From Sarah Leamy, one of the editors and founders of GQL.

Spring 2023, Updates and Calls for Submissions

Hello Friends, 

            First off, HOW ARE YOU? Are you surviving the cold? I’ve been lucky enough to work from Baja California, Mexico this winter and I almost feel a bit guilty as I watch the news and weather around the world. I’ve been in a bit of a bubble of writing a new novel, ROCKET, and a few other projects, helping others, and getting my own work out too. There are a few things to let you know about that you might want to check out or send in work to. Let me know. Spring is a perfect time to write and submit and publish. So see what we have here that might get you going again.

• I’ve been working with a few people on publishing their books. Two are winners from the Wanderlust Journal contest last year, Anne Marie Wells and Sam Brakeley. Both wrote great travel books on their hitching and hiking escapades, Anne Marie hitched around Iceland, and Sam in New Zealand. More info will be released on https://wilddogpress.com

• ALL ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING (and some of the steps along the way) covers all the basics from types of editing, tips on proofreading, links for formatting advice, front and backmatter contents, publishing platforms and more.  Yes, this new eBook came out this week and it came out of that process with Sam, Anne Marie and another writer, Victor. I also have a new book coming out. So there I am in the middle of going through the steps to get published (with Madville Publishing) as well as walking through the steps with these three. I found myself answering similar questions from each of them and doing the same for myself with Madville. Hence a very short overview eBook. I set it to only $0.99 to make sure it’s available. Would you let any of your friends know if they’re wanting to get their work out and don’t mind doing it themselves? 

• Twice a month, https://wanderlust-journal.podbean.com, the podcast, offers three new short travel stories or excerpts. You can listen to trips from all over the world, as well as hear about events coming up, travel bloggers I’ve found, a bit of history on Overlanding and solo women travelers. More odds and ends. Here’s a quick overview so you see what’s been put out so far. Today I’m recording from Anne Marie’s and Sam’s books as well as few other bits and pieces. It’ll be live in April. Anyway, here are some of the travelers and writers we’ve read from so far: Not the whole list but a handful for you. 

S1E2: Feet, bikes, motorcycles, 2WD, 4×4, cars, vans, and trucks of all sizes can take you where you want to go – for the most part. You’ll hear about Tiffany Coates, Graham Jackson, Chris Wiewiora, Roshni Sharma, Michelle Lamphere, Carla King and more.

S1E3: passages on the topic of through-hiking, that is the day-to-day challenge of following your feet across mountains and deserts. We’ll read what motivates folks to do just that, the people met along the way, and some of the ups and downs that come with it.  Megan Okkerse, Rahawa Haile, and a great community in the PNW (USA): https://qpochikers.com.

S1E5: Since my early twenties, I’ve been inspired by women who went out on their own, despite cultural expectations, and so today includes Amelia Earhart, Bessie Coleman and Karen Darke and others.

S1E10: Focuses on kayaks, donkeys and a couple of fellas crossing the UK starting out with only their boxer shorts. 

You can find the podcast on the platform you use or go here to start with . With it being so new, it’s hard for anyone to find but as we carry on and build more episodes and community, it’ll be easier to share. If you have a new travel book out, let me know. 

• WANDERLUST-JOURNAL Submissions: As some of you know, we had to drop Submittable as a submissions platform. It became silly expensive $115 per month and we had barely covered our costs when it had been $35 month. We are still taking submissions, either via our own website where you can email us and please make a donation to help us. OR you can go to Duotrope and submit there. 
  Let me know if you have any great travel books I could read from for the podcast, okay? Excepts up to 200 words are allowed to be read on air. 

• GENDERQUEER LITERATURE is open to submissions. I’m on the team and we’re looking for work of all kinds from anyone who doesn’t fit the mainstream notions of what we should do/not do according to the body we were born into, living lives that suit us and not social constructs of gender. Have a look at what these emerging writers are sending us. 

And lastly, I’m thrilled to announce this book is due out in May 2023! I LOVE the cover and working with Madville Publishing. They’re not taking pre-orders yet but this is the cover so remember it! I’ll let you know more…