Sidhe na Daire

11/6/09 - Where We're...Okay...Where I'M At

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:44:20 GMT

Sorry, I know, I've been slacking this week. Rushing around trying to get book stuff done as well as get ready for Faeriecon. On top of that Mailing Mahem required me to meet my publisher Neal Levin at a midway point for a prisoner exchange...he had my books and I had his bribe ;)

Just joking, LSI sent my books for the con to his address, but all is well and I now has stock of at least ONE faerie book for Faeriecon! Sadly, the Bad-Ass Faeries anthologies did not make it in time. I'll be really pissed if they show up...like...today! I still have stock of the old ones, but I was really hoping to get a jump start on sales.

Oh well...two launches coming up, and they will be logical companion books, so maybe that will help.

Anyway, hope to see some of you this weekend. The con is in Hunt Valley Maryland instead of Philadelphia, the way it was the last two years (can you say "Union")

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, visit www.faeriecon.com, and if you're in Maryland, come say Hi! It's is ironically being held at the Hunt Valley Marriot, where Balticon is held :) With me will be Bernie Mojzes, author of The Evil Gazebo, and Elaine Corvidae, author of way to many friggin' books for me to list ;) you can see all her titles at www.onecrow.net, or www.mundania.com.

See you soon!

Danielle

11/2/09 - Weekend Recap - And Bonus Review!

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:48:38 GMT

So, a more than appropriate image for this week's recap. Friday and Saturday morning I frantically typed up my submission for Rum and Runestones, (to be published by Dragon Moon Press)...well...really, wrote a full third of the story, fortunately the ending part ;) Once I did that I had two hours to make the cookies I was supposed to take to the Philly Underground Halloween Party, (thrown by the Philly Geeks)...and only a cup and a half of flour. If this happens again, remind me NOT to borrow from the neighbor. I should have known better...I should have thoughts. Instead I panicked and borrowed and started scooping flour into the bowl before I even took a breath...or buried my nose in the plastic bag they used to store their flour. You know, the one that is not impermiable to nicotine. Of which their house is liberally filled? The flour smelled like cigarettes clear through...fortunately it didn't affect the cookies, which everyone loved...hmmm...do I have a new secret ingredient? Gah! I hope not! I'll never be able to eat another one of my cookies again! Still, all turned out well, the party was fun, and as you can see above, I went as a bad-ass biker chick...flying the colors of the Wild Hunt MC!!! The vest was a celebratory indulgence for me, the embroidery done by a local franchise called EmbroidMe in Deptford, NJ, on Almonesson Road, in the shopping center where the SAMs Club used to be. I say this because, man, did they do a fantastic job. If you are local to me and need something embroidered, especially leather, go to them! At the party was Keith R.A. DeCandido, and Alyce Wilson, Tina and Allie, Rock and Sookie...um, I mean Emily and Paul...and lots of wonderful friends expected and unexpected. Mike and I had a blast.

Anyway, Sunday was spent working on my submission reading. It was the deadline for both Dragon's Lure and Bad-Ass Faeries 3 and I was BOMBARDED with submissions. Got six done between 1pm and 11:30. Then my eyes crossed.

And now, Monday I get this lovely bit of link:

http://mgellington.wordpress.com/reviews/the-halflings-court-a-bad-ass-faerie-tale/

Oh wow! All I can say is, how gratifying! All the more so as the reviewer read the unpolished version :)

If you are curious about the book, please do check out this wonderful review. I'm biased of course, but I like very much to agree with her ;)

Best,

Danielle

10/30/09 - Where We're At

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:46:07 GMT

Well, for me this weekend, first and foremost comes finishing my story for Rum and Runestones. I have to turn it in on Saturday latest. I had a revelation last night that should speed me to the end, but now for the execution! :::Gulp!::: got to stop running things to the end like this!

On Saturday it is a bit of frivolous fun! Gearing up for the Philly Geeks halloween party. I think I'll wear my jammies...and bring a pillow. I"m tired ;)

TODAY'S QUESTION: What mythical being would you like to see a collection about?

For me, right now I'm already doing Dragon's Lure, a collection I've wanted to do for several years. After this...maybe unicorns. Or fire birds...Wanted to do the trickster myth, but I'm too late, s'already been done and all to recently for me to have another go at it now.

10/29/09 - Guest Blogger - James Chambers - Author of Resurrection House

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:28:32 GMT

James is a very versetile author, exploring fantasy, horror and science fiction, among other things. He has contributed to every anthology I have ever done and always delivers stories of quality and originality. Keep an eye on him, great things to come. You can check out more about his work at http://www.jameschambersonline.com/. His next public appearance will be at Philcon (www.philcon.org), November 20-22, in Cherry Hill, NJ, come say hi!

James and I at Ravencon 2006. He is contributor to three of the four books visible.

___________________________________________________________________

Greetings!

I hope everyone's doing well and looking forward to a great Halloween this weekend.

In the spirit of the season, I wanted to send a quick note to announce that Dark Regions Press is publishing my short story collection, Resurrection House, this Fall.

Many of you receiving this have had a direct or indirect hand in making this book a reality, and I'd like to thank you. Whether you've given me feedback on a story, offered me an encouraging word, done time at a convention with me, or even first published one of the stories collected in RH, your support over the years is greatly appreciated. This book would not have been possible otherwise.

Resurrection House gathers 10 stories, a mix of old and new, drawn from my work of the past eight years or so, and it includes some of my best horror writing. DRP is issuing it in two signed hardcover editions (one of which includes 2 extra stories) and a paperback edition, with a cover and illustrations by Jason Whitley.

Check out the online excerpts and story samples:

http://www.darkregions.com/resurrection_house.html

http://www.jameschambersonline.com/story.htm

Please feel free to share this with anyone you think might be interested. And in the meantime, I'd love to hear from everyone about how you're doing and what you've been up to lately.

All the Best,

Jim

__________________________________________________________

TODAY'S QUESTION: What is the scariest thing you've seen or read?

I don't really watch scary movies or read horror fiction, so for me, I have to say my mom's expression after I got my first F...Let me say...there are demons I rather face!

10/28/09 - Writing Words of Wisdom - Selling Yourself

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:29:44 GMT

Okay...Okay...I know, suggestive title alert, but I'm not really being dirty, or immoral, or trying to get anyone's hopes up...really. I am a small-press author. That means that no one...NO one has as vested an interest in my work as I do. No one will give it as much time, effort, and passion (get your mind out of the gutter.) as I can.

The brutal truth about small-press, there is not nearly the budget or man-power there as you will find at a larger house. That means the author MUST step up to the plate. As a small-press author there is not a lot of support or representation from a promotional standpoint, unless it is self-generated. The most productive way of doing this is through public appearances. Since my name is not yet well known bookstore events are not very effective, however, being an author of speculative fiction—primarily fantasy and military science fiction—I have found that literary focused science fiction conventions have gained me both name recognition and a fan base more than worth the time and expense of attending them. May of my books, mostly the anthologies, would not exist without the contacts I made at conventions. The Bad-Ass Faeries books found their publisher because of such contacts, and So It Begins is full of big-name authors, some of which I met at my very first convention.

I am not alone in this. Many authors of all levels are making use of this resource, and increasingly they are also becoming vendors, offering their own works in the dealer's room as it is the only guaranteed way to ensure the presence and availability of your books there. I am one of these authors, out of necessity really. When I was starting out with one book and no clue I encountered the harsh reality that the major book sellers at conventions (or at least the ones I went to) weren't going to give my work a second thought, and even if they did, no one knew my work enough to come looking for the titles if they had agreed to carry them. Every book I sold in the beginning was primarily on the weight of my personality and the amount of effort I spent convincing the customer to take a chance. In some ways, that never ends.

My primary yearly convention is Balticon (www.balticon.org) one of the oldest science fiction conventions on the East Coast of the United States. It is held every May over Memorial Day weekend, in Baltimore, Maryland. Being a four-day convention it is a bit more costly than other cons. This year, for instance: $400 for the hotel (3 nights at $132/night), $260 for a space in the dealer's room (2 tables at $130/table), plus food, which can average about $150 for two people over the weekend if supplemented by food provided by the convention, travel costs come to roughly another $80 between gas and tolls. That brings the basic cost of attending this particular convention to $886 before cost-saving measures. Those cost saving measures are as follows: Share a hotel room -$200, share the dealer's tables with other individual authors (mainly contributors to my anthologies) -$200, bring food -$50, carpool -$30. That makes the adjusted cost of this convention $406. A much more budget-friendly figure.

Now to maximize the impact of the convention, and because Balticon is one of the largest I attend with an average of 2000 to 3000 attendees over the course of the weekend, I generally hold a book launch party there as a part of the programming. This means the convention supports me with a room for the party, advertising in the program book, free memberships for those involved, and staff support during the event. Costs of a launch party: roughly $300 for food and drinks, and anywhere from $50 to $500 for a unique raffle prize used to promote the launch and entice sales. These costs can be mitigated by soliciting donations of food or prize contributions from fellow authors, vendors, and contributors of the book if it happens to be an anthology. I have held a book launch at Balticon every year for the last five years. I have become so well-known for them that I have had other conventions approach me asking if I would like to do a book launch at their convention. Two of my most successful launches have been for my books Bad-Ass Faeries and Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad. The costs for the BAF launch was $300 (in addition to the normal cost of attending the convention) bringing the cost of that weekend to $706. However, I sold 96 copies of Bad-Ass Faeries alone (at $15/book) for a total of $1440. Combine that with my sales of my other titles and I sold over $2000 worth of books that weekend. 88 people attended the launch. For Bad-Ass Faeries 2 the following year, the take was more modest, but the impact was more profound. We only sold 49 copies of the book itself, but a combined total of 146 books and book-related items, for sales of $2259. 120 people attended the launch.

Conventions themselves are a great source of advertising, exposure, and networking that cannot be gauged in terms of cost versus profit. For example, when I started attending conventions I had one novel: Yesterday's Dreams. I had to sell it myself out of a backpack because the book vendor at the convention was unwilling to take a chance on a small-press unknown. I didn't make any money that convention, I put quite a bit out (because I had yet to learn the cost-saving tricks) but I met people at that convention that I still count as friend today. Through those friendships I have been invited to submit to invitation-only collections, in return, I have invited them to my own collections, three of which are award-winning. I have learned from some of the best in the industry and I've had drinks and even dinner with some of the legends of my genres. Some of them regularly give me hugs upon sight. Niche conventions have helped me to build a name for myself with my target audience (a small one, despite its great length, but growing). This is because I am accessible and because conventions give you the opportunity to talk to the fans in both a formal and informal setting, through panel discussions on key writing and publishing topics, as well as through idle chat in the con suite or the halls.

I actually am grateful to the book vendor that would not carry my books because he forced me to step out there and sell them myself, bringing me that much closer to my fans, a much more personal experience. I have learned that no one…absolutely no one, can sell my book like I can. They aren't vested in it, they aren't passionate about it and they don't care about making fans. When I see people actively seeking out my table in a dealers room to see what I have new, or when a past customer's face lights up when they realize I'm there and they promptly purchase every one of the books they don't already have I have made a connection I never would have made if my books were wedged in next to the big-house mega titles the "professional" booksellers at the con have on their table. I have found that when I place my books in someone else's hands there is a marked decrease in sales as much as 90%. Part of that is the glamour of meeting an author and buying a signed copy, part of that is the energy I put into engaging the potential reader. No, they don't always buy, but they generally do listen, so maybe next time they buy, or maybe they visit my website when they go home, or even Amazon or the publisher's website. There is a noticeable increase in traffic, if not always sales, after every large event I participate in.

From time to time I will take a chance on another kind of event to expand my readership and market. I've done pulp collector shows, faerie festivals, and even craft fairs.

Pulp shows are a good example of knowing your target audience and sticking with it. There is some cross-over, but I and my type of work is not why these people are there. I did a one-day event in Bordentown, NJ because I was able to get the space for free. I spent eight hours working very hard to get people just to stop at my table and talk to me. The space cost me nothing, the transportation costs were nominal, but in eight hours I only took in $164, which represented nine books and two magnets. There could have been much better use of my time and the only people I connected with were those people I was already familiar with overlapping from my more standard science fiction events.

For me niche, fan-oriented shows are more effective at this point in my career. The ratio of authors to readers is more conducive to increasing awareness, whereas at book expos or writing conferences there is frankly more competition to the point that the audience can easily forget your small part in the larger event because it is all about books and the proportion of authors to audience is more about 30/70% as opposed to 5 or 10/90% you get with fan conventions. Still, each year I participate in the Collingwood Book Festival as a vendor; it is a more mainstream event so they limit the participants to big-name or mainstream authors, rather than small-press or genre authors. It is a one-day event costing $25 for a 10' x 10' space, which I generally split with a friend, and our take has been roughly $400 to $500 each year, combined. It is a more chancy venue because though the audience members are readers, they are not necessarily speculative readers, that and given that the event is outdoors. I don't make professional connections here and the conditions are less reliable, but for a one-day event the profit versus expense is worth it.

Now, I know personally selling your work isn't for every author. After all, how many of us write because it's easier to face characters--even the nasty ones--than it is to deal with people in real life? But it is a viable option for those extroverted enough to venture into the realm of convention dealership.

No Question today...too late to think of one...but one big hooray...Received my copies of The Halfling's Court today. Whee! Does it look fantastic... Hope to see some of you at Faeriecon so I can show it off ;)

10/26/09 - Weekend Recap

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:30:09 GMT

Well, something's been kicking my butt and it's still at it, so there isn't much to recap for this weekend. Managed to do a little writing on my story In The Runes, for the anthology Rum and Runestones (Dragon Moon Press) but other than that, and The Halfling's Court showing up on Amazon...no excitement here.

No question today...too tired.

D-

RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT! The Halfling's Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:43:06 GMT

Neal Levin of Dark Quest Books, author Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and illustrator Linda Saboe are happy to announce that the Amazon listing for The Halfling's Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale has gone LIVE! The book will make its first public appearance at Faericon in two weeks, www.faericon.com. In addition, there will be a pre-Launch at Philcon, www.philcon.org, and the official Launch at Arisia, www.arisia.org. Come help us celebrate!

Please feel free to share this information with anyone you feel might be interested.

If you are a reviewer and are interested in reviewing the book please email me a link to your review site and details for submission at greenfirephoenix@aol.com. Currently we only have ebook versions in PDF format available for review, hard copies to come.

In the meantime, check out the book! Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Halflings-Court-Bad-Ass-Faerie-Tale/dp/0979690161/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256390659&sr=1-1

A link to the book's page on my website:

www.sidhenadaire.com/books/HC.htm

And here's the back ad copy:

Better Get Your Bad-Ass On!

THE RUMBLE OF A HARLEY...
THE GLEAM OF BLACK LEATHER...
THE SHINE OF POLISHED CHROME...
THE FREEDOM OF THE OPEN ROAD....

Motorcycles meet magic and mayhem as Lance Cosain, the halfling leader of The Wild Hunt MC, protects his turf and his people from attacks ordered by Dair na Scath, the high king of the fae.

Holding his own against rogue fae, redcaps, and the gremlins of the road, all Lance wants to do is settle down with his lady. Instead he goes toe-to-toe with the high king’s champion over an ancient dagger and the claim to a throne.

Who will triumph? The king of the road or the king of the realm?
Either way, the Hunt is on!

Based on the stories “At the Crossroads” and “Within the Guardian Bell” from the award-winning Bad-Ass Faeries Anthology series.

Where We're At

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:43:46 GMT

Well...this weekend the big, resounding answer is...home! Still feeling under the weather so all my events, writing and otherwise, have been canceled :( Can't figure out why I can't shake this, but to top things off, the resturaunt a couple blocks away tried to poison me with raw chicken last night...hidden in the middle of a supersized hotwing. This thing was as big as a lemon! Alas, grossly underdone.

I'm going to bed and not leaving until Monday morning. Fortunately, my laptop has wireless ;)

Question for Today: What are you going to be for Halloween? And what was your coolest costume ever?

For this year? Can't decide...Coolest ever? Has to be the one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater from four years back.

Me and my friend Rebecca at Philcon after the Masquerade

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:45:02 GMT

No guest today. Not feeling well and don't have the energy to hunt one down. Thanks for checking, though.

d-

10/21/09 - Writing Words of Wisdom - Make Time, But Don't Sweat It

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:27:44 GMT

Writers are obsessive. Have you noticed? All of them, at least a little bit.

That's why I have such a problem when things are getting in the way. I don't HAVE to write every day, I'm not that anal a writer, but if I have something I need or want to do and life just doesn't let me get to it. Major frustration. It isn't pleasant.

I've found ways around this...other than not sleeping. Just little things that let me accomplish at least something while I handle all the other stuff. I take a train to work so I write on my PDA or even paper, at work I'll jot something down at lunchtime...or send myself an email when I get an idea I don't want to lose.

The steps don't need to be huge ones just something to keep you in so you don't feel like it's slipping away. That can be a depressing feeling. I have so many deadlines looming and I never seem to be at a point where I can get things done in advance...I'm always scrambling at the end...or beyond. I've been lucky. I seem to write rather well under that kind of pressure, but damn, it doesn't leave much time for editing.

Do what you can but don't make yourself nuts if writing time turns into something else. You can't help it, you can't avoid it, just get the other stuff done so you can do what's driving you.

I know...short, sweet...but I have writing to do!!!

Today's Question: What's the most obsessive step you've taken to write?

For me, I used to get so caught up in what I was writing on the train that I would continue to write on my PDA as I walked...through NYC...drove Mike NUTS!

10/19/09 - Weekend Recap - Why, oh Why? Oh, WHY!

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:55:59 GMT

Okay...I already filled you in on what I thought of Where The Wild Things Are. That was Saturday.

Sunday our dinner plans were canceled due to our friend's illness, to be rescheduled. Instead we spent the day making revisions for two stories to appear in The Stories In Between, an anthology commemorating the 30th anniversary of the independent bookstore, Between Books in Claymont, DE. I am pleased with how the stories turned out. One is mine, the other Mike's and between us we got everything done in a timely manner (ie. before the whole day was gone).

In among all that I reviewed potential cover images for Neal Levin of Dark Quest Books. Made some potential project suggestions for various anthologies, and ended up getting assigned two to be released in 2011.

Manchine - Documented Cases From the Cyborg Analogs

and

Death Comes Calling - Stories of the Afterlife

I have no deadlines or publication dates for these yet, but they are pretty self-explanatory. Should be lots of fun. A bit different from those I've done in the past, which will be nice. Though I'll have to get a jump-start on these as I suspect there will be a future Legends of A New Age collection for that year, as well.

Where the Wild Things Are - An unsolicited review

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:29:26 GMT

First the comedy of errors that was going to see this movie...my watch died so we were there an hour early because I read it wrong. Then while we were waiting for the previous showing to end, which was definitely for the right movie, the manager had the movie switched to another theatre clear across the building for technical reasons and no one told us. We got ambushed by the opening of Zombieland. Then we get to the new theatre just in time and can barely find a seat, finding ourselves surrounded by fifty people that couldn't keep their mouths shut through the ENTIRE movie. As if that wasn't bad enough...

I realized very early on that while I was familiar with the book I must have never actually read it. I don't know how true the movie was to the book, but I was very disappointed with what I saw. The best parts for me were what I'd already seen in the trailer, and the movie represented in the trailer was not the one I saw. The visuals were stunning and the creature effects amazing but I spent more of the movie trying to figure out how I could make nose horns than anything else...other than being pissed at the fifty people around me that couldn't shut up.

I had almost no sympathy at all for the boy and didn't like him very much even by the end of the movie. There seemed to be an effort at redemption, but it carried little weight and no real remorse that I could see. And though the movie made some effort to show that the behavior they were engaging in was dangerous and harmful, it was lost among the action of the rough housing. A very bad example for any children that see it, encouraging them to be disrespectful, deceiptful, to do dangerous acts. The movie does not endorse these behaviors but the message that these are harmful is kind of lost in the excitement of everything else. Maybe I just didn't get it, but I was left with very bad feelings at the end.

In the end, the movie majorly did not meet my expectations and will not even eventually make it into my DVD library.

10-16-09 - Where We're At

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:47:29 GMT

Sorry I missed yesterday...no one stepped up to guest blog and my access has been sharply curtailed.

Anyway, quite weekend this week, no events, no major projects, just a week of hanging out.

Tonight Mike is taking me on a date to see Where The Wild Things Are. I'll share my thoughts (without spoiliers) on Monday. Can't wait to see it. It's the first movie in a very long time that I have been excited about for itself. Looks fantastic and seems pretty true to the book from the trailers. I am praying that this is not one of those cases where we've seen the best parts of the movie before we go to see it.

Saturday will be spent cooking and doing stuff around the house. I have two recipes I want to make this weekend: Peanut Butter Soup, which I've made before and absolutely love, and baked chili with bisquick biscuit on top. We'll see.... Other vague intentions are to update the website, do a couple of household projects (or at least get them started) and maybe get in some writing...I have a deadline looming for Rum and Runestones, to be edited by Valerie Griswold-Ford for Dragon Moon Press. I have a great idea that I'm having fun with, but haven't had much time to focus on it. Have to get it done by Halloween....gulp...sounds like plenty of time, but only if the story--and life--cooperate!

Sunday, after church, Mike and I are going to go have a late anniversary celebration with friends from church, Joe, Joyce, Truitt and Jeannie. Joe and Joyce have an anniversary very close to ours and in the same year, so we thought it would be nice. We are going to the Texas Roadhouse, a place I've been wanting to go to, but have never been. I have no idea what it is like but it has a massive parking lot which is usually full. Joe says you get to pick your own steak before it's been cooked.

At some other point Mike and I will have a private celebration at Fogo de Chao, my favorite brazilian steakhouse, in Philadelphia.

Okay...time to get some work done before I have to go to...well...work!

Today's Question: What was your favorite picture book growing up, and why?

For me it was a book about a scientist that builds a space ship and goes out and collects all kinds of alien specimens. I can't remember the name of the book, sadly, but I can remember the image of him with one of the specimens draped over his bubble helmet after a crash (I think) and it was kind of starfish like but had an eye in the middle. Over thirty years later I don't remember a lot about it but I know I used to read it over and over. The pictures were cool and unusual and just the idea of going out into space...

10/14/09 - Writing Words of Wisdom - Passion

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:33:13 GMT

Soul Food

By Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Popcorn is nothing more than a butter vehicle. Let me say that again...popcorn is nothing more than a butter vehicle.

What the heck?! Right?

Now, I'm sure your "What the heck?!" has completely different connotations from mine, so let's take a moment to explore them both: now my explanative was a shocked response, a spontaneous and completely understandable reaction to the blasphemy I myself have dared to utter. Popcorn, that light, airy manna, nothing more than a vehicle for something else? Those who know me can well understand my shock.

Here comes the surprise part: the blasphemy, for me, is true. Popcorn has absolutely no appeal for me dry. (Trust me, I am going somewhere with this.)

Shall we now examine your "What the heck?!"? That would be the "What the heck does this have to do with writing?!", right? Well I'm sorry, but it has everything to do with writing—once you stop to realize the written word is our popcorn.

Come on, don’t walk away now…I know you’re dying to find out where I’m going with this. You’ve come through this far already…

In life, as in our writing, there are things that exist merely as a means to savor that which we love. Commercials exist so we can get our snacks; popcorn and crusty Italian bread exist so we can indulge in creamy butter; stale, tasteless nachos are merely a means of getting flaming salsa to our tongues; fights break out so that we can console ourselves with chocolate…you get the idea.

Well, when we write, our words exist so that we can write about what we love (such as buttered popcorn…I LOVE buttered popcorn) It is important to remember this—the part about the writing, not the popcorn—Words are our passion vehicle.

What is your passion? For me it is the richness of myth, an intricately woven tale full of hidden significance and vibrant descriptions. I love deep, evocative emotion and personal triumphs over adversity…not the kind that are handed to you on a platter, but the kind that required clawing and struggling and life-transforming decisions to obtain. I like poetry that is in your face and on your sleeve. And, if you couldn’t tell, I like my nonfiction witty (I can only hope) and a little bit in cheek.

Now I know there is writing that pays the bills and writing that feeds your soul, and you might find yourself in a position where you must divide your time among both of them, but do not allow what you are required to do to crowd out what you are driven to do. Find the time to nurture your own creativity. If you are fortunate enough to have a choice in the bill-paying variety of writing, write what interests you, but even if you can’t, be sure that you invest yourself in your words, let them carry your passion for all things, for only then will they be heard.

Remember, when we write, it reflects our beliefs, our interests, our souls. A piece of ourselves is left forever on the page, so make sure that what you leave behind is true to who you are, what you want the world to see. So, whatever you must write, for personal gratification or personal survival; find a way to make it yours. Turn everyone’s expectations on their figurative ear and make your words a vehicle for whatever it is you need to say, what you believe in.

If you are not passionate about what you are writing, whether it be fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, then what is the point? Write first for yourself and only then can you speak to the masses.

Note: This column originally written for the monthly column, If We'd Words Enough and Time, which ran on the defunct site www.fictionauts.com.

Today's Question: What are you passionate about? An idea, a hobby, a belief, anything at all.

For me--in a more general sense than the one listed above--it is creating. Doesn't matter what it is or how I make it, I love creating...by cooking, crafting, or writing. Taking random bits and transforming them into a cohesive whole. That really charges me up. And when it's ideas that go all twisty and intricate, I'm in bliss.

For more wisdom on writing, please visit the blog of my friend and co-editor, L. Jagi Lamplighter at http://arhyalon.livejournal.com.

10/13/09 - Tasty Tidbits - The Halfling's Court

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:04:32 GMT

Today's Tidbit is actually a promo for my upcoming novel, The Halfling's Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale (9780979690167), coming out from Dark Quest Books the beginning of November. Here is the new back cover copy!

Get Your Bad-Ass On!

THE RUMBLE OF A HARLEY...

THE GLEAM OF BLACK LEATHER...

THE SHINE OF POLISHED CHROME...

THE FREEDOM OF THE OPEN ROAD....

Motorcycles meet magic and mayhem as Lance Cosain, the halfling leader of The Wild Hunt MC, protects his turf and his people from attacks ordered by Dair na Scath, the high king of the fae.

Who will triumph? The king of the road or the king of the realm? Either way, the Hunt is on!

Based on the stories “At the Crossroads” and “Within the Guardian Bell” from the award-winning Bad-Ass Faeries Anthology Series.

"At The Crossroads" by Danielle Ackley-McPhail is one of the true gems in Bad-Ass Faeries. A fine, exciting tale with compelling characters."

—Jim Stratton, Tangent Online

Today's Question: What do you see as being the next big trend in entertainment?

I don't have an answer for this one myself. I'm hoping it's biker faeries ;)

10/12/09 - Weekend Recap - The Witches Ball, and All

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:54:26 GMT

Whew! First time doing a night event, in a tent, requiring complicated lighting! Oh, did I mention the high wind?! LOL...it was, as Mike would say, an adventure. By the time the event began the winds had thankfully died down. The Witches Ball, an annual Halloween event held in the historic section of Mt. Holly, NJ, was very cool and much fun. They went all out decorating the event space and even had a fifteen foot tall witch they built in the center of it all :) My favorite were the twinkly lights strung across the streets with witches hats dangling in between.

I must say, this was my first time doing this event and it was a blast. Lots of cool costumes and people oggling my horns, sales weren't bad...of the horns. The books, I sold one and it wasn't even one of mine! But still, we didn't really expect it to be a book event, so weren't too surprised. I was very glad I spent all week stocking up on horns, though. Many of those I made this week were the ones to sell, which was nice.

I entered the costume contest, but can you say rank amateur? LOL...some of these people blew me away! In fact, it was kind of nice, but I ran into my friend Jack Turner, from high school and he actually took best wizard, which I was very happy to hear. His costume was quite impressive and caught our eye before we were even done setting up...before I even knew it was him, in fact :) My friend Linda was already taking a picture of him before I noticed :) I also ran into another friend, this one from college, Marnie Greene. Hard to believe how much time has passed!

Bernie Mojzes and Linda Saboe joined Mike and I at the event, bringing along copies of the Evil Gazebo, which drew lots of attention, as well as Linda's art prints. She brought along prints of the art from The Halfling's Court, which was duly appreciated by all, but the real sales was in the horns. I have to improve our set-up for next year to see if we can't change that, spacing was an issue, particularly when I had to pull the horns deeper into the tent to improve visibility. Definitely have to work on that. Bernie and Linda were good sports and did sell in spite of the poor planning.

We were exhausted by the time the event let out; didn't get home until after 12:30 and then I had to wake up early the next morning for church. It was nice, friends of mine went with me, bringing their family, to see if they might like to make my church their new church home. They seemed to like it very much. We will see.

The rest of Sunday was spend napping, typesetting the Halfling's Court, and then going out to share a banana split with my husband of eighteen years (and now one day). Doesn't sound like much of a celebration, but we were both beat after Saturday and we are going to be going out with friends next Sunday to celebrate anniversaries for both couples, so it's coming. Hard to believe...eighteen years!

Now...for some solid sleep...please?!?!

Question for Today: What were you doing 18 years ago?

I, obviously, was a newlywed, but I was also putting myself through college the hard way. Three jobs, no sleep...still trying to have fun. I was attending Kean College of New Jersey in Union, NJ, taking communications courses and English, for the most part. Hanging out and going to Rocky Horror in Dunellen, NJ. Can't remember the theatre's name...Marnie, Dave Shaw, Kurt Thayer, Chris...Bear! So many people, some good times, and some stupid stunts! Whew! Man, to think we were that young!

10/9/09 - Where We're At - The Witches Ball

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:45:44 GMT

Relatively light weekend.

What: The Witches Ball (www.thewitchesball.com)
Where: Mill Race Village, Mt. Holly, NJ
Time: 6pm to 11pm

Saturday, October 10th we will be in Mt Holly, New Jersey participating in the Witches Ball.

Plenty going on there, tarot-card readings, costume contests, music, belly dancing, fire dancing...Should be a very cool event. As a vendor I will be wearing my De'Ath Blossom costume, but for the costume contest I'm going all the way with The Red Death. If nothing else, the costume is warm ;) If the links don't work, visit www.sidhenadaire.com/crafts.htm and it will take you to them.

If you are there, come say hi on your way around the event. My space is #14 in the Black Market.

With me will be Mike McPhail, Bernie Mojzes, and Linda Saboe. In addition to my wicked-cool horns, we will have our books, The Evil Gazebo (the limited edition, hand-bound copies. The economic paperback edition should be releasing in November :), and Linda's art prints, including her newest illustrations for the Halfling's Court!

Sunday - Anniversary! Mike and I celebrate our 18th anniversary. Probably by sleeping in ;)

Question for Today: What notable anniversary do you have coming up this year and how do you intend to celebrate? Doesn't have to be a recognized anniversary, just something you find special enough to commemorate.

Guest Blogger - Trisha Wooldridge, Award-Winning Author

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:44:47 GMT

The Short and Small of It

by Trisha Wooldridge

It's good to think big, but if you ONLY think big, you're missing fun and worthwhile opportunities.

When you dream of being an author, do you automatically assume New York Times Bestseller status and never working at anything besides your novel?

Even if you have a contract in your hands, that dream isn't coming anytime soon - but I bet rent, mortgage, utilities, etc. must be paid this month! Or even last month!

Writers, authors, are people, too - and we have all been hit hard with the economy. Magazines and publishers aren't buying as much or paying as much. What can you do? What you do best: write.

And don't forget the little things.

I talked about earning money in non-fiction in my blog yesterday, but making the most of short and small markets in both fiction and non-fiction is something every writer should investigate.

A little definition of my terms:

Short Market - a market that wants articles of < 1000 words, often < 500, or fiction that is shorter than a novella or novelette.

Small Market - a market that pays less than professional fiction rates, often much less

Why Downsize?

Writing short makes you a concise, stronger writer. It hones your skill.

Furthermore, both small & short markets offer you more writing experience, publishing credits, exposure - that you still get paid for! Even incremental pay is pay - and why turn down money?

It's Not Fiction…

In non-fiction, to break in, you need what are called "clips." Clips are what you send to a prospective editor you want to write for; it shows you write well enough to get published by someone besides yourself. Often getting "clips" requires writing for free at some small magazine or newspaper - but some local magazines pay new writers. It may only be $5, but that's $5 for a clip that is normally for free. If you're an established non-fiction writer, you can negotiate for a little more. I pitched this review idea my food editor in a local magazine: A themed mini-review every week at $25 for 200 words. I review cheap things, like coffee shops, ice-cream stands, and delis. It creates a cheap, once-a-week date with a friend - and cash to spare.

In addition to small, local papers and magazines, there are several ezines that will take short articles. Funds for Writers pays between $35-$40 for a 600-or-less word article for that newsletter. (In fact, C. Hope Clark of Funds for Writers puts out a bi-weekly newsletter and listing that is JUST short markets!) The Broadsheet for Broad Universe also pays $35 for an article of similar length. Women on Writing magazine is another great smaller market… look and see what else you can find!

Telling Little Stories

The fiction market also has plenty of short and small markets. In most cases, the small markets are also for short work - and the shorter the better. "Short" does mean something a little different in fiction, though. Where non-fiction short is much more clearly defined, the different "short" markets in fiction will specify your word count. In some cases, you have up to 10,000 words. On the other hand, you've also got markets for 50-word microfiction and Twitter stories (140 characters or less).

In fiction, the pay is less. While $5 for a story in a local paper or 'zine is the lower end of the non-fiction market, that's the going rate for many small, short markets in fiction (or poetry), and sometimes its less.

With fiction, though, while any extra money is good, exposure is much more important. Publishers and editors watch what is going on in the industry; it's their job to do so. If an author's name keeps cropping up in magazines, anthologies, ezines, etc., they notice! Also, paid fiction magazine and anthology publications are credit. They look good on queries and cover letters. Though it may take time, the more you are recognized and published, the easier it is.

My main source for finding out about these markets is www.ralan.com, although Funds for Writers is a close second. Besides that, networking also reveals some great potential markets - for both fiction and non-fiction. Look at the freebie tables at conventions and ask other readers - you'll be surprised at what you find!

You can fill a bucket with drops of water, so if you're looking for extra money in these hard times or looking to build your reputation, look at short and small markets in fiction and non-fiction. Missing them gets you nothing.

QUESTION FOR TODAY: Would you allow your work to be published for little or no pay, for the exposure or the fun of it? What about for a good cause?

I have published my work for free, for one copy of a book, or for as little as $5. As a small press author in particular getting my name out there is really important, especially when books are long in releasing.

10/7/09 - Writing Words of Wisdom - Spending Your Words Wisely

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:05:30 GMT

BY DANIELLE ACKLEY-MCPHAIL

How many words does it take to tell a story? Can’t really answer that, can we? Or at least, not easily… There are too many variables; too many considerations. Is it a short story? A long one? Complex, or a simple one? What do you want to tell? What do you want to simply imply?

Who can say, really? A haiku can convey a story in seventeen syllables; Tolstoy required thousands of pages. Most of us are fortunate, we can answer the original question as simply as this: It takes as many words as it takes.

But then, who wants to be simple, anyway? In this world of done and redone and overdone, we want a challenge, don’t we? Such websites as New Times - San Luis Obispo and AOL’s Amazing Instant Novelist—and who knows how many others—offer up that challenge every day: write a complete and compelling story in <however many words strikes the sponsor site’s fancy> and no more. Usually they are generous, allowing a few hundred, at least. A challenge, but a relatively simple one.

Not so with New Times – San Luis Obispo. Are you ready for this? Maybe you better sit down…55 words a story, nothing more!

Can’t be done, you say? Well, there’s the challenge, and the guidelines are very specific as to what constitutes a story: one or more characters, a setting, a conflict, and a resolution. It ain’t easy (ooh! I can hear my grade school English teacher screeching from her grave, now!), but it can be done, as I will show you below. With the permission of my illustrious…anonymous partner in crime—let’s just call him IrateIndigoSimian, why don’t we?—I’d like to give you an example of the same 55-word story from a couple of different approaches:

He had always loved her, ever since the first time he had laid eyes on her he had known she was the only one. He kissed her sleeping forehead gently and considered her betrayal.

The recoil from the gun surprised him, the finality of it all didn't. Then he turned the gun towards himself next.

Simple…straightforward…uncomplicated. Nothing wrong with that. By the contest guidelines, this definitely works, but does it work well? Think about it, the author made use of all of his 55 words, “had” was used three times, “her” was used four times, and “he” was used five times; those three words make up more than twenty percent of the author’s allotment. Ouch! Yeah, it works, but the impact the subject matter could have is diminished by the frivolous use of throw-away words. (don’t feel I’m being too harsh with IrateIndigoSimian, this was a first draft. We already hashed all of this out and he agrees.) Now, lets look at a later version of the story:

Their love had been the thing keeping him alive for years now. Her betrayal severed their bond, his soul, his mind. His final kiss left a soft, warm ghost touch on her sleeping forehead. The recoil from the gun surprised him, the finality of it all didn't. Then he turned the gun towards himself next.

Not bad, this version has a decidedly different feel, putting everything out in the reader’s face from the very beginning. You are immediately confronted with the character’s betrayal and anger, and the ending is logical progression, without surprise. This accomplishes something very different from the first draft, and as for economy, not one word, other than articles, appears more than twice. This is an honest, straightforward rendition of this piece, but for my own tastes, a little too much in your face, not subtle enough.

Now for a bit more subtlety: The next one is more ambiguous. Other than the main character’s love, we aren’t sure how this is going until the fourth line. With the emotions drawn on, the fondness that is admitted, the second paragraph is a shocker:

He found he couldn't remember a time he hadn't loved her. Even now, his soul was entwined with hers. Her sleep was deceptively peaceful. He gently kissed her cool forehead and contemplated her betrayal. The recoil from the gun surprised him, the finality of it all didn't. Then he turned the gun towards himself next.

And the last is on a similar vein, with the betrayal hinted at in the third line, but not revealed until the fourth. This draws the reader in, hooks them, has them guessing. The words chosen have an emotional impact all their own; you feel his love, then his betrayal...and finally, your own shock:

There was never a time he hadn't loved her. Even now, his soul was entwined with hers. She slept so sweetly...innocently...deceptively so. He gently kissed her cool forehead and contemplated her betrayal. The recoil from the gun surprised him, the finality of it all didn't. Then he turned the gun towards himself next.

With all fiction, and most decidedly in micro fiction, you have to choose carefully. Think of the emotional investment of the words you put to the page... for example, in the last line of the first paragraph, the first version has the main character “considered” the woman’s betrayal, in subsequent versions it was changed to “contemplated”...Considered is an everyday word, an ordinary word. Contemplated is more involved, more impact.

It is cliché, but no matter what the length of your prospective work one needs to go for quality, not quantity, but most especially with something like this, where you only have so many words to use...each one has to score.

Words should have purpose, a goal, all of them used to good effect. Unless it is for a reason, never use more words than you have to; your work can drown in a profusion of “highfalutin” words, as my Daddy likes to tell me. Use a fancy word because it lends something, because it enriches the beauty of your poetry or prose; by the same token, do not be afraid to us a simple “workaday” word, if it suits your purposes. Simply put, use a word because it does what you need it to do, not because it is delightfully pretentious.

And finally, because it bears repeating over an over—ironically enough—when you are writing and rewriting your work, no matter the length, always keep close watch, guarding against our natural impulses to repeatedly use the same familiar words, even if we have used them three times already on the same page. Many word processors (if not all) have a Thesaurus option, my greatest advice to you: use it.

Note: This column originally written for the monthly column, If We'd Words Enough and Time, which ran on the defunct site www.fictionauts.com.

For more wisdom on writing, please visit the blog of my friend and co-editor, L. Jagi Lamplighter at http://arhyalon.livejournal.com.

Today's Question: Can you write me a story in 55 words or less? Come on, I know you can! Share! Share!

Here's a recent attempt of my own, written for a 25-word story collection. It wasn't submitted because I could only send in two.
_________________________________

Those Eyes by Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Despair swirls in eddies within my gut. Death stares at me from the kitten's eyes. I cannot fight it off. Purring, and my eyes close.

10/6/09 – Another Two’fer… Weekend Recap and Tasty Tidbit

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:49:51 GMT

Sorry, seems like I have trouble with Mondays. Here is my weekend recap.

Courtesy of Dark Quest Books, we attended the Collingswood Book Festival on Saturday. There was some threat of thunderstorms throughout the day, but in actuality it rained for all of ten minutes and was bloody hot after that. Still, we all enjoyed ourselves and did fairly well as far as sales go. Not so much on the books this year, but as I saw vendors with non-book related stuff last year, I’d brought my costume horns, which never fail to draw attention, if nothing else. I sold quite a few. We paid for four spaces, but could only manage to come up with three tents, which is just as well because across the aisle from us was the Kettlecorn tent and their structure didn't strictly fit into their 10 x 10 space so we put our tentless space facing them and put the other three around it. Worked out well for CJ. He was highly visible to those coming down that aisle, face on :)

Others sharing the space were Jonathan Maberry, John Passarella, Hildy Silverman, CJ Henderson, Bernie Mojzes and Mike McPhail. And, of course, Neal Levin and Tina Randleman. Everyone enjoyed some sales, though I don’t suspect any of us sold as much as we are used to. A combination of the economy and the weather report.

The rest of the weekend was spent stocking up on costume horns for the upcoming weekend’s Witches Ball, in Mt Holly, NJ, being held at the Mill Race Village. I have never made so many at once, but with the press the organizers have given me I want to be sure to have plenty to choose from. Mike McPhail and Bernie Mojzes will be attending the Ball as well. And, in keeping with the holiday, there will be a costume contest, which I am very much looking forward to.

Now…I owe a Tasty Tidbit, I believe…Something creepy, today, I think…in keeping with the pending holiday ;)
_______________________________________________________

The Silvers

I saw Silvers down below today.

Posing as art.

Frozen in tableau.

Motionless, looking past the crowd at nothing.

Nothing is all they miss.

I used to want to be a Silver.

Before I knew better.

Now all I want to be is nothing.

I always run into them in the subway.

In the evening.

When everyone is too harried,

too weary to see them for what they are.

I am not everyone.

My link with society is loose at best.

I work very hard at not being

what they are looking for.

I hid beneath grim.

Beneath filth.

Beneath festering scabs.

I hide and I watch for them.

Those on their pedestals are easy to spy.

The identifiable threat.

I must watch for those that have found

what they are looking for.

A skin to slip inside.

A place to hide in the open

Unsuspected.

Today's Question: What was the oddest thing you've seen in the subway or on Mass Transit?

For me it wasn't something odd, really, so much as something cool. There is a train station in Manhattan...It's 14th and 8th on the A-line, and everywhere you look there is quirky bronze statues by Tom Otterness. In fact, here's a bonus Tidbit, a poem based on that artwork. Look him up, I'm sure you'll find pictures of the statues

Life Underground

(inspired by the bronze statues of Tom Otterness)

They lurk

In the station

At 14^th and 8^th

Deep beneath

The city streets

The demifae

Masquerade

As artwork

Ancient power

Cloaked beneath

Antiqued brass

Full, round

Gentle curves

Hold the illusion

Of softness

Cute, formless faces

Betray nothing

But on the sly

Black-dimple eyes

Flatten into dashes

Conspiratory winks

Only I spy

The slight bow

Of their mouths

Shimmer

With the ghosts

Of impish smiles

As I hurry by

The magic of the city

Couched in casual sculpture

October 2, 2009 – Where We’re At

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:03:39 GMT

Good morning,

Collingswood Book Festival (www.collingswoodbookfestival.com)

When: Saturday, October 3, rain or shine

Place: Main Street Collingswood (rain location is the Collingswood High School on Collings Avenue)

Time: 10am to 4pm

Dark Quest Books, Garden State Horror Writers, and New Jersey Authors Network are having a shared event tomorrow, along with hundreds of other authors and book sellers. Mostly we’ll all be standing around trying to sell…but it should be fun.

Attending: Neal Levin, Jonathan Maberry, John Passarella, CJ Henderson, Mike McPhail, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Gary Frank, et al. There are others attending from these groups, but I don’t have a list of all the names. Come and be surprised!

Next Weekend

The Witches Ball (http://www.thewitchesball.com/)

When: Saturday, October 10^th

Place: Mill Race Village, Mt. Holly, NJ

Time: 6pm to 11pm

This is a seasonal event with vendors, performers and a massive costume contest. Attending will be Mike McPhail and Danielle Ackley-McPhail and I have it on good word, our friends at Griffon’s Claw Armoury as well. The Red Death will be making an appearance ;)

Come have some Halloween fun!

Today’s Question: What is your favorite part of Fall? What traditions do you have?

For me it is without a doubt Halloween. If I could play dress-up all year round, I would, without a doubt! I always had the coolest costumes growing up because most of them my mom made. As you can see by my website, I’ve continued the tradition. In fact, one of my costumes was just featured on a Halloween blog: http://www.halandhalliween.com/2009/10/best-costume-one-eyed-one-horned-flying-purple-people-eater/

And in September a crafting site featured the costume horns I create:

http://www.favecrafts.com/Halloween-Crafts/Halloween-Costume-Horns#

Have I mentioned I LOVE Halloween? :)

Enjoy!

Danielle

10/1/09 - Guest Blogger Jeff Young - Writer's of the Future Finalist

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:30:26 GMT

Jeff Young is a very good friend and faithful fan. He runs the Watch The Skies reader's group out of the Barnes and Noble in Camp Hill, PA and his and his group have made me welcome on a number of occasions. He is also a growing talent in the fiction realm. Here is his account of his experience with the Writers of the Future Contest.

____________________________________________________

Maybe it’s because I shelve the anthologies, that I am surprised about how few people are aware of the Writers of the Future contest or its benefits. Somewhere along the line we’ve all looked at the contest route of gaining notice and perhaps gave it a thought. In most cases there are points that tend to give writers pause: length of time until judging, entry fees, limitations of acceptance, and final disposition of the work in terms of rights and publication. It just seems simpler sometimes to send your work to a magazine, e-zine or anthology. In most cases this would be true- Writers of the Future is a happy exception.

So what makes it different? WOTF is a contest where the judges are some of the most respected authors, illustrators and publishers in the business. Why would they get involved in a contest? Apparently some people really do believe in paying it forward and these folks are not only concerned about the future, but future writers as well. Writers like Frederic Pohl, Tim Powers, Rebecca Moesta, and Sean Williams and not only judge the contest, selecting 9 finalists each quarter and then three winners out of over 200 plus entrants per quarter, but also participate in a writer’s workshop with the winners before the yearly award ceremony. WOTF has 25 years of experience in how to run a contest and put together an anthology and it shows.

So what made me put something forward for Writers of the Future? A number of things, the first being that I met one of the winners published in anthology number 22, Michail Velichansky. Michail had nothing but good things to say about the contest and was very encouraging and the experience made me pick up the anthology and read it. Suddenly I realized that I was looking at works that reminded me of my own writing and it seemed kind of silly that I wasn’t at least trying. I will admit I am like everyone else; I did not go right home and send something out. In fact it took at least a year before I did actually write the two stories that I sent in. “Written in Light” was actually being feasted upon by the literary lions of the Yesterday’s Dreamers critique group when “The Locus Eaters” was being looked at by the WOTF judges. The last thing that I expected was to receive a phone call telling me I was an honorable mention.

Joni Labaqui, the head of Writer’s Services, seemed a bit puzzled when I said, “I can’t believe you’re calling me, I only got an honorable mention.” She quickly took me to task in kindly way and reminded me that my work stood out enough for the judges to recognize it.

“So when’s your next story coming?” she asked.

Again I would like to say that I immediately submitted something, but another quarter passed before I was happy enough with “Written in Light” after its many changes due to helpful critiques, to submit it. In all honesty, I let it go. I was hopeful, but lots of other things were happening like Balticon’s showing of The Space Stone, a film project I participated in; an invite to contribute to By All Means Necessary, Mike McPhail’s MilSci anthology and author visits to the Watch the Skies SF & F reading group I run. In fact it was one of the visits with Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Mike McPhail that got interrupted by another phone call. Fortunately Joni caught me sitting down with the news that “Written in Light” was now a finalist. Best kind of news to get in a bar with all of the members of the reading group and dear friends. Joni also gave me a quick interview as well before letting me know that it would be August or September before the final results came out.

Now I really was waiting and waiting and waiting. This year is the Silver Anniversary of WOTF, so there was a great deal of extra preparation that went into the awards ceremony. I almost thought we were going to run out of September and was rather pathetically looking day by day at the blog posted on the website. Half way through what started as a rough day at work, I was in the receiving area, surrounded by the recent book arrivals when I was paged that I had a phone call. Joni had tracked me down at work, from the information in our interview, to let me know that “Written in Light” had won third place in the second quarter contest. We chatted happily for several moments and then she dropped the other bombshell. Tim Powers had liked my story. That’s when I found someplace to sit down. Finally she said, “I need your address so we can send you the check.” I’d completely forgotten about that. I was going to be published, Tim Powers liked my story and they were going to pay me?

The receiving manager looked at me slightly askance, “What was that phone call about? You look a little dazed.” I think I had every right to be.

So today I got an invite from a Yahoo group created for the winners of the contest for this year so that we can get to know each other a little before the writer’s workshop and award ceremony next year.

I’ve waited until the end to make one very important point- if you look at all of the above you will notice that there is no mention of Scientology or L. Ron Hubbard. Now obviously if Mr. Hubbard had not started and endowed things there would be not contest, but I want to make it clear to those that have any concerns, that this contest is about the writing and the writers. Having said that, I should also mention that those of you who create wonderful works of art should avail yourselves to the sister contest Illustrators of the Future, for all of the same reasons as WOTF.

Here is some information that you, the reader might find useful:

The Contest Rules : http://www.writersofthefuture.com/rules.htm

The WOTF Blog: http://wotfblog.galaxypress.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

Frederic Pohl, on judging for WOTF

http://www.thewaythefutureblogs.com/2009/09/the-worlds-of-l-ron-hubbard/

So what’s next? Good question. I think that first place in the contest will open lots of doors for writers. I think third place will make an excellent wedge that I can use to hold open doors until publishers, editors or agents get tired of seeing my work and submit to the inevitable- or so I hope.

More importantly – have you sent in your story yet?

Jeff Young

(Jeff finds himself ever amazed at the crazy variety of projects he can get roped into without realizing it. Besides being editor for the book- The Drunken Comic Book Monkeys – Tales of Scary Scariness, he’s also had a part in a play he co-wrote and performed with Full Circle Productions, starred in a dual role in The Space Stone filmed by Spooky Moon Productions. In the past he’s been published in: Carbon14 as a reviewer, interviewer and fiction writer; Neuronet; Apprise and the Poetic Knight as well as the ever popular Trail of Indiscretion and its sister production Cemetery Moon. Jeff has led the Watch the Skies SF and Fantasy discussion group at Barnes and Noble in Camp Hill, PA for nine years and the Word Wrights writing group for eight years and looks forward to continuing as long as the powers that be will let him. He is also an instructor for the “Step Back in Time” class at the Dreamwrights Youth and Family Theater which prepares children for their first trip to Renaissance Faires.

Watch the Skies - http://mysite.verizon.net/res89guj/ and http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=110073910142)

Question for Today: What recognition have you received for your work? A great review? A nomination? Finaling? A win? A scathing review, even? Share with us your triumphs and heartaches.

For me, I have the following award credits for various projects I am affiliated with in one way or another:

Word Weaving Award For Excellence - Yesterday's Dreams
Fallen Angels Reviews Recommended Read - Bad-Ass Faeries
2007 Dream Realm Award, Finalist for Bad-Ass Faeries,
Best Anthology for Breach the Hull
2008 Dream Realm Award, Two-Time Finalist for Tomorrow's Memories
2009 EPPIE Award, Best Anthology for Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad
2009 Indie Book Award, Two-Time Finalist for So It Begins

And a link to my worst review ever: http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_ackleymcphail_yesterdaysdreams.html (Ironically enough, for many years this was the only review that ever generated hits to my website, as a note, this review is based on the original Vivisphere edition of the novel, which by far was in the worst condition than anything that came after.)

9/30/09 - Writing Words of Wisdom - Procrastination

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:20:31 GMT

(disclaimer, this article was written many years ago, so the time references are a bit off by now ;)

Tomorrow is Always Another Day Away…

BY DANIELLE ACKLEY-MCPHAIL

So…you wonder why you don’t get any writing done…right? Let me guess…Work gets in the way? You have Writer’s Block? You’re tired? You’re not good enough? Enh…Wrong answer.

Procrastination…The Lazy-Eyed Monster

First off, let’s see what Merriam-Webster’s Colligate Dictionary (http://63.240.197.92/cgi-bin/Dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=procrastinate) has to say on this subject:

Main Entry: pro·cras·ti·nate verb

Inflected Form(s): -nat·ed; -nat·ing

Etymology: Latin procrastinatus, past participle of procrastinare, from pro- forward + crastinus of

tomorrow, from cras tomorrow

Date: 1588

transitive senses : to put off intentionally and habitually

intransitive senses : to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done

synonym see DELAY

- pro·cras·ti·na·tion /-"kras-t&-'nA-sh&n/ noun

- pro·cras·ti·na·tor /-'kras-t&-"nA-t&r/ noun

So, you might say: No way! I would never intentionally put off writing, so this doesn’t apply to me. Enh…wrong again…All of us do it, from time to time, me most of all. It is 7:16pm on Saturday night…guess when this column is due? Yup, Saturday. We may not realize we are doing it, but we are constantly making decisions that stand in the way of our writing progress.

It Will Just Take a Few Minutes…

What is it for you? Do you have to clean up the mess before you can concentrate? Do you need to catch that season finale, or you just won’t be able to think straight? How many times have you gone for a snack? Or decided to check your email first? There are so many little things that get in the way of what we “really” want to do: write. To be truthful, I am sure that you don’t even realize you are doing it; I know I don’t most the time. The truth is the few minutes those tasks take can really add up.

How do you get around this? Writing time is writing time, baring emergencies—or impending spousal wrath—nothing is to interrupt it. Don’t have a TV nearby, make sure your family stays clear (with the noted exception of the above instances), make sure your hunger and thirst contingencies are in place, and close your mind to the world outside your writing space. (This is not recommended for long stretches of time, unless you want those close to you to forget what you look like).

To Muse or Be-Muse?

Acceptance is the first step. Now repeat after me: I am a procrastinator. Very good… Now, do you know why? Everyone has their own reasons—admittedly, sometimes even valid.

A lack of inspiration. It can be rough not knowing what to write, definitely have been there myself, from time to time. The ways I get around this, editing and assignments. If I find myself with a lack of inspiration—the dreaded Writer’s Block—I do not let it stand in my way. You may not make headway in your storyline, but if you at the very least use your writing session to review what you have already written it serves several purposes: one, it allows you to catch mistakes in spelling and grammar; two, it gives you an opportunity to flesh out any sections that need it; and three, it re-familiarizes you with the work you have already done. All three of these can help summarily banish your lack of inspiration.

Another way around this is to use either an outline, or keep a list of “things I need to write.” I do this in relation to my novels. I jot down my ideas or elements I want to be sure to incorporate in the finished product. When I find myself stumped and I have already polished what I’ve written before to a fare-thee-well, I read through my notes and ideas. It doesn’t always work, but nothing will, every time. If nothing else, it does remind you of your goals.

If you don’t have an ongoing project to help you along, have someone provide you with assignments, topics or situations for you to base your work on as an exercise. Think about it…most of us fell in love with writing thanks to some English teacher somewhere. Assignments and reports fostered our creativity and cultivated our interest. How many of you realize that after the impetus of school was removed from your daily routine, your writing efforts became drastically reduced? I know mine did. It wasn’t the enjoyment that fled, just the motivation. So recreate it. I had a friend give me assignments and I also found an on-line writing site with weekly writing contests. Without that, I never would have been published when I was. Whatever means you use to get past this stumbling block, be sure to write something every day, or at least with some regularity. It is the only way for your talent to grow.

Why Do Today What You Can Put Off Till Tomorrow?

Too much effort. I don’t know about you, but I am lazy to the extreme when it comes to certain aspects of my writing. Part of this stems from too many steps, part comes from too much waiting, and yet another part comes from too much doubt. See, in my own experience, to use a cliché we can all relate to, I am used to being a big fish in a little pond and a little fish in the big pond.

I don’t find writing to be too much of a problem, most of the time. In fact, I have more problems stopping when I should be doing other things. My biggest problem, and the source of my private procrastination habits, is in submitting my finished work for consideration in the various venues that exist for authors. It isn’t a lack of desire to gain recognition. It isn’t a lack of confidence in my talent. It is an overwhelming aversion to waiting and wondering.

This will explain to you how, though I have written prolifically since the age of 13, it is only in the last two years that I have had my work recognized in any way. This is the roadblock that I must work my way past. So far I have made no effort to submit my work to any venue, unless it was the simplest of procedures, or I felt I had something to set me off from being just another faceless by-line. I have worked my way from submitting only when my work is solicited, to submitting when I my work has been recommended. The next step is to aggressively seek out sources that don’t know me from Eve and try my luck there. I will have to format my work appropriately, research submission guidelines, package my dreams, and send them off to the world—and the post office—and learn to wait patiently to see if any will find a home.

My reason for procrastinating…a fear of rejection…a fear that this isn’t good enough…

I resolve that I will work my way past this.

Now, my friend, you need to look at your own personal brand of procrastination and see what is required of you to overcome it. Only by freeing our dreams can they be realized.

Note: This column originally written for the monthly column, If We'd Words Enough and Time, which ran on the defunct site www.fictionauts.com.

For more wisdom on writing, please visit the blog of my friend and co-editor, L. Jagi Lamplighter.

Question for Today: What is your guilty procrastination tool? Email? Facebook? Origami reproductions of dead presidents? Let me know! For me it is email and social media...with the occasional vanity search thrown in. And making polymer clay horns!

Tasty Tidbits: 9/29/09 - Consigned to the Sea Excerpt

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:07:27 GMT

This is one of my favorite stories of all time. Somewhat atypical of my normal writing, it has a voice of it's own that just begs to be read. Based on the selkie myth of the British Isles. To read the whole story, look up a copy of Sails and Sorcery (978-0-9713608-9-1) edited by Will Horner and published by Fantasist Enterprises, http://www.fantasistent.com/books/anthologies/sails.html.

Enjoy!

Danielle
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Seven tears fell into the sea.

They spread my sorrow among the foam and surf, mingled it with the waves until it was destined to touch every shore upon the earth ere the water’s wandering was done.

One tear for every year gone by since my husband went his way.

Seven tears fell into the sea.

’Tis said we all return to whence we began; why shouldn’t they?

It was high tide. The ship that bore me away recklessly hugged the rocky shore off the Orkneys. At my back I heard a thudding tread, familiar and hated, measuring the length of the weathered deck, owning it. Louder with each step, closer with each tear. The rest turned to hot ash in my eyes as the devil drew near.

“Well, have you decided, poppet?”

I remained turned away and silent, my back stiff and straight and indignant. Captain Darian Gow merely laughed and wrenched me around; his large, thick fingers bruised my bare shoulder, his hard, shadowed jaw lowered inches from my face.

“Have. You. Decided?” His words were measured and deadly calm. Overhead, terns cried a strident warning as they hovered just past the rigging. Below, waves pounded the hull in a siege as old as seafaring ways. My voice rebelled against any answer.

I stood before him with my back pressed hard against the rail, shivering despite the sun, in a dress of crimson crushed velvet he’d flung at me earlier, replacement for the widow’s weeds they’d torn from my body before they’d even brought me aboard. It was a whore’s dress. Quite literally, in fact, I had no doubt. Blood rubies and rare black seed pearls crusted what bodice there was and the black-satin-lined skirts were indecently slit, fore and aft. A costly whore’s dress, but one just the same. I’d been given no petticoats to serve my modesty.

Anger mingled with the fear in my heart. I smothered it for a time with slow, even breaths. I tried one final bid, begging freedom for my daughter. “Will ye na set her safe upon Eynhallow? An ye do, I’ll gladly shew ye the way ye seek.”

Captain Gow straightened. His eyelids lowered half-mast and his mouth curved but a degree at one corner. He looked back at the crew on the deck and in the rigging. He looked forward and pointedly scanned the shore as if the route he sought would magically appear to him; we both knew he had no hope of hiding his ship among the Islands to evade the King’s Navy without a native such as myself to guide him along the safe paths. Finally, he leaned forward once more, the other corner of his mouth joining the first, as if he were amused.

I lifted my own chin and forced myself to ignore his massive hands settling on the hilts of his saber and cutlass. No expression at all did I allow upon my face.

He laughed as if delighted and came even closer by my ear.

“What a pretty package you make in my gift,” he said, his breath stirring the fine ebon locks curled around my ear while the wind tugged at the rest of the tresses forcefully unbound at my capture. “You’re lucky for the decency of even that dress, you know . . .” He turned away to swagger toward the stern, calling out over his shoulder when he was far enough amidships for his voice to carry to both myself and the crew. “Your bonnie lass . . . she has none.”

Lust glimmered in every eye I could see, and none of it directed toward me. My gut clenched and my pulse tripped faster. I was driven by the need to rush for the hold where my daughter was imprisoned, but I knew I would not be let near it. I gasped and clutched the rail until a nail tore. The pain of my finger kept me anchored firm against my instinct. I remained still, the cold flow of the North Sea filling me up. The fires of hell licked at my thoughts, sparked by his implicit threat. I could not hold back the growl as fury crept over my fear, burying it. The vile Gow heard. Heard and laughed once more.

“I’ve the charts laid out in my cabin, woman, if that will help you get your bearing.”

I trembled such that the satin lining of the dress brushed my bare flesh in an obscene caress. My teeth clenched and every muscle flinched away from the sensation until I was a hard, tight effigy of myself. I spun around to stare out at the sea, battling both rage and despair. I closed my burning eyes and lifted my face to the constant breeze, letting it dry those tears that escaped the confines of my lashes. The wind whipping about me murmured empty comfort. Mingled with its fickle whisper I heard a call that haunted both my waking hours and my sleep. My fingers locked upon the rail and my body strained. To hear. . . . To leap. . . . I could not say.

The wind carried but the sounds of surf and gulls. I eyed the rocky islets and the choppy wake. Nowhere did I spy a trace of life not on the wing. Had I imagined that familiar call?

Hope bled away.

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Today's Questions: What do you use for the basis of your writing? Or like to see used when you read? For me I use various mythologies (with my own twist, generally) and a lot of popular culture reference.

9/28/09 – Weekend Recap

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:13:19 GMT

This was an eventful and productive weekend. Exhausting, but eventful and productive.

On Saturday we attended the First Annual Somerdale Day in Somerdale, NJ. It was very convenient, being ten minutes from our house, and it was a reasonable event at only $25 a table. Since it wasn't the traditional craft fair or book fair there was a lot more variety in the vendors. We were the only ones with books…and horns, the later of which made us pretty popular. While I did decent sales on the books given the type of event it was, the horns were by far my best seller and what everyone was talking about even if they didn't buy.

The cool thing is one of the organizers, her husband runs Fright Fest in Delaware and she was very excited to come over and buy a set of horns and took my information to give to him. Who knows if anything will come of that…it would be very nice!

On Sunday we were back at Between Books in Claymont, Delaware for our scheduled Delaware Launch of the anthology So It Begins, book two in the Defending The Future anthology series by Dark Quest Books. Being a Sunday and given the weather and the professional sports game scheduled, we only had about seven to nine people throughout the day, four of which were there with people participating in the event. Still, sales were decent given the attendance and the store took stock afterward for their shelves. We had a very enjoyable time with readings by CJ Henderson, Bernie Mojzes, James Chambers, AM Boyle, and myself. Mike McPhail was in attendance and participated, but he does not do author readings. While we were there, Mike and I got a sneak peek at the galley for The Stories In Between, the anniversary anthology we contributed to. The collection celebrates thirty years of operations for the book store and owner, Greg Schauer. Personally, I also got to meet the artist who illustrated my story, Blair Webb.

The nice thing on a personal note is that Sunday at 5:30 am (after a night of no sleep) I finished the Halfling's Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale. To commemorate the event my readings at Between Books were from that instead of So It Begins. To top it off, the fabulous artist illustrating the book, Linda Saboe, www.croneswood.com, was there and gave me some of the completed artwork. Absolutely gorgeous! Here's a sneak peek of the art.

And finally, some publishing news I received Sunday night: I have agreed to do a writers book for Dragon Moon Press called The Elements of Fantasy: Magic. Originally this was to be a multi-author writer's guide but problems with that project have required this change in direction. As I was one of the original contributors and following up with the project, I was able to pursue the opportunity. It also means that the project is already roughly one fifth to one third of the way done, depending on how long subsequent chapters turn out to be. We are aiming for 30k to 50k words.

And today's question: What exciting or unexpected thing happened to you this weekend? For me it was the book deal and getting to see a mostly completed copy of The Stories In Between. Oh...um...and finishing the book, but while exciting, that was more desperate than unexpected ;)