Call for Lizzie Borden Stories! New Anthology!

 

Call for Short Horror Stories!

 Call for stories for the Lizzie Borden House Anthology

 

 

Everyone knows the legend of Lizzie Borden, especially the dark nursery rhyme...

 

Lizzie Borden took an axe

Gave her mother 40 whacks.

When she saw what she had done,

Gave her father 41

 

Riverdale Avenue Books has teamed up with the Historical Lizzie Borden house to put together an anthology of stories, under the direction of award-winning horror author Sèphera Girón, who has visited the house multiple times over the past few decades.

 

The “Official” Story of the Lizzie Borden House

·       Lizzie Borden was born in 1860 in Fall River, Massachusetts. Since her mother had died when she was young, she had been at odds with her stepmother, Abby, who she and her older sister, Emily, believed married her father for his wealth. Their father, Andrew, was a prominent developer in Fall River.  

·       Lizzie grew up an upstanding member of her community, being heavily involved in the church and performing services for the poor. As Lizzie grew older, the tension between the parents and the daughters grew. Lizzie and Emily remained unmarried, bringing negative attention to the family from their peers and the sisters were critical of the way their father was distributing his wealth to their stepmother’s family..

·       The story says that Lizzie, blind with rage, hacked her father and stepmother to death in the house. The trial that followed became one of the most sensationalized courtroom cases in American history, attracting hundreds of tourists to Fall River. Lizzie was acquitted due to lack of evidence and reasonable doubt although the fact that she destroyed the clothes she wore have convinced some of her guilt. She lived the rest of her life in relative anonymity, but her legacy still lives on to this day.  

·       Download visual assets of the Lizzie Borden House via Google Drive.  

And what we are looking for:

Short stories in this anthology can spread across many genres and we’re very interested in new and unique takes on the legends and realities of the Lizzie Borden story. We’d love to see time travel, science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, romance, erotica, mysteries, etc.

Stories can be reflective of the many possibilities of the house from the rumored theatre parties at Maplecroft, the mysterious disappearance of the maid Bridget Sullivan, people who came and went from the house on the murder day, the ghost cats that greet the current guests of the bed and breakfast, what happened to Michael the caretaker, and the mysterious death of the estranged Borden sisters mere days apart. Maybe discover what happened during the making of the movies and TV shows about the unsolved murder or various ghost-hunting escapades that had taken place in the house. Let’s also be mindful of the times these murders took place where only men were jurors, we can highlight Women’s Suffrage and Prohibition. Take us on a journey of intrigue,  mystery, and fantasy in a reimaging of the Lizzie Borden story.

 

We will be publishing the anthology, in hardcover, trade paperback and ebooks in October, and it will be available in book stores and online wherever books are sold.

 

We are looking for short stories of 1,000 to 5,000 words in all genres and categories.  Authors will be paid a $10 fee, and receive a copy of each edition of the book.

 

If you would like to send us your stories, please send them to LizzieBordenHouse@yahoo.com  and submissions@riverdaleavebooks.com or lori@riverdaleavebooks.com  with the subject “LizzieBorden.” After which, we will send you confirmation that we received your submission. If you do not receive a confirmation from either of those three emails, you may follow up with an email requesting confirmation.

 

Submissions will be open from now until September 21st. After September 21st, we will begin sending out acceptance or rejection emails for your submitted short stories. Please, do not follow up on whether your story has been accepted.

 

About the editor: Sèphera Girón is the author of 20 traditionally published books under various names. Her main love is horror and most of her work embraces themes of occult, metaphysical, erotica, and suspense.

As a freelance editor for over 10 years, Sèphera has helped hundreds of authors put their best words forward. She feels lucky that she not only can write for a living but she can help others write for a living as well.

In recent years, Sèphera has enjoyed paranormal investigations from as near as Casa Loma in Toronto to the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River and a haunted mansion in California. Her most recent trip took her to the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, the place that inspired The Overlook in The Shining by Stephen King. Some of her adventures inspired a few of her own books and stories.

Sèphera lives in Toronto.

 

Riverdale Avenue Books is an award-winning, New York-based boutique publisher with 15 imprints: Afraid, a horror imprint; The Binge Watchers Guides examining TV and film; Circlet, the latest incarnation of the classic sci-fi and fantasy erotica imprint; Desire, an erotica/erotic romance imprint; Magnus, the award-winning nonfiction imprint of LGBTQ titles; Magnus Lit, our LGBTQ fiction imprint; Pop featuring pop culture titles; Quest, a science fiction fantasy line; Truth, an erotic memoir line; Dagger, a mystery thriller imprint; Sports and Gaming featuring sports and gaming titles; Verve featuring lifestyle titles; Hera, featuring both the true and fictional lives and loves of women aged 35 and up and 120 Days, a reprint imprint for LGB classics. Started in 2012 by industry veteran Lori Perkins, visit us at www.RiverdaleAveBooks.com.

 

Fan Expo is in two days!

 

Fan Expo, World Fantasy, and Frightmare-In-the-Falls 2024

In case you missed it, here's my appearance on Super Geeked Up! https://www.youtube.com/live/I4eKzXcSZNk?si=GHIa4CFSSLqF9VS0

Sèphera Girón Upcoming Events

 

I'm off to Necon in a few hours. It's after 9 pm here and I have to get to the airport around 7 am. I'm looking forward to it. 

Necon is in a new place this year and going back to the old college dorm style the old timers remember. I'm looking forward to seeing how the new dorm situation works out. I'm looking forward to being outside and talking to friends and making new ones. 

I'm looking forward to walking everywhere, I've been a big old sloth since I returned from Cedar Point. Between the heat and working, it's been a lot to just keep going, let alone get my steps in!

I'm happy to be on a panel at Necon. This is a very small convention with one track of programming and you don't always get included. I'm lucky that I've always been included and don't take it for granted. 

My panel is on Friday at 4 pm and will be about writing horror NOT in the US. I have lots published that doesn't take place in the US. I have a monster story set in the Yukon. I'm working on a novel that takes place in Northern Canada. 

Canada has some unique monsters, cryptids, and creatures if the panel goes that way. I'm not sure what we'll be discussing and I'm ready for anything. 

 There will be an author signing on Friday night and I'll have copies of books with me. 

Specimens collected stories by Sèphera Girón and Andrew Robertson

Weird Tales of Terror collected stories and an early novel by Sèphera Girón 

Dearly Departed by Sèphera Girón and Andrew Robertson

On July 24 at 10 pm, I'll be on the YouTube show Super Geeked Up. I'm sure they'll make me do some weird games like they do to the other guests, so be sure to tune in and throw in your comments and votes for the games and polls. 

What's Going On?

 

Super busy times!!

But at least here are a few new-to-most-of-you titles to check out! All of these titles are available on Amazon and many other platforms in both ebook and print. 

Except for Specimens. 

Specimens is a sampler containing six stories from Sèphera Girón and Andrew Robertson, published by The Great Lakes Horror Company. 

This collection was created as a free treat for those who are attending Stokercon San Diego 2024. 

If you're attending the convention, make sure you don't leave without one! The book is short as it's just a taste of some of our work so you can slip it into your laptop case or knapsack. 

Have you picked up a copy of Weird Tales of Terror Volume One yet? I know it's been through a few changes but this edition from The Great Lakes Horror Company looks fabulous! Hot off the press!

DEARLY DEPARTED is a collection from both Andrew Robertson and myself. Although the book contains reprints, some are slightly different in this version. Also, bet you can't find half of them in the wild even if you wanted to! So grab your copy today with this real cool cover of a Jackalope!

BLOOD GAMES is a vampire anthology risen from its old incarnation HIGH STAKES and has gathered up a few new authors to add to the collection! Hot off the press! Released March 2024!

SERIAL VLOGGER is my love letter to people who like to read my work. Every week I add a new slice to the SERIAL VLOGGER pie. By the end of it all, there will be a complete novel. As of this writing, there are 31 slices already published with many to go. It's free to read and free to sign up so that new slices go directly into your inbox. There is also a place to pay for a subscription if you wish to support my efforts and for that, I'm super grateful! But you can read for free!

   I'm always available to give tarot readings. Right now I'm pushing video readings. How does it work?

You send me $20 on Paypal along with your question. Or maybe you have no question and that's fine as well. You don't have to send a question, I can just see what I can see. If you know it, please include your birth information: day/month/year time/place 

Once I receive your information and payment, I will make a little video with your reading and email it back to you. If there's a specific email you want it sent, include that in the notes. You can also get video tarot card readings as a gift for someone else. 

I'll be able to give in-person readings at Stokercon. You can book an appointment in advance. Just send the $20 and then we'll together pick a good time for both of us at the con. 

Tarot Readings are a large part of my income right now, so I super appreciate your support!

If you don't have Paypal, you can pay on stripe or e-transfer. 

Thank you for your support!

See you at Stokercon!

The Narcissist and the Holidays

As some of you already know, I've started writing on Substack about many things that concern me. 

I'm writing a novel for FREE on Substack. 

Now, I'm starting a podcast that will be weekly that will tackle a few different topics that interest me. The very first podcast is about The Narcissist and the Holidays. 

 If you've ever tangled with a narcissist, you know what a special kind of hell the holidays can be! 

 Go take a look and let me know what you think! The Narcissist and the Holidays