Anxiety Disorders: True Stories of Survival 04/05/2012
 It’s here! Anxiety Disorders: True Stories of Survival shows how sufferers deal with their anxiety disorders, and aims to offer hope. I’ve experienced depression and anxiety for more than forty years, but an event fourteen years ago triggered something new. My first panic attack. It was followed by many more. My contribution to this book shows what led to these frightening attacks and how I gradually learned to cope with them. My essay was easy to write, because I just wrote from memory. No characters or plots to invent! But it was also hard to write; after every 500 or so words I had to step away from the keyboard because of the raw emotions being rekindled. I only persevered with the writing because I hoped my story would help others suffering from anxiety disorders. My thanks to Suzanne Robb, Charles Day, Hollie Johani Snider and the rest of the Hidden Thoughts Press team. Anxiety Disorders: True Stories of Survival is available here. Add Comment Escape Velocity anthology free! 07/04/2012
 Escape Velocity: The Anthology is available FREE on Amazon Kindle! But not for long, so hurry. My Caveat Emptor! scared one lady reader so much she couldn’t finish reading the story. Are you brave enough to read all of it? There are forty-eight sci-fi stories in Escape Velocity: The Anthology. My absolute favourites are Jack In The Box by Robert Harkess, closely followed by An Empty Kind of Love by Adam Colston, but there are loads of stories I really like. Find the Kindle anthology here. Other news... I had a surprise when I saw that Blaze McRob had done a Woman in Horror post about me. It’s over at Angelic Knight Press and also at DarkMedia City. Thanks, Blaze. I feel I don’t really deserve it, as I have more horror stories unpublished/abandoned than published! This has given me a much needed kick to get more horror out there. A Love Letter, The Crow's Caw, and Mrs Darcy 12/09/2011
A few snippets of news... I’ve had a couple of pieces published since my last blog post. In July my prize-winning story Digging was reprinted by Menopause Press, and yesterday my daft love letter Endless Love appeared over at Postcard Shorts. The Crow’s Caw had a book give-away upon reaching 80 Facebook ‘likes’ – and I was the lucky winner! I won David Nickle’s Eutopia and Claude Lalumiere’s The Door to Lost Pages, and I’m looking forward to reading them (Thank you, The Crow’s Caw!). Check out the website here for great horror book reviews. And like their Facebook page! All for now, except to say that Mrs Darcy will be dropping in soon... Publications and Deep-fried Flip-flops 12/05/2011
 A lady told me she couldn’t finish reading my futuristic story Caveat Emptor! because she thought it would give her nightmares, so I’m glad the editors at Adventure Books of Seattle were brave enough to read all of it. It now has a home in Escape Velocity: The Anthology. I can’t wait to get my hands on a paper copy, but to keep me going I have the Kindle version. I’m not reading the stories in any particular order. My favourite so far is Jack in the Box by Robert Harkess, but there are also some great stories by Sheila Crosby, Robert Blevins, Geoff Nelder, Jonathan Pinnock, David Tallerman, and many more. Geoff and Jonathan are also keeping me company in The Sixty, a book of awesome science-fiction/fantasy art by award-winning artist Andy Bigwood. Check out some of his work here. My flash fiction piece Taking Root was inspired by one of Andy’s pictures. The Sixty was launched at EasterCon in Birmingham, and is available from Amazon. The artwork in this book is stunning. I’m looking forward to reading all the fiction too. Last, but definitely not least, I had some feedback on my nonsense poem Deep-fried Flip-flops, which was displayed in a public loo in the Shetland Islands as part of the Bards in the Bog project. A mother wrote to say that her family enjoyed my poem, and that her young daughter has now been inspired to write poetry of her own! I have had the pleasure and privilege of reading one of her poems, and can say that she’s off to a good start. I won’t mention her name, but she knows who she is, so here’s a message especially for her: ‘Well done, and keep going!’ Goodbye to 2010 31/12/2010
It’s time to look back to see how it all went, so here goes... In January I heard that my one and only children’s story Escapism, with Raya Riken had been shortlisted in the Writers’ Village Best Writing Award. A good start to the year. My futuristic flash fiction Flipped was accepted by Weirdyear. I’m fond of this little tale. During a bout of flu, I suddenly remembered one of the What Ifs on the brilliant ideas4writers site, and added my own spin (spin – geddit?) to it. I desperately needed to lie down, but sat and wrote the whole story out in my notepad before keeling over on the bed. I’ve tweaked the story a little, and you can read it here. Other publications this year include: Letter to Bertha, 6Sentences: The Love Book Irresistible, Microhorror The Tip of My Tongue (inspired by a childhood accident), Weirdyear Digging (which won 3rd prize), Delivered Fitting In, Delivered (and reprinted in Town & Village) Flying Room, Ink Sweat & Tears Beyond Pessimism (poem), Monkey Kettle. K (for Kul), M is for Monster. So far I have three publications lined up for 2011: Taking Root to accompany an illustration in The Sixty, a fantasy art book by Andy Bigwood, Sleep Disorder in Delivered, and Caveat Emptor! in the sci-fi anthology Escape Velocity. There’s talk of a couple of interviews too, but I don’t have a date for those yet. Other writing activities included setting up my website and blog. I’ve had a great time chatting to other writers online (and horror writer Adrian Chamberlin in 3D) this year, and am so grateful for the support and encouragement they give. So thank you to my friends at ideas4writers, Cafe Doom, Facebook, and especially my lovely blog followers. And my biggest thanks to my long-suffering husband Laz, who regularly catches me in the kitchen reading a book or jotting down notes when I should be cooking the dinner, but still hasn’t traded me in for a more efficient model. Digging Success 05/12/2010
When Digging was published in Delivered recently, I was chuffed, but thought that would be that. But I’ve just found out that I’ve won 3rd prize in the quarterly competition! I’m touched that readers not only liked my story, but took the time to actually vote for it, so if you’re a Delivered reader who voted, thank you. And this is a story which I nearly abandoned. It just shows you should keep sending stuff out there. Now for some horror news: If you have a Kindle, the Kindle edition of M is for Monster is now available from amazon.co.uk. And there are two great reviews on there! It’s out! The monster book has been released and has been spotted prowling around Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle forms! Magically, it’s also lurking on my website, so if you’re in the UK and you’d like a copy of M is for Monster: An Alphabetical Anthology of Abominations for yourself or the horror-lover in your life, then you know where to come. Despite the title, this is not a children’s book. You may want to sleep with the light on after reading it... Are you ready to learn your ABC all over again?  Here’s the back cover blurb: “Monsters and creatures and horrors, oh my... With each letter of the alphabet comes a different monster, and with each turn of the page comes a new foray into another author’s sinister imaginings. From new twists on traditional favourites to modern glimpses into lesser-known mythology, from time-honored staples of the horror genre to never-before-seen beasts of the authors’ design, these twenty-six tales take you on a wild roller-coaster tour of wicked conjuration. A shrieking banshee of the High Moor... a seductive (and deadly) incubus spirit... a ghastly lot of blood-frenzied hogs... a biblical giant whose side of the story has never been told... the sword-slinging God of War himself... a vampire, a demon, a jabberwocky, and a whole hellish host of other creatures and fiends known only by a few... It’s all jam-packed inside M is for Monster: An Alphabetical Anthology of Abominations. Twenty-six international authors, twenty-six diverse tales. Legend and lore the world ‘round have come together to bring this collection to chilling, spine-tingling life. And the alphabet has never been so frightening.” Monster delivery 26/10/2010
I had a great weekend. My copies of M is for Monster arrived, and I got to meet one of my favourite horror writers, Adrian Chamberlin. Adrian very kindly drove all the way from Oxfordshire to West Sussex to deliver a box loaded with books. It’s always a thrill to have a story published in a magazine, but to see my story in a 250-page book was on a different level. I touched one of the books to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, but then remembered my manners and offered to make tea. Luckily Adrian hadn’t heard about my previous cooking disasters and agreed to stay for lunch, and it was lovely to chat about writing and stuff. Later, I signed a book for the very first time, which made me feel like a proper writer!  I’ve been reading some of the stories this week, and they’re awesome. I’m deeply chuffed to share anthology space with such amazing writers. M is for Monster: An Alphabetical Anthology of Abominations (compiled by John Prescott) will be available from me, or any of the 26 authors’ websites, or from Amazon.com from 31st October. To find out more about Adrian's writing, please visit http://archivesofpain.com John Prescott is at www.john-prescott.com. Birdcage Tales 19/10/2010
When I was a kid, my dad built an aviary – housing 24 budgies – on a third of our small back garden. The other two thirds were taken up by a vegetable patch and a brown corrugated plastic – yes, plastic – shed. I had mixed feelings about the aviary. As far as I knew, none of the other kids at school had one, and I couldn’t decide if I was excited or embarrassed by that. And I’d really have wanted all three thirds of the garden to be, well, a proper garden. A lawn, a little pond, flowers, and a swing. Room to have fun. But we don’t always get what we want, and so the colours, sounds and smells of this garden-hogging birdcage remain fixed in my memory. I’m glad that they do, because my first ever short story was about the aviary, and imaginatively entitled The Birdcage. That story went on to win a prize in the Writers Bureau Short Story Competition in 2004. I wrote a flash fiction too, and Flying Room can be read at Ink Sweat and Tears. And I’ve started writing a horror story based on an aviary. Would I have written stories about the lawn and swing I longed for? I don’t know. My story Fitting In was published in the October issue of Town & Village magazine, and I now have a lovely colour copy of the mag on my bookshelf. What else? I’m currently working on a fantasy flash fiction piece for an art book project, but I’ll give more details about that next time. Delivered has been delivered 10/09/2010
I’ve always thought Delivered would be a great name for a horror magazine. You can imagine the cover pic – a steaming, bloody liver on a chopping board next to a not-quite-dead body... But this short story magazine takes all genres. My story Digging is in the latest issue, which has just been delivered. Digging is a gentle, relationship-type story which I wrote five years ago, so it’s nice to see it in print at last. It was inspired by a real event, and I haven’t owned up to the person concerned yet. It wasn’t anything bad, in case you were wondering. I'll save the bad stuff for the horror stories. If you’re seeking publication for your short fiction, it’s worth considering Delivered. There’s even the chance of a cash prize. | Tales From The Ironing BoardBec's Writing News, Hot Off the Press!
 Bec Zugor's fiction has appeared in a number of ezines and magazines, including Microhorror, Weirdyear and Escape Velocity. Her ironing board doesn't write, but it's very supportive, for which Bec is grateful
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