Category: Updates

Bite Sized

Posted on by staceyjaine in Anthologies, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates

 

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As I’ve stated in a previous post, several of my drabbles are being published in Blood Song Books anthology, Curses & Cauldrons. And, now that I’ve signed the contract, I decided to share a little update with you all, because I not only have the four drabbles previously mentioned, but four others as well. Bringing the total up to eight. They are listed below, in order of acceptance. They are:

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  • Down the Rabbit Hole – is a story about a girl who takes poison from a witch.
  • The Keeper – is a retelling of the story of Cerridwen.
  • Mark of the Witch (previously titled, The Witch’s Mark) – is a story about a family of witches.
  • Undersea – is a story about a sea witch.
  • Excalibur – is a story about Morgan le Faye and the magic of Excalibur.
  • Harm None – is the story of a modern day witch performing a binding spell.
  • Red As Blood – is a retelling of the story of Snow White with a twist.
  • Bad Girls – is a story of three modern day witches about to be burned at the stake.

In case you haven’t already guessed the theme of the anthology is witches, and I’m immensely proud of these eight little stories. Writing drabbles and keeping to the strict, 100 word only caveat, is not always easy, especially when you have to tell a story and have it make sense. I’ll be sure to keep you posted once this anthology hits shelves, I’m sure it’s going to be epic.

 

 

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Week Six

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

Today is the end of the sixth week of the 365 Writing Challenge during which I’ve written 3,199 words. It’s up from last week and actually feels pretty good.

I’m still chipping away at my fifth contest entry. It’s going slower than I would like because of the research. There’s not a great deal of information about my person of interest. Plenty of movies and tv shows but when you’re trying to get down to what really happened… it’s a little more difficult. Thankfully it’s not due til the end of this month, so I have time to get it finished. Hopefully, the judges like it.

All in all a good week, writing wise. I hope to be as productive next week.

I promise I’ll keep you all posted.

Morrighan is Available in Paperback

Posted on by staceyjaine in paranormal, publishing, short stories, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates

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Back in September, I published my short story, Morrighan and yesterday I published the paperback version. For those of you who are interested in purchasing a paperback copy it is available on the Amazon.com website and will be available to non US residents in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Morrighan is my twist on the story of King Arthur and Morgan le faye. A what if… kind of story inspired by Marion Zimmer Bradley’s tale and the Merlin miniseries featuring Sam Neil and Helena Bonham-Carter.

Now, for those of you who might want a sneak peak, here it is:

Camelot was burning.

Avalon was under attack… from dragons.

The very creatures that graced the banners which flew high and proud on the many flag poles that graced the castle’s turrets were going to bring about its end. The symbol of Pendragon no longer stood for power, peace and protection, but death and destruction. Their very existence in the skies above spelled ruin for all of Camelot; not just its King. It was just a matter of time.

Was this what the Morríghan spoke of when she foresaw Arthur’s death? Rather than what Morgan herself feared. That the death of Arthur would be at the hands of the son she carried within her womb? Could this be the downfall of Camelot that was prophesised so long ago when she herself was only a child, trapped in the crystal cave beneath the earth with nobody but her cat Merlin for company?

She laid a hand on her stomach. The child within grew restless, as if it too sensed the calamity surrounding the world outside the womb. She’d tried and failed to stop one travesty from coming to pass. In the end the child would be born, and born healthy, she knew for the herbs she taken early in the pregnancy had not touched her – they hadn’t even made her sick as they often did with other women. And if she couldn’t stop the child from being born, how then was she supposed to stop the Dragons from destroying the entire world? Dragons were much harder to expel than a child. Harder by far than even Uther’s death had been, and back then she’d had the aid and favour of the Morríghan.

She doubted very much that Morríghan would help her twice, and Arthur wouldn’t suffer her insolence for long, not that she cared much what Arthur thought of her. She’d sooner take up residence in a nunnery than carry his favour. She wondered why her mother allowed herself to suffer under his rule; she’d already suffered the rule of one King, why not a second? But Arthur was no greater than Uther, just as she was no greater than Igraine.

Week Five

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

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This is the fifth week of the 365 Writing Challenge. I’ve written a grand total of 2,100 words this week and had one of my short stories that I subbed to Fantasia Divinity rejected. 😔

Lost, is however in the works, and will be released by the end of February.

I’m still hard at work on my fifth and final contest entry. It’s proving harder than I thought to get right, but I’m persevering.

Until next week.

 

January

Posted on by staceyjaine in Indie Author, publishing, Reading, short stories, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

So, January has drawn to a close and while it’s been a productive one it’s also been a little bittersweet.

Not only did I start the month with a rejection but, I’m ending it with one as well.

It’s okay though because I do have plans for the two stories that were rejected. So keep your eyes on my blog for an announcement soon.

And, somewhat surprisingly I’ve managed to write a massive 10,556 words. All of those words have been accrued through penning various short stories.

It’s actually nice to complete something for once. As much as I love working on my various novels, there’s a lot more involved in completing a novel.

At this stage I’m not quite sure what February will bring story wise but whatever it is, I’m looking forward to it.

What are you all looking forward to in February?

Week Four

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

Today marks the end of the fourth week of the 365 Writing Challenge during which I’ve written 2,100 words, which is the bare minimum to get by. But it is words on paper so I don’t care.

I’m busy working on my 5th contest entry for Fantasia Divinity Magazine & Publishing and trying not to go stir crazy as I await scores from previous rounds.

All in all a good week, writing wise. I hope to be as productive next week.

I promise I’ll keep you all posted.

Week Three

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

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This is the third week of the 365 Writing Challenge. I’ve written a grand total of 3,392 words this week and had one of my short stories that I subbed last week accepted for publication, I’m hoping I’ll hear back about the second one soon. It would be great to see both stories published.

As for what lies in store this week… we’ll work on my fifth contest entry is going ahead at a steady but slow pace. But some words are better than none, right?

 

 

Week Two

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

Today marks the end of the second week of the 365 Writing Challenge during which I’ve written 2,878 words, which is a huge improvement on last week and I’ve even submitted two short stories for publication. Fingers crossed they’re well received!

I’m currently half way through writing my 4th contest entry for Fantasia Divinity Magazine & Publishing, which is proving to be an interesting little tale, just as the last three have been.

My scores are even half way decent and I’m holding my own quite well it seems.

All in all a good week, writing wise. I hope to be as productive next week.

I promise I’ll keep you all posted.

New Years Resolutions

Posted on by staceyjaine in Indie Author, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

Every year I set goals and every year I just don’t quite make it. Do, this year is the year I will. (Remind me to look back on this post on January 1st 2020)

So, what are my New Years Resolutions?

Well…

1. Write 300 words a day. No I don’t care that the word count is minuscule because it’s all that I can realistically handle without burning myself out.

2. Publish… something. Okay, this one is vague for a reason. Simple because I’d like to see the first three books in The Eldritch Series out before December 31st but I’m realistic and sometimes editing just isn’t in the budget.

3. Write weekly blogs. I’m open to ideas, do leave a comment about what you’d like to see.

4. Read more. Self explanatory, I think but I have quite a few books on my to be read pile that I didn’t get to in 2018, so I’m going to get to them in 2019.

Down the Rabbit Hole… Part 2

Posted on by staceyjaine in Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

883F3C8F-C282-4D91-AD89-61FDC2F975A0Two and a half months ago, news broke about author Faleena Hopkins filing to trademark the word Cocky.

It angered the indie author community at large and many people spoke out, petitions were sent out and court dates were set.

And still Faleena defended her right to protect her stories… well finally it has come to an end. The trademark on the word Cocky is no more. Authors everywhere are rejoicing.

Now, that doesn’t mean we are entirely out of the woods yet, as I’ve seen other authors attempt to trademark other words and phrases.

I guess it’ll pay to be vigilant. But for now, it’s a win.

And if you missed it, here’s the latest video from Faleena surrendering her trademark… Click Here to Watch

 

 

100 Followers

Posted on by staceyjaine in Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

wood-3190203_960_720.jpgOMG! Thank you all so much. You guys are awesome! I actually didn’t expect to reach this milestone so soon after I resumed blogging much more often in April. But I have, so thanks.

But, this is not just about the numbers, or the likes, comments or even the follows. It’s about community.

And while I know there’s a few of my followers that probably aren’t writers or authors or even artists, you’ve still taken the time to read my posts and follow me on my journey and listen to what I’ve got to say. And for someone who always hesitates to click PUBLISH every time I finish a blog post that’s a big thing. Huge, even.

So, THANK YOU.

When I started this blog back in 2013, I had a different path for it.  I’d started it with the idea of just sharing my accomplishments as a writer and the odd stories about my kids. And while I know I should continue to perhaps blog about my kids, I do need to share my accomplishments and writing process more.

So, while their won’t be any less of the informative tidbits I’ve been sharing there will be more about me, my kids and my writing. I started publishing in November 2011, which oddly also coincides with when I started writing. I started my writing journey in November 1997. I still have the first story I ever wrote, miracle of miracles it survived to this day despite bad storage methods. Floppy Disks…! Anyone remember those? If you don’t, it’s okay. I’m in my 30s…

Anyway, enough rambling from me. I do hope you stick around though, and continue to enjoy my posts and maybe even find some useful tidbits along the way.

My To-Do List

Posted on by staceyjaine in Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

557D6CD1-2728-4436-BF52-8D457E134A1BWell… it has been a busy week, so I’ll get back into my more informative posts again tomorrow.

For now though, I’m going to share what’s been happening in my world.

1. The job search is still ongoing and as frustrating as ever. If you’ve ever been a stay at home parent you’ll know my frustrations. 12 years out of the workforce means you’re basically unhireable. At least that’s my experience to date.

2. The Twisted II anthology is drawing closer… coming July 13th…

3. I have an interview that I did for The Horror Tree coming soon, as well as more book reviews being finalised and sent off tomorrow.

4. As for my own stories… Nightshade is close to being finished. Which means I’ll be diving back into Sovereign and hopefully getting that finished by July 24th.

5. My Patreon page should be up and running soon. Yes… I know, but I can’t create and publish without a little help. But don’t worry there will be plenty of perks should you choose to become a patron. But more about that later.

That’s all from me.

More tomorrow, when I’m not so exhausted.

 

Busy as a Bee

Posted on by staceyjaine in Anthologies, Epeolatry Book Reviews, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, The Eldritch Series, The Horror Tree, Updates

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Yep. I’m still around. Just haven’t written anything since Wednesday. Been just a tad busy. However, I do have a valid reason for being so busy. I’ve been writing.

Yes, I know… I can hear you saying: But don’t you write daily? I do. And for those of you who don’t know. Yes, I write everyday. I aim for 300 words. Why such a small amount? Well, I have four kids and a husband, and a house to take care of.

Plus, I have a couple of small freelance writing gigs on the side. As well as coordinating a team of book reviewers and writing author interviews on behalf of The Horror Tree.

I’m also gearing up for the release of Twisted II which is happening in July 2018. The 13th to be exact, so if you haven’t already please purchase a copy of the first installment of the series. It contains two short stories, Red and The Summer Girl, that connect to The Eldritch Series, of which I’m currently writing Book 6.

My short story, The Wild Hunt which will appear in Twisted II is also connected to my novel series.

I’d love to say that with all this work I have going on, I’ve become a little more organized, but I’m just not sure I have. Granted, I manage to somehow catch up each week. So, maybe I am becoming better organized. One can hope, I guess.

Now, if only I could get enough time to finish reading the latest book on my TBR pile, life would be all the better for it.

 

Blog Schedule Update

Posted on by staceyjaine in Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates

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So, you might have noticed I’ve been more active on my blog over the past month. That’s because I’m trying to establish a blogging schedule, and I think I’ve settled on one that works. Finally. It’s only taken me a year to get the hang of updating monthly, so I figured now was the time to kick it up a notch.

There will be new blog updates from me every Monday. With additional content by way of author interviews and book reviews at random every month.

I’m also in the middle of creating some new content and pages for my website, so if things change slightly you know why.

With all these intended changed I’m hoping to make my webpage and blog a much more friendly and interactive place to hang out.

Please feel free to drop me a comment or like and let me know what you’d like to see in the coming months. I’d love to hear from you.