Category: Promo

Sucker Literary Magazine: Cover Reveal for Volume 3!

Today’s the day! Sucker Literary Magazine is revealing the cover for volume 3! This happens to be the edition that includes my YA paranormal novelette Just a Matter of Time.

What is a novelette, you ask. Well, you see, when a novel and novella love each other very much … no, really, it’s just a long short story.

Now, without further ado, I give you the gorgeous cover:

Sucker Literary Magazine Vol 3

Sucker Literary is a platform for established and emerging, hugely intelligent writers who have the grit and talent to create compelling, authentic young adult literature that both adults and teens can enjoy.

We are a literary enterprise dedicated to showcasing and promoting undiscovered and established writers who write for young adults (this is not to be mistaken for young adult writers). We are not affiliated with any writer’s organization or program and welcome writers at any stage of their writing career/ journey.

Now, for a little bit on what’s inside:

Bullied and alone, Ainsley seeks refuge in the arms of a strange boy. Time is slipping away for overachieving Sadie Lin, but reigniting an old flame might help. Scarred by a pressuring ex, Alexandra finally faces the rain. “Pasty and chubby” Charlotte makes a public play for the “Tan and Smooth” king. The beautiful girl in the black, lacy push-up bra says that it’s time for Brenn to stop lying . . . at least to herself. A halfway house is no home for Dawn—or is it? How will Dana survive knowing everyone at school thinks she’s a monster, when they just may be right? JJ and her crush finally get a moment alone—at his girlfriend’s hottest party of the year. Sixteen-year old Sarah prepares for her first day of school by chaining up her Mamí in her bedroom. Alyssa’s life is a well-rehearsed ballet until a tragedy sends her hurtling towards a fall. Loving a boy is as simple as chemistry . . . unless that boy is an unstable element.

Eleven stories that delve into the depths of our experience—driven by fierce and untouched love that makes us seek, lose, fear, desire, long, reflect, survive, steal, protect, fall, and confess.

Founding Editor:

Contributors:

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: the one with two publications

W1S1 2014 - Monthly ChallengeIt’s hard to complain when your week includes two publications. It’s even harder when the universe lines up those publications just so. This week I saw not one, but two, military-themed publications.

In writing news, I am seriously inching my way through my story, as you can see. It’s still a work in progress. I’m almost tempted to go back on the weekly challenge, except I am also learning/teaching myself Adobe InDesign.

So, I’m not slacking … yet. And I’m really loving InDesign. Plus, it all contributes to my plan to take over the world.

Okay, maybe not that.

Maybe.  

Writing Work:

  • Lawn Mower Serenade ~ still in progress–I am inching my way through this story.

Submissions:

  • Incriminating Evidence

Rejections:

  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies
  • Incriminating Evidence

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Publication: Playing Soldier and Breakfast in the Desert

That’s right! I have two, count them, two publications out today. And in a crazy bit of synchronicity, they are both military-themed.

  • My Desert Storm poem, Breakfast in the Desert, is live over at Every Day Poets. That they picked today simply proves they are a pretty clever bunch over there. (See this Wikipedia article to see what I mean.)
  • My flash fiction/vignette, Playing Soldier, appears in Issue #9 of Vine Leaves Literary Journal.

This is a pretty terrific way to start a Friday.

Publication: A Most Marvelous Pair of Boots

A Most Marvelous Pair of Boots is live over at Timeless Tales Magazine! This is my retelling of the Puss in Boots fairy tale.

When I sat down to familiarize myself with the story, I couldn’t help but notice that all the humans were morons and the cat was pretty much your classic a-hole. Why, oh why? I wondered. Why would the king foist his daughter onto a complete stranger with a made-up name? Why is the princess a simpleton who cares only about a handsome face? Why is the cat even involved?

I simply had to write the story to answer these questions for myself. If you’re curious, click on through and read my (tongue in cheek) take on the old French fairy tale.

Publications 2013

So, Write 1/Sub 1 made 2013 an interesting year. I embarked on a new writing adventure. Buoyed by the publication of The Secret Life of Sleeping Beauty in Unidentified Funny Objects last year, I decided to focus more on short fiction and not worry about the rest.

The results? Well, they surprised me. I ended up with fourteen sales/acceptances and nine of those were published this year, and five more are forthcoming in early 2014. Not a bad way to end a year or to start one.

Online flash:

The Burden of So Many Roses  (Kazka Press)

Payment (Literary Juice)

The Girl with the Piccolo (Kazka Press)

Keeping Time (Kazka Press)

A Measure of Sorrow (Luna Station Quarterly)

Standalone shorts:

Elvis Has Left the Building (Untreed Reads)

Anthologies:

Ghost in the Coffee Machine in Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic

Available from UFO Publishing, but also in e-book form for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

Land of the Free (Haircuts) in Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 2

Leap of Faith in 100 Worlds: Lightning-Quick SF and Fantasy Tales

Self-published:

Blogging Airborne finalBonus publication!

At long last, I compiled my Blogging Airborne series into electronic format to make it available for e-readers. You can get it on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes.

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 50 the one with 100 submissions

Week 50! It might be the cold weather or the holidays, but things moved slowly this week, even as the year speeds to an end. But I got my writing in, and I also hit my “stretch” goal for the year of 100 submissions.

Also, my contributor copy of Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic arrived, and it is a thing of beauty. If you like science fiction and fantasy stories, and especially like coffee, be sure to pick up a copy, either in print or e-format.

Writing:

  • Simon the Cold ~ 1,300 words

Submissions:

  • What Little Remains
  • The Madness in King’s End
  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies
  • The Price of Comfort and Joy (submission 100)

Rejections:

  • Doreen’s Muse

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • Ghost in the Coffee Machine in Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic, available from UFO Publishing, but also in e-book form for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

Publication: Ghost in the Coffee Machine

My story Ghost in the Coffee Machine is now available in Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic.

As the back cover says:

Coffee plays a major role in each of the stories collected in this book.

Brewed from such fine ingredients as magic, wonder, humor, and romance, Coffee serves up a unique blend of the fantastic you won’t be able to put down.

So, brew yourself a cup of coffee (or tea) and keep warm this holiday season. Available from UFO Publishing, but also in e-book form for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

 

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 49 the one with five rejections

Week 49! This must be the time of year editors clear their desks. Five rejections! Not only that, but the story I submitted for the Flash Fiction Challenge received zero points (as in none, nada, nothing). It’s one of those weeks where it pays to be an optimist.

I did a series of short writing/writing exercises based on the Writer’s Regimen, which I continue to love. Just when I think I’m not going to get anything, boom, something sparks.

I’ve also been thinking about Write 1/Sub 1 for next year. I’m thinking of moving to the monthly challenge. I do not want to slow down my writing pace, but I do want to revise that accidental novel, expand a few stories into the novellas they want to be, and I have a backlog of short stories I still need to revise and send out into the world.

So monthly it is, unless I start slacking. Then I’ll jump back on the weekly bandwagon.

Writing:

  • The Accidental Nickname ~ 300 words
  • Infamy Day ~ 500 words
  • Obstacles ~ 500 words

Submissions:

  • The Perfect Canvas
  • What Little Remains
  • Glass Slipper

Rejections:

  • The Perfect Canvas
  • What Little Remains
  • The Maze
  • The Burden of So Many Roses (reprint market)
  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 48 the one with the Thanksgiving rejection

Week 48! Short on writing this week. I saw a call for dark Christmas flash fiction (250 words max word count) and didn’t think much of it–until I sat down to write.

Then, it just happened. And yeah, I thought it was dark when I wrote it, but now I’m not really sure what it is. I’ll let it compost for a bit and decide later.

I also worked on shaping up some of my longer short stories for submission, which is where I spent most of my writing time this week.

Also, this week: the epic Thanksgiving rejection, which really only made me laugh, especially since I sold a poem. Yes! A poem. Breakfast in the Desert will appear at Every Day Poets in a month or two. Plus, A Measure of Sorrow is up at Luna Station Quarterly today.

Not a bad way to start December.

Writing:

  • The Price of Comfort and Joy ~ 250 words

Submissions:

  • Doreen’s Muse

Rejections:

  • The Perfect Canvas
  • What Little Remains

Acceptances:

  • Breakfast in the Desert ~ poetry!

Publications: