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Inkwell News August 2010
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Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, submission opportunites and publishing news from Inkwell Writers Workshops Welcome! A very warm welcome to the Inkwell Newsletter if you are receiving it for the first time, and of course greetings to regular recipients. Inkwell's aim is create a community of writers who can exchange information and news through the newsletter, so do keep me posted on your successes. Writing is a solitary profession but it helps to know there are others out there struggling as well! Firstly great news from the Arts Council - I've just received confirmation of part funding for Inkwell for a new national writing website www.writing.ie. It will be packed full of information for writers, details of festivals, events, courses and interviews with some of Irelands top writers. Watch this space!! We have loads of subscriber info and tips this month, and a brilliant blog for you to check out - How Publishing Really Works by ex-editor Jane Smith. The title says it all...its packed full of info for writers http://howpublishingreallyworks.com/ The 2011 workshops are now on the website and I have just confirmed the first Inkwell Poetry Workshop 5th March 2011 with the Ted Hughes shortlisted Editor of Irish Pages, Chris Agee, and award winning poet and short story writer Ivy Bannister. With facilitators of this calibre, this workshop will book up very fast, so if you are interested and want to hold a place provisionally please let me know as ap! As always it is Euro 175, including a fabulous lunch and held at Fitzpatrick's Castle Hotel (see Workshop news below for info on a special rate for accommodation for Inkwell) How many of you find it difficult making time to write? Here are some solutions from two newsletter readers Alison Wells and David Steele: Alison has a very busy life, she says: The trouble with life is that it keeps on happening. How can we write when our work and home commitments are intense? In the past year I have written many short stories, some shortlisted in competitions and completed a novel but as a mother of four children, aged 9,8,5 and 2 finding the time and head space to write is always challenging. These are some of the methods that have helped: Creating slices of writing time: I get up each morning at 5am for 2hrs of quiet writing. Setting a feasible word count and deadline and getting to it. http://alisonwells.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/five-ways-to-procrastinate-your-procrastination/ Writing 50,000 words in a month with group motivation ( http://alisonwells.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/running-for-my-writing-life/) Finding Eureka moments: Idea generation, plot development etc can be done in the head during chores, ablutions or commute. Here are Five Ways to be a Writer when you're not writing. And David solves his writing time issues by writing on the move - on his Blackberry! I am an unpublished author writing a mix of science fiction, action, romance or erotica, using several different computers. I have a desktop, a notebook and currently my BlackBerry Bold with a Bluetooth wireless keyboard (I've used similar keyboards with my last three smartphones). I do not have a main computer for writing, because I can and do write at different times of the day and circumstances. A couple of my stories are notable for being almost exclusively written on my smartphone; most are written on all three machines. I find the BlackBerry by itself is great for the following day when I need to edit; pick it up, edit a few paragraphs, put it down. When I have the time and space, I can input large amounts of text using the foldable keyboard. Why the BlackBerry? A combination of the standard software handling Word 2003 and 2007, the memory card, solid battery life, seamless email integration and I'm sorry to say, the corporate image, as I'm a suit-wearing wage slave by day. It's a great work horse. I've plenty more that I can say; the BB is the central machine to all this as I Tweet, email documents, edit and write from the one point...David Steele Last month we gave you some writing tips - this one comes from Elga Long, and it's brilliant! You're probably all going to think I'm mad, but I thought you writer's out there might find this useful. Basically, I was doing some writing and felt that I wanted to describe the sounds of something i.e. various noises, situations etc. And I found a website that basically plays the sound of everything you can think of i.e. an airport, a plane taking off, a park, a school yard. I think it's great to help to connect with the sounds surrounding a particular situation in a chapter etc. Anyway, here's the link- hope some of you find it useful like I have!: http://www.soundsnap.com/search/audio/airplane+taking+off/score Submission Package Assessment Service More often than not, new authors get rejected because their work is going out too soon - they might have a great idea and great characters, but they aren't quite coming together on the page. Inkwell has started a manuscript submission assessment service exclusively for mailing list members that I hope will be a big help in getting your work right and onto the right desk. Inkwell already works with Bubblecow who provide this service in the UK, but the new service will focus on the Irish market (both Irish and International Publishers). Submit your covering letter, one page synopsis and first three chapters to me in hard copy by post and we will arrange to talk on the telephone/I will email you concrete feedback on whether you book is ready to go to agents and publishers - and if it isn't, why not. (single spaced and stapled, don't forget to number the pages). I will look at your covering letter and give you tips on improving it and presenting yourself in the best possible light, I'll also look at your synopsis to see if it's clear and concise, make sure it does justice to your story and that your story is sufficiently well developed to attract a publisher - if there are any problems I'll give you constructive advice to develop it. If you are ready to go and everything is perfect, I can suggest specific agents and publishers to approach and make introductions where appropriate. The fee for this service is Euro 40 - if you need more detailed feedback or a full written critique done, Inkwell have several authors who will work with you on this. There's nothing worse than getting a pile of rejection slips for a book that has great bones but isn't quite fleshed out enough -and you don't get two shots with the same book. Get in touch with me, vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie if this is something I can help you with. In this issue: Workshop News: Inkwell 4 Kids Summer Camp; Start Writing; Web Wise; The One Stop Self Publishing Conference; Getting Published Non Fiction Subscriber News: Sally Clements; Jane Travers; Marie Gallagher; Hazel Gaynor; Denyse Kirkby; Competition News: Spoken Ink; Irelands Own; Leaf Books micro fiction and travel writing; Royal Berkshire Poetry Society; Writing Forge Short Story; Mslexia Women's Poetry; Shakespeare & Co novella competition; Terrain.org; Dublin Script Competition; Foyle Young Poets Submission Opportunities: Tips from Samhain; Short Story Wesbite; Campfire Pages; Blog Talk radio; The Irish Post; Interzone (sci-fi & fantasy) ; Phoenix Yard Books (childrens); Markings Magazine; Linen Press And finally: Special offer from Salmon Poetry Workshop News: The Inkwell 4 Kids Summer camp runs 9th-13th August 10-3pm at Rathdown School, Glenageary Co. Dublin. 7-9's facilitator Bisto Book Awards judge David Maybury, 9-13's hugely popular author Claire Hennessy. Euro 150 per child, booking fast! Contact Vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie for more info. The Autumn workshops are booking up already so if you are interested, get in touch! All Inkwell workshops are designed around the participants needs and provide a super opportunity for you to meet other writers, get publishing tips and to have a great day out. Fitzpatrick's Hotel are now offering some great deals for anyone who wants to stay overnight and attend a workshop - more info is on their website at http://www.fitzpatrickcastle.com/RS_reservations?price_group=65536&sv=false We kick off on Sat 4th September with Start Writing with the phenomenally successful Sarah Webb and lovely Jacinta McDevitt who as well as writing women's fiction, has written 'How to Write a Book in a Year.' This workshop will set you on track to writing your book, show you how top writers got started and published as well as showing you the essential fiction writing techniques. Ideal for anyone who needs that push to start, for writers who are struggling to fit their writing in to their lives and need a boost/tips, and for any of you who are part way through a ms but want to be sure you're on the right track. 9-4.30pm, Fitzpatrick's Castle Hotel, Co. Dublin 175 including a great lunch, the exclusive Inkwell tips pack and a copy of Writing Magazine. Web Wise - earn writing for the World Wide Web Saturday 30th October: Speaker: Beth Morrissey This workshop will show you exactly how to make money writing for websites as well as how to set up your own blog. Two years ago Hazel Gaynor attended the Web Wise workshop, went straight home and started her Hot Cross Mum blog. Since then she's started blogging for Hello Magazine, has been listed in the Independents Top 50 Mummy Blogs and featured on the TV3 afternoon show. Now poised to sign a book deal based on her blog she is one of the many success stories who have benefitted as a direct result of Beth Morrissey's humorous and fact filled workshop. As a freelance writer Beth earns her living working for the web - find out how she does it, where she find the jobs, what those jobs are and how she gets paid. 9-4.30pm, Fitzpatrick's Castle Hotel, Co. Dublin 175 including a great lunch, the exclusive Inkwell tips pack and a copy of Writing Magazine. Getting Published Non Fiction Saturday 30th October Speaker 1: Mary Webb, Editorial Director The O'Brien Press Speaker 2: Brian Langan, Editor Transworld Ireland Speaker 3: Sarah Traynor author 'How to have a Champagne Wedding on a Bucks Fizz Budget' Speaker 4: Patricia O'Reilly, Writing for Success Find out how to get your non-fiction book published - what should the word count be? How should you structure your book? What exactly do you need to submit to publishers? Find out from O'Brien Press and Transworld Ireland exactly what they are looking for in a non-fiction manuscript, what subject matter they will consider and how best to get your book into print. Hear from author Sarah Traynor how she took her own experience from idea stage to the book shelf. With tips on marketing and the various print options that are open to new authors, this workshop is essential for all non-fiction authors. 9-4.30pm, Fitzpatrick's Castle Hotel, Co. Dublin 175 including a great lunch, the exclusive Inkwell tips pack and a copy of Writing Magazine. What do writers Roddy Doyle, Paul Howard (Ross O'Kelly Carroll) and booker nominated Michael Connolly have in common? They all self published their first books. The One Stop Self Publishing Conference is happening on 16th October and even if you've never thought about self publishing, if you're a writer, this conference is for you. The publishing industry is in a period of rapid change at the moment and getting your book out there is becoming more of a challenge, but with modern printing methods, getting your published is achievable and doesn't have to cost the earth - this conference will tell you everything you need to know to get your books published in one day, your way. With leading industry professionals discussing editing, cover design, marketing, and how to get into the main distribution channels it really is a one stop shop. We'll also be including a section on e-books. If you've been writing for years and have a stack of unpublished manuscripts, now's the time to get them making money for you!! For more information check out www.onestopselfpublishing.com Subscriber News: Great news from Sally Clements whose book Catch Me A Catch is released by The Wild Rose Press on 28th July. You can find out all about it here http://www.thewildrosepress.com/catch-me-a-catch-p-4147.html?zenid=9c2b1b7fbf782059c370376117fe3e58 This is the blurb: She had the perfect life - and all she wanted was to escape it. Artisan chocolatier and reluctant matchmaker Annie Devine wants to survive the annual Durna Matchmaking Festival without messing up. She's useless at relationships, and the whole village know it. They've known ever since the day she was left at the altar in her wedding dress. When Jack Miller, charismatic head of Miller Advertising is forced to make an emergency stop on his transatlantic crossing, she mistakes him for a love-lorn bachelor, and sparks fly. Jack's in Ireland to discover his roots, while Annie's desperate to escape hers. Annie longs to win the coveted Chocolate Oscar competition, and claim the ultimate prize, her own shop in Dublin. But with the deadline for Jack's return to New York looming, is she making the right choice? Well done! Jane Travers has penned a few lines on the Inkwell Pure Fiction Weekend: The idyllic setting at Kippure Lodge was overcast and warm for the 2010 Pure Fiction weekend as a group of ten rather nervous writers introduced themselves. Some - like Sheila, Aisling, Kristi and I - had met before, but for several others this was their first foray into writing workshops. One of the themes of the weekend, as would be covered by Noelle Harrison, was finding the story you want to write and the characters who populate that story. As the course participants got to know each other on the first night over good food and a few bottles of wine, it became clear that very diverse stories and backgrounds had led each of us to writing. It was obvious even early on that no two of us would write similar stories; some had an interest in romance, others in comedy; some women's fiction, others crime. On Saturday morning our session with the amazing Noelle Harrison began. She started gently, talking about our favourite books and the stories we had - or hoped to - produce. We then worked on generating new characters, placing them in proscribed scenarios, writing scenes of dialogue for them, and so on. This was an incredibly freeing and useful exercise for all of us, as it allowed us to escape the characters who already held our brains hostage, and explore something new. Everyone produced fantastic work, and by the end of day one I found I'd made considerable inroads into beginning a new novel - one I'm still working on now. That night both conversation and wine flowed as we discussed our day, batted ideas back and forth, and shouted at the telly during the Eurovision. Ahem. Well, it wasn't all work...! On Sunday morning the dynamic Alison Walsh took over from Noelle. She set out to help us with that most tricky of areas, the beginning of a novel; to talk about what an editor is looking for; and to help us to find our "voice" as a writer. We looked at famous beginnings and why they worked, learned how to show not tell, and improved on our dialogue. As we made our way through several exercises with Alison, she pointed out the unique "voice" that each of us had developed or honed throughout the day. We were all elated, even as the class overran its time. Everyone had found their own unique voice, even those who had had their doubts. By the time the course finished we had all learned a tremendous amount and grown in confidence about our own writing abilities. We had also become friends and exchanged contact details; the management of Kippure Lodge practically had to evict us to get us to go home. The Inkwell Pure Fiction weekend was hard work and intensive, but an enormously valuable experience. Funnily enough, while everyone had found their "voice", by the end of the weekend I had somehow lost my voice. Don't know how that happened... Marie Gallagher who attended the Pure Fiction weekend is also a member of Clane Writers group who had a fantastic open mic session (to which the Pure Fiction gang were invited) Clane Writers had a full house for their Open Mic Reading Nite, 7 July, as writers, emerging and well established, from Kildare, Dublin, Wicklow and Laois converged on Johnsons, Newbridge to read, listen, network and generally have a ball. Eighteen readers entertained us with a mix of subject matter that spanned, erotic poetry, travel stories, memoir, flash fiction, haiku, short story, Sunday Miscellany pieces, novel extracts and a poem that included the chorus of a song for the audience to join in. Clane Writers plan to hold another Open Mic night in October and writers are warmly invited to take the opportunity to come along and read their work to a captive, live audience. Hope to see you there! News from Hazel Gaynor who was one of the first to attend the Inkwell Webwise workshop and who is going from success to success with the Mummy blog she set up as a result of it: I attended a really interesting conference in the UK on 3rd July, 'CyberMummy'. This was the first event of its kind in the UK or Europe and was aimed at the community of mummy bloggers in the UK. The day was split into several content sessions which included 'Creating Good Content' (panelists included India Knight and Judith O'Reilly), Building Audience and Stats', Working with Brands', Site Design' and a really interesting session on 'Blog to Book' with Robin Harvie from Harper Collins and The Friday Project. There is more information about the content of these session and over 100 blogger reviews of the day (!) on the CyberMummy blog: http://cybermummy2010.blogspot.com/ Several attendees blogged 'live' from the content sessions. There is an interesting summary here of Robin Harvie's 'blog to book' session. http://youngandyounger.blogspot.com/2010/07/live-from-cybermummy-1-seo-blog-to-book.html An opportunity to meet some of my fellow bloggers, it was great to see that the blogging community is thriving. I was thrilled to be selected to read one of my own posts as part of a wrap up session to the day - this is what I read. http://hotcrossmum.blogspot.com/2010/04/everybodys-free-to-wear-sunscreen.html Later that evening, there was a blog awards ceremony hosted by parenting website Gurgle.com and although I didn't attend, I discovered the next day that I was selected as the winner of the 'Funny Mummy' category which I was absolutely delighted about. Following on the success of the blog, I have now had a couple of features with The Independent Health & Living supplement and Weekend Magazine and have more coming with them and The Examiner over the summer. I just have to get on with the book now! Denyse Kirby is a new subscriber who has her first novel coming out with Independent publishers Punked Books. As Denyse says 'An independent publisher is also known as a small trade press - a publisher where the annual sales are below a certain level. There is an independent publishers guild ( http://www.ipg.uk.com/index.shtml) where writers can search for publishers though the guild will not work on the behalf of writers, the writers must contact the publisher themselves. The Writer and Artist's yearbook is a good resource for finding independent publishers who often accept submissions from writers without an agent. I met my first publisher through a mutual acquaintance (the writing and publishing world is so small which is why I always tell new writers to ensure they always behave professionally!) and met my new publisher through facebook of all places. Many people have asked me why I chose to entrust my debut novel Without Alice to an Independent publisher not once but twice, and my response is "Why not?" I think that Independent publishers nurture their authors and judging by Peter May's decision to move from a major publishing house back to a smaller publisher, it's also a desirable place for an author whose novels sell so well that he goes on book tours as far away as America and Asia. My first publisher went bankrupt, but that was simply bad luck rather than precedent setting. I do thank my lucky stars that the Society of Authors advised me to have a termination clause written into that contract, and that I was brave enough to take the opportunity to invoke this clause before the bankruptcy happened. I then decided that I would submit Without Alice to a few agents which ended up as a resounding failure. So I made the choice to find myself another publisher, and prove my worth, before submitting to any other agents. I firmly believe that I can do it too; after all I've now got the support of a great publishing company called Punked Books. The cover of my debut novel is considered risky by some people who know about these things. The industry standard at the moment is for covers to feature women. Mine shows a man's face full of longing and the back of a woman who is clinging onto him. Stephen has a secret, one so great he fears it will tear him in two. Although my novel has three main characters there was never any question in my mind that the cover could be anything other than all about Stephen. I'm really looking forward to discussions around this topic because I'm intrigued by what it is about a cover that makes readers want to know more. I'm delighted that my publisher was in agreement that a man should be the focus of the cover for Without Alice because I was prepared to put up a fight for that if it was necessary. This is a fact which horrifies my husband as he feels that publishers are the experts, and should be left alone to get on with their job. However, I would argue that an author has nurtured that novel for months or years and should be consulted on cover design. What side of the argument do you stand on, and what is it about a cover that catches your attention? Get in touch with Denyse at http://djkirkby.blogspot.com/ Competitions: Spoken Ink 'a one stop shop for short story downloads by published authors' has launched a search for new writing talent. It's first audio story competition gives authors worldwide the opportunity to have their work published and narrated by a leading actor. Writers can submit a story on any theme 1,500 words, closing date 31st July. A short list of 3 will be recorded and posted on the site at the beginning of September when the public will be invited to vote for their favourite. Cash prize of £250. For more information check out www.spokenink.co.uk Win Euro 2,200 with Ireland's Own: Irelands Own are running competitions in 3 sections - The Open Short Story Section, open to all, with a prize fund of Euro 1,000. The Beginners Short Story Competition is open to anyone who has never had a short story published before, first prize Euro 400. In both competitions, stories should be 2000 words, be non experimental and reflect the ethos of Ireland's Own. The Memories section is for true stories of up to 800 words, and has a first prize of Euro 200. All entries should be original and unpublished, submitted in hard copy by post, on one side of A4, double spaced. Include your name/address on each entry, clearly mark envelope which section your entry is for. Closing date 30th Sept No limit on entries but each story must be accompanied by entry fee Euro 6 in cheque or money order. Details from 2010 Original Writing Competitions, Ireland's Own, Channing House, Rowe St. Wexford, Republic of Ireland, email: irelandsown@peoplenews.ie Leaf Books Micro-Fiction & Travel Writing Competitions http://www.leafbooks.co.uk/New/For%20Writers/CurrentCompetitions.html#MF Leaf Books invites you to submit micro-fiction (max 300 words) on any subject imaginable. Winning and outstanding entries will be published in the Leaf Writers' Magazine. These, and further commended entries, will also be published in an anthology. First prize: Winner receives £150 and a free copy of the Leaf Writers' Magazine and the anthology Enter online: pay via paypal (they take credit cards if you don't have a paypal account). The button will take you to paypal and then you just email your work as an attachment to contact@leafbooks.co.uk. Entry £3 for a single entry, £10 for up to 4 entries Closing date 30th September Visiting new places can be very inspiring for writers. Leaf Books invites you to submit a short piece of Travel Writing (up to 300 words) or a postcard from an interesting destination (you don't have to send us an actual postcard, but feel free to if you like - if you're not using an actual postcard, your piece should be no longer than 300 words; if you are, you can write on both the back and front of the postcard). Your writing can be a journalistic piece, a diary entry or a piece of micro-fiction - as long as your piece evokes a clear sense of place then you're welcome to use a form of your choice. Winning and outstanding entries will be published in the Leaf Writers' Magazine. These, and further commended entries, will also be published on the Leaf Books showcase site. First prize: Winner receives £150 and a free copy of the Leaf Writers' Magazine. Further published entrants will receive a free copy of the Leaf Writers' Magazine. To enter: £3 per entry, 4 entries for £10. Closing Date: 31st August 2010 The Royal Berkshire Poetry Competition is open to anyone over the age of 17 years-old. Every poet is invited to submit one entry, it can use any poetic form, but must be previously unpublished, the poet's own work and less than 40 lines. The judges are looking for distinct poetic voices that display originality, craftsmanship and memorability. The winner, and two runners up, will be published by Beat Magazine and the poems will be displayed on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Library Service website and in libraries around the Borough. There will an evening of "Poetry Raw" to announce the winners and celebrate poetry on November the 18th 2010, to which all entrants are invited. www.beatmagazine.co.uk/the-royal-berkshire-poetry-competition-entry-form The closing date is midnight the 31st of September 2010. The inaugural Writing Forge Short Story Competition offers £700 in prize money! Stories should be no longer than 3,000 words and may be on any topic. Prizes:1st - £700, 2nd - £100, 3rd - £50 The winning stories will also be published online by the Writing Forge. Entry fees: One story £6, two stories £10 or three stories £14. Deadline is 30 August 2010 The closing date for the Mslexia Women's Poetry Competition is rapidly approaching. Enter online or by freepost. Closing date: 26 July 2010. For full details go to: www.mslexia.co.uk/whatson/msbusiness/pcomp_active.php Shakespeare & Company Bookshop has launched a new literary magazine and literary prose. Paris Magazine, edited by former Granta managing editor, Fatema Ahmed will include fiction and non fiction and illustration. The bookstore will award a Euro 10,000 prize every two years to the author of the best novella of 20-30,000 words. Full details and entry forms www.shakespeareandcompany.com Terrain. Org are running their inaugural contests in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Judges are: Poetry, judged by Jessie Lendennie, poet and Salmon Poetry managing director; Fiction, judged by Aurelie Sheehan, award-winning author of History Lesson for Girls and The Anxiety of Everyday Objects; Nonfiction, judged by David Rothenberg, award-winning author of Thousand Mile Song and Why Birds Sing Deadline is August 1. Prize of $250 + publication; $10 entry fee. All submissions eligible for publication. Details + online submission link at http://www.terrain.org/contest/ http://www.facebook.com/l/f9bcd;www.terrain.org/contest/ From Page to Stage: Jointly organised by the library services of Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin, From Page to Stage presents an opportunity for new playwrights living in Dublin City or County to showcase their work as part of Innovation Dublin - a celebration of innovation and creativity across the Dublin Region. Winning writers will be offered mentoring from draft manuscript stage to production by Laurence Foster (actor, author, former head of RTÉ radio drama) and Daniel Reardon (actor, playwright and poet). The best plays submitted will be staged as rehearsed readings in libraries across the City and County during the Innovation Dublin Festival in November. Winners will direct their own work using the services of professional actors provided by the organisers. The overall prize of 500 & work presented in Dublin City Council's new Wood Quay Venue. Rules and more info: http://www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/libraries/News%20Items/Pages/from_page_to_stage.aspx Foyle Young Poets: The deadline for submissions to the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2010 is 31st July 2010. The literary award, for 11-17 year olds seeks to identify and nurture new poetic talent, and supported by the Foyle Foundation, is completely free to enter! This year's judges are Jane Draycott and Luke Kennard. For more information visit www.foyleyoungpoets.org Submissions For anyone thinking of submitting to Samhain, check out this list of five ways to get rejected! Also applies to other publishers so do have a look. Some of these points sound obvious but you would be amazed what gets sent in to publishers! Ensure you aren't on the auto reject pile! http://samhainpublishing.com/blog/2010/07/12/five-ways-to-get-rejected The Short Story website has a list of 79 magazine outlets for short stories ranging from African Writing to Yours, plus advice for submitting your work. Check out www.shortstory.org/uk/magazines/index/php4 Campfire Pages are looking for any kind of story or essay that evokes the spirit of summer; love stories, memoirs, non-fiction, etc. So, here's the deal: you can contact me on Twitter, @TheWritersDen, send me a DM and I'll give you the info. Guidelines: ~ Word count is flexible: 800 - 2000+ words. I have to probably cap it at about 2500, just for the sake of editing purposes. ~ Please, let's keep this light: no erotic fantasy or slasher stories. No bullets or murder. Drama is okay, so is conflict etc... but we're trying to evoke the spirit of summer here! So no mass destruction or debauchery. ~ If you have a REALLY long story, I'll consider posting it in parts, if it's that good ... ~ Any of these are acceptable: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Personal Essays, Short Stories, Memoirs, etc ~ Please set your story on Planet Earth, because there's no summer in space. I love reading your stories, and there's always a good response to your work, so feel free to contact me. This will run until September, so you have plenty of time. Oh, by the way, don't click the tabs up top yet; they're empty! This blog is still under renovation. Get Scribbling! http://thecampfirepages.blogspot.com/ Blog Talk Radio are an internet based radio station and have an open mic session - and they are looking for writers to read out their work on the radio. All info here: www.blogtalkradio.com/speakeasycafe The Irish Post is the biggest selling weekly newspaper for the Irish in Britain and is now accepting pitches. Each issue is packed full of the best of Irish sport, news, travel, property features, celebrity interviews, listings and a dedicated entertainment section, as well as a health page and business section including profiles of successful Irish businessmen and women. Ideas should be submitted by email to editor Malcolm Rogers and/or news editor Siobhan Breatnach. Stories are commissioned on a rate per word basis. www.irishpost.co.uk email: siobhanbreatnach@irishpost.co.uk or irishpost@irishpost.co.uk Interzone, a bimonthly science fiction and fantasy short story magazine that has launched the careers of many important authors is open to submissions of new science fiction and fantasy short stories of up to 10,000 words. It is essential you study the magazine before submitting. Send hard copy (flat or only folded once!) typed, double spaced, printed black one side on white paper, good margins , pages numbered, a keyword from story title and authors name on every page with a covering letter and SAE (ask someone to post you some UK stamps!) to Interzone, TTA Press, 5 Martins Lane, Witcham, Ely, Cambs, CB6 2LB U.K. http://ttapress.com/interzone Phoenix Yard Books is a new children's publishing company, established in 2009 with four titles coming out in spring 2011. They publish books for children aged 3-13. They are particularly interested in character based young fiction for ages 6-9 but accept submissions for all stories. Submit 3 chapters and synopsis by post or email, allow 12 weeks for a response. They do not reply to questions about submissions unless there is a submission attached! www.phoenixyardbooks.com info@phoenixyardbooks.com Literary Magazine Markings publishes established national and international authors and are on a quest to find tomorrow's literary stars. Poetry, short stories, play script excerpts, artwork and articles of cultural interest and analysis are all welcome, as .doc, rtf or plain text files. Submit no more than 6 poems, 2 stories of max 3000 words each, play scripts max 2000 words. Payment will be made for commissioned pieces, deadline for next issue 7th August. Submissions preferred by email. Website www.thebakehouse.info, email: submissions@markings.org.uk Women writers are wanted by new small publisher Linen Press. Run by women for women it publishes women writers with innovative voices who inspire readers. Based in Edinburgh, they publish 3 or 4 books a year, literary fiction, top end commercial fiction and memoir. Submissions by email only incl introductory letter, synopsis and opening chapters. Check out www.linenpressbooks.co.uk, email lynnmichell0@googlemail.com blog : Linenpressbooks.wordpress.com Websites for non-fiction writers where 'experts' write their own columns can be a steady income earner. Check out www.mahalo.com which is a writing community seeking writers for 'How To' content. Accuracy essential, contact Mike Bracco on the editorial team with queries: www.mahalo.com, email mikebracco@mahalo.com And finally.... Barbara Kingsolver at The Pavillion Theatre Dun Laoghaire 19th July 7.30pm, 10 Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible was recently voted the No 1 most popular Reading Group selection. She enjoys not just massive popularity among readers but also unanimous critical approval. Don't miss the opportunity to hear her reading from her latest novel The Lacuna, a heartbreaking story of a man torn between the warm heart of Mexico and the cold embrace of McCarthyite America. More info: http://www.paviliontheatre.ie/EventDetails.aspx?ID=2&Event=841 Salmon Poetry are having a tough time at the moment - they say 'we're finding it much harder than last year. Our book rep says that things are picking up, but that's not paying the bills right now. We need to bring in at least 5,000 euro in web sales and donations in the new few weeks. So, here's the sales pitch: For a limited period we're offering free postage on all our books. This, along with the fall in value of the euro, makes for a great deal for buyers living abroad. Domestic buyers always get a good deal! Do have a look and choose one, two or a few! You won't be disappointed! New & Recent Titles: http://www.salmonpoetry.com/bookshop2.php?c2=1 Current Poetry Titles: http://www.salmonpoetry.com/bookshop2.php?c2=2 Anthologies: http://www.salmonpoetry.com/bookshop2.php?c2=3 Essays & Memoir: http://www.salmonpoetry.com/bookshop2.php?c2=4 Drama for schools: http://www.salmonpoetry.com/bookshop2.php?c2=5 Become a Friend of Salmon: http://www.salmonpoetry.com/friends-of-salmon.php If you know anyone who loves poetry, why not get them an early Christmas present? Keep writing! Vanessa