Category: E-zines

Let’s Talk!

Photo by Valeriia Miller on Pexels.com

I made a silly list of goals…on facebook. I’ll place it here in the post. Then I will tell you about it.

Okay… Goals for this week :Of which I am hoping to finish at least half of :
1. Assembly of a polished poetry volume for fcp’s newest author
2. Edits on the submissions for faery playground.
3.podcast interview with Destiny Constantin
4. Writing on afraid of shoe mountain – with hopes of finishing this year.
5. Reorganization of Bedtime Tales : the princess lost.
6. Laundry and reorganization of my own clothes.
7. Actually pretending that I am an adult….
8. Writing poetry for half-mad meanderings and heart drops.
9. art!
10. Getting the craft room organization started.
11. Work on the kingdoms of sin
12. Work on life, guilt, and undeath
13. edit Dylan and the hotel zombie
14. Doodles for my girl Red’s Lily Doodles
15. Art with my Angel.
16.Dungeon planning for d&d
17. Zombie killing in 7d2d
18. Therapy
19. Finish the story for fae shivers
20. Kitchen witchery
21. Fix the stupid printer
22. Share the shit out of a few posts pertaining to books that I want to support.
23. Clean old cans out of the pantry
24. Drink more water
25. Figure out what to post about this Thursday and Friday on my personal blog
26.enjoy the thought that people like my work.
27. Watercolor painting
28. Smile at least once a day.
29. Listen to music for no real reason.
30. Make lists to amuse myself, and then try to do everything from the list even though the list is waaaay too long

I accomplished more than I expected. The podcast airs tomorrow. Afraid of Shoe Mountain is written. It is going through the edits, and the polish that the best books deserve. The Princess Lost is available for preorder, going live on March First. Ivor Steven’s Poetry volume Tullawalla is also available for preorder, going live March 31st. Obviously I did not get today or tomorrow done ahead. I have not gotten my edits completed…but I have gotten it started. I will be sending those edits back next week. I got the pantry and the printer done. I have doodled, I arted…And in all I figured out that I am doing something each day that progresses my goals. Still I am having days that I can’t do. I have to accept with grace that I cannot do everything I want to, and keep moving forward on the goals so that I eventually manage everything that I want to do.

What goals do you have that you want to manage soon and what is your limits?

Time to update

Photo by Peter Olexa on Pexels.com

Life has been hitting hard for me lately. I had to move out of my home, my life is in chaos. It will stabilize but it will take time. So I am looking at my options. I have been considering making my blog a paid one, so I could add a shop to sell some of the cute Jewelry and other crafts I make. I also am thinking about the other benefits…And I realize that I am looking at this with two blogs possible and debating. I can only do one paid right now. I have more readers here then on the Fae Corps Blog, even though I maintain both. I may see about combining them. Making it work that way…But I want to get your opinions. Should I combine the two blogs? Expand and make it bigger and better, hopefully. or should I choose one to go paid with?

I will not be able until the first to do it, so chime in with your opinion. I am also about to ask my partner and our marketing girl. So it is not just a random ask. I am looking at options.

Whispers of the Future

The kid is asleep, So I thought I would take the time to do an update here. 2020, for all that it has sucked, has taught me a lot. I updated most of the covers on my poetry volumes this year, but I really have not looked at the interior of any of them since I published them…until recently.

Now don’t get me wrong…I did not publish anything badly, I just can clean it up and make it look a little nicer. So I have decided that is what 2021 will be. I have a full schedule with Fae Corps…We have multiple authors who have entrusted their books in our care. And there will be 3 anthologies for fae corps. I have one I am hoping to release (Wisdom: Grandmother’s Words). So instead of trying to release any new poetry volumes in 2021, I think that I am going to update and re-release my older volumes.

Changes in staff at Fae Corps is making this year coming exciting…and scary. Fae Corps is growing. We have up till now just had Cyndi and I doing whatever needed to be done. That left both of us stuck with marketing, something that neither of us are normally that good at. Now we have KT. Due to a difference in opinion we lost our consulting editor. We decided on official roles. Cyndi is our Developmental editor, I am the Copy editor. I do the Cover designs, KT does the marketing, and the scheduling. We also take projects for authors who do not choose to publish with us. Cyndi took an editing job that ended up choosing to publish with us after.

So with Fae Corps being so busy, I feel like I should plan my own writing projects to be lighter.. Not nonexistent, just lighter. Song of Shadow releases December 1st, 2020. I also am in the Coffee House Writer’s Anthology Volume 1 which is available for preorder. Serena is working hard to get stories ready for Fae Corps 2021 anthologies, and has one coming out in Circle City’s An Absurd Apocalypse. (It’s only a flash fiction, but I read it and it is cute and funny). 2020 was a busy year writing and publishing wise. I submitted to a project for Indie Blu(e) publishing which I hope to hear whether it is accepted after the first of the year. (Another small press with big talent that I want to support) So even though I am planning to do clean up on older volumes in the upcoming year…as you can see it will be a busy year.

Of Course I will still be working with Coffee House Writers, and I am still working on the two new volumes…I am just not rushing to put them out over the next year. Maybe I can do a re-release a month and see what else I can squeeze in from there.

Poetry Preorder!

I won’t have the time to finish the files until sometime in Late November…however if you would like to preorder I have set up the link…

https://books2read.com/SongofShadow

Friday, really?

This has been a crazy month so far. Fae Corps is releasing 4 anthologies on the 31st, and I have been busy getting them ready for release. Then I get a seasonal crud. So I have been sick for the last two days.

I am starting to feel better and I look into the blogs (as I am often the one that maintains the Fae Corps blog). I did a few planned posts and decided to read the blogs that I follow to find a few to spotlight. Y’all! I literally had an angry comment on one of the shared posts claiming that I posted it without permission. I have taken the post down, unfollowed the blog in question, and blocked them so I will not accidentally see them and reblog anything by them.

I was under the impression that reblogging gave the post more reach. Which seems like more people seeing what you wrote is better? I don’t know.

I am not going to dwell on this. Instead I will let you know that we have a newsletter now (see the Fae Corps blog). We are always looking for stories and poems to feature on both. I like to link directly to the persons site when I feature people.

I have a few more people in our author spotlight file to still post on the blog… I have not forgotten. Once the meet the author for the new anthologies are done I will be returning to focus on those.

Cal for Submissions – personal.

Ok. I am doing this as a personal project. I am putting together my grandmother’s stories and poetry my boyfriend’s grandmother wrote. But I want it to reflect the wisdom of all grandmothers. So here is my request.

Do you have a story that you remember your grandmother (abuela) telling? Or a bit of poetry they wrote that you would love to see in print? Try submitting it for this anthology. I am busier than I have any reason to expect – so I am setting the deadline for December first with a expected publishing date of the first of January.

I am also accepting art. I only ask that it is from your grandmothers. And that you are able to give consent for me to publish it.

To submit email the creation and a small introduction (preferred with a picture) of your grandma who created it. The address for this is authorpoetpatriciaharris@gmail.com

The above image will be the cover. I realize that this is gender biased. I feel like I have more from the amazing women who I am decended from than I do the men. And since I have been wanting to honor my maternal grandmother… This was born. Maybe I will someday do a call for grandfather lore… But first I need to do this.

Also… Notice that this is not a Fae Corps Inc project. There is a couple of reasons. One – this is a very personal project. I have been wanting to do it for a little while. Two – Fae Corps Inc has projects planned for the next two years. I will be posting the next call for submissions for them in November. The deadline for it will be after the first of the year. I want to release this with the new year.

Calls For Submission

I decided to offer links to a few calls for submissions today. This has been such a busy week with release day coming up for both Through the Sunshine & Poetic Reminders that I am afraid I have gotten very little else done.

So we will start with the two Fae Corps has…Nightmare Whispers & Fae Dreams.

Then there are two more that I have come across in the last couple of days that I found interesting….

Burningword Literary Journal & Write of Passion both are looking for submissions right now.

then there is this list of 48 Writing Contests in June 2020 

I know that this is a small post for me…but it is highly packed with possibility….If you enter let me know. I am curious as to whether anyone will see this.

Thursday Tea Party

Hello, lovely readers! Today, my need for caffeine was strong, so I am enjoying coffee. Triple chocolate coffee with cinnamon creme creamer. That and the toothpicks propping my eyelids open might allow functionality.

So much news today. Two preorders… One for Poetic Reminders and one for Through the Sunshine. Upcoming events. What is being worked on now. And commentary about life at large.

So let’s start with talking about the preorders. Fae Corps is doing a party all through May. There is going to be a chance to get to know the authors in the anthology. Giveaways and just general fun. Go check it out and join us for the fun! I am not doing anything so big for Poetic Reminders…. However if I get comments on this blog post I will do a random drawing for a free ebook copy… So tell me something that makes you smile.

Coffee house writers anthology is moving right along. My submissions have been assigned to its first editor. They are going to assign three separate editors to catch all errors. That way you, the reader, get the best piece possible. With Fae Corps we have the authors read the manuscript after the final edits have been put together to make sure that there are no errors. That is often 10+ sets of eyes on the whole thing. That helps to insure quality. Quality is the best way to ensure the stories are showcased properly.

So, Serena is working currently on a short horror story for the Nightmare whispers anthology. I think that it is off to a good start. She is still working on The Kingdoms of Sin, but the short has a deadline. She is determined to get both done soon. I hear that she is hoping to release her book some time this year.

As for me… I have started a new poetry volume. The cover is above… I really love how it turned out. I still am working on heart drops, but as I don’t often write love poetry… I wanted a volume that could catch the other poems… The darker poems. I think that this volume suits that idea. I have the next Dylan book written, and am waiting for the illustrator. If I have time I want to finish Attack of Shoe Mountain. I have so much going on though that it may be a while.

Life has been chaotic for me for a bit now. Back in November we started expansion of my daughter’s room. Due to the lack of people to assist or timing being bad or just bad luck… It is still unfinished. That is changing this weekend. So next week will be me cleaning up the mess left by construction. The next project is my master bath, hopefully it will be done faster.

So I mentioned a giveaway above. I asked for things that make you smile, but I am also curious about how life has been for you. How has the current situation in the world affected your day to day life?

May magazine Coffee House

So I was featured again in this months magazine from the coffee house writers poetry department. I am not the only thing that is worth reading. All of the magazine is amazing. I am so honored to be a part of this.

https://www.flipsnack.com/CoffeeHouseStanzas/coffee-house-stanzas-may-2020.html

Submission Etiquette

So I usually do Poetry on Monday…but due to what I am doing otherwise this felt appropriate. I am trying to clean up files and do layout for a couple of books, including Fae Corps Through the Sunshine anthology. Now…I have to figure many editors are more organized than I am…but it is still courtesy when you do a submission to any anthology or call for submission to do a certain amount of information, unless the submission rules say otherwise.

Each submission should be in one of two fonts…either Times New Roman or Arial in a 12 pt size. It should have your name, any pen name, the title, and some means of contact (email or Phone). It should be labeled as to what you are submitting it to. In the email you should include a third person Bio and picture to save the editor from requesting this.

Most people honestly don’t realize how useful this is to have. Even if it is not going to be added to the piece in whatever publication, it gives the editor an idea of who you are. Some submission requests ask that this information not be included because it is done in a blind read…but you should see that before submitting your work.

It seems like many people ignore the information in the call for submissions though. You should always be aware of the place you are submitting to. If it is a magazine or literary blog, read through what they have published before. It really helps you to know whether you will be a good fit. Also it will help you to get an idea of whether they are newbie friendly or do they require someone who has experience?

This is important! If they work often with newbies, then they are likely able to help you figure out what you are doing. If they only work with those writers who are experienced…well then they are not likely to expect to have to explain the process. This makes it harder to figure out what you are ignorant of.

I am not trying to discourage…Merely to help others figure out what they are doing without the fumbling that I have done in the past.