Short Side Note: One of my favorite short creations is definitely “A Forest Only Whispers.” I wanted to step out of my comfort zone by writing about characters who weren’t over-the-top heroes. So, I decided to focus on an all female characters story with a sprinkle of grounded supernatural events. The results are fantastic and I hope you enjoy. Check out the dark fiction tale on Amazon and Amazon Prime.
Description
“A shy, brainy witch celebrates Mabon with her coven, hoping to forget a lost lover, but a forest visitor comes forth, offering a chance at redemption for a price.
The romantic witchcraft story, A Forest Only Whispers, is about Melissa, a contemporary witch who lives with her mother and Nanny in a charming New England village.
Years ago, her high school boyfriend, Rían, disappeared in the nearby woods, and since then, Melissa has never been the same. Now a college student, she spends time with her family, the O’Phelans, her coven sisters, and best friend, Hellwise.
The story starts with a simplistic family tradition–baking Nine Maidens Pie–during the Autumn Equinox. The reader learns Melissa is sneaking off to join her sisters in praise. As the plot continues, she joins her modern-day coven and goes into the legendary Limingdover Woods, where Rían disappeared.”
The illusion of success is that it came overnight. It’s easy to understand why. Who doesn’t like to think that one great idea, or one focused effort, can make our dreams come true? As a culture, we glorify the rags to riches story. We celebrate athletes, businesses, and stars that seem to come out of nowhere and take the world by storm. But while these cases arise, the prevalent success story comes from grit, endurance, and a desire to develop.
One of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, once told a story on his Masterclass session about a timeworn work that still lives in his attic to this day. He described how he dusted off the manuscript one day, read it, and then shoved it back into the attic where it belonged. Gaiman implicated that the book left a lot to be desired, but reading it again gave him peace of mind. It helped him realize that his voice was there, but his craft still needed work. He gathered the tenacity and withstood, growing with each published project, which would accumulate into his vast extension of accomplishments that today makes him a world esteemed storyteller.
Writers live off of the hunger that our next work is going to be the big one. If you want to survive in the publishing market, that’s the attitude you need to have. However, like a set of ascending stairs, each project, if it gains an ameliorated quality, brings you closer to your aspirations. Set goals, expectations, and add a bit of a dream to the equation, and your next title will be a success whether it upgrades you to a larger publisher, gets you that agent you’ve been drooling over, or it turns into a New York Times Best Seller. Still don’t believe me? Just look at these stats.
According to a study by writer, Joseph Epstein, 81% of Americans feel they have a book in them and should write it. That’s 200 million aspiring authors. 97% of people who write never finish their book. So, for every thousand people, thirty complete the task. Then there’s the demanding job of being published. A report taken from Digital Book World and Writer’s Digest Author Surveys states that of those survivors who wrote a book, only 13.4% earn a traditional publishing contract. Even after that, according to Quora Digest, the odds of being able to make a living as a writer are 1 in 10,000, but that likely means you’re also writing as a journalist, freelancer, etc., besides books. If you want to become a household name, at least in your genre, odds of that happening are 1 in 100,000.
Given these proximate numbers, it’s clear that defying the odds and transforming into a success overnight, no matter how good your work might be, is unlikely. An author might set themselves up for failure by placing all their hopes on one work. Rather, they should feel assured knowing they’re determined to push forward with a new marvelous project, inching towards the top with every improved manuscript. The more monumental projects you put out into the world, the stronger the odds grow. After all, the illusion of success is that it comes overnight, but it’s the plural form of the word “overnight” that gets a writer where they want to go in their career.
Looking for an amazing, original URB Fantasy?
Fans of Terry Pratchett and Shane Kuhn’s THE INTERN’S HANDBOOK will love this noir supernatural thriller.
Death needs a vacation. Badly. But there’s a catch: There are people who cheat the system, always falling through the cracks and not dying like they’re supposed to. Who’s going to take care of them while Death’s sipping on sangria?
The answer is simple: Death needs an intern, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that one prospect, Buck Palasinksia-a bankrupt hitman with a roleplaying addiction-might have what it takes. While scoping out his next target, Buck gets drilled in the forehead by a bullet and falls right into Death’s lap.
If they shove him back into his body, he’ll have a few weeks to prove that he has what it takes to be Death’s right-hand.
All he has to do is take out Public Enemy No. 1, John Dillinger, and quit smoking.
Hurry! Love is in the air, and it looks like Urban Fantasy on sale! Get your digital copy of A DEAD END JOB for $1.99! @parliamentbooks
Description
Fans of Terry Pratchett and Shane Kuhn’s THE INTERN’S HANDBOOK will love this noir supernatural thriller.
Death needs a vacation. Badly. But there’s a catch: There are people who cheat the system, always falling through the cracks and not dying like they’re supposed to. Who’s going to take care of them while Death’s sipping on sangria?
The answer is simple: Death needs an intern, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that one prospect, Buck Palasinksia—a bankrupt hitman with a roleplaying addiction—might have what it takes. While scoping out his next target, Buck gets drilled in the forehead by a bullet and falls right into Death’s lap.
If they shove him back into his body, he’ll have a few weeks to prove that he has what it takes to be Death’s right-hand.
All he has to do is take out Public Enemy No. 1, John Dillinger, and quit smoking.
The Ghost of Christmas Future has his own intern, and they’re looking to give season’s beatings to anyone who tries to cheat Death. Put this award winning urban fantasy novel in your cart today!
There’s so much deathly A DEAD END JOB fun! Join me 10.28 on @hauntedafpodcast for a ghost story, late November on the @readandwritepodcast ! Play the Reddit “Scythe” game to find out what weapon Death’s scythe would turn into in your hands. Join goodreads to get a winning copy of the book, and check out the great Publisher’s Weekly review! Check it all out at http://www.justin Alcala.com.
I give you 💀A DEAD END JOB 📖 Join Ned the undead hitman as he interns for Death. If you love absurdist fiction, urban fantasy or sarcastically fun books, this is the one for you. Find out why Publisher’s Weekly named it “Best Book of the Week” and why Speculative Fiction Foundation made it one of its top picks. Get it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books or wherever great books are sold! ! !
Get it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or wherever else great books are sold.
Death needs a vacation. Badly. But there’s a catch: There are people who cheat the system, always falling through the cracks and not dying like they’re supposed to. Who’s going to take care of them while Death’s sipping on sangria?
The answer is simple: Death needs an intern, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that one prospect, Buck Palasinksia-a bankrupt hitman with a roleplaying addiction-might have what it takes. While scoping out his next target, Buck gets drilled in the forehead by a bullet and falls right into Death’s lap.
If they shove him back into his body, he’ll have a few weeks to prove that he has what it takes to be Death’s right-hand.
All he has to do is take out Public Enemy No. 1, John Dillinger, and quit smoking.
💀Giveaways and Contests Ready? ✔️ 📖 Amazon, B&N & Kobo ready to print? ✔️ 💀”A DEAD END JOB” Ready for October 6th Release? ✔️ It’s finally around the corner. Please be ready to order your copy and follow the link below to enter for a free hard copy along w/ Death’s vault key. A Dead End Job: “Work until your dead, and then work done more.” Contest: http://www.parliamenthousepress.com/contest
Justin Alcala Writes 