I like to slow down, take a long breath (and hold it), and take stock.
It has now been over 3 years since my debut novel What The Woods Keep was published (and Oasis, my second novel, has now been out for 2). Releasing this duo has been among the best experiences of my life. I’m very proud of my work. I love displaying my books on my shelves and I love hearing from readers. But… There’s also been some emotional angst and negative feelings attached to the process (some of these feelings are a matter of perspective and some are very much justified), but now that I am older and wiser (or maybe just older), I see everything through a pragmatic lens. All that’s happened, leading up to this moment, has been a learning experience, and therefore – mostly – a good thing.
If you’ve been following my (infrequent) updates here and on the socials (Instagram, mostly. My Twitter is currently a bit of a ghost town…), you may have heard that I’ve been publishing quite a few short stories in anthologies lately.
First, there was A Scandalous Case of Poisoning, my take on Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, in which they are young women in Russia in the 90s, slowly falling in love as they investigate their first case together. You can read this story now (and all the other fantastic stories) in The Only One in the World, edited by one-and-only Narrelle M Harris.
Then came my dark fantasy story Lovesome that was included in the Castle of Horror Vol, 6 Femme Fatales anthology edited by P.J. Hoover. I randomly saw this anthology’s Call and pitched an idea to P.J. which she found exciting, so here we are.
And lastly, I have a novelette coming your way in the Emporium of Superstition: An Old Wives’ Tale Anthology. The title of my story is She’s Come Undone, and, like all the stories in this amazing collection, it reinterprets an old superstition. You can get this book in October 2022 – just in time for Halloween. You can pre-order this book now and/or add it on Goodreads.
I have two yet-unannounced (short story) things (possibly three, depending on how fast I can write), but the main news is that today I have signed my first ever contract as an editor!
The idea for this anthology I’m (co) editing first came to me last October. After I put together a brief pitch document, I sent it to Lindy Cameron – the publisher behind The Only One in the World. I knew Lindy’s Clan Destine Press likes publishing anthologies, and I always loved horror. I felt this was a unique space (this idea that I had) and I was right! Lindy loved the pitch! Another thing I knew, however, was that I needed a great partner for this – a co-editor with experience and great energy. Of course, it had to be Narrelle M Harris! I loved working with Narrelle as an author/contributor to The Only One in the World, and I was impressed by her level of care for authors, her professionalism, and her passion. And so this dream project of mine came together – with the perfect publisher and perfect co-editor attached.
It’s still too early to say more, but I’ll be definitely sharing some super exciting news later this year once we finalise our Table of Content, blurb and cover, etc. But for now: yes, this is coming together fantastically well! Yes, both Narelle and I will also have our own short stories in it. Yes, the genre is horror, but it’s ‘horror with a twist’, so we hope that everyone will enjoy it, whether you’re a horror fan or not. And yes, the pub date is 2023 🤩
What of my own (solo) books, you say? Yes, I haven’t forgotten about that… I would love to have a third book (and more…) announced, believe me, but at the moment the only thing I can say: cross your fingers for me and pray to the publishing gods.
There’ll be more books from me, sooner or later, that I can promise you.
The best way to receive updates about my new and forthcoming works is to sign up to my newsletter, bookmark my website/blog and follow me on the socials, primarily IG and Twitter @katyadebecerra
Thank you for reading to the end 🙂
Peace,
Katya