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Today, Sheryl R. Hayes and Truly Bellamy tell me what it is like to co-write a novel when you live in different states. It’s more than just about the writing.

Truly: Sheryl and I met a couple decades ago, while writing X-Files fan fiction. That later led us to working on a vampire-centric spin-off story that we both fell in love with. Many, many chapters later, it was hard to let the characters go. Then, one night, I had a detailed dream. The set up was so similar to the story we’d previously written that it would make a great original manuscript. I excitedly wrote Sheryl an email, pitching the idea.

Sheryl: The timing was perfect. I had sent off my latest novel for edits when I got Truly’s email. As much as I wanted to clean the fanfic up for publishing, it had so many structural problems that we never bothered. This was the perfect chance to create something new. I immediately said yes, and we started building characters, plot, and settings.

Truly: Living in separate states makes writing a challenge. It helps that we are both on the west coast, but coordinating our schedules took time. There were days when one or both of us was too tired to work and we had to be patient with each other. We also had to learn not only our own characters, but also how to write responses, in character, for each other’s part. For example, I mainly wrote Emma and Sheryl mainly wrote Micah, but we took turns writing the chapters from each point of view. It was messy at first, but became second nature.

Sheryl: Part of the reason that we decided on Seattle for a setting is that Truly lives in the area.  I had visited a few times and had a feel for the location. She had more familiarity with both the layout of the city and the history of it.  It made it easier for her to point out parts the setting would play.

Truly: Sheryl was published before, but this was my first ever serious attempt at creating a novel. To our delight, our natural rhythm came back instantly. Once we figured out the plot, the first draft sort of flew by.

Sheryl: That’s not to say we didn’t have our disagreements. There were times where we would argue about the next plot point, if what was said was in character, and other bumps-in-the-road that any project has.  When things started to get heated, we would call it off for the night, agreeing that we’d discuss it the next day.  Usually that followed by me waking up at 2:00 AM thinking “Damnit! Truly’s right!” and shooting off an apology.

Truly: Then came the part I was dreading—the edit. I’d written the first draft of a manuscript before, but the editing process was brand new to me and I wasn’t ready for the emotions that came with it. Sheryl was able to keep me sane when the editor’s comments came back, even if I did drive her nuts by whining during the corrections. It took forever to process all of the changes, and I was ready to give up more than once. Luckily we persevered.

Sheryl: While we waited for our edits, we did something we should have done earlier in the process.  We made things official by writing up a contract. We talked during writing about the business side—were we self-publishing or looking for a small press or an agent? Who would be paying for what? How were we going to handle promotions? What would happen if one of us died, or worse, decided we would no longer be friends? We knew the answers already, but it was better to formalize them in a document instead of relying on emails, chat logs, and memory.

Truly: Things started to become real as soon as the second round of edits came back. We had a cover, a mostly finished product, and we decided on a release date. My nerves went haywire. As a person with social anxiety, I had to consider how to start marketing the book. Taking small steps outside of my comfort zone and doing my best to make connections in the romance world.

Sheryl: Meanwhile in the background I’m handling a lot of the administrative work—copyright, generating files, uploading for distribution—since I had that already in place for my solo novels. Now we are finally ready to share our story with you.  We hope that you enjoy it as much as we did writing it.

—

Sheryl R. Hayes (she/her) can be found untangling plot threads or the yarn her cat has been playing with. She is equally likely to be shooing one of them off the keyboard as she is working on her novels and short stories. In addition to writing, she is a cosplayer focusing on knit and crochet costumes. Her crafty creativity has earned her recognition BayCon, Westercon, Worldcon, and Costume-Con.

Truly Bellamy lives in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys all things paranormal, especially vampires. She is a Certified Peer Counselor in Washington State. When not writing, she can usually be found sipping a Bigfoot Java mocha and cuddled with her cats while watching X-Files, reading horror, or romance novels.

So much editing. So much writing. So much kitchen reno stuff. Have a Bubble & Squeek!

Rerelease: BattleTech: The Nellus Academy Incident has been re-released in a new format, with 2 new stories, and a lovely new cover! Isn’t it pretty?

AANE – July 10, 2026. Neurodivergent Authors on Writing, Identity, and Visibility. I will be on a panel with 4 other authors.

Awards: Always nice when your publisher says nice things about you (Facebook link) because you were nominated for a major award.

Convention: I will be in the Authors Alcove at Origins Game Fair in June.

Convention: Here’s my Gen Con schedule (minus signings and meetings). Add my popular Project Management for Creatives to your wishlist.

Twitch: Memorial Day weekend is ArvCon, the annual charity to support the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. It is the finale of my long-running Eberron game, Oracle of War, all day on 24 May. Come support us and a worthy cause!

Support: As always… if you appreciate my work and would like to support me, I love coffee. I am made of caffeine. This is the quickest way to brighten my day.

John McDonald tells me how his newest indie RPG book links into his favorite “Found Footage” film, and how leaning into the tropes of the genre can enhance the players’ doomed journey.

I love the Hell House LLC franchise. The first irony of loving Hell House LLC as my favorite found footage film is that it does use the tropes of the found footage genre: a group goes into already proven haunted location, makes dumb choices, clearly Judeo-Christian influenced demonic forces are at play, etc…, but also twists them on their head.

About halfway through the film you realize in real time that the head guy in charge, Alex, has an ulterior motive to an already satisfying story, and the ending of the film reinforces the fact that no matter what you do, you are doomed to lose your body and soul to the hotel, and maybe always were. It’s both a liberating and terrifying treatise in equal measures. That is where Feats of Fright was born.

Much like its forebearers Ten Candles or Dread (for instance), Feats of Fright celebrates the actual doom of fighting against the inevitable. It reveals something about who we are as individuals and as a corporate species. Nobody that’s playtested the adventure has ever balked at the premise and, indeed, for seasoned TTRPG players, the doomed story itself is sometimes the draw.

The mechanics have a classic Outlast video game flavor where it’s less about creating weapons against bad guys to shoot your way to victory and more about telling a fatal story together. Feats of Fright is one of the most personable and intimate versions of the story of Hell House and it’s cult leader CEO hotelier, Andrew Tully. Given the timelines available in this first core book, it has consistently felt like a side adventure of the main film storyline, even without any of the main cast present.

At the same time, there’s a space for people that are spooky curious or maybe have played a Kids on Bikes or mafia/werewolf game at some point and want to do something a bit more adventurous. It isn’t a secret that nobody leaves the Hotel alive, and that’s certainly not shied away from in character creation. However, the secret in this particular bloody sauce is the journey of getting there.

In the playtests, I’ve captured the souls of indie rock bands, competitive game show crews, late night horror podcasters, and more. Even within these premises there’s so much room to tell the story in a symphony of ways, even if the ending will always be the “same.”

The job of the Host (GM) isn’t just about snatching bodies and murder. It’s about atmosphere. Crafting suspicion. Doubt. Even that classic devil’s bargain, if that’s the way the game pursues itself. I blame my love of Vincent Price movies for that part, but it’s in the Hell House films, too. Anyone could sell you out to try and save themselves, and anyone could go at any time.

That’s the beauty of Feats of Fright. The story is yours to tell, and its always going to end badly. It’s only a matter of (spooky) time.

—
John McDonald (he/they) is a queer playwright and TTRPG content creator telling intimate stories not just about connection but what happens when connection breaks both in human and supernatural ways. Currently in Chicago, IL, John is a baker of brownies, a devotee of Carole King’s Tapestry album, an ongoing Power Rangers GM and has had plays shown in both Rhino Fest and Fertile Ground indie play fests. In 2027, you’ll be able to see his work in the Leeds Theater Festival for the first time abroad in Cobblestone Kingdom, a new queer musical take on the Cinderella mythology.

Hello everyone. There’s a whole lot going on behind the scenes, but things, they are moving. For example, I have an insurance payment on the “sudden catastrophic waterline break” kitchen, and I might have my new kitchen in the next two months! I’m very excited about that. Really. It is a first world problem, but I will never look at my kitchen sink the same again. (Ditto with my dishwasher.)

So, this happened. I am a finalist for the Short Form Editor Hugo Award! Maybe third time’s the charm? I’m so pleased. While I admit, I had a calmer reaction than last year (The Second Nomination is the Best), I did get an adrenaline dump so big that I felt it hit the bottom of my feet. However, I will never not be thrilled at an award nomination. So, yes. I will see you at Worldcon in LA this year.

First, thank you to everyone who has already wished me congratulations. I sincerely appreciate it. Also, congratulations to the rest of the Short Form Editor finalists: Scott H. Andrews, Neil Clarke, Lee Harris, Michael Damian Thomas, and Sheila Williams!

What do you do when you get nominated for a major award? Cora Buhlert has a lovely and informative Open Letter to the Finalists that is worth reading. Also, Seanan McGuire has a really wonderful and uplifting thread on BlueSky on How to be a Hugo Nominee. My favorite part is “protect your joy.”

Do I want to win? Hell yes. It is an honor to be nominated, it really is, but I’d love a Hugo win. Just once. What happens if I win? As I promised Seanan long ago, if I ever won a Hugo, I’d let her put her mantises on me and take pictures. Her mantises are varied and large. Wouldn’t you want to see Seanan put mantises on my head? If you can help make that happen, I’d be ever so grateful. 😀

Last year, I went a little nuts and bought three different dresses and two different tiaras. This year, I’m holding off on the clothing. I have to figure out what to wear in LA in August. I did buy a couple of new puzzles to celebrate. You have to celebrate an achievement like this. Otherwise, what is the point?

Hopefully, I’ll have my new kitchen by the time I go to LA.

Today, I get to feature my friend, editor and author Kerrie L. Hughes.

We go way back. Fun fact: Kerrie was the editor who gave me my third pro sale that qualified me to join SFWA back in 2009. (Good gravy, that’s 15 years ago!) She tells me all about the anthology series she edits with Jim Butcher and talks about how the themes came about.

—

Jim and I started the anthology series in 2014/15. It was going to be a one book thing as a favor to me because I had an orphaned anthology and needed to sell it to a different publisher. The next thing I knew, Jim was my co-editor and we sold it to his publisher, Ace.

We renamed it from Fierce to Shadowed Souls, and I’m pleased to say it is still selling strong. In fact, it did so well it went into reprint, and we decided to do a second anthology, Heroic Hearts, which is also selling well. We seem to have hit on a good formula so we agreed to do a third, Paranormal Payback, which came out on April 14, 2026.

Why the dark title? I’ve been dreaming about getting payback through paranormal means since I was sixteen. Why? Because the patriarchy sucks, and I really like witchcraft. It’s the reason I started reading authors like Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs, among others. In many ways this volume is therapy. Who doesn’t want to hunt down the monsters and make them sorry they had the audacity to cross your path?

Jim feels the same, except he’s a bit more mellow than I am, sort of. We’re both urban fantasy curmudgeons. Anyway, we enjoy the anthologies. It gives us a chance to work with our favorite authors and share them with like-minded readers. It’s really all about having some fun while day-dreaming about possibilities, and revenge, tasty sweet revenge.

P.S. We are working on the next one, but the details are super-secret. In the meantime, if you like paranormal drama with cozy chaos check out my Great Lakes Grimoires on Amazon, there will be payback. Jim, of course, is continuing his Dresden Files series, and they seem to be enjoying a revival, especially the audio versions that are read by Spike from Buffy.

—

Kerrie L. Hughes is the author of a multi book universe of paranormal urban fantasy called the Great Lakes Grimoires. Her books are about witches, wizards, vampires, shifters, ghosts and the Fae. Her themes live in the realm of found family and cozy chaos with a dash of romantic drama. She also has an anthology series with Jim Butcher. She doesn’t do a lot of social media, but you can follow her on Facebook, Tertulia: GreatLakesGrimoire.com. The Grimoires are available on Amazon. The Butcher anthologies are everywhere.

I will be at Norwescon this year doing panels. It’s a pretty relaxed schedule for me. If I’m not in a panel, I’ll probably be in the hanging out with friends in public. Feel free to come say hello. I don’t have an official signing, but if you want something signed, just bring it to me.

Jennifer’s Norwescon 2026 Schedule
============Thursday============
Art Show Reception
8:00pm – 10:00pm @ Art Show

Thursday Night Pro Social
9:00pm – Midnight @ Presidential Suite 1360

============Friday============
Jennifer: Reading: Jennifer Brozek
9:30am – 10:00am @ Cascade 3
Jennifer Brozek (M)

Jennifer: Editing Anthologies
12:00pm – 1:00pm @ Cascade 7 & 8
Atlin Merrick (M), Jennifer Brozek, Peter Adrian Behravesh, Shannon Page, Lezli Robyn

Jennifer: Philip K. Dick Awards
7:00pm – 8:30pm in Grand 2

============Saturday============
Jennifer: How to interview Guests of Honor
10:00am – 11:00am @ Cascade 12
Marta Murvosh (M), John Godek, Jennifer Brozek, Dr. Jess Hebert, Tom Whitmore

Jennifer: Freelancing 201
4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 9
Jennifer Brozek (M), Luis Loza, John Godek, Erin Roberts, James L. Sutter

Jennifer: Darkness Thrives Where the Evergreens Never Die
5:00pm – 6:00pm @ Evergreen 3 & 4
Neena Viel (M), T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon, Jennifer Brozek, Clay Vermulm, Gwen Callahan, Josef B. Wilke

Here are some recommendations for Hugo Award nominations other than (but including) me. Please consider them for your nominations. This, BTW, is not all of my recommendations. This is just the set I have written down now. Nominations will close on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 9:00am Pacific Time / 12:00pm Eastern Time / 4:00pm GMT.

Best Novel: Overgrowth by Mira Grant. This was the best book I read in 2025. No doubt about it.

Best Novella: Sauúti novella “Descent” by Wole Talabi, Clarksworld, Issue 224.

Best Novelette: “Songs for Obsidian” by Rosemary Claire Smith, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue 437.

Best Series: October Daye by Seanan McGuire, Silver and Lead. (I had to. You know I did. I’ve been rereading this series from the beginning and it is SO good.)

Best Fancast: If This Goes On (Don’t Panic) https://itgodp.wordpress.com/

Best Fancast: The Skiffy and Fanty Show https://skiffyandfanty.com/podcasts/skiffyandfanty/

Best Related Work: “Mining the Genre Asteroid: Author Jo Clayton” by Trish Matson, Skiffy and Fanty.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Sinners, Proximity Media.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: K-Pop Demon Hunters, Sony Pictures Animation.

Best Game or Interactive Work: Hades II, Supergiant Games.

Best Editor, Short Form: John Joseph Adams.

Best Editor, Short Form: Jennifer Brozek.

Best Editor, Short Form: John Helfers.

Best Editor, Short Form: Henry L Herz.

Best Editor, Long Form: Lee Harris, Tor.

Best Editor, Long Form: Diana Pho, Erewhon.

Best Semiprozine: Augment magazine (get the first issue for free). (This is me, John Helfers, Kathleen Hardy)

Best Semiprozine: Flash Fiction Online magazine.

Best Semiprozine: On Spec magazine.

Best Fan Writer: Trish Matson, Her eligibility post.

Best Fan Artist: Terri Ash, The Cowl of SMOFdom, Her eligibility post.

Best Fan Artist: Raven Oak, Westside Oracle Cover Art, Her artwork.

Best Poem: “I Was Lt. Uhura” by January Gill O’Neil, Poetry Magazine.

Best Poem: “Trogdor Walks into a Scout Meeting” by Jennessa Hester, Strange Horizons.

Best Poem: “Watching Migrations” by Kevan Bowes, Strange Horizons.

Best Poem: “Hugo Award for Best Poem” by Brandon O’Brien, Worldcon 2025

Oh hey, it’s Friday the 13th and I’ve just seen my first snow fall for the year. However, I’m so focused on my novel right now. I have six scenes left to write. I’m so close to the end of this rough draft I can taste it. Have a Bubble & Squeek!

FEATURED: Open Call: My open call with Flash Fiction Online is live! 500-1000 words firm. Theme: Tiny Gods. Blind submissions, sub window is Mar 1-31.

Awards Consideration: Best Semiprozine: Augment Magazine (Dropbox folder: Get issue one for free), Best Editor, Short Form: Jennifer Brozek

eBay and Signed Books: If you would like signed books from me for yourself or as gifts, we have a bunch of my books up on eBay. This will remain on eBay until all of my books are gone. All money goes to me.

Interview: For the HWA website, Nuts & Bolts: “Crunchy Bits About Anthologies” with Editor and Author Jennifer Brozek

Interview: Skiffy and Fanty, 1st show of the year: Looking Back, Moving Forward! Turbulent times, spreading love, and finding hope, oh my! Contains me, Shane Duke, and Trish Matson.

Review: A brief review of my anthology, 99 Fleeting Fantasies, by one of the authors in it.

Support: As always… if you appreciate my work and would like to support me, I love coffee. I am made of caffeine. This is the quickest way to brighten my day.

Award season is upon us. The Hugo Award nominations are open. I would be pleased if you would consider my works for nomination. You must be a member of Worldcon (2025 or 2026) to nominate eligible works.

For your consideration, I am eligible for Best Editor, Short Form. I co-edited one anthology, Gudnak Means War, and I was the managing editor for 4 issues of Augment Magazine.

Also for your consideration: Augment Magazine is eligible for Best Semiprozine, by Jennifer Brozek, John Helfers, and Kathleen Hardy. Augment is a fully in-universe quarterly publication, and can be used in Shadowrun games as well as enjoyed by the casual reader. Everything from the art to the articles to the ads to the covers is in-universe fiction. Of all the award nominations, this is the one I am the most interested in and believe we’ve done excellent work. Augment your live with Augment magazine!

In specific, John Helfers, a long-time pillar in the publishing industry, is one of the hardest working editors I know. Honestly, it’s criminal that the last time he was nominated for a Hugo was in 2013. Kathleen Hardy, my art director, managed all of the artwork and ad copy for the magazine. This magazine wouldn’t be half as good as it is without her art direction. All of the contributors (artists and writers) did such excellent work. Also, no AI was used in any part of Augment Magazine.

If you would like to read any issue of Augment Magazine, please contact me. I’ll send it to you.

Nominations will close on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 9:00am Pacific Time / 12:00pm Eastern Time / 4:00pm GMT.

There are some things you never want to hear or have to ask. Things like, “Why is there so much water on the floor?” two days in a row. Water mysteries are one of those things I do not wait on. In my circle of friends, we have a group of handy people and general contractors that we recommend to each other.

Jaepeth Richards of RichCo LLC is one such person. I called him. He came over the next day. While it is a joy to see a competent person at work, I kinda wish it didn’t have to be at my house. He figured out the problem within 3 minutes of walking in. “Sudden catastrophic waterline break.” There’s water damage in the floor, the cabinets, the drywall, even the crawlspace.

Within 45 minutes, we had 4 people, 4 fans, and 1 dehumidifier in my kitchen, with the mitigator manager on the way. Within 3 hours, there was a plan to mitigate, an insurance claim number, a claims adjuster assigned, and a plan on how to deal with what will be at least 5 weeks of stuff.

I have a Shadowrun novel due in about 5 weeks. Frag me running sideways. I did get 1100 words in despite everything.

Demo day is Monday the 16th. We are moving as much of the kitchen to the garage as we can. Except for the tea kettle and my coffee. That stays inside for everyone’s sake. I have no idea how much of the kitchen will need to be replaced and how much of it will be paid for by insurance.

But I get a new kitchen. So, yay? But now I have to think about what I want verses what we can afford after the insurance kicks in.

I just read the waterline break mitigation estimate. It’s almost 5 figures. That doesn’t include replacing anything. I am going to have a friggin’ heart attack.

Oh man. This is going to be a tough month. Well, at least we caught it before a literal cesspool under the house. You can read about the Sewage Saga here if you like.

This, too, will pass. In the meantime, May I recommend you buy one of my books? Please? Or maybe buy me a ko-fi? I’m gonna need the caffeine.