Cool Stuff

Book Review: The Poets and Writers Guide to Literary Agents

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The Poets and Writers Guide to Literary Agents

[Kindle Edition}

This book is a collection of articles from literary agents with tips and hints for the author who wants to land an agent. I found the insight and tips very helpful and plan toput a lot of the information to good use.

If you’re anything like me, you get bored reading ‘scholarly’ or ‘educational’ information. I need to know the details of how to find a good agent, where the agents are looking, and how best to approach an agent but it’s not as exciting as a piece of fiction. This book, with its collection of essays, articles, and interview snippets, allowed me to get the information I needed in bit sized pieces so I was not overwhelmed and did not lose my place.

If you are looking for information on obtaining an agent, this is a good read.

Here’s the official book description from Amazon.com:

Searching for an agent?

Poets & Writers is here to help. A collection of articles edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, this handy resource includes straightforward advice from professionals in the literary field and additional resources with insider tips.

This practical guide will give you everything you need to understand what agents do, what you can expect from them, and how to find the best agent for you and your work:

Where agents search for new talent
Tips on how to secure an agent
What agents look for in the first few pages of a submission
How to follow up with an agent after you’ve submitted your work
The agent’s role in today’s publishing industry
How to know when the time has come to dissolve a relationship with an agent

The Poets And Writers Guide To Literary Agents

If you read it or have read it in the past, let me know what you think of this book in the comments below.

Happy Writing & Reading!

~ Eileen 🙂

Don Jon Generators

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Writing Tool

I’ve been writing some fantasy geared pieces lately and I was at a name block that I could not get over. So, I went to Google, of course and found several tools I found useful. One super cool tool website I found is called Don Jon. 

While some of the generators and tools here are specifically geared towards science fiction and fantasy, others could be used for regular fiction purposes or general writing prompts.

I always have a hard time thinking up names for characters that are not boring but also not off-the-wall weird and unpronounceable. These name generators give lots of options to choose from and I can find several useful and pleasing names within seconds.

Pop on over by clicking the Don Jon link above or the screenshot below!

donjonwebsite

Happy Writing!

~ Eileen 🙂

Story Dice

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Story Dice: Tree, Couple, Umbrella

I love finding new writing tools. I found an app on for my iPhone that is story dice. You’ve probably heard of Story Dice. They have pictures on them and you roll the dice and try to use the pictures in your story or other writing piece.  The app I have been using is from Thinkamingo and it cost me $1.99 from the App Store. I like it because I can set the app to roll up to 10 dice if I want to.

I love the idea of story dice. You can use one picture in each paragraph, use it to think up a title, characteristics, almost anything. They are very versatile. So this week I rolled 3 dice and got a Tree, a Couple, and an Umbrella. So here’s what I wrote:

We were married beneath the reaching branches of a majestic oak tree but when you were buried I stood alone beneath an umbrella. I’m ashamed to admit that part of me was glad you were gone. Now I had no one to hold me back from my mission, no one to keep safe and no one to care if I was not.

I had loved in your life like I had loved no other and now in death your memory made me soft and so I cast it aside and said goodbye. I didn’t need you where I was going and I certainly didn’t want you there. I closed my umbrella and left it with you.

Walking to the waiting car the rain poured all around me, dropping to the already wet ground. My feet sloshed through the soggy grass, mud coming up and over the side of my loafers. Instead of overflowing, I took it in.

The car door opened as I approached and I bent to get in. In the dry interior I felt like a fish out of water. A handkerchief was handed to me and I took it in silence. I held it feeling the smooth material between my fingers.

Story Dice

Happy Reading!

~ Eileen 🙂

Lila’s Sanctuary is Free 10-30 and 10-31!

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Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween

I love Halloween and to celebrate, I’m offering my short story Lila’s Sanctuary for free today and tomorrow! Download it now and read it between Trick-Or-Treaters! 

If you like it, please leave me a friendly review on Amazon.

LilasSanctuaryCover

Happy Reading!

~ Eileen 🙂

Resource Saturdays: Poets and Writers Classifieds

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Hey There!

Are you guys all ready for Halloween? It seems like it sneaks up on me every year! On to the Resource! 🙂

While looking for submission calls, I stumbled across an oldie but a goodie. The Classified ads on the Poets and Writers website. They have lots of open calls for various markets and listings for groups, etc. It’s a pretty good place to check out once in a while.

Poets and Writers Classifieds

The Classifies page has some different categories to choose from: Manuscript Calls, Conferences, Contests, Publication, Retreats, Residencies, Resources, Services, and Workshops.

PoetsAndWriters1

Once you make a selection, you can peruse the ads and choose options to pursue. The Contest section is my favorite. It’s got tons of resources to choose from. Check it out and let me know what you think.

The information is updated regularly, so I recommend you book mark it, or visit my Resources Page for the link at any time!

Happy Writing!

~ Eileen 🙂

Freebie Friday: Free eBooks 10/25/13

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Freebie Friday

Hello Writers and Readers!

Happy Freebie Friday!

Here’s your free books for this Friday, ENJOY! 🙂

** Please note** At the time I am posting this message, all the books are free for the kindle version on Amazon.com. They may not be free for long, so hurry and get yours! I hope you find something you like!

1. Escaping Eternity (The Guardian Angels Series)

2. No Cure for Murder (Brier Hospital Series)

3. The Doctor

4. Taken

5. The Scent of Evil

free_books

Happy Reading!

~ Eileen 🙂

Favorite Quotes

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Hey Everyone! I was sitting at my computer this morning with a headache and a Pepsi and wondering what I could post about. Reading through the Freshly Pressed tips and hints, I saw one that sparked me. The writing prompt asked what my favorite quote is and why, so I decided to share that here.

My favorite quote is one often heard and shared but the author is unknown. There are many speculations and guesses and one I think to be true, but no proof as to which, if any, are the correct explanation of the author for these words of wisdom. My favorite quote is this:

“Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but rather the moments that take our breath away.” ~ Anon

There are many variations of this quote, many people claim to be the author and so forth and so on. However, the meaning is the same and it would not be more appealing to find out who wrote it or where it came from. This quotation is my life map. It guides me and grounds me when I need to be rooted.

What does it mean? To me, it means that we can live to be 100 and breathe millions of breaths in that lifetime, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the lives we touch and the person we are. How do you treat people? Are you mean and callous with the feelings of others? Or are you sensitive and kind? Those who know me well know that I joke and tease a lot, but they also know I would do anything for those that are close to me. I would give my jacket in a snow storm to someone I love and then my pants and socks to someone else. I am fiercely loyal to those I love and I love many.

At the end of our lives, it does not  matter if we’re 20 or 85. It matters that we shared our hearts with others and took the time to let them know they matter. Because everyone deserves to feel like they matter, to know that they are important and to feel special. Everyone in this world has something special about them that is worth sharing. Yes, everyone.

This quote also reminds me to think about the moments in my life that were amazing. That first second when I held each of my children for the first time. When someone said something to me that was amazing. When I did something nice for someone and saw their tears of joy. That’s what it’s about.  Those moments that fill me with love and joy.

The power of words is amazing. Our words have a huge affect on those around us, whether we always know it or not. Careless words are damaging and hurtful, while kind words are uplifting and inspiring. Our words have the power to save a life or damn it.

This quotation reminds me that what I do matters, what I do affects others and they are counting on me to be uplifting and inspiring.

Do you have a favorite quotation? If so, post it in the comments below. I will pick my favorite 5 and those people will get a free goody. Nothing big, but a cool sticker, a neat card or bookmark or something. 🙂

Have a wonderful day and remember to share your heart with others and make each breath count.

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Blog Feature: Reading Culture

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I have decided to post bios on blogs I like, so you too can share in the fun/joy/humor/cool stuff. 🙂

For those of you who love reading, there is a great new blog in town. This blog, called Reading Culture, is fairly new, but has already shared several new books and authors that look pretty good. So, if you’re looking for something good to read, hop on over to Reading Culture and get some ideas for new reads.

Happy Reading!!

 

Click the link below to visit the Reading Culture Blog:

Reading Culture Blog

 

Reading Culture Blog

Writer’s Digest: Your Story – Hair, Tangled, Fresh

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Writer’s Digest has a contest every once in a while (I think it’s every other month). It’s called Your Story. They give you three words and you have to write one sentence that is 25 words or less using all three of the words.

The rules are as follows for the competition:

The rules:

  • Your sentence (just one, only one!) must be 25 words or fewer, no exceptions.
  • One entry per person, please.
  • How it all works: We’ll select the top 10 entries and post them on our forum. Readers will vote for their favorites to help rank the winners.
  • This is a free writing competition. The prize is publication in WD.
  • You can also submit your sentence an online form.
  • Finally, as we say about this contest in the magazine: “You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc. It is, after all, your story.”

The three words for the November/December competition were: hair, tangled, fresh

Even though the deadline has passed, I thought this a fun writing exercise, so I went ahead and tried my hand. Here’s what I came up with:

His hair was tangled and matted with fresh blood that upon closer inspection, was not his.

What do you think? Do you like it? Tell me in the comments below. Also, if you like, post your response to this one. I’d love to read your best efforts.

To get in on the fun, check out the Writer’s Digest website for the Your Story competition HERE.

Thanks for reading and Happy Writing! 🙂

Cafe Press

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Hey everyone. I’ve been out discovering new cool things to write about here and also been super busy with life. 🙂 But I wanted to share a cool site I found that I had never heard of. I think you’ll like it. It’s called Cafe Press. You can purchase tons of products from throw pillows to mugs and tee shirts, etc with special graphics and text on them. There are so many cute, funny, beautiful and wonderful items over there. Take a peek and let me know what you think!

You can visit the main website here:
Cafe Press Website

I will be loading some graphics that I made specially for Cafe Press in the next few days and weeks, so take a peek at those also. You can see my Designer page at:

Eileen’s Cafe Press Designer Page