COWBOYS: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Deadline: November 15, 2020 December 6, 2020
COWBOYS is open to all authors.
Editor/Author Delilah Devlin is looking for stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled COWBOYS: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY.
Why write a short story for this collection? Well, it’s certainly not about making a lot of money, so why do it at all? I’ve said this before, but here are my thoughts…
Writing a short story for a call for submissions is a chance to flex your writing muscle! It can be a chance to experiment with a genre you’ve never written. If you’ve never written a story in first person but don’t want to begin by writing an entire novel using it, start short! For myself, I’ve written stories in new genres or with fresh themes that ended up being so much fun to write they’ve spawned entire series.
You have a deadline! I don’t know about you, but I have trouble keeping my butt in the chair without one!
It’s a promotional opportunity! If selected, you’ll be joined by 12-15 other authors for the launch, sharing your audiences and, hopefully, picking up new readers along the way. Having your story in the collection is another chance to be “seen.”
And remember, you retain the rights to your story, so you can republish it for individual sale or give it away to attract subscribers to your newsletter. You might even decide there’s more story to tell and expand it into a novel!
Here’s what I’m looking for…
COWBOYS: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will include stories that satisfy the reader who craves stories with cowboy heroes. They may ride into the sunset, but cowboys never go out of style. They embody the fiercely independent, earthy alpha male and a hero who isn’t afraid to show the gentle, nurturing side of his complex nature when he’s faced with a woman/man or an animal in need.
Even when he’s coated with dust from riding behind a herd of cattle, or up to his knees in mud freeing a calf from a wallow, his image doesn’t tarnish. A woman’s imagination sparks, filling in the details—the scent of horse, cow, and crisp, clean sweat; the sight of sun-leathered skin and crows feet; the feel of work-hardened thighs and arms; and the sound of a deep-voiced drawl.
COWBOYS will seek stories that satisfy the reader who craves the romantic idea of that gruff, capable man while exploring stories set in the American West, a new colony on a far-away planet, or exotic International settings!
I’m open to any subgenre of erotic romance you want to write. I’ll accept contemporary, historical, science fiction, or paranormal stories, and I won’t be picky about whether the stories are hetero, LGBT, ménage… Basically, you, the author, can go anywhere your imagination takes you so long as 1) the story is a romance, and 2) you have a bad boy somewhere in the pages!
The anthology will be sold at a low price—my intent is exposure for you and your writing. The more readers reached, the better! You will retain the rights to your story so that, at a later date, you can republish your stories individually.
I’m seeking hot and inventive stories from authors with unique voices, and above all, I’m looking to be seduced by tales filled with vivid imagery and passion.
Published authors with an established world may use that setting for their original short story.
This is erotic romance, so don’t hold back on the heat. Stories can be vanilla or filled with kink, but don’t miss describing the romantic connection between strong-willed individuals learning to trust and love one another. A deep sensuality should linger in every word. Keep in mind there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters, and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please no reprints. I want original stories.
How to submit: Prepare your 2,500 to 5,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12 point, black font, Word document (.doc or .docx) OR rich text format (.rtf), with pages numbered. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch, and double space (regular double spacing; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). U.S. grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.
In your document at the top left of the first page, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, email address, and a 50-words or less biography, written in the third person, and send to boysbehavingbadlycowboys@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. I will try to respond no later than January 30, 2021 with decisions.
Payment will be $25.00 USD, ninety days after publication at the end of that month.
Who am I?
Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of erotica and erotic romance. She has published nearly two hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths, and is published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Kindle, Montlake, Penthouse, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.
Her short stories have appeared in multiple Cleis Press collections, including Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Lesbian Cops, Dream Lover, Carnal Machines, Best Erotic Romance (2012), Suite Encounters, Girl Fever, Girls Who Score, Duty and Desire, Best Lesbian Romance of 2013, and On Fire. For Cleis Press, she edited Girls Who Bite, She Shifters, Cowboy Lust, Smokin’ Hot Firemen, High Octane Heroes, Cowboy Heat, Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors and Sex Objects. She also edited Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance, Rogues: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Blue Collar: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and First Response: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology.
Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to me at boysbehavingbadlycowboys@gmail.com.
Tagged: anthology, cowboys, erotic romance Posted in General|Comments Off on REMINDER TO AUTHORS! Call for Submissions! Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology|Link
I brake for great songs. Not literally, but when I’m driving, I tend to station-surf, hunting for a song that lifts me up and reflects my mood. Between FM, satellite radio, the cd player, and yes, even a cassette player, there are plenty of options in my car. I’m constantly searching for songs that make me feel—feel happy, sad, romantic, or amused. One tune that I block out all else to listen to is “Samba Pa Ti” by Santana. Something about those notes evokes yearning and sensuousness, and lifts my soul to a satisfying high.
So when I answered the submission call for short stories involving a supernatural connection to jazz for the anthology All That Weird Jazz, I knew the story I wrote would involve a song that pulled the main character in, a song like “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak, or “Still Got The Blues For You” by Gary Moore. A song that takes the listener to another world. A Siren Song.
In my story “Siren Song“, Hawk Hathaway’s soul is touched by a song, too, one that leads him to a life-changing dilemma. He listens to local jazz at The Gimlet Lounge, a bar above an old speakeasy, sitting in the dark, sipping on drinks served to him by attractive bartender Greta, who with her pierced eyebrow, plaid skirt, and biker boots is both from a different world and so out of his league.
For myself, listening to music while enjoying a refreshing drink (alcoholic or not, I’m not partial), soothes my soul and provides a calming effect that I appreciate more than usual during this troubled year. Here is a cocktail with a history as old as The Gimlet Lounge, and I’ve included a non-alcoholic version as well. It’s one of my favorites.
The French 75
The French 75 is a champagne cocktail that has been around since the early 1900s and got its name from the French artillery gun used during World War I. I enjoyed several of these when The National World War I Museum in Kansas City served them at their exciting evening events that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the end of The Great War. They are typically made with either cognac (French brandy) or gin. For cool fall and winter nights, I prefer them made with brandy, but on hot summer nights, a French 75 made with gin is particularly refreshing.
Serve in a coupe or flute. Makes one serving.
French 75
½ oz. cognac
½ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. simple syrup
3 oz. Champagne
Twist of lemon peel for garnish
Fill a shaker with ice and add cognac, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Shake, then strain into glass and top with Champagne. Add lemon peel.
French 75 Mocktail
3 oz. Tonic water
2 oz. Sprite
Twist of lemon peel for garnish
For the mocktail, pass on shaking over ice because both of the ingredients are carbonated. Instead, pour ingredients directly into a flute or coupe, and stir with a swizzle stick. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.
The tonic water adds dryness to the drink, and there is no need to add lemon juice since Sprite already has lemon flavoring. I use Fever Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water.
Enjoy your drink, turn on the stereo or stream your music of choice, and if you have no dilemmas of your own to ponder, why not check out Hawk Hathaway’s in “Siren Song“?
Cheers!
All That Weird Jazz
Jazz. A music of improvisation, of passion, of its very own kind of magic. Considered by many to be the only truly original American form of music, it has since its birth in a smoky room somewhere also been tied to the strange, wrapped up in the supernatural, associated with the occult, at least in hints and shadows. Pro Se Productions now brings together several of the most innovative writers in genre fiction today in ALL THAT WEIRD JAZZ, telling the tales of the unusual between the notes, the magic behind the music.From straight up pulp action to ghostly noir to a dragon who digs Jazz more than anyone else, ALL THAT WEIRD JAZZ takes love for this unique musical styling to an all new level, complete with adventure, thrills, and even a chill or two.
A. Monnin is an AF veteran and avocational archaeologist. She lives to travel, and can’t wait until her next foreign trip. Egypt, the French island of Guadaloupe, and the Balearic Islands are all on her agenda.
You can find her here:
Facebook: MA Monnin
Twitter: mamonnin1
Instagram: M.A.Monnin www.mamonnin.com
Writing offers countless creative options for authors. One thing that happens for me is the scene, the moment, that springs up in a dream or an afternoon of house chores. They’re never complete stories like a reader would expect to find in a novel. Instead, they’re vignettes.
Some of the stories in this collection have been previously published as standalone shorts. When I decided to work on a collection of shorts, they’ve been expanded and nourished with more detail, more emotion, more of what makes a story resonate with a reader. I called it — Love in the Moment — a collection of contemporary romantic shorts featuring unexpected affection in unforeseen circumstances.
Love in the Moment
One moment she dared. Stepped outside of yesterday and tomorrow. Took what she wanted even if she didn’t want to want it.
These are stories of those moments, when a stranger’s smile and a glint in his eye speak to a previously undiscovered part of her soul, when each second ticks past with the wealth of a thousand years.
In “Encounter at the Elevator,” a moment’s whim may open the door to an unexpected future. Flash Fiction
“Cara’s Rescue” follows a woman’s escape from heartbreak and terror into unimagined safety. Short Story
In “The Lawn Guy,” a widow struggles with survivor’s guilt and the stirrings of desire. Short Story
The struggles of air travel open new opportunities in “The Layover” when a woman steps outside her comfort zone to meet the challenge of a seductive stranger. Novelette
“In Dare to Ask,” a spur of the moment dare forces a woman to blurt out an invitation to a younger man. Instantly regretful, she wants to drive away and never come back. Worse, he accepts. Now what? Novelette
What starts as a woman’s educational pursuit quickly detours into something else entirely when an old house “In Need of Repair” brings a major complication to her life. Novelette
“A Chance to Move On” materializes unexpectedly at a remote cabin smothered in ice and snow when a park ranger comes knocking. Novella
Yes, both here on my blog and in the informal poll I ran on FB, cowboys won! So, the next anthology will be filled with yummy cowboy goodness. Thanks to everyone who voted! I won’t overrule your voices. This time. *snickers*
So, since I’m here, and I just shared a lovely photo of a cowboy riding into the sunset, let’s play a game…
Contest — Tell me a story!
Based on the photo above, tell me a story. It can be one line. It doesn’t have to be a good story. You can have fun with it! But tell me something and you’ll be entered to win your choice from among my latest cowboy series, Cowboys on the Edge. I’ll choose two winners!
*~*~*
Click on the covers to learn more about the stories!
First, let’s take care of a bit of business! Thanks for your input on yesterday’s poll! I’ve closed it out and have narrowed the choices for themes for the next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology based on your input. Now, enter your vote in one last poll!
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.
The Puzzle
Now’s the puzzle because you should be rewarded after the stress of having to choose!
The Contest
Tell me what’s happening in that photo for a chance to win your choice of download from among the Boys Behaving Badly anthologies!
So, I gathered your suggestions from my post over a week ago regarding the theme for the next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology—#6. Now, I need to know which theme really grabs your attention.
So, cast your vote! You can choose up to three themes. I’m not guaranteeing that the highest vote-getter will end up being the one, but I promise to consider your choices!
And to entice you to play, I’ll offer a prize—a $5 Amazon gift card to one person who leaves a comment telling me which was the clear winner!
Thanks for adding your two cents to my decision-making process! ~DD
The Poll
Which themes appeal to you the most for the next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology? Choose up to 3 themes!
Cowboys and Ranchers (20%, 10 Votes)
Real Men, like lumberjacks, construction workers, etc. (16%, 8 Votes)
Silver Foxes, i.e., older guys (12%, 6 Votes)
Royalty...bad boys with a title...could be real world or a fairy king... (10%, 5 Votes)
Nerds and Geeks (10%, 5 Votes)
Military Men, any branch of service (8%, 4 Votes)
Second Chance stories (6%, 3 Votes)
Medical Men (6%, 3 Votes)
Bikers (4%, 2 Votes)
Captive--but not a rape scenario! (4%, 2 Votes)
Working Class Men (I'll find a sexier title, promise!) (4%, 2 Votes)
Yes, I know, First Response was just released (and is still going strong—thank you!), but I have to think ahead to the next one because it’s a long process to get one of these ready and out into the world!
I’d love your help to come up with the theme for the next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology!
I have a few ideas of my own, but I’m not married to them. I’d like to gather yours as well, and then run a poll to see what readers want the most. My ideas include:
Captive — which will have to be delicately handled, because I don’t want rape scenarios! But think about alien abductions, your ex “rescuing” you from marrying the wrong man, a woman rescued in the snow and kept “captive” in a cabin by a solitary man until the snow melts, etc.
Real Men — lumberjacks, backwoodsmen, mechanics, construction workers, farmers—not a billionaire in sight! Someone good with his hands and strong from physical labor…
And that’s all I’ve got. So, put on your thinking caps. Offer an idea for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Have fun with it. Your idea doesn’t have to be great, but it could spark an idea in my tired brain!
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