Calls for Submissions: Turning up the Heat!
January 31, 2013 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, Calls for Submissions, Cowboy Heat, Louisa Bacio, OCC/RWA, Writer's Success Stories
This month’s Calls for Submissions column features some exciting markets with cash prizes, payments and advances. As writers, we definitely like that!
The 2013 Short Story Award from Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
First prize is $200 and consideration for publication in BWG’s upcoming printed anthology titled: Once Around the Sun. The stories should be “Winter Tales” or “Spring Stories” of 2,000 words or less and unpublishedanywhere print or on the web and any fiction genre. The author, however, can have other stories or novels published. Second and third prize are $100 and $50 respectively plus publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable e-zine.
Final round judge is author, Hank Phillippi Ryan.
Again the anthology will be an actual book you can hold in your hands. The last anthology BWG published won two Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Best Anthology and Best Short Fiction.
Deadline is February 15. Here’s the contest link
Also, we publish short fiction each and every month on the e-zine. We don’t pay, but it is a publication credit. Here’s the submission guideline link http://bit.ly/IuVSls. The zine also does author (or editors or agents) interviews each month. Here is the link to this month’s interview with Lee Lofland http://bit.ly/uvQALJ . By clicking the Archives button authors can check out past interviews.
Writers’ Success Stories Anthology
We want to hear real success stories from writers who didn’t give up.
It’s tough to be a writer. Most people quit. But some people do not, or cannot, and those people change the world, whether for many people, or simply for themselves.
Whether you’ve published, are still chipping away at your magnum ops, have written the book that freed you from a demon, or have simply scratched the itch that all writers know, we would love to hear your stories of strength, hope and success in a world that is so often painted as hopeless, and foolish – the writer’s world.
Topics can include :
â— Success: professional, personal, spiritual, etc.
â— Community impact/change
â— Anything that might inspire a fellow writer whose spirit is flagging.
Editors:
Chad Carver http://chadcarver.com/
Lena Corazon http://lenacorazon.com/
Submission Guidelines:
A. Word Count: 500-1500 words (No reprints)
B. Please include a short blurb/bio, no longer that 2-3 sentences, along with links to your website and/or blog.
C. Email all submissions to weirdnessquared@gmail.comwith Anthology Submission in the subject line. Attach submission as a Word document AND paste in the body of the e-mail.
D. Rights: Non-exclusive right to publish in print and digital. If selected, you will be contacted and asked to sign an agreement granting permission for essay to be published.
E. Deadline: May 1, 2013
F. If selected, you will receive $50.00, and two (2) free copies of the anthology.
Questions?
Direct all queries to Chad Carver or Lena Corazon, weirdnessquared@gmail.com.
COWBOY HEAT

Editor: Delilah Devlin 
Publisher: Cleis Press Deadline: March 1, 2013. COWBOY HEAT is open to all authors.
Editor/Author Delilah Devlin is looking for hetero cowboy stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled COWBOY HEAT.
Following the success of COWBOY LUST, Delilah’s ready to construct the next delectable anthology of cowboy heroes. They may ride into the sunset, but cowboys never go out of style. They embody the fiercely independent, earthy alpha male and a hero who isn’t afraid to show the gentle, nurturing side of his complex nature when he’s faced with a woman or an animal in need.
Even when he’s coated with dust from riding behind a herd of cattle, or up to his knees in mud freeing a calf from a wallow, his image doesn’t tarnish. A woman’s imagination sparks, filling in the details—the scent of horse, cow, and crisp, clean sweat; the sight of sun-leathered skin and crows feet; the feel of work-hardened thighs and arms; and the sound of a deep-voiced, drawl.
COWBOY HEAT will seek stories that satisfy the reader who craves the romantic idea of that gruff, capable man while exploring stories set in the American West with a few exotic International settings thrown in for fun! The stories will be primarily contemporary with the possibility of a few historical Westerns. While traditional themes will be featured, writers are encouraged to dream big to create tales that surprise.
Be sure to check the descriptions of stories already featured in the previous volume, COWBOY LUST (http://cowboylust.net/about/). Delilah doesn’t want repeats. She’s seeking unique stories from authors with unique voices, and above all, she’s looking to be seduced by tales filled with vivid imagery and passion.
Published authors with an established Western world may use that setting for their original short story.
This is erotic romance, so don’t hold back on the heat. Stories can be vanilla or filled with kink, but don’t miss describing the connection between two strong-willed individuals learning to trust and love one another. A deep sensuality should linger in every word. And just think about the sexy possibilities of a cowboy’s accoutrements. They have to know their wicked way around ropes, buckles and spurs. Not to mention how sexy one might look in just his chaps…
Exotic locations and scenarios are welcome. Keep in mind there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters, and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please no reprints. We are seeking original stories.
How to submit: Prepare your 1,500 to 4,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12 point, black font Word document with pages numbered (.doc, NOT.docx) OR rich text format. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing, do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.
In your document at the top left of the page, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, and 50 words or less bio in the third person and send to cleiscowboyheat@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. Delilah will respond in July 2013. The publisher has final approval over the stories included in the manuscript.
Payment will be $50.00 USD and two copies of the published book upon publication.
Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at cleiscowboyheat@gmail.com.
Magic & Mayhem
Theme:Halloween
Witches, warlocks, goblins, and ghouls. Bonfires, hayrides, and apple bobbing.
Spells whispered in the darkness. Screams heard in the still of the night. Magic sizzles in the air. Are those the screams of fear—or of ecstasy?
Submit your stories that involve the Halloween season (All Hallows’ Eve, Samhain, All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, Day of the Dead… or by any other name).
Dangerous, daring, sweet or sexy, the intensity and scare-factor are up to you.
Must have some romantic elements and either a happily ever after (HEA) or a happy for now (HFN) ending, but the scare factor is completely up to you.
Release: October 31
Submission close: July 15
Cover: Shared cover, individual release
Length: 5-18k words
Heat rating: Any
Combinations: Any
Masque Books Space Opera/Planetary Romance
Spaceships. Alien planets. Strange creatures. Action-packed adventure. Does your novella have all that and an emotionally satisfying romance too? That’s what we’re looking for!
Submissions must:
â—¦. Have a well-developed external conflict with believable world-building
◦. Be more like Bujold’s Shards of Honor than Heinlein’s Friday
â—¦. Be filled with action and romance–HEA/HFN required
â—¦. Be 25,000 – 30,000 words
â—¦. Original stories only, no reprints
Submission Deadline: April 15, 2013
Collection Announced: May 1, 2013
Masque Books will select up to four novellas for its first Space Opera/Planetary Romance collection [Title to be announced]. Selected stories will be released digitally as individual titles and as collection in July or August of 2013. An advance of $100 will be paid for selected stories against royalties of 50% net of all digital receipts.
— Louisa Bacio
http://louisabacio.blogspot.com/louisabacio
http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio
http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio
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December Calls for Submission: Naughty & Nice
December 1, 2011 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Calls for Submissions, Louisa Bacio
Ready to wrap up the year? Making some publishing goals for 2012? Well, here’s a round-up of a few anthology calls to kick-start the inspiration. Get published after reading one of these calls? Drop me a line … would love to hear about success stories.
“Dangerous Places-Dangerous Menâ€
Pink Petal Books, a high-quality boutique publisher, is actively searching for erotic short stories between 7k-15k words for an anthology to be released in April 2012. At this time, we are looking for four to six tales for a 50k-word finished electronic and print book. Both published and unpublished authors are welcome.
Do you have a survivor-type story? A shipwrecked hero, a heroine stranded on a desert island with a hot rogue, or a couple who’s lost in the steamy jungles? Did your hero drop into a war zone or does he work in an extremely perilous occupation?
Submission deadline is January 15, 2012. Submit the full short story plus a blurb to anthologysubs@pinkpetalbooks.com with “Dangerous Places-Dangerous Men†in the subject line. For more information, visit http://pinkpetalbooks.com/Submissions.html.
Virgin Vampires
Darkness falls and they rise, leaving behind a trail of blood and lust. Ravenous Romance is seeking 2000-5000 word short stories for their new virgin vampire anthology, FIRST BITE. We want to see stories that delve deep into virgin territories, whether it is a vampire’s first night, first bite, first f—you get the idea. Let your imaginations run wild…amongst other things. Please submit stories to Tabitha@literarypartners.com, including a short story query letter, your bio, and your short story and a word document. Deadline is Dec. 30. Payment is a flat fee of $25.
A Mind is a Sexy Thing
The guy sitting in the library with a mountain of books, disheveled hair, glasses hiding the beautiful baby blues….we want him. In fact, we want any romance you may have with the nerdy guy, or the computer geek who doesn’t realize just how sexy he actually is…or the guy with the lab coat who spends his days working out long equations for fun. Silver Publishing wants your romance stories with the Brainy Guys!
• M/M Only
• Contemporary
• 15k+ words
• Must have romance and either a happily ever after (HEA) or a happy for now (HFN) ending
• Heat rating: Any
These stories will each be released individually on the same day and will share the same cover art design. Submission Deadline: Feb. 25, 2012. For more information, visit https://spsilverpublishing.com/pages-title-page-24
Bound For Love

Editor Sascha Illyvich
and publisher Sizzler Editions is seeking romantic BDSM stories for our upcoming anthology, Bound for Love. Throughout history love and sex as submission and love and sex as pain have been linked. For example, this link is revealed in commonly used phrases like “the bonds of love,†“the chains of love,†“the ties that bind,†“prisoner of love,†“captive heart,†“love hurts,†“love is pain.†
 
Stories should reflect this connection be between B&D and romance. What after all could be sweeter than a bottom’s submission to a top? In some ways love between leather folks, slaves and master/mistresses, is the most honest straightforward love there is. In short, we want stories that capture the romance in bondage and the bondage in romance made explicit. 
 

Stories for Bound for Love should be 4-9k in length with a focus on the relationship development. Each needs to have a strong focus on both BDSM with a classic romance type of plot and a HEA ending. If either can be removed, the story is not for this anthology. We seek unpublished submissions though we will consider reprints. Deadline: Dec. 15, 2011; expected release Feb. 1, 2012. The advance payment against a prorated share of the royalties will be $25 for stories under 5000 words and $35 for stories over 5000.
Submit to wolfprinceeditor@gmail.com in MS WORD format, 14 point, single spaced, Times New Roman. Make sure to put Bound for Love Anthology submission in the subject line of your email.
See something that piques your creativity? Louisa Bacio will be teaching Writing a Short Story for Anthology Call-Out on SavvyAuthors.com in January, and for OCC/RWA in November 2012. Make publication a goal. For more information, visit http://louisabacio.com
— Compiled by Louisa Bacio
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