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The first time I won NaNoWriMo I learned that I could finish something. The second time I won, I learned that writing is not something one can do in isolation, not successfully at least. The third time, this time, I learned that I don’t have to give up on myself.

It used to be a defense mechanism. To give up on myself before someone else could. Perhaps it comes from being bullied frequently as a child, or being praised for things that were completely ordinary because I’m Hard of Hearing. Or maybe it’s just fear. No matter the cause, it’s not healthy. I want to be honest about it and hope that we can learn to be honest with ourselves together. Whatever my reasons, holding myself back is something I’ve held on to for years. But thanks to the support of some wonderful writer friends on Instagram, my friends and family, and the concept of NaNoWriMo itself

This year, for reasons I can’t quite find the words for, I knew it would shatter me as a writer if I didn’t hit that 50,000 mark. It probably would have wounded me more deeply than that considering the fact that I’ve been working on this particular story for 17 years.

I have to admit, I was at a total loss for a while there, wondering how I’d hit 50k. I was still over 10k behind on November 29th. November 30th came, I hit the snooze button more times than I should and dragged myself off to the local library. I found it very motivational to take breaks, browse the books and to pre-order myself a celebratory pizza for dinner. I rather tripped over 50k. I was writing, and then I hit the word count. I finished up my sentence and called it a day. My brain (and poor hands!) were fried.

But I can’t say that I wrote a book. I only wrote one fourth of a book. The book in question is House of Moons: The Phoenix Mirror, the first in a dark fantasy young adult series. This will be a four book series with a plethora of other surprises. So, on I write! But I will be slipping in some short stories and novellas as I continue to write the House of Moon series. Regardless, I’m beyond holding myself back thanks to this year’s NaNoWriMo.

I hate that I have to wait before I can let you read HoM book 1. I love this story so much and I’m eager to see people find themselves and their friends in the story. But I also want to give you an escape from the everyday, and some hope too.

Alas and alack! I can only write and edit so fast. But if you want to keep up to date on HoM you can check out my Instagram or Facebook, both of which will have goodies for the upcoming series. As of now, I can’t give you a promised ball park release date. I can only promise that I’m writing as fast as my fingers can tolerate on this and other projects.

January will undoubtedly bring more book reviews and more writing on my part. In the mean time, enjoy the holidays, but don’t forget to take some quiet time for yourself.

Hello again dear reader, it’s been quite a while and I owe you some updates.

First things first, the absence: I have a wonderful job that inspires my writing. But due to the work load and yearly adjustment period, I had to drop most things to focus on work and readjusting to it. I also took this time to plan writerly things, including the blog/website. At any rate, I missed this month’s post. Next month, I’ll be starting up again, back on schedule (first Monday of the month).

Now on to the stuff I most want to talk about. I’m a writer through and through, but I’m also a reader. I’m passionate about dark fiction, both reading and writing it. Therefore, I’ve decided to add book reviews to the mix. Every other month (starting next month), I’ll do a book review. The months I don’t do book reviews will be the usual. Post talking about the writing life, my inspirations, and upcoming projects. I’m really looking forward to this, and hope y’all will enjoy it as much as I will.

One final thing: I had opened up a giveaway in July, but despite leaving it open longer than planned to allow more entries, there still weren’t enough entries to merit a giveaway. I love giveaways, so we’ll try again in the future.

Well there you go. Now we’re all on the same page, and hopefully that answered any questions y’all might have had. See you in October!

 

 

October is one of my favorite months. In the south, the weather is finally starting to feel like fall. The leaves are turning their warmest colors. There’s no place you can walk without that satisfying crunch of leaves underfoot. My morbid soul comes to life as I watch the plastic and inflatable un-dead rise from lawns. And there’s little better than the smell of burning leaves, an open invitation to snuggle into your favorite hoodie and gather around the bonfire to read ghost stories.

Yeah, October is one of my favorite months. While I’ve never been a big celebrator of Halloween, I do love the holiday. A few years back I started a bookish tradition of reading only horror and ghostly books during October. A little bit of honoring the holiday, a little bit of having an excuse to read horror (not that one needs an excuse). I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish every book on this list as I’m releasing Of Secrets and Sound this month (Friday the 13th). Even so, I’m optimistic. Here is this year’s reading list:

May Bird and the Ever After (Jodi Lynn Anderson) 

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo

This isn’t actually horror but it is one of the best ghost stories I’ve ever read. May’s accidental journey into the afterlife with her cat is whimsical and disturbing in equal measures. The friendships, world building, and characters make this an excellent read for all ages.

A God in the Shed (J-F. Dubeau)

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo

The small town of Saint-Ferdinand has been plagued by a serial killer. Thanks to the efforts of Inspector Stephen Crowley, the killer is now behind bars. But a dark entity shows itself to young Venus McKenzie, revealing the twisted past of the town and murders. This book promises to be everything I look for in horror with a touch of weird fiction.

Dracula (Bram Stoker)

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo

I have a fondness for classics. I think there’s something lovely about a Victorian era gothic. Of course, Dracula is one of the most famous. Vampires have always been my preferred paranormal creature, and this is the book that brought them into the spotlight. We all know the story,  a young man goes to help Dracula arrange things for his move to England.  Strange and unsettling things happen, and our hero starts to think his host isn’t quite human. Romance, drama, and horror. I’ll spare you the vampire pun, but I’m quite looking forward to reading this one.

 

We come into this world knowing very little. But all of us quickly find out what we like. You see, the trick to writing is not ‘write what you know’, it’s ‘write what you like’. It took me years to figure that out, but thankfully I did.

It was the darker tales that appealed to me. I liked the pressing urgency of The Demonologist, the brooding darkness of The Plucker and Coraline, and the detailed world building in A Madness of Angels. Over the years of being a passionate reader, I discovered I was madly in love with dark speculative fiction, whatever form that took. If you’re here, no doubt you know that’s exactly what I write.

Rife with history, supernatural elements, and mystery, Of Secrets and Sound is the latest installment of my Victorian era series, Secrets of the Lion. It’s the long awaited sequel to Of Secrets, Letters, and Lions. Appropriately it will be released into the wild Friday, October 13th.

 

 

Welcome to the online home of A. E. Moseley, author of speculative fiction of all kinds, including weird fiction.

If you stick around you’ll be privy to sneak peeks of upcoming stories and projects, cover reveals, and other goodies.  In the mean time, feel free to explore. Treat yourself in the Shop and perhaps find a new favorite story. Find out what’s next and perhaps pre-order a book in the Upcoming Works. Or perhaps you’d rather get all the gory details of each book (and perhaps even a sample or two) in the Library. And if you’re curious about the person behind the stories, stop by A. E. Moseley’s page.

No matter what you choose, welcome! Enjoy your stay.