Author Podcasts/Blogs

WRITING GUIDES

JENNIFER RAHN

MICHAEL MENNENGA

TONY RUGGIERO

PHILIPPA BALLANTINE

EDGE PUBLISHING podcast

            

       

     

 

 


In This Issue...

• NEW RELEASE -- FIRESTORM OF DRAGONS, anthology, ed. by Michele Acker and Kirk Dougal
• News, Updates and Articles
• Contests
NEW RELEASE -- FIRESTORM OF DRAGONS, An anthology of draconic tales

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Edited by Michele Acker and Kirk Dougal

Michele says:  Putting together the anthology, A Firestorm of Dragons, was both fun and a lot of hard work.  In my first foray into Editor territory, I felt heady, full of power.  I knew I could do this.  I knew I would give out graceful rejections full of hope and regret and stunning words of wisdom, and better yet, I would accept stories with all the enthusiasm of a mother welcoming her newborn into the world.  And then the stories started pouring in and reality hit.

Choosing which stories to use and which to reject was a lot of hard work!  As a naïve Editorial newbie, I had no idea what fortitude, what discipline it would take.  Fortitude and discipline I found myself sadly lacking.  What's a girl to do?  Why, get someone else to help of course.  Which I very quickly did.

Sadly, things didn't turn out very well and halfway through the editing process, my co-editor dropped out, leaving me once again, lacking.  At that point, A Firestorm of Dragons almost died a very fiery death.  Then along came Kirk Dougal, like a knight in shining armor {shown below}, to rescue me from my gloomy, unpublished, dungeon. With his wonderful, supportive help, the anthology finally came together in its present form and the wonderful Gwen Gades, keeper of the Dragon Moon, agreed to publish us and here we are!

I couldn't have done any of this on my own, so I'd like to take a moment to thank all the lovely people who helped put Firestorm together.  I'd like to thank my mother for having me, my younger brother for annoying me as a child, my fifth grade English teacher for--.  Oh wait, wrong speech.

Seriously, I'd like to thank Kirk for bailing me out of a bad situation and helping me put everything together.  I'd also like to thank Carol and Ray and Bob for being my readers and Gwen for taking a chance on us.  I'd also like to thank all the wonderful authors whose stories grace Firestorm's pages.  Without them, all of them, A Firestorm of Dragons wouldn't exist.

 ADVANCE REVIEW FOR FIRESTORM OF DRAGONS 

"I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing and storytelling compiled into this anthology. Several of the authors also have a knack for comic relief and suspense in their writing which always tends to make a story more appealing to me. ...check out this anthology especially if you're into Dragons and Fantasy - these editors have managed to snag themselves quite a pile of delightful stories by talented authors." ~Bibliophile's Retreat

WHAT'S FIRESTORM OF DRAGONS ABOUT?

           So you want to know about dragons? Start with “Dragonscaling!,” a tongue-in-cheek look at a future where the world’s most extreme sport involves the use of genetically engineered creatures. Continue on to read how dragons are kept out of sight in modern Hong Kong in “Dragonkeeper” before turning the page for a humorous look at the importance of listening to one’s mother in “Lessons.”

            “The Druid’s Dragon” reveals a possible connection between the ancient people and an enslaved dragon before “Dragon Eye, P.I.” twists all conventions and makes a dragon the lead in a 1940’s-style detective story. “Poison Bird” brings the reader back to modern day for a coming-of-age story told through the eyes of the protagonist’s boyfriend.

“A Reptile at the Reunion” pulls together two things that most people fear: dragons and high school reunions. A hunter learns compassion for his prey in “Dragon Blood” while “No Time for Dragons” takes a humorous tone when an example is made of a dragon who is a pesky door-to-door salesman.

“For Your Eyes Only” reveals the power of devotion when lovers encounter a dragon. Both sides of a human and dragon interaction, with wildly different conclusions, are examined in “Shattered Dreams” before the influence of hatred and the cost of sacrifice battle each other in “A Darkness of Spirit.”

“A Firestorm of Dragons” finishes with a trilogy of stories depicting some possible ends of dragonkind. “Dragon Fruit” reveals the happiest of conclusions when a symbiotic relationship between humans and dragons leaves both to lead their own lives. Dragons continue to live on throughout time in “A Dragon’s Dawn,” though they are relegated to lonely and unfulfilled lives. “Inside the Cavern” is the ending no one wishes for the majestic beings, their race dying in obscurity under man’s unyielding pressure.

News, Updates and Articles

From Erik Buchanan, author of SMALL MAGICS    "Hooray, SMALL MAGICS is on the shelves! Our next goal is to get people reading it! Currently, I'm building a new website , and getting out to conventions. 

Look for me at Polaris 22 this summer. I'm a Guest Author!" Polaris 22 will be held in Toronto at the DoubleTree By Hilton - Toronto Airport., July 11 to 13, 2008.

I"ll be doing a reading of Small Magics, and teaching two theatrical fighting workshops: Instant Kung Fu and Things that Make You Go "Eeewww!" (a workshop on dirty fighting).

Philippa Ballantine is pleased to report that her episodic podiobook CHASING THE BARD has reached the top 25 of iTunes literature US--it moved all the way to #16 which she is pretty excited about.

 

From Selina Rosen, author of SWORD MASTERS.  I will be a guest at Conquest in KC Missouri May 23rd-25th with my good buddy Joe Lansdale and Ellen Muth who played George in DEAD LIKE ME. I will be toast master at Sonnercon in Oklahoma City June 6th-8th. I will be a guest at Apollo-Con in Huston Texas June 27th-29th.

I've been writing a LOT of stories lately. "The Dyke You Know" is now available in the anthology Haunted Hearths. "Lost In the Crowd" will appear in the Dragon-Con Anthology edited by Bill Facet. I am currently writing a Drewcila Qwah story for an anthology called Space Sirens, and still working on the time travel novel -the title of which we keep changing- with Claudia Christian and the next Holmes and Strom mystery with Laura J. Underwood. On top of all that, I'm working on a new comedy Science fiction novel with the working title, HOW I SPENT THE APOCALYPSE.

On the home front I have four new goat kids so I'm currently milking three does. I'm fencing a half acre of pasture and building a new barn and... I need a vacation!!!

Deby Fredericks, author of TOO MANY PRINCES-- When asked what was new in her life, Deby had a quick answer:  "How about Vocabulary Bowl! I will be visiting Longfellow Elementary during the month of May, teaching kids about the power of vocabulary to make their writing sizzle. We'll also talk about the writing life and how the publishing industry works."                                {Deby Fredericks at right-->}

 

From Nina Munteanu, author of DARWIN'S PARADOX. "I was in Paris, France recently, researching my current book, a historical fantasy. While I was there, I got Darwin's Paradox into the hottest bookstore there: Shakespeare and Company , located in the heart of Paris on Rue de la Bucherie, on the Left Bank just opposite Notre Dame Cathedral. It is situated in the Latin Quarter which for centuries has been the centre of bohemian Parisian creativity and intelligentsia. For over fifty years, the bookshop has housed numerous writers and hosted readings by published and unpublished authors. Run by Sylvia Whitman, daughter of the legendary George Whitman, the bookstore looks like something in a Harry Potter movie, with stacks upon stacks of all sorts of literature. Upon entering, you'll find yourself in a place Henry Miller described as "A wonderland of books". Shakespeare and Company is open evey day from 10:00 to 23:00. If you're touring Paris go check it out. The selection of English books is impeccable, many by local writers. If you're a young traveling writer looking for a place to crash, Sylvia might put you up too!"  

From Tony Ruggiero, author of OPERATION SAVE THE INNOCENT 

"We've recently learned that our puppy graduate from obedience school has a fondness for electronic devices: to wit the cellular phone. She grabs them off the coffee table and takes them outside. We discovered this by observing teeth marks on the cellular phone. Now the only question that begs (no pun intended) to be resolved is...who the heck is she calling? We suspect that she is calling her friends at puppy daycare although one would think that after spending two days a week there--what would they have to talk about? Maybe its a conspiracy of some sort or maybe they are comparing notes on their owners, I guess I shouldn't care as long as they aren't long distance. Maybe I should get her a prepaid phone? And then there are the cats...but that's a story for next time.

 

Jana Oliver, author of the award-winning TIME ROVER series, was interviewed on Talking Romance Writers with Regan.  Jana will be attending the following conventions:  TimeGate (Atlanta) May 23-25, and A-Kon (Dallas) May 30-June 1.

Those of you eagerly awaiting the results of Valerie Griswold-Ford's fundraiser for breast cancer ("Livers for Boobies") will be pleased to know that Val won the contest, totally defeating Davey Beauchamp, and raising $90 for Breast Cancer Research. It must be confided however, that Val had an edge in the contest.

As fellow writer Jana Oliver confides exclusively to your Dragon Moon Press newsletter:  "I do know her competitor kept wandering off to our party (a book launch celebration for Jeri Smith-Ready's WICKED GAME and my eventually-to-be-published MADMAN'S DANCE. We had cool rock 'n' roll music, liquor and chocolate cake. What more can I say?"

David Sakmyster, author of TWILIGHT OF THE FIFTH SUN, has two stories out this month: "Plastromancer" in Paradox #12  and "Internal Affairs" in Withersin 1.3 Not only that, but David's psychological-horror screenplay, "Isolation" won a Silver REMI award at the 41st Annual Worldfest Contest in Houston in April. Way to go, Dave!
 

Bob Nailor, contributor to the WRITER'S GUIDE TO SCIENCE FICTION, is the coordinator for the NW Ohio Writers' Conference (www.nwowc.com) . Also, Bob will be interviewed on a radio talk show about writers -- but doesn't yet know the show's name, when, where, etc. Hmm. I hope he figures it out before he starts broadcasting...  When pressed for details, Bob said "Unfortunately, I live in a very rural area and SF/F just isn't that big.  If you want to talk soybeans, corn, fishing, deer or turkey hunting -- you got somebody's ear.  You want to talk about elves, witches, quasars, FTL speeds or the latest book out by a SF/F author -- you are alone in the field." 

  Fan Video Contest!

  EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing along with Dragon Moon Press would like your help. We are hosting a contest and giving away a FREE New iPod Nano as a prize (Approximate value: $200.00).* 

It's simple. All you have to do is create a video of one of our 2008 Season novels (February 2008 - November 2008) that is from 1 to 3 minutes long. The video can be anything from a simple animated cartoon to an acted out scene from the novel. It is a video to communicate a message about the book, author, subject matter, or theme; not just the novel itself. The contest will run from May 1st to June 30 at which time we will select the top 10 videos and post them on the EDGE website for public voting. The voting will begin July 1st and run until July 31st at which time we will announce the winner. The winning video will be posted on the EDGE website, on FaceBook, YouTube, and other various social networking websites.

 

For Guidelines and all that legal stuff, visit the EDGE Website!

 

 
 
Dragon Moon Press  |  Gwen Gades, Publisher
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