I was recently notified that my short story “Beezlebug” took 3rd place honors in the annual IDAHO Magazine fiction contest. (See a list of winners here.)
Beezlebug is the story of how a U.S. Army National Guard member is influenced by a lone mosquito to take action against his middle-aged neighbor lady. It is a delightful read for anyone who has a neighbor with whom they don’t always see eye-to-eye.
To read “Beezlebug” and other award winning short stories, visit my short fiction page.
The Palouse Writers Guild is an independent collective comprised of several local writing groups who banded together in order to bring professional development opportunities to the Palouse. Since first being formed in 2016, the Palouse Writers Guild (PWG) has grown from 15 members to serving over 200 area writers today. As a result of this overwhelming response, we are launching our own PWG webpage.
The Palouse Writers Guild’s goal is to facilitate literary education by supporting writers’ groups, author readings, workshops, writing contests, and conference attendance. Membership is open to writers of all genres and media, regardless of publication status. Anyone interested in free writing, critique, participating in writing exercises, attending literary events, or just socializing with groups of like-minded people is welcome to join.
Benefits of Membership Include
This year, Imbolg falls on February 2nd, as that is the mid-point between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. This is the time of the Rowan Moon, when we long for winter to be over and begin seeing the first signs of spring. Nowhere is this more evident than the lambing barns, where in the depths of winter the ewes bring new life to the world. The word Imbolg roughly translates as, ‘the time of lactating ewes.’
This year I complied some information on Imbolg for my Study Moot. Some of that information is presented below.
My article, “History of the Camp Grizzly Area, 1859 to 1907” appears in the December 2018 edition of the Latah Legacy. The article focuses on the Hoodoo Mining District and discusses how Camp Grizzly got it’s name. Anyone wanting a hard copy of this issue can pick up a copy from the Latah County Historical Society.
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There is nothing like bawdy, irreverent, and satirical drinking songs to put you in the holiday spirit. This year’s edition of Laughter and Libations includes more songs and new recipes for favorite winter drinks. Those interested in trying their hand at culinary delights will also find two alcohol infused recipes for “Figgy Pudding” which are sure to be crowd pleasers.
In addition to the new recipes, revilers will find three categories of songs: Continue reading
My article “Who Swiped the Dishrags?” appears in the November issue of IDAHO Magazine and talks about many of the wonderful surprises my neighbors have gifted me with over the years. IDAHO Magazine can be purchased at BookPeople of Moscow. Also, copies are available for check out from the Potlatch Public Library and the Moscow City Library. If you somehow missed out getting a copy at any of those locations, you can always buy a copy online directly from the publisher at:
https://www.idahomagazine.com/shop/2018-11-november-2018-menan/
If you enjoyed this story you might also enjoy “Zucchini Bandits.” Continue reading
Snow City, a novel by G. A. Kathryns
Available on Amazon for $12.99
Hooked from the first sentence!
“Sometimes one has to dream very hard to keep oneself sane.” From the moment I read the opening line in the prologue, I was hooked. As the book progressed I wondered, who is really doing the dreaming? What reality is she trying to escape? Is this a futuristic dystopian SciFi novel or an exposé on mental illness? And who is that dead girl?
Snow City is the creation of Echo Japonica, a reclusive guitarist, who strives to live in a perfect world. A world that she created. Unfortunately, the nightmares of reality spill into Echo’s dream of perfection for Snow City. Those nightmares threaten to cause the entire system to collapse, taking Echo with it. As Echo puts is, “Here [at the Blue Rose] I can be the simple, black-garbed and blonde-braided guitarist I was months ago, before gangsters and lost ghost have entered my life. But gangsters and lost ghosts have entered my life . . .” Continue reading
This is the second part of a workshop I hosted for the Palouse Writers Guild on Saturday, July 28, 2018. To see the first part of the workshop, click here: Building An Author Platform.
Even introverts publishing under a pen name need an author website and that’s why it’s absolutely vital to contemplate your author personal at the onset. Some people are wholly themselves online, while others may use a pseudonym and have an online persona different from who they are in real life. It is essential that authors figure out their persona BEFORE beginning to build their website; the website becomes the author’s identity.
When editors, agents, and publishers receive queries from prospective authors one of the things they do is Google the author because they want to see the size and scope of platform, prior works, etc. Readers also look for author websites. The whole point of a website is making yourself and your work easy to find. Without a website the author simply does not exist. Continue reading
I presented the following information at a workshop hosted by the Palouse Writers Guild on Saturday, July 28, 2018. The second part of the presentation will appear in a separate blog post.
Author Platform Definition: The ability to sell written content (books, short stories, magazine articles, etc) because of who you are or who you can reach. Simply put, a platform is your visibility as an author in the communities in which you participate. Continue reading