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Longlisted ~ Thanks to a Beautiful Sunset

11/2/2023

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​It is always a fantastic day when I have something small to celebrate...

I made the Longlist for the Blank Spaces Canadian Literary magazine's anthology contest! Yay!

If you know me, you probably have about a 110% chance of figuring out which story is mine by just reading the first line of every story. The link below will connect you to the top fifteen selected stories, with an excerpt button for you to read the beginning 150-300 words of each story, as well. The number of words varies per story to create more suspense.

2023 Anthology Longlist

I'm not saying I have a great first line, because I really don't... but the rest of the story was fun to write. If you love stories about the complications of sisterhood and dating, then you should take a minute to read the excerpts. If you enjoy the story so far (provided you figure out which one is mine), let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

Plus, keep your fingers crossed for me to make it on the Shortlist (it should be announced sometime in November). If I make it, you will be able to read the whole story in the anthology (they are only taking eight stories). Gah! I'm excited and equally scared to share this with you.

This summer, I created a short story about a sunset, during the first three days of my stint as the writer in residency on Halls Island. The sunsets over Koshlong Lake were sensational. I'm super-proud of myself for taking the giant leap of submitting this story with such a short amount of writing time. Three days from start to finish to submission is crazy! I usually spend several months creating a short story, and several more months editing it. Making the Longlist was a big freaking deal.
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So, yes... I am patting myself on the back for being brave and submitting this story, considering I didn't have any wifi or cell signal on the island, unless I held my breath, turned counter-clockwise three times, and begged the sunshine to find me, as I whispered, "PLEASE. PRETTY PLEASE." Which means, I was able to use my cell phone briefly as a hot spot, just before the brilliant sun set behind the tall pines, and the short story deadline closed. Whew! The beautiful Sunset Goddess granted my wish. Now, I will owe her until the end of time.

Good luck to all the Longlist authors, and stay tuned for an announcement of rejection or celebration for me.

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The Obsessive List Approach: How to Write a Winning Short Story

7/27/2022

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Since being chosen as "one of the lucky ones" to be included in the anthology published by Chicken House Press, I have had a few writers ask me about my process for creating a winning short story.
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The question makes me laugh because there are probably 101 different ways to tackle this task, and only a tiny percentage of writers want to attempt it my way: The Obsessive List Approach. I always start with five interrogative or question words: who, what, where, when, and why (not necessarily in that order). Each one gets a whole page where I list things of interest or intrigue out in point-form, so it is easy to cross-reference from one list to the next. Let me explain in more detail:

To continue reading this post, go to the link below: 
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​​Chicken House Press

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Shortlisted on Halloween

10/31/2021

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I MADE THE SHORTLIST!

I'm using all caps because I'm shouting & dancing around my kitchen right now. After a huge discussion and friendly debate among the judges, the team has decided on the final eight Canadian writers who will partake in the Blank Spaces Anthology.

What happens now?

The final eight stories are being published within a short story collection, titled: "The Things We Leave Behind Anthology". The book will be published in April 2022 and is available for preorder on the Blank Spaces website. See the link below:

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Help ~ I Need a Favour

9/1/2021

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Photo image by mskathrynne on Pixabay.
Please help…

I need a favour from my friends and family:

I am currently competing in a writing contest that requires me to beg, bribe and blackmail people into voting for my story. If I can get enough people to vote for me, I can make it into the judging round of the writing contest. You get to vote for three stories (hopefully, one is mine).

So, if you are feeling kind or generous, please VOTE for my story, FINS, TEETH, AND BROKEN SURFBOARDS in the Blank Spaces Magazine Anthology Contest at this link before the end of September 2021:

https://www.blankspaces.ca/5050-entries

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Purgatorium: The Element of Horror Book Review

1/13/2017

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Purgatorium: The Element of Horror
Anthology of Horror Short Stories

by Connie Di Pietro (Editor), Kevin Craig (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Yvonne Hess (Contributor), Kate Arms (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Mel E. Cober (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Dale R. Long (Goodreads Author)(Contributor), A.L. Tompkins (Contributor), Tobin Elliott (Goodreads Author)(Contributor) , Pat Flewwelling (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Samantha Banik (Contributor), Robert E. Walton (Contributor)

Paperback: 300 pages
Published by: ID Press Publishing in December 2016


Available from:  Amazon.ca   Amazon.com   Indigo/Chapters/Kobo

Description:

Life is change.

Children become adults. Summer becomes winter. The old pass from life to death. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

But to some, life is purgatory. A place of temporary suffering between this world and the next.

In these eleven stories, every painful, frightening transition is driven by a single element.

That element is Purgatorium.
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    Lori Twining

    I love reading everything... books, magazines, blog posts and even manuals. I believe if you want to improve your writing skills, you MUST be a voracious reader.

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