The subject line is a quote from George McClellan during the American Civil War.

More Americans were killed during the years 1861–1865 than any other date in history. Men shattered, women lost, families broken. In Shades of Blue & Gray, editor Steve Berman offers readers tales of the supernatural, ghost stories that range from the haunts of the battlefield to revenants on the long march home. Yank. Rebel. Both find themselves at odds both in flesh and spirit.

To be published by Prime Books in 2013.

I'm seeking ghost or revenant stories rather than hungry dead tales. So no zombies. You certainly do not have to be American to submit. And the stories do not have to take place during the 19th century but the Civil War (the battles, slavery, etc) must be essential elements.

No word limit. Reprints are fine. Payment for them starts at $25 or 1 cent a word, whichever is greater. Original tales, any length, also are fine. $100 or at least 3 cents a word. Payment is upon publication.

Send queries and/or submissions to sberman8@yahoo.com. Deadline is July.

So, for a forthcoming project, I could use some recommendations of ghost stories or novellettes involving the American Civil War. These stories could be historical or contemporary. Not looking for any other creatures, though revenants (walking dead) are sometimes apt as ghosts.

If you want to check out what I have found so far, please click here. And feel free to add your own suggestions. Thanks!

One of the best feelings in the world is de-friending people on Facebook and Livejournal. Especially when you have grown tired of their antics (all so higher moral ground) which you have grown to believe has never been altruism because true altruism is anonymous.

Do you like speculative fiction? Enjoy the work of such award-winning writers as Richard Bowes, Sandra McDonald or Joel Lane? How about Alex Jeffers or Rod Santos? Do you like seeing a wide-range of voices depicting a variety of gay male characters? Serious fiction, articles and reviews?

Then ICARUS is for you!

Alas, my little magazine does not reach as many readers as I'd like. Which is a disappointment for the authors who I publish.

So, to remedy this, for today only, new subscribers can purchase a one-year subscription to the print edition (4 issues) for only $13!

I really should no longer be surprised what sells on Kindle month by month. And yet when a book that is 4+ yrs old (honestly, older when you consider past editions) suddenly vaults to the top in double digits 5 days into the month...and the books that sold best the last three months aren't even in the running...well, I do get perplexed. Why? Who? And why? some more.

At Lethe, we experimented with the Kindle Direct Program for one of our newest titles that we felt--because it's non-fiction and deals with sacred sexuality (Penis-Erect is a Library of Congress subject category! Honest!)--it would not sell well through Smashwords, Weightless, etc.

So, for the 2-day "free offering" we gave away 218 copies. Now that is a significant number, as it is around 4-5 times a Kindle monthly bestseller for my little gay press (the book, btw, is not really gay but male-focused). Will this translate to any sales, any money? I have no idea. I don't know any other small press that has experimented with KDP well enough to ask (in fact, due to drama among the "heads of state" I am on the outs with past friends who run their own gay presses *sigh*).

I'm curious to see what transpires. Have any of you heard anything about KDP?

So my next anthology, a book of gay male YA stories, releases in May. Sadly, I don't know if ARCs were ever done (more my fault than the publisher, as I turned in the ms. late). I think it's a terrific collection of tales by some very talented writers. I could send out PDF review copies without problem--so if you are a reviewer (or know one who handles YA or LGBT titles), email me.

This April from Lethe Press:



This July from Lethe Press:

Well, Father passed away on the 5th of January. So little more than a month has elapsed. I'm still playing around with a cocktail of pills to make me deal with everything.

2012 was supposed to be the year I took off from Lethe and let others handle all the projects. I wanted to write. And while I have sold some recent YA stories, I don't think the press is slowing down at all. How can I say no to good ideas and to old friends?

Maybe 2013.