Now through August 31, all WordCrafter Press anthologies on our summer reading list are on sale!
Lingering Spirit Whispers
Three great WordCrafter paranormal anthologies bundled into one exceptional paranormal anthology set: Whispers of the Past, Spirits of the West, and Where Spirits Linger. Thought provoking short fiction for every lover of ghost stories and paranormal tales.
Only $4.99 during the Summer Reading List Sale June 15 – August 31
Once Upon am Ever After: Modern Fairy Tales & Folklore
This unique and imaginative collection of eleven thought provoking fantasy stories will delight readers who enjoy stories of wishes gone awry.
What happens when…
A woman desires to carry on her family’s legacy, uncovering a long-buried curse?
A not so perfect witch casts a spell to defy age and preserve her relationship with her handsome shapeshifting familiar?
A time traveler longs to be the savior of knowledge lost?
An incompetent delivery boy becomes an unlikely savior of forgotten artifacts?
A magic mirror yearns for a different question?
A tiny story witch desires to share her stories with the world?
Spells are cast, unlikely alliances made, and wishes granted, sometimes with surprising outcomes. You’ll love this anthology of modern myths, lore, and fairy tales. Once you read these twisted tales, you’ll be sure to be careful what you wish for….
If you liked Gilded Glass, you’ll enjoy Once Upon an Ever After: Modern Myths & Fairy Tales, short stories with thought provoking themes, captivating characters and diverse cultures, from humorous to horrifying, from the legendary past to possible futures and back to the here and now.
Only $2.99 during the Summer Reading List Sale June 15 – August 31.
Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception
Reflections and Refractions…
One reveals truths, while the other bends light into varying shapes of deception.
Does a small camp mirror reveal hope… or death?
Is the warrior in the mirror a monster… or a protector?
Does a glimpse in the mirror reveal a young woman’s true self… or what someone else has shaped her into?
Does the mysterious portal to the future reflect what could be… or what must be left behind?
Are the dancers reflected in the water’s depth things of beauty… or evil?
This unique and imaginative collection of nine mind tantalizing fantasy and science fiction stories will appeal to readers who enjoy thought provoking tales with hidden meanings resting deep below the surface. These stories will keep you pondering long into the night.
If you liked Gilded Glass or Once Upon an Ever After, you’ll love Refracted Reflections.
Only $2.99 during the Summer Reading List Sale June 15 – August 31.
An author’s visions are revealed through their stories. Many authors have strange and unusual stories, indeed. Within these pages, you will find the stories of eighteen different authors, each unique and thought provoking. These are the fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and horror stories that will keep you awake long into the night.
What happens when:
An inexplicable monster plagues a town for generations, taking people… and souvenirs?
A post-apocalyptic band of travelers finds their salvation in an archaic machine?
The prey turns out to be the predator for a band of human traffickers?
Someone chooses to be happy in a world where emotions are regulated and controlled?
A village girl is chosen to be the spider queen?
Grab your copy today and find out. Let authors such as W.T. Paterson, Joseph Carabis, Kaye Lynne Booth, Michaele Jordan, Stephanie Kraner, and others, including the author of the winning story in the WordCrafter 2022 Short Fiction Contest, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, tantalize your thoughts and share their Visions
Only $3.99 during the Summer Reading List sale June 15 – August 31.
20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
Only $4.99 during the WordCrafter Summer Readng List Sale June 15 – August 31.
Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter.
I’m excited to announce that the winner of the 2024 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest is M.J. Mallon, with her story, “The Seagull Man” – an exquistly dark short story. Runners-up have also been invited to be included in the anthology and a select few were asked to revise and submit for round two amd may be included, depending on how much room we have after all invitational submissions have been considered.
Runners-up included:
“The Fae Game”, by Danaeka Scrimshaw
“The Peddler”, by Peter McKay
“The Blackest Ink”, by Paul Martz
“Antepenultimate”, by Molly Ertel
We had a good number of submissions to the contest this year, and together with the stories submitted by invitation, we’re going to have a deliciously dark fiction anthology come October. I am going through the invitational submissions now.
I’ve been meeting and greeting within author communities for sixteen years. First, as the Southern Colorado Literature Examiner for six years, and then, right here, on Writing to be Read . The payoff for these wasn’t in money, but in the opportunities they offered. I’ve met so many authors and was introduced to the writing world through those two things. And then, while working for my M.F.A., I met even more authors; traditionally published authors who were making a living from their writing, and I learned from them. When I went back to get my masters in publishing, I was privilaged to study under a true master, international and national bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson and through the masters program and KJA, I met several industry experts, including Jonathan Maberry and Mark Leslie Lefebvre, and I learned from even more who were gracious enough to speak to my cohort, either in person or on Zoom. I’ve also met authors through various WordCrafter projects, such as the two virtual writing conferences which WordCrafter hosted in 2020 and 2021; great people who answered the call when I put it out, and ran workshops and sat on discussion panels and helped me to make those two events happen.
Tribes
And I have to say, there’s something special about authors. They seem to gravitate toward these tightnit communities where you can be a member due to only a shared love of craft. Most call themselves author communities, KJA calls them his tribe. I like that. It has a feeling of kinship to it. By giving me instruction in the publishing industry, he welcomed me into his tribe, and by being a part of my blog team, or collaborating with me on an anthology or other projects, or even by participating in discussions and being a regular visitor and name I recognized, you are welcomed into my tribe.
Authors aren’t the only people who do this kind of thing. It’s human nature for people to gravitate toward others who are like minded. There are Corvette clubs and antique car clubs, bridge clubs, and fan clubs for people who enjoy the same musical artists. But the thing is, none of the people in those clubs really know each other and they aren’t likely to go out of their way to lend a hand to someone else when the only thing they have in common is a love for one particular thing. But authors do. Authors are the most generous group of people, willing to share their knowledge with one antoher, willing to donate their time and energies to projects, willing to lift one antoher up. It is amazing to me.
Networking
In Hollywood, it is said that it is all about who you know, but this is true in a sense, for writing and publishing. Networking with fellow authors can open doors that would otherwise be closed to us. Through other authors we learn of opportunities that we might not be aware of otherwise, and we meet people who are like minded, who may endorse your book, or perhaps review it. We meet folks who are interested in the craft of writing, just like we are, and many are willing to trade off services, which can make outsourcing that would be quite costly, suddenly become something that is in reach.
Collaborations
I’ve met many authors through collaborations. The virtual writing conferences mentioned above is only one type of collaboration. There are many others. I also mentioned anthologies. I 💜 anthologies. Wordcrafter Press puts out one poetry anthology, and at least one short fiction anthology per year. These are collaborations of from six to twenty different authors per book.
The great thing about anthologies is, you have a bunch of different authors who each have their own following and the potential to broadcast and promote to that following, allowing you to reach a much wider audience of potential readers, and therefore purchasers of your book. The same works for other collaborative projects, too. I have capitalized on this for the virtual writing conferences which WordCrafter Press hosted, as well.
Paying it Forward
The philosophy of paying it forward is predominate through the author communities that I find myself a part of . KJA is one of the busiest people I know, yet he didn’t balk at all when I invited him to be my first guest as I revive the “Chatting with the Pros” blog series, and he was willing to take the time to do an author interview with me. That segment will be coming up later this month.
This is only one example of the good-heartedness found in memebers of the author community. I’ve been granted review and interview requests, blurbs or endorsements of my books, and booked speakers and workshop presenters with authors willing to donate their time. And all I had to do was ask.
I have done this by doing book reviews for authors I know who haven’t requested it, by editing all anthology submissions whether I invite them to be in the anthology or not, by doing a proofread or beta read at no charge for certain authors who have requested them, by donating my time to judge the Spur awards, and by reblogging or reposting the promos and reviews of my fellow authors.
Authors are generally good people. And just as I am proud to be a member of KJA’s tribe, I’m equally as proud to call each one of you as memebers of mine.
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About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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This post is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press.
Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.
In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.
Time is running out fast for you to get your submission on for the 2024 WordCrafter Short Fiction contest, and a chance to have your story featured in the 2024 Dark Fiction anthology by WordCrafter Press. The approching deadline is April 30, 2024. You can find the submission guidelines here: https://writingtoberead.com/2024/01/01/call-for-submissions/
I’m pleased to announce that Poetry Treasures 4: Natural World will be released in April. Featuring the poetry of Andrew McDowell, Robbie Cheadle, Patricia Furstenberg, Marsha Meara, Luanne Castle, D.L. Finn, Emily Gmitter, Kaye Lynne Booth, Selma Martin, Meril D. Smith, Frank Prem, and Colleen Chesebro. We are shooting for April 8th for this one, but stay tuned, as I’ll be posting an updates with more information on its release.
Short Fiction Contest Deadline
Just a reminder: The deadline for the 2024 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest is April 30. So get those dark fiction stories in before it is too late. It’s only $5 to enter. Winner guaranteed inclusion in the WordCrafter 2024 Short Fiction Anthology, as yet untitled. You can find submission guidelines and fee entry portal here: https://writingtoberead.com/2024/01/01/call-for-submissions/
Get all your favorite WordCrafter Press books today!
If there are WordCrafter Press books on your TBR list, now is the time to buy them. All WordCrafter Press Books are 50% off for the Smashwords 2024 Read an Ebook Week. That’s right. All titles in the WordCrafter Press catalog are on discounted 50% this week only on Smashwords.
Titles Included:
Ask the Authors: Writing Reference Anthology, by Kaye Lynne Booth, et. al.
Ask the Authors 2022: Writing Reference Anthology, by Kaye Lynne Booth, et. al.
Behind Closed Doors: A Collection of Unusual Poems, by Robbie Cheadle
Delilah: Book 1 of the Women in the West adventure series, by Kaye Lynne Booth
Feral Tenderness: Poetry & Photography, by Arthur Rosch
Hidden Secrets: Paranormal Mystery Novella, by Kaye Lynne Booth
Last Call and Other Short Fiction: short story collection, by Kaye Lynne Booth
The Mississippi river appears frequently to the left side of the road, as the Continental digests miles under its Goodyears. The river is like a giant python at the bottom of the bluff, twisting its silty way towards New Orleans. At Cairo it meets the Ohio River in a megalithic “Y”. The different colors of the different rivers make discreet etchings in the basic silver brown in the serpentine body of The Mississippi.
Zoot is snoring lightly, slumped in the front passenger seat with his elbow on the armrest, his head bumping gently against the rolled-up window. The car’s air conditioning is roaring like a distant storm, its wind coming from black plastic vents in the dashboard.
Aaron is in the back seat, trying to read a science fiction novel. The car’s motion is making him sick, so he puts the book down and watches the River as it appears and disappears amongst rows of trees.
Zoot jerks awake suddenly, yawns, rubs his eyes. He inspects Tyrone’s driving, looks at the speedometer. “You’re going a hundred miles an hour, man, and you in the slow lane. There’s a cop that cruises this road by name of Furley Robinson and he will love to jail my ass, so ease it on up.”
Tyrone looks innocent. “I don ‘t know how that happened, Zoot, sorry.” The speedometer drifts in fits and starts back down to seventy.
Zoot cranes his neck to see Aaron, slumped boredly in the back seat.
“I ever tell you the story of my true musical roots, of my Arkansas heritage?”
Aaron perks up and leans forward over the soft leather upholstery.
“Which one? The one about Preacher Scarby and the girls in the choir?”
“No, no, this one even earlier and more rooty than that one.”
“Let’s hear it, Zoot, we all ears,” Tyrone says, lighting up a cigarette.
“This is back when I was five, six years old,” says Zoot. “All the black farmers in Arkansas get together once a year for a musical festival, a Pig Squeezin’. They’d come from evahwhere, they’d come from Dawes County and Little Creek and Big Creek, from Meaty Bottom and Cradle Cave. They’d bring their best musical pigs and their women and children would barbecue up some ribs and haunches and they would contend for the position of Master Pig Squeezer. “
Aaron smiles. Tyrone wrinkles his brow, hoping to concentrate on the road but sneaking glances at Zoot, trying to discern just how far in his cheek is his mentor’s tongue.
“The greatest Pig Squeezer of all is a big fat gentleman by the name of Eufustus Rathbone. Y’ll understand, Pig Squeezin is a subtle art, it combines animal genetics, musical training, weight lifting and other forms of athletics and requires a fine hand at dealing with the hogs. You gotta take em when they’re tiny piglets and get em used to the feel of your armpit, your knees, you get piglets that like bein’ squeezed and handled evah which way. Takes a calm and pliable pig to squeal and bellow on cue. Why, Eufustus Rathbone can get a note out of both ends of a pig just by flexing his bicep, he is that good. He has a pig named Joby that can fart an E flat and squeal a perfect third above it.”
Aaron pats both his thighs hard, then pats them again, more softly.
Zoot pauses to light his three o’clock cheroot.
“You’re putting us on, right?” Tyrone swings his head sideways, then back to the road, then sideways,then back to the road.
“Lord’s Truth,” Zoot swears, solemnly. He winks at Aaron.
“This must have been nineteen ten, nineteen eleven,” Zoot continues. “It was my first Pig Squeezin and I thinks I is in heaven, they is so many people, so much food on big long tables, all kinds of little girls runnin’ round in checkered dresses with pretty hats.”
He exhales his stream of smoke languidly, cracks the window a bit to clear the air inside the car. Tyrone lights yet another in a constant string of Camels.
“You’re smoking too much,” he admonishes Tyrone. “You know that stuff wilts your dick, don’t you?”
Tyrone hastily stuffs out the butt in the ash tray. “Damn,” he says, “one fun thing fucks up another fun thing. Doesn’t seem fair.”
Aaron puts his chin into the crevice between the front seats, as if to prompt Zoot to continue his story.
“Okay, after two solid days of Squeezin’, there’s only three Squeezers left who can get up and withstand the sheer virtuosity of Eufustus Rathbone. This man has been Squeezin’ Master for six years runnin’. He has raised himself a breed of musical hogs that are light of weight but solid in volume and tone. He gets up on the stage that is built right there in the middle of Hanky Parkins’ fresh-mowed soybean field. He’s got Joby in one hand, he’s got two piglets named Squeak and Tweak on rope leashes, and he’s got an old sow named Hester draggin’ her udders on the floor boards. Hester is like his old standby, a reliable bass pig. He can just give her a jiggle and she will go ‘honk’ on the downbeat and the upbeat.”
Zoot’s left hand waves in the air and pictures seem to flow from his fingers, apparitions in the drifting smoke that lazily spiral up from the cheroot held loosely in his right hand.
“Eufustus starts out with The Star Spangled Banner, just to keep things simple, not to raise expectations or nothin’. The pigs squeeze in perfect counterpoint. Eufustus is sitting on the low three-legged Squeezin’ Stool, and he’s got Joby between his legs where he can control the pitch by bringing his thighs together, he’s got Hester under one foot and he’s got Squeak and Tweak in each armpit. After the national anthem he looks around as if to say, ‘can anybody top that? The crowd goes wild, everybody claps, looks like it’s all over. But when the noise dies down, a youngster by the name of Chester Wankus comes up the steps leading just two little piglets. There’s a gasp from the crowd, people saying ‘he can’t do shit with no two piglets, who he think he is?’ But Chester just scoots that Squeezin’ Stool over, sits down and starts squeezin’ these piglets and he gets them fartin’ and squealing and he plays “Battle Hymn of the Republic” real fast and he’s tapping with his feet too. It is amazing. Old Eufustus puffs up his chest like nothin’ happened, takes the stool back and plays the “Overture from The Marriage of Figaro”. The crowd falls silent, they figure that’s it, all over, nothin’ can top that. Chester leaves his piglets on the stage, jumps off the back, picks up a two hundred pound sow like it’s a twig and puts her on the stage, then jumps back up and gets her inside his legs. He takes a deep breath, everybody’s waitin’ for whatever’s gonna come next.”
Zoot leans forward and flicks the ash from his cheroot into the ashtray. He looks out the window. The sun is midway down the afternoon sky and its rays flash back from the river.
“Chester takes a minute to get himself braced, then he starts squeezin and out comes a perfect contrapuntal version of the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The sow is a trifle flat out her behind but Chester compensates skillfully by increasing the pressure from his feet and the rhythm is powerful enough that Eufustus starts turning a darker shade of brown than he already is. Joby just lays down on her side and Chester’s two piglets run over and start nursin’ from her. You’d think that is the end of the story but just then up comes a teenage boy from Smith County, and he’s got four piglets on leather leashes, he’s got a three hundred pound sow and he’s got a hairy wild boar in some kind of crazy harness. The judges take some time debating whether that is legal or not, but they allowed it, I mean a wild boar is a wild boar and they just have to give the kid points for difficulty.”
“What’s your name, kid?” the head judge asks.
“The kid replies, ‘My name is Felix Twitty and I’m from Smith County near the town of Goose’s Crack.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little ostentatious, all them pigs?”
The crowd grumbles its agreement, I mean, if the kid can ‘t come through with something tremendous he’d be seen as a total poseur, a Nouveau Squeezer with a big ego. He just takes the stool nice and calm, positions that boar under his left arm, arranges them other pigs in various ways with one of ‘em under his chin and he starts to play. At first nobody recognizes the music. It sounds good, it sounds mighty good, and finally the crowd realizes that the kid is playing Wagner’s “Finale from Das Rheingold” and he is making the boar sing the part of Thor and making the piglets do the parts of the Rhinemaidens. It is spectacular! Everybody almost passes out from amazement and Felix Twitty sure as hell won the Master Pig Squeazer prize for that year and for the next five years. He’s remembered as one of the greatest squeezers in history, and might have broken Tolly Scoobus’ eight year run, ‘cept he went off to France in World War One and got shot by a farmer who thought he was stealin’ pigs. He was just playin’ scales in the barn! All he wanted was a little practice. Mighty shame, that was. Mighty shame.”
The occupants of the car drive in silence for a while.
“You’re not pullin’ my leg, are you?” Tyrone asks sincerely.
Arthur Rosch is a novelist, musician, photographer and poet. His works are funny, memorable and often compelling. One reviewer said “He’s wicked and feisty, but when he gets you by the guts, he never lets go.” Listeners to his music have compared him to Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Randy Newman or Mose Allison. These comparisons are flattering but deceptive. Rosch is a stylist, a complete original. His material ranges from sly wit to gripping political commentary.
Arthur was born in the heart of Illinois and grew up in the western suburbs of St. Louis. In his teens he discovered his creative potential while hoping to please a girl. Though she left the scene, Arthur’s creativity stayed behind. In his early twenties he moved to San Francisco and took part in the thriving arts scene. His first literary sale was to Playboy Magazine. The piece went on to receive Playboy’s “Best Story of the Year” award. Arthur also has writing credits in Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug, eDigital, and Cat Fancy Magazine. He has written five novels, a memoir and a large collection of poetry. His autobiographical novel, Confessions Of An Honest Man won the Honorable Mention award from Writer’s Digest in 2016.
Want to be sure not to miss any of Arthur’s “Mind Fields” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you find it interesting or just entertaining, please share.
Its the start of a new year and time to announce the call for submissions for the annual WordCrafter Press short fiction contest. For 2024, the theme will be dark fiction of any genre: Dark Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Dark Humor, Horror, Noir… I’ll even accept romance, if the story is dark.
The submission deadline is April 30, and the as yet, untitled anthology will be released in October. All submissions will be considered for publication, and the winning story is guaranteed a spot in the anthology. Follow the submission guidelines below.
Submission Guidelines
WordCrafter Press is looking for original short stories with dark elements. Previously unpublished stories only.
Genres: Any genre as long as the story is dark.
Length: up to 5000 words
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2024
Pay: Royalty share
Rights: First Anthology Rights and audio rights as part of the anthology; rights revert to author one month after publication; publisher retains non-exclusive right to include in the anthology as a whole.
Open to submissions from January 1 through April 30, 2024.
Submit: A Microsoft Word or RTF file in standard manuscript format to KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com
Lines by Leon is an eclectic mix of poetry, prose, and short stories that address the subjects of loss, struggle, human behavior, and environment in both humorous and thought-provoking ways. The author invites his readers to laugh, think, cry, and meditate on the wide variety of topics. Scattered throughout the book are sketches of various subjects, many that relate to the poems and stories they illustrate; others speak for themselves.
Lines by Leon, by Leon Stevens is an entertaining collection of creativity that showcases the authors talents in prose, poetr and drawing. The poems are lighthearted and positive, although I did feel a bit of sadness when reading “The Sock”. The drawings are well done, the sketches are amusing, and all offer the reader something to think about in a new or unique way.
It’s brief, but entertaining. One can’t help but smile. I give Lines by Leon four quills.
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About The Inyan Beacon
Part science fiction, part spaghetti Western, part speculative fiction, The Inyan Beacon is a short story set in the distant future. Earth’s moon, now called Maka, after a failed terraforming attempt, is the site of a lone stone tower. Tatanka (Tank) Cody, descendant of Buffalo Bill Cody, and his synth companion, Compass are determined to get inside the tower. Although they might not find what Tank is so sure will be there.
The Inyan Beacon, by Teagan Riordan Geneviene and Dan Antion, is a brief tale that feels like a small piece in a much bigger puzzle. Teagan jumps right into the story, but it takes a moment for the reader to orient. Once there, it is easy to emmerse oneself into the story, but before you know it the tale has come to its conclusion. I think I would have preferred to know what they were looking for a bit sooner to give me a better sense of purpose for the characters. I applaud Geneviene and Antion for providing this story with a beginning middle and end, making it a complete story; something many shorts fail to do.
It caught my interest, but was too short. I wasn’t ready to stop, and would have been willing to follow the characters through to the next adventure. I guess I wanted more. I give The Inyan Beacon four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
2024 promises to be exciting at WordCrafter Press and I am thrilled to tell you about it.
In January, book 2 of the Women in the West series, Sarah launches on Kickstarter and its going to be a good one. Rewards will include not only early digital and signed print copies of Sarah, but Special Edition Illustrated copies of both Sarah and Delilah, never before offered.
In March, Sarah will be released through distributors, and will be available at your favorite online retailers. I’ll be launching with a book blog tour and giveaway, so be sure and watch for that.
In April, Poetry Treasures 4: Natural World will be released through distributors. (The cover pictured above is just a fill in.) Featuring poetry written by guests of the 2023 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series with Robbie Cheadle. There will be a book blog tour for this book, with audio/video readings by the poets.
In May, my nonfiction writing reference book, D.I.Y. Author will be released through distributors, and will be available at your favorite online retailers. If you’re an author on a shoestring budget determined to find ways to write and sell books, this book is for you. Naturally, a book blog tour and giveaway will accompany this release.
In July, we have a Kickstarter campaign planned for my children’s book series. I’ll be releasing the first three books in the My Backyard Friends series, Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans, and Charlie Chickadee Finds a New Home. After a first illustrator experience which turned sour, these books have been awaiting an illustrator for eight years. But I finally found one, whose illustrations I am proud to have featured in my books, Robbie Cheadle. If you know her, you might be familiar with the wonderful illustrations she’s begun to do recently, and you’ll understand why I am so thrilled to have her as an illustrator. These stories feature animal and bird characters in tales that each teach a social lesson. With Robbie’s beautiful illustrations, they are not to be missed.
In August, the first three books in the My Backyard Friends series will be released through distributors, and will be available at all your favorite distributors. I’ll be launching with a book blog tour and giveaway.
In September, a by invitation only themed anthology, Tales From The Hanging Tree, will be released through distributors and launched with a book blog tour and giveaway, with audio/video readings by the authors.
In October, the 2024 WordCrafter anthology will be released. Each year I release the annual anthology in October, which is just a scary month. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I love scary stories, and other scary stuff, so releasing in October is condusive to dark fiction. In 2023, we had a great line-up of dark and scary stories in Midnight Roost, so we’re going with a dark fiction theme again this year. It will include both by invitation submissions and contest submissions that are worthy, and feature the winning story from the contest. (See Call for Submissions below.)
WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services
I’m happy to announce that in 2024, WordCrafter will be adding Book Trailers to our list of quality author services. We will have three different trailer designers available to choose from: myself, Robbie Cheadle and DL Mullan, and they will be offered at affordable prices.
On Writing to be Read, 2024 promises more of the new monthly blog series, “POP with Jeff Bowles”, which has been well recepted. A blog series about all things POP, the first Wednesday of every month.
We also have a new addition to the WtbR team. Starting in January, DL Mullan will be bringing us another new blog series the first Friday of each month, “Undawntech: Technology and the Creative Arts”. Be sure to check it out and give Dawn a big welcome.
Call for Submissions – 2024 WordCrafter Anthology
It’s time for the Call for Submissions for the 2024 WordCrafter Anthology, which we’re calling “Dark Fiction” for now. Dark fiction is the theme: horror, paranormal, dark fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction. Any genre as long as it is dark or scary will do. I’m leaving it wide in the hopes of bringing in a diverse selection of stories that will keep readers awake at night.
Submission Guidelines
Genres: Paranormal, Dark Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Dark Humor, Speculative Fiction any combination there of.
Length: up to 5000 words
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2023
Submissions open January 1 and close on April 30. Watch for the January 1 post for full submission guidelines and contest entry.
Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, as a sampling of her works just for joining
Writing to be Read 