A Trip to Treasure by Bernadette Bland, author of Flights of Fancy

ABOUT FLIGHTS OF FANCY

 

 

Title: Flight of Fancy
Genre: Poetry/Prose/Short Story
Author: Bernadette Bland
Publisher: iUniverse
Pages: 64
Language: English
ISBN – 978-1-45028-453-0

Life is filled with emotional highs and lows. Riding the wave of this experience is part of living, but for poet Bernadette Bland, dreaming was even more important. No matter the attitude, mood, or circumstance, Ms. Bland has always believed in the beauty of life. Never to be deterred from her heart’s desire, she has ridden her own life wave with an eye to her dreams and an eye to the beauty of nature.

In her new poetry collection, Flights of Fancy, Ms. Bland shares her imagery with the outside world. She delves into the lavish splendor of nature in “Drifting Grace: God’s Art Show.” She peers behind the protective mask of a weeping clown in “Behind the Mask.” She recalls watching her mother slowly grow old in the poignant “Mama.” In all her words, she reveals her deepest yearnings and fears with selfless honesty.

Flights of Fancy is an example of an imagination set free. Ms. Bland fills her poetry with wonder and will leave you longing to step out into the sun. She is not afraid to depict the sometimes traumatic rollercoaster of life; yet she encourages us to move on, move up, and not look back. Within every word, she calls to the reader, challenging each one of us to never stop dreaming!

Purchase your copy:

A Trip to Treasure – Boston, MA

 

H I recently had an experience of a life time traveling from Schenectady, N.Y.to Boston, MA. to attend and participate in the Annual Convention of the AARP -SO+ Uving. A huge event,the Centeris filled with all types of vendors that cater to the Oenior Citizens of this country.

 

As a newly published author, Iwas invited by iUniverse Publishing to represent them at the convention and to do some signing of my new book to be handed out to the attendees. What an exciting prospect for me. Imagine me! Signing my books for people to actually read. Iwas excited and terrified at the same time.It was all so new to me. What do Ido? How am Isupposed to look/dress appropriately for such an occasion?I’d have to meet and greet people, all strangers. How do Iact?

 

As the time got closer,Iwas provided with some tips and advice; directions to the to the center,and a layout of the floor plan. This trip was planned to be a time for my husband and myself for the day after the book signing. Boston has what is known as the Freedom Trail, 9originally Freedom Way), a walking tour of the most historic sites withinthe City of Boston. Many years ago, all these historic site were scattered about with no definite conjuction of the sites and probably no real interest. Ihave an Uncle (Bill Schofield) who lived and worked  in the city for most of his life. He was very interested in these sites and felt they should have a connection to each one. He planned out a  tour to make this connection and took it to the city’s planning/governing boards with his proposal for thewalking tour path. After many years of pleading and cajoling,these officials finally agreed and the walkway was built. Soon, tourists by the thousandsinstead of hundreds were making the tour to connect with some very important history, There are 16 sites incorporated into the 2.5 mile brick marker sidewalk tourIncluding The Old North Church, Faneuil Hall, the USS Constitution,The Paul Revere House,Bunker Hill Monument and more. Ifelt it to be part of my history too. Uncle,Bill Schofield, a veteran newsman. Honored as ‘Father of the Freedom Trail’ Schofield was an editor and

daily columnist for ‘The Boston Herald’.He was better known for his invention for the Freedom Trail.A Veteran Navy Captainwho served in

WWII,he wrote seven novels about the war and Navy Frogmen in particular. As detailed as they were, Icouldn’t find aninterestin them but my husband did being he is a 25 year Navy Veteran himself who served with the Navy Seals.

 

Unfortunately,Inever got to do the trail due to a bad fall which put me out of commission for a few days.Ididdo the signing though from a wheel chair and was so happy Idid. The people Imet were charming and shared some very kind words about my book which made the whole trip so very worthwhile,and if Icould, ‘d doit all again in a nano-second as they say.

ABOUT BERNADETTE BLAND

Bernadette Bland was born in Westerly, Rhode Island. A news reporter and photographer for many years, her poetry has been published by the National Library of Poetry, the Amherst Society, and the Iliad Press, among others. Ms. Bland lives with her husband in the Capital District of upstate New York.

 

Up Close & Personal with C. Elizabeth, author of SOUL CONTROL

C. Elizabeth lives in St. Albert,  Alberta, Canada and during her short writing career she’s learned a lot about herself, sometimes to the point that she wonders how the heck she got this far in life and know so little about herself.

For the majority of her life she dabbled in many things, such as drawing, photography, sewing, only to find that after a while, she would lose interest, but writing is a different story — it found her and continues to be an addiction, as well as a most wonderful, incredible passion.

Not only does she write novels, but she does whatever she can to hone her craft.  Such as attending the New York Pitch Conference, seminars and the like, as well, she writes for online magazines on the topic of… you guessed it, writing.

Her latest book is the YA paranormal romance, Soul Control.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

The thing about me is that I …..  have an amazing love/hate relationship with words

When I first get up in the morning, I ….. brush my teeth

The most important thing in my life is …..  my family

I love to travel to ….. the mountains

In my spare time, I ….. write

One thing I learned about life was ….. you never know when a dream will present itself, so keep dreaming

The sole mission I am on this earth is to ….. to bring to life my characters in the readers’ mind

One little known fact about me that might surprise you is ….. I don’t write at a desk or table – you will find my novels coming to life from my couch

My favorite time of day is ….. the morning

I love to write about … whatever my characters are revealing on the stage in my mind

The most difficult aspect about writing is ….. preparing a query letter

My most favorite aspect about writing is ….. being the first to watch all the new lives and stories unfold

When I became a published author for the first time, I ….. cried

The inspiration behind my book comes from ….. my characters

The most asked question about my book is ….. who did the cover

ABOUT SOUL CONTROL

“Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil.”

Words that ring true for seventeen-year-old Saydi Gardiner upon discovering her ancestry.  But if she has doubts, further confirmation is forthcoming and it comes in the form of a wickedly gorgeous Nathanael Braxton, when he steals her heart and cuddles into her sole – the last place the boy should be.

Nineteen-year-old Nathanael’s unrelenting good looks aren’t the only thing that make him dangerous – and he knows it!  However, his caring human side struggles with a loyalty – a loyalty that binds him to the hunt for the soul that will give his family the power they seek. There’s only one problem: When he finds her, Nathanael falls in love with his prey – Saydi.

“SOUL CONTROL pulled me in from the first sentence and had me on the edge of my seat all the way to the end. Everything you could want is there…wit, banter, romance (appropriate for the young adult reader) danger, suspense, mystery…and the list goes on. C. Elizabeth’s writing is flawless and relatable. 5 stars all the way!”

– – Laura Burks, author of Altered

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

 

How to Submit your Manuscript to a Publisher by Stefan Vucak

After slaving over the thing for months, you finally have that treasured opus finished and you want to rush it to every publisher on the horizon.

Wrong!

As an editor and book reviewer, some submissions that came across my desk made me cringe. And it is for one reason only: the author has failed to follow submission guidelines, and is an immediate turnoff. Your chances of getting that manuscript accepted will increase dramatically, quality of your work notwithstanding, if you follow the publisher’s guidelines. It is as simple as that. It might be simple, but I am constantly amazed how many authors overlook this basic fact.

Most common mistakes

Okay, what are the most common mistakes and triggers for rejection?

• Incorrect margins
• Embedding tags
• Using the Tab key to start a new paragraph
• Using the space bar to center a chapter heading
• Using the Enter key to get to a new page for a chapter heading
• Using a double space between sentences
• Leaving double or multiple spaces at end of the last sentence in a paragraph
• Not using a spell checker
• Using Word’s automatic ellipsis instead of three full stops
• Not using double spaces between lines
• Inconsistent text formatting

Why are they a problem

These days, publishers receive lots of submissions, and most end up in the slush pile for a variety of reasons, mostly because of bad writing, not necessarily because the story was bad. If he is a kindly soul, a submissions editor may overlook your setup mistakes, but I wouldn’t bet on it, and dive into evaluating the quality of your story. However, more generally than not, a sloppy presentation will invariably add to his slush pile regardless of how good your novel might be. Why? A submission that doesn’t follow the defined guidelines tells the editor the following about the author:

• Did not bother reading the guidelines
• Did not bother following the guidelines
• Shows disdain for the guidelines
• Shows lack of discipline
• Raises questions about the quality of the submission

The major problem with a sloppy submission, if the work is accepted, it adds enormously to the workload of the proofing editor, distracting from the primary task of editing the manuscript. In such cases the work will be sent back to the author to fix these problems before further editing is done, which generates frustration, makes work for everybody, and delays publication. Moreover, the submission would have created a negative image in the editor’s mind and reduced the author’s chances of being accepted down the track.

What to do

It all begins with the author as part of starting that opus! All the setup mistakes I mentioned should have been eliminated during the writing and final proofreading before thinking about making a submission. Properly setting up and formatting the manuscript should be an automatic process for the author, part of being a disciplined professional, and cognizant of the fact that editors are also people who appreciate a properly structured submission and don’t enjoy having their time wasted.

Okay, let’s say you have done all these things and you are happy with your manuscript. Ready to submit, is it? Definitely not! Once you select a publisher, read his submission instructions! That really helps. Most publishers have similar submission requirements and formatting guidelines, but some have their own specific demands. Regardless of how onerous or unreasonable they might seem, if you want to get accepted by that publisher, it behooves you to follow their instructions – or don’t bother making a submission. It will save everyone concerned some angst.

Read the submission guidelines

All publisher websites will have a submissions icon. If they don’t, I would consider carefully before getting in touch with them. Within the submission page, the publisher will outline their requirements for making an initial query, sending the manuscript – either a sample or complete copy – and formatting instructions. Look for these instructions always, read them carefully and follow them! If your manuscript has been written that avoids mistakes I already mentioned, in most cases you will be ready to make that submission without having to do anything. But if the publisher asks for a specific format, comply! Remember, resistance is futile.

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Stefan Vucak is an award-winning author of seven techno sci-fi novels, including With Shadow and Thunder which was a 2002 EPPIE finalist. His Shadow Gods Saga books have been highly acclaimed by critics. His recent release, Cry of Eagles, won the coveted 2011 Readers Favorite silver medal award. Stefan leveraged a successful career in the Information Technology industry and applied that discipline to create realistic, highly believable storylines for his books. Born in Croatia, he now lives in Melbourne, Australia.

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Guest Blogger Richard Blunt talks about new book

So… My next book tour is finally moving ahead, and I am happy to be here now to share with you a little bit about my new book:

About two years ago I introduced “Lucas Trent – Guardian in Magic”, my first fantasy story. For those of you that have not been around for that let me give you a quick recap: The story is about a pack of teenagers living in a world just like ours, who find out that Magic is something that really exists. Using their newfound power they seek out to help others in need and find out the hard way that it’s not always as easy as it appears to be…

My current book “Lucas Trent 3 – Grand Theft Magic” is (as the title might suggest…) the second sequel to that story. By now Lucas and his friends are firmly rooted in the art of magic, but still face the challenge every day to find a balance between their real lives as normal people and their secret identities as mages. And while this struggle might have seemed bad enough so far, it really picks up a nudge when it suddenly is no longer only about a secret, or maybe about a light injury after a fight with other of their age. When suddenly and unexpectedly one of them almost gets killed they start realizing that they have joined the grown-ups table. And when they think it couldn’t get any worse, It does…

When I went on my first book tour two years ago the first sequel to “Guardian in Magic” (called “Dangerous Potentials”) was already in the final stages of pre-production, so I had little chance to include the feedback I got from the critics during the tour. “Grand Theft Magic” was my first chance to incorporate that feedback and make the story better than its predecessors. So while this still is a story about friendship, loyalty and magic, and a story that is true to my style of writing in depth and consistency, it is now also a story that is packed with action, with danger and with struggle on many fronts. I started this story with the wish to make it the best of both worlds, something that is appropriate for young adults as well as being thrilling enough for adult readers. But decide for yourself if I got the right balance…

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Publishing under a pen name to keep his personal life separate from his writing life, Richard Blunt was raised in the heart of Europe, in a nation where English is not the native language. Like his heroes, Richard blunt is nothing more than a shadow – a specter that whispers a story for everyone to hear.

His latest book is Lucas Trent 3: Grand Theft Magic.

You can visit his website at http://www.lucastrent.com/ and his blog at http://richardblunt.blogspot.com/.

 

Guest Post: Love and Fear by B.A. Chepaitis

One of the pleasures of writing the ‘fear’ series is the opportunity to write about both love and fear, at the extremes, in the hopes that readers will carry some of that energy away with them.

Of course, both my main characters are very Alpha, and very complex, but that’s true of lots of people. As it says in the second novel in the series, The Fear of God, they are two fretful intelligences, swimming uneasily in profoundly swirling depths, complex and rich and potentially deadly.

Really.  As a writer, it’s hard to have more fun that working with characters like that.

Jaguar clearly has no control issues – unless someone tries to control her.  And Alex always sees himself in a position of both responsibility and leadership, his job to make sure everyone comes home alive.  Together they give me plenty of chances to explore, explicate on, and hardly ever explain the chemistry we call love, and the surprising nature of courage.

In the fifth novel, The Green Memory of Fear, their complexities reach an apex, as they face Jaguar’s worst enemy, after her first real defeat on a job.  Yet, they have some strength to bring to the situation. These are people who regularly see the worst of human folly, yet don’t succumb to cynicism or despair.  Even when they’re facing the enormous odds against them in The Green Memory of Fear, Alex can say to Jaguar, “Love beats death every time.  You of all people know that.

And he means it.

But in the best sense of the word, they’re also ordinary people.  I know lots of folks who have faced situations that make the hair stand up on the back of my neck, and they do so with grace, with love.  Jaguar and Alex can only be who they are because they’re possible, in very real terms.  And I always hope my readers will recognize their own strength through reading about these characters.  I hope they can translate the spirit that Jaguar and Alex show into what their own spirits need to face the worst, and the best, of their own lives.

After all, sharing stories to shape the soul of the world is what writing is really all about.

***

Barbara Chepaitis is author of eight published novels and two nonfiction books.  Her most recent novel is The Green Memory of Fear, fifth book in the ‘fear’ series featuring Jaguar Addams.  She is also director of the fiction writing program at Western College of Colorado’s Master’s program in creative writing.

Website:  http://www.wildreads.com
blog: aliterarylunch.blogspot.com
facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jaguar-Addams-and-the-Fear-Series/135879429815445

Guest Post: The Inspiration for The Canker Death by James R. Bottino

There were a number of inspirations for my debut novel, The Canker Death.  On the factual plane, the inspiration came from the fact that an FTP server I was running on one of the old Unix systems in my basement got hacked.  I have a collection of unusual computers that run esoteric operating systems.  Where most people’s computer knowledge ends is where mine begins.  This fact alone gave me the idea for a main character who was based quite a bit on various facets of people I know – computer geeks, that is.

But, I didn’t want to write a novel that was only tailored for sci-fi lovers.  I wanted to write something that was accessible to everyone, so I worked hard to make sure that the technical stuff was accurate and true, but that understanding it in any detail was not at all required for enjoying the novel.

Additionally, as I was getting started, I made a number of decisions about where the book was going to go.  I had been a high school English teacher for about a decade, and, while my main area of expertise was the teaching of writing, specifically creative writing, I whole-heartedly enjoyed reading and teaching the classics: Melville, Shakespeare, Hemingway and the like.  I loved how classic authors could take an often simple story and layer it with allegory so that everything represented not only itself, but an entire higher plane of story that was comprised of allusions, themes and symbols.

So, I knew I wanted to write something that echoed back to those writers, something that I knew would take years and years to create.  Coupled with this, though, was my love of fun, fantastical literature.  Fast-paced stories with cool ideas really grab my attention and hold it.  I can usually read two or three such books to one classic novel.  Often times, these fast-paced, page-turners have nothing more to offer than a quick escape from reality.  They’re just entertaining stories.

So, the challenge of taking these two somewhat opposing styles of writing and blending them together was what really inspired me.  When I combined a main character I felt I knew well with the goal of writing a novel that combined these disparate genres, and then added all that to the beginnings of a plot I had stewing wherein a computer hacker, himself, gets hacked, I knew I had all the pieces I needed.

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James R. Bottino is a self-admitted computer geek and a creative writing teacher rolled into one.  He earned a BS in English Education from Illinois State University and taught high school English in a suburb of Chicago for several years.  After teaching all day, he studied creative writing in graduate school at Northern Illinois University.  All the while, though, in the deep corners of the night, when no one was looking, he led a double life hacking and building computers and networks.

Eventually, unbeknownst to him, word of his activities leaked out, and employment offers started coming in.  In the end, he switched his hobby with his profession and became a senior computer / networking administrator for a scientific research laboratory.

Just six months into this position, however, tragedy struck when, at the age of 31, James was diagnosed with cancer.  Given ten to one odds of living out the year and knowing that his infant daughter would never remember him if he died, he began the fight of his life, enduring massive doses of chemotherapy that killed the cancer but nearly killed him as well.  After years of struggle, he survived, but only after enduring systemic nerve damage from the treatments that left him permanently photophobic, phonophobic and with frequent difficulty in using his hands.

These events focused his efforts and helped him to prevail in his dual goals: being a father to his daughter and completing his first novel, THE CANKER DEATH.  James currently lives in a suburb of Chicago, with his wife, daughter, two Australian cattle dogs and far, far too many books and abstruse computers.

James R. Bottino can be contacted at: “nokinis(at)thecankerdeath(dot)com”

http://www.thecankerdeath.com
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