Heard SHALLA yet?

Coming Soon!

Das Erdbeeressen (Eating Strawberries)

a short story in German with its English translation

by Shalla DeGuzman

***

SHALLA Magazine

spring 2009

The Sea by Christian Ward

Moth by Christian Ward

Shadows by C.P.Stewart

Writing Butterflies on the Wall by Zachary Kluckman

A small bird has flown into my chest by Linda Albert

In Passing by James Keane

PICKING UP OLD VIETNAMESE WOMAN FROM DIALYSIS
by David Allen Bright

in Perspective by Nabina Das
Departure by Anthony Kendrick

responsorium by Christopher Mulrooney
Who were nominated for the 2009 Pushcart Prize?

TOMATO
by Linda Leedy Schneider

THE REQUIRED ACCOMPANYING COVER LETTER
by Richard Fein


Congratulations!

Your submissions are the best literary work we received in 2008.

(Remember, only 'literary' work are eligible for the Pushcart)
Good luck to our 2009 submissions!

SHALLA on Internet Archive

"I Am Sri Lanka" a poem by Byron D. Howell

Read by Shalla DeGuzman

*for more

http://www.archive.org/details/IAmSriLankaByByronD.Howell

Key Lime Pie a poem by Kenneth Pobo - Written by Kenneth Pobo; Read by Shalla DeGuzman for SHALLA Magazine

A Misty Day's TOP PICKS Good. Nice line breaks, topical, emotional, good visuals. --Misty Day

*for more

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Shalla%20DeGuzman%22

Shalla on Getting your Positive Attitude back

Hi Writers! Shalla here, back from Deutschland (Germany) studying German... and what better way to learn the language than to read books in German. Specifically novels. More specifically, romance novels. So, I'm checking out Romantic Times. Did you know they're now on Facebook?

At the moment, I'm reading Harry Potter und der Halbblutprinz (and the Half Blood Prince) and one from Nora Roberts (of course!) called Rebeccas Traum (Rebecca's Dream or Impulse). I'm sure both are going to be fun reads :)

RT Book Reviews is on Facebook

RT's Summer Reading Challenge! (win a book bundle)
As the executive editor of RT I read a lot of books in a lot of genres. Some I love. Some I hate. Every once in a while though, I find a book and I wonder why more people haven't read it. So I've decided to issue a summer reading challenge...

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=121515187960&ref=mf

What did I learn in Germany? That learning languages is soooo fun! Now, I've only been studying German at home, full time for 3 months (since late April) but I've been very gung-ho about it--just as I am when I decide to do something--go all the way, I'd say. So, when the language school in Germany placed me, I wasn't in a Beginner's class, I actually ended up with two other students, both with years of training in speaking German. One, from Spain, has been taking German at a university for 4 years, something like that, and he's been at the language school a couple of years ago where he took the beginner's class for one month. My other classmate has been living in Germany for 4 years, he's married to a German and already speaks German and only needed help with writing and some Grammar stuff. So, okay, there I was doing my best to keep up. I studied for at least 5 hours per day, in all hours of the night. I had my index cards, I'm meditating, using aromatherapy (lavender) to sleep--just like college days. Oh, it was sooo fun!

To make a long story short, I survived, got a 90+ on the test, got a feel for the energy of Bavaria, etc. etc. etc.

Can I speak German now? Ja, natürlich! But give me a few more months before I'm a prolific talker. Unless--I also went to France (Paris), you see, and I have several books in French I'd like to read, and okay some Spanish books too... What was really fun about going to that language school, I met so many people who spoke several languages (4 or more wasn't out of the ordinary) that when I told them I'm studying German, French and Spanish for complete fluency, it's not a big deal. It's like, how have I survived this long knowing only 2?

Recently been rejected by a Literary Agent? An Editor?

Ever tried hypnosis to feel better and change your attitude about it?



Get your Positive Attitude back:

http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/downloads/personal_development/positive-attitude.html



Here's one to help with writing:



Overcome Writers Block Unlock The Creative Unconscious Self Hypnosis

by Erick Brown

http://www.amazon.com/Overcome-Writers-Creative-Unconscious-Hypnosis/dp/B001KW8X4C/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249060517&sr=301-1

We Love You Michael!

To the Genius, the Icon, the King of Pop...

I just have to take some time to honor Michael Jackson.

Yesterday, as soon as I heard that Michael Jackson was taken to the hospital, I immediately lit a candle for him.
I thought he'd be fine, I thought it was a heart attack--people have recovered from those... Then, I learned that it was cardiac arrest... okay, isn't that a heart attack? No, that means his heart has stopped.
I was glued to the TV, praying, sending him loving thoughts...

Michael Jackson...


1983, Philippines. I've heard his song being played on the radio over and over, I think it was Beat It... Michael Jackson, the singer's name is Michael Jackson, everyone loved his songs, everyone knew his name. Music Videos were so new... VH1 on TV was playing every afternoon and that one day, I stumbled upon it for the first time. That's when I saw him for the first time, Michael Jackson, the singer from America and he did not have white skin. As a little Filipino girl, it shook me to learn this... I didn't even know there was such a thing... it was so new to me.


Michael Jackson, he transcended color barriers, cultural barriers... what can I say, the man is legendary, the ultimate artist, the greatest entertainer of all time, the... I woke up this morning, turned on the TV, hoping it was all a bad dream, a publicity stunt, please... When I learned how to sing last year, the first song I worked on learning was Michael Jackson's Ben. When I set my goals, I shot for the stars, the best of the best--to be able to sing like Michael... I can't believe it... I can't believe it...

I love you Michael, you're always with us through your music... your magic lives on...

Five of Jackson's solo albums – "Off the Wall," "Thriller," "Bad," "Dangerous" and "HIStory," all with Epic Records, a Sony Music label – are among the top-sellers of all time. During his extraordinary career, he sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 No.1 singles and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and "Thriller" as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award.

*read more

SHALLA: Happy 4th of July

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!

Hello writers, Shalla here :)

I'm still in Germany in my German immersion course, having a wonderful time.

I hope you're having a great summer!

Writing Contests

Memoir (and)’s 6th Contest Prize: $500.00. Entry fee: $0.00. Deadline: 08-15-2009.

WRITING CONTEST WEBSITE

Heart Poetry Award Prize: $500.00. Entry fee: $10.00. Deadline: 06-30-2009.

WRITING CONTEST WEBSITE

Submit insightful, immersing, pictorial moments, unpublished modern free verse or prose poem. Awards $500 prize. $10 covers 3 poems, reserves your copy of Fall/Winter 2009 issue. Winner & Honorable Mentions published Fall/Winter 2009 issue of HEART.

2010 Bellevue Literary Review Prizes in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry Prize: $1,000.00. Entry fee: $15.00. Deadline: 08-01-2009.WRITING CONTEST WEBSITE

BLR Prize awards outstanding writing related to themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body. First prize is $1000 (in each genre) and publication in the Spring 2010 issue of the BLR. Prose limited to 5000 words. Up to 3 poems (maximum 5 pages). Submissions that exceed these limits will be disqualified. Deadline August 1, 2009. Winners will be announced by December 31, 2009.

*read more

SHALLA: A Summer Note

Hello Writers!

Have you read...

How to Get Your Novel Published Now
By Shalla DeGuzman, eHow Member

*read more

http://www.ehow.com/how_4822163_novel-published-now.html

And do you remember Alex Cristo?

Yeah, Mr. Austria.

We interviewed him for SHALLA Magazine...

SHALLA MINGLES with Mr. Fitness, Alex Cristo
“Writers: Get Fit!”
by Shalla DeGuzman

Well, UPDATE, here are some of the latest pictures of Alex...

*read more

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=3754163

Plus, Alex Cristo sent a note:

PS: when you need a model for the cover for your books, don't forget me!!!!

Hey Alex, of course not, you're the best! You'll steam up any Harlequin cover, anytime!

Which leads me to my little summer note...

SHALLA's

A SUMMER NOTE

I finally finished my first novel... yes, I could have finished it a lot sooner. Instead, I used it to figure out how to write a novel, how to slow down a scene, how to speed it up, etc. It also helped me figure out what I like to write. I vacillated from writing something cutesy and sweet like a Chick Lit, to something literary with a lot more drama... oy! In the end, I figured out, I don't really like Drama. I don't feel like feeling sad... maybe it's only temporary... but the next novel I'm writing will probably be romance... We'll see.

For now, I need a break from writing. I've read too many books, wrote too many pages too fast, too much editing and revising, I need a break. Not to mention, our beloved, cute, beautiful doggie, Pancho, just passed from the big C a few days ago. Remember Pancho, our lab-akita mix with a beautiful smile who wore a Santa costume last Christmas? It was so fast, it happened all too fast, too soon, too fast... So, I have to get away, get my mind off.

That's why I'm saying good bye to you, just for a little while...

Pancho, come back soon!

we love you!

Alex, if you're reading this--I'm going to Germany to learn to speak German fluently once and for all!

So, Auf Wiedersehen, just for a little while and Hallo Deutschland!

Have a wonderful summer everybody!

I love you all!!!

Shalla

***

From eHarlequin, check out the latest Top 10 More Raining Men list:

1. Billionaire Extraordinaire by Leanne Banks

2. The Man Most Likely by Cindi Myers

3. Billionaire Doctor, Ordinary Nurse by Carol Marinelli

4. Kissing the Man Next Door by Devon Vaughn Archer

5. Captive of the Beast by Lisa Renee Jones

6. Night Rescuer by Cindy Dees

7. Her Cattleman Boss by Barbara Hannay

8. Italian Tycoon, Secret Son by Lucy Gordon

9. The Sicilian Boss's Mistress by Penny Jordan

10. Desert Ice Daddy by Dana Marton

Still looking for the perfect guy?

Check out eHarlequin's It's Raining Men sale before it's over and get $10 worth of FREE books! Shop now.

SHALLA: SHALLA Magazine Screenwriting Contest

Nice to see you again!

Have you read our spring 2009 issue of SHALLA Magazine yet?

Come meet the very talented writers and poets we've discovered...

The Sea by Christian Ward

Moth by Christian Ward

Shadows by C.P.Stewart

Writing Butterflies on the Wall by Zachary Kluckman

A small bird has flown into my chest by Linda Albert

In Passing by James Keane

PICKING UP OLD VIETNAMESE WOMAN FROM DIALYSIS
by David Allen Bright

in Perspective by Nabina Das
Departure by Anthony Kendrick

responsorium by Christopher Mulrooney

***

The 2009 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards

Now in its sixth anniversary year, the stakes are higher than ever. This year over $50,000 in Cash and Prizes to winning screenwriters are presented– including a $25,000 Grand Prize – as well as Gold, Silver and Bronze Prizes in ten different genre categories.

Do you want to get your script into the hands of Hollywood professionals who can truly help advance your career?

FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE:
Friday, May 15th
Submit your script today!

The Categories
The Prizes
The Rules
Judging Procedure
How To Enter
FAQ’s

$$$

Jokes about Writing

A visitor to a certain college paused to admire the new Hemingway Hall that had been built on campus.

"It's a pleasure to see a building named for Ernest Hemingway," he said.

"Actually," said his guide, "it's named for Joshua Hemingway. "No relation."

"The visitor was astonished. "Was Joshua Hemingway a writer, also?"

"Yes, indeed," said his guide. "He wrote a check."


*read more

Have you joined us on Myspace yet?

Know about--

“The Current State and Future of the Publishing Business”

SHALLA CHATS with NY Times Bestselling author, Bob Mayer

*read more

Please visit us at:

http://www.shalladeguzman.com/

http://www.shalladeguzman.com/books/smartauthorstoolkit/contents.php

SHALLA: WRITER’S BLOCK IS ONLY IN THE MIND—DUH! by Harry W Carpenter, author of The Genie Within

Hi writers,

Need help for your writer's block? Ever tried positive thinking? Meditation? Hypnosis?

Well, here's a book that combines practical ways to manifest your heart's desires--such as getting over writer's block. Get that novel finished. Make your book successful--all using the power of your mind.

A Let's Shalla Blog EXCLUSIVE

The author of the book, The Genie Within: Your Subconscious Mind—How It Works and How to Use It, Harry W Carpenter has written an article exclusively for all our SHALLA Blogs to help you overcome writer's block.

A Note from Shalla:

A way to get to your alpha or theta state is to relax your mind using meditation. Several free meditations you can listen to (I always use these) can be found at: http://www.shalladeguzman.com/getmuse.php

And try one, Shalla, has written herself called, Requesting Extra Energy to Write.

Read the meditation for Requesting Extra Energy to Write.
Read it, making sure to imagine what it says and feel the words.

***

WRITER’S BLOCK IS ONLY IN THE MIND—DUH!

by Harry W Carpenter

“Wow! That’s impressive,” I said to my wife. We were at the annual fair in Del Mar, California watching a stage hypnotist. He had eighteen volunteers on stage and was making them do things they would not normally want to, nor could do. One of the volunteers was a young man named Bill. The hypnotist suggested that Bill had just returned from a trip to the planet Xenon. Would he tell the audience about his trip? Without hesitation, Bill started to describe his trip and the Xenonians that he met. He told the story as if he had actually been there. The hypnotist had to stop him or he would have gone on all night.

Most of us would find it hard to stand in front of 500 people and make up a story about something we knew nothing about. And, moreover, tell this made-up story as if we experienced it, when we knew it was fantasy. I don’t know Bill, but I would bet my house he could not have made up that story spontaneously and told it so vividly and fluidly if he was not hypnotized.

When you sit down at your desk or kitchen table to write, do you start writing immediately? Do you create a story or a scene and write it down in detail without hesitating and agonizing? If you do, then you never have “writer’s block.” Lucky you! But if you have occasions when nothing comes to mind and you can’t get started on the story, then you’ve had writer’s block.

Is there much difference between Bill’s experience and when you have writer’s block? The difference is huge. When you have writer’s block, you are limiting yourself by only using your conscious mind, and at that, only a tiny portion of it. Bill, on the other hand, used over 90 percent of his mind. He used his subconscious mind—his fertile, imaginative, creative mind.

Your conscious mind is critical, judgmental, and carping. That’s the part of you that interrupts your writing and says, “This stinks,” “I can’t write about that,” “I just can’t think of a thing to write today,” on and on.

Your mind also inhibits you with false beliefs. In your early, formative years, you were told thousands of times things like, “No, you can’t do that,” “No, don’t do that,” “No, that’s too hard,” “No, no ,no, don’t you ever learn?” These responses are suggestions (just as if they came from a hypnotist) that go into your subconscious mind. Thus, you are hypnotized to believe you are limited and, worse, you are unconscious of these negative beliefs.

The epitome of a false belief is the story of Roger Banister. Runners, coaches, and trainers were hypnotized to believe running a mile under 4 minutes was not humanly possible. Race times asymptotically approached 4 minutes but no runner could break through this mental barrier. Not until Roger, who “knew” he could do it, did it. Within months other runners broke the barrier. Those runners could not break 4 minutes until someone showed them that their belief in limitation was false.

When your writing is blocked, do you “try” harder? Do you find that the harder you try, the more blocked you become? Trying harder is fighting against an absolute law of the mind. You can’t win.

So, how do you beat writer’s block? Instead of writing with your conscious mind, open up and tap into your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is the part of you that is imaginative and creative.

How do you tap into your subconscious mind? This may sound too easy, but it works. Just relax and talk to yourself. Affirm that you have the ability to write and that the story or poem is already written. Too simple? That’s Mother Nature’s way: the best way, is almost always the simplest way.

When relaxed, you slip into an altered state of mind. That’s the key to being creative—going into the alpha or, much better, the theta state. Dali, the abstract painter of weird landscapes, used to go into theta before starting a new canvas. That is how he got his visions of melting time and distorted figures, concepts foreign to the logical, linear-thinking conscious mind. It is simple to learn to go into these states. And it is invaluable if you want to be creative and write from the heart.

If you want more detail and more powerful methods of using your subconscious mind, get a copy of a book that many readers say is the best book written on the subject (Some of these reviews are posted on www.Amazon.com , and www.thegeniewithin.net) The book is, The Genie Within: Your Subconscious Mind—How It Works and How to Use It, by Harry W Carpenter. Oh! That’s me. How shameless to brag about my book. I couldn’t help it. It came from my subconscious.

Transcript of our Q&A with Writer/Producer and Script Analyst Peter Myers

Like to read the Transcript of our

Q&A with Writer/Producer and Script Analyst Peter Myers?

Get his expertise for FREE or here's a list of his services:

Dear Writers,

It's been a pleasure to answer your question in this Q and A.

Let me know if you need any further help in the area of scripts.

You can always contact me at peterdavidmyers@gmail.com.

My services are:

Analysis---2-3 page synopses $75.00

---10-20 page treatments $150.00

---full scripts $250.00

Consulting is $50.00/hour charged against a retainer fee.

subjects for consulting: How do I get representation formy writing? How do I get started in screenwriting?How do I meet producers, directors and stars? etc.

Testimonials from my screenwriter clients can be viewed at:

www.storylink.com/profile/peterdavidmyers

Happy writing!

Best,

Peter Myers

*read more

You can read our FREE transcript at

http://shallabuzz.blogspot.com/2009/03/transcript-of-our-q-with-writerproducer.html

Q&A with Black Rose Writing Publisher Reagan Rothe

You’re invited!

Join Us!

Q&A with Black Rose Writing Publisher Reagan Rothe

Who is Reagan Rothe?

Reagan Rothe is a small-scale successful author and the creator of Black Rose Writing.

Black Rose Writing is an independent publishing house that doesn't guarantee endless money spent on promotion or false hopes, we work with our authors and develop a personal relationship. Owned by Reagan Rothe, a small-scale successful author, we have the experience from the author's view, knowing the trials and tribulations. We understand the rejection, frustration, and stress marketing and promoting a novel can be. We will do whatever we can within budget for our authors, as they reach success, so do we.


We are a Print-on-demand publishing house. We are currently seeking most genre fiction and either war, how-to, or biography non-fiction. Reagan Rothe is the author of Dreams and Baseball, Give Wings to My Triumph, and the Misanthropy series.

For more: http://www.blackrosewriting.com/index.html

Q&A with Black Rose Writing Publisher Reagan Rothe

Thursday, March 19, 2009 11am to 12pm pst (or 2pm-3pm est)

Registration is FREE at



The ShallaDeGuzman Writers Group



JOIN US!

Shalla DeGuzman

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShalladeGuzman

Join Us! Q&A with Writer/Producer and Script Analyst Peter Myers

You’re invited!

Join Us!

Q&A with Writer/Producer and Script Analyst

Peter Myers

Who is Peter Myers?

Producer:

In partnership with New York Film Group, Peter is producing the theatrical feature, VENGEANCE, from his own script. Principal photography: Winter 2008/2009. Director attached: Vahe Babaian, (After Freedom, winner, Audience Award, Method Fest). Budget $5 million. Distributor letter-of-interest: Artist View Entertainment. Seed money has been raised. Casting of major roles in progress.

Peter co-executive-produced "SPEAK TO THE WORLD," a pilot for an interview show for cable television. He also co-produced and co-wrote "DOUBLE CROSS," a half-hour suspense drama for cable, which was offered a worldwide distribution deal within a month of its completion.
Additionally, Peter was a founding partner and Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs of BlueSky Pictures, an Anglo-Dutch film company which, in concert with Creative Artists Agency, in Los Angeles, developed a motion picture package with Antonio Banderas attached to star, and Michael Cristofer attached to direct.

*read more

Q&A with Writer/Producer and Script Analyst Peter Myers

Wednesday, March 18, 2009
11am to 12pm pst (or 2pm-3pm est)

Registration is FREE at

The ShallaDeGuzman Writers Group

JOIN US!

Shalla DeGuzman

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShalladeGuzman

****Permission to forward is granted and requested********

Online Classes for Writers

***OKAY TO FORWARD***

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

April 3-30, 2009
"In & Out: Writing Believable Conflict"
by Sherry Lewis
www.WriterUniv.com

This workshop focuses on the art and craft of creating realistic, believable conflict for your character, both internal and external, and on weaving those conflict together in ways that are fresh, exciting, and powerful enough to catch an editor's eye. Topics include:

* Understanding how a character's core beliefs crate conflict
* How internal and external conflicts work together
* When to hang on to / let go of a character's past
* Keeping conflicts realistic
* Creating layers of conflict
* Why urgency matters in conflict
* Applying conflict to each scene you write
* Avoiding anticipated conflict

Sherry Lewis is a career writer with more than 30 published mystery, contemporary romance, and time travel romance novels to her credit. She loves sharing what she has learned since selling her first book fifteen years ago, and has given workshops all over the country. Sherry has also taught online workshops for several years.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

April 3-30, 2009
"Writing For Magazines"
by Julie Rowe
www.WriterUniv.com

Interested in writing for magazines? Learn the process of creating an article, from coming up with an idea to how to sell that idea to a magazine and write your finished piece. This class will tear apart real examples of successful queries and their subsequent published articles see what worked, and what didn't work, and why. Topics include:

* Why fiction writers should also write for magazines
* Choosing the right magazine and editor to query
* Topics, research, angles, titles and hooks
* The knock-out magazine query letter
* How to get quotes & statistics and fact check
* Writing the article; sidebars and photography
* Word count, deadlines, contracts and invoicing
* Creating a portfolio and finding your niche

Julie Rowe has been freelancing for magazines for over five years. She's an enthusiastic instructor who enjoys lively discussion and encourages questions. Her articles have appeared in numerous magazines such as Today's Parent magazine, Reader's Digest (Canada), The Canadian Writer's Journal, Writer's Digest, Canadian Living, What's Up Kids Magazine, the Romance Writer's Report and various RWA chapter newsletters.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

April 6-17, 2009
MASTER CLASS: "Do-It-Yourself Media Kits"
by Theresa Meyers
www.WriterUniv.com

Prerequisite: Published book or upcoming release date

Working on your own promotion, but not sure what you should or shouldn’t include when you send material out to the media? Look no further. Public Relations guru Theresa Meyers takes you through the ins and outs of media kits, both print and electronic, and demystifies what you need to have on hand. In this course you’ll get:

* The elements every media kit needs
* How to create them yourself
* Templates for making instant bios, press releases, and more!
* What to include and omit based on the media contact
* Fresh ideas for packaging your media kit
* Knowledge of why print and electronic media kits are different
* How to make each kind

Best known for getting her clients chosen as two out of the total seven picks for the Kelly Ripa Book Club, Theresa Meyers spent over ten years working in public relations, garnering millions of dollars in media coverage for her clients, before she launched Blue Moon Communications. A former journalist and magazine columnist, she now focuses on strategic planning for her clients, media training and author branded media campaigns. Find her online at www.bluemooncommunications.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


***OKAY TO FORWARD***

Remember Barry Eisler; For Readers

Remember Barry Eisler?

We did a SHALLA CHATS with him over at SHALLA Magazine several months ago.

Well, now he's got a new book!


Hi all,






Just wanted to let you know that Fault Line, my first standalone thriller, hits stores today.

I'll be on the road for the rest of the month promoting it, so if you find yourself in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Los Angeles (Pasadena, Thousand Oaks, LA), San Diego, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area (Palo Alto and San Mateo), Houston, Indianapolis (Carmel), Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Washington DC (Bethesda and Baileys Crossroads), or New York City, stop by and say hello!

--Barry Eisler

Insider’s Look at Publishing the Rain Series

SHALLA CHATS with NY Times Best Selling author,

BarryEisler

*read more

From Harlequin Readers


Top 10 Ultimate Betrayals


1. The Ruthless Magnate's Virgin Mistress by Lynne Graham2.
The Heiress's 2-Week Affair by Marie Ferrarella
3. Italian Prince, Wedlocked Wife by Jennie Lucas
4. Questions of Honor by Kate Welsh
5. Ruthless Tycoon, Innocent Wife by Helen Brooks
6. Suspect Lover by Stephanie Doyle7
. Betrayals by Carla Neggers
8. An Indecent Proposal by Margot Early
9. Familiar Vows by Caroline Burnes
10. The Pregnancy Secret by Maggie Cox


Looking for more tales of attraction and obsession? Check out our Ultimate Betrayals special offer and get 4 books for the price of 3!


*read more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mystery Writing: Keep Your Audience Intoxicated

by Patrick Davis

A mystery, a compelling love story, a darkened enigma, and fragments of the past are elements of secrets. Secrets are powerful. Gossip is devious. A dark secret whispered through gossiping lips unleashes its intoxicating spell that will, for the moment, seize the hearers. Gossip, as powerful as it is, buys the attention of those listening. But if you harness the intoxicating power of secrets that reside within the pages of a captivating story, you have the potential of buying yourself the attention of the vast, book-reading population.

Blending your secret in with the story's setting

If you are thinking of writing of mystery novel but are not sure how, this is what you may want to consider. Within the opening pages of your novel, introduce your readers to a captivating secret. Allow this "hidden incident" be a fragment of a love story from another era. This will quickly lure your audience to read more. Or your secret may be an old discarded tool, but later discovered that it was a murder weapon. Or perhaps, there's something recorded within the pages of a diary containing a secret about someone else. Or suppose the diary belonged to a young lady during the Victorian era who knew of a secret romance that was forbidden. Perhaps this secret romance involved someone who was dear to her. And perhaps the author of the diary had no strength to destroy her personal journal; and it was too painful for her to keep it. So she entombed it within a secret hold residing in her lavished home with hopes that no one would ever find it.

You can read the rest of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests/mysterywriting.html

Get Your Novel Published Now by Shalla DeGuzman

Get Your Novel Published Now

by Shalla DeGuzman



So, you’re editing and polishing your novel with hopes of getting it published? There are many different steps you can take to get there, here’s one way that works more times than not:

1. Edit Your Novel You can hire a Freelance Editor to check your manuscript for you but this costs $$$. Last time I checked it’s about $1-$5 per page. Or you can read books such as: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne, Dave King and edit your novel yourself. It’s a great book, recommended by many Literary Agents

2. And what has worked well for me—Listen to Good Books-on-Tape. Listen to the way the words are put together into sentences. Listen to the rhythm, the smoothness of the sentences then record yourself reading your novel. Does it also sound smooth? Does it read well? Does it have a good rhythm to it?

3. Spell Check It If you’re using Microsoft Word 2007, make sure to proof your document using Spell Check and Grammar Check. Click on the Review tab and select Spell Check and Grammar.

4. Write a Query Letter This is the one-page letter you will send to a Literary Agent or an Editor, selling your book.

5. Querying a Literary Agent If you decide your novel is best represented by a Literary Agent, check the free lists of agents at Preditors and Editors and Agent Query. Find them at: http://shalladeguzman.com/ShallaAgentList.php

6. Querying an Editor Attend writers conferences where you can meet acquisition editors looking for novels to publish. For a list of writers conferences, check http://writing.shawguides.com/

You can also go to a publishing house’s website and find out what they are looking for and what their submission guidelines are. For example: http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/daw/submissions.html
http://www.harpercollins.com/imprints/avon/SubmissionGuidelines.aspx

Good luck! To your highly successful future as a published novelist!

Find this SHALLA Article on eHow

http://www.ehow.com/how_4822163_novel-published-now.html

SHALLA: Weave Sub-Plots Into Your Novel

So, you like to write and publish a novel, huh?

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Weave Sub-Plots Into Your Novel

by Lee Masterson


How many times have you started work on a great novel only to run out of steam 50 pages into your work?

The story stalls, the idea goes flat, the characters seem to stare back at you saying “What now, boss?”

In some cases it might be that you didn’t spend enough time planning how your characters are going to get from beginning to end and that red-hot plot you were so excited about just fizzles out. In other cases it might be that the idea wasn’t big enough to fill out a novel or maybe you simply don’t have enough conflict in your story so far and want to liven things up a bit.

Weaving a second plot through your main storyline not only helps you to uncover new facets of your characters but can help raise conflict levels and create tension. You also have the opportunity to create a new depth to your original story, building layers of complexity that can force your fictional world into three dimensions.

If you create a sub-plot that has absolutely nothing to do with the main plot you’ll even force your reader to keep turning pages just to see how they gel together. Of course your reader already knows they will end up tied together in a neat little bow by the end of the book – otherwise there would be no reason for the new plot thread – but the reader will want to know how they end up intertwined and so will keep reading to find out.

Your sub-plot doesn’t need to be a romantic thread braided through the original story, although this is one of the more common sub-plot tactics used in many novels. You might decide to have your main secondary character working with your protagonist openly, but secretly harboring a desire to thwart the hero’s efforts at every turn because he has other things on his agenda. You might decide to introduce a completely new plot to your novel that has nothing to do with the first and weave these together.

No matter what you decide to add for your sub-plot or how separate they are, it’s important that something within the sub-plot contains a vital element that is necessary to complete the main plot.

For more: http://www.fictionf%20actor.com/%20articles/%20subplots.%20html



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SHALLA: Good links for writers

Writers Associations and Affiliations Get help and support.
New York Times Bestseller List (find out what's selling)
USA Today Bestseller List
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A Glossary of Literary Terms... Literary Agent Search

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Need to know what a multicultural novel is? Or what the difference between allegory and parody is?

Check out:

A Glossary of Literary Terms

Novel of manners. A novel focusing on and describing in detail the social customs and habits of a particular social group. Usually these conventions function as shaping or even stifling controls over the behavior of the characters. Examples:
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair


Parody. A satiric imitation of a work or of an author with the idea of ridiculing the author, his ideas, or work. The parodist exploits the peculiarities of an author's expression--his propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favorite words, or whatever. The parody may also be focused on, say, an improbable plot with too many convenient events. Fielding's Shamela is, in large part, a parody of Richardson's Pamela.



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SHALLA: Writing Competitions, Conference for Writers

Writing Competitions

Cabell First Novelist Award The First Novelist Award honors the best debut novel published during a calendar year. The author receives a $5000 prize, travel expenses to Richmond, and 5-star accommodations ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-15-2009.PRIZES: $5,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $.00.

Texas Institute of LettersThe Texas Institute of Letters has issued its call for entries in twelve categories for the best works published in the year 2008. This year’s awards will carry a monetary value of $21,450 ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-09-2009.PRIZES: $21,450.00.ENTRY FEE: $0.00.

2009 AWP ( Association of Writers and Writing Program)

Annual ConferenceFebruary 11-14, 2009

South Carolina Fiction ProjectThis annual writing competition, sponsored by The Post and Courier and the South Carolina Arts Commission, calls for previously unpublished short stories of 2,500 words or less ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-15-2009.PRIZES: $500.00.ENTRY FEE: $0.00.

Robert Bingham Fellowship for WritersThe winner receives a cash award of $35,000, a stipend intended to permit a significant degree of leisure in which to pursue a second work of literary fiction ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-16-2009.PRIZES: $35,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $50.00.

Joyce Osterweil Award for PoetryThe Osterweil Award recognizes the high literary character of the published work to date of a new and emerging American poet of any age and the promise of further literary achievement ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-16-2009.PRIZES: $5,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $0.00.

Helen and Laura Krout Memorial Ohioana Poetry AwardAward of $1,000 to an author whose body of work has made, and continues to make, a significant contribution to poetry ... (more) DEADLINE: 12-31-2008.PRIZES: $1,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $0.00.

Doris Betts Fiction PrizeThe Doris Betts Fiction Prize awards the first-place winner with a prize of $250. Winners and finalists will be considered for publication in the North Carolina Literary Review ... (more) DEADLINE: 02-01-2009.PRIZES: $250.00.ENTRY FEE: $20.00.

The Editors' Prize ContestThe Editors' Prize Contest is now accepting entries, with $1,000 awarded in each genre. Poets can upload four poems per entry. Fiction writers may submit one story of 10,000 words ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-07-2009.PRIZES: $1,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $16.00.

Hurston/Wright Award for College WritersThe Hurston/Richard Wright Award for College Writers has been established by novelist Marita Golden to honor excellence in fiction writing by students of African descent enrolled full time as an undergraduate or graduate student in any college or university in the United States ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-15-2009.PRIZES: $1,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $10.00.

H. E. Francis Short Story CompetitionManuscripts must be unpublished and may not exceed 5000 words in length. Multiple submissions are acceptable. Award: $1000 prize ... (more) DEADLINE: 12-31-208.PRIZES: $1,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $15.00.

Prize of $1000.00 will be awarded for a single, unpublished poem that has not won first prize in any national competition. A Regional Prize of $250.00 will be awarded ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-15-2008.PRIZES: $1,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $15.00.

Colorado Prize for PoetryEach year’s prizewinner receives a $1,500 honorarium and publication of his or her book by the Center for Literary Publishing ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-12-2009.PRIZES: $1,500.00.ENTRY FEE: $25.00.

The John Ciardi Prize for PoetryPrize: $1,000 and publication for the best book-length collections of poetry in English by a living author ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-15-2009.PRIZES: $1,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $25.00.

The G. S. Sharat Chandra Prize for Short FictionPrize: $1,000 and publication for the best book-length of short fiction in English by a living author ... (more) DEADLINE: 01-15-2009.PRIZES: $1,000.00.ENTRY FEE: $25.00.

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SHALLA: SO, YOU'RE... HUH?

SO, YOU'RE... HUH?

So, you're looking to E-Publish, huh? *read more

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