Mountain Views & Links

Pennywise let me leave The Stanley, but only after I got some writing done. One of the days, I snuck out and did a little light hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. I walked around Sprague Lake and snapped some pictures of the lake and the Rockies.

The main road is closed above a certain elevation for the snow and ice, but there was still plenty open for me to spend a few hours out there. The wind was crazy; I'm surprised I had skin left on my face. There are two photos that look really similar above, one in b/w and one in color. The black and white one was to show the blowing snow in the air. It was NOT snowing. There were footprints covering the lake, despite the "Thin Ice" signs. But I didn't see any holes, so I figure it worked out in the end. Or not. Who knows?

Now for some links.

Bear in mind that I am passing along links I've happened across, and that this does not indicate endorsement on my part. Always do your own due diligence in researching markets before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Bracken is open for speculative fiction. Short fiction, poetry, and artwork. Up to 2500 words. Pays $.02/word for fiction and $15/poem. Deadline January 29.

Lit Select is open for erotic fiction for the food themed anthology Love Slave: Sizzle. 2000-8000 words. Pays $30. Deadline January 31.

The Geeky Press is open for essays, poetry, and short stories for their anthology Bad Jobs & Bullshit. 1000-5000 words. Pays in shared royalties. Deadline February 1.

The First Line is starting their next round of first line submissions. The Spring line is: "Unfortunately, there is no mistake," she said, closing the file. 300-5000 words. Short stories, nonfiction, and poetry. Payment varies by type of submission, ranging from $5 to $50. Deadline for Spring line is February 1.

Lamplight is open for dark fiction short stories and flash. Up to 1000 words for flash fiction. 2000-7000 words for short stories. Pays $150 per short story, $50 for flash. Deadline February 1.

Visual Adjectives is open for stories, art, and photography for the superhero anthology New Legends: The Hero*The Antihero*The Vigilante, Book 2. 2500-8000 words. Pays $25. Deadline February 8.

Six Minutes to Midnight is open for short stories for the anthology This Twisted Earth, Volume 1. 4000-9000 words. Pays in royalties and contributor copies. Deadline February 11.

Blog Hops:

The Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition Blog Hop is being put on by Arlee Bird, Guilie Castillo-Oriard, Elizabeth Seckman, Yolanda Renee, Denise Covey, and Alex J. Cavanaugh. Tell about a lost love, whether via short fiction, essay, poetry, song, or whatever other form takes your fancy. February 1.

Any of these of interest to you? Anything to share? Publishing news? Have you gotten outdoors lately? Was it sunny, snowy, rainy? Did you freeze or roast?

May you find your Muse.

Retreat! Retreat!

Hello, from The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park! Pennywise and I are on an impromptu writing retreat. Despite his bossiness, I'm going to fit some side ventures in between writing and editing. (But only a little. Who wants to invite the wrath of a demon clown? Not I.)

I made the mistake of hopping onto Facebook during a writing break, and now he's watching me like a hawk.

He doesn't really approve of me doing a blog post either, so I have to run. But not too far. The ghosts in the hallway are bigger than him. And there are these two little girls whose parents don't appear to be supervising them at all. How much longer are they going to play in the hallway?

Parents these days. Yeesh.

What are you up to? Get any writing done this weekend? Or do you take weekends off from writing? When are you most productive?

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday -RMNP & Links

I took a mini vacation with the family this weekend. Though we've got smoke from the fires around the west, the sky cleared up a little bit the afternoon we went to Rocky Mountain National Park.

I'm thinking of everyone near the fires and those suffering from the smoke because of health issues. I have family near the fires, so I'm trying to keep an eye on the new ones popping up. All are safe at this time. I hope those of you near them are doing okay and are safe.

Now for this week's links. I am not endorsing any of these publications. Always do your own due diligence before submitting to a publication.

Accepting Submissions:

Prairie Rose Publications is seeking submissions to two Christmas anthologies. A Mail-Order Christmas Bride is a western historical romance. One Christmas Knight is a Medieval Romance. 10,000-15,000 words. Deadline September 15 for both. Pay not specified.

CBAY (Children's Brains are Yummy) Books is seeking submissions for their anthology Giants & Ogres. Fantasy and science fiction aimed at 13-18 year olds. Must feature a main character who is either a giant or an ogre. Up to 5000 words. Pays $30. Deadline September 18.

Crossed Genres is seeking short stories with the theme of Nonsense. (Also still accepting stories for their Pronouns & Genders issue until August 31). 1000-6000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline September 30.

Fey Publishing is seeking short stories for their Witches anthology. Up to 10,000 words. Pays $5.00. Deadline September 30.

Pseudopod (as well as Escape Pod and Pod Castle) is seeking horror short stories written by women for Artemis Rising 2: Hecate Strikes Back. This is a month long celebration of women in horror. 2000-6000 words. This will be presented as a series of podcasts. Pays $.06/word. Submissions open during the month of September only.

Lillicat Publishers is seeking short science fiction stories for Visions III: Inside the Kuiper Belt. 3000-8000 words. Token payment of $25. Deadline is August 30 for art, September 30 for fiction.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is seeking stories and poems for their themed anthology Angels and Miracles. Up to 1200 words. Pays $200 per story. Deadline September 30. (There are also several titles/themes with a deadline of August 31.)

Pentimento is seeking short personal stories on disability, either from the person with the disability or someone who works with/is related to/provides care for someone with a disability. They also take writing from kids that does not need to be disability related. Up to 6000 words. Pays between $25 and $250. Deadline September 30.

Of Interest:

Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things is running an Indiegogo campaign in an attempt to raise their contributor pay rates to professional instead of semi-professional.

Bustle posted an article about 11 Books That Scared Stephen King. You may find it surprising that they're not all horror stories.

Are any of you near the fires? Are you safe? Any of these of interest? Anything to share? Publishing news?

May you find your Muse.

Squirrel! & Links

Okay, it's not a squirrel. It's not even a ground squirrel. But I like yelling "squirrel!" Because I'm easily distracted.

My husband surprised me with a new camera before I headed up to Estes Park for a writing weekend with a friend. Believe it or not, we actually got a whole lot of writing done, so we didn't venture out to take photos much. However, during a break in writing one afternoon, I wandered around the cabin we were staying in and took some photos of the chipmunks (that were, surprisingly, the only real wildlife we saw). I also took some closeups of plants and flowers that I might share next week. We'll see.

Without further ado, meet Chuckie, the Chipmunk.

We did actually see regular gray squirrels, but no bears, moose, or elk. Someday I'll get a photo of a moose. I've got plenty of elk! This is actually the first time I've been to Estes with no sign of an elk.

I got a lot accomplished on Wendigo Nights, but I've got a long road ahead. I cut about 3000 words, then added 6000 more. Not too shabby, except for the fact that I went there knowing I needed to add about 16,000 words. My urban fantasy is currently sitting at about 52,000 words, post-weekend. Not enough. Sigh.

Accepting Submissions:

Contrary Magazine is seeking original commentary, fiction, and poetry for their next issue. Pays $20. Deadline September 1.

Emby Press is looking for scary atmospheric horror for The Monster Waiting in the Woods. 2000-8000 words. Pays $25 and an e-copy. Deadline September 1.

The Anthology of Quitters is looking for novels that never found fruition. If you started a novel, but trunked it, they might just be interested. This anthology will publish 2000-5000 words of your trunked novel. Pays $25. Deadline is given as Early September.

Sirens Call Publications is seeking short stories for Witches, Warlocks, Demons, & Evil-Doers, an anthology. 4000-8000 words. Pays $25. Deadline September 1.

Briarpatch Magazine wants writing on current issues. Profiles, essays, reviews, parting shots, feature stories, photo essays, investigative reports and articles. Pays from $50 to $150, depending upon submission type. Deadline September 4.

Cracked Eye is open for submissions of short stories. 500-6500 words. Pays professional rates.

Unsung Stories is seeking speculative fiction short stories (and novels). Up to 3000 words. Pays £25 .

Maniacal is looking for short fiction. They like weird and funny. Up to 3000 words. Pays $2, plus e-copy.

The Fiction Desk is seeking short fiction. 2000-20,000 words. Pays £15 per thousand words.

Filling Station is accepting fiction, poetry, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, and art. Paying market.

Any of these of interest to you? Anything to share? Publication news? Do you have any chipmunks or ground squirrels? Do you know what the difference between a ground squirrel and a chipmunk is? I do now! But I didn't before I looked it up (ground squirrels don't have stripes on their faces.)

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday - Weekend Trip & Links

We went up to Estes Park this weekend to visit an out of state friend, and I snapped a couple shots, including the obligatory elk photo.

Now, straight to the links! I am not endorsing any of these places unless I specifically say I am. These are just links I happen across and pass along.

Accepting Submissions:

Liminoid Magazine is open for submissions for their summer issue. 500-10,000 words. They want fiction that challenges the boundaries of genre. Pays $20 per piece. Deadline June 10.

Inkstained Succubus Press is looking for stories for their anthology Have Quest, Will Travel. They take speculative fiction and erotica with a twist, and specialize in QUILTBAG fiction. A happy ending is required for this story. 4000-10,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline June 15.

18th Wall is open for submissions for Those Who Live Long Forgotten II. What they want is a mythological creature or fictional character brought to life. Pretend they were real and write us a story of how they were lost to myth. All genres. 2500-10,000 words. Royalties. Deadline June 15.

Freeze Frame Fiction wants qualify flash fiction in any genre. Up to 1000 words. Pays $10 per piece. Deadline June 15. They also have a themed version closing the same day with a YA theme.

Sorcerous Signals is reading for their November issue. Fantasy. Up to 10,000 words. Pays $5 for short stories, $2 for poetry. Deadline June 15.

Wolfsinger Publications is looking for villains for Under a Dark Sign. Speculative fiction. Up to 7000 words. Payment is $5, plus royalties. Deadline June 15.

Garden Gnome Publications has several anthologies closing the same day. The themes are Garden of Eden, Deluge (think Great Flood), Sulfurings, and Land of Nod. Flash fiction, short stories, narrative poems, and novelettes. Pays $3 to $13, depending on submission type, or $.003/word for novelettes. Deadline June 23.

Lackington's is open for stories with the themes of Dreamings and Architecture. Speculative fiction. 1500-5000 words. $.01/word CAD. I didn't see a deadline, but these are for specific issues, so I'd go with sooner, rather than later.

Of Interest:

I saw this one on Alex's page and am passing it along. Authors United Against Child Slavery is a campaign to raise money for Operation Underground Railroad. Those who contribute $20 or more get various rewards, starting with a free book from a participating author.

Blogger Traci Kenworth posted a ton of links to helpful articles for authors, even splitting them by genre. There might be something for you. And, hey, I made the cut with one of my diversity posts! For some reason, it's not letting me leave a comment for her, though. :(

Any of these of interest? Taking any vacations this summer? Anything to share? Any publication news? 

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday - Estes Park Elk & Links

It's [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday and, as promised, elk!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by for Jeremy's book tour and Mina's cover reveal! I'll be visiting you all back, but I have my final clinical then both written and skills final directly after, so I'm in crazy study mode. Wish me luck! If I pass my finals, all I have left is state boards in the next month or two.

Now for some links.

Note: I am not vetting these publications, personally. I find the information and pass it on, but I have not researched it. Please do your own research before submitting anything in order to insure the publication is valid and has no complaints against them.

Accepting Submissions:

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine is open for submissions, seeking both new and previously published authors. They take all kinds of mysteries, and pay .05 and .08 cents per word. Lengths can be anywhere from minute mysteries (250 words) to novellas. Short stories seem to be the general format, though.

Fantastic Frontiers is open for submissions year-round. They're looking for science fiction and fantasy short stories, serials, comics, videos, voice recordings, and other media. Pay varies per format. Fiction pays .03 cents per word.

Horrified Press has a call for submissions for their anthology Tales of the Undead - Hell Whore, Volume III. Write about ladies of the night. Deadline is September 10. 1000-6000 words. Pays in royalties. Seeking dark fairy tales, bizarre, horror, surrealism, dark science fiction, etc.

Writing Tomorrow is taking submissions of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, novel excerpts, and artwork. Pays $50-100 for fiction/nonfiction, and $25 for flash and poetry. Open submissions; no deadline.

Contests:

The Fountain is holding an essay contest. They want to know about your motto for life. Open worldwide. 1500 to 2500 words. First place gets $1500, with cash prizes for 2nd, 3rd and 2 honorable mentions, as well.

Planetory Stories is launching a contest. Winners will be published and receive five cents per word. (I'm unclear on how this differs from simply taking submissions...). Flash fiction.

Blog Hops:

Madeleine, of Scribble and Edit, is running a blogfest to celebrate her third blogaversary. The Novel Films II Blogfest will be on September 2, 3 and 4, though you can choose just one day of those three. Each day has a different theme having to do with films/TV adaptations of books.

Anything here interest you? Got anything to share? Any publishing news?

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday - Little Critters of Estes Park & Links & IWSG

Had a test and a quiz (pop, except we knew it was coming since today was the last normal day of class...) today! Only things left on my CNA course are clinicals, starting this weekend, finals, then state boards.

Edited to add: Whoops! I almost forgot IWSG! Insecure Writer's Support Group happens the first Wednesday of each month, created by the Ninja, himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

My insecurity this month is pretty simple. I've got too much going on, and I have not been making time to write. I worry that it's going to be like this for awhile. I can't let that happen, so I need a plan of attack. I've given myself permission to not beat myself up about it until the end of the month. I've got CNA-related stuff that I'm stressing about, which doesn't end until next Thursday (and doesn't completely end until state boards in mid-September). Then I've got a writing event, first day of school for the kiddos, and a trip with my mom, sister, and youngest brother. When I get back, I'll be buckling down, creating a schedule so I can get back into the writing routine. And honestly, it won't be too hard not to beat myself up, because my writing falls by the wayside each summer. Things change so much, the kids are home, I try to do fun stuff, and I pack a lot into summer. So it's time to tell myself it's OKAY to set it aside for summer. To everyone who's in the same situation, don't beat yourself up! Create a plan of attack. Set a date to get back into it. Create a schedule. Or do whatever works for you.

Now to [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday.

I was going to do an animals of Estes Park, but decided to split it up. Next week - elk! Including the buck I mentioned before. For today, here are some of the little critters we saw on our weekend trip up to Estes Park (which seems soooo long ago now).

This little guy's a pika, and he was intent on studying me back.

Here he was being aloof. He then went on to bathe himself to show me just how unconcerned he was. "I laugh in the face of danger!" Except, you know, he bathes...

Prairie dog!

Ground squirrel (not to be confused with a chipmunk, which would have stripes on its face, as well, and wouldn't have the white around the eyes - yes, I looked it up just for you.

So these were just some of the bitty creatures we got to see up at Estes Park. Next week, elk! (I'm sad I didn't see a moose.)

Now for some links!

Accepting Submissions:

Diabolic Publications, in addition to accepting novel-length works, is seeking submissions for their sci-fi anthology, Ether World. Short stories, 4000 words or less. Deadline is September 1. Pays $.03 per word.

Martinus Publishing is accepting submissions for their sci-fi adventure anthology, VFW-Veterans of Future Wars. 2000-6000 words. Deadline December 31. Pays in royalties. Additionally, they're seeking submissions for Altered America, an anthology. Deadline is the same, as is pay.

Bottom Drawer Publications is looking for short stories for an anthology about Geeky Boys. Please note that this must be a romance between men. If you aren't comfortable with this, don't click on the link. Deadline September 1. Pay unknown (to me, anyway).

Untreed Reads is seeking submissions of short stories for their anthology, The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room for Thirds. Stories must involve "murder and mayhem happening at Thanksgiving." Must be a humorous mystery. 1500-5000 words. Deadline September 1. Pays in royalties.

She Writes Press is putting together a collection of works, including short stories, poems, photographs, and illustrations, inspired by the movie Return to Zero. Though She Writes is a female group, men are welcome to submit. Must have to do with a miscarriage or loss of a child. Will pay a contributor copy, with royalties to follow after initial costs of putting the book out are met. Deadline September 1.

Chupa Cabra House is seeking submissions for their anthology, Invisibility. Inspired by H.G. Wells Invisible Man. 3500-10000 words. Pays $25 plus wholesale price for book purchases. Any genre, but they really like horror, mystery, sci-fi, and bizarro. Deadline September 1.

Contests:

Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine is running the Beyond the Glass Slipper Writing Contest. Deadline is August 15. Grand prize $200. Your story must involve one of ten fairy tales of their choice. Short story or poem.

Cahoodaloodaling is hosting their first annual In Cahoots Collaboration Contest. Deadline September 1. $50 first prize. No entry fee. Must be written as a collaborative project between 2 or more people.

Any of these you're interested in? Ever heard of a pika? Did you know there was a ground squirrel versus a chipmunk? Anything to share? Any good publication news?

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday: Field Full O' Elk

Seeing as how it's been cold and randomly snowy around here, how about a photo theme that's the epitome of winter? I never posted any photos of the elk we ran into on our way into Estes Park in November, and the feel of the photos seemed apt for today. So, without further ado, elk!

The first photo is to give you an idea of how large this herd was (I suspect it was many herds, but I'm not elk expert). This is maybe 1/4 of the elk out there, if that much.

Just a note: Any barbwire fencing you see is because they had wandered onto someone's fenced property. They were wild, not trapped within a fence.

I've lived in Colorado since I was twelve, but my trip to Estes Park two years ago was the first I ever saw elk. The second time was this past November. They're neat animals to observe.

Ever seen elk? Moose? Do you live somewhere with a lot of deer (random question, I know, but I thought everyone had herds of deer in their neighborhood all the time until recently)?

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday 8/24/11

First, a quick hello to fellow Platform Campaigners! I'll be doing a quick intro tomorrow and will begin visiting blogs then, as well.

For today's Wordless Wednesday, how about a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, here in Colorado?

This was taken in fall of 2009. I wouldn't have this and my other Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park photos if I hadn't uploaded a few to Facebook since, sadly, some jerk stole my camera on Halloween night and I hadn't moved the photos off the SD card yet. Sob. I learned a valuable lesson about being sure to empty the card as soon as I'm able, though, considering I also lost my son's first Halloween performance at school, plus a ton of other photos.

2009 was the first I'd ever visited Estes Park and Rocky Mtn. Ntl. Park, though I'd heard of them for ages. Stephen King fans may know that the Stanley Hotel from The Shining is in Estes Park. Estes Park is a gorgeous place to visit in the fall when the aspen leaves are changing color, though you have to catch it just right, because everything starts shutting down for winter at the beginning of October. We went a little too late the first year, but made up for it the second year. I got to see my first elk in Rocky Mountain National Park that first year, and it was fantastic! The non-animal scenery was truly breathtaking, though. Mountains, trees, lakes, deep blue sky. Definitely a place worth visiting at least once. Plus, there are these awesome cherry stores you can visit on the way into town that sell fresh cherry cider and other cherry goodies. YUM! We got this cherry filled chocolate that I still dream about.

This particular lake is the one my poor baby girl fell into on a hike. Let me tell you, the mountains in September and October are quite brisk. As you can see, there's snow up there. And what do you think the source of water is up in the mountains? Yeah, snow melt. Poor baby girl was a popsicle by the time we got her to the car! She still loved it out there, though. Shew.

May you find your Muse.