ways, mostly done with paranormal, slasher and revenge stories.
However, there are a few key parts to writing a successful Erotic Horror versus writing a smut story with horror in it or a horror with erotic elements. I won’t necessarily say these are not erotic horror, but I will go on the record as to say that these are not primarily erotic horror as it should be done.
For me, personally, and as I would teach any writer interested in diving into the subgenre, the story must be equal parts sex and equal parts horror. The storyline should include a sensual drive while maintaining a horror story to the best of its abilities. As with most things, there is a certain balance to be had when writing in this particular field.
Take for instance, Amazon.
Amazon has a tendency to classify anything with sex in it as part of their Erotic Horror category. This has led to some books being unfairly classified as Erotic Horror when they weren’t written for that category in the first place. It’s not always the case, but a lot of books do occasionally find themselves in the wrong category on Amazon, most likely due to poor judgment from the system.
In my book, Arachnicunt, we follow the sexual misadventures of Ambrosia, who has intense sexual encounters with a handful of people throughout the book. However, each and every encounter ends with her partner being killed, drained and consumed by the large venomous spider that lives in her vagina. The erotic parts lead into the horrors and everything balances out. The sex is described in detail and the horrific concept of being killed after sex by a large arachnid falling out of a vagina is painted in a way to seem as realistic as possible.
Arachnicunt is not the only Erotic Horror I’ve done, but it is the one that I often point people to when they ask for EH recommendations. Another work, in the same vein as the book, includes Jonathon Tripp’s recent creation, Arachdickphobia. The books balance erotica with the crippling Arachnophobia that many people suffer from, subconsciously or otherwise.
In my ongoing work and research in EH, I’ve found that a book that tends to focus more on the horror story and leave you waiting or wanting for the promised Erotica within seems to be a growing theme with some books today. These are books that I would consider to be “Horror with Erotic Elements”.
Judith Sonnet’s foray into EH was the book, Hot Musket, and while it has scintillating sexual content and intense horror, I wouldn’t classify it primarily as EH.
I’m not trying to take away from its placement in the category, but when one has to wade through a storyline to get to the sex, it doesn’t scream Balance as much as Obligatory.
EH should include sexual content within the first 1-6 pages. The sex doesn’t need to be pornographic, but it should be intense, it should lull you into a false sense of security before the horror strikes with enough force to snap the reader out of the lull. It can be a hard razor to tread, but done right, it can leave a reader wanting more.
Another form of “too much and too little” is the idea of “Smut with Horror In It.” I’ve been guilty of this myself. My book, AMNION, is the story of an alien taking the form of a porn star and having sex with everyone in an attempt to impregnate men with parasitic monsters. The story contained more sex than horror and could be seen as a practice in “trying too hard,” pun intended. It happens and sometimes, the story can unravel before it gets close to being good.
Some may ask, “Well, what about starting with horror and leading into sex?”
Naturally, yes, this can be done as well. Horror cannot be overlooked. The writer must chill and thrill their reader with more than just the natural beauty of sexual content, they must be willing to engulf the reader with the sinister factor of the horror story the characters find themselves in.
A common rule with Erotica is that the story ends with a HEA (Happily Ever After) or a HFN (Happy For Now), but the beauty of EH is that the story doesn’t need to end with either. The story can end however the writer sees fit. Sometimes the bad guy wins and sometimes the good guy wins, whatever the case may be.
On a deeper level, the reason why I prefer to write EH is that sex is artistic and when two (or more) engage in it, they put themselves in the ultimate state of vulnerability. The sense of danger or self-preservation is frozen until the main objective is successfully completed. This provides a wonderful template for some slasher or demon or monster, etc., to come into the frame and take out the fornicating couple.
It feeds into the paradigm of humanity’s fallacy in being the need to engage in copulation at the risk of health or safety. An interesting argument I heard about Arachnicunt was the idea that the spider represented an STD and the deadly unprotected sex Ambrosia was having was a metaphor for catching it. Another idea was that Ambrosia was empowered through the spider taking out the men trying to use her for nothing more than sex.
Personally, I don’t think too deeply about the book, I just thought it was a fun idea. The goal was accomplished, however, in that the EH content of the book was met with deeper ideas than what it was at face-value. The balance was met and the concept considered, the readers were turned-on and then immediately turned-off.
As with everything, the budding writer has the final say on what they think their story should have as an EH, but in the spirit of guidance, I’m happy to offer my advice in this article for one to take to heart or utilize to the best of their needs. Just remember, the base goal of EH is to enthrall the reader with the heat and then cripple them with fear. Feed their senses and then attack when they least expect it, it really does work.
As a matter of fact, I think that concept could be said about any subgenre in the world of Horror.
ABOUT JERRY:
Jerry Blaze is an award-winning author of Horror and Bizarro fiction.
After achieving success in the erotic market, Jerry decided to undertake Extreme Horror/Splatterpunk/Bizarro fiction writing and released several books. Some of his books have been bestsellers on Amazon. He has been awarded the 2025 Golden Wizard Book Prize and the Literary Titan award.
Jerry is a fan of Grindhouse and exploitation films from the 70s and 80s, often modeling his work on them. He currently lives in the American Midwest, but travels often to get inspiration or to run away from angry mobs.
***************************************
Thanks for reading! See you next month!