Post 43

Author: Nola Published: over 8 years ago
Tags: poetry, short stories, Glimpses of Light, anthology, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, blog tour Category: Blog tour

Glimpses of Light - Blog Tour - Stop 1

Conception to Birth

Earlier in the year, my good friend Jeanette (Jenny) O’Hagan approached me with a great idea.

‘Why don’t we put together an anthology of stories and poems to coincide with the International Year of Light?’

It didn’t take long for Jenny to convince me. The plan was to put out an open call through the Christian Writers Downunder Facebook group. Jenny and I would then assess all submissions and choose the best for the Glimpses of Light anthology, with all profits going to charity. We also had some guest judges on standby so that two people assessed each contribution, including those of the two editors. Two intense rounds of revisions ensued until all of the stories and poems were honed to the best they could be. This was followed by several rounds of proofreading and some behind-the-scenes wrangling with format and the nuances of CreateSpace and Amazon. Then with Christmas in sight and the International Year of Light almost over, our baby was born and launched into the big wide world on 17 December 2015!

The resulting collection was published through By the Light Books and contains ten fictional short stories, three creative nonfiction pieces, three examples of flash fiction and nine poems. Although all of the entries include some reference to light, there is much diversity in the themes and genres—fantasy, contemporary drama, science fiction, family issues, romance, humour, speculative fiction, pathos and regret, inspiration, faith and hope. We’re also thrilled that the profits will go to a worthy cause that fits perfectly with our theme—CBM Australia (formerly Christian Blind Mission International), bringing light and hope to those with disabilities.

As one of the editors, it was a joy to see the book come together. Special thanks to Jenny O’Hagan for her vision and all of her hard work behind the scenes to make the idea a reality. We’re also indebted to our guest judges and proofreaders, and of course our wonderful contributors who handled all of our pedantic suggestions and requests with grace and good humour.

How Can I Get a Copy?

The book is available from Amazon in both print and eBook versions.

Blog Tour Dates

Over the coming weeks, we’d like you to join us on a blog tour hosted by some of our contributors. It promises to be an exciting ride as we hear more about the authors, the inspiration behind their stories, the charity, and much more. There’ll also be prizes to win along the way. Here are the tour dates:

29 Dec - Paula Vince 05 Jan - Jo-Anne Berthelsen 08 Jan - Jeanette O’Hagan 12 Jan - Adam Collings 15 Jan - Charis Joy Jackson 19 Jan - Lynne Stringer 22 Jan - Mimi Emmanuel 26 Jan - Adele Jones 29 Jan - Josephine-Anne Griffiths

This Week’s Giveaway

On this stop of the tour, Tim and I would like to offer a giveaway of one hour of free services from The Write Flourish (i.e. editing, critiquing or proofreading). This could be a single one-hour service or the first hour of a longer job. In order to go into the random draw for the prize, just post a comment below that answers the question ‘What is your favourite genre and why?’ Please note that people involved with the anthology (contributors, judges or proofreaders) are not eligible for the prize, but are of course welcome to leave a comment. Overseas entrants are also welcome as the editing, critiquing or proofreading can be done online. The prize winner will be announced in the comment thread here and on our Facebook page for The Write Flourish next Tuesday 29 December. (N.B. If you haven’t commented on any of The Write Flourish blogs before, just click on the ‘sign up’ tab first to leave your name and email address).

Next Stop on the Tour

So sit back and enjoy the ride to our next destination where we visit with author, blogger and reviewer extraordinaire Paula Vince. Her novel, Picking up the Pieces won the religious fiction section of the International Book Awards in 2011, and Best Forgotten was winner of the CALEB prize the same year. Paula’s contribution to the Glimpses of Light anthology is a creative nonfiction piece entitled Moon People. You can read Paula’s reflections on 29 December. In the meantime, you might like to check out her website The Vince Review.

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Posted over 8 years ago by heartsease

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