Monthly Archives: July 2012
Throw the Rules Out the Window and Write the Damn Book!
The title is misleading. It’s not really “the rules” I’m struggling with. It’s the process. Plotter vs. Pantser. These two fools are always at war inside my head. When I started writing fiction, Miss Pantser reigned. She was carefree—giddy even—and never second guessed the twists and turns she put on paper…that is until she received her first rejection and her second and her third. (You get the idea.) That’s when Ms. Plotter came to the “rescue” with encouragement like this: Buck up. Buckle down. Take a workshop on plotting. Take a workshop on characterization. Take another workshop. Take one more. You’ll be fine.
What Ms. Plotter was really saying—and Miss Pantser was too naïve to hear—was change the way you’ve been writing. Change is hard. Still, Miss Pantser agreed to be “coached” by Ms. Plotter until plotting was the name of the game.
Plotting sucks. I’ve never questioned myself…
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10 Years and counting!
Last week we celebrated my 10 year anniversary of working for Channel View/Multilingual Matters. My super-wonderful colleagues (especial thanks to Laura and Ellie!) made the day very special for me (with the help of one of our printers, Short Run Press) with lots of surprises including a book cover all about me (in the style of the series I commission for – Tourism and Cultural Change) that was very cool and exciting!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since my first day in Clevedon. Mike, Marjukka and Ken were great to work for and I’ve been lucky to work with so many lovely people, both within MM/CV and all the academics and suppliers we’ve worked with over the years.
Tommi, Anna, Ellie, Laura and Martisse are amazing people to work with every day and I’m looking forward to the next 10 years 🙂
Sarah
500 Fans Amish Gift Giveaway!
Thank you to everyone for joining my Author Page on Facebook. I love connecting with readers there. As promised since we have reached the 500 fan mark, I am hosting an Amish-made gift giveaway.
Two winners will have their choice between an Amish-quilted wall pocket
Or an Amish-quilted eyeglass case / cell phone case
Because Facebook has restrictions on how authors and businesses can post giveaways on Facebook, the giveaway will be hosted here through my blog.
How to Enter:
1) If you aren’t one already, become a Facebook Fan of my Author Page.
2) Comment on this post to tell me which gift you would like to win. Please only choose one.
Easy, right?
Winners will be randomly selected from those who entered. Contest ends Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at 5pm (EDT). Winners will be announced here on my blog on Wednesday, August 1, 2012.
Thank you again…
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Valor in Vietnam – Now in Stock
We’re pleased to announce that Valor in Vietnam, 1963-1977: Chronicles of Honor, Courage, and Sacrifice is now available from Casemate Publishers.
Valor in Vietnam is an acecdotal history of America’s war in Vietnam composed of nineteen firsthand narratives by Vietnam War veterans presented in chronological order. These are stories include celebrated characters in the veteran community, compelling war narratives, vignettes of battles, and the emotional impact on the combatants.
To learn more about this great collection of Vietnam War stories, we talked to author Allen Clark about his new book.
Why did you decide to write this book?
In my service to our country as a senior political appointee at the Department of Veterans Affairs for four years and service at the Dallas VA Medical Center for nine years, it has been my privilege to cross paths with hundreds of veterans all of whom enriched my life with the stories they told…
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Please Don’t Change Someone Else’s Art
Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night is one of the most famous and amazing paintings of all time. What if, however, some company today decided to market that painting by adding a Manhattan city skyline to make it more modern? Maybe even add a guy talking on a cell phone? Haven’t you always wondered what it would look like that way? No? Really? Well, how about modernizing the Mona Lisa by giving her sunglasses and a modern hairstyle? And adding Leonardo da Vinci himself into the painting performing a lewd sex act? No? Tacky, you say? That’s art! Don’t mess with it!
Now imagine, taking Wuthering Heights and adding in a racy bondage sex scene. Yikes! Another terrible idea, but this one, folks, is real. E-book publisher, Clandestine Classics, is releasing beloved classic literature, such as Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, with new scenes…
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CAPTION CONTEST III WINNER: TIED!
St. Martin’s Press will be providing two books for this round, as Camille Born, a storyteller from Mahomet, Illinois, and Tamra Igo, a Wise County, VA native, have tied for first place in Caption Contest III.
Camille’s winning entry for the sad little face above was “I wish I could read. *sniff*”
Tamra entered, “I only have nine lives to read all THESE?”
Second place goes to Eleanor Hjemmet, a musician from Tennessee, for her entry, “Isn’t anyone going to read to me tonight?”
And an honorable mention (no prize, but hey, it’s fun) goes to Good Reads Missoula for “I shouldn’t have stayed up all night reading Cujo,” and to Erin Dalton for “Mosley! I wanted Milne!”
My husband and I don’t cast votes in these competitions, but after laughing himself silly at several entries, Jack has decided to create the “Jack Beck Discretionary Award,” which he is sending…
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Query/Agent Research–Day One!
So yesterday I started my research concerning querying and literary agents. I found two books at Ollie’s for a good price to do my research on. One is a 2010 Writer’s Market Novel and Short Story book and one is the 2011 Guide to Litarary Agents. I know, you’re thinking, “But this is 2012?” It is.
But I compared these slightly outdated versions to the 2012 ones and they are pretty much the same (I can’t afford $30-$50 books right now). I’ll make sure to do my research on the agents to make sure they are still accepting submissions this year.
But I thought since I decided to share my researching with you, I’d outline the things I plan to share with you:
1. The resources I am using.
2. Purposes of agents.
3. Publishing companies I’d love to publish my work.
4. Querying/Seeking Agent Advice.
5. My progress on…
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BookRepublic 