Celebrate #nationaldarkpoetryday

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

Happy National Dark Poetry Day!

We celebrate on October 7 because Edgar Allan Poe, one of the darkest of all poets, died a mysterious and tragic death this day in 1849. That’s pretty dark.

So today, let your morbid impulses run free and wild across your keyboard. Let your nightmares drink ink and vomit it back up on your paper. Free your monsters and make them sing poems. Today is the day for tragic verse to honor one of our finest. He put the Poe in poetry.

Share your darkness! Please use #nationaldarkpoetryday for any posts on any social media sites. If you also tag HWA on Twitter (@HorrorWriters), the HWA will share your posts to the best of their ability.

To purchase a commemorative t-shirt (or tote bag!) with the official National Dark Poetry Day artwork (by the fabulous Cat Scully), please go here: http://catscullyart.com/…/28477562-national-dark-poetry-day…

And, since I wouldn’t be celebrating properly without posting my own dark poem, here is Moloch Dreams, originally published in the HWA Poetry Showcase Vol. 5 (2018).

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay. Words by Angela Yuriko Smith.

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Review: Chthonic Cleaning by Austin Gragg

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

Cleaning can go too far as Noah and Dillon find out. A regular couple, the most exciting thing about their lives is Dillon’s job in a funeral home. They are predictable, practical and happy—until a simple household chore takes on a life of its own.

Written by Austin Gragg, this is a fresh and timely story of two ordinary people pushed into an extraordinary situation. Noah is neurotic and plagued by phobias. Gragg handles his character with respect and candor. It would have been easy to build Noah as the archetypal paranoid but instead he is created with depth and empathy.

The same is true for Dillon. The stronger partner, he is the bold one with no fear. Gragg handles the interaction between the two and their adversary with deft skill. The situations turn on a razor edge as hero and victim swap places like cards in a magic trick. I’d love to say more—compliment Gragg on how his characters grow and transcend—but I risk giving away spoilers.

Available Now!

The takeaway I received from this story is that love triumphs and fear is only as big as you let it be. I love this story. If you are looking for a different horror story with new perspective and a positive message, check out Cthtonic Cleaning.

Be sure to keep your eye on this new author too. Gragg’s first book, he is already receiving recognition as a finalist for L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest. You can read all about him in my interview last week here and/or follow him on social media, links below. Find Cthtonic Cleaning on Amazon, Nook, Google Play, Smashwords and Kobo.

Find Austin Gragg on AustinGragg.com or on…

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Saving Space and Time (Back Issues)

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

Free Space and Time!

The history of all Space and Time has been captured and locked away in Stafford, Virginia!

Mr. Smith and I are about to embark on a rescue mission to release and retrieve. It will be an arduous undertaking… 17 straight hours of driving across the country to reach the prison where the back issues languish.

Once there we have to infiltrate the fortress and procure the magazines. Then we must escape—another 17 solid hours of evading those that seek to keep the history of Space and Time under lock and key. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to free Space and Time.

We will try to document our journey along the way. To follow our progress, check in with my Instagram. Who knows what perils lie ahead of us?

Regardless of the trial, we are prepped and ready. Snacks locked and loaded.

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Austin Gragg on “Chthonic Cleaning”

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

Austin Gragg is a new author on fire. I first met him through submissions to Space and Time and his work was accepted for the upcoming first issue of Space and Time KC (January 2020). He is a top finalist for L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest. His work is imaginative, fresh and well crafted. His first novella, “Chthonic Cleaning,” is available on Amazon here. Lucky for us, Austin has set aside some time from his writing to share a little about his life as an author.

Austin Gragg

AYS—Tell me about yourself as a writer. When did you fall in love with words? When did you first realize you wanted to write as a career? 

Austin Gragg—I was very little when I knew telling stories was what I wanted to do. It was just a matter of understanding that was actually a thing I could do. For the longest time I was led to believe it wasn’t a worthy pursuit. I would get in trouble at school for selling my comic book series “Bubble Man and Rubberband Man.” Kids were spending their lunch money on them — the many issues printed off on our church’s copy machine. I continued to have obsessive creative endeavors all through childhood.

The moment it really hit me that I wanted to pursue writing seriously, came a handful of years ago. I was working a well-paying but soul-crushing job in an IT department and my father had just passed away (this was 2015). I was incredibly depressed with my job and started thinking about the legacies my parents and grandparents had left behind as public servants. I saw no such legacy or body of work possible through the dead-end IT life. A sort of emotive revelation happened when I asked the simple question, “What makes me happy?” I realized I needed to create in order to live. It hit me like a brick wall. Sent me to tears, because I wasn’t creating, and hadn’t been for a long time outside of my obsessive hobby in DMing Dungeons & Dragons for my friends. I wrote a larger description of this big moment in an essay and follow-up you can find here if anyone is interested in reading it.

But anyways, a few years later, after deciding to pursue this seriously, I’ve had a few short story publications, some poetry, this novelette, and was a 2019 finalist in the Writers of the Future Contest. I owe it all to my partner’s love and support, as well as my obsessive personality leading me to read everything about craft I can get my hands on.

Available Now!

AYS—Chthonic Cleaning touches on what it’s like to be neurotic. Writers usually put themselves into their stories in some way. How much are you like Noah, or are you completely opposite like Dillon’s character?

Austin Gragg—Noah’s personality certainly pulls from my own experience with anxiety and panic attacks (which are a rarity nowadays, thankfully). Dillon grounds Noah and represents coping mechanisms in a way. But the thing I wanted to avoid was a relationship that felt co-dependent in any way — because that’s just slapping a feeble bandage over a larger problem when it comes to mental health — potentially dragging those we love down with us as we struggle. I wanted this story to be about overcoming those obstacles we’re given in life. Horror, as I think I first heard author Michaelbrent Collings say, is the genre of hope in many ways.

AYS—The character of The Cleaner is so unusual, I wonder if you can give us some insight into who it is and where it came from (without giving any spoilers, of course!)?

Austin Gragg—This is something we (my brilliant editor Andrew Reeves, who also edits Bear Review here in KC and is a superb poet) worked hard on, because in earlier versions of this story we felt there was some clarity missing — but we also didn’t want to lose the scope of this antagonist’s story or oversimplify it. The Cleaner is an ancient cosmic monstrosity — an entity whose existence is beyond time. He was made for a purpose, and has a complex relationship with his creator that puts him in direct conflict with that purpose. This conflict mirrors Noah’s inner struggles perfectly — making these two characters so excellent to pit against each other.

AYS—The story ends with satisfying closure, but the whole idea seems like it could continue. Do you see yourself writing more in this world or will you move on to new territory?

Austin Gragg—I certainly have a plethora of ideas. “Mother” is a recurring thematic element in my short fiction. I’m certain we’ll see more in this “universe” and I’m toying with the idea of turning this into a trilogy of novellas/novelettes. The form is short, but not too short to risk not being satisfying, and this is my first go at being an author-publisher — so, we’ll see. I decided to go the author-publisher route for this because it kept getting great feedback from pro-level markets, but its length made it too long for magazines and too short for big publishing. So, I might continue this route with works of that length. The most important thing to me is delivering a quality comparable to what you’d see from me in the “traditional” route.

AYS—This is your first published novella. How has the process been for you this first time around? What things would you do differently next go around? What things have worked well?

Austin Gragg—At this point, it might be a little too early to tell what I’d do differently. But, working with Andrew Reeves as an editor has been a blessing. We met through our work in public libraries and taught digital literacy classes together for a while. It was like the universe was intentionally pushing two creative minds in each other’s direction. Also, hiring a great cover artist was another thing I think went very well — better than expected. I’m excited to see the reader reactions to the story!

AYS—We both hail from Independence, though I’m a relatively new transplant. This city seems enthusiastic about the arts, new ideas and especially speculative fiction. As a native, do you find that to be true as well? In what ways?

Austin Gragg—We have the honor of saying our city birthed two of the greatest names in modern fantasy: Margaret Weis, and Jim Butcher. Nuff said. But, I’ll keep talking anyways. We have a vibrant arts scene and we’re right next door to all the amazing arts things happening in Kansas City. I could go on and on about my city. I love it. All the good that’s here outweighs the bad a thousand times over. I think Harry S Truman’s quotes on Independence capture all there is to love here. We’re rich in history, the arts, and it’s the largest city you’ll ever see with a “small town” feel to it.

AYS—What advice do you have for other writers? Any tips for cracking open your creativity?

Austin Gragg—Read. Read. READ. Then, read some more. Read everything you can get your hands on. Also, read about the craft of writing — of storytelling. Writer’s Digest’s books are almost always great publications. Visit your local library — I promise they carry or can get access to these materials. Finally, write. Write every day and be prepared to write garbage. Your first story will be garbage. Mine was. Most people’s are. In fact, I’ve written four novel length works and it’s this last one that I feel is quality enough for me to spend time on revising and editing so I can query agents and editors. If you really want to be a writer, you need to put in the time and be prepared to fail and fail and fail again. Rejection should be your default, but you should never stop. It’s like Jim Butcher said in an old blog post that I often reread when I’m feeling down, “You are the only one in the world who can kill your dream.”

AYS—What’s coming up next for you and where can we find you? (Blog, Twitter, FB, IG etc.)

Austin Gragg—I try to churn out a short story to submit to magazines every few months. So, hopefully more short fiction will accompany the few stories I’ve already got out. “Nevertheless She Screamed” is a Twilight Zone-esque short free to read at Asymmetry Fiction and my poem “Interrogation on Starship Death” is a featured, free to read, piece with The Weird and Whatnot (scroll near bottom of page). But, right now I’m wrapping up revisions on a novel length work and getting it read to hopefully start querying agents near the beginning of 2020 — and I’ve already plotted most of a western horror novel I’m super stoked about. I’ll always be writing and getting stories out there for all you readers as often as I can. You can find me at austingragg.com, or any of the social links below. I LOVE to chat with other readers and writers (I am a public librarian after all). Come say hello!

Chthonic Cleaning Available on all major eBook and paperback platforms!

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S&T Submissions OPEN for issue #135

Posted on September 21, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

Space and Time magazine is accepting fiction and poetry submissions from now until October 5.

New for this submissions window: we will not be sending personal rejections notices this reading period.  Accepted manuscripts will be notified by email, posted at SpaceandTimeMagazine.com and our social media.  Please do not query as to the status of your manuscript.

Why the change? Last submissions period we received around 500 submissions. Many submitters also sent emails asking about the status of their submission. In a perfect world, I would have unlimited time to read and answer emails and chat about writing forever. In the real world, no. I have a choice to answer 300 emails about submissions or actually read submissions. I choose to read submissions.

Due to the high volume of submissions we expect this period, we are also looking to expand our reader team. It involves reading submissions and passing what you like on to our fiction editor.

If you are interested in reading submissions for Space and Time magazine, send me an email to angelayurikosmith@gmail.com. Please put S&T READER in the subject line so it doesn’t get mixed in with the 300 emails just mentioned.

So now that the changes have been covered… here’s what you really want to know:

The benefits to publishing in Space and Time: Space and Time magazine is produced as an audio issue as well as digital and print. Every fiction author and poet that appears in this issue will receive an audio clip of their work read by R. A. Smith along with a PDF and a print copy as a contributor.  Every fiction author and poet that appears in this issue will also be invited to a complimentary digital subscription of the magazine.

In addition, we will consider your works for nomination to the Pushcart Prize, Best New Poets, PEN/O’Henry Prize, Best American Short Stories, Best American Essays, Best American Non-required Reading, The Best Small Fictions, Poetry Daily, Bram Stoker Award® and Verse Daily. We will nominate to each publication every year.

​We seek: science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, magical realism—we look for work with a speculative element and creative hybrids. Gratuitous sex and gore do not impress us, so only include if they are integral to the plot. No children’s stories. No simultaneous or multiple submissions and no reprints without querying first.

You send: Stories with a maximum word count of 10k (we prefer stories between 5,000—7,500) submitted in standard electronic manuscript format. All fiction submissions are to be sent electronically as a Word or .rtf attachment.

We pay: Payment of a penny-per-word is made upon acceptance. We buy first print and electronic rights. After a work is published, rights immediately revert to the author. Accepted submissions will be posted on our Facebook page and here by November 15.

Complete details and the form to submit can be found here.

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Something to Distract You

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

I said I was coming back to my blog… but look! Is that some pretty keys?

Tonight I’m eyeball deep in issue #134. Tomorrow I upload the magazine. I’m having a hard time coming up with witty banter at the moment, so here’s something shiny.

My story “Sticky Rice” was accepted for When the Sirens Have Faded. I have a bunch of drabbles accepted for the Guilty Pleasures anthology. Mine all feature a serial killer, so I named it my “Serial Series.”

Trickster’s Treats III, an anthology that raises money for charity: water, is now available for pre-order here. charity: water is an international non-for-profit organisation you can read about here. The story I contributed is called “Soft Deadline” about a tired incubus.

Oh, and I won Poetry Nook’s 247th weekly poetry contest. The poem was called “Butterflies Lie Hay(na)ku Chain” and you can read it here. If you’re a poet, I highly recommend the entire Poetry Nook site, and their weekly poetry contest is the best.

My youngest son, Quinn Cato entered last week with a brilliant poem titled “Old Stellar.” You can read that here. I could be biased, but I think it’s excellent. You can check out this week’s contest—and enter—here. Of course, I had to toss his poem up on a quick image.

I’ve run out of keys to jingle… so I’ll just back away slowly…

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Full Time Writer: Year One

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

Celebrating my first year as a baby full-time author!

I missed my one year review post a few days ago. It’s been one year since I went all in to pursue my writing full-time. Am I rich yet? Nope. Was it a successful year? Absolutely.

It was a difficult adjustment for me. I found it hard to justify doing something I enjoy as a job. For the first few months I didn’t get much writing done as I found excuses to help everyone out ‘since I wasn’t working anyway.’

Another difficulty was coming to grips with my new tiny income. We all like to boast that  we don’t define ourselves by our income, but we do. At first, I’d accept every payment I received from writing with sarcasm. I’d say the dollar amount and follow it up with a belittling statement like that should buy a cup of coffee or I worked hard to be able to afford that half bag of groceries.

In between all this we bought a house and moved six apartments as my adult kids moved in to share that house. There were a lot of distractions. A year later, there are still a lot of distractions. I now expect that there will always be distractions.

Some really good highlights: being a Bram Stoker Awards® Finalist, traveling to NYC to be on Hour of the Wolf with Jim Freund and taking over Space and Time magazine. A few months ago I finally hit my stride and I’ve been submitting—and selling!— poetry and prose.

It’s been a good year. Whenever something is going well, I think it’s time to go in and make it better. Here are my plans for next year:

We are intentionally reducing our income. Ryan has had a fantastic job making big checks but he had to work long, intense hours. He was often too exhausted for his own writing and voice work. He also didn’t have a lot of time left over for the magazine.

At the beginning of this month he moved to a part-time schedule. All our bills will still be paid, but we are sacrificing the luxury of expendable income for dreams. We’re looking at other ways to boost our income that align with our goals.

So far, this is working. Ryan has been able to write and submit several pieces already. He’s been able to focus on the magazine and is working on the audio edition. He finally had the time to get a wisdom tooth removed. He’s not exhausted or stressed anymore.

These things are good. We hope to move to where our focus is on quality of life over stuff. That’s been our goal for awhile—simplify, create and enjoy.

What else is there?

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Not Dead Yet

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

I guess I really liked that tacky font…

After several people contacted me this last week to find out why I haven’t been blogging, I thought I better get back in here. It was a flattering feeling to know I was missed, so thank you, each of you. The thought is appreciated and the nudge acknowledged.

On my side of the computer screen there’s been a lot happening. Most of it has been preparing the latest issue of Space and Time magazine for the printer. I’m not the fastest layout person. Right now I think I’m sitting at about 45 hours or so on just this issue.

Tomorrow is the day I upload it to their system so I’ve been doing a million checks, correcting things the amazing proofread team has found, and making a million checks.

Right now it’s as perfect as it’s going to get before press… but I’m sure I will find three mistakes when I hold it in my hands. That is when I remind myself that books and magazines are crafted products with flaws like any work of art. Then I vow to make a million and one checks next issue.

There’s been another away from keyboard situation going on. One of my daughters and her husband have decided to divorce. It’s been a peaceful event, as far as these life events go, but a situation like this is never easy for anyone involved. I respect her privacy, so I won’t be saying much more about it here. Change is necessary for growth, but change is almost always painful.

Carolyn Caliri is the first poet I ever published.

Something not painful is all the thoughtful cleaning and de-cluttering I’ve been doing in between magazine layout and the like. I’ve been uncovering so many things I thought were lost and other things I’ve forgotten. De-cluttering is therapeutic.

The photo with this post is of some old newsletters I designed and published back in the early 2000s. I found some even earlier newsletters I did I didn’t think to photo. The earliest was laid out with pasted together text and clip art and then photocopied. I think the two in the photo must have been Microsoft Publisher. The poem by Carolyn Caliri is the first poet I ever published, and the first poem she ever published.

I’m glad I kept them. It reminds me I’ve always been this insane. So that’s about all from me at the moment. Rest assured, I’m fine and the blog isn’t going anywhere. It just took a back burner while I sorted some important stuff not about writing. Except the magazine.

Thank you for the emails, texts and Facebook messages. I sometimes wonder if anyone actually reads this. Now I can rest assured, a few somebodies do.

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#TBT | Return of the Linzner

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

Gordon Linzner

Last Thursday I shared an interview I did on Space and Time founder Gordon Linzner, and I mentioned I might be able to get another interview with him. I’ve had success!

The proper sacrifices have been made, the correct publicists placated and the moon is in correct alignment. The Father of Space and Time again blesses us with his wisdom.

Just in case you missed it, here’s a link to the original interview.

AYS—Were you always interested in publishing? At what point did you realize you wanted to be involved in the world of words?

I can’t say I was initially interested in publishing per se. It just happened as a result of wanting to put together something tangible to hold and share. Okay, I guess that is publishing. I was writing short shorts as early as 2nd or 3rd grade, for assignments. Thankfully none of those survive. I was also the only one in my kindergarten class who could read, and the teacher sometimes had me read to the class. So in one way or another I’ve always been interested in words and story-telling.

AYS—What was it like to put together the first issues? How did you find contributors, artists and subscribers? Was it word of mouth, flyers? Was it a group effort cutting and pasting the dummies or did you do that solo?

A fellow high school classmate, Lawrence Lee, and I came up with a cartoon character named Edgar and decided to put together a comic book of his adventures. To this end, a secondhand mimeograph machine was purchased (I can’t recall if we pooled resources; I only remember it was pretty cheap, maybe about $20, though of course we’re talking mid-1960s prices).

That’s when we discovered how difficult it was (and undoubtedly still is) to draw on mimeo stencils. Larry was the artist, and while he worked on that technique I figured we shouldn’t let the machine just sit there. We threw together a few stories, using a variety of pseudonyms, and a couple of rough simplified sketches. Printed out pages on both sides, 8-1/2 x 11″ sheets, side-stapled the product, and voila! I even copyrighted the contents!

The second issue, also fully mimeographed, was twice as thick, and included at least one story from a classmate outside of our circle. Somewhere in this process another couple of precocious high schoolers, Nestor Jaremko and Alex Saviuk, joined in.

By the third issue we discovered offset printing. Not as cheap as mimeographing it ourselves, but much better quality, so I decided to have the artwork (mostly Larry and Alex) printed as offset while retaining mimeograph for the text. Once we sussed out the cost benefits we went full offset with #4, and with #5 I realized it would look much better with saddle stitching.

How did word get around? It seems like it just happened. Nestor and Alex were more into the science fiction community, and we attended at least one early Lunacon where I got to hear Isaac Asimov give a talk. I’d say word of mouth for contributors, and somewhere in those single-digit issues I started accumulating a subscription list.

I started getting articles as well as fiction submissions, and since I wanted S&T to be primarily fiction I started a short-lived (6 issues) non-fiction publication called Now to Deal with You! And yes, we did eventually put out a couple of issues of Edgar as well.

I did all the paste-ups on my own; it was easier than trying to co-ordinate. I also did the stapling. At some point over the ensuing years the rest of the team faded away, but I continued on my own. Maybe I had less of a life than they did.

AYS—How much did it cost to put out an issue of Space and Time in the early days?

For the mimeograph version, beyond the initial cost of the machine, basically just a few dollars for ink and a ream of paper. Offset I can’t recall, but I have a sense it couldn’t have been more than $50 or so (again, we’re talking 1970s dollars). And postage was far more reasonable then, as well.

AYS—What was one of your favorite issues to put out, and why?

Gordon Linzner—Whatever issue I was working on at the time. Really, you’re asking which child is my favorite. And I’d include the issues Hildy (and now yourself) put out as well. Are there glitches in some issues? Are there decisions I might now regret? All part of the learning process.

And we haven’t even touched on the book line I started in the 1980s, and which is now officially in the capable hands of Faith Justice.

AYS—I‘ve never seen so much love poured out for a publication prior to S&T. It can border on fanaticism in a good way. Why do you think there is so much love for this publication?

Gordon Linzner—I really have no idea. Perhaps because I’ve always approached it as a labor of love? Perhaps because so many contributors are now Big Names (I don’t know how I got that lucky, either)? I think you should ask yourself that question, Angela. What is it about Space and Time that made you feel you had to keep it going? Which of course I’m very grateful for.

AYS—I was so happy I had a chance to meet you (and Hildy) a few months ago. What advice would you give me to ensure the spirit of S&T remains intact?

Gordon Linzner—I think you’ve already got the spirit or you wouldn’t have picked it up. I’d always been open to everything within the genre, especially stories of mixed genre, tales that don’t quite fit the major magazines, things that feel like genre even if they aren’t – in short, the vastness of space and time. (Couldn’t resist)

It was a treat to meet you as well, and I hope you visit New York again soon, and that we in the S&T community can spend more time together.

AYS—How has being dubbed the Patriarch of Space and Time affected your self-image? Have you remained the same or have you begun plans for intergalactic domination?

Gordon Linzner—What makes you think I don’t already dominate the galaxy? It’s the universe I have to conquer next…

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Review | Rose by Rami Ungar

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Angela Yuriko Smith

I read Rose by Rami Ungar the same week I was putting in a fall garden, so it was an immersive experience. The story of Rose begins with protagonist, Rose Taggert, waking up in a greenhouse. She opens her eyes to find herself a changed woman in every sense of the word.

A fast paced, quick read, the story grabbed me from the curious beginning and held on to the last page. I find a lot of plots are either too predictable or the logic collapses.

Ungar has managed to balance the fantastical with the believable to create a world of dark magic and terrible secrets.

The antagonist, Paris, is cruel enough to be repulsive but not so vicious that I couldn’t connect to him. The interaction between the characters was effective in establishing their relationship so that I could properly experience confusion at some of the tricks being played.

There were plenty of spooky descriptions and a sufficiently ominous atmosphere but no graphic violence without purpose. The story line is balanced and believable. The cover threw me off a little—I expected more of a Disney-esque story. What I received instead was a rich, dark plot with plenty of texture and madness, a nice surprise.

I enjoyed reading Rose and will look forward to more work by Rami Ungar. Find Rose by Rami Ungar yourself on Amazon and keep an eye on this emerging author.

If you happen to be in the Columbus, Ohio area you’ll have a chance to meet Rami Ungar in person as he does a reading and book signing event at the Brothers Drake Meadery from 5-7 p.m. tonight (August 18).

I received Rose in the mail at Space and Time and review at my own volition. Space and Time shares books and other items received in the social media with no guarantee of review. I do my best to review what I can. Send to Space and Time magazine at:

Space and Time Publications
P.O. Box 214
Independence, MO 64051

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