It's time for the March IWSG!
Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer's Support Group is a monthly blog event where writers can post about their insecurities and lend support to other writers. Anyone can join. Click on Alex's name above and add your blog to the linky list.
This month's co-hosts are Deidre Knight, Tonya Drecker, Bish Denham, Olga Godim, and JQ Rose. Be sure to stop by and visit them!
This month's optional question: Have you ever read a line in a novel or a clever plot twist that caused you to have author envy?
Oh yeah. I am constantly awed by glorious wording (and occasionally plot twists, though I find those harder to come by). I love a good plot twist, but I can't think of one off the top of my head that awed me. The entire opening sections of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca are worth reading for the fantastic wording. Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has some great descriptive sentences. And the opening line of Stephen King's The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger is a great one, as well.
I'm skipping submission stats this month, because I haven't been submitting while I finished getting Happy Ghoulidays II ready. Speaking of which, how about a cover reveal? I don't have the paperback pre-order link yet, but I'll post the e-book link below.
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Happy Ghoulidays II releases Friday, March 17 (St. Patrick's Day), as the first story in the book involves St. Paddy's. The universal link for e-books is HERE.
If you're willing to help with my book launch this month, you can sign up HERE.
And look what my husband (my cover designer) did!
If you missed L. Diane Wolfe's guest post last week, she wrote about tying books in a series together. Check out the post and her new book!
Open for Submissions
Bear in mind, I'm merely passing these along, not endorsing them. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.
Dragon's Roost Press is seeking submissions of weird, dark speculative fiction for The Midnight Zone. Must involve a new monster. 1000 to 5000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline March 30.
Aurealis is open year round for authors in Australia and New Zealand, but they're open to international submissions once per year for the month of March. Speculative fiction. Pays $20-$60 AUD per 1000 words. Deadline March 31.
Masks Literary Magazine is seeking poetry and prose up to 3000 words. Pays $20-$25. Deadline March 31.
Gordon Square Review is seeking poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Word limit varies per type of submission. Up to 7500 words for prose. Pays $10-$25. Deadline April 1.
ev0ke is seeking pieces with the theme "sex magic." They take a variety of submission types. Pays $5. Deadline April 15 (does not open until April 1.)
Dread Stone Press is seeking horror flash fiction. 500 to 1000 words. $.02/word. Deadline April 15. (Opens April 1.)
Seaside Gothic is seeking flash fiction. Up to 1000 words. Pays .01 pounds/word. Deadline April 16.
Reservoir Road Literary Review is seeking literary fiction short stories and lyrical creative nonfiction. Up to about 8000 words (no hard limit). Pays $5. Deadline April 30 (does not open until April 1).
Khoreo is seeking speculative fiction. Up to 5000 words. Pays $.10/word. Deadline April 30.
Dragonsoul Press is seeking stories featuring pirates for Pirate Gold. Yes, that even includes space pirates. 3000 to 20,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline April 30.
Inklings Press is seeking speculative fiction mystery stories. Up to around 5000 words. Pays $10. Deadline April 30.
The First Line is seeking stories starting with the line: "All the lawns on Mentone Avenue are mowed on Wednesdays." 300 to 5000 words. Pays $10-$50, depending upon submission type. Deadline May 1.
Rock and a Hard Place is seeking literary noir stories about rich people behaving badly for the anthology The One Percent: Tales of the Super Wealthy and Depraved. 2000 to 5000 words. Pays $25 to $35. Deadline May 1.
December Magazine is seeking literary prose, poetry, and nonfiction. Up to 1000 words. Pays $10 per page. Deadline May 1.
Three Ravens Publishing is seeking post-apocalyptic stories for Tales of the Apocalypse. 5000 to 10,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline May 1.
What are your insecurities? What's your favorite line from a novel (or what novel is it from)? Have you written a series? Any of these publications of interest?
May you find your Muse.
20 comments:
That is so clever to have the covers make one face. (Isn't is wonderful to sleep with your illustrator? LOL)
That is an awesome cover!
Congratulations on your book!!! Great cover.
I like how you can line up the covers next to each other. That's cool!
Love your cover. I appreciate the plot twists and lines authors write but don't envy them either.
LOVE how the covers work together - fabulous!!!
Great cover. And I like it that it lines up with a previous one.
I'm with the others that the spines lining up is so cool. I too know I've read some great lines, but generally can't quote them later, lol.
Diane, yes, that's definitely helpful, lol!
Thanks, Alex!
Thank you, Bish!
Loni, that's one of my favorite things! I love his evil little face.
Natalie, definitely! I want to write my own great words and twists.
Jemi, thank you!
Olga, Thanks!
Helen, I just don't have the brain space, ha!
Lucky you to have your cover designer "in house"? Love the book covers. But I'd probably be "under my covers" from the fright of your stories. I can't read horror. But I LOVE your Business of Short Stories book. All best to you!
Great covers, and congratulations! You are such an inspiration. Thanks for sharing the submission openings. I admire your ambition.
Best of luck with the launch! I love the coordinated covers.
Love the book covers! And have I ever mentioned how much I appreciate you sharing the markets? You’ve been my inspiration to work harder at getting short stories out there!
Hi, Shannon! The cover your husband created for your book is wonderful, definitely ghoulish! I first read Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca when I was 12 or 13. I had to goto the library to pick out books for my mother. She couldn't go because she had little kiddos at home. I often read the books I picked out for her. I've read Rebecca several times since over the decades. It's a great book. Good luck with your release. Is your book coming out in print as well? Wishing you lots of success!
This will also be a hit in October!
Great, spooky cover designs.
Shirley Jackson held my hand in the haunting. I think you know what I mean. I still get shivers. hehehe
Great covers! I agree about the beginning of Rebecca--one of my all-time fav books.
Hi Shannon - you're fortunate to have a husband able to design your covers for you ... these look fun stories to read - good luck - cheers Hilary
Shirley Jackson is amazing. And thank you so much for posting this submission roundup.
Happy Launch Day!!! Congratulations!
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