Around SheWrites, December 21, 2011

Here is what you might have missed around She Writes this past week

Top Content

1	A Day of Action for Women and Girls Who Write Added by Kamy Wicoff on December 19, 2011
2	Three Best Social Media Platforms for authors Added by Majo Tinoco on December 16, 2011
3	If You Build it, They Will Come: On Blogging, Service and Platform-... Added by Julija Sukys on December 15, 2011
4	Never Mind a Room, We Need a NEWSPAPER of Our Own Added by Meg Waite Clayton on November 22, 2011
5	Blog Interviews, Book Clubs, and Other Publicity Ideas Posted by Regina Y. Swint on December 18, 2011
6	Formula for Success and Trends Added by Lynne Favreau on December 18, 2011
7	Publishing with CreateSpace? Posted by Regina Y. Swint on December 18, 2011
8	Introduce yourself! Posted by Kamy Wicoff on November 30, 2011
9	Scheherazade's Choice Added by Sherri L. Smith on December 11, 2011
10	Looking for a critique group... Posted by Amanda Katherine Jaros on December 20, 2011

Groups - Most Active

On Writing

Turn the beat around

A few posts back, I talked about using dialogue to bring characters to life. Today, I'd like to discuss the importance of using beats. A "beat" is a description of the physical action a character makes while speaking, and good beats can bring your characters to life and make your dialogue pop right off the page. Beats can also help you show your readers instead of…Continue

Added by Maria Murnane on December 13, 2011 at 4:37pm

Exorcising Futility: A Swift Kick in the Pants

Sometimes we'd rather chase tiny details than confront the job at hand.

We tell ourselves that we're just researching, mulling over, chewing on, meditating, or contemplating, and that you can never have too much important information to:

Write a guest post
Finally re-write that outdated "About Me" page on your site. Oops! That's me!
Make an important…Continue

Added by Lori Randall Stradtman on December 13, 2011 at 1:23pm

A Horse Called Trouble! Guest Tween Author C.K. Volnek!!

Hi CK! Today, I want to welcome one awesome lady - C.K. Volnek!! Her new tween horse story, A Horse Called Trouble debuts this Friday, December 16, 2011.

Thanks for joining us today! Can you tell us a little bit about your new book?

Hi Jan, thanks so much for having…Continue

Added by Jan Fischer Wade on December 14, 2011 at 6:30am

The Daily Mentor - Susan Kim

Poetry may be the only thing Susan Kim has not written. She has worked in television, for children’s programs and Martha Stewart’s Christmas; she has two graphic novels out, a dystopian young adult trilogy in the works and even made menstruation funny and fascinating on The View. Susan is…Continue

Added by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto on December 15, 2011 at 6:05am

Interview with Novelist Glynn Young

My interview with novelist Glynn Young, author of Dancing Priest, appears at The High Calling today.

http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com/2011/12/interview-with-nove...

Direct: …Continue

Added by Maureen E. Doallas on December 16, 2011 at 6:31am

The Daily Mentor - Rebecca Brown

Rebecca Brown is fearless as well as prolific. Her latest book, American Romances, is a smart, moving collection that transcends – no, it crushes – all expectations of what an essay should be. To this day, one of the greatest compliments I have ever gotten came after I read a short story at…Continue

Added by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto on December 16, 2011 at 2:00am

The Daily Mentor - Nicola Morris

Nicola Morris started off British, but now lives in Vermont, and is an expert on, among other things, the golem as a figure for post-Holocaust humanity. Nicky is the co-editor of Alchemy of the Word, and her contribution, excerpted here, speaks of the power of books to save lives and change lives,…Continue

Added by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto on December 17, 2011 at 2:00am

A Daily Writing Schedule: Should We Bother?

I'm a Type A personality who loves to structure her full-time writing life around a daily writing schedule. The Type A personality is described as "ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling,…Continue

Added by Jolie du Pre on December 19, 2011 at 6:40pm

Ten Second Writing Lesson

I was reading a student's manuscript recently. I liked it, but I didn't love it because there was something generic about the descriptions. I shared with him a pretty easy fix that will make a significant difference in the draft:

Dear _____________,

Here is an easy suggested to amp up the language in your story. Use your "find" function on your word processor and look…Continue

Added by Tayari Jones on December 19, 2011 at 8:22am

How to Recognize an Ending

My year of writing about new beginnings is winding down. A few more days and my new writing adventure for 2012 will take shape. I'll reveal more details about this shortly. For the moment, I'm thinking about endings. The end of 2011. The end of spending too much time on things that aren't adding to the world or fulfilling my own personal purpose. Beginnings are easy to…Continue

Added by Christa Avampato on December 20, 2011 at 8:56pm

On Publishing and Marketing

Three Best Social Media Platforms for authors

Social media can be a powerful tool for authors. As we spend more of our lives in front of computer screens and having an online presence has become inevitable, exercising a measure of control on that presence has become very important. First impressions tend to last and by building a coherent online presence, authors can have a say on what those impressions are. Instead of relying on traditional PR and advertising methods, authors can personally have a strong impact on how they are…Continue

Added by Majo Tinoco on December 16, 2011 at 8:34am

Excerpt trading and the future of enhanced ebooks:

I'm excited to share a marketing idea some of you may never have tried before: excerpt trading. Here's a Q&A I did with Author Laura Elliott. She and I swapped excerpts, and we talk about the experience in this post. Have you done an excerpt trade? Tell us how it worked for you. Is it worth it? How does it work? What are the benefits? Find out more below. We also discuss enhanced (interactive ebooks) in detail and you'll learn why they are so important to the future of books. …Continue

Added by Cheri Lasota on December 12, 2011 at 3:06pm

Other Submission Issues: Self-Publishing, Payment, Community, Confi...

Over the last couple of live chats of The Submission Mission, I've noticed that a lot of different issues affect our motivation and ability to submit our work. These topics and questions keep popping up in discussion threads too because, of course, we can't separate submission from the writing process and our writing (and larger) lives.

While I make no attempt to be comprehensive here, I share a few links that might get She Writers thinking about why and when we submit our work (or…Continue

Added by Anna Leahy on December 13, 2011 at 3:00pm

The Cold, Hard Truth: Men Get Published More than Women (Revisiting...

My brother and I are both struggling writers. I write primarily literary fiction and he writes commercial fiction. I have been writing for about 10 years longer than he has. I needed a master's degree for teaching and was highly devoted to my writing so I chose to get my MFA from Vermont College. I also read an article written by an agent (whose name escapes me now) advising all unpublished writers to get an…Continue

Added by Laurette Therese Folk on December 14, 2011 at 9:47am

If You Build it, They Will Come: On Blogging, Service and Platform-...

I started my blog almost two years ago after attending a writers’ workshop on publishing in the digital age. There wasn’t much talk of e-books or self-publishing from the presenters. Instead, they hammered a single message into us all day: you, as writers, need an electronic presence . . . preferably a blog. It’s how you control the message of who you are and what…Continue

Added by Julija Sukys on December 15, 2011 at 6:30am

Book Bloggers gain power as gatekeepers to publishing?

In this era of self-publishing, book bloggers have gained prominence at being the forefront of publishing. They are the first in line to tackle the slush pile and separate the potential best-sellers from the books that don't show promise. Does this mean that book bloggers are the new gatekeepers of publishing?

Added by Sabine A.Reed on December 16, 2011 at 4:15am

Holiday Posts

Reviews, Interviews and Giveaways

PLAY IT AGAIN

My third book (and the prequel to my first book AND THE BEAT GOES ON) is finally out and available for purchase and review. Hooray! PLAY IT AGAIN is the story of an ex rock and roll junkie and a stuffy accountant who rendezvous at a local resort with disastrous results. Here is the cover copy:

Sparks fly when an ex-rock and roll junkie and a stuffy accountant rendezvous at a local resort, but neither are prepared for the emotional entanglements, family complications, and threat from…Continue

Added by Tracy Krauss on December 10, 2011 at 5:16pm

Coming in January: Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples

This is going to be a very HOT Valentine's Day read! A heads up. Yes, postcards are coming; I determine whether to spring for postcards or not based on how hot the book cover is. I'll be in Milwaukee doing an event at The Tool Shed on February 9th (details coming soon) so will have postcards with me, and am looking forward to my first Milwaukee visit and signing this hot-off-the-press book. I'm excited about the entire book, of course, but especially getting to publish new-to-my-books…Continue

Added by Rachel Kramer Bussel on December 10, 2011 at 4:58pm

Nine truths about the new book by 'The Office' writer/actress Mindy...

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nine…Continue

Added by Alison Rose on December 10, 2011 at 4:30pm

NEW GIVEAWAY

Check out my latest giveaway! My Memories Scrapbook Software

Added by Abby Billings on December 10, 2011 at 1:24pm

Interview with “Sweet” Romance Author Caroline Clemmons

Book Give-Away Dec 12 - 19: To win an ebook (pdf) of Home Sweet Texas Home, leave a comment about this interview with your e-mail. International.

HOME, SWEET TEXAS HOME is a sweet contemporary romance and modern Cinderella story. In two weeks, Courtney will be out of a job. No savings, no job, no prospects. She’s in a panic. Enter hero Derek Corrigan to tell Courtney she has inherited an estate in West Texas worth over two million dollars from the kind, elderly man she befriended when…Continue

Added by Linda Weaver Clarke on December 12, 2011 at 10:04am

Searching for My Wand is OUT!

I can't believe I'm a published author, but as of today it's official! I'm so excited! You can check out the book trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMi8eiatB8s&feature=share via…Continue

Added by Bridget Straub on December 12, 2011 at 9:34am

Serialized novels kick off at Every Day Novels with K.C. Ball's Lif...

http://everydaynovels.com/liftingupveronica/

Lifting Up Veronica follows Michael Kovac, a sociologist from Ohio State University, as he travels to rural West Virginia in the summer of 1960 to shoot footage for a documentary during a week-long tent meeting at a Signs Followers church — a Christian sect best known for their practice of handling venomous snakes and participating in other…Continue

Added by Kathleen Cassen Mickelson on December 12, 2011 at 7:55am

Rosalie Skinner ~ Sci-Fi/Fantasy Exile Series ~ Interview & Giv...

Rosalie gives the scoop on her Exile Series ~ off world, haunted by ghosts, assassins, sorcerers…you name it, Caleath has quite a series of sci-fi fantasy adventures. To find out more of Rosalie’s awesome series and to be entered into her giveaway, go here:

http://kaydeeroyal.blogspot.com/?zx=7ea1611e4c060b71

Be ready for some fun! See you there,

Kay Dee Royal…Continue

Added by Kay Dee Royal on December 12, 2011 at 4:30am

Youtube video of my book launch of my poetry collection All This

Dear Shewriters

If you have a chance, please view the video of my book launch and reading from my poetry collection All This at Book Passage in Corte Madera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IClbwdPSGqg.

Indicative of the title, the poems range from the conventional lyric/narrative that captures an intense moment of emotion, an epiphany glimpsed briefly out of the corner of the eye, to the more…Continue

Added by Lily Iona MacKenzie on December 14, 2011 at 2:30pm

Interview - The Authors Show - Today

Never liking to listen to a recording of myself, I noticed my teeth were gritted as I listened to the results of my recent interview with The Authors Show. With a little coaching from the host, just before the interview, things turned out fine. I got to talk about my second book, Young & Wicked, and think I was able to convey my semi-obessive love of history, research and writing without incident.

Please do stop by today or tomorrow to hear the interview on demand at: …

Continue

Added by Maureen Wlodarczyk on December 14, 2011 at 10:40am

The Daily Mentor - Deborah Brevoort

Deborah Brevoort can’t be pigeonholed. She writes about Edgar Allen Poe, pizza, military wives, the Apollo moon landing, Elvis, and The Women of Lockerbee, to name the subjects of just a few of her plays, musicals and screenplays. During my first residency at Goddard, I sat in on Deborah’s…Continue

Added by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto on December 14, 2011 at 2:00am

Susan Straight: Writing in the Van

When I first met Susan Straight, she and I had traveled from different places to visit a friend in need and Susan walked in and…Continue

Added by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto on December 15, 2011 at 11:00am

Mother and Son Authors Share Their Experience with Cancer

Michael J. Moorehead is the author of The Student from Zombie Island. He wrote this story when he was 9 years old. Michael lives in Tempe, Arizona, with his mother, Lynda Exley a freelance writer and editor for the SanTan Sun News and Arizona Parentingmagazine, and his father, an insurance property adjustor, who moonlights as a movie critic for the Wrangler News.
Lynda Exley is the co-author with Conrad Storad of Arizona Way Out West and Wacky. This excellent educational children’s… Continue

Added by Margaret on December 15, 2011 at 7:30am

New Review for The Silence of Trees on Cabinet des Fees

Sharing a lovely review for my novel The Silence of Trees that's up on Cabinet des Fees:

http://www.cabinetdesfees.com/2011/the-silence-of-trees-review/#ret...

If you're interested, The Silence of Trees is available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and on kindle (only .99 on kindle!)

Thanks!

Added by Valya Dudycz Lupescu on December 15, 2011 at 11:00pm

Four questions for Amy Scholder, Editorial Director of The Feminist...

Several years ago, I met Amy Scholder when she came to visit the Goddard MFAW residency. With more than twenty years experience in literary and political publishing, Amy had just been named Editorial Director at the Feminist Press after a career that began at City Lights Books, and…Continue

Added by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto on December 17, 2011 at 12:28pm

See the world; read a book: Ellen Welcker's The Botanical Garden

Does your bank account tell you that travel is not an option right now? Wondering what you'll read on your staycation? Some satisfying armchair travel can be had in Ellen Welcker's The Botanical Garden. Read my review of The Botanical Garden on The Nervous Breakdown:…Continue

Added by Priya Keefe on December 17, 2011 at 12:09pm

Christmas & mystery fun in new KRL issue

The new issue of Kings River Life is up a bit early today and we have so much!

A review of Steve Brewer's Christmas mystery novella "Sanity Claus" http://kingsriverlife.com/12/17/sanity-clause-review/

Another Christmas mystery short story by Patricia Brown http://kingsriverlife.com/12/17/the-tattooed-confession/

A Christmas mystery short story…Continue

Added by Lorie Ham on December 17, 2011 at 9:45am

Interview Replay with Author Josip Novakovich

Novakovich is the author of three short story collections (Yolk, Salvation and Other Disasters, Infidelities: Stories of War and Lust), the novel April Fool's Day, two collections of narrative essays (Apricots from Chernobyl, Plum Brandy), and two textbooks (Writing Fiction Step by Step, Fiction Writer's Workshop). He is the recipient of the Whiting Writer's…Continue

Added by Donna Baier-Stein on December 19, 2011 at 10:47am

Timothy Grant interview in BlueCat

Some writers are just into novels. Others such as me dabble in screenwriting, short stories, poetry and political banter. The wider range of writing interest the more media that lures with subliminal, or outright statements, of must haves to be the best ever.

Rules and technicalities can vary according to sources, and unless one has a ton of capacity to assimilate, and a coffer to spend on learning to feel confident, one has to make careful choices. There are invaluable books on all…Continue

Added by Marta C. Masis on December 20, 2011 at 1:28pm

Why I wrote My Birthday Is September Eleven and Other Short Stories...

I am so happy My Birthday Is September, and Other Short Stories is on Amazon top 100-best selling list again. The paperback copy stayed on the list for three weeks when it was first published in September.

After having taught middle school for 17 years, I understand what teens go through emotionally. Middle school students often engage in irrational behavior, not because they want to, because their brain is not fully developed yet. Teens at that age also have to deal with…Continue

Added by Nicole Weaver on December 20, 2011 at 9:06am

HP Mini-Note Giveaway

Check out the latest giveaway! HP Mini-Note Giveaway

Added by Abby Billings on December 20, 2011 at 7:38am

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