Promo Monday

Today, I'll be promoting another Emerald Tales issue, "Winter Solstice." My story "Io Saturnalia" is in it, and it is the first story I've had published in print and my first story I received payment for.

Emerald Tales, Vol. 1, No. 3 "Winter Solstice"
Publisher: Scribblers and Ink Spillers (December 2009)
To purchase:  http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/emeraldtales.html
The electronic version of the issue is free, but please consider a donation.

All stories and poetry in this issue had to revolve around the winter solstice.  

Here is the blurb from the website:
A couple are reunited on Winter Solstice; a slave has a day of freedom on Saturnalia; a worker at a crisis line has a scary drive home in the snow; an eight-year-old boy gives his great-grandfather the best gift of all; a young trapper discovers a gruesome scene at his neighbors cabin; a young boy and his grandfather must avoid a Viking raiding party; a teenage girl records the last seven hours before the arrival of the Centaurians on Earth; and a young woman encounters the not-so-grim reaper.

Contributors: Guy Belleranti, Heather Gregson, Damien Walters Grintalis, Bruce Golden, John Hayes, D. L. Hegel, Neil James Hudson, Raymond Koonce, Kristina Lee, Lauren McBride, Heather Parker, Cherie Reich, and G. W. Thomas.

Here is the blurb for my story "Io Saturnalia": As a Greek slave for the Roman Lucius Valerius Corvinus, Hermes has always longed to be free. During the festival of Saturnalia, his master grants him his wish with a price. Hermes, a scribe, has to come up with 700 sestertii for his freedom. When the slave travels to the sigillaria or special market, he comes across an Etruscan fortuneteller. She guarantees his freedom, if he doesn't tempt the Fates. With magical knucklebones, the Greek scribe seeks out his destiny.

November is the last month to read the "Winter Solstice" issue, since this issue will soon be out of print. So, go now and read some great stories.

Promo Monday

It's time for Promo Monday. Today I'll be promoting Emerald Tales, Vol. 2, No. 2 "It was a bright and sunny day" issue. My story "Grave Mistakes" is in it. I'm also promoting Heartsick by Chelsea Cain.

"Grave Mistakes"             3,408 words               Thriller

Scribblers and Ink Spillers Emerald Tales,Vol. 2, No. 2   "It was a bright and sunny day" April 2010 

About this magazine issue:  A lot can happen on a bright and sunny day: a student writes a story; time flies by an old man sitting outside his home; a teacher gets hooked into playing a computer game; The FBI is on the trail of a serial killer; A man tried to avoid making the same mistakes that he did in his first marriage; a teacher meets a man who knows a bit more than she does about the Elizabethan era; the animals of the forest teach owl a lesson; a man investigates a meteorite; an elderly couple prepare for their great-grandson's visit; there's a New World Order following the philosophy of Margaret Thatcher; and someone has changed all the King's horses into ducks.
With poetry by: John Hayes, Guy Belleranti, Matthew Byer, Amanda C. Davis, Marge Simon, Lauren McBride, Darrell Lindsey, and Michelle Mead.

Contributors: Guy Belleranti, Matthew Byer, Lisa Clark, Laurie Dalzell, Amanda C. Davis, Jason Flum, John Hayes, B. M. Kezar, Darrell Lindsey, Lauren McBride, Michael McGlade, Michelle Mead, Mario Milosevic, Jenny Morientes, Cherie Reich, Jennifer Schwabach, Marge Simon, Abra Staffin-Wiebe, and Justin Whitney

The electronic version is a free download in pdf format. 

Website link:  http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/emeraldtales.html

My Story's Blurb: After the Grave Digger makes the mistake of leaving a live victim, FBI agents Alex Reynolds and Ryan Delos are hot on his trail. They discovered their unsub, and they are waiting outside the cabin to arrest him and save his current abducted young woman. Yet, the agents make mistakes of their own. Who will come out alive in this fast-paced thriller?

Please do read my story and all the others in this great issue. The theme was "It was a bright and sunny day," and all the first lines had to begin like that. Also, if you read the free electronic version and enjoy the stories, please consider a donation to Scribblers and Ink Spillers. 

 *****

Title: Heartsick

Series: Gretchen Lowell/The Beauty Killer

Author: Chelsea Cain

Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur

To Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Heartsick-Chelsea-Cain/dp/B001C2DEYO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282921403&sr=1-1

 

Blurb on the book cover:  A Living Nightmare.  Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful and brutal serial killer.  In the end, she was the one who caught him…and tortured him…and then let him go.  Why did Gretchen spare Archie's life and then turn herself in?  This is the question that keeps him up all night—and the reason why he has visited Gretchen in prison every week since.  A Deadly Obsession…  Meanwhile, another series of Portland murders has Archie working on a brand-new task force…and heading straight into the line of fire.  The local news is covering the case 24/7, and it's not long before Archie enters a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with the killer—and his former captor.  But this time, it's up to Archie to save himself…

To read my review of Heartsick, click here. 

It's a fantastic first book in the Gretchen Lowell/Beauty Killer series!

 

"Grave Mistakes" now available for purchase!

Emerald Tales, Vol 2 No. 2 "It was a bright and sunny day" issue is now available. This issue has my thriller short story "Grave Mistakes" as well as 18 other short stories and poems. You can download the electronic version or buy the print version for only $5.00. To purchase a copy of Emerald Tales' "It was a bright and sunny day" issue, click here.

Also, you can still buy my historical horror short story "Io Saturnalia" from Emerald Tales, Vol. 1 No. 3 "Winter Solstice" issue.

"Grave Mistakes" Accepted

Today my thriller short story "Grave Mistakes" was accepted into Emerald Tales Vol. 2. No. 2 "It was a bright and sunny day" issue. It should be out on April 15, 2010. This is my second story accepted into Emerald Tales. My historical horror short story "Io Saturnalia" is in Emerald Tales Vol 1. No. 3 "Winter Solstice" issue. It can still be purchased here.

I'm really excited about "Grave Mistakes" being accepted. I was driving myself crazy waiting to find out. I would check my gmail account about every five minutes. All last night, I had strange dreams about my email account as well. It was definitely crazy.

"Grave Mistakes" is my second acceptance for the year. I previously won third place in the Big Read writing competition. "A Lesson Learned" will be published in the next issue of the Virginia English Bulletin. I don't have all the details for it yet, though.

As for other writing news, I have five submissions out there. One is in revisions, and I'm waiting to hear back. The other has been short listed. Then, I have three more that I haven't heard anything yet.

I'm currently working on a short story titled "Magna's Plea." I have a little over 1800 words written. The plan is to finish it this weekend. *crosses fingers*

I know it may seem a bit early, but I'm already thinking about NaNoWriMo 2010. I have a wonderful idea for a novel, and I plan to begin the outline as soon as possible. It's a horror/mystery novel based off some childhood nightmares of mine. Here is a blurb for Sarah's Nightmare:  Only the lights can keep the wall monsters at bay, or so Sarah thinks. These creatures plagued her childhood nightmares, but with the help of psychiatrists and medicine, Sarah has grown up past these delusions. As a college history professor trying to obtain her doctorate, thirty-year-old Sarah is moving on with her life. She has a live-in boyfriend, and she's just pages away from finishing her doctoral thesis. She's happy with her life. Yet when she agrees to teach a history of criminology course for a fellow professor, she learns some shocking facts. Every ten to fifteen years, five preschoolers go missing in the area. They are taken from their beds without a trace, and it is happening again. The only anomaly was in 1984 when only four children vanished. As Sarah and grad student, Marc Bishop, delve into the past, she realizes that sometimes nightmares really do come true.

Of course, my plans could change, but this novel is forming all on its own, so I think it wouldn't be too hard to write for NaNo. We'll have to see.

Well, I'm off to finish playing on Facebook and trying to get back to my short story "Magna's Plea."

Submission: Grave Mistakes

I finally finished and submitted my thriller short story "Grave Mistakes" to Emerald Tales "It was a bright and sunny day" issue. "Grave Mistakes" is a 3400-word story, and here is the blurb about it: After the Grave Digger makes the mistake of leaving a live victim, FBI agents AJ Cook and Ryan Delos are hot on his trail. They discovered their unsub, and they are waiting outside the cabin to arrest him and save his current abducted young woman. Yet, the agents make mistakes of their own. Who will come out alive in this fast-paced thriller?

"Grave Mistakes" took me a long time to write. I originally intended to write it in January, but instead I wrote "Breaking Bifrost." Then, I began writing the story, but it sounded so flat to me. I liked the beginning, and I was at the final part of the story. Then, I decided to scrap most of it and just write the ending. Considering there is a 4000-word limit, I'm glad that I did what I did to the story. Otherwise, the story would have been close to 5500 words. So, I took the first three paragraphs of the beginning, used them as a memory for Special Agent AJ Cook, and ran from there. I'm much happier with the story as it is, and I want to thank my critique buddies to their suggestions.

I've been very lax with writing lately, and I think it is the weather. It's been cold and snowy since December here, and I'm completely fed up with it. It has disrupted work, sleep, and my writing. Plus, I still can't get my car out of the driveway, and it's been stuck there for two weeks! I hope the snow is behind us and that we can eventually warm up.

For the rest of February, my writing goals are simple: write my writing contest entry (a new ending for Ernest J. Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying) and write my short story for Pill Hill Press's Atlantis anthology. I don't have much time left for either one, but I hope to finish them this weekend. If I can, then I can finally get back to working on my novels! *crosses fingers* I also need to edit one old short story and submit it out again.

I don't have any other writing or other news. I still have a few submissions out there that I'm waiting to hear back, but it might be a while. We'll have to wait and see.

Submissions and Kindle

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Christmas went well. We went over to my Grandpa's house and ate with the family and exchanged gifts. Everything was very nice, although it was a bit bittersweet. It was the first time that we had gathered there as a family since my Grandma died back in September 2008.

On the topic of Christmas gifts, I got a Kindle. It is so awesome! I absolutely love it, and that is saying something from the girl who hates to read books on the computer. I've already downloaded five books on it, and I plan to download book six on Wednesday when I get paid. (Book six will be my friend Aubrie Dionne's book Dreams of Beauty). I read Stephen King's UR first. I had to read it. It was an amazing novella. I wish I had an Ur Kindle. Unfortunately, I can't download things on Kindle at home, since I live in the middle of nowhere. Then again, it is probably a bit fortunate, too. If I could download things all the time, I would rack up thousands of dollars in books. It would not be good. *laughs* It is easy to read on a Kindle, just like reading a paperback book. *huggles Kindle* I'm currently reading Stephen King's Under the Dome on my Kindle. Just because I have one doesn't mean I won't read real books anymore. I'm reading Michael Cricton's Pirate Latitudes as well in hardback. *sighs* I really miss Michael Cricton. He was my favorite author of all time.

On other news, I finished writing another short story. I wrote two short stories in December. The first one is called "Defying Gravity," and it is a sci-fi romance story. Here is what it is about:   The Persean linguist, Linia, is excited about her people's first intergalactic space mission. Yet, when they attack their mortal enemies, the Medusans, Linia's world is turned upside down. The SS Perseid is sucked into a wormhole. Linia wakes up to find herself moments from crashing and the crew dead. She finds herself in worse trouble when she crashes. She lands on the unfriendly planet, Earth,and is captured by the Earthlings. Imprisoned underneath the ground,she has to find a way to escape and meets a friend along the way. Can they get out before they become an Earthling's dinner?

I plan to submit "Defying Gravity" to Pill Hill Press's Fire and Ice anthology as soon as I get a chance to edit/rewrite it.

The other short story is called "Cat and Mouse." It is a heists and capers short story. Here is what it is about: Rose is an international art thief, who is responsible for stealing six famous works of art. When she plans to steal a Dali painting during Venice's Carnival, she finds herself up against the detective who has hounded her since her first caper. Can she get away? Or is the game up?

"Cat and Mouse" was submitted to Emerald Tales "Carnivale" issue.

I also submitted "Wishes" today to Pill Hill Press's Four Horsemen anthology's Death section. "Wishes" wasn't originally written for that anthology, but I thought that it would fit under the Death heading, so I decided to do a bit of a rewrite and send it in today.

I still have "Eclipse" and "Soul Survivor" out there in submission world. I hope to hear back from them soon, or I'll have to be sending an email and inquiring about their status.

I've been looking through anthologies and the like to see what short stories to write next. I think my next one will be a thriller short story called "Grave Mistakes" for Emerald Tales "It was a bright and sunny day" issue. I have the story in my mind for the most part, so I thought I should write it next. I also need to get back into finishing the rewrites/edits for The Phoenix Prophetess, so I can start writing book two. So much writing to do and so little time.

And, I must resist the urge to read my Kindle all day.

I will be blogging a year in review soon. I hope everyone has a great new year!

"Io Saturnalia" is now available for purchase!

Emerald Tales, Vol. 1 No. 3 "Winter Solstice" issue is now available. This issue has my short story "Io Saturnalia" as well as twelve other short stories and poems. I'm so excited that the issue is finally out for people to buy. You can purchase either electronic or print versions, and either one is only $5.00. You can learn more about Emerald Tales at http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/emeraldtales.html. To purchase a copy of Emerald Tales' Winter Solstice issue, please go here: http://cart.scribblersandinkspillers.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1.

"Io Saturnalia" is my fourth short story accepted for publication, but my second short story to be available for purchase.

For more information on what "Io Saturnalia" is about as well as my other stories being published and written, please visit http://cheriereich.webs.com.

Acceptance and Rejection

Today I received a message from Diana Lyles, who is a multi-talented person, who runs Scribblers and Ink Spillers. My historical horror short story "Io Saturnalia" was accepted into the third issue of Emerald Tales, and it will be published on December 1, 2009. I am so excited that "Io Saturnalia" was accepted. For one, after receiving a rejection letter yesterday, it is always nice to receive an acceptance letter the next day. For two, I really loved writing "Io Saturnalia." It is most likely my best short story to date. For three, the "Winter Solstice" edition of Emerald Tales comes out on December 1 of this year. It means that people can buy and read one of my stories before 2010 when my ebook and YA fantasy short story are published. Here is the link to Emerald Tales: http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/emeraldtales.html. I'll put up another blog post and everything to remind people when it comes out. "Io Saturnalia" will be in print and electronic versions, and it'll only cost $5 for the magazine. It's definitely worth it!

Unfortunately, I had to mention my rejection letter. My horror story "Wishes" was rejected from the Dead Bells anthology. I had made it until the end of the final, final cuts. Here is what was said:

Good morning, Cherie,

I want to thank you again for your submission of "Wishes" to the Dead Bells Anthology, and for the work you put into the story. It has certainly been a hard decision making process for this anthology.

Unfortunately, we won't be including "Wishes" among the those in Dead Bells. The story was definitely close and I enjoyed reading it both times, but when it came down to it, it just didn't fit with what we are working towards.

Best of luck with your future endeavors.

Sincerely,
--
Jodi Lee
Belfire Press - http://www.belfirepress.com
The New Bedlam Project - http://www.newbedlam.com
Dead Bells - http://www.jodilee.ca/deadbells


I wasn't quite as disappointed as I originally thought I would be, and I wish the anthology success, even though my story wasn't accepted. "Wishes" is a great story though, and I hope to find another place for it elsewhere.

I currently only have a few stories out there that I'm waiting to hear back from, including the Eve anthology, Sorcerous Signals, and Abandoned Towers. I should have already heard back about "Hell Has No Fury" and "Eclipse," but the editor of the Eve anthology and Sorcerous Signals seems to have disappeared from the earth, since I've heard nothing from her since June. I need to send out my stories elsewhere, but it'll have to wait until after NaNoWriMo.

As for NaNoWriMo, I am still doing very well, I think. I am part way through finishing chapter nine, and I have around 21500 words written in nine days. I haven't done my writing for day 10 yet, but I'll keep everyone updated on the status of my novel.

Submission: IO SATURNALIA

I know I haven't written in my blog for a while. I would like to say that I've been busy, which I suppose I have. I was also too stressed out to write for a while, but things are better now. *smiles*

I finished writing an ancient Roman horror short story titled IO SATURNALIA on Friday. I sent it to my critique buddies, and they sent me edits and comments. I fixed the story up today and sent it off to Emerald Tales for their Winter Solstice volume. I had previously submitted SOUL SURVIVOR to the editor for their previous issue, and although she liked the story, she said it wasn't for her. I am hoping that IO SATURNALIA fares better. *crosses fingers*

Here is what the story is about:

IO SATURNALIA     3,929 words        (Historical Horror)
As a Greek slave for the Roman Lucius Valerius Corvinus, Hermes has always longed to be free. During the festival of Saturnalia, his master grants him his wish with a price. Hermes, a scribe, has to come up with 700 sestertii for his freedom. When the slave travels to the sigillaria or special market, he comes across an Etruscan fortuneteller. She guarantees his freedom, if he doesn't tempt the Fates. With magical knucklebones, the Greek scribe seeks out his destiny.

I do think that this story is one of my better stories. As a writer, I feel that I get better with each story, but I think that this is probably the same with all writers. At least, we all hope that we get better with each story!

I did not write much this month. With NEPTUNE'S TREASURE and now IO SATURNALIA, I only wrote 8,630 words. I hope that I'm saving up all the rest of my words for NaNoWriMo, which is less than a week away.(I'll be blogging a lot about NaNoWriMo later.)

I haven't submitted anything else lately or heard anything new from my submissions still out there. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated.

By the way, I'm getting a new laptop. I'm so excited! It's supposed to come in by November 6. *crosses fingers* The laptop is a Dell Inspiron 15 laptop, and it is purple. I'm hoping to get a lot of writing done at home once I get the laptop, including doing my rewrites/edits for THE PHOENIX PROPHETESS.

Rejection and Submission

"Soul Survivor" was rejected by Emerald Tales last week. Here is what was said:

I apologize for the delay in giving you an answer to your submission. It is with great difficulty that I pass on your story "Soul Survivor". It is a wonderful story, but it's not a good fit with Emerald Tales. Good luck submitting it elsewhere. It will find it's proper home.

Sincerely,

Diana Lyles

CEO Scribblers and Ink Spillers, LLC

I have to say that this is the nicest rejection letter I've ever received. I went back through the story, made some edits/rewrites. I changed the story from first to third person, and today I submitted it to Pill Hill Press for their The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror anthology. The deadline is October 31, so I likely won't hear from them until the end of November. I do think my rewrites have made the story better, so we'll have to see. *crosses fingers*

I haven't heard from anywhere else yet about my stories. I should know by the end of next week about two of them ("Hell Has No Fury" and "Bella's Battle").

In other news, I'm working on "Hounded" for The Beast Within 2: Beasts Unleashed. I also have been thinking a lot about Moonlight Murders, and I hope to get to it soon. I have several more short stories planned for various anthologies, including another submission for Emerald Tales: Winter Solstice, which will be an ancient Roman horror story called "Io, Saturnalia." I will likely work on it after "Hounded," but we'll have to see how things go. Of course, I'll be working on the rewrites/edits for The Phoenix Prophetess in the meantime. Writing never seems to end, does it?

Possible Acceptance

I received an email back from Emerald Tales today. Here is what it said:

Thank you for submitting your story for consideration for the "Masks or Appearances Can be Deceiving" issue of Emerald Tales

magazine. I received so many outstanding stories that choosing only a few was very difficult. I regret that I must pass on your

story for the printed version of Emerald Tales. However, I would like to keep your story under consideration for three more

days for web content for my site. If this is not acceptable to you, then reply to this email and tell me so. Otherwise, I will

consider your story for possible publication on the website.

Sincerely,

Diana Lyles

CEM

Scribblers and Ink Spillers, LLC

Although I didn't get into the printed version, "Soul Survivor" still has a chance for the web version. I am thrilled about the possibility, so I'll have to wait three more days to find out if it'll be on the web version or not. I think this is especially good since the story was written four years ago and wasn't written particularly for this volume, although I thought the concept could work.

If she passes on the web version, then I'll be sending "Soul Survivor" out to Pill Hill Press for their Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror anthology. I don't know if "Soul Survivor" will fair there better, but I would like to find a home for it somewhere.