Fiction Scribe

I say … and you think … ?

1. Track ::
2. Snake ::
3. Assignment ::
4. Blockbuster ::
5. Bombastic ::
6. Adventure ::
7. First time ::
8. Aged ::
9. Grip ::
10. Shortcut::

Courtesy of Luna Nina

Yes, that’s right. It is only the first weekend after the contest announcement and I am very happy to say that we already have a winner here at Fiction Scribe. Please join me in saying congratulations to:

The Wandering Author!

The Wandering Author has won with his comment on the interview with Michaela Riley:

“This sounds like a book I want to read. I have my own reservations about the judicial system. And the book just sounds intriguing. Perhaps that’s why I stay away from most book reviews, author interviews, etc. Simply leave me with unanswered questions about a book, and I need to read it.

Which probably helps to explain why I’m going to be spending this weekend digging through stacks of books to see what ones I can bear to part with, just so I can have a little room to breathe.”

Out of the luck of the draw, The Wandering Author will receive a very yummy block of milk chocolate with a couple extra goodies thrown in just because I like giving stuff away. As soon as I receive his mailing address, it will be sent off in the Australian Post!

Another congratulations to The Wandering Author for winning the first prize. His comment landed on the right number and yours could, too. Remember, you have not one but four more chances to win, the biggest prize going to the 100th commenter.

Keep stopping by and speaking your mind for your chance to win.

***This post is part of the Fiction Scribe 100 Comment Contest. Click on the link to find out how you can win.***

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe, Ms. Riley.

Let’s start with getting to know you a little better. List five things you feel define you as a person.

Defining characteristics for me are honesty, integrity, intelligence, compassion and spirituality. When I think of these defining characteristics I am reminded of the things I have learned through training with the military and with my profession as a Registered Nurse. Integrity and Trust are essential ingredients in all areas of my life.

Where did the inspiration for Embittered Justice come from?

Inspiration for the book started when I had the personal misfortune of spending time in a court room. I listened carefully as cases were presented and the fates of defendants were left in the hands of the defense, prosecution and a judge. The types of cases were diverse but the single common element was about making a deal or plea agreement. I watched in horror as the conversations in the hallway were whispered about what a defendant would accept and how lives would be changed forever.

It didn’t seem to matter what the elements of the cases were; only that the outcome was based on the networking experience of the attorney. The secretive proceedings would cast doubt in my mind on the legitimacy of the system that had no respect for the defendant, innocent or guilty. Legal or administrative bodies with strict ruling and secretive proceedings metaphorically are sometimes called star chambers. This term is intended to cast doubt on the legitimacy of proceedings in the judicial system.

Your main character, Jennifer, moves to a tightly knit community in Norfolk, Virginia. Do you have a connection with Virginia? Why that location?

Yes I lived in Norfolk Virginia a few years ago while on Active Duty and wanted to move there again to be close to my son. I chose Norfolk as the main location in Embittered Justice because I had the opportunity to witness the court room proceedings there and I am familiar with the area.

Tell us a bit about Jennifer. Is she a part of you or someone completely different?

Jennifer is definitely part of me and all the characters in the book are similar to people I know. Jennifer Campbell is a Registered Nurse and moves to Virginia to be near her son after a tour on active duty as a mobilized reservist in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her dream of living near the beach and managing a company come true when she moves to Norfolk.

Mysterious things start to happen to Jennifer when she buys the dream house and her life will never be the same. Jennifer had always been able to deal with any crisis in her life with ease until now. The once stoic woman becomes an emotional wreck and her stable life unravels as she fights for justice. She has never been dependent on anyone in her life but finds that she must accept assistance from those that love her to get through a horrible situation.

What are your dreams for your writing? Where do you see yourself in five years both as a writer and as a person?

My dreams for writing are to be able to write full time and write several books and maybe a movie deal…it is nice to dream. Of course I want to be a best selling author, doesn’t every author have that desire? Through the process of writing Embittered Justice I have discovered my own weaknesses as an author and strive to improve with every book.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have been given/learned in your life as a writer?

Write the story…get the editing finished when you have it completed. Write the way you speak and the process is much quicker. Don’t worry if your first book isn’t accepted some of the best writer’s books were not accepted…at first. Don’t give up; the world is waiting for your story.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers here?

Check out my website at http://www.michaelariley.com and watch the Book Trailer of Embittered Justice. A personal autographed copy is available on my website.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great successes with your tour and Embittered Justice.

Hello everyone! I feel like it’s been a while for some reason. Perhaps I am finally actually going crazy? Perhaps. This week has been busy enough for it.

A friend in one of the writing groups I’m in sent me a link for a fun writing exercise called 100 Words. I decided to check out the lovely Velvet Verbosity site. I like it a lot and am in the mood for some fun writing exercises, so here is my contribution to the current challenge:

Eden

Eden. The mythical, biblical land of absolute perfection and paradise. Thinking of Eden made John think of great expanses of very green grass with beautiful trees in sight in every direction. Some bore the purest beautiful fruit you could ever imagine.

Maybe after the betrayal of Adam and Eve, God burned Eden.

Ah, I enjoyed that. Sometimes I miss doing the exercises and other writing related activities that I did much more of while I…wasn’t working. Ha.

If you take part in this exercise, don’t forget to leave me a link so I can take a peek and a link at VV as well.

***This post is part of the 100 Comments Contest. Check out this post to find out how you can win.***

Submissions for the next CSFG Publishing anthology, Masques, are welcome between 20 April-31 October 2008.

Masques will be edited by Gillian Polack (who writes for Food Past here on the 451 network) and Scott Hopkins. Stories may be any length up to 5,000 words. All approaches to the theme are welcome, as long as they are by nature speculative.

Payment will be contributors’ copies plus $10 for stories under 1,500 words and $25 for all other based on published word count.

Submissions are encouraged from Australian writers of all levels of experience, with special encouragement given to CSFG members. Submissions should be sent (as plain email with stories as .rtf only) to masquessubmissions@gmail.com. Please make sure that the following information is in the email proper:

Name
Address
Email Address
Name of story
Other contact information

If you wish to contribute to the interior artwork, please contact masquescsfg@gmail.com

Dates for submissions: April 20th to October 31st 2008

Contact Information: masquescsfg@gmail.com

Speculative: “Speculative fiction is a term which has been used in multiple related but distinct ways. Speculative fiction is a type of fiction that asks the classic “What if?” question and attempts to answer it.

In more recent times, the term has come into wider use again, and gained the neutral inclusive sense as a convenient collective term for a set of genres. Its modern meaning depends on the speaker and the context.

A variation on this term is “speculative literature.” “Speculative fiction” is sometimes abbreviated “spec-fic,” “S-F,” “SF,” or “sf.” Care with context is needed in the use of such shorthand, as those last three abbreviations are more commonly used to mean just “science fiction.” - Wikipedia

***
This post is part of the 100 Comments Contest. Not sure what that is? Click here and find out how you can win.

I love spreading the love, especially when something good is happening in my life. That’s why, to celebrate my first wedding anniversary, I am giving away some sweet prizes (pun fully intended). And it’s easy for you to win!

So, what is the contest… Well, I am holding Fiction Scribe’s very first 100 comments contest. What does that mean? That means we are going to try to get to 100 comments on this site in one month – from today (May 5th) to June 5th.

Can you do it, dear readers? I think you can. Why? Because I have some very nice prizes to give away…

I have two prize packs to give away, each of which include: 1 stationary set, 1 chocolate bar, stickers, and other Australian goodies.

I love my sweets, so I also have two 200g blocks of chocolate to give away.

Gasp! Yes, you read right! I am giving away chocolate.

I also have a very special prize to give to the 100th commenter: a bag of Australia’s delectable honeycomb and chocolate treat – Violet Crumbles. Mmm. Not only that, but also a selection of Australian goodies picked out by yours truly. PLUS your choice of either “No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog” OR “How to Say It: Business Writing that Works”.

And all you have to do is comment…

If you comment on this post, tell me what you like about Fiction Scribe. I would love some feedback from readers here.

After that, any comment you leave on any posts (starting May 5th and up to June 5th) will be included in the contest. I’ll be keeping track of everything, so you don’t have to worry about anything other than stopping by and having your say.

See? It’s easy! So tell your friends to stop by and comment.

My husband has chosen four random numbers, each in one section of numbers. (One number between 1 and 25, one number between 25 and 50, etc.) If one of your comments lands on one of those numbers, then you will have your very own prize on its way to you all the way from Australia!

Be sure to check back often because I will announce the winners as they match up with the number comment. Also make sure you always comment with a valid email address.

So spread the word and spread the love people. It’s my anniversary!

I say … and you think … ?

1. State ::
2. Lively ::
3. Valet ::
4. Traction ::
5. Official ::
6. Red hot ::
7. Powder ::
8. Replies ::
9. Flagrant ::
10. Tweet::

Courtesy of Luna Nina

Submissions Guidelines for Niteblade Fantasy and Horror Magazine Anthology #1 (Currently Untitled)

General:
Every fifth issue of Niteblade Magazine will be a print anthology. This anthology will include the best of the last four web-based issues (half chosen through reader votes and half by the editors) as well as new material that hasn’t appeared in Niteblade before. In order to be considered for the former selections you need to have your work accepted in the e-zine. These submission guidelines are meant to cover the new material.

The cover artwork for the first print ezine has been chosen already. It is a wonderful piece by Marge Simon. All anthology submissions should be, in some way, inspired by it. The top three stories and the top three poems, will be included in the print anthology.

Illustration can be found here.

Rights:
Niteblade Fantasy and Horror Magazine will require the non-exclusive right to use your story or poem in our print anthology. They would ask that you wait to submit your work elsewhere until six months after the print anthology is published, but they will not contractually obligate you to do so.

Payment:
Niteblade wants to pay you lots, truly — but until Niteblade gets off its feet and is able to support itself the best offer is one US dollar per story or poem and a contributor’s copy of the book. Payment will be made by your choice of paypal, epassporte or a donation to Duotrope’s Digest and will be paid upon acceptance.

For all submissions please email your story or poem as an .rtf or .doc attachment to anthology@niteblade.com

Make sure you have the word ‘Niteblade’ ‘Submission’ or ‘Query’ in the subject somewhere. Any one will do, you don’t need to use all three.

When submitting prose please single space your work and do not indent new paragraphs.

Please include your legal name, snail mail address and the name you want your story published under.

For stories 10,000 words or longer, please query first with a detailed synopsis. Keep in mind that longer stories are a harder sell than shorter ones.

Considering the nature of this anthology it probably goes without saying, but no simultaneous submissions or reprints.

No multiple submissions please. Only one story and up to 5 poems per author will be considered.

What they like…
The best way to see what they like is to check out the current issue — all it will cost you is time. Remember that your submission for this anthology needs to be inspired in some way by the illustration above.

Deadline:
Submissions will close on July 15, 2008 and all regrets and acceptances will be sent out by the end of that month.

If you have any other questions please email rhonda@niteblade.com and she will respond as soon as possible.

Please consider tracking your submission and reporting your response at Duotrope’s Digest or Ralan’s Webstravaganza

Paul Kilduff is excited to bring his first nonfiction work, entitled Ruinair, on a virtual book tour. Paul’s book is a witty travelogue which sees him get his own back on the airline that overcharged him and significantly delayed him on a flight from Malaga to Dublin:

‘Stung by a ten hour delay and a E300 fare to Spain on his native “low-fares” airline, Dubliner Paul Kilduff plots revenge – to fly to every country in Europe for the same total outlay, suffering every low-fares airline indignity. Armed with no more than 10kg of carry-on baggage, he endures 6.00am departures, Six Nations-style boarding scrums, lengthy bus excursions, terminal anxiety and cabin crew who deliver famed customer service.’

This book will have you laughing out loud at Kilduff’s sharp wit and the hilarious accounts of his misadventures. Anyone who has ever flown with a low-budget airline and has lived to tell the tale will identify with Paul’s experiences.

Ruinair has enjoyed the position of bestselling nonfiction title in Ireland during its first seven weeks of publication and has received wide critical acclaim. Paul is also the author of four fiction novels, the most recent of which is The Headhunter.

He will be happy to discuss all aspects of his work, both past and present, on the day – in particular, the transition from fiction to nonfiction writing. He is also happy to talk about his travel writing or to lend writing tips and inspiration to any aspiring authors out there.

For more information about Paul and his books, check out Paul’s website. Also, be sure to check back here on May 21st when Paul will be guest posting about his transition from writing fiction to writing nonfiction.

Just because I’m in a bit of a strange mood today and wish I could pay off my student loans a lot faster than I actually can, I thought I’d do something a little different with today’s Thursday Thirteen.

1. One of those pens they use in space.
2. More pens. A lot of fun, cool, weird pens. A lot of them.
3. Post it notes. I love post it notes and so should you.
4. Gel pens. Yes, no matter what you think of me, I’ll admit that I would buy gel pens. A few dozen of them. In different colours. Yeah.
5. A new laptop. Of course. Top of the line and all that stuff, even though someone would have to tell me what is the best computer out there these days.
6. Maroon 5 CDs. I’m not sure how many are out there these days, but I write to Maroon 5 music a lot. It’s not my muse, but it’s close.
7. Thirsty Merc CDs. For the same reason as above.
8. A ticket to New Zealand and a visa to stay there for three months. New Zealand is such a beautiful, inspiring place. I wish I could have had more time to spend there.
9. Notebooks. I like notebooks.
10. Books on writing. If you really need to know which ones, go hunt down my Amazon.com (evil bastards) wish list.
11. A paino. Weirdly enough, I play the piano a bit and have always found it inspirational.
12. A room, apartment, loft, whatever, somewhere. With no internet connection.
13. Did I mention pens? And stickers? And highlighters?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Write Anyway, Long Relationships, and The Book Stacks

CALLING WRITERS AS YET UNPUBLISHED
In the Footsteps of Gilgamesh
(Edited by Mark S. Deniz)

1st April 2009 Gilgamesh Press will publish their first anthology, In the Footsteps of Gilgamesh. They want to help promote new writers – one of their company goals – by reserving a slot in the anthology for a story from a writer who is, as yet, unpublished in any fiction medium.

The anthology will concern itself with tales from Assyrian mythology, such as the creation story and the Epic of Gilgamesh. However, the stories in In the Footsteps of Gilgamesh will be interpretations or re-writes of these tales, and will come under the genre umbrella of speculative fiction.

This means that before you write, you are to familiarise yourself with stories from Assyrian mythology before coming up with a story that has one of the tales from old Mesopotamia as its base.

You may write, for example, a futuristic science-fiction tale, a fantasy short story which takes place on another world or a straight horror story, as long as there is clearly some reference to the story you are basing it upon within.

Your story should be between 3,000 – 5,000 words and must contain speculative fiction elements (such as those mentioned above).

Any questions for those unsure of the theme are welcome and can be directed to: mark.deniz@gilgameshpress.com

Submissions must be sent in Rich Text Format (.rtf), Double Spaced in Courier New font and the subject line should state ‘Submission: (your story title)’. Send your submissions to: competition@gilgameshpress.com

Your stories will be read by a panel of six judges and the winning entry will be chosen to be published in the anthology. The winner will also receive two copies of the book.

The deadline is 1st December 2008 and all writers will be notified as to the status of their story as soon after this date as possible.

Fiction Scribe Disclaimer: I in no way take responsibility for the validity of any submission opportunities. It’s up to you to use your judgment when submitting your work anywhere.

Thank you to Writers Who Blog for pointing me to Immaculate Novelist.

Hello there. How are you?

Perfection: Writing? How can you possibly write when your office is a mess, you have other work to do, you don’t know what you’re going to eat for dinner, you don’t have the right music –

I think you can see where this is going. Like many writers (writers who have a talent for procrastination, especially) I often become the victim of my perfectionist voice. The voice which is never satisfied with the surroundings, the music, the state of the world, the state of hunger…

If you have the power and determination to actually sit down and write, then you have to deal with the perfectionist voice doubting your writing voice, your ability, your talent (if you can convince your voice that you have any), and your future prospects in the world of writing among other things.

Needless to say, I don’t get a lot of writing done when I listen to the voice for too long. My two biggest problems (excuses) are the thought I have other things to do or not having a great writing environment.

Things you can do to get past your perfectionist:

*Make a goal of writing in different places.
*Don’t think about writing too long before you do it. Decide on writing and then do it.
*Freewrite before you start in on writing in your work in progress.

Do you have any other tricks to getting past your perfectionist.

Hello everyone! It’s hard to believe it is the last Monday of April already. I think I am still stuck somewhere in the beginning of March, I think.

I rather like starting the week with notes because I’m usually a bit tired and lacking a good attention span. A ‘case of the Mondays’ I have been told. I hope you all like it as well because it isn’t much use for me to do it if you don’t.

A Day in the Life

I have been ill lately, so please be patient with me as catch up on replying to comments and emails. Thank you. I shouldn’t be too long by any means. As always, it’s faster to contact me through email using the ‘contact me’ button on the right under the site description.

Scribes Blog Carnival

Instead of being posted on the first Monday of May, it will be posted on the 12th instead. If you stop by on the 5th, you’ll see why…

May 5th

If I can pull everything together in time, I will be hosting contests on a few of my sites. Be sure to stop back to see the contest here as well as get the links to the contests.

Contests and Publishing Opportunities

I have been working to increase the number of contests and publishing opportunities here on the site. Check them out just in case there is anything you may have missed.

Creative Spaces

I would like to get this part of Fiction Scribe up and going again. Check out the creative spaces category to see how you can participate.

**
I hope you all have a lovely week full of good times and productive writing time.

I say … and you think … ?

1. Thug ::
2. Slurp ::
3. Alley ::
4. Sweater vest ::
5. Targeted ::
6. Snazzy ::
7. Oy! ::
8. Jury duty ::
9. Low fat ::
10. Responsibility ::

Courtesy of Luna Nina

Hello and welcome back Fiction Scribe, Ms. Roberts. Seeing as we’ve met before, why don’t we get right to talking about the book?

That works for me. And thanks for having me back.

You’ve written the book Bikini Season. Now that’s what I call an interesting title. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Here’s how I like to sum it up. This is a book about girlfriends, diets, chocolate and cheating. Since one of the characters is sure her husband is starting an affair with the office hottie, I’ll leave it to readers to discover whether the cheating refers to diets or husbands. :)? The book follows the adventures of four friends who wind up turning their cooking club into a diet club.

What inspired Bikini Season? Where did the idea begin?

My editor actually inspired the diet club. She though it would be fun to have a book about women who all go on a diet together and transform themselves. I was actually doing something along those lines with two girlfriends, so this sounded like a fun book idea to me.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

Probably Kizzy, the woman who loves to cook and has a very indulged appetite. That’s me. I have a very hard time saying no to my taste buds. Also the scary diet pill adventure that Angela has in the book was taken from my own experience. I learned that there is no shortcut to fitness.

What is your favourite part of the book?

Probably the scene where Angela pole dances for her husband a la Jamie Lee Curtis in true lies. Not so racy though, and definitely funnier.

What are you working on now?

Actually, I’m just finishing up my third book for St. Martin’s Press, called “Love in Bloom” about three women who meet at a community garden and become friends. It’s full of gardening tips and should be a fun read.

What are your dreams for your writing?

I want to follow in the footsteps of my two friends and mentors, Debbie Macomber and Susan Wiggs. I admire those two women greatly. Not only are they successful writers, they are humble and down-to-earth.

When you’re not writing novels, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

Fortunately, writing is my only job, so I don’t have to juggle it around other work. That helps a lot. My life is busy. I’m active in my church and community. We built and moved into a new house this last year and I’m to my eyeballs in landscaping. But I can always find time to play. I love playing games and going dancing, hitting the movies and reading a good book. As writers, I think it’s very important that we support our industry. Buy books!

What would you say to writers who want to have your same successes in writing?

Read a lot and study the writers you admire. Read books on writing and take classes. Never fall into the trap of thinking you’ve arrived. We’re all learning. Always.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thanks so much for having me. It was a pleasure to visit with you.