DarkFuse - Call for Submissions

I've seen some strange submission calls over the years but this one from DarkFuse gives me pause.  They're looking for dark flash fiction, 99 to 999 words for their online zine horrordoeuvres.com  and they're paying 5cents a word.  And that's all great.

Here's what's not so great.  The zine is subscriber based so stories aren't available to the public.  This I can understand because it helps pay the authors.  But they acquire lifetime rights for that payment the only exception to this is if your story is selected for a best of anthology.  The other thing that bothers me?  In coming down to the final acceptance decision your author website and your marketing plan is what will win you a spot in the zine.  Huh?!?

A marketing plan for a zine that outright owns your story?  It's not like they're going to be paying you anything extra if you sell more subscriptions.  So here's the thing, you have to decide if a $49.95 or less payment is worth your marketing time.   Proceed with caution out there, my friends.

Market found via darkmarkets.com

Experts?

Do you ever wonder if the experts actually know what they're talking about?  I was looking at a piece today that showed pictures of the royals, Will and Kate.  Why, you ask?  Because a body language expert was telling the world what they were thinking by "reading" them. 

It was interesting but when you look at pictures one and seven you see Kate standing in exactly the same position.  In one she's pregnant and the other not.  The expert believes that she's protecting her baby in the first and the second one shows how confident she is.  I wondered if he considered the fact that she was holding a clutch purse in both photos.  In picture number five she's touching her ear and the expert says it's a coy and submissive move.  Ummm maybe she just needed to scratch her ear?

I'm sure that body language plays an important role when the police are doing interrogations but how can you actually get a true read with a photograph? 

On Writing Shorts

You'll find some great ideas by Suzannah Windsor Freeman on how to write short stories over at the Writer Unboxed blog.

And this list of "33 Mistakes You can Make While Attempting to Write a Short Story" over at BookFox brought a smile to my face.  You know we've all been there!!

Howling - A Short Story by Jen Conley

Excellent story by Jen Conley over at Beat to a Pulp this week.  Take a few minute and head on over and read Howling.  You won't be sorry.

The Celtic Anthology Project - Call for Submissions

First off, I'm not a sports fan but this anthology call sounded interesting.  It's called The Celtic Anthology Project and they're looking for stories and poetry about the Celtic Football Club.  Since this is a UK project I'm assuming soccer and not US football :)  All monies raised will go the Celtic 1254125 Charity.  Details are at the link

The Dark House Press - Announcement

There's a new press setting up for neo-noir, speculative, and literary fiction called The Dark House Press.  The new press is an imprint of Curbside Splendor Publishing and will be headed up by editor-in-chief Richard Thomas.  Mr. Thomas posted the announcement on his blog last night.  You find links to their Twitter account and Facebook page there.  The imprint's website is still under construction.

UPDATE:  May 9, 2013  Their site is now live and the submission guidelines are up.

Strange Chemisty - Open YA Novel Submission Call

YA publisher Strange Chemistry is seeking unagented novel submissions in a variety of genres including sci-fi, thrillers, crime, and contemporary.  Manuscripts must be 70,000 to 100,000 words.  The reading period is May 1 to October 31 so you have plenty of time to get your submission polished.  You can find all the details for submissions here

Hat tip to sfsignal.com

A Second Charity Anthology - Call for Submissions

And here is a second charity anthology call for "Urban Harvest:  Tales of Paranormal in NYC".  This is an ebook anthology and profits go to NYC based City Harvest.  Editor, Donna Ansari, is looking for urban fantasy stories of 1500 to 5000 words with a June 30 deadline.  You can find the details here

Charity Anthology - Call for Submissions

Rich Fabric II is a charity anthology that benefits the Twilight Wish Foundation (make a wish for seniors).  They're looking for short stories, memoirs, historical essays and poems loosely based on the theme "symbolism and culture of quilting".  Deadline is July 1 and payment is one copy.  You can find all the details here

Neverland's Library Fantasy Anthology - Editor Interview

If you're working on a story for Neverland's Library Fantasy anthology you might want to check out this interview with editors Roger Belini and Rebecca Lovatt.  And yes, there's still time to get a story submitted, the deadline is June 30.

Over at The Passive Voice

There's an interesting discussion about story lengths going on in the comments of "Less is the New More in Book Publishing" post over at The Passive Voice.

For the Over Fifty Writer

Rita Wilson, yes Tom Hanks' wife, has posted a call for submissions for short stories over at the Huffington Post.  She only wants shorts written by people over fifty about people over fifty (if I'm reading the call right).  There is no mention of payment, only of publication in the online paper.  They're taking a lot of flak in the comments because there's no mention of payment.  It also doesn't say who will own the rights to the story once it published.  So head on over and take a look, the comments alone are worth the trip :)

Hat tip to Katherine Tomlinson for the link!

Emby Press - Anthology Calls

Some days the markets just keep coming!  This one is via darkmarkets.com a great source for finding markets!

Emby Press has three open anthology calls for your submitting pleasure.  Each one wants stories of 2000 to 6000 words and payment is $25.  They're also planning a zine called Monster Hunter Quarterly that will launch in the Fall but there's no guidelines set up for that yet.  The calls are:

Monster Hunter - Blood Trails deadline August 15
Monster Hunter - Doomsday deadline September 15
Steampunk Monster Hunter deadline October 15

You can find all the details and what they're planning for the future of these anthologies here

Cindi Myers Market News

Cindi Myers Market News Letter is a good source for market news.  While many of the markets she posts are romance and erotica, some weeks you'll find other genres.  Today she's posted up short story markets that can be found in the unusual places.  Check them out here

Big Daddy Thug Interview

Great Interview with ThugLit editor and author, Todd Robinson, over at Black Gate.  Check it out!

Kasma SF Magazine - Call for Submissions

Kasma SF magazine has opened to submissions for sci-fi shorts of 1000 to 5000 words.  Payment is a flat rate of $25.  You'll find the details here

Alban Lake Publishing

Alban Lake Publishing is a new publishing house that will be putting out three quarterly magazines besides publishing novels, novellas, and anthologies.  Their preferred genre is sci-fi/fantasy.  They are a paying market for shorts, reviews, articles, and poetry.  Their submission guidelines has a drop down menu to find each publication.  You can check them out here

Fey Publishing - Anthology Calls

Fey Publishing has issued a submission call for two anthologies.  2000 to 10000 words with a July 1 deadline for both.  There's no mention of pay but they accept reprints and self-published material (including blog posted stories).  The calls are "Happily Never After" and "Horrors of History".

UPDATE:  Yeah, I forgot the link, but it's there now :)

Beat the Dust - Call for Flash Submissions

Beat the Dust is usually an invitation only online zine but they've opened up subs for their May issue with a special call.  They want you to take the last line of a novel, short story, or poem and use it as the first line of your story.  The word count is limited to 500 words and the deadline is May 12.  This is a non-paying market.   You can find the details here.

Dark Continents Publishing - Anthology Call

Dark Continents Publishing has issued a call for submissions to an anthology titled "The Sea".  They're looking for stories centered around the sea in the genres of Fantasy, Horror, Weird, and Sci-fi.  3000 to 9000 words with a flat payment of $20.  You can find the details here

And they've also posted their reading period, June 1 to July 31, for novels on that same page.

Hat tip to Horrortree.com

Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing - Anthology Calls

Since both of these calls were posted back in December I've probably already mentioned them, but a reminder is always helpful.  Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing has two open calls:

Bleed:  A Book of Hope is a charity anthology seeking horror stories where the monster represents cancer.  A maximum of 10,000 with a June 30 deadline.  Profits go to the Children's Cancer Fund.

Long Distance Drunks:  A Tribute to Charles Bukowski is looking for stories of 1000 to 10,000 words with a December 31 deadline.  Payment is a royalty split.

Less Than Three Press - Anthology Call

Now here's something very different from romance publisher Less Than Three Press.  They have an anthology call for fight stories titled "Won't Back Down".  Any genre, any type of fighting from in the ring boxing to gladiators but the stories must be LGBTQ.  10,000 to 30,000 words, payment is a flat $200.  The deadline is October 31.  You can find the call here with a link to their submission guidelines, just scroll down the page.  The top anthology call listed is still open until April 30 if you've got a vampire story sitting in your files that fits the call.

Soul Vomit - Anthology Call

Broken Publishing has opened submissions for the 2013 Soul Vomit anthology.  This year's theme is Domestic Violence: Aftermath.  They're looking for poetry, short stories to 5000 words and essays to 3000 words.  There is no payment and all profits go to domestic abuse charities.  The deadline is October 1.  Submissions through Submittable.  You can find the details here

Burial Day Books - Anthology Call

Burial Day Books has issued a call for submissions to their Gothic Blue Book series.  They're looking for Gothic stories around 3500 words long.  In the guidelines you'll find a list of acceptable settings for your story.  The deadline is July 19, payment is $25.  You can find the details here

Burial Day also accepts short stories for their online site but there's no payment for these.  The upside is that there are stories available on the site so you can get a feel for what they're looking for.

Joss Whedon's Top 10 Writing Tips

While this advice is about writing screen plays it can be used for every piece of writing you put down on the page.  Check it out here

Hat tip to David Cranmer's Twitter feed!

Spellbound - Call for Submissions

Spellbound is a children's ( age 8 to 12 ) fantasy magazine and they've issued a call for submissions to their Fall issue "Creatures of the Deep, Dark Woods".  The deadline is June 20.  They're looking for fantasy stories up to 2500 words that fit the theme, payment is 2.5cents a word.  They also have the themes and reading periods posted for issues through 2014.  You can find the submission guidelines here.

Finding Sense in a World of Chaos

The Boston Marathon Bombing has been the focus of nearly everyone in this country.  With three dead and one hundred and sixty wounded it is nothing short of tragic.  Trying to understand bombers isn't difficult.  They're cowards who either kill themselves or expect they'll never be caught because, well, it's a bomb and most of the evidence will be destroyed.

But what gets me isn't the bombers out there, it's the tragedies the news people just gloss over.  The Waco fertilizer plant that exploded a couple of days ago.  They still don't know the number of dead and wounded but it numbers many more than the Marathon bombing.  But it was an accident, so it doesn't count.  What really got me was the news article I read where they said "at least it wasn't as bad as the boat explosion in 2005 that killed 500 people".  What?!?  And they continued with other fertilizer explosions where more people were killed.  Crass?  You bet!  If you're going to write something like that, well, the bombing in Boston wasn't as bad as the Towers.

Yesterday the body of a dead baby was found wrapped in a sheet at the laundry where a Minnesota hospital sends it laundry to be done.  The laundry called the hospital, they came and retrieved the body.  And the cops? you ask.  Well, they're checking it out.  The hospital has since apologized and states that it was a still born baby.  But you have to wonder how can a hospital lose the body of a baby?  And how can the police just gloss over it like it's an everyday occurrence because, well, it's a hospital, they're entitled to mistakes like that.

And today's news?  Four adults, all in their twenties, were found dead in the basement of their apartment building.  They were all shot in the head and no weapon was found.  The cops' response?  This building doesn't have a history of crime.  Well, I'm sorry, but it does now.

As a writer of crime fiction I find that it's the small stories that tug at my heart and make me want to explore the reasons behind what happened.  Bombings for the most part are political, aimed at a government that they hate.  But the small everyday crimes and tragedies are personal.  And if you're writing crime fiction, you're trying to understand how this can happen.  What pushes people over the edge?  Why didn't someone care enough?

Do I care what happened in Boston?  Of course, but I also care about a plant exploding, a baby's body seriously mishandled, and four dead children, because at twenty they're still children, found in a basement.  Our world is a violent place and as a writer that is what I seek to understand, to put in perspective so that others might understand also.  It's all I can hope to do as a writer.    

Angie's Desk - Anthology Calls

And one final post.  Angie has posted her anthology calls list for April.  Lots of markets out there for your short story work, folks!

For the Ladies - A Non-fiction Shoe Anthology

This is for the ladies who are mad about their shoes.  If you are having a love affair with the shoes you wear, well, I've got an anthology call for you.  Princess Dominique.com has issued a call for non-fiction essays by women about their love affair with shoes.  Only 1000 words with a payment of $100 and a pair of SoleMates.  The deadline is August 1.  You can check it out here, but beware the site is full of shoes.

UPDATE :  My apologies, Ladies!!  This was posted in 2010.  I saw the April 7 date and thought it recent.  So sorry!

You folks do know that the shoe idea has a lot of promise for a short story, don't you? :)  I really hate the idea of a wasted post.

Lazie Horse Publishing - Anthology Call

Yes, I've been doing a search and finding more markets than usual, which is good :)  This one is Lazie Horse Publishing and they have an anthology call titled "Darkness".  The book will be broke down into six sections to represent the novel genres they publish.  And they are Dark Fiction, Horror, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Thriller, and Other.  Stories must be no longer than 5000 words and payment is 3 1/2 cents a word with a maximum payment of $75.  The anthology will be published in 2014.  You can find the details and submission for here

Sekhemet Press LLC - Anthology Call

Sekhemet Press LLC just set up shop this month and has issued a call for a vampire themed anthology.  They're looking for stories of 3000 to 5000 words, payment is $25.  The deadline is July 5.  You can find the details here

Little Bird Publishing House - Anthology Calls

Little Bird Publishing House has two anthology calls listed, you have to scroll down the page when you click on the link because the first two listed are closed.  The first is Dark Heart II which is now open and has a deadline of May 31.  This is a YA anthology with the theme mirrors and tears.  5000 to 10,000 words with payment of $25.  The second is Night Shade II with a reading period of July 20 to September 1.  This is for adults 16 and up with the theme rituals.  Same word count and payment as the first anthology.  You can check them out here

Budding Moon Press - YA Anthology Call

Budding Moon Press is looking for sport themed short stories of 10,000 to 20,000 words in any genre.  The main characters must be 12 to 19 years of age.  Payment is $75 to $150 depending on length of story plus royalties on ebook sales.  The deadline is May 31.  You can check out the details here

Budding Moon is an imprint of Storm Moon Press

Noir Nation - Reminder

Don't forget Noir Nation's submission period is still open.  You have until May 15 to get a story in front of the editors.  Payment is $25.  Check out the details here

Superhero Contest

"A Different Kind of Superhero" is the name of a contest sponsored by author Eli Wilde.  They're looking for stories that feature a superhero with a disability and the hero's name must include one of the following letters X, Y, or Z.  The stories should be 1000 to 7000 words and the deadline is May 31.  Prizes include publication and money.  First prize is $100, second $25, and third $10.  There's also a $25 prize for the wackiest story that brought a smile to everyone's face.  There is no fee to enter.  Entries are made through Submittable.  You can find all the details here

For inspiration be sure to check out this link.

A big thank you to Brian Lindenmuth for the contest link!!

New Markets

I've been a little shy of new markets lately.  Many of them post up guidelines and even offer payment but never seem to get that first issue off the ground. 

Today I found two new markets, the first is The Dragon and Wolf which sounded decent but there's no pay and the first issue isn't going to launch until Spring 2014, yet they're open for submissions.  That's a long time for a short story to sit in limbo, especially for a non-paying online zine.  Which begs the question, why set up your site and open submissions a year before launch?  Or is it supposed to be 2013 and they've made a huge error on their submission page? 

The other market seems a little more promising.  FictionVale has set up a reading period of May 15 to July 1 for their first issue.  All genres are welcome.  Stories up to 5000 words with payment of 2cents a word which they're hoping to raise in 2014 so they meet the requirements of the various associations that have awards.  So they have a plan in place and plenty of help on board.  Hopefully they'll make it.

Submitting to new markets is certainly a crap shoot these days, so take your time and check them out before sending a submission.  Not all markets are created equal. 

The First Line Story Cupboard

May 1 is the deadline for The First Line's Summer issue.  The starter sentence is quite intriguing, "I started collecting secrets when I was six years old."  I also thought how easy it would be to replace secrets with something else, like fingers or knives, if you'd like to write a story about the birth of a serial killer or a mercenary.  Or perhaps she was collecting fairies or magic or falling stars.  You get my drift, any sentence can be made into a prompt just by the changing of a simple word.  Your story is just a switched out word away.

Oh yes, and The First Line is a paying print market that accepts stories in any genre.  You just have to start your story with their sentence.  Besides this sentence there are two more posted for 2013.

Anthology Review - Not Mine

It's been a while since I posted a link to an anthology review but this review for "Tales from the Yellow Rose Diner and Fill Station" makes this anthology sound like a must read for horror and crime fans.

Yellow Mama - New Issue

The April issue of Yellow Mama has landed!

Sword & Sorceress #28 - Call for Submissions

The reading period has opened for Sword & Sorceress #28.  They are seeking sword and sorcery stories with a strong female protag.  Word count up to 9000 words but they prefer shorter stories.  Payment is 5cents a word as an advance against royalties.  The deadline is May 11.  You can find all the submission details here

Just Because

This is one of the best essays I've read about writing crime/mystery stories in a very long time.  Passage Work by Russel D. McLean.

UFO Publishing - Anthology Call

UFO Publishing is seeking submissions for their second annual anthology "Unidentified Funny Objects".  They're looking for humorous spec-fiction stories of 500 to 6000 words.  Payment is 5cents a word and the reading period is May 1 to 31.  You can find all the details for submitting here.  There are also stories available on the site so you can get a feel for what they're looking for.  This will be funded by Kickstarter.

Hat tip to the Sci-fi Signal!

Thrills, Kills, and Chaos - Call for Submissions

Thrills, Kills and Chaos has opened for submissions!!!  Head on over and check out their guidelines.  Remember this is a  non-paying flash market with a limit of 1000 words.

Trembles - Dead Market?

From the looks of things Trembles magazine has closed up shop.  There's been nothing new posted since October when they issued a call for novel submissions.  Anyone had any news from them?

Post Mortem Press - Call for Novel Submissions

Post Mortem Pess has issued a call for novel and non-fiction paranormal submissions.  Their reading period will close on July 31.  You can find all the details here

Haunted Houses

Nightmare Magazine has an interesting piece by Dale Baily that explores the haunted house in fiction.  I read a lot of Gothic romances when I was younger and loved the creepy feeling of those old houses.  There's just something about a house being haunted or coming alive that sends a chill up my spine.  And I love writing that kind of story, of finding the horror in the plaster walls.

Static Movement - Anthology Call

Static Movement publishes a ton of anthologies but I rarely post them because this is a non-paying market, but...you knew there was a but coming didn't you?  I decided to post this one because finding markets for straight crime fiction isn't always easy.  This anthology is titled "Hardboiled" and you can find the details here

Their calls are always posted to the forum but I've included the link to their web page if you want to check them out.  There are plenty of open calls here for folks who write in the Horror genre and don't mind a non-paying market.

Crime Factory - Submissions Open

Submissions have opened for issue #14 over at Crime Factory.  Check out their guidelines here

An Editor's Take on Putting Together an Anthology

The lovely Michael Bracken sent me a link to Nayad Monroe's blog, Never Forget That Writers are Insane, where she talks about becoming an editor and the difficulties of putting together an anthology.  There are three posts in all, so be sure to scroll down to the post "On Becoming an Editor" and read up.  It's easier reading them in order :)

Thanks, Michael!!

Beat to a Pulp - Call for Submissions

Editor David Cranmer has announced that submissions are open over at Beat to a Pulp.  All the pulpy genres are welcome.  No more than 4000 words.  This is a non-paying market but, oh, the company you keep.

Thrillers Killers 'n' Chillers

I had heard this news the other day via Katherine Tomlinson, but decided to wait until a post went up officially.  It is with a sad heart that I have to report that Thrillers, Killers, 'n' Chillers is closing their door to submissions.  On the bright side TKnC editor, David Barber, is setting up a new site called Thrills, Kills, 'n' Chaos.  This site will be open for flash up to 1000 words only, and as with the original TKnC it is a non-paying market.  They are currently closed to submission but I'll let you know when they open up.

To the editors of TKnC, thanks for all the great stories!!  You will be missed.

Beat to a Pulp: Superhero - Free!

If you haven't picked up a copy of "Beat to a Pulp:  Superhero" yet, now's your chance.  It's free for your kindle today!  And yes, this is totally self-serving as I have a story called "Moon Mad" in this anthology.

Belladonna Publishing - Comic Book Anthology Call

Belladonna Publishing has posted the preliminary guidelines for their newest anthology call.  This time around they're looking for comics featuring famous female serial killers from the past.  Submissions open on April 15.  There's no mention of payment.  It's called "Wicked Belles" and you can find the details here

Mixer - Open Reading Period

Mixer is both an online and print magazine that publishes literary genre stories up to 8000 words.  Their reading period is open until June 30.  Payment here is $25 to $100 depending on story length, they also pay a split royalty on Kindle sales.  You can check them out here

Criminal Class Review - Reading Period Open

The reading period for Chicago based Criminal Class Review is open until August 1 for crime stories up to 8000 words.  This is a print magazine that pays in copies only.  You can check them out here

Ticonderoga Publications - Anthology Call

Australian publisher Ticonderoga Publications has issued a call for submissions to a new anthology titled "Kisses by Clockwork".  The stories should be a mix of steampunk and romance, 2000 to 7000 words in length.  The deadline is October 15 with publication in 2014.  Payment is 2.5cents a word in Australian currency.  You can find all the details here

Hat tip to the Literarium blog

Blood and Tacos - New Issue

Issue #4 of Blood and Tacos has finally landed.  It's free at the site or you can download a copy for your Kindle.  They're making some changes also from quarterly to twice a year, dropping the non-fiction, and adding more stories.  There's also much more news so drop on over and find out what's going on

Grey Matter Press - Anthology Call

Grey Matter Press has posted a new anthology call but it has a short deadline of May 5.  For "Ominous Realities" they're looking for your darkest speculative horror stories about the future.  Stories should be 3000 to 10,000 words in length.   Payment is 1cent a word.  The anthology will be in both print and ebook form.  You can find all the details here

Long Hidden - Anthology Call

The anthology, Long Hidden :  Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History, has issued a call for submissions.  They're looking for spec-fiction stories of 3000 to 7000 words set between the years 1400 and 1920 CE.  The stories must be about marginalized people in their time and place.  The deadline is July 31.  Payment is 5cents a word.  This anthology will be published by Crossed Genres Publications.  You can find all the details here

Two Bad Guys Walk into a Story

Writing crime flash is a tricky business.  Yes, you can use those few words to present an obscene picture of mayhem and death, but can you make the reader care?  This was driven home by a flash piece I read the other day.  It was well written and moved along to a good conclusion, but I didn't give a rat's ass about either of the people in the story.  Why?  They were both bad guys without a trace of humanity in them.  They might as well have been two dogs fighting over a scrap of meat.

Whether a story is long or short there should be a bit of heart in it.  A reader needs to care about the people he's spending time with.  In the case of the story I read a man was waiting to kill another man.  A man who'd stole some money from the wrong people.  It was a totally cold and calculated murder for hire job.  Yes, it was a nice portrait of a professional hit man, but how much better if the man he was going to kill was perhaps related to him?  Or an old friend?  That one bit of information would have shown the reader the even deeper coldness that lay in the killer's heart but it would have also put a bit of humanity into the story.  The reader would be left wondering how a man could kill someone he knew so personally.  And that's what you want for a story.  Something that sticks with the reader when he's finished reading.  Something that gets under his skin and forces him see life in a different way.

No matter how short the story there's always a way to put a little heart into the story.  A well-placed word or two, a bit of conversation, a tear, or a touch.  You don't have to beat the story to death with it, just a passing mention will do.  Just a little something that draws the reader closer to your characters.

How about you?  Do you prefer a story that leaves you thinking or do you just want to read for the entertainment value and forget the story as soon as you turn the page?  Do you writers out there try to find a way to bring that bit of heart into a story or do you just try for the harshness that makes up much of crime fiction? 

Just a Reminder

The deadline for the Black Orchid Novella Award is May 31.  They are looking for original novellas of 15,000 to 20,000 words that are written in much the same vein as Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe stories.  You can find all the submission details here

This is one of the most prestigious short story contests in the mystery genre.  There's no entry fee and the winning entry is published in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

Heinlein and Feminism

I've read a great many articles that slam Heinlein and his portrayal of women but this article about Heinlein's Juvenile novels written in the '50's paints a very different picture of his work.  Very interesting reading.

Hat tip to the Sci-fi Signal!

Noir Carnival - Anthology Call

Received an email from KA Laity that says she'll be editing a new anthology for Fox Spirit Books entitled "Noir Carnival".  She's looking for carnival based horror stories of 3000 to 8000 words with a deadline of May 1.  Payment is a $10 advance against royalties.  You'll find more details and a better idea of what she's looking for over on her blog

Mystery and Horror LLC - Anthology Calls

Mystery and Horror, LLC has posted a new anthology call titled "The Undead of Winter" which is looking for stories of the undead in winter months, holiday stories are welcome for this one.  The reading period is August 1 to October 1.  Payment is a $5 advance against royalties plus a print copy.

They also have two other anthologies "Strangely Funny" with the reading period now open until June 10 and "All Hallows' Eve" with a reading period of April 20 to July 15.  Please note that pay has changed since they first posted these calls to a $5 advance against royalties plus a print copy.

You can find all the details here

Sirens Call Publications - Anthology Calls

Sirens Call Publications has three anthologies open for submissions.  Each one needs stories of 4000 to 10,000 words, payment is split royalties.  There are different reading periods for each call.  The anthologies are :  Fear: Of the Dark, Fear: Of the Water, and Mental Ward: Echoes of the Past.  You can find all the details here

There's also a non-paying ezine called "The Sirens Call" at the site and free downloads are available.

Shock Totem - Free Issues

Shock Totem is offering free downloads of their magazines for your Kindle this week.  Each day a different issue will be available.  This is a great way to become familiar with a market you'd like to submit to.  Shock Totem is a paying market and they're open for submissions!

The Ups and Downs of New Markets

It's always nice to see a new zine actually get launched.  Plan B has started posting their stories online and an anthology is available for sale.  Submissions are closed at the moment but hopefully will reopen soon.  You can check it out here

On the down side is The Case Files which was supposed to publish in January and still no signs of life.  Nothing at the Ephemera Publishing site seems to have been updated since late last year.  Anyone heard anything about this market?

A Few Interviews

Paul Brazill dropped me an email with word that he'd published a few editor interviews again.  On his site is James H. Duncan of Hobo Camp Review, Rod Glenn of Wild Wolf Publishing, and Steve Weedle of Needle magazine.  Head on over here and scroll down the page.

Thanks, Paul!

2013 International Thriller Award Nominees

And it seems to be awards day here at the Corner.  This time around it's the International Thriller Awards nominees.  The cool thing here is the new category of Best e-book original novel, and they don't seem to mind if they're self-pubbed either.  Congrats to all the nominees!!  You can check out the list here

Hat tip to the Mystery Scene blog!

2013 Spinetinger Award Nominees

And also yesterday the nominees for the 2013 Spinetingler Awards were announced.  Love that these awards focus on online short stories, and both print and ebook anthologies, collections, novels, and novellas.  It makes for a much rounder list.  A big congrats and another round of Snoopy Dances for all the nominees!!!

I'm linking to the poll here because there are links in the post to all the categories and yes, voting is open to the public so be sure to get reading and voting!!!

2013 Derringer Award Winners

While I took the day off yesterday the 2013 Derringer Awards were announced by the Short Fiction Mystery Society.  Congratulations and a big round of Snoopy Dances for all the winners!!

Best Flash Story:
The Cable Job - Randy DeWitt

Best Short Story:
Getting Out of the Box - Michael Bracken

Best Long Story:
When Duty Calls - Art Taylor

Best Novelette:
Wood-Smoke Boys - Doug Allyn 

Winner of the  Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer Award is Loren Estleman.

Big Pulp - Call for Submissions

Print magazine Big Pulp has opened for submissions.  They're looking for stories up to 2500 words in various genres.  The reading period ends May 31, payment is 1cent a word with a maximum of $25.  You can find all the details here