Interview with Author Beth Stilborn

I met Beth Stilborn in the 12 x 12 in 2012 picture book writing challenge. She is incredibly helpful to other authors and she's full of great ideas. She agreed to do an interview here so I could share a bit about her and her writing journey with you all.



Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm 55 and I grew up on a farm on the Canadian prairies, and still live on the prairies, although I have lived in a city for most of my adult life. I worked in a university library, in the acquisitions department, for over twenty years – that made use of a skill I’ve honed throughout my life, buying books. My love of the arts is evident in much of my writing. It’s a love that began when I was a small child, listening to my mother sing. My love of pretending has grown into a love of the craft of acting (although I haven’t done as much acting as I would like to do) as well as the craft of writing. My website/blog can be found at BethStilborn.com. Its predecessor now serves as an archive. I also have a writer page on Facebook and cna be found on Twitter.

Do you use a pen name? Why or why not?

I plan to publish my children’s books using my “everyday” name, Beth Stilborn. After a brief flirtation with using my full name in what I thought was a creative way, Elizabethanne Stilborn, I decided that was simply too long and cumbersome, so I reverted to “Beth”. I have hymn texts that have already been published using my name as Elizabeth Stilborn, so I will retain that for any future hymns I publish. I intend to use a pen name based on my great-grandmother’s maiden name, Liv Andrews, for my adult fiction. I want to use different names for the different genres to keep each genre/age group/target audience separate.

What type of writing do you do? What genre do you write in?
I write picture books, middle grade novels, adult fiction, poetry, and hymn texts. Much of my fiction has a linkage to the arts in some way. My hymn texts (and some of my fiction) usually incorporate some sort of call to justice.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? What was it about writing that drew you to it?

I love stories. I’ve made up stories for as long as I can remember, although they weren’t always written down. Writing, like acting, is a socially acceptable way for an adult to pretend! I did some writing as a teen, including one hymn text that was published when I was 15 or 16, and dabbled a bit from time to time in picture books and other genres during my twenties. I really began writing about seventeen or eighteen years ago, but didn’t have the time to devote to it, nor did I have the training to make the most of it (and I was far too insecure at that point to join any sort of writing group or take courses in creative writing – that came much later).

Two moments in my life are like signposts on my journey, and they stand out in my memory to this day. In one university class, I used to see my classmates’ papers returned with hardly a note on them, while mine were always marked thoroughly with red pen lines, marks, questions. I wondered why the prof was always “picking on me.” Until the last paper he handed back to me. It had no marks on it whatsoever, just a good grade, and the words “Keep writing.” Ah. That’s what the corrections and feedback had been about. Also, one night in the mid 1990s my mother said to me in a phone conversation, “Why don’t you write?” I started a story that night, and I’ve been writing one thing or another ever since.

Where do you get your ideas for your writing?

My childhood, things I see around me, things I wish had been available for me to read when I was a kid, things I hear children say – I get ideas from all kinds of sources. Ideas are everywhere, if you’re sensitive to them.

What books/authors have influenced your writing?

I can’t specifically point to books and authors I’ve read that have influenced my writing (although there are many that have influenced my life). What has influenced my writing most has been my association with children’s author and editor, Emma Walton Hamilton. I learned a great deal from taking her online/home study picture book writing course “Just Write for Kids” and I have continued to learn through her monthly teleseminars for her writers’ group, the Children’s Book Hub. Her manuscript evaluations of some of my work have been invaluable. Emma and I now collaborate as co-administrators of the Children’s Book Hub Facebook Group, and that, too has been a great learning experience and has broadened the scope of my reading (as I look for content that will interest Hub members). That can only have a positive effect on my writing. (Any writer or illustrator, aspiring or established, who is interested in joining the Children’s Book Hub Facebook Group can request membership.)

What are your current writing projects?

Without going into specifics, because I don’t like sharing specifics of pre-published projects, I have a picture book that’s submission-ready, another one that’s being evaluated by a freelance editor (this is a second evaluation for this manuscript, I like to get her to look at it after I’ve reworked it after her first comments), three that will soon be ready for manuscript evaluation, and several ideas in the works. I’m working on a middle grade novel – the first draft is done (although the first draft has been through about three different iterations, so I’m not sure it’s really a “first” draft) and I’m working on the revision process. I’m revisiting an adult novel that I thought was finished, but may need some reworking, and I want to get back to another adult novel that has been novel, then screenplay, then novel again. It holds a particular place in my heart, and I want to get at it again.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? How do you get through it?

I’m constantly amazed at how the ideas just flow when I sit down to write, so my problem isn’t really writer’s block, it’s more writer’s procrastination. I’m trying to be disciplined about my writing – this is my job, and I need to treat it as such.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Creating a logical plot arc is one of my major challenges – telling a story instead of just stitching together a crazy quilt of events.

What do you love most about writing?

I love losing myself in another character’s world, looking at life through someone else’s eyes. As I’ve said before, for me writing, like acting, is a socially acceptable way of pretending. When I was a child, I was always pretending to be someone else, trying to get all the character nuances just right, thinking what life would be like for that person. That’s what I love to do now, creating my characters and looking at life as they see it and live it.

Is there anything that you have learned about yourself through writing/pursuing your career as a writer?

I have learned that I have a lot more strength than I ever thought possible. I have learned that I have something valuable to contribute to others’ lives.

If you could become one of your characters for a day, would you? (and who/why?)

Yes, I would. I’d love to be the irascible, outspoken man who is the protagonist of the adult novel/screenplay/novel project. He’s different from any other character I’ve written, crusty but with a heart of gold. He speaks his mind; he’s highly creative; he’s keenly intelligent, both in his field of work and in people-smarts. He works in a creative field, he lives surrounded by creative people. It would be so stimulating intellectually and emotionally to have his life for a little while. (It would be exhausting to be him for long, though!)

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Trust yourself. Write what you care about. Don’t be afraid. Seek feedback from people who know their stuff. Take courses. Write, write, and write some more. Join organizations such as SCBWI. Go to conferences and workshops. Network with other writers. Learn about the building blocks of story – plotting, creating characters. Take acting lessons. Learn how actors get into character, how they develop backstories for their characters. Read, read, and read some more. And, as my prof said, “Keep writing.”

Please leave Beth some comments and let her know you appreciate her taking the time to share with us a bit about her writing journey.



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A Crafty Interview with Author & llustrator Hannah Holt

Author/illustrator Hannah Holt is favoring us today with a craft and interview. She blogs about healthy kid's snacks and crafts over at her Lightbulb Books blog.

First up, the craft: DIY Oval Chalkboard

Create your own oval chalkboard for under $10.



What you'll need:

a 12” by 9” wooden board (sanded, about $4)
black acrylic or wood paint (to prime, $2)
chalkboard spray paint ($2)
a sheet of paper torn from an old over-sized book (free)
½ inch rickrack ($1)
white glue sponge brush
a plastic card a paper towel
this oval pattern (Click "download file" on bottom right.)

Step 1) Prime the wood by painting the entire surface black. Use the sponge brush to create a smooth finish. Let the paint dry.

Step 2) Spray a thin coat of chalkboard paint onto the wood. Let this coat dry and then spray at least one more coat. I recommend 3-4 thin coats. Let dry for 24 hours.

Step 3) Cut your over-sized sheet of paper to fit the board. Then download and print the oval pattern provided here and use this pattern to cut an oval out of the middle of your paper. Be sure to center the oval before you cut. Sadly the pattern is not perfectly centered within the page. My pdf writer was giving me grief today.



Step 4) Using chalk and the cut out sheet of paper, trace an oval on the center of your wooden board.

Step 5) Mix white glue with water in a 1:1 ratio. You'll need about 2 Tbl of white glue and 2 Tbl of water for this project. Paint around the outside of the circle with the diluted glue.



Step 6) Place the paper with the oval cutout over the glue and smooth with the side of the plastic card. You'll want to remove ALL the bubbles.



Step 7) Paint diluted glue over the top of the paper. Dab off excess glue with a paper towel.



Step 8) Put a stripe of undiluted glue around the interior of the oval, and press the rickrack into the glue. Let the glue dry overnight, and you're all done!

And now for the interview part of this post!



Me: Thanks Hannah! With so many kid's craft blogs out there, what made you decide to do one?

Hannah: Well, it's something I love. Also most of the crafts I post on my blog are originals. You can't find them anywhere else. Creativity provides me with a small monopoly that way.

Me: Is it true you provide all your own artwork and photography for your website?

Hannah: Yes. I think that's pretty standard stuff for artist/illustrator sites. Most creative people understand the importance of not using of someone else's material without permission.

Me: With four kids six and under, where do you find the time to make all your creations?

Hannah: We do a lot of drawing together as a family. Most days my kids and I crowd around our big kitchen table with papers and pens to compare doodlings. Just the other day my four year old asked, “Mom, would you make me a maze?” He likes it when I make activity pages because he gets to try them first.

Me: And the babies? Do they like to draw?

Hannah: No. They sit under the table and eat any papers that fall on the floor.

Me: Art scavengers?

Hannah: Exactly.

Me: When do you write your picture books?

Hannah: I haven't been as diligent about writing picture books since my twins were born last year. That's one reason I'm excited about Julie Hedlund's 12x12 challenge. The challenge is forcing me to get stories out on paper. So far the stories I've written haven't been very good. I'm hoping with enough pump priming, I'll have a few decent ideas by the end of the year.

Me: Anything else my readers should really know about you?

Hannah: I suffer from chronic foot-in-mouth disease. I have a lot of strong opinions, and I'm all too happy to share them. If I've offended anyone, please know I don't intend it as a personal attack. I love meeting new people with differing ideas. Don't worry about offending me. I have a pretty thick skull skin when it comes to taking offense.

Me: Thanks so much for answer my questions today.

Hannah: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.


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Princess Parade Flash Fiction Contest

I'm running a little contest on one of my other blogs, Princess Parade.  It is the Princess Parade Flash Fiction Contest. There is a prize for 1st place, bought and sent by me. It's in protest against some of the drivel published as stories about princesses for little girls. It can be written for adults or kids but needs to be family-friendly. Find out more about it and the details of submitting over here.

Don't you want the chance to write something that paints its female protagonist as stong, confident and ready to take on the world?

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Join the Chapter Book Challenge 2012!

Those of you who have been following this blog know that I have been joining challenges and submitting my writing to competitions quite often lately. The most recent challenges I have joined are the 12 x 12 in 2012 challenge and the Picture Book Marathon. Well, I am adding to that list now, and I want you to come and join me.

As you already know, I am currently working on three different YA paranormal novels,  and many children's picture books. There is another type of book that I have been wanting to try my hand at, in part, because I have children who are the right age for this type of reading - the children's chapter book.

Yes, I know and have read about what a difficult market it is to break into, but I don't really care about how difficult it is to be successful at writing and publishing a chapter book. I just want to write one of the chapter books that have been sitting in my mind whispering "write me" whenever I have a quiet moment.

During NaNoWriMo last November, I managed to write 50,000 words in 14 days and finished with 75,180 words for the month. A chapter book uses considerably less words than that, and so I am hoping that I will not only be able to finish a complete chapter book by the end of the month, but also be able to do a serious amount of editing on it. This will also be a learning process for me as writing a chapter book is a far different process tha writing a novel for an older teen or adult.

And that, in a nutshell is what the Chapter Book Challenge is all about. The goal is to write a complete chapter book in the month of March, starting on March 1st and finishing on March 31st.  I am running this challenge, but be kind to me as I have never run one of these before. I already have some prizes ready to be awarded during the challenge, and will be setting up the terms for being in the running to win the prizes soon.

I've even lined up a published children's chapter book author for a guest post/interview on the Chapter book Challenge blog. I am working on getting guest posts and interviews from more professionals in the industry to help all of us along during this challenge.

I would love for you to sign up for the challenge. The official sign-up form can be found here. (You need to be signed up through the official form in order to be eligible for the prizes.) You can also sign up for the Chapter Book Challenge Facebook page where I will post useful links as I come across them and our Chapter Book Challenge Facebook group where we can all help each other out with ideas, tips and general conversation about our chapter books.

Now that you know about the challenge, I dare you to join us! You won't regret it!

If you are a published chapter book author already or an agent who deals in chapter books or has in the past dealt with them, then I am asking you to please join us and offer your help with a guest post and/or interview.

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The Faeries' Dance

I was reading from some friends and found out that my friend Tonya submitted an entry to a writing contest. About Fairies. Some of you know that I also have a blog that is all about fairies. I just couldn't pass this flash Fiction writing contest up! So I’m posting it here as my entry to The Fairy Ring Writing Contest. (You can read Tonya's entry here.)

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The moonlight filtered through the trees to my right as I walked along the well-worn path. I loved walking here at night.  This park was more natural than some of the over-cultivated parks closer to my home, and I preferred it to them. It was quieter her too.  Leaves crunched under my feet and a cool breeze lifted my hair gently. I shivered, but it wasn’t because I was cold. I just had an odd feeling settle in the pit of my stomach, like something wasn’t quite right in the air around me.

That’s when I heard the laughter. It was carried on the breeze and just barely tickled my ear with its gleeful sound. It sounded like children were playing on a distant playground, but I knew it was too late for children to be out. My steps faltered. I suddenly wondered if it was safe to be out alone tonight.

But the soft laughter continued to tickle my ears and then I saw the lights. There must have been dozens of them, in every color imaginable. They floated in the air towards me and began to swirl around me, making me almost dizzy as I tried to focus on them. The lights grew and expanded and soon I could see shapes taking form within them. In moments, I was surrounded by dozens of dancing men and women. They all had a faint glow about them and wispy glittery wings on their backs.

They were beautiful and graceful and I felt myself pulled with a wild abandon into their dance. I felt like I could dance forever. The dancing was sensual and energetic and I could feel the movements singing through my veins as if I was catching fire from the inside out. I woke on the forest floor.

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word count: 300 words

I must admit that I struggled a little with keeping my entry to 300 words. You can read my first, slightly longer draft here.

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A Valentine's Day Chance (Short Poem)

My friend Susanna Leonard Hill from the 12 x 12 in 2012 picture book challenge has started a little contest on her blog. In it, she gives us:

A children's story, poetry or prose, maximum 200 words, about unlikely Valentines, posted on your blog (or in the comment section of mine) between Saturday February 11 and Monday February 13 at 5 PM EST. Add your entry-specific link to the link list on my blog so we can all come read your entries! There will be no new post on Monday so the link list will stay up. Instead, I will have a hitherto unheard of Tuesday post to celebrate Valentines Day, and that post will list 3 finalists (or possibly a couple more - you know how bad I am at choosing :)) for you all to vote on. The winner will be announced on Friday February 17 and will receive his/her choice of a copy of Ann Whitford Paul's Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation To Publication or a picture book ms critique from yours truly.

So I whipped up this short poem as my entry. I used to be better at writing rhyming poems, but I am out of practice, and today my brain is also a little bit fried as I am just getting over the flu. But nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this brief entry. It was inspired my animal-loving daughter Isabella. A Valentine’s Day Chance It was almost Valentine’s Day, A day meant for love and romance. But poor Isabella had no one at all To partner with for the Valentine’s dance. Isabella felt alone and sad. She really felt down and blue. She would have continued feeling this way If she hadn’t thought of something to do. Who was it that she trusted the most? Who was it that she loved most of all? Who was it that she liked to be with? Who could she dance with at the ball? There was only one being on this Earth, With whom Bella decided was of worth. So Isabella made her way to the dance With her most beloved of friends, Her adorable puppy named Chance. Tweet

FCG #1: Thinning Of The Veil: The Escape

#1 Challenge

Challenge: Write a short story from the third person POV.
Genre: Open
Word Count: 1500 words
Judges: Jodi Cleghorn & Christopher Chartrand


Please go and vote for my story in the Form and Genre Challenge. Thinning of the Veil: The Escape
How did she get into this? Bella didn’t know how she had ended up in this predicament. Just last week, she was a normal 15 year old girl with a normal life. She talked about boys with her friends and worried about her grades and what to wear to the Spring Dance.

How had things come to this?

“Are you ready?” The voice sounded soft but assured. Bella looked up at the girl who had spoken to her. Gabby was petite. She had died her brown hair jet black and had dark eyeliner outlining her eyes and her very dark purple lipstick accentuated her lips and matched the purple streak in the front portion of her hair. Her expression was serious.

“Yah. Let’s do it,” Bella was as ready as she was ever going to be.
This was the night they were going to escape.

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Bella had arrived here at the Brogden Mental Care Institute scared and unsure. The orderly, sensible world she had known all of her life had seemingly changed overnight.

It all started last week. A sound had woken her from her sleep. At first, she thought the eerie howling sound was just the wind moaning against the windows. But as she sleepily blinked the sleep out of her eyes, she noticed a shape across her room, not two feet from her bed.

As her eyes focused, she decided she must be dreaming, because what she was seeing could not possibly be real. The creature before her was standing about 6 feet tall, covered in a combination of scales and fur, and had a feline snout with the fangs to match. It was making an odd sound that was a cross between a howl and a moan. Long, sharp claws stretched out from its fingers. Its wide eyes looked frightened, but it’s appearance was ferocious. Bella was about to leap from her bed and run, but at that moment, the creature blurred from her focus and slowly disappeared.

A bad dream. It must have been just a bad dream.

Or at least, that’s what she told herself. But it had only been the beginning.

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Later that day at school, Bella had been sitting through a particularly boring math lesson when she heard a strange hissing noise. She peered behind her but didn’t see anything. When the hissing noise returned coming from the right, she looked over only to see another freakish creature. This one looked like someone had patched together pieces from a man and a lizard and had come up with something that didn’t quite match. A scaly, green arm with claws on one side was accompanied by a very human arm on the other side. The head was a lizard’s, but with all-too-human eyes and a human intelligence peering out from them. A lizard’s tail swished side to side from a human torso and lower half, but like the arms, one leg was lizard, one was human. A snake-like tongue flicked from the mouth and a slow, hissing noise emitted from the creature.

Why was no one looking towards it? Couldn’t anyone else see it?

The clawed hand rose up as if to strike Susie Mayfield who was sitting to Bella’s right. Before she could even think about what she was doing, Bella leapt from her seat. “No!!!” she shouted as she reached up to block the strike. The clawed hand came down and scratched Bella’s upraised arm. Three gashes appeared where the claws had torn her skin, but they weren’t as deep as they felt.

Bella screamed in pain, and the entire class, at last, looked her way. The lizard-man raised its arm again but was already starting to fade away. In seconds, it was completely gone.

Everyone was staring at her in complete silence, and she recognized the surprise and fear in their faces. She also saw confusion and she knew then that no one had seen what she had seen.

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The school nurse cleaned up the scratches on Bella’s arm. And that’s when the questions began. Had there been any trouble at home? Anything she needed to talk about? Was she feeling any stress lately? How was school? And many more questions were asked in this vein. She answered honestly. Everything was fine at home. Her grades at school were good. There wasn’t anything to talk about, because she knew if she mentioned the two creatures she would only sound crazier than the nurse already thought she was.

Throughout the week, more creatures kept appearing to her, and she was the only one who seemed to see them. She even saw one of the strange creatures (and they all seemed to take on different forms) attack a boy at school, but it had just gone through the boy as if it had been a ghost with no physical presence at all. But then, she wondered, how had the lizard-man actually scratched her? The wounds were not as deep as they should have been with those razor sharp claws, but they had still pierced her skin.

Several times, she had confronted or run from the creatures she had seen, and people had started to talk. She could see the looks in her own parents’ faces. They thought she was crazy.

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It had only taken one week for her to end up here at the Brogden Mental Care Institute. Her parents were scared for her, not knowing what all of her outbursts had been caused from and fearing for her mental health. The doctor at the center had told them she was having a mental breakdown, and they had admitted her to the center.

One good thing had come from being forced into this virtual prison. She had met Gabby.

Gabby had been in and out of mental institutions her whole life. She was a daughter of a senator and his wife. She had two brothers. She had been having visions her whole life. And her very respected-in-the-community father was embarrassed by her.

Gabby wore black clothing and black make-up, and, even when she wasn’t having visions, she never seemed to be altogether present. Bella thought that, if Gabby’s visions were real, then it must have been all the years in mental institutions that had finally driven Gabby a bit insane. But Gabby was sweet, and Gabby had been the first person to believe her.

Isabella had begun to believe that she really was going crazy and that the things she kept seeing were just a product of an overstressed mind, but, from the moment she met Gabby, having been put into the same room with her at the Brogden Mental Health Institute, Gabby had believed her.

Gabby had asked her why she was there, and when Bella, a bit unsure of herself, had cautiously described what she had been seeing, Gabby had told her, “What you see is real. I know because I’ve seen them too.” And from that moment on, their friendship had been firmly established.

And the two of them knew immediately that they had to get out. Something in the world was changing, and if they were the only ones who could see it, they were the only ones who could stop it. And the Brogden Mental Care Institute felt like a prison, but more importantly, it did not feel safe.

And that's why they were breaking out, tonight.

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This is my entry to the Form & Genre Challenge #1. It is very rough. I hope you enjoy reading it despite it being a rough draft! If you like it, please let me know. It's the beginning to a much longer story that has been calling to my writing instincts. I think I might have already missed the date it was due for the challenge, but I decided to take part in it anyway, even if I'm late!



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I Was Awarded the Liebster Blog Award!

I have won the Liebster Blog award from a new friend from the 12 x 12 in 2012 group, Anna at Green Tea & Toast.

As part of the award, I have to share five things about myself, then pass the torches on to five other worthy bloggers. So here goes:


1. I have lost more weight than I weigh and will never, ever gain it back. I'm actually a bit OCD about my eating and exercise habits now.

2. I am incredibly insecure, not just sometimes but ALL THE TIME. But I try and ignore it and get on with putting myself "out there" regardless.

3. My favorite color is blue, but my favorite color to wear is green (due to it looking better with my red hair and freckles.)

4. I feel closer to some of my Facebook friends whom I have never met in person than I do with most of the friends I see every day.

5. Robert and I met on-line nearly thirteen years ago. We recently celebrated our 10th anniversary.


The Liebster Award is designed to help drive traffic to blogs with fewer than 200 followers. It's a tough decision with so many fabulous ones out there, but without further ado I’m awarding them to…

1. Donna Martin's blog On The Write Track

2. Barbara Mack's blog Barb's Bookshelf

3. Kayecee Spain's blog Life Over Here

4. Kriss Morton-Weekley's blog The Cabin Goddess

5. Marie Patchen's blog Mynx Writes


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Interview with Author Jamie Rowell

I met Jamie Rowell during my region's National Novel Writing Month meet-ups and we are now both part of the same writing and critique group called Swindon Free Writers. He is 24 and is a very talented writer.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I come from a family which has been fairly creative, given that a few of my relatives were artists of one form or another, like a screenwriter, or musicians, and I did a degree in journalism at university. I also go on a forum, the Roleplaying and Fanfiction forum of GameFAQs, which is noted to be one of the best forums online for writing, as the criticism is harsh and fair. I also meld my writing with my music at times to create a unique experience for me.

Do you use a pen name? If so, why?

I don't use a pen name any more, though I have written under different aliases in the past. I think that I did so as a way of expressing myself in different ways without losing parts of the identity I had created for myself at the time, so I guess it was like shedding my old identity, putting a new one on and then shedding that one. I've stopped doing that now, because I'm fairly confident in my identity and in what I'm writing on, and having gone through my period of Old Shame, as the trope goes.

What are your writing accomplishments?

I've had some of my poetry published in a book years ago, and I've had a few newspaper articles published. I've also finished NaNoWriMo 2011, and kept a writing project on the RP/FF going for about two years nearly and it has an end in sight. Considering most RPGs on there die quickly or don't finish, I'm proud of that.

What type of writing do you do? What genre do you write in?

I tend to write fiction, and meld genres a lot. I've got a soft spot for sci-fi, though I don't tend to write that much in it any more, preferring a sort of gritty realistic fantasy setting, if that makes sense - like magic married with the modern world. I have been known to write in stereotypical fantasy before, and horror as well.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? What was it about writing that drew you to it?

I'm not sure exactly when I wanted to be a writer, as I've always been writing for as long as I can remember. I do remember though reading Lord of the Rings when I was 8, and thinking that I wanted to go and live in a world like that, and then later realising that the only way I could would be through my imagination, and thus, writing to try and explore my imagination.

Where do you get your ideas for your writing?

This is gonna be weird, but I get my ideas from virtually everything. For example, I'll listen to a piece of instrumental music, and start to think “Yeah, this would fit this kind of scene perfectly”, and then usually run off to scribble stuff down. Film soundtracks work well for me, as does the music of my labelmates on the mrsvee record label, as everyone's music on there usually helps jog the idea process. At other times, I'll be walking outside or doing something fairly mundane, so whilst my body is doing that, my mind will go into overdrive and start thinking about stuff and imagining scenarios and whatnot, and from there, ideas will spring forth.

What books/authors have influenced your writing?

Three authors mainly. Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Brooks influenced me by showing that you can write archetypal fantasy well, and even though his work is clichéd, it would be fair to argue that pretty much everything is nowadays, so yeah, his influence on writing clichéd stuff and growing from writing the clichéd into developing your own style is a big thing of mine.

Robert Jordan paved the way for a living, breathing world for me. Whilst I've yet to reach the heights that the Wheel of Time series does in terms of making such a creative world, that influence seeps through a lot.

Brandon Sanderson is the newest author on my list, but the man really is phenomenal. His way of making magic systems that work and that are logical is impressive, as is his work ethic. The fact he also takes a lot of existing tropes and subverts them in quite unusual ways and plays with them a lot influences me a lot at times.

What are your current writing projects?

I've currently got my NaNoWriMo 2011 project to edit, as well as the RP/FF Orphans project that is currently ongoing. Those are the two major ones, though I occasionally write short stories and stuff that takes place in the Orphans universe as well as random other stuff, and I think me and a friend are going to try and do a fantasy story that subverts virtually every trope known to mankind soon.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? How do you get through it?

I do experience the dreaded block, and I find the best way to get through it is to just write out a basic scene, like for example, a guy walking down the street, into a restaurant, ordering takeaway and being attacked by something as he walks home. Writing down that much usually allows me to continue the story, both on paper and in my mind, as I'm past the difficult part, and can go back and flesh things out later when I'm happy with writing again.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

It'd honestly have to be mixing a sense of realism with magic. Not just in the sense of breaking the laws of physics on a regular basis, but the smaller things, like the accuracy of firearms and how easy it would be to break them, or the reactions of normal people being told that magic does exist, and so on. I also find it challenging at times to write about the magic system I've made, as I've made rules for it and it would be really easy at times to just ignore the rules I've set out, but then that begins the descent into deus ex machinas being used whenever necessary. So it's challenging to have written myself into a box and then find the way out as well without resorting to ignoring the box.

It's also challenging at times to find a decent soundtrack that I've not listened to a hundred times over and over whilst writing. So sometimes I'll have Celldweller, Clint Mansell, the Resonance Association and a load of soul music on the same playlist, for extra variety, and it does work in a really weird way.

What do you love most about writing?

For me, what I love most about writing is the exploration of everything. The exploration of a new world, if I'm inventing one, the exploration of that world's history, the events that shaped it, and its prominent figures. The exploration of why a character does something, whether it's something good or stupid, the exploration of their feelings and personality, and the exploration of their journey ultimately. That's why I'm not too fussed if I spoil crime thrillers for myself whilst I'm reading, because whilst I may know who the killer is, I don't know the journey how we got there, and that exploration for me is a major thing that I love.

Is there anything that you have learned about yourself through writing/pursuing your career as a writer?

Yeah, I've discovered that writing can be really cathartic at times for me. Though that may be because I tend to put my characters through the grinder at times and have them come out the other side damaged in one way or another, which is oddly cathartic, probably because I can then go “Yeah, I'm not the only one who suffers from stuff like that.” That's probably really weird, but writing really is cathartic.

I guess I also discovered that I love exploration, and can finally put a name on it, as I was always wondering as a teenager and adult why I liked certain things and not others, despite links at times. It's why I can like stuff like World of Warcraft and Mass Effect 2, to cite two random examples, and hate Call of Duty games, because for me, there is no exploration of any kind in Call of Duty games. So yeah, writing has allowed me to put a name to that, finally.

If you could become one of your characters for a day, would you? (and who/why?)

Funny you should mention that. One of my characters, Jamie Kindred, originally started out as a more interesting version of myself that was gifted with magic. I was a teenager when I came up with him, and I've had his character all that time, but he has evolved a lot as a person over the years to the point where him and me only barely intersect nowadays, so I guess it'd be somewhat cool to be him for a day. Well, up until the point where he was attacked by demons.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

As tired and clichéd as this advice is going to be, it really is the best I can give for other writers. Write what you know, or at least, do the research a lot before writing. If you're going to have gigantic explosions caused by guns, try and make sure that they're done realistically, like with tracer bullets or similar, because as a reader, unless you're deliberately aiming for the rule of cool all the time and you're deliberately avoiding realism, stuff that is badly researched and shows it is massively jarring for me, especially if you're trying to be realistic. Even if you're not trying to be realistic, still do the research beforehand so it's believable.

Set yourself writing goals. It may not be for long every day, but as long as you're writing a bit a day, you can increase your output slowly and at your own pace. We're not all Brandon Sanderson, we can't all put in 10-12 hours a day of writing, but an hour or two a day is respectable, and more than that is more than respectable, especially if you're holding a job down at the same time.

Lastly, you should never try to critique your own work and edit it by yourself unless you really have no friends or anybody to show it to. If you can afford to, get a professional editor to look your work over. If you are like the majority of us, get a friend or relative to read it through. It's better than going through yourself, as you'll either not recognise enough flaws, or you'll recognise too many flaws and decide to delete everything. Both extremes are bad, and unless you've worked as a professional editor or proof-reader, you can't help but slide into one extreme or the other. So yeah, get someone else to read it first if you can.


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Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

As a writer, this is a question I hear often. Where do I get my ideas from?

I get them from all over the place. Sometimes, I wake up from a particularly vivid dream and realize that it would make a good basis for a story. Sometimes I hear a song that reaches into me and whispers, "You must write a story to go with this."

The people around me help me to form ideas for stories. I watch the people who take the bus with me, or the people who stand outside the shops in town and try to think up stories to explain the way they dress, the way they move or even why they are on the bus, where they are going, why they are standing outside of a particular store. These ideas can be endless.

Conversations with friends and family sometimes help me come up with ideas. Last night, my husband and I went to see a movie, and after the movie, when we went to dinner, we discussed some of the new movies that were coming out. That discussion became a discussion of how we would write about simlarly-themed stories and then we came up with several story ideas and a way to research even more stories.

My children are wonderful little inspiration-builders. Tonight, my son woke up from a bad dream and told me he couldn't get back to sleep because he was worried that he would have another bad dream. I made up a story to allay his fears, and that story has given me an idea for both a children's story and an adult short story.

So let's hear it: Where do you get your story ideas from?

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Moving On From Rejection

I recently submitted a short story for an anthology and got the e-mail today letting me know that it was not selected. I'll admit, it stings a little. Although I have had a regular article published in a monthly magazine on the subject of health, the writing I would like to see published is my fiction writing. In my first attempt at getting my fiction published, I was rejected. It would have been helpful if a reason had been stated in order to help me to hone my craft, but I wasn't expecting one anyway.

So what am I going to do about it? Am I going to wallow in defeat and decide that my writing isn't worthy enough? Am I going to take it as a sign that I should never even be attempting to write fiction and that I'll never make it as a fiction writer?

Of course not! I will take another look at the short story I wrote and think of ways I can improve it, and then I will move on to the next project in my list of writing projects.

Some points that I think all writers need to learn from rejection are this:

1. All writers receive rejections. Even some of your favorite authors have had their work rejected. That didn't stop them from getting published later.

"No one is asking, let alone demanding, that you write. The world is not waiting with bated breath for your article or book. Whether or not you get a single word on paper, the sun will rise, the earth will spin, the universe will expand. Writing is forever and always a choice - your choice." ~Beth Mende Conny

2. A rejection doesn't mean you are not a good writer. It just means that your writing was not what they were looking for at the time. It might mean you need to improve your writing, but it doesn't mean that your writing has no value.

"If you don't allow yourself the possibility of writing something very, very bad, it would be hard to write something very good." ~Steven Galloway

3. A rejection does not mean that you will never be published. Again, every writer has had their writing rejected at some time. It happens even to the best of writers.

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." ~Confucius

4. You can learn from failure and grow from it. Take another look at the story you wrote and see if you can figure out where it could have been improved.

"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." ~Benjamin Franklin

5. You have only truly failed if you give up. Your writing career is never over until you stop writing, so don't give up!

"Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer." ~Ray Bradbury

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A Writing Project Every Month in 2012

In order to keep up with my goal of sumbitting a short story every month to publishers and contests, I have been trying to make a list of projects that are available for me this year, one for each month. I will continue to come back and edit this list to add more competitions and publishing submission openings as I find them. I want to be able to choose which ones I write for each month, and I prefer ones that don't cost to enter.

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January

CHOC LIT SHORT STORY COMPETITION
ENTRY FEE £3
Looking for short stories of up to 1,500 words in
which the central theme is chocolate - eating it, drinking
it, cooking with it, or anything else. Your entry must be
a maximum of 1,500 words. Deadline January 31, 2012. 1st
prize £200, publication here and Choc Lit's authors' corner
blog and a box of chocolates from Plush Chocolates. A Runner
Up will receive £50 and a box of chocolates from Plush
Chocolates.

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. has both competition entries available (at a cost of $15 per entry) and standard submissions available (free and up to 3 entries allowed). For the competition entries, for very short stories, the stories are not to exceed 3,000 words. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of the book, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is January 31st. Results will be posted March 31st. For the standard submissions, the payment for being chosen is $700 and 10 free copies of the book. Stories must not exceed 12,000 words (but less than 500 words would be much to short). Closing date is January 31st. Results will be posted by April 30th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

February

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers available (at a cost of $15 per entry) to writers whose fiction has not been presented in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. Most submissions to this category run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but should not exceed 12,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is February 29th. Results will be posted April 30th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

March

In the Chicken Soup For The Souls series of books, they are looking for short stories on the topic of new friends. Short stories should be around 1,200 words. Heart warming short stories or poems are being looked for and if your story or poem is accepted for publication, you will be paid $200 plus 10 free copies of the book. Closing date is March 31st.

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Fiction Open available (at a cost of $18 per entry. Submissions to this category should run 2,000 to 20,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $2,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $600. Closing date is March 31st. Results will be posted May 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

April

MAN ON THE TRAIN WRITING COMPETITION
ENTRY FEE £3
Deadline April 7, 2012. 1st Prize: £150, 2nd Prize: £100, 3rd Prize: £75, 4th Prize: 3 months Creative Competitor Premier1 membership
Using the photo for inspiration, create a story that depicts
a man on a journey by train, but a journey to where? What
happens to him en-route? Who does he meet? What happens when
he reaches his destination? We welcome creative
interpretations of the theme. Limit 2,000 words.

WRITER ADVICE FLASH PROSE CONTEST
$12 ENTRY FEE
WriterAdvice is searching for flash fiction, memoir, and creative non-fiction that grabs, surprises, and mesmerizes readers in 750 words or less. If you have a story or memoir with a strong theme, sharp images, a solid structure, and an unexpected discovery, please submit. Deadline April 18, 2012. First Place earns $200; Second Place earns $100; Third Place earns $50; Honorable Mentions will also be published.

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. has both Family Matters competition available (at a cost of $15 per entry) and standard submissions available (free and up to 3 entries allowed). For the Family Matters competition entries, stories--about family--are specifically invited. Submissions to this category typically run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but can go up to 12,000 words. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of the book, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is April 30th. Results will be posted June 30th. For the standard submissions, the payment for being chosen is $700, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 10 free copies of the book. Stories must not exceed 12,000 words (but less than 500 words would be much to short). Closing date is April 30th. Results will be posted by July 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

May

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers available (at a cost of $15 per entry) to writers whose fiction has not been presented in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. Most submissions to this category run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but should not exceed 12,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is May 31st. Results will be posted July 31st.


The Alchemy Press is seeking submissions for THE ALCHEMY PRESS
BOOK OF PULP HEROES, edited by Mike Chinn. Sports stories, spy stories, aircraft & zeppelin stories, sea & pirate stories, Westerns, medieval romance, horror, science fiction and fantasy, movies and car racing; there's no limit. Successful contributors will receive a copy of the book and a £10 advance against royalties on publication. We are after original fiction, but reprints will be considered if they are exceptional. Contributions must be in the range of 2,000-6,000 words firm, with full contact details on the front page. Deadline May 30, 2012.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

June

Kayelle Press is taking submissions for its Tomorrow Anthology. Submissions must be 3,000 to 6,000 words long. “Tomorrow” will be a short fiction post-apocalyptic anthology featuring speculative fiction stories written by established and upcoming writers from around the world. Payment is $20 AUD. Submissions start being accepted as of June 1st. Closing date is September 30th.

In the Chicken Soup For The Souls series of books, they are looking for short stories on the topic of parenthood. Short stories should be around 1,200 words. Heart warming short stories or poems are being looked for and if your story or poem is accepted for publication, you will be paid $200 plus 10 free copies of the book. Closing date is June 30th.

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Fiction Open available (at a cost of $18 per entry. Submissions to this category should run 2,000 to 20,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $2,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $600. Closing date is June 30th. Results will be posted August 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

July

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. has Very Short Fiction competition available (at a cost of $15 per entry). For Very Short Fiction, the stories are not to exceed 3,000 words. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of the book, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is July 31st. Results will be posted September 30th.


Big Bad Anthology is taking submissions of short stories (6,000 words max) that feature a bad guy or evil character as the protagonist. It can be fantasy, urban fantasy, superhero, horror, whatever. Just send in your best bad guy story. Will select 20. Email submissions tojohnhartness@gmail.com as a .doc or .txt attachment. Include a brief author's bio. Paying $50 for one year's exclusive electronic and print rights plus two contributor's copies. After that the antholgy retains rights to publish electronically in the anthology only, and in print in this anthology only, but you can take it and sell it somewhere else, or sell it yourself as a standalone. Deadline July 31, 2012.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

SCARE THE DICKENS OUT OF US CONTEST. Entry fee is $20 for an adulkt and $5 for a junior. First prize is $1,000 and a trophy. Second prize is $500 and a ribbon. Third prize is $250 and a ribbon. Junior contest prize is $250 and a trophy. The Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest and the Junior Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest share identical rules except the entry fees and the following: Junior contest writers must be age 12-18. Winners will have to provide proof of age. The contest is open to published and unpublished writers alike. All publication rights remain with the author. The ghost story must be 5,000 words or less, in English, and typed double-spaced. Entries accepted beginning July 1, 2012. Deadline October 1, 2012.

August

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers available (at a cost of $15 per entry) to writers whose fiction has not been presented in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. Most submissions to this category run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but should not exceed 12,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is August 31st. Results will be posted October 30th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

September

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Fiction Open available (at a cost of $18 per entry. Submissions to this category should run 2,000 to 20,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $2,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $600. Closing date is September 30th. Results will be posted November 30th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

October

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. has both Family Matters competition available (at a cost of $15 per entry) and standard submissions available (free and up to 3 entries allowed). For the Family Matters competition entries, stories--about family--are specifically invited. Submissions to this category typically run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but can go up to 12,000 words. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of the book, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is October 31st. Results will be posted December 31st. For the standard submissions, the payment for being chosen is $700, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 10 free copies of the book. Stories must not exceed 12,000 words (but less than 500 words would be much to short). Closing date is October 31st. Results will be posted by January 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

November

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers available (at a cost of $15 per entry) to writers whose fiction has not been presented in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. Most submissions to this category run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but should not exceed 12,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is November 30th. Results will be posted January 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

December

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Fiction Open available (at a cost of $18 per entry. Submissions to this category should run 2,000 to 20,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $2,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $600. Closing date is December 31st. Results will be posted February 28th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

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If you know of any contests, anthologies or magazines that I can include to this list, please e-mail me with the details and I will happily add them to the list.

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12 Picture Books in 12 Months in 2012

I am joining a new challenge that I think will fit perfectly with my goals regarding the children's stories I am writing. It is called 12x12 in 2012. The goal is to write 12 picture books in 12 months (one picture book a month) in 2012.

I first heard about it through Facebook friend and author Jo Hart. She joined the challenge and posted about it in her blog.

There will be monthly prizes for participants and guest posts from others in the picture book industry. What's not to like?

If you want to join too, just go here and follow the instructions.

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My Goals For 2012

I recently submitted a short story to Kayelle Press for their Night Terrors anthology. It is part of my new determination to start sending my work out into the world. Until now, I've been keeping my writing private, not sharing much of it with others. I've been letting that nasty, deceiving voice in my head whisper into my mind and tell me that I might not be good enough. That voice has made me afraid to really try, afraid to let my work be exposed in a way that will tell me one way or another whether or not my writing is good enough.

But I know that voice is a liar. That same voice used to tell me, when I was morbidly obese, that I would never be able to lose all of that extra weight. And then I did. I lost over 145 lbs. and reached a tiny and healthy weight, despite that voice telling me that I couldn't do it. So I know that voice lies.

So I am going to be taking risks with my writing now, letting my writing be sent out there into the world and into the publishing industry and we will see what happens. The worst that can happen is that my writing isn't good enough yet, and that just means I will have to continue improving it. It doesn't mean I will give up, because I never will.

So I am setting myself some goals for 2012, goals that will keep me writing.

1 - I am going to submit and average of one short story a month to publishers or competitions.

2 - I am going to finish writing and editing at least one of the four novels I have started writing.

3 - I am going to share some new writing here on this blog, maybe one new piece a month (more if I can swing it).

4 - I am going to be publishing a little bit on my own. I have three cookbooks in mind that I intend to complete for Kindle and ebook formats.

5 - I am going to make writing a priority and write a minimum of 500 words a day.

6 - I am going to start sending my children's stories (I have written four) out to agents and/or publishers.

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Dream Big

A new year is upon us and people all over the globe are making new year's resolutions, deciding what they want out of the year that stretches ahead of them. People everywhere look at the new year as a new beginning, a chance to make themselves into something new and change their lives.

There are also some people who say that it's a ridiculous practice, that anything you want to achieve, you should already be planning for and working towards, and that waiting for a new year to begin is just silly. But who is to say what is the right time for you to begin a new goal? And why can't you use the beginning of a new calendar year as a starting point?

Some people will also say that you shouldn't make resolutions, or goals if you'd rather call them that, that overreach. You should make practical goals that are easily attainable through a bit of hard work and effort.

Again, I ask why? Why do your goals, your dreams, your new year's resolutions, have to be small? Why do they have to be things that you already know it is possible for you to achieve? Why can't you think bigger, dream bigger? There's a saying that goes something like, "Reach for the moon because even if you miss, you'll still land amongst the stars." Why shouldn't you reach for the moon?

Maybe, if you dream big, you risk not achieving your dreams. But maybe, if you dream big, you will find yourself accomplishing things you never thought possible before, whether or not you actually make that one dream come true.

And maybe, if you dream big, the journey you make while reaching for it is worth more than the dream itself.

Just some things to think about.

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Last Minute Gift Ideas for Writers

Have a writer friend who you forgot to buy a Christmas gift for or just couldn't figure out what to buy? There are some simple last-minute gifts you can do for them, and many of them don't cost anything but your time.

1. Comment on their blogs.

2. Share their blog posts on Facebook and Twitter.

3. Stumble their blog posts.

4. Write about their blogs on your blog, or review their books on your blog.

5. Leave reviews of their books on Amazon and wherever else they sell their books on-line.

6. Offer to beta-read their current writing project.

7. Buy them some Facebook advertising or Adsense advertising.

8. Write them a poem. (No one appreciates the effort and beauty involved in writing a poem more than another writer.)

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The Craziness Of The Holidays

Is craziness even a word? If not, that's too bad because I'm leaving it in the title. It fits!

December has been busy, busy, busy for this mom of seven. There have been school Christmas plays to attend (and costumes to buy for them), treats to buy for school Christmas parties, a Christmas tree to put up and decorate, baking to do for the neighbors' Christmas gifts, Christmas gifts to buy for seven children and a son-in-law, Christmas gifts to buy for my husband, Christmas cards to sign and mail, Christmas decorations to put up around the house and Christmas lights to hang in the windows, presents to wrap and then more presents to wrap, and the list goes on.

I still need to take my younger four chidlren to go and see Santa. And I am praying that they dont ask him for anything difficut to find. (I've already taught them not to ask for anything expensive. I told them that if Santa brings them something expensive, then some other child won't get a good present because Santa only has a certain budget to spend on each child. I know, I'm evil, right?)

Where, you might ask, am I finding the time to write during all of this Christmas madness? The answer is, shamefully, I am not. I haven't even finished my paranormal short story for a competition that I was hoping to enter. And it's due soon. I could blame the fact that several of my children have taken ill at various times, my husband has been ill a couple of times this month so far and illness has struck even me during this cold month. But it would still just be another excuse.

The truth is that if I really want to, I can find the time to write. I've just been lazy and I've been procrastinating. I keep putting it off in favor of other things. And while tending a sick child is more important than getting my writing for the day done, there are a thousand tiny things that I spend time doing during my day that I could easily set aside to spend time writing instead.

SO no more excuses. I am back to my writing as of today.

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Free ebook through the 18th!

In the spirit of Christmas, my friend Barbara Mack has made her historical romance ebook, Chasing the Sunset, free through the 18th of December. It's available on kindle through a free download, so go and get your copy today! Check out her other books while you're at it.


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