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Sunday, December 31, 2006

Lightsword Publishing seeks submissions

Call for submissions:

Light Sword is a full-service, traditional publishing company dedicated to providing the reader with both fiction and non-fiction books from established authors, as well as talented newcomers. The range of genres that they offer include, but are not limited to: Suspense, Romance, Fantasy, Self-Help, Paranormal, Historical Romance, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Children's Books, Western.

If you have a completed manuscript in one of the above genres, please visit http://www.lightswordpublishing.com and click on the link for submissions. Follow the instructions for submitting fiction.Light Sword Publishing is a traditional (paperback) publishing house. They intend to publish at least one of each category by the end of 2007.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Zumaya Publications seeks romance/scifi/fantasy submissions

Zumaya Publications has chosen the name for their new fantasy romance imprint. Zumaya Embraces will debut in January with a debut fantasy romance, Courting Disaster, by Jennifer DiCamillo, and the first book in a new time-travel/fantasy series by Prism Award-finalist Linda Andrews, A Knight's Wish.

Zumaya also publishes science fiction and fantasy under its Zumaya Otherworlds imprint. Both imprints are open to submissions.

For more information, visit http://www.zumayapublications.com

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

MWG Writers Group 2007 Schedule

(From WV Writers President Emeritus Emeritus George Lies)

Morgantown Writers Group has announced its regular twice-a-month schedule. The MWG was founded January 1994. While our group boasts of 24 writers in the area, we have 10 active members. Please consider what 2007 has in store for you in writing, and consider this an invitation to stop by.

=======================
MWG 2007 SCHEDULE *

- January 16 - Tuesday 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
- January 30 - Tuesday 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
- February 13 - Tuesday 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
- February 27- Tuesday 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
- March 13 - Tuesday 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
- March 27 - Tuesday 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.


=======================
MWG REGULAR MEETINGS

LOCATION: Morgantown Public Library, Spruce St.
Tel.: (304) 291-7425 (parking across street).
Regular Meetings go from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
We meet in 2nd floor Conference Room. After,
we go to a local downtown venue. . .


=======================

2007 WRITERS WORKSHOPS PLANNED

Proposed Saturday workshops start 9:30 a.m.; end at
12 noon. A dutch treat lunch w/ visiting writer follows
in downtown Morgantown. There is a nominal cost for
registration to cover matrerials. At this point, we're
considering a Poetry Workshop March 10, and a
workshop April 14 (possibly Creative Non-Fiction)
Details forthcoming.


=======================
CONTACTS:

George.Lies@mail.wvu.edu and
Patricia.Patteson@mail.wvu.edu

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Uncle Terry's Gift Ideas from WV Authors List 2006

1. The Rock and the Pebble by Mark Defoe

2. Mountain Voices by The members of the WV Writers Roundtable

3. Black Days, Black Dust by Armstead and S.L. Gardner

4. Return to Io by Henry Palek

5. Surviving Mae West by Priscilla Rodd

6. Southern Fried Woman by Pamela King Cable

7. Landscape Architects by Rob Merritt

8. Attitude Therapy by Deb Copeland

9. Wild Sweet Notes I & II by ……everyone

10. To Keep The South Manitou Light by Anna Egan Smucker

11. Looking Good by Keith Maillard

12. Screamin’ with the Cannibals by Lee Maynard

13. Feast of the Seven Fishes by Robert Tinnell

14. When Miners March and Lost Highway (audiobooks) by Ross Ballard

15. When Good Babies go Bad by Celeste Vingle

16. PSI Blue by Rob Walker

17. The Tree of the Nevee: A Kabbalistic Story of Elijah the Wizard by Jerry Blair

18. Demonstrative Pronouns: Poetry by Barbara Smith

19. Arrivederci, Recipes and Customs Every Italian Girl Takes From Home by Rosalyn Queen Alonso

20. The Measure of Everything, by Ed Davis.

21. ‘Everything I Know’ by Sandy Tritt

22. Oscar and the Rainbow by Marilyn McIntosh Blair

23. The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Ken Sullivan, editor

24. ‘Journey of the Snow Goose’ (just out today) and ‘No Name Harbor’ by Barbery Chaapel

25. ‘Sarah Beth, Eat Your Broccoli!’ by Nancy Merical

26. ‘I Saw God Dancing’ by Cheryl Denise

27. My.th by Boyd Carr

28. ‘Going’ by Kevin Oderman


We’ll keep adding these WVWriter, Inc. authors to our list until Christmas and then some.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

The Blue Cheer

Writer Ed Lynsky's new novel, The Blue Cheer, has now been published by PointBlank Press, an imprint of Wildside Press.

Synopsis for The Blue Cheer

My murder mystery novel manuscript, The Blue Cheer, runs about 68,000 words parsed into 29 chapters and occurs in October 2002. Narrated by Frank Johnson in first person point-of-view, it opens with his having just moved to the West Virginia outback. Frank is a divorced thirty-something part-time gunsmith and PI who moved from the fictitious small town of Pelham, Virginia. He likes his bluegrass country music and whiskey (even if he’s supposed to be on the wagon). The move to West Virginia has made him lax and carefree. That will change.

While Frank is fixing dinner, he hears a bizarre hum flying over his mountain cabin. He races outside and gapes up as a Stinger rocket blasts something out of the twilight sky. His hopes for a new, tranquil life far away from his bad experiences in the PI trade go up with the explosion’s smoke and fire. He telephones Old Man Maddox, a retiree neighbor with a CIA background, for aid and they go report the incident to the incredulous sheriff’s department in Scarab, West Virginia.

Frank relies on his criminal investigative skills and soon catches wind of a cult calling themselves “The Blue Cheer.” His initial probes peg it for a white supremacist group who dislikes Frank’s partnership with Old Man, an African-American. When Old Man’s wife, Jan Maddox, is found murdered, they conclude The Blue Cheer has also targeted them for knowing about the Stinger rocket. After the still apathetic sheriff blows them off, they opt to act on their own.

Sheriff Deputy Goines next arrests Frank on trumped up vagrancy charges and roughs up Frank during an interrogation. Old Man calls up Frank’s lawyer back in Virginia, Robert Gatlin. Gatlin arrives in time for the arraignment hearing helps Frank make bail. Old Man and Frank resume their pursuit of The Blue Cheer. They visit a fire tower on a summit located between their cabins. Andes, an aspiring crime novelist and MFA candidate, spent the summer there on a dubious fire patrol. Andes has returned to college. Before leaving, Andes asked Frank to keep an eye on things at the fire tower. But Frank has bigger worries.

A subplot is Frank’s cousin Rod Bellwether on death row at Bitterroot Prison in Virginia reaching out for Frank’s help. Time runs short for Rod but his claims of innocence for not having slain his wife seem credible enough. Frank drives down from Pelham to visit Rod and reluctantly agrees to assist him. Second thoughts, however, help to persuade Frank to leave Pelham for his West Virginia mountain retreat and forget about Rod’s problems.

Unfortunately, Rod doesn’t go away that easily. Gatlin notifies Frank that Rod has broken out of Bitterroot Prison and counsels Frank on damage control. Frank and Old Man race over the mountains to maximum-security Bitterroot Prison and meet with its enraged warden. The only way that Frank can absolve himself for complicity in Rod’s escape is to recapture him.

That night with Frank and Old Man staying at a nearby motel, two gunmen storm into their room. The assassins kill Old Man but Frank manages to bring down the assassins. Distraught, he calls on Gerald Peyton, a fearless if not reckless bounty hunter back home. Gerald comes to join Frank. They arrive in time for Jan Maddox’s autopsy in Scarab. Forensic evidence is uncovered that implicates The Blue Cheer as Jan’s killer.

The novel’s final murder reveals who The Blue Cheer really is -- a vengeful atheist enclave with terrorist ambitions. Frank and Gerald find Jan’s preacher, Zelma Roe, killed in a local church. Zelma has kept a journal about The Blue Cheer harassing her as well as drawn a map leading to their remote compound in a National Park forest. Gerald and Frank team up with Old Man’s sister, Betty Maddox. Gerald contacts his friend with the West Virginia State Police, Lieutenant Craig Logan. But time is critical and Betty, Frank, and Gerald strike out for the compound. They sneak in under the fence when a fierce gun battle breaks out. Frank goes after The Blue Cheer member who slips away.

Frank spends a cold, scary night on a mountaintop with the fanatical Andes now his prisoner and exacts some surprising answers. Andes the would-be novelist is the leader of The Blue Cheer. Sheriff Deputy Goines is also involved. They claim credit for the murders of Jan Maddox and Zelma Roe. The next morning Frank marched Andes back to the compound now safely in the hands of Lieutenant Logan and local authorities. Gerald figures out where The Blue Cheer cached the Stinger rockets.

Frank in the final chapter attends the funerals for Zelma Roe, Old Man Maddox, and Jan Maddox. Afterward Rod turns up at Frank’s cabin but Frank is now on to Rod’s guile. He goes back to Bitterroot Prison. A now sober Frank also decides to end his mountain man experiment and return to Pelham. Robert Gatlin, elated, has urgent PI work waiting for him.

The Blue Cheer is written in a stylish, modern hardboiled voice. Its topical interest is based on my own professional expertise. For 18 years I wrote the technical manuals for building the Stinger rockets. My research includes interviews with the West Virginia Chief Medical Examiner, West Virginia State Police, West Virginia Clerk of Court, a forensic pathologist, and an autopsy assistant.

THE BLUE CHEER (Point Blank/Wildside Press, February 2006) ISBN: 6844/0-8095-5667-7 (SRP $12.95 trade paperback original) ARCs sent out for review at major media outlets. Nationally distributed to bookstores through Diamond Comics (2500-3000 offset print copies). Edited by 2004 CWA-nominee and 2006 EDGAR-nominee Al Guthrie. Dustjacket blurbs: Ken Bruen, Bill Pronzini, Ed Gorman, Jerry Healy, and John Lescroart.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Everything I Know

The latest book by Sandy Tritt, president emeritus of WVWriters, is now available. It's called Everything I Know, and is a collection of tips, quips, and original recipes cobbled together in what she describes as "kind of a marriage of Robert Fulghum and Martha Stewart." Sandy originally wrote it for her daughters, but decided it would be fitting for daughters everywhere.

It's published by Headline Books, and is available from Sandy's website at http://www.inspirationforwriters.com/EverythingIKnow.html.

She says she's happy to autograph them however you'd like, and if you'd like it gift-wrapped and drop-shipped for Christmas, she can do that.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Journey of the Snow Goose

WV Writers member Barbary Chaapel's new book, Journey of the Snow Goose is now available.
Journey Of The Snow Goose chronicles the spiritual and physical sojourn of Barbary and Bill Chaapel, who leave land and everything land represents behind them to sail away in a tiny sailboat 7 1/2 years; To leave the known luxury of home, career, friends and family for the vast and deep unknown, sailing long and hard on the wind, sea-salted eyes searching for glimpse of land. For slowed moments together, challenging their hearts to grow. In the year before they left Cleveland they read and studied every book on heavy weather sailing, navigation, tides and currents the Cuyahoga County Library system had to offer. Although they knew how to pour oil on troubled waters, trail a sea anchor in a storm, nothing prepared them for the solitude of two anchoring off an isolated far-away island. Years ago, with the precision of sailors' tools and compass rose, fate already had charted their course.

Barbary Chaapel was born in the mountains of West Virginia and moved to the shore of Lake Erie in Painesville, Ohio. She is the author of the award winning No Name Harbor, Poetry of Barbary Chaapel. Publish America, Baltimore, MD http://www.publishamerica.com.

ISBN 1-4241-5786-2

To purchase go to publishamerica.com
Click on online boostore
Type Barbary Chaapel in search
$14.95

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Dr. Write has openings.

Author, editor, and teacher, Geoff Fuller still has a few openings in his upcoming classes. This winter Geoff will be teaching: ‘Novel writing’, ‘Self-Editing’, and ‘The Business of Writing’. Give Geoff a call before these classes fill up and get on board for an educational winter’s “yearnin’ fer a learnin’!”

You can reach Geoff Fuller at: (304)755.3952 or,

www.evergreensyndicate.com
www.drwriteclinic.com

Saturday, December 16, 2006

University Press of North Georgia seeks submissions

CFP: Don West as Metaphor for Change in Appalachia (4/1/07; anthology)
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:

University Press of North Georgia (Mission Statement below)
North Georgia College & State University

The University Press of North Georgia is devoting its second publication to topics exploring transformation of communities and community members in the Southern Appalachia region and is seeking submissions for publication. We invite you to submit scholarly articles and essays, poetry, artwork, or interviews for scholarly review. Recognizing the work of native Georgian, Don West, the editors of this book will pay tribute to his life work, developing it as a metaphor for transformation of the Southern Appalachian community.

Suggested topics: Social Justice/The Good Life for All, Environmental Justice, Economic Justice, The Simplification of Our Ways of Living, Education/The Freeing of the Imagination, Civil Rights, The Global Citizen, The Impact/Cultural Impact of Globalization on the Southern Appalachian Community, The Artist as Activist

Deadline: April 1, 2007

Please send three double-spaced copies of your manuscript to:

Dr. B. J. Robinson, Editor,
The University Press of North Georgia
Dunlap Hall
NGCSU
Dahlonega, GA 30597.


The writer's name should appear only on the cover letter, not on any of the copies. Please allow three to four months for a decision on publication.

www.unfetteredmuse.com

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

WVU Parkersburg Poetry Workshop seeks Poets

Poet John Hoppenthaler is looking for some non-traditional students to register for his poetry workshop during the upcoming Spring semester at West Virginia University at Parkersburg. The course information is below.


ENGL 213 Creative Writing: Poetry (Monday nights from 7-9:45)

John Hoppenthaler, a well-published and nationally-known poet with two books to his credit (Lives Of Water and the forthcoming Anticipate the Coming Reservoir, both titles from Carnegie Mellon University Press) will offer a poetry workshop which will focus on such matters as image, metaphor, sound, the line, voice, form, etc. Hoppenthaler, who for nine years was Personal Assistant to Toni Morrison and has been Poetry Editor of Kestrel for ten years, has taught poetry writing at West Virginia University, Manhattanville College, the Chautauqua Institution, the West Virginia Writers' Workshop, the Writers at the Beach Conference and elsewhere. He holds an MFA in Poetry Writing from Virginia Commonwealth University.

John Hoppenthaler
English Department Coordinator
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
300 Campus Drive Parkersburg, WV 26104
(304) 424-8312
http://www.pshares.org/Authors/authorDetails.cfm?prmAuthorID=1943


Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Oscar & The Rainbow

WV Writers Member Marilyn McIntosh Blair's childrens book, Oscar and the Rainbow has been published and is now available via the Lulu.com.

From the site description:

Oscar the fox's epic adventure begins with an empty pot he receives from the rainbow. The trail of gold coins leads him to monsters like IMSOMAD, SEEONLYME, and the worst of all, IDONTCARE. Oscar meets Freddy, a football-playing fox on a search for his team's missing goal post. Together they trick a city full of prejudiced dogs, rescue a beautiful girl fox, make some surprising friendships, and find the courage to care when it seems like no one else does. The beautiful, the invisible, the arrogant, and the wise inhabit the pages of this delightful fantasy written for ages 8 and up.

"This children's book is captivating, even for an adult! The ending blew me away!" said Fred B. Bentley, President Emeritus, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, NC.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Free Online Mystery Workshop

(Information courtesy of WV Writers Secretary, Rhonda White)

For my mystery and horror writer friends:

Rob Walker has let me send you the link to his blogspot, in which he is running a brief workshop on the psychology behind mystery and thriller writers and writing.

While you're on the site, be sure and check out some of his other links and book information.

Here it is:
www.robertwwalker.blogspot.com -- Psych 101 for Writers!

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Mona Lisa's 1000 Words contest

(This information courtesy of one of WV Writers charter members, Kirk Judd)

"A picture is worth a thousand words."

An ad-man said that. A streetcar-billboard ad-man. Oooooh, we're impressed.

We think not. We think that a picture is only worth a thousand words if those words are spent on description. We think that a picture can only show you a bottle of soda in somebody's hand. It can't tell you how that bottle of soda got there or what the holder of the soda intends to do with it -- the ad-man just has to hope you'll assume the holder purchased the soda, and intends to drink it. Us writers know better than that. We know that the frame captured by a picture is just a fragment of a bigger story. We think the ad-man's quote is crap.

So help us prove it!

Go to the website linked below and have a look at the picture. It is a picture of woman, and the woman's name happens to be Mona Lisa. You may have heard of her; she's, like, famous or something. Tell us in 1,000 words what is going on in her picture. If you do the best job, we'll give you a check for $250.

http://www.coltranet.com/publish/monalisa.html

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Letters about Literature Student Contest (Urgent)

(News courtesy Terry McNemar)

STUDENT CONTEST!!!!

Grades 4 through 12 and you must hurry!!!!!!!

From Karen Goff at the WV Library Comm., the West Virginia Humanities Council, and the Library of Congress, in partnership with Target presents, ‘Letters About Literature’

How do you enter? Pick a book that has meant a lot to you. Choose something you’ve read recently or long ago, then, write a letter to the author. Tell them what the book has meant to you and how it has changed your view of the world.

YOU ONLY HAVE A FEW DAYS LEFT TO ENTER!!!

FOR MORE INFORMATION: contact Karen Goff at 304-558-3978

Or go to… www.wvcenterforthebook.lib.wv.us

I would be nice to see some of our students in the finals!

Good luck.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Mouth Full of Bullets seeks submissions

(Information courtesy of WV Writers member Jack Hardway.)

If any of you are mystery writers, the almost-new ezine Mouth Full Of Bullets is open for submissions.

The magazine's publisher and acquisition editor is BJ Bourg, a prolific short story writer who is also a Louisiana SWAT officer. Editing is done by WV Writers own Jack Hardway.

The fall issue is still up at http://www.mouthfullofbullets.com. The winter issue will go live on 5 December, with stories by by some writers whose names you might recognize from the pages of print mags like AHMM and Ellery Queen.

Check it out to see if it suits you, and if you have a well-written story you'd like to submit, please check the guidelines page and send it along.

http://www.mouthfullofbullets/submissions_guidelines.htm

We already get a ton of submissions for each issue, and we read every one.