The Artist Unleashed: BYE BYE HATE – POETIC ANALYSIS OF A DANCEHALL RIDDIM, by Matthew MacNish

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2012: PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE NOW!

Editors: Jessica Bell & Dawn Ius
Original Artwork: Gary Waters
ISBN: 978-0-9875000-4-5
Size: 140 X 216 mm (Perfect Bound)
Printing: premium colour on high quality paper
Pages: 150
RRP: €13.99

PRE-ORDER NOW!

The Blurb:
In late 2011, Jessica Bell and Dawn Ius founded Vine Leaves Literary Journal to offer the vignette, a forgotten literary form, the exposure and credit it deserves.

The vignette is a snapshot in words, and differs from flash fiction or a short story in that its aim doesn’t lie within the traditional realms of structure or plot, instead it focuses on one element, mood, character, setting or object.

The journal, published quarterly online, is a lush synergy of atmospheric prose, poetry, photography and illustrations, put together with an eye for aesthetics as well as literary merit. The annual print anthology showcases the very best pieces from across the year.

From the haunting prose of Theresa Milstein and Carrie Mumford, to the controversial and quirky work of H. Edgar Hix and Greg Belliveau, the pathological effects of cigarettes and apple seeds, ice sculptures and mental illness are explored. We meet a lovable old man named Joseph and find out out how the good old washing machine can change one’s life. Oh, and how could we forget a mention of the mother with the scissors?

Each vignette merges to create a vivid snapshot in time and place. Prepare for big stories in small spaces, between and beyond the words.

Read one at a time.

Taste them. Savour them.

Live them.

PRE-ORDER to receive your discount on the recommended retail price:

Australia $20.99 + postage (RRP $23.99)

UK £9.99 + postage (RRP £11.50)

USA $17.99 (RRP $20.99)

Europe €11.99 + postage (RRP €13.99)

Rest of the World $20.99 plus postage

For more than three copies contact sale(at)emergent-publishing(dot)com for discounts on shipping.

This is why I still can't tell people I'm an author.

Stranger: So, what do you do?
Me: Um, I'm an editor for English Language Teaching text books.
Stranger: Oh, that's interesting.
Me: Yep, so um ... tell me about you.

days later ...

Me: Hey, we should hook up on Facebook.
Stranger: Yeah good idea. I'll find you. Jessica Bell, right?
Me: *blank stare* Um, no, actually, you won't find me with that, it's Author Jessica Bell.
Stranger: Author?
Me: Um ... yep. *my insides are doing somersaults and my teeth are clenching*
Stranger: Are you published?
Me: Yep.
Stranger: Cool. Tell me the titles and I'm pick them up in the bookstore.
Me: Oh, um, they won't be in the bookstore, but you can find them on online.
Stranger: Online?
Me: Yep.
Stranger: *confused expression* Oh ... you're one of those authors.
Me: *tight-lipped smile* Yeah, anyway, what were you saying earlier?

BREAKING ALL THE RULES. MAKING IT REAL.

I'm writing a novella at the moment called THE BOOK, set in the late 70s, early 80s. The book is a journal. And the whole story revolves around the relationship each of its characters have with 'the book'.

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The mother, Penny, who always writes in it because she wants her daughter, Bonnie, to have it when she's older. The father, John, who wants to continue writing in it, but because he no longer lives with them, it makes things difficult. And Bonnie, who thinks the book is full of sadness because it always makes her mum cry, and the step dad, Ted, turn violent from jealousy. Bonnie wants to get rid of the book to protect her mum from its demons. But the book will end up bringing Bonnie's parents back together. That's the plan anyway. Who knows where it will take me as I write.

But there's a catch.

Penny and John's points of view are written in the form of their entries in the book only. And because they're separated, they've promised not to read each other's entries. The point of view of Bonnie is 1st person, present tense. So I'm writing like a 5-year-old girl would speak.

You know what is really interesting about this? The setup means I'm defying all the rules of the craft.

The journal entries are all just 'telling'. Bonnie's POV is young, so it's full of awkward grammar, repetition, plenty of redundancies, and words you couldn't even find in a mad hatter's dictionary. But it's how she speaks. And it's real.

And before you tell me a book like this isn't going to work, I'm going to tell you it is. It will be a project I will self-publish, so I don't need any agent/editor approval. And it will rip your little hearts out, folks. That's a promise.

Sometimes, we have to sacrifice the rules to make something real. This is one such case, and I'm damned excited.

Have you ever written anything that was 'technically wrong' on so many levels, but just knew it was right?

The Artist Unleashed: HOW I FOUND MY WAY BACK TO THE LIGHT, by Jodi Cleghorn

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Literary Journal Submission Tip: Avoid Clichés, or Twist them into Treasure

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As a literary journal editor, I have read my fair share clichéd submissions. And I'm afraid to say, that most of the time, they make me wince.

As a writer, it is probably hard to comprehend how overwhelming these clichéd  submissions actually are. You are one person, and you think, "oh, it'll be alright, surely there won't be any other subs like this." You would be surprised. You need to think, are you really going to be noticed writing about the sea breeze among an inbox full of 300-400 other subs?

Vine Leaves Literary Journal has been around for a year now. And the clichés (especially in poetry) that most frequently overwhelm us are:

• gardens/plants (pretty red poppies and bees and roses)
• sun/moon (shining on sand or water)
• beating hearts (oh boy how much I love you)
• quiet nights (as I caress your cheek as soft as a baby's bottom)
• gentle breezes (I close my eyes and feel your presence)
• oceans/beaches (my toes dig into the warm sand)
• weather/seasons (birds chirping in spring, heat waves rising off the road)

However, if you are sure that you have written about these things in a unique way, we're totally open to reading about them. But trust me, we will be extra critical.

For an example of one unique way to write about gardens, take a look at The History of Dirt, by Allie Marini Batts, from Issue #03. This WOWED us.

So next time, before you submit, think twice. Are you writing about a clichéd  topic? If so, did you twist it into treasure?

What other clichés can you think of that you persistently see in writing? Or better still, what have you read that deals with a cliché in a unique way?

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PS: Sadly, FABRIC didn't make it into the Goodreads Choice Awards ten finalists. But thank you to all of you who tried to help me get there with your votes! Your support is amazing. And I am still pleased that it was a semi-finalist. I guess that's no easy achievement in itself.

OH, HOW I MISS YOU BLOGFEST, hosted by Andrew Leon, Matthew MacNish, and Alex J. Cavanaugh

First, a big hand to the hosts of today's blogfest: Andrew Leon, Matthew MacNish, and Alex J. Cavanaugh! You can drop by either of these blogs to locate the entire list of participants.

The Premise: Do you have a couple blogger buddies who aren’t posting as often? Those who’ve pulled back and seem absent from the blogging world? Do you have blogger buddies you are grateful they are still around and would miss if they vanished? Now is your chance to show your appreciation and spotlight them!

On November 16, list one to three bloggers you really miss and one to three bloggers you would miss if they stopped blogging. Then go leave a comment on those blogs.

Our blogger friends are special – time to let them know!

With no further ado, here are my choices ...

Bloggers I miss because they don't post as often (or have stopped commenting and I therefore lose track of):

Nicole Ducleroir:

I'm a short story author, aspiring novelist, and world traveler who has penned fiction from homes on three different continents. I currently live with my husband and two children in the Atlanta area. When I find myself less inspired by my Southern locale, I have only to rifle through memories of adventures abroad until colorful characters or thrilling plots come forth. And on the rare occasion that none arise...I've been known to finagle a flight out.

Michelle Davidson Argyle:

Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She loves the seasons, but late summer and early fall are her favorites. She adores chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in whatever time she can grab between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life.

Hart Johnson:

I write books from my bathtub and blog in my basement. For a full bio on the 3 faces of me, check out the tab. As for the shenanigans around here... lots on writing, some life... mostly I just want to encourage you to play with me. Silliness abounds.

Bloggers I would miss if they no longer blogged (I'm sure we'd still keep in touch via email, but it's still nice to read their posts!):

Dawn Ius:

I started writing at age 8 upon discovering writing about monsters was less scary than looking for them under my bed. I'm still leery of things that go bump in the night, but hope my thriller writing skills have improved. I live in Canada will my husband, stepdaughter and three bullmastiff hounds. You know, just skulking around.

Leigh T. Moore:

*Writer, editor, wife, mom, friend. *My books THE TRUTH ABOUT FAKING (YA rom-com) and ROUGE (Mature YA romance) are now available on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, & Smashwords. *New posts on Mondays. Leave a comment, make a suggestion, stay a while~

Matthew MacNish:

I'm the father of two beautiful young ladies, three lazy cats and one adorable German Shepherd. Together we live in the mountains of north Georgia amidst my endless collection of vinyl records. I run this blog in an attempt to help other novice writers avoid the mistakes I made in the beginning of my road to publication. Believe me, I made many.

So there you have it! My top six favourite bloggers :-) PS: I'm also to blame for the "lack of commenting" situation. It just gets so hard to keep up once you garner a large following ...

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Reminders:

• My poetry book FABRIC is a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee. Please vote! You can read an excerpt at this link too.
• My latest release, Show & Tell in a Nutshell, is being featured today onWriter's Digest. For a chance to win a copy of the paperback, comment at this link within the next two weeks.