Gone Fishing

Expect postings to be sporadic till some time after Labour Day. 

Have a great end of summer, everyone!

New book: Treason and Trouble by Molly Fraser

Hi, Brian.

I am pleased to announce that Treason and Trouble, the second novel in my Rulers and Magians series has been released by Solstice Publishing.

It continues the story of Lyta and Quilin who are now ruling Aldea together. As the title suggests, their lives do not pass without trouble. Their first child died as a baby. Then they hear that Erle Rurrik, the nobleman who kidnapped Lyta, has escaped from exile and believe he is behind the treasonous slaying of the current Falgan ruler. How far will this evil man go to gain power? And will Aldea be drawn into any future conflict?

Treason and Trouble is available on Amazon.ca here in both paperback and Kindle . If you haven’t read the first novel about Lyta, then look for Blade and Blood on Amazon.ca here.  Both books are written under my pen name Molly Fraser.

Yours, 

Barbara

Hey, do you have a book you want to promote? I’m always glad to help by posting an announcement on Quick Brown Fox (though sometimes it may take a while). Just send me an email that I can post to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca 

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Write2Xpress contest for young people in Oakville

This year's image, by Paul "CoolHat" French

Write2Xpress is an annual creative writing contest open to teens in grades 7 through 12 in Oakville, Ontario. Participants are given an image as a prompt on which to base their writing, and categories for entries include short story and poetry. The contest opens Aug 26, 2018; deadline Oct 21, 2018.

Prizes are awarded to winners in each category (short story and poetry) in three different age groups: grades 7–8, 9–10, and 11–12.

Participants can find out more details and submit their work here.

The aim of Write2Xpress is to provide teens with an opportunity to express themselves creatively, in an environment that values literacy, learning, respect, and support. This is a unique opportunity where teens can engage with their peers and the literacy community, as well as providing access to resources and information.

Judges:
Brian Henry has been a book editor, author, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers and is the author of numerous book reviews, articles, and opinion pieces for the National Post, The Toronto Star, Books in Canada, The Jewish Tribune, The Canadian Jewish News, and numerous websites. He’s also the author of a children’s version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing Inc). But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published and launch their careers as authors.

Shelly Sanders spent twenty years writing for national publications in Canada, including Maclean’s, Reader’s Digest, the Toronto Star, and Canadian Living before deciding to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. Inspired by her grandmother’s experiences as a Russian Jew who escaped a pogrom and fled to Shanghai, she began work on Rachel’s Secret. Three years, four creative writing courses at the University of Toronto, and thirty drafts later, it was accepted by Second Story Press. Rachel’s Secret received starred reviews in Booklist, was an iTunes Book of the Week, and was chosen as a Notable Book for Teens, by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Shelly has since gone on to complete the trilogy with Rachel’s Promise in 2013 and Rachel’s Hope in 2014.

Leah Bobet is a novelist, editor, and bookseller with Bakka-Phoenix Books, Canada's oldest science fiction bookstore. Her novels have won multiple awards, with her most recent, dustbowl literary fantasy An Inheritance of Ashes, receiving the Prix Aurora Award, the Sunburst Award, the Copper Cylinder Awards, and an Ontario Library Association 2015 Best Bets selection and being shortlisted for the Canadian Library Young Adult Book Award and the Cybils Award. Leah lives and works in Toronto, where she makes a lot of jam, knits sweaters, and is learning game design. 

The Awards Night/Celebration will be held

Thursday, November 15

Queen Elizabeth Park Community & Cultural Centre

7:00 – 8:45 pm

 With guest speaker Cheryl Xavier

Cheryl Antao-Xavier followed her passion for the written word in a 30-year career in the publishing industry in positions ranging from author, editor, proofreader, desktop design, and publisher. In 2008, she set up In Our Words Inc., a Canadian publishing company, and to date has helped over a hundred authors bring their creative dreams to fruition. Cheryl writes poetry, non-fiction, and kids' books. Her poetry collections are, Dance of the Peacock: a collection of poems, 2008; Bruised but Unbroken: poems, 2017. Her children’s book series entitled Life in Maple Woods, 2014. She is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, the League of Canadian Poets, and the Heliconian Club. She is the founding chair of the Literary Circles in Streetsville and Courtneypark. She initiated a reading program called 'The Red Bench--a place to read.'

More about Write2Xpress here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops,weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Welcome to Creative Writing course, Sept 27 – Nov 29, in Oakville

Welcome to Creative Writing

Ten weeks of discovering your creative side

Thursday afternoons, 12:45 – 2:45
September 27 – November 29, 2018
Woodside Branch of the Oakville Public Library
1274 Rebecca St, Oakville, Ontario

See all 6 courses starting this fall here.

 This is your chance to take up writing in a warm, supportive environment. This course will open the door to writing short stories and writing dialogue, writing in first person and writing in third person, writing just for fun and writing all kinds of things. 

You’ll get a shot of inspiration every week and an assignment to keep you going till the next class. Best of all, this class will provide a zero-pressure, totally safe setting, where your words will grow and flower.

  

Instructor 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's helped many of his students get published.

Note: For reviews of Brian’s introductory creative writing classes, see here (and scroll down). See other reviews here.

Fee:  $176.11 plus 13% hst = $199

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

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

Seven literary agents at Irene Goodman Agency seek new authors

Kin by Lili St. Crow, represented by
Irene Goodman Agency

Irene Goodman Literary Agency

27 W 24th St

# 700B

New York, NY 10010

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

Irene Goodman and her agency has been around the publishing world for more than 30 years. All seven agents are open to new authors, including Irene herself (though I suspect she doesn’t take on as many new authors as she used to).

Whitney Ross joined Irene Goodman in 2018. Previously, she 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 plot lines.

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.

Like all new agents, Whitney needs authors.

Query Whitney at: whitney.queries@irenegoodman.com

Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Maggie Kane was born and raised in northern Michigan and received her BA in English and Humanistic Studies from Saint Mary's College in 2016. She then moved to New York to pursue a career in publishing. Maggie has since interned with Gelfman Schneider and ICM Partners as well as Inkwell Management.

Maggie is 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.

Like all new agents, Whitney needs authors.

Query Maggie at: maggie.queries@irenegoodman.com

Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Kim Perel has a combined decade of experience in magazine and book publishing. She began her career at Forbes magazine working in an editorial capacity, and later worked as an advertising copywriter. For over five years Kim was an agent at Wendy Sherman Associates where she conceptualized sold, and even authored numerous books for major publishers.

Kim is passionate about discovering fresh voices and championing debut writers.

She holds an MFA degree in Creative Writing from The New School where she studied with world-renowned professional writers in the areas of fiction and nonfiction. She also received her undergraduate Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. In her spare time, she co-curates the popular H.I.P. Lit event series.

Kim is looking for all types of literary and upmarket fiction, as well as high-concept commercial fiction; she can't resist a strong voice, atmospheric writing, or a unique hook. She is open to platform-driven nonfiction as well as select nonfiction in the areas of lifestyle, wellness, and narrative nonfiction.

Query Kim at: kim.queries@irenegoodman.com

Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Victoria Marini began her career as a literary agent at Gelfman Schneider and ICM Partners before joining the Irene Goodman Agency in 2016. Originally from rural Pennsylvania, she worked at an orchard, before moving to New York and earning her degree in English and Comparative Literature at Pace University. 

Victoria is interested in both Literary and Commercial Middle Grade, Young Adult and Adult fiction. From contemporary to magical realism to sci-fi/fantasy and dramatic suspense, she is always looking for unforgettable off-the-page characters, compulsive stories, and unique voices. She is a sucker for weirdness, atmosphere, secrets, things that go bump in the night, a bit of whimsy, a twist of magic, or a dash of humor.

Query Victoria at: victoria.queries@irenegoodman.com

Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Barbara Poelle began her publishing career as a freelance copywriter and editor before joining the Goodman Agency in 2007, but feels as if she truly prepared for the industry during her brief stint as a stand-up comic in Los Angeles. 

Barbara has found success placing thrillers, literary suspense, Young Adult and upmarket fiction and is actively seeking her next great client in those genres, but is passionate about anything with a unique voice. Barbara also writes the column Funny You Should Ask, in Writer's Digest.

Query Barbara at: barbara.queries@irenegoodman.com

Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Miriam Kriss, Vice President of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, has been a literary agent since 2004 with a focus on all genres of commercial fiction. She represents everything from hardcover historical mysteries to all subgenres of romance, from thrillers to science fiction, from young adult fiction to fantasies, and everything in between. If it's fun to read, she probably represents it.

She doesn't look for specific stories, focusing instead on finding a voice she can fall in love with and champion. This strategy of taking on only clients she's passionate about has led to six-figure deals for first-time authors and numerous client appearances on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.

Query Miriam at: miriam.queries@irenegoodman.com

Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Irene Goodman  has sold over 1500 books and counting. Her clients are regulars on the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Bookscan bestseller lists. She began her career as the assistant to the agent who represented Stephen King, and established her own agency shortly after that. Her fiction list includes upmarket women's fiction, middle grade, young adult, thrillers, historical fiction, and mysteries. Her non-fiction list includes pop culture, Jewish interest, science, self-help, Francophilia, and lifestyle.

Originally from the Midwest and still trying to lose the accent, Irene has a B.A. and a master's degree from the University of Michigan. She and her husband divide their time between New York and the Berkshires, and have two grown children.

Query Irene at: irene.queries@irenegoodman.com

Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Full submission guidelines here.

Yasemin Uçar, Kids Can Press

If you’re interested in Writing for Children & for Young Adults, Brian Henry will lead a mini-conference with  Yasemin Uçar, senior editor at Kids Can Press, children’s author Kira Vermond, and YA author Tanaz Bhathena, Saturday, Sept 22, in Oakville (see here), a Writing Kid Lit weekly course on Friday afternoons, Oct 5 – Nov 30 in Toronto (see here), and a Writing for Children & for Young Adults workshop Saturday, October 12, in Sudbury (see here).

For updated listings of Writing for Children & for Young adult workshops and for weekly Kid lit classes, see here (and scroll down).

If you’re interested in getting published, soon or somewhere down the road, don’t miss the upcoming  How to Get Published workshop Saturday, Nov 17, in Mississauga with literary agent Stephanie Sinclair (see here). 

For updated listing of How to Get Published workshops, see here (and scroll down).

Also coming soon: Writing Conflict: Fight scenes, Dialogue scenes & Love scenes, Saturday, Sept 15, in Toronto (see here), Writing and Revising, Saturday, Sept 29, in St. Catharines (see here), and How to Build Your Story, with author Hannah Mary McKinnon, Saturday, Oct 20, in Kitchener (see here). 

 

The Briars

Two weekend writing retreats :

November at the Briars Writing Retreat, Friday, Nov 2 – Sunday, Nov 4: three precious days of writing bliss. Details here.

Algonquin Writing Retreat, Friday, May 31 – June 3, 2019: four days in the luxurious isolation of Arowhon Pines Resort to get down to some real creative growth. Details here.

In both these retreats, you’ll recharge your creative batteries and get some great writing tips – all in the supportive company of your fellow writers.

This September, Brian is leading a full roster of courses, Introductory to Intense (Details of all six courses here):

Welcome to Creative Writing, Thursday, afternoons, Sept 27 - Nov 9, in Oakville. See here.

Writing Personal Stories, Thursday evenings, Oct 4 – Nov 29, in Burlington. See here.

Writing Kid Lit, Friday afternoons, Oct 5 – Nov 30, in Toronto. See here.

And Intensive Creative Writing, offered in three locales:

Tuesday afternoons, Sept 25 – Nov 27 (first readings emailed Sept 18), in Burlington. See here.

Wednesday evenings Sept 26 – Dec 5 (first readings emailed Sept 19), in Georgetown. See here.

Friday mornings Sept 28 – Nov 30 (first readings emailed Sept 21), in Toronto. See here. 

See details of all six courses here.

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

Read reviews of Brian’s courses, retreats, and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here,  including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, 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.

“This Time it Will Be Different” by Barbara Helen-Hill

The single 40-watt bulb did little to alleviate the dark shadows that danced in the corners of the room Gary rented. Quietly he laced up his boots. He made himself a cup of “mud” from the lukewarm water in the tap and the jar of instant coffee, took one swallow and spit it in the garbage can. Sure could use a pick-me-up.

     Aromas of pungent garlic mixed with the stench of stale urine from the lavatory a few doors down filled his nostrils when he opened the door. He did his best to hold down his stomach as he made his way down the stairs.

     Outside, the sultry heat of the day had started before the dawn had awakened from its moonlit sojourn. His shirt clung to his broad shoulders and sweat trickled down his back as he crept into the street. Still feeling the effects of the alcohol from the night before, his legs quivered and his muscles tightened with each shaky step. He made his way past the garbage-littered yards to begin another long, sweat-filled day of beams, chains, rivets, and noise – noise that would not fill the spaces occupied by her parting words echoing day after day, night after sleepless night.

     His strong muscle-filled back stretched the seams of his faded green shirt, his blue jeans fit snugly to his hips and thighs. Gary was aware that he made the waitress at the Blue Nugget whistle every night when he came in the door. His legs, sinewy from daily climbs up and down the girders, today seemed to drag with every laboured step in his steel-toed boots. His nausea and pounding head made him wish he had left the Nugget a little earlier.

     A sudden gust of wind, like a miniature tornado, swept up the litter of paper, popsicle sticks and never ending dust, then ended as quickly as it had started, taking with it, his hopes for a rain-out.

     Boy I'm dryer 'n a popcorn fart. Ssure wish I had a drink right now. If I had the energy I'd...  Oh hell, I can wait till I get to the job. The boss usually has a few cold ones around.

     Gary made his way to the bus stop, barely noticing the broken bottles that cluttered his path. He took each step as slowly and deliberately as a robot. He had five minutes to wait for the chauffeur driven limo of thirty passengers to cart him to the job – the job he had searched so hard for and now wished was over.

     “Are you an oil rigger?” a woman said from behind him. “My dad was an oil rigger, that black gold, he called it, coming out like, like,” she stuttered, “like, water from a tap an, an, an, he put men to work an, an – ” Suddenly the woman stopped, just like the whirlwind a few minutes before.

     Gary turned to see who had spoken to him.

     She stared back for a millisecond and then started rambling again. “My dad was an oil rigger….” the words tumbleing from her lips with no cognitive effort, expelling thoughts to make room inside her head. Her vacant eyes, like the room he had left minutes before told him nothing and yet volumes. He saw emptiness, and yet, it was as though he could see her thoughts bouncing around inside her head like a pin ball in an arcade. Her once blonde hair, now caked with the dirt and grime of the city, hung in strings around the thin, bony shoulders as she leaned over the shopping cart filled with all her belongings.

     She had draped sweaters and wraps around her body. Her skirts layered over pants covered her frail frame. At first glance, she appeared as though she weighed over two hundred pounds, but Gary saw underneath those layers of clothes that a strong wind could have blown over her frail body.

     Her shopping cart, filled with boxes and newspapers, held everything she owned and kept her weak, spindly legs from toppling over. Her blue eyes darted suspiciously from pillar to post as if she were on the run from some evil tormentor.

     “I'm a high steel construction worker,” he said and then realized he was talking to himself. Her mind had wandered off as she stood rooted to the same spot, forgetting she had asked a question minutes before. She pushed the cart a few inches and stopped when the bus came.

     Her mumbling continued as he moved to climb aboard the bus. Gary sat down by the window and looked for her. Her words repeated themselves in his mind. Gary looked around and noticed that the other passengers had paid no notice. He heard the words, “my dad was an oil rigger,” once more and looked around again, feeling heat rise up from his neck and his face flush. She was nowhere to be seen.

     As the bus pulled away, taking him on his chariot ride down near the river to the new high rise condominium he was helping to erect, Gary settled back into the seat, letting his mind wander. He thought of home. Another day, another dollar. Another night at the Nugget. This time, he thought, it will be different.

Barbara-Helen Hill is a multi-media artist and author of the book Shaking the Rattle Healing the Trauma of Colonization. She is published in Gatherings VI, VII, VIII and IX and X, anthologies that include writings by Native North American and Indigenous people from around the world published by Theytus Books, Penticton, BC.  She is published in anthologies, most recently in Genocide of the Mind, an Anthology by Urban American Indians: One Spirit Living in Two Worlds by Nations Books. Her poem Coyote is part of Onkwawennahson’a “Our Voices” spoken word CD, produced by Six Nations Writers in partnership with Chiefswood National Historic Site and Woodland Cultural Centre.

“This Time it Will Be Different” was originally published as “High Steel” in Talking Stick.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here,  including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.