The WMG Newsletter
Get advanced notice of new releases, bonus content, and so much more.
About WMG Publishing
The Latest News
Publisher’s Note: Never Pass up and Opportunity to Learn
I’m traveling again this week. This time, I’m on the gorgeous mountain campus of Western Colorado University, where I’m a Lecturer in Publishing for Western’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing.
I’m a lifelong learner, and I love being on a college campus. The energy that courses through them is palpable. You can just feel all the brain cells firing.
I love being able to share my knowledge with graduate students. Degrees in publishing are relatively new, so it’s an exciting field to be teaching.
And it’s an extension of the teaching I’ve been doing for a decade, but to professionals rather than graduate students, through the workshops and lectures we offer at WMG.
These days, most of our educational offerings are on Teachable. Dean Wesley Smith is our Dean of Teaching (yes, yes, my blog is filled with puns this week). He’s truly a master educator.
And he’s just made a big announcement regarding how to save money on those offerings. You can read all about the sale on his blog by clicking here.
So, hurry on over. One should never stop learning.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: When Weird is a Good Thing
This is a weird summer. We had a very long, wet, cold winter. It finally ended in July.
Now the sun comes out most days, at least, and the temperatures are our summer normal (low- to mid-60s). But the flora and fauna are, well, weird this year.
I’ve lived on the Oregon Coast for 17 years, but this is the first year I remember dealing with mosquitos. And not just any mosquitos. Huge mosquitos. The size of large houseflies. It’s ridiculous. We even had one make it into our bedroom (thank goodness for my husband the master mosquito hunter, because I was ready to burn the place down and start over).
While the mosquitos are thriving, our roses are not. They’ve been plagued with mold and battered by wind. The poor things.
But there are bright spots. My peony bloomed for the first time in years. And I have Oregon swallowtail butterflies in my garden, which I’ve never seen before. Yellow sulphurs, yes, but these are our first swallowtails.
Weird.
So, weird can be good.
That’s certainly true when we’re talking about Pulphouse Fiction Magazine. Pulphouse stories are weird, but in the best way!
So, if you haven’t yet, now’s the time to check out the Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Subscription Drive 2022 Kickstarter. Because time is quickly running out.
We’ve hit four stretch goals now, which means everyone who backs the Kickstarter at any reward level gets hundreds of dollars in extra value added to their already awesome reward!
For writers, we have special workshops available only through this Kickstarter, as well as discount bundles on classic and pop-up workshops, as well as lifetime subscriptions!
For readers, we have deals on a number of our other short fiction projects, including Colliding Worlds, Crimes Collide, Smith’s Monthly and our Pulphouse books.
This is the best time to renew your subscription (or to subscribe for the first time)!
Click here to check it out.
And if that doesn’t pique your interest, well, that’s just plain weird.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: Christmas in July!
I’m not sure when Christmas in July became a thing, but this week is definitely feeling very much like Christmas in July.
First of all, I have a brand-new front porch. The contractor and his crew spent last week ripping off the old one, which, thanks to the old decking clearly being installed by someone who did not understand Oregon Coast weather (or basic deck-building requirements…the joists weren’t even pressure-treated lumber), was so deteriorated my contractor was shocked no one had fallen through it. Fun times.
We went with Trex® Composite Decking this time. The color: the ever-so-coastal Foggy Wharf. It’s so pretty!
Plus, my contractor got the job done on time and below the contracted price! That never happens!
Merry Christmas in July to me!
But another big reason this feels like Christmas in July is that on Tuesday, July 12, we have the release of The Holiday Spectacular #3, edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, which is the ebook compilation of all 38 stories and introductions from the 2021 edition of the annual holiday celebration that is our WMG Holiday Spectacular Calendar of Stories.
Here’s the synopsis:
Read a holiday story per day from the American Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day…or binge the entire collection.
This volume contains 38 stories—ranging in genre from mystery to romance and in tone from dark to joyful—that center around traditional holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s but also explore some weird holiday traditions. Featuring works from award-winning and bestselling authors Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Dean Wesley Smith, Anthea Lawson, David H. Hendrickson and many more, each story comes presented as it first appeared in a newsletter that went to subscribers every single day for 38 days.
The third volume in an annual series, The Holiday Spectacular #3 will add a fun twist to your holiday season—or any other time of the year!
Click here for buy links.
The release of The Holiday Spectacular #3 also means subscriptions are now open for the 2022 WMG Holiday Spectacular Calendar of Stories! Click here to learn more.
Because of all these holiday vibes, our Every Day’s a Holiday at WMG subscription newsletter this week features National Pecan Pie Day. Click here to subscribe now (if you haven’t already) to see what that’s all about. (I dare you not to crave pecan pie now!)
And since we’re talking about the pending holidays, now’s a great time to get a jump on your holiday shopping the Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Subscription Drive 2022 Kickstarter!
We’ve already hit three stretch goals and are working toward the next. Check out all the fun rewards and special writing workshops and stretch goals here.
Holidays here we come!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: The Subscription Drive You’ve Been Waiting For!
Last week, we had a plethora of Pulphouse stories to talk about with the publication of Jingle My Bells and Pulphouse #18. But we’re not done with Pulphouse yet. Not by a long shot.
That’s because on Tuesday, July 5, our Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Subscription Drive 2022 Kickstarter launches!
Pulphouse Fiction Magazine first launched in 1987 and flourished for 20 issues under the editorship of Dean Wesley Smith until it was put on hiatus when Dean and Kris’s writing shut the rest of the publishing company they founded, also called Pulphouse, down.
Twenty years later, in 2017, WMG brought Pulphouse Fiction Magazine back, once again under Dean’s unique editorial curation.
And wow, has Pulphouse thrived! It survived the pandemic and came out even stronger—now at six issues a year.
There’s never been a better time to subscribe to Pulphouse. And if you’re already a subscriber (for which I extend our deep gratitude for your support), there’s no better time to renew your subscription!
And with rewards from discounts on subscriptions to special workshops for writers to bonus rewards with each new stretch goal we hit, there’s lots to love in this Kickstarter.
Click here to be notified once the Kickstarter goes live. And be sure to share it with your friends!
With cutting edge fiction from some of the best writers working today, you can’t go wrong with Pulphouse!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: A Plethora of Pulphouse Stories
I spent the weekend grateful for the fact that I live in Oregon and enjoying the natural splendor of the Oregon Coast. It was unseasonably warm (for the coast) at 80 degrees and sunny. There was a light breeze blowing instead of the usual cold wind from the 50-degree ocean water. It was truly lovely.
We’ve had a long, long winter here (like, it seems like it just ended a few days ago…), so this taste of summer was glorious.
I spent a good bit of time at my favorite overlook (on a cliff about 100 feet above the beach) enjoying the weather and the view and the sound of the ocean. And I was reminded of how much I used to enjoy reading a book on the beach when I used to live on the East coast.
The ocean and beaches are different there. You can read physical books because the winds are calm. And you can go in the water because it’s warm.
But as I sat in the rocking chair that one of the locals has placed at my favorite overlook, I realized I can read on the beach here, too. I just need to use my e-reader instead.
And no matter what type of fun summer activity you have planned, be it a visit to the beach or the pool or a mountain river or even the desert, we’ve got plenty of reading material for you to enjoy.
This week, we have a Pulphouse double feature: one magazine and one book.
Up first is our Christmas in July special (okay, Christmas in June), the newest Pulphouse book Jingle My Bells.
Here’s the synopsis:
Love the holiday seasons?
Of course you do. Full bellies and the joyful promise of a new year make for good stories and fun reading.
Add some twists and weirdness, Pulphouse-style, from some of the greatest fiction writers working today, and you have Jingle My Bells, the best weird holiday stories from Pulphouse Fiction Magazine.
Enjoy reading this collection any time of the year, but especially during the holidays!
Includes:
“Dreaming of a Carboniferous Christmas” by Robert Jeschonek
“Spells for the Holidays” by Ray Vukcevich
“A Menagerie of Messed Up Shorts” by Mark Leslie
“An Ideal Husband” by Jerry and Kathy Oltion
“Fatal Plot Device” by Kelly Washington
“Severed Ties” by R. W. Wallace
“A Blood-Soaked Christmas Wish” by David Stier
“Virtching Merry” by Kent Patterson
“Naughty Children” by Mary McKenna
“Nutball Season” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Click here to order.
And on Thursday, Pulphouse Fiction Magazine #18 publishes. Here’s the synopsis of that one:
A three-time Hugo Award nominated magazine, this issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine offers up twenty-one fantastic stories by some of the best writers working in modern short fiction.
No genre limitations, no topic limitations, just great stories. Attitude, feel, and high-quality fiction equals Pulphouse.
Includes:
“The Problematic Navigation of the Vessel Clayton Booker” by J. Steven York
“The Forgiving Execution” by Rob Vagle
“How Fred the Opossum Mobilized the Microbes and Saved the Universe” by Mary Jo Rabe
“Cards on the Table” by Adam-Troy Castro
“Big Green Man” by Don Webb
“The Wall” by Lisa Silverthorne
“He Who Howls” by O’Neil De Noux
“The Train in the Ladies’ Room” by Kent Patterson
“The Secret of Catnip” by Stefon Mears
“Ashes to Ashes” by Jerry Oltion
“The Short Life and Horny Times of a Teenage Mantis” by David H. Hendrickson
“The Pillow of Disappointment and What Was Found Beneath It” by Scott Edelman
“Love the Way She Saw It” by C.H. Hung
“Erwin or Ralph” by Ray Vukcevich
“Gossamer Ghosts” by Robert J. McCarter
“Far From Home” by R.W. Wallace
“The Devil Went Down to the Sunset Strip” by Dayle A. Dermatis
“Like a Hole in the Head” by Jason A. Adams
“Shadows on the Moon” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“The Last Julian” by Annie Reed
“Voyage of the Dog-Propelled Starship” by Robert Jeschonek
Click here to order or here to learn more about subscribing to be sure you never miss an issue.
You just can’t go wrong with Pulphouse. It’s guaranteed to distract you from whatever you need distracting from these days.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: An Essential Celebration
Today, we observe Juneteenth, which has finally become a federal holiday. Like most federal holidays, Juneteenth is officially observed today (Monday) because the holiday fell on a Sunday.
There are many ways to celebrate Juneteenth. One of the activities I was personally involved in was a community activity I lobbied for myself.
The Kiwanis Club of Lincoln City, of which I’m past-president and a current board member, puts up American flags along the highway on a number of key federal holidays, such as the Fourth of July and Memorial Day. It’s a labor-intensive process, and it can sometimes be hard to find volunteers willing to get up at the crack of dawn to place flags along a busy highway in the rain. So, we’re cautious about adding to that burden.
As such, when I made the motion to add Juneteenth to our schedule, I was worried that the club might resist, and I’d prepared my arguments. But I didn’t have to make them. The vote was quickly unanimous.
I also want to celebrate Juneteenth as a publisher, so I’m going to offer you a couple of cool things to read: the official website for Juneteenth, where you can learn all about the history of the holiday and why it’s so important and many ways to celebrate, and a free short story apropos to the day that I think you’ll enjoy.
First, the official website. Click here for that.
Second, the story: “Politicians, Lost Causers, and Abigail Lockwood” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Here’s the synopsis:
1912—In a world where President Andrew Johnson’s conviction at his impeachment trial guaranteed that Reconstruction not only had teeth but also continued into the 20th century, South Carolina stands out as a leader in change, a pioneer of laws that change the balance of power. This new United States, this new South, sees Blacks and women rise to their rightful places of power alongside Whites.
But that doesn’t stop Lost Causers from trying to return the country to its old ways.
So, when someone tries to stop presidential hopeful Kate Wells from speaking at an event organized by the influential Abigail Lockwood, Abigail knows the Lost Causers want to send her a message.
But her response might prove one they never expected.
Click here to download the story.
This story might be alternative history, but every time I read it, I find myself hopeful for a more equitable future.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: Milestones
This is a milestone blog for me. According to my numbering system, this is my 500th blog. That’s a lot of weekly blogs.
I hit another milestone last week. On June 8, I hit three years of walking at least 5,000 steps a day. Every single day. Rain or shine. Even in rain that soaked me so thoroughly that I had water pool inside my waterproof shoes after running down my legs. Even through a herniated disc and the side effects of Covid shots. As a lifelong couch potato, I’m very proud of that achievement. Probably more so than anything else I’ve ever done, to be honest. Because it required a complete change of lifestyle, really.
I now focus on my health (the whole brain tumor helped, of course). I prioritize exercise. That is something I never did before the brain tumor. And something I can’t imagine NOT doing now.
Everyone in my life knows I need to walk. I need to get my steps. And they’re all very supportive of it. I guess they like having me around <grin>.
Streaks are good motivators for me. But this is more than that. It’s a way of life now.
If you’ve been thinking of moving more, I recommend setting a goal you can achieve every day, even on the tough days. That’s why my goal is still 5,000 steps. I actually average about 7,500 steps a day, but I keep that goal at 5,000 because I know that even on my toughest days, I can still eke that out.
Now if only I can convince my 12-year-old to join me in the must-walk-every-day mindset, I’ll be golden.
What my 12-year-old does have a good handle on already, however, is the concept of gender equality. Which, to her generation, means do your gender shouldn’t dictate what you can do at all ever.
She got into an argument last week, for example, with a sixth-grade teacher who insisted that only the girls could have flowers in their hair for the luau-themed luncheon they were having (that “promotion” ceremony I mentioned last week). Nola kept asking why the boys couldn’t if they wanted to. The teacher kept insisting it was because of tradition. Instead of actually hearing the question, the teacher just tried to shut Nola down. (Anyone who has met Nola knows that didn’t work.) In the end, Nola had to give up the fight because the teacher outranked Nola. But that didn’t stop her from giving a boy in her class—who did indeed want a flower—the flower from her own hair.
If you can’t change the rule, change the result.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch has been known to touch on the theme of gender bias in her writing. Sometimes subtly, sometimes directly. I let you decide which tactic she uses in her Free Fiction story this week on her website, “Playing with Reality.”
Click here to read the story for free now or here to buy it to read later.
Reality. What an interesting concept.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: License to Learn
I mentioned in last Monday’s blog that I was flying to Vegas, but I didn’t say why. I was there for the Licensing Expo 2022. It was awesome! If you’ve ever wanted to see how you can expand your IP (intellectual property) into new areas, the Licensing Expo is a great place to brainstorm and make deals.
Many people don’t realize that they’re creating IP. The definition of IP is: a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.
Obviously, we hold a lot of IP at WMG, in our case, in the form of copyrights. But the written word has so much more potential that just sitting on a page.
Movies and TV shows are the obvious example. We all know of books that have been made into those. Gaming is probably the next obvious step. But there are all sorts of opportunities to expand your IP.
If you want to learn more about it, WMG offers several lectures on Teachable on the topic. And there couldn’t be a better time, because we’re also running a special half-price sale on all our Teachable workshops and lectures through Thursday, June 9. More details on that below.
If you just want the IP Valuation Lecture, which is available here, you can get that for $50 (or $25 during the sale). Here’s the description:
This lecture shines a light into an area most writers don’t understand completely, but need to.
Did you know that if you do not understand the value of your copyright, you could bankrupt your entire family when you die?
Copyright valuation understanding expands every year. You might not understand the true value of your story or novel when you finish it. But you need to for an entire host of reasons.
A critical awareness lecture for every writer.
Or you can get all six of the Advanced Business Lectures (which includes the one on IP) for $125 during the sale (normally it’s $250).
That includes:
- Corporations for Writers Lecture
- Taxes for Writers Lecture
- Movie and Television Negotiation Lecture
- Wills and Estates for Writers Lecture
- Copyright Lecture
- IP Valuation Lecture
Click here to learn more about it.
To take advantage of the sale, just hit purchase for the one you want, then put in the following code and hit apply:
SummerHoliday
Click here to get started.
So, hurry on over. This is your license to learn. Be sure to take advantage of it.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: In-Flight Entertainment
I flew to Las Vegas yesterday, the first time I’ve been able to return here since the pandemic shut down the world.
And it’s only the second time I’ve flown since the pandemic started. The only other flight I’ve taken was last summer from Portland to Denver. Back then, we were in that blissful reprieve where the vaccines were highly effective against infection and the Delta variant had not yet taken hold.
Even so, it was weird.
Flying is still weird. But I’ve been through flying upheavals before, as anyone who flew a lot before and after 9/11 will relate to.
Still, many of my flight routines remain the same. I’m an expert packer, for example. I can go anywhere I need to go for any length of time with nothing more than a carryon suitcase and a backpack.
And I relish these rare opportunities to read a new book.
Now, you might be thinking: But Allyson, you read books for a living, remember?
True. But reading a book that you’re editing and/or publishing is not the same thing as reading purely for pleasure. When I read those books, my editing and publishing brain is always engaged. I’m scanning for typos and thinking of marketing copy or cover design options or any host of things I need to manage for that book.
When I read an airport book, I don’t have any stakes in that book at all. I can just read.
Mind you, the books that I publish here at WMG blur the lines on a regular basis. I thoroughly enjoy reading the books that Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith (and our huge stable of short story authors) write. I often find myself sucked into a story and have to back up and read again with a more professional eye.
But you folks don’t have to worry about that. You can read Kris and Dean’s books for fun. Even on a plane!
So, if you, like I, have started flying again and are looking for some amazing fiction to read while you travel (or for any other reason, of course), be sure to check out the Kristine Kathryn Rusch Starter Kit. It’s available only through our Kickstarter, which ends this Friday.
Click here to check it out.
We funded in about 30 minutes, earned the Kickstarter Project We Love status in record time, and have hit five stretch goals already, so everyone who backs the Kickstarter gets the following bonus extras:
Books:
Killer Advice
“The Scottish Play”
“Familiar Territory”
Completely Smitten (Kristine Grayson)
“Blind”
Workshops:
Series Interview #1: The Santa Series
Series Interview #2: The Whale Rock Series
Series Interview #3: The Sweet Young Things Series
Series Interview #4: The Fates Universe
I’m really excited about these interviews, which are the start of a new series on WMG’s Teachable. For this Kickstarter, Dean will be interviewing Kris about her various series.
How fun is that?
Something to watch on a future flight, too.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: What a Way to Get Started!
Kristine Kathryn Rusch loves to write in series. She says so herself.
As her publisher, I keep track of all of her series. That’s no small feat. Some of them are complex, more like series within series. Some of them of more abstract, with a recurring character but not necessarily enough to hold together a series yet. There’s even one where the “series” is held together by a fictional place, and the stories run the genre gamut from horror and fantasy to mystery and literary.
I’m probably the only one on the planet who truly knows, just by the title, what story belongs to what series and how it fits. Not even Kris knows her own stories that well.
It’s my superpower.
But my superpower is tied to my brain, and trust me, no one else wants to go in there.
So, for those of you mercifully existing outside my head, we’re launching a brand-new Kickstarter with a novel concept. The purpose of this Kickstarter: Introduce readers to the first book in ten of Kris’ most popular series, all in one huge ebook bundle.
Here’s what you’ll get in the Kristine Kathryn Rusch Starter Kit:
A Dangerous Road: A Smokey Dalton Novel (Kris Nelscott)
Simply Irresistible: Book One of The Fates Trilogy (Kristine Grayson)
Up on the Rooftop: The Santa Series (Kristine Grayson)
Diving into the Wreck: A Diving Novel
“Dark Corners: A Faerie Justice Story”
The Sacrifice: Book One of The Fey
The Disappeared: A Retrieval Artist Novel
“The Women of Whale Rock” (A Seavy County Story)
“Stomping Mad: A Spade Conundrum”
“Sweet Young Things: A Sweet Young Things Mystery”
That’s a $40 value, but in this Kickstarter, you can get it for only $25. And the Starter Kit comes with every other reward we’re offering.
The list of rewards includes the ebooks of every book in each series included in the Starter Kit, two special Kickstarter-exclusive writing workshops, half-price discounts on lifetime workshop subscriptions, and even a bundle of all 300 ebooks in these ten series!
The Kristine Kathryn Rusch Starter Kit Kickstarter launches this week and will run through May 27.
Click here once the Kickstarter goes live to read Kris’ story and watch her video, which does a way better job than I can of telling you about her passion for writing in series.
Seriously, you can’t miss this one!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.