New Challenge - 11 Word Story

We really want to challenge you this time. Write us a story, something haunting, creepy, scary, spooky, slithering. But you can only use 11 words. Do not distress! You can do this.

The girl tried to stand, but her leg wasn't there anymore.
Being invisible was the best thing of all, until it wasn't.
While eating the pages, Tex didn't see the 'T' with teeth.


Guidelines

The story must be 11 words in length, no more, no fewer. Not eleventy, not eleventeen, 11 words. ELEVEN!!!

Please send your entries to junipertreelit@gmail.com and put "11 Word Story" in the subject line or else your email will be eaten by the Spamster and never found again.

Deadline for submissions is Saturday, August 20. The winner will be announced on Monday, August 22.

For the name of your document please put your story/artwork name, underscore and your name. Ex: ToesForEating_MarjorieMerle.doc

You can submit your work as a Word document or stick it directly in the email to junipertreelit@gmail.com and please forgive us in advance if we don't write back to you immediately. Tex is fairly anal about reading and viewing everything we get. With your submission please tell us a little bit about yourself and please send us your website if you have one. If you don't have one, get one. They are free, you know.

For the rest of the guidelines and what should not be submitted, go to our Submissions & Guidelines page.

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Get down with the goods on Google+ 

Don't forget to check out our August Issue

Blast from the Past: Rats Edition - TWO DAYS LEFT!

I can hear your pens scratching away. Two days until the deadline. Quickly, poppets, quickly!

In under 500 words, write us a piece inspired by this photo. Your piece can be poetry or a short story as long as it is under 500 words. If you can think of other creative ways to be inspired by this photo, go ahead and surprise us! The winner (or winners) of the challenge will be featured in the September issue!

Deadline for submission: Saturday, August 6. The winners will be announced Monday, August 8.

With your submission please put in the subject line "Blast from the Past - Rats Edition". 

For the name of your document please put your story/artwork name, underscore and your name. Ex: ToesForEating_MarjorieMerle.doc

You can submit your work as a Word document or stick it directly in the email to junipertreelit@gmail.com and please forgive us in advance if we don't write back to you immediately. Tex is fairly anal about reading and viewing everything we get. With your submission please tell us a little bit about yourself and please send us your website if you have one. If you don't have one, get one. They are free, you know.

For the rest of the guidelines and what should not be submitted, go to our Submissions & Guidelines page.

We look forward to your creative mind-doodles!

Be our fiendish friend on Facebook 

Follow our terribly terrific tête-à-tête on Twitter 

Don't forget to check out our July issue

August Issue

Hello everyone! It's been a flurry of activity getting everyone's pieces clothed, brushed, fed and shoved into  our August issue but we did it. Thank you to all the lovely people who put all their sweat and mostly blood into this issue. Thank you again to our Murder of Editors for taking their time to dissect each word. Thanks Tex for restraining of scaring off any contributors with your unappetizing diet.

My pleasure, darling.

Drum roll please!

Drrrrrrrummm roooollllllllllll

The August issue!

Open publication - Free publishing - More dark

UPDATE: To download a PDF of the issue, visit our bookshelf at http://issuu.com/underneaththejunipertree. Open the publication and underneath the issue is an option to download or print the issue. 

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Get down with the goods on Google+ 

A THRILLING Contest in Collaboration with Literary Asylum and Walden Pond Press!

Ahh, my lovely, fleshy, ripe for the taking friends...


Marjorie is taking a nap so I snuck down from the attic to try this blogging thing for myself. Nom Nom! I like it so far!


So you want something exciting? Something more exciting than we've already given you over the past few months? You greedy toe suckers! That's alright. I'm right there with you. So here you go:


Our devilish friend D.M. Cunningham over at Literary Asylum, in cahoots with Walden Pond Press and yours truly, is hosting a thrilling contest to die for!


Here's the low down: In celebration of the upcoming release of Walden Pond Press' Guys Read: THRILLER (Aug 2011), we want YOU to give us your best opening paragraph (or two) of the most thrilling, terrifying, spooky, creepy, and crazy MG/YA story you can muster.

Contest Rules

1) Submit your best work up to two paragraphs. Anything beyond that will not be read and taken out of the running.

2) Send your submissions in the BODY of the email, not attachments (they will not be opened) to the following emails (either or - no need to do both) LiteraryAsylum@hotmail.com OR junipertreelit@gmail.com.

3) Be sure to put THRILLER contest submission in the RE: Line or it may get overlooked.

4) Deadline is OCTOBER 13th (why? because we like that number) at MIDNIGHT

5) Follow our blogs (links above) and join us on Twitter

@WaldenPondPress
@UndertheJuniper
@JuniperTreeLit
@LiteraryAsylum

6) Most of all, have fun and keep the kids in mind. Let's give them stories that will keep them reading late at night!


Prizes? You ask? Greedy...I like it!


The top writer will receive a copy of GR:THRILLER signed by the ambassador of Children's Lit himself Jon Scieszka. And, your paragraph(s) will appear in an upcoming issue of UTJT. 


WAIT, there is more! The winning writer will be interviewed on the Literary Asylum blog to celebrate your thrilling job well done. Now those are some gruesome prizes!


So hop to it. 


Tex? What are you doing on my computer?


Ummm... researching... exploding brains? OOPS GOTTA GO!

Be our fiendish friend on Facebook 

Follow our terribly terrific tête-à-tête on Twitter 

Don't forget to check out our July issue

Blast from the Past: Rats Edition - ONE WEEK LEFT!

You heard right, headless pumpkins, you have only one week to enter your submission for the Blast from the Past: Rats Edition challenge. Haste, friends, haste!

In under 500 words, write us a piece inspired by this photo. Your piece can be poetry or a short story as long as it is under 500 words. If you can think of other creative ways to be inspired by this photo, go ahead and surprise us! The winner (or winners) of the challenge will be featured in the September issue!

Deadline for submission: Saturday, August 6. The winners will be announced Monday, August 8.

With your submission please put in the subject line "Blast from the Past - Rats Edition". 

For the name of your document please put your story/artwork name, underscore and your name. Ex: ToesForEating_MarjorieMerle.doc

You can submit your work as a Word document or stick it directly in the email to junipertreelit@gmail.com and please forgive us in advance if we don't write back to you immediately. Tex is fairly anal about reading and viewing everything we get. With your submission please tell us a little bit about yourself and please send us your website if you have one. If you don't have one, get one. They are free, you know.

For the rest of the guidelines and what should not be submitted, go to our Submissions & Guidelines page.

We look forward to your creative mind-doodles!

Be our fiendish friend on Facebook 

Follow our terribly terrific tête-à-tête on Twitter 

Don't forget to check out our July issue

August Issue Sneak Peek: The Cover

Friends. We are twitching with excitement over here at Underneath The Juniper Tree. Tex hasn't eaten a toe in days, he's so antsy.

It all tastes of bogweed, mind, when something so thrilling is on its way.


I wholeheartedly agree. So far, each monthly issue has surpassed the last. Yes, we've only had two issues, but that just proves my point. The August issue will certainly be a blast of delight. Sound the trumpets, all!

Here is a sneaky peeky at the cover for the August issue illustrated by Ken Lamug. Would you like to illustrate our next cover? Send us some examples of your work to junipertreelit@gmail.com and tell us a little bit about yourself. Don't be shy, Tex only bites what moves.

Keep sending in the general submissions, friends, our September issue is already a quarter full!

Need to something to keep you busy while you await the August issue? Check out our July issue!

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The Choose Your Own Mystery Winner!

It was a fine, fine challenge this week with a great turnout. Tex and I had to scramble our brains to choose only one person whose piece rose above the rest.

Creme de la creme! Blood de la blood!

So the winner of the Choose Your Own Mystery challenge and the next person heading into fame and victory in the August issue is....

Samantha Kymmelle-Harvey!!!! With her piece Because of Brussels Sprouts. Here is a snippet from her extraordinary piece:

“Greedy girl!” said a little wisp of white. It pulled her to the ground, raining scarlet droplets on her face. “You can’t make me share! I’ll eat you next if you try!”


You'll have to come back August 1st to catch the rest.


Thank you all for sending in your creative babies and good luck with the Blast from the Past - Rats Edition. We await your genius at our inbox.

Be our fiendish friend on Facebook 

Follow our terribly terrific tête-à-tête on Twitter 

Don't forget to check out our July issue

New Challenge - Blast from the Past: Rats Edition

Good Saturday, poppets! Today is your deadline for the Choose You Own Mystery challenge. You have until midnight tonight (Pacific time) to get your entries in. Entries that are late will be tossed in the incinerator and made into ornaments.

Now on to bigger and more different similar things!

A shortage of toes!

Quite, poppets, Tex has been rationing his toe snacks. Please donate more toes. 

Yes, the plumpish ones are best.

Now – our New Challenge!

Blast from the Past: Rats Edition

In under 500 words, write us a piece inspired by this photo. Your piece can be poetry or a short story as long as it is under 500 words. If you can think of other creative ways to be inspired by this photo, go ahead and surprise us! The winner (or winners) of the challenge will be featured in the September issue!

Deadline for submissions has changed. We are now giving you TWO WEEKS to submit your piece so they better be good!

Deadline for submission: Saturday, August 6. The winners will be announced Monday, August 8.

With your submission please put in the subject line "Blast from the Past - Rats Edition". 

For the name of your document please put your story/artwork name, underscore and your name. Ex: ToesForEating_MarjorieMerle.doc

You can submit your work as a Word document or stick it directly in the email to junipertreelit@gmail.com and please forgive us in advance if we don't write back to you immediately. Tex is fairly anal about reading and viewing everything we get. With your submission please tell us a little bit about yourself and please send us your website if you have one. If you don't have one, get one. They are free, you know.

For the rest of the guidelines and what should not be submitted, go to our Submissions & Guidelines page.

We look forward to your creative mind-doodles!

And remember that your Time Travel submission deadline is in TWO DAYS!!!!! The winner will be featured in our August issue so let's hear your stories.

Be our fiendish friend on Facebook 

Follow our terribly terrific tête-à-tête on Twitter 

Don't forget to check out our July issue

Deadline Reminder - Choose Your Own Mystery Challenge

Just a friendly reminder for all you writerly artisticals out there:

TWO DAYS LEFT for the Choose Your Own Mystery Challenge!!!!

I get to munch one toe for every day that your submission is late.

That's right. Deadline is Saturday, July 23. Don't be late! Winners will be announced on Monday, July 25. 

Good luck all you deviously daring drumlets. 

Be our fiendish friend on Facebook 

Follow our terribly terrific tête-à-tête on Twitter 

Don't forget to check out our July issue

Choose Your Own Mystery - One Week To Go!

Just a friendly reminder for all you writerly artisticals out there:

ONE WEEK LEFT for the Choose Your Own Mystery Challenge!!!!

I get to munch one toe for every day that your submission is late.

That's right. Deadline is Saturday, July 23. Don't be late! Winners will be announced on Monday, July 25.

Good luck all you deviously daring drumlets.

And come back later today to read Dawn Pisturino's lively limerick The Man From Brazil. You might want to be sitting when you read it.



Don't forget to check out our July issue.

Be one of our Contributors

Being one of our contributors is hard work. Having to write scary stories until they cry,

eating toes to keep invigorated,

running into dark forests to find the fantastically ferocious creatures that inspire their stories; it's really something to be in awe about.

Do you think you could do what our contributors do? Why don't you give it a shot: we are accepting general submissions of short stories (2000 word maximum), poetry, limericks, doodles, drawings, paintings, ghost rants, robot rhymes,

severed toes,

(please send those to Tex only) and any sort of rambunctious and stupendous stanza you might have secretly stowed away in that brain of yours.

Tell your friends. Your neighbors. Deceased ancestors.

Don't forget to check out our July issue

Beware Sleeping Kittens - Cheryl Coville

Innocent kittens

Asleep in their cots

Helpless and harmless

How peaceful their thoughts.

But from the depths of

Their slumber, they dream

Murderous scenes filled

With ear-piercing screams.

Visions of slaughter

Of blood and of gore

Torment and terror.

Ferocious! They roar!

They hunger for prey

They catch on the sly.

Crunchy bird dinners

Snatched down from the sky.

They pounce on goldfish

And throw up the bones.

Then tease the dog who’s

Tied up at his home.

Animal ambush.

Mousey mass murder.

Kings of the jungle

Stalk the intruder.

They snarl and they slash.

They flash their fierce fangs.

Merciless mayhem

Is all that remains.

Such are the dreams of

The average kitten.

Better not wake him

Lest you get bitten.

Beware Sleeping Kittens

Written and illustrated by Cheryl Coville 

To see more of this calibre or macabre, check out our July Issue.
Would you like to see your limerick or poem up on Sunday Poetry? Email it to us at junipertreelit@gmail.com and put "Sunday Poetry" in the subject line.