As I said in my last post, Mocha Memoirs newest anthology release is Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires, a Steampunk horror collection. The new Sherlock Holmes anthology is currently in production. Last year, we produced Avast, Ye Airships! and An Improbable Truth: The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Past anthology offerings included In the Bloodstream and The Grotesquerie.
Why should you care?
Many reasons. First of all, an anthology is a brilliant way to see the work of many different authors for a substantially cheaper price than if you bought their longer works without knowing anything about them. Of course, we hope that you will want to see more of their writing, but if someone's style doesn't resonate with you, you have other stories to read.
Tying in with that, it is a great way to find new favorites. An anthology usually has a mix of authors--some you may follow regularly, and others you may never have heard of. With a small press, you are even more likely to find some unfamiliar names.
Anthologies usually have a unifying theme or subject matter, which means that you are going to be getting stories that all relate to something you are interested in. Like Airship pirates, or Sherlock Holmes. :)
It can be a lot of fun to collect the authors' autographs too--though sometimes a challenge, as we have many foreign contributors. Which is another benefit: you get to see varying perspectives when you have authors from around the world.
Finally, you don't have to invest a great deal of time all at once to reading it. With short stories from different authors, you can pick and choose the order to savor them depending on the time you have to devote to reading at the moment. Anthologies are great for Kindles and other readers when you might be stuck in a waiting room or a long line.
Search for anthologies on Amazon, and you will be amazed at the variety of offerings. Of course, some may be higher quality than others. In these fast-shifting days of publishing revision, there are many anthologies that have been cobbled together quickly--but even the worst that I have seen have a gem or two in them, and for a reasonable investment.
And Mocha Memoirs has treasure chests full of carefully-chosen gems for you to enjoy!
Showing posts with label Ghosts Gears and Grimoires. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ghosts Gears and Grimoires. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2016
Monday, October 3, 2016
Has It Really Been a Month Already?! -- Endings and Beginnings
Time flies when you are having fun...
It looks like October will be a month of endings and beginnings here at Mocha Memoirs. First of all, if you haven't gotten your story in to Alexandra Christian for the latest Sherlock Holmes anthology call, submissions END on October 14th. Time is running out--so if you have been procrastinating...get a move on!
It will also be the BEGINNING of availability for Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires, the Steampunk Horror anthology that debuts on October 27th. I can't wait to see the book in print. There are some wickedly awesome stories in it.
Of course, Halloween is also coming--that is the END of October (and my personal favorite holiday) and marks the BEGINNING of National Novel Writing Month. If you have never participated in NaNoWriMo, give it a shot! What have you got to lose? Even if you don't finish, you will have more words than you started with. :)
The goal is 50,000 words in a month, which is a bit daunting, I know--but that works out to only 1667 words a day to make the goal. That isn't so bad. After all, this post has over 200 words, and look how short it is... It is a lot of fun, and I've gotten at least five or six completed manuscripts from the rough first drafts of November. Who knows? You might be the next discovery for us!
It looks like October will be a month of endings and beginnings here at Mocha Memoirs. First of all, if you haven't gotten your story in to Alexandra Christian for the latest Sherlock Holmes anthology call, submissions END on October 14th. Time is running out--so if you have been procrastinating...get a move on!
It will also be the BEGINNING of availability for Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires, the Steampunk Horror anthology that debuts on October 27th. I can't wait to see the book in print. There are some wickedly awesome stories in it.
Of course, Halloween is also coming--that is the END of October (and my personal favorite holiday) and marks the BEGINNING of National Novel Writing Month. If you have never participated in NaNoWriMo, give it a shot! What have you got to lose? Even if you don't finish, you will have more words than you started with. :)
The goal is 50,000 words in a month, which is a bit daunting, I know--but that works out to only 1667 words a day to make the goal. That isn't so bad. After all, this post has over 200 words, and look how short it is... It is a lot of fun, and I've gotten at least five or six completed manuscripts from the rough first drafts of November. Who knows? You might be the next discovery for us!
Monday, September 5, 2016
Why Do My Posts Always Seem to Land on Holidays?
Because the first Monday of the month often is, I suppose...
It's been a busy time for me this month, and part of that was getting Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires ready for bed. The manuscript is currently in production's hands. Can't wait to see the final package!
Putting together an anthology is a labor of love. It is a very fine balance making sure all the stories work together, make the page count, show variety--a thousand other considerations. As both an anthology editor and frequent contributor, I just wanted to remind all our writers out there that an anthology rejection is not always because your story needed more work than we could realistically give it...sometimes, the story is PERFECT--for another anthology. I got so many submissions that were well-written but without a speck of Steampunk. Couldn't use them. They didn't fit the theme of the anthology.
As a writer, it is your job to read the requirements carefully and make sure that your story meets them. The Pac-Man story wasn't even Victorian...I might have been able to stretch a little, but not that far.
As an editor, it is my job to think outside the box if there is a quirky story that fits the requirements but might need a little work to polish it up. It is NOT my job to make your story fit the guidelines.
I love editing anthologies, but I don't see how someone does it all the time. It is exhausting! My hat's off to those who do nothing but anthologies--or even more extraordinary--still manage to make time for their own work as well. I'm a once-a-year anthology editor. At least for the time being. ;)
It's been a busy time for me this month, and part of that was getting Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires ready for bed. The manuscript is currently in production's hands. Can't wait to see the final package!
Putting together an anthology is a labor of love. It is a very fine balance making sure all the stories work together, make the page count, show variety--a thousand other considerations. As both an anthology editor and frequent contributor, I just wanted to remind all our writers out there that an anthology rejection is not always because your story needed more work than we could realistically give it...sometimes, the story is PERFECT--for another anthology. I got so many submissions that were well-written but without a speck of Steampunk. Couldn't use them. They didn't fit the theme of the anthology.
As a writer, it is your job to read the requirements carefully and make sure that your story meets them. The Pac-Man story wasn't even Victorian...I might have been able to stretch a little, but not that far.
As an editor, it is my job to think outside the box if there is a quirky story that fits the requirements but might need a little work to polish it up. It is NOT my job to make your story fit the guidelines.
I love editing anthologies, but I don't see how someone does it all the time. It is exhausting! My hat's off to those who do nothing but anthologies--or even more extraordinary--still manage to make time for their own work as well. I'm a once-a-year anthology editor. At least for the time being. ;)
Monday, June 6, 2016
Steaming Along....
Well, I got so busy I totally forgot to write a May post until far too late to matter. I apologize for that. Especially since I promised the Table of Contents for Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires. You may recognize many of the pirates from Avast Ye, Airships on the list, but we have some new writers to welcome to MMP as well.
The stories are set in several continents, and various time periods, but they all have elements of Steampunk horror that resonated with me. :)
The order hasn't been finalized, but, in alphabetical order, the stories are as follows:
A Few Days in Kansas 1881 -- Jim Reader
Better Left Dead -- TC Phillips
Death in the Witch House -- John Lance
Engineered Deceit -- Amy Braun
Footloose -- Ross Baxter (Title may change)
Honeymoon in a Jar -- Robert Perret
Here, Where Our Blood Spilt -- Eric Del Carlo*
Last Dance with Mary Jane -- Wynelda Deaver (Title may change)
Light Over Birmingham -- Mattia Ravasi
Muzzle the Monster -- Leigh Ward-Smith
Purchase & Possess -- Steven Blake
Restless Spirit -- Rie Sheridan Rose
Steel and Steam -- Andrew Knighton
The Express -- Jason Gilbert
The Horrors of War -- Stephen Sanders*
Through the Darkness of the Opera House -- DJ Tyrer
*will update with links when I find them. :)
I am very proud of the lineup, and I think that the resulting anthology is going to be awesome.
The stories are set in several continents, and various time periods, but they all have elements of Steampunk horror that resonated with me. :)
The order hasn't been finalized, but, in alphabetical order, the stories are as follows:
A Few Days in Kansas 1881 -- Jim Reader
Better Left Dead -- TC Phillips
Death in the Witch House -- John Lance
Engineered Deceit -- Amy Braun
Footloose -- Ross Baxter (Title may change)
Honeymoon in a Jar -- Robert Perret
Here, Where Our Blood Spilt -- Eric Del Carlo*
Last Dance with Mary Jane -- Wynelda Deaver (Title may change)
Light Over Birmingham -- Mattia Ravasi
Muzzle the Monster -- Leigh Ward-Smith
Purchase & Possess -- Steven Blake
Restless Spirit -- Rie Sheridan Rose
Steel and Steam -- Andrew Knighton
The Express -- Jason Gilbert
The Horrors of War -- Stephen Sanders*
Through the Darkness of the Opera House -- DJ Tyrer
*will update with links when I find them. :)
I am very proud of the lineup, and I think that the resulting anthology is going to be awesome.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Last Chance!
This is it. The deadline was extended a week, but this is your final opportunity to be part of the Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires Steampunk horror anthology. We have some really great reads for you, but there is still room for a few more. If you've been hesitating or procrastinating, this is the time to put pen to paper! (And I am in the same boat...)
So far, I am really pleased with the Table of Contents. I'll be revealing it soon. ;)
Mocha Memoirs is beginning to have quite a nice collection of Steampunk:
Heliodor by Shannon Wendtland
Avast Ye, Airships edited by Rie Sheridan Rose
"The Head Above the Gate" in RieTales...
But we can always use more, and that is where you come in. Get me a story by Friday! I want to see what YOU have to add to the genre. :)
So far, I am really pleased with the Table of Contents. I'll be revealing it soon. ;)
Mocha Memoirs is beginning to have quite a nice collection of Steampunk:
Heliodor by Shannon Wendtland
Avast Ye, Airships edited by Rie Sheridan Rose
"The Head Above the Gate" in RieTales...
But we can always use more, and that is where you come in. Get me a story by Friday! I want to see what YOU have to add to the genre. :)
Monday, March 7, 2016
We Haven't Finished Yet...
...there is still time for you to be a part of Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires! Submissions have been a bit slow, which is odd, because Steampunk and Horror are made for each other. The Victorians had a fine sense of the macabre. After all, remember, the practice of Post-Mortem Photography began with the Victorians.
They believed quite strongly in the supernatural. Spiritualism as we know it, with mediums contacting the dead, also had its roots in the Victorian Era, providing a lucrative living for many.
Remember, there were no radios, no televisions, and no movies to distract people. Books and shared tales were the most common forms of entertainment. Fairy tales and ghost stories were passed from generation to generation.
These are just a few suggestions for inspirational material. I've got a couple of ideas just writing this post!
If you need a refresher on the guidelines, look here. And for a little more detail on the information above, as well as further links, check out these posts:
http://mochamemoirspress.blogspot.com/2016/02/spooky-victorian-sensibilities.html
http://theconnmannchronicles.com/2016/02/22/moving-on/
Now, go write me stories -- deadline is the 31st!
They believed quite strongly in the supernatural. Spiritualism as we know it, with mediums contacting the dead, also had its roots in the Victorian Era, providing a lucrative living for many.
Remember, there were no radios, no televisions, and no movies to distract people. Books and shared tales were the most common forms of entertainment. Fairy tales and ghost stories were passed from generation to generation.
These are just a few suggestions for inspirational material. I've got a couple of ideas just writing this post!
If you need a refresher on the guidelines, look here. And for a little more detail on the information above, as well as further links, check out these posts:
http://mochamemoirspress.blogspot.com/2016/02/spooky-victorian-sensibilities.html
http://theconnmannchronicles.com/2016/02/22/moving-on/
Now, go write me stories -- deadline is the 31st!
Monday, February 1, 2016
Spooky Victorian Sensibilities
When you think of Steampunk, it harkens back to the era of Victoria. The streets were dark, lit by sputtering gas lights. There was a dreariness to the London air enhanced by the coal dust and damp which created the infamous "pea-soup" fogs.
So...is it any wonder that the era also abounded with mediums and spiritualists? Ghosts were very real to the denizens of Victorian England. Remember, this was the heyday of the post-mortem memorial photo. The science of photography was not something everyone carried around in a smartphone. Photographs were fairly expensive, and time-consuming. Sometimes the photo of a dead child was the only representation of them that a family would have.
The desire not to lose all connection to their loved ones kept many a spiritualist well-fed and dressed.
Steampunk seems an ideal genre to marry with this era of mysticism. Imagine a steam-powered magic lantern device that could project the image of a deceased loved one -- and how that loved one might be angered if the medium tried to cheat those left behind.
Or perhaps a safety-coffin goes horribly awry. The "deceased" could be relying on rescue -- literally being "saved by the bell," and instead finds themselves buried alive with no hope of escape.
A couple of free story ideas for you. Now someone go and write me more submissions for Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires! The pickings have been thin so far. If you've forgotten the guidelines, check them out here.
So...is it any wonder that the era also abounded with mediums and spiritualists? Ghosts were very real to the denizens of Victorian England. Remember, this was the heyday of the post-mortem memorial photo. The science of photography was not something everyone carried around in a smartphone. Photographs were fairly expensive, and time-consuming. Sometimes the photo of a dead child was the only representation of them that a family would have.
The desire not to lose all connection to their loved ones kept many a spiritualist well-fed and dressed.
Steampunk seems an ideal genre to marry with this era of mysticism. Imagine a steam-powered magic lantern device that could project the image of a deceased loved one -- and how that loved one might be angered if the medium tried to cheat those left behind.
Or perhaps a safety-coffin goes horribly awry. The "deceased" could be relying on rescue -- literally being "saved by the bell," and instead finds themselves buried alive with no hope of escape.
A couple of free story ideas for you. Now someone go and write me more submissions for Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires! The pickings have been thin so far. If you've forgotten the guidelines, check them out here.
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