Writing Prompt: Unusual Houses

When I was growing up I was obsessed with the Boxcar Children, not the later books when the children were wealthy and supported, but the first book when they were making a life for themselves in an abandoned boxcar. The books where homes were established in churches, barns, buses, boats, and trees all captured my…

Caketrain: Accepting Submissions

Update: In the Summer of 2015 Caketrain went on an Indefinite Hiatus.  Caketrain is a primarily print journal based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 2003 and their goal has stayed the same: To publish the best contemporary works of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. They have become a respected modern journal and are…

Clean Reads: Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated March 17th 2020: They have not published a book or an update in over a year on their website. I am considering them defunct.  Astrea Press officially launched in 2010 and published it’s first e-book in early 2011. It was founded because the owner, Stephanie Taylor saw a gap in the e-book market when…

The Routines of Successful Writers

I have always been fascinated by the routines and daily schedules of other writers and artists. Writing is not a job with hours or even deadlines, unless you count the self-imposed ones. There is so much self discipline involved in being a dedicated writer. Some of my friends write best in bars, others measure their…

Writing Prompt: The Happy Funeral

There are lots of words people use to describe funerals, although rarely do any of those words have positive connotations. Your challenge today is to write about a funeral. But you can’t use any of the following words: Sad, dour, mad, upset, crying, sobbing, grieving, angry, dark, black, rain, or tombstone. The tone of your…

The Five Best Literary Journals Re-Opening This Month

In February many journals are opening their doors to submissions. Some of these journals have only been closed for a month, others have been closed for over six months. February’s list of five journals includes two of my favorite literary journals. 1. A Cappella Zoo A Cappella Zoo is a journal of magic realism that…

Quote Of The Week

On Becoming an Author

1au·thor noun \ˈȯ-thər\ : a person who has written something; especially : a person who has written a book or who writes many books : a person who starts or creates something (such as a plan or idea) (From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary) I receive emails all the time asking me what it means to be…

Review of Danse Macabre

Most of the journals we have been reviewing lately accept very few creative works; most only accept around 1% or less of the work submitted to them. When you are first starting out, sometimes you just want to get your name out there and have your work published. Danse Macabre accepts almost 70% of the…

Writing Prompt: 50/50

Some writers pepper their books with dialogue, some rarely add any dialogue: Conversations are mostly recapped, and they don’t actually happen live. I love dialogue. You can add wit to an otherwise dull section of the book with dialogue, and you can give a character more dimension through the words they choose to say out…

Review of Lightspeed

Lightspeed is an established monthly electronic publisher of science fiction and fantasy writing. Many of the works that have been published there have gone on to be nominated for prestigious genre awards, including the Hugo and Nebulla awards. They pay their authors 8 cents a word and publish stories of up to 7,500 words in…

Quote Of The Week

Quote of the Week

Writing Prompt: Rear Window

Rear Window is a classic Alfred Hitchcock movie. It stars Jimmy Stewart as a professional photographer stuck in his tiny New York apartment because of an accident. He has very little to do all day, which has turned him into a watcher. The rear window of his apartment faces a courtyard where he can see…

Whiskey Island Review

Whiskey Island Review is a non-profit literary magazine that has been published by students of Cleveland State University for over 30 years. They accept original poetry, prose, and art submissions during two reading periods. They publish two issues a year. They are established, respected, and produce wonderful print issues. Whiskey Island Review accepts less than…