Monday, February 02, 2015

Six More Weeks of Winter



Saw his shadow. Six more weeks of winter coming our way. Although, I wouldn't really know. We haven't seen snow for weeks. The warm temperatures make it feel more like Spring than Winter. But whatever. Happy Monday

Monday, January 12, 2015

Vintage Vampire Stories Review

Skyhorse Publishing, May 1, 2011
Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN-10: 1616082348
Ordering Information: 

Long lost to the public in out-of-print pulp magazines, dusty Victorian anthologies, and the pages of now defunct newspapers these vintage vampire stories have truly proved immortal. Resurrected now for the year 2011, this is a stunning collection of nineteenth-century vampire stories by heavyweights such as Sabine Baring-Gould and Bram Stoker. 

These 15 rare stories are arranged in chronological order from 1846 to 1913 and are compiled by two of the world’s leading vampire anthologists and experts. Also included are rare images of Bram Stoker’s handwritten manuscript pages for Count Vampire (1890) courtesy of the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia.

Now, it took me awhile to finish this book but I'm finally starting to get caught up on my reviews. This book didn't grasp my attention as much as I would have liked. 

I was looking forward to reading other author's interpretations of the vampire pre-Dracula. The way they look. How they feed on human life. Most tales weren't what some have come to known as "traditional". "A Kiss of Judas" written by Julian Osgood Field could easily be the subject of a Supernatural episode. However, this book has a couple of things working against it. Some stories have a rather....long winded feel to them, a lot of telling versus showing. Makes reading them all that more tedious. 

I must add this collection needs some serious editing. There were way too many misspellings to overlook. I spotted some words that didn't fit with the prose such as "clay" instead of "day" and "of" instead of "or". Each tale was accompanied by a short introduction about the author separated from story except in the case of Morley Roberts' "The Blood Fetish". For some reason, the Appendix font is tiny compared to the rest of the book. Not sure why (maybe to save space?).

Vintage Vampire has some interesting versions on this type of monster. However, if this kind of prose is not something you are use to, prepare to fight through it. 

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Friday, December 12, 2014

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Good News

I have a couple pieces of good news to share.

Twiction Addiction has accepted my little Twiction (Twitter Fiction) story "Stalker". It's scheduled to be published on September 20th. They also gave me the option to send in another Twiction to be published on or around my birthday. Twitter size fiction is not easy to write, but there are a few markets for it. Here is a list: http://www.simonkewin.co.uk/2011/02/twitter-fiction-magazines.html.

I also had a story accepted by Flashes in the Dark Ezine as a reprint. You can view it at: http://flashesinthedark.com/2014/08/24/rods-little-blue-wagon-by-andrea-allison/.

Happy Tuesday!


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Starting Over

I know it's been over a year since posting anything on this blog. Not offering any excuses. It is what it is. There have been a few changes.

The old blog has a new look. Blue has always been my favorite color. Still working on the design though.

Haven't sent out any stories in awhile but currently, have submitted two.

More to come later....

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Pill Hill Press Closed

I received the Ralan newsletter this morning and discovered a surprise. Pill Hill Press closed up shop. Small publishers come and go all the time. Why would I take interest in this closure?

A couple of weeks ago, I received an acceptance letter from Pill Hill. My short short "Final Footprints" would soon appear in their upcoming anthology Daily Frights 2013: 365 Days of Frightening Flash Fiction. First sign of trouble was very few project updates. In the past, they were diligent with updates and response times. One starts to worry when efficiency starts to lag.

Around the beginning of January, I heard news the owner/main editor Jessy gave birth to twins (Congratulations!). By the end of January, Pill Hill Press had closed. The website and forum were shut down. The reason circulating is Jessy decided to be a mom instead of a publisher owner/editor. I'm not certain if that is the sole reason. Supposedly, there was a mass email sent out but I never received it. Learning this news rendered my acceptance letter worthless. It's sad but not the first time it has happened to me.

In other news, I completed my monthly Write1Sub1 goal for January...

Monday, January 28, 2013

Goodbye Duotrope

Duotrope: an award-winning resource for writers 


If you haven't heard already, the fabulous market website Duotrope has gone from a free service to now available to paid subscribers only. For $5 a month or about $50 a year, you can enjoy all the features you use to get for free. I understand they put a lot of hard work in to the site and was having problems being compensated for it, but I feel they went about this switch up the wrong way.

The supposed "free" features still available are fairly nonexistent.  I received the last shred of hope in my inbox this morning in the form of a monthly newsletter. It contained the first three listings for paying and nonpaying markets and not much else. Why go through all the trouble to provide almost no usable information for those who can't afford your prices?

This is me officially saying goodbye to Duotrope. The last couple of years have been fun but it seems you prefer your new/old playmates who have deeper pockets than myself. I wish you well.

Welcome my new best friend.....The (Submission) Grinder!!!

Monday, December 31, 2012

2012 In Review

I wish I could say I came out of 2012 a Write1Sub1 winner but unfortunately not. Didn't write or submit anything for October and November. However, it wasn't a total loss.

For the year 2012, I submitted a total of 12 short stories: 6 rejections, 3 acceptances (received the recent one for Daily Frights Anthology which will be published next year before Christmas) and 3 pending. In 2011, I submitted 3 short stories and 1 novella with no success. While I may not be in the same league as some writers, that's a huge improvement for me.

I say W1S1 kept me on track for the most part. Will I participate in 2013? Definitely count me in!

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

W1S1 Update - Month 7

I don't know how much joy July brought other than seeing my story published, but goals were accomplished.

Words were written. Not many, but some. Began editing a short story. I guess I've been doing flash fiction too long because I've forgotten how tedious it is to edit 5,000 words.

I can say I was quite the overachiever with my submissions. Managed to get a whole TWO sent off. Gave myself some gold stars, a pat on the back and everything.

"Final Footprints" is now in the hands of Pill Hill Press editors for their Daily Frights 2013 anthology. Can't say I have complete faith in it's acceptance but if they do choose it, I hope I get the day I requested. Of course, I chose my birthday. Couldn't think of any other one to choose.

The second story "Sealed With Anguish" hasn't had a lot of luck so far. I've submitted it to like eight different markets and no fish has been biting. Hopefully, this time will be different. The name of the anthology is Down the Rabbit Hole published by Wicked East Press. It's an alternate world type of theme like Neverland and Oz. My story fits the theme perfectly. So, hopefully they'll take it. The bonus would be the $5 paycheck with an acceptance. Got my fingers crossed.

RIP Gore Vidal

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Rejection #6

Received this one a couple of weeks ago:

Dear Andrea Allison,

Thank you for considering Haunted Waters Press. We appreciate the opportunity to read "Final Footprints." Unfortunately, From the Depths is not the right showcase for this piece. With regret, I'm afraid we must pass, but would be happy to review any of your future work.

Thank you again.

Best regards,
Susan Warren Utley
Editor, Haunted Waters Press


Visit Haunted Waters Press to view our open calls for submissions and to enter the Penny Fiction Flash Fiction Writing Contest:
http://www.hauntedwaterspress.com/Submissions.html

After re-reading the story, I realized why they rejected it. It would help if the entire story made sense...LOL! Working on the edits.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Weighing the Good with the Bad

I know it's been awhile since I've updated this blog. A lot has happened.

There was a death in the family. Well, there's been several in the last few months. I've lost a few members of the Great Great part of my family, an aunt and uncle. My step-uncle passed away too. We're still uncertain as to what caused his death.

On the writing front, I've stuck with completing my Write1Sub1 goals. However, no more acceptances to report. But all is not sorrow. Remember my anthology acceptance I bragged about a couple months back? Well, it has been released!

No Rest for the Wicked, a collection of stories about haunted objects, is available for purchase on Amazon for $3.99. My story "Rod's Little Blue Wagon" is #18 on the list! A print version will soon be available through Rainstorm Press' website. No Rest for the Wicked also has it's own Facebook page!

Like....Buy.....Enjoy!!

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Monday, March 05, 2012

Thursday, March 01, 2012

W1S1 Update - Month 2

So far, I'm staying on target. I can put February down on my goal achievements for the year.

Wrote a short short, currently an orphan with no name. Poor little guy. One of these days, I might actually start breaking the 100-word mark.

Submitted two stories this month. I was feeling spiffy and decided to be an overachiever. Sent "Intruder" to Nanoism. Wrote it for Tweet the Meat a couple of years ago. They didn't want it. So, maybe Nanoism will.

If you've read the previous post, "Rod's Little Blue Wagon" didn't make the list for Horror for Good. However, after sending it to another anthology market yesterday, I received word today that it was ACCEPTED! I'm so excited and I'm telling everyone. More details to come.

So far, enjoying my W1S1 success!

Monday, February 13, 2012

A Good Rejection

I kind of expected this letter. Wasn't too confident about the length of my story. Oh well. I hope they raise a lot money for AIDS Research. You can follow the progress of the anthology via their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/horrorforgood.


Dear Andrea,

I'm sorry to say this, but we're going to have to pass on "Rod's Little Blue Wagon."
We had a lot of submissions to consider and as a result we had to let a lot of good stories go. We feel you shouldn’t have a problem getting your story placed in another anthology and we can’t thank you enough for allowing us to read your tale.

We hope you will still consider supporting the anthology and its cause. Thank you again for submitting and we wish you luck in all your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Horror For Good Editors

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Acceptance!!!

It's been awhile since I've opened my inbox and found an acceptance letter. So, I'll definitely take this one!
Congratulations Andrea,

Your story, "Broke Down" has been selected as "Today's Story" on OneFortyFiction.com.

As you might know, we allow visitors to critique stories once they've been posted. If you'd like to follow the critiques our readers choose to make, you can do so at http://www.onefortyfiction.com/archives/broke-down.

Thanks so much for contributing, and please, don't hesitate to send us more stories in the future.



-
Editor@OneFortyFiction.com

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Free Shock Totem All Week

The all mighty Gods of Shock Totem magazine have been so generous as to offer free digital downloads. Each issue will be listed as free on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk from Monday to Friday.

You may have missed grabbing a copy of Shock Totem #1 yesterday, but you can get Shock Totem #2 today. Issue three will be free tomorrow, issue four on Thursday and the holiday issue on Friday.

It's a great magazine with excellent artwork and content. If you're a writer looking to break in to this market, I suggest you take advantage of this promo to see what they are all about. 


Wednesday, February 01, 2012

W1S1 Update - Month 1

The first month of the Write 1 Sub 1 challenge wore out its welcome and has since left the building. I am proud to say I have been knighted in to the League of the January Juggernauts!

While I did meet the goal for the month, I wish it was something more than just Twitter fiction. I'm in a procrastination funk. My to-read pile is growing by the day. I'm slipping on my blogging and writing duties. This is not the way to start out a year. But I refuse to give up. I have the next 29 days until the next goal to start proving it.

BTW, while I have your attention, J.A. Konrath, Black Crouch, J. Carson Black, Lee Goldberg, and Scott Nicholson are hosting a Big Kindle Boogie. They're giving away Kindle books, Amazon gift cards, Kindle Fires and library donation today and tomorrow. Please check out the website for a list of free ebooks and more information on the giveaways - http://bigkindleboogie.blogspot.com/.
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