Love letters ~ Where your fellow writers are getting published

Hi, Brian!

Exciting news! The anthology of “chilling holiday tales for the black-hearted” titled O Horrid Night! which includes my very own piece, “A Ghost Story,” is now available for pre-order from Amazon.ca here. The price is great, too: $0.00 for the Kindle edition or just $18.73 for the paperback.

O Horrid Night! is also on Goodreads and my name is there in the listing as a writer! Check it out here.

Finally, I wanted to let you know that at last I have my website up and running. It has a (very) short bio and some excerpts of my work.

All the best,

Corinne Clark

http://www.corinneclarkwriter.com/

Hi, Brian.

I'm happily passing along the news that two of my pieces are getting some visibility soon. CommuterLit ran my story “Attitude,” and The Globe & Mail published a piece called “Dad’s Workshop” in its daily "Facts and Arguments" space.

All good for the resume!

Regards,

Dave

Read “Attitude” on CommuterLit here, and see links to all eight stories Dave’s published on CommuterLit here. For information on submitting to CommuterLit, see here.

I’ve reposted Dave’s essay originally published in the Globe & Mail on Quick Brown Fox here. For information on submitting a “Facts & Arguments” essay to the Globe & Mail, see here.

Yay, Mary!

Hi, Brian.

I’ve posted on Facebook and Twitter but in case anyone missed it (can’t have that!), you can find  a link to my latest 50-word story here.

It’s a humorous story this time. Please click the “like” button if you do like it – obviously don’t if you dislike it – the site counts the clicks but that’s it (unlike FB which tells who clicked).

And for anyone I told about being a semi-finalist in the John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award – well, boo. I didn’t make it to the final three. Better luck next time I guess!

Mary Steer

For information on submitting to 50-Word Stories, see here.

To see who won the $2,000 John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award and the runners-up, see here, and for information on submitting a story to the Galbraith Awards, see here.

Dear Brian,

I'm excited to tell you that my YA novel Passport Control will be coming out with Merit Press, NY (Editor Jackie Mitchard).

I just signed the other day and I'm thrilled. The book should be out within a year in hard copy and digital and I'll be sure to keep you updated.

All best to you and, yes, I am a fan of Leonard Cohen z'l as well.

Gila

www.gilagreenwrites.com

Author of King of the Class Amazon Kindle

Check out a review of King of the Class here.

Writer to Writer

A Burlington critique group is looking for new members. If you write children's stories – Picture Books to Young Adult – and are interested in joining our group, please contact Dianne Matich at: Dianne@diannematich.com

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

You're invited to three book launches, for Night Noises by Lisa Beere, on Dec 3, for Cloud Messenger by Karen Trollope-Kumar on Dec 4, and for Savannah Escapade by Sheila Gale on Dec 15

Hi, Brian.

Very happy to announce I have entered the world of children's literature with a flourish!
The folks at Crimson Cloak Publishing like my writing style and as a result my first children's book, Night Noises, has just been released in Ebook and soft cover!
For those in the National Capital Region, I hope you will join me at my book launch:

Saturday, December 3, 2016
10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Dovercourt Recreation Centre, upstairs
411 Dovercourt Ave, Ottawa, Ontario

Night Noises is about Sam, who has trouble getting to sleep because of all the sounds he hears. The story demonstrates how Sam's family comes together to show he is loved; and with that, his sister Junie's brainstorm to give Sam her teddy bear helps him finally get to sleep!

A great story for children aged 4–7 who might be anxious about the dark, settling into a new home or preparing for their first sleep away adventure!
Please join us and feel free to forward this email!
Thanks very much!

Lisa Beere

Note: If you miss Lisa's book launch, you can buy Night Noises through Lisa's page at Crimson Cloak publishing here. 

Hi, Brian.

I took one of your writing courses some years ago and got some great insights about my manuscript about my years as a doctor in India. My book Cloud Messenger is finally published! I went with Friesen Press, a self-publishing company – they did a good job.

I want to invite everyone to my book launch:

Sunday, Dec 4

3 pm

First Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton (Map here)

Thanks a lot.

Karen Trollope-Kumar

If you miss the launch, you can still check out Cloud Messenger and buy a copy here. 

Dear Brian,

The day has finally arrived! Savannah Escapade, the third book of the Dottie Flowers series, is about to be launched, and you are invited to attend. The details are attached.

In this book, Dottie Flowers, a businesswoman with a penchant for fine wines, opera, and Harley Davidson motor bikes, flies to Savannah to find Fred Fortune, her former lover, has gone missing. She and her friend Mabel Scattergood discover Fred has been kidnapped by a ruthless crime syndicate who are using him as a bargaining chip to get his brother Rick to pay them the money he owes.

Dottie meets Ernest Palmertree on a Ghost Tour. Ernest, a dedicated vegan, tries to woo her by sending gifts to her hotel. Dottie tries to discourage him, but when Ernest finds a sleeping bag, toothbrush and Fred’s medallion in one of the houses he’s renovating, she enlists his help to find Fred.

Things really start heating up when Mabel disappears. Gripping and fast paced, and spiced with ghostly apparitions, Halloween costumes, and a truckload of squealing pigs,  Savannah Escapade will keep you entertained right to the last page.

The launch is …

Thursday, December 15, 2016
2 – 4 p.m.
Oakville Public Library Auditorium
120 Navy Street, Oakville, Ontario

 Delicious refreshments, courtesy of SGC Catering. 

Please RSVP at sheila.gale8@gmail.com by Thursday, December 8 (sooner, if possible).

We look forward to seeing you at the launch!

Sincerely,

Sheila and Ted

P.S. To all the readers of Quick Brown Fox: I've always been a keen advocate of Brian's workshops and writing courses. Because of his enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge, I persevered, wrote my books and got them published.  Thanks, Brian!
Note:  If you can’t make the launch, you can still purchase copies of copies Savannah Escapade and also of Books 1 and 2 in the series at Sheila’s website here.  

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Three markets paying $150 - $500 for a story, a poetry contest and a call for submissions

The Faerie of Central Park
by Bruce Graw
from TANSTAAFL Press

Tanstaafl Press – Short story submissions wanted for Enter the Rebirth anthology.

Pays 1–8 cents per word

Stories must be less than 8000 words. Stories considered for Enter the Rebirth must be stories about the world coming back to a new stability after any type of apocalypse.

Questions / submissions: submissions@tanstaaflpress.com

Deadline: 15 December 2016. Full submission guidelines here.

Wicked Run Press seeks novella-length addiction-themed horror fiction

Pays $500 per story

The intoxication from a pint of vodka, the electric buzz from snorting cocaine, the warm embrace from shooting heroin – drinking and drugging provides the height of human experience. It’s the promise of heaven on earth, but the hell that follows is a constant hunger, a cold emptiness. The craving to get high is a yearning not unlike that of any other blood-thirsty monster. The best way to tell these truths of addiction is through a story, and dark truths such as these need a piece of horror to do them justice.

“It’s with great enthusiasm that I invite submissions to an addiction-themed horror anthology with an expected spring/summer 2017 publication date. Garden of Fiends is the working title. Submissions should be from 16,000 to 25,0000 words. The publisher will have one title in the anthology, and from 3 to 4 additional works will be included.

Send submissions to: wickedrunpress@gmail.com  

Deadline: 1 January 2017. Details here.

Beverly Akerman's story "Pie"
appears in Gemini Magazine

Hi, Brian.

Gemini Magazine is now accepting entries for its seventh annual Poetry Competitions. The grand prize is $1,000. Second place wins $100 and four honorable mentions will each receive $25. All six finalists will be published online in the March 2017 issue of Gemini. Open to any type of poetry, any subject matter, any length: prose, rhyming, free verse, ballads, sonnets, haiku The entry fee is $5 for each batch of three poems.

Deadline: January 3, 2017. Full submission guidelines here.
Coming in a few weeks: results of Gemini’s eighth annual Flash Fiction Contest. 

Peace, 
David Bright, Editor

Fiyah Magazine: Speculative fiction  and poetry wanted for “Spilling Tea” issue.

Fiyah is a quarterly speculative fiction magazine that features stories by and about people of the African Diaspora.
Pays $150 per story, $50 per poem

Questions and submissions to: submissions@fiyahlitmag.com

Deadline: 1 January 2017 Full submission guidelines here.

The Fieldstone Review, the University of Saskatchewan's online literary journal, is now accepting submissions of creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and reviews for its 2017 issue. The Fieldstone Review welcomes original, previously unpublished work of quality in a variety of styles and genres.

Deadline for submissions is January 15, 2017. Full submission 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. Also, if you’re not yet on my newsletter, send me an email, including your locale, to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~ Brian

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Navigating tip: For more paying markets, go to the Labels for this posting listed below and click on Paying Markets, or Best Paying Markets. In the list of Labels, you’ll also find a links to various other collections of postings.

New literary agent Elizabeth Copps of Maria Carvainis Agency seeks MG and YA fiction, plus a wide range of adult fiction

Bestselling romance author Sandra Brown
and her agent Maria Carvainis

Maria Carvainis Agency
Rockefeller Center
1270 Avenue of the Americas
Suite 2915
New York, NY 10020

http://www.mariacarvainisagency.com/

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. Also, if you’re not yet on my newsletter, send me an email, including your locale to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian

Elizabeth Copps is a relatively new agent at the Maria Carvainis Agency who's actively building her list of authors. Elizabeth migrated from Florida to start her career with Maria Carvainis Agency as an intern in 2010. In 2011 she signed on with the agency as a full-time assistant, and two years later was promoted to Associate Agent. 

Elizabeth Copps

“For me,” says Elizabeth, “the very best books are timeless, thought-provoking, and discussion-spurring. I want to see characters who burst off the page and elicit some sort of emotional response in their readers. There are only so many settings and themes to expound on, but every single person is different which means there are limitless combinations of character traits a writer can play with. That’s pretty amazing. 

"The King said it best regarding what it means to create a complex character: ‘Bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do―to face the fact, let us say, that murderers sometimes help old ladies cross the street.’”

Elizabeth represents a wide range of genres from Middle Grade and Young Adult to adult contemporary fiction (think Maria Semple or Stephen King) and literary fiction, mystery, psychological thrillers, woman’s fiction, historical fiction, and horror, plus select nonfiction projects. She’s equally a fan of hilarious stories and of dark, gritty, and sinister reads.

Check out more information about Elizabeth and what she’s looking for at her LinkedIn page here.

Query Elizabeth at: mca@mariacarvainisagency.com

Include a synopsis of the work and the first five to ten pages.  Full submission guidelines here.

Kelley Armstrong

Brian Henry has a number of outstanding workshops coming up soon: Writing Your Life and Other Personal Stories, Saturday, Dec 3, in Oakville (see here), How to Get Published, Saturday, Jan 28, 2017, in Toronto with Stacey Donaghy of the Donaghy agency (see here), and How to Write a Bestseller, Saturday, Feb 18, in Guelph, with New York Times #1 bestselling author Kelley Armstrong (see here). 

And come the new year, Brian will offer a full slate of classes (details of all six here): 

Exploring Creative Writing, Thursday afternoons, Jan 26 – March 30, Burlington Details here.

Writing Personal Stories, Tuesday mornings, Feb 9 – March 30, Oakville. Details here.

Intermediate Creative Writing, Wednesday evenings, Jan 18 - March 22, Burlington. Details here.

Intermediate Creative Writing, Thursday evenings, Jan 19 – March 23, Georgetown. Details here.

Intensive Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, Jan 25 – March 28, Burlington. Details here.

Extreme Creative Writing, Wednesday afternoons,Jan 25 – March 15, Burlington

See details of all six courses here.

To reserve a spot, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Other workshops coming in the new year include: How to Build Your Story, Saturday, Feb 4, in Mississauga (see here) and Saturday, Feb 11, in Caledon at the Bolton library (see here) and Writing and Revising, Saturday, Feb 25, in Burlington (see here) and Saturday, March 4, in London (see here).

To register of for more information for any of the above, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca 

Read reviews of Brian’s courses and workshops here.

Brian Henry

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Navigation tip: For many more literary agents seeking authors, click on the Literary Agents button at the top of the page, just below the banner. To see only Canadian agents, click on the button in the right-hand column under More Content. To see only agents representing kid’s lit, click on the Children’s/YA agents button in the list of Labels below.

How to Build Your Story workshop: Saturday, Feb 4, in Mississauga, and Saturday, Feb 11, in Caledon

How to Build Your Story

Plotting novels & Writing short stories

Offered in two locales:
Saturday, February 4, 2017

10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Unity Church, 3075 Ridegeway Drive, Unit 8, Mississauga, Ontario (Map here)
And

Saturday, February 11, 2017

10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Albion-Bolton Branch, Caledon Public Library, 150 Queen Street South, Bolton, Ontario (Map here.)

This workshop will show you how writers plot a novel and will give you the best tips on writing short stories. We’ll also look at where to get your stories published and how to win contests. Best yet, you’ll see how to apply the story-building techniques you’ve learned to your own writing.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor 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 Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors. 

See reviews of Brian's classes and workshops here.

Fee for Mississauga: 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 paid in advance by mail or Interac

or 46.90 + 13% hst = 53 if you wait to pay at the door

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Fee for Caledon: 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 + $6 for pizza lunch = $55 paid in advance by mail or in person or 46.90 + 13% hst = 53 + $6 for pizza lunch = $59 if you wait to pay at the door

To pay in advance, make your cheque out to the Caledon Public Library and mail it to:

Attention:  Laura Nolloth, Caledon Public Library, Albion Bolton Branch, 150 Queen Street South, Bolton, ON, L7E 1E3

Or you can pay in advance in person at any Caledon Library branch. (Branch locations here.)

To reserve a spot now, email: programs@caledon.library.on.ca

See Brian’s full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

“Understanding the Science of Change” by Jacqui Henry

Before ... After

Change is a constant whether you're ready for it or not. Change is always here and it's always coming!   It is something we have to live with regardless of race, gender or political leanings.  We are all subject to a slew of life-altering physical, personal and environmental experiences from the moment of conception till our last breath of life. We are all affected by global revolutions in finance, politics and technology accompanied by shifts in migration, which significantly impact our communities and families.

The truth is change will be our constant companion throughout life, so manoeuvring the constant adaptations to our human experience is crucial if we want to win at this thing we all call Life.

Whenever I speak to someone who migrated to Canada 20 years ago or more, all they seem to talk about is the relentless transformation of Canada’s landscape with its ever-increasing tapestry of cultures and races or its ever-expanding metropolises in Toronto, Mississauga, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver.  

“That was all farm land when I first got here” is what you’ll hear people say time and time again – as they bemoan Canada’s disappearing countryside that has been mercilessly usurped by subdivision upon subdivision of cookie-cutter suburbs.  But, mostly they complain of soaring property prices and the cost of the living – however, take a step back and analyze what they’re really saying and you’ll quickly realize they’re  just recounting their experiences of change.  

The overwhelming sense you get from hearing these accounts of earlier migrants to Canada is that their lives today are the direct outcomes of how they faced the constant adjustments to their migrant experience. Consequently, taking a moment to reflect on the impact of change on their day-to-day lives is important, because in this way we can discover what essential life lessons lay hidden in their stories of success, disaster and indifference.

So, what can we ascertain from those further down this path who overcame such perilous tides of change?  Well firstly, attitude is everything! You can, with the right attitude, make change a positive experience and in this manner, rule out the negative.

One approach when faced with a situation you cannot alter is to respond by shifting your attitude.   James Allen wrote about this principle more than 100 years ago in his book, As a Man Thinketh (1903).  He reminds us so that, “A person is limited only by the thoughts that he chooses…” 

This means when you can’t change your situation you should instead change how you think about it and in so doing turn the tables in your favour.  With this simple method applied effectively, you then have the tools to transform your life by changing your perspective.  

The other important rule is to keep calm and carry on. When you see a lot of change it’s easy to panic and make a rash decision in response. Instead, make your decision from a calm rational place, weigh your decision against who you are as a person, your value base and by the goals you set before the change happened. With this approach you may be required to adjust your plans but you don’t have to abandon them.

Give yourself some time to think. One of the known habits of successful people is they take time each day to think!  Really think, giving themselves a designated amount of time each day for considered thought.   We would all greatly benefit from shutting ourselves off from the world for 30 minutes of quiet contemplation each day and in so doing allow the solutions we seek to come in search of us instead of the other way around. We can always find answers but only when we make ourselves available to them.  

Also, those people who really want to win at the game of change will always increase their knowledge – the Internet is here to stay, so why not learn how to use it and begin Skyping friends and loved ones you left back home.

The best way to manage change is to be intentional and stay proactive as a means of keeping pace with life’s many variations.  

In my assessment of the stories I have heard, I have found change generally produces three kinds of people, those who resent change and complain, whine and wallow in self-pity because of it. Then there are those who completely reject it by signing off from life preferring to hang a ‘closed for good’ sign on their door.  And then there are those who regardless of how many times they are knocked down keep rising to the top – armed with determination in one hand and steel-like focus in the other.

People like this take on change as fearless warriors and, despite the obstacles, they triumph at life.   As a newer migrant myself, these are the types of people I am sticking with.  After all they say – “Show me your friends and I will show you your future”.  

So when you see change all around you, try to stay positive – it’s easy to set aside the hopes and dreams you had when you first came to Canada, choosing to put them on the back burner, remembering them only as the crazy ramblings of a mad person.  Change does bring challenges, I will admit that, but it can also come with unexpected opportunities and new prospects, it really just depends on you.

Keep riding the tide now, voyageurs!

Jacqui Henry was born and raised in London, England, but has lived in Toronto for the past six years.  She is very passionate about community and has provided management consultation and leadership to numerous non-profit organizations over many years.  Drawing from her own experience Jacqui is very committed to helping newcomers settle and establish themselves in Canada. This article was first published in African Immigrant Magazine. Check out another of Jacqui's articles on AIM here. 

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.