Hello Dear Reader!
I can’t believe the first half of the year is nearly over! Time has been skating by so fast that I can hardly catch my breath. With that being said, I am here to bring you an exciting update. I’ve had my eye on Graveside Press for a little while now. I love how excited authors are to become part of their family and the way they build community is truly inspiring. So when I saw they extended the deadline for their monster anthology, I immediately got to work. Fifteen days to write, self-edit, have beta read, self-edit again, and submit! I was truly on one.
As per usual, I cycled through a few ideas before I landed on one that tugged at my heartstrings. I wanted to tell a story from the monster’s perspective—to really get deep into the mind of someone who holds no qualms about taking a life in the most horrific of ways. The draft came out pretty easily. I am always inspired by darkness that feels beautiful. Is creepy/whimsy a thing? Because I keep writing it.
A Sigil to Bind the Night is not an easy story. When I was ready for beta readers, I had to stress how many possible content warnings and triggers there could be in this piece. But I wanted to write this story, a truth as a survivor of sexual assault. I wanted to show a character that takes back her power, even if by force. She is brutal, dangerous, but she also loves hard ass hell. This story is ultimately about gaining freedom after trauma—that there is life after pain.
So I would caution anyone to go into this story with care. Keep your mental health forward. Sending love to all my survivors, you are so much stronger than you think, and thank you for choosing to live, for giving yourself a chance at life. This one’s for you.
Here is the acceptance email!
I was so shocked to hear back from them in less than five hours. I had to do a double take to make sure I was reading the email right. This story will be coming out in Graveside Press (Monster Anthology) February 2026. That is a little ways away, but you know what the old adage says.
For subscribers to my blog I have an exclusive mini excerpt. You can read it here.
Until Next time 🖤
Follow Tonja's Blog
A Sigil to Bind the Night
Hello Dear Reader! I can’t believe the first half of the year is nearly over! Time has been skating by so fast that I can hardly catch my breath. With that being said, I am here to bring you an exciting update. I’ve had my eye on Graveside Press for
How to Create a Fantasy Novel Outline: A Step-by-Step Guide
Hello Dear Reader!So you’re writing a fantasy novel. You think it’s a series. Before you run too deep into those dark and draft-y woods, let’s have a conversation. I’m going to tell you things that I wish someone would have told me when I sat down to write what will
Project StarFire: Starting Something New
Hello Dear Reader!Starting a new project always comes with a lot of emotions. And that is because stories are little personal miniatures of ourselves that we carve onto the page and then reshape over and over again. Writing is often one space where I can fully express myself without fear
Discover more from tonjakjohnson.com
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.