Branching out with a Bullet

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Aeryn Rudel

When it comes to short stories, I primarily write horror with occasional forays into dark urban fantasy. Those two will likely always be my jam, so to speak, but there’s another genre that has long intrigued me, one that is a close cousin to both horror and urban fantasy. Yep, I’m talking about mystery and its many sub-genres (crime, thriller, noir, hard-boiled, suspense, etc.).

Many of my stories feature elements that would be right at home in the mystery/suspense genre, but the speculative nature of my work is usually a non-starter for these markets. So I got to thinking, why not write a story that has all those elements except the speculative part? I took the plunge and wrote a short story that would, I think, fall into the noir or thriller sub-genre (I’m still a little iffy on the sub-genres here). It’s called “Luck Be a Bullet,” and I honestly had a blast writing it.

Anyway, I’ve already submitted “Luck Be a Bullet,” and I’m excited to explore a new genre and the new (to me) markets publishing that genre. At the very least, it’s a currently untapped source of new rejections. 🙂

Do you write mystery/crime/thriller? If so, I’d love recommendations for short story markets, especially those that accept flash fiction.

Category: My WorkTags: Aeryn Rudel, Mystery, Submissions, Suspense, Thriller, Writing

5 Comments on “Branching out with a Bullet”

Christopher Iacono
October 24, 2017

I can see you writing mystery, Aeryn. I can’t wait to read it. Unfortunately, I don’t know the mystery market, but I wish you the best of luck.

Reply
- Aeryn Rudel
  October 24, 2017
  
  Thanks, Chris. Yeah, it’s not exactly a huge leap from my urban fantasy stuff. Hell, with a little tweaking, I’m sure I could turn some of those stories INTO thrillers and whatnot.
  
  Reply
Michael Bracken
October 24, 2017

I’ve placed two crime fiction flashes with Flash Bang Mysteries (http://flashbangmysteries.com/submissions/) and three short (but too long to be flash) crime stories with Tough (http://www.toughcrime.com). Both pay modestly. I also placed a crime fiction/horror flash with Story and Grit (http://www.storyandgrit.com), which doesn’t pay.

The best way to keep track of crime fiction markets is to follow Sandra Seaman’s blog: http://sandraseamans.blogspot.com. Between her regular postsand the long list of links on the right side of the page, you’ll find nearly every market for crime fiction.

Reply
- Aeryn Rudel
  October 24, 2017
  
  Hey, Michael, I was really hoping you’d show up. This was almost a “send out the Bracken signal” post. 🙂
  
  Thanks for the recommendations; I’ll definitely check out those markets. I also started following Sandra’s blog since you mentioned it in another post a while back. I plan to keep writing in the genre, so I’m sure her blog will be an invaluable resource.
  
  Thanks again!
  
  Reply
Peter DiChellis
October 25, 2017

You might also consider Shotgun Honey (non-paying but long-running and popular) depending on the length (700 word max) and style (crime, not mystery) of the piece.

Or swing for the fences with AHMM and EQMM (pro-pay, hard to crack).

Good luck!

Reply