Horror Vibes and Spooky Season Treats – October 2025 Wrap

Happy Halloween to me, because October unfolded into the most magical month of the year so far. Grab a bag of candy, then read on for all my spooky season treats.

An Update from the Query Trenches

Since April, I have given my all to querying my young adult fantasy. Here’s the gorgeous mood board my friend, Aaliyah, made for me.

A couple days ago, I woke up to a very special email. I can’t say any more now, but if all goes well, I’ll have the best news to share in November. So, in the spirit of Halloween, light a candle for me.

News from Anthology Land

My crown got extra sparkly in October because this was one of the best months in anthology land.

I submitted two stories in October, a new adult winter meet-cute and a reimagining of “Silence” by Poe. These couldn’t be more polar opposite. I wrote the winter one a few months ago, and submissions for the anthology opened in October, so I finally got to send the story. As for the Poe one, my friend told me about the anthology less than a week before the deadline, and since I love Poe and have no chill, I wrote, revised, and submitted the story within a few days.

Next, I received three anthology acceptances, bringing me to nineteen. I’m one away from reaching my goal to have twenty by the end of the year.

My new adult gothic horror, “The Crimson Ring,” found a home in Stolen: A Horror Anthology by Easton Tales Publishing, and the book got published this month, too. Also, I’m delighted to share that my new adult speculative romantic suspense, “The Snow Globes of Tinsel Falls,” got accepted for Holiday Spirit by Dragon Soul Press. I’m going to keep my third acceptance a secret for now. I’m unsure if I’m allowed to share the news yet, so to be safe, I’m going to hold off on unveiling the details for this one.

On top of my submissions and acceptances, I celebrated two anthology publications during the last week of October. Talk about a Halloween treat!

Stolen came out on October 25, and “The Crimson Ring” is the first story in the book, which is a total honor. I wrote all about the anthology in this blog post.

The Devil You Know by Dragon Soul Press released into the world on October 30. I’m so happy my young adult quiet horror, “Strokes of Time,” is finally in print. I wrote all about The Devil You Know in this blog post.

Next month, I’m going to take a mini break from writing and submitting short stories to anthologies because I want to prioritize revisions for my young adult locked room thriller. If I see a submission call I absolutely love, maybe I’ll find time to squeeze in a story, but I’ll just have to wait and see. Even though I’m taking a step back, I’ll get to celebrate the publications of The Greatest Holiday Romance Stories Ever Written by KissMet Quarterly and Seasons of Romantasy: Winter by Quill & Flame Publishing House, so I’m definitely looking forward to that.

Oh, and I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for my twentieth anthology acceptance!

Spending Time in YA Gothic Thriller Land

October was the perfect month to dive back into my young adult gothic thriller. I made a ton of progress on my chapter outline, character profiles, research, and more. Things are starting to naturally fall into place, and I don’t have much left to sort out. Once I revise my young adult locked room thriller, I’ll finally feel ready to start drafting this one. I seriously can’t wait.

Saving YA and Horror Cats

This month, I devoured two golden craft books, Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel and Save the Cat! Writes Horror.

I haven’t read the original book, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, but since I only write young adult books and my new project is a gothic thriller with horror elements, I thought it would be a good idea to read these two. Turns out, it was the best idea ever. I got great refreshers and learned lots of new things. I’ll definitely keep returning to these books as I continue preparing to draft my YA gothic thriller and while working on all my other manuscripts, both during revisions and when plotting new books.

I have read a lot of craft books, both in my MFA program and on my own, and these two are definitely new favorites. They’re pure gold.

Giving Back to the Writing Community

Giving back is very important to me, and I got the opportunity to do that twice this month.

First, I donated a first ten pages critique to the Kid Lit Chuckle Challenge. This was my second time being part of the event. I loved reading and critiquing my winner’s pages.

Second, I participated in Revise & Resub’s 10 Queries. I absolutely love RevPit and all their events. Being an editor on the team is still a total dream come true. I’m already looking forward to the annual contest next spring.

I’m glad I took part in these two events this month, and I can’t wait to keep finding new ways to give back to the writing community.

Graveyard Groove on Heart of Indie Radio

I ended my October by producing and co-hosting Heart of Indie Radio’s fifth annual Halloween special, Graveyard Groove. I absolutely loved putting this show together and recording with Eddie. Check out the show on MixCloud for all the fun. This was the best way to wrap up a fabulous month.

October was so good to me. I definitely had a lot to celebrate. November, you’re up next!