|
|
Greetings!
Phew...what a month! Ever
have one of those? Where everything seems to
be rolling along smoothly, then bam!
you're hit with crisis after crisis. Well, we
pulled it off with flying colors, thanks to
the support from all of you. Seriously, this
issue would not be as fantastic as it is
without your help.
So, we'll start off with
our special thanks this time:
A HUGE thank you goes out to our
new interns/contributing editors: Jean
Lauzier, Joanne Stacey, Chynna Laird, Sue
Donckels, and Cher'ley Grogg. Their support and
generous spirit while stepping up to the
plate to do whatever they can has been
amazing.
Freelancers: this issue wouldn't be what it
is without you. Thanks go to: Kenna McHugh,
Heidi K. Brown, Jennifer Brown Banks, Laurie
Lewis, C. J. Domino, Diana Ewing, C. Hope
Clark, Debbie Feldstein, Beth Morrissey, and
Nadia Ali. Be sure to check out their
articles below.
We'd also like to thank our honorable guest
judge, Betsy Gallup of Whim's
Place for her expedient judging and
talented eye in the Winter 2007 Flash Fiction
Contest.
We received a ton of submissions and queries
last month, and we want to thank everyone who
took the time to submit. We're still
carefully reviewing them all and will get
back to you within the week.
We welcome all of you to the
ever-growing
WOW! family!
In fact, that's what The
Freelance Union is all about. It's
not a 'real' union per se, but a sense of
unity and family. It's the spirit of "we're
all in this together, so let's do it!" It's
our gift to you for showing your interest in
us. Everyone from writers to readers,
interviewees to contestants, newsletter
subscribers to bloggers, to individuals who
e-mail us with questions and press releases.
It's all about you.
That feeling runs throughout many of our
issues, but this issue, which comes once a
year, is dedicated to freelancers. We support
the union by contracting
freelance writers for every single column in
the issue. The many diverse articles and
points of view come from what you choose to
write about; what's important to you as a
freelancer. So, that said... enjoy
your issue! We think you're phenomenal!
The Winter 2007 Flash Fiction Contest
Winners are announced!
This marks our second ever contest!
And what a great turnout! With the results of
the contest comes excitement and a bit of
trepidation. Why? Because we both
care. Our
main goal in starting WOW! was, and is, to
encourage
writers, learn, and develop a sense of
camaraderie. We love to give. And although we
know
everyone can't win, be assured that both
Beryl and I have read all of your entries
(secretly), and are thrilled with the variety
of stories out there! Please read our Special
Note to Contestants. And be sure to check
out the feature below to see the winners!
Our
Spring Flash Fiction Contest is OPEN:
With every new season springs a rebirth of
opportunity! Please, check out the Contest
Page for details.
Deadline: May 31,
2007 Midnight (Pacific Time)
WOW! a call for web / IT
maintenance:
We are sad to announce that our web guy and
talented writer, Jonathan
Stephens, will no longer be updating our
website. Thank you Jonathan for a fantastic
eight months! We wish you the best of luck
with your novel!
What WOW! is looking for: We are
currently updating our website and need a
qualified candidate with web design
experience to oversee the WOW! website on a
monthly basis. (Note: You do not need to
design. All artwork will be provided and
configured.) We are looking for someone with
experience handling Plesk (dedicated server),
and maintaining web functions. Monthly
salary. Please send resumes/web samples to:
editors@wow-womenonwriting.com
New to this issue: Amazon context
links. Oh, technology... at first we were
extremely happy that we didn't have to link
all books to amazon.com (it takes a lot of
time!), so we implemented this increasingly
popular script. The results have been both
super and not-so-super. Sometimes it's like
you've baked a scrumptious cake with frosting
and everybody loves it, and other times it's like
you're handing out a piece of cake with a
bight taken out of it. You'll
see what we mean... the context links are in
blue with a dotted underline. We were hoping
to save some time with this, but please let
us know what you think. Technology is not
always accurate!
Now, onto the issue. Enjoy!
 |
|
|
Winter 2007 Contest Winners!
Jane E. Johnson Takes First Place...
Congratulations!! The results are in and Jane
E. Johnson of Olathe, Kansas takes FIRST
PLACE in the WOW! Winter 2007 Flash
Fiction Contest! Her story, Funding
a Memory is outstanding and a must-read.
A funny story: As we were in the
crunch of getting the new issue out, Jane
wrote us! Before we were actually 'live' she
sent us an email. It began, "You guys,
I was just on your website reading some
really great articles and all of a sudden I
see my face appear at the side of the
screen!"
What a surprise, huh? That's
what we intended this time, but WE were
surprised that she caught us as we were
putting it up! Jane continued, "Wow. Thanks
so very much. I feel like I have just won an
Oscar or something." And we replied, "You
HAVE won the Oscar in our eyes. There were so
many good entries this time..." and that's
the truth.
And then Jane blew us away with this:
"Also, I have to tell you that I wrote
that story at 1:00 in the morning the
night before the night that it was due. I
was traveling back from just having visited
my stepdad, who was in the hospital with
kidney failure and pericardial effusion. He
is not going to get to go to Reno... but he
will love the story and the fact that he
get's to see me doing something with my
writing before he dies will mean so much to
him. (He really called me Jitter
Bug)"
Well, that brought tears to our eyes... and
joy to our hearts. What a wonderful gift...
and a heart-warming story.
Stay tuned for Jane E. Johnson's upcoming
interview on our BLOG!
Congrats to all contestants! Second Place
Winner: Donna Wilkins of Flora Vista, New
Mexico, for her story, Nearly
Rich and Famous. (Very, very, funny!)
Third Place Winner: Jodi Henry of Eugene,
Oregon, for her story Jag
Meets Iguana. (Another Must-Read!)
7
Runners-Up: read their award-winning stories,
& 25 Honorable Mentions!! See their fabulous
prizes!
MORE>>
|
|
|
|
|
Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Meet the multi-talented Writer, Author, Illustrator, Musician, & all-around Wonder Woman!
Creativity and focus, sometimes at odds
within you? You’ll love what Debbie has to
share, and be fascinated by her ability to
multi-task!
Debbie is the founder of
Inkspot, Inkygirl,
and the
author of The Writer's Online
Marketplace by
Writer's Digest Books. She's also a columnist for
writersmarket.com,
and a talented illustrator,
musician, and all around wonder woman! Join
us in a fun & informative interview with our
new friend & sister, Debbie Ridpath Ohi.
MORE>>
|
|
|
|
|
Markets: Seeking Creative Non-Fiction
We're proud to have magazine markets courtesy
of Writer's
Insitute Publications. They put out one
of the
most comprehensive guides I've ever read, and
we're
getting a sneak preview of their latest guide:
The
Best of the Magazine Markets for Writers
2007
Here's a sample listing:
New Millennium
P.O. Box 2463
Knoxville, TN 37901
Description and Interests:
Contemporary writers contribute fiction,
nonfiction, and poetry to this award-winning
literary journal. Interviews and profiles of
famous authors are other regular features.
Circulation: 3,000
Website:
www.newmillenniumwritings.com
Freelance Potential:
100% written by nonstaff writers. Publishes
40 freelance submissions yearly; 10% by
unpublished writers, 80% by new authors.
Receives 50 unsolicited mss monthly.
Submissions:
Send complete ms between March and May only.
Accepts hard copy. SASE. Responds in 3
months. *Articles: To 5,000 words. Creative
nonfiction; confession pieces; humor;
profiles; interviews; and tributes. Topics
include travel, writing advice, and graphic
arts. * Fiction: To 6,000 words.
Contemporary, historical, and experimental
fiction; Westerns; adventure; science
fiction; mystery; fantasy; romance; and
magic. * Depts/columns: To 6,000 words.
Humor, 300 words. * Artwork: B/W prints.
Rights & Payment:
First North American serial rights. Articles
and fiction, $50. Interviews with authors,
$100-$300. Pays on publication. Provides 2
contributor's copies.
If you're a freelancer, this guide is for
you. It's
a hefty 750 pages, and features 1,730 of the best
magazine markets. That means, these listings were
hand-picked because of their openness to new
writers
and their payments to
freelancers.
Check out
our Markets
Page for more listings...
MORE>>
|
|
We hope you enjoy reading this issue. As always,
we're open to feedback, letters, and suggestions.
Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you!
Together, we'll achieve all of our writing
goals and rejoice in the fact that we didn’t
do it alone. Let's make the union
happen in 2007!
Warmest regards,
|
|
