The 'Crazy' Lives!

A long time ago, I played a college prank on my boyfriend (can't remember if we were at the pre-, current, or ex- stage at that time--doesn't really matter as we've stayed on good terms). I and a friend created hundreds of tiny slips of paper with 'crazy' written on them, and then we hid them all over his room. Every visible surface and most hidden ones. In the most obscure places we could find--under the insoles of his shoes, inside the battery casing of his electronics, inside his books.... It took us a couple of hours, if I recall correctly, but it was a whole lot of fun.

Today, beths_stanley reported: "On Wednesday, November 1, 2006, one Christopher "Loungeboy" Kenyon investigated a strange bulge in a Principia book he hadn't looked at since freshman year...

...and found a 'crazy'.

8 years and counting."

I win. I don't know what I win, but I win!

Photograph: Birth of Bees

( Strangely beautiful photo of dead thing. But, um, dead thing! Messily dead thing. )

Spec the Halls Contest

Spec the Halls is a contest for speculative winter holiday-themed fiction, artwork, and poetry. The holiday may be fictional or real; it may be Christmas as we know and love it, or it may be something much stranger.

What do I mean by speculative? I mean science fiction, fantasy, or even horror, of traditional and modern varieties. Mixed genres or slipstream is okay. Horror must be of the supernatural, dark science fiction, or dark fantasy variety. However, although I am including horror, I am not accepting relentlessly downbeat submissions. This is a celebration of the holiday season, so I have a couple of caveats. There must be at least one sympathetic character (for fiction and poetry), and there must be at least a glimmer of hope at the end.

Basics:
* Contest runs from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
* No entry fee.
* The prizes are $25 for fiction, $15 for artwork, and $5 for poetry.
* Reprints are warmly welcomed.

Full submission guidelines can be found here.

I hope that some of you decide to send in a submission! I was also wondering if anybody could suggest good market listings for artists.