My Second Anthology Publication – GORE 4 by Poe Boy Publishing

Spooky season is officially here because I received my author copy of GORE 4 (Demons): A Halloween Anthology by Poe Boy Publishing today. My young adult gothic horror story, “Revenge At Ravenwood,” is featured in this anthology.

You can get a copy as either a paperback or e-book through Amazon.

I’m excited to draw back the curtain and share the journey to my second publication. Grab a pumpkin spice latte and some candy corns. This is going to be quite the story.

The Open Submission Call

In July, I saw the open submission call for the anthology on Twitter. I immediately wanted to write a story. Still, horror is definitely not a genre I’m super familiar with as a writer. I have lots of experience with the mystery and thriller genres, and I have written dark fantasy, but gothic horror was pretty new. Since I love exploring other genres and was drawn to this submission call, I decided to take a shot at writing a young adult gothic horror story for the first time.

A Peek Into “Revenge At Ravenwood”

Out of all the short stories I have written so far, “Revenge At Ravenwood” is definitely in my top three favorites.

The initial spark for this story actually came from an assignment I did for my Introduction to Popular Fiction class in undergrad. For our final assignment, we had to write a first chapter of a novel. I chose to do a young adult paranormal horror story and had a whole plot outline and everything. Shoutout to past me for keeping these files. Basically, the main element of the story was a cursed bracelet that ultimately led to demonic possession. This inspired the plot of “Revenge At Ravenwood.”

Also, my story is a loose reimagining of “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. I love reimagining fairy tales, legends, and other stories, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to draw on “The Raven” for inspiration.

Now, here’s a little glimpse into the story.

On Devil’s Eve, Reverie and her boyfriend, Silas, visit the Ravenwood Library of Gothic Literature in the middle of a forest. The library, simply known by those in the town as Ravenwood, is the site of an unsolved murder and believed to be haunted by the dead girl’s spirit. When Reverie and Silas enter, the door locks them inside. Their adventure takes a deadly turn when candles light on their own, the scent of roses fills the air, and Reverie finds a charm bracelet that belonged to the girl who died. Too late, Reverie realizes she and Silas should have gone nowhere near the library because the demon wants revenge and has every intention of burning their lives to ashes.

Are you hooked and dying to immerse yourself in the pages of “Revenge At Ravenwood?” I hope so.

The Fastest Acceptance Ever

I submitted “Revenge At Ravenwood” on August 30. The deadline was August 31. I never submit this close to the deadline, but I got feedback and kept revising the story. Since this was my first time writing gothic horror, I was super nervous. I finally gained the courage to send the email practically at the last minute.

On September 3, I received a response. I panicked. This came so quickly, and I started to self reject.

I know. I know. Stop rolling your eyes.

I opened the email.

It was an acceptance!

I freaked out. My celebratory and very unhinged tweet went semi-viral, too. Good times.

The Fastest Publication Ever

Yes, the publication was fast, too. I told you this would be a wild ride.

The book was published on September 27, a little over three weeks after I received my acceptance. I know I submitted on the tail end of the open call, but I’m still floored from how quick everything happened.

So, there was less than a month between when I submitted the story and when the anthology came out. That is beyond wild to me.

Receiving My Author Copy

Poe Boy Publishing sent me an author copy of the anthology. How cool is that? This is my first ever author copy. I got it two days after publication, and it was totally worth the wait.

Please enjoy this video of me opening the book, featuring the instrumental of my song, “Quiet.”

Don’t let my smile fool you. This book is terrifying.

Thank you so much to the Poe Boy Publishing team for giving “Revenge At Ravenwood” a home in GORE 4 (Demons): A Halloween Anthology. This experience was the biggest whirlwind. I’ll be in my horror era for the foreseeable future, but I definitely won’t be visiting a haunted library any time soon.