May WPP Newsletter
A call for slush readers
The Editor’s Updates
12 MOW edits continue! The July novella is with the proofreader and I’m currently working on edits for the August and September novellas.
Submissions for High Stakes and Bloody Business continue to roll in. Submissions will only be open for two more months, so if you’re planning on sending a story to us make sure it’s submitted by July 31, 2025!
Slush Readers Wanted!
On the topic of High Stakes and Bloody Business, we’ve received 50 story submissions so far and 37 of those still need to be read and evaluated. I’m expecting a lot more submissions to come in over the next couple months, and the slush pile is already much more than I can tackle on my own. So, I’m opening up an application for volunteer slush pile readers! Slush reader positions are low-key, low time commitment volunteer opportunities that let you read and evaluate manuscripts for publication. You can apply here. If you apply, expect to hear from me in early June!
Deepest Canyon Cover Reveal
Sunny, a scrapper and her father’s daughter till the end, has held a secret in her teeth so long she’s worried her jaw might just snap. She’ll be alright if she can fulfill her father’s dying wish— that is, if she can make it that far.
Shui, yet another bandit out in the Wastes, has lived a kicked-dog life so long he can no longer see beyond the boot. Between an employer who only sees him as fodder and a boss that only sees him as trouble, the boot’s coming down one way or the other.
Xal, a wandering gunslinger, should be dead— but that ain’t nothing new.
It’s a fight for survival down in the derelict depths of an abandoned ‘Fore-Folk lab, between the horrid technology of the past, the pack of bandits pointing guns at Sunny and Xal, and the ghosts haunting the very environment they’re in— and if none of those do them in, the secrets held between them just might.
This is the sixth book in the 12 Months of Whump series. Each month in 2025, look out for a new standalone whumpy book!
Deepest Canyon is part of the Starslinger Tales, a collection of short stories and novellas taking place in a weird west post-apocalyptic setting, hundreds of years after a magical cataclysm destroyed the people who came before. These stories center around the folks who've been surviving since: farmers, mediums, doppelgangers, ghosts. Y'know, regular folk and the dinosaurs they ride, living in the shadows of the ruins the 'Fore Folks left behind.
Each story is written to be self contained, so Deepest Canyon is a great place to start!
Deepest Canyon: A Starslinger Tale, releases on June 3. You can preorder your copy here!
Open Calls for Submissions
2026 Whumpy Books
Word count: at least 7,500. There is no word count maximum.
Submissions for the 2026 publication year must be received by September 30, 2025.
High Stakes and Bloody Business
Theme: Vampires
Word Count: 17,500 max
Deadline: July 31, 2025
Whumpy Reads for May
This month’s whumpy read is Pet by Aiden E. Messer, two-time WPP author. It’s a splatterpunk post-apocalyptic story. Be warned, this one is gory. Like, really really gory. You can grab a copy here.
Thanks for reading to the end! Here’s a picture of a cave crayfish I saw while caving this month! She was trying to get to the nearest puddle and she was so cute. Did you know that crayfish have gills???? Wild.
