Writing for the Love

A Fresh Start While I firmly believe that every morning is the opportunity for a fresh start, that sentiment is especially strong at the beginning of a new year. And I do realize the month of January has already come and gone. It's already February! One of the things I love about February is that it's my birthday month. This year for my birthday, I requested a writers retreat as my present. I signed up for the Realm Makers Winter Retreat here in Florida. I can't wait. What Does 2020 Have in Store? Things like writing retreats aren't necessarily easy to plan with a 2 year old, a husband, two pets, etc. But that's one of the reasons I came up with a list of 20 things that I'd like to focus on, accomplish, or even dream about in 2020. Most importantly, this list is limited to what I can control, not things that are out of my control. You said... It was so wonderful to hear from two of my dearest friends who responded to my email newsletter (which ...

The Masters Reimagined Print Edition Buy Now Speculative Twists on the Classics In The Masters Reimagined , ten authors unite to bring something new to the classic stories of literature we all know so well. Masters like James Joyce, Rudyard Kipling, Lewis Carroll, Herman Melville, Leo Tolstoy, and Shakespeare inspired the authors of the Alvarium Experiment in their quest to reinterpret, reinvent, and reshape the stories and characters through speculative twists and turns. This is the third project by the Alvarium Experiment, a consortium of accomplished and award-winning authors. The stories and authors are: “ The Count of the Alician Apocalypse ” by Bria Burton. On a visit to Stonehenge, a handsome stranger offers Alice an escape from the man who has been following her by way of a magical portal in one of the monoliths. Visit Bria at www.briaburton.com. “ The Lottery ” by Kristin Durfee. As Earth is dying, Eve Line may have found a way to leave the...

The Masters Reimagined Virtual Launch Party RSVP on Facebook Saturday, July 15th from 4-9PM (EST) Virtual Party from the comfort of home Meet the authors and win free giveaways! The Masters Reimagined Speculative Twists on the Classics Available 7/15/17 Ten short stories will be published individually for a unique short fiction experience. The third Alvarium Experiment project is a reimagining of classic literature with speculative fiction twists and turns. The Count of the Alician Apocalypse A Short Story in The Masters Reimagined On a visit to Stonehenge, a handsome stranger offers Alice an escape from the man who has been following her by way of a magical portal in one of the monoliths. My story was inspired by Alice in Wonderland and The Count of Monte Cristo . How Do I Read the Story? My story, "The Count of the Alician Apocalypse," will be available for only $0.99 on Saturday, July 15th (only 5 days away!!). On 7/15/17, there wi...

WHAT IF OUR FIRST EXTRATERRESTRIAL ENCOUNTER WAS WITH HUMANS RETURNING TO EARTH? Experience first contact…with us. The Alvarium Experiment is proud to present award-winning and accomplished authors in  Return to Earth , now in print as a single anthology available on Amazon. Explore all ten unique short stories that blend science fiction with fantasy, suspense, mystery, romance, and history. RETURN TO EARTH ANTHOLOGY BUY NOW ON AMAZON About "AOB," a Return to Earth short story by Bria Burton In "AOB," Aona, an Alien-Operated Bot (AOB), suffers a malfunction that could jeopardize her mission on Earth and could lead to the extinction of an entire species from another planet. About Return to Earth Return to Earth  is the second project of the Alvarium Experiment, a consortium of accomplished and award-winning authors. The stories do not need to be read in any particular order; each story is an entry point into the overall story.  Ret...

A New Alvarium Experiment Project Today, the Alvarium Experiment launched its second project called  Return to Earth . Ten accomplished and award-winning authors weave tales based on this premise: What if extraterrestrials came to Earth and they were human? Each story is $0.99 each in the Kindle Store. Stories can be read in any order. AOB by Bria Burton Aona, an Alien-Operated Bot (AOB), suffers a malfunction that could jeopardize her mission on Earth and could lead to the extinction of an entire species from another planet. Q&A Q - What is Return to Earth?   A - In Return to Earth, ten authors unite to interpret how humankind would react to the arrival of extraterrestrials who happen to be human. The stories range in setting from recent history to far future. This is the second project by the Alvarium Experiment, a consortium of accomplished and award-winning authors.   Q - Where should a reader start when selecting a short stor...

"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...