Read 'A Little Story' by Fide Erken

A Little Story, a poem by Turkish poetess Fide Erken, (first published in a Maxis Review Maygrove College Publication, Detroit, U.S.A.), has appreared in Tintota. Read it here.

posted by Ilona @ 10:57 AM 0 comments

Call for Submissions: Touching Anais, An Anthology of Poetry Dedicated to Anais Nin

A Left Bank Humanities Foundation & Mind Fire Press cooperative venture. The editors of the Left Bank Review and Mind Fire Press are pleased to announce that a new poetry anthology (e-book) on the subject of Anais Nin, her writings, life, and lifestyle, is now open for submissions.
Submission guidelines: (electronic)
* submission inside body of email (no attachments accepted)
* no more than three poems per poet
* length open (within reason; contact if length is an issue)
* style open
* content restricted only to the subject at hand: Anais Nin
* include max 50 word bio and cover letter (brief publishing history/CV encouraged as bio features may be expanded)
Notification of inclusion: approximately 3 weeks after deadline.
Payment: Each poet with accepted submission(s) will receive 1 free copy of the e-book anthology.
Copyright: Each poet will retain the copyright to his/her poem(s) . LBHF/Mind Fire Press will retain the copyright to the e-book anthology.
Submit to: anaiseditor@thomasfortenberry.net

posted by Ilona @ 10:53 AM 0 comments

Stories on Kindness - Call for Submissions!

Acts of kindness are often overlooked. To celebrate the little things that people do in life, I am collecting real-life stories for a book on kindness (Spring 2007, Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing). If you have a story to tell, I’d like to hear it. Maybe it’s about how you picked flowers for a sick neighbor just to make his day. Or someone fed your parking meter during your lunch hour so you wouldn’t get a ticket. I am particularly interested in how your life changed after the act of kindness occurred. What happened ? Who was involved ? How did it come to be ? Did you notice a change in your life after being the recipient or offering an act of kindness? Were others around you kinder? Were you kinder? Were you more joyous? Generous? All appropriate stories will be considered (no more than 1000 words).
Please forward your story and full contact info (full name, address, email, etc.) to me, Christine Louise Hohlbaum, at storyofkindness@yahoo.com. Compensation is a bio you provide. Deadline is Feb. 15, 2006. Thank you!

posted by Ilona @ 5:48 AM 0 comments

Interzone reviews Sheila Crosby's story

Interzone has just published a review of Sheila Crosby's story "Scream Quietly." You can find the review here.

posted by Ilona @ 2:55 AM 0 comments

Rab Swannock Fulton's Work Serialized in GEYGALLUS Newsletter

A monthly newsletter GEYGALLUS is being set up in America to serialize new work of Rab Swannock Fulton, a Scottish writer living in Ireland.

In 2004 the Arts Office of the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI, G) set up a website to bring his work together, which can be read at http://frink.nuigalway.ie/~rab .

In 2005 a new web-novel Transformation (a love/ghost story) was added to the site. The response to this story (readers, reviews, word of mouth, commentary in blogs, etc), has helped the website build up an international readership.

The most recent development in his writing has been the setting up of the GEYGALLUS newsletter, edited by Andrea, a reader from America.
People can subscribe to the GEYGALLUS newsletter for free by e-mailing : aokren@lycos.com .

posted by Ilona @ 7:49 AM 0 comments

Two Short Poems by Ilona in Muses Review

I have two very short poems in the winter issue of Muses Review ("To be or?" and "In Hell"). Both are from my book Unearthly Companion. You can read them here. (Please rate them, if you like them.)

Thanks,
Ilona

posted by Ilona @ 7:40 AM 0 comments

An Interview with Christine Louise Hohlbaum

Christine Louise Hohlbaum is an American writer living in Germany. Her second book on parenting, SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe appeared last year.

I email-interviewed her last week. I asked her about writing, parenting, and her life in Germany.

Ilona Hegedus : Christine, you are American, but you live in Germany. So first, I'd like to ask you how you got there in the first place and what it is like to be an American there.

Christine Louise Hohlbaum : I have a long history with Germany, starting with a youth exchange in the mid-80’s. My husband is German, and when he lost his job in 2002, we looked beyond the Boston area to find a new life for ourselves. Raising children in a small Bavarian cow town is quite different from the streets of Somerville, MA!

Munich is a very cool place. Since we live just 40 minutes away, I can connect with the vast international community there whenever I need a “fix” from the modern adult world. Having lived in quite a few places including Vienna, Frankfurt, Chicago and Washington, DC, I find Munich to be one of the best cities in the world.

I.H.: You're a stay-at-home mom, but you are also an author, a humorist, columnist and PR consultant. How do you find the time for all these things?

C.L.H.: Time management is a crucial part of being a mom juggler. I make a list of priorities in my mind each morning and then work through the list until I’ve done what I sought to accomplish in the time I have available to me. My kid-free time is very limited – usually just a few hours, but I put those hours to good use.

My PR clients are mainly in North America, so I spend evenings working with them. That’s the benefit of working six hours ahead of Eastern Time.

As my children get older, it gets easier. A four-year-old can understand “Not now” better than a two-year-old. Still there are those days…

I.H.: There are many authors struggling to find the time for writing besides having a job, a family or both. What advice would you give them on how to improve their organization skills?

C.L.H.: It doesn’t matter when you write; it matters that you write. I’ve written articles on the backs of envelopes, old pizza boxes, and, yes, even napkins. Carry around a little notebook with you. It’s a great way to contain your brilliance and to have when you need a mind jolt which even coffee can’t provide.

Another key component to writing is staying inspired. That often requires non-writing activities such as reading really good books and essays from writers you wish to emulate; or leisure activities to reduce your stress load. How many times have I gotten a great story idea in the woods on a walk all alone? The main thing is to act on your impulse and write it down before it sinks into the black hole called motherhood!

My latest coup was getting an idea for a book in the shower. Above the din of the showerhead, my inner voice shouted, “Write this down, now!” I hopped out of the shower just in time to commit my ideas to paper. Needless to say, the paper is a bit water-stained, but I’m now in the process of writing said book!

I.H.: You also wrote a book on promotion for authors (The Author's Companion: A Self-Guided Course on Book Promotion, 2005). How can authors benefit from such knowledge and what are the most important areas of marketing that they need to become familiar with?

C.L.H.: The Author’s Companion is based on an on-line book promotion course I gave last year. It morphed into a 70-page workbook with over 200 clickable links for easy access to the sites I mention. The CD-Rom is a compilation of all the things I learned over the three years of marketing my books. In addition, it includes four one-hour audio interviews with seasoned authors who provide numerous helpful tips for authors to market their work effectively.

Authors will benefit from the turn-key approach to the CD-Rom. It literally says, “Do this, then this, then this, and you WILL get a media interview.” Included are the top ten things all authors must have. You can visit http://www.authorscompanion.com to purchase a copy and for an excerpt as well as other helpful articles to assist authors on their book promotion journey. I’m very proud of the Author’s Companion. It has been endorsed by Publicity Hound, Joan Stewart, best-selling author Cynthia Brian and book promotion guru Dan Poynter.

I.H.: Is there anything you would like to add?

C.L.H.: I encourage every writer to live his or her dreams. Take it one step at a time. Find a support network. Living your passion takes time, preparation, and inspiration. When I recently flipped through my copy of Julie Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, I had to smile. Boy! Have I come a long way since those cold, winter days in Boston in 1998. It’s wonderful to have a record of my journey as a writer. Each thing you write shows your growth as a writer and a person. I keep all the fan mail I receive. I especially love the ones that say “You made me laugh today. Thank you!” It is such a precious gift and serves as a reminder as to why we write in the first place. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Thank you for your time, Ilona!

Visit Christine Louise Hohlbaum's website

posted by Ilona @ 6:57 AM 0 comments

Chimericana Books Releases Chimeraworld #3 (atheist, misogynist, terrorist), edited by Mike Philbin

Chimericana Books is brand new publisher that caters to fans of extreme/bizarro fiction. This first release of 2006, Chimeraworld #3 (edited by Mike Philbin), contains twenty three stories from around the globe inspired by the three-headed-monster - atheism, misogyny and terrorism.

Oxford,UK-based artist/writer Mike Philbin is the man behind keyboard entity Hertzan Chimera R.I.P.

Mike began editing the Chimeraworld anthologies two years ago with the publication of Chimeraworld #1 to great critical acclaim in the alternative press.

Chimeraworld #1 (23 bizarro tales) was a pure 'grand guignol' festival of all things subversive, horrific and insane.

Chimeraworld #2 (hell is a sorry s**t hole) was the chillled-out downer-antidote to the previous year's gory excesses.

Chimeraworld #3 (atheist, misogynist, terrorist) is back to basics with 23 stories that touch on one or more of these provocative themes.

CHIMERAWORLD #3, TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ralph Greco, Jr. - THE TEST
Dean R Winters - THREE-HEAD FULL FISH TANK
Michael De Kler - FEED THE MACHINE
Jenny Ashford - SPREADING THE LOVE
Nicholas Alan Tillemans - MISFORTUNE SMILES TOO
C. C. Parker - CAVE DWELLER
Joshua Scribner - FAMILIAR FACES
Sean Logan - CHANGED HIS MIND
Chet Gottfried - PATIENT VIRTUES
Paul Pinn - STENCH MAN KILLER BOY
D.L. Snell - MOUSER
Anthony Armstrong - CRUSH FREAK
C.L. Russo - KEY MAN
Will McIntosh - TRUE CROSS
Tim McDaniel - AT THE SOUND OF THE TONE
Michael A. Kechula - TEN WARNINGS
Kevin James Miller - MR. ARNOLD'S WINDOW
Richard Pitaniello - MEESTER CLIN & THE SECRET OF THE PAIN-MAKERS
Richard D. Moore - THE BARK THAT BITES
Liam Davies - BALLOON
Tonya Price - WHAT SOLDIERS DO
Glen Alan Hamilton - I FEEL THE NEED
David L Tamarin - TOP O' THE NEWS

There is a free video promo available to promote Chimeraworld #3 for download at:
http://www.horrorquarterly.com/chimericanabooks/cw3terror.mov

Pick up CHIMERAWORLD #3 from Amazon and other good online distributors, Jan 14 2006.

Mike Philbin

http://www.mikephilbin.com

Chimericana Books

http://www.chimericanabooks.com

posted by Ilona @ 6:40 AM 0 comments

On European Reader: An Interview

Mark Cantrell has interviewed me for Tyke Script. He asked me about European Reader, (the idea behind it, the aims etc.) Check it out here .

posted by Ilona @ 12:22 AM 0 comments

Romance Book Giveaway

Visit Scottish romance author, Kyla Logan's website for a chance to win a book. The giveaway for January is the winner's choice of download from any book at Changeling Press. Draw to take place 31st January.
Click here to enter. The author also holds a Newsletter members only draw. Join her newsletter here.
Kyla Logan's next release will be Sea of Love, on 17th February. This is part of a 12 author series with Changeling Press.

posted by Ilona @ 10:52 PM 0 comments

Please Vote for European Reader

Our site has been nominated for the Preditors & Editors Readers' Poll award. Please vote for us at the nonfiction zine page. You can also vote for the ezine editor here.
There are many cathegories. You can vote for an author, a poet, a poem and for a short story and a novel in each genre. (The poll ends midnight of 14 January.)

posted by Ilona @ 5:10 AM 0 comments

Lament of Martian Microbe : a new poem by Mary Jo Rabe

Mary Jo Rabe's poem, "Lament of Martian Microbe" just went online in the January issue of The Martian Wave. Mary Jo is originally from Eastern Iowa in the US, but she has been working as a librarian in Germany for the past 30 years. She writes science fiction and occasionally fantasy because that is what she loves to read.
Her published works: ("Quest", a poem in Pandora; "Dear Devil", a short story in Alternate Hilarities; "Notes From A Class Reunion On Asimov Station VI" in Stygian Articles). She's currently working on a larger poetry project.

posted by Ilona @ 4:44 AM 0 comments