The Shamrock Challenge from Changeling Press

Changeling Press is one of those quirky and very independent publishers that has been around for a long time--probably because they publish not just paranormal romance, but paranormal erotica.

Here's how Changeling describes itself:

Out of This World Erotic Love Stories Featuring Literary Erotic Novellas

Are your characters wild and wicked, your plots hot enough to require a fire-hazard warning? If the answer is yes, Changeling wants YOU.

Cyborgs, vampires, werewolves, dragon shifters, cat shifters, aliens, genetically altered alien cyborg dragon shifters... Chances are, they belong at Changeling.

Changeling is having its yearly Shamrock Challenge, and invites submission between now and March 17.

Winter Specials and Winter Challenges at No Disclaimers

Winter Special

Forget Valentine's Day--this February is all about winter weather! In honor of the snow many of us are experiencing, if your story has a winter theme, you can get 1/3 of your beta services between now and March 20-- the first day of Spring.


So send us stories with blizzards, ski cabins, hot toddies, groundhogs, snow days, weather mages, or two people in love snowed in together. Or, if you're way down south (by which we mean the hemisphere), tell us about how you swelter and sweat all through February. We'll beta your work at 1/3 off.


Winter Challenge

Two people are snowed in together.

Rules:

• The story should be more than 1000 words but fewer than 10,000 words. Early chapters of a novel are acceptable, but the word total should be close to 10,000 words.
• The two people must have at least a 10 year difference in their ages.
• Other people may appear in the story, but it should be about the two people snowed in together.
• Someone must cry.
• Someone must give a kiss
• The color red must feature.
• We must see the phrases:
o We’re not going that way.
o What are you looking at?
o Why doesn’t that surprise me?
o It’s not worth it.

The deadline is March 20, the first day of Spring. There will be Spring-themed prizes for the challenge winners!

Salamander 2011 Writing Contest

Last May we wrote about a contest called the Salamander Writing Contest, which is a well-known contest with big prize money. The directors of this contest emailed my again, with information about the 2011 contest.

Here's what they sent:

Salamander 2011 Fiction Prize
$1,500 Honorarium and Publication
Final Judge: Jim Shepard

SEND ENTRIES: April 15 through May 15, 2011 READING FEE: $15

• All entries will be considered for publication. All entries will be considered anonymously.

• Send no more than one story per entry. Each story must not exceed 40 double-spaced pages in 12 point font. Multiple entries are acceptable, provided that a separate reading fee is included with each entry.

• Please submit two separate cover sheets with each entry, one with the title of the story ONLY, and the other with the title of the story and your name, address, phone number, and email. Your name should NOT appear anywhere on the story itself.

• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but the contest fee is non-refundable if the submission is withdrawn. Please notify the editors as soon as possible if a submitted story is accepted elsewhere.

• Previously published works and works accepted for publication elsewhere cannot be considered. Salamander’s definition of publishing includes electronic publication.

• No handwritten, faxed, emailed, or poorly copied/printed manuscripts will be considered.

• Salamander will not consider work from anyone currently or recently (within the past 4 years) affiliated with Suffolk University or the prize judge.

• If you wish to be notified of the arrival of your manuscript, please enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard. Please also include a self-addressed stamped business-sized envelope for notification of contest results. Manuscripts cannot be returned.

• Contest reading fee includes a one-year subscription. Checks should be made out to Salamander. We will send your subscription to the address on your cover sheet unless instructed otherwise. Overseas addresses, please add $10 for subscription postage ($5 for addresses in Canada). Please note that we cannot accept money orders or checks from foreign banks.

Jim Shepard is the author of six novels, including most recently Project X, and four story collections, including the forthcoming You Think That’s Bad (Knopf, January 2011). His third collection, Like You’d Understand, Anyway, was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. Project X won the 2005 Library of Congress/Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction, as well as the ALEX Award from the American Library Association.

SEND ENTRIES FROM APRIL 15 THROUGH MAY 15 (postmark deadline) to:
2011 Fiction Prize
Salamander/Suffolk University English Dept.
41 Temple Street
Boston, MA 02114

Visit: www.salamander.org for contest guidelines in pdf format

Nancy's New Book: Prey for Closure

One of our betas, Nancy Gaffney, has published a book with Eternal Press! The book is called Prey for Closure, and features a complex, contrary, but very likable heroine and an anti-hero you love to hate, and hate to love!

No Disclaimers helped Nancy get her book ready, and we're so proud of her! I've even found myself wondering, "What would Ellie do in this situation?" Follow the hyperlinks to order Nancy's book, only $4.99 for an e-copy, or contact her here to get one directly.

String Poet Contest

I would be very interested to know how many of us who write fiction also try our hands at poetry. I don't do much, myself, but sometimes there are deep feelings that only a poem can express. Still, that only leaves 3 or 4 in my poetry folder, and I've never done anything with them.

Anyway, here's a contest. It's inexpensive to enter, and the prizes are pretty good. It's called the String Poet contest, because it's actually sponsored by a music program in New York.

Just be aware, this one requires that you send your poems in by snail mail.

So, do you also write poems, in addition to your books and stories?

Paying Market: The One that Got Away

Dark Prints Press is launching a new mystery line, and they're inviting short story submissions for their inaugural anthology. Here's how they describe what they're looking for:

Too often our crime-solving heroes do just that – solve crimes. But what about the ones who get away – the grifters who con and don't get caught, the criminals who play cat-and-mouse games with the law only to disappear into the unknown? What goes through their minds, or the minds of their victims and pursuers? What legends do they leave behind, both inspirational and terrifying?

They want short stories between 5,000 and 10,000 words, and if your story is chosen, you'll be paid 75 Australian dollars, which is actually about 75 American dollars (and Paypal converts in automatically).

Submissions can be sent to: submissions@darkprintspress.com.au

This is the gist of the information, but be sure to go to the Dark Prints Press website for the full details.

Boxfire Press: 3 Anthologies

Boxfire Press is accepting submissions for three different anthologies it's putting together.

Short Fiction: Short stories between 2,000 and 20,000 words. They accept contemporary science fiction, supernatural, slipstream and fantasy short stories for eBook distribution. Usually offers a small advance and royalties.

Flash Fiction: Sci-fi, fantasy, slipstream, paranormal, alternate history, supernatural, steam punk, super hero, etc. They're looking for original, never published short flash fiction pieces for a planned quarterly magazine. There's no minimum word count here, so it can be as short as you like. But nothing over 500 words. They pay .05 a word for flash fiction.

Red Scarf: There's a red scarf lying in the road. How did it get there? They want sci-fi and fantasy (loosely defined) short fiction stories that answer this question. They pay free copies and royalties if they publish you.