History is the imagination’s oldest fodder.

I’ve always been fascinated by the past: documentaries about ships mysteriously vanishing without a trace, war letters packed with voice and personality, and biographies of survival against all odds. Especially as a fantasy writer, I deeply appreciate true and curious events because sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction and this week I brushed up against two strange histories. Not on the internet. Not in a book. In my own, real, every day life.

But before tell you about it, I wanted to quickly highlight this book by the amazing Anna McKenzie, I Wanted to Tell You Something: Fairytales which is now out in paperback! It’s filled with easy-to-read modern fairytales and over two dozen beautiful black-and-white illustrations that bring the story to life.

Premise:

“The day after my 18th birthday, someone put a spell on me.”

A young maiden finds herself in the worst possible situation: cursed to wander the woods and wastes of fairyland until a stranger speaks her name. As she undertakes her perilous journey, she meets a host of wayfarers and creatures with their own intentions, from a talking fox to giants, trolls, wood elves, fairies, billy goats, knights, and a particularly malicious piper.

From the stormy seas to the great Void of the North, this sweeping story will enchant fairytale lovers from middle grade readers to adults, revealing gems of wisdom that transform the young maiden’s heart and attitude as she desperately searches for a way to break her spell. But will everything she learns be enough to set her free?

Click here to get your copy

Scandal, hoax, or truth?

Okay, back to the two things that happened to me this week. To lay the groundwork, I need to tell you about my house.

In 1923, my city’s funeral director commissioned an architect to design a “modern” home for himself and his family. He was a respected member of several clubs and societies, as well as a deacon at the local church. One newspaper reported that he was: “well liked by all.”

I’ve looked up his picture online, studied the original blue prints in my basement with his name on them, and I feel a strange fondness for this man whose vision for this house, a century ago, resulted in my family living here today.

Last week, I was unloading my car in my driveway when a Colonel Sanders doppelgänger approached me and introduced himself as “the boy who used to live across the street” — meaning in the 1950s.

He was friendly and we chatted for a bit. I asked questions about what the neighborhood was like back then and eventually the topic circled around to my house. He got a funny look on his face that I was immediately suspicious of.

“Mrs. Thomas was quite the characters. She was a funny lady. Full of energy. And Mr. Thomas, well, there was quite the scandal there.” He paused and his eyes twinkled at me with an asking-me-to-ask look.

But I was not about to ask for the nitty-gritty gossip surrounding this place where I now live and move and grind my coffee beans, thank-you-very-much. No sir, if you think I’m going to take the bait you will find yourself sorely disappointed. Despite the fact that my eyeballs were blinking a morse code for him to S-T-O-P, he was determined.

“Oh, yes.” His nodded, his eyes still sparkling like something was funny. “Quite the scandal.”

Read more

When I was nineteen, I read a NYT bestselling memoir. The story was shocking, harrowing, and unputdownable. I remember telling a close, speed-reader friend of mine how “well-written” it was. Intrigued, she immediately went and read it. She came back to report that yes, it was gripping, but it wasn’t well-written. I thought this was a bit of a snobbish remark because, well, is was written by a bestselling author with a successful career as a journalist for the New York Times, so she had to be good at writing—right?

In the following years, after reading more broadly, particularly the classics, my tastes elevated and I concluded that my friend was right. That memoir was decently written, but it wasn’t astonishing. At the time, I didn’t have the repertoire to judge the difference between a compelling page-turner and well-written prose.

But what constitutes “good writing”? Does good writing come down to voice and aesthetic? Or clarity and minimalism? What is that chef’s kiss ingredient that makes the prose just so *pinches fingers and relaxes eyelids* mmm-hmm? This is a difficult question to answer because good writing is found in a variety of styles, voices, and expressions. But often good writing is just one of those things that one begins to recognize intuitively rather than filtering it through a rigid set of rules. It’s one of those you-know-it-when-you-see-it type things.

Of course, writing is also story i.e. characters, setting, plot, and themes, but I’m specifically referring to prose here. I do think there are methods to determine the merit of a story itself, though I will not be touching on that today. That is a feast of a topic deserving of a series. This essay is more like grapefruit: fresh, bite-size, compartmentalized, and creatively healthful.

The Two Types of Prose

There are two primary styles of prose writing: transparent prose and stained glass prose. Now if you’ve been subscribed here for a while, you may be aware that I occasionally share rants opinions about stuff and things (and the stuff I dislike I stuff inside the things) but on this topic specifically, I’m actually not going to pick a side because I truly love both.

I read articles and skimmed several forums in preparation for this essay and what I found fascinating is that few sources seemed to agree upon which style is more literary or more commercial. The contradicting opinions were quite funny. One said this, the next said that, so really, does anyone have the answer? It’s my take that both styles have existed for centuries and both have found their way into literary and commercial fiction for different reasons. One is not better or more deserving of acclaim than the other because regardless of style, it still comes down to that je ne sais quo of the writing itself.

Transparent Prose

Transparent prose—sometimes called invisible or windowpane prose—is the idea that prose should read like a clear window by which the reader is peering through at the unfolding story. Stylistic choice does not distract, the sentences need no adornment, and description is kept to a minimum.

“Transparent” authors include: Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Marie Pope, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, and Elizabeth George Speare.

Examples:

For reasons unfathomable to most of the experienced prophets in Maycomb County, autumn turned to winter that year. — Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances. ― Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express

Jim said that bees won’t sting idiots, but I didn’t believe that, because I tried them lots of times myself and they wouldn’t sting me. ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Beavers and the children didn’t know what to do or say when they saw him...for when they tried to look at Aslan’s face, they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn’t look at him and went all trembly. — C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Notice the minimalism and perfect word choice: “experienced prophets,” “sting idiots.” This honest, straightforward use of language invites me to sit close to these characters, to hear their unadorned thoughts and the inflections in their voices. There is a spellbinding simplicity in the prose here.

Another author who is often praised for his transparent prose is Brandon Sanderson, and here I fail to celebrate along with the masses. Sanderson’s prose is transparent, yes, but its also repetitive and lacks the minimalism and voice that make transparent prose appealing to me. Transparent prose is utilitarian and economical. Sanderson’s prose is neither. What he communicates in one paragraph is reiterated again and again across his massive tomes in ways that feel both excessive and skimmable. This overindulgence draws my attention to the author rather than deflects it. So yes, Sanderson uses transparent prose, but perhaps not to great effect, because he misses key aspects of writing strong transparent prose.

Potential Pitfalls:

1. Overly simplistic sentences. “…the completely transparent windowpane lies the danger of overly simplistic language that challenges no one, reminiscent of Dick and Jane with its monotonous repetition and simplicity: Jane said, ‘Look at Spot. Look at Spot run. Funny Spot.’” — Amber A. Logan, Midwest Romance Writers

2. Telling too much and not showing enough. Readers don’t want to be told everything the character is thinking and feeling; they still want subtext.

Stained Glass

I love visiting old cathedrals. The art, symbolism, and beauty found in the architecture draws my thoughts to things higher than myself, inviting revelation, and quiet contemplation. The term “stained glass prose” is well named because the language is often inviting something deeper within the reader. This style is known for being intricate, lyrical, descriptive, and aesthetically focused. It is the style of symbolism and metaphor which allows the reader to feel the language rather than specifically stating the feeling.

“Stained glass” authors: Dodie Smith, Ursula K. Le Guin, Gene Wolfe, Maggie Stiefvater, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Examples:

Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new. ― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven

In the middle of all this, as Sean slips out of his jacket, he looks over his shoulder at me and he smiles at me, just a glancing, faint thing before he turns back to Tommy. I'm quite happy for that smile, because Dad told me once you should be grateful for the gifts that are the rarest. ― Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races

Books are the mirrors of the soul. ― Virginia Woolf, Between the Acts

He sounded faintly sad. Perhaps he finds beauty saddening — I do myself sometimes. Once when I was quite little I asked father why this was and he explained that it was due to our knowledge of beauty’s evanescence, which reminds us that we ourselves shall die. Then he said I was probably too young to understand him; but I understood perfectly.― Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

Notice how the language tends more toward emotion and imagery here. Likening bread to love, smiles to gifts, beauty to sadness. Stained glass prose paint a picture of emotion through the senses.

Can you do both?

Most authors have a primary style that is knit into the fabric of their authorial voice but I think there’s room to dip ones toe into a different style if the narrative calls for it. Elizabeth George Speare mostly writes in transparent prose, but here is a passage from her book, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which feels quite stained glass to me:

The maple tree in front of the doorstep burned like a gigantic red torch. The oaks along the roadway glowed yellow and bronze. The fields stretched like a carpet of jewels, emerald and topaz and garnet. Everywhere she walked the color shouted and sang around her. The dried brown leaves crackled beneath her feet and gave off a delicious smoky fragrance. No one had ever told her about autumn in New England. The excitement of it beat in her blood. Every morning she woke with a new confidence and buoyancy she could not explain. In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible. ― Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond

I was writing stained glass prose before I knew it had a name. When I started drafting my fantasy series with both male and female dual POV, I tried to make the prose in the MMC’s chapters lean more transparent and the FMC’s more stained glass. Overall the style was still stained glass (because that’s just my voice and compulsory in a way I can’t help) but it was an intentional decision on my part to give the MMC less metaphor and sensory language to reflect his inner world in a way that felt authentic to his character.

Potential Pitfalls:

1. Purple prose. Where the author is so swept up in the beauty of the language that the prose is flowery verbosity.

2. Too much showing. The author draws attention to themselves with unnecessary detail and metaphor the readers neither wants nor needs.

Stained Glass Prose

The following are examples kindly submitted for this essay by my author friends.

YA Fantasy
Taking the path that wound by the pond and edged the woods, I tried to focus on my promising future far from Windwick. The nearer I grew to the cottage, however, the more surprised I was by my body’s reaction. My pulse slowed as if drugged. This place held an enchantment in its roots, enticing me to forget what was at stake if I stayed. — Emily Barnett, A Work-in-Progress

YA Contemporary

The sky is cloudless when black stars explode. No, not stars—birds. Hundreds gather in a unit, swirling in their own gravity, morphing in rhythm with each other before breaking apart and scattering, turning into shrapnel against the fiery fabric of the sky. - Hannah Stone, Erase the Empty Sky releasing May 2026

Transparent Prose

Adult Epic Fantasy

Boyer wasn’t certain about much in life, but he knew for a fact that the man standing before him was going to die. It would be easy, really. A flick or two of his knife and years of carefully contrived apathy is all it would take. Boyer had lost count of how many bodies he’d dropped since the age of fourteen, and it’d been a long twenty-one years since he’d sold his soul to the dragon-god of death. — Anne J. Hill, Thorn Tower, an upcoming debut

Upmarket Contemporary Fiction

Stefanie put Sebastian in the baby carrier facing out and did some laundry. Then she lugged his bouncy chair into the bathroom, strapped him in, and took the quickest of showers, talking to him the whole time so he wouldn’t cry. After her shower, she took Sebastian in the living room for tummy time, hurriedly washed a few dishes, and then it was time to pick up Juniper from pre-school.

As she snapped his car seat into its base, Stefanie traced her finger down Sebastian’s little nose. “I love you, my sweet special boy,” she whispered. “I’m sorry we have to go in the car. I know you don’t like it.” He gazed up at her and gurgled. “Ga-ga-g.”

“Can you say Mama?” she asked in the singsong voice that came out of her without her even meaning for it to. “Ma-ma-ma? Ma-ma-ma?”

“Ba-ba,” he offered, and she smiled at him. — Eva Langston, A Work-in-Progress

Chat with me in the comments!

Have you heard of transparent or stained glass prose before? Which do you prefer to read and/or write? I’d love to know your thoughts!

P.S. If you’re interested in some actionable tips on how to polish your prose see my recent essays: The Seven Deadly Sins of Prose Writing (and How to Write More Heavenly Sentences) and How to Writer Better Sensory Description.

Light,

Bethany

I understand why some authors find their niche in retellings. Psychologically these stories draw us in because we want to see our expectations contradicted, subverted, made new. In a reimagining, Peter Pan can become the villain, or Belle might role-swap with the Beast. There are also Easter eggs to hunt for and the whole thing feels a bit like a game. The market was strong for retellings for a long time because it capitalizes on an already existing fanbase (an easy sell) and there’s a pitch-ability factor that agents love. It’s much easier to say your book is like something immediately familiar than to say how standout or unusual it is.

Personally, I’ve always been drawn to original stories.

I don’t say this to undercut the merit of retellings or the authors who are in this wheelhouse—I’m actually friends with several of them. But when I open a book, I don’t want a redressed, more clever rendition of something familiar. I don’t want the shadow of some preconceived idea about what that character should be, or how this iteration is different from another, hanging over me. I want to unwrap the story like one might a birthday present: completely ready to be surprised by what’s inside.

Confession: I’m a bit extreme when it comes to my need to be surprised. I never read the full blurb and if a friend is pitching me the book, I usually plug my ears and yell, “You had me at: ‘man wakes up on a ship in outer space and doesn’t remember who he is’! Say no more. I’m buying and reading it—asap!”

I’m equally picky about the stories I choose to tell. When I start a new manuscript, I want to build a world, a magic system, and a family dynamic I haven’t read before. I’m not trying to be original for originality’s sake, or reject popular tropes because they are popular, its more that, if something has been done already, I just have no desire to explore it—even if it’s in a new way.

But a recent discussion with some writers on Substack, made me look at this issue a little more closely and caused me to question if maybe even original stories aren’t as original as we might think.

It all started when I shared this story in a Note…

Summary: About twelve years ago, I had a very odd experience with a beta reader. In her in-doc comments of my manuscript, she wrote things like, “This is such a great metaphor, I’m going to use it in my book” and “I love this description, I’m going to find a way to use this.”

This irked me so I wrote her a kind but firm email saying that I don’t allow other authors to use my words in their own books.

She responded by saying that she wasn’t going to copy me, just “use it in a different way.”

This was also strange to me as I’d never considered “using in a different way” the metaphors of even my favorite authors, much less those who trust me to beta read. In my mind, those beautiful prose belonged to them and who am I to assume I might cherry pick them for my own uses? Sufficient to say, I never let her beta read for me again, though we remained writing acquaintances afterward.

After posting this Note, I got such an interesting mix of comments. Some shared my mystification, others told me that authors have been stealing from other authors since the dawn of papyrus. A few quoted a line that a quick Google search revealed is attributed to T. S. Elliot:

At first this seemed like one of those quotes that sounds clever but holds little meaning but now I think I understand its intention. When you borrow something, it still belongs to someone else and you don’t have permission to alter the original. What this phrase suggests is you should take inspiration from other art but then make it so completely your own it is no longer belongs to the original owner. I agree inspiration can be found anywhere and the stories we love can deeply affect our own art, but I still don’t have the desire to “steal” anything from a pre-existing work.

Influence versus Inspiration

Perhaps I’m being a stickler about this but since your already here, let’s get into it: I think there’s a difference between influence and “stealing.” While stealing, or taking inspiration from existing art is intentional, influence is inescapable. I’ve been influenced by my parents, by Midwest American culture (hospitality, hot dish, and long goodbyes in that order, you betcha), by my big, loud Lebanese side of the family, and my brilliant-but-terrible-at-communication dad’s side of the family. Influence is like a marinade—we soak up the sauces we’re sitting in. If influence is what we are talking about here, then yes, everyone is influenced simply because they were born because everyone starts with ingredients they didn’t invent. Language, family, culture, other people’s ideas are just the starting point of being human. So influence isn’t some special condition—it’s a default. From this default comes our voice, our particular sound on the page, and the themes we can’t stop chasing across manuscripts. Influence is the driver behind authors writing what they know. Mark Twain’s work was heavily influenced by his upbringing in Hannibal, Missouri along the Mississippi River and the works of Herodotus, William Dean Howells, and the poetry of Robert Browning (2).

My writing has been influenced by Shakespeare, Tennyson, George MacDonald and more contemporary authors such as C.S. Lewis, Dodie Smith, Elizabeth George Spear, and Elizabeth Marie Pope.

I also catch myself writing stories with sibling bonds because my sisters and I are close, so writing sibling banter and siblings supporting siblings is something that feels authentic to me. But it’s my faith has been the single greatest influence in my writing. Even though I write general market fiction, Jesus is the lens through which I see the world and my place in it. It would be inauthentic for me to write outside of the themes and truth that I have built my life upon. It’s how the psalmist put it, “For with thee is the fountain of life: In thy light shall we see light.”

Is Original Story a Myth?

Some authors I follow have said that original stories don’t exist anymore—that everything has been said already. And okay, I can mostly accept that because its intended to be a kind of pessimistic encouragement to authors who run up against vemödalen.

Vemödalen - A fairly modern word coined to describe frustration of photographing something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist.(1)

I don’t know how official this word is yet, but it’s useful because this feeling is real for the writer too. I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me. I’ll be working on a novel that I think is so standout only to read the premise of some bestseller and my mouth goes dry. I’ll borrow said book from the library and read it with shaking fingers only to discover that, okay, they share maybe two or three concepts, but the plot, characters, and themes are so different they aren’t even the same story.

“Sure, it's been done before. But not by you. And not for us.” - Seth Godin

Four million books were published in 2025 (this staggering number is likely caused by generative AI books flooding the market, ugh). And with this number climbing, we are going to see more and more story concepts that converge with our own. But it’s important to remember that your unique thoughts, perspective, experiences, and voice are what make your story original

And on the topic of originality—I think there’s still room for the modern author to innovate. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that Tolkien essentially invented the fantasy genre. Sure his elves, dwarves, and goblins were creatures of fairy tales prior, but the scale and lore of fantasy is far more expansive than that of time-worn fairy tales, and therefore, has carved out a genre of its own.

So here’s my question:

Did Tolkien “steal” or did he create something new? At what point can we concede that something preexisting has been innovated to such a degree that it’s nearly unrecognizable from its origin? And if so, is there still room for the modern author to do the same?

Read more

Edited by Kayla | Alchemy Editorial

There’s nothing that gives me the chills like a bit of good dialogue. I love it. The banter, the arguments, those moments where both characters are withholding their secrets. I love when it feels sharp and crackles with wit and nuance.

But what makes great dialogue? What is that secret ingredient? Why do some stories completely immerse us while others feel like we’re watching a middle school class play where the lines are shouted to us in monotone?

Dialogue is so much more than characters simply communicating. Rarely, if ever, does it imitate real life. Don’t get me wrong, it lends to the illusion of real life, but in the end, immersive, convincing dialogue is pure art.

Hemingway’s Theory of Omission

If you haven’t heard of Hemingway’s “iceberg theory,” it goes like this: one-eighth of the story is obvious and sits above the surface, while the remaining seven-eighths exists in the subtext.

“If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water.” —Earnest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon

Subtext is the heart-blood of great dialogue.

It is what sits beneath the surface of what is actually said. Subtext is the hidden want (or secret) characters withhold from each other. Subtext is the threat a character feels when his desires come into conflict with another’s. Subtext is found in the avoidance of eye contact, the uncomfortable pause before answering, or even a seemingly innocuous question posed early in the story only to later be understood as significant.

Subtext is the favorite child of Show-Don’t-Tell.

*Now, I actually think there are six elements that go into great dialogue but I’m just going to focus on subtext and Hemingway’s iceberg theory today—let me know in the comments if you’d like to see the rest.

KPop Demon Hunters

Spoiler alert! Scroll to the next subheading if you don’t want spoilers for this movie.

Whether you loved it or hated it, KPop Demon Hunters does some amazing things with subtext. It’s the quickest example I can give because, let’s be honest, most of you have seen it. There’s this great part in the movie where Jinu tells Rumi about his past as a human. In the middle of his narrative, his voice hitches almost imperceptibly when he comes to the word “family.” It’s only during the dark night of the soul portion of the movie, when he tells the same story again from a different angle, that we understand why that particular word caused his voice to hitch: the first time he told the story, he lied.

Young Sherlock

Another example to illustrate this idea is found in Amazons new show, Young Sherlock. There’s a moment where Sherlock suspects a killer. Instead of saying outright, “I know you killed ______.” He says, “Do you enjoy it?” The suspect, who happens to be an entomologist, responds, “Do I enjoy what?” Sherlock says, “Watching the butterflies as they die?”

How to Step Up Your Dialogue

Natural sounding dialogue may not come easily to you. That’s okay. I recommend trying drills like the one I’ve created below. First, write a paragraph where emotions are obvious and characters say exactly what they mean and want. Then shave it down to allow the reader to interpret what it means. Experiment with a few drafts, sinking the tip of the iceberg deeper in the water until you like the result.

Non-Iceberg Example:

“Good morning, dear, how did you sleep last night?” Joe asked, glancing up from his news app as his wife, Jane, walked into the kitchen.

“I didn’t sleep well,” Jane responded, opening the cupboard to retrieve a coffee mug. “I dreamed my mother was in the hospital. I think I need to drive down to Kimmswick tomorrow to see her.”

Joe frowned. “It was just a dream. Why don’t you just call her? It would be simpler than spending the day in the car.”

“I know that,” Jane agreed. “But the dream made me feel nervous, like it was warning me. What if there’s something wrong with her? What if she needs me? I need to see her for myself.”

As a happily married person who has had conversations like the one above—I approve this message. But as a reader, this grates on me because it’s boring. Why? There’s no subtext. So let’s have another go.

Iceberg Example:

“Morning.” Joe glanced up from his morning doom scroll as Jane shuffled into the kitchen in her limp bathrobe. “Long night?”

“You could say that,” Jane admitted, opening a cupboard door before pausing to look out the window at the falling snow. “I had the oddest dream.”

Joe pinched the side button on his phone, and the photo of the mangled eight-car pileup on I-94 disappeared to off-screen black. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Jane remained at the window, watching a wren peck from her bird feeder. Had she heard his question?

“I…no. I—I need to pack.”

“Pack?”

“I’m going to visit my mother.” Jane turned around to face him, her expression set. “I’ve already called in to work. I’m driving up to see her today.”

“Today?” Joe frowned and leaned forward. “Why don’t we drive up this weekend. Stop at Twin Harbors for lunch. There’s no rush—”

“There is.” Jane held up a hand. “It’s only five hours. I’ll spend the night at Mom’s and come back in the morning.”

Why was she being so stubborn about this? Joe’s finger jabbed at his phone screen. It opened with face recognition and there it was again—that picture of eight hunks of mangled metal on the side of the barren freeway.

In the example above, the dialogue could have gone on to have Joe’s fear of Jane getting in a car accident and Jane’s fear about her mom’s health escalate into more resistance, an argument, and her leaving without resolution. While I’d never recommend these communication tactics for a life of marital bliss, they do make for interesting dialogue. Sorry, not sorry.

The Subtext Tool Belt

Think about a micro-goal each character might have and find ways they conflict, ways those dueling goals strike against each other like flint and steel to create sparks. Characters always, always want something, and opposing wants create tension.

If you’d like to do this exercise for yourself, think about these questions:

What tension or conflict is being presented?

What are the characters feeling versus what are they saying?

How am I showing rather than telling?

How do I bury meaning in the action or internal thoughts?

Conclusion

What are your suggestions for writing subtext into your dialogue? Had you heard of Hemingway’s iceberg theory before? Let me know in the comments!

Light,

Bethany

Over the weekend, I had the chance to visit Zion National Park in Southern Utah. It’s aptly named. As we drove into the park, the cliffs rose around us. My husband, kids, and I craned our necks to look out the windows as the shallow rivers and red boulders of the canyon floor gave way to sheer 3,000 ft palisades. Our car hugged the zig-zag path of the switchback: one tiny vehicle against the impassive mountainside.

This glacier-sculpted summit reminded me to set my eyes and thoughts higher than my human worries, higher than the anxious tasks that fill my day, and reminded me to look up, to trust, to be.

When I started this publication, I wanted it to be a gift to the writing community. A place of inspiration packed with everything from writing tips, to exploring what makes a great story—all served with a side of humor. I feel I’m doing what I set out to do. But what has surprised me most about this Substack journey is how necessary it has felt for me to have a place where my words can live and be read. Perhaps this sounds a bit over-simple, but it’s something I feel deeply. The written word is powerful and yet the art doesn’t feel complete until it is given over to and received by readers.

You have given me that and I cannot express my gratitude enough.

2025 Debrief

2025 was a year of small successes and one major set back. I’ll recap quickly below:

• My newsletter subs more than doubled. (1,000+ as of today!)

• I had two Notes go viral, met a lot of cool writers through that, and got to briefly chat with my daughter’s favorite author, Andrew Peterson.

• I had a short story published in an anthology.

• I received a writing grant (details below!).

It’s easier to talk about the wins than the losses. It’s easier to say: “I have a publisher!” Than to say, “I’ve parted ways with my publisher.” But this is just that sort of announcement. Due to a series of circumstances, I purchased back my rights from the small, independent press I was under contract with before my fantasy novel was published.

It was an exhausting experience and I retreated from social media for a few months after that—even hearing the word ‘publishing’ made me feel tired. But I’ve had time to reflect on the situation and I realized something…

When I first started querying small press, I thought what I needed was validation, for a publisher to say my words were good enough. I no longer crave that. I know where my validation comes from and it’s not from publishing or any amount of human recognition. What I want now is something quite different and it’s a much truer wanting than before.

I know this road to publishing can feel long and is often filled with unexpected detours. My friend, Eva Langston and I have joked how my journey will make a great story for her podcast The Long Road to Publishing someday. More than anything, I want to be a person of integrity and someone who keeps moving forward even when the road gets bumpy.

As far as my would-have-been-debut is concerned, it will be published someday—I’ll certainly see to that. I’m not certain when, but you’ll absolutely have the opportunity to read a bound copy when the time comes, if you wish to.

The Grant

When I shared about my acceptance for the grant in Notes, there were a lot of comments like: “I didn’t know these types of opportunities existed” or “how did you go about getting this?”

I’m not an expert on the topic, but I recommend starting with Google searches like: “writing grants in insert your state/country” or “arts councils near me” and search their website. There are writing scholarships available at a national level too and these are usually organized by big associations. The Writer’s Center is a great resource for this as well!

Since my grant was limited to creators from my state, this narrowed down the submission pool and increased my chances a bit. It was very open-ended as far as what I could use it for and it was paid out in two portions after a mid-way meeting with the grant counselor.

The Golden List Preview (Paid Subscriber Resource)

Every month I send a hand curated “Golden List” to my paid subscribers packed with information about book giveaways, writing contests, book marketing support and more! This month I’m letting you see if for free (paid subscribers also get a targeted essay per month with practical applications on the art of fiction writing.)

Free Books on Craft

I can personally attest that Mary Kole is one of the best voices on the topic and her How to Write a Book Now is a free e-book!

Submission Opportunity & Writing Contests

Author’s Guild has 40 Themed Calls for Submission is up on their site currently

Craft’s Award for Excellence - Open February 9 – April 12, 2026. “CRAFT’s mission since day one has been to explore how writing works and to celebrate the art of prose. With that goal in mind, we are introducing the CRAFT Award for Excellence, honoring the very best in each of our creative prose genres: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Flash Fiction, and Flash Creative Nonfiction.”

Planetside: The Online Magazine of SFWA is open now to pitches for original nonfiction articles on topics that might be of interest to creators of science fiction and fantasy (SFF) throughout the globe.

Ruádan Book - Is looking for non-fiction articles with the theme “Thoughts from the Writer’s Desk” these nonfiction essays should be “about the writing life and individual journeys in the world of writing, in-depth tips on the craft and business of writing, thoughtful columns on genre fiction, especially horror, dark fiction, and speculative fiction in general”.

Violet Winding Stars Press - is looking for short fiction and poetry. The theme of this contest is surrealism. Reading period open Feb 1st -April 30th, 2026.

Aa N Press - “We are seeking stories for an anthology to be titled Tea or Coffee, Stars, and Gravity which will collect stories with these 3 title elements key to the narrative. To be published in mid-summer of 2026 by the Air and Nothingness Press. All stories requested to be 2000 words or less.” Submissions open March 1st, 2026 and close March 31st, 2026.

Book XI - There is no submission fee. “We pay $200 for each piece that we publish (or $50 for each poem we publish). We are generally looking for pieces that are between 1,000 and 5,000 words, though we will happily consider submissions that are shorter or longer than this. However, please do not submit any work that is more than 7,000 words.” Theme: On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings. Deadline. March 7, 2026.

Substacks Open to Submissions - check out this link!

Low-Cost Marketing Resources for Indie Authors

BookBub is know at the creme de la creme of discounted book email blasts BUT if a Featured Deal isn’t in your budget, did you know there are other options? See the list below.

Ebook Stage - I haven’t tried this one, but it seems similar to BookBub. This service offers several tiers ranging from $10-50 to get your ebook before their audience.

Book Below - 22,500 email subscribers. Book promotion that’s under $13

Indie Unlimited - has a “Thrifty Thursday” promotion which is free for authors to list their book for $0-0.99.

AwesomeGang - Is 0-$10 book promotion site.

Bargain Booksy - “If you are planning to discount your book (or if your book is already priced between $0.99 and $5), then a Bargain Booksy promo is for you. With over 839,000 registered users, a Bargain Booksy promo can help you drive sales of your book, find a new audience of readers, generate reviews for your book, and improve your book rank on retail sites.”

Early Bird Books - “Early Bird Books is a company dedicated to uplifting the books and authors that inspire us. We work with publishers to put their books in front of audiences that will love them!”

Amid the highs and lows of this writing journey, it’s nice to have the “boost” of writing for this publication. Thanks for being here!

Light,

Bethany

Written by Bethany Alcott

Edited by Eva Langston

Recently, I was talking with an author friend about the “unforgivable sins” we come across in books. We talked about the usual flaws found in plot, pacing, and characters, but what we kept circling back to was one overarching “sin.” The problem of which we felt most critical lay with the all-important words themselves. The words that shape the story for good or for ill, that are crafted to make the reader feel and forget they are reading at all.

Our problem was with prose.

Since you’re reading this, I assume words are important to you. All my life I’ve loved moving words around to see what they make. I’m a former theater geek (Shakespearian classes, be thanked), somewhat musical, and I’m also dyslexic, and so I’ve had to rely heavily upon my inner-ear for what sounds not just correct, but lyrical, musical—right. Everything from rhythm to word choice to length, I’ve spent my free time studying it. And yet, there’s still so much I wish to learn, so much I don’t know. And that’s what I love about writing: the endless possibility of it. That there’s always room for improvement, for aspiration. All this to say, I am by no means an expert, but I do have some experience to speak on these things.

So today, because it’s February, and what else is there to do but shiver in our houses hunched over our writing desks, I’m sharing seven tips that I use to make my prose more dynamic and engaging. This might feel granular compared to the broad strokes of my usual posts, but I hope it’s helpful.

A Note: When discussing prose, the topics of authorial voice may come to mind. Just know this advice isn’t intended to change or unify anyone’s voice to sound like mine or someone else’s, nor does this advice in any way imply that good writing must sound like XYZ. Instead, I hope this will be a fun read that inspires you to pay attention to the words themselves as you write and read.

1. Stronger Verbs Instead of ly Adverbs

Yes, yes, you’ve heard this one before, but I feel it ought to be mentioned because I’d actually like the elevate this advice by going two and a half steps further. Hang in with me for a second.

Step One

When I was in high school, my English teacher Mrs. Brecker made us put an ‘ly’ adverb on each page of our essays. If we failed to do so, we were docked points. My, my have the times changed! ‘Ly’ adverbs seem universally hated by editors everywhere who sing in unison to the Hallelujah Chorus of: “Choose a Stronger! Choose a Stronger! Verb! Verb! Veeerrrbb!!!” And if we are painting with broad strokes, this is sound advice.

Example:

She ran quickly. She raced.

He laughed enthusiastically. He guffawed.

She asked worriedly. She fretted.

By choosing a more specific verb, the prose feel more immediate and active.

Step Two

Okay, this is where the cherry lands on top of the whipped cream because now we’re getting to the fun part of choosing that perfect verb. Personally, I prefer verbs that are also doing something in the subtext.

Below is a line from a ghost story I’m currently drafting.

Eventually, I get Da back to bed. After he falls asleep, I boil oats for my dinner and sprinkle the top with salt because there’s no milk or sugar to speak of. I take it outside to eat in the rocking chair on the stoop and watch the sun sink below the horizon. This is my favorite time of day, this fading in-between time, listening to the frantic chatter of birds as they flit away to their secret sleeping places. I am alone, tucked inside myself, yet aware that I am part of this beautiful, turning world with its animals and skies and burning stars.

It’s wonderful to feel small sometimes.

Night descends, swathing the garden in a chilly sheet of mist, and it’s just when I’m about to return to the cottage that I see a figure standing near the gate…

What was a cozy sunset scene shifts in the last paragraph. I chose “descends” and “swathing” because they give a gauzy, cold, spectral feeling without being too on-the-nose. Again, just toying with the subtext.

Step Two and a Half

Now, because I’m a rule breaker, I think there’s room for a caveat here, because Step One is a bit heavy-handed, don’t you agree? Sometimes a stronger verb doesn’t exist or doesn’t communicate the exact mood you’re trying to capture.

There’s nothing wrong with a simple “She smiled,” but “She smiled dryly” conjures up a completely different mental picture—a less generous, slightly annoyed smile.

The other problem with Step One being the final rule and law is it dismisses the importance of meter. If you’re trying to structure your sentence with hard and soft stresses to communicate rhythm, removing an adverb could affect that meter.

And finally, the comment below (from when I posted about this topic last year) demonstrates the unnecessary pretzels writers contort their sentences into, in order to avoid any innocuous business dealings with L & Y, Limited:

2. Look at the first word in your sentences

I don’t pay much attention to this one while working on a first draft, but it’s one to pay attention to in revisions. Writers often begin their sentences with the most obvious subject followed by a verb:

He shrugged…

She wrote…

He walked…

Repetitive openings such as this will feel monotonous to readers if used too often in the same paragraph. An easy fix is shifting the subject slightly.

She wrote an essay for her wonderful Substack readers.

The keyboard clicked beneath her fingers as the essay took shape.

He walked down the gravel path.

His feet crunched on the gravel path.

She kneaded the dough until it was warm and pliable. She dropped it in the pan. She liked the heat that blasted her face when she opened the oven door.

When the dough became warm and pliable beneath her hands, she plopped it in a greased pan and opened the oven door. Heat struck her face—something between a sunburn and a sauna. She breathed it in.

These all communicate the same information, but shifting the subject breaks that subject-verb pattern, allows us to step into the skin of the character, and makes room for more sensory details to be added naturally.

3. Alternate sentence length

An editor I follow on social media once said, “match pacing to emotion.” Long, flowing sentences feel more tranquil and thus feel right in peaceful or reflective scenes. Short, punchy sentences will communicate immediacy and feel natural in fight scenes, or when a character is experiencing mental pressure.

Short Sentences

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” - Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice

I love this passage, because for all her lengthy, flowing prose in other section of the novel, Austen keeps Mr. Darcy’s sentences short in this declaration. It’s designed for the reader to hear the emotional turmoil in his voice, the rapidity in which he delivers the first three sentences as though he’s making himself plunge ahead while he still can. The last sentence is slightly longer than the others, but there’s a poetry to it, too, with the alliterative allow, ardently, and admire being spoken in quick succession.

Now, let’s edit the following fight scene together:

Wes shifted left, then the right as he dodged the punches of his opponent. Fighting was something he’d learned on the streets of New York, but back then, it had been for survival, not for sport. Mike had always said talent alone isn’t what got guys like him to the top.

Okay, so this scene has fairly long sentences, some interiority, and background details, and I think it could feel more urgent. As a reader I’d have a hard time believing this. Not the information, but the emotion behind it.

Here’s my new version with shorter sentences:

Left, right.

Wes dodged and slipped. Instinct and survival had trained him. “It’s not enough to want something, Wes,” Mike’s voice pounded in his head. Even here, even now. “You have to need it.”

This second option feels more grounded to me. I stop being a bystander, watching from the sidelines, and believe I’m inside this young pugilist’s body, thinking his thoughts, feeling his fears.

Long sentences

Let’s look at Pride and Prejudice’s famous opening line now:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

This sentence length sets expectations for the pace of the story, it feels pragmatic rather than emotional, and hints at the promise of the premise. It wouldn’t feel true to the cadence of Pride and Prejudice to start this tale with short, emotionally charged sentences—because half the enjoyment of these novels is the repressed angst!

4. Your sentence endings are prime real estate

The information that you most wish to emphasize should be placed at the end of the sentence.

Look at this example:

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. - George Orwell, 1984

Wait, hold the phone. Did you say thirteen?

I remember the first time I read this line, all the goose flesh rose on my arms. The contrasting word choices of bright and cold placed within this slightly off-kilter sentence rhythm feels ominous. All this lands us at the most chilling word in the whole sentence: thirteen. I could honestly gush about this line for three more paragraphs, but I’m afraid I’ll lose my point, so I’m going to leave it there.

Okay, so, lets reverse engineer this and see what happens when we flip the clauses in Orwell’s already perfect line.

The clocks were striking thirteen on a bright cold day in April.

It’s not a bad sentence per se, but by ending with April, we’ve lost the punchline. And that’s what the last word in a sentence is—it’s the punchline, deliver it too soon, and it flops.

5. Pay attention to subtext

Playing with subtext through metaphor and simile is a great way to layer your prose.

Her mouth was a door with a padlock. — Methinks she has walls and possibly secrets!

The dog’s ears were fuzzy as two newly hatched chicks. — This hints at the tenderness the character is feeling for this animal and also gives the reader a sensory, textural detail.

The toes of their shoes touched, like two horses touching noses in a field. — My hopeful brain goes, “Oh, goody, a romance on the horizon!”

Now, to add a word of caution. Use metaphor and simile when they help, when they are needed. So often I read meaningless lines like:

He crossed his arms like a pretzel.

Or

She flicked her hair over her shoulder like she was brushing away a fly.

Or

Her eyes made a cartwheel as she rolled them.

This is just silliness. These types of metaphors do nothing to add meaning, nor do they help readers conjure a clearer mental pictures. If you’re unsure if a metaphor or simile is needed, read it to yourself both ways, and if it helps bring the picture into sharper focus, keep it; if it’s just there to sound clever or pretty, cut it.

6. Sensory description

Another way to elevate your prose is by adding subtext using sensory details. I won’t go into this here because I have a whole essay on this topic: How to Write Better Sensory Descriptions.

7. Cut the explanation

And finally, when my friend and I talked last week, this was the one that really put bees in our bonnets. Nothing screams amateur writing like an author showing the reader the story and then feeling the need to explain the thing they just showed you. I find this type of writing condescending, like, it assumes I’m not able to grasp basic happenings in the story but need to be told that same information over and over in different ways. My gosh. If I were reading Dostoevsky, then yes, please, by all means, explain it to me. Otherwise, trust your reader to do their job of reading.

Example 1:

Her mouth was a door with a padlock. She had secrets. Things in her past she wouldn’t tell. Because people had hurt her. And now she’d locked everyone out.

The first sentence is fine, but the subsequent four leaves no space for the reader to question or wonder. All is handed to them on the tedious platter of exposition.

Example 2:

Nate grinned, lifting her suitcase onto the luggage dolly. “Will that be all, Meg?”

She blushed and glanced away. Should she give him her number? If she didn’t she might never see him again. She liked him so much. He made her feel giddy and pretty and herself. All those days they’d spent together talking outside the hotel or strolling along the River Thames had been magical. And now she was leaving…

If the author has woven the story well prior to this moment, we don’t need to be told that this character likes Nate or how he makes her feel. We would already feel that in our bones.

One thing that helps me to avoid unnecessary explanation is to think of the smartest, most intuitive person I know and project that energy onto my imagined reader. (This smart imaginary reader is also hard as nails, notices every plot hole, guesses my red herrings, and won’t put up with doe-eyed protagonists who aren’t worth their salt when it comes to problem solving, BUT we’ll talk about that another time.)

Conclusion

Next time you read something that gives you the shivers or hits a certain chord within you, pause, reread the passage, and ask yourself, why did it do that? What was the author doing that worked so well?

For fun, write a poor paragraph and then a “fixed” version and post it in the comments. Participate by reading through and commenting on the ones you like!

Light,

Bethany

This age old advice is tried, true, and exists for a reason. We authors often gaze into our manuscript with eyes so blinded by hearts that we can’t see the forest for the trees. If you’ve chosen to pursue fiction writing professionally, I cannot stress the importance of trusted beta readers and critique partners enough. These individuals pluck the hearts from our eyes so that we may see the cold, hard truth.

That scene you wrote that you thought was so fun? Cut it.

That flowery sentence you’re ridiculously proud of? Run a lawnmower over it and toss it in the compost heap.

I’ve had many darlings die over the years. I’m still mourning a gorgeous sky description I wrote once, one that even garnered praise from betas. But I ended up needing to rewrite that scene in a different POV and this new character wouldn’t have described the sky in such a way. So the sky description had to go. Darlings aren’t bad, you see; they just don’t belong.

Recently, one of my darlings had to be extracted from my manuscript and the processes was far more painful than merely deleting a paragraph about the sky.

I’d written an involved deity into my book, one that entered the plot during an hour of need. I choose to do this, not out of plotting convenience, but because it felt different and resonated with me emotionally as someone who believes in both human freewill and divine intervention.

It had crossed my mind in an early draft that writing an involved deity could seem deus ex machina, so I tried to foreshadow its power early enough in the story that it wouldn’t feel like some plot device or lazy writing when it was time to allow the deity to do some light lifting. Yet despite my best efforts, someone still pointed out how deus ex machina certain moments felt. I couldn’t believe it. I’d been so careful! I started wondering if it was even possible to write an involved deity without giving readers this feeling.

Of course, there are many ways to go about writing deities into stories that aren’t as problematic as what I attempted to do.

• Deity chooses a hero (i.e. Percy Jackson)

• Uninvolved deities (i.e. the saints in Six of Crows)

• Transactional gods (i.e. if the characters just believe enough, the deity might get involved)

• Trickster gods (i.e. Loki, some fae stories, the saints in King of Scars)

Deus Ex Machina

The Latin phrase deus Ex Machina means “God from the machine” and is a term that harkens back to amphitheater performances. Whenever an unsolvable problem was introduced into the plot, an actor dressed as a god was literally lowered down via a crane to solve the problem so the show could move on.

Involved Deities in the Classics

But is every encounter with an involved deity deus ex machina? Can it be done right? Let’s explore some classic examples.

Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother

Cinderella has deus ex machina written all over it and it might be one of the few tales to “get away with it.” As far as the early Disney version is concerned, it’s one of those things where nostalgia supersedes a good plot. In fact the whole plot is just one deus ex machina event after another. Even my seven-year-old said she doesn’t like the movie because: “It’s just a story about a girl who wants to go to a ball, Mom. And then her fairy godmother helps her and the prince finds her. The end. It’s so simple.”

She isn’t wrong.

Though the character of Cinderella has many admirable qualities, as far as a heroine goes she’s a bit, well, dull. This has nothing to do with her being soft or feminine. I love reading about characters with quiet strength, but Cinderella did very little in the way of propelling the plot forward. She displays little agency because the other characters around her do the work for her.

• The mice make her a dress.

• Her fairy godmother bippty-boppity-boos transportation and clothing into existence.

• The king sends his advisors to find Cinderella.

• The mice procure the key to free her from her tower prison.

And this is the biggest problem with deus ex machina appearing in plot lines: it limits the characters arcs. The characters don’t have to push themselves past a preconceived limit, they don’t have to change as much as they should because some act of God is going to save the day! The arrival at the climax is cleaner and possibly quicker, but it doesn’t feel fully earned.

Because the characters around Cinderella make things happen for her, her arc remains one-dimensional.

Side note: my favorite version of Cinderella is Ever After with Drew Barrymore. That girl has guts—and goodness that ending?! 100% earned.

Tolkien’s Eagles

Tolkien’s eagles has been criticized as having deus ex machina vibes. In fact, it’s been noticed by so many fans that the memes floating around the internet are some of my favorite memes of all time.

In the movies, it kinda seems like the eagles are being jerks by not flying the Fellowship to their destination—especially with that minor detail of the destruction of the ring being imperative to spare Middle Earth from a total takeover by evil incarnate. Just saying. But when you look at the nuance of the magical system built into the books themselves, the eagles playing Uber en route to Mount Doom becomes an unlikely solution.

The eagles are intelligent, pure beings, but they might be tempted by the evil of the ring (just as Gandalf and Galadriel were and resisted). Also, Frodo’s journey needs to be one of secrecy. If they were to fly over Mordor, it would alert Sauron to their presence and their attempt to destroy the ring—the thing he desires most. So as much as Tolkien’s eagles might seem like deus ex machina on the surface, I don’t believe they are when you look at the nuance.

Lewis’s Aslan

Undeniably, Aslan, who Lewis wrote as a Christ archetype, is an involve deity. But I don’t think these stories strays into dangerous deus ex machina territory for a few reasons. There are times when Aslan chooses to lend or withhold his aid from the characters, but his reasons are explained at the end. There is goodness, logic, and love behind his actions. Nothing is left to nebulous guesswork. This was especially true in The Horse and His Boy, where the children kept encountering lions on their journey and were given the revelation at the end that it was “only one lion” they’d encountered all along.

A fellow Substacker, Leo Vaughn, summarized this dilemma in his essay, Why God Doesn’t (Always) Work in Fiction.

A great story is actually simpler than reality. Story tension can survive only when opposing characters have limited powers within the story world. It’s one of the most difficult things to achieve in fantasy, this balance of invented abilities that still leaves room for a plot, but the problem exists in other genres as well. Time and again, a plot collapses if a character gets all the information they need—for knowledge is power.

Clearly, then, an omnipotent God will be a problematic character merely from the standpoint of believable and maintainable plot tension. The moment an author introduces omnipotence, the reader’s first hurdle is to believe it. That’s a sizeable obstacle—but assuming the author can achieve suspension of disbelief, a new problem arises for both reader and writer: Why doesn’t Omnipotence just wrap up the plot and call it a day?

I agree with Vaughn here. Too many “acts of God” lead to a weak stories. Readers crave the struggle. They want to slip inside a character’s skin as he struggles. They don’t want characters simply thrown into a KitchenAid mixer of things happening to them. It’s the characters wants and choices that give the plot meaning.

The Overcorrection That Ruined This Disney Movie

This next example is the opposite side of the same coin—and Frozen II is on the chopping block. This pitfall masquerading as a “plot twist” was so shallow that it ruined the movie. (Not that Frozen I was any good either, but I did see both because I’m a sucker for punishment, I guess.)

In Frozen II, Elsa is full of earnest anticipation as she follows a disembodied voice into the wilds. Tears actually welled in my eyes while I watched her galloped a water horse across the sea and sing, “I’m arriving and it feels like I am home…” I was thinking about my own earnest seeking of God since I was a little girl. This deep calls to deep feeling. I mean, just read these lyrics:

And then my growing love for this story dissolved in a poof of Disney McFlurries because do you know what Elsa discovers as the end of this long, hard road?

Herself.

She is the fifth magical spirit.

The end.

Now, listen. I’m not invalidating self-discovery. I write YA which is all about characters discovering who they are, stepping into a deeper level of maturity, courage, healing, etcetera—a character arc wouldn’t be complete without internal transformation.

What annoys me about this recurring “the answer is meeeeee!” theme in today’s art is that it reduces revelation to self-recognition. Instead of being invited to see something larger than ourselves, we’re simply encouraged to stare at our own reflection.

Elsa already discovered herself in the first movie, and instead of something new, we got a copy-and-paste of that exact same arc in the second. Switching things up and having Elsa encounter the deity that bestowed her magic to her would have worked great here. It was already a very spiritual feeling movie so I would have swallowed it without a problem. Or, the disembodied voice could have had something to do with her long, lost parents. Just something more than the “surprise twist” that landed us right back with the same revelation as the first movie.

Deleted darlings

After zooming out and (trying) to look at my story more objectively, I saw that this idea of an involved deity was actually more about my personal wish fulfillment rather than actually serving the story. When I removed it from the plot, it left room for characters to take action and strategize further on how problems might be solved. My word count did climb a bit, but I truly love the result.

Can you give any examples of an involved deity done right? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Light,

Bethany

I’ve had this experience too many times. It’s for this reason I don’t read books with the “hero in training” trope anymore. Slogging through chapter-upon-chapter of the MC doing target practice bores me half to death. And I’m not alone. I’ve seen more and more social media book reviewers talking about this problem. Some even saying they DNF the third book in a series they were previously invested in because of “filler.”

So today, I’m sharing a simple trick for authors to avoid this pitfall, keep readers devouring your book, and singing its praises.

Arrive Late/Leave Early

Arrive late, leave early. This concept was first shared with me years ago by someone in my writing group. Perhaps it was or someone else who mentioned it, I don’t recall. But I think about it nearly every time I sit down to write now.

The trick is this. Before you start a scene, think about the latest your characters can show up to it without creating confusion for the reader. Similarly, when closing a scene, don’t drag it out or spend too long tying it up in a nice bow. Leave as soon as possible. End the chapter on a cliffhanger. Because cliffhangers are story tension gold. Ending a chapter this way will keep readers racing to the next chapter, and the next, and the next.

Because parties are common settings in fiction, let’s use them as an example today; though really, this applies to any type of scene, such as, preparing for a journey, a heist, a wedding ceremony, and so on.

Let’s say in this hypothetical scene your main character is heading to a party where some big plot twist will happen (as they usually do at parties, it’s a thing). Readers don’t need to see the characters discussing the party at length, picking out their outfits, applying lipstick, walking the three blocks to the event, and all the minute details before they actually get there. These sort of scenes lose the tension.

Transition scenes are sometimes needed but not as much as authors think. If you catch yourself writing pages and pages of lead up, pause, and ask yourself: what is the latest point I can begin this scene and still work in all the valuable information?

Don’t write scenes like this:

“She stepped into a silk gown and chose her mother’s bracelet from the antique jewelry box. It was gold with little charms of cherubs dangling from it.”

Instead move the timeline forward and describe the character as it relates to the rising action and emotional stakes.

“She swept into the ballroom, smoothing her sweating hands on the bodice of her silk gown. Nerves buzzed beneath her skin and she was thankful she’d put on her mother’s cherub bracelet for good luck. Tonight, she would confront him.”

This alternative example is doing multiple things. By working in the character’s actions and emotions into the descriptive detail, we are more immersed in the stakes of the story.

Caveat

Setup scenes can still work if there is important information exchanged or an argument as it pertains to the plot. But whatever the case, each scene has to raises the stakes. It cannot exist for dress descriptions.

Too much of a good thing

The well-meaning but not universally true advice show don’t tell, shouldn’t be applied to everything. A developmental editor I worked with years ago pointed out to me that my characters didn’t need to discuss everything; that it was okay to just omit some of the showing, add a paragraph of narrative and keep the forward momentum.

October’s Golden List for Writers and Readers

If you’re new here, every month I include a “golden list” which is hand curated by yours truly. It’s packed full of information about book giveaways, writing contests, book marketing support, and traditional small presses currently open to unagented authors.

Book Highlight

Author is currently running a book giveaway for his book The Tower of Babel. Click here to get a hardcopy for free! Also, his newsletter Resurrecting the Real where he talks about writing, philosophy, creativity, and ethics is some of the best stuff on Substack. Check it out!

The Tower of Babel Summary:

The greatest skyscraper on earth.

And the greatest danger.

Fresh off a trip to Europe, Austin, a young sculptor, comes home to his apartment longing to create. But a letter slipped under his door changes everything. It’s from Stella—the unearthly girl who broke his heart three years ago, when they labored to bring a mysterious god to earth who would cleanse the planet of evil…

Low Cost Marketing Resources for Indie Authors

BookBub is know at the creme de la creme of discounted book email blasts BUT if a Featured Deal isn’t in your budget, did you know there are other options? See the list below.

Ebook Stage - I haven’t tried this one, but it seems similar to BookBub. This service offers several tiers ranging from $10-50 to get your ebook before their audience.

Book Below - 22,500 email subscribers. Book promotion that’s under $13

Indie Unlimited - has a “Thrifty Thursday” promotion which is free for authors to list their book for $0-0.99.

AwesomeGang - Is 0-$10 book promotion site.

Bargain Booksy - “If you are planning to discount your book (or if your book is already priced between $0.99 and $5), then a Bargain Booksy promo is for you. With over 839,000 registered users, a Bargain Booksy promo can help you drive sales of your book, find a new audience of readers, generate reviews for your book, and improve your book rank on retail sites.”

Early Bird Books - “Early Bird Books is a company dedicated to uplifting the books and authors that inspire us. We work with publishers to put their books in front of audiences that will love them!”

Small Presses OPEN to Unagented Authors

*I have vetted the information about these publishers to the best of my abilities; however, always use discretion and perform your own research before submitting. Submission guidelines and policies may change, so ensure you verify each publisher’s requirements and only submit if you meet those requirements.

Author’s Publish just sent out this list. It’s a bit of a mish-mash as far as genre, but worth a look!

Olympia Publishers - Open to both hybrid and traditional contracts.

Quills & Quartos Publishing - Quills & Quartos Publishing was founded in 2019. They started with a very specific vision, to focus on publishing the best Austenesque romance fiction.

Brother Mockingbird - Will open to unsolicited submissions February through March 2025. Genres: Action/Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial, Contemporary, Crime/Detective/Cozies, Historical, Horror, Humor/Satire, Literary, Multicultural, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Upmarket, Western, Women’s Fiction, Young Adult.

Enclave Publishing is accepting adult and YA manuscripts for Christian speculative fiction.

Andrew McMeel Publishing - Type: General Market. Genres: Poetry, inspiration, humor, children’s books, comics and illustrated humor. Details: Review their catalog to ensure a good fit.

Mountain Brook Fire - “Manuscripts need not be explicitly “Christian”–in fact, we prefer general market. However, we’re looking for fiction that is clean. Books having a Christian worldview without having a faith thread are appreciated.”

Auctus Publishers - winner of Best Book of YA Agath Awards in 2020. Auctus is a traditional publisher seeking submissions from a wide range of genres, both fiction and non-fiction but not academic.

Storm Publishing - “We’re excited by gripping, dramatic stories that have us turning the pages and by real, flawed and passionate heroes who make us care. Those ingredients matter more than anything else.”

Kingsley Publishers accept submissions for consideration “from a wide range of genres, from fiction to non-fiction, biographical, memoirs, Christian books, and children’s books. “It’s important to read through our submission guidelines before sending in your manuscript to ensure it meets our specifications.”

Castle Bridge Media - Details: Castle Bridge Media is an independent publisher of predominantly genre books, with particular interest in horror, science fiction, thriller, and fantasy. We also dabble in non-fiction titles as well. However, regardless of the genre, if the work is good, we will consider it. Novels should generally run between 80,000 and 120,000 words.

Aethon Books - General Market. Genres: Science fiction, fantasy, super hero, horror, romantasy.

Aethon Books - General Market. Genres: Science fiction, fantasy, super hero, horror, romantasy.

Austin Macauley Publishers - we accept manuscripts across all genres, from around the globe, in both English and Spanish. Whether you are a new author or have been previously published, Austin Macauley Publishers is excited to hear from you. There is no requirement to have an agent when submitting to us as we welcome all author

Andrew McMeel Publishing - Type: General Market. Genres: Poetry, inspiration, humor, children’s books, comics and illustrated humor. Details: Review their catalog to ensure a good fit.

Annick Press - Genres: Picture books, early chapter books, middle grade, YA, graphic novels, non-fiction. Type: General Market. Details: YA novels typically range from 50,000–70,000 words.

Blue Dot Kids Press - Genres: Books for ages 0-12, focused on nature, conservation, and science.

Coffeetown Press - “We look for fiction and nonfiction. We prefer word counts between 50,000 and 100,000 words. We are not currently accepting works of horror fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, poetry, or children’s titles at any of our imprints.”

Free Reads

Everand App - I’ve heard it called “the Netflix of ebooks.” On the app you can get access to millions of books that are on your TBR. It’s has a 30 day free trial so you can try it!

Book Cave - Free books you’ll actually want to read. Beware of pirating sites! But this one is legit!

Writing Contests

Substack’s Short Story Competition - A monthly, ongoing competition. No entry fee. The winner will receive roughly $500! See the link for details.

Conclusion

Do you DNF books because of too much filler? Do you notice filler more often in a series than a standalone? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Light,

Bethany

Relativism and situational ethics are ruining fiction. In a mad rush to do something new, to offer up something fresh to an oversaturated marketplace, the compass that once made stories enduring, that offered readers a glimpse of true north, has become harder and harder to find.

Today, I’ll be cracking open the door to this topic. Warning: This post contains some very minor spoilers from big blockbuster films but all my examples have been out for a long time.

Tolkien versus Herbert

What I love most about fantasy is how it leaves room to explore universal themes of right versus wrong and good versus evil on a grand scale. Monsters crawl from the abyss ready to devour life, and unsung heroes must rise to meet them.

Tolkien is often referred to as “the father of modern fantasy” because he brought invented languages, complex world building, histories, and mythologies to the genre. But one of the most enduring things about Tolkien’s work is his characters’ unwavering fight for good in the midst of evil.

In fact, Tolkien was very critical of Frank Herbert’s Dune and expressed a deep dislike of the novel because it embraced a consequentialist worldview which is antithetical to the teachings of Christianity—which Tolkien himself practiced.

Both The Lord of the Rings and Dune are generally about the fight of good versus evil. And although they both are Chosen One stories, the character of Paul Atreides and that Frodo Baggins could not be more different. Frodo represents humility—a no name, chosen because his pure heart enables him to resist the rings influence, to a degree. Frodo puts his own safety and wishes aside to set out on a quest to destroy the ring and save Middle Earth. Conversely, Paul is born of a great house, and his ability to see the future ultimately leads to a war and the death of billions. For Paul, the ends justify the means—no matter the cost. For Frodo, the cost is laying down his life to save others.

Both of these books are 20th century works of speculative fiction, both were turned into wildly successful major motion pictures, and both experienced massive success. But I find myself struggling to be as emotionally invested in Paul’s mission as I was Frodo’s and I think this is because I struggled to believe in his purpose. Frodo’s quest is clearly understood, the theme of self-sacrifice is enduring and undeniably inspiring. Paul’s mission felt messy and at conflict with both noble ambition and selfish reasoning.

Villains Versus Heroes

We’ll get back to heroes, but let’s switch gears and talk about villains for a second. A villain exists to provide opposition so that the hero can become who he needs to be. A villain should have a fleshed out backstory, wants, fears and complex motives, but I also don’t want to empathize with him so much that he loses his purpose in the story—which is to create a conflict large enough that it’s worth the reader turning 350 pages to see how the hero will respond to that conflict.

Here is a video I made for my Instagram to illustrate this point. Turn your sound on!

Heroes and villains are actually fairly similar. They are both humans with deep wounds, haunting pasts, and missions to change something about their futures. What makes their paths diverge from one another?

Choice.

It all comes down to what they choose to believe about their wound and how that shapes their destinies for good or for evil.

A pre-villain character might start out hopeful and altruistic only to have loss strip that from him, resulting in the choice to exact revenge under the false dressings of justice.

A hero might experience the same loss but instead of allowing it to fuel a revenge arc, he uses it to fight injustice and make the world a better place. The hero is not perfect, he still battles his wound, sometimes referred to as inner demons, as he imperfectly struggles toward the light instead of embracing the darkness.

The difference between these two characters lies in how each interprets their wound and what they choose to do about it.

And from this point on, I don’t want the answer to be that the villain is “misunderstood” or that “other people made him the monster he is.” I want to see the same responsibility laid on the villain as the hero for their own individual actions.

Thanos, Sauron, Owen Davian played by Philip Seymour Hoffman (MI3), and Solomon Lane (MI Rogue Nation) are some of the best bad guys I can think of (in PG-13 films). You love to hate them because they are just so bad.

I don’t remember their backstories. I just know that each absolutely and unwaveringly believed that what he was doing was right—even if it meant killing millions.

And here’s the thing.

It works. You don’t need them to be anything other than what they are because they are fulfilling their purpose in the story so the hero can fulfill his.

But in the past ten years, or so, trends have changed. Someone got it into their heads that we needed bad guys to be less bad, have a more tragic sob story, and shouldn’t die at the end because that’s mean. More and more villains are getting redemption arcs, because someone in Publishing said something on a panel and the idea circulated and was implanted in all of our heads that old-fashioned justice just wasn’t good enough for Professor Nefarious.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about redemption. My Christian beliefs are founded in this deep truth that there is no pit so deep that God’s love isn’t deeper still. No person is beyond God’s love. No person is beyond God’s ability to redeem. And I do think there are specific stories that giving a villain a redemption arc could work. But sparingly. And in a specific way, or you risk being disingenuous—or worse, leaving the reader feeling unsatisfied and cheated. If the villain does get a redemption arc we need to see him working his darnedest to right the wrongs he’s committed and becoming a better man and a whole lot more before we might let him off the hook.

Stories can imitate life, but they don’t hold all truths about life in its complexity and nuance. Deep truths such as Grace are some of the hardest to work into a plot without it feeling deus ex machina or trite. Not because these things don’t contain resonance, but because readers are still aware that they are experiencing a work of fiction.

My sister told me about a Christian historical fiction novel she read once where the bad guy is literally shot escaping from doing something dastardly, and while he lays in a pool of his own blood, he grips the main character’s hand and asks him to lead him to the God. While this scene would be very powerful had it really happened to real people, it felt forced and required so much suspension of disbelief it felt ridiculous. Because again, we know this is fiction.

Another failed redemption arc was attempted on Captain Barbossa from Pirates of the Caribbean. Remember in the first movie how he was shot in the treasure trove and he whispered, “I feel…cold,” and then that red apple rolled from his limp hand? It was SUCH a satisfying ending. Like best moment on so many fronts…Until he was brought back to life in the subsequent movies. This dodging of justice was A. unsatisfying after such an epic death, and B. suuuuper cheesy.

No. Just. No.

When Good is Bad and Bad is Good (or at least Good-ish)

When I was a kid I picked up a picture book from the library; it was written from the Big Bad Wolf’s perspective, and the whole account was a series of mistakes and misunderstandings that led to the pigs’ demise and the wolf’s incarceration. I remember laughing, because, to my ten-year-old self, if was hilarious. It was the early 2000’s and the concept of telling the villains POV (point-of-view) was unique…back then.

Now it’s everywhere. EVERYWHERE! I’m not against it, exactly. It’s a clever way for authors and filmmakers to capitalize on an already established fanbase. But it’s definitely had its day and this trend is winding down.

When Disney’s Maleficent came out in 2014. I watched it and was like, “Oh, fun concept.” And moved on with my life.

Then The Joker came out and we learn about the Joker’s trauma and the audience catches themselves sympathizing with him even though his actions are evil and twisted. But we’re emotionally manipulated into feeling we need to be in a weird and uncomfortable way.

In Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the hero’s father is actually the villain, who is trying to be reunited with his dead wife. He was such a tragic villain that he stopped feeling like a villain at all and I sort of found myself not believing the conflict anymore. (Yes, there were monsters involved too, but Shang’s father was the villain and the villain failed to meet his villainy end of the bargain.)

And then The Rings of Power, Season Two releases and we learn that orcs are actually just wanting a place on the earth to live and raise their orc babies and it all starts feeling very bleeeehhhh.

I’m not saying villains shouldn’t have tragic backstories or complex motivation, but somewhere along the line we bought this idea that complex villains need to be relatable to the average Joe. This simply isn’t true. The villain doesn’t need to be relatable to serve his purpose in the story. Thanos isn’t relatable. Solomon Lane isn’t relatable. But they are amazing bad guys because they serve their purpose. Which is TO PROVIDE CONFLICT FOR THE HERO!

Orcs rocking their swaddled babies? No. Because their purpose gets missed when we see them as paternal monsters paging through What to Expect When You’re Expecting between raiding human villages. The orcs were there to represent evil. Why do we need to overcomplicate things?

In real life, I believe God can redeem all. But in fiction, running into misunderstood bad-ish guys not just a few times, but again, and again, and again…it all begins feeling like milquetoast pureed and spread on more milquetoast and served up on a platter of “niceness” rather than saying anything profound or true about how good and evil and repentance and redemption actually work. A work of fiction can only go so far. It can only say so much. If you try to say it all, you loose the art.

The Morally Gray Hero

Which now brings me to today’s entree. Served up beside the misunderstood-villain-smoothy is the ends-justify-the-means-hero-salad. We’ve traded true heroes for anti-heroes, good guys for morally compromised. Perhaps this has happened in the quest for finding a new, fresh story to tell. I can handle this in small doses, and accept it for what it is—fiction. After all, Leigh Bardugo made me deeply care about Kaz Brekker even though he’s a murderer. Probably because we see his inner struggle to fight for hope amid all the pressing darkness inside him, and he was against the trafficking of women and fought like mad for Inej, so there’s enough there to merit.

In A Sorcery of Thorns by Margret Rogerson, however, sorcerers make contracts with demons to channel their power to fight for good. They then use this power to fight other worse demons and protect mankind. And while the writing and world-building in this story is top-notch, I found this aspect of the story extremely problematic. Here are “good guys” aligning themselves with evil spirits in order to “do good.” That’s just not the way good and evil work.

It makes me think of the verse in Matthew 12, where Jesus is accused by the Pharisees of driving out demons with the power of Beelzebub, to which Jesus responds, “If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?”

He not only refutes their accusation that his power is demonic but points out their logical fallacy: evil can’t drive out evil.

When the lines between heroes and villains are blurred and blurred and blurred some more, we must go through many mental gymnastics to excuse the same despicable behavior of the good guys we like, from the bad guys we hate. It’s messy and it gives me a dark feeling inside. I feel this aversion to their behavior while also rooting for them to succeeded. This isn’t the sort of story I want to engage with unless the hero realizes his wrongdoing, repents, and changes by the end.

The Count of Monte Cristo is an enduring tale that does this morally gray hero right. Edmond Dantès is told early in the story that holding onto his hated and thirst for revenge will not lead to life, but he ignores it. In the end, however, he learns the lesson he was meant to learn: that forgiveness and love are a far more powerful motivator than hate and revenge.

But the root of it is this: society has never been more out of touch with morality. As a Christian who believes in God as the ultimate moral good and Jesus being Truth incarnate—living in a culture that embraces relativism, my views will clash. This is a much deeper topic—one that I hope to explore more in a future article soon.

Nuance and creative freedom

I’m not saying everyone should write like Tolkien. Goodness—I don’t write heroes like Tolkien. My characters are perhaps more flawed, and yes, they grapple with questions of ethics, like—a lot! But I also want them to ever be stumbling forward, wrestling for good, attempting to name lies, they have hard conversations, and are slow to receive epiphanies. I’ve even wondered if some readers will be upset that certain wrongs aren’t addressed in book one, but are left for the second book, but I knew if I tried for force the art to say something it wasn’t ready for, it would be feel dishonest.

Of course, there is nuance and room to make space for many types of stories, but I question the fruit of creating something different just for difference sake. Book are created for readers not simply for our own wish fulfillment. So, write about darkness, show how hard things can be, but then—then pull back the curtain and let the sun in. Let its glare purge the room and make the shadows flee. Redemption, self-sacrifice, hope, and love are enduring. Long after a book is out-of-print, these eternal seeds planted in the heart of another human will live on forever.

Are you as tired of relativism in fiction as I am? Do you think it’s doing anything good for stories? Why, or why not?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Light,

Bethany

Ellen McGinty is an author and editor of Young Adult fantasy and historical fiction. She lives in the Tokyo metropolis with her husband, three boys, and a hypoallergenic cat. When not writing or editing, you can find her exploring the wilds of Japan with an abundance of espresso and the occasional kimono.

The Last Wayfinder is live on Kickstarter today! What first gave you the idea of writing historical Japan and Les Misérables inspired fantasy?

McGinty: In short, life. I notice history wherever I go, and the cultural fusion of the Meiji Restoration is engraved on my city. I walk across tiles depicting giant steamships and Japanese ladies in Western fashion. Drawing from that time period to create a fantasy world felt natural. And I’m a big Hugo and Dickens fan, so giving it themes from Les Misérables and Little Dorrit fit right in.

What is your best advice on how to blend historical facts and fantastical elements? What is your pre-drafting world-building process like?

Because I write inspired by history, my world-building starts there. I immerse myself in history and look for inspiration around me. I visit historical sights, try the foods and fashions of that time, and study them. For example, I took a year of kimono classes and learned how to cook traditional Japanese foods. Then I ask lots of “what if” questions.

Tip: Immerse yourself in history: autobiographies, museums, newspapers, visiting historic sites, etc. Try the foods and fashions of that time period. And if you are writing another culture, I recommend being immersed in that as well.

Saints and Monsters was your debut and you have the Last Wayfinder. Are they in the same world? Should one read Saints first?

Fun fact: I wrote The Last Wayfinder first.

Quick Answer: Both stories are standalones in the Hearts of Ezo series—a series of YA fantasy books with nospice romance, adventure, and dragon heart magic. All can be read as standalones and feature different main characters. There will be FOUR books total. But there is a chronological order if readers prefer:

1. Saints & Monsters
2. Dukes & Dragons (2026)
3. The Last Wayfinder (Sept 2 on Kickstarter)
4. secret ☺

Would you mind sharing your publishing journey?

The hardest post I ever wrote was titled: The Ronin Writer: Why I Left My Publisher. Being an indie author does feel like a ronin—a masterless samurai—but that’s not how my story began.

In 2017, I got an agent and my book even found its way to acquisitions at one of my favorite publishers. But I was told that while my writing was great, I couldn’t be, well—me. It was the height of “ownvoices” and I was told that one could be any Asian ethnicity and write about Japan, just not white. It didn’t matter that I lived in Japan or that I had sensitivity readers. At the time, it felt crushing. It was a difficult life season with autoimmune issues, cancer in the family, and so many other things. So, I gave up on the “Big 5” dream and eventually parted with my agent.

Years later, I tried for small presses with a new story, The Last Wayfinder. It had a high request rate, but I had heard about a new press that shared my Christian values and yet was mainstream. I thought it would be a safe place for my books.

Spoiler: I learned the hard way that living for “safe” isn’t the answer.

The publisher liked my books and wanted the entire series. I (very naively) signed them all away without even querying Saints & Monsters. They released Saints & Monsters first, but I was devastated by issues with the production and marketing. I’d hoped it was just the growing pains of a new press, but my concerns weren’t resolved. When I finally asked to discuss rights reversion, the response I received shocked me.

I joined the Authors Guild and they helped shed light on the situation and advocated for my rights. After months of back and forth, I was finally able to get the rights back to my books.

Through all that I learned an important lesson—Don’t settle. Don’t let your standards slip. Stand up for other authors, editors, and professionals in the industry. And just because you’ve made a mistake, it doesn’t mean it’s the end. Saints & Monsters sold more copies in a few months indie than it did the entire time it was with a small press. There can be new beginnings! There is always hope.

What is the hardest thing about self-publishing? What is the most rewarding?

The business side is hard for me—so many details to keep track of! It’s time consuming. That and content creation for marketing. The most rewarding thing is the freedom to truly write the stories I love, to develop community with other indie authors is one of my favorite things! And not splitting royalties is definitely a plus too!

What is your writing process like?

I’m a busy mom, pastor’s wife, language student, and do a million small things like recycle all the milk cartons (IYKYK). So I write in the margins. Sometimes that means at 5am, other times brief gaps between school hours, or late nights. It’s a full time job in half the time, but writing stories is something I love!

In the publishing and authoring world, everyone seems to define success differently. What is your definition of success?

I define success in layers.
Am I writing a story that I’m proud of? Yes.
Am I covering my publishing costs? Yes.
Am I reaching my bigger goal of helping to provide for my family and my kids education? No.
But I’m working on that and believe I’ll get there! So even if some goals haven’t reached “success” yet, writing is still a success because I’m being creative and doing something I was made to do.

*end of interview*

If you’re interested in checking out Ellen’s Kickstarter for The Last Wayfinder click here! But hurry, it ends on September 24! And follow her on Substack here!

Was there anything that Ellen shared today that stood out to you? Let me know in the comments!

Light,

Bethany

I sent my revised manuscript back to my editor recently and after a few weeks of crickets, I got this message from them:

“I just reached the *REDACTED* scene! Well done! This is so good!”

I heaved a huge sigh of relief at that point because the scene she was referring is at the midpoint and was almost completely rewritten due to some changes I made in the story. I have now received my second round of edits so I’m gearing up for a few more weeks of hard work, but the end is in sight!

Have you ever worked with an developmental editor? What was your experience like?

August’s Golden List for Writers & Readers

Every month I send this list of resources out for FREE. I hope something on here catches your eye!

Photo by Chu Son on Unsplash

Writing Contests

Aurora Contest - For Christian sci-fi and fantasy authors. Final round contestants will be judged by professional editors and publishing house owners. Start building name recognition now! Deadline, 11:59 pm August 29

6th Annual Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest - Seeks unpublished manuscripts across 10 categories. Awarding $25,000, agent and publisher circulation.

Substack’s Short Story Competition - A monthly, ongoing competition. No entry fee. The winner will receive roughly $7,000! See the link for details.

Free Reads

Everand App - I’ve heard it called “the Netflix of ebooks.” On the app you can get access to millions of books that are on your TBR. It’s has a 30 day free trial so you can try it!

Book Cave - Free books you’ll actually want to read. Beware of pirating sites! But this one is legit!

Traditional Publishers Currently Open to Unagented Authors

*I have vetted the information about these publishers to the best of my abilities; however, always use discretion and perform your own research before submitting. Submission guidelines and policies may change, so ensure you verify each publisher's requirements and only submit if you meet those requirements.

Everything With Words - Genres: MG and YA fiction over 40K words. Type: General market. Details: UK publisher, I personally think their covers are really beautiful. Open for non-agented submissions from August 1st – August 25th.

Quills & Quartos Publishing
Quills & Quartos Publishing was founded in 2019. They started with a very specific vision, to focus on publishing the best Austenesque romance fiction.

Story Weaver Publishing - “We're especially interested in speculative fiction and gritty narratives that explore life's deeper, often challenging, truths. If you have a story that you believe needs to be read, we want to help you share it. Your voice can make a real difference.”

Brother Mockingbird - Will open to unsolicited submissions February through March 2025. Genres: Action/Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial, Contemporary, Crime/Detective/Cozies, Historical, Horror, Humor/Satire, Literary, Multicultural, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Upmarket, Western, Women's Fiction, Young Adult.

Enclave Publishing is accepting adult and YA manuscripts for Christian speculative fiction.

Andrew McMeel Publishing - Type: General Market. Genres: Poetry, inspiration, humor, children’s books, comics and illustrated humor. Details: Review their catalog to ensure a good fit.

Mountain Brook Fire - This publisher hasn’t opened to unsolicited queries in years, and I just happened to check and — voilà! They are currently seeking fantasy and science fiction. “Manuscripts need not be explicitly “Christian”–in fact, we prefer general market. However, we’re looking for fiction that is clean. Books having a Christian worldview without having a faith thread are appreciated.”

Auctus Publishers - winner of Best Book of YA Agath Awards in 2020. Auctus is a traditional publisher seeking submissions from a wide range of genres, both fiction and non-fiction but not academic.

Clavis Publishing - Do you think your story or art is right for Clavis’ list of books for babies, toddlers and children? We want to hear about it! Submit your manuscript or artwork and we will gladly take a look.

Pegusus Publishers - Currently open

Storm Publishing - “We’re excited by gripping, dramatic stories that have us turning the pages and by real, flawed and passionate heroes who make us care. Those ingredients matter more than anything else.”

Next Chapter - “is a Rapid Versatile Publisher (RVP) that combines the professionalism and quality of traditional publishing with the creative freedom of independent publishing.” MY NOTE: A friend was published through them and said her experience has been super positive.

Kingsley Publishers accept submissions for consideration “from a wide range of genres, from fiction to non-fiction, biographical, memoirs, Christian books, and children’s books. "It's important to read through our submission guidelines before sending in your manuscript to ensure it meets our specifications.”

Olympia Publishers - Open to both hybrid and traditional contracts.

Castle Bridge Media - Details: Castle Bridge Media is an independent publisher of predominantly genre books, with particular interest in horror, science fiction, thriller, and fantasy. We also dabble in non-fiction titles as well. However, regardless of the genre, if the work is good, we will consider it. Novels should generally run between 80,000 and 120,000 words.

Aethon Books - General Market. Genres: Science fiction, fantasy, super hero, horror, romantasy.

Austin Macauley Publishers - we accept manuscripts across all genres, from around the globe, in both English and Spanish. Whether you are a new author or have been previously published, Austin Macauley Publishers is excited to hear from you. There is no requirement to have an agent when submitting to us as we welcome all author

Andrew McMeel Publishing - Type: General Market. Genres: Poetry, inspiration, humor, children’s books, comics and illustrated humor. Details: Review their catalog to ensure a good fit.

Annick Press - Genres: Picture books, early chapter books, middle grade, YA, graphic novels, non-fiction. Type: General Market. Details: YA novels typically range from 50,000–70,000 words.

Blue Dot Kids Press - Genres: Books for ages 0-12, focused on nature, conservation, and science.

Coffeetown Press - “We look for fiction and nonfiction. We prefer word counts between 50,000 and 100,000 words. We are not currently accepting works of horror fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, poetry, or children's titles at any of our imprints.”

Conclusion

I can’t believe fall is almost upon us. In my corner of the world, the leaves are already beginning to change on the maples and I keep peeking to see if the family who has the orchard down the street is going to put out their sign declaring that the chestnut crab apples (one of my favorites) are ready to come pick.

What are you most looking forward to this fall?

Light,

Bethany

An artist I’d hired to create some character art to promote my upcoming novel recently reached out to say, thank you. “So many authors are using AI now, so I appreciate the commission,” she said.

As a creator, I make it my mission to support other creators. In my mind, the creation process is incomplete if it ends with the creator. Creation is about giving of one’s self for the edification of others. There is an exchange. A giving and receiving.

As a writer, I will never let AI touch my art practice. And, as a Christian, I believe in the Golden Rule of doing unto others as I’d have them do to me.

Unethical pirating learning models aside, implementing the help of a soulless machine to create visual art for my words, to let something inhuman herald in readers into this deeply human creation, is the same as hiring Captain Crunch be the spokesperson for my novel. It holds absolutely no substantive value or resonance.

Today, I’ve invited a fellow Substacker and fantasy writer, Daria Henshaw from All the Girls I Write Are Haunted, to cowrite this article with me.

We hope to offer some practical advice for self-publishing authors who feel conflicted about if they should use AI for their books covers. We will also share a list of tools and resources to help self-publishing authors get the best cover they can afford without having to resort to GenAI.

Why Did We Write This Article?

A few months ago, we came across a widely subscribed to newsletter geared toward self-published authors. It was filled with the longest word salad we’d ever read about why it’s okay for authors to use GenAI for their cover designs.

The article assumed that most self-published authors simply can’t afford good covers. It also stated that authors making their own covers with AI is just good business.

Now, we probably would have moved on and not even written this piece were it not for the comments section. The majority of it’s readership (i.e. self-publishing authors) agreed with the article, thanking it for affirming their choices to use AI to create their book covers.

Can you say, echo chamber?

Now, we aren’t here to bash other publications, or to put down the authors who don’t want to break the bank. But that article had no statistics or other evidence that this is truly a better route for a self-publishing author.

So we are coming at this with facts, data, and real resources that aren’t so fatalist as resorting to AI to generate your book cover for you. Take heart! There are other ways to get the cover of your dreams without having to sell your car, or search for quarters in storm drains, or inherit your long lost uncle’s fortune.

GenAI Harmless or Harmful?

By day, I—Daria—work as an in-house graphic designer in the tourism industry. Prior to this job, I was a graphic designer at an agency and worked in the financial technologies industry for several years. I’ve witnessed the slow but terrifying development of image-generative AI and have been there when everything it spat out was instantly recognizable rubbish. It got progressively better at creating truly believable imagery, and I don’t think a lot of people realize just how problematic it is and the extent of it.

Aside from image-generative AI being trained on stolen art that people poured heart, soul, blood and tears into, that same image-generative AI someone would use to create a book cover can create images with your face doing something you did not consent to do on camera. That same image-generative AI is used by child predators to alter images of real children they find online to make them appear undressed or worse. If this doesn’t scare you, you’re of strong heart. Because it sure as hell scares me. We cannot be against some applications of image-generative AI and be okay with others. It is this grey line that feeds its use.

There are so many applications when AI is something useful and sometimes even life-changing. A GP can use AI to transcribe a conversation and better focus on their patient’s concerns instead of taking notes. Someone who has been diagnosed with ALS and might lose their voice to the disease, can use AI to preserve and then recreate their voice in the future.

Not all AI is bad. But it should be used where it’s truly needed, where it changes lives, where it helps. Not to replace something already perfect—real art created by real people.

Assumption: Pretty Book Covers are Unaffordable

So, how much does a book cover really cost? Like anything, there’s a range depending on the designer and the complexity of the cover.

A few self-publishing authors we know were willing to share their covers and be transparent about the cost. For an even lower budget, there are premade covers on the market for as low as $90.

Example 1.

Author A.R. Bledsoe spent $660 on her cover. The background art was created by Nic Ferrari and the author designed the text herself purchasing an Adobe font and using Photoshop.

Example 2.

Author Cheyenne van Langevelde paid $360 for ebook and paperback and an additional $200 for the hardcover (dust jacket) for her first book. She later learned how to design covers for herself and others and made this!

Example 3.

Author Brigitte Cromey’s commissioned this awesome cover for her sci-fi novel from EAH Creative (Emilie Haney). Emilie typically charges $350 for a full paperback wrap/ebook package.

Example 4.

Author Jordan Smith’s artist is Fakel Barros with Stardust Book Services. The total for the wrap was $375. “The whole process was seamless and easy,” shared Smith.

Assumption: Saving money is just good business

There is more to good business practice than simply keeping costs low. Let’s look at potential set backs to using GenAI covers.

Copywriting Issues

Because AI cannot be copyrighted, an AI-generated cover doesn’t belong to you. That means anyone can use your cover or artwork without your permission.

Ebenezer Scrooge Vibes

If you are a creator hoping for others to spend their hard earned money to buy your books, but are unwilling to support other creators in the process, this is a double-standard.

Your AI Cover Might Hurt Your Book Sales

94 readers and writers we polled on Instagram and asked them this question.

Poll: Do you notice when a book cover is AI-generated?

Yes: 44%

No: 4%

Sometimes: 52%

Poll: Would you by a book with AI-Generated Cover?

Yes: 17% (16)

No: 83% (78)

Whether the story is amazing and human written or not, that’s still 78 people out of 94 not buying the book with an AI-generated cover.

Impact on Author Brand

It may negatively affect your brand. I’ve heard authors say that they don’t believe in using AI to write, but it’s okay to use AI art. This is, again, a double standard and calls the author’s integrity into question.

Poll: If an author used AI to generate a book cover, do you believe they would use AI during their writing process?

Yes: 33%

No: 13%

Maybe: 54%

So that’s 87% of people who, if they see an AI-generated cover are questioning that the author’s story isn’t also, at least partially, AI-generated or aided.

Poll: Would you read an AI-generated book?

Yes: 2%

No: 94%

Maybe: 4%

Even if the author isn’t using ChatGPT to generate his words, his reputation and sales could be affected.

Missing out on Networking/Collaboration

When we polled 31 self-publishing authors who hired human artists all of them said it was 100% worth hiring a real person to create their cover. 92% said they built a relationship with their designer—one even said they became best friends!

How You Can Get A Human-Made Cover On Any Budget

So what is the alternative? Never fear! We have a lot of ideas!

Premade Covers

There are heaps of human graphic designers, beginners and veterans, who create premade covers at discounted rates. You can spend anywhere from $20 to $400 depending on what you want.

I recently came across Andy Payne Book Designs IG page and reached out to him to learn more. He is a talented graphic designer that does not use AI. His pre-mades are $250. He offers custom covers starting at $350.

You can also check out these sites below with some truly beautiful covers starting at $90: Book Cover Zone, Book Cover Designer, The Cover Collection, Get Premades .

*It is increasingly difficult to find real creators who do not use AI in their process. Some creators who sell their book covers through the above links or on Etsy might be using AI, there’s no way to check every cover for sale.

Our best advice would be to approach every creator you hire with a head on question: Do you use AI in your process? If their reply is yes, do not proceed. Read your contracts, look out for any mention of AI there. Ask for preliminary sketches and to be included in the process. A human artist will send you some rough sketches of the design before starting the rending.

Make your own

Necessity is the mother of invention after all! If an author can’t afford a premade cover, they can always attempt to learn a new skill.

1. Creative Market , Envato, and other stock sites offer FREE royalty free graphics, photos, and designs monthly if you sign up with them. You would require a commercial license to use the assets for your book cover.

2. Some authors I’ve come across have made some truly lovely covers themselves with Canva. There are free classes on YouTube with all kinds of ideas on how to use the various features.

3. Editable Book Cover Design Softwares - check out this Reedsy article which breaks down the pros and cons of different platforms.

4. It is entirely free to create a cover on Amazon’s KDP, but beware of using AI in that situation as well.

Thinking Outside the Box

1. Offer trades or exchanges with artists. Some artists want to build up their portfolios and they're willing to work with you in exchange for something that benefits you both. There is no harm in asking around, and building relationships with human artists.

2. Hire an artist to create the background and you do the text/formatting like what author A.R. Bledsoe did in the example above!

3. Hire an entry-level artist. There are thousands of human, entry-level artists that charge a pittance for their artwork. You can find them everywhere, but Bethany’s publisher, has an extensive database on their website.

4. Create a Kickstarter Campaign. Many self-publishing authors have fully funded their book on Kickstarter. It allows backers to be a part of the publishing process, and makes them feel invested in your story.

   I really think Kickstarter is the future for indie authors. - Samantha Norbury, Audiobook Narrator

5. Monetizing your Substack is a great way to have a small stream of revenue and fund your book projects. Think about creating regular, valuable, quality content that then gives you a small income stream.

6. Hiring a designer on Reedsy, a specialized marketplace for authors. Designer prices will range, but Reedsy reports that cover designs will generally start between $300-500 per project.

   “A lot of times newer artists offer cheaper prices but give the same quality as seasoned artists. They just haven't been around long enough to establish themselves yet. So, look for newer artists.” - Bryn Shutt, author & publishing staff

Conclusion

Writing is hard work. But it is the effort, the wait, the struggles that make it meaningful. Resorting to an AI cover so that it can be reader-ready, may seem like an easier route. But could it also be cheating yourself out of the achievement that is becoming a published author?

We hope that this article brought some peace to authors who are struggling with a moral dilemma and provided real help. What did you find most interesting about what we shared? Were you surprised by any of the poll answers? Let us know in the comments below!

About the Authors

Daria is a Ukrainian-born, Australian-sworn and New Zealander-dwelling writer and graphic designer. Her speculative short story SEDENTARY is published in New Australian Fiction Anthology. When she’s not working on her dark fantasy novel, reading or writing for her Substack “All the girls I write are haunted”, Daria is exploring Auckland parks with her husband and their dog Pippin.

Bethany is a wife, mom, follower of Jesus and former freelance writer. Her short story, THE WONDROUS CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR OF EDITH LIDDELL, releases next week in the Wonder Tales Anthology. When not scribbling stories or chasing tiny humans around, Bethany enjoys hiking, kayaking, and decorating.

I jotted down this opening line one snowy, December morning. I knew it wanted it to be a heist story and I knew the villain was going to own a magical menagerie. But beyond that I just let myself splash around a bit in the world, and see what direction the story wanted to go. It’s been a while since I let myself be so free in a story and not care about the result. Over the course of a weekend, I wrote The Wondrous Criminal Behavior of Edith Liddell and submitted it to the Wonder Tales anthology. It was accepted and is releasing June 30, 2025!

It’s a fantasy story about Alice’s younger sister, Edith, who teams up with her academic rival to commit an impossible heist at “the Madman’s Menagerie.” It’s basically like if the Greatest Showman was evil and Anne of Green Gables and Gilbert Blyth lived in a fantastical world with some humor and cool magic thrown in.

My unsolicited advice for this week: If you find yourself in a creative slump, or just bogged down with big projects, challenge yourself to write a short story this weekend. Sometimes accomplishing something small can be a big confidence booster.

Below is my narrated version and the text version of Page 1 for you to choose from:

The Wondrous Criminal Behavior of Edith Liddell

by Bethany Alcott

I would like to be honest in this confession as these are the last words I will ever write. The constable gave me a lamp, quill, and parchment before he left, declaring to return when the gallows were ready. He said it rather cheerily, and I wonder if it’s been a long time since the city enjoyed a good old-fashioned hanging.

The cell they’ve put me in is stone, windowless, and smells of must. The smell doesn’t bother me. I am used to damp places, the cottage I share with Mother being quite old and drafty. But I mourn the absence of the window more than I can say.

First, I’d like this record to state that my name is Edith Liddell and I am seventeen years old. Second, in the rare case Alice ever reads this, I’d like her to know that I love her very much. And third—because a list of three feels more complete, especially at the end of one’s life—I’d like to tell Finn that I—

No, I won’t ruin a perfectly good rivalry by writing that!

The constable said this record is where I should recant my various misdeeds, etcetera, etcetera, and my response to that is: no. Just, no. I bear no remorse for my actions, and no matter how much I dig around inside the pockets of my conscience, I can’t seem to find a lint’s worth of sorries.

*End of Page 1*

You can find the rest of this story in the Wonder Tales anthology! The e-book is currently on preorder on Amazon and Barnes & Noble . Hardcopy to come after June 30th!

Bethany’s Golden List for Writers and Readers

Book Marketing Help

1. A List on Reedsy can be found here!

2. Best Book Monkey - Promote your book for anywhere from free - $15 .

Publications Seeking Anthology and Poetry

Yolk Literary - is seeking submissions until May 31, 2025 for their digital publication.

Gather Poets - Our lit mag publishes poets where we read poems every day: on Instagram. We are a social lit mag and we publish collaboratively to share our online reach with you.

Awards and Competitions Currently Open

Ingram Spark - The Ultimate List of Book Fairs, Festivals, and Conferences for 2025

Bridport Prize - Short story, novel, poetry and flash fiction competition is open!

Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Fest - This contest is open only to emerging writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Published books include any book with an ISBN, including self-published. Those who have published books in other genres besides fiction remain eligible.

6th Annual Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest - Seeks unpublished manuscripts across 10 categories. Awarding $25,000, agent and publisher circulation.

Substack’s Short Story Competition - A monthly, ongoing competition. No entry fee. The winner will receive roughly $7,000! See the link for details.

Traditional Publishers Open to Unagented Authors

*I have vetted the information about these publishers to the best of my abilities; however, always use discretion and perform your own research before submitting. Submission guidelines and policies may change, so ensure you verify each publisher's requirements and only submit if you meet those requirements.

Querencia Press - “We are OPEN for chapbooks and full length manuscripts and will close in November. Anthology submissions for our unthemed quarterly anthologies are OPEN! Deadline June 1, 2025.”

Paragon Press - Paragon's submission window for poetry, fiction, nonfiction, comics, and visual art is open from May 1st to August 31st every year.

Pajama Press - Pajama Press is a small literary press with high editorial and production standards. We are currently acquiring middle-grade and YA fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction.

Owls Nest Publishers - A small press geared toward kidlit (ages 8-18). See link for submission details!

Quills & Quartos Publishing
Quills & Quartos Publishing was founded in 2019. They started with a very specific vision, to focus on publishing the best Austenesque romance fiction.

Castle Bridge Media - Details: Castle Bridge Media is an independent publisher of predominantly genre books, with particular interest in horror, science fiction, thriller, and fantasy. We also dabble in non-fiction titles as well. However, regardless of the genre, if the work is good, we will consider it. Novels should generally run between 80,000 and 120,000 words.

Brother Mockingbird - Will open to unsolicited submissions February through March 2025. Genres: Action/Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial, Contemporary, Crime/Detective/Cozies, Historical, Horror, Humor/Satire, Literary, Multicultural, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Upmarket, Western, Women's Fiction, Young Adult.

Enclave Publishing is accepting adult and YA manuscripts for Christian speculative fiction.

Andrew McMeel Publishing - Type: General Market. Genres: Poetry, inspiration, humor, children’s books, comics and illustrated humor. Details: Review their catalog to ensure a good fit.

Mountain Brook Fire - This publisher hasn’t opened to unsolicited queries in years, and I just happened to check and — voilà! They are currently seeking fantasy and science fiction. “Manuscripts need not be explicitly “Christian”–in fact, we prefer general market. However, we’re looking for fiction that is clean. Books having a Christian worldview without having a faith thread are appreciated.”

Storm Publishing - “We’re excited by gripping, dramatic stories that have us turning the pages and by real, flawed and passionate heroes who make us care. Those ingredients matter more than anything else.”

Next Chapter - “is a Rapid Versatile Publisher (RVP) that combines the professionalism and quality of traditional publishing with the creative freedom of independent publishing.” MY NOTE: A friend was published through them and said her experience has been super positive.

Kingsley Publishers accept submissions for consideration “from a wide range of genres, from fiction to non-fiction, biographical, memoirs, Christian books, and children’s books. "It's important to read through our submission guidelines before sending in your manuscript to ensure it meets our specifications.”

Olympia Publishers - Open to both hybrid and traditional contracts.

Auctus Publishers - winner of Best Book of YA Agath Awards in 2020. Auctus is a traditional publisher seeking submissions from a wide range of genres, both fiction and non-fiction but not academic.

Clavis Publishing - Do you think your story or art is right for Clavis’ list of books for babies, toddlers and children? We want to hear about it! Submit your manuscript or artwork and we will gladly take a look.

Conclusion

What sort of things give you a “boost” in the long journey toward publishing? Have you ever written a short story?

Next time, I’ll be sharing a piece of commissioned character art of my MMC (male main character) Taran and talking candidly about how developmental edits are going for my novel.

Light,

Bethany

Today, I want to share about how my childhood friend, Garrett made me a better writer. He probably doesn’t even know the impact he has had on me. So Garrett, if you’re reading this, thank you!

You see Garrett is blind and he also loves stories more than anyone else I know. Whenever we hung out, he would barrage me with questions about what I was writing, wanting every last details. I’d sometimes read excerpts aloud. And something began to dawn on me…I realized how sight-focused books often are.

Not just mine, but the majority of books. Of course, authors do use the other four senses, but it seemed to me, not nearly as much as sight.

So, with a slight frown on my face, eighteen-year-old Bethany, returned to her manuscripts and began experimenting.

Every time I sat down to write, I would imagine Garrett reading my book and I would then lean into the other four senses more.

This simple exercise opened my soul to sensory description.

An impending July storm was no longer “dark clouds looming on the horizon,” or even how it “tints the light green.” The calm before the storm smelled like slow-moving liquid. It felt like the precipice, a pause, an inhale before the plunge.

After the storm had passed, the earth “smelled of earthworms and ozone.” And I discovered that that green, loamy scent has a name called: petrichor.

In my neighborhood, dry, hot summer days smell of gummy tar on pavement, white cedar, and the honied scent of basswoods in bloom.

I learned that I love describing scent the most and I lean into it. Now, I never miss the chance to smell new leather, a spice, an essential oil, or a new fruit.

My mom was the same way, so I think this must be hereditary. Some ancient wisdom passed down from my Lebanese great-grandmother or something. “All the women in our family have been gifted with the Schnoz for six generations!”

Or something like that.

Writing the Other Senses: Learning from the Greats

Maya Angelou—one of my favorite memoirists—has a love affair with sound. Look at this quote from her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

“I discovered that to achieve perfect personal silence all I had to do was to attach myself leechlike to sound. I began to listen to everything. I probably hoped that after I had heard all the sounds, really heard them and packed them down, deep in my ears, the world would be quiet around me. I walked into rooms where people were laughing, their voices hitting the walls like stones, and I simply stood still—in the midst of the riot of sound. After a minute or two, silence would rush into the room from its hiding place because I had eaten up all the sounds.”

If you want to study someone who is a master as sensory writing look to Angelou. Here is another excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

“I sat in the back of the car, with Dad’s leather suitcases, and our cardboard boxes. Although the windows were rolled down, the smell of fried chicken and sweet potato pie lay unmoving, and there wasn’t enough room to stretch. Whenever he thought about it, Dad asked, “Are you comfortable back there, Daddy’s baby?” He never waited to hear my answer, which was “Yes, sir,” before he’d resume his conversation with Bailey. He and Bailey told jokes, and Bailey laughed all the time, put out Dad’s cigarettes and held one hand on the steering wheel when Dad said, “Come on, boy, help me drive this thing.”

After I got tired of passing through the same towns over and over, and seeing the empty-looking houses, small and unfriendly, I closed myself off to everything but the kissing sounds of the tires on the pavement and the steady moan of the motor.”

These two paragraphs earn their place in this story as Maya communicates setting and mood through sensory description. The words she chooses here are impeccable.

Let me break it down:

1. First, we learn little seven year old Maya is stuffed in the back of her father’s car with all his luggage.

2. The windows are down, BUT it does nothing to diminish the strong scent of food, which makes the reader think the car isn’t driving fast and it’s a warm day with little wind.

3. Next we learn her dad keeps calling back to check-in with her, which at first seems sweet, but then we find he isn’t interested in hearing her response. And here is where I begin to get a clue as to where the scene is going.

The subtext in the final paragraph is really what makes this whole lead up brilliant:

Up to this point we are learning about what’s happening inside the car. But then we get this sentence: “After I got tired of passing through the same towns over and over” — now our gaze is directed outward, and we see the exterior of the car mirror the happenings in the interior of the car and Maya’s own interiority. The phrase “the same town over and over” mirrors the repetition of her father’s question, “Are you comfortable back there, Daddy’s baby?” without him listening to her response.

“...and seeing the empty-looking houses, small and unfriendly…” makes me think this is a picture of Maya’s own feelings about herself at this time in her life. She is a little girl who has experienced some major trauma and has learned to cope by retreating into herself. To the outside world she looks small and unfriendly, and perhaps she feels that way about herself. This is what makes Maya such a great writer, she tells her stories, but she doesn’t moralize, she just lets them sit there, open and uncomfortable, up for the readers own interpretation.

“I closed myself off to everything but the kissing sounds of the tires on the pavement and the steady moan of the motor.”

The word kiss is both perfect for describing the sound of slow-moving tires and shifts the subtext to a new focus. It seems to hint at a deeper longing for connection and parental support within Maya’s own heart in the wake of her traumatic experience. Ending the paragraph with the word moan is so conclusive, expressing the resigned silence of her loneliness.

So, what are the right words?

I don’t have a degree in creative writing. I’m just a person who has spent the last 20 years of her free time playing with words to see what they make. So, this is just my opinion. But I think no word in a dictionary is inherently better than another until it is applied to the context of your story. And you know you’ve selected the right sensory word when it also supports the subtext.

In short: the right word earns its place on the page by doing more than one thing.

Conclusion

What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? What is your favorite of the five senses to read or write?

Next Time

I’ll be sharing a narrated excerpt from my short story The Wondrous Criminal Behavior of Edith Liddell which releases June 30th in the Wondertales Anthology!

I also have an update about the developmental edits for my novel. Let’s just say reading through the edits was equal parts overwhelming and exciting. But more on that next time.

Light,

Bethany

Photo: Me, living my best mom-life with my favorite sidekick.

Working with the artist (Seaborn Studios) to bring my characters to life was an absolute deeeelight!

Isla’s Character Art Reveal

Isla Edenvane (Age 17)

• Loves the theater

• Good at lying

• Caught between two worlds

• A junior nurse in the Ghlasmorrian Army Nurse Corps

• Strong swimmer

• Panic attacks

• Afraid she will be institutionalized if her secret is discovered

• Strengths: intuitive, compassionate, intelligent and brave

It was so much fun to see Isla—who has lived in my head for years—out in the physical world! It made it all feel more real.

Though Isla and I are different in many ways, writing her character helped me process my own past experiences with panic attacks and parental loss. Despite these shadows, Isla perseveres, she hopes, she laughs, she cries, she loves, and doesn’t become embittered by her circumstance.

The Author/Artist Communication Process

To help you see behind-the-scenes of what it was like to bring this art piece to life, I created this collage.

Bethany's Golden List For Writers and Readers

If you’re new here, once a month I send out my “golden list.” It’s all the info I’ve curated over the past few months via knocks on doors, whispered passwords, and meetings in smokey clubs with people who go by nicknames. It’s dangerous work so hope it’s helpful.

#HumanVoicesOnly Online Event is April 17th!

I participated in this event last year with audiobook narrator Candace Fitzgerald and it was AWESOME! I sent her a short paragraph from my WIP (work-in-progress) and she made an Instagram Reel narrating it.

Why? It’s the art communities response to Meta stealing millions of books to train its AI models and KDP pushing it’s “virtual voice” audiobooks over human narrators.

If you’d like to participate search these hashtags on IG #humanvoicesonly #dothewritething #hirehuman #genaiistheft #humanvoice #audiobooknarrator #narratorsofinstagram and reach out to a participating narrator to read a portion of your WIP or published book for the event!

Anthology and Lit Journal Submission Openings

Bellevue Literary Review - “Bellevue Literary Review seeks high-caliber, unpublished work, broadly and creatively related to our themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body.”

Prairie Schooner - Prairie Schooner publishes short stories, poems, imaginative essays of general interest, and reviews of current books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. We read submissions from September 1st to May 1st of each year.

First Fruit Press- this anthology is run by author Brittney Tucker. She is seeking fiction stories of any genre but the submission must be centered around “your area’s local legends and hometown lore.” Submissions must be 3k-5k words. Deadline is April 15, 2025.

Yolk Literary - is seeking submissions until May 31, 2025 for their digital publication.

Twenty Hills is open to anthology, poetry, and short story submissions.

Hen Dragon Press is looking for stories with Aesop's Fables Elements.

Contests and Award Nominations Currently Open

Realm Makers Readers Choice Award nominations will open between March 15- April 15. Readers can enter up to three (3) favorites!

6th Annual Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest - Seeks unpublished manuscripts across 10 categories. Awarding $25,000, agent and publisher circulation.

Substack’s Short Story Competition - A monthly, ongoing competition. No entry fee. The winner will receive roughly $7,000! See the link for details.

Traditional Publishers Currently Open to Unagented Authors

*I have vetted the information about these publishers to the best of my abilities; however, always use discretion and perform your own research before submitting. Submission guidelines and policies may change, so ensure you verify each publisher's requirements and only submit if you meet those requirements.

Dragon Bone Publishing - is open until April 30th to novel and novella submissions. “We're looking for YA, NA, and Adult novels and novellas that fit into speculative genres, particularly bold science fiction and fantasy that bend and combine genres, like cozy fantasy/sci-fi, horror fantasy/sci-fi, etc. At this time, we're looking for novellas between 15-50k and novels between 50k…and 100k.”

Owls Nest Publishers - A small press geared toward kidlit (ages 8-18). See link for submission details!

Quills & Quartos Publishing
Quills & Quartos Publishing was founded in 2019. They started with a very specific vision, to focus on publishing the best Austenesque romance fiction.

Everything With Words - Genres: MG and YA fiction over 40K words. Type: General market. Details: UK publisher, I personally think their covers are really beautiful.

Castle Bridge Media - Details: Castle Bridge Media is an independent publisher of predominantly genre books, with particular interest in horror, science fiction, thriller, and fantasy. We also dabble in non-fiction titles as well. However, regardless of the genre, if the work is good, we will consider it. Novels should generally run between 80,000 and 120,000 words.

Brother Mockingbird - Will open to unsolicited submissions February through March 2025. Genres: Action/Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial, Contemporary, Crime/Detective/Cozies, Historical, Horror, Humor/Satire, Literary, Multicultural, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Upmarket, Western, Women's Fiction, Young Adult.

Enclave Publishing is accepting adult and YA manuscripts for Christian speculative fiction.

Andrew McMeel Publishing - Type: General Market. Genres: Poetry, inspiration, humor, children’s books, comics and illustrated humor. Details: Review their catalog to ensure a good fit.

Mountain Brook Fire - This publisher hasn’t opened to unsolicited queries in years, and I just happened to check and — voilà! They are currently seeking fantasy and science fiction. “Manuscripts need not be explicitly “Christian”–in fact, we prefer general market. However, we’re looking for fiction that is clean. Books having a Christian worldview without having a faith thread are appreciated.”

Storm Publishing - “We’re excited by gripping, dramatic stories that have us turning the pages and by real, flawed and passionate heroes who make us care. Those ingredients matter more than anything else.”

Next Chapter - “is a Rapid Versatile Publisher (RVP) that combines the professionalism and quality of traditional publishing with the creative freedom of independent publishing.” MY NOTE: A friend was published through them and said her experience has been super positive.

Kingsley Publishers accept submissions for consideration “from a wide range of genres, from fiction to non-fiction, biographical, memoirs, Christian books, and children’s books. "It's important to read through our submission guidelines before sending in your manuscript to ensure it meets our specifications.”

Olympia Publishers - Open to both hybrid and traditional contracts.

Auctus Publishers - winner of Best Book of YA Agath Awards in 2020. Auctus is a traditional publisher seeking submissions from a wide range of genres, both fiction and non-fiction but not academic.

Clavis Publishing - Do you think your story or art is right for Clavis’ list of books for babies, toddlers and children? We want to hear about it! Submit your manuscript or artwork and we will gladly take a look.

Conclusion

Have you ever hired an artist or are you interested in hiring one? I’d love to hear from you!

Light,

Bethany

Moriah is the author of the 3-times Realm Makers finalist young adult fantasy, Heart of the Sea, and various short stories. Her next novel, a YA speculative mystery, is coming from Twenty Hills Publishers September 2025. She is a two-time graduate from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and a Master’s in Library and Information Science. It’s been said you can find her perusing bookstores, attempting to persuade strangers to read her favorite books, oscillating between watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (her husband’s favorite) or Harry Potter (hers), and keeping her books from the clutches of her two feisty cats.

Introduction

Moriah and I met on Instagram in 2024. I’ve long admired how she has a way of mixing humor, faith, fantasy, and deep thoughts all together in her Reels for her audience. We started sending each other DMs and voice memos and a friendship started.

We met for this interview over Zoom one Sunday afternoon in February—and yes, her “feisty cat” wanted to take part in it.

Interview with Moriah

[Bethany Alcott] When did you decide that you wanted to become an author?

[Moriah Chaviz] When I was in middle school, I got into reading because of Twilight. I loved reading stories and I wanted to create my own.

[B.A.] Can you name some authors that have influenced you?

[M.C.] I think every book I read influences me somehow. It will put me in a different mood or state. J.K. Rowling is one, because she does such a great job making characters feel real. I could listen to Harry Potter—and also her adult books—over and over again.

I also just finished reading the Ballad of Neverafter and the writing is so effortless. Stephanie Garber is such a great writer and I love fairytales and so I enjoyed that one a lot.

[B.A.] What gave you the idea to write The Curious Case of the Midnight Specter?

[M.C.] It started out as a short story for an anthology. The theme of the anthology was light and darkness. It starts out with my main character, Leighanna, dying of tuberculosis but she survives it. She’s been claimed by Life and Death and when I personified Life and Death that gave it a life of its own and explains why she can see ghosts or other supernatural beings.

Life and Death don’t know who was supposed to be there that night. There are other times where Leighanna is almost dying and Time shows up with an attitude and is like, “Why am I fixing this for you guys? Who is supposed to be here?”

Anyway, she sees a ghost and the ghost is like: “You have to catch my killer before he or she kills again.”

[B.A.] Can you share about your writing process?

[M.C.] It varies depending on the book. Heart of the Sea I pantsed. It took me about seven months to finish the draft. I love editing more than I love drafting, so once I have the draft down, I’m good. I’m like, “I can fix this! It’s a hot mess but I can fix this!” I know my the first draft is going to be bad, and I know it will get better. The process might take me a little longer, but I prefer to do it that way.

With The Curious Case of the Midnight Specter, I had to outline it backwards. I had to start with who the killer is, and then go back, and add in the clues. I’d always heard you have to write mystery novels backwards and I never understood what that meant until I did it.

There are a lot of writers on YouTube who [teach] about the steps to how to write a mystery that I found that really helpful. It was a lot of fun.

A lot of mysteries you read, tell you who the killer is within the first chapter. They’re right there! There is a balance between how much to tell the reader and how much to keep hidden. Because you want it to be obvious when they reread it, but not obvious when they first read it.

[B.A.] I know this novel releases in September (I already ordered my signed copy!!!), but I’m assuming you’ve had some feedback on it. What are readers saying?

[M.C.] One of the people who endorsed the book said: “I was not expecting Life and Death to be the way you made them.”

Death is sad all the time because all he does is usher people into the afterlife. And Life is positive but also skeptical because she understand what life is like. I really enjoyed exploring their personalities. I loved writing the Life and Death chapters and I play with Time, so Time is a character in the book too. And Freewill is going to be a character in the second book. Stuff like that. It’s fun.

[B.A.] Why did you choose the 1890’s for this story?

[M.C.] I really like that time period. The Victorian time period is so Gothic. Victorians used arsenic, and all these dangerous things in their paint and clothing. It’s amazing anyone survive this time period. I mean, just fifty years before, they discovered that you had to wash your hands between going to the morgue and going to deliver a baby. And so it was fun to explore how on the precipice of life and death you really would be [living during this time].

There isn’t really a romance in this first book, but my publisher did say, “If you don’t have these two get together, I’m going to be upset!” So there’s that. But it’s more just her story of what it was like to be a woman during the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Women were allowed to sit in on lectures, but not allowed to get degrees.

So being a woman in that society, Leighanna sees herself as more than what society tells her she can be. She still wants those things, but she also has this second chance to really discover who she is and how she can help the world around her.

[B.A.] What is the hardest part of writing for you?

[M.C.] I want to describe all these fru-fru, pretty settings, the emotion of the people, and detail of the world. I hate writing fight scenes. That’s my least favorite thing to do. Usually they end up very telly and I have to go back and fix it later. I’ll be standing there, doing the motions myself.

[B.A.] I know you are a librarian. Is there anything you have learned in your job that has benefited you as a writer?

[M.C.] I don’t wear rose-tinted glasses because, at the end of the day, I know publishing is a business. For a writer, the story is so important to you, and you get in tears over an agent rejection, but you really are just someone else in their inbox.

For me, being a creative person is taking everything about yourself and putting it on display for the whole world to see and then asking for their opinion on it.

Some books just aren’t meant for the trade world. The trade world is completely dependent on what is popular in the moment. And some books aren’t going to be popular until ten years after they’ve been published. Twilight came out in 2005, but it didn’t become popular until 2008 when it became a movie.

Susan Collin’s books were popular when they first came out, and have had a recent resurgence. Trends are always coming and going.

Looking at it from a business side and getting a tough enough skin to survive the publishing world, has been necessary for me.

[B.A.] Can you share about how you’ve had to grow a thick skin?

[M.C.] I’ve had probably over 500 rejections querying other books. I am more used to people telling me, “no” than “yes.” With Heart of the Sea, I pitched it to a publisher who asked for three rewrites before finally telling me: no. And that was horrible. They got my hopes up three times and in the end, all they said was: “I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t publish it.”

Every story you write, is going to be a reflection of some part of you. So you’re going to see it as personal when you get rejected, even if it’s not.

What does it mean to you to be a follower of Christ who writes speculative fiction? What things do you try to imbue into your worlds?

For a lot of authors who write Christian fiction, Christ is part of their lives, so why wouldn’t He be there? That’s how I’ve approached my writing.

For example, in Heart of the Sea there is the Light and the Darkness and Nerissa has a lot of struggles with what is good and what is bad. But I wanted to share a story that says: there’s hope in the darkness. And that is Christ all day. His message of hope is, that even in the darkest of times, even when everything else is bad, He is still good.

I like the quote by C.S. Lewis when the kids are talking to the beavers about Aslan and one of the kids asks, “Is he safe?”

And the beaver is like, “Of course he’s not safe! He’s Aslan! But he’s good.”

I don’t think Christian fiction should be squeaky clean, I think it should show how humans truly are because we are only good by Christ alone.

*End of interview*

Conclusion

If you liked the Netflix Enola Holmes films, you’ll love The Curious Case of the Midnight Specter (releases September 16, 2025). You can order a signed copy now on Etsy or get the digital version on Amazon Kindle.

Do you like reading mysteries? What stuck out to you from the interview? I’d love to hear about it!

As always, thanks for choosing to be here!

Light,

Bethany

If you’re feeling weary today, I hope this personal story encourages you in some way.

(FYI - Sending out the “Golden List” of Writing Resources as a standalone next week.)

March 30, 2019

Mom and I were going to have breakfast together. A planner by nature, Mom had told me about it on the phone the night before.

“I’ll bring cranberry bread and cream cheese,” she had said in her perky, go-getter voice.

Afterward, we’d jog over to Home Depot for some paint and give my 1960s kitchen a much needed reboot. An ordinary morning with one of my favorite people…or so I thought.

As 8:00 a.m. turned into 8:20 a.m., I assumed, my mom was running late, which was weird because she was one of those consistently punctual people.

I called her cellphone a few times, but it went straight to voicemail. Forty minutes after she was supposed to arrive, I began to feel an anxious certainty that something was wrong. I called my dad who was surprised that she hadn’t made it to my house yet. He said he’d get in the car and drive my way.

After calling my sister to tell her what was going on, I tried to keep busy. I was wiping down the bathroom sink when my dad called. I still remember the vacancy in his voice.

“There was an accident. Your mom’s gone,” he said.

“Gone? What do you mean—gone?” I stammered. The tile beneath my feet felt like quicksand sucking me into an alien dimension I wanted no part of. “She’s gone? How? I don’t understand!” She was my rock—she was everyones rock. The idea of her being “gone” was just didn’t make sense.

“I’m sorry, Honey,” my dad’s voice snapped me back to the bathroom, where my panicked reflection stared back at me in the mirror. His voice was thick, soft. “I…I gotta go.” He hung up.

This couldn’t be true! A half wail, half scream came out of me. It woke up my nine-month-old daughter who began to cry. I remember rushing into her nursery with apologies, bundling her into my arms and allowing her tiny form to anchor my soul to the world that was spinning out of control.

Later, I learned that my mom had been hit head-on by a DUI driver who had crossed over into her lane, she was the first car in a long pile up. Others were hurt, but no one else was killed.

The Shape of Grief

In those early months, my grief caught me like a riptide, pulling me from familiar shores into open sea. I felt like a stranger to this new reality that was now my life. Sometimes it felt like it was all some cruel joke, and I was waiting for the ha-ha-gotcha moment to come.

I journaled all my fragmented thoughts, listened to sad music, wrote pages of poetry and just let myself lament in the best way I knew how: with words, with God, with a few choice people.

Here is a paragraph I wrote in my diary during that time:

Each relationship you share with someone has its own fingerprint, its own swirls and whirls of connecting memories. Even its scars. It is a beautiful thing to know and to be known by another. A heavenly thing. And to reveal to another person both the light and darkness that battles inside you and still be loved in spite of it, is something truly Divine.

Interpretation of Experience

For weeks after the accident, I drove a different route to my dad’s house. I didn’t want to drive past the spot where it happened. But then it came to me that by avoiding that place, I was assigning power to it, letting it determine my actions. So, I started taking the usual route again. It was hard at first and then overtime it became less so.

I also had months where my imagination would play with alternative endings. Wondering if my mom and I had picked a different time to meet, or if I’d bought a house in a different town, if she’d still be alive. It was mentally torturous and, for a time, I blamed myself for her death in part.

Not fully, but in part.

I do believe that how we interpret what happens to us has the power to either make us victors or victims. I will never minimize the wrong actions of the DUI driver and I’ve come to the conclusion that my mom isn’t here not because of my lack of a crystal ball but because of his selfish choices.

For a long while, I hated him.

The first thing he told the police when he was arrested was: “I can’t catch a break.” And those words cycled in my mind like a poison. “You can’t catch a break?! You ruined our lives!” I wanted to shout at him.

I really had to work through this part. I didn’t want to be bitter and for a while I was. It took a lot of prayer and reading books by authors who had worked through grief and bitterness themselves. The books that helped me the most were A Grace Disguised by Gerry Sittser and The Shack by William Paul Young.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I am a Christian. I believe in the command Jesus gave to love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us. So even though I didn’t want to, I began to pray for the guy. “God, please help [the guy’s name] come to know you,” is basically all I would say. Not super elaborate or anything. I didn’t get spiritual goosebumps. But I know God still accepted my prayer, because in time, I felt my heart soften and one day I found I’d forgiven him. This led to an opportunity to speak to him at the sentencing hearing about my mom’s legacy, my forgiveness, and God’s grace. Some really cool things came out of that but that’s a story for another time. :)

The roll of a storyteller

In my opinion, time doesn’t heal—love does. What time does do, is lend perspective. My grief has changed form over time, but one thing that hasn’t changed is a deep sense of longing. I don’t think that longing it will ever go away. And that’s...that’s okay. I’m extremely blessed in my life and I can see it for all it’s beauty and still have longing for a future where I will be reunited with my mom in heaven.

I think the best thing one can do as a storyteller is write about pain and truth. Pain is something each human can relate to if they’ve lived long enough. And truth points us toward hope. Truth sheds light. That in spite of the pain we see in the world every time we hop on social, there is still goodness. That in spite of the evil done to innocent people, love still exists.

Love is a theme I will always write about because I do believe it will win in the end. That the power of love has—and is going to have—the final say.

Conclusion

Well, I shared a lot more here than I expected, and yet, this is a topic that much more could be written on. But I have novel to work on (all during nap time!) so I’m going to scoot. If you relate to anything I’ve said or have added thoughts, feel free to send me a message. I’d love to hear from you.

Light,

Bethany

I didn’t want a new laundry room. But due to a dastardly pipe that has been secretly leaking in a wall in our basement—that upon further investigation has led to the discovery of every homeowners dreaded m-word—I might be getting one.

Currently, we can’t use the water in upper two floors of our house and are tearing the walls down to the studs in part of the basement. Suffice it to say, it’s been a little stressful on the home front. So, in the evenings, I have been fleeing to the escapism of fantasy novels and I don’t feel a bit bad about it. I’m currently reading Charting Stars by Micheline Rychman and Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawgett and I’m loving both for different reasons.

Also — I got professional author photos done and I want you to help me choose the one that should be my official author photo!

Vote below!

Book Highlight

I just finished Illuminare by Bryn Shutt and just loved it’s Venetian-inspired fantasy setting, its characters, themes, and the concept of shadows having consciousness and putting on performances.

Send me all the book recommendations as I plan to escape into other realms until my laundry room is back together!

Light,

Bethany

I have many writing goals for 2025, as I’m sure you do too. But more than anything, I want to hop off the hamster wheel I’ve been on most of my adult life and slow down. I want to sit outside more. Just sit. Not to write about it or take a picture of it, but just to BE, to listen for that switch-on, twilight moment when the crickets start to sing. I want to lay in my driveway and wait for shooting stars again like I did as a teenager. Not with any purpose in mind, but simply because it’s good for my soul because it makes me remember that I’m a person and the world is wondrous and, by God’s grace, I’m somehow, miraculously, a part of it. I want to pray, reflect, and rest more. I want to model the joy I hope my children have, too.

In a word, I want presence.

This will likely take some practice, but I’m moving in the right direction, inch by inch.

What are your hopes and goals for the coming year? I’d love to hear them!

Photo by Phil Botha on Unsplash

A New Name

I’ve only been on Substack for eight months, but during that time, I have met some incredible writers. Let me tell you, the quality of many of the newsletters is top-notch, and most of the time, I feel like the tag-along younger sibling who is just glad to be here.

If it slid past your notice, this newsletter has a new name!

When I started my newsletter, I wasn’t sure what to name it. Naming things is hard for me: book titles, email subject lines, and my secondborn, who didn’t get a name for the first eight days of her life (don’t judge me!).

But I decided to go with a name that felt like me. My Instagram handle already has this name, and connecting the dots felt right. Plus, it reminds me that God, who gave me this gift, brought me from death to life.

Some Personal Publishing News

I just learned (yesterday) that my short story, “The Wonderous Criminal Behavior of Edith Liddell,” was accepted to an Alice in Wonderland-inspired anthology with Twenty Hills Publishing. It will be released in 2025.

January's "Golden List" for Readers and Writers

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Contests

6th Annual Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest - Seeks unpublished manuscripts across 10 categories. Awarding $25,000, agent and publisher circulation. Pre-Register: January 15th, 2025 - $25

Genesis Contest - is for unpublished works of Christian fiction. The contest opens on January 2, 2025, and closes on March 1.

Realm Awards - opens to submissions until January 21, 2025. Authors and publishing houses may enter their works via an online form. Entry fee is $25-$50 depending on word length.

Story Share Contest - The annual Story of the Year Contest is coming back for the seventh year, and we are searching for compelling, diverse stories that are "easy to read and hard to put down." The 2024 competition will run from September 18, 2024, to January 13, 2025, featuring four distinct categories. This year, $15,000 in cash prizes are up for grabs, in addition to publication in both digital and print form.

Substack’s Short Story Competition - A monthly, ongoing competition. No entry fee. The winner will receive roughly $7,000! WOW-za! See the link for details.

Anthologies Currently Open

Twenty Hills is currently seeing anthology submissions for “Project Sword”

Theme: Dark Adult Medieval Fantasy short stories! Swords, magic, dragons, elves, etc. To keep the tone of the book consistent, we are looking for darker stories, which includes things like horror fantasy, dark fantasy, and the like. (It doesn't need to fall under horror or dark fantasy, but just pair nicely with those tones.) It must feature adult characters, for adult readers, set in a medieval-inspired setting, and be fantasy. Please no romance as the main plot. It can be in the story, but shouldn't be what the story hinges on. In other words, no dark romantasy please. (Bonus points if it's raw, gritty, and unnerving.)

Word Count: Between 1,000 and 7,000 (if you send us something longer or shorter, we will still consider it, but it could hurt your chances)

HenDragon Press - is opening for its first anthology submissions in early 2025. “Through Field and Forests is a collaborative ​anthology featuring a collection of stories ​written and inspired by Aesop’s fables. The ​anthology will be the first official project of ​the press. We will be open for submissions ​in early 2025.

Reads for Marketing

Submit, Publish, Repeat by Emily Harstone. The e-book is currently free (see link). I’m planning on reading it this winter.

Clean Fiction Magazine - A Christian magazine for reviews and contests offers book marketing for as low as $5. Use code TWENTYHILLS for a $5 discount. Reviews are free.

Traditional Publishers currently OPEN to unagented authors

A mix of Christian and secular, general market publishers. Many are the same as last month, but I always check to ensure they are still open.

Mountain Brook Fire - This publisher hasn’t opened to unsolicited queries in years, and I just happened to check and — voilà! They are currently seeking fantasy and science fiction. “Manuscripts need not be explicitly “Christian”–in fact, we prefer general market. However, we’re looking for fiction that is clean. Books having a Christian worldview without having a faith thread are appreciated.”

Storm Publishing - “We’re excited by gripping, dramatic stories that have us turning the pages and by real, flawed and passionate heroes who make us care. Those ingredients matter more than anything else.”

Next Chapter - “is a Rapid Versatile Publisher (RVP) that combines the professionalism and quality of traditional publishing with the creative freedom of independent publishing.” MY NOTE: A friend was published through them and said her experience has been super positive.

Kingsley Publishers accept submissions for consideration “from a wide range of genres, from fiction to non-fiction, biographical, memoirs, Christian books, and children’s books. "It's important to read through our submission guidelines before sending in your manuscript to ensure it meets our specifications.”

Olympia Publishers - Open to both hybrid and traditional contracts.

Auctus Publishers - winner of Best Book of YA Agath Awards in 2020. Auctus is a traditional publisher seeking submissions from a wide range of genres, both fiction and non-fiction but not academic.

Clavis Publishing - Do you think your story or art is right for Clavis’ list of books for babies, toddlers and children? We want to hear about it! Submit your manuscript or artwork and we will gladly take a look.

Yeehoo Press is dedicated to publishing fun, enchanting, and socially responsible children’s books for audiences around the world. Our books are published and sold in simultaneous English and Simplified Chinese editions.

Pegasus Publishers - A small, traditional publisher that published anything from fiction to autobiographies to novellas.

Baen - Is looking only for science fiction and fantasy with “powerful plots with solid scientific and philosophical underpinnings…As for fantasy, any magical system must be both rigorously coherent and integral to the plot, and overall the work must at least strive for originality.”

Flash Light Press - Targets readers 4–8 years old. Seeking stories under 1000 words with universal themes such as family or social situations.

Entangled Publishing - is a mid-sized, traditional publisher open to unagented authors. With many imprints covering a host of genres, check it out to see if any of your stories are a good fit!

Red Adept Publishing - “We are currently accepting only the following genres: Women’s Fiction, Romance, Chick-Lit, Mystery (General, Police, Cozy), and Thriller-Suspense.”

Luna Press Publishing - “We only publish Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy (and their sub-genres). For our purposes, speculative fiction deals with elements that are nonexistent in reality, covering various themes in the context of science fiction, fantasy, horror, alternate history, utopian and dystopian fiction, and supernatural fiction, as well as combinations thereof (e.g. science fantasy).”

Wild Rose Press - “We only accept manuscripts between 15,000 and 100,000 words; for print eligibility, the manuscript must be at least 45,000 words. We wish for books that have well-developed plots, strong conflicts, and memorable characters. We aim to give our readers the best reading experience and for our authors to succeed in their writing careers.”

Coffeetown Press - “We look for fiction and nonfiction—including memoirs about other cultures or works that have a strong theme that will appeal to a specific audience. Series proposals are welcome. We prefer the word counts between 50,000 and 100,000 words. We are NOT currently accepting works of horror fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, poetry, or children's titles at any of our imprints.”

Firefly Hill Press - I did a quick search on this one, their conference schedule on their site is five years out of date, and they are on Instagram, but their last post is 14 weeks ago. It does seem to be releasing books, though. Focuses on YA and speculative fiction, open to submissions both series and standalone.

Twisted Road Publications is now accepting submissions for their upcoming “Survivors” series. They are looking for both full-length manuscripts (fiction and non-fiction) and shorter works (essays and short stories) for inclusion in anthologies.

Kensington Publishing Group publishes a range of popular genres such as thrillers, romance, historical fiction, cozy mysteries, and non-fiction, as well as true-crime, western, sci-fi, and speculative fiction titles.is open to unagented submissions, but they have very specific needs at this time. Please review guidelines thoroughly.

Adobe Press Chapbooks submissions is currently open for submissions and will close on November 30th! Seeking Poetry = up to 30 pages and Hybrid and Fiction = up to 60 pages. Abode Press mission dedicated to uplifting underrepresented voices.

Golden Scales Publishing is a new publisher established in 2024. They are ready to accept our first submissions for fantasy, romance, or paranormal genres.

Charlesbridge is currently open to picture book and YA submissions.

Austin Macauley Publishing accepts manuscripts — fiction and nonfiction in almost every category.

Aethon Books is accepting all genre fiction, focusing on Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Enclave Publishing is accepting adult and YA manuscripts for Christian speculative fiction.

Conclusion

Have a wonderful time ringing in the New Year, and thanks for coming on this journey with me!

Love and Light,

Bethany

Candace Fitzgerald is an audiobook narrator and actor based at the Jersey Shore. With classical training from the esteemed Circle in the Square Theatre School, her diverse credits range from theater to television and film. Candace considers it a true privilege to bring authors' works to life through audio, drawing inspiration from her background as a music therapist, musician, public school music teacher, and mother. Her narration of Jet Jamison and the Secret Storm, by Kimberly Kenna, was recently nominated for a SOVAS award. Candace has lent her voice to projects for Penguin Random House, Hachette Audio, Tantor Audio, Podium Entertainment, and she thoroughly enjoys collaborating with indie authors. Candace is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity.

Interview with Candace Fitzgerald

How did you get into audiobooks and voice acting? What is your background?

[Candance] I have been an actor pretty much all my life. My undergraduate degree was in music therapy because I loved it, but I always had the performance bug. I decided to go into music therapy because I was also very practical. Nobody thinks of acting as a stable career, even though it can be. But I [still found myself] inching toward the dream I really had.

I chose an internship in music therapy in New Jersey and was inching toward New York City. After a few years, I up and left my job one day and moved to New York City. I started auditioning but wasn’t getting anywhere, so I applied to some schools and got into Circle in the Square Theater School, which was truly life-changing. It was such a wonderful experience—not just as a place to get me where I wanted to go—but as a human being. And the techniques I studied there carry over into all genres. It was very Stanislavski-based.

I worked as an actor for ten years in the city and met my husband on a tour. When we knew we wanted to get married and have kids, we moved to my husband's hometown, and I got a job teaching as a chorus teacher. I did it out of: this is what I should do now. But I was miserable in that job. When the pandemic hit, I had a three-year-old, I was teaching on Zoom, and I was pregnant, and it was a nightmare.

Around this time, [a friend who is a voice actor] was doing an Intro to Voice Acting class on Zoom. I took her class, and afterward, I told my husband, “This is what I want to do. This is what has been missing.”

The following year, I took every class I could. Voice acting is a great way for actors to continue working when life circumstances and a family come into play. And it's such a beautiful medium that feels like a one-woman show.

I started trying to figure out where I fit in the industry. I did some commercial VO and animation, and then I did my first audiobook in April 2021, and I just knew that’s where I wanted my career to go. I have a home studio now, but when I first started, it was just a tent [inside this room] with moving blankets.

Do you have an agent? How do audio companies get to know you?

With commercial voice acting, you need an agent. Nobody works with an agent for audiobooks unless you're Scott Brick or a really big name. The vast majority of us find our work by going to in-person events, reaching out through sometimes cold emails, or taking classes and reading to a casting director, establishing that connection to later reach out to that publisher. I’m a member of APA [Audio Publishers Association]. They have events every year, such as a conference called APAC. They have quick-pitch events there.

What is quick-pitch?

It used to be in-person, but all that has changed since 2020. It’s a Zoom event now. It’s a specific time slot. You have five minutes to talk yourself up. You don’t read anything; you’re not giving a demo. You’re trying to portray who you are as a person, your heritage, what accents you can do, and things that these publishers can connect you to in an authentic casting way.

There’s another event called Meet the Producers, where you have a one-to-one with a randomly assigned producer where you get to read and have a back-and-forth.

I know you have a singing background. Do your audio narration classes teach you techniques similar to those you would learn with singing, such as breathing, etc.?

Yes. It’s a really good adjacent career for singers. There are a lot of singers—especially ex-opera singers who go into audiobooks. The breathwork is so similar. If I’m doing commercial narration, I’ll stand to have more energy and physicality. But I tend to sit for audiobook narration because I’m good at translating that singer's breathwork to how I’m sitting and my posture. Because the breath is so important. Breath is life, and breath is feeling and emotion, and you need to bring it into the booth in a way that supports your sound but doesn’t overpower the mic. That’s where additional training comes in because singers and theater actors are so used to projecting that you have to rein it in in the booth because it’s such an intimate space.

Did it take a lot of time and practice for you to find that balance?

It took coaching, for sure. At first, I was way too big in all of the genres. So I think that’s something people who get into voice acting don’t understand. Many people come into voice acting from radio, singing, and theater, and even though we are used to talking and using our voice, it’s such a different medium that you have to be willing to adjust and take the classes and get coaching. Putting in that investment is going to pay in spades later.

What is your favorite genre to narrate?

I love horror and thriller. I love the creepy stuff. This is going to sound weird, but I love psychological thrillers that have to do with family dynamics.

When there are multiple characters in a book, how do you prepare your script before recording so you don’t read a character’s dialogue with the wrong voice or expression?

When I first started, I was highlighting the crap out of that script, every character had a color, and I needed those highlights to tell me what character was coming next. But now that my schedule has filled up, I don’t have time to sit there and highlight. I’m at the stage where I create a spreadsheet for every book and character. I don’t highlight anymore, and I’ve gotten better at scanning ahead [as I’m recording], and I always pre-read the book. Always. So, I at least know what characters are in the scene as I record, which really helps.

I’ve heard some narrators on social media say they won’t consume dairy during recording weeks. Do you abstain from certain foods?

I like to live dangerously. I mean, I have my coffee sitting right here. I can’t eat raw carrots or salad before entering the booth because my stomach is loud to begin with, it’s the bane of my existence, and the mic picks up everything.

[laughter]

These are things the rest of us don’t think about. We’re just like, ‘Oh, yeah, my stomach growled,’ but I can’t imagine how frustrating that would be as you’re trying to work and it’s being recorded. Is there any way to edit that out?

So voice actors learn the technique of punch and role in their recording software, which is when you make a mistake, you set your marker where you made the mistake and record it again. All the publishers want you to do it because their editor will not go in and edit out all your mistakes. And so when you send it in, you don’t have mistakes unless you have word misreads.

What happens when you do have a word misread after you send it to the publisher?

I send in all my files raw but with punch and role. Raw means unedited, without processing or mastering, because the publisher does that. But then their proofer and editor will listen for any mistakes I didn’t catch. I sometimes switch words or have been mispronouncing a word my entire life and didn’t know I was. The publisher will then send me back a “pickup packet.” I usually expect about fifty pickups back to me, and then they will send me a spreadsheet with the page number and the sentence and a voice match file with the mistake so I can match my tone of voice [when I record those pickups].

You mentioned editing and remastering. Can you explain what that is?

Even though I’m in a treated and soundproof booth, whatever is outside or even inside this booth will affect the sound: a passing train, a car noise, or even a stomach growl. And [on top of that] the volume won’t be to Audible or Spotify standards. I’m not a sound engineer, so I can’t explain what they do, but they make it beautiful after you send them the raw files.

Do you work with indie authors? Is that process different from that with a publisher?

It can be easier with publishers because when I work with an indie author, I hire the engineer and send them the raw files. But with indie authors, it’s good because I can talk to the author directly, and they can share things like: “I was picturing this voice or this actor for this character.”

That seems like helpful information for you to know.

Certain publishers will give you that information; some do, and some don’t. When I’ve worked with indie authors, I’ve booked through ACX (which is an Audibles Marketplace exchange), where indie authors might post auditions. Or they have reached out to me through social media, or I’ve reached out to them.

I just completed a horror psychological thriller series with Jessica Huntley because I saw her books didn’t have audiobooks, and I just loved them. So, when I reached out to her, we started a dialogue and now she’s got a series in audio now!

When working with indie authors, I will always send them a welcome packet/contract. It explains how I will prep their book, the recording process, what’s expected of them, what’s expected of me, and what we can do to promote it together.

How do you come up with character voices?

First, I try to read the book as a reader without thinking too hard about it. Each character I list in my spreadsheet and when they are introduced into the story. Then, I will create my chapter breakdown. I always need to know what characters are talking in each chapter.

Each character is cast. I like to use people in my life more than movie stars because I find a deeper personal connection with that. So if there’s someone I know that reminds me of that character, I will cast them as that character, and whenever that character comes up, and whatever characteristics they have, I will infuse. But it's not in imitation because it’s coming out of my body and my voice. Even if I use a movie star or some well-known personality, it is not an imitation. And that’s something I put in my contract because—especially for first-time audiobook authors—it can be jarring for them to hear their words performed by somebody else, and maybe they had a completely different voice in their mind.

What accents do you know how to do?

My favorite accent is Russian. And I do British, Irish, Scottish. I love the Ozark accent. If I don’t know an accent, I’ll either get coaching on it or ask a friend who is good at that accent, “hey, does this sound authentic?”

Is there a genre you won't narrate?

I do love horror, but there can be a lot of taboo themes. For me, it depends on how it’s used. There are words that I search for when I’m given a manuscript, and if there are very mature themes, [that book] will go to my pseudonym.

There are also certain words that I search that also center around people with disabilities, and if something is used in a way that I do not agree with, then I will not narrate it.

Is there a genre you want to narrate that you haven’t yet?

I haven’t narrated any fantasy yet! And if I’m going to buy a book, it’s going to be fantasy. I’m a huge Game of Thrones fan. But I do love that I’ve had a smattering of genres.

What is the process for dual narration?

If I have a co-narrator, we will talk about the script beforehand and begin to send voice samples to each other. If it's a romance, it’s almost always a dual narration, where the female reads her chapter, and the male reads his POV. We figure out what our voices are beforehand so it’s not drastically different, or I’ve given a character an accent, and they haven’t. We also discussed the pronunciation of names.

Typically, I give myself a week to record an eight-hour book. So I will divvy it up. How much I needed to get done in a day.

I ensure I meet the deadline and am thankful that I’ve never missed a deadline in four years.

Do dual narrations cost more because it’s two actors?

It doesn’t really because the cost is per finished hour. Unless there was a big difference between what one narrator charges versus the other. Then it would be more.

Is there anything else you’d like to share before we wrap it up?

Indie authors, reach out! I’ve seen this on social media a few times where indie authors say, “I don’t know where to start!” Please reach out! We love it when you reach out!

[End of interview]

#HumanVoicesOnly Event on Social Media

Last month, Candace and I also participated in #HumanVoicesOnly, an annual event where human narrators flood social media with their own voices and stories written by humans. It is a way of saying no to AI-generated narration. We collaborated on this, and I sent her a portion of my fantasy novella, “Project Perfume,” that I hope to turn into a reader magnet next year. I love how she portrayed Ren and Rab’s frosty dynamic.

Next Month: buckle up because, in January, I’m sharing a poll I did with writers and readers about all the terms we use to describe romance levels in books. And let’s say it’s caused an interesting stir, and I’m learning these terms are ridiculously subjective.

A huge thanks to Candace for meeting with me, and thank you for reading! If you found value today, please share this newsletter with your bookish friends.

Love and Light,

Bethany