Author: Kerry Lipp

It’s been a long time since I’ve written something for Horror Tree. Once upon a time, I wrote weekly about the struggles and insights of a newbie writer still working things out and learning a lot by writing about writing for a lot of people who were probably experiencing lots of the same things I was. A couple of you may remember me, and wonder where I went, but most of you probably have no idea who the hell I am.

In the past I swore a lot, made a lot of inflammatory comments, had a lot of fun. I got a lot right, and I also got a lot wrong, but I was ALWAYS honest with myself, and my audience.

So it’s time to be honest once again and say that at least for now… I’m done. And I’ve been done for long time. I lost whatever it was I had, but I’m not sad or upset. If anything, I’m completely indifferent to it all. I just don’t care any more.

For the better part of the last year, my focus shifted almost completely to reading, and believe me, I have been murdering books and loving it. Feels great, especially seeing friends and other writers who started around the same time as me putting out good quality shit.

I beat myself up about my literary lethargy for a long time, but then I realized, what’s the point? A lot of the void writing filled in my life has been filled with other things (not an increase in drugs or alcohol, I swear), and I’m happy.

If I wanted to write, I’d sit down and write. You won’t hear me moping about how I lost my mojo or how I’ve had writer’s block for a whole year or some shit like that. Nope. No way. I’ve been living new aspects of my life and writing just hasn’t been a priority.

Do I have an hour a day to sit down and write? Of course. We all do.

Do I want to spend an hour doing that each day? No. Right now, I honestly don’t. Even writing this post is something I put off until the last minute.

Am I going to regret it? Probably. Maybe. I don’t know. I’ll worry about that when it comes.

Am I done forever? I sure don’t think so, but a lot happened to me really fast when I got started and I turned that initial spark of creativity into a goddamned juggernaut, and then my life, time, values, priorities, whatever you want to call it, went in a different direction. We all come to the crossroads, and we all make our decisions. I think I’ll be back in full swing someday, but until then there are a few things I’ve committed to permanently like a series of novels co-authored with Ken MacGregor, the first of which will drop later this year, and a few anthology invitations I have accepted and will not run from.

In a few of my old posts that are probably still floating around on this site I probably called everyone who doesn’t write every day a pussy, or talked out of my ass about output and excuses and god knows what else, but now I’m a little older and a little wiser and things make a little more sense to me.

What it boils down to is this: Do whatever the Hell you wanna do. If you see 10 good anthology calls you want to hit, hit ‘em, smash ‘em, give ‘em your best. If you only want to write novels or flash fiction or whatever, then do that. If you just wanna write for yourself and bury it on your hard drive, do it. If you just wanna read for a while, do that, and don’t beat yourself up about it. Make yourself happy, cuz ain’t nobody else gonna do it for you.

Don’t over commit, and remember it’s okay to say no to people.

But make sure you honor the commitments you make, especially to good friends, and you make sure you give them your very best.

This post here was prompted by a commitment I made well over a year ago to one of my best friends on this planet. His name is Rob Boley. He and a good friend of his, New York Times Bestselling romance/horror/erotica writer Megan Hart wanted to put together an anthology of novellas all themed around an Ouija Board. They recruited some serious talent in Chris Marrs, Brad Hodson, and the inimitable Sephera Giron. They threw me a bone, and I became a part of this book titled Intersections: Six Tales of Ouija Horror.

Nearly my only/entire writing output for 2016 is collected in my 20,000 word novella, titled “Ghosted.” It’s the single longest piece I’ve published to date. I also think it’s my best.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know everyone says that about everything, but I had something to say in “Ghosted” and I think I said it loud and clear while simultaneously and intentionally leaving all kinds of blurred lines. Anyone that knows me knows that I’m not too big on the supernatural, and I tackled this story in the only way I feel that I could have. I wrote a dating/relationship story, and god do I love writing dating/relationship stories.

So basically what this post boils down to is that at least for the indefinite future, I don’t have much planned on the writing front. Other than the novel(s) with Ken, I’ve got nothing else coming and nothing else submitted. I’ve made peace with that, and with the early 2017, yesterday, Friday the 13^th release of Intersections, and the story I wrote, the talent I’m standing beside, and the product itself, I can’t think of a better way to walk away. At least for a little while longer.

In the last year, I haven’t plugged a single thing haha, so nothing would make me happier than getting as many eyeballs on Intersections as possible because I think we’ve created one hell of an anthology. Get lost in the words and decide for yourself: You can snag it on Amazon!

Rob and Megan read all the stories and decided to put mine at the beginning. I couldn’t be more honored. I always thought I made a better opening act than I would a headliner. Nothing more satisfying than dropping a jaw and having someone ask “Who the hell is that?”

I am Kerry Lipp.

I am proud.

I am happy.

I hope this one drops jaws.

And I hope, Intersections: Six Tales of Ouija Horror only gets better from there.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep it real,

KL

It’s been a while since I’ve written something for HorrorTree. Almost nine months, actually. That’s so long that some of you have impregnated/been impregnated and given birth, or watched your lady giving birth holding a video camera in one hand and a beer in the other (at least I think that’s how it works). Ya’ll got families now, and I haven’t written a new post. Or much of anything for that matter.

But I’m not dead either.

And I’m not ready to die.

A lot of shit has happened since my last post all the way back in… November. Holy shit that’s a long time. Since then, I’ve signed a contract for a novel co-written with my good friend, an all-around awesome dude, Ken MacGregor, and we’ve plunged halfway into a sequel. I sold my first story at pro-rates, and done a couple of stints on the ever-amazing Wicked Library podcast.

And most importantly, in what feels like a really long time coming, in a few weeks, my first ever solo release, Squidf*cked, will squirt itself into the marketplace through the Monsterection imprint of Strangehouse Books.

I also quit my job and moved from Dayton, Ohio, to Louisville, Kentucky. It’s a long overdue and exciting change. My new gig is nothing writing related, but it’s a great opportunity. I’ve got a lot of flexibility, and have a strong hand in controlling my own destiny, which to me, is worth more than a guaranteed 40+ hours a week.  And ultimately, as the smoke of it all clears, I should have more time to write.

However, my routine is completely totaled, just screwed right in the face, and I feel like I’m starting all over again, only with a lot more pressure this time because I’ve got invitations and obligations to fulfill. I’ve seen some success since I started, and I want to build on that and continue it my expectations for myself are high, but I’m not doing anything about it.

You should never slow down because once you do, it’ll be too easy to stay slowed down. Like quitting smoking, you sneak a cigarette here and there, and next thing you know, you’re right back on the cancer train. For writers, it’s a day off, or a week off, and then the next thing you know, you don’t know what the Hell happened. Try and avoid it at all costs. I wish I would’ve, but I didn’t, and here I am, writing this blog, trying to beat some sense into myself to turn the goddamn internet off, close the books, put my butt in the seat and fulfill promises I’ve already made to myself, friends, other writers, and publishers.

Before I left, I got to go out for a few beers with an old creative writing professor from my college days, who I’m now proud to call a friend. His name is Brady Allen, and if you’ve read any of my posts over the years, his name should be familiar. He and another former classmate, who’s doing some good work of his own, Christopher Calhoun, met up with me before I left.

We shot the shit as writers do, talking good books, good markets, good stories, and good movies. When it came to what we were currently working on, there was kind of a lull. Christopher has been going gangbusters, but me and Brady have kind of been on the decline for whatever reasons.

Brady helped me out a ton, though, with one painfully simple concept, and I’m going to eat it up, use it, and give it right back to all of you. Especially those of you struggling for whatever reason.

I know that Stephen King says 2,000 words a day. Michael Crichton says 10,000 a day, and that some of your Facebook friends have done more in a day than you have in a month. Don’t get discouraged. Brady Allen gave me an excellent answer to all of this. Are you ready?

Fifteen minutes a day. Write. No Facebook, no phone, no bullshit. Just fifteen minutes a day. That’s the goal.

I looked at him like he was nuts, and he already knew what my question/criticism was going to be and had the perfect answer.

Paraphrasing here:

“It’s just my goal,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I won’t f*cking smash it and write for six hours when I get the chance, but I set something small and achievable, and even if it is only those fifteen minutes, they do add up. I feel good about accomplishing my goal, and I feel great when I exceed it, which I’ve put myself in a position to do often.”

When I first started, I went bananas writing with every free second, Christ, I did weekly posts for this very website for MONTHS. Holy god. But I was also a lot younger, at a much different place in life, and wasn’t even working full-time. Maybe I’ll get back there, and maybe I won’t, but I can get back to some level of regular productivity and Brady Allen, once again, even when he didn’t have to, showed me the light. I should’ve bought his beers that night haha. But if I ever buy his drinks, I gotta make sure it’s some hipster shit.

I’m finishing this around 10 pm on September 1. [Editor’s Note: I have no excuse for not getting this posted sooner.] I’ve been in my new city and a new job for almost a month now. I guess you could say I’m settled. I’ve got to get my shit together and get this shit going again, so it might as well be today.

No excuses. No bullshit.

If you’ve been in a rough spot because of the promise of a beautiful summer, work, real life, tragedy, your kids being around more/getting back to school, or depression or a transition, or whatever it’s been, I challenge you to shoot for 15 minutes a day and don’t start tomorrow.

For those like myself who were once insanely prolific and tapered off, or those trying to take the first slash at this overwhelming beast. I’m sharing with you the best piece of advice I’ve gotten in a long, long time. Just promise me you won’t start tomorrow.

Thanks, Brady.

Never let it die.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep it real,

KGSL

I volunteered to write a Thanksgiving post for HorrorTree because I’ve been promising the HT overlord a new post for about 4 months now. I don’t post here much anymore, not because my “career” has taken off or because I don’t like to write these (I do) but because I’ve got my fingers in several pies. I think that is an expression. If it isn’t it should be.

To be perfectly honest, these days it’s hard for me to keep up with what I’ve got submitted, when stories are coming out, social media interactions, what markets I’m trying to hit, where I owe edits, what contracts I’ve forgotten to sign, trying to read anthologies I’m in, or help offer feedback to friends etc.

That might sound arrogant, but it’s not, I started this shit at square one just like everyone else. I started with no friends and outside of a couple fiction classes in college, no experience with either writing or the business end. But I’ve been grinding it out for going on three years now, and I could not be more thankful for the problems I mentioned above.

You all got turkey to eat and pies to put your own fingers in and if you’re reading this after you’ve already eaten then I’ll try even harder to be brief. Can’t have KGSL putting you to sleep now can we?

So I’ve put together a quick list of writing related things that I’m thankful for. I hope many of you enjoy and appreciate the same things and if you haven’t yet, that someday you will.

1. I’m single: Even with a face like mine and heart to match… It’s true. And while it’s often a struggle, I get to write whatever I want pretty much whenever I want. I don’t have to worry about someone I share a bed or a house with judging me for content, or kids to babysit, or family not taking me seriously when I’m like “Nope I can’t do that today, I gotta write/edit/submit.” I work a miserable third shift schedule and am usually up working on something when most of you are out the door to start your shifts at work. My current schedule plus writing time is completely incompatible with pretty much any kind of relationship and I’m cool with that. I’d really like to get myself further established before I try and fulfill other aspects of my life. I’m single, 30, no kids, healthy (I think) and have a 40+ hour a week job that is enough to pay the bills. People often tell me they’re jealous of that. Well, rarely, but sometimes, I’m jealous of their happy marriages and their cute children, BUT, since I got what I got, I take full advantage and no prisoners and if I want to spend my entire days off not showering, banging on my keyboard in my underwear with a fifth of vodka, I don’t even have a pet to judge me or get in my way.
2. Friends: Duh Right? I want to focus this part on writer friends. There are too many to name, and several of them I’ve never even met in person, but that doesn’t matter. I talk with them, bond with them, sometimes talk about shit that has zero to do with writing. Sometimes they even offer to edit things for me or send me a message that says, “Hey Lippopotomas, I’ve got an anthology to fill, you interested?” Hell, even if they’re coming to me after exhausting all their other resources, they’re still coming to me, right!? I’ve bonded with people around the globe which fits nicely into my messed up schedule. There’s always someone to talk to which can go nice with being single and living alone. I’ve even learned new expressions, my favorite is “taking the piss” which I like to purposely butcher into “taking a piss” just to agitate. I treat these folks just like I would real life friends and it’s awesome. One of my best friends is a guy named Ken MacGregor. We shared pages in DOA2 a book that blew both of us away as we later found out we both started writing seriously around the same time and not long before getting accepted to that book. After a few chats and what not we started collaborating. We published one short already and we are I think about 33k words into a novel/novella that I’ve gotta say, is awesome. Our voices and our styles and our sense of humor mesh well and we’ve created some really fun characters. This never would’ve happened if we hadn’t started chatting one day. Now we talk almost daily about the book, other books, what we’re working on, or just our lives. We got to meet a few months ago at a con. It was like seeing an old friend for the first time. Friends are the shit, thank you all, you know who you are!
3. Reviews (Even the bad ones): Most of the anthologies you see posted on HorrorTree don’t receive a whole lot of notoriety when they are finally released. My amazon page, screw it, here’s a plug, http://www.amazon.com/Kerry-G.S.-Lipp/e/B00DTKTM1G/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1416898429&sr=8-2-ent Ahem, right, then. My Amazon page has 28 entries (all of which I’m thankful to be a part of) but a lot of them have few reviews or zero reviews. The only book with a lot is DOA2, which contains by far the most big names. Writers like myself, don’t get feedback often, especially not from readers we don’t know. Reviews are nice, even when you get eviscerated, which I have on multiple occasions and I’m cool with that. It’s just nice to know that people are reading your stuff. Also, reviews help books gain visibility and can attract new readers. I’ve even been contacted a time or two to talk about something I’ve written and not only is that the best feeling in the world, it’s led to some strong relationships and good friends. Most writers aren’t Stephen King, and they’ll correspond with you to talk about their work or whatever. Just don’t send them a message that’s “hey, I love your work, read my book on amazon, or can I send it to you for a critique.” No one is thankful for that. If you’ve ever done that, hang your head in shame and don’t do it again. Asking for something like that has to be earned and if an author refuses, THAT DOES NOT MAKE THEM A HORRIBLE PERSON. They are busy! Respect that fool! Sometimes I even gotta turn down helping my FRIENDS, feel free to chat us up, but you liking our work doesn’t entitle you to send us yours. Build some rapport! Cultivate relationships! Friending someone on Facebook and then firebombing them with your Amazon page is not marketing, it’s being a dick.
4. HorrorTree: Yep, this is gonna sound like a suck up. STFU. Here’s the deal. Back when I took short story classes in college and tried to submit, you couldn’t find any markets. There was no Facebook, there was no HorrorTree, no Amazon, no nothing. I think there was Duotrope, but that was IT. I was shocked when I stumbled on HorrorTree. I’d never seen anything like it. I used it like crazy and submitted and finally started getting accepted. Then I started corresponding with HT, and Mr. Stu. And he gave me an opportunity to write here. I’ll always be thankful for that and even though I don’t do it often anymore, it was a very significant part of my development. I got to think out loud through a lot of the things brand new writers experience and it led to several opportunities and relationships. I don’t think I’d be where I’m at without those original columns and for that, even though I rarely write here anymore, I’ll always be loyal. And thankful. And hopefully I’ll always be welcome. I mean if I haven’t been fired yet, there’s hope for all of us!

There are plenty more things I could go on about, but I hit the major ones and you’ve still got dessert to eat.

Lastly I’d thank YOU, THE READER. I have no idea how many people read my posts or for that matter, my fiction. It could be 5, it could be 50, I have no idea, but I’m thankful for any kind of an audience and I really hope that I’ve helped you in someway or at the very least entertained you with my ranting, swear-filled musings. I wish you all the best and hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving holiday and for those of you overseas that don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have an amazing Thursday. I won’t promise to write here more in the future, because every time I do that I seem to disappear for months, but I promise that any time I’ve got something to say, I’ll send it here first.

THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING. WHOEVER YOU ARE, WHEREEVER YOU ARE. Nothing but the best to you and your families from Kerry GiantSquid Lipp and the whole HorrorTree crew.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep it real,

KGSL