Leah Ning: Breaking Out and Managing Apex

By Angelique Fawns

Leah Ning’s writing career is like shooting off like a circus performer out of a cannon. She has stepped up as managing editor at Apex Book Company and is selling stories like hotcakes. Her short fiction has been picked up by some of the top markets in the speculative world, like Podcastle, The Dark, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Dark Matter Magazine, Factor Four, Apex, and Air and Nothingness Press to name a few. This Virginian has cats, a dog, and a sugar glider. If you don’t know what they are, google them. Super cute.

She took the time to talk to me about her path to success and future plans. 

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Kickstarting a Book Series! A Chat with Dean Wesley Smith

By Angelique Fawns

Dean Wesley Smith has an online course which I studied before launching my current Kickstarter for the Horror Lite Series. I’ve gathered up some of my best dark tales and compiled them into three collections called: Cursed & Creepy; Peculiar Pets; and Mythical Monsters.

You can check out the campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1629319559/the-horror-lite-series-by-angelique-fawns

My stretch goals focus on adding other authors to my anthologies and paying them for their stories! I am hoping to include 3 guest tales per anthology.

Dean Wesley Smith’s workshop is a fantastic way for authors to learn about using this platform to get more eyes on their new ventures. Dean Wesley Smith has built 33 successful Kickstarter campaigns and is working on his next one. Learn more at www.deanwesleysmith.com.

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Mike Jack Stoumbos & his Unhelpful Encyclopedia Series

By Angelique Fawns

Mike Jack Stoumbos is putting the fun back in short fiction with his Unhelpful Encyclopedia Series through WonderBird Press. A writer and curator of fantasy and science fiction, this Writers of the Future award winner is putting his unique stamp on our industry. I took one of his workshops at Fyrecon 2022, and found his approach to outlining a novel easy and understandable. 

The first anthology in the Unhelpful Encyclopedia Series was Murderbirds, “a fascinating, dangerous, and often irreverent romp through the most bizarre aviary ever encountered.”  

He’s currently running a kickstarter for the second installment, Murderbugs, which you can check out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mikejackstoumbos/wonderbird-press-2024-anthologies-murder-bugs-and-monsters

Or at his website www.mikejackstoumbos.com

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Triangulation: Seven-Day Weekend

Parsec Ink Explores Labor Automation

By Angelique Fawns

Parsec Ink published Triangulation: Seven-Day Weekend, its 20th collection of short stories in July of this year. The theme embraces what life would be like if we could all live a seven-day weekend. Containing 37 stories and poems from around the world, including one from yours truly called “The Time Modules”, this anthology draws on multiple genres, like fantasy, science fiction, and horror for its exploration.

Humanity craves efficiency, subconsciously forming habits to make each portion of our day more comfortable, allowing us the time and ability to expand our horizons. From Neanderthals learning migration patterns for hunting food to coding scripts to streamline processes to the dream of roads filled with fully autonomous vehicles, we push boundaries to make our lives easier. What does the world look like when jobs are automated to the point that the labor force is non-existent? What happens when our lives become as easy as they can be?

Greg Clumpner, the editor, is a fellow speculative writer and member of Parsec, Pittsburgh’s premier science fiction and fantasy organization. He has a Mechanical Engineering Degree and MBA. I sat down with him to learn more about the genesis of this project.

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David Hankins: Kickstarting Death & The Taxman

By Angelique Fawns

David Hankins, a winner of The Writers of the Future contest, has written his first novel based on his award-winning short story, “Death and the Taxman.” During the month of August, he has been running a Kickstart to help fund its publication, which ends on September 7th. He initially asked for $1500 US and reached his goal in two hours. As of the writing of this article, the fund was over $8500 US. I sat down to learn more about his project. 

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David Steffen. His Diabolical Plots & Submission Grinder

By Angelique Fawns

The Submission Grinder is THE source for finding open markets in the speculative short story world, and Diabolical Plots is one of the most desired magazines to score a sale.

David Steffen had a hand in creating and running both.

Diabolical Plots has been around since 2008 and is one of the highest-paying pro markets at ten cents a word. I’ve never made a sale there (yet) but I never miss a chance to submit, including hitting the window that was open for two weeks in July and closed on the 31st. 

The Submission Grinder is a tool that not only finds markets but also tracks submissions for writers and analyses response times. It’s free to sign up, and a rather large addiction for many writers I know. 

I sat down with David to learn more about his projects and viewpoints on the industry.

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