Kickstarter

I've been a freelancer for more years than I care to mention, and while it's a lifestyle that suits me fine, the simple truth is that money is *always* tight. That's the price you sometimes pay for having your dream job, and writing about film has always been my dream job. I'm certainly not complaining.

The hard part about being a freelancer is that you always COULD be working. Every time I try to get rolling on this book idea I get stressed out because I could be spending that time writing something that pays me money. I figure that the only way I can take a few weeks off, forget about freelancing, and focus on a creative project is if I'm financially able to do so. As of this moments I am not. Hence the Kickstarter idea.

Basically, you're the "patron" who will allow me to focus solely on writing Panophobia, a collection of horror stories that I've always wanted to write. I've already spoken with an illustrator and a professional editor, both of whom I've already selected. Plus there's also the psychological hook of motivation; if people support me writing this thing, then I'll feel beholden to actually do it. (That's important.)

My goal is to write a bad-ass collection of short stories that focus on specific phobias. I've already chosen about 12 different fears, and I tried to concoct a mixture of common ones and ... bizarre ones. My inspirations are, of course, Lovecraft, Poe, Howard, King, and Barker -- absolute masters of short horror fiction. As to why I chose short stories, well, I have a very miserable attention span -- but also I just love the format. Whether it's a 4-minute film or a brief story, there's something accessible, unpredictable, and delicious about "short" horror that has always appealed to me. If I can figure out how to write 15 stories, three or four might actually be good, and then I can try a second volume or (gasp) perhaps a novel.