Two contests

A horror fiction contest and a poetry contest:

- The 1st Annual Dark Moon Anthology Short Story Contest: Dark Moon Books is holding this contest in order to fill their zombie anthology, A Collection of Zombie Short Stories. The editors want only zombie stories, between 2000 and 6000 words. Stories can have appeared online, but not in print. The three prizes are $100, $50, and $25. Other stories selected for inclusion will receive contributor's copies. The submission deadline is January 1st, 2010.

- Bay Area Poets Coalition Annual Contest: This yearly poetry contest has three categories -- Mini (up to 15 lines), Midi (up to 25 lines), and Maxi (up to 35 lines). Entries must be unpublished and accompanied by an entry fee of $2 per poem. Three prizes will be awarded -- $50, $35, and $20. The deadline is November 15th, 2009.

Also, I came across this review the other day of Bits and Pieces. The reviewer spelled my name wrong, but he or she seemed to like the chapbook, so I won't complain. (Copies of Bits and Pieces are still available from The Genre Mall and Spec House of Poetry.)

some featured markets

There are many haiku and horror markets out there, so I thought every now and then I'd spotlight a few of the paying ones. Here are two horror markets and one haiku market:

- Three Crow Press: Looking for dark fantasy and horror fiction 500-3000 words long. Pays 1 cent/word for fiction. Only accepts unpublished email submissions. Replies within three weeks.

- Necrography: Buys horror fiction and poetry. Pays $10-30 for fiction (500-6000 words) and $1-10 for poetry (3-1000 lines, up to 5 poems per submission). Pays on acceptance. Contributors also receive a copy of the issue their work appears in. (Necrography is currently closed to subs, but will hopefully reopen soon.)

- Wisteria: A small-format journal publishing haiku, senryu, and tanka. Pays $1 to contributors who submitted by mail. No simultaneous submissions or reprints. Usually responds within two weeks.

The new issue of Barbaric Yawp is out now, and editor John Berbrich was kind enough to review my chapbook, Bits and Pieces. This issue contains poetry by some well-known names, including Gary Every and Michael Kriesel. There is an excellent haiku-like poem, "Ruins," by William Michaelian. I've never heard of him before, but he obviously has a knack for writing short poetry.

another Bits and Pieces review, some market news

Dru Pagliassotti, editor and publisher of the online fantasy and horror magazine The Harrow, has reviewed my chapbook of horror poems, Bits and Pieces. You can read the review here, in the May issue of The Harrow, along with four great speculative stories and a review of Joseph D'Lacey's Garbage Man.

In market news, GUD is once again open to submissions, so get those stories and poems in. And Flash Me Magazine is now reading for their all-fantasy issue -- get the guideline specifics here.

Lastly, check out this great sensory haiku by Richard Krawiec.

Bits and Pieces review, a raffle, a contest

Niteblade editor Rhonda Parrish recently posted a great review of my horror poetry chapbook, Bits and Pieces. Check it out and then buy a copy. They make great gifts.

Speaking of Niteblade, they've just hired poet and artist RH Fay for the unique position of "art blogger." Take a look at his first post, featuring the whimsically nightmarish Ciaran Collins.

Apex Publications has been holding a raffle, and they've extended it until December 15th. Lots of cool prizes, and 10% of all proceeds will go to Dolly's Imagination Library.

And last but not least we have the Smink Works Books Short Story Competition, which features three top prizes of $100/$60/$40 for an unpublished story up to 1000 words. Entry fee is $10, and the contest theme this year is "Laughter." All winners will be published in a contest anthology and receive a free copy. Get to work -- the deadline is December 1st.

A new Bits & Pieces review and a cool horror story

Joshua Gage wrote a review of my chapbook of short horror poems, Bits & Pieces, which is posted on the Cleveland Poetics blog. He ordered the book through The Genre Mall and apparently got some extra goodies with it, which is awesome.

I was getting ready to write a post about the Cleveland Poetics site, even before the great review. It's a neat site, with contributed content from several different writers. They post anonymous poetry critiques on Fridays (where anyone can comment on the poems), and recently there have been some lively haiku discussions, which you can read here and here. Before I found this site I had no idea what a ghazal was.

If you find yourself with a few extra minutes and want to read a great horror story, check out former Theatre of Decay editor Chris Reed's creepy little tale, "Lily's Grave," posted on Killer-Works.com.

Contributor copies... a poor man's best friend

Got some contributor copies this week, so now i have something to read (in between Choke by Chuck Palahniuk, Selected Poems of Langston Hughes, and Holocaust Poetry).

Talebones #36 has apparently been out for a while now, but thanks to the USPS I just got my copy this week. It's a great issue, full of the likes of James Van Pelt, Paul Melko, and Mikal Trimm. Talebones, in my humble opinion, is one of the most consistently good dark fantasy magazines out there.

Also arrived this week is issue #103 of the recently-revived Space & Time. The editors were kind enough to include my poem (a tribute to Ray Bradbury) in this issue. Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but the cover and lineup look great.

For those of you haiku lovers out there, the new issue of paper wasp is out, and it's as filled with quality poems as ever. There are a few poems by Fran Masat, Carolyn Cordon, and Amitava Dasgupta that really stand out.

Not a contributor copy, but I did receive in the mail from talented writer and poet Tony Bernstein a copy of the new Tales of the Talisman. Tony wrote a very favorable review of my chapbook, Bits & Pieces, so buy a copy of the magazine and check it out (or buy a copy of my chapbook -- or both).

All of these magazines are currently open to submissions, except Space & Time, which is taking a short break but should reopen soon.

Bits and Pieces Review in Black Petals

Just got Black Petals #41 in the mail yesterday... I think it goes without saying that it's full of great stories, poems, and artwork. After this issue the magazine will be going on-line only, so if you want a print copy as a souvenir, this is your last opportunity.

Editor Anne Stickel reviewed my chapbook on page 2 (which, by the way, is available here). She also reviewed Strange Gardens of the Mind by fellow BP contributor Chris Forbes, a paperback collection of dark fiction and poetry. You can find ordering details over at Black Petals.

Bits and Pieces Review in Star*Line

The new issue of Star*Line is out, and as usual it's a good one. Packed with some great speculative poetry, as well as small press book reviews and a well-written article by Marcie Lynn Tentchoff, poetry editor at Aberrant Dreams, about subtlety in horror poetry. She makes some good points, and the article includes a few of her reprinted poems, including "Water Sprite's Lament," which first appeared in Ideomancer and can be read here.

There's a review of my chapbook, Bits and Pieces -- very favorable, I'm happy to say. Copies are still available at Spec House of Poetry and The Genre Mall.

All of the poems are good, but my favorites were the scifaiku by Karen L. Newman and Kurt MacPhearson. If you've never read Star*Line before, this is as good an issue as any to start with.

Talebones #35

If you're trying to decide which small-press horror/sci-fi/dark fantasy magazine you want to try out this month (other than Black Petals, which by the way did I mention will be spotlighting my chapbook Bits and Pieces in their next issue?), you should check out Talebones.

The summer issue promises to be a strong one. Editor Patrick Swenson has made Talebones into a high-quality magazine, and the line-up for #35 looks like this issue will be no exception -- fiction by big names like William F. Nolan, Darrell Schweitzer, and Mary Robinette Kowal, and poetry by Spec House of Poetry's own Kendall Evans.

Kendall's chapbook, Poetry Red-Shifted in the Eyes of a Dragon, is currently the #1 bestseller over at Spec House Distro. It's some fine poetry from one of the genre's finest poets, and a great chapbook to add to any collection.

SFPA Bookstore

Gromagon Press is nice enough to host the Science Fiction Poetry Association Bookstore, a place to find information on books published by SFPA members. You can find my chapbook, Bits and Pieces, listed there (page 4), along with many other fine books by very talented authors. Take a look around and help support the small press.

Douglas E. Winter on horror

Click here to read an interesting essay by Douglas E. Winter on whether or not "horror" is a genre. I just found out about this essay while reviewing New Genre #4, in which editor Adam Golaski refutes Winter's ideas. Whether or not you agree with his views, the essay is well-written and informative.

Also, there is less than a week left for the Bits and Pieces review contest, so get those reviews posted. I've added another book to the prize list -- a signed hardcover copy of Gary A. Braunbeck's Stoker Award-winning collection, Destinations Unknown. Read once, but otherwise new.

The First Bits and Pieces Review!

Emma Lee, poet extraordinaire, reviewed Bits and Pieces for Whispers of Wickedness. Read the full review here.

And while you're surfing, take a look around Emma's website, too.

Bits & Pieces Review in Black Petals

Anne Stickel, editor of Black Petals, will be spotlighting my chapbook in the next issue, #41. Be sure to pick up a copy, especially if you've never sampled the magazine before... the quality of fiction and poetry it consistently contains is amazing. You can order a single copy or subscription here.

Bits and Pieces Review Contest

My new chapbook of horror poems, Bits and Pieces, was just released by Spec House of Poetry. It needs some reviews, and my wife is trying to get me to get rid of some of my books, so combining these two facts gives us the first ever “Bits and Pieces Review Contest.”

Here’s how it works. Buy (or borrow) a copy of Bits & Pieces (available from Spec House of Poetry and The Genre Mall). Read it. Write a review of it and post it at the Spec House of Poetry store. The first five people to write a review that follows the guidelines below will receive a free book, and the books will be given away first come, first served.

Review contest guidelines:

- The review must be at least 100 words long.
- It must be coherent.
- It must mention something you’d only know or see from reading the book (so I know you actually read it).
- You must email me the first sentence of your review the day before you post it, so I know it’s actually your review.
- The review can be good, bad, or neutral, but it must state your opinion of the book and why you felt that way. (That’s right -- if you hated the book, say so, and as long as you follow these guidelines and are one of the first five to post your review, you win!)
- There are five prizes, and they will be given away to the first five people to post reviews. The first person to post gets their choice of book, then the second person, and so on.

Prizes:
- paperback copy of Aegri Somnia, signed by both editors & all contributors
- hardcover copy of Horrors Beyond , signed by a few of the contributors, including Tony Campbell and William Jones
- paperback copy of the 1978 edition of Stephen King's The Shining
- paperback copy of 4 Fear of…, signed by all 4 authors
- Northwest Horrors chapbook, signed by both editors and about half of the contributors

When you have written your review, send an email with the subject "Review" to freginold@yahoo.com. Be sure to include the first line of your review, your mailing address, and choice of book. All reviews must be posted by September 1, 2007. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

New books may be added to the prize list, so be sure to check back here for any updates.

Bits and Pieces on sale now!

Bits and Pieces is now on sale at Spec House of Poetry ($6.00, postage paid) and The Genre Mall ($4.85 + $1.00 shipping).

Bits & Pieces Release Date Set

Bits & Pieces will be released by Spec House of Poetry on July 1st! You'll be able to order copies of the book direct from the publisher here:

http://spechouseofpoetry.blogspot.com

It's my first chapbook, so I'm pretty excited about it. The book is a collection of 18 short horror poems, with amazing cover art by Cathy Buburuz. Most of the poems have appeared in various genre mags over the past few years, but there's some new stuff in there as well.

Review copies will be sent out soon, and I'll post links to any online reviews.

B&P cover art done!

Cathy Buburuz has graciously agreed to do the cover for Bits & Pieces, and she did a great job (as always). The publisher should be setting a release date soon.

Bits & Pieces Release Pushed Back

The artist who was going to do the cover art pulled out at the last minute, so now we're looking for a new artist. As soon as the cover is completed, the book will be ready to go.

It's Friday

Friday is always a good day. Today is no exception. I just had a story accepted for Black Ink Horror, after a significant rewrite with Tim Manning's help, and a poem accepted for Sinister Tales. And Bits & Pieces comes out on Monday. What a way to end the work week!

"Bits & Pieces" out soon

My chapbook of horror poems, "Bits & Pieces," will be available April 30th from Spec House of Poetry. Check out their store -- there are a lot of other good titles there as well.

April 30th is also the deadline for submitting humorous horror and science fiction haiku and senryu for Sam's Dot Publishing's Hahaku anthology, so be sure and get your poems in.