Joshua Chaplinsky
from New York is reading Library BooksJune 1, 2015 - 9:02am
My first published piece of fiction, "Twice Amputated Foot," is now live at Zetetic. I have a handful more acceptances that should see the light of day in the coming months.
voodoo_em
from England is reading All the books by Ira LevinJune 2, 2015 - 1:17am
Congrats, Joshua :)
Blair
from Southern California is reading Needful ThingsJune 3, 2015 - 8:46am
Exigencies, edited by Richard Thomas, and including work by long-time cult/litreactor members (including me) - hit number 1 for newly released horror anthologies. I think that's pretty cool.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesJune 4, 2015 - 1:41pm
yeah, that was pretty sweet
Sequoia Nagamatsu
is reading Red Moon by Ben Percy and Inter-Ice Age Four by Kobo AbeJune 5, 2015 - 6:25pm
My Japanese folklore and pop culture inspired story collection, Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone (Black Lawrence Press) will be released next May.
Leading up to this, I'll be posting videos on YouTube about the book, Japanese monsters, ghosts, folklore, anime/film, my writing process, as well as doing a few readings and self-interviews.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesJune 7, 2015 - 1:47pm
Wow, that's great! BLP is amazing, I have an anthology coming out with them soon. Congratulations! Very exctiing.
Luke Schamer
from Cincinnati, Ohio is reading "House of Leaves"June 9, 2015 - 7:39pm
I apologize in advance for the long post--I've passed over this thread many times with the intention of dropping in. This post is equal parts self-whoring and LitReactor-whoring.
First, congrats to all who have participated in this thread and shared your work--this is a truly awesome community of writers/artists, and I am thankful to have found it!
I began writing fiction this past December, and got a LitReactor membership as a Christmas gift (awesome x-mas gift, if anybody's early x-mas shopping). Since January, I've workshopped several pieces (critiquing was just as helpful as submitting), read some craft essays, and have gained an invaluable amount of knowledge in a short period of time. And won a flash fiction smackdown and got a free book (The Absolution of Roberto Acestes Laing), which was sweet.
Thanks to what I've learned here at LitReactor (via the workshop, craft essays, and articles), coupled with some persistence and hard work, I've become a "real" writer with several publication credits.
From February-May 2015, I received 12 acceptances for publication. My work has since been published (or is forthcoming) by Eunoia Review, matchbook, The Phoenix Soul, Horrified Press, Youth Imagination Magazine, and Splickety Prime.
Some publications paid, others did not. Looking back, I wish I would've stuck with the paying markets (writing is hard work... who knew?), but I never imagined I'd get paid for my writing.
I wouldn't be here without LitReactor. At least not this soon. The workshop roped me in, kicked my ass, and whipped my writing into submission-ready form.
At this point, I've taken a break from writing short stories and have recently completed the first draft of my first novel entitled Where the House Lies. While that first draft sits before editing, I'm writing a very rough first draft of my second novel. Just lots of ideas right now.
I have publishing credits and a first draft of a novel. Those were goals I had previously set for "sometime before death."
And it all began this past December with a LitReactor workshop post.
This place is pretty awesome.
Wendy Hammer
from Indiana is reading One Night in SixesJune 11, 2015 - 11:21am
Congratulations, everybody. I've got a growing stack of LR books on my TBR pile and lots of shorts to click on. Awesome.
They did a little editorial tinkering I didn't love, but what can you do?
Angel Colón
from The Bronx now living in New Jersey is reading A Big Ol' Pile of BooksJune 16, 2015 - 6:16pm
Hey folks,
So, my debut novella, 'The Fury of Blacky Jaguar' is up for preorder over at Amazon!
It's published by the fine, fine folks at One Eye Press, home of Shotgun Honey, Blight Digest, and some other fantastic novellas. Well worth anyone's time to check them ALL out by clicking on that gorgeous cover. :)
Joshua Chaplinsky
from New York is reading Library BooksJune 17, 2015 - 10:01am
One more for the month. They all seem to be hitting at once. My story "Wisdom of the Father" is in the latest issue of L'Allure des Mots. It is a modern day retelling of the Biblical story of Job. It looks sweet, but the rag itself is a bit pricey, so I'm not suggesting anyone run out and buy it.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesJune 22, 2015 - 8:51am
wow, joshua that's one hell of a placement, love Motherboard, congrats
good looking cover there, Angel. congrats. dig it.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesJune 25, 2015 - 3:26pm
Cover reveal for BREAKER.
I’m thrilled to share with you the cover for Breaker, the second book in the Windy City Dark Mystery Series (Random House Alibi). This series is not like most traditional mystery series, in that we don’t have the same protagonist. What we do have is the same city (Chicago) with the first book set in the Wicker Park / Bucktown area, the second in Logan Square, just up the road. I lived in both areas for about twelve years in all, and the backdrop, the atmosphere, the tone and mood, that’s all similar. It’s really more like what Stephen King did for small town Maine, instead of Agatha Christie or F. Paul Wilson.
So, what’s Breaker all about? Our protagonist is Raymond, or Ray to his friends. He lives alone, haunted by secrets in his past, various abuses that his parents and sister lay on him, trying to survive, while repressing these memories. He works as a fighter, underground warehouses and private events, in order to pay his rent. Next door, is a young girl, Natalie, just in high school, who see him for the innocent boy he used to be. She’s not afraid of him. But maybe she should be. The struggle throughout this book is for Ray to break the cycle of abuse, to not be the monster that he is destined to be. Can he do it? You’ll have to read it to see.
Right now we’re looking at late 2015 or early 2016 for a release date. If you liked Disintegration, which Irvine Welsh called, “A stunning and vital piece of work,” and Chuck Wendig said was “A twisted masterpiece,” then hopefully you’ll like this book too.
Anna Gutmann
from Ohio is reading American GodsJune 26, 2015 - 5:03am
AWESOME cover, @Richard! Can't wait for it to be released ... Sounds interesting :-). Also kudos to @Joshua on the recent publication!
I just took a leap of faith and self-published through Amazon Kindle for the first time. The book, Across the Universe, can be found here (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010722L8E). I don't really have money to advertise at this point so this is a big experiment for me, especially in the realm of creative and free promotion. My goal is to keep it climbing the bestsellers list, but I need everyone's help to do that. If you feel so inclined, please download a copy (if you don't have a kindle you can download the free kindle app on smart phone or tablet). Hopefully I will be successful and will be motivated to go the Kindle eBook route in the future.
If you do purchase, let me know, along with any of your works that you want me to pick up! I'm always looking for a good read and to support my fellow LR authors :-).
SYNOPSIS: "In The House, where all known universes are stored in glass orbs, an anonymous enemy threatens to destroy whole worlds and with it, the institution that has vowed to keep them safe.
17-year-old Amara witnesses this personally when she is made Watcher of the first universe to ever exist—the one that contains Earth. As soon as she is handed her duties and flies into our world, she finds it impossible not to interact with the life there. She is particularly drawn to Noah, a boy who has a family and a life … something she would give anything to experience. Their unique connection is threatened when evil beings called harbingers come to wreak havoc on Earth, other members of The House are stripped of their immortality, and universes begin to implode.
In order to save The House, keep Noah safe, and save the universe she is bound to protect, Amara must find who is behind all the destruction. Little does she know that her investigation will unveil a tale of corruption in the very place she calls home. Along her journey Amara learns the difference between gods and men, and the basis for her troubling connection with Noah."
Class Director
Rob
from New York City is reading at a fast enough pace it would be cumbersome to update thisJune 27, 2015 - 7:03am
Hey everyone--now that things are winding down on the intial assault of the New Yorked release, I wanted to round up a couple of links I thought y'all might dig, if you haven't seen them yet.
The Booked. podcast gave the book a really nice shot of love. It was a little intimidating but also really fun and exciting to hear them pick it apart. And I'm thrilled that they enjoyed it.
I've had a whole bunch of guest posts go live:
Grist for the Twitter Mill, at Crimespree, is all about book promo.
Book Bag: Five Great Books About New York City is up at The Daily Beast.
From Page to Screen with Death Wish: The Case of the Disappearing Conscienceis up at Criminal Element.
The End of Apocalypse, about a bar I used to drink in and disappearing New York, is over at the Powell's bookstore blog.
At my website I talked about a trick I use for outlining. This is also part of an experiment that'll play out in my next LitReactor class on book promo and marketing, which is starting soon.
Getting some nice newspaper coverage, too. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel just threw a lot of superlative at the book. And my hometown paper, the Staten Island Advance, put up a nice piece, too.
People have been asking me about signed copies--if you order through The Mysterious Bookshop, I'll personalize them however you'd like.
We've got a couple of other things cooking, but honestly, the thing I'm most excited about right now is the LitReactor book club. I've got my fingers crossed for a robust discussion. I'm also happy to talk about the publication process, book promo, or whatever floats your boat.
Cheers!
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesJune 27, 2015 - 9:34pm
Thanks, Anna, best of luck to you. Congrats, Rob, way to go, you're crushing it.
Joshua Chaplinsky
from New York is reading Library BooksJune 29, 2015 - 6:51am
One more for June: My story "The Black Hole" at Fabula Argentea. It's about alcoholism and singularities.
All my accepted submissions just happened to hit in June. I gotta get cracking on something new.
Jack Campbell Jr.
from Lawrence, KS is reading American Rust by Phillipp MeyerJune 30, 2015 - 8:23am
My flash fiction story "C Was for Cat" is out in Body Parts Magazine's Ouroboros issue. It's a reprint from my colllection. It's an odd little story about a POW, structured around the letters of the alphabet.
Dan J. Fiore
from Pittsburgh is reading too many things at onceJuly 1, 2015 - 7:45am
My short story "The Fair" started out as a LitReactor workshop piece, and now it's in Thuglit 18. It's changed drastically over the past two years or so, but check it out and let me know what you think. And thanks to all who helped out with the early drafts!
Chacron
from England, South Coast is reading Fool's Assassin by Robin HobbJuly 4, 2015 - 8:36am
@Dan,
Awesome! That's the last story I remember crit'ing in the workshop before I let my subscription run out...I really liked it. I might just have to get a copy of 18 to read the final version.
Dan J. Fiore
from Pittsburgh is reading too many things at onceJuly 7, 2015 - 5:03am
@Chacron,
Thanks! I think you'll be surprised how much it's changed. Hopefully you still enjoy it! Hope all is well with you across the pond.
Luke Schamer
from Cincinnati, Ohio is reading "House of Leaves"July 7, 2015 - 11:43am
Richard: fantastic cover for BREAKER. I love the art style you've got going for that one and DISINTEGRATION.
Anna, that's great that you decided to self-publish. That would take a lot of hard work and courage, for sure. I will be checking it out.
Joshua, as mentioned on FB, I loved "The Black Hole"--especially the dialogue.
Dan, nice going on getting into Thuglit! I've submitted a couple times with no luck. Sounds like the two years of hard work/tweaking has paid off!
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesJuly 10, 2015 - 10:08am
Thanks, Luke. Congrats, Dan, Jack and Joshua!
Dylan.Taylor
from Peterborough, Ontario is reading until I see double.July 15, 2015 - 11:01am
I have a piece of flash up at the Kentucky Review that you can read here. It's been a really great couple months on the acceptances front. If you have a spare moment I'd love for you to give it a read.
Chacron
from England, South Coast is reading Fool's Assassin by Robin HobbJuly 24, 2015 - 1:09pm
@Anna, sorry I didn't see your post sooner. Not sure your book is my sort of thing, but it's good to see another self publisher plugging their stuff on here. Congrats on finding the courage to go for it!
* * *
Okay, whoring time: I just finished the second draft of part two of my Talent Show series. All 248,850 freakin' words of it. Not touching it again for the final workout / gutting session until at least September. Sick of my narrator, sick of writing in general right now.
So let's get my shit together with some promotion. I wrote an LR-style article for my blog about the author that's inspired me the most. We all have that author who does just that little bit more for us, so here's my homage to the late and great Iain Banks.
Won't plug my own novel on here a second time, except to show off this awesome new cover I just had designed for it:
Natso
from Mongolia is reading Moby DickJuly 25, 2015 - 9:58pm
Pretty late to the whoring party, but I started this website called SoWhyMongolia.com with funny articles, images, reviews and short stories. If you ever wondered how the demon horde of Tartarus is faring today in the modern world, this is your guide.
Alex Kane
from west-central Illinois is reading Dark OrbitJuly 27, 2015 - 4:34am
Hey, guys! I’m currently crowdfunding the first issue of a new creator-owned, independent science fiction comic on Kickstarter! Backed by Neil Gaiman and featured in The A.V. Club, we’re currently sitting at 35% of our goal with just 15 days left to spread the word. Have a look at Gale Galligan’s amazing cover art:
The year is 4419.
Vic Delany is a two-thousand-year-old veteran of interstellar war returning home after a lifetime of battle in the wilds of space, a battered brainship scarred by the atrocities he’s witnessed out among the UNEN colony worlds. Sedna, a cyborg demigoddess and sole administrator of a space habitat orbiting Pluto, is charged with escorting inbound starships back to the Sol system. She also safeguards the gateway to the digital Otherworld: an ancient simulacrum powered by the light of dead and dying suns all across the galaxy, where most of humanity has taken refuge to escape the ravages of war—and achieve immortality.
Asphodel is an independent, creator-owned space opera comic—a one-shot with series potential. Preorder the standalone, 22-page first issue, “Newborn,” exclusive to Kickstarter backers until 2016!
Joe P
from Brainerd, MN is reading Wheel of TimeJuly 28, 2015 - 5:02pm
Hey everybody!
I have entered myself into a bloody and merciless battle! The sands will run red with ink as I battle another author at www.thewritersarena.com. My literary gladiator is a product of Litreactor's own workshop, a short story by the name of "Pre-triage." If you read it in the workshop and liked it, please swing over to the Writer's Arena and give it a vote. If you didn't like it, well I guess you can vote for the other guy too. Either way, it's a cool site with a cool contest. Enjoy the biblio-bloodsport!
Joshua Chaplinsky
from New York is reading Library BooksJuly 29, 2015 - 7:39am
My short story “Black Work” is now live at Crack The Spine. It is an exploration of Islamic folklore and the tradition of honor killing. It was inspired by a true story and started out as an attempt at writing “the other,” and when I workshopped it here, one person accused me of perpetuating Islamophobic stereotypes. But someone throught it was worth publishing. I guess the internet will be the judge.
Jack Campbell Jr.
from Lawrence, KS is reading American Rust by Phillipp MeyerAugust 4, 2015 - 12:36pm
My short story "Copy Rights" is in Sanitarium Magazine #35. It's a story about a slacker genius who invents a human cloning device to get out of his shift at the health insurance call center.
rachelkramerbussel
from New Jersey is reading Full Catastrophe LivingAugust 4, 2015 - 6:12pm
This is somewhat double whoring (is that a term?), but I recently published an article at Contently's The Freelancer on "5 Ways to Use Hate Mail to Your Advantage" and quoted Rob Hart about a LitReactor article and the response it got.
Also, I'm teaching a LitReactor class, Between the Sheets, starting next week, August 13th, on erotica, my fourth time teaching it. In addition to my lectures and critiques, I share a dozen exclusive interviews with erotica and erotic romance authors (both traditionally published and self-published) about their writing process and publisher journey, and publishers and editors on what they are and aren't looking for. If anyone's considering the class but isn't sure about signing up, feel free to PM me here or email me at rachelkb at gmail dot com with "LitReactor" in the subject line.
Class Director
Rob
from New York City is reading at a fast enough pace it would be cumbersome to update thisAugust 5, 2015 - 10:56am
You guys—Rachel's class is so good. If you're interested in writing erotica, or just want to write about sex like a grown-up, you should check it out.
And I love the hatemail piece. I love that a piece I wrote for this site got me a threat of a punch in the face. And it was about digital piracy being bad! That's the thing that drove this person to a (fake) threat of violence!
Sequoia Nagamatsu
is reading Red Moon by Ben Percy and Inter-Ice Age Four by Kobo AbeAugust 5, 2015 - 7:01pm
Book trailer for my forthcoming Japanese folklore and pop-culture inspired story collection. More info at http://sequoiangamatsu.net
Class Director
Rob
from New York City is reading at a fast enough pace it would be cumbersome to update thisAugust 10, 2015 - 2:02pm
Hey, so, I'm currently at 49 reviews on Amazon. I'm trying to break 50 (there's a retail promotion I've got my eye on, and it's easier to qualify when you've got more than 50).
If any of you kind folks who've read New Yorked would be amenable to leaving an honest take--even just a sentence or two--I'd be much obliged.
And, in a broader sense, reviews are seriously one of the best ways you can help authors. They contribute to discoverability and retail promotions--so even if you haven't read New Yorked, and there's another author you want to support, make sure to review his or her stuff.
Thanks!
voodoo_em
from England is reading All the books by Ira LevinAugust 11, 2015 - 2:58am
Gaia Shadow and Breath Vol 2 is out now, including my story: Lady Pin Cushion and the Circus of the Dead, and stories by Richard Thomas, Joshua D Moyes (Utah), Johnathan T Riley and a whole load of other great authors. You can get hold of a copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, and createspace. Purchases from Createspace can get 15% off with the code: CFAK5JBZ
Vonnegut Check
from Baltimore
August 11, 2015 - 6:16pm
Fantastic story title, Emily. I'm intrigued.
voodoo_em
from England is reading All the books by Ira LevinAugust 13, 2015 - 2:37am
Thanks, Ryan :) How's the writing going? Good I hope. If you need anything critiquing, let me know :)
TheScrivener
from Seattle is reading short stories August 14, 2015 - 8:05am
Rob---I saw you on the schedule to read at KGB this weekend. So cool---seen a lot of great readings there.
Class Director
Rob
from New York City is reading at a fast enough pace it would be cumbersome to update thisAugust 14, 2015 - 12:50pm
Thanks! I've been wanting to read at KGB forever.
Actually ten years ago me and a friend asked someone there how we could read there. He said "Publish something" and blew us off. Only took me ten years--that'll show him!
I've got a lot of fun memories in that bar. It's thrilling to finally get on the bill.
Class Director
Rob
from New York City is reading at a fast enough pace it would be cumbersome to update thisAugust 14, 2015 - 1:59pm
Sorry to double-up on posts, but just learned that the audiobook version of New Yorked is now available for pre-order from Audible!
Does anyone listen to audiobooks? I've never gotten into them. And I've also found that listening to someone read something I wrote is really weird. The Word Crimes podcast just hosted a reading of my story from Thuglit, "How to Make the Perfect New York Bagel" (which got honorable mention in this year's Best American Mysteries Stories). It's really cool but also a bit unsettling. (You can listen to that here if you're interested.)
Wendy Hammer
from Indiana is reading One Night in SixesAugust 15, 2015 - 8:20am
I started work on this Urban Fantasy novella, THE THIN, in a LR course. It's finally out today--published by Apocalypse Ink Productions. The rest of the trilogy will be out relatively soon.
Now that my self-promotion is done I'm going to get back to reading New Yorked.
Class Director
Rob
from New York City is reading at a fast enough pace it would be cumbersome to update thisAugust 15, 2015 - 8:25am
GO WENDY GO!
voodoo_em
from England is reading All the books by Ira LevinAugust 15, 2015 - 1:30pm
Awesome, Wendy! Congrats :)
TheScrivener
from Seattle is reading short stories August 18, 2015 - 1:40pm
Rob. Cream puff was brilliant. I was too shy to say hi. But you really read one tight piece. My husband loved it too.
In the year 2091 an attempt to impose a global government festered into a dystopic, authoritarian nightmare. After fifteen years of global conflict, the World Central Authority has been shattered; leaving the world in virtual dark age. The United States and its allied nation-states were victorious, but only at an unimaginable cost. The fragments of the defeated global government are mired in chaos and the profiteers of the Corporate Consortium grow ever richer while perpetuating conflict on a planetary scale.
The aspiration for a global government has not died in the minds of the would-be tyrants. Ancient feuds over race and religion have reemerged with greater intensity than ever before. Newly liberated nation-states contend against the remnants of the global government, newly formed nations, and one another for political dominance and ever more scarce natural resources. The Corporate Consortium uses its superior technology and nearly limitless wealth to mold events to it will.
The Fast Intervention Raiding and Espionage teams are elite, multinational units of genetically enhanced special operators. They are the tier one striking forces of the United States and its allies in the Free Nationalist Forces. Drawn from the world’s finest special operations forces; the F.I.R.E. teams combine the best, most demanding military training in the world with more than human physical and mental capabilities granted by advanced genetic engineering. The F.I.R.E. teams are the most lethal warriors in human history.
Leading F.I.R.E. Team Alpha, Douglas Carter finds his team at the crux of the geopolitical disintegration threatening the human race. Masters of controlled violence, the members of Team Alpha operate in a world where death is incidental, truth exists only in the shadows, and power is the only true currency.
Rob
from New York City is reading at a fast enough pace it would be cumbersome to update thisAugust 19, 2015 - 4:57am
Thanks, Scriv! I'm glad you dug the piece. It's one of my favorite reading pieces, and it's always great when the crowd is receptive.
Feel free to say hi next time, with the understand that I'm also struggling with a near-crippling sense of shyness (every time I do a reading I spend the entire day trying to convince myself to bail at the last minute).
My first published piece of fiction, "Twice Amputated Foot," is now live at Zetetic. I have a handful more acceptances that should see the light of day in the coming months.
Congrats, Joshua :)
Exigencies, edited by Richard Thomas, and including work by long-time cult/litreactor members (including me) - hit number 1 for newly released horror anthologies. I think that's pretty cool.
yeah, that was pretty sweet
My Japanese folklore and pop culture inspired story collection, Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone (Black Lawrence Press) will be released next May.
Leading up to this, I'll be posting videos on YouTube about the book, Japanese monsters, ghosts, folklore, anime/film, my writing process, as well as doing a few readings and self-interviews.
--------
Sequoia Nagamatsu
Managing Editor
Psychopomp Magazine
Visiting Assistant Professor
The College of Idaho
http://sequoianagamatsu.net
http://www.facebook.com/sequoiastories
https://twitter.com/SequoiaN
Wow, that's great! BLP is amazing, I have an anthology coming out with them soon. Congratulations! Very exctiing.
I apologize in advance for the long post--I've passed over this thread many times with the intention of dropping in. This post is equal parts self-whoring and LitReactor-whoring.
First, congrats to all who have participated in this thread and shared your work--this is a truly awesome community of writers/artists, and I am thankful to have found it!
I began writing fiction this past December, and got a LitReactor membership as a Christmas gift (awesome x-mas gift, if anybody's early x-mas shopping). Since January, I've workshopped several pieces (critiquing was just as helpful as submitting), read some craft essays, and have gained an invaluable amount of knowledge in a short period of time. And won a flash fiction smackdown and got a free book (The Absolution of Roberto Acestes Laing), which was sweet.
Thanks to what I've learned here at LitReactor (via the workshop, craft essays, and articles), coupled with some persistence and hard work, I've become a "real" writer with several publication credits.
From February-May 2015, I received 12 acceptances for publication. My work has since been published (or is forthcoming) by Eunoia Review, matchbook, The Phoenix Soul, Horrified Press, Youth Imagination Magazine, and Splickety Prime.
Here's a complete list of my writing with links: http://www.lukeschamer.com/#!writing/c46c
And here's one of my favorites (if you don't wanna click twice): https://amygdalalitmag.wordpress.com/first-issue/illuminated/
Some publications paid, others did not. Looking back, I wish I would've stuck with the paying markets (writing is hard work... who knew?), but I never imagined I'd get paid for my writing.
I wouldn't be here without LitReactor. At least not this soon. The workshop roped me in, kicked my ass, and whipped my writing into submission-ready form.
At this point, I've taken a break from writing short stories and have recently completed the first draft of my first novel entitled Where the House Lies. While that first draft sits before editing, I'm writing a very rough first draft of my second novel. Just lots of ideas right now.
I have publishing credits and a first draft of a novel. Those were goals I had previously set for "sometime before death."
And it all began this past December with a LitReactor workshop post.
This place is pretty awesome.
Congratulations, everybody. I've got a growing stack of LR books on my TBR pile and lots of shorts to click on. Awesome.
My story, "Sweet Nothings" began as a piece I wrote for Jack Ketchum's class. I'm very happy to say it just went live at Evil Girlfriend Media Shorts. http://www.evilgirlfriendmedia.com/789/news/sweet-nothings-by-wendy-hammer/
That's a lot accomplished in a short time, Luke. Congrats.
Well done, Luke.
Richard and Joshua: Thank you! I greatly appreciate your support.
Congrats, Wendy! :)
Congrats, Luke.
Got a piece up at Motherboard, which is run by Vice. A speculative story told as a videogame review from the future.
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/homunculoid
They did a little editorial tinkering I didn't love, but what can you do?
Hey folks,
So, my debut novella, 'The Fury of Blacky Jaguar' is up for preorder over at Amazon!
It's published by the fine, fine folks at One Eye Press, home of Shotgun Honey, Blight Digest, and some other fantastic novellas. Well worth anyone's time to check them ALL out by clicking on that gorgeous cover. :)
One more for the month. They all seem to be hitting at once. My story "Wisdom of the Father" is in the latest issue of L'Allure des Mots. It is a modern day retelling of the Biblical story of Job. It looks sweet, but the rag itself is a bit pricey, so I'm not suggesting anyone run out and buy it.
http://lalluredesmots.bigcartel.com/product/l-allure-des-mots-issue-xvii...
wow, joshua that's one hell of a placement, love Motherboard, congrats
good looking cover there, Angel. congrats. dig it.
Cover reveal for BREAKER.
I’m thrilled to share with you the cover for Breaker, the second book in the Windy City Dark Mystery Series (Random House Alibi). This series is not like most traditional mystery series, in that we don’t have the same protagonist. What we do have is the same city (Chicago) with the first book set in the Wicker Park / Bucktown area, the second in Logan Square, just up the road. I lived in both areas for about twelve years in all, and the backdrop, the atmosphere, the tone and mood, that’s all similar. It’s really more like what Stephen King did for small town Maine, instead of Agatha Christie or F. Paul Wilson.
So, what’s Breaker all about? Our protagonist is Raymond, or Ray to his friends. He lives alone, haunted by secrets in his past, various abuses that his parents and sister lay on him, trying to survive, while repressing these memories. He works as a fighter, underground warehouses and private events, in order to pay his rent. Next door, is a young girl, Natalie, just in high school, who see him for the innocent boy he used to be. She’s not afraid of him. But maybe she should be. The struggle throughout this book is for Ray to break the cycle of abuse, to not be the monster that he is destined to be. Can he do it? You’ll have to read it to see.
Right now we’re looking at late 2015 or early 2016 for a release date. If you liked Disintegration, which Irvine Welsh called, “A stunning and vital piece of work,” and Chuck Wendig said was “A twisted masterpiece,” then hopefully you’ll like this book too.
AWESOME cover, @Richard! Can't wait for it to be released ... Sounds interesting :-). Also kudos to @Joshua on the recent publication!
I just took a leap of faith and self-published through Amazon Kindle for the first time. The book, Across the Universe, can be found here (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010722L8E). I don't really have money to advertise at this point so this is a big experiment for me, especially in the realm of creative and free promotion. My goal is to keep it climbing the bestsellers list, but I need everyone's help to do that. If you feel so inclined, please download a copy (if you don't have a kindle you can download the free kindle app on smart phone or tablet). Hopefully I will be successful and will be motivated to go the Kindle eBook route in the future.
If you do purchase, let me know, along with any of your works that you want me to pick up! I'm always looking for a good read and to support my fellow LR authors :-).
SYNOPSIS: "In The House, where all known universes are stored in glass orbs, an anonymous enemy threatens to destroy whole worlds and with it, the institution that has vowed to keep them safe.
17-year-old Amara witnesses this personally when she is made Watcher of the first universe to ever exist—the one that contains Earth. As soon as she is handed her duties and flies into our world, she finds it impossible not to interact with the life there. She is particularly drawn to Noah, a boy who has a family and a life … something she would give anything to experience. Their unique connection is threatened when evil beings called harbingers come to wreak havoc on Earth, other members of The House are stripped of their immortality, and universes begin to implode.
In order to save The House, keep Noah safe, and save the universe she is bound to protect, Amara must find who is behind all the destruction. Little does she know that her investigation will unveil a tale of corruption in the very place she calls home. Along her journey Amara learns the difference between gods and men, and the basis for her troubling connection with Noah."
The Booked. podcast gave the book a really nice shot of love. It was a little intimidating but also really fun and exciting to hear them pick it apart. And I'm thrilled that they enjoyed it.
I've had a whole bunch of guest posts go live:
Getting some nice newspaper coverage, too. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel just threw a lot of superlative at the book. And my hometown paper, the Staten Island Advance, put up a nice piece, too.
People have been asking me about signed copies--if you order through The Mysterious Bookshop, I'll personalize them however you'd like.
We've got a couple of other things cooking, but honestly, the thing I'm most excited about right now is the LitReactor book club. I've got my fingers crossed for a robust discussion. I'm also happy to talk about the publication process, book promo, or whatever floats your boat.
Cheers!
Thanks, Anna, best of luck to you. Congrats, Rob, way to go, you're crushing it.
One more for June: My story "The Black Hole" at Fabula Argentea. It's about alcoholism and singularities.
All my accepted submissions just happened to hit in June. I gotta get cracking on something new.
My flash fiction story "C Was for Cat" is out in Body Parts Magazine's Ouroboros issue. It's a reprint from my colllection. It's an odd little story about a POW, structured around the letters of the alphabet.
You can read it for free here: http://www.bodypartsmagazine.com/?p=357
My short story "The Fair" started out as a LitReactor workshop piece, and now it's in Thuglit 18. It's changed drastically over the past two years or so, but check it out and let me know what you think. And thanks to all who helped out with the early drafts!
@Dan,
Awesome! That's the last story I remember crit'ing in the workshop before I let my subscription run out...I really liked it. I might just have to get a copy of 18 to read the final version.
@Chacron,
Thanks! I think you'll be surprised how much it's changed. Hopefully you still enjoy it! Hope all is well with you across the pond.
Richard: fantastic cover for BREAKER. I love the art style you've got going for that one and DISINTEGRATION.
Anna, that's great that you decided to self-publish. That would take a lot of hard work and courage, for sure. I will be checking it out.
Joshua, as mentioned on FB, I loved "The Black Hole"--especially the dialogue.
Dan, nice going on getting into Thuglit! I've submitted a couple times with no luck. Sounds like the two years of hard work/tweaking has paid off!
Thanks, Luke. Congrats, Dan, Jack and Joshua!
I have a piece of flash up at the Kentucky Review that you can read here. It's been a really great couple months on the acceptances front. If you have a spare moment I'd love for you to give it a read.
@Anna, sorry I didn't see your post sooner. Not sure your book is my sort of thing, but it's good to see another self publisher plugging their stuff on here. Congrats on finding the courage to go for it!
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Okay, whoring time: I just finished the second draft of part two of my Talent Show series. All 248,850 freakin' words of it. Not touching it again for the final workout / gutting session until at least September. Sick of my narrator, sick of writing in general right now.
So let's get my shit together with some promotion. I wrote an LR-style article for my blog about the author that's inspired me the most. We all have that author who does just that little bit more for us, so here's my homage to the late and great Iain Banks.
Won't plug my own novel on here a second time, except to show off this awesome new cover I just had designed for it:
Pretty late to the whoring party, but I started this website called SoWhyMongolia.com with funny articles, images, reviews and short stories. If you ever wondered how the demon horde of Tartarus is faring today in the modern world, this is your guide.
I also co-wrote two articles on Cracked.com: 5 Insane Things Science Just Found Out About the Human Body and The 5 Most Incredible Pranks Pulled With Major Landmarks Viral.
Hey, guys! I’m currently crowdfunding the first issue of a new creator-owned, independent science fiction comic on Kickstarter! Backed by Neil Gaiman and featured in The A.V. Club, we’re currently sitting at 35% of our goal with just 15 days left to spread the word. Have a look at Gale Galligan’s amazing cover art:
Hey everybody!
I have entered myself into a bloody and merciless battle! The sands will run red with ink as I battle another author at www.thewritersarena.com. My literary gladiator is a product of Litreactor's own workshop, a short story by the name of "Pre-triage." If you read it in the workshop and liked it, please swing over to the Writer's Arena and give it a vote. If you didn't like it, well I guess you can vote for the other guy too. Either way, it's a cool site with a cool contest. Enjoy the biblio-bloodsport!
My short story “Black Work” is now live at Crack The Spine. It is an exploration of Islamic folklore and the tradition of honor killing. It was inspired by a true story and started out as an attempt at writing “the other,” and when I workshopped it here, one person accused me of perpetuating Islamophobic stereotypes. But someone throught it was worth publishing. I guess the internet will be the judge.
http://www.crackthespine.com/2015/07/issue-158.html
My short story "Copy Rights" is in Sanitarium Magazine #35. It's a story about a slacker genius who invents a human cloning device to get out of his shift at the health insurance call center.
https://sanitariummagazine.com/blog/2015/07/30/sanitarium-magazine-issue...
This is somewhat double whoring (is that a term?), but I recently published an article at Contently's The Freelancer on "5 Ways to Use Hate Mail to Your Advantage" and quoted Rob Hart about a LitReactor article and the response it got.
Also, I'm teaching a LitReactor class, Between the Sheets, starting next week, August 13th, on erotica, my fourth time teaching it. In addition to my lectures and critiques, I share a dozen exclusive interviews with erotica and erotic romance authors (both traditionally published and self-published) about their writing process and publisher journey, and publishers and editors on what they are and aren't looking for. If anyone's considering the class but isn't sure about signing up, feel free to PM me here or email me at rachelkb at gmail dot com with "LitReactor" in the subject line.
You guys—Rachel's class is so good. If you're interested in writing erotica, or just want to write about sex like a grown-up, you should check it out.
And I love the hatemail piece. I love that a piece I wrote for this site got me a threat of a punch in the face. And it was about digital piracy being bad! That's the thing that drove this person to a (fake) threat of violence!
Book trailer for my forthcoming Japanese folklore and pop-culture inspired story collection. More info at http://sequoiangamatsu.net
Hey, so, I'm currently at 49 reviews on Amazon. I'm trying to break 50 (there's a retail promotion I've got my eye on, and it's easier to qualify when you've got more than 50).
If any of you kind folks who've read New Yorked would be amenable to leaving an honest take--even just a sentence or two--I'd be much obliged.
And, in a broader sense, reviews are seriously one of the best ways you can help authors. They contribute to discoverability and retail promotions--so even if you haven't read New Yorked, and there's another author you want to support, make sure to review his or her stuff.
Thanks!
Gaia Shadow and Breath Vol 2 is out now, including my story: Lady Pin Cushion and the Circus of the Dead, and stories by Richard Thomas, Joshua D Moyes (Utah), Johnathan T Riley and a whole load of other great authors. You can get hold of a copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, and createspace. Purchases from Createspace can get 15% off with the code: CFAK5JBZ
Fantastic story title, Emily. I'm intrigued.
Thanks, Ryan :) How's the writing going? Good I hope. If you need anything critiquing, let me know :)
Rob---I saw you on the schedule to read at KGB this weekend. So cool---seen a lot of great readings there.
Thanks! I've been wanting to read at KGB forever.
Actually ten years ago me and a friend asked someone there how we could read there. He said "Publish something" and blew us off. Only took me ten years--that'll show him!
I've got a lot of fun memories in that bar. It's thrilling to finally get on the bill.
Sorry to double-up on posts, but just learned that the audiobook version of New Yorked is now available for pre-order from Audible!
You can find it here.
Does anyone listen to audiobooks? I've never gotten into them. And I've also found that listening to someone read something I wrote is really weird. The Word Crimes podcast just hosted a reading of my story from Thuglit, "How to Make the Perfect New York Bagel" (which got honorable mention in this year's Best American Mysteries Stories). It's really cool but also a bit unsettling. (You can listen to that here if you're interested.)
I started work on this Urban Fantasy novella, THE THIN, in a LR course. It's finally out today--published by Apocalypse Ink Productions. The rest of the trilogy will be out relatively soon.
Now that my self-promotion is done I'm going to get back to reading New Yorked.
GO WENDY GO!
Awesome, Wendy! Congrats :)
Rob. Cream puff was brilliant. I was too shy to say hi. But you really read one tight piece. My husband loved it too.
The FIRE Team Alpha Series
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=series_rw_dp_labf?_encoding=UTF8&field-colle...
In the year 2091 an attempt to impose a global government festered into a dystopic, authoritarian nightmare. After fifteen years of global conflict, the World Central Authority has been shattered; leaving the world in virtual dark age. The United States and its allied nation-states were victorious, but only at an unimaginable cost. The fragments of the defeated global government are mired in chaos and the profiteers of the Corporate Consortium grow ever richer while perpetuating conflict on a planetary scale.
The aspiration for a global government has not died in the minds of the would-be tyrants. Ancient feuds over race and religion have reemerged with greater intensity than ever before. Newly liberated nation-states contend against the remnants of the global government, newly formed nations, and one another for political dominance and ever more scarce natural resources. The Corporate Consortium uses its superior technology and nearly limitless wealth to mold events to it will.
The Fast Intervention Raiding and Espionage teams are elite, multinational units of genetically enhanced special operators. They are the tier one striking forces of the United States and its allies in the Free Nationalist Forces. Drawn from the world’s finest special operations forces; the F.I.R.E. teams combine the best, most demanding military training in the world with more than human physical and mental capabilities granted by advanced genetic engineering. The F.I.R.E. teams are the most lethal warriors in human history.
Leading F.I.R.E. Team Alpha, Douglas Carter finds his team at the crux of the geopolitical disintegration threatening the human race. Masters of controlled violence, the members of Team Alpha operate in a world where death is incidental, truth exists only in the shadows, and power is the only true currency.
BOOK ONE http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X2642HQ?*Version*=1&*entries*=0#cust...
BOOK TWO
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YYUJA6M?*Version*=1&*entries*=
Thanks, Scriv! I'm glad you dug the piece. It's one of my favorite reading pieces, and it's always great when the crowd is receptive.
Feel free to say hi next time, with the understand that I'm also struggling with a near-crippling sense of shyness (every time I do a reading I spend the entire day trying to convince myself to bail at the last minute).