STORY ACCEPTANCE: The Stone Mother

December went by in a bit of a blur – and not just because of the holidays!

Early in the month, I received an email from Cassandra at Quill & Crow inviting me to send a story to the 2nd volume of the Bleak Midwinter series. Volume 1: The Darkest Night was already out and she needed someone to fill a spot in Volume II.

Even with the holidays and freelance work and finishing issue 4 of the zine, I had to say yes to the invite!

So, I worked on a story seed for The Stone Mother, one I’d been wanting to tackle for a few months. I rough drafted, edited and polished the story and it was accepted all within the span of about a week!

ABOUT THE STONE MOTHER

In times forgone, when previous generations feted her with ritual and pageantry, the glen was fruitful and lush, with no households left wanting. The villagers threw meal and bread to her to keep their cattle hearty and, in return, The Stone Mother made their harvests bountiful. But their belief in her lapsed. They abandoned her and turned away their gazes. And for that, Blæcloch now suffers.

ABOUT BLEAK MIDWINTER: SOLSTICE LIGHT

Hope begins at the first sign of light… The second part of a special double-feature anthology from Quill & Crow Publishing House, Bleak Midwinter: Solstice Light pulls us out of the cold, dark winter night and into the morning light. A dark fiction anthology with lighter horror elements, this anthology still honors the Gothic themes of dreadfulness and despair, but ends with a dash of hope.

Featuring stories by Sarah Von, Amanda M. Blake, A.R. Frederiksen, Erin Keating, Jacqueline West, J.S. Larmore, Mary Rajotte, Victoria Clapton, Seluna Drake, and S.C. Fantozzi.

PRE-ORDER SOLSTICE LIGHT

You can pre-order the book directly from The Crow Shoppe (the anthology launches January 17), and also pick up Volume I while you’re there!

Even though it was a whirlwind writing this piece, I really love how it turned out so I hope you’ll check it out along with all the other stories, each with a dash of hope.

Me?! Writing folk horror with hope?! I’m as surprised as you are 😉