Archive for October, 2009

Commonly Confused Words Quiz

I found this at Well-Mannered Frivolity

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test…

English Genius

You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 87% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can’t find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don’t. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you’re not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy

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First Ever InkyBlots Blog Carnival!

InkyBlots

Welcome to the October 5, 2009 edition of Inkyblots – the first one ever!

JM presents Sunday Salon Book Giveaway! posted at Down Under Views

Aaron R presents The Changing Library posted at Aaron Rogier, saying, “A look at the role physical books will play as they remain a library mainstay for the foreseeable future.”

Characters

Missy Frye presents Writing Challenge: Showing versus Telling posted at Incurable Disease of Writing, saying, “This is a great little exercise to help writers show characters instead of telling about them.”

Annette Young presents How to Make Your Characters Come to Life posted at A Writer Goes on a Journey

Fiction

Tiffany Colter presents Tiffany Colter’s Fiction: A Face in the Shadow Part 1 Chapter 1 posted at Tiffany Colter’s Fiction, saying, “A Face in the Shadow is a full length novel by author Tiffany Colter. Is her life finally falling into place or about to fall apart? On the edge of happiness there is a face in the shadow.

Someone is killing young women in Woodhaven. And now he has his eyes on Rachel.

Rachel is a woman wise in the ways of the world and confident in her own abilities. She has a take charge attitude and ambition on overdrive. If only she was as wise in affairs of the heart. Thanks to her mom’s matchmaking two men pull her in different directions.

Drew is handsome, charming and successful. He doesn’t want to change Rachel but loves her for who she is.

Curtis is down to earth with boyish charm. He is determined to win Rachel and show her love isn’t about proving who you are but rather being who you are.

When Rachel begins to receive tokens associated with the Fratboy Killer she starts questioning everything she has believed about life and the hereafter. One Rose at a time the Fratboy is drawing closer to a meeting and the culmination of his fantasies. Will Rachel find out in time who he is?

Or will she too pay the price for Alpha Mu Epsilon?”

Lena presents One Bottle, Two Bottle, Three Bottle | The Colors Magazine posted at The Colors Magazine.

Amanda Garcia presents The Empty Tomb posted at Relateable Me, saying, “Lost in her empty habits of idolatry, Rozsa learns that sometimes our religion needs to be resurrected.”

How-To

Nyssa P presents How to Start an Author Website posted at A Writer Goes on a Journey

Tiffany Colter presents Writing 101: Promoting your book on blogs posted at Examiner, saying, “This article gives tips on how to promote your book on blogs.”

Until Next Time…

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Inkyblots using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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A Writer Goes on a Journey Short Story Competition!

On a Journey Banner

Three years on, countless battles, this Empire has seen more than it’s share of refugees searching valiantly for a website to call home…

Celebrating both our three year anniversary and new look site, we’re having a competition! Two books for two competitions both running for three whole months!

New! Additional prizes for those who blog about the competition! See details here (must have Australian address, prizes only valid for one blog post per person)

Submission dates 22nd September – 22nd October

Review Prize Pack:

Astropolis by Sean Williams
The Workers Paradise, edited by Russell B Farr and Nick Evans

Flash Prize Pack:

Dreaming Again Anthology, edited by Jack Dann
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

***

Reviews:

* You can review any speculative fiction (YA or adult) novel/novella, anthology, movie, TV series or a non-fiction book (could be something related to writing or history that could inspire writers)
* Reviews of books or movies must be between 300-500 words, in plain form (no headings or questions and answers). TV series reviews can be longer if necessary.
* For fiction: characterisation, plot, description, comparison to other’s in the genre, who would it appeal to?
* For non-fiction: is it easy for the layperson to understand or do you need some basic understanding of something? What is it about? Would it be useful to writers or is it just interesting?
* Each accepted submission will go in the draw to win that specific book pack for the week

How to enter: Can be member of the site or guest. Go to this page to submit.

***

Flash Fiction/News Flash:

* Theme: 500 words or less written in the style of a newspaper article complete with headline. Story must be Australian oriented with a speculative fiction element. Stories should intrigue more than illuminate.
* Stories will be posted online for the entire competition (and longer if you give us the rights)
* Stories will be peer-judged by a 5 star rating on top of each submission. Any member or guest can rate. The winner will be decided by the highest number based on (number of votes) x (average rating).
* Our resident editor, Phillip Berrie has written an example news flash that fits the brief.

How to enter: Must be member of the site. Go to this page and under Section, select Competition, under Category, select Flash Fiction.

Rules:

* Must be Australian postal address
* Must use a valid email address (or we won’t be able to contact you to tell you that you’ve won!)
* Must be original work (if review, must not be posted anywhere else)
* Staff not eligible
* Prizes will be announced one week *before* submission starts for the next section, and writers/reviewers will have one month to submit their finished piece before the next prize section starts and any submissions then will be for the new prize.
* If you win a prize, you will not be eligible for any more prizes.
* Multiple entries during one prize period will be counted as one entry only, however if you did not win you can enter in another prize period if you submit another piece.

Total Prizes:

(There will be a chance to win each of these for both a review and a flash fiction prize. You just need to keep up to date with which prizes are picked for each month!)

Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Workers Paradise edited by Russell B Farr

Dreaming Again edited by Jack Dann

The Wounded Guardian by Duncan Lay

Astropolis by Sean Williams

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Fiction Friday 124

Fiction Friday

You wake covered in blood, clutching a diamond earring and no memory of the night before.

“Well this just isn’t appropriate.”

The blood I could have handled. The strangely elegant teardrop diamond earring? Nice find. But the nakedness? Well, that just wasn’t good.

I take pride in my body and have done so for decades. I even like the occasional naked romp here and there. Yet, one thing I don’t care for at all is nakedness with no memory with how I got into such a state. Nakedness is so enjoyable that it should always be remembered how you got there.

The blood covering much of my body had long since dried, so at least I didn’t have to worry about cleaning it off anything as I wandered through the house. There had to be some sort of trail from last night, though. I needed a trail to take me back over the course of events I couldn’t seem to remember.

Ah ha! There in the kitchen, I ignored the open bottles of spirits and dirty blender – margarita night? – and found the first few drops of blood that must have dripped off my body, or someone else’s, while I made my way to the living room couch.

When the trail led me to the not-so-secret door in my bedroom, I didn’t feel much surprise. In fact, had I not found the drops on the kitchen floor, I would have gone straight to the door next.

With the pull of a specific book on my bookshelf, the door opened with nary a creak or groan. Two flicks of switches just inside turned the light on and shut the door behind me.

Only then did the groans come and I frowned, hurrying down the steps. What had happened last night? I couldn’t have possibly left things in the state implied by how I woke up…

And yet, there she was when I emerged into the room at the end of the stairs. A young woman, blond, healthy but with curves… Chained to the wall with another. Her smaller companion apparently wasn’t made of such strong will, her body telling me she had already died without me having to smell it on her.

I smelled the air. Even the dried blood around the room gave off a distinct tang – a tang I knew…

“Please,” the blonde begged, what little energy she had forcing her voice above a whisper. “Please.”

Then I spotted a teardrop diamond earring on her right here, and I snapped my fingers. “You’re a virgin! No wonder I couldn’t remember last night – and why I was so messy; virgins always make me drunk.”

Not one to waste, I decided to finish her off. But slowly this time. I didn’t want a repeat of last night.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul Call for Submissions – October

chickensoup

We have many Chicken Soup for the Soul® books in development and are adding new titles all of the time. We are always looking for new stories and poems and hope you have some for us to consider. Take a look at the list of our future book topics to see if you have a story or poem on a subject we are looking for and then please submit it to us.

…Results Stories…
Have you read a particular Chicken Soup story and, after reading it, found that it changed your life? We are looking for stories on how a story made important changes in your life and what specifically happened to you after you read it. Please be sure to let us know the title of the story that touched your life.

Christmas and Holidays – Ho Ho Ho
We love the holidays! They are a magical time of the year; a time of family, friends and traditions. They can bring special joy and unexpected blessings into our lives. Please share your Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa stories with us… stories that will touch the souls and warm the hearts of our readers. The deadline date for story submissions is January 15, 2010.

Dieting and Fitness
Eat less – exercise more! We have all heard these simple words but, in reality, dieting and staying fit require a lot of work. Tell us about your commitment to health and fitness. What changes did you make in your eating habits? What kind of an exercise program did you follow that made the difference? Were you still able to treat yourself to that occasional delicious piece of chocolate cake and stay in shape? The true stories in this book will inspire you, make you laugh, touch your heart, and let you know that you can do it! The deadline date for story submissions is January 31, 2010.

Endurance Sports (run,cycle,swim)
Whether you are a triathlete, a duathlete, or you just love to swim, run, or cycle, we want to hear about your sports, your races, and how endurance sports fit into your life, whether you are an amateur, a student athlete, or a pro. The deadline date for story submissions is November 30, 2009.

Grandmothers
Everyone has a great story about the unconditional love between grandmothers and their grandchildren. We are looking for wonderful stories celebrating grandmothers and grandchildren, written by grandmothers about being a grandmother, and by grandchildren about their grandmothers. Stories about stepgrandmothers and honorary grandmothers are welcomed also. We are not looking for stories from children so please save those for a future book. The deadline date for story submissions is March 31, 2010.

Grieving and Recovery
Grieving is a difficult process that those who have lost a loved one must go through in order to get to the recovery phase. This important collection of stories will be like a support group that will offer comfort and understanding and show you that, no matter how devastating your loss is, you are not alone. You can get through the process and, with time, you will regain your strength and move forward with your life. The deadline date for story submissions is March 31, 2010.

Grieving and Recovery for Cat Owners
We all know that we will probably outlive our cats, but that doesn’t change our grief when we lose them. This book will help cat owners deal with their loss. We would also like stories about aging cats and getting a new cat after losing a previous cat. Please submit stories about the whole cycle of pet loss — the aging of your cat, the loss, and the recovery (i.e. new kitten). The deadline date for story submissions is March 31, 2010.

Grieving and Recovery for Dog Owners
We all know that we will probably outlive our dogs, but that doesn’t change our grief when we lose them. This book will help dog owners deal with their loss. We would also like stories about aging dogs and getting a new dog after losing a previous dog. Please submit stories about the whole cycle of pet loss — the aging of your dog, the loss, and the recovery (i.e. new puppy). The deadline date for story submissions is March 31, 2010.

Mothers and Daughters
Mothers and daughters… they are, at the same time, very similar and also completely unique. Mothers show daughters who they will become. Daughters live out mothers’ dreams. Through birth, childhood, teen years, adulthood, grandchildren, aging, and every step in between, this relationship can be the best, the hardest, and the sweetest. The deadline date for story submissions is December 31, 2009.

New Moms
Becoming a new mom is the most amazing experience, unique and unlike any other. From the moment that baby is placed in your arms, there is an incredible feeling only a new mother can know. This book celebrates the physical, emotional, and spiritual experience of having a child and creating a family. We are looking for heartwarming, insightful, and humorous stories about raising babies and toddlers that share with our readers the wonders of early motherhood. The deadline for story submissions is February 28, 2010.

Preteens
The preteen years – those years from nine to twelve can be rough from both a physical and emotional perspective. You are not a kid anymore but you are not yet a teen. There are so many issues to deal with and sometimes it feels like you are all alone. You are not! The stories in this book – almost all of them written by preteens just like you – will prove that to you. We are looking for stories that will inspire you, make you laugh, make you think and let you know that life is not as bad as it might seem. The deadline date for story submissions is June 30, 2010.

Teens
A completely new book on one of our most requested topics – TEENS. The stories in this book, written almost entirely by teens, will be stories that you will want to read again and again. They will serve as your guide on topics such as the daily pressures of life, love, school, friendships, parents and much more. We are looking for stories that will encourage you, inspire you, make you laugh, make you cry and show you that, as tough as things can get, you are not alone. The deadline date for story submissions is June 30, 2010.

Thank you!

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