WordCrafter Press’ Spring Writer’s Sale

Posted: May 3, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Ask the Authors, Book Covers, book marketing, Book Promotion, Book Sales, Books, Cover Art, essays, Indie Publishing, Interview, Nonfiction, Promotion, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Writing, Writing Life, Writing Process, Writing Reference, Writing Tips | Tags: Anthology, Ask the Authors 2022, Bobby Nash, Chris Barili, Jeff Bowles, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kevin Killiany, L. Jaagi Lamplighter, Mario Acevedo, Mark Leslie Lebefvre, Nancy Oswald, Paul Kane, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Spring Writer's Sale, WordCrafter Press, Writing Reference | 2 Comments

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3LnK8e

Eleven authors share writing tips and advice on writing, publishing and marketing.

Visit the Ask the Authors 2022 page here to learn more about this ultimate writing reference anthology.

Book Review: The Rabbit Hole – Weird Stories #5

Posted: April 14, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Books, Dark Fantasy | Tags: Anthology, Book Review, The Rabbit Hole 5, Weird Stories, Writing to be Read | 2 Comments

The Book

It’s no exageration when The Rabbit Hole – Weird Stories #5, compiled and edited by Tom Wolosz, Curtis Bausse and GD Deckard is described as “Just plain weird”. The stories contained in this volume, produced by the Writer’s Co Op, are all reprints that are just a bit quirky and different.

Book Cover: The Rabbit Hole 5, weird Stories, Volume Five, A Writer's Co-op Production, Just...Plain...Weird

Welcome to the Rabbit Hole. On our fifth excursion into the warren of the odd, 37 authors lead us down their own little burrows of strangeness: an army of penguins, music that cures, aliens that communicate through old cartoons, images of the future that save, unwanted visions of the now, and, oh yes, it is raining lawyers. All have one thing in common, they are just…plain…weird.

Weird can be funny, weird can be sad, weird can be thoughtful, weird can be mad, but the one thing in common is that weird shares experiences you have, thankfully, never had.

Just be careful, all little bunnies are not nice, but they are memorable.

Purchase Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Hole-Just-Plain-Weird-ebook/dp/B0BHHM5KJ9/

Stories by: Pete Barnstrom, Lori M. Myers, Richard Zaric, James Rumpel, Rhonda Eikamp, Joseph Carrabis, Leslie Muzingo, H. Donovan Lyón, GD Deckard, Lesley Bungay, S.E. Reed, Alexis Cunningham, Taija Morgan, Matt Nagin, Carl E. Reed, Stefan Markos, Anna Ross, Jon Zelazny, Marie Anderson and Tom Chmura, Richard Hough, Joseph Farley, D. A. Becher, David M. Donachie, Sally Basmajian, Bobby Rollins, Anthony Regolino, Robin Pond, Christina Hoag, John Haas, Joshua Williams, Jodi Rizzotto, Louis Evans, David Castlewitz, Tom Howard, Ira Nayman, and Tom Wolosz.
Cover image adapted from an original design by Ian Bristow

My Review

I requested a copy of this anthology because the colorful cover caught my eye, and I’m a big Alice in Wonderland fan who never turns down a chance to explore a rabbit hole.Some of my favorites include:

“The Touch Stand”, by Lori M. Myers, which hits close to home as it reminds us all about things once taken for granted, which are no longer acceptable in a post-pandemic world.
“Don Quitamo”, by Joseph Carabis, which is a delightful tale of high adventure between father and son.
“James Thurber Saves the Day”, by Leslie Muzingo, which makes strong statements about censorship and classic stories in a very brief space.
“Future Shadows” by Lesley Bungay, which explores the ‘gift’ ot the ‘curse’ of premonitions, when there’s more to the choice of saving your sight than you would think.
“Definitely Dead”, by S.E.Reed, which proves that some recipes should not be improvised after trying to make a bad smelling tonic more pallateable.
“Sweet Summer Swimming”, by Alexis Cunningham, which puts a new twist on a relaxing day at the beach.
“The Blue Ghost”, by Taija Morgan, which is a delightfully frieghtening urban legend, very cool and very well executed.

This is a odd and different anthology, reminiscent of Weird Tales, and some of these stories are definitely weird. But the variety featured guarantees something for everyone, and you are sure to find stories here that will both entertain and amuse. I give The Rabbit Hole #5 five 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.

WordCrafter News

Posted: March 27, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Book Release, Books, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Giveaways, Horror, Open Submissions, Poetry, Speculative Fiction, Treasuring Poetry, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press | Tags: 2023 Short Fiction Contest, Anthology, Deadline, Delilah, Giveaway, Open Submissions, Poetry Treasures 3: Passions, Winners, Women in the West adventure series, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter News | 10 Comments

Open Submissions Deadline Approaching

Submissions are open for the 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, but the deadline of April 30th is fast approaching. This year I’m looking for the scariest story. So, send me your monsters, your zombies, your ghosts and your ghouls. Make me sweat. Keep me awake at night. Make me tremble in fear. And most importantly, make me think about your story long after I’ve put it down. The winner gets a $25 Amazon gift card and a guaranteed spot in WordCrafter’s annual anthology. You can find the full submission guidelines here.

April Release: Poetry Treasures 3: Passions

Each year WordCrafter Press puts out a poetry anthology, featuring the works of the previous year’s “Treasuring Poetry” blog series with Robbie Cheadle, which features poet/author guests from all around the globe. We release the anthology in the Poetry Treasures series in April each year, as a nod to National Poetry Month here in the U.S. This year’s anthology features the poetry of Robbie Cheadle, Smitha Vishwanath, Abbie Taylor, Chris Hall, Yvette M. Calleiro, Willow Willars, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Patty Fletcher, Yvette Prior, Judy Mastrangelo, Penny Wilson, Colleen M. Chesebro and D. Wallace Peach. If you follow the blog series, I know you’ll agree that this line-up of poets comprises an all star cast of contributors.

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions will be released in April, in celebration of National Poetry Month, here in the U.S. Watch for updates on the release here,on Writing to be Read.

Delilah Tour Giveaway Winners

We had a great tour to celebrate the release of Delilah with most of your favorite distributors last week. You all gave it a great send off. I want to give a big round of applause for the hosts on this one; Robbie Cheadle, Miriam Hurdle and our brand new host, Kay Castenada, who did a fabulous debut tour stop. Also thanks so much to all those who participated and followed the tour. And now, the part of the tour where I get to give back a little. For this tour, we are giving away two digital copies and one signed print copy of Delilah.

So, without further ado…

**The winners of the WordCrafter Delilah Book Blog Tour Giveaway are**

The two digital copies go to Mae Clair and Jennie.

Jacqui Murray will recieve a signed print copy of Delilah.

All winners need to contact me at kayebooth@yahoo.com to claim their prize.

Congratulations to the winners!

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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.

WordCrafter News

Posted: January 30, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Books, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Historical Fiction, Kickstarter, Short Fiction, Stories, Western, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Press, Writing | Tags: Anthology, Dark Fantasy, Delilah, Historical Fiction, horror, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kickstarter, Paranormal, Poetry, Poetry Treasures 3: Passions, Short Fiction, Short Fiction Contest, Western, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Press, Writing Contest, Writing to be Read | 4 Comments

Kickstarter for Delilah

Today is the last day that you can show your support for Delilah and the Women in the West adventure series. Tomorrow is the last day of the campaign, and it doesn’t look as if it will reach my $500 funding goal. The project is currently only (63%) funded, but there’s still time for you to show your support and get some of the cool rewards and add-ons offered. With your support, we could still fund the project. So please, back my Kickstarter for Delilah, if you will.

When the campaign ends, you will still be able to pre-order the book, for a higher price, and get it on its March 21st release date, but if you support the Kickstarter campaign, you can get an early digital copy, a signed print copy, and even a chance to name a character in Sarah: Book 2. There’s also short stories, audio stories and an interview with Delilah available as add-ons. So click on the link below and drop in to see what you can get, and support me and Delilah.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayelynnebooth-wcp/delilah-women-in-the-west-adventure-series

Thanks to those who are already backing the campaign. Thanks to all of you who maybe couldn’t back the campaign, but still shared the link around on social media in an effort to help. All support is greatly appreciated.

If you miss the Kickstarter, you can still pre-order the book from your favorite book distributor here: https://books2read.com/DelilahWIW

Open submissions call

2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest is open to submissions with an April 30 deadline. The theme is scary stuff in paranormal, dark fantasy or horror, and the winning story will have a guaranteed spot in this year’s anthology, alongside all the stories by invitation. You can find the full submission guidelines here.

Poetry Treasures 3 in 2023

The edition of Poetry Treasures 3 is currently in the works. We will be aiming for an April release date. It will feature the author/post guests from the 2022 Treasuring Poetry blog series and it will be compiled and edited by Robbie Cheadle and myself. The 2023 theme will be Passions, and I think it will turn out to be an impressive volume.

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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER will sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.

Day 8 of the WordCrafter “Visions” Book Blog Tour

Posted: October 24, 2022 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Book Review, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Horror, Science Fiction, Short Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Stories, Urban fantasy, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: Anthology, Book Review, Fantasy, horror, Joseph Carabis, Science Fiction, Visions, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | 12 Comments

Today is Day 8 and we’re wrapping up the WordCrafter Visions Book Blog Tour here on Writing to be Read. We’ve had a fantastic tour for this unique fantasy, science fiction, and horror anthology. For anyone who might have missed a stop along the way, you’ll find links to each stop below. Note that they will not work until each post goes live. We’re running a great digital giveaway and all it takes to enter is a comment, so visit any stops you missed and leave a comment so I know you were there.

Monday – October 17 – Guest Post – Billie Holladay Skelley & Winning Story Interview with Roberta Eaton Cheadle – Writing to be Read

Tuesday – October 18 – Guest Post – Michaele Jordan & Review – Patty’s World

Wednesday – October 19 – Guest Post – D.L. Mullan – The Showers of Blessings

Thursday – October 20 – Guest Post – C.R. Johanssen & Review – Robbie’s Inspiration

Friday – October 21 – Guest Post – Patty L. Fletcher & Review – Zigler’s News

Saturday – October 22 – Guest Post – Jeff Bowles – Writing to be Read & Interview w/ Kaye Lynne Booth on SaraWesleyMcBride

Sunday – October 23 – Guest Post – Stephanie Kraner & Review – Roberta Writes

Monday – October 24 – Guest Post – Joseph Carabis – Writing to be Read & Review – Undawnted

Digital Giveaway

Three digital copies of Visions will go to three lucky winners.

Enter at each stop just by leaving a comment so I know you were there.

Follow the tour, comment at each stop, and learn more about this exceptional anthology.

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Grab your copy today from your favorite book distributor through the Books2Read UBL: https://books2read.com/u/49Lk28

About the Book

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

From Kaye Lynne Booth, editor of Once Upon an Ever After: Modern Fairy Tales & Folklore, Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception and Gilded Glass: Twisted Myths & Shattered Fairy Tales.

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For today’s tour stop, we have a guest post by contributing author, Joseph Carrabis, here on Writing to be Read, and then over on Undawnted, DL Mullan has a review of his story, “Marianne”.

Guest Post

The Genesis of Marianne

Marianne originally was Mitre and dealt with how grown children deal with a senile parent. It was set at an ocean front home and many of the plot points in Mitre made it through to Marianne, except Mitre presented a dim view of people professing Christianity in order to avoid unpleasant responsibilities, and Mitre – a devout Catholic and an immigrant – is senile throughout the story.
The original Mitre draft – written sometime in the early 1970s. I was a live-in groundsman/driver/bodyguard for a wealthy family who lived in a mansion on the ocean – never worked for me although I appreciated the idea behind it and most of the plot points, so into a drawer it went (we didn’t have computers back then). I rewrote it twice in 1988 (at which point it made it into a computer), twice again in 1998, then again in 2013, 2015, 2017, twice in 2018 and ’19, and remained unsatisfied although I knew each rewrite got closer to the core story. I rewrote it four times in 2020 which is when Mitre became Marianne and I realized what wasn’t working for me. It took me four more rewrites to get the characters’ voices, the fantasy concept, the myth induction, and associated elements to work to my satisfaction.
Here are some specifics:

What worked
- the low character count. Good short stories are rarely Cecile B. DeMille productions.
- The family dynamic.
- The relationship between Mitre/Marianne and her deceased husband.
- The oceanfront home setting.
- Licorice.
What didn’t work
- Ragging on Christianity/Christians – too easy a target.
- The introduction of a Catholic, immigrant background – not relevant, red herrings, and weakened the story line.
- Poor storycrafting.
What I liked originally – The resolution.
Why I couldn’t let the story go – I don’t think I’ve ever let anything go. I have close to 16G of stories, novels, plot lines, characters, settings, et cetera, on my hard disk waiting for me to finish them. Specific to Mitre/Marianne, I couldn’t let go of the victimization and abuse of the elderly idea (even though it came to me long before it was a recognized cultural concern).

About Joseph Carrabis

Joseph Carrabis told stories to anyone who would listen starting in childhood, wrote his first stories in grade school, and started getting paid for his writing in 1978. He’s been everything from a long-haul trucker to a Chief Research Scientist and holds patents covering mathematics, anthropology, neuroscience, and linguistics. After patenting a technology which he created in his basement and creating an international company, he retired from corporate life and now he spends his time writing fiction based on his experiences. His work appears regularly in several anthologies and his own published novels. You can learn more about him at https://josephcarrabis.com.

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That wraps up up today’s tour stop on Writing to be Read, but be sure to drop over to Undawnted for a review of “Marianne” by DL Mullan.

Also, Joseph ran his own set of blog posts on the anthology, with sixteen contribiuting authors featured. His posts can be found as follows.

Janet Garber & “The Treatment”

Michaele Jordan & “Farewell, My Miko”

Stephanie Kraner & “Here, Now, Wherever”

Jeff Bowles & “Wilding of the Painted World”

Billie Holladay Skelley & “Secret Thoughts”

Sara Wesley McBride & “The Devil’s Bridge” & “The Haunted Palazzo”

Leah Cutter & “Survivor”

Roberta Eaton Cheadle & “The Bite”

Julie Jones & “Tourist Trap”

DL Mullan & “Reality Hackers”

Christa Planko & “The Vanishing Tattoo”

Patty L. Fletcher & “The Portal Brings Christmas Love”

Kaye Lynne Booth & If You’re Happy and You Know It”

Zack Ellafy & “At the Mountains, Majesty”

C.R. Johanssen & “Her Beholder”

Joseph Carrabis & “Marianne”

Thank you all so much for joining us and I hope you all enjoyed this tour as much as I have. There’s still time to get more entries in the giveaway by visiting each stop through the links at the top of the page. I will post the winners for the giveaway tomorrow in a special announcement post.

And don’t forget to grab your copy of Visions.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/49Lk28

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!

C.R. Johanssen and “Her Beholder” in Visions

Posted: October 16, 2022 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Anthology, C.R. Johanssen, Dark Fantasy, horror, Visions, WordCrafter Press | 4 Comments