On the horizon… I’ll make this short.
It’s June already?
It seems like six months ago when I committed to writing a short story for my publisher’s summer anthology. All I had to do was write a story under 15k words, it needed to have a cozy feeling to it (think of sitting by a fireplace in the middle of winter). So, I said of course with nothing more than a title, which by now you know as The Man Who Came With Winter.
Fast-forward to today, exactly two weeks before my story releases, along with eleven other wonderful authors of Shadow Spark Publishing. I have read two of the stories, A Spectacle of Specters and Count the Stars from Erika McCorkle and Jade Black. Both these stories are everything that is meant by the word cozy, with heartwarming moments and scenes that will steal your breath. It makes me so proud to be part of this collection with these two and waiting to read the other stories is worse than melted ice cream on a hot summer day.
Here is what Jade had to say about The Man Who Came With Winter.
“First and foremost, while reading this I forgot to have any lunch. It’s captivating as all hell.
I like how it fits in with the brief. It starts very cozy and ends, uh, not. But there are cozy, quiet
moments throughout.
The piece as a whole has a similar feel to a Leonard Cohen song to me –
somber and beautiful, the sort of story that stays with you and lingers, but is yet somehow
comforting and every time you experience it there’s more of that comfort but also more tears to
be shed. I don’t know how familiar you are with Leonard Cohen, but I recommend Amen – it has
a similar vibe to this piece to me.
Your descriptions are exemplary. The way you link them to character work is fantastic. I love
how real your characters are and how alive your world is. The quiet subtleties absolutely shine.
You should be deeply proud of this piece. It’s one of the single best works of fiction I’ve ever
read. Your series cannot come soon enough.”
Those words are some of the strongest I’ve ever been told, which reconfirms that my writing, my story and ability to make people feel so many emotions is truly my calling. The only part about this that is upsetting is that I didn’t feel like this sooner. That is the way life is, right? No matter how hard we get pushed down we find a way to get back up to face it again.
The COZYish Anthology will be available to purchase on June 21 from SSP, as well as Amazon and other sellers. You might be able to order a signed copy at some point, but more on that when the time comes.
For now, keep turning the pages of your life to see what comes next.