Message from Hope
I am on a roll finishing up the next book, an Edisto crossover, in case you wanted to know. This book has taken much longer than others for reasons I cannot put my finger on, but I'm liking how it is turning out. The idea is different.
When I speak to book clubs and libraries, two questions invariably are asked:
1) Where do you get your ideas?
2) Do you ever run out of ideas?
The answer to the second one is a resounding NO. To this day I'm not sure how to answer the first one, though. First, I know Edisto Beach, the real one, so when I am there I wander the streets with my "what-if-ing" power and just make things up. What if this, and what if that. There is the challenge of being different than the previous books, but to me, that
only helps define what CAN be done.
I also watch the news, read stories online, and listen to people talk. I LOVE listening to people talk. I'm an eavesdropper of the highest order. Public settings are incredibly rich with ideas from people who don't know they are being overheard. I have an Edisto friend who warns people when we're together, telling them, "Be careful when she gets quiet. She's
taking notes about what you say." Yeah, it's a habit now.
Another question is: Do you ever get writer's block?
The answer is also no. Sure, I have some days that result in words better than other days. Can I get tired of work, like anyone else in any other profession? Sure. That's when I take a day off. But to have weeks and weeks of block? I just do not believe in it.
But I get excited toward the end of a book. I adore the editing aspect, and this weekend will be full of it. It's great to work a job you hope you never have to retire from.
C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
Email Hope | Visit Website | Sign up for Newsletter
Newsletter: ISSN: 1533-1326
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TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark
AUTHOR SITE - http://www.chopeclark.com
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It’s time to register for the nationally renowned Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop.
The Oct. 20-22 gathering will feature celebrated comedians and authors, including “Cathy” cartoonist Cathy Guisewite, “Saturday Night Live” legend Laraine
Newman, New York Times’ bestselling authors W. Bruce Cameron and Adriania Trigiani, screenwriter Cathryn Michon, improviser and comedian Dion Flynn, and award-winning author Katrina Kittle.
Your registration includes all meals, keynote talks, choice of dozens of workshops, and a complimentary virtual package of the keynotes and Pitchapalooza.
At the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, you’ll laugh, learn and network with a supportive writing community. Discover more and register here.
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PRACTICING WHAT YOU PREACH, AND BEING QUIETER ABOUT IT
Social media tattles on writers. I'm always dumbfounded when new writers fuss in writers groups and on personal pages about things like:
1) I'm sick of people not understanding how hard it is to write a book.
2) I gave away ten books and got one review. That's theft.
3) Nobody is buying my poetry book.
4) I got a one-star review and can't talk Amazon into taking it down. It's false.
Immediately, my gut reaction is to not buy that author's work simply because of how they present themselves to the public.
The public does not care about any of the above. They want to like the author and enjoy the read. They are not hoping to become a groupie, and they don't want a writer to be work. They want to admire the writer and the story. That's it.
1) Nobody but you needs to know how difficult it is to write a book. It is not a topic for public discussion. Maybe one-on-one with another writer feeling your pain, but not the world.
2) Giving away books is solely on you. You choose who to give them away to. I do not give away review copies unless they admit to being able to post on Amazon and have done reviews before, raising the odds of a review being done. If someone does not review the book, they don't get another one.
3) And that poetry book that won't sell? How many poetry books have THEY bought in the last year?
4) As to the one-star review? Some readers won't read a book unless it has a one- or two-star review. Some readers won't give five-star reviews except in rare cases. I hold my breath until I receive a one- or two-star review on each new release, just to pop that bubble and get it over with. Not everybody loves your work.
Take all that complaint energy and infuse it into marketing and writing. Complaining about how things are not going your way in the profession you chose, in the profession a lot of others wish they worked, makes a writer sound rather . . . spoiled.
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- July 14, 2022 - Muskoka Authors Association, Zoom - 6:00 PM
- July 21, 2022 - Carnes Crossroads, 4015 Second Ave, Summerville, SC - 3-5 PM
- July 23, 2022 - Indiana Sisters in Crime, Zoom - Noon ET - Gary and Hope Clark Tag Team on Getting the Facts Right in Mysteries
- August 2, 2022 - Writer's Chat - Crowdfunding - Zoom - 11 AM
- June 3-10, 2023 - Writing Retreat on the Maine Coast - Special Guest - Sponsored by Joan Dempsey, author and teacher
Email: [email protected] to schedule events, online or otherwise. There's starting to be life out there!
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SUCCESS QUOTE
““A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.”
– Jerry Seinfeld
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If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to [email protected]
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Living the Dream and Smalltown News
By Regan Tuttle
As little girl, I wrote stories. I wrote fiction, silly songs, and bad poetry. In the 1980s, at a friends’ birthday sleepover, when camcorders were all the rage, the mother of the birthday girl pointed the camera at me and asked my nine-year-old self what I wanted to be.
“A writer,” I said.
“Oh, you want to be a nerd,” she teased.
Everyone in the video laughed.
After a B.A. in English, a master’s in communication, and part of a PhD in Language and Literature that I left and didn’t finish, I found myself underemployed with a young child. To make ends meet I pieced together blog writing with adjunct teaching for community colleges.
When I found a job as editor of a very small-town newspaper, I grabbed it. I didn’t know AP style, and I had never done newspaper reporting, but this was my chance to really write. I convinced the publisher I could do so by taking a trial run and giving him a sample 500-word story.
That smalltown newspaper turned out to be one of the best career moves I ever made. There’s not a lot of hard news in tiny towns. I mostly tell stories — other people’s stories. And there’s so much freedom in it.
While covering town council meetings and the Western drought are part of the job, the icing on the cake is what I get to add in: the lifestyle pieces. Children who are raising 4-H animals, a grandmother who completed a successful deer hunt in her 80s, another local woman who made it onto a television baking show, and a couple who built a successful family business selling auto parts.
There’s beauty in the mundane, and a richness too, if you ask the questions that reveal commonality of our humanity and shared experience.
The job gave a foundation to explore other writing work, too, like freelance pieces for magazines, through which I’m able to express my voice even more authentically on subjects dear to my heart, like family, healing arts and horses.
It’s also given me the personal freedom to write creatively, to help my grandmother organize her memoirs as a self-published book that we sold to family and friends.
At the same time, working as a smalltown editor built credibility and helped me develop an online presence, such that I am taken seriously as a writer. I now have the confidence to reach out to bigger publications and pitch stories.
I recommend smalltown news to any aspiring writer. Even if there is no editor job or staff writer position available, ask about freelancing for the local paper. Contributing builds a resume and earns money, and there’s always the joy of pitching ideas related to personal passions.
The AP stylebook is now something you can Google and nothing to get tripped up about. The pandemic has shown smalltown journalists that the newsroom isn’t necessarily needed. Most of us can do our jobs from anywhere.
I’m grateful for my news writing gig, and I encourage others to explore this route — maybe even as a columnist. This avenue has kept me writing while letting me get paid for doing what I love. I can honestly say that I am living my childhood dream.
BIO - Regan Tuttle is editor of The Norwood Post and contributes to Telluride-based magazines and Working Horse Magazine in Colorado. She also writes copy on the side for a small marketing company. To read The Norwood Post visit https://www.telluridenews.com/the_norwood_post/.
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PAGE ONE PRIZE for novelists
https://gutsygreatnovelist.com/page-one-prize/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 15, 2022 at 5 PM ET. Submit the opening page of your unpublished novel-in-progress. 1st prize $1,000; 2nd prize $500; 3rd prize $250. Submissions are open internationally to any writer writing in English. Winners and honorable mentions will be announced August 2, 2022.
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WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING SUMMER FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2022. Guest Judge: Literary Agent Amy Elizabeth Bishop with DG&B Literary Agency. Seeking short fiction of any genre between 250 and 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. Open internationally. Limit: 300 entries. First place $400, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Second place $300, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate.
Third place $200, publication, interview and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Seven Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication and interview. Ten Honorable mentions receive $20 Amazon Gift Card. Top 10 stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW's blog, The Muffin.
KINDLE STORYTELLER
https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=12061299031
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2022. The Kindle Storyteller Award is a £20,000 literary prize recognising outstanding writing. It is open to writers publishing in English in any genre, who publish their work through Kindle Direct Publishing. Readers play a significant role in selecting the winner, helped by a panel of judges including various book industry experts. Each Finalist will receive a Kindle Oasis E-reader.
LUNE SPARK SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://lunespark.com/youngwriters/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 31, 2022. Four prizes in each of two categories. Categories are A: above 10 and below 13 years of age; and B: above 13 and below 16 years. First prize $500, second prize $250, third prize $150, and book cover prize $100. The story must be an original work by the author, no more than 1,500 words long, and free from any exclusive publishing rights elsewhere. Picture stories are not eligible. Lune Spark Books will independently publish an anthology of up to 25 stories on
Amazon and Kindle at no cost to the author.
BIOPAGE MINI ESSAY WRITING CONTEST
https://www.biopage.com/contest
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 31, 2022. Biopage is hosting a writing contest to remind people the benefits of writing. Each story (or once chapter of your stories) is limited to 5,000 characters or roughly 1,000 words. We are still in this COVID-19 pandemic. You as a writer should write down this once in a life experience of fighting the deadly virus. Tell your stories in words and pictures: pantry inventories, window views, workout routines, neighbors helping neighbors, homeschooling
activities... Or more dramatic: fighting the virus yourself, sick family member at home or hospital, treating patients as a healthcare provider, dealing with pain losing a friend... You can win $300, and five runners-up can win $100 each. The contest is open to anyone from everywhere, every country, every corner of the world.
BRIDPORT PRIZE MEMOIR AWARD
https://bridportprize.org.uk/the-competition/memoir-award
£24 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2022. We initially need 5,000 to 8,000 words plus a 300 word overview. If you’re long listed we’ll ask for a total of 15,000 words, including your original word count. Shortlisted? Then we need a total 30,000 words, again including your original entry and long listed word count. First prize: £1,500 and mentoring. In addition, the opening chapter/s of your memoir will be published on our website. Runner up £750. Your full manuscript will be assessed by The
Literary Consultancy with invaluable editorial feedback and you’ll be offered the chance to take part in an online seminar with Professor Sam North from the University of Exeter’s English Department. Your memoir’s opening chapter/s will be published on our website. Highly Commended £150 x three awards, a 15,000 word manuscript appraisal from The Literary Consultancy, plus an invitation to an industry day with agents and publishers. The Memoir Prize is open to writers of any nationality writing
in English aged 16 and over at the time of the closing date.
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GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING
LGBTQIA+ CRIME WRITERS GRANT
https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/pride
Deadline July 31, 2022. The Pride Award is an annual grant of $2,000 for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community. Submit an unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words. Send a resume or biographical statement, and a cover letter that gives a sense of the applicant as an emerging writer in the genre and briefly states how the award money
would be used. An unpublished writer is preferred, however publication of not more than ten pieces of short fiction and/or up to two self-published or traditionally published books will not disqualify an applicant.
DIVERSITY IN BRITISH BEER WRITING GRANT
https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/british-guild-grant
Deadline August 1, 2022. The grant will platform and highlight stories that celebrate diversity and inclusion within beer, pubs, and the wider hospitality industry. In keeping with the spirit of this grant, we’re particularly interested in hearing from those who are not always well-represented within the broader beer landscape, including women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ people, and disabled people. We also welcome pitches from people who are new to, or seeking a career within, beer writing, brewing, pubs,
and the drinks industry at large. Three winners will be selected by British Guild of Beer Writers director David Jesudason and the Good Beer Hunting editorial team. Each will be awarded £350, will work with both David and GBH on several rounds of edits, will have illustrations made to accompany their work, and will have their final piece published on Good Beer Hunting and later republished on the Guild of British Beer Writers website. Applicants should be U.K.-based, but do not need to have any
professional journalism or writing experience, nor prior experience working in the beer industry.
BRIDPORT PRIZE BURSARIES
https://bridportprize.org.uk/writers-room/bursaries-for-under-represented-writers
Our bursary scheme gives under represented writers a free entry to the Bridport Prize competition in any category. In order to support as many writers as we can, applications are limited to one per year per writer. The scheme runs on a rolling basis so you can apply for a memoir bursary anytime until 10th September 2022. Applications for bursaries for poetry, short story, flash fiction and novel will open on 1st December 2022 and close on 10 May 2023. Our short story, poetry, flash fiction and
memoir competitions are open to international applicants, whilst the novel award is open to writers living in Britain and Ireland, British writers living overseas and writers living in British Overseas Territories. For the purposes of our bursary scheme, an under represented writer is defined as belonging to one or more of the following groups: Low household income, National, ethnic, linguistic, religious or other minority group, Disabled, Primary carer, or Ex-offender.
CIVIC POET POSITION
https://seattlearts.submittable.com/submit/221816/seattle-office-of-arts-culture-civic-poet-2023-2024
Deadline July 13, 2022. Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. This call is open to Seattle-based poets who have an established body of work including published works, reading/spoken word plus project planning experience, and applied racial equity practice. Applicants must be Seattle-based (residence in the city of Seattle), be eligible to work in the U.S., have demonstrated interest/experience in promoting equity and inclusion through the arts, and show strong program planning and implementation
with some partnerships. The compensation for the two-year Civic Poet commission is $15,000. Funding covers a two-year period. It compensates time for writing, administration, artist fees, performances, event costs, materials, travel, fees, taxes, and other project-related costs. (Thanks https://www.erikadreifus.com/2022/07/markets-and-jobs-for-writers-81)
GRANTS FOR TWO BOSTON-CREATIVES - JEWISH RELATED
https://jartsboston.org/event_series/communitycreativefellowship/
Deadline July 28, 2022. CJP and JArts are proud to launch the 3rd cohort of the Community Creative Fellowship for two Boston-area creatives. We invite creatives in all artistic media – visual artists, performers, writers, chefs, coders, and others – to apply. This fellowship is designed to support two local creatives who are looking to explore Jewish identity through arts and/or culture. Combining both personal development and community engagement, the selected creatives will be expected to
create new capstone work that is inspired by the experience of the fellowship. Fellowship stipend: $20,000 (9 months, inclusive of time and materials). (Thanks https://www.erikadreifus.com/2022/07/markets-and-jobs-for-writers-81)
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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST - CLEVER
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NbVYbiSX5UoXSw5VwP2LAzVgpYVXxRo5nVYvPBDD2j0/edit
The Clever voice is casual and conversational—like you’re talking to a friend! Clever is not about speaking to designers, it’s about homeowners taking matters into their own hands. We use the term DIY: design it yourself. At Clever, we empower our readers by providing them with the tools to create a home with an individual point of view. Our community is 244k followers strong on Instagram with an audience primarily made of design-savvy 18-34-year olds. Our rates for Clever start at $200 and the
majority of commissioned stories hit the 700 word mark unless otherwise specified. Home tours have a flat rate of $300 which include 600 words of body copy, photo captions, and the two lists at the end.
MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER
https://spokesman-recorder.com/become-a-contributor/
The MSR seeks a news reporter with extensive knowledge and experience in the African American community to write news stories, feature stories, and/or cover events that center the voices of African Americans in Minnesota, as well as shine a light on issues of inequality and inequity. This is a freelance position with pay commensurate with experience. There is potential for advancement. Send inquiries to [email protected]. Pay is $100-$300 per story depending on amount of
research done and people interviewed. Send pitches to [email protected].
ASK
https://cricketmag.submittable.com/submit/20689/ask-magazine-for-ages-710-science-nonfiction
ASK® is a nonfiction magazine for children 7–10 years old who are curious about science and the world they live in. Each edition of ASK is built around a central theme or question. Feature Articles (400–1,200 words, with sidebars). Humor Pieces (200–400 words). Profiles/Interviews of Scientists, Inventors, Engineers, Artists (200–1,000 words). APRIL 2023 ISSUE THEME: UNMENTIONABLES. Deadline July 15, 2022.
THE REYNOLDS CENTER
https://businessjournalism.org/freelance/
The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism is looking for talented freelance journalists to cover business topics for businessjournalism.org. Freelancers would pitch and develop feature articles that are tied to the latest happenings in the news cycle and include tips, career advice, and/or other resources for fellow business writers to improve their reporting. Completed articles should be around 500 words and include at least one illustration/photo. The Reynolds Center is
currently offering US$500 per completed piece.
CHICKEN SOUP: THE ADVICE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline July 31, 2022. We are looking for stories and poems that contain a great piece of advice that you were given or advice that you gave to someone else. Whether the advice is about a small thing that improve your everyday life, or a major epiphany that changed your life completely, we want to hear about it and how it made a difference. Limit 1,200 words. Pays $200 and ten copies.
POORER THAN YOU
https://poorerthanyou.com/making-do/write-for-making-do/
Poorer Than You is a safe, no-shame place for low-to-moderate income millennials to learn and discuss money. Topics include credit cards, savings, budgeting, earning more money, evaluating job offers… from big financial decisions down to small ones, from the latest news to time-tested advice. We are currently accepting pitches (or completed pieces) for writers who would like to contribute a personal essay about money to the Making Do project! Personal essays about money from a low-income,
unemployed, or underemployed perspective. When completed, the written piece should be approximately 1,200–1,500 words in length. Essays must be honest and personal to you. The piece must be new and unique (as in, not previously published elsewhere). We are paying $125 per finished piece for Making Do essays.
FRAME
https://www.frame.media/
Frame is an award-winning news publication dedicated to exploring the unseen sides of the biggest issues of our time. We tell stories in unconventional and immersive formats, aiming to foster a deeper understanding of the news. We are accepting pitches but also have stories we'd love to assign. If you want to write for us, you can email [email protected] with clips and a pitch. Undercovered stories range from around 500-700 words and the rate for each
story is $300.
C MAGAZINE
https://cmagazine.com/about/submissions
Deadline July 13, 2022. Theme CHINATOWN. This issue will explore artistic practices and related bodies of knowledge that respond to the sustainability of Chinatowns across Canada and beyond, exploring the intersections, complexities, and embodied experiences that define them. How can the arts foster intergenerational relationships and learning from community elders? What does it mean to cultivate a space shared by visitors and residents that represents the visible, invisible, and opaque? How is
gentrification and displacement affecting Chinatowns differently from other types of neighbourhoods? How are artists tapping into archival practices, inherited knowledge, and technology to explore the past, present, and future of Chinatowns? Online submit 325-375 words for a flat rate of $175. Print submit 800-1,000 words for a flat rate of $360.
FRESH CUP MAGAZINE
https://www.freshcup.com/resources/write-for-us/
Fresh Cup is a storytelling and education hub for the coffee and tea industries. We equip coffee and tea professionals with the skills, insights, and inspiration required to develop a more sustainable and prosperous industry for all. We invite writers, thinkers, and leaders to write for Fresh Cup’s audience. Contributors are paid $200 per article, plus an additional rate for original photography. We’re looking for writers who want to create articles of 700+ words.
TALES & FEATHERS MAGAZINE
http://www.augurmag.com/submissions/
Deadline July 31, 2022. Tales & Feathers Magazine is currently open for submissions of short cozy fantasy fiction. Stories longer than 2,500 words. Pays $0.11/word CAD.
KHOREO MAGAZINE
https://www.khoreomag.com/submissions-fiction/
We are looking for short fiction under 5,000 words. Because we are a new journal, we have a stricter budget and therefore prefer stories under 3,500 words. Stories must contain a speculative element in order to be considered. Only music-themed stories. Pays 10 cents/word.
DIABOLICAL THOUGHTS ANTHOLOGY
https://www.diabolicalplots.com/guidelines/
We are seeking telepathy stories of every shape and style. Stories might be as intimate as mind-readers in love, forever seeing themselves through their lover’s eyes; or as harrowing as a telepath on the battlefield, drowned in every iota of pain, fear and grief felt for miles. They might be as bizarre as telepathy tourism from alien planets, all cognitive connoisseurs who find humans to have a particularly piquant mindset; or as familiar as a job interview, which has simply gained a new mental
level to spar upon. Limit 3,500 words. Pays 10 cents/word. Submit 24-31 July, 2022 for Diabolical Thoughts theme.
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AUNT LUTE
https://www.auntlute.com/submissions
Aunt Lute Books is an intersectional, feminist press dedicated to publishing literature by those who have been traditionally underrepresented in or excluded by the literary canon. Core to Aunt Lute’s mission is the belief that the written word is critical to understanding and relating to each other as humans. Through the sharing of stories, we strengthen ties across cultures and experiences, and at the same time honor the hurt, loss, and harm incurred through structural power imbalances,
prejudiced and gendered systems, and ancestral trauma. We uplift these voices in order to build a more just future.
HAYMARKET BOOKS
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/pg/submissions
We are interested in manuscripts that are accessible to a wide range of progressive and radical political activists, while also being useful to an academic audience. Please note that we are not accepting submissions for the following genres at this time: fiction, poetry, memoirs, cookbooks, self-help, or dissertations. In order to get a sense of the kinds of works we usually publish, please browse our catalog at www.haymarketbooks.org.
UPROAD BOOKS
https://uproarbooks.com/authors-wanted/
Uproar Books looks for science-fiction and fantasy novels with realistic characters in highly imaginative worlds. We want to see genuine emotion and meaningful struggles. And maybe a dragon or spaceship, too. But mostly the genuine and meaningful stuff. Uproar Books also insists that all novels be the first book in a planned series of at least three. It’s not that we don’t love standalone novels; it’s just the economics of being a small, independent publisher make it necessary for all of our
books to lead to sequels. Also, manuscripts must be complete and at least 70,000 words. We DO accept Young Adult as long as the characters are realistic and complex enough to have crossover appeal to adult audiences. Again, this is an economic necessity despite how much we love traditional YA literature.
THIRD WORLD PRESS
https://thirdworldpressfoundation.org/submit-a-manuscript-2/
We are an African-centered publishing house dedicated to the creation and dissemination of written work of the highest quality. A publisher of progressive material for more that forty-plus years, our goal is to be the best provider of material which is life-giving and life-saving to the community, and other communities on the Diaspora. We look for the maximum effect of creative expression and cultural enlightenment in all of the written genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, young
adult, and children’s books which may not have an outlet otherwise.
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