Fangtales Book Tour

My critique partner, Theresa Milstein, had a vampire story accepted in Fangtales, the anthology published by one of my publishers, Wyvern Publications. Her story is called "Allured". I was lucky enough to be a CP for it, and it's a tantalizing story! I can see why Wyvern Publications accepted it!


FANGTALES

Edited by Berni Stevens

Fangtales is the third anthology in the popular ‘tales’ collections published for the YA market by Wyvern Publications. It joins Dragontales, published in 2009, and Mertales, published in 2010.


Fangtales visits the terrifying realms of the most popular creature ever to grace the pages of fantasy fiction. The vampire. The tales are fresh, original and scary enough to send delicious shivers down the spine of every reader. Each tale brings something new to the genre, and will be a welcome addition to any fantasy fan’s bookshelf. Vampires will always be a hugely popular theme – there’s a very good reason why Bram Stoker’s Dracula has never been out of print since it was first published in 1897.

Lose yourself in the blood-soaked pages of Fangtales, where a best friend mysteriously disappears; wonder why a small child roams the woods alone at midnight, and how a terrified girl can get help when her house is surrounded by hungry vampires.

Fangtales • ISBN 978-0-9560363-6-0 • Published by Wyvern Publications • October 2011
Buy it here on Amazon.

Wyvern Publications began in 2009 as a small press dedicated to bringing quality teen fiction into the mainstream. Its first publication, The Faerie Conspiracies by Holly Stacey, received rave reviews on Amazon. www.wyvernpublications.com

Congrats, Theresa for your short story acceptance into Fangtales!!! I wish you many, many more...

Short Listed and Another Anthology

My pirate short story, Skullhaven, is short listed for the Cutlass and Musket Anthology in the previous post! I just heard back today.

As for the BSO, I'll hear back from them by December 10th to see if I get a live audition. They have my recording, so all I can do now is wait.

I've started a new story for this anthology:



What a neat cover! I bet this one is harder to get into because it's a paying market, but I'm giving it a try. My story is a sci fi explorer story, set in the year 2568 called Timeshift.

Here's the beginning:

“Compatible planet found.”
The monotone computer voice echoed in Donnica's head as sound with no meaning. She reached up with shaky fingers and touched the ice crusted glass above her face. Tubes rustled from her arm and she yanked them out, squirming.
How long had she been in stasis?

Anyone else going to write for this one?

New Anthology Looking for Submissions: Tales of Pirate Skullduggery

I'm writing a new short story to submit to this new pirate anthology by Wicked East Press.

I LOVE pirate lore, and every time a new pirate anthology comes up I jump at the opportunity to write about anything pirate.

Here's the opening to my story, Skullhaven:

Isabelle plunked her fat parcel of coins on the bar. A single piece of gold tumbled out and spun on the countertop, catching the eye of an old man sipping the last drops of his red cider ale. He leaned over but she avoided him and stared straight at the hefty shoulders behind the counter.
“I seek a navigator.”

Anyone else going to send something to this?

1 Acceptance and 1 Rejection

After over a hundred days of waiting I heard from Pill Hill Press last night! They accepted my necromancer story, Queen of Bones, for their fall anthology: Flesh and Bones, Rise of the Necromancers. I've sent a few stories to Pill Hill for their anthologies, and this is the first one to get in!

Everyone should check out their website because they have many more anthologies going on: a apocalyptic one, a Dixie undead one, a bloody carnival one. Writing short stories has improved my novel writing skills immensely. You have to pack everything into 3k-10k words, and the action can never slow down too much.

On the query front, I received a rejection on a partial *sad face* this week. That leaves only 3 more partials out there with agents. I try to keep working on my fifth book, but after a while I feel like these rejections are wearing me down.

Do you get worn down by rejections?
Is anyone going to try for a Pill Hill Press anthology?

New Anthology, New Story

I've decided this month's short story will be for this anthology by Norilana Books. They want a strong female protagonist in a sword and sorcery setting. How can I resist! The odds of success are slim, but I need a challenge! Whenever I write for something like this, it takes my writing to new levels.

My story is titled Malicifer, the name of a cursed sword. Rumor has it that the wielder of this sword will conquer all, but suffer from battlelust until his death, killing everything and anyone in his path. In an effort to gain the attention of the newly appointed Knight and save the kingdom from the wizard army, a milk maid steals the sword. Can she overcome the power of the curse, or is she doomed to a life on the battlefield?

Here's my picture for inspiration:



and here's where I found it.

Anyone planning to write a story for this anthology?

My New Website

I finally finished the final edits to The Voices of Ire today! Yay! I'm so sick of taking out adverbs and was's. I'll never use them again. E-v-e-r. I've learned my lesson. Now it goes to the final editor, and then to print. It will be my first novel in print, available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. I'm so excited and a little nervous because it was the first thing I wrote as an adult.

While I worked on my edits, my husband fixed up my website: www.authoraubrie.com. It has every single thing I've ever published on it, complete with reviews and pictures of all the covers. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Stories About Atlantis

The deadline is coming up for Pill Hill's Atlantis Anthology! I checked on Duotrope and they only have 3 responses pending. So I'm thinking that maybe I have a good chance? At least it's not a hundred! (Like Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Clarkesworld) Does anyone want to write an Atlantis story and submit it as well?

I'm halfway through my story. It took me about a month to think of all the different ways an island can sink in the ocean and why. And then I had to think of which perspective to write the story from: Explorers finding the island underwater? Mermaids that live under the sea? I finally decided to write the story from the perspective of a girl living on the doomed island.

I thought I'd throw in Poseidon to make it more interesting!


Here is the blurb:
When Marina's brother sets sail during a storm, Marina makes a deal with Poseidon to save him: her hand in marriage for her brother's life. Left with a pearl ring, Marina must wait for Poseidon's return. While in the marketplace, she meets a young temple guard that assures her she is safe from his wraith. Tempted by his love, she kisses him and the sea rises up as Poseidon gets his revenge.

Here's the first paragraph:

The surf churned bubbles in the sand and whale-sung elegies rode the wind. Marina peered through the seashell charms hanging in the window of her beach hut and watched her brother’s fishing boat disappear over the horizon, riding the tidal waves out to sea. He’d been reckless before, but this time he tempted the gods with foolish abandon. Emptiness rose in the pit of her stomach with the ill omens. She knew she’d never see him alive again.

What would you choose to write about if you were to write an Atlantis tale? What do you find interesting about the lost continent?

A Fierce Pirate Cover!

I'm excited to unveil the cover for the Skulls and Crossbones anthology that my short story got into this past fall. The requirements for the anthology were to come up with a woman pirate story, and boy, this cover says it all!

My story is titled "Pirate Wannabe".

Here's the blurb:

Dragged to every pirate event and maritime museum by her buccaneer crazed friend, Clare is tired of drudging up the past and wants to work on her own assertiveness in the present. On a special trip to learn about Ravishing Robert, The Pirate King of the Seven Seas, Clare has a newfound burst of curiosity and finds herself drawn into his tragic tale. When no one is looking, she pulls out his sword, yanking it from the century old mast where it was found at the bottom of the sea. Releasing the object sends her back in time as a stowaway aboard his ship, the Red Lichen, where she has a chance to prevent his mutiny and save the dashing pirate from sudden death.

The anthology should be out soon this month and I'll let you know when it's here!

Wal-Mart was Crazy!

Oh my goodness, I just returned from Wal-Mart and it was a MAD HOUSE! I'd done all my christmas shopping way before Christmas and then today I realized that I'd forgotten to buy something for my sister's dog, Faye. The entire parking lot was full, never mind the strange car parade of people wearing santa hats and shouting out Merry Christmas blocking the way in and out. Frosty stood on the back of a pick up truck, and all the people surrouding the Santa ringing a bell clogged the front of the store... And this all happened before I even went in.

People raced with shopping carts, I was almost hit twice, and all the fuzzy socks were gone. Entire displays were empty, and the cashiers were not in a good mood. But they did have dog bones, nice ones in fact. Phew!

Anyways, my short story, Darken, is out in the "Winter Solstice" Fantasy and Sci Fi Edition of Emerald Tales.




Their next theme is Carnival, if anyone is interested in writing a story for them. I'm going to pass on this theme because I have a whole series of carnival stories coming out with Gypsy Shadow Publishing, and I think I'd go crazy if I had to write one more.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!

My Rainbow Story, writing update

I'm halfway through my short story for the "Rainbow's End" anthology. Here is a rough draft of the blurb:

Apprenticed as a weaver to her mother, Tala yearns to follow in her footsteps and complete the Tapestry of History for their village's yearly Festival of Ancestors. Tala only sees the world in monochrome and struggles to discern the patterns on the loom. In desperation she consults a witch woman, who instructs her to follow the rainbow's end to find what she seeks. Tala journeys with a friend from her childhood and together they learn that life is not black and white at the rainbow's end.

And I'm slowly working through my edits for Messenger in the Mist, and boy is it taking a long time. Phew! Because the semester is over at the University, I have Fridays off for the next month, so I'm hoping to get a lot done.

Is anyone else going to write a story for this? If not, what are you writing for?

New Anthology Seeks "End of Rainbow" stories

I'm brain storming ideas for this one! ParsecInk.org is seeking submissions for a new "End of the Rainbow" theme for their annual short fiction anthology.

Here is the link.

Any ideas? Any takers? I'm going to write one for this, so it would be great if someone else entered a submission with me!

In other news, Lisa Rusczyk posted a wonderful review of all of my Seasons of Fantasy Series and Night Dance as well. Here is her review.

And I'm putting the finishing touches on my story, Queen of Bones, for the Pill Hill Necromancer Anthology/competition.

Song of the Bard is waiting in the cue for Mindflights, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that.

Any submissions anyone else is waiting for? And news???

Good Review! Sad Rejection.

Okay, first the good news:

The first review came in for Chameleon's Colors today. This review is by The Cajun Book Lady.

Here is the highlight of the review:

"This ebook was sent to me by the author for review and while I'm not normally one for ebooks the cover really caught my attention. I'm so glad that it did!

I will say that I was taken in by Aubrie's writing style from the very beginning. She is descriptive but not overly so. You can visualize the story easily and see your characters as I think she pictures them. It was a fast paced story that kept me interested and entertained the whole time I was reading. For me this was a story of trying to fit in and how sometimes you can only find true happiness when you look within yourself. I thought this was a wonderful short story and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a bit of science fiction mixed in with their reading..."

And now the bad news. Song of the Bard was rejected today from the Music From Another World anthology. He said, "I thought it was very gripping but just doesn't fit the collection." I'm sending it to Mindflights Magazine today. So wish me luck!

Writing Update

Well, I didn't win NaNo this year, but it did give me a jumpstart to my new novel, Desert Nomad, which is slowly progressing (Chapter 7, 15,000 words).

It's my fourth full length novel to date. My first novel, The Voices of Ire, was published as an ebook by a company that went under, so it's been put on the back burner for some time. Last week I got an email from the owner of Wyvern Publications asking if I had anything to submit to their new adult fantasy book line called, "Dark Spire." I thought The Voices of Ire would be perfect! It even rhymes: Spire and Ire! So I'm currently waiting on the edge of my seat to see what they think. If they like it, it will be an actual print book available at Barnes and Noble online and Amazon. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

As for my short stories, I'm still working on Song of the Bard for this anthology. Anyone that wants to submit a story with me is welcome. It's really neat to make it into the same anthology together, which has happened to me and my critique buddies twice now.

My Christmas shopping is 90 percent done because I did most of it online! And no more stressful flute concerts until the Nutcracker in late December. Now I have the time to focus on my writing. *sigh*

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving?

New Anthology Combines Music with Fantasy/Sci fi!

I just saw a post on Live Journal in the specific markets section for writers about this new anthology. They are accepting submissions for a fantasy/sci fi story with a music theme!

It's called "Music for Another World." And here's the link.This anthology seems so perfect for me! I'm brainstorming ideas like crazy right now trying to come up with a way to use music as an integral part of a fantasy story. I'm thinking something along the lines of how music could magically be stronger than steel. My story title: Song of the Bard. I've played an actual piece of music called Song of the Bard, and it would be neat to set a story to it.



In other news, I'm not doing so well at NaNoWriMo. I have edits to work through for Nebula's Music and Chameleon's colors for my two ebook publishers this month, which has set me back. I like the way my story is developing, though it's slow going. I'm, also interested in Stephen's King's new book "Under the Dome." But I know if I buy it now, I'll get nothing done!

What do you think of this new anthology? How's your writing going?

What makes a story scary?

Lately I've been seeing a lot of anthologies for spooky stories: at least three zombie anthologies, Pandora's Nightmare, Day Terrors...the list goes on and on.

I wish I could write for these places, but I'm not good at writing scary stories! I love watching horror movies, I love love love reading Stephen King, but I can't write my own horror filled tales. The only scary story that I tried to write has yet to find a home. And I wonder why??

So it brings me to this question: What makes a story scary? What's the scariest story/novel that you've read and why? Or what's the scariest story you wrote?

Fall Foliage and my Winter Solstice story

October is the peak foliage month here in New Hampshire. This year is especially pretty! There hasn't been much rain, and so we've had some nice sunny and clear days to take pictures.

Speaking of Autumn, I'm currently working on a Winter Solstice story for Emerald Tales.

The theme is "Winter Solstice" and with some googling and research I found that the first people to supposedly celebrate the winter solstice were the Mesopotamians. They had a 12 day Festival of Renewal with offerings designed to help the God Marduk tame the masters of chaos for one year. How cool is that? It's due to the ancient fear that the failing light will never return again.

My story is based on this premise: It's titled, "Darken," and it's about a young girl in Mesopotamia who catches a scribe stealing the offerings for Marduk on the 12th day of the festival of Renewal. It's due Nov. 1st, so I'm feverishly writing to get it done.

My question today is: When you think of Winter Solstice, what comes to mind? Shortening days? Christmas? What would your Winter Solstice story be about?

Two Acceptances in one week!

Two of my short stories were accepted into anthologies this week:

"Tempests' Savior" was accepted into "Mertales" by Wyvern Publications for their anthology next fall. The moral of the story is "There's more fish in the sea!"

Here's the blurb:

Reeling from a breakup, Maddy runs out into a hurricane and is pulled by a tidal wave into the sea. Her savior, a blond and tan surfer, has strange qualities that lead her to believe that he is more fish than man.



"Pirate Wannabe" was accepted by Bedazzled Ink Publishing Company for their "Skulls and Crossbones" anthology about woman pirates. It will come out in January 2010.

Here is the blurb:

Dragged to every pirate event and maritime museum by her buccaneer crazed friend, Clare is tired of drudging up the past and wants to work on her own assertiveness in the present. On a special trip to learn about Ravishing Robert, The Pirate King of the Seven Seas, Clare has a newfound burst of curiosity and finds herself drawn into his tragic tale. When no one is looking, she pulls out his sword, yanking it from the century old mast where it was found at the bottom of the sea. Releasing the object sends her back in time as a stowaway aboard his ship, the Red Lichen, where she has a chance to prevent his mutiny and save the dashing pirate from sudden death.

I'm really getting into anthologies! I think it's neat to have a theme and see how each author spins it out in a different way. I used to read scary story anthologies as a kid, and I never knew how diverse they could be.

Writing for anthologies has made me a better writer as well. I've had to be more creative to find a story that I can write that will fit with the theme. It's made me think about what the publishers are looking for, and how to best use the theme in a new and inventive way. I totally recommend it to any writers out there.

Lastly, I want to thank my critique buddies: Christine and Cherie for helping me out. Thanks guys, you are the best!

Dragontales Available for Pre-order

My short story, Wyvern Hunt, is part of this new anthology called Dragontales by Wyvern Publications. It's available for preorder now at Barnes and Noble.

I've just submitted a "MerMan" story for their next anthology titled, "Mertales." They are accepting submissions right now until next summer if anyone wants to try to get in the anthology with me! www.wyvernpublications.com

Labor Day Update

The Nightbird Anthology is out in print and can be ordered here!

My short story, Spirit Flight is on page 126.


And I'm happy to report that my short story, Sea Storm's Castaway is published online at Silver Blade.



This is very special for me because my critique partner's story went out in the same issue. You can find her story here.

As for the commercial, I'm still waiting for a call. I went down for a call back last week and they've narrowed it down to 6 flutists. Only me and one other had piccolos as well, and only I had the music memorized. My audition went spectalcularly well so it's hard for me not to hope. I also got to meet "McG" the director of Terminator Salvation and Charlie's Angels, which was way cool seeing that I love movies. It was worth going down there just for that.
I want to thank my devoted sister, Brianne, for going down with me the second time. And I want to thank my devoted critique partners, Cherie and Christine for my writing success!! Thanks guys.

As far as Labor Weekend went, I had two weddings to play at (both on the same day ah!) and went to my brother's house to ride and pet his horses, which was very relaxing. Chris drove the tractor and cut some of their overgrown grass. What did everyone else do for Labor Day?

Medusa's Lament in Niteblade September 2009 Issue Available now!

The September 2009 Issue of Niteblade Magazine is available now! On page 77 (yes, I've already memorized the page number-I'm a dork) is my story, Medusa's Lament, complete with a hand drawing of one of the scenes. You can buy it here.

Here's the blurb for the story:

Medusa's Lament is a fantasy short story about the sense of isolation and inner turmoil facing a cursed woman. When a warrior comes to slay her for a prize, she embraces his triumph and welcomes an end to her suffering. But the warrior is consumed with curiosity and, at the last moment of the fight, takes off his blindfold to look in her eyes. The irony is that he becomes her greatest prize.

In other news, I haven't heard back from the casting agency for the commercial yet. (O woe is me) I didn't even really want it at first, and now that I've invested my time, energy and emotion, I want a call now more than ever. I keep looking at my phone like it has some magical gate to happiness. I should just let it rest. They may not even call me at all.

I'm starting my teaching at PSU on Friday, which will keep my mind off of things. But, until then, I'm working on a short story for the Pill Hill Anthology called, "Shadows and Light, Tales of Lost Kindgoms." This idea is really neat and just right for my writing. My story's titled, "Shadow Prince."

What's new in September for you?