I’ve invited author Sara W. McBride to join us today to share a really cool new opportunity in the writing community with us. This is for those of you who enjoy a good writing challenge, and it doesn’t hurt that there are cash prizes, large enough to be considered above professional writing minimums. Sara McBride has been participating, and well, I’ll let her tell you all about it.
Please welcome author Sara W. McBride as she offers us a guest post on Writing Battles.
Guest Post: Writing Battles
Hi. I’m Sara Wesley McBride. Kaye asked me to write a post about Writing Battle because I recently won the October FEAR battle. $3400! Amazing, right? Absolutely! I’ve never won anything, or been paid for any of my short story submissions, so I’m currently staining my folder of rejection letters with a muted red wine ring in celebration of getting paid $3.40 per word. (Professional rate is $0.10/word, so I just walloped that.)
If you want to improve your Flash Fiction skills, check out WritingBattle.com.
My story and the new FEAR winners just got posted this week. Go check it out!
What is Writing Battle, you ask? It’s this enthusiastic, supportive community of writers who love to write a story in a short amount of time, based on prompts they didn’t expect. So. Much. FUN!! It’s like improv for writers, but your stories duel each other and you win money.
Yes, it does cost money to enter, usually in the $30 range. But you get tons of feedback, so I think it’s worth it. I refuse to pay for anything, except Writing Battle. And now I’ve won enough to cover writing battles for the next twenty years.
For 2025, each competition had four genres to compete within, thus four 1st place winners.
2026 will have nine genres, thus nine winners. Whoa! 1st place winners earn $2000+ and runner-ups earn $500+. (Varies from battle to battle, but in that zone.) Eight battles scheduled for 2026.
New for 2026, you can choose a “Class.” If you ever played D&D, these will look very familiar. Your chosen class will lead your card draw toward certain genres. This is new. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m excited. I’ve chosen Rogue!
But you don’t get to send in that story that’s been beta read seventeen times. Oh no! That would be way too easy. You are dealt a random genre (within your chosen “Class”), a random character, and a random object to build your story upon. You can redraw your genre once, but only once. And you get a few extra redraws for characters and objects, but not many. Then you have a few days to write your story ranging from 48 hours for micro-fiction (250 words) and 5-7 days for 1000 or 2500-word stories.
Your story has to use the prompts in some way, shape or form, otherwise you might get disqualified. This is to prevent prewritten, perfectly edited stories. My winning story had a typo in it! So embarrassing. Let me know if you find it.
I won for the 1000-word, FEAR, pro-judged competition. There were four genres (Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Dystopian, and Mystery) and I won Mystery. I think there were 1800 stories total and about 300 in Mystery. I’m guessing that lots of people were dealt Mystery and redrew for a different genre. (Horror had about 600 stories.) I’ll admit, Mystery in a thousand words is really bloomin’ difficult! I chucked three stories before I finally got the last one to work.
There are peer-judged battles and pro-judged battles. Everyone is sorted into houses of about forty stories, all in your genre. The early 5-8 rounds of duels are against your housemates. There is no genre crossover. Genres never compete against each other, which I think is a good thing. Imagine Sword & Sorcery stories going up against Alternative History. Such different mind sets. That would be incredibly weird to judge.
Peer-judged Battles–all writers read ten stories in five duels, give feedback and pick a winner of the five duels. There are two duels for each of the five rounds. Then the final showdown duels go to “Spartan Judging,” where you’re dealt a duel and have to pick a winner, no comments required. You only ever judge stories outside of your genre, so you’re never judging your competition.
Then “Debrief” opens, and you can read everyone’s stories and give & get feedback. You can also check out your house competition. After the results are revealed, you receive all the feedback from your ten judges. And it’s really good feedback!
Pro-judged Battles–professional judges give out trophies and pips during the early dueling rounds, which is fun, and you can read everyone’s stories and give & get feedback. In the first round, my winning story received an “Impact” trophy, meaning of all the stories a judge read in that round, he/she thought mine had the highest “Impact.” It also got a “character” pip, which is a cute little chicken symbol meaning they really liked my main character.
Feedback from the judges is great if you make it to the final showdown. Then you get full paragraphs from 3-5 judges. One judge gave me a full page essay. It was awesome! But otherwise, if you’re in the lower 80-85% of your house, you only get a few phrases from the judges of what they liked and thought could be improved upon. But the feedback from your peers is amazing. And with Debrief open for about a month before the judges’ results, you get a ton of useful feedback on your story and in the forum discussions.
The Forums! The website has forums. My favorite forum is “Hidden Gems.” When you stumble upon a great story, but not many people have commented on it, then you post it in the Hidden Gem forum and people will go check it out and give feedback. Everyone is so supportive. You don’t have to win a big payout to feel like you won. My story got a shout-out on a “Historical Fiction Stories” forum, and I was on cloud nine. For someone to stumble through a forest of 1800 stories, randomly read yours, and then like it enough to take the time to post it to a forum … Whoa! That is huge gratification, validation, and induces a happy dance. And you can offer that amazing gratification to other writers. It’s a giant feedback loop of happiness!
There’s also a friendly etiquette of return reads. If you read a person’s story and leave feedback, there’s a magic “Return Read” button in your comment allowing them to easily flip to your story so they can return the favor. So if you give feedback on 20 stories, you’ll probably get at least 15 or more reads and feedback on your story.
Reading other stories, pondering them, giving feedback, and then reading all the other comments, is so incredibly educational. I’m typically a playwright and novelist, focusing on longer form storytelling. But flash fiction is becoming popular with magazine and journal publications, so I wanted to learn it. Writing a story limited to a thousand words is an immense challenge when you come from the land of eighty-thousand word novels.
My Flash Fiction skills have objectively improved over the past six months.
My first battle, my story won a couple of battles and died. It was a mess of a story and my first attempt at Sci-Fi. But I rewrote it based on feedback and now I’m submitting it around.
My second battle, my story won an honorable mention, meaning it was only one vote shy of moving on to the Final Showdown. I’m also shopping that story.
Finał Showdown–Each genre has a final showdown. The top 5-7 stories in a house move into what looks like basketball brackets. Top 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, Winner!
My third battle, my story made it to the Final Showdown and lost out in the Sensational 64 duel to the full genre winner. The winning story’s name was “Pancakes McBride,” and I’m a McBride, so I did enjoy a bit of humor about that loss. Another story getting shopped.
My fourth battle, my story won first place in the Mystery genre. I received a congratulations message from the author of “Pancakes McBride,” saying, “I’m glad there will be another McBride on the winner’s list!” This story is officially published on the Writing Battle website, so I can only shop it to magazines that accept reprints. But I got paid $3400 for it, so I’m okay with that.
I’m getting better at Flash Fiction because of Writing Battle. And it’s so much fun! It’s nice to finish a polished story within a day or two. My novels and plays take months and always hit “The Messy Middle” slog phase. There’s a happy satisfaction with finishing an entire 1000-word story quickly and sending it into Battle or out for publication. And writing Flash Fiction definitely teaches you to edit.
My winning story started as 1500 words, and I had to whack it down to 1000. It hurt. I bled. But it resulted in judge comments like: “This writer knows how much to give the reader; he trusts us. That’s a really beautiful thing. I see so much overwriting. Not here!”
If you haven’t yet, go check out my story at the Writing Battle winner’s page. And if you’re a writer, consider joining WritingBattle.com. It’s a blast!
About Sara W. McBride
Sara Wesley McBride suffers an unhealthy obsession with the haunted city of Venice and has written a novel and lots of short stories set in Italy’s greatest floating city. She just won first place in the Mystery Genre for Writing Battle’s Fear competition and is currently writing a ghost-filled choose-your-own-path book set in Venice. More info at SaraWesleyMcBride.com.
It’s that time of year again, and the WordPress subscription and Writingtobe Read domain are coming up for renewal. I have until the end of July to come up with the money to renew, and the WordCrafter coffers are empty.
As followers of the blog know, Writing to be Read has some really great content. You may be a fan of one of my monthly or bi-monthly blog series: “Writer’s Corner”, “Review in Practice”, or “Everyone is a Critic”. Or perhaps you come here to enjoy the very popular blog series by Robbie Cheadle: “Read and Cook”, “In Touch with Nature”, or “Treasuring Poetry”. Or maybe you enjoy something by our single series authors, like Arthur Rosch’s “Mind Fields”, or DL Mullan’s “Undawntech”, or Lindsey Martin-Bowen’s “Writing Practice with Lindsey. Or maybe you just visit for my hard hitting book reviews that call them like I see them. Whatever the reason thar you visit or follow Writing to be Read, I want you to be able to keep coming back for more.
As avid readers of this blog, I’m asking for your help through this fund raiser. Below, you will find a list of books from the WordCrafter catalog, and for a small donation of as little as $10, you can pick any book of your choice and I’ll send you a free digital copy in appreciation of your support. If you wish make a larger donation, you may do so by clicking up to increase the amount. You may pick one book for each $10 donated.
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2025 Fund Raiser
Support Writing to be Read with a donation.
$10.00
You can make a donation through the portal above. Then choose a book or two from the list and email your choices for your free book(s) to KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com. I’ll send you a Bookfunnel link for your book(s) as a thank you. Easy peasy.
Whispersof the Past paranormal anthology
Spirits of the West paranormal anthology
Where Spirits Linger paranormal anthology
Once Upon an Ever After dark fantasy anthology
Refracted Reflections dark fiction anthology
Visions dark fiction anthology
Midnight Roost dark fiction anthology
Midnight Garden dark fiction anthology
Hidden Secrets paranormal mystery by Kaye Lynne Booth
Last Call and Other Short Fiction, short story collection by Kaye Lynne Booth
Delilah, western historical women’s fiction by Kaye Lynne Booth
Sarah, western historical women’s fiction by Kaye Lynne Booth
The Rock Star & The Ourlaw, time travel adventure by Kaye Lynne Booth
Small Wonders poetry collection by Kaye Lynne Booth
Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature poetry anthology
Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures poetry anthology
I am appreciative of your readership and your support. So, let’s gear up for another year of great content from Writing to be Read and WordCrafter Press.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? 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 Press.
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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
It’s time for the annual sponsor drive on Writing to be Read.
Last year I started offering sponsorship for this blogsite to help support the time and effort required to assure we can continue to bring you great content. Sponsorship money helps cover the costs of the annual hosting fee, and other services required to keep our content going. Right now, the WtbR blog team contributes not only content, but time and effort without any kind of much deserved compensation. If I can get enough sponsors, it would also enable me to compensate the members of the my team for the content they contribute.
You can be a sponsor for as little as $5 for a single post, or you can sponsor one of our blog series for 90 days or a full year. Advertise your blog, your website, or your book right here on Writing to be Read.
She tries hard to be the perfect mother, the perfect partner, the perfect daughter – but Ellie never seems to get it right.
When an old friend from university re-enters her life, dark memories from Ellie’s past begin to resurface.
As Ellie starts to unravel some shocking and sinister realities, she realises that she must choose between keeping the family she loves – and facing the truth.
From the Top Ten ebook bestselling author, this twisty psychological thriller will have you hooked from the first page to the last jaw-dropping twist.
My Review of Truth Games
I purchased a digital copy of Truth Games, by Caroline England from Freebooksie. All opinions stated here are my own.
Everyone has secrets, some buried deeper than others. As Ellie Hastings searches for the truths of a past she can’t remember, she uncovers many truths which she’s been hiding from herself. Told from a singular point of view, this introspective tale of deceptions, uncovers the lies and ommisions of those she loves and cares about. Obsessed with learning the truth, Ellie reveals all their secrets, as well as her own, each more devastating than the last.
At first, with all the dreams mixed in with snippets of memories, I thought perhaps Ellie was just a bit paranoid in feeling that the people around her were all lying about various things. But as the story unfolds it becomes evident that she may not be crazy, as her suspicions prove to be true, one by one.
A psychological thriller that keeps readers guessing. I give Truth Games three 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 on the Book Review tab above.
During our recent trip of Babanango Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, we had a good sighting of a secretary bird roosting in a tree. That sighting prompted the creation of this poem which tells you all about this fascinating bird.
Ode to a Secretary Bird
My mouth smiles, a grin spreading from ear to ear
When I spy the Secretary Bird perched in a tree
It looks around, hoping its favourite food will appear
A slithering snake its equivalent of scones and tea
An eagle type body perched atop legs like a crane
Giving it a height of up to 1.3 meters; tall for a bird
Crazy feather spikes surround its face – a bad hair day
Or does it think it’s a lion with a shaggy black mane
During a courting ritual, its frog-like call is heard
The rest of the year, a calm silence holds sway
Picture caption: Secretary bird with its black crest up. Picture by Robbie Cheadle
***
Breeding usually takes place once in a year
During spring and summer when food is plentiful
The male helps to incubate the eggs, he’s quite a dear
Mating with one female for life, he’s also faithful
Preferring to stay grounded, it will fly if it must
Legs sticking out behind it in a ridiculous way
Outside of mating or nesting, it does its thing alone
When it needs to run, you only see a cloud of dust
With a wingspan of two metres, it creates a great display
Living out its life within a fifty square kilometre zone
Picture caption: Secretary bird stretching in an acacia tree. Picture by Robbie Cheadle
***
Grey tailcoat and dark knee-length pants its claim
To male secretary status – it even has goose-quill pens
Carried behind its ears, the combined cause of its name
Also called ‘Devil’s horse’ by its traditional African friends
In honour of the great speed at which it hunts its prey
Including reptiles, amphibians, and mammals like rats
And venomous snakes which it beats to death on the ground
Popular due to their diet, people encourage them to stay
At keeping land free of vermin, they’re better than cats
Once they were numerous, but they no longer abound
Picture caption: Secretary bird in an acacia tree. Picture by Robbie Cheadle
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This bird’s endangered classification mankind’s great shame
Along with its relatives, buzzards, vultures, and harriers
The fault of human greed and selfishness, nothing else to blame
I’m grateful some are protected behind fences and barriers
An important feature in the South African coat of arms
It’s chest a protea, also endangered or vulnerable to extinction
Powerful legs formed by a crossed knobkierie and long spear
Symbolism as the protector of the nation one of its many charms
You’d expect its status to afford it a measure of distinction
The loss of this messenger of the heavens not something people fear
A fascinating YT video featuring a secretary bird (not my video):
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta is also the author and illustrator of sixteen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of three poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Like this post? Are you a fan of this blog series? Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? 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 Press.
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This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 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. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Roost-Kaye-Lynne-Booth-ebook/dp/B0CL6FPLVJ
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Where-Tales-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DJNDQJD3
I am very excited to welcome talented artist, poet, and author, Dave Williams to “Treasuring Poetry”. Dave is discussing his thoughts on poetry and I’ve reviewed his unique poetry book Gasp! Poetry!
What is your favourite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?
Freestyle. I like playful poetry, and poetry that causes me to think of stuff in different ways than my status quo. Also, I’m a big fan of short poetry about nature. Doesn’t have to be haiku. Poems that focus on one aspect of nature, be that a particular animal or plant or season. This kind of poetry is like a seed for me to meditate over that aspect of nature.
What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?
My favorite poem by another writer is “maggie and milly and molly and may” by E. E. Cummings. I love it because it’s lively and frisky and profound. And because it reminds me of growing up near the Atlantic Ocean. And because one of my daughters is named Molly (with a capital M, not lowercase like in the poem — although she’s welcome to be creative with the capitalization of her name if she likes).
What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?
I enjoy writing freestyle the most. Limericks and haiku can be fun to write by following their rules. But I typically go with freestyle because I don’t have to worry about rhymes or syllables or meter.
What is your favourite of your own poems?
A tough question, Robbie! One poem of mine doesn’t jump out as a favorite. I looked through Gasp! Poetry! to find one to include here. I chuckled over several poems, but the poem that clicks with me right now isn’t aimed at humor. Rather, it feels hopeful:
Chickadee
Seeing an eagle,
the chickadee
aspired to greatness:
soaring high in the
Great Blue
Yet he could not
transform into that epic bird
In her son’s sullenness,
mama chickadee asked
the elders to offer wisdom
They told him
there’s a quiet dignity
in being a chickadee
and that
warmed his heart.
Your poetry collection Gasp! Poetry! has a most unusual name and blurb. Please tell us a bit about this book, what the poems are about, and what your intentions were will the collection.
The cover tries to warn people who have no interest in poetry. The title and cover illustration pretend what such a person’s reaction might be to a poetry book. They might throw up their hands and shriek, “Gasp! Poetry!” Then they’d run for the safety of a Non-Poetry Zone. Where, after catching their breath, they might tell other people how close they got to a poetry book and how terrifying it was. The cover uses drama for humor (hopefully).
Some poems in the book aim for silliness, while others are serious. The topics are assorted. One short poem is about a monkey taking a bath. One long poem is about how Scheherazade told a thousand tales to avoid being murdered. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, chances are good that you’ve read poems from this collection.
My intention was to package a bunch of poems on my blog, and ones that haven’t been published there yet. I hoped to entertain readers who like playfulness and absurdity in poems.
You write both novels and poetry. Which do you prefer?
Novels. Even when short, they’re more immersive than poems — which are like sketches to me (since I don’t write epic poems). I enjoy pondering possible plot paths of novels, as well as possible backgrounds of characters. It’s akin to reading a book and being immersed in the story. But with novel writing, the story can unfurl in various, potential directions. Joy is in exploring and shaping the story. So is frustration. But it’s worth the frustration when the book is finished.
My review of Gasp! Poetry!
Picture caption: Cover of Gasp! Poetry! featuring a hand drawn circle man with his arms thrown upwards in anguish.
The amusing title of this poetry collection by Dave Williams is indicative of the nature of the poetry. All of the poems are clever, slightly dark, and poke fun at humans and humanity in general. In other words, these poems are brilliant and hugely entertaining.
Is a Poem about Grains of Sand on a Beach Too Pretentious? “I wondered that question, lying on a floral beach towel, a speck in a crowd of swimsuited people – all of us were lumps of cookie dough glazed with sunscreen and coconut oil baking in this oven.” The short extract above is a great example of Dave dark humour in relation to human behaviours and his engaging descriptions.
Valor is a great example of the poet’s quick and clever mind and attitudes towards adversity: “”You’re not sharp enough?” “Get some sides!”
Yells were hurled from the crowd of octagons at the little circle. “You look ridiculous!”
The circle puffed up with valor, said “I am what I am,” refused to conform, then rolled defiantly towards home.”
This was my favourite poem in the book. I really enjoyed the personification of shapes and it reminded me of Flatland by Edward Abbott Abbott.
There is some wonderful life wisdom encased in these freestyle poems. A short extract from Ocean Inside which captivated my mind: “Meanwhile I work against the urge to liquefy myself and pour myself into the container others have sculpted for me”
Having gone through my own teenage years and watched three sisters and two sons go through theirs, I am acutely aware of how very real this pack mentality is with young people. Sometimes, people never manage to escape its grip and find their own path in life.
If you enjoy dark humour, excellent poetry, and life truths, you will love this engaging and entertaining collection.
Picture caption: Author photograph of Dave Williams
Surely many people are named “Dave Williams” and this particular Dave is a redheaded one who enjoys writing speculative fiction, drawing, and reading. He lives in Maryland with his wonderful wife, two inspirational daughters, and two cats (a lazy one and a playful one).
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? 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 Press.
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This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.
I crossed the 10,000 word mark on November 5, well ahead of schedule. What a great feeling. And I only missed making the daily word count goal once. Unfortunately, life got in my way, as it usually does. This time, it was a huge snowstorm that dumped about 42″ of snow on my front steps. The snow made even the daily chores more difficult, and then there was all that snow to shovel! But even with moving all that snow I managed to make the word count on most days. That is until it all caught up with me and at the end of the day, I was so tired I couldn’t think straight, and then, my word count started to fall.
I have managed to at least write something to log into the updates daily, and I’m sitting at around 34,500 words to date. That means I just have a little over 15,000 words to reach my goal and six days to do it in. I think I can do it. What do you think? Wish me luck. 😉
2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle
There’s still time to get in on the 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle, but grab it while you can. It only runs through the end of November. After December 1st, it will no longer be available.
This year’s Writing Tools StoryBundle, curated by bestselling author and publisher Kevin J. Anderson, is another treasure chest of vital handbooks covering aspects of the writer’s craft, business, and way of life. We have thirteen titles on a range of subjects, plus a 12-month subscription to Indie Author Magazine, your best source to stay up-to-date on the industry.
On writing craft, there’s The Illustrated Super Secrets of Writing, Vol. 1—Wulf Moon’s award-winning system on how to write stories and does so with creativity, fun, and humor. Tara Grace Ericson presents Romance Character Tropes—far more than your average trope list; this is an encyclopedia packed with info to help you use and leverage each trope successfully.
Freelance editor Joshua Essoe teaches about Mood and Atmosphere in his series of special-edition writing guides, each examining the most-common issues he encounters from writers he works with. Word by Word by award-winning author Kerrie Flanagan, shows you how to unlock your creativity and transform your writing. This is an essential guide for writers that offers inspiration, genre-specific strategies, and practical tips.
Jana S. Brown gives you Steps to Self-Editing. You’ve finished your novel! Now learn the self-editing steps to smooth off the rough edges and really make it shine!
And in the new revised edition of On Being a Dictator: Revised Edition, by Kevin J. Anderson, Martin Shoemaker, and Greg Vose—available exclusively in this StoryBundle,—you’ll learn how to use dictation to increase your productivity. One of the foundational books on a popular writing method, On Being a Dictator will help you think outside the box and up your game in the fast-paced ever-changing world of publishing.
Now, on to the writing business. Dollar by Dollarby Kerrie Flanagan is a comprehensive guide packed with proven strategies to help writers boost book sales, increase income from writing, and succeed in both traditional and self-publishing. Mark Leslie’s Author’s Guide to Branding for Success shows you how to make your Author Brand into one of your best long-term Intellectual Property assets!
Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn provide guidance and inspiration to share your message with the world from the stage in Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker.
AndBooking the Librariesby Jessica Brawner is tailored for authors, speakers, storytellers, musicians, puppeteers, and all living-wage entertainers. This guide is your key to unlocking fresh markets, cultivating a dedicated fanbase, and revolutionizing your livelihood.
And finally, on the writing life, these titles will help you stay inspired and remain strong as a creative.
The D.I.Y. Authorby Kaye Lynne Booth shows you the ropes in the business of being an author.
Wit and Wisdom by Craig Martelle—exclusive first release in this StoryBundle—is chock full of quips and snippets to help authors stay focused on the right things to accelerate their business.
AndFalling to Fly by Todd Fahnestock is a deeply personal exploration into the creative process and the publishing industry. This is truly the book to read before you give up on your writing dreams.
In addition in this StoryBundle, you will receive full year’s subscription toIndie Author Magazine, your go-to resource for news, tips, and advice on self-publishing. Stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the industry.
A note on the designated charity for this StoryBundle, the Neil Peart Brain Cancer Research Fund from Cedars Sinai. In 2020 we lost Neil Peart, legendary drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush, to glioblastoma. He was my mentor, friend, and collaborator on numerous books, and his loss affected me deeply. Neil’s friends and colleagues and fans worldwide have contributed to this glioblastoma research fund in Neil’s name, and we are proud to add our efforts on this Writing Tools StoryBundle as well. – Kevin J. Anderson
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For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in .epub format—WORLDWIDE.
Romance Character Tropes by Tara Grace Ericson and Jessica Barber
Dollar by Dollar by Kerrie Flanagan
Essoe’s Guides to Writing: Mood and Atmosphere by Joshua Essoe
Booking the Library by Jessica Brawner
If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all four of the regular books, plus 9 more books, for a total of 13 (with 5 StoryBundle Exclusives), plus a year’s subscription to Indie Author Magazine!
Super Secrets: Illustrated by Wulf Moon
Falling to Fly by Todd Fahnestock
From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker by Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn
A Writer’s Guide to Branding for Success by Mark Leslie Lefebvre (StoryBundle Exclusive)
On Being a Dictator by Kevin J. Anderson (StoryBundle Exclusive)
Word by Word by Kerrie Flanagan
The D.I.Y. Author by Kaye Lynne Booth
Steps to Self-Editing by Jana S. Brown
Wit and Wisdom by Craig Martelle (StoryBundle Exclusive)
Indie Author Magazine: One Year Subscription by Indie Author Magazine
This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get a DRM-free .epub for all books!
It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
I’m planning to currate a few Story Bundles of my own next year. I’m looking for authors with books in the women’s fiction, dark fiction, science fiction/fantasy, or paranormal genres. I already have a few authors interested from the paranormal genre. So, if you have a book in the above mentioned genres, I want to hear from you.Mention it in the comments or drop me a line at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com and let’s see if your book would be a good fit.
2025 WordCrafter Press Releases
With NaNoWriMo, I’ve got a good start on the second book in my Time-Travel Adventure Series, and I’ll be working hard to complete it throughout the months of December and January, with a hopeful March release. Of course, Book 3 in the Women in the West Adventure Series, Marta is also planned for release in 2025, and a short fiction collection of my own, titled “Little Ditties” to be released in time for Christmas.
With the creation of the Midnight Anthology Series, next year’s anthology is set to be dark fiction again, for volume 3, Midnight Oil. (I recently had a great story idea for this anthology. It’s very dark and scary, and I’m excited to see if I can meet the challenge of writing in a speculative fiction genre I’ve never attempted to write in before.) Submissions will be open in January and the call will post at the beginning of the year.
2025 Writing to be Read
Also, I believe Robbie may already be working on the next volume of Poetry Treasures, with a theme of Simple Pleasures. Guests on this past year’s “Treasuring Poetry” series should be getting their invites soon, if they haven’t already. I look forward to bringing forth another volume of this wonderful series of poetry books.
On Writing to be Read, plan to see more of Robbie’s new blog series, “Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle”, which received a good reception so far this year. Catch “Read and Cook” on the second Wednesday of every month. I plan to continue my “Chatting with the Pros” and “Chatting with New Blood” series on the second and forth Saturdays, as well, and of course first or second Monday will see a “Writer’s Corner” post. Monday’s will also see segments of “Review in Practice” and my latest movie review series, “Everyone is a Critic”. And you can catch Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry on the third Wednesday, and “In Touch with Nature” on the fourth Wednesday, as always. Art Rosch’s monthly “Mind Fields will also appear wherever I can fit them in, as he doesn’t have a set day right now.
I’m also hoping to get some new sponsors in the coming year. Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? 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 Press. Please consider sponsoring a blog series, or even a single post and help me to keep Writing to be Read up and running.
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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, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource. 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 Rock Star & The Outlaw and WordCrafter Press.
A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.
In 1887, LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.
In 2025, Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.
LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.
They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.
To celebrate, I’ll be posting a special “Everyone is a Critic” movie reviews of The Woman in Black and The Mummy later today. But mostly, I’ll be hanging out at Sonoran Dawn Studio‘s “Autumn Cider: Haunted, Inc.” Book Event on Facebook. I hope you will join us for a whole lot of spooky stuff, audio/video readings from WordCrafter anthologies, and book promotions. There are plenty of author takeover spots open, so if you’d like to get in on the promos, head on over and contact the host. Join us at the link below.
I have been publishing this series for many years and during that time my own two boys have grown up into young men. I am no longer involved in the world of children learning how to read and write and so I have decided it is time for me to down tools in this space.
I would like to leave you with two poems about my journey raising my two boys to young adults.
This first poem, which appears in Sir Chocolate and the Condensed Milk River story and cookbook, is about Michael.
It’s a boy!
A new arrival brings so much joy
Especially if it’s a little boy
He’ll have a loud and lusty wail
He’ll let you know that he is male
So beware,
A disturbance has started!
He’ll want to be just like his Dad
He’ll drive his mom and sister mad
He’ll keep insects in his room in jars
He’ll build a spaceship to the stars
So beware,
An adventure has started!
He’ll vanish at a sign of work
He’ll quickly learn his share to shirk
At homework time he’ll run away
Much to mom and dad’s dismay
So beware,
An endurance test has started!
In the end he’ll turn out right
You’ll be proud, he’ll be so bright
He’ll make you laugh, and then you’ll cry
When out he moves with a cherry goodbye
So beware,
A life journey has started!
Picture caption: Fondant pair of boys dressed in the South African national soccer team outfits
The next poem is about my older son, Gregory.
Words for my son
Words flow fluidly from my mind to pen, they come very easily to me
So why is it when I speak to you, I just cannot seem to make you see
That I love you, my most special boy, I am your number one fan
It is a joyous journey to watch you becoming an extraordinary man
You have an amazing mind, you’re like an adult when we engage
It makes it hard to understand the teenage turmoil that within you must rage
You make us smile when you sit laughing at some amusing situation in a book
Although I can get really cross when you give me your uncooperative look
My own teenage years are a fairly distant memory, but I do remember
The emotional highs and lows, like the violent thunderstorms of December
An adventurous and exploratory time in your life, bursting with so much possibility
To take advantage, you need to control body and mind and take responsibility
You are exceptionally empathetic and kind, you always give to others
I take delight when I see you treating everyone as your sisters and brothers
New Series
From October, I am delighted to introduce my new series Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle. This is the banner for this new series:
The new series will involve pairing a recipe, either a dinner meal or a baked item, with a book.
I think it will be good fun.
Thank you to all the readers who have followed Growing Bookworms over the years. I have loved our conversations.
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This segment of “Growing Bookworms” is sponsored by the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series and WordCrafter Press.
The My Backyard Friends kid’s book series is inspired by the birds and animals that visit the author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. Beautiful illustrations by children’s author, poet, and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, bring the unique voices of the animal characters to life.
