Fiction Scribe

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.***

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!

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.

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.

It has been a while since I have done this (do you recall ‘little reminders’?) and I have so many small contest links and announcements that I believe it’s time to put up at least one more post like it. Enjoy.

The Australian Spec Fic Blog Carnival
Hosted by the lovely Eneit, this carnival is full of all sorts of fun tidbits from the authors down under who have a love of spec fic.

Bragging Rites Unleashed Publisher and Author Spotlight Chats
Bragging Rites Unleashed is hosting Red Rose Publishing author Liam Stalls today. Check out the site for more details.

My Very Special Agent Contest
You could win an e-book copy of Eureka Point, the first book in the series, and a Time for Tea gift basket containing teas, scone mix, jams and everything a true tea lover could want, and a few other surprises. Check out the site for more details.

The Winds of Asharra Contest
You could win the chance to name a character in The Winds of Asharra sequel or an autographed hardback copy of the book. Check out The Winds of Asharra website for more details.

WOW! Women On Writing Flash Fiction Contest
“WOW! hosts a (quarterly) writing contest every three months. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, communication, and well-rewarded recognition to contestants. The contest is open globally; age is of no matter; and entries must be in English. We are open to all styles of writing, although we do encourage you to take a close look at our guest judge for the season (upper right hand column) and the flavor of our sponsor, if you are serious about winning. We love creativity, originality, and light-hearted reads. That’s not to say that our guest judge will feel the same… so go wild! Express yourself, and most of all, let’s have some fun!”

Check out the WOW site for more details.

Thank you to Writers Who Blog for the heads up.

As always, remember:

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

Interested in reviewing books on your blog? Would you like to interview authors?

We are seeking qualified bloggers who would like to become tour hosts for our clients. If you are a blogger who would be interested in either interviewing our authors, letting them guest post on your blog or would be willing to review their book and posting their review on your blog (or any other type of promotion) on a certain day that both you and we set up together, we would be interested in talking to you.

We are only looking for blogs who receive substantial traffic and are updated frequently.

All our tour hosts receive a link on our sponsors’ page (if you prefer hosting your banner, that’s fine, too), links on our in house blogs, and will receive copies of books where applicable for their time and effort in hosting our authors. You will also receive substantial traffic on your blog while the author is touring as we highly publicize each and every one of our tour stops.

We also spotlight our tour hosts at random in our monthly newsletter. All tour host spotlights will include blog information and an interview with the blog host as part of their feature in the newsletter. More added exposure! And…not only that…we will include your link on this page so that others can see what an outstanding blog you have.

If you are interested, you can visit Virtual Book Tours for Authors, look in the right hand sidebar for the list of authors touring, and let us know which author you would prefer to host.

Once you have decided which author you would like to host, copy and paste the below information into an email and send it to us at thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. Please put “I Want to Be a Tour Host” in the subject line of your email.

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.

On behalf of author/editor Lea Schizas, I’d like to invite everyone who loves to write for children or who has thought about writing for children to join Lea and her twenty-two guest bloggers through April 5th for the blog fest extravaganza: Writing for Children.

The Writing Jungle

Meet such amazing authors such as:

Margot Finke
Beverly Stowe McClure
Kim Chatel
Joyce Anthony
Lori Calabrese
and many, many more.

You also have a chance to be one of the lucky random draw ebook prize winners on April 5th. How? All you have to do is leave the guest bloggers a comment and your name is placed for Friday’s draw.

Ask the guest writers questions, read their excerpts, hear about their characters and read why they love writing for children.

Along the left side bar of Lea’s blog, you can find a list of the blog fest contributors, many of which are linked so you have an easy directory of great authors websites and blogs to check out.

So if you are interested in writing for children, are writing for children, or have ever even thought about writing for children, be sure to stop by The Writing Jungle for some excellent guest posts by published authors and your chance to win an ebook.

Interested in reviewing books on your blog? Would you like to interview authors?

We are seeking qualified bloggers who would like to become tour hosts for our clients. If you are a blogger who would be interested in either interviewing our authors, letting them guest post on your blog or would be willing to review their book and posting their review on your blog (or any other type of promotion) on a certain day that both you and we set up together, we would be interested in talking to you.

We are only looking for blogs who receive substantial traffic and are updated frequently.

All our tour hosts receive a link on our sponsors’ page (if you prefer hosting your banner, that’s fine, too), links on our in house blogs, and will receive copies of books where applicable for their time and effort in hosting our authors. You will also receive substantial traffic on your blog while the author is touring as we highly publicize each and every one of our tour stops.

We also spotlight our tour hosts at random in our monthly newsletter. All tour host spotlights will include blog information and an interview with the blog host as part of their feature in the newsletter. More added exposure! And…not only that…we will include your link on this page so that others can see what an outstanding blog you have.

If you are interested, you can visit Virtual Book Tours for Authors, look in the right hand sidebar for the list of authors touring, and let us know which author you would prefer to host.

Once you have decided which author you would like to host, copy and paste the below information into an email and send it to us at thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. Please put “I Want to Be a Tour Host” in the subject line of your email.

LOVE MOVIES? WRITE ONE!
Some of you may not know that we run two ginormous, free writing events: NaNoWriMo in November, and Script Frenzy in April. For Script Frenzy, the goal is to write a movie, play, graphic novel script, comic book script, or a collection of TV shows or shorts in 30 days. You can even do a screenplay adaptation of your NaNoWriMo novel!

Script Frenzy’s finish line is 100 pages, and it has the same raucous energy and unpretentious atmosphere as NaNoWriMo. ScriptFrenzy.org is also home to the legendary Plot Machine, which issues all visitors a free, guaranteed Oscar-winning plot for their scripts. I took part in the Frenzy last year and writing a screenplay was the biggest creative shot in the arm I’ve had since first doing NaNoWriMo in 1999. Give it a try; you’ll see what I mean.

Also, a shout-out to teachers and parents: Script Frenzy has a separate Young Writers Program created with budding scriptwriters in mind. We spend March getting young authors up to speed on movie, play, and TV scriptwriting basics before unleashing them on their own projects in April. Come on by! http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org.

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.

Democrats Have Values, Too

We are watching the first true 21st century election. It radiates Oprah-style celebrity, electric grass roots energy, and the rise of a new values voter. America is moving from the old masculinized morality of “Alone, I Will,” to the new feminized world view of “Together We Can.”

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s success shows the ascension of the New Feminized Majority, a multitude of millions of women and men voting in line with feminized values. This new majority is the base of the 21st century Democratic Party, and will battle in the general election against the masculinized morality of the old warrior, John McCain. They promise to be the defining element in the 2008 election. Stay tuned: this election will rewrite the American Dream and bring Americans together around a new and transformative world view.

On March 3, 2008, Charles Derber and Katherine Adam, authors of the book, The New Feminized Majority: How Democrats Can Change America with Women’s Values, are embarking on a virtual book tour around the world collecting letters from bloggers who would like to share their values and how those values impact their voting decisions.

If you would like to become involved in their tour, this is how it works:

1. Think of what values are important to you and how those values can impact who you vote for.

2. Post your message on your blog between now and March 1st and send us the exact link at cg20pm00(at)gmail(dot)com. Please put “Feminized Values” in your subject line.

3. When we receive your link, we will add it to Charles and Katherine’s tour page at The New Feminized Majority Virtual Book Tour ‘08

4. But, that’s not all! Charles and Katherine will pick one of the bloggers who participate to win a FREE copy of The New Feminized Majority. That’s their thank you gift to you!

6. And not only that, we will promote your blog through our daily promotions using your blog post as part of their virtual book tour, thus bringing you lots of traffic in March!

7. We also ask that you include a jpeg copy of Charles and Katherine’s book, The New Feminized Majority, in your blog post. You can find their book cover at The New Feminized Majority tour page (you are welcome to copy and paste from there) and link it to where the book can be purchased from the publisher’s website at Paradigm Publishers.

That’s all there is to it! Hurry before time runs out. Become involved in a nationwide campaign to tell the world what matters most to you. Share your values and become involved in CHARLES AND KATHERINE’S THE NEW FEMINIZED MAJORITY “FEMINIZED VALUES” CONTEST!

Charles and Katherine’s virtual book tour will be highly publicized including press releases and other promotions and is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. You can visit their website at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/

Since February is the time for cupids and hearts and all things romantic and sometimes not-so-romantic, what better time than to write a letter to your lover?

On February 1, 2008, Rachel Greene Baldino and Judy Ford, authors of the book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire, are embarking on a virtual book tour around the world collecting letters from bloggers who would like to tell their lovers how they really feel about them - the good and the bad - and become a part of their tour!

If you would like to become involved in their contest, this is how it works:

1. Think of the things you would like to say to your lover, but haven’t had the time or the reason, whether it’s to say how much you love them or how they drive you up the wall. Yes, the good and the bad and the funnier or more outrageous the better! Let everything hang out!

2. Do not use names. Name your blog post “Letter to My Lover” and begin your post with “Dear Lover” They’ll have to guess who it’s for!

3. Post your message on your blog between now and February 14th and send us the exact link to thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. Please put “Letter to my Lover” in your subject line.

4. When we receive your link, we will add it to Rachel and Judy’s tour page!

5. But, that’s not all! Rachel and Judy will pick one of the bloggers who participate a FREE copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire! That’s their Valentine’s Day present to you!

6. And not only that, we will promote your blog through our daily promotions using your blog post as part of their virtual book tour, thus bringing you lots of traffic during February!

7. We also ask that you include a jpeg copy of Rachel and Judy’s book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire, in your blog post. You can find their book cover here (you are welcome to copy and paste from there).

8. All participants will be listed on Rachel and Judy’s tour page so that everyone can read YOUR letters to your lover!

That’s all there is to it! Hurry before time runs out. Become involved in a nationwide campaign to tell the world what you think about your lover and see how much fun it will be to read the letters of others. Share your letters and become involved in RACHEL AND JUDY’S “LETTER TO MY LOVER” VALENTINE’S DAY CONTEST!

Rachel and Judy’s virtual book tour will be highly publicized including press releases and other promotions and is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. You can visit their website at PumpUpYouBookPromotion.com.

Rachel and Judy will be taking over Long Relationships February 11th to the 15th, so be sure to stop by!

I’m hosting part of a progressive dinner blog carnival! (No, I’m not talking about the Scribes carnival.)

Have you ever been to a progressive dinner? You start out at one house or restaurant to have hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, then move on to a different one for appetizers, and continue moving from place to place all the way through dessert.

That’s the idea behind the new Progressive Dinner Blog Carnival…

Soup To Nuts is ONE BLOG CARNIVAL presented in five “courses”, each with a different host.

Entries are being accepted NOW.
Dinner will be served on Wednesday, January 30th.

{You can submit one post, per blog, on any subject - please do not use any post more than once}

You can participate in 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 courses

(more…)

Yes, I know. It’s very exciting and unexpected.

Happy Tuesday or something like that.

Seeing as we had the bonus interview yesterday, the reminders are going up today. As always, titles are bolded for your easy perusal and sarcasm may or may not be included just to see if you are paying attention.

Comment-Eating Monster

Yes, our resident comment-eating monster is still rampaging through the 451 network leaving only half-eaten comments and destruction behind.

This issue is being worked on (so I’m told), and I will continue to fish comments out of the monster’s nasty net as often as possible. If a few days have gone by and your comment hasn’t appeared, let me know with a swift kick to the bum or a nicely worded email.

Author PDF

Okay, so I’m late with this and getting later. Are we surprised? Honestly, I have some offline time (road trip) coming up and I’ll be bringing my laptop. I still hope to get this ready to go out to everyone before the end of January.

The Book Stacks Game

If you would like a nifty Australian postcard from yours truly, head over to The Book Stacks to play the Monday book game. If you win, I will be sending a postcard to everyone who contributed. (And was willing to give me a postal address.)

Reviewer? Interviewer?

If you’re looking to getting into interviewing authors and/or reviewing books (free books!) check out this post for more information.

Soup to Nuts Carnival

Submissions for this carnival are still open, so get in on the action. You could have links to your blog(s) on five blogs, including here on Fiction Scribe. (I’m serving the dessert course. Yum yum.)