Welcome to Sortilege Falls Cover Reveal, IWSG, & Links

Before we jump into the IWSG, I want to welcome Libby Heily for her cover reveal of Welcome to Sortilege Falls!

Sixteen-year-old Grape Merriweather has just moved to Sortilege Falls and already she knows something isn't right. A small pack of teenage models, too beautiful for words, holds the town in their sway. The models have no plans on making Grape's life easy. But no matter how cruel they are to Grape and the other “Normals”, no one can stay angry with them for long.

Grape's life changes for the better, or so she thinks, when Mandy, the only “nice” model, befriends her. But that’s when the trouble truly begins. Mandy's friendship places Grape smack in the middle of a medical mystery that has the entire town on edge. One by one, the models fall ill from an incurable disease. Grape quickly realizes that the models' parents are hiding a secret, even as they watch their children die. To save her only friend, Grape will have to find the truth–and that means putting her life in danger.

Due out in June from Fire and Ice YA Publishing

Find it on Goodreads

Look for Libby in the following places:

Her website

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Amazon

Goodreads

Now it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, this group exists to air your insecurities, get support from fellow writers, and lend support right back. Anyone can participate. Go here to sign up. 

My thanks out to our co-hosts, Megan Morgan, Chris Votey, Viola Fury, Christine Rains, Madeline Mora-Summonte, L.G. Keltner, Rachna Chhabria, and Patricia Lynne.

My insecurity this month involves creating a query letter to pitch with at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference next week. I haven't had time to sit down and put one together yet, so I need to get on that ASAP. I'm excited to get feedback on it, whether I get an ask or not, because I can use that feedback to improve the query. And then I have no excuse not to start querying agents! ACK!

As part of my IWSG post each month, I like to keep myself accountable by reporting my submission stats. 

In March, I:

Submitted 4 pieces

Got 5 rejections

Got 0 acceptances

Had 1 piece published

Finished writing 1 novella (only to decide I've got more story to tell in a second POV, so I'm making it a novel)

Not a busy month in terms of writing, but this month that's okay. I need to get more productive next month when conference is done!

Now for some links! Please bear in mind that I'm not endorsing any of these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Part II of The First Line is open for submissions. The first line for this summer issue is "By the fifteenth month of the drought, the lake no longer held her secrets." Each story must begin with that first line, but you can do with the story what you like. 300 to 5000 words. Pays between $5 and $50, depending upon submission type. Deadline May 1.

Sirens Call Publications is open for submissions for their anthology Monster Brawl. They want monsters fighting each other. 4000 to 8000 words. Pays $25, plus a print copy of the book. Deadline May 1. (Note: I have a short story coming out in one of their anthologies soon, and they're incredibly friendly to work with!)

Disquieted Dreams Press is open for submissions of horror comedy Skeptics Must Die. 5000 to 7500 words. Pays $20 per story. Deadline May 1.

Hy Bender and Will Paoletto are putting together the anthology Ghosts on Drugs. The title tells you what they're looking for, though it's broadly defined. No specific word limit. Will pay $.15/word up to 2500 words, $.06/word after that. Deadline May 1.

The Lorelei Signal is open for fantasy short fiction with strong/complex female characters. (You are not required to have female characters, but if you do, they must not be weak or window dressing.) They accept short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. Up to 10,000 words. Pays between $2 and $7.50. Deadline May 15. (I've met this editor at a con, and she is very friendly.)

Lamplight Magazine is open for submissions of horror. Up to 7000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline May 15. 

Bracken is open for submissions of speculative fiction. Up to 2500 words. Pays $.02/word. 

The Stoneslide Corrective is open for submissions of stories of all kinds. Short fiction, narrative nonfiction, and flash fiction. Pays between $50 and $125, depending upon submission type. 

What are your insecurities? What do you think of Libby's cover? Any of these links of interest to you? Anything to share? Publishing news?

May you find your Muse.