Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ Jenna Miller

It's November 1st. Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2017 is now available! So today, I have an interview with the creator of the anthology, Jenna Miller. Not only is she the one responsible for this wonderful, creepy collaboration of chills and thrills, she's also a contributor as well. Let's get on with the interview! Her answers will be in green.

What inspired Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror? 

Way back in 2007, just after I’d published my first fantasy novel, I was invited to contribute to a horror anthology (Concrete Blood: Dark Tales of the City) – it was so much fun and I wanted to do my own anthology. We were also just starting Word Weavers (a writer’s group) at the time, and doing anthologies through there … I wanted one that was just for women, and more importantly, just for women in horror. When I approached people about it, I got mixed responses. A lot of women didn’t want to do it. I got a lot of flak about exploiting women and how it wasn’t “positive.” I also had a few guys who joked about not having a men only anthology.

So I decided to do both, a Ladies and a Gents, and a combined.

How often have you contributed to the anthology? 

I contributed in 2008, 2013 and 2016.
What are the titles of the stories you’ve contributed? 

Addiction, Bitch and Slither (respectively).

What was one of the hardest scenes you’ve ever had to write? 

The rape/cannibal scene at the beginning of Addiction.

How does your family feel about the production of the anthology? 

They’re encouraging, but hate that they essentially lose me for the few months I work on it.

Why do the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society? 

The anthology doesn’t make enough money to pay each contributor much at all, so in 2013 the group decided that donating the profits to charity would be best. As a group we chose breast cancer, but finding a charity that actually puts your donations towards the cause is hard, and that’s why, after much research, we chose the ACS.

I’ve asked all the authors, now I’ll ask you, too. Do you Google yourself? 

Sometimes, and while I have one of the most common names ever in the history of ever, I’m always in the top ten or so. Which is scary.

What is your preferred genre for writing? 

Horror, though I do love the occasional dabble into fantasy and sci-fi.

How do these contributors make you feel? 

I love my contributors. Each and every one has taught me something and helped both me and the anthology grow. I’ve developed long lasting friendships and also learned a few hard lessons working with people from all over the world over the last nearly ten years.

Has the success of the anthology grown over the years? 

Yes. Bit by bit, I see its popularity growing. Even now I’m booked up for the next two years in both the fantasy and the horror—which is hard to fathom, considering as I used to have to sell my soul, and seduce or otherwise entice people in order to get contributors.

How does one contribute to the anthology? 

By sending a query of interest (details can be found in the “notes” on our websites (Queries or Submission Queries) or on the FB pages ( Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror or Ladies and Gentlemen of Fantasy ) or to Email (horror) or Email (fantasy).

*~*~*

Thanks so much for your time, Jenna! I wish you much success with these anthologies as time goes on.

Don't forget, you can purchase your copy of the anthologies now!

Trying To Get On A Schedule...

Wow.

Since I've quit the paper route, things have been a bit hectic and I've been a bit more focused. However, not always on the things I need to focus on!

I've got to make a schedule for myself or I won't get anything done.

Here's what I've been doing:

~ Blogging, of course and reading blogs as well as trying to keep up with the comments.

~ Tweeting. I am trying to spend time on Twitter to keep up the decent presence I've worked hard to get. While this isn't exactly time consuming, I do have to do something daily or it gets overwhelming just like everything else.

~ Facebook. Well, this isn't really a big deal. I get on there, read my notifications, respond where I need to and all that. What tends to suck me in are those stupid games. So I have kept the browser open on that page specifically to keep up with responses to my posts and others.

~ Word Weavers. Even when my friend Jenna and I were working the networking of Word Weavers on MySpace, I don't think we were EVER this busy. We have the blog, the website and the group page on Facebook. We also have Twitter for WW as well. I don't get on there all that much, but it is shared time with Jenna. We have several people willing to volunteer some time, but it can be inconsistent. Plus, we're still trying to figure out where to put them.

~ Not only do I have all that going on, but I am gearing up to do some work from home. I'm getting ready to do critiques, proofreading and soon, editing. I'm learning from some very good teachers on how to edit. But I am also doing book trailers. Once I am able to provide samples of my work, I'll have a 'Services' section on my blog. Once I get up enough money to purchase PhotoShop, I'll most definitely be putting my art degree to good use and start doing book covers.

This all takes time. And it takes time away from my writing. Besides all of this, I'm still doing book reviews. Which, I love to read, so those aren't a big deal. I read every night before I go to bed and if I am lucky, I get a book done in a couple of days. Depending on the book. Some of them are so good I want to linger.

And on top of all of this, my daughter just informed me I'm going to be a Grandma. Phew!!!!

So now you see the need for a schedule. Lol! I've got my work cut out for me. Wish me luck!

How do you schedule your week? Do you work outside the home as well?