December is Impossible

How do people find time to do anything in December?

I’m sorry to all of you who are waiting on me for something or another: book reviews, beta reading, and social get-togethers. This is my official apology, and it applies to all of November, December, and… quite possibly, January.

November was busy. I was balancing a few too many things. Then there was my husband’s birthday and Thanksgiving— the first one at our house. I was also really diving into my role as editor for Grit City Publications, or at least trying to. I talked to a LOT of writers last month. It was NaNoWriMo, after all. So I pushed my own projects off ’til December.

December, as it turns out, is ridiculous. There’s the holidays, of course— a feat much larger to those of us with huge, complicated families. And there’s work to be done, just like every other month (although one of my clients pushed my deadline up a whole month out of nowhere.) And a baby to care for— of which I’m eternally grateful. Then there’s my husband who works 10 hour shifts 7 days a week to complete his jobs before the weather turns to winter for good. And did I mention the holidays?…

Anyway, I’m looking forward to a few things: Practice Cake by Dalya Moon, The Willing by C.S. Splitter, This Devil’s Dice by Jackson Spence, Get Unstuck! For Freelancers by Linda Formichelli, The Rise of Majick by Jay Taylor, A Sane Woman by Anthony Lee Collins, and some others.

I’ve also been in a huge zombie apocalypse mood ever since addicting myself to the AMC show, The Walking Dead. (I know, when do I have time for TV, you ask? When the baby keeps me up all night and I can’t concentrate on work or reading, that’s when.) I was already a fan of the graphic novels, you see, so this addiction only required a small leap of faith. I was rewarded. The show is freaking awesome.

On that note, I’m looking forward to the suggestions for zombie apocalypse books I received from my tweeps yesterday: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, and some shorts by R.L. Schaeffer. And I’m reading World War Z, finally, which was a gift I received from a fellow zombie fan several years ago.

So reviews are upcoming. That’s the point. Just be patient with me. I have zero time-management skills.

Lastly, a special shout-out to all of my rockin’ guest bloggers. Thank you for keeping my blog alive when I can’t give it the attention it deserves.

 

Emotobooks

What is an emotobook?

In short, it’s fiction peppered with abstract art. EmotoSerials are novella or novel length, divided into separate installments. The finished story arcs are called seasons, and each installment is an issue- like a chapter but with its own conflict and resolution (think of TV episodes.) Serials are published monthly. There are also EmotoSingles, which are kind of like short stories- same concept but without serialization.

Despite the brevity of each emotobook, each issue is written and illustrated to engage the reader on a deeper emotional level than traditional prose. Writers use tension to build scenes specifically to be illustrated.

And if you’re a writer, know that you don’t have to submit a story already in emotobook form. The editors at Grit City Publications (myself included) can help you adapt your story into the emotobook style.

The illustrators are also an integral part of the creative team, because they interpret each scene and react through expressionistic art. These abstract illustrations enhance five to seven scenes per emotobook.

If you’ve read the handbook and you’re interested, or if you just have questions, shoot me an email at aj2185@gmail.com.

For a closer look at emotobooks, you can check out our maiden publication and namesake, Grit City by Ron Gavalik. Our catalog launch is scheduled for April, so expect additional awesome emotobook titles, such as the Swing Zone serial by Jodi McClure, Lingering in the Woods, a single by Cynthia Ravinski, and Suburbians, a single by William Kosh.