Rod Raglin's Blog

A gallery of 8 of my images of lilacs is being featured on the front page of the Open Arts Forum site.

View them at https://openartsforum.com/forum/threads/love-of-lilacs.35895/

For more photos of gardens, urban and natural landscapes, the street and skyscrapers, the moon, mountains and more visit https://rodraglin.smugmug.com/

My short story, Invasive Species, has been published in the Unnamed Journal 46: Electric Barbarella.

“Something’s growing the thawing tundra. Something we’ve never seen before–and there’s no stopping it.”

Described as “A swirl of Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy, Pulp, and snark, served hot quarterly,” this edition of the Unnamed Journal is available on Amazon at

#newfiction @unnamedjournal #shortstories#amreading#readingcommunity

Back in July 2025, I submitted for consideration three poems and a short story on the theme of resistance to Awatum Press for their publication to be entitled, Resistance: An Anthology of Overcoming. My short story entitled, They, was accepted.

That began a long saga that included the publisher entering into negotiations with “Museo del Prado, the most prestigious art institute in the world” to reproduce of the Goya painting, “Second of May 1808” for the cover.  When I’d all but given up hope of this project ever being completed, I received an email announcing the release and order link.

https://www.awatumpress.co/product-page/resistance-an-anthology-of-overcoming

According to the publisher, “Our goal was to have the names of the contributors front and center, even if it meant redesigning to meet the museum’s requirements. We have really put our best foot forward to position your work, not based on your writing accolades, but on the merit of your idea.”

Presented as a “A thorough narrative on overcoming. Five novelists. Five poets. One volume,” the publisher provides the following description of the anthology:

“Resistance shows up in ways that reflect how we are human: triumph in insurmountable odds; survival within the world’s impersonality toward us; getting out of bed when everything tells us nothing is worth it. Resistance is as human to us as our need to be in community. This collection examines resistance from a narrative lens to gift the world a weighted embodiment of the theme.”

I thought They was a pretty good short story, but “a narrative lens to gift the world a weighted embodiment of the theme”?

@awatumpress @museoprado #awatumpress #MuseodelPrado #ResistanceAnAnthologyofOvercoming

My photograph, Spring Bud, has been published in “Buds & Blooms: Volume 2”, 14th Issue of the Cosmic Daffodil Journal. CDJ celebrates all forms of creative expression: art, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short stories, paintings, and sculptures. Through writing, painting, and sculpting, they “weave worlds and evoke strong emotions, inviting readers to embark on magical journeys. Like the daffodil symbolizing renewal, our art signifies resilience and new beginnings even in the darkest times.”

To download a copy of the Ebook visit https://cosmic-daffodil.squarespace.com/ebook-collections To support them visit https://ko-fi.com/cosmicdaffodiljournal

It begins with a request from what appears to be a credible literary agent.

Hi,

I hope you’re doing well.

“I recently came across your work and was genuinely impressed…always interested in connecting with writers… Are you currently represented? If not, I would welcome the opportunity to review more of your material and explore the possibility of working together. Please feel free to share your manuscript or let me know the best way to proceed.”

This is yet another scam targeting naive and vulnerable aspiring new authors.

This one wasn’t difficult to detect, at least for me, simply because reputable literary agents very seldom (never) solicit self-published authors. In fact, the majority don’t even respond to query letters.

The next step was to check their email address, and in this case, it was a Gmail account. This was further proof that the request was from a scammer since agents affiliated with an agency use the company’s domain email address.

Example:

Agent@gmail.com is a scammer

– is legitimate (most likely)

Since this scam was new to me, I’ll decided to play along hoping they’d divulge what they were after and reveal the convoluted manipulations they use to achieve this goal so I can describe to my readers.

It turned out to be an interesting discussion that included such topics as what’;s necessary to be a successful author (craft plus luck), the merits of traditional publisher as opposed to self-publishing (credibility as opposed to obscurity), the Dunner-Kruger effect (you’re so stupid you think you’re smart or as it applies to new writers you’re so bad you think you’re good) and even some tips on how to improve my writing.

After going back and forth, it became very apparent the scammer was using AI to generate its responses – generic rather than specific answers to direct questions, errors in punctuation and formatting, however, all things considered, I’ve way worse conversations (not as informed, less literate, totally delusional) with real authors and zero tips on improving my writing.

In the end the conversation ended without any clear indication what the scammer wanted? I can’t imagine how they could benefit from receiving a work in progress manuscript unless the con was to get the author to pay for editing or publishing. If that was their intention, why not come right out and ask for it like so many other hybrid (vanity) publishers do?

In today’s online world it’s best to trust no one, unless proven otherwise.

Help choose the cover for Finding Meaning, Making Sense – An Anthology of Short Stories and Poetry- 2022-2025.

Copy and paste this post into an email.

– Fill in the blank and reply to with your response. I PREFER COVER ________

– In the subject line paste FMMS cover poll

– address the email to rod_raglin@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Here’s the blurb to give you an idea of what’s inside the anthology.

“The more you’re convinced you’ve uncovered the truth,

the more likely it is you’ve missed something important.”

With over five decades of reporting, journalist/author Rod Raglin has turned to fiction and poetry to address those important things today’s truth dismisses. Behind the stories and poetry in Finding Meaning, Making Sense, is the author’s desire to have the reader abandons society’s current polarization mindset and consider different perspectives.

With the immediacy of short fiction and the introspection of poetry, the 25 short stories and 27 poems included in this anthology provide insight and reflection on relationships, contemporary issues, the environment and aging.

#bookcoverpoll #FindingMeaningMakingSense #shortstories #poetry

5 STAR REVIEW for The Mother of My Reinvention: essays, stories & lyrical assemblages by Lorraine Devon Wilke

Lorraine Devon Wilke has gone up close and personal with her new book, The Mother of My Reinvention: essays, stories & lyrical assemblages. 

It takes courage to layout your life and your feelings on the page as Wilke has done with this work, but for the writer it’s also a cathartic. To write about the what, where and when helps you come to terms with the who and the why. 

Many works similar to this are written more for the author themselves than their audience. What take The Mother of My Reinvention above self-indulgence is Wilke’s unflinching honesty. 

Whether she’s writing about her turbulent relationship with her mother (The Mother Of My Reinvention), or her near miss as a rock diva (A ‘Chick Singer’ Reflects On Dreams, Heartache & Renegotiation) she presents events as she experienced them and lets the reader come to their own conclusions. She also boldly writes about aging (Aging While Woman … How Dare We? and Making Herself Known), a tabu subject, especially for women, with humour, insight and indignation. 

As well as some of her best fiction (She Tumbled Down), this “assemblage” includes links to seven songs she composed. From ballads to blues, these professionally produced performances are an indication of what a multi-talented, creative force Wilke is.

Insightful and entertaining, The Mother of My Reinvention: essays, stories & lyrical assemblages, provides an  intimate glimpse at the life of an exceptional artist

“First signs: A Gallery of Seven of Photographs” is being featured on the Open Arts Forum front page. You can view the gallery here:
https://openartsforum.com/first-signs/

Open Arts Forum is an ad-free journal of the creative arts—bringing together writers, poets, photographers, and visual artists under one welcoming roof. Their free, members-only forum lets you submit work for front-page consideration and find inspiration across disciplines.
Visit the site at https://openartsforum.com/forum/

View more of my photos including spring blossoms and landscapes at https://rodraglin.smugmug.com/

#spring #robins #snowdrops #buds #blossoms

The character and charisma of crows captured in candid closeups.
https://rodraglin.smugmug.com/Crow-Portratis

#crows #crowportraits #birds #birdphotography

Love of Lilacs, a gallery of 8 of my photos, was selected as one of “Last Week’s Most Popular Works” on Open Arts Forum. You can view it at
https://openartsforum.com/forum/threads/love-of-lilacs.35895/
More photos of spring including Cherry Blossoms can be viewed and purchased at
https://rodraglin.smugmug.com

#spring #lilacs #flowers