Tag: publication

Announcing the Advent of “The Chamber” Magazine

imageBeginning in January 1, 2017, this will be the location of a new on-line quarterly magazine for short stories, poetry, and other short works of the horror genre.  You can find the guidelines for submissions on my current Submissions and Announcements page, which will remain the same, with the only exception being that the word limit for submissions for “The Chamber” will increase from 1,000 to 2,000 words.  The deadline for submissions for issue #1 passed on December 1.  However, please feel free to submit for issue #2, which will be published on April 1.

I am creating this magazine primarily because it is not fair to my contributors to submit a work for publication, when that work will be at the top of my blog posts for only a day, and then that author and his readers will have to wade through a morass of unrelated blogs to find that one post.  To remedy this, I am creating a separate page on my blog for my new magazine, “The Chamber”, where each quarter’s selections will appear on a separate page for eternity (or until WordPress folds, or until I give it all up and wander off to buy a bar in Key West, or etc.)  Issue 2 will appear on April 1st.  Send submissions for Issue #2 per the Submissions and Announcements guidelines, but specify Submission for “The Chamber” in the subject line, if you want your work published in The Chamber, or Submission for The Blog, if you want to be published in the regular blog.  I will continue to publish submissions in my regular blog until December 31.

Why call it “The Chamber”?  The word chamber has numerous sinister and macabre connotations: a chamber of horrors, a torture chamber, one chambers a round into a rifle, etc.  A chamber can also be where a sorcerer, an alchemist, or an Inquisitor stores his library.  It is with this last connotation in mind that I am developing my Chamber for the storage of my selection of sinister and macabre works from the best up and coming authors that seek to contribute to my blog.

So, start editing your best, most powerful material and see where this new venture takes us!  I want powerful, hard-hitting material that leaves its readers gasping and awe-struck at the end.

A Blatant, Shameless, Ballsy Call for Reviews

Available on Amazon Kindle
Available on Amazon Kindle

If you are one of the you are one of the incredibly intelligent and tasteful people who has purchased one of my books from Amazon, please show your appreciation for my awe-inspiring writing skills by going back to Amazon and leaving a good review.  Good reviews help move books up in the Amazon ratings and help sales, AND you’ll be able to sleep better tonight knowing you have done something to benefit mankind.

If you are one of those incredibly intelligent and tasteful people, and haven’t yet purchased one of my books, this is your opportunity to improve not only your lot in life, but mine as well, and to benefit mankind’s lot by raising the average I.Q. a smidgen.

If you’re not one of those people and haven’t purchased one of my books and, God forbid, don’t intend to, well, a good review still wouldn’t hurt.

 

Announcing the Advent of “The Chamber” Magazine

Phil Slattery Self-portrait, August, 2016
Phil Slattery
Self-portrait, August, 2016

Beginning in January 1, 2017, this will be the location of a new on-line quarterly magazine for short stories, poetry, and other short works of the horror genre.  You can find the guidelines for submissions on my current Submissions and Announcements page, which will remain the same, with the only exception being that the word limit for submissions for “The Chamber” will increase from 1,000 to 2,000 words.  The deadline for submissions for issue #1 passed on December 1.  However, please feel free to submit for issue #2, which will be published on April 1.

I am creating this magazine primarily because it is not fair to my contributors to submit a work for publication, when that work will be at the top of my blog posts for only a day, and then that author and his readers will have to wade through a morass of unrelated blogs to find that one post.  To remedy this, I am creating a separate page on my blog for my new magazine, “The Chamber”, where each quarter’s selections will appear on a separate page for eternity (or until WordPress folds, or until I give it all up and wander off to buy a bar in Key West, or etc.)  Issue 2 will appear on April 1st.  Send submissions for Issue #2 per the Submissions and Announcements guidelines, but specify Submission for “The Chamber” in the subject line, if you want your work published in The Chamber, or Submission for The Blog, if you want to be published in the regular blog.  I will continue to publish submissions in my regular blog until December 31.

Why call it “The Chamber”?  The word chamber has numerous sinister and macabre connotations: a chamber of horrors, a torture chamber, one chambers a round into a rifle, etc.  A chamber can also be where a sorcerer, an alchemist, or a member of the Inquisition stores his library.  It is with this last connotation in mind that I am developing my Chamber for the storage of my selection of sinister and macabre works from the best up and coming authors that seek to contribute to my blog.

So, start editing your best, most powerful material and see where this new venture takes us!  I want powerful, hard-hitting material that leaves its readers gasping and awe-struck at the end.

Two of My Works Now in Paperback

Available on Amazon Kindle
Available on Amazon Kindle

Now available at Amazon in paperback: my novelette Click, an action/adventure tale set on the south Texas coast, and my short story collection examining the dark side of love, The Scent and Other Stories.

In Click, a Texas policeman, on a secluded island while recovering from the guilt of shooting an unarmed man, suddenly finds himself under attack by unknown assailants and caught up unknowingly in a web of intrigue.

Reader Charles Stacey gave Click five stars and commented: “Author has a wonderful ability to develop the characters using few words. Great foreshadowing to build suspense. And then a really outstanding twist at the end that left me smiling.”

In this The Scent and Other Stories, I explore the dark, sometimes violent, sometimes twisted, sometimes touching side of love, the side kept not only from public view, but sometimes from our mates. Set in the modern era, these stories range in setting from forbidden interracial love in the hills of 1970’s Kentucky to a mother’s confession in present-day New Mexico to the callous manipulation of a lover in Texas.

Readers comments on The Scent and Other Stories include:

On “The Scent”

“This story has a lovely dreamy quality whilst being unsettling too. It lingers on half processed emotional experiences and leaves the reader asking ‘what if’ and ‘if only’ – feelings that are familiar for so many people.”

“You wrote about something we can all relate to – how, out of the blue, the scent of something evokes a memory of something long past; and the emotions we felt at the time! A clever story …”

“This descriptive piece about remembrance, the thought of what might have been, is a common sad thread that will resonate with those have experienced the pain of that one love lost. Slattery’s use of scent was exquisite as we feel Quinn’s pain and hope that he finds his peace, at last.”

On “Decision”

“Fantastic writing – I held my breath for most of the story. The descriptions of the countryside and the people were beautiful and the tension compelling. This could possibly be the start of a novel or a suite of stories. Thank you very much and good luck with your writing in the future”

“Suspenseful and engaging. The dialogue and descriptions kept pace with the action. Well done.”

On “A Good Man”

“Lots of detail examining an old question of how do you judge a person’s life. It left me wondering.”

“Great job capturing the social climate of the sixties. Good choice for how to present the story – deathbed “confession” by the mother. I enjoyed it.”

On “The Slightest of Indiscretions”

“Excellent writing brings this poignant story to life and makes the reader work to understand more of what might be. Very many thanks for a satisfying, emotionally intelligent read…”

Available on Amazon Kindle
Available on Amazon Kindle

A Tale of Hell and Other Works of Horror is currently available only on Kindle, but it should be out in paperback in the very near future.  Watch for it at Amazon.

Readers of the stories contained include:

In this collection of published and previously unpublished stories of horror, I offer a look into the minds of people who perpetrate horrors, from acts of stupidity with unintended results to cold-hearted revenge to pure enjoyment to complete indifference. Settings range from 17th-century France in the heart of the werewolf trials to the Old West to the present and on to alien worlds in the distant future. Comments on previously published stories include:

Jay Manning, editor of Midnight Times commented in its Spring, 2006 issue: “Wolfsheim” is basically a traditional horror story that tells the tale of a small European village confronted by the threat of werewolves. If you like stories about lycans, you definitely need to check this one out. Great stuff.”

Publisher Charlie Fish of Fiction on the Web summarizes “A Tale of Hell” as a “… chilling vision of hell”. Other comments on “A Tale of Hell” from readers of Fiction on the Web:

“An intense and well paced story, cleverly leading the reader up a number of garden paths before Jack’s reality finally clarifies and appears in all its horror. The writing is focused and spare as Jack’s malevolent characteristics and idiosyncrasies manifest themselves…Overall a strong tale that lingers in the imagination…”

“brilliantly descriptive piece on man´s apparently unstoppable descent, literally into hell,…”

” Enjoyed this story. I thought it was nicely written. Started with a familiar vision of hell, but added several unique treatments; kept me interested in how it all would end. Thanks”

Publisher Charlie Fish of Fiction on the Web summarizes “Dream Warrior” as a “…powerful revenge epic about a man who visits his Mexican grandfather for spiritual guidance after a violent crime results in the death if his fiancée”. Fiction on the Web readers commented:

“quite literally a rite of passage, mystical and with an interesting payoff, one which Miguel may have to reckon with in time. some very good writing and characterisation. well done”

“…this is a rite of passage, complex and rich with significance. The cultural invocations are vivid and intense, the work of a writer in his/her full stride. The future for Miguel, who knows? The readers interest is fully engaged with what is to come…”

“Really enjoyed the story-kept me up past my bedtime reading it!”

Available on Amazon Kindle
Available on Amazon Kindle

“I loved the concept, was fascinated by the almost hallucinatory detail of legend with its fatal shadowlands.”

Reader comments on “Murder by Plastic” includPhile:

“Chilling and brilliantly economical”

“Very well-paced and intriguing”

“Fabulous story! Five stars!”

While you are at Amazon, visit my new author’s page and visit it frequently to keep up with my newest releases and stay on top of my new  miniblog.

Publication Announcement: A Tale of Hell and Other Works of Horror

With Iced Tea, Farmington, New Mexico, March 20, 2015
With Iced Tea, Farmington, New Mexico, March 20, 2015

I am proud to announce that today I published a collection of my short horror fiction entitled A Tale of Hell and Other Works of Horror on Amazon Kindle.  It is a collection of the best fiction I have published so far and some previously unpublished stories as well.   

In this collection of published and previously unpublished stories of horror, I offer a look into the minds of people who perpetrate horrors, from acts of stupidity with unintended results to cold-hearted revenge to pure enjoyment to complete indifference. Settings range from 17th-century France in the heart of the werewolf trials to the Old West to the present and on to alien worlds in the distant future.

Comments on previously published stories contained in this volume include:

“Wolfsheim” is basically a traditional horror story that tells the tale of a small European village confronted by the threat of werewolves. If you like stories about lycans, you definitely need to check this one out. Great stuff.”  –Jay Manning, editor, Midnight Times

Publisher Charlie Fish of Fiction on the Web summarizes “A Tale of Hell” as a “… chilling vision of hell”. Other comments on “A Tale of Hell” from readers of Fiction on the Web

“An intense and well paced story, cleverly leading the reader up a number of garden paths before Jack’s reality finally clarifies and appears in all its horror. The writing is focused and spare as Jack’s malevolent characteristics and idiosyncrasies manifest themselves…Overall a strong tale that lingers in the imagination…”

“brilliantly descriptive piece on man´s apparently unstoppable descent, literally into hell,…”

” Enjoyed this story. I thought it was nicely written. Started with a familiar vision of hell, but added several unique treatments; kept me interested in how it all would end. Thanks”

Publisher Charlie Fish of Fiction on the Web describes “Dream Warrior” as a “…powerful revenge epic about a man who visits his Mexican grandfather for spiritual guidance after a violent crime results in the death if his fiancée”. Fiction on the Web readers commented:

“quite literally a rite of passage, mystical and with an interesting payoff, one which Miguel may have to reckon with in time. some very good writing and characterisation. well done”

“…this is a rite of passage, complex and rich with significance. The cultural invocations are vivid and intense, the work of a writer in his/her full stride. The future for Miguel, who knows? The readers interest is fully engaged with what is to come…”

“Really enjoyed the story-kept me up past my bedtime reading it!”

“I loved the concept, was fascinated by the almost hallucinatory detail of legend with its fatal shadowlands.”

Reader comments on “Murder by Plastic” include:

“Chilling and brilliantly economical”

“Very well-paced and intriguing”

“Fabulous story! Five stars!”

I invite everyone to go to Amazon Kindle, pick up a copy, and leave a brief review.

Announcing the Advent of “The Chamber” Magazine

The blogger on the banks of the San Juan River, Farmington, NM, 2013
The blogger on the banks of the San Juan River, Farmington, NM, 2013

Beginning in January 1, 2017, this will be the location of a new on-line quarterly magazine for short stories, poetry, and other short works of the horror genre.  You can find the guidelines for submissions on my current Submissions and Announcements page, which will remain the same, with the only exception being that the word limit for submissions for “The Chamber” will increase from 1,000 to 2,000 words.

I am creating this magazine primarily because it is not fair to my contributors to submit a work for publication, when that work will be at the top of my blog posts for only a day, and then that author and his readers will have to wade through a morass of unrelated blogs to find that one post.  To remedy this, I will create a separate page on my blog for my new magazine, “The Chamber”, where each quarter’s selections will appear on a separate page for eternity (or until WordPress folds, or until I give it all up and wander off to buy a bar in Key West or etc.)  Issue 1 will appear on January 1st.  Cut-off date for submissions will be November 30 (I don’t want to work over Christmas).  Selections will probably be made by December 15.   Send submissions per the Submissions and Announcements guidelines, but specify Submission for “The Chamber” in the subject line, if you want your work published in The Chamber, or Submission for The Blog, if you want to be published in the regular blog.  I will continue to publish submissions in my regular blog until December 31.

Why call it “The Chamber”?  The word chamber has numerous sinister and macabre connotations: a chamber of horrors, a torture chamber, one chambers a round into a rifle, etc.  A chamber can also be where a sorcerer, an alchemist, or a member of the Inquisition stores his library.  It is with this last connotation in mind that I am developing my Chamber for the storage of my selection of sinister and macabre works from the best up and coming authors that seek to contribute to my blog.

So, start editing your best, most powerful material and see where this new venture takes us!  I want powerful, hard-hitting material that leaves its readers gasping and awe-struck at the end.

Publication Announcement: Click

I am proud to announce that just now I published my novelette Click on Amazon Kindle. It should appear there within twelve hours.

With Iced Tea, Farmington, New Mexico, March 20, 2015
With Iced Tea, Farmington, New Mexico, March 20, 2015

Click is not horror.  It is a tale of action and intrigue set on a small island along the Texas coast, where a policeman, recovering from the guilt of shooting an unarmed man, is attacked by unknown assailants and is unknowingly wrapped up in a web of intrigue.  Like many of my works, it contains adult language and situations.

The story of the writing of Click is a short one that spans many years.  I conceived the idea around 2000, when I was living in Corpus Christi and working on Padre Island.  I have toyed with it over the years as my writing has developed.  Sometimes I have gone years without writing a word, but it has always loitered in the back of my mind, waiting for the next fit of inspiration to bring it out of the literary ether and into being.

A month or so back, I submitted it to a magazine, which responded a couple of weeks ago, suggesting some revisions they would like to see before reconsidering it.  I completed the revisions tonight, but decided afterwards that it would make a good novelette (hopefully making more money faster than I could with the magazine) to test out self-publishing on Amazon Kindle.  Amazon Kindle is amazingly easy to publish on, but if you want to have a good-looking book to sell, do your research and know your layouts, formatting, front and back matter and so on.  Because Kindle is so easy to use, it is also very easy to screw up if you don’t know what you’re doing.

If you like Click, tell your friends about it.

 

Announcing the Advent of “The Chamber” Magazine

imageBeginning in January 1, 2017, this will be the location of a new on-line quarterly magazine for short stories, poetry, and other short works of the horror genre.  You can find the guidelines for submissions on my current Submissions and Announcements page, which will remain the same, with the only exception being that the word limit for submissions for “The Chamber” will increase from 1,000 to 2,000 words.

I am creating this magazine primarily because it is not fair to my contributors to submit a work for publication, when that work will be at the top of my blog posts for only a day, and then that author and his readers will have to wade through a morass of unrelated blogs to find that one post.  To remedy this, I will create a separate page on my blog for my new magazine, “The Chamber”, where each quarter’s selections will appear on a separate page for eternity (or until WordPress folds, or until I give it all up and wander off to buy a bar in Key West or etc.)  Issue 1 will appear on January 1st.  Cut-off date for submissions will be November 30 (I don’t want to work over Christmas).  Selections will probably be made by December 15.   Send submissions per the Submissions and Announcements guidelines, but specify Submission for “The Chamber” in the subject line, if you want your work published in The Chamber, or Submission for The Blog, if you want to be published in the regular blog.  I will continue to publish submissions in my regular blog until December 31.

Why call it “The Chamber”?  The word chamber has numerous sinister and macabre connotations: a chamber of horrors, a torture chamber, one chambers a round into a rifle, etc.  A chamber can also be where a sorcerer, an alchemist, or a member of the Inquisition stores his library.  It is with this last connotation in mind that I am developing my Chamber for the storage of my selection of sinister and macabre works from the best up and coming authors that seek to contribute to my blog.

So, start editing your best, most powerful material and see where this new venture takes us!  I want powerful, hard-hitting material that leaves its readers gasping and awe-struck at the end.

Announcing the Advent of “The Chamber” Magazine

imageBeginning in January 1, 2017, this will be the location of a new on-line quarterly magazine for short stories, poetry, and other short works of the horror genre.  You can find the guidelines for submissions on my current Submissions and Announcements page, which will remain the same, with the only exception being that the word limit for submissions for “The Chamber” will increase from 1,000 to 2,000 words.

I am creating this magazine primarily because it is not fair to my contributors to submit a work for publication, when that work will be at the top of my blog posts for only a day, and then that author and his readers will have to wade through a morass of unrelated blogs to find that one post.  To remedy this, I will create a separate page on my blog for my new magazine, “The Chamber”, where each quarter’s selections will appear on a separate page for eternity (or until WordPress folds, or until I give it all up and wander off to buy a bar in Key West or etc.)  Issue 1 will appear on January 1st.  Cut-off date for submissions will be November 30 (I don’t want to work over Christmas).  Selections will probably be made by December 15.   Send submissions per the Submissions and Announcements guidelines, but specify Submission for “The Chamber” in the subject line, if you want your work published in The Chamber, or Submission for The Blog, if you want to be published in the regular blog.  I will continue to publish submissions in my regular blog until December 31.

Why call it “The Chamber”?  The word chamber has numerous sinister and macabre connotations: a chamber of horrors, a torture chamber, one chambers a round into a rifle, etc.  A chamber can also be where a sorcerer, an alchemist, or a member of the Inquisition stores his library.  It is with this last connotation in mind that I am developing my Chamber for the storage of my selection of sinister and macabre works from the best up and coming authors that seek to contribute to my blog.

So, start editing your best, most powerful material and see where this new venture takes us!  I want powerful, hard-hitting material that leaves its readers gasping and awe-struck at the end.

LOCATION CHANGE: The Farmington Writers Circle Meets Tonight at Starbuck’s on Main

William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare

The Farmington Writers Circle meets again tonight, October 13, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. not at Starbuck’s at 4337 East Main, , but at Mary’s Kitchen (the student cafeteria) at San Juan College.  Follow this link to the Facebook page for Mary’s Kitchen for directions.  The meeting will actually take place just outside the cafeteria after it has closed, so bring your own refreshments (if desired).

The evening’s topic has not been determined.

The Farmington Writers Circle is nascent organization of Farmington-area writers who are interested in finding or developing innovative ways of publicizing and marketing their works.   Meetings are usually round-table discussions, although occasionally a member will lead the discussion when it deals with an area of the member’s expertise.  There are no fees or requirements to attend meetings.  Writers of any and all genres, regardless of writing experience, and non-writers with an interest in the art are welcome.  Previous topics have included establishing a website to maximize the use of social media in publicizing works, writers’ conferences,  and finding an agent among other topics.   Meetings generally run for two hours.  For more information, contact me via this website.

LOCATION CHANGE: The Farmington Writers Circle Meets Next on October 13, 2016

GRACIN~2The Farmington Writers Circle will meet again on October 13, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. not at Starbuck’s at 4337 East Main, , but at Mary’s Kitchen (the student cafeteria) at San Juan College.  Follow this link to the Facebook page for Mary’s Kitchen for directions.  The meeting will actually take place just outside the cafeteria after it has closed, so bring your own refreshments (if desired).

The evening’s topic has not been determined.

The Farmington Writers Circle is nascent organization of Farmington-area writers who are interested in finding or developing innovative ways of publicizing and marketing their works.   Meetings are usually round-table discussions, although occasionally a member will lead the discussion when it deals with an area of the member’s expertise.  There are no fees or requirements to attend meetings.  Writers of any and all genres, regardless of writing experience, and non-writers with an interest in the art are welcome.  Previous topics have included establishing a website to maximize the use of social media in publicizing works, writers’ conferences,  and finding an agent among other topics.   Meetings generally run for two hours.  For more information, contact me via this website.

LOCATION CHANGE: The Farmington Writers Circle Meets Next on October 13, 2016

GRACIN~2The Farmington Writers Circle will meet again on October 13, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. not at Starbuck’s at 4337 East Main, , but at Mary’s Kitchen (the student cafeteria) at San Juan College.  Follow this link to the Facebook page for Mary’s Kitchen for directions.  The meeting will actually take place just outside the cafeteria after it has closed, so bring your own refreshments (if desired).

The evening’s topic has not been determined.

The Farmington Writers Circle is nascent organization of Farmington-area writers who are interested in finding or developing innovative ways of publicizing and marketing their works.   Meetings are usually round-table discussions, although occasionally a member will lead the discussion when it deals with an area of the member’s expertise.  There are no fees or requirements to attend meetings.  Writers of any and all genres, regardless of writing experience, and non-writers with an interest in the art are welcome.  Previous topics have included establishing a website to maximize the use of social media in publicizing works, writers’ conferences,  and finding an agent among other topics.   Meetings generally run for two hours.  For more information, contact me via this website.

Announcing the Advent of “The Chamber” Magazine

imageBeginning in January 1, 2017, this will be the location of a new on-line quarterly magazine for short stories, poetry, and other short works of the horror genre.  You can find the guidelines for submissions on my current Submissions and Announcements page, which will remain the same, with the only exception being that the word limit for submissions for “The Chamber” will increase from 1,000 to 2,000 words.

I am creating this magazine primarily because it is not fair to my contributors to submit a work for publication, when that work will be at the top of my blog posts for only a day, and then that author and his readers will have to wade through a morass of unrelated blogs to find that one post.  To remedy this, I will create a separate page on my blog for my new magazine, “The Chamber”, where each quarter’s selections will appear on a separate page for eternity (or until WordPress folds, or until I give it all up and wander off to buy a bar in Key West or etc.)  Issue 1 will appear on January 1st.  Cut-off date for submissions will be November 30 (I don’t want to work over Christmas).  Selections will probably be made by December 15.   Send submissions per the Submissions and Announcements guidelines, but specify Submission for “The Chamber” in the subject line, if you want your work published in The Chamber, or Submission for The Blog, if you want to be published in the regular blog.  I will continue to publish submissions in my regular blog until December 31.

Why call it “The Chamber”?  The word chamber has numerous sinister and macabre connotations: a chamber of horrors, a torture chamber, one chambers a round into a rifle, etc.  A chamber can also be where a sorcerer, an alchemist, or a member of the Inquisition stores his library.  It is with this last connotation in mind that I am developing my Chamber for the storage of my selection of sinister and macabre works from the best up and coming authors that seek to contribute to my blog.

So, start editing your best, most powerful material and see where this new venture takes us!  I want powerful, hard-hitting material that leaves its readers gasping and awe-struck at the end.

The Farmington Writers Circle Meets Next on October 13, 2016

Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Bronte by Patrick Branwell Bronte circa 1834
Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Bronte
by Patrick Branwell Bronte
circa 1834

The Farmington Writers Circle will meet again on October 13, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.   at Starbuck’s at 4337 East Main, #101 (near the intersection with 30th Street).  The evening’s topic has not been determined.

The Farmington Writers Circle is nascent organization of Farmington-area writers who are interested in finding or developing innovative ways of publicizing and marketing their works.   Meetings are usually round-table discussions, although occasionally a member will lead the discussion when it deals with an area of the member’s expertise.  There are no fees or requirements to attend meetings.  Writers of any and all genres, regardless of writing experience, and non-writers with an interest in the art are welcome.  Previous topics have included establishing a website to maximize the use of social media in publicizing works, writers’ conferences,  and finding an agent among other topics.   Meetings generally run for two hours.  For more information, contact me via this website.

Increasing your Story’s Tension

I found the following five tips from Inkandquills.com posted on Facebook:

  1. Don’t let your characters have what they want.
  2. Ask how you can make your character’s situation worse.
  3. Build flaws and conflict into your setting/story.
  4. Create conflict between your characters.
  5. Increase the consequences of failure for the hero.

Slattery