[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday - Wild Animal Sanctuary & Links

It's been awhile since I posted a [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday image with the links. I actually lost track of which I had posted and which I hadn't, and I haven't had the time to go through and figure out what treks I made that I didn't post yet. I've got some little treks planned soon, though, and expect to start having brand new photos again! In the meantime, I thought I'd re-post some photos I took at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, as they're in the news. They're going to be taking in 30 lions that have been liberated from circuses in which they were being mistreated, and are looking for financial assistance to get them settled and cared for in the next year. It's a wonderful place that I plan to visit again soon. Here are a couple of its tenants.

The first three photos are of a lioness chasing a bunny that hopped right up to her. The animals had just been fed, so she was just playing, and did not catch the rabbit. The fourth photo is one of her friends passed out cold. It was a hot day.

Posting these, I realize I had other photos from that day I intended to share. Now I at least know one of the places I left off!

Now for links:

Accepting Submissions:

Dead Guns Press is looking for crime fiction for Dead Guns Magazine. 1500-6000 words. Pays in contributor copies. Deadline April 20.

Lady Lit Publishing is seeking stories for their anthology edited by Cheyenne Blue. They want fictional stories of lesbian experiences tied in with various firsts.. 2500-5000 words. Pays $40 plus contributor copies. Deadline April 24.

Verto Publishing is taking submissions for Gothic Tales of Terror. Poetry up to 500 words, short stories between 3000 and 5000. Pays $.005/word. Deadline April 25.

Horrified Press is taking submissions for horror stories related to the theme of Growing Pains. 1000-4000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline April 27. They also have several other anthologies open until full.

Spacesuits and Sixguns wants your contemporary pulp fiction. All genres accepted. About 4000 words. Pays $.04/word. No deadline.

Lakeside Circus is reading for their next issue. Speculative fiction, especially science fiction, urban fantasy, magic realism, mad science, and apocalypse tales. Flash up to 1000 words, short fiction between 1001 and 2500 words, and poetry of any length. They also accept short essays. Pays $.02/word. No deadline.

Novella T is looking for novellas to serialize. 13,000-40,000 words. They publish them 2000-5000 words at a time. Pays subscription royalties. No deadline.

Of Interest:

Freedom With Writing posted an article with 54 Websites That Pay Writers. Written by Kelley Schepper.

Writer's Digest published an article by Brian Klems about How to Write a Query Letter That Lands Freelance Assignments.

To add a little humidity, here's a post by Matthew Schuler on Why Creative People Sometimes Make No Sense.

Any of these of interest to you? Do you agree with the article on creative people? Know any other websites that pay you to write? Any publication news? Are you submitting?

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday - Dumbest Bunny Alive & Links

Last month, we took the kids to the Wild Animal Sanctuary, northeast of Denver. This is a place that takes in large animals who've been abused, such as tigers, lions, grizzlies, black bears, etc. The big draw for me was that they have two black leopards (the closest I'll get to "black panthers," as there's no such thing, really, just leopards and jaguars). Sadly, I didn't get to see the black leopards, as it was hot out and they were hiding.

Unlike a zoo, this place provides large chunks of land for the animals. A mile long catwalk goes over the different areas so you can view the animals without a cage in the way, yet you're completely safe.

The lioness who features in the following photos (three of the four, anyway) had just laid down for a bit of a rest on a set of platforms provided in her pen when a rabbit came running right up to her. I couldn't believe it would be so dumb, so watched in horror and fascination as it ran to directly below the lioness, stopped, and stared directly up at her.  For a moment, it looked like the lioness was going to let this transgression go, but then she leapt up and shot off after the rabbit. If you look at the first two photos, you'll see the rabbit is also in each photo, running for its life (top right of each photo).

Notice the dust cloud at her feet.

 

 

Now, the thing about this lioness was that she had just eaten. That, plus it was super hot out. She wasn't chasing the rabbit to eat it, rather to play. Partway across the field she did the lioness version of flapping her hands at the bunny and saying, "Forget it."

 

Only she didn't forget it after all, because then the dumb bunny ran straight into her den, which consisted of a buried concrete pipe. Seeing this, she took off, diving straight into the pipe. A moment later two rabbits burst out of the top of the other end of the pipe, making a run for it.

 

Talk about multiplying like bunnies!

 

The lioness sauntered out of the den, ignoring the rabbits on the other end of the field, and wandered back to the platforms to rest.

So tired, her tongue is hanging out.

The last photo is a different lioness, at least I think so. I couldn't help sharing her, though, due to her level of zonked-ness. She was OUT. Sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr.

Now for some links.

Accepting Submissions

Crossed Genres Magazine has monthly themed editions, and they're seeking short stories. The September theme they're accepting submissions for is Second Contact. Pays $.05 cents per issue. Deadline September 30 (future themes and deadlines are posted on the website). Science fiction and fantasy.

Pinknantucket Press has a twice a year journal called Materiality, with deadlines in March and September each year. They pay $AUS 10-20. Fiction, essay, images, and poetry focusing on the physical and material. Current deadline is September 30.

Bundoran Press is seeking political science fiction short stories for an anthology. Pays 5.5 cents per word, Canadian. Deadline September 30.

Fringeworks has a call out for short stories for Terror Tree's Pun Book of Horror. Deadline September 30. Pays in royalties. Looking for horror stories with a solid pun involved.

Buttontapper Press seeks "literature that presses buttons in three distinct genres: humorous erotica, ninja novellas, and cheeky haiku." Pay unknown. Deadlines begin September 30.

Contests:

The Puritan Magazine is holding The Second Annual Thomas Morton Memorial Prize in Literary Excellence. Deadline for entry is September 30. Best story gets $900, best poem gets $600. Each also get a set of books with their prize. $10 submission fee.

Glimmer Train accepts both standard submissions for the magazine and entries via their four contests per year. Regularly submitted items pay $700 on acceptance. The contest prizes vary. There is a contest and a regular reading closing September 30: Open Fiction, 1st place pays $2500. The Standard submission pays the usual $700. There is a fee to enter the contest, but not for the standard reading.

Lee & Low Books is offering the New Voices Writers Award. This award will be offered for the best children's picture book by a writer of color. First prize is $1000 and publication.

Have you ever known a dumber bunny? Anything to share? Publishing news? Any of these catch your attention?

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday 9/14/11

Since I've been alternating between photos of places and photos of animals, I guess it's time for an animal photo!

This pride of lions is from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, here in Colorado Springs. You can hear this guy roaring all over the joint when some jerk upsets him (for instance, he really hates it when people shine flashlights in at him during the night-time zoo experiences--so would I--I hope he busts through the glass and eats one of them).

But the real cool cats in this photo are the lionesses. They are the reason I have to visit the lions every time we go. They exude attitude. I've named them. I even have imaginary voices for them. Not kidding.

Last time we went, I got to see who the winning bad-ass of the lionesses was, as she took out two of the others over a bone. They went off into separate corners and pretended not to glare at her for awhile, but they never made another move. There was much nonchalant paw licking while they watched her out of the corners of their eyes, saying "You didn't scare me; I just don't want a bone right now. I was just after that little ant in front of you. Shows what you know, Mary Beth." The fourth one just shook her head (well, internally, anyway) and ignored the younguns while she cradled a piece of meaty bone none of the others appeared to notice. Seriously, she was hiding it, all wrapped up in her paws. I watched her cover it up when they walked her way. Smart.

Mary Beth also eyeballed my nephew like he was dessert. I got pictures of her staring at him while gnawing away, but they suck because of how badly damaged the glass is (or maybe it was just super dirty that day). She walked right up to him and continued eyeballing him. I'd rather not know what she said; she doesn't mess around.

The lionesses of CMZ rock.

And that's your [Mostly] (though [Hardly] might make more sense sometimes) Wordless Wednesday. I'm hoping for an opportunity to go get some fall photos now that some of the trees have started to change, but we'll see. Life is busy right now!

Don't forget to tune in Thursday for an interview with Andrew Leon!

May you find your Muse.