Published!

Good deal! Just found out that my short story, "Mess," will be published in an anthology from Horrified Press, entitled "Fugitives" sometime this year!

Crazy to think that I was bragging about this just 8 months ago. I now have 26 short stories, a novelette, and a novella under consideration. Suck on that, Craig from 8 months ago.

Seven short stories under consideration for publication right at this moment. You read that right. SEVEN.

— Craig S. Herndon Jr. (@WriterCraig) September 11, 2014

"The common room was rowdy. There was gambling, raucous laughter, and sexual harassment. It was a two star online review kind of inn."

— Awful Fantasy (@AwfulFantasy) September 16, 2014

Published!

Pleased to announce that my short story, "The Family Ruin," has been published with Asylum Ink Webzine. It's free to read, so go on over there and check it out! Follow the link HERE.

Published!

All right, cool! Just found out that my flash fiction piece, "May This Be Love," is going to be published by Theme Of Absence Magazine on July 10th. Good deal! Celebratory Pokemon GIF incoming!

All right, so, this is pretty weird.

So I'm writing a story about a married couple. Their names are Frankie and Alice. I'd written about 2,000 words of it before I said their names out loud. Frankie and Alice. Frankie. Alice. Frankie Alice. And then, a realization hit me; "I've heard that somewhere before." So I looked it up.

And there it was.

Now, I don't know if this is strictly coincidence, or if by some odd turn of events, I quickly scrolled past this movie on Netflix but my mind grasped onto that sequence of those names. How kookie. In any event, I don't think I want to change their names. I've grown fond of them. Still, though. Weird.

UPDATE:

Now that I think about it, I more than likely subconsciously thought of those names because of these two: That seems much more likely.

Also, in case any of you were wondering...

Here's an accurate portrayal of what it's like trying to become a well-established writer and make enough money off of it to live off of.

I feel like I've gotten a lot of good writing done tonight.

Would that I could stay up and all night and continue to pound away at this short story about a cannibalistic Bed & Breakfast, but I have to be on that grocery store grind. You know, the one that takes time away from the job that I like, the one that I'm passionate about?

Yeah, that one. One of my managers dropped a hint that I might be getting transferred to a store in the ghetto, and when I informed her that I'd heard nothing of this, she quickly dropped the subject and said that she'd only been kidding. I think I might prefer a store in the ghetto compared to where I'm at now (straight up Hickville, down in the boonies). At least then I wouldn't be the only one listening to rap music and be forced to listen to bluegrass music for eight hours a day.

Seriously. Bluegrass music. Eight. Hours. A day. Put yourself through that hell and tell me you wouldn't look forward to being transferred, either.

Regardless of what store I'm at, my desktop computer will always be in the same place, in the spare bedroom of my two bedroom apartment. And that's where the real work gets done.

Until next time, friends. Same blonde hair. Same rap channel...

So today was really frickin' productive.

Remember that picture of the open call for submissions I posted earlier? The one where the writer has to write a short story from the viewpoint of a zombie. Well, I started putting some work in on that. Wrote a little over 700 words, said "All right, cool, this is a good foundation, time for an internet break (I'm a procrastinating bastard)." While looking around Duotrope, I come across this listing!

And inspiration struck. I've had this idea for a superhero in my head for a while now, but seeing this pried open the floodgates. I typed like a frickin' madman. And now, at almost one in the morning (I've gotta be up in less than six hours, GAH!), I've got a first draft on my hands, sitting strong at a little over 3,600 words. Can't remember the last time I wrote a short story in one day (besides that flash fiction one, but that doesn't count). Needless to say, I liked it. After letting my beta readers get a hold of it after a couple edits and seeing what they think, this bad boy's getting sent on over.

So wish me luck! Also, you should submit something too, if you're a writer (Hell, even if you're not; who am I to tell you how to live your life?). Who hasn't wanted to write a story about a superhero once upon a time, am I right?

It's a good idea to say "I know you can talk" to every animal you meet, just in case.

— mindflakes (@_mindflakes) March 13, 2015

Now, this seems like fun.

18 of my short stories are under consideration for publication right now.

Yes, you read that right; EIGHTEEN. Needless to say, I'll be checking my e-mail religiously for the next couple months.

Flash Fiction Update.

This just in; Flash fiction is the bee's knees. Just wrote a 1,000 word story in a little under 15 minutes and edited it in another 5. That's a short story in almost 20 minutes, and not to toot my own horn, but I like it. At that rate, I could write a short story collection pertaining to flash fiction in half a day. That might just be an idea I follow through with. But, being a writer, I've forgotten more ideas than most people can remember. Maybe writing it in this blog will help to cure my scatter-brained tendencies? In other news, LOOK HOW CUTE THIS BABY PIG IS.

In between editing my full-length, I want to go on a flash fiction spree. Seriously. Talk about productive. I could write at least two stories a day!