Sky Warrior Books - Anthology Call

Sky Warrior Books has an anthology call up for "These Vampires Don't Sparkle".  They're looking for stories of of 500 to 7000 words in any genre with the exception of erotica.  The only condition is that there are non-sparkly vampires in your story.  The deadline is March 15, 2014, payment is shared royalties.  You can find the details here.

You can find the Sky Warrior Books site here.  There's also a call listed for a Zombie anthology but submissions don't open until December for this one.

Thanks to Katherine Tomlinson for the link!

Spectacular Publications - Another Warning

Author Brian Keene has more on the failure of small press Spectacular Publications to actually publish the books they've solicited from writers.  He's also posted his rules for submitting to a small press which should be read and memorized by every new writer.

Marketing 101 by John M. Floyd

Short story writer John M. Floyd has an excellent post up over at Sleuth Sayers about marketing short stories.  John is wonderful story teller and he's had great success with getting his stories published in some of the top mystery markets.

A Short Fiction Meme

Over at the SF Signal they have a regular feature called Short Fiction Friday where they showcase different short stories, zines, or anthologies.  This week Carl V. Anderson who does the column posted a short story meme.  While his is for the genre of sci-fi I thought it might be fun to do this for the mystery/crime genre, plus I think your answers might shed some light on some questions I've had floating around in my head of late.  Post your answers in the comments here, or over at the SF Signal, or maybe do the meme on your blog to help spread the conversation.

Here's the meme:

1. Do you read short fiction, and if so how large a portion of your reading time is devoted to short fiction?
2. From where do you partake of short fiction? Online zines? Electronic media? Print collections?
3. If you do read short fiction do you mostly stick to genre fiction or are you an equal opportunity short fiction aficionado?
4. What about the format appeals to you?
5. Are there drawbacks to the format that affect your enjoyment of short fiction?
6. What is your assessment of the current state of short fiction and the short fiction market?
7. Do you find it important to try to keep up with the latest stories being released?
8. What stories, classic or contemporary, would you recommend that most adequately capture your feelings about short fiction and/or highlight what the format can do?

readshortfiction.com - Call for Submissions

readshortfiction.com is open for submissions of all genres of short fiction from Literary to Westerns.  They need stories of 1500 to 4000 words with payment of 5cents a word with a cap of $150 (they only pay for the first 3000 words but if you need the extra 1000 words to tell your story that's fine)  You can find the details here.

Hat tip to horrortree.com

Hypertext - Call for Submissions

From Katherine Tomlinson comes news that online literary ezine Hypertext is looking for submissions of short stories and essays.  According to their Craig's List ad this is a relaunch.  This is a non-paying market.  Submissions are through Submittable

Changes at All Due Respect

Online ezine All Due Respect will no longer be publishing online.  They are going to a quarterly format with both digital and print copies.  The magazine will be published through Full Dark City Press.  The are seeking crime stories of over 3000 words.  Payment will be $25 per story as the editors are seeking to become MWA approved so stories can be submitted for Edgar Award consideration.  You can check out the details here.

Buttontapper Press - Call for Ninja Novellas

E-book publisher Buttontapper Press is a new press that has a call for submissions for some Haiku anthologies but if you scroll down the page you'll find a call for Ninja novellas that they'd like to publish in 2014.  They're looking for "creative and humorous takes on the ninja genre".  There's no mention of payment but they're paying a percentage of royalties on the Haiku anthologies.  You might want to query first before you submit to get more details.  You can find the submission guidelines here.

And a caution.  While checking out the press I clicked on their author page and found a list with quite a few of the online crime writers that many of you are familiar with.  I contacted one of the writers and he told me that the owner/publisher, Laura Roberts, had published a story of his and the other crime writers on the list in the special noir issue for Black Heart Magazine.

Creative Writing Contests - Resource for Writers

For those who enjoy entering contests the Creative Writing Contests site is a wonderful place to find all types of contests.  At the moment they have poetry, short story, plays, and novel contests listed.  Some call for fees, others none.  It's a good place to keep track of what contests are available out there for writers.   

A Pair of Publisher Cautions

Author Jordan Kroll has posted a warning about publisher Spectacular Productions.  You can find the Facebook page he mentions here.

And author Susan Renee Clairidge has been posting about her dealings with Vanilla Heart Press.  There are several posts and she goes into detail about her dealings with the Press.

It's good when authors spread the word about the scams that go on in the publishing business.  It's helps all writers thread their way through the complicated maze of the publishing side of this crazy business.

Kraken Press - Anthology Call

Kraken Press has issued a call for submissions for a new anthology titled "American Nightmare".  They're looking for 50's themed horror and dark fantasy stories of 2500 to 7000 words.  The deadline is October 31, payment is a royalty share plus one copy.  You can find the details here, submissions are through Submittable.

Ylva Publishing

Michael Bracken sent me a link to post about Paragraph Structure over at Ylva Publishing.  There's some good advice and I had to chuckle because while I was writing today I found myself moving sentences back and forth between paragraphs.

While I was there I also discovered an anthology call for lesbian fiction of 4000 to 12,000 words.  The stories can be either contemporary romance or erotica.  Payment is $40 and the deadline is October 15.  You can find the details here.  Or if you're reading the paragraph post just click on the submission call link at the top of page.

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable - Call for Submissions

From Carol Wright we have the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable online zine.  They're looking for short stories up to 2000 words.  They have themes posted on the submission page.  This is a non-paying market.  Also on October 1 they're open for submissions to the 2014 Short Story Award Contest.  The theme is "Food Stories".  There's a fee of $10 to enter.  Prizes are $200, $100, and $50.  Just click on the link at the top of the submissions page for contest details.

Grift - Call for Flash Submissions

Grift editor John Kenyon is looking for crime flash fiction to post on the Grift website.  He needs stories up to 1000 words.  This is a non-paying market.  You can find the details here, just scroll down to the bottom of the page for the online guidelines.

Waylines - Submissions Open

Spec-fiction zine Waylines is supposed to open for submissions today though they haven't yet changed the page notation.  They are looking for shorts of 1000 to 6000 words in the genres of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, the weird, and the wonderful.  Payment is 5cents a word.  You can find their guidelines here.

Talking About Violence in Crime Fiction

Ben LeRoy of Tyrus Books has been the center of much discussion around the web about his stand "On the Repercussions of Crime Fiction".  He has links to the previous posts where the conversation started and he'd like to continue the discussion with  his post.

I know this may sound strange but I believe that much of violence in our society goes through cycles across the generations.  For the past four generations of my lifetime there was the violence of Prohibition followed by a pair of world wars, then came the relative peace of the fifties.  The Viet Nam war reared it's ugly head along with the violence that sprouted alongside the Civil Rights Movement in the Sixties.  In the late seventies and eighties when my children were growing up you couldn't find a toy gun in any store.  Now with my grandchildren the swing is in full force again with violent video games and TV shows.  And the stores are full of pretend weapons once again.  And yes, I was appalled when my then four year old grandson told me he wanted to be a cop so he could kill people.  Thankfully he's found other interests and grown out of that particular phase. 

The violence in our society this time has grown much worse and more hate oriented.  And there's the difference.  When you teach hatred it always spawns violence.  As writers we should try to show the repercussions of violence more than focus on the act of violence itself for its shock value.  I don't believe you need to sugar coat the violence because it has been a part of the world since Cain killed Abel, but you don't have to glorify it.     

Character Development

As writers we always try to have our characters grow or change in some way by the end of the story but John Wiswell asks the question "Do Readers Actually Want Character Development?".  While this piece discusses the fantasy genre in general they do trip off into a discussion of Breaking Bad that might be of interest to you crime writers.

Hat tip to sfsignal.com

Stringtown Road by Richard Prosch

Boy, did this story bring the years rushing back.  I had a similar experience leaving the diner where I had just finished working the three to eleven shift.  Head on over to Beat to a Pulp and have a read.  It's one of those stories where you can't stop til you hit the end.

Patti's New Flash Challenge

Now, if you want to have some fun with flash head on over to Patti Abbott's blog and check out her newest flash challenge.  Here's the theme, "MICHIGAN MAN'S TASTES GET HIM INTO TROUBLE".  Patti says you don't have to use Michigan as a setting, anywhere in the world is fine.  I think the fun part will be deciding his taste in what.  Could it be food, clothes, women, the company he keeps, the weapons he uses?  Oh the possibilities are endless.  Up to a thousand words with  stories to be posted on your blog on September 26.  You can check out Patti's call here and let her know if you're planning on joining in the fun.

Pondering Contests

Contests are always a puzzlement to me.  Oh, I don't mind the non-fee contests or the ones where ALL the entry fees are given as prizes.  What bothers me is when the contest payouts come no where near the amount of fees being collected. So where does all that extra money go?  Straight into the company's coffers.  Yes, you get bragging rights and a few bucks but who's really the winner?

What brought this up?  Well, I received a link for a flash contest sponsored by Scribe Publishing.  It looked good until you got down to the bottom of the submissions page and they finally tell you that there is a $10 fee to enter.  Okay.  They're only accepting 1000 entries, that's $10,000.  The prizes?  $500, $100, and $50.  A total of $650 out of an incoming $10,000.

If you're into contests that's fine.  Many writers enjoy the competition and bragging rights when they win.  But when I see something like this warning bells start ringing.  Always, always check out the folks running the contests and consider what the prizes are and how they're being divided before you enter any contest. 

It's a Crime

There hasn't been too much on the market front of late.  I expect it's because Summer's winding down and people are trying to use up as much of their free time outside as they can before cold weather sets in.  Hopefully things will pick up after school starts. 

One thing I've been really disappointed in lately is the lack of straight up crime markets, even of the non-paying variety.  Another thing that troubles me is the lack of anthology calls for mystery writers.  I keep hearing that anthologies don't sell, but the sci-fi/fantasy and horror fields don't seem to be having that problem because I'm seeing plenty of anthology calls in those fields.  Which makes me wonder, is it because all those genres support their short story writers and editors with awards in all those fields?  I know none of the mystery awards have nominees for collections, anthologies, or novella length fiction.  Makes you wonder what the problem is.

And in case you haven't heard Otto Penzler has collected together 90 flash crime stories in an anthology titled "Kwik Krimes".  Happy to see so many online authors listed among the greats in the genre.

Also the 2013 edition of The Best American Mystery Stories has hit the streets with one story from Needle Magazine by Tom Barlow published and two others, by Jen Conley and Timothy Friend listed as "other distinguished stories".  Also listed in this category is a story by Dave White which appeared in "Protectors:  Stories to Benefit PROTECT".

Congrats to all the writers who made it into these two anthologies!!

Hey That's Me Over At Shotgun Honey Today

Did you ever write a story and think that you'd done something no one else had ever done before?  Yeah, well, so did I.  I wrote a flash piece, "Notes on a Friday Night", in the form of a list.  Soon after it was written I stumbled across this post by Richard Thomas over at LitReactor where he has a list of fifteen unconventional story methods.  Yes, lists have been done before.  So it's not a new form, but I did have fun writing it and I'm very proud to say that the great editors over at Shotgun Honey accepted my experiment and it's posted today.  Thanks guys!

WTF?

This article makes me very happy that I've never joined the Goodreads community.  What is it with the internet that people can act like assholes and are never taken to task for their actions?

Love and Other Wounds by Jordan Harper

Wow!  I've read many love stories in my life but "Love and Other Wounds" by Jordan Harper just nails the heart of what we'll do for love.

Defenestrationism - No Fee Flash Suite Contest

Online literary zine Defenestrationism has issued a call for submissions to their Flash Suite contest.  There are no fees to enter and there are two cash prizes (1st $60 - 2ond $40).  All entries will be posted online for voting purposes.

So you're wondering what Defenestrationism is looking for?  "A series of three flash  fiction works that correlate and build to something greater."  The three flash pieces should be no longer than 1000 words each.  Oh yes, Defenestrationism is "the art of throwing people out windows".  You can find all the details about the contest here. 

Ellen Datlow - Editor Interview

Amazing stories has a great interview with editor Ellen Datlow. 

Hat tip to sfsignal.com

Unsettling Wonder - Call for Submissions

Unsettling Wonder is open to submissions for Issue #3 with the theme "Fairy Brides".  They want stories that hark back to the fairy tales and folklore of our childhood.  They need flash to 1000 words and shorts to 3000 words.  Payment here is 1cent a word.  You can find all the details here.

From the Bottom Looking Up by Barry Napier

Barry Napier has an excellent post up on his blog about self-publishing and the beginning writer.  You can read "From the Bottom Looking Up" here.

Hat tip to Regan Wolfrom!

RIP Elmore Leonard

 Elmore Leonard is gone.  RIP, dear sir.

Some fond thoughts and memories from around the web:

Ed Gorman

Heath Lowrance

Patti Abbott

Thomas Pluck

Mystery Fanfare

The Rap Sheet

Crime Watch

Irresistible Targets

Les Edgerton 

Jedidiah Ayres

22 Rules of Storytelling

There are rules for everything we do.  We don't always follow them but they're fun to read.  Here are "22 Rules of Storytelling" by Emma Coats who does storyboarding for Pixar Studio.

Hat tip to sfsignal.com

Sarah Weinman - Interview

Wonderful interview with anthologist Sarah Weinman about "The Grandmothers of 'Gone Girl'"

Hat tip to @BVLawson

Contraposition - Call for Submissions

Katherine Tomlinson sent me this link to a literary magazine called "Contraposition".  It's a non-paying market but it has a very cool feature for an online magazine called "The Brick Wall".  What they want for this section is videos of people reading poetry, similar to an open mike night at a coffee shop.  They're also open for submissions of poetry, short fiction, art work and photographs.  You can check it out here.

A Little Passion in Your Procedural?

Here's an interesting look at crime fiction.  The question here is do we want passion in our procedural?  And yes, I know they started out talking about noir but it got lost in the essay.  For me, I enjoy a little bit of romance but when the romance/relationship/sex overshadows the crime story then I'm gone.  It's one of the reasons I stopped reading Sanford's prey books.  They became more about his home life than the crime.  I do believe that there needs to be a good balance of both to make a good book, no matter the genre.  Truth is that passion in one form or another is what makes the world go round and keeps the reading interesting.

Hat tip to @tommysalami!

Finding Markets

Finding new markets for your work can be a tricky business.  Recently, on two different sites, I found a listing for an anthology call over at Zombie Works Publications.

Now, one of my pet peeves for anthology calls is the "open until filled" call, especially when they don't tell you when a call is filled.  Such was the case here, but really, did they fill that call in one day?  At the top of the call when I looked it said submissions are closed.  Curiosity got the better of me and I started clicking on the site links.  The archives last listed post was in December of 2012.  This site hasn't been active for eight months.

So when you're looking for new markets, always check out the entire site, not just the submission calls.  That one small thing could save you a lot of time and frustration. 

Here Today by Rob Butler

A very surprising ghost story.  I love the wonderful twist Mr. Butler put on his story, "Here Today".

Pulp Modern #6 - Cizak's Story Cupboard

For those of you thinking about writing a story for Pulp Modern's issue #6 (with the Kennedy murder theme), editor Alec Cizak has some ideas for you to mull over.  You can check them out here.

Tip-toeing Through the Genre Cow Shit

Wow!  I was checking out a new press and read this article they had posted on the home page (there was no author credited for writing the piece) about literary writers swimming in the genre pool.  Talk about a writer feeling like they'd just stepped on a cow flop!  You can read "Writers Gravitate to Genre" here.  Sad to say the comments are closed.  I wonder why? :)

Feel free to vent your frustrations here.

Caesura - Call for Poetry Submissions

Caesura is a new Canadian online poetry zine that's looking to launch their first issue this winter.  There is a $1 reading fee, but you can submit up to six poems for that dollar.  Poems can be any length but they prefer under 60 lines.  For the one dollar fee submitters receive a copy of the first issue.  Payment for all accepted poems is $20.  You can find all the details here.

Big thanks to Katherine Tomlinson for the link!

Waiting on the 6:15 by Kieran Shea

I really enjoy the way Kieran Shea writes flash fiction in straight dialogue.  He's over at Shotgun Honey today with a story called "Waiting on the 6:15".  So few words that say so very much.

Angie's Desk - Anthology Calls

Angie has posted her August anthology calls listing.  Thank you Angie!

Ken Liu - Interview

There's a wonderful interview with short story writer Ken Liu over at Haika Soru.

On Writing - Humor

Over at the SF Signal site there's an excellent post by DK Mok about writing quirky humor.

UPGRADED - Cyborg Anthology Call

Editor Neil Clarke has posted the guidelines for his Kickstarter funded anthology of cyborg science fiction stories.  He's looking for shorts of 1000 to 8000 words and payment is 7cents a word.  The deadline is September 15.  You'll find the submission guidelines here.

Delicious Malicious - Anthology Call

Author Chris Robertson has issued a call for submissions to an anthology titled "Delicious Malicious:  100 Tales of Horror".  He's looking for horror flash/stories up to 1500 words.  Reprints are acceptable.  The anthology will  be published in both ebook and print editions through Kindle.  The deadline is October 31, payment is royalties.  You can find all the details here and you'll find more information in the comments. 

UPDATE:  November 2, 2013  The original call has disappeared and there doesn't seem to be any word on what's happening with submissions.

Hat tip to horrortree.com

The First Line - Call for Submissions

The First Line is now accepting submissions for their Winter 2013 issue.  You must use the first line that they provide which is "I came of age in a time of no heroes."  The deadline is November 1 for stories of 300 to 3000 words in any genre.  Payment is $30.  You can find the submission details here.

Writing What You Know

Write what you know.  Every new writer has heard this bit of advice over and over again but few grasp what it actually means.  Hell, I didn't at first.  I kept thinking who wants to hear about cows giving birth or being milked?  That's what I knew, life on a farm.  It took a long time to realize it wasn't just about the things I knew how to do, it was about the people I knew.  Our fiction comes alive when we use the life lessons we've learned to bring our characters to life.  Stina Leicht has an excellent post on her blog today about "Writing What You Know".

Cerridwyn Publishing - Novella Anthology Calls

Cerridwyn Publishing is a fairly new publisher seeking novellas of 15,000 to 30,000 words to be collected together in anthologies.  Payment is shared royalties.  Currently there are five calls with various deadlines:

Winter Dreams - Holiday themed.  The deadline for this one is August 15 (short notice)
Tied Up With a Bow - Erotica
Be My Valentine - Romance
Beyond The Apocalypse - Urban Fantasy
Hidden in the Steam - Steampunk

You can find all the details here.

UPDATE: September 2014 - The website seems to have disappeared into the ether.

Mammoth Book of Erotica Romance and Domination - Call for Submissions

UK anthologist Maxim Jakubowski has posted a call for submissions for the "Mammoth Book of Erotica Romance and Domination".  He's "seeking strong stories involving BDSM, but with a touch of romance".  The stories need to be 2000 to 8000 words, preferably on the longer side.  The deadline is September 30 and payment is 75pounds, about $114 US.  You can find all the details here, just scroll down the page a bit.

Ride 3 Anthology - Deadline Reminder

Ride 3 is still open for submissions but the deadline of August 31 is fast approaching.  They're looking for short stories up to 12,000 in any genre that center around the cycling world.  Reprints are okay but original stories are better.  Payment is $20 to $75 depending on length.  They're also looking for poetry.  You can find all the details here.

Adria Laycraft - Editor Interview

There's a great interview up over at the Odyssey Workshop blog with Adria Laycraft one of the editors of "The Urban Green Man" anthology.  I love seeing what goes into an anthology project.

Hat tip to sfsignal.com

Charles Bukowski - Doing What He Loved

Wonderful piece over at the Rebelle Society website about Charles Bukowski "on doing what he loved".

Pulp Modern - Call for Submissions

After announcing that he was done with Pulp Modern, editor Alec Cizak has announced that he's bring the magazine back as a theme-based journal in Kindle editions instead of print.  The theme for issue number six is "stories related in some way to the murder of John Kennedy".  Stories must be 2000 to 4000 words and the deadline is October 1.  Payment is one copy.

The Story Quest Short Story Contest - No Fee Spec-fiction Contest

IFWG Publishing has opened submissions to their fifth annual "Story Quest Short Story Contest".  The contest has no theme this year the only requirement is to write a spec-fiction short story for an adult readership.  The deadline is October 1 for stories of 1000 to 3000 words.  There is no fee to enter.  Prizes are $100 - $50 - $25 for the top three spots plus publication in the SQ ezine.  Runners up will also be published and paid a token payment (SQ pays $15 for published stories).  You can find all the details here.

Hat tip to ralan.com

Pro Se Press - Open Calls for Pulp Novellas

Pro Se Press has a long list of open calls for their novella anthologies.  These are pulp fiction and of various genres some set in worlds they've created and for which you need to request their bible.  Stories word counts run from 8000 to 12,500 words depending on the call.  Writers have to query first, so you won't be writing something that you'll have to be hunting down another market for.  You can find the details and various calls here. 

Their submission page with even more details can be found here.  On this page you'll find the dates for reading periods for collections, digests, and novel submissions.  They also publish a quarterly magazine for shorts of 3000 to 30,000 words.

There are no pay specifics listed for any of their projects so that is something you'll need to query about or they will inform you if your query has been accepted.

Crime Factory - Submissions Open for Pink Factory

Crime Factory has opened submissions for a special issue to be published on Valentine's Day 2014 called "Pink Factory".  They're looking for your best erotica/sex/smut short stories of 1000 to 3000 words.  The deadline is October 31, this is a non-paying market.  You can find all the details here.

Penzler on Noir

This was published back in 2010 but deserves a reread.  "Noir Fiction is About Losers, Not Private Eyes" by Otto Penzler.

Hat tip to Brian Lindenmuth's Twitter feed!

Samhain Publishing - Gothic Horror Novella Call

I'm not sure if I posted this before but it just popped up over at hellnotes.com so I thought I'd post it.  Samhain Publishing has issued a call for a Gothic Horror Anthology to be published in 2014.  This call is for their Horror line.  The stories are to be novella length (25,000 to 30,000 words).  They will be published individually then collected together in an anthology.  The deadline is September 15 and payment is royalties.  You can find the call posted here.

Mad Scientist Journal - Call for Submissions

The Mad Scientist Journal is looking for short stories written in first person in the form of "scientific papers" by mad scientists.  They need flash of 500 to 2000 words and shorts of 2000 to 8000 words.  Payment is $10 for the flash and $20 for the shorts as advances against their quarterly collections after the story has appeared online.  They also have a special call up for stories that go straight to the quarterly with a deadline of August 31.  For this they're looking for general fiction that doesn't have to fit the mad scientist mold.  Same payment applies.  They're also looking for flash fiction of 100 to 500 words written as classified ads, payment is $5.  You can find all the details here.

Hat tip to Cindi Meyers Market Blog!

First Crime Novel Competition - Open for Submissions

The Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America's First Crime Novel Competition for 2014 has opened for submissions.  There's no fee to enter, you can find all the details here along with several other contests sponsored by Minotaur each year.

Cohesion Press - Call for Novella Submissions

Australian publisher Cohesion Press is open for novella submissions of 10,000 to 40,000 words in the following genres:

Military Sci-fi or Horror
Post Apocalyptic Horror (preferably not zombies)
Plot Driven Horror (includes all the punk sub-genres)
Crime Noir
Young Adult (I know, not a genre :) )

They pay 80% royalties on the net profits for ebooks.  50% for print.  The deadline is October 2.  You can find all the details here.

They also have an anthology call listed titled "Snafu".  This is a limited call for three or four stories only as most of the anthology has already been solicited.  They need military sci-fi stories of 3000 to 7000 words, payment is 3cents a word.  Details for this can be found under the Submission link at the top of the page.

NewMyths.com

Just ran across this quarterly spec-fiction zine over at Ralan.com.  NewMyths.com is looking for flash fiction, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, book reviews, and artwork.  This is a paying market.  $50 for shorts 1000 words and up and for non-fiction articles.  $20 for flash to 999 words, poems, and book reviews.  They also pay $60 for artwork.  You will find all the details here.  They've just published issue #23 so they've been around a while.

Three Wishes by Cat Rambo

Writing flash is very tricky.  Many writers go for the gotcha last line but few can make that line an integral part of the story.  Cat Rambo's story "Three Wishes" manages to do just that.  An excellent piece of writing.

Charity Anthology Call

Author Tony Healy has issued a call for spec-fiction, horror, or sci-fi submissions for a charity anthology.  All proceeds will go to The Cystic Fibrosis Trust.  Stories can be up to 10,000 words with a deadline of October 31.  This is non-paying.  You can find the call here.

Distorted - Anthology Call

This call for submissions is for an anthology titled "Distorted" to be published by Pulpwood Press in 2014.  they're looking for work "that transform mythology into modern, realistic, or fantastical stories".  The deadline is December 20.  Payment is $5 for stories under 2000 words and $10 to $20 for stories of 2000 words and up plus three copies.  You can find the call here

Here's the link to Pulpwood Press.  They're open for novel submissions of pulp fiction and dark stories set in the South, particularly in Florida.

Scarlett Petals Press - Erotica Anthology Call

Well this anthology call will probably get me a lot of hits :)  Scarlett Petals Press an imprint of KGP Publishing has an open call for submissions for an erotica ebook titled 66-Sex Club.  The idea?  "Imagine if The Twilight Zone was an underground BDSM night club."  They need stories of 3000 to 5000 words, payment is $20.  You can find all the details here

Mocha Memoirs Press - Call for Submissions

Mocha Memoirs Press is is looking for short stories in a variety of lengths for the genres of spec-fiction, romance, and horror.  They have several series with various word count lengths.  They are:

1.  Beauty and the Geek Series
2.  Steamy Mocha Shots Series
3.  Dark Mocha Bites Series
4.  Expresso

There are no payment specifics for these lines but you are invited to query with any questions you might have.  If you click on the Special Calls link in the guidelines you'll find two anthology calls listed.

1.  In the Bloodstream:  An Anthology of Dark Fantasy and Horror.  Word count is 1500 to 3500 with a flat payment of $10.  The reading period begins on August 12 and runs to September 12.

2.  The Grotesquerie:  An Anthology of Women in Horror.  This one is for female writers only.  The reading period is August 31 to December 31 for stories of 1500 to 6000 words.  There's a flat payment of $10.

You'll find the guidelines here for the series with a link (highlighted in red) to the anthologies here.

C J Edwards - Publisher Interview

Paul Brazill has an interview up on his blog with C. J. Edwards the editor/publisher over at Full Dark City Press.  According to their site the press is currently closed to submissions but it's always good to get an idea of the publisher is looking for.

When Are Short Stories the Preferred Length?

Patti Abbott posted an interesting question on her blog today about ghost stories vs ghost novels.  She found that there were more ghost short stories to found than novel length and wondered why.  Which had me wondering if there are other themes that are more suitable to shorts than novels.

The Horror Society - Call for Submissions

The online site HorrorSociety.com has opened submissions for short stories of 3000 to 10,000 words for inclusion in an anthology.  Those that don't make the cut could be selected to appear online.  Those that are included in the anthology will be paid $20.  The deadline is September 1, 2013.  You can find all the details here.

Hat tip to hellnotes.com

On Writing - What They Don't Tell Beginning Writers

I love this essay about the things they don't tell you when you're learning to write.  I remember reading The Writer and Writer's Digest and absolutely believing that I was going to be a millionaire because EVERYONE they featured got a three book deal or was fabulously famous and wealthy.  It wasn't until I let go of the idea of actually making a living with my stories that I achieved any kind of success.  But then, my idea of success isn't necessarily yours. :) 

Hat tip to sfsignal.com

Grinning Skull Press - Charity Anthology Call

Grinning Skull Press has extended the deadline for their Christmas themed charity anthology until August 31.  They're looking horror stories of 3000 to 5000 words centered around Christmas.  Profits will go to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.  You'll find all the details here.

Jabari & Jaser - Call for Novel Submissions

Jabari & Jaser is a new imprint of The Zharmae Publishing Press.  This imprint is looking for novel submissions in the Action and Adventure Genre of 65,000 to 125,000 words.  You'll find their guidelines here.  There's no mention of payment but at the home site the payment is listed as royalties of 15% on print and 50% on ebooks.  Here's the link to Zharmae so you can check them out.  They have a drop down menu which lists and has links to all their various genre imprints.  They also run a yearly no-fee contest for short stories with cash prizes and publication in an anthology.

A big thank you to Katherine Tomlinson for the link!

Some Fun Micro-flash

Ran across some great micro-flash while visiting the SFSignal site this morning.  Who knew twitter would be a great place to find stories?

Thunderdome Publishing - Anthology Call

Thunderdome Publishing has issued a call for submissions for a new print anthology titled "Legends:  True Stories From a Friend of a Friend".  The idea is for the writers to create a new urban legend or myth in 5000 words or less.  The deadline is October 31.  Payment is $25 plus one copy of the anthology.  You can find the details here.

World Weaver Press - Anthology Call

World Weaver Press has posted a new anthology call titled "Fae".  They're looking for short stories up to 7500 words that put a new spin on the old fairy stories.  In other words, mix your fairies with any genre that suits you.  How about a hardboiled detective fairy? :)  The reading period begins on September 1 and ends November 30 so you  have plenty of time to do a little fairy research and polish up a story.  Payment is $10 plus a copy.  You can find all the details here.

Joy Crelin - Editor Interview

Six Questions For... has an interview up with Joy Crelin, the editor of Betwixt.  Betwixt is a new spec-fiction ezine that will publish its first issue on October 1.  They're open for submissions of shorts stories of 4000 to 7000 words but will consider shorter and longer ones.  Payment is 2cents a word with a cap of $150.

The Midnight Diner - Call for Submissions

Now this looks like an interesting new market.  While The Midnight Diner has been around for a while as an annual print anthology, they are now switching to a quarterly online.  They're looking for hard-boiled fiction with a christian slant.  Don't let that scare you away.  They clarify that "pansy, sanitized work will be unceremoniously dismissed".  In other words if your gangbanger say something like, "Gollygee, Beav, what ever are we going to do with this swell crack?", you're not going to get published.  They're currently open for submissions until sometime in November for short stories of 3000 to 6000 words.  They have a variety of genres listed.  Payment is currently up in the air as to amount.  They are running an Indiegogo fund raiser and hope to be able to pay pro rates.  You can check them out here.

Ezine Updates

So, I was going through the links over there to the right this morning and discovered that both the Blood and Tacos and the Dark Recesses sites are currently down.  Not sure if they're closing up shop or just forgot to renew their site subscriptions.

I'm also going out on a limb here and suggesting that Powder Burn Flash, Darkest Before the Dawn, and Hyper Pulp might be breathing their last as none of these sites have published anything new since November and December of 2012.

And I almost forgot to add that Inner Sins will run its last monthly issue in October.  With their January 2014 issue they will be going quarterly.

UPDATE:  August 6, 2013  Blood and Tacos is back up!

Burnt Bridge - Making Changes

I stopped by the Burnt Bridge website this morning to find that they're doing a bit of remodeling on their site.  They have announced that they'll no longer be publishing short stories online, instead they're stepping into the Kindle publishing business.  They will be looking for both original and reprint novellas of 15,000 to 25,000 words in the pulp fiction genres.  Payment will be a $75 advance sales for Kindle rights.  They'll also be looking for novels of 40,000 to 60,000 words.  There are no submissions details yet, but you can check out the announcement here.

Dark Edifice - Open for Submissions

Dark Edifice is currently open for submissions for issues #6 and #7.  They're looking for dark fiction of both flash and short story length.  This is a non-paying market.

Black Treacle - Call for Halloween Themed Stories

Canadian ezine, Black Treacle has posted a call for Halloween themed stories for their October issue.  The deadline is September 27 for shorts of 1500 to 5000 words.  They're also looking for non-fiction.  Payment is $25CAD.

J. David Osborne - Interview

There is an interview with J. David Osborne, editor of Broken River Books, over at Do Some Damage today.  I especially loved his definition of noir!

I posted his call for the anthology INCOGNITO here.  I've always loved the idea of celebrating the story, not the author.

Horror in Two Sentences

I've seen this talked about here and there on the 'net but thought I'd post a link to Hell Notes where they have the top ten really short scarey horror stories.  The writer has two sentences or less to scare the crap of readers :)  Can you do that?  If you'd like to give it a whirl drop your story in the comments here.  Have fun!!

Here's my try:
The middle of freaking nowhere and the pickup sputtered to a stop beside a creepy looking old man smoking a cigarette.  Too bad the gas tank was full.

Pulp Modern - Closing up Shop

Looks like Pulp Modern is closing its doors.

On Writing - Description

Every writer has a weakness and mine is writing description.  I tend to avoid it wherever possible :)  But this piece by Ava Jae has some excellent tips for getting it right.

Hat tip to Regan Wolfrom!

Shadow and Tall Trees - Call for Submissions

Shadows and Tall Trees is an annual trade paperback magazine based near Toronto, Canada.  They have opened submissions for "quiet literary horror fiction" up to 7500 words and non-fiction up to 2500 words.  The deadline is April 1 unless they fill up earlier.  Payment is 1cent a word with a max of $50 for both.  You can find all the details here.

You'll also find an interview with editor Michael Kelly here.  The interview will help you get a feel for what Mr. Kelly is looking for.

Mixing Mystery and Science

The mixing of genres isn't something new, it's been around for a long time.  Over at Black Gate Violette Malan takes a look at "The Science Fiction Mystery".

Hat tip to Bill Crider!!

Warren Ellis - Interview

Forbes has a most interesting interview with Warren Ellis on their site.

Hat tip to sfsignal.com

Frontier Tales - New Issue

The August issue of Frontier Tales has gone live for your reading pleasure.

Nightmare - New Issue

The August issue of Nightmare magazine is now available for your Kindle or can be read for free over the course of the month.

Lakeside Circus - Call for Submissions - New Market

Lakeside Circus is a new zine being published by Dagan Books LLC.  They have just opened for submissions to their first issue which will be published this Fall.  They are seeking spec-fiction stories of flash to 1000 words and shorts to 2500 words, they're also accepting poetry.  Payment is 1cent a word with a minimum payment of $10.  You can find all the details here.

On checking out Dagan Books I discovered that they're open to spec-fiction novellas of 17,500 to 40,000 words.  Payment is royalties.  You can check out Dagan Books here.