Monday, August 26, 2019

Secrets of Writing a Page-turner, Sunday, Dec 1, in Windsor


Secrets of Writing a Page-Turner
Sunday, December 1, 2019
10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Includes lunch!)
Arrive at 9:30 to check in and for coffee and snacks
Sho – Art Spirit & Performance Centre, 628 Monmouth Road, Windsor, Ontario. (Map here)

Ever stayed up all night reading a book? In this workshop, you’ll learn you how to build that kind of tension.  And we'll help you put into practice the techniques professionals use – on every page and in every kind of story – to create drama and tension.

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: $65 in advance or $75 at the door (Registration includes lunch)

Register online here.
Or reserve a spot now by emailing brianhenry@sympatico.ca
And mail a cheque to:
Windsor International Writers
c/o Sho
628 Monmouth Road, Windsor, ON  N8Y 3L1

See Brian’s complete current schedule hereincluding 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.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Six more places to send your short stories, poetry, reviews and true stories - and more of them pay


Quick Brown Fox Quick Brown Fox welcomes your short stories, poems, and essays about reading, writing, favourite books, and libraries. Read a few essays on the blog to get a taste of what other writers have done (see here and scroll down). Quick Brown Fox also welcomes book reviews – or any kind of review of anything, of anywhere or of anybody. If you want to review your favourite coffee shops or libraries, babysitters or lovers (no real names please), go for it. See examples of book reviews here (and scroll down); other reviews here (and scroll down).

Include a short bio at the end of your piece and attach a photo of yourself if you have one that’s okay.



Literally Stories was created by writers for writers. It exists to showcase a wide spectrum of short story fiction from new writers, emerging writers and more seasoned writers. Stories should be between 500 and 3,000 words.
Accepts submissions on on-going basis; no deadline. Guidelines here.

Shenandoah was founded in 1950 by a group of Washington and Lee University faculty members and undergraduates, Tom Wolfe among them. For a brief time, it was primarily an undergraduate magazine, but under the leadership of student editor Tom Carter, Shenandoah became a quarterly, publishing a cast of international writers including e e cummings, Dylan Thomas, W. H. Auden, James Merrill, Ezra Pound, William Faulkner, and Flannery O’Connor. 
Shenandoah aims to showcase a wide variety of voices and perspectives in terms of gender identity, race, ethnicity, class, age, ability, nationality, regionality, sexuality, and educational background. We’re excited to consider short stories, essays, excerpts of novels in progress, poems, comics, and translations of all the above.  Pays: $100 per 1,000 words of prose up to $500. 
Deadline: For the fall 2019 reading period, Shenandoah is be open for prose submissions (short stories, essays, and novel excerpts) from August 15 to September 15 and poetry submissions from November 15 to December 15. We accept COMIC submissions all year. 
Accepts a maximum of 800 submissions, so send your piece ASAP.
If you miss this submission period, then try again later. Guidelines here.

Arc is a Canadian poetry magazine that’s been around for 40 years. It pays $50 per page for poetry or prose published in the magazine. $50 per webpage for online reprints on the website. $50 per column for How Poems Work. 
Reading periods: submissions received from September 1 to December 31 will be read for the Summer issue
submissions received from April 1 to July 31 will be read for the Winter issue
Guidelines here.

As always, Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for true stories for upcoming anthologies.
The Golden Years or Second Wind – Deadline Sept 30, 2019.
Laughter is the Best Medicine – Deadline Sept 30, 2019.
You Go, Girl! – Deadline Dec 15, 2019
Stories about Self-Care and Me Time – Deadline Dec 31, 2019.
The Magic of Cats – Deadline Jan 15, 2020.
The Magic of Dogs -         Deadline Jan 15, 2020.
Stories About Christmas – Deadline Jan 30, 2020.
Listen to Your Dreams – Deadline Feb 28, 2020.
Pays $200, publication, and 10 author copies. 
Guidelines here.

Hi, Brian,.
Would you be able to add this to Quick Brown Fox.
Thanks so much.
Nikki

Voices of Older Adults, a project funded by the City of Burlington, is calling for submissions from anyone living in Burlington who is age 55+. The theme of the anthology is Voice. We are open to short stories, fiction or non-fiction 500-1,000 words for consideration or a poem. 
Submissions should be emailed to blueheron123@sympatico.ca
with submission typed in the subject line. There is no payment but every participant will receive a complimentary copy of the book.


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 my Facebook page (here). 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


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, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Writing Kid Lit workshop with Kids Can Press senior editor Yasemin Uçar and children’s author Jennifer Mook-Sang


Writing for Children and for Young Adults
  ~ The world’s hottest market
With Kids Can Press senior editor Yasemin Uçar 
and children’s author Jennifer Mook-Sang

Saturday, October 5, 2019
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Centennial Hall, Burlington Central Library, 2331 New Street, Burlington, Ontario (Map here.)

If you want to write the next best-selling children’s books or just want to create stories for your own kids, this workshop is for you. Learn how to write stories kids and young adults will love and find out what you need to know to sell your book. We'll be quite a small group, so be sure to bring all your questions – we'll have lots of time for interaction.
Special option: You may, but don't have to, bring 3 copies of the opening couple pages (first 500 words) of your children’s book or young adult novel (or up to 750 words if that gets you to the end of your picture book or to the end of your first chapter.) If you’re not currently working on a children’s story, don’t worry, we’ll get you started on the spot!
Note: Following the formal end of the workshop at about 3:45, Yasemin will stay around to chat with you one-on-one and Brian will stay till 4:45 to help with your opening pages.

Guest speaker Yasemin Uçar is a Senior Editor at Kids Can Press. Yasemin has been a children’s book editor for over two decades. She worked at Scholastic Canada before moving to London, UK, in 2001, where she worked as a Senior Editor at Piccadilly Press. In 2006, she moved back to Toronto and worked as a freelance editor for a number of years before joining Kids Can Press in 2012.
Yasemin has worked with many popular and award-winning authors and illustrators, including internationally bestselling author Louise Rennison, Ashley Spires, Chieri Uegaki and Caroline Adderson.

Guest speaker Jennifer Mook-Sang grew up in Guyana and moved to Canada when she was fourteen. While reading bedtime stories to her two sons, she fell in love with picture books and decided to write one of her own. In one of Brian Henry's classes she found the beginnings of a story. That story grew into the humorous middle-grade novel Speechless, published by Scholastic Canada.
Speechless won the Surrey Schools Book of the Year Award, was shortlisted for many others, and was recommended by the Ontario Library Association, the Canadian Childrens’ Book Centre, the CBC, and the TD Summer Reading Club. 
Since then, Jennifer has also published a picture book, Captain Monty Takes the Plunge, with Kids Can Press. Captain Monty is the boldest, stinkiest pirate to sail the six or seven seas; in fact, he’s never had a bath. Naturally, the Junior Library Guild immediately selected him for its fall list of recommended books; it was short-listed for the Rainforest of Reading Award; and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre put it on its best books of the year list.
Jennifer has discovered another facet of being a children's author: she's traveled across Canada speaking to hordes of kids about her writing journey; encouraging them to read, write, and revise. Who knew that Brian's nudging to read aloud to the class would come in so handy someday?
Jennifer lives in Burlington, Ontario. You can find out more about her here. 
Speechless is available online here. And Captain Monty Takes the Plunge is available here. And of course they’re both available in book stores everywhere.

Workshop leader 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 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. 
Read reviews of Brian’s classes and workshops here.

Fee: $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

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’s complete current schedule hereincluding 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.

Friday, August 23, 2019

“A Leap of Faith,” by Sheena Whitworth




It started when I got into a relationship with a scuba diver who encouraged me to join him in the sport, unaware of one of my biggest fears. I was terrified of putting my head under water.

Having decided to give it a go or at least go through the motions, I knew my first big challenge would be the required giant stride to get into the water. YouTube came to my rescue. Watching it over and over again in both regular and slow motion, I realized that it could be done and astonishingly enough, people even resurfaced. At least they did on YouTube.

My fear was that I wouldn’t step out far enough, my tank would catch on the side of the pool, the force of which would cause my head to slam back against the unforgiving concrete, causing a concussion or even sudden death. I had never jumped into any body of water before.

Rather than getting wet, I started my scuba training by studying for the written part and spent many a sleepless night visualizing myself over and over again doing this giant stride. Thank goodness for Mark, my mentor, supporter, encourager, fear-slayer, teacher, and experienced diver. His patience in preparing me for the test knew no limits, much like my fear!

I couldn’t put off the practical side of diving forever, and when I finally showed up for my lesson, I made sure to be first in line to grab a cold, damp wetsuit so I could head off to a corner to try and squeeze myself into it, unwitnessed. I pulled and yanked, did a bit of a shimmy, got it to my waist, struggled to get my arms in and proudly zipped it up. Mission accomplished.

“Hey Sheena,” yelled the instructor from the other side of the pool, bringing all eyes to me, “Looks great but the zipper goes up the back.”

Why don’t they tell you these things?   I had to peel it off which turned out to be almost as difficult as getting into it and start again. Whoever invented the back zipper may have had good reason for it, but it’s not easy without wrenching a shoulder out of its socket trying to zip it up.

“Okay, everyone line up at side of the pool, look below to make sure it is clear on the count of three and take a giant stride” were the instructions.


Everyone took that giant stride and resurfaced. Except me. I stayed put. All eyes were on me again. My knees shook and my heart raced as I wobbled back and forth on my fins. I tried to remain perfectly still and upright, worrying that if I leaned slightly forward I might accidentally just tip in, but if I leaned back even slightly, the weight of the tank strapped to my back would pull me over backwards. Paralyzed with fear, I absolutely could not take that one simple step into the water.

“Push me,” I whispered to an instructor behind me. He didn’t seem to understand my very simple request so I repeated it more clearly and with authority. He pushed and I was in. It wasn’t elegant and I think I tipped more than I strode, but I was in the water.

If I had only known that wouldn’t be the last embarrassment, I think I would have just called it quits, said, “Thanks but no thanks, this is not for me”.

There were some positives. The air was actually getting from that tank into my lungs, and if I could only stop hyperventilating, I would be feeling pretty confident.

Always two steps behind the rest of the class, I realized there were no heads still above water. The rest of them were at the bottom of the pool, mastering the art of buoyancy control. How the hell was I going to get down there to join them?   I had missed the instructions whilst I was in ecstasy realizing I could breathe.

I recalled some kind of button I could push which would empty my BCD (buoyancy compensation device) of air, which theoretically would lead me to descend slowly enough to allow me to equalize the pressure in my ears.  I pushed it. Nothing happened. I was too buoyant. Maybe they hadn’t given me enough weights?  The unpleasant thought popped into my head that the reason I was so buoyant wasn’t because I was so light, but because I was too flabby.

I pushed my BCD button again and kept my finger on it till all the air hissed out. Do not try this in the ocean. I sank like a stone. Also, with all my hyperventilating, the air in my tank was going down rapidly.


Another thing I had missed was being assigned a buddy. I looked around and counted. There were an uneven number of participants and, arriving late to the party, I was the odd one out. I was told to make a threesome with two lovely young girls. I could have been their mother. They took pity on me instantly, probably glad their own mothers were safely holed up at home drinking tea and watching soap operas. I grew to love those two girls.

I had mastered nothing so far and we were already moving on to how to deal with a situation where our regulators were knocked out of our mouths either by a rogue shark deep below the ocean or another diver’s flailing fins.

We were to begin by taking as deep a breath as possible to fill our lungs with air. Then we were to remove the regulator from our mouths and fling it behind us without a care in the world that our only source of life-sustaining air was God knows where.

The other divers were able to calmly reach behind, grab their regulators and resume breathing. Not me. In my panic, I couldn’t find the damn thing. The more I reached behind me and turned towards it, the more it floated teasingly away from me. It always remained the same distance away from my desperate fingers. One lungful of air doesn’t last very long.

Those lovely girls swam around behind me, smiling encouragingly, got my regulator and passed it to me. They watched as I almost choked on the water I had accidentally swallowed and demonstrated how I should have cleared my regulator of said water before greedily gasping for one more lungful of air. They gave me a thumbs up or a high five every time I accomplished something. I considered changing my will in their favour.

Those two wonderful human beings were at my side every step of the way, retrieving things for me, fixing things for me, demonstrating things and I was too polite to say, “Thank you but I really should do it myself because if we’re not all traveling on dive trips together, I’ll be in trouble.” That would be ingratitude at its highest.

We had to practice safe ascents by adding a little (I emphasize the word “little”) amounts of air into our BCDs. In my defence, I would like to say “little” is very subjective. I basically pushed on the add air button with enough force to launch a space shuttle. I shot to the surface of the pool. I was so proud of myself. I had actually accomplished this way before the others had been able to. I gave myself an imaginary pat on the back.


My instructor almost lost it. I should mention I called this particular instructor Bitch Woman. “RE YOU INSANE?” she shouted. “DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT WOULD BE IF YOU ASCENDED THAT WAY FROM  100 FOOT UNDER THE OCEAN?”  

She only ever spoke in capitals, at least to me. I managed to sneak off and join another instructor’s group when she wasn’t glaring at me. She tried to call me back but my ears must have been plugged.

Another challenge for me only was the endurance test. I am neither a strong swimmer nor a good swimmer. My dad had taught me. He didn’t really teach me how to swim but more how to propel myself through the water, with my head safely above it at an uncomfortable angle. This had served me well enough to this point.

The lengths we swam were counted on an honour system. I am normally an honourable person but in this case, honesty was sure as hell not going to pay off.

We had to do 15 lengths, and I knew 8 was my limit. Of course, I went at a fraction of the speed of everyone else so when they were done, I did three more to make it look legitimate. So in total, I did 5 lengths in the time everyone else did 15, and then 3 more for good measure. I was exhausted.

A lot of the other skills we covered, to be honest, are lost in a maze of humiliation. “Mask clearing” is a prime example. Even those words still send shivers up my spine and cause my stomach to churn. It sounds so simple. Let a little water seep in through the top of your mask. Press gently on the seal of the mask at the top and blow through your nose to let that very same water leave the bottom of your mask. I tried and I tried. I constantly breathed in through my nose instead of out, sending chlorinated water into my nasal passages, causing me to panic and dash to the surface of the water. I could not do it. It was absolutely impossible.

Like all slow learners, I had to stay behind class for extra help with a lovely instructor Sam. He was so encouraging I felt the tiniest bit of confidence seeping in, along with the water into my mask.

My problem is I’m a nose breather so I breathed in through my nose when I should have been breathing out through it to dispel that pesky water. I was supposed to stay under water once I cleared my mask for a count of, I don’t remember what. If it was ten, I got to three. Sam finally passed me but emphasized I should really practice this before jumping off a dive boat in the Caribbean.

The afternoon was spent on theory. I had studied so hard for the theory portion I could have taught the course myself. Nevertheless, I kept my cockiness under control, double-checked my answers and was the last to hand in my test. Sam was marking them and we had built up quite a rapport in that final mask clearing session. He looked up and sadly said, “Oh Sheena, just two points!”

My heart sank. I really had to give up and take up crocheting or bridge, anything on land.

“I failed by two points! Fuck!” I said. I couldn’t hold that last word in. I was so disappointed.

“No! Two points short of 100%!” 

I wanted to marry him. I looked around the class waiting for the applause or a small medal ceremony. My two cheerleaders from the pool were just as thrilled as I was. I really should change my will.

I had made it through one day of humiliation and torture. One more day to get through.

Mark picked me up, very excited to know how I had done. I burst into tears. I was so exhausted, humiliated, disheartened, all I could do was cry.

The next day I told him I would drive myself. “Are you actually going to go?” was his response.

“No. I’m going to buy a large coffee, a box of donuts, and wait the day out in my car. Maybe get a couple of gossip magazines to pass the time. Then I will go inside to the bathroom, wet my bathing suit and towel, dunk my head under water, and head home.”

Mark tilted his head doubtfully.

In truth, I may be pretty pathetic at many things, but I don’t give up easily. Of course, I was going to my second day of training.

Sheena Whitworth is a newcomer to writing. She is drawn to humour but also has a dark side. Anticipating more free time in retirement, she’s decided to try her hand at writing. Also, she (almost) conquered her fear of water by learning to scuba dive.


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.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Congratulations to Sue Williams – her memoir, Ready to Come About, is doing great!


Hi, Brian.
Don't know if you saw it or not, but my memoir, Ready to Come About (Dundurn Press) which, as you know, is endorsed by Miriam Toews, was recently chosen as a 2019 "Summer Read" by the Globe and Mail! 
Not only that, it's now a staff pick at Guelph Indigo and a BQHR (Bookshelf's Quite Highly Rated) book at The Bookshelf bookstore in Guelph. (See the tag in which they say my book is outselling Michelle Obama's! :-)  
So ... it's doing really well out of the gate, partly thanks to your amazingly practical and inspiring courses in creative writing early on.
Sue Williams

Update: Ready to Come About has now been endorsed by four different bookstores and is a staff pick at two libraries. And it's on the roster of a few different book clubs and being considered for several others. So … yay!

Ready to Come About is available at bookstores and online here.
For information about submitting to Dundurn Press, see here.

New weekly courses start in September and there are still spaces in most of them. Check out the details 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.



Monday, August 19, 2019

Four agents at Stimola Literary seek picture books, middle grade, young adult books

Some Places More Than Others by Renee Watson
represented by Stimola Literary

Stimola Literary Studio
308 Livingston Court
Edgewater, NJ 07020

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in the Follow Brian by Email box in the right-hand column under my bio and get each post delivered to your Inbox. To get on my newsletter list, send me an email, including what city you're in or near to brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian

Stimola Literary has six agents on staff, four of whom are seeking new authors. At present, they are most interested in:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
represented by Stimola Literary
·        Author/ illustrators
·         Great Read Aloud texts and ones that put a new spin on evergreen topics
·         Humorous middle grade, especially for boys
·         Spare of language/illustrated picture books for the very young
·         Middle grade/young adult mysteries with a fun “puzzling” dimension
·         Young adult novels: contemporary, fantasy, fantasy with historical underpinnings, mystery/thrillers
·         Multi-cultural middle or teen fantasy (African, eastern, middle eastern)
·         Magical Realism
·         Graphic novels for early, middle and YA
·         Picture book biography
·         Nonfiction, with crossover appeal in adult markets
·         And, just to keep things interesting… we are also looking to add to our growing list of parenting and cookbook titles with unique concepts and niche market appeal!
·          
They are not interested in:
  • Picture book texts of 1,000 words or more
  • Fables, folklore or traditional fairy tales
  • "Mood pieces"
  • Stories for "all ages"
  • Educational workbooks/activity books
·         Nonfiction for institutional markets

Allison Hellegers is the newest member of the team is, and like all new agents, she needs authors.
Alli received her degrees in Journalism and Women's Studies at UW-Madison. She also spent a semester abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris. Alli also volunteered with the non-profit Girls Write Now, and empowering teen girls became one of the biggest drivers in her career. After working with the YA packager, Alloy Entertainment, Alli spent the last 10 years as Foreign Rights Director with Rights People.
She also co-agents picture books, middle-grade and young adult novels on behalf of foreign publishers and agencies (international, British, and Australian) to represent authors in North America. Therefore, her taste leans towards books that have film/TV and/or translation appeal and take the reader on a journey. Alli loves nature, music and spending time with her friends, husband, young son (a new reader!) and her rescue mutt in Brooklyn.
Alli is looking for picture book, middle-grade and young adult submissions. She wants “strong, real voices (#ownvoices a plus!) diverse stories, gut-wrenching romance (including all LGBTQ+), coming-of-age family dynamics/drama, immersive speculative fiction, charming magical realism, quirky humor, witty psychological thrillers, and/or any book that will completely surprise me.”
Alli’s sweet spot is YA/adult crossover, as she loves books that both teens and adults can equally enjoy. She’s drawn to darker, more subversive issues and also loves feel-good escapist rom-com. Any book that plays with narrative structure and layout is a plus!
Her picture book taste leans towards author-illustrator talent with contemporary appeal, humor, and heart.
She’s not accepting queries for adult books, though she will accept referrals from clients and industry professionals for adult fiction and non-fiction, including literary and commercial fiction and political/feminist/artist nonfiction and memoirs.
To query Alli, go to Stimola's online submissions form (and full guidelines) here.

Allison Remcheck is most interested in middle-grade and YA fiction. In particular she wants fantasy grounded in reality with series potential; contemporary with a focus on current issues and diversity without being didactic; contemporary teen girl romance and coming of age; mystery and psychological thriller; and YA fiction with cross-over adult or new adult appeal.
She is also open to historical fiction, especially with a medieval or early 20th century backdrop.
She is not not interested in high fantasy, paranormal, chapter books for younger readers, nonfiction picture books, or non-author/illustrator picture books.
To query Allison, go to Stimola's online submissions form (and full guidelines) here.


Peter Ryan is only looking for graphic novels. He wants everything from the classic adventure to the truly weird and wacky, ranging from Middle-Grade up to Adult.  Specifically he wants stories of diversity, LGBTQ issues, coming of age and stories that elevate under-represented voices and talents.
To query Peter, see Stimola's full submission guidelines and online submissions form here.


Adriana Stimola wants adult nonfiction. Specifically, she’s looking for cookbooks, and books about wellness, spirituality and lifestyle. She is most interested in stories that celebrate food, food cultue, and food history and books that highlight mindful and modern approaches to life and parenthood.  Check out her blog here
To query Adrina, see Stimola's full submission guidelines and online submissions form here.

If you’re interested in getting published, now or sometime in the future, don’t miss our upcoming How to Get Published workshop with literary agent Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists, Saturday, Sept 21, in Barrie (see here). How to Get Published will also be offered Saturday, Nov 23, in Niagara on the Lake with literary agent Stephanie Winter of P.S. Literary. For details, email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Literary agent Stephanie Winter
Also, don’t miss Plotting Novels & Writing Short Stories, Saturday, Sept 14, in Toronto (see here) and Writing for Children and for Young Adults with Kids Can Press senior editor Yasemin Uçar and children's author Jennifer Mook-Sang at the Burlington Central Library, Saturday, Oct 5. Details here.

But the best way to grow as a writer may be with a weekly course. This fall, there will be a full range of courses on offer, beginner to advanced:

Oakville Central Library: Welcome to Creative Writing, Thursday evenings, Sept 26 – Nov 28 (no class Oct 31). Details here
Toronto: Writing Personal Stories, Friday afternoons, Sept 27 – Nov 29 (no class Nov 1). Details here.
Burlington: Writing Personal Stories, Thursday afternoons, Sept 26 – November 28 (no class Oct 31).  Details here.
Burlington: Next Step in Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, Sept 24 – Dec 11 (no class Oct 8 or Nov 5). First readings emailed Sept 17. Details here.
Toronto: Intensive Creative Writing, Friday mornings, Sept 20 – Nov 8. First readings emailed  Sept 13. Details here.
Georgetown: Intensive Creative Writing, Wednesday evenings, Sept 18 – Dec 11 (no class Oct 9). First readings emailed Sept 11.  Details here
See details of all the fall courses here.

And don’t miss …
“You can write great dialogue,” Sunday, Oct 20, in Sudbury (see here) and How to Write a Bestseller with New York Times #1 bestselling author Kelley Armstrong, Saturday, Oct 26, in Waterloo (see here).
The Briars
Plus…
November at the Briars Writing Retreat
Friday, November 1 – Monday, November 4; four days of creativity in a setting that provides the warmth of a country estate steeped in history while providing all the benefits of an extensive, modern lakeside resort. Details here.

To reserve a spot in any upcoming weekly course, weekend retreat, or Saturday workshop, email Brian at: 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, 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.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for more interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.