CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Memories from Maple Street, USA

Prairie Rose Publications is growing like the proverbial weed. After founding the historical western/western romance publisher in August 2013, Livia J. Washburn and Cheryl Pierson added Fire Star Press, Painted Pony Books, Prayers & Promises Publications, and Tornado Alley Publications. Each imprint publishes a specific set of genres, and all are devoted to nurturing new talent as well as offering established authors a publishing family, not just a book mill. All pay extraordinary royalties and give authors at all stages of their careers unprecedented input into cover design, content editing, and other aspects of the process in order to create reading experiences, not just words on paper.

The latest addition to the PRP family is Sundown Press. Launched in December 2014, Sundown is devoted to publishing traditional westerns and non-fiction written by both women and men. The imprint’s first non-fiction book, The Doctor’s Bag, will be released later this year. Authored by 40-year medical doctor Keith Souter, who writes popular western fiction as Clay Moore, The Doctor’s Bag is an indispensable reference manual covering all aspects of medicine and surgery in the 19th Century.

On May 14, Sundown will release its first novel, Kit Prate's The Outlaw, Billy Starbuck. Sometimes, history needs to be told by the men who make it. (The book is available for pre-order now.)

Today, Sundown announces its first call for submissions. Memories from Maple Street, USA, will be the first in a series of anthologies about real life.

Memories from Maple Street, USA

Theme: childhood memories
Length: 1,500 to 3,000 words
Deadline: September 1, 2015

Growing up is a miraculous time. The journey from the freedom of childhood to the workaday life of modern adults is filled with both poignance and wonder. Along with fond memories of pedaling bikes through honeysuckle-scented streets with a pack of neighborhood friends, playing “kick the can” and stickball on warm summer evenings alight with fireflies, and the inevitable loss of people and places dear to the heart, everyone experiences a seminal moment when he or she knows they’re leaving childhood behind.

Was there a turning point in your life when you realized the world had shifted and nothing would ever be the same? Sundown Press wants your story. From the touching to the humorous, the inspirational to the adventurous, if you have a childhood memory you’ll never forget, now is the time to put pen to paper and recount that special moment.

Editor-in-Chief Cheryl Pierson seeks original manuscripts from women and men across the spectrum and at all levels of writing experience. Unpublished writers are encouraged to submit. All stories must be true, first-person memoirs of 1,500 to 3,000 words. Do not send fiction or “as told to by” accounts.

Email completed manuscripts, along with a query letter, to Cheryl at prairierosepublications@yahoo.com. Please put MEMORIES FROM MAPLE STREET USA in the subject line.

Don't forget: All manuscripts must be in Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins.


Sundown Press also seeks submissions for how-to books, cookbooks, and other non-fiction works of all lengths. If you feel your manuscript would be a good fit for the imprint, please email it, along with a query and synopsis, to Cheryl at prairierosepublications@yahoo.com. For more information, visit the imprint's website.