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Spotlight on Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC

October 17, 2018 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Spotlight tagged as Bethlehem Writers Group, new releases, paranormal tales, Short Stories, Spotlight

Spotlight on Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC

The Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC (BWG), founded in 2006, is a community of mutually supportive, fiction and nonfiction authors based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The members are as different from each other as their stories, spanning a range of genres including: children’s, fantasy, humor, inspiration, literary, memoir, mystery, paranormal, romance, science fiction, women’s fiction, and young adult.

BWG has published five anthologies. Each anthology has an overall theme—broadly interpreted—but includes a variety of genres, and all but the first anthology include stories from the winner(s) of The Bethlehem Writers Short Story Award. Their first anthology, A Christmas Sampler: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales (2009), won two Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Best Anthology and Best Short Fiction.

Once Around the Sun: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for All Seasons, came out on November 5, 2013, and was a Finalist for Best Anthology in the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

The third anthology, A Readable Feast: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for Every Taste (2015), was a Finalist in Food Stories in the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Anthology number four, Once Upon a Time: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for All Ages is a collection of twenty-one stories for children—ages preschool through middle school.

UNTETHERED: Sweet, Funny, & Strange Tails of the Paranormal is a collection of 27 paranormal tales. UNTETHERED was released October 14th and is the fifth volume in their Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales series.

Next up for BWG

BWG is currently working on their sixth anthology, Fur, Feathers, & Scales: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Animal Tales.

In connection with this anthology, they are hosting The Bethlehem Writers 2019 Short Story Award. The 2019 Short Story Award will open on January 1, 2019 the theme will be Animal Stories,broadly interpreted. Stories of 2,000 words or fewer about WILD ANIMALS, PETS, or IMAGINARY BEASTS will be welcome (so long as an animal is an important character or element of the story). The winner will receive $200 and may be offered publication in the above mentioned upcoming anthology. The 2019 guest judge will be John Grogan, best-selling author of Marley & Me.

In addition to anthologies and yearly writing contests, the group publishes a quarterly literary journal, The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, and hosts twice monthly writing workshops and a critique groups for local members. You can see the schedule of BWG meetings and events, including author signings here.

Just released, UNTETHERED: SWEET, FUNNY, & STRANGE TALES OF THE PARANORMAL

UNTETHERED: SWEET, FUNNY, AND STRANGE TALES OF THE PARANORMAL

About Untethered

Stoke the campfire and get ready for some chills and goosebumps when you open this paranormal addition to the award-winning Bethlehem Writers Group’s “Sweet, Funny, and Strange” anthologies. Among our twenty-seven stories, we bring you Jeff Baird’s “Bailey’s Mountain” which shows a romp with man’s best friend through Mother Nature morph into a visit to the supernatural. Dianna Sinovic’s “Point of View” describes a mysterious shifting painting and its sinister effects on its new owner. Jodi Bogert brings us “Old Man Omar,” and shows us that sometimes those we consider crazy might just know some things we don’t. In DT Krippene’s “Hell of a Deal,” a man buys a house for a price that’s too good to be true—until he discovers the bizarre strings attached. Kidd Wadsworth’s “The Beast” brings a ghost story to life—but can her characters escape with theirs?

In addition, we have new stories of the unexplained from favorite authors Courtney Annicchiarico, Walter Bego, A. E. Decker, Marianne H. Donley, Headley Hauser, Ralph Hieb, Jerome W. McFadden, Stanley W. McFarland, Emily P. W. Murphy, Christopher D. Ochs, Paul Weidknecht, and Carol L. Wright. Also included are the winning stories from the 2017 and 2018 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award by Suzanne Purvis and Christine Eskilson respectively.

So sit back to enjoy a drift through the paranormal—but don’t let the fire go out!

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1 Email, 6 Authors, 2 Thrilling Bundles

October 15, 2018 by Rebecca Forster in category The Write Life by Rebecca Forster tagged as Advice to Myself as a Newbie Author, Authors, book bundle, boxed set, business of writing, thrillers, writing

When I received an email from best selling author Melissa F. Miller asking me to join a book bundle with thriller authors Pamela Callow, Diane Capri, Colleen Cross, and Pamela Samuels Young, I jumped at the chance.

We released Legal Action ($2.99) and Legal Briefs ($.99) earlier this month. Legal Action is a set of six full-length novels; Legal Briefs is a bundle of novella’s and short stories. I like to think this two pronged approach is unique. I certainly thought the addition of Legal Briefs was genius. I attended the NINC (Novelists Inc.) conference in Florida mainly to meet some of these ladies. The experience was fabulous, but even without face-to-face meetings this bundle would have been a great collaboration.

WHY IT WORKED:

Melissa had a vision that was easily communicated and she offered an administrative option (important for me).
Participants spanned a spectrum of one genre which meant sharing readers might overlap but would probably not completely duplicate audiences.
Each of us had similar marketing tools in place and were comfortable using them.
A basic plan was agreed to as a foundation that could be built upon.
A price structure was agreed to that met the objective of widening our audiences.
Trust, respect, and communication made the process simple, enjoyable and effective. David Miller (administrator) created covers, social media images etc. leaving the authors free to write new material for the Briefs bundle.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you want to participate in a boxed set with other authors take it upon yourself to start the process. Offer a proposal that is both creatively exciting and purposeful in marketing. That will begin the conversation.

One last thing. Google the title of your bundle before it’s set in stone. Imagine our surprise when we found out that Legal Briefs was also the title of a number of erotica novels. At least our cover stands out. Though if we had an image of a man in his underwear on the cover maybe our reach might be greater.

So Bundle up. It can be a wonderful experience.

P.S. Offer the administrator a percentage of any profit. Their work is invaluable.

USA Today & Amazon best selling author Rebecca Forster

Follow Rebecca or contact her at www.rebeccaforster.com

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

BookBub Author Page

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Featuring Marianne H. Donley

October 14, 2018 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month tagged as October Featured Author of the Month

Featuring Marianne H. Donley | October Featured Author | A Slice of Orange

Marianne H. Donley makes her home in Tennessee with her husband, son and a very active puppy. She is a member of Bethlehem Writers Group, The Charmed Connection, Romance Writers of America, and Music City Romance Writers. When Marianne isn’t working on A Slice of Orange, she might be writing short stories, funny romances, or quirky murder mysteries, but this could be a rumor.

A READABLE FEAST: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for Every Taste

About A READABLE FEAST

Whatever your taste, this collection of food-related stories from the multiple award-winning Bethlehem Writers Group has all the ingredients to satisfy your reading palate. Our menu includes twenty-seven appetizing stories, from light-fare and sides of fantasy to sweet romance and savory bites of mystery. Jeff Baird’s “The Pickle Promenade” provides an amuse bouche. Try a spicy entree prepared by Diane Sismour in “Bump and Run.” Prefer a yarn with zing? Enjoy “Rightful Prey” by A. E. Decker. Jerry McFadden’s tart “Hard Times,” should tickle your taste buds. On the sweeter side, there’s Sally Paradysz’s “Our Town is Different” or the bittersweet “Breakfast for One” by Geoffrey Mehl.

Enjoy these and other delectable tales from our talented authors including: Courtney Annicchiarico, Terrie Daugherty, Bernadette De Courcey, Marianne H. Donley, Headley Hauser, Ralph Hieb, Judith Mehl, Emily P. W. Murphy, E. L. Ryan, Paul Weidknecht, and Carol L. Wright. To complete today’s specials, we offer tasty tales from Tracy Falenwolfe and C. A. Rowland, winners of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable’s Short Story Awards in 2014 and 2015 respectively. All honed their recipes to write sweet, funny, and strange stories to remember.

Bon Appetit

Marianne’s story “The Widow Next Door” features a tired chef in search of sleep, the noisy kids of the food critic who could kill his new cookbook , and an evil twin brother.

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Hallow’s Eve Trick or Treat

October 13, 2018 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as Costumes, Halloween, Muses, stories, writing

From A Cabin in the Woods | Diane Sismour | A Slice of Orange

This month on From a Cabin in the Woods we are featuring Diane Sismour’s “Hallow’s Eve Trick or Treat.”

Diane Sismour has written poetry and fiction for over 35 years in multiple genres. She lives with her husband in eastern Pennsylvania at the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Diane is a member of Romance Writers of America, Bethlehem Writer’s Group LLC, Horror Writers Association, and Liberty States Fiction Writers. She enjoys interviewing other authors and leading writer’s workshops.

Her website is www.dianesismour.com, and her blog is www.dianesismour.blogspot.com.

You can find her on Facebook and Twitter at: http://facebook.com/dianesismour, http://facebook.com/networkforthearts, and https://twitter.com/dianesismour.

Hallow’s Eve Trick or Treat

Before the goblins and ghosts come knocking at the door, I go through costumes of Halloween parties past with hopes one will inspire a new use to don during Trick or Treat. There were some outrageous getups over the years.

Each brings a memory or two, but one particular outfit stirs a smile. Guests were required to stay in disguise throughout the entire party. The person who remained a mystery won best costume. Usually we had an idea who was whom except once. That year someone arrived, and nodded to people as he entered our house. Nobody knew who the concealed man was until he removed his mask at the end. A party crasher fooled everyone!

I remove the box from the stack, and place it upon the bed. The odd sensation of déjà vu strikes. A staggering certainty hit that I’ve been here before doing exactly this, just not in this lifetime! Then another thought occurs . . . wouldn’t it be fun to write a story about a parallel dimension. One facet in today’s time and another from the past, and possibly a third in the future, running simultaneously with the character’s thoughts colliding with more frequency.

A good shake removes most of the wrinkles from the cape and I arrange the red satin around my shoulders. The matching gloves slide on up to the elbows, the felt flames flickering in glitter. I nestle the horns upon my head and fasten the belt attaching the forked tail, and WHAM! Another déjà vu moment. The story idea is taking shape with each occurrence. One last item—place the black iron circlet around the horns and ta da— Queen of the She-devils. Now to find a minion or two to wrangle some candy so I can go write this story.

However your muse likes to trick, remember to give her a treat. Happy Halloween!

~ Diane Sismour

Now available on Amazon

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Give the Gift That Lasts Forever – A Handwritten Note

October 12, 2018 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby, Writing tagged as character journal, handwritten notes, journals, legacy, writing words

The Gift of A Handwritten Note

Any personal communication from loved ones can be a blessing, but I consider a handwritten note a gift that keeps on giving long after it was written.

Every person’s handwriting is unique.

And even though a lot of us don’t like our handwriting, have you ever thought what our handwriting means to our loved ones?

It’s not something I ever thought about till I lost my dad over twenty years ago. Whenever I come across something he wrote down, I stop and pause. I remember him. And remembering him touches my heart. So in some ways having something in my dad’s handwriting makes me feel a connection to him, even after all these years.

handwrite in a journal, character journal, Olivia's journal Denise M. Colby

My character in my story keeps a journal, so I created one and wrote in it as if I’m her. I even changed the handwriting to fit her personality.

Do you handwrite in a journal?

Write letters to people?

Write a personal message in the cards you give to people for their birthday?

Things have changed much over the years with email and texting. I feel like handwritten notes is a lost art with some people. My mother-in-law always writes a personal message in every card she sends. She also includes a trademark of sorts with an abbreviation LYMTYK in every card. My husband says she always did that even when he was a child. Love you more than you know. I’ve come to cherish her messages because her words come from her heart in her own writing.

I was recently looking for a blank journal for my next prayer journal and came across several different journal books in a drawer. One of them was a book created for me at my first baby shower nineteen years ago—“Advice to the new mom”. I skimmed through and came upon the page my mom wrote and I was blown away.

First, to see her handwriting. Personal, from her and something she physically touched.

Second to read her advice. Personal, from her and something she wanted to pass on to me.

My mom passed away this summer and so finding that was a little gift and a wonderful reminder for me to hold on to and cherish. My heart overflowed with gratitude to be holding on to this note from my mom. Kinda neat to see that I took my mom’s advice too.

advice for new moms written by my mom. The gift of a handwritten note by Denise M. Colby

Here’s the advice my mom gave me.

Do you hang onto the notes you receive?

Every once in a while I remember to write my boys a note. They may not appreciate it enough to keep it. But I believe the words sink in and by receiving a personal note from me, I’m sending them a little bit of love that I hope they will remember at times. In fact, I think I might go handwrite a note to each of them now.

I encourage you to write a note or journal something in your own handwriting.

We all need to leave a little love behind.

I’d love to know if I’m the only one who loves handwritten notes. Mention in the comments section whether you keep any handwritten notes you receive or when a handwritten note has touched you in a special way.

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