Category Archives: stories

Oct9

New Christmas Anthology Coming Soon

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Whortleberry Press is at it again. Their Christmas 2011 anthology will be out soon and they have outdone themselves this time on the cover. I think it’s absolutely gorgeous and is going to really appeal to a lot of folks.  My story in this one is called Christmas in Venice.  The theme was Christmas Angels and my angels are a little unusual. This press always has themes of stories with scifi, fantasy or horror elements.  Mine is along the fantasy lines this time although there is a scifi element as well.

I can’t write dark so I don’t really do horror. There may horrific things that happen to my characters but they always keep their sense of humor intact. My main character in this story has a tough experience but she bucks up and gets on with things. I like characters who don’t give up. Probably because I’m such a non-quitter in my own life. Sometimes I stick to things way past time to forget it and move on. Write what you know? Right! 

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Sep19

Now Available – Music Hall, Music Hell

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The anthology I’m in with my story called Music Hall, Music Hell is now available.  I’m excited about it – I really do love my story – it was fun to write and came together very fast. It’a tour of the music halls and bars in hell with a personal escort, Mephistopheles himself. I hope if you check it out, that you’ll let me know what you think.

For ordering info: http://whortleberrypress.com/

Sep13

Another Short Story Anthology

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Last week, I heard that my story, Christmas in Venice, will be published by Whortleberry Press. I love this press and the editor in chief,  Jean Goldstrom, is a joy to work with. I’m thrilled to be in this next publication with the other great writers over there.

The theme of the anthology is Christmas Angels and the stories are all either sci-fi, horror or fantasy. Mine occurs in Venice, Italy and has a bit of a time travel element. It was a tough one to write. I tinkered and tinkered with it and finally got it to a semblance of something I could be proud of, but for a while, it was kicking my butt.  I hope the folks that read it end up liking it.

I’m not sure when it comes out, but I’ll post the cover as soon as it’s ready.

 

Aug28

Hall-o-ween Hell-o-ween

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Got an email today with the cover of Hall-o-ween, Hell-o-ween Anthology to be published by Whortleberry Press. It’s an anthology with tours of the underworld. It will be available in September.  This will be my third Halloween story with them. This editor was the first one to say yes to one of my stories. This press will always have a special place in my heart for that.  Anyway, here’s the cover. See my cute little name right at the top on the back? NICE!

My story is called Music Hall, Music Hell and it’s a tour of the musice clubs in Hell, including San Remo Emo,  The Polka Pub, and Sam Fram’s Disco, to name a few.  It was a fun one to write.

Nov5

Have been in Neglect Mode

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For some reason, I’ve been neglecting this blog this week. Seems like life has just gotten away from me. I’m doing NaNoWriMo and have been focusing on word count each night when I get home from the day job.  Also got blindsided by the evil ole’ Migraine demon.  It was a doozy. 

I’ll try to do better and blog more often. I had a story come out today here: 

http://irishstoryplayhouse.com/StoryTellerTymesSample2.html

Sep25

Short Story

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I’m writing a short story about “the first time I…”

And I know what you’re thinking. Nope, it’s not about that at all. LOL!

Pagan holiday lover that I am, it’s about a haunted house and a sea captain. So there. 

Sep6

Another Short Story Done and Submitted

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So, I subscribe to http://www.duotrope.com/  It’s a great site.  They have a lot of information about different magazines and literary publishers as well as calls for anthologies. You can even keep up with your submissions there and they calculate how many days your submission is out. They keep great statistics.  Every week, they send a reminder email of new markets, closed markets, reopened markets, and deadlines.  And if you report an acceptance, your name goes in that email with a congratulations.

This week, I noticed a call for Thanksgiving stories. First time I’ve seen this particular call. It was for a humorous mystery. Since I like to write light and love humor in my short stories, I thought it over on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, I woke up with the first line in my head.  Didn’t find the time to write it til today- labor day- I hope it is as funny as I think it is.  I finished it, edited it and submitted it all in one day.  I  usually mull it over more than that, but what the heck, gotta live life on the edge once in a while, right?

Won’t hear til after September 30 as that’s the deadline. Will keep ya posted when I know a yea or nay. Here is a pic of my Thanksgiving theme:

Sep4

Submitting Another Short Story

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I have just submitted another short story under my real name. It’s not a romance, so it goes under my real name. It’s one I wrote ages ago and that I recently revamped. I’d planned to submit it to StorySouth, a journal that publishes authors and stories from the South but I didn’t get finished with the rewrite before they closed submissions in June because I was making a mad dash to add words to one of my romance manuscripts. They reopen on September 15 but I found another market to submit to today which is the Gulf Coast Magazine. So, I sent it in. They both take simultaneous submissions, so if it isn’t accepted by the 15th, I’ll submit it to the other as well.  Check them out: http://www.gulfcoastmag.org/     http://www.storysouth.com/

Sep1

New Romance Magazine On Line

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A new source of romance stories went live last night- my alter ego has a story in it but she can’t talk about it today because it is Wordless Wednesday on her blog.  But check it out: http://romancestoriesmagazine.com/   One Night in Costa Rica is a story about a surfer and a herpetologist. 

http://jillianchantal.wordpress.com/ and check out Wordless Wednesday too as the manuscript heads to the agent.

Aug1

Home From RWA

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Just got back from Romance Writers of America National conference.  Am quite done in. Really.  But I came home to an awesome email- the cover for the next Halloween Anthology.  I have a story in it called The True Believers.  This is a wicked cool cover and I’m happy with it. Whortleberry Press is stepping up their game with these covers.  This one reminds me of the cemeteries in New Orleans.

 I believe the book will be available Sept. 1, 2010.  The last one came out  a week early so we’ll see if this one does as well.