Slasher Sports Cinema Podcast & December Submission Roundup

Hi there! I'm actually posting on time for maybe the first time in a few months. I feel so accomplished. :D

Before I jump into links for December submissions, I was a guest on Slasher Sports Cinema, where I got to chat with Billy, the host, about Nightmare on Elm Street, my first and favorite slasher film, and one of the first horror films I saw and remembered (after Jaws and Cat People). As someone whose had insomnia since the age of twelve and who has also suffered sleep paralysis that involved a figure standing over my bed (pretty common in sleep paralysis), Freddy always stood out to me as different than the other slashers. And far scarier. 

You can listen to it (and view it, in the case of the YouTube link) in several places: 

ANCHOR - https://anchor.fm/slashersportscinema

SPOTIFY - https://open.spotify.com/show/4FabrHyO4FpbvTHeuG8Ksd

APPLE - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slasher-sports-show/id1633502252

IHEART - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-slasher-sports-cinema-102543354/

YOUTUBE - https://youtu.be/_h0_3rmI8Fg

Now onto markets open for submissions in December. As we ease our way into winter, the numbers dwindle slightly, but there are still plenty of short story/flash fiction/poetry markets looking!

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

December

Outcast Press is seeking noir-style stories where diners (or similar) are an integral part of the story. 2000 to 7000 words. Pays $25-$100. Deadline December 1.

R. Saint Claire is seeking horror short stories for a new magazine: Book Worms. 500 to 3000 words. Pays $.08/word. Deadline December 1.

Parabola is seeking stories and articles with the theme "Transformation." Up to 3000 words. Paying market, but I'm not finding the pay. Deadline December 1.

Lost Boys Press is seeking stories involving societies of anthropomorphized animals for Empire of Beasts. 3000 to 9000 words. Pays $40. Deadline December 1.

The Other Stories is seeking short horror stories with the theme "Tunnels." Must be 2000 words, give or take 10%. Pays 15 GBP. Deadline for this theme (other themes are also open right now) December 1.

Crystal Lake Publishing is seeking dreamy, psychedelic or related horror for their Never Wake anthology. 2500 to 4500 words. Pays $.08/word. Deadline December 4. 

Eye to the Telescope is seeking speculative poetry about Frankenstein and what it means to you. Can submit 1-3 poems. Pays $.04/word. Deadline 15. 

The Showbear Family Circus is seeking stories that involve deities connected to constellations for Of Gods and Globes. Prefer stories under 7500 words. Pays in a royalty split. Deadline December 15.

Freeze Frame Fiction is seeking flash fiction in any genre. Up to 1000 words. Pays $10 per piece. Deadline December 31.

Manawaker Studio is seeking sci-fi retellings of Briar Rose (aka Sleeping Beauty) for Project Briar Rose. 1500 to 5000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline December 31.

Arc Poetry Magazine is seeking poetry. Up to 3 poems or 360 lines. Pays $50/page. Deadline December 31.

Dead Fish Books is seeking speculative stories about alien first contacts that start well, but go terribly wrong for Yay! They're Here! 2000 to 6000 words. Pays $5 + royalties. Deadline December 31.

Eerie River Publishing is seeking horror stories involving wind and its various forms. 1500 to 7000 words. Pays $.01CAD/word. Deadline December 31.

Dragon Soul Press is seeking stories for two anthologies: Carried Away (Romantic Comedy) and Liberty (LGBTQ+ Fantasy). 3000 to 15,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline December 31.

Any of these of interest? Are you submitting? Anything to share? Know of any open calls? Do you enjoy slashers?

May you find your Muse.

Submission Roundup

Time again for the submission roundup for now through the end of November. Bear in mind that I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting to a market.

Accepting Submissions

October

World Weaver Press is seeking solarpunk stories with nonhuman characters (can be interacting with human characters) for Solarpunk Creatures. Up to 7000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline October 31.

War Monkey Publications LLC is seeking horror stories based on "regional legends and tall-tales" for From the Yonder Volume IV. 1000 to 7500 words. Pays $10. Deadline October 31.

Zoetic Press is seeking submissions with the theme Family for Nonbinary Review. Up to 3000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline October 31. 

Lucky Jefferson is seeking stories by black authors following their prompt for Awake. Poetry or flash fiction up to 1000 words. Pays $15 to $50, depending upon submission type. Deadline October 31.

November

The First Line is seeking fiction, poetry, and nonfiction with the first line: "When he died, their father had two requests." 300 to 5000 words. Pays $5 to $50, depending upon submission type. Deadline November 1.

The Other Stories (a podcast) is seeking horror stories. Must be within 10% of 2000 words. Current theme is Mother Nature. (Can also submit to future calls: Tunnels, Strange Weather, Imaginary Friends.) Pays 15 GBP per story. Deadline November 1.

The Last Girls Club is seeking stories with the theme Homeless Nation. Up to 2500 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline November 1.

Ninth Letter is seeking fiction, poetry, and nonfiction with the theme Constellations. Up to 3500 words. Pays $25 to $75, depending upon submission type. Deadline November 1.

Fanatical is seeking "sci-fi and fantasy stories inspired by tabletop games." 2000 to 6000 words. Pays 20 pounds. Deadline November 5.

Bag of Bones Press is seeking co-authored dark fantasy for Double-Edged Sword. 4000 to 6000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline November 8.

Berlin Lit is seeking poetry. Up to 5 poems. Pays 20 euros. Deadline November 12. 

Presses Renaissance Press is seeking stories about disabled superheroes written by disabled authors for Mighty. Speculative fiction. Cross-genre welcome. 500 to 3500 words. Pays $.08CAD/word. Deadline November 14. 

Eerie River Publishing is seeking cosmic horror stories. 2000 to 7000 words. Pays $.01CAD/word. Deadline November 15.

Word West Revue is seeking stories about the west. Up to 5000 words. Pays $25 to $100, depending on whether it's accepted for print or online. Deadline November 15. 

Dragon Soul Press is seeking science fiction romance for Union (3000 to 15,000 words) and monster romance for Beastly Tales (3000 to 20,000 words). Pays in royalties. Deadline November 30. 

Pride Book Cafe is seeking horror, suspense, and supernatural short stories by diverse authors for Fable. 1000 to 39,999 words. Pays $.08/word for the first 1000 words, then $.01/word after. Deadline November 30.

Abandon Journal is seeking a variety of submission types with the theme Abandon Love. Work count varies per submission type. Pays $15. Deadline November 30.

From Beyond Press is seeking horror stories about bugs. 500 to 5000 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline November 30.

April Bradley is seeking flash narratives on chronic illness for Flare. Up to 750 words. Pays $10. Deadline November 30.

Any November submission calls to share? Any of these of interest?

May you find your Muse.

Super Late Submission Roundup

It's late, but it's here! Bear in mind I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Late September Deadlines

Night Terror Novels is seeking flash fiction pieces for The Theatre Phantasmagoria. The theme for October is "Something Wicked." Stories should be centered around fall/Halloween. Up to 2000 words. Pays a flat rate of 10 pounds. Deadline September 30.

Crystal Lake Publishing is seeking horror stories that address the horror that grows from successes/progress in the LGBTQ+ community. The pendulum, in other words. Up to 6000 words. Pays $.10/word. Deadline September 30.

Rhonda Parrish is seeking stories about women and the sea for an anthology. Up to 7500 words. Pays $50 CAD. Deadline September 30.

Mocha Memoirs Press is seeking F/SF tales of robots/AI have gone off their programming for Crack in the Code. Up to 7500 words. Pays $.08/word. Deadline September 30.

Clan Destine Press is seeking stories of Sherlock as a female for Sherlock is a Girl's Name. Up to 5000 words (paid). Pays $.05AUD/word. Deadline September 30.

Brigid's Gate Press is seeking gothic romances with an emphasis on both the horror and the romance. Must have a HEA. 2000 to 6000 words. Pays $.08/word. Deadline September 30.

Kenyon Review is seeking short fiction, poetry, plays, and essays with the broad themes of food and women's health. Up to 7500 words. This is a paying market, but pay is not specified until a contract is offered. Deadline September 30.

October Deadlines

The Evil Cookie Publishing is seeking extreme horror stories dealing with water for Dead & Bloated. Up to 3000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline October 1.

The Last Line is seeking stories that end with the line: "The shredder roared to life, grinding the letter into tiny pieces of confetti." 300 to 5000 words. Pays $20-$40. Deadline October 1.

Quill & Crow Publishing House is seeking "gothic tales of dark magic and wizardry" for Rituals & Grimoires. 5000 to 8000 words. $40 per story. Deadline October 1.

Mythulu is seeking co-authored speculative fiction for Symbiosis. 500 to 2800 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline October 2.

TDOTSPEC is seeking SF tarot stories for The Science Fiction Tarot. Must give a premise for a SF tarot card design. Up to 7500 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline October 4.

Wordfire Press is seeking dark mermaid stories for Merciless Mermaids: Tails From the Deep. Up to 5000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline October 7. 

Translunar Travelers Lounge is seeking F/SF stories. Up to 5000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline October 15.

The Other Stories (a podcast) is seeking horror stories with the theme Possession. Must be right around 2000 words. Pays 15 GBP. Deadline October 15.

Stormbird Press is seeking fiction and nonfiction showing our oceans are worth fighting for for Our Ocean'd Earth. 1000 to 3000 words. Pays 200 euros. Deadline October 30.

Black Beacon Books is seeking mystery short stories. 3000 to 9000 words. Pays 20 euros. Deadline October 31.

Horroraddicts.net is seeking horror stories set in one house of the same manor, set between 1880 and 1980. 2000 to 3500 words. Pays $10. Deadline October 31.

Ontology Books is seeking postmodern horror for A Darkness Visible. 3000 to 8000 words. Pays 80 pounds. Deadline October 31.

No Deadlines

The Vanishing Point is seeking dark speculative fiction. 1500 to 6000 words. Pays $15. No set deadlines.

Shrapnel Magazine is seeking fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and essays. No specific word limit. Pays $30 to $60, depending upon piece submitted. No set deadlines.

Uncharted Magazine is seeking F/SF, Horror/Thriller, and Mystery/Crime. 1000 to 5000 words. Pays $200. No set deadlines.

Go Nomad is accepting pitches for travel stories. 1200 to 2000 words (on average). Pays $25. No set deadlines.

The Sunlight Press is seeking essays, poetry, and fiction. Up to 2000 words, depending upon category. Pays $15 to $40, depending upon category. No set deadlines.

That's it for this month. Any of these of interest? Have you been published by any of these publishers and have recommendations or words of caution? Anything else to share?

May you find your Muse.

September Submission Roundup

I'm a day late, but the roundup is here!

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

Accepting Submissions:

Inked in Gray is seeking speculative fiction short stories with the theme "Joy is Resistance" for Reclaiming Joy. Up to 8000 words. Pays $45. Deadline August 30.

Wyldblood Press is seeking fantasy short stories involving the sea for From the Depths. 1000-12,000 words (sweet spot is 3000 to 5000). Pays .01 pounds per word. Deadline August 31.

Bert Edens is seeking horror stories based on Alice Cooper's songs. 3000 to 5000 words. Pays $25 with proceeds going to Alice Cooper's charity Solid Rock Teen Centers. Deadline August 31.

Apparition Lit's brief submission window will be open soon. Speculative fiction and poetry with the theme "Nostalgia." 1000 to 5000 words. Pays $.05/word. Submission window open August 15 to 31.

Timber Ghost Press is seeking horror set in the Old West for Harrowing Trails. Up to 6000 words. Pays $10 to $35. Deadline August 31.

The Quiet Ones is seeking horror and dystopian with the theme "Nocturnal Animals." Up to 3000 words. Pay $25. Deadline August 31.

Input/Output Enterprises is seeking vampire horror for And the Dead Shall Sleep No More. Up to 6000 words. Pays $15. Deadline September 1.

Writers Victoria is seeking fiction and nonfiction with the theme "Unravel." Up to 1200 words. Pays $70 to $200. Deadline September 5.

Belanger Books is seeking mysteries involving police who go to Sherlock Holmes for help for The Consultations of Sherlock Holmes. He cannot be the main investigator. 5000 to 10,000 words. Pays $100 or $50 plus a percentage of the Kickstarter proceeds (whichever is more). Deadline September 15. 

Pyre Magazine is seeking dark speculative fiction. Up to 3500 words. Pays $10. Deadline September 18. 

Dragon Soul Press is seeking dragon stories for Reign of Fire. 3000 to 15,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline September 30.

Mocha Memoirs Press is seeking "cybernated stories of rebellion" for Crack the Code. Up to 7500 words. Pays $.08/word. Deadline September 30.

The Bombay Literary Magazine is seeking fiction, poetry, and graphic fiction. 2000 to 7000 words. Pays Rs. 5000 (about $65). Deadline September 30.

Brigids Press is seeking gothic romance. Female and nonbinary authors only. 2000 to 6000 words. Pays $.08/word. Deadline September 30.

Any of these of interest? Any other calls to share?

May you find your Muse.

July Submission Roundup

It's time for the monthly submission roundup! Bear in mind I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Augur is seeking speculative fiction for their regular magazine (Augur) and cozy SF/F stories for Tales & Feathers. They mostly take Canadian/First Nations. Up to 5000 words. Pays $.11/word. Deadline July 31.

Pikes Peak Writers is seeking short stories and poetry that takes the reader to a new world. Up to 6000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline July 31.

Superlative is seeking short fiction with the theme "Futures." Up to 1500 words. Pays 10 pounds. Deadline July 31.

Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing/Ghoulish Books is seeking body horror stories written by transgender and nonbinary authors for Bound in Flesh. 3000 to 5000 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline July 31. (Note that I have worked with this press before with their magazine Dark Moon Digest, and they are always a pleasure to work with.)

Black Beacon Books is seeking post-apocalyptic short stories for Tales from the Ruins. 5000 to 10,000 words. Paying market. Deadline July 31. 

Metaphorosis is seeking SF/F short stories about an interesting museum. 1000 to 8000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline July 31.

Three Ravens Publishing is seeking high fantasy short stories for Embers of Corsari, a shared world anthology and horror comedy short stories for It Came from the Trailer Park II. 7000 to 10,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline August 1.

Lethe Press is seeking dark speculative short stories about "gay sexuality, desire, masculinity, and the aesthetics of rough trade" for Brute. 2500 to 10,000 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline August 1.

The First Line is seeking fiction, poetry, and critical essays with the first line "Lily unlocked the back door of the thrift store using a key that didn't belong to her." 300 to 5000 words. Pays up to $50.00 depending upon submission type/length. Deadline August 1.

The Last Girls Club Magazine is seeking feminist horror with the theme "Thoughts & Prayers." Up to 2500 words. They also accept poetry and flash fiction. Pays $.01/word. Deadline August 1.

Rayne Hall is seeking horror stories dealing with trains for The Haunted Train. No length restriction. Pay is flat fee of 10 Euro. Deadline August 15.

Ghost Orchid Press is seeking erotic horror fairy tales for Les Petite Morts. 1000 to 5000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline August 30.

Dragon Soul Press is seeking contemporary women's fiction for Life at Its Best and Christmas stories for Magick & Mistletoe. Up to 15,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline August 31. 

Gwyllion is seeking pulp/low-brow speculative fiction. Up to 10,000 words. Pays 10 pounds. Deadline August 31.

Eerie River Publishing is seeking dark short stories for It Calls from Beneath. 2000 to 7000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline September 1 (does not open for submissions until August 1). They are also taking water themed horror for their elements series. 1500 to 7000 words. Same pay. Deadline August 31.

Timber Ghost Press is seeking horror stories set in the Old West for Along Harrowed Trails. Poetry, flash, and short. Up to 6000 words. Pays up to $35. Deadline August 31.

Apparition Literary Magazine is seeking speculative fiction poetry and short stories with the theme "nostalgia." 1000 to 5000 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline August 31 (not open for submissions until August 15.) 

War & Whiskey Publishing is seeking horror SF set on another planet for Strange Sunsets. 2500 to 7500 words. Pays $30. Deadline August 31.

Hellbound Books is seeking horror short stories paying homage to Poe for Madame Gray's Poe-Pourri of Terror and space SF horror for Hellbound Sci-Fi. 3000 to 8000 words for Poe and 4000 to 10,000 words for Hellbound. Pays $5. Deadline September 1. (I've been published with this market and had a good experience, but please note that they don't always send out rejections, as far as I know.)

Head Shot is seeking noir short stories for Bang! 2000 to 8000 words. Pays 10 pounds. Deadline September 1.

Orion's Belt is seeking SF stories. Up to 1200 words. Pays $.08.word. Deadline September 1.

Taco Bell Quarterly is seeking literary fiction, poetry, and more that involves Taco Bell in some way. 500 to 1500 words. Pays $100 per piece. Deadline September 5.

Any of these of interest? Any open calls to share? Are you submitting?

May you find your Muse.

April Submission Roundup

There are a wealth of open calls right now, which jives seasonally, but I'm also wondering if the pandemic ended up creating some  new publications. Either way, we should take advantage of it!

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

Rough Cut Press is seeking experimental work in all genres. Theme is Dust. Up to 650 words. Pays $25. Deadline April 27.

Black Angel Press is seeking gothic ghost stories for an anthology. Doesn't have to be set during Victorian times. 3000 to 5000 words. Pays £5. Deadline April 30.

Off Topic Publishing is seeking poetry and flash fiction for "Home: What Is It and How Do I Get There?" Up to 1000 words for flash and 60 lines for poetry. Pays $15 CAD. Deadline April 30.

Brandon Applegate is seeking short horror and dark fiction for "It Was All a Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right." 1500 to 4000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline April 30 (extended deadline for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ of May 7.

Kopfkino Media is seeking twisted horror fairy tales for "Midnight in the Dying Garden: Fairy Tales for the End of the World." 1000 to 7000 words. Pays $15 to $150 CAD. Deadline April 30.

Fiyah Lit Mag is seeking stories by black people of the African diaspora with the theme food and cuisine. 2000 to 7000 words. Pays $.08/word. Deadline April 30.

Strange Horizons is seeking stories by Southeast Asian and the SE Asian diaspora for a special issue. 2000 to 7000 words. Specific pay is not listed, so I'm assuming it's their usual $.10/word. Deadline April 30.

Jellyfish Review is seeking stories with memorable characters. Up to 1000 words. Pays $25. Deadline April 30.

Tourmaline & Quartz Publishing is seeking fantasy stories involving wintery elements for Kingdoms of Wrath & Ice. 5000 to 7500 words. Pays $25. Deadline April 30.

The First Line is seeking short pieces with the first line: "Thomas hadn't expected to be alive when the town's time capsule was opened." 300 to 5000 words. They also take poetry and nonfiction with varying requirements. Pays between $5 and $50, depending upon submission type and length. Deadline May 1.

Red Dog Fiction is seeking powerful crime short stories for the anthology Gone, which is also the theme. 3500 to 6000 words. Pays £30. Deadline May 1.

The Last Girls Club is seeking feminist fiction with the theme "Sex Work is REAL Work." Up to 2500 words. Pays $10 to $25. Deadline May 1.

The Other Stories podcast is seeking dark fiction and horror short stories with the following themes: Octopuses (deadline April 15), Ageing (deadline May 1), and Faeries (deadline May 15). Word count not specified. Pays £15. 

Kelp Journal is seeking stories set in a beach locale with a neo-noir feel for The Dark Waves of Winter. 3000 to 6000 words. Pays $35 + royalties. Deadline May 1.

Bennington Review is seeking innovative work that is both graceful and reckless. Word count not specified, but pay is by typeset page. Pays $20 to $200. Deadline May 8.

Alan Squire Publishing is seeking short stories or creative nonfiction addressing the need to escape, flee, or run. Speculative fiction. 500 to 3000 words. Pays $30. Deadline May 9.

Shooter Literary Magazine is seeking fiction, essays, poetry, and memoir with the theme Out West. 2000 to 6000 words. Pays £25. Deadline May 9.

Egglplant Emoji Lit is seeking comedy/humor short stories. 1000 to 5000 words. Pays $25. Deadline $25.

Stories Rule Press is seeking urban fantasy novelettes with the theme/title "The Wizard Must be Stopped." 7500 to 10,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline May 15.

Weird Little Worlds is seeking speculative fiction about mothers for Mother: Tales of Love and Terror. 1000 to 3000 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline May 15.

B Cubed Press is seeking short stories set in a fictional world (a short story is provided at the link) for Scott's Planet. 500 to 5000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline May 30.

Dragon Soul Press is seeking horror short stories for Haunt. 1000 to 15,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline May 31.

Hellbound Books Publishing is seeking vampire horror stories for Vampires and Such. 4000 to 10,000 words. Pays $5. Deadline May 31.

Eerie River Publishing is seeking horror stories with a fire theme. 1500 to 7000 words. Pays $.01/word CAD. Deadline May 31.

Hellnotes is seeking dark stories that include the HP Lovecraft creature Azathoth and the theme of order out of chaos for Azathoth: Ordo ab Chao. 5000 to 7000 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline May 31.

Alienhead Press is seeking horror stories about Halloween ghosts for Literally Dead. 2000 to 4000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline May 31.

Plenty to choose from!

Any of these of interest? Anything to add? 

May you find your Muse.

Submission Roundup December

Here's the next month's worth of submission calls. Bear in mind I'm not endorsing these companies, merely passing along their calls. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

United Faedom Publishing is seeking submissions for three romance anthologies: Cozy Romance, LGBTQ+ Romance, and Romantic Fantasy. 8000 to 10,000 words. Pays $20. Deadline December 1.

The Abbey Review is seeking short stories, screenplays, and poetry. Maximum page count is up to 30, depending upon submission type. Pays $30. Deadline December 1.

Samjoko Magazine is seeking short fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenplays. 1000 to 4000 words. Pays $20. Deadline December 15.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is seeking stories in the following themes: Humorous stories (November 20), Kindness (November 20), Preteens (December 20), Teenagers (December 20). Up to 1200 words. Pays $200. Deadlines are in parentheses with their themes.

Worlds Enough is seeking stories for Fantastic Detectives. 5000 to 15,000 words. Pays $20 + royalties. Deadline December 30.

Dragon Soul Press is seeking short stories for their anthologies with the following themes/titles: Rogue Tales (November 30), Everlast (November 30), Surge (December 31). 5000 to 20,000 words. Pays royalties for the first year. Deadlines are in parentheses next to the titles.

Sliced Up Press is seeking short stories for the anthology Monstroddities. 1000 to 3000 words. Pays $50. Deadline December 31.

Stormdance Books is seeking short stories for Grumpy Old Gods. 3000 to 4000 words. Pays royalties. Deadline December 31. 

The Quiet Ones is seeking horror stories in the theme True Love Never Dies. Up to 3000 words. Pays $25. Deadline December 31.

Manawaker is seeking short stories for Felis Future: An Anthology of Future Cats. No hard word limit. Pays $.01/word. Deadline December 31.

Workers Write! is seeking stories and poems with a musical theme for Tales From the Key of C. 500 to 5000 words. Pays $5 to $50, depending upon length. Deadline December 31.

Any submission calls to share? Any of these of interest?

May you find your Muse.

Submission Roundup Oct/Nov

Time for the roundup of places accepting submissions with deadlines between now and mid-November! Bear in mind that I'm not endorsing any of these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Hellbound Books is seeking short stories for the anthology The Toilet Zone: The Royal Flush. These are NOT meant to be stories about the bathroom. Instead, they're short enough to be read while on the toilet. 2500 to 4000 words. Pays $5. Deadline October 31.

Untreed Reads is seeking short stories for the anthology I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight. This is a mystery/crime anthology where each story must be based on a one-hit wonder. 3000 to 5000 words. Royalty split. Deadline October 31.

Lostboys Press is seeking submissions for their anthology Heroes. These should be retellings of known characters in a different setting. 3000 to 9000 words. Pays $50. Deadline October 31.

Ghost Orchid Press is seeking stories for Beyond the Veil: Queer Tales of Supernatural Love. Must have dark and/or supernatural elements. 1000 to 6000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline October 31.

Madhouse Books is seeking stories for the anthology Dark Secrets. These should be short stories about "sinister secrets and hidden evil." 3500 to 7000 words. Pays $10. Deadline October 31.

Eerie River Publishing is seeking horror stories for It Calls From the Veil. Supernatural elements. 2000 to 6000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline October 31.

Other Worlds Ink is seeking stories for Save the World. Must be cli-fi (climate science fiction) about hopeful futures involving solutions to help climate change. 2500 to 15,000 words. Pays a flat fee between $50 and $100, depending upon word count. Deadline October 31.

Table/FEAST Lit Mag is seeking stories between 1000 to 4000 words. Pays $30. Deadline October 31.

Death in the Mouth is an anthology seeking horror stories by people of color. 1000 to 6000 words. Pays $.08/word. Deadline November 1.

The Future Fire is seeking speculative stories with a noir flavor. Up to 17,500 words. Pays up to $50. Deadline November 1.

Queer Toronto Literary Magazine is seeking stories by queer individuals. Up to 2000 words. Pays $15. Deadline November 1.

JANK is seeking submissions for Solarpunk Sunscapes: Optimistic Visions of the Future. 500 to 7500 words. Pays $.02/word. Deadline November 1.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is seeking stories with the themes Kindness, Humorous Stories. Up to 1200 words. Pays $200. Deadlines are for between October 31 and November 20.

Dragon Soul Press is seeking stories for Rogue Tales (dark, sexy fairy tales) and Everlast (couples who meet due to time travel). 7000 to 15,000 words. Pays royalties for the first year. Deadline November 30.

The Gravity of the Thing is seeking stories for Stranged Writing: A Literary Taxonomy. Written pieces must showcase defamiliarization. 6 to 3000 words. Pays $5 to $25. Deadline November 30. 

Anything to add? Any of these sound interesting? Are you submitting?

May you find your Muse.

A Solution for Mom & Open Markets

Since I haven't posted open markets in ages, I figured I'd do a market roundup post for April. But first I figured I'd post a couple mini updates and a solution that freed up a little time for me a couple nights per week. 

First, I finished my first term of college classes. Forty credits done. I've got forty-seven more to go by October. I did take a week off instead of trying to finish another couple of classes this term, but I needed it. I've been able to use the week to relax, but also to get end-of-year tax stuff done, as well as a couple other projects. My new term starts tomorrow, and I'm ready to go. 

Second, with school more than full-time I needed something taken off my plate. I didn't even plan that pun. Anyway, I decided to give Hello Fresh a try, which is a meal service. We do it three days a week, so my husband, son, and daughter each choose a meal for that week, then they prepare it. We do pizza night once a week with a family movie, so that only leaves three days a week I have to worry about dinner. With my time stretched so thin, we'd been grabbing food to go a lot, anyway, and this actually turned out to be cheaper. I highly recommend it if you're the cook in the family and would like a break. Though I'd make a couple notes:

1. Set limits on types of food (example: they'd pretty much all choose pasta for every meal, so I've limited it to one pasta dish per week).

2. My next step needs to be to teach them to clean up after they mess up the kitchen. :p

3. I add an extra meal for the week if there's something I really want to try or if the things they chose aren't "real" food. Like if they choose flatbreads, quesadillas, or things like that, I'll probably make some sort of meat and potatoes dish.

4. Some meals need additional seasoning. At least in my opinion. 

To be clear, this isn't a sponsored post (though if they want to sponsor our podcast, that would be awesome.) But there's something called emotional labor that comes into play with meal planning, grocery shopping, meal prep, cleanup, etc. I'm not just making dinner constantly. I'm having to think through what I'll make for the next week, then go through all the steps. It takes up more mental space than people not in that role understand. The same goes for stuff like planning all the family appointments and planning what we do each week, etc. Doing this, I was able to do a month's worth of shopping for easy meals, stock the freezer and pantry, and with the HF meals coming into play, I'm no longer doing extensive meal planning all the bloody time. Yeah, I still end up dictating who makes their meal and when, but this is such a huge relief, so I wanted to pass it along in case anyone else could use something like this, and hadn't thought of what else it could relieve. 

Oddly, with this little taste of freedom I've been baking more fun stuff, like muffins, making fresh smoothies for snacks. I run to the store for fresh produce and oat milk when I'm out, but this even makes the produce thing easier. Before, I'd have to basically use up produce early on in the week then move onto things that weren't necessarily so fresh, but now I have exactly the amount of produce I need, and I don't have to waste anything if I don't get to it in time. The only produce I have to get now is fruit and veggies for snacks, plus I get salad stuff, because we can add a salad to any meal. Easy.

(I forgot to take a picture of the meal I made that first week. My husband hadn't chosen one that week, because we switch off some weeks, depending.)

Due to my kids being trapped in the house for a year, courtesy of the pandemic, we've also started taking them out once a week to pick a dessert somewhere. We've hit a couple local bakeries, a convenience store (for candy bars), an ice cream place we hadn't tried before, and locations like that. It gets them out of the house, gets us out of the house, and we get a real dessert once per week. Plus, we get to support a small business.

Okay, on to publications accepting submissions.

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

Goodman Publications is seeking sword and sorcery fantasy short stories for their magazine Tales From the Magician's Skull. Up to 10,000 words. Pays $.04/word. Deadline tomorrow, April 1.

Ninth Letter is seeking short stories with the theme "distanced." Up to 3500 words. Pays $25-$75, depending upon type of submission. Deadline April 5.

The Novelette is seeking YA and NA stories for Aesthetic: A Dark Academia Anthology. Any sub-genre. 1000-15,000 words. Pays royalties. Deadline April 10.

Grist is holding a writing contest with no entry fees with the theme "Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors." 3000-5000 words. Prizes range from $300 to $3000. Deadline April 13.

Cloaked Press is seeking science fiction and fantasy short stories for their anthology Summer of Speculation. 4000-10,000 words. Pays $15. Deadline April 20.

Shooter Literary Magazine is seeking short stories with the theme "Escape." 2000-6000 words. Pays 25 pounds. Deadline April 25. 

Cryoseism Press/Frost Zone Press is seeking horror short stories for the anthology Handmade Horror. 600-5000 words. $10-$25 CAD, depending upon length. Deadline April 28.

Bronzewood Books is seeking gaslamp fantasy (fantasy paired with historical fiction) for their anthology Gaslamp Fantasy. 2000-8000 words. Pays $.015/word. Deadline April 30. 

Denver Horror Collective is seeking horror short stories for their anthology The Jewish Book of Horror. 3000-7500 words. Pays $30 for the first 3000 words, then 1/2 cent per word after that. Deadline April 30.

From the Farther Trees is seeking deep time fiction and poetry for their magazine The Mesozoic Reader. 1000-15,000 words. Pays $10. Deadline April 30. 

Accepting Submissions First Week of May:

Improbably Press is seeking cryptid short stories for their anthology Cryptids Emerging: Tales of Dark Cheer. Up to 5000 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline May 1.

Spider Road Press is holding a writing contest with no entry fees for women and those who identify as women only. 20-100 words (microfiction). First prize is $150. Deadline May 1.

The First Line is seeking stories beginning with "Lena was raised on violin lessons and minimal parental supervision." 300-5000 words. Pays $5-$25, depending upon entry type and length. Deadline May 1.

Have you tried a home meal delivery kit? Which one? How did you like it? Any of these markets of interest? Anything to add?

May you find your Muse.

Flowers, Trains, and Mines & Links

Time for the final set of photos from my trip to Georgetown. On my last day, I did some sightseeing by driving Guanella Pass (twice, inadvertently) and taking the train out to do a mine tour. They had just opened an extended portion of the tour, courtesy of two of the guides actually clearing deeper into the mine where it had collapsed or been covered previously. One of the coolest things in there were insanely deep pools of water that went several levels down into the mountain and preserved footprints on the stone from the silver miners. There are still active veins of silver in the mine, but it's officially shut down and can no longer be mined. We even saw liquefied silver running down one of the walls from all the water!

First, here are some wildflowers growing on Guanella Pass (there were a ton, but it's a mountain pass, so you can only pull over at specific pull-offs.) Below the flowers is the view of Georgetown from one of the pull-offs. It's a super small, cute town.

Now for the train!

And the mine. Of note, on the first picture below you'll notice a faint green. That's one of the super deep holes full of water. I believe this one was about 34 feet deep, but I may be mis-remembering (one was that depth). While mining, they ran pumps to move the water out. We had water running along the route we walked down. Water everywhere!

The second picture above was the site of a bit of a mining war. A second mining company tried to undercut their claim, coming in through the hole they blasted in the back. Miners from the proper claim chased them out with rocks then used dynamite to blow up their tunnel, which has since been reopened. On the right, though it's hard to see, is another deep hole full of water (it's not distinctive in color or I would have left it). This one was deeper than the first.

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

Accepting Submissions:

Splickety Magazine is seeking humorous Christmas stories for their December "Wreck the Halls" theme. 300 to 1000 words. Pays $.02/word. Deadline September 22.

Recompose is seeking poetry and flash fiction that blends speculative fiction with literary. Up to 1000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline September 30.

Nashville Review is seeking fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Up to 8000 words. Pays $100 for prose, $25 for poetry. Deadline September 30.

Books and Boos Press is looking for horror comedies. 4000 to 8000 words. Pays $50. Deadline September 30.

Tribe is an anthology seeking pieces from single/widowed/divorced women of 55+. Prose, poetry, memoir, personal narrative, etc. 1200 to 3000 words. $25 CAN, plus possibility for royalties. Deadline September 30.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is seeking stories with the theme "My Crazy Family." Nonfiction. Up to 1200 words. Pays $200. Deadline September 30.

Edge is seeking speculative fiction stories involving trains for the anthology Fantastic Trains: An Anthology of Phantasmagorical Engines and Rail Riders. There are several "locomotif" elements they want the writer to choose from and include. Up to 5000 words. Pays $50 to $150. Deadline September 30.

Have you ever been on a train? What kind? How about a mine tour? Gold, silver, coal? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.

Cutting Out Time & Links

Editing is not my friend.

I can write pretty much anywhere, with or without distractions. I can write to music or watching television. I've written at Chuck E. Cheese, surrounded by insane munchkins hyped up on pizza and sugar.

But editing? I need silence or instrumental music when I'm editing. I need fewer distractions.

What I've discovered is that I edit better out of the house. Somewhere else, where I won't freak out about the house being messy or worry about what I need to make for dinner. Where the kids can't ask me questions. So I've started treating myself to happy hour at a quiet local restaurant each week to make time for editing. They say write drunk, edit sober, but I prefer to write sober and edit with a glass of wine (not drunk). And maybe a salad or appetizer. Or pie!

The point of this is to find a way around the issues or blocks you run into. Find a way to take the less pleasurable parts and make them fun. Or at least a nice change. For some of you, it's the editing that's an issue. For some it's the writing. For others it might be design or marketing. Make it fun, make it routine, make it relaxing. I'm grateful I have a place to go where they don't mind me being there taking up a table (I would leave if it was busy enough for the table to be needed, and I do leave once it gets busy), and where I can be comfortable, treat myself, and get some work done.

If you don't have a restaurant or coffee house to go, maybe there's somewhere outdoors, like a park. Perhaps there's a local hotel with a lobby bar where they won't mind you taking up space at a table or comfy sofa in the lobby to write/edit.

Now for some links.

Accepting Submissions:

Carte Blanche is accepting fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and photo essays. Pays a modest honorarium. Deadline May 1.

The First Line is accepting fiction and essays for their summer line. Up to 5000 lines. Must start with the line "The plan suddenly made sense." Pays up to $50. Deadline May 1.

Afrocentric Books is accepting diverse fiction for their steampunk anthology Afrosteam. Must have a main character of indigenous African descent. 1000 to 7500 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline May 5.

The Dark City is accepting short crime and mystery fiction. 1000 to 7500 words. Pays $25.

Litbreak is accepting short stories, novel excerpts, essays, reviews, and poetry. Up to 12,000 words. Pays between $25 and $100 depending upon type of submission.

Confingo is accepting short stories, poems, or art. Up to 5000 words. Pays £20.

Where have you found to get some quiet time away from home for work? Do you write or edit there (or something else)? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.

*Image Glass of Wine 2, OCAL, clker.com

Link Time!

It's late, so I'm going to jump straight into links today.

Bear in mind that posting these does not indicate endorsement on my part. I merely pass along links I happen across. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Jaylee James and Lyssa Chiavari are putting together an anthology that intermingles fairy tales and science fiction, called Circuits and Slippers. 2000-10,000 words. Pays in royalty split. Deadline April 8.

Leading Edge Magazine is seeking short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Science fiction and fantasy. Up to 10,000 words preferred. This is a paying market, but they are working on their fee schedule right now, so no specifics are listed. 

Metaphorosis is seeking fantasy and science fiction. 1000-6000 words. Pays $.01/word. They want beautifully written work.

The Masters Review is seeking fiction and narrative nonfiction. Must not have published a novel to submit. Up to 5000 words. Pays $.10/word. (Note: they have submission types that require a fee. I am posting only about New Voices, which does not require a fee to submit.)

Blue Monday Review is seeking fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. They like stories in the fashion of Vonnegut. Up to 3500 words. Pays $.02/word.

Cultures and Cuisines is seeking food and travel articles that, while nonfiction, push the boundaries in style. 800-3000 words. Pays $200/article. 

Scarlet Leaf Review is seeking essays, poetry, essays, book reviews, portraits, short stories, interviews, and more. Pays $10-$25 CAD

The Capilano Review is seeking experimental writing and art. Fiction, poetry, reviews, interviews. Up to 5000 words (some categories are shorter.) Pays $50 per published page, up to $150. 

The Sockdolager is seeking short genre fiction. 1000-5000 words. Pays $.02/word. 

Wolves is seeking literary fiction and poetry. They like experimental. Up to 7000 words. Pays $5-$30. 

Any of these of interest? Anything to share? Publishing news?

May you find your Muse.

Jumper Silhouette, clker.com, OCAL

Whoops & Links

I realized about two days after the fact that I forgot to post for IWSG last week. Whoops! February snuck up on me. I can't make that post up, but skipping it also meant skipping my January stats, which I should still report.

My January stats are underwhelming, as I'm working on building back up the number of short stories I have to submit. Plus, I spent my short story writing time working on what has turned out to be a novella instead.

In January:

I submitted 4 pieces.
I got 4 rejections (not on those same pieces)
I've got 6 submissions pending.

Time to get those numbers back up!

Link time!

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

Accepting Submissions:

Transmundane Press has extended their deadline on After the Happily Ever After, an anthology of fairy tales after the end. 100-7500 words. Pay will be between $5 and $20, plus contributor copies. Deadline February 20.

Freak Tension is accepting submissions for Hybrid Moments: A Literary Tribute to the Misfits. Write a story inspired by a Danzig-era Misfits song. Up to 5000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline March 1.

Contrary is reading for their April issue. Poetry and fiction. Up to 1500 words. Pays $20. Deadline March 1.

Comet Press is seeking stories for Stiff Things, an erotic horror anthology. Make it dark and twisted. Up to 9000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline March 1.

New English Press is seeking stories for This Book Ain't Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit: A Wu-Tang Tribute Anthology. 2000-3000 words. Pays $20, plus contributor copy. Deadline March 1.

Slice Magazine is seeking short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Up to 5000 words. Pays $75 for poems and $250 for stories. The theme for the upcoming issue is Distraction. Deadline March 1.

Horrified Press is seeking flash fiction and short stories for Detectives of the Fantastic Volume IV: Tales of Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Investigations. 2000-5000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline March 13.

FunDead Publications is seeking spooky ghost stories for the anthology Shadows in Salem. 1000-6000 words. Pays $10, plus contributor copy. Deadline March 15.

Freeze Frame Fiction is seeking flash fiction, all genres. Up to 1000 words. Pays $10. Deadline for this issue is March 15.

Third Flatiron is seeking space opera and military fiction for Hyperpowers, an anthology. 1500-3000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline March 15.

How are your submissions going? Has this year snuck up on you, too? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share? 

May you find your Muse.

Image by OCAL at clker.com.

Squirrel! & Links

Okay, it's not a squirrel. It's not even a ground squirrel. But I like yelling "squirrel!" Because I'm easily distracted.

My husband surprised me with a new camera before I headed up to Estes Park for a writing weekend with a friend. Believe it or not, we actually got a whole lot of writing done, so we didn't venture out to take photos much. However, during a break in writing one afternoon, I wandered around the cabin we were staying in and took some photos of the chipmunks (that were, surprisingly, the only real wildlife we saw). I also took some closeups of plants and flowers that I might share next week. We'll see.

Without further ado, meet Chuckie, the Chipmunk.

We did actually see regular gray squirrels, but no bears, moose, or elk. Someday I'll get a photo of a moose. I've got plenty of elk! This is actually the first time I've been to Estes with no sign of an elk.

I got a lot accomplished on Wendigo Nights, but I've got a long road ahead. I cut about 3000 words, then added 6000 more. Not too shabby, except for the fact that I went there knowing I needed to add about 16,000 words. My urban fantasy is currently sitting at about 52,000 words, post-weekend. Not enough. Sigh.

Accepting Submissions:

Contrary Magazine is seeking original commentary, fiction, and poetry for their next issue. Pays $20. Deadline September 1.

Emby Press is looking for scary atmospheric horror for The Monster Waiting in the Woods. 2000-8000 words. Pays $25 and an e-copy. Deadline September 1.

The Anthology of Quitters is looking for novels that never found fruition. If you started a novel, but trunked it, they might just be interested. This anthology will publish 2000-5000 words of your trunked novel. Pays $25. Deadline is given as Early September.

Sirens Call Publications is seeking short stories for Witches, Warlocks, Demons, & Evil-Doers, an anthology. 4000-8000 words. Pays $25. Deadline September 1.

Briarpatch Magazine wants writing on current issues. Profiles, essays, reviews, parting shots, feature stories, photo essays, investigative reports and articles. Pays from $50 to $150, depending upon submission type. Deadline September 4.

Cracked Eye is open for submissions of short stories. 500-6500 words. Pays professional rates.

Unsung Stories is seeking speculative fiction short stories (and novels). Up to 3000 words. Pays £25 .

Maniacal is looking for short fiction. They like weird and funny. Up to 3000 words. Pays $2, plus e-copy.

The Fiction Desk is seeking short fiction. 2000-20,000 words. Pays £15 per thousand words.

Filling Station is accepting fiction, poetry, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, and art. Paying market.

Any of these of interest to you? Anything to share? Publication news? Do you have any chipmunks or ground squirrels? Do you know what the difference between a ground squirrel and a chipmunk is? I do now! But I didn't before I looked it up (ground squirrels don't have stripes on their faces.)

May you find your Muse.