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Last chance for Never Before Seen!
These are the last few days for the very special Kickstarter called Never Before Seen: Six Original Mysteries by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. This is the first time Kris has experimented with doing a Kickstarter for her work of this length, and we’re so pleased with the success it has already achieved.
But we’re not done yet. We’ve hit XX stretch goals so far, and we have at least one more special stretch goal up our sleeves.
As a refresher, this new Kickstarter features six brand-new mysteries, ranging in length from novella to short story.
Here’s another look at the new covers.
These six mysteries come with any reward, and we’ve also put together rewards with some of Kris’ and WMG’s other mystery titles, so you have plenty of options to choose from.
Plus, there’s the special workshop— a brand-new DOWN IN THE DETAILS series of classes called HOW TO WRITE PERFECT CRIMES THROUGH THE AGES—and the special BUY EVERYTHING lifetime subscription to every ebook WMG publishes!
Click here to view the Kickstarter. It ends at 7:05 p.m. PST on Thursday, Dec. 14, so don’t delay!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Never Before Seen!
We’re launching a very special Kickstarter just in time for the holidays. This one is ebook only and will be fulfilled by Christmas, so if you’re shopping for mystery-lovers, we’ve got the gifts for you!
This new Kickstarter, called Never Before Seen: Six Original Mysteries by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, features six brand-new mysteries, ranging in length from novella to short story.
Kris is known for her award-winning mysteries, and getting six new stories at one time is really special!
Here’s a look at the new covers.
These six mysteries come with any reward, and we’ve also taken the opportunity to put together rewards with some of Kris’ and WMG’s other mystery titles, so you have plenty of options to choose from.
Add in the special workshops, which will be announced when the Kickstarter goes live, and the special BUY EVERYTHING lifetime subscription to every ebook WMG publishes, and it’s a mystery wonderland!
Click here to go to the preview link for the Kickstarter and sign up to get notified as soon as it launches (around noon on Tuesday).
The holidays will be here before we know it. No mystery in that!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
A Holiday Sale-ebration!
Happy Cyber Monday! I know that’s not a real holiday. It’s a made-up retail holiday. Just like Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. But still. Deals!
We celebrate all of those here at WMG because we are a small business with a series of online stores. And we’re celebrating all that this year with a huge sale and some brand-new holiday merchandise!
Now through midnight PST on Tuesday, Nov. 28, you can save 30% on books, 25% (plus free shipping) on merchandise (US only), and 50% on everything we offer on WMG’s Teachable site.
That 30% off on books goes for every ebook we have for sale (and we have many, from short stories to magazines to collections to novels) at the WMG Holiday Spectacular Store, the Diving Store, the Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Store and The Mothership (wmgbooks.com).
Plus, festive merchandise like blankets, mugs, puzzles, and the newly created holiday stockings and ornaments on all three specialty stores (Holiday, Diving, and Pulphouse) all at a 25% discount and free shipping (US only)!
And gift cards! You can buy gift cards on the Holiday the Diving stores and give them as gifts to be delivered at the date you choose!
Click here to go directly to the Holiday store.
Click here to go directly to the Diving store.
Click here to go directly to the Pulphouse store.
Click here to go directly to the Mothership store.
And for those writers on your list, we’re also having a 50% off sale on our WMG Teachable site.
To learn more about the Teachable part of the grand-opening sale, click here.
And last but not least is an item that is NOT part of the sale but is a hell of a deal that we’re offering for the FIRST TIME EVER!
With the new WMG Books BUY EVERYTHING Lifetime Subscription, you can get access to every eBook on the WMG shelves. EVERY eBook. Now and published in the future. That’s already more than a thousand titles.
Click here for more information.
Happy shopping!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Gearing up for the Holidays!
I’m all geared up for Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, check. Sides, check. Pies, check. Heck, I even bought fresh cranberries this year to make homemade cranberry sauce.
But what I’m looking forward to most is the downtime with my family. We’re a quiet bunch (well, my husband and I are, at least), and once we’ve eaten our fill, we’ll be ready to settle in with a good story or two.
And if you love reading as much as we do (and I suspect you do because you’re reading this blog), the WMG Holiday Spectacular Calendar of Stories is the perfect way to enjoy some season’s reading.
A holiday story a day delivered right to your inbox. Holiday romances, holiday mysteries, holiday stories from different places and different genres and different perspectives! Every day from (American) Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. And it’s not too late to subscribe!
Just click here to go to the WMG Holiday Spectacular Store where you’ll find the calendars, the anthologies, and even merchandise like puzzles to help you pass the quiet time once you’ve read the story each day.
So, gear yourself up for your own holiday quiet time. Happy reading!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
A New Release and an Old Favorite Returns
I got my annual flu shot and Covid booster last week, which reminded me of how much has changed since the pandemic but also how much has settled back into its new normal.
I’ve been getting Covid vaccines since I was first eligible, and the annual booster the past couple of years. But the Covid booster experience was different this year. Gone are those vaccination cards we guarded with plastic sleeves and took with us everywhere a couple of years ago. Now, it’s just another shot in the arm.
The world is different now, but vestiges of the old world sometimes come back to life.
Like the WMG Anthology Workshop for writers, which fell victim to the pandemic (it’s an in-person workshop, so…). We brought back our smaller in-person workshops last year, but this one is much larger: 40 people. So, it took us longer to be comfortable bringing that one back.
But that time has come.
Here are the details:
Back by Popular Demand! The WMG Anthology Workshop!
The annual WMG Anthology Workshop had long been a must-attend event for writers. But it was one of the many casualties of the pandemic. Now, after years of requests to bring it back, WMG has found a way!
So, in July 2024, the WMG Anthology Workshop will return to Las Vegas—now at Resorts World! Write and submit stories to four professional editors for consideration at 6 cents/word and see them live edit the anthologies! There is no other workshop like this out there, which is why WMG worked so hard to bring it back!
For contracting reasons, we can’t finalize the exact week until February, but the workshop will NOT be held over the 4th of July holiday.
The workshop will last four days, beginning early on Monday and ending at noon on Thursday. There will also be a hospitality room for evening gatherings from Sunday to Wednesday.
Writers will write and submit their stories during late April and May.
For logistical reasons, workshop attendance will be capped at 40 people. The fee for the class is $900. Due to the high demand, you must be fully paid to hold your spot. (Workshop fees are fully refundable up to two months ahead. After that, they are transferrable.)
Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind workshop! Reserve your spot today by emailing Dean here [dean.wmgworkshops@gmail.com]. (If you have attended an in-person workshop before, simply send the $900 fee to PayPal using this address: dean@wmgpublishingstore.com, then email Dean that you have done so here [dean.wmgworkshops@gmail.com]. He will let you know that the payment was received and that you are on the list.
I can’t emphasize enough how game-changing this workshop is for writers. If as a writer, you want to understand what goes through an editor’s mind when evaluating a story and deciding whether to buy it, there’s no other experience like this out there. It’s such a revelatory experience!
One of the editors you’ll see in action is Kristine Kathryn Rusch. She’s a master editor and a master writer herself. And her latest Diving Universe novel hits shelves on Tuesday, Nov. 14!
If you missed the Ivory Trees Kickstarter, now’s your chance to pick up this fantastic book in ebook, trade paperback or hardcover.
Here’s the synopsis:
Ancient tech draws dangerous unwanted attention in international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Ivory Trees, the thrilling new standalone novel in her award-winning Diving series.
When the discovery of a bunker reveals a treasure trove of ancient artifacts, interested parties throughout the Empire—from collectors to academics to researchers—want a piece of the action. But the finds draw attention from outside the Empire as well. Attention from someone willing to do whatever it takes to outmaneuver the Empire and secure the collection.
Set in Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s expansive Diving Universe, Ivory Trees introduces exciting new characters and events to this powerfully written series, while also offering some tantalizing Easter eggs from previous Diving novels.
As suspense builds to a fevered intensity, this tantalizing new novel mixes the best of heist fiction and space opera and proves Rusch’s place as a master of science fiction.
Get the ebook here, the trade paperback here and the hardcover here.
No matter how much the world changes, one thing remains the same: our love of great fiction!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Grand-opening Sale for the Holiday Spectacular Store!
We’re very cheery here at WMG headquarters this week. Not only are we all aglow at the incredible support we received from our Kickstarter backers for the 2023 WMG Holiday Spectacular, but we’re also glittering with excitement at the launch of our new WMG Holiday Spectacular online store!
The WMG Holiday Spectacular store joins our other recently launched stores: The Diving Universe store, the Pulphouse Magazine store, and, of course, the WMG online bookstore (aka the Mothership. And we’re having another grand-opening sale this week to celebrate!)
You can save 30% on books, 25% (plus free shipping) on merchandise (US only), and 50% on everything we offer on WMG’s Teachable site.
That 30% off on books goes for every ebook we have for sale at wmgholidayspectacular.com, divingintothewreck.com, pulphousemagazine.com and wmgbooks.com.
That includes the newly released holiday anthologies Crooked Little Christmas, Time Travel Holidays, and Candy Cane Kisses.
And gift cards! You can buy gift cards on the WMG Holiday Spectacular store and give them as gifts to be delivered at the date you choose!
Plus, festive holiday merchandise like blankets, mugs, and puzzles, all at a 25% discount and free shipping (US only)!
Click here to go directly to the WMG Holiday Spectacular store.
And for writers (these make great gifts, too) is the 50% off sale on our WMG Teachable site. That discount also applies to the brand-new Shopify Class as well as the 2024 Advanced Craft Classes.
To learn more about the new class and to read more about the Teachable part of the grand-opening sale, click here.
What a great way to check off your holiday shopping to-do list!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Weaving All Sorts of Magic
It felt only appropriate to write my blog this week from a local restaurant called the Coven Café, where I enjoyed a Black Magick mocha and a pumpkin pastie. (Well, I enjoyed those before I wrote this blog because there is no magic spell that can get pastry crumbs out of a Mac laptop keyboard.)
And unlike in the world of Harry Potter, there is no magic spell to knit bones back together. Dean Wesley Smith could have used one of those spells last weekend after he shattered his shoulder in a fall during a race (read more on his blog here), but his orthopedic surgeon worked his own form of magic to fix Dean right up. He’s now on the mend, thank heavens.
This time of year, it feels like magic is all around us. From the darker magic of Halloween to the lighter magic of Christmas.
And this week is your last chance to grab a bounty of fabulous fiction appropriate for each of those holidays.
For Halloween fans, the 2023 Halloween StoryBundle, curated by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, ends this week. It features ten ebooks (including three offerings from WMG—Halloween Harvest, FantasyLife and Other Stories, and Three Sheets to the Wind—plus four StoryBundle exclusives). You can learn more about it here.
For Christmas and other winter holiday fans, the 2023 WMG Holiday Spectacular Kickstarter is in its final days, too. We’ve hit five stretch goals so far, which means in addition to the amazing Calendar of Stories featuring a story a day for 40 days from American Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, all backers also get the following:
Stories:
BY THE CHIMNEY WITH CARE
STILLE NACHT
AND A CUP OF GOOD CHEER
THREE WISHES BEFORE A FIRE
LOSING DOLLY
Writing classes:
1… How to Write Cross-Genre Holiday Stories About Baking, Desserts, and Cookies
2… How to Write Cross-Genre Holiday Stories about Holiday Meals
3… How to Write Cross-Genre Holiday Stories About Holiday Decorations
4… How to Write Cross-Genre Holiday Stories About Family and Traditions
That’s a $600 combined value just for the workshops, and 45 total stories to read: 5 shortly after the Kickstarter ends and 40 throughout the holidays!
Plus, there’s beautiful holiday merchandise, Kickstarter-exclusive writing workshops that will be on every writer’s wish list, and so much more.
Click here to check out the Kickstarter. It runs through Nov. 2.
Being able to offer this much great fiction all at once? Now, that’s pure magic.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Pulphouse is Back!
The latest issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, edited by Dean Wesley Smith, hit the shelves last week, and we’re thrilled with its new paperback format! Pulphouse is now an easy-to-carry 6×9 trade paperback!
Our ebook readers won’t notice anything different, of course. Your version has been easy-to-carry from the get-go.
But you’ll all be able to benefit from our new monthly publication schedule. So, win-win for everyone!
And we have a fantastic new crop of stories to offer in this issue. Take a look at this story lineup:
“I Was a Teenage Boy-Crazy Blob” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
“The Hair Thief” by Annie Reed
“When the Wiener Dogs Come Out to Play” by David H. Hendrickson
“The Henchman Is Hurled Off the Catwalk” by Adam-Troy Castro
“The Rhythm of Dueling Oak” by O’Neil De Noux
“Shocking Tales” by Don Webb
“The Lessons Only a Jelly Bean Can Teach” by Scott Edelman
“Lending the Truth” by Rob Vagle
“With Love in Their Hearts” by Robert Jeschonek
“Unknown Baby Girl” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Minions at Work: Squeeze Play” by J. Steven York
Click here to buy this issue of Pulphouse. And while you’re at the Pulphouse store, be sure to check out all that awesome Pulphouse merchandise! Thumper says they make great holiday gifts (and who can argue with Thumper?).
Speaking of holiday gifts, the 2023 WMG Holiday Spectacular Kickstarter is going strong! We’ve not only funded but also been named a Kickstarter “Project We Love” and hit our first stretch goal!!
With that amazing Calendar of Stories, which this year features a story a day for 40 days from American Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, as well as beautiful holiday merchandise, Kickstarer-exclusive writing workshops that will be on every writer’s wish list, and so much more, it’s a great way to check off your holiday shopping list.
Click here to check out the Kickstarter. It runs through Nov. 2.
When it comes to great reading, we’ve always got what’s on your list.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Kicking Off the Winter Holidays!
I know, I know, it’s not even Halloween yet. But I’m a planner. I start my holiday shopping early (this year, I started in August).
And the best way to shop for the holiday season? With the annual WMG Holiday Spectacular Kickstarter, of course!
The 2023 WMG Holiday Spectacular Kickstarter launches tomorrow at noon, and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve got in store this year!
Not only are we launching the Holiday Spectacular’s signature project—the amazing Calendar of Stories, which this year features a story a day for 40 days from American Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day—but we also have oodles of holiday anthologies, special holiday-themed writing workshops and brand-new Holiday Spectacular-themed merchandise!
Some of you might remember that last year, we partnered with exceptionally talented artist Bob Giordano for the book covers for our annual anthologies. Well, this year we’ve also partnered with him to create the perfect merchandise to enjoy the holiday season: mugs and coasters to enjoy a delicious cup of cocoa or tea or coffee as well as pillows and blankets to get comfy on the couch while reading the Calendar of Stories. Plus, we have puzzles, too, to while away the evening after you’ve read that day’s story.
Here’s a sneak peek at these fantastic items:
Click here to be notified as soon as the Kickstarter launches. It runs through Nov. 2.
And just so you don’t feel like I’m skipping Halloween (I’m absolutely not), we have you covered there, too. There’s still time to get the 2023 Halloween Bundle on StoryBundle, which features ten books perfect for this spooky holiday (including three offerings from WMG—Halloween Harvest, FantasyLife and Other Stories, and Three Sheets to the Wind—plus four StoryBundle exclusives!). Click here to check that out.
So, get Halloween for now and Christmas for later. Spectacular holiday fun is all around us!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Deck the Halls!
It was 80 degrees on the Oregon Coast last week, but despite the really weird (and even more unseasonal) heat, WMG headquarters was decked out for the winter holidays.
That’s because we’re testing out merchandise for our annual WMG Holiday Spectacular Kickstarter (and new store), which are set to launch over the next few weeks. More on this year’s Kickstarter in a minute.
In addition to testing out holiday merchandise, we’re also prepping for the distribution of the three holiday anthologies from last year’s Kickstarter for the 2022 Calendar of Stories. As always, Kickstarter backer get the books earlier than everyone else, and those will ship out this week.
Here’s the synopsis for these festive books:
Candy Cane Kisses
What pairs better than peppermint and hot chocolate? Romance and the holidays, of course!
In this year’s most charming WMG Holiday Spectacular anthology, award-winning editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers a sweet collection of romantic holiday stories to add a bit more love to the season.
Let Anthea Lawson take you to a Christmas gathering no one really wants to organize or attend, but must because of an inheritance. Join Stefon Mears as he imagines the perfect bookstore and then lets us explore it. Read how Ron Collins turns the most unromantic Christmas Eve location—an emergency room—into the most wonderful place to spend the holidays. And let Annie Reed’s charming tale of the ways love can surprise us warm your heart.
Along with stories by Julia Vee, Melissa Yi, Robert Jeschonek and more, these eleven wonderful writers touch the soul with these warm tales of holiday happy endings.
Includes:
“Ice Dancing and Crab Apple Sorbet” by Melissa Yi
“Patterns” by Irette Y. Patterson
“A Little More Aloha” by Julia Vee
“Trapped Between Book Lovers” by Stefon Mears
“She Wanted It to be Perfect” by Ron Collins
“The Mistletoe Duke” by Anthea Lawson
“The Ditty and the Ornament” by Deb Miller
“A Fluffy Black Ball of Pure Naughtiness” by Kari Kilgore
“When Nicky Met Holly” by Annie Reed
“A Decidedly Fly-By-Night Angel” by Robert Jeschonek
“Wings for Keiko” by Jessi Hammond
Crooked Little Christmas
Crime threads its way through everything, including the holidays. But for writers, that just adds some spice to their creativity.
Take this WMG Holiday Spectacular anthology, in which award-winning editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers holiday tales from dark to light and everything in between.
Let Thea Hutcheson thrill you as Paolo Bianchi tries to save the man he loves in time for their annual solstice celebration. Travel to Colombia as one family puts their own little twist on the celebration called Día de las Velitas. Buckle in with Irette Y. Patterson for one of those unexpected spy stories about a seemingly unassuming person. And join Karen Abrahamson in Thailand on a hot December day as she introduces you to a handful of people up to no good.
Along with stories by Leslie Claire Walker, Kari Kilgore, Steven Mohan, Jr. and more, these eleven thrilling writers capture the mischief and mayhem to the holiday season.
Includes:
“Black Deeds on a Black Friday” by Laura Ware
“The Good Girl” by Lauren Lang
“The Copper Valley Cocoa Conniption Competition” by Kari Kilgore
“Three Spectacular Capers and the Whatever It’s Called Beneath the Tree” by Steven Mohan, Jr.
“Larceny’s Love Lost and Found” by Leslie Claire Walker
“Shinier Things” by Filip Wiltgren
“The Laws of St. Laurent” by Kelsey Hutton
“The Whole Darn Package” by Karen Abrahamson
“The File Clerk Who Hid in the Cave” by Irette Y. Patterson
“Día de Las Velitas” by Liz Lazo
“A Close Shave” by Thea Hutcheson
Time Travel Holidays
Time travel might not seem like the standard holiday story fare. But in the hands of talented writers, you’ll find yourself transported to new places and new world .
In this incredibly creative WMG Holiday Spectacular anthology, Hugo and World Fantasy award-winning editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers a masterfully curated collection of holiday stories that travel through time and back again.
Ride along with Brenda Carre and Joey as that little explorer manages time travel in just about the best way possible. Join Lisa Silverthorne for a gothic romance with storms and broken dreams and just the right amount of hope. And travel the galaxy with Robert Jeschonek who writes an award-worthy classic science fiction tale set on Mars.
Along with stories by Irette Y. Patterson, Michèle Laframboise, Steven Mohan, Jr. and more, these eleven powerful writers add plenty of adventure to the holiday season.
Includes:
“Loss Prevention at the Hypermart” by DeAnna Knippling
“No Material Impact on the Timeline” by Irette Y. Patterson
“Déjà Vécu” by Dæmon Crowe
“Training Run” by Marcelle Dubé
“The Skeptic and the Primrose” by Michèle Laframboise
“The Space Between Us” by Lisa Silverthorne
“Heaven in 1944” by Leslie Claire Walker
“Crutnacker Sweets” by Brenda Carre
“The Yule Log” by Cate Martin
“The Last Saturnalia” by Steven Mohan, Jr.
“What Happened Between Go-Days 15 and 16” by Robert Jeschonek
For anyone who isn’t a backer of the 2022 Kickstarter, these books will be available as a reward in the 2023 WMG Holiday Spectacular Kickstarter, which launches Oct. 17. You’ll also get the 2023 WMG Holiday Spectacular Calendar of Stories with every reward. Click here to be notified as soon as the Kickstarter launches.
And if you want to read a holiday anthology right now, you can always pick up a volume or three from our previous years. Click here to see all of our previously published holiday anthologies.
So, go ahead and start getting your eReader or bookshelf decked out for the winter holiday season!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.