old scratch press
-
Announcing a New Cozy Mystery With a Supernatural Twist: A Witch Awakens by Ellis Elliott
A Witch Awakens, the First Volume in Author’s Fire Circle Mystery Series, Now Available from Hawkshaw Press. Monrovia, CA – May 5, 2025 — Hawkshaw Press (the crime fiction and cozy mystery imprint of Current Words Publishing, LLC) is thrilled to announce the release of A Witch Awakens, the first book in the Fire Circle…
-
Congratulations Virginia Watts!
TRACING BODIES, the new Old Scratch Press Collection by poet and short story author Virginia Watts, is live! In Tracing Bodies, Virginia Watts maps the delicate, aching terrain of memory, love, and loss with unflinching honesty. These poems pulse with the ghosts of the past—childhood shadows, family echoes, and the quiet, enduring presence of the natural…
-
Gently Down the Stream
Do you know what’s current? The new INSTANT NOODLES! Have you read it yet? Here’s a peek at “Early Channels,” by Diana Beckett: And don’t forget that submissions close in a week for the next issue of INSTANT NOODLES! Your work could be featured just like Diana’s! INSTANT NOODLES is always free to read, free…
-
Congratulations Ellis Elliott!
Two fantastic book reviews, and A WITCH AWAKENS by Ellis Elliott is live! “A Witch Awakens is a ‘Fire Circle Mystery’ steeped in an Appalachian backdrop and traditions. It delivers a punch with the hard-hitting story of Cece Chagall, who moves back to her hometown of Eureka Grove in search of peace, only to herself involved…
-
How Does a Literary Magazine Get Made?
One of the questions we’re often asked is, “How does a literary magazine get made?” In the following video, Dianne (publisher of Instant Noodles) addresses this topic, highlighting the important elements that need to be managed with consistency, professionalism, and timeliness in order to produce and publish a quality literary magazine audiences will want to…
-
How to Get the Most Out of Critique Groups: A Guest Post by Virginia Watts
-
Have You Ever Had Your Character Interviewed?
-
Authors Helping Authors
One of the things we know, from experience, is that publishing your book is only one part of the process. Another vital and incredibly time-consuming process is building an audience. It’s possible that Stephen King’s publisher has a list of email addresses of people who buy Stephen King’s books, and so can spam them with…
-
Come Read Your Work Friday Night
I want to invite you all to come out and support PERISCOPE CITY: WHERE THE LONELY GO TO LIVE ALONE with our Valentine’s evening “Love Stinks!” reading and open mic. Join Zoom MeetingMeeting ID: 886 1135 6295Passcode: 090540 Ben’s book is, “A captivating series of short stories, both dramatically and philosophically enthralling.”KIRKUS “Ben Talbot excels…
-
Old Scratch Press Presents:
-
No-no NA-NO-WRI-MO
-
SNEAK PEEK
INSTANT NOODLES, Volume 4, Issue 2, drops tomorrow. Theme: “Devil’s Party,” perfect for fall, includes art and photography, music, spoken word, poetry, and short form fiction and non-fiction, plus a few full-length pieces of fiction we just couldn’t resist! I love creating the issue; it’s always a time-consuming process, but it’s one of the ones…
-
Under the Rhododendrons Takes Second Nationally!
Congratulations to Morgan Golladay whose short story, “Under the Rhododendrons,” published in HALLOWEEN PARTY ’23 took second place in the short story competition nationally for the National Federation of Press Women. Morgan just released her first volume of poetry, THE SONG OF NORTH MOUNTAIN, which she illustrated and which is a National Book Award nominee.…
-
We Missed You Today!
Hi All, Today we celebrated the launch of Gabby Gilliam’s book, NO OCEAN SPIT ME OUT, with a Zoom reading by Gabby, Robert, and Alan. Many of the guests were likely friends and family of the authors, and we deeply appreciate their support as we navigated our first live event since 2020. It was in a…
-
6.15.24 Live (& free) Reading on Zoom for No Ocean Spit Me Out
🌟 Get ready for an unforgettable evening! 🌟 Join us for an electrifying book reading event as the talented Gabby Gilliam unveils her latest masterpiece, No Ocean Spit Me Out! But that’s not all! Friends and fellow literary stars Robert Fleming and Alan Bern will also be captivating us with their powerful readings. 🌟✨ Don’t miss…
-
Towson Here They Come!
I feel so privledged to be able to send two collections off to the Towsend Prize: Gabby Gilliam and No Ocean Spit Me Out, publishing 6/15, and Nadja Maril and Recipes from My Garden, publishing 9/8.I have known both authors for many years now, and their work is always fresh and moving. I think their…
-
Off They Go to Try Their Luck!
-
Free Books Through Friday, Taxpayers!
Did tax day make you feel like you were rear-ended at a traffic light?We recommend putting Charlotte Smart on the case of the Accident. Did you hope for divine intervention?You might find it in the pages of The Holy Ghost and Other Spooky Stories. Did you have trouble telling day from night?Perhaps White Noir can help. Did it seem…