Five Friendly Places that Pay for Fiction

Finding a place to publish a short story can be intimidating. Submitting a story  I’ve poured my soul into out to a literary magazine is scary enough without worrying about what happens to it once it lands in someone’s slush. And there are so many places that publish fiction. I have to think about thingsContinue reading “Five Friendly Places that Pay for Fiction”

Book Review: Ardulum Third Don

Ardulum: Third Don by J.S. Fields My rating: 5 of 5 stars Review coming soon4.5 Stars Ardulum Third Don was the perfect ending to the trilogy. I can’t comment too much on why without spoiling it, so I’ll just that it came full circle and took Neek aka Atalant in a direction she never expectedContinue reading “Book Review: Ardulum Third Don”

Like Birds is on Wattpad.

Wattpad has fascinated me and scared me since I started getting serious about my writing. Even before I knew what it was, I liked the idea of serially posting a story online. The problem was, traditional publishing just holds too much allure. Now that I have one book signed with a small press and anotherContinue reading “Like Birds is on Wattpad.”

Twitter Pitch Parties Are About More Than Just The Likes

When seeking an agent or publisher for a novel, I participate in every twitter pitch party I get the chance to. So far, no one “like” or “heart” has landed me an agent or a book deal, but I still participate. They help me figure out what agents like the kind of stories I write, andContinue reading “Twitter Pitch Parties Are About More Than Just The Likes”

Review Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry

Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry My rating: 5 of 5 stars I read this book in a day — a few hours in the morning and a few in the afternoon. It was an escape from the stress of finals week during a lull in the grading. It wasContinue reading “Review Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry”

Fantasy a No Go with This Years Students

Back in January, you may have seen my post about using novels instead of textbooks for my ENG101 and RWR090 classes. Two of the novels worked out okay, but one was a disaster. Feed by M. T. Anderson This semester’s 101 students weren’t as enthusiastic about Feed as last semesters, but after a rocky start,Continue reading “Fantasy a No Go with This Years Students”

Writer Beware: Your Work Is Valuable; Don’t Get Scammed

Most of us start writing because we enjoy it or because we have something we are desperate to share. While some writers hoard their work, afraid to let the public see it, many want or even need their work to be read. Those of us who want to publish aren’t always content to just throwContinue reading “Writer Beware: Your Work Is Valuable; Don’t Get Scammed”

How an editor made my day.

This year, I had high hopes for #DVpit. I’d just finished polishing a new manuscript. My query was in good shape. I’d struggled with my pitches, but thought I finally had them down. I scheduled them, went to work, and tried to not to sneak peeks at twitter between each student I tutored. My tryContinue reading “How an editor made my day.”