March News, Events & Links

PPW News

The March Write Brain will be a panel on genre. Panelists include Kathryn Eastburn, Mark Stevens, Cindi Madsen, Laura Reeve, and Kirk Farber. It will be Tuesday, March 19, 6:30-8:30 PM, at Penrose Library. More information can be found on the "PPW Events" tab above.

PPW Night at Lofty's (note the new location), will be held Monday, March 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M.  Come enjoy wine, chocolate and coffee, and chat about writing.  Open to topics of discussion and questions.  More information on the Events tab.

PPW Open Critique Night will occur Wednesday, March 20, 6:30-8:30 P.M at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts.  The first 8 to RSVP may bring 8 pages of their manuscript to critique.  More information on the Events tab.


Early bird pricing for the 2013 Pikes Peak Writers Conference will expire March 15. Currently, the price is $395, but this will go up to $450 at that time.

Other Local Events:

Writing From the Peak columnist Aaron Ritchey will be presenting Hook Me! Making Your First Sentence, First Paragraph, First Page, First Chapter Irresistable! Wednesday, March 20, 6:30-8:00 PM at Koelbel Public Library, Room B, in Centennial, CO. Registration is $25 at Zenith Writers website.

The Pikes Peak Branch of the National League of American Pen Women will have their monthly presentation on March 16, at 11:30 AM at Blue Sage Cafe. The topic will be "Is There Profit in Self-Publishing?" and will be presented by Betty Alt and Dr. Sandra Wells. Cost is $23 for non-members. You are asked to RSVP.

Lighthouse Writers will not only have their usual lineup of workshops throughout the month, but will have one located in Colorado Springs! Kathryn Eastburn will be presenting Reckoning With Memoir, starting March 21 at the Tim Gill Center.

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers will use their monthly meeting to go over the Colorado Gold Contest they have each year. Chris Devlin, the contest chair, will go over tips and what you need to know before you enter. This will be Saturday, March 16, 1:00-3:00 PM at the Arvada Public Library.

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America will host Detective Chuck Heidel, who will discuss the cold case involving Susannah Chase. Thursday, March 14. Cost is $25 for non-members. You are asked to RSVP.

Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group has various meetings throughout the month for critique and discussion.  Visitors are welcome.

Black Cat Books and the BAC, located in Manitou Springs, have lots of programs for readers and writers alike.  Even knitters!  Check out the events page for more information.

The Pikes Peak Romance Writers will have a point-of-view roundtable workshop Saturday, March 23. A $5 donation is recommended if you attend as a visitor.

Publications Open for Submissions and Contests:
Please note: Inclusion of links in this post does not equal sponsorship by Pikes Peak Writers or a relationship between the two entities.  Please always be sure to pursue due diligence before submitting anything to a publication or contest.

Fringeworks has put out a submission call for their anthology Tiki Terror Tales. They seek scary short stories dealing with tikis. Submission deadline: midnight, April 2. Pays 5% royalties.

World Weaver Press is still seeking sci-fi adventure stories for their Far Orbit: Speculative Space Adventures anthology. Pays $.01 per word, plus paperback copy of the anthology. Can be up to 10,000 words to fully develop the adventure. Submissions deadline is March 31.

This Mutant Life is accepting submissions for its 2013 anthology. They must have neo-pulp or superhuman influence. Up to 4000 words. Submission deadline is June 30. Pays $.01 per word and an e-copy.

Silver Boomer Books has an open anthology entitled Longest Hours - Thoughts While Waiting. Deadline April 15. $5 payment for poetry, $10 payment for prose, plus a contributor copy.

The Montreal International Poetry Prize is open for submissions for their contest. Early entry deadline is March 31. If you're in a developing nation, your early entry fee is $15. If you're in a developed nation, your early entry fee is $20. There is a $20,000 CDN prize purse and anthology publication (80 entrants will be published).

The L. Ron Hubbard Writers (& Illustrators) of the Future Contest is a quarterly contest. The next deadline will be March 31, with the new quarter opening for submissions April 1, and so on and so forth. First prize is $1000. They're seeking short stories and novellas in science fiction and fantasy. No entry fee. They also have a contest for illustrators that you can find on the same page. There are limitations on how many times you can have been published and still enter.

The Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction has been created in her name to help writers of creative nonfiction. Your entry should be an essay on their choice of topic up to 5000 words. Award is $250 and publication in Lunch Ticket.

Foliate Oak Literary Magazine is taking submissions for short (preferably flash) fiction, short creative non-fiction, poetry, graphics, photos and artwork. Submission window closes April 24. Non-paying market.

Arc Digital Quarterly is accepting submissions of short fiction over 5000 words, having to do with the future. Does not have to be sci-fi. They also accept essays, features and poetry. Paying market.

The Missouri Review is holding their 6th Annual Audio Contest. $1000 first prize. Deadline March 15. Choose your own submission fee.

RWA is offering their Daphne du Maurier Award, closing to entries March 15. Novel-length fiction. They have a contest for both unpublished and published authors.

Voluted Tales has reopened for submissions. At this time, they are only taking pieces for their main magazine, but will reopen the other three as they go. They are seeking sci-fi and fantasy short stories, as well as some steampunk. You can also submit artwork. Paying market.

Etopia Press, via Bothersome Words, is accepting novel submissions for speculative fiction and romance/erotica (or a combination thereof). Royalty paying market.

On Impression has a listing of editions and deadlines that are taking submissions. Mix of poetry, art and literary.

Dark Moon Digest is always open for short horror fiction for their publications. Pays $10 and a copy of that issue.

Of Interest:

It's Colorado Book Month! Literary CO will be featuring interviews, memes and lots of fun to support literacy in Colorado. There are many ways to participate, such as hosting a blogger or author interview, writing a guest post, hosting a giveaway, providing something for the giveaway, or simply participating in reading for the month. Check out their website for more information.

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in late 2012.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.