Friday, January 26, 2018

Invention of the sub-genre: PARANORMAL-GRUNGE THRILLER

Hmmm… just wrote a ’90s high school grunge mystery—semi-autobiographical—that ended up at 11,000 words (after cutting from 13,000)…

In lieu of the current unmarketability of such an endeavor, I am here and now claiming invention rights and credits for a new sub-genre: PARANORMAL-GRUNGE THRILLER

I.e. should anyone else follow in my footsteps, you must credit as follows:

** The term was coined in 2018 by Eric J. Guignard via social media post. **

PARANORMAL-GRUNGE THRILLER: A specific form of Mystery sub-genre, similar in generalities to sub-genre definitions such as “Cozy,” or “Y.A.” but with distinction of slightly darker elements and situations as well as being set specifically in the “grunge-era” of the 1990s; Paranormal-Grunge Thrillers also include a supernatural element, and may be widely classified as a mystery or thriller, by which the main character (generally the author in his/her teen or college years) must solve a crime or puzzle.

A proto-Paranormal-Grunge Thriller is the novelette by Eric J. Guignard, “Up at Spadra, Where the Dead Don't Exist” (2018).

Publishers forthwith rejoice! I am offering you the chance for a unique and (*potentially*!) soon-to-be-wildly-successful market!

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Just joined Mystery Writers of America

Just received my Active Writer acceptance into the Mystery Writers of America (MWA). Pleased and excited to join this org that’s been around since 1945, promoting mystery and crime thrillers! Additionally excited to be part of the regional So Cal. Chapter of other local writers, and look forward to attending their L.A. events once in a while.

More info on MWA here: https://mysterywriters.org/

More info MWA So Cal. Chapter here: http://www.socalmwa.com/





Monday, January 15, 2018

January, 2018 Dark Fiction Short Story Markets

January, 2018
New or Reopening Market Listings/ Notes
At Pro-Paying (5 cents+ per word)


Spectacle (Magazine) (** New Market)
Payment: $100 for flash fiction. $500 for short stories.
Story Length: up to 7,500 words (incl. Flash up to 1,000 words)
Deadline: Ongoing
Reprints?: No
Response: Currently 1 week; could become longer
Description: Speculative fiction and Weird fiction. EX: Space cowboys with a flair for ballet, bored zombies with 9-5 jobs, an alternate history where Hitler and Gandhi switch places.

Mysterion (ezine)
Payment: 6 cents a word (3 cents for reprints)
Story Length: up to 8,000 words
Deadline: January 31, 2018
Reprints?: Yes
Response: One month
Description: Christian-themed speculative stories--science fiction, fantasy, horror--with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology; science fiction and fantasy, good ghost stories, etc.; there's great fiction material hidden in the mysteries of Christian theology--cherubim, leviathan, nephilim, visions, prophecy, and more.

The Internet is Where the Robots Live Now (anthology, by Paper Dog Books)
Payment: 6 cents a word
Story Length: 1,500—5,000 words
Deadline: April 1, 2018
Reprints?: No
Response: two months
Description: Short speculative fiction that considers the future of the internet, artificial intelligence, the mind, and robots. Give us your optimistic, fantastic, bittersweet stories of fantasy and science fiction.

Strange Horizons
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: to 10,000 words (under 5,000 preferred)
Deadline: Intermittent
Reprints?: No
Response: 40 days
Description: Imaginative, good speculative fiction, broadly defined (not pure horror), particularly from diverse perspectives; Unusual yet readable styles and inventive structures and narratives.

Foreshadow: A Serial YA Anthology (** New Market)
Payment: Minimum $250 per story, possibly with more depending on crowd funding.
Story Length: 2,000—7,000 words
Deadline: February 1, 2018 for the inaugural issue; September 1, 2018 for 2019 issues
Reprints?: No
Response: YA stories from established and emerging authors. Story titles should be one word in length and act as a clue (foreshadowing) to the story’s premise.

Weird Nature anthology (edited by Lynne Jamneck)
Payment: 7 cents a word
Story Length: up to 10,000 words
Deadline: March 31, 2018
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: An anthology of original short fiction that explores the physical and metaphysical boundaries between humanity and the natural world. Fantasy or literary short works, speculative fiction (broadly defined); stories should involve nature and the weird at their core; how the author wishes to interpret these themes is entirely up to them.


***Non-PRO-Paying Market, but Eric J. Guignard’s “Pick of the Month”

Inferno! bi-monthly magazine through Black Library (Warhammer Gaming/ Games Workshop)
Payment: unknown. Could be extraordinary, could be little…
Story Length: begin with a 500-word sample. Story to extrapolate from there
Deadline: April 10, 2018
Reprints?: No
Response: 100 days (20 weeks)
Description: Warhammer (Games Workshop) is one of the largest gaming giants in the world. This is a change to work with them to write short stories within any one of their preexisting “worlds”. Looking for horror; war; detective; mystery; or adventure tales. Must only submit a 500 word sample, and if interested, editors will provide further guidelines. This could be an immense opportunity, but there’s no word on compensation. Black Library publishing here: https://www.blacklibrary.com