Dm. L. Carter's Blog

DECEMBER

GIVE-AWAYS

Signed copy of Insanity Plea by Dm. L. Carter.   Deadline: December 15, 2012. Entry Requirements: Sign up for the Give-Away at Goodreads and you could receive a free signed copy of Insanity Plea.

Signed copy of Insanity Plea by Dm. L. Carter.  Deadline: December 31, 2012. Entry Requirements: Must “Like” and “Follow” the Sparkin Arkie to be included in the drawing.  Name will be drawn randomly by Dm. L. Carter on 12/31/12.

CONTESTS

(Note:  This is not a comprehensive list! There are many other contests available to writers. This is just to get you started!)

Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Awards — Deadline: December 17, 2012. A prize of $500 to a work of fiction to recognize depictions of sensitive and authentic personal experience either within the framework of contemporary literary standards and themes or which explore innovative literary formats. Publishers may send one copy of each title to members of the Literary Awards Committee. See website for complete rules. No entry fee.

Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award — Deadline: December 17, 2012. PEN New England awards an $8,000 cash prize for a novel or book of short stories by an American author who has not previously published a book of fiction. Mail four copies and the enclosed application form to: Hemingway Foundation / PEN Award, PEN New England, 29 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 $40.00 entry fee.

Meridian Editors’ Prize Contest — Deadline: December 17, 2012. Prizes of $1,000 and publication in Meridian. Submit one story of 10,000 words or fewer or up to four poems. All entries must be submitted electronically. $16 entry fee.

The PEN New England/L. L. Winship Award — Deadline: December 17, 2012. Each year, PEN New England awards one cash prize each for an outstanding book of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, published that year, with a primarily New England setting and/or by an author principally residing in New England. Mail three copies of the book and an application form to: PEN New England PEN/L.L. WINSHIP AWARDS, 29 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. $35.00 entry fee.

Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards — Deadline: December 31, 2012. Two prizes of $10,000 each are awarded annually to honor books that have made “important contributions to our understanding of racism or our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures.” Books written in English published in the previous year are eligible. Submit five copies with an entry form to: Laura S. Scharf, c/o Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, 700 West St. Clair Avenue #414, Cleveland, OH 44113. No entry fee.

Before Columbus Foundation  American Book Awards — Deadline: December 31, 2012. The Before Columbus Foundation views American culture as inclusive and has always considered the term “multicultural” to be not a description of various categories, groups, or “special interests,” but rather as the definition of all of American literature. Each year it honors books published in the U.S. during the preceding year that make outstanding contributions to American literature. Submit two copies of your book to: Before Columbus Foundation, American Book Awards, The Raymond House, 655 13th Street, Suite 302, Oakland, CA 94612. (510) 268-9775. Judged by a panel of writers, editors, and publishers. No entry fee.

Boulevard  Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers — Deadline: December 31, 2012. A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard for a short story by a writer who has not published a book with a nationally distributed press.  Boulevard Emerging Writers Contest, PMB 325, 6614 Clayton Road, Richmond Heights, MO 63117. (314) 862-2643. $15.00 reading fee includes subscription.

www.tales2inspire.com/HOME.html – Deadline: December 5, 2012. Tales2Inspire Contest – Write a true ‘tale’ to inspire others with the power of

your words. Maximum 1200 words. Each author will judge three other tales using an automated survey. Award: Publication. No entry fee.

www.tetheredbyletters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id =215&Itemid=67. Elliot Hughes, EHughes@tetheredbyletters.com – Deadline: December 15, 2012.  Tethered by Letters’ Winter Short Story Contest – any genre, 2,000 to 10,000 words. International submissions welcome. Awards: $250 and publication in Tethered by Letters’ Winter Quarterly Journal. Finalists will be considered for later publication, after working with one of our Senior Editors. Entry fee: $7.

marcopoloartsmag@gmail.com – Deadline: December 31, 2012 with selected entries published before and after the deadline.  creative nonfiction and will publish the best 100 entries. Your nonfiction must be no longer or shorter than 500 words, title excluded. Break out of the mold and surprise us and yourself. Award: Top prize winner will receive a hardcover edition of Under The Big Black Sun: California Art 1974-1981, a journal, and a film on DVD, probably an awesome French film. No entry fee. Only one submission per author.

www.writerstype.com – Deadline: December 31, 2012. WritersType.com sponsors three annual contests in the categories of First Chapter, Flash Fiction, and Short Story. Awards: In each category, the monthly winner receives a $25 honorarium, comments from readers, and publication on website. Each month, the top two submissions in each category advance to the

annual competition. Annual prize a total of $250. Entry fee: $10.

Have any other Contests or Give-Aways you would like to share?  Post them here on the Sparkin Arkie!

BOOKS I RECOMMEND

Are you looking for something to read?  Here you will find some books that I recommend.  Naturally, we will start with mine (you are on my blog, after all).  From there, we will simply move to some of my favorites – the classics. Next month, we will look at some newer books and newer authors.  Until then, happy reading!

1) Insanity Plea by Dm. L. Carter

2) The Hobbit Series  by J. R. R. Tolkien (No, the movie doesn’t count)

3) Fifty Shades Trilogy by E. L. James

4) For Those I Loved by Martin Gray

BLOG SITES I RECOMMEND

Do you have a book or blog site you would like to recommend?  Let me know about it by filling out the form below!

Dm. L. Carter

Hi.  I’m Dm. L. Carter, a new author with a new book called Insanity Plea, the first book in the Rae of Hope series. I was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, where I still reside today with my family. Like most other starving young artists, I do have a “real” job, as well, which I choose to keep private at this time. But sufficeth to say, I keep extremely busy. Does being published make you a writer? I don’t think it does. Someone once told me (I think it was my seventh grade English teacher), that if you love to write – anything – then, you’re a writer. I still believe this.  I am starting out the New Author Spotlight with myself this month.  But, hoping to spotlight someone else next month.

About My Book

Insanity Plea is meant to be fun.  I tried to create characters who could be your next-door neighbors, and let’s face it - who doesn’t want to be Lucy Liu or James Bond every now and then?  I threw in a little bit of erotica to spice things up.  But, I don’t think there’s anything in here that would shock the ordinary housewife or househusband.  It’s an easy read.  So, take a few hours and become an Insanity Plea Fan.

Next Month’s New Author Spotlight

If you are a new author, whether you have recently published your book or not, we would love to hear from you. It’s very hard to get the word out about new books sometimes unless you’re already established or you’ve already signed a multi-million dollar movie deal. So, let us help you. Get started here at the Sparkin Arkie by completing the form below. Tell us about yourself and your latest work, and we will provide you with the feedback you need to be successful.

What exactly makes a book really good? Is it the writing? Is it the story or the subject matter itself? Maybe it’s the character development for some people? And, I’m sure there’s lots of folks who think it has to be all of these things combined in order for it to be a really good book. Personally, I don’t think it does. As long as it has at least one of these elements, it can be a really good book.

Stephen King is a phenomenal writer, but he’s also gifted when it comes to story-telling. And, he has an imagination that most of us can only dream about having (no pun intended). So, most of his books (at least his earlier works) aren’t just really good, they are exceptionally good. But, then you have authors like E. L. James and books like Fifty Shades of Grey. With probably some of the worst writing in the history of the New York Times list of best sellers, Fifty Shades has set female readers on fire – figuratively and literally. And, I have to say, I read all three books in the series, and I thought they were all really good in spite of the writing.

Why did I think all of the Fifty Shades books were really good? Personally, I think it was a combination of two things – 1) character development, and 2) subject matter. For me, I know I have read a really good book when I finish the last page, and I am sad or a little depressed that I’m finished with it. It’s like I’ve made new friends, and now they’re going away and I know I won’t see them again (for a while anyway). I felt that way when I turned the last page of Fifty Shades. As for the subject matter, being a housewife for the past twenty years, the thought of spicing up the old boudoir repertoire in that fashion was kind of thrilling. I did not rush out and pick myself up a pair of handcuffs or anything. But, I was inspired to explore my own creativity in a little more depth. So, I wrote a book of my own.

I would like to hear from you now. What do you think makes a good book really good? Have you read any really good books lately? What made them really good?