TomMLittle
@tommlittle.bsky.social
Writer based in Alabama. Mostly fact, sometimes fiction.
Reposted by TomMLittle
We just need a few more subscribers and we'll be able to raise our fiction payment rates in the new year. Help us out. We're so close!
Get more from Bourbon Penn on Patreon
creating a Weird Literary Journal
patreon.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:50 PM
We just need a few more subscribers and we'll be able to raise our fiction payment rates in the new year. Help us out. We're so close!
Reposted by TomMLittle
New anthology call: Screams and Wails 🎶🩸
Seeking original horror short stories with music at their still-beating heart. Think cursed instruments, haunted studios, or songs that drive listeners mad.
💰 1p/word (max £50)
🕛 Jan 1–Feb 28, 2026
📖 horrortree.com/taking-submi...
#HorrorCommunity #OpenCall
Seeking original horror short stories with music at their still-beating heart. Think cursed instruments, haunted studios, or songs that drive listeners mad.
💰 1p/word (max £50)
🕛 Jan 1–Feb 28, 2026
📖 horrortree.com/taking-submi...
#HorrorCommunity #OpenCall
November 21, 2025 at 8:30 PM
New anthology call: Screams and Wails 🎶🩸
Seeking original horror short stories with music at their still-beating heart. Think cursed instruments, haunted studios, or songs that drive listeners mad.
💰 1p/word (max £50)
🕛 Jan 1–Feb 28, 2026
📖 horrortree.com/taking-submi...
#HorrorCommunity #OpenCall
Seeking original horror short stories with music at their still-beating heart. Think cursed instruments, haunted studios, or songs that drive listeners mad.
💰 1p/word (max £50)
🕛 Jan 1–Feb 28, 2026
📖 horrortree.com/taking-submi...
#HorrorCommunity #OpenCall
Reposted by TomMLittle
SUBS OPEN FOR 2 MORE DAYS! Send us a story that details life at the bottom or at the margins of human society. Make it sad. Make it dark. Make it the tiniest bit hopeful. More info here: bit.ly/4onmEBw
November 20, 2025 at 5:04 PM
SUBS OPEN FOR 2 MORE DAYS! Send us a story that details life at the bottom or at the margins of human society. Make it sad. Make it dark. Make it the tiniest bit hopeful. More info here: bit.ly/4onmEBw
I have a scattershot of stories on submission right now, and I hope to have fresh publications to hype in the new year.
But if we're talking about men and masculinity, I'll share my serial, "Don't Look At Me," on @horrortree.com
horrortree.com/serial-satur...
#HorrorWritersChat
But if we're talking about men and masculinity, I'll share my serial, "Don't Look At Me," on @horrortree.com
horrortree.com/serial-satur...
#HorrorWritersChat
Here we go #HorrorWritersChat!
Please, promo your stuff. Shout loud about what you've got on the boil. Tell us about your latest release.
However, please also: repost mutuals and those here tonight.
And if you could, repost some of Matt's books, who founded this chat and nursed it from its infancy.
Please, promo your stuff. Shout loud about what you've got on the boil. Tell us about your latest release.
However, please also: repost mutuals and those here tonight.
And if you could, repost some of Matt's books, who founded this chat and nursed it from its infancy.
November 19, 2025 at 9:25 PM
I have a scattershot of stories on submission right now, and I hope to have fresh publications to hype in the new year.
But if we're talking about men and masculinity, I'll share my serial, "Don't Look At Me," on @horrortree.com
horrortree.com/serial-satur...
#HorrorWritersChat
But if we're talking about men and masculinity, I'll share my serial, "Don't Look At Me," on @horrortree.com
horrortree.com/serial-satur...
#HorrorWritersChat
Sometimes, it's the fear of losing the mask itself, not being who they aspire to be.
Insecurity is a powerful thing for a psychological horror villain to exploit.
#HorrorWritersChat
Insecurity is a powerful thing for a psychological horror villain to exploit.
#HorrorWritersChat
Q4 is up. Ten minutes to outro and the promo: I am still working my way through. You're all wonderful busy bees today and I adore you!
This one is a little easier. No archetypes!
#HorrorWritersChat
This one is a little easier. No archetypes!
#HorrorWritersChat
November 19, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Sometimes, it's the fear of losing the mask itself, not being who they aspire to be.
Insecurity is a powerful thing for a psychological horror villain to exploit.
#HorrorWritersChat
Insecurity is a powerful thing for a psychological horror villain to exploit.
#HorrorWritersChat
It all varies.
In one story, I have counterparts: an older detective and a rookie cop, a young man and his teenage friend. The expectations they have for each other are all defined by hierarchy and what it means to be tough.
#HorrorWritersChat
In one story, I have counterparts: an older detective and a rookie cop, a young man and his teenage friend. The expectations they have for each other are all defined by hierarchy and what it means to be tough.
#HorrorWritersChat
Q3. I'm doing what I can to answer everyone, and repost, so bear with me. So I don't keep you waiting, I'll throw out 3. Interpret this one how you like. I know many queer folks like me do not align masculinity with man shaped. And with horror, we love to subvert our tales.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
November 19, 2025 at 8:28 PM
It all varies.
In one story, I have counterparts: an older detective and a rookie cop, a young man and his teenage friend. The expectations they have for each other are all defined by hierarchy and what it means to be tough.
#HorrorWritersChat
In one story, I have counterparts: an older detective and a rookie cop, a young man and his teenage friend. The expectations they have for each other are all defined by hierarchy and what it means to be tough.
#HorrorWritersChat
The "might makes right" tough guy is fun to work with. They're usually not the main character, but their attitude gives themselves and everyone around plenty to struggle with.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Well then, #HorrorWritersChat. What's an archetype anyway? I jest. We're all writers here... after alllllllll....
November 19, 2025 at 8:14 PM
The "might makes right" tough guy is fun to work with. They're usually not the main character, but their attitude gives themselves and everyone around plenty to struggle with.
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
Tom here! I write horror with a little dabbling in noir.
I don't think I assign a single consistent quality to all my male characters, but often, towing the line or trying to play up super-masculine traits doesn't do them much good.
#HorrorWritersChat
I don't think I assign a single consistent quality to all my male characters, but often, towing the line or trying to play up super-masculine traits doesn't do them much good.
#HorrorWritersChat
Here we go, #HorrorWritersChat!
Q1 has arrived. It's international men's day today, and I thought actually that's a good topic. Not the easiest one to build questions around, either. So if I do not hit the mark I am sure you will forgive me.
As usual, no links, no pitches, not till the end.
Q1 has arrived. It's international men's day today, and I thought actually that's a good topic. Not the easiest one to build questions around, either. So if I do not hit the mark I am sure you will forgive me.
As usual, no links, no pitches, not till the end.
November 19, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Tom here! I write horror with a little dabbling in noir.
I don't think I assign a single consistent quality to all my male characters, but often, towing the line or trying to play up super-masculine traits doesn't do them much good.
#HorrorWritersChat
I don't think I assign a single consistent quality to all my male characters, but often, towing the line or trying to play up super-masculine traits doesn't do them much good.
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by TomMLittle
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 5:26 PM
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
Reposted by TomMLittle
The Apex Book Company submission window is now open! 📚✍️
We're looking for surreal stories with unknowable horror, lush prose, and unique POVs. Please email your cover letter and manuscript to apexbooksubmissions@gmail.com.
Full submission details: www.apexbookcompany.com/pages/submis...
We're looking for surreal stories with unknowable horror, lush prose, and unique POVs. Please email your cover letter and manuscript to apexbooksubmissions@gmail.com.
Full submission details: www.apexbookcompany.com/pages/submis...
Submissions
2025 has been a standout year in terms of the amazing projects we've been able to publish at Apex Book Company. We've had the pleasure of giving homes to titles such as ChloroPhilia, The Map of Lost P...
www.apexbookcompany.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The Apex Book Company submission window is now open! 📚✍️
We're looking for surreal stories with unknowable horror, lush prose, and unique POVs. Please email your cover letter and manuscript to apexbooksubmissions@gmail.com.
Full submission details: www.apexbookcompany.com/pages/submis...
We're looking for surreal stories with unknowable horror, lush prose, and unique POVs. Please email your cover letter and manuscript to apexbooksubmissions@gmail.com.
Full submission details: www.apexbookcompany.com/pages/submis...
Reposted by TomMLittle
SUBS OPEN NOW! For December, the office holiday party is the setting for stories we're seeking. What happens when you’re forced into a social setting with a bunch of people you would never willingly socialize with except for a paycheck? Subs open from Nov 1-4: bit.ly/4fQLeGx
November 2, 2025 at 8:19 PM
SUBS OPEN NOW! For December, the office holiday party is the setting for stories we're seeking. What happens when you’re forced into a social setting with a bunch of people you would never willingly socialize with except for a paycheck? Subs open from Nov 1-4: bit.ly/4fQLeGx
Reposted by TomMLittle
For the San Antonio Current, I recruited 13 local & local-ish writers to come up with 100-word flash fiction pieces. Enjoy!
www.sacurrent.com/arts/literat...
www.sacurrent.com/arts/literat...
100-word nightmares from 13 Texas horror authors
Thirteen San Antonio- and Austin-area writers conjured up bite-sized bits of horror for your Halloween enjoyment.
www.sacurrent.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:32 PM
For the San Antonio Current, I recruited 13 local & local-ish writers to come up with 100-word flash fiction pieces. Enjoy!
www.sacurrent.com/arts/literat...
www.sacurrent.com/arts/literat...
I'm Tom, and my horror usually has a supernatural element, but not always.
As much as I'd love a cozy study with natural light and a crackling fireplace, I'd probably still get out and go to a coffee shop.
#HorrorWritersChat
As much as I'd love a cozy study with natural light and a crackling fireplace, I'd probably still get out and go to a coffee shop.
#HorrorWritersChat
QUESTION ONE - #HorrorWritersChat
Behind this door is your ideal writing room. 🚪
If money were no object and dreams were reality, this is where you’d write, relax, and conceive of your next great work.
Introduce yourself along with your horror niche, then open the door and describe your space.
Behind this door is your ideal writing room. 🚪
If money were no object and dreams were reality, this is where you’d write, relax, and conceive of your next great work.
Introduce yourself along with your horror niche, then open the door and describe your space.
October 22, 2025 at 7:53 PM
I'm Tom, and my horror usually has a supernatural element, but not always.
As much as I'd love a cozy study with natural light and a crackling fireplace, I'd probably still get out and go to a coffee shop.
#HorrorWritersChat
As much as I'd love a cozy study with natural light and a crackling fireplace, I'd probably still get out and go to a coffee shop.
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by TomMLittle
Ghost turnip, Fintown, County Donegal, Ireland, c. 1900 (replica), National Museum of Ireland
October 15, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Ghost turnip, Fintown, County Donegal, Ireland, c. 1900 (replica), National Museum of Ireland
Reposted by TomMLittle
I prefer the spirits of the folkloric variety because you can learn so much history from them.
Fun fact: a ghost in Iceland is typically a draugr or afturganga, meaning walking again. They're more of the zombie variety but still have their minds intact and often seek revenge.
#HorrorWritersChat
Fun fact: a ghost in Iceland is typically a draugr or afturganga, meaning walking again. They're more of the zombie variety but still have their minds intact and often seek revenge.
#HorrorWritersChat
Listen to the Symposium’s finest vocalist, as their tenor bends the living into unnatural angles and swivels them into the air! Tell us, what ghosts do you prefer? Of the folkloric tradition, or those invented by authors? And why?
#HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat
October 8, 2025 at 6:45 PM
I prefer the spirits of the folkloric variety because you can learn so much history from them.
Fun fact: a ghost in Iceland is typically a draugr or afturganga, meaning walking again. They're more of the zombie variety but still have their minds intact and often seek revenge.
#HorrorWritersChat
Fun fact: a ghost in Iceland is typically a draugr or afturganga, meaning walking again. They're more of the zombie variety but still have their minds intact and often seek revenge.
#HorrorWritersChat
Reposted by TomMLittle
If you're in the #BHM — that's Birmingham, Ala-damn-bama — area on October 19, I'll be reading some of my short fiction and talking about what inspires me in this city. Come see me at the Hoover Public Library! Event is free and open to the public. :-)
October 2, 2025 at 4:46 PM
If you're in the #BHM — that's Birmingham, Ala-damn-bama — area on October 19, I'll be reading some of my short fiction and talking about what inspires me in this city. Come see me at the Hoover Public Library! Event is free and open to the public. :-)
Reposted by TomMLittle
Are you a believer? This month we are having a special submission window for DAYDREAM BELIEVER: Crime Stories Inspired by the Music of The Monkees edited by @writelarrywrite.lawrenceallanwrites.com and @michellekubitz.bsky.social.
shotgunhoney.com/submissions/...
shotgunhoney.com/submissions/...
Daydream Believer Anthology
Submissions / Daydream believer Days Hours Minutes DAYDREAM BELIEVER Stories Inspired by the Songs of the Monkees DAYDREAM BELIEVER —an anthology of crime fiction short stories inspired by the song…
shotgunhoney.com
October 1, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Are you a believer? This month we are having a special submission window for DAYDREAM BELIEVER: Crime Stories Inspired by the Music of The Monkees edited by @writelarrywrite.lawrenceallanwrites.com and @michellekubitz.bsky.social.
shotgunhoney.com/submissions/...
shotgunhoney.com/submissions/...
Reposted by TomMLittle
a must-read essay on publishing. I'll add: after my book sold, my editor left, and the new editor was out on leave in the months around publication, so it just got lost in the shuffle, despite being longlisted for The Story Prize. I often wonder what might have been had circumstances been different
I spent the summer reporting this essay on why it seems harder than ever to sell a book right now—especially if it isn't a debut and comes with the dreaded "sales track." I'm grateful to the writers, agents, editors, publishers & experts who spoke to me for this piece: thewalrus.ca/the-publishi...
The Publishing Industry Has a Gambling Problem | The Walrus
Companies keep betting on the next bestseller. Literature is poorer for it
thewalrus.ca
September 26, 2025 at 6:31 PM
a must-read essay on publishing. I'll add: after my book sold, my editor left, and the new editor was out on leave in the months around publication, so it just got lost in the shuffle, despite being longlisted for The Story Prize. I often wonder what might have been had circumstances been different
Reposted by TomMLittle
WAR IS HELL. For November, give us noir directly from the war zone, however you define that. War is inherently bleak, but we want character-driven turmoil. Remind us why war is hell. Subs open from Oct 1-4: bit.ly/4fQLeGx
September 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM
WAR IS HELL. For November, give us noir directly from the war zone, however you define that. War is inherently bleak, but we want character-driven turmoil. Remind us why war is hell. Subs open from Oct 1-4: bit.ly/4fQLeGx
Reposted by TomMLittle
Legendary writer Robert B. Parker wrote an episode of a TV series for Burt Reynolds starring Ricardo Montalban as a James Bond-style villain?
It's true. I wrote about it and other TV works by Parker and Elmore Leonard for @crimereads.bsky.social
crimereads.com/elmore-leona...
It's true. I wrote about it and other TV works by Parker and Elmore Leonard for @crimereads.bsky.social
crimereads.com/elmore-leona...
Elmore Leonard and Robert B. Parker’s Crime TV Legacies
Two grand masters of crime fiction, Elmore Leonard and Robert B. Parker, will never be remembered for their television writing – not when there’s so much great fiction between covers from the two o…
crimereads.com
September 25, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Legendary writer Robert B. Parker wrote an episode of a TV series for Burt Reynolds starring Ricardo Montalban as a James Bond-style villain?
It's true. I wrote about it and other TV works by Parker and Elmore Leonard for @crimereads.bsky.social
crimereads.com/elmore-leona...
It's true. I wrote about it and other TV works by Parker and Elmore Leonard for @crimereads.bsky.social
crimereads.com/elmore-leona...
Reposted by TomMLittle
It’s #FridayReads time and Hispanic/Latine Heritage month! Let’s boost all signals. This month is great, but I write with an accent every month. Here’s a (45% off!) novel full of sazón and magic, waves and monsters, storms and revenge, crime and friendship.
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316...
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316...
September 26, 2025 at 1:32 PM
It’s #FridayReads time and Hispanic/Latine Heritage month! Let’s boost all signals. This month is great, but I write with an accent every month. Here’s a (45% off!) novel full of sazón and magic, waves and monsters, storms and revenge, crime and friendship.
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316...
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316...
It's F. Scott Fitzgerald's birthday. Reading Gatsby in high school was a serious "fall in love with literature" moment for me, and I've gotten something fresh out of it any time I go back to it. Earlier, I visited the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, which inspired bits of the book.
September 24, 2025 at 2:33 PM
It's F. Scott Fitzgerald's birthday. Reading Gatsby in high school was a serious "fall in love with literature" moment for me, and I've gotten something fresh out of it any time I go back to it. Earlier, I visited the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, which inspired bits of the book.
Reposted by TomMLittle
NEW ANTHOLOGY CALL!
After our upcoming Terry Allen incited anthology we were gonna cool it for a bit on our music-incited anthologies because we have a lot on our publishing plate here.
But eff it. Right now the world needs all the inspiration from Woody Guthrie it can get.
After our upcoming Terry Allen incited anthology we were gonna cool it for a bit on our music-incited anthologies because we have a lot on our publishing plate here.
But eff it. Right now the world needs all the inspiration from Woody Guthrie it can get.
September 23, 2025 at 1:46 PM
NEW ANTHOLOGY CALL!
After our upcoming Terry Allen incited anthology we were gonna cool it for a bit on our music-incited anthologies because we have a lot on our publishing plate here.
But eff it. Right now the world needs all the inspiration from Woody Guthrie it can get.
After our upcoming Terry Allen incited anthology we were gonna cool it for a bit on our music-incited anthologies because we have a lot on our publishing plate here.
But eff it. Right now the world needs all the inspiration from Woody Guthrie it can get.
Reposted by TomMLittle
Hey writers! Here's a #submissionopportunity!
Daydream Believer: Crime stories inspired by the music of The Monkees. Submissions open Oct 1st go to
shotgunhoney.com/submissions/... for more information!
@michellekubitz.bsky.social and I are editing!
#writing #crimewriters #mysterytwriters
Daydream Believer: Crime stories inspired by the music of The Monkees. Submissions open Oct 1st go to
shotgunhoney.com/submissions/... for more information!
@michellekubitz.bsky.social and I are editing!
#writing #crimewriters #mysterytwriters
September 23, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Hey writers! Here's a #submissionopportunity!
Daydream Believer: Crime stories inspired by the music of The Monkees. Submissions open Oct 1st go to
shotgunhoney.com/submissions/... for more information!
@michellekubitz.bsky.social and I are editing!
#writing #crimewriters #mysterytwriters
Daydream Believer: Crime stories inspired by the music of The Monkees. Submissions open Oct 1st go to
shotgunhoney.com/submissions/... for more information!
@michellekubitz.bsky.social and I are editing!
#writing #crimewriters #mysterytwriters
Recently enjoyed "Black Gold" by @emkerkman.bsky.social in @apexmag.bsky.social:
www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
September 22, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Recently enjoyed "Black Gold" by @emkerkman.bsky.social in @apexmag.bsky.social:
www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...