Loveswept, Alibi, Hydra and Flirt

NEW RANDOM HOUSE IMPRINTS
http://www.atrandom.com/eoriginals/submission.php
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Loveswept, Alibi, Hydra and Flirt invite queries for submissions
in romance, new adult, mystery/detective, suspense/thriller,
science fiction, fantasy, and horror. There is no strict word
count limit for submissions. We are interested in short content
(customarily between 15,000 and 30,000 words) and full-length
works (customarily between 40,000 and 60,000 words).

You may present any manuscript in which you control exclusive
copyright. We are open to previously published manuscripts as
long as the submitting author now controls all electronic and
print publishing rights.

Please submit the entire query form at the link below. If we
are interested in considering your full manuscript, you will
be contacted with further submission instructions. We make
every effort to respond to submission inquiries within 2-4
weeks after submission.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel

January 14, 2013-January 27, 2013 (or until 10,000 entries have been submitted.)

Contest genres: General Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror and Young Adult Fiction

Register at www.CreateSpace.com/abna to enter the Contest. Once you have registered, follow the instructions on the entry form and upload:

(1) the complete version of your manuscript that is between 50,000 and 150,000 words("Manuscript");
(2) up to the first 5,000 words, but not less than 3,000 words, of your Manuscript, excluding any table of contents, foreword, and acknowledgments ("Excerpt");
(3) a pitch of your Manuscript consisting of up to 300 words ("Pitch"); and
(4) the personal information required on the entry form.

Prizes: One Grand Prize winner will receive a publishing contract with an advance of $50,000, and four First Prize winners will each receive a publishing contract with an advance of $15,000.

Daytona Book Expo

Free and open to the public - includes panel discussions for aspiring authors, activities for children at the Kidz Zone, spoken word and book signings!

Saturday, April 27, 2013
11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Sinclair Community College

For author registration, go to http://www.daytonbookexpo.com/registration/

Poetry Contest

“All qualifying poets will receive an editorial comment from a qualified editor.”

Any subject, Any style, 26 lines or less.  Mail original poem to

Poetry Contest

1501 Broadway

12^th Floor H

New York, NY 10036

(No entry fee, but submissions must be postmarked by January 31, 2013.)

Note: I misplaced the piece of paper talking about it, so I tried to find if there was any prize money for the winner and I found a similar contest that also offered reviews at Poetry Contest/1501 Broadway/12th Floor Z/ NY, NY 10036.  They offer a $2000 top prize.  You can find out more at http://www.eberandwein.com/poetry-contest.php.  Same basic setup as the one in H, but it's deadlines are at the end of December and June. (Continuous submissions.)

Write Michigan

"The Kent District Library (Grand Rapids) is hosting the 1st annual Michigan Short Story Contest (called Write Michigan, as you probably guessed). The contest is broken down into two categories: 17 & under, and 18 & up. Entries for adults are $10, for teens it's free. There's a 3,000 word limit and the winning entrant in each category receives 250 bucks. Entries are due by November 30, 2012. For more info, check out the Write Michigan website or look over their brief info page."
(Stolen, I admit it, from the Westland Library.  Sorry I didn't see it earlier.) 

Potter Fan Fiction

A library writing contest for all the Harry Potter Fans out there.  "Write about your favorite characters, objects, spells or any other aspect from the wonderful Harry Potter series.  Prizes will be given for the top pieces in the following age categories: 6th-8th grade, 9th-10th grade, 11th-12th grade, and even for adults!  We will begin taking submissions on November 1 and will receive entries no later that November 21."
You enter by uploading your story through the website (cantonpl.org), or by sending it as an attachment to harrypotter@cantonpl.org. Don't forget to include your name, Grade ('Adult'), Telephone number, and Title.
Note: Only one entry per person, max 4,500 words (no minimum), and it can't be previously published.
 Hve fun.  The library will post the winners on thier site when they're done. 

Nano local site

The local nano site is nanowrimotown.wordpress.com.  It's not too late to join if you are interested.

Store and Resources

As the Page Turns (Independent Book Seller)
Appearing at the summit's expo Thursday, October 25th, 3-7pm

Resources for crime fiction going to be compiled at:
http://crimefictioncollective.blogspot.com/2012/10/some-great-resources-for-crime-fiction.html

Chicken Soul Articles Wanted

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL 
 
"20th Anniversary Reader's Choice
To celebrate our twenty-year anniversary next summer, we are planning a book in which contributors tell us how a Chicken Soup for the Soul story changed their lives. If a Chicken Soup for the Soul story made a big difference to you, tell us the name of the story and the book in which it appeared, and then write us a new Chicken Soup for the Soul story all about how the old story helped you. We'll publish the stories in pairs -- the old ones and the new ones. The deadline for story submissions is November 30, 2012.
Devotional Stories for Wives
One of the biggest roles that a woman can take on in her lifetime is to become a wife. It takes commitment and dedication to remain loving as the years go by, especially when children and the busyness of daily life can sometimes be overwhelming. If you have a brief true story (up to 500 words) that shows how your faith in God has shaped your journey as a wife, please share it along with an applicable Bible verse and a 2-3 sentence prayer. You will receive $100 for each published devotion ($100 due to the shorter word count than our regular books). The deadline date for submissions is February 28, 2013.
Great Advice for Making Changes in Your Life
Have you ever read a Chicken Soup for the Soul story that had a wonderful nugget of advice in it that made a difference in your life? We are looking for stories that contain great pieces of advice, whether they are little things that improve our everyday lives, or major epiphanies that can change a life completely. Topics we will cover include advice related to work and personal relationships, marriage, parenting, health and fitness, finances, constructive criticism, taking chances, and following your passion. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is August 31, 2012.
Holiday Stories
We are collecting stories for our newest holiday book. Everyone has special memories and stories to tell about Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa - from inspirational and joyous, to heartwarming and humorous. We want to hear about your holiday memories and traditions. NOTE: Please make sure that the stories you are submitting to this book are NEW holiday stories that our editors have not read before. If you have submitted stories to our Christmas books in the past, we have your stories in our database. Also, please make sure your stories are "Santa safe" as we want to keep the magic alive for the young ones. The deadline date for story submissions is February 28, 2013.
                                                                                                    
 Lemons to Lemonade
"When life hands you lemons... make lemonade!" And don't only make lemonade but squeeze every last drop of juice from that sour lemon to make the sweetest lemonade possible. We are looking for stories that show how you made the best of a difficult situation and how you turned what seemed like a negative into something positive. Did a change in your attitude help? Did a friend give you the boost you needed to get you past what seemed like a dead end? Tell us your success story and how you made it happened. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is February 28, 2013.
Raising Kids on the Spectrum
If you are the parent of a child with autism or Asperger's, we invite you to share your story about raising your child - the ups and downs, the effect on your family, your child's special attributes and talents, and the lighter moments too. You may use a "pen name" on your story. These stories will provide advice, comfort and insight to other parents in the same situation. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is September 30, 2012.
Contact Minister Mary Edwards at (313) 744-MARY(6279) or leavesofgold.llc@gmail.com"

Book Published!

One of our members, B.L. Fowler, has recently published a book called, "For Mature Teens only."  It's a novel about and for LGBT teens.  You can find out more about it at  http://formatureteensonly.blogspot.com. 
Congrats, Brad!

NaNo Updates

Nano (National Novel Writing Month) will have their local kick off at Westland’s Biggby (37644 Ford Rd Westland), Wednesday, October 24th, 7-8pm.

Every Thursday in November-“Write-ins” at the Westland Library from 6-8:45pm (except Thanksgiving)
and
Every Sunday in Livonia from 1-4pm at Biggby Coffee (33443 & Mile Rd, Livonia, 48152)

Details at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/regions/usa-michigan-detroit

Webinar: Launch Your New Book Successfully

Thursday, October 4, 4pm (Eastern Time)
Hosted by CreateSpace and featuring Brian Jud a Book Marketing consultant.
(Marketing your book before it launches and tips to promote it afterwards.)
Note: It will be saved in CreateSpace Resources so you can watch it later.

Westland Library Programs

Wednesday October 10^th, 7pm-Writers Workshop (Critiques)

Thursday, October 25^th, 7pm-Writers Club (read/listen to works- no critiques given)

Nano (National Novel Writing Month) kick off at Westland’s Biggby.  (Don’t know details, but I assume end of October/Beginning of November

Every Thursday in November-“Write-ins” from 6-8:45pm (except Thanksgiving)

Author Visits

Wednesday, October 6^th- DE Johnson and Natalie Bakopoulos at Baldwin Library.

Friday, October 12^th- Kristen Kusek-Lewis at W. Bloomfield Library

Tuesday, October 23^rd, Dan Ewald at W. Bloomfield Library

Tuesday October 23^rd Lisa Wheeler at harper Woods Library

Sunday November 11^th, Author (and former musician) Dick Wagner at Book Beat (Oak Park, MI)

Personal Essay Contest

2000 words or less on the topic, "The Day that Changed My Life"
Judged on Originality (25%), Theme (25%), Use of Language (25%), and Creativity (25%)
1 entry per person
Winner gets $3000 and potential publication in Ladies home Journal.
Ends December 7th.
Official Rules at:
http://www.lhj.com/lhj/file.jsp?item=/contests/2012-essay-contest

Book Binding

If you want to learn some techniques to make simple books, then I'll be teaching a class on the subject in October.  It is number 774, Home Publications, in the PCCS Community Education class catalog.  You can register online at http://communityeducation.pccs.k12.mi.us.

Anthology Theme

We have chosen our first anthology theme for our group.  It is "Beginnings."  I'm super excited.
I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Motown Literary Jam

November 9-10, Detroit. 
Meet local authors for free or pay extra to hear a poetry jam.  (But be warned, its 18+, and it might be that way for a reason.) 
You can buy an "author" or "business" spot for $50.  Anyone else tempted?

Lady Godiva

In 150 words or less tell how an adult woman - yourself perhaps?- "is making change by being active in her local community through charity and/or service work."  She could get up to $10k to be used for community/charity work at her discretion.

Full details through www.LadyGodivaProgram.com
 
"Entries are judged on originality of story, content and inspirational quality, and her suitability for advertising and publicity."

Summer Nominations-April 10-May 22
Fall Nominations - May 23-August 15
Winter Nominations - August 16-November 2

Note: Get permission from the person before nominating them.

Lessons Worth Sharing

"Tell us why your favorite educator's lesson has the power to influence attitudes, inspire learning, and even help change the world." 
If their lesson is chosen, they and their nominator will get a $100 gift card. 
You can nominate any educator: teachers, scientists, neighbors, etc. 
Go to http://www.facebook.com/kohls to nominate someone.
Ends August 24th.

Summer Story

"Share your tales of lazy days, vacation getaways, new friends, discoveries and family memories in Metro Parent's My Summer Story Promotion."
Share your story at MetroParent.com/SummerStoryShare.  Readers will then pick two winners (1 adult, 1 child) who win a Kindle Fire. 
You can read the current competition at MetroParent.com/MySummerStory.

Defy the Dark Contest

For part of a YA anthology, write a 2000-4000 word story that takes place at night or happens in the dark.  The top winner gets $500 and 5 copies of the book.
Contest ends September 1, 2012.  For more details go to http://dailyfig.figment.com/2012/08/01/defy-the-dark-contest/
(Entrants must be over 13, but authors who made over $2k/year on their books within the last 5 years are not eligible, as well as those who are working with a publishing company already.)

Screenplay Writers Workshop

August 8, 2012, 7-8:30 pm, Canton Library, Purple Room
"Join award-winning screenplay writer Brian Webster as he helps you develop your clever ideas into actual screenplays. Learn about the important contacts, the legal matters and so much more. Adults and teens are welcome on August 8th at 7:00 PM for this unique opportunity."

Family History Sites

For those working on family history stories, some sites that can help you find dates/records are...
billiongraves.com, and familysearch.org. 
FamilySearch.org also has hints for finding the information you are looking for and lists where free research centers are located if you want human help. 
Happy searching.

Paws for Applause Essay

In 500 words or less, tell about "a child or teenager who goes above and beyond to make their community, neighborhood, or family better."  That child could be chosen to receive a special salute from Paws (Detroit Tiger Mascot), 4 tickets to a Detroit Tigers GAme, Autographed Tigers items, Little Caesars Gift card, and pre-game recognition at the game. 
E-mail your essay to cbjordan@hometownlife.com.  Put PAWS FOR APPLAUSE as the subject and include the kid's name, age, phone number, and address.

Music Contests

For potential song writers, I found a site you might want to check out.  It is http://www.ourstage.com/.  It looks like it is more for musicians, but if you are working with a band....
They deal primarily with new talent.  You upload the song and enter it into various contests depending on its genre.  Songs also get rated, so you can get feedback on what your non-friends think about the song.  
Right now they are hosting a "Band against Bullying" Competition.

One Act Plays

This is a reminder that submissions for Canton's One Act Festival are due August 24th. If you were thinking about entering, then bring your idea/rough draft/finished project in July and we can talk about it.
Some highlights....
-Plays should be between 10 and 20 minutes.
-"No children shows" (boo!)
-$12 fee that allows you to submit up to 2 plays. 

Find out more at http://tlcprod.wordpress.com/one-act-festival-script-submissions/

Title Contest

"The Lighthouse, by Jodie James (aka Millie J), is a fun romantic
novel involving a wedding chapel, a funeral parlour and a very dishy
Irishman.

We're inviting authonomy authors to use their creative minds and suggest a fitting title
for Jodie's book.  The winning submission will win its creator a brand new bookshelf: 20 of
HarperCollins' best titles from the genre of their choice."

To enter:
- Send your suggestions to yourauthonomy@harpercollins.co.uk
- All entries must be submitted before UK midnight July 13th
- The subject line needs to include the words Title Competition and your
suggested title - e.g. 'Title Competiton: Little White Wedding chapel
- 'Please put your details in the body of the email.

Note - authonomy is a free site to join.  It is where HarperCollins gleans most of their non-agented book titles. 

Holiday Lists

For those of you who missed our last meeting, I mentioned a site I found called http://www.brownielocks.com/.  It has the most complete holiday list I have ever seen.  So, if your writing project has a specific theme, you can promote it to coincide with the celebration of that topic.

Warning: Some listings are regional so be aware of that when you are going through the list.  For example, Elvis's B-day is celebrated in Graceland, and Pioneer Day is a holiday in Utah.

Free "Online Educational Tools"

Here's an abreviated list of some sites we might use in our writing process. (Adapted from mindmeister.com/es/21160777/free-online-educational-tools)

Blogs: Blogger, LiveJournal, Word Press
Videos: TeacherTube, YouTube, Google Video,
Instructional Videos: 5 Min, Monkeysee, ExpertVillage
Wikis and Websites: PBWorks, Wikispaces, WetPaint, Google Sites, Zoho Wiki
Discussion Forums: Google Groups, Yahoo Groups
Photo Editing: Gimp, Picnik, Picasa
Share Documents: Google Docs, Zoho Docs
Share Files: ScreenCast, Box.net, Savefile, FileHosting
MindMaps and Diagrams: Mindmeister, Gliffy, Bubbl.us, XMind
Share Presentations: SlideShare, Slidecasting, Prezi.com

Canton Writers Group

Our own Tamara Denby will be leading a group of 11 local authors in a discussion about books (how they got started and what inspires them) May 17th from 7-8:30 pm at the Canton Library.  More details on the library website.

English Refresher Courses

If anyone wants to remind themselves about grammar and spelling rules, then BYU has 3 FREE (yeah) online courses dealing with Contractions, Capitalizations, and ie/ei words (Spell 071), Word Endings and Plurals (Spell 072), and Word Pairs (Spell 073)
You can learn more at: http://is.byu.edu/site/courses/free.cfm

"Short on Words" Contest

"Short on words" is a poetry/short story contest associated with Northville's 2012 Arts and Acts Festival (June 22-24).
First place is $150, 2nd place $100, and 3rd place is $50.
To Enter:
Send in your submission by May 4th.
Submission should be titled, total less than 1,500 words, and relate to one of three photos. (Pictures can be seen online with the submission form at preservationdental.com. They are a young gril watching a runway model, an old man trying to get your attention, and a cabin by the lake.)
Include one submission form, 3 copies of entry, and $10 entry fee. (checks made payable to Northville Art House)
Mail entry to Preservation Dental, Attention: Denise Jenkins, 371 E Main St, Northville, MI 48167

Note, all entries are non-refundable, and can be used by the group for promotional purposes.
Winners will be announced at a reception for participants, June 22nd at the Northville Art House.

Criteria and complete information packets can be picked up at...
Northville Art House: 215 W Cady, Northville
Preservation Dental: 371 E Main, at Griswold, Northville
preservationdental.com (photos available here)
Or you can call 248-344-0497

Book and Author Luncheon

The Friends of the Community Libraries are holding their annual "Book and Author Luncheon" Tuesday, May 29th, at Fox Hills Country Club.
The speaker is Kevin Boyle who wrote this year's selection for the great Michigan read, Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age. It is set in Detroit and was a finalist for both the pulitzer prize and the National Book Critics Award.
Tickets are $25 and are available April 15th- May 15th.
Reservation forms can be obtained at the Plymouth, Canton, Northville, and Novi libraries or through plymouthlibrary.org.

The 2012 Michigan Spring Art and Book Festival

The Laurel Park Place Mall in Livonia, April 13th through 15th. The weekend is free to the public and will have lots of no cost professional development for creative people. Lectures, discussions and workshops by Monica Marie Jones, Elizabeth Atkins, Sylvia Hubbard, Zahra Huber, eBooks2Go and others will give insight into the worlds of art, broadcast journalism, publishing and eBook conversion. Friday and Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m. we will have our "Gentle to All Ears" poetry sessions and family friendly open mic poetry recitals. Our "Celebrity Read Out Loud" places students with local celebrities and mentors as they read books every thirty minutes. Join Southfield Mayor, Brenda Lawrence, Channel 955 on air personalities "Bg" and "Ace" plus Tony Trupiano from the "Tony Show" and many more for these free readings.

www.MichiganSpringBookFestival.com www.MichiganSpringArtFestival.com

Win a critique from Random House

"Free paperback publishing site FeedARead.com...is hosting a competition with a prize of a critique for the winner’s opening chapters from an editor for Random House...To enter...visit the FeedARead.com site then click on 'New Competition' at the top of the feedaread.com home page. The results from FeedARead's previous competition last month with a critique from an editor for Little Brown are also displayed via that page.
To enter the new Random House & FeedARead.com competition, entrants must read a 6 page extract from eight books and answer a question about each on the competition page displayed on the FeedARead.com homepage as above. Closing date for entries is 30th April 2012."

Chicken House Children's Contest

Receiving submission now through the end of October 2012.
Some details
Must come by "post" (no e-mail)
Entry fee of 15 pounds (based in London)
Previously unpublished (or self-published) author
30-80,000 words, targeting 7-18 yr olds
include: brief synopsis, plot plan and a letter of submission explaining the book’s appeal to children.
Winner gets a royalty advance of 10,000 pounds and an offer of representation from an agent.
For complete rules, go to:
http://doublecluck.com/terms/#competition_terms

Next Big Hit via American Idol

"We're looking for the hottest rhymesters to help Jason Derulo with a new song. It may be performed on the American Idol® Season Finale on FOX. Upload your lyrics by March 30, 2012, then come back to vote on the top lyrics and to send in more during future rounds. Must be 18+ to upload lyrics."

Restrictions include:
no more than 200 characters in length, original work, can't demean American idol/coca-cola, can't infringe on copyrights, can't use the names of the contestants/judges, etc.
The "Judging Criteria":
• Creativity/Originality (33%); • Quality (33%); and • Fit with the Existing Portion of the Song/Verse (34%)

Existing lyrics are:
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,Undefeated.Wish I knew then what I know now, But, I, I . . . (your lyric potentially here.)

Hear the music and view complete details at: http://www.americanidol.com/perfect_harmony/

Note: Uploading a lyric enters you into a contest to win tickets/prize money, but you do not receive anything extra if your lyric is chosen.

Opening Sentence Contest

From the Canton Library...

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night
We are celebrating National Library Week with a special writing contest! The goal is to create a funny, original, unpublished opening sentence to the worst imaginary novel ever written. CPL's "It was a Dark and Stormy Night" bad-writing contest will accept entries April 8 through April 14.

PCCS Classes

Plymouth Canton Community Schools are currently offering some writing related classes.

They have an introduction to Playwriting (for 15+ year olds) for $45 (class number 846)
and it also looks like they have some on-line classes related to writing and publishing (under class number 877) that you can check out on-line as well.
The sites are: www.ed2go.com/a-pccs and http://communityeducation.pccs.k12.mi.us

Script Frenzy

"In the month of April, thousands of people will commit to writing an entire screenplay, graphic novel, stage play, or television show----in just one month! Where does Figment come in? Submit a short synopsis of your script, and you could get professional advice from film industry hotshot Scott Myers, screenwriter/producer/professor." (ie a phone consultation)

Short Synopsis=300 words or less.

"Are you new to the wonderful world of scriptwriting? The Young Writers Program of Script Frenzy has you more than covered. They’ve got scriptwriting bootcamps, commpon script terms and phrases, advice from pros, and scriptwriting software."

For more details, go to http://dailyfig.figment.com/2012/03/19/get-in-a-frenzy/

6 tips on Writing by John Steinbeck

Tamara found them, and I am reposting a summary. Click on the title to link to the article.

1. Don't worry about finishing the book. Just finish a page at a time.
2. Write the whole story down before you worry about re-writes.
3. Write to a specific person.
4. If you get stuck writing a particular section, then skip it and come back.
5. Don't keep a scene at the expense of the story.
6. Say the dialogue as you write it.

Michigan Press Contest

Warning: $15 Entry Fee-Boo!
Michigan Press's 2012 Innovative Fiction Contest deadline is March 30, 2012. In 10 thousand words or less "Wow the judges" with your innovativeness for a chance to win $1000 and publication in DIAGRAM.
(Note: The title should link to the website for more information.)

Figment Contest

In no more than 1200 words, write a story in which a character can see or hear things that no one else can. It can be magical, paranormal, or realistic. Up to you!

How to Enter:
1. Read the full rules at (http://dailyfig.figment.com/perception-contest-rules/)
2. Create an account on Figment.com.
3. Start a new writing of no more than 1,200 words.
4. Tag your writing with PerceptionContest on the Details tab.
5. Press “Publish Now.”
6. You should receive a pop-up confirmation of your entry, and in about two hours or so, your piece should appear among the submissions.

You have until March 19, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST to post and tag your story. Voting will run until March 27, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST, at which point the 10 most-hearted entries will be sent to author Kim Harrington.

The first-place winner will receive a copy of Clarity, a copy of Perception, and a $20 Amazon gift card. The second-place winner will receive a copy of Clarity, a copy of Perception and a set of Fortune-Telling Fish. The third-place winner will receive a copy of Perception and a Figment tote.

Welcome to Canton Writes!

I decided to make an on-line place where people can ask questions, post information about contests, upload things for review, and do anything else that is related to wrting in general.
This will be a private blog, so only those in the group can access it.
Happy writing everyone.