Ooooh, I Got A Trophy!

This weekend was the 19th Annual East Coast Regional Z Car Show. I entered my car, a 1991 Red 300 ZX (non-turbo). It was up against a few very nice cars, too. Well, I didn't win 1st place, but I did take 2nd. I've never gotten a trophy in a car show before, so this was pretty darn cool. Here's a few pics:







Um....did I mention (and this was NOT my doing, just so y'all know) that the local Hooters donated a couple of waitresses to the trophy ceremony? They did:



Ok, now that the sexist photo is out of the way (no...of course I didn't enjoy that! It was required. You win a trophy, you take a pic with the Hooters girls. Really. It's a rule), here's a pic of the trophy:



Oh, I also won this T-Shirt (it was a door prize):



Aside from the car show, my wife and I also started doing some remodeling in our house. We've been planning it for some time, so it was nice to get it under way. This weekend we painted the dining room. During the week we'll be putting the baseboards back on and touching up a few things. Fun!

We aren't going to make it on one of those cable channels where everyone cries and talks about how their new house is going to change their lives, but it'll still be a nice improvement, anyway.

Unfortunatly, it means I didn't get any writing done this weekend. Going to have to crank out some verbiage over the week to make up for it. Oh, well, there are worse things that could hapen than spending more time writing.

See Y'all!

Sorry For The Long Silence - I Do Have Some Good News, Though...

It's been an...interesting..couple of months. My birthday has come and gone (35...how did that happen?), and another year ahead. I'm feeling good about the upcoming year, though. Confidence is high. Here are some of the cool things going on over in McAfee Land right now:

I'm reading for a small start up press. This is really neat, I get to see some of the stuff that comes in. I don't get the slush, which is even better. I get stuff that has already passed the first tier or two. In one case, I was the tie-breaker (I passed on the project, btw). This is a good opportunity for me to see what else publishers get and it gives me a chance to separate myself from the pack, so I'm thrilled to do it.

Also, I got an email from one publisher that said so far everyone there who has read my book has loved it. I haven't gotten an offer from them yet, but this is just about the closest I've come so far. With luck it will turn into an offer. I'm not holding my breath, of course, but it's a nice thought.

Lastly, I finally have a pub credit to my name. OK, it's a small one, but I'll take it. The small horror e-zine Necrotic Tissue publishes an issue every quarter. For their October issue, they asked for 100-word stories (100 words exactly...not 99, or 101, etc.) for their first annual 100-word horror story contest. The winners would be published in their October issue, paid a flat fee of $25.00, and receive a few other prizes.

My entry was not only selected for publication, but it won first place! I got a Help anthology (The P&E book), an Abominations anthology (Shroud Publishing), a Necrotic Tissue T-Shirt, a Necrotic Tissue hoodie, and of course, the $25.00. That was nice. A paid credit. Wheee! So be sure to check out the October issue for my short story. It's great, of course. ;) Here's a few pics of me in the T-Shirt:







I tried on the hoodie, too:



This is...after I put on the hoodie, something started happening to me. I'm not sure what, but I felt...different...



I found out later the hoodie is cursed. So, uh...I only put it on now when the Met Life guy knocks on the door...

Anyhoo, sorry about the long silence, folks. Personal stuff. :(

I'll be sure not to let it happen again.

See Y'all!