Monday, October 8, 2007
Wants
By Sarah M. Gibson & Jared D. Vineyard
What do you want?
Actually, more importantly, what does your character want?
Writing Tip 2 - Wants
Now that we have covered how your character looks, it's time to figure out what he/she want. Stories are about characters who want something, their struggles to get that want, and what happens when they succeed or fail in getting what they want. Wants need to be a part of all of your characters, antagonists and protagonists alike.
Your protagonist is your main character or the "hero" of your story. It is his/her struggle that your story centers on. It is incredibly important that as a writer, you know the one thing that your protagonist wants more than anything else in the world. But you're sitting down to write a new story. Where do you begin?
You already know your protagonist's physicality. You're familiar with the way your character looks, carries him/herself, how people initially react to him/her, the parts of his/her past that gave your protagonist those scars, tattoos, handicaps, or other unique characteristics they have. Now it's time to fill in the gaps.
What was (is, if he/she is still young) your protagonist's childhood like? Was this character an orphan, a beloved only child, did this character have an abundance of money or have to scrounge for meals and shelter? Often, the one thing that your protagonist wants more than anything else in the world is what they didn't have or lost as a child.
It can help to think like a psychologist for a moment, so dust off your psychology 101 knowledge of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. His list starts with the most basic physical needs and moves up through psychological needs (wants) of a person. Readers will relate and become invested in a protagonist who is struggling for a basic human want or need.
Perhaps your protagonist struggles for the very first things on Maslow's list--food, water, shelter, safety. Perhaps these are things your character never had enough of or lost. Perhaps your protagonist was an orphan or bullied as a child and they want nothing more than love and belonging, family and friends. Perhaps they are beyond that, but they have low self-esteem or a thirst for knowledge or power.
Maybe you don't like Maslow and psychology is your least favorite subject. There are other ways to create your protagonist's want that drives your story. Think about what he/she loves or hates more than anything. What would your protagonist do anything to protect? Is it their family, friends, maybe a secret, a pet, an establishment? Perhaps, your character does not want to gain anything, but simply keep what they have. On the other hand, maybe they want to destroy. A dictator, a person, ignorance, a law? How far would they go to achieve this want?
Here is where your antagonist comes in. Like your protagonist, your antagonist has a want he/she is striving for. Build your antagonist the same way you constructed your protagonist. Know the physicality and the psychology of your antagonist so you know what he/she wants. Just make sure that want conflicts with your protagonist's. Now your antagonist stands in the way of your protagonist getting or keeping what he/she wants.
Your protagonist does not have to be a typical "hero" nor does your antagonist have to be a "villain." The key is to create conflict. Of course, it is hard to get this far without one more basic element of fiction writing . . . SETTING.
Next time, we'll discuss where your story takes place.
That's it from the Grape-Vine, thanks for stopping by!
Maybe you don't like Maslow and psychology is your least favorite subject. There are other ways to create your protagonist's want that drives your story. Think about what he/she loves or hates more than anything. What would your protagonist do anything to protect? Is it their family, friends, maybe a secret, a pet, an establishment? Perhaps, your character does not want to gain anything, but simply keep what they have. On the other hand, maybe they want to destroy. A dictator, a person, ignorance, a law? How far would they go to achieve this want?
Here is where your antagonist comes in. Like your protagonist, your antagonist has a want he/she is striving for. Build your antagonist the same way you constructed your protagonist. Know the physicality and the psychology of your antagonist so you know what he/she wants. Just make sure that want conflicts with your protagonist's. Now your antagonist stands in the way of your protagonist getting or keeping what he/she wants.
Your protagonist does not have to be a typical "hero" nor does your antagonist have to be a "villain." The key is to create conflict. Of course, it is hard to get this far without one more basic element of fiction writing . . . SETTING.
Next time, we'll discuss where your story takes place.
That's it from the Grape-Vine, thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Writing Tip: Character Physicality
By Sarah M. Gibson
Hello everyone and sorry I've been away a couple days!
Now that I am back and all the winners have been announced, I'd like to start some new blog topics: Writing Tips.
J. D. Vine Publications is committed to helping new and talented writers. As part of keeping that commitment, we want to help give you an edge on the competition by equipping you with tools to build great pieces of writing.
The first tool we want to share with you is physical character development.
Part of creating a great story is creating great characters. A great way to begin developing a character is figuring out their physical characteristics.
There are many questions to ask yourself about your character. Start with the basic ones: height, weight, hair color, eye color, gender, etc. Then go deeper. Is my character attractive, ugly, does my character have a physical deformity? What's something unique about the character's physicality? Does my character have a long beard that drags on the ground or terrible scars from a childhood accident? Maybe tattoos cover most of his or her skin?
Soon you'll realize that the physical characteristics of your character affect his/her mentality, the way people treat the character, the way the character carries him/herself, and more. Then you can start to think of how the unique characteristics of your character will play into your story?
In many stories, a character's physique creates a barrier for the character to overcome. For instance, in the Hunchback of Notre Dame you'll notice that most of the story-line is based around the main character's deformities. You can find other examples of this in many pieces of popular literature or even in film. A character's physicality is a huge component of their personality: extreme beauty can make them vain or they could be shy because they're ugly.
One of the quickest and simplest ways to develop your characters this way is to write out a list of their physical characteristics. You can also draw a picture or take one from a magazine or piece of art to get you started. In fact, you can take a picture of yourself, a friend, or a family member and use that as the building blocks for your characters' physique.
Do you have other writing topics you would like to hear about in these blogs? Feel free to submit ideas or suggestions. And you can still submit log-off lines for consideration.
That's it from the Grape-Vine, thanks for stopping by!
Monday, October 1, 2007
A Featured Poet?!
By Sarah M. Gibson
J. D. Vine Publications wasn't looking for a Featured Poet for the second book of The Creative Writer series, but we found one anyway! One incredible poem stood out from nearly 100 poetry submissions, earning its writer the title Featured Poet! We are awarding this amazing poet a $50.00 cash prize even though we weren't running an official poetry competition. The poem will become the titled poem of the second book of The Creative Writer.
And the winner is...
"Uncharted Life" Sally O'Quinn
"This is such an amazing piece," one of the judges reported.
"I felt very strongly that Sally O'Quinn deserved the title of Featured Poet for this beautiful poem that we all fell in love with," said Jared D. Vineyard. "And I couldn't see naming a Featured Poet without a cash payout."
Congratulations to Sally O'Quinn!
Want to learn more about Sally? You'll be able to read her bio in the next book of The Creative Writer series which is coming soon! The Winners page of www.jdvine.com should also be updated to include Sally in the next few days.
In response to my tag line request, Aelf aka Gene Alvin writes, "How about using a tag-line like, 'That's it from the Grape-Vine, thanks for stopping by!'"
Great suggestion Aelf! You can still add your suggestions.
Speaking of Aelf, I recently took a look at his web site myself and was very interested in what I saw there. I'd highly recommend that anyone with a little free time go browse the site... Although I may be biased because Aelf quotes Isaac Asimov and I am a huge fan of his work!
"That's it from the Grape-Vine, thanks for stopping by!"
J. D. Vine Publications wasn't looking for a Featured Poet for the second book of The Creative Writer series, but we found one anyway! One incredible poem stood out from nearly 100 poetry submissions, earning its writer the title Featured Poet! We are awarding this amazing poet a $50.00 cash prize even though we weren't running an official poetry competition. The poem will become the titled poem of the second book of The Creative Writer.
And the winner is...
"Uncharted Life" Sally O'Quinn
"This is such an amazing piece," one of the judges reported.
"I felt very strongly that Sally O'Quinn deserved the title of Featured Poet for this beautiful poem that we all fell in love with," said Jared D. Vineyard. "And I couldn't see naming a Featured Poet without a cash payout."
Congratulations to Sally O'Quinn!
Want to learn more about Sally? You'll be able to read her bio in the next book of The Creative Writer series which is coming soon! The Winners page of www.jdvine.com should also be updated to include Sally in the next few days.
In response to my tag line request, Aelf aka Gene Alvin writes, "How about using a tag-line like, 'That's it from the Grape-Vine, thanks for stopping by!'"
Great suggestion Aelf! You can still add your suggestions.
Speaking of Aelf, I recently took a look at his web site myself and was very interested in what I saw there. I'd highly recommend that anyone with a little free time go browse the site... Although I may be biased because Aelf quotes Isaac Asimov and I am a huge fan of his work!
"That's it from the Grape-Vine, thanks for stopping by!"
Friday, September 28, 2007
Just One More Poem
By Sarah M. Gibson
And the next poet is...
Surprise! There are two poets being announced in this blog and one more to Be announced Monday! There were so many great pieces to choose from, we decided to include just one more than we told you was coming!
The first poem is . . .
"The Snake Song" by Bethany Fisher
"What a wonderful bit of concrete poetry!" one of the judges announced, "This poem really shows what you can do with a poem. More than using words as descriptions, this author has turned their poem into an image! I'd love to see something like this in the next anthology as well. I am really impressed!"
Well, judge, we are impressed too. This is the first concrete poem (a.k.a. shape poem) to be published by J. D. Vine Publications. It's work like this that makes writing not only mental pleasure, but a visual one as well.
The second poem is . . .
"Hissing Heart" by William Poppen
Do you see a pattern in the poem titles announced today?
The judges have said about Hissing Heart, "We feel that this is a piece most writers can identify with. Plus, it's written so well we couldn't resist!"
Don't forget, I'm still suffering from a case of writer's block... I need help figuring out a sign-off line for my blogs! All suggestions are Welcome and will be displayed in future blogs!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Published Poet & Tag Line!
By Sarah M. Gibson
Hello Readers!
I have a personal challenge for you. Jared D. Vineyard has asked me to come up with a special sign-off line, or "tag line" for my blogs; however, I feel like I have a serious case a writer's block! So I'm turning to you, my blog friends for help. If you have any suggestions, go ahead and message me. Thanks!
Now down to business . . .
J. D. Vine Publications has another poem to announce that will be published in the second anthology of The Creative Writer series! "I'm sure our readers will be pleased," Jared D. Vineyard said about the newest addition.
"The Currency of Our Love" by Phillip Greene
"This is an excellent example of metaphor," a judge advised. "Using something so mundane to describe something so beautiful is an art."
We are so happy to be including this piece of artwork in The Creative Writer!
I want to say a special "Hello" to Jeff Long, a Loan Officer with Chase, who recently submitted a comment saying, "I'll use your site as a resource. Great blog." Thank you Jeff! We're always aiming to please our readers.
Also, I wanted to say a special thank you to Aelf for generously linking J. D. Vine Publications' website to his websites and blogs. If you want to know more about Aelf's projects, ladies and gentlemen, I strongly suggest you visit him at his site: http://www.aelfbooks.com Show him some support.
Another message I received today was, "Hi, I'm one of your blogging pals and am just visiting. You have a beautiful site--as I'm sure you know. I need to look at everything to see about submitting. God knows I've a ton of poems. Nan. www.becklean.wordpress.com" Thank you Nan! We're very proud of how our site is coming along and we're very interested in reading your poems! We hope we get to read from you soon!
Interested in having your thoughts and comments added to our blog? Go ahead and submit comments and we may include what you send in tomorrow's blog... along with the next addition to the book! There will only be two more poems that haven't been announced. Stay tuned!
And don't forget to help me come up with a sign-off! Remember, "Keep it classy" is already taken.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Two More Poets Getting Published!
By Sarah M. Gibson
Two more poets have been selected for publication in The Creative Writer!
J. D. Vine Publications is proud to announce the next two poets that will have their work included in the second volume of The Creative Writer:
John Pilon and Katherine York!
The Phoenix Express by John Pilon
"I'm very excited to hear what readers are going to say about the story of Constance LaRue inside this poem. Is she a villain or a hero? It's all perception," a judge commented.
Splendor Upon The Grass by Katherine York
"Haunting," one of the judges said. "The language used in this piece was utterly enchanting. The best part is that they left it open enough for the reader to put their own spin on things. It's an incredible balance to maintain - concrete enough to provide vivid imagery, but enough underlying meaning to make things personal," the judge went on to say.
J. D. Vine Publications is very excited to have had a hand in giving these two poets a chance to show their stuff!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Poets Published!
By Sarah M. Gibson
I'm happy to get to announce, as I promised, two of the poets who are getting published in the next installment of The Creative Writer book series!
The poets are . . . Can you feel the anticipation? . . .
Bonnie K. Florea and Charlie White!
We have had very interesting and diverse poetry submissions to consider for this book and the pieces by these two poets really exemplify that.
Bonnie K. Florea's piece is called Hidden Rose.
Charlie White's poem is Idolized Suicide.
Idolized Suicide was described as "an intense piece" by one of the judges, who continued to say it was, "dark, however, still able to maintain a sense of hope."
"A well written piece," is how one judge described Hidden Rose. "Its imagery and language draws you in and leaves you reflective, but satisfied."
Don't miss tomorrow's blog when I get to announce two more poets J. D. Vine Publications is publishing in the next installment of The Creative Writer.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Competition Opens Today!
By Sarah M. Gibson
Exciting News! J. D. Vine Publications has started accepting new submissions for the third book in their Creative Writer anthology series. Editor-In-Chief Jared D. Vineyard reported, "In response to the requests of our submitting poets, we have decided to bring back the poetry competition, looking for a Featured Poet for our third book." When I asked what he meant, he responded with, "That means the poetry competition is back! We are going to offer a cash prize for poetry and the title "Featured Poet" once again for the winner of our poetry competition."
The team here at J. D. Vine Publications is very excited about this development. One of the judges has said, "This really steps the poetry competition up to a whole new level."
The prize for the Featured Poet is $50.00! The entry fee is $2 per poetry submission.
The prize for the Featured Author is $150.00! The entry fee is $5 per fiction submission.
We're very excited to be starting the third book in The Creative Writer collection. We look forward to reading your work!
Tomorrow I will begin announcing poetrs who will be published in the second installment of The Creative Writer series so don't miss it!
Friday, September 21, 2007
AND THE WINNER IS...
By Sarah M. Gibson
You've been waiting for it and today is the day of the big announcement! After much deliberation, the decision on the winning story has been made. "It wasn't easy," Jared D. Vineyard said Thursday afternoon, "but the decision has been made as promised."
The winning story is:
"Quaquay's Birthday" by Animatqua (the author's nom de plume)
"The story was just so detailed," one of the judges reported, "It was impossible to resist. Not only was it a finely constructed story with foreshadowing and continuous action, but she also included a glossary of terms from the characters' native language!"
Congratulations to our Featured Author and winner of $150.00! And congratulations to all of our finalists whose stories will be printed in the next book from The Creative Writer series!
......... Stay tuned for announcements of poets we will be including in this volume!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
SNEAK PEEK!
By Sarah M. Gibson
Here's the sneak peek I promised you of the short stories you can expect to see in the next anthology of The Creative Writer series:
"Anasazi Moon" by Gene Alvin
"Josh's flute was missing! Leg braces click clacking; he headed down the hall toward the living room. The shadow flitting on the wall beside him was a hated reminder of his misshapen twelve-year-old body. A skinny frame, withered legs, and curved spine made him look like a nearsighted vulture hovering over its prey. His spiked carrot-orange hair, protruding chin and square glasses with their thick lenses just enhanced that image. . . ."
"A Fate Worse Than...." by Sanjay Chopra
"I need your art...your last task. Engrave a phrase on my tomb...something to warn posterity...to keep those who dared not touch me while I am alive from defiling me when I'm dead. I know there are many who are waiting to settle scores. The words should keep the robbers of tombs away ...forever. . . ."
"The Last Word" by Joe Kilgore
"What goes through your mind when a thirty-eight slug goes through your sternum? . . ."
"Hush Money" by Matthew McNulty
". . . With a deft rip at the paper seam, an enormous roll of dollar bills fell on his lap accompanied by the subtle descent of a disclosed letter. Picking up the letter, he couldn't help but notice a prominent bullet hole shot carefully through the middle, accentuated with a harshly ambiguous "Hush". . . ."
"Life in Jilin" by Marjorie Petesch
". . . Qiao Zhu had slammed down the chipped crockery bowl she was washing, her voice shaking. 'The mine owners! Do not talk to me about the compassion of those miserable, money-hungry devils. They treat you, and the others, as expendable slaves! The conditions in the mines are so horrible, you would die a more merciful death were we to leave this place and let starvation or the cold kill us.'"
"Quaquay's Birthday" by Barbara Pratt
"Nibiqua gripped the sapling hard and forced her birthing muscles to press downward. Her breath came in short, deep pants, when the pain hit her, then in grunts when it let go. Her thoughts, through all of this, were centered on one thing: If the child would only come now-now while the strange light crossed the sky, now while Father Sun and Grandmother Moon spoke to one another face to face! . . ."
"Summertime" by Kelli Stuart
". . . Ed closed his eyes for a brief moment and let the music fill his soul. Suddenly a deep sadness washed over him. A lump formed in his throat.
'Katie?'
Hearing no reply, Ed opened his eyes and looked over to the couch where his wife sat. She was not there."
"Between Breaths" by D. S. Tierney
"Steel shackles held Agent 1287 firmly in place. He was still somewhat groggy from the attack and could only vaguely discern what might be happening to him. Blinding white lights drilled down into his eyes as he became aware of the cool slab that he was chained down to. . . ."
"The End" by D. S. Tierney
". . . The office that the man sits in is large and spacious, befitting one in his position. There is a name plate upon his desk proclaiming him as Spencer McMurtry - Vice President of Operations. He had worked many years to find himself in this seat, and now he realized he was going to die in it. . . ."
Think you can guess who will win? Make a guess and stay tuned: The winner will be announced tomorrow!
These authors show much promise and J. D. Vine Publications is very excited to publish them in the second edition of The Creative Writer! If your story wasn't selected, don't be discouraged. We will be publishing many more books and we want to keep seeing what you're working on. Thanks to everyone for making this competition such a success!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Finalists and Winner Announcements!
By Sarah M. Gibson
Hello Everyone! We are very excited to announce our competition FINALISTS whose short stories will be published in The Creative Writer!
The finalists are:
Gene Alvin with the story "Anasazi Moon"
Sanjay Chopra - "A Fate Worse Than...."
Joe Kilgore - "The Last Word"
Matthew McNulty - "Hush Money"
Marjorie Petesch - "Life in Jilin"
Barbara Pratt - "Quaquay's Birthday"
Kelli Stuart - "Summertime"
D.S. Tierney - "Between Breaths" & "The End"
Jared D. Vineyard and the judges are having a really tough time choosing a winner with so many excellent stories to pick from. "Even narrowing down the list of finalists to publish in The Creative Writer was very difficult during this competition. I had a hard time writing several rejection letters to stories that almost made the cut," Jared said. He also told me the winner will be announced Friday. Make sure you check the blog! It's a tight race and no one knows who is going to walk away with the $150.00 cash prize and the title of "Featured Author".
Are you ready to see what's coming? We'll be including a sneak preview of each of the selected stories in tomorrow's blog. Don't miss it!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
MEET SARAH!
By Sarah M. Gibson
Hello everyone! I thought I would take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Sarah. I have been with The Creative Writer since it was no more than an idea in our heads, beginning with the initial statement, "I wish it were easier to find somewhere to submit my writing that I knew was legitimate..." I have found it very satisfying to watch that idea become a reality through hard work and dedication; and, even more satisfyingly, through some hard work and dedication of my own.
I approached Jared with the idea of starting a blog regarding J. D. Vine Publications because it makes the spreading of knowledge so much more convenient. If you subscribe, it's easy to know what new things are going on and what processes are being implemented behind the scenes to make your overall publication experience better. In fact, while I am writing this, I might as well go ahead and tell you how we're working on the blog process to make it as informative as possible for you, the reader.
This blog is now available on both this website & the affiliated Myspace page and we want to hear from you. If you have questions, suggestions, or comments go ahead and submit them. How do you do that? It's simple! Type your comment/question in the box and hit submit. These bits of ideas and feedback are then sent to me and reviewed for possible inclusion in upcoming blogs -- or you might even get a more immediate response via email from myself.
So far, working on this project has been an absolute pleasure for me. I hope to hear from you all soon!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Announcements!
By Sarah M. Gibson
The Creative Writer's Editor-In-Chief Jared D. Vineyard is proud to say that the Featured Author of the next anthology from The Creative Writer series and winner of $150.00 will be announced this week. At that time he will reveal the names of the fiction writers that will be incorporated into the second volume of The Creative Writer series. He will also begin naming those aspiring poets whose work will be included; however, announcements of those authors will continue up until the time the layout is completed due to the overwhelming amount of poetry submissions this compilation has received.
"This is a very exciting time for us," Jared Vineyard has said. "We're about to complete the second book and move on to the third. There is so much great material from talented writers in this book! We're really anticipating another great batch of new writers to submit this next time around as well as hoping for some returning authors. There were definitely some writers we would love to see come back, regardless if they won the prize or not." The next contest opens up on Monday, August 24th, 2007. It has been confirmed that the $150.00 prize for the winning piece of fiction will continue and there are additional rumors that there may be some kind of prize for poetry as well this time around.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The 2nd Contest is Officially Closed!
By Sarah M. Gibson
The door has officially closed on submissions for the 2nd volume of "The Creative Writer" and judging is well under way! One of the judges, reviewing poetry for possible publication has said that she sees "a remarkable amount of talent and a wide array of topics!" in this batch of poetry.
But the question on everyone's mind is who will be the Featured Author of the next book of The Creative Writer series and winner of $150.00 prize? The last Featured Author, Lynda Myles, has gone on to win this year's John Gardner Memorial Prize for Fiction. Jared Vineyard himself is having trouble naming a new winner. "There are just so many promising writers out there," Jared has said. When asked if he knew who the winner is yet, Jared stated, very seriously, "I am considering a couple of different stories for the prize and it's going to be a close one!" Unfortunately, he did not give us any hints, except to say the announcement will be made very soon!
SUBMIT YOUR FLASH FICTION TO OUR BLOG!
It could get posted for all our readers to enjoy!
Submit flash fiction in the box below. Think 500 to 1,000 words. Maybe less! Your story could be posted in our blog! If you have a website or blog where readers can check out more of your work, include that with your submission and we'll direct our readers there!
You can also still ask questions, make suggestions, and address Sarah concerning J. D. Vine Publications, The Creative Writer, and the blog in the box below!
Tell Sarah who you are or remain anonymous. SEND TO SARAH OR SUBMIT FLASH FICTION through the box below.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Interview With Tamara Gurevich
by Sarah M. Clinton
Hello Readers!
Please take a moment to look at the beautiful cover of our newest volume – which you can find on the Books page.
We wanted to catch up with our cover artist, Tamara Gurevich, and ask her some questions about her photography. The interview went as follows:
S: How long have you been doing photography?
T: I've been playing around with cameras off and on since I was about 11. Only seriously for the last 5 years or so.
S: How did you get started?
T: As a kid my dad used to let me play with his SLR whenever we would travel and I loved it, but I was really frustrated because there would be a big disconnect between the picture I had in my head, and the photos that would come back from the developer. I stopped taking pictures for a while because of that. It wasn't until a trip to Israel when I was 15, where everything is intrinsically beautiful and a good shot came down to simple composition, that things really started to click.
S: What are your preferred types of photography and/or subjects?
T: I like medium format toy and instant photography a lot, but I mostly use 35mm digital for convenience. As for subjects, I am very inspired by urban landscapes. Portland has some wonderful artist neighborhoods where you can find a lot of great street art. Most of my favorite work came from trips to neighborhoods in New York City.
S: What emotion were you trying to capture with this photo?
T: Well, I took this photo in 2004 for a photo class, and I was thinking about creating visual contrast in the shot. I loved the way the contrast between individual particles of sand really come out with the black and white photography. That inspired me to bring in other textures. My friend's beautiful arms, and the ropes in the two different tones.
S: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
T: Good Light! Fashion and music and the city folk. One subject that is pretty much a constant is public art in industrial locations. I love to find a really beautiful piece of street art and photograph it in the context in which it has been placed.
S: Do you have any photography influences?
T: I am a fan of John Rosenthal's B&W and David Lachapelle's brilliant color. But I tend to take my influences from other media than photography itself. I really like Ed Ruscha's work from the 70s. He took common urban fixtures like gas stations and put them into galleries.
S: How does it feel to have your photography on the cover of books?
T: It is a complete thrill to be included in this project.
S: You're also a filmmaker. Tell us about that?
T: Well, it can be a bit of a struggle finding work in a small market (Portland) instead of heading out to Los Angeles, but I have to say I love the sense of community I'm finding here. Right now I'm more interested in helping other filmmakers bring their vision to life, which puts me in the position to do a wide range of production jobs.
S: What is your goal for your photography and why?
T: Ideally, I’d love to be able to support myself someday with my art. Today my goal is simply to keep on looking for interesting moments to capture while I increase my range and ability.
S: What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue photography?
T: I'd recommend anyone who is trying to develop good picture taking skills to be a general patron of the arts. Visiting museums and galleries, looking at other artists’ work, educating your eye; learning where the medium has been is important.
S: What's your dream/ideal photo shoot like?
T: Wow, that's a hard one. One of the times I had the most fun on a shoot was when I was testing out some new equipment and had a friend sit down and chat with me while I took shots of her. The shots came out like candids, and it was the first time I realized I could be into straight up portrait photography. I guess if you added some good lighting equipment into that scenario, I'd be nearing ideal shoot territory.
S: What's your typical photo shoot like?
T: I rarely have the budget for my own lights, or studio time. As I result, I concentrate most of my attention on finding usable natural light. I love the spontaneity that comes with discovering a subject that has already found its own bit of beautiful natural light. I also like to have the sense that I am capturing a bit of the world as it actually is, rather than recreating it. Although that is not to say that if given the chance to use some good lighting equipment I wouldn't jump at the chance!
S: What would you say makes a perfect picture?
T: I'd say there is no perfect picture, but I certainly appreciate a tiny depth of field, crisp focus, and composition that makes you look twice.
S: If a camera fell in the darkness and there was no one there to see it, would it still make a flash?
T: Ouch! If it is a good camera, yes. But hopefully it's not my camera!
You can find more of Tamara's work at www.tamaragurevich.com.
Tamara also let us know that she's trying to get one of her photographs on a Jones Soda bottle! You can support our fellow artist by going to the following website and voting on her work!
Thank you for the excellent interview, Tamara, and for the great cover art! We're sure we'll see many more great things from you in the future!
That's it from the grape vine... stay tuned to get more information on upcoming contests!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Letter From Robert Buck
We love hearing from writers, readers, contributors, and friends. Here's a letter we Robert Buck submitted to us through the box above. His complimentary and ordered copies of The Creative Writer: The First Night's Day & Musketeers of Oswego with other stories and poems is on the way to him. To get your copies, go to the Books page.
Dear Jared and Sarah, Readers, Writers and Friends, Strangers I haven't met yet,
I just ordered "The Creative Writer, Third Anthology"; key strokes and clicking thrilled a high life point amidst otherwise many lows we all are experiencing in various degrees (cold and dark). I did so with pride and gratitude; proud of the arts and grateful to benefactors (true ones) such as J. D. Vine Publications. Thank you from my briefly but meaningfully brightened heart, one of many previously unnoticed sparkles in a passionate sky.
Robert Buck
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The Creative Writer is Back!
by Jared D. Vineyard
Dear Readers, Writers, and Friends,
More contests, more publications, and more cash prizes are on the way. But as we judge our 2008 competition entries we proudly announce that the wait is over...
The Creative Writer is Back!
J. D. Vine Publications is proud to present The Creative Writer: The First Night's Day & Musketeers of Oswego with other stories and poems. Get your copies at our website!
This book release coincides with J. D. Vine Publications' second birthday. We've had two years of pursuing our mission of helping writers succeed. The truth is, we couldn't have made it through the tough economic year of 2008 without all of your support. Our sincere thanks go out to you.
Congratulations to all the writers whose work has been published in our third anthology!
This edition features works—including "The First Night's Day"—from award winning, Bulgarian writer, Nina Nenova that have been translated and published in English for the first time! She is a literary master of mystery, suspense, sci-fi, and horror. More than that, her smart and unique stories are guaranteed to tense your muscles and flex your mind.
"Musketeers of Oswego" stands alone in modern poetry. Robert Buck wove this poem with lingual cunning. It's sure to captivate you with its imagery while tangling your mind with your emotions.
The Quaquay Saga from animatqua continues. If she can survive her childhood, Maconse is destined to become Quaquay, a great warrior for her people. An evil and powerful spirit called a Manitou is out to stop her. But her brother, Mitigomin and the wise Grandmother, Gashkitoon will do everything in their power to help Mitigomin achieve her destiny. Don't miss out on reading "Portend"!
Christian Scheid and Michael Gabriel will have you ride shotgun, buckling up for your life, as they take you through twists and turns in "DUI - Driving Under the Influence".
You'll laugh in an epic battle of man vs. beast... very small beast in "The Cricket: A Journal of Escape".
Janet McCann's "Chemistry 101" is a poem that could only be given an A.
It's impossible to describe all the great works packed into this anthology. Proudly included are poems from Loukia Janavaras, April Moyer, and Melissa Vineyard and stories from Marcia Sinclair, Cathlene Smith, and Phylis Warady.
The beautiful cover photo was taken by Tamara Gurevich.
The retail price of this anthology will be $19.98, but if you buy it from our site, the cost is only $18.99 with FREE shipping and handling! In approximately 8 weeks, you will be able to find the book at various online booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders.
Writing Competitions
New competitions in fiction and poetry will open as we draw to a close on judging the competitions of 2008.
Happy reading and writing!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Poem for Karbon Organic Apparel
by Sarah M. Clinton
Hello Readers!
We're going to take a brief time out from our regularly scheduled contest announcements, flash fiction, and poetry posts to tell you about something we are very excited about!
Our Editor-In-Chief, Jared Vineyard, while hard at work trying to make J. D. Vine Publications a success has not neglected his own work - and managed to tie his J. D. Vine Publications interests into it too!
Follow the link below and take a look at the T-Shirts with a tiger on them . . . you'll see Jared Vineyard's work representing J. D. Vine Publications in style! While your there, check out the rest of Karbon Organic Apparel's site, especially if you like fashionable, comfortable clothes and the environment.
"What was so exciting about writing a poem for one of Karbon Organic Apparel's shirts was knowing how dedicated this company is to making a positive impact on the clothing industry," Jared said. "They're unparalleled in their environmental awareness."
Good work, Jared! All of us here at J. D. Vine Publications are very proud to be represented in this way!
That's it from the grape vine . . . stay tuned for more blogs about upcoming contests and the book completion!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Here's another response to our Raven Poetry Challenge by the Featured Poet of our upcoming book, The Creative Writer: First Night's Day & Musketeers of Oswego with other stories and poems. Get your poem inspired by Poe's classic in to us through the box above!
A Craven
by Robert Buck
Belied below castle bailey, neath the plays of children gaily,
Echoes stretching labyrinth retching torture etching bitter stones,
I in tower daily keeping, dreaming dreadful dungeon weeping,
Listen hear them scratching creeping, creeping closer crunch my bones.
"What's that?!" A pool in doorway drool, seeping sooner soup my bones....
Bloody blends our marrow moans.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Here's a response we received to our Raven Poetry challenge! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Get your poem in based on Poe's classic and we'll post it as well! Send it to us in the box above.
The Raver
by M.E.P.
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over sentences and dialogues I'd edited before-
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door-
"Some blame visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my bedroom door-
Only this and nothing more."
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in a warm September
And each separate family member rested quiet on their floor.
Tiredly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow
To my manuscript a sorrow— sorrow I had writ before-
For a certain gray-eyed character I killed the page before.
(Nameless here for evermore.)
But the raucous loud erratic crackling of the radio's static
Thrilled me- filled me with a rankling loathing often felt before;
So that now, to still my beating angry pulse, I stood repeating,
"I've said visitors can't come this late at night inside my door-
When I'm writing I cannot stand people knocking at my door.
Tell them not to do it more."
Presently my temper shorted and my focused brow contorted.
"Sis," said I, "just this one time in a nice tone I will implore.
But the fact is I am writing, and that noise my mind is blighting,
And unless thou'd have me fighting, fighting who is at the door,
Tell him I don't want him in here"- here she opened wide the door-
Darkness there and nothing more.
Out into the hallway peering, for my quiet I was fearing,
Stairs on footsteps came in hearing and I tensely watched the door;
But my vision was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the sudden shout of "SCORE!"
As my sister kissed the radio and shouted loudly, "SCORE!"
Merely this and nothing more.
Back into my writing turning, all my patience in me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping something louder than before.
"Surely," said she, "surely that is brother coming for the status
Of the game. What makes me mad is that they're losing still once more-
Let me see if he's brought chips and soda for us both once more-
Yes, he did! He's at the door."
Open here she flung the hinging, promptly on my space impinging
In there sprang my little brother making noise enough for four.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he,
With no "if you please, m'lady," plopped he down beside my door-
Plopped he down with chips and soda just inside my chamber door-
Asking loudly, "What's the score?"
Then the lanky boy beguiling my impatience into smiling
By the goofy and disarming grinning countenance he wore,
"Sure thy presence is annoying, bro," I said, "which th'art enjoying,
But my thoughts of thee are cloying. Exit kindly out that door.
Tell me what the heck th'art doing in my room, then shut my door!"
Asked my brother, "What's the score?"
Much I marvelled this ungainly fool defying me so plainly,
In an answer full of meaning- full of relevancy sure;
Writers cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Should be cursed, while writing novels, with a guest upon the floor-
With a loud and raucous guest a-slurping soda on the floor,
Asking loudly, "What's the score?"
But my brother, undefeated, with a placid face repeated
Those three words, as if his soul into those words he did outpour.
Nothing farther those two uttered; for a moment neither fluttered
Till beneath my breath I muttered: "Maybe now they'll quiet more-
Maybe now the game is over and I'll write in peace once more."
Then again they shouted, "SCORE!"
Writhing at the stillness broken by reply so glibly spoken,
"Doubtless," thought I, "now he's heard the stats, he'll bother me no more,
Else with all the strength I master I will instigate Disaster:
Tumb'ling fast and tumb'ling faster down the stairs they will fall sore-
Or perhaps defenestration more appropriate would sore
Them for shouting at the score."
Then in noise they started riling and my face set hard unsmiling,
Straight I slammed my notebook shut and glared from Sis to Bro to door;
Then upon my pillows sinking, I betook myself to thinking
About stealthily unlinking cord from wall, to thus restore
Silent peacefulness sans radio- a blessed time restore
Than this constant "What's the score?"
With the din around me clashing, all my minty molars gnashing
At the foul relentless noise now burning to my gray cells' core;
Both my siblings glanced divining at my head in pain reclining
On my pillow's ink-stained lining- at my gloom glee-gloating o'er,
As I lay in suff'ring torment, my sad state they gloated o'er
Then turned back to hear their score.
Then, methought, the noise grew louder, like a big electric router
When it trims a board and sawdust sinks diaph'nous to the floor.
"Wretch," I cried, "no space I lent thee- when I've out the window sent thee,
Only then I'll gain nepenthe from thy ruckus and uproar!
Of thy noise and din repent thee, from thy grievous loud uproar!"
Asked my brother, "What's the score?"
"Hockey!" spat I, "thing of evil! Game invented by the deevil!-
Whether thy team wins, or whether ill luck casts them smashed ashore,
I myself am strictly doubting if it's worth this noisy shouting
That so fierce disrupts my routing of ideas- I implore-
Is there- could'st thou just get out of here? Thy kindness I implore!"
Asked my brother, "What's the score?"
"Hockey!" spat I, "thing of evil! -game invented by the deevil!
If you please, my dearest siblings, answer me one question more:
Tell this soul in anguished sorrow if possibly by tomorrow
You will then have ceased to borrow that nice space beside my door-
If by then I can have QUIET and no noise inside my door."
Asked my brother, "What's the score?"
"Be those thy words of parting, now get out!" I shrieked, upstarting-
"Get thee back downstairs and get that can of soda off my floor!
Thy score has just been spoken and my shorted mind is smokin'!
Leave my solitude unbroken!- and make sure to shut the door!
Take thy noise from out my mind and take thy form outside my door!"
Asked my brother, "What's the score?"
And my brother, never quitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
With his fizzy can of Pepsi just inside my chamber door;
All around me is the dinning of two kooks whose team is winning
And my mind is sorely spinning as I stare at chapter four;
And my thoughts from out that block developing on chapter four
Shall be lifted-nevermore!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Poetry Challenge: The Raven
by Sarah M. Clinton
Hello Readers! J. D. Vine Publications would like to try a new interactive blog with you. This is a chance for you to experiment and grow in your poetry writing. Great poets study the art of poetry, trying different structures, rhyme schemes, and tools to enrich their own writing.
We encourage you to do just that!
Consider the poem, The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. Study the way Poe constructed this poem. Create a piece of your own using a similar rhyme scheme, alliteration, rhythm, etc. Then submit your poem to us in the box at the top of the page. Then we'll post your awesome new poem for everyone to read!
This exercise is a great chance for you to challenge yourselves and grow as poets. We hope not only to enrich our blog and your experience as a reader, but to also continue in our mission of helping writers succeed.
Make sure you submit a poem because if the response to this challenge is good, we'll continue to post challenges in the future!
Our very own Editor-In-Chief, Jared Vineyard, has agreed to use one of his pieces as an example of what a response to this challenge might look like!
Eating On My Toast
by Jared Vineyard
I remember it quite clearly; after nine o' clock--or nearly--maybe ten o'clock at
most.
Sat I there--just me only--in the apartment, bright but lonely, chewing on
some toast.
No one for me ever calling; I wondered if I were appalling. Then a bug I saw
a crawling--crawling on my toast.
Wretched thing, t' was black and hairy; at first sight a might bit scary to see hairy
legs a crawling--crawling on my toast.
If not for chance, with one more bite; if I did not glance, I just might had extra
protein with my Toast!
I was jolted and I bolted--involuntarily revolted--to the kitchen with my toast.
I headed for the stove real quick and turned the dial just as quick and listened
to the click, click, click till fire flared beneath my toast.
The creature sprawling and quickly crawling, clinging and slinging to keep from
falling; avoiding its disastrous roast.
At my fingertip it nipped, pinching till its pinchers ripped my fleshy finger tip
and I dropped the toast.
Burning with a lustrous flare, I--just I--watched it there till the insect was a ghost.
Time of year, I can't remember, whether November or December,
But this I remember clearly, t' was after nine-or nearly-maybe ten o' clock at
most.
Sat I there--just me only--in the apartment, bright but lonely, looking at my
blackened toast.
The clock was tick, tick, ticking, tocking as I gently began rocking--
rocking with my blackened toast.
Then I began to cry and wished it were me to die at nine o' clock or ten at most.
For I truly was appalling. Who would ever come a calling? What a horrible host
to turn my only guest to ghost stead of sharing my now blackened,
crispy toast!
That's it from the grape vine! We at J. D. Vine Publications look forward to reading your newest poetry submissions! And don't forget to enter our regular competitions for the chance to be published and receive a cash prize!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Here's a piece of Flash Fiction submitted by the Featured Poet of J. D. Vine Publications' upcoming book, The Creative Writer: The First Night's Day & Musketeers of Oswego with other stories and poems.
Definitely an interesting story; let us know what you think.
Blackout
by Robert Buck
Daniel came to with his bloody hands staring up at him. He looked around dreading what surreal circumstances would behold this week's delirious déjà vu. He was in his car. It was . . . 5:05. Why was it so dark? Must be morning. Where did the blood come from? He examined what he could reach of himself: legs, arms, shoulders, stomach, chest, neck, face and head; checking for bumps, gashes, moisture, any irregularities of any kind. He felt none the worse for wear save another mild attack of amnesia and he wasn't bleeding anywhere. Whose blood was it?!
Daniel tried to remember the events of the day. He met the guys after work for a quick TGIF pitcher at "The Doll House". . . . and now. He looked in the back for clues; same old junk. He was bothered briefly by the awareness that he never had really considered anything other than his cockpit as relevant, all else was simply repository for what was done or saved for later. How could he think so trivially at a time like this? Shut up! He was too foggy for any further contemplation anyhow. He decided to get out and inspect his car. The handle was gone. He groped the floor and surfaced with a slender, silver opener. . . . more blood. Now what? It began to rain.
Get out of the car, he reminded himself! He reached across the porous cover for the shotgun door. It was locked! He forgot, or had he ever known, how things worked. What was that? Something . . . rustling . . . growling? He repositioned and looked in the rearview mirror. Whatever it was, it was not casually preening out in the open for his perusal. Duh! Was it within or without? His breath froze! He sweated eyes, ears, nose, and teeth; a beast lurked near, ready to relieve his predicament. Panting silence. . . .
To hell with this; being eaten is better than waiting for it! Get out of the car, NOW! Maybe he would have more options (he had nothing specific in his muddled mind) if he turned the key on accessory. He had had trouble with the ignition for . . . gosh . . . a long time. He had to wiggle the key to make it work. Sometimes it tumbled like a charm, other times it would take several minutes of robotic tremors. Now where was the stupid key? Glory be, it was in the ignition! In a split second he solved the puzzle. He had gotten sleepy and pulled off on the shoulder to . . . pass out. Yes, that's it. His explanation made only partial sense but it was good enough for his urgent mood.
Daniel poised himself and his means to freedom. Slowly he turned, feeling for that familiar tightness where he would have to begin his special maneuver (this time he would hold his mouth right). He heard a recognizable grinding; the engine was already running! Without a mull he clutched low and smoked rubber! He felt a sticking strain. Only then did he look up to see if he could see where he was going. Daniel yowled and his face contorted! He looked like the figure in the painting "The Scream". There was a demon on his car, whipping and thrashing grotesquely! The fiend was moving methodically around, beating passenger windows and it would soon be slashing pilot's glass with its spiraling dreads! "AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"
Katie Faye Yorkie wagged by him and smothered Cindy with slobbery kisses of relief. Cindy to Katie: "Did you have fun at 'Watch-em-Wash' with your daddy?" Cindy to Daniel: "Your car looks better honey, at least on the outside (sadistic laugh). It's been a long time. Are you going to burn some burgers after you finish painting Amber's 'Little Red Wagon'? Remember, the game is at seven." Daniel to the gawping air: "Aaaaaaaaa, ooooooooo, yeeeesssss." Then to Cindy: "Do you still have that AA guy's number?" (Twenty-four hours lost forever in bottles and cans littering the backseat of his mind.)
End
Friday, July 11, 2008
Write Writers!
by Sarah M. Clinton
Hello Readers!
I think the following quote captures the topic of this blog quite nicely.
"I try to sit down at the typewriter four times a day, even if it's only five minutes, and write three sentences." --Roger Zelazny
To me, this means that the best way to become a great writer is to write. It's important, as an artist, to sit down and work hard on your art at least a little bit every day. What you write may not be the best you've done--you may just not be in the mood for it. But the more you stretch those muscles the better they work. And imagine how much writing you would get done if you sat down four times every single day and wrote--Or even just once a day!
Keep writing!
We at J. D. Vine Publications would like to reach out to all of you poets and fiction writers out there and encourage you to enter the current competition. Quality writing can be hard to find. If you're a writer who has taken the time to write and develop great works of fiction or poetry, you have a great shot of being published in an upcoming Creative Writer anthology! Submit your work quickly at www.jdvine.com! The deadline for submissions is September 30th 2008!
That's it from the grape vine! Have a great weekend and we hope to hear from you soon - wither via entries into the competition or the Flash Fiction contest!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Here's a piece of Flash Fiction for you to enjoy! If you want your Flash Fiction to appear in our blog, submit it above!
MARCH MADNESS
by Sally O'Quinn
When the whistling stopped, Dan knew the marching would begin. It had been this way every night for a week now. Loud, even thuds on the ceiling, the rhythmic pace always following the same course. Down the south side of the room for about 10 feet, then a sharp turn to the right for six feet where the marching went from thuds to clatters as the carpeted bedroom in the apartment above him joined the tile of the bathroom floor.
He knew this because all the apartments in this building had the same layout. This was the B building, and in B building, everyone's apartment looked pretty much like his. His friend Walter lived in A building, where the floor plans were reversed, but that really has nothing to do with this story. It's just that all sorts of information was marching through Dan's head right now, marching to the same rhythm as the determined foot soldier above him.
He turned up the volume on his television and tried to concentrate on an episode of "Seinfeld". It was a good one. Jerry and George were riding in a limousine, and the driver thought they were Neo-Nazis. He was taking them to Madison Square Garden to make a speech to a crowd of other Neo-Nazis. Boy, were they sweating, trying to get out of this mess…
The marching above Dan changed course, moving diagonally toward the kitchen, where more tile amplified the sound. The whistling had been revived, some off-key tune he didn't recognize, and occasionally a few words were sung. It sounded German.
On the television, Elaine and Kramer were standing on a street corner, waiting for Jerry and George to pick them up in the limousine. Dan usually got a good laugh or two from this episode, but tonight it was impossible to concentrate on what was being said. His hand tapped the arm of the recliner to the beat of the stamping feet above, and his anger began to build.
What right did this jerk have to interrupt someone's life every single night with his jack-booted insanity? Didn't he realize there was someone living below him, someone who might not appreciate the damned marching and whistling? Maybe this guy really was a Nazi! Dan had never met the occupant of the apartment above, and, for all he knew, this guy could be some Skinhead or Aryan Supremacist. That would explain the German gibberish he was sure he'd been hearing in those moments when the marching subsided.
He turned off the television. Sorry, Jerry, but some anti-Semite neighbor of mine doesn't want me watching your show. Dan decided it was time for a confrontation.
On the way to the elevator, he began composing the speech he would deliver to this hateful, thoughtless individual who probably lived alone in his apartment, surrounded by pictures of the Fuehrer. He wondered if it might even be an old German war criminal, hiding out here in the building with his memories of the glory that was the Third Reich.
I don't care how old he is, Dan thought to himself. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind and maybe even a punch in the face. Satisfaction "uber alles", that's what I'm talking about!
The elevator doors opened and he made his way down the hallway to the apartment directly above his own. Gathering his anger along with his courage, he knocked loudly on the door. The marching stopped as a woman's voice called out in German.
What's this? Was Eva Braun in there, too?
After a moment, the door was opened by a very pretty blonde woman in a bathrobe. She was definitely too young to be Eva.
"Hello," she said. "Are you from the cable company?" Her eyes were clear blue and her cheeks dimpled slightly when she spoke.
"No, I…I'm… your neighbor from downstairs," Dan stammered. "I heard…I've been hearing…marching…" his voice trailed off weakly as he stared into her lovely Teutonic face. Sorry, Jerry, I would have been no good to you at Nuremburg.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "That's just my son, Henning. He gets bored. Our cable has been out for over a week now, and I'm having trouble getting anyone in here to fix it."
As she said this, the foot soldier himself appeared at his mother's side. He was about eight years old, dark-haired and pale, and he wore a toy gun on his belt. Dan decided he wasn't going to punch him after all.
"Has your husband looked at the cable box?" he asked, "Sometimes if you just mess with the box a little, it comes back on."
"I am divorced," the woman said. "My husband went back to Munich, and it is just the two of us now." Her accent was adorable. No wonder Hitler fell for Eva.
"My name's Dan," he said, offering his hand to the woman. "Maybe I can help figure out the problem."
"I am Brigitta," she smiled at him. It was a beautiful smile.
Henning stared without a word. There was something about the kid that was a little creepy. He wasn't Eichmann, though he might be one day. Today he was just part of the package that included the lovely Brigitta, and Dan was tired of watching Seinfeld reruns alone.
"Which way's your television?" he asked as he walked bravely into Eva's bunker.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Flash Fiction Returns!
by Sarah M. Clinton
Hello Everyone!
Now that I'm back, I'd like to see a little more interaction from our blog readers. To that end, we're bringing back the Flash Fiction Contest!
For those of you who are new to the blog, the Flash Fiction Contest is simple and FREE. Submit a piece of flash fiction at above. We'll pick stories we like and post them in our blog!
This is FLASH FICTION, so the stories shouldn't be too long -- probably about 500 to 1000 words; although, if it's a great piece and a little long, we may still choose to post it!
This is a great way to get your name out into the writing community. Include information about where our readers can see more of your writing and we'll include that in the blog too!
That's it from the Grape Vine! We look forward to seeing your flash fiction soon!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
SARAH'S BACK!
by Sarah M. Clinton
Hello Readers!
I'm back and so excited to see what's changed while I was gone . . . and what brilliant new pieces of writing you've submitted to J. D. Vine Publications!
For those of you who are new to the blog, my name is Sarah. I've been on a bit of an extended leave of absence (thank you Jared!) and am now back (Yay!) and ready to get into the swing of things -- and ready to give everyone information about the new and exciting things J. D. Vine Publications has been working on!
The editing of the third book of The Creative Writer series is well underway! Jared seems to be very pleased with the progress. He also is very excited about the newest competition!
The entry fee for a piece of fiction is $5, with the prize being the title of "Featured Author" for the fifth volume of The Creative Writer and $150.00!
There is no entry fee for the poetry competition; however, we're so excited to see great poetry that we're offering the title of "Featured Poet" and a cash prize of $50.00 to the winner!
Polish up those pieces of writing folks and submit them for possible publication or even the winning title!
That's it from the Grape Vine . . . stay tuned for more exciting updates! Like who the finalists of the fourth set of competitions will be!
Monday, June 1, 2008
Competitions Now Open!
I hope your fiction and poetry is ready because the 5th Creative Writer Fiction and Poetry Competitions are now open!
The winner of the 5th Creative Writer Fiction Competition will become the Featured Author of the 5th book in The Creative Writer series! That means the winner's story will be the cover story of the book and the first to appear in the compilation! This winner will also receive a cash prize of $150.00! There is still only a $5 entry fee for the fiction competition.
The 5th Creative Writer Poetry Competition is FREE! The winner becomes the Featured Poet of the 5th book of The Creative Writer series and wins $50.00!
The finalists in both competitions will also be published! Get your work in to us today!
To enter these contests, go to our Submission Page!
The third book of The Creative Writer series is in the editing process right now while we're judging the great works of fiction and poetry that were entered in the fourth set of competitions.
Monday, May 19, 2008
REVIEW: The Red Album of Asbury Park
by Jared D. Vineyard
The Red Album of Asbury Park is a symphony of words. Like a composer knows the key signature he works within, Alex Austin knows every sharp and flat of Asbury Park, New Jersey at the end of the sixties. Austin's narrative authority never wavers and by the time one reads Asbury Park, that reader will think he knows the place as well
Taking up lead guitar in Austin's book is Sam Nesbitt. Returning from military duty, this working class 22-year-old is determined to climb out of his bleak world by becoming a rock star. "Watch out Beatles." Austin quickly adds mysterioso. Haunted by the ache of lost love, burdened by the sins of his past, and caught off guard by men discussing murder, Sam injures his hand, threatening his only ambition and possible escape to a better life—playing guitar in a band.
Keeping his dream alive requires Sam to enter a cacophony of compromise and deceit. Pulled down by family responsibilities, threatened by debt to criminals, and seduced by the drugs and women of the rock and roll scene, Sam's journey is anything but legato.
Knowing his time signatures, Austin has created a well-paced novel, packed with a great soundtrack. It is rare to find a book you feel like you can hear when reading, but Austin has pulled off this feat. Intertwining classic songs of the time period into his narrative, Austin guides the reader through his novel, intensifying the mood and tempo of his writing.
Austin does not neglect the other senses for all his focus on the aural. The seaside resort's floating wooden swan becomes almost tangible, the smell of the Atlantic Ocean may sting your nose, and Asbury Park contains great, sometimes even disturbing, imagery that you'll just have to read to see. Don't miss out on Alex Austin's The Red Album of Asbury Park; it is a book I would recommend alongside The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger and John Knowles' A Separate Peace.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Books in Circulation
by Jared D. Vineyard
Hello Readers,
For a long while now, the first book of The Creative Writer series, The Creative Writer: A Lucky Man & Shatter with other stories and poems has been available for purchase through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other such places, but in order to get The Creative Writer: Quaquay's Birthday & Uncharted Life with other stories and poems you had to go to J. D. Vine Publications' website or The Place on Constellation. Well, that has all changed.
The ISBN of The Creative Writer: Quaquay's Birthday & Uncharted Life with other stories and poems has recently been accepted by Bowker and listed in the Books In Print database. You can now find the second book of The Creative Writer series on Amazon and Barnes and Noble's website! Of course, you can always get copies through J. D. Vine Publications' website, but we'd love you to go check out our books in these other locations. Grab a copy, submit a review!
We'll continue to work to get the wonderful writers we publish out into the world. The Creative Writer: The First Night's Day & Musketeers of Oswego with other stories and poems is in the editing process now and will be coming soon! Speaking of coming soon, the 5th Creative Writer Fiction and Poetry Competitions are almost here. Make sure you polish your pieces and send them to us. June 1st is when the next competition opens. And we haven't forgotten about those of you who submitted to our 4th set of competitions. The judging process is underway!
That's it from the grapevine. Keep reading and writing. We've got plenty more coming your way as we strive after our mission of helping writers succeed!
Friday, May 9, 2008
LOOK AT OUR WINNERS!
by Jared D. Vineyard
The newest creative writers to be named Featured Author and Featured Poet by J. D. Vine Publications can now be seen on the Winners page of our website. Freshly updated today, you can put faces to the names Nancy Nenova and Robert Buck by checking out www.jdvine.com/Winners.html! Not just that, but you can read what these competition winners have to say.
Now we want to hear from you, the readers! What do you think of our books, our website? What would you like to see from J. D. Vine Publications? What are some other ways you think we can achieve our goal of helping writers succeed? Do you have advice for writers? Tell us and we'll post it! Share with us what you've been reading. Review a book and send it to us; we'll post your review! Of course, don't let this distract you from writing.
Get your poetry and fiction ready. The 5th Creative Writer Fiction and Poetry Competitions are opening June 1st. For those of you who submitted to the 4th set of competitions, acceptance and rejection letters are starting to go out. It won't be too long before J. D. Vine Publications will be announcing another Featured Author and Featured Poet and handing out the cash that goes with those titles.
Don't forget that Sunday is Mother's Day, so tell your mom you love her. That's it from the grapevine. Thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Editing, Judging, and Opening, Oh My!
by Jared D. Vineyard
It is an exciting time at J. D. Vine Publications. The winners of the 3rd Creative Writer Fiction and Poetry Competitions have been announced. Congratulations Nina Nenova and Robert Buck! You'll be able to check out their pictures and a little about them on the Winners page of our website soon http://www.jdvine.com/Winners.html. Their pictures will also be added to our Myspace page http://www.myspace/jdvine. We are now in the editing process of our third book, The Creative Writer: The First Night's Day & Musketeers of Oswego with other stories and poems.
The 4th Creative Writer Fiction and Poetry Competitions have closed. For those of you who have entered works of poetry and fiction, the judging process has begun!
For those of you who have not yet entered your work in one of our competitions, get ready. The 5th Creative Writer Fiction and Poetry Competitions open June 1st! And of course, we'd love to see entries from writers who have competed in the past. So many got very close to being published. This could be the competition where you get named the Featured Author or Featured Poet!
Before I sign off, I'd like to congratulate again all the contestants that were chosen for publication in the third book of The Creative Writer series. Congratulations to Michael Gabriel, Loukia Janavaras, Shawn Krest, Janet McCann, April Moyer, Christian Scheid, Marcia Sinclair, Cathlene Smith, and Phylis Warady!
That's it from the grapevine! Thanks for stopping by.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Featured Poet Announced!
by Jared D. Vineyard
You've waited patiently. The process has been long. Who will be the Featured Poet of the third book of The Creative Writer series? Who will walk away with the $50.00 cash prize? What is the name of the title poem of the next book from J. D. Vine Publications? Well, the wait is over!
I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the 3rd Creative Writer Poetry contest is . . .
Robert Buck!
"Musketeers of Oswego" is an incredible poem. Submitting it to J. D. Vine Publications has led Robert Buck not only to publication, but to being a competition winning writer.
The title of the next book is now complete: The Creative Writer: The First Night's Day & Musketeers of Oswego with other stories and poems
Congratulations to Robert Buck! On a statistical note, J. D. Vine Publications' competitions have been dominated by women. Many men have become Creative Writer Finalists, but Robert Buck is the first man to win and receive the title of Featured Poet. J. D. Vine Publications is proud to publish his poem and we're sure you'll enjoy it as much as we do.
That's it from the grapevine. Get your poetry and fiction ready; our next competition opens soon! More on that next time . . .
Friday, April 25, 2008
These Are Your Finalists
by Jared Vineyard
The poetry competition to see who would become the Featured Poet of the third book in The Creative Writer series was open for three months. Submissions rolled in every day. Every single poem in that sea of poetry was read and carefully considered. Now, our judges have narrowed it all down to four poems by four different poets. In alphabetical order, the finalists are . . .
Robert Buck with Musketeers of Oswego
Loukia Janavaras with White
Janet McCann with Chemistry 101
April Moyer with Star
One of these poets will be announced the winner in the next blog. Not only will that chosen writer become the Featured Poet of the next book of The Creative Writer series, but their poem will be the title poem of the book! Of course, we can't forget that the winner will also walk away with a $50.00 cash prize.
Don't miss the next blog to see who the winner is! That's it from the grapevine!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Poetry Finalist
by Jared D. Vineyard
J. D. Vine Publications is getting close to announcing the winner of the 3rd Creative Writer Poetry Competition! Who is going to be the Featured Poet of the next book in The Creative Writer series and win $50.00 cash at the same time?
It might be Loukia Janavaras. Her poem "White" has earned her way onto the list of finalists. Loukia Janavaras brushed simple imagery and strong emotion into her words. The poem caused us to go back and read it again and again. We think you'll have the same response when you see it in the next volume of The Creative Writer.
Keep reading for the list of poetry finalists to be posted. You're only two blogs away from learning who the next Featured Poet is! That's it from the grapevine. Thanks for stopping by.
Friday, April 18, 2008
And the Winner Is . . .
By Jared D. Vineyard
There are many pros and cons to being Editor-In-Chief of J. D. Vine Publications. For example: I love getting to read the stories and poems submitted to The Creative Writer competitions, but I hate writing rejection letters to pieces that aren’t selected for publication. Today, I get to do one of the things I love most about my position. I am about to announce the winner of J. D. Vine Publications’ 3rd Creative Writer Fiction Competition!
Are you ready to find out who the Featured Author of The Creative Writer, vol. 3 is going to be?
The winner is . . . Drum roll please . . .
Nina Nenova with her story The First Night’s Day!
If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, you know Nina Nenova is a Bulgarian writer. Her writing has had much success in Bulgaria and Russia. J. D. Vine Publications is very proud to have the opportunity to introduce her work, translated into English, to our audience. I’m sure you’ll enjoy her stories as much as we did.
Now we know what part of the next title for the next book from J. D. Vine Publications will be: The Creative Writer: The First Night’s Day & ____________ with other stories and poems
The winner of the poetry competition will soon be announced. Keep checking back with the blog to see whose poem will fill in that blank. That’s it from the grapevine. Thanks for stopping by.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
It All Comes Down to This!
by Jared D. Vineyard
I promised you yesterday that a complete list of fiction finalists would be posted in today's blog. It's time to deliver on that promise. Please hand me the list. Winning this competition means a $150.00 cash prize, having your story become the title story of the third book of The Creative Writer series, getting your bio printed in the introduction to your story and posted on J. D. Vine Publications' website, and, of course, being named Featured Author of our next book. This is when things get exciting, folks. Here they come, in alphabetical order . . .
Shawn Krest
with THE CRICKET: A JOURNAL OF ESCAPE
Nina Nenova
(translated from the Bulgarian by Vladimir Poleganov) with BORN RICH
THE FIRST NIGHT'S DAY
& SEDUCTION
Christian Scheid and Michael Gabriel
with DUI – DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Marcia Sinclair
with THE MISADVENTURES OF OSCAR AND ANNIE: TRAINING DAY
Cathlene Smith
with SOPHIE
& THE WEDDING
Phylis Warady
with GOD BLESS MARILYN
All of the above stories will be published in the third book of The Creative Writer series, but only one piece of fiction will win its author(s) the title of Featured Author(s). Keep reading the blog to find out who gets the title! That's it from the grapevine! For now . . .
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Final Finalist
by Jared D. Vineyard
There is no word count limitation on fiction submissions to J. D. Vine Publications. We judge pieces by the quality of their content, not the quantity of their pages. Through its quality, for the first time ever, a novel submission has been chosen for publication in The Creative Writer!
DUI-Driving Under the Influence is an exciting novel written by Christian Scheid and Michael Gabriel. If you like mystery and suspense, you'll love this story. It's full of exciting twists, great characters, and cliffhanger chapters.
Because this story is a novel, it will appear in The Creative Writer in serial form. You won't want to miss any editions of The Creative Writer as the latest sections of DUI-Driving Under the Influence is published.
Congratulations to Christian Scheid and Michael Gabriel for writing a great piece of fiction that has made them finalists for the prize of $150.00 and the title Featured Authors.
Tomorrow, the blog will contain a list of all the fiction finalists for the third book of The Creative Writer series. Don't miss it! That's it from the grapevine for today.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Filling In
by Jared D. Vineyard
Hello Readers!
Sarah M. Gibson is moving, so I'll be filling in for her on the blog for a while. Things have been busy for J. D. Vine Publications. The competitions for the fourth book of The Creative Writer series have closed! Stay posted for announcements about when we'll open the next set of competitions.
We know you've all been patiently waiting to find out who the Featured Author and the Featured Poet of our third book are going to be. You won't have to wait much longer. We're waiting on the last responses from fiction authors we've selected to be finalists and will be making big announcements very soon. In poetry, we are sending out the last of our acceptance and rejection letters. We were overwhelmed by the great response and entries from the writing community for our competitions. With so much wonderful material, the judging process has been long and difficult, but very enjoyable.
Thank you for making our competitions a success. As Sarah always said . . . That's it from the grapevine! Keep checking back with us; big announcements are on their way.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Calling All Writers!
by Sarah M. Gibson
Hello everyone!
It’s been a busy week at J. D. Vine Publications! The newest contests are drawing to a close. The last day we are accepting submissions is on March 31st -- That’s Monday! Spruce up your fiction and poetry this weekend so you can submit!
In addition, we’re busy finishing up the judging process for the third book . . . The last batch of finalists will be announced during the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned! From the finalists will emerge the winner of $150.00 dollars and the title of Featured Author. One of the poetry finalists will walk away with $50.00
and the titled of Featured Poet!
We at J. D. Vine Publications are very excited about all of the upcoming events! That’s it from the grapevine! Keep reading for further announcements!
Wednesday, March 14, 2008
Publishing Fiction
By Sarah M. Gibson
And the next finalist is . . . Phylis Warady!
Her story, "God Bless Marilyn" will be published in the third edition of The Creative Writer! This puts her in the running for the title of Featured Author and the cash prize of $150.00! If Phylis Warady wins, her story will be the title story of our next book. Her bio would also appear in the introduction to her story. An introduction appears before all pieces of fiction that are published in The Creative Writer series.
A wonderful slice of life piece, “God Bless Marilyn” will help bring the kind of variety you’ve come to expect in a book of The Creative Writer series.
"Not only is this story a strongly written piece, but it has a certain whimsy and charm that is hard to find," one of the judges at J. D. Vine Publications reported.
I got to read the story and there’s something so sweet about it. It's really hard to find stories that make you believe in the goodness of other people . . . but this story did it for me!
All of us at J. D. Vine Publications are very pleased to welcome Phylis Warady to the newest volume of The Creative Writer series!
The fiction and poetry competitions submission deadline for the 4th volume is fast approaching! Please submit your stories no later than March 31st!
That's it from the Grape Vine!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
And the Next Poet Is . . .
by Sarah M. Gibson
Hello Readers!
The next poet to be published in The Creative Writer, and in the running for the $50.00 cash prize and title of Featured Poet, is Janet McCann with her piece "Chemistry 101."
Jared D. Vineyard called this piece "an exercise in the simplicity and beauty of metaphor."
J. D. Vine Publications is honored to be able to include this poem in the third volume of The Creative Writer!
Many of the team at J. D. Vine Publications has remarked on the quality of the work we have received this time around. "It’s been a very difficult process," one of the team mentioned, "We have so many quality pieces coming in the door that it gets harder and harder each time we have to pass on a story or poem."
Thank you everyone for submitting your work! It’s been great reading it all!
I’d like to take the opportunity to let you know that the next competition is drawing to a close on March 31st, so the time to submit your pieces is very limited.
That’s it from the grapevine! Stay tuned for more announcements in our next blog!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Tips for Poets
by Jared D. Vineyard
A poet recently sent me several of his poems and asked for feedback and advice on finding an agent. After replying to this poet, I thought some of the things I shared with him may be useful to other poets out there who read J. D. Vine Publications' blog. Since our mission is to help writers succeed and it's been a while since this blog has contained writing tips, today's blog is devoted to advice for poets. Perhaps these tips will give you a "leg-up" on becoming The Creative Writer's Featured Poet with the current poetry competition's deadline fast approaching.
1) Don't Give Up
Getting an agent for poetry is extremely difficult. However, that's not to say it can't be done. Building a resume of publications and awards helps. Enter every poetry competition you can find. Don't worry about rejection. Think of every rejection letter as a success. Your work has gone out there and someone has read it. Keep submitting. The same goes for agents you submit to. Research and find agents who represent poets and send them your work. Send, send, and send again. Always remember, you're your first agent. Represent yourself well in every query you send or competition you enter.
2) Your Own Book of Poetry
If you can find a thread to unite a large quantity of poetry, submitting a book proposal or manuscript (after sending query letters) to agents and publishers is a route you can take. This will allow you to submit to many places you couldn't before.
3) Develop Your Strengths
This particular poet had a great ear for rhyme and rhythm. I encouraged him to continue exploring and developing that skill. If this is your strength too, play with different meters. Study different rhyme schemes. Exercise and stretch that talent of mastering metered rhyme.
4) Transform Your Weaknesses to Strengths
This poet's poems often speak of love and feelings and lifetimes, but speak of these sorts of things in generalities. If your poetry is the same way, watch for whenever you're doing that. Try to hone in on the details when your writing is too general. Often writers try to keep things general to make their poetry relatable for more people; however, details carry meaning and make people relate to characters, places, events, and so on in pieces of art.
5) Use Imagery
Create more images. One poem in particular of the poet's work stood out as containing great imagery. I wish I'd asked the poet for permission to share those lines with you. They are great moments that really stand out in his poetry. Imagery gives new levels and depth to your work and really has the power to make readers fall in love with your writing. It is amazing how many "new meanings" readers will find in the imagery you create that you never intended or knew your poetry contained. Always look to create images with your words. Poets have made their names strictly by describing what things look like. Of course, I recommend that you go beyond that. Get all the senses involved: sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell.
6) Grammar
Never underestimate the power of grammar. You can, of course, break any rule of grammar you want. However, do it with reason and do it carefully. Nothing can sink a submission, query, cover letter or manuscript quicker than misspelled words and grammatical errors.
I hope this has been helpful. That's it from the grapevine. Thanks for stopping by.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Calling All Writers!
by Sarah M. Gibson
The team at J. D. Vine Publications wants to take a moment to stop and say "Thank you" to everyone who has submitted writing to us or taken the time to read our blogs. We appreciate everything you do, and we want to let you know that we wouldn't have such great anthologies to offer without your contributions and support.
Thank you!
That being said, we also want to drop a reminder letting you know that the deadline for submissions for the 4th volume of The Creative Writer anthology is fast approaching! The last day we will be accepting new pieces of fiction or poetry for possible inclusion is March 31st.
Hurry and get your great poems and stories in the door! We're very excited to see what everyone has to offer to the 4th volume of the Creative Writer!
That's it from the grapevine! Keep reading as we'll be posting more poetry finalists in upcoming blogs . . . and maybe sneak in one more piece of fiction for consideration for the title Featured Author!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Two More Stories
by Sarah M. Gibson
Today, we're announcing two stories that will be published in the next edition of The Creative Writer. If you're keeping up on our blogs, you may recall hearing about the author of these stories before. The stories are "Born Rich" and "The First Night's Day" by Nina Nenova.
If you recall, Nina's work had to be translated from Bulgarian to be
submitted to publishers in the United States. J. D. Vine Publications is very excited to be able to include Nina Nenova's stories in The Creative Writer and to list her as a finalist for the title of Featured Author which comes with the cash prize of $150.00!
In a response to the acceptance letter of these stories that Jared D. Vineyard sent to Nina Nenova, it was written, "Of course, we are closely following all developments of the contest at the blog-page of jdvine.com and we are looking forward to learning the results. We wish success to all competitors!"
Nina Nenova's stories can be dark and scary, but they are much more than that. This was addressed in the response letter. ". . . we hope that the readers of The Creative Writer will like the stories and will see the light in them."
The team here at J. D. Vine Publications definitely sees the light in them, Nina, and we're sure our readers will enjoy all of your contributions to this
anthology!
That's it from the grapevine! Stay tuned for further contest announcements!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Finalist
by Sarah M. Clinton
I'm back . . .
And ready to get on with the announcements!
The next poetry finalist and contender for the title of Featured Poet with the prize money of $50.00 is April Moyer with her poem, " Star."
One of the judges wrote, "There just isn't enough great storytelling poetry out there . . . 'Star' really hit the mark of being both well written and entertaining."
We're very pleased to include you in our anthology, April, and hope to read more great words from you in the future.
I'd also like to remind everyone about submitting flash fiction for possible inclusion in our blog - I know I've reminded you a few times, but I'd really like to take a moment and thank everyone who has submitted to us and to encourage others to do the same.
That's it from the grapevine . . . keep reading! We have more finalist
announcements to come!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Poetry Finalist
by Jared D. Vineyard
Sarah has been out, taking personal time, for a little while. So I'm stepping in to fill you in on the latest announcements from J. D. Vine Publications. The judging process is nearing an end on the third set competitions for The Creative Writer series. Today, we have a finalist to announce.
Robert Buck is a finalist in the poetry competition! "Musketeers of Oswego" is the title of his poem that has earned him publication in The Creative Writer.
"Musketeers of Oswego" is a poem with beautiful language, clear and vivid imagery, but still manages to remain enigmatic. We're confident our readers will enjoy it as much as we did.
As a finalist, Robert Buck is guaranteed publication in the third book of The Creative Writer series. He's in the running for the $50.00 cash prize and the title Featured Poet. If he wins, "Musketeers of Oswego" will become the titled poem of the third book.
We're about to enter the last month of accepting submissions for the fourth book of The Creative Writer series. Poetry entries are FREE! Fiction submissions have a fee of $5. Get your submissions in before time runs out!
Don't forget about our flash fiction competition. Using the box above, send us a piece of flash fiction and it could appear in this blog!
As Sarah would say, that's it from the grapevine. Have a great weekend!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Happy President's Day!
By Sarah M. Clinton
Hello Readers!
Happy President’s Day from J. D. Vine Publications! We wanted to take the opportunity today to remind you about submitting Flash Fiction for possible inclusion in our blog. There have been really great contributions so far from new authors to J. D. Vine Publications and returning authors that have already been published in Creative Writer anthologies. We love to read your stories and share them with our readers!
If you’ve written a piece of Flash Fiction, submit it to us above and your story may be the next one posted here.
Remember, Flash Fiction is generally 500-1000 words long. We're more than happy to read any genre except pure erotica!
If your story is too long to be considered Flash Fiction, submit it to our regular fiction competition. Stories can also be submitted into both our Flash Fiction and regular fiction competition that is looking for new stories to publish in the fourth Creative Writer anthology. This contest is open until March 31st, which isn't that far away, so hurry and submit your pieces today! www.jdvine.com/submission.html
The winner of the regular Fiction competition not only gets published, but becomes the Featured Author of the fourth edition of The Creative Writer series and receives $150.00 cash! If that’s not enough, their winning story becomes the title story of the book! Finalists in the competition also get published! The entry fee for fiction submissions is $5. For you poets, there is no entry fee! The winner becomes the Featured Poet of the fourth installment of The Creative Writer series, winning $50.00! The winning poem becomes the title poem! There's no limit to the number of time you may submit to any of our competitions.
That's it from the grape vine! We look forward to reading your great pieces of Flash Fiction, poetry or regular fiction! Stay tuned for further announcements of authors and poets that will be published in the third volume of The Creative Writer! -- and what everyone is waiting for, the announcements of who will be the next Featured Author and Featured Poet, walking away with cash prizes!
will be no entrance fee for the poetry competition; but better yet, the prize money will remain! $50.00 goes to the winner of the poetry contest! That's right, the prize money remains, but entrance into the competition is FREE! This is great news for all you poets.
The submission fee for fiction will remain $5 and the winner will still receive $150.00 in prize money.
Well, that's it from the vine today, but keep reading! There's much more news ahead.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
So You Want To Be Published?
By Jared D. Vineyard
Hello readers,
I’m encroaching on Sarah’s blog today. As you know, J. D. Vine Publications is dedicated to helping writers achieve. This is why we post writing tips in our blogs. Today I have a book recommendation that can help writers like you get published.
If you are a writer, you’re also an editor. Don’t wait for your story to reach someone like me before it has been carefully edited. If you want to be a professional writer, your work must be of a professional caliber. The Frugal Editor by Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a book that could help writers of all skill levels increase the professionalism of their copy. Reading and using the techniques in this book could make the difference of not being accepted for publication in the Creative Writer or becoming the series next Featured Author.
After the announcements were made of the writers chosen for publication in the first book of the Creative Writer series, a contestant wrote me to ask how he could be on the next list of writers to be published. I reviewed writing samples he provided. His story ideas were as good as any printed, but his copy was nearly unbearable to read. He didn’t have control of written language. I wrote this young writer back and encouraged him, discussing rewriting and editing. As I wrote, I thought about how important the editing process can be for highly skilled writers.
Being a small publication company, J. D. Vine Publications is much more forgiving than most when it comes to copy. However, when two stories are being considered for the last slot in a publication, the decision often boils down to which is going to take less time in the editing process. Likewise, the smallest typo in one story or the proper use of an arcane rule of grammar in another can be the tie-breaker, deciding which story wins its author $150.00 and the title of Featured Author.
The Frugal Editor will help you give your copy the edge it needs to be chosen over the competition. This book won’t just help your submissions to J. D. Vine Publications, but to any publication you send your work to. For more information about this book and others Carolyn Howard-Johnson has written to help writers succeed, visit http://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com. I’m reminded of one of my professors from when I was studying for my Bachelor’s Degree in English: Creative Writing. He always said, “The world only wants your best.” Give it to them.
As Sarah would say, that's it from the Grape-Vine. Thanks for stopping by.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Here’s another great piece of flash fiction. This was submitted to us from Sally O’Quinn, the Featured Poet of The Creative Writer: Quaquay’s Birthday & Uncharted Life with other stories and poems. To read other work by her, check out http://www.editred.com/ladylilith. And of course, go to http://www.jdvine.com/Books.html buy the second edition of The Creative Writer to read O’Quinn’s poem, “Uncharted Life” that earned her the title Featured Poet.
Oracle
By Sally O’Quinn
As I explain to my father what the doctors say about my mother’s condition, the terms a mixture of their actual words and my judicial editing, he listens with eyes wide, this man who has lived through the Depression, two World Wars and three marriages. There is a cataract covered dullness to his expression, and a weary sag at the corners of his mouth. He understands without wanting to understand.We are sitting in the tiny living room of the house where I grew up, where photos of my childhood flank the doorframes and collect dust on high shelves built by my father’s younger hands.
“They aren’t sure what is causing the problem”, I say to him, “But something is wrong with the colon.”He nods blankly, folds his deeply veined hands and returns to watching “The Price Is Right”, a tight, new set to his jaw. He has ended the conversation as he often does, by shutting himself off from me.Not sure what to do next, I pick up a broom and begin sweeping the floor, sand moving in tiny drifts toward the front door and then spilling out onto the concrete porch.
After the sand I sweep oak leaves, which lay in piles against the potted plants my mother collects in rows across the front of the house.In one of the planters, I see movement. A snake is coiled inside the pot, its gaping mouth around a toad, which has puffed itself out to maximum size in an effort to avoid being swallowed. Their struggle is quiet and subtle.
I squat before the pair, fascinated. For several minutes I watch, transfixed, as the two pose in their life and death tableau. It is revolting and raw, and yet seems to hold some relevance for me now. The toad’s eyes glisten at me from the edge of the serpent’s jaws, determined and anxious. The snake flexes its rippling muscles at intervals, seeking to deal the final crushing blow. And yet, they remain at an impasse.This scene remains with me long after I leave my father’s house, taunts me as I lay in my bed that night, eyes open to darkness, body refusing to relax and sleep. Over and over I see the struggle, the shining eyes, the bloated skin, the scaly mouth. I know my father lies in his own bed, his lips forming quiet prayers as they have done at every bedtime I can remember, giving thanks and asking small requests of the God he loves and fears. Miles apart, we seek to make sense of our confusion and our sorrow. Eventually, we sleep.When I enter my mother’s hospital room the following morning, the doctor is there. He is explaining something to her and she nods slowly, understanding only as much as the pain killers will allow. The ubiquitous bag of fluids drips into her bruised arm, and the machine which empties her bowels pumps steadily as she thanks him for his help and asks God to bless him.Then he turns his attention to me and suggests we step out into the hallway for a moment. There is a blockage, he says. Something-a mass that won’t move-is filling the intestine, preventing the normal muscular contractions from emptying the body’s waste. He talks for a while before saying the word “cancer”, before discussing the surgery that is required, and I listen quietly as my mind forms a safe place to store this information. All the while I see the snake struggling to crush the toad, see the determination in the shining eye of the bloated creature as it winks in the literal maw of death.By the time the doctor leaves the room, my mother has succumbed to the lure of oblivion which the medicines offer, her jaw dropping gently, one hand palm up near her face. I smooth hair back from her forehead and take a seat by the window as rain begins to fleck the glass.An hour later, as I pass through the automatic doors of the waiting area to the steaming wet parking lot, I am very careful not to glance into the large potted plants which line the sidewalk. If the oracle has more visions, I do not want to see. Copyright 2007 Sally O’Quinn
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Valentine Finalist!
By Sarah M. Gibson
Happy Valentine's Day! In the spirit of the day, we're announcing another finalist! The finalist is . . .
Cathlene Smith with "The Wedding" and "Sophie"; that's right, two stories!
So how is this in the spirit of Valentine's Day? Both of her stories could be said to deal with the topic of love. However, it's love when things go terribly wrong. That's where the similarity between the stories ends. "Sophie," is a dramatic love story set during the holocaust while "The Wedding" is all about comedy set in modern day!
Cathlene has submitted work to J. D. Vine Publications before. She was very close to being published in the second book. We're glad she didn't give up when she wasn't. Her perseverance has paid off with her inclusion in the third volume of the Creative Writer!
Jared Vineyard wrote about "The Wedding" calling it a "laugh-out-loud comedy." he also remarked that "It's always amazing to see the kind of versatility writers can have," and expressed that Cathlene had four great submissions, some of them rewrites, and wishes we could publish them all in the next volume of The Creative Writer.
Congratulations, Cathlene! We're very pleased to welcome you to the Creative Writer Family!
I received questions from one of our readers, "Is there a limit to how many poems can be submitted per person for this next contest? And, is the current one finished or will more finalists be announced?"
There is no limit to the number of submissions a writer can send to J. D. Vine Publications. There are still announcements coming as to who will be printed in the third book of The Creative Writer series. The hardest part of the judging process is in progress. The last finalists are coming and the grand prize winners are being figured out. Don't wait to get into our next competition. Submissions are being accepted!
Thank you for asking the questions!
We love feedback and, for anyone who is interested, you can ask questions about the blog or share your blog ideas on the website as well.
That's it from the Grape Vine! Keep reading and see who the next published writer will be!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
And the Next Finalist Is...
by Sarah M. Gibson
The newest addition to The Creative Writer anthology series is Shawn Crest with his story, "The Cricket: A Journal of Escape"!
This story is about one night, one man, and his battle with a cricket and his wife. Don't ask. You just have to read it.
"Ha! I can't decide whether I want to laugh or cry . . . I can really relate to the feeling in this story!" one of the judges stated about the piece.
This is truly a unique piece of fiction and really shows what someone can do with a little creativity and some thought.
We're very pleased and proud to be including this piece in the third volume of The Creative Writer, and are sincerely hoping to hear more from this author in the near future. This is an amazingly entertaining story!
That's it from the Grape Vine! Stay tuned . . . another Flash Fiction story should be posted shortly, as well as more announcements being made about which pieces and authors will be included in the third volume of The Creative Writer anthology series!
Don't forget to get your copies of the second volume of The Creative Writer series at www.jdvine.com/Books.html. And submit your fiction and poetry today; your name and work may be announce as a finalist being published in the fourth book of the series!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Finalist Announcement!
by Sarah M. Gibson
And the next Finalist is....
Teress DiMeo-Mesce, with a great story featuring a dialogue between Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer – and you don't need to be religious to enjoy the story.
"This is a great twist on an old story," one of the judges wrote. "When I got to the end, I wanted more. That's a mark of great fiction."
We're very excited to add this original piece to the third volume of The Creative Writer series.
So far, the fiction finalists we've announced for the next $150.00 prize and title of Featured Author are: Nina Nenova, Marcia Sinclair, and Teress Dimeo-Mesce. We're going to keep announcing authors who are going to get published! We haven't forgotten about you poets, either. Announcements of finalists for the $50.00 prize and title of Featured Poet are on their way as well.
We really appreciate all of the wonderful feedback we're getting! Keep submitting to the Flash Fiction competition above and the 4th set of Creative Writer Fiction and Poetry competitions at the submission page!
That's it from the Grape Vine . . . Stay tuned to hear who the next finalist is, as well as more news and announcements!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day from J. D. Vine Publications!
I hope everyone takes some time today to think about the actions of this great man and the way his actions have affected the world.
Before Sarah took off for her three day weekend, she wrote a quick reminder of our new flash fiction competition. Today, we'll share the first story to make it into our blogs! Here's Sarah's reminder:
Submit a piece of flash fiction – about 500 to 1000 words – in the box above and maybe you'll be the next author posted in our blog! There is no entry fee for the Flash Fiction contest.
Don't forget to enter our regular fiction and poetry competitions to compete for cash prizes and publication in The Creative Writer.
Here's the first piece of flash fiction and a note from its author:
My name is Candace. I'm submitting a story of choices and the difficulty in facing them.
THE FAE ON THE PRECIPICE
by Candace Florella
There was a fae who had traveled far and one day flew into the side of a mountain and broke her left wing. She looked around for a way off the mountain, but found no way down save a very dark cave. She entered in to see where it would lead. It seemed small at first, a narrow passage that led deep into the mountain. She moved forward in the dank dimness. At last, it opened into an enormous cavern. As she moved forward in the dim light of the green, phosphorous rocks she realized she was, in fact, on a precipice far above the cavern. There was no way down. She thought she'd return to the outside, perhaps wait for help, but as she turned go back, a great quaking began. She clung to what jutting rocks she could grasp and waited until the explosion subsided. When it was over, her exit was blocked. Trapped, she sat there at the top of the precipice looking into the darkness of the cavern below and wept. She could jump, she thought, but she would likely break her other wing and some bones as well. She might even die. As she sat there, she thought she heard the echo of foot falls. "Hello," she called. "Is anybody there?"
"Hello?" a gentle, masculine voice answered.
"Oh please! Can you help me? I'm trapped here on a precipice! I've broken my wing and I cannot fly. There was a cave-in and I cannot go back."
"Can you jump?" the gentle voice asked.
"If I jump I'll likely get hurt. I might even die," she said.
"I will catch you," he promised.
"How do I know that you will catch me?" she asked.
"You must trust me," he said.
"But I don't know you. You are a stranger."
"That is true. And you are on a precipice with no way down but to jump. I am ready. My arms are open. Will you jump?"
The fae was terrified. What if this stranger was a beast who would devour her when she jumped? She hesitated. She thought awhile. She began telling him stories and singing him songs. He simply waited in silence. She did not know if he listened or was merely being patient with her chattering.
"I am afraid," she would whisper to herself. She continued telling her stories and singing her songs, always looking, searching for another way, hoping she would not have to jump.
This continued for many days. The fae was growing thin and hungry. Even fae must have sustenance occasionally. "Are you there?" she asked.
There was no response.
This time she did not cry. It was time to decide. It was enough. She was tired of waiting. She was hungry. She was lonely. And as the days had passed she had grown to trust the stranger in the darkness below.
She did not know if the stranger was man or beast, ogre or fae. She did not even know if he was still there. She did not ask. She did not know if joy, pain, or certain death awaited her in the cavern below.
She stood, praying he would hear her, hoping his arms would be open, ready to catch her. She called out bravely, "I'm ready!" and leapt into the darkness.
The little fae sailed dizzily downward, spiraling out of control. Feeling a flash of trepidation she landed, not softly, but not too hard, into a pile of ragged robes wrapped around a very large wizard. He deftly set her to her feet. She stared up at him, open mouthed and wide eyed. He was head and shoulders and head again taller than she. He looked as fierce as fire, yet there was a sublime sense of gentle wisdom behind that passion.
"It seems you have some growing to do, small one." The wizard said in his calm, gentle voice.
"I am fully grown and past my prime! I have been flying the world since Cain was a pup!" she protested, crossing her arms and trying to look strong and capable. "I can tell stories and sing songs and . . . And I'm not afraid of anything."
"Then why have you spent so long analyzing things? I've been waiting for so long. Even when you thought I wasn't, I was always ready to catch you.The End
Friday, January 18, 2008
Finalist Announcement!
by Sarah M. Clinton
And the next finalist is . . .
Marcia Sinclair with an enjoyable piece of fiction.
The story is about a woman and her two dogs, written from the dogs' point of view. All we have to say about this piece is that you had better read to find out "Who is the Boss"!
"Hilarious!" one of the judges reported. "Extremely witty and Original!"
"A little bit of comedy" Jared D. Vineyard wrote, "is nice." A statement to which we couldn't agree more!
We hope you enjoy reading this newest inclusion to The Creative Writer series when the next book is released!
That's it from the Grape Vine! Stay tuned to hear more about what's coming
next . . .
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Flash Fiction!
By Sarah M. Gibson
Hello Readers!
In an effort to give you readers who are also writers more visibility for your work, J. D. Vine Publications has decided to run another series of competition - via this blog. How would you like a short story written by you posted in this blog?
Please submit pieces of flash fiction in the submission box above. Flash fiction is short; very short. Think 500 to 1,000 words. Maybe even less! Good pieces of flash fiction that are enjoyed by the J. D. Vine Publications team will be posted on this blog! That means that selected stories will be posted on both the Blog page of the J. D. Vine Publications website and on our Myspace page. If you have a website or blog where readers can check out more of your work, include that with your submission and we'll direct our readers there!
So get writing people and start submitting! We're eager to see what you're working on!
And don't forget to submit to our regular fiction and poetry contests for your shot at getting your work in print and collecting the cash as the next Featured Author or Poet of The Creative Writer series.
For those of you who are new to the idea of flash fiction, here's an example written by our very own Editor-In-Chief.
Goldfish
by Jared D. Vineyard
The smell splashed my nostrils in nauseating waves every time I breathed in. The water was murky, but I could see the brown and gray strings of fish scales and dung floating in it. Green algae and brown scum clung to the glass of the tank. Futile as it was, I opened my mouth to make the mildew-thick smell more tolerable as I looked at the thing. Amazingly, it was still alive. Its mouth, half out of the water, expanded into an oval and its gills reached toward me for help. Nearly floating on its side, the wretch weakly flapped its fins, trying to completely submerge in the nasty water. But it couldn't. Its side expanded, glistening gold out of the water, then collapsed again. Its wet eyeball stared at me, unblinking. I stopped breathing as I stared at the white light that bounced off the black eye pushing its way out of my son's pet's body. The fish stopped breathing too. Its fin flicked and then was finished. I turned to look at my son. He was lying in bed, listening to his i-pod. I was surprised to see that he was almost as long as his twin bed. I guess he'd grown a great deal since I gave him the fish for missing his seventh birthday.
"Your fish is dead."
He looked up at me and pulled out his earphones.
"Your fish is dead," I repeated.
Snorting, he rolled his eyes and put his headphones back in. Then he closed his eyes.I turned and hefted the tank. It was heavier than I'd expected and my spine screamed at me. I had to pull the cool glass against my stomach to keep from dropping it. I was quickly leaving the room, but the tank was slipping. No sooner did I enter the hallway before the tank left my grip. The thunderous impact against the wood floor and the splintering shatter of glass must have startled my son. Cold, slimy water tensed up my leg. Warmth displaced the cold, sliding across my foot. Blood spread across the floor in front of my toes and swirled around the unmoving goldfish. I could feel my breathing becoming difficult. My eyes felt too big for their sockets. My lips stretched, reaching for my Adam's apple. But sure my son would come out and check on me, I didn't cry. Instead, I pulled glass out of my foot. It didn't matter. My son never came out.
End
That's it from the grapevine . . . Stay tuned to see who our first "Flash Fiction" winner will be!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The Quaquay Saga
By Sarah M. Gibson
The latest released book of The Creative Writer series features the story, "Quaquay's Birthday". It won its author, animatqua $150.00 and the title Featured Author. Even more exciting is that her young heroine's saga will continue in the next volume with, " Portend". A brief bio of animatqua can be read at http://www.jdvine.com/Winners.html.
This next story explores the young heroine's budding talents and how they further define her role within her tribe. Her brother is introduced in this portion as well. The story blends the physical realties of a tribe with the spiritual in such a way as to keep readers wanting more!
The connection animatqua has to the Odawa people really comes through in her characters. The story is gripping, the characters true . . . what more can you ask for?
Once again, a glossary will be provided by animatqua of terms to her story, allowing readers even more insight to the culture she writes about.
It's hard to not get really involved in the Quaquay stories. They have a way of hooking you into the plot and before you know it, you're out of words to read and wishing there was more!
We here at J. D. Vine Publications are very pleased to announce the continuation of Quaquay's enthralling saga!
That's it from the grape vine . . . Keep reading! Finalists for the next title of Featured Author or Featured Poet whose work will be included in the 3rd anthology will be announced soon!
Monday, January 14, 2008
New Fiction and Poetry Competitions!
by Sarah M. Gibson
Hello Readers!
Now that the third competition has been closed, in addition to announcing
winners in our blogs, we thought you might like to have some information
regarding the upcoming contests!
As previously mentioned, the rumors regarding the poetry competition are
true. There will be no entry fee. That's right, the poetry competition is FREE! And that's not all! J. D. Vine Publications will continue to reward those poets who submit by choosing and awarding a Featured Poet a $50.00 cash prize!
The fiction competition will continue to thrive. It will have a $5 entry fee and a $150.00 cash prize for its Featured Author!
Not only the winners benefit, but finalists in both poetry and fiction will
be published in volume 4 of The Creative Writer series.
The newest competition will start accepting entries on January 15th, 2008 . . . that's right, TOMORROW! I hope your fiction and poetry is ready.
J. D. Vine Publications expects bigger and better things this year, and
we are all very pleased with the amazing way 2008 has started off!
Don't forget to grab your copies of the second anthology from J. D. Vine Publications, The Creative Writer: Quaquay's Birthday & Uncharted Life with other stories and poems.
That's it from the grape vine . . . Keep reading to see what piece will be
announced next to be published in volume 3!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Happy Birthday J. D. Vine Publications!
By Sarah M. Gibson
The creation of J. D. Vine Publications marks its one year anniversary this month. Some of the things we have accomplished are:
~ Three successful competitions
~ Over 100 books sold!
~ $500.00 in cash prizes have been awarded
~ 26 writers have been published
~ 2 Creative Writer books have been released
Jared D. Vineyard, Editor-In-Chief of J D Vine Publications, has said, "We're very proud to have come this far in such a short time! We hit many landmarks in our first year and we have many plans and ideas to make the upcoming one even better!"
I myself could barely believe that a year had passed already. In one of my emails to Jared, I said, "It's been a year already? Insane!"
The whole team at J. D. Vine Publications is very pleased to have made it to this landmark and is very excited to grow the company and make The Creative Writer series even more successful in the years to come!
That's it from the vine, but keep listening . . . you never know what's coming next!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Book Release!
By Jared D. Vineyard
Last night was a late one for J. D. Vine Publications. The ISBN, the final component for our newest book, came in last night. We didn't want you to have to wait any longer for the availability of The Creative Writer: Quaquay's Birthday & Uncharted Life with other stories and poems. The site was being updated through the night so by the morning you could order your copies. And orders started coming in!
We are very proud of the newest book from J. D. Vine Publications. Perfect bound, bursting with great stories and poetry, and with a cover photo by Kyli Wolfson, TCW: Quaquay's Birthday & Uncharted Life with other stories and poems is destined for success. It contains the work of animatqua (its Featured Author), Sally O'Quinn (its Featured Poet), Gene Alvin, Sanjay Chopra, Bethany Fisher, Bonnie K. Florea, Phillip Greene, Joe Kilgore, Matthew McNulty, John Pilon, William Poppen, Kelli Stuart, D. S. Tierney, Charlie White, and Katherine York.
This collection contains even more fiction and poetry than the first book! The writers whose work appears in this edition of The Creative Writer should be very proud. The number of submissions that had to be rejected was much higher than the number that could earn their way into the book. The competition was fierce, but the great writing of the authors and poets above won the day and made a stupendous book!
Copies can be ordered from the Books page of this site. Tomorrow, the blog will be back from its normal source, Sarah. As she would say, that's it from the grape vine; thanks for stopping by.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Announcement!
by Sarah M. Gibson
And the finalists are...
Ok, not all the finalists. But J. D. Vine Publications is pleased to announce the first story and finalist in the third book of The Creative Writer series:
"Seduction" by Nina Nenova
Nina Nenova is a Bulgarian writer and this story has been published in a collection in Bulgaria, but the English translation has never been published. J. D. Vine Publications is proud to be the first to introduce this excellent writer to the American audience.
Jared Vineyard described "Seduction" as ". . . a beautiful science fiction story." We are very pleased to welcome Nina Nenova as one of the newest authors to be inducted into The Creative Writer series!
Being selected for publication means Nina Nenova is in the final running for the $150.00 cash prize and the title of Featured Author in the third book of The Creative Writer series. As the judging process continues, more stories and authors will be announced in the blog.
That's it from the grape vine! Keep reading, though, and see if your story is the next one announced!
Monday, January 7, 2008
New Year, New Books
by Sarah M. Gibson
Hello lady and gentleman readers!
Welcome back to the J. D. Vine Publications blog! I took some time off, spending it with my new husband and family. But J. D. Vine Publications hasn't taken time off. After my extended break I am excited to announce the news surrounding The Creative Writer!
The publication of the 2nd book is imminent. It awaits only its ISBN to be available for purchase. Hopefully, this number will come in this week so you'll be able order your copies by next week. We are extremely proud of this anthology in The Creative Writer series and know you will love it.
The third round of competitions has closed! We will be announcing winners in upcoming blogs, so make sure you stay tuned!
The fourth competition is getting ready to begin, and as promised in previous blogs, we are ready to discuss entrance fee rumors. It is true that thereFriday, October 19, 2007
Cover Photo by Kyli Wolfson
By Sarah M. Gibson
Hello Readers!
I caught up with Kyli Wolfson, the photographer who shot the picture that will be the cover of the 2nd book of The Creative Writer series. I was excited to have the chance to ask her a few questions. I was very curious about her work, since I've always felt that the written word and photography are so closely related, artistically speaking; although, very far apart as well, because they use different tools to create images. Below is the interview:
S: How long have you been doing photography?
K: I started 2 years ago, but I've always said that I've loved photography from afar ever since I was a little girl. I would go to craft shows & festivals and I was always amazed by the photography. I wanted to do the same, but I knew nothing about it. I bought my first digital camera for family photos and concerts, but I got very sick that Summer. I was fainting every time I stood and was diagnosed with a condition called Dysautonomia. Because I was so sick, I was unable to do much so I started photographing the nature in my backyard. After that I was hooked! I started taking my camera everywhere I went and photographing everything that caught my eye.
S: What are your preferred types of photography and/or subjects?
K: Definitely nature and wildlife. I've always loved nature and nothing makes me happier than to be able to capture its beauty. I also have a special place in my heart for black & white photography. It just has such a classic and captivating feel to it.
S: What emotion were you trying to capture with this photo?
K: This photo is one of the most meaningful ones for me actually. I wanted it to have a dreamy feel to it so that the person looking at it would be filled with questions and wonder. I've always been fascinated by shadows (they have a certain mystique about them, don't they?) and so I wanted to take a photo that really captured that.
S: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
K: Life and nature. I feel like photos have an ability to take you somewhere else; in a way they're like a means of travel. I love when I can look at a photo and feel like I'm almost there and to be able to do that for other people really just makes me happy. I'm constantly amazed by nature and every time I travel and see new places, I get even more inspired. Life is so fast and people are always on the go. So when someone looks at one of my photos, takes a deep breath, and just appreciates nature for a few seconds, that makes it even more worth it.
S: Do you have any photography influences?
K: I've always been a big fan of Ansel Adams. His work inspired me at a really young age. I used to go to a store on the Ocean City boardwalk that sold photography. I would just stare at his prints in awe. I wanted to buy them all!
S: How does it feel to know your photography will be on the cover of books?
K: Great! It makes me really happy. I'm really honored to be a part of this book because I just adore poetry. I write some myself and I think writing & photography are both wonderful ways to express yourself.
S: Have you read The Creative Writer books and if so, what were your favorite stories/poems and why?
K: I haven't, but I definitely plan to!
S: What is your goal for your photography and why?
K: Right now I sell my photography in a store nearby, on my website, and I'm just starting to do festivals. It's so much fun and I really hope to be able to make a living doing this. I like portraits as well but my heart really lies in nature photography so I'm hoping to continue doing this for a long time.
S: Do you do weddings? (It's a little late for mine since I got married 2 months ago; but, I sure know people who could use it!)
K: No, not at the moment, but someday I might. Congratulations!!
S: What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue photography?
K: Go for it! Follow your heart. Carry your camera with you a lot, it's definitely a great way to get the types of shots you could never plan out. Talk to other photographers, learn as much as you can, and have fun with it!
S: What's your dream/ideal photo shoot like?
K: I really just love taking photos when I'm traveling. I think when I see something for the first time and I'm really taken aback by it, it shows in the photos I take.
S: What's your typical photo shoot like?
K: Because I don't really do portraits, my photo shoots consist of me going around with my camera looking for things to shoot. I try to surround myself with nature and go to as many picturesque places as I can so that I can get good shots.
S: What would you say makes a perfect picture?
K: The emotion and meaning behind it. A lot of people are very technical about photography, but it's always been a little different for me. I don't worry about getting everything perfect; I just focus on capturing what's in front of me in the best way that I can. If I really feel passionate about what I'm photographing than I think it speaks for itself.
S: If a camera fell in the darkness and there was no one there to see it, would it still make a flash?
K: I hope so or the photo wouldn't turn out too well!! ;)
S: Are there other places where people can view your work?
K: My website is under construction right now; it's http://www.photosbykyli.com/. Hopefully it'll be finished soon! Most of my photography is displayed on my myspace though which is www.myspace.com/photosbykyli.
We here at J. D. Vine Publications, www.jdvine.com, are very excited to have Kyli's photo grace the cover of our next book. She is such a committed artist! We hope we see much more of her work in the future, and we hope you do too! That's it from the Grape-Vine, thanks for stopping by.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Rumors
By Sarah M. Gibson
J. D. Vine Publications is nearing a landmark moment. Ladies and gentlemen, The Creative Writer: A Lucky Man & Shatter with other stories and poems has almost reached 100 copies sold!
"We're very pleased with the success the first book has had so far," Jared D. Vineyard said, "but 100 books sold is only the first hurdle. We know that most books get lost in the sea of new published work every year and never sell 100 copies regardless of how good they are. We've worked hard not to let The Creative Writer sink. We'll continue to work on selling the first book of the series as we release future books. We know through hard work, books from J. D. Vine Publications will become more and more successful."
Speaking of future books, the team at J. D. Vine Publications has been hard at work and the editing process of the second book is almost complete. This second edition to the anthology series will be called The Creative Writer: Quaquay's Birthday & Uncharted Life with other stories and poems. Everyone at J. D. Vine Publications is very excited for its release.
A special thanks goes out to Tammy Gurevich. Her photography on the cover of the first book has really been effective in catching people's eye. It has caused people to pick the book up off of shelves and contributed to the success the book has enjoyed thus far.
J. D. Vine Publications has been growing, and it's through your support that we have been successful at implementing various ways to help new and talented writers. There is a rumor that, due to the hard work and success of the team - which includes our readers! - that J. D. Vine may remove an entry fee on one of the contests. We'll be sure to keep you updated on the status of these rumors via our blog, which can be found both at www.jdvine.com and on the Myspace page.
That's it from the Grape-Vine, thanks for stopping by.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
News and a Tip!
By Sarah M. Gibson
As stated prior to this, you can get the first book of The Creative Writer series online in several places. Now the book is hitting more traditional stores. J. D. Vine Publications has taken another step towards getting the book series out into the main stream. The store, The Place At Constellation, located in the courtyard of MGM Tower--that's right, headquarters of the famous movie studio--is now carrying the book. "This is a really big step towards bringing the series into wider circulation," Jared D. Vineyard reported to his team earlier today.
It's great that J. D. Vine Publications has had so much support from the internet world--in fact, it's the internet support we've been receiving that makes it possible to expand to this next level. Now, we've made a leap forward towards making J. D. Vine Publications and The Creative Writer household names.
The official agreement to carry books was signed today and, if you know the store and live in the area, you can see the book proudly displayed at the checkout counter now.
We received a message from Aelf today which reads, "I like your idea of the writing tips. I'll see what I can come up with to put a blurb on my site about your tips. Maybe I can set up a link like Grape-Vine tips or something. . . Regards, Aelf . . . :D" We here at J. D. Vine Publications
wanted to take a moment to give him a shout out and a thanks. I'll encourage you once again to take a look at Aelf's site, http://www.aelfbooks.com/ . . . Maybe you'll even see some of J. D. Vine Publications' writing tips on there soon!
Speaking of tips, here's the next writing tip from J. D. Vine Publications. This one comes straight from the Editor-In-Chief, Jared D. Vineyard.
Writing Tip 3
The tips so far have been about character. Of course, you can't truly know your characters without knowing the places they came from. Where a character grows up helps shape who they are, whether it's the tough inner city streets of New York City in the 1980's or the large home of a rural, farming family on an alien planet in the year 3085. Just like the place a character is from helps shape him or her, the setting of a story is a huge factor in shaping it.
Setting is composed of two basic elements: time and place. When and where does your story take place?
If your story is a historical fiction or period piece, you'll need to research the time period and location of your setting if you're not already very familiar with these things. What did the people wear? What was the architecture like? How about the political standings? The economy? What kind of technology existed and how prevalent was it? What kind of food was common?
Writing a piece that takes place in the future or on a fantasy planet often gives you the freedom to make up the answers to questions of setting. But this does not leave room for laziness. You still must know the setting of your story very well. Take good notes about the world you are creating. Few things will make a reader toss a book faster than when a writer forgets the rules or is inconsistent with his/her own world.
Your setting is the place that you are taking your readers to so describe it fully. Use all the senses to fully envelop your readers in this world. What are the sounds, the sights? What does the air taste like, smell like. How does the ground feel against the feet or the walls against the hands? Build your setting in the same manner you built your characters. What are the things that make your setting unique? Don't tell me the sky is blue and the grass is green. Skies are usually blue and grass is usually green; unless the sky has been dark and cloudy for months, its being blue doesn't tell the reader anything. Now if the grass is trampled or scorched or perfectly mowed without a single blade being longer than another, that tells me something. Know every nook and cranny of your setting, what dangers wait around each corner, every jagged rock or skyscraper, its brutal hail storms or unpredictable waves . . . and then put your characters in this place.
Your characters will have a relationship to their setting. Is it their home, a place they are trying to pass through, their workplace? Do they love it, hate it, feel trapped there, or would they do anything to protect it? If you build your setting well enough, it won't just be your characters who have a relationship with it, but your readers as well.
Okay, that's it from the Grape-Vine . . . What? Isn't that enough? Thanks for stopping by!
The official agreement to carry books was signed today and, if you know the store and live in the area, you can see the book proudly displayed at the checkout counter now.
We received a message from Aelf today which reads, "I like your idea of the writing tips. I'll see what I can come up with to put a blurb on my site about your tips. Maybe I can set up a link like Grape-Vine tips or something. . . Regards, Aelf . . . :D" We here at J. D. Vine Publications
wanted to take a moment to give him a shout out and a thanks. I'll encourage you once again to take a look at Aelf's site, http://www.aelfbooks.com/ . . . Maybe you'll even see some of J. D. Vine Publications' writing tips on there soon!
Speaking of tips, here's the next writing tip from J. D. Vine Publications. This one comes straight from the Editor-In-Chief, Jared D. Vineyard.
Writing Tip 3
The tips so far have been about character. Of course, you can't truly know your characters without knowing the places they came from. Where a character grows up helps shape who they are, whether it's the tough inner city streets of New York City in the 1980's or the large home of a rural, farming family on an alien planet in the year 3085. Just like the place a character is from helps shape him or her, the setting of a story is a huge factor in shaping it.
Setting is composed of two basic elements: time and place. When and where does your story take place?
If your story is a historical fiction or period piece, you'll need to research the time period and location of your setting if you're not already very familiar with these things. What did the people wear? What was the architecture like? How about the political standings? The economy? What kind of technology existed and how prevalent was it? What kind of food was common?
Writing a piece that takes place in the future or on a fantasy planet often gives you the freedom to make up the answers to questions of setting. But this does not leave room for laziness. You still must know the setting of your story very well. Take good notes about the world you are creating. Few things will make a reader toss a book faster than when a writer forgets the rules or is inconsistent with his/her own world.
Your setting is the place that you are taking your readers to so describe it fully. Use all the senses to fully envelop your readers in this world. What are the sounds, the sights? What does the air taste like, smell like. How does the ground feel against the feet or the walls against the hands? Build your setting in the same manner you built your characters. What are the things that make your setting unique? Don't tell me the sky is blue and the grass is green. Skies are usually blue and grass is usually green; unless the sky has been dark and cloudy for months, its being blue doesn't tell the reader anything. Now if the grass is trampled or scorched or perfectly mowed without a single blade being longer than another, that tells me something. Know every nook and cranny of your setting, what dangers wait around each corner, every jagged rock or skyscraper, its brutal hail storms or unpredictable waves . . . and then put your characters in this place.
Your characters will have a relationship to their setting. Is it their home, a place they are trying to pass through, their workplace? Do they love it, hate it, feel trapped there, or would they do anything to protect it? If you build your setting well enough, it won't just be your characters who have a relationship with it, but your readers as well.
Okay, that's it from the Grape-Vine . . . What? Isn't that enough? Thanks for stopping by!
