Greetings, readers, and I must apologize for not blogging in a hot minute. Things have been hectic this year, and while I have discussed a lot of this in other social media, I figured it was time for a near-the-end-of-the-year wrap-up of things I’ve been working on and releasing!
First of all, late this summer, I started a podcast with author Carrie Gessner. It’s called PosPop: Positively Pop Culture, and you can find it on all your favorite podcasting apps. We discuss several pop culture things every week (new episodes drop on Wednesdays), all from the perspective of being enthusiastic and happy about what we’re watching, reading, and listening to. Every few episodes, we also watch the same old TV pilot and discuss how it holds up. You can follow our Twitter account for all the latest info about new episodes! I will also soon be appearing as a player on an RPG podcast to be released soon. More info on that when I have it!
Secondly, I released a Kindle exclusive ebook this month called Advent Writing: 24 Creative Prompts to Get You Inspired This Holiday Season. This is only 99 cents or free if you’re a Kindle Unlimited member, and it walks you through a prompt a day from December 1st through Christmas Eve. By the end of Advent, you’ll have written multiple poems and short stories. This would make a fun alternative (or supplement) to NaNoWriMo!
In other publishing news, I got three peer-reviewed articles accepted in academic journals and anthologies this year and two short stories accepted into anthologies. My drabble “Control” appears in Worlds: A Dark Drabbles Anthology (Black Hare Press), and my horror story “Parasomnia” will be in Dark Lane Anthology Volume 9 early next year. My short story “Doomed” was reprinted in FreedomFiction over the summer (originally published in the fabulous anthology Sidekicks!, which went out of print this year). I also appeared at two academic conferences and also PulpFest in Pittsburgh, which was super fun.
I wrote a lot of stuff this year that’s still out on submission, and I’ve been chipping away at several large-scale fiction and poetry projects, including The Girl with Mechanical Wings (the sequel to The Curiosity Killers), as well as The Skittering (the sequel to The Red Eye, which is now unfortunately out of print). Once the latter is complete, I’ll be working on a Sam Brody omnibus volume and seeking a new publisher for it.
The big thing that’s occupying a lot of my writing life right now is my Ph.D. dissertation. As of today, I’m about 80% done with the full first draft. This has been a long journey. I started my degree in 2016, and I’m still hoping to graduate sometime in 2020. I’ve learned so much about writing during this process, and I’ve started to think about what kinds of writing and creative goals I have when I’m done.
Wishing you and yours a fabulous holiday season! If you subscribe to my podcast or buy any of my books (they would make great gifts!), I hope you enjoy them.
K.W. Taylor 