We're Write, You're Wrong - Asylum of WPF Bloggers

Many Genres One Craft Official Release

2011-05-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

You can finally get your hands on Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction, edited by Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller and published by Headline Books, Inc.!

Visit your local bookstore or find it online at these and many fine retailers:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books A Million
Powell's Books
Writers Digest Shop

Read excerpts, meet the 65 contributors, and follow our mega virtual book tour at the Many Genres blog: http://manygenres.blogspot.com

Michael A. Arnzen Honored with Professor of the Year at Seton Hill University

2011-04-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

Many Genres editor Michael A. Arnzen was chosen as the 2011 Professor of the Year at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Michael Arnzen (Ph.D., U Oregon) is an English professor by day and a horror/suspense writer by night. He holds four Bram Stoker Awards for his often funny, always disturbing fiction. His courses in the English program at Seton Hill run the gamut from expository and creative writing to literary criticism and film history, and he is an active teacher in the first year Seminar in Thinking and Writing. He has mentored novelists and led graduate writing workshops in SHU's unique MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction since 1999. He advised the campus literary magazine, Eye Contact, from 1999-2009.

Dr. Arnzen began serving as Humanities Division Chair at Seton Hill in Fall 2009.

Workshop: Many Genres One Craft Pennwriters All-day Intensive

2011-04-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

Workshops

PENNWRITERS ONE DAY INTENSIVE WORKSHOP
Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

Who: Writers at any level interested in furthering their writing skills and business prowess

What: Contributors to the new, comprehensive writing guide Many Genres, One Craft, based on the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction Graduate Program, will offer six workshops for craft and career. The three morning sessions focus on plotting with Victoria Thompson, character with Timons Esaias, and setting with Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller. In the afternoon, sessions focus on pursuing publication with Natalie Duvall and Matt Duvall, building a brand with Mary SanGiovanni, and investing in your writing with Michael A. Arnzen.

When: Thursday, May 12, 2011 – 9 AM to 4 PM

Instructors: Michael A. Arnzen is Chair of the Humanities Department at Seton Hill University, as well as a Bram Stoker Award winning author. His first novel Grave Markings also won the International Horror Critics Guild Award for Best First Novel. Other projects include a spoken word CD called Audiovile and the novel Play Dead. Selections from his 100 Jolts: Shockingly Short Stories have been made into the film Exquisite Corpse, produced by Jim Minton. Mike’s latest release is the collection Proverbs for Monsters. He haunts the Internet at http://www.gorelets.com.

Matt Duvall was a professional wrestler who appeared on national TV shows and was included in Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine’s Top 500 wrestlers for 1996. He completed his MFA at Seton Hill University, which is also where he met his wife, Natalie. His short fiction has been published in a number of venues, including Chizine, The Ultimate Unknown, and Eye Contact. When he’s not teaching high school students, Matt practices Krav Maga, runs half marathons, and tries to avoid mowing the yard.

Natalie Duvall lives in a big old house in a little town in Central Pennsylvania. She enjoys walking as much as possible. Unless it's cold out. She is married to Matt Duvall and has cats (three of them -- Albert, Chun Lee and Eliot). During the day she's an 11th grade English teacher. At night, she writes Regency-set historical romances. In what free time is left, she trains in Krav Maga and is a lackadaisical triathlete. She blogs at http://dirtythirtytridea.blogspot.com.

Timons Esaias is a satirist, poet and short fiction writer, living in Pittsburgh. His fiction has appeared in fourteen languages, and his poetry has been translated into Spanish, Swedish and Chinese. His poetry chapbook The Influence of Pigeons on Architecture is in its second edition. He has also been a finalist for the British Science Fiction Award, and won the Asimov's Readers Award. He is Adjunct Faculty at Seton Hill University. His website is www.timonsesaias.com.

Heidi Ruby Miller is adjunct faculty at Seton Hill University, where she graduated from their Writing Popular Fiction graduate program the same month she appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Her novels include Atomic Zion and Ambasadora. She is a member of The Authors Guild, Pennwriters, Science Fiction Poetry Association, and Broad Universe. Visit her at http://heidirubymiller.blogspot.com.

Jason Jack Miller is a writer, photographer and musician. An outdoor travel guide he co-authored with his wife in 2006 jumpstarted his freelancing career; his work has since appeared in newspapers, magazines, literary journals, online, and as part of a travel guide app for mobile phones. He received a Master’s in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill where he is adjunct creative writing faculty and he is an Authors Guild member. When he isn't writing, he's on his mountain bike or looking for his next favorite guitar. He is currently writing and recording the soundtrack to his novel, The Devil and Preston Black. Find him at http://jasonjackmiller.blogspot.

Mary SanGiovanni is the author of the Bram Stoker nominated novel The Hollower and its sequel Found You, both from Leisure Books, and Thrall from Thunderstorm Books. Over the last decade, various periodicals and anthologies have published her short fiction, some of which was collected in Under Cover of Night. She co-edited the GSHW anthology Dark Territories. Mary received a Master’s in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Find Mary at http://marysangi.wordpress.com.

Victoria Thompson writes the Edgar-nominated Gaslight Mystery Series, set in turn-of-the-century New York City and featuring midwife Sarah Brandt and detective Frank Malloy. Her latest book in the series is Murder on Lexington Avenue. She is also the author of 20 historical romances. A popular speaker, Victoria has taught at Penn State University and currently teaches in the Seton Hill University master’s program in Writing Popular Fiction. She is online at http://victoriathompson.com.

Tuition: $125 PW members (includes a copy of Many Genres, One Craft)
$165 non-members (includes a copy of Many Genres, One Craft)

Registration: Online at Pennwriters

Endorsements:
“Finally! A book on writing category fiction, presented by those who do it every day. Choose a genre and jump right in.”
--Mike Resnick, Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author

"Many Genres, One Craft is a brilliant and insightful must-have book for any writer, from newbie to working pro. Highly recommended!"
--Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of The King of Plagues and Patient Zero

Many Genres has everything you need to write and sell the book of your dreams. It is jam-packed with practical information, clear examples and brilliant insights, all delivered with clarity and wit. Skip the writers’ conference and read this gem from the masters of genre fiction!
--Suzanne Forster, New York Times bestselling author

"Speaking from experience, I can tell you there isn't a muse and if there is, she's already dating someone else." If there isn't a muse, as you'll read in this invaluable book for writers, MANY GENRES ONE CRAFT is surely the next best thing. No matter what you want to learn--from choosing the point of view for a scene, from getting the most out of a critique group to fine-tuning your final draft, from approaching a literary agent to promoting your published book in print or electronically or both--it's all there. The contributors know their stuff, and what they're teaching applies to writing at any age. MANY GENRES ONE CRAFT covers all the bases superbly, including issues I haven't seen addressed anywhere else in today's rapidly shifting publishing landscape.
--Renni Browne, co-author of SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS

Check out our site at http://manygenres.blogspot.com!

Chat: Heidi Ruby Miller at Pennwriters Presents

2011-03-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

Heidi Ruby Miller is the guest writer at Pennwriters Presents today, so she'll be answering questions and participating in discussions at the Pennwriters Yahoo! Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pennwriters) - anyone is welcome, not just members of Pennwriters. Stop by and say Hi!

Here's the press release:

Our Guest Star will be Heidi Ruby Miller. She likes to read all types of stories, so it makes sense that she would be a mulit-genre author and co-edit a writing guide titled MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: LESSONS IN WRITING POPULAR FICTION (http://manygenres.blogspot.com). Her novels AMBASADORA and ATOMIC ZION are due out in 2011.

She is a Published Pennwriter and member of The Authors Guild and Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA). Some of her short stories can be found in Sails and Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy, Best of Every Day Fiction, and Eye Contact. She also co-authored a travel guide with her husband Jason Jack Miller.

Heidi will appear at the Pennwriters Conference in Pittsburgh, PA on May 12 -
15, 2011. She will be a contributor along with Michael A. Arnzen, Natalie Duvall, Matt Duvall, Timons Esaias, Jason Jack Miller, and Victoria Thompson will provide an
all-day, intensive workshop. Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller will teach
a workshop which shows how fixing your first page can improve your entire
manuscript. Her other future appearances include:

* Book Expo America, New York City, May 26, 2011 (book signing)
* WPF In Your Write Mind Conference and Retreat, Greensburg, PA, June 23 - 26,
2011 (official launch of MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT, workshops)
* Context 24, Columbus, OH, August 26 - 28, 2011 (day-long workshop)
* West Virginia Book Festival, Charleston, WV, October 22 - 23, 2011

Heidi Ruby Miller's month-long online course, WRITING WITH AUTHORITY, starts
April 1, 2011. Along with Jason Jack Miller, she will present the writing course
like those they've taught at Seton Hill University. To learn how to analyze your
writing and use easy techniques that will increase the authority of your voice,
enroll now at http://tinyurl.com/PennwritersCourse201104.

You can reach Heidi by email heidirubymiller@gmail.com and on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/heidirubymiller. Her websites are
http://heidirubymiller.blogspot.com and http://manygenres.blogspot.com.

Topics to discuss with Heidi Ruby Miller are:
* WRITING WITH AUTHORITY Online Course
* Pennwriters Conference 2011 One-Day Intensive Workshop
* MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: LESSONS IN WRITING POPULAR FICTION book
* Working in multiple genres
* Working with contributors on a project

Open Call for Virtual Book Tour Stops for Many Genres

2011-02-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the release of the new writing guide Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction, we are scouting for stops in our three-month mega virtual book tour (VBT) during April, May, and June.

Do you…
…have an author interview series? We have contributors ready to be interviewed.
…review books on your site? We can offer you pdf copies of our book for review.
…provide contests and giveaways? We have swag to give away.
…do something special? We can provide that special something.

All VBT participants will be listed with a link and description on a VBT page on the Many Genres, One Craft site: http://manygenres.blogspot.com as well as announced and promoted during the day/s of your stop.

Contact Heidi Ruby Miller at heidirubymiller@gmail.com for further inquiries and to schedule your stop today. She will also be glad to interview you for her two author series: HEIDI'S PICK SIX and PATHS TO PUBLICATION as a thank you!

Seton Hill Writers News - January 2011

2011-01-27T07:31:00.000-08:00

Nicole Peeler's Tempest's Legacy received 4.5 stars in the Urban Fantasy category in the January 2011 issue of RT Book Reviews. It was also a January Top Pick.

Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler

Dark Matter, a poem by Timons Esaias, is up at Strange Horizons.

Chris Stout's novel Days of Reckoning is now available in the Kindle store. This was Chris's thesis novel for Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction Graduate Program.

Days of Reckoning by Chris Stout

Laurie Alice Eakes's novel Lady in the Mist was chosen as a book club book by Crossings Book Club, as well as picked up by Thorndike Press for large print editions, along with another of Laurie's 2010 books.

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes

Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology (edited by Michelle McCrary and Joe McKinney for 23 House), which contains Calie Voorhis's short story "Biting the Hand that Feeds You", has been nominated for a Black Quill for Best Dark Genre Anthology.

Dead Set edited by Michelle McCrary and Joe McKinney

Meg Mims is a new staff writer now for Re/Max Platinum Online, in Brighton, Michigan. She has also book reviews and articles on the Lake Effect Living website. And, to round out her new year, she sold an article to Chronicle, the Historical Society of Michigan's member magazine.

Meg also placed fourth in the Silicon Valley's RWA Gotcha Contest in the Inspirational category for her novel Double Crossing. Placing third in that same category was Lee McClain for The Missionary's Bride.

Mike Mehalek has a new blog at http://mikemehalek.blogspot.com called Writing is Tricky.

Mary SanGiovanni's new novel Thrall is available for pre-order through Thunderstorm Books.

Thrall by Mary SanGiovanni

Mary also wrote an essay about James Patterson's Along Came a Spider for Thrillers: 100 Must Reads (edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner for Oceanview Publishing), which was nominated for an Edgar Award.

Thrillers: 100 Must Reads edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner

Susan Mallery is a RT Award nominee for Career Achievement in the Mainstream category. Tess Gerritsen is nominated in the Mystery, Suspense and Thriller category.

Gaelen Foley's novel My Dangerous Duke is nominated in the RT Awards Best Historical Novels 2010.

My Dangerous Duke by Gaelen Foley

Michael A. Arnzen's story "Endless Shrimp"is in the Magazine of Bizarro Fiction Issue #4 (edited by John Skipp).

Magazine of Bizarro Fiction Issue #4 edited by John Skipp

Mike also has a new Gorelets page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Arnzen-Goreletscom/192534454091457.

Book: Low-Residency MFA Handbook: A Guide for Perspective Creative Writing Students

2011-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Several Seton Hill Writers contributed to the Low-Residency MFA Handbook: A Guide for Perspective Creative Writing Students by Lori A. May. This guide offers prospective graduate students an in-depth preview of low-residency creative writing MFA programs, as well as interviews with program directors, faculty, alumni, and current students.

Low-Residency MFA Handbook by Lori A. May

Here is the full list of Seton Hill Writers:
Shelley Bates (Shelley Adina)
Matt Duvall
Natalie Duvall
Heidi Ruby Miller
Jason Jack Miller
Cynthia Ravinski
Nicole Taft
Albert Wendland

ABOUT LORI A. MAY
Lori is a part-time writing instructor and a member of the AWP, MLA, and the Michigan College English Association. She is a frequent guest lecturer and workshop presenter at writers' conferences and graduate writing programs. In addition to her freelance writing, Lori is the author of Moving Target (Athena Force), The Profiler, and stains: early poems. More information about her is available online at www.loriamay.com.

Workshop: Writing with Authority

2011-01-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

WRITING WITH AUTHORITY
Online Course

INSTRUCTORS: Jason Jack Miller and Heidi Ruby Miller

DATE: April 1 – May 2, 2011

LIMITED CLASS SIZE. Enroll now.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The easiest way to engage your reader is by using concrete nouns and action verbs. In this one-month online course, Seton Hill University creative writing faculty Jason Jack Miller and Heidi Ruby Miller will show you how to analyze your writing and use easy techniques that will increase the authority of your voice.

Participants will:
* Discover how to spot passive voice
* Scrutinize their writing for generic nouns and indefinite pronouns
* Learn to avoid weak verbs and overuse of “be” in all its forms
* Practice using strong synonyms to find the best action verb
* Apply word cloud research to make their plot come alive

FREE BONUS: Course participants will receive a free excerpt (.pdf) from the new writing guide, MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: LESSONS IN WRITING POPULAR FICTION (Headline Books, Inc.) edited by Heidi Ruby Miller and Michael A. Arnzen with contributions from Jason Jack Miller et al.

TUITION: $79 ($89 non-Pennwriters members) $89 ($99 non-Pennwriters members)
EARLY-BIRD PRICES END SOON!

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS: Heidi Ruby Miller is the co-editor of the writing guide, Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction. A graduate from Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction Program, she has authored dozens of publications. Before becoming a full-time writer and adjunct faculty at Seton Hill University, Heidi worked as a contract archaeologist, an educational marketing coordinator, a foreign currency exchanger, and a world language teacher. To learn more about Heidi Ruby Miller, visit http://heidirubymiller.blogspot.com or email her at heidirubymiller@gmail.com.

Jason Jack Miller is a writer, photographer and musician whose work has appeared online and in print in newspapers, magazines and literary journals, and as a smart phone travel app. He has co-authored a travel guide with his wife Heidi and served as a photographer-in-residence. Jason is an Authors Guild member who received a Master’s in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University where he is adjunct creative writing faculty. To learn more about Jason Jack Miller, visit http://jasonjackmiller.blogspot.com or email him at jasonjackmiller@gmail.com.

* Subscribe to the Pennwriters Online Courses announcement list for email on our latest workshops:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PennwritersOnlineCourses

Website: Many Genres, One Craft

2010-12-26T16:16:00.001-08:00

Co-editor Mike Arnzen launched the official website for our new book Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction at http://manygenres.blogspot.com.

Many Genres, One Craft is the equivalent of a graduate program in creative writing captured in the pages of a book...stuffed with great advice, but not stuffy at all.

Gathering the voices of today's top genre writers and their published students from Seton Hill University's acclaimed MFA program -- the country's only graduate program specifically focused on writing popular fiction –- Many Genres, One Craft is an academic instructional guide that aims to be the most entertaining textbook a new author will ever read. It targets those who want to write commercial novels of quality, rather than to publish only in academia. And because it is a multi-authored collection, it is like a writing community, a group of like-minded thinkers and kindred spirits, assembled between its covers, focused on mastering one's skills.

Many Genres, One Craft debuts Spring 2011 from Headline Books, Inc.

Seton Hill Writers in Eye Contact - Winter 2010

2010-12-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

Filled with death, loss, and mourning, this was a beautifully dark issue of Eye Contact, appropriate as we come close to the winter solstice.

Here is a peek at the table of contents:

Eyes by Patrick Schober
Bloom by Passion Hannah
Aquila by Christine Telfer
Living Grace by Maddie Gillespie
Memorial by Stephanie Pikula
Kalina by Molly Follmer
Sounds in the Jungle by Heidi Ruby Miller
Tá Mé I Ngrá Leat by Lyndsey Basham
Lesson by Judith R. Robinson
Wave Swinger by Jason Jack Miller
The Man on Clipper Street by Patrick Schober
The Shorts Have Eyes by Matthew Duvall
Eye Spy by Aja Hannah
Cinderella by Stephanie Wytovich
Uh-Oh by Lyndsey Basham
Origami Moons by Penny Dawn
Dear Summer by Carissa Altizer
Dock by Alex Lowe
Visiting Campus Seven Years Later by Joe Kaldon
Clockwork by Meg Mims

The faculty advisor for Eye Contact is Timons Esaias.

Seton Hill Writers Deals and Publication News for November 2010

2010-11-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

The subject of Patrick Picciarelli's true crime book, Takedown: The True Story of the Undercover Cop Who Brought Down the Real-Life Sopranos, has optioned his life rights to Steven Spielberg and Steve Zaillian for a feature-length movie based on Patrick's proposal.

Patrice Luneski sold her paranormal YA novel, Lethally Blonde to Leap Books. It will be out in Fall 2011.

The second book in Pearl North's Libyrinth Trilogy, The Boy From Ilysies, is out and available in bookstores everywhere.

The Boy from Lysies by Pearl North
The Book Beat has signed copies available. Calico Reaction has a review up here.

Two holiday novels by Seton Hill Writers are on the shelves now:

Dana Marton's The Spy Who Saved Christmas
The Spy Who Saved Christmas by Dana Marton
and

A Montana Maverick's Christmas by Susan Mallery and Karen Rose Smith
Susan Mallery's A Montana Mavericks Christmas with Karen Rose Smith.

Also, Susan's Finding Perfect is an editors' pick for Top Ten Romance Novels of 2010 at Amazon.com.

Heidi Ruby Miller has an article in Nov.-Dec. 2010 issue of The PennWriter titled "Almost There", which she talks about on her blog.

The Winter 2010 issue of Eye Contact includes the poem "Origami Moon" by Penny Dawn, photographs by Jason Jack Miller ("Wave Swinger") and Meg Mims ("Clockwork") and short stories by Matt Duvall ("The Shorts Have Eyes") and Heidi Ruby Miller ("Sounds in the Jungle").

Jennifer Brisendine's creative non-fiction essay titled "Oh Hell! What Have We Here?" was accepted last week for publication in The Pedestrian, a quarterly literary journal of non-fiction.

Mary SanGiovanni's novel Thrall will be out Spring 2011.

Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller's Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction from Headline Books, Inc., will hit shelves in April 2011.

Timons Esaias sold a poem to Strange Horizons.

Seton Hill Writers Updates for November 2010

2010-11-23T05:28:00.000-08:00

November news for Seton Hill Writers:

Meg Mims is a new staff writer for Lake Effect Living, an online magazine about life along the shore of Lake Michigan. Meg's column is Lighting the Lake.

W. D. Prescott talks about Literary Horror on Goodreads and interviews Andrew Wolter at The Non-Horror Reader Survey.

Jessica Freely's Rust Belt is a finalist for the Mystery, Suspense, and Adventure Erotic Romance Category of the 2011 EPIC eBook Awards Competition™.

Mary SanGiovanni's Funky Werepig Interview is available for streaming or download.

Michael A. Arnzen's Halloween poetry readings are on video at The Morgantown Poets Society.

Damsels in Regress are running The Little Blog on the Prairie Contest until Friday, November 26, 2010.

Heidi Ruby Miller interviewed Pearl North for her PATHS TO PUBLICATION series.

Seton Hill Writers Update - October 2010

2010-10-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Mary SanGiovanni has a short story at Literary Mayhem starting October 24. She also has a non-fiction essay about James Patterson's Along Came a Spider in Thrillers: 100 Must Reads, edited by Hank Wagner and David Morrell and published through Oceanview Publishing.

Thrillers: 100 Must Reads
To chat with Mary on internet radio, tune into The Funky Werepig on November 5.

Maria V. Snyder's article "The Weather: Part Art, Part Science, and Part...Magic?" is up at Black Gate. Her short story "Cursing the Weather" will be in the December issue of Black Gate Magazine. She is now blogging at the Official Maria V. Snyder Blog. Meet Maria on October 23, 2010 at Celebrate the Book Festival located in the Carlisle Expo Center

Meg Mims won the Utah RWA's 2010 Heart of the West Contest in the Mystery/Suspense category for her thesis novel Murder at Fire Point.

Michael A. Arnzen will be reading poetry from his many collections on October 21, 2010 at Morgantown Poets Night located in the Monongalia Arts Center.

Kaye Dacus will be signing books at Heaven Help Us Christian Bookstore in New Albany, IN, on Saturday, October 23, 2010 from 1 to 3 PM.

Monica Spence just completed her first year of her PhD at Lancaster University in England. Her thesis novel is The Illustrious Woman, the story of the first internationally recognized woman painter of the Renaissance, Sofonisba Anguissola. Monica blogs at A Writer's Heart.

W. D. Prescott opened up The Non-Horror Reader Survey, a stepping stone into changing the public face of Horror literature. Along with the survey, he will have author interviews and spotlight books.

Matthew D. Donahue has posted the first four chapters of his thesis novel Progeny online at his website.

Nicole Taft is having an October Book Giveaway on her blog A Bookseller Recommends.

Seton Hill Writers Online and Out in the World - September 2010

2010-09-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

Lynn Salsi was the guest speaker at the Mecklenburg Historical Association. You can read an article about her and her award-winning The Jack Tales in the Charlotte Observer.

Cynthia Ravinski is part of a new blog group The Greater Portland Scribists.

Nicole Taft is giving away a free book at A Bookseller Recommends.

Thomas F. Monteleone and Mary SanGiovanni were guests and readers at Horrorfind Weekend.

Dana Marton is giving a free seminar at Coffee Time Romance on Project Management for Writers. Here are the first two lessons:
Lesson #1: Writing is an Art -- Publishing is a Business
Lesson #2: A Goal is a Dream with a Deadline

Michael A. Arnzen will be featured in the Snark Infested Waters radio program in October to discuss tracks from his audio CD, Audiovile. Look for it after October 5th online.

He will also read at the Morgantown Poets night on Thursday, Oct 21st, 7pm-8pm at the Monongalia Arts Center in Morgantown, WV. Directions available on booktour.com.

Seton Hill Writers: New Jobs and Positions - September 2010

2010-09-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Natalie Duvall is the new "Speak Up!" columnist for Fine Living Lancaster. Read her witty columns at http://www.finelivinglancaster.com/Magazine/Issue15.pdf.

Kimberley Howe (K. J. Howe) is the new Executive Director of Thrillerfest, the annual conference for the International Thriller Writers.

Penny Dawn recently became adjunct creative writing faculty at two colleges in the north Chicago suburbs.

New Book Deals and Releases for Seton Hill Writers - September 2010

2010-09-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Krista Russell sold A Following Sea, a middle-grade historical novel, to Peachtree Publishers. It is scheduled for publication in 2012.

Adina Senft signed a three-book deal with Hachette to write Amish women's fiction.

Sabrina Benulis sold her Archon series to Eos in a three-book deal. The first book will be published in Fall 2011.

The movie for Patrick Picciarelli's The Prince of Arthur Avenue has wrapped and is in editing. He will have a short story, The Friendly Island, in the International Association of Crime Writers annual anthology to be published next year.

Michael A. Arnzen and Gary Braunbeck both have stories in Legends of the Mountain State IV anthology.

Maria V. Snyder's Spy Glass, the last novel in the Glass series is on shelves. Maria is currently touring and teaching workshops. For a full list of her venues, please visit her website: http://www.mariavsnyder.com/appearances.php

Penny Dawn's short story "Last Good Grace" will appear in Issue #20 "The Fifth Column" of Six Brick Press' Six Little Things.

The first 200 words of Christopher Paul Carey's story "A Kick in the Side" is up at Meteor House Press. The story is part of The Worlds of Philip Jose Farmer 1: Protean Dimensions.

Seton Hill Writers Win Awards - September 2010

2010-09-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Two Seton Hill Writers are finalists for The Carol Awards: Laurie Alice Eakes for her Short Historical piece The Glassblower from Heartsong Presents.

The Glassblower

Shelley Adina for her Young Adult novel Who Made You a Princess? from Hachette.

Who Made You a Princess?

Meg Mims won 2nd place in Wisconsin Romance Writers of America's Fab Five Contest and 3rd place in ORA's Weta Nichols Contest with her YA story Double Crossing. Her thesis novel, a mystery, also took 3rd place in the Helen McCloy MWA Scholarship contest back in spring. You can read her Mystery and History blog at http://megmimsmysteryhistory.blogspot.com.

Seton Hill Writers Updates - July 2010

2010-07-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the news from Seton Hill Writers for May, June, and July:

#1: Maria V. Snyder's novel Storm Glass is one of three finalists for a Prism Award in the Fantasy category. The first novel in the "Glass" series, Sea Glass, is the winner of the 2009 Annual Cover Contest in the Alternate Reality cover category. Also, her story "Mongrel" is part of the Running with the Pack anthology edited by Ekaterina Sedia and published through Prime Books. The anthology just received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly.

#2: Ellen Spain will be a Judge for the 2010 Young Voices Foundation Awards. She judged in 2009, as well. Also, Ellen is the new EPIC Secretary.

#3: W. D. Prescott joined Choate Road as a columnist (Prescott's Pulpit) and interviewer. Among his interviewees this fall are three Seton Hill WPF alums: Kate Martin, Calie Voorhis, and Laurie Alice Eakes.

#4: Timons Esaias read his award-winning poetry at the Hemingway's Summer Poetry Series this month in Oakland, Pittsburgh.

#5: Mike Arnzen and Diane Turnshek will be teaching at the ALPHA SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers at the University of Pittsburgh's Greensburg Campus July 14 - 23.

#6: Natalie Duvall is in a competition to become the next columnist at Fine Living Lancaster. You can still vote through Friday, July 16, 2010.

#7: Christopher Paul Carey's story "A Kick in the Side" is part of the upcoming anthology The Worlds of Philip Jose Farmer Protean Dimensions. The story is set in the world of Farmer's Khokarsa series, the same one from The Song of Kwasin, the novel Carey co-wrote with Farmer.

#8: Seton Hill Writers who will be guests at Confluence 2010 in Pittsburgh include Gary A. Braunbeck, Lawrence C. Connolly, Timons Esaias, James Morrow, and Diane Turnshek.

#9: Patrick Picciarelli's short story "The Prince of Arthur Avenue" from the Bronx Noir anthology edited by S. J. Rozan was just made into a movie.

#10: Tim Waggoner has the Nekropolis blog for his new series about Matt Richter a zombie P.I. The first book is Nekropolis followed by Dead Streets.

#11: Damsels in Regress interview Kaye Dacus.

#12: Nicole Peeler joined Seton Hill University as a full-time faculty member this year.

Vote for Natalie Duvall's Column at Fine Living Lancaster

2010-07-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

Seton Hill Writer Natalie Duvall needs our help to be a columnist for Fine Living Lancaster.

You can read part of her column Lancaster Three Ways and vote here:
http://finelivinglancaster.com/SpeakUp/Natalie.html

2010 Seton Hill In Your Write Mind Conference and Retreat - Part 2

2010-07-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Ellen Spain for these photos from Seton Hill's 2010 WPF In Your Write Mind Conference!

Registration

Ellen Spain, Ron Shafer, and Marge Burke
Photo by Mary Cox

Ellen Spain and Lisa Carino
Photo by Mary Cox

Agents and Editors Panel

Photo by Ellen Spain

Pitching to Annette Rogers of Poisoned Pen Press

Ellen Spain and Annette Rogers
Photo by Marge Burke

Lunch in the Seton Hill Dining Hall

Photo by Ellen Spain

Workshop by Tina Trevaskis of Samhain Publishing

Tina Trevaskis
Photo by Ellen Spain

Sunday Panel

Photo by Ellen Spain

The Basket Raffle

Ellen Spain
Photo by Ron Shafer

2010 Seton Hill In Your Write Mind Conference and Retreat

2010-07-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

This June 150 writers gathered "on the Hill" for the combination of Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction MFA Residency and the 9th Annual Alumnae-sponsored WPF In Your Write Mind Conference and Retreat. Guests included New York Times Bestselling Author, Rambo-creator, and International Thriller Writers co-founder David Morrell, FinePrint Literary Agent Janet Reid, Poisoned Pen Press Acquisitions Editor Annette Rogers, Samhain Publishing Co. Director of Marketing and Sales Tina Trevaskis, and Dystel & Goderich Literary Agent Jim McCarthy.

David Morrell
Photo by Heidi Ruby Miller

Sally Bosco, Meline Nadeau, Jason Jack Miller, Chris Stout, Natalie Duvall, and Matt Duvall
Photo by Heidi Ruby Miller

Maria V. Snyder and Heidi Ruby Miller
Photo by Jason Jack Miller

Mary Cox and Natalie Duvall
Photo by Heidi Ruby Miller

Judi Fleming, Meline Nadeau, Alexa Grave, Shelley Adina, Chris Stout, Deanna Lepsch, and Tina Trevaskis
Photo by Heidi Ruby Miller

Jason Schmetzer and Mike Brendan
Photo by Heidi Ruby Miller

Donna Munro, Jason Jack Miller, and Matt Duvall
Photo by Heidi Ruby Miller

Danielle Hinesly and Heidi Ruby Miller
Photo by Jason Jack Miller

Matt and Natalie Duvall
Photo by Heidi Ruby Miller

We also caught up with one of our undergrads, Stephanie Wytovich, who is taking our summer Creative Writing course at SHU on Writing Short Stories. She met two of the authors whose stories we're reading in class: David Morrell's "The Abelard Sanction" and Patrick Picciarelli's "The Prince of Arthur Avenue", which was just made into a movie.

Zachery Anderson, Stephanie Wytovich, Patrick Picciarelli, and Jason Jack Miller
Photo by Heidi Ruby Miller

And, we all had a good chat with a man who has taught all three of us a thing or two about writing, Tim Esaias.

Timons Esaias, Stephanie Wytovich, Heidi Ruby Miller, and Jason Jack Miller
Photo by Zachery Anderson

Seton Hill Writers News - April 2010

2010-04-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

Here is April's news from Seton Hill Writers:

#1: KJ Howe's novel Breathless is a RWA 2010 Golden Heart Finalist in Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure.

#2: Inside Out, Maria V. Snyder's first book in a new SF series, is on shelves

#3: Heidi Ruby Miller was interviewed by Adele Cosgrove-Bray at Hub Pages.

#4: The Brain Plague steampunk trilogy by Steven Piziks will be released by Ace Books beginning in September 2010.

#5: Three Seton Hill Writers made it as finalists in The 2010 Sandy Contest at Crested Butte Writer's Conference: Emilie Bishop's thesis novel in the Children's/YA category; KL Grady's novel in the SF/Fantasy category; and Krista Russell's novel in the Children's/YA category.

#6: Lucy A. Snyder received a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in POETRY for her collection Chimeric Machines through Creative Guy Publishing.

#7: Laurie Alice Eakes is guest blogging at The Hartline Literary Agency blog - From the Heart. Laurie is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray at Hartline Literary.

Seton Hill Writers Updates - March 2010

2010-03-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Seton Hill mentors Michael A. Arnzen, Gary A. Braunbeck, and Lucy A. Snyder are just a few of the authors participating in Bizarro Day at Backlist Books in Massillon, OH, on Saturday, March 10.

Alum Mary SanGiovanni is now a Pennwriter.

Alum and mentor Maria V. Snyder celebrates the release of her YA SF novel Inside Out with a virtual party at Bitten by Books on April 6.

Seton Hill Writers News

2010-02-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

Here is an update on publications and appearances by Seton Hill alums and mentors:

Alum Mary SanGiovanni, author of the Bram Stoker-nominated The Hollower and its sequel, Found You will be a judge for the Black Static Magazine and WHC 2011 Short Story Contest.

Mentor Michael A. Arnzen will appear with several other Raw Dog Screaming Press authors at Backlist Books (39 Lincoln Way E., Massillon, OH 44646) on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 3:00 PM.

Alum Chrsitopher Paul Carey's "Philip José Farmer and ERB: A Shared Mythography" is part of The Burroughs Bulletin tribute issue to Philip José Farmer.

Alum Bridget Midway is the cover girl on the March issue of RT Book Reviews magazine. There is also a feature article about her inside.

Alum Penny Dawn received a 4 star review in RT for The Carman Chronicles.

Alum Laurie Alice Eakes's first Heartsong Presents from Barbour Publishing will be out in May in large print.

Alum Kaye Dacus's A Case for Love, book 3 in the Brides of Bonneterre series was released February 1, and has spent several weeks on Amazon's Christian Romance best-sellers list. A Case for Love received a 4 star review at RT.

Kaye will be teaching at the North Louisiana RWA chapter's conference the weekend of March 5-6 in Shreveport, Louisiana. More info can be found here: http://www.nolastars.com/node/81

During July 18 - 31, 2010, mentor Kathe Koja will be a Shared Worlds instructor at Wofford College in South Carolina.

Mentor Jessica Freely sold reprints of three stories ("Hero", "Stay", and "Scars") to Loose Id.

Alum Venessa Giunta, Senior Editor for Loose Id will be a guest at Frolicon (www.frolicon.org) in April. She will be participating in several panels on writing, both craft and business

Alum Heidi Ruby Miller has a poem in the April 2010 issue of Beyond Centauri.

Alum David Corwell's southwestern fantasy short story, "Conqueror of Shadows," will be published in Tales of the Talisman, Volume 6, Issue #2, due out in Autumn 2010 and his short-short Halloween story entitled "The Harvest" will appear as a reprint in Daily Flash: 365 Days of Flash Fiction, which will be published by Pill Hill Press in December 2010.

David now represents all Fantasist Enterprises titles in New Mexico, including Cloaked in Shadow which showcases his story "The Legacy of the Quedana". A list of upcoming events can be found at his BookTour site: http://booktour.com/author/david_j_corwell. He is also a book reviewer for ReadingNewMexico.com, a site dedicated to reviewing books about New Mexico or by New Mexican writers.

Seton Hill WPF Writing Retreat and Conference

2010-02-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

9th Annual Seton Hill WPF Writer's Retreat and Conference

WHEN: June 24 - 27, 2010

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Jim McCarthy, Agent, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management

Janet Reid, Agent, FinePrint Literary Management

Annette Rogers, Acquisitions Editor, Poisoned Pen Press

Tina Trevaskis, Director of Marketing & Sales, Samhain Publishing Co.

This event is open to the public. Registration opens on March 1, 2010.

Seton Hill Writers Book Updates

2010-02-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

In no particular order...

#1: Shelley Adina, also a Seton Hill Alum and Mentor, welcomed her latest novel in the All About Us series to the shelves this month: The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth is available in stores and online.

#2: New York Times Bestselling Author and Seton Hill alum Gaelen Foley also has a new novel out this month. My Wicked Marquess is the first in her new series The Inferno Club.

#3: New Seton Hill Mentor Lucy A. Snyder's debut novel Spellbent hit shelves this month. You can purchase this first book in a series online and in stores.

#4: New York Times Bestselling Author and Seton Hill Alum and Mentor Maria V. Snyder will be signing books in her first book tour in England this month to celebrate the UK release of her novel Sea Glass.

#5: Seton Hill Mentor Tim Waggoner's short story "Disarmed and Dangerous" is part of the Spells of the City anthology, edited by Jean Rabe.

This story features Matt Richter, the zombie detective from Tim's latest novel Nekropolis, which is due out next month.

#6: Seton Hill Alum Alayne Adams's latest novel The Not So Simple Life is available for pre-order online.

#7: Seton Hill Alum Laurie Alice Eakes's first book for Barbour Publishing, which was reprinted in a three-book collection called Wild Prairie Roses, is being published in large print by Thorndyke Press.

#8: Seton Hill Alum Dana Marton's latest novel The Socialite and The Bodyguard is on shelves now.

#9: Seton Hill Alum Jessica Warman's debut YA novel Breathless received a good review in this month's issue of Pittsburgh Magazine.

Seton Hill Writers News for January 2010

2010-01-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

In no particular order...

#1: Seton Hill Alum and Mentor Nalo Hopkinson was interviewed by Nick Liptak in The Book Bench section of The New Yorker online. She discusses her books and her fabric designs.

She is also the Guest of Honor for the 31st Annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, which will take place March 17-21, 2010, at the Orlando Airport Marriott, Orlando, Florida.

#2: Seton Hill Humanities Chair and Mentor Michael A. Arnzen and Alum Michael Mehalek became members of Pennwriters.

#3: An article about Seton Hill Mentor Anne Harris's alter-ego Jessica Freely is up at The Advocate.

#4: New York Times Bestselling Author and Seton Hill Mentor Tobias S. Buckell is the Guest of Honor at Context in Columbus, OH, this year: August 27 - 29, 2010.

#5: Seton Hill Alums Matt Duvall and Natalie Duvall offer tips on "How to Get Your Heroine Out of a Headlock" and other fight scene scenarios at Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal.

Vote for Ellen Spain's Novel and Kate Martin's Story

2010-01-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

Seton Hill WPF Alum Ellen Spain's novel, Secrets in the Fog: The Invisibility Project is a nominee in the Young Adult category of Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll.

Also, nominated was Alum Kate Martin's short story "Poisonous Redemption" in the Rage of the Behemoth anthology (also nominated) by Rogue Blades Entertainment.

You must vote for all of your choices during your visit to the site as duplicate email addresses will be cast out. The menu of choices are in links mid-way down the page, but here are specific links if you're interested:

for Ellen's thesis novel, visit http://critters.org/predpoll/novelyoungadult.shtml.

for Kate's story, visit http://critters.org/predpoll/shortstorysf.shtml.

for Rage of the Behemoth, visit http://critters.org/predpoll/antho.shtml.

You will receive a conformation email from P&E before your vote can be counted.

Seton Hill Writers News

2009-12-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

Forza Renea will publish Lynn Salsi's latest middle grade novel about Ray Hicks titled Appalachian Jack Tales Told by Hicks, Ward, and Harmon Families; her first book featuring this prominent Appalachian storyteller, The Life and Times of Ray Hicks: Keeper of the Jack Tales, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize last year. Vietnam Firefight on Brown Water, her thesis novel for Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction Program, recently won the Stars and Flag Award.

Laurie Alice Eakes sold two more books to Baker/Revell, the fifth and sixth books they have bought from her in the past eight months, and the twelfth and thirteenth books she has sold in the past thirteen months.

Les Compagnons de l'Ombre 6 (Tales of the Shadowmen 6) featuring the story "De Fer et de Bronze" by Christopher Paul Carey and Win Scott Eckert is now available in...you guessed it! French.

Cynthia Ravinski has a new website: www.cynthiaravinski.com.

Natalie and Matt Duvall will be teaching two online workshops in 2010. In February, it's Writing Action Scenes the WWE Way at Romance Writers of America: Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Chapter and the second one is in August at Passionate Ink.

Susan Mallery's latest romance High Powered, Hot Blooded is on shelves now.

Maria V. Snyder's novel Sea Glass was number 5 on Locus Magazine's TRADE PAPERBACK BESTSELLERS LIST this month.

Seton Hill and Mike Arnzen in The Writer

2009-12-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

The Writer (January 2010)

In the January 2010 issue of The Writer, which is on stands now, Seton Hill mentor and Humanities Chair Michael A. Arnzen has an article about writing horror, something the four-time Bram Stoker Award winner certainly knows about, plus Seton Hill's WPF Program is featured in an article titled "10 MFA programs that offer a specialty focus" by Melissa Hart.

Seton Hill Writers Update

2009-11-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

The Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction alum, students, and mentors have been busy. Here's an update:

Jenny Andersen's thesis novel Loving Luke will be released from The Wild Rose Press on December 18, 2009. She will be signing books at Borders.

Michael A. Arnzen is giving away copies of his e-book Sportuary when you sign up for his newsletter at his Gorelets site. He's also hosting a contest for rare Arnzen collector's items for customer reviews of any of his books/stories/cds/films at amazon.com, horror-mall.com, itunes.com, or cdbaby.com. For details on how to enter, visit www.gorelets.com.

Gary Braunbeck sold the final book in his Cedar Hill Cycle, A Cracked and Broken Path, as well as a non-fiction book about writing horror to Jason Sizemore at Apex Books.

Tobias S. Buckell's novella "Dirt" is part of the new Halo anthology Evolutions: Essential Tales of the Halo Universe.

Christopher Paul Carey has a short story titled "Caesar's Children—A Tale of Pluritopia" in the upcoming Tales of the Shadowmen Grand Guignol anthology.

Kaye Dacus sold three novels in her new series The Matchmakers to Barbour Publishing: Love Remains,The Art of Romance, and Turnabout is Fair Play. Kaye has done several interviews with Victor Gentile of The Kingdom Highlights Show, an internet radio program, about some of her previous books: Stand-In Groom, Menu for Romance, and Ransome's Honor.

Laurie Alice Eakes' novel The Glassblower will be released in December from Barbour Publishing. Laurie also sold three more books to Barbour this year, plus four to Baker/Revell, and four to Avalon Books.

Timons Esaias is presenting a full-day intensive workshop about fiction writing at the 2010 Pennwriters Conference on May 13, 2010, from 9 AM - 4 PM.

W.H. Horner co-edited The Stories in Between, a Between Books Anthology, featuring "Dr. Time" by Maria V. Snyder and "Beneath Between" by Lawrence C. Connolly.

Heidi Ruby Miller's article about Uniontown, PA, will be part of the 'A Tale of Two Towns' feature in the Spring 2010 issue of Pursuits Magazine. She also has a large lay out about the Pennsylvania Wilds in the 2009 PA Insiders Guide.

Patrick Picciarelli's short story "The Prince of Arthur Avenue" from Bronx Noir (Akashic Books) has been optioned for a movie and will begin filming in January. Terry Knight, Knight Vision Pictures, is producing.

W. D. Prescott's short story "January" was accepted for the Dead Bells anthology, edited by Jodi Lee and published by Library of Horror Press.

Mary SanGiovanni was one of ten authors interviewed for Michael Knost’s article, “The Aha! Moment” up at Cemetery Dance’s Writers’ Corner.

Maria V. Snyder's latest novel Sea Glass, part of The Glass series, is available this month. Maria will be signing books December 12, 2009, at Borders Express at the Park City Mall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Ellen Spain was named the Pennsylvania State Coordinator for EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, a professional organization for published and contracted e-book and print authors.

Authors Guild VS Google Settlement

2009-11-18T05:37:00.000-08:00

The Authors Guild filed the amended settlement in Authors Guild v. Google. The official documents will be available at googlebooksettlement.com at some point over the weekend. In the meantime, to see the big changes you can visit here: http://www.tiny.cc/CvNm8

2010 Pennwriters Conference

2009-11-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Pennwriters Conference is scheduled for May 14-16 at the Best Western Eden Resort in Lancaster PA. Prior to the conference, on May 13, they'll be hosting four preconference classes specifically designed to give attendees an in-depth, interactive experience.

Details on these classes are now posted on the Pennwriters Web site. Follow these tiny URLs to go directly to each class, or go to www.pennwriters.com and click on Conference then Intensives to browse the categories.

Plotting and Subplotting with Loree Lough
For all writers who need hands-on experience with plotting; no class limit.
May 13, 2010, 1 pm to 4 pm
http://tiny.cc/PHoF1

Crafting a Fiction Query Package with CJ Lyons
For writers who have a finished draft; class limit 16.
May 13, 2010, 9 am to noon
http://tiny.cc/M5WEY

Fiction Writing with Tim Esaias
For writers who have a finished draft; class limit 15
May 13, 2010, 9 am to 4 pm
http://tiny.cc/w4CK4

Nonfiction Writing with Jonathan Maberry
For writers who have an idea for a nonfiction book; class limit 15.
May 13, 2010, 9 am to 4 pm
http://tiny.cc/NdEaH

If you have any questions, please email conference2010@pennwriters.com

Seton Hill Writers in Person and on the Shelves

2009-10-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

ON THE SHELVES:
New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Mallery has two books out this month:

Hot on Her Heels

AND

The Sheik and the Bought Bride

IN PERSON:
Ellen Spain will be discussing her new novel Secrets in the Fog: the Invisibility Project on October 6th at 7:00 PM in the Gallery Room of The Monroeville Public Library.

New Releases from Seton Hill Writers

2009-09-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

Writers from the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction MFA Program had releases this month in Fantasy, Mystery, YA, and Inspirational:

Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Tidings of Great Boys by Shelley Adina

Secrets in the Fog: The Invisibility Project by Ellen Spain

Breathless by Jessica Warman

Fantastical Visions IV edited by W.H. Horner

PATHS TO PUBLICATION - DANA MARTON

2009-05-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

Saved by the Monarch by Dana Marton

Many years ago, I had a job as an afternoon receptionist at a company. The morning receptionist was a Harlequin reading maniac. We shared the same desk and every drawer was filled to the brim with Harlequin novels. Since work was slow, I began reading those little books in between answering the phone. (Romance writers must learn to multitask.) Soon I was reading them faster then I could find them. Then one day in the library I came across Kathryn Falk’s How to Write a Romance. I suppose I haven’t considered the authors until then. They seemed mythical creatures born with this extraordinary knowledge. But the very existence of Kathryn’s book suggested that romance writing could be learned! That was a stunningly new concept to me at the time, almost too good to be believed.

So I took How to Write a Romance home and read it, and began to write a historical romance set in Ancient Egypt. I had a couple of hundred pages when the floppy disk that held my only copy got corrupted. I just didn’t have the heart to start all over again. When I overcame the disappointment of losing my early masterpiece, I began a sci-fi romance. This one I even sent to a publisher! (Optimism is very important for a romance writer.) I got a very nice letter back, but they weren’t interested. The next book was an inspirational romance. This time the publisher (a different one) loved the partial and asked for a full. Sadly, no sale. Then I wrote a straight romance. Then a western historical. (Romance writers need lots of resilience.) Then a romantic suspense that actually won a couple of writing contests. I might have meandered along like this endlessly if I hadn’t found Seton Hill University and their Writing Popular Fiction program. (Romance writers ask for help when they need some.)

I tried more romantic suspense there along with epic fantasy. I was told by knowledgeable people that I had a category voice and romantic suspense was my strength. Only one publisher publishes category romantic suspense so, yay, I had a target. Harlequin Intrigue was one of my favorite lines anyway. I started reading even more of them. And wrote a novel specifically with them in mind. And sold it. Just like that. After only thirteen years of trying! Piece of cake. (Romance writers don’t give up. Ever.)

Holding that book in my hands was so much fun that I have done it since again and again and again. I have twenty novels so far and my books are published in eleven countries in eight different languages. Some have been turned into audio books, some you can download to your phone chapter by chapter. One was even turned into a comic book in Japan! I’m a Harlequin author at last. And I’d like to think there are some receptionists out there with my books in their desk drawers. (Romance writers are optimists. Oh, right. I’ve already said that.)

-Dana Marton
May 2009

Dana Marton’s TALL, DARK & LETHAL is a Rita finalist this year. You can find out more about her and read excerpts from her books at www.danamarton.com. Her most recent release is SAVED BY THE MONARCH.

–Forget kissing frogs. Meet Prince Miklos of Valtria. And if the crown fits….--

E-Book Rights Alert: Amazon's Kindle 2 Adds "Text to Speech" Function

2009-02-13T05:11:00.001-08:00

I'm passing this along from The Authors Guild. It's lengthy, but worth reading for all writers, I believe.

"On Monday, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled Amazon's Kindle 2 e-book reading device at the Morgan Library in New York. Most of the changes from the first version of the Kindle are incremental improvements: the new Kindle is lighter and thinner, for example, and Amazon eliminated the scroll wheel. One update, however, is wholly new: Amazon has added a "Text to Speech" function that reads the e-book aloud through the use of special software.

This presents a significant challenge to the publishing industry. Audiobooks surpassed $1 billion in sales in 2007; e-book sales are just a small fraction of that. While the audio quality of the Kindle 2, judging from Amazon's promotional materials, is best described as serviceable, it's far better than the text-to-speech audio of just a few years ago. We expect this software to improve rapidly.

We're studying this matter closely and will report back to you. In the meantime, we recommend that if you haven't yet granted your e-book rights to backlist or other titles, this isn't the time to start. If you have a new book contract and are negotiating your e-book rights, make sure Amazon's use of those rights is part of the dialog. Publishers certainly could contractually prohibit Amazon from adding audio functionality to its e-books without authorization, and Amazon could comply by adding a software tag that would prohibit its machine from creating an audio version of a book unless Amazon has acquired the appropriate rights. Until this issue is worked out, Amazon may be undermining your audio market as it exploits your e-books.

Bundling e-books and audio books has been discussed for a long time in the industry. It's a good idea, but it shouldn't be accomplished by fiat by an e-book distributor.

Reading to your kids note: A Wall Street Journal article quoted a portion of an interview with Authors Guild executive director Paul Aiken regarding the Kindle 2. The remarks have been interpreted by some as suggesting that the Guild believes that private out-loud reading is protected by copyright. It isn't, unless the reading is being done by a machine. And even out-loud reading by a machine is fine, of course, if it's from an authorized audio copy. Others suggest that challenging Amazon's use of this software challenges accessibility to the visually impaired. It doesn't: Kindle 2 isn't designed for such use. The Guild continues to support efforts to make works truly accessible to the visually impaired."

Jason Jack Miller Has Paneranoia

2009-02-09T05:21:00.001-08:00

Jason Jack Miller got a word accepted at Urban Dictionary - paneranoia.

Stop by and give him a thumbs up! (Yes, I'm allowed to campaign for him because he is my husband.)

Cover Art for The Other in the Mirror

2009-02-04T04:51:00.001-08:00

You can see the cover of The Other in the Mirror, a new Phillip Jose Farmer omnibus, edited by Seton Hill Writer Christopher Paul Carey. The cover art is by Bob Eggleton.

Seton Hill Writers Update

2009-02-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some Seton Hill Writers updates from the past couple of months:

#1: Kerri Mountain's WPF thesis novel The Parson's Christmas Gift is still available at some online sites even though it sold out at the publisher's site, Steeple Hill Books.

#2: Shelley Adina's second book in the All About Us YA series is out in bookstores. It's called Be Strong and Curvaceous. The third book Who Made You a Princess? is due to hit stores in May 2009.

#3: Monica Spence was elected as President of the Long Island Romance Writers, Chapter 160 of the RWA.

#4: Maria V. Snyder's novel Poison Study made the 2009 YALSA "Popular Paperback" list.

#5: Traci Castleberry has a short story titled "Rent Girl" in the Valentine's Day anthology Lace and Blade 2. Also, as her alter-ego Nica Berry, she has a new e-book out from Loose Id titled Consort.

#6: Dr. Ellen Spain was selected as a judge for the 2009 Young Voices Awards.

#7: A new community on Facebook honors one of Seton Hill's horror writers and mentors - "What would Mike Arnzen do for a Klondike Bar?"

#8: Irene L. Pynn has a revamped site - http://www.irenelpynn.com

22nd Annual Pennwriters Conference in Pittsburgh

2009-01-19T11:19:00.000-08:00

Online Registration is open for the Pennwriters 22nd Annual Conference A Writer's Tool Chest.

WHEN: May 15 - 17, 2009
WHERE: Pittsburgh Airport Marriott
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline
PENNWRITER SPEAKER: Asimov's Readers' Award winner and Seton Hill mentor Timons Esaias

I'll post continuing updates about the conference, guests, and events.

Pennwriters, Heidi Ruby Miller, annual conference, A Writer's Tool Chest, Pittsburgh, Lisa Scottoline, Timons Esaias, writing, Seton Hill Writers

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - Irene L. Pynn

2009-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Irene L. Pynn

HEIDI'S PICK SIX

1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Everyone is always surprised to hear that, in From Light to Dark, Balor is my favorite character. He's technically the antagonist, but I just love the guy. Come on, world. Give him a chance. :)

2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?

4.What else can you do besides write?
Let's see... I can't juggle. Math is out. My cooking's a bit like poison. Um... O.O

5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?

7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
There's a fight scene in From Light to Dark that was not only emotionally-charged, but also confusing for me to write, since I have never actually been in a fight myself. I had to call several friends who had been in more unfortunate situations than I and conduct interviews with them about what exactly a punch to the nose feels like. After that, I resolved to never be punched in the nose.

8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
Anywhere. One of my short stories, "God Corp.," came to me after several people tried to kill off my (obsessive) love of Shakespeare by pointing out that he might not have written the plays himself at all. Inspiration for another short story, "Mind Reader," came when I was surfing the web and found colorful images of brain scans online. Don't ask me how I found that, because I haven't a clue. In any case, it led to something fun!

9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?

12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
Honestly, my stories wouldn't make it without outlines. There's nothing wrong with taking detours when something interesting in the distance catches my eye, but without a general guidemap, I would get lost in a dark forest somewhere and end up stuck in a ditch. And there'd probably be no cell reception, and I'd start getting hungry...

13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?

15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Compulsively. Noggin is one of my favorite television channels, and that's a station only for preschoolers or hard-core cartoon lovers. I also love tons of anime and watch Cartoon Network (both daytime and Adult Swim) whenever I have a chance. Simply put: yes, I do still watch cartoons. And, yes. I am comfortable with that fact. :)

Irene L. Pynn has been a writer her whole life. Coming from a family of writers, it was inevitable!

She has taught everything from Creative Writing to English Literature at both the high school and college levels, but before becoming a teacher, Irene worked as a reporter at a small newspaper while she finished her Master's degree in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University. Her thesis novels there were a work of speculative fiction for children about time travel, and a strange little thing about a hedgehog.

When she isn't writing or teaching, Irene loves to spend time with her supportive parents, her talented brother, her incredible fiancé, and Othello, Sprocket, and Coretta (cat, dog, and cat, respectively).

The theatre is another of Irene's great loves, and she has worked in almost all areas – on stage, back stage, writing for the stage… or just sitting in the audience, she's always at home in a play. One of the geekiest things about Irene is her deep affection for Shakespeare since elementary school, but she has come to terms with that by now and sees no reason to hide it. ("Hamlet FTW!")

Irene is also an avid reader. It doesn't matter whether she's reading a novel, a short story, or a comic book, Irene enjoys the same genres that she writes: speculative fiction, magical realism, or just good, old-fashioned fantasy and science fiction.

Every November, Irene can be found red-eyed in front of her computer, trying to meet the challenge of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Through this experience, she has stretched her writing muscles and made some wonderful friends who inspire her every day. Her NaNo for 2007 is currently in the revision process.

More than anything, Irene likes to believe in magic.

HEIDI'S PICK SIX, Heidi Ruby Miller, Irene L. Pynn, From Light to Dark, Wild Child Publishing, young adult fantasy, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill WPF Graduates for January 2009

2009-01-14T05:31:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to the following Seton Hill University students as they graduate today with their Master's in Writing Popular Fiction and become part of the WPF Alumni:

Mary Ann Aug (Mystery/Romantic Mystery)
Patrick Cobbs (Young Adult)
Rebekah Cramer (Young Adult)
Matthew Donahue (Science Fiction)
Gale Holt (Young Adult)
Susan Isola (Women’s Fiction)
Sherry Peters (Fantasy)
Daphne Riordan (Urban Fantasy)
Krista Russell (YA/Historical)
Stephanie Splater (Women’s Fiction)
Alexander Spoerer (Science Fiction/Fantasy)
Jennifer Stuttle (Chick Lit)
Betsy Whitt (Fantasy)
Tracy Wilson-Burns (Romance)

Seton Hill University, Heidi Ruby Miller, Writing Popular Fiction, graduation, writing, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Writers Update

2008-12-14T05:13:00.000-08:00

I haven't done one of these in a while because I've been busy on a novel (of course), but here are a few updates I've recently heard about:

#1: The Other in the Mirror, a collection of writings by Phillip Jose Farmer and edited by Christopher Paul Carey, is now available for pre-order.

#2: Mary SanGiovanni was interviewed at Famous Monsters of Filmland about her latest novel Found You.

#3: Kaye Dacus' Stand-In Groom received a four star review in Romantic Times BOOKreviews. This was her thesis novel for the WPF program.

#4: Renae Johnson has a new trailer for her upcoming release Blessed Be.

#5: The first two chapters of Anne Harris' second novel Accidental Creatures is up at Book View Cafe.

#6: HALO: The Cole Protocol by Tobias S. Buckell hit the New York Times Bestseller list.

Christopher Paul Carey, Heidi Ruby Miller, Mary SanGiovanni, Kaye Dacus, Renae Johnson, Tobias Buckell, Anne Harris, writing, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Seeks Faculty for Writing Popular Fiction Program

2008-12-13T04:57:00.000-08:00

Here are two postings put out by the university. One is for graduate level, the other for teaching undergrads. Thanks to Mike Arnzen for the heads up:

FACULTY WANTED TO TEACH WRITING OF POPULAR FICTION

Assistant Professor of English
Location: Greensburg, PA
Category: Faculty - Liberal Arts - English and Literature
Posted: 11/10/2008
Application Due: Open Until Filled
Type: Full Time

Seton Hill University seeks published novelist of popular fiction (preferably mystery/suspense), to teach and to mentor novel-length theses in the graduate low-residency Writing Popular Fiction program (half-load), and to teach undergraduate courses in creative writing and first-year composition.

Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in English, MFA considered. Background in journalism, publishing, and/or editing a plus. Teaching experience/potential at undergraduate level desirable.

Send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, official transcripts, a statement of philosophy of teaching, a writing sample, a teaching portfolio, and three letters of reference. The review process will begin February 15, 2009 and will continue until the position is filled.

Seton Hill University is a Catholic, liberal arts University, educating traditional and non-traditional undergraduate and graduate students. Classes are offered in a variety of formats - day, evening, and weekends. Seton Hill has a student-centered campus culture based on Catholic values, acceptance, community and service. The campus is located 35 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Postal Address: Dr. John Spurlock, Chair
Humanities Division
Seton Hill University
Seton Hill Drive
PO Box 507F
Greensburg, PA 15601
Email Address: spurlock@setonhill.edu
http://fiction.setonhill.edu
http://www.setonhill.edu

***
ALSO WANTED: COMPOSITION SPECIALIST!

Assistant Professor of Composition
Institution: Seton Hill University
Location: Greensburg, PA
Category: Faculty - Liberal Arts - English and Literature
Posted: 11/10/2008
Application Due: Open Until Filled
Type: Full Time

Seton Hill University invites applications for an Assistant Professor position in Composition, beginning fall, 2009. The faculty member will teach first-year composition courses, with a secondary teaching responsibility as a generalist in undergraduate English.

Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in Composition/Rhetoric with an M.A. in literature (or related area). Background in writing assessment and/or writing in the disciplines a plus. An outstanding candidate who has completed all but the dissertation may be considered.

Send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, official transcripts, and a statement of philosophy of teaching composition, a writing sample, a teaching portfolio, a developmental composition syllabus, a set of teaching evaluations from a composition course and three letters of reference to. The review process will begin February 15, 2009 and will continue until the position is filled.

Seton Hill University is a Catholic, liberal arts University, educating traditional and non-traditional undergraduate and graduate students. Classes are offered in a variety of formats - day, evening, and weekends. Seton Hill has a student-centered campus culture based on Catholic values, acceptance, community and service. The campus is located 35 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Postal Address: Dr. John Spurlock, Chair
Humanities Division
Seton Hill University
Seton Hill Drive
PO Box 507F
Greensburg, PA 15601
Email Address: spurlock@setonhill.edu
http://www.setonhill.edu

Seton Hill University, Heidi Ruby Miller, Writing Popular Fiction, Seton Hill Writers

The Surrender in Best of Every Day Fiction 2008

2008-12-11T05:38:00.001-08:00

The Best of Every Day Fiction 2008 Anthology is now available for order. Among the many wonderful stories included is my story The Surrender.

The Surrender, Heidi Ruby Miller, Best of Every Day Fiction 2008, writing, Seton Hill Writers

Mary SanGiovanni Signing

2008-11-21T04:44:00.000-08:00

My Seton Hill critique partner and dear friend Mary SanGiovanni will be in my area (Uniontown, PA, Greensburg, PA, and Morgantown, WV) this weekend to sign her latest novel Found You. It is a sequel to her Bram Stoker-nominated debut novel The Hollower.

Mary SanGiovanni, Heidi Ruby Miller, Found You, writing, author signing, Seton Hill Writers

Good-bye to Steven Willows

2008-11-20T05:04:00.001-08:00

It is with great sadness that we say good-bye to one of our Seton Hill Writers.

Steven Willows was a Rooney Scholar who lived in Hendersonville, North Carolina, with his wife. His novel The Fallen is still available from Amazon and other online sellers.

To sign a guestbook and find out more about Steven, please visit his memorial site.

Our thoughts are with his family.

Steven Willows, The Fallen, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Writers Updates

2008-11-03T06:01:00.000-08:00

#1: Mary SanGiovanni's sequel to her Bram Stoker-nominated first novel The Hollwer is on shelves now. The follow up is called Found You.

#2: The short story "Iron and Bronze" by Christopher Paul Carey and Win Scott Eckert is part of Tales of the Shadowmen: Volume 5 due out soon.

#3: You can hear Michael A. Arnzen as part of the Writer's Talk series on WCBE Ohio's NPR through this link. Other Seton Hill Writers in the series include Gary Braunbeck and Lawrence Connolly.

#4: Lynn Salsi's debut YA novel Firefight on Vietnam Brown Water" is now available. This was Lynn's thesis novel for Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction Program.

Mary SanGiovanni, Heidi Ruby Miller, Christopher Paul Carey, Michael A. Arnzen, Gary Braunbeck, Lawrence C. Connolly, Lynn Salsi, writing, Win Scott Eckert, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Writer Carmine Coco DeYoung on CBS Sunday Morning

2008-09-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

Seton Hill Writer and alum Carmine Coco DeYoung will appear on a segment of the CBS Sunday Morning show on Sunday, September 21 (9:00 AM EST). Bill Geist did a segment which features her as the 2008 Hobo Queen.

Carmine is the award-winning author of the children's book A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, which was recently translated into Korean.

CBS Sunday Morning, Heidi Ruby Miller, Carmine Coco DeYoung, 2008 Hobo Queen, Bill Geist, A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, children's author, writing, award winning author, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Writers Interviews

2008-09-08T04:43:00.001-07:00

#1: Laurie Alice Eakes interviewed Kim Moore, senior editor at Harvest House Publishers for Afictionado.

Laurie was also interviewed herself as the featured author at CataRomance.com.

#2: Natalie Duvall and her husband Matt Duvall have their third author interview up at The Write Way. Tim Lebbon is featured.

#3: Maria V. Snyder continues her author interviews on her MySpace blog. Her latest is with Cerridwen author Nancy Hunter.

Heidi Ruby Miller, Laurie Alice Eakes, Natalie Duvall, Matt Duvall, Maria V. Snyder, writing, The Write Way, Seton Hill Writers

Summer Field Notes from Heidi Ruby Miller

2008-09-07T05:02:00.001-07:00

The special tri-issue of my newsletter, Field Notes, went out this weekend with its new online format. The theme for summer is, of course, road tripping. Here's an excerpt:

Despite the rise in gas prices, Jason and I managed to drive or ride over four thousand miles during these past three months. In Florida, we saw Storm Troopers and Jedis, celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary, and became lost in the magic of Disney World. In Maryland, I reunited with family members and basked in the nostalgia of my childhood. And, in the Outer Banks, we discovered the beauty and renewal of the shore and just why the Wright brothers spent so much time there.

A little closer to home, we attended the 7th Annual WPF alumni retreat and writing conference at beloved Seton Hill University, where we reconnected with author pals, made many new acquaintances, and received our anticipated dose of motivation and inspiration.

We are always lucky to share these experiences with friends and family, and the memories and photos often keep us warm when the trees are bare and the wind chill makes our breath freeze once again.

If you would like to subscribe to Field Notes from Heidi Ruby Miller, please email heidirubymiller AT gmail DOT com.

~Heidi

Field Notes from Heidi Ruby Miller, Heidi Ruby Miller, newsletter, summer, roadtripping, Seton Hill Writers

Photo Series: 2008 WPF In Your Write Mind Retreat and Seton Hill Residency

2008-08-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

Almost There Panel at WPF In Your Write Mind Retreat and Conference from L to R: Heidi Ruby Miller, J. A. Konrath, Uwe Stender of TriadaUS Literary Agency, Jason Jack Miller, and K. J. Howe

We had a full schedule of workshops and panels at the Seton Hill WPF In Your Write Mind Retreat and Conference, as well as thesis readings and graduation for the WPF Graduate Residency, which was running concurrently.

I moderated the "Almost There" panel about those of us in the middle stages of the novel publishing process: after the classes have been taken, the books have been written, and the queries sent out, how do you keep you keep up your momentum?

Here are a few other photos from the residency and retreat.

WPF attendees at Red Star

WPF attendees at Red Star

WPF mentor Timons Esaias at Adrienne Kapp's thesis defense

WPF graduate Adrienne Kapp at her thesis defense

Seton Hill WPF graduate luncheon

Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction graduate luncheon

Seton Hill University, Heidi Ruby Miller, Writing Popular Fiction, In Your Write Mind, SHU, WPF, writing retreat, writing, authors, Seton Hill Writers

Photo Series: 2008 WPF In Your Write Mind Retreat - The Booksigning

2008-08-18T05:32:00.001-07:00

Heidi Ruby Miller and J.A. Konrath

On Friday night we had a mass signing for participating authors of the Seton Hill WPF In Your Write Mind Conference and Retreat at the Greensburg Barnes and Noble. The Pittsburgh Tribune Review did an article about the signing.

Penny Dawn, Alayne Adams, and Shelley Adina

W. H. Horner and Gary Frank

Sally Bosco, Maria V. Snyder, and Melanie Card

Lawrence C. Connolly, Lee Allen Howard, and Chun Lee

Matt and Natalie Duvall

Jennifer Brisendine

Ed Kellerman and Marge Burke

Carmine Coco DeYoung and Tim Waggoner

Seton Hill University, Heidi Ruby Miller, In Your Write Mind Conference, WPF, SHU, book signing, Writing Popular Fiction, writing, authors, Seton Hill Writers

Photo Series: 2008 WPF In Your Write Mind Retreat

2008-08-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

Heidi Ruby Miller and Michael A. Arnzen

I finally have a bit of time to post some photos from the 2008 WPF In Your Write Mind Retreat sponsored by the Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction Alumni.

Here is the first evening.

Karen Lynn Williams and Leslie Davis Guccione

Chris and Ron Edison and Timons Esaias

Heidi Ruby Miller, Ginjer Buchanan, Kelly, and Maria V. Snyder

Lawrence C. Connolly and Melanie Card

Maria V. Snyder, Jason Jack Miller, and Michael Mehalek

Penny Dawn and Albert Wendland

Natalie Duvall and Marge Burke

Michael Mehalek and Sabrina Naples

Albert Wendland and Judy Fleming

In Your Write Mind Retreat, Heidi Ruby Miller, WPF, Seton Hill University, Writing Popular Fiction, Jason Jack Miller, SHU, writing, authors, Seton Hill Writers

PATHS TO PUBLICATION - LAWRENCE C. CONNOLLY

2008-08-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

Veins by Lawrence C. Connolly

I started out as a reader, and I’m still convinced that reading is the best way for a writer to begin. If a person doesn’t like reading the stuff, why bother writing it?

I read everything I could get my hands on: classic and contemporary sf novels, anthologies, and (most importantly) the magazines.

When I got the notion to try writing for the magazines, I sat down and dissected some of my favorite stories, noting everything from placement of exposition and dialogue to the length of paragraphs and use of punctuation. Then I went to work, following Heinlein’s three step approach to writing success: I finished everything I wrote, submitted everything I finished, and kept submitting everything until it sold.

I made my first sale to Amazing Stories and followed it up with three more to the same editor before moving on to Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Magazines, Year’s Best Horror, and lots of others.

A Hollywood production company optioned one of my stories a few years later. Three more options followed. I began thinking seriously about writing a novel, but it would be many years and over 50 story sales before I got around to finishing Veins.

I sent Veins to the agent who had been handling my film rights. A few days later, I mentioned the novel in a letter to Will Horner at Fantasist Enterprises. Will had purchased a story from me for one of his anthologies, and he wanted to hear more about the book. He got in touch with my agent, and shortly thereafter we had an agreement.

Veins has just been released in a beautiful trade paperback, with cover and illustrations by Star E. Olson.

Here’s the synopsis from the back of the book:

Fleeing from what should have been a perfect crime, four crooks in a black Mustang race into the Pennsylvania highlands. On the backseat, a briefcase full of cash. On their tail, a tattooed madman who wants them dead.

The driver calls himself Axle. A local boy, he knows the landscape, the coal-hauling roads and steep trails that lead to the perfect hideout: the crater of an abandoned mine. But Axle fears the crater. Terrible things happened there. Things that he has spent years trying to forget.

Enter Kwetis, the nightflyer, a specter from Axle’s ancestral past. Part memory, part nightmare, Kwetis has planned a heist of his own. And soon Axle, his partners in crime, and their pursuer will learn that their arrival at the mine was foretold long ago . . . and that each of them is a piece of a plan devised by the spirits of the Earth.

Fantasist has some nice advance notices on Veins from Michael A. Arnzen, Gary A. Braunbeck, T.E.D. Klein, Robert Morrish, and Mary SanGiovanni at the novel’s official website:
www.VeinsTheNovel.com

You might also want to check out this live journal review of the Veins debut at Garden State Horror Writers.

~Lawrence C. Connolly
August 2008

Veins is available through most of the major chains, but Fantasist is giving a nice discount for direct orders through their website:
http://fantasistent.com/books/novels/VEINS/VEINS.php

Also available at the Fantasist website is a cool Veins T-shirt.

You can visit Lawrence online at www.LawrenceCConnolly.com and www.VeinsTheNovel.com.

He has a lot of stuff in the pipeline. Next up will be a new horror story entitled “Painkeeper,” due out in Cemetery Dance 59; a new ghost story entitled “Flames” in a new anthology from Ash-Tree Press, one of his favorite small-press publishers. The anthology will be called Shades of Darkness, and it is due to be released in October, in time for World Fantasy. Also due out in time for World Fantasy is a full-length CD of ambient music inspired by Veins. Fantasist Enterprises will be releasing that one, and you can hear one of the tracks at www.VeinsTheNovel.com. Toward the end of this year, look for “Reckoning” in Terrible Beauty, Fearful Symmetry from Dark Hart Press and “Die Angel” in Darkness on the Edge: Tales Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen from PS Publishing.

PATHS TO PUBLICATION, Heidi Ruby Miller, Lawrence C. Connolly, Veins, Fantasist Enterprises, horror, illustrated novel, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill Writers

June 2008 Seton Hill WPF Grads Online

2008-08-08T06:37:00.001-07:00

Here's where you can find some of the June 2008 Seton Hill WPF graduates:

#1: Adrea Peters has her Summer 2008 newsletter at Artists Looking Ahead. Her guest interview this time is writer and adventurer Kira Salak.

#2: Aubrey Curry has a new blog series about finding an agent.

#3: Emilie Bishop has a brand new website at http://emiliebishop.com/default.aspx.

#4: Monica Spence has a new blog at http://monicaspence.blogspot.com.

Heidi Ruby Miller, Adrea Peters, writing, Aubrey Curry, Monica Spence, Emilie Bishop, Seton Hill Writers, Seton Hill University

Mary SanGiovanni Interview

2008-08-05T09:22:00.001-07:00

Derek Clendening interviews Seton Hill alum and my wonderful critique partner Mary SanGiovanni at Dark Scribe about Found You, her follow up to Bram Stoker Award-nominated debut novel, The Hollower.

Heidi Ruby Miller, Mary SanGiovanni, The Hollower, Found You, Dark Scribe, Derek Clendening, writing, author+interviews, Seton Hill Writers

2009 Pennwriters Conference Agent Update

2008-08-04T14:05:00.001-07:00

So far, the following agents will be at the 2009 Pennwriters Conference held in Pittsburgh during the weekend of May 15-17:

Uwe Stender from TriadaUS Literary
Alyssa Eisner Henkin from Trident Media Group
Lucienne Diver from Spectrum Literary Agency
Paige Wheeler from Folio Literary Management

The keynote speakers are Lisa Scottoline and Seton Hill Writer Timons Esaias.

2009 Pennwriters Conference, Heidi Ruby Miller, Lisa Scottoline, Timons Esaias, Uwe Stender, Lucienne Diver, Paige Wheeler, writing, Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Pennwriters, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Writers Book News

2008-07-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

#1: Veins, the debut illustrated novel by Lawrence C. Connolly, is now available from Fantasist Enterprises. You can see and read more about it at the official Veins site.

#2: The Song of Kwasin, a novel by Philip Jose Farmer and Seton Hill alum Christopher Paul Carey, was announced at Farmercon 90. The novel is a direct sequel to Hadon of Ancient Opar and Flight to Opar.

#3: Susan Mallery's latest novel Sweet Talk is on shelves now.

#4: Kimberley A. Opatka-Metzgar, Director of Public Relations for Saint Vincent Archabbey and Seminary and Seton Hill alum designed The Illustrated History of the Schickel Motorcycle written by Ken Anderson.

#5: Nica Berry has a new e-book out from Torquere Press titled Hart and Soul.

#6: Simply Romance Reviews gave Katherine Ivy's novel Dishonorable Intentions an A+. You can read the entire review here.

#7: Timons Esaias has only a few copies left of his poetry chapbook The Influence of Pigeons on Architecture, now in its second printing.

#8: Dana Marton has an unedited draft of one of her novels up for free on her site. She is asking for email addresses (privately) just to see how many people are reading the book. If enough people take advantage of it, she'll post more free books.

#9: Michael A. Arnzen's limited edition novelette Bitchfight is available now from Bad Moon Books.

Michael A. Arnzen, Heidi Ruby Miller, Christopher Paul Carey, Katherine Ivy, Susan Mallery, Nica Berry, Dana Marton, writing, Timons Esaias, Seton Hill Writers, Lawrence C. Connolly, Kimberley A. Opatka-Metzgar

Seton Hill Short Story News

2008-07-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

#1: The anthology He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson from Gauntlet Press features three stories from Seton Hill Writers: Michael A. Arnzen's "She Screech Like Me", Gary A. Braunbeck's "Everything of Beauty Taken from You in This Life Remains Forever", and Thomas F. Monteleone's "The Diary of Louise Carey".

#2: "Heavenly Bodies", a short story by Renae Johnson is part of the Going Up, Going Down anthology from Loose Id.

#3: Tobias Buckell co-authored the story "Mitigation" with Karl Schroeder: It will appear in the Fast Forward 2 anthology by Lou Anders.

Heidi Ruby Miller, short stories, Michael A. Arnzen, Gary Braunbeck, Thomas F. Monteleone, Renae Johnson, writing, Tobias Buckell, Seton Hill Writers

My Bibliophile in Farmerphile

2008-07-11T21:13:00.000-07:00

The announcement about Farmercon 90 and Farmerphile 13 is up at The Official Jose Farmer Home Page. Issue thirteen contains my bibliophile on Farmer's novel The Tongues of the Moon. I wrote it from an anthropologist's perspective.

Also featured in the issue is fellow Seton Hill Writer Christopher Paul Carey and fellow Magic River blogger Win Scott Eckert.

More on The Magic River to come. Until then, it is syndicated here on Live Journal.

Heidi Ruby Miller, Philip Jose Farmer, The Tongues of the Moon, Farmercon 90, Farmerphile, The Magic River, writing, Christopher Paul Carey, Win Scott Eckert, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Writers Poetry News

2008-07-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

#1: My poem "Misplaced my keys" is in the March/April issue of Star*Line.
Star*Line March/April 2008 Issue

Also, in that same issue was Fairytale Graveyard, a gift booklet of horror poetry from the SFPA for World Horror Con 2008. Among the contributors was Seton Hill's own Michael A. Arnzen with his poem "The Fall Down the Stairs of the House of Usher."

#2: In other SFPA news, K. Ceres Wright's poem "Doomed" was nominated for a 2008 Rhysling Award and is part of The 2008 Rhysling Anthology.

#3: Rachael Pruitt's poem "Merlin" is in Issue 12 of Paradox: The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction.

Heidi Ruby Miller, SFPA, The 2008 Rhysling Anthology, Paradox, Misplaced my keys, writing, Michael A. Arnzen, K. Ceres Wright, Rachael Pruitt, poetry, Star*Line, Seton Hill Writers

April Newsletter for Heidi Ruby Miller

2008-05-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

My April newsletter is finally finished, a few days late.

I've reformatted it and given it a new name Field Notes.

Here's an excerpt from the introductory letter for April's issue titled Pride of Place: Loving Where You Live:

Field Notes allows me to express the many facets of my life rather than limiting me to speculative fiction. The concept comes from my undergrad days studying anthropology and geography, as well as my love for traveling and adventure.

Each issue will revolve around a central theme, while still sharing news of my latest releases, appearances, and projects-in-progress. I'll also feature writerly friends and keep you up-to-date on my latest author interviews.

In this issue I look at Southwestern Pennsylvania as my home and playground. The natural beauty rivals only the historic and cultural richness of the area. From the mansions of Uniontown's millionaire coal baron days to Ohiopyle State Park's whitewater rapids and hiking trails, I continue to explore this region in all its forms, seeing it with the eyes of a former anthropologist, but the heart of a native. It is the best of both worlds.

If you'd like to receive a copy, please email me at heidirubymiller AT gmail DOT com.

I'll have more updates here a bit later.

Cheers,
Heidi

PATHS TO PUBLICATION - Tammy Swoish

2008-04-14T05:30:00.001-07:00

Hot Scots, Castles, and Kilts by Tammy Swoish

Hot Scots, Castles, and Kilts is the first novel I have published. I began writing shortly after I graduated from college. I'd always loved writing and figured while I was waiting for an English teaching job to open, I'd make some quick money and write a novel. I had an English degree. I'd studied the best. How hard could it be? Approximately ten years later, a full-time job which pays the bills, and three manuscripts stored in the attic, I have my answer. Writing is hard work.

It took me writing in two genres (adventure and romance) before I found my voice in young adult fiction. Voice . . . now that's an illusive foe to conquer. Hot Scots began during my time in Seton Hill's Writing Popular Fiction program. When I finished the program, the story, with the help of an editor, continued to improve and change into the novel it is today.

Here's the blurb from the back of the book:
Little does 16-year-old Sami Ames know what she’s in for when she and her mother head to Scotland to help their cousins save MacKensie Manor. Sami feels like she’s landed in a medieval time warp. There’s no electricity, no running water, or hair conditioner! But Sami joins in the challenges of daily peasant life in order to get MacKensie Manor up and running as a working farm tourist attraction. She can’t imagine people paying to make soap, dye wool, or milk cows. What’s worse, a ghost has invaded her room. Sami can’t figure out cousin Fiona, who obsesses over an ancient family feud with the McClintoggs, but Sami’s thrilled when she has a close encounter with a hot Scot. Too bad it’s Adan McClintogg!

Ten years ago, I had no clue how difficult the writing industry would be to crack. I love to write, but you won't hear me say things like I'd be happy just to write even if I'm never paid. I'm a realist and do not like the feeling of wasted time. If I had no hope of being paid for my writing, I'd have given up and stuck to private journal writing. Being published was the beginning goal. Now I set the bar higher and move forward. This is our purpose in life. Set your bar and move forward.

-Tammy Swoish
April 2008

See what Santa Fe New Mexican had to say about Hot Scots and watch for a second Sami Ames story in early winter 2008.

You can visit Tammy online at tammyswoish.com.

PATHS TO PUBLICATION, Heidi Ruby Miller, Tammy Swoish, Hot Scots, Castles, and Kilts, Random House, fantasy, young adult, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill Writers

From The Authors Guild: Amazon Tightens Grip on Long Tail

2008-04-07T05:06:00.000-07:00

I got this message over the weekend in my email from The Authors Guild:

Last week Amazon announced that it would be requiring that all books that it sells that are produced through on-demand means be printed by BookSurge, their in-house on-demand printer/publisher. Amazon pitched this as a customer service matter, a means for more speedily delivering print-on-demand books and allowing for the bundling of shipments with other items purchased at the same time from Amazon. It also put a bit of an environmental spin on the move -- claiming less transportation fuel is used (this is unlikely, but that's another story) when all items are shipped directly from Amazon.

We, and many others, think something else is afoot. Ingram Industries' Lightning Source is currently the dominant printer for on-demand titles, and they appear to be quite efficient at their task. They ship on-demand titles shortly after they are ordered through Amazon directly to the customer. It's a nice business for Ingram, since they get a percentage of the sales and a printing fee for every on-demand book they ship. Amazon would be foolish not to covet that business.

What's the rub? Once Amazon owns the supply chain, it has effective control of much of the "long tail" of publishing -- the enormous number of titles that sell in low volumes but which, in aggregate, make a lot of money for the aggregator. Since Amazon has a firm grip on the retailing of these books (it's uneconomic for physical book stores to stock many of these titles), owning the supply chain would allow it to easily increase its profit margins on these books: it need only insist on buying at a deeper discount -- or it can choose to charge more for its printing of the books -- to increase its profits. Most publishers could do little but grumble and comply.

We suspect this maneuver by Amazon is far more about profit margin than it is about customer service or fossil fuels. The potential big losers (other than Ingram) if Amazon does impose greater discounts on the industry, are authors -- since many are paid for on-demand sales based on the publisher's gross revenues -- and publishers.

We're reviewing the antitrust and other legal implications of Amazon's bold move. If you have any information on this matter that you think could be helpful to us, please call us at (212) 563-5904 and ask for the legal services department, or send an e-mail to staff@authorsguild.org.

The Authors Guild, Heidi Ruby Miller, Amazon, Ingram, Lightning Source, BookSurge, POD, writing

Feel free to post or forward this message in its entirety.

Seton Hill Stoker Winners

2008-04-01T09:16:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Seton Hill Writers Mike Arnzen and Gary Braunbeck who won Bram Stoker Awards this past weekend in the following categories:

Michael A. Arnzen - Fiction Collection for Proverbs for Monsters (tied with Peter Straub)

Gary A. Braunbeck - Long Fiction for "Afterward There Will Be a Hallway"
and
-Anthology for Five Strokes to Midnight with co-editor Hank Schwaeble

Bram Stoker Awards, Heidi Ruby Miller, Horror Writers Association, Michael A. Arnzen, Gary Braunbeck, horror, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Writers on the Web

2008-03-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

#1: Steven Piziks/Steven Harper (read Steven's PICK SIX here) guest blogs today at Anne Harris' Friskbiskit. (Read Anne's PICK SIX here.)

#2: Renae Johnson's story "Heavenly Bodies" was chosen for the Loose Id's March Madness Sweet Sixteen. Voting beings some time today.

#3: Penny Dawn (read Penny's PATH TO PUBLICATION here) is guest blogging at Amber Quill Press.

#4: Maria V. Snyder (read Maria's PATH TO PUBLICATION here) shares her recent listing on the New Times Bestseller List with K.J. Howe (read K. J.'s PICK SIX here) at Romance Bandits.

#5: Shelley Adina has a new site for her Spencer Academy series.

#6: Seton Hill alum Laurie Alice Eakes is making a guest appearance and having a book giveaway at Mary Lu Tyndall's blog The Cross and Cutlass.

#7: Tobias S. Buckell (read Toby's PICK SIX here) and Maria V. Snyder are part of 23 published writers blogging about the dreaded synopsis.

Here are links to the other 21 blogs:
Patricia Bray
Chaz Brenchley
Mike Brotherton
S.C. Butler
Barbara Campbell
David B. Coe
Jennifer Dunne
S.L. Farrell
Diana Francis
Gregory Frost
Felix Gilman
Jim C. Hines (Read Jim's PATH TO PUBLICATION here.)
Jackie Kessler
Mindy Klasky
Misty Masse
C.E. Murphy
Naomi Novik
Joshua Palmatier (Read Joshua's PICK SIX.)
Jennifer Stevenson
Michelle West
Sean Williams (Read Sean's PICK SIX.)

Seton Hill University, Heidi Ruby Miller, Steven Piziks, Anne Harris, K. J. Howe, Maria V. Snyder, Tobias S. Buckell, Laurie Alice Eakes, Penny Dawn, Renae Johnson, Shelley Adina, Seton Hill Writers

More Seton Hill Writers Updates

2008-03-14T05:18:00.000-07:00

#1: Fire Study, the third novel by Maria V. Snyder made the New York Times Best Sellers List for trade paperbacks.

#2: James Morrow's latest novel is out. He is currently touring with The Philosopher's Apprentice.

#3: Toby Buckell's second novel Ragamuffin is in the Fantasybookspot March Madness Tournament. Voting ends March 15 for Round 2.

#4: Monica Spence has a new website at http://monicaspence.web.officelive.com/default.aspx.

#5: Kimberley A. Opatka-Metzgar has a new project called Emma's Wetlands Adventures.

#6: Nalo Hoplinson's story "Soul Case" made it into Year's Best Fantasy 8 edited by Kathryn Cramer and David G. Hartwell.

Writing Popular Fiction, Heidi Ruby Miller, Maria V. Snyder, James Morrow, Tobias Buckell, Monica Spence, Kimberley Opatka-Metzgar, writing, Nalo Hopkinson, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Writers Updates

2008-03-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

#1: K. Ceres Wright's poem Doomed was nominated for the 2008 Science Fiction Poetry Association's Rhysling Award. Ceres also did a voiceover for the SF animated short Star Freighter: Dangerous Cargo.

#2: Timons Esaias is the special guest this Monday in the PennWriters Presents series.

#3: Glenn Garrabrant is modeling clothes for Five Tone Rock 'n Roll Boutique.

#4: Landry Gaines has a new website.

#5: Registration is now open for the 7th Annual In Your Write Mind Writing Popular Fiction Retreat. The conference is open to the public. Guests of honor this June are Ginjer Buchanan, Editor-in-Chief at Penguin Group, and best-selling author J. A. Konrath. Hope to see some of you there this summer!

Seton Hill University, Heidi Ruby Miller, Writing Popular Fiction, K. Ceres Wright, Timons Esaias, Glenn Garrabrant, Landry Gaines, writing, In Your Write Mind Retreat, Seton Hill Writers

Even More Seton Hill Writers News

2008-03-03T05:31:00.000-08:00

#1: Katherine Ivy was interviewed at Cerridwen Press about her first novel Dishonorable Intentions. You can find her on LJ at kat_ivy.

#2: Penny Dawn has an interview at Novel Sisterhood about her latest book The Long Run. You can also find Penny at Shelfari.

#3: The Philip Jose Farmer collection Venus on the Half-Shell and Others, edited by Christopher Paul Carey is listed as a New and Notable Book in Locus Magazine.

#4: Tobias Buckell has an essay up at The Angry Black Woman.

#5: Maria V. Snyder guest blogged at The Story Siren about her newest novel Fire Study.

Seton Hill University, Heidi Ruby Miller, Katherine Ivy, Tobias Buckell, Penny Dawn, Maria V. Snyder, Christopher Paul Carey, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill Writers

PATHS TO PUBLICATION - MARIA V. SNYDER

2008-02-29T11:25:00.000-08:00

Seton Hill Writer Maria V. Snyder talks about her new novel Fire Study and her PATH TO PUBLICATION today.

PATHS TO PUBLICATION, Heidi Ruby Miller, Maria V. Snyder, Fire Study, LUNA, fantasy, Poison Srudy, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill Writers, Seton Hill University

More Seton Hill Writers News

2008-02-26T07:07:00.000-08:00

#1: Two Seton Hill Writers made it to the final ballot for the Nebulas. Congratulations to Tobias Buckell, author of Ragamuffin and Nalo Hopkinson, author The New Moon's Arms.

#2: Michael Mehalek has a new flash story Tissue of Biblical Proportions up at The Write Way.

#3: Maria V. Snyder has posted her appearance schedule for the release of the third book in the Study Series, Fire Study.

#4: Congratulations to the 2006-2007 staff of Eye Contact, the literary-art magazine of Seton Hill University. They won a an ASPA Award for the Fall '06 - Spring '07 issue. Contributors included: Michael A. Arnzen, Jessica Braccio, Dante Ciolfi, Amanda Cochran, Lisa Cooper, Michael B. Diezmos, Melissa James Doll, Laura Fleming, Siena Frank, Shu-Hsin Kao, Karissa J. Kilgore, Marie Manski, Jason Jack Miller, Erin Mitchell, Rochelle Moore, Kim Pennesi, Adrea Peters, Juliann Picklo, Stephan Puff, Moira Richardson, Mike Rubino, Nora Thompson, and Erin Waite

Seton Hill University, Heidi Ruby Miller, Tobias Buckell, Nalo Hopkinson, Maria V. Snyder, Michael Mehalek, Eye Contact, writing, Nebulas, Seton Hill Writers

PA Waypoints Features MOON Pennsylvania Camping

2008-02-25T05:19:00.000-08:00

A new website by Doug Good is featuring our outdoor guide MOON Pennsylvania Camping.
MOON Pennsylvania Camping

PA Waypoints is compiling a database of waterfalls, overlooks, covered bridges, historical ruins, and geological formations within the beautiful state of Pennsylvania.

PA Waypoints, Heidi Ruby Miller, Jason Jack Miller, Doug Good, MOON Pennsylvania Camping, waterfalls, Pennsylvania, covered bridges, overlooks, Seton Hill Writers

Robot Knows in SCIFAIKUEST

2008-02-24T05:54:00.000-08:00

My joined haiku 'Robot Knows' is in Issue 19 (February 2008) of SCIFAIKUEST.

Scifaikuest 19

SCIFAIKUEST, Heidi Ruby Miller, writing, poetry, Robot Knows, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Writers News

2008-02-19T06:08:00.000-08:00

#1: Three Seton Hill Writers have made it to the final ballot for the 2007 Bram Stoker Awards:
FIRST NOVEL - THE HOLLOWER by Mary SanGiovanni (Leisure Books)
LONG FICTION - AFTERWARD,THERE WILL BE A HALLWAY by Gary Braunbeck (Five Strokes to Midnight)
ANTHOLOGY - FIVE STROKES TO MIDNIGHT edited by Gary Braunbeck and Hank Schwaeble (Haunted Pelican Press)
COLLECTION - PROVERBS FOR MONSTERS by Michael A. Arnzen (Dark Regions Press)

#2: Alum Rachael Pruitt's poem "Merlin" will be in Issue #12 of The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction.

#3: Alums Natalie and Matt Duvall have a new writers website The Write Way. There is also an accompanying MySpace.

#4: Alum Penny Dawn's story "The Bridge to Brighton" received a great review at Two Lips Review. The story is part of her newly released collection from Amber Quill titled The Long Run.

#5: Alum Lee Allen Howard has a new website.

#6: Current student Glenn Garrabrant's band The Psycho Kid will be performing a free concert at Tiger O'Stylies on Friday, February 22 in Berwyn, IL.

Seton Hill Writers, Heidi Ruby Miller, Mary SanGiovanni, Michael A. Arnzen, Gary Braunbeck, Penny Dawn, Rachael Pruitt, Glenn Garrabrant, Natalie Duvall, Matt Duvall, Seton Hill UniversityS

PATHS TO PUBLICATION - PENNY DAWN

2008-02-07T06:22:00.000-08:00

Seton Hill Writer Penny Dawn talks about her new book The Long Run and her Path to Publication today.

PATHS TO PUBLICATION, Heidi Ruby Miller, Penny Dawn, Long Run, Amber Quill Press, romance, Seton Hill Writers, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill University

Some Seton Hill Writer News

2008-02-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

#1: The "In Your Write Mind" Conference sponsored by the Seton Hill WPF Alumni has its two Keynote Speakers - Ginjer Buchanan, Editor in Chief at Penguin Group USA and best-selling mystery and speculative fiction author J. A. Konrath. (Here's last year's PICK SIX with J. A. Konrath.) The conference will be June 27 - 29, 2008. More details as they come in.

#2: Horror Mall is streaming the "Psycho Hunter" track from Michael A. Arnzen's cd AUDIOVILE.

#3: Tammy Swoish's YA Novel Hot Scots, Castles, and Kilts was just released from Random House.

#4: The following Seton Hill horror writers made it on the 2007 Stoker Preliminary Ballot:
Michael A. Arnzen, Gary Braunbeck, and Mary SanGiovanni

Seton Hill Writers, Heidi Ruby Miller, In Your Write Mind, Michael A. Arnzen, Gary Braunbeck, Mary SanGiovanni, Tammy Swoish, writing, J. A. Konrath, Ginjer Buchanan, Seton Hill University

PATHS TO PUBLICATION - A NEW AUTHOR SERIES

2008-02-04T05:20:00.000-08:00

My new author series over at Heidi Ruby Miller (a.k.a. ambasadora) is called Paths to Publication and will bring back favorite writers with upcoming releases and showcase newer authors and their works.

Here's the premise:

Every writer follows her own path within the publishing industry, which makes for entertaining and inspiring stories off the page. Paths to Publication offers some of those unique perspectives. I hope it also gives us all comfort knowing that our journey as writers is not just the breaks we get, but also the opportunities we take.

First up is Ian Rogers with the release of his short story "Inheritor" in Issue #58 of Cemetery Dance, the Charles L. Grant Tribute Issue. Look for Ian on Wednesday, February 6.

Ian Rogers' "Inheritor" in Cemetery Dance #58

PATHS TO PUBLICATION, Heidi Ruby Miller, Ian Rogers, Cemetery Dance, Inheritors, publication, horror, writing, author interviews

Chun Lee's Angel's Reflection in ABNA

2008-01-31T05:04:00.000-08:00

Fellow Seton Hill Writer, Chun Lee, is an official entrant for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for his thesis novel Angel's Reflection.

I had the honor to read this dark urban fantasy while we were both students in the Writing Popular Fiction program, so I was delighted to see it made it as an official entrant. If you care to give a few pages a read, you can go here:

Official ABNA Entrant: Angel's Reflection.

You may remember Chun Lee from Week 25 of HEIDI'S PICK SIX.

Good luck, Chun!

Chun Lee, Heidi Ruby Miller, Angel's Reflection, ABNA, dark urban fantasy, Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, writing, Seton Hill Writers, Seton Hill University

Adventures with K. J. Howe

2008-01-30T07:46:00.000-08:00

Seton Hill thriller writer K. J. Howe has a great guest blog up at Romance Novel Blogs titled Extreme Research. It has wonderful vignettes of her time researching around the globe for her novels. She's also giving away a $50 Barnes and Noble gift card to a lucky commenter.

K. J. Howe, Heidi Ruby Miller, research, One Shot, Two Kills, thriller, Romance Novel TV, guest blogger, writing, Seton Hill University, Seton Hill Writers

Seton Hill Makes the List

2008-01-23T17:09:00.000-08:00

Literary agent Jennifer Jackson listed her favorite writing conferences and retreats, and Seton Hill was among them.

Jennifer Jackson, Heidi Ruby Miller, writing retreats, writing conferences, Seton Hill Writers, writing popular fiction, writing, Seton Hill University

Seton Hill January 2008 Graduation

2008-01-09T05:13:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Seton Hill writers graduating with their Master's degrees today:

Traci N. Castleberry
T. Marcus Christian
Lisa Cooper
Michele Korri
Michael Mehalek
Melanie Ann Schaeffer
Bobby Jean Shoemaker
Ellen Spain
Teffanie Thompson White

Congratulations!!

writing residency, Heidi Ruby Miller, Lisa Cooper, Michael Mehalek, Ellen Spain, Michele Korri, Bobby Jean Shoemaker, writing, Melanie Ann Schaffer, Seton Hill University, Traci N. Castleberry, T. Marcus Christian, Teffanie Thompson White

Celtic Hearts Romance Writers Workshops

2008-01-04T06:10:00.000-08:00

Seton Hill writers Sharron Gunn and Sharon Mignerey will be teaching classes throughout this year with the Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.

The workshops are presented through private Yahoo email loops. Discussion and Q&A is on the loop. Each workshop is only $10 for Celtic Hearts members, and $15 for nonmembers, no matter the length of the workshop. You do not need to be a member of RWA; anyone can take the workshops. Celtic Hearts members receive 2 free workshops a year. Payments accepted: Paypal (preferred), checks and money orders. Checks must be received 2 weeks before the workshop starts. (Non-US participants must pay via Paypal.)

Jan. 17 - Feb 29 (6 weeks) Ireland, Beyond the Pale 1500 - 1700, Sharron Gunn

March 1 - 16 (2 weeks) Dialogue - Let Your Characters Do the Talking, Sharon Mignerey

April 3 - May 13 ( 6 weeks) The Castles of England & France, Sharron Gunn

August 25 - Oct 12 (8 weeks) Castles of Scotland 1050-1550, Sharron Gunn

November 1 - Dec 31 (8 weeks) Druids, The Ancient Priesthood of the Celts, Sharron Gunn

Heidi Ruby Miller, Sharron Gunn, Sharon Mignerey, Celtic Hearts Romance Writers, writing workshops, writing, Seton Hill University

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - LAST WEEK

2007-12-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

Here's the line up for the last official week of HEIDI'S PICK SIX:

Monday - Deidre Knight / Romance

Wednesday - Jeri Smith-Ready / Dark Fantasy

HEIDI'S PICK SIX, Heidi Ruby Miller, Deidre Knight, Jeri Smith-Ready, romance, dark fantasy, writing, author interviews

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - RhondaMason

2007-12-20T05:46:00.000-08:00

HEIDI'S PICK SIX with Seton Hill alum Rhonda Mason is up at ambasadora.

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - WEEK 42

2007-12-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

This week on HEIDI'S PICK SIX:

Monday - Tim Powers - Speculative Fiction

Wednesday - Matthew Cook - Urban Fantasy

Thursday - Seton Hill alum Rhonda Mason - Fantasy and Romance

Friday - Joel A. Sutherland - Speculative Fiction

HEIDI'S PICK SIX, Heidi Ruby Miller, Tim Powers, Matt Cook, Rhonda Mason, Joel Sutherland, speculative fiction, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill University

21st Annual Pennwriters Conference

2007-12-12T04:57:00.001-08:00

Joyce Carol Oates will be the keynote speaker for the 21st Annual Pennwriters Conference at the Host Resort in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Tickets for the May 16-18, 2008 event go on sale January 2, 2008, at www.pennwriters.org or by e-mailing the conference coordinator at conferenceco1@pennwriters.org for a registration form. Three-day conference packages start at $199 for members and $249 for nonmembers. After March 2, 2008, dinner tickets with Joyce Carol Oates will be sold separately from the conference at $65 for Pennwriters members and $99 for nonmembers..

Oates, who has been writing since age 14 and is now a creative writing professor at Princeton University, released her 36th book, The Gravedigger's Daughter, this year. Her dinner presentation on Friday evening, May 16, will include commentary on her books and the writing process as well as a question and answer session and a book signing.

Oates' presentation is one of many events during the three-day conference that are designed to introduce beginning writers to the world of publishing and to provide experienced authors with opportunities to network. The conference theme, "A Writer¹s Smorgasbord," reflects the rich traditions of Lancaster County and the diverse nature of writing as a career.

Included in the conference price is the opportunity for writers to pitch finished manuscripts to 10 well-established agents and editors in the publishing business. Among them are Irene Goodman, an agent who started as the assistant to Stephen King's editor 25 years ago and has since built her own agency in New York City, and Melanie Donovan, the executive editor of HarperCollins Children. These 10-minute pitches are designed to give writers the chance to bypass the traditional query letter process and present their work face-to-face.

Other agents scheduled to be at the conference include agents Ginger Clark from Curtis Brown, Ltd., Jessica Regel from Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, and Elaine P. English. Other editors include Editor in Chief Ginjer Buchanan from Ace/Roc, Associate Editor Paul Stevens from Tom Doherty Associates (Tor/Forge), Assistant Editor Tessa Woodward from Avon, and Editorial Director Jane Friedman from F+W Publications.

Hour-long workshops led by agents, editors, and published authors start Friday morning and continue throughout the weekend until Sunday at noon. Visiting authors include Jonathan Maberry, Bram Stoker award-winning author of Ghost Road Blues; Maria V. Snyder, winner of the 2006 Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel, Poison Study; Timons Esaias, an Asimov's Reader Choice Award winner; and debut author D.L. Wilson, who will also speak during Saturday's luncheon.

Pennwriters is a statewide organization of more than 450 published and unpublished writers from Pennsylvania. Annual conferences are held in alternating years in Pittsburgh and either Harrisburg or Lancaster.

Pennwriters, Heidi Ruby Miller, Pennwriters 21st Annual Conference, Joyce Carol Oates, Maria V. Snyder, Timons Esaias, Jonathan Maberry, writing, D. L. Wilson, Seton Hill University

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - Christopher Paul Carey

2007-12-10T05:13:00.001-08:00

HEIDI'S PICK SIX with Christopher Paul Carey is up at ambasadora.

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - WEEK 41

2007-12-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

This week on HEIDI'S PICKS SIX:

Monday - Seton Hill alum Christopher Paul Carey / Science Fiction Writer and Editor

Wednesday - Elizabeth Coley / Science Fiction and Young Adult

Friday - James T. Durkin / Mainstream Fiction

HEIDI'S PICK SIX, Heidi Ruby Miller, Christopher Paul Carey, Elizabeth Coley, James T. Durkin, science fiction, fiction, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill University

Book Giveaways

2007-12-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

I've run across two recent book giveaways:

#1: Shara Saunsaucie, a current Seton Hill student, has a detailed list of the superlatives from the PYR books she reviewed this year and is also having a PYR book giveaway.

#2: The Harlequin Intrigue Authors, including Seton Hill alum Dana Marton, are giving away lots of free books this month to readers who comment on the blog.

Heidi Ruby Miller, book giveaways, Shara Saunsaucie, Dana Marton, Harlequin Intrigue Authors, PYR, writing, Seton Hill University

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - Jason Schmetzer

2007-12-05T04:51:00.000-08:00

HEIDI'S PICK SIX with Seton Hill alum Jason Schmetzer is up at ambasadora.

Seton Hill Writers News

2007-12-04T06:09:00.001-08:00

#1: Venus on the Half Shell, the Philip Jose Farmer anthology edited by Seton Hill alum Christopher Paul Carey received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The publisher Subterranean Press expects the book to sell out "by or shortly after publication." You can reserve a copy here.

Venus on the Half Shell

#2: A special serial story for the holidays is in swing at Home by Christmas. This European historical tale is being told by twelve authors, including Seton Hill alum Laurie Alice Eakes.

#3: Seton Hill alum Mary SanGiovanni's debut novel The Hollower received a good review at Dread Central.

#4: Several Seton Hill writers will be teaching workshops at the Pennwriters 21st Annual Conference, including Timons Esaias, Maria V. Snyder, and Victoria Thompson. The conference is being held at Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center in Lancaster, PA, from May 16 - 18, 2008. Keynote speaker will be Joyce Carol Oates.

#5: Proverbs for Monsters, the lastest collection by Seton Hill mentor Michael Arnzen, is available now.

Seton Hill Writers, Heidi Ruby Miller, Writing Popular Fiction, Christopher Paul Carey, Mary SanGiovanni, Michael Arnzen, Laurie Alice Eakes, writing, Maria V. Snyder, Timons Esaias, Victoria Thompson, Penn Writers, Seton Hill University

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - WEEK 40

2007-12-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

This week on HEIDI'S PICK SIX:

Monday - Michael Swanwick / Science Fiction and Fantasy

Wednesday - Seton Hill alum Jason Schmetzer / Science Fiction and Game Writing

Friday - Michelle Klein / Speculative Fiction

HEIDI'S PICK SIX, Heidi Ruby Miller, Michael Swanwick, Jason Schmetzer, Michelle Klein, fantasy, science fiction, writing, author interviews, Seton Hill University

Horror Show at Seton Hill Tonight

2007-11-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

Come hear Seton Hill University professor and horror author Michael Arnzen read from his latest book, Proverbs for Monsters. Listen to his new spoken word CD, Audiovile. See his short horror movie, Exquisite Corpse.

An entertaining multimedia presentation followed by discussion and book signing.

THIS FRIDAY!
NOVEMBER 30, 4-5:30pm

Seton Hill University
Administration Room 308

Free and Open to the Public
NOT FOR CHILDREN

Michael Arnzen, Heidi Ruby Miller, Seton Hill University, Proverbs for Monsters, Audiovile, Exquisite Corpse, horror, writing

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - WEEK 39

2007-11-27T05:52:00.000-08:00

This week on HEIDI'S PICK SIX:

Tuesday - Paul Melko / Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy

Wednesday - Mark Deniz - Horror

Friday - Susan Sullivan - Speculative Fiction

HEIDI'S PICK SIX, Heidi Ruby Miller, Paul Melko, Mark Deniz, Susan Sullivan, fantasy, horror, writing, author interviews

Seton Hill Writers News

2007-11-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

#1: Kaye Dacus has an ongoing series about critical reading on her blog Write Place, Write Time. Dr. Michael A. Arnzen makes a guest appearance this week.

#2: Penny Dawn's new collection Basic Training has been released from Amber Quill Press.

#3: Kelly Eileen Hake's multi-book contract with Barbour Publishing was mentioned in Publisher's Weekly.

#4: Scott A. Johnson reviewed Michael A. Arnzen's CD Audiovile at Dread Central.

Heidi Ruby Miller, Kaye Dacus, Michael A. Arnzen, Penny Dawn, Kelly Eileen Hake, Scott A. Johnson, writing, Seton Hill Writers, Seton Hill University

HEIDI'S PICK SIX - Johanna L. Gribble

2007-11-21T05:24:00.000-08:00

HEIDI'S PICK SIX with Seton Hill alum Johann L. Gribble is up at ambasadora.