Tag: books

A Court of Pen and Pain

Within the World of Creativity, there are realms that are delegated to each of the arts. Each realm is there to ensure their designated art lives on. In The Realm of Writing, there is one goal. To fill The Library of Knowledge with new works. To ensure success is achieved each potential writer is bestowed special gifts at birth. Three enchanted candles are gifted by the fates, each candle equally important. The Candle of Creativity, The Candle of Passion, and The Candle of Ability. Guaranteeing that muses be drawn by its curious glow, that lurking shadows of half-heartedness be scattered by its brilliance, and that the shades cast by demons of disease be to reduced gradient piles of harmless ash. Thus, ensuring each writer has the best possible chance to add to the knowledge that came before them. But the fates are just as cruel as they are benevolent.

For reasons they will not reveal, the fates also released a curse on a small number of the third candles. Placing them directly in the path of never-ending storms, eternally challenging the enchanted fires atop them. Leaving The cursed Candles of Ability to spit and flicker in a constant battle to glow as bright as the matching pair beside it. Often wavering before fading to black for days, months, or years at a time. Forcing those rendered with it to live out their lives in sporadic shadows it creates. Those born with it left wondering who they could have become and what they could have created if only they were able. Those forced to accept that their third candle, once constant and true, was cursed in their prime, must live out the rest of their days in the shadows of creations they once made, but never will again. Both cursed, both left wondering, “Why?”

In the farthest corner of the realm lies the darkest court. The Court of Pen and Pain. Every member from King and Queen to merchant and peasant are the recipient of an inconstant Candle of Ability. A court cursed. Where demons of disease lurk in the shadows left by the absence of a healthy glow. Stealing breath, sometimes for a moment, a minute, or in the blackest of times, forever. Inflicting pain, sometimes for a second, an hour or sometimes an eternity. They lay in wait and creep up slow. They strike with a titan’s blow or a phantom’s kiss.

Existing in The Realm of Writing means you were born into The World of Creativity. This is a difficult enough calling, even under the best circumstances. Attempting to wield the pen is a harrowing notion. Success is rare. Hence, the gifts. In The Court of Pen and Pain members exist in a realm where the circumstances are more than harrowing, they are dire. Writers of this court must learn to wield the pen in one hand and the sword in the other. Fighting demons while weaving tales to enlighten or entertain under impossible conditions. Failure is not an option. Being born into The World of Creativity means you must create. It is a calling, and it is relentless. A call unanswered will tear at your mind, shame your soul, or both until there is little left of either.

No one in The Realm of Writing is guaranteed a place in The Library of Knowledge. The exalted position of Author must be earned. Even writers who deserve to be acknowledged formally will not necessarily make the cut for one reason or another. Nepotism, bad timing, politics, feuds, or just plain bad luck can leave piles of worthy material unbound and unshelved. The same standards for those with all three candles burning bright, apply to those of The Court of Pen and Pain. Fairness is not guaranteed anywhere in The Realm of Writing. If your work is going to rest bound in leather for all time in The Library of Knowledge, it must be equivalent in quality to the works shelved on either side of it. Exceptions are not made for works written by a body wracked in pain. Slaying demons in the dark while writing work equivalent to those who’ve done nothing of the sort holds no merit here. To be a writer at The Court of Pen and Pain you must be a warrior first and a writer second. To become an Author acknowledged by The Library of Knowledge, you must be both at the same time, and you must be relentless on both fronts. Once you are signed on as an official Author of the Library of Knowledge you belong to it and it belongs to every world, not just The World of Creativity. Author is the most coveted position within one of the most wicked of callings. Now a writer will answer not only creativity’s call but will also answer the call to defend their name. A name now written in permanent ink at the bottom of contracts which have now come into play. Contracts with due dates that do not care if the Author is battling a chimera of diseases. Nor does the chimera of diseases care about the contracted due date, the relentless calling, or defending a good name. The only one who cares is the Author. The days of choosing to write only when the chimera is weakened, perhaps even blessedly knocked out for a few peaceful hours, are over. So, it’s a good thing the fates weren’t done.

All of the Worlds have their complications. Any human, from any world, be it the arts or stems, will undoubtedly face a myriad of overwhelming problems during their lifespan. The fates don’t just play with the humans of The World of Creativity. They are equal opportunity stirrers of the providential pot. So, to ensure the success of humans and their contributions to their fellow man the fates once again bestowed a gift. Upon their birth each human in every world is gifted a kernel of willpower. The kernel resides inside the soul of each human. This gift becomes part of the them and bonds with the body and the soul it was placed in. When the body hits a tipping point it trips a switch activating the kernel like a backup generator would when the main source of power is not enough for the load pulling on it. When the switch is flipped a steady stream of willpower flows into the body giving the drained human enough power to overcome the adversity that flipped the switch. The body and soul then continue to draw strength from the additional source until it is no longer needed. When the crisis is over the switch flips again and the additional source of power is cut off. The body and soul reverting back to its natural state.

The body and souls’ ability to flip the switch can start at an early age. Leaving many humans to be described as weak willed or strong willed from the earliest points of their development. Which in some cases is true, but either way is usually determined way too early in the stages of development for it to hold true. In order for the kernel to survive in a soul and body that grows, the kernel was designed to do the same. Sometimes those with weak wills in their youth end up with strong wills at maturity and sometimes vice versa, while for others their willpower will stay constant and true the whole of their lives. What few ever figure out is that while all of this is true, it is also true that willpower cannot be used for an indefinite period of time, well…it was never intended to be able to be used that way. Remember, the fates are as benevolent as they are short sighted.

It turns out the more you use the kernel of willpower the stronger it gets, the stronger it gets the easier it is to tap into. Which is one of the few things that bodes well for those who spend the whole of their lives surrounded by monsters that strike with little to no warning, shredding their bodies and scaring their minds. The constant battle with pain of one kind or another creates a sort of willpower loophole. As you can imagine writing under these circumstances causes the switch to flip pulling on backup power more often and for longer periods of time than was ever intended. And this is how those deemed Author of the Court of Pen and Pain meet their deadlines and defend their good name. When the kernel is pulled on too often it begins to spark. Lighting up the darkness left by the cursed Candle of Ability, replacing it with the power of Sheer Will. And though the loophole exists, just knowing about it and how it’s utilized isn’t enough to harness it. That kind of magic must be earned through battle and strength, patience, and humility. Commitment and dedication. Within the Realm of Writing only the Authors of The Court of Pen and Pain have earned the magic necessary to harness the loophole. A lifetime of pain trained their brains to identify, organize, then isolate chaos. A lifetime of pulling on willpower making it stronger. The mastery of the combination of both has the power to elevate them to a state that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. Fleeting, yes. But for a moment in time a bridge is built between a barely there existence and endless possibilities. Remember, as Miracle Max once said, “Mostly dead is slightly alive.” And so it is, through the magic of sheer will, creativity is born, written, and completed on time by a person who is only mostly dead. Recorded for all time in the Library of Knowledge. Leaving the Authors of the Court of Pen and Pain with their good name and the honor of writing, “The End.”

Before they begin again.

J.K. Raymond received her Bachelor of Arts in 1995 from Fontbonne University where she fell in love with everything in St. Louis-and under it.

J.K. also has the most amazing safety net in her tiny world, which

selflessly helps her to continually heal. Her husband of twenty years,

Matt Houser, her two sons, Aidan and Jace, her mother, JoAnn, and her

grumble of pugs, Lollie, RueRue, and TukTuk.

Find J.K.’s Book, Infinite Mass, anywhere books are sold online.

Total Solar Eclipse of the Heart: Flash Fiction and Poetry

Those That Thunder Takes

Stan Nesbit

Beneath its wing I trembled, the beat of my heart a cacophony in my ears. she held me so close, the warmth and grit of its scaly feet clutched around my arms. Her head hung, with an eye turned up towards the heaven in wait. Hours ago she found me, plucked me from my home.

“Where could he be?” my wife’s voice sang in my mind with visions of her stumbling through the grass and wildflowers in bloom. Far above that bird, I stole fleeting glimpses of the sun that dimmed. A vast cosmic mouth, hungrily gulping it down like a plump field rat in the jaws of a snake. As it greedily snatched the sun away, I could hear the faintest of rumbles growing in the gullet of that massive bird. Building eagerly as we watched the sun slip away.

And as night took day, that rumbling turned to a thunderous caw of expectant bliss, deafening all else. All at once, the beat of my heart faded, and so too did the sing-song voice of my wife as the chill set in. It was so cold, a chill that seeped from the deep ache in my chest as my thoughts slipped away, and that horrible cawing fell silent, my body jerked and twitched with each elated nip of that thunderbird’s jaws into me. As sleep took me, I glimpsed upon the sun with slitted eyes, its beauty breaking night once more as I fell into oblivion.

The Vampire & The Hunter

Jessica Salina

She’d forgotten what the sun felt like.

The moon was safe. Even when danger roamed under the cover of shadows where the moon’s light did not reach, she bared her fangs. The moon did not burn against the deathlike pallor of her skin. The moon did not illuminate her secrets, allowing her to drink blood in peace.

But when the shy man with golden hair and a smile that brightened up a room found her one night, he did not stake her heart. Instead, he offered a blood bag.

As she drank, they sat beneath the moon’s glow. He spoke like birds sang. Sun-kissed, his skin was warm to the touch in a way she hadn’t felt in centuries.

With time, she hoped he’d offer her his neck. She dreamed of how warm his blood must be, with all his time in the sun. Its rays seemed to emit from him every time he smiled or laughed. It reminded her of when she was human, when she could emerge during the daylight without risk of burning alive.

She’d gotten so used to his warmth that when he lured her away from the shadows and into the day, she almost didn’t realize how the blue sky—so much brighter than she remembered—swallowed her whole. As her vision flashed to white, she almost didn’t realize how the sun that gave him life devoured her own.

She’d forgotten what the sun felt like until he came along. And then, she felt nothing at all.

Made of Fire and Cheese

Melanie Mar

I used to look at the sky and wonder out loud,

what was beyond the dreamy, blue nothing and its cotton clouds.

The moon was of cheese, and the sun was of embers,

both engraved in a feeling I long to remember.

The stars twinkled their red and blasted their blue,

forever feeding the minds in forms of a muse.

The night and the day would talk in their codes,

but always made sure to light the same North.

It’s funny how now that North is hidden in haze,

and the stars are nothing but lingering planes.

The sun blazes and blinds, leaves fire in its wake,

but it seems like it’s almost begging for the pain.

The moonlight became for lovers and secrets,

likely the one thing that will never breach them.

The bare sky is now jarring, but clouds threaten rain,

and everyone knows we can’t welcome those stains.

Lately I wonder if both can be true.

Can the stars wink their greeting while I cry at the moon?

And so what if the sun begs things to flee,

surely sometimes we can smile up with glee.

The blue skies may never reveal what they truly hold,

but maybe that mystery is what makes chaos gold.

Non-Fiction

Ollie Shane

There have been eclipses since the beginning of Earth’s ellipsis. I remembered this as I walked out the front yard to see my first one. The southern california weather was normal: blue sky, shaded palm trees, a light breeze. I was here to see the “ish” in normalish–the black blip of the sun and moon together. I remember being told not to look directly at it: the internet would have a field day with our president doing the same. In this moment, I thought of Orpheus and Eurydice: Hadestown was a year away, so I remembered D’Audelaire’s telling. He couldn’t obey because of what catastrophes it took to get him here. He could not imagine more to come. But now he was in the stars: if he could try, could he see me, with some wonder and dread, seeing the unnatural portends I could in a box that used to hold my possessions and would again?

The Full Moon

Avery Timmons

The yard was bathed in moonlight.

He liked nights like these, when everything was still and the full moon perched high in

the sky. He would lift his face to the star-speckled sky, just taking in these rare moments of quiet. He had never believed in moon rituals or anything supernatural; his wife always warned him how the full moon brought out strange creatures, but he brushed her off. He had been doing this every month for a long while, and he had never run into werewolves or other beings she

adamantly believed in. He never felt anything but recharged after standing under the full moon; it was his safe place.

But tonight, he heard a growl.

His eyes snapped open. He looked at the tree line at the yard’s edge, staying still as

something shiny caught his eye, like two small moons. A coyote, maybe—they didn’t get

anything bigger than coyotes around these parts, and while he didn’t want to have a run-in with a coyote, he knew he wouldn’t be meeting anything worse.

Right?

Another glimmer caught his eye, and his breath caught in his throat. He took a step back, only for his foot to catch on a branch. He collided with the ground, but he barely noticed the pain jolting through his tailbone—not when the moonlight caught a gleaming mouthful of sharp teeth.

His fear turned into his wife’s voice in his head as the creature crept closer:

Watch out for the werewolves.

Solar Eclipse

Brianne Córdova

A hush falls over the crowd, and newfound darkness cools my skin.

Tiny fingers squeeze my hand. “Mommy, the sun! It’s hiding.”

“Make sure you’re wearing your glasses, or else you’ll end up like me,” I tease.

“I am.” Her small voice pitches in awe. “I wish you could see it, too.”

I smile at her and see galaxies. Her happiness, a supernova, her heart, the sun. In her hands she holds my soul like a black hole, inescapable and infinite in its love. Her laugh is starlight sprinkled in the black, her innocence a comet streaking past.

Fleeting.

And I am suspended in time, a moment of zero gravity before the weight of reality pulls me into its atmosphere and stings the back of my eyes.

These memories are my eclipse, the halo of light breaking through the blackness. Rare. Beautiful. Brief. The smooth contours of the engraving they leave on my heart will be the only witness of their existence, saying, I was there. I held my universe in my palm while she gasped in admiration.

If only she realized the cosmic wonder she beheld was a shadow of the multitudes within her.

“Don’t worry,” amidst the darkness, I squeeze her hand in return, “I’m not missing a thing.”

Shadow Life

Rebecca Minelg

He slaps the eclipse glasses back on his face and runs outside again. Crescent shadows pepper the back porch as he gazes up, rapt, fingers already shaping the scythe in the sky. He rushes back to the kitchen table, filling another box in his progression study.

Were there eclipses when I was a child? Why don’t I remember them? The 3 R’s were more important, apparently. I slide another pair of glasses onto my own face. Maybe we spend our lives trying to give our children the things we never had, but that doesn’t mean we have to live vicariously. We could just live.

I study the sky and the shadows at my feet, as fascinated by science as he is in this moment. I shiver as the last wisps of sunlight fade, the birdsong abruptly silenced. A strange wind sweeps across my skin. “Come here, buddy!” I shout as the corona flares. “This is so cool!”

He grins at me, then looks skyward. “Yeah, it is!”

We stand together until our shadows reappear, growing across the porch and anchoring our feet back to the earth.

A Night Under the Stars (in Aunt Laura’s Truck)

Bruce Buchanan

“That’s the Big Dipper—see? Those stars make the handle, and those are the cup.”

Aunt Laura aimed a wrinkled but deceptively strong hand up to the dark, clear sky. “Okay…I think I see it,” I said. It was a fib. I thought the clear, dark sky just looked like a million pinpricks on a giant Lite Brite. I couldn’t make any order or pattern out of it.

But that was okay; I wanted to hear what Aunt Laura would say next.

I’d finished first grade a few weeks earlier, and my parents were stuck working late—an occupational hazard for nurse anesthetists. So I spent this Carolina summer night in the bed of my Aunt Laura’s white pick-up truck, looking at stars and listening to her stories under the sweetgum tree.

And did she have stories! From thrilling historical adventures to personal accounts of Great Depression hardships to spooky-but-not-too-frightening ghost stories, Aunt Laura kept me entertained with nothing more than a flashlight and her imagination. She told me her sons, who grew up and moved away years earlier, once found Revolutionary War relics in the sprawling soybean field beside her house. And then she held up the Mason jar containing musket balls, metal buttons, and tattered canvas.

I snacked on my bowl of dry Froot Loops and soaked up every tale. Then the headlights of my parents’ Chevy Malibu obscured the stars. I knew Mom and Dad were exhausted, but I wish I could’ve stayed for one more story.

Mother

Greg Jones

Mother

My sun is a slowly closing eye

Her heart rages

I imagine her roar

calling out to the black emptiness

for eons past

and when at last she blinks out,

her molten heart turn to ice

I will recall fondly her warmth on my face,

as I spin round the void,

and regret the days I ever shielded her from my eyes.

Stare hard , my friends.

We will all be blind before long

A Cosmic Kiss

Julie Krohn

The sun, our star, the beacon of light to our world by day.

The moon, our satellite, the silver nightlight to our dreams at night.

Once in a blue moon, these two meet, just briefly, to dance in the celestial heavens and kiss under the midnight sky. Our little moon. Our giant sun. How impressive are the odds these two could align perfectly from our viewpoint to provide a spectacular cosmic show?

In the path of solar eclipse totality, under the bright blue sky, scarce white puffy clouds line the horizon. Schools are closed, friends gather, and expressways become congested. Tourists book hotels, gas prices increase, and grocery shelves become empty. We dig out our special solar eclipse safety glasses and sit outside in parks, backyards and even on rooftops to get a glimpse, just a moment in history, when the world goes dark, and these two celestial beings align.

As the air becomes chilled, dark shadows creep over the land.

Day meets night. Shadow meets light.

The sky turns black and bright diamond-like sparkles shine from the brilliant stars above.

In the moment of totality, the sun and moon overlap and kiss the midnight sky with a ring of fire. A meeting of celestial beings. A kiss in the heavens.

What If I Can’t Be a Hero?

Melissa R. Mendelson

I feel like an idiot sitting here by the water and waiting for the solar eclipse. What stupidity to even dream that when this eclipse comes and goes, that I would become different? Yet, what if I did change? Would I change for the better, and if I gained some kind of power, wouldn’t I then become a target, envious by some and feared by others? I should go inside. But I can’t. It’s growing darker, and the water nearby almost speaks to me. Something is happening. I feel something, a change, I think. Please, God, just let me be different. Give me some kind of ability that I won’t feel helpless every damn day as the world breaks apart around me. There goes the sun. There goes the water. Stillness. Darkness. Yet, I remain.

Fibonacci Poem: Solar Eclipse

LindaAnn LoSchiavo

“Don’t
look!”
they say.

Our urge is
to seek out the strange —
defy beauty’s awful logic.

There be Monsters

J.K. Raymond

Facing brightened eyes,

under sunlit skies,

Humans stumbled through the days.

Among cheery smiles,

who passed them by,

with “Hello’s” and “Good day’s”.

There be monsters in the sun.

Pretenders that thrive in the light.

With pick pocket lies and alibis.

Every coin set in their sights.

And so, the beat went on.

Sun shining down, on weary brows,

Souls toiled through the days.

Some had nothing left to give,

and began to fade away.

But mother moon had been watching,

and disapproved of what she’d seen.

Fifty, fifty had been the deal,

but not what she received.

These creatures that returned to her,

at the end of every day, were used up

With no honor left to pay.

No will to wish upon a star,

or linger in their lovers’ arms.

No dreaming of tomorrow.

Without the honor of these gifts

The moon would more than wane

Without the worship in our play

She’d simply drift away

So, a Titan embraced humans,

who were fading far too soon.

And tucked them under cover.

In the silverest of rooms.

While plying them with honeyed cakes,

and healing herbal teas,

she read to them “Goodnight moon,”

before she turned away to leave.

The triple goddess of the moon,

pulled the night across the day.

Then strolled down to the Otherworld.

And gathered the demons’ names.

Then cast the lot away.

The mother, maiden, and the crone,

Drowning them in the river Styx,

‘Til it flows the other way.

There be monsters in the dark,

And monsters in the day.

Waiting in the crossroads,

is the goddess Hecate.

Meet Your Heroes!

by Greg Jones

I’ve heard it said to “never meet your heroes.” However, there are certain people who impact your life in such a profound way that it would be a disservice to yourself and to them if you didn’t seek them out when possible to have the chance to maybe engage on a more personal level. I personally believe, in this ever-distancing world, that these encounters are more important now than ever.

A literary hero might be the most elusive of all.

I had the good fortune of meeting Clive Barker at a Harry Schwartz bookshop in Milwaukee about 20 years ago. It, to this day, plays on repeat on the highlight reel of my life.

To say he is a major influence in my life is a vast understatement. At 14, when I first read his short horror fiction, I knew this was something unique and special. His writing brought poetry and elegance to a genre that was sorely lacking in those qualities up to that point. It has influenced and inspired my art and my writing ever since.

To those not familiar with Mr. Barker, he was very prolific in the 80’s and 90’s, moving from horror to dark fantasy to full adult fantasy novels. In 2012 he fell into a coma after a dental procedure left him battling toxic shock syndrome, which has affected his health ever since. He recently posted that he would be doing a handful of personal appearances throughout 2024 and then focusing entirely on various unfinished projects.

This news came the same evening as my final cover reveal for my upcoming horror poetry collection from Wild Ink. I learned that he would be coming to Chicago at the end of March and I made arrangements to make the trip.

I arrived at the convention center with a framed photo of the two of us from that first Milwaukee meeting as well as a binder containing a selection of my strongest poems, a copy of the cover art for my book and an emotional letter explaining what a profound effect he has had in my life. Two hours later we would meet for the second and, most likely, last time.

He shook my hand and said ‘’Hello” and I was taken aback at the frail man before me. It was emotional to say the least.

I showed him the photo of the two of us and he commented how we were both “children” back then. We reminisced on the picture and then I asked him if I could give him something. I handed him the folder and told him about the pending publication and that it would not even exist if it weren’t for him. I could see he was affected by this and he shook my hand again.

He leafed through the pages and asked me how long I had been writing poetry and “why” I had started writing. Again I told him “because of you.” He said he was honored and actually asked ME to autograph the sampling for him. I was astounded. It was surreal as I signed my name to a dedication to him!

He asked my wife if she was proud then asked her if “I” was proud, to which we both responded, absolutely. He ended by saying what a huge accomplishment this was. Before I left I shook his hand again and told him my contact information was included inside and if he ever felt the urge to send along any words of encouragement or advice I would be forever grateful.

I left deeply moved and affected and filled with many feelings. Validation, pride, hope, and a bittersweet sadness knowing this might be the last time I ever speak to him. It was a complete full circle moment for me and I am beyond grateful for his words and attention and just for being the genuinely decent human being I remember from 20 years before. I hope on some level it meant as much to him as it did to me.

I have been fortunate enough over the years to meet or have interactions with many of the people I look up to and respect. It is a gift to share these moments with individuals who have moved or inspired you and I would encourage anyone to take that chance if it presents itself.

Born in 1970, I grew up, in my opinion, in the pinnacle of all things. The best films, music, comic books and those fantastic 80’s horror novels. No matter where my mind wandered it eventually found it’s way back to something with a monster in it. I spent my adolescence hunched over a drawing table, occasionally writing and living my life in pursuit of personal creative goals. In my current role at the local library I am surrounded by books all day and inspired daily to keep creating my horror inspired poetry.

“Meet Me in the Flames” is my first published work and I am diligently scribbling away on a new poetry collection as well as a series of short stories.

When not reading, writing or working on some kind of art you can find me listening to old country records, watching anything remotely creepy or traveling the globe in search of the perfect mountain sunset.

I live in Wisconsin with my loving wife of 30 years and my three amazing daughters all of whom contribute to my writing with editing skills and strong stomachs.

Don’t Quit Your Day Job (and Why That’s a Good Thing!)

By Bruce Buchanan

Making full-time living writing fiction is living the dream—but for most authors (even ones with book deals), being a writer means working a day job.

If you are one of those writers, you are in good company. Octavia Butler wrote by night and punched the clock at a potato chip factory by day. T.S. Eliot worked at a bank, even after publishing “The Wasteland.” Charlotte Brontë served as a governess to wealthy British families; her experiences in this job helped her write Jane Eyre.

When I’m not clicking away at the keyboard on my next YA fantasy book, I’m…clicking away at the keyboard in the corporate communications realm. Like many other colleagues, I chose a career that allows me to use my writing skills, albeit in ways that don’t involve a magic-using princess or a blacksmith’s heroic son. I know writers who are English, writing and drama teachers (both on the high school and collegiate levels), librarians, editors, and journalists.

But plenty of other fiction authors have day jobs that don’t focus on writing or literature. One author friend manages a medical facility, putting her master’s degree in healthcare administration to good use. Another author I know recently retired as a funeral director and now is the office manager for her family’s small business. And one talented horror writer I’ve met delivers online orders from restaurants. She keeps a notebook in her car so she can write between deliveries.

Balancing any job with a writing career requires strong time management skills, though. Conquest Publishing novelist S.E. Reed recently gave a great presentation on “Tips for Busy Writers” at the Writer’s Workout Virtual Conference. S.E. juggles a full-time career, three school-age kids, and a flourishing writing career, and she shares some best practices on how writers can manage their time.

My personal tip is to carve out a short amount of time every day for writing. I do a 20-minute daily writing sprint. This means no social media, no TV, no distractions—just head-down writing for 20 minutes minimum. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done in an intensive burst if you eliminate distractions!

Once you figure out how to balance your work with your writing, there’s a big upside in having a day job. Writing gets to be your passion project—the thing that you love to do. You can write what you want when you want to write it.

Obviously, if you are working with a publishing company, you must keep their deadlines and commercial considerations in mind. But it is liberating to know your next meal or your family’s mortgage payment doesn’t depend on writing a story. Even the best jobs invariably become responsibilities (as one colleague put it, “It’s why they call it ‘work.’”) Writing doesn’t have to be that way—it can remain something that brings you joy.

I’ll give the last word to Kurt Vonnegut, who sold cars in addition to writing some of the most enduring works of the 20th Century:

“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”

Bruce Buchanan is the senior communications writer for an international law firm by day. His debut YA fantasy novel, THE BLACKSMITH’S BOY, is coming soon from Wild Ink Publishing. A longtime lover of fantasy and heroic fiction, he lives in Greensboro, N.C. with his wife, Amy, and their 17-year-old son, Jackson. Follow him at @BBuchananWomble and @brucebuchanan7710.

The Writer as a Tortoise.

by Sheelagh Aston

It is estimated that 97% of people who start writing a novel never finish it. So, congratulations on finishing the first draft of your MS.

Do not underestimate the achievement and enjoy the satisfaction of writing THE END.

Celebrate. You deserve it.

Now what?

You will be eager to get it out there in the world.

Here is some advice – DON’T.

Jericho Writers estimate the chance for a new writer to get an agent is 1 in 1000. The most common reason for rejecting an MS given is poor presentation or the story needs more work/editing done on it for an agent to send out on submission or a publisher to take on.

Few agents or publishers have the time or inclination to undertake several rounds of edits.

As for self-published novels. The biggest compliant by readers is many novels feel underwritten and contain grammatical errors in them.

JK Rowling rewrote the first chapter of HP & the Philosopher’s Stone 15 times. As a writer your may find you have more in common with the tortoise and not the hare of the children’s Aesop’s fable. The tortoise took their time, did not rush, and won the race. The bragging, puffed-out hare failed to stay the distance.

Learning to be a tortoise, not a hare, is a key skill for a writer. One not often discussed at writers’ courses or conferences. Many writers simply learn via the school of hard knocks.

Developing a process for ensuring your work is the very best it can before you send it out for submission or to print takes time and a lot of patience. For many new to writing it can also be confusing – just check out the number of editing services and writing courses advertised on the internet. Yet they emphasise how important it is to take your time and get the MS up to publication standards.

It will take you time to work out a process that suits you and your budget. (if you have one) and to find people you can entrust your precious work for critiquing and editing. What is offered below is a framework that can be done for little money and will enable you to reach a point where you can have confidence that whether you go down the traditional or self-publishing route your manuscript is the best it can be for the next stage of it journey to publication.

Put the 1^st draft in a drawer and leave it there for at least three weeks – longer if you can. Give yourself time to distance your giddy emotions from writing it so when you come back to it, you can look at it with a fresh eyes and clearer head.
Go through a hard copy with a red pen– yes it means printing and paper but it is easy to miss things when reading material on computer screen. You will catch more typos, notice issues about the overall story’s pacing, plotting and characterisation if you read a paper version. You can make notes in the margin.
As you go through it write a scene/chapter breakdown of the story. This will help if you need to move scenes or chapters around, check your timeline works and, if you are writing more than one POV, ensure everyone gets a turn. It can be a quick reference to locate what happens when (believe me you will get confused at some point)
When you have done your revision find 2-3 people who will read it (called beta readers) – not friends or relatives. Joining a writers’ group, in person or online can help this – you may have to return the favour – and this in turn will help you develop your inner-editor’s eye for your own work. There are online critique groups you can join as well. Critique.com is one. A search on Yoututbe to find writing webinars will throw up zillions on various aspects of writing including editing and critiquing that can help you.
While waiting for feedback research the different types of editing in case you need one later i.e. the differences between developmental and line editing. (This is where it can get expensive – understanding the different types of editorial services will help you chose the right one for your MS and discuss your need with an editor.)
Clunk or Chime? – When you get all the critiques back go through each beta reader’s feedback. Note their consensus on issues with the story – plot, pacing, world building as well as what they liked. Mark up your revised copy. Put it in the drawer again to rest for a couple of weeks. You may not agree at first with their observations. It is tempting to discard the feedback. When you go through the marked-up MS with the feedback keep what ‘chimes’ with you. If something still ‘clunks’ with you either do nothing with it or ask for clarification from the person who gave it. It maybe they have mis-understood something or you have not written a scene or plot point clearly.
By this stage you should have a robust MS but hold back the hare inside you. Go through the MS once more (or twice) Eliminate all the ‘weasel words.’ ‘Weasel words’ are weak works i.e. adjectives, ‘glue words such as, but, just so, very. Most grammar checkers have a faculty that can help you with this.
Put the new revised draft back in the drawer once more. Go off and write something else. Start working on your submission package and submission list. When ready return to the MS. Do the tweaks you need to do.

What you decide to do from this point is up to you. You can start submitting to agents and publishers, get a professional editorial assessment carried out to ensure it is ready to go out for submission or you may decide to self-publish.

Whatever you decide you will have a MS that supersedes the original version you started with, you will have grown as a writer and the next 1^st draft will benefit from what you have learnt.

Happy Writing.

Sheelagh has been writing since she could hold a pen. Her novels weave together suspenseful plots with exploring how people find their inner worth and place in the world. When not writing novels, she freelances for radio, magazines, and anthologies for a wide range of genres. Her gothic horror story Little Redd Cupcake with be published by Wild Ink in the Anthology Penny Dreadful later this year.

Social media links:

www.sheelaghaston.com

X @aston_sheelagh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheelagh.aston.9

Welcome to the Void

By Ollie Shane

in a year after back to the future three made you scream “give me the future”

Said future gives you more unreal than reality, headlines the type the onion et al could dream of

will we be all right? will we survive the anthropocene/climate chaos

is it any wonder you’ve lost hours falling down rabbit holes?

is it any wonder you come away thinking the end of the world is nigh?

There is a place where the rabbit holes meet, where your pessimism finds a soft spot

it’s called the void, as dark as the darkest night

before or even during the dawn

the void hopes that the more time you spend, the more you find yourself (or the parts you do not want to think of when thinking of Self (and the other))

you’ll learn about yourself

but also the world

you’ll take notes in a nice journal, in pen scrawl

notes from the void coming soon.

About Ollie Shane

Ollie Shane is a poet, undergraduate English major, and the number one tote bag carrier and iced coffee sipper in the Tri-State Area (Delaware and Pennsylvania).He is Autistic and their special interest revolves around literature (currently on 20th century literature (such as W. Somerset Maugham, who they’re doing their thesis on) in conjunction with contemporary poets such as Danez Smith, sam sax, Franny Choi, Terrance Hayes, Mary Alice Daniel and others). Also, he is constantly looking for more poetry and prose recommendations.

On a writerly note, they are the author of the chapbook I Do It So It Feels Like Hell (Bottlecap Press, 2022), and their work has been published in Thirty West’s magazine AfterImages, Poetry As Promised, Palindrome Journal, and elsewhere. They also have a newsletter on Substack called Not Another Newsletter. To see more of their work, check him out on Instagram @aolshane and Chill Subs under olshane17.

Author Interview with Haddessah Anne Brice

We are so excited to meet with one of our wonderful children’s author’s Haddessah Anne Brice, or as we like to call her, Haddie. Her children book, Once Upon A Tower, about a young princess under the thumb of her cruel parents, is available now for purchase! It was artfully illustrated by Emily St. Marie and captures the whimsy and magic of a powerful fairytale that will teach children to gather the strength residing within their young souls and tear down barriers holding them back from their true calling.

Once Upon a Tower With Haddessah Anne Brice Cover

Haddie, thank you for meeting with us today! Can you tell us a little about yourself.

Ummm… I don’t know where to start, and don’t like talking much about myself. But I’ll brag on my friends and Godkids for hours! LoL

What type of material do you usually write?

That depends. I dabble in a lot of things, but mostly I write kid’s books and poetry in various genres.

What does your writing and revision process look like?

If the story isn’t working, I go back to the beginning and work my way through it until I figure out what the characters are trying to say that I missed. This typically happens every few chapters. So by the time I show it to Abby and Brittany, I have literally done everything I can with it and need another set or two of eyes to help me dig deeper into the story.

What is the hardest part about writing, in your opinion?

Getting what’s in my head, onto the page. I have two sayings that I use equally as often. 1. I wish I could run a patch cord from my brain to the computer, so then all I’d have to do is edit. 2. I can’t edit what isn’t on the page. Type ANYTHING!

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

I’ve been a story teller since I could talk and a writer since I learned to read and write. The written word and the images your particular set of word choices creates are my drug. I am addicted to stories.

What advice do you have for new/debut authors?

Read A LOT! Write fanfic and RP as practice for new techniques you want to try out. Don’t hold yourself to a higher standard than you would others. If you would be understanding of someone else’s gaff, be understanding toward yourself for the same gaff.

Do you have any links or resources you’d like to share about writing or for your own materials?

I tell anyone who’s interested in ANY kind of writing, that they need to read “Noble’s Book of Writing Blunders (and how to avoid them)” by William Noble.

I’ve read several books about writing but that one doesn’t read like a textbook and it changed my life (as far as my writing goes).

Do you have a favorite quote from a book?

“I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens!” Danielle De Barbarac ~ Ever After

The Art of Writing a Book Blurb

There often comes a point during the publishing process in which you will be asked to write a #BookBlurb. Now, don’t start panicking just yet. You’ve been doing this for years (even if you didn’t know it).

Everytime a friend asks you about a movie and you give them the quick rundown– the main character and all the exciting parts. Or when someone asks you about a book you just read, again, you can quickly tell them the theme, characters and what happened.

THAT is a blurb! In 150 to 300 words, you were able to quickly pitch the story.

The heart of the book blurb is its ability to capture the attention of a reader who is scrolling the latest releases online. And as an author, one of your goals should be to master the art of writing an eye-catching book blurb. One that will get your potential audience to stop scrolling and pay attention.

We’ve condensed the steps down into their simplest terms. Because if you over complicate a book blurb, you’ll lose the reader’s attention.

First, you’re going to hook the reader, by writing down a few sentences to set the scene and the tone. Perhaps two strangers meet in the night and fall madly in love.

Second, you need to tell us about the main characters. Who are these strangers and what about them is so special?

Last, you want to ramp up and describe the conflict! When tragedy strikes and our strangers turned lovers are forced apart, they must fight for everything they believe in.

Now, sometimes it is easier to see something in action, before trying to do it on your own. So take a few moments and check out this perfectly executed 149 word book blurb for The Bone Below, a dark fantasy by Sylwia Koziel. Releasing with Conquest Publishing in April 2024.

Nelka, born to a small village in Nidora, meets Kazimir, a passing traveler. Each time Nelka leaves her cottage, she seems to bump into this stranger who teases her relentlessly, and ignites feelings she wasn’t prepared for.

When Nelka’s sister becomes ill, Nelka leaves the safety of her village, and Kazimir, to find a cure. As trouble becomes imminent, Nelka is taken prisoner and held hostage by the foreign King and Queen. Their son and soon to be King, Prince Andrius, has plans and Nelka is exactly what he needs to set them into motion.

Each day Nelka spends in the castle with Prince Andrius brings her closer to a truth she didn’t know had been hidden, while pushing her farther from the village farmer of her past.

The Bone Below is a journey of self-discovery, first love, and learning about one’s place in a vast world.

If you enjoyed learning about writing a book blurb and reading our example, go ahead and read some of the other amazing book blurbs at Conquest Publishing and Wild Ink Publishing. Then, take the time to write a book blurb for your own book! Even if you’re still #Querying or in the editing phase or just starting out, having a quick blurb to tell your family and friends will be highly rewarding.

Cheers!

Author Interview with M.E. Shao

Recently, I had the pleasure of doing an interview with author (and basically comedian) M.E. Shao. He’s a renaissance man, having achieved some impressive personal and professional accomplishments. He was kind enough to share a little about himself, his writing style AND his adorable puppy Pipsqueak.

Thanks so much for sitting down with me today, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank’s so much for having me. Let’s see here. Well, I was born in Baltimore, MD but lived most of my life in a suburb outside Nashville, TN. While I always had this dream of becoming a writer tucked away in the back of my head, I imagine most people viewed me as just your run of the mill jock. My whole world basically revolved around schooling or baseball, and I ended up getting the opportunity to play with my brother at Vanderbilt University (which was super cool since staying teammates with a sibling is somewhat rare in college sports). I graduated in 2009 with a degree in Economics and Corporate Strategy, and spent about the next ten years as an insurance agent.

Sadly, it took a severely traumatic event for me to finally muster the courage to explore my childhood dream and to finally start writing. My beloved mother passed away in August of 2015 after a years-long battle with rheumatoid arthritis and COPD, and being that it was always her who tried pushing me toward writing/general happiness against the somewhat “less enthusiastic” influences I got from my father, losing her was the spark I needed to ignite the fire underneath my writing pursuit. It’s a bittersweet testimony for an “about” section, I know, but the most important one nonetheless.

Oh, I also have a wonderful daughter as of last January. She’s a fluffy little Pekingese named Pipsqueak, who I named after my MCs pet space-dog, Squeak. She only goes by Pip though, unless of course she’s in trouble.

So, what type of material do you usually write?

As far as commercially marketable material, primarily narrative fiction. Namely sci-fi, but I’m also working on a political thriller right now about a girl who inadvertently changes how legislation is passed in America by developing an app that holds hypothetical votes on Congressional bills that the public can participate in. I also do the occasional business copy gig, mostly for acquaintances from my pre-writing career of being an insurance agent. Aside from that, I write a lot of poetry as a passion project. I’ve also had some short story work printed in newspapers and a column in my own local paper called “Millennials Making a Difference”.

I’m dying to know, what does your writing and revision process look like?

I have to use this term since I first heard it in the Wild Ink slack group and I love it. I’d say I’m a “plantser”, which I’ve learned is a mix between plotter and pantser. I start with a very basic, high-level bullet point outline of what each chapter is generally going to be about. After that, I lower the curtains, turn off the lights, and dive in headfirst. I’ve found that’s the best way for me to let my imagination be as free and open as possible while making sure it’s still moving the story along in a structured manner. For revision, I have a killer combo of being both OCD and ADD, so I probably way over-edit if I’m being honest. I use beta readers for that reason. I have a collection of about 10-15 awesome people I’m connected to on Facebook who reign me in when it comes to that. Sometimes I’ll ask for feedback on a forum like Reddit or the like if I’m feeling I need a more neutral, totally unbiased take on a piece.

Okay, M.E. what advice do you have for new debut authors?

Find. Your. Courage. Remember that sunscreen song from way back in the day? The one that teaches all those profound life lessons, then ends with “but if I had only one piece of advice, sunscreen would be it”? This is my sunscreen. Because amidst all the nuggets of knowledge a writer might obtain over the years, none of them matter if that very first, very daunting, obstacle is never overcome. I envy the ones who might not struggle with it, but I’d be willing to bet nearly all of us can attest to how difficult it can be to put yourself out there. Sure, outwardly we might appear to say, “have at it folks, hope you like it”. On the inside, however…it feels more like we just dropped a hydrogen bomb on our head as the mental anxiety waiting for feedback is telling us we need therapy ASAP.

So that’s my advice. If writing is your dream, don’t let it take the death of a loved one for you to start the fire. Save yourself that regret, be proactive, and create the kindling out of whatever you can.

Last, but not least, who is your personal favorite author? And what is your favorite book?

At the risk of sounding cliché, I have to say it: JK Rowling is my favorite author. I have a good excuse, I promise! It’s not just her inexplicable talent as a writer, which is very much an obvious presence throughout everything she pens, it’s more for how I relate to her personal background. She lost her mother during her mid-twenties just as I did, and she openly discusses that despite how hard it was to not succumb to the depression, she took solace by leveraging the “wrecking ball to my life” and instead created something positive from the fallout. She often credits her mother’s loss as her inspiration behind the beautiful story arch that is Harry’s relationship with his late parents, and how that parental love and tenderness quite literally saved his life. This ability of hers to turn the pain of death into the joy of life, so to speak, is why I look up to her so much.

Oh, and my favorite book hands down is Lois Lowry’s The Giver. I read it when I was in fifth grade, and it totally changed my life in so many ways. It opened my mind in terms of how I view the structure of governments/societies, it helped me understand that we shouldn’t judge people based on stereotyped predispositions, and most it all, it was the book that made me want to become a writer. After finishing it I knew I wanted to give others the same feeling of awe and wonderment I was left with, something for which I’m so grateful to now spend every day trying to achieve.

Thank you for this! And please thank your readers, too : )

Cheers!

6 Tips on Being an Author

What exactly is “being” an author? Well, we are all authors, believe it or not. When we write emails, texts, and make grocery lists, we are all authoring words. But, to be an author of a story, now that’s something else entirely. Or is it? We’re going to stop you there and say no. Being an author, simply means you are putting words on the page to say something of meaning, something valuable to your intended audience.

Every author gets into the business for different reasons. Most of us author types do it because we have characters swirling in our minds and want to put them on paper to share with others. Some of us do it because we love to teach and share ideas. And there’s a few who get into it for the money…

Pause for laughter.

So, none of us get into this for the money. And if we did, we are in the WRONG profession. Sure, there are authors who pay the bills with their words. But they are few and far between. Writers are artists. As the saying goes, something about starving artists, am I right?

But seriously, it is important to take your craft seriously.

So, check out S.E. Reed’s 6 Tips on Being an Author for the best ways to take your writing game to the next level.

Write

Okay, yeah, that makes sense. But, seriously. Every day you have to write something. Anything! Just write! You could write a letter. You could write a song. A poem. A short story. Or the first (or last) chapter of a murder mystery! It doesn’t matter, just pick a word count and commit to it for one week. Then another and another. I promise. You’ll find your voice and your style if you just keep writing.

Personally, I write anywhere from 2-10k words every day. Sometimes it’s cringe worthy hot garbage. And sometimes it’s so freaking good it makes me laugh and cry and get goosebumps.

Just write.

Tell People You’re Writing

Yes. Do it. Don’t be scared! I promise, it’s thrilling. Plus, it’s very helpful to start learning how to summarize what you are working on. Look at the back cover of your favorite book. A nice and tidy little summary that gives you a quick visual. It hooks you. Learn to do that.

Plus, once you have fans who are vested they will want to know how your story ends! And no one wants to disappoint the fans.

Read a Book

This might sound counterproductive– to put down the pencil and pick up a book. But, the more you read and understand what kind of books you are drawn to the easier it will be to determine what kind of writer you want to be.

Do you love reading #YAbooks or #Fantasy or #Romance? Or are you into magazines, journals, non-fiction stories about animals? The best writers love the worlds they live in. So what do you love? Not sure, head to the library for some inspiration.

Plus, who doesn’t love the smell of books?

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

Every writer is on a different journey. Yours is special. Unique. Just like your writing! Just because I can write 10k words in one session doesn’t mean a damn thing.

You have a story to tell. So tell it!

Learn to block out the noise. Not every debut author is debuting their first book. It might be their tenth try that finally landed the big deal.

Just keep writing.

Find your Purpose

So you have an idea. A theme. A vision. But, you still aren’t really sure where to begin. It can help by developing a high-level view of what you are writing.

For example– let’s say you want to write a fiction story geared towards middle grades readers. Start by writing the back cover. The soundbite. Tell the reader who your main character is, what (mis)adventures he/she/they will go on and a couple of surprises they might find along the way.

From there, you can write the basic outline, you know– the roadmap of your story and how it ends. (When in doubt use the who, what, where, why and when method).

Ask for help

Most people love to give advice. “Writers” are no different! There are all kinds of online communities with aspiring authors, writers, bloggers, journalists, script writers, etc. Find your people. That place you feel safe to ask whatever!

Then ask away! Ask how to transition scenes. Ask about the character arch. Gather up some Beta Readers and find out if they think your heroes are heroic enough. Are your villain’s too scary? Is your work YA or New Adult? Should it be longer, shorter, does chapter five need a punchier twist?

When you ask for help, it makes you a better writer.

And remember… YOU are already a writer.

Cheers!