2015 has slipped below the horizon and 2016 was ushered in with a blast of insane creativity and angst. Or is that insanity, creativity, and angst?

 In my case, probably the latter.

 

2015 At a Glance

 2015 started off on a sweet note when I started this blog. That sweetness turned bitter in March, when my former publisher decided to restructure and knocked dozens of wide-eyed, giddy authors out of their stable. But I wasn’t to be deterred. Within two months, I’d found a new publisher and suckered them into signed a new contract for the same trilogy the other publisher had chopped.

I also submitted a short story I’d written a couple years ago to an up-and-coming indie horror press. Dying Wish was accepted in less than 24 hours, and it saw the light of day in October in the aptly titled Fifty Shades of Slay. This was my first official fiction credit.

Halloween Spooktacular 2015: Resurrection was a huge hit. Guests, poetry, short stories, spoken poem videos, horror-themed memes and music—Talk about a horror overload! The interviewees were great sports, and all the new work featured during October received positive feedback. It was taxing but fun.

It was a great year, a jumpstart for my writing career, and I will always cherish it. Here are the milestones:

 2015 Milestones

-Lost and then signed a new contract for The Human-Undead War trilogy

-Procured wicked cover art for Book 1 from the masterful Dean Samed

-First guest blog post

-First ongoing online column

-Dark Randomosity blog viewed over 2,300 times

-Reached over 1,000 followers on Twitter

-First short story publication

 

What’s in Store for 2016?

 Is it just me, or did 2016 come quicker than me after two weeks of abstinence?

2015 may have skirted by before I could remember my current age, but I’m not letting 2016 get by so easily. Within 3 days of ringing in the new year, I submitted a new short story for an anthology about urban legends. I hope to be included, but I know many of the folks submitting to it and competition will be tough. I’ve also got my sights set on other collections and plan to submit more short works throughout the year.

The first two books in The Human-Undead War trilogy are also set to release this year, plus I’m still working on Book 3, plus I’m working on a secret side project with a horror mastermind, David Owain Hughes, plus I’m hoping to run another Spooktacular event.

Suffice it to say, I ain’t fuckin’ around this year.

 

 

Random Wrap-Up

 All that said, I’ve got a deadline approaching and dozens of ideas swirling around in that gray lump inside my skull. Projects are seeping from my very pores, and my time is strapped. It’s time for a writing hibernation period.

Unfortunately (or fortunately for you bitch-ass haters), Dark Randomosity blog posts will become fewer and farther between as I bury myself in other work. Except for the occasional topic which prompts me to blast my opinion over the Interwebs or impromptu announcements regarding my work, I’m laying low for a while.

Consider it my gift to you.

 Stay tuned. More randomosity is coming soon. Well, not too soon. In, like, a month or so. Maybe sooner. Just depends.

Fuck it. Just stay tuned.

JO