Interview with Anthology Editor Kelly A. Harmon

Kelly A. Harmon is the editor of Pole to Pole Publishing which is putting out several anthologies. The current one is a perfect Halloween read. So this is my holiday treat to fellow authors and readers.

Question: What is the title and genre of your anthology?  Why were they selected?

Answer: Re-Haunt: Chilling Stories of Ghosts and Other Haunts. The book contains dark, creepy stories of “ghosts and other haunts—”  While all of the stories are “dark,” and a few are tense enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck, I wouldn’t categorize the anthology completely as “horror,” because there are a few lighter stories in the bunch as well.

Question:   What inspired this book? How did it come about?

Answer: Who doesn’t love a good ghost story?  Pole to Pole Publishing (link: http://poletopolepublishing.com/)  publishes dark stories of all kinds.  After doing some brain-storming, my co-editor Vonnie Winslow Crist and I went with “ghosts and hauntings” because we liked those the best. Among the top considered were military stories, mysteries, outer space and dark stories about “wine and spirits.” Some of those are on the publishing agenda for 2020 and 2021.

Question:   What are you working on now?

Answer:  We are finishing up our “Not Far from Roswell” anthology, which is a collection of alien and cow stories, all related to Roswell, New Mexico.  That should be available before the end of November. 

And, we’re ramping up to open submissions for a tribute volume to Jules Verne, tentatively titled Twenty Thousand Leagues Remembered. Steven R. Southard (link: https://stevenrsouthard.com/) and I will be editing that.  It’s scheduled to be published in June 2020, on the sesquicentennial of Jules Verne’s work.

Question:   What made you start working as an editor?

Answer:  I initially started as a newspaper editor. Some years into it, I was asked by a friend to edit the grammar and punctuation for some fiction. That little bit of experience got my foot in the door. Because of my love of science fiction, fantasy and horror, transitioning to fiction editing when I stopped reporting was a natural fit.

Question:   What advice would you offer to those who are currently writing?

Answer: Figure out your “why.”  In other words, sit down and decide the number-one reason you’re writing. Once you know what why you’re writing, you can take the steps necessary to reach your goal. Every writer needs to hone his craft, but the career path of a writer who yearns for critical acclaim (a Pulitzer, the Booker Prize, a Bram Stoker Award, a Pushcart) will look different than the writer who wants (and deserves!) to be paid for his writing. Sometimes, those paths will intersect—especially if you plan for it. And that’s the heart of my advice:  determine your goal, and then plan how you’ll get there. Say “no” to any writing “opportunity” that doesn’t align with your goal. (It will only slow you down.)

And also, write: put words on paper, type them into word processors or dictate. Scribble on napkins.  Finish what you start.

Question:  Where and when will readers be able to obtain your anthology?

Answer:  Re-Haunt is currently available in paperback and ebook on Amazon, free for Kindle Unlimited.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YTD8D3R?pf_rd_p=183f5289-9dc0-416f-942e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=9F2KX9EM92E5N8BNECJ8

Comments or questions for Kelly are welcome here.