Guest Post: "On Place" Series

Head over to poet, editor, and YA author Kelly Ann Jacobson's blog to read my guest post for her "On Place" series. I talk about using New York as the setting for my short story "The Edge of Happiness," featured in my forthcoming anthology Songs of My Selfie. 

An excerpt:

It’s about being young and disillusioned, and more accurately still, it’s about being young and disillusioned in New York City. I won’t say this story couldn’t take place anywhere else—in any other city in the world—but New York is known as a haven for the young and the creative and those who are lost, looking to be found. It is a home to transplants, and I rely on my reader knowing the mythos of NYC in order to fully understand the narrator’s ambitions—to make it as an artist in the big city—and thus her great anguish: to realize art comes not from place but from within.

Read the whole post at: http://www.kellyannjacobson.com/on-place-series/on-place-constance-renfrow.html#sthash.9MmYcVFl.cfeWE4rx.dpuf

Take a look behind the curtain at DIY MFA

I'm thrilled to announce that I have joined the DIY MFA crew as a regular columnist! DIY MFA offers advice on writing, reading, community-building, and more. They feature writing prompts, podcasts, and soon there will be a DIY MFA book. 

I'll be writing each month about book publishing, editing, and other aspects of the industry. If you have a book you're considering pitching, or want to learn what it's like on the other side of the writing process, check back for new posts from me and from the rest of the DIY MFA team. 

My first column, "A Walk-through of the Book Publishing Process (part 1)" is up now. Here's a clip from the intro. 

Writers everywhere dream of getting their novels published, but I would wager that when you picture that most anticipated of events, you imagine getting that congratulatory email from your agent/editor and then fast-forward to the black tie launch party a la Richard Castle. The truth is even after the contract is signed, your work as author isn’t quite done yet. In the editorial department alone there are a number of steps between acquisition and publication, and unfortunately, almost all of them require something for the author to do. So let me take you through the process that turns a manuscript into a beautiful, shiny (or matte) new book.

Read the full article here, and if you find it helpful, leave a comment or share on Facebook and Twitter. Enjoy! 

Enter to Win A FREE Advance Copy of SONGS OF MY SELFIE!

You too could have a shiny new copy of SONGS OF MY SELFIE. 

To celebrate a quick end to winter, I'm holding another GoodReads giveaway! Enter to win one of five FREE Arcs of Songs of My Selfie.  

Songs of My Selfie: An Anthology of Millennial Stories is hailed as:

The book you want to read if you are curious about who'll be driving the truck in a few years.  —Ethan Rutherford, The Peripatetic Coffin and Other Stories

Even Cracked.com has something deliciously snarky to say:

 If you want a preview of some writers with brighter futures than the newspapers anticipate, well, here you go. —JF Sargent, Editor, Cracked.com

Enter to win your copy today, and be among the first to discover the freshest voices of the new generation!  Already won a copy? Rate it and review on GoodReads. Help us reach our goal of being among the top books of April 2016!

And follow us on Twitter @SongsOfMySelfie or like us on Facebook for additional updates, giveaways, events, and more.

Publishers Weekly Reviews THE BLACK ORCHID

The Black Orchid (Skyhorse Publishing; March 2016) received a great review in this week's issue of Publishers Weekly. The new thriller by Vaughn Hardacker, author of Sniper and The Fisherman, follows Hardacker's newest detective Ed Traynor as he searches for the crew that brutally murdered a New England heiress for a Hollywood snuff film. 

PW lauds:

Hardacker keeps the action flowing all the way to the violent climax. 

Read the full review here. Preorder your copy on Amazon today, and keep up to date with news about The Black Orchid on Facebook.

Open Mic Nite in the Parlor - New Year's Edition!

The Merchant's House Museum is kicking off the New Year with a celebration of the most modern of arts! Join us for a night of poetry, comedy, prose, music, old sea shanties, and more, at our first Open Mic Nite of 2016. Bring a friend or two and no more than five minutes of material; sign up at the door. Tickets are $13 ($8 for students/seniors; FREE for members). 

In the 19th century, literary salons gathered great thinkers, artists, and writers under one roof for a night of socialization and “improving conversation.” In that same spirit, the Merchant’s House celebrates the works of today’s new writers, performance artists, and musicians. Come to share your work or simply enjoy. Wine & light refreshments will be served. Writer and Three Rooms Press editor Constance Renfrow will host.

Merchant's House Museum. 29 East Fourth Street (between Bowery and Bleecker), New York. RSVP on Facebook.