Aeryn Rudel's Blog, page 61

Rejectomancy Exclusive – The Barghest by Orrin Grey

As I mentioned in this post, my very talented writer friend Orrin Grey is re-releasing his first collection of short stories,Never Bet the Devil & Other Warnings throughStrix publishing. You can check out the Kickstarter campaign right here. Orrin is a horror writer, and a damn good one, and he and Strix Publishing have given me permission to post one of the stories in the collection here. So, check out the “The Barghest” below for a taste ofwhat you’ll get in the premium re-release ofNever B...

Never Bet the Devil: An Interview with Orrin Grey

Orrin Grey is one hell of a horror writer, and I’ve had the extreme pleasure ofworking with him a number of times in my previous role as managing editor for Skull Island eXpeditions. Hejustgetshorror, and creepy, disturbingthings fall out of his head and on to the page like a burst pinata full of spiders. To bring his particular brand of darkness to the world,Orrin has recently partnered with another of my favorite people in the publishing biz, Simon Berman of Strix Publishing. Together, they...

Red Sun Magazine Calls Me Out

The dastardly editors over at Red Sun Magazine, who recently published my story “Paper Cut,” have posted a villainousattack on my character. Why? Because I skipped one lousy question when they interviewed me for the magazine.

I mean, come on, Red Sun. There was like thirty questions in that interview. I kept expecting you to ask me about my favorite color or flavorof ice cream. Is it a literary interview or a survey for an internet dating site? I mean, I should get a commendation for ONLYskip...

Fightin’ Fiction: 5 Melee Myths

One of my many hobbies is HEMA, or historical European martial arts, wherein folks study various fighting manuals from the medieval and renaissance periods and attempt to recreate these martial disciplines as accurately as possible. Once you swing a sword the way it’s meant to be swung and then do a little historical research, you quickly find popular media presents combatwith swords, axes, maces, and other crushy, stabby, pointy things . . . well, uh, incorrectly would the nicest way to put...

My Latest Publication: “The Father of Terror.”

My story “The Father of Terror” took second place in the The Molotov Cocktail’s Flash Icon contest. You can read it (for free) right now and all the other excellent stories bythe top ten finalists in theFlash Icon mega-issue. And, if you’re of the writerly persuasion, don’t miss The Molotov Cocktail’s next flash fiction contest, Flash Fear, for your own shot at cash and glory. Details and deadlines to be announced on the Molotov website soon.

One Year of Rejectomancy & Strange Search Terms

Rejectomancy has been up and running for over a year, and I’d like to offer a big thank you to those who have followed the blog here and on Facebook and Twitter. Your tolerance for my blathering borders on the supernatural, and I hope you’ve taken something useful away from all my rejections and dubious writing advice.

Looking back over the last year, one thing I find interesting is what exactly brings people to the blog. Luckily, WordPress saves all the terms put into various search engines...

Acceptance Letter Archive: The Acceptance + Edits Letter

So, uh, I haven’t received any rejection letters lately. Note, this is not because I’m such a better writer now; I’ve justfailed to send any submissions. Since I’m short on rejections to talk about, I thought I’d add another entry into my much smaller (minuscule, really) acceptance letter section on the ol’ blog.

The letter I’m going to talk about today is the acceptance +edits letter, which, in my experience, is not too uncommon. Basically, it’s a very polite (and welcome, I might add), “Hey...

Ranks of the Rejected: Miles Holmes

Hey, folks, meet Miles Holmes, the next courageous author to share his deep, dark secrets in Ranks of the Rejected. I’ve known Miles for some time, and I worked with himquite a bit in my role as managing editor for Privateer Press’ fiction line. Miles’ work is highly imaginative, and the author himself has a kind of frenetic energy that definitely translates to his work, an element on full display in his most recent novel,Tales of the Invisible Hand.I spoke with Miles about the usual rejectio...

July 2016 Submission Statement

This submission statement is going to be short and sweet. Yep, no rejections, no acceptances, and only two measly submissions. Sad, I know. I do have an excuse, though; my first novel,Flashpoint,was released last month, and a lot of my writerly efforts went in that direction. I aim to get back on track in August and fill the next submission statement with rejection letters and bitter, bitter tears.

JulyReport Card

Submissions Sent: 2 Rejections: 0 Acceptances: 0 Other: 0 Publications: 2 Pub...

Iron Kingdoms Freebie: Wayward Fortunes

I have a new Iron Kingdoms story in the Julyissue ofNo Quartermagazine from Privateer Press. The story is part of a loosely connected series I’ve been writing off and an for the last five years about a misfit bunch of dwarves, or Rhulfolk, who have been stationed at a place called Baram Fort atthe ass-end of nowhere guarding a pass no one cares about. They’re all drunks, miscreants, thieves, and worse, and I’ve had a lot of fun writing about them. The story below, published in 2012, is one ta...