Today’s dispatch is going out late. It’s no secret I struggle with my physical health. Between lupus and suspected endometriosis (which I will be having surgery for in two weeks), my part-time job as an after school teacher, and running a small business as a freelance writer and publisher—not to mention grappling with my mental health—it’s difficult not to fall prey to overwhelm, not to let some aspects of life fall by the wayside.

There are days it’s difficult to get out of bed, or to accomplish every task, and many, many days that I look around at my messy apartment and think, “God, I won’t have time to clean this until next month.” And even then, I might not have the energy.

So what keeps me so determined to come back to horror, to this community that I love? To continue to want to publish and be published, to run writing sprints and online community events and beta read and do all the things writers and editors do? Why would I rather watch the new horror movie than get that extra two hours of sleep, even when I know I desperately need it?

The answer is simple: It’s the love of it. Despite being tired, despite all of it, I would run myself into the ground for the love of the genre and the people within it. And I know I’m not the only one.

So this late note today is for all of you out there who are feeling tired. Run down. Feeling battered from rejections. Unable to make peace with your unfinished manuscript. Struggling to raise money for your short film. I see you, your suffering, your weariness, and your unending love for your craft. You are not alone. I’m over here, too.

Half-asleep.

Medusa Publishing Haus

• The Book of Queer Saints Vol II’s fundraising campaign is currently 80% funded! With only 9 days left to raise the remaining $1566, every hour is critical. Please continue sharing far and wide, across all your social media platforms. Have a friend who loves queer media, horror, or both? Make sure they know about the campaign. It takes a village to raise a baby book!

• The book retailer perk has been updated. The price has been reduced by 35%, rendering up to 65% profits for your independent bookstore! Make sure you check out the updated perk.

• Link to fundraiser here.

• Link to The Book of Queer Saints Vol II’s submission guidelines here.

Submission Calls

• Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror from Ghoulish Books, edited by Sofia Ajram, opens submissions on May 1. Submission guidelines can be found here.

• The Pleasure in Pain, a collection of queer erotic horror edited by Roxie Voorhees, will accept submissions from June 1 to July 1. Submission guidelines found here.

Thank you for reading this week’s Dispatch From Heck.

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Have a great week!

Mae