Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Watch Ireland Passing Marriage Equality

This is a wonderful video, just under 7.5 minutes long, by Raymond Braun who travelled to Ireland for the vote. He travelled around and talked to people, both straight and gay, about what it meant to them. It was pretty awesome seeing the up-welling of support for marriage equality, enough so that there was an entire store in a mall selling just pro-equality items.

This is the first time a country has adopted marriage equality through a popular vote. Props to Ireland. I hope it spreads.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Anthology -- Alchemy and Steam


Alchemy and Steam is out, with my story "The Rites of Zosimos" in it, along with a bunch of other great stories. This one was a lot of fun to write; I did some research, which led me into the historical lore of alchemy. An alchemist named Zosimos of Panopolis actually existed, and I took some of his writings to use as a seed for my story. I hope you enjoy it.

Available:

in paperback on Amazon
in e-book on Amazon
in paperback on B&N
in e-book on B&N
in e-book on Smashwords

Angie

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

BayCon

The husband and I will be at BayCon this weekend, as we are every year. This is my only chance to see a lot of old friends from the Bay Area, so I'm feeling kind of boingy about it. :) Anyone else going? It'd be cool to have lunch or something. [wave]

Angie

Friday, May 15, 2015

Anthology Markets

If you've just wandered in off the internet, hi and welcome. :) I do these posts every month, so if this post isn't dated in the same month you're in, click here to make sure you're seeing the most recent one.

Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets are at the bottom (although there aren't any this month). There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.

***

31 May 2015 -- 2016 Young Explorer's Adventure Guide -- ed. Corie and Sean Weaver; Dreaming Robot Press

We’re looking for stories that:

==Have a main character that a middle grade reader (ages 9-12) can identify with;
==Show a diverse set of real characters;
==Are well written, fun to read and encourage a love of reading science fiction;
==Tell of adventure, space, science. Give us rockets, robots and alien encounters, and we’re pretty happy. Steampunk, time travel, weird west and alternate history are all fine.
==Are between 3,000 and 6,000 words.

We’re especially looking for stories:

==Of adventure! We love a good dystopia as much as the next robot, but remember – this is the young explorer’s adventure guide.
==Where the main character is of a population that has traditionally been under-represented in science fiction, e.g. girls, people of color, differently abled people;
==Where the main character has agency, exercises it, and isn’t just along for the ride.

We’re not interested in:

==Stories where the female characters primarily exist to be rescued or as a prize for the males;
==Stories where the primary plot or subplot is romantic in nature;
==Stories with graphic violence or any form of sexual activity;
==Stories about the first girl to do X, surprising everyone;
==Stories that depict any ethnicity or gender as universally bad or stupid.

Please note: although we’re aware kids have a wide and varied vocabulary, we’d prefer not to have swearing in the stories. If a story is selected for publication that has swear words, we’ll work with you to come up with alternatives.

Submission deadline, mechanics and planned schedule

==Anthology will be open for submissions from March 1, 2015 – May 31, 2015;
==While we prefer original stories, if you have something perfect that had a limited run elsewhere, query us and we’ll talk;
==Acceptance notices will be sent by July 1, 2015;
==July 14th will launch a crowd-funding campaign to help with pre-publication costs. Regardless of results of crowd-funding campaign, we are committed to publishing the anthology;

Rights and Payments

==Authors will be provided with a complete Anthology Contract for review and consideration with the notice of accepted submissions.
==In keeping with SWFA’s new guidelines, we pay $0.06/word on final edited word count for one-year exclusive worldwide rights, print and electronic, and two contributor copies. Payment upon final edit.
==We also buy the nonexclusive right to republish, print, or reprint the complete anthology in any language or format after the first year.
==If the crowd-funding fails, please note that we are still committed to this anthology, and will find other ways to fund the project. However, there may be delays. If authors feel the need to withdraw their submission due to delays, we understand.
==We will provide professional editing, primarily for issues of grammar and spelling.
==If authors have other questions about rights or payments, please contact us before submission. We want to make sure all concerns are addressed.

More questions? Check the full description page for last years anthology here. Have more questions? Contact us!

[NOTE: In case you're wary of crowdfunded books that haven't run their campaign yet, I had a story in last year's book and will vouch for the Weavers' professionalism. Their first Kickstarter campaign last year, in fact, failed, but they regrouped and ran another one and made their money. I was paid well in advance of publication -- a rare thing from any publisher -- and was very happy with how they handled their business. The contract offered was also very author-friendly, particularly in the case of the project completely failing, which is reassuring for people like me who are the sort to think, "What if these nice people get hit by a bus and their evil cousin Raymond inherits the business...?" Which is what everyone should think when deciding whether to sign a contract. So, good experiences, good contract, for whatever my recommendation is worth.]

***

31 May 2015 -- The Deep, Dark Woods -- ed. Christina Escamilla

What could possibly lurking in the woods? It’s up to you to find out! Craft the scariest, most diabolical story you can. Your tale can be a horror that is based around a central moral theme or it can be a straight up splatterpunk that is only meant to shock! We only care that your story is well crafted, original, and gives a new take on the mysterious forest trope.

THE BASICS

== We are looking for both flash fiction of around 500 words to short stories up to 8,000 words.
== Submission period runs from March 10th until May 31st.
== Open internationally, but the manuscript must be in American English.
== There is no entrance fee.
== No reprints!!
== Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but you must immediately let us know if your story has been accepted elsewhere.
== Multiple submissions are allowed. Limit of two submissions per person, though only one will be accepted.
== The genre is horror, though any subgenre is acceptable.
== Adult language and sexual situations are acceptable; however, please do not send erotica.
== We obtain first publication rights to your story in both print and digital format. Keep in mind that upon acceptance and subsequent publication, your story will be considered a “reprint” by other markets, which can be limiting to future acceptance/payrate. Please consider this factor carefully before submission.

Payment:

0.05 per word and a contributor copy of the book!

Submitting:

To submit, please send your story in proper manuscript format along with the following information to contests@christinaescamilla.com:

Author Name:
Email:
Word Count:
Summary:
Biography:

Your story MUST:

- Be in doc/docx format

- Your file should be: your last name followed by your first name and then title of your story.

Ex. EscamillaChristinaTheDeepDarkWoods.docx

- The following subject in your email: Submission: Title of Your Story. Ex.

Ex. Submission: The Deep, Dark Woods

[NOTE: Click through for a FAQ.]

***

31 May 2015 -- Hides the Dark Tower -- Pole to Pole Publishing

Tower. What comes to mind when you hear the word?

According to A Dictionary of Symbols by J.E. Cirlot: the tower in Egyptian hieroglyphics denotes the act of rising above the common level. It is a signal of ascent. In the Middle Ages, towers held the same symbolism as a ladder. Enclosed and walled in, a tower is emblematic of the Virgin Mary and can be found in many allegorical designs.

The athanor — the alchemists' crucible — was given the shape of a tower, since ascension often implies transformation and evolution. A tower can also be likened to man, the top-most windows seeming like eyes. It's from that sense that the Tower of Babel acquired the symbolic point as a wild endeavor bringing disaster to mankind. The Tarot's Tower card — depicting a tower being struck by lightning — echos this symbolism.

Yet Nietzsche found a dual symbolism in towers, descent as well as ascent. In Aurelia, Nervel says, "I found myself in a tower, whose foundations were sunk so deep into earth and whose top was so lofty, reaching up like a spire into the sky, that my whole existence already seemed bound to be consumed in climbing up and down it."

Where does the Hides the Dark Tower title come from?

What else should he be set for, with his staff?
What, save to waylay with his lies, ensnare
All travellers who might find him posted there,
And ask the road? I guess'd what skull-like laugh
Would break, what crutch 'gin write my epitaph
For pastime in the dusty thoroughfare,
If at his counsel I should turn aside
Into that ominous tract which, all agree,
Hides the Dark Tower.

~ From Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, by Robert Browning

What do we want from you?

Pole to Pole Publishing is seeking original science fiction, fantasy and horror stories of 500-5000 words to be published in the Hides the Dark Tower anthology, slated for December 2015.

Query for reprints at submissions@poletopolepublishing.com. Tell us the publication history of the story and whether it’s available. You must be able to provide documentation that rights have returned (or will return to to you, by publication). (We'll ask for that if we accept your story.)

Edition and Rights

Hides the Dark Tower will be published in electronic and trade paperback in English. We are asking for exclusive, worldwide rights to your work for both electronic and print for six months.

Payment

Payment is 2 cents/word for new fiction, half-cent/word for reprints, paid at publication.

Bonus Royalties Multiplier: If the anthology "earns out," that is, recoups all up-front costs to produce, authors will receive a royalty-share payment based on word-length of their story, at six-months from date of publication.

Authors will receive a copy of both the electronic and trade paperback versions of the anthology.

Submission Procedures

Submit stories through the Pole to Pole Publishing Submission Manager only.

A brief cover letter should contain the length of your story, your publishing history, and any other relevant information (e.g, if you send us a time-traveler thriller and you've time-traveled, mention that).

All stories should be in standard manuscript form and in rich text format (.rtf) only.

Hides the Dark Tower is not accepting poetry. Please do not send poems. Poetry will be deleted without a response.

We do accept simultaneous submissions, but not multiple submissions. If you story is rejected, feel free to send another before the submission window closes.

If you're not sure if your story is suitable, don’t query; just go ahead and submit it and let our editors decide.

***

31 May 2015 -- The Lane of Unusual Traders -- Short Stories -- Tiny Owl Workshop

The story of Midlfell begins in a lane known only as The Lane of Unusual Traders (LoUTs).

To begin

Read the prologue developed by Brisbane author, Chris White. The prologue provides essential information to orient you to The Lane of Unusual Traders. You may also wish to check out the Midlfell Wiki started by LoUTs author Tom Dullemond; there's heaps of information about Stage 1 authors and their stories.

Next, take a look at the map of The Lane designed by illustrator, author and animator, Terry Whidborne. There are 13 Story Lots available in Stage 2.

The Story Lots coloured in blue are already taken.

Your options

Of the 13 Story Lots available:

== 6 Lots are allocated for flash fiction stories of no more than 500 words
== 7 Lots are allocated for short stories up to 3,000 words

Your task

So, this means you:

== choose a Story Lot you would like to write a story about
== decide whether you’d like to submit a flash fiction or short fiction piece
== begin writing.

Your task is to choose a Story Lot and write the story of your chosen Lot and its resident/s (if there are any). For instance, your Lot could be:

== a shop that sells short visits to 'the real world'
== a theatre known for its truly dreadful plays
== a bookshop that sells the souls of books burned by the Kraken (our evil guy, of course he burns books)
== a shambling, empty cottage where visitors find that poetry appears on the walls as they wander through.

Authors with stories included in Stage 1 may also submit stories for Stage 2.

The Rest of the Guidelines (you do need to read them)

The maximum length for flash fiction submissions 500 words,

The maximum length for short stories is 3,000 words, the minimum length is 1,500 words.

The audience you are writing for is adults or young adults (YA), although your protagonist may be a child.

There is no geographical restriction on entry although submissions must be in English.

Your submission must be formatted using a simple font, such as Times New Roman/Courier 11 pt. Submit as either a .doc/docx of rtf document, but contact us prior to the deadline if this is a problem.

Your name and contact details should only appear on the first page of the story.

The only thing that should appear in a header or footer is a page number.

Entrants may submit multiple stories, although each story must relate to the prologue.

Submissions must be sent via email to tinyowlworkshop [at] gmail [dot] com either on or before the due date.

Entries must be wholly the work of the entrant/s and must not have been previously published, in print or online (including websites, blogs, etc).

We will acknowledge receipt of your submission/s via email.

If accepted, where/how will my story be published?

Because of the nature of the project it's difficult to predict what stories will be submitted, what storylines may develop and how the stories submitted may fit together. The aim is to publish a Lane of Unusual Traders Annual (physical book format), BUT as we like to do things a little differently you may find your stories published on postcards, scrolls (of the parchment not bread variety), paper napkins or in some other form that presents itself and which fits the project. Tiny Owl Workshop will, however, negotiate this with authors prior to publishing.

Copyright

While you, of course, retain copyright of your material this is a collaborative, world-building venture so you must be ready for other contributors to make reference to or interact with the characters you develop. This does not mean that Tiny Owl Workshop will permit other contributors to purloin or change your work and develop it as their own, merely that other contributors may reference your work in some way. E.g. Georgia strode by the rancid inn (a reference to Tiny Owl's own Lot 1) and on toward the fen.

Tiny Owl Workshop will keep, and publish, a schedule of who owns what as the story grows. This will also help us and contributors to keep track of intellectual property (IP).

Deadlines and Judgement

There are two deadlines:

== The deadline for flash fiction submissions is 1 May 2015.
== The deadline for short story submissions is 31 May 2015.

Entries will be judged by a panel of readers, enthusiasts, grammar pedants and writers. The judging panel may select up to 6 flash fiction stories, and up to 7 short stories.

Flash fiction entrants will be advised on the outcome of the judging process in early June 2015 and short story entrants will be advised on the outcome in early July 2015.

The panel's decision is final and, due to the number of submissions, feedback on unsuccessful submissions will not be given.

Payment for flash fiction stories accepted for publication is $60 (AUD).

Payment for short stories accepted for publication is $300 (AUD)

Where there are royalties, 10% of the profit pool will be shared by the Authors published in Stage 2.

Should you wish to withdraw a story you submitted before the close date, please contact us via email (otherwise we won’t know).

We can't make you read these guidelines, but we will assume that those submitting stories for consideration have read and understood them.

Questions

If you have any questions please contact Tiny Owl Workshop via Twitter @tinyowlworkshop or email tinyowlworkshop [at] gmail [dot]com or on Facebook.

BUT, make sure you've read the guidelines first, otherwise we can't be friends.

***

1 June 2015 -- Blood in the Rain -- ed. Decilia DuValle and Mary Trepanier

For the vampire erotica anthology Blood in the Rain, available October 2015, we seek short stories of 2000–7000 words, preferably by Northwest authors—from Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska.

Your story must include both a vampire and an erotic element, but it doesn’t have to be a "true" vampire, whatever that is, and the vampire doesn’t have to be the story’s focus. Erotically, we’re open to anything from a sexy tease to hardcore porn. We encourage stories nonstereotypically including people who are LGBTQI (or A if you can make it work), people of color, and people any age above 18.

Most of all, we want compelling characters having hot sex, with a story that draws us in. And a vampire. Bottom line: Make us horny.

We pay on acceptance: 2.5 cents a word, with a minimum of $75.

See all the nitty-gritty details to submit.

***

30 June 2015 -- Ain't Superstitious -- Third Flatiron

Theme involving superstition, e.g., luck, prophecy, magic, rational and irrational thinking, Spinoza, dark times, black cats, Orpheus, the Flying Dutchman, Sleepy Hollow, Tam O'Shanter, astrology, witchcraft, etc.

Stories should be submitted in either Microsoft Word (using double spacing), RTF, or plain text. They should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Flash humor pieces (Grins and Gurgles) should be short, around 600 words.

Please don't send simultaneous or multiple submissions. If a story has been rejected, you can then send another.

Submit by email to flatsubmit@thirdflatiron.com either as an attachment (Word) or in the body of the mail (text).

In the Subject: line of the email, please put flatsubmit:Title_of_Your_Work to avoid being deemed a canned meat product based on ham.

If the work is for the humor section, please note that in the body of your email. A brief bio and a one- or two-sentence synopsis in the body of your email would also be helpful to us.

Your story must be original work, with the digital rights unencumbered. Accepted stories will be paid at the flat rate of 3 cents per word (U.S.), in return for the digital rights to the story for six months after publication. All other rights will remain with the author. We no longer offer royalties. If your story is selected as the lead story, beginning July 1, 2014, we will pay a flat rate of 6 cents per word (SFWA professional rate), in return for the permission to podcast or give the story away as a free sample portion of the anthology.

Third Flatiron will price and market your story to various e-publishing venues. We will format the story for the most popular electronic readers and platforms. You agree that we may distribute a sample (portion of the story) to potential customers.

For non-U.S. submissions, we prefer to pay via PayPal, if you have such an account.

Authors selected for publication will also be entitled to one free online copy of the anthology.

***

30 June 2015 -- The Spectral Book of Horror Stories 2 -- ed. Mark Morris; Spectral Press

Mark Morris says: "I’m pleased to announce that The 2nd Spectral Book of Horror Stories is now open to submissions! Stories can be any length (though the preferred length is 2000-8000 words) and payment is £20 per 1000 words, up to a maximum of £100, which means that if you submit a story that’s over 5000 words it will be on the understanding that you’ll be giving us those additional words for free. The closing date for submissions is June 30th, and the book will be launched at FantasyCon in October. Due to the volume of stories I’m expecting to receive over the next few months it may take a while for me to get back to you, and my responses may, by necessity, be brief (I have my own writing deadlines to meet, after all). PLEASE NOTE: NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS AND NO REPRINTS!! All submissions should be sent to:

spectralhorror2@gmail.com

and stories should be double-spaced in a clear, readable font. There’s no theme for the anthology – all I’m looking for are well-written, original, disturbing stories that push my buttons. If you want further clues as to the kinds of stories I like, I recommend you buy and read a copy of the inaugural volume of The Spectral Book of Horror Stories, which is available from Spectral Press. Thanks – and good luck!

***

1 July 2015 -- Defying Doomsday -- ed. Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench; Twelfth Planet Press

Defying Doomsday will be an anthology of apocalypse-survival fiction with a focus on disabled characters. We already have some fantastic stories lined up, but we want more! If you have an apocalypse story featuring a character with disability, we would love to read it.

Submission Guidelines:

== (One of) the protagonist(s) must be a character with disability, such as physical impairments, chronic illnesses, mental illnesses and/or neurodiverse characters etc. We will consider stories with characters experiencing all kinds of disability and hope that submitting authors will be creative with the possibilities.
== We feel strongly that disability or chronic illness (etc) should have an impact on the character’s life and during the post-apocalyptic event. For example, a character with a deadly peanut allergy in a world where peanuts have been wiped out by a plague isn’t going to quite cut it. However, we are not looking for issue stories or stories where disability is the sole focus of the narrative.
== Some sort of cataclysmic event must have occurred or be in the process of occurring. We are open to a variety of events, including apocalypses, alien invasions, devastating war, natural disasters etc. Be creative! We are most interested in stories set in the near future, however, we will also consider stories set in the far future or an alternate timeline version of the recent past.
== We are not interested in fantasy (that means no magic).
== Stories can be young adult or adult stories. Graphic themes and content are okay, but we’re not looking for erotica or gratuitous violence.
== Stories should be between 3000 and 7000 words in length and submitted in standard manuscript format.
== No reprints, no simultaneous submissions, no multiple submissions.
== Email submissions to: defyingdoomsday@twelfthplanetpress.com

We want a varied anthology with stories that are fun, sad, adventurous or horrific etc. We are also looking for variety in both characters and apocalypse scenarios. Most of all, we are looking for good quality, well written stories.

Submissions are open from 1 May 2015 to 0:00 1 July 2015 Australian Eastern Standard Time (so maybe aim for submissions to close on 30 June if you live somewhere other than Australia or New Zealand).

Payment will be 7 cents per word (USD) to be paid on publication in exchange for First World Publication Rights, with an exclusivity period of 12 months (with the exception of Year’s Best reprints).

***

31 July 2015 -- Hidden Youth (Long Hidden 2) -- ed. Mikki Kendall and Sofia Samatar; Crossed Genres

Crossed Genres Publications will publish Hidden Youth: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History (expected release January 2016). Below are guidelines for submitting stories to Hidden Youth. Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting.

Direct all queries to hyquestions@crossedgenres.com. Please do not query asking for an exception to the guidelines. Do not send story submissions via this email – see below for how to submit without using the form.

We welcome stories by authors from all walks of life. We especially encourage submissions from members of marginalized groups within the speculative fiction community, including (but not limited to) people of color; people who are not from or living in the U.S.A.; QUILTBAG and GSM people; people with disabilities, chronic illness, or mental illness; and atheists, agnostics, and members of religious minorities. The protagonists of your story do not have to mirror your own heritage, identities, beliefs, or experiences.

We also especially encourage short story submissions from people who don’t usually write in this format, including poets, playwrights, essayists and authors of historical fiction and historical romance.

Submissions are due April 30, 2015. If it’s still April 30 in your time zone, you’re good. Acceptance notices will be sent by October 1. The anthology is tentatively slated for a January 2016 release.

We pay USD 6¢/word for global English first publication rights in print and digital format. The author retains copyright. Payment is upon publication.

==Length: 2000-8000 words (FIRM)
==Your story must be set before 1935 C.E. (NO exceptions), and take place primarily in our world or an alternate historical version of our world. (Travel to other worlds, other dimensions, Fairyland, the afterlife, etc. is fine but should not be the focus.)
==Your protagonists must be young people (under the age of 18) who were marginalized in their time and place. By “marginalized” we mean that they belong to one or more groups of people that were categorically, systematically deprived of rights and/or economic power. Examples in most times and places include enslaved people, indigenous people, queer people, laborers, women, people with disabilities, and people who do not share the local dominant religion, language, or ethnicity. Many people belong to multiple marginalized groups, and many are marginalized in some ways and privileged in others. Your story should acknowledge the complexity and intersectionality of marginalization.
==Your story must contain a significant element of science fiction, fantasy, horror, or the weird, without which the story would not work or would be a substantially different story.
==All submissions must be in English.
==Please note: while we are looking for stories about young people, this is not specifically a YA anthology. We are interested in work that will appeal to a broad audience.
==No reprints. No simultaneous submissions.

We will not accept any story containing the following:

==Gratuitous or titillating depictions of violence.
==Gratuitous descriptions of bodies or body parts, or people described only in objectifying ways.
==Horror that relies on shocking or grossing out the reader.
==Stories that are all about how someone non-marginalized became an enlightened champion of marginalized people.
==A protagonist from a societally or technologically powerful group who happens to be temporarily or situationally powerless (e.g. a peasant who’s really a prince, a representative of the British East India Company shipwrecked on Ceylon).
==Depictions of marginalized people as being doomed to hopeless misery.
==Depiction of any group, no matter how powerful, as universally, inherently, or irredeemably evil.

If you decide to incorporate one or more of the following elements, please do so with caution and awareness of the ways that they can be problematic or difficult to write about.

==Violence, particularly sexual violence. We recognize that sexual violence is frequently used as a weapon against marginalized people, so we are not issuing a blanket prohibition against it, but please consider very carefully whether you need to include it in your story; and if you decide that you do, please consider very very carefully whether your story needs to show the violent act itself.
==Consensual sexual encounters. We’re not averse to sexual or erotic content, but it needs to further the story and incorporate awareness of the ways real-world power relationships affect sexual behavior and decision-making.
==Stereotypes and clichés.
==Alternate history that drops magic powers or anachronistic technology into a historical setting.
==A protagonist who is the only marginalized person in the story.
==Revenge fantasies.
==A setting that’s already very commonly used in speculative fiction, especially one that’s often associated with stories featuring members of privileged/dominant/colonizing groups, e.g. Victorian England, the American “Wild West”.
==A rewrite of a common YA trope. No Twilight, Hunger Games, Harry Potter reboots please. Yes that means we don’t want to see “If Bella was a Black girl in the 1800’s”.

Your story doesn’t need to have all these elements, but we’re especially interested in stories that have at least some of them.

==Intersectionality.
==Accurate depictions of life on the margins.
==Thoughtful, sensitive incorporation of religion, superstition, and folklore.
==Depictions of historically accurate societal attitudes in the context of an authorial voice that does not condone or espouse bigotry. (For example, your female characters will probably have to deal with societal sexism, but your descriptions of them should not rely on sexist stereotypes.)
==An understanding of how economic, technological, political, and religious influences shape a time and place, especially in alternate historical settings.
==Research bibliographies and suggestions for further reading.
==Integration of friendships, family relationships, and community into the story.
==Protagonists who make conscious choices and take conscious action.
==Side characters who are real people.
==Personal triumphs and successes.
==Making us laugh, think, cheer, and weep.

To submit a story to Hidden Youth, please fill out the form [on our web page.] Be sure to:

==Address your submission “Dear Hidden Youth editors” or “Dear Ms. Kendall and Dr. Samatar” or “Dear Mikki and Sofia”. Include your story’s year and location at the beginning of your submission.
==Attach your story as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file, with your name, the story title, and the wordcount on the first page.
==There will be an email address to send submissions to if for any reason you’re unable to use the form.

***

1 August 2015 -- SNAFU: Hunters -- ed. Geoff Brown, Amanda J Spedding, and Dawn Roach; Cohesion Press

For this anthology, we want hunters of the supernatural. Sam and Dean… Grimm… Van Helsing… with soldiers, hunting along the edges of reality, watching their backs while others watch them from the shadows. Take us along for the ride while your soldiers or hunters take the fight to their enemies. Both hunter or hunted may die, but above all, show us the hunt.

We still want ORIGINAL military-style combat from any period, don’t get me wrong, but we also want fear… we want suspense and tension… we want originality in the monster/antagonist. Most of all we want action, action, ACTION! We want something jaw-droppingly amazing.

If there are no soldiers in the tale, make the hunters and the action military in nature. We STRONGLY suggest you read the first, second and/or third SNAFU volume to see what it is we like.

Edited by Geoff Brown, Amanda J Spedding, and Dawn Roach

Payment: AUD3c/word and one contributor copy in each format released

Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query for shorter or longer)

Submission window: May 1st 2015 to August 1st 2015 (anything submitted outside of this window will be deleted without being read)

Projected publication date: October/November 2015

Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us:

1. Please put your full contact details on the first page of the manuscript top left, with word count top right.
2. Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting.
3. Courier or Times New Roman set at 12pt. Italics as they will appear. No underlining.
4. Double spaced.
5. Please don’t use TAB or space bar to indent lines. Use ‘styles’ only. If unsure or using a program that has no styles, do not indent at all. That’s still cool.
6. NO SPACE between paragraphs unless a line-break is required. ONE SPACE after full stops.
7. Please put full contact details on the first page of the manuscript (yes, I said this twice… it’s important).
8. Send your submission to Geoff Brown at editor@cohesionpress.com as an attachment (.doc only – no .docx).
9. In the subject line of your email, please put HUNTERS: [STORY TITLE] (Replace [STORY TITLE] with your actual story title. Yes, unfortunately I do need to state this)

NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS
NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS
NO REPRINTS

For a guide to standard submission format, see: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html. The only variations to this format are that italics MUST appear as they will be used – no underlining – and again, only one space after a full stop. Anyone that fails to follow these guidelines will likely see their story gobbled up by spam gremlins.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

New Book -- Bits of Magic


Released today, Bits of Magic is a collection of all the short stories in the Magic series.

There's magic in the world, and its hiding in plain sight. Your friends, your neighbors, the guy who runs your favorite restaurant -- any of them could be more than they seem. A man trick-or-treating with his son finds the courage to go after what he wants when he confiscates and eats some unwrapped candy. A park ranger who's afraid of outing himself in public is reminded that his lover will -- and can -- protect him, no matter what. An apprentice mage learns that his master never forgets when he has a lesson to finish, and will always come for him when he gets himself lost in magic. And a boy from a mage-gifted family learns that life isn't over just because the gift has passed him by. Return to the world of Hidden Magic.

Contains:

Chasing Fear
Catching Courage
Reach Out and Touch
Unfinished Business
Candy Courage
Birthdays Suck

Buy at Torquere's site or Amazon. Shelve on Goodreads.