Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Free Memoir & Historical Fiction Contests (Writers' Digest)

"Loose Fish" is on its way to a free contest -- nothing ventured, nothing gained.

28th Free "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest

Judged by Jennifer Wills, agent of The Seymour Agency, it promises to be a step for some lucky winners to get published. Hey, give it a go!

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Flash Fiction in FriGG Literary Journal

"FLAT ON MY FACE" by Beverly A. Jackson <--Clicky"

Saturday, November 19, 2016

A Tip for Writers re Editing Your Manuscript

When you are doing that all important editing, after you have a rough draft in place, it seems reasonable to be going through the manuscript many times, sometimes with the help of others' critiques, sometimes with fresh ideas for development. At any rate, almost all writers know the drill. We fix, we move, we check, we re-write, ad nauseum.

Here's a new twist! Because my eyes are poor, I find reading on a Kindle (where the font can be made larger, and is backlit in a way that my eyes are soothed) much easier than reading a computer screen. So I started transferring my documents to Kindle via Amazon's free service. (each Amazon customer has their own special email address). It takes two seconds to download a document.



Here's the kicker! Something must happen in the brain, because I find that the manuscript has a whole different "way of being" in the Kindle format. My EYES READ IT DIFFERENTLY than on a computer screen, and therefore I find many, many, many more edits that need fixing. This may sound peculiar, but I announced it to my writing group, and one by one they too are trying it, and are simply astounded that it is a fact. Editing via Kindle gives you different and better results than editing the usual way.

I can't expect you to take my word for it. Just try it!

(instructions for downloading "Documents" to your Kindle are available on Amazon. It's a pretty simple process.)

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Glenn E. Miller Nominated for Pushcart Prize

I'm so proud to report that Glenn Erick Miller, a member of the North Naples/Bonita Springs Advanced Writing Group, was just nominated for the Pushcart Prize by R.K.VR.Y. Quarterly Literary Journal for his flash, "WEIGHTLESS".

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Notes on How I Spend My Time

I figure I'm going to just write for the next four years until it's over.



I worked on my memoir LOOSE FISH from 1999 to 2015. That is a good 16 years. That took me through DoubleEw Bush and Obama.

It took me from June 2015 to October 2015 to write BLUE LAKE . That is just 5 months, maximum. Easy Obama.

CANYON FLOWER started in November 2015 until November 2016, so almost one year to the day. and more Obama.

Why does it matter? I'm not totally sure, but I want to keep tabs on this kind of data for future reference.

Maybe it's a question of nature or nurture - a glimpse at posterity. Ha ha ha.

I've published poetry, short stories, flash fiction, and some creative non-fiction. I published a chapbook of poetry. And now it's time to find a sympatico agent and get these books off the hard drive.

I'D BETTER COME UP WITH A REALLY GOOD STORY FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.

Canyon Flower completed!

I am thrilled to announce that I have just completed "Canyon Flower" (my second novel and third book)



CANYON FLOWER (65K), a work of literary fiction edged with magical realism. The novel, set in the spectacular red canyons of Moab, Utah, is written in three sections from three points of view to unravel the ‘Rashomon effect’ of subjective and objective realities.

SKYLAR Lancaster and Jango Norton work as guides for a white-water rafting outfit running the notorious Cataract Canyon rapids. Skylar moved to Moab after her father died from oil fracking toxins. She is comforted by Jango but wants more than friendship from him. They are dedicated to keeping the Canyonlands free of environmental pollution, but find their newest rafters strange and possibly dangerous.

MICHAEL Shimizu, a Japanese-American investment banker, plans a rafting vacation as a side excursion after covertly scouting real estate on behalf of an oil and gas company determined to mine in Moab, where drilling is unwelcome. He and his colleague invite two Kyoto geishas to accompany them. Michael plans to propose marriage to Kimi, one of the geishas, with whom he is obsessed.

ISHI Atero, the other Japanese geisha, has clairvoyant visions and grapples with incest in her past. She is the conduit for a chorus of ancients: Anasazi Indians, ancestral Japanese kami, and nature’s own inexplicable forces who shadow the group’s voyage down the river. Michael’s business associate, Buyo, gives Ishi a reason for reassessing her despair and her life.

When the intentions and cultures of the group diverge–tragedy lies in wait. Whether it’s murder, suicide or a grievous accident depends on who is doing the telling: Skylar, Michael or Ishi.

-------------------------------------------------------- The query process (for representation) will begin soon!