Thursday, May 31, 2012

Ancient Wonders: reminder

There is just one month remaining in which to write (or finish writing) your stories for The Alchemy Press Book of Ancient Wonders. There are so many possibilities to chose from, from burial mounds to pyramids to lost artefacts... Submission details can be found here.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Email problems

Mike Chinn (editor of Pulp Heroes) is experiencing problems with his email. Until they are fixed please send manuscripts, etc, via alchemypress@gmail.com

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The British Fantasy Awards

Some good news for Peter Atkins and The Alchemy Press.

Rumours of the Marvellous by Peter Atkins has been short-listed for the 2012 British Fantasy Awards in the Best Collection category. It is up against some stiff competition:

Mrs Midnight by Reggie Oliver

Everyone's Just So So Special by Robert Shearman and

A Glass of Shadow by Liz Williams.

The winner will be decided by a jury and announced at FantasyCon 2012, once again held in sunny Brighton in September.


Saturday, May 5, 2012

Taboo words


We’ve received a few enquiries about taboo or swear words: does the Alchemy Press allow the use of them? The short answer is “Yes”. We won’t list all the taboo words here – we seen them all and we’re not easily shocked. Our advice: use such words judiciously and not gratuitously. Most often swear words are found in speech and by extension in stories written in the first person.

Taboo words and phrases may also be of racial or religious nature. In today’s politically-correct environment be sensitive to their use.

No one has yet asked us about the level of violence we allow in Alchemy Press books. Again, when used in context, we have no issue with violent stories. But we do shy away from stories that use excessive violence for its own end, especially those that may be considered misogynistic.  

The final decision whether or not to use the submission is down to the quality of the writing and is not based on the number of “fucks” in the manuscript.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Selected for Best New Horror

Peter Atkins has let slip that his story "Dancing Like We're Dump" from Rumours of the Marvellous has been selected for the upcoming Year's Best New Horror volume 23, edited by Stephen Jones. Great news for Pete and The Alchemy Press.