And I'm spent...

The last 2 months have been a bit insane. I got roped into this crazy submission call, originally proposed by my critique partner. The submission call involved fairy tale retelling with *drumroll* zombies!

I know what you're going to say next: "But Landra you hate, and I mean despise with every ounce of your being, zombies."

I'm also aware of this fact, and... did I mention I was dragged into this by my critique partner. The conversation went a bit like this:

Her: This is insane but, Entangled has a call for fairy tale retelling zombie romance short story/novellas for Halloween. It's got my creativity flowing.

Me: What's this crazy idea you're having? I like it.

Her: We should each write a story for submission. It's due by July 31st. Doing it together will act as motivation.

Me: But we have less than 2 months to write it.

Her: That's right. 1 week to brainstorm, 1 week to plot, 2 weeks to write, 2 weeks to edit, and 1 week of wiggle room I think we can do it.

Me: It would definitely be an experience for deadlines and writing short stories.

Her: So you're in?

Me: Uh... yeah.

Alright flash forward about a week later and she texts me.

I just remembered something: You hate zombies. Like they seriously creep you out. How are you doing with this?

I told her as long as the good guys get to win I can do this.

Then things got crazy. I brainstormed, plotted, and then lost my touch. It took about a week to get back in the groove. Then I wrote (kickin' and screamin' all the way) until I thought everything was crap. I wrote some more, and sent the pieces of the story to my lovely CP to rip apart. In between the power outages, heat waves, monsoons, and random disasters I managed to finish the story and begin edits. The last 4 days were probably the worst, and then I had to write a query.

Bottom line of this crazy rant: I. Did. It. I submitted the story. I'm ready for rejection. I learned a ton of things through writing and editing, which I'll include in another post. But regardless of what happens this is a learning experience and even if it does go beyond a standard form letter telling me to try, try again I know that I can.

What this means for you, dear reader, I'm back. Give me a week to recover, but after that be ready for review time. If you've emailed me be ready for a response.

Funday Monday- Jan. 15th, 2012

Update Below!

It's another Monday. Woot! And a national holiday in the United States. For those lucky enough to get the day off kudos to you! I'm not in that group and so away I go to the office for my daily grind.

But if you are off today then maybe it's time to think about submissions! That's the topic for today's Funday Monday, places to submit your writing. There's lots of contests, and other things happening. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what I have. Here's 5 for you.

1. Felt Tips Anthology- Erotic Fans break out the staplers, highlighters, rulers, and phone cords. This is the first ever office supply-related erotica anthology. Edited by the lovely, pain-inducing Tiffany Reisz. Deadline is Feb. 14th to submit your story. For more details click the link. All proceeds from sales will benefit a charity organization that helps needy kids acquire school supplies.

2. Wild at Heart Anthology- Another anthology that is purchase proceeds to a good cause, the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue. This one is edited by the romance author Delilah Devlin. Deadline for submission is April 1st, 2012. Stories can span any genre, and submissions will be accepted from all authors. For examples of what the editor is looking for and for more details click the link.

3. The Crime Factory- For crime writers of fiction, non-fiction, memoirs this may be the spot for you. This particular group is also looking for reviewers and photography/comics/art. No particulars on deadlines, but for more info check out the link.

4. Etopia Press- This one is a new one for me. But the plus I've seen so far is that they pay. Etopia is specifically on the look out for Erotica, YA, Urban Fantasy, and Historical romance. There may be a few other areas I missed, so check out their site.

5. Entangled Publishing- There's a ton of romance submission opportunities over at Entangled. When you go to the link be sure to check out their blog too! Special open calls are posted on there and I've seen at least 3-4 go up in the last couple of months. Particular categories are what they focus on, but if you're up for some direction then picking one of their request areas may be a good idea.

*As with all open call and open submission posts I recommend that authors do their own research on the groups, editors, etc. to determine if they want to participate. My research may be limited to nothing more than a quick look for the basic information. The nitty gritty details may not be privy to me.*

Happy Monday!

Additional anthology submission: Pugalicious press is accepting submissions for a YA Historical Romance anthology called Timeless! Stories can be between 3000 to 7500 words. Deadline for submission is March 30th, 2012. For more info clikc the link!

Funday Monday- December 6th, 2011

Greetings everyone! It's Monday, and since it's almost Christmas (19 days and counting) here's a little video of some lights and one of my favorite songs!

Now for other exciting things to do on this Monday. Let's start with a couple of blog contests.

5. The 12 days of Bookmas! The lovely ladies at BookEnds, LLC are hosting their 2nd annual 12 days of Bookmas contest on their blog. Each weekday (business day) there will be a clue posted at noon. Subsequent clues are available on their clients blogs which they have provided a list to here. The first one to guess the book correctly wins a prize. Check it out, but remember you have to be quick!

4. The 12 (Historical) Days of Christmas! Another 12- themed contest is being hosted by Rita at Not Another Romance Blog and Danielle at Ramblings from this Chick blog. This contest is honestly about posting comments and reading some very inventive stories as 24 authors pair up together and provide fun tales based on 12 different themes. For more details check out Rita's post.

3. Continuing on this 12 days theme we have an awesome free read that you can find on The Season. The 12 days of Christmas anthology is a collaboration of 12 authors (who would've guessed) each with a story based on 1 of the 12 days of Christmas. Originally released in 2008, it's still a fun holiday read. Get it here. Featured authors include: Jackie Barbosa, Kay Gregory, Kate Austin, and Sherryl Hoyt. 

2. Got a Geek Story? Well, Entangled publishing is holding open submissions for Romance+Geek= Happily Ever After. Dust off the typewriter, and grab you a 24-pack of Dr. Pepper, Mt. Dew and a little spiked eggnog. Deadline for submission is Jan. 15th, 2012. So, there's time to take a couple of days off for a little Christmas feast. More details can be found here.

1. Finally let's talk flash mobs. I knew they existed but never spent enough time researching them on YouTube. Let's just say today is a good time to check it out. There are tons of videos- some good, some bad- available and you can't help but marvel at the power of music. People from all walks getting involved to dance, sing, or both. If you're a music lover like me then some of these videos may just give you a little feel good this Monday.