Splickety Magazine!

The name just makes me want to say hot diggity dog! Where else would such a high-energy name come from than a high-energy editor? Ben Erlichman had an idea which became a direction which became a reality in the form of Splickety Magazine, flash fiction at its best.

I thought you all might like to meet Ben:

What gave you the idea for a mag about flash fiction?

I got the idea for Splickety Magazine after being published three times in Harpstring Magazine, which is another excellent imprint from Written World Communications (WWC). I hadn't done much flash fiction of my own but I've always appreciated how difficult it is to craft a complete story in fewer than 1,000 words. I realized that WWC didn't have a flash fiction magazine, so I figured I should start one. I also haven't seen much in the way of magazine-type flash fiction publications out in the marketplace, so I hope Splickety can help to fill that void.

What do you like to see from authors?

I like strong stories with believable characters. I need a defined plot with a beginning, a middle, and an end, not something "artsy" that makes me have to think really hard about what's actually going on. Our magazine is for people with short attention spans, so trying to be clever at the expense of the story structure is something I dislike. I need a palpable conflict in the submission--it needs to drive the story. I don't mind stuff that's a little different, too, as long as the story is clear.

Do you have a fave genre?

Personally I gravitate toward action/adventure since that's what I write, so of course I'm interested in seeing that come through Splickety. I think it's pretty unrepresented as its own genre in the big scheme of things. That said, I'm hyper-critical of fight-scenes and the like since that's what I write. If you're going to send me something A/A, it had better be really, really good, and I'll probably still revise it in the editing process anyway.

Overall, I'm open to just about any genre, though. The submissions don't necessarily have to be Christian-themed or based, either, so don't let that prevent you from submitting.

What are some ideas for future issues?

I would LOVE to do a micro-fiction (100 words or less) contest and publish the best ones in an upcoming issue along with some regular submissions. I also want to do a nano-fiction (10 words or less) contest and put the top 25 or 50 in there, and perhaps give a prize to the winners.

We also have a lineup of featured authors for upcoming issues. I'm working on getting one for our next issue in May of 2012, but I've got one or two lined up for subsequent issues in August and November. By "featured" I mean that they're published, well-known authors with multiple books out. Brandilyn Collins graciously agreed to host our first issue with the prologue from her new book Over the Edge. I also have an author who has been sharing her latest work as a serial novel on her blog, and her final installation will appear in Splickety Magazine, in print, for our next issue.

I'm always open to ideas, of course, so if there's something you'd like to see, let me know and we'll consider it.

Thanks, Ben. Later this week, I’m going to feature two of Splickety’s authors, Andrew Winch and Jon Zech so you can all get an idea of some of the contributors. Who knows? YOU might be the next one!