Travel Writing with Peter N. Milligan

By Sarah Hawkins Miduski

I’m a bit obsessed with travel. I spend my days in my drab cubicle, listening to travel podcasts. I check Instagram multiple times a day, just to see pictures of travelers around the world, and I read a lot of travel books.

For me, a great travel book has just the right balance of humor, philosophy, and heart warm. It should make me want to put it down at least once to check Google Flights to see how much it would cost to fly to the destination (s) discussed. A good travel book should inspire wanderlust.

The first travel book I read in 2016 was Peter N. Milligan’s Bulls Before Breakfast. 

Though I still have no desire to actually run with the bulls, due to my unfortunate propensity for clumsiness, 

I was quite taken with Pamplona, its people, and most importantly, its food. There were a few times while reading about the juicy steaks, tapas, and the peppers that you have to try, that I decided someone should invent a book with an edible cover and pages.

  

I also have a fascination with sub-cultures, and loved learning about the bull runners and the culture that surrounds the fiestas of San Fermin. 

I thought that Bulls Before Breakfast was a great travel book, so I was very excited when I saw that Peter was on the schedule to speak to The South Jersey Writers' Group.

First, Peter gets bonus points for providing fantastic handouts (and brownies).

Peter’s talk was a nice blend of writing advice and travel inspiration. He shared his four rules of travel.

4 Rules of Travel by Peter N. Milligan

1)  Go anywhere and never with a tour group 

2) Travel with children  

3) Be first (get up early)

4)     The 3 Laws

1)      Eat Well

2)      Sleep Well

3)      Obey

Peter then shared his journey to getting published. He reminded the group of something we hear a lot, but need the constant reminder of, be persistent. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t give up. Peter did not give up. 

First write something, and then get it out there. Keep sending out submissions, even when you have reached the Rs in the Writer’s Market book. Peter reached the Rs, though his agent came from the F submissions. 

Next, once you secure an agent, publisher, editor, etc… be ready for some “intelligent compromise.” This was an excellent term for an excellent piece of advice. You can hold your ground on some things, but you should choose your battles, especially when it comes to ticking off sports broadcasting celebrities or excessively inebriated actresses.

Peter also shared some of the unexpected things that can come from finally having your book out there, like jealousy from friends, demands for handouts (aka-why don’t you just give me a free copy of your book), and even death threats.

Everyone learned the term for what many of us already do, book "fluffing." This refers to the act of helpfully reorganizing a shelf at a book store so that either ones' own book, or a favorite book, is turned out, cover forward. This will increase the likelihood that a passerby will be enticed to take the book home. 

Peter's son said this was the best picture and I had to include it. 

Peter’s talk was brilliant. It was fun, entertaining, and highly informative. I think everyone left with a nice shot in the arm of writing motivation, and a nice dose of travel motivation too.

I wish Peter a good run at this year’s San Fermin Festival, and I, as well as many other South Jersey Writers' Group members, look forward to reading his next book, even though I disagree with the publishers, I would not tire of all of the “Ari stuff.”

The Collingswood Book Festival

By Sarah Hawkins Miduski

Bibliophiles had a sense of deja vu as they approached The Collingswood Book Festival this year.  

It appears that Mother Nature firmly believes that books are meant to be indoors. 

Although New Jersey avoided a hurricane, the day was drizzly and windy enough to require the book festival to be indoors, just like last year.

There were plenty of books for sale, both used, and new

,but it seemed that the threat of ominous weather scared some of the used vendors away. 

Loompaland was a big hit with the kids. The giant bubble wand, brought by the Garden State Discovery Museum, was pretty cool.

Also pretty cool, was South Jersey Writers’ Group member Laura J. Kaighn. 

She was in Loompaland selling her books (Earth Child:The E.D. Piper Chronicles and Rabbit's Tale & Other Rites of Passage) and entertaining the kids with her storytelling.

The SJWG had a table shared with publisher, Hypothetical Press.  Copies of Tall Tales and Short Stories, and Reading Glasses, waited to be brought home by eager readers. 

SJWG President Amy Hollinger did a great job organizing the group’s table. Members John Farquhar (What toExpect When You’re Dead) and Gregg Feistman (The War Merchants) were hard at work selling books and talking to potential group members. 

Many SJWG members came throughout the day to volunteer at the group table.

With all of the various meetings and groups within the group, it's difficult to know everyone in the SJWG, so the SJWG buttons and t-shirts were a great way to spot fellow members.

New group member, Peter N. Milligan, had copies of his book, Bulls Before Breakfast, for sale.  

Peter is an energetic guy. I could see him hosting his own travel show someday.

Of course no book event would be complete without Steampunk Granny, Marie Gilbert. Group member/writer Dawn Byrne kept Steampunk Granny company since she was oh so far away from the SJWG table. Marie had an impressive table that was stacked with copies of Roof Oasis, and the newly released Saving Solanda, the second book in the Roof Oasis series. I also think she wins the prize for best author outfit.

Representing the Young Adult genre, was group member Randy Ribay. His book, An InfiniteNumber of Parallel Universes, was recently featured on Barnes and Nobles’ Most Anticipated YA books coming out in October.   

In addition to striking some great signing poses, 

Randy participated in a YA Panel Discussion, Realistic Fiction: Navigating the Teen Years.  

It was an interesting mix of authors, and the discussion ranged from the authors’ personal writing methods, to what types of books they read as kids. It was such a good panel, everyone had to be kicked out to make way for the next panel.

All of the volunteers, did a great job organizing The Collingswood Book Festival, especially with the last minute venue change due to the weather.  It was a great time for the writers and the readers, though I still think it’s more alive and vibrant when it is held outdoors. Hopefully Mother Nature will grant the festival beautiful sunny skies next year.

Now comes the most difficult task faced by all attendees on the day after The Collingswood Book Festival, what to read first.

Latest Member Publication: Workplace Woes by John Leone

By Jessica A. Walsh

We are pleased to announce that South Jersey Writers' Group member John Leone has recently published his latest book, Workplace Woes: A Day at the Office.

A collection of four short screenplays, Workplace Woes is about office life at an imaginary company called McFrugal LLC and the characters who work there. If you have any experience whatsoever working in an office setting, you have no doubt encountered people like the cringe-worthy characters in this book.

I had the privilege to speak with John about Workplace Woes and his past work experience that inspired him.

Although John said he's had more job titles than can be imagined, he preferred "outside sales", calling on customers and trying to sell them products. "As most customers complained about their work, my job often entailed being an attentive listener, like a friendly bartender, but without the alcohol," he explained. "Consequently, I came to the realization that obnoxious bosses and annoying co-workers were not a unique phenomenon, but are universal and quite often funny without meaning to be."

All of John's characters are based on real people, although some are slightly exaggerated. And even though John is now retired, he admits that he actually misses his old obnoxious bosses and annoying co-workers. He also misses some of his old customers, but gets to enjoy the occasional lunch to keep in touch.

In addition to the occasional lunch, John enjoys spending his time writing, babysitting his grandchildren (whom he started writing for in the first place) and taking art classes. Although he did not illustrate Workplace Woes, he does hope to illustrate future books.

John is also the author of a series of children's books called Sharklock Bones about a talking shark detective. Although Workplace Woes is the first PG-13 book John has published, it wasn't a difficult shift for him since he considers his Sharklock series as books the whole family can enjoy. "But [writing] the children's books [is] more fun. That's probably because I never grew up."

John is currently finishing up book #11 in the Sharklock Bones Series, which all contain an underlying message about marine and ocean ecology. "They hopefully encourage younger readers to be more aware of steps we must all take in the future to keep our waterways healthy," he explained.

Workplace Woes is available on Amazon (paperback and Kindle), as well as Barnes & Noble. You can also find John (and Sharkie) at the Trenton Book Fair being held May 1st and 2nd.

The Collingswood Book Festival

On Saturday, The South Jersey Writers’ Group participated in the Collingswood Book Festival.  This was the Book Festival’s 11^th year and each year it gets bigger and better.  One of the things that made it better this year, was that the SJWG’s had a table. 

 

Our table had a great location, and a very nice tent to shade group members from the sweltering sun.  Although it was October, it felt more like August. The heat seemed to make everyone feel a little less energetic.

 

 

The group worked hard selling books.  Tall Tales and Short Stories was for sale and other group members had some table space to sell their books.

 

Jordanna East (Blood in the Past), Gregg Feistman (The War Merchants) and John Farquhar ( What to Expect When You're Dead) all sold copies of their books.

 

SJWG also worked at promoting the group.  Amy came up with the idea for these great pins.

 

They worked because people did in fact ask us about our writers’ group and we were ready to hand out our nifty postcards out to anyone who asked. 

One of the best parts about the Collingswood Book Festival is the chance to meet and talk with all of the authors and listen to the panel discussions.

Amy, Shelley and I really enjoyed the panel called, Publishing Your First Novel.  The panel featured four newly published young adult authors.

-Alison Ashley Formento –Twigs

-David Lubar- Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge

-Kit Grindstaff- The Flame in the Mist

-Evan Roskos- Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets

They were very honest about the trials of publishing your first novel, and gave encouragement about how to handle rejection.  Author Kit Grindstaff recommended chocolate. 

 

 

Amy and I also attended a panel called, What’s the Buzz in YA Fiction-Fantasy or Realism?  The authors on this panel were

Elisa Ludwig – Pretty Crooked

Ty Drago- The Undertakers: Rise of Corpses

Ellen Jensen Abbott- Watersmeet; The Centaur’s Daughter

James Mascia- High School Heroes

The authors on this panel were quite encouraging about writing the story that you want to write and not worrying too much about whether or not your story is hitting on a particular trend (examples- vampires, zombies,  wizards, etc..).  By the time you are finished writing and revising your novel, the trends may have changed.   

 

It seemed that all of the authors that attended the festival were genuinely nice people as well as being talented writers. 

At the end of the day, we drank a lot of water, we sold some books, we sold some tote bags, and got some people interested in joining the group.  If you missed the Collingswood Book Festival or if you had a great time at the festival this year, be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, October 11^th 2014.

(by Sarah Hawkins Miduski-guest blogger)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Book Signing & Block Party

                                                                   

      

The South Jersey Writers Group will be at several events this May promoting their first anthology of short stories called Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey. **May 25^**, we’ll be at My Favorite Muffin at 683 Berlin Cross Key Road, Sicklerville, N.J. from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Stop in; eat a muffin; chat with the authors!

                                                                                 

**On May 31rst**, we’ll be at a big Block Party celebrating the Treehouse coffee shop’s ten year anniversary. It’s an open street event at 120 W. Merchant Street, Audubon, N. J. 08106 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Stop by at our table and chat with us.                                                                

This book offers many delightful tales: a western comedy called “Destiny in Dusty Springfield” by Joseph Arechavala, a ghost story called “Apparitions of Murder” by Krista Magrowski, an encounter with the not so jolly man in red called “Bad Day for Santa” by John Farquhar, a frightful Zombie story called “The Night of the Attack” by Marie Gilbert, plus much more.

The books sell at the very reasonable price of 10 dollars J

http://South-Jersey-Writers.blogspot.com

Interview with Author Jennifer M. Eaton

                                                                        

The South Jersey Writers Group, Rocks!!! We have such talented people within our ranks. Many of our members are published and you might already have their books, but in case you don't, allow me to introduce one of these talented writers to you today.
                                                                       

 

Jennifer M. Eaton is not only a member of the South Jersey Writers Group, but she is also one of the authors featured in Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey. This short story anthology is our  group's first attempt at self publishing. We've been quite successful and the book is selling like hot cakes. Plus we're preparing to publish a second anthology in 2014.

So join me now as I interview the amazing Jennifer M. Eaton.

When did these characters first appear on the page?

 

I found out about the Still Moments Anthology call for submissions through a friend.  I wasn’t a Romance writer, so I was originally going to pass.  Then I decided, “What the heck, let’s see if I can do it.”  It was Romance, so I needed a guy and a girl. (Yeah, that’s a pesky requirement, isn’t it?)

I decided to make Jill a single mom while I was writing the first paragraph, because a kid magically appeared, and I needed her Mommy to be “available” for the romance angle -- so I decided to be mean and give her a divorce.  The crux of the story had to do with a Christmas wish, and I thought it would be fun to have the wish sort-of backfire … enter the male best friend, Jack.

 

How have they evolved in this new book?

In Jack and Jill Volume One, you see them come full circle from best friends, to making a commitment about their relationship.  This is a little harder than your normal fly-by-night dating scenario, because they both know that if it doesn’t work out, the chances of going back to being best friends are slim.  They find out quickly that, even though they tell each other everything as friends, there are things about each of them that the other doesn’t know, and it will make dating not quite what either of them expected.

 

Will there be another book about Jack and Jill?

Oh, you noticed that “Volume One,” did you?  Yes, this is the first in a series.  Moving forward, you will be able to read their story chronicled through a different holiday for each month.  Volume one is December (Christmas) and January (New Year’s).  The next book will be Valentine’s day, followed by St Patrick’s Day. You get the idea.  I am not super-woman, though, so you won’t see all these volumes this year.  I need sleep, you know!

 

What other projects are you working on?  

 

Oh, tons! Like I said, Jack and Jill was a bit of a surprise, and Romance is not normally mygenre, so I am busy in a lot of other areas. At the moment I am shopping a Paranormal “first in series” called Une Variante about shape-shifters.  It’s great fun and I love the world I’ve created. 

I am also polishing my first Young Adult novel, “Fire in the Woods,” which I hope so be submitting to publishers by Spring of 2013.

I have also just started a Young Adult Urban Fantasy tentatively titled “The First Day of the New Tomorrow.”  This is for an anthology, but if I go over on the maximum number of words, I think it will make a great stand-alone Novella. 

 I am also flirting with an idea for a dystopian sequel to my story “Last Winter Red”.  This all on top of the ten Jack and Jill stories waiting to be written.  Yep.  I’m a busy gal.

 

Thanks so much for having me, Marie.  I really appreciate it, and a little gnome told me that you picked up a copy of “Jack and Jill, Volume One”.  I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think!

***

                                                                     

         Jennifer at the Meet the Authors Event held at the Monroe Township Public Library

Jennifer Eaton lives on the East Coast USA with her husband, three boys, and a pepped up poodle.  She hosts an interactive website www.jennifermeaton.com aimed at making all writers the best they can be. 

Jack and Jill Volume One:  Jill stumbles back into the dating world after twelve years of motherhood.  But things have changed a lot since the last time she dated.  Jack and Jill stories follow the challenges of a woman holding on to traditional values in a world that has evolved without her. Now that she has found the man of her dreams, will Jill be able to hold on to him without compromising what she believes in?

Enclosure links: 

Jennifer Eaton Photograph, http://jennifermeaton.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/j-taylor-fix-crop-white.jpg

Jack and Jill Volume One cover, http://jennifermeaton.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/jack-jill-volume-one-cover.jpg?w=615

Purchase links

SMP eBook Store: http://www.stillmomentspublishing.com/p/ebook-store.html

SMP Library: http://www.stillmomentspublishing.com/2013/01/jack-jill-volume-one.html

CreateSpace POD: https://www.createspace.com/4136009

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B3YWNFW

Amazon Print:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/277179

Goodreads (for reviews): http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17266748-jack-jill-volume-one

 

Contact Links:

 Twitter:  @jennifermeaton

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5832197.Jennifer_M_Eaton

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jennifer.m.eaton.3

Web:  www.jennifereaton.com

Blog: http://www.jennifermeaton.com/

The Philadelphia Writer's Conference and a Contest Winner

                                                                          

Todays blog will be about two special people in our South Jersey Writers Group, James Knipp and Shelley Szajner. Not only are they both featured authors in Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey, but Jim is now the Registrar for the Philadelphia Writers Conference and Shelley is the winner of a partial scholarship that allows her to attend the Philadelphia Writers Conference at half the cost.        Three cheers for Shelley!!! 

                                                   I'll start my interview with Jim.

                                                                     

Hi Jim. Everyone with the South Jersey Writers Group is very excited about your new position with the Philadelphia Writers Conference, but I bet our followers would like to know more about the job. Could you please give us a little info?

I'm the registrar for the Philadelphia Writers Conference, which means I'm responsible for getting individuals signed up for their workshops and getting ID badges printed. In previous years, this was done mostly manually. We previously had a site that you could register online and pay with a credit card, but there were a number of problems with cash flow and there were still a lot of manual processes.

What was your first duty as the Registrar?

This year we bought some great new software that required us to set things up from scratch. It was great because we were able to really put together a complete End to End process for our users. The new set up lets users select their specific workshops in a way that's more intuitive. It applies discounts for our workshop presenters, our board, and our scholarship recipients. It allows users to select their dinner choices. We were also able to build a page that allowed people to upload their manuscripts for the annual writing contest and the critique sessions. Previously, all these things were done manually and by individual board members.

Could you tell us a little bit about the contest?

Setting up the scholarships was especially challenging because I had to create a unique scholarship code that could be used only once. We offer five full Memorial Scholarships to worthy applicants and nearly 100 scholarships worth 50% of the basic cost of the conference to writers organizations and area colleges and universities. This is the first year the South Jersey Writers' Group was part of the list and I thought it be a good idea to have our own contest to determine who would win the scholarship. Turns out it was Shelley!

Who won the contest and how was the winner chosen?

What I suggested to Amy and Krista was that we mimic the Writers Conference contest, so we set up the rules (one entry/participant, 2500 word limit) and sent a note out to group members letting them know. I posted the entrants at my blog and asked group members to vote. Shelley's came from behind with a late surge and ended up winning by one vote!

 

Thank you, James, for taking the time to do this interview and for all of our followers, you can find James Knipp on the sites below or better yet, buy the book and read "No Fun Joe".

For more information about the Philadelphia Writers Conference, visit www.pwcwriters.org

 

Jim Knipp's blog is www.knippknopp.com

James Knipp

jknipp5133@yahoo.com

http://knippknopp.wordpress.com/

                                    Now dear readers, it's Shelley Szajners turn to shine.



                                                               

1. Shelley, we are all so proud of you, and my first question is why did you enter the contest? 

A. I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to attend the PWC through a scholarship and at the same time test my skills as a writer. Through the many workshops that I’ve attended and articles I’ve read, it was stressed many times over that to get your writing chops, you had to put yourself out ‘there.’ And for me, the contest was the next logical step. Never having submitted any of my writing in a contest before, I discovered that I was a little apprehensive but also excited. I didn’t expect to win since there are so many talented writers in our group, although I was both surprised and delighted when I did.

 

2. Is this the first time going to the Philadelphia Writer’s Conference?

A. Yes. I was aware of the conference and heard many good things about it but never entertained the idea of going until I had learned about the contest. I was born in Philadelphia and have an affinity for this city, a city that should be honored for its important role in the birthing of our nation.

 

3. What do you hope to gain by going?

A. First and foremost, I hope to make some contacts as well as meet other writers and indulge in writing related events or workshops for three days. Secondly, I want to learn more about the craft of writing. Speaking of craft, when I first started out as a writer I didn’t have a clue as to what was involved. Writing great fiction or nonfiction requires an extensive knowledge of the craft. You can never seem to know enough. There is always more to learn! Of course, practice makes perfect, so along with craft, writing and more importantly, rewriting are the skill sets that will truly make your stories shine.

 

4. Tell us about the story you entered and why? Include a paragraph from the story.

A. Amenti is a short story that is essentially about the Grim Reaper, personified as the main character Amenti but with a twist. He wants to quit his job. The problem is that his bosses won’t let him out of the contract. Disaster ensues when Amenti doesn’t get his way. I chose this story because I thought it was intriguing and not my usual genre, which is middle grade and YA fiction.

 

Excerpt below:

 

The sound of children’s laughter from below the second story window broke the heavy silence as Amenti waited. He liked children. They were the least afraid of him and some even gave him the rarest of gifts—a smile, just before he took them into the land of night. Their flower blazed like a brilliant sun before it shot up through the tunnel and was gone. It contrasted with his own darkness, so complete, that literally nothing save the Flower of Fire could withstand his presence and not be eclipsed. Children had the brightest of flowers with the exception of the old ones who had fulfilled their ancient contracts and were free to leave, never to return again. He longed for that same freedom—no, he ached for it, would die for it even, but he, Amenti the Taker, the Shepherd of his flock could never die.

 

Thank you, Shelley, for taking the time to do this inteview and for sharing a part of the story that won the contest for you. If you're interested in seeing more of Shelley Szajner's writing style, please visit her site below or buy the book and read "The Feathered Messenger".

Shelley’s Blog
http://shelleyszajner.com