I'm now a proud Affiliate of The Horror Writers Association!

Go me, huh?!

Sanitarium's 35th issue has been released!

My story "Beyond Redemption," my self-proclaimed darkest story yet, was published in this issue, so don't hesitate to buy it (no pressure)! Here's the link to all of the places you can get your hands on one of these bad boys. http://sanitariummagazine.com/blog/2015/07/30/sanitarium-magazine-issue-35-is-out/

Seriously, check it out!

Hot Heck!

All right, everyone! Some big news is in order, so why not share it with y'all?

First off, I have a short story appearing in an anthology that was just released! The anthology is called 'Growing Pains,' and it was released by Horrified Press. My short story "Shook Ones" is featured in it, and yes, it IS named after the song by Mobb Deep. A quick synopsis of the story: Dealing with both his parents' divorce and his constant bullying at school, Travis is content to roll with the punches, quite literally. One day, however, he snaps, and with the help of an odd street-side merchant, Travis fights back. Quite well, too.
You can purchase it from Lulu.com from this link (Right here), or you can purchase it from Horrified Press's website directly, which saves you about $5 since you don't have to pay shipping (Right here; scroll down to the middle of the homepage, and it's on the right). So yeah, there's that.

I finished my full-length novel! I know what you're thinking;

Truth be told, though, I'm right back at square one. I've gone through and done a massive edit on it. Do I still think it's not ready for publication? Of course! Nowhere near it! It's my baby, so I hate saying that, but it needs some work done. So I've contacted several professional editors, and after that, I'll be sending it out to a publishing house. Then I have to play the waiting game which, while I'm the most impatient person in the world, is a dire necessity one needs to grow used to when chasing down this dream.

Uhh, what else...... My flash fiction story "May This Be Love" is due to be published with 'Theme Of Absence' on July 10th. It's free to read, so definitely don't miss that. It'll also have an interview posted where I answer some important life-or-death questions.

During my downtime, I'm currently busting out several short stories for several anthologies/collections with nearing deadlines. It's fun to get back into the swing of short fiction after focusing on my full-length for the last month or so.

I'm pretty sure that's it. Thanks for reading, everyone, and remember, if you have any questions, concerns, or even if you just want to tell me how cool I am, hit my 'Contact' tab at the top of the page. Thanks for the love, everyone. 'Til next time.

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

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?

Now, this seems like fun.

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!

Just submitted three short stories for Bloodshot Books' 'Not Your Average Monster Anthology.' To give you an idea of the kind of monsters you'll be seeing if any of these stories get published...

Cool beans!

Got home from the gym tonight to discover that my short story "The Comedown" has been accepted for publication at Jitter Press as a reprint. This is neat.

Writing a story about a Wendigo for an upcoming monster-themed anthology. Stoked. Think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this one.

A preview of a story pending review with Sanitarium Magazine. Check it out!

Beyond Redemption

By Craig Steven

“As greed of gain has drowned all temperance, there's nothing left to stem the rising blackness.”

-Marcus Bischoff

             I bundled my coat tight, fighting for its warmth, shivering violently regardless. The wind whistled around me and the temperature wavered around zero, threatening to freeze me where I stood. The tall chain-link fence surrounded me and the tennis court on which I stood, empty but for the blood that'd been spilled on it just hours before. Four separate blotches on the green cement conjoined to form a warped Rorschach test, though the clean-up crew had done a good job of ridding the site of most of the blood. Three victims I'd never met, and a fourth, the man that'd turned the gun on himself after murdering three others; my younger brother, Christopher.