The Four Horsemen: An Anthology of Conquest, War, Famine & Death

Edited by Jessy Marie Roberts
pillhillpress@ gmail.com

The anthology will be divided into four sections: Conquest, War, Famine/Pestilence, and Death. Most genres, including, but not limited to, supernatural, dark fantasy, horror, suspense, crime, mystery, humor and science fiction, are welcome as long as they fit the theme of one of our four categories (conquest, war, famine/pestilence, death). Please note which category your story fits into when you submit.

Stories can be realistic or fantastical. They can take place anywhere - on Earth, under Earth, in Space, etc. They can take place at any time - past, present, future, alternate. We are looking for a good variety of unique stories that fit our four categories!

We are looking for short stories 500-5,000 words in length.

Please do not send stories with a strong religious theme. Pill Hill Press does not wish to misrepresent any religion. Also, please do not send rape/torture stories, anything "x" rated or pornographic, pet mutilation tales, fiction about child abuse and/or pedophilia, or submissions that denegrate any race, gender or sexual orientation.

Submissions will be accepted until Thursday, December 31, 2009. We will not make final selections until the end of the submission period. Responses will be sent by January 31, 2010. Please do not query about the status of your submission until February 1, 2010. We will send notification that we received your story within one week of submission. If you do not receive acknowledgement of your submission, please resend to pillhillpress@ gmail.com.

This book is scheduled to be released June, 2010

Writers Wanted for Web Publication on New Indie Film Website:

We're looking for articles to post on the "Starting Over" section of our new
website. The site will promote "Phil Cobb's Dinner for Four", a new indie
comedy/drama. We'd like to build a community of readers who can empathize
with Phil Cobb's on-again/off-again life. So if you have an inspirational or
entertaining take on some of the pain, heartache, and heartburn you've been
through as a result of a break-up, divorce, pink slip, alcohol addiction,
cross country move or relocation, please submit.
You can view the trailer for "Phil Cobb's Dinner for Four" at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icwe32ODLts

You can also check out our facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Phil-Cobbs-
Dinner-for-Four/109475079448?ref=search

Please include your bio and byline (or pseudonym). The bio can include links
to your website or any pertinent webpages. You can mention upcoming works or
previous works, note any upcoming events such as a book signing or speaking
engagement. You may submit a photograph that we can spotlight.

Since our website is not a literary site and because film typically
engages such a wide ranging audience, we're hoping you can reach and
cultivate an entirely new group of fans.

SUBMISSIONS: Creative non-fiction, fiction, first or third person
accounts. Submit query or complete ms as an MSWord file with bio by email.
Byline or pseudonym. Up to 1,000 words. Format single or
double-spaced. Bio can include links to your website or relevant webpages;
include any notices. Please limit bio to 50 words.

EMAIL: submit@pcd4.com

USE: Submissions will be posted on http://www.pcd4.com in the "Starting
Over" section for one to two week intervals.

DEADLINE: Rolling submissions. Next deadline, August 15th.

Thanks for reading this post and may your writing career flourish

AMAZING ALTERNITY STORIES

AMAZING ALTERNITY STORIES is a new anthology from Pulpwork Press. It purports to be an average issue of the flagship title from pulp magazine publisher Alternity Publishing, and features a rotating series of what Publisher George H.W. Bush proudly calls 'The Greatest Action Heroes On Earth'...

....wait a minute....Publisher WHO?

The trick is that Alternity Publishing is a magazine publisher from an alternate reality where many of our real life personages exist only as fictitious characters in the most lurid of popular fiction. In this reality, for example, Nikola Tesla could be a 'science spy' who uses advanced technology to save the world, Albert Einstein could be a Flash Gordon-like swashbuckler, and George Washington could be a maritime adventurer.

(Note that the above are just examples; I'm not looking specifically for these concepts)

What we are looking for is stories in the pulp tradition with an adventure component of 5-12K in length with a central character based on a real-life personage. We want a wide variety of pulp genres represented; if this book is successful we'll release future volumes that focus on specific genres. Fun should be the most important element in these tales--the oddity of seeing a real-life person in a different setting should be secondary to the excitement of reading a fast paced adventure tale.

Original concepts will net you extra points--we've seen H.G. Wells as a time traveler or H.P. Lovecraft as a psychic detective several times already, but Wells as a mercenary with a heart of gold or Lovecraft as the courageous major of The French Foreign Legion, however..... Keep in mind that while you should give us enough to make the real life person recognizable as that person, you don't have to hew 100% close to their bio; to expand upon one of the earlier example, it's sufficient that you mention that Major Lovecraft joined the Legion to forget his lost love Sarah and that he's from Providence; we don't need chapter and verse.

The important thing is to give us verve, give us style, give us true blood-and-thunder...in short, a real pulp fiction reading experience. Have fun writing the tale; if you're having fun, the reader will have fun. Keep in mind that, given that these are supposed to be 'genuine' pulp stories, you should refrain from profanity.

Pulpwork Press will be purchasing First North American Serial Rights for each story chosen. Payment will be one copy of the final book and an equal share in the profits. The actual size of the percentage will be dictated by the number of stories that ultimately end up in the book.

Because of the unique nature of the anthology, we will require authors to submit a story outline of two to three pages. This is to assure that we won't end up with two stories about different versions of the same real-life figure, and also to assure that we have as wide a variety of genres represented. Once we choose a good line-up, we'll give the authors picked the go-ahead to write up their tales.

Please send outlines to nywisdom@hotmail.com. Deadline for outlines is August 31st, 2009. Deadline for completed stories will be announced to chosen writers shortly after the deadline proper.

Good luck, and if you have any questions, contact me at the above e-mail!

Thomas Deja
Editor, AMAZING ALTERNITY STORIES

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings

VERY QUICK STORY CALL OUT FOR NEW TITLE!
TWO WEEK DEADLINE!!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings
101 Stories of Gratitude, Fortitude, and Silver Linings

This follow-on book to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times, Tough People continues Chicken Soup for the Soul's focus on inspiration and hope in these difficult times. These inspirational stories remind us that each day holds something to be thankful for -- whether it is having the sun shine or having food on the table. Power outages and storms, health scares and illnesses, job woes and financial insecurities, housing challenges and family worries test us all. But there is always a silver lining. The simple pleasures of family, home, health, and inexpensive good times are described.

We are looking for true stories and poems written in the first person of no more than 1,200 words. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both. They should not have been previously published by Chicken Soup for the Soul or other major publications.

Here are a few suggested topics:

How you count your blessings or express your gratitude
What made you realize that your life is good and that you are grateful
Silver linings that you have discovered in the midst of challenging events
What is really valuable in your life
Major life changes or events for which you are grateful
How you spread the message of gratitude to your family and friends
The joy of simple pleasures
The unexpected benefits of health challenges or other life changes

This book is in the process of being completed and will go to the printer in September for publication in October! It is a featured Chicken Soup for the Soul title for Christmas 2009. The deadline for submissions is soon, so if you can submit quickly you have a better chance than normal of being chosen.
If your story is chosen, you will be a published author and your bio will be printed in the book if you so choose. You will also receive a check for $200 and 10 free copies of your book, worth more than $100. You will retain the copyright for your story.

SUBMISSIONS GO TO http://chickensoupf orthesoul. com/form. asp?cid=submit_ story.

DEADLINE IS MONDAY AUGUST 3rd. THANK YOU!

CONTACT US

Please do not reply or send questions to this address. For any further questions or correspondence, contact webmaster@chickenso upforthesoul. com or visit our website at http://www.chickens oup.com.

THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE: HORROR IN RURAL AMERICA

We are looking for horror/suspense/mystery/supernatural stories that take place in rural America. Other genres are okay as long as the main theme is dark and/or disturbing. Think farmland. Think abandoned buildings. Think small towns with nosy neighbors. Think malevolence in middle America. Think long, creepy country roads. Most importantly, think outside the box!

Traditional monsters (vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, mummies, etc.) Are welcome as long as presented in a fresh and interesting way. For more information, check our website at Pill Hill Press.

Flash Fiction Contest

1st Prize: $60 plus publication
2nd Prize: $30 plus publication
Theme: Open
Genre: Fiction
Length: 500 words or fewer
Deadline: July 21, 2009 (postmark)
Entry Fee: $2.00 per story

THE RULES

- Write a self-contained short story in 500 words or fewer. No predetermined
theme this year, so let your imaginations run wild!
- Be original. Be concise. Be spelled correctly.
- Send your story in plain text in the body of an e-mail to
contests@inkspotter .com (subject line =
"Annual Contest Submission") or to the address on the website (below). Do
not indent paragraphs. Leave one line space between each paragraph.
- All stories MUST have a title.
- Be sure to include your full name and e-mail address. If your story wins,
we'll contact you for your preferred method of payment.
- Enter as often as you like, but payment must be received for each entry.
- You retain copyright of your story.
- All entries will be acknowledged if an e-mail address is included.
- By entering the contest, you agree to have your name and email address
added to the subscriber list for InkSpotter News, our monthly ezine. Contest
news and winning stories appear in the newsletter. (Our subscriber list will
never be shared with or sold to a third party.)

NOTE: Please, do not submit fan fiction.

FULL DETAILS at http://inkspotter. com/contests. htm

Anthology of Essays, Short Stories and Poetry

Call for Submissions

I'm taking submissions for an anthology of essays, short stories, and poetry inspired by Newbery award-winning books. I'm interested in discovering how a particular Newbery book influenced you (or someone you know), or made a difference to you, at any age.

Did you try to hide overnight at the Met because you read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler? Maybe you once survived a week in the tundra because you read Julie of the Wolves. Maybe you read Johnny Tremain and then you became obsessed with American history and you've written a great short story about Paul Revere. Or your kid read A Wrinkle In Time and now you're helping her build a tesseract in the garage! This is the sort of thing I'm looking for — something about a Newbery book that will resonate with everyone else who's ever read it.

The list of Newbery recipients is here. I am currently taking submissions dealing with both Newbery award winners and honorees.

Deadline for submissions: November 1, 2009

Please follow these guidelines for submission:

* Don't submit works in progress.
* Everything must be submitted electronically.
* Don't submit someone else's work for them — submit your own work yourself.
* Don't submit something that was published somewhere else before.
* No fan-fiction, spin-offs, sequels, prequels, crossovers or erotica.
* Poetry is acceptable. Your poem should not be longer than 2 printed pages.
* Essays and short stories should be shorter than 7500 words.
* For text submissions, please attach the file to your email. I will accept submissions in .doc, .rtf or .txt format. If you're submitting a .doc, please turn off smart quotes and tracking changes. Don't send me a link, or paste your work directly into the body of your email.
* Please include the title and the author of the Newbery recipient in the cover letter with your submission.
* Please have all submitted works in "ready-to-publish" condition. At a minimum, this should include spellchecking the submission. Submissions including multiple spelling or grammatical errors are much less likely to be accepted.
* All work submitted must be the original work of the submitter, and the submitter must have the ability to grant the right to publish the work.

Please send your submissions to me at editor at mataglap dot com.

Your submission should not include any copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.

This project is not endorsed by the ALA or by the Newbery program in any way.