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Love, Life, and Literature: An Interview with Kirsten Pursell, author of Long Enough to Love You

Kirsten Pursell is an American author and sometimes blogger. Released on January 1, 2023, Long Enough to Love You is her fourth book. Previous works include her memoir, On Becoming Me: Memoir of an 80s Teenager, released in 2021, and two other novels: Harvard and Company Clown. Her memoir has been #1 on Amazon’s Women’s Biographies and Memoirs and Company Clown has been #1 in Satire Fiction and Two-Hour Literature & Fiction Short Reads. Her books were downloaded over 10,000 times in 2022. She resides in Oceanside, California.

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Writing: Where to Start When You Don’t Know Where to Begin

Finding your way into writing—whether it’s the first project or the fiftieth—can feel strangely difficult. Sometimes the hardest part isn’t the writing itself, but the getting started. What helps most is having a few steady tools, a bit of structure, and a mindset that keeps the pressure low while the momentum builds. With the right approach, that overwhelming blank page can start to look a lot more inviting!

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a young woman crouching down with a bow and arrow in the woods and the text "writing young adult fantasy"

Writing Young Adult Fantasy Novels

In the realm of young adult fantasy, writers hold the power to transport readers to fantastical realms where anything is possible. From the towering spires of enchanted castles to the depths of uncharted oceans teeming with mythical creatures, the canvas upon which these tales are painted knows no bounds. But crafting a compelling young adult fantasy novel requires more than just a vivid imagination; it demands careful planning, skillful world-building, and an understanding of the unique elements that resonate with readers in this genre.

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An Interview with Annie Hayes-Allan, author of Now You See Us, Now You Don’t

Over the last year, coming back to writing after a long health and caring forced break, I have had a poem, articles and letters printed in The Writers’ Forum Magazine, before its closure, and short stories shortlisted. I have entered various competitions with NYC Midnight and took part in Mary Adkins’ 10,000 Words in 10 Days Challenge. I am currently doing a creative non-fiction course with Nicole Breit.

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An Interview with Ingrid Jendrzejewski, author of Love and Bayes’ Theorem

Ingrid received a BFA in Creative Writing and BA in English Literature at the University of Evansville before going on to earn a BA and MSci in Natural Sciences (Physics) at the University of Cambridge. At the University of Evansville, she served as Non-fiction Editor, then Editor-in-Chief of the Evansville Review. Ingrid currently serves as Co-Director of the UK’s National Flash Fiction Day, Editor-in-Chief of FlashFlood, and a consultant for The Prose Poem.

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Elegant Authenticity: An Interview with Janine Dennis, author of The Absurdity of Doing You

Janine is the Owner/Chief Innovations Officer for Talent Think Innovations, LLC, a multidisciplinary business strategy and management consulting firm. Her career spans eighteen years in HR, Talent Acquisition, and Talent Management that has taken her through the world of pharmaceuticals, the arts, K-12 education, technology, private equity, healthcare, staffing, and R&D, just to name a few sectors she has worked in. Janine is a dynamic speaker, entrepreneur, and an important and respected voice bringing both a human touch and business savvy to the companies and businesses she works with.

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Sparrows and Selections: An Interview with Jerry Lovelady, author of Grief and Her Three Sisters

I am a 68-year-old native Texas poet who has lived many different lives. I have resided in Texas most of my adult life, but for some years I made my home in the great states of Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, California, and Arizona. I grew up in a small, conservative community in East Texas in the 1960s and was greatly influenced by the Anti-Vietnam War and Civil Rights movements

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I Got You, by Angie Wren

Sometimes yucky-day-havin’ mamas get lucky enough to find the perfect addition to their life when they least expect it.

Join Mama as she makes her way through this real-life inspired journey that starts with a bad day—but doesn’t stay that way for long. When Mama finds the courage to peek under a noisy lumpy blanket, she finds a reason to forget about her bad day and enjoy happier days than she’s ever known.

I Got You is a book about the instant love between a mother and child that just might broaden the brush used to paint the picture of what the miracle of motherhood can look like. This sweet mommy-and-me story incorporates a silly song, beautiful illustrations, and a deep, meaningful message that is sure to connect with readers of any age.

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I Am Not Young And I Will Die With This Car In My Garage, by Blake Rong

 

The speakers in Blake Z. Rong’s gorgeous debut, I Am Not Young and Will Die with This Car in My Garage, inhabit a world emptied of people but haunted by distorted memories of human contact. As Rong writes, “The city becomes human in its unraveling.” This is a poetry of place; the poems span the globe—Singapore, Miami, New York and Dalian—but each place just reminds the reader of what’s missing. Can poetry fill the loss? Read and find out.
-Joanna Fuhrman, author of To A New Era and other books

Blake Z. Rong’s debut is a feat—and without a doubt a must-read. Rong’s honesty, tenderness, humor, awe and wonder at the world, and attention to detail come through in a way where the speaker is us—or a friend we’ve known for a long time. For instance, the lines, “Down on the street all you gorgeous bodies/vibrate against each other like/supercharged miracles” are unforgettable and gorgeous. So much of the book is full of lines that are beautiful but also starkly honest, such as “There are no off-world colonies.” The book ultimately leaves me having just enough but always wanting more of these words, this insight.
-Joanna C. Valente, author of A LOVE STORY and other books

“There are particular American cruelties / hard-wired into our veins. Watch me, / just watch me / catch this rubber bullet between my teeth.” Blake Z. Rong’s debut collection of poems is a visceral, lyrical, and unflinching look at where we are as a country, who we are when we dare to love, and what happens when we fall short. Rong’s collection is a timely, imaginative story of coming of age in the 21st century as young Americans find themselves torn apart by economic strife, imperialism, racism, social isolation, gun violence, and cultural dislocation. And yet, in that dangerous world, the speakers of these poems defy stigma, forge human connections, and love across cultures and histories
despite taboos. These speakers are unafraid to embrace their beautiful and contradictory selves, and in doing so, they create a vision for the future that’s startling, original, and sublimely human in its intent. A must-read debut.
-Rita Banerjee, author of Echo in Four Beats and CREDO: An Anthology of Manifestos and Sourcebook for Creative Writing

In his debut full-length collection, Blake Z. Rong attempts to answer the following questions:

What do doomed cosmonauts think about as they plummet to Earth?
Has a bird ever pooped on your pizza?
Did Van Gogh ever get laid?

I Am Not Young And I Will Die With This Car In My Garage is a chronicle of failures. These grandiose failures take place across time and space and distance, from Singapore to Tokyo to Disneyland, and onward to the end of the world. Through these 37 poems Rong alights on our deepest longings, the darkest results of loneliness, and our inability to hold on to the people we love most.

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how to write a cover letter

How to Write a Cover Letter to a Publisher

Are you ready to embark on a thrilling adventure into the world of publishing? Whether you’re a seasoned wordsmith or a budding author, an attractive cover letter is the golden ticket to capturing a publisher’s attention and getting your book on shelves. Though writing a cover letter can be a daunting task, fear not! We’re here to help unravel the mysteries of crafting an engaging, effective cover letter.

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writing for different age groups

Writing for Different Age Groups: Middle Grade, YA, and Adult Fiction

The magic happens when you stop thinking about writing for an age group and start thinking about writing to real people who just happen to be that age. Kids aren’t small adults, teenagers aren’t dramatic kids, and adults aren’t just older teenagers. Each group has its own wisdom, its own way of seeing the world, and its own stories that need telling.

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writing a kiss scene

The Art of the Kiss: Balancing Emotion, Chemistry, and Consent

Kiss scenes come in many shapes and sizes, and what resonates most depends on your story’s tone, the characters involved, and the emotions at play. Whether it’s tender, fiery, awkward, or transformative, the best kiss scenes fit naturally within your narrative and deepen the connection between your characters!

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palmer

An Interview with S.E. Palmer

I’m a British author based in the North West, UK. I published my first book, Drifting in a Dream, in 2021, with the sequel, Falling in Flames, escaping in 2024. Despite reading far and wide, young adult and fantasy remain two of my favourite genres to write. I love the flexibility of fantasy, and I particularly enjoy incorporating it into our mundane everyday world.

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sibbet

An Interview with Olivier Sibbet

Olivier is a writer and cosmopolitan thinker working in San Francisco. She is committed to humanistic perspectives and the importance and power of the narratives we share. Olivier won the 2023 Hicks Prize in Fiction, and has been featured in The Lawrentian newspaper.

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bowsher

An Interview with Mark Bowsher

Mark Bowsher has been a freelance writer and filmmaker since 2013. He’s written four award-winning short films and had short stories published by Fish Publishing and Breakthrough Books. He’s directed promo films for Jaguar Land Rover, VSO, and Unbound. He’s also written and directed several chart-topping documentaries for Dan Snow’s History Hit.

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An Interview with Leonora Ross

Leonora Ross is an artist and novelist from Western Canada. When she’s not writing novels, she enjoys writing whimsical poetry and prose and is an avid mountain hiker and amateur photographer. Her writing and photography regularly appear in literary journals.

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An Interview with Brandon Lennon

Brandon Lennon is a 23-year-old novelist raised in Dublin, based in London. He started writing novels at the age of fourteen out of an intrinsic need to express himself through storytelling in all things. Most recently, he has been working on his MA degree from London while wrapping up his manuscript, June Gloom, his strongest vision to date. Lennon’s influences range from cyberpunk to literary fiction, from prestige television to experimental horror flicks, and from classic rock to new-age witch-house. His writing is fuelled by the many weird and wonderful realms of art that he has embedded himself in across his life, and he promises this unique synthesis in his story.

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