spillwords – Andrew Careaga

New ‘Holiday Horror’ fiction: ‘To Grandmother’s House’

A rare (for me) bit of horror writing. Warning: This is not Hallmark Movie material.

Not long ago, in an effort to drag myself out of my writing rut, I decided to write some short stories to fit themed submission calls. One of those calls came from Spillwords. For their annual Haunted Holidays” feature, Spillwords‘ editors were seeking writings that “embrace the dark side of the winter holiday season, and all that’s lurking in the shadows of Christmas merriment.” So I wrote a short story specifically for this call. I was happy to learn earlier this week that the editors had accepted it, and it is featured on the litmag’s website today.

Content warning: If you’re more into sweet and sappy holiday fare, or Hallmark Movie holiday romances, you might want to give this one a pass. But if you crave a bit of psychological tension and yuletide horror, then by all mean, give “To Grandmother’s House” a read.

Image via Spillwords.

Flashback fiction: ‘Lower Strata’

Revisiting a short story published a year ago today.

One year ago today, my short story “Lower Strata” was published by the literary magazine Spillwords.

This story was based on something I’d started about 25 years ago. It is influenced a bit by my years working in the restaurant business. Over the summer of 2024, I pulled it out of the dusty digital files and reworked it a few times before sending it to Spillwords.

‘Lower Strata’ nominated for Spillwords’ Publication of the Month

At the risk of turning this blog into one long series of brag posts, I’m happy to share that my short story “Lower Strata” is in the running for Spillwords‘ Publication of the Month. The story is one of sixteen nominees, each selected, according to the literary magazine, “100% based on the popularity within the last 30 days.”

Now, the decision to decide which publication earns this distinction falls to the readers, who can cast their votes here. (To vote, you’ll need to sign up for Spillwords. But it’s a fine little literary magazine, and unlike other publications, the Spillwords folks don’t pelt you with emails, so signing up won’t burden you much and will help the magazine grow its audience.)

Two bits of good news

About a recent short story publication and an online interview

We interrupt this month of writing-focused activity to bring you a couple of happy updates from my weekend:

My short story “Lower Strata” was published by the literary magazine Spillwords. This story, which went live Sunday (November 17, 2024), was something I’d written 25 years ago, probably, and shoved away after a few revisions. I reworked it over the summer a few times then sent it on to Spillwords, and last month they let me know they were going to publish it. This was one of those rare occasions in which the one and only litmag I’d submitted a story to accepted it. Like a lot of writers, especially unknowns like me, our stories encounter many rejections before they find a home. (It’s part of the gig. There are a lot of very good writers out there, and only so many places for our work.) So I guess this one hit a responsive chord with an editor or two there. I hope you also like it. I’d love for you to give it a read and share your thoughts. I’m always looking for ways to improve!
I was “spotlighted” by another literary magazine, Bulb Culture Collective. This litmag specializes in republishing pieces that have been published previously by magazines that are no longer in operation. Such was the case with my flash fiction piece, “Baseball 1971,” which I’ve discussed here previously. BCC also selects writers for their “Shine a Light” series of features, and they reached out to me a couple of months ago inviting me to be a part of it. Their e-interview with me went live also Sunday, November 17, 2024.

So that’s the news from these-here parts. If you’re interested in reading some good stuff, I recommend you add Spillwords and Bulb Culture Collective to your reading list.

Image via Spillwords.