Battle With Inertia

The last installment in The Annals of Hypnosia, Battle With Inertia, is now up.

Something is wrong in the land of Hypnosia. It's too quiet. Join Serafyr as he investigates the cause of this disturbing phenomena here.

If you missed previous installments in The Annals of Hypnosia, then go here.

I hope you've enjoyed reading The Annals of Hypnosia as much as I have enjoyed bringing them to you.

Nocturnal Prophetic Emissions

On search for his quest, William Nonsyrname has disturbing dreams. That is disturbing to his traveling companions; he keeps waking them up. Are these prophetic dreams or not? Read NOCTURNAL PROPHETIC EMISSIONS, this month's installment in The Annals of Hypnosia to find out.

The Annals of Hypnosia: Reunion

REUNION, the February installment in THE ANNALS OF HYPNOSIA, is now posted for your reading enjoyment!

Construction at Screaming Girl Mountain sends Falcrion to Blood Villa, because even the most stubborn of villains has their limits.

Ill Met By Moonlight - The Annals of Hypnosia

Heips!*

The January 2011 installment of The Annals of Hypnosia, "Ill Met by Moonlight", is now up! William Nonsyrname is on a quest in the Concealed Valley and encounters a mythic creature or two. Enjoy!

*"heips" is "hello" in Finnish.

Maladjustment - The Annals of Hypnosia

The December installment in The Annals of Hypnosia, Maladjustment, is now posted for your holiday reading enjoyment.

I suggest putting down the eggnog before you read this one. You don't want to mess up your keyboard.

Daisy!

Happy Christmas to all!

The Incorrigible Mister Bleak

The Incorrigible Mister Bleak, this month's installment of The Annals of Hypnosia is now up. This story is from the dark side of Hypnosia. Mister Bleak pays Falcrion a visit. Enjoy!

Reflections

I was going to do this back in August when I had my one year anniversary of publishing Emerald Tales, but my brain wasn't working well enough, and the post would have ended up an incoherent mess.

This past year and a half from the idea "Hey, wouldn't it be great to start an ezine" to now, the publisher of a journal, poetry collections, short stories, and The Annals of Hypnosia, has been quite a journey. In particular order here are my thoughts about it:

Sending out rejection letters sucks. It really sucks when there isn't anything wrong with a story, but I'm limited by how much I can spend paying authors and poets. (And it is important to me that this be a paying market.) In many cases, it boiled down to how well the story or poem fit the theme.

The worst rejection letters that I had to write were to those who I had published before. It was like telling a best friend, "No, you don't look good in that dress." On the other hand, it would do them more harm than good for me to accept their story just because I had accepted a previous one.

The first line being the theme of the issue makes it really hard to decide which stories to include and which to pass on. If the first line is there, then there is nothing to base a decision on. Which is why the Bright and Sunny Day issue was so damn long... I'm not doing that again.

People who can write a story that is four thousand words are less are much more likely to write a compelling novel or story of longer length. They've figured out how to hook your attention quickly and hold it. I think those people who say, "they can't write a story that is less than 4000 words," should try working on it. It probably will increase their chance of finding an agent and selling their novel.

The British Commonwealth seems to have something going on in the ability to write short stories. Every issue of Emerald Tales has at least one and sometimes two or three or four authors from England, Canada, Australia, etc. They're represented in a higher proportion than one would expect based on population statistics. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's a cultural thing. Maybe it's an education thing. Maybe it's genetic. They do have a large number of authors in the must read classics department.

There were three or four poets that submitted to every issue and that I accepted their poetry every time for either Emerald Tales or Copper Wire. They are Guy Belleranti, John Hayes, Darrell Lindsey, and Lauren McBride. They are different in the form of poetry that they write, but they all have the same quality that I was looking for in a poem: you don't have to be a literature professor to understand their imagery.

I didn't know it at the time, but I also accepted poetry from two brothers, Josh and Matthew Byers. I wonder if there were any more blood relations.

Drum roll, please.

In alphabetic order the contributors to Scribblers and Ink Spillers:

Emerald Tales
Poetry
Guy Belleranti (5)
J. N. Bower
Matthew Byer
josh byer
Effie Collins
Amanda C. Davis
Lindsey Duncan
Grace Galton
Scott E. Green
Damien Walters Grintalis (2)
John Hayes (5)
D. L. Hegel
Wynne Huddleston (2)
Penn Kemp (2)
Patricia La Barbera
N. L. LeBlanc
Darrell Lindsey (4)
Lauren McBride (3)
Tracie McBride (2)
Michelle Mead
Catherine Moore
George Moore
Patricia Puckett
Roxanne Rhoads
Patty Saturn
Troy Seate
Marge Simon
Hal Sirowitz
Teresa Tunaley
Grady Yandell
Mercedes M. Yardley

Stories
Kevin Anderson
Jennifer Azantian
J. J. Beazley
Ben A. Bell
Guy Belleranti
Chip Bland
Faith Boughan (2)
Darla J. Bowen
Ragna Brent
Thomas Canfield
Arthur Carey
Peter Caunt (2)
Lisa Clark
Marie Croke (2)
Laurie Dalzell (3)
Amanda C. Davis
K. S. Dearsley (2)
Aubrie Dionne (2)
Lindsey Duncan
Jason Flum (4)
Catherine J. Gardner
Alice Godwin
Bruce Golden (3)
Denise Golinowski
Eliza Granville
Heather Gregson
Damien Walters Grintalis
James Hartley
Neil James Hudson (2)
E. Hull (2)
B. M. Kezar
Douglas Kolacki
Raymond Koonce
Kristina Lee (2)
Richard S. Levine
Brandi Mauldin
Lauren McBride
Michael McGlade
Mario Milosevic
Bill Moon
Jenny Morientes
Heather Parker
R. J. Payne
Christine Rains
Cherie Reich (2)
Stephen D. Rogers
Lisa Rusczyk (2)
Laura Jeanne Sanger
Jennifer schwabach
K. C. Shaw
Adam Slade
Abra Staffin-Wiebe
Paula R. Stiles
Lori T Strongin
Julie St. Thomas
G. W. Thomas
Erika Tracy
Justin Whitney
Hugh Wilson

Copper Wire
Poetry:
Guy Belleranti
Gary Bloom
Matthew Byer
John Hayes
Darrell Lindsey
Lauren McBride
Misty Posey
Changming Yuan


Short Stories:
Bryant Alexander
Karen Dent
Grace Galton
Bruce Golden
Heather Gregson
Damien Walters Grintalis
Stephanie Hamrick
Neil James Hudson
M. J. Jones
Raymond Koonce (2)
Jack Linus
B. Moon
Lisa Rusczyk
Jude Tulli
L. A. Witt
P. E. Zimmerman

Crystal Codices
Stories:
Sarah Ashwood
Nyki Blatchley
Savyn Carden
Jeremy Essex
Ken Goldman
Kristin Janz
Matthew Leukroth
Marilyn Luttrell

Poetry Collections:
Guy Belleranti
Lisa Rusczyk

And Mette Pesonen the author and illustrator of The Annals of Hypnosia.

Keep an eye out for these authors and poets, they're worth it.

New Stories Posted

That new story for Crystal Codices that I said was going to be out on September 1? I was finally able to get it all formatted and uploaded to the website.

Call of the North by Sarah Ashwood is now online. You can find it here:

And even though I haven't blogged about it, I have been releasing the monthly installments of The Annals of Hypnosia. I just put up the October installment, A Family Recipe of the Worst Kind. Azaril's family recipe book gets stolen and Serafyr must retrieve it before the demons of hell are unleashed.

At Mette's request, I posted a message from the author for those who have been following the Annals of Hypnosia. Personally, I like her self portrait. And she has been wonderful to work with. She didn't snarl at me too much when I changed the background color for the banner. (That's the only image of hers that I have fiddled with, the rest is all her work.)

That would have been the last of the Hypnosia stories, but after a bit of prodding from me for more, Mette admitted to having six others that would work with the series. So, we amended the contract to add them and we'll be continuing our adventures in the land of Hypnosia for six more months.

Huh, they changed the way to put in links.

Heroes Don't Take Vacations

The July installment of The Annals of Hypnosia, "Heroes Don't Take Vacations," is now posted. Serafyr on vacation. Will he survive? ... Just barely :)

Lots to Read!

I've posted a lot of stuff on the website in the past week. I forgot to let everyone know about it.

Two new poems on Copper Wire, Alphabet Meandering by Matthew Byer and Summerscaping by Changming Yuan. I thought they were rather interesting. :)

A Matter of Credibility, the June installment in The Annals of Hypnosia is also up.

All of the electronic versions of the Crystal Codices are now online and free to read. (I'll have a new one in July sometime.)

And the June issue of Emerald Tales, Midsummer's Eve, is now online!

On Midsummer's Eve, a young woman and her family visit the aunts who raised her, a trip outside the dome turns deadly, the seventh child of the seventh child must repay a debt, a cartoon character comes to life, a young woman faces disappointment, a village is invaded during their midsummer ritual, and a woman's true love is revealed to her.

A Visit with the Tantes - short story - Laurie Dalzell

Midsummer's Triolet - poem - Lauren McBride

Outside - short story - Peter Caunt

Midsummer's Eve Mess-up - poem - Guy Belleranti

The Seventh Child - short story - E. Hull

Midsummer's Night Dream - poem - Grace Galton

I Found Love on Channel 3 - short story - Bruce Golden

Heat - poem - John Hayes

A Midsummer's Baby - short story - K. S. Dearsley

Midsummer's Magic: A Series of Haikus - poem - Patricia Puckett

Firebird's Embrace - short story - Faith Boughan

Starry-eyed Predictions - poem - Wynne Huddleston

Midsummer Rose - short story - Eliza Granville

Midsummer's Eve Reminiscing - poem - Darrell Lindsey

As my dance teacher, Michael, used to say, "That'll keep you busy!" :)

Political Lament - The Annals of Hypnosia

Political Lament, the next installment in The Annals of Hypnosia, is now up.

If you enjoy reading these stories, send the link to your friends. :)

The Hymn of Omens

A treat for Monday: The next installment in "The Annals of Hypnosia," "The Hymn of Omens," is now posted on the website. http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/hymnofomens.html

I really like Mette's artwork for her series, especially the images for this month and last month.

The Trappings of Gender and Ambiguity - Annals of Hypnosia

The next installment, "The Trappings of Gender and Ambiguity", in The Annals of Hypnosia is now up on the website. You can read it here: http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/trappings.html

Only three days behind schedule. I might get caught up by Monday. Woot!

The Quest for the Light Switch

The next installment in The Annals of Hypnosia, "The Quest for the Light Switch" is now posted. Azaril has mixed a potion which leaves the castle in darkness. Will they be able to turn on the lights? Find out here: http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/lightswitch.html

In other news, I only received four stories about the Purification of a Love-struck groundhog suffering from cabin fever at Mardi Gras. I will be posting those on February 1, 2010. They are a hoot.

The next issue of Emerald Tales will be published on February 15, 2010 instead of the first. Because I volunteer at The Hoggetowne Medieval Faire in Gainesville every year, and it is the last weekend in January and the first weekend in February, there is no way that I will be able to put out an issue of Emerald Tales while I am dealing with all of that. It's a lot of fun. If you're in the area, you should pop in for a treat.

I haven't posted it on the submission page, yet, but the theme for June is "Midsummer's Eve" and the deadline is April 15th. Note: The deadline for this is six weeks ahead of the issue instead of one month. I'm trying to spread things out a bit more so that I don't get so overwhelmed with putting Emerald Tales out.

That's all I have for the now.

Thanks for all the kind words about my story. :)

A Celebratory Crisis of the Utmost Severity - The Annals of Hypnosia

The next installment of The Annals of Hypnosia: A Celebratory Crisis of the Utmost Severity is now up!.

Find out where Serafyr Halfdrake and Azaril Lamentamagicka's quest to find a unique present for Her Highness, Princess Simiel Baduar leads them.

Links:

http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/hypnosia.html

http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/celebratorycrisis.html

(Yes, I know I can hotlink the titles instead of putting them out like that, but some might want to copy and paste the link into a different browser. Yes, I use three different browsers depending on what I am doing.)

The Insanity of Evil - Annals of Hypnosia

Woot! The next installment in The Annals of Hypnosia by Mette Pesonen, "The Insanity of Evil", is now up for your reading enjoyment.

The main page for The Annals of Hypnosia can be found here: http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/hypnosia.html

The direct link to the story is here: http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/insanityofevil.html

Let me know what you think of this series.

One Confusing Disappearance

This month's installment in the Annals of Hypnosia, story and artwork by Mette Pesonen, has been uploaded. You all can go read it now. :)

The direct link to the story: http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/confusingdisappearance.html

The direct link to The Annals of Hypnosia page: http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/hypnosia.html

Coming next week: A new serial story "Faegotten" by Jude Tulli.

The Annals of Hypnosia is up!

The first episode of The Annals of Hypnosia, "The Epic and Fantastic Saga of William" by Mette Pesonen is now posted on the website. To follow the adventures of legendary Lord Serafyr Halfdrake, the Grand-Mogul Fighter of the Order of the Unreasonably-Majestic Palace-Elite-Body-Guard Knights and the right-hand half-breed to Princess Simiel Buduar; Azaril Lamentamagicka, the Royal Court Wizard; and a bunch of others, go here: http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/hypnosia/hypnosia.html

Mark your calendars! New adventures will be posted on the 15th (or there abouts) of each month.

In other news, I decided on February's theme: "Carnivale". The submission deadline is January 1, 2010.

The first stories for Crystal Codices will be out in a few days. I am still looking for stories for that line. I would be highly interested in stories in a Medievalish setting. I would also be really interested in looking at epic poetry. If there is anyone out there who has written an epic poem and is looking for a home for it.

Now back to working on contracts and edits and submissions ... Oh My!

Time's Up!

If you're planning on submitting a poem or short story for the "Masks or Appearances can be deceiving" issue of Emerald Tales (coming out on Ocotber 1st), then today is the last day for you to send in your submission. And no, it's not too late. The last issue had contributions that came in very early and one or two that came on the last day, so get a move on.

Now. I am open to suggestions for the theme for the February issue of Emerald Tales. All I can think of is Valentine's Day, Cupid, love ... meh, they've all been done before. So, put your thinking caps on and post your suggestions for a theme right here. Unless, of course, you WANT a trite-done-to-death theme for the February issue.

I'm also working on some free web content for the site. "A Special Friend" by Heather Gregson will be posted tomorrow or Wednesday. It was written for the Follow the Butterflies theme and will be added to the Emerald Tales page as a sample story for that issue. I'm sure you'll enjoy reading it.

The Annals of Hypnosia is also coming along. I have almost everything that I need to get started with that on September 15th.

Crystal Codices is also taking shape. I have four stories lined up for the roll out of that line. They're all very compelling to read. More on that, later.

Oh and I am thinking of starting a line of stories only available on the site which can be read for free. But, I'm still letting that idea percolate before I put a call out for submissions.

The Annals of Hypnosia coming soon

WooHoo! Mette Pesonen, a Finnish writer who I met several years ago on Fantasy-writers.org, has agreed to sell me the electronic rights to all of her stories about Serafyr and company set in her world of Hypnosia. These stories are light fantasy in which Mette pokes fun at all the cliches in the Fantasy genre.

Starting in the middle of September, you'll be able to read them for yourself. I'm setting up a special section of the website just for "The Annals of Hypnosia." Every month a new story from Hypnosia will be posted which you will be able to read for free.

I'm also working on some other free web content for the site. As I get those details worked out, I'll post a note right here and let you all know.

As for Crystal Codices, I'm trying to catch up on reading all the submissions that I have had for that. If you submitted a novella and you don't hear from me by next weekend, send me an email and ask about it. I'm still sorting through the email mess that happened when I switched webhosts.