Sunday, April 17, 2022

Late-April 2022 Update

Hi everyone,

I hope you've been doing well and still writing and subbing and all those good things. I've slowed down quite a bit, though I recently noticed my first short story sale (December 2021) was mentioned in the Showcasing Art section of my hometown's Gazette-Times. Motivating to see. Have to get more out there for people to read, right? I'll have two stories published later this year I believe, though I do not know the specific dates yet. In the meantime, need to push through with new work. I only have 8 pending currently?! Last year, I almost always had 20 or more works pending at various markets. SO... that's a really low number for me.

Futurescapes: went to it in March and it was nice for what it was. I enjoyed meeting more writers. Now I have another group of writers I can exchange critiques with, so that should be of help. The agent leading our group was engaging and had some useful thoughts on each of our samples, as did the other writers. Some good points about my work; problem being, some criticism only made me want to drill down even further on what wasn't working for them since that's part of the unique draw of my novel. That's how critique sessions go. I think I'll likely re-read the novel that nudged me further down my dark, frenetic path, and will push through a final revision pass to make this novel even more so, then get another handful of critiques before trying to contact agents again.

I took a workshop with Dan Wells, which was a trip for me, since I'm a fan and include his work as an influence on mine. I do have notes but nothing spectacular to share. I enjoyed the Q&A sessions with writers. I especially found some nuggets of motivation when listening to S.L. Huang and Kate Dollarhyde. I took better notes on what Dollarhyde said, so here you are, some actual content that might be of interest.

Dollarhyde talked about her work with video games, which unfortunately I didn't really take good notes on, but she does discuss more of that in her substack here. How impressive to be nominated for a Nebula for a video game you've put so much of yourself in (The Outer Worlds)! I decided to ask about short stories and getting them published. I mentioned that I recently made my first short story sale to an indie publisher, and she said that smaller magazines were first steps for her, too. A slow struggle. To level up her craft, she read for places she wanted to submit stories to, such as Apex Magazine (and I imagine Strange Horizons where she was co-editor-in-chief for a few years). She zeroed in on writers with a style that engaged her (mentioned Seth Dickinson: strong openings, really punchy that goes hard and uses unique protagonists and stylings; also, Vajra Chandrasekera at Strange Horizons who has the story The Translator at Low Tide at Clarkesworld). She read every issue for a magazine she loved (Shimmer). When she gets personal rejections, she revises if she agrees with the criticism, but first she sits with the feedback and asks whether this meets with her own goals. Then she ignores any that doesn't meet her goals and revises in her own direction. Focus on things that felt singular and make your voice sing. She also mentioned influences from new weird stories, China Mieville novels, Jeff Vandermeer, Samuel Delaney. Soaking those authors stories impacted her style. Also, the weird cities of Tanith Lee, Storm Constantine (weird dark, weird relations), The Etched City by K.J. Bishop (also: That Book Your Mad Ancestor Wrote; and the short story The Art of Dying). Mentioned influence from photography (observant of slant of life, shapes, colors, what people are doing in spaces). Be interested, curious, observant. Mentioned current games/reads/shows she enjoyed: Destiny The Witch Queen, Pyre, How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, Station Eleven show.

Anyway, I've been reading a lot of comics and recently finished a first read of Dhalgren by Samuel Delaney. Lots to say about both, but I'll save that for another time. My comic reading habits have been somewhat random, with some focus on horror (SiKtC) and some just random mot. Might try to dip into what Alyssa Wong's written in comics next, as I loved her horror short stories, though just from a glance her comics seem fairly different (more action flick) and perhaps not quite what I'm reading these days.

Please feel free to browse my latest updates to the lists below. Happy writing and subbing. Best of luck with it all!

R.J.K. Lee


In no way are the listings below complete, but these should help point the way to some good possibilities when sending your work off. I'll add more soon.

Some market updates and changes to note:

The Dread Machine now pays 5¢/word instead of 3 for original fiction up to 5500 words (dark future / cyberpunk / literary SF / slipstream / magical realism)

SFWA's opened its doors to more members. Review the changes here. Cat Rambo detailed some of the reasons she voted for the change here

Cossmass Infinities only open two months a year: February and October (see October entry below)

Fantasy Magazine is open to BIPOC submissions all year (open to general subs 7/1-7/7 and 10/1-10/7)

Fireside Fiction is closing permanently to submissions (they'll still publish what they have already purchased but after that, they will not be seeking any more stories in the future)

As noted on Locus, "small-press horror press Silver Shamrock Publishing closed" on the first weekend of April. Hence, their Midnight in the Stagecoach anthology window is no more.

EDIT: 
Just noticed on Twitter that Zooscape will not open in August after all. They will open to submissions from December (12/15) and I updated the list accordingly.

Table of Contents:

1. Deadlines/Windows (4/20/2022 and beyond; paying 6¢/word or more)
2. Open Publications (no deadline; paying 6¢/word or more)
3. Deadlines/Windows (4/20/2022 and beyond; paying up to 5¢/word)
4. Open Publications (no deadline; paying up to 5¢/word)
5. Deadlines/Windows (4/20/2022 and beyond; advance/royalties or benefit/charity)
6. Search for More Markets Here
7. Browse Links to Advice/Lists/Workshops

1. Deadlines/Windows (4/20/2022 and beyond; paying 6¢/word or more)

4/21 (assume: midnight EST/EDT), Flash Fiction Online, 500-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any, Anonymous submissions, Reprints OK (2¢/word), Simultaneous NO, Multiple OK (only one original and one reprint concurrently), Note: open 1st-21st almost every month (closed in December)

4/29, Science Write Now #7, unspecified word count, Pay: 30¢/word up to $390 for new stories ($70/poem or $180 for three poems; $40 for reprint stories or essays; $20 for reprint poems), Genre: various (poems, short stories, book reviews, or literary or personal essays related to science, technology, engineering, or maths), Theme: "Science, Humour, and the Absurd" (explores how humour and the absurd shape cultural ideas of science and, in turn, how the world of science influences comic performance in popular culture, art and literature), limited to Australian writers or writers living in Australia, Reprints OK, Poetry OK, Nonfiction OK, Simultaneous NO, Multiple NO 





























2/7-7/16 (flexible), Sovereign: An Anthology of Black Fantasy Fiction, 1000-39,999 words, 8¢/word for first 1000 words (1¢/word after first 1000 words), Genre: Fantasy (Heroic, Mythic, Flintlock, Gaslamp, Medieval, Religious, Weird West, Arcanepunk, High/Epic Fantasy, Sword and Soul/Planet, 


7/1-7/21 (assume: midnight EST/EDT), Flash Fiction Online, 500-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any, Anonymous submissions, Reprints OK (2¢/word), Simultaneous NO, Multiple OK (only one original and one reprint concurrently), Note: open 1st-21st almost every month (closed in December)

3/1-7/31, Pseudopod (reprints from 2022 Anthologies and Collections), ~6000 words (1500-6000 for original short fiction; sweet spot of 4500 words; also welcomes flash under 1500 words), $100 for short fiction reprints ($20 for flash fiction under 1500 words; 8¢/word for original fiction with window opening in August), Genre/Theme: any horror for audio (dark, weird fiction; dark humor; any subgenres from grim realism and crime drama to magic-realism and supernatural dark fantasy), Simultaneous OK (must provide disclosure), Multiple OK (one original & one reprint) publishers send collections / anthologies published in 2022 (highlight stories original to that publication), authors ask their publisher to send the book (if they're not interested, still submit story and include collection/anthology title in the cover letter), submit via moksha portal)

7/31, Little Blue Marble, ~2000 words, CAD 10¢/word (will match USD 8¢/word if CAD/USD rates drop), Genre/Theme: speculative (fiction that examines humanity’s possible futures living with anthropogenic climate change; prefers hopeful outlook, but the occasional dystopia might fit; "while science is an important piece for solving the climate change puzzle, we challenge writers to also examine our existing social, cultural, political, and economic frameworks and envision new ones to help see us through to a better, more sustainable world"), Reprints OK (~5000 words, 1¢/word), Poetry OK, Non-fiction OK (1000-2000 words), Simultaneous OK, Multiple NO, send submissions to submissions@littlebluemarble.ca


















2. Open Publications (no deadline; paying 6¢/word or more)




































Solarpunk Magazine, 500-7500 words, 8¢/word ($80 min), Genre: any (prefers solarpunk / SF/F / slipstream / magical realism / urban fantasy; not strict about genre), Theme: solarpunk (specifically any work that "speculates about a better world in an equitable future where humanity and technology have either achieved a healthy balance with nature, or have adapted to climate change in creative ways"), (Poetry OK (up to 5 poems or 5 pages of poems, whichever is shorter; $40/poem), Simultaneous OK, Multiple (one submission per category of flash, short story, and poetry), Nonfiction OK (1000-1500 words, $75/piece), Art OK ($100/reprint cover, $300 original cover, $50 reprint inside, $150 original inside), Submission window for Issue 1 is 11/1/1-11/14,  Note: this window depends on their September/October Kickstarter success




















3.
 Deadlines/Windows (4/20/2022 and beyond; paying up to 5¢/word)

2/20, Orion's Beau, ~5000 words, $3, Genre/Theme: gay fantasy (open to SF/Fantasy/Paranormal/Dark Fantasy), Poetry OK, Art OK, Reprints NO, Simultaneous NO, Multiple OK (up to five shorter pieces or poems in the same document; up to 10 art pieces in one document) 

2/28, Nerve Janglers: Thirteen Tales of Terror (Night Terror Novels; edited by J. D. Keown), 2,500-10,000, £25, Genre/Theme: teen-grade YA Horror, Reprints NO, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (up to two submissions at a time), submit to nightterrornovels@gmail.com (see website for details)

2/15-2/28 (all authors) and 3/1-3/7 (BIPOC only), Apparition Literature (Wanderlust theme), 1000-5100 words, 3¢/word, Genre: any speculative (F/SF/Horror/Literary; wants strange, heart-breaking emotion, pro-active characters, and style; see more details on website), Theme: Wanderlust (upcoming: Omen in May and Nostalgia in August), Poetry OK (~2 pages/poem; sub ~5 poems/submission, $30/poem), submit stories to submissions@apparitionlit.com (use Shunn manuscript format, Times New Roman or Arial font, title file using story title and last name, attach to email as RTF file, email subject line of SUBMISSION: title of story)

2/28, Mud Season Review, ~6000 words, $50, Genre/Theme: general/literary (wants fully realized stories that remind us of what it means to be human, that take risks, that show us something new, and that stand up over multiple reads, deepening with each encounter), Poetry OK (portfolio 3-5 poems, up to 10 pages), Non-fiction OK (~6000 words), Art OK (1-6 images), submit via online portal

3/18, Disabled Authors SFF Anthology (Forest Avenue), ~5000 words (flash welcome), $100 (reprints $25), Genre: SF/Fantasy/Speculative by disabled writers living in the USA (literary with a touch of genre OK; a story that borders horror might be OK), Reprints OK, submit via online portal

3/31/2022, upstreet, ~5000 words, $50-$250 for short stories or essays (generally 5¢/word for ~1000 words), Genre: general/literary, Simultaneous OK, submissions window is September to March

3/31, Triangulation: Energy, ~5,000 words (sweet spot = 3,000; no poetry limit but over 100 lines a hard sell), 3¢/word (Poetry: 25¢/word), Genre: SF/Fantasy/Horror/Weird (must have a speculative element), Theme: the possibility of creating sustainable energy with alternative technologies or social change, Poetry OK, Reprint NO, Multiple NO (but can sub another story if rejected before end of reading period), Simultaneous NO, sub via Submittable link w/ a short bio in the cover letter

3/31, SNAFU: Dead or Alive (Cohesion Press), 2,000-10,000 words, AU5¢/word, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Horror, Theme: action-based horror in the wild west



5/15-5/31 (all authors) and 6/1-6/7 (BIPOC only), Apparition Literature (Omen theme), 1000-5100 words, 3¢/word, Genre: any speculative (F/SF/Horror/Literary; wants strange, heart-breaking emotion, pro-active characters, and style; see more details on website), Theme: Omen (upcoming: Nostalgia in August), Poetry OK (~2 pages/poem; sub ~5 poems/submission, $30/poem), submit stories to submissions@apparitionlit.com (use Shunn manuscript format, Times New Roman or Arial font, title file using story title and last name, attach to email as RTF file, email subject line of SUBMISSION: title of story)

5/1-5/31, Abyss & Apex (poetry window), prefers "lineated free verse with a limited amount of traditional form poetry with at least 9 lines or prose poems at least 50 words in length but we will publish brilliant shorter work", $5.50/poem, Genre/Theme: any speculative (seeks strong, emotionally resonant, literary-quality poetry with a clear speculative element), dark poetry welcome but not horror

7/1-7/14, Cosmic Horror Monthly edited by Charles Tyra, 1000-7500 words (prefer 3000-5000), 3¢/word (1¢/word reprints), Genre: Cosmic Horror/Lovecraftian/Weird, Theme: strongly favors stories with a contemporary narrative style (Lovecraftian themes and mythos works are welcomed but try to avoid Lovecraft pastiche and styles mimicking that of his writer circle from the early 20th century), Reprints OK (1¢/word), Art OK (interior $10-$20; $100 cover), Simultaneous OK, Multiple NO, (submit as doc/docx attachment with cover letter including brief background/word count/brief synopsis to submissions@cosmic-horror.net

8/1, Brute: Raunch, Scares, and Rough Trade (Lethe Press; edited by Lambda Literary Award winner Steve Berman), 2500-9000 words, 5¢/word, Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy/Weirdness, Theme: dark and speculative short stories that address gay sexuality, desire, masculinity, and the aesthetics of "rough trade", Reprints OK (1¢/word), Simultaneous NO, Multiple NO, Note that you must query concept details first before submission

5/16-8/15, Dark Recesses (window for Fall Issue), 500-5000 words, 5¢/word, Genre: horror/dark fiction, note variants from standard manuscript format (single-spaced, no indents), Nonfiction OK (but read specifics on their site)

8/15-8/31 (all authors) and 9/1-9/7 (BIPOC only), Apparition Literature (Nostalgia theme), 1000-5100 words, 3¢/word, Genre: any speculative (F/SF/Horror/Literary; wants strange, heart-breaking emotion, pro-active characters, and style; see more details on website), Theme: Nostalgia, Poetry OK (~2 pages/poem; sub ~5 poems/submission, $30/poem), submit stories to submissions@apparitionlit.com (use Shunn manuscript format, Times New Roman or Arial font, title file using story title and last name, attach to email as RTF file, email subject line of SUBMISSION: title of story)


4. Open Publications (no deadline; paying up to 5¢/word or more)

Apparition Literature, 1000-5100 words, 3¢/word, Genre: any speculative (F/SF/Horror/Literary; wants strange, heart-breaking emotion, pro-active characters, and style; see more details on website), Theme: Charm theme open to BIPOC until 12/7/2021 (upcoming themes are Wanderlust in February 2022, Omen in May, and Nostalgia in August), Poetry OK (~2 pages/poem; sub ~5 poems/submission, $30/poem), submission windows include February 15-28 (March 1-7 BIPOC creators only), May 15-31 (June 1-7 BIPOC creators only), August 15-31 (September 1-7 BIPOC creators only), November 15-30, (December 1-7 BIPOC creators only), submit stories to submissions@apparitionlit.com (use Shunn manuscript format, Times New Roman or Arial font, title file using story title and last name, attach to email as RTF file, email subject line of SUBMISSION: title of story) 

Black Hare Press, 5000-17,000 words, $25 (5k-10k), $50 (10k-17k), Genre: anything dark, anonymous submissions, wants British spellings, anthology in print and digital formats, include in email real name, pseudonym, ~100 word bio w/ ~4 social links, 40-word blurb, ~500-word synopsis

Bourbon Penn, 2000-7500 words, 2¢/word, Genre: speculative (odd/imaginative ones), especially slipstream/cross-genre/magic realism/absurdist/surreal

Crow Toes Quarterly, ~3000 words, $25 (1-1500 words) or $50 (1501-3000 words), Genre: playfully dark fiction for children ages 8-13, Poetry OK (1-5 pieces in a single doc/pdf; $20/poem), Art OK (1-5 pieces; $20-60), Simultaneous OK, Multiple NO, submit to ctqsubmissions@gmail.com with brief bio (include type of submission, title of submission, and name of artist/author in the subject line)

Dark Moon Digest, opens on the 1st every month and closes when full 1500-7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Horror (complex, creepy, like Twilight Zone or Black Mirror, Simultaneous OK











The Common Tongue Magazine, 600-6000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: only high fantasy with a dark tone (dark fantasy, grimdark, sword & sorcery), Languages: English or Spanish (translations also accepted),  Poetry OK (up to 40 lines), Note: seeking original stories or stories set in their Arthuruin Shared Universe, Nonfiction OK (~2500 words, 3¢/word), Art OK ($200-400)

The Dread Machine, ~5,500 words, 5¢/word, Genre/Theme: dark future / SF / cyberpunk / slipstream (wants: magical realism, literary SF, alternative realities, diverse protagonists, unique dystopias/utopias, unconventional societies), Reprints OK (~7,000 words, 1¢/word, will not accept if available online for free), Poetry OK (~50 lines, $10/poem), Anonymous Submissions, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (up to 3 submissions sent separately), submit here after creating free account




5. Deadlines/Windows (4/20/2022 and beyond; advance/royalties or benefit/charity)
6. Search for More Markets Here










Where to Submit Short Stories: 30 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work, a decent list with a literary focus

SFWA Market Report—April 2022

7. Browse Links to Advice/Lists/Workshops

Shadowspinners often has a wonderful assortment of blog posts from various writers, such as Eric M. Witchey.

M. Todd Gallowglas does some fun and engaging classes that really inspire you to produce meaningful new work; check out his shows on Twitch or his workshops

Wulf Moon's Super Secrets: a ton of great advice on writing short stories that win (he runs a workshop that you can peek in on and learn from as it goes)

Wulf Moon also has great workshops at Fyrecon, and is available as a professional editor and voice actor; check out his website for more info


Cat Rambo's Website: lots of good resources and classes

Submitting Short Fiction: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Genre Edition by Holly Lyn Walrath, a useful guide on playing the submission game written in 2019


Grants to apply for with the Speculative Literature Foundation

A listing at critter.org that shows general response times of various publications

Publisher's Pick Free Ebook of the Month (Maintained by Arc Manor of Galaxy's Edge)

On writing cover letters for submissions to the short fiction market by Christie

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Review: Dreams Bigger than Heartbreak Unstoppable, Book 2

My review of Dreams Bigger than Heartbreak (Book 2 of Unstoppable) by Charlie Jane Anders

YA novel (e-book and audiobook), Science Fiction, Adventure, LGBQTA+

5 of 5 (heck yes!)

I loved how all the characters interact with each other. Everyone’s dealing with all their hang-ups and everything and it’s not always easy for them to talk with each other, but I love how they always try to manage to work through the issues as best they can. The characters and the worlds they inhabit are so beautifully realized. I had as much with this book as with the first one. Keep in mind, this is definitely a middle book—you better have read the first one if you’re reading this, and it’s certainly a setup for what comes next. But I really enjoyed seeing these characters grow after what they went through in the first book.

I also enjoyed how, despite being full of positivity and awareness of how to better engage with each other, the book didn’t shy away from the reality of people being ugly or misused—there’s definitely some of that for the characters to deal with in this book (and in whatever comes next).

Regarding the audiobook: the narrators were clear and excellent choices for each character. That said, I would not recommend experiencing this book as audio only. There’s a lot going on and a ton of places and characters and details, so personally I had to review what I listened to in my ebook version of the book. I’ll probably get the hardback later on to pair with my hardback version of the first book.

As for the cover art, beautiful. I'm a huge fan of the cover art for the first book, so I was glad to see a nice follow-up. The hardcover of the first book had some amazing inside cover art as well, but unfortunately I haven't been able to inspect the hardcover of book 2 yet, but I would hope for more of that.

Oh, and thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with the ebook for review. I ended up reviewing this late, so, as an audiobook fan, I bought myself the audio version, too, before wrapping up my first read and review. Now I'm impatient for Book 3 of the Unstoppable.

External links to the review

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3jF7Pua

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3xHZdLR

Audible: https://adbl.co/3KKKnri