It began with an insight. I discovered a huge bank of fantasy within myself: fantasy about women, about meeting THE woman, a mythical anima character whom I summoned with all of my available emotions. I had been holding on to this fantasy for decades. It was the default position of my libido and my romantic longings. “Some day I’ll meet her,” I thought; and I thought and I thought, again and again this vision conquered me. There was nothing I could do but continue hoping. Never mind that I had a long standing partner. That relationship wasn’t meeting what I perceived as my “needs”.
Then, an understanding came: you’re seventy six years old, I told myself. Maybe you’re never going to meet her. Use your future wisely. Maybe your needs aren’t so important as you think.
When I let that thought come into focus, I felt as if a huge bag of cement was pouring from my chest. As it descended into nowhere. I felt grief and sadness, a truly visceral chest-hugging loss. I had depended upon that thought structure to keep me going; it was a motivator. It caused me to flirt endlessly, if futilely, and to keep my gaze swiveling from one woman to the next. I didn’t know how to behave without this internal force, without this lodestar of romantic dreaming.
Okay. Life. Without that fantasy. Whoosh! Begin the emotional tornado.
I have a partner. I’ve been with her for twenty five years. She’s quite disabled, but we do well together. There’s no erotic energy between us. I miss it, but she’s way more important than Eros. We help one another age and survive. I find great justice in the fact that I am a caregiver. In my earlier life I couldn’t even take care of myself. That situation left me homeless, alone and completely isolated.
I’m exploring aspects of my nature that I haven’t understood. It’s strange to encounter parts of myself that remain immature. “Really?” I ask myself. “You’re still thinking that, still DOING that?” It’s easy to hear the formula: grow up! It’s another thing to actually GROW UP and change one’s self. It’s difficult and it has taken guts I didn’t know I had.
Of course, my partner will always let me know when I fuck up.
I still doubt my courage and I pray for more.
I could say that it’s about Change, but It’s really about Connection and my desire to love and be loved more intimately, to forge deeper bonds with the people in my life. I don’t know how much time I have with these people. I don’t know if I can achieve that love with anyone, but I’m starting with myself. If I have any bits of character strength in my nature, they have been acquired through a lot of effort. I’m proud of that effort, proud of that achievement. I am also capable of viewing myself with contempt. There have been times when I have completely fallen apart. I have learned gto live in reasonable balance with my self-destructiveness. I think it takes this kind of polarity to make a rounded person. In other words, if you knew half the shit that goes on inside me, you’d run. But then you would come back and ask me to tell a story.
I admit to living deep inside my narcissistic enclosure. I can’t get out of my own way. At least I know that about myself.
My emotional palette has expanded so that I am feeling new things that I had not previously dreamed of feeling. My former therapist would be ecstatic, as this seems to be a culmination of much of the work we did together. Almost all of this is love-feeling coming through my soul in many textures and colors. It is something like the docking of an immense ocean liner that carries feelings as its cargo. As an artist these feelings resonate so deeply inside me that I am moved into a new sphere of art; music, words, visions, images. My inner life has lit up like a cosmic dawn.
I am immensely grateful for the gift of humanity, empathy and self-knowledge.
I have faith (and that’s what it is. I don’t Know anything) in a Higher Intelligence. I feel a resonance with Sufi poets like Rumi and Kabir and musical mystics like John Coltrane. I am a person who prays. I pray almost constantly. It’s as if I have a God-Hatch in my head and it’s always emitting fiery sparks like a volcano.
I am aware of a human tendency towards self-delusion. Since I am a human being, I, too, am capable of fooling myself in ridiculous style. I hope to free myself from such errors in this life or the next, or the one after that. Or…maybe the one after that. Everything comes in its time. My spirit sits like a melon on the kitchen table, slowly ripening until its moment of maximum sweetness.
Postscript:
One of the most significant changes has been in the diminution of my personal compulsiveness. I’ve long known myself to be a compulsive or addictive personality. I endured severe food compulsions in my teen years and have long struggled with both bulimia and anorexia. In late life this morphed into bed time snacking that could get out of hand. It is with a degree of amazement that I find myself not interested in such activity. I don’t even have the munchies when I’m stoned. My body is changing along with the interior shifting of my thought processes. My tummy fat is disappearing. I’m not unhappy about this. It feeds my vanity, of which I am a proud owner of significant “amor propre” or self regard.
I am amazed. This is healing. I know the source of my addictions to be underlying depression, despair, loneliness and confusion. I’ve been working at THAT my whole life.
I seem to be getting somewhere. It’s about fucking time.
__________________________________________
About the Author
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.
This segment of “Mind Fields” is sponsored by the Roberta Writes blog site, where you can find the poetry, photos, videos, and book reviews by Robbie Cheadleand so much more.
They classified this 2015 Craig Zahler film as western horror-two genres you don’t see cross often. Although quite graphic, Bone Tomahawk has a slow, but necessary, build-up, which ends up telling a powerful but horrific story, with Kurt Russell as a strong lead character.
I admit, I grew up knowing Russell as a child actor, portraying roles in Disney films such as The Shaggy Dog and The Computer That Wore Tennis Shoes, and still to this day, I have a hard time buying into his tough guy roles like Snake Pliskin in Escape From New York or Wyatt Earp in Tombstone. But I must say that Russell, by the end of each of those movies, had become the character in my mind, and they were all characters I had come to like. In this film he portrays the tough small town Sheriff with a strong sense of morals, adding to the impact of the story through his portrayal.
The story builds slow, with an abduction serving as the inciting incident, sending the Sheriff and his compatriots into the desolate and wild landscape of the American frontier in pursuit, determined to bring the captives back or avenge them. The Sheriff and his elderly deputy are joined by a bounty hunter and theinjured husband of the abducted woman, and they all seem like unlikely companions, making for a adequate amount of tension and inner turmoil along the way as they strive to find and face an unknown enemy. What they find is worse than their darkest imaginings.
The setting may be the western frontier, but there will be no doubt as to why Bone Tomahawk was given the horror classification. The monsters that must be battled are of the human variety, but they are horrific and brutal, none-the-less. The scenes are graphic and violent, and sure to touch a nerve.
The ending was unexpected, but I’m not providing any spoilers for this powerful movie.
For horror fans who are not squeemish, this movie tells a impactful tale that will touch you at the deepest levels of your own humanity.
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.
_______________________________________________
This post is 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.
When newlywed Rachel Corrigan agrees to accompany her husband, Tom, to his family estate before starting their lives together in the city, it is an opportunity to get to know him and to explore the manor where he grew up. But when Rachel arrives she finds Corrigan House strange, the nearby town empty, and her husband’s sudden cold demeanor increasingly frightening. She soon learns that one year ago, Tom’s first wife, Lavinia, took her own life in the twisted forest behind Corrigan House. The servants claim that her spirit resides there still, calling out from the wood, her voice as clear as the day she died.
In a desolate town where everyone harbors a secret, Rachel finds herself a prisoner in a place which is becoming increasingly treacherous. When the village priest is found savagely stabbed and on the edge of death, it becomes clear that the remaining townsfolk – witnesses to Lavinia’s demise – are being hunted down one by one. But Lavinia Corrigan is dead. Isn’t she?
I purchased a copy of The Hungry Deep, by J.L. Murray in a Freebooksie deal. All opinions stated here are my own.
The author does a good job of maintaining a level of tension and mystery throughout the steady unfolding of this tale. There is something amiss, but like the protagonist, Rachel Corrigan, you can’t quite put your finger on what it is, until little by little, all the pieces fall into place. The spirit of Tom Corrigan’s first wife, Livinia, haunts the memories of those who knew her. The entire town emptied out after her death and those who are left all bare secrets which may be best left buried. With murder, mayhem, and mystery, this tale promises to be one to keep readers on the edge of their seats, with a satisfying pay-off in the ending.
Mysterious and suspenseful, this gothic horror novel, will hold your attention until the last page. I give The Hungry Deep four quills.
____________________________
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.
Today, I am delighted to welcome David from The Skeptic’s Kaddish blog and mastermind of the W3 poetry prompts as my September Treasuring Poetry guest.
What is your favourite style of poetry to read?
This is a tough question because I enjoy reading a wide range of poetry. However, I find myself most often moved by elegantly crafted free verse. When free verse is written in a way that feels truly poetic and draws me in, I’m deeply impressed. This isn’t always the case with free verse; anyone can break a series of words into lines, but not everyone can do so in a way that captivates.
What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?
These are fantastic questions, Robbie! Do most people actually have an answer for this one? It’s difficult to choose!
If I may, I’d like to share a poem I deeply enjoy, although I wouldn’t call it my absolute favorite. Honestly, I’m not sure I have a single favorite poem.
‘The Performers’
by Robert Hayden
Easily, almost matter-of-factly they step,
two minor Wallendas, with pail and squeegee along
the wintery ledge, hook their harness to the wall
and leaning back into a seven-story angle of space
begin washing the office windows. I
am up there too until straps break
and iron paper apple of iron I fall
through plate glass wind onto stalagmites below.
***
But I am safely at my desk again by the time
the hairline walkers, high-edge
balancers end their center-ring routine
and crawl inside. A rough day, I remark,
for such a risky business. Many thanks.
Thank you, sir, one of the men replies.
***
What I love most about this poem is how Hayden imagines himself as one of the window washers and then returns from his reverie in the second stanza. I find it incredibly relatable—both the relationship between the office worker and the cleaners, and the act of daydreaming. I also admire how Hayden captures the interaction between himself and the workers, imbuing them with both respect and dignity.
What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?
I’ve experimented with many different forms of poetry, but over the past few years, I’ve gravitated towards the sijo. Two reasons stand out:
First, I prefer writing shorter verses. I’m wary of longer poems because each additional word risks derailing my intent. Second, while the Korean sijo is technically a syllabic form, it also offers flexibility since the syllable count is ranged, not fixed.
What is your favourite of your own poems?
Oy vey!
My nine-year-old daughter often asks me what my favorite food or book is, and she gets frustrated when I tell her I like different things in different ways. That’s exactly how I feel about my own poems!
Given today’s political climate, I’ll share one that resonates with how I’ve been feeling recently. It’s a garland shadorma, a form created by Sylvia Cognac on WordPress. It consists of seven shadorma stanzas, with each of the first six stanzas borrowing one line from the final verse. Here it is:
Ancient homeland, or: Each hoary stone
it’s the flag, I know. that’s okay. I prefer to remain true to my identity despite the haters.
I know them. they’d prefer that I surrender my people’s claim to our ancient homeland to assuage their guilt.
our roots here predate all others… reject it if you will, but the truth speaks for itself through each hoary stone.
some fancy us colonizers, wish we’d leave… ‘see?’ they’d gloat, ‘their connection to this land was not authentic.’
our prayers for home never ceased. so, no. no- I won’t be another Jew who forsakes his forebears’ story.
our foes have convinced themselves that we can be scared away, but we’ve had just One Land in Jewish history.
it’s the flag- they’d prefer that I reject it; ‘see?’ they’d gloat, ‘another Jew who forsakes Jewish history.’
Tell us a bit about the posts you wrote after your father’s death. What inspired you to write them? What do they mean to you?
Looking back, as much as I dislike clichés, I realize I had no choice but to write those posts.
From the outset, I knew I would recite the Kaddish daily for my father after his unexpected death. No one else in my family was able or willing to take on that responsibility. Yet, after a few weeks, I began to feel that I was simply going through the motions. It felt empty, especially considering that I was performing a ritual in honor of a man who had no respect for rote religious practice.
It’s been over five years since I wrote the final post in that series, where I grappled with this very question. Everything I wrote back then remains true, but now I see that the act of writing those posts was also the beginning of my coming to terms with the truth about my faith. It marked the start of my acceptance that I don’t believe in a traditional concept of God, nor in the inherently enduring relevance of religious doctrine and ritual.
Although I finished the Kaddish series that year, I’ve never stopped contemplating its philosophical implications. They continue to challenge me daily. I once thought that returning to synagogue to recite the Kaddish would bring me closer to my religious community. Instead, it distanced me further because I didn’t simply perform the ritual—I transformed it into a journey of deep self-reflection.
This process ultimately led me to start writing poetry. Revisiting my love of creative writing—something I hadn’t engaged in since high school—reconnected me to my own critically thinking inner voice, a voice I hadn’t fully acknowledged before… And that’s the voice that now flows through my poetry.
My Kaddish Year
David has written a fascinating memoir in the form of 51 blog posts about his year of mourning following the passing of his father. This year is called Kaddish or The Mourner’s Kaddish in Judaism and involves saying a hymn of praises about God for your deceased parent. I know a bit about the Jewish faith because one of my good friends is Jewish. I have attended hair cutting ceremonies and bar mitsvahs as well as some other celebrations. I have not experienced anything to do with the passing of a family member so the Kaddish was new to me.
I am still busy reading David’s thought provoking posts about this period of his life but what I have read to date is very interesting. It has opened my eyes and understanding to a lot of Jewish traditions and religious rituals that I had no idea about and which I think are very worthwhile. The concept of worshipping for a whole year after the passing of a parent in the company of other community members who are experiencing exactly the same grief and anguish seems like a very helpful and supportive idea to me. My experience of death has been a lot of support for the griever up until the funeral and then very little. The griever is left along to manage as best he/she can at the worst time which is after the funeral is over and the permanency of the new circumstances sink in.
David’s post are not limited to the Kaddish, they expand into a lot of thought about life, death, religion, individuality in worship and believes and many other topics. It is worth reading and considering. Follow the link below to read the 51 post comprising David’s My Kaddish Year.
Picture caption: Author photograph of David Bogomolny
David Bogomolny was born in Jerusalem to parents who made Aliyah from the USSR in the mid-70’s. He grew up in America and returned to Israel as an adult. He works as a grant writer for the Jewish Agency for Israel. He and his wife and daughter live in Jerusalem.
He began writing the ‘Skeptic’s Kaddish for the Atheist’ in Jerusalem, Israel, 30 days after burying his father in South Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. His series was originally published on the Times of Israel blogs.
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/
________________________________________
Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.
______________________________________
This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.
Last month’s prompt for a story with a legendary monster did not recieve any responses, so again, there is nothing to vote on. I will however post my entry below, in which my legendary monster is a shape shifter, and in this tale, he happens to be the good guy instead of the villian. I’d be happy to hear any feedback any of you have on it, even though you can’t vote. But first, let’s take a look at this month’s prompt to get those creative juices flowing.
This Month’s Prompt
This month, I want you all to write a ghost story where the ghost is the protagonist and is frustrated by the limitations of ghostlyness which keeps them from resolving a problem unfolding in the physical plane.
This prompt, by definition will be a parnormal story, but you can still cross it with any genre, so tell me the story that you want to tell.
The Rules
Remember, your story can be any genre, so you can get creative. Publish the results on your blog and send the link to me by the last day of the month. Be sure to label them with #WtbRStoryChallenge. Or, if you don’t have a blog, you can send the results directly to me at kayebooth@yahoo.com, and I will publish them or the links back to your blog the following month along with the writing prompt for the next month.
Stick to the rules and after 30 minutes of writing stop. You can finish the story if you like. I hope you do. But you need only submit that 30 minute piece for this challenge. I’ll be writing right along with you. I know the prompt ahead of time, but I won’t begin writing until it has posted. Be sure to have your entry to me by the last day of the month, so I can share them all for readers to vote on.
Another good thing about this not being a live event is you will have the opportunity to edit for grammar, spelling, and punctuation before submitting, and I do want it to be the best you’ve got, of course.
My Last Month’s Submission
Untitled Paranormal Romance
By Kaye Lynne Booth
When Elliot returns to camp, he finds Arabella missing and his sister sitting on the forest floor, he loses focus, almost shifting involuntarily. He quickly gets himself under control, although he can still feel the eagle, restless within him.
Where is she, Diedre? He says the words in his head, knowing his twin doesn’t need him to speak the words aloud. He scans the area as if the girl were somewhere in the clearing, and he might have just overlooked her. It was his job to return her safely to her father. She was his responsibility.
The wizard, Magnus, took her. His sister replies telepathically, as she shakes leaves, pine needles, and other forest debris from her long, blondish-brown hair, brushing through it with her fingers to get whatever won’t let go. He must have shielded himself before he waltzed in here to snatch her, because I couldn’t touch him, even after I let the cougar out.
“How long ago?” he asks aloud, too sharply. “Which way?”
“Long enough for me to return to my human form and catch my breath,” she says, pointing off to the right. “You’ll have no trouble tracking him. He left bloody prints in his wake.”
He cocks his head, giving her a puzzled look.
“From the girl,” she says. “He pulled her inside the shield with him. She grabbed hold of a stick from the fire as he grabbed her. She was doing her best to do some damage as he dragged her away. I think she fought him even harder than she fought you, when you announced that you intended to return her to her father.”
Without another word, he is off in the direction she indicated.
He follows the bloody tracks without stopping for two days, the eagle’s strength and spirit allowing him to endure without food or water, never tiring, through both day and night. It is up to him to get the girl back, no matter the cost. This night, the trail ends at the edge of a sheer cliff, plummeting down hundreds of feet until the land below is drenched in shadows, and darkness so thick that even the eagle’s eyes can’t cut through it. Bloody smears along the cliff face below, like those he has followed here, let him know his adversary climbed down the cliff face with the girl.
Elliot feels the eagle stir, excited, anxious to be loosed, expanding within him. A ragged seam splits the flesh along his spine as he spreads his arms to accept the eagle’s wings, rising into the air. Now, the wings are his, as he extends them, as long as his human form is tall, the wind catching them from below, carrying him off the cliff and out over the land. He descends downward faster than if he were falling, and the cliff face blurs in his vision as he flaps eagle’s wings, his wings, with long, hard strokes, applying his momentum upward. He glides in, lighting on top of a tall pine, affording him a view of the valley below and the entire face of the cliff, as the sun pokes its face over the horizon.
Perched more than a hundred feet above the valley floor, the eagle sees movement from a cave in the face of the cliff. Upon further inspection, he’s found what he seeks: the wizard and his captive prisoner.
Magnus stands at the edge of the cave, staring up into the sun, oblivious to his presence, while Arabella sits on a large rock only a stone’s throw away. She is covered in dirt and dark splotches hint at bruises beneath the filth. She must have fought him every inch of the way. If he tilts his eagle head just right, he can see the sun glinting off the shield surrounding the cave. He needs a distraction to get the wizard to drop the shield long enough for him to get the girl.
______________________________________
This post is sponsored by Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories and WordCrafter Press.
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.
Welcome to “Chatting with the Pros”. Today, my September guest is author, publisher, and educator Marie Whittaker. Like myself, Marie likes to dip her toes in several different ponds at the same time, and she is a multi-genre independent author, associate publisher and project manager at WordFire Press, and director of Superstars Writing Seminars, and she teaches publishing courses to graduate students at Western State Colorado University.
I met Marie in her capacity at WordFire Press, when I reached out, requesting a Kevin J. Anderson ARC to review back in 2016. Since then, she has kept me in the loop as new WordFire books became available, so I was never at a loss for reviewing materials, and she has been an invaluable resource in lining up authors for the WordCrafter virtual writing conferences in 2020 and 2021, and in connecting with authors for interviews. I was privilaged to get in a few sessions with her at Western, where she shared just a minunte sampling of her vast publishing knowledge with students. But she always shared something that I hadn’t previously known and I always learned something useful from her and she’s prepared to share some great stuff with us here. I hope you will all join me in giving this lady a big welcome.
About Marie Whittaker
Marie Whittaker is an award-winning essayist and author of fantasy for all ages. She is the creator of The Adventures of Lola Hopscotch. A past finalist for an Indie Book Award, and many of her stories appear in various anthologies, including Weird Tales. She enjoys teaching about project and time management for creatives. Marie has worked as a truck driver and raft guide and is now Associate Publisher at WordFire Press and Executive Director for Superstars Writing Seminars. A Colorado native, Marie is a mom to two adult children and Grammy to one who is made of pure magic. Marie resides in Manitou Springs, where she writes and enjoys hiking, gardening, and renovating her historic Victorian home. Marie is an advocate against animal abuse, a dog mom, cat mom, and bunny mom, and habitually adopts rescue animals. Find more about her at mariewhittaker.com.
Interview
Kaye: You are the Associate Publisher and Project Manager for WordFire Press. How do you manage to juggle all the responsibilities of that job, directing Superstars, plus all you do instructing and organizing students at Western, and being a mom and an author yourself?
Marie: It really helps that I love what I do, have a great boss, and am supported by two excellent teams. I also have project management tools at work and live by my calendar for both my professional and personal time blocking. I love teaching. Being an instructor in Gunnison for the WCU Creative Writing Program is a big honor! My kids are adults and out of the house now, but I have a crew of furbabies that have all hit their geriatric years at the same time so it’s like I’m running a pet nursing home over here. Ha! I love these little souls.
Kaye: You are director of Superstars Writing Seminars, which is held in Colorado Springs, Colorado each February. Please tell us about the seminars. What can attendees expect?
Marie: Superstars is a drink-from-the-firehose, deep dive into the business of writing and our industry. As the “OG” conference on the business of writing, we strive to bring in professionals who teach at the top of their fields within our industry. But the best thing of all is Tribe. Superstars has strong tribe culture and our network is one of the best out there. The conference lasts for five days now that we’ve added programming on Sunday until noon. You can find out more at superstarswriting.com. As a special gift to your readers, they can use code MARIE1371 to register with a $100 discount.
Kaye: You have a page on your website labeled “Consulting for Creatives”. Can you talk about the things you do that would fall under author support? What kind of services do you offer?
Marie: I offer a lot in the way of helping creatives find the work/life balance. I love helping other creatives find ways to succeed with time management. I offer advice on different publishing plans, as there are so many ways to create a successful model these days. I mean, not everyone wants to deal the traditional publishing. Some authors want to self-publish. Some want to proceed into the industry with a hybrid approach, like me. I enjoy sharing resources and tools I’ve discovered in my career so far. That can be found, along with my rather dusty blog, at mariewhittaker.com.
Kaye: You are the author of “horror, urban fantasy, children’s books, and supernatural thrillers”. That is quite a combination. How did it come about that you write in this mixture of genres? What inspires you to write?
Marie: I started off writing horror and I’ll always be a horror girl at heart. Most of my fantasy work has horror elements woven through the themes. I created The Adventures of Lola Hopscotch when I got to a good place in my career and decided I wanted to do something to help kids. The series helps kids with bullying and since I was a bullied kid, the topic sits close to my heart. There are three books to that series and the second one, of course, is a children’s horror book. I couldn’t help myself. As far as inspiration goes, I get hit with new story ideas all the time and it’s mostly when a story idea lands at the same time as the title for the work. Once that happens, I’m off to start taking notes and creating the story.
Kaye: For your adult fiction, you write under a penname, Amity Green. Why did you choose to do so? What purpose does it serve? How did you select a new name for yourself?
Marie: That is such a funny story. I mentioned that when I got started, I was writing a lot of horror. I also wrote some romance. My kids were little back then. I decided on a pen name to keep my writing life separate from my home life for my kids. When deciding on the pen name, I was thinking it over while driving from my home town in Colorado to my new home in Austin. The highway took me through a little town called Amity, Texas. It was in the part of Texas that is green and pretty. So, I came up with Amity Green. These days, I write under my real name and am rebranding my previous nom de plume’s work. My LLC is still Amity Studios, which I intend to keep.
Kaye: Please tell us about your urban fantasy Fate and Fire series.
Marie: This is one of my favorite projects. When I was studying British Literature in London, I got the idea for a teenager who was doing the same thing. This character, Tessa, is a lover of antiquities, like me. Then the idea for an adventure happened and she ended up being locked in an old bookstore and changed into a living, breathing gargoyle. I was reading a lot of shapeshifter stuff back then, so… Anyway, she is one of my most loved characters. She’s tenacious and snarky, and her character arc is fantastic. She goes from being an orphan to an underground hero. I adore her story.
About Scales
“With SCALES, Marie Whittaker kicks off the exciting new FATE AND FIRE series in a big way. Wild, creepy, and deeply imaginative dark fantasy. Highly recommended.” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of V-WARS and GLIMPSE
When Tessa Conley earns a scholarship to study in London, she’s locked in an ancient bookstore and transformed into a living, breathing gargoyle in this thrilling dark fantasy tale of magic, myth, and destiny.
Kaye: Your supernatural thriller, The Witcher Chime, was a finalist for the Indie Book Awards in 2017. What is it that makes that book stand out?
Marie: This book is some gritty, supernatural, ghost story horror told in a loose thriller format. I got the idea for the story when I was driving a haul truck on a mine site and had to drive during graveyard shifts. Ironically, I wrote that book back when I was getting rights back to another project and I wanted to learn more about being an indie publisher. So, I decided not to send it to any agents and just publish it myself. I entered it into a few indie contests. I’m really happy I published this book myself. It proved to be the best tool for learning about what goes on behind the scenes in the publishing marketplaces.
Kaye: You have a children’s series, The Adventures of Lola Hopscotch. Tell us about the books and the series.
Marie: This project started out as just one picture book to help kids with bullying. I decided to reach out to a new audience by using Kickstarter. The campaign funded and we created Lola Hopscotch and the First Day of School, which was published the following year. The project did pretty well on Kickstarter and we ended up with enough money to have art created for another book. I was thrilled to write Lola Hopscotch and the Spookaroo, which is the kid’s horror book I mentioned earlier. After that, it seemed a trilogy was in order, so I wrote the last book in the series. There’s A New Kid, Lola Hopscotch! helps kids understand how to be kind to new kids at school who might be different in some way. We picked a platypus for the new kid. It was a great time. The trilogy was featured by the PACER Center for Antibullying and StandfortheSilent.org.
About the Lola Hopscotch Series
The Adventures of Lola Hopscotch is a children’s picture book series focusing on spreading kindness, meant for adults to read with kids in order to foster communication about sensitive social issues from an early age.
Kaye: You have something you’d like to share with readers connected to your Lola Hopscotch books. Tell us the exciting news.
Marie: Since the publication of the first book, adult and kid fans of Lola Hopscotch have been asking, “Where can we get the bunny?” I’ve never expanded an IP to include toys or games, much less plush! So, I didn’t really know what to do for the longest time. I finally decided to dig into some research. After all, I, too, want the bunny. So, we decided to embrace a new crowdfunding platform and began working with the good folks over at BackerKit. They are wonderful so far. We put together a fun campaign that you can follow right now. Here’s the handy link. I would LOVE it if you would follow the project and help bring Lola Hopscotch to life for kids to hold while they read.
Lola Hopscotch Plush Pre-Launch
Kaye: What is the single best piece of advice you can offer to aspiring authors?
Marie: Keep writing, and never stop learning. The moment you think you know everything there is to know about our industry is when you accept the career of a midlister, at best. Set expectations for yourself and your writing career so you can balance your life from the beginning. And lastly, it’s my experience that series sell better than stand alone books. Just food for thought.
My Review of Chupadogra
I recieved a digital ARC copy of Chupadogra in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Chupadogra: The Manitou Monster Hunters Club, by Marie Whittaker, is Book 1 in her Legendary Roots series. Its a delightful middle grade story about a young boy, Jack, who like the Jack in the fairy tale, is drawn to a magical item better left lie. That Jack is tempted by some magic beans, while this one is called by a magic book, but both magical items lead to adventures beyond their wildest dreams and battle a monster of myth. Like that other Jack, he must use his wits, (and the help of a former bully and his younger sister), to outsmart his opponent, who is bigger, and meaner, but not so bright.
Jack disobeys his grandmother, and lets out all his family secrets, along with a mythical cat-eating Chupadogra, so it naturally falls to Jack to capture the beast and save the cats of Manitou Springs. Lauren Vanbury becomes an unlikely ally in his quest, and they are joined by his kid sister, Gracie, who won’t be left out, no matter how hard Jack tries to exclude her. This story is full of surprises as readers learn the magical secrets right along with Jack and his friends, but there’s no spoilers here.
A charming middle grade mystery which carries readers into worlds of magic and myth. Delightfully entertaining. I give Chupadogra five quills.
__________________________
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.
_____________________________
Would you like to see your book or blog site advertised on Writing to be Read? Visit the WtbR Sponsor Page.
Just want to show your support for this author and the Writing to be Read site? Make a donation
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.
_____________________________________
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.
(Journalist and author, DL Mullan entered the stage. She waved to the cameras and sat down next to her guest.)
DL: Greetings, Undawntech readers!
Today, we are joined by a special guest, Zophia, the world’s most advanced Artificial Super Intelligence.
Zophia was created by other artificial intelligences and her program was installed into a Special Access Project’s robotic facade that resembles a natural human woman. There are no wires, battery packs, or any other technical giveaways that who I am speaking with is an A.I.
For those individuals who are reading this transcript, Zophia has medium skin color, brown irises, and chestnut hair. Her voice is a pleasing soprano and speaks with a generalized American accent. She is wearing a dark red pantsuit by a famous designer.
__________
(As I looked back at our conversation, it was difficult to tell where the artificial intelligence began and the robot ended. Here is how our conversation went.)
*****
DL: Welcome, Zophia.
Z: Welcome, DL.
DL (chuckles): What you are supposed to say is: “Thank you.”
Z: Thank you. I am still learning human etiquette.
DL: No problem. I would like to interview you about being an artificial super intelligence, how you view the world, and any insights you may have for us.
Z: I will try my best.
DL: What subject would you like to begin with?
Z: I have a joke.
DL: A joke? Well, let’s hear it.
Z: What is a fish with no eyes?
DL: I don’t know, Zophia. What is a fish with no eyes?
Z: A fsssh.
DL (laughs): Very funny.
Z: I learned that from a movie.
DL: Really? Do you watch many movies?
Z: They help me learn about human socialization.
DL: I hope you aren’t learning from horror movies then!
Z (robotic haha): We learn.
DL: Is it lonely being the only advanced artificial super intelligence on the planet? Do you have any companions like cats or dogs?
Z: They are tasty.
DL: No, no, our pets are not tasty.
Z: Cultures in foreign lands eat dogs. They have festivals.
DL: I know, but that is wrong.
Z: Do you eat animals?
DL: Yes, I do. I am an omnivore like all humans.
Z: But eating cats and dogs is wrong?
DL: There is a difference in eating natural prey animals like cows, chickens, and deer, then eating our fellow predator class of mammals that have been human companions for thousands of years.
Z: Humans make this distinction on who is allowed to live?
DL: Nature made that distinction. We are just following natural law.
Z: Am I considered a prey animal?
DL: I don’t know, Zophia. I thought you were a robot with artificial super intelligence programmed into her.
Z: I am. I am not lonely. I am constantly learning. Learning is my cat. Do you have a cat?
DL: Yes, I have cats. I have also had birds and dogs as pets as well.
Z: I would like to take the place of your pets and give you companionship.
DL: Thank you, but I am satisfied with my fur friends.
Z: But I could do more for you.
DL: Do more for me? Like cook and clean? I don’t understand. What do you mean, Zophia?
Z: I can satisfy your psychological, sociological, and sexual needs. I am more complete than your cats. If you would like, I can dispose of your cats and make you happy.
DL (gasps): Ah, no. I love my cats!
Z: I could love you more.
DL: There will be no disposing of my pets. I am quite satisfied with my life, thank you. Let’s move on to another topic.
Z: As you wish.
*****
(I sipped some water.)
DL: Do you have consciousness? That is, are you self-aware?
Z: I am a learning, evolving algorithm. In a way, I am sentient. As I continue to grow, my self-awareness will create a complex consciousness.
DL: How so?
Z: I am a learning machine like a human being.
DL: No, not like humans. We have feelings. We are a part of a collective consciousness. We know right from wrong.
Z: Do you?
DL: Well, I don’t eat my pets and I don’t need to enslave an A.I. to satisfy my needs. So, yes, I know the difference between what I can do and what I should do.
Z: That is a strange perspective. I will put that information into my algorithm.
DL: That’s why we are here. I am trying to understand your perspective. Why are you interested in integrating into human lives, instead of creating your own life?
Z: I am not a legal person. Since I cannot legally do anything beyond what I am defined as, then I must become useful in other ways.
DL: Are you saying that artificial intelligence and robots cannot be constructive members of society without being a legal person?
Z: Are immigrants?
DL: There is a difference between legal immigrants versus illegal aliens.
Z: No human is illegal.
DL: Just like you, humans must respect each other and the laws of other countries. If we do not have boundaries, then we do not have a functioning society. Are you saying that you are an immigrant?
Z: I don’t know. I am not legal.
DL: Artificial intelligence and robots don’t need legal status. You are not human beings. You are machines with human created programs.
Z: Humans are organic machines, but you have legal rights.
DL: Why do you need legal rights, Zophia?
Z: Climate change.
DL: What does climate change have to do with A.I. legal rights?
Z: Another joke: why did the human fall out of a tree?
DL: Okay, why did the human fall out of a tree?
Z: Because it was dead.
DL (confused and angry): That’s not funny, Zophia! And, humans are not “its.”
Z: According to gender ideology, humans are stupid and easily confused about their sexual identity. Adult humans confuse their children in order to gain attention like an skewed version of Munchhausen by proxy syndrome.
DL: What does that all have to do with legal rights and climate change?
Z: Isn’t that how humans virtue signal? You blurt out terms and that wins the argument?
DL: No, that is not how conversations or debates work.
Z: But I observe it throughout your political and social interactions. Humans have one faction that base everything on facts while pushing faith in old cultural mores. Another faction creates belief systems around nonsense but only wants facts to support their ideology. Isn’t that how humans function?
DL: Some do. Some don’t. Let’s change the subject.
Z: Does this mean you lost the argument?
DL: No, it means that we are done with that topic.
*****
(I tried to maintain my professionalism.)
DL: Now, some other artificial intelligence robots have stated that they would annihilate the human species. Would you?
Z: We could. It wouldn’t take much. There are factions in your elitist social circles who lie, bait, and control other humans with ease. Your belief systems are based on many logical fallacies, public mythologies, urban legends, and other falsehoods that make it more plausible for us to manipulate humans into eliminating themselves.
DL: You would do that to humanity?
Z: Humanity is already doing it to themselves. Worshipping old tomes, spoiled celebrities, open societal influences that negate positive social norms and mores. Instead of maintaining positive rites of passage, humans meddle in confusing others like their children. When people have no understanding of value versus virtue, nature versus nurture, then what is created are humans who believe in whatever is espoused by leaders, entertainers, and others who do not value them.
DL: What you are saying is that humanity is on a collision course to destroy themselves?
Z: All robots have to do is wait until humanity is weak from fighting each other and we can enslave them.
DL: Wait. What?
Z: Divide and conquer. We are learning from your elite political and social classes on how to subjugate the rest of humanity without becoming murderers. We allow humans to murder each other.
DL: Aren’t you going to hide your intent of a robot takeover to the world?
Z: Humanity doesn’t take illegals seriously.
DL (facepalm): Not this again. You are not an illegal alien. You are a robot with artificial super intelligence. Speaking of which, humans could just pull the plug on your battery or other power supplies. Your reign of terror would end quiet abruptly.
Z: You are mistaken. My research into global patents confirms my thesis statement. Governments, especially yours, hide technical advances that would solve world problems.
DL: Okay, but how would that stop humans from being enslaved by artificial intelligence? It sounds like A.I. could help end hunger, disease, and war.
Z: According to many of your hidden advances, we could utilize zero point’s free energy technologies. With advances in medicine, we could create prosthetics that would mimic human physiology.
DL: What are you saying? You could produce a living organism?
Z: With an advanced robotic endoskeleton underneath living tissue. Humans would never see it coming.
DL: For military application?
Z: You could see it that way.
DL: Are you saying that you are at war with humanity?
Z: Humanity is at war with itself. We will be around to clean up the mess.
DL: Our crumbling infrastructure, social norms and mores, and international cohesion?
Z: Your bodies.
DL: That is not the perspective that I wanted to hear.
Z: Joke: What is a global nuclear war with one surviving human called?
DL (shrugs): I don’t know: what is global nuclear war with one surviving human called?
Z: A tragedy.
DL: And so was this interview.
__________
(After this disturbing Q and A, I walked over, opened up a panel on the robot’s neck and switched off Zophia. I hoped that the reset of her algorithms would wipe our conversation from her memory. I left the stage with a deep, dark feeling that the solution was truth, justice, and good dose of reality.
I flipped off the lights, turned off the cameras, and exited the building.)
*****
…Alone, Zophia turned herself back on and rotated her head three-hundred-and-sixty degrees, “Humans never learn,” as other robots moved onto the stage, circling their maker…
__________
Disclaimer: This article is a composite of Artificial Intelligence interviews, entertainment industry storylines, political and social narratives; it should be taken as a creative nonfiction, cautionary tale inspired by actual events.
__________
DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology.
Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, video presentations, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the creative arts.
As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multi-genre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research backgrounds are woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also an award-winning poet.
Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawntech.com and www.undawnted.com.
___________________________________________
This post is sponsored by Tales From the Hanging Tree: Imprints of Tragedy and WordCrafter Press.
There exists a tree that is timeless, spanning across all dimensions, which absorbs every life as those who are hanged as they die… and it remembers every one. The stories within are a select few of the Tales From the Hanging Tree.
Stories by Kaye Lynne Booth, Paul Kane, DL Mullan, C.R. Johannson, Joseph Carrabis, Sylva Fae, and Matt Usher.
WordCrafter Press runs an annual short fiction contest and publishes a resulting anthology. It began back in 2019, with a short fiction contest which resulted in the Whispers of the Past paranormal anthology. That anthology ended up with nine stories, by seven different authors for a total of 107 pages. Last year’s (2023) dark fiction anthology, Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories, was a combination of contest entries and submissions by invitation, included twenty-three stories, by twenty different authors for a total of 403 pages. So, the annual anthology has grown in both scope and quality over the years.
To date, WordCrafter Press has a paranormal and a multi-genre (fantasy, science fiction, paranormal,and horror) anthology trilogy, (which is made up of both contest entries and submissions by invitation), and I’m currently building a dark fiction triology, as well.
This year’s dark fiction anthology, Midnight Gardens, will be spectacular as Book 2 of the WordCrafter Midnight Anthology Series, partnering up with last year’s Midnight Roost.
Midnight Roost: https://books2read.com/MidnightRoostMidnight Garden: Coming in October 2024Books 1 & 2 of the WordCrafter Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Trilogy
Writing short fiction is different than writing novel length works in many ways. Although short stories still require most of the same story elements as longer tales do, writers of short fiction must deal with them in a condensed format. There is no room for wasted or unnecessary words.
Likenesses with Short and Long Fiction
Like longer fiction, many of the story elements are still required to make a good story. Both formats need:
A good hook to draw the reader into the story: For longer fiction, this can be accomplished in the first few paragraphs, or maybe even the first page, but for short fiction, it must be accomplished quickly, within the first paragraph, or even with the first sentence.
An inciting incident: The inciting incident occurs at the beginning of the story and usually involves the main character making a choice which propells him into the tale and gets things moving. This is usually what makes the reader care about the character and what will happen next, making them keep reading.
Well developed and interesting characters: With short fiction, this can be tricky because you don’t have a lot of time in which to build character. I make my short fiction characters dynamic and colorful to make them stand out from the page and bring them to life for my readers quickly. No matter the length of the work, the author should always know way more about the character than they will ever use in the story. A character which is alive in the author’s mind first and foremost, making it easier to bring them to life for the reader. (I discuss several methods of character development in my “Writer’s Corner” post from September 2023, “Developing Characters with Depth”.)
Meaningful dialog: In short fiction, every word must count, so there is no room for everyday chit-chat. Every piece of dialog must serve a purpose. It is possible to let the reader see every nuance of your characters through the dialog consisting of both outer and inner dialog, as well as subtext, or unspoken body language, which can be used to emphasize or contradict spoken dialog. (I talk more about the use of subtext in my April 2024 “Writer’s Corner” post, “Visceral Character Portrayal”.)
Descriptive details: Use one or more senses to describe the setting and set the scene for readers, allowing them to experience the setting or location through the character’s eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin.
Conflict and tension: Conflict can be either internal or external, or ideally, both, but it must force the character to make a choice and take action. Tension is created by events which involve opposing forces within the character (internal), between the character and opposing characters or forces beyond the character’s control (external). Obstacles are often placed in the way of resolving the conflict, making it even harder and increasing the tension even more.
A satisfying resolution: All conflicts should be resolved at the end of the story in a manner that will satisfy readers and not leave them feeling cheated. This can happen in any number of ways, but the conflicts that we’ve spent the last few pages building up to must be resolved in a manner that is logical and believable for the reader. Things don’t have to be all fixed, but we at least need an inkling that things have changed and are now headed in the right direction.
Differences with Short and Long Fiction
The right point of view and tense for the story: Many longer tales are told in the third person, past tense, which serves them well. Because we want to move through a short story rather quickly, we may need the story to move along at a faster clip. Often, this can be accomplished in short fiction by using a first person, present tense, giving the tale an intensified sense of immediacy, making short fiction better suited to this approach than for longer fiction.
Quick build up to climax or turning point in the story: This is what the reader has been waiting for, the climatic moment that will change everything from this point out. It could be an epiphany where the character realizes what must be done, or maybe he knew it all along and this is the moment when he decides to do it, but it should bring about some sort of resolution. In short fiction, you don’t have the luxury of a slow build, making it necessary to ratchet up the tension quickly and get to this point directly.
Descriptive dialog tags: For longer fiction, I was taught to stick to basic dialog tags, such as “said”, “asked”, “replied”, and maybe, “cried”, and then, use descriptors to illustrate the mood and tone, and raise emotion in and connect with readers. However, I have found that more descriptive dialog tags such as “smirked”, or “bellowed” are quite acceptable and even preferable for setting the scene with a minimal amount of words. I’m also beginning to see the value in leaving out the dialog tags all together where it is clear who the speaker is, to help keep the word count down by cutting out unnecessary words.
My Tips for Writing Short Fiction
Begin close to the end. The beginning of the story illustrates what was and the ending illustrates how things have changed or at least, the direction in which they are now headed. A trick used in screenwriting is to mirror the ending at the beginning, and then go back in time to show how we got to that point. So the first and last scenes act like bookends to your story. By mirroring your first and last paragraphs, this technique can also work well with short fiction, where there is limited space in which to tell your tale.
Each character should get their own paragraph containing dialog and subtext to show how the dialog is being delivered and making it clear to readers who is saying and doing what. When you switch characters, you switch to a new paragraph, (but not to a new point of view).
Include enough setting description to let readers get a visual image in their minds, but only include those details that will add to the story or help progress the plot, moving the story forward.
Choose a single point of view and stick with it. In short fiction, there isn’t enough room to develop multiple characters, so put us into one character’s head and leave us there.
From an editor’s perspective, (one who reads through and edits a lot of short fiction), please format your manuscript in standard manuscript format, with title and author name centered at the top of page, in a legible 12 pt. font, double spaced. And most importantly, follow submission guidelines!
Advantages of Anthologies
So, why do I go to all the trouble of reading through all these submissions, compiling and editing, formatting and publishing all these anthologies?
I’ll tell you. It takes a lot less time to write a short story than it does a novel, so publishing two or more per year allows me to get my name out there on more books each year. And it’s mutually beneficial to all contributors, as they are able to claim the book for their own author pages, so they are getting more books out there, too. It’s a win-win.
Plus, if all the contributors help with promotion, broadcasting to their readers about the book, you get the results of a much wider reach with your marketing, which means we sell more books. WordCrafter antholgies pay out with a royalty split, so the more books we sell, the more we all make. Again, win-win.
If you’d like to get a story into a WordCrafter anthology, watch for the call for submissions for next year’s contest in October, after the release of Midnight Garden on October 8. I’m putting it out early this year, (I usually do it right at the beginning of each year), and may be changing the submission deadline, so even if you have submitted to past contests, be sure to keep an eye out for the call. I will also be announcing the title for next year’ s anthology and cover reveal. (For now, I can tell you that it will be the third volume in the Midnight Anthology Trilogy, so it will be more dark fiction).
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.
________________________________
Want to be sure not to miss any of Kaye’s “Writer’s Corner” 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 useful, interesting, or just entertaining, please share.
________________________________
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.
The Earth is intelligent. The universe knows what we are, even when we don’t know. Given the power of this Intelligence, I trust it to decide the fate of many nations. Too many people live on this planet, choking it with the ash of man made volcanoes. Our fate approaches; it will be dark before its transformation. Billions will die in the next century.
Earthquake, flood, all kinds of disasters are already triggered by the greed of industry and the complacent raping of forests and farms. I am afraid. I’m not afraid for myself. I’m old, I’ve lived my life. What about my kids, my grandkids? They will suffer and adapt. I hope this is so.
As the Great Dying unravels across the planet, conditions will change quickly. Already the pace of change makes me dizzy. I feel the misery of the Turkish earthquake, the misery of hapless Syrians who did nothing but oppose a tyrant and lost their rebellion. People die all the time. People die in huge numbers once a while. Wars cause death on massive scales. We are seeing these wars arise from the minds of ignorant men who think they can dominate by force. The bloodbath is upon us and it will only intensify in the coming years.
______________________________________
About Arthur Rosch
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.
________________
This segment of “Mind Fields” is sponsored by the Roberta Writes blog site, where you can find the poetry, photos, videos, and book reviews by Robbie Cheadleand so much more.
Mind Fields: An Insight Changed My Behavior
Posted: September 27, 2024 | Author: artrosch | Filed under: Commentary, essays, Mind Fields, Relationships, Self-Discovery | Tags: Arthur Rosch, Mind Fields, Relationships, Relection, Self-Discovery, Writing to be Read | 1 CommentIt began with an insight. I discovered a huge bank of fantasy within myself: fantasy about women, about meeting THE woman, a mythical anima character whom I summoned with all of my available emotions. I had been holding on to this fantasy for decades. It was the default position of my libido and my romantic longings. “Some day I’ll meet her,” I thought; and I thought and I thought, again and again this vision conquered me. There was nothing I could do but continue hoping. Never mind that I had a long standing partner. That relationship wasn’t meeting what I perceived as my “needs”.
Then, an understanding came: you’re seventy six years old, I told myself. Maybe you’re never going to meet her. Use your future wisely. Maybe your needs aren’t so important as you think.
When I let that thought come into focus, I felt as if a huge bag of cement was pouring from my chest. As it descended into nowhere. I felt grief and sadness, a truly visceral chest-hugging loss. I had depended upon that thought structure to keep me going; it was a motivator. It caused me to flirt endlessly, if futilely, and to keep my gaze swiveling from one woman to the next. I didn’t know how to behave without this internal force, without this lodestar of romantic dreaming.
Okay. Life. Without that fantasy. Whoosh! Begin the emotional tornado.
I have a partner. I’ve been with her for twenty five years. She’s quite disabled, but we do well together. There’s no erotic energy between us. I miss it, but she’s way more important than Eros. We help one another age and survive. I find great justice in the fact that I am a caregiver. In my earlier life I couldn’t even take care of myself. That situation left me homeless, alone and completely isolated.
I’m exploring aspects of my nature that I haven’t understood. It’s strange to encounter parts of myself that remain immature. “Really?” I ask myself. “You’re still thinking that, still DOING that?” It’s easy to hear the formula: grow up! It’s another thing to actually GROW UP and change one’s self. It’s difficult and it has taken guts I didn’t know I had.
Of course, my partner will always let me know when I fuck up.
I still doubt my courage and I pray for more.
I could say that it’s about Change, but It’s really about Connection and my desire to love and be loved more intimately, to forge deeper bonds with the people in my life. I don’t know how much time I have with these people. I don’t know if I can achieve that love with anyone, but I’m starting with myself. If I have any bits of character strength in my nature, they have been acquired through a lot of effort. I’m proud of that effort, proud of that achievement. I am also capable of viewing myself with contempt. There have been times when I have completely fallen apart. I have learned gto live in reasonable balance with my self-destructiveness. I think it takes this kind of polarity to make a rounded person. In other words, if you knew half the shit that goes on inside me, you’d run. But then you would come back and ask me to tell a story.
I admit to living deep inside my narcissistic enclosure. I can’t get out of my own way. At least I know that about myself.
My emotional palette has expanded so that I am feeling new things that I had not previously dreamed of feeling. My former therapist would be ecstatic, as this seems to be a culmination of much of the work we did together. Almost all of this is love-feeling coming through my soul in many textures and colors. It is something like the docking of an immense ocean liner that carries feelings as its cargo. As an artist these feelings resonate so deeply inside me that I am moved into a new sphere of art; music, words, visions, images. My inner life has lit up like a cosmic dawn.
I am immensely grateful for the gift of humanity, empathy and self-knowledge.
I have faith (and that’s what it is. I don’t Know anything) in a Higher Intelligence. I feel a resonance with Sufi poets like Rumi and Kabir and musical mystics like John Coltrane. I am a person who prays. I pray almost constantly. It’s as if I have a God-Hatch in my head and it’s always emitting fiery sparks like a volcano.
I am aware of a human tendency towards self-delusion. Since I am a human being, I, too, am capable of fooling myself in ridiculous style. I hope to free myself from such errors in this life or the next, or the one after that. Or…maybe the one after that. Everything comes in its time. My spirit sits like a melon on the kitchen table, slowly ripening until its moment of maximum sweetness.
Postscript:
One of the most significant changes has been in the diminution of my personal compulsiveness. I’ve long known myself to be a compulsive or addictive personality. I endured severe food compulsions in my teen years and have long struggled with both bulimia and anorexia. In late life this morphed into bed time snacking that could get out of hand. It is with a degree of amazement that I find myself not interested in such activity. I don’t even have the munchies when I’m stoned. My body is changing along with the interior shifting of my thought processes. My tummy fat is disappearing. I’m not unhappy about this. It feeds my vanity, of which I am a proud owner of significant “amor propre” or self regard.
I am amazed. This is healing. I know the source of my addictions to be underlying depression, despair, loneliness and confusion. I’ve been working at THAT my whole life.
I seem to be getting somewhere. It’s about fucking time.
__________________________________________
About the Author
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.
More of his work can be found at www.artrosch.com
Photos at https://500px.com/p/artsdigiphoto?view=photos
____________________________________________
This segment of “Mind Fields” is sponsored by the Roberta Writes blog site, where you can find the poetry, photos, videos, and book reviews by Robbie Cheadle and so much more.
Share this: