Tag: H.P. Lovecraft

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The Road Goes Ever On

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The Road Goes Ever On

Isn’t it unbelievable how fast time passes? In January of last year, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish my second novel. Now I’ve got a three hundred and fifteen-page fantasy epic that consists of 95,831 words.

My thesis novel is tentatively titled, The Swords of Fellowship, and I am immensely proud to have finished the rough draft. My mentors and critique partners have offered encouragement, support, and help the entire way. In nineteen months enrolled in Seton Hill’s Writing in Popular Fiction Program I’ve learned more about writing than I had in my previous twenty-six years of life.

I’ve also been able to network with some incredibly talented, friendly, and interesting writers because of the Writing Residencies. This past January, I met young adult writer Gretchen McNeil. She wowed me with her insanely cool story concepts and life story. I’m looking forward to downloading a copy of Relic, a novel she wrote partially inspired by my favorite horror film, the Thing. It will be a perfect book to read since I just got a copy of the Thing board game for Christmas.

Back in the June Residency, I got to meet Hank Phillippi Ryan. She’s an Emmy Award Winning Investigative Reporter turned mystery novelist. I’m planning to reach out to her regarding a Lovecraftian story I’m writing with a female reporter as the protagonist. Every speaker we’ve gotten to hear at our residencies has been outstanding thus far.

In the coming semester, I’m going to be learning about how to teach creative writing. This is a subject I am almost as excited about as writing itself. I can’t wait to learn how to pass on the lessons I’ve learned. Although, I am a little sad that I won’t be reading genre books for my class this semester, as in past ones. Last semester, I read A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, which quickly became one of my favorite fantasy stories. I also got to read terrific books like A Wrinkle in Time and Nine Princes in Amber.

Before joining this program, I’d never been able to submit my stories to magazines, ezines, or podcasts, aside from some stuff used in my college newspaper. Now I’ve sent my second short horror story out for possible publication. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to update this site with more exciting news over the next year.

Until Next Time,
-J.D. Cook

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The Semester of Madness

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Grave of Lovecraft

My second semester is a dead dragon, laying slain in my rearview window. That’s not to say the battle wasn’t fierce. In fact, I wasn’t sure I’d be continuing in the program. My writing has improved, but it’s been a slow process. I still have a long way to go, even if my thesis novel is at 159 pages. That said I celebrated a milestone this semester.

I received my first rejection letter. While this might not seem like such a good thing, it is. There was a time where I had no idea how to go about submitting work for publication. The Writing in Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill has given me an endless number of places to send my work. It’s also eliminated my fear of rejection. Well, it’s at least lessened it considerably. Right after I got my first rejection, I sent out my story for publication with another online magazine.

Aside from writing, I also got to read more terrific books this semester. My favorite was N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season. It’s just a delightful read, and I highly recommend checking it out. Along with that, I got to check out The Three Body Problem, Every Anxious Wave, The Goblin Emperor, The Martian, and The Eterna Files. They were all enjoyable Science Fiction and Fantasy reads. Yet, it was horror that consumed my mind this semester.

Back in High School, I discovered H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness. It was an enthralling and creepy read. After that, I devoured any of his stories I found. Then time passed, as it usually does, and it wasn’t until college that Lovecraft came back into my consciousness. This was because my friends and I discovered the board game Mansions of Madness. Once again, I descended into his entertaining mythos. This past semester I heard his call again, but this time it was a bit more literal.

While at work I found many of his best stories on Spotify, and I was able to listen to them when my workload was light. I also received the board game Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu for Christmas from my amazing fiancée. The cherry on top of my most recent Lovecraft obsession was getting to visit him in person. No, I’m not mad. I took a trip to Providence Rhode Island to see a friend, and while I was there, I stopped by his grave. We also checked out the Lovecraft Arts and Sciences store, as well as some local Lovecraft spots. It was a great trip. Anyway, the Lovecraft fever is still going strong as I just bought Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition.

My second semester in this program wasn’t a cake walk, but I felt more confident than during my first. Just knowing how the program operated was a major help because I could better budget my time. Something that is not always easy with a full-time job, a fiancée, friends, and a black cat. Now I am eagerly awaiting my third residency with a healthy dose of cautious optimism.

Until Next Time,
-J.D. Cook