New cancer anthology call for submissions

Rhonda Parrish, editor of Niteblade, is editing a new speculative anthology on the theme of cancer.  Fiction and poetry can be submitted through June 30th.  Payment for accepted submissions will be $10 plus a share of the book's royalties.  You can read the full guidelines at RhondaParrish.com.

some new books, random news

For anyone looking for new books to read (or give as gifts), two new books have just cropped up from Sam's Dot Publishing. The first is a collaboration from poets Joshua Gage and J.E. Stanley titled Intrinsic Night. The book is a collection of cinquain, and it can be pre-ordered from the Genre Mall for $5.85 plus shipping. There are some sample poems from the book on Josh Gage's blog.

The second book is a novella by Niteblade editor Rhonda Parrish, "Shades of Green." The scheduled release date is January 1st, 2010, so it should be available for pre-order sometime before then. The book is set in the same world as her story "Sister Margaret," which has gotten some great reviews.

In other news, Necrography has just announced it will be closing. Another good magazine gone by the wayside. If you haven't read the first (and only) issue, copies are still available from the website.

For haiku enthusiasts, Don Wentworth (editor of Lilliput Review) has just announced the 2nd Annual Basho Haiku Challenge. Up for grabs this time is a copy of Bashō and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary, edited by Makoto Ueda, as well as a 15-issue subscription to Lilliput Review. Winners will also be published in the contest anthology (and receive free copies). Entry is free, and the deadline is Oct. 31st.

an auction and a contest

Catherynne M. Valente, like many people nowadays, is in dire straits. I've never heard of her, but (#1) that's not saying much, and (#2) she won the Tiptree Award, so plenty of other people must have.

Her fiance was laid off months ago, and they are now almost flat broke. Rhonda Parrish, editor of Niteblade, has started a charity auction to help out. Up for grabs are free ad space on the Niteblade site, a print copy of the Lost Innocence anthology (which sells for $11.95 by itself), and a PDF copy of "Sister Margaret."

Go to the auction web page, and if you can, help a fellow writer out. If you've got something to promote, an ad in Niteblade is a great way to do it. I haven't read "Sister Margaret," but I can tell you Lost Innocence is a great anthology of fantasy and horror fiction and poetry.

The 14th Grandmother Earth writing contest is going on now. Poetry prizes range from $25 to $100, and it looks like plenty of awards will be handed out. Entry fee is $10 for 1-3 entries and $2 for each additional entry. There are also prizes for best haiku or short poem, best use of humor, and best environmental theme. Postmark deadline is July 15th.

In other news, I just found out that my short story "Change," for which I've been trying to find a home for a long time, was just accepted by A Fly In Amber. It's been slow recently, but one of my poems will appear in the last issue of From the Asylum, and my short story "The Book" should be in the next issue of Sorcerous Signals.

The Dark Fiction Guild, two stories, one market

For those who haven't heard yet (or didn't guess from the title of this post) there is now a Dark Fiction Guild. Run by G.A. Buchholz and James Cheetham, it's set up like a social networking site for dark fiction writers. It just started this week, and there's already almost 200 members. Join now... membership is free for 2009.

I've come across two really good stories recently. The first one, you have to buy a copy of the magazine to read. Issue #1 of Necrography includes a short story by Steve Calvert, "The Deadline," which is one of the best short horror stories I've read in a long time. Very well-written and executed.

The other story you can read online, as it is currently up at Sorcerous Signals -- "There's Always a Catch" by Rhonda Parrish. A hilarious short fantasy story, a good way to un-stress in the middle of a long day.

And here's a new short horror market: Tweet the Meat is a Twitter-based horror publisher, looking for unpublished horror 140 characters or less. They only take submissions on the weekends, and pay $1.00 per acceptance.

Niteblade #3

Editor Rhonda Parrish has just published issue #3 of Niteblade, and you need to check it out. It's got fiction by well-known writers Eric S. Brown and Lee Moan, among many others, and poetry by many of the genre's top names -- Terrie Leigh Relf, Stephen M. Wilson, Charles Gramlich, Tony Bernstein, and Kristine Ong Muslim to name a few. "County Hospital, 4am" by Christopher Hivner is an especially chilling one. I count myself lucky to have a poem in the same issue as these fine folks.

You can read the stories and poems from the website, but for just $2 you can buy a PDF ad-free copy of the magazine and help support a small but growing genre mag.