by The Weird Team | Feb 25, 2023 | Uncategorized, WLW Press, Mother:Tales of Love and Terror
It is a day for celebrating! The 2022 Bram Stoker Awards® Committee announced on Feb. 23rd that Mother: Tales of Love and Terror, edited by Christi Nogle and Willow Dawn Becker has been nominated for Excellence in an Anthology. In addition, Mother author Mercedes M. Yardley is representing the press by being nominated in the Short Fiction category for her addition to the anthology, “Fracture.” And if that wasn’t enough to celebrate, Co-Editor of the anthology, Christi Nogle, made the short list with her Idaho ghost story debut novel, Beulah.
The competition in the anthology category was fierce this year, and the preliminary ballot featured fantastic anthologies from both seasoned and new authors and editors. In an incredible turn of events, the final nominees (including Weird Little Worlds Press), featured an all-star, all-female cast of editors. This is only the second time in the history of the Horror Writer’s Association that this has happened, and WLW Press is ecstatic to be amongst such powerful and brilliant authors and editors. Other nominees in the Anthology category include:
● Screams from the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous (Tor Nightfire) edited by Ellen Datlow
● Human Monsters: A Horror Anthology (Dark Matter Ink) edited by Sadie Hartmann and Ashley Saywers
● Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga (Black Spot Books) edited by Lindy Ryan
● Chromophobia: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women in Horror (Strangehouse Books) edited by Sara Tantlinger
This anthology represents the second time in two years that WLW Press has been included on the preliminary ballot for a Stoker, and the first time that we have made it to the top 5.
From day one of its conception, Weird Little Worlds Press has been on a mission to reach out and create a tribe of creatives who love to let their weird shine. We are always grateful to have such amazing authors and illustrators willing to be a part of WLW. Their unique voices and talent are what make this company an incredibly fulfilling undertaking. Today we’re reaching out with a very big, very special thank you to our authors and readers.
As if that weren’t enough, we are also very proud to announce that Mercedes M. Yardley’s story for Mother, “Fracture” has also been nominated for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction. Other stories in the category include:
Dries, Aaron – “Nona Doesn’t Dance” (Cut to Care: A Collection of Little Hurts) (IFWG Australia, IFWG International)
Gwilym, Douglas – “Poppy’s Poppy” (Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine, Vol. V, No. 6)
McCarthy, J.A.W. – “The Only Thing Different Will Be the Body” (A Woman Built by Man) (Cemetery Gates Media)
Taborska, Anna – “A Song for Barnaby Jones” (Zagava)
Taborska, Anna – “The Star” (Great British Horror 7: Major Arcane) (Black Shuck Books)
Christi Nogle has also been recognized among the Superior Achievement in a First Novel category for her debut novel, Beulah (Cemetery Gates Media). Beulah is the story of Georgie, an eighteen-year-old with a talent (or affliction) for seeing ghosts. The book has been lauded as “The work of a top tier author in top form,” by Jon Padgett amongst many other accolades. Other nominees in this category include:
Adams, Erin – Jackal (Bantam Books)
Cañas, Isabel – The Hacienda (Berkley)
Jones, KC – Black Tide (Tor Nightfire)
Wilkes, Ally – All the White Spaces (Emily Bestler Books/Atria/Titan Books)
To learn more about the awards or to vote for your favorites, visit the Horror Writer’s Association. Voting on the final ballot for active and lifetime members is open from now until March 15th, and we would love to see our incredible authors, graphic designers, artists, and editors get the commendations that they deserve!
The Weird Team is comprised of several unhinged individuals that have a love of life and a lust for adventure. They scour the world to find the strangest, scariest, and most wonderful news in the universe.
by The Weird Team | Feb 24, 2023 | Writing Fiction, WLW Press, News of the Weird
February 28th is the last day to submit your finished novel, novella, or nonfiction pitch for our first ever open submissions period. We are accepting novels and novellas between 20k and 120k words in the areas of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and adventure and will choose at least 4 new works to publish between now and March of 2024.
As of this post, we have received hundreds of entries for our first ever open submissions call. We will be reading throughout March and sending proposed contracts at the beginning of April. If you have a nail-biting, heart-pounding story of love, death, and everything in between, we want it!
We are looking for stories that are juicy—full of plot and awesome. But that doesn’t mean we want to skimp on taste. Give us your gorgeous prose, your vast landscapes of wonder, and your characters that make us care. We want to be inspired by you, frightened by you, and forever changed by you.
Novels: 60k – 120k words. Please be prepared to submit your fully finished manuscript.
Novellas: 20k – 40k words. Please be prepared to submit your fully finished manuscript.
Nonfiction: The first chapter and full outline of your nonfiction concept.
As always, Weird Little Worlds Press is a PG-13 press, and we don’t publish splatterpunk, excessive profanity, or explicit sexuality. We do, however, publish awesome stories in the SCIFI, FANTASY, HORROR, and ADVENTURE realms.
Read the full requirements here.
Submit if you dare!
The Weird Team is comprised of several unhinged individuals that have a love of life and a lust for adventure. They scour the world to find the strangest, scariest, and most wonderful news in the universe.
by The Weird Team | Feb 8, 2023 | Momming, WLW Press, Mother:Tales of Love and Terror
Weird Little Worlds is proud to announce that author Mercedes M. Yardley has been identified as a preliminary ballot candidate for the prestigious Bram Stoker Awards® in Best Short Fiction.
Her story, “Fracture,” appears in the 2022 anthology Mother: Tales of Love and Terror published by Weird Little Worlds Press. It is a story about the vulnerable fragility and the sense of protection that mothers have over their children. Because let’s face it, motherhood is scary no matter how you look at it.
“Fracture,” finds its well-deserved place among the top ten stories in the Bram Stoker Awards® Best Short Fiction category. Final nominations will be announced at the end of February 2023. We at Weird Little Worlds have every confidence that Mercedes will once again shine as the talented author that she is.
Mercedes has been recognized in past years for the following awards:
Mercedes M. Yardley is a dark fantasist who wears poisonous flowers in her hair. She is the author of Beautiful Sorrows, Darling, Pretty Little Dead Girls, and Detritus in Love.
Don’t miss this amazing story, “Fracture,” in Mother: Tales of Love and Terror. We also recommend her essay on Mother’s Day found on Mercedes’ own blog. You can read the entire short story for free here.
The Weird Team is comprised of several unhinged individuals that have a love of life and a lust for adventure. They scour the world to find the strangest, scariest, and most wonderful news in the universe.
by The Weird Team | Jan 24, 2023 | WLW Press, Mother:Tales of Love and Terror
Weird Little Worlds is excited to announce an epic nod of approval for Mother: Tales of Love and Terror. Our mothers thought we wouldn’t amount to much, but despite their loving advice to get a real job and quit making up stories, Mother: Tales of Love and Terror has been included on the preliminary ballot of the Bram Stoker Awards® 2022 for Superior Achievement in an Anthology.
Mother: Tales of Love and Terror
It is an honor to be highlighted among such incredible talent this year, in addition to being listed with a few of of our horror heroes. The full list of eligible entries in this category include:
Superior Achievement in an Anthology
- We Are Providence: Tales of Horror from the Ocean State, Christa Carmen and L.E. Daniels, eds. (Weird House)
- The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Volume 2, James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle, eds. (Valancourt)
- Screams from the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Nightfire)
- Human Monsters: A Horror Anthology, Sadie Hartmann and Ashley Saywers, eds. (Dark Matter Ink)
- Nightmare Sky: Stories of Astronomical Horror, Red Lago, ed. (Death Knell)
- The Hideous Book of Hidden Horrors, Doug Murano, ed. (Bad Hand)
- Mother: Tales of Love and Terror, Christi Nogle and Willow Becker, eds. (Weird Little Worlds)
- Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga, Lindy Ryan, ed. (Black Spot)
- Dark Stars, John F.D. Taff, ed. (Nightfire)
- Chromophobia: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women in Horror, Sara Tantlinger, ed. (Strangehouse)
With captivating new tales from authors like SP Miskowski, John Langan, Brian Evenson, and Gemma Files, there are 33 stories and poems guaranteed to make you see motherhood in a new light.
In addition, Mercedes M. Yardley’s story “Fracture,” was also included on the Bram Stoker Awards® preliminary ballot for Best Short Fiction. You can read the entire story here. The full list of entries in this category include:
Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
- “They Could Have Been Yours,” Joy Baglio (The Missouri Review, No. 45.1)
- “Blame,” Warren Benedetto (The Dread Machine)
- “Nona Doesn’t Dance,” Aaron Dries (Cut to Care: A Collection of Little Hurts)
- “Poppy’s Poppy,” Douglas Gwilym (Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine Vol. V, No. 6)
- “That’s What Friends Are For,” Larry Hinkle (Dark Recesses Press, Vol. 6, No. 16)
- “The Only Thing Different Will Be the Body,” J.A.W McCarthy (A Woman Built by Man)
- “The Bear Across the Way,” Emily Rigole (PsuedoPod )
- “A Song for Barnaby Jones,” Anna Taborska (Zagava)
- “The Star,” Anna Taborska (Great British Horror 7: Major Arcane)
- “Fracture,” Mercedes M. Yardley (Mother: Tales of Love and Terror)
We are thrilled, honored, and filled with a strange, tingly sort of terror as we wait for the final ballot announcements at the end of February 2023. If you are a voting member of the Horror Writer’s Association, please contact us to get a free copy of Mother: Tales of Love and Terror. We would love your vote, as it would be incredible to highlight this excellent anthology and our amazing writers.
If you’re not a member of the HWA, Weird Little Worlds invites you to pick up a copy of Mother: Tales of Love and Terror. Tuck it under your pillow with a flashlight. Then, hide in your covers and stay up past your bedtime reading. We mean it. Once you start, you won’t want to come out from under those covers and sleep is totally out of the question. A little Love and Terror goes a long way.
Now, sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite and always remember. . . Mother loves you!
The Weird Team is comprised of several unhinged individuals that have a love of life and a lust for adventure. They scour the world to find the strangest, scariest, and most wonderful news in the universe.
by The Weird Team | Jan 20, 2023 | News of the Weird, WLW Press, Mother:Tales of Love and Terror
Mother: Tales of Love and Terror is one of the most compelling anthologies of 2022, being lauded by both critics and readers as a favorite for short story readers. Last week, TikTok took this positive feedback to a new level, with @ScaryBookRecs sharing an unsolicited video review that reached more than 600,000 viewers.
Maybe it was the catchy music or the fantastic review, but TikTokers all over the world quickly responded positively, sharing and liking the video more than 30,000 times. Not only was this an absolute Godsend for the readership of this awesome book (co-edited by Willow Dawn Becker and Christi Nogle), but it quickly ballooned into the most-viewed video for @ScaryBookRecs as well, by three times over.
Most-Viewed Videos from @ScaryBookRecs on TikTok
The BookTok and HorrorBookTok hashtags were alight with the review, being shared more than 600 times, favorited 30k times, and viewed more than 615k times.
The anthology clearly appeals to many readers, and for good reason. The incredible review (along with the book’s artwork, concept, and fantastic writing) have made MOTHER the most successful book in the Weird Little Worlds library. With excellent stories that have already been included in the Bram Stoker Award® anthology reading list such as R. Leigh Hennig’s terrifying “Here in the Cellar,” the book is paving the way for the company to publish more horror titles in 2023.
Grab a copy of Mother: Tales of Love and Terror.
Learn about the open submissions for novellas and novels for 2023.
The Weird Team is comprised of several unhinged individuals that have a love of life and a lust for adventure. They scour the world to find the strangest, scariest, and most wonderful news in the universe.
by The Weird Team | Aug 30, 2022 | News of the Weird, WLW Press
Earlier this month, Weird Little Worlds Press CEO, Willow Becker, joined Dungeon Crawlers Radio as an official podcast host. She brings her unique personality and love of all things dark, creepy, and marvelous the to already talented cast of the popular podcast. The timing of this new opportunity is perfect, with the Dungeon Crawlers looking for her to add fresh perspective on all things pop culture to their long-running show. It also gives Weird Little Worlds an opportunity to share insight on the publishing process as well as highlighting the upcoming publications scheduled to launch this fall and in Spring of 2023.
Dungeon Crawlers Radio has been entertaining fans since 2008 with episodes that run the gamut from author interviews to hypothetical character fights (played out in the infamous RAD DOME). Former guests have included Brandon Sanderson, Michaelbrent Collings, Kevin Sorbo, and Lou Ferrigno. The most recent episode featuring author R.A. Salvatore garnered over a thousand downloads in just a few days, and the show has over 66,000 downloads to date.
Daniel Swenson, the founder of the Hugo-nominated podcast, is the brains behind the organization, helping to develop content and get the podcast posted every Monday. Other hosts include Alton Wheelhouse and brothers Joshua Krebs and Matthew Krebs. Willow Becker is the newest addition to the hosting lineup, bringing her own experience as a DJ, radio personality, and voiceover artist to the table.
Willow’s love of radio is a massive motivation for taking on this new role in addition to her duties as Editor-In-Chief and CEO of Weird Little Worlds Press. “I have always loved radio, even when I was a kid,” she said. “I am really excited to break into podcasting with such an amazingly talented and hilarious group of guys.”
In addition to her new role as a Dungeon Crawler, Willow has had a decade of experience behind the microphone. In 2008, she helped produce a show on behalf of the University of Nevada—Las Vegas for the Hank Greenspun Department of Journalism and Media Studies called Beyond the Neon. The show was a collaboration between producer Brandon Green and departmental head Laurel Fruth, with Willow helping develop the concept, providing editing, music, and interviews, and driving conversations with unique Las Vegas residents. She also worked with BiCoastal Media in Coos Bay, Oregon as an on-air talent as well as a commercial voice-over artist.
Since then, Willow has voiced a number of videos, commercials, and dramatic projects, but her addition to the Dungeon Crawlers cast is a new level of exposure.
“I really just fell in love with the program and the other hosts when Mike and I went on last year to promote Humans are the Problem,” Willow said. “When Daniel contacted me to see if I’d be interested in doing it as a host, I told him, ‘What’s an answer faster than yes?'”
You can hear Willow and the Dungeon Crawlers do their thing with a new episode every Monday.
The Weird Team is comprised of several unhinged individuals that have a love of life and a lust for adventure. They scour the world to find the strangest, scariest, and most wonderful news in the universe.
