EEKsclamations
The Official Newsletter of Karen L. Newman
Volume 2, Number 2


EEK OF THE WEEK

Charles L. Grant died September 15, 2006 at home after spending two and a half years in the hospital. He was one of horror’s greats, having published over one hundred books, a number of them being bestsellers, and nearly two hundred short stories. He won two Nebula Awards and three World Fantasy Awards. He was given lifetime achievement awards from the Horror Writers’ Association, the World Horror Convention, and the British Fantasy Society. His talents didn’t stop there. Mr. Grant edited the award-winning anthology series, Shadows, as well as Gothic Ghosts, The Gallery of Fear, and Greystone Bay.

What has really impressed me is the way the Horror Writers’ Association (HWA) stepped up to help its own. Over his long illness, funds were collected to help his wife, Kathy Ptacek, a writer and editor herself, with his medical expenses in the form of donations and the selling of an anthology containing stories from HWA members. Even now they’re collecting money. I’m certainly not used to that. A member of an organization in which my mother had been treasurer told Dad she wanted Mom to resign. This was after Mom had been homebound for several years due to emphysema. Helping someone through an extended period of time is so untypical for most Americans these days. People don’t want to stay around for the long haul. Just look at the rising divorce rates and companies shedding employees like cat fur.

What’s the answer? Maybe spotlighting those who do step in to do the right thing. Or maybe this country will have to completely hit rock bottom before change occurs. I hope it doesn’t come to that.



RECENT SIGHTINGS

My work has appeared recently in several places, both online and in print. Please check me out at

Inkspotter News, where my article “Using Message Boards Effectively” appears in PDF format. You can read the article by going to http://www.inkspotter.com and signing up for the free newsletter.

Down in the Cellar, where my poems “Cliques” and “After the Apocalypse” appear online at http://www.downinthecellar.com/poetry-01.php

Ultraverse, where my poems “Omega Centauri” and three untitled scifaiku appear online at http://www.ultraverse.us/2006_09/v3i5_poetry_newman.shtml

The Sword Review, where my poem “The Sands of Kentucky” appears online at http://www.theswordreview.com/item.php?sub_id=713

The Lorelei Signal, where my poem “Spring Sprites” appears online at http://www.loreleisignal.com/SpringSprites.html

Beyond Centauri, where my poem “Fall Faeries” appears in print. You can purchase the magazine at The Genre Mall, http://www.genremall.com.


NEWS

My short story, “The Reunion” was selected for inclusion in Afterburn SF’s best of issue.

The winners for the 2006 Kentucky State Poetry Society Speculative Poem Contest that I judged are:

1st Place: “The Thistles’ Revenge” by Dalene Stull
2nd Place: “Plasma” by J. Donald Coonrod
3rd Place: “Death of a Moon” by Wanda D. Campbell
1st Honorable Mention: “Lucy” by Nettie Farris
2nd Honorable Mention: “The Heart Broken Open, Light Seeping In” by Mary E. O’Dell
3rd Honorable Mention: “ancient peoples” by Steven Kappes

Congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to all who entered.


MARKETS

Thank you to everyone who submitted to Appalling Limericks. The anthology should be out soon. Check The Genre Mall to get your copy.

Afterburn SF is again a paying market. We’ve gone back to $10 for an original story or a free ad on the site. We are now publishing on a quarterly schedule, starting in 2007. Our next issue will be out in January 2007 and we’re still looking for stories in the horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Go to http://afterburnsf.com for more details.

Dark Discoveries has raised their pay rates to about $0.01 - $0.03 a word ($20 minimum and a $40 maximum) for a new story plus two copies. Send stories up to 5000 words in the body of an email or .rtf attachment to darkNOSPAMdiscoveries@msn.com, taking out the NOSPAM first.


FINAL REACTION

Happy Halloween!