Sunday, February 24, 2013

Contest Winners Will be Announced This Week

It's going to be a busy week in Valhalla. The judges are looking over the entries in the Valhalla Press Flash Fiction/Flash Memoir Contest and the Valhalla Press Legal Professionals Writing Contest. The winners will be announced March 1. Winners of those contests will have their work featured in the Spring issue of Ragnarok-the e-lit journal of Valhalla Press.

Also, we have begun formatting the works found on our website for the i-pad and other Apple devices. Just this week, we released John Pistelli's Ecstasy of Michaela for the iPad. Other works will be released soon.

Those who want to follow our contests can sign up for our contest e-mail list on our contest page.

Finally, this week's featured e-book is Albert Davenport's short non-fiction piece, In the Shadow of Midnight: Daedalus: A Tale of Savannah. Albert has provided some background details of the story in his blog postings that can be found on our Author Blogs page where you will also find blog postings by John Pistelli and Adrienne Terrell Washington. Adrienne's memoir The Original Party Girl and other (very) personal essays is our featured short non-fiction e-book this week.

Enjoy your week in Valhalla.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Ragnarok, the e-lit Journal of Valhalla Press is now listed on Every Writer's Resource's list of Literary Magazines. This has been quite a month for Ragnarok. Readers are discovering the fine work contained in the inaugural issue as evidenced by increased sales and posted reviews on Amazon, Goodreads.com and other sites. Ragnarok has moved its submission process to Submittable.com, the industry standard.

We stated at the outset that we sought to "showcase some of the best writing in English produced in the world today" and we believe we have done so in our inaugural issue. Currently, we are selecting works for the next Ragnarok issue. Winning entries from our recently concluded Flash Fiction/Flash Memoir Contest will appear as well as those from our Legal Professionals Writing Contest. Winners from both contests will be announced March 1. The Flash Fiction/Flash Memoir contest winners will provide all the short works we need, but we are still looking for quality longer works, from 2,000 to 5,000 words, for the next issue.

We do charge a $3 non-refundable reading fee, but all authors whose works are chosen for publication will be paid $25. Interested authors should go to the Ragnarok page and follow the submission instructions. We look forward to them.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

VP Interviews John Pistelli

Here in Valhalla, we know the link between writer and reader can be a magical one propelling the reader to a literary paradise like--well--Valhalla. A successful literary work can spur readers to dig deeper, to find out more about the author, learn how the author crafted the story, and ultimately build a more profound bond with the writer, the story's characters, and the world they inhabit.

This week we have just such an opportunity. John Pistelli, author of The Ecstasy of Michaela, graciously agreed to sit down with Valhalla Press partner, Albert Davenport, to discuss his novella and an article Pistelli wrote for the initial issue of Ragnarok, the e-lit journal of Valhalla Press, entitled The Strange Lanes of Hell: Against Materialist Anti-aesthetics.

The interview gives readers an insight into a talented writer, his creative process and the post-industrial, dystopic world Michaela and Pistelli's other characters haunt.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

News from Valhalla

Valhalla Press recently concluded two writing contests, a Flash Fiction/Flash Memoir Contest and a Legal Professionals Writing Contest. We would like to thank all of you who entered your work. The judges will be choosing the winners during February and announcing them by March 1. First prize in each contest is $500, an e-reader, and publication in the Spring 2013 issue of Ragnarok, the e-lit journal of Valhalla Press. Second prize winners will receive an e-reader and publication. An as yet undetermined number of entries will win honorable mention prizes which includes publication. The authors of all works chosen for publication receive $25. All authors who submitted works will receive constructive feedback on their stories. That's just how we roll in Valhalla.

Valhalla Press is also partnering with Submittable to accept future submissions for Ragnarok. Submittable is quickly becoming the industry standard for authors. We charge a $3 reading fee for these direct submissions and provide constructive feedback. We review submissions monthly and just reviewed January's entries--a few gems there, but more about that later in the month.

Those who wish to stay up-to-date on our writing contests have several options. You may sign up for our e-mail list on our contest page, follow us on Twitter (@valhallapress), or like us on Facebook.

Valhalla's minions are busy at work on other projects as well. As they come to fruition, they will be revealed.