Jane Nightshade's Blog, page 3
May 26, 2023
Serial Encounters
SUBMISSION CALL: I'm excited to be editing/curating my first anthology for Hellbound Books, Jane Nightshade's Serial Encounters. Here are the deetz for anyone interested in submitting.
JANE NIGHTSHADE'S SERIAL ENCOUNTERS
Have you ever wondered about the ordinary people who came in contact with famous serial killers before everyone knew them for their depraved, murderous acts?
What did Jeffrey Dahmer's plumber experience when he unclogged the notorious cannibal's toilet? Or how about the guy who worked in the music shop where Charles Manson had his guitars strung? The girl who waited on Ted Bundy at his favorite coffee shop? Jack the Ripper's neighborhood bartender? How about one of the kids who had John Wayne Gacey perform as a clown at their birthday party?
For this anthology, we're looking for short stories about casual encounters of fictional people with serial killers, that turned creepy or deadly. Stories can be straight crime/thriller stories or ones with a supernatural bent (haunted objects, ghosts, demons, etc.).
Characters and victims, aside from the serial killers, must be fictional—real names of victims or family members can not be used. Also, feel free to use lesser-known killers like Richard Speck or The Boston Strangler, in case the Bundy and Manson stories start piling up like the bodies of their victims...
Note: Stories should not lionize or celebrate the serial killers, or promote racism, bigotry, or depictions of violence against children.
PLEASE read and adhere to our submission guidelines...
* Word format saved in .doc, or .docx
* 12 pt times new roman
* Double spaced
* Absolutely NO extra lines between paragraphs!
* Up to 5k word count (although we are incredibly flexible for awesome stories!)
* Write SERIAL KILLERS along with your name and story title in the header of your email
*The body of your submission email will be considered the cover letter.
* The submission documents are to be separated and Word (.doc or .docx) documents are to be attached to your submission email.
To submit, email your polished story to: jane.nightshade@hellboundbookspublishing.com
- Make sure that you check your mss for grammar and punctuation, use our guidelines to help you:
DOWNLOAD YOUR HBB GUIDE TO GRAMMAR HERE (PDF)
NO REPRINTS - ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED WORKS ONLY
Deadline: 30 August 2023
Payment - $5.00 for first rights.
Capped at 120K words in total.
JANE NIGHTSHADE'S SERIAL ENCOUNTERS
Have you ever wondered about the ordinary people who came in contact with famous serial killers before everyone knew them for their depraved, murderous acts?
What did Jeffrey Dahmer's plumber experience when he unclogged the notorious cannibal's toilet? Or how about the guy who worked in the music shop where Charles Manson had his guitars strung? The girl who waited on Ted Bundy at his favorite coffee shop? Jack the Ripper's neighborhood bartender? How about one of the kids who had John Wayne Gacey perform as a clown at their birthday party?
For this anthology, we're looking for short stories about casual encounters of fictional people with serial killers, that turned creepy or deadly. Stories can be straight crime/thriller stories or ones with a supernatural bent (haunted objects, ghosts, demons, etc.).
Characters and victims, aside from the serial killers, must be fictional—real names of victims or family members can not be used. Also, feel free to use lesser-known killers like Richard Speck or The Boston Strangler, in case the Bundy and Manson stories start piling up like the bodies of their victims...
Note: Stories should not lionize or celebrate the serial killers, or promote racism, bigotry, or depictions of violence against children.
PLEASE read and adhere to our submission guidelines...
* Word format saved in .doc, or .docx
* 12 pt times new roman
* Double spaced
* Absolutely NO extra lines between paragraphs!
* Up to 5k word count (although we are incredibly flexible for awesome stories!)
* Write SERIAL KILLERS along with your name and story title in the header of your email
*The body of your submission email will be considered the cover letter.
* The submission documents are to be separated and Word (.doc or .docx) documents are to be attached to your submission email.
To submit, email your polished story to: jane.nightshade@hellboundbookspublishing.com
- Make sure that you check your mss for grammar and punctuation, use our guidelines to help you:
DOWNLOAD YOUR HBB GUIDE TO GRAMMAR HERE (PDF)
NO REPRINTS - ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED WORKS ONLY
Deadline: 30 August 2023
Payment - $5.00 for first rights.
Capped at 120K words in total.
May 20, 2023
A Scream Full of Ghosts
My book, "A Scream Full of Ghosts" is now live on Amazon and other online booksellers in both Kindle and print versions. It's been a long haul. Some of the stories go back to my "apprentice" years as a horror writer, in the 2013-2015 era.
It's tough to say what's my favorite story in the collection. I'm very fond of "The Stone Wife", which was the true beginning of my career as a regular fiction writer in the paranormal/horror space; before that story, I just dabbled.
I still laugh when I reread "Footdazzle", my Damon Runyonesque take on an old Scottish folk tale called "The Suitor of Selkirk."
I still get a little misty-eyed at the bittersweet ending of "Red Onion," a tribute to my years as a very young single mom struggling to survive. It would have been nice to have a regular source of free meals back in those days!
It's tough to say what's my favorite story in the collection. I'm very fond of "The Stone Wife", which was the true beginning of my career as a regular fiction writer in the paranormal/horror space; before that story, I just dabbled.
I still laugh when I reread "Footdazzle", my Damon Runyonesque take on an old Scottish folk tale called "The Suitor of Selkirk."
I still get a little misty-eyed at the bittersweet ending of "Red Onion," a tribute to my years as a very young single mom struggling to survive. It would have been nice to have a regular source of free meals back in those days!
