Guest: Shannon Lawrence and The Business of Short Stories

Welcome to Shannon Lawrence. I met Shannon through that fabulous group The Insecure Writers Support Group. Her new book comes at a good time for me as I prepare some short stories for publication.

Shannon's book, The Business of Short Stories: Writing, Submitting, Publishing, and Marketing releases February 1 in digital and paperback! 

Whether you're looking to add short stories to your repertoire as a solo pursuit or in addition to novel writing, The Business of Short Stories covers every aspect from writing to marketing. Learn the dynamics of short story writing, where to focus your editing efforts, how and where to submit, how to handle acceptances and rejections, what to do with reprints, and how to market yourself and your stories online and in person. The information in The Business of Short Stories has been distilled from over a decade of short story publishing experience so you don't have to learn the hard way. You'll find information on submission formatting, cover letters, querying a collection, sending proposals to writing events, how to create a website, SEO, social media, and so much more. This is an invaluable resource for short story writers.

There's never been a better time to get into short stories!

Pre-order The Business of Short Stories in E-book from Amazon 

Pre-order The Business of Short Stories in paperback from Amazon

Shannon Lawrence has made a career of short stories, with over a decade of experience and more than fifty short stories published in magazines and anthologies. In addition, she's released three horror short story collections with a mix of new and previously published stories. Her true crime podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem is going into its third season. 

Find her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub | Goodreads | Amazon | Podcast Website

GUEST: Sorchia DuBois WITCHLING: A Collection of Zoraida Grey Short Stories @SorchiaDuBois

Please welcome today's guest, Sorchia DuBois. Sorchia is a fellow contributor to the Paranormal Romantics blog. Her Zoraida Grey trilogy is captivating. Now, she has a collection of fascinating facts and short stories in Zoraida's world. Here's Sorchia to tell us about her new release.

When I started writing about Zoraida Grey, I really intended to produce a bunch of quick little paranormal mysteries—the trials and tribulations of a fortune-teller in the Bible Belt. Fun Fact: I (and numerous other writers) use Tarot cards for inspiration.

So I started pulling cards to learn about Zoraida. My intent was to flesh out her backstory a bit—just a bit. Instead, I found castles and mystery and magic and witches galore. You’ll have to read the Zoraida Grey trilogy to find out exactly how far from the original idea I strayed.

But the original idea gelled into several short stories so I put them together into a little collection. Witchling: A Collection of Zoraida Grey Short Stories follows Zoraida on adventures that take place before she knows anything about fabulous Castle Logan in far northern Scotland—before she finds out Granny has been hiding secrets wrapped in secrets.

Witchling: A Collection makes a great introduction to Zoraida without spoiling the rest of the tale. And it gives some fun context to the big books for those who’ve already read them.

Blurb:

Welcome to the Magical World of Zoraida Grey! Before the events depicted in the Zoraida Grey Trilogy, Zoraida was a small town fortuneteller. Her magical journey begins with a murderous presence in her hometown. As a young woman, she finds ghosts in the strangest places. PLUS a tale about Castle Logan and how it got its dark reputation. If you've read the Zoraida Grey trilogy, you'll learn tidbits of backstory in this lively collection.

Stories in the collection:

"Zoraida Grey and the Skinwalker"

"Zoraida Grey and the Twisted Sisters"

"Zoraida Grey and the Surly Spirit"

"The Witch and the Spaniard"

Book 1 in the Zoraida Grey Trilogy, Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones, garnered a third place Romance Writers of America Prism Award, sponsored by Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Chapter. Book 2, Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen was nominated for Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewers Choice Awards—as was the entire series.

Excerpt:

from “The Witch and the Spaniard”

“Don’t be a fool. The Gathering in two weeks will begin our conquest of Scotland and England. Already dark rumors follow Father and Michael. None must suspect who we are––what we are––until it’s too late.” Ursula tied off a thread of burgundy, snipped the skein free with silver scissors.

The tapestry depicted a great battle of knights and fantastical creatures. Each thread shimmered with the blackest magic—death, fear, and despair. Each knot bound the spell more tightly. Burgundy blood punctuated the chaotic panorama. Ursula breathed life into the figures until they writhed and contorted in paroxysm of agony.

“Father can’t stop me.” Skulja stamped her foot on the hard stone floor. “Ignacio is a powerful wizard from Spain. Father can’t deny our marriage.”

“Father will do as he pleases and you will abide by his decision. You’re a foolish girl to let such an idea distract you. I’ll not intercede with him on your behalf.” Ursula moved her hand across the tapestry, concentrating on the enchantment. “Now leave us to our work, Skulja. You’re no use.”

Vera coiled a fresh skein of thread and tossed it into a wicker basket with several others. Leaving the wheel, she hoisted the basket into her arms and moved toward the door. “What colors do you need, Ursula? I’ve enough to finish the tapestry, I believe.”

“More burgundy and black, please. All that remains is to bind the protection to our faction and it will be ready,” Ursula whispered, her mind deep in sorcery.

With her back to Ursula, Vera cocked an eye at Skulja and mouthed the words, “Come with me.”

Skulja glared at her older sister, not quite ready to abandon her argument. “You’ll not govern me, Ursula. I’ll marry Ignacio and leave this cursed place behind.”

Ursula’s concentration remained on the tapestry. Either she was so deep into spellcasting she didn’t hear or so certain of her own position she didn’t care. Skulja followed Vera out and slammed the heavy oaken door behind her. The crash echoed in the empty passage but even that did not pull Ursula from the dark enchantment she wove. Alone in the tower room, she muttered ancient words, her mind and soul spiraling into the ether.

Universal buy link:  http://books2read.com/WitchlingZG

Author Bio

Sorchia DuBois lives in the piney woods and can often be found at Scottish celebrations watching kilted men toss unwieldy objects for no particular reason.  She writes tales of magic, mystery, passion, history, a little whisky, and a cat.

Website: https://www.sorchiadubois.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SorchiaD
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SorchiaDuBois

GUEST: James Moushon OPERATION DEADLINE #mystery

James Moushon is back with a new Jonathon Stone mystery.

A hit and run death of a man on the CIA’s watch list sends Jonathon Stone on another op. This time he teams with FBI Agent Jodi Shannon. They quickly find out it was a planned murder and the victim was part of an investigative reporter’s study of a Middle-Eastern student group. Then, a second murder with a similar MO occurs and Jonathon is sent in a different direction.

NOW AVAILABLE at Amazon for $0.99:  https://amzn.to/2tYuAjx

James Moushon is a Mystery writer, Author Advocate, and a Book Publishing Blogger. His blogs recently passed ONE MILLION views.

Starting over 15 years ago, he helped lead the startup of the electronic forms industry in the creation, conversion and usage of electronic forms by supplying that industry with a continuing source of published literature, software products and training seminars. 

In 2003, Moushon changed his focus to ebooks and their development.

He is the author of the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels. He has published three books: Black Mountain Secrets, Game of Fire and The Cajun Ghost plus several short stories including Operation No Sanctuary (June 2017), Operation Camp Navajo (July 2017), and Operation Asian Tiger (August 2017). All featuring CIA Agent Jonathon Stone.

A Jonathon Stone Mystery Short Story Winter 2017 has been released:
Operation Sundown (November 2017), Operation Little Havana (December 2017), and Operation Listen Close (January 2018). All featuring CIA Agent Jonathon Stone.

You can find his blogs at: 

HBS Author's Spotlight http://bit.ly/QVEMix
The blog's purpose is to help authors get exposure in the book publishing industry. He has interviewed and showcased over 600 authors to date.

HBS Mystery Reader's Circle http://bit.ly/19Nfrx8
The HBS Mystery Reader's Circle provides information about the latest novels and what is coming next from a collection of Bestselling and Outstanding Authors in the Mystery, Thrillers, Historical Fiction and Crime genre.

Indie Author's Corner http://bit.ly/TauYkJ
The Corner is a collection of Author advice, ideas, experiences and studies including Marketing, Social Media and other major topics created to help writers in today's ever changing world of book publishing.

He has spent the majority of his adult life developing computer systems and thinking about writing mysteries.

His website is: www.jamesmoushon.com

To contact him, e-mail: james.moushon@gmail.com

Alison Henderson and Small Towns

I am really happy to introduce Alison Henderson, a talented writer and an amazing cover artist. Alison has a Christmas "present" to share with us. I was fortunate to be one of her critique partners on this collection of short stories. They are delightful.

Here's Alison with her take on small towns.

Thank you for hosting me, Diane. Like most writers, I love to talk about my books, and today I’m excited to share my new holiday short story collection, Small Town Christmas Tales: Ten Short Holiday Romances. These stories are like mini television Christmas movies, set in fictional towns in ten different states.

Before I start writing any story, long or short, I need to decide several important things about my characters. After physical appearance and basic temperament, I want to know what this person does for a living. Usually, I want the character’s occupation to tell the reader more about his or her personality, although in one of these stories the heroine’s occupation is in direct conflict with her true personality, and that’s part of the fun.

I’m a city girl and have never had what anyone would consider a fun job. I worked in insurance for thirty-seven years—NOT what I had in mind for any of my characters. I wanted them to have more colorful jobs. In Small Town Christmas Tales, a few of my heroines have what I would consider regular jobs: one is a lawyer, one a young college professor, and another works in marketing. Most of the rest, however, own small businesses. The small town settings lent themselves perfectly to creating the kind of fun, quirky small business I would want to run if I lived in a small town.

As I started writing, I was surprised that one of the most entertaining aspects of writing these stories turned out to be choosing names for those businesses. Naming is business is a lot like finding the perfect title for a book. I always need a title I like before I can jump into writing a new story, and in this collection I needed business names for the same reason. Here is a sampling of what I came up with:

A Stitch in Time – the heroine’s yarn and needlework shop in “If Wishes Were Fishes”

The Hidden Gem – the geologist heroine’s rock and handmade jewelry shop in “The Brightest Jewel”

Pearl’s Perfect Pies – the heroine’s grandma’s pie shop in “Penguins, Pucks, and Pumpkin Pies”

Tolliver’s Tiny Treasures – the heroine’s miniatures shop in “Liza’s Secret Santa”

Furry Friends – the SPCA benefit shop the heroine manages in “Second Hand Hearts”

Byte Me – the hero’s computer services business in “Christmas 2.0”

These businesses were so much fun to create, they almost made me want to go into business myself. Almost. As it is, I think I’ll stick to writing.

Thanks so much for visiting with me today. If you’re ready for a little Christmas, I invite you to check out Small Town Christmas Tales, available in ebook and paperback exclusively at Amazon. Click here!

About Alison 

I began writing when my daughter entered preschool (she's now a full-fledged adult) and became addicted to the challenge of translating the living, breathing images in my mind into words. I write romance because that's what I like to read. The world provides more than enough drama and tragedy. I want to give my readers the happily-ever-after we all crave.

I've been married to my personal hero for more than thirty years. After decades of living in the Midwest, we've recently heeded the siren call of sun and sea and moved to the most breathtakingly beautiful place imaginable - the gorgeous central coast of California. I look forward to the new stories this place inspires.

www.alisonhenderson.com