I began my career writing historical romance under the name Cynthia Sterling. I’ve regained the rights to those books, long out of print, and over the next few months plan to release them as ebooks. The first title, Patchwork Hearts, is available now from Amazon and Smashwords. If you’re a fan of Americana or Western historicals, or you’re merely curious about where I started out, pick up your copy here or here.
******************************************
Basement Stories publishes short stories (primarily science fiction and fantasy, but also “anything that’s good”) under 6000 words. They pay 1 cent a word and accept reprints and simultaneous submissions. Check their guidelines for more details.
********************************************
Ever wonder how you could make more time to write? Check out this article on Making Time to Write.
***********************************************
Her Mountain Man is still available in stores. Pick up your copy soon.
*************************************************
Could you write a short story in 24-hours? What about if someone else picked the topic of the story? Challenge yourself with the Writer’s Weekly 24-Hour Short Story Contest. Entrants receive an email on the date the contest begins with the story topic and word count. Submit your completed story within 24 hours for a chance at a bunch of different prizes. This year’s contest begins July 24, 2010. You must pre-register to enter, and there is a $5 entry fee. Find out the details here.
***********************************************
As always, feel free to pass along the information in this blog. All I ask is that you give me credit for the information and include a link back to this blog. Thanks!
Mulholland Books is a new crime fiction imprint from publisher Little, Brown, set to launch in Spring 2011. John Schoenfelder will edit the new line, which plans to publish 24 books a year by 2012 — one paperback and one hard cover each month. The line plans to publish “crime novels, thrillers, police procedurals, spy stories, even supernatural suspense.” Learn more here.
***********************************
Her Mountain Man is in stores now. Get your copy before they’re gone.
*********************************
Urban Fantasy meets the Roaring 20s in a new anthology, Speakeasy, from Australian publisher Twelth Planet Press. The editors are looking for dark fantasy stories between 2500 and 7500 words. These stories can feature vampires, werewolves, magic, and other urban fantasy elements. The dealine for entries is September 30, 2010. Read the submission guidelines here.
**************************
Cheerios Cereal is holding a contest for children’s fiction authors. Submit your original, unpublished children’s story targeted at children ages 3 to 8 for a chance at the grand prize of $5000 cash and a possible publishing contract from Simon & Schuster. Two first prizes of $1000 will also be awarded. Deadline to enter is July 15. Read all about it here.
********************
As always, feel free to share the information in this blog. All I ask is that you give me credit and include the link. Thanks!
Anthologies offer a good way to break in with a publisher, and another market for short fiction and nonfiction. This week, I’m looking at a number of anthologies looking for submissions.
Circlet Press publishes a mixture of erotic, science fiction, fantasy and futuristic stories. Editors are currently looking for stories for several anthologies, including:
Like a Veil, Arabian Nights –erotic stories inspired by the Arabian Nights. “We might see tales of the djinn and other demon lovers, of veiled temptresses, of pleasure-domes and magic carpets. You might invent your own fantasy world that evokes the common lore, or you might retell one of the actual stories with an erotic twist.” Length — 2000 to 10,000 words — preferred length 3,500 to 7,500 words. Deadline for submissions is June 15. See the guidelines for more detail.
Only in the City. Erotic science fiction/fantasy with an urban setting. Angles you might consider: power struggle/different kinds of people thrown together , the city as outpost (such as Manuas, Brazil—in the middle of the Amazon, but has an opera house), the gritty city: what happens in the underworld? Length — 2000 to 10,000 words — preferred length 3,500 to 7,500 words. Deadline for submissions is June 15. See the guidelines for details.
Elementary Erotica. Erotic stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes, set in a steampunk universe. “Anything goes, as long as Doyle’s characters are involved, and there’s at least a flavor of steampunk.” They prefer stories between 3000 and 7000 words. Deadline for entries is June 30, 2010. See the guidelines.
****************************************
My new release, Her Mountain Man is out now, so pick up your copy soon. You can read more about the book on my website, or read an excerpt here.
***********************************
If your tastes run more to horror fiction, Cutting Block Press has issued a call for entries for a new anthology, Tattered Souls 2. The editors are open to horror stories of all kinds, 6,000 to 25,000 words. Deadline for submissions is October 25, 2010. See the guidelines for particulars.
******************************
For something completely different, we turn to the popular Chicken Soup books. This successful publishing franchise is looking for stories for new Chicken Soup titles on the following subjects:
Grandmothers
“stories celebrating grandmothers and grandchildren, written by grandmothers about being a grandmother, and by grandchildren about their grandmothers. Stories about stepgrandmothers and honorary grandmothers are welcomed also. We are not looking for stories from children so please save those for a future book. ” Deadline: August 31, 2010.
Mothers and Daughters
The deadline date for story submissions is December 31, 2010. This title will not publish until 2012.
New Moms
“We are looking for heartwarming, insightful, and humorous stories about raising babies and toddlers that share with our readers the wonders of early motherhood. We are also looking for stories about pregnancy and infertility issues. ” Deadline: July 31, 2010.
Preteens
These stories should be written by pre-teens themselves. “We are looking for stories that will inspire you, make you laugh, make you think and let you know that life is not as bad as it might seem.” Dealine: August 31, 2010.
Teens
Stories by teens about being a teen. Deadline: December 31, 2010.
Young at Heart
“stories that will share with our readers humorous and fun adventures from those who are actively enjoying their “senior years… new careers, your volunteer work, your sports and sports cars, your new love interest, your travels, your families and all of those things you always wanted to do that you are finally doing now that you have the time. ” Deadline: December 31, 2010.
Find detailed submissions guidelines on their website.
****************************
As always, feel free to pass along the information in this blog. All I ask is that you give me credit and provide a link to the blog. Thank you.
Cindi Myers Market News's Blog 