Tuesday, February 27, 2018

How to Write Great Characters, Saturday, July 21, in Guelph

How to Write Great Characters   
Saturday, July 21, 2018
1:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Harcourt United Church, 87 Dean Ave,  Guelph, Ontario (Map here.)

Whatever you're writing ~ fiction or nonfiction ~ readers will care about your story only if they care about your people. In this workshop, you'll learn techniques for creating fictional characters and depicting real people. You’ll learn how to breathe life into the page so that your characters start telling you how the story should go.

What past participants say:

Hi, Brian. I just wanted to thank you for the “Writing Great Characters” workshop on Saturday.  I have been stalled in my writing, and I realized at the workshop it was because I didn't have a clear picture of my character's personality and motives.  Your exercises and handouts have inspired me and I'm happy to say I spent the rest of the weekend writing.  Writer's block conquered (for now, ha)!
Looking forward to all the upcoming workshops.
Marina Unger
Stouffville, Ontario

Brian’s workshops always have new information. Even if I take the same one more than once (which I have), I learn and understand things in different ways. For this workshop, in particular, I especially appreciate the way the character development exercises push my creative side. Of course I enjoy the writing exercise, too, and the helpful feedback on our pieces.  Thanks, Brian!
Angela Michalak
Barrie, Ontario

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 Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors.
Read more reviews of Brian's classes, workshops and writing retreats here (and scroll down).

Fee: 37.17 + hst = 42 paid in advance or 39.82 + hst = 45 if you wait to pay at the door

See Brian’s complete current schedule here,  including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats 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. 

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Short fiction, memoir, reviews, essays, and poetry – including paying markets

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in the "Follow Brian by Email" box to the right under my bio and get each post delivered to your Inbox. Also, you can hang out and chat with Quick Brown Foxes (and vixens) on Facebook. Just send a Friend request to Brian Henry. Finally, if you’re not yet on my newsletter, send me an email, including your locale, to brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian


Quick Brown Fox welcomes short essays about your favourite book(s) and about reading and writing, plus your reviews of books and movies or whatever else catches your eye.  More hereRead how to write a book review (or any kind of review) here.
Deadline: Ongoing – I’m always looking for reviews and essays about books, reading, and writing

Southword is an Irish literary journal featuring poems, fiction and reviews and published biannually by the Munster Literature CentrePays €120  for short stories and €30 per poem.
Deadline: March 15, 2018. Submission guidelines here.


Hippocampus Magazine’s mission is to “entertain, educate, and engage readers and writers of creative nonfiction. Our Books Division is an extension of that goal. Books by Hippocampus seeks to publish compelling, thought-provoking works of creative nonfiction for all types of readers. We want to take a chance on books — memoirs, essay collections, or other personal narratives — that may not yet have found a home because they don’t conform to “traditional” publishing standards, whether in topic, format, voice, or style. We want to publish, as we do in our magazine, memorable creative nonfiction.
See the guidelines for their book division here. See guidelines for submitting to Hippocampus magazine here. (Note submissions to Hippocampus magazine are closed until March 2018.)
Currently, Hippocampus is looking for essays and memoir excerpts for an anthology: Greasy Spoons: Essays on Bottomless Coffee, Homefries, Pie, and Other Things We Love About Roadside DinersPays $40 + 2 contributor copies upon publication. 
Deadline: March 31, 2018. Submission guidelines here.

The Ocotillo Review wants submission for the summer 2018 issue. Short Fiction (1,000 – 4,200 words) pays $50U.S., Poetry (submit up to 5 poems) pays $25, Narrative Nonfiction, and Flash Fiction (500 words or less). Pays $25.
Deadline March 31, 2018. Guidelines here.


Brick Books
PO Box 404, Toronto Station C
Toronto, ON M6J 3P4
Brick Books is looking for poetry manuscripts for publication in 2020.
“Our editors are interested in seeing work from as broad a range of aesthetics and experiences as possible.” They encourage submissions from the usual suspects: Indigenous poets, racialized poets, poets from the LGBTQ community, and poets with disabilities.
Reading period: January 1 – April 30. Submission guidelines here

CommuterLit is looking for short stories, memoir, novel excerpts and poetry (one poem or a series of poems), in any genre, with a word count of 500 to 4,000. “On occasion we will run stories and excerpts up to 12,000 words in length, serializing the story and running it over a number of days — but we prefer stories up to 4,000.”
Deadline: Ongoing – they always need stories. Full submissions guidelines here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats 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.

Friday, February 23, 2018

A Girl Like That by Tanza Bhethena is now available, and you’re invited to the book launch....

Be sure to mark Saturday, March 3, on your calendar for the launch of A Girl Like That by Tanza Bhethena.
Everyone’s invited:
Saturday, March 3
3:00 p.m.
Indigo Erin Mills Bookstore
5015 Glen Erin Drive
Mississauga, ON  L5M 0r7 (Map here)
RSVP to Tanaz at tanazbhathenabooks@gmail.com

If you can’t make it to the launch, A Girl Like That is available at bookstores and from… Amazon Amazon Canada Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Chapters Indigo | Indiebound | BAM | Powells | iBooks | Kobo | Google Books | Book Depository 

Also, Tanaz will talk about A Girl Like That on April 13 at A Room of Your Own, a book club for teen girls in Toronto. For details, see here.

And, along with literary agent Barbara Berson and Simon & Schuster children’s book editor Patricia Ocampo, Tanaz will be a guest speaker at the Writing for Children and Young Adults mini-conference on Saturday, April 21, in Waterloo. For details, click here.

About A Girl Like That…
Zarin Wadia is 16, a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a troublemaker whose romantic entanglements are the subject of endless gossip amongst the girls in her class. When she is found dead after a car accident on the Al-Harameen Expressway in Jeddah, with a Parsi boy who is not a student at Qala Academy, the religious police arrive and everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is called into question.
A Girl Like That explores the themes of love, prejudice and gender discrimination in India and Saudi Arabia – two countries that are struggling to hold on to their traditions even as they adapt to a rapidly changing world – countries where female virtue is still inextricably linked to family honour.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Reviews:

“Bhathena makes an impressive debut with this eye-opening novel about a free-spirited girl in present-day Saudi Arabia.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Bhathena’s lithe prose effortlessly wends between past and present…A powerful debut.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Bhathena does something exceptionally difficult and smart in her first book. She draws in readers with an irresistible “Who is she?” premise, only to dismantle it by showing the rarely seen perspective of a teenage girl living in the Middle East…[T]his is the story of a girl you won’t be able to stop thinking about.” — The Globe and Mail

A Girl Like That is a book which readers will enjoy and will remember long after other novels come and go.” — CM Magazine (****/4)

“A refreshingly nuanced narrative about gender in the Middle East.” — Kirkus

Tanaz
“A Girl Like That is haunting, uncomfortable, and poignant, with persistent characters who stay with the reader, much like the ghosts hovering over the accident at the beginning of the story.” — Quill and Quire

A Girl Like That is a book framed by loss… Zarin continues to be unapologetically herself – a messy, complicated, brave, and lovely person – right up to the end. One of the most important books I’ve read, Bhathena is a unquestionably a writer to watch.”
 — Kinsey Foreman, Odyssey Bookshop, MA

A Girl Like That is unlike any YA book I’ve ever read:  a fascinating and disturbing glance into the gender discrimination and double-standards as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl in Saudi Arabia. It raised awareness for me, and is certain to inspire discussion about equality, justice, and basic human rights.” — Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Small Great Things and Leaving Time

“Vivid, intricately woven, and wholly immersive, A Girl Like That is a debut that will leave you both haunted and hopeful. Tanaz Bhathena is masterful at writing complicated girls and the people in their orbits.” — Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Firsts

“Tanaz Bhathena has a rare ability to take a setting that would be unfamiliar to many and make it so instantly and profoundly relatable. This is a shimmering, glowing, radiant novel.”  — Jeff Zentner, Morris Award-winning author of The Serpent King

“Masterfully constructed and gorgeously written, A Girl Like That is both a page-turner about a ferocious girl fighting the twisted expectations of both family and culture, and a thoughtful meditation on the pain that weighs us down, and the love that lifts us up.”  Laura Ruby, Printz Award-winning author of Bone Gap

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats 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.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Seven literary agents at Irene Goodman Agency seek fiction for Middle Grade, YA, and Adults, and nonfiction

The Unquiet Grave by Sharyn McCrumb,
represented by Irene Goodman Agency
Irene Goodman Literary Agency
New York, NY

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

Irene Goodman began her agency in the loft of a tiny walk-up apartment in New York's Upper West Side in 1978. She had a phone, a typewriter, three clients, and a complete inability to accept the idea that she wouldn't succeed. Since then the agency has grown into a thriving international business, an airy suite of offices in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. 
The agency represents authors at every level – from multi #1 New York Times bestsellers to talented newcomers. The agency represents commercial and literary fiction and nonfiction of all stripes, for the adult, young adult, and middle grade markets. “There is really only one criterion we have,” says Irene, “is how much we love it and believe we can sell it.” 
 All seven  agents at the Irene Goodman Agency are looking for authors.

Whitney Ross is the newest member of the team, having joined the agency this year. Like all new agents, Whitney needs authors.
Whitney worked as an editor at Macmillan for nearly a decade, culminating in her role as a senior editor for Tor Teen, Tor, and Forge. Over the course of her career, Whitney has had the pleasure of editing many talented authors, including Susan Dennard, Cora Carmack, Eric Van Lustbader, Steven Erikson, Katie McGarry, Ann Aguirre, Dan Wells, and Stacey Kade.
Whitney represents middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction across all genres, with an emphasis on historical, SF & fantasy, romance, and contemporary fiction. She is also open to non-fiction submissions in the areas of design, cooking, and fashion.
Whitney loves to read novels set in unusual time periods and locations, whether that involves a fantastical element or not. She is rarely able to resist the trickster king motif, and has a weakness for read-between-the-lines subtle romances. Yet she's constantly surprised by books not on her "wish list," and is always open to stories with compelling characters and emotionally involving plotlines.
Whitney earned her B.A. in English Literature, a B.S. in Entrepreneurship, and an M.S. in Publishing. In her spare time, she enjoys competitive sports such as skiing and shopping, and tasting wines with her winemaker husband.
Include the first ten pages in the body of your email, along with a synopsis (3 – 5 paragraphs) and a bio.

Irene Goodman is particularly interested in fiction that hits the sweet spot between literary and commercial –- it's a captivating story, it has something important to say, it's not hard to read, and it's beautifully structured and written. It can be women's fiction, an intelligent thriller, a fun mystery, historical fiction, or middle grade and young adult fiction. 
She is avidly interested in nonfiction, focusing on pop culture, science, Francophilia, Judaica, and lifestyle. Nonfiction can be for adults, young adults, or middle grade.
Query Irene at: irene.queries@irenegoodman.com
Irene prefers a particular format to queries. First, paste in the first ten pages of the manuscript. After that, include the synopsis. And finally, at the bottom, include the query letter.

Miriam Kriss is passionate about modern urban fantasy, young adult fiction, romance, and all other types of commercial fiction.
Include the first ten pages in the body of your email, along with a synopsis (3 – 5 paragraphs) and a bio



Barbara Poelle is looking for high octane thrillers, edgy mysteries, literary and upmarket fiction and YA.
Include the first ten pages in the body of your email, along with a synopsis (3 – 5 paragraphs) and a bio.



Kim Perel is looking for platform-driven nonfiction in the areas of lifestyle, wellness, memoir, politics and narrative nonfiction. She is also looking for upmarket fiction and literary fiction.
Include the first ten pages in the body of your email, along with a synopsis (3 – 5 paragraphs) and a bio.


Maggie Kane is a junior agent currently interested in middle grade, young adult, and character-driven fiction. She can't resist a twist of the fantastical in unexpected places, and her reading interests are varied, from magical realism and fantasy/science fiction to idiosyncratic family sagas and literary suspense. She'll happily follow a compelling voice wherever it leads.
Include the first ten pages in the body of your email, along with a synopsis (3 – 5 paragraphs) and a bio.

Victoria Marini is looking for commercial and literary Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction as well as upmarket commercial or literary Adult fiction. She represents contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, magical realism, and horror, and select narrative non-fiction. Victoria would not be the best fit for prescriptive non-fiction, new age/religious/spirituality, popular science, new adult, or regency romances.
Include the first ten pages in the body of your email, along with a synopsis (3 – 5 paragraphs) and a bio.

Simon & Schuster editor Patricia Ocampo
If you’re interested in and finding an agent or publisher (someday soon or down the road), don’t miss the How to Get Published workshops on Saturday, Feb 24, in Oakville with literary agent Martha Webb (see here) and on Saturday, March 3, in St. Catharines with HarperCollins editor Michelle Meade and author Hannah Mary McKinnon (see here).

If you’re interested in Kid Lit, be sure to register for the Writing for Children and for Young Adults mini-conference on Saturday, April 21, in Waterloo with literary agent Barbara Berson, Simon & Schuster editor Patricia Ocampo, and Young Adult author Tanaz Bhathena (see here)...
And Writing Kid Lit weekly class, Thursday evenings, April 18 – June 13, in Burlington which will feature guest authors Jennifer Mook-Sang and Kira Vermond (see here).

And don’t miss Writing Your Life with guest Ross Pennie, on Saturday, March 10, in Toronto (see here), Writing Conflict: Fight scenes, Dialogue scenes & Love scenes, Saturday, April 7, in Midland (see here), Secrets of Writing a Page-Turner,  Sunday, April 8, in Sudbury (see here), and Writing With Style, Sunday, April 29, in Brampton (see here).

The hottest ticket of the spring season, though, may be How to Write a Bestseller with New York Times #1 bestselling author Kelley Armstrong on Saturday, March 24, in Caledon at the Bolton Library (see here).

This spring, Brian also offers a full range of weekly writing classes, from introductory to intensive. (Details of all 7 courses here):
Welcome to Creative Writing, Wednesday, afternoons, April 18 – June 13, in Burlington. See here
Writing Personal Stories, Friday afternoons, April 13 – June 8, in Toronto. See here.
Writing Kid Lit, Picture Books to Young Adult,  Thursday evenings, April 12 – June 14, in Burlington. See here.
Next Step in Creative Writing, Thursdays afternoons, April 12- June 14, at the Woodside Library in Oakville. Details here.
Intensive Creative Writing, Friday mornings, April 6 – June 15, in Toronto. See here.
Intensive Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, April 10 – June 11, in Burlington. See here.
Intensive Creative Writing, Wednesday evenings, April 11 – June 13, in Georgetown. See here.
          Details of all 7 courses here.

To reserve a spot in any workshop, retreat, or weekly course, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Read reviews of Brian’s courses and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule hereincluding writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats 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 tips: Always check out the labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. Also, if you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.