Category Archives: A to Z Challenge

A to Z Challenge

L: Lucien E.G. Spelman, Family Jaunt

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NitebladeI don’t often like long poetry, which is why, when I was the poetry editor, there wasn’t a lot of it. We did publish a few longer pieces though, and one of the ones which stands out strongest in my mind is Family Jaunt by Lucien E.G. Spelman. A funny and scathing commentary on television and its effect on imagination, this poem made me smile the first time I read it, and I smiled again just now re-reading it for this blog.

Lucien’s poetry also appeared in our March 2009 issue. Clockwork Bird is also well worth a visit if you have a minute or two.

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, which is the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier
D: December 2011 (Giveaway open until April 30th)
E: Evil Bird
F: First Loves for the First Time
G: The Gnome’s Spectacles
H: Happy Halloween, It’s a Bloody Puppet Show
I: Incense Sticks
J: Jason L. Huskey, The Marionette
K: KV Taylor, The Silver Quarter
L: Lucien E.G. Spelman, Family Jaunt

 

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade

K: KV Taylor, The Silver Quarter

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The Silver QuarterK could only stand for KV Taylor and her story, The Silver Quarter. I’ve spoken about this story before (right here) and that is because I love this story. It’s the kind of fantasy I wish we got more of at Niteblade. The kind that reminds me of the books I used to devour (between romance novels LoL) when I was a teenager.

Also worth mentioning is that working with KV during the editing process was a dream. She was articulate, flexible, open to feedback and super quick at responding. Authors, lemme tell you, when you’re sitting on this side of the desk that all makes a huge difference. Huge. You know how Neil Gaiman says that the key to success is being good, being fast and being pleasant (I’m totally paraphrasing) and that you don’t need all three? Well, he’s totally right from where I’m sitting, but KV had all three.

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, which is the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier
D: December 2011 (Giveaway open until April 30th)
E: Evil Bird
F: First Loves for the First Time
G: The Gnome’s Spectacles
H: Happy Halloween, It’s a Bloody Puppet Show
I: Incense Sticks
J: Jason L. Huskey, The Marionette
K: KV Taylor, The Silver Quarter

 

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade

J: Jason L. Huskey, The Marionette

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The MarionetteMaybe it’s because I used to struggle with jealousy and an overactive imagination. Maybe it’s because I love marionettes. Maybe it’s just because the imagery in this poem is so damn good. Whatever the reason, The Marionette by Jason L. Huskey stands out in my mind as favourite poem. Not just a favourite from Niteblade, but a favourite just straight-up. There is one stanza I love in particular:

Put your hand
on the phone, now up,
now down,
now share it into pieces
with the wall.

The emphasis there is mine. Now share it into pieces / with the wall. I freaking love that line. Share it into pieces. It gave me shivers the first time I read it, and I love it still.

<3

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, which is the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier
D: December 2011 (Giveaway open until April 30th)
E: Evil Bird
F: First Loves for the First Time
G: The Gnome’s Spectacles
H: Happy Halloween, It’s a Bloody Puppet Show
I: Incense Sticks
J: Jason L. Huskey, The Marionette

 

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade

I: Incense Sticks

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Incense SticksIncense Sticks by Ajay Vishwanathan is actually an example of a story which I shouldn’t have published in Niteblade, but I couldn’t help myself. I have a soft spot for stories set in exotic locations, whether they be real or fictional. If they can transport me somewhere else, I tend to fall in love with them. That was the case with this story, and I had to have it. Even though the fantasy/horror element was very faint, if it was present at all. No, in retrospect I really shouldn’t have accepted Incense Sticks for Niteblade, but I’m not sorry that I did 😉

Another fine example of a transportive story is Women of Straw by Kyle Hemmings. Not only did I fall in love with this story, but it’s much more appropriate for the pages of Niteblade. Or Infectious by Lilah Wild. Hungry by Tai Dong Huai. I could go on and on. But I won’t. Because if I post too many links here you won’t visit any of them, and you really should. At least one or two. You won’t regret it.

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, which is the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier
D: December 2011 (Giveaway open until April 30th)
E: Evil Bird
F: First Loves for the First Time
G: The Gnome’s Spectacles
H: Happy Halloween, It’s a Bloody Puppet Show
I: Incense Sticks

 

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade

H: Happy Halloween, It’s a Bloody Puppet Show

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Happy Halloween, It's a Bloody Puppet ShowHappy Halloween, It’s a Bloody Puppet Show. I loved this story. It’s the kind of story where I can see the ending coming from a long way off, but I don’t care. Something about the voice of the tale really pulled me in, it reminded me of a simpler time in my life, of elementary school and Halloweens when I was a poor kid wearing an orange garbage bag with holes cut out for my head and arms as my costume (I was a pumpkin!). It spoke to me, and because it spoke to me you can imagine my glee when its author, Bill Ratner, agreed to record it as well as allowing us to publish the print version.

Amazing.

So Happy Halloween, It’s a Bloody Puppet Show became our first ever audio story, and if you haven’t listened to it, you’re missing out. Later that year Bill also submitted (and recorded) his story Basement Shade which is also a great story. It doesn’t touch me in the same way that Happy Halloween does but that, I suppose, is because it has a totally different atmosphere to it 🙂

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, which is the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier
D: December 2011 (Giveaway open until April 30th)
E: Evil Bird
F: First Loves for the First Time
G: The Gnome’s Spectacles
H: Happy Halloween, It’s a Bloody Puppet Show

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade

G: The Gnome’s Spectacles

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The Gnome's SpectaclesBack in June 2008 we published “The Gnome’s Spectacles” by Chris Burdett. It’s one of my favourite poems from Niteblade. To this day I don’t know if Chris was retelling a story from a fairy tale or mythology, or if it’s a completely original concept. I’m good either way LOL

What I loved about this poem is that it was accessible but not boring. Evocative, but not pretentious. My daughter, then 11 years old, would have understood it and yet it was deep enough that anyone could appreciate it. Plus, who doesn’t love a story/poem where bad deeds are rewarded in kind?

You reap what you sow…

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, which is the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier
D: December 2011 (Giveaway open until April 30th)
E: Evil Bird
F: First Loves for the First Time
G: The Gnome’s Spectacles

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade

F: First Loves for the First Time

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First Loves for the First TimeFirst Loves for the First Time is a poem by Keith Kennedy that we had the pleasure of publishing back in March of 2011. I LOVE this poem. Love, love, love it, but every freaking time I read it, it makes my stomach flip. It’s visceral and disturbing.

Also? I’m not the only one who loves this poem, it was included on Ellen Datlow’s honorable mentions list for The Best Horror of the Year volume #4.

Awesome.

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, which is the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier
D: December 2011 (Giveaway open until April 30th)
E: Evil Bird
F: First Loves for the First Time

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade, Poetry

E: Evil Bird

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Magpie - Photograph by Rhonda ParrishI actually always imagine the bird in An Evil Bird by Anna Sykora to be a raven. Alas, I haven’t any pictures of a raven, so I’m going to use this one of a magpie instead. I didn’t do the embroidery you see there, just took the photo of it.

But yes. An Evil Bird by Anna Sykora. I adored this poem from the first moment I read it. It’s really quite fun and the last stanza always makes me smile. It says something about Ms. Sykora’s versatility that she also wrote On Its Own which is a thought-provoking, somewhat melancholy poem which remains one of my personal favourites ever. Ever. Not just of poems we’ve published at Niteblade.

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, which is the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier
D: December 2011 (Giveaway open until April 30th)
E: Evil Bird

ETA: People seem to be feeling bad for ravens because I said that’s how I imagine the bird in this poem. For the record I love ravens. Love them. I even have nine of them tattooed on my arm. Well, I call it a murder of crows, but crows, ravens… any corvidae has got my heart.

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade, Poetry

D: December 2011

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Niteblade poetry issue, original cover art by Marge SimonThis is the original cover art Marge Simon created for our December 2011 special poetry only print issue of Niteblade Magazine. That issue was the last one I worked on as poetry editor (Alexandra Seidel and I co-edited it). After that the mantle of Poetry Editor fell to her.  It’s a tough thing, giving up control of something like that, but it’s been a good thing for me and for Niteblade.

Our poetry only issue was an interesting learning experience. I learned things about writing submission guidelines, about soliciting submissions directly from specific authors, about working with another person to make editorial decisions. I learned about formatting things for printers, and finding printers, and judging printers and I remembered why I usually go with POD printers LOL I also discovered that selling a physical book of poetry is a lot different than selling an electronic book of poetry and prose.

I am very proud of our poetry issue (for it’s content, not just what it taught me) and it just so happens that I have *mumble* copies sitting in a box in my bedroom closet. I’d like to see some of those find homes with people who will read and appreciate them. If that is you please leave a comment to this blog entry. At the end of the month I will send out three copies to random commentators. It could be you 🙂

Niteblade: December 2011 Poetry Issue

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A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, which is the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier
D: December 2011 (Giveaway)

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade

C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier

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The Pacifier - Original art by Marge SimonA lot has changed since 2009 when I first read and accepted The Pacifier by Beth Cato for Niteblade. Though I consider her a good friend now I barely knew her then. She was a member of NaNoLJers like I was but that was about as far as our connection went. So that’s changed. What hasn’t changed is how much I love this story. Everyone I talk to loves this story. It’s a post-apocalyptic tale that will leave you holding your breath.

When Beth eventually wrote two sequels to it (The Empty Crib at the End of the World and The Teething Ring), I was honored to accept them for Niteblade as well, and later to nominate the trilogy for a Pushcart Prize. Though I love all three stories, it is The Pacifier that has a special place in my heart and the bookshelf in my brain. I mentally take it out, dust it off and relive it regularly.

Off topic a little bit? If you pop over to read The Pacifier (and you should) it’s also very much worth checking out Following Rabbits by Gregg Winkler which appeared in the same issue. I wanted to include Following Rabbits in my month of Niteblade blogs, but I couldn’t fit it into the alphabet on its own.

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, that being the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and, on a related note, I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron
C: Cato, Beth – The Pacifier

A to Z Challenge, Niteblade

B: Brenda Stokes Barron

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Maribelle Remembers IceIn September 2011 Niteblade published a story by Brenda Stokes Barron which was entitled Maribelle Remembers Ice.

We publish a lot of stories and sometimes when I go back and look through the archives I need to re-read a paragraph or two of a story in order to remember it. That is not the case with this one. This story stuck in my brain and occasionally it comes, spontaneously, to the forefront of my thoughts and lingers there for a time, even now, months after I first published it.

This isn’t a story for everyone, and it could be triggering for some. For others it may leave them scratching their heads. I know this because of the reactions I’ve heard from different readers. For me it is beautiful and disturbing (a fantastic combination). The imagery is wonderful and, as I recall one slush reader commenting, ‘like something from a fairy tale’.

~*~

A2Z-2013-BADGE-001Small_zps669396f9This post has been written as a part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is ‘Niteblade‘, that being the magazine I publish. I chose this theme to help draw attention to the magazine during this, it’s 2nd annual fundraiser.

My first post in this series was about choosing stories and poems to nominate for awards and, on a related note, I’ve gone through a similar process in deciding what to write about for these posts. Not only did I have to choose stories and poems I loved, but they also had to fit with the A-Z theme. Tricky!

Blogging from A to Z 2013:

A: Award Nominations
B: Brenda Stokes Barron