Start Of Something New: 000

Start Of Something New

I’ve spent the last few months slowly getting back into the swing of things. Trying to assemble some kind of writing routine again as I put out articles on Substack and plan for future books. I want the motivation and discipline back which served me so well when I first started writing books five or six years ago. When I naively sat down to write Abby Vs. The Splatploitation Brothers: Hillbilly Farm, not knowing that I’d be hooked for life afterwards. Bye scripts, hello books. I’ve sorely missed that need and dedication these last two years thanks to a overwhelming mixture of bad health and life getting way way to much.

But the good news, for me at least, is I think those positive attributes are slowly returning. Maybe not with the potency they once had, but I’m getting there. I’ve been writing nearly every day for the last couple of months and feel pleased with the quality of work. I’ve written a couple of short stories. Planned plenty of essays and articles for a new subgenre side project. And have been quietly working away on a new novella called Alice on the Air which will be the first book I publish under my new press Spilt Latte.

I feel excited to be writing for more than just myself again. To be starting a new Press with the intention of publishing plenty of stories, from Short and Flash Fiction, to Novelette’s, Novella’s and Novels. And with that excitement comes the want (or maybe even need) to record my progress via this blog. Share the ups and downs, and maybe offer a little wisdom on the way if it feels right.

Spilt Latte Press

Spilt Latte will differ slightly from my previous press Splatploitation in the terms of the type of books and stories I put out, but not in terms of the effort I put in. I’ll be focusing more on stories from all kinds of genres and subgenres rather than anything within Extreme Horror, but I hope to put the books out at a relatively similar rate. (I’m a little older and more beaten up than I once was, but I’ll try)

I’m proud of my work within Extreme Horror and Splatterpunk, but I’ve always been someone who enjoys a lot of different genres. I don’t think I’ll ever move to far away from writing in an aggressive style, and violence and nastiness will always linger within my work, but I want to see how I apply myself in a host of different genres from more traditional Horror, to Sci-fi, Noir, and maybe even the odd Western… who knows.

To go alongside these books I will be writing a lot more short stories and novelette’s for Substack and my website related to the subgenre work I’ll be doing, (but I’ll probably write a separate blog about that soon) I also have some other idea’s for short story which will be their own thing.

I’m not so much looking to make up for lost time as to hopefully start afresh. I know I’ve got a long way to go to get back to where I was, but I feel ready for the challenge, despite life being very different to what it was when I first published Abby back in 2022 (A life time ago)

Writing has always been the thing that has kept me sane. I need it in my life. I don’t mind just quietly writing for myself if that’s truly my only option. I like telling stories in my own little way, it’s what gets me up in the morning. But, I really enjoyed sharing my work in the past. Testing my ability as a writer and storyteller, whether it got applauded or ripped apart. I’m ready for that again.

I don’t know what the next month or two will look like, let alone the next few years. Whether my new work will be accepted, or be dead on arrival. What I do know is I have a lot of writing planned, and I will write it no matter the outcome. I hope some of you will support and encourage me along the way, and I will, as I’ve always done, do my best to support and encourage plenty of you too.

Format Of My Blogs

With that all out the way I figured I’ll quickly give you some idea of what to expect within this blog. That way, you can decide whether you want to follow my journey, or whether it’s likely to be a complete waste of your time (I’m hoping for the former, but I’m aware of just how much content there is out there and how little free time we all have)

The plan is to write a blog every week discussing a subject related to writing or storytelling, and then give an update on what I’ve been working on myself. To share any thoughts or struggles I’ve been having, while keeping you all up-to-date on what I’ve published.

I have a separate section on my website, and a fresh new publication on Substack (called Creature Feature Robot Noir) that is related to work I’m doing exploring subgenres and tropes, so I’m sure I’ll bring that up plenty too as the idea is to write my own short stories within each subgenre I explore.

I already have one written for Space Critters, and have another three in various stages which will hopefully be ready to send to the Editor soon. Alongside those short stories, I’ll be posting an article a week related to subgenres (again I’ll probably cover all the subgenre work in a separate post)

So the format for this blog will be chatting about writing/storytelling. Let you know all what I’m writing. And keeping you up-to-date on the subgenre and short story work I’m doing.

Finally, I figure I might share what I’ve been reading, watching, and (time permitted) playing on the Switch. Whether that’s of any interest to anyone or not I don’t know, it’s just my little way of being able to recommend any good books or movies I’ve watched of late.

So Let’s Get Started

So that’s the plan: Get these blogs, publications, and website up and running, while finishing my first novella under Spilt Latte. I’m sure something or other will go wrong early on as it’s never easy starting a new press and trying to keep on top of things, but I plan to be in this for the long-haul.

I love self-publishing, and I miss it. I need it to be part of my life, and hope I can make a sustainable business from it once again. The writing will always come first, but making a small living from my creativity and imagination has always been the dream.

It’s going to be a tough few years, I know that. It looks like plenty has changed within the world of self publishing in the two years or so I’ve been away, and my social media presences won’t be anything like it used to be for a number of different reasons, but I’m ready to go again.

So… let’s get started.

Stephen