"As Pearls Might Bleed" by Ted Battye

sparkling drops play upon the pane

glass glimmering in the falling rain

finest gems ne’er gleamed so bright

as daubs of cloud in shards of light

silken webs cast in golden beads

in glist’ning streaks as pearls might bleed

the earth drinks deep to nourish seeds

as the edge of night soft recedes

"Wildflower" photo by Ted Battye

drops keep falling like limitless stars

slow the storm ebbs in the early hours

rain lingers long in our swirling dreams

’til the sun rises in majestic beams

rain diffuses sound and makes us slow

that we might pause to see the flowers grow

if the worst we must ever suffer through

is a little rain count us the lucky few

spring trades showers for blossoms in the sun

to celebrate another hard-fought winter won

come may we’ll find a sunlit bower

amid the warmth and fragrant flowers

’til then go softly in the gentle rain

until we feel sun on skin again

Ted Battye posts his photos here and his poetry here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Bolton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Oakville, Orillia, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

No Malice Intended: One Woman’s Journey From The Depths Of Despair To Acceptance & Surrender by Lorene Albers

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. – Brian

“Imagine, you live a life and lifestyle that most people can only dream about. You have everything a woman could possibly wish for and you’re happy and content. You’re married to your soul mate and your relationship is rock solid.   You’re young, you’re beautiful and you’re happy. Life is good and you have no reason to think that it could change in any way. 

But change is what life is about.  Change can happen at any minute of any given day and change is not always for the better.

This is Stephanie’s story.  The story of an ordinary stay at home mom, living an ordinary life in an idyllic small-town environment in the heart of Virginia. 

Stephanie grew up in Canada. After the bitter loss of the mother she adored, she and her husband, Mark, move to a tiny town in rural USA. Getting used to small town life after having lived in the cosmopolitan city of Toronto is not as difficult as she had anticipated.  Her days revolve around her home, her husband and her beautiful twins.

Mark is a partner in a prestigious and enormously successful advertising firm, with its head office in Richmond. Although he travels extensively, he’s always in touch with his family by phone or email. Mark and Stephanie live in a lovely house, they have the BMW, they have the money, and they have all the perks that come with a successful career.

Lorene

Through one of Mark’s clients, Ken, Stephanie meets his wife, Antonia.  Though they’re entirely different in nature and background, the two women form a deep and lasting friendship. 

But not everything is what it seems and suddenly, out of nowhere, life changes dramatically. Stephanie’s idyllic world is turned upside down.  Her future takes a drastically different course.  Her hopes and aspirations are shattered and her love for her husband has to stand the ultimate test. 

Stephanie’s very life is threatened as she is confronted with the unthinkable. Her only anchor is her deep friendship with Antonia, who is by her side throughout her ordeal and beyond.

This is Stephanie’s story.  A story of love and loss, of happiness and deepest despair and, ultimately, a story of everlasting friendship.

Note: This self-published book is available from Amazon here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Bolton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Oakville, Orillia, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Free sci-fi contest with $1,000s in prizes, literary contest, Northwest Ont contest, and literary call for submissions

The Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest opens Feb. 1st.  Have a piece of unpublished short fiction of 1,200 words or fewer? Submit to the Eighth Annual Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest any day during the month of February. 

The contest is open to writers who have not published a book of fiction. The winning story and two runners-up will be published in the Kenyon Review, and the winning writer will receive a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop.

Entry fee of $18 includes a one-year subscription to KR or extends your existing subscription by a year. Ann Patchett, celebrated author of six novels, including Bel Canto and State of Wonder, will be the final judge. Go short and good luck!

The submissions link will be active February 1st to 28th. Contest details here.

Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW) is seeking entries for its Annual Writing Contest in four categories: poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and young adult fiction story. First prize: $125, second: $75, third: $50 in each category. Entry fee: $10. (Free for NOWW members)

Deadline: March 13, 2015. Guidelines here.

Breach, an upcoming publication of arts writing based out of Vancouver, Canada, is currently accepting submissions for its launch. An online platform for the examination of contemporary art practice as it pertains to wider social issues, Breach seeks to interrogate the intersections between the political and the cultural in a critical and self-reflexive manner. Pretentious shit welcome, particularly essays, reviews, interviews, and other forms that do not easily fit into conventional genres.

Deadline:March 30, 2015.

Writing wanted for an international print collection and mix tape dedicated to our universe: Art / Poetry / Sounds From the Milky Way. Seeking sound pieces (4-5 minutes max.), poetry (4 max.) and art (comics/zines/doodles welcome). “Looking for things that are kinda weird; kinda remixed; definitely underground. Collaborations encouraged. 

Deadline: March 31, 2015.Guidelines here.

L. Ron Hubbard science fiction contest

This is a perpetual free contest for aspiring science fiction writers with a top prize each year of $5,000. Established in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard (science fiction author and founder of Scientology), the contest claims, with considerable credibility, to be "the most respected and significant forum for new talent in all aspects of speculative fiction." 

No entry fee is required, and all rights in the story remain the property of the author. All types of science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy are welcome. No poetry or stories for children.

Entries may not have been previously published in professional media. To be eligible, entries must be works of prose, up to 17,000 words in length.

The Contest is open only to those who have not had professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits.

There are  three cash prizes each quarter: a First Prize of $1,000, a Second Prize of $750, and a Third Prize of $500, in U.S. dollars or the recipient's locally equivalent amount. In addition, at the end of the year the four First Place winners will have their entries rejudged, and a Grand Prize winner shall be determined and receive an additional $5,000. All winners will also receive trophies or certificates.

Four deadlines a year: December 31, March 31, June 30, and September 30.
Winners and finalists may be included in the annual Writers of the Future Anthology. 
There's also an Illustrators of the Future contest for new and amateur science fiction and fantasy artists.

No deadline. Prizes awarded every three months. Guidelines here.

See Brian Henry's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Bolton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

How to Write a Bestseller workshop with NYT bestsellling author Kelley Armstrong, Saturday, June 13, in Toronto

How to Write a Bestseller

With book editor Brian Henry

 & New York Times #1 bestselling author 

Kelley Armstrong 

Saturday, June 13, 2015
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Glenview Presbyterian Church, 1 Glenview Ave, Toronto, Ontario (Map here.)

This workshop will give you the inside scoop on what gives a novel best-selling potential. You’ll learn how to get readers emotionally involved in your story, how to raise tension, control your pacing and keep your readers turning the pages. But you won't just hear about some of the best secrets of the trade; you'll learn how to apply them to give your own writing a sharp new edge.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing teacher for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Moncton. He has helped many of his students get published, including guest speaker Kelley Armstrong...

Kelley Armstrong lives in Aylmer, south of London, Ontario, with her husband and three children. She used to program computers and attend Brian Henry workshops. Now she writes international bestsellers. Kelley has hit the New York Time’s bestseller list with both her supernatural thrillers for adults and her urban fantasy for teens.

Laura Vandervoort and Greyston Holt 

play Elena and Clayton on the set of Bitten

Kelley's principal publishers are Random House Canada, Dutton and HarperCollins in the U.S. and Doubleday in Britain. To date, she's published more than two dozen books, most recently Sea of Shadows a fantasy novel for teens, Visions, a contemporary Gothic for adults, and Otherworld Nights, a collection of short supernatural stories for adults. Bitten, A TV series based on Kelley’s first 13 novels, started broadcasting last year.

Kelley is preparing an entirely new talk for this workshop to give you her best insights into writing a gripping novel and will answer all your questions about her insights into the writing process and her experience becoming a successful author.

Fee: 40.71+ 13% hst = 46 paid in advance by mail or Interac
or 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 if you wait to pay at the door

Reserve a spot now. Email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. – Brian

See Brian Henry's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Bolton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Dan Balow of the Steve Laube Literary Agency seeks Christian literature

Steve Laube Literary Agency

5025 N Central Ave, #635

Phoenix, AZ 85012

http://www.stevelaube.com/

Dan Balow is a 30-year veteran of the Christian publishing industry. He's now an agent with the Steve Laube agency and is looking for authors. 

He was director of marketing for Tyndale House Publishers. Beginning in 1995, he led the publisher’s marketing team for the successful Jerry Jenkins-Tim LaHaye Left Behind series, becoming director of business development for the series (which has sold more than 60 million copies to date). In 2002, he added the role of director of international publishing until leaving Tyndale in 2006.

After stints as publisher for two audio book companies and some publisher consulting, Dan joined the Steve Laube agency in 2013. His publishing background in the business side rather than editorial is perhaps best for authors who need help navigating the shifting sands of publishing. A graduate of Wheaton College, he lives with his wife Carol, in Wheaton, Illinois. Together they have four grown children and one grandchild. 

Follow Dan on Twitter at @danbalow or through the agency blog at www.stevelaube.com where he posts every Tuesday.

Dan is seeking mostly nonfiction for the Christian market, but represents a select number of novelists working in Christian historical, contemporary, Biblical, and futuristic genres.

Query Dan through his assistant at vseem@stevelaube.com 

Full guidelines here.

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. – Brian

Olga Filina

Brian Henry will lead "How to Get Published" workshops in Niagara on the Lake on Saturday, March 7, with literary agent Olga Filina of The Rights Factory (see here) and in Windsor on Sunday, May 31, with Martha Magor Webb of the Anne McDermid Agency (see here). 

Also, Brian will lead a “Writing for Children & for Young Adults” workshop with Anne Shone, Senior Editor at Scholastic Canada, on Saturday, May 2, in Oakville (see here). 

For more information or to register for any workshop or course, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Other upcoming workshops, include "Revising and Editing," Saturday, Jan 31 in Oakville (here), “How to Build Your Story,” Saturday, February 7 in Stouffville (here), Saturday, February 28 in Collingwood (here), Saturday, March 14 in Burlington (here), Saturday, May 9 in London (here) and Saturday, May 30 in Guelph (here), and “How to Make Your Stories Sizzle,” Saturday, February 21 in Mississauga (here).

Weekly courses: Whether you're looking for an introduction to creative writing or you're getting your manuscript ready to submit to an agent, your best bet is a weekly course.  “Writing Personal Stories,” begins Tuesday, January 27, in Oakville (see here).

Then the spring classes start up in April, including “The Next Step in Creative Writing” on Thursday afternoons in Mississauga (here) and on Thursday evenings in Georgetown (here).

For details of other courses starting in the spring, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Read reviews of Brian’s courses and workshops here.

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Bolton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

The CBC Creative Non-fiction contest offers $10,000 in prizes; Fourth Genre offers $1,000 prize

The CBC Creative Non-fiction Contest

Submit your original, unpublished work of creative nonfiction between 1200 and 1500 words.

Competition runs from January 1 to March 1.

All Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada can submit.

While the competition is active, submit online by clicking the "submit" link below or, if you wish to submit by mail, you can download the offline submission form.

A fee of $25.00 (taxes included) for administration purposes is required for each entry.

Prizes: $6,000 grand prize, $1,000 each for four runner-ups, publication in enRoute and more

Creative Nonfiction includes memoir, biography, humour writing, essay (including personal essay), travel writing and feature articles. While the events must be real and the facts true, creative nonfiction conveys your message through the use of literary techniques such as characterization, plot, setting, dialogue, narrative and personal reflection. In works of creative nonfiction, the writer's voice and opinion are evident. The work should be accessible to a general reading audience (i.e., not written for a specialized or academic audience).

Guidelines here.

Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction, a journal devoted to publishing notable, innovative work in nonfiction. Given the genre’s flexibility and expansiveness, we welcome a variety of works ranging from personal essays and memoirs to literary journalism and personal criticism. Published twice a year. Guidelines for submissions here.  

Fourth Genre also calls for submissions for the annual Steinberg Essay Prize

The judge for our 11th annual Fourth Genre Steinberg Essay Prize had been previously announced in Poets & Writers and the Writers Chronicle as the essayist, editor, and beloved teacher Judith Kitchen, who passed away in early November, to the great sadness of her current and former students, friends, and the larger community of essay-writers everywhere. (Read a brief piece here.)

We at Fourth Genre have asked one of Judith’s former students, Kate Carroll de Gutes, to judge this year’s contest in Judith’s spirit. We hope to receive an abundance of lyric essays, but all forms and modes are welcome.

The author of the winning essay receives $1,000; the winning entry will be published in Fourth Genre 18.1 (February 2016). Reading fee: $209 U.S.

Deadline: March 15. Guidelines here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Bolton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Oakville, Orillia, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.