INTERVIEW WITH BRIGID SIM: WINTER 2024 FLASH FICTION CONTEST RUNNER UP

Brigid Sim completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Lewis University. She has a lifelong dream of being an author and has written comedy sketches for the Chicago based comedy troupe Hippohorsey Donkeymonkey. Brigid is currently working on her first novel, which she hopes is a testament to the bonds of love and friendship (but funny). Brigid is a mom to...

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Leave a Comment interview Winter 2024 Flash Fiction Contest Runner up Brigid Sim Sue Bradford Edwards inspiration

Interview with Anne Walsh Donnelly: First Place Winner of the Q3 2024 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest

Anne Walsh Donnelly lives in the west of Ireland, writes prose, poetry and plays and loves to experiment with form in her writing. She is the author of the poetry collections, Odd as F*ck, and The Woman with the Owl Tattoo, both published by Fly on the Wall press. Her novel, He Used To Be Me, was published by New Island Books in 2024. Anne is currently working towards her first personal essay collection.  Facebook:...

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Leave a Comment anne walsh donnelly, braided essay, emotional abuse, WOW! Q3 2024 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest

What To Do If You Lose Track Changes and Other Tips

I’m currently in the phase of motherhood where I’m more Taxi Driver than Helicopter Parent. It’s not an easy stage, but giving up some control and allowing my kids to navigate the world on their own more and more these days gives me the time to absorb truckloads of writerly content while I’m battling highway demons. Not only are audiobooks my new favourite, but podcasts are hot on my car stereo...

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Leave a Comment editing tips, kindle, Microsoft Word, Rachel Johns, Track Changes, writing tips

Where Do You Get Your Books?

I’ve started asking my fellow authors this because I’m amazed how many only buy their books from Amazon. I'm not going to say I never shop at Amazon. My cart always has a strange variety of items. My most recent haul included a frame for a painting by my aunt, two frames for kendo certificates, a frame we are using to build a shadow box, and a set of sashiko templates. These are all things I couldn't...

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3 comments book buying, book buying habits, indie bookstores, libraries

Interview with T.C. Kemper: Winter 2024 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up

T.C.’s Bio: T.C. Kemper is an American author of sparky kidlit and speculative fiction. When she’s not lost in a great story, she spends her days hiking woodland trails with her rescue pup, doodling cartoon ghosts, and chasing her adorable, highly opinionated toddler. She is represented by the fabulous Amy Giuffrida of Belcastro Agency and is on submission with what she hopes will become her debut...

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Blink and Glow by Raven Howell: Blog Tour & Giveaway

 I'm excited to announce that Raven Howell is returning with another blog tour. This time, it's with her newest book, Blink and Glow. This beautiful picture book is perfect for young readers to appreciate wildlife and our natural environment. Join us as we celebrate the launch of her blog tour! We'll be interviewing Raven as well as giving away a copy of her book.Before we get to that,...

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8 comments author interview, Blink and Glow, book giveaway, children's picture book, Raven Howell

Friday Speak Out!: A. S. Byatt’s “A Stone Woman”: A Primer on Making Magic Realism Work

by Cynthia Reeves One story I never tire of reading—indeed, it affects me ever more deeply as I age—is “A Stone Woman” by A. S. Byatt, a wondrous example of magic realism. The story concerns Ines, an elderly woman who, after her mother’s death, confronts not only the grief brought on by that profound loss but also by her own aging and the peculiar sense that the last barrier to her death has fallen...

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Interview with Winter 2024 Flash Fiction Runner Up, Liz Chang

  Liz Chang was the 2012 Montgomery County Poet Laureate. Her poems have appeared in Verse Daily, Exit 7, Breakwater Review and Stoneboat Literary Journal, among others. Her 2023 chapbook Museum of Things from Finishing Line Press includes the Pushcart Prize-nominated work “On Jolly Holiday.” Chang’s flash fiction has been published internationally in Oxygen: Parables of the Pandemic and Opia...

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Ask the Book Doctor: About Author Intrusion

 By Bobbie Christmas Q: Someone online the other day inquired about a quick, easy way to look up questions about writing. People suggested The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, as well as The Chicago Manual of Style. Those are well known. I suggested Bobbie Christmas’s Purge Your Prose of Problems. Now I’ve just looked through that book and your other gem, Write in Style. I think...

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Go With the Flow in Life and Pitching Your Work

The author at the peak of Grandfather Mountain in Linville, N.C.I’m on vacation with my family this week. Instead of our normal trek to the ocean, we decided to rent a mountain house near where our son will be attending college and appreciate the cooler weather and fun outdoor activities. We had everything planned out, and a lot of our itinerary was based on the advice of my husband, who also attended...

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1 comment agent queries, book submission checklist, pitching advice for writers, Renee Roberson

Interview with Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar: Winter 2024 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up

Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar is an Indian American writer. She is the author of a short fiction collection Morsels of Purple and a prose chapbook Skin Over Milk. She is currently working on her first novel. Her stories have been published in numerous anthologies and journals including the Best Small Fictions 2022 and 2023. She is the winner of the National Flash Fiction Day Micro Contest and the runner-up...

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Leave a Comment contest interview, flash fiction runner up, Marcia Peterson, Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar, WOW! Winter 2024 Flash Fiction Contest, writer inspiration

Interview with Anne Walsh Donnelly, Q2 2024 WOW! Creative Nonfiction Contest Runner Up

Anne Walsh Donnelly lives in the west of Ireland, writes prose, poetry and plays and loves to experiment with form in her writing. She is the author of the poetry collection, Odd as F*ck. Her fragmentary novel, He Used To Be Me, was published by New Island Books in February, 2024. Anne is currently working towards her first personal essay collection.Facebook: AnneWalshDonnellyInstagram: annewalshdonnellypoetryX:...

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2 comments anne walsh donnelly, contest winner interview, creative nonfiction essay contest runner up, essay contest, Marcia Peterson, Q2 2024 Creative Nonfiction Contest, writer inspiration

Is the Party Over?

“I’m always late to the party,” I told a writing colleague the other day. Sometimes it’s physically late to be at the place I promised to be. More often it’s not quite so literal: late catching on to a new trend, mastering a new skill or learning about a development in the writing industry.Once I was early.We all have a book (or two…or three) in the proverbial drawer gathering dust. Some are what...

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3 comments historical fiction, Jodi M. Webb, writing advice