recent news & thoughts for writers

How do agents & editors describe fiction they’re evaluating? What’s the industry lingo? Which of the 26 terms at the following site fit your fiction? Which are positive? Negative? Might they give you ideas on how to change your fiction and/or how to promote it?

http://writersrelief.com/blog/2015/06/publishing-industry-slang-writing/

 

Links here to a wealth of book-marketing & promotion ideas: http://www.webdesignrelief.com/links-roundup-july/

 

How will the Penguin-Random House merger affect Canadian publishing & authors? Lots of thoughts in this June 25 Globe & Mail article: http://tinyurl.com/nosawre

 

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

science fiction & world-building

Good article here on writing science fiction, especially world-building:

http://apiusman.blogspot.ca/2015/06/good-science-fiction.html

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

festivals of faith, justice & the arts

Cahoots!Fest, July 9-15, 2015
The Cahoots!Fest of faith, social justice, and DIY is happening this year just outside of Toronto in Milton, Ontario. Look forward to camping, good music, and challenging workshops. More information about the festival and tickets is available on their website.

Skylight Festival, July 31- August 2, 2015
Modelled after the U.K.’s Greenbelt Christian Arts Festival, Skylight [in Paris, Ontario] offers music, drama, art, film, and talks on faith, peace, and justice. Find out more at skylightfestival.ca.

Why Christian? Conference, September 18-20, 2015
Minneapolis, MN. Organized by Rachel Held Evans and Nadia Bolz-Weber, WX2015 brings together 11 women to tell their real-life, flesh-and-blood stories of living out the Gospel of Jesus. This is not just a conference for women, but for all who want to attend. Check out their website for more information. (Note: they may be sold out.)

Wild Goose Festival, July 9-15, 2015
The Wild Goose community explores spirituality, social justice, music, and the arts. This four-day festival takes place each summer in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Find more information about the festival and tickets prices at the Wild Goose website.

 

 

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

call for stories on resisting cultural influences

Geez Magazine calls itself a periodical of “contemplative cultural resistance.” It’s “a bustling spot for the over-churched, out-churched, un-churched and maybe even the un-churchable.” The magazine has issued this open call for stories:

Are you or your community engaging with truth or practices to resist the influences of corporate capitalism, consumerism, or other dominant Western narratives? We’d like to hear from you! Send your story to our Experiments editor, Katie Doke Sawatzky, at experiments@geezmagazine.org.

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

giving & getting feedback on writing for kids

KidCrit run by Marsha Skrypuch is apparently a good website for giving & getting feedback on writing for children. It looks a bit complex but according to a friend of mine it’s worth the effort. Here’s the link: http://www.calla.com/xboard/index.php .

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

book of Exodus retold: nice review

Violet (Sperling) Nesdoly's novel DESTINY'S HANDS retells the Biblical book of Exodus for young adults. It's not a specifically Catholic book but there's a nice review at http://catholicfiction.net/book-review/destinys-hands.php .

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

how NOT to get published

You don’t want to get your book published, do you? Here are 10 ways to avoid that frightening fate: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/10-ways-to-never-get-published

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS available in Saskatchewan

My 1940s-era novel CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS is available in Saskatchewan at the Elbow library, several Elbow business places, Outlook newspaper office, Davidson newspaper office, Central Butte pharmacy, Herbert museum, & Humboldt library. This HUMBOLDT JOURNAL article about the book came out yesterday: http://tinyurl.com/phjxgzv . My husband’s Schemenauer relatives have roots in Humboldt & area. That’s his Grandpa Nicholas on the right on the dray (delivery) wagon about 1920.

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

persuading folks to buy

Copywriting is writing to persuade people to buy something, whether it’s your book, your knife-sharpening services, your hairdressing salon, or whatever. Here’s a good article about it: http://tinyurl.com/o6hgsx3 . Not all the ideas may suit your situation, but it may still be helpful.

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

planning a book signing?

Good advice on selling books at signings: http://buildbookbuzz.com/how-to-sell-out-at-a-book-signing-without-being-a-celebrity/

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .

 

Mennonite historical & Exodus retold

Author Violet (Sperling) Nesdoly's June 2015 newsletter is out, http://tinyurl.com/pwcqosb . Here’s what it says about my novel Consider the Sunflowers:

 

Mennonite historical. Schemenauer takes us from 1940 to 1947 in the lives of Tina Janz and Frank Warkentin of Coyote, Saskatchewan (a fictional town). This literary tale explores many themes like how we're moulded by early experiences, what love is, the importance of honesty in marriage, the consequences of our choices, what it means to be Mennonite, how a relationship with God is relevant to everyday life, and more. It's a bittersweet and thoughtful story. More information at Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk .

 

Nesdoly's novel Destiny's Hands (for young adults) presents the Biblical book of Exodus through the eyes of Bezalel. He’s a young Israelite skilled in creating artistic works from precious metals and other materials. We encounter him working for the Egyptians, helping to form the gods they worship. His life is fulfilling and enjoyable. His Egyptian masters treat him well because they value his talents. On the other hand, young Bezalel knows how his fellow Israelites suffer, forced to spend long days making bricks under the blazing sun. Then Moses and Aaron arrive with an astonishing message: Trust and obey Yahweh. He will deliver you from slavery. Bezalel is caught between the Egyptian world and the new life Moses and Aaron promise. The story’s key theme—divided loyalties—resonates with many young readers. More information online at http://www.amazon.ca/Destinys-Hands-Violet-Nesdoly-ebook/dp/B008ET8WW2/ .

 

 

Elma Schemenauer CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  .