Friday, June 16, 2023

IMPORTANT MESSAGE



Issue 31 will be the final issue. 

But a new one is in the works. 
Check out Halcyon Times Magazine at halcyonhouse.ca. Click here for submission guidelines.

NEW: Weekly Haiku

I write this with a heart as heavy as a monolith. The final issues of Halcyon Days and Founder's Favourites will end in the autumn of '23. I have volunteered my skills, time, and money (while earning $400 less than the poverty line) over two decades to create outstanding publications where readers can unwind through words and images. Creating these publications has always brought me joy. The covers on this page https://issuu.com/moniqueberry don't even cover a fraction of all of my magazines.

I appreciate the compliments, but they are insufficient. Recent submissions have been sparse, and with everything else going on (my recent six weeks of radiation treatment and recovery), it has left me feeling noticeably depressed. These are shelf quality publications and yet I remain in the same place as I did twenty years ago. Lining the shelves of my home is not what I had in mind. 

The photo contracts are ending in the fall—that's why I am waiting until October. I've worked so hard to continue publishing my beautiful magazines, doing everything myself, including designing the layouts, cover, and embedding the entire magazine online for contributors to view for free, as well as attempting to come up with new ways to inspire writers, going above and beyond to produce these one-of-a-kind literary works, but I cannot do so for free or with four, five, or six contributors. Advertisers and marketers would have done a world of good but to no avail.

Thank you to ALL THE CONTRIBUTORS who bought print versions and subscriptions. I am very grateful beyond words.

Anyway...

If you wish to be included in one or more final issues, please review the submission guidelines to determine where to submit your submissions.

PS: I am selling all my extra issues for a discounted price—these are magazines from people who asked me to order from the printer but couldn't pay. Details for Halcyon Days copies are under the 'store' link.









Monday, April 24, 2023

HD Summer Challenge

Here's the challenge for the upcoming issue.

Summer Choose Your Adventure


Image by Albrecht Fietza from Pixabay


Taking cues from children's literature series, I'd like to bring "adventure stories" to Halcyon Days. Each story shapes the protagonist's actions and the development of the plot. 

Guidelines

  • Structure the stories so that after a few pages, the reader is presented with two or three choices. 
  • Create at least two plausible conclusions. 
  • Endings must be summer-themed and pleasant.
  • For example: 
    • If you want to choose the garden setting, turn to page... 
    • If you want to choose the beach ending, turn to page...
  • Minimum word count is 1,000.
Send your submission to halcyondaysmagazine.ca@gmail.com with the subject HD Adventure.

I'm looking forward to reading your adventure!

Calling for Summer Submissions

 I extended the summer issue 

to June 25* 



If you can soak the reader's mind with tranquil thoughts, I am looking for you. Please submit summer-themed poems, quick stories, haiku, essays, your favourite summer recipes, or other forms with a peaceful concept. 


Sunday, January 29, 2023

Calling for Spring Submissions

 

Image by Uschi Dugulin from Pixabay


Get your mind off the polar vortex that has frozen the world and onto thoughts of spring and new beginnings. Give the reader a whiff of the clean air after an April shower or the heady fragrance of lilacs. Poems, short stories, essays, and first-person manuscripts of all varieties are welcome. The content relating to or evoking ideas associated with spring, such as growth, inspiration, birth, and rebirth, is acceptable. I'm also keen to hear about any haiku, photographs, or tried-and-true recipes you have for the season. I eagerly await your first submissions.

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Calling for Wintry Submissions

  

The following quotes express my sentiments about winter.

"As winter approaches - bringing cold weather and family drama - we crave page-turners, books made for long nights and tryptophan-induced sloth." ~Sarah MacLean

"I love the scents of winter! For me, it's all about the feeling you get when you smell pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread and spruce." ~Taylor Swift

-----

Winter is the year's finale. It's a time of books and page-turners, snowflakes and fireplaces, gifts and Christmas sentiments. Whether you submit poetry, haiku, fiction, nonfiction, or recipes, show me specifics. Fill the submission with the season's senses.

I am looking forward to publishing this magical issue.

The deadline is Dec 10, 2022