Upcoming Appearances, Do 1 Thing, Short Stories, & Links

Why, hello! It's Monday.

I recently confirmed some upcoming appearances I'll be making, so I thought I'd share! Plus, I have a question for you. But first, here's a picture of the awesome care pack, partially from Do 1 Thing, Nicole from The Madlab Post sent after the Mni Wicon Blogathon. Did you guys know there's a Native March on Washington set to occur March 10? Not only is DAPL an ongoing issue for Standing Rock, but the constant apathy and violation of Native rights is at stake.

As far as appearances, I'll be a showcase author at Pikes Peak Library's Mountain of Authors for the first time! I've worked this event as a representative of two different writer's groups (Pikes Peak Pen Women and Pikes Peak Writers) in the past, but this is the first time I've had the opportunity to be a featured author there. I'll have a signing table, and will get the chance to stand up to introduce myself and my books. It's a free event, so if you're local check out my "Appearances" tab for more details. I'd love to see you there!

I've also been confirmed as faculty at Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2017. I'll be on a panel about why you should write short stories, as well as presenting a standalone workshop on the business of short stories. You have to be a paid attendee of the conference to attend.

Both of the above are in April.

In addition, I will be presenting a 2-hour workshop on short stories for Colorado Springs Fiction Writer's Group in August. Half will be dedicated to the writing of short stories, with the second half involving the business side of things. This event is also free.

I've also received a fourth invitation to be a panelist at an event in mid-summer, but that's the only information I'll give out until I have more concrete information.

Question Mark by OCAL, clker.com

My question related to the above is what do you want to know about short stories? Not only will your answer to this question help me hone more workshops in the future, but I can do posts about it on here, as well.

I was interviewed at Writing From the Peak. Check it out!

Finally, how about some links? I'm sorely behind, aren't I? My blogging has been iffy at best lately, but I'm working on getting back to my usual schedule. Please bear in mind that I'm passing these along, not endorsing them. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Flame Tree Publishing is open for submissions of short stories for the following themed anthologies: Lost Worlds, Supernatural Horror, Time Travel, and Heroic Fantasy. 2000 to 4000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline February 28.

Galileo Books is open for short stories for science fiction art, essays, prose, and comics. Current theme is Games. 250 to 500 words. SFWA qualified paying market. Deadline March 1.

Radiant Crown Publishing is open for submissions of dieselpunk short stories, novelettes, and novellas for their anthology Gaslandia. Pay varies by type. Pays $.01/word. Deadline March 1.

Splickety Love is open for submissions of short stories themed toward historical romance. 300 to 1000 words. Pays $.02/word. Deadline March 10.

The Cincinnati Review is open for submissions of prose. Up to 40 double-spaced pages. Pays $25/page. Deadline March 15.

Freeze Frame Fiction is open for submissions of flash fiction for their 4th Quarter issue. 1000 words or less. Pays $10/piece. Deadline March 15.

Arsenika is open for submissions of poetry and flash fiction. Up to 1000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline March 15.

Contests:

Reflex Fiction holds an international competition for great flash fiction. 180 to 360 words. Free entry. Cash prizes. Deadline February 28.

Of Interest:

Susan Spann did a guest post for Writers in the Storm on takedown notices entitled Pirates Beware: How to Prepare and Use a DMCA Takedown Notice. It seems there's a need for this more and more these days.

What do you want to know about short stories? What would you expect at a short story workshop? What would you be disappointed was missing? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share? How are you doing with submissions?

May you find your Muse.

Water is Life: Announcing the Mni Wiconi Blogathon

If you've been around The Warrior Muse for awhile, you know I don't usually bring anything political in nature to my blog, or things that are controversial (other than horror, which I suppose is controversial in its own right). However, when Nicole of The Madlab Post contacted me about co-hosting this blogathon with her and Misha of the Five Year Project, I carefully considered and decided I wanted to be a part of it. I've been following DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline) online and sharing posts about it on my Facebook page (another place I don't dabble in politics or controversial subjects). For Natives around the country, DAPL has been a unifying subject. While the immediately impacted tribe is the Sioux, DAPL has become a cause that all Natives can get behind. It represents more than the surface issues being spoken about. It represents the breaking of treaties, the disrespecting of Native sovereignty, the police violence on Native people perpetrated by police departments near reservations, the destruction of sacred lands, the willingness to move dangerous construction closer to Native lands when primarily white areas (like Bismarck) are able to successfully fight to move it away from them. It represents the continuing apathy against Native people in this country and the unwillingness of the press to cover Native issues until they become big enough or draw in other people the press IS interested in covering (such as movie stars).

People from around the world have tuned in to the water protectors' efforts at Standing Rock. Representatives from many tribes and countries made their way to Standing Rock these last few months. They've dealt with unpleasantness in many guises, but there are still water protectors standing up for what they see as right. Internal politics and inter-tribal issues have been set aside while they band together to fight the "black snake."

The purpose of this blogathon is to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux in a global month of action to overcome the veritable press whiteout on the #nodapl efforts now being supported by people of all colors and countries. If you're familiar with Nicole, you know her background in film. We're highlighting a super short documentary by filmmaker Lucian Read, entitled Mni Wiconi: The Stand at Standing Rock.

Together with Nicole at The Madlab Post and Misha at The Five Year Project, we invite you to stop the censorship and corporate media whiteout of the #NoDAPL movement, by participating in the Mni Wiconi Blogathon.

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE SUBMITTING BLOG POSTS.

How To Participate:

1. Write an open letter to a bank of your choosing, in response to the film Mni Wiconi: The Stand at Standing Rock and publish it on your blog between Dec. 27 - Jan. 2. (e.g. Dear Wells Fargo, Why Are You Funding Water Contamination? or Dear Chase Bank, You Can't Drink Oil)

• You can watch the film at the bottom of this blog post.
• Must be written to one of the 38 banks involved (17 are directly funding DAPL.
• A $1.4 billion loan is on hold while the Army Corps permit for drilling under the Missouri River is suspended. This means there's still time for the banks involved in this loan to cut their line of credit.
• Only submit NEW posts. Previously published posts will not be eligible for the giveaway (see below). If you do not have a blog, consider doing a guest post for another blogger or posting your entry on Medium.

2. Add the blogathon badge to your post

3. Send us your post by filling out the form below:

One entry per person, not per blog.

Must be received by Monday January 2, 2017 12:59pm EST

4. Promote your post on social media using the hashtags #WaterisLife #Blogathon #DefundDAPL #BankExit

LINK-UPS

Nicole will post a list roundup of the participating blogs, as they are received and compiled, throughout the week and share the lists on social media.

GIVEAWAY

*courtesy of @MadlabPost & Do1Thing

On Tuesday January 3rd, Nicole will randomly select five participants who will win a 2017 Do1Thing wall calendar and an emergency swag bag filled with a water bottle, first aid kit, KIND granola, flashlights and related goodies. The first winning gift recipient who responds to my notification will also receive a Star Wars themed surprise. 

Some other resources:

#NoDAPL Solidarity
Defund DAPL
Divest From DAPL (tips for moving bank accounts)
Global Month of Action

Even if you won't be participating in the blogathon, I hope you'll give the video a quick viewing.

Did you watch the video? Have you seen any other informative videos about DAPL you'd care to share? Will you be participating in the blogathon? Have you heard of the DAPL protests?

May you find your Muse.