My publisher, Wyvern Publications has opened submissions to their third anthology: Fangtales.
The first anthology was Dragtontales, (now available on Amazon):
And this past year they did Mertales. (Soon to be coming out in the fall) Including stories from fellow bloggers Cherie Reich, and Nicole Zoltak.
Here's the criteria for Fangtales:
Fangtales is our upcoming vampire anthology for teens. Stories will be accepted from the 1 September 2010 and should feature a vampire tale of 2,000-5,000 words. Please send submissions to wyvernpublications@googlemail.com with Fangtales Submission in the subject line of the e-mail and the document in a Microsoft Word attachment.
The closing date is 15 January 2011. Submitting authors will be contacted by the end of January. The editor (Berni Stevens) of Fangtales prefers traditional vampires as in Bram Stoker's Dracula (this means no walking in the sunlight, eating garlic, or laughing at the sign of the cross...the traditional vampire truly is a creature of the night and not a day-walker with sparkly skin). However, she is looking for a fresh new look at an overworked genre and wants to be scared!
This story is special to me because it forced me to write outside my comfort zone and outside my genre. It's told from a teen boy's perspective and the setting is Africa! Enjoy :)
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!
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!
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.
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?
I am so excited to report that my story, Song of the Bard, was accepted by Mindflights Magazine today! (I immediately looked it up to see if it's a qualifying venue to join SFWA, but sadly, not. It's a paying magazine, though!) I sent in the contract this afternoon.
Also, my good writer friend, Cherie Reich, reviewed two of my short stories over at her blog. She's got a short story coming out with Wild Child Publishing in 2010, and one in Emerald Tales for December.
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!
The first short story in my Carnival of Illusions Series is out today at Gypsy Shadow Publishing!
The Carnival of Illusions Series features a different female character in the Masquerade Carnival in each story and the journey that they travel to appreciate their unique talents and discover love. Each story is, in itself, an illusion, portraying a situation which is really something else entirely. A twist at the end turns each tale on its head, revealing the illusion and giving everything in it a new meaning.
Chameleon's Colors is about staying true to yourself and your "true colors."
Here is the blurb:
Ever since she stumbled into her father’s lab and drank a cocktail of his experiments, Kaylee has the ability to change color, blending into her environment like a chameleon. Deemed a freak at school, she runs away and joins the Masquerade Carnival. Her life takes on a routine and she enjoys performing in the shows until one day she falls for a young man hired to help run the rides. Coincidentally, an old, roving gypsy offers to restore her body as it once was to win his heart. Now she must choose between her unique powers or a chance at love.
It's available now. I'm also looking for reviewers if anyone is interested in posting their review, let me know and I'll send you a review copy.
I'm almost done! I have one final scene to write and then off to my critique partners for their eagle eyes!
I can't tell you how long I searched on the internet for a handsome picture of a bard! They're all cutesy, old, or dorky. But not this one. This is what my bard looks like:
Here is an excerpt from the story. This happens right after their village is attacked by a fire drake.
..."When I climbed out my window, I entered complete darkness and skin biting cold. Smoke from the dying fires blackened the sky, obstructing the moon and stars. I fumbled down the trellis and picked my way through the dimly lit streets, catching light from the late night candles flickering in the windows of the few houses left standing.
Kicking my way through piles of burnt wood and broken glass, I traveled through the sleeping village. Still warm, the ash singed the bottom of my boots. I risked melting the leather soles, but the drake attacked three times since the last full moon and I didn’t doubt that it would return soon. I needed to take the most direct path if I was to reach the House of Song by the first rays of morning light.
The forest whispered a warning to me as I passed and I blocked the thought of wolves. I’d picked up a fallen soldier’s blackened sword from the rubbish and I carried it as a reassurance against the pack. I was three years older since my last dealing with the bright eyed beasts and had grown from a plump girl into a lady with a lengthy reach and extended gait. The thought of their ridged backs and thick fur shouldn’t have frightened me anymore, but it did.
An owl hooted from the bows of the evergreens and I continued my silent trek. The more steps I took, the more I doubted that he would come back with me at all. My idea became increasingly ridiculous the farther I traveled and I wondered if I’d gone mad. Distant howls careened from where I’d trespassed. It was too late to go back.
I took off into a sprint, branches whipping at my face. I caught the gleam of a silver eye in the shadows and I panicked, running too fast to carve a decent route through the underbrush. My sweater snagged and I tripped and fell. My head whipped around, but no paws climbed upon me. I was alone in a clearing. I’d climbed high enough to rise above the village smog and the moon shone down, illuminating my path. The sky was a slate expanse, twilight verging on morning dawn.
Out of the distance, I heard a deep humming, a droning bass that rumbled my stomach. I knew the wolves would come no further. I was in the music’s realm. Picking my bruised body up, I jogged toward the sound.
Deep within Ravenwood, on the crest of a hilltop, stood the House of Song. It sprawled from the earth and trees like it was carved from nature itself, its cast iron gates threaded with ivy and periwinkle and smooth stone towers mirroring the treetops. The humming grew louder, as if they were aware of my presence and I held my breath as I opened the gate.
A melody, sweet as a lullaby in summertime drifted up and soothed my fast beating heart. I followed the sound though a rose garden with a mossy fountain gurgling in the center. Summoning courage, I called out my lost love’s name, “Arlen Gray.” A shadow moved at the far end of the garden and a man emerged from the roses. “I knew you would come.”
Just as I’d grown fair and lithe in the last three years, so had he. Standing a foot taller than I remembered, and leaner as well, he wore a tailored cloak of indigo, covering a tight fitting leather tunic and high boots with silver buckles. His hair fell in a swish of ebony, tapering off around high cheekbones with eyes of sparkling blue. A lute was tied to his back, the bridge carved in wooden swirls. He’d done well for himself. He was a vision of strength and grace and here I was, standing raggedy and bloodied at his footsteps with ash and soot in my golden hair.
“We need your help.”..."
I'm so excited to finish and send it in. This anthology tracks all of the submissions and you can see how many they've chosen and how many they are considering, so it will be neat to watch how it develops.
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?
My short story, Darken, was accepted into the Winter Solstice sci-fi/fantasy edition of Emerald Tales! Here is the site if you are thinking of submitting to their next themed issue, Carnivale. They are a paying magazine! Darken is based on the Mesopotomian 12 day Festival of Renewal in which offerings are designed to help the God, Marduk, tame the masters of chaos for one year. It is due to the ancient fear that the failing light will never return.
In other news, I'm having trouble finding a place for my post apolocalyptic thriller/horror story, Reverence. I orginally wrote it for the Dead Bells Anthology, and when they asked for a major rewrite I declined. I sent it to the Absent Willow Review, a really neat horror/fantasy based ezine with a beautiful site, but it was rejected last night. Today I sent it to the Abandoned Towers print magazine hoping to have more luck there.
Any suggestions as to where else I could send it if Abandoned Towers isn't interested? Here is the blurb and wht the story is about: Reverence is a post apocalyptic thriller based on the ancient Mayan calendar that ends in the year 2012.
Mira, a newly appointed college professor, reluctantly accepts a gift from one of her colleagues at a New Year’s Eve party. When she wakes up the next morning to find everyone gone, she realizes the full potential of her gift. Did removing it from the ruins cause the apocalypse? Is she really the last one left?
My Seasons of Fantasy Series is now complete and available at Gypsy Shadow Publishing! I've added new scenes and more dialog to each short story, completing the series. My goal is to publish a print book of all four with illustrations, but that's far off from now.
In honor of the new releases, I'm giving away one of the short stories in the series. To enter the drawing, all you need to do is comment below stating your favorite season of the year. Mine is summer, and sadly, it's over for now. And my least favorite is Winter, but the conflict in Winter makes for good writing! I think Winter Queen came out the best because of it.
You can comment even if you've never commented before. In fact, that would be wonderful to see some new faces as well.
These ebooks are all available at www.gypsyshadow.com
I just finished my Winter Solstice story today (woohoo!) and sent it to my two critique partners for edits.
My question is: How long do you let a story/poem sit before you send it in? Days? Weeks? Do you re read it over and over again?
Usually I get my edits back from my critiquers and then read it one more time a day or two later before sending it in, but I'm curious as to what other writers do. What works the best for you?
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?
I am so excited to annouce that my short story, Facade, was accepted into the November Sci fi/Fantasy issue of Emerald Tales. They had 125 submissions, so I feel very lucky that they picked mine!
In other news, I'm preparing for a concert next weekend at the Pleasant View Retirement Home Sunday September 20th at 2pm.
I know it looks like more of a mansion than a retirement home. Can I live there?? Anyways, It's violin, flute, and harpsichord and we are playing selections by Scarlatti, Mozart, Bach, and Faure. It's all beautiful music and easy listening. It's also free and open to the public!
In other news, I was not cast as a "flutist" for the visa commercial. It took me three days to get over it and be able to post about it, but here I am looking forward and not backward. I'm off to finish my first set of line edits for "Nebula's Music." I've added scenes to make her look more human and likeable and explain why Radian loves her. Rewrites are so difficult! But it makes the story that much better.
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?
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."
I am so excited to report that my short story, Sea Storm's Castaway is going to be included in the 4th issue of Silverblade, coming out in September 2009!
Sea Storm's Castaway is an urban fantasy short story about a mermaid that beaches herself on shore during a violent storm. Written from the viewpoint of a young woman, it centers around her quest to rescue the mermaid at all costs, even if it means her own life.
This news really cheers me up because I just heard from Samhain about my Space Opera and they didn't accept it :(... It was a form letter because they said there were so many submissions that they couldn't even tell everyone why they didn't accept their story. How many people out there are writing space operas??? Jeez. Anyways, I've submitted it to another publisher and will hear back within a month.
I am so excited to report that my short story, Medusa's Lament will be published in Nightblade for their September edition online! I need to thank my two critique partners, Christine Rains and Cherie Reich for their suggestions and continued support! I couldn't have done it without you!
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.
Author and flutist in New England. I teach flute at a university and a community music school. Represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Writes for Entangled Publishing, Inkspell Publishing, Spencer Hill, Lyrical Press, and GSP. My short stories have been featured in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Aurora Wolf, A Fly in Amer, Moon Drenched Fables and various anthologies.
"A one-of-a-kind adventure that will tug your heart..." -Aobibliosphere Reviews 5 Stars
"Perfect blend of fast-paced action-adventure, a sweet love story and a theme that resonates with all of us..." Two Lips Reviews Five Lips Recommended Read
"Complicated yet fascinating..." Romance Times 4 stars
"Quality science fiction paired with a lovely, nicely presented side of romance. Fascinating, well-drawn characters and a well-developed alien world make this a tale not to be missed." 4.5 stars! Susan Mobley, Romance Times
"Thrilling fantasy adventure..." Torchlight Reviews 5 books
Short Stories by Cherie Reich, Aubrie Dionne, and Lisa Rusczyk
"Sure to satisfy many sci-fi fans..." Long and Short Romance Reviews 4 books
