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SPARREW ISSUE THIRTY-EIGHT
Welcome to the SPARREW Newsletter!
The newsletter for Self-Publishers, Authors, Readers, Reviewers, Editors and Writers!
Welcome to the February 2025 issue of the newsletter!
So glad to have you on board!
When it comes to freelance writing, I always try to break into new markets. This way, I can not only find new places to get work published, but I can also test the waters of other publications to see if my work is a good fit there.
With some publications, your writing may not be the kind that they want or are looking for. And that’s perfectly fine! We’re all different types of writers who write differently and with our own styles. We all have our own preferences with what we write, and if a publication is not the right fit for our work, then the best thing to do is move on and look for the other publications which want our work.
We’ve got a great issue for you this month!
I’m thrilled that I had the opportunity to interview the hybrid author, Nicolette Fuller. Nicolette not only self-publishes her books, but she also gets books published by a traditional publisher. Check out my interview with her to see how she manages to strike the right balance.
The author featured in this month’s issue is one I have known for some time. I have been aware of her work and kept tabs on her books published. Meet author Mia Dalia, who is here to share all about the new novella, Do You Know the Muffin Man?
You’ll also get to meet the writer Valerie B. Williams. Valerie is a recent acquaintance, and when I checked out her website, I was impressed with her many story publication credits. She’s here to share about her experiences as a writer and her journey to getting published!
The SPARREW Newsletter is also thrilled to publish our first PAYING feature article! Jerry Blaze is constantly taking the writing world by storm, churning out endless stories that his readers are constantly snapping up. He shares his method in this article and offers tips on how to get it done!
And, once again, the lovely Carolyn Howard-Johnson returns with the latest installment for her “Tricky Edits” column. It’s the perfect tip for the month of love!
I hope you enjoy this issue! Feel free to drop me a note or connect with me on social media! I'd love to connect with you!
Enjoy this issue!
Check out archived issues of the SPARREW Newsletter here:
https://sparrewarchives.blogspot.com/
All current issues will be posted on my website here:
https://www.dmcwriter.com/the-sparrew-newsletter
Meanwhile, here are my most recent blog posts:
Dawn Colclasure’s Blog: “My debut in erotic horror!”
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!
The SPARREW Newsletter is now a paying publication!
If you have an article you think might fight our needs, please send it our way!
We are interested in articles on the following topics:
Self-Publishing
Authors (interviews, articles promoting new releases, book marketing and promotion, website building and pointers, etc.)
Anything to do with books (analysis, reviews, breakdowns, etc.)
Book Reviewing
Editing and Editors
Writing
Each article should be no more than 2000 words. Must include a headshot and bio with your submission. Payment is $10 through PayPal, on publication. Reprints welcome and you retain all rights to your work. You grant SPARREW Books the right to reprint your article in a future ebook edition as well as the right to promote your article online.
Submit your work to Dawn at DMCWriter@gmail.com with "SPARREW Submission" in the subject line. Please submit your article as a .doc or .docx file. No PDFs. Any articles not relevant to the newsletter will be deleted unread. Please send your best work; articles will be published as-is.
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ATTENTION WRITERS OF BOOKS AND ASPIRING AUTHORS!
A new publishing company is in town! This indie press specializes in horror, but it is also open to books in other genres.
Twisted Dreams Press is a brand new independent publisher accepting submissions of short story collections, novelettes, novellas and novels from authors in a variety of genres!
Check out the new website to find out all the details!
Be sure to follow us on our Facebook page and our other social media platforms, which are all easily accessible from our website and Facebook page.
Please like our Facebook page
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our news
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MY FEBRUARY SUBSTACK POSTS:
Rejection Sucks, But Don't Give Up!
Write About the Things You Hate
THANK YOU…
Thank you to Dark Moon Rising Publications for including my story, “When Love Goes Down the Drain” in the new anthology, Piece by Piece: An Anti-Valentine's Day Collection: Short Stories, Poetry, and Prose.
Thank you, First Chapter Plus Magazine, for publishing my article, "Valuable Reading by Black Authors" in the February 2025 issue of First Chapter Plus Magazine! And thank you also for featuring my poetry book, The House That Madness Built. My article is on page 25.
Thank you, Dark Moon Rising Publications, for publishing my poems "Old Friend" and "Trauma Soup" and "The Things We Keep Hidden" in this new anthology, The Beauty in Darkness: The Literary Tribute to TS Woolard! I am very excited about this anthology's release and very grateful to be included. You can find the book here.
Thank you, Baynam Books Press, for including my story, "Love Slave," in the podcast, Midnight Manuscripts. Check it out here. (Warning! This story is erotic horror and contains mature content.)
Thank you, Alien Buddha Press, for publishing my short story, "Love You to Death," in Alien Buddha Zine #72!
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SELF-PUBLISHER CORNER
Self-Publisher Interview with Nicolette Fuller
1. When did you start writing?
I’ve dabbled in writing since I was a teenager. I wrote a lot of poetry and short stories. I didn’t start writing seriously until around five years ago.
2. What came first: Self-publishing your books or getting your books published by a press? What was that experience like?
I self-published first, my husband had self-published so I knew the process. At the time I didn’t overly care about being traditionally published since I had heard so many horror stories about trying to find a publisher and the crippling rejection letters. It wasn’t something I wanted to deal with and break my heart with. My books were more so for myself and I had felt total contentment with what I was doing. Getting published by a press was a total fluke, I had seen that a few publishers had opened up submission and were accepting manuscripts, so I took a chance and submitted to one that caught my eye. I really didn’t expect to hear anything back, but a few days later I was sent a contract and have been traditionally published for about 2 years now.
3. What kind of books do you write?
I write a little bit of everything. Romance, comedy, fantasy, scifi, dystopian. I’m currently working on finishing my dystopian romance series: New Age.
4. What can you tell me about your new books coming out this month? (Feel free to include an excerpt from each book, if you’d like.)
I’m hoping to have book eight (New Age: New Dawn) of my series out in the next few months. Since it’s already book 8 anything I give away will be a spoiler, so I’ll leave it at this:
The New Age series is a dystopian romance: After the world fell, the professor rose from the ashes to create a new age of humanity. Little did he know, he would create her. A series of love, lies, deceit and betrayal. Where on secret ends, another begins.
5. What sort of methods do you use for book promotion?
I’ve used Book Bub in the past, X, and other social media. My husband and I have done contests to see who can sell the most books in a month and have had challenges for the loser (such as the ice bucket challenge.) It can be a jungle out there when it comes to marketing one self. Even though I’m traditionally published I still take time to push and promote my series on different platforms. All the greats do it, so I might as well too.
6. Where do you get your ideas for stories?
The New Age series was very much taken from a lot of my own life, different scenarios, emotions, books 4-7 were written during covid which had a lot of impact on my writing (and free time.)
7. I noticed that you are also a self-publisher. What makes you to decide to self-pub a book or to submit it to a publisher?
My sarcastic self-help books remain self-published because I like the idea of having something that I’ve created belonging solely to myself. I can do with them as I please which is the irony behind both titles. I don’t think I’ll ever traditionally publish any of my comedic works.
8. How do you manage the self-publishing end of your books alongside those getting published by an indie press? Do you promote them equally?
I try to. It’s always when the mood hits and which mood I’m going for. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough hours in a day where I’m overly productive with marketing myself. My self-published series is also in audiobook which does help market.
9. What are you working on right now?
Books 9 and 10 of my New Age Series along with a few other titles. “The Underground”, which is a crime/romance about a girl who gets swept into the underground life of drug dealing. I’m also working on “Kids Suck” which is another sarcastic, helpful comedic read about stories of working in the school system for 20 years along with being a parent (it practically writes itself.)
10. Any advice for other authors?
Learn everything you can about the trade and the business, be careful who you trust, and whose advice you buy, but know there are certain undeniable truths out there.
1) You do not need an agent to be traditionally published, you just need to put in the leg work.
2) Google is your friend. Want to figure out who is currently taking unsolicited manuscripts? Just type it in.
3) You can traditionally publish a book/series that’s already been self-published.
4) True traditional publishers will not make you pay them to take on your book. If they want payment, they’re just a vanity press.
5) Award winning marketers don’t DM you on social media.
ABOUTE NICOLETTE:
Nicolette Fuller: Mother, wife, artist, lover of the arts, reptiles and arachnids- not your average individual. Born and raised in the Okanagan region of Canada, she can be found enjoying an array of activities from fishing, gold panning, to dancing and wine tasting.
“I've always been an avid reader who enjoyed everything from fantasy to crime novels. I had tinkered with the idea of writing my own books in the past but nothing ever came from the fruits of my labor. Finally, the idea of New Age took root and blossomed into an unforgettable series which has grown over time. Along with my dystopian romance series I have means of writing a number of standalone books and other series over time.
You can find me on social media at:
NEW IN SELF-PUBLISHING:
"How to Get More Book Publicity as a Self-Published Author" by Penny Sansevieri
via Author Marketing Experts
"Is Your Cover Up to Snuff?" by Kim Catanzarite
Self-Publishing 101 Blog
"Naming and Renaming Your Book: How Authors Do It" by Barbara Linn Probst
via Writer Unboxed
"Inky and Determined: In Praise of Writers Who Self-Publish" by Lewis Buzbee
via Literary Hub
AUTHOR CORNER
Author Interview with Mia Dalia
1. When did you start writing?
I started writing in the summer of 2021. And pretty much haven't stopped since.
2. What was your journey towards becoming an author like?
To me, the difference between being a writer and being an author is publication. I started getting my work published in the winter of 2021/2022. There were a few shorter pieces online and later longer ones in print. My debut novel, Estate Sale, came out in the spring of 2023. Since then, there’s been four novellas: Discordant, Tell Me a Story, Arrokoth, and Do You Know The Muffin Man?, one collection titled Smile So Red and Other Tales of Madness, and my second novel, Haven. My short fiction has been published in over two dozen anthologies, literary journals, featured in narrative podcasts, etc. Last year, one of my stories was shortlisted for the Crime Writer’s Association’s prestigious Dagger Award.
For me, it’s been a matter of constantly upping my game in terms of quality of work I’m producing and quality of the presses and editors I’m working with. My journey as a writer continues, and it is, by design, an ambitiously steep climb. It’s hard going, with plenty of disappointments and setbacks along the way, but I don’t think it works any other way in this business.
3. What can you tell me about your latest book? (Feel free to include an excerpt.)
Do You Know The Muffin Man? is the tastiest crime novel you’re ever going to read. People think of me as a horror author, but I write broadly across genres. The Muffin Man is my first published mystery (not counting the short stories). It’s meant for everyone who’s ever sat through a baking show on TV and thought, “You know what? This would be way more fun with a bit of murder.”
It’s definitely my funniest book published to date, a sort of neo-noir dark comedy. It starts with the murder on Drury Lane and goes on to some genuinely wacky shenanigans by rather colorful characters.
It came out from Spaceboy Books on February 14th—my Valentine to the world—and is available wherever books are sold and also on KU. I hope you get the chance to check it out.
4. What sort of methods do you use for book promotion?
I maintain an author website. And I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the links to which can be found here.
I also do interviews, like this one. :)
5. Where do you get your ideas for stories?
Everywhere. Literally. The things I read and watch, the news, the random things my wife says, the stories people tell me, the weird things I see in the world. Sometimes the ideas come out of nowhere at all. They just show up and insist on being written down. There’s never a shortage of ideas, only time and energy.
6. What are you working on right now?
Right now, I’m knee-deep in edits of an older novel, getting a new book out for a late spring publication, and trying to finish a new short story collection.
7. Any advice for other authors?
Edit, edit, edit. Read good books so you know what to aspire to. Don’t skimp on research.
ABOUT MIA:
Mia Dalia is an internationally published, CWA-nominated author of all things fantastic, thrilling, scary, and strange.
Her short fiction has been published online by Night Terror Novels, 50-word stories, Flash Fiction Magazine, Pyre Magazine, Tales from the Moonlit Path, carte blanche magazine, Jaded Ibis Press, Weird Wide Web; in print anthologies by Sunbury Press, HellBound Press, Black Ink Fiction, Dragon Roost Press, Unsettling Reads, Phobica Books, Wandering Wave Press, rebellionLIT Press, Bullet Points Vol. 3, Critical Blast, Off-Topic Publishing, Exploding Head Press, Sinister Smile Press, DraculaBeyondStoker Magazine, Mystery Magazine, Headshot Press, Nightshade Press, WonderBird Press; Crystal Lake Publishing, and more, and featured in narrative podcasts such as Zoetic Press' Alphanumeric, Sudden Fictions, and Tales to Terrify.
More stories will be released soon in the upcoming anthologies by Grendel Press, WriteHive, Crystal Lake Publishing, Dark Matter INK, PS Publishing, and more.
Mia's work has been selected as Tales to Terrify's top ten best stories of 2023, shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association's Daggers Award 2024, and praised by authors and editors such as Michael Marshall Smith - "One of the best novels I've read in years", Stephen Jones - "horror tour-de-force", Clay McLeod Chapman - "every flip of the page leads its readers deeper into uneasy dream", Neil Sharpson, and more.
Mia's recent novel, Haven, has been gathering excellent reviews, including a starred one from Booklist.
She is the author of the novels Estate Sale and Haven, novellas Tell Me a Story, Discordant, and Arrokoth, and the collection Smile So Red and Other Tales of Madness.
Mia’s website here.
AUTHOR NEWS:
"Cracking the Code: How to Get Your Book in Libraries" by Penny Sansevieri
via Author Marketing Experts
"Putting Yourself Out There: (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the ‘Gram)" by Cindy Lee Neighbors
via Reader Views Blog
"The State of Social Media for Authors in 2025: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF"
via BadRedhead Media, LLC’s All Things Book Marketing!
"How I Got 400K Social Media Followers Who Buy My Books!" by Gary Sturgis, Author of SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year
via WritersWeekly
"Boost Your Author Website Traffic with These 10 Proven Strategies"
BadRedhead Media, LLC’s All Things Book Marketing!
REVIEWER CORNER
My Reviews:
Dawn Reviews Books:
When Doctors and Nurses Go Postal: Scalpel in the Eye is a gory killing spree
Other Book Reviews:
BookTrib.
"Breathtaking New YA Romantasy From “Frostblood” Author Elly Blake" by Kiersten Bjork
"Love and Loyalty Are Tested in Romantic Crime Novel" by Natalia Kavale
"Thrilling Noir Throws MMA Fighter Into Mob-Run Japan" by Jim Alkon
"Boxer and Ballerina Discover Friendship and Hope in Most Unlikely Place" by B.
"Body Positivity Meets Restaurant Culture in Second-Chance Romance" by Y.M. Nelson
"Love and Loyalty Are Tested in Romantic Crime Novel" by Natalia Kavale
Young Lives Shattered in Dark Dystopian Fantasy, “The Capital of Dreams” by Linda Hitchcock
Memoir Reveals Unexpected Healing — And Humor — Found in Family Dysfunction by Kelsey Hall
Hebrew Mysticism Comes Alive in Stunning Urban Fantasy by Katie Bloomer
“Yellowstone” Collides With Russian Mob In Montana-Based Mystery by Cameron Kimball
Unleash Psychic Warfare and Dark Secrets in Paranormal Fantasy by Monique Snyman
Young Attorney’s Journey of Love, Survival and Friendship by Kelsey Hall
New Theory Shares Hope to Overcoming Barriers That Divide Us by Jim Alkon
Hellnotes
Nonfiction Review: A PRACTICAL HEATHEN’S GUIDE TO ASATRU
Horror Bookworm Reviews
Horrors Of The Shopping Mall Ass Slasher by R.J. Benetti
Food Court Of The Damned by D.W. Hitz
KittyLisha Reviews
Book Review: Must Love Ghosts by Charity Tahmaseb (Coffee and Ghosts Book 1)
Book Review: Ghost Squad by Bob Moats (Rest in Peace Book 1)
Book Review: Sebastian's Secret by Felicity Brandon (The Dragon Guardians Book 1)
Book Review: Waiting for You by Lea Coll (Annapolis Harbor Book 6)
Book Review: Snowed in with Grumpy by Olivia Noble (Silver Mountain)
Uncomfortably Dark
Rachel Schommer Reviews: 2.3.25
Sweet Reviews: The Exorcist's House: Genesis by Nick Roberts
02/07/2025 Chaz Williams Reviews: THE NIGHT CREW by Brad Ricks
02/13/2025 Guest Review Post from Sally Feliz
02/14/2025 Guest Review: Braineater Jones by Stephen Kozeniewski.
Rachel Schommer Reviews: 2.17.25
Sweet Reviews: The Haunting of Elena Vera by Steven Pajak
Sonja Ska Reviews: “The Order of the Circle”
Other Book Reviews
"BOOK REVIEW: Hello Cruel World – 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws by Kate Bornstein" by Neal Lemery
via Tillamook County Pioneer
"Book Review: ‘Disposable’ a journey through the inequities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic" by Andrew DeMillo
via Associated Press
“The Cult of the Spider People Book Launch by Author Heddy Johannesen” Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
via Nora B. Peevy
Calls for Reviews
I’d love to find reviewers for my books! Contact me at DMCWriter@gmail.com if interested.
READER CORNER
BOOK BLOGS:
BOOK NEWS:
"Where Is Everybody? A Brief Survey of Isolation Horror in Film and Fiction" by Philip Fracassi
via CrimeReads
"Read What They Don’t Want You to Read" by Monique Snyman
via BookTrib.
"Clinches, Corsets and Cartoons: The Evolution of the Romance Novel Cover" by JeriAnn Geller
via BookTrib.
“Is Fantasy Fascist?” By Elana Gomel
via A Guide to Unreality
"A major book publisher announced a change. The industry freaked out." by Constance Grady
via Vox
"The Pride Center Library reopens to promote frequently challenged LGBTQ+ books" by Juliana DeFilippo
via The Independent Florida Alligator
"Donald Trump Administration Book Ban Detailed for Some US Schools"
via Yahoo! News
"Schools serving military service members’ kids are pulling books on civil rights history after Trump’s DEI threats" by Graig Graziosi
via The Independent
"Five books to read if you love Nordic/Scandinavian noir"
via The Open University
"Remember those 'choose your own adventure' fantasy books? Well, now they're coming back in this delightfully chonky e-ink console" by Nick Evanson
via PC Gamer
"The perils of voracious reading" by Caroline Donahue
via Book Alchemy
"Is Science Fiction Marxist?" by Elana Gomel
via A Guide to Unreality
NEW BOOKS:
Samantha Slaven
Category: Poetry Collection
Karmellah Howlett
Genre: Dark Romance
Victoria Christopher Murray
Genre: Historical Fiction
Julie Iromuanya
Genre: Literary Fiction
Jessica Soffer
Genre: Literary Fiction
Erin Crosby Eckstine
Genre: Historical Fiction
William Boyle
Genre: Crime Fiction
This Ends in Embers: The Divine Traitors #2
Kamilah Cole
Genre: YA Fantasy
The Urban Owls: How Flaco and Friends Made the City Their Home
Written by Christian Cooper, Illustrated by Kristen Adam
Genre: Children's Book
Dusti Bowling
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Elly Blake
Genre: YA
The Secret of Kells: The Graphic Novel
Created by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, Adapted by Samuel Sattin
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Geraldine Brooks
Category: Biography & Memoir
Paris Undercover: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal
Matthew Goodman
Category: European World History
The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture From the Margins to the Mainstream
Jon Savage
Category: History
How the World Eats: A Global Food Philosophy
Julian Baggini
Category: Social Science
Mariah Darling & Eve Harms
Genre: Splatterpunk
Peyton Corinne
Genre: New Adult Romance
Written By Ann-Helén Laestadius, Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles
Genre: Historical Fiction
Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel
Loretta J. Ross
Category: Social Skills
Brian Kelly
Category: Personal Finance
Chasing Shadows: Cyber Espionage, Subversion, and the Global Fight for Democracy
Ronald J. Deibert
Category: Political Science
Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America
Jeff Hobbs
Category: Social Science
Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations
Alton Brown
Category: Essay Collection
Stoicism 101: From Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus to the Role of Reason and Amor Fati, an Essential Primer on Stoic Philosophy (Part of Adams 101 Series)
Erick Cloward
Category: Philosophy
Theresa Okokon
Category: Biography & Memoir
Shrutidhora P Mohor
Genre: Micro-story Collection
Jeremy Nathan Marks
Genre: Short Fiction Collection
Poems by Em Townsend
Category: Poetry Chapbook
THE TUNER (16 most moreish days in a lifetime)
Yuan Changming
Genre: Fiction Collection
Cody Shrum
Genre: Short Story Collection
Charlotte Barnes
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Madness Unbound: Book 2 in Madness of Kanaan
Karina Fabian
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Alessandro Sanna
Genre: Children's Book
Caye Marsh
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction
A Most Natural Thing: An Elemental Memoir
Lisbeth White
Category: Poetry Chapbook
Revelation (A Becky White Thriller Book 1)
Jo Fenton
Genre: Crime Thriller
John Ward
Genre: Middle Grade Horror
Julie Hiner
Genre: Horror Suspense
Brad Ricks
Genre: Vampire Horror
As Noir As It Gets: Hard boiled and fast paced: cynical and sardonic stories
Edward Ahern
Genre: Short Story Collection
AS THE INK BIRDS SPLIT THE SUNSET
Amelia Rose Averis
Category: Poetry Chapbook
What Kind of a Name is Lolly Anyway?
Lucy Brighton
Genre: Literary Fiction
mantle lake: a collection of photography and poetry
Linda M. Crate
Category: Photography and poetry collection
Matt Stanley
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Madi Huffman
Category: Art and Poetry Collection
i am the daughter of experience.
raphina finn curran.
Category: Poetry Chapbook
Please, Do Not Tap on the Glass
M. Kelly Peach
Category: Poetry Collection
Sarah Edghill
Genre: Psychological Suspense
Barbara Harris Leonhard
Category: Poetry Collection
The Alien Buddha Gets Rejected: Part 2
By Various Authors
Genre: Anthology
Ophelia
Category: Poetry Collection
Anthony Kane Evans
Genre: Romance/Humor
The Full Catastrophe: All I Ever Wanted, Everything I Feared
Casey Mulligan Walsh
Category: Biography & Memoir
Anne Tyler
Genre: Literary Fiction
Lauren Francis-Sharma
Genre: Literary Fiction
Alice Franklin
Genre: Coming-of-Age Fiction
Alejandro Heredia
Genre: LGBTQ+ Fiction
Jojo Moyes
Genre: Women's Fiction
Nancy Johnson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Tova Mirvis
Genre: Literary Fiction
Talk to Me: Lessons from a Family Forged by History
Rich Benjamin
Category: Biography & Memoir
The Stained Glass Window: A Family History as the American Story, 1790-1958
David Levering Lewis
Category: World History
You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip
Kelsey McKinney
Category: Social Science
The Low Road (The DI Alec McKay Series)
Alex Walters
Genre: Thriller
Rachael Johns
Genre: Romance
Flare Storm - A Ravaged Skies Novel: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (Flarefall Book 1)
Kellee L. Greene
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller
Simon May
Category: Philosophy
Impermanent Blackness: The Making and Unmaking of Interracial Literary Culture in Modern America
Korey Garibaldi
Category: Literature
Wassily Kandinsky: The Sketchbooks
Created by Wassily Kandinsky, Edited by Dieter Buchhart
Category: Art & Architecture
Joseph Leo Koerner
Category: Art & Architecture
Animals, Robots, Gods: Adventures in the Moral Imagination
Webb Keane
Category: Anthropology
The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life
Sophia Rosenfeld
Category: History
Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life
Stephen J. Campbell
Category: Art & Architecture
The Woman Question in Jewish Studies
Susannah Heschel and Sarah Imhoff
Category: Sociology
Snakes of Australia (Princeton Field Guides)
Tie Eipper and Scott Eipper
Category: Nature
What Might Be: Confronting Racism to Transform Our Institutions
Susan Sturm
Category: Sociology
Frank Costigliola
Category: History
The Signature of All Things: On Method
Written by Giorgio Agamben, Translated by Luca di Santo and Kevin Attell
Category: Philosophy
Habitats of North America: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists
Written by Phil Chaon and Iain Campbell, Photographs by Benjamin Jacob Knoot
Category: Nature
Habitats of Africa: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists
Written by Ken Behrens, Keith Barnes and Iain Campbell
Category: Nature
Written by Michel Pastoureau, Translated by Jody Gladding
Category: Art & Architecture
Quantum Field Theory, as Simply as Possible
Anthony Zee
Category: Physics & Astronomy
Republics of Knowledge: Nations of the Future in Latin America
Nicola Miller
Category: History
Does Judaism Condone Violence? Holiness and Ethics in the Jewish Tradition
Alan L. Mittleman
Category: Religion
Buried Treasures: The Power of Political Fairy Tales
Jack Zipes
Category: Literature
Women Architects at Work: Making American Modernism
Mary Anne Hunting and Kevin D. Murphy
Category: Art & Architecture
Controlling Contagion: Epidemics and Institutions from the Black Death to Covid
Sheilagh Ogilvie
Category: History
Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep
Roger Pasquier
Category: Nature
Madeleine Watts
Genre: Literary Fiction
Michelle de Kretser
Genre: Women's Fiction
Elyse Durham
Genre: Historical Fiction
Roisín O'Donnell
Genre: Literary Fiction
Elle Gonzalez Rose
Genre: Thriller
Lili Wilkinson
Genre: YA Fantasy
Mallory O'Meara
Category: Biography & Memoir
Love and Need: The Life of Robert Frost's Poetry
Adam Plunkett
Category: Biography & Memoir
No Fault: A Memoir of Romance and Divorce
Haley Mlotek
Category: Biography & Memoir
Choking On The Truth (A girl/Mistress novel, Book Five)
Cyan LeBlanc
Genre: Dark Sapphic Romance
Beautiful Violence (A Killer's Pleasure, Book One)
Erin Banks and Carietta Dorsch
Genre: Thriller
Jerry Blaze
Genre: Erotic Science Fiction
Mia Dalia
Genre: Murder Mystery/Dark Comedy
Psycho Nympho Vampire Bitches!
Jerry Blaze
Genre: Erotic Vampire Horror
Chisto Healy
Genre: Holiday Erotic Horror
The Sound of Suffering: A Novel
Mark Towse
Genre: Horror
Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar
Genre: YA Paranormal
FUMBLE: A MEMOIR: Just a Dad Trying Not to Drop the Ball
Jason K. Bussman
Category: Biography & Memoir
Madison McSweeney
Genre: Horror Mystery
Are They Out There?: Diving for Answers In a Sea of Cover-Ups
Gene P. Abel
Category: UFOs
CANDYGRAM!: Sickie Quickies – Book 2
David Irons
Genre: Splatterpunk Horror Story Collection
Edmund Stone
Genre: Folk Horror
Edited by R.E. Sargent & Steven Pajak
Genre: Horror Anthology
Shattered Reflections: An Anthology of Grief and Healing
By Various Authors
Category: Poetry Anthology
EDITOR CORNER
Tricky Edits from Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Sometimes Words Fail Even a Writer
He Won’t Write You a Love Letter
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrally Series of books for writers
Way back in the dark ages when I edited Ann Landers’ columns for a newspaper I worked for, I learned some advice columns can be nearly as valuable as an expensive therapist. My habit of turning to Ann’s column before I read the headlines came in handy recently when Ask Amy, one of her successors, published a letter dealing with a problem often encountered by comedians who hate it when someone demands they “be funny,” especially when they haven’t quite finished swallowing whatever they are chewing. It never occurred to me that advice applies to we writers as well.
Amy’s column featured a letter from a wife who said had been married for thirty years to an “eloquent, thoughtful writer who chooses words carefully.” She says, “He turns mundane subjects into interesting reads.” She also says that he is smart, funny, great person, husband, father. (Yep, she’s still complaining to Amy!)
This rotter—her husband—won’t write down his feelings for her. He won’t do it for Christmas. He apparently has refused to do it to save money on a more expensive gift. She was hurt and when she pushed, he pushed back. She pushed again. Ugly argument.
All this scoundrel could come up with on demand for Valentine’s day is a card with a website address for planning a beautiful trip. No personal poem or sentiment suitable for a card but for her eyes only. One wonders if even a heartfelt “I love you” would do the job. I I feel nothing but pity for her. (I a bit of irony here! I mean, really? That’s all she can find to complain about?)
At the end of this story, Neglected Wife admits that she knows he loves her. But she assumes she must not be the love of his life and wants an explanation. Now. For Valentine’s day! On demand!
Wow. If she is dejected now, just think how disconsolate she’ll be when she finds out about the fifth-grade crush he can’t quite forget!
Amy tries to “describe the dynamic of being a writer and getting an emotionally loaded assignment” to this obviously ungrateful reader. The mere idea of fulfilling an assignment like the one this woman has given her husband gives Amy “writer-hives.”
So, what do we have here? Is he passive aggressive? Is it creative paralysis. Or do we have a case of a controlling nature, a persistent controlling nature. On the part of the wife. Or a spouse (either one) who is insecure about love, writing, or both?
I admit, I’ll often take the wife’s part when I read columns like this. So does Amy. I suspect we both figure a lot of men just don’t know how to fill the expectations of the woman they marry—or any other for that matter.
Here’s my suggestion to the wife. Back off and stay there. Your man already has an editor. Maybe a lot of them. People who are demanding (or give assignments) are often critical of the final product, even when the author (like certain presidents) think it’s “perfect.” He knows damn well that if he’s in trouble now, it will be worse once his sentiments are indelible. [Disclaimer: I am an editor and I try to be gentle; perhaps you can tell it’s my job to give advice.)
My mother used to say, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” I used to hate that aphorism. I thought it applied only to women. Women have to be made of sugar plums. Men get to be sauerkraut if they damn well want. Of course I was wrong. Even flies come in two distinct genders. The honey that works for flies works for writers. Reluctant writers. Married writers. Writers of any gender. But it’s a little naïve to think it will always work.
Still it’s fun to think of the stories we might come up with if we writers apply this advice to other creatives. And their significant others.
Here’s my advice. Don’t ask anyone to perform on the spot. Use a little humor. Do a little dance for them instead. Then—if you must—ask, “Do you love it? Do you love me?” And settle for whatever you get.
While I’m at being controlling, don’t tell them jokes. Writers get paid for that. Or they pay other writers to do it for them. Whatever you do, they’ve already heard it.
MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, and retailer to the advice she gives in her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers and the many classes she taught for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program where has found a little humor can decidedly make a lot of learning easier on one’s disposition.
The books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers have won multiple awards. That series includes both the third editions of The Frugal Book Promoter and my The Frugal Editor. Published by Modern History Press, they have won awards from USA Book News, Readers’ Views Literary Award, Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books and others including the coveted Irwin award. How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically is still in its first (very frugal!) edition but please wait for the second edition from Modern History Press.
Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts.
PS: Carolyn has also coauthored a chapbook of poetry with Aussie Magdalena Ball for Valentine’s day called Cherished Pulse. It’s as frugal as a greeting card and available in paper or ebook at http://bit.ly/CherishedPulse.
New in Editing:
Calling ‘in,’ ‘out,’ or ‘off’ sick?
WRITER CORNER
Interview with Writer Valerie B. Williams
1. Have you always been a writer?
No. However, I’ve always been an avid reader. My mother gave me my love of reading and words. I read just about anything I could get my hands on and finally settled on the horror genre as my favorite.
I had always been a good technical writer, but doubted I had the creativity needed to tell stories. In my mid-forties, I decided to give it a go and took lots of classes, learned what NOT to do, and wrote some really bad stories. I joined professional organizations, networked, took more classes and workshops, and started submitting my work. In 2017, my stories began to get accepted for publication. Which proves it’s never too late to start!
2. When did you realize that maybe writing was actually a "thing" you could do, get published and even sell?
One of the organizations I joined early on was the Virginia Writers Club. They held an annual fiction and poetry contest, and in 2017 my story “The Succession” placed third! This was a bit of a surprise since most (all) of the other stories were literary fiction and mine…was not. I was particularly pleased that the quality of writing came through and overcame whatever reservations the group may have had about selecting a horror story. The win resulted in a plaque, a $25 prize, and publication in their annual anthology.
3. What was your first sale as a writer and how did it feel to sell your work?
The first actual sale of a story was also my first professional (paid professional rates) sale. My story “Amazing Patsy” was published in May 2019 by Flame Tree Press in their anthology American Gothic Short Stories. I received the acceptance in November 2018 and I’m pretty sure I screamed. I remember a lot of running around the house, unable to contain myself.
This is a very prestigious anthology series and includes new fiction along with classic stories. My story kept company with classic tales from Ambrose Bierce, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Washington Irving, Shirley Jackson, Flannery O’Connor, and Edgar Allan Poe. Other contemporary authors in this volume include Ramsey Campbell, Russell James, Joe Nazare, Christi Nogle, Lucy A. Snyder, and Nemma Wollenfang. The books themselves are beautiful gilt hardcovers. To have one of my stories included in such a publication made me feel like a real author.
4. How has writing helped you in other areas of life besides being something you could earn money from?
Ha ha ha ha ha! Excuse me. Ahem. I’ve heard of (and even met) writers who make money, some who even make a living at it. Writing is a tough business—attention spans are waning, the market is flooded, and AI is making it easy to crank out a “book.” Fortunately, I didn’t get into this to make money. I am very privileged (and grateful) in that I can treat writing as an avocation, and still take it seriously, without the added pressure of having to put food on the table.
I gain satisfaction from creating something that entertains people, whether it be short stories or novels. I’ve traveled more (to cons and workshops) and gotten better at talking to strangers about my work (although I’m still not comfortable with it). My social circle has expanded to include many wonderful writers. The writing community, particularly the horror community, is very welcoming to those looking to learn.
5. What was your biggest accomplishment as a writer?
Getting my debut novel, The Vanishing Twin, published. The time from completion of the first draft to publication was nearly five years—of workshops, revisions, rewrites, agent queries, and subs to small presses. I had a couple of nibbles from small presses, until Crossroad Press accepted the manuscript and published the novel in October 2024.
The beginnings of the novel, however, go back much longer than five years. The characters were born in a completely different story during NaNoWriMo in 2004. Life interfered and I took a long hiatus from writing until picking it back up again in 2014. I looked at the old story, hated it, but loved the characters. I rescued them, tweaked them a bit, and plunked them into the new story.
6. Who has inspired you the most in the writing field?
Elizabeth Massie. She entered the horror field, a male-dominated genre, early on. She won a Stoker award for long fiction in 1990 for Stephen, and again in 1992 for first novel, Sineater. She was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the HWA in 2022. Her work has also been nominated for Scribe, Locus, and World Fantasy awards. She continues to write both short fiction and novels in the horror field and has added historical fiction for adults and middle grade, novelizations, and comics.
Beth is a role model for other women writers in general, and in the horror field in particular. She’s generous with her time and helpful to other writers. She was kind enough to read and blurb my novel. I’m proud to call her my friend.
7. What are some of the challenges you have faced as a writer and how did you overcome them?
Handling the many rejections that are part of the writer’s life. Art is subjective. The story might be well-written but doesn’t appeal to that particular reader on that particular day. Or the editor has just accepted a story with a similar theme. A story can be rejected for a multitude of reasons. The only thing you have control over is writing the best story you can and following the submission guidelines (ALWAYS read the submission guidelines).
My way of handling rejections is to keep many stories in the pipeline. That keeps me from obsessing over “one chick.” I’m aware if a story has been out for a while, but I don’t worry about it. And when a rejection comes along, I try not to take it personally. That can be more difficult with a favorite story, or if I’m feeling fragile. The key is to get over it, see if the story can be strengthened, and send it out to the next market where it may be a good fit.
8. What is the best writing advice you have ever received and why do you feel it is important?
I was very fortunate to have Tim Waggoner as my HWA mentor in 2017, early in my writing career. He told me to always make sure the story has a strong emotional core. This core can be the connections between characters (good or bad), a character’s commitment to duty, love for hometown—the emotional core motivates the characters, moves the story along, and ideally, moves your readers. After all, if your readers can’t connect with the characters, why should they keep reading?
9. What sort of writing do you do now?
I continue to write and submit short stories, usually for themed anthologies. I have gotten an invitation or two to submit to anthologies, which is always very exciting since I don’t have to go through the slush pile. The story still has to stand on its own merit though. Sometimes an idea for a story gets stuck in my head and it must be written. In that case, I wait for a sub call where it might fit. Since I plan to publish a collection in the near future, there’s always a home for a strong, unpublished story.
In long fiction, I’m shopping a pre-WWI supernatural mystery novel right now, and have a nearly complete novella about the witch hunts in medieval Germany. I plan to continue to write both long and short speculative fiction, but I find myself increasingly drawn to historical settings.
10. Where can we find some of your work online?
Links to my work can be found on my author website.
Go to the Short Fiction tab and scroll through the story list, which has purchase links for all of the anthologies containing my stories. Sadly, the two of the three magazines I had stories in have folded so those stories are no longer in print.
To get a free taste of my work, click on the link for “An Echo of Murder.” If you’d rather listen, there are also links to full video readings of “The Tinker’s Gift,” “A Delicate Matter,” and “Amazing Patsy,” as well as a video reading of an excerpt from “A Mischief in Gordonsville.”
11. What advice do you have for aspiring writers thinking of taking the leap of getting their work published?
Have other people read it first, at least two or three. And not just family or others who want to please you. You need an honest assessment. What a writer “meant” to say doesn’t always make it to the page. Take critiques seriously—if more than one reader points something out, it’s likely a problem. But it is your story, and you don’t have to apply every note or suggestion.
Once the work is polished, research the market you plan to send it to. Make sure it’s a good fit. Read the submission guidelines. A manuscript that doesn’t follow the guidelines will probably be rejected unread, no matter how brilliant the prose. Hit that send key. Celebrate! Then get to work on your next project, confident that you’ve done everything within your power to give your manuscript a chance.
12. What are your final thoughts about being a writer?
I was well into my forties before I began to write. Many times, I wish I’d started earlier. But then I wouldn’t have the life experiences to draw on for my fiction. Writing brings both pleasure and frustration, not always in equal amounts. The satisfaction of completing a story (or novel), filling in plot holes, sculpting it down to its essence, and having it accepted for publication provides validation to continue. Later hearing a reader say how much they enjoy my work is priceless. Writing is hard and requires practice and persistence. The same can be said about anything worth doing. I look forward to sending many new stories into the world.
ABOUT VALERIE:
Valerie B. Williams’ short fiction has been published by Flame Tree Press, Grendel Press, and Crystal Lake Publishing, among others. Her most recent published story, “Daddy’s Girl,” appeared in Bite: A Vampiric Anthology, from Graveside Press in December 2024. Her story, “Home to Roost,” will appear in the 2025 Women of Horror Anthology from Kandisha Press. Her story, “The Lookout,” will appear in the April 2025 edition of Space and Time Magazine.
Valerie’s debut novel, a story of supernatural suspense titled The Vanishing Twin, was released by Crossroad Press in October 2024. She is currently querying her next novel titled A True Likeness, a ghost story set in pre-WWI Richmond, Virginia. She is also finishing a novella about the witch hunts in 16th century Germany.
Valerie is an Active member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA) and has benefited from its mentorship program, both as a mentee and a mentor. She has a BS in Business from Johns Hopkins University and an MS in Systems Analysis from the University of Maryland. She lived in Europe and many places in the U.S. while growing up in an Air Force family.
Valerie spins twisty tales from her home in central Virginia, which she shares with her very patient husband and equally patient Golden Retriever. When not writing, she can be found reading and drinking either tea or wine, depending on the time of day.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
How Pulp Writing Helps Improve Horror
By Jerry Blaze
Pulp stories were stories of mystery, fantasy, horror and erotica that were published in the pulp magazines. These magazines were called pulp, often derisively, because they were printed on cheap rough paper rather than the expensive paper of bigger magazines. The authors were generally paid around a penny a word and this gave way to long stories with loads of detail.
As with most things, pulps fell out of fashion and were replaced by men’s magazines like Esquire, Penthouse, etc. that paid for stories to fill the pages between nude models. Some big names made their rounds in Men’s magazines, like Stephen King; however, pulp writers later became cult figures that are still popular today. Names like Lovecraft, Burroughs, and Howard are synonymous with epic writing.
Pulp writing, as it were, is how I attack each story that I write. I have found it to be a useful medium for writing books quickly and efficiently. The process is relatively straightforward.
Generally, you set the stage for the idea of the story. You introduce your characters, your villain and you throw in detail that pertains to the story itself. Once you have this setup, you continue to write and push yourself towards a word goal for each chapter. Some pulp novels were set in serial form with each issue bringing a chapter of the book or a snippet of the book.
A fun way to exercise this is to spend each day writing a chapter of the book in your own version of serialising your novel. The days add up and so do the chapters, therefore building the book up to the way you want it.
However, since I write only novelettes and novellas, I think that the setup works well enough to extend for a day or two itself.
On average, I’d say try to get in 5-6,000 words a day if you’re working on a novella. For a novelette, try closer to 7-8,000 words. The words should all pertain to the storyline of the work rather than trying to expand the word count, that’s for later if you’re so inclined.
I personally like to write fast-paced books that aren’t weighed down by colorful descriptions of everyday items or characteristics. My plots are character-driven and the action starts on the first page. I put out around 3-4 books a month for the readers to devour in droves. You don’t necessarily need to write like me, but the process could be helpful in pushing you to write the next killer story, regardless of detail.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t describe anything, but rather, you should focus on putting detail into the interesting parts of the book. Expand on the death scenes, the thoughts of the characters, the sex scenes or the climax of the book. Write fast and be sure to take a ten-minute break between chapters. When you take a break, try to stay in the mindset of the characters or storyline.
If you don’t like the way something is happening or if you’re worried the writing isn’t interesting enough, do a 180 and kill someone you like. If you think the story is predictable, throw a wrench in the plans and go a different route. Just never stop focusing on making the book the way you want it. Pulps were filled with stories by writers who wrote what they wanted to read and never stopped, regardless if they didn’t sell.
Once you finish your book or story, give it a once-over in editing, take this time to add in any details that you think might expand it to a better point than you originally intended. Be sure to catch any spelling or punctuation errors that might have slipped by the first time.
After this editing and expanding, slap a good cover on it. The cover should be something clean, creative and intriguing. Covers sell books. It’s an age-old secret that’s widely known. Check out the pulps if you get a chance, you’ll see the covers were incredible despite the low-quality of the books themselves. I’m not saying spend a fortune on a cover, but there are many spectacular artists plying their trade and putting together covers that will bring your pulpy masterpieces to life!
Next thing to do is for you to publish the book for the world to see. Then, without further ado, start writing the next one. The fun thing about pulps is that the writers continued to write regardless of the effect of the first one, their lives depended on chasing those paltry sums to pay for their existence and while you may not have the same living circumstances, you should treat pulp writing as an experience of need. Write what you like, publish, and repeat; never stop trying to put out the next big thing.
When I wrote erotica, I did the same thing as pulp writers did back in the 20s and 30s.
Write stories, publish, and start the next thing. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Soon, you’ll have a massive catalogue of works for readers to check out and the best part? You’ll never run out of ideas because you instantly jump into the next one! Within time, you’ll become a factory of content, putting out books like there’s no tomorrow, and the fans will come running to see what your next work is.
There is a saying, “Quality vs. Quantity.” Personally, I think anyone who pushes themselves to write and write and write will create absolute gems, especially as time goes by. Pulp stories weren’t Shakespeare, but they were fun, intriguing, and they made their authors legendary.
You don’t have to shoot for legend, just shoot for the best you can give, and before you know it, your works will speak volumes for themselves.
Extreme Horror (or Splatterpunk, if you will) is the best kind of genre to write in a pulpy style. The plots are driven, the characters born to die, and the gore can never be overstated. The goal is to overwhelm the reader, push them to their limit and give them something to root for!
You might not be writing literary merit, but you’re writing fanfare, and everyone loves to be chilled, thrilled and engaged. Just remember the process and push yourself to succeed. You’re writing pulp now.
Oh, and don’t forget, life’s too short to not write a sequel!
ABOUT JERRY:
Jerry Blaze is an award-winning author of Horror and Bizarro fiction.
After achieving success in the erotic market, Jerry decided to undertake Extreme Horror/Splatterpunk/Bizarro fiction writing and released several books. Some of his books have been bestsellers on Amazon. He has been awarded the 2025 Golden Wizard Book Prize and the Literary Titan award.
Jerry is a fan of Grindhouse and exploitation films from the 70s and 80s, often modeling his work on them. He currently lives in the American Midwest, but travels often to get inspiration or to run away from angry mobs.
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Thanks for reading! See you next month!