Where do I send it?

[Patricia Abbott]

Any recommendations for where to send a short story that is a combo of crime/humor/ghost/lit? I am flummoxed. Thanks.

[Patricia Abbott]

I do both.

[Kevin Wignall]

I know a lot of people consider it a conservative market, but try Ellery Queen's. I've always found them remarkably open-minded about what constitutes a"mystery". The only downside is they don't like bad language or excessive sex or violence (having said that, they published a story of mine that included someone being stabbed in the eye with a breakfast knife, so...)

[Patricia Abbott]

Plot Summary-Wow this is difficult in a short story without telling it all. A timid docent, bullied all her life by her husband, then her employers, and finally the ghost of the famous author whose house she works in, has a deadly confrontation with a professor who wants her to spill the beans about the author's sexuality. The ghost will not allow it and bad things ensue. It's a gentle, humorous (I hope) story. Maybe I will try Ellery Queen, but they always seemed to like very conventional stories. In some ways this is, but there is the blasted ghost thing. Well two of them actually.
Luckily there is no sex and very little violence. Just a discussion of queer theory that might put them off.

[Patricia Abbott]

I've been down the literary pub route and still publish in them occasionally. Have one coming out in Bayou Magazine soon. But really who reads them other than the writers in them and the lit students at that college.
Glimmer Train, a great publication, gets over 1000 subs a month, for instance, and is mostly contest-oriented.
I guess this story is probably falling too much into that genre and that's why the suggestions are for that sort of pub. Back to the drawing board to make it less literary. Let's pretend I didn't say the words literary or queer theory. How about humor, ghosts and crime? Is there a pub that's sort of like that. I have been looking on that excellent site "Duotrope" but you can't mix and match.

[Patricia Abbott]

Thanks. Nice of you to take the time to respond.

[Patricia Abbott]

Less literary meaning more into the crime aspect of the story and less into an exploration of the docent's character and circumstance. It is a short story and probably I can't do both well. This is what comes from taking a story originally written for a literary publication and turning it into a crime story.
Impossible to explain what I mean very well without your reading the story. If and when I find an outlet, I will put the site on my website so you can see if it turns out. Thanks again for the help!!

[Christa M. Miller]

How about Mysterical-E?
http://www.mystericale.com/

[Patricia Abbott]

Great idea. I've never read it but I'll take a look. THanks.

[Daniel Hatadi]

Is the story something of a Spinetingler? ;)

[Patricia Abbott]

No, it's humorous, You know as I am describit it, I'm thinking what the hell did i write this for. Anyway, I have one in the queue at Spinetingler so that's out. I am rewriting it today first thing. Beefing up the crime and thinning up the other stuff. Thanks, Daniel.

[Sandra Ruttan]

Actually, we do humour. We just don't get much of it submitted, but if you go way way back to our first issue we ran a story called Jessie's Toothbrush which I still remember well. Kevin and I both found it hysterical. Well, maybe not all of it is 'ha ha funny' but it is funny.

[Christa M. Miller]

As I recall, your "cozy noir" subs were pretty funny. For that matter, just the name itself elicits a smile.