Scott D. Southard publishes new novel "Megan"
We would like to congratulate ABNA writer, Scott D. Southard, for the publication of his novel Megan. You can read an excerpt on freado.com
The book is also being made into an audio book and you can hear an excerpt from the audio version at this link.
You can now buy the title on Amazon - Megan
Tom Maremaa's "Metal Heads" Book Reading
You’re invited to come to a book reading and signing of Tom Maremaa’s newly released novel, “Metal Heads,” from Kunati Books.
When: Thursday, May 14th
Time: 7:30 PM
Where: Books Inc
301 Castro Street
Mountain View, California
This should be a very special evening event, as Tom reads from his book and discusses the story behind his novel, one of the first of its kind to deal with the Iraq War and its aftermath. Listen to Tom talk about the book’s vision and characters, and hear how this truly original work of fiction came about.
Carol Buchanan wins Spur Award
Carol posted some more information in the forum.
Christina Pacosz's reading at Montserrat Poetry
Christina Pacosz's “Notes from the Red Zone”
Christina encourages you leave a comment on the blog if you are so inclined.
Listen to Robin Goldsby on NPR PIANO JAZZ
Pianist Robin Meloy Goldsby has spent much of her musical life providing a pleasant soundtrack for hotel lobbies and cocktail bars. She's written a book about her experiences, Piano Girl: A Memoir
.
In this encore presentation of NPR's Piano
Jazz, Goldsby joins McPartland for an entire hour
of fun and music. She performs some original
tunes, as well as several duets with Marian. Piano
Girl meets the Piano Queen.
A Body at Rest
The Macoomba Room at the Club Mocombo
Such Imperfection on Qarrtsiluni
Pacosz also had a poem appear there on October 16, 2008 - Depth of Field - and it isn't too late to comment on that poem if you are so inclined.
http://qarrtsiluni.com/2008/10/16/depth-of-field/
Conclave Journal Launches In Chicago
“Conclave is a different kind of literary magazine because of its character focus,” says founding editor Valya Dudycz Lupescu. “It has a less academic texture than many literary magazines put out by university presses. The black and white photography and bold cover art evoke a more accessible and artistic sensibility.”
Dudycz Lupescu, who divides her time between Chicago and Frankfurt, Germany, met most of her editorial team during their participation in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award contest. The Amazon online forum became a conclave for writers looking to find camaraderie and support during the competition.
After the contest ended, Dudycz Lupescu and her husband, Mark, founded ABNABooks.com, an online showcase and networking site for writers. Recognizing the high quality of talent in their ranks, the couple also created a small nonprofit publishing company, Wolfsword Press to publish Conclave, as well as future fiction, nonfiction, and poetry titles.
Dudycz Lupescu assembled an international advisory board that includes Nahid Rachlin, Maureen Seaton, Roy Kesey, Altaf Qadri, and 12 other renowned writers and photographers. The editorial staff then set out to find strong character-driven poetry, fiction, nonfiction, dramatic excerpts, flash fiction, and photography.
“The writing in Conclave is compelling,” said Dudycz Lupescu. “Kathy Coudle King’s dramatic piece, ‘A Couple of Boobs’ is a bittersweet and believable snippet of a mother-daughter relationship; award-winning author of Darkroom: A Family Exposure, Jill Christman’s ‘Burned’ is poignant and elegant; and Richard Rutherford’s ‘Mongo Hits the Mark’ is an unsettling naturalistic glimpse into fear and aggression.”
In addition to the launch, Conclave is participating in this year’s Around the Coyote Festival held in Chicago. Several of Conclave’s pieces were recorded by writers or performers and will be played in the festival hall to complement the visual arts being displayed over the October 18th weekend. Conclave Journal is also one of many locally based books and magazines to be featured in the new Publishers Gallery located in the Chicago Cultural Center.
“Conclave has generated an exciting discussion among our editors and contributors on what character really is,” said Scott Markwell, managing editor of Conclave and a Chicago-based writer, educator, and performer. “We've asked ourselves what character looks like and why it's important. Fundamentally, we believe character is core to good story-telling, rather than simply relying on the novelty of a narrative.”
The premiere issue of Conclave: A Journal of Character is available on Amazon.com, as well as in select bookstores. The inaugural issue includes the work of Denise Duhamel, Michael S. Glaser, Mark Neely, Gérard Lavalette, Thomas Weschta, Sebastián Utreras Lizana, and many others.
Conclave will open for online submissions in April for its 2009 issue. Authors wishing to submit their work can visit the Conclave: a Journal of Character website at http://www.conclavejournal.com for submission guidelines.
Rhythm
"Rhythm", Robin Meloy Goldsby’s first novel (after her 2005 memoir "Piano Girl"), spans 15 years in the life of her gritty, resilient protagonist and is told with lyrical prose and deft characterization. Well-written, sympathetically earnest fiction."
Piano Girl: A Memoir
Rhythm: A Novel
Levels of Membership Added to ABNA Books
ABNA Books Member
These members were participants in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Their level of participation in the contest is noted as either Entrant, Semifinalist, Top 100, or Top 10.
ABNA Books Sponsored Member
These writers have had their work reviewed by an ABNA Books Reviewer and have had their non-yet-published manuscripts and excerpts added to the site.
ABNA Books Professional Member
These published writers support our vision at ABNA Books and have added their published titles to the site in a show of support.
There is no cost to become an ABNA Books Member. ABNA Contest participants and published writers may submit their work directly on the site.
For non-ABNA contest participants who wish to have their not-yet-published works added to the site, there is a $10 processing fee to review the not-yet-published synopses and manuscript excerpts. Contact us for more information.
* * *
The Target
BettyConfidential
http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/h/a/a02098.html
http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/h/a/a01740.html
http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/h/a/a02230.html
http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/h/a/a02173.html
http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/h/a/a01505.html
Letters to the World
.
She was also mentioned in the blog "Writing the Polish Diaspora":
http://writingpolishdiaspora.blogspot.com/2008/08/poems-and-photos-of-poland.html
ABNA Books Summer Update
Several ABNA Authors have exciting news to share. Here are a few updates:
- Richard Martin (ABNA Contest 2008) has his novel MIXED ANIMAL accepted for publication by MacAdam/Cage. From the Publishers Marketplace details: "Richard Martin's MIXED ANIMAL, a tale of hillbilly magical realism about the unlikely friendship that develops between a grumpy fix-it man and Reader's Digest connoisseur and the strange animal that fate (and a mad scientist uncle) drops into his lap."
- Robin Meloy Goldsby had an article appear in the July issue of The Writer, in the Breakthrough Column.
- Christina Pacosz had several of her poems written for her mother featured in the Editor's Choice section of the July issue of Kritya. The issue focused on "mothers" as a theme.
- Don't forget that the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award winner, FRESH KILLS by Bill Loehfelm will be released on August 21, 2008. Be sure to pre-order your copy.
Submissions have closed for the inaugural issue of Conclave: A Journal of Character. The premiere issue is due to be released mid-October and will include the writing of several ABNA authors. If you'd like to help support the journal, please visit and make a tax-deductible donation.
If you have updates to share, please let us know by sending us an email with "updates" in the subject to info @ abnabooks.com or visit the comment page. Thank you!
Soldiers of Orange
ABNA Authors June Update
Recent publications and wins by ABNA Authors:
- Julie Ann Shapiro has had three stories accepted for publication this month. "Senor P and the Missing Socks" is published in Short Humor UK. "The Dialer Spell" is published in Literary Chaos and "Dizzying Rain" is published in Inscribed.
- Marjorie Carlson Davis has another 2nd place short story contest win--the 2008 American Kennel Club Fiction contest. Her story will appear in upcoming issues of the AKC Gazette and Family Dog.
ABNA Authors, please send us your updates so that we can post them on news and include them in our quarterly newsletter, Echo by ABNA Books.
Send updates to Info @ ABNABooks.com and place "Updates" in the subject line. Thank you!
ABNA Books Online Newsletter Summer 2008
The contest that evolved into a community is growing strong on ABNA Books.com.
Be sure to subscribe to get the latest updates. Read the articles. Buy some books.
Come back often. Tell your friends.
Check us out!
ABNA Books continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of the literary community. We have added a new page, the Small Press Collective. Participating Small Presses have listed their information and agreed to review the ABNA Books site for talent that may meet their needs. We invite all Small Presses to fill out the contact form if they would like to be added to the Small Press Collective. There is no cost for participation. We only ask that publishers notify us if they decide to sign an ABNA author.
Finding
Balance, by
Megan Bostic. "Is it possible to find time to
write while working, maintaining a household, and
attempting some kind of social life? If so, where do
you squeeze it in? I don't even work outside the
home and still barely find time to jot down a
chapter, paragraph, or even a sentence before it
slips into my middle aged, faulty memory abyss. Ive
had to be extremely creative when it comes to my
passion. Here are some ideas for how to squeeze
writing into your busy schedule."(more)
Zen and the Art
of Writing,
by Mark Fowler. "If you could prove God exists,
should you? I don’t know who struggles most with
that question, my fictional protagonist, Lowell
Whaley, or me. If you can prove God, doesn’t that
take the whole faith thing out of the equation?"
(more)
Running the
Gauntlet,
Ian Thomas Healy. "There is a problem with most
writers. It is something that runs rampant through
nearly everything we do. No matter how much we are
writing, it is pervasive and insidious. It is even
running all through this paragraph. It is the
passive voice, and I hate it!" (more)
In
Our Words,
Susanne O'Leary. "Eight years ago, when My first
novel, Diplomatic
Incidents,
was published, I thought: this is it, I am an
author, my career has taken off and from now on, my
books will be in the shops until I decide to stop
writing. I thought I would be allowed to grow as a
writer, building up a readership over the next few
years and the next few novels, until I found my
voice and wrote that break-through novel, which
might be my third or fourth one. I expected my
publisher help me nurture my career, trust me to
improve and go from strength to strength. This
belief proved to be a complete fairytale."
(more)
The Next
Step, Julie
Ann Shapiro. "Book marketing is not a solitary
event. It’s not like writing a book. It’s a social
process involving networking and promotions to
generate buzz about your book. One of the more fun
ways to get the momentum building is through
marketing collaboration with other authors."
(more)
Featured Published
Books
Read great fiction and nonfiction by ABNA Authors!
Browse through our published books to read
works already available by these breakthrough authors.
These books are all available for purchase! Here are
few examples of what's available:
COOL by Mary
Walters
In these sixteen collected stories, Mary W. Walters
reveals the bizarre workings of seemingly normal minds.
Walters enlivens the commonplace, finds joy in the
intimate details of the surface, then takes her readers
into the infinitely varied landscape of the mind with
humor, clarity and purpose.
"She didn't want their
husbands, nor did the husbands want to leave their
wives. She'd thought of the affairs as good things,
small avalanches of intensity and passion in busy,
routine lives. Finished in their time - and with no
hard feelings afterward on either side. She had always
been careful, fastidiously circumspect. She believed
they’d left no victims.” From “Show Jumping”
Savage
Utopia
by Margaret Tanner
On board the convict ship taking them to the penal
colony of Australia, Maryanne Watson and Jake Smith
meet and fall in love. Jake hides a terrible secret
that will take him to the gallows if it ever comes out.
On arrival in Sydney, the lovers are separated.
Maryanne is forced to work for the lecherous Captain
Fitzhugh who attacks her. Fleeing into the wilderness
she meets up with Jake who has escaped from a chain
gang. They set up home in a hidden valley. When
Maryanne falls pregnant Jake risks everything to come
out of hiding to protect his fledgling family. Can love
triumph over such crushing odds?
Available
from www.whiskeycreekpress.com
JEN-ZEN AND
THE ONE SHOE DIARIES by Julie
Ann Shapiro
Brad Lynberry, a successful photographer is haunted by
the memory of Jen-Zen. He finds himself first
fascinated then obsessed with shoes but only lost
shoes! Is Brad driven by artistic inspiration or is he
going off the deep end like his sister fears? The
answer comes through encounters with his Grandma who
loves birds; a shaman named Red Hawk who tells him to
look in the shadows, and Jonathan the art collector who
leads him to Swansea where lost shoes keep popping up
in a display of whimsy. Time is running out. Brad must
unravel Jen-Zen s poetic riddles or go mad trying.
FLASHES OF THE OTHER
WORLD by Julie Ann
Shapiro
Flashes
of the Other World is an intriguing collection of short
stories and one-act, to-the-point flash fiction
covering everything from dark family secrets and death
to lovers transforming into dinosaurs and mental
patients making a meal out of their mothers' closets.
Between the heartbreak, misunderstandings, craziness
and surrealism, Julie Ann Shapiro has blended in some
fantastic descriptions, funky yet easy-to-relate to
characters, and genius plot twists.
Available as an eBook from DPP
STORE
FINDING
MARGOT by Susanne
O'Leary
When Margo misreads the map as they travel through
France, her husband Alan indulges in yet another of his
habitual rages. On impulse, Margo walks out of her
emotionally suppressed life into the hands of fate and
the vast French countryside. As her world is turned
upside down, so are her expectations, and while she is
making new friends and waiting for Alan to find her,
she might just find herself…
GARBIE BARBYHOG-THE
WORM THAT WANTED TO FLY by Veena
Nagpal
Listening to his best friend Cathy
Butterfly chatter about the wonderful world that lies
beyond the garbage heap where he lives, Garbie Garbyhog
is extremely unhappy. All he longs for is to be able to
fly. He sets out on an arduous journey to get himself
wings. Garbie meets a young boy who is as unhappy â
he is sick of the way people leave their garbage
littered everywhere. They form a unique partnership.
Garbie realizes that God has created him with a unique
mission to hog garbage and turn it into valuable
vermi-compost. The book includes a booklet on
Vermi-composting. (Printing Rights Available. Rights
for Garbie Garbyhog - The Worm That Wanted to Fly
(except in India) are still available.) Available
from environedu.promoters@rediffmail.com
THE MILKMAN
by Ian Healy
One question has plagued UFO
researchers for sixty years: What's the deal with
aliens and anal probes?
Blake, a milkman with a penchant for sword fighting,
and Liza, a reporter who needs a hot story, discover
the answer to this question when they are abducted:
aliens are clouds of sentient gas that require a
specific intestinal environment in which to live. Blake
and Liza are the first humans ever found to possess the
correct qualities. They will have only one chance to
save the world, their friends,
and themselves...
OBSESSIONS:
THE SHOCKING TRUE STORY OF THE REAL BILLIE JEAN
IN MICHAEL JACKSON'S LIFE by
Theresa J. Gonsalves
Delve into a world of intrigue, love,
sex and manipulation as you enter the real life world
of Theresa Gonsalves, known as the real Billie Jean in
Michael Jackson's life! Theresa Gonsalves grew up in a
fantasy world of Michael Jackson. She wrote him
numerous letters that intrigued him which led Michael
to cultivate a relationship with her after they meet on
her 16th birthday. As time goes on, the friendship
between them is nurtured. But while trying to develop a
relationship with another man, Theresa finds herself
pregnant and turns to Michael. Her baby's father denies
the kid as being his son. Michael is privy to this
information and soon the song Billie Jean is released.
When Star Magazine finds out about their relationship,
they dub her the Real Billie Jean in Michael Jackson's
life, as many believe the song was written about
her.
Featured
Not-Yet-Published Books
Discover the next great novel!
Browse through unpublished books to read the
synopses of great novels from a variety of genres.
Download and review your favorites. Here are few
examples of what's available:
IN YOUR DREAMS
By Michael von Glahn
Institutionalized for behaviors resulting from a sleep
disorder, James learns to enter -- and alter -- other
people's dreams. Discovered by a program exploring the
next stages of human evolution, he's introduced to
other teens with paranormal powers. But when the
research facility is destroyed by unknown paranormal
assailants, James and a handful of survivors find
themselves on the run from the killers, as well as from
government agents who think THEY wiped out the program.
Can they stay alive long enough to decipher what's
behind the attack -- and what the real goal of the
program was? (Read
excerpt)
THREE DROP PENNIES
by Julie Ann Shapiro
In Three Drop Pennies two teenagers and life long
friends, Tommy and Lori start a romance. But Tommy's
increasingly dark psychic visions threaten to tear them
apart. Lori seeks solace and collects pennies. Online
she befriends Bo, another coin collector. Unbeknownst
to Lori, Bo is a former mental patient. He struggles to
make his way in the world and is tormented by his past,
the evil impulses of Abe and a bewitching ghost. When
Lori disappears and is seriously injured, Tommy must
determine the nature of Bo's involvement; as he too is
lured into the world of the mysterious penny man.
(Read
excerpt)
WHERE THE HEART IS
by Susanne O'Leary
A woman finds out who her late mother was through
letters written thirty years earlier. It's a voyage of
discovery and identity. (Read
excerpt)
GUARDIAN OF THE
ELEMENTS BOOK ONE: The Paladin and the Pirate
by Jarucia Jaycox Nirula
Varuna (Una) Kannon lives an ordinary, American life.
She loves books, movies, and hanging out with her best
friend, Reed. The last day of school is the first day
to signal something unusual on Una's horizon.
Increasingly strange things happen to Una, leading her
to believe she's cursed, though her mother insists
it's something else. In the days that follow, she's
plagued with questions. Why is Reed acting weird? Why
are her parents so indifferent? When her thirteenth
birthday arrives, its time for Una to except her fate,
which will lead to a calling no one has yet to imagine.
(Read
excerpt)
TO:GOD@HEAVEN.COM
by Veena Nagpal 'A bitter, crusty old woman in
India. A young Indian girl in UK, trying to reach out
to God in a moment of trouble. A chance connection. Set
in India and UK, ‘To God @ Heaven.com’ is a growing up
novel with a difference in that the person growing up
is an old woman in her seventies.' (Read
excerpt)
LINCOLN PARK
by Anne Moore
Lincoln Park is a smart, sexy comedy of
manners set in downtown Chicago. Architect Philip
Hamner has just won a top prize, sending him to Paris,
with women falling all over him. Wife Sarah feels like
she's being left behind with a glamorous but easy job
and their three kids. His brother Marty can't help it,
but is in love with Sarah. Colleague Anna openly pines
for Philip. Young wanna-bees circle Philip and Sarah,
making sad or hilarious mistakes. Philip's 40th
birthday caps the story: will he stay or will he go?
(Read
excerpt)
DEEP SIX:
A JUST CAUSE NOVEL
by Ian Thomas
Healy
How is it possible to contain a prisoner who has the
ability to fly or walk through walls? In answer to this
question, the underground prison Deep Six was built. It
is the most secure prison in the world from which
nobody has ever escaped that is until a brilliant
psychopath engineers a mass breakout of the entire
prison population leaving it up to two guards to thwart
the escape. The underground prison quickly becomes a
battleground for a deadly war of attrition. The two
guards must devise a plan to overcome the super-powered
criminals and save the hostages. (Read
excerpt)
THE PROPERTY
by G.R. Greene
Kath Havens isn't like
other people. She doesn't understand or trust them. She
buys a home in the country wanting to live on her own
terms. The former owner’s death aroused no suspicion
and Kath has no warning she's next. Kath's reality
is different. Secrets about her parentage haunt her,
she is suspicious, and has extreme mood swings.
She's also a fighter. After moving to the property,
Kath's life improves. She's learning to
trust when tragedy strikes. Her friends and
family turn against her. She falls into a dark place, a
depression that takes her to the edge of
self-destruction. (Read excerpt)
RHYTHM
Robin Meloy Goldsby
Teenage drummer Jane Bowman lives in swanky Sewickley
Heights with her father and two eccentric maids. She
attends a private high school, practices the drums, and
struggles to recover from her mother’s death, caused by
a fire in a Manhattan nightclub. After graduation Jane
moves to New York City, where she encounters the best
and worst elements of the music business. RHYTHM
reveals the tragic beauty of human resilience, the
restorative power of love and laughter, and the way one
girl's music—steady, solid, and courageous—helps to
mend her shattered heart. (Read
excerpt)
DENA POWERS: SUPERHERO?
by Megan Bostic
Strange things begin to happen to Dena Powers on her
thirteenth birthday. She writes it off as overtired
delusions, but only until lunch time, when an incident
at school leads her to believe that her bizarre day is
due to more than just lack of sleep. Dena gets home to
find out she has super human powers. Her father advises
her to keep her them under wraps because of the
overwhelming temptation to use them selfishly. However,
Dena confides in her BFF's Mary and Rachel, who urge
her to use her new gifts to better society. Dena begins
a crusade against crime, while still dealing with
homework, snobs, and boys, making her world go from
confusing to downright chaotic. (Read
excerpt)
From the
founders of ABNA Books, we proudly announce
Conclave: A Journal of
Character
Conclave is an annual print journal that
focuses on character-driven writing in short
stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry,
and prose poems. Conclave will also feature black and white
photographs, and excerpts from plays: monologues,
scenes, single acts, or one-act plays. The editors
will be accepting submission from April 1 to July 1,
2008. (more)
ABNA Books Update May 2008
- Ian Healy has been busy with the launch of his new site www.ianhealy.com (adding to a list of several fascinating and informative web sites that he maintains).
- Stephanie Feuer has an essay in the upcoming Democrat Soul anthology, and recently read at New York's premier literary bar, KGB, as part of the Momapalooza festival.
- April L. Hamilton's first article for Teleread is up about the current state of the publishing industry and how it got that way.
The latest version of the ABNA Books Newsletter will be released online and on Kindle next week, featuring new columns from ABNA authors and new featured works.
In the meantime, several ABNA authors were selected to be editors at Conclave: A Journal of Character, and many ABNA authors have submitted their work to the journal.
Much of my own time has been spent working on the new journal. We have a formidable Advisory Board with award-winning writers and photographers, and the submissions have been pouring in from around the world.
Thanks for stopping by ABNA Books. Check back again soon!
~Valya Dudycz Lupescu
Some News From Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Finalists
BAD THINGS HAPPEN by Top Three Finalist Harry Dolan is going to be published in summer 2009 by Amy Einhorn Books, an imprint of G.P. Putnam's Sons, part of Penguin Group.
Margaret Erhart's THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE GRAND CANYON is going to be published by Plume in Summer 2009.
Many of us have wondered about the Finalists and Semifinalists from the first Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Have any received publishing deals? Literary agents?
Please send us your updates so that we can post them on news and include them in our quarterly newsletter, Echo by ABNA Books. Send updates to Info@ABNABooks.com and place "Updates" in the subject line. Thank you!
Conclave Journal Seeks Photography
Conclave seeks photos of pristine composition and revelatory content, black and white photographs that evoke personality, an unforgettable story, a compelling emotion, the decisive moment.
The photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson, father of modern photojournalism, captured characters. When speaking of Martin Munkácsi’s photo, Three Boys at Lake Tanganyika, Cartier-Bresson said, “I suddenly understood that photography can fix eternity in a moment.”
Conclave is a character-focused journal, and they want the photographs that they feature to reflect that sensibility. Clearly, there are other styles and methods for capturing character in photography. Like Cartier-Bresson, they are looking to capture “fixed eternity in a moment.”
Conclave is accepting submissions on the Conclave site, but they have also started a flickr group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/conclave2008/
Conclave Journal is accepting submissions until July 1, 2008. So if you have writing or photography to share, visit www.conclavejournal.com
Wolfsword Press Launches Conclave: A Journal of Character
A group of writers who met as competitors in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, have evolved into collaborators on a new literary magazine, Conclave: A Journal of Character. Conclave is an annual print journal that focuses on character-driven writing in contemporary fiction, nonfiction, dramatic excerpts, poetry, and photography.
Eager to showcase some of the talent from the ranks of Amazon contest participants, as well as to promote the writing of talented authors and artists around the world, Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist Valya Dudycz Lupescu created the journal.
“Conclave will feature poetry and prose that makes you laugh, think, feel, or remember,” said Dudycz Lupescu, editor and founder of Conclave. "We hope the writing in our journal will not only entertain and inform, but also introduce readers to unforgettable characters who will stay with them long after they've finished reading.”
While hundreds of literary journals exist in print and online, many are tied to University presses run by their English departments. Conclave will be published by nonprofit Wolfsword Press, based in Chicago, Illinois. The editors plan to publish new, as well as established writers, while appealing to a readership beyond University libraries and subscriptions.
“Conclave's focus on character-driven stories makes it an ideal venue for personal essays, those thousand-word pictures of how we choose to live our lives” said New Yorker Stephanie Feuer, one of Conclave’s nonfiction editors. “I'm looking forward to reviewing the submissions."
Conclave will also feature photographs to complement the writing.
“We are looking for black and white photographs of pristine composition and revelatory content that evoke personality, an unforgettable story, or a compelling emotion,” said Dudycz Lupescu.
Writers and photographers can find more information about Conclave: A Journal of Character and submit online at: www.conclavejournal.com
About Conclave: A Journal of Character:
An annual print journal that focuses on character-driven writing in short stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and prose poems, Conclave also includes black and white photographs and excerpts from plays: monologues, scenes, single acts, or one-act plays. Created by Valya Dudycz Lupescu and her husband Mark Lupescu, the debut issue of Conclave will premier this Fall 2008.
Contact Information:
Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Editor
Conclave: A Journal of Character
valya@conclavejournal.com
http//www.conclavejournal.com
ABNA Books Anthology Call for Submissions
Potential essay subjects could include:
How to prepare your manuscript
How to create a captivating synopsis
The importance of titles
Polishing up your excerpt
Navigating the forums
Threadaholics
Networking
Promoting your excerpt
How to get the votes
What to expect from the final three
Life after ABNA
There are countless topics, and ABNA Authors are the ones to write them!
We're asking for proposals (roughly 100 words) from interested writers, as well as a brief (2-3 sentence) bio, describing your participating in ABNA 2008. We will accept the applicable essays on a first-come, first-served basis.
Send proposals to info@abnabooks.com
We don’t have much time for this if we’d like to get it published before the deadline for the 5000 submissions. Last year this was in October, so we’d like the book to be ready for September. Which means we need these works ASAP.
Proposals are due to me by May 1, 2008, 12am (CST). We will respond to you as the proposals come in. The deadline for polished submissions is June 1. The essays should be 1500-3000 words. Considering the event has passed and is still fresh in our minds, the sooner we write them the better.
Please allow until May 10 for a response. If you haven't received a response by then, please assume your proposal has not been selected. It is not possible to reply to every proposal personally.
Questions may be directed to: info @ abnabooks.com
<</span>a href="http://technorati.com/claim/edb8ujm5fa" rel="me">Technorati Profile</</span>a>
ABNA Author April Hamilton cited in MSN Money article
Here's an excerpt:
"Barnes & Noble is really complicit in pushing the industry to emphasize blockbusters and best-sellers," says indie author April Hamilton, who has successfully self-published two novels using tools provided by Amazon.com. Horowitz says Barnes & Noble has contributed to "homogenizing America's tastes."
To read more, please click here or go to: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/CompanyFocus/WillBarnesAndNobleWinTheBookWars.aspx?page=1
ABNA Books Newsletter available as Kindle Edition
The first two ABNA Books
newsletters have been compiled into the first
eBook issue of Echo by ABNA Books, the
Spring Quarterly Issue of the ABNA Books
Newsletter..
http://www.amazon.com/ECHO-by-ABNA-Books/dp/B0017RPFOG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208300745&sr=8-1
ABNA Books will continue to put out the newsletter on a quarterly basis, published online and as Kindle editions (perhaps with a print anthology somewhere down the road!) so ABNA writers interested in submitting, check out our submission guidelines at:
http://www.abnabooks.com/page7/page28/page28.html
If you have a Kindle, please read and review Echo by ABNA Books!
www.abnabooks.com
Check us out!
Congratulations to Bill Loehfelm, Winner of the First Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
Born in Brooklyn and raised on Staten Island, Bill Loehfelm moved to New Orleans in 1997. He has taught high school and college, managed a pizza joint and an antique shop, and tended bar in the Quarter and the Warehouse District. "As long as New Orleans endures here, so too will I," writes Loehfelm on his Amazon profile.
Loehfelm belongs to a tight group of artists in New Orleans; the majority of whom are writers with a common connection to the University of New Orleans where they received their MAs and MFAs. Together they formed NOLAFugees.com in 1997 as a response to the national media coverage of the flooding of the Crescent City.
Fresh Kills won by receiving the greatest number of customer reviews on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award site. Praised by Elizabeth Gilbert as "a story of real psychological complexity" and hailed by Publishers' Weekly as "the next Dennis Lehane," Loehfelm's debut mystery unfolds against the gritty backdrop of Staten Island as an estranged son struggles to find his father's killer and make peace with a terrible past.
ABNA Books congratulates Bill Loehfelm on his win, and we wish him well in his writing career.
You can pre-order Fresh Kills on ABNABooks.com, an Amazon Affiliate, and a percentage of the sale will go to help with the costs of maintaining this site. Click on the link below and reserve your copy today!
ABNA Books Online Newsletter April 2008
ABNA Books currently has over 80 authors participating on the site, 55 authors on the forum, over 69 published books and 75 not-yet-published books.
This month we bring you the first column by ABNA Books feature columnist Ian Thomas Healy, as well as new columns by ABNA authors Rebecca Crandell and Tom Maremaa. We have several other “firsts,” as we feature an author interview with April L. Hamilton, who is paving new ground with her IndieAuthor movement. We also have Leah Davidson’s Book Review of 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published And 14 Reasons Why It Just Might, by Pat Walsh.
Be sure to check out the newest featured published and not-yet-published books by ABNA authors, and stay tuned for the latest news.
Zen & the
Art of Writing, by Rebecca Crandell.
"When I conceived the
idea of the 7th Moon
Chronicles, most of us relied on dot-matrix
printers. I still have a stack of yellowing sheets
with holes along the edges, but the story and its
author have undergone so many transformations that
it’s impossible to connect the initial concept with
what exists now, on my flash drive or in my heart."
(more)
Running the
Gauntlet,
Ian Thomas Healy. "Hello, my name is Ian, and I’m a
self-published author.
'Hi Ian,' you all chorus.
A lot of people are curious about self-publishing. What
is it? How is it different from conventional
publishing? And, of course, can you make any money with
it?
To answer those questions, I’d like to share some of my
own experiences with dodging the pitfalls of the
self-publishing industry." (more)
Featured Book
Review, by
Leah Davidson. "December 31, 2004,
eleven-o-something PM. After one last read-through
of my first email query for my first completed
novel, I hit the "send" button. It took nine months
of late nights writing, time snatched proof-reading
and note-making on every lunch hour, but I'd done
it. I'd actually written a novel. I'd read the first
chapters of the latest Writer's Digest Guide to
Literary Agents (so of course I knew how to write a
query letter) and picked a dozen agents I was sure
would be thrilled to read my manuscript. Now I was
ready to barrage the publishing industry with
brilliant queries." (more)
The Next
Step, by
Thomas Maremaa. "It was not an easy decision: I
had written both books with the intention of placing
them with a New York agent and a conventional print
publisher. Both works came to me spontaneously and
wrote themselves over a period of time, working long
nights and weekends, as I channelled the voices of
each narrator emotionally and through some creative
process I can't describe. Both works, modesty aside,
are originals; nobody's done before. So what
happened? "(more)
Author
Interview with April L.
Hamilton. "I’m trying a different approach
with one of my works in progress, but every other
novel, short story or screenplay I’ve ever written
has followed the same process. I begin with a
protagonist and a general challenge or life
situation. Next I think about the likely people who
would populate the protagonist’s world: family
members, friends, co-workers and so on."
(more)
Featured Published
Books
Read great fiction and nonfiction by ABNA Authors!
Browse through our published books to read
works already available by these breakthrough authors.
These books are all available for purchase! Here are
few examples of what's available:
SNOW BALL
by April L.
Hamilton
Cinder Torley
is an intelligent young woman who yearns to escape
the stifling yoke imposed by her small town
upbringing and unhappy marriage, but that doesn't
mean she killed her husband. When he goes missing
one night, Cinder quickly learns who---and how
few---her friends really are in this darkly comic
tale of dueling schemers and incompetents. The
sheriff thinks this might be his only ticket out of
back-country law enforcement. Coffee house barista
Clark Norris knows a sordid, true-crime story could
jumpstart his stalled writing career. Glamorous
correspondent Bailey Weems sees a ratings bonanza
that can make her a cable news star. And as for
Velma and Naomi, who may or may not be part of the
notorious Manitoba Six Canadian crime ring, they're
only in it for the black market Phen-Fen. The
surprising truth about what happened to Cinder's
husband will lay waste to all these agendas, but
will it prove Cinder's innocence?
THE LOTTERY TICKET
by Tom
Maremaa
The
Lottery Ticket, set in the sleepy yet vibrant town
of Palo Alto, California, takes the conventional
murder mystery and turns it flat on its head. One
day Luke Cherry finds his mother hanging from the
living room rafters, an apparent suicide, but this
is far from the truth. When Luke's father, the
Ur-Geek of Silicon Valley, is arrested and charged
with assisting in his wife's suicide, all hell
breaks loose in the Cherry family. A stormy trial
ensues, shaking up the community. Dad looks sure to
be convicted, until Luke, his wily, loving son, is
able to connect with Dad's motley crew of friends,
including a tribe of Afghan refugees who challenge
the natural order of things and come heroically to
his rescue. The story is told in the cool,
unflappable voice of its youthful narrator.
CROSSING WITH THE LIGHT
by Dwight Okita
It
was a labor of love. Thanks to the fantastic and
multicultural Tia Chucha Press for being the first to
publish a book of my poems. Some of these poems have
been reprinted in the Norton Introduction to
Literature, the Smithsonian, an array of anthologies,
and textbooks from publishers such as Holt Rinehart
Winston, Penguin, and Milkweed. And they have appeared
on the NPR show This American Life hosted by Ira Glass,
as well as on Chicago buses and trains. The title poem
appears on a bronze plaque in San Francisco along the
Embarcadero.
Much of the poetic voice of my novel grows out of my
days as a poet.
BAREFOOT IN THE DARK
by Lynne Barrett-lee
Do you believe in
fairytales?
When Hope Shepherd loses her trainer while boarding the
8.42 into Cardiff, Cinderella couldn't be further from
her thoughts. Painfully divorced, she's all out of
daydreams - and it's not a glass slipper, after all.
It's picked up, however, by a Prince Charming of sorts
- DJ Jack Valentine, who's just been divorced too. He
appeals on his show for the owner to come forward; a
latterday princess being just what he needs... Hope
works as a publicist for the charity, Heartbeat, and is
encouraged by her boss to get Jack on board. A
celebrity endorsement is exactly what they're after, to
raise the profile of their upcoming fun run. So far, so
good; a fairytale beginning - their mutual attraction's
just too strong to ignore. But this is the real world,
and these are two damaged people. With both of them
determined not to risk another heartbreak, is a
happy-ever-after an impossible dream?
THE MILKMAN
by Ian Healy
One question has plagued UFO
researchers for sixty years: What's the deal with
aliens and anal probes?
Blake, a milkman with a penchant for sword fighting,
and Liza, a reporter who needs a hot story, discover
the answer to this question when they are abducted:
aliens are clouds of sentient gas that require a
specific intestinal environment in which to live. Blake
and Liza are the first humans ever found to possess the
correct qualities. They will have only one chance to
save the world, their friends, and themselves...
Featured
Not-Yet-Published
Books
Discover
the next great novel!
Browse through unpublished books to read the
synopses of great novels from a variety of genres.
Download and review your favorites. Here are few
examples of what's available:
SWIMMING IN THE RAINBOW
by Rebecca Crandell
Following a devastating attack on her home that kills
her only friend, young Zoé is torn from her solitary,
fantasy-filled life in pastoral Germany. With help from
an extraordinary man of poetry and courage, she flees
deep into the Mediterranean archipelago, barely a step
ahead of the soldiers who relentlessly pursue her.
Magic and realism collide as she discovers why she is
so important, why governments are fighting over her.
When the soldiers catch up to Zoé, they force her into
a world wounded by the loss of dream and myth.
Ultimately, she alone must choose between life and
final obliteration. (Read
excerpt)
SOLDIERS OF ORANGE
by Tom Maremaa
Soldiers of Orange is a
powerful, heartbreaking novel about veterans of the
Iraq war coming home and being treated for their wounds
in a California hospital. The story is told by Jeremy
Witherspoon, an ex-Marine who knows all the soldiers on
the ward, a collection of oddball, yet heroic
characters. Spoon, as he is called, witnessed a brutal
crime of war in Ramadi, did nothing about it, and
covered up the details. His fear is one of discovery.
One day a private contractor named Skank shows up at
the hospital, realizing Spoon's worst fear. Critics
have hailed Soldiers of Orange as the Catch-22 of the
Iraq war. (Read
excerpt)
A LIGHT IN THE CANE
FIELDS
by Enrico Antiporda
This coming-of-age story chronicling a
Filipino boy's wrenching passage from son of privilege
to guerilla fighter is a stylistic tour-de-force. From
its first lines, the saga of Jando Flores seizes
readers with the same chilling intensity as the cold
water that wraps around Jando's chest as he hides in a
river to escape a gang of pillaging cutthroats.
Mountain bandits, sugar warlords, Peace Corps
volunteers, dignitaries, and revolutionaries all jostle
beneath "mango-colored" skies in this riveting epic of
loss and transformation, but it is a masterful and
delicate choreography--Publishers Weekly (Read
excerpt)
OF TWO MINDS, A STORY OF THE ALLIANCE
CHRONICLES
by Leah Davidson
Timu Maarinen, the worst slacker in Vaaseli's school
for diplomats, enjoys telepathic gifts so great, and a
family so prominent, he can't contrive to get himself
expelled. Stubbornly devoted to natural history rather
than politics, he falls under the influence of three
compelling women. His schoolmate, Aulia, offers to help
him academically, hoping to spark his romantic
interest; his sister Elian, progressive scholar
betrothed to the heir to the throne, enlists him in her
political causes; and Lady Rilsa Karula decides to
further his diplomatic career while teaching him the
arts of pleasure.
When these forces converge, they propel Timu into
dangers that threaten to destroy his family and all
progressives and jeopardize the international Alliance
made possible by the Peace of Alidor. (Read
excerpt)
DEEP SIX:
A JUST CAUSE NOVEL
by Ian Thomas
Healy
How is it possible to contain a prisoner who has the
ability to fly or walk through walls? In answer to this
question, the underground prison Deep Six was built. It
is the most secure prison in the world from which
nobody has ever escaped that is until a brilliant
psychopath engineers a mass breakout of the entire
prison population leaving it up to two guards to thwart
the escape. The underground prison quickly becomes a
battleground for a deadly war of attrition. The two
guards must devise a plan to overcome the super-powered
criminals and save the hostages. (Read
excerpt)
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ABNA Books Adds Kindle Edition Section for Published Works
Trashionista Book Review: Finding Margo by Susanne O'Leary
Here's an excerpt:
"Margo Hunter feels trapped. Her husband is sitting beside her in the car swearing at her, calling her a half-wit with venom in his voice and she has had enough. In a split second decision she decides to hitch a lift to Paris, leaving her husband whilst he is sitting waiting his turn for the petrol pump.
Margo and her husband Alan had been driving on the French motorway when he asked her which exit they needed. But Margo hadn’t read the map correctly and Alan goes into his usual rage. This time, however, enough is enough..."
Click here to go to Trashionista.com and read the entire article.
Independently-Published Novel Makes Amazon Top 10 Bestseller List
Judges in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest didn’t deem April L. Hamilton’s comic novel Adelaide Einstein worthy of advancement beyond the semifinal round, but readers beg to differ. During the semifinal round 36 Amazon customers gave Adelaide Einstein an average rating of 4.75 stars out of 5, and on the strength of those reviews Hamilton elected to forge ahead and publish her novel independently. Despite the lack of backing from any major publisher, and with sales generated from word of mouth alone, the Kindle edition of Adelaide Einstein has risen to the #10 spot in Amazon.com’s Kindle bestsellers list under the category of “Motherhood” and since its release on February 12, 2008, has ranked as high as #803 in Kindle bestsellers overall.
Hamilton’s Kindle edition of Snow Ball, a dark comic mystery also independently published earlier this year, is even more popular with readers, having ranked as high as #5 in Amazon’s Kindle bestseller list under the heading of “Mystery”, higher than bestselling authors Patterson, Robb and Evanovich. The Kindle edition has ranked as high as #742 in overall Kindle bestsellers. Snow Ball currently enjoys an average customer rating of 4.5 stars out of a possible 5. Reviewer J. Schisler says, “What a fun read - dark comedy that will remind you of Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiassen and Jennifer Crusie at their best. Read this book and brag to your friends that you've discovered the "Next Big Thing" in fiction.”
Both novels were released in trade paperback edition at the end of February. April Hamilton is working to encourage an indie movement in authorship to match those of the music and film industries, by offering free, IndieAuthor how-to Guides at her author website (http://www.aprillhamilton.com), where free excerpts from her novels are also available.
April Hamilton's novels Adelaide Einstein and Snow Ball are available in the General Fiction section of ABNABooks Published Novels.
ABNABooks Author Has Story in the New York Times
Here's an excerpt:
A COUPLE of days before Christmas, when my 9-year-old son couldn’t sleep, I thought he was excited about our forthcoming vacation.
That was not the problem. “It’s just too quiet,” he complained.
My son is used to hearing traffic, traffic that comes in waves like an urban ocean — the traffic of the 80,000 or so vehicles that, according to the Department of Transportation, pass through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel each day. But the holiday weekend had left the city eerily silent.
To read the rest, please click here or go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/nyregion/thecity/16tunn.html?ref=thecity
ABNABooks.com Gets Press on Blogs and Internet
Check it out:
ABNA books was written about on Zoey's World, the Blog of Zoey Castelino, a Toronto journalist and one of Toronto's more popular female media bloggers.
In her entry "more writers, more social media," Zoey writes:
"As you can imagine, I receive a lot of press releases, but the one about ABNA really
stood out - and not just because it was well written (which of course you would kinda
expect from a group of writers, after all.) What grabbed me was the idea of the on-line
community that ABNA offers as well as the resources."
To read more from her entry, go to: http://zoeybella.blogspot.com/
ABNA Books also got a nice note from Joe Wikert, Vice President and Executive Publisher in the Professional/Trade division of John Wiley & Sons, Inc, in the comments section of Joe Wikerts Publishing 2020 Blog:
"Valya, I hadn't heard of ABNABooks till I saw your comment. I stopped by, took a brief
look and liked what I saw. I definitely encourage authors to continue networking with
other authors, publishers and others in the community. New platforms are more likely
to be built using this federation approach than if everyone is simply trying to rise above
all the noise individually."
To read more from Mr. Wikert, go to http://jwikert.typepad.com/the_average_joe/2008/03/reading-liveson.html#comments
ABNA writers have sent out press releases that are circulating on several internet press release/news sites, and they have linked to ABNABooks.com on their home pages and blogs.
These grassroots PR efforts have already brought more than 1200 unique visitors to the site in the last 2 1/2 weeks!
ABNA Books Author and Columnist Quoted in USA Today
Congrats, Julie!
Short Kindle supply is keeping e-book fans waiting
By Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY
Julie Ann Shapiro's debut novel Jen-Zen and the One Shoe Diaries is among more than 100,000 digital titles for sale
on Amazon's Kindle e-book reader. But the author is one of many readers who cannot get hold of a Kindle. "I wish I
could tell you I had one," she sighs. "Most people I know are frustrated about not getting one."
The rest of the article can be read here:
Amazon Semifinalists Launch ABNABooks.com
CHICAGO, Illinois – March 10, 2008 – ABNABooks.com, an online showcase, network and marketplace for writers, was launched on March 1, 2008. ABNA Books is a place for writers to present their work, keep track of fellow writers’ news and publications, and get the attention of publishers and agents.
What began as a group of entrants and semifinalists in the “Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award” contest, evolved into the Association of Breakthrough Novel Authors on ABNABooks.com. Through the Amazon discussion forum, participating writers grew into a community, working together to improve their writing and promote their books.
Brainchild of semifinalist Valya Dudycz Lupescu, ABNABooks.com establishes a more permanent home for ABNA writers and their works.
“Several writers and reviewers mentioned that they wanted a way to stay in touch and to find out about the publications of other entrants,” said Lupescu. “ABNABooks.com provides us with the place to do that. The general public can also subscribe for a free monthly update about news and publications.”
Selected as a semifinalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, Lupescu's debut novel, The Silence of Trees, gained more than 200 positive reviews from customers and reviewers. Lupescu and her husband, Mark, decided to create ABNA Books to maintain the community started during the contest, while at the same time providing the public with a place to track the manuscripts and publications of this talented group of writers.
"Since the manuscripts in ABNABooks.com have been pre-screened in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award competition and most have received positive reviews from Publishers Weekly, I can see it as a legitimate source of good literature,” said Enrico Antiporda, author of the Top 100 Semifinalist entry, A Light in the Cane Fields. “I foresee literary agencies and commercial publishers mining the website to add to their catalogue."
With short synopses, lengthy excerpts, and prior publications, ABNA Books provides agents and editors a snapshot of writers’ projects and potential. The site also provides a place for comments and reviews, so that an author’s following and marketability may be glimpsed.
Patricia O’Sullivan has been an active participant on the Amazon forum since its creation. Her novel, The Hope of Israel, was also selected as one of the Top 100 Finalists. “What arose from this forum of competitors were friendships and writers’ support networks that sustained entrants during five long months of a public review period of their manuscript excerpts,” said O’Sullivan. “One might have thought the culling of entrants would have destroyed the ABNA community of writers. The opposite happened. What began as a contest became a community.”
For more information about ABNA Books please visit www.ABNABooks.com
###
About ABNA
Books.com:
ABNA began as a group of entrants and semifinalists of
the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Through the forum,
they grew into a community of writers working together
to improve their writing and promote their books.
ABNABooks.com is the next step in their evolution, a
place to maintain that solidarity while promoting their
work and perfecting their craft. ABNA Books is an
online showcase, network, and marketplace for writers,
created by Valya Dudycz Lupescu and her husband, Mark
Lupescu. It’s a place for writers to present their
work, get the attention of publishers and agents, and
help each other in the process of publishing and
promotion.
Congratulations to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Top 10 Finalists!
* The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills by Jennifer Colt
* Casting Off by Nicole R. Dickson
* Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan
* The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer
* The Butterflies of Grand Canyon by Margaret Erhart
* Ring of Lies by Karen Laugel
* Fresh Kills by Bill Loehfelm
* Motherless Children by Randall Luce
* The Prospect of My Arrival by Dwight Okita
* Wrecking Civilization Before Lunch by John Ring
Amazon customers can go to the www.Amazon.com/ABNA site to download longer versions of each of the novels and then write a review. The following is taken from the Amazon ABNA site:
“Finalists will earn the following point values based on your star ratings:
•5 stars = 3 points
•4 stars = 1 point
•1, 2 or 3 stars = 0 points
•Download only (no review or star rating) = 0 points
The grand prize winner will be the finalist who earns the most total points from customer ratings.
Only ratings with qualified reviews will be counted, and a customer may only rate and review each excerpt once.”
For the first two weeks, reviews will be posted on the site, but after that they will be hidden to maintain the element of surprise until the announcement of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award winner on April 7, 2008.
Good luck to all the Finalists! We hope to see all your books on ABNA Books...as forthcoming bestsellers!
Welcome to the launch of ABNA Books!
Awesome Books, Not Appreciated?
Accolades But No Awards?
What is ABNA Books?
ABNA is the Association of Breakthrough Novel Authors.
We started as a group of entrants and semifinalists of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Through the forum, we grew into a community of writers working together to improve our writing and promote our books. ABNABooks.com is the next step in our evolution, a place to maintain that solidarity while promoting our work and perfecting our craft.
ABNA Books is an online showcase, network, and marketplace for writers. It’s a place for writers to present their work, get the attention of publishers and agents, and help each other in the process of publishing and promotion.
Bear with us as we continue to upload content to the site. If you have any questions, send us a note on the Contact page.
Come back often. Tell your friends. Check us out!