Saturday, 12 April 2014

Now Taking Submissions for "Teapot Tales: Pirates, Mermaids and Monsters of the Sea"#ChaBooCha


Teapot Tales: Pirates, Mermaids and Monsters of the Sea

This is the second volume of the Teapot Tales anthologies. The first one was "Teapot Tales: A collection of Unique Fairy Tales," published in 2013.

The theme for the 2014 Teapot Tales anthology will be " Pirates, Mermaids and Monsters of the Sea." In fact, the full title of the next Teapot Tales anthology will be: "Teapot Tales: Pirates, Mermaids and Monsters of the Sea," or something very similar.

1. Your stories must be about pirates, mermaids or other creaturess of the sea. But "monsters of the sea" can be loosely interpreted and basically, your story should have the sea or the ocean somewhere in it. Think of it in terms of sea-related fairy tales.

2. Stories do not have to be FOR children, but they do need to be child-friendly in that there should be no bad language, no sex and, although kids love gore and violence, please keep it PG.

3. Stories cannot be less than 300 words and cannot be over 800 words. Last time, the limit was 700 words, but several went over. This time, I am hoping everyone can keep it concise enough to stay within the allotted word count. The point of the title "Teapot Tales" is that each story is a short piece of flash fiction - a story short enough that a person can sit and enjoy a cup of tea while enjoying a story or two. People should be confident that they can sit and read a story in a short span of time, easily fitting story-reading into those briefly-snatched, relaxing moments throughout the day.

4. You MUST be an officially signed-up member of the Chapter Book Challenge in order to submit a story to the Teapot Tales anthology. You can sign up here. (You can read more about the Chapter Book Challenge by browsing this site or clicking on the "about" section at the top of the blog.)

5. Please follow the formatting guidelines as stated on Melusine Muse Press's page. Go here to read the formatting guidelines.

6. Proceeds from sales of the anthology go towards supporting the Chapter Book Challenge. Right now, the proceeds help pay for the prizes (we do a lot of prizes during the challenge) and the posting of those prizes. In the future, if proceeds increase, they will also help towards advertising ChaBooCha to bring in more members, advertising of the Teapot Tales anthologies (and other ChaBooCha anthologies) to help get them to a wider audience, donating our anthologies to libraries, setting up a more professional website and more. The goal is to grow membership of the Chapter Book Challenge, so we can better help each other towards our publishing goals. The Chapter Book Challenge is FREE to join and will remain so.

7. Illustrations (line art - black on white) will also be accepted.

8. Author bios must be sent in - around a paragraph each, links may be included, and must be written in 3rd person. These will be included in the book.

9. The deadline for the Teapot Tales submissions is July 31st, 2014, but I would prefer to get submissions in earlier.

10. E-mail submissions as a file attachment to Rebecca (at) Fyfe (dot) net.

You may submit up to three stories.

Anthologies will be made available in both kindle and print formats.

Deadline: July 31st, 2014

Authors retain all rights to submitted stories. If your story is accepted, you will be e-mailed a contract.

Friday, 11 April 2014

Now taking submissions for "Ghostly Echoes: Spooky Tales from Around the World"


Ghostly Echoes: Spooky Tales from Around the World

Melusine Muse Press is now taking submissions for a new anthology of spooky stories and Halloween-themed stories.

There is a 1,200 word limit (with a 300-word minimum).

Stories should be kid-friendly, but do not necessarily have to be written FOR children. Your best bet is to aim for stories that would be okay for 10 to 14 year old children to read.

These stories need to be spooky. Ghosts, goblins, demons, ghouls and anything else that can be thought of to frighten is welcome.

Stories are preferred, but we will accept some (a few) poems.

Artwork will be accepted (black and white/line drawings) and is encouraged.

We will also take book cover submissions. (If no one can create a suitable cover, Melusine Muse Press' artists will provide one. If several possible covers are submitted, participants will vote on their favorite.

As with Teapot Tales and Jingle Bells, proceeds will go towards the Chapter Book Challenge. The book will be made available in Kindle and print format. For print format, we are going to need to have the edited stories in and ready no later than July 31st, 2014. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee that the print version will be available by Halloween.

If you are American, your story will keep its US spellings and colloquialisms. If you are Australian or English, your story will also retain the spellings and colloquialisms for your area.

The Kindle version will maintain the clickable linking format that it had in Teapot Tales, and unless your are new at writing for Melusine Muse Press and the Chapter Book Challenge, your bio from Teapot Tales or Jingle Bells will be used (unless you request a new one). If you are new, an author (or artist) bio will be needed.

We will need to reach a minimum of 25 stories for this to be published in print form though.

You may submit up to three stories.

It is not limited to only ChaBooCha members! Anyone who can write an enjoyable story can submit a story.

Deadline: July 31st, 2014

Authors retain all rights to submitted stories. If your story is accepted, you will be e-mailed a contract.

A few late submissions will be allowed, on a  case by case basis.

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Now taking submissions for "Fae World" anthology

We are taking submissions for the Fae World series of anthologies.

Fae World  

 

This anthology will either be one large anthology or four smaller ones. 


The four themes are Autumn CourtWinter CourtSpring Court and Summer Court and may include both dark and light Fae (Seelie and Unseelie). 

The word count should be between 300 and 3,000 words. 

Not all submissions will be accepted. 

These are adult stories, but gratuitous sex, gratuitous foul language and gratuitous violence will earn a rejection. 

Depending on the quality of the stories sent in, there will either be a one volume, 50+-story anthology or four volumes with 25 to 35 stories in each (depending on average length of stories). 

At this moment, I cannot afford to pay for stories that are accepted, but there will be a $10 Amazon gift certificate awarded to the best story in each category ("court") and a $25 gift certificate for the best story overall. (The overall winner will be ineligible for the section winner prizes. That means that there will be four $10 winners and one $25 winner.)

For now, the closing date remains open. Submissions will remain open until the correct number of acceptable stories is reached. 

Once all stories have been chosen for the anthology, winners will be chosen. Winners will get winner badges for their blogs or websites. 

I am hoping to be able to begin work on the anthology during 2015, so the earlier submissions come in, the better.

You may submit multiple stories. Please follow the guidelines for submissions.


E-mail stories to Rebecca (at) Fyfe (dot) net

Authors retain all rights to submitted stories. If your story is accepted, you will be e-mailed a contract.

Thursday, 14 November 2013

"Jingle Bells: Tales of Holiday Spirit from Around the World" is available on kindle!



"Jingle Bells: Tales of Holiday Spirit from around the World" is a collection of holiday stories created by Chapter Book Challenge members and their friends. It is full of wonderful short stories featuring stories from Hanukkah to Christmas. There are 23 authors and with 38 different chapters altogether, the anthology has 33 short stories and 5 poems. The stories range from magical to emotional and all of them are suitable for reading with the family.

Read about a clumsy dragon, a super dog who helps save Christmas, and a Christmas fairy, along with several different stories to warm your heart.

You can buy your copy of Jingle Bells at any Amazon store. The print edition will be out this week too and will make a fabulous Christmas gift for your loved ones!

The Kindle edition is on sale until after Christmas. You can get your copy for only 99 cents!

In the US: Jingle Bells: Tales of Holiday Spirit from Around the World

In the UK: Jingle Bells: Tales of Holiday Spirit from Around the World

Proceeds help to fund the Chapter Book Challenge (ChaBooCha)

(An extended version, with more pictures, will be available at a slightly higher cost, later this week.)

Saturday, 7 September 2013

"Teapot Tales: A Collection of Unique Fairy Tales" is now available in print! #teapottales


"Teapot Tales: A Collection of Unique Fairy Tales," created by members of the Chapter Book Challenge is available in print now!

From the blurb:

"With stories to enchant readers of all ages, these fairy tales pull you into their own magical worlds. From twists on the classic fairy tales of old to completely new fairy tales, let these charming stories sweep you away into the realm of fantasy. With 35 stories, including two poems, written by 21 different authors, Teapot Tales is a wonderful collection of short stories, each story just long enough to enjoy with a cup of tea."

Go and buy your copy now! This anthology of  fairy tales makes a great gift!

If you are in the US, order here.

If you are in the UK (and/or would like a copy with British spelling), order here.

Profits from sales of "Teapot Tales: A Collection if Unique Fairy Tales" go to support the Chapter Book Challenge (ChaBooCha).

Wednesday, 14 August 2013

Tea Pot Tales: A Collection of Unique Fairy Tales #teapottales



"Tea Pot Tales: A Collection of Unique Fairy Tales" is now available for purchase in Kindle format!

There are stories that are twists on classics such as The Frog Prince, the Princess and the Pea, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Rumplestiltskin, Jack and the Giant, Puss in Boots and Rapunzel. And then there are some completely new fairy tales too. There's a fairy tale about a girl who must gather a tear from the dark fairy queen in order to save her mother, a story about the Morrigan, a story about abusive men who's hearts turn to stone, a story about a tree's love for a girl, a story about a singing bird who annoys an old tortoise and many more stories.
The book was created and edited by Rebecca Fyfe. The beautiful cover is created by Kelly McDonald. And there are line drawings in the interior of the book, illustrated by Cecilia Clark, Robert Fyfe and Brenda A. Harris. 

The list of contributing authors is a long one:

Ashely Howland
C.S. Frye

Rebecca Fyfe
Melissa Gijsbers
Jackie Castle
Theresa Nielsen
Yvonne Mes
Brenda A. Harris
Cecilia Clark
Linda Schueler
Julia Lela Stilchen
Robert Fyfe
Melinda E. Lancaster
Nicole Zoltack
Kelly McDonald
Bron Rauk-Mitchell
David Jamieson
Angelica Fyfe
Satori Cmaylo
Elizabeth Gallagher
Tia Mushka.

 
This anthology is a work created by members of the Chapter Book Challenge.

The Chapter Book Challenge, otherwise known as ChaBooCha, was created by Rebecca Fyfe and first ran in 2012. It runs every year in the month of March. The challenge is to write one completed first draft of an early reader, chapter book, middle grade book or YA novel in the month of March, starting on the 1st of March and finishing on the 31st of March.

During the month of March, there are helpful blog posts from published authors, agents and publishers to help members hone their craft, and there are prizes available throughout the challenge.

ChaBooCha has a very relaxed atmosphere where members help each other to achieve writing goals. You can sign up on the website, and you can also join the Facebook page for updates and information. There is a Twitter page and members interact with one another throughout the year in the Facebook group.
It is completely free to join the Chapter Book Challenge.

Proceeds from the sale of this anthology go towards the costs of running ChaBooCha.

The print edition will be out soon! Check back here or sign up for our newsletter for updates!

Buy your Kindle copy now!

Tea Pot Tales - US

Tea Pot Tales - UK