Quote of the Week

The Benefits of Procrastination

It’s the weekend, the kids are out with your spouse and you have nothing to do but work on your manuscript – except the breakfast dishes aren’t going to clean themselves, even if all they need is a bit of help into the dishwasher.  Oh, and the dog needs to be walked, dinner should be…

Writing Prompt: Unusual Houses

When I was growing up I was obsessed with the Boxcar Children, not the later books when the children were wealthy and supported, but the first book when they were making a life for themselves in an abandoned boxcar. The books where homes were established in churches, barns, buses, boats, and trees all captured my…

Caketrain: Accepting Submissions

Update: In the Summer of 2015 Caketrain went on an Indefinite Hiatus.  Caketrain is a primarily print journal based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 2003 and their goal has stayed the same: To publish the best contemporary works of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. They have become a respected modern journal and are…

Clean Reads: Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated March 17th 2020: They have not published a book or an update in over a year on their website. I am considering them defunct.  Astrea Press officially launched in 2010 and published it’s first e-book in early 2011. It was founded because the owner, Stephanie Taylor saw a gap in the e-book market when…

The Routines of Successful Writers

I have always been fascinated by the routines and daily schedules of other writers and artists. Writing is not a job with hours or even deadlines, unless you count the self-imposed ones. There is so much self discipline involved in being a dedicated writer. Some of my friends write best in bars, others measure their…

Writing Prompt: The Happy Funeral

There are lots of words people use to describe funerals, although rarely do any of those words have positive connotations. Your challenge today is to write about a funeral. But you can’t use any of the following words: Sad, dour, mad, upset, crying, sobbing, grieving, angry, dark, black, rain, or tombstone. The tone of your…

The Five Best Literary Journals Re-Opening This Month

In February many journals are opening their doors to submissions. Some of these journals have only been closed for a month, others have been closed for over six months. February’s list of five journals includes two of my favorite literary journals. 1. A Cappella Zoo A Cappella Zoo is a journal of magic realism that…

Quote Of The Week

On Becoming an Author

1au·thor noun \ˈȯ-thər\ : a person who has written something; especially : a person who has written a book or who writes many books : a person who starts or creates something (such as a plan or idea) (From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary) I receive emails all the time asking me what it means to be…