#Bound Anthology ebook

[tryslora]

2024 in review, 2025 goals and objectives

It’s that time of year… as we launch into a new year, it’s time to talk about my goals & objectives from 2024, and set some new ones for 2025.

For those who may be new here: I don’t do resolutions. Those are fluffy. Amorphous and difficult to quantify. I prefer to set proper goals & objectives that I can look at at the end of the year and see how I did.

Sometimes this works. Sometimes not so much.

So, we’ll begin by looking back at 2024.

For writing, I said I would…

Launch Kickstarter for Twinned trilogy with Duck Prints Press and complete fulfillment

This did not happen for a variety of reasons—some of them mine, some of them not mine. However, discussions DID happen, and a new plan has been set. The second book will be available for pre-order from the DPP site in February; we have some hopefully easy passes left to do for editing before it’s ready to go to print. We are working hard at getting the third book edited, and when it’s ready, we will launch the Kickstarter, currently scheduled for end of summer. At that point, the whole trilogy will be available (for those who don’t already have the first two books), plus some merch (yay, merch!).

Editing is HARD, folks, and my brain makes it harder on me than it should be I suspect. These books are also ridiculously long (like the trilogy together is ~500k), so each one takes a long time to get through. It’ll happen. Sometimes we just need to regroup, y’know?

Set up for self-publishing and publish Finding Their Roots.

Done! Well, mostly. FTR is available at ebook through wide distribution, and the hardcover is available on Amazon. I struggled with the PoD paperback from D2D and still need to get that fixed (it’s a Q1 goal right now). Are you interested in reading a fluffy romance about camping, hiking, magic, and amnesia, with a background werewolf pack? Here’s a page full of links where you can buy it.

Be more present on social media and blog regularly.

I was way better about this at the start of the year. Some days I blurt all over Mastodon/Bluesky/Facebook, and most days I’m quiet. I have some concrete ideas how to do better. 

I did start using Buffer, which the free version allows me to post to three sites (see the three I just mentioned). I don’t really have the budget to pay to get cross-posting for other sites at this point, unfortunately. It would certainly make my life easier!

Work towards drafts of the next PHU (Run Together) and 7Lakes (Bound by Denial).

I did work towards them. I didn’t get very far. However, the overall planning is partly done, the outlines are partly done, and both have a few actual words written for them. So. I made progress.

I did learn that editing breaks my brain, and spent a lot of time at the end of the year figuring out how to get around that and be able to write and edit at the same time. Maybe. If I’m lucky.

Work on other original and fic when I could.

No fic happened; this is likely not a surprise. There are a lot of reasons for that, and it could fill a post, so I’m not going there right now.

However, I did completely rewrite a short story and then sold “A Bright and Clouded Future” to the Yay! All Queer anthology from Inkd Publishing. Yes, you can buy it. :)

For health & family I said I would…

Work out 2-3 times per week, continue with Wegovy/eating habits, and do more meal prep for myself and my parents.

Well. I managed the workouts; even when on vacation, we were very active and walked a LOT. I kept moving. I kept up with the Wegovy, but I’m plateaued and frustrated, which is to be expected. I am trying to stay healthy for eating, but when we only get to cook dinner a few times a week, it’s rough.

I didn’t supply as many meals to my parents as I would’ve liked. 

Start planning ahead to retirement.

I’m on track. I’ve been making plans both at home and at work. And now I’m adding in the plans for well, what if I can’t retire when I want to? Because with the way things are going, it’s certainly possible that in four years there will be too much chaos. So. I will roll with the punches.

Be more present for found family and family.

I tried. I often felt like I was being pulled in so damned many directions. I am too busy and need to figure out ways to cut back, but that hasn’t been working out.

For consumption of media, I planned to…

Read 52 books. See 12 movies. See 12 shows.

Done, done, and done. I read 127 books & manga. Want to compare notes? I made a list challenge thingy, so you can see how many of these you’ve read (ever, not just in the last year). I watched 29 movies, mixed between in theater and streaming at home. I saw 13 plays, 1 comedy show, and 1 concert.

Did I mention I was busy? I was very busy.

So, that’s 2024 in review. I both feel like I didn’t get anywhere, and like I got a lot done, all at the same time.

I spent a large part of the latter half of 2024 in a funk, and I knew I needed to change how I was working and how I thought about things in order to move forward. So my planning for 2025 is a little different.

[Side point: do you know how hard it is to write a post when a cat insists that the only possible activity in this moment is petting her as she climbs on your chest? Yes, yes, I do know this… she’s napping and snoring now, so I can get back to the typing…]

For 2025, I have two sets of goals: habits and goals for the whole year, and quarterly more specific tasks set with the intent of achieving the goals for the year.

Goals for the whole year…

write 100 words a day

test "write before edit" approach

pre-order/fulfill Missed Fortunes

Kickstarter/fulfill Into the Split (plus others)

set up photography business

attempt to do in-person markets (photography, books)

TKD 2-3 times per week

walk/elliptical 10 times per month

read 52 books

see 12 movies

see 12 plays/concerts/shows

That’s a lot. Some of it is exactly the same as last year. Some of it isn’t entirely under my control (the publication of MF & ITS).

You’ll notice “draft a new book” isn’t on that list. It isn’t NOT in my plans, but it’s not a concrete finite goal for the year, either. It’s a goal that will be adapted as I go. There are also a lot of household things not on the list, and some habits that I’m going to figure out what works over the course of the year (like “blog twice a month”—things like that).

I have some concrete goals for the first quarter, all of which are in support of other goals.

Complete edits for Missed Fortunes and advertise/etc. for the February pre-order.

Edit Into the Split through “chapter” (arc) 7.

Outline the next PHU novel RT through chapter 15, and draft through chapter 5.

Outline the next 7Lakes novel BBD through chapter 15, and draft through chapter 5.

Fix the print edition of FTR so it is properly available via wide distribution PoD.

Blog twice per month.

Complete monthly newsletters.

Edit photos and order materials (cards, etc.) for vending.

Set up my business (for both publishing and photography) and taxes, etc.

Swap the exercise and family rooms in my house.

Deliver my eldest’s things in storage to her house (and out of mine!).

Redesign my craft area (eldest is going to help).

I have trackers in my bullet journal to help me see what’s working, and what isn’t. That will help me plan for the second quarter. I’m hoping that taking this approach—relearning how I work once publishing is in the mix—will help me be more productive, and far healthier mentally, going forward.

This also means I’ll need to do check-ins at the start of each quarter to assess how I did, and set the new quarterly goals. So expect to see me again on this topic at the start of April.

[delilahdesanges]

[Publishing] FREE BOOK ALERT!

Fantastic news! In celebration of Sim Kern’s Trans Rights Readathon, Ghoulish Books are prereleasing a FREE ebook version of the Bound In Flesh anthology for Readathon participants. Click through to Sim Kern’s Trans Rights Readathon to learn what’s involved in signing up, and which charities you can donate to. My current preference is TENI, the Transgender Equality Network Ireland, but there are…

[haneuul-x]

books are cool

I really enjoy reading books, A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images. Modern books are typically in codex format, composed of many pages that are bound together and protected by a cover.A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images. Modern books are typically in codex format, composed of many pages that are bound together and protected by a cover.

The book above was one of the first ever books printed with a printing press. Modern books are usually in codex format, composed of many pages. They are connected together by a cover. One of my favorites was The Great Gatsby, a classic book by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is widely considered to be a literary masterpiece and a contender for the title of the Great American Novel. As a conceptual object, a book refers to a written work of substantial length, which may be distributed either physically or in digital forms like eBooks. These can be fiction or non-fiction. A physical book may not contain such a work: for example, it may contain only drawings, engravings, photographs, puzzles, or removable content like paper dolls. It may also be left empty for personal use, as in the case of account books, appointment books, autograph books, notebooks, diaries and sketchbooks.

The picture above is a notebook, not all books contain stories in them, they can be used to write stories. Writing stories such as diary entries are so relaxing. Who knows, your diary might become a famous story in the future. Books are sold at different stores, online for delivery, and can be borrowed from libraries.

TYPES OF GENRES, WORDS, ETC. ↓

Literature

Oral literature Folklore-(fable - fairy - tale - folk play - folksong - heroic epic - legend - myth - proverb) Oration - Performance (audiobook - spoken word)- Saying Major written forms Drama- (closet drama) - Poetry-(lyric - narrative) - Prose - Nonsense - (verse) - Ergodic - Electronic Long prose fiction Anthology - Serial - Novel/romance Short prose fiction Novella - Novelette - Short story - Drabble - Sketch - Flash fiction - Parable - Religious - Wisdom Prose genres Fiction Speculative - Realist - Children's - Genre -(adventure - coming-of-age - crime - erotic - fantasy - military - paranormal - romance - science fiction - supernatural - western - horror) - Historical - Encyclopedic Non-fiction Academic - (history - philosophy) - Anecdote - Epistle - Essay - Journalism - Letter - Life - Nature - Persuasive - Travelogue Poetry genres Narrative Children - Epic - Dramatic - Verse novel - National Lyric Ballad - Elegy - Epigram - Ghazal - Haiku - Hymn Limerick - Ode - Qasida - Sonnet - Villanelle Lists Epic - Groups and movements - Poets Dramatic genres Comedy - Libretto - Play - (historical - moral) - Satire - Script - Tragedy - Tragicomedy History Ancient - Classical - Medieval - Modernist - Postmodern Lists and outlines Outline - Glossary - Books - Writers - Movements -Cycles - Literary awards - (poetry) Theory and criticism Sociology - Magazines - Composition - Language - Narrative - Feud - Estate

↓ There are many different genres and type of books, that's why it is cool. ~Information and pictures by Wikipedia and Pinterest~

[unbearable-lightness-of-ink]

so here's where we're at:

a moveable feast is bound badly as a proof of concept and I think it really captures the intended vibe.

six word peace corpse poems are bound tidily except for the page sizes which I gave up on caring about. the thing triggered a week of trauma dreams so frankly I don't think it deserves neatly aligned pages.

hell's librarian is typeset, imposed, and printed, and about a quarter of the pages are cut (nicely). I have white bookcloth and am going to try printing the cover design directly on it with my inkjet. (this worked fine with the purple cloth on the peace corpse poems but didn't have enough contrast to see clearly on the darker background.) I may wind up making headbands out of whatever I find in my craft room because I'm impatient.

the ghost of you haunting the ghost of me is typeset but not exported or imposed. I need to do a color test with that one too because it has colored chapter headers. I have absurd sparkly endpapers for it and assuming the printing on bookcloth experiment works for hell's librarian I am going to give it an extremely extra cover.

war crimes is typeset but I need to do another pass because I think I've changed my mind about the margins, and I vaguely remember the table of contents giving me grief. I also have to decide how hard I'm committing to the cover design, and i don't remember whether I have endpaper I like for it.

haven v1.0 is typeset but in checking the page breaks I realised I'd typeset the last draft, not the final one, and there are some mistakes, so I have to reconcile it. with the final draft. fml. I also might hate my cover design for that, idk.

the accidental poetry is mostly typeset but I have to take another look and decide whether to make it a single volume or several and, if several, where to break it. then I need front matter etc which I haven't looked at yet because it took so long to just sort the poetry.

the fucked up short story anthology is still in the editing phase by which I mean I haven't yet finished reading all the submissions. there are, like, 100 of them. literally thousands of pages of short stories for me to read. and then I will have to decide how to order them and whether to put them in multiple volumes or one fuck-off massive tome. I did do page spreads for a couple of the short stories as proof of concept and I think I have a plan for design if not for content.

the short stories for posterity are sloppily tossed into the publisher and I might do them in between the others if I need a break from things I care about. I just want them printed so I don't lose them to my computer. might toss all my other sentimental stuff into that one just to have it printed. then I will shove it to the back of a shelf where nobody will see it bc frankly I'm not sure I want people reading the short story I wrote in 2011 or whatever yknow? it was probably not good. same with my poetry. I am not a poet but I don't really want the computer to eat them when my hard drive inevitably fails etc.

I need a cover design and I need to buy the ebooks before I can do the rest of the kate kane novels, which i plan to bind because some of them are not available on paper.

I know it sounds absurdly unrealistically ambitious but I really am going to compile a comprehensive kinyarwanda language guide from all the incomplete resources I have found and downloaded. I personally want to be able to find the table I want when I want it and I can't remember where I chucked my notes from rwamagana if I even still have them.

which is all to say, I can't believe i have to go to work tomorrow instead of playing with my little crafts. this is homophobia thank you and goodnight

[halflingkima]

Slumpy First Chapter Test

I have not been reading. Moreover, I have not been liking what I'm reading. My average rating has been sub-2 stars all year. I want to fix this not so I read more, but so I can read books I really want to without my bad mood affecting the experience. It's been going so badly that I'm gonna start tracking my DNFs. I know I've put down at least 20 books in the last couple months bc they weren't working and ironically I feel like that's part of the mood. So I'm gonna track how far I get and where I stop (esp now that storygraph doesn't count them as 'unrated' or 'books read' anymore) so that i get a better view of how much i'm actually reading vs only what i finish.

as typical in my slumpy flailing, i panic-checked-out a lotta library books so here's what i'm currently reading, how i feel about it, and impressions of the first chapter of all the books currently staring at me.

Currently Reading

Spell Bound by FT Lukens: An author I usually like, especially when I'm slumpy or not really in the mood to read or focus. Much like TJ Klune where the writing style is a little too.. simple? to ever really get more than a 3 star, but I typically love their characters and plots and the fantasy worlds they build, but for some reason this one is simply Not Hitting. Something about too few characters, mainly single POV, and the love interests not having much interaction at the 100-ish page mark isn't working for me. Think this might be a DNF tbh but isn't yet.

Speculative Fiction for Dreamers Anthology: Heavy literary-style anthology. I picked this up to maybe cure a slump with easy one-off short stories, but they're all so dense that it's having the opposite effect. I'm also not liking a large portion of the stories – I think the subject is too broad/vague to work as a coherent collection for me. It makes a much better textbook. I'm gonna finish it, but probably even slower than I have been.

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun: This one's dicey bc it's definitely a 5-star for me, but I put it down at a point of Overwhelm in the story (it was so good and happy and I wanted to stay in that spot for a bit) but then the slump struck and I don't want my poor reading mood to negatively affect what so far has been a nearly perfect story.

Palace Project

Vampires Never Get Old Anthology: I have the audiobook and my headphones have gone missing so that's an issue. I only read the front material and a small bit of the first story, but it's promising! the audiobook has good production, thank god – i hated the narrator for the intro (she was pronouncing stuff weird??) but each story is narrated individually, and I love that in an audiobook, especially a collection from multiple authors. the first story is by tessa gratton, so idk if it's the topic or her writing (since i tend to like her short stories) that has given me hope for this one.

The September House by Carissa Orlando: I liked the prologue, it was very readable. It set up a character voice and a full backstory very efficiently and got me excited for the story to come. idk if I'd be excited about phyiscally reading it, but it sounds like a stellar audiobook option.

Thorn by Anna Burke: For some reason this sounds very familiar. I wonder if I read an ebook sample or a preview somewhere. It feels very much like something someone maybe posted here circa 2014 as an interest check and now has finally gotten it published. i'm not exactly a fairytale retelling fan, and it very much reads as such, but I'm intrigued enough to continue. I don't think it's a slump cure, though, it seems a smidge too dark for that. but i do like drama – i think it'll depend on the style and amount of romance tbh.

Libby

New Adult by Timothy Janovsky: A reliable author that i'm tempted to crack the seal on. Like FT Lukens, he's kinda a reliable 3-star writing style, but i have had a 5 star and I dont have many more books of his to save for rainy days. This first chapter seems par for the course and i'm intrigued by the sliding doors/midnight library/life choices concept. i think it's gonna be the In Case Of Emergency on this list - if all else here fails, i'll crack that spine.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles: idk if i get kj charles and cat sebastian's writing styles confused just bc they're kinda the only regency m/m i read or if theyre actually that similar. this chapter was a great example of why i do prefer cat sebastian just a smidge – this opening chapter was a little abrasive and fast-paced with some immediate character conflict while i'd prefer to slowly adjust to a book. regardless, it does seem promising.

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne: This was very interesting. Again had a fairytale retelling tone, but isn't a retelling in content. I'm intrigued by the worldbuilding here. I knew it was a post-death teen romance but the way it's introduced still fascinated me. tbh I'm looking forward to the plot more than the romance per se.

Sutphin Boulevard by Santino Hassell: Like Thorn, this one also feels. weirdly familiar?? but more recent. I did probably read the libby sample at one point when I was really short on gay romances and reading it again, I remember why I put it down. It starts off real um. Intense. and kinda escalates from there. I might give this one a chance though, since the prose itself isn't insufferable. it's way too long to be simply erotica so I guess i'm curious where things go after a threesome in the first chapter.

Hoopla

Delay of Game by Ari Baran: much like kd casey's unwritten rules series, this has become my favorite reading-in-progress sports romance series. i'm a little afraid to burn the last remaining book (so far) on a slump break, but it has been a long slump. this first chapter launches into the past which is a little weird to contend with since the leads were attached-at-the-hip bffs in the previous book. ironically kd casey did that too. either way, i'm intrigued and locked in. but i hope i can save this till i can figure out how to get ahold of the third ebook.

Physical Library Books

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus: it starts off with a poem and a first person dialect that tells me 1) i'm probably gonna love it 2) it may break me and 3) it requires some solid focus and immersion. I don't think i'm gonna pick this one up very soon, but i'm now much more sure that i will pick it up at some point.

Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism by Kristen Ghodsee: I've only read the author's note, but it's surprisingly conversational/readable for a nonfiction text, especially on such a dense subject. I tried the audiobook a while ago and the narrator's accent like uhh repulsed me, i have no clue why. I'll definitely keep reading, but perhaps slowly. Unlikely that a physical nonfic would cure a slump, but idk maybe it'll shake up my routine enough to jolt it back into place.

The Written World and the Unwritten World by Italo Calvino: These are supposedly essays, but from the first one i got more of a satirical, meandering creative nonfiction think piece vibe. the structure is much more like a story than an essay, and the style reminds me of mark twain's nonfiction. i can see myself dnfing in the future, but i'll give it a shot for now.

[catgirlbulge]

Hi, I know some of your followers were looking for more stories by trans authors. I'm an autistic trans editor and writer, and worked on Bound In Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror--if anyone wants an ebook copy pls DM me.

Cool! (i haven't read it so i can't speak to its content, but it seems like the kind of thing that might make cis people uncomfortable so that's neat)

[avalonciara]

NEEDY AUTHOR POST! 💚💚💚

Anyone's group I can share a new release in today please?

Or just grab this and share for me, since I'm probably going into FB jail for posting too much.😬

#AuthorSharing RELEASE DAY!

I am so Excited to tell everyone that Bound to the Fae is currently available in paperback format!

And for all of you ebook readers, Realm of Midnight is still available for only 99c!

#IndieAuthor #KroseAuthor #Realmofmidnight #Anthology #Fantasy #NewRelease

Get access to thirty full length Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels by one-Clicking today!

Amazon.com (USA) https://www.amazon.com/Realm-Midnight-Limited-Paranormal-Collection-ebook/dp/B0BRGMK91M

Universal Link for Outside of the USA and Other retailers:

www.books2read.com/realmofmidnight

Paperback of Bound to the Fae:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CK3VFXH6

[hangofwednesday]

Every Halloween I try to post every week a old piece of comic work I was involved with in college.

These pages were done with different artist. We published them in many college printed anthologies and websites we all worked on. The idea of The Wall Bound was dips into stories from all realities that I created, wrote in, or read of during those days between classes.

Brief moments from larger tales I planned to be told later. Each week in October I will post a new page from the past :)

#tinuniverse #trees #comics #webcomics #comicbooks #horror #horrorcomics #prowrestling #prowrestlingcomics #freecomics #freewebcomics

[writingwithcrows]

Ooh look, a publishing announcement!

I’m pleased to share that my short story, “The Great Burning”, has been published in The Librarian Reshelved! This is a sequel to the wildly successful Kickstarter backed anthology The Librarian that came out late last year. Published by The Air and Nothingneess Press, they make absolutely gorgeous, collectible paperback books!

Originally this was going to be a limited run of only 150 copies but due to the popularity, Todd increased it to 250 copies. This book will not have a digital ebook edition, only this single limited print run, so grab a copy while you can! Originally planned to be ready in March, edits and printing moved so quickly that editions are now available to purchase.

Each copy is printed perfect bound with French flaps with this gorgeous artwork.

“A collection of speculative fiction stories about the Librarian's adventures roving through the multiverse getting in and out of trouble and paying people's library fines.

The Librarian Reshelved is a continuing collection of speculative fiction stories about one Librarian's adventures roving through the multiverse.”

http://aanpress.com/aanorder.html#TLR

*Happy squeeing author noises! *

[chapters-of-mylife]

Bound by Blood Anthology by Cora Reilly {Book Review}

-------------------------------------------

GENRES: Romance, Contemporary, Dark, New Adult, Adult, Mystery, Fiction

rating: ⭐️⭐️ out of 5 Stars

------------------------------------------- Born in Blood Sworn in Blood… …isn’t only the motto the Famiglia lives by. Bleeding for love is something every couple in this book has experienced. Through hardships their love morphs into something even more beautiful and resilient. A love each of them is willing to fight for.

This anthology contains stories for the following couples:

Aria & Luca Romero & Liliana Growl & Cara Mauro & Stella Matteo & Gianna (From Goodreads)

-------------------------------------------

Didn't like this book that much. I felt it was a waste of time. I was happy to see some of the characters again, But most of the book was about Matteo & Gianna, and I don't like Gianna, and she made me hate her more in this book!

if someone did summarise this book in just a few sentences which would've been telling me how many kids each couple has with their names and ages, I could've skipped this book. because literally, the only thing I could get out of this book was that, and the new couple? Mauro & Stella. I don't know if I can call them a couple or not TBH. and lastly, the mention of a new character, if I'm not mistaken this character is going to be featured in Cora Reilly's new series (Sins of Fathers)

[sfsucw]

Omnidawn Fabulist Fiction Chapbook/Novelette Contest

The winner of the annual Omnidawn Fabulist Fiction Chapbook / Novelette Contest wins a $1,000 prize, publication of the perfect bound pocket series chapbook / novelette with a full color cover by Omnidawn, 100 free copies of the winning chapbook / novelette, and extensive display advertising and publicity, including prominent display ads in Poets & Writers Magazine, Rain Taxi Review of Books and other publications.

Guidelines:

For this contest, Fabulist Fiction includes magic realism and literary forms of fantasy, science fiction, horror, fable, and myth. Stories can be primarily realistic, with elements of non-realism, or primarily, or entirely non-realistic.

Open to all writers worldwide. There are no citizenship or residency requirements or limitations.

Postal and online submissions are accepted from around the world.

Manuscripts must be in English, although it is perfectly acceptable to include some text in other languages.

This contest is identity-hidden (formerly referred to as a blind contest), so you can submit manuscripts that contain identifying information, but please be aware that such information will be removed from manuscripts before they are passed on to our editors who select manuscripts to be sent to the judge.

Manuscript submissions for all contests must be original.

Stories are NOT eligible for inclusion within a submission if they have been previously published online or in print or Ebook editions.

We recommend that you keep the total length of your manuscript between 7,500 and 17,500 words, consisting of either one story or multiple stories.

Simultaneous submissions to other contests are perfectly acceptable. Please send us an email to let us know if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

Revisions are not allowed to a manuscript after it has been submitted to the contest. However, the winning author will have time to revise the manuscript before publication. We do reserve the right to get approval from the judge if those revisions are significant.

The reading fee is $18 per entry. For $2 extra to cover shipping cost, entrants may choose to receive a copy of the winning chapbook or any Omnidawn fiction title, including our highly acclaimed ParaSheres anthology of fabulist and new wave fabulist fiction. A complete list of all Omnidawn fiction titles is available at www.omnidawn.com/product-category/fiction

Multiple submissions to this contest are acceptable, but each manuscript must be submitted separately, with a separate entry fee.

Online entries must be received and postal entries must be postmarked between September 1 and October 31, 2021 at midnight Pacific Daylight Time.

NOT ELIGIBLE are translations; collaborations by more than one author; students, colleagues, or close friends of the judge, Kellie Wells; Omnidawn past and present staff and interns; authors of books Omnidawn has published, and winners of previous Omnidawn BOOK and CHAPBOOK contests. Winners of Omnidawn's Broadside Contest are still eligible to enter and win Omnidawn BOOK and CHAPBOOK contests.

[connectjoe]

         1) The Erik Dalton Anthology is an extensive collection of his most popular published articles and features. This beautifully designed ebook with full color images covers a range of topics from thoracic outlet syndrome and stomach sleeper's headaches, to treating "text neck" and dowager's hump. Erik Dalton has been a regular contributor to the profession's largest publications, including Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Massage Magazine, Massage Today and others.

         2) Chair massage expert, Eric Brown, will lead you step-by-step through the process of conducting simple massage workshops. You’ll learn how to teach 42 powerful, but easy to master techniques. Unlike most introductory massage classes where participants need to undress or need to work on the floor, the Massage Anytime Anywhere workshop is super practical: All the techniques in this workshop are done over the clothing and are taught with the participants sitting in standard chairs. This makes it incredibly accessible to anyone.

There is no discomfort associated with disrobing –people remain clothed

You don’t need to supply tables or other special equipment – a standard chair is all that’s needed

No messy oils are used

You can do it practically anywhere – from your reception room or a client’s home to a church basement or a tradeshow floor

All techniques are easy to understand and teach

There is no discomfort associated with disrobing –people remain clothed

Almost anyone can do these techniques – they’ve been taught to kids, seniors and even the wheelchair-bound

It consists of 10 separate modules and can be taught in various formats from one-hour “lunch and learns” to weekend workshops

All techniques are done over the clothing in a standard chair. The only equipment you need is your hands.

The program comes with downloadable class handouts that you can customize with your contact information at the touch of a button. It's truly a unique product!

Discover how to:

​​​​​​​ *Pivot to offer new services

* Learn advanced hands on skills so you can attract and treat clients that need a new therapist

* Add income streams (virtual and hands on)

* Strategize your comeback, and plan for your future

[ink-splotch]

Grey had always loved books (for as long as he could remember, anyway, and he could remember a long way). It was why he had come to the Academy. The Academy was the way to the Library, and he had decided he wanted the path of his life to meander to those halls of books and stay there. What was the use of this one world at his fingertips, compared to the thousands hidden within all those pages? A week into his Academy life, comfortably settled among the books and quills scattered in his bed just the way he wanted them, a tardy redheaded barbarian had stepped into Grey’s room (Grey’s life). Jack had been barefoot and staring, tentative within the old walls but standing in his own skin as though he’d never thought of living any life but his. (Grey couldn’t count the number of times he had felt bound and breathless in skin too small to belong to his father’s callused son; or stared at his long fingers and felt they were too big for him, that they could stretch out and grasp things he wished were safely out of his reach, dreams he didn’t want to dream, power he didn’t want to have at his beck and call. It was why he kept them inkstained, smudges between whorls of fingerprints and faint freckles. When Grey felt lost, drowning in too much self, straining against too little, he’d rub his thumb over drying cursive, paint his name in the palm of his hand). A week into the Academy, a boy with the calluses Grey’s father had always dreamed of stepped through the dorm room door. Grey didn’t ask his name; he’d already read it off the door. It was the part of the boy that had been written down so of course it was the only part that mattered.   Nineteen months later, and Grey was waist deep in the river shouting advice about krakens, was cross-legged in his room with books piled above his head and a young woman chewing on her pen and spitting answers back at him like it was something to win, was wrapped up in a quilt drinking Jack’s best tea while the Elsewhere played a brass band in his bones, was breaking curses and ducking stray manticore thorns and chasing down gremlins with enchanted silver nets.   Nineteen months later, and Grey was wrapped up in a guide’s wide grin, tinged with a bravery that was earned and not born, a mage who shot bulls-eyes like it was something she owed the world, a hero who slipped them forgotten jackets and green apples and bruise balm like someone might punish him for the kindness. Nineteen months later, and Grey could see worlds in the curl of Jack’s bare toes when the wind blew down from the north. Stories were being written in every flick of Laney’s eyelashes, her slyest grin and the way she disappeared into perfect propriety when someone walked into the room, except for the taut muscles of her forearms. Rupert’s pen filled in forms and files and reports but all Grey wanted to do was to ask him about the scar on his left hand, or the farthest he had ever been from home. (Grey, presently, was as far as he had ever been, or possibly the very closest). They were anthologies. They were dictionaries and thesauruses for words he would never be able to translate. They were plays and rotting scrolls and old love letters and standing rune stones worn by centuries. They were being written before his ink-smudged nose. He would never catch up; he would die trying to read all of them, to find their translations, the best poems in their worst days. But Laney would yank the fire from his hands and run her fingers through it like she was carding wool, looking for secrets. Rupert would slip him a pair of thick mittens and travel cake stuffed with blueberries, which Grey had never admitted were his favorite (on her best days, his mother had gone out and picked them from spindly mountain bushes and held his hand, inkstained even then). And Jack would grin at him from across the hall, wrinkle his nose like it was another language to learn, and Grey would have to look down and bite his tongue to keep from laughing aloud, because somewhere, somehow, impossibly, he had learned it after all.

Beanstalk by E. Jade Lomax (download the (free) ebook here)

[writeinspiration]

How Long Should Your Novel Be? (The Definitive Answer)

Text of the article pasted below!

Many aspiring novelists ask themselves, “How long should my novel be?” The answer to this question is surprisingly complex. There are multiple issues that need to be to addressed… and I’m going to cover ALL of them in this article.So let’s get it!

My Journey

It took me eight years to craft my debut novel, The Page Turners.

Eight years is far too long to spend writing a first book. Looking back, I cringe at the thought of what I could have created in the time I wasted drafting and redrafting that novel.

One of the many reasons it took me so long to write my first book was that, like many rookie authors, I wanted my debut to be an epic story. I had twenty-five years worth of life experiences, thoughts, emotions, and stories to draw from, and I was determined to cram all of it into a novel that would dazzle readers and immediately launch my literary career into the stratosphere of superstardom!

At one point, the manuscript for The Page Turners was up to 130,000 words, but the published version is a little over 55,000; hardly an epic.

But you know what? Stephen King’s first novel wasn’t The Stand. It was a tight-packed little masterpiece called Carrie.

Once I followed King’s lead by focusing on intimacy and letting go of my aspirations of a sweeping and grand narrative, the project finally become manageable. After years spent struggling with this beast of a story, I was suddenly dealing with a focused and fast-paced narrative that had a clear theme and a nice sense of rhythm and harmony.

Before long, finally publishing the book was no longer a distant pipe dream; it had actually become an attainable goal. In shortening the length of my novel, I made my life as a writer much easier.

The Benefits of Short

It’s easier to redraft and review a shorter novel.

It’s easier to convince beta readers to give it a look, and you get their feedback much quicker.

As an indie author, it’s significantly cheaper to pay for copy-editing of a shorter novel, and the production costs of printing the final books are also more affordable.

Across the board, virtually everything becomes easier and more do-able once you commit to shortening your novel.

A shorter book also forces an author to focus with laser-like accuracy on the story’s most important elements: the plot and lead characters. Tangents, supporting characters, and non-relevant aspects of the narrative are kept to a bare minimum because there simply isn’t room for them in a short book.

Tell an enthusiastic young writer you need them to write a 2,000-word article, and there’s a good chance they’ll return with 4,000 words of mostly unusable material. On the other hand, tell them you need 500 words and not a single word more… and they might just come up with something great!

I’m quite fond of the Orson Well’s quote, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations,” and I think it can be applied wonderfully to word count. Keep the book short, and you’re much more likely to create good art. At the very least, you’ll reduce the chances of creating bad art. (The only thing worse than a bad novel is a bad novel of epic length!)

With all of this in mind, I tell my writing students to aim for a 55,000 word novel for their debut book. A total of 55,000 words is the perfect length for a rookie author. It’s short and sweet, and it forces the writer to stick to the point, something young writers often struggle with. And, of course, as mentioned earlier, it makes the entire project more manageable.

Is a 55,000 Word Manuscript Novel Length?

In his article, “Word Count: How Long Should a Book Be?”, Glen C Strathy turns to The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s (SFFWA) criteria for the Nebula Awards to determine his word count criteria.

Here’s how the SFFWA defines the stories they review for the award:

Short story – under 7,500 words

Novelette – 7,500 to 17,500 words

Novella – 17,500 to 40,000 words

Novel – anything over 40,000 words

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) (an annual event that challenges writers to craft a novel within the month of November) identifies 50,000 words as the minimum target for their definition of a novel.

As such, by either the SFFWA or the NaNoWriMo’s definition, a 55,000-word book is certainly novel-length.

That said, if you would prefer to turn to general opinion and/or critical regard to determine the minimum length of a novel, consider The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece is only 55,000 words long, and it’s considered by many – myself included – to be one of the greatest novels ever written.

In fact, a number of my favourite novels of all time are around this length: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, The Catcher in the Ryeby J.D. Salinger, To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde, Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, to name but a few!

As this list clearly demonstrates, despite what many young authors mistakenly believe, more words are not always better. From Kafka to Carroll, some of the greatest prose writers ever to live chose to produce shorter novels.

In Praise of Long

Despite my recommendation that aspiring authors focus their efforts on producing a shorter book as their initial publication, I would be remiss to ignore the variety of well-loved long novels out there.

In her Salon.com article, “Why we love loooong novels”, Laura Miller provides a convincing argument in praise of the epic. She also references the New York Times report that author Garth Risk Hallberg received a $2 million advance for his 900-page debut, City on Fire – a clear indication a shorter debut novel is not always the best route to critical acclaim and financial riches!

Riffing on Miller’s article, Maddie Crum’s Huffington Post article, “An Ode to Unaccelerated Reading” lists ten excellent novels well worth their page count, and I’m sure we all have a beloved epic tome or two weighing down our bookshelves.

In fact, it was likely my love of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Stephen’s King’s The Stand that got me into trouble with The Page Turners word count in the first place.

I’m not arguing that a novel must be short to be great; I’m simply suggesting that if you want to make the transition from aspiring author to published author in as smooth a manner as possible, you may want to save your epic for your sophomore release.

Industry Standards by Genre

Of course, only a few of the short novels I mentioned earlier were debut releases, and today’s modern writers, especially those looking to break into the mainstream publishing industry, would be wise to take into account industry standards when it comes to determining world count for their work in progress.

In a helpful article written for Writer’s Digest in 2012, Chuck Sambuchino outlines recommended word counts for various different genres of books. His recommended word counts are as follows:

Commercial and literary novels for adults – 80K to 90K

Sci-fi and Fantasy – 100K to 115K

Young Adult – 55K to 70K

In another article on word count and book length, “How Long is a Book? Determine Your Novel’s Genre, Subgenre, and Best Word Count”, Ronnie Smith expands on Sambuchino’s list by adding some additional genres to the mix:

Romance – 80K to 100K

Mystery – 75K to 100K

Thriller – 90K to 100K

Western – 45K – 75K

These recommendations are extremely helpful to keep in mind while working on your book, particularly if you intend to secure an agent and a traditional publisher for your work.

Keep in mind, however, that Sambuchino and Smith’s recommendations are based on the long-entrenched requirements of the traditional book publishing industry. As such, the recommended word counts are largely the result of industrial standards and therefore have more to do with the production requirements of paperback books than they do anything related to storytelling technique, artistic aspirations, or the preferences of readers.

New Standards

In recent years, the rise of ebooks, along with the ever-increasing ease with which independent authors can self-publish their work via web and print-on-demand has completely changed book industry standards in terms of word counts requirements.

With storytelling becoming increasingly digitalized, the very meaning of terms like “books” and “novels” are being consistently destabilized.

Ebooks come in a variety of forms and lengths, and print-on-demand can turn a project of any reasonable word count into a paperback publication. Authors are now free to craft books and novels with word counts that are bound only by the author’s imagination and creativity, and the audience’s receptivity.

Hugh Howey’s hit self-published “novel” Wool was originally released as a series of e-novellas. Authors Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt are releasing serial fiction that is then collected together into “seasons”, thereby combining 19th century Charles Dickens-like publishing model with that of modern television. Erotic authors, riding the surging 50 Shades of Grey wave, are consistently finding new and innovative ways to get their work into reader’s hands, including bundling books from several authors together to create what is, essentially, an anthology of novellas.

Where to From Here?

If it was difficult to determine exactly how long a novel should be in the past, it’s only going to become increasingly more difficult in the future. As independent authors continue to push the boundaries and test what digital publishing and print-on-demand have to offer, and as the traditional publishing industry attempts to keep up with technological innovations reshaping the publishing landscape, there’s no telling what a “book” might look like in the years to come.

If you’re looking for a career in traditional publishing, educate yourself on the word counts the publishers and agents you’re targeting are looking for. If you are embracing independent publishing, get creative! There’s an exciting world of storytelling possibilities out there, and whether your book is a short jaunt or an epic journey is totally up to you. Remain true to your vision, give your audience the read of a lifetime, and the last thing they will be thinking about is word count.

[scripturient-manipulator]

Happy STS! I'm new to your blog so could you tell me about your main writing project(s)? - @fruzsiwrites

Hi @fruzsiwrites! So I’m working on a lot of things right now, in various different stages. Usually I work by completing a draft, completing the draft of a different project while the first one sits, going to another draft while the first two sit, and so on. But due to deadlines and such, I’m doing a lot!

Highest on the list in terms of finished is Where The Lost Boys Go To Play, a retelling of Peter Pan where Wendy is an imaginary friend from 1888 trying to take down Neverland which, in actuality, is a trap set up by Tinkerbell (an UnSeelie Fae) to catch and keep the human souls she wants to eat. Peter Pan is deeply out of it, he’s been her broken pet for centuries now. She loves him, but in a twisted way. I got to do some research on a sadly now gone Native American tribe which was wonderful; the Calusa tribe who I set Tiger Lily in, I love writing about things I know nothing about because then I get to research. That one is being queried to agents!A Hand Extended is currently kind of being worked on, I’m trying to stay on track with a different story but it keeps drawing me back to write the first draft. In a fantasy world a pediatric doctor goes to treat a sick girl, the only child in her particular village in decades. While the doctor is there she falls in love with the girl’s mom, but something dark in the mountain’s woods keeps drawing her in.The story I’m trying to focus on doesn’t have a name yet, it’s for a Holocaust Memorial contest that my college does every year. A Romani woman in 1938 is desperately keeping her family safe during the Night Of Broken Glass, hating that she’s glad how for once it’s not her people being assaulted. Until the next day’s newspaper hits, with a decree that all Romani, at the moment shoved away into slums on the outskirts of the city, are now illegal in Germany. And then the gunfire starts. It’s just barely in the first draft’s stage but the deadline is March so I gotta get moving on it.My first draft that’s resting right now is for an anthology @crankygryphon told me about that I’m very excited for; a princess in a fantasy country moves to another for an arranged marriage, thinking she’s coming to a place that isn’t wretchedly bound by hierarchy and she won’t need to wear weighted clothing to slow her down because she’s a woman. Except her new husband likes the old ways, the complete lack of privacy and use of public shame to keep people in line. So she and her girlfriend-bodyguard are gonna tear the whole government down. They’re so cute together. I really like her girlfriend’s religion, she’s a bodyguard who’s bound by faith to never kill. But she does. For her girlfriend-queen.I’m also working in the mental realm on a sequel to my published novella Perfect World; unfortunately my publisher shut down, so I can only sell ebook copies right now. My dad really wants a sequel to learn more about Mary 1308, so even if it’s only for him I’m gonna write it.

[thewebcomicsreview]

This year, the SpiderForest Webcomic Collective challenged our members to tell us what haunted their characters. They've come through with 20 brand new standalone short comics, scary and silly, about everything from haunted houses to haunted birdhouses, from skeletons in the closet to possessed robot vacuums, from warlocks and demons to soldiers and hitchhikers. Now we need your help making this book of phantoms a reality!

Page count: 129 pages (or more, if we meet our stretch goals!)

Size: 6.5 inches by 10 inches

Binding: Perfect-bound

Paper: 70lb matte

Gorgeous cover art by Min Kwon of Heart of Keol

$5 -- Ghost of an eBook. A PDF version of the anthology for your e-reading needs.

$15 -- The SpiderForest Digital Bundle. PDF versions all all three Threads anthologies plus a PDF of the SpiderForest Coloring Book!

$20 -- Threads: Haunted. A print copy of our Haunted anthology!

$30 -- Double Trouble. Print versions of any two Threads anthologies.

$40 -- Three of a Kind. Print versions of all three Threads anthologies -- this year's Haunted, last year's A Gallery of Rogues featuring 18 short comics of scalawags and ne'er-do-wells, and our original Threads anthology featuring 20 short comics about spiders and forests, at a  special bargain price!

$50 -- Prints and Phantoms. A print copy of the Haunted anthology, plus your your choice of four 8x10 prints from our member gallery! Choose from over 25 prints showcasing our broad range of talented artists.

$80 -- The Full SpiderForest. Get it all! Print copies of all three anthologies, a coloring book, a beautiful 3/4" enamel pin featuring our spider logo, four prints from the member gallery, and a tote bag to carry all your SpiderForest loot!

All backers will receive their name in the book, as thanks for your help!

While Your Star Grants You Time by Helen Greetham of Earth in a Pocket. A man is haunted for seventy years by the silent ghost of a Roman soldier.

The Ghost of Dracula by Daniel Kelly of Saffron and Sage (illustrated by Carlos Ruiz). Teens explore a haunted mansion, but danger lies within.

Convergence Point by Felix Wright of From The Machine. Crossed paths come together again.

Yearly Gathering by Gheralf & Vayandil of Realm of Owls. The owl family has skeletons in their closet.

Whale Graveyard by Kirstin Lee of Black Shallows. A team of researchers in the desert investigate a whale graveyard.

Master of Fates by Denise Randall of Darwin Comics. During a hellish ritual, demons attempt to once again bind the entity behind Midnight's power... she has different plans....

Make a Haunted Birdhouse in Your Soul by G Pike of Title Unrelated. Everything has a soul....

Sweet Memories by Katherine Lang of Soul to Call. An earth-bound spirit can't cross over until they have one last taste of a very special dessert.

The Promise by Tiffany Ross of The Cyantian Chronicles. If you love something, let it go.

A Fear by Ally Rom Colthoff of Chirault. What lies beneath still waters?

A Haunting at Littlelight by Julian Dominguez of Littlelight Asylum (art by Esther Pimentel, lettered by Toben Racicot). Ghost pranks at Littlelight Asylum.

Cicadas by KEZ of What It Takes. Ghostly voices and nightmares in the white noise

Psychopomp by Karen Heckman of Last Traveler. A haunted clock predicts time of death.

Highway 666 by Deanna Brigman of Obscurato and Andy Purviance of I, Mummy. A young man and his guinea pig pick up an unusual passenger.

Ebenezer Caesar by Andy Purviance of I, Mummy. On a cold winter night Julius is visited by three ghosts.

[Pipe] by L. Potyondy-Edens of Arbalest. Some things aren't what they appear to be.

Consequences by Morgan Lees of Corner the Maze. Haunted by the souls of those they have slain, a warlord is defeated at the last by those they have slain.

XII: Betrayal by Kristen Kiomall-Evans of XXI: Of Magic and Muses. A hunter wakes up with a greater prize than they were seeking.

Exposed Negatives by Kay Rossbach of Ingress Adventuring Co. Cleaning the attic can uncover long forgotten ghosts.

Roomble Rumble by Christina Major of Sombulus. A magic scavenger and paladin try to outwit a haunted robot vacuum.