THE FIX is reviewed on Lurid-lit.com Now!!!

Steve Lowe's new book is reviewed. Take a gander please....

Morons on LinkedIN

Group: Fiction Writers and Editors (no promotion, spam, or bullies)

Subject: Declining your request to join Fiction Writers and Editors

The owner or a manager of this group has declined your request to join. There are three possibilities:

1. You have few or no LinkedIn connections. Frequently, spammers present as such, so we're trying to protect the group. If you are a legitimate author, we encourage you to come back and join us later when you have become more established. There is no magic number, as it's a combination of your connections and your profile (see # 3 below).

2. If your profile is made out for a company rather than an individual, you will be declined.

3. Your LinkedIn profile shows no indication of being in the fiction writing or publishing industry. If you're just starting in the industry and feel you are legitimately requesting to join despite your profile, please adjust your profile and reapply.

Thank you for your interest.


Thank you for your inability to read....................         

Editors Notes: The Meaning Of GALL Has Been Defined

With so many horror anthologies becoming incestuous; and several publishers are now noting in their submission guidelines that their friends are getting first shot a new publishing phenomenon is beginning to rear its head.

'Kickstarter' the shamelessly new way to public pan handle is becoming extremely popular. Here people pledge money for your artistic project or home repair, etc. and you get a chance to live out your dream on the dime of someone else.

Sounds a lot like the current Welfare state that our President has changed for us in America.

I am sent inquiries two to three times a week to hand over my dollars to help a new or in some cases established publisher I ignore most. I recently had a case where I was told directly that if I didn't pay in I wouldn't be published.

I walked.

Today I was told there is no room for my submission because all their friends had responded but I was still expected to pay into Kickstarter for the good of the project.

Why? Because people know I have a day job and I'm not just the proverbial writer these days who sits in their mother's basement expounding on Facebook as to their importance to literature. Their are guys in their forties doing this.

I told the publisher to grow up and pay for their own projects themselves. They want stories fine, but I am tired of people putting the bite in me.

Never pay to play.

If anyone wants the name of the publisher and project send me your email.
 

Hiatus

'The Carnage Conservatory' has announced today that it will be on hiatus. We thank Emily for everything she has done for us and I offer my support and help in the future with the re-launch down the line.

Editor's Notes: Today We Walked Away From An Anthology

I have a story that was accepted for publication in an anthology  but the publisher went belly up. I have since tried to place it but have met with three distinct rejections.

One told me the enjoyed it and then proceeded to criticize every aspect of it.

Another told me I don't know how to write a story and proceeded to explain how stories are written.

And today we find the third where I was told it was publishable but anti-climatic. Now this was after I was accused, in a off handed way, of plagiarizing a scene. I respectfully explained where the scene came from; in other words that it was part of a recurring childhood nightmare.

Right off the bat I can see the publisher and I are going to be really good friends.

I ended this story having the character who represents the embodiment of evil go off into the world to do his deeds. My idea is that evil is ever present. Yet anti-climatic for this publisher who wants a knock down Armageddon battle and he gives me two days to re-write it to fit this scene.

And by the way, going back and looking at the guidelines; the pay itself should have made me think twice about submitting in the first place.

I decided to walk away.

My opinion is that while horror should make you uneasy and make you jump it should not be simplistic.

Editors like doctors need to have a bedside manner.

DOLL REPAIR to be SUBVERSE by May 1st

My poem DOLL REPAIR, a rather cheeky tome with rhyme and tone will appear in the second issue. Details and a link to follow.

BLOOD is in SCHLOCK! WEBZINE UK Now!!!!

Happy Easter! My story BLOOD is in Schlock! Webzine from the UK now!