Friday, September 28, 2012

writing about smells

What did it smell like? As a writer I sometimes ask myself that
question and rack my brain for a convincing answer. I just came across
a helpful site that gives lots of possibilities:
http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.ca/2011/02/mapping-vocabulary-of-scent-what-smells.html

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Thursday, September 27, 2012

children's & young adult agent

Gemma Cooper has just joined The Bent Agency [literary agency],
representing children's and young adult fiction. Some other agents at
Bent also handle children's and young adult books.
http://thebentagency.com/submissions.html

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Dean Koontz: mystery suspense author interview

Author Dean Koontz talks about his faith journey in this Publisher's
Weekly interview:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/53080-the-triumph-of-good-pw-talks-with-dean-koontz.html
If the link doesn't work, Google on Dean Koontz Publisher's Weekly.

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

books about immigrant experience in Canada

At this site, 49th Shelf gives interesting samples of books about the
immigrant experience in Canada:
http://49thshelf.com/Lists/Editors/The-Immigrant-Experience. Many more
books could be added to this list. Maybe you've written one. If so,
you might want to let 49th Shelf know.

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Monday, September 24, 2012

Jewish book award: Natan Fund

The Natan Fund just announced a book award open to authors writing on
Jewish themes. Deadline for submissions December 3, 2012. More info at
http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/on-10th-anniversary-the-natan-fund-launches-natan-book-award/

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Friday, September 21, 2012

new publisher: Brightline

The new publishing venture Brightline will publish e-books and
eventually print books. Here's what THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER says about
it:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/scott-rudin-barry-diller-brightline-atavist-371534

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

exorcism magazine

Weird or maybe not: Exorcism is "booming" in Poland. A group of Roman
Catholic priests are putting out a monthly magazine on the topic. It's
called Egzorcysta.


Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Christian writers conference Sept. 28 & 29: Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Inscribe Christian Writers Fellowship holds its next conference
September 28 & 29, 2012, in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, an hour south of
Edmonton. For more info:
http://www.inscribe.org/events/fall-conference/


Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Monday, September 17, 2012

BC authors: novel & novella contest: Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue Publishing invites submissions by BC authors for its
novel and novella contest. Entry fee $35, deadline November 1, 2012.
Send ONLY the first chapter of your ms, a synopsis, short bio and SASE
(Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope). No email submissions considered.
4-6 months reply time. More info at
http://www.mothertonguepublishing.com/?page_id=10 Mother Tongue
Publishing, 290 Fulford-Ganges Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2K6

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

zombie stories set in Canada

Silvia Moreno-Garcia will be editing Dead North, an anthology of
zombie stories set in Canada, for Canadian publisher Exile Editions.
The editor is interested in stories from 2,000 to 10,000 words.
Stories must be set in Canada. The setting must be an important
element, not just a throwaway reference. You do not need to be
Canadian to submit, but Canadian writers are strongly encouraged to
submit.

Deadline Sept. 30, 2012. All acceptances or rejections will be sent
before Dec. 31 2012. Do not query before that. Payment is 2 cents
(CAD) per word and two contributor copies. More info at
http://silviamoreno-garcia.com/blog/dead-north-guidelines/



Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Friday, September 14, 2012

speculative fiction opportunity: Harper Voyager

Usually an author needs an agent to approach a big-name publisher like
Harper. However, for a limited time, Harper Voyager is open to
submissions of young adult and adult speculative fiction directly from
authors. Their definition of speculative fiction is broad. For more
info:
http://megwaiteclayton.com/1stbooks/megs-posts/harper-voyager-accepting-unsolicited-manuscripts/.
Or try Googling Harper Voyager speculative fiction.

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Re Jamie Wilson reviewing conservative-leaning books

Jamie seems tricky to contact through the websites given, so unless
you easily manage to get through to her, you may want to forget this
prospect. Sorry.

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

book cover art

This article may be of interest if you do your own cover art for
self-publishing, hire an artist, or get some say in your cover art.
It's also good on marketing tools:
http://dearauthor.com/features/letters-of-opinion/guest-post-brave-new-world
-what-ive-learned-about-cover-designs-for-digital-publishing



Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

seeking conservative-leaning books to review: Jamie Wilson

Jamie Wilson writes:

I'm looking for conservative-leaning books to review for my
website - the Cold Mountain books would probably qualify, for
instance. They don't need to be overtly political, and in fact I
would prefer that they NOT be political. They do have to be books
conservatives would love - books that uphold conservative values like
strong marriages and families, traditional American ideals, heroism,
self-sacrifice, etc. Most importantly, they have to be good stories,
not political screeds.

I've been fortunate in finding a few, but I really need to line up
more. I will only review books I can recommend wholeheartedly to my
readers (which means I have the unfortunate and painful task today of
telling one writer I can't put her review on my site, but I'll review
for other places - not ready for prime-time, to be honest, and I
really like the story too!)

Any suggestions? E-format review copies are a huge plus. And feel
free to spread this solicitation around.
Jamie<http://finishthebook.jamiekwilson.com/>
<http://jamiekwilson.com>http://jamiekwilson.com
http://www.conservativefiction.com
<http://www.conservativefeminism.com>http://www.conservativefeminism.com


Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Monday, September 10, 2012

op-ed pieces for the Vancouver Sun

Vancouver Sun Seeks Opinion Pieces With Cultural Themes

The Vancouver Sun is introducing a new series of op-ed with cultural
themes starting in September. To pitch a topic contact:

MAGGIE LANGRICK
Arts and Life editor
The Vancouver Sun
Suite 1 - 200 Granville St.
Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3N3

Office: 604.605.2101
Email: mlangrick@vancouversun.com
Twitter: @maggielangrick

For more information go to:
http://www.allianceforarts.com/blog/call-vancouver-sun-op-eds

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Thursday, September 6, 2012

be your own publicist: The Writers' Union of Canada

WORKSHOP ON HOW TO BE YOUR OWN PUBLICIST! SPREAD THE WORD!



The Writers' Union of Canada (TWUC) is offering the Professional
Development Workshop HOW TO BE YOUR OWN PUBLICIST in Halifax, Toronto,
Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston, in November 2012. The workshops take
place from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. For those who can't attend in one of
the participating cities, a 3-hour webinar will be offered, distilling
the highlights of the workshop.



Authors Elizabeth Ruth and Ann Douglas will present on traditional but
innovative book marketing strategies as well as new media
opportunities for writers. Kelly Duffin, Executive Director of The
Writers' Union of Canada, will update participants on the latest
evolutions in the publishing landscape.



Whether you are an aspiring writer wanting to develop your audience
before publication; an emerging writer who needs to stay visible; or
long-published and looking for new tips and techniques, this full-day
workshop is for you.



Participants will leave the workshop having gained the know-how and
confidence to creatively promote their own future works, and an
expanded, inspired sense of what it means to be a writer in the
current publishing context.



Most workshops of this calibre charge hundreds of dollars. The price
of this workshop is $89.00 and covers costs, including lunch, $75 for
members of The Writers' Union of Canada. For registration information
please go to

http://www.writersunion.ca/pd-workshops. Please circulate this
information to writers you think might be interested in coming to this
event. Space is limited so register today.



Many thanks for your time and attention.



Kelly Duffin

Executive Director



The Writers' Union of Canada acknowledges the support of the
Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage for
these Professional Development workshops.





Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Christian writing: online classes, critiques, etc.

IMAGE: A Journal of the Arts and Religion, IMAGEJournal.org is a
Christian periodical/organization that offers online classes,
critiques, workshops, seminars, a forum, etc. I believe there's a
charge for some or all of these. The journal is also open to
submissions.




Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

master's degree in writing that grapples with Christian faith: Seattle Pacific University

Gregory Wolfe directs Seattle Pacific University's MFA [Master of Fine
Arts] program, which focuses on writing that grapples with Christian
faith. The program is tied in with IMAGE: A Journal of the Arts and
Religion, IMAGEJournal.org. Gregory writes:

Starting with the upcoming admission deadline, October 1st, we will be
able to offer a number of merit scholarships to outstanding
applicants!

It is my hope that these scholarships will make it possible for more
gifted writers to benefit from this acclaimed program.

Find out more about the program via our online brochure, video
interviews, and website,
http://www.spu.edu/prospects/grad/academics/mfa/index.asp. (And even
if you're not interested in the MFA for yourself, consider forwarding
this message to someone you know who is.)

Thanks for your time,

Gregory Wolfe
IMAGE
3307 Third Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98119
206-281-2988
IMAGEJournal.org

Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

seeking short pieces of Christian writing: Angoor Press

Angoor Press: Inspired Christian Living is open to submissions of
short fiction, nonfiction, poetry, interviews, visual art, etc. for
its new publication, Phlox Share. More info at:
http://angoorpress.com/submissions/



Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

contests for good and BAD writing: Mixed Fruit Magazine

Mixed Fruit is a quarterly literary magazine running a poetry contest
with no fee to enter, deadline November 15. They're also still running
a B-Movie Edition contest for the WORST poetry or short fiction you
can write, deadline October 1. Entries to either contest must be
uploaded via their online form, not sent by regular e-mail or by post.
More info at http://mixedfruitmagazine.com/


Elma Schemenauer, elmams@shaw.ca, author of 75 books published in
Canada and the USA, editor of many others. Blog
www.elmasalmanac.blogspot.com Website www.elma03.com