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A Surprise Turn, Paying It Forward, and a Special Contest

by | May 26, 2020 | Writing Challenges

A few weeks ago, I got a lovely surprise. A person I don’t know shared that they’d read and enjoyed my novella, “Number Seven and the Life Left Behind.” That alone was a nice boost to my ego. Above and beyond that, though, they told me that they’d purchased an additional 10 copies of my book to sell at their store, and offered me an opportunity to do an author meet-and-greet there once this pandemic is over. I mean, wow! I never expected such support. Since that gave me a little windfall, I wanted to pay that good fortune forward.

Enter Kate

Oddly enough, this gift coincided with a neat opportunity from author and editor Kate Johnston. One of the services Kate offers is 1-on-1 writing coaching, and she’s currently (through June 15, 2020) running a “Quarantine Critique Special” – a steal of $25 for 30 minutes of face-to-face Zoom (or voice-to-ear telephone) critique/coaching. This is a fantastic chance for writers to get specified feedback about their work.

Full disclosure: I didn’t hire Kate to go through “Number Seven…” for reasons of my own fear (more on that another time). But I have had her review other stories and snippets of mine, and every piece of feedback I received was insightful and inspiring. Kate is one of those rare editors who genuinely does her best to make YOUR work the best it can be. There is no ego involved, and she NEVER EVER talks down to you. She is a consummate, compassionate professional. She’s also a caring person I’m grateful to call my friend.

The Challenge

I reached out to Kate about her Quarantine Critique Special, and we came up with a short writing prompt contest. The gist: I’m sponsoring 3 free critique slots. Any writer can post a short (~250 words) response to 1 of 2 prompt suggestions, to Kate’s Instagram, Facebook Business Page, or Facebook group Team Writer. Find direct links and full instructions at Kate’s blog post here:

Link to Writing Prompt Challenge at Kate Johnston's blog

Click the image to go to the post

I’ll be tracking submissions, and Kate will be choosing 3 random winners next week, June 2, 2020. So check out the prompts, get writing, and send in your submissions to Kate before the Monday (June 1) deadline! The world needs more writers, and writers need people like Kate.

Good luck!

BonusParts A to Z: G is for Gently

by | Apr 30, 2020 | BonusParts A to Z

G is for Gently

This one’s more about a particular inspiration for my writing – Alan Hunter’s Inspector George Gently series of novels and the BBC television series based on those novels – than it is for my writing itself. But Gently led me to Hansom, which led me to my own Jim Darling, which I talk about here (and that you can read here).

As part of my current review of the book series in order, I’ve also got a growing list of reviews of those books, which you can read on my Goodreads page.

Have there been any specific novels or programs that have inspired you to write your own original characters?

BonusParts A to Z: F is for Fanfiction

by | Apr 30, 2020 | BonusParts A to Z

F is for Fanfiction

A topic near and dear to my heart: fanfiction! I’ve talked about it before. Here’s me talking about it some more.

What are your feelings on fanfiction? Do you write it? If you’re an original fiction writer, how would you feel if someone else wrote fanfiction of your characters or world? Let me know in the comments!

 

BonusParts A to Z: Video Edition! D is for Diversity

by | Apr 9, 2020 | BonusParts A to Z

A bit of introduction

Part of my job is testing and keeping current our livestreaming software. We use Wirecast as our preferred option. To that end, I’ve been doing weekly tests of the software. This week, since I’m currently sheltering in place due to 2020 Spring COVID-19 mitigation efforts, and since I’ve fallen woefully behind on my BonusParts A to Z project, I thought I’d combine the two efforts into one. So, here is my BonusParts A to Z post for the letter “D” – in video form!

D is for … Diversity

Would you like to hear and see more?

If you enjoyed the video, and you’d like to see me make more of them using this format, let me know in the comments! I’ve got to do the testing anyway….

I hope you’re all staying safe, healthy, and sane, wherever (and whenever) you read this. <3