Sunday, June 28, 2009

WTF?!

I started doing blog carnivals on Ghost Stories a few months back. In every edition, there is at least one spam submission. It’s no big deal. I just expect it. In the latest, a link was submitted supposedly for TinyUrl which is a site I use often for Twitter. However, the following remarks were added with it:

"DON'T THINK YOU CAN HIDE UNDER YOUR NEW NAME TEDDY WU? SHAME ON YOU! DON'T YOU HAVE LOYALTY TO YOUR OWN PARENTS? HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU CHEATED? BO PANG LU SUAK!!!!!!!!!!!! HELPING THE CHINA GIRLS WITH YOUR FAKE DOCUMENTS???????? HOW MANY FAKE CERTIFICATES HAVE YOU ISSUED AND CON PEOPLE??????????? HOW MANY WBG MEMBERS HAVE YOU CHEATED??????? ALAN IS STILL WAITING FOR HIS MONEY!!!!!!!!! I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE WHO HAS BEEN CON BY TEDDY WU TO COME FORWARD AND FIGHT AGAINST THIS CON MAN TO PUT A STOP TO HIS DIRTY CHARACTER DON'T YOU HAVE THE BALLS TO FACE UP TO THE PEOPLE YOU CON???????? I AM STILL WAITING FOR MY MONEY S$400 YOU OWE ME 3 YEARS AGO????? DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO BE RICH WHEN YOU CAN’T EVEN HELP YOURSELF????? HA! HA! HA!!!!!!! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO BE RICH WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO EARN EVEN 1 CENT???? TEDDY WU JUN YU aka ANDREW POH KENG ANN YOU ARE A SWINDLE AND CON MAN NO NEED TO GO INTO HIDING! NO GUTS TO SHOW YOUR FACE? WHERE IS THE $400 YOU OWE ME 3 YEARS AGO? YOUR WEBSITE ARE ALL LIES! IF YOU ARE EARNING SO MUCH AS WHAT IS STATED IN YOUR WEBSITE WHY CAN'T YOU PAY EVEN 1 CENT TO ME? IT IS ABOUT TIME YOU PAY UP I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE AFTER YOU IRAS WILL CATCH UP ON YOU TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! VIEWERS BEWARE OF TEDDY WU JUN YU aka ANDREW POH KENG ANN HE IS A SWINDLER AND CON MAN I AM HIS TESTIMONIAL NO NEED TO LIE AND BOAST HOW MUCH YOU EARN IN YOUR WEBSITE DARE YOU TO BOAST IT TO IRAS!!!!!!!!! SHOW PROVED THAT YOU HAVE TRAIN AND MANAGE A TEAM OF PROFESSIONAL REALTORS? WHO ARE THEY??? WHERE ARE THEY???????? I AM AT GOBAL REAL ESTATE EVERY DAY WAITING FOR YOU TEDDY WU BUT NEVER SEE YOU THERE!!!!!! GLOBAL CLAIMED THAT YOU ARE NEVER AT THEIR PREMISES????? TONY NG & ASSIOCIATES FROM GLOBAL IS LOOKING FOR YOU TOO???? TONY NG & ASSIOCIATES FROM GLOBAL SAID THAT YOU NEVER RETURN HIS PHONE CALL AND CANNOT CONTACT YOU???? THE MD FROM GLOBAL IS LOOKING FOR YOU TOO???? WHAT SORT OF TRAINING ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???????? CHINA GIRLS????????????? HELPING THEM WITH FAKE DOCUMENTS USING THE COMPANY NAME AS A FOREFRONT??????????????????? WHAT ELSE???????? EXPLAIN YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHOW YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!! VIEWERS BEWARE OF TEDDY WU JUN YU aka ANDREW POH KENG ANN WILL KEEP YOUR PRODUCT & MONEY TEDDY WU JUN YU aka ANDREW POH KENG ANN IS A SWINDLER AND CON MAN THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, TEDDY WU OWES ME $400 AND I HAVE & AM STILL CHASING AFTER HIM FOR THE MONEY HE CON OUT OF ME I AM HIS TESTIMONIAL!!!!!!!!!!"

Apparently, Teddy Wu pissed off someone and they thought to share it with me. Seriously, how do you respond to something like that?

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Horror Contest

I know I’ve been absent for a while and no I don’t have a good excuse for it. So, allow me to get to where I am today. My writing home Authors By Design is working to get back in to the active role once more. AbD has a blog now. It’s taking the place of our newsletter. We have new private critique groups forming and a short story contest beginning on July 1st.

I’m working to get a critique group going for horror writers only. I was a little hesitant taking the lead on this as I’ve moderated a similar group for children/YA writers and it didn’t go too well. I’m giving this a second chance. Hopefully, everything will turn out alright.

As for the short story contest, here are the details:

Authors By Design Horror Contest

A Twisted Fairytale

Dear AbD members,

We are pleased to announce our first contest for the year 2009. The contest’s theme is A Twisted Fairytale. You may choose any fairytale you like and twist it into a horror story; stories must be 1000 to 1500 words.

Contest will be open to AbD members only. New members that will register for the contest must have at least 3 posts in the forums.
Prizes:

• 40$ Amazon.com gift certificate or 40$ cash into a PayPal account (author's choice)
• A handmade breast cancer awareness bag with office goods (donated by Lynne Chandler)
• Winning story will be posted in The Authors By Design Blog

Submissions open July 1st and close July 31st

Send your submissions to abdblog @ gmail. com (no spaces) along with your forum username.

Membership to the site is free and there are plenty of forums and active threads to fulfill the three post requirement. This is a good writing community to join. I’ve known a lot of the admins, moderators and members for like seven years.

If you’re not a member and have questions, feel free to ask me. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find someone who does.



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Friday, June 12, 2009

When Do You Surrender?

Page-a-Day WC -
Repost via Write Anything

Two years ago, I learned of a writing friend’s acceptance to a horror anthology, a market which was still accepting submissions. I had a story that fit in the theme. So, I submitted it and of course, the waiting began. A writer headed up the project and posted updates on it’s progress. Everything, in my experience, seemed pretty standard. Unfortunately, the progress began to slow down mainly due to the writer’s health issues.

A few months later, life was all good again. A couple of people were brought in to help with the anthology responsibilities. All signs pointed to this book being published. I, however, had yet to receive word whether or not my story would be in it. I remained patient. Months after this new surge of activity, updates pretty much ceased or rather I never saw any. I talked to my writer friend and sent follow-up emails which suggested the project was still in the works. A few days ago, about two years after submitting, I officially withdrew my story from consideration.

Writing is a process. You submit and wait. Most guidelines list the market’s average waiting period. If you’re involved in a similar situation like mine, do you wait for two years before waving the white flag or withdraw sooner or wait it out for the official word? What amount of time do you consider is too long to wait? Does it matter if you know writers also involved in it?



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Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Another Rejection

Page-a-Day WC -

I received word yesterday from Fear and Trembling Mag concerning the short story "Sealed With Anguish" I submitted. The decision was a no:

June 8, 2009

Sent via email to: sthrnwriter21@aol.com

Greetings:

Thank you for your submission of "Sealed With Anguish" to Fear and Trembling. We regret to inform you that we cannot use your submission at this time.

This response to you is automatically generated. However, it has been and continues to be our practice to share with our contributors parts of the discussion about their works that might help clarify our decision. What follows is/are excerpted from the editorial team's discussion. Each team member's remarks are separated by a row of asterisks. Also, following the last excerpt, there may be additional comments from the team member processing this correspondence.

Specific remarks about your submission:

*****

Eh. Didn't grab me at the beginning, nor did the random paragraphs in the middle or at the end -- just not feeling this one.

*****

I sort of liked it, but it really drifted off in the middle.

*****

This correspondence was processed by: Scott M. Sandridge

(*Returning to automatic correspondence*)

Again, thank you for your submission and your interest in Fear and Trembling. Keep in mind that the remarks and comments above are the opinions of the editorial team. Other readers may disagree.

Sincerely,

(Electronic Transmission -- Automatically Generated on behalf of)


The Fear and Trembling Editorial Team
Editor, Fear and Trembling

I like that they tell you why your submission is being rejected. Although I kind of wish they were a little more elaborate with the comments. Oh well. Will have to re-examine it and move on to the next.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Monday, June 01, 2009

Strange Dream

Page-a-Day WC - 180 words

Last night I had this strange dream. Most I don't remember but my brain is fixated on this one. It starts out with me and a friend at the tail end of a keger. You know when most of the partiers are either passed out or on their way to it. So, I have a drink in my hand, laughing hysterically about something when this woman who looks like a young Holly Hunter comes up to me.

I don't know how I managed to piss her off but I did. She pounced on top of me. Some how I got a letter opener or a knife and just started stabbing her over and over and over. She rolled off of me on to her back but she didn't die. She morphed in to the blob thing, basically a maroon Flubber. Then scooted under a chair.

A few minutes later, the blob appeared again and morphed back in to the Holly Hunter double and tried to kill me again. This time I set her on fire but it still didn't kill her. While all of this is going on, I didn't react to it like a normal person. I wasn't freaked out or didn't even seem drunk. I acted as if it was an everyday thing. Anyways, she morphed back in to the blob and crawled away. I woke up after that.

I swear to you. I did not have Jell-O before going to bed last night.

Horror Markets

Anthologies are excellent markets for short story writers. Here are a few anthology markets looking for horror stories.

2012AD Anthology – This is an apocalypse themed anthology. Your stories must be based on the ancient Mayan prediction of the world ending on December 21st, 2012. Payment: 1-4.9 US cents per word. Deadline: June 18th, 2009

The Blackness Within Anthology – This one is also themed. Your stories must encompass all stages of Moccus’s reappearance from infancy to death (his middle age and near-future) and how his influence spread throughout the world. Payment: under 1 US cent per word. Deadline: When filled.

Heavy Metal Horror Anthology
– Heavy metal is the theme. Your story must contain this element in some way. The rest is up to you. Payment: under 1 US cent per word. Deadline: July 15th, 2009.

Shadows of the Emerald City Anthology – Many love the story of the Wizard of Oz. This is your chance to put your own horror twist to it. Your stories have to be based on the world of Oz. Payment: under 1 US cent per word. Deadline: July 31st, 2009.

Side Show 2: Tales of the Big Top and the Bizarre – For this anthology, they are looking for stories about side shows, carnivals, circuses, fairs, freak shows, and traveling shows. Payment: under 1 US cent per word. Deadline: When filled.

Repost from Write Anything