A Second Helping of Shawarma

So, you’ve seen The Avengers more than once, why not read the special issue we put together in its honor one more time? Don’t be afraid to force your friends and loved ones to read it while you’re at it. They’ll thank you.

And speaking of The Force…it was 35 years ago today that Star Wars premiered at Mann’s Chinese Theatre. In its honor, go read “CPA of the Sith” from Issue 23. It might make me feel marginally better if you do.

And speaking of past JDP stories…when we did our post last week letting you know what some of favorite contributors were up to, we omitted an important one: Ansley Moon. Her story, “Navels,” appeared way the heck back in Issue Four. It’ll be included in her new fiction chapbook, All Seemed Foreign, which is forthcoming from Cervena Barva Press.

And speaking of congratulations…a round of applause for Michael Sions. His story, “Jolly Roger,” from Issue 22 was named a Million Writers Notable Story. Well done.

Finally, do you like time travel? Because last week in Barcelona, Bruce Springsteen played the extended version of “Prove It All Night” for the first time since 1978 and listening to it I pretty much warped back to the early Eighties when we needed strange vinyl platters (obtained through shady independent record store sources) to listen to Springsteen concert recordings. But you’ve got the Internet now. Go listen to this Darkness-era classic. Warren Zevon may be our patron saint, but Bruce remains the pagan god to whom we commend our ritual sacrifices.

And, that’s it. We’re closing up the palatial JDP offices early for the long weekend. Have a good one yourself and check back Wednesday for a new issue.

Sorta Secret Submission Call

it's not Halloween until you've watched "The Curse of Frank Black."

UPDATE: Halloween submissions closed! (7/24/12)

Okay, it’s not that secret, what with us posting it on the website. But – long story short – we’re doing a special issue this October dedicated to – wait for it – Halloween!

We thought about throwing this submission call up on Duotrope, but then decided to give first crack to the good people of the JDP diaspora. Why let everyone and their sister send in their tired Halloween trunk stories? Instead we want the people who actually read and write for JDP to…send in their tired Halloween trunk stories.

Except we know you won’t do that. You’ll dazzle us with the piece about the time your uncle stopped Nyarlohotep from toilet-papering all of Michigan on Mischief Night or stun us with the truth about what the Great Pumpkin really does on Halloween Night. (Or something similarly awesome and possibly less copyrighted!)

If you’ve got something you want us to read, just send it through this secret portal we’ve set up on Submishmash. (And, yes, we realize secret portal does sound vaguely dirty. Sorry.)

We’ll even give you a little extra room than normal – up to 5,000 words, if you need it. And we might even consider some non-fiction for this one, if you think you’ve got a particularly interesting take on All Hallow’s Eve. Just don’t send us the story about how you and your friends went to a bar that one Halloween night and got drunk. (Because we’ve seen that. About Christmas. And New Year’s. And really every other day of the year. ) But if you have a cleverly crafted essay about the evolution of kids’ Darth Vader costumes over time or a thoughtful contemplation on the atomic weight of candy corn, by all means send it on.

Submissions will stay open until filled, but at least through July 1st. If we haven’t found what we’re looking for by August, we’ll put out an open call on Duotrope and unleash ensuing hell on our slushpile.

Alright. Get typing.

Kickstart My Heart

Man does not live by online journals alone. No, sometimes man wants a longer story, fiction he can really sink his teeth into. And sometimes man even wants a real, physical book, something with heft, for killing spiders and starting small fires. And so, because we do not want to disappoint our fellow human beings, Jersey Devil Press also releases the occasional novel or short story collection.

As such, we’re proud to announce our lineup for 2012: Exponential Apocalypse: Dead Presidents by Eirik Gumeny (out in July) and an untitled collection of short stories by Ryan Werner (out this fall). There is little doubt that they will be among the greatest books ever written.

But, frankly, the writing was the easy part. We’d like to do more. So we’ve created a Kickstarter campaign to help us accomplish that. Our modest funding goal covers book design, printing, and advertising the ever-loving shit out of the above-mentioned titles. Anything over the goal goes towards releasing an additional anthology this winter. And if we really go over the goal, we may even be able to pay the authors.

Help us out, won’t you? The little plastic dinosaurs will thank you.