For those writers who’ve gotten short fiction rejected (aka every writer), I recently learned something that might help put it all in perspective.
Putting Rejection in Perspective
josh schlossberg
“There Is No Zombie Outbreak!” in O IS FOR OUTBREAK
My short story about people in denial of the zombie apocalypse–“There Is No Zombie Outbreak!”–can be found in O IS FOR OUTBREAK from Red Cape Publishing.
“O IS FOR OUTBREAK is the fifteenth book in an epic series of twenty-six horror anthologies. In this book you will find a selection of thirteen unsettling tales from some of the most talented independent horror authors writing today. From government conspiracies to historic plagues, otherworldly viruses to deadly insects, O IS FOR OUTBREAK brings a wide selection of pandemic-inspired horror tales that will have you hiding away, face mask in place.”
Fellow authors include: Pauline E. Dungate, Carlton Herzog, Jonathan Inbody, S.G. Kubrak, John Ryland, Damir Salkovic, Eric Thomas, B.F. Vega, and Lisa Zang.
JWN #45: Hospice Horrors (with Patrick C. Harrison III)
On episode #45 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg checks out with Patrick C. Harrison III, author of GRANDPAPPY, as they succumb to the horrors (and wonders) of hospice.
Do Politics Belong in Horror Fiction?
Whether it’s social media or a world spinning out of control, people are becoming more and more politically opinionated. Which begs the question of us horror authors and readers: What should be the role of politics in fiction?
CHARWOOD
My eco Jewish folk horror novel, CHARWOOD, will be published in 2023 by Aggadah Try It, an imprint of Madness Heart Press.
The Case for 5-Star Ratings
Remember back in school when the teacher would give you one of three grades on a test: 100%, 80%, or failing?
Yeah, me neither. But that’s exactly what we authors and readers are up against with the 5-star rating system common to Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere.
JWN #39: Fraidy Cat (with A.E. Santana)
On episode #39 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg plays a game of cat and mouse with A.E. Santana, author of “Imperial Slaughterhouse,” as they sink their claws into the felines of dark fiction.
Featured in Shoutout Colorado
I was able to trick the esteemed publication, Shoutout Colorado, into thinking I’m a successful author, editor, and publisher. Read all my dirty lies below.
Pulling the Trigger Warnings?
TRIGGER WARNING: Non-ideological discussion of every trigger warning I can think of.
Now that you’ve been cautioned, dark reader, I want to start off by admitting that I don’t have a problem with trigger warnings. I fully understand that some people have been traumatized by certain life experiences, and to read about them can make them feel anything from discomfort to extreme distress. And in my own writing, I’m completely willing to provide trigger warnings for any editors or publishers who ask for them.
But as a reader I don’t have much use for them, especially in horror, as dark fiction for me is about pushing through the shadow into the light. Personally, I’ve found that refusing to explore something that scares me only makes it loom larger in my life. Yet, mostly, I tend to skip them because I like to avoid anything remotely resembling a spoiler.
So, while I totally get the point of trigger warnings and honor those who advocate for them, the tricky question that no one wants to answer is: What subjects qualify?
Why You Don’t See More Jewish Horror
THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR, the anthology I edited for Denver Horror Collective (DHC) in late 2021, won a bronze medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, a Silver medal in the 666 Awards, and had previously made it onto the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards. Meanwhile, at a horror writers conference, I lost count of the authors who told me they loved the book, which sold well at the DHC table, as it has been literally around the world.
While readers are hungry for Jewish horror as a unique exploration of the larger genre, I think I finally understand why THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR was one of the only Jewish horror anthologies ever released (all by small presses). And why nearly every working author who also writes Jewish horror tells me they have difficulty getting those stories published.
Because while pitching my Jewish folk horror novel (CHARWOOD will be published in 2023 by Aggadah Try It, the Jewish horror imprint of Madness Heart Press) to the editor of a large, established horror fiction publisher, one of my sneaking suspicions as to what’s been turning off so many gatekeepers was finally confirmed.
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