New Anthology Coming

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Update: I just checked on this and my poem isn't showing up in the table of contents on Lulu. I've sent an e-mail to the editor to see if anything can be done. If not, well, I guess I'll submit it to another anthology! Thirteen O'clock has others that might be appropriate!

Update #2: Got a message from the editor. My poem missed getting into Welcome to the Dance because of a mix-up, so it will be in the "X VI" anthology (horror/supernatural). These are a series of anthologies for stories that don't fit their themed collections. X V (or X Five) is on its way to the presses, so X VI it is!

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I have another (tiny) entry in an upcoming horror anthology being published by Thirteen O'Clock Press. It's a poem this time. It was supposed to be in a collection called Welcome to the Dance, but there weren't enough entries for a stand-alone book so it is being combined with another anthology, The Call, which suffered from similar difficulties.

I don't have a final title yet. I don't know what the cover will look like. I don't know how the anthology will be arranged as it is being combined. But here's a list of the accepted submissions (as provided to me by the editor) in alphabetical order by the author's last name. Well, sort of. Some of the entries have two authors.

The Call

  Brotherly Love by Diane Arrelle
  Grant’s Call by Roy C Booth and William Tucker
  London Kind by Gary Budgen
  Call of Blood by Michael B Fletcher
  His Calling by Michael B Fletcher
  Daydream of a Bored Fool by Dave Fragments
  Hemorrhoids of the Gods by Ken Goldman*
  Toll Call by Ken Goldman
  Rookies Take Point by David M Hoenig
  Out of Time by Kevin Holton
  The Message by Jeff Jones
  Blood Will Tell by Ken L Jones
  Dead Call by Ken L Jones
  Far Scarier Than by Ken L Jones
  The Nursery by Kevin L Jones
  Ring-Ring by Thomas Malafarina
  Coming Home by RJ Meldrum
  Signal To Noise by RJ Meldrum
  The Call by Rie Sheridan Rose
  You Can’t Lie Forever by Rie Sheridan Rose
  The Late Mr. McCall by David Smith
  Called by DJ Tyrer
  The Siren Call of Valentina Wentworth by Ken L Jones
  The Web Spinner by Matthew Wilson

* Looking forward to reading this one out of morbid curiosity...

Welcome to the Dance

  The Web Spinner by Patricia Anabel
  Last Dance by Diane Arrelle
  Dancing In The Dark by Edward Cooke
  Terpsichorean Titbits by John H Dromey
  The Dancing Partner by Joanna Elphick
  Cleansing of the Crypt by Michael B Fletcher
  Dancing Her Life Away by Michael B Fletcher
  Prom Night by Thomas Malafarina
  The Mask by Chris Marchant
  The Dancer by RJ Meldrum
  The Night Of The Dance by RJ Meldrum
  The Homecoming Horror by Maria Mitchell
  The Black Widow by Marie Mittmann
  The Darkest Dance by Marie H Mittmann
  Chairman Of The Bored by David Perlmutter
  Word Dancer by W K Pomeroy
  The Trigger by James Pyne
  Penitence Ball by CL Raven
  Our Night Is Come by Rie Sheridan Rose
  Among the Bones by K. R. Smith (poem) (See updates at top of post... there was a mix-up so my poem will be in a different anthology - better late than never!)
  Dance With The Devil For Endless Life by Ramona Thompson
  A Dance With Death by Wondra Vanian

Now, when I say my poem is a tiny entry, I truly mean that. It has 9 rhymes* using only 76 words all in one sentence. Isn't that enough to make you curious? It's so small it almost didn't make it into the book. The editor approved it, I got the contract, and then it was lost in the shuffle. Fortunately, a quick e-mail got things straightened out. I hope.

FYI, it will probably be out on Lulu soon. Please check out my little poem. And, if you really have to, some of the other author's works might be okay, too...

* Yes, it rhymes—you’ll have to deal with that in your own way. Oddly enough, I’ve had better luck selling rhyming poetry than non-rhyming free-form.

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Horror Bites Challenge #5 - Running Fast

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From the Horror Bites website:

Ok so I’m a bit late with this, the first challenge of 2017 but then, as you are probably aware, I’m not the biggest fan of consistency hehe. The last challenge was a photo my son wanted me to take, but this week he decided to take a photo himself. I love how he is just as much invested in these challenges are I am, always on the look out for a good scene to insure creepiness.

Rules:

1. As always post either the complete story or a link in the comments.
2. Going to give you a bit more scope this week so how about a word count of 450 words.
3. My son would like you to include a sport of some sort this time, so see if you can.

And so, here is my entry for this round of Horror Bites...

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Running Fast

    Elated at being alone and in the lead, Melvin settled into an even pace, his footfalls tapping out a rhythm that echoed faintly in the early morning mist. His breathing quickly adjusted. His lungs no longer burned, his heart no longer strained from the torturous effort that had pushed him not only to the front of the pack, but far beyond. A peek at his watch told him he was well ahead of schedule. All that remained left was the monotonous repetition of miles until the end of the course. A sign caught Melvin's eye as he pushed himself forward; "one way," it read.
    After what seemed like an eternity, Melvin checked his watch again. It wouldn't be long now. In the distance, he could see someone standing near a tape that crossed the road, though no spectators were in sight. Unusual, he thought; there's always a crowd at the finish line. His pace slowed. A quick glance behind showed no other competitor in sight. Now only yards away, he approached the waiting figure, noting its odd clothing. A tattered, hooded robe stood in stark contrasted to the bright garb normally worn by the race staff.
    "Is this the finish?" 
    An ethereal whisper came from within the hood. "For you—yes."
    Melvin thought the answer curious, but with his mind still consumed by the race, he reached for the tape. As he did, a sharp pain shot through his chest. His arm ached miserably. His legs became heavy, and he fell to his knees. Crimson droplets splashed across the asphalt. Above him, the figure lofted a wooden shaft from which a large, curved blade, now bathed in red, extended. Melvin's eyes began to close, and with a final, stabbing pain, his mind went dark.
    Resting the staff against a shoulder, bony hands pulled a gray stone tablet from within the robe. A skeletal digit scratched a tally upon its surface.
    "Ah," it hissed with breathy satisfaction. "Completed in record time."

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 330 words without the title... 

Previous Horror Bites: 
     A Late Dinner
    The Empty Seat
    Reading at the Library
    Unfashionably Late

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Final Tally - Preditors & Editors Poll

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Looks like Death and Decorations took 4th place in the anthology category in the Preditors & Editors Poll. Not bad for a book that came out late in the year and hasn't had an eBook version created yet! I hope my story (A Home for Christmas) wasn't the one that kept them out of first place! I believe there were 60 entries in all.

2016 P&E Anthology Category

This is from the Horrified Press web site:

Congratulations to Thirteen O’Clock Press editors George Wilhite and Dorothy Davies. Horror anthology ‘Death & Decorations’ finished top 10 in the P & E readers poll this year. Also congrats to authors RJ Meldrum, Ken L Jones, Olivia Arieti, Rie Sheridan Rose, Perry McDaid, Dianne Arrelle, Edward Cooke, Anusha VR, John McCallum Swain, Matthew Wilson, Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, Maria Mitchell, C A Kerr, Stanley Webb, Bruce Markuson, James Pyne, DJ Tyrer, Thomas M Malafarina, Rick McQuiston, Nick Manzolillo, Diane Arrelle, John Howe, L L Hill, Shane Ward, David M. Hoenig, John H Dromey, K R Smith, Roy C Booth and William Tucker, and Dorothy Davies.
http://www.lulu.com/…/death…/paperback/product-22968814.html

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

This Month's Free Photos - The Nature Of Winter

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Terri Deno's efforts reminded me that I haven't posted any photos lately. Not that I've ever been very regular about it. Still, I had a couple of pics that should work. They're just phone images, so they're not high resolution, but here they are!

Jailbirds

Here are a couple of woodpeckers hanging around the deck near the feeder. The cold weather sure brings a lot of activity to the suet and seed we have for them.

Old Wall

This is an old wall (well over 100 years old) that used to delineate the farm fields in what is now a park. I hike or jog there when I can. These stones are what the farmers used for fencing before barbed wire came about.

Okay, so they're not so exciting, but it's all I can do for the moment. Check back again sometime. Maybe I'll have something better (I hope!).

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Images IMG_20170109_122614.jpg and IMG_20170109_122734.jpg ©2017 K. R. Smith - www.theworldofkrsmith.com - may be used, in whole or in part, with attribution.

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Another Chance To Vote

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One of the books in which I have a story has been nominated to participate in the Preditors & Editors Annual Reader’s Poll. It’s Death and Decorations, a Christmas-themed horror anthology. My story is A Home for Christmas, where a young lady named Melanie wants to help out by selling a few ornaments. Can’t really say more than that...

Cover image from Lulu.com

But if you'd like to spread the word, or have read the book and enjoyed it, please vote for it in the Preditors & Editors poll!

As I write this post, it is sitting in second position out of 45 entries (not all are shown in this image).

UPDATE: As of 01/13/2017, Death & Decorations is in 4th place (was up to 2nd as shown in image below) out of 59 entries. Keep voting!

BTW, Lulu has it for sale now (paperback only, at the moment) - click LULU to check it out!

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved