Tuesday 1 October 2024

WEP Halloween Flash Fiction Special Challenge 2024, HORRORFEST!

XX

Welcome to the October 2024 Special Challenge 

for WEP - Write...Edit...Publish

October Horrorfest!




Hi, Denise here, announcing WEP is back to offer a flash fiction challenge for October. We didn't want to miss our Thrillfest month.



October is our month to celebrate speculative fiction, horror and paranormal, but as always no bar on any genre except erotica. But a little bit of scary can't hurt...

 This is the Horrorfest Challenge in which we ramp up the spook factor, welcoming your creepiest compositions, your most haunting and haunted tales running the gamut of paranormal, speculative, crime and horror genre. However, as always, there are no rigid rules. Feel free to write to any genre if those mentioned are not your thing. 



We can't go on without explaining what's been happening. As always, the WEP team have been facing some mountainous challenges. Early this year in April I didn't expect to have my son in Intensive Care for three months and a hospital ward for one month! Was the most trying time of my life. Thankfully, we got through it, but still face day to day struggle.

Meanwhile, we've had bi-monthly meet ups here, where we reported on what we've achieved and some of you dropped us a comment and link to give us your news. I want to thank the WEP team for writing my entry when I couldn't face opening my laptop.

The team was devastated with the loss of two of our original members, Sally Stackhouse after a struggle with liver cancer (her combined prose and poems will be sadly missed) and Nancy Williams who was finding much joy in writing as she battled health problems. RIP, ladies. We love and miss you.

There is a tribute page to Sally here:

https://sallystackhouse.muchloved.com/


Here's to you, Sally!


Will miss your writing, Nancy.

So, hey writers, welcome to our special challenge! Many of you have told us that you have been missing the inspiration of writing to a challenge, so here we are to challenge you to get your flash fiction writing mojo on and pen a thriller for October.  The October challenge has always been heaps of fun. Let's make this one the funniest ever! 

Post your entries to the Linkup from October 1 to 16, 2024


Remember to add a tagline which should take us to the heart of your story:

"A tagline is more like a catchphrase that conveys a feeling or a promise about the story. A tagline should be catchy, genre-focused, and intriguing."


We'd love it if you'd Tweet or post to FB or any social media site where you network! If you avoid social media, we totally get you.

 

WEP #writingprompt October 2024s "HORRORFEST" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2024/10/wep-halloween-flash-fiction-special.html Sign up & post-October 1-16! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Let's write for the October 2024 "HORRORFEST"@DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16@jemifraserhttps://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2024/10/wep-halloween-flash-fiction-special.html Sign up & post your entry October 1-16! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser for the Special Challenge of 2024, "HORRORFEST" Sign up and post your entry October 1-16. https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2024/10/wep-halloween-flash-fiction-special.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction. 


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Wishing you an amazing October.

Bring on the entries!


Who knows? Perhaps we'll see you in December! 

Sunday 1 September 2024

WEP's Got A Challenge Just for Halloween

 


Are you ready?

Thought we were caput didn't you?!!

Nope, just dealing with life's issues,

but we're ready once more.


For a NEW CHALLENGE!


It's coming up in October

Just in time for Halloween!

Write about what scares you.

Whether it ghosts, or goblins, or ghouls...

Or it's relationships, spiders, or snakes...

Maybe you fear tomorrow, or yesterday,

the past, or the future.

With so many fears, there's no reason

not to participate.

So we'll see you there!!!!


Post your masterpiece

    OCTOBER 1st through the 16th

Just affix your link and get ready for

some amazing writing!!!!!

Don't forget, comments count!

See you then with a link!







Thursday 1 August 2024

#5 WEP Get Together - August 2024

 


 Hi WEPpers and friends!

Already time for our fifth Get Together. And boy is life flashing by! Hit us with your news, writerly or personal. 


Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash


It's August, the year's more than half over and life hasn't quit throwing drama our way. We, the WEP admins have all dealt with changes, from health issues to family health issues, and major moves. So much so that blogging has taken a back seat to everything else. So if you don't get a personal report below, just know it's due to major life issues.

No changes have been made to the post, like adding a Linky to share personal posts. We may do that in the future, but for now please remember the Chat Box on the side and the comments section to add your links so others can follow.

Our paths are never easy, but we still wanted to touch base, so let us know what you're doing! We love hearing from you.


~*~

Here's what the WEP team has been up to:


Hello, hello, this is Nila with you...


To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson. 


Well, things haven't changed all that much since I last wrote here...same old same old, at least the change is so incremental that one hardly notices it. BUT the good thing is that it is changing, my vision is getting slowly better, though it is not 100% normal yet. 

  

Meanwhile, I've travelled to Munnar in the Western Ghats, at the extreme south west of India - misty, cool and magical after the heat and humidity of Kolkata.  Living in the rainless zones of the Middle East for the longest time has really taught me to appreciate the beauty and the blessings of rain. 


I've got back into blogging too, though I'm taking it easy for now with a fortnightly schedule rather than weekly. Last month, I also somehow managed to write a long ballad style poem, like I used to for my early entries for WEP, in spite of the chaos that life seems to be right now :) A real behemoth at 75+ lines, so that's some sort of achievement I guess. Gravitating back to my original modus operandi


I'm trying to be as much 'myself' as I can - being mindful of both the beauty and the not so beautiful on the journey, because I truly believe nothing goes waste. In a few years time, when the rough edges smooth out, it's all going to turn out a blessing. It will all add up. A path to being one's authentic self,  to some insight and maybe even inspiration. If not immediately, then sometime later. 


Eravikulam National Park, Kanan Devan Hills, near Munnar. 

I hope you are surrounded by beauty and inspiration, deferred or immediate, wherever you are. Keep writing and keep in touch!


~*~




Hello everyone! Renee here, and a bit late. Sorry about that!


August is bringing a number of changes for me. Sold my condo on the beach. So long beautiful pictures of the sunset and sunrise over the ocean. But hurricanes scare the hell out of me, so back to safer lands. We just bought a home in Pennsylvania. This is the third time I've returned to my home state. And they say you can never go home!



***

And I've been blessed to continue my editing business. Thank you Jemi! Your books rock! 

Please hit me up if you need help, especially with adding conflict, red herrings, etc.

Click here for a Developmental Edit

All prices are negotiable!!!!

~*~

Hi all! Renee reporting for Denise, again. 

Denise wanted me to let you know she is still busy caring for Clarke and she's working to get him home. Soon she says. Also, she wanted me to add this picture:

Please keep her and Clarke in your prayers.


The best news is she plans to be back to 
writing and blogging by October if not sooner. 
She's invited us to all write a flash 
in honor of the month of October!
Join us, please!!!
More information to come...

~*~

Hi from Jemi...

Hi everyone. Thanks so much for the kind words and virtual hugs over our loss. Our little guy was the biggest part of our lives and he is greatly missed.

On the writing front, I'm just starting to access the creative part of my brain again. One step, one breath, one moment at a time.

cover of No Love Lost
I've had a couple of releases in the last months. I'm glad I never put up a preorder until the draft is in the hands of my editor or ready for that step. Both those releases (No Going Back, No Bed Of Roses) were uploaded and ready to go before our tragedy struck.

With Renée's help (if you need a fabulous editor, look no further!), I've got my next release ready to go for Aug 20th. This one is book 5 in the No Fail Heroes series and I can't wait for it to be out in the world.

First loves, broken hearts, family sabotage, found family, and (of course!) a Happily Ever After! If you like small-town romance with a splash of danger, check it out here!

I hope you're all doing well and treasuring those happy moments.


~*~

Hello everyone! Sonia here.

I've had an adventurous summer with a lot of travel and some writing. I visited my home town, Shimla, after some years. Even at the risk of sounding cliched, I'd like to say that it was like a breath of fresh air after a long and tiring 2023. Meanwhile, my son has been preparing to start college, and we've been busy packing stuff for his new life in a different city. We are travelling as I write this.
On the writing front, I was fortunate to be shortlisted for the Rama Mehta Writing Retreat in Udaipur. It was a wonderful experience with a lot of learning (nuances of short story writing) in very good company. I also have a flash fiction in the July edition of Mean Pepper Vine. You may read it here. In more good news, one of my my stories that had been getting rejections for the past two years, has been accepted for an upcoming anthology titled My India, My Gods. 
All this has kept me away from blogging but I hope I can post something on the blog soon. Here is a picture of the retreat in Udaipur where we stayed for the four-day workshop.




Until we meet again, wishing you all well, and happy writing!
 

~*~

Hello everyone! Olga here.

I don't have much to report, except my experience with the book cover for Pat Garcia. Now that her story is published, I can talk about it. I'm proud of that cover. Collaborating on the ebook cover with Pat was fascinating. Here is the link to the ebook cover image: 
You could find the story on Amazon (link below).
Even more challenging was making the paperback cover, which includes 3 elements: front, back, and spine. This was the first time I have ever done that. We exchanged quite a few emails until I arrived at the correct size and format. Pat was very helpful.





~*~


That's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts. 

Jemi and Sonia for the team...



See you in October!

Saturday 1 June 2024

#4 WEP GET TOGETHER - JUNE 2024 - An Opportunity to Share!


 Hi WEPpers and friends!

Already time for our fourth Get Together. And boy is life flashing by! Hit us with your news, writerly or personal. 

It's June, the year's almost half over and life hasn't quit throwing drama our way. We, the WEP admins have all dealt with changes, from health issues to family health issues, and major moves. So much so that blogging has taken a back seat to everything else. So if you don't get a personal report below, just know it's due to major life issues.

No changes have been made to the post, like adding a Linky to share personal posts. We may do that in the future, but for now please remember the Chat Box on the side and the comments section to add your links so others can follow.

Our paths are never easy, but we still wanted to touch base, so let us know what you're doing! We love hearing from you.

Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash

~*~

Here's what the WEP team has been up to:


Hello, hello, this is Nila with you...

       Gosh! I’ve been away the longest time I ever have since I started blogging - a whole entire month!

The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. Bertrand Russell.

Half this year's nearly over, and well, the blurry vision issues are still ongoing. Life has generously handed me sundry other lemons as well to make lemonade with 😊… Hopefully, my wits are growing sharper, and hopefully, the inner vision crisps up in direct proportion to the fuzziness of the outer one.  

While I've waited for things to get better,  I have -  participated in my own version of the A-Z challenge in April. I've also written a dozen plus poems, collated some of my linked flashes into the final form short story and written down ideas for two more. I've tidied up my blog a bit. So...not a complete waste of time.  

I've got to admit though, WEP prompts and my own schedule of posting at the blog kept me disciplined and regular, I miss that.  Regular writing is also a way of sharpening the wits, a much pleasanter one comparatively. Hope  I can get back to that regularity soon.

Meanwhile, I'm wishing you magical things revealing themselves near you. Keep writing and keep in touch!

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

~*~

Hello everyone! Renee here.


Hey, here's hoping your June is the beginning of new adventures. I'm looking forward to the changes coming into my life with a little trepidation.  
But isn't that the way with change? You never know what the future holds, but here's to the unknown and the opportunities that come with change. 
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

I love positive thoughts, so here are a few for you:


"Every day the clock resets. Your wins don't matter. Your failures don't matter. Don't stress on what was, fight for what could be." -Sean Higgins

 "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new" -Socrates

 "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." -Barack Obama

"When you're finished changing, you're finished." -Benjamin Franklin

***

The one thing I'm most proud of these last few months is the editing I do for others. Please hit me up if you need help, especially with adding conflict, red herrings, etc.

Click here for a Developmental Edit

All prices are negotiable!!!!

~*~

Hi all! Renee reporting for Denise . 

Denise wanted me to let you know she's been helping to care for her son Clarke. He's been in intensive care for 8 weeks, and she hasn't opened a laptop in that time. There just isn't time for anything else...

Please keep her and Clarke in your prayers.
Photo by Nik on Unsplash


~*~

And again, Renee reporting for Jemi...


Jemi is dealing with a personal loss. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.













~*~

Hello everyone! Sonia here.

Relocating isn't such an adventure, or is it! Well, it feels wonderful to be adding my bit to the WEP get-together, because I've been away from blogging for two long months. I've moved to a new city and state and taking my time to settle down. But I hope to 'break this break' and restart soon. 
Meanwhile, I managed to take out time to edit an old flash fiction and it's out there now, looking for a home. In the month of March, I submitted a short story for a Writing Grant, the results of which are expected by the middle of this month. I can certainly do with lots of good wishes!
Some of our members have been facing a difficult time and I wish them lots of strength as they deal with it. As they say, this too shall pass. 
While I was away from writing, I took out time to walk around the new city and indulge in a little photography. So, here's something from my camera roll. 


Until we meet again, wishing you all well, and happy writing!
 

~*~

Hello everyone! Olga here.

I recently designed a cover for a story by one of our most loyal members. Not sure I should reveal it for her here before she publishes her story, but I'll definitely do it afterward, with a link to Amazon. It was very satisfactory to work on her cover with her.

Let me know if you're interested in cover design. I'd love to work with you!


Photo by Edho Pratama on Unsplash


~*~


That's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts. 

Renee for the team...



See you in August!


Sunday 31 March 2024

#3 WEP GET TOGETHER - APRIL 2024 - IT'S THE A - Z CHALLENGE!


 Hi WEPpers and friends!

Already time for out third Get Together. Life is flashing by! Hit us with your news, writerly or personal. We'd love to hear from you.

And from now on, we're moving to bi-monthly posts. See you in June!

Seeing it's April, all long-term bloggers know it's time for the A - Z Challenge, currently captioned by our very own JLenni Dorner. I've asked JLenni to give us the rundown on the 2024 challenge. Here's what he sent me:


#AtoZChallenge 2024 badge


The ONLY way to officially sign-up for the 2024 April Blogging from A to Z Challenge is by filling out the Google form on the website from now until April 7. More information is available on the site.

The point of the #AtoZChallenge is both to test yourself to create 26 posts using and inspired by the letter of the day on Mondays thru Saturdays in April, as well as to "hop" to as many other blogs in the challenge and leave comments on the A to Z posts found there. This grows our blogging community and creates connections.

If you're looking to increase your blog traffic, grow the blogging community, and maybe learn something or enjoy a fun story, please consider joining us.

The A to Z team is focusing the http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com blog on blogging positivity and blogging your best life/blog.

~*~


Now moving onto what the WEP team have been up to:

Hello, writers! This is Nila with you.

Just logging in here cheers me up. Gosh, I can't believe a quarter of 2024 is already over! - can you? March is cusp season - always a good time to take stock. 


The good bits first -  I've already spent 3 weeks of these 12 weeks travelling. Including  places I've never been to before, both in and out of India. So that takes care of 'go someplace new, learn something new' - my non-resolution for every new year for decades now. 


Migratory birds at a river island in the Ganges at Kanpur.
An important industrial city in North India. First settlement
here goes back to the 13th century. Alexander MacRoberts 
set up the first textile mill here in late 19th century. Kanpur
was also a major centre in the 1857 Indian Uprising and the 
place of the infamous 'Cawnpore Massacre.'


Now for the bad and the ugly - I came back from Lucknow early this month and caught some ghastly virus which gleefully attached itself to the operated eye and scared the bejeezus out of me. Long story short, it was a serious setback so I'm still running round to the eye surgeons' and dealing with a tsunami of eyedrops and blurry vision and limited screen time. No end in sight, pardon another bad pun. 

Not sure if I will be able to make the A-Z this year, though I can't imagine not doing it either. Maybe I'll do a shadow version like I did in 2022,  flying blind and joining in as and when able.


Therefore, all that I blithely said about returning in March with supersharp vision and a different, deeper perspective, well...hah! the gods heard and they fell off their celestial seats laughing. I should have known better...Maybe the inner eye is a tad keener, who knows? certainly not me - but for sure the outer has a long way to go still. Patience has never been my strong suite and it seems to be at a particularly low ebb right now. 

However, as the proverb goes - a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. One step at a time. One day at a time. I'll get there, unlikely sooner, so...later. 

Meanwhile, you guys keep well, keep writing and keep in touch! 


~*~

Hello everyone! Renee here.

Happy Spring / Fall, everyone. Here we’re seeing more of the sun, fewer gray days and all those lovely flowers are wonderful. The pollen, though, I could live without, but it’s part of the process, isn’t it? So, if you see me out and about, I’ll be wearing a face mask. I’ve found it does wonders for keeping the sneezes away, and I’m all for that. Tax season is almost over, too, and I’m thrilled, except that I haven’t done my own yet. This is odd, as I normally have it done by the end of February. Talk about not being on the ball this year.

I’ve done little to no writing this month, which greatly bothers me, but I hope to make up for that in the months after the tax season.

To end my short post, I’ll leave you with this quote: 

“Believe in yourself, and your dreams will dance towards you!”


~*~

Hi all! Denise here. My month ...:
Well, yippee, we are finally having some autumn weather after a very rough, hot summer which never seemed to end. But it's raining non-stop, so we're all looking forward to bright, sunny weather again!

One thing I haven't mentioned, is that I'm going all out brushing up on my French via Duolingo since last July. It's fun. Takes time though.

Of course the cooler weather helps with writing and I've grabbed every chance I can to print out my complete ms of Angelique's Paris Cookery School (102,000+ words) and self-edit, try to cut etc. Will be ready for Renee soon. (UPDATE - down to 101, 300+)




As my ms nears completion, my mind is on marketing. Due to family situations, I've completely neglected marketing, and any published writer knows without a large fan base, any book relies on marketing to be noticed amongst Amazon's 23 million books available to buy. 

Marketing changes all the time. I'm ready to give up on Amazon marketing for everything except for those free days as it changes constantly and is so confusing. I follow a lot of excellent Facebook marketing groups and I'm writing down ideas as they come to light. That way, I'm up to the minute. My plan is to market from release date. See how that goes. I'm such a plod when it comes to writing speed, it may be months yet.

I just bought a book on Social Media marketing, which is where the action is these days:


Let's face it, if writing is your business you need all the help you can get!



And the time has come to go to my cover artist who illustrated my Paris Dreams cover. I'm going to hire her for new covers for my paranormal series (which were created by Fiverr) and for my two new novels. I enjoy this aspect of self-publishing even though it takes so many run-throughs to get it right. 




I'm hoping for something more like this ABOVE for my vampire series, although I'm going with different colored roses. I thought readers would be interested in the Renaissance/medieval theme so that is what my covers represent, but even though I have had millions of 'impressions' on Amazon ads, no click throughs on covers like this which I liked:

 





Ah, self-publishing means try, try, try again until you hit it!

Any luck with marketing?
Any suggestions?

~*~

Hi everyone! Jemi here 😊
It's almost spring here in Northern Ontario! We were down to no snow in February/early March, but then winter returned. We'll see if April can get things smoothed out.

In book news, the No Fail Heroes series is almost here. Book #1, No Good Deed, releases on April 16th. If you like small-town romances with suspense, this one might be for you. The dog Piper rescues is on of my favourite characters ever. Oreo is a total charmer. Barnes and Noble selected No Good Deed as a Top Indie Favorite!

With a surname like his, Troy Phail has learned to do whatever it takes to succeed, but growing his town is out of his experience. He hires an urban planner for two weeks to help him. The sweet and sexy planner turns out to be brilliant—and exactly the kind of woman Troy has dreamed about. When danger from her past threatens, Troy will do anything to keep her safe. Failure is not an option.

If you'd like to read the prequel to the series, sign up for my newsletter to read No Chance In Hell. Happy April, everyone!

~*~

Hello everyone! Sonia here.

It's summer time in Delhi and the mercury is rising. I am busy packing the house, because I am moving to a new Indian state and city. It will be much warmer than Delhi and am I ready to brave it out! But I'm looking forward to the move. The city of Jodhpur is quieter and slow compared to the capital, and I think it might work for my writing.

On the writing front, I have few submission-ready poems and a short story, that I've been slowly working on over the last two months and I am going to squeeze some time into my busy schedule to submit them. I am glad that I could discipline myself to write a little on most days in March, and hope it continues to be like this for the rest of the year. 

If you'd like to listen to me recite a poem, I have one on the blog by Edgar A. Guest titled, It Couldn't Be Done. I'm sure you'll come back inspired. Here's a picture from last month, a stubborn story of resilience that finds a mention in this post.



Enjoy the sunny April days, until we meet next time. 

~*~

Hello everyone! Olga here.

No news here. I haven't even been writing anything, except one article for my newspaper. 
As to the A - Z post, Not sure. I can't come up with anything from the letters JLenni gave us. Plus the theme of blogging. If anyone comes up with anything, I might be able to expand. Otherwise, I'll pass. 



UPDATE: Have had an aha moment. Inspiration hit! Will do the A - Z post JLenni asked for.

Can't wait to read your news in the post, ladies.

~*~



That's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts. 


Denise for:




See you in June!