Wanted: crime stories; writers seeking community; personal essays, romance, twisted family tales, plus reviews and pieces about reading & writing

Allucinor the latest anthology from
ID Press is available here.

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 our Facebook page. 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

ID Press is an authors-for-authors indie press. ID Press publishes short story anthologies by emerging, grassroots writers who inject new blood into old genre. “Our focus is on the quality of writing brought by a diverse group of authors. We will not be bound by the conservative restraints of genre. Instead we will actively seek stories that entertain and will breathe new life into the literary scene.” 

ID Press is currently looking for crime stories for it’s next anthology: Nefariam: The Element of Crime.

“Give us your unusual. Give us your different. We want a well written crime short story, that twists the readers mind and lingers long after it's been read.”

Deadline: February 28, 2018. Guidelines here.

Running Wild Press describes itself as “a small press bringing great stories from new voices out into the world. Our specialty is stories that push boundaries of genre and perspective.” They’re looking for writers (and artists) who want to be part of their community. To be notified when they’re looking for submissions, they ask you to sign up for their notices here. 

Globe and Mail wants your first person essays

We want you to write for us! The daily First Person essay (formerly called Facts & Arguments) is a great forum for you to share your own experiences, viewpoints and writing flair with other Globe readers. Whether you are young or old, female or male, newly arrived in Canada or deeply rooted here, we want to be inspired by your unique perspective.

A few things we look for are an original voice; an unexpected view; an unfamiliar perspective; humour; vivid details that show us rather than tell us; anecdotes that illuminate a wider theme.

A successful First Person essay may be funny, surprising, touching or enlightening – or all of these. It may present a slice of life or a powerful experience that changed you in some way. It may be a meditation on something that matters to you. It goes beyond a rant, and it is deft in moving from the particular to the universal.

Above all, an essay should be personal rather than political. It must be true, not fictional.

Here are some recent essays we thought were very successful:

• My Bionic dog: We had made a pact: 'You take care of me, I'll take care of you' (here)
• Before my ADHD diagnosis I was alive, but not living (here)
• My bad neighbor made being a jerk into an art form (here)

E-mail your essay to firstperson@globeandmail.com

 In the subject line, be sure to put "essay submission" and the topic (in 2 or 3 words). The topic is especially important if your piece is tied to an event or season.

Please submit your essay in 2 forms – as a Word.doc attachment, and copied and pasted into the body of the e-mail.

Include a contact number where you can be reached during the day.

Essays should be 900 – 1,200 words.

Please don't send a piece that's appeared in any other print or online publication, but feel free to submit an essay on a topic you have blogged about.

Seasonal essays should be submitted a month or more before the event.

There is no payment if your essay is published. The Globe assumes first-print rights and electronic rights for unsolicited submissions; writers retain copyright.

Deadline: On-going. Guidelines here.

Smoking Pen Press seeks romance stories 7,000 – 12,000 words  for anthology tentatively titled A Kiss and a Promise. The stories can be contemporary, regency, futuristic, paranormal, historical, fantasy, humor – just about any type of romance will do (but please, no erotica). Pays $25U.S. or 2 complimentary copies of the paperback.

Deadline: Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2018. Submission guidelines here.

The Canadian Authors Association seeks stories 3,000 – 7,500  for Blood is Thicker, “an anthology of twisted family traditions” to be published in association with Iguana Books. Stories must begin with the first line: “It was February 29 again, and I was wondering which member of my family would try to kill me this time.” Pays 2 cents per word. 

Deadline: February 28, 2018. Guidelines here.

  

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 here. Read how to write a book review (or any kind of review) 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, 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.

How to Write Great Characters, Saturday, Jan 27, in Mississauga

How to Write Great Characters   

Saturday, January 27, 2018
10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Unity Church, Unit 8, 3075 Ridgeway Drive, Mississauga (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: 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

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, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Two reviews of Brian Henry's Writing Personal Stories course

Everyone has a story, but one must find the right teacher

Brian Henry teaches with intelligent gentleness. He draws his students forward, allowing room for discussion while giving concrete lessons in writing each week. It is this balance between interactive class discussion and constructive teaching that makes Brian's Personal Stories course a must. 

Everyone has a story, but one must find the right teacher to inspire, motivate, and give them the foundational tools.  This course offers all of this, and it provides a supportive environment in which to both learn and to write.  Writing Your Life is transformative, engaging, and useful for writers at all stages.

~ Aime Wren

It’s the older, deeper memories that require a little coaching

My vision when I took this workshop was to create a collection of stories for each of my children, the Mom version of how things really happened. The eight weeks spent in the course not only got the ball rolling but inspired so much more than I could have imagined.

Brian's techniques brought out stories that had been locked away for years.  With my memory vault dusted off, I committed to writing every day, story after story pouring out of me.  Some were expressed in only a couple of paragraphs; others took pages to unfold.  Some I didn't want to remember but I honoured them as they surfaced, sorting them out on paper and revising as necessary before I printed them for posterity or returned them to the archives, forgiving them their painful edges.

Through my collection of  stories with underlying themes of  courage, choices, laughter, forgiveness and grace, I began to make  interesting  connections, becoming increasingly aware of how these events I was writing about defined my way of thinking, my response to challenges, and how I communicate, play and love.

I wrote  a story to my daughter about how I was overwhelmed the first time  I saw her beautiful little face  and how scared I was when I discovered she didn't come with an owner’s manual.   I begged her forgiveness for being my practice child. 

I wrote about the day I caught my nine-year-old son standing with the fridge door open, squirting canned whipped cream into his mouth. 

I pushed  him against the door saying, “You want whipped cream buddy, I'll give you whipped cream,” squirting him down with the whole can, both of us sliding in a puddle of slippery cream mixed with tears of laughter on the kitchen floor.   

These younger memories sitting on the surface of my time line were clearer and easier to write about. It's the older, deeper ones that required a little help in bringing them to the surface. 

Guided by Brian to draw a house I lived in when I was seven years old brought up a 55-year-old memory of my dog Boots giving birth in our laundry room to her first litter of five speckled puppies.  The delight and excitement of that experience perhaps was the beginning of my wanting a large family.  

Brian skillfully creates a safe environment as he guides, encourages, suggests and questions and then squiggle-edits your pages with enthusiastic check marks, happy faces and forgotten commas.   It's an amazing opportunity to let your creativity express itself through the triad of memories, ink and paper while having your own personal editor watching your back.    

The highlight for me was listening to all the incredible stories. It's a most intimate exchange to hear an author read their story in person. Both trust and responsibility are involved.  I learned from Brian's example to be generous with my praise and kind with my critique.

I know I'm richer for this experience and would encourage anyone who wishes to put their stories on   paper to let Brian guide you through the process.   You'll have a lot of fun and meet some wonderful people on the way.

~ Sharon De Rose

Brian has a Writing Personal Stories course coming up on Friday afternoons starting April 13, 2018, in Toronto (see here) and one-day Writing Your Life workshops on Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Burlington (see here) and Saturday, June 23, in Mississauga (see here).

If you're looking at this posting after these dates, see details of current upcoming Writing Personal Stories courses and one day Writing Your Life workshops here (and scroll down).

Read reviews of other courses, workshops, and writing retreats  here ~ just scroll down.

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

Quattro Books publishes novellas and books of poetry

Fugue in Green, a novella by Brenda Clews,
published by Quattro Books

Quattro Books

12 Concord Ave

2nd floor

Toronto, Ontario, M6H 2P1

http://quattrobooks.ca/

Quattro Books publishes novellas (20,000 – 40,000 words) of literary fiction, and poetry. They accept unsolicited manuscripts only from Canadian citizens living in Canada. Quattro does not publish genre fiction, (sci-fi, historical, romance).

Submission periods:

For fiction, Quattro considers manuscripts January 1 to May 31, 2018 for possible publication in 2019.

For poetry, Quattro considers unsolicited manuscripts January 1 to March 31, 2018 for possible publication in 2019 or 2020.

2019 Ken Klonsky Novella Prize Contest

Each year, Quattro runs the Ken Klonsky Novella Contest. Submissions opens on June 1 and close July 31. Quattro Books will publish the best novella as part of their following year’s publishing list. The contest is open to Canadian writers who reside in Canada. You do not have to have any publication history. The novella manuscript should be completed, and not less than 20,000 words or more than 40,000 words. There is a $15 reader’s fee for entering.

See full submission guidelines and contest details here.

Best New Poets in Canada free Contest

Vice Versa, a book of poetry by
Renée von Paschen & Robert Paquin,
published by Quattro Books

If you have a chapbook-to-manuscript-length collection of 48–60 pages of poetry, submit five poems from your manuscript, to a maximum of ten pages for the chance to be part of Quattro’s newest national poetry anthology series! Deadline: January 31, 2018.

Ten finalists will be shortlisted and invited to submit their full manuscripts. Three winners will be selected and published in the premier edition of Quattro’s annual Best New Canadian Poets anthology series launching in the Fall of 2018!

Only poets who have yet to publish a full book of poetry are eligible. Previous publication of single poems in journals, magazines, anthologies or online is acceptable. No fee required

Mail submissions to:

Quattro Books
Best New Poet in Canada Contest
180 Pickering Street
Toronto, ON  M4E 3J8

Full submission guidelines here.

Note: For a posting that lists 18 places to send your novella or novelette (some may be out of date), see 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, 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.

Three literary agents at David Black Agency seek commercial, upmarket and literary fiction, thrillers, middle grade and YA, plus nonfiction

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson,
represented by David Black Agency

David Black Agency

335 Adams Street

Suite 2707

Brooklyn, NY  11201

http://www.davidblackagency.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’r enot yet on my newsletter list, send me an email, including your locale to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca  ~Brian

The David Black Agency is a respectable mid-sized New York agency, with three agents looking for new authors, including brand new agent Deborah Hofmann:

Deborah Hofmann joined the David Black Literary Agency in December 2017 after a long career at The New York Times, where she served principally as the Editor of The New York Times Best Seller Lists. Years spent in this unique journalistic capacity have given her a panoramic perspective on the book industry in all its commercial aspects as well as familiarity with the strengths of virtually every publisher, retailer and platform.

In addition to her stewardship of the Best Seller Lists, Deborah wrote regularly for The Times on lifestyle, fashion, antiques and collectables, as well as profiles of creative personalities, entrepreneurs and leaders. Deborah’s recent essay, “Heavy Mettle,” was featured in an anthology edited by Elizabeth Benedict, “Me, My Hair and I,” (Algonquin Books, 2015).

Deborah welcomes first-time book authors with open arms, vision and verve. Areas of interest include commercial and literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, autobiography and memoirs, culture and the arts, humor, practical how-to skills and artisanal arts and crafts.

She is passionate about music and musicians, nature and travel, forensics, knitting and needlepoint. Deborah, a graduate of Barnard College, lives in Manhattan with her husband, Eric Asimov. 

Query Deborah at: dhofmann@dblackagency.com

Please summarize your book idea and include in the body of your email your proposal and, if appropriate, the first 50 pages (no attachments, please): 

Jenny Herrera joined the David Black Agency in 2015 after working at Fletcher & Company and Europa Editions, where she was an early advocate of Elena Ferrante. She went to college in Ohio, where she studied Philosophy, French, and Russian, and has master’s degrees in Philosophy and Social Sciences. 

She loves reading nonfiction books about big ideas and fiction that is thoughtful, unselfconscious, and authentic.

Jenny is actively looking for submissions in upmarket fiction, serious nonfiction, young adult, middle grade, and thrillers, as well as any book that breaks the mold. 

Recent books she loves include: An Ember in the Ashes, Sweet Bitter, The Hate U Give, My Life on the Road, Strange the Dreamer, Far From the Tree, and If We Were Villains. She perhaps consumes excessive amounts of coffee.

Jenny is temporarily closed to queries, but will begin accepting them after January 15th.  (It’s not unusual for agents to be closed for queries in December and early January. See “It’s not a good time to query an agent”). After Jan 15, check out Jenny’s bio page for how to query her here.

Sarah Smith joined David Black Agency in 2012 after beginning her career in book publishing at Trident Media Group. She grew up in Georgia and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated with highest honors in English and Creative Writing.  After college, she spent some time working and living in Argentina. 

Her interests, personal and professional, include cooking and eating great food, listening to and playing music, running across bridges, attempting to grow plants on her fire escape and reading good books by great writers. For three years, Sarah curated the weekly True Story: Nonfiction at KGB reading series at KGB Bar in the East Village.

Her nonfiction tastes lean toward memoir, biography, food and music writing, narrative history, and social studies, while her fiction tastes lean toward the literary. She lives in Brooklyn.

Query Sarah at: ssmith@dblackagency.com

Include the first three chapters of your manuscript pasted into the body of the email.

Full submission guidelines here.

Literary agent Martha Webb

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. For details or to reserve a spot, email: brianhenr@sympatico.ca

And don’t miss Writing Great Characters on Saturday, Jan 27, in Mississauga (see here),  Writing and Revising on Saturday, Feb 10, in Guelph (see here), How to Write Great Dialogue, Sunday, Feb 11, in Windsor (see here), and 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).

Also, starting soon, Brian is offering a full range of weekly writing classes, from introductory to intensive:

Exploring Creative Writing, offered at two times:

Thursday mornings, 9:45 – 11:45 a.m. Jan 25 – March 29, in Oakville (see here)

and Friday afternoons, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Feb 2 – March 23, in Toronto (see here).

Writing Personal Stories, Thursday afternoons, 12:45 – 2:45 p.m . Jan 25 – March 15, in Burlington (see here).

Intensive Creative Writing, offered at four times/locales:

Tuesday afternoons, 12:30 – 2:45 p.m. Jan 16 – March 20, at Appleby United Church, in Burlington (see here)

Thursday evenings, 6:45 – 9:00 p.m., Jan 18 – March 22, at Appleby United Church in Burlington (see here)

Friday mornings, 10:15 – 12:45, Jan 19 – March 23, Glenview Presbyterian Church in Toronto (see here)

And Wednesday afternoons, 12:30 – 12:45, Jan 31 – March 28, in Burlington (see here)

See details of all seven classes offered this winter here.

For more details or 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 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 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.

Writing Personal Stories course and Introductory Creative Writing course (offered in two locales) starting soon

Writing Personal Stories

8 weeks of sharing and writing

Thursday afternoons, 12:45 – 2:45 p.m.

January 25 – March 15, 2018

Appleby United Church, 4407 Spruce Ave, Burlington, Ontario (Map here.)

If you've ever considered writing your personal stories, this course is for you. We’ll look at memoirs, travel writing, personal essays, family history ~ personal stories of all kinds. Plus, of course, we’ll work on creativity and writing technique and have fun doing it. 

Whether you want to write a book or just get your thoughts down on paper, this weekly course will get you going. We'll reveal the tricks and conventions of telling true stories, and we’ll show you how to use the techniques of the novel to recount actual events. Weekly writing exercises and friendly feedback from the instructor will help you move forward on this writing adventure. Whether you want to write for your family and friends or for a wider public, don't miss this course.

Read reviews of the Writing Personal Stories course here.

Fee:  $159.29 plus 13% hst = $180

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Exploring Creative Writing

9 weeks discovering your creative side

Offered at two locales:

Thursday mornings, 9:45 – 11:45 a.m.

January 25 – March 29, 2018 (no class March 15)

Woodside Branch of the Oakville Public Library
1274 Rebecca St, Oakville, Ontario (Map here)

And

Friday afternoons, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

February 2 – March 23, 2018

Glenview Church , Bethlehem Room, 1 Glenview Ave, Toronto, Ontario (Map here)

See all seven courses starting in the new year here.

This is your chance to take up writing in a warm, supportive environment. We’ll explore writing short stories and writing true stories, writing in first person and in third person, writing technique and getting creative, getting down your very best writing and just for fun writing.

The class has the same format as "Welcome to Creative Writing," but we look at different aspects of writing. With either course, you 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.

Read reviews of Brian's introductory creative writing course here, and see other reviews here (and scroll down.)

Fee: 176.11 + hst = 199

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

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 has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors. 

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.