MGOC Contributor News: Dana Marton's Deathscape

Many Genres, One Craft contributor Dana Marton has a new Thriller out--Deathscape.

He will do anything to put her in prison for her crimes...even if he's falling in love with her.

After a near-death experience, artist Ashley Price is compelled to paint visions of the dead. Then she paints a man buried alive and, recognizing the surroundings, she rushes to save him.

Instead of being grateful to her for rescuing him, Detective Jack Sullivan accuses her of being in league with a serial killer. He swears he will put her behind bars. Except, the more time he spends with her, the more he falls under her spell. Can he trust her, or is he walking into another deadly trap?

"... sucked me in from the beginning and kept me guessing... the characters are real people--with histories and motivations and interesting quirks. Add a scary killer, some romance and you have a perfect read!" Susan Mallery, NY Times bestselling author

MGOC Contributor: Ginger Clark

GINGER CLARK
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EXCERPT from "How to Get an Agent" by Ginger Clark in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

Write a really good book.

I know that sounds like a knee-jerk suggestion, but it is true. Now, really, a good book can mean both a well-written, lyrical literary novel or a commercial idea done well. You do not need to write the second coming of The Great Gatsby—it can be a fun, juicy tale of a werewolf and a vampire and their forbidden love. But it does need to be well done, with a well-paced plot, fleshed out characters, and believable dialogue.

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Ginger Clark has been a literary agent with Curtis Brown LTD since Fall 2005. She represents science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, paranormal chicklit, literary horror, and young adult and middle grade fiction. In addition to representing her own clients, she also represents British rights for the agency’s children’s list. Previously, she worked at Writers House for six years as an assistant literary agent and was as an editorial assistant at Tor Books. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College, a member of the Contracts Committee of the AAR, and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and pet chinchillas.

Event: Jason Jack Miller and Preston Black's Opening Act

EVENT

Many Genres One Craft contributor Jason Jack Miller launched the paperback of his second novel The Devil and Preston Black at Black Bear Burritos in Morgantown, WV, on Saturday, December 8, 2012. The book is set in Morgantown.

The event, appropriately named Preston Black's Opening Act, included a book signing, a performance by Abacus Jones, and a raffle to benefit two environmental charities: Friends of the Cheat and Friends of Deckers Creek.

This is Miller's second book in the Murder Ballads and Whiskey series, published through Raw Dog Screaming Press. Book three, The Revelations of Preston Black, will be released in Spring 2013.

MGOC Contributor: Shelley Bates

SHELLEY BATES
EXCERPT from "The Seven Habits that Got Me Published" by Shelley Bates in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

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One of the longest journeys a writer will take is the road to that first sale. Whether you’re sweating it out under the broiling sun of rejection, or running headlong into a cool, refreshing valley of editor or agent interest, there are seven practical habits you can adopt that will help you reach that faraway gleam in the distance: a book contract.

Establish relationships
In the publishing trade, it’s not who you know, it’s how well you write. At the same time, the industry is still small enough that relationships are crucially important. The person whose shoes you criticize in the restroom line at a writers’ conference may be your dream editor—and she’s got a long memory.

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Shelley Bates holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of California and an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She sold her master's thesis to a major commercial publisher after she graduated in 2002, and has sold 17 more novels for the romance, women’s fiction, and young adult markets since then. Grounds to Believe, her first women’s fiction novel, won the 2005 RITA Award for Best Inspirational Novel of the Year from the Romance Writers of America. The sequel, Pocketful of Pearls, became a RITA Award finalist the following year. Writing as Shelley Adina, she has a six-book series called All About Us for teenage readers. Between books, Shelley enjoys playing the piano and Celtic harp, making historical costumes, and trying not to satisfy the urge to possess just one more handbag.

Event: Karen Lynn Williams at NCTE 2012

Many Genres One Craft contributor and Children's book author Karen Lynn Williams was a guest speaker and panelist at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) 2012 Conference in Las Vegas, NV.

The annual event brings together librarians, educators, parents, writers, editors, and publishers to discuss the future of education in English Studies, Literacy, and Language Arts.

Among her many appearances, Karen served on the panel Books That Make a Difference: Kids Taking Action for Social Justice with author Deborah Ellis and illustrator Floyd Cooper.

Karen has written many multi-cultural picture books, including Circles of Hope and Galimoto.

For more about Karen's time at NCTE and to read an excerpt from her speech, visit her blog, Williams Writes.

MGOC Contributor: Nicole Peeler

NICOLE PEELER
EXCERPT from "Almost Finished" by Nicole Peeler in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

I’m nearly finished with my rough draft of Eye of the Tempest. In fact, I’m just about to embark on (gutting and re)writing one of the mini-climactic scenes that will shortly lead up to the big bang climax. This is not to say that the book is nearly done. How hard it is to get oneself over that last hump which is the near-end of the book. I think this difficulty consists of a bunch of elements, including (but not limited to) the following:

* Commitment issues! We all have ‘em, to a certain extent. And let’s face it: finishing a book is a commitment. You’ve committed yourself to having written book X, when, conceivably, you could have written books Y, Z, or (unpronounceable symbol, a la Prince, here), instead.
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Nicole D. Peeler received an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Boston University, and a PhD in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland. She’s lived abroad in both Spain and the UK, and lived all over the USA. Currently, she resides outside Pittsburgh, to teach in Seton Hill’s MFA in Popular Fiction. When she’s not in the classroom infecting young minds with her madness, she’s writing Urban Fantasy for Orbit Books and taking pleasure in what means most to her: family, friends, food, and travel.

You can find her blogging at http://www.nicolepeeler.com, as well as at the League of Reluctant Adults and Pens Fatales. She’d love for you to add her on Facebook (Nicole Peeler), and on Twitter (NicolePeeler).

MGOC Contributor News: Heidi Ruby Miller Named Editor of Dog Star Books

Many Genres One Craft co-editor Heidi Ruby Miller was named managing editor of Dog Star Books, a new Science Fiction imprint from Raw Dog Screaming Press.

The announcement was made at DogCon by RDSP co-owner Jennifer Barnes. Visit the Dog Star Books blog for more information.

MGOC Event: Michael A. Arnzen Poetry Reading at DV8

If you live in the Pittsburgh/Greensburg area, join Many Genres, One Craft co-editor Michael A. Arznen for a horror poetry reading alongside Seton Hill Writer Stephanie Wytovich at DV8 Espresso Gallery and Cafe in Downtown Greensburg on November 10th at 7PM.

This "Halloween Resurrection" is free to the public. A book signing will follow.

DV8 is located on 208 S. Pennsylvania Avenue, Greensburg, PA 15601.
Phone: 724-219-0804.

MGOC Contributor News: Shelley Adina's Magnificent Devices

Many Genres, One Craft contributor Shelley Adina has a new novel out--Magnificent Devices.

An air voyage to remember turns into a disaster no one may survive.

With her orphaned charges, Lady Claire Trevelyan joins the Earl of Dunsmuir’s family on an airship voyage to the Americas. If she can stay out of Lord James Selwyn’s way until her eighteenth birthday, she will be of age and cannot be forced into marriage. What she doesn’t know is that Lord James is in the Americas, too, with Andrew Malvern closing in on him—and the wonderful device he stole. But when a storm cripples the airship and air pirates swoop in like carrion birds, Claire and the children must live by their wits to make their way across a harsh landscape. Will Andrew ever see her again and right the wrong he believes he has done? Will Lord James succeed in his monumental thievery? And how exactly does Rosie the chicken evade the soup pot?

Tighten your goggles, pull on your gloves, and prepare yourself for stratagems and strangeness in the third book in the series, Magnificent Devices!

MGOC Contributor: Lee McClain

Lee McClain
EXCERPT from "Time Management: Creative Paths to Productivity" by Lee McClain in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

Time management? Ugh. Sounds like a seminar topic at a business event.

Careful management of time doesn’t come naturally to most creative writers, but that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. Figuring out this skill often means the difference between success and failure as a writer.

I can hear the protests now. Many writers assume that their possibilities of success depend on skill, talent, and creativity. While these qualities are important, none of them can manifest themselves unless a writer is willing and able to devote time to her craft. That means time to read in the genre, time to draft, time to revise, and time to study the market. When I directed Seton Hill’s graduate writing program, I saw many talented writers fail due to not managing their time; conversely, I saw writers who started out with what looked like very moderate talent improve and succeed—and publish—due to the massive time they devoted to their craft.

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Dr. Lee Tobin McClain happily divides her time between teaching and writing and finds that the two pursuits enrich each other. She writes romantic suspense, fiction for children and teens, and nonfiction essays and magazine articles. Among her novels are My Loco Life, My Alternate Life, and Sizzle. Her teaching interests include children's and YA literature, magazine writing, composition, and creative writing. The former Director of the Writing Popular Fiction Graduate Program at Seton Hill University, Dr. McClain now mentors graduate students. Find her on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Lee-McClain/e/B001KIDROM