Expressions 96
June 2008
A Newsletter for Creative People Worldwide
A Product of Sam’s Dot Publishing
Editor - Cathy Buburuz
Table of Contents
How to Participate in Expressions
Nancy Fulda Interviewed by Joy V. Smith
New York Book Festival 2008
Wonderland - Poetry by J. Bruce Fuller
Dream Eater - Poetry by Aurelio Rico Lopez III
An Alien Visits the Dentist to See What All
the Fuss is About -Poetry by Terrie Leigh Relf
An Alien Revisits the Dentist for a Root Canal -
Flash Fiction by Terrie Leigh Relf
News Flashes
The Midnight Library
Sam’s Dot Publishing Update by Tyree Campbell
Paying Markets
How to Participate in Expressions
Expressions is published monthly and open to submissions all year round. I welcome your participation. Editors are invited to send their guidelines, readers are invited to share their news and views, writers and artists are invited to share their work, and their news about successes. If you’d like your book or magazine featured in The Midnight Library section of Expressions, please get in touch.
I welcome poems (under 20 lines preferred), flash fiction (under 500 words preferred), articles (less than 1,000 words preferred), interviews (less than 1,000 words preferred), book or magazine reviews (under 700 words preferred), and art (jpg under 30k).
Include a fascinating bio of three or four sentences (written in the third person) at the end of your submission. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, crime, and seasonal type work are most appreciated, but I will consider all genres.
Send each submission in the body of the email - no attachments please - with "Expressions" in the subject line. Send only one submission per email.
Submit to editor Cathy Buburuz at cathyartist@hotmail.com
The payment offered for contributions to Expressions is sincere gratitude and free ad space for whatever it is you’re selling, especially if you’re selling your own work or want to promote your own website.
In most cases, your submissions will be responded to within 48 hours or less, longer if I’m extremely busy. The deadline for each issue is the 15th of the month. Everything received after the 15th will be included in Expressions the following month.
Nancy Fulda Interviewed
by Joy V. Smith
Nancy Fulda is a writer and editor with a Masters' Degree in Computer Science. She is a Phobos Award recipient, an Apex Digest Featured Writer, and a two-time Writers of the Future finalist. She is also a rabid Lois McMaster Bujold fan. She lives in Germany with her husband, their two children, and no cats, and is an editorial associate for Jim Baen's Universe.
Her latest project is Anthology Builder, and it has people excited and enthusiastic. Writers are blogging about it, submitting their stories, and creating anthologies and story collections. Anthology Builder provides customized, print-on-demand anthologies for $14.95. Customers select anthology content from a list of available stories, choose their own title and cover art, and receive a perfect-bound, Trade Paperback book.
For the record, I have created a collection of my stories through Anthology Builder.
JVS: Anthology Builder is a fantastic idea. What got you started on it?
NF:
Well, it
started mostly because I wanted to be able to buy stories by my writer friends
without subscribing to two dozen different magazines. Wouldn't it be nice, I
thought, if I could just go to a web site, pick the stories I wanted for my own
print anthology? After that, the project took on a life of its own.
When I first blogged about AnthologyBuilder, I had no intention of actually
bringing the idea to fruition. I was secretly hoping someone *else* would pick
up the idea and run with it so I wouldn't have to do any of the gritty work.
There was such a strong positive response to the blog entry that it started to
feel criminal not to make it happen. So I started looking into options.
JVS: I'm impressed by Anthology Builder's selection of stories and art. What were your expectations when you began Anthology Builder? Did you expect to have such a good selection of submissions from writers and artists?
NF:
Honestly, no.
I thought I'd have to wait several years and do a lot of begging to get some of
the material that's already on the site. I assumed that people would sit back
and wait until the technology proved itself before jumping aboard.
Fortunately, it turned out that authors and artists are very forward-thinking
people. A lot of them were willing to give the technology a chance based on the
concept and my reputation. So far, I don't think any of them have been
disappointed.
JVS: How long have you been working on Anthology Builder? Have you been thinking about it for a long time or did it suddenly blossom in your thought?
NF:
The basic idea
has been kicking around for four or five years, but I didn't take it seriously
until last October.
I'm still amazed at how quickly the whole project came together. At the
beginning of October I was still flailing around, looking for a programmer,
wondering whether the cost of print-on-demand even made the idea feasible. By
mid-December the first Beta version was up and ready for business. A minor
miracle, that.
JVS: I see you also have stories and art from the public domain. Did you do that at the beginning to build up inventory or to include work that you admired or both?
NF:
Both. The plan
was actually to keep expanding the public domain section at the same rate as
the contemporary section, but I had such a flood of submissions that I had to
put the public domain stuff on hold.
I'd still like to add more classic stories to the database. There's such
fantastic stuff in the public domain. But for now, it's going to have to wait
while I take care of other obligations.
JVS: I know you're busy with your work, your writing, and your family. I'm sure your children demand a lot of your time! Do you have any sort of schedule?
NF: I work mornings, mostly, while my four-year-old is at pre-school and my two-year-old toddles around the house. If I'm lucky, I also get an extra ninety minutes during nap time. Other than that, it's all about snatching scraps of time when the opportunity arises.
JVS: Do you enjoy living and working in Germany? Was the transition difficult? Did you have to learn German?
NF:
Yes, I enjoy
being in Germany. It's a beautiful landscape,
and I like the people here. I spent eighteen months in Germany during my college years, so I already
knew the language when I met my husband.
The initial transition to Germany wasn't difficult. I did get a bit of a jolt after the first year
or so, when you start noticing subtle differences in social attitudes and
parenting style. But I think you'd run into that almost anywhere, even just
moving from one part of the States to another.
JVS: I know that you write fiction and non-fiction and give out writing advice at Baen's Bar; and I enjoyed your article, Let There Be Write, in Strange Horizons. Obviously you've learned a lot as a writer and an editor. Any specific bit of advice you would like to share with our readers?
NF: Trust your own enthusiasm. It's easy for writers to become so absorbed in the techniques of the craft and in lists of "thou shalt nots" that they stifle their own creative passion. Be aware of the rules and the marketplace, yes, absolutely, but if you're genuinely excited about an idea, don't shy away from it just because it's cliche or because it doesn't sound marketable. If you do, whatever you write instead will feel hollow.
JVS: I see you've co-written papers and abstracts with Dan Ventura. I assume this is related to your Masters' Degree in Computer Science? I don't understand what those titles refer to, but I was impressed. Do you still do that kind of writing too? Are you still a member of the BYU Neural Networks and Machine Learning group? (I saw that in your bio and wondered what that was.)
NF:
Yes, the
research papers were part of my Masters' Degree. They focused on artificial
intelligence and machine learning; specifically, on how to get a group of
independent learning algorithms to coordinate their behaviours without an
explicit communication protocol.
I'm not currently working on any research papers, and since I've graduated from
the university, I'm also no longer a part of the Neural Networks and Machine
Learning group. I may go back to it some day, when the kids are older. Research
is a lot of fun.
JVS: I'm very impressed by all the programs you've put into place for Anthology Builder!
NF: Thanks! It's a fun project to be working on.
JVS: Do you have plans to expand Anthology Builder?
NF:
Oh,
absolutely. I'd like to extend its offerings to include poetry and non-fiction,
and to establish a secondary site where authors and artists can set their own
prices. We're also looking into a method for importing public domain
manuscripts directly from Project Gutenberg.
Ideally, I'd like AnthologyBuilder to become kind of like the e-bay of the
written word--a place where people can come together to share ideas and combine
them in unexpected ways. I want it to be the first place people look when they
hear about an award-winning story they'd like to read.
Links:
Anthology Builder: http://www.anthologybuilder.com
Nancy Fulda blog: http://nancyfulda.livejournal.com
Anthology Builder blog: http://community.livejournal.com/athobuilder
Let There Be Write: http://www.strangehorizons.com/2055/20050418/0let-be-write-a.shtml
New York Book Festival 2008
New Author Appearances
The 2008 New York Book Festival has named the second round of author appearances for its June 28, 2008 day festival in Central Park.
Authors scheduled to appear at the event include:
Richard Barone was a part of the Bongos, the leaders of the Hoboken, N.J. music scene that flared in the 1980s. His new book, "Front Man," is a quasi-fictional account of the world as seen through the eyes of the man who stands at the center of the music maelstrom. Joining Barone's music accompaniment will be a reading by actress Joyce DeWitt, best known for her role in the TV series Three's Company.
Entertainment Weekly writer Tanner Stransky is out to Find Your Inner Ugly Betty. His new book details work/life challenges and offers kernels of wisdom on how to navigate them, a la the TV series heroine.
Judith Matloff thought she was settling down in her dream home in West Harlem. Instead, she mistakenly moved into a home that was
notorious as a drug-trafficking epicenter. How she survived is details in Home
Girl: Building A Dream House On A Lawless Block.
Michael Teitelbaum has written more than 200 children's books based on
such pop culture icons as Men in Black, X-Men and Spider-Man. His latest
series is Backyard Sports (Grosset & Dunlap), a chapter book series
based on the #1 sports video game franchise for kids.
New York Mets hero Art Shamsky is the author of The Magnificent
Seasons, a book about the magical 1969-1970 span when the New York Jets,
New York Mets and New York Knicks won championships for the first time. The
book follows the exploits of the three teams and chronicles the effect on the
people of New York City and the country.
Brooklynite Nina Malkin is a cat person and author of An Unlikely Cat
Lady: Feral Adventures in the Backyard Jungle (Globe Pequot), a memoir of
her efforts to serve, protect and defend the cats in her backyard. She is also
the author of juvenile fiction classics Orange is the New Pink and 6x
The Uncensored Confessions.
Michael Albert is the author of An Artist's America (Henry Holt), which covers his noted collage career from depictions
of cereal boxes through his more recent explorations of large historical
scenes.
Beth Schoenfeldt is the cofounder of the online networking and offline
support system Women Who Launch, and has now brought her vision out in a
new book, Ladies Who Launch: How To Live Your Dreams and Love Your Life (St.
Martins Press), a holistic self-help manifesto.
David DeVries, award-winning creator of Monster Engine, has spent
two decades illustrating for Marvel, DC, Lucas Films and Universal Studios,
among others.
Abiola Abrams is the author of Dare, (Simon & Schuster), a
romp through the world of two women who play by their own rules, and host of The
Best Shorts, an independent film competition on BET. Her extensive
credits include numerous film and TV appearances.
Last year, over 20,000 attendees enjoyed the beauty and serenity of Central Park as they browsed books, listened to music and author readings and enjoyed our food vendors. This year, the day festival will offer expanded stages and new opportunities for authors, publishers, musicians and vendors. Please e-mail NewYorkBookFest@aol.com for an application.
The 2008 New York Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/magazines, e-books, poetry, wild card (anything goes!), unpublished stories, science fiction, horror, photography/art, romance and biography/autobiography works.
A panel of judges will determine the winners based on the following criteria:
1) The storytelling ability of the author.
2) The potential of the work to win wider recognition.
Entries can be in German, Portuguese, English, Spanish, French or Italian and must be published on or after January 1, 2000.
Our grand prize for the 2008 New York Book Festival Author of the Year is $1,500 and a flight to New York for the awards and our day festival in Central Park.
TO ENTER: Click on the "ENTER THE COMPETITION" link at newyorkbookfestival.com and follow the directions to get an entry form. Forms may also be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling our office at 323-665-8080 or e-mailing us at NewYorkBookFest@aol.com . You may also register over the phone with a credit card. Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable entry fee via check, money order, credit card payment or PayPal online payment of $50 in U.S. dollars for each submission. Multiple submissions are permitted but each entry must be accompanied by a separate form and entry fee.
VENDORS AND MUSICIANS: If you would like to be a part of our day festival in Central Park, please e-mail us at NewYorkBookFest@aol.com for an application.
The New York Book Festival is produced by JM Northern Media LLC, producers of the Hollywood Book Festival, DIY Convention, London Book Festival and DIY Book Festival, and is sponsored by the Larimar St. Croix Writers Colony, The Hollywood Creative Directory, eDivvy, Westside Websites and Shopanista.
Wonderland
by J. Bruce Fuller
doorways
shrinking, growing
larger, requiring
potions, confusing poor little
Alice
J. Bruce Fuller edits The Shantytown Anomaly and is the publisher of Spec House of Poetry. He is a James Award nominee, and his poem "28 Blackbirds at the End of the World" was recently nominated for the Rhysling Award.
Dream Eater
by Aurelio Rico Lopez III
Out of the shadows, it creeps.
Between lids, eyes like
Flickering lanterns lock
Onto the slumbering figure.
Lips part, revealing
Razor-sharp teeth.
Deftly it climbs
Onto the bed,
Hardly a rustle in its wake.
Mouth twitches in
Hungry anticipation.
Powerful things, our dreams;
What creatures they call forth.
Aurelio Rico Lopez III is a self-diagnosed scribble junkie from Iloilo City, Philippines. His poems have appeared in various venues such as Mythic Delirium, Star*Line, Sybil’s Garage, Wanderings, Steel Moon Publishing, Tales From the Moonlit Path, Kaleidotrope, Electric Velocipede, Beyond Centauri, and Aphelion. He is also the author of the chapbooks JOLTS and SHOCKS (Sam’s Dot Publishing). You can reach him at thirdylopez2001@yahoo.com
An Alien Visits the Dentist
to See What All
the Fuss is About
by Terrie Leigh Relf
"Open wide--a bit wider,"
the dentist says, and I
unhinge my jaws
the best I can,
breathe the noxious
gasses, until bright lights
and brighter ideas
urge me to confess
that I rather like the scent
of him. . .
But I digress. . .
as once he leans forward,
then a bit further still,
to inspect the tooth
where once a root had been,
I cannot help but be polite
perhaps even helpful. . .
and so unhinge my
jaws
further still.
The dentist?
Why, I haven’t seen him lately—
have you?
Terrie Leigh Relf is affectionately known in some circles as a psychotic
cookie baker. . .one of her secret family recipes includes nutmeg--and
dentists. . .
An Alien Revisits the Dentist for a Root Canal
by Terrie Leigh Relf
"I have strong roots," the alien said, while the dentist made notes,
cranked up the sound system before turning on the drill.
The alien screamed and screamed and screamed to a soundtrack of 80s R&B
while images of Martian gondolas and Venusian lizard kings fast-forwarded
through its optic pathways.
Such a marvel these dentists, thought the alien. So focused, so adept at
invoking metaphor.
Terrie Leigh Relf loves to write flashshots, drabbles, and other forms
of flash fiction. In fact she loves it so much that she is currently compiling
her 100+ flash pieces, along with a few new ones, into a collection tentatively
titled The Missing Piece of Sky. You may contact her at tlrelf@cox.net if you have a better title for
her.
News Flashes
Aesthetica Magazine is the UK's cultural arts publication designed to give you the most current and up-to-date information on British arts and culture. Founded in 2002, Aesthetica Magazine is the only British arts magazine to cover literature, visual arts, music, film and theatre. It report on what's happening in the arts and publishes features, interviews, news and reviews.
With 45,000 readers and national distribution through WH Smith and Borders, Aesthetica Magazine extends far and wide. Aesthetica Magazine is published bi-monthly with issues being released: 1 February, 1 April, 1 June, 1 August, 1 October and 1 December. Learn more about it here: http://www.aestheticamagazine.com
Abyss and Apex has re-opened to short fiction submissions but is temporarily closed to poetry submissions.
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine in Australia will remain open to submissions until November 30, 2008
Apex Digest opens to submissions on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest will be closed to submissions from June 1 - June 30th. Any submissions sent during this time will be deleted unread.
Asimov’s Science Fiction pays pro rates and the editors want "character oriented" stories, those in which the characters, rather than the science, provide the main focus for the reader's interest. Serious, thoughtful, yet accessible fiction will constitute the majority of our purchases, but there's always room for the humorous as well. Borderline fantasy is fine, but no Sword & Sorcery, please. Neither are we interested in explicit sex or violence. A good overview would be to consider that all fiction is written to examine or illuminate some aspect of human existence, but that in science fiction the backdrop you work against is the size of the Universe. For complete guidelines, visit http://www.asimovs.com
Black on White is a web site designed to help writers overcome hurdles (including fear) that are preventing them from producing pages on a regular basis. It's for any writer, or those interested in writing. I hope novelists, short story writers, screenwriters, and nonfiction authors will find it equally enjoyable and useful. And it’s absolutely free. Discover it here:
http://www.blackonwhite.on.ca/welcome.html
Cathy Buburuz is now on facebook and invites all editors, writers and artists she’s worked with to join her there.
Champagne Shivers is now closed to submissions. Special thanks to all the writers and artists who sent their work for this most impressive issue.
Copulent Insanity Press is accepting submissions for two anthologies, and is interested in novel length stand-alone manuscripts. To see the submission guidelines, visit http://corpulentinsanitypress.com/submissions . Or, if you’re interested in submitting to Midnight Horror, our ezine of dark oddities, feel free to take a look. Unfortunately, production of Slice: A Collection of Extreme Splatterpunk has been stopped.
Cosmos Magazine is a glossy, high-quality title published in Australia six times a year. It publishes original science fiction in every issue, and the editors invite submissions of short stories between 2,000 and 4,000 words in length. To take advantage of their offer to provide you with a free digital sample, visit this web page: http://www.cosmosmagazine.com
Dark Discoveries has announced that the average response to a submission now takes about one year.
Do You Have
ESP? If you do, Elder
Signs Press would like to celebrate with a contest: Send one sentence of
thirty words or less explaining what type of ESP you have. It can be funny,
clever, serious, or outlandish. If you really have ESP, you already know we
want to see all submissions, except those that we can't post on our website.
The winners will be selected by a panel of psychic judges, who will choose
three entries, and award them a $5 gift certificate to the ESP Online Store.
But you already knew that. Winners and Honourable Mentions will be posted on
our website as well. All entries should be sent to: deborahjones@eldersignspress.com
Subject: "I've got ESP"
Ron L. Hubbards
Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests specs can be found here: http://www.writersofthefuture.com/index2.htm
Loki’s Journal is a new magazine that publishes dark and brooding stories and you can learn more about it here: http://www.sheerspeculation.com/about_lokis_journal
Midnight Horror has new guidelines, and increased its payment from token to semi-pro.
Modern Drunkard Magazine publishes only those stories that focus on drinking and drunks. To find out more about the impressive pay rates and to read the writers and poets guidelines, visit the Paying Markets section in this edition of Expressions.
OG’s
Speculative Fiction Magazine has
increased its payment for fiction from $25 to $35; payment for poetry increased
from $5 to $10.
On Spec has new editors and new guidelines.
Potter’s Field 3 is wide open to stories about bone yards. Please visit the guidelines page at Sam’s Dot Publishing for details. Editor Cathy Buburuz will be on holidays from June 30th to May 8th, but will respond to submissions before and after the holiday.
Joy V. Smith has a collection of her short stories, Aliens, Animals, and Adventure, in Anthology Builder's library: http://www.anthologybuilder.com/library.php
Check out an excerpt from Joy V. Smith's Building a Cool House for Hot Times without Scorching the Pocketbook at:
There's also an excerpt available from her children's picture book, Why Won't Anyone Play with Me?:
http://www.freebookexcerpts.com/2008/05/08/why-wont-anyone-play-with-
me-by-joy-smith
Sugar Time, Joy V. Smith's audiobook of three time travel tales, is available from: http://hadrosaur.com/audio_books.html
Staffs and Starships guidelines can be found here:
http://www.sheerspeculation.com/staffs_and_starships_guidelines
Tales of the Talisman temporarily closed to submissions on June 1st.
The Pedestal Magazine needs your support, and your gift is tax-deductible. You can make a donation online, by going to http://www.thepedestalmagazine.com/DonationInfo.asp The site is completely secure, and your credit card information will remain totally confidential. Or, you can mail a check to: The Pedestal Magazine; 6815 Honors Court; Charlotte, NC 28210.
The Rejected Quarterly has been declared a dead market.
The Small Press Exchange is a listing service for small press-related merchandise. Any small press publisher can sell their products here. The Marketplace is part of the Small Press Exchange suite of tools, services for small press publishers and enthusiasts. In order to post an ad, you must register and log in. Visit this web page for details:
http://www.smallpressexchange.com/option,com_marketplace/Itemid,267
The Midnight Library
Black Glass
by John Shirley
Published by Elder Signs Press
Available for Pre-Order:
Black Glass - The Lost Cyberpunk Novel
by John Shirley will be available Summer/Fall 2008
In the future, we will forget who are...
Taking the fall for his younger brother, Richard Candle went from being cyber
cop to condemned criminal. After four years of UnMinding--, his mind
suppressed, his body enslaved--he's released to discover his brother has
slipped back into the underworld of the V-Rat, the virtual reality addict.
Meanwhile, Candle's harried by the murderous Grist, the head of the world's
biggest multinational. But his real enemy is something else: a conscious
program, the Multisemblant, a meld of copied personalities, the dark side of
five powerful people, with its own brutal agenda.
Human society is sinking ever deeper a mire of escapism--but Richard Candle,
looking for his missing brother, fights his way through the real world of
underground stock markets, flying guns, the trash-walled labyrinth of Rooftown
and the fringe of the fringe...
Available in signed, numbered, limited hardcover edition (only 50 copies
available), signed trade paperback, and trade paperback. Visit http://www.esp-books.com for more
details.
Christina’s World
by Marge B. Simon
Published by Sam’s Dot Publishing
Available in The Genre Mall
Over the years, Marge B. Simon has amazed and entertained us with her fantastic art and thought-provoking flash fiction, but in February 2008 she gifted her unwavering fans with something so special, a book so unique, that it’s safe to predict that it will come to be known as one of her greatest accomplishments.
Christina’s World, with its gentle illustrations, and wondrous revelations, touches the heart and awakens the soul. It’s a spiritual journey that boasts a vibrant imagination, a most unusual view of the afterlife.
While it has not yet been verified, I have a strong feeling that this is the very first time an author has written and illustrated a collection of entertaining flashes that are intertwined in perfect harmony, resulting in a sort of mini-novel designed to get readers thinking in new and stimulating directions.
Some stories are homey and touching, others are quirky and even a little disturbing, but just enough to inspire readers to wonder about the possibilities, the goings-on in another realm, a world created by a lady who obviously spent a great deal of time sifting through her own childhood recollections, fantasies and dreams to bring you something unique.
In this book you’ll meet common folk and unusual folk, people like Greatgran, Uncle Felix, the Canfields, Darcy Lee, Marcus, Dr. D, Otis, Mrs. McGruder, the hole critters, Miss Claudy, Matty, and a wonderful cast of Aunties named after specific colours that could have easily been inspired by those wonderful watercolours and paint brushes used by Marge Simon in her everyday life.
Produced and released as a perfect bound digest by Sam’s Dot Publishing, Christina’s World will take you to a place brightened by familiar characters, yet shadowed with the intensity of subtle revelations you couldn’t possibly expect. It’s a book about our passage and those who guide us, regardless of our chosen path, a topic designed to spark something special in all of us.
Highly recommended. Available for purchase in The Genre Mall.
~Cathy Buburuz
Editor of Champagne Shivers, Expressions, and the Potter’s Field
anthologies
Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales
by Fran Friel
Published by Apex Publications
Available from http://www.apexbookcompany.com
Nothing good comes of the closest ties in Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales, the new collection from Fran Friel and Apex Publications Things can go especially awry when the tie in question is the one binding mother and son.
The Bram Stoker Award-nominated novella "Mama's Boy" is the cornerstone of this 14-story collection from author Fran Friel and Apex Publications. A man whose mother's demented love for him has turned him from an innocent boy to a serial killer to a near-comatose mental patient opens his world to a psychologist determined to reach him as a way of dealing with her own mother's battle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But is she helping, or is there more damage to be done?
In "Mashed," a son's simple request for potatoes with his birthday dinner opens up a world of past fears and childhood torments for his mother, while the flash fiction story "Close Shave" presents a horrifically funny solution to an everyday women's issue.
From mother and son to broader family ties, Friel explores the bonds of human connection into every dark turn. The humorous yet wickedly creepy "Under the Dryer" begins as a tale told by the family dog and ends in a bloodbath; "Special Prayers," perhaps the most disturbing offering in the collection, exposes a family secret of abuse and power; and the tragically soft and beautiful "Orange and Golden" explores the purest form of the human-animal bond as the sun sets on a natural disaster.
Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales is now available for pre-order, and will be released on June 14, 2008.
Fran Friel is a Bram Stoker-nominated author residing in rural New England with her husband and their band of animal masters. She writes weekly columns for "The Horror Library Blog-O-Rama" and "Yada, Too," and she is a fiction editor for Dark Recesses Press. As a full member of The Horror Library, her short fiction appears regularly in the Fresh Meat department.
Friel's work has been featured in the 2006 anthology release Horror Library, Volume 1, as well as publications online and in print at The Horror Library, Insidious Reflections, Wicked Karnival, The Lightning Journal, Lamoille Lamentations, The Eldritch Gazette, and Dark Recesses Press.
There will be a
limited press run of 100 copies of the hardcover. All copies will be signed by
Fran Friel and Billy Tackett (cover and interior artist).
A standard trade paperback will also be released.
Apex Publications http://www.apexbookcompany.com is a
small press dedicated to publishing exemplary works of dark science fiction and
horror. Owned and operated by Jason B. Sizemore, Apex publishes the critically
acclaimed Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest. In 2006, Apex Publishing
branched into producing novellas, collections, and anthologies, earning a Bram
Stoker Award nomination for the Aegri Somnia anthology in 2007.
Quondam
An Ancient Mirrors Tale
by Jayel Gibson
Published by Synergy Books
Available from http://www.synergybooks.net
Jayel Gibson is a
grandmother, educator, author, and avid gamer. In fact, Gibson draws
inspiration from the gaming community in fashioning a new era of fantasy
fiction. Her new book, Quondam (May 2008, Synergy Books, ISBN
978-1-933-53883-9, $14.95), is the fourth and final instalment of the Ancient
Mirrors series, which culminated as a result of her passion for the
video-gaming world.
"Video gaming has a lot to teach women," says Gibson, a former grade
school teacher. "I hope to encourage women who read Quondam to find their
inner feminine strength and to plant their stake in a gaming world that was
previously dominated by men."
Quondam follows the journey of Cwen of Ædracmoræ, who falls through a
mysterious portal into a land called Quondam, leading her to discover that her
fate and the world's are intertwined in ways that will drag her, heartbroken
and vengeful, into the heart of a devastating war.
The main characters in Ancient Mirrors Tales are dominant, independent women
fighting for what they believe. In the final book, Cwen battles to unseat the
wood-nymph queen and finally restore order and magic to Quondam. For the good
of the kingdom, Cwen puts aside her own fears and apprehensions while realizing
that strength alone will not save her.
"Similar to the battles and conquest in video games, I look to put my
characters on a real adventure," Gibson says. "Though these novels
are fantasy fiction, I want my readers to feel the emotion of Cwen and the
other characters and be able to relate to them on some level."
Gibson is an accomplished author who often speaks at conferences, including
Wordstock and the South Coast Writers Conference. She teaches courses on novel
writing and serves as an adjunct professor at Southwest Oregon Community College.
Gibson currently lives in Port Orford, Ore.,
with her husband, pet cockatoo and five sugar gliders-a small type of
marsupial. Quondam received the 2008 National Indie Excellence Award in the
fantasy and sci-fi category. Gibson is a regular guest on KGBR-FM and has
contributed to "Dallas Child" magazine, Education.com and Thefatherlife.com.
Her first three books in the Ancient Mirrors series are Dragon Queen, The
Wrekening and Damselflies. For more information, visit www.ancientmirrors.com
Scifaikuest
Edited by Teri Santitoro
Published by Sam’s Dot Publishing
Available in the SDP Store on this website
Scifaikuest is a quarterly, perfect bound digest that features scifaiku (science fiction haiku) and other minimalist poetry forms such as sentry (amusing haiku), haibun (story haiku), tanka, and renga. Each issue usually includes an article about how to read or compose in a minimalist form, or a review of a collection or other publication, or an essay relevant to minimalist poetry.
The May 2008 issue, with cover art by 7ARS, features a fine selection of poems by J. E. Stanley, a poetry review by the editor (and by Tom Galusha), two haiga (one by Richard H. Fay, and another by Cathy Buburuz, a cartoon by Tom Galusha, and poems from more than two dozen writers. All in all, 46 pages of otherworldly fun that includes information on the contributors. A bargain at $6.
Sam’s Dot Publishing Update
by Tyree Campbell
Hello, and welcome back to the Sam's Dot portion of Expressions Newsletter. I'd like to begin with a few words of interest to all of us in the world of the small independent publisher. There are a lot of good presses out there, such as Hadrosaur, Strange Horizons, Apex Digest, Khimairal Ink, and yes, Sam's Dot, to name but a few. We all publish good stories and poems and art. We cannot compete with the New York and Los Angeles publishing houses, however. The principal reason for this inability is the relative lack of an advertising budget. Somewhat jokingly, I tell people that our advertising budget here at Sam's Dot depends on how many soda cans I find alongside the roads to turn in for deposit money. Emphasis here on "somewhat."
Which means we have to depend on other advertising resources. The best of these is now and has always been, since time immemorial, word-of-mouth. That means you. Talk us up. Tell others about us. Send links. Especially, disseminate our ordering links. You have friends, right? Encourage them to check us out, buy a book or magazine or two or three...
A word, too, about The Genre Mall. Right now, as far as I'm aware, there is only one "clearing house" where you can find small indie genre works--science fiction, fantasy, and horror--for sale online, and that's The Genre Mall. There just isn't anyplace else. True, there is Amazon.com, but Amazon.com is set up to discriminate against the small independent publishers. Perhaps they are afraid of us small indies. Perhaps our publications are good enough to detract from the sales of the big publishers. Well, if we're scaring the publishers of David Weber, Robert Jordan, Elizabeth Moon, and Stephen King, we must be rather good.
So come check us out, and tell others--lots of others. The Genre Mall is easy to negotiate: just log onto http://www.genremall.com . Sam's Dot is in there, and so are a lot of other small indies. Come find your dreams and adventures . . .
As for Sam's Dot:
The 7th Anniversary issue of Aoife's Kiss is now available. As always, the anniversary issue is a larger volume--this one contains 82 pages of adventures, chills, and spills, in both outer and inner space. It includes stories by Bud Webster, Mel Hiers, J. A. Pollard, Robert Gardner, and Megan Arkenberg, among many others, and poetry by Neal Wilgus, Rachel Olivier, Gary Every, and Sheffield Reynolds, to name but a few. It also contains art by David Transue and Marge Simon, a kickin' cover by Dan Skinner, and even a collaboration between myself and Iowa City artist Jason Hooten.
So come order a copy, or better yet, a subscription. It costs less than a tank of gas, but will take you a lot further :-D. Just click on the cover icon below.
Sam's Dot is also very pleased to announce the release of two novels for young adults [and yes, indeed, for older adults as well].
The first is Mark Anthony Brennan's The Mystery at Clermont House. Here's the write-up:
Charles is a highly intelligent boy who has trouble getting along with others his age. They are too immature for him. Stephen, his tutor, intends to help Charles in both his studies and his social life at Clermont House.
But now there's a ghost in Clermont House, a girl about Charles's age. Stephen has caught a glimpse of her, but only Charles can truly see her. But who is she? Where did she come from? And why only Charles?
Around town it's said that Clermont House is spooky. Everywhere there's an icy touch, the touch of the dead. To solve the mysteries of Clermont House, Charles and Stephen will find much more than ghosts to frighten them. But who survives and who dies is not up to them. It's up to her.
You can order a copy of this mystery for yourself and for any younger readers in your immediate vicinity by clicking on the cover icon below.
The second novel is Marva Dasef's First Duty. Nyra Hutchings, a young woman born into a life of servitude on a repressive factory planet, is desperate for a different life. When she's accepted into the Space Service Academy, run by the organization that enslaves her planet, she discovers the truth behind generations of rebellion. Now, she must decide what to believe, where her first duty lies, and fight for more than her life against impossible odds.
Here's the cover icon. You know what to do.
Last Expressions we announced the opening of two new anthology projects: The Book of Tentacles, and Infradead: Tales of Human Extinction. With titles like those, explanations are moot. However, here are the guidelines links:
http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/tentacles.htm
http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/infradead.htm
Let's see whatcha got!
Now, then: Sam's Dot has more going on. Just go to this link when you're done with Expressions:
http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/currentevents.htm
See you next month.
Tyree Campbell
Managing Editor
Sam's Dot Publishing
Paying Markets
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine
Pays in Australian Dollars
$20-$100 for Art - $10 for Poetry & Flash - 1-¼ Cent for Fiction
We accept science fiction, fantasy and horror works up to 10,000 words in length. Submissions of up to 20,000 words are permitted from subscribers and from authors resident in Australia and New Zealand. (It costs a fortune for Australian and New Zealand authors to post a story that length to overseas markets - that's why we bend the guidelines for them.)
Andromeda Spaceways is intended for a wide audience, so we don't want anything
more than M rated: No gratuitous sex or graphic violence. We want the overall
tone of ASIM to be light as opposed to the dark-and-gritty style that
characterises so many other SF mags this day and age. This does not mean we
only publish light humour pieces, though. Our readers are just as keen on
traditional fantasy and hard science fiction. We're just not the best market
for doom-laden go-nowhere stories which push the boundaries of the English
language into new and unfortunate places.
Given an otherwise even choice between angst and adventure, we'll grab the
adventure.
POETRY:
Will consider anything. No more than two pages worth, please.
ARTICLES:
Non-fiction articles will be considered on anything vaguely related to
speculative fiction. We're after articles on the speculative genres and their
writers, weird science, real science, weird history, straight history, con
reports, fads and geekdom... anything. We will also consider amusing
pseudo-articles, particularly about the "fictional" Andromeda
Spaceways ... (or nasty articles about our competitors...) We're somewhat less
interested in articles about how to write - we're going for broad interest, and
there are other venues for those.
REPRINTS:
We have been known to take reprints, but please query before submitting a
previously published story. When you query, please mention when and where it
was previously published.
ARTWORK:
ASIM is looking
for B&W internal illustrations. If you're interested in supplying artwork,
please contact our Art Director at: AsimArt2 at gmail dot com
Although we're happy to take a look at your web site, we'd really prefer a
sample of your work that we can put into a special on-line 'gallery' where our
editors look when they're choosing artists. Each editor has different needs,
and your work might be just the style that one of them wants. Putting it in our
gallery means they can see immediately what your style is like, without having
to trawl through a heap of web sites - and it means you don't have to keep
reminding us that you exist!
So, choose a sample you're especially pleased with - one painting, if you're
interested in producing cover art, and/or one black and white piece, if you're
keen to do internal art. Remember - we only need one cover per issue, but three
drawings! If you're sending a painting, let us know if it's available for
publication or not, in case an editor likes that particular picture and wants
to use it.
Samples of your work can be sent as scanned images at screen resolution (96dpi,
no more than 300kb per image, please.)
RIGHTS:
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine buys First Australian Serial Rights and limited electronic rights.
ASIM is a print magazine but we also have a PDF version available. As a result our contracts now ask for limited electronic rights as well as first Australian print rights. We offer the electronic version in parallel with the print version, and only for a limited time (3 months or until the next issue, whichever comes first). Royalties will be paid on the e-version... the current plan is that 25% of profits from the e-version will be divided on a pro-rata basis to the contributors. This is separate from the payment for appearance in the print issue, which is made on publication.
No Simultaneous Submissions & One Submission at a time, please!
How to submit
Every year we take a reading break from 1st December through to 1st February. Please
do not submit during this period
E-mail to asimsubmissions
at gmail dot com as an attached RTF. We do not accept submissions via snail
mail.
You will receive a submission number from us within one week of your
submission. If you DO NOT receive a sub number in that time, your submission
never arrived and you should send again.
Once you have your submission number, you can track the progress of your
submission on our subs tracking page.
You can also visit the website to learn more about our preferred formatting of submissions.
Please make sure you include full contact details, including postal address,
e-mail, and phone number.
PAYMENT
Short Fiction:
1.25c/Word (Australian) — that's one and a quarter cents, not a dollar
twenty-five — with a $20 minimum per piece. (POP)
Poetry and Flash Fiction: A$10 per piece.
Artwork: We pay A$100 per cover and A$20 per internal piece.
Yes, we'd love to pay more for art and fiction, but then we'd go broke.
Every contributor receives a copy of the magazine their item appears in,
whether that's fiction, non-fiction, artwork or poetry.
Bust Down the Door and Eat All the Chickens
Pays $10 and One Contributor’s Copy
We are seeking stories of an absurdist and surrealist nature. Stories should be between 2000 and 5000 words. They should not fit comfortably within any genre. We have peculiar tastes and recommend that you read an issue before sending in your work (issue 7 is a free PDF). DO NOT SEND MORE THAN ONE STORY AT A TIME. No previously published material. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but let us know the moment that your story is accepted elsewhere. Use indents for paragraph breaks rather than line spaces. Underline all italicized words. Include a bio and mailing address with your submission. We ask for First North American Serial Rights and the copyright reverts back to you upon publication. Send an email if you don't get a confirmation in a week. Payment is ten dollars and one contributor's copy. We reserve the right to make minor editorial changes.
We prefer humorous stories where impossible things happen. It must be able to grab our attention from the very first line. And make every word count.
Our favorite authors include Steve Aylett, D. Harlan Wilson, Steve Erickson, and Mark Leyner.
What we are not looking for:
No poetry.
We are unlikely to accept horror stories. But if you do send one, make sure it's unconventional. The stories of Thomas Ligotti would be a good example of the sort of horror that we enjoy.
No stories with overused concepts that are central to the plot - such as zombies, vampires, ghosts, demons, werewolves, space aliens, God(s), or any Dungeon and Dragons-type of characters.
No stories that would be a good fit for any existing genre magazine.
No extreme horror/splatterpunk. Although there are no restrictions regarding content, we find wall-to-wall sex and violence extremely boring. But it's ok to use elements from this sub-genre.
No accounts of all the zany things that a character does after getting drunk and/or stoned.
No stories with endings that MAKE the story. In other words, when the story is mediocre up until the ending and the ending is so good that it enhances the quality of what has come before it. Also, no stories that are setups for jokes, with the ending being the punch line. We would prefer a joke in every sentence.
No stories that feature a protagonist who is a writer.
No passive protagonists. The protagonist must do something rather than have something done to them.
No stories that are mostly exposition. We prefer stories that are composed of scenes.
Response time is six weeks or less.
Send submission as
an attachment - either a Microsoft Word or Rich Text file. Email to bust_submissions@hotmail.com
Email queries and questions to Bradley sands@comcast.net
.
Cemetery Dance
Pays 5 Cents/Word Minimum & Two Contributor’s Copies
(Artists: Query with Samples)
Cemetery Dance
magazine
Editor: Richard Chizmar
P.O. Box 623
Forest Hill, MD 21050
USA
Fiction: Horror, dark mystery, and suspense short stories up to 5,000 words. Query for longer material. We want tales that are powerful and emotional -- creepy, chilling, disturbing, and moody. Suspense/mystery/crime tales with a horror element are always welcome. Both supernatural and psychological stories are fine. Most common reasons for rejection are: lack of power, lack of originality, slow pacing, poor writing, boring themes. Read the magazine, see what type of fiction we are publishing -- don't submit with a blind eye!
Submission Format: Send us manuscript and SASE. No electronic submissions. Simultaneous submissions are okay, if noted in cover letter. Let us know immediately if your story sells elsewhere. Please do not send us multiple submissions -- please only send us one story at a time and do not send your next submission until we can reply to the first. Authors outside the United States should send disposable manuscripts with a business sized SAE and proper US postage. US postage can be purchased online at usps.com from anywhere in the world. No IRCs, please. Submissions sent with an IRC may not receive a reply.
Response Time: Averages 2 to 4 months, but stories kept for further consideration by the editors may take longer.
Artwork: We solicit all our cover and interior artwork directly. Query first with samples. Please see the "Artwork Guidelines" below for more information.
Payment: Professional rates, minimum of five cents per word, plus two contributor copies. Payable within 30 days of publication. Up to 5,000 words; maximum payment of $250. All rights revert to the author upon publication.
Reading Period: We are open to submissions year round.
Please do not send any email submissions, queries, proposals, or pitches.
Clonepod
Pays $25 for Stories Over 2,000 Words
Clonepod is always searching for new science fiction and fantasy to broadcast to all of our clones and listeners. If you want to hear your story read aloud on our podcast and potentially illustrated – email your story to clonepodsubmissions@gmail.com either in a word document or unformatted in the body of your email. We have a fairly quick response time, and you will hear back from us within a few weeks.
We are looking for science fiction and fantasy that makes young and old alike feel a certain sense of wonder. We want to maintain a broad balance variety of stories within the speculative fiction genre, but we are not looking for horror or erotica. We want stories that can make you think, stories that challenge the status quo and stories that simply give a good escapist read.
We are looking for stories that are between 2,000 to 7,000 words long. We will also run a flash fiction piece as an extra bonus to our listeners waiting for the next episode to roll around. We pay $25 dollars for a story over 2,000 words and we do not pay for shorter fiction. However, you do get a link on the site.
We are looking for a mixture of previously published and unpublished works. We are also striving for a mixture of well known authors and new voices. We are an audio production; we do not buy nonexclusive rights. You can have your story in an anthology or other magazine and we will still be just as thrilled to produce it. However, if your story is already available in audio form we may not want to do it again. Although, we may consider running your audio program as part of our show. One important thing to realize is that this podcast’s target audience is not only existing sff fans, but our the next generations ready for the excitement and wonder of the genre. We will broadcast older material that they otherwise might have missed because our young adult podcasters are only now able to read adult material. Everything is new to them! So if you have decades of publications under your belt, consider sending us an older story to publish again in this fresh new medium. And let your work be enjoyed by science fiction and fantasy’s youngest generation.
Although we are targeting youth, as Zach, Forrest and Abby express in episode zero – young adults like the same great stories that adults do. While most of the stories we accept will be “PG-13”, we will not pass up an excellent “R” story — if the questionable material advances the plot.
We accept stories by e-mail, at clonepodsubmissions@gmail.com We prefer to have your story in a word attachment, but will accept the story in the body of the email.
Write the TITLE of the STORY on the Subject Line of your email.
Inside the Email:
Your REAL name – so we can write a legal contract.
Your mailing address – also for the contact.
A brief statement about your publication credits and the publication history of the story.
The word count of the story, rounded to the nearest hundred words.
The story’s byline. (Optional if it’s the same as your legal name.)
By sending us a story, you agree that you are its original author, you are the copyright holder of the work, you have not entered into any prior agreements to prevent you from giving us non-exclusive electronic and audio rights to your story, all your contact details and prior publications information is both truthful and accurate, and you accept sole responsibility for any false statements or encumbrances upon rights not disclosed to us. If we buy your story, we’ll send you a contract. And you will be bound to all of the above. If you cannot agree to these conditions that will be set forth in the contract, please do not send your story.
At this time, we are not aware of any regular short fiction market that requires a contract for exclusive audio rights. You probably own these rights and can enter into this contract without any problem. The above is written just to create legal safeguards. However, do check your previous contracts before sending us the story if you are not sure.
Your story will then be released under a Creative Commons license. We use the Attribution-Non Commerical-No license. Thus, anyone will have permission to distribute the podcast for free, provided they give credit for it, don’t try to make money off of it, and don’t change it in any way. The license is ONLY for the audio performance of your story. You retain your copyright and all rights to any other use of the story.
Thanks for reading this guideline all the way through. We feel it is better that you understand the process before you decide to submit. Remember that an mp3 once released can never be taken back. We do our very best with each story – and we have a great team so our best is very good and getting better. However, please remember once your story is released, even if we removed it from our site – it will always be out there.
I hope, though, that many people unsure about submitting a work for all
eternity can remember that this new medium itself was once only science
fiction. We are yesterday’s tomorrow and we need to adjust to different types
of publications. We believe that podcasting your work can only increase sales
of your other work!
Dark Discoveries
Pays One to Three Cents a Word
Pays $10-$20 for Interior Art & $25-$50 for Cover Art
Here are the
current guidelines for Dark Discoveries. We are currently open for submissions.
(Please note we are currently taking about one year for story responses rather
than the stated 6 months, due to a very high volume. We have recently added
another reader to help catch up and get us back to that mark. Thank you for
your patience!)
Stories from 500 to 5000 words, query for longer. Must be in the Horror / Dark
Fantasy and Dark Mystery veins (No Straight Science Fiction, Mystery or Sword
& Sorcery). Looking for original ideas and new twists on old Horror conventions.
Vampire and Werewolf stories are a tough sell, but I am open to ones with an
original twist. No Lovecraftian tales either. Especially looking for stories
that examine the darker side of the human condition, but I am also open to
supernatural tales as well. New writers are welcome to submit along with
established ones. I recommend picking up a sample copy if you can to see what
types of stories we are publishing.
Pays about $.01 - $.03 a word ($20.00 minimum and a $40.00 maximum) per new
story plus 2 copies, or $15 - $20 for reprints + 2 copies (I'm pretty picky on
reprints - I'm usually looking for rarer ones that weren't widely seen and are
a little older. Definitely not ones still in print either online or otherwise.
Query on these first please). Here’s the basic scale I am going to use for
payment:
500 - 1000 words = $20.00
1001 - 2000 words = $25.00
2001 - 3000 words = $30.00
3001 - 4000 words = $35.00
4001 - 5000 words = $40.00
Reprints will be $15.00 for 500 - 2500 words and $20.00 for 2501 - 5000 words.
Payment upon publication. Rights revert to author upon publication.
Simultaneous submissions okay (to other publications) - just let us know about
it. Response time is currently about five to six months. One story submission
at a time (please wait to send another story until your current one has been
responded to!).
INTERVIEWS / NONFICTION
Looking for interviews with established & newer writers with at least a
book or two and/or a number of short stories published in the HDF field. Also
looking for nonfiction articles on writing, publishing, collecting horror by
new & established writers. Query on this first please. Up to 5000 words,
query for longer. Pays $30 plus 2 copies to interviewer for a new interview.
$15 plus 2 copies for a reprint. (There are only a few cases where I will
consider reprints of interviews) Payment upon publication. Authors interested
in being interviewed by us will receive either an ad for participation plus 1
copy or 4 contributors copies instead. Simultaneous submissions okay, one at a
time - same as above.
REVIEWS
Looking for Book Reviews (and reviewers) in the same HDF vein. From well known
to newer author’s books. Anthologies also okay. Up to 500 words per review,
query for longer. Pays $5 plus one copy. Payment upon publication. Query first
on reviews as I have a number already slated per issue and may or may not need
additional ones. More often I am looking for reviewers to assign what books I
already have.
ARTWORK
Looking for original art in the same style as above (HDF). Pays $10 - $20 for
interior art plus one copy and $25 - $50 and 2 copies for a cover piece
(Depending on size). Payment upon publication. Simultaneous submissions ok.
Will look at multiple art subs, but please query first before sending to make
sure it's okay. Rights revert to Artist upon publication.
* Please end snail mail submissions to: Dark Discoveries - 142 Woodside Drive, Longview, WA. 98632, USA.
Be sure to include SASE with it for response and/or returned manuscript.
Electronic submissions are also accepted and can be sent to
info(at)darkdiscoveries.com
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Include submission in the body of email or as rtf. attachment. Please also include your email and address on the attachment or in the body of email. All stories, interviews, reviews, etc. need to be written in Times New Roman or Courier 12-point font.
Grave Tales
Pays Pro Rates for Fiction and Art
Grave Tales (Comic)
Editor: Richard Chizmar
Associate Editor: Brian Keene
P.O. Box 623
Forest Hill, MD 21050
Current Needs: Authors and Artists
Grave Tales is a horror anthology comic book presented by the World Fantasy Award-winning publisher Cemetery Dance. Each issue is comic-sized (48 pages, color cover, B&W interior) and features three tales of terror from today's most popular authors. Previous contributors include Edward Lee, Richard Laymon, Al Sarrantonio, Nancy Collins, Thomas F. Monteleone, and others. As always, it is strongly suggested you read a copy of Grave Tales first to get a feel for the publication.
Author Submissions: We're looking for stories that can be adapted to comic format, in the tradition of Warren's Creepy and Eerie, Marvel and DC anthologies like The Witching Hour and Ghosts, and the EC's legendary Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror. We are also in need of short prose stories, up to 1,000 words. Again, prose stories should have the pulp horror feel. What we don't want: anything modern or that doesn't fit the concepts described above. Query at address above with description of story and a short sample, or, if you prefer, the script. The ideal script will run no longer than 8 pages. Also include a biography and list of sales. Samples cannot be returned without SASE.
Artist Submissions: We are looking for artwork in the tradition of Warren's Creepy and Eerie, Marvel and DC anthologies like The Witching Hour and Ghosts, and the EC's legendary Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror. Think the retro look of Bernie Wrightson or Mike Ploog. No manga or other modern styles. We are in need of both interior and cover art. Either send samples to the mailing address above or online via the "Artwork Guidelines" below. Samples cannot be returned without SASE. DO NOT send originals or your only copy!
Payment: Professional rates
Response Time: up to four months
Please do not send any email submissions, proposals, or pitches.
ARTWORK:
At this time, art director
Mindy Jarusek would prefer to receive and view artwork samples and submissions
online, if possible. Please do not send LARGE attachments. Links to your
website, online samples, or a web-based portfolio would be best. If you must
send attachments, please email first for our requirements. For all artwork
related questions and submissions, please contact art@cemeterydance.com and Mindy will
reply if she's interested in seeing more. Thank you.
MATERIALS FOR POSSIBLE REVIEW IN CEMETERY DANCE MAGAZINE:
If you have a book, disk,
or other product that you'd like to have considered for review in Cemetery
Dance, please send copies to each of the following addresses:
Richard Chizmar,
Publisher/Executive Editor
ATTN: CD Reviews
P.O. Box 623
Forest Hill, MD 21050
USA
Robert Morrish, Editor
ATTN: CD Reviews
22393 Old Logging Road
Los Gatos, CA 95033
USA
Escape Velocity
Pays $10 for Short Stories and Non-Fiction Articles
Escape Velocity seeks hard science fiction stories with a slant toward the future human condition, or stories with future science as a main theme. We often look for stories that combine these ideas. Another possibility would be a theme in sci-fi that has not been done previously.
We also like time
travel stories if they are original, and straight adventure stories of space
exploration, discovery, or invention.
Our DVD collection includes films such as
'Red Planet', '2010', 'Gattaca', 'Brave New World', '1984', and the like. This
should tell you something about us. Our heroes are classic writers such as
Ray Bradbury, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Harlan Ellison,
H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, and
Philip K. Dick, among others.
Please Read the Following Before Using Our Submissions Link
What we DON'T
like:
Stories that read like bad pulp fiction or cowboys-in-space. If you send
us a story where characters refer to each other as 'Cap'n' or 'Boss', we're usually
going to reject