My Fourth Anthology Publication – HORRORific Tales Volume 1 by HORRORific Productions

I’m delighted to share my fourth anthology publication. My new adult supernatural thriller short story, “Rosalia,” found a forever home in HORRORific Tales Volume 1: Hauntings by HORRORific Productions.

You can grab your copy from Amazon.

This publication experience was quite the ride, so I’m super excited to reveal my adventure.

The Open Submission Call

In November, I focused mostly on drafting the first two parts of my new young adult locked room thriller. I told myself at the start of the month that I would take a break from anthologies while I worked on my book. Dear reader, I did not listen to my past self.

I was scrolling through Twitter one day when I saw this open call. It immediately caught my attention. I love writing horror short stories. Also, the theme of hauntings intrigued me. Some of my favorite horror stories have ghosts, demons, and other kinds of supernatural beings.

So,  I had to write a story for the anthology. Even when I tried to talk myself out of it, my thoughts drifted back to the submission call. I’ve learned long ago that in situations like this, I need to follow the inspiration, even if I already have too much on my plate. My friends tried to remind me that I should just keep drafting my book, but I couldn’t pass this one up. So, I decided to write this story and my novel at the same time for a few days. I don’t regret that choice at all.

A Peek Into “Rosalia”

I love all of my short stories, but sometimes, I write ones that instantly become all-time favorites. “Rosalia” is in this special category. I’m not joking when I say I’m obsessed with this one. I’ve actually started seriously considering using the story as a prequel to a novel. When I start imagining how I can expand on a story, I know it’s one of those rare gems.

“Rosalia” is a haunting tale that features a wintery setting, songwriting, murder, and reincarnation. The idea came to me very easily, and yet, I hesitated before drafting the story.

Why?

Well, this is a horror anthology. I consider the story to be a supernatural thriller. The line between horror and thriller blurs a little, but looking at the plot, my story unfolds like a thriller. Still, I hoped the supernatural elements and atmosphere would give it enough of a horror flare to fit the anthology.

Eventually, I stopped stressing out over the genre and put my fingers on the keyboard.

The story follows Lia, a songwriter who goes to a secluded cabin in the Colorado Rockies for a solo songwriting retreat. At the cabin, she experiences strange happenings—hearing her name whispered outside, seeing a shadow through the window, and then, finding an obituary for a girl named Rosa, who was also a songwriter. Rosa looks familiar to Lia, which is impossible, since Rosa died decades earlier to the day. Totally creeped out, Lia sees Rosa’s reflection in the window’s glass, but she brushes it off as her imagination. It’s not until Lia ventures outside to retrieve wood for a fire when she realizes something is very, very wrong. She finds Rosalia carved in the snow, leading her to believe whoever wrote the name knows both her and Rosa. From there, what was supposed to be an inspiring songwriting retreat unravels into a nightmare, one that blends Lia’s deadly reality with the supernatural.

Are you intrigued? If so, you should totally get a copy of the anthology and read Lia’s tale.

A Lightning-Fast Publication Process

Once I got feedback from friends and revised “Rosalia” until I thought I would totally lose my mind, I submitted the story on November 25. I get nervous every time I submit something, but I was extra anxious about this one because I love the story so much.

On December 3, I recieved my acceptance email. I definitely squealed. One of my all-time favorite stories found an anthology home, and I was ecstatic.

Imagine my surprise when Colin emailed me a couple weeks later to let me know my author copy was on the way. I was like, what? Already? This went so fast. The book officially came out on December 18, and I received my copy on December 27.

Opening My Author Copy of HORRORific Tales Volume 1: Hauntings

I love filming myself opening my anthologies. Please enjoy this video. I put thought into the aesthetics.

I was all smiles with the book.

I can’t thank Colin enough for giving “Rosalia” a home in the anthology and for sending me an author copy. It’s now on my bookshelf with my others.

Will I actually expand “Rosalia” into a full novel? Maybe, but for now, I’m celebrating the publication of one of my favorite short stories ever.