I started initially as a freelance writer, mostly non-fiction--though, in the beginning, I did submit some short stories. Luck was on my side: I sold my very first article (an interview) to a paying magazine and had my very first short story also accepted (for copies only). That was in the autumn of 1985. Encouraged, I continued freelancing and still do that today; my longest association has been with Fangoria magazine, from 1986 until now. In between, I decided to try my hand at writing a horror novel. I began in August of 1989 and worked on it on and off--mostly off, in the beginning. In 1991, I became more serious, and in 1992, I finished it. While chatting with an author friend, she asked how long my novel was. I replied, "250 pages." "Oh, that's too short," she replied. You need at least 400 pages, or else your book will be tiny. That was in the summer of 92. So, I went through the novel meticulously and made notations where I could develop it further. That led to a 500 page novel, which I finished in 1999. I ran it off and put the manuscript in my desk drawer. It gathered dust until 2007, when I decided to revise the copy. The revision took me 5 years! But when it was done, and I was satisfied, I took the plunge and sent the manuscript to Samhain Horror. They accepted the book in January of this year. So, despite the stops and starts, I had my first book accepted and my first article accepted!
