Writing News

SUBMISSIONS SOUGHT FROM URBAN FANTASY FLASH FICTION WRITERS

A new webzine for fans of the urban fantasy genre, called Urban Fantasist, has just been launched by sf&f author Charles Christian and carries news, interviews, book reviews and blog postings about urban fantasy writing, art and photography.
One of the regular features will be a new flash fiction story published every Friday fortnight selected from submissions to the zine. Called TFi Flash Fortnightly, pieces must be no more than 1000 words on an urban fantasy, genre-type theme (see www.urbanfantasist.com for more details).
Another regular column is Eleven Questions, an offbeat interview with an urban fantasy or sci fi personality answering questions such as their preferred time travel destinations and the mechanics of their craft. Jonathan Pinnock is the first ‘victim’ revealing all.
Charles Christian, founder of the zine, also founded the successful Ink Sweat & Tears poetry webzine, and his first collection of dystopian science fiction and urban fantasy short stories This is the Quickest Way Down was published by Salt/Proxima Books at
the end of 2011. He is a barrister and Reuters correspondent turned legal journalist, newsletter editor, keynote speaker, blogger, legal IT branding and marketing consultant, sometime poet, photographer and urban fantasy/science fiction writer.
For more information contact charles@charles-christian.com
Website: urbanfantasist.com

Essex Book Festival 27th February to 2nd April 2012

Some of the authors, poets and personalites taking part: Elizabeth Lord, Simon Brett, Andrew Motion, Anthony McCarten, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Guy Saville, Ali Sparkes, Jane Fearnleigh-Whittingstall, Lindsey Barraclough and many others.

Bookings can be made through the Mercury Theatre Bos Office on 01206 573948.

Download a festival brochure from: http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/

What's happening in the world of poetry? Find out on www.writeoutloud.net.

"Poetry is an out-loud form," says Fiona Sampson in Frances Spurrier's insightful interview with the editor of Poetry Review, the UK's most widely-read poetry magazine. As an award-winning poet and translator, shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot prize, she has refreshing thoughts on elitism in poetry, poetic voice (when you find it, lose it), 'not enough people reading poetry', poetry in schools and healthcare settings, and poetry in times of political instability (great time for writing poetry), and more. Read the interview and join the discussion.

Poetry competitions
See the news section for poetry competitions in which you can: become Prole laureate, win £5,000, help the homeless, or support a Merseyside hospice in the Scaffold's (Lily the Pink) member, John Gorman's, Festival of Firsts.

Event and festival organisers
* Have a go at the poetry map, a beta version of the gig guide, where you can search by postcode, by upcoming dates and Google maps. Then comment how you would like it to work for you.
* Get thousands of people viewing your event on the famous Write Out Loud gig guide by uploading your own events. It's easy and getting easier to list and edit later.
* Get your event noticed by encouraging your satisfied participants to write a review in your gig listing's comments box.
* Send in your news, preferably with a good jpeg image, to news@writeoutloud.net.

Poets
Upload your poems for discussion and comment in our community area. Start a discussion on your own poetry bête noire. Find somewhere near you to read your work and listen to others. NB You need to be registered (free) and signed in to use most of these services. And, let's all read (and buy) more poetry.

First Fictions, are mounting an exciting new series of events designed to celebrate and champion first novels, past and present.

First Fictions launches with a weekend of festival and panel events from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd January at the University of Sussex. Ian Rankin will be among the many authors participating in the weekend - with an exclusive reading from his unpublished first novel. Ian will also be one of the panellists discussing how to judge a graphic novel and announcing the winner of our First Graphic Novel Competition.

To book tickets, and for more information about these and future events, please visit the First Fictions website.
http://www.firstfictions.com/first-fictions-events

Facebook Stalker Crime Thriller Launched on Kindle!
Ctrl-Alt-Delete by Dave Lewis

Can Dave Lewis do for Wales what Stieg Larsson did for Sweden? His debut novel - Ctrl-Alt-Delete is a rollercoaster ride through the Welsh landscape. Set in Cardiff, the valleys and the Brecon Beacons this is a must have download from Amazon kindle and at just 86p a bargain to boot. Already called 'James Patterson for the Facebook generation' read this and you'll never use the internet again!

From Amazon.co.uk:
'When beautiful Jenny Morris uses Facebook to get her ex-boyfriend Hal Griffiths to stalk her she has no idea what a dangerous game she is playing - for someone else is watching from the murky shadows of cyberspace.

But when an horrific murder in a sleepy Welsh village stirs a seasoned reporter, a conceited detective and an overweight IT expert into action, they always seem to be one step behind the mysterious killer Hagar.

Against the backdrop of a tangled web of deviant sexual practices Hal must rescue his Jenny before the killer strikes again. In the wilds of the Brecon Beacons National Park an electrifying climax is played out when Hal is forced to confront his deadly rival.

Social and political commentary within a close-knit community has never been so honest, as pornography morphs into technology. We must ask ourselves the question - will man's lust for instant gratification ultimately be his undoing?

A full-throttle thriller effortlessly blending violence, eroticism and suspense, Ctrl-Alt-Delete is both a modern love story and a prophetic tale of intrigue in our ever-distracting machine driven world. A truly gripping debut novel by Dave Lewis.'

Dave has published four previous books and also runs the international Welsh Poetry Competition. This is his first novel and we're sure it won't be his last! An ambitious project that sees commercial fiction mixing with literary fiction. A book that strikes beyond the existing stagnant Welsh literary scene and throws us headlong into the all-consuming material world of technology and connectivity whilst reminding us that love can still conquer all.

To buy a copy go to Amazon kindle at - http://amzn.to/s9c6qU

Autumn edition of Vintage Script magazine out now!

The autumn edition of Vintage Script - the writing magazine for all things vintage, historical and retro - is now on sale. It is available to buy from the website - www.vintagescript.co.uk - either as a single copy or a four-copy subscription.

'We've got a bumper crop of stories and articles this time, packed full of fascinating insights - with topics as diverse as the history of mirrors (and how hares' legs played their part), the secret life of Durham Cathedral and the truth about women in the seventeenth century,' said editor Emma Louise Oram.

'We've also got a great mix of new and experienced writers at different stages in their careers,' she continued.

'We accept work from writers with any level of experience so please do look at the Submissions page on the website - www.vintagescript.co.uk - if you have a historical story or article to share.'

The deadline for the winter edition is 13 December 2011, and for the spring edition is 13 March 2012.

The Biographers' Club Prize Dinner 2011

The Biographers' Club announces the winners of its three prizes on 25 October 2011 at the Oriental Club, Stratford Place, London W1

From a record entry of 68 titles, the winner of this year's £5,000 HW Fisher Best First Biography Prize was Matthew Hollis for Now All Roads Lead to France: The Last Years of Edward Thomas, published by Faber.

Judges: Anne Sebba, whose nine books include That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson; Nicholas Clee, joint editor of Bookbrunch and the author of Eclipse; and Michael Prodger, critic and former literary editor of the Sunday Telegraph.

The winner of the £2,000 Tony Lothian Prize was Jane Gordon-Cumming for The American Heiress and the Scottish Rake: The True Story of the Royal Baccarat Scandal.

The Services to Biography Award was presented to Selina Hastings, author of The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham, Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh, among others.

Among the other 90 guests were authors, journalists, publishers and agents, including: Brenda Maddox, Philip Ziegler, Michael Fishwick, Jill Dawson, Trevor Dolby, Lyndall Gordon, Jill, Duchess of Hamilton, Anne de Courcy, Walter Donohue, Helen Fry, Michael Leapman, Angela Thirlwell, Sally Cline, Neil McKenna, Helen Rappaport, Marilyn Warnick and Stephanie Williams.

Founded in 1997 by literary agent and biographer Andrew Lownie, the Biographers' Club is an umbrella organisation which seeks to educate, inspire, promote and foster a broad and inclusive understanding of the genre and its relevance across the spectrum of human endeavour. Through our events and panel debates, we create a forum for this understanding, a public benefit for all in the craft of biography across all disciplines, and a professional and social interaction among the Club membership and guests.
biographersclub.co.uk

Templar Poetry

Templar Poetry launches David Gilbert's iShot, Liberian Pygmy Hippopotamus on Friday November 4th at 7pm, upstairs at the Betsey, near Farringdon. One of the three winners of the inaugural Iota Shot Short Pamphlet Awards in 2011. David Gilbert's collection is launched on his home territory, in London. The two co-winners, Matt Kirkham and Howard Wright, launched their iShots at a joint launch event earlier in the summer in Belfast.
Along with David Gilbert, there will be readings by the Scottish born poet, Angela Cleland, one of the first winners in the Templar Poetry Pamphlet & Collection Awards in 2007, along with the Anglo- American poet, Robert Vas Dias.
For location details please click HERE
Funds raised from the booksales and the £3.00 entrance fee will be donated to Aids Orphan.

Writer's Academy Offer

Beat the Winter Blues with The Writer's Academy discount offer available from September to December 2011. €50 discount off all our courses on printed material or CDrom.

The Writer's Academy offers you distance learning courses for you to study in the comfort of your own home. Choose from Short Story Writing, Freelance Article Writing and Writing your Life Story (or part of it!).

Now the winter evenings are drawing closer, what better way to fill them than by taking a writing course. Expert advice and support is given to writers of all abilities.

Our courses give you something to read and study during those long evenings. Learn to be a writer by the spring and start 2012 with new skills and a new ambition!

Contact us on 00353 51 561789 or thewritersacademy@gmail.com for more information or to request a brochure. Text your name and address to: 00353 87 959 7219 for your free brochure today.

Web site: http://www.thewritersacademy.net/ 

WritersReign is, and always will be, a UK based web site catering primarily for UK writers.

BUT, this is the Internet and the Internet knows no bounds! Over the years I have been delighted, and a little humbled, to watch as WritersReign has built up followers in many other countries around the world. To name just a few we have: United States, Hong Kong, Italy, China, Sweden, India, Germany, Canada, France, Switzerland, Uganda, S. Korea, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Estonia, South Africa, Cyprus, Finland, Tanzania, Romania, Netherlands... and so it goes on. 

The United States heads up this list because WR receives more visitors by far from there than anywhere else around the globe. My monthly statistics report, which tells me how well (or otherwise) WritersReign is doing, also lists the towns and cities from where visitors come from. In June 2011 one city in the US headed up the 'league table' by sending 1,750 visitors! This was the city of Denver, Colorado and through my friend and fellow writer Sylvia Kent I learnt of the Denver Woman's Press Club who, it seems, are also quite keen on WR. As a small 'thank you' here is what they say about themselves. Read it, click on the links, and explore...

The Denver Woman's Press Club

The Denver Woman’s Press Club (DWPC), founded in 1898, is one of the oldest women’s press clubs in the nation. But we’re far from old-fashioned!  Our more than 200 members are professional writers all—including journalists, novelists, magazine editors, essayists, freelance writers, poets, historians, and corporate and mass communications specialists.

Read our membership requirements 

We offer a range of public programs, author receptions, and writing seminars for budding and experienced writers. For upcoming events and seminars, view our current Events.

We award scholarships to talented journalism, mass communications, and creative writing students at area colleges and universities. Read more about our Scholarships. 

More than anything, we gather in our historic 1912 clubhouse on Denver’s Capitol Hill to share stories of our myriad writing lives, learn from one another, become better writers, and, at the direction of our founders, “drive dull care away.”  Come visit us!

POSTSCRIPT: WritersReign would love to hear about other writers' groups in other countries outside the UK. Send a summary of who you are and what you're doing to: . Don't forget to give me a link to your web site if you have one.

Welsh Poetry Competition Anthology Launched!

The Welsh Poetry Competition organisers have today launched a super anthology containing over 100 winning poems all taken from the 'First Five Years' of the competition.

'This anthology has poems by some fantastic writers, including Gavin Price, Emily Hinshelwood, John Gallas, Sally Spedding and David Costello. Even amongst our runners up, poets like Eloise Williams, Amanda Weeks, Clare Ferguson-Walker, Eluned Rees, Lynn Roberts, Nigel Ormond, Jane Fox, Kathy Miles and Moira Andrew would easily grace the top spot of many competitions. This is a superb collection of modern cutting edge verse that should sit comfortably on most bookshelves!' said Dave Lewis, editor of the anthology.

The competition, which has been running since March 2007, has seen over 2500 entries and been lucky enough to have three superb judges in Welsh writers John Evans, Mike Jenkins and Sally Spedding.
 
Dave Lewis added 'Firmly established as an international event the launch of this book celebrates the great poetic tradition that exists in Wales and beyond and we look forward to the next five years with equal optimism as we continue to strive to discover new and passionate voices.'

All this years' winning poems can be viewed on the competition web site and copies of the anthology containing all previous years' winners can also be purchased here - www.welshpoetry.co.uk/anthology.html

To get involved with next years' competition, buy the anthology or just keep up to date with what we are doing you just need to visit The Welsh Poetry Competition web site and join our mailing list, join our Facebook group or follow us on Twitter.

Competition Web site - www.welshpoetry.co.uk
Editor's Web site - www.david-lewis.co.uk

Twitter - @welshpoetrycomp

Leaf Writers' Magazine - Help Wanted

Would you be interested in spreading the word about the Leaf Writers' Magazine? They are looking for a number of individuals to send leaflets to for display in bookshops/writing centres/creative writing workshops/literary events or anywhere that might catch a literature enthusiast.

If you are at all interested in helping to spread the word about their innovative creative writing resource then do let them know and they would be happy to offer you a FREE eMag yearly subscription.
 
If you have any further questions and are interested in getting involved, please get in touch at the following address: nellie@leafbooks.co.uk 

You can visit the web site here: http://leafbooks.co.uk/

Need2Know - Authors Needed

Independent publisher, Need2Know is actively seeking authors to write guides on a variety of subjects.

Since 1996, Need2Know has published guides that address problems and situations ordinary people encounter in their everyday lives. Written in a chatty, informal style, the guides contain up-to-date information that is easy to digest and action.

Need2Know's guides fall into four categories: Health, Education, Hobbies and Writing.

They are seeking authors for the following subjects:

Health Based Subjects: Heart Disease; Foot Care; Cholesterol.

Education Based Subjects: Sex Education for Kids (For parents and teachers).

Writing Based Subjects: Writing a Novel; Writing Short Stories; Writing Your Memoirs; Writing for Children; Writing Comedy; Writing Plays; Writing for TV; Writing for Teenagers/Young Adults; Blog Writing; Writing for the Internet.

Hobby Based Subjects: Golf; Texas Hold 'em Poker; Sales/Selling; Planning a Wedding.

If you would like to submit a proposal for any of these subjects, please contact Need2Know at need2knowoffice@gmail.com or on 01733 898103, for their proposal guidelines and sample copies of existing titles. For more information and for a list of existing titles, take a look at www.need2knowbooks.co.uk.
Commissioned authors will receive an advance on completion of the manuscript and also on publication; thereafter, royalties will be paid.

GreatWriting.co.uk

Join a thriving creative writing community and release the writer in you. Great Writing is a free creative writing support forum where the aspiring authors, poets and bards come to read and review each other's work. Join for free!

Since 2005, the Great Writing creative writing community has been the home of thousands of aspiring and successful writers. The idea behind Great Writing is simple; sign up, submit a piece of creative writing, and allow others to offer advice and constructive criticism. This is supported by a general discussion area where you can promote your work, ask questions about all aspects of writing and publishing, or just chew the fat with friends. greatwriting.co.uk/ 

Vintage Script writing magazine has arrived!

The first edition of Vintage Script - the writing magazine for all things vintage, historical and retro - has arrived!

It is now available to buy - as a single copy or a four-copy subscription - on the website.
Editor Emma Louise Oram said: 'I'm delighted to say that we had a hard job selecting the short stories and articles for the inaugural edition, such was the standard of entries we received.

'They cover a wide range of subjects and span the centuries: from medieval murder mystery to a nostalgic look back to a flight on Concorde.

'We are thrilled to be able to include a short story by Ruth Gilligan, who was the youngest person ever to top the Irish bestseller's list with her debut novel Forget, but just as pleased that people with less experience have shared their work with us.'

The magazine includes the three winning stories in the Spring Short Story Competition.

See the Contact, buy & subscribe page on the website to order your copy or subscription.

The magazine is seeking historical short stories and articles that are original and well-written for its summer edition. See the Submissions page on the website for details.

vintagescript.co.uk/

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