Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US. :)
Angie
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Pumpkins and Wooly Mammoth
Apparently wooly mammoth and other elephant types had a taste for gourds, and spread their seeds all over North America, which is why we have pumpkins today. Check out this Smithsonian article.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US. :)
Angie
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US. :)
Angie
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Can This White Woman Get Arrested?
Apparently not.
Jessie Kahnweiler, a white comedian, tried to deliberately get arrested in order to demonstrate white privilege at work. She pretended to be drunk in public, went swimming in a public fountain, patted police officers on the back (which has been interpreted as assault and resulted in arrest before when the "perp" was a person of color) and even tried to sell drugs to a couple of cops. Number of arrests? Zero.
Read the whole thing, and watch the video, here.
Thanks to Alisha for the link.
ETA: Sorry for the humongous video. :/ Blogger's size-chooser-thingy for pics and videos has never worked for me.
Jessie Kahnweiler, a white comedian, tried to deliberately get arrested in order to demonstrate white privilege at work. She pretended to be drunk in public, went swimming in a public fountain, patted police officers on the back (which has been interpreted as assault and resulted in arrest before when the "perp" was a person of color) and even tried to sell drugs to a couple of cops. Number of arrests? Zero.
Read the whole thing, and watch the video, here.
Thanks to Alisha for the link.
ETA: Sorry for the humongous video. :/ Blogger's size-chooser-thingy for pics and videos has never worked for me.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Open Letter from Muslim Leaders and Scholars to the Leader of ISIS
Executive Summary:
1. It is forbidden in Islam to issue fatwas without all the necessary learning requirements. Even then fatwas must follow Islamic legal theory as defined in the Classical texts. It is also forbidden to cite a portion of a verse from the Qur’an—or part of a verse—to derive a ruling without looking at everything that the Qur’an and Hadith teach related to that matter. In other words, there are strict subjective and objective prerequisites for fatwas , and one cannot ‘cherry-pick’ Qur’anic verses for legal arguments without considering the entire Qur’an and Hadith.
2. It is forbidden in Islam to issue legal rulings about anything without mastery of the Arabic language.
3. It is forbidden in Islam to oversimplify Shari’ah matters and ignore established Islamic sciences.
4. It is permissible in Islam [for scholars] to differ on any matter, except those fundamentals of religion that all Muslims must know.
5. It is forbidden in Islam to ignore the reality of contemporary times when deriving legal rulings.
6. It is forbidden in Islam to kill the innocent.
7. It is forbidden in Islam to kill emissaries, ambassadors, and diplomats; hence it is forbidden to kill journalists and aid workers.
8. Jihad in Islam is defensive war. It is not permissible without the right cause, the right purpose and without the right rules of conduct.
9. It is forbidden in Islam to declare people non-Muslim unless he (or she) openly declares disbelief.
10. It is forbidden in Islam to harm or mistreat—in any way—Christians or any ‘People of the Scripture’.
11. It is obligatory to consider Yazidis as People of the Scripture.
12. The re-introduction of slavery is forbidden in Islam. It was abolished by universal consensus.
13. It is forbidden in Islam to force people to convert.
14. It is forbidden in Islam to deny women their rights.
15. It is forbidden in Islam to deny children their rights.
16. It is forbidden in Islam to enact legal punishments (hudud ) without following the correct procedures that ensure justice and mercy.
17. It is forbidden in Islam to torture people.
18. It is forbidden in Islam to disfigure the dead.
19. It is forbidden in Islam to attribute evil acts to God ﷻ.
20. It is forbidden in Islam to destroy the graves and shrines of Prophets and Companions.
21. Armed insurrection is forbidden in Islam for any reason other than clear disbelief by the ruler and not allowing people to pray.
22. It is forbidden in Islam to declare a caliphate without consensus from all Muslims.
23. Loyalty to one’s nation is permissible in Islam.
24. After the death of the Prophet ﷺ, Islam does not require anyone to emigrate anywhere.
================
Found here. When you click through, you'll get to the main page. Click on "Read the letter." The first page is the summary quoted. Click on the right arrow in the upper left corner to turn pages and keep reading.
Each issue is elaborated, with quotes from the Qur'an and the Prophet, in the body of the document, where Muslim leadership from around the world calls Al Baghdadi out on all the various ways he's doing Islam wrong. I read the whole thing, and it's interesting to see what Muslim scholars say about all these issues, as opposed to the quick summaries, much less the slogans of fanatics we hear in the media.
This was originally written in September of '14, so I doubt Al Baghdadi is going to start paying any attention to it at this point. But it makes it clear (for anyone who still hasn't clued in) that the violent extremists who get so much play in the western media do not represent Islam as a whole, and that the scholars and leaders of Islam and Muslim people around the world don't approve at all of what ISIS and other groups and individuals with similar goals and methods are doing, in the name of a religion which does not support their actions.
Whenever you hear someone talk about how Muslims or Islam itself are inherently violent and hateful, this demonstrates just how wrong they are. Taking the acts of ISIS out on all Muslims is like blaming all Christians for what the KKK does.
Interesting stuff, especially if you don't know much about Islam. Talk half an hour or so and read it.
1. It is forbidden in Islam to issue fatwas without all the necessary learning requirements. Even then fatwas must follow Islamic legal theory as defined in the Classical texts. It is also forbidden to cite a portion of a verse from the Qur’an—or part of a verse—to derive a ruling without looking at everything that the Qur’an and Hadith teach related to that matter. In other words, there are strict subjective and objective prerequisites for fatwas , and one cannot ‘cherry-pick’ Qur’anic verses for legal arguments without considering the entire Qur’an and Hadith.
2. It is forbidden in Islam to issue legal rulings about anything without mastery of the Arabic language.
3. It is forbidden in Islam to oversimplify Shari’ah matters and ignore established Islamic sciences.
4. It is permissible in Islam [for scholars] to differ on any matter, except those fundamentals of religion that all Muslims must know.
5. It is forbidden in Islam to ignore the reality of contemporary times when deriving legal rulings.
6. It is forbidden in Islam to kill the innocent.
7. It is forbidden in Islam to kill emissaries, ambassadors, and diplomats; hence it is forbidden to kill journalists and aid workers.
8. Jihad in Islam is defensive war. It is not permissible without the right cause, the right purpose and without the right rules of conduct.
9. It is forbidden in Islam to declare people non-Muslim unless he (or she) openly declares disbelief.
10. It is forbidden in Islam to harm or mistreat—in any way—Christians or any ‘People of the Scripture’.
11. It is obligatory to consider Yazidis as People of the Scripture.
12. The re-introduction of slavery is forbidden in Islam. It was abolished by universal consensus.
13. It is forbidden in Islam to force people to convert.
14. It is forbidden in Islam to deny women their rights.
15. It is forbidden in Islam to deny children their rights.
16. It is forbidden in Islam to enact legal punishments (hudud ) without following the correct procedures that ensure justice and mercy.
17. It is forbidden in Islam to torture people.
18. It is forbidden in Islam to disfigure the dead.
19. It is forbidden in Islam to attribute evil acts to God ﷻ.
20. It is forbidden in Islam to destroy the graves and shrines of Prophets and Companions.
21. Armed insurrection is forbidden in Islam for any reason other than clear disbelief by the ruler and not allowing people to pray.
22. It is forbidden in Islam to declare a caliphate without consensus from all Muslims.
23. Loyalty to one’s nation is permissible in Islam.
24. After the death of the Prophet ﷺ, Islam does not require anyone to emigrate anywhere.
================
Found here. When you click through, you'll get to the main page. Click on "Read the letter." The first page is the summary quoted. Click on the right arrow in the upper left corner to turn pages and keep reading.
Each issue is elaborated, with quotes from the Qur'an and the Prophet, in the body of the document, where Muslim leadership from around the world calls Al Baghdadi out on all the various ways he's doing Islam wrong. I read the whole thing, and it's interesting to see what Muslim scholars say about all these issues, as opposed to the quick summaries, much less the slogans of fanatics we hear in the media.
This was originally written in September of '14, so I doubt Al Baghdadi is going to start paying any attention to it at this point. But it makes it clear (for anyone who still hasn't clued in) that the violent extremists who get so much play in the western media do not represent Islam as a whole, and that the scholars and leaders of Islam and Muslim people around the world don't approve at all of what ISIS and other groups and individuals with similar goals and methods are doing, in the name of a religion which does not support their actions.
Whenever you hear someone talk about how Muslims or Islam itself are inherently violent and hateful, this demonstrates just how wrong they are. Taking the acts of ISIS out on all Muslims is like blaming all Christians for what the KKK does.
Interesting stuff, especially if you don't know much about Islam. Talk half an hour or so and read it.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Calvin and Hobbes
The very first Calvin and Hobbes comic was posted today, thirty years ago. It was an awesome comic, and it ended too soon. Read that first strip here.
Angie
Angie
Friday, November 13, 2015
Paris
Paris after 9/11.
Let’s keep these people in our prayers, who so graciously kept us in their prayers after one of the darkest periods of our history.
Paris, and everyone else affected by the attacks tonight, you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Beth Greene on Tumblr
I'm not a "prayers" kind of person, but I endorse the sentiment wholeheartedly.
Anthology Markets
If you've just wandered in off the internet, hi and welcome. :) I do these posts every month, so if this post isn't dated in the same month you're in, click here to make sure you're seeing the most recent one.
Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.
[Note that Stiff Things has a deadline (1 March) but is also "Until Filled," which means it might close earlier if the editors get a lot of good subs right away. Possibly a lot earlier. If you want to sub there, I suggest you not put it off.]
***
30 November 2015 -- SNAFU: Unnatural Selection -- ed. Geoff Brown and Amanda J. Spedding; Cohesion Press
Anacondas, piranha, giant crocodiles/alligators/lizards, mutated bears near nuclear power stations, prehistoric sharks. These are a few of my favourite things.
All of these featured heavily in books and films of the 70s and 80s, when bio-horror was at its modern peak. For this anthology of military-bio-horror stories, we are looking for you to take us back to those days.
Think Greg McLean’s Rogue, Lake Placid, Eight-legged Freaks, Anaconda, Meg, Prophecy, Deep Blue Sea, and other modern films/books where people (in this case soldiers) are fighting against mutated or ultra-dangerous animals.
Stories must include a strong military-combat aspect.
We STRONGLY suggest you read some of the earlier SNAFUs to see what it is we like.
~ Payment: AUD4c/word and one contributor copy in each format released
~ Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query for shorter or longer)
~ Submissions open September 1, 2015. Closing date is November 30th, 2015 (anything submitted before or after this time will be deleted without being read or replied to). No selections will be made until after the period closes.
Projected publication date: August 2016
Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us:
1. Please put your full contact details on the first page of the manuscript top left, with word count top right.
2. Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting.
3. Courier or Times New Roman set at 12pt. Italics as they will appear. No underlining.
4. Double spaced.
5. Please don’t use TAB or space bar to indent lines. Use ‘styles’ only. If unsure or using a program that has no styles, do not indent at all. That’s still cool.
7. NO SPACE between paragraphs unless a line-break is required. ONE SPACE after full stops.
8. Please put full contact details on the first page of the manuscript (yes, I said this twice… it’s important).
9. Send your submission to Geoff Brown at editor@cohesionpress.com as an attachment (.doc/.docx/.rtf).
10. In the subject line of your email, please put Unnatural Selection: [STORY TITLE] (Replace [STORY TITLE] with your actual story title. Yes, unfortunately I do need to state this)
NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS
NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS
NO REPRINTS
Please include a brief ‘hello, this is who I am’ in your email body as a cover letter.
Blank emails with attachments will be deleted.
For a guide to standard submission format, see: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html
The only variations to this format are that italics MUST appear as they will be used – no underlining – and again, only one space after a full stop.
Anyone that fails to follow these guidelines will likely see their story gobbled up by giant spider/crocodile hybrids.
***
1 December 2015 -- The Broken River Review -- Broken River Books
Next year, Broken River Books will be releasing its first anthology, titled The Broken River Review. It will be a collection of short fiction, poetry, and essays, all centered around crime and crime fiction. Here are the guidelines:
== 3,000 words or fewer
== Reprints okay
== Payment is 5 cents per word
== Submissions go to brokenriverbooks@gmail.com
Other than that, have fun with it! As with the novel submissions, please familiarize yourself with the Broken River catalog, so that you might tailor your submission to our particular aesthetic. We like fiction that plays with and subverts tropes in interesting way. Special preference goes to crime fiction, or at least work that leans in that direction.
***
15 December 2015 -- It's Come to Our Attention -- Third Flatiron
Under the radar: things that are happening quietly, without a lot of fanfare, that may still be extremely significant or make a big difference.
Stories should be submitted in either Microsoft Word (using double spacing), RTF, or plain text. They should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Flash humor pieces (Grins and Gurgles) should be short, around 600 words.
Please don't send simultaneous or multiple submissions. If a story has been rejected, you can then send another.
Submit by email to flatsubmit@thirdflatiron.com either as an attachment (Word) or in the body of the mail (text).
In the Subject: line of the email, please put flatsubmit:Title_of_Your_Work to avoid being deemed a canned meat product based on ham.
If the work is for the humor section, please note that in the body of your email. A brief bio and a one- or two-sentence synopsis in the body of your email would also be helpful to us.
Your story must be original work, with the digital rights unencumbered. Accepted stories will be paid at the flat rate of 3 cents per word (U.S.), in return for the digital rights to the story for six months after publication. All other rights will remain with the author. We no longer offer royalties. If your story is selected as the lead story, beginning July 1, 2014, we will pay a flat rate of 6 cents per word (SFWA professional rate), in return for the permission to podcast or give the story away as a free sample portion of the anthology.
Third Flatiron will price and market your story to various e-publishing venues. We will format the story for the most popular electronic readers and platforms. You agree that we may distribute a sample (portion of the story) to potential customers.
For non-U.S. submissions, we prefer to pay via PayPal, if you have such an account.
Authors selected for publication will also be entitled to one free online copy of the anthology.
***
15 December 2015 -- Cthulhusattva: Lovecraftian Tales of the Black Gnosis -- Martian Migraine Press
Martian Migraine Press is now open to submissions for our fourth annual anthology, Cthulhusattva: Lovecraftian Tales of the Black Gnosis.
When it comes to Lovecraftian fiction, readers are already well familiar with the standard protagonists. Men of Science. Hardened, world-weary investigators. Sensitive artists, and the like. All of whom eventually learn too much, as they come into contact with forbidden books, foul thaumaturgies, and the human (and not-so-human!) servants of the Great Old Ones. Through curiosity, stupidity, hubris (and oftentimes a combination of these) such foolhardy individuals are blasted to madness in the deadly light that breaks through into their existence when they dare tread the shadowed paths of the Mythos! Surely death would be preferable!
But…
What of the opposite numbers to your standard Lovecraftian hero? What of those servants of the Great Old Ones? The cultists. Sorcerers. Witches. Lone madmen and women. What of those who go seeking that dark enlightenment of their own free will? What of the individuals who choose to cast off from the shores of humanity’s placid island of ignorance, who choose to voyage far on those black seas of infinity that surround that island?
Whatever else can be said about the Mythos (within the Lovecraftian world-view, naturally) it remains that the madness which underlies it is THE TRUTH OF EXISTENCE. The light may be deadly, yes, but it is still light, and it still reveals! Remember, too, that the Great Old Ones and their servants, have been around for a very long time. What wisdom, what insights into Life, Death, and Reality might be gained by currying their favour? What would be the price of that wisdom, and more… would it be worth it?
For Cthulhusattva: Lovecraftian Tales of the Black Gnosis, we are looking for stories that explore these themes, and these intrepid, intelligent, and yes, more than a little insane characters! However, we’re not interested in dyed-in-their-woolen-robes hooded cultists or card-carrying gibbering lunatics with knives behind their backs, laying in wait for the Randolph Carters and Professor Armitages of the world. Instead, give us stories that examine what it means to truly learn the nature of the Universe and come out the other side, smiling! Remember, the Old Ones are apathetic to human needs and desires, and are as likely to ignore a supplicant as devour them. So, consider how one might go mad at contact with them, but still live and move and have an affect in the world. We want to see tales of Mythos mystics, spiritual sorcerers, monstrous monks, and preternatural philosophers, and we want to see them in a diverse range of settings, not just Arkham. The world is vast and strange: show us the bizarre and mind-expanding traditions of far-flung locales! Take us from the deep past to the unimagined future! Give us stories that prove you can hear the Call of Cthulhu… and return as a Cthulhusattva!
(Savvy Migraineers may detect a possible connection to our non-fiction release of 2014, editor Scott R Jones' When the Stars Are Right: Towards an Authentic R'lyehian Spirituality… and they’d be right! If you’d like to study up on the Black Gnosis, and the kind of person crazy enough to seek it, we’d be more than happy to send you an electronic copy of WTSAR for your edification! Just pop an email to bookstore@martianmigrainepress.com with your preferred format — mobi, epub, or PDF — and we’ll send one along!)
Final count for the anthology will be 18 stories, released as a softcover paperback and as an electronic book in multiple formats.
Submission period closes December 15, 2015. The anthology will be released in early May 2016.
SUBMITTING
Please use Standard Manuscript format when submitting. That’s double spaced, left justified, Times New Roman or Courier or something at least readable, a header on the first page (at least) with your author info and word count and… well, you know the drill. RTF or DOC files preferred, but DOCx and text files also accepted. Obviously, you could send us something that’s not in Standard Manuscript format, but it will lower your chances of it being looked at seriously.
We will look at both original work and REPRINTS.
To submit a story to Cthulhusattva: Lovecraftian Tales of the Black Gnosis send an e-mail (with the story file attached, not in the body of the email) to: submissions@martianmigrainepress.com, with subject line: GNOSIS, title of your story, and your name.
LENGTH AND GENRE
For short fiction, we’d like to see anything from 1,500 to 7,000 words.
FLASH FICTION: got something under 1500 words? Send it in. However, the following still applies…
NO POETRY.
PAYMENT
All accepted submissions will be paid .03CAD per word, via Paypal, as well as a contributor copy (paperback) of the anthology, and copies in all electronic formats (mobi, EPUB, and PDF). Authors are also entitled to copies of three additional Martian Migraine Press titles of their choosing.
REPLIES AND QUERIES
We will try to acknowledge receipt of your submission within a week of its arrival in our inbox. The submission period itself will close on December 15, 2015 and we should be responding to all submissions, yay or nay, by early January 2016. If you haven’t heard from us by January 15, 2016, please query.
***
25 December 2015 -- Mysterion -- ed. Donald S. Crankshaw and Kristin Janz; Enigmatic Mirror Press
We're looking for speculative stories--science fiction, fantasy, horror--with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
== Stories can be up to 10,000 words.
== The anthology will be published in ebook and POD formats.
== We pay 6 cents/word for original stories (or original translations of stories that have not previously appeared in English), and 3 cents/word for reprints.
== We are seeking one year of exclusive worldwide print and electronic distribution rights for original works (with exceptions for Best of the Year anthologies), and non-exclusive worldwide print and electronic distribution rights in perpetuity for both original works and reprints.
== No multiple or simultaneous submissions. Send us only one story at a time, and don't send us a story that's currently with someone else or send someone else a story to which we have not yet responded. Don't re-submit a rejected story unless we request revisions.
== We hope to have responded to everyone within one month of the submission window's closing. Feel free to query if it's been longer than two months.
== Stories must be double spaced, in 12-point Courier or Times New Roman font. The story title, your byline, a word count, and contact information should appear on the first page, and your last name, story title, and page number should appear in the header information of all other pages. We're not particular about whether you use italics or underlining for emphasis, how many spaces are after the period, or whether you use straight or smart quotes.
== Submissions may be sent to the email address:
submissions at mysterionanthology dot com
== Submit your stories via email as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. The subject of your email should be FICTION: by . The email body should contain a list of your three or four best publications (if any), and any pertinent biographical details: tell us if you're an astronaut writing about space travel, but not if you're an astronaut writing about the elf-dwarf war. Invert that if you're an elf. If you've met us personally, feel free to mention it. Finally, let us know if the story is previously published and where it first appeared--even if it appeared on your blog or twitter stream. Don't try to summarize your story or explain why it's a good fit for our anthology (if it's a good fit, we should be able to tell by reading it).
THEME GUIDELINES
== The story must have a speculative element. It needs something beyond the everyday. We love science fiction and fantasy, enjoy good ghost stories, and think there's great fiction material hidden in the mysteries of Christian theology--cherubim, leviathan, nephilim, visions, prophecy, and more.
== The story must engage with Christianity. We want stories with Christian characters whose faith affects their actions, with Christian themes such as grace and redemption, or with a Christian view of the supernatural. Note that we're not saying that you must be a Christian. We are not in a position to judge your faith, and won't try. Nor does your story need to be unambiguously pro-Christian. If you can tell a good story that meaningfully engages with Christianity, we want to read it.
== Read more about what we're looking for in our Theme Guidelines.
***
6 January 2016 -- No Shit, There I Was -- ed. Rachael Acks; Alliteration Ink
What: No Shit, There I Was, an anthology of short speculative fiction sharing one common thread: each story begins with that immortal line. Where they end will be up to the writer.
Why: The world is full of unbelievable, hilarious, and sometimes tragic no shit, there I was stories. Can speculative fiction writers rise to the challenge of creating something even more fantastical than the everyday product?
Who We Are: Alliteration Ink is run by Steven Saus (member SFWA/HWA), focusing on anthologies and single-author collections, with over a dozen titles across two imprints. Rachael Acks is a writer, geologist, and sharp-dressed sir. In addition to her steampunk novella series, she’s had short stories in Strange Horizons, Waylines, Daily Science Fiction, Penumbra, and more. She’s an active member of SFWA, the Northern Colorado Writer’s Workshop, and Codex.
Who: This will be an open call. All who read and follow the submission guidelines are welcome in the slush pile.
When: Rachael wants stories no later than 6 Jan 2016. No exceptions will be made. The Kickstarter will occur after the table of contents has been set.
What We Want From You:
== Stories 2,000-7,500 words long. Query for anything shorter or longer.
== All stories must begin with the line, No shit, there I was. It can be dialog or part of the regular prose.
== Stories must contain a discernible speculative element, either fantasy or science fiction, and the speculative element must be integral to the plot. Dependent upon submission quality, the intention is for a 50/50 split of fantasy and science fiction.
== The intention is to cover a wide range of subgenres to show the versatility of a single opening line -- comedies, tragedies, and everything in between are welcome in the slush pile. That said, Rachael is not terribly interested in horror, and erotica is right out. Salty language is okay, gratuitous violence, gore, or sex is not. Feel free to query if you have questions.
== We are particularly interested in seeing stories from underrepresented populations (eg: people of color, people with disabilities, LGBT people).
== Original fiction strongly preferred; query first for reprints.
== Submitted stories must be in standard manuscript format and submitted in rtf, doc, or docx file format. Please make sure your name, email address, word count, and title of your story are on the first page of your manuscript.
== Stories that do not follow these guidelines may face summary rejection.
== Submissions should be sent to noshit@alliterationink.com
Payment: We intend to fund this project via Kickstarter. Authors are encouraged to provide backer rewards for the campaign, but that is definitely not required. The initial funding goal will provide for a flat $0.06/per word (US) for all stories. In the unlikely event a reprint is accepted, payment will be $0.03/per word (US). There will be no kill fees. Higher per word payment will be one of the stretch goals for the project.
While the table of contents will be mostly set prior to the Kickstarter for advertising purposes, contracts will not be sent out until the Kickstarter is completed. Should the project fail to fund, it will continue, though with a different payment structure to be determined. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Rights: Exclusive English world first print and digital rights for one year. Nonexclusive print, digital, and anthology rights for term of copyright. All other rights are reserved to the author.
Contact Information: Editorial decisions are to be handled by Rachael Acks and questions regarding them should be directed to her at noshit@alliterationink.com. Contract, money, publicity, and business decisions will be handled by Alliteration Ink, and should be directed to steven@alliterationink.com (or any other e-mail address you have for him – they all go to the same place).
***
1 March 2016 (or until filled) -- Stiff Things -- Comet Press
Comet Press is seeking short stories for an erotic horror anthology to be published in the summer of 2016. We are looking for the most gruesome, twisted, sick, disturbing, dark and extreme stories that push the boundaries of sex and horror and we don't have any content restrictions (except for kiddie porn, of course).
Science fiction and dark fantasy will be considered but must be very dark with a strong element of horror.
Reading period: From September 28, 2015--March 1, 2016 (or until filled).
Word length: up to 9,000 words.
Multiple submissions: Up to two stories per author can be submitted. Please send as separate emails.
Payment is 3 cents a word. We have a campaign up on Indiegogo to help fund this anthology, so depending on the funds raised we may raise this pay.
Reprints: No reprints.
Response Time: 3–4 weeks. Rejections will be sent as soon as possible. Stories that make the first cut will be kept until the end of the reading period. Authors will be notified right away if their story makes the first cut, then the final stories will be selected at the end of the reading period.
We will send a confirmation that we received your story within 2 days. If you do not get this confirmation, please feel free to inquire or resubmit.
What to send:
In the body of the email please include:
== your name, pen name if any, address and email address, and bio.
== Include a brief blurb summing up the story and word count.
== Attach the story in a standard formatted .rtf or word document
== Put “STIFF THNGS SUBMISSION: TITLE OF YOUR STORY” in the subject of the email.
Email address: submissions [at] cometpress [dot] us
Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.
[Note that Stiff Things has a deadline (1 March) but is also "Until Filled," which means it might close earlier if the editors get a lot of good subs right away. Possibly a lot earlier. If you want to sub there, I suggest you not put it off.]
***
30 November 2015 -- SNAFU: Unnatural Selection -- ed. Geoff Brown and Amanda J. Spedding; Cohesion Press
Anacondas, piranha, giant crocodiles/alligators/lizards, mutated bears near nuclear power stations, prehistoric sharks. These are a few of my favourite things.
All of these featured heavily in books and films of the 70s and 80s, when bio-horror was at its modern peak. For this anthology of military-bio-horror stories, we are looking for you to take us back to those days.
Think Greg McLean’s Rogue, Lake Placid, Eight-legged Freaks, Anaconda, Meg, Prophecy, Deep Blue Sea, and other modern films/books where people (in this case soldiers) are fighting against mutated or ultra-dangerous animals.
Stories must include a strong military-combat aspect.
We STRONGLY suggest you read some of the earlier SNAFUs to see what it is we like.
~ Payment: AUD4c/word and one contributor copy in each format released
~ Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query for shorter or longer)
~ Submissions open September 1, 2015. Closing date is November 30th, 2015 (anything submitted before or after this time will be deleted without being read or replied to). No selections will be made until after the period closes.
Projected publication date: August 2016
Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us:
1. Please put your full contact details on the first page of the manuscript top left, with word count top right.
2. Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting.
3. Courier or Times New Roman set at 12pt. Italics as they will appear. No underlining.
4. Double spaced.
5. Please don’t use TAB or space bar to indent lines. Use ‘styles’ only. If unsure or using a program that has no styles, do not indent at all. That’s still cool.
7. NO SPACE between paragraphs unless a line-break is required. ONE SPACE after full stops.
8. Please put full contact details on the first page of the manuscript (yes, I said this twice… it’s important).
9. Send your submission to Geoff Brown at editor@cohesionpress.com as an attachment (.doc/.docx/.rtf).
10. In the subject line of your email, please put Unnatural Selection: [STORY TITLE] (Replace [STORY TITLE] with your actual story title. Yes, unfortunately I do need to state this)
NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS
NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS
NO REPRINTS
Please include a brief ‘hello, this is who I am’ in your email body as a cover letter.
Blank emails with attachments will be deleted.
For a guide to standard submission format, see: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html
The only variations to this format are that italics MUST appear as they will be used – no underlining – and again, only one space after a full stop.
Anyone that fails to follow these guidelines will likely see their story gobbled up by giant spider/crocodile hybrids.
***
1 December 2015 -- The Broken River Review -- Broken River Books
Next year, Broken River Books will be releasing its first anthology, titled The Broken River Review. It will be a collection of short fiction, poetry, and essays, all centered around crime and crime fiction. Here are the guidelines:
== 3,000 words or fewer
== Reprints okay
== Payment is 5 cents per word
== Submissions go to brokenriverbooks@gmail.com
Other than that, have fun with it! As with the novel submissions, please familiarize yourself with the Broken River catalog, so that you might tailor your submission to our particular aesthetic. We like fiction that plays with and subverts tropes in interesting way. Special preference goes to crime fiction, or at least work that leans in that direction.
***
15 December 2015 -- It's Come to Our Attention -- Third Flatiron
Under the radar: things that are happening quietly, without a lot of fanfare, that may still be extremely significant or make a big difference.
Stories should be submitted in either Microsoft Word (using double spacing), RTF, or plain text. They should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Flash humor pieces (Grins and Gurgles) should be short, around 600 words.
Please don't send simultaneous or multiple submissions. If a story has been rejected, you can then send another.
Submit by email to flatsubmit@thirdflatiron.com either as an attachment (Word) or in the body of the mail (text).
In the Subject: line of the email, please put flatsubmit:Title_of_Your_Work to avoid being deemed a canned meat product based on ham.
If the work is for the humor section, please note that in the body of your email. A brief bio and a one- or two-sentence synopsis in the body of your email would also be helpful to us.
Your story must be original work, with the digital rights unencumbered. Accepted stories will be paid at the flat rate of 3 cents per word (U.S.), in return for the digital rights to the story for six months after publication. All other rights will remain with the author. We no longer offer royalties. If your story is selected as the lead story, beginning July 1, 2014, we will pay a flat rate of 6 cents per word (SFWA professional rate), in return for the permission to podcast or give the story away as a free sample portion of the anthology.
Third Flatiron will price and market your story to various e-publishing venues. We will format the story for the most popular electronic readers and platforms. You agree that we may distribute a sample (portion of the story) to potential customers.
For non-U.S. submissions, we prefer to pay via PayPal, if you have such an account.
Authors selected for publication will also be entitled to one free online copy of the anthology.
***
15 December 2015 -- Cthulhusattva: Lovecraftian Tales of the Black Gnosis -- Martian Migraine Press
Martian Migraine Press is now open to submissions for our fourth annual anthology, Cthulhusattva: Lovecraftian Tales of the Black Gnosis.
When it comes to Lovecraftian fiction, readers are already well familiar with the standard protagonists. Men of Science. Hardened, world-weary investigators. Sensitive artists, and the like. All of whom eventually learn too much, as they come into contact with forbidden books, foul thaumaturgies, and the human (and not-so-human!) servants of the Great Old Ones. Through curiosity, stupidity, hubris (and oftentimes a combination of these) such foolhardy individuals are blasted to madness in the deadly light that breaks through into their existence when they dare tread the shadowed paths of the Mythos! Surely death would be preferable!
But…
What of the opposite numbers to your standard Lovecraftian hero? What of those servants of the Great Old Ones? The cultists. Sorcerers. Witches. Lone madmen and women. What of those who go seeking that dark enlightenment of their own free will? What of the individuals who choose to cast off from the shores of humanity’s placid island of ignorance, who choose to voyage far on those black seas of infinity that surround that island?
Whatever else can be said about the Mythos (within the Lovecraftian world-view, naturally) it remains that the madness which underlies it is THE TRUTH OF EXISTENCE. The light may be deadly, yes, but it is still light, and it still reveals! Remember, too, that the Great Old Ones and their servants, have been around for a very long time. What wisdom, what insights into Life, Death, and Reality might be gained by currying their favour? What would be the price of that wisdom, and more… would it be worth it?
For Cthulhusattva: Lovecraftian Tales of the Black Gnosis, we are looking for stories that explore these themes, and these intrepid, intelligent, and yes, more than a little insane characters! However, we’re not interested in dyed-in-their-woolen-robes hooded cultists or card-carrying gibbering lunatics with knives behind their backs, laying in wait for the Randolph Carters and Professor Armitages of the world. Instead, give us stories that examine what it means to truly learn the nature of the Universe and come out the other side, smiling! Remember, the Old Ones are apathetic to human needs and desires, and are as likely to ignore a supplicant as devour them. So, consider how one might go mad at contact with them, but still live and move and have an affect in the world. We want to see tales of Mythos mystics, spiritual sorcerers, monstrous monks, and preternatural philosophers, and we want to see them in a diverse range of settings, not just Arkham. The world is vast and strange: show us the bizarre and mind-expanding traditions of far-flung locales! Take us from the deep past to the unimagined future! Give us stories that prove you can hear the Call of Cthulhu… and return as a Cthulhusattva!
(Savvy Migraineers may detect a possible connection to our non-fiction release of 2014, editor Scott R Jones' When the Stars Are Right: Towards an Authentic R'lyehian Spirituality… and they’d be right! If you’d like to study up on the Black Gnosis, and the kind of person crazy enough to seek it, we’d be more than happy to send you an electronic copy of WTSAR for your edification! Just pop an email to bookstore@martianmigrainepress.com with your preferred format — mobi, epub, or PDF — and we’ll send one along!)
Final count for the anthology will be 18 stories, released as a softcover paperback and as an electronic book in multiple formats.
Submission period closes December 15, 2015. The anthology will be released in early May 2016.
SUBMITTING
Please use Standard Manuscript format when submitting. That’s double spaced, left justified, Times New Roman or Courier or something at least readable, a header on the first page (at least) with your author info and word count and… well, you know the drill. RTF or DOC files preferred, but DOCx and text files also accepted. Obviously, you could send us something that’s not in Standard Manuscript format, but it will lower your chances of it being looked at seriously.
We will look at both original work and REPRINTS.
To submit a story to Cthulhusattva: Lovecraftian Tales of the Black Gnosis send an e-mail (with the story file attached, not in the body of the email) to: submissions@martianmigrainepress.com, with subject line: GNOSIS, title of your story, and your name.
LENGTH AND GENRE
For short fiction, we’d like to see anything from 1,500 to 7,000 words.
FLASH FICTION: got something under 1500 words? Send it in. However, the following still applies…
NO POETRY.
PAYMENT
All accepted submissions will be paid .03CAD per word, via Paypal, as well as a contributor copy (paperback) of the anthology, and copies in all electronic formats (mobi, EPUB, and PDF). Authors are also entitled to copies of three additional Martian Migraine Press titles of their choosing.
REPLIES AND QUERIES
We will try to acknowledge receipt of your submission within a week of its arrival in our inbox. The submission period itself will close on December 15, 2015 and we should be responding to all submissions, yay or nay, by early January 2016. If you haven’t heard from us by January 15, 2016, please query.
***
25 December 2015 -- Mysterion -- ed. Donald S. Crankshaw and Kristin Janz; Enigmatic Mirror Press
We're looking for speculative stories--science fiction, fantasy, horror--with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
== Stories can be up to 10,000 words.
== The anthology will be published in ebook and POD formats.
== We pay 6 cents/word for original stories (or original translations of stories that have not previously appeared in English), and 3 cents/word for reprints.
== We are seeking one year of exclusive worldwide print and electronic distribution rights for original works (with exceptions for Best of the Year anthologies), and non-exclusive worldwide print and electronic distribution rights in perpetuity for both original works and reprints.
== No multiple or simultaneous submissions. Send us only one story at a time, and don't send us a story that's currently with someone else or send someone else a story to which we have not yet responded. Don't re-submit a rejected story unless we request revisions.
== We hope to have responded to everyone within one month of the submission window's closing. Feel free to query if it's been longer than two months.
== Stories must be double spaced, in 12-point Courier or Times New Roman font. The story title, your byline, a word count, and contact information should appear on the first page, and your last name, story title, and page number should appear in the header information of all other pages. We're not particular about whether you use italics or underlining for emphasis, how many spaces are after the period, or whether you use straight or smart quotes.
== Submissions may be sent to the email address:
submissions at mysterionanthology dot com
== Submit your stories via email as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. The subject of your email should be FICTION:
THEME GUIDELINES
== The story must have a speculative element. It needs something beyond the everyday. We love science fiction and fantasy, enjoy good ghost stories, and think there's great fiction material hidden in the mysteries of Christian theology--cherubim, leviathan, nephilim, visions, prophecy, and more.
== The story must engage with Christianity. We want stories with Christian characters whose faith affects their actions, with Christian themes such as grace and redemption, or with a Christian view of the supernatural. Note that we're not saying that you must be a Christian. We are not in a position to judge your faith, and won't try. Nor does your story need to be unambiguously pro-Christian. If you can tell a good story that meaningfully engages with Christianity, we want to read it.
== Read more about what we're looking for in our Theme Guidelines.
***
6 January 2016 -- No Shit, There I Was -- ed. Rachael Acks; Alliteration Ink
What: No Shit, There I Was, an anthology of short speculative fiction sharing one common thread: each story begins with that immortal line. Where they end will be up to the writer.
Why: The world is full of unbelievable, hilarious, and sometimes tragic no shit, there I was stories. Can speculative fiction writers rise to the challenge of creating something even more fantastical than the everyday product?
Who We Are: Alliteration Ink is run by Steven Saus (member SFWA/HWA), focusing on anthologies and single-author collections, with over a dozen titles across two imprints. Rachael Acks is a writer, geologist, and sharp-dressed sir. In addition to her steampunk novella series, she’s had short stories in Strange Horizons, Waylines, Daily Science Fiction, Penumbra, and more. She’s an active member of SFWA, the Northern Colorado Writer’s Workshop, and Codex.
Who: This will be an open call. All who read and follow the submission guidelines are welcome in the slush pile.
When: Rachael wants stories no later than 6 Jan 2016. No exceptions will be made. The Kickstarter will occur after the table of contents has been set.
What We Want From You:
== Stories 2,000-7,500 words long. Query for anything shorter or longer.
== All stories must begin with the line, No shit, there I was. It can be dialog or part of the regular prose.
== Stories must contain a discernible speculative element, either fantasy or science fiction, and the speculative element must be integral to the plot. Dependent upon submission quality, the intention is for a 50/50 split of fantasy and science fiction.
== The intention is to cover a wide range of subgenres to show the versatility of a single opening line -- comedies, tragedies, and everything in between are welcome in the slush pile. That said, Rachael is not terribly interested in horror, and erotica is right out. Salty language is okay, gratuitous violence, gore, or sex is not. Feel free to query if you have questions.
== We are particularly interested in seeing stories from underrepresented populations (eg: people of color, people with disabilities, LGBT people).
== Original fiction strongly preferred; query first for reprints.
== Submitted stories must be in standard manuscript format and submitted in rtf, doc, or docx file format. Please make sure your name, email address, word count, and title of your story are on the first page of your manuscript.
== Stories that do not follow these guidelines may face summary rejection.
== Submissions should be sent to noshit@alliterationink.com
Payment: We intend to fund this project via Kickstarter. Authors are encouraged to provide backer rewards for the campaign, but that is definitely not required. The initial funding goal will provide for a flat $0.06/per word (US) for all stories. In the unlikely event a reprint is accepted, payment will be $0.03/per word (US). There will be no kill fees. Higher per word payment will be one of the stretch goals for the project.
While the table of contents will be mostly set prior to the Kickstarter for advertising purposes, contracts will not be sent out until the Kickstarter is completed. Should the project fail to fund, it will continue, though with a different payment structure to be determined. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Rights: Exclusive English world first print and digital rights for one year. Nonexclusive print, digital, and anthology rights for term of copyright. All other rights are reserved to the author.
Contact Information: Editorial decisions are to be handled by Rachael Acks and questions regarding them should be directed to her at noshit@alliterationink.com. Contract, money, publicity, and business decisions will be handled by Alliteration Ink, and should be directed to steven@alliterationink.com (or any other e-mail address you have for him – they all go to the same place).
***
1 March 2016 (or until filled) -- Stiff Things -- Comet Press
Comet Press is seeking short stories for an erotic horror anthology to be published in the summer of 2016. We are looking for the most gruesome, twisted, sick, disturbing, dark and extreme stories that push the boundaries of sex and horror and we don't have any content restrictions (except for kiddie porn, of course).
Science fiction and dark fantasy will be considered but must be very dark with a strong element of horror.
Reading period: From September 28, 2015--March 1, 2016 (or until filled).
Word length: up to 9,000 words.
Multiple submissions: Up to two stories per author can be submitted. Please send as separate emails.
Payment is 3 cents a word. We have a campaign up on Indiegogo to help fund this anthology, so depending on the funds raised we may raise this pay.
Reprints: No reprints.
Response Time: 3–4 weeks. Rejections will be sent as soon as possible. Stories that make the first cut will be kept until the end of the reading period. Authors will be notified right away if their story makes the first cut, then the final stories will be selected at the end of the reading period.
We will send a confirmation that we received your story within 2 days. If you do not get this confirmation, please feel free to inquire or resubmit.
What to send:
In the body of the email please include:
== your name, pen name if any, address and email address, and bio.
== Include a brief blurb summing up the story and word count.
== Attach the story in a standard formatted .rtf or word document
== Put “STIFF THNGS SUBMISSION: TITLE OF YOUR STORY” in the subject of the email.
Email address: submissions [at] cometpress [dot] us
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