The rising tide of Mad Dogs

Every now and then, I'll meet someone who asks, or perhaps a friend will chime in curiously about writing and getting published. Anyone (who's not trying to sell you something) will tell you there's no magic bullet, but there are common themes among authors who are selling their work. One of them is writing groups. Even the most prolific and popular authors have peers who read and comment on their work before it sees anyone else's eyes. A writing group can multiply your reach and understanding of almost anything by the number of members in the group. You want to have the kinds of friends who are willing to objectively review your work and, when needed, make constructive suggestions. People like these:

Christopher L. Irvin - Chris is a crime fiction afficionado and has recently become one of the editors at Shotgun Honey. Visit his site House League Fiction for a full list of his publishing credits. In the meantime, here's the most recent:

•  "Soup Sandwich" in Action: Pulse Pounding Tales Vol. 2 (June)
• "Belly Poachin'" in Tropus Quarterly Magazine (July)
• "The Things We Leave Behind" in Noir Carnival (July)
• "Vacation Package" in Flash Fiction Offensive (August)
• RELOADED: Both Barrels Vol. 2 (Editor) (September)
• "Bringing in the Mexican Dead" in Noir Nation #3 (October)
• "Charred Kraken with Plum Butter" (audio version) in Crime City Central (TBA)

Javed Jahangir - Javed is one of the co-founders of Beyond the Margins, a multi-writer blog and the publisher of Tropus Magazine. He has a penchant for ghost stories and a passion for writing of all sorts. His most recents successes have found homes in: 

• Smokelong Quarterly (march '13)
• HIMAL Magazine (April '13)
• Daily Tribune (Arts and Letters Supplement)
• Six Seasons Review (Forthcoming in the fall '13)
• Bengal Lights Literary Journal (Forthcoming in the fall '13)

Bracken N. MacLeod - Bracken is a self-described 'secular horrorist.' That is, he tends to write about the kinds of horror that us regular human beings are capable of, the monsters inside our society. A full accounting of his work can be found on his blog, Lux Ferre, but here are his most recent publications:

• "Some Other Time" in Femme Fatale: Erotic Stories of Dangerous Women from Go Deeper Press
• "Dogman" in Shotgun Honey
• MOUNTAIN HOME a novel from Books of the Dead Press
• "Ciudad de los Niños" in Shotgun Honey Presents: Both Barrels: Reloaded.
• "Mine, Not Yours" in Anthology, Year Two: Inner Demons Out from Shroud Publishing
• "Pure Blood and Evergreen" in Ominous Realities from Grey Matter Press
• "The Most Incredible Thing" in Once Upon an Apocalypse from Chaosium Press

T.J. May - TJ's flow got slowed by moving out-of-state in an attempt to flee the Mad Dogs, but we know he'll be back on the horse sooner rather than later. In his own words:

"My comics are available digitally through NECON e-Publishing. Hard copies you may be able to find in a store, but they are definitely online and available through me. Assorted short stories can be found in various issues of Shroud Magazine and on Amazon."

K.L. Pereira - K.L. throws down in horror, sci-fi, and erotica. She works in both prose and poem and her work has a lyrical flavor that defies genre. Here's a list of her most recent successes:

• A speculative poem, "How To Bring Your Dead Lover Back" in the most recent Mythic Delirium (Issue 28)
• A flash piece, "The Unkillable Girl" came out in the January Issue of Innsmouth Magazine (Issue 12)
• Several columns for Innsmouth during Women in Horror Month
• Two chapbooks to Deathless Press
• "Hunger" to Go Deeper Press as an e-book, but currently unavailable because it's being reprinted in another antho soon
• "Our Courtship, Our Romance" to Go Deeper Press Femme Fatale

And there it is. Looking to do some writing and wander the wastelands of authorship? Step one: start writing. Step two: get yourself a writing group.