Tag: Publishing

Weekly writing check-in: the one with yet another novel

I am really psyched about those two submissions this week. I’m hoping to build my list back up to a respectable level. I have some reprints I’d like to submit to audio markets. I would like to write a few more short stories too, although I can’t seem to stop myself from writing novelettes, so we’ll see how that goes.

Speaking of which, I’m doing something a bit different: working on two things at once, a novel and a novelette. So far it seems to be working.

And, of course, The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath is out, and you can read all about it, the Goodreads giveaway, and the countdown deal in yesterday’s post.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 9,200 words
  • Graphic Design tutorials

Submissions:

  • Abandonment Issues
  • March Madness

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath

Fine Art_blueYou can see all the details in yesterday’s post, but yes, she is live and on sale.

Revealed: The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath

So, now it’s here, or rather, now it’s official. It’s in the wild and will do whatever it is that it’s going to do out there.

Currently, it’s available in Kindle and Print (and if you buy the print version, you can get the Kindle one for free).
Fine Art

Secrets–like war–have their own casualties

MacKenna’s mother died when she was a baby, a casualty of the first Gulf War. Now seventeen, MacKenna has spent her life navigating the minefield of her dad’s moods, certain of one thing: she is destined to follow in her mother’s combat boots. But when she pursues an ROTC scholarship, she finds herself at war before even enlisting.

Her father forbids her from joining the military, inexplicable considering he’d raised her to be a “warrior princess.” MacKenna turns to her grandmother–who arms her with an ammo crate containing her mother’s personal effects from the war. Hidden in the crate’s false bottom is a journal, one her mom stashed there hours before her death.

While MacKenna untangles the secrets of her parents’ tragic love story, her own life unravels. Dad’s behavior becomes erratic, her best friend grows distant and even hostile, and a boy from her past returns–with a life-threatening secret of his own.

If ever a girl needed her mother, it’s now.

The pen might be mightier than the sword, but are a mother’s words strong enough to slice through years of hidden pain? Can those words reach through the battlefields of the past to change MacKenna’s future?

Save the date

I’ll be running a Kindle Countdown Deal starting on January 27th, when you can get the Kindle version for 99 cents. In the meantime, you can hop on over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway for a signed paperback copy:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath by Charity Tahmaseb

The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath

by Charity Tahmaseb

Giveaway ends January 28, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Weekly writing check-in: the one with incriminating evidence

issue-004-cover-smallNot as much writing this week, but I’m not turning up my nose at ~4,000 words either. I also did the page layout for a +300 page book in Adobe InDesign. That … takes time.

I received my gift card and a very nice note from the women at WOW, Women on Writing for my honorable mention. Plus, I sent the story on its way again.

Issue #4 of Fantasy Scroll Magazine is out and it includes my story Incriminating Evidence (links below). So all in all? Not a bad week.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 4,393 words
  • Page layout +300 pages

Submissions:

  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies 

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a stretch goal

ProudtobeVol3

Oh, but it’s cold out there, what we call real writing weather. Because what else are you going to do but stay inside and write? (Or read–that’s acceptable.)

My submission tracker is looking mighty thin these days. That being said, I have made fifty submissions so far this year, so that’s not exactly slacking. As I mentioned in last week’s post, I concentrating more on longer works or ones that don’t quite fit with the short story market, and I will find other ways to send them off into the world.

Still, I’d love to get a few more submissions out this year, and I have a couple of stories that need a once-over before I send them out the door.

In other news, Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 3 is out. It’s in paperback only. I wish they’d publish an electronic version as well (I bet they’d sell more copies that way).

Looking at my writing this week, I realized that I’m 14,000 words away from 250,000 words written this year. New goal! Dare I add a stretch goal of 300,000 words? Maybe … maybe I will.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 8,500 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Abandonment Issues

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Weekly writing check-in: the one with an upcoming charity drive challenge

14poster_lowresIt was one of those weeks where, when I sat down to write this check-in, I had to think to myself:

Did I get a rejection this week?

Maybe I did.

As it turns out, I didn’t. But I had to check. This is the beauty part about keeping your head down and writing and submitting–you end up forgetting about the rejections. Really. I mean it. True, I haven’t submitted as much this year, mainly because I’m writing longer works that aren’t suitable for the short story market.

I do have a couple of things I’d like to get out before the end of the year. Then, of course, finish up my Coffee & Ghosts serial.

So many stories. Not enough time.

Be sure to stop back on Tuesday. I’m taking part in a charity drive challenge (more details below).

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 7,900 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

None, but! Stay tuned. On November 11th (Veterans’ Day), I will be participating in the Veteran’s Day 2014: Gone, but Not Forgotten! charity drive challenge.

I will be donating all royalties from The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet (print, e-book, audio) to Veterans in the Arts, a local organization that helps veterans to express themselves in a variety of art forms through a progressive program of supportive instruction and collaboration.

Stop back on Tuesday for links (because I don’t want you to buy anything now, naturally). Or bookmark Veteran’s Day 2014: Gone, but Not Forgotten! for even more books to buy and organizations to support.

Free time? How about a free read?

Need some free time? Need to learn how to steal time? Well, maybe I can help. Or not. What I can do is give you a free read.

This week, Just a Matter of Time will have a free run on Amazon, Monday through Friday. Grab it while you can! Want to know more? Keep reading:

Sadie Lin: High school junior Sadie is desperate–to maintain her GPA, to score high on the SATs, to see her dad return from Afghanistan. Time crawls and slip through her fingers all at once. She thinks it’s all in her head.

It’s not.

Gordon Bakersfield: Gordon–Sadie’s ninth grade epic crush–has plenty of time and knows where to get more. He knows someone has been stealing Sadie’s time. And while he’s not sure how to make it stop, he’s hoping to try. But can Sadie trust him?

Only time will tell.

Time

 

Weekly writing check-in: the one with even more audio

Even more audio this week! The Girl with the Piccolo (first published at Kazka Press) is now in an audio podcast over at Cast of Wonders. Go have a listen, if you’re so inclined.

In amazing news of the amazing variety, I have once again fooled someone into publishing my poetry. I know. No one is more surprised than I am. The poem will be included in Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, volume 3. I had a poem in volume 2, so this is extra nice.

I also received two rejections this week. Actually, it was three. One of the journals is using an automated system. So, I received a rejection on Monday, and then again, for the same submission, on Thursday. It was either a glitch or they wanted to make absolutely certain. Either way, it made me laugh.

And I’m working up another “episode” in my Ghost series. The only thing I didn’t do was submit something, which I should do, soon. My submission tracker is looking mighty thin.

Writing Work:

  • The Ghost Whisperer ~ 5,700 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • The Patron Saint of Lost Things
  • Knight in the Royal Arms

Acceptances:

  • The Boys’ Club (poetry)

Publications:

 

Weekly writing check-in: the one with some audio

So, you guys! I’m in audio! Well, I’m not, but two of my publications are. Both The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet and The Maze: Three Tales of the Future are available in audio from Audible, iTunes, and Amazon (see links below).

The narrator, Ashley Klanac, did a fantastic job with both titles. Also, below, you can click to listen to a sample of each.

I have some promotion codes for a free copy. If you enjoy audio books and would like to listen to either or both, send me a note via the contact form. Bonus points if you listen and leave a rating/review at Audible. I have it on good authority that Audible loves it *this much* when you do that.

Otherwise, I wrote what may be my first historical short story this week. I’m kind of psyched about that, although not so much about the title.

Writing Work:

  • For the Want of a Nail ~ 3,533 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Five to Freedom

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Keeping Quiet audio Amazon, Audible, iTunes

 

 

The Maze Audio

Amazon, Audible, iTunes

The Maze: now in audio!

The Maze AudioNow in Audio!

The Maze: Three Tales of the Future is now available in audio format via Audible, and you can download the audio book from Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.

The same narrator who performed The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet also narrated these stories. I think she did a fantastic job. She had a knack for knowing exactly how I wanted something read or where the emphasis in certain sentences should be. In short: she was amazing.

Click below to hear a sample:

The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet: now in audio!

Keeping Quiet audioNow in Audio!

The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet is now available in audio format via Audible, and you can find copies at Audible, iTunes, and Amazon.

Available in print, electronic, and audio format:

Audio: Amazon, Audible, iTunes

Print

Electronic: Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords

Also available as a Kindle Match Book. Buy the Print version from Amazon and get the Kindle version for 99 cents! (Note: you must buy the paperback first for this to work.)