Nashville Horror FIlm Festival Rejection

 

Dear Erik D., This is an automated email to notify you that Nashville Horror Film Festival has updated the Judging Status of your submission. Personal Demons Not Selected Project was not selected to be included in festival. You can contact Nashville Horror Film Festival by replying to this email or sending an email to Nashvillehorrorfilmfestival@gmail.com.

Semi-Finalist at Lit Scares Int'l Horror Fest

 

Dear Erik D., Thank you for submitting to this years Lit Scares International Horror Festival 2025 Out of the 100's of entries we had this year you placed 'Semi Finalist'  This is essentially a Silver medal which means unfortunately you did not make it to the finals but you still did incredibly well beating a very high amount of submissions to finish here so a massive congratulation's. We really hope you will submit with us in our future editions and we wish you the very best of luck with your project.    Please find below a link for your Laurel  Regards  Velton & Mike & all the Lit Scares Team https://filmfreeway.com/laurels/56507/LitScaresInternationalHorrorFestival

Horror Movie Freaks - Rejection

 

Dear Erik D., Thank you for submitting your project to the Horror Movie Freaks Film Fest. Unfortunately, we are not able to include it in our program this year. Please know that your project was carefully considered by our programming team, and the decision was incredibly difficult to say the least. Unfortunately, not all of the wonderful projects we consider can be included, and we are forced to make many difficult decisions each year. Thank you again for sharing your project with us. We wish you the best of luck, and we hope to have the opportunity to view your work in the future. Sincerely, Horror Movie Freaks Film Fest Personal Demons Not Selected Project was not selected to be included in festival.

Literary Death Metal

 One day I want a critic or literary scholar to refer to my writing as "literary death metal". 

Tonight's Writing

I finally finished the outline for my novel Dirt Nap, which I've been trying to write since 2001.

I then sent this outline to my buddy Tim, who is always my first reader.

I then wrote a bit in my new horror story "In the Barn."

And, finally, I realized that I still have part of a first draft, and some notes, for a horror story I have been trying to write (or, rather, finish) since 2014, called "No Stone Unturned". 

This is great news for me, as it means I can flow seamlessly from completing "In the Barn" (which will hopefully take no more than a few weeks) into  "No Stone Unturned" and virtually pick up right where I left off. 

I like where things are right now.  

 

New Horror Story

So, I just started a new horror short story.

I haven't written a short story in the horror genre in... well... let's just say longer than I can remember... because, apparently, I can't.

Anyhow, I am also mapping out an allegorical horror novel I've had in my head since the early-aughts (when I was in my 20's!). And, if I'm going to eventually write that, then I need to strengthen those muscles by penning a few horror short stories that I've had in my head for a bit, but have dragged my feet in writing.

In the way that Socrates thought that writing would diminish memory, I fear that if I don't start writing horror short fiction again (and focus solely on screenplays, as I did for many years) those creative muscles might atrophy.

Incidentally, on that same note, I just outlined a horror screenplay (a supernatural serial killer tale I call Depravity) that I hope to write either this Halloween... or next summer. We'll see. 

 Anyhow, I'm about three pages into the story as of tonight and I am loving the characters and world-building I've managed to scrawl.

 

The International Horror Hotel Film Festival

Just submitted Personal Demons to The International Horror Hotel Film Festival.

Come what may.