MGOC Contributor: Sally Bosco

SALLY BOSCO

EXCERPT from "The Manga Explosion" by Sally Bosco in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

A half-werewolf, half-vampire undergoes a mysterious and terrifying transformation during the full moon: he turns into a girl.

A young woman artist meets a vampire who is so beautiful and breathtaking she uses him as a model.

A rebellious angel is sent back to earth. His curse is that he's in love with his sister.

What type of writing has these genre-bending plots? Why, manga of course!

Why do people like them? They are little portals into other worlds that entertain, delight and educate. At sales of $210 million per year, manga, or Japanese comic art, is a huge and lucrative business. Formerly only popular in Japan, manga has exploded into the U.S to the point that schools are putting manga into their curriculum in an effort to encourage students to read. Large book retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Borders have created separate manga sections. In a sagging publishing market, manga is infusing new life into the industry.

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EXCERPT from "From Far East to West" by Sally Bosco in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

Fans I've interviewed often state that they like manga because it doesn't follow the typical dramatic formulas we see in western stories.

In the stories we're used to seeing, the good guys almost always win. The Japanese feel that this isn't realistic; good guys usually don't win. It's not unusual for a major character to die, to lose the one they love to another, or to fail at what they are trying to do. Villains can change their ways and heroes can commit horrid acts.

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Sally Bosco has always been drawn to the dark side. A corporate slave by day, at nights and on weekends she writes young adult horror and paranormal romance. Sally recently received her M.A. degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She has published a YA horror novel, AltDeath.com and an adult paranormal romance, Shadow Cat (as Zoe LaPage). Her hobbies include painting, working out, running and traveling. She lives in Florida with the most spoiled cat in the world, MiniKitty. Check out Sally at sallybosco.com and zoelapage.com.

MGOC Contributor News: Dana Marton's The Third Scroll

Many Genres, One Craft contributor Dana Marton has a new novel out--The Third Scroll.

A maiden healer sold to barbarians.

A world of savage warlords and cruel concubines.

When ancient powers collide, can the slave save the realm and the high lord's heart?

Sold into slavery, Tera, a budding healer, is thrust into the savage realm of barbarian warlords, the same realm which claimed her mother years ago. She must avoid the displeasure of her warrior lord and survive the cruelties of the concubines, even as war threatens on the horizon.

Yet a greater danger looms when she catches the eye of the most powerful lord of the land and he takes her for his Pleasure Hall. Tera struggles to escape, while searching for the secret behind her mother’s death. But what she discovers challenges everything she believes in. A path set long ago beckons. A path that could lead to triumph, or the destruction of her world.


posted by heidi

MGOC Contributor: Michael Bracken

MICHAEL BRACKEN

EXCERPT from "I Write Short Stories" by Michael Bracken in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

I write short stories. A lot of them.

In a publishing environment where many writers bemoan the lack of markets for short fiction, I've placed almost 900 short stories. That's 2.7 million words, give or take, or the equivalent of 45 short novels.

When I began writing as a teenager in the 1970s, short story publication was considered the first step to becoming a genre novelist. Writers learned their craft by publishing short fiction in the popular magazines of the day before grappling with the complexity and length of novels. They established writing credentials, providing heft to their query and cover letters, and developed a readership before their first novel ever hit the wire racks at the grocery store.

That doesn't seem to happen much today, and many writers, perhaps encouraged by the ease of publication offered by low-cost vanity publishing companies, leap directly into novel writing without first establishing their writing skills and publishing credentials. Among those who succeed as novelists, some write short stories as an afterthought and some established genre novelists write short fiction only at the invitation of anthology editors.

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Michael Bracken is the author of 11 books, including All White Girls, Deadly Campaign, and Tequila Sunrise. More than 800 of his short stories have been published worldwide. His “Dreams Unborn” was named one of The Best American Mystery Stories 2005 and “All My Yesterdays” received a Derringer Award. Bracken edited five crime fiction anthologies whose stories have been short-listed for the Anthony, Derringer, Edgar, and Shamus awards. Bracken served as V.P. of both the Private Eye Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America’s Southwest chapter. He also belongs to the Horror Writers Association and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Bracken received his B.A. in Professional Writing from Baylor University.

Many Genres One Craft: Now Available in Ebook!

We're pleased to report that an ebook edition of Many Genres, One Craft is now also available for the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook.

Our Encore Signing

Our encore signing at Seton Hill University in June 2012 was another success, and several readers took advantage of the one-of-a-kind opportunity to get their hardcover copies signed by the fount of contributors on hand. Headlines Books provided quite a spread of books to sell. Photos have been posted at Mike Arnzen's website and the Raw Dog Screaming Press page.

After the signing, we learned that Many Genres won another publishing award: this time, a Silver Medal in the 2011 Book of the Year Awards sponsored by ForeWord reviews. It's amazing how many awards this book has had the honor to receive. We're proud of all the great work that the contributors and Headline Books put into this book to make it such a raving success this first year in print. -- Mike & Heidi