A Veritable Cornucopia of Submissions Opportunities from Pro Se Productions!

Note: For more information on these announcements, email editorinchief@prose-press.com.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING LESTER DENT’S FIRST SERIES CHARACTER!  “THE NEW ADVENTURES OF CURT FLAGG” OPEN FOR PROPOSALS!

With a licensing agreement with the heirs of the Estate of Norma Dent, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for an anthology featuring the first series character created by Lester Dent, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF CURT FLAGG!

Debuting in Dell’s SCOTLAND YARD INTERNATIONAL DETECTIVE STORIES in March 1931, Curt Flagg was a violent, two fisted Private Detective very much cast in the hard boiled mold. Over four stories, Dent, never once actually being bylined with his actual name, developed Flagg from a fight first detect later gumshoe into someone who bore more than a passing resemblance to later characters created by Dent, including Doc Savage. Rising through the ranks to eventually be a partner in an agency, Curt Flagg is undoubtedly the character Dent cut his series teeth on.

Writers interested in proposing for one of the six open slots available in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF CURT FLAGG should contact submissions@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology, which consists of the character’s four published stories. Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. This is a work for hire arrangement. The anthology will not be considered filled until six stories have been accepted.  

The image accompanying this press release is from the May 1931 cover of SCOTLAND YARD, the second issue Curt Flagg appeared in.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING POTENTIAL INSPIRATION FOR PERRY MASON!  “THE NEW CASES OF GILLIAN HAZELTINE” OPEN FOR PROPOSALS!

With a licensing agreement with Steeger Properties LLC for anthologies and novels featuring some of Steeger’s characters, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for THE NEW CASES OF GILLIAN HAZELTINE, an anthology featuring a series character from ARGOSY Magazine.

Thought by many to be Erle Stanley Gardner’s model for his hugely successful Perry Mason series, Gillian Hazeltine, created by George F. Worts, debuted in 1926, seven years before Mason, and would appear in almost thirty stories, the majority of them in Argosy. Known as ‘The Silver Fox’, Hazeltine utilized his encyclopedic knowledge of the law as well as well played court theatrics, to defend his clients to the best of his ability, proving he was willing to use legal smoke and mirrors to prove his clients innocent. Hazeltine’s cases, though never simple, read like true pulp stories with well timed, almost breakneck pacing and wild mysteries with twists and turns throughout.

Writers interested in proposing for one of the six slots available in THE NEW CASES OF GILLIAN HAZELTINE should contact submissions@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology, which consists of two of the published stories. Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. This is a work for hire arrangement. The anthology will not be considered filled until six stories have been accepted.  

The image with this release is the cover of the October 1927 issue of ARGOSY featuring Hazeltine on the cover. 

Following the anthology being filled with accepted proposals, there will be a call for a full length GILLIAN HAZELTINE novel as well.

Other calls for Steeger Properties LLC characters will be forthcoming from Pro Se Productions.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING SCIENCE/OCCULT SUPER VILLAIN!  “THE NEW DANGERS OF DOCTOR DEATH’ OPEN FOR PROPOSALS!

With a licensing agreement with Steeger Properties LLC for anthologies and novels featuring some of Steeger’s characters, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for THE NEW DANGERS OF DOCTOR DEATH, an anthology featuring author Harold Ward’s odd and unique super villain.

First appearing in his own self-titled magazine from Dell Publications in February 1935.  Doctor Death, created by Harold Ward under the pen name ‘Zorro’, was Dr. Rance Mandarin.  Convinced that the Earth needed to be cleansed of humanity, Mandarin used his extensive knowledge of both science and the occult to create potentially humanity ending devices and creatures. Facing off with his arch nemesis, Jimmy Holm, who was supported by the powerful group known as The Twelve, Doctor Death featured in all three issues of his own magazine and appeared in two more stories, both of the latter remaining unpublished until the 1980s.

Writers interested in proposing for one of the six slots available in THE NEW DANGERS OF DOCTOR DEATH should contact submissions@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology, which consists of three of the five Doctor Death stories. 

Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. This is a work for hire arrangement. The anthology will not be considered filled until six stories have been accepted.  

The image with this release is the cover of the February 1935 issue of Doctor Death, the character’s debut.  

A full length DOCTOR DEATH novel has been previously commissioned by Pro Se Productions and is currently in development.

Other calls for Steeger Properties LLC characters will be forthcoming from Pro Se Productions.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING LESTER DENT’S NEARLY SUPERHUMAN MOUNTIE!  “THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE SILVER CORPORAL” OPEN FOR PROPOSALS!

With a licensing agreement with the heirs of the Estate of Norma Dent, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for an anthology featuring a Lester Dent character from a popular genre in Pulp-THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE SILVER CORPORAL!

The Silver Corporal debuted in WESTERN TRAILS Magazine in 1933. Created by Dent, this diminutive silver haired Mountie appeared in a second story written by Dent that appeared, not in a Pulp, but in a collection of Mountie stories published in 1998.  While clearly a member of the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, the Corporal was actually a transplant from Wyoming who had superhuman strength, struck terror into the hearts of Canada’s worst villains, and even blended into the snowy landscape through disguise, armed with unique weapons. 

The image with this release is the cover of the May 1933 issue of WESTERN TRAILS, the first and only Pulp appearance of The Silver Corporal.

Writers interested in proposing for one of the four open slots available in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE SILVER CORPORAL should contact submissions@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology, which consists of the character’s only two stories. Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. This is a work for hire arrangement. The anthology will not be considered filled until six stories have been accepted.  

Other calls for anthologies featuring Lester Dent characters will be forthcoming from Pro Se Productions.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING BLACK MASK’S PENNY PINCHING PRIVATE EYE!  “THE NEW ADVENTURES OF REX SACKLER’ OPEN FOR PROPOSALS!

With a licensing agreement with Steeger Properties LLC for anthologies and novels featuring some of Steeger’s characters, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for THE NEW ADVENTURES OF REX SACKLER, an anthology featuring a series character from Black Mask Magazine.

Appearing in Black Mask Magazine from in various stories from 1940 through 1950, Rex Sackler, created and written by D. L. Champion, was a rather unique character in the Private Eye field.  Notoriously known as ‘the parsimonious prince of penny pinchers,’ Sackler was such a cheapskate that he was not beyond holding off solving cases until he was sure the client’s check cleared. In a series of tales narrated by a beleaguered assistant who Sackler constantly tried to cheat out of his wages, this definitely odd take on the Private Eye proves popular with Pulp fans today and makes for interesting, even humorous stories.

Writers interested in proposing for one of the six slots available in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF REX SACKLER should contact submissions@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology, which consists of the character's first four stories. 

Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. This is a work for hire arrangement. The anthology will not be considered filled until six stories have been accepted.  

The image with this release is the cover of the October 1940 issue of Black Mask, the second Black Mask appearance of Rex Sackler.

Following the anthology being filled with accepted proposals, there will be a call for a full length REX SACKLER novel as well.

Other calls for Steeger Properties LLC characters will be forthcoming from Pro Se Productions.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING DIME DETECTIVE’S ORIGINAL OCCULT SLEUTH!  “THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HORATIO HUMBERTON” OPEN FOR PROPOSALS!

With a licensing agreement with Steeger Properties LLC for anthologies and novels featuring some of Steeger’s characters, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HORATIO HUMBERTON, an anthology featuring a series character from Popular Publications’ Dime Detective Magazine.

Appearing in Dime Detective from 1932 through 1937, Horatio Humberton, created and written by J. Paul Suter, actually worked two jobs.  While a mortician during regular hours, Humberton pursued crimes, many of them with a supernatural bent, in his off time. One of the most original characters featured in Pulps, Humberton set the standard for occult investigators to follow, the stories a solid mix of paranormal danger, pulp excitement, and even quirky humor thrown in.

Writers interested in proposing for one of the six slots available in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HORATIO HUMBERTON should contact submissions@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology, which consists of three of the character’s stories. Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. This is a work for hire arrangement. The anthology will not be considered filled until six stories have been accepted.  

The image with this release is the cover of the July 1932 issue of Dime Detective Magazine, the first appearance of Horatio Humberton.

Following the anthology being filled with accepted proposals, there will be a call for a full length HORATIO HUMBERTON novel as well.

Other calls for Steeger Properties LLC characters will be forthcoming from Pro Se Productions.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING BLACK MASK MEMPHIS BASED DETECTIVE!  “THE NEW ADVENTURES OF LUTHER MCGAVOCK” OPEN FOR PROPOSALS!

With a licensing agreement with Steeger Properties LLC for anthologies and novels featuring some of Steeger’s characters, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for THE NEW ADVENTURES OF LUTHER MCGAVOCK, an anthology featuring a series character from Black Mask Magazine.

Appearing in Black Mask Magazine from 1942 to 1948, Luther McGavock, created and written by Merle Constiner, worked for a Private Investigator Agency out of Memphis, Tennessee, after working for almost every other agency in the South. Not a white hat type hero, McGavock walked the line of hardboiled Private Eye and Noirish protagonist, sometimes easier not to like than the criminals he came up against. The McGavock stories were not what many considered typical mystery fare. Constiner presented detailed descriptions of the South, both the small towns and growing cities as well as the rather unique characters that peopled his version of the area. McGavock’s cases leaned into blood and violence, dark humor, betrayal, and double-crossing, sometimes even by McGavock himself, and often depended on little known facts of all sorts for resolution.

Writers interested in proposing for one of the six slots available in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF LUTHER MCGAVOCK should contact submissions@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology, which consists of the character's first four stories. 

Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. This is a work for hire arrangement. The anthology will not be considered filled until six stories have been accepted.  

The image with this release is the cover of the January 1943 issue of Black Mask, the third appearance of Luther McGavock.

Following the anthology being filled with accepted proposals, there will be a call for a full length LUTHER MCGAVOCK novel as well.

Other calls for Steeger Properties LLC characters will be forthcoming from Pro Se Productions.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING LESTER DENT’S FIRST AND LARGELY UNPUBLISHED WESTERN HERO!  “THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE COWL” OPEN FOR PROPOSALS!

With a licensing agreement with the heirs of the Estate of Norma Dent, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for an anthology featuring a character created by Lester Dent that remained unpublished in the classic era of the pulps-THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE COWL!

One of Lester Dent’s more unusual creations, The Cowl is also a character that was rejected by two Pulp magazines in 1930-31. The single story, a rather uniquely styled tale titled “The Cowled Nemesis”, would not see print until much later in the Spring 2007 issue of Ed Hulse’s BLOOD ‘N’ THUNDER magazine. The Cowl was in reality “Magic” Mason, a man of multiple skills on the hunt for his father’s killers. Mason was nearly as much masked hero with a bit of ‘super’ thrown in as he was saddle born cowboy. Clearly a western, the tale is set in a West similar to that depicted in many early Westerns: the Wild West still rarin’ and ridin’ in possibly isolated parts of the country while cars and other signs of progress moved forward.

The photo with this release is of The Cowl's creator, Lester Dent.

Writers interested in proposing for one of the four open slots available in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE COWL should contact submissions@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology, which consists of the story/article previously mentioned. Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. This is a work for hire arrangement. The anthology will not be considered filled until six stories have been accepted.  

Other calls for anthologies featuring Lester Dent characters will be forthcoming from Pro Se Productions.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING PULP’S ‘KING OF DETECTIVES’!  “THE NEW ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SATAN” OPEN FOR PROPOSALS

With a licensing agreement with Steeger Properties LLC for anthologies and novels featuring some of Steeger’s characters, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for THE NEW ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SATAN, an anthology featuring a series character from Popular Publications.

In a move that was rare, if not unique in Pulps, Captain Satan became the lead of his own self-titled magazine in March 1938 when Popular changed the name of its recently debuted STRANGE DETECTIVE MYSTERIES magazine. Satan, in reality mysterious and wealthy playboy Cary Adair, would only lead the magazine for five issues and not appear again. As Captain Satan, Adair led a large force of variously skilled men who in many ways literally waged a war on specific crimes by using criminal tactics. Whether or not he took a third to pay his crew or performed as a Robin Hood of some sort, it was clear Captain Satan was on the side of the angels.

Writers interested in proposing for one of the six slots available in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SATAN should contact submissions@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology, which consists of all five originally published stories. Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. This is a work for hire arrangement. The anthology will not be considered filled until six stories have been accepted.  

The image with this release is the cover of the July 1938 issue of CAPTAIN SATAN. 

Following the anthology being filled with accepted proposals, there will be a call for a full length CAPTAIN SATAN novel as well.

Other calls for Steeger Properties LLC characters will be forthcoming from Pro Se Productions.

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For more information on these announcements, email editorinchief@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions

Close to the Vest—Embracing the Mystery in Your Fiction

Quick! What does the green light at the end of the dock mean for Gatsby? What is the significance of the colored rooms in Poe's “Masque of the Red Death”? There are lots and lots of guesses, and lots and lots of critical papers even about such things, but honestly, only Fitzgerald and Poe know for sure. And that's just fine. The reason these two stories continue to resonate with people is because of the mysteries they still hold.

Fine, fine, fine. Those are literary masterpieces. What about popular fiction? Okay. Challenge accepted. I'll go as low-brow as movies. Is Decker a replicant or not? Are you sure? What's really going on with the titular Spider Woman in that movie about her kiss? Is “the shape” in the original Halloween killable or not? (Before the endless sequels, of course.)

See? Mysteries.

And not just the “Was it Colonel Mustard in the dining room with a pipe wrench?” kind of mysteries (though those can work too.)

The best stories, and again, as with any essay on this blog, in my heavily read and studied opinion (vanity, thy name is Sean), all leave a bit of mystery unsolved for the readers, whether in some character's story (What is Ned Land's story?), some symbol that isn't defined (Is the rain really a stand in for sex in this scene?), some action unexplained (What did he say to her in that aside the author didn't reveal?), or some thematic idea unspoken (If good triumphs over evil, why did Hannibal escape?).

And we can learn a lot from them.

Yes, yes, I know. We live in a world of best-sellers and Summer blockbusters where every secret is supposed to be revealed by the end of the final act and we fill in all the blanks for our audiences. After all, that's what modern readers want, right? Everything wrapped up in a pretty little bow with the right tag and a proper message on the card so it gets delivered to the correct person who can open it up and suddenly make sense out of everything he or she or they has seen or read. That's what publishers look for, neat little bows. All the ducks in a row. All the questions answered.

But think about it for a few moments... What if we didn't?

Why mystery?

There are lots of great reasons to leave mysteries in your work. I'll cover just a few of them hear. Feel free to explore the rest of them in your own writing and reading.

1. Mysteries allow the writer to hide inside the work.

Typically writers tend to not want to directly inject themselves and their opinions into their work in order to avoid writing propaganda, and when they do, they tend to avoid mystery. I'm looking at you, Narnia and Atlas Shrugged. But if you look deeper, there are plenty of amazing works of both literary and popular fiction that have a lot to say—maybe or maybe not. And that's because the writers who created them embraced the mystery.

Some might call this subtlety instead, but it's more hidden than that. It's almost like one of those hidden eye puzzles from the 1990s that were so popular. If you learned the trick, most people could see the hidden picture in all the weird zig-zag patterns. But, if you have an astigmatism or just the wrong level of near-sightedness or far-sightedness, you were screwed from the get-go. Try as you might, you just weren't going to be able to see that horse, or sea turtle, or “I love you, mom!” in calligraphy.

And that's how this kind of mystery works. If you're the right target, you probably see it, but you'll never quite understand if it's just something you're bringing to the story yourself or if it's really there.

A case in point—The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I know, I know. The epic high point of literature, right? Regardless, I have a strong opinion that this movie is about a hell of a lot more than just two prudes who get stuck at the secret lab of a transsexual alien. I hear you saying, “Of course it is, stupid. It's about LGBTQIA+ people being trapped and unable to truly be themselves in an American patriarchy. I think while it may also be about that, what it truly has to say is something that remains more hidden, a mystery if you will allow me. That mystery is this: When the sexual revolution is all said and done, the only people to survive it were women. The revolution happens, but traditional maleness like Rocky and reckless individualism like Frank are quick to pay the price. Even Brad, the bastion of patriarchal mores and values is broken (“Help me, Mommy!” he sings). Only Janet faces the revolution and survives, thriving even finally. Rocky Horror is about how women won the sexual revolution of the 1960s and early 1970s.

Am I right? Who knows? Who cares? The important part is that the mystery allows me to play with notions that perhaps Richard O'Brien was trying to hide the story of Rock-n-Roll giving way to Glam Rock in his screen play. Or maybe it was only about LGBTQIA+ feelings all along and that was all. Or maybe it was about the conflict between nostalgia and moving forward into new types of stories. It doesn't matter. O'Brien's views are so deep in that screenplay we may never know, but they're shrouded. They're open for everybody to take a guess. And that's okay.

A few other examples from actual books, for you more high brow types:

– Political Views –

Dickens' perennial classic, A Christmas Carol, isn't just a a fun holiday ghost romp about a mean old miser. It's a political jab at the views of Thomas Malthus. Malthus believed that if people took care of the poor, then they would just continued to procreate and eat up resources. Best to let them starve or work themselves to death and stop using the resources that should be reserved for the industrious providers or the well-off. (I know; sounds familiar today, doesn't it?)

Sophocles, in his play Oedipus at Colonus, is taking pot shots at not just how Greek culture is declining, but why it is declining and how the leaders are pressing the gas pedal on the chariot toward hell.

“Does Sophocles actually say any of these things? No, of course not. He's old, not senile. You say these things open ly, they give you hemlock of something. He doesn't have to say them, though' everyone who see the play (Oedipus at Colonus) can draw his own conclusions: look at Theseus, look at whatever leader you have near to hand, look at Theseus again—hmmmm (or words to that effect). See? Political.” —Thomas Foster, How To Read Literature Like a Professor

– Social Views –

What about traditional religious and cultural rules that trap people into loveless and disastrous marriages? Look no further than Eudora Welty's Ethan Frome or Kate Chopin's The Awakening. With Chopin you also get the added value of early feminism. How about The Bell Jar? Or The Catcher in the Rye? Too fancy for you? Okay. How about Bradbury's cultural beliefs in mankind's rebuilding on another planet in The Martian Chronicles? Or even H. Rider Haggard's evolving views of might makes right between Allan Quatermain and She and the softening of the great white right to expand in later works. And what is E.R. Burroughs saying about the rugged individualism of American male unstoppable-ness in his Mars series?

– Religious Views –

Compare the religious allegories of C.S. Lewis to the religious metaphors and mysteries of J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis dots all his “i”s and crosses all his “t”s so the point isn't lost or even having to be thought about. Aslan is God and Jesus. You got that. Good. Don't forget it. 

But who is Gandalf? God? Sometimes. Jesus? Well, he does come back from the dead in white robes. Is he a fellow traveler? Sure. Okay. Who the hell is he? And don't even mention the returning king or the friend who sticks closer than a brother? Confused yet by the religious mysteries in the work? Don't worry. It's entirely intentional. Much to Tolkien's credit, he doesn't answer the questions. He lets the mystery linger in the mind of the reader. But can we be sure it is there intentionally? Don't forget that Lewis and Tolkien regularly got together at the pub with the rest of the Inklings to drink and discuss literature and religion and politics and writing.

Bear in mind, though—and I can't stress this point enough—that none of these interpretations are stated. None are set in stone. (Except for Lewis' Aslan.) They are all inferred, not necessarily even implied. They are mysteries in the subtext. And they keep the works fresh in the minds of readers and on the shelves of bookstores each year.

2. Mysteries allow readers to wonder.

Good mysteries put a question into a reader's mind. Great mysteries worm their way into a reader's brain one centimeter at a time, gnawing and licking at the soft tissue of the brain and pushing each stray thought to the side to gain dominance over all the synapses so that the mind can focus on one question alone—my question.

Great mysteries are the kind that make you talk about a movie after you are driving home from the theater. “Was Darth Vader the necessary evil to balance a force that was leaning too far to the good side?” “Is Baby Doll in her real reality when she was lobotomized or could it be just another, more realistic dream?” “What actually happened to Lucy when when transcended her human form?”

Great mysteries are also the kind that keep readers talking about a book when they are online or at their writers group or sitting around the basement doing homework.

Yes, even YOUR book.

But they don't work if you don't write them into your work. And they also don't work if you answer them and fill in all the blanks for readers.

We see it all the time in series fiction. Will they or won't they? Oh, look, they like each other now. I wonder what will happen in the next book. Oh, crap. His wizardess fiancée showed up. I thought she was dead. How will they move past this one—and solve the current dilemma of course.

But what about non-series fiction? And what about fiction that isn't so plot driven or is so plot-driven it doesn't have time for those kind of questions. Well, stick in pin in that right there because you never are so plot-driven that you don't have time for mystery. It just has to be subtle.

For example, in Ian Fleming's 007 novels, you never really wonder if Bond is going to get out alive. That's a given. But what about one of those side characters that Bond actually cares about. What if Moneypenny gets in trouble somehow and that figures through a few books? What if a love interest manages to survive and come back to visit in another volume? No, I doubt you'll see that happen in a Bond book, but it could very well happen in yours.

Just think of the “what if” questions you could plant into your readers minds.

3. Mysteries allow readers to pick a side.

If you really want to see your fiction live forever, let your readers pick sides in an argument about the mysteries that you choose not to spell out and put into a convenient box. 

For example, let's look at the room colors in Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" referenced above at the beginning of this article. Pretty much since the time that story was seen by readers, people has argued about what the colors symbolize. Is it the seven deadly sins? Is it moods and psychological issues as thought by post-Freudian critics? Is it just a random collection of colors that doesn't mean anything? Don't expect those arguments to be ever really be settled for good. Poe was a genius. As long as people disagree on his unsolved color code, that story will continue to live in the public mind. 

Now, you may not have the clout of Poe or Fitzgerald or Fleming or Dent, but you do have readers, and if you want them to remember your work forever and ever, till death do you part, consider helping them break into camps and argue with each other about what you mean by that character or that location or that plot point. 

This works because all people have an innate desire to be right—especially about their own opinions. Play into that. But remember... DON'T WRAP THE ANSWER IN A BOW AND GIVE IT AWAY. When you give the answer, the argument stops. People stop talking about and thinking about your puzzle. 

Let's look again as something like Sophocles, referenced above:

“Was the cave symbolic? You bet.

"Of what?

"That, I fear, is another matter. We want it to mean something, don't we? More than that, we want it to mean some thing, one thing for all of us and for all time...

“What the cave symbolizes will be determined to a large extend by how the individual reader engages the text. Every reader's experience of every work is unique, largely because each person will emphasize various elements to differing degrees, and those differences will cause certain features of the text to become more or less pronounced. We bring an individual history to our readers...”

“One of the pleasures of literary scholarship lies in encountering different and even conflicting interpretations, since the great work allows for a considerable range of possible interpretations.” —Thomas Foster, How To Read Literature Like a Professor

One of the best tools in your writer's toolkit is the puzzle creator and one of your best writer super powers is the ability to portray images and events that can mean different things to different readers. 

4. Mysteries allow a story to stick with readers after they close the book.

Let's look at a few memorable books and movies that have stood the test of time and the questions they leave with readers or viewers:

• John Carpenter's The Thing – Which of the two survivors is harboring the creature? What of neither of them are? What next?
• Roman Holiday – But couldn't they have gotten together if... Will they both be forever unhappy?
• A Farewell to Arms (the book, not the movie) – what happens next to Frederic? Was the universe really out to get Frederic and Catherine for trying to be existentially happy?
• The Wildcards series – how will the Aces ever rebuild real credibility? Can the Jokers ever get genuine acceptance?

There's a wonderful little (or not so little) epic fantasy series by one of my wife's favorite writers, Stephen Lawhead, called the Song of Albion trilogy. One thing about about that series that has always puzzled her though is the introduction of a family in the first volume that helps the main character get from point A to point B in the plot. Then they disappear. My lovely, literate bride spent the entire series looking for that family to appear again and discover their grand purpose in the story—because clearly they had one. Right? Did Lawhead simply forget about them? Did he feel they had served their purpose and didn't need any further "screen time"? Or did intentionally leave their story untold, knowing it would make my poor little wife's head shift into overdrive to wonder about long after she had closed the book on the series and moved on to Cadfael or Evan Evans? 

I used to believe it was an accident, that Lawhead simply forgot about them and let them fall into the cracks between the pages. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to lean toward it being an intentional omission. I believe there story was simply a single point of intersection and that by making the family interesting it would compel readers to wonder about them, particularly to wonder enough to pick up books two and three in the series. 

It's a mystery. 

Why do the mysteries like those covered in this article live on in readers' heads after the books are closed and put back on the shelves? Precisely because they are unanswered, lingering, hinted at but not expounded upon, barely shown but kept interesting, "squirrels" that cause the readers' focus to shift and chase through the yard. 

But how do you do that as a writer?

Well, for starters:

• Untold backstories for interesting side characters
  (Where did that reporter she used to date come from? What was their time together like?)
• Symbols that don't have specified meanings
  (Gatsby's light, Poe's paint jobs)
• Actions that seem initial out of character
  (Why would a big softie like him do THAT?!)
• A lack of denouement
  (So, what happened to the femme fatale who wasn't the killer?)
• The unexpected and lesser preferred ending, i.e. the "WRONG" ending
  (Why didn't they get together, you big meanie?)
• The third act resolution introducing new issues that don't get solved
  (Wait... If that's whodunit, then what will happen to the butler after all?)
• World-building issues that aren't part of the main plot
  (What about that poverty-stricken part of town; is the hero going back there to help or not?)
• Lack of clarity in the resolution
  (Is the heroine in her right mind now... DUM, DUM, DUM... or is it just another multiple personality?)
• Turning a key symbol around in the last act
  (What if Aslan wasn't really God after all, but an imposter?)
• Symbolic bits and bobs that are secretly the writer's opinions about religion, politics, culture, etc.
  (Does that chain on the hero's car mean he is hampered by his caste or not?)

This is just a starter list. The more you exercise this part of your brain as an author, the more avenues you will see open up to you. 

What now?

So, you see, the important thing in all of this is to keep those meddling kids from actually pulling the mask off and revealing the secret. 

Hopefully, this little introduction has started or helped you keep thinking about letting mysteries remain mysterious in your work. Or maybe for some of you, actually weaving some mystery into your stories. Or just looking for them in other books and movies as you read and watch to help you continue to grow in this area of writing. 

The key is to remember that poor dead/alive kitty cat in Schrödinger's famous box. Nobody knows anything for certain until that box gets opened. And as long as you are doing your job as a mystery-creating writer, you're going to do your damnedest to hide all the scissors and utility blades in the house, so that the stupid box never gets opened. 

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR ANTHOLOGY FEATURING LESTER DENT’S AVIATOR SPY! “THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE BLACK BAT” OPEN FOR PROPOSALS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

With a licensing agreement with the Heirs of Norma Dent for anthologies of all new stories of characters created by Lester Dent, Pro Se Productions proudly announces that submissions are being accepted for THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE BLACK BAT.

“Yes,” explains Tommy Hancock, “there is a third Black Bat from the Pulps, and this one is not only an aviator involved in espionage, but he happened to be created by Lester Dent! Although he’s known for being the genius behind Doc Savage, as well as other known characters, this one came as a surprise even to me.  Although not immediately considered a writer of aviation pulp, Dent’s early career is peppered with the publication of such tales in various pulp magazines. The Black Bat starred in just one of those stories, but even in that brief tale, Dent introduced a mysterious character whose face was unknown to anyone that took his spying and fighting to the airways! This is such a fun character for writers to get an opportunity to be a part of. Dent packed a lot of style and details on this aviator hero into one tale while also leaving a lot of room for writers to explore while respecting the original work.”

Writers interested in proposing for one of the six slots available in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE BLACK BAT should contact Hancock at editorinchief@prose-press.com to request the bible for the anthology. Proposals must be 1-3 paragraphs long and must include the entire plot of the story, these are not elevator pitches or back cover blurbs. The stories should be approximately 10,000 words and payment will be on a royalty basis. 

For more information on this announcement, email editorinchief@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

SEVEN CHARACTERS CREATED BY LESTER DENT LICENSED FOR NEW ANTHOLOGIES!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pro Se Productions, a Genre Fiction and New Pulp Publisher, is honored to announce a licensing agreement with the Heirs of Norma Dent that will see the publication of anthologies featuring all-new stories of characters created by Lester Dent, one of the best-known pulp authors of all time and the primary creative force behind Doc Savage.

The agreement between the Norma Dent estate, as represented by noted pulp historian and author Will Murray, and Pro Se Productions allows for Pro Se to recruit writers and artists to produce a single anthology featuring each of the following characters created by Dent-Lynn Lash, Foster Fade, Lee Nace A.K.A. The Blond Adder, The Silver Corporal, Curt Flagg of Scotland Yard, The Cowl, and The Black Bat.

The Cowl was a character Dent created as a rather unique Western series, but only saw life in one story. Dent’s Black Bat, a masked aviator, appeared once in a published story. The other characters had two or more published appearances.

“In 2014 and 2015,” states Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief and Partner in Pro Se Productions, “we were given the honor of publishing the first new stories featuring two of Dent’s characters, Lynn Lash and Foster Fade, since their original appearances. Not only are we going to be able to return to Fade and Lash with a new volume of stories for each, but the fact that we are adding five more characters, each with their own set of new stories all their own, is amazing and humbling as well. To contribute to the continuation of any character is an honor for Pro Se Productions, as it is somewhat of a mission for us. To be able to make characters created by Lester Dent a part of that purpose is privilege and responsibility that we are not only glad to take on, but appreciative of having proved up to it previously.  Plus, it’s an added bonus that this collection of characters includes some of the most fun heroes we’ve had yet to publish!”

In the coming weeks, Pro Se will issue submission calls for an anthology featuring each of the aforementioned characters. Proposals will be taken and reviewed and those accepted will be included in the anthology set aside for each character. Payment for these projects will be royalty-based.

For more information on this announcement, email editorinchief@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

LESTER DENT’S LYNN LASH RETURNS TO FACE NEW DANGERS!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRO SE PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES LATEST PULP OBSCURA VOLUME -- LESTER DENT’S LYNN LASH RETURNS TO FACE NEW DANGERS!

Known for breathing new life into rare, nearly forgotten classic Pulp Characters, Pro Se Productions announces the latest release from its Pulp Obscura imprint, in conjunction with Altus Press. A character created by one of Pulp’s most renowned authors returns in a collection of all new adventures authorized by the legendary creator's estate. The New Adventures of Lynn Lash is now available in print and digital format.

Lynn Lash was created by Lester Dent, the man responsible for one of pulp fiction's greatest and most enduring adventurers, Doc Savage! Lash made his first appearance in 1932 in Ace's Detective Dragnet Magazine. His few stories contained many elements that Dent used when he began writing the adventures of the Man of Bronze. Lash lives and works in a skyscraper headquarters in the heart of the city. He operates as a special consultant to the police, investigating unusual scientific threats beyond their abilities. Lash has an amazing array of equipment and devices of his own design that he employs in his cases. Occasionally aided by his secretary, Rickey Dean, Lynn Lash uses his formidable intellect and astonishing inventions to defeat the schemes of madmen and win the war on crime!

From Out of the Past Comes New Tales of One Of the Gadgeteers of the Golden Age! Pro Se Productions in conjunction with Altus Press presents a new volume in its Pulp Obscura line! Bringing adventures and heroes lost in yesterday blazing to life in New Pulp tales today! Six tales featuring Mechanical Marvels and Maddening Mystery from Andrew Salmon, Chuck Miller, Jim Beard, Tim Lasiuta, R. P. Steeves, and Teel James Glenn! Pulp Obscura Proudly Presents The New Adventures of Lynn Lash!

“In the 1960s,” says Author Teel James Glenn, a contributor to the anthology, “when the Doc Savage books were reprinted I discovered them and was inspired to become a writer. When Pro Se Productions offered me the chance to write a Lynn Lash tale-sanctioned by the estate of Mr. Dent -- I had the greatest thrill of my writing career. My colleagues and I featured in The New Adventures of Lynn Lash pulled out all the stops to honor the legacy and thrill factor of the original tales.”

Featuring a fantastic cover by Mike Fyles and logo design and print formatting by Sean Ali, The New Adventures of Lynn Lash is available now at Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/New-Adventures-Lynn-Lash/dp/1511437278/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1427980279&sr=8-1&keywords=lynn+lash+new+adventures and Pro Se’s own store at www.prose-press.com for $15.00. The eBook edition designed and formatted by Russ is available for only $2.99 for the Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/New-Adventures-Lynn-Lash-ebook/dp/B00VFCEE0O/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1427980279 and for most digital formats via Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/531739.

For the original tales of Lynn Lash as written by Lester Dent and reprinted by Altus Press, go to http://www.altuspress.com/shop/hell-in-boxes-the-exploits-of-lynn-lash-and-foster-fade/.

For more information on this title, contact Morgan McKay, Pro Se’s Director of Corporate Operations, at directorofcorporateoperations@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

[Link] Pulp Fiction: What’s It All About?

by Paul Bishop

I WAS ASKED the other day to explain what makes pulp storytelling different from other types of fiction. My kneejerk reaction was to claim, it’s hard to define, but I know it when I read it – which does little to answer the question. I’ve since thought a lot about what constitutes the pulp style of storytelling, which engenders both excoriating scorn from critics and fanatical devotion from acolytes.

By now, most readers know the term pulp was coined in reference to the thousands of inexpensive fiction magazines whose heyday spanned the 1920s through the 1950s. Printed on cheap wood pulp paper, the pulps were typically 7 inches by 10 inches in size, 128 pages long, and sported eye grabbing, luridly colored covers, and ragged, untrimmed edges. Today, the original pulps are more often collected for their gaudy covers than for the fluctuating quality of the words in between.

At the height of their popularity there were hundreds of pulp magazine titles gracing the newsstands each week. The demand for stories was as voracious as the pay per word was cheap. To make a living, a writer selling stories to the pulps had to be a word machine, churning out prose for a quarter to a half cent per word. The result of this constant demand was a straightforward, often formulatic, style of writing designed to entertain a vast audience of everyday, hardworking, folks looking for vicarious thrills and chills to escape the humdrum of their daily lives.

The pulps were also a refiner’s fire for many writers who are household names today – Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Louis L’Amour, John D. MacDonald, and others. To these men belonged the battered typewriters and hard drinking tropes, which themselves have become a cliché within the public conscious.

There were also giants of the pulp writing field whose names are not as familiar, but whose characters have gone on to become iconic examples of pop culture – Robert E. Howard’s Conan The Barbarian, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan, Walter B. Gibson’s The Shadow, Lester Dent’s Doc Savage, to name just a few, all started in the pulps. We all know their famous creations, but most would look blank if asked who the creators were.

The downside of the insatiable demand for stories to fill the pages of pulp magazines was it also guaranteed much of what was published was slapdash gruel of little to no lasting impact. It is this explosion of dross that gives pulp dismissing critics a place to hang their clichéd hats. However, the beating heart of the true pulps – the best of the stories and characters born within their pages – has shined for almost a century of popular culture.

Read the full article: http://venturegalleries.com/blog/pulp-fiction-whats/

WRITERS ANNOUNCED FOR NEW PULP COLLECTIONS OF LESTER DENT CHARACTERS!

Twelve writers have been selected to bring two classic characters created by an iconic Pulp Author to life once more in two new anthologies from PULP OBSCURA!

Pro Se Productions, a premier New Pulp Publisher, announced in February plans to publish, with the permission of the Lester Dent estate, new tales featuring Dent creations Foster Fade (also known as the Crime Spectacularist) and Lynn Lash as a part of its PULP OBSCURA imprint.  PULP OBSCURA is a line that Pro Se, in conjunction with Altus Press, a leading Publisher of Pulp Reprints as well as the Publisher of The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage written by Will Murray, produces that features new stories based on rather largely unknown and forgotten heroes and villains from Pulp’s Golden Era.  Although many of these characters, such as Thunder Jim Wade, the adventure hero featured in the most recent PULP OBSCURA volume from Pro Se, are currently in the Public Domain, Pro Se PULP OBSCURA to include licensed characters, the first two of which were creations of the literary legend that many consider the best Pulp Author ever.

“It's truly amazing that Pro Se is a part of this,” Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, "and the credit for that goes to Matt Moring from Altus, Will Murray, and especially the Heirs of Norma Dent.  Pro Se is extremely proud to announce that the writers for both a Lynn Lash collection and a Foster Fade collection have been selected.   

"I was both amazed," said Hancock, "but also not really surprised at the interest these two characters garnered when we asked for proposals.  The call we put out for these books garnered more interest and proposals than the entire PULP OBSCURA line we recruited for last year did (That project is made up of 34 different writers).  It was difficult and a challenge picking the best twelve, six for each book, but we feel like we have the stories and writers that will definitely both pay homage to the Pulp genius of Lester Dent and reintroduce these great characters to a modern audience.”

According to Hancock, the writers for THE NEW ADVENTURES OF LYNN LASH are-

CHUCK MILLER

RP STEEVES

TEEL JAMES GLENN

ANDREW SALMON

JIM BEARD

TIM LASIUTA

The Writers bringing the Crime Spectacularist into the 21^st Century in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FOSTER FADE include-

DERRICK FERGUSON

BARRY REESE

H. DAVID BLALOCK

DAVID WHITE

AUBREY STEPHENS

ADAM GARCIA

Both books are slated for a late summer/early fall release and will be released in conjunction with a volume collecting the complete original stories of both characters from Altus Press.

“This,” Hancock stated, “is the reason that PULP OBSCURA exists.  To not only shine light on characters that have been completely forgotten and now live in the Public Domain, but also to serve as a way for Pulp characters created by well known authors to come out of the shadows of more successful creations, such as Doc Savage, and to stand on their own, to chart new ground in fiction in the 21^st Century.   These two characters were crafted by Lester Dent himself and are being used with the permission of the heirs of Norma Dent.  For this to be the first foray into licensed properties for the PULP OBSCURA imprint is truly an honor.  And don’t think this is all you’ll hear about it before the books come out! There'll be more about these two awesome collections soon!”

For more information on Pro Se Productions, go to www.prosepulp.com and www.pulpmachine.blogspot.com.  For further information on PULP OBSCURA, go to www.pulpobscura.net.   To discover the wonderful world of Classic Pulp as well as New Tales, such as the Wild Adventures of Doc Savage by Will Murray, go to www.altuspress.com!

PULP OBSCURA ADDS TWO CLASSIC CHARACTERS FROM PULP'S GREATEST CREATOR!

Pro Se Productions, an up-and-coming Publisher in the New Pulp field and known for original characters, announces today an exciting addition to its first foray into classic Pulp characters, the PULP OBSCURA line.

As previously announced, Pro Se Productions in conjunction with Altus Press, the premier producer of pulp reprints as well as the Publisher of The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage written by Will Murray, will be producing collections of New Pulp tales based on characters that Altus is reprinting. These characters will not necessarily be the better-known pulp characters, but rather largely unknown and forgotten heroes and villains from pulp’s golden era. Although many of these characters, such as Richard Knight, the aviator hero featured in the first PULP OBSCURA volume from Pro Se, are currently in the public domain, Pro Se reveals today that not only will there be volumes of PULP OBSCURA involving characters requiring permission and licensing to use, but the two characters currently in question were created by possibly the best known and respected classic pulp author ever.

“Pro Se is absolutely proud,” Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor-in-Chief of Pro Se Productions stated, “to be able to say that with the sanction of the representative of the heirs of Norma Dent, PULP OBSCURA will include collections featuring brand new tales written by modern writers of two heroes created and originally written by Lester Dent.”

Later in 2012, Altus Press has plans to reprint the original stories written by Lester Dent of two of his characters, both falling into the ‘gadget detective’ category, a particular niche that Dent often wrote in and one that definitely carried over into his Doc Savage stories. These two characters, Foster Fade, the Crime Spectacularist and Lynn Lash will appear in Altus reprint editions and will also appear in anthologies of New Pulp tales featuring the characters as companion volumes to the Altus reprints.

“I can’t really express,” Hancock said, “how absolutely cool it is to be able to be a part of bringing two classic Dent characters back to life in a sense. Although some pulp fans, particularly Dent devotees, are aware of Fade and Lash, they are largely unknown characters to many readers today. To be able to not only have their original adventures in print again with Altus Press, but to also be producing and creating brand new stories to continue where Mr. Dent left off and to bring awareness to not just these characters, but to the wonderful variety of characters that still live from the Pulp Age as well as the lesser known work of Dent himself, its simply astounding for me to even be associated with it.”

Although definite dates for publishing have not been established, Hancock stated that recruiting the writers for the first two anthologies, one featuring each character, would begin immediately and would follow the same standard applied to previous PULP OBSCURA titles. Anyone interested in having the opportunity to propose a tale for either THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FOSTER FADE, THE CRIME SPECTACULARIST VOLUME ONE or THE NEW ADVENTURES OF LYNN LASH VOLUME ONE simply needs to email Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net. Those interested will then, according to Hancock, be given an opportunity to make proposals in the coming days.

“Thanks,” Hancock stated, “to Matt Moring from Altus Press for coming to Pro Se and wanting to bring new life to all these classic characters that have sat dormant far too long. And much appreciation to Will Murray and the Dent heirs for allowing Pro Se and the writers we’ll gather to be a part of something the man many of us consider the best Pulp creator ever started.”