Susan Elliott's Blog

Long ago I walked alone,

blinded by the dark.

You bathed me in light,

unscaled my eyes.

Now we walk as two

in the absence of dark.

(c) Susan D. Elliott, copyright

Susan Elliott:

Awesome! I may do this, too!

Originally posted on Short Fiction Writers Guild:

We our looking for sinister holiday genius with with the theme: Evil Christmas

Submission Guidelines:

Entries have a limit of 1,000 words. Stories beyond that will not be considered.
Stories may be previously published.
Submissions should follow the theme “Evil Christmas”.  The contest is about originality and depth of story given a limited number of words.
Entries will be accepted beginning on December 16, 2014.
Entry Deadline: January 1, 2015.
All submissions should be sent as a PDF attachment to shortfictionwriters@gmail.com with “SFWG Contest” as the subject.

We will announce the winners by January 15, 2015.

 First Place: Will be given an SFWG logo.  Will receive an in-depth public review posted on SFWG.  If winning story is up for sale, review may be published on ebook retailer of author’s choice.  Winner will also be interviewed and featured here on SFWG as well as various forums and websites.

  Second…

View original 32 more words

Susan Elliott:

Fantastic ideas!

Susan

Originally posted on Author S. Smith:

1. Mention their name/book when someone asks “What are you reading?”

2. Add their book(s) to Goodreads groups and lists.

3. Buy and give their books as gifts to people on your Christmas list.

4. Request your local library get their books.

5. If children/youth books, tell your child’s teacher/librarian/PTA about the books.

6. Suggest the author/book for your book group.

7. Follow author on Twitter and retweet.

8. Like their author Facebook page and comment occasionally so author knows someone is out there.

9. Write an email to author.

10. Leave a review on Amazon or other site of your choice.

Seriously, these things mean a lot. Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade/YA series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter!

View original

What would you do if

I pressed my lips to yours

ran my fingers through your hair

whispered breathless candy words

sighed into your neck?

Would you follow me down the hall$

lock the door behind us

return each kiss, thought, touch, sigh?

(c) Susan Elliott

* A friend sent me the link to this poetry exercise page. It looks useful, so check it out. Poetry Exercises with Cat Coule.

If you haven’t heard, Arwen Chandler’s new book is out. It typically sales for .99 on Kindle (a good price), but this weekend it’s on promo for free. This collection of short stories includes a variety of genres, and is extremely twisted. If you’re looking for a quick read this weekend, download it and unwind from the stressful holidays. Don’t forget a snuggly blanket and a cup of coffee! (This collection was inspired by a free boot camp class called Ugly Baby on Holly Lisle’s website.)

Susan

Odds & Ends: A Collection of Short Stories by Arwen Chandler

(c) Arwen Chandler

 

I just downloaded this book, hot off the printing press.  It is one of my new favorites.  It’s a very quick read, and will leave you wanting more.

-Susan

The Louvre Still Stands

Book Description
Publication Date: September 7, 2014


Many years after the Earth has suffered a devastating biological attack it has been declared off limits. Gwyndalaria Casteliano, a smuggler and traitor to the Militarian Authority, dares to risk everything for the prize of a lifetime.

 

(c) Audre Lorde

 

Perhaps it is my love of the written word, the way words can paint a scene into another person’s mind, or how I can read something and be transported across time, space and into a new life when my own becomes bogged down and heavy, that has lead me to find some of the best unknown writers on the Internet. One of my most favorite writer’s is not new to writing, but has put her writing career on hold. One might say that life got in her way. Lynn Nodima is a science fiction and fantasy writer that was mentioned as one of the Writer’s of the Future in a 1987 contest for her work Trinity’s Sorrow.

Recently, I was writing a how to article about writing ideas for a mystery topic. Well, any freelance writer worth his salt knows no matter how much experience you have in a field you must consult an expert. So, without hesitation I picked up the phone and called Lynn. Granted her genre isn’t exactly mysteries, but she was a great source. I asked her my questions which pertained specifically to the article I was writing, and then asked if she would mind answering a few more questions for an article for an interview, Lynn graciously agreed.

Lynn Nodima Interview

S.E.: How long have you been writing?

L.N.: I have been writing for at least 40 years, as far back as I can remember. I started writing when I was 8 years old. Of course, those stories weren’t exactly classics.

S.E.: Who are your favorite authors?

L.N.: Elizabeth Moon,Dianne Duane, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Anne McCaffrey.

S.E.: What genre of fiction do you enjoy writing the most?

L.N.: Science fiction and fantasy.

S.E.: Where do you get your plot ideas?

L.N.: Sometimes it’s from news stories; for example, kidnapped children. One of my first novels was written because of kidnapped children. A Relative Truth [was written] because there were so many telemarketers calling. It was just a way to express my irritation. Sometimes ideas show up from the ether; they just show up. National Enquirer is a good place as well. A writer can take things that are a little unusual and twist them so they fit somewhere else.

S.E.: Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

L.N.: Read. Read everything you can get your hands on. Reading is the only real true way to get a feel for the cadence and flow of words and how they fit together. Not to say that you should copy, if you don’t read enough you won’t have a basis for new ideas. All of your ideas will be old ideas. You need to know what has been done before so you can build on it.

S.E.: I had an instructor that once stated, “Be careful what you read, because that’s what you will write.” Do you think that is a true statement?

L.N.: Oh yes, I heard a writer, his name escapes me, on a panel at a Science fiction convention say that new writers write clichés; [such as ] fairy stories, vampire stories, Atlantis stories, werewolf stories. Writing clichéd stories will get them out of the way. Some of my cliché type stories turned out to be some of my better stories, because I had read so much in those areas.

S.E.: What do you think about self-publishing and online publishing?

L.N.: An author is someone who writes whether they are published or not. There is a definite advantage to being published by one of the major houses. But, most writers want someone to read what they have written and tell them that it is okay; that it is good.
You can get that from people you don’t know, from people across the world, and that’s something you couldn’t get even 5 years ago. I would love to be published by an established publishing house, but it is satisfying to publish something online, to know that something you wrote has merit, even if it didn’t meet an editor’s specific needs or an editor couldn’t see what you had would sell.
An editor that spoke on a panel I went to was asked, “Have you ever made an editorial decision you regretted?” He mentioned that he had turned down Garfield, because he already had cat, Heathcliff. Editors make wrong decisions, too. When they buy books they are guessing that they are going to sell. They are taking a financial risk with every choice they make.

S.E.: Has the technological age of self-publishing influenced your opinions about self-publishing?

L.N.: The idea of creating a following online and having a platform where people can learn about an author and become fans of a book before it is published is amazing. For example, consider Eragon. [Eragon was first published outside one of the major publishing houses.] Today’s writing environment is a good thing.

S.E.: Are websites that offer pay for views [Hubpages], or blogs good tools for new writers?

L.N.: I think they are. They sharpen a writer’s tools. Writers who use these publishing tools can make some money while they are learning their trade, but eventually a writer may be too busy to use them; however, they are a great spring board.

 

Lynn Nodima’s works of fiction can be read on Hub Pages.

 

Susan Elliott:

Thought you guys might enjoy this post. I love archaeology, and this is awesome information. I just had to share it!

Originally posted on Nancy's Notes From Florida:

Nautical archaeologist Lindsey Hall Thomas (writing as Linsey Hall) spoke at a recent meeting of Florida Romance Writers. She told us about the role of an archaeologist and how we might use this information in a novel. These notes are my interpretation and any errors are my own.

The field started with Antiquarianism in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries in Europe. Wealthy Europeans collected artifacts to display in their curio cabinets. Later in the nineteenth century, this turned to Nationalism and treasure hunting for great museums became popular.

William Flinders Petrie was the father of archaeology. He began the study of dirt layers and pottery dating. With his methodology, the field became a scientific discipline.

Women in this field included Harriet Boyd Hawes, who directed a field project in Greece. Look at www.trowelblazers.com for more information on women in archaeology, geology, and paleontology.

The two primary types of…

View original 956 more words

(c) What’s on Your Wall

Excerpt from A Breaking Dawn With an Orange Sunrise, now available on Kindle. (Free for a short time.)

Kindle: or Paperback: A Breaking Dawn With an Orange Sunrise

 

Orange Sunrise

Many lives seem to be white-washed with anguish.

Both young and old violently lash out; silently screaming, without hope.

They claw at everything, and in their confusion lean on humanity’s god.

 

Torn and tattered, battered and bruised they shout to their god.

He turns not his head toward their screams, but leaves them in anguish.

Life’s lost beauty reeks of ashes and smoke, a world without hope.

 

Yet, a spark of light floats on the wind, like an orange sunrise ray of hope.

The whispering winds speak of change like it contains the very breath of God.

While the sobbing masses revel in pain, a small few cast off the cloak of anguish.

 

 

 

Maya Angelou once stated

where her secret lies,

wasn’t in her fashion,

stature

or her size,

she believed she knew the secret

so with a siren cry

she elevated woman

rebuked the world’s disguise.

 

Though her thoughts are poignant,

truthful in many ways,

the real phenomenal woman

is hard to find today.

 

She’s not found in her beauty,

movement

or her grace,

not recognized by her stunning smile

though brilliantly displayed.

 

She is known

in her gentle kindness

temperate in her ways.

She teaches of her Savior,

lives within His grace.

 

© Susan Elliott