Love letters ~ Where your fellow writers are getting published ~ And graphic artist wants to do your book covers

Hi, Brian.

I just found out my piece about Mount Kinabalu has been accepted as a blog post by Asia Literary Review.  It is longer and more opinionated that the piece you saw which I had written for Globe and Mail (and never heard from).  I am so pleased not simply to get published, but to have others learn about this mountain and what it means to locals. 

This piece is titled "More than a Mountain," whereas the one to Globe and Mail was called "I climbed Mount Kinabalu with my clothes on" – a title that resulted from my husband's advice to give a catchy title for newspaper heading given his publishing experience with his school newspaper.

So thank you all for your support in getting this piece out the door so quickly.  I will point you to the link when it gets out.

Wishing you all the best.

Cheers,
Adrienne

Note: For information on sbmitting to the Asia Literary Review, see here.

Hi, Brian.

How are you? I hope you're doing well. As usual, the summer went by way too fast!

I wanted to let you know that one of my short stories has been selected to appear in Chicken Soup For the Soul! The edition is called Think Possible and the short story is called "The Red Chair." It'll be on shelves October 6th.

Brian, your guidance has been invaluable to me over the past few years. This is an exciting time and I could not let it go by without thanking you.

Sincerely, 

Ariffa

Note: The Chicken Soup people are continually coming out with new collections so they’re always looking for contributors, and they pay, too. See here.

Hi, Brian.

A huge thank you for your feedback and inspiration for my story "Swamp Surfing" which was accepted for publication by CommuterLit and should be appearing next week.  You suggested I create an underwater scene and also ways to amp up the conflict with a character.  Story-wise advice, thank you and grand merci!

Thanks so much!

Joyce

Read Joyce’s piece here. For information on submitting to CommuterLit, see here.   

Hi, Brian!

I am thrilled to announce that I’ve self-published my debut novel, Secrets of the Home Wood: the Sacrifice. It’s now available in the FriesenPress bookstore (here), Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo.

It has been an exciting few weeks as I learn the ropes of marketing and self-promotion, but so rewarding to finally hold the fruit of years of hard work in my hands. It has had some good reviews already. Jordan Dane, Critically Acclaimed and Bestselling Author says, "Secrets of the Home Wood: the Sacrifice is a charming fantasy read with endearing characters, the well told creation of Julie Whitley, a new author to watch.”    

Valentina D’Alesio, freelance editor, says: "Working on this book with Julie was a pleasure from the first page. With the first book in the The Secrets of the Home Wood series, she’s constructed a Chronicles of Narnia–like fantasy world with talking beasts, epic battles, and danger looming at every turn. Young readers will find themselves side-by-side with boy hero Jonathon James as he embarks on the quest of his lifetime: to find his parents. A rich and imaginative new series, The Secrets of the Home Wood: The Sacrifice is a thrilling family saga at heart. Leave the Home Wood behind and step through the portal to join an adventure for the ages.”  

Thanks, Brian, for helping me to reach my dream.

Sincerely,

Julie Whitley

Writer to Writer

Hi, Brian!

My name is Kate Cowan, and I'm a Canadian graphic designer and long-time follower of your blog. I know that many indie and self-published authors are followers of yours, and I wanted to let them and all of the other writers following you that I am currently looking for new clients. I would be honored to work with any one of them. I've designed covers for every genre, including multiple bestsellers, and as such my portfolio is very wide. As well as book covers I also design websites, logos, promotion advice... and loads of other things! I hope to hear from some of your subscribers soon!

Sincerely,

Kate Cowan

Please find my website here: http://katecowan.com

My facebook page here: facebook.com./kcbookcoverdesigns

And you can contact me here: kate.cowan.author@hotmail.com

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Barrie, Bracebridge, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshop with literary agent Monica Pacheco, Saturday, March 5, in Burlington

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong,
a #1 New York Times bestselling author
and one of Brian's students

Writing for Children & for Young Adults ~ the world’s hottest market

With guest speakers Monica Pacheco, literary agent at the McDermid Agency and Jennifer Mook-Sang, author of Speechless

Saturday, March 5, 2016

10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Burlington Central Library, Centennial Room, 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.

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 1,000 words if that will get 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!

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 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. 

Guest speaker Monica Pacheco is a literary agent with The McDermid Agency. The McDermid Agency represnts literary novelists and commercial novelists of high quality and writers of non-fiction in the areas of memoir, biography, history, literary travel, narrative science, investigative journalism and true crime. 

The agency also represents a certain number of children's and YA writers and also writers in the fields of science fiction and fantasy.

The McDermid Agency's clients include distinguished literary authors such as Michael Crummey, Greg Hollingshead, Andrew Pyper, Nino Ricci, David Adams Richards and Michael Winter. The agency also represents writers of narrative non-fiction, such as Charles Montgomery and James MacKinnon, both of whom won the Charles Taylor prize for literary non-fiction in their years of publication.

Monica Pacheco represents a growing list of writers. Her clients include: Actres/writer/director Sarah Polley, Yves Meynard, Madeline Ashby, Marty Chan, Irina Kovalyova, Sarah Henstra, Eli K. P. William,TV food stylist Janice Poon and Bram Stoker Award-winning horror writer David Nickle.

Monica is actively seeking clients in the areas of literary and commercial fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, high concept picture books, fantasy and science fiction.

We will also have author Jennifer Mook-Sang as a guest speaker. Jennifer lives and writes in Burlington. She’s as amazed as anyone to find she’s a published author. Her humorous middle grade novel Speechless was started in one of Brian Henry’s classes and was released by Scholastic in September. 

Speechless is already a hit. The CBC has named it one of the 75 best books published in 2015 (see here), and it’s a finalist for the  Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Award. 

Jennifer was also a finalist in the Writing for Children Competition 2014 sponsored by CANSCAIP and The Writer’s Union of Canada. (For information on this year’s CANSCAIP–Writers’ Union contest, see here.) At the mini-conference, Jennifer will speak about how she got her first book published. 

In the meanwhile, Speechless is available online here and be sure to check out Jennifer’s website here.

Fee: 40.71+ 13% hst = 46 paid in advance by mail or Interac
or 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 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 my full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Barrie, Bracebridge, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

New literary agent Laura Mamelok.of Susanna Lea Associates seeks fiction, YA, and nonfiction with an international appeal

Susanna Lea Associates

http://www.susannalea.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. ~ Brian

Created in 2000, Susanna Lea Associates has offices in Paris, New York, and London. They represent both fiction and nonfiction, both commercial and literary, but all their projects have potential on an international level.

The newest member of the team at Susanna Lea is Laura Mamelok.  Laura is French-American and has lived in both Paris and New York. She obtained her BA in comparative literature at Barnard College and her MA in comparative literature and film at Columbia University and the University of Paris 7. Prior to joining SLA in 2009, she worked as a literary scout for Maria B. Campbell Associates. She lives in Brooklyn.

Laura is primarily interested in literary fiction, high-end commercial fiction, and young adult fiction with crossover appeal. On the nonfiction side, she is looking for narrative nonfiction, current affairs/journalism, and memoir.

She’s drawn to international stories and settings, in both fiction and nonfiction. Above all, she is on the lookout for fresh voices, strong storytelling, and original ideas. She is not seeking science fiction, fantasy, or romance.

Query Laura at: lmamelok@susannalea.com

Include a brief synopsis and the first three chapters and/or a nonfiction proposal. Include the word “Query” in the subject of your email.

Rachel Letofsky

Brian Henry will lead a How to Get Published seminar and a Query Letter Clinic in Saint John, NB, on Saturday, Oct 3 (details here), and a How to Get Published workshop in Hamilton on Saturday, Oct 17, with Rachel Letofsky of the Cooke Agency (see here). 

Also, Brian will lead a Writing for Children & for Young Adults workshop on Saturday, March 5, in Burlington, with Monica Pacheco, literary agent with The McDermid Agency (details to come).

Other upcoming workshops, include Writing Your Life, Saturday, Sept 26, in Brampton (see here) and Saturday, Dec 5, in Burlington (details here), and How to Make Yourself Write, Saturday, Oct 24, in Guelph (see here) and Saturday, Nov 28, in Mississauga (see here).   

For more information or to register, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

But the best way to grow as a writer or to get your manuscript ready for publication may be with a weekly class. This fall, Brian is offering a full line-up of six weekly courses for beginners through advanced. There are still spaces in two of these classes:

Exploring Creative Writing, Thursday afternoons, Sept 24 - Nov 26, in Mississauga (see here).

Writing Personal stories, Thurs mornings, Oct 8 - Nov 26, in Oakville (see here)

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

Read reviews of Brian’s courses and workshops here.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Barrie, Bracebridge, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

“The Day the Mountain Sailed Out My Bedroom Window” by Alexa Farley

The smoke from our neighbours’ barbeque floated up and in through our bedroom window. Hamburgers. If I pressed my face into the screen I could push it out enough to see my neighbours below us. Perry, the father, was at the barbeque with a flipper, his wife, Neves, was at the patio table talking to a pair of adults.

Clearly our neighbours had company and they seemed to be enjoying themselves, relishing the last of the summer sun. I wished I was out there, too, playing on our side of the fence instead of stuck inside in my bedroom, sequestered with my sister until we cleaned up our room.

It was a common theme in my family: punishment by bedroom containment; not allowed out until it was clean. In the bedroom next to ours I could hear the thumps of my brothers wrestling or fighting or maybe even cleaning up their room like they were supposed to. We had been locked up since 2:00, so judging by the dinner preparations of my neighbours below that must have been about three hours ago.

My sister, Erin, was also not cleaning. She was lying on her back on her unmade bed holding two Barbies above her head and making them talk.

“I didn’t steal your bracelet!”

“You know you did, Amber! Give it back now!”

Three hours was more than enough time to get our room clean, but we were nowhere near complete. In fact, it looked worse than when we started.

Creating the pile in the middle of the room had been my idea.

“Let’s just put all the clothes and books and toys in one pile, then, we can work from the pile to put it away. It’ll be easier that way!”

Making the pile turned out to be fun, but once the mountain had been created, we lost interest and gradually stopped picking at it. Now there was this monstrous pile of ‘stuff’ taking up half our room that was actually more intimidating to deal with than the original messy room.    

I pushed the side of my face into the screen again, this time further out, as far as I thought the screen would stretch. Perry was putting the buns on the grill to toast them and Neves was bringing ketchup and mustard to the patio table. Plates of sliced tomatoes and pickles were already on the table. She laid out napkins and started putting down cutlery. Their company was still chatting away, and while I was absorbed in trying to overhear their conversation, I did not hear my father’s steps on the stairs.

“What the hell is this?!” he shouted, standing in the doorway of our bedroom.

I jumped back from the screen, guilty at having been caught not cleaning.

“You’ve been up here for three hours and THIS is all you’ve managed to accomplish?!”

I could tell by the volume of his voice and the wideness of his eyes that he was livid. My sister hid the Barbies behind her back and looked away from Dad.

He took a step into the room and gestured at the pile. 

“This looks like a pile of garbage!” he shouted. He was too loud; I was worried about the neighbours overhearing. I wondered if I could close the glass without causing my father to explode but before I got the chance to edge backward toward the window he was across the room in two strides and reaching for the screen behind me. In one motion he popped the screen from the frame and threw it out, down to the lawn below.

He then reached over to our mess mountain and began grabbing handfuls of our belongings and throwing them out the open window.

Shirts, socks, books, papers. All sailed across our backyard and over the fence to where Perry and Neves were having their barbeque supper. A pair of pajama pants got caught on a tree near the fence and flapped stupidly over the party.

I was horrified to see a pair of my underwear lying atop Neves’ bleeding heart shrubbery.

My sister was standing open-mouthed behind my father as he kept reaching into the pile. He turned toward us and appeared as if he was about to say something, then just shook his head and stamped down the stairs, calling back to us “clean it up!”.

Erin and I looked at each other, and at the greatly diminished pile. We went to the window where I could now stick my head out freely to survey the scene. Parry and Neves were looking upward to determine where the raining items came from, while their guests were chattering excitedly in another language. I could see that one of my sister’s favourite socks, the ones with the purple stars, had landed in the potato salad.

“C’mon Erin,” I said, stepping back from the window and heading for the stairs. “We better finish cleaning up”.  

Alexa Farley writes poetry and short stories in the Georgian Bay area of southern Ontario. Her inspiration is drawn as much from the beauty that surrounds her as it is from her own ridiculous fallibility.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Barrie, Bracebridge, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

How to Build Your Story workshop, Saturday, Jan 30, in Toronto

How to Build Your Story

Plotting novels and Writing short stories

Saturday, January 30, 2016

10:15 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Glenview Presbyterian Church, Bethlehem Room, 1 Glenview Ave, Toronto (At Yonge St and Glengrove Ave W, 3 blocks from the Lawrence Ave subway stop. Map here)

This workshop will show you how writers plot a novel and will give you the best tips on writing short stories. We’ll also look at where to get your stories published and how to win contests. Best yet, you’ll see how to apply the story-building techniques you’ve learned to your own writing

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.

Fee: 40.71+ 13% hst = 46 paid in advance by mail or Interac

or 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 if you wait to pay at the door

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

See Brian’s full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Barrie, Bracebridge, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

3 Elements Review wants prose and poetry; Asia Review wants pieces relating to Asia; Nat Brut wants flash fiction; Malahat Review wants poetry, fiction & creative nonfiction for contest

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

3 Elements Literary Review is seeking fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, and photography submissions for our Winter/January issue.

Each quarter, three elements/words are given that must be incorporated into your story or poem. The rest of the story is completely up to you. If you choose to submit art or photography, we only require that you capture or depict the essence of one element. The current elements are: Mania, Tower, Exposure

Deadline October 31, 2015. Full submission guidelines here.

The Asia Literary Review publishes writing from, about and related to Asia. We specialise in literary fiction and non-fiction, reportage, memoir, travel writing, poetry and photographic essays.

We are now including book reviews on our website and invite submissions for inclusion in advance of a book’s publication date.

All submissions must be original and not previously published in print or online.

Prose submissions should be a minimum of 3,600 words and may range up to 8,000 words. Shorter pieces will be considered, particularly for Web publication. The ALR does not publish academic work or travel writing without a narrative focus. Excerpts and adaptations from longer works should stand alone, complete in their own right. Simultaneous submissions and translations are acceptable.

Poetry submissions may include up to three poems, with a combined total of not more than 150 lines.

Full submission guidelines here.

Nat. Brut (pr. nat bro͞ot) is a multimedia art and literary magazine. We aim to provide quality, engaging, dynamic, inspiring work from a wide array of genres and mediums in a way that values the potency and interconnectivity of these mediums. 

We release issues bi-annually, both in print and online, and our submissions are open during the months of October and May. We’re currently accepting submissions of fiction, poetry, comics, and visual art. We do accept simultaneous submissions, and we ask that you let us know as soon as possible if one of your submissions has been accepted elsewhere.

Nat. Brut. invites entries to its flash fiction contest. Each submitter is allowed up to two entries for a $15 entry fee. 100% of the money raised through the contest will go directly into the magazine and its projects. The top three entries will receive a $100 cash prize and publication in Nat. Brut.

The contest opens September 1st and closes November 1st. 

There is no theme to this contest. There is no minimum word count, but the maximum word count is 1,000.

Amy Hempel will serve as the contest judge. Amy is the author of four collections of short stories including Reasons to Live (1985), At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom (1990), Tumble Home (1997), and the Dog of the Marriage (2005). She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the PEN/Malamud Award, and the Rea Award for the Short Story. 

See submission details here.

Hi, Brian.

We, The Malahat Review, would be most grateful if you could help spread the word about our upcoming Open Season Awards writing contest, deadline November 1. The award grants three separate prizes of $1,500 (Canadian funds) to the best writer in genres of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The cash prizes have been increased this year by $500 each genre. 

All entrants receive a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review in exchange for payment of entries ($35 in Canada, $40 in U.S., $45 international). We welcome additional entries in one or more genres for a cost of $15.

Deadline Nov 1, 2015. Details here.

The Malahat Review also accepts regular submissions. Unlike with contests, it doesn't cost anything to simply submit your work to Malahat.  Unsolicited poetry submissions should consist of three to five poems (up to six pages) on any subject and in any style. The magazine will often accept several poems by the same author; therefore, please do not limit your submission to a single poem.

Unsolicited submissions of short fiction may be up to 8,000 words in length. Unless the stories are very short (i.e., less than 1000 words long each), no submission may consist of more than one story.

Unsolicited submissions of creative nonfiction may be up to 4,500 words in length. No restrictions as to subject matter or approach apply. Unless the stories are very short (i.e., less than 1,000 words each), no submission may consist of more than one story.

Creative nonfiction is literary writing based in fact. It can include, but is not limited to, the personal essay, memoir, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, and biography, all enhanced by such elements as description, dramatic scenes, dialogue, and characterization.

Complete submission guidelines here.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Barrie, Bracebridge, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.