Writing for the Love

Medieval Fantasy, Quick Read, & A Little Dark The Bloodiest Sword is King by Bria Burton A stranger approaches the gate to the Catastrapha's kingdom, and Xildar must decide whether he is a friend or foe. Free Today Only READ NOW Fantasy Friday 5/24/19 Each weekday, Havok Publishing presents a genre-themed story, and my first flash fiction story is appearing today in their Fantasy Friday slot. My short stories tend to range between 5,000 and 15,000 words. In other words, they're not very short. I made a goal to attempt a flash fiction story many years ago, but until today I'd never succeeded in publishing a 1,000 word or less story. I'm very pleased that "The Bloodiest Sword is King" was selected for publication in Havok. The story has some dark elements and violence, but my goal was to avoid graphic or gratuitous violence. You, dear reader, can let me know if I've succeeded. My greatest hope is that the deep...

"On Both Sides" in Writers of Pinellas Anthology Available at  Wordier Than Thou Bookstore At a writers picnic back in April, I met Laura Joyce Moriarty, an author and owner of Four Roses & Brown Publishing . She was looking for stories for a new anthology featuring Pinellas County authors. Hey, I'm a Pinellas County author. Pick me, pick me! At the writers picnic, I was also getting great advice about my query letter from Molli Nickell! Okay, there was a little more to it than that. Since she was accepting reprints, and I didn't have a lot of time to write a new story before the deadline, I sent a handful of my previously published works. To my surprise, she picked "On Both Sides," the longest of the stories I sent. All Proceeds to a Good Cause I've been involved in multiple events with Wordier Than Thou, from their Fiction, LIVE! readings to Florida Bookstore Day to the Tampa Bay Book Fair. They do a great job of...

Addendum (8/18/15): I just received word that "Tight Pants," a short piece that Page & Spine accepted about a year ago, will be published on August 28, 2015 (yay!) I've been overwhelmed with all the blessings that have been coming my way in the writing realm. God is so good. It's difficult to know where to begin since I've neglected the blog and can hardly remember the last thing I posted (before yesterday's post ). Upcoming Publications A short story, "The Empty Girl," will appear in Revisions: Stories of Starting Over in October. This will be Collection #7 from the Florida Writers Association. Out of that number, I've had four previous pieces appear. I'm very excited to be featured this year after not making it last year. A reprint, "The Mute Girl," will appear in Youth Imagination magazine. Date TBD. The fantasy piece originally appeared in eFantasy. I'm also still in line for publication on a short s...

Another short story published! And this one, anyone can read. " Ticket to Heaven " is now available online at Faith Hope and Fiction . I wrote this piece in 2005, a year or so out of college. It sat in my computer files getting digitally dusty, but I've always had a difficult time figuring out what I should do with it. The story is about a college-aged drug addict in-denial who encounters an old man handing out tickets to heaven. After she accepts the ticket, a miracle happens and leads her on a path to redemption. The story includes, among other things, drug use, a Bible-quoting drug dealer, and the Gospel message. Why has it been so difficult for me to find a place to submit the story? It's not because of the drug use or real-world scenarios, but because most of the magazines accepting spiritual/inspirational/Christian themes want non-fiction. I've had a really hard time finding places that accept Christian fiction. The word count was a litt...

 Welcome to the Future anthology Includes my short story, "In Line at the DMYV" Amazon Kindle Edition (ebook) Paperback (link pending) Story Description: Katelin has to decide whether or not to kill someone during her mandatory visit to the DMYV. Either way, she might not make it out alive. I'm thrilled to have this science fiction piece published. The paperback is coming soon. Stay tuned.

Kindle Edition Released today $2.99 in the Kindle Store A novella about siblings, special needs, sacrifice, unfortunate circumstances, and faith in things unseen. Bradley Hunter lost his job, his rent's due, and he's up to here in gambling debt. His sister, Marie, shows up at the worst time, before he has a chance to call Paulina, the lady from her adult special needs program, and stop her from bringing Marie to New York. Now he has to tell her in person that he can't become Marie's legal guardian after all. Paulina, a "guide" at TACA (Topeka Action Center for Adults), loves her job as a helper for those with special needs. She cannot accept that Bradley would back out on his sister when she needs him most. With little time left, she'll do whatever it takes to convince Bradley to sign the guardianship papers. This novella was inspired by my sister, Aunie, who has a lot in common with Marie, the special needs character in the story....

Little Angel Helper a novella Release Date: Sat urday, Dec 20, 2014 In July, I wrote a live story on this blog called "Little Angel Helper." For seventeen days in a row, I made daily entries. The hosts of the Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine provided a prompt for anyone who wanted to join them in a live story blogging event. This was the first time I'd ever written a live story, and I ended up with a novella. Currently, the story is still available to read. Click HERE to start from the beginning and click Newer Post to read the next segment. After publication, the live story will be removed from my blog. If you'd like to read the story for free, now is your chance! On Dec 20th, I'll publish the story in the Kindle Store and possibly elsewhere. Stay tuned for more info.

"The Darkness Below" appears in The Colored Lens #13 Autumn 2014 issue. The speculative fiction magazine is $2.99 in the Kindle Store. Prime members and Kindle Unlimited subscribers read for free.  It's like a dream come true. Almost in the literal sense. This sci-fi story was based on a vivid dream I had fifteen years ago. The journey to publication was a long one, but worth the wait. About the story: Captain Erin Waite and her team descend into the depths of a cave in search of an alien, but what they discover is beyond anything they could've imagined. This is my first paid publication. See my name down there? On the cover? Right side? That's me! It's official. Also visit the magazine's website http://thecoloredlens.com . I've decided to give the concise version for this story's publication journey. For full details, click HERE and you'll be directed to the complete explanation. "The Darkness Below" is about 9...

"Ligeia," a science fiction short story, appeared on the Journey Into... podcast today. Click the image above or click  H ERE  to listen (it's free). Or see my handy dandy instructions below for listening on iTunes. Subscribe to the podcast while you're there (also free) if you love stories of mystery, fantasy, science, old time radio, adventure, horror, and the unknown. I really liked the brief description of my story on the website: Kraykor is driven to the edge of space, and the only way to escape death is by entering into Ligeia. The host of the show, Marshal Latham, ran a contest last year called the Edgar Allan Poe Writing Contest. My story was selected as one of the winners. The story had to be titled after any EAP work (short story or poem). Otherwise, the only requirement was a Poe "vibe." I'm thrilled with the final product. Marshal even asked me to read lines and included my reading in the story. I'm the voice of Mirka, the wi...

Last week during Life Group (read Bible Study), we were in 1 Peter talking about pride and humbling oneself. I had a post earlier this year about humility. The Lord continues to reaffirm that message to me: humble yourself, because the alternative is to be humbled (read humiliated). In our group, we talked about athletes who made a touchdown, a basket, or a home run and immediately lifted a finger to heaven or audibly praised God. That takes humility. It's saying, I made the touchdown, but God made me. He's the reason I'm blessed. Not everybody likes to see that, adding to the humbling experience beyond simply redirecting praise. In writing, there's not a standard "score" to keep. Each individual has different goals and measures their successes differently. When I'm humbled, I measure each forward step as a success, and I credit Christ first. But I'm not always humbled. It's something I still have to work on every day. I have two upcoming p...

One of my first short stories, "The Mute Girl," was published in eFantasy March 2013 issue. This is my first e-mag short story publication. About four years ago, I wrote the story and decided that I wanted to have it published. I'd been working on my novel, Livinity , epic fantasy, for quite a while. Publishing a fantasy short story seemed like a good idea to get my name out there. I had no idea it would take this long, and even now I praise God that it wasn't published any sooner. Since that time, I've learned a lot in the submission process. Perseverance. Thankfulness to Jesus even in the disappointment of repeated rejection. I lost count of how many the piece received. I learned not to take rejection to heart. If I received feedback, I tried it out. Maybe not following exact recommendations, but I played around with whatever issues the person had with the story. The last piece of valuable advice I received was an editor disappointed in the ending. T...

My writing weekend was a great success. Saturday, I dedicated to Livinity edits. Sunday, to completing the first draft of Lance & Ringo Tails: O Brother, What Art Thou?  I also outlined the next story and began writing that first draft. Then I returned to Livinity edits, which continued into Monday. I probably got through about eight chapters instead of ten, but that's okay. I still feel great about how far the story has come. The hard part was stopping at 11:30pm on Monday night to get enough sleep for work in the morning. I did allow myself one break to watch Downton Abbey with my best friend, but other than that, all writing. Not only did I meet the majority of my goals, I received an email acceptance on a short story reprint. Thank you, Lord! It uplifted and encouraged me so much. FICTION on the WEB accepted "This Is Hollywood" for online publication. The short story reprint will appear on their website Jan 27, 2013, and it's free to read. ht...

I'm happy to announce that my short story, "The Wheels Must Turn," made it into this year's FWA Collection #4- My Wheels . Praise the Lord! This is the third year in a row that I've gotten a story into the colletion and I'm still excited about it. Publication doesn't really get old. The sci-fi story is about a young narrator coming to grips with the death of her father. On to other topics that have been on my mind. For some reason, I can't seem to write about my writing more than once a month. I'm not sure if it matters or not. I write on my running blog, The Anti-Running Runner , more. I write on my fiction novels and short stories WAY more. Which is probably the reason why. I listen to podcasts a lot (another reason why?), and I was introduced to The Roundtable Podcast from the guys over at The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine . If you are a writer, published or not, I highly recommend adding Roundtable to your iTunes subscriptions (it...

If I do nothing, the most predictable thing will happen. Nothing. I can write in my journals, at my computer, create stories and novels all day long. But only when I send them out into the world will anything happen with them. Otherwise, they are just for me. It makes me happy to write, and maybe that is enough. I don't have to have validation through other people to be satisfied about my writing. However, my goal has always been to write books that other people can read. I've got a start. I have two short stories published in FWA collections. I have my first paid short story publication coming out in March 2013. I have two completed novels, and lots of completed short stories. I realize that I have been letting the rejections come in without sending the stories back out as quickly. It's hitting me how behind I am in the submitting process. I believe it takes hard work to be a published writer. Technically, I am a published wr...

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return..." Luke 12: 35-36 So much about the publication process (rather, attempting to get into the publication process) is about waiting. Even while waiting, I want to be persistent. If I simply wait for answers from the agent on my novel (or a literary magazine on a short story) before moving forward with either the same story (sequel, for example) or other stories, I could make myself go crazy. Why haven't they replied to my email? Did they even get the manuscript? How long should I wait before querying to make sure they haven't forgotten me or misplaced my email? Instead of focusing on those thoughts, and they can plague me at times, I am working on other stories. Yes, I work full time and have animals at home to take care of and books to read and plenty of other things to keep me distracted. But writing other pieces and submitting ...

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 It seems like everyone has been in a hurry for the past few decades, and I don’t think we’re slowing down. At least not as a society. Yet slowing down is exactly what I need sometimes. It’s surprisingly difficult for me. I have so much to do, like most people. There is ALWAYS writing to do. There will never be a moment while I live that writing will not need to be done. Not because someone is breathing down my neck with a deadline, but because I have so many unfinished stories I’m dying to work on. The verse above lets us know that God takes his time. He is a just God and will one day return (though not on Mr. Camping’s schedule). For those who long for it, he may seem slow. But this is for our sake, the sake of all his created, because he is merciful. For now, he allows the sun to rise eve...

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, NAS) YES. That blessed word. After three rejections, I finally got to hear it. Reading the FWA email (“Your piece has been selected”) caused the yes to resound in my mind with the accompaniment of bells ringing and trumpets bleating. I had to leap from my seat to let out the yes, raise my hands in victory with the family members present, and we celebrated my first short story publication. As for the three rejections, I mentioned the poetry one in the last entry. Then my fantasy short story came back with a note: “This piece didn’t grab my attention.” Thanks to some friendly advice (Hea!), I’m reworking that piece and will try submitting again. Lastly, a flash fiction piece I entered in a contest did not win. The yes email came from the Florida Writers Association (FWA). I am an active member, and only members could submit to their latest publication. Last year, they put out a collection of sixty short sto...

In the midst of writing my novels, I am also entering short story contests and submitting short stories and poems to literary magazines. The more I PUSH, my chances will inevitably increase for publication! As of yet, I am unpublished in any writing category, and when submitting a query for my novel, I would like to be able to mention writing credits. Something else to strive for. Someone told me a story I want to share. A man asked God to make him strong so he could be a great warrior. God told him to PUSH a giant boulder that was blocking the entrance to a cave with a source of food and water. The nearby village was in need of food and water, so the man believed God would give him the strength to move the boulder. Every day, the man asked God to give him the strength, and every day he pushed and pushed, but the boulder didn’t budge. The man felt foolish, but he still believed that if he kept trying, God would grant his heart’s desire. After one year, the man decided he had en...