Chantal Boudreau's Blog, page 11

April Blitz 2016: And Two Pro-Rates Make a Dozen

I received my first rejection for this blitz today, but that didn’t discourage me from sending out not one, but two, pro-rate venue submissions, one fantasy and one horror (#11 and #12.) They are new venues for my submissions, but I sent them two stories I really enjoy, one of which has had “maybe”s from pro-rate venues in the past, and the other too new to know how it might fare. I had only sent it to one pro-rate venue prior to this, and they folded, cancelling that submission call as a result before I received a response. This is my first and only re-submission so far, so fingers crossed. The hubby described it as “disturbing” which is a compliment where horror is concerned.

On a happy note, I was informed of a tentative May release date for another anthology containing one of my stories, making it two for May.  I’m still waiting for word on the other four nearing release.  One is looking at July, but not giving a proposed date yet.  The other three are up in the air.

I finished a horror story today and ran it past my teenage daughter.  Reading aloud allows for better editing and if it gets better than a “meh” from her, it has potential.  She liked it.

More blitz later…

April Blitz 2016: The Next Three (#8-10)

I have become a terrible procrastinator lately, which I hope will change with better weather, but at at least I’m getting the submissions out there. Three more have been sent, one dark fantasy, one horror and one weird tale, two have which have had pro-rate “maybe”s turn to “no”s and had several re-submissions without a bite. I’m still hopeful though, and I’m treading in untested waters by sending them out to new publishers/new venues.  A lot of them are only offering token payments, but right now I’m just looking for some variety, not necessarily my next shot at a pro-rate sale.

This weekend was particularly nasty for April, with a heavy wet snowfall this morning, so I don’t expect to shakes the blahs anytime soon.  An acceptance or two from this blitz might help, until I finally get to start planting my garden. That usually lifts my spirits (fresh veggies – yay!)

I’ll keep my eyes out for new calls.  I have no lack of material for submission, so my focus now is on finding my stories a home.

April Blitz 2016: A Triple Play (#5-7)

Things happen.  When I’m doing one of my twice a year submission blitzes, sometimes I get distracted by other things and skip a day.  I had every intention of catching up the next day, but I fell asleep early and that brought an end to that idea.

Third day’s a charm, and despite jugger practice, I did manage to squeak in three submissions to get myself back on track – one superhero submission and two horror tales.

I’m also working on a short, inspired by the latest chicken mink attack.  My husband manage to eliminate both sneaky predators so far, but there’s a third skulking about.  The story is almost finished and then with a few tweaks, I’ll be able to add it to the blitz.

April Blitz 2016: #3 and 4

It seems every blitz I get at least one automated reply e-mail telling me submissions are closed on a call that’s supposed to be open. I never know how to take those. The first time I got one, I took it as truth and resubmitted the story elsewhere. Then I got a rejection letter from the supposedly closed venue several weeks later.  If they had accepted it, that would have put me in an awkward position.

I got one early in the blitz this time around, for a dark fantasy story that’s been bounced around quite a bit and gotten three “maybe”s that turned into “no”s.  I’ve decided I’m just going to ignore those  “closed to submissions” notices and treat them like any other submission, waiting it out before resubmitting.

I also sent a second story off to a quarterly I’ve considered before, but this will be my first time submitting to them.  Since they lean towards extreme horror, I had to offer up one of my harsher tales.  It’s not a favourite of mine because I prefer more subtle horror, but hopefully they’ll appreciate it.

And the blitz continues…

April Blitz 2016: Submission #2

Today’s submission went out to a small Canadian press preparing their first teen anthology. With one very minor tweak, I had just the thing for them, towards the lower end of their preferred word count. It’s only a token payment call but I like the idea of working with a new Canadian publication.  I’ve worked with four Canadian publishers to date, but I’d be happy to increase that number.  Most of my acceptances have come from U. S. venues.

I’m trying to decide what I’ll work on next, story-wise.  It’s hard to think past the drama that my unfortunate family is dealing with in France (I may go into detail later, if the situation demands it – I could be setting up a Change.org petition if all else fails), the reorg going on at my workplace and some bad news from friends.  Right now my own problems seem petty in comparison and the world, pretty harsh and scary.  If I write something, it will have to be truly escapist.

April Blitz 2016 – Submission#1 and a Friend’s Sneak Peek

This year’s spring blitz has begun – a story that has been waiting for a response from a charity anthology for over a year. I’ve withdrawn that submission and resubmitted to a new anthology. Fingers crossed.

And while this blitz is going on, I’m waiting on not one, or two, but six anthology releases.  One is scheduled to come out at the beginning of May, but the other five don’t have set release dates yet.  All I know is “soon”.  I’ll keep you up to date as I know more.

Also, to share some info on a friend’s release, here is a sneak peek from Shannon Wendtland ( Website/ Blog: http://shannonwendtlandau.wix.com/a-quarrel-called).

Shannon is a wife, mother, writer, database administrator and general pot-stirrer-turned-mystic.  Her latest release is called Heliodor and considering my venture into steampunk, I thought it would be fun to share:

“The captain placed a kid-gloved hand over Malfric’s. “Walk a bit with me while I fill you in.”

Malfric got to his feet, leaving the barrel-stool behind and looped his left hand through the crook of the captain’s arm. As the captain led him towards the bow of the ship, Malfric tasted currant jam and warm biscuits on the salty sea air. His favorite.

He stopped the captain before he could take another step. “There’s no point in buttering me up, Finch. Just give me the details. If I agree, we can proceed straight to the repast you have set up in your quarters. Otherwise, just hand me your purse and we’ll call it even.”

Finch muttered beneath his breath. “Your infernal nose ruins everything. Fine then, have it your way. A job has come up ― not our usual fare, but the bounty was too good to resist. So I booked it. But I need a voyeur to get it done. Naturally, I thought of you.”

Naturally. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.” Shifting floorboards belied the captain’s response.

Malfric frowned. “You wouldn’t have laid out my favorite tea if it were an easy job with no strings. In fact, you wouldn’t have sent for me at all…any novice voyeur would have done.”

A snicker came from his right. Ah, Quantex had followed them.

The captain’s arm tensed beneath Malfric’s hand. Though he said nothing, Malfric detected the shift and rustle of his silk coat as he turned to glare at his first mate.

“There’s an artifact. We were not the only ones hired to find it,” Finch said with a disgruntled sigh. “The other crew has a day’s head start.” His voice softened to a conspiratorial whisper, “but we have an advantage they do not.”

Oh? “And what, pray tell, is that?”

A sharp intake of breath, a faint whistle through his nose, and the captain answered. “A body.”

For purchase information, check out http://www.amazon.com/Heliodor-Shannon-Wendtland-ebook/dp/B01D7UQMKG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

 

 

 

WiH Local Spotlight – Donna Davies

My next local Woman in Horror is a filmmaker from neighbouring Prince Edward Island.  Her Nova Scotia connection is her degree in Journalism from The University of King’s College and her work with Ruby Tree films in Halifax (which she started).  Donna, also a freelance writer, began making films in 1989.  While she started out as a writer/director she says she producing is something she kind of grew into and she considers herself primarily a storyteller. (Source: BUZZon.com)

She has multiple horror endeavours to her name, including “Shadow Hunter”, a documentary series on paranormal in pop culture which she co-produced, wrote and directed, “Zombiemania” a look at zombies in pop culture and “Pretty Bloody”, a piece on female generated horror which was nominated for best Arts and Culture documentary at the Yorkton Film Festival.

Find out more about Donna and her films at http://www.rubytreefilms.com/about/donna-davies/ or http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1013354/

 

WiH Local Spotlight – Tiffany Morris

My next spotlight shines on Tiffany Morris, an emerging Mi’kmaq writer from Nova Scotia. She describes herself as a “horror and sci-fi enthusiast.”  In addition to writing fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry, she is also a regular contributor to the geek culture website PaperDroids.com.  A practicing witch, she says she is “a sucker for folklore, Gothic romanticism and all things 90s.”

Tiffany’s short story “What Lurks Among the Trees” appeared in Devolution Z Magazine.  She has also had works published in Wax and Wane, Siren’s Call eZine and Hocus Pocus & Co.’s Halloween Night anthology.

Find out more about her at http://tiffmorris.com/ .

 

WiH Local Spotlight – Denysé Bridger

My next local lady in horror (as well as many other genres) is a native of Atlantic Canada, born in Newfoundland and raised in Nova Scotia. She describes herself as a “lifelong dreamer,”  who can’t recall a time when she wasn’t creating in some artistic form. In addition to writing romance, fantasy and horror (which she considers more “dark fantasy” rather than hardcore horror, as she writes it), her interests include the American West (cowboys), the American Civil War, pirates, Greek Gods, Ancient Egypt, Victorian England, and Italy.

Her vampire stories have appeared in Margaret L. Carter’s anthology, The Vampire’s Crypt, and Night To Dawn, originally published and edited by Dawn Callahan and now published by author/editor Barbara A. Custer.

You can find her works she lists as horror here.

WiH Local Spotlight – A. F. Stewart

My second spotlight for the week shines on A. F. (Anita) Stewart, a lifelong bluenoser (born and raised) who writes a variety of genre fiction as well as poetry, but has a particular inclination towards the dark and scary.  She describes herself as someone with “an overly creative mind, and an active imagination.”  Her hobbies include reading (especially science fiction/fantasy), action movies, and oil painting.

I’ve never had the good fortune of sharing pages with her, but perhaps sometime in the future this might come to be, especially if someone puts together an anthology of works from Nova Scotian horror writers (we have a fair number here – more than I realized).  She has published books and short stories in several anthologies, which you can find on Amazon here.  Or you can find out more about her works here.