Kudos to Theresa, Margaret, Janice and Julie, plus Lorraine needs Beta readers

Dear Brian,

I’m so pleased to send you this update: my first book deal! Thank you so much for all your classes, some of which I took more than once as I was learning to write and learning about the publishing industry. The work you do is so valuable to writers!

I attached my Publisher’s Marketplace announcement below.

Many thanks!!

Theresa Therrien

Note: If you’re interested in getting published, join us for “How to Get Published” with guest Olga Filina, literary agent and partner with 5 Otter Literary, Sunday, February 8. Details here.   

Hi, Brian.

I am looking for Beta Readers to help me take my character-driven low-key crime novel Mid-Life Margaret to the next level. I have been workshopping components of this novel in classes since 2016 and I think it is finally time to cut her loose. 

The manuscript is 90,000 words, set in Hamilton and focuses on Margaret as she experiences neighbourhood challenges that she can’t seem to ignore. 

At this point I would be grateful for readers who will look at the whole story and let me know what’s working and what’s not. 

I would be happy to answer questions and provide more information and the manuscript to anyone interested in reading and providing feedback.

If you might like to be a Beta reader for me, please email me at: lorraineyoung@cogeco.ca

Thank you.

All the best,

Lorraine Young 

 

Hi, Brian.

I'm so excited to tell you that two pieces of mine have been accepted for publication. "I am a Stone" appears in the current issue of The Zodiac Review and "Hidden Places" will be published in the upcoming issue of The Summerset Review, out on the 14th of December – here.

I workshopped both of those pieces in your Friday Intensive Creative Writing Course. I received invaluable feedback received from you and the class participants, which helped me make them so much better. Thank you!

All the very best,

Margaret Ries

Note: Check out all the weekly classes starting in the new year here.

 

Hi, Brian:

I hope you are well. 

Just sharing the news that I had a second story picked up by the Globe and Mail First Person section.  

Thank you for all your support!!!

Janice Locke

You can read Janice’s essay, “My apple cores brought nature to my doorstep – then some bigger guests arrived” in the Globe and Mail here. Or read an earlier version of the same essay on Quick Brown Fox here.

For information on submitting a First Person essay to the Globe and Mail (and a few other great places to submit), see here.

Hi, Brian.

A few years ago, I participated in one of your Creative Writing groups. At the time, I shared parts of a feminist thriller I started writing in 2019. However, after several years of querying, I gave up, set it aside and began to work on other things. 

All that changed early this year when the American president and his billionaire friends decided to dismantle democracy, starting with women's rights. All of the news headlines could have been lifted from my six-year-old manuscript, Make No Mistake: The Novel.

I knew I needed to get that novel out to readers as quickly as possible (it is a story of resistance and hope) and so I released Make No Mistake initially on Substack as serial fiction. A bit of an unorthodox approach, but Substack offered the ideal platform, allowing me to share a few chapters at a time, and build readership.

I also turned it into a podcast (on Substack, Apple and Spotify). Within two months, I published it as a paperback and e-book (Indigo, Barnes & Noble, Amazon). 

The comments and feedback from readers (over 1,500 on Substack) and listeners (over 4,100 downloads) was both immediate and enthusiastic. 

The novel has been nominated for the Eric Hoffer Book Awards, and selected by a number of book clubs across several provinces as their next read. It's been fun joining the book clubs in person or online for their discussions.

None of this would have been possible without the feedback and encouragement from your Intensive Creative Writing group.

As a way of thanking you, I want to share with you the Acknowledgement page from the paperback. I hope my words convey my appreciation for your contribution to this writing journey.

Julie Wise

See where else your fellow writers are getting short pieces published here (and scroll down).

See new books by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).

If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost. Email me at: brain.henry123@gmail.com

See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

Happy Hanukkah in a grim season

 

חנוכה שמח 

Hanukkah Sameach

Happy Hanukkah

It's a grim season we're in, with 15 Jews murdered and dozens injured at a public menorah lighting in Sydney, Australia. It could have happened just as easily at the public menorah lighting I went to, here in Toronto. 

We've had two years of continual hatred directed at the Jewish community. Even on Sunday at the menorah lighting, the usual group of terrorist supporters stood across the street screaming to "globalize the Intifada," to bring the Intifada to Canada. Just like they’ve brought it to Australia. This terrorism fan club is there every week and lately has taken to wandering the neighbourhood looking for Jews to harass.

Also in attendance were several dozen police cars, countless officers, and the mobile police headquarters which now seems permanently parked in the corner plaza, because – in addition to the weekly anti-Jewish protesters – we can be sure of antisemitic acts in the neighbourhood on a regular basis.

For two years, there has been a concentrated international effort to isolate Israel and to isolate Jews; to make Jews afraid to gather, to send the message that we don't belong here – not in Israel, not in the UK, not in Australia, not anywhere in the world – and to celebrate murder. Even here in Canada, people literally dance in the street at the news that Jews have been murdered. 

 We wait (still!) for our political leaders to take action to push back against the haters, and in the meantime, we look to ourselves and to all Canadians who stand with us for strength. 

After darkness, light. 

And after 4,000 years, the people of Israel still live. 

Am Yisrael Chai. עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

Right now is the worst time to query an agent or publisher

Now is the worst time of the year to query an agent or publisher

~ But it’s the best time to plan your strategy

So it’s Christmas break and you plan to finish your novel, polish your query letter, and with New Year’s coming up fast, you’re full of resolution to land yourself an agent this year. Wonderful. But hold up. Right now is the worst time of the year to query an agent.

You want to avoid querying an agent when:

- She’s not in the office

- She is in the office but not working

- She’s trying to get work out of the way before going on holiday

- She’s crazy busy

So forget sending queries during the holiday season. Starting near the beginning of December, the publishing world begins to shut down. Yes, agents and editors are still in the office, but they’re trying to clear their desks before the holidays start. The last thing they want is to look at queries.

As Christmas gets closer, less and less work gets done, and agents are disinclined to pitch your manuscript anyway, because they know that editors at publishing houses are doing just as little work; they’re more likely to be sipping eggnog than looking at new manuscripts.

Then from Christmas to New Year’s, odds are no one’s even in the office. Come January 2 (or the first Monday after New Year’s), agents are back in the office and discovering that the work hasn’t gone away. They have 967 new emails cluttering their In Boxes, a pile of manuscripts they should really have read a couple weeks ago, and in general so much work that they (almost) regret taking time off.

Do they want to read queries now? Hardly. Give them a week (or maybe two) to get things under control again. But then! January is the second best time of the year to query.

Everyone’s trying to turn over a new leaf – and for agents and editors that includes getting through their queries or slush pile and finding that fabulous new author who they’re going to fall in love with.

As for right now – during the Christmas lull – this is a great time to plan your campaign, to comb through the postings about agents on Quick Brown Fox to make your lists of possible agents and preferred agents, or to decide which publishers you want to pitch, and to write targeted queries.

You’ll find all sorts of agents who are actively looking for authors here {and scroll down}, and see links to postings for agents looking for particular kinds of books here. And you can find a much more comprehensive listing of agents and Query Tracker here.

For information about publishers accepting unagented manuscripts see here {and scroll down}. Query Tracker is also good for publishers – here.

If you haven’t done so yet, trash your generic query and make a New Year’s resolution to write only personalized queries from now on – at least for those agents on your list of preferred agents (as opposed to those who could agent you, but you don’t see anything special about them).

Because once the holidays are out of the way – let me repeat this for emphasis – this is an excellent time of year to query agents or submit to editors. Much better than the fall, I think, which tends to be crazy busy in the publishing world.

The very best time of the year to query is probably the summer, particularly August, when agents and editors aren’t working so much to deadline. They may be on vacation, but for agents and editors, “vacation” means time to read queries and manuscripts, preferably with her feet up and a cool drink to hand.

But do you want to wait six months before you start querying? I hope not.

Also make plans to sharpen your skills. In the new year, I’ll be leading a “How to Get Published” workshop with literary agent Olga Filina (who’s taken on several participants from previous workshops) – see here. For those of you writing Kid Lit, I’ll be leading a fabulous workshops: Writing Kid Lit with Sarah Howden an editor with Orca Books and a herself a children’s author – see here.

Two writing retreats: In April to greet the early flowers at Elm Hurst Resort and Spa (see here) and early June at Arowhon Pines Resort in Algonquin Park (Details coming soon. But if you want to reserve a spot, email brain.henry123@gmail.com

The best thing you can do for yourself as a writer, though, is probably to sign up for a weekly course. Check out all upcoming classes, workshops, and retreats here.

But what if you’ve been so busy sending out a flurry of queries that you haven’t gotten around to reading this posting till New Year’s Day?

Well, Don’t worry, be happy. A few agents and editors will have used the dead time in the publishing world to catch up on things – like reading queries. Some are extra dutiful and will get to your query eventually even if you sent it in December 24. As for the rest, give it a reasonable amount of time and re-query all agents and editors who haven’t sent you a reject. At least, that’s what I’d do. –Brian

P.S. Still looking for the ideal present for yourself? Check out this list of 77+ Gifts for Writers here.

 

You're invited to an in-person "Intensive Creative Writing" course in Burlington

“Intensive Creative Writing”

In-person: Thursday afternoons, 12:30 – 3:00 p.m.
First readings emailed January 8, 2026.
Classes: Jan 15 – Feb 26 (or to March 5 if the course fills up.)
Burlington Anglican Lutheran Church
3455 Lakeshore Rd, Burlington, Ontario (Map here)

Intensive Creative Writing isn't for beginners; it's for people who are working on their own writing projects. You’ll be asked to bring in several pieces of your writing for detailed feedback. All your pieces may be from the same work, such as a novel in progress, or they may be stand-alone pieces, such as short stories or essays.

You bring whatever you want to work on. Besides critiquing pieces, we’ll have discussions on topics of interest to the class. In addition to learning how to critique your own work and receiving constructive suggestions about your writing, you’ll discover that the greatest benefits come from seeing how your classmates approach and critique a piece of writing and how they write and re-write. This is a challenging course, but extremely rewarding.

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 (now called Toronto Metropolitan University) and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.  

Read reviews and other pieces about Brian's various courses and workshops here (and scroll down).

Fee: $256.64 + hst = $290

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

Get new postings from Quick Brown Fox delivered to your In Box as they go up. Subscribe to my Substack here. ~Brian

See all upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Seven great gifts to put on your wish list or to get for a writer you love

Seven great gifts for the writer in your life

Can you get a fancy gift certificate for any of these? You bet!

1) A weekend writing retreat at Elm Hurst Inn & Spa. Treat your loved one (or yourself) to a weekend of creativity, togetherness, and growth as a writer. This will be our second time at this conveniently situated location by Ingersoll, Ontario. Last time, we loved the place, and expect the retreat to be even better this time around. Friday, April 24 – Monday, April 27, 2026. Details here.

Or join us for a weekend retreat at Arowhon Pines Resort,  a perfect little island of luxury in the midst of Algonquin Park wilderness. This is a magical weekend, at a magical location, with the finest of dining. Friday, June 5 – Monday, June 8, 2026. Details to come, but you can see details of 2025's June workshop here. If you're interested for 2026, email me: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

2) A manuscript critique: You or your spouse has spent a couple years writing a manuscript, and now she’s pretty sure it still needs work, but doesn’t know how to proceed. Time to give it over to a professional for a critique. Brian will explain what’s working, what’s not, and how to fix it. Since most of Brian's time is taken up with weekly classes, Saturday or Sunday workshops, and weekend retreats, his availability for  manuscript critiques gets filled in fast. See details of manuscript critiques and consults here. 

3) For a smaller investment, get a gift certificate for a short consult. Maybe the love of your life has a picture book manuscript, a short story, or an opening chapter that needs professional critiquing. Or maybe they're working on a query letter – odds are they'd love to have a professional rewrite that query and make it irresistible. Or maybe they’d just like to have a chat about their career. These are all things that can be done in about an hour and are ideal candidates for a consult. A consult is just $75/hour (plus hst). To arrange a consult, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

4) The best stocking-stuffer is a gift certificate for a Saturday {or Sunday} workshop. See the full schedule of what’s coming here or just give a certificate for your special someone to hang on to until that special workshop they’re looking for comes around.

5) Or The Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar. This is a book giving the details for all the annual writing contests in Canada, listed by deadline date. The 2026 edition will be available soon, and we're accepting orders now. See details here. 

6) For a really special present, get a gift certificate for a weekly course. See details of classes starting in January here.

7) Or you might just give one of these presents to yourself. It’s a good time of year to consider what you want. Have you been thinking about writing? Well, it’s time to start! So give yourself that most important gift – which happens to be entirely free – space and time to get your creative self in gear.

Check out 77 more gifts for writers here. 

Plus, don't forget, try to shop local. Buy your books straight from the publisher or from a book store. 

See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Join us for "How to Get Published" with literary agent Olga Filina

“How to Get Published”

An editor & a literary agent tell all

Sunday, February 8, 2026
9:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Toronto time
Offered online and accessible wherever there's Internet

If you've ever dreamed of becoming a published author, this workshop is for you. We’ll focus on the process of submitting to an agent or publisher, and show you exactly how to write a query letter that will get a “yes.” Bring all your questions. Come and get ready to be published!

Special Option: Participants are invited to prepare a draft of a query letter you might use to interest an agent or publisher in your book. You don't need to prepare anything, but if you like, email me a draft of your query prior to our workshop. Olga and I will critique several queries,  so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t and how to improve your query. Do remember that agents come to these events wanting to hear what you’ve got. ~Brian

Guest speaker Olga Filina is a Literary Agent and Partner with 5 Otter Literary.

Olga brings over twenty years of book industry experience to her work as an agent. From bookseller and buyer at national and independent bookstore chains, to director of literary festivals, library board member, publishing consultant, independent editor, book reviewer, and founding member of the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents, Olga has the specialized knowledge to find the best direction for her clients’ work.

Olga is currently looking for literary and book club fiction, historical fiction, crime, mystery, and suspense novels. She also wants prescriptive nonfiction projects, and memoir with exceptional writing focusing on underrepresented voices.

In Kid Lit, she is looking for middle grade fiction with memorable characters, contemporary YA, and nonfiction across all categories.

For 2025/2026, Olga is living in Vietnam and sees the sun 12 hours sooner than we do in Toronto, which is why this workshop is being held in the morning rather than the afternoon.

Note: 5 Otter Literary has taken on participants from four previous workshops Olga and I did together. 5 Otter landed Matteo L. Cerilli a two-book deal with Tundra, the Penguin-Random House's imprint for kid lit (see here), a middle grade novel to Harper (see here) and a two book YA deal with Bloomsbury US (see here); Kristy Jackson a two-book deal with Harper-Collins (the second book Touching Grass, just came  out see here); Karina Kaushal who’s working on rom-coms; and Sue Kelly co-author, with Greg Murdock, of A is For Ancestor. ~Brian

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, taught creative writing at Ryerson University, and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto 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 and works inspired by Brian's classes, workshops, and retreats here.

Fee: $45.13 + 13% hst = $51 paid in advance by mail or Interac

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

Note: Get new postings from Quick Brown Fox delivered to your In Box as they go up. Subscribe to my Substack here. ~Brian

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here. 

Angie's play, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" hits the stage

Angie with script for The Twelve Days of Christmas

Hi, Brian.

Chartwell contacted the press, the local MPP and MP about the play and I had 2 telephone interviews. 

Angie

From The Aurora Banner….

Angie Rose-Carnegie spent most of her career as an accountant. The only professional writing she did was for handbooks and reports.

In her personal life, Rose-Carnegie has been a prolific writer of poems and short stories since she was a teenager. This side of her life always remained a hobby, which she keeps up to this day as a resident of Chartwell Hollandview Trail Retirement Residence.

Even after suffering a stroke a few years back, she kept writing. In fact, she dictated a short story to a friend over the phone “by the light of the call bell” while still in the ICU.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Angie Rose-Carnegie spent most of her career as an accountant. The only professional writing she did was for handbooks and reports.

In her personal life, Rose-Carnegie has been a prolific writer of poems and short stories since she was a teenager. This side of her life always remained a hobby, which she keeps up to this day as a resident of Chartwell Hollandview Trail Retirement Residence.

Even after suffering a stroke a few years back, she kept writing. In fact, she dictated a short story to a friend over the phone “by the light of the call bell” while still in the ICU.

This weekend, one of the 70-year-old’s oldest wishes is coming true: she’ll be seeing a play that she wrote performed as a stage production.

“I had a bucket list before my stroke and one of them was to see my play performed as a real stage play,” she said. “I’ll never be able to do most of the other things on my bucket list because I’m now in a wheelchair. This is one thing I could still accomplish.”

This Saturday, Dec. 6, Rose-Carnegie’s original play The Twelve Days of Christmas will be performed twice at Chartwell Park Place. The first show is at 2 p.m., and the second is at 7 p.m. Both shows are free, but attendees are asked to RSVP to LCiarello@chartwell.com as capacity is limited.

The play follows a woman who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s through her and her family’s journey of care and connection. She said the idea was to show how this kind of diagnosis can affect not just the patient, but everyone in their lives.

“Most of us know somebody who has been affected by dementia, and the play resonates with them,” she said. “It’s poignant but it also has some humour, because you can find humour even in some of the most dire situations.” …

More here.

 See where else your fellow writers are getting short pieces published here (and scroll down).

See new books by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).

See my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

You're invited to a book launch for Follow Polly's Lane by Yvonne Van Lankveld

Hi, Brian.

I am thrilled to announce the launch of Follow Polly's Lane, to be held at:

Lincoln Pelham Public Library, Fonthill branch
Monday, December 8th, 6:30 - 7:30 pm.

The royalties from this contemporary fiction novel will help the Fonthill branch become a more accessible facility. Registration is encouraged. Here is the link:

https://lppl.ca/event/book-launch-yvonne-van-lankveld/#more-10005880

Follow Polly's Lane exposes the separate dramas of two female neighbours, with differing values, after a violent storm implodes their private lives, bringing them together and then tearing them apart. The story revolves around a private, dead-end lane which provides access to three grand but dilapidated manors near fictitious New Abino, a small hamlet of Point Abino, Ontario. While the lakefront homes are deserted, their adjacent bunkies, historically used by the hired help, house four intriguing tenants.

Yvonne

Formerly an Irish nun turned nurse, Sonnet O’Brien understands the needs of the heart, unlike her unsavoury neighbour, who returns to Canada from the United States as a deported convict. A mother and her neurodivergent son, with fifteen years between them, work to rebuild their lives after escaping the rigours and hardships of their Nova Scotia roots. 

Fed and loved by most, a stray dog appoints himself as the lane’s security detail and earns an important role. Unpredictable events bring out the best and worst in these tenants over two wintery months, and, as with my previous novels, emphasize the importance of trust and human connection.

Thanks for the opportunity to share this exciting news.

Kind regards, 

Yvonne Van Lankveld

https://www.yvlauthor.com/

If you miss the launch, Follow Polly’s Lane and Yvonne’s two earlier novels – The Park Street Secrets and The Road to All Right – are all available at Chapters/Indigo here.

See more new books by your fellow authors here (and scroll down).

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Join us for “Writing Personal Stories”

“Writing Personal Stories”

Online: Tuesday afternoons, 1 – 3 p.m.
January 27 – March 24, 2026 (or to March 31 if the course fills up)
Offered on Zoom and accessible from anywhere there’s internet

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.

We’ll also have a published author as a guest speaker for this course.

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, taught creative writing at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.

Read reviews and other pieces about or inspired by Brian’s writing courses, workshops, and retreats here (and scroll down).

Fee: $257.52 plus 13% hst = $291

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

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.