Friday, October 8, 2010

October: Time for Spooky Prose


Here it is October and looking back at everything I have been working on lately (with the exception of Blood of Our Fathers rewrites and even that sounds horrific and sanguine)-it all seems to have a horror element about as strong as a fantasy (or western) element. That wasn't intentional or planned, things just worked out in that direction.

A 11K piece I wrote titled "The Hands of Fate" has been put on the shortlist for acceptance at Pill Hill Press's upcoming anthology "Shadows and Light 2" It is a desert fantasy, but hey, Mongolian death worms are scary.


My 16.5K submission to Monsters and Mormons is replete with things that go bump in the night and I don't want to say much more than that because I really do hope to surprise readers with that one. It is a weird western featuring Porter Rockwell.

I am currently working on another short (under 5k) Porter piece for an unusual anthology titled "Wandering Weeds: Tales of Rabid Vegetation".
It must contain malevolent tumble weeds.
I looked at it as a challenge to come up with something good-and I have. Granted I haven't even submitted it yet, but I am getting more confident in my writing and thus I believe "Garden of Legion" will be included.

Even my Assassins submission to Rogue Blades Entertainment "99 Deaths of the Monkey God" will have a bit of a horrific element along with heroic fantasy.

I haven't settled on a title yet, but I am letting ideas simmer for the "Historical Lovecraft" anthology that I really want to be a part of-thus more horror.

And I still have to find a home for my first straight up horror piece,"The Cry of Carrion Birds".

What are all of you working on this month?

14 comments:

Melissa Cunningham said...

Congratulations on all your success! I'm so happy for you!

Paul R. McNamee said...

I am also gunning for the "Lovecraft historical". I pulled out a very old idea I had - finally giving it a test drive. I think it will work.

For the 'wheels turning', I want to try a space opera tale to submit to RGR when they come back online. (they are opening submissions Dec 1.) I have character I know I want to use - it's everything else that I need to ponder!

Dan said...

How do you find out about all these anthologies, David? Don't tell me if it's a trade secret.

I generally don't write horror; right now I'm continuing to work for my local paper. I do a lot of nonfiction feature writing every month. My book grew out of that.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Thanks Melissa.

Paul, yeah it has a lot of potential. Keep it up brother.

Dan-check out duotrope.com. For all the genre stuff I generally look at ralan.com, but duotrope has about everything.

Congrats on the upcoming book.

Nicki Elson said...

Mwahahah! Malevolent tumbleweeds, love it! Sounds like you're having fun.

You know, I have a disturbing Valentines piece that got rejected from a Valentines Anthology earlier this year (how was I supposed to know a Valentine's story was to be romantic?). I think I'm gonna pull it out and give it a read. Mwahahahahah!

Anonymous said...

You're a busy guy, David! Way to go!

I'm currently slaving away at revisions. =P

Th. said...

.

Reading your M&M sub, mostly.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Might as well Nicki, keep at it.

L.T.- it is a process.

Th.- Mostly?

LisaAnn said...

I like the tumbleweeds concept.

The problem with scary for me is that I'm a pansy. I even scare myself when I'm writing freaky ghost scenes!

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Lisa-at least you are writing them though.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

You give me hope that my undead Texas Ranger, Captain Sam McCord, will ultimately reach publication.

RITES OF PASSAGE is a historical fantasy set in 1853 aboard a cursed transatlantic steamer. Sam meets historical figures, both living and undead, the love of his life, and a being claiming to be Lucifer.

FRENCH QUARTER NOCTURE is an urban fantasy with Sam and a vampire priest, facing natural and supernatural dangers in New Orleans right after Katrina.

FRENCH QUARTER ORPHAN is a YA fantasy with Sam's adventures told through the eyes of a 13 year street kid who falls in love with the Victorian ghoul, Alice.

By any chance, do you remember Paladin of HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL? Samuel McCord is a lot like him. Thanks for giving me hope that I am not the only reader/author yearning for a great Western book.

I wish us both luck in achieving publication, Roland

nephite blood spartan heart said...

That's quite a varied lot Roland, best of luck with your unique ideas.

Stewart Sternberg (half of L.P. Styles) said...

We're all gunning for Historical Cthulhu. Let the games begin. I think it's going to be a fun publication.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Absolutely it will Stewart. It promises to be a entertaining collection-so many possibilities.