New Summer Reads: Anthologies

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly summer sails by. Between baseball for my boys, a sick daughter, and a couple writing projects that have kept me very busy; I barely caught sight of Independence Day before it launched me to the halfway point of summer vacation.

Sheesh. Summer is already half over and I’ve only been to the beach once.

That said, I have a trip to Colorado coming up and a possible jaunt to the Black Hills. In preparation for this time away from work, I have a TBR pile of books double digits deep that will accompany me on my kindle.

If you’re looking for a few of your own beach reads, let me help you out.

Summer’s Edge. This is the second newest anthology in the Seasons Series from Elephant’s Bookshelf Press. Along with some great stories about relationships on the edge, you can find one of my very own, very short pieces of fiction: Indiscretions. I think the title says it all.

The newest (by a few hours) is Summer’s Double Edge, the fraternal twin to Summer’s Edge. Due to the number or quality submissions, EBP simultaneously released a second collection of short stories. The shorts found in this book are a bit darker, including another of mine titled Ten To One.

• The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
• The Collector by Victoria Scott
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

What’s on your beach read pile this summer?

Curious minds want to know!

 

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Name A Rump: Win A Prize!

This baby’s got back and s/he needs a name!

My publisher, Elephant’s Bookshelf Press, is hosting a contest to name its mascot.

A Few Rules of Note:

*Head over to EBP’s website and leave your suggested name in the comments.

*All Entries must be received by April 15th. Yeah, tax day. But naming our pachyderm friend is a lot more fun than paying Uncle Sam.

*The top ten names will be listed over at EBP on April 30th where you will have the opportunity to Rate The Rump–er, vote on which name you like.

*So, what are you waiting for?

Prizes you say? Okay, the individual who suggests the winning name will receive one of three prizes depending on age and/or desires. S/he can pick from the following:

• A copy of the summer anthology (which has AT LEAST one short story from yours truly),
• Or, a copy of EBP’s first novel: WHISPERING MINDS by A.T. O’Connor, a YA psychological thriller (Fall 2013),
• Or, for younger participants, a personalized postcard signed by our newly named mascot, plus your choice of a book listed above (oooh, the kiddies are lucky, two prizes in one).

So, no matter what your reading preference, you should find one story that will tickle your tweeter and make suggesting a name worth your time.

And a reminder: EBP is still selecting short stories for the upcoming summer anthology. The theme deals with endings and whatever that may mean to you. If you’re interested in penning a new piece or dusting off something from the trunk, head over to Elephant’s Bookshelf Press for submission details.

Please spread the word about the contest and the call for submissions. The more names to pick from, the more fun it will be.

Already I can think of half a dozen: Mirabelle, Preston…

How about you?

Call for Submissions: Short Stories

If you’ve read–and loved–Spring Fevers and The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse, and have wondered how to get your little gem of a short story into such rockin’ anthologies, wonder no more.

Elephant’s Bookshelf Press has issued a call for submissions for its summer anthology–the third in the season series.

The details for short story submission can be found at The Elephant’s Bookshelf.

If you’re just a wee bit crunched on time or slightly lazy on this Monday morning, I’ll get you started with a few highlights.

And I quote: In the next anthology from Elephant’s Bookshelf Press, we explore the short-term relationship.

For the summer edition of our four-season series, we are looking for stories that share a love or relationship that is or appears to be short-lived or not long for this world. You might say it’s a combination of Spring Fevers and The Fall: Relationships facing apocalyptic change.

We’re looking for previously unpublished stories of up to 7,500 words. They can be in any style except erotica. I expect we’ll see several Young Adult and New Adult pieces, maybe even a Middle Grade or two. Romance, steampunk, steampunk romance, traditional literary, science fiction, science fiction with a lusty alien or two… you get the point.

We’re looking for one submission per author. No previously published stories. If it’s appeared on your blog already, let me know, but that is not an automatic kill in my book. Send submissions to anthologies@elephantsbookshelfpress.com. The deadline is April 19.

But hey, no need to wait. Dust off those memories of short-term relationships, polish them up and send them to the Head Elephant for consideration in what promises to be another unique and well-crafted anthology. Before sending, though, please hop over to The Elephant’s Bookshelf for the full info.

Hope to see some of your stories in the next book!

 

Hurricane Sandy Delays Apocalypse for Local Author

Okay, that local author would be me, and I don’t live anywhere near the East Coast. However, my publisher, Elephant’s Bookshelf Press, was hit hard by the hurricane that ravaged areas of New England, effectively bumping The Fall‘s birth date by nearly a week.

Slated for release on October 29, a power outage for the indie publisher put the brakes on the release of The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse. This collection of short stories features everything the end of the world should feature: zombies, war, plague, human sacrifice, a heavenly mistake and a short story by me.

Thirteen talented writers from across the globe contributed to this stunning compilation of post-apocalyptic tales written for mature YA readers and adults.

Get your copy of The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse here.

 

Frivilous Friday: Swapping Seasons

I know it’s fall. Despite my confession on Wednesday that I’m unobservant, I do get that the leaves are changing and the temps are dropping. Fall is in the air. And soon, THE FALL will be on sale.

While the digital revolution has changed the way stories are shared, one author, editor and publisher holds on to the love of short stories and strives to share the magic of this unique art form. Short stories have all the same elements of a novel–characterization, plot, conflict, arc and setting–with far fewer words. A challenge for any writer, to be sure.

I am so pleased to have a short story accepted for publication in this second anthology by Elephant’s Bookshelf Press. The first was Annabelle, in SPRING FEVERS.

If you haven’t read this delightful anthology on relationships, I urge you to do so now. Quite a few of the authors found within the covers of SPRING FEVERS will be sharing another short story with readers of THE FALL.

In fact, Mindy McGinnis, whose short story First Kiss was the anchor story in SPRING FEVERS, has a debut young adult novel (Not a Drop to Drink) coming out in less than a year. Mindy is an amazing writer. Her storylines are unique, and her main characters are stong.  When I grow up, I want to be just like her–even though she’s way younger than me.

But that’s not all. Another writer friend of mine, RC Lewis, holds the anchor spot for THE FALL. Her YA novel was recently picked up by Hyperion. As in Disney Hyperion. As in, “Holy Wow!” Yeah, she’s that good.

Several more authors found within the pages of both anthologies are agented and working toward snagging that publishing contract like RC and Mindy have. In other words, there’s talent between the covers of these anthologies.

And that’s what I like about Matt Sinclair, founder and editor of Elephant’s Bookshelf Press. He’s not afraid to cultivate undiscovered talent and showcase it in a gripping, bed-side read. He’s currently working his way through the seasons by putting together a refreshing mix of short stories for lovers of all genres.

Each season has a theme with no limit to the voice of the piece (excluding erotica). The only requirement is outstanding story telling within the scope of the theme for readers of YA and above.

SPRING FEVERS is a book about relationships. But don’t think they’re all sappy love stories. They’re far from it. To get your free e-copy, head over to Amazon or Smashwords. If you’d like a paperback copy, please indulge. I have one on my nightstand and love reading a story or two every now and again.

THE FALL: TALES FROM THE APOCALYPSE (coming October 2012) is much more than zombies and war and the destruction of the Earth. It promises to be an anthology of hope, where relationships change and grow and life perseveres.

So, despite the chill in the air, or maybe because of it, you should switch seasons and cuddle up with a little SPRING FEVERS to warm your nights.

Hugs to all~