Y’ALL!!! My Mother’s Love is on the Nommo Awards Shortlist!! It was first published in
@hexagonmagazine
and was reprinted in African Ghost Short Stories Anthology by
@flametreepress
. Thank you to everyone who liked, reviewed and supported my work. Thank you!!🥹❤️.
Short Story (Pt 2):
• Loom by Solomon Uhiara
• My Mother's Love by Naomi Eselojor
• Osimiri, Chinaza Eziaghighala
• The Way of Baa'gh by Cheryl S. Ntumy
#nommoawards
#nommos
#nommos2024
Contract signed 🥳🥳. I'm thrilled to have my debut horror short forthcoming at
@dark_matter_mag
. Can't wait for y'all to read it!! P.S- this is also my first pro sale🥺🥰.
1. Short stories can actually pave the way for your career. I used to be so into writing my debut novel until I decided to focus on shorts.
2. Sometimes, schedules change and instead of getting published in six months, you could wait as much as two years from acceptance to pub.
Sometimes you don't need a mentor, you need a writing community. Find those who share similar goals and passions and latch on to them. Do not always think it's the award winners that can provide valuable insight. Treat every writer with respect!
I was reading through a Submission guideline and I saw 'We Only Pay Through Paypal'. That was a major turn off for me. It's not just me but for many black writers out there, living in regions that don't support PayPal. I've done this once, though, I got published by a story that
One of my goals for 2023 is to write 40 short stories before the year ends. To achieve this, I'll have to write three stories per month. This month, I've written two already😁.
2/40
Got my first ever pro sale.
Got my first and second reprint acceptance.
Got into a Year's Best Anthology.
Got shortlisted for Utopian awards.
Won the Utopian Awards for short fiction.
Got two solicitations
Attended a literary festival and met amazing people.
Wrote a thing 🤭
My Pushcart nominated story, which was selected as a Must-Read Speculative Fiction story by in September, 2022 (This will forever be a flex😁).
MY MOTHER'S LOVE, initially published at
@hexagonmagazine
will appear in this anthology!!! The TOC is crazy!🔥
Contract signed! Neyllo, my Utopian nominated story will be appearing in the Year's Best Utopian Science Fiction Anthology 2022
@press_android
. I'm ecstatic. It's my first feature in a Year's best anthology and my third print publication this year. 💃🤩
I almost didn't want to do this. But I remember hoping that one day I'd be eligible for the astounding award for best writer. So, I guess I'm doing this for that Naomi. Links to the stories are in my linktree.
So excited to announce that my Nigerian fantasy story 'My mother's love' will be published later this year by
@hexagonmagazine
.
P.S- I love this story so much 🥺.
I got an acceptance for a year's best anthology. I had four published stories last year. One of them was nominated for Pushcart, another one was nominated for the Caine prize and the last of them was nominated for the Utopian awards. You can vote for it in the link below.
Vague acceptance tweet🥺. I'd already deleted this submission on the grinder thinking it was an automatic rejection. Until I got this mail. More details soon😁🎉💃
I'm beginning to think I might not write anything new this month. I have severe writer's block. But on the bright side, I've written five short stories this year including a novelette🥺. So I probably shouldn't push myself. But again, these anthologies are calling my name😭😭
For my awards eligibility post, please consider my story- My mother's love, published
@hexagonmagazine
. I've had three stories published this year but this one is the nearest and dearest to my heart.
~for Utopian Short Story~
(1/2)
NEYLLO
Naomi Eselojor (Omenana)
SHE DREAMS OF MOONS AND MOONS
Marisca Pichette (Strange Horizons)
LIKE STARS DARING TO SHINE
Somto Ihezue (Fireside)
#UtopiaAwards
I'm ten followers away from one thousand followers. Thank you, guys! 🥹♥️🙏. Also, if you love books, writing and are a creative. Follow me and I'll follow back. Bonus points if you write spec fic🤭
That I had to shelf the novel I was so passionate about. That I would get nominated for pushcart and Ako Caine prize for two debut short stories(my first fantasy and literary fiction). That I'm actually not bad at all at worldbuilding and that I actually met writers who I've
My latest story is live! Click the link below to read 'The Black Bird' by yours truly. A story inspired by African (Yoruba) folklores, bad omens and inheriting unwanted *traumas*. I'd really love to hear your thoughts on this one.
3. Write more African stories, write more about people like you. I'm usually surprised at how much people resonate with my work.
4. Waiting for responses can be emotionally exhausting. Some rejections would rip your heart into pieces. Some acceptances would make you cry.
I got a Pushcart nomination for a story I've been trying to sell for two years. I became an active member of
@sfwa
, and had one of my stories spotlighted at
@TorDotComPub
. I sold four stories this year and I finally became active on twitter from January 2022.
5. I wish I'd joined twitter earlier.
6. Don't give up trying to land that pro sale. Don't give up on your dream market. Even if it takes years to break into, don't stop.
7. Beta readers are your friends. Submit more to places that offer feedback. Do more of simultaneous subs.
I will worry less and take more breaks. I will celebrate my little wins and work on growing my craft. I will be kinder, more sensitive and more daring. I will live to the fullest and I will thrive. So help me, God. Amen.
Drumroll please 🥁🥁
Finally, finally, here is the Cover Reveal for issue one of Akéwì Magazine, which drops on the 15th of October, 2023.
Cover photo is by
@princearkman
Yes, it is what we want to read and write. Many of Nigeria's problems are told through speculative fiction too. There is no one way to do these things. It also helps us imagine a future in which things are actually working and we aren't dependent on the west. 🥰
This fascination many Nigerian writers have for speculative fiction: Is it truly what they want to write and read? Or is it semi-dictated from the West? Has the latter quietly informed the former?
Nigeria is kicking our ass but you are writing about malformed aliens in Onitsha.
Sometimes, I don't just get twitter. Someone just brings something up out of the blue and just annoys people. And they go viral for it. I really wish my feed was full of books and only books. I just can't take it anymore.
Read SHIGIDI by
@WTalabi
I had a swell time again. Plus Wole signed two extra pages of Shigidi and agreed to take multiple pictures with me. 😍😍😍
He said in a few years he'd be the one waiting to get my book. Those words made my day. Thank you!!
I'm so excited to share this with you♥️♥️♥️. The first grid is a picture of my main character and as you can see, it's a gorgeous representation of the 'SEVENTY YEAR OLD CORPSE HARVESTER' You can still grab your copy at
@dark_matter_mag
using the link
I had once written a story with multiple POVs. After many rejections, I deemed it unsellable. But now, I'm reading a short story that is like mine and I'm thinking: Did I give up on my story so easily?
8. There's a type of heartache you experience when magazines fold up so support as many as you can.
9. It's okay to take breaks. It's okay to take years to figure things out. When your time comes, it'll all be worth it. Just be consistent.
10. You don't have to have a hundred 1
My literary fiction debut is out! 🥺♥️This story means so much to me. Special thanks to the editors
@Lolwe
for making this piece the best it could be. ♥️♥️♥️Dive in and tell me what you think.
I just submitted to
@PodCastle_org
Better late than never, I suppose. I still can't believe I got this story ready on time. It was such a hassle. But it was all worth it.🙂🙂🙂
My story- Neyllo is in this special issue of Omenana. I wrote, got it critiqued and rewrote it in less than a week because I was desperate to meet up with the deadline. I'm so happy it got picked.
When I first started out, I used to think Nigerian spec fic writers aren't much. But they're everywhere. Nearly every issue, every anthology, there's at least one Nigerian.
Check out: Tobi Ogundiran, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Wole Talabi, Nnedi Okorafor, Chikodili Emelumadu,
My debut horror story- 'The Seventy-year-old Corpse Harvester' is out today
@dark_matter_mag
. It's a bit difficult for me to explain the plot but if you love Cryonics or don't, second person POV or seventy-year-old billionaire doctors, then this story is for you😌🙂
Issue 014 drops in just a few hours (5 p.m. CST). Get ready for 10 original stories, 1 reprint, 3 author interviews & 2 art features. Print copies sold out, but digital versions will be available here: *
*Become a Dark Matter Member to get free downloads!
Mehnn💔. Dark Matter Magazine published my first horror story. They were also my first pro sale too. I remember being so excited when I saw the artwork of my story. The quality, the intricacy was everything 🥺♥️. I'm so honoured to have my work here.
This isn't the end, just the next evolution. Read the following letter from Dark Matter's EIC to learn why Issue 018 (Nov.-Dec. 2023) of Dark Matter will be the publication's last and what readers can expect for 2024 and beyond.
Compensation? To all the magazines and publishers out there, you can't say you want to amplify BIPOC voices and only pay through PayPal. PayPal is safe for people who mostly live in North America, maybe Europe(I'm not sure) but not us. Even if it's to split the cost of transfer,
Naomi, what will you be writing in 2024? ✨
When I get to the bridge, I'll cross it. Most of the things I planned for didn't happen. But this year turned out great. I'll just wait and see what wonders await me.
Please consider, 'My Mother's Love' published at
@hexagonmagazine
for Nebula. It warms my heart to always promote this story♥️ whether or not it makes it to the longlist. I've always been one to enjoy the process and celebrate my little wins. I'll forever be proud of this piece.
For my awards eligibility post, please consider my story- My mother's love, published
@hexagonmagazine
. I've had three stories published this year but this one is the nearest and dearest to my heart.
A gentle reminder that I'm a nominee for the Utopian awards in the short story category.
Please click the link to vote for my story- Neyllo by Naomi Eselojor pubbed at
@OmenanaMag
☺️
Also consider The art of Neyllo by Jema. ♥️♥️
This might probably be a long shot. But please nominate my only utopian story for the Utopian awards. This story was published
@OmenanaMag
, issue 22 on the 3rd of July, 2022. 🥰♥️🙏.
It's much better than just PayPal. I usually don't rant on twitter but today, it hit me. I've had to pass many open calls because they only pay through PayPal. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. I really wish things get better with time. Much love♥️. Naomi
I went out with my afro hair today and everyone was staring😍. I transitioned from relaxed to virgin hair in 2022 and I've loved it ever since. I'm also so excited that my hair is growing! ☺️
I tend to have MCs who aren't as active as they should be.
My endings almost always need to be revised a couple of times.
Sometimes I focus more on worldbuilding than emotional depth. Sometimes, it's the other way around.
Lately, I've been thinking deeply about my life and why I do what I do. Why I write the stories I write and why I am the way I am. It's amazing how you constantly need to figure yourself out. And then you evolve and figure yourself out again. Does it ever end?
Only payed through PayPal. And up until today, I haven't been able to withdraw the cash. I wasn't bothered actually. It wasn't a lot of money and the ecstacy of publishing a story was more than enough for me. But then, what if I needed the money? What if I needed that
I just submitted my ballot for Nebula nominations. It feels so exciting to vote for the first time.☺️ Please consider my story. 'My mother's love' published
@hexagonmagazine
. For more info, view the thread below😁🥰
For my awards eligibility post, please consider my story- My mother's love, published
@hexagonmagazine
. I've had three stories published this year but this one is the nearest and dearest to my heart.
I recently finished this book and I am completely blown away♥️. I have no words. I'm just grateful to have come across this book and to have gotten a signed copy by the author
@AyaRoots
.
If you've not read it, get it! It's an immersive, evocative story of love, loss and...
Forget pay now, has a lit mag ever edited your work so well you felt it grow in your hands? That feeling is matchless. You go back again to reading the work and noting how it could never have thrived so elsewhere. Editing is a major gift lit mags must be praised specially for.
Just saw a question on Quora.
"Do all Nigerians live in huts?"
I was shocked by the question and began to wonder what people think of us. That we live in huts and take a dip at the stream?
I always thought I couldn't write literary fiction, that it wasn't my genre. But this is a major confidence boost. This story is so beautiful, it captures the pureness and innocence of a child. The character has now become so real to me. Which is so sweet.🥰❤️
Today's the publication day for THINGS IMPROBABLE, edited by
@AtlinMerrick
and published at
@so_improbable
. This anthology contains my urban fantasy story- Krest, about a teenage girl who discovers something creepy in the woods. This is my first print publication and....