Contests

Halloween Tour: A week of stories and treats

Erin10 Comments

Blood Stitches-highresEvery year on Halloween, the god of the Mayan underworld holds a demonic ball. Many attend; not everyone survives…

So begins my novella Blood Stitches–a story about magical knitting, fantastical creatures, sacrifice, and forgiveness–and to celebrate Halloween-when the story unfolds–the gang from Blood Stitches is going on a week-long tour, complete with spooky stories and prizes.

Scroll down to view the complete tour schedule, and I hope to see you during one of the stops–be sure to enter the giveaway (see below).

Reviews for Blood Stitches

“What a charming and delightful knitting fiction book… This book is refreshingly different in so many ways… The characters are interesting, with believable dialogue and and interesting plot. Great entertainment read. ” Read the rest here.

“Both technically and thematically, this short work was refreshing…. The main setting of the story was fun, as the characters travel to a fantastical underground… The plot was solid, the characters were interesting and quirky, and I really enjoyed the premise of magical knitting.” Read the rest here.

Giveaway

A Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour stops

You can also find the schedule here (a huge thank-you to NK Author Services for organizing the tour!).

10/25-Ebooks Galore– Spooky Short
10/25-Booklover Sue-Spooky Short
10/25-A Little Bit of R&R-Spooky Short
10/26-Wicked Women Book Blog-Spooky Short
10/26-Author Sandra Love-Spooky Short
10/26-Ebook Addicts
10/27-Eskimo Princess– Spooky Short
10/27-Midnight Angel Book Heaven
10/27-Spreading the Word
10/28-LBM Book Blog
10/28-Sapphyria’s Steamy Reads
10/28-Literature Litehouse
10/29-Dreamer Talks Books
10/29-Anything But Vanilla Books
10/29-Carly’s Cozy Corner
10/30-A Bit Bookish
10/30-Danielle’s Domain
10/30-We Read With A Glass of Wine
10/31-My Reading Reality-Spooky Short
10/31-Indy Book Fairy
10/31-One Book Boyfriend At A Time

HalloweenTourBanner

CWTR* – Knight of Light: Braveheart Meets Supernatural

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Combine an author who jousts with a suspenseful blend of mythology and old-fashioned fairy tales and one gets The Watchers Book 1: Knight of Light or as some have said, “Braveheart meets Supernatural.” It’s definitely a recipe for a book I can’t wait to read.

In England, 1270 A.D., Auriella (pronounced yurr-ee-ella) flees her village after being accused of witchcraft. Pursued by nightmarish creatures, she struggles to accept the truth about her humanity. Filled with fairies, dwarves, pixies, dragons, and monsters, Knight of Light is an enthralling tale that will capture the imaginations of readers young and old.

The Watchers Series has been described as Braveheart meets Supernatural.

The mythology for the series is based on many theological texts from dozens of sects with correlating themes. Ancient writings include The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Traditional Apocrypha, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Kabbalah. “The Watchers” are supernatural beings in human form whose duty it is to protect and guard mankind from the armies of darkness.

Unfortunately, as the Book of Enoch mentions, some of these Watchers go bad. Although the mythology is based on these texts, Deirdra Eden’s The Watchers Series is written in a traditional fairytale style with a young girl’s discovery of incredible, but dangerous powers within herself, a cast of humorous side-kicks, a quest for greater self-discovery and purpose, and villains of epic proportions.

 About the Author

“My goal in writing is to saturate my books with intrigue, mystery, romance, and plot twists that will keep my readers in suspense. I want to see fingerprints on the front and back covers where readers have gripped the novel with white knuckles!

Aside from writing, I enjoy jousting in arenas, planning invasions, horseback riding through open meadows, swimming in the ocean, hiking up mountains, camping in cool shady woods, climbing trees barefoot, and going on adventures.” -Deirdra Eden

Find Deirdra Eden and The Watchers Series online on Amazon, Deirdra’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad, and Pinterest.

And be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway

*CWTR: No, it’s not an acronym for an arcane operating system or a clandestine bureaucracy; rather, it’s my shorthand for new books I Can’t-Wait-To-Read (CWTR).

Literary Love: A winner

Erin1 Comment

Congratulations to Jesse for winning the I Heart YA Giveaway Hop–she’s now the proud owner of a short-fiction sampler jammed with hours of wonderful stories to read. You can find Jesse’s own short fiction at her blog, Jester Queen, and while you’re cruising the web check out the following blogs for more stories to read and insights into the writing world:  Best Blogs for Writers to Read in 2012  and StoryDam: “Everyone has a story… what’s holding yours back?” .

Keeping up with the shorts: new markets, contests, celebrations, and more

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– Library Blogs for Teen Patrons: A handy list of blogs to use for promotion and to see what’s being read in teen lit.

-Celebrating the short story (a little late): May was National Short Story Month… Don’t worry–I missed it too. But it’s never too late to celebrate: check out this offering from NPR .

-For those of you who like to keep it brief, here’s a list of flash fiction markets (older YA through adult) from Flash Fiction Chronicles .

-England’s The Guardian asks: Is the short story really the novel’s poor relation?

-Along the same lines: Hunger Mountain’s Claire Guyton blogs: No, You Do NOT Have To Write A Novel: A Celebration of the Short Story and the Short Story Writer

–Juniper Berry Story Contest (for ages 9-14): From the site — “Juniper Berry is a story about a girl trapped in a modern-day fairy tale: a world that is both terrifying and enticing. After you read the first two chapters, write your own story of terror and temptation in 500 to 1500 words. Make your story appropriate for kids. The first sentence should start with “Mother and father aren’t quite right.”

Contests and More Contests: Deadlines Coming Up Fast

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March 31: Teen Voices’ 20 Under 20 Short Story Competition — “What does the word “twenty” mean to you? Write about anything that this word inspires in you. We’re especially interested in stories about growing up, succeeding, overcoming difficulty, and changing the world.” 

April 15: The Claudia Ann Seaman Award for Young Writers — “The Claudia Ann Seaman Award for Young Writers was created by the Seaman family in memory of their daughter and sister, a young poet. In 2010, the CAS Award acknowledges excellence in teen writing in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.”

May 1: Crucible Poetry and Fiction Competition — “The Crucible poetry and fiction competition is open to all writers. All entries must be completely original, must never have been published, must be in manuscript form, and must not be involved in other competitions.”

May 16: Jane Eyre Gothic Story Competition for Young Writers — “To celebrate the release of Jane Eyre, Vintage Books and Focus Features are pleased to present the Jane Eyre Gothic Story Competition for Young Writers. Enter by submitting your own gothic short story for the chance to win a trip for two to visit “Brontë Country,” in Yorkshire, England, including economy roundtrip airfare, four-star hotel accommodations for four nights, a trip to visit the Brontë sisters’ Parsonage, and a guided walking tour of Brontë Country.”

Mourning Crow Toes Quarterly, Lucky Leprechauns, Contests, Workshops, and More

Erin3 Comments

I’ve been mourning the demise of Crow Toes Quarterly this week. In case you haven’t heard the news, please read Publisher Christopher Millin’s comments here. To celebrate the magazine’s fabulous four-year run, I’m giving away a copy of its twelfth issue (includes my story, The Cloud Warrior, accompanied by Rebekah Joy Plett’s perfect illustration of my rock-climbing heroine) as part of this weekend’s Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop .

Speaking of which, I’ll also be giving away a copy of Tyree Campbell’s Pyra and the Tektites, featuring another brave young heroine. The Hop starts on Thursday so be sure to check back for all the goodies.

In other short-story news:

-Goodreads is sponsoring a Spring Short Story Panel starting today.

-On May 21, 826michigan Ann Arbor hosts a talk by novelist and short-story writer Peter Ho Davies. Click here for more information.

-And a couple of contests to consider: Gemini Magazine and Absent Willow Review

That’s it for now. See you on Thursday for the giveaways.