Tag Archives: creatures crimes and creativity

Blog, Conventions, Events, Upcoming Projects, Updates

Back from Hiatus In Time for Spooky Season

September 9, 2025 philgiunta@ptd.net

For me, the end of summer is typically accompanied by trepidation. As much as I love autumn for its gorgeous foliage, cooler weather, and of course, Hallowe’en, I dread the imminent approach of winter. Once the holidays are over, I have no use for the cold, dark months that exacerbate my battles with depression and anxiety. January and February are like the Monday of the year. Bleah.

However, we’re not there yet and I’m enjoying a spate of sunny September days with mild temperatures. I’m also looking ahead to several wonderful book events in the coming months, which will be listed at the end of this post. You can also find them on my Upcoming Events page.

As I write this, I’m awaiting the results of two writing contests that I entered in the first quarter of this year and I hope to hear back soon from a popular magazine about a short story I submitted over the summer. Should I have any good news to share about these, I’ll post it here and chat about it on my YouTube channel.

Speaking of summer, I took a hiatus from writing new material to compile a collection of most (but not all) of my published short stories from the past fifteen years. I reviewed each one and made a few light edits. Revisiting these characters and their adventures was a fun trip down memory lane.

Dreams from the Edge of Reality will offer 27 stories of fantasy, paranormal, detective, and even a few inspirational. Advance review copies have been sent to a handful of writers for their opinions and I hope to release the book by summer 2026.

I held back all of my science fiction stories as they take place in the same region of our galaxy and will be gathered into a collection of their own to be published in 2027. More on that later.

There were also a few personal reasons for taking a break from writing, which included a series of minor home repairs and renovations, ongoing business regarding my late mother’s estate, litigation over a matter I cannot reveal at this time, a few health issues, travel, and the need for self-care while juggling all of the above.

Despite the obstacles, I managed to record new videos for my YouTube channel, Got a Story for Ya, in which I read story excerpts and offered updates on upcoming events, writing awards, and book releases. A new episode should go live in late September.

Near the end of August, I got my writer’s legs under me again and started working on a short ghost story that is partially derived from a novella-in-progress that I placed on hold in 2024. I should finish the ghost story in the next week or two and if accepted by the publisher, it will be included in a Halloween anthology in 2026.

In October, I plan to resurrect the aforementioned novella and focus on that to its long overdue completion. With any luck, that will be published next year.

As promised, here are a few upcoming events where you can find me this autumn. Hope to see you at one or more of these if you’re in the area. In the meantime, enjoy these final weeks of summer and stay safe out there.

CREATURES, CRIMES, & CREATIVITY – Doubletree Hilton, Columbia, MD. September 19-21, 2025. Keynotes: Tom Straw and Jody Lynn Nye. Additional author guests include Ellen Crosby, L. Marie Wood, Joe Brosnan, Mark Bergin, Sharon Buchbinder, Weldon Burge, Austin Camacho (con organizer), Ef Deal, Bill Fawcett, Phil Giunta, Dana King, Serge Koren, Joanne McLaughlin, Roberta Rogow, Ilene Schneider, Ann Stolinsky, Lane Stone, and more!

WITCHES DAY OUT – Tri-Boro Sportsmen Club, Northampton, PA. Sunday, October 12, 2025. Halloween craft fair with live DJ, tricky tray, costume contest, kids activities, and more! I will have a table at this show.

EASTON BOOK FESTIVAL – Downtown Easton, PA. October 13-19, 2025. The seventh annual Easton Book Festival presents literary programs for adults, teens, and children, including readings, seminars, open mic performances, story-times, panel discussions, a Small Press Expo and a Young Adult Fest. I will participate in a number of literary events and discussion panels on Sunday, October 19 in the Sigal Museum Gallery.

BROWSEABOUT BOOKS – Rehoboth Beach, DE. Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 11AM – 1PM. Excited to join several fellow authors at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to sign copies of our latest Mindful Writers anthology, Retreat, along with previous titles such as Shell House, Into the Woods, Love on the Edge, and more.

Blog, Conventions, Newsletter, Story Readings, Updates, Writing and Publishing

New Video Newsletter is Up on YouTube!

August 18, 2025 philgiunta@ptd.net

A new episode of my video newsletter is up in which I chat about Lehigh Valley Comic Con, Easton Book Festival, Witches Day Out, and Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Con.

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I also read excerpts from my stories, “In the Span of a Heartbeat” published in Black Cat Weekly (Issue 176, January 2025) and “Isaac Geary’s Instant Utopia” published in Bright Mirror (Oddity Prodigy Productions, May 2025).

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One correction: I mention that the Lehigh Valley Comic Con has one-day shows every “August and July.” That should be every August and December. I blame lack of sleep.

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Illustration for Phil's short story "In the Span of a Heartbeat"

Blog, New Releases, Retrospective

Onward to the New Year, Whatever It Might Bring

December 31, 2021 philgiunta@ptd.net

All too happy to leave 2021 behind, but if nothing else, it was a successful writing year.

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Finished the second draft of a SF novel, started the first draft of paranormal mystery novel #4, had eight short stories published across six anthologies (plus one story in a convention anthology), and three stories accepted (so far) for 2022 including a science fiction adventure, a murder/heist mystery, and a science fiction comedy.

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One of my ghost stories (“Bottom of the Hour”) made it to the quarterfinals in the Screencraft Cinematic Short Story contest and another ghost story (“Before She’s Gone Forever”) was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Not too shabby!

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I wish everyone the best in the new year. Onward to 2022, whatever it might bring.

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Blog, Conventions, Writing and Publishing

Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Recap

September 16, 2021 philgiunta@ptd.net 2 Comments

A busy week resulted in a delayed after-action report of my first experience with Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity (C3). While this annual writers conference in Columbia, MD is geared toward crime fiction, mystery, paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction, all genres are welcome. This year’s keynote speakers were Hank Phillippi Ryan, NYT bestselling author and 37-time Emmy-award winning journalist and Sherrilyn Kenyon, NYT bestselling author of over 80 novels. Sherrilyn’s inspiring, poignant speech damn near brought many of us to tears.

Vaughn Jackson, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Phil Giunta — With Vaughn Jackson and Sherrilyn Kenyon at Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Con (C3).

Special guests included Kathleen Barber, whose novel Are You Sleeping was the basis for Apple TV’s Truth Be Told, and James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor, which was made into the classic 1975 Robert Redford film, Three Days of the Condor. I suspect the other three days were victims of Hollywood budget cuts, but I digress.

Phil Giunta with James Grady — With James Grady at Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Con (C3).

The conference delivered a fun and edifying variety of discussion panels and presentations on various aspects of writing and publishing, ranging from creating captivating characters and writing believable fight scenes to the value of deep listening and the elements of world building. I participated in the latter panel as well as another on writing in the paranormal and speculative fiction genres.

Friday night’s Noir at the Bar treated us to eight talented storytellers who read samples of their work from a breadth of genres including crime fiction, fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal.

It was a joy to meet and chat with several amazing writers throughout the weekend including Lanny Larcinese, Ef Deal, Glenn Parris, Vaughn Jackson, F.J. Talley, Frank Hopkins, Sharon Buchbinder, and former MMA fighter, J.R. White. A special shout-out to Weldon Burge on the debut of his first novel, Harvester of Sorrow. Weldon is also the owner of Smart Rhino Publications and had published my ghost story, “Bottom of the Hour,” in his anthology A Plague of Shadows in 2018. He and I have stories in about four different anthologies, each from different presses.

Speaking of anthologies, C3 produces a limited edition anthology available only to attendees of the conference each year. Although the book is not available to the public, it was no less exciting to see my Sherlock Holmes and Johnny Watson tale, “The Five-Day Killer,” in print for the first time since I wrote it six years ago. Perhaps it’ll become a valuable collector’s item if I ever hit the big time.

I carpooled to the con with fellow speculative fiction writer, Chris Ochs, who also happens to be the president of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. After the con ended on Sunday, Chris and I drove to the Common Kitchen in Clarksville where we met several local friends for lunch before heading home.

My deepest gratitude and admiration to redoubtable C3 organizers Austin Camacho, Denise Camacho, Cynthia Lauth, Susan Henry McBride, and Jodi Schwartz for their Herculean efforts to make the conference a success!

C3 Conference Team — The C3 Team! (L to R): Jodi Schwartz, Cynthia Lauth, Austin Camacho, Susan Henry McBride, Denise Camacho