tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75742787232019271922023-11-16T02:49:33.735-08:00Wild Child Publishing Author ChatChat with the authors of Wild Child Publishing.Marci Baunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850775917897362922noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-477217201177768212010-04-04T13:53:00.000-07:002010-04-04T14:00:38.239-07:00Hook Your ReadersAdvertising copywriters insist that a good poster capture the attention of a commuter dashing to catch the 8:05 train. That’s a tough chore—almost as tough as grabbing a reader in the first 30 words of your short story.<br /><br />The grabber is the narrative hook, an intriguing opener that makes the story impossible to put down. I’ve started scrutinizing the openers from flash fiction sites that depend on a feed into your mailbox and a click-through to their site. These teasers <em>must</em> make you hit their link or they’ve failed. Check these out from Everyday Weirdness (<a href="http://everydayweirdness.com/">http://everydayweirdness.com</a>):<br /><br />• “Faith Stands Guard” by Deborah A. Blood: “Holy shit, Faith,” Todd cried, hopping awkwardly to avoid the small terrier. “Do you have to lay there?” He continued toward the kitchen, shouting over his shoulder, “I’m gonna end up stepping on your dog!”...<br />• “A Note on Spiderlings” by Brenda Stokes: Not all spiders eat their young. Take this from one who knows. I love my spiderlings. All hundreds. I ’d never dream of eating them. It’s barbaric! But sometimes, exceptions must be made....<br />• “Scuttle” by Milo J Fowler: True Story: I never thought buying a gallon of milk would prove to be fatal. He came at us like the Marshmallow Man, pasty but hairy and flushed and sweaty, gargling and huffing, staring straight through us as he staggered, both arms flailing out...<br />• “Service” by M.E. Ray: The second person that showed up was carrying a shotgun. He had two Labs with him and looked like he’d been hunting. He made eye contact from the far side of the smoking crater and we both looked down at the cooling metallic teardrop embedded below...<br /><br />Or these, from Short Story Library (<a href="http://shortstory.us.com/">http://shortstory.us.com/</a>):<br /><br /><a name="1">• “</a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ShortStoryLibrary/~3/2x2Rct3y2Ho/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">Wild Weather” by David McVey</a>: There are two ways that I could tell this story. I could start at the beginning and keep going until the story ends. That, of course, is how it happened. But it’s not how I experienced it nor how I remember it. In particular, it’s not how I remember Kathy and she, after all, is the...<br /><a name="2">• “</a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ShortStoryLibrary/~3/KV1oD8Z53cY/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">I Will Not Eat Cookies” by Amy Corbin</a>: Recently, I gave all my size 4 clothing to Goodwill. This was very hard to do. I’d been holding on to those things for 10 years. I told myself I was not giving up on being size 4. It was just that these clothes were no longer in style, and when I got down to...<br /><br />On of my favorite story feeds comes from Big Jewel (<a href="http://www.thebigjewel.com/">www.thebigjewel.com</a>) This week’s lead features “New Old Wives Tales” by Whitney Collins: "If someone dies on Good Friday, they go directly to heaven. If someone dies on Fat Tuesday, they probably had diabetes. If your nose itches, a fool is about to kiss you. If your crotch itches, blame Derek. Be sure to wait an hour after eating before dumpster diving. If you carry an acorn in your pocket, good [...]"<br /> <br />C’mon, tell me that most of these leads make you want to shut out the world and read on.<br />Our reading culture is changing because of multi-purposing distractions. The TV is going, the iPod is playing, the cell phone is dinging new messages, you’re trying to Facebook a comment on your netbook—all simultaneously—and some presumptuous writer wants your attention? <em>Get serious</em>!<br /><br />Darrin Miller states in <a href="http://www.writing.com/">www.Writing.com</a>, “Writing that all too important hook…has to be done in this business in order to make it…. People are busy, too busy to waste their time reading a bad book or short. We have to make them want to read and not stop reading until it’s over, and this has to be done at the beginning. All the greats have done it.<br /><br />“Stephen King's <em>It</em> would have been impossible to put down. ‘The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years—if it did ever end—began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain.’<br /><br />“Or H. P. Lovecraft’s, <em>Thing On the Doorstep</em>. ‘It is true that I have sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer.’<br /><br />“And Dean Koontz, who is a master of the craft and of writing that single line, which would effortlessly snag his readers. The opener from <em>Strangers</em>, ‘Domimick Corvaisis went to sleep under a light wool blanket and a crisp white sheet, sprawled alone in the bed, but he woke elsewhere—in the darkness at the back of the large foyer closet, behind concealing coats and jackets.’”<br /><br />When you feel your story is finished, go back and isolate the lead. Will it tease, intrigue, horrify, invite or cause the reader’s blood pressure to rise? Good. Now make sure the story’s last paragraph—even the last line—is just as memorable.Walt Giersbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326037798233835128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-72229982592374303542008-10-31T08:00:00.001-07:002008-10-31T08:04:46.944-07:00Meet You at FictionwiseI’m pleased that Fictionwise is now carrying <em>Cruising the Green of Second Avenue</em> in addition to Wild Child Publishing. Thanks, Faith, for keeping the ball rolling. <br /><br />Look for it at <a href="http://www.fictionwise.com/">www.fictionwise.com</a>. Simply key the title into the search engine at the top left of the site. You’ll even find an excerpt from “Frank Cassidy and the Canarsie Chick.” By the way, someone has figured out the book takes 100-141 minutes to read. Christmas is coming. Make a reader happy with a gift, and an author happy with a royalty.Walt Giersbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326037798233835128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-79650769237617317402008-10-18T11:18:00.000-07:002008-10-18T11:25:55.698-07:00The Magic of ChildhoodI left a mistaken impression on my blogsite recently that <em>Written Word Magazine</em> (<a href="http://www.writtenwordmag.com/">http://www.writtenwordmag.com/</a>) was nearing defunction. It’s very much alive, but its Web site was functioning oddly on my PC. I’d wait interminably, wanting to go out for a long walk or a short beer, until the graphics loaded. But—<em>huzzah</em>!—there in its archived June 2008 issue was “The Wishing Pool.” <br /><br />This has been one of my favorite stories, written in January of ’06. Why? My childhood days were ominous, filled with omens, portents and symbols. The child matures when the signs come together. I put together a few of these signs and secret codes in “The Wishing Pool.” I’m happy, not only for the sale, but because the youngsters in the story nibbled at my heart. Perhaps I once was “Otto,” making bets on when the first snowfall would close school and wondering when my father would come home from his business travels. <br /><br />My own childhood days in a small Oregon town were filled with tokens as powerful as having a Lone Ranger pistol ring. They were as mysterious as the X-ray machine at the shoe store where we watched our toes wiggle while the salesman sought out our Buster Browns. We believed in 1947 that the dead cat we found in the bushes had died violently. Why else would its mouth have turned into that horrible rictus? It was poisoned—and this was our nexus of fear: To touch it would be death for us too.<br /><br />We were in awe of tramps, like the one who reputedly lived in the willow grove by the Northern Pacific tracks and carried a shotgun loaded with bacon rind. Yes, bacon rind, my brother, Chuck, explained: This was so he wouldn’t actually <em>kill</em> you when you were shot for intruding. We knew tramps left secret messages on our houses, messages hidden so carefully that only other gypsy tramp initiates could tell whether this house or that one would offer a welcome.<br /><br />Every event, every glance, every crack in the sidewalk was filled with meaning. Dogma was established by my friends in second grade. “If you step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back.” And, there was World War II revisionism, “No, no, if you step on a crack you’ll break <em>Tojo’s</em> back!” And each of us guaranteed a little good luck by stamping on a Lucky Strike pack.<br /><br />Oh, and in regard to “The Wishing Pool,” sometimes kids know everything and understand very little. You know this. You were a kid once, weren’t you?Walt Giersbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326037798233835128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-46074810360435343012008-08-05T07:14:00.000-07:002008-08-05T07:16:13.265-07:00A Nice Review of Cruising<em>Coffee Time Romance</em> has just given <em>Cruising the Green of Second Avenue</em> a nice “three cups” review. They say, “The life and times of Jake is [sic] once again fodder for a fascinating look into bachelorhood in the ‘60s. New York City is at the heart of it all for Jake and his friends. Their stories prove that at some point we all need to grow up and move on. Their roaring twenties have up and gone, and now Jake is finally ready to be an adult. But did he wait too long to realize that there can be life beyond the Big Apple? The quick wit and humor are back with this second installment, and worth the read.<br /><br />Read it all at <a href="http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Cruisingthegreenofsecondavenue.html">http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Cruisingthegreenofsecondavenue.html </a>--and then buy a copy at <a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/content/view/426/125/">http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/content/view/426/125/</a>. Help support a writer who needs periodic maintenance and accolades.Walt Giersbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326037798233835128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-6159977099321611142008-07-20T20:43:00.000-07:002008-07-20T20:49:00.291-07:00Hello everyone, I'm a new member of the Wild Child Publishing family. My name is Maggi Coleman and my crime/thriller Casey's Luck is coming soon. I live in Sydney, Australia with my husband and the two cats that rule us. Looking forward to chatting and reading your great stories.Maggi Colemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906646418658221919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-44812431385740663942008-03-26T21:02:00.000-07:002008-03-26T21:09:52.023-07:00IntroductionHello everyone, I would like to introduce myself to the Wild Child Publishing family. My name is Christopher Tran and my debut novel <em>Tiffany's Twisted</em> will soon be coming out. Working with M.E. Ellis, fellow author and my editor, has taught me alot about the writing craft. Her wisdom and efficiency were invaluable. I am a 25 year old novelist, and write in the suspense/thriller genre. Thank you for the invite to your wonderful team. I appreciate all you have done for me.christran120http://www.blogger.com/profile/07564730683345896465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-12254757960061496202008-03-18T18:06:00.000-07:002008-03-18T18:09:13.949-07:00Nigh Spring and Full Worm waxing<h3 style="font-weight: bold;" class="post-title entry-title"> <span style="font-size:100%;">Two days until the Vernal Equinox (Mun Geri) and also the Full Worm Moon. The fogs are heavy and deep. 'Tis Werewolf Weather -Beware!</span></h3>Ronald Joseph Scalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17346820345815126829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-46082834104834631142008-03-02T08:26:00.000-08:002008-12-11T22:44:11.449-08:00CONTEST WINNER- BRANDY<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEKQTRdKZnOV9LnLBM0bukvse2kAFsdOyWc0TZouKx5u37Nw9LEpePkzo25BbiGoJKpp0J9l7bqOaKc12ge3hgIsPXQnRm65x5rDP_2bExU2zlDCnk9QTMaeP43NOcAdAdaKBQ57SBncr/s1600-h/ronaldscala_beckoned.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEKQTRdKZnOV9LnLBM0bukvse2kAFsdOyWc0TZouKx5u37Nw9LEpePkzo25BbiGoJKpp0J9l7bqOaKc12ge3hgIsPXQnRm65x5rDP_2bExU2zlDCnk9QTMaeP43NOcAdAdaKBQ57SBncr/s200/ronaldscala_beckoned.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173181937067161522" border="0" /></a><br /> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <span style=";font-family:";font-size:85%;" >Brandy (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=9120981) has solved the contest question for a free download of "Beckoned". Congrats, Brandy- well done.<br />The answer is: The symbol appears on the cover of Santana Abraxas on the left hand of the Red Demon.<br />I'm hoping Brandy will enjoy the novel and maybe write a review.<br />Stay well, all<br /><br />Ron Scala<br />(between Moons)</span>Ronald Joseph Scalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17346820345815126829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-80951997865865285462008-02-29T20:12:00.001-08:002008-12-11T22:44:11.724-08:00CONTEST for BECKONED<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGKynQ2J5zM5fYCyGl4ZjJSaeqUw-obUHfV9jmhCYHzxuuFqjJSlj0QFgrRMMQEoPrBlNuwM23EbTmMquEWmQU4cAatEaTv8kKa5Ue9gVi7J-LrMi3VbLC9jiW1hY97klXDIx3uO0saJ8/s1600-h/Symbol-1.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGKynQ2J5zM5fYCyGl4ZjJSaeqUw-obUHfV9jmhCYHzxuuFqjJSlj0QFgrRMMQEoPrBlNuwM23EbTmMquEWmQU4cAatEaTv8kKa5Ue9gVi7J-LrMi3VbLC9jiW1hY97klXDIx3uO0saJ8/s200/Symbol-1.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172621499669608338" border="0" /></a><br /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">The Contest for a free download of “Beckoned” has not been won after a month. I am willing to give the following additional clues. With a little sleuthing, this should now be easy.<span style=""> </span>I think you will find it worth the effort. Beckoned is a horror novel with both a touch of romance and some deep historical elements. I think you will enjoy it.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">When you have the answer, please email me at <a href="mailto:ronaldscala@gmail.com">ronaldscala@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><span style=""> </span>BUT NOT UNTIL FEBRUARY 29<span style=""> </span>-Ron<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);font-size:130%;" >Question: Where did I get the symbol that appears on the cover of “Beckoned”?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);font-size:130%;" >Clues</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;">:</span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Check <a href="http://ronaldscala.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">http://ronaldscala.blogspot.com/</span></a> for a better view of both the original image and the book cover<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Released @September 1970 (not 1969 or 1971)<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">LP album <o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Left hand (you may need a spy glass)</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="http://www.oldielyrics.com/s.html">http://www.oldielyrics.com/s.html</a></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ron Scala</p>Ronald Joseph Scalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17346820345815126829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-60705437860372597502008-02-26T10:25:00.000-08:002008-02-26T10:26:09.839-08:00<p align="center"><img src="http://www.geocities.com/bicknellbrown@sbcglobal.net/wcptoplogo.jpg" /></p>WCP (www.wildchildpublishing.com) is now open to poetry collections! Do you write poetry? Are you into free verse, iambic pentameter, glosas, or just have a true talent for penning vivid imagery in the form of poetry?
<br />
<br />Submit 3 to 5 poems in the BODY of an email. Tell me a little about yourself and any prior publications you may have. Also, tell me what the basic theme is for your collection. Is it love poems? A mix of things? Poetry about life? The seasons?
<br />
<br />If I like what I read, I will request the full collection.
<br />
<br />Note: no ISBNs will be given for poetry. Collections will be in e-book format only.
<br />
<br />This is great exposure for poets. WCP is growing fast and many big names watch our titles.
<br />
<br />Send submissions and/or questions to editorfaith @ sbcglobal.net (close the spaces)
<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/">www.wildchildpublishing.com
<br /><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-62197427827968098712008-02-20T14:21:00.001-08:002008-02-20T18:08:47.005-08:00Full Snow Moon plus<p class="MsoNormal">Hi,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">February 20:<span style=""> </span>Tonight is Full Snow Moon AND a lunar eclipse. Don’t miss it. Be careful of the werewolves though. I’m OK. Yukon is half wolf so they leave me alone.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">ron</p>Ronald Joseph Scalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17346820345815126829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-74173373708639222742008-02-18T18:00:00.000-08:002008-02-18T18:06:37.145-08:00New HereHi Everyone,<br /><br />Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Stan Grimes. I recently had my sci-fi novel, "The Sound" published by WCP. I am happy to be a member of Wild Child Publishing authors' group. I think I have a great deal to learn about writing and publishing, etc. So, I will listen and watch the new posts and hopefully learn something from such a great group of writers. I have read some of your works and must say I am impressed with such great talent.<br /><br />Here's to you all (I just finished a Budweiser on your behalf).<br /><br />Stanstanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107678390047753832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-49942615609700963172008-02-08T19:49:00.000-08:002008-02-09T09:56:59.970-08:00New Clues for contest "Beckoned"<p class="MsoNormal">Hi,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I haven’t received a real good response from the contest for free download of “Beckoned” so I wanted to give a few more clues. It probably is a little tough without help. Here goes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Question: Where did I get the symbol that appears on the cover of “Beckoned”?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Clues:<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Check <a href="http://ronaldscala.blogspot.com/">http://ronaldscala.blogspot.com/</a> for a better view of both the original image and the book cover</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Released @September 1970</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">LP album </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Left hand</li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal">Ron Scala<a href="javascript:void(0)" tabindex="10" onclick="return false;"><span>Publish Post</span></a></p>Ronald Joseph Scalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17346820345815126829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-70882370737824503182008-01-26T12:02:00.000-08:002008-12-11T22:44:11.767-08:00CONTEST for free book<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4O2INAzCfE8TlH143ZKR10UrW97HzY2qRtIKJfaN4BiHEf44YtP9c8TmeMe41GYo8idzkZYXAzh-G4Zp1RZLzvGvWkWEoLAIlqvguNQy3j5m4YuJpDjb_-t4gWWkZRVJgx-0f_rDNHYx/s1600-h/ronaldscala_beckoned+%284%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4O2INAzCfE8TlH143ZKR10UrW97HzY2qRtIKJfaN4BiHEf44YtP9c8TmeMe41GYo8idzkZYXAzh-G4Zp1RZLzvGvWkWEoLAIlqvguNQy3j5m4YuJpDjb_-t4gWWkZRVJgx-0f_rDNHYx/s200/ronaldscala_beckoned+%284%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159878685488186530" border="0" /></a><br /><h1>CONTEST for FREE Download</h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I am offering contest to win a free PDF download of my newly released horror novel, “Beckoned”. It is open to everyone. To win, you need only send to me on one of the following sites the answer to this question.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Where did I get the symbol that appears on the cover of “Beckoned”? I’ll even give you two hints</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->(1)<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span><!--[endif]-->an unaltered image of the original symbol can be seen on, <a href="http://ronaldscala.blogspot.com/">http://ronaldscala.blogspot.com/</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->(2)<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span><!--[endif]-->Released September 1970</p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you think you have the answer, send it to me at the Blog or to my email address <a href="mailto:ronaldscala@gmail.com">ronaldscala@gmail.com</a></p>Ronald Joseph Scalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17346820345815126829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-13245849439674815592008-01-22T08:32:00.000-08:002008-01-22T08:35:09.978-08:00Art Imitating Reality—or Vice Versa?A feature in today’s <em>New York Times</em> reported overweight people are resisting entreaties to become rail-thin. “Blogs written by fat people—and it’s fine to use the word, they say—have multiplied in recent months, filling a virtual soapbox known as the fatosphere.” The bloggers (Kate Harding’s Shapely Prose at <a href="http://www.kateharding.net/">www.kateharding.net</a> has 3,710 hits per day) resist the notion that a St. Bernard has to become a greyhound.<br /><br />Hurray! “Laura Lard Takes No Prisoners,” one of my stories in <em>Cruising the Green of Second Avenue</em> (published by Wild Child, of course) has our eponymous heroine telling a waitress, “[Salad] is not the food of my people. Where I come from, a decent meal should be heavy enough to hold down a circus tent in a hurricane.” She has enough confidence in her image to make the cosmetics sales ladies at Bloomingdales wet their panties. <br /><br />I’m a skinny guy, so maybe my opinions don’t count. Laura’s story line, however, is that her being fat is an attribute, and she defends it by doing an Elliott Ness against the Prejudice Mafia. Writing this, a part of me expressed a strong belief that public sentiment wants to remake the obese, corpulent, oleaginous, turgid, stout and plump minority into the size, shape and silhouette of the chosen. Health and science demands it, the evangelists say. <br /><br />That scares me. It’s just a matter of time until I become a target because I’m a casual smoker, whiskey drinker, book reader, fiscal conservative and social liberal. Oh—wait a minute! I already <em>am</em> a target! Beware the Prejudice Mafia. They’re watching you.Walt Giersbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326037798233835128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-39463171585147836792008-01-20T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-11T22:44:12.065-08:00Full Moon at Midnight<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5CV1M2-L4Rc3PatzdnQ-y-AKQ4QHurdb6RZkHWF1JwfEp-pOFdh5txaWSaTvAsQY59uFblLpL-NyYFt1GRT6fRwTbVMzZjMlKiUD0nT1ZClz30aChIONhZ4Zd_PnPs9sRVUR4de3mp3o/s1600-h/P1000336.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5CV1M2-L4Rc3PatzdnQ-y-AKQ4QHurdb6RZkHWF1JwfEp-pOFdh5txaWSaTvAsQY59uFblLpL-NyYFt1GRT6fRwTbVMzZjMlKiUD0nT1ZClz30aChIONhZ4Zd_PnPs9sRVUR4de3mp3o/s400/P1000336.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157560160668327250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Amazing night. I went outside around midnight. Waxing toward Full Wolf, the moon illuminated the backyard, the trails and the woods and cast deep shadows. Already below 10 degrees, I wanted to check on my dogs, Yukon, who is half wolf, and Kato, my Husky. Though the near-full moon was bright, I could see brilliant stars, even next to it. The air was crisp and fiercely cold and the ground rock solid. The crust of snow crunched beneath my boots and I imagined this might be what it would be like on one of the moons of Jupiter; cold, sterile, brutally beautiful. Everything was so still, like the cold had frozen even time. Amazing.</span>Ronald Joseph Scalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17346820345815126829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-69342450218656046562008-01-18T08:21:00.000-08:002008-01-18T08:31:34.435-08:00G'morning from Cambridge (Mass., not U.K.)As the new guy on the block--er, blog--let me say hello. Recent fiction credits include “Call Him Lucky” in the April 2007 issue of <em>Northwoods Journal</em>, “Big Willa and a Push Toward the Edge” published by <em>Lunch Hours Stories</em> in July 2007, “Not My Wife” in the September ‘07 issue of <em>Mouth Full of Bullets</em> , and "Dreaded Conversation " in the Oct. 15 issue of <em>Every Day Fiction</em>. Upcoming issues of <em>MFOB, EDF, Written Word</em> and <em>Bewildering Stories</em> will also carry my short fiction. I didn't pay attention in history class, so have tried to regain an education by writing for <em>Military</em> <em>History Online, Copperfield Review, Whim’s Place</em> and other print and online venues. My collection of short stories, <em>Cruising the Green of Second Avenue,</em> has just been published in two volumes by Wild Child (<a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/">http://www.wildchildpublishing.com</a>). Earlier, I directed corporate communications at Fortune 500 companies in New York for more than 30 years--and therein lay my misspent youth that resulted in the <em>Cruising</em> stories.Walt Giersbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326037798233835128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-83374702085071830352008-01-14T15:11:00.000-08:002008-01-14T15:13:58.735-08:00Greetings<p class="MsoNormal">Hi, all. I’m Ron Scala and I am new to this Blog. In fact, compared to most of you, I am new to the field. My first novel, Beckoned, was just released on Jan-2 by <b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Wild Child Publishing</a></b><span style=""> </span>(Thanks, again, Marci.). It’s a horror tale with just a bit of paranormal romance that hopefully will make it interesting to folks inclined to either genre. It was expertly edited by M.E. Ellis <a href="http://www.meellis.blogspot.com/">www.meellis.blogspot.com</a> to whom I am indebted. Please visit my Blog at <a href="http://ronaldscala.blogspot.com/">http://ronaldscala.blogspot.com/</a> .</p> Ronald ScalaRonald Joseph Scalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17346820345815126829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-52087331019174937852007-09-01T20:19:00.000-07:002007-09-01T20:24:12.518-07:00Hello, All.Hello All. I'm Jack Maeby, musician and writer, new to this blog site. Please check out my website at www.jackmaeby.com<br />I'm trying to get the word out about my newly published novel "The Thorazine Mirrorball". Advice welcome, thanks.Jack Maebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06016263408139086953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-42408889108733778212007-07-13T16:09:00.000-07:002007-07-13T16:10:18.121-07:00Are You Superstitious?<p>Are you superstitious?</p><p>If Friday the 13th is so bad, then why was last Friday worse? (Knock on wood.) LOL</p><p>Seriously, last Friday was a nightmare for me. The old Murphy's Law seemed to have taken up residence in my life and touched every aspect of it. I was more stressed than a chair with a 40 ton truck on it. Somehow, I managed to survive without a heart attack. And thank goodness for that or I wouldn't have experienced these last two days of awesome news.</p><b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/img/fadetopalesm.jpg" align="left"></a></b><p>As many of you know, if you've read this <b><a href="http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977054866#comments" target="_blank">Gather article</a></b>, one of our titles, <b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Fade To Pale</a></b> by James Cheetham, was picked up by the biggest Canadian book chain McNally & Rand. Not only that, they bought twelve copies, with eight pre-sold. A huge coup for us as a relatively new, small press. (This title will be available on <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon</a></b> in a few weeks.) Mr. Cheetham has also had <b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Fade To Pale</a></b> mentioned on three radio stations (one was an interview) and a newspaper article interviewing him (<b><a href="http://www.selkirkjournal.com" target="_blank">Selkirk Journal</a></b> in Canada).</p><b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/img/pervalismsm.jpg" align="right"></a></b><p>Then today, I put in a call to an ex boss. I worked for two years at my hometown library as the senior librarian assistant while I got my masters degree at the local university. I have stayed friends with my ex boss, and, when we published Pervalism in print (available at <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon</a></b> as well as at <b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Wild Child Publishing</a></b>), I donated a copy to my hometown library. (This was back in December 2006.) I called because I had checked the online catalog system last Friday, and the title still wasn't there. My ex boss, Barbara, told me that she really didn't know what had happened to it. Perhaps they'd lost the book in processing.</p><p>Hm...well, you can imagine my response. She wondered if I wanted to donate another copy. Since I was originally from there, the book would have a better chance of passing through the library committee.</p><p>Now, people, I ask you, would you donate another copy if it could possibly get lost in the shuffle again? No, it's not a great deal of money for one book, but as a small press, every cent counts.</p><p>Barbara agreed to talk to the manager of the adult services department at the downtown library to see what happened to the book. As the last time took a while, I didn't imagine she had an answer on the issue, but I called her about something else entirely. Imagine my delight to hear that the manager decided to just purchase a copy for my hometown library, but not just one copy of <b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Pervalism</a></b>. The library system bought THREE copies! One for my old library, one for the main library, and one for the book mobile.</p><p>For some of you, you might be saying, "What's the big deal?"</p><p>Honey, breaking into the library systems is a big deal. It's the exposure, the possibility of getting some local newspapers to run stories on our little publishing company, and getting our books out there. It also makes it possible for me to approach my local library again, Culver City branch, which is part of the Los Angeles County Library system, to see if they will carry not just Pervalism, but <b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Fade To Pale</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Iron Horse Rider</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.freyasbower.com/" target="_blank">Conspiracy of Angels</a></b>, and <b><a href="http://www.freyasbower.com/" target="_blank">Dreams & Desires: A Romance and Erotica Anthology</a></b>. See, I can say that the Fresno County Library system has ordered three copies of <b><a href="http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Pervalism</a></b>. It was approved by that system, surely it would be okay for ours.</p><p>And now that we have one title in that system, the possibility of us getting more in is much, much higher. You can bet I will be in contact with the manager of adult services for Fresno County Library to see if they would be interested in any of our other titles.</p><p>Not only that, because of this, my hometown newspaper has agreed to do a feature article on the local girl who did good. (grin)</p><p>Friday the 13th a problem? Not for the Irish. (grin)</p><p>Marci Baun<br>Editor-in-Chief</p>Marci Baunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850775917897362922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7574278723201927192.post-58969968475994096202007-05-23T03:44:00.001-07:002007-05-23T03:45:41.284-07:00Hello!Hi!<br /><br />My name is M.E Ellis. I'm a writer and editor. I write psychological horror/thrillers and chick-lit.<br /><br />You can visit me at my main blog: <a href="http://www.meellis.blogspot.com">www.meellis.blogspot.com</a> or read excerpts and reviews on my books at: <a href="http://www.meellis.wordpress.com">www.meellis.wordpress.com</a><br /><br />:o)Emmy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06348320835897735088noreply@blogger.com0