We just celebrated Labor Day this past Monday, September 2nd. This is a Federal holiday in the U.S. and is always on thew first Monday of September. It was honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of labor to the development and achievements of the United States.

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. “Labor Day” was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. In 1887, Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty states in the U.S. officially celebrated Labor Day.

What makes me question, why does it seem there are many businesses open on Labor Day and how many Americans really remember what the holiday meant, except as the unofficial end to summer. That it only means a last-ditch effort to grill burgers, hot dogs and barbecue, watch football games on TV, and kids to play, and not a day of remembrance for hard workers.

But now that it is over and the kids are in school, people at work, and fall in our mind, I hope people will think about those laborers who worked to make this a holiday to celebrate hard work.

I signed with three other contributors in the horror charity anthology, The Haunted Zone, this past Saturday, April 20th, at Barnes and Noble Chesterfield Towne Center in North Chesterfield, Virginia. It went well, with lots of people getting the book and letting us sign it.

Next, it is Ravencon 17 for me, as an author guest. That is happening April 26, 27, and 28. There will be panels, workshops, a dealer’s room, where people can shop at various vendors (including a publisher of mine, Dreampunk Press), a masquerade, a tea party, and so much more, besides many other guests, including Editor Guest of Honor, Ellen Datlow, and author Guest of Honor, Ursula Vernon, aka T. Kingfisher. and Guest, Count Gore Dul Vol, too.  For those interested in attending, registration is now at the door for both weekend and day rates. Programming is now up as a PDF you can download.  The science fiction/fantasy/horror literary convention will be held at the Virginia Crossings Hotel at 1000 Virginia Center Parkway, Glen Allen, Virginia.

Anyway, I will do a stint at the signing table for the guests on Friday at 8:00 p.m. till 8:55 p.m. and I will be reading from my new YA dark fantasy novel. Demon Memories, releasing October 15, 2024. My reading will be in the Richmond Boardroom at 6:00 p.m. I will be in panels too. I will be doing a signing or two during the weekend at Dreampunk Press, too, with books I have published by them.

The Haunted Zone is a charity anthology where the stories and poems were written by military women veterans. The illustrations inside was done by a military woman vet artist and the cover art was also done by another military woman veteran. Plus, the publisher, Tundra Swan Press, is owned by a woman vet, a former Marine. I am one of these 21 women, having been in the U.S. Army back when the all-volunteer Army began. I have a story, “Haunted App,” and a poem, “Ghosts of Written Words,” included.

The book is available in eBook form, also paperback and a special edition hardcover with another cover art. Proceeds from The Haunted Zone go to the National Veterans Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, for their Women Veterans Resources and Support Programs. And it has never been done before for a horror anthology, by woman veterans. 

Book Blurb:

Women Warriors Haunt Each Page

You’ve never read an anthology like this one!

Twenty-one authors and two graphic artists, all women veterans, fill the pages with classic horror and deeply haunting issues such as domestic violence, guilt, suicide, traumas of war, loss, revenge, and the emotions entwined in these topics—weaving dark tales that bring us together in our humanity.

Veterans helping veterans. Proceeds from The Haunted Zone go to the National Veterans Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, for their Women Veterans Resources and Support Programs. For more information about the foundation, visit www.nvf.org.

Besides for sale at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, Bookshop.org, you can buy the books at Tundra Swan Press’s Shop, where unlike third-party dealers, more of the proceeds go to the Veterans Foundation.

Why would women write about monsters or ghosts? I am sure some readers say stick to writing romance or fantasy. But women have just as much right to write the scary stuff and about monsters as do their male counterparts. After all, in the long run, it’s all about the story.

At BBC.com, an article mentioned how women writers “often found the supernatural a way to challenge and condemn their role in society.” It seems male writers have dominated supernatural fiction, like M R James, Edgar Allan Poe, HP Lovecraft, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Oliver Onions, and others. But female writers have been on the horror scene in the past, too. Shirley Jackson, for instance. She wrote The Haunting of Hill House, the only story that has scared me in the daytime, in a room full of people. Others had to do it at night, with me in a room alone. Susan Hill, who wrote Woman in Black, is another. A classic ghost story from 1892 is Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The author’s nameless narrator, suffering from post-natal depression, is confined to bed rest under the care of her doctor husband, begins to lose her mind. Confined to an old nursery with ghastly wallpaper, she sees strangled heads and unblinking “bulbous eyes” in its pattern. Eventually, a skulking female figure appears, seemingly trapped behind the bars of its design. Is it the narrator’s own hidden self? When her husband enters to find her tearing down the wallpaper, she tells him, “I’ve got out at last. And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!”

Do women authors use ghost stories to exorcise their resentments over societal restrictions? That the ghost in their tale is the ultimate outsider – an absent presence, all-seeing and yet unable to partake of life in any meaningful way. Do we have insight differently from male writers? Can what a woman writes be more downright frightening than what a man writes? Is the way we pen the words on paper or type onscreen haunt the person as they read? Maybe we even make the monster sympathetic. Still horrifying, but a monster the reader will care about and cheer on. Or not.

Looking for some great spooky reads next time, check out female horror authors. I am sure readers already know about; Anne Rice, Sarah Pinborough, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Caitlin R. Kiernan.  Others you can check out are Tanith Lee, Elizabeth Massie, Lisa Morton, Yvonne Navarro, Carrie Ryan, Cherie Priest, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Kari Kilgore, Susan Schwartz, and much, much more. Take a step away from traditionally published authors and try out indie writers as there are great reads by them, too. An excellent place to find more women horror writers is at Horror Writers Association. Try someone new today.

Instead of picking up the latest Stephen King novel or of books written by other male horror authors, try several feminine writers instead. We just might bring “SCARE” to a whole new level.

As of yesterday, March 3rd, it is officially Read an eBook Week.” It goes through March 9th. Since 2004, it has encouraged using ebook platforms as a primary publishing route. During this time, authors and book retailers can publicize their books, offering discounts and even offering their books to download for readers to read from the comfort of their portable devices.

“But I prefer print, paper books.” Well, that’s fine. No one says you can change how you read. I read books and stories on my Kindle, paperback, and hardcovers. Some prefer eBooks, which are cheaper to buy, and still want to read. Even 70% of libraries enable their patrons to access eBooks and print copies. I have a book, Werewolves, Dogmen, and Other Shapeshifters Stalking North America, available in paperback at libraries for people to check out, while others have it as a download. My book still reaches readers.

Any way people reading is the goal, not how they do it. Libraries are still excellent places to check out books that people can still hold in their hands and offer eBooks they can download for a time. EBooks don’t stop someone from reading. Readers can view an eBook on a device like a Kindle Book or phones and on their computers. 

The person who introduced Fead an eBook Week was Rita Towes. New authors released many great books as downloads, but regular publishers and distributors did not recognize their works. It frustrated Rita. She got the idea of this week and registered it, legitimatizing it. The woman informed libraries, T.V., radio stations, and other authors, retailers, and publishers about the initiative. It brought thousands of readers to a new way to read books.

It shocked me that e-readers did not begin in the 21st century, but research informed me otherwise. Writer Bob Brown conceived the idea in 1930, calling it “Readies.” The first device, ‘Enciclopedia Mecánica,’ was invented by Angela Ruiz Robles. It made it easy for schoolchildren not to have to bring numerous schoolbooks to school. But the first modern e-reader we know today was created by Michael S. Hart. He developed the first ever eBook, the Declaration of Independence in 1971.

Try an eBook this week. Even if you do not have an ereader, just your computer or phone, you can find free eBooks on PDFs online. Read it if you travel by bus, subway, or train to work and back home. It will make the trip much more relaxing. You will find another way to read and learn how enjoyable it is. 

Happy reading!

Smile and the World Falls for You: Your book, too. How you act at a book signing will affect the sales of your tome. Yes, writers are primarily introverts, but now is the time to make your book shine and lure in the readers. A smile and cheerful attitude are winners at a live event or book signing. Even when you wake up feeling horrible, you must psyche yourself into that genuine smile and attitude and speak pleasantly. That smile may be why someone will pick up your book. Where you would do the same thing to sell for a boss, now you are the boss of your small business, and your books are your job.

2) Superior Customer Service: Communicate. Say “Good morning” or “Good afternoon.” It would help if you spoke to the reader to get their attention. In this day and age of smartphones, where everyone is looking down at them, they walk past many things. Speak up and say, “I am signing copies of my book (or new book) for the bookstore,” if it is a regular signing in a bookstore. If you are selling your books at an event, the greeting is, “I am a local author (if you are), and I have my books here for sale that I can sign.” Show your knowledge of your book. Ask the person who stops at your table, “What do you like to read?” You will learn about that reader through their answer and how or if your book fits them. If it doesn’t or they tell you they don’t read what you write, ask them if someone they know might want to read your book (relatives or friends), and if your event/signing is near a holiday like Christmas, inform them that, “signed books make great gifts, especially if personalized to the one receiving the book.” The same goes for someone’s birthday. Communication helps sell the books. An author who sits there and hopes someone will stop and buy it will be disappointed. Be friendly and polite.

3) Be Kind: Whether a potential reader, the bookstore owner/manager, or the people working the book festival or convention, treat them how you hope someone would do the same to you. It just might ensure you will be back for another signing with the next book at the bookstore or as a future guest at the convention or festival.

Now, I hope you flash that smile at your next signing or event and ask them what they like to read. Remember, it’s not just about your book; it’s also about finding new readers.

Hi, there! I am Pamela K. Kinney, the paranormal writing expert for this year. What does that mean? I have written nonfiction ghost books, had published a bestselling book about shapeshifting cryptids in America, along with indigenous mythology for most of them, and written and have published horror and fantasy fiction. I hope to add blog posts about writing for fiction or nonfiction in the paranormal/horror/fantasy field for this year. These are fast growing fields.  If you like writing horror and dark fantasy, a good organization to join is Horror Writers Association. So, do check them out.

Stay tune for further posts-the very minimum once a week.