Guess What This Is a Picture of:

This is the gorgeous cover art for the upcoming anthology Literary Foray that accepted my short story "Homage" for publication!

And, this is not even the best news...

One of my cyber BFFs -- my critique partner who is a wildly talented author and blogger you all know and love -- Jessica Bell @ The Alliterative Allomorph will also be published in the same anthology.  How COOL is that?  I can't wait to read her short "How Long Do the Lights Stay On?"!!

The anthology is still accepting submissions, and will be published through Pill Hill Press.  For more information and submission guidelines, click HERE.

Wishing you a spectacular day!

Kowalski, progress report!

Update!

The speculative fiction short I wrote for a contest that I blogged about in Monday's post got me through to the Final Round!

When the contest began on August 30th, there were nineteen competitors.  Based on the entries in each of three rounds, participants were eliminated.  Now, there are just three of us left standing.

Tonight at 10:00 p.m. (EST) the final prompt will be posted.  I'll have two weeks to write my entry.  When the entries are judged, the winner will be announced, as well as second and third place winners.  Wish me luck!

And, for anyone dying to read my story (*snort*), here's the link again:

Controlling Nature

Happy Hump Day to All!

A Closer Look at Speculative Fiction

The challenge before me last week was write a short story contest entry in the Speculative Fiction genre, inspired by the following prompt:

Practice is nothing to be sneezed at.

This particular contest, hosted by WYRM, a writers group at Writing.com that promotes Spec-Fi, is one of my favorites.  I don't normally write speculative fiction, so the contest flings me far outside of my comfort zone.  Since I've been concentrating on the genre for the past month, I thought I'd share what I know here.

Speculative fiction is an umbrella category, under which fall stories usually incorporating elements of science fiction, horror, fantasy, paranormal, etc.  So what makes a story spec-fi, and not simply one of those genres? To answer, you have to focus on the word "speculative."

Speculative fiction premises ask the question, "What if...?"  What if a major world event had ended differently?  What if space aliens walked amongst us?  What if humans took an evolutionary leap, yesterday?  What if...?

I like to think back to the old Twilight Zone television series when I'm brainstorming for spec-fi story ideas.  My favorite episode starred Burgess Meredith as the man who just wanted peace and quiet so he could read.  Suddenly, in typical Twilight Zone fashion, the world ends and Meredith's character is the last man alive.  In his devastation and terror, he stumbles upon the ruins of the public library.  Salvation is his!  Until he trips on the library steps, breaking his coke-bottle thick glasses in the fall.

What distinguishes speculative fiction is that the story's supernatural or other-worldly facet is more than just a sidekick cat that can talk.  It is a fundamental element around which the entire plot swirls.  If you take out that element, the plot collapses.

J. Golden at Squidoo.com has provided an excellent list of sub-genres under the speculative fiction umbrella.  I use it here with permission:

• Alternate History
  Alternate History poses questions about different outcomes to historic events, and how that would alter our known world.
• Apocalypse/Holocaust
  Apocalypse/Holocaust is set in a reality where The World As We Know It ends or has ended.
• Coming of Age (as a species)
  Coming of Age stories redefine what it means to be human when we make an evolutionary leap as a species.
• Contemporary Fantasy
  Contemporary Fantasy has a realistic modern world setting with elements of supernatural forces such as magic or mythological deities occurring through access to another world, realm, or plane.
• Cyberpunk
  Cyberpunk is actually one of the more likely SF genres, with virtual reality & technology inundating every level of society, most of which still have a low quality of life.
• Dystopian
  Dystopian literature is set in dysfunctional utopias.
• Fairy Tales
  Fairy Tales tell a lesson story via human-like beings (fairies, elves), animals with human traits (goblins, trolls), and enchantments and charms, set in a rustic setting.
• Fantasy
  Fantasy is set in medieval or low technology environments with strong dependence on magic and other supernatural elements.
• First Contact
  First Contact stories are about how we react as a species when confronted with other intelligent life for the first time.
• Horror/Dark Fantasy
  Horror/Dark Fantasy develops from supernatural evil or human evil/mental disorder encroaching on ordinary people's lives.
• Magical Realism
  Magical Realism is set in a realistic modern world with the addition of magical elements.
• Science Fiction
  Science Fiction explores potential (far) future developments in technology, space exploration, and human evolution.
• Slipstream
  Slipstream is set in our world ~ almost. There are slight, uneasy making distortions in our reality or else the protagonist has fallen out of the consensual reality but is not insane in any way.
• Steampunk
  Steampunk gives the Victorian era modern technology.
• 
  

I submitted my speculative fiction contest entry last night.  It could be classified as Horror/Dark Fantasy or Slipstream.  It was sooooo hard to write; although, once the main character and plot solidified in my brain I found a rhythm that worked (I think) really well.

Should anyone be interested in reading it (3500 words), here's the link.  To whet your potential reading appetites, I will say this:  the title is a huge play on words that can be interpreted in (at least) three different ways.

Here's the link:  Controlling Nature

How about you?  Ever dabbled in Speculative Fiction?  What do you find is the biggest challenge in the genre?

Check Your Ta-Tas

Today kicks off the 25th annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Ladies, remember to self-examine your girls once a month!

And if you're within one of the age groups, schedule your annual or biennial mammograms.

[Not sure?  Read the recommended guidelines here: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month]

Awareness is key!

Have a great weekend :))

The Handwriting Game -- Tagged!

I love looking at the penmanship of fellow bloggers through the Handwriting Game.  Secretly, I've had my fingers crossed that someone would tag me.  Big thanks to RaShelle @ A No. 2 Pencil, Stat! for hearing my silent plea. Thanks for the tag, RaShelle!!

Here goes:

[Click to enlarge :)]

Write down (by hand!) on a piece of paper the following:

1. Name, Blog Name
2. Right handed, left handed, or both? 
3. Favorite letters to write 
4. Least favorite letters to write
5. Write out "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
6. Write in CAPS: BABOON, SPLENDOR, ONOMATOPOEIA, FLIP-FLOPS, HUZZAH!
7. Favorite song lyrics 
8. Tag 7 people
9. Whatever else strikes your fancy 

The seven people I'm tagging are:

Sandy Shin

Vicki Rocho @ Rambles & Randomness

Cynthia Reese

Terry Stonecrop (OR Gardner West!!!)

Jade @ Chasing Empty Pavements

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Karen Gowen @ Coming Down the Mountain

I'm going to have another week of scarce blog time.  It's all good, because I've advanced to the next round of a month-long creative writing contest in which there remains just five contestants.  Our challenge this round is to write a speculative fiction short story (due Oct. 3) with this prompt:  Practice is nothing to sneeze at.  Yeah.  Wish me luck!!

In addition, I'm knee-deep in WiP writing and critiques with my lovely and uber-talented crit partner. (*waves to Jess*)  And, there's that other thing...due Thursday.  Soooo, busy week.  I'll read as many blogs as I can get to -- and try to comment on a few too.  Know that I'm thinking of you all, missing our regular interactions, and looking forward to the days ahead when I have a bit more time for the stuff I love.  Until then, ciao!!

Calling all Opinions!! (...on Protags & Antags)

[Photo Source]

The obvious:

The Protagonist is the main character of the novel.  What the protagonist WANTS should be clear from the beginning.

The Antagonist is the character that (usually) represents the PROBLEM of the novel, that which the protagonist must ultimately conquer in order to get what she wants.

Now let's move on to the less obvious.

(For argument sake, let's imagine a hypothetical story where whole chapters are told from the third person POV of either the protagonist or the antagonist.)

The author's job the first time he introduces the protagonist is to make her likable and/or create reader empathy for her, while expressing what she WANTS.  This hooks the reader and makes him want to turn the page.  But, does this mean the first chapter must open with the protagonist?

What if the PROBLEM in the story is the antagonist's mental breakdown, the backlash of which sends him on a collision course with an unsuspecting stranger (the protagonist)?  Can the novel open with the first chapter about the antagonist?

I guess the question I put up for discussion is this:  Do you think it's always better to open the novel by introducing the protagonist; or, does every story need its own formula for success, even if that means opening with the antagonist?

Bonus question:  Can you think of a book you enjoyed that opened with the antagonist?

Can't wait to read your opinions on this topic!

!00% Satisfaction

The key to satisfaction in life is achieving what you set out to do.  Set goals, and work hard to reach them.  Sounds simple, right?

It can be, if you keep a couple things in mind:

1.  Dream big, but keep your goals realistic.  What can you manage to accomplish in a day, given all the responsibilities you shoulder?  Set goals that will challenge you, but which can be met with hard work and motivation.

2.  Track your goals.  Write them down or create an electronic file where what you 'planned to do' and what you 'did do' are logged.  It is amazing how concrete your progress become when it is "official" and documented.

3.  Turn off FaceBook and Twitter while you work towards your goals.  How can you put 100% of your effort into a task when TweetDeck is chiming a new tweet every 15 to 30 seconds?  Each time your eye strays to the FaceBook tab and you see parenthesis signaling a notification, you disengage from your primary task.  Cell phone and land line should be silenced too.


Working toward your goals means budgeting your time and concentrating all your effort on the task at hand.  Factor in your downtime, when  you will check in with your social media and visit blogs.  Remember to eat and exercise -- those things are important too!

And when you achieve your goals, the sense of satisfaction is immense.  You feel like you're in the driver's seat of your life, in charge, going to that place where you've always pictured yourself.

Go on.  Become that person you dream about.  Get those goals!


[Thanks for reading!  I'd like to recommend your next blog stop:  Vicki Rocho at Rambles & Randomness shared a short, must-see video about a most unexpected brilliant mind.  I promise you, you won't be able to turn it off.  Click here for the link -->  Grab Your Tissues....AMAZING]

Have a wonderful weekend!