I write dark speculative fiction. My day job pays the bills, but I spend any free time left over from Craphome renovations working toward the day when I can earn most of my living through writing. I was the long-time organizer of a Detroit-area writers’ group, and served as one of the fiction editors for the (sadly) now-defunct Third Reader e-zine. I was one of the copyeditors for Sonar4 E-zine and I’ve been published in, um…a bunch of places, including Jennifer Miller’s Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror, Feathertale Press, A cappella Zoo, 22 More Quick Shivers, FLAPPERHOUSE, Ténèbres, and Mirror Dance Magazine.
I currently have some work on sale at Amazon. I also have a lot of work coming out in 2017 & 2018 – updates are on the blog.
About Menace and Whimsy
The blog’s title comes from Colin Meldrum, editor and publisher of A cappella Zoo. Colin accepted “These Troubles, Oh No”, an excerpt from an early draft of my WIP, for AZ; when we spoke about the story on the phone, he told me that he enjoyed the “menace and whimsy” of the piece. So: thank you, Colin, not only for the acceptance but for the perfect blog title & my new favorite description of my work.
My first (unpublished) novel was written over twenty years ago. Holy hell, but it was bad. It went straight into the trunk. Then I burned that trunk and buried the ashes and went on a quest to learn some shit. A few years back, I joined NaNoWriMo and kicked out over 50,00 words on my first not-execrable novel. The concept is good, the execution is moving along at a slow but steady pace, and – thanks in large part to my awesome daughter, my SO, the Rauch family carnies, my writers’ group, and the families and children of Harms Elementary School (who would probably be horrified to learn what they have inspired) – the finished product will be by-god publishable.
This blog is about the process of writing a first (publishable) novel and a place for me to practice non-fiction writing with less profanity than I usually employ. Of course, there will be some profanity…I am my mother’s daughter in that way, at least.
Dora, I just stumbled on your name on Facebook by accident and couldn’t believe it! What a trip back in time! That awesome, brilliant, whimsical middle schooler I taught at St. Tims is an author! I just downloaded your stories from Amazon and can’t wait to read them! Good luck as you continue to move forward in your career!