Fiction Scribe

You’re invited to a daylong writing conference in Fairfield with three top authors!!

WHO: Alice Mattison, author of the New York Times Notable Book In Case We’re Separated: Connected Stories, among other works, and an instructor at the graduate writing program at Bennington College

Sandi Kahn Shelton, fiction and non-fiction writer whose contemporary novel A Piece of Normal was selected as the Target book of the month Leslie Connor, whose works include the much-acclaimed young adult novel Waiting for Normal.

Together, the trio has published literary fiction, short stories, contemporary fiction, non-fiction, magazine articles, essays, poetry, children’s books and young adult books.

WHAT: The authors will share writing tips, strategies and stories in a morning roundtable, then split up to conduct three hands-on sessions. Lunch is provided for an additional fee for your convenience.

WHERE: Connecticut Audubon Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield, 314 Unquowa Road. Presented by The Writers’ Workshop of Fairfield.

WHEN: Saturday, April 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

WHY: Jack-up your writing. Strengthen your skills. Learn from these enthusiastic and knowledgeable authors.

Sign up now, as the conference is limited to only 40 participants. Send a check for $99 (or $114, if buying lunch), made out to The Writers’ Workshop, 2490 Black Rock Turnpike, # 360, Fairfield, CT 06825, or bring payment to The Birdcraft Museum prior to March 15. Payment postmarked after March 15 is $125, plus $15 for lunch (optional).

For information, call Carol Dannhauser at 203-374-8343 or e-mail Dannhauser@aol.com.

I say … and you think … ?

1. Paranormal ::
2. Alarm ::
3. Operative ::
4. Changing ::
5. Framed ::
6. Beer ::
7. Referral ::
8. Unmasked ::
9. Movie star ::
10. Handbook ::

Courtesy of Luna Nina

Do you like reading and/or writing romance? If you do, then you are going to want to check out the site The Long and the Short of It.

The Long and the Short of It is a site filled with reviews, interviews, contests, and submissions all focusing around the romance genre. Not only that, they offer free short stories for your reading pleasure.

They have plenty of contests and even link to author contests so you can have even more chances to win great stuff.

If you like writing romance, you’ll want to know about their submission guidelines:

1. All submissions must be the original work of the author.

2. Submissions must be sent in the body of an email with the appropriate subject heading, i.e. “short story submission�? or “article submission” in the subject line. Please single space and use readable fonts like Times New Roman or Courier. Attachments will not be opened. Failure to put the correct heading in the subject line may result in your submission being deleted as spam.

3. Include the word count, title of the story, your name, pen name (if desired), and email address, along with link to your website or blog, if available and a short (50 words or less) author bio.

4. Word limit—1000 words (or less). Items over this limit will be deleted unread.

5. All short stories, regardless of genre, must have strong romance elements included. All articles must deal with the writing craft or the life of a writer.

6. At this time, we do not pay for short stories, however we do offer the author the opportunity to promote their other work through links to their website and/or book covers of previous works on the story, article or Fun Stuff page during the week of publication.

7. Please allow thirty days before enquiring about the status of your submission.

The Long and the Short of It is an open submissions site and we enjoy finding new writers and giving them a voice in a very busy marketplace. We read every submission we receive and judge them on the quality of writing, without regard to the author’s previous publication experience. However, the standard is extremely high and all submissions will be up against authors who take their writing and their growth in the craft seriously. We reserve the right to edit all material submitted for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity. However, this is not an excuse to submit poorly executed stories.

Proofread your story, make it the best it can be and send a professional submission to us.

Those are just the general submission guidelines. Go to the submissions page if you want specific guidelines for articles, author interviews, and short stories.

Original source here.

Announcing the newest project from published writer and award-winning poet April Gilford: Living for Christ, Serving Our Country: Christian Women in the Military

After being contacted by a reader searching for information, it became clear to April that very little information is available from Christian sources specific to women serving in the military. This project hopes to fill at least part of that gap by giving military women the opportunity to tell their own stories of how faith, God, and/or other Christians helped them deal with situations particular to military service.

Have you faced temptations while stationed away from your family? Have you found strength through faith to deal with difficult situations? Has God led you through you through the healing process after engaging in combat or being wounded? Tell your story so others may be inspired to continue in service to their country while living for Christ.

Living for Christ, Serving Our Country: Christian Women in the Military is a book to uplift, sustain and inspire women in any branch of the armed services, and from any country.

Tell your own story, or pass along stories of your relatives who may have served in previous wars or battlefronts. Separation, temptation, fear, doubt; pride, self-worth, determination, accomplishment; these are all emotions and situations faced by women in military service. Help others bring their best to their military service by sharing your inspiring story.

For full writer’s guidelines, please e-mail April@aprilfreelance.com or use the contact form on this site. For more information, visit Aprilfreelance.com.

Copyright 2007. April Gilford. All rights reserved. Links to this project are welcomed.

Fiction Scribe readers, it is my pleasure to introduce you to this week’s interviewee, Chris Hoare. Chris is currently on virtual tour for his book and has honored me with some of this time.

Without further ado…

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Mr. Hoare. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Hey – call me Chris.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

When I was young I couldn’t help but notice my mother was a voracious reader, and as I grew older I became a paperboy for the newsagents where she borrowed most of her books. I found novels there of adventure and excitement and formed a desire to emulate the authors who could captivate readers with their stories.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book The Wildcat’s Victory. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

The second novel published in the Iskander series, it’s actually fifth in the scenario chronology, although two of the early novels were scrapped and will one day be rewritten. The stories follow the strong female protagonist, Gisel Matah, who becomes a security officer for a small group of modern people stranded in a 17th century world.

What inspired you to write The Wildcat’s Victory? Where did the idea begin?

The whole series started as some historical ‘what-if’ speculation. In the series I explore the effect of having an anachronistic technological revolution in a world of sailing ships, periwigged gentlemen, minuets, and ladies in crinolines (although Gisel rarely wears such encumberances). After Gisel makes a dangerous journey to escort young Yohan to an enemy city in “Deadly Enterprise�?, I thought it time to portray her in a situation where she is more of a controlling player – until the odds mount against her.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

(more…)

Like many writers, I use music to help me along when I need it. However, I have always wished I had thought of certain titles first because I would use them as book titles instead of song titles.

Am I the only person who has done that?

Anyway, here are thirteen song titles I have said, “I could write a book with that title” about.

(Still recovering from cough/cold/flu so let me know if anything I just said doesn’t make sense.)

(as courtesy of my iTunes play list)

1. As Long as You’re Mine – Wicked the Musical
2. Here’s That Rainy Day – Various Artists
3. Learning to Breathe - Switchfoot
4. But That’s Another Song - Bryan White
5. What’s Left Of Me - Nick Lachey
6. I’m Not that Girl – Wicked the Musical
7. Unusually Unusual – Lonestar
8. Breathing on My Own – Majandra Delfino
9. Standing Outside the Fire – Garth Brooks
10. Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day
11. All I Know – Five for Fighting
12. My Paper Heart – All-American Rejects
13. And So It Goes – Billy Joel

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

Found on Eneit’s Page

“English doesn’t borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over the head, and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.”

For your amusement while I try to sleep off my cold/flu bug.

Click on a letter to begin highlighting a word.

Hello and welcome back to Fiction Scribe everyone. Today I have a special bonus Monday interview for you.

Please join me in welcoming author April Star to the site. She is the author of Tropical Warnings and is here to talk about her book as well as her life as an author.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Star. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

It’s always great to stop by here at Fiction Scribe and thank you for taking the time to interview me. At the risk of boring readers I will keep my introduction brief, which is difficult for a novelist! I live in Central Florida with my husband of 38 years and our three Maltese fur babies. I work at an RV resort which gives me a constant flow of inspiration.

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved to South Florida when I was three-years-old. Shortly after my marriage, I quit my job as a teacher of emotionally disturbed children to travel with my husband, Jerry, whose work in the construction trade took us across America’s highways and as far North as Alaska and Canada. Our wandering’s continued for sixteen years until we finally settled down to mange an RV resort near the Florida Keys. You can take the girl out of the RV but you can’t take her out of the lifestyle!

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

I started writing before I could talk or walk. Really! My parents believe it had something to do with me falling on top of a metal toy typewriter when I was nine months old. With the carriage embedded in my forehead, my dad swooped me and my typewriter up and rushed me to the doctor. I was stitched up and the only long term affect was that of a writing addiction.

You’ve written the book Tropical Warnings. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Tropical Warnings is the first title in my Wanderlust Mystery series. It’s about a south Florida campground manager who is being stalked by a psychotic and potentially deadly stalker. Laura Madison, my heroine hires a PI to help her in her quest to find out who the demented stalker is.

What inspired you to write Tropical Warnings? Where did the idea begin?

Primarily I was inspired by all the crazy happening’s that occur within an RV resort! Especially in the off season months. That’s when you get the campers who tell you they were on Jerry Springer because they are half human and half alien and so and so forth. Jerry and I had one such crazy that worked for us and had been caught stealing.

He was terminated and the cleaning crew was cleaning out the trailer the campground provided for him and discovered a picture of me under his pillow. How creepy is that? That’s when the story idea began to take root. I started to think about other experiences on the road and in campgrounds and before I knew it character’s, plots, scenes, and incidents were coming full speed ahead. That’s when I realized that a series (not a book) was being born.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

Laura Madison because I see myself as a strong woman who can be taken seriously both in business and in a relationship.

What is your favourite part of the book?

I was happiest with the element of suspense I created with the stalker. Many readers have told me that they could always figure out the whodunit in a mystery until they read Tropical Warnings.

What draws you about writing mysteries?

I think its always been the essence of the mystery of life itself. I’ve always been one who tries to figure out the “whys�? and “what if’s�? with life happenings, world events, as well as crime, wars, and fighting. I’m always truing to solve one problem or another and since this is often times an impossibility in real life, I get it out of my system in fiction.

According to your website, you have travelled a lot. How much does your travel and experiences come into your writing?

They come into play quite a bit, along with a very active imagination and a muse that is always asking, “What if…?�?

Are there any authors who have inspired you in your writing?

Stephen King, Sue Grafton, Nora Roberts, to name a few. Any writer who has gone through the agony of defeat in the sense of rejection and came out knowing what the true thrill of victory is all about is always a deep inspiration to me.

What are you working on now?

Book three in my series, It’s Check Out Time. I recently got “the call�? on book two, The Last Resort, which will be released in June of 2009.

What are your dreams for your writing?

To see Tropical Warnings and all remaining titles hit the Big Screen!

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

I like to read (of course) and work in my yard. I also love to take long walks along the beach for this is where I recharge my soul. I never “find�? the time I need to write – I make the time. Writing is something I MUST do to survive, like breathing it is a necessity for my personal survival.

Do you have any advice for writers?

Write from your heart and open a vein. Write about that which fuels an excitement and passion within you. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t. You CAN! Like anything in life, first you have to want it, and then believe you can have it, and then go for it. All the rest will follow.

Thank you very much for your time.

You’re welcome. I enjoyed talking with you and meeting everyone here at Fiction Scribe.

I say … and you think … ?

1. Homicide ::
2. Divisive ::
3. Flash ::
4. Steaming ::
5. Crunch ::
6. Look out! ::
7. Anticipating ::
8. Slim ::
9. Navel ::
10. Help ::

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

Original source here.

Announcing the newest project from published writer and award-winning poet April Gilford: Living for Christ, Serving Our Country: Christian Women in the Military

After being contacted by a reader searching for information, it became clear to April that very little information is available from Christian sources specific to women serving in the military. This project hopes to fill at least part of that gap by giving military women the opportunity to tell their own stories of how faith, God, and/or other Christians helped them deal with situations particular to military service.

Have you faced temptations while stationed away from your family? Have you found strength through faith to deal with difficult situations? Has God led you through you through the healing process after engaging in combat or being wounded? Tell your story so others may be inspired to continue in service to their country while living for Christ.

Living for Christ, Serving Our Country: Christian Women in the Military is a book to uplift, sustain and inspire women in any branch of the armed services, and from any country.

Tell your own story, or pass along stories of your relatives who may have served in previous wars or battlefronts. Separation, temptation, fear, doubt; pride, self-worth, determination, accomplishment; these are all emotions and situations faced by women in military service. Help others bring their best to their military service by sharing your inspiring story.

For full writer’s guidelines, please e-mail April@aprilfreelance.com or use the contact form on this site. For more information, visit Aprilfreelance.com.

Copyright 2007. April Gilford. All rights reserved. Links to this project are welcomed.

Today we welcome Catherine Delors to the site to talk about her book Mistress of the Revolution as well as about what inspires her.

I hope you’ll join me in welcoming her to the site.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Delors. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Well, I was born, raised and educated in France. I came to America as an adult and became an attorney in California. I have been practicing law for over ten years. Now I split my time between Paris and Los Angeles. It’s a fairly complicated life, but I like it this way.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

Mistress of the Revolution is my first book. I began thinking of it in late 2004. I wrote a few chapters at random and, before I knew it, I was hooked.

You are currently on virtual tour for your novel Mistress of the Revolution. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Mistress of the Revolution is a fictional memoir by a French noblewoman exiled in England. It is supposed to have been written in 1815, at the time of the collapse of Napoleon’s regime. My heroine, Gabrielle, now middle-aged, reflects on her past. And political events once again overtake her personal life. It is the story of a woman who tries to keep her humanity through adversity.

What inspired you to write Mistress of the Revolution? Where did the idea begin?

The idea came from a conversation I had with my late father. We were talking about the name of a street in the little mountain town where I had spent all of my summers as a child. It was named, my father told me, after Pierre-André Coffinhal, Vice President of the Revolutionary Tribunal. I knew nothing of that character, though the street itself had always been familiar to me.

So I began to look into Coffinhal’s life. I found a perfect novel character, in fact. That immediately piqued my curiosity, about him, and about the whole French Revolution.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

(more…)

I have been looking through my archives lately just to see where I’ve been so I can more accurately determine where I should be going with things. I have to say one of my favourite features has come to be the pet peeves.

I don’t do them every week like I used to, but that doesn’t mean I love them any less. For this week’s Thursday Thirteen, I’m going to tap into a bit of nostalgia and list my favourite thirteen pet peeves.

1. Pet Peeve #54 - All Too Human Races
2. Pet Peeve #52 - Elitist Poets
3. Pet Peeve #50 - Undeveloped Magic Systems
4. Pet Peeve #44 - Anti-”Said” Writers
5. Pet Peeve #42 - Tense
6. Pet Peeve #37 - Net Speak
7. Pet Peeve #35 - Weenies
8. Pet Peeve #34 - It’s Harry Potter, but Different
9. Pet Peeve #29 - ?!?!?!?!?!
10. Pet Peeve #27 - Double Meanings
11. Pet Peeve #21 - Questioning Guidelines
12. Pet Peeve #11 - So the sky is blue? Wow!
13. Pet Peeve #4 - Thinking

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

…then I have the money, honey.

Isn’t that how that song goes? I can’t quite remember and I really can’t be bothered to Google right now.

I have touched on the subject of time to write not being something you find but rather, something you make. However, I didn’t talk about ways you can make better use of your time when trying to make that precious time to write.

And let’s face it – we’re all ‘too busy’ for a lot of things, but that shouldn’t be the case with your writing.

Here are some quick tips from posts of the past to help you on your way to making more time for your writing:

*Make your to-do list - quickly, don’t use it as a stall - before you start writing. That way you don’t have to worry about trying to remember all you have to do along with all your characters have to do, where your plot is going, etc.

*For one entire day - the whole day - take a notepad or note cards with you everywhere. (You should be doing this already, by the way. Tsk, tsk.) I want you to document the times and events of your day. Even how much time you sit down to watch television to how much time you allow yourself to enjoy your chef salad at lunch time.

Don’t adjust yourself in any way. Take the day as you would always do it, and try not to pay attention to what you’ve written until the day is over.

*While brushing your teeth. Staring at yourself in the mirror can be fun, but you could be writing down notes while you’re doing it. It also gets you to brush your teeth longer (usually) which will be good for your dental hygiene.

For more on time management, check out Turn Off Your Brain and Time Management Part One, Two and Three.