Wednesday, March 7, 2018

IWSG - Safety in Numbers

It's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group again!


Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of the IWSG is to air your insecurities while supporting others doing the same thing. Anyone can sign up by clicking HERE. Be sure to bop around and visit others, too.

This month's co-hosts are:

This month's optional question is: 
How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal/finish a story?

I don't usually celebrate a goal/finishing a short story, but I do celebrate when I finish a novel by having a milkshake. And when I place a short story, I get a Funko Pop villain/monster. I've just recently added Carrie, Jack from The Shining, and Norman Bates, all there on the top next to Pennywise and Cthulhu. 


My husband added the third shelf while I was away a couple weeks ago, because the other two were getting too cluttered. What happens when I fill that shelf? I can't wait to find out!

As far as my insecurities this month...well, I've got my first solo horror short story collection coming out. Sure, I've been published in magazines and anthologies, but it was never just me. I feel like I'm about to walk in front of a room full of people naked, and it's mildly terrifying. What else? I'm having a public book release celebration and signing (if you're local, there's information on my appearances tab about it, but the quick version is I'll be at 3.14 Sweet and Savory in Colorado Springs from 5-9 PM on March 22), and I'd hate to sit there all alone and pathetic with my box of books, which is why I'm having a book release celebration instead of signing at a bookstore (for now, at least.) I desperately did not want to sit there all formal behind a table, staring at the door, wondering when someone would show up. Instead, I'll be somewhere familiar, with wine and food and pie, so I can drown myself in calories if no one comes.



By the way, my book release will be March 15, and each blogger posting it has an excerpt from a different short story. Some of you asked about quick tweets. I'll put some of those together and get those out, too. It's available for pre-order in e-book right now, with paperback and e-book release on the 15th.


I guest posted at Pete Aldin's blog with book release information. You can check it out HERE. I talk about four ways horror can be beneficial, and you can get a sneak peek at the first excerpt from my collection.

Moving on, here are my stats for last month. I post each month to keep myself accountable.

In February, I:

Submitted 10 short stories
Got 2 short stories short listed
Got 2 acceptances
Got 8 rejections
Got 1 invite to submit 1 of those rejected stories to a different anthology by the editor
I currently have 12 short stories on submission

A pretty good month! Believe me, it doesn't always look like this, so don't get discouraged if you're submitting and getting rejections. I went through a major dry spell for several months with tons of rejections and no sales. So please get out there and submit! And relish every rejection you get. And feel free to post your stats in the comments so we can celebrate short stories together.

Finally, let's get to the links. Bear in mind I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along, so always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

West Branch is seeking poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. No more than 30 pages. Pays $.05/word. Deadline April 1.

Paper Dog Books is seeking speculative short fiction the Robots Live Now anthology. 1500 to 5000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline April 1.

Bikes in Space is seeking stories with the theme Dragons. 500 to 8000 words. Will pay a minimum of $30, with how much more depending upon the Kickstarter. Deadline April 1.

Radiant Crown Publishing is seeking adult and erotic romance with a strong speculative element for Mystique Masquerade, an anthology. Novelettes and novellas, so 7500 to 40,000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline April 1.

Syntax & Salt Magazine is seeking short literary speculative fiction. Up to 3500 words. Pays $10. 

Flash Fiction Magazine is seeking flash fiction. 300 to 1000 words. Pays $40 for stories chosen to be published in the anthologies (pays nothing if published on website).

What do you celebrate, and how? What are your current insecurities? Any submission stats to share? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.

26 comments:

Yolanda Renée said...

Beyond awesome! Congratulations!
Have fun, I know you'll have a crowd and if I were close I'd be first in line!
Yes, celebrate!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

From the looks of those shelves, you've had a lot of short stories published.
Awesome about your solo book. It's not so bad.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Love your villain/monsters! I need to start doing that. They are awesome and a great way to reward yourself for an accomplishment. And the milkshake isn't too shabby, either. :)

Cherie Reich said...

Love all the Funko Pop figures! Now that's a way to celebrate!

The Cynical Sailor said...

I love the way you celebrate! It's lots of fun and a great visual to appreciate all of your success.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Shannon - good luck with the launch and congratulations ... love the shelving - one to the side, perhaps one each side to balance out ... but I'm sure shelves and more books will be forthcoming - all the best - Hilary

cleemckenzie said...

That is quite a collection! And now three shelves.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Love how you have a milkshake and buy yourself those Funko Pop guys!

I hear you about how scary it is releasing your story collection to the world. Believe me, if I can do it, you can. :)

Christine Rains said...

You had a fantastic month! And very nice collection of Pop guys. :) Good luck with the launch. It feels like that every single time I release a book too.

Unknown said...

You've had an amazing month-- 20 per cent is a fab acceptance rate!!

Damyanti

Yvonne Ventresca said...

Congrats on the short story collection!

Chemist Ken said...

Ooh, my daughter loves Funko Pops. I can see why you find that to be a good way to celebrate.

Jennifer Lee Rossman said...

I love your Funkos!
I've taken a picture of myself every day one of my stories was published.

Diane Burton said...

I never heard of Funkos. They look cute, even if they are villains. Congrats on your upcoming release. Looking forward to you visiting my blog next week.

Olga Godim said...

Love your monster shelves. They are adorable.
Congrats on your anthology. Hope you have gazillions of sales.

diedre Knight said...

Those Funkos are fabulous! My Wishnicks should beware ;-)
Cheers to all of your successes!

Liza said...

I think a milkshake is a marvelous reward! Congratulations on your collection release!

Anonymous said...

I love your cover! Very eye-catching. Also, I love your collection. Especially Pennywise. I'm guessing you've seen the latest It movie. I thought it rocked. You have had a fantastic month. Keep up the momentum!

Cathrina Constantine said...

How Exciting!!! I Love your cover!! It is kind of nail biting releasing your book into the public, but it passes rather quickly and you keep on writing. I'm wishing you loads of fun at the Sweet and Savory. We honeymooned in Colorado Springs many moons ago. Loved it there.

Loni Townsend said...

I love the funko pop figures!

Rebecca M. Douglass said...

Congrats on the new release, and best of luck with it!

And I'll agree about the milkshake. I like milkshakes, and usually only get them as a reward for a multi-day backpacking trip :)

DMS said...

Congratulations on the upcoming release of your short stories. How exciting. Sounds like you have a great celebration planned. :) I hope lots of people make it!
~Jess

Heather R. Holden said...

Wow, your Funko Pop collection is epic! And that book release celebration sounds like a lot of fun. I agree, being somewhere familiar for an event like that is definitely better for the nerves. Hope it goes well!

dolorah said...

I need to get a lot more writing done so I can submit to these short deadlines.

Congrats on the upcoming release, and good luck with the signing. Wine and food is a good way to celebrate/drown :)

Mark said...

I'd be worried that those little dolls would come alive at night, but that's just me;)

Michelle Wallace said...

How many little villainous/monstrous critters do you have?

Good luck with the book! That cover is PERFECT. I'm a scaredy cat... but I WILL read it.