For Our Western Writers

The "Burnt Bridge" magazine is looking for Western fiction. This is a non-paying market.
http://burntbridge.net/submissions/

Anthology Calls

Wicked East Press has seven open anthology calls listed for this year. Payment varies from 4theluv to a flat rate of $5.
https://sites.google.com/a/wickedeastpress.com/wicked-east-press/open-submissions

On Writing

I love reading blog posts about writing. Sure, everything that needs to be said has been written in stone somewhere but sometimes I just need a refresher course. If you don't take a fresh look at what you're writing how can you improve?

Writers tend to get stuck in a rut. If they find something that works for them, they stick with it. You know, like that old adage if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, if the tire on your bike is soft, consider how much better it will run with a few blasts of air. Or maybe a little grease on the axle or a bit of oil on the chain. We're not talking about rebuilding the entire bike, we're talking about a few adjustment that will make it run smoother.

So with that in mind here are a few of the posts I found that made me take a new look at my own writing.

"Don't Fear the Kitten" by Richard Parks is about the reasons for breaking some of the rules http://richard-parks.com/2012/04/11/taking-aim-at-your-own-feet/

"Embracing Your Inner Butcher" also by Parks, is about learning how to cut your words until you have the story you intended to write. http://richard-parks.com/2012/04/16/embracing-your-inner-butcher/

"Falling into Dark" by Damien Walters Grintalis is about using all your senses to build a better horror story. http://www.inkpunks.com/2012/04/18/guest-post-by-damien-walters-grintalis-falling-into-dark/

Building a Fan Base

Too bad this doesn't work for all of us :)
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/scott-sigler-used-free-media-become-best-selling-170005749.html

The New YA Fiction?

I've noticed lately that a lot of adults are reading YA fiction, much of it of the fantasy variety. But I picked up a book this past Saturday at the Dollar Store that has me looking at YA with fresh eyes. Here's a portion of the text that was used on the cover.

"That was too much. That was the last straw. I simply could not be doing this: driving like a maniac, losing my mind, swerving through traffic with blood on my hands.

But I was. That was the thing. I was."

I read that and thought, wow, this might be a good noir novel. Then I flipped open the back cover to read about the author and discovered that he wrote young adult novels. I bought the book anyway, just out of curiosity. And yeah, it was noir right straight through to the ending. The author didn't cop out with a happily ever after.

This was not the YA of my youth, or even my sons. Things seem to be changing. Or was this just a fluke that I happened to find? Have any of you been surprised with the YA you might be reading?

Oh yeah, the book was "Paranoid Park" by Blake Nelson.

The News Story Cupboard

There are some news stories that just slap a writer upside the head with possibilities. This story is one of them. It's not a pleasant story but then, most crime stories aren't. Add to the mix that this happened in Las Vegas and the directions this story could take are endless. I can't imagine what must be going through the detectives' minds at this point.
http://news.yahoo.com/boy-school-officials-mom-sister-dead-home-173116583.html

New Issues

April has brought us quite a few new issues with some wonderful stories and with the tax forms out the door what better way to spend your spare time?

The spring issue of "White Cat" is up http://www.whitecatpublications.com/?p=1460

The April issue of Yellow Mama has a story by Patti Abbott and a scary romp of a revenge story by Thomas Pluck. http://blackpetalsks.tripod.com/yellowmama/index.html

And Mr. Pluck also has the second installment of All Due Respect's April issue http://www.all-due-respect.blogspot.com a wonderful story called, "White People Problems".