Wednesday, January 13, 2016

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.

27 comments:

H. R. Sinclair said...

SO PRETTY! Wow, those photos are spectacular. Oh but the wind chill--I've had that get me too. Take care but enjoy!

Crystal Collier said...

Those shots are gorgeous, but so, so cold. *shivers*

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Hmm, a Road Closed sign and mysterious footprints? That has the making for some scary stuff.... :)

Chrys Fey said...

I would love to hike there. Those images are beautiful!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Love your pictures. Even I might brave the cold to enjoy such scenery.

Andrew Leon said...

B&W vs color... so hard to choose!

Mark said...

Great pics! Interesting contest too, although I'm a bit bogged down in rewrites for them right now.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I think the black and white ones are amazing. Adds a whole new quality to the shots.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Jamaica is nice and sunny but I'm not an outdoors kind of person. The pics look great and thanks for the contest info.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Shannon - glad you got one or two hikes in .. the landscape looks amazing ... and I hope no-one went through the ice! Gorgeous ... and thanks for the contest info .. cheers Hilary

Pat Hatt said...

Sure looks like a nice break was had there, awesome shots.

John Wiswell said...

Very pretty view, Shannon! Doesn't look much colder than where I am right now, but far more scenic. I could go for such a nice hike!

Apex Magazine is also back open to short story submissions. Dark SF & Fantasy at pro-rates.

J.Q. Rose said...

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing. Also appreciate the links. I'm in for sure on Lost and Found.

J.Q. Rose said...

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing. Also appreciate the links. I'm in for sure on Lost and Found.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Man, the wind was cold. It got worse later, and my fingers were frozen. But it was so lovely out there otherwise.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Definitely cold!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Definitely! Actually, my story in The Deep Dark Woods is set in RMNP, though I don't actually say that in the story. It was based on an old wives' tale.

Shannon Lawrence said...

It's so lovely up there!

Shannon Lawrence said...

I'm definitely not a fan of the cold. It's funny that I'm willing to go out in it on vacation, but a walk at home right now? No way! It has to be at least 40 for me to go for a walk at home.

Shannon Lawrence said...

I do love to play between the two.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Good luck with rewrites!

Shannon Lawrence said...

I figure when everything is in shades of white, b/w can make them more interesting.

Shannon Lawrence said...

I have just as much trouble going outside for hikes when it's too hot as too cold.

Shannon Lawrence said...

No one did while I was there. And I saw no holes!

Shannon Lawrence said...

It was a much needed and wonderful break!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Yay, Apex! I'm about to begin a round of submissions, so I'm happy they've reopened.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Oh good, good luck!