Smoke Signals

Vol. 5, July 2026

Greetings Friends!

I’ll begin by apologizing that this edition of Smoke Signals will look a little different from our normal newsletter, but sometimes change is good. Let’s roll with that.

I hope everyone experiencing summer is staying cool, hydrating, and taking care of yourselves. I believe that today out here in Virginia temperatures reached a stifling one-hundred degrees. Even so, the simple act of stepping out on the front porch made me break a sweat and it wasn’t even noon yet! Please be safe.

In this issue, we have contests, new releases, submission call information, cat rescues, and much more!

Thank you for sticking with us and giving us space to learn, grow, and create!

–Aaron

Let the Right One Simmer, Volume 1 released June 2nd, 2026 and is Campfire Publishing’s latest anthology.

The pot is boiling, ingredients unknown. Step into our kitchen, if you dare, a place where authors share their finest and darkest culinary gems, each one paired with a sinister tale.

…But which will turn first, the page or your stomach?…

As the fire crackles and the shadows stretch, a brand-new story waits for us in the flames.

We know the summer can be chaotic, so due to not receiving entries for July, we’re extending July’s prompt and guest judge, P. Mattern to our August competition.

Winner will be announced in August’s newsletter!

August’s Prompt: “Neighbors”

Rules/Details:

500 words or less

One submission per person

NO AI

NO EROTICA

Deadline: Friday, August 28th 2026

Format: .docx (.doc)

**We will NOT accept any other file format**

Please include: Name (or pen name) and email address

Send submission to info@aaronkcrocker.com

Subject Line: Campfire Tales

Authors who have been published in Campfire Publishing’s anthologies are encouraged to submit!

STORIES WILL BE JUDGED BLINDLY (Please include your name in your file with submission. All names will be removed before being sent to our guest judge)!

Winner receives a $10 AMAZON GIFT CARD, and their story and bio will be featured in May’s Newsletter!

We all have a story! —tell us yours. Keep it dark (or twistedly funny) and send it our way for a chance to be featured in next month’s newsletter!

To see our current and past winners and read their stories, visit our CAMPFIRE TALES page!

August’s Guest Judge is P. Mattern!

USA TODAY Bestselling and Award-winning Author P.Mattern was
born and bred in Virginia and currently lives in the Midwest where
there are no amazing geographical features above ground. A lifelong
fan of vampires she is the author of over 170 published novels,
novellas and horror/chiller shorts including her flagship Full Moon
Series, Midnight Magnolias Series and the Vampire Princess Saga.
She is currently involved with one of her characters (*”It’s
complicated”!

Don’t forget! The Extended Deadline for Savagery on the Salty Seas, Volume 1 ends July 10th, 2026!

We’ve received so many awesome stories and will send notifications out ON or BEFORE September 10th, 2026.

Please watch our newsletter should there be updates!

Raising Money to Help Coal Recover

Last Thursday (June 25th, 2026) me and my son were out running errands. Since they’re doing construction on the main road to get home, I’d decided to turn before that road and go the longer way around. Last minute, for some reason, I simply didn’t make that turn and ended up on the main road where I knew there’d be construction.

As we headed on down the road, we saw something run across traffic and a car in the oncoming lane struck what we then recognized was a cat. We immediately pulled over, and I ran out to the road fulling thinking that the cat probably didn’t survive. However, the cat was alive and not aggressive. Most everything was a blur as I scooped him up and ran him to the closest veterinary office-the one we use is farther up the road and I didn’t think he’d even make it to the nearby office.

The vet ran out, saw he was alive, and took him to the back. At this point, I was hoping they’d find a chip and contact his owner. I was also expecting they’d say there was too much damage and they’d need to put him down.

No chip. They told us he was male and they wanted to do x-rays. So, I said. okay.

Two sets of x-rays and four vet visits later, as I write this post; the miracle cat we’ve named Coal (because the Thursday this happened, I’d asked his name to be listed as “Coal” on his charts; my son came up with it, saying he is powerful like coal, which is fair. Everyone deserves a name) is healing. His temperature is lowered as of today from 104.4 to 103.4, and we’re waiting on estimates for work on his jaw.

If you’d like to know more of the story in detail, here is a link to Coal’s GoFundMe Page. I’ve never done a GoFundMe but decided to try it to help offset Coal’s vet costs.

He is a fighter and a true MiraCoal!