Another Update On My Submissions

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This is just another brief update on my writing, as much for me as anyone. I'll update my on-line spreadsheets when I get the time.

The Fisherman and His Wife: (Short story - humor/fairy tale) Still supposed to be out some time later this year in Grimm & Grimmer IV. I'm waiting for something back from Fringeworks about a more concrete schedule.

Skarett's Treasure: (Short story - humor/horror/pirates) I got an e-mail from the new editor (Mellissa Black) a few days ago:

Good Morning!

I would like to offer your short story Skarrett's Treasure a spot in the Dead Men's Tales anthology. If your story is still available and you would like it included, please let me know immediately.

Thanks.

My first thought for a response was:

Yes, it is still available. Although thousands of requests from major publishing houses have poured in for the tale offering huge wads of cash (as humorous pirate stories are all the rage right now), I wanted you to have it.

Then, I thought, no, that sounds slightly embellished.

So anyway... after noting the nanosecond hand on the clock had nearly reached the next mark, I did reply that the story was, indeed, still available (who the heck else would want it?) and I'd be happy (somewhat of an understatement there) to have it included. This is to be through Knightwatch Press, an imprint taken over by Fringeworks. Hope to hear from you soon, Ms. Black!

Neersville: (Short story - horror/ghost) As reported previously, this was rejected. I may try to do some rewriting of this in the future, partly to eliminate some of the awkward areas required to get it within the size limit requested (it was way over before I cut it back). After that, I'll see if I can find a suitable market for it.

The Ballad of Drunken Jack: (Poetry - horror) This was accepted for inclusion in Gothic Blue Book III, and I am now waiting for additional instructions.

Miscellaneous items: The flash fiction steampunk/dieselpunk story, Tinker's Damn, was submitted to The Weretraveler's The Little Magazine of Magnificent Monsters issue. I'm waiting for a reply. I ran out of time for finishing the submission to James Ward Kirk Fiction for their anthology, The Cellar Door and for the short story, Final Judgment for the Horrified Press anthology, Tales of the Undead – Suffer Eternal Volume III. I'll finish them eventually and submit them where appropriate.

Now, after all of this, I must say that having my stories accepted is great, but I'd really like to see some of them in print, either paper or electronic. It seems that every step in getting something published takes a long time, or there is some delay. At this rate, most of my stories will be published posthumously (or else I'm going to have to live for a very long time...).

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Image "Feathered Quill And Ink Pot" by Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

FSF Challenge - Beauty

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This week's writing challenge from Five Sentence Fiction ( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt: Beauty

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Semi-colons gone wild!

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Beauty and the Thieves

    The girl sat down next to her mother who was warming herself by the fire, despondent because she was not so attractive that the young men would take notice.
    "I don't want to end up like her," she said, pointing out an old woman sitting by herself making baskets.
    "Do not be so quick to judge her lot as she has been weaving her colored reeds many times longer than you have been alive not only to pay her way through life, but because she finds great pleasure in making the world a more pleasing place for others, even for those who will come long after."
    "What makes that so important?"
    "To have beauty is fortunate, but it can never be guarded so carefully that time cannot steal it away; to admire beauty is natural, but obsession and envy are thieves of your mind's pure thoughts; to create beauty, however, is to have everlasting joy that no one can take away."

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Image "Hopi woman weaving a basket, ca. 1900" / National Arcives - Online Public Access

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Monday Mixer - The Eyes Have It

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This week's writing challenge from Monday Mixer #28 ( The Latinum Vault ) Note: Original link no longer works

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A slightly risqué Monday Mixer...

Here are the choices for the location, thing & adjective (my choices in red):

Things:       1) slew              
              2) exemplar         
              3) decolletage

Verbs:        1) typify           
              2) debilitate 
              3) ensorcell

Adjectives:   1) prodigal
              2) fractious 
              3) vainglorious

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The Eyes Have It

     Miranda had a slew of learned skills at which she could pass herself off as an exemplar, but preferred instead to apply her natural assets via a scandalous decolletage to ensorcell her male rivals. Heads turned as she walked into the meeting room, her dress much more revealing than one that would typify traditional business attire, but there were no complaints. Certain of the outcome, she tried to hide the grin on her face as she took her seat at the table and pulled the revised contracts from her briefcase. As she sat across from Mr. Oldham, the chief financial officer, she couldn't resist one final vainglorious attempt to put him in his place and establish a superior position before the bargaining began.
     "My face is up here, Mr. Oldham."
     "Thanks," he replied. "Being blind, I'm never quite sure where I'm looking."
     It would be a long and difficult negotiation.

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Image "Sexy Breast" by adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

FSF Challenge - Thunder

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This week's writing challenge from Five Sentence Fiction ( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt: Thunder

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Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit... (well, just read the story and you'll understand). But be vewy, vewy qwiet - I'm hunting weaders...

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It's Not Over

     She was a big girl for her age, and received more than the usual amount of teasing from the other kids, partly due to her sturdy physique, but also for her outdated clothes and the red hair she wore in pigtails, looking more like a miniature Brünnhilde from a Wagner opera than Brenda, an eight-year old child from Albuquerque. The boys in her class, always plotting ways of tormenting her, decided one Tuesday during recess that it would be exquisitely entertaining to snip a lengthy lock from one of those pigtails, and William, acting the part of the impetuous urchin, volunteered enthusiastically for the job. Being extraordinarily quiet as he crept up behind her, Brenda heard only the sound of the scissors and didn't immediately realize its connection, or disconnection, as it were, with her hair. Once she saw the boy dangling the bisected braid in front of her, however, the incensed girl released a storm of unprecedented fury in his direction. As lightning shot from her eyes accompanied by the thunder in her voice, she explained, in the rather direct and simplistic terms of an adolescent, how a slightly asymmetrical Valkyrie was about to provide William with a one-way trip to Valhalla.

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OK, I know there's no wabbit, uh, I mean, rabbit in the story, but if you still don't understand, check out THIS LINK and maybe THIS ONE, TOO. And I know it's a bit of a stretch to tie a cartoon, opera, and an eight-year child together in a single FSF post, but surely you've heard of artistic license? Yeah, I know, it's not a painting, either... never mind.

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Modified image "Hairdresser Trimming Hair" by Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Monday Mixer - Recipe For Disaster

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This week's writing challenge from Monday Mixer ( The Latinum Vault ) Note: Original link no longer works

 Update: I got an honorable mention for this one! 

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All spaced out on this week's Monday Mixer...

Here are the choices for the location, thing & adjective (my choices in red):

Things:       1) flux       2) luminary   3) compendium

Verbs:        1) predicate  2) actuate    3) chirrup

Adjectives:   1) slapdash   2) gustatory  3) ethereal

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Recipe For Disaster

     With the political and military boundaries of the outer worlds being in a state of flux, and communication among them intermittent at best, the Ogamites predicated the slapdash ceremony for the exalted luminary from Aurealius upon a compendium of formalities and rituals known of its sister planet in a neighboring star system. There was a chirrup from the crowd as the guest made her way down the stairs into the main greeting hall, looking ethereal as she glided over the steps with all four feet, and smiles were on at least one of the Ogamite's mouths as they welcomed her. There were great hopes for an end to hostilities. Everything was going well as she joined the dignitaries in an offering of gustatory delicacies, but when presented with a platter of boiled traglung tentacles, indignantly informed them this was very insult that had started the war nearly five generations ago.

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Image "Fried Squids" by rakratchada torsap / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

FSF Challenge - Travel

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This week's writing challenge from Five Sentence Fiction ( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt: Travel

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We're having a 2-for-1 sale this week...

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Transcendental Medication

     Logan loved the mountains. The crisp air, the vistas, the feeling of peace and solitude that came over him as he followed the paths through the steep valleys. But it was getting late, and the orderlies were turning out the lights in the rehabilitation center for the night. He closed the book, laying it on the stand next to his wheelchair, his finger sliding across the glossy cover. He would go back again tomorrow, if only for a little while.

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Escape

     "Come with me," the girl pleaded, a warm smile on her face.
     "I-I don't know if I can," the old woman said, her voice expressing a fear she could not speak. "It's so far."
     "I promise you'll be alright."
     The old woman peered out of the door, one eye spying the sign of a store nearly a block away, then reached for the young girl's hand and took her first step to freedom.

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For Transcendental Medication: Image "travel-switzerland-jungfrau-railway" courtesy of loomagoo.com / loomagoo.com

For Escape: Image "Senior Woman's Hand" by Photokanok / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Poetry In Motion®

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Yes, I had to include the little "®" in the blog title. If you read all the way to the bottom, you'll understand... and you'll understand why I chose that title!

This is an update to my previous update because I have some news to report!

Note: Before I could get this post finished I received two bits of news about items listed below, so this is an update to my update (of my previous update). Those items affected are now, uh, updated.
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The Fisherman and His Wife: (Short story - humor/fairy tale) This short story was submitted (and accepted for edits!) to Fringeworks for their multi-volume Grimm & Grimmer anthology a long time ago. They've got the first two volumes out, and they are waiting for their cover artist to return for the rest. My story is supposed to published in Grim & Grimmer IV which was originally to come out in August. Then it was pushed back to October, and now, according to their latest newsletter, doesn't have a fixed publication date. It's listed as "editing in progress." The folks at Fringeworks seem to be trying to do a lot, and I hope they're not taking too much on. They have done their best to keep me informed, and do put out some nice work, so I'm still involved and hoping for a good outcome here.

Skarett's Treasure: (Short story - humor/horror/pirates) This was also submitted to Fringeworks for publication through their Knightwatch Press imprint to be included in their Dead Men's Tales anthology. It has not yet been accepted (or rejected! I have to be the optimist here...), but they've let me know they will soon be reading them to sort out which stories they want to include. They say they want to have this out in the September/October time frame, so I hope to hear one way or another soon. So nothing's changed from last time.

Note! As mentioned near the top of this page, I received an update on this from Adrian Middleton about the events leading to the delay:

• The first event was the temporary loss of our cover artist between June and the end of August, which facilitated putting the publication back (but not the submissions deadline). This led the imprint publishing the story to change from Fringeworks to KnightWatch Press, and also saw our publication date get put back to September/October;
• The second event was the discovery the anthology had been promoted in June's issue of Writing Magazine. We knew nothing about this, but it led to an unprecedented number of submissions which required a preliminary sift. That sift was completed recently, whittling down the number of submissions into double figures!
• The third event was the need to change editor. I am currently simultaneously editing several novellas, three other anthologies, and four novels, as well as writing for some of those projects. There was no way, beyond the initial sift, that I would have been able to get Dead Men's Tales ready for publication by this September/October.

So there is now a new editor, Mellisa Black, and it looks like my story made it through the "first sift."

Neersville: (Short story - horror/ghost) This was submitted to Burial Day Books via Submittable.

Unfortunately, they have decided not to publish the story. I had a few concerns about this when I sent it in - the point of view I chose, the subject matter, a few other issues, including the length - any of which may have contributed to their decision. Submittable shows it to be "Declined," so I'll withdrawn it from there at some point.

However.... (see next item)


The Ballad of Drunken Jack: (Poetry - horror) This was also submitted to Burial Day Books via Submittable, again for their Gothic Blue Book III anthology.

Submittable still shows it to be "In Process" but I have a contract in hand for this as they've accepted my poem! And the fools, uh, I mean the kind, generous, highly intelligent, and physically attractive folks at Burial Day Books are even going to pay me for it! Now, selling poetry of any kind is difficult enough, but old-style narrative poetry like this has become nearly impossible to even give away, so I'm rather tickled. I'm thinking of heading up to Alaska next winter to see if I can sell some snow during a blizzard...

Among The Stones: (Poetry - horror) This was submitted to Scarlett River Press quite a while back. Their web site is still just a shell, so this is the last mention about this. If you folks are listening out there, consider my poem withdrawn.

A Tinker's Damn (horror - flash fiction/steampunk, sort of...), has been submitted to The Were-traveler's The Little Magazine of Magnificent Monsters issue. They have had some technical difficulties with their blog/website, but have assured me they are making progress. They've told me they are going to push back their publication schedule due to this. They've been good to work with, so I hope they get things worked out!

@WOKRSmith I'm slowly getting there. Thanks for the offer. I'm going to push back release of the next issues. School starts again soon, too.
— The Were-Traveler (@TheWereTraveler) August 17, 2013

Maria Kelley has posted an update on The Were-traveler site.

I'm also working on a poem (horror), as yet untitled (but may be called "The Other Side of the Door"), for submission to James Ward Kirk Fiction for their anthology, The Cellar Door.

I had to give up on my short story, Final Judgement (horror - short story), for the Horrified Press anthology, Tales of the Undead – Suffer Eternal Volume III. I just don't have the time to work on it right now.

I have perhaps a dozen other short stories and a number of poems in various stages of completion, so I have plenty to keep me busy!

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Image "Feathered Quill And Ink Pot" by Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Poetry in Motion® is a joint registered trademark of the Poetry Society of America and MTA/New York City Transit Authority. I'm not sure how Johnny Tillotson feels about this, and I'm not affiliated with any of these folks, so I'm not getting anything from this other than a title for my blog post.

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

FSF Challenge - Fabric

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This week's writing challenge from Five Sentence Fiction ( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt: Fabric

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Something a little more colorful the time around!

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The Rainbows of Chinchero

     It had been a long journey to reach Chinchero and the sacred valley of the Incas. This was, if legend is to be believed, the birthplace of the rainbow, and I wanted to experience one as I might have before the time of the Conquistadors, the ephemeral colors materializing within the swirling mists surrounding the steep mountains, but the weather wouldn't cooperate, my time here paradoxically plagued by bright and sun-filled days.
     As I strolled through the cobbled streets of the town with nothing more on my mind than to kill time before departing, I came across the outdoor workshop of some local artisans. I stood amongst them as they quietly toiled and realized I had indeed found what I came for. The descendants of those ancient Inca had provided a multitude of rainbows, woven from a thousand years of memories, and put them on display as if only for me.

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Image source: http://lilliemcferrin.com/five-sentence-fiction-fabric/

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

An Update On My Submissions

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I thought I'd post an update on my submissions so I (as much as anyone else) could get an idea of what is going on with my writing.

The Fisherman and His Wife: (Short story - humor/fairy tale) This short story was submitted (and accepted for edits!) to Fringeworks for their multi-volume Grimm & Grimmer anthology a long time ago. They've got the first two volumes out, and they are waiting for their cover artist to return for the rest. My story is supposed to published in Grim & Grimmer IV which was originally to come out in August. Then it was pushed back to October, and now, according to their latest newsletter, doesn't have a fixed publication date. It's listed as "editing in progress." The folks at Fringeworks seem to be trying to do a lot, and I hope they're not taking too much on. They have done their best to keep me informed, and do put out some nice work, so I'm still involved and hoping for a good outcome here.

Skarett's Treasure: (Short story - humor/horror/pirates) This was also submitted to Fringeworks for publication through their Knightwatch Press imprint to be included in their Dead Men's Tales anthology. It has not yet been accepted (or rejected! I have to be the optimist here...), but they've let me know they will soon be reading them to sort out which stories they want to include. They say they want to have this out in the September/October time frame, so I hope to hear one way or another soon.

Neersville: (Short story - horror/ghost) This was submitted to Burial Day Books via Submittable (the first time I've done this, and I rather like it) for their Gothic Blue Book III anthology. Submittable shows it to be "In progress."

The Ballad of Drunken Jack: (Poetry - horror) This was also submitted to Burial Day Books via Submittable, again for their Gothic Blue Book III anthology. Sumbittable shows it to be "Received."

 

 

Update 08/07/2013: Submittable now shows both Neersville and The Ballad of Drunken Jack to be "in progress."

Among The Stones: (Poetry - horror) This was submitted to Scarlett River Press quite a while back. Their web site keeps going up and down (at one point it came up with a screen from the host saying it was "suspended"). Right now, it's just full of "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet," and it hasn't changed for a while. Also, you can't see their Facebook site without logging in (I am not on Facebook, so I can't) and there hasn't been much twitter activity, so I think it's time to move on. If they ever get their act together, I may consider them again, but for now, thanks, but I have better ways to spend my time...

Miscellaneous items: I hope to get a story, Tinker's Damn (horror - flash fiction/steampunk, sort of...), ready for The Weretraveler's The Little Magazine of Magnificent Monsters issue - running out of time here. I'm also working on a poem (horror), as yet untitled, for submission to James Ward Kirk Fiction for their anthology, The Cellar Door. I would also like to finish my short story, Final Judgement (horror - short story), for the Horrified Press anthology, Tales of the Undead – Suffer Eternal Volume III.

I have perhaps a dozen other short stories and a number of poems in various stages of completion, so I have plenty to keep me busy!

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Image "Feathered Quill And Ink Pot" by Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Monday Mixer - Overkill

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This week's writing challenge from Monday Mixer ( The Latinum Vault ) Note: Original link no longer works

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Back at the Monday Mixer again... #24, I believe.

Here are the choices for the location, thing & adjective (my choices in red):

Things:     1) kludge      2) gamut     3) postern
Verbs:      1) ululate     2) bruit     3) spraddle
Adjectives: 1) copacetic   2) tremulous 3) obstreperous

Just a little silly science fiction! And, yes, I know I said I wasn't going to kill anyone in my third straight posting, but, hey, things just seem to happen that way. What can I say? 

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Overkill

     The entire apparatus was a kludge of mismatched parts, running the gamut from electrostatic ion generators to plasma channeling coils to something Nortrok couldn't even identify, but Chief Engineer Xilanx assured him this was the only instrument capable of destroying the enemy's immense starship. Once the device had initialized, those manning it began to ululate as the weapon hummed, and despite concerns bruited about of how the intense magnetic fields might kill them before they could attack, none left their post. 
     As the ship appeared overhead, Xilanx nodded that all was copacetic, and shouted out the order to fire. Once the blast subsided, nothing remained of the vessel but a quintillion quantum particles trying to reassemble themselves within the nebulous haze obscuring a silvery crescent moon.
     After staring at the sky for a moment, Nortrok turned to Xilanx, and in a tremulous voice asked, "Wasn't there a full moon tonight?"

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Modified image "Darkness Of Apocalyptic" courtesy of "prozac1"/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

FSF Challenge - Limitless

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This week's writing challenge from Five Sentence Fiction ( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt:  Limitless

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As someone who has always had a knack for eating and mismanaging my weight, when I saw this prompt I immediately knew what my story would be.

I'm right behind you there, Woody! Just let me get a clean plate...

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All You Can Eat

     Woody had always been a large boy, as it was politely stated, and throughout his school years had no difficulty finding a spot on the football squad or wrestling team, maintaining his strength for those activities by eating with the same enthusiasm he displayed while competing. As he grew older, however, those days of glory faded, but not his passion for food.
     Therefore, filled with such anticipation as to be nearly uncontrollable, he decided to visit Buford's Boundless B-B-Q Buffet (newly opened on the south side of town just off exit 9 with ample free lighted parking and drinks included in the price of a meal on Tuesdays). Upon seeing the epicurean palace, he declared, "I believe I've died and gone to heaven."
     The words were curiously prophetic, coming to fruition, so to speak, somewhere between the second and third helpings, face down in the pickled watermelon.

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Image "Cheeseburger And Stethoscope" courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

This Week's Photo - Flutterby

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There are times when I get the camera out and take a few pictures, sometimes for art, sometimes just to enjoy. This week's photo (I hope to do this on a regular basis) is of a butterfly in my neighbor's garden.

Feel free to use the picture as long as attribution is given. You can use the text below for that:

Image "Butterfly_2013_07_21.jpg" courtesy of K. R. Smith - www.theworldofkrsmith.com

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shameless Plug - Going To Mars With MAVEN

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Here's a shameless plug to vote for my entry in the "Going to Mars with MAVEN 'Message To Mars'" haiku contest:

  

Click on the link at the end of this text to vote for my entry (if you like it, that is...):  Message To Mars

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Let's Go Camping!

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To be honest, I'm going to let you go by yourself...

Since it's almost time for Camp NaNoWriMo to start, I thought I'd post this notice so anyone who has the time (and happens to see this to remind them) can sign up!

In case you didn't know what Camp NaNoWriMo is about, this is from their website:

• What: Writing a novel from scratch in one month’s time.
• Who: You! (And about 20,000 other novelists around the world.) Let’s write some perhaps-awful, but definitely lengthy, prose together.
• Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties.
• When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster. Writing begins at 12:00 AM on April 1, and again on July 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach your word-count goal by 11:59 PM on the last day of the month. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

I'm not really into these things, but I have nothing against any device a writer can use to jump-start a project!

Anyway, see ya in August--you'll be busy until then...

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Update #4: Grimm And Grimmer Submission - And More!

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It seems like forever since the original submission of my rework of the Grimm Brother's fairy tale, The Fisherman and His Wife, to Fringeworks, but it's really only been a few months. It was originally scheduled to be published in August 2013, but has been moved back to October 30, 2013.

Public domain image, Fischer und Frau, from Wikimedia Commons

The reason for the change is so the cover artist can work on another project for a couple of months and then come back to the Grimm and Grimmer anthology series, keeping the covers consistent. While the delay isn't fun, I really like this guy's work and I do think it is a good idea to maintain the same look to the various volumes.

So, I have to wait a little longer to see the story in print. If you follow this blog, you'll know when it's out because I will be pushing it until you're sick of hearing about it. At the moment, it is supposed to be in Volume IV. Volume I and II are already out.

In the meantime, I've submitted another story to them for their Dead Men's Tales anthology which is to be published under the KnightWatch Press imprint. It's a pirate story titled Skarett's Treasure, and is told from the viewpoint of a dead character. No word yet on acceptance.

So far, despite the delay in publishing, the Fringeworks folks have been good to work with, and even if they don't accept Skarett's Treasure, I'll consider submitting to them again.

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Running Joke

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This morning I went for a jog.

I hadn't been running for about six months due to work and other issues, and I was badly in need of some exercise. Well, the sort of exercise that gets my heart and respiration rate up to where they should be when you exercise.

At this point, you're probably wondering what this has to do with writing.

The answer is: not a lot.

To be honest, the woodland path I run on has a sign at the start with a verse from of one of Robert Frost's poems. As a matter of fact, it's this one:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.  
But I have promises to keep,  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
And miles to go before I sleep.

It's titled Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. It's an appropriate verse for a trail, even if it hasn't snowed for a while. But I had miles to go before I went back home to cut the grass, so I started my run. That's about as close as I can tie writing into this blog post.

The loop I ran today is a little over three and a half miles long, with lots of elevation changes. I ran about two and a half of those miles. I had to walk much of the rest because I'm a bit out of shape and the recent rains had rendered parts of the path submerged or slippery forcing me to make impromptu course changes more than once.

I suppose, too, that I like to take a look around when I run, so I stop often. I'm not training for the Olympics. Due to the cool, wet weather, the undergrowth appeared to be quite healthy and was full of wild geraniums and jack-in-the-pulpits. I don't think I've even seen a many there as I did today.

Wild geranium

Jack-in-the-pulpit

As a disclaimer, these pictures are ones I took last year along the same path - I didn't have a camera with me during my run. There were also a few bluettes out, and the wineberry brambles were quite healthy. I'll have to check them out in a June.

I'm not sure why bluettes are called that. They're white, not blue. Must have been named by the same guy that named the purple finch (which is red, not purple). Go figure.

Wineberries are an invasive species. They are, however, quite delicious as invasive species go, and I do my part to prevent them from spreading by consuming as many of their fruits as possible.

About a mile into my run, I passed three young(er) girls going in the opposite direction. I raised my hand and said, "Good morning," but they just cruised past, ignoring me.

I also encountered the three Japanese folks that I almost always see when I'm on the trail. I don't know how we time it like that, but they seem to like the peacefulness of the early morning woodland, as do I, so perhaps that is the common factor here. I again raise my hand and say, "Good morning." They smile and nod. I don't know if they speak English, but they understand.

Finally, I descend from the uplands to begin the return route along the river. Once again, the three jogging ladies pass by, and I give a greeting for a second time which is treated with all of the significance of the first. I had the same effect on girls back in high school. And yes, I know they're on their second loop and hardly out of breath. Bunch of young (expletive deleted) (expletive deleted) (expletive deleted) show-offs.

Eventually I found myself at the end of my run and began the drive back to what those who know no better call "civilization." As an example, I give the person waiting in front of me at a stoplight. It was a young woman in a Miata (top down - on the car, not her) with a Pennsylvania license tag seat-dancing out-off-time to "Sweet Home Alabama" which was blaring from her sound system. Now, I have nothing against Miatas, "Sweet Home Alabama," and certainly nothing against young women. Pennsylvania - I'll have to think about that... Put them all together, however, with the out-off-time seat-dancing, and it becomes curiously disturbing. There must be a story in that.

Oh, well. Time to cut the grass.

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

National Poetry Month

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Since it is National Poetry Month, I thought I'd post a couple of links of interest!

First, the link to the Academy of American Poets page about National Poetry Month.

Second, a link to the participants in NaPoWriMo (Like NaNoWriMo, but for poetry)


Here's my contribution ( In truth, I'd like to deny any knowledge of the following poem, and for those who insist upon associating my good name with this, a pox upon your house.)

If you don't have time
To make it rhyme,
That's fine;
You haven't crossed the line.

But if you do,
That's OK, too!
Just check with Frost
If you think you're lost

But write it either way
Because at the end of the day
You know darned well
It'll never sell.

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Note: the artwork on this page are the property of their respective website and website owners.

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved - well, except for that stupid poem. If you want to claim that as yours, be my guest.

Welcome, Ukrainians! ( or Привіт, українці! )

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Ласкаво просимо всім моїм читачам українському!

I sure hope the above translates correctly. I don't want to start an international incident...

For some reason, I get a lot of hits on my blog from Ukraine. I'm not sure if any Ukrainians are actually reading my blog or if they're just stumbling upon it by accident. On my statistics page, Ukraine comes up with the second highest number of hits. I understand that many Ukrainians speak English as a second languaage, so that might be part of the reason. I certainly don't mind them reading my blog, The more Ukrainians the better, I suppose!

If you're a reader from Ukraine, let me know! And maybe even tell me why you're reading! If you have an interest in writing, or have a question, please leave a comment below.

Thanks!

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Thanks For Reading!

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This March is the first month I've had over 1,000 hits on my blog - and the month isn't over yet!

A lot of this is traffic from Five Sentence Fiction readers, and I appreciate the time every one of you have taken to read and comment.

Over 1,000 hits this month on my blog!

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Mum(mie)s The Word

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The short story and drabble I submitted to The Were-Traveler webzine have now been published and available for your reading pleasure - or critique. This issue is all about mummies. I had to shorten the mummy story a little from its original length since it kept going over the 2000 word limit, so I'm hoping it didn't suffer too much. This is my second submission to The Were-Traveler, the first being my werewolf story, Going Home, published back in December 2012. They've been pretty responsive and helpful for a small webzine, so I'll probably consider them again if I have a suitable story.

In addition to the short story, I did the drabble because I'd never done one and wanted to see how hard it was to make a little story come out to exactly 100 words. It can be frustrating at times!

Sorry for the picture below, but I do write horror...

Latest issue of @theweretraveler is now live: The Wise and Ancient Dead—Mummies! wp.me/p1MMef-hr #horror #amreading #weblit
— The Were-Traveler (@TheWereTraveler) March 4, 2013

Here are the direct links to the stories:

• A Matter of Personal Taste (short story)
• Revenge (drabble 100)

Please let me know what you think about 'em!

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Scarlett River Press Website Update

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It appears that the Scarlett River Press website is back on-line as promised. There doesn't seem to be anything new on it yet except that all of the submissions are marked "closed." So, I have that one little poem submitted to them - perhaps it still has a chance for publication!

I just updated my iPage website, check it out! scarlett-river-press.ca

— Scarlett River Press (@ScarlettRiverPr) February 17, 2013

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

I'm So Proud!

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I found this on-line writing analyzer that is supposed to tell you which famous author your writing style emulates. I put in the story I'd written for the Five Sentence Fiction Challenge using the prompt "ringing" and it responded with this:

I write like
H. P. Lovecraft

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Without a doubt, a most remarkably accurate tool!

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Update #3: Grimm And Grimmer Submission

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It seems my story, the remake of The Fisherman and His Wife, won't be in Volume 1, but it's nice to know  the anthologies are progressing! (There will be multiple volumes in this series.)

fringeworks.co.uk/blog/?p=283 News about the forthcoming Grimm and Grimmer anthology from @fringeworks with @williemeikle and yours truly!
— Theresa Derwin (@BarbarellaFem) January 27, 2013

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Update #2: Grimm And Grimmer Submission

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I have received some news via e-mail on my Grimm and Grimmer submission to Fringeworks!

This is my remake of the fairy tale, The Fisherman and His Wife.

It reads:


Hi

I am writing to you regarding your submission to the 'Grimm and Grimmer' anthology. I am pleased to tell you that your story was successful and we would like to publish it in one of the volumes. I will be contacting you in the next month to discuss the next stage in the editing process. Thank you for your efforts which are much appreciated. I look forward to working with you.

Many Thanks


Theresa Derwin 


So, there is still work to be done, but if all goes well, the story should show up on the web (and possibly in print) at some point!

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Yes, I've Been Changing The Blog Around

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I've been trying to keep the interface here a simple as possible, so I've:

• Moved my (rather short) excerpts page to a Google Document instead of making it a blog page (better formatting, easier to update)
• Moved the NovelRank page into the Writing Resources page
• Made a few other little tweaks, like removing the Google Recent Comments widget that was no longer working

I don't think I've deleted anything entirely, but if you're looking for something and it's not there, let me know. And if there's something you'd like to see and it's never been there, you can tell me that, too, and I'll see if I think it should be included. I don't mind you asking!

Thanks again for reading!

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Update: Grimm And Grimmer Submission

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At least the Fringeworks folks have posted a tweet on the Grimm and Grimmer anthology to which I've submitted a short story (88 stories submitted?).

Currently editor @barbarellafem is reading 88 fairy stories retold for our Grimm and Grimmer anthology! Cool stuff
— Fringeworks (@fringeworks) January 18, 2013

No pressure, but I really think they should select mine...

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Update On The Poetry Submission

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I've received an auto-response to my poetry submission, so I know that it was delivered somewhere... 

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Thank you for your submission, inquiry, or response to Scarlett River Press.
It has been received, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Please allow up to eight weeks for a response depending on volume of submissions. Our website is up but currently under construction, so wear a hardhat. You can check it out here: http://www.scarlett-river-press.ca.

Scarlett River Press
 Fuelling the Fire of Fear

Publisher
 Jo-Anne Russell

Editor
 Allen Jacoby

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I hope there's a human being (or zombie, vampire, spiritual entity) checking this at some point - and that it doesn't really take 8 weeks!

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For those with a compulsive spelling disorder, fuelling can apparently be spelled as "fuelling" or "fueling."

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

A Poem Submitted

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I've submitted a short poem, Among the Stones, to Scarlett River Press in hopes it will be accepted into their poetry anthology (?), In Darkness Dwells ~ A Macabre Collection of Poetry. 

Scarlett River Press seems to be a small outfit up in Canada, just starting off, so I don't have great expectations (no pun intended) for this, but you have to start somewhere. It would be nice to say I've had a short story and a poem published.

The poem itself is a bit on the dark side, and not lengthy at all, with 18 short lines.

Now, more waiting - no word on my other story to Fringeworks yet.

But there's more to do - I still have to finish that mummy story for The Were-Traveler...  (but I have until February 15th). Until then, you'll just have to read my werewolf story there (shameless plug).

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Another Story Submitted

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I've submitted another story, a rework of the Grimm Brother's fairy tale, The Fisherman and His Wife, to Fringeworks, under the same title.

Public domain image, Fischer und Frau, from Wikimedia Commons

Like the original fairy tale, it's a short story, but in a modern setting and with a different ending. It's more on the humorous side than from the dark places I usually reside.

From the Fringeworks website:


Grimm and Grimmer Submission Guidelines

We love to find new talent and to give writers the chance to get recognition for their work in the public domain. We are currently seeking submissions for a continuing anthology series entitled ‘Grimm and Grimmer’.

A number of short ebooks will be released throughout 2013, culminating in a limited print run hardback edition containing all of the stories published by this method. With each ebook purchased from selected websites, customers will receive a code to be put towards the purchase of a limited hardback edition.

We anticipate a total of five ebooks, each containing six stories.

Customers who collect codes for all five ebooks will be eligible to purchase the limited edition hardback for free, excluding p&p.

Submission deadline for this anthology is midnight on 6th January 2013.


I made the deadline by 1 day. Now the waiting begins...

In the mean time, I'll continue work on my mummy story for The Were-Traveler.

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

My Story Got Tweeted

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... and not by me this time!

I just had to post the "Tweet" someone put out for my story. It was even re-tweeted by one of the other writers in the "Big Bad Wolf" issue of The Were Traveler.

@theweretraveler Read a werewolf in space story: Going Home by KR Smith wp.me/p1MMef-fW
— The Were-Traveler (@TheWereTraveler) January 1, 2013

Reading back through it, there are some awkward areas that I'd redo, but I was pressed for time as it was, so that wasn't an option. But I have a story out there, such as it is. Considering I'm not really a werewolf fan, it's not too bad!

More (and hopefully better) stories to come!

Oh, and please feel free to leave a comment / review / lambaste below. I'm working on that thick skin writers are supposed to have.

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved