It’s that time of year again. As most of you may have noticed, Grindhouse Press didn’t put out as many books in 2021 as we had in 2020. I needed a break, mentally and physically, and I wanted the opportunity to work on my own writing. Burnout is a thing and I was definitely there after 2020. I’m still there and that’s why I will be taking the first half of 2022 off to work on my own writing. Everything that’s to come in 2022 from Grindhouse is almost complete.

But before we get into 2022 let’s go over 2021. Let’s start with the books. Here is what we published in 2021:

Birth of a Monster by A.S. Coomer

The Late Night Horror Show by Bryan Smith

The Unseen by Bryan Smith

The Next Time You See Me I’ll Probably Be Dead by C.V. Hunt

Bodies Wrapped in Plastic and Other Stories by Andersen Prunty

Racing with the Devil by Bryan Smith

Waif by Samantha Kolesnik

I didn’t get the chance to work on my own writing in 2021 as much as I wanted because of some ongoing health issues. I had a cardiac ablation in May 2020 for supraventricular tachycardia, which basically meant my heart would race to 220+ beats per minute. The ablation worked but soon after I knew something wasn’t right. Fast forward to this year. Turns out I have developed an arrythmia (atrial fibrillation). The upper chambers of my heart will beat rapidly and out of sync. This puts me at risk for a blood clot. The cardiologist tried every antiarrhythmic medication this year but, as of now, there hasn’t been any success. It comes and goes. I’ll have a couple weeks where I think it’s over and never coming back. And then I’ll have a month where I think my heart is dying. I have a follow up in April to discuss a second surgery. I’m currently trying a holistic approach since nothing else seems to work: breathing technics to reset the vagus nerve and herbal supplements. It’s too soon to tell since I’ve just started but I’ve definitely noticed a reduction in episodes.

On top of the heart stuff I had a cancer scare this year. I had some female issues and ended up switching to a new GP and OBGYN. Note: If your doctor ridicules you when you ask a question, won’t listen to your concerns, or is dismissive of any suggestions you might have in your own care, it’s time to get a new doctor. The new doctors discovered a complex ovarian cyst and some fibroid tumors. Since my mother and her mother both died of ovarian cancer it was time for a hysterectomy (ovaries, follopian tubes, uterus, and cervix were all removed). I’m currently 7 weeks post op and starting to feel close to normal. The biopsies came back clear. But all of this definitely put the brakes on writing. It’s hard to concentrate when you’re going through a cancer scare.

Out of an abundance of caution, I didn’t plan any cons or events this year, which was good. Not only did I end up having surgery but I moved. We moved into a tiny house August 1. It’s only 400 sq ft, which was about half the size of our old apartment. Needless to say, we had to go through a painful downsizing. I’ve lived tiny before in my early 20s but I was single back then. I think we’ve just now got to where we’re not hitting our heads on the ceiling when we climb into the sleeping loft.

Okay. Enough about me. That’s not why you’re reading this. You want to know what’s up with Grindhouse Press. Sorry, but to get to Grindhouse ya gotta go through me. It doesn’t survive without me. And since Grindhouse is ran in my spare time it’s best to know when my spare time is filled with other things going on in my life.

2022 is going to start with three publications before the end of February. Sorry, I don’t have the publication dates yet. If you’ve been hanging around for a while you know a lot of publications are a surprise here. Once a book has gone through the editing process, has a cover, and the files are formatted, I’m ready to publish it.

Here are the three upcoming publications:

The Unseen II by Bryan Smith

Dreaditation by Andersen Prunty

Meat Photo by Andersen Prunty and C.V. Hunt

There are a few other publications coming in 2022 but we’ll announce them as we’re ready to publish them. So keep an eye on our Twitter or Facebook pages.

I will be one of the guests of honor at Scares That Care Authorcon from April 1, 2022 through April 3, 2022. A handful of Grindhouse Press authors will also be there. For more info on that check out their page: scaresthatcare.org/authorcon

What else is happening in 2022? Grindhouse Press is opening to submissions. We will be open to authors we haven’t published before on August 1, 2022 (12:00 AM EST) until August 5, 2022 (11:59 PM EST). Returning authors will have a separate submission window. Please do not send anything before or after this time. It will not be considered. For more info, please check out our submissions page at grindhousepress.com/submissions. It’s best to read the submissions page to see what I’m looking for. Please don’t email me or dm me. I will only be accepting two to three books. I will also be accepting the same number of books from the returning authors. And I have other agreements which will end up totaling around 10 to 12 books over the next year. I’m trying to keep the work load manageable on my end and stress to a minimum. The reason the submission window is later in the year is because of the possible second heart surgery. Please be aware that life isn’t predictable and the date may get pushed back. I think we’ve all learned that it’s difficult to make any solid plans over the past two years. If the date changes it will be on the submissions page and I’ll announce it on social media.

Hope everyone has a good holiday and I’m looking forward to 2022. – C.V. Hunt