IWSG - Expectations, New Release, Stats, & Links

It's the first Wednesday of August, which means it's time for a gathering of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, created by Alex J. Cavanaugh.

IWSG was created to lend support to writers and allow them a place to share their insecurities among friends. Anyone is welcome to participate. Just go to Alex's website above, go to the IWSG tab, and sign up. Then post on the first Wednesday of the month and visit fellow posters.

Our co-hosts for August are  Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner! Be sure to stop by and visit as thanks for co-hosting.

The optional question for August: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing?

The first thing that popped into my head was using the word "till" instead of "until" or "'til." I have far more pet peeves, I'm sure, but I can't think of them right now. However, anyone who's been a critique partner knows this annoys me. (That, and not using proper manuscript format.)

One of my insecurities this month involves a problem I never thought about. Expectations. And not mine. I've started hearing from people who enjoy my stories, and it actually freaks me out, because now I over-analyze everything due to fear of letting people down who've liked other stories.

Obviously, this is a good problem to have, but it's hard not to let it paralyze me sometimes when going to push "send."

Now for July's stats:

I submitted 16 pieces.
0 acceptances.
12 rejections.
Currently have 14 pieces on submission.
I have three stories pending submission.
My goal is to have 20 pieces out at any given time, so I'm getting there.
1 publication.

My short story "Faceless" is in this month's Dark Moon Digest! Available from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing and Amazon in e-book and paperback.

Link time. Bear in mind that I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Litmag is seeking short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Up to 15,000 words. Pay varies, depending upon type and publication medium, but is between $250 and $1000. Deadline August 15.

Radix Media is seeking fiction, personal essays, and poetry for Aftermath: Explorations of Loss and Grief. 500 to 3000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline August 15.

Tyche Books and Rhonda Parrish are seeking fantasy short stories for Fire: Demons, Dragons, and Djinns. Up to 7500 words. Pays $50 CAD. Deadline August 15.

Splickety Publishing Group is seeking flash fiction for Spark with a theme of Picture Perfect. 300 to 1000 words. Pays $.02/word. Deadline August 25.

Fantasia Divinity is seeking fantasy and dark fantasy for Autumn's Harvest. 500 to 10,500 words. Pays half cent per word. Deadline August 25.

Dark Moon Digest is seeking horror short fiction. 1500 to 7000 words. Pays $.01/word.

The Centropic Oracle is seeking science fiction and fantasy. Up to 6500 words. They take flash fiction and short stories. Pays $.01/word CAD.

Misanthrope is seeking fiction and essays. 1000 to 5000 words. They give a nominal payment, but don't state specifics.

What are your insecurities? How are your stats for the month? Any submissions? Acceptances? Any of these publications of interest? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.

IWSG - The Irks of Editing, New Release, Interview, & Links

It's the first Wednesday in August, which means it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, created by Alex J. Cavanaugh.

By the time the September IWSG post comes along, the kids will be back in school, I will have been to World Con, and I will have officially been married 20 years! And so much more. August is a busy, busy month.

Co-hosts this month are Tamara Narayan, Tonja Drecker, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor,Lauren @ Pensuasion, Stephen Tremp, and Julie Flanders! Thanks for co-hosting!

This month's question is: What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer? Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published?

The first thing I wrote upon deciding I wanted to actually write a novel was a paranormal horror story. I only got a few chapters in. I then wrote a few short stories that I submitted and got rejected, then got so busy with school, work, and health issues that I gave up for awhile. None of those things have been published, but I might revisit the short stories. The novel is a lost cause, and that's okay.

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This month's insecurity is really frustration with myself. I love the writing part, but not so much the editing part. I've got two novels needing to be edited. Instead, I write. It's time I buckle down and finish those edits. Both should be on the final round. I need to finish them and start querying! But I'm plagued with insecurities once I get through that fun part, and they hold me back, because this is the analysis portion of writing, and the more I think about it, the more doubts I have. I may love my stories, but will anyone else? The technicalities start to hang me up. Is this a sufficient story arc? Do my characters arc? Is the good guy good enough? Is the villain legitimately the hero of his or her own story? Are there too many cliches? So on and so forth. What I need to do is move past those and get the stories out there. I suppose I'll get my answer if they never sell.

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As part of a larger interview, which will be posted next week, AmyBeth Frederick interviewed me on video. It's less than two minutes, so check it out!

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My stats for July:

12 short story submissions
1 acceptance of an already published story by Audible
8 rejections
1 publication
2 new short stories turned in to critique group

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My short story Shifting Sands came out in Dark Moon Digest, #24!

It's currently for sale on Amazon in paperback. It will be available in e-book soon.

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Links! I took an unintentional break for a few weeks (somehow I screwed up and posted two posts the same day that were meant to be a week apart, and then I was out of town), so now I'm way behind on links!

Bear in mind that I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Turn to Ash is seeking short fiction for a themed anthology. The story must be in the form of a phone call to a late night paranormal talk radio show. Up to 3000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline August 8.

The Lorelei Signal is accepting short fantasy stories. Must involve strong/complex female characters, though they do not have to be the main character. Up to 10,000 words. Pays flat fees between $2.00 and $7.50, depending upon submission type. Current deadline August 15.

World Weaver Press wants your Krampus stories for Krampusnacht Two, an anthology. 1000-10,000 words. Pays $10, plus contributor copy. Deadline August 15.

Revolving Door Press is seeking new fairy tales or retellings for the anthology "Turn Left at Grandmother's House." 500-7000 words. Also takes poetry and artwork. Pay for short fiction is $.06/word. Deadline August 15.

Splickety Publishing Group is taking submissions for Splickety Love with the theme "All's Fair in Love and Uniforms." Needs to be romance and have something to do with uniforms. 300-1000 words. Pays $.02/word. Deadline August 26.

Wicked Tales is open for submissions to their themed anthology "A Scratch at the Door." 3000-15,000 words. Paying publication. Deadline August 26.

Vine Leaves Literary Journal is seeking vignettes and poetry. Pays $5 AUD. Deadline August 31.

Farenheit Books is seeking submissions for their Spekulative Stories Anthology Series. The current theme is Automobilia. Up to 7500 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline August 31.

Owl Hollow Press is accepting short stories for their anthology Dark Magic: Witches, Hackers, and Robots. Up to 8500 words. Pays $50, plus there is a Readers' Choice Award with an additional cash payment. Deadline August 31.

Blog Hops:

The August Write Edit Publish (WEP) Challenge is open for signups now. Theme "Gardens." Post on August 17.

What are your insecurities? How do you feel about editing? What's your favorite part, editing or writing? Have you submitted anything this month? Have you ever read Dark Moon Digest? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.

New Release - Devolution Z & Links

Hello! I ended up not being able to post on Monday, because my interwebs went down during the snowstorm. Not something that happens here often (it's Colorado...we tend to have wiring and such that can withstand the snow), so I'm  not sure if it was actually because of the storm or coincidental timing. Either way, I took an extra day off.

The February issue of Devolution Z is out, featuring my story Blue Sludge Blues! If you don't already hate port-a-potties, I hope I can nudge you along on your way with this one.

Available in print ($6.99) and Kindle ($2.99).

Also, this is what happens when the adults in a house both forget to take down the canopy on the back porch when Snowzilla (not to be confused with the Snowpocalypse) is heading our way.

That's gonna' leave a mark, eh? It kept our porch relatively snow free, though, seeing as how we got over a foot here in the foothills.

Now for some links! Bear in mind I am not endorsing any of these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence when submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Alex Shvartsman is putting together a reprint anthology of Funny Fantasy. 500-7500 words. Originally printed between 2005 and 2015 in a publication paying $.01/word or more. Pays $.02/word, plus contributor copy. Deadline February 29.

The Literary Hatchet is open for dark fiction poetry and prose. 1000-6000 words for short stories. Pays $5-$10, depending upon submission type. Submission window closes March 1.

Thema is accepting short stories, poetry, essays, art, and photographs with the theme Drop the Zucchini and Run! Fewer than 20 double spaced pages. Pays $10-$25, depending upon submission type. Deadline March 1.

Upstreet Literary Magazine is accepting poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. 5000 words or less. Pays between $50 and $250. Deadline March 1.

Body Parts Magazine is accepting horror, erotica, speculative fiction, essays, and art. The current theme is Grave Robbing. Up to 8000 words. Pays $5-$20, depending upon submission type. Deadline March 1.

Beatdom is accepting essays on the topic of politics for their next issue. 2000-5000 words. Pays $50. Deadline March 1.

Blog Hops:

The A-to-Z Challenge for April 2016 is open for sign ups! Post daily except Sundays throughout the month of April, following an alphabet theme of your choosing (or lack of theme, with topics in alphabetical order...your choice!).

C. Lee McKenzie, Christine Rains, and Tara Tyler are hosting the Winter Blahs Blog Hop. Post an encouraging meme between February 29 and March 4. That's it! There are prizes involved.

Of Interest:

The Daily News put out an article entitled CIA Posts Its Own 'X-Files' in Celebration of the Show's Return. They've split into into Mulder and Scully sections.

H.R. Sinclair shared an editing software for Windows called SmartEdit. It looks interesting.

How's your snowfall been this year? Any whoopses in your prep? Have you ever read Devolution Z? How do you feel about port-a-potties? Any of these links of interest? Anything to add? Submission news?

May you find your Muse.

New Release: Under the Bed Magazine

This past Saturday was the release date for the issue of Under the Bed Magazine featuring my story, Know Thy Neighbor! This is officially the first magazine I've had a short story published in (though not my first acceptance into a magazine), so I'm incredibly excited! 

A simple jog ends in a night of terror for suburban mom, Rebecca. Her tormenter is the last person she'd expect, or so she thinks. Another surprise awaits her, this one more horrifying than the first. Do you know thy neighbor? 

I thought up this story while out on a late night walk. As I peered around at the darkened houses, avoiding the deeper shadows, I wondered who lived behind each of those doorways. Who might be staring at me from the night-blackened windows? We all now have the capability to look up registered sex offenders in the area, but what of those who haven't been caught? Times have changed, and we no longer know our neighbors the way we once did. Then again, did we ever really know them?

Needless, to say, the rest of my walk was spoiled by these thoughts, putting me on edge. When I got home, I sat down and immediately wrote this story while the trepidation was fresh in my mind. John Wayne Gacy was well liked, and I'm sure he wasn't the only one.

I'll never look at my neighbors the same way again.

Under the Bed Magazine

Published by Fiction Magazines

Volume 3, Number 7

Genre: Horror

Warning: Mature, graphic content

My Story: Know Thy Neighbor

Available in e-magazine at:

Fiction Magazines 

(in multiple formats)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Various and sundry retailers of e-periodicals

Price: $3.99

A cool thing about this magazine is that it's peer chosen. The stories with the most votes from the team of curators are accepted by the magazine. It kind of makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know how this was chosen. Or would that be cold and scaly?

What do you think of the cover? Creepy enough? Do you sleep with your feet securely snuggled under the blankets, or do you hang them off the side? 

May you find your Muse.