Fiction Scribe

Literary Agent Janet Reid recently posted about Why You Got Summarily Rejected Today.

It never fails to amaze me how many people don’t seem to understand that there are guidelines for a reason. Guidelines for your submissions make lives easier for agents around the world, so why would you not follow them?

As I said in Pet Peeve #21 - Questioning Guidelines:

“I can understand if you want to clarify something like a technical term or the like with someone who knows, but my teeth truly grind when I see someone ask something like this:

“The guidelines say to submit three consecutive chapters, but can I submit chapters three, nine, and eleven?�?

Yes, I’ve seen it.

First, it’s not “can I�? it’s “may I�?. Secondly? Open a Word document, type in “consecutive�?, and press shift and F7. (I’m assuming if you have a question like this about the guidelines, you don’t have an actual hard copy of a dictionary or thesaurus.) In none of the alternatives does it even hint that “three consecutive�? is anything other than three in a row or three chapters - one after another.”

And yet people still go on and on, wondering if they can do something other than exactly what the agent/publishing company has asked for. That doesn’t make any sense as far as I am concerned.

But if you don’t want to take it from me, then listen to an agent: “There’s a reason that query letters have a certain form to them. There’s a reason I ask for a hook before I ask to read the pages. I’m not doing that to make you crazy. I’m doing it so that when you send me an email, I don’t go crazy, and auto-reject you.”

I say … and you think … ?

1. Silence ::
2. Wall ::
3. Killed ::
4. Wishful ::
5. Poodle ::
6. Sullen ::
7. Do not disturb ::
8. Philadelphia ::
9. Anticipation ::
10. Sidewalk ::

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.

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

I grew up in a tough New York City neighborhood. My mother was a divorced high school dropout. We were extremely poor but my mother never blamed our circumstances on anyone but herself. She told me we were poor because she had made poor choices and she taught me that the keys to rising above poverty were education and hard work. She never told me my ancestry or my poverty made me weak or helpless or could prevent me from succeeding in America. She never led me to believe I was a victim. I grew up believing in the American Dream.

Of course I knew there was bigotry and prejudice. I was keenly aware that there were people who thought less of me because of my Spanish ancestry. But I didn’t buy into the negative stereotype; I didn’t become prejudiced against myself.

I never gave a thought to the idea that the cards were stacked against me: poor, Puerto Rican, fatherless, drug and gang infested neighborhood, segregated high school. I just pushed on, pursuing the dream my mother had promised. My mother’s teachings of pride and hope and self reliance became the inspiration for my children’s book, Joey Gonzalez, Great American.

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

The story idea came a little over two years ago when I learned about World Ahead Publishing and its line of conservative children’s books. The concept of teaching conservative values through children’s literature intrigued me.

The story I wanted to tell would deal with a controversial subject: affirmative action. World Ahead seemed to be a publishing house that would have the vision and the courage to handle this subject. I wrote the story, submitted it and crossed my fingers.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book, Joey Gonzalez, Great American. Could you tell us a bit about the book? What inspired you to write this book? Where did the idea begin?

I would like to answer these questions together as they are closely related.

Over the years I have watched affirmative action take an ugly turn. It has become politically correct in America to believe that blacks and Hispanics are inherently inferior and that they must have special preferences in order to compete. Worse yet, black and Hispanic children are being led to believe these negative stereotypes.

I wrote Joey Gonzalez, Great American to bring an alternative message to children. The story takes the negative stereotypes and turns them around, teaching children that Spanish and African ancestry are not weaknesses but sources of strength. The Spanish explorers came across the ocean without any affirmative action.

African slaves had the opposite of affirmative action. They withstood terrible hardships with nothing to defend themselves but their innate strength, courage and intelligence. The Buffalo Soldiers were freed slaves who served in the U.S. Army and were great Americans.

The story uses images that are inspiring and affirmative to teach kids that they have the potential to be great because they have the greatness of their ancestors inside them.

This book is a bilingual book. Was it always in your mind to write it that way? Why did you choose to make it bilingual?

I believe children of any ethnicity would enjoy reading the Joey Gonzalez story but I wrote it mostly for Hispanic and black children. Several months after signing the contract it occurred to me that many of the children who would benefit from this story might have parents who would feel more comfortable reading the story in Spanish.

Also many Spanish speaking parents want their children to be bilingual and would enjoy having a bilingual children’s book to teach them both languages. Fortunately, World Ahead Publishing agreed.

What draws you about writing for children?

Children are the key. They are the future. Joey Gonzalez, Great American could help to create a generation of kids who understand that to judge people by their ancestry is prejudice even if it’s done with good intentions. This would go a long way toward bringing about what this country needs and craves: true reconciliation and true equality for Americans of every color and ancestry.

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

Katharine DeBrecht. Her first children’s book, “Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!�? made me start thinking about writing Joey Gonzalez, Great American to challenge the affirmative action mindset.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m doing the hardest part of writing, promoting the book.

What are your dreams for your writing?

I’d like to create at least one more children’s book.

When you’re not writing children’s stories, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

I have lots of time to do anything I want. I’m retired. I love to go on long distance, overnight bicycle rides. With the sun on my back, with 50 miles behind me and 50 miles to go, that’s when I’m happiest. That’s also a good time to “write�? – let the ideas flow and the dialogue take form. I probably should carry a recorder.

Do you have any advice for writers?

Write from your heart. Write with courage. Don’t pull any punches. Don’t try to hide behind your words. That seems to have worked for me.

Thank you very much for your time.

You’re welcome. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

As this is Fiction Scribe, there are a few things that I don’t talk about very often, like poetry, biographies and other non-fiction. However, April is National Poetry month, so it’s only right that I touch on poetry a little bit… (Plus, I used to like to write poetry for a long time and still have an appreciation for the craft.)

For this week’s Thursday Thirteen, I’m listing thirteen famous poets, including a few favourites if mine. Add on your favourite poets (and poems as well) in the comments section to help celebrate poetry month as well as maybe give me some new reading material.

Happy Thursday Thirteen!

1. Edgar Allen Poe
2. Jane Austen
3. E. E. Cummings
4. Emily Dickenson
5. Samuel Coleridge
6. Elizabeth Jennings
7. Geoffrey Chaucer
8. Maya Angelou
9. Aleister Crowley
10. Anais Nin
11. T.S. Eliot
12. Sylvia Plath
13. Robert Frost

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

Today we have a special interview with author Orna Ross who is currently virtually touring for her book Lovers’ Hollow. Today Orna is here to answer a few questions here in the post.

If you would like to ask her anything, please feel free to leave a comment.

When did you start writing?

When I wrote the first words of my first novel, Lovers Hollow? When I wrote my first nonfiction book? When I published my first article, the day somebody actually paid me for putting words together? When I took English lit at college and used to lie in my single bed, words chasing each other around my brain? When I wrote a poem in secondary school that my teacher read out to the rest of the class? When I read What Katy Did in primary school and copied out a few lines?

I still love the way they sound good. It was something about limes I remember. I didn’t even know what limes were back then – but they sounded exotic and exotic was what I wanted and what reading gave me. When I first pulled my ABC together into meaning?

I am always amazed by writers who have a clear sense of beginnings and endings when it comes to their work. All of my work seems to overlap one into the other and I find it very difficult to say when something starts or stops. At the moment I am first drafting my first novel, editing my second and promoting my first.

How would you describe the writing you are doing?

I write historical fiction but the story is always told through a contemporary lens. I am interested in how the part plays itself out in our lives, our own past, and that of other people and the places we live in. My books are heavily layered and interconnected – getting that layering right takes me a lot of time.

Only the novel has the capacity to do this. Other forms – the short story, the drama (in which I include the screenplay), cannot move as a novel can in and out of different time periods, in and outside the mind, from the smallest thought of a single individual to the widest experience of whole societies, whole worlds. It seems to me that this capacity is what makes the novel uniquely valuable.

I enjoy novels that are a distillation of a single experience – but I think of them as long short stories really. The novelists I like best of those that write the biggies – Eliot over Austen, for example. Tolstoy over Turgenev.

In the writing you are doing, who would you say has influenced you most?

George Eliot. Edna O’Brien. Dickens. Winston Graham. Toni Morrison. Helen Dunmore. Sally Beaumon. Many writers who flowered during the women’s movement — Grace Paley, Marilyn French… And, like every woman who writes, the Brontës.

What are your main concerns is a writer? How do you deal with those concerns?

My main concern is to try to capture the subjective, complicated response we bring to all that life throws at us. I deal with this concern by ensuring that I sit down every day with it and do what I can to give it the fullest possible expression.

How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?

I grew up in Ireland where there is great focus on history but where the stories that are told about the past – our 800 years of oppression by the English, for example – never seemed satisfactory to me - too simplistic. Lovers Hollow grew out of my own family experience. My father’s uncle was shot in the Irish Civil War but nobody in the family ever talked about it. Our village was still divided still about this conflict, with families not speaking to each other, though it had happened 50 years before. The silence that swirled around the topic drew me to it. It’s the same with anything I have written since. Wherever there is silence, there is pain.

How many books have you written so far?

Two nonfiction books in the 1990s - Health and Travel How-To’s, that I don’t think about now. Bodymatters For Women and Get Up & Go: A Travel Survival Guide, both from Attic Press. Now Lovers’ Hollow from Penguin. A Dance in Time, also Penguin, will appear September next.

Do you write every day? How does each session start? How do you proceed? How, where and why does it end?

Yes. The session starts with FREE-Writing, then I pick up where I left off the day before. How it proceeds very much depends on what stage I am at. If I’m in the germination stage, it might just be notetaking or working on the index cards I use to plan out the plot. If I’m drafting, I’ll just write as fast as possible, accepting any words that come, knowing I can fix it up later. (I even write “Shitty First Draft�? at the top of the page to give myself permission to get any old thing out.)

I try to leave each writing session longing to go on, itching to get going again tomorrow. Hemingway called it leaving some ink in the well. It gives you that sense of continuity you need when putting together a long novel

Is your writing autobiographical?

Every novelist gets asked this and it is very difficult to answer. Certainly - despite what some readers seem to think when a story is narrated in the first person - I can say unequivocally - and with some relief! - that neither Jo Devereux (Lovers Hollow) nor Izzy Mulcahy (A Dance in Time) is me. But yes, I share some experiences with them — brought up in small villages in rural Ireland, went to boarding school, lived in London for a while…

Most significantly I suppose, my great-uncle was shot in the Irish Civil War, in an incident very like that described in Lovers’ Hollow — though the reasons attributed in the book are entirely imagined.

While my experience of birth, family, marriage, children, death and so on differs from my characters’, something of me is in them — and vice versa.

Why do you use a pen-name?

There are a number of reasons why I write under a pen-name. Firstly, people outside Ireland find ‘�?ine’ an impossible name to pronounce (it’s “awn-ya”, folks, not “ay-neh”) and my publishers agreed that a name that was easier for people to remember was a good idea.

Why Orna Ross?

I knew I wanted a pseudonym, something easy to read and remember. But what? I spent ages trying to think of the right one. Then, one day as I shouting up the stairs, calling my two children down to eat - ‘Orna! Ross! Dinner’s ready!’ - I realised: the perfect name had delivered itself to me.

Where Do Your Ideas Come From?

Sometimes it’s something I know I want to go into a book – and I’ll go to great lengths to get it just the way I envisage it. For example, I knew I wanted Jo to live in San Francisco in order to connect her to the liberation movements there, so I had to visit SF to research how the place felt (that was tough!). For A Dance in Time, I had to read every single word written by WB Yeats, Ezra Pound, Francis Stuart, Maud Gonne and Iseult Gonne and almost everything written about them – between them, those guys generated a lot of words.

Sometimes it arises out of other work I am doing – Nora’s experience in Enniscorthy Lunatic Asylum (Lovers’ Hollow) was based on a case study I came across in research I did for an MA thesis.

More often, the ideas arise, as if from nowhere, when I’m lying in bed, telling myself I should get up, or when I’m jogging or walking, or in the bath…. And I engage in two daily practices that keep them coming: FREE-Writing and meditation.

I never have a shortage of ideas — my challenge is to manage my time so that I can get them written up.

What Are You Working On Now?

A family narrative set during the New York City Draft Riots of 1863, a kaleidoscopic set of stories that explore money and war, sex and gender, family and race. Again, the historical story is told through a more contemporary lens (though the 20th century lens is also a historical moment at some distance from now).

The idea for this novel sparked during an evening course I took in American History while living in Knutsford, England. The story itself was shocking — of how a black man called Abraham Franklin was hung by an Irish mob, one of numerous atrocities against the black community by the Irish during the riot. After Franklin was cut down, sixteen-year-old Patrick Butler dragged his corpse down the street by the testicles. All to cheers from the onlooking crowd of Irish men, women and children.

As powerful as this story itself, were the feelings circulating in the classroom. The teacher and the (largely English) students were all uncomfortable about my presence in the room — as if the fact that I was born in Ireland in some way associated me with the actions of those people, in that distant place and time.

The novel tells the story of two families, one Irish, the other black, and plays out the myriad connections between them during this troubled time. There is also a front story in a more contemporary setting — 1970s New York City — where the flamboyant and dysfunctional McIntyre family is enduring a tragedy.

A baby is dead. Officialdom labels it a cot death but each member of the family - father, mother, twin sister and brother - knows it wasn’t an accident. Which one of them did it? The answer is only revealed to the reader in the last paragraphs – and it is strangely connected to the atrocities that happened during that long-ago riot.

The working title of this story is Three Days in New York.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years I see myself just where I am now: spending half my day writing and the other half encouraging others along their writing and publication pathways.

Lovers’ Hollow is historical fiction but told through a contemporary lens and it weaves backwards and forwards in time.

Effortlessly interweaving past and present, and building towards a compelling and surprising conclusion, Lovers’ Hollow ranges across three generations and two continents to deliver a page-turning exploration of love, revenge and the true nature of freedom.

Lovers’ Hollow – Press Reviews Summary

• SUNDAY INDEPENDENT: ‘A magnificent family saga… highly ambitious, engaging and evocative.’
• IRISH INDEPENDENT: ‘an impressive canvas… a captivating read… an achievement.’
• SUNDAY TRIBUNE: ‘…epic sweep…ambitious scope…an intelligent book.’
• EVENING HERALD: ‘A Haunting Tale… a gripping story.’
• IRELAND ON SUNDAY: ‘engaging and well-thought-out… the characters and mysteries will make you want to keep reading.’
• IRISH EXAMINER: ’succeeds admirably…retains interest throughout its considerable span.’
• EMIGRANT ONLINE: ‘A riveting story…vividly brought to life.’ See full review at www.emigrant.ie
• WOMAN’S WAY BOOKCLUB: ‘Orna Ross has mastered the art of suspense with her darkly portentous prose… I couldn’t put it down.’
• BOOKBAG: ‘ I read all 688 pages over a period of about three days – and this is a big, big story. It’s Orna Ross’s first novel, but it’s crafted with the skill of a veteran and the suspense is masterly.” www.thebookbag.co.uk
• BIBLIOFEMME: ‘An incredible debut that will have the reader absolutely enthralled.’ www.bibliofemme.com
• AMAZON: ‘Lovers’ Hollow will be a classic… [like] Gone With The Wind. It’s as broad in its scope as that. One of the best novels I have read in a long, long time.” www.amazon.co.uk

Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for stories from you!

…No Specific Topic…
If you have a great story but you are not sure where it should go, please submit it here. When our editors read it they will forward it on to the appropriate topic.

…Results Stories…
Have you read a particular Chicken Soup story and, after reading it, found that it changed your life? We are looking for stories on how a story made important changes in your life and what specifically happened to you after you read it. Please be sure to let us know the title of the story that touched your life.

Stories about Cats
Another wonderful collection of stories about cats. No deadline date has been established

Stories about dogs
Another wonderful collection of stories about dogs. No deadline date for story submissions has been established.

Stories about getting into college
An amazing statistic is that there are over three million high school seniors who graduate each year and more than half of them apply to college. There are many books published that tell you how to get into college but this book will be different. This book will be the one that provides emotional support to both students and their parents. The deadline date for story submissions is June 30, 2008.

Stories about high school
The high school years are some of the most difficult but, at the same time, some of the best. You will be able to relate to and learn from the stories in this book. They will make you laugh, make you cry and let you know that others are having the same experiences in high school that you are. You are not alone. The deadline for story submissions is June 30, 2008.

Stories about middle school
The years in middle school can be tough and wonderful - all at the same time. There are so many changes going on and so many things to deal with. The stories in this book will be about the issues going on in your life - the things that you deal with everyday - and they will inspire you. The deadline for story submissions is June 30, 2008.

Stories about resolutions
We all do it!! We make those New Year’s resolutions each year and we try so hard to keep them. How did yours work out? We would love to hear from you about the resolutions you made, those that worked and those that didn’t. What did you learn? The deadline date for story submissions is August 31, 2008.

Stories about stay at home moms
Many moms manage to combine being a stay at home mom with working from home. These stories will make you appreciate and realize what a difficult task that is. No deadline date for story submissions has been established.

Stories about twins and multiples
What a unique experience it is to be a twin or a multiple! The heartwarming stories in this book will tell about those experiences and will be written by twins, multiples and the people who know them or have them in their families. No deadline date for story submissions has been established.

If you have a great story, but don’t see a book that it fits, that’s OK. Just click below and submit it under, “No Specific Topic�?.

Click Here to Submit Your Story

Welcome to the April 7, 2008 edition of Scribes.

We have another good month of submissions, which I hope you enjoy and find useful. Remember to send in your links before the last Thursday of April to get your links in the May edition.

Joshua Dodson presents Free eBook of Sentience with Kinesthesia (Poetry) posted at Fragmentist, saying, “Joshua @ Fragmentist is giving away a free poetry eBook.”

Orna Ross presents St Patrick’s Day in Glendalough posted at WRITING ADVICE & PUBLISHING ADVICE from Font, saying, “novelist celebrates end of the book by writing poem!”

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Poems About Poems posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog, saying, “A limerick about writing haiku and a haiku about writing limericks.”

Fiction

Jesse presents Grey Survivors posted at Grey Survivors, saying, “A journal of one mans survival of the invasion of Earth by sort of tiny grey things.”

Aaron Powell presents The Hole: A Serial Novel of Supernatural Apocalypse by Aaron Ross Powell posted at The Hole: A Serial Novel.

Cheryl Snell presents Bad Blood posted at Scattered Light, saying, “This story helped to spark my novel, Shiva’s Arms.”

Writing Advice

Brent Diggs presents The Secret to Writing Humor posted at Humor Blogging.

Gina Cacace presents All In: Risk in Writing posted at Gina Cacace, saying, “A post about authenticity and the writing process for my latest piece of short fiction.”

babs mountjoy presents Why do we write? posted at Awalkabout’s Weblog, saying, “We write for many reasons…but some of us can’t help it.”

Catherine Johnson presents Editorial Advice: To Listen or Not posted at Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace, saying, “Every writer needs editorial advice, but the question is how do you know when you’ve received enough feedback? It’s a tough call.”

Tip Diva presents Tip Diva | Top Ten Tips - Beating Writer’s Block posted at Tip Diva, saying, “When Tip Diva is not thinking of advice and how-tos for this website, she writes for a trade magazine. Writing for both a magazine and a blog can be pretty taxing on her brain, and she sometimes finds herself continuously staring at a blank Word document. Writer’s block happens to the best of us, but there are some ways you can beat it.”

Orna Ross presents Writing A Novel: 10 Top Tips posted at WRITING ADVICE & PUBLISHING ADVICE from Font, saying, “Writing tips from authors such as Marian Keyes, Ernest Hemingway, Lawrence Block, Joyce carol Oates…. and a little from Font too!”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of scribes using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Orna Ross is currently touring her first novel “Lovers’ Hollow�? and is excited to bring her book on-line via various blogs. Orna spent fifteen years in freelance journalism in Dublin and London before settling down to write fiction.

This is her first offering, and a bumper read at 668 pages. It deals with Jo, a 38 year old woman who returns to Ireland for her dead mother’s funeral, to find that she has been left a suitcase of papers and letters from the past. In unearthing undreamt-of family secrets – of love and revenge in a time of war, of the conflict between happiness and duty, and even of a murder that has haunted three generations – Jo begins to understand certain truths, not only about the women who came before her, but about Rory O’Donovan, the man who she loved in her youth and who is now back in her life.

This novel weaves effortlessly between past and present and evades all attempts at pre-empting its stunning conclusion. A must for lovers of historical fiction everywhere.

Orna Ross co-runs Font Literary Agency & Writing Centre in Clontarf, Co. Dublin, Ireland and teaches creative writing classes. Please some on-line on the day and feel free to ask her any questions on her book, writing in general or literary agencies/publishers. She looks forward to chatting with you.

I say … and you think … ?

1. Nutritious ::
2. Graduate ::
3. Tonight! ::
4. Located ::
5. Weapon ::
6. Jumper ::
7. Collectibles ::
8. Dennis ::
9. Hostile ::
10. Vivid ::

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

Hello everyone and happy Friday.

Today we have an interview of a different sort in that we are welcoming a poet here to Fiction Scribe. Please join me in welcoming her to the site and feel free to leave your own questions for her in the comments section.

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

I’m a Florida poet, author, and humorist who graduated from Florida State University. Catch up with my latest news at www.charlottebarnesonline.com.

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

I had always enjoyed writing when I was in school. I remember one assignment where we were to write our own epitaphs. I wound up with a tragic tale of dying from eating the cafeteria food.

I began writing again in 1996 when I was between jobs. It became an on-and-off thing. My first book was published in 2005.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book of poetry. Could you tell us a bit about it?

“The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats�? is my third book overall, but my first collection of poetry. It is a rather diverse collection covering everything from stray cats to loneliness to football.

What inspired you to write this collection? Where did the idea begin?

I didn’t initially set out to write a poetry collection. It collected over time. I usually start with a feeling or a scenario. Sometimes the poem comes to me bit by bit, and other times it flowers as though it came fully formed in my mind.

You’ll notice certain themes or elements recurring in a lot of my work—humor, loneliness, alienation, the search for meaning in life, etc.

Which poem is your favourite and why?

I prefer not to influence readers by naming any personal favorites. I prefer to hear the readers’ favorites. The one that I probably hear the most about from readers is the book’s title poem, “The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats.�? It’s about a fictitious lighthouse in Florida where cats go when they want to get away from people.

I had the idea when I saw neighborhood cats coming and going through the bushes in the yard and I wondered what they did all days as they wandered the world.

What draws you about writing poetry?

I like to play with words to see what I can get out of them. I enjoy the rhythm. You’ll find that a lot of my poems rhyme. In a lot of ways, I think it makes it easier for the readers. I’m thinking of the folks who might read the poetry aloud.

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

I tend to lean toward classic poetry in my own reading. I enjoy Frost, Dickinson, Sandburg, Kipling, etc.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a children’s picture book manuscript. It’s called “Stella Ducktropolis�? and it’s about a crime-fighting duck. It’s in the galley stages now. I’m hoping it’ll be out by summer. I’m also working on a new collection of poetry.

What are your dreams for your writing?

I would like to be able to do a book a year. It would be great to write full-time. What’s great about my work is that each book is different. I don’t write the same thing every time.

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

When not writing, I enjoy watching football, reading, watching movies (action or comedy), or taking a nap. I write before work, during lunch, and on weekends. I’m usually too tired at night.

Do you have any advice for writers?

Write what you feel compelled to write, not what others tell you to write. Treat others with kindness and respect. Don’t let rejection get you down. Listen to motivational CD’s to keep your spirits/motivation up.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thanks very much.

While I am, for the most part, a supporter of people who write fanfic (and admit that’s what they’re writing), someone suggested to me that I do a Thursday Thirteen list of reasons to not write fanfic.

Please don’t take this as me withdrawing my support or trying to insult people who write fanfic, but there are reasons to not do it…

1. Bottom line - the stuff isn’t yours.
2. You may get praised for your writing skills, but you’re not likely to be praised for your imagination.
3. Being locked down. No matter what, there is only so much you can do with other people’s characters and worlds.
4. FanFic is “safe” writing. You don’t really have to risk anything showing your work to others because it’s not completely your ‘baby’. If you write fanfic, you may never stop because of being in that “safe” zone.
5. Satisfaction. While fanfiction is satisfying in a way - I did it when I was younger to get some things ‘out of my system’ when it came to the series I was reading - there is infinitely more satisfaction to be had when it’s all of your own creation.
6. When you write fanfic, you don’t always have the chance to threaten your friends with “I’ll put you in my novel”.
7. Even if you do get to use the threat in number six, it’s not much of one given fanfics don’t exactly become best sellers.
8. If you’re not working completely from your own material, you’ll never find all the things you need to work on.
9. This one is purely my opinion, but fanfic is easier to put down. Put away. Forget about. You don’t have to worry about forgetting things ‘whenever’ you get back to it because all you have to do is go back and read the original. There isn’t the urgency there.
10. The stereotypical drinking, smoking writer doesn’t really work for a fanfic writer…
11. You have a limited audience. You’re narrowed down twice - once to the group who likes what you’re writing fanfic about and once again to the group within that group who would actually read fanfic about the subject.
12. There’s no reason to be scared. Nobody has to read what you write when you finally strike out on your own with your own creations.
13. There is nothing like completing something of your own creation. I know I’ve already said that, but when it’s well and truly your baby, you love it warts and all. You’re more dedicated to it, will polish it more, will take that little bit (or lot) more pride in what you’ve done.

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

Twelfth Plant Press

Twelfth Planet Press is looking for unique novellas to publish in a novella series.

TPP expects to publish one to two novellas a year in this ongoing series. They are looking for speculative fictional stories between 20 000 and 40 000 words in length. They are especially looking for strong, tightly written pieces with subject matter that may tend towards not fitting into the usual specfic novella outlets.

Word count: 20 000 to 40 000 words
Genre: science fiction, fantasy, or horror
Payment: A$250 advance for the story plus 8% royalties
Reading period: Now to July 29th 2008
Submit: send your story as an rtf attachment to twelfthplanetpress@gmail.com

(There will be a second reading period towards the end of 2008 and into 2009)

Oysters and Chocolate Literary Anthology

We have great news at O&C! We have signed with a division of Penguin Publishing, NAL, to publish the first Oysters & Chocolate Literary Anthology!

We are now seeking submissions for our erotic anthology. If you would like to submit, please keep these things in mind:

- Submissions should be between 2,000 and 6,000 words.
- We are looking for stories that are light and sexy, with playful scenarios and situations.
- Accepted submissions will have strong characterization - we want real characters with pasts, presents and futures - they should be more than just bodies for the sex.
- Accepted submissions will have a strong sense of language with good dialogue.
- Accepted submissions will demonstrate the sexual creativity that has come to be a trademark of O&C.

Please label your submissions in the subject line with “Anthology Submission” followed by which of our four categories you are submitting for: Vanilla, Dirty Martini, Licorice Whips or All About the Oysters. For example, if you are submitting a Vanilla story, your submission will read “Anthology Submission: Vanilla.” Please both send your story as a word attachment, and copy and paste your story into the body of the email. Include a brief bio as well as any publishing credits you have.

Email your submission to anthology@oystersandchocolate.com.

You may submit up to four entries for the anthology. Deadline for these submissions is April 20th - however, the sooner we receive your submission the better!

We anticipate buying the rights to your story for $100 and a complimentary copy of the anthology. You will be paid when the manuscript of the anthology is created, which we hope to have done in June of 2008.

Thanks so much, we look forward to hearing from you! And as always, let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

xoxo
Jordan & Samantha