Tag: publishing

Meet Your Heroes!

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!)

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.

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.

  1. Put the 1st 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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)
  4. 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. 
  5. 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.)
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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 1st 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

The Art of Writing a Book Blurb

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!

The Infinitely Awesome J.K. Raymond

Today we have the chance to hear from our very own J.K. Raymond… the author of Infinite Mass, Wild Ink Publishing’s most recent YA/NA title (available wherever books are sold). J.K. was kind enough to sit down with S.E. Reed to share her thoughts, dreams, and journey to becoming one of our rising stars!

Make sure you check out all the fun she has on TikTok and hang out with her and the other WIP authors on the #writingcommunity on X.

J.K., thanks so much for taking the time to be interviewed today! Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you so much for having me! Well, I’m a midwestern girl from a small town and I never moved too far away, as a matter of fact I can get to my old high school in about 15 minutes. I’m a momma’s girl and never could stray too far from her. But I did move to the big city of St. Louis for college and my eyes, ears and senses were overwhelmed and I fell in love with everything about it. I graduated college but never taught the art I went there to learn to teach and for lack of a job I started bartending in a pub district famous for its blues music and home to the second biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the country. That moment in time is the place of fondness that settled so deep in my heart that it created a sort of magic that I stirred into my book Infinite Mass.  My bartending days long behind me, I’ve been happily married for twenty years to an amazing husband with two amazing sons who all keep me laughing every single day! And I would be shunned by my fur babies if I didn’t name drop Lollie, TukTuk and RueRue, our own personal grumble of pugs. 

Thanks so much for sharing about yourself and your life! So, what type of material do you usually write?

Before I ever dreamed of being a writer it started simple. With a black journal that had my zodiac sign on the cover (Sagittarius, btw). I saw it in a little bookstore and my mom bought it for me. We didn’t have a lot of money, but she must have seen something in my eyes because without asking for it, she bought it for me! I was so grateful. It was that journal that started me on a path of venting my emotions, raw and without any other purpose than to write it all out. My father had died the year before and without even knowing something called therapy existed, my mother was the next best thing, a place to put all the rage and heartache my new world held.  At some point it started becoming more of an art, with poems and flash fiction images of my life. I always thought I might have a book in me somewhere, but it didn’t manifest until my early forties. From there, a few hours at a time, my first book was born and here we are.

We are dying to know, what does your writing and revision process look like? 

Without any advanced writing courses, I wrote what I knew, which was creating a picture from nothing, pulling from my unused art degree. I tackled each paragraph individually until I bent it to my will, doing my best to make sure each reader could see it in their mind easily without having to try. The process was arduous, but it was all I knew and after a while I got better and it took less and less time for me to trust my words. But I’m definitely a pantser! Beside a few weeks of research into the world I want to create, the rest is written by the characters themselves, I just follow where they want to go. They make questionable choices and often don’t show up for work, muses, what are ya gonna do right?

So,  what is your favorite part about being a writer?

When my writing becomes so clear it can paint images in the minds of others.  And the only real way to know that is reading reviews and talking to people who’ve read the book. Then there’s this moment when you know undoubtedly that the reader picked up what you laid down. But better still they enjoyed it.

What advice do you have for debut authors?

Stay the course and keep your butt in the chair. Pick a time that is writing time and don’t skip it unless the house is on fire. If the muses don’t come then blog, journal, research, but write for the allotted period of time you’ve set. If you do that eventually you will have a book in your hands.  And to debut authors, learn everything you can about marketing your book, but also chill out, it takes time for the word to spread about your book. A very smart person recently told me it’s like a snowball effect. Do the marketing but don’t sweat that the results aren’t instantaneous.

If you loved getting to know J.K. as much as we did, make sure to follow her in all the places! She’s bound to be up to something fabulous.

Episode Seven: An Interview with Emily St. Marie about the Magical Muse Library

Episode Seven: An Interview with Emily St. Marie about the Magical Muse Library

In this episode, Abigail sits down with Emily St. Marie, illustrator / author, to discuss the Magical Muse Library.

You can find Calliope’s Collection of Magical Mayhem here.

You can find Ourania’s Orrery of Imagination here.

To learn more about Emily St. Marie, visit her website.

Episode Six: An Interview with S.E. Reed, author of “My Heart is Hurting” and Andrea Myers and Tanya Pearrell of She’s Somebody’s Daughter. A novel representation of what happens when a community comes together to help an at-risk teen from trafficking and exploitation.

Episode Six: An Interview with S.E. Reed, author of “My Heart is Hurting” and Andrea Myers and Tanya Pearrell of She’s Somebody’s Daughter. A novel representation of what happens when a community comes together to help an at-risk teen from trafficking and exploitation.

Abby interviewed S.E. Reed, author of “My Heart is Hurting,” and Andrea Myers and Tanya Pearrell of She’s Somebody’s Daughter. This anti-trafficking non-profit exists to erase the lines of separation that isolates those affected by sexual exploitation. We discuss “My Heart is Hurting” and how communities can come together to help a teen at risk of trafficking and exploitation.

You can purchase “My Heart is Hurting” here


To learn more about S.E. Reed, visit her website: www.writingwithreed.com

You can also visit her Wild Ink Publishing author page: wild-ink-publishing.com/s-e-reed

To know more about She’s Somebody’s Daughter to learn ways you can help victims and survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation visit their website: www.shessomebodysdaughter.org

If you are in the central PA region and would like She’s Somebody’s Daughter to come into your organization or school to do a talk about trafficking reach out through their events page: www.shessomebodysdaughter.org/host-an-event

To learn more about trafficking visit the Polaris Project: polarisproject.org

Episode Five: Plotting, Pantsing, Outlining! Oh My!

Episode Five: Plotting, Pantsing, Outlining! Oh My!

In this episode, Brittany and Abby talk about writing as busy moms. They also talk about plot structure, and how to make the most of your story’s plot. Then they tell us how they outline their books, discussing the pros and cons of plotting and pantsing.

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Episode Two: Considering Book Ideas. Where to begin? (The Writing Process Part One)

Episode Two: Considering Book Ideas. Where to begin? (The Writing Process Part One)

In this episode, we begin our journey in novel writing. Over the next few weeks, we will be taking you through the novel writing process, one step and a time. This week Abby and Brittany discuss where ideas come from, and how to find them.

Links important to this episode:
DIYMFA.com Writer Igniter: diymfa.com/writer-igniter
NYC Midnight Writing Competition: www.nycmidnight.com/
Passive Voice Checker: datayze.com/passive-voice-detector

As always, check out Wild Ink Publishing and our amazing books: wild-ink-publishing.com/