Okay, in case you didn’t know (or read, or hear my squeals of delight), I signed a contract with J. Taylor Publishing for my short story, THE AMULET OF ORMISEZ to be featured in their MAKE BELIEVE anthology. I am so excited. Authors, Jennifer M. Eaton, Terri Rochenski, Kelly Said, Lynda R. Young, will also appear alongside headline author, J.A. Belfield. Please pop over to their websites and congratulate them. Entries were received from all over the world and I am thrilled to be one of the authors chosen.
So how did this all happen?
In January, 2012, J. Taylor posted a notice on their website they were accepting submissions until April 12 for their upcoming anthology, MAKE BELIEVE. I chatted it up with friend and beta reader to find out if she was interested in entering anything. The submission had to be based on a photo prompt J. Taylor provided, and they were pretty particular about what they didn’t want. After staring at the picture for a bit, I remembered I had a story in a box under my bed I thought might work. I decided what the heck and took on the challenge.
I pulled out the oldie but realized within a few days it wasn’t going to work. I couldn’t make the story do what I needed it to do. Back in the box it went. Now what? I stared at the writing prompt. February went by, not a word written. Sometime in March my brain kicked in and I couldn’t stop writing the story. The first half flowed so easily. It was if Elton Fletcher chose me to tell his story…
Then I hit a road block. How was I going to end it? I had the characters. I had the conflict, I knew what I needed to do to resolve it…but I couldn’t make the characters do it. Even as I wrote the last half, it felt forced, unnatural, and my betas agreed with me…completely.
Two weeks before deadline and I finally come up with something. I scribbled, revised, revised and scribbled and I submitted on April 4. Within a day I received an e-mail from the publisher. Would I be willing to make changes based on their suggestions? I looked at what they wanted. Yes. I could do it. I had less than a week. Easy, right?
No. My brain froze. The clock was ticking. The days were passing by and I couldn’t write. I sat down with my MC, Elton, and had a talk. Finally, after several days of back and forths with my betas, I put “The End” on it and re-submitted The Amulet of Ormisez in the wee hours of April 11. And the waiting began again.
Several days later I received an e-mail from the publisher. They wanted clarification on some issues. Would I be willing to clarify? They needed to know. They had narrowed the field to eight. They could only take five. They needed an answer. I said yes. Once again, I had to play the waiting game. I tried writing on my manuscripts to take the edge off, but I have to tell you, the waiting was agonizing!
But so worth it in the end.
The e-mail came with a huge “Congratulations! You’ve been selected!” I about fell out of my chair. I still can’t believe it. A publisher chose my work out of many to feature in their anthology. It blows my mind. My words. My thoughts. My story. Shared with the world. It is such an honor. Thank you, God. Thank you, family. Thank you J. Taylor Publishing for the chance.
I have since had the opportunity to read blurbs for each one of the selected pieces and they are all fantastic! I can’t wait to see it all come together. I’ve also had the first peek at the cover and it’s amazing. Come May 21, I’ll be able to share it with you so stay tuned.
The official press release for the MAKE BELIEVE anthology is below. I still can’t believe my name is in there. Wow. Cheers to all you writers out there. Here’s to the dream. If I can do it, so can you. Don’t give up.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Make Believe Anthology authors revealed!
Five authors to be featured with J.A. Belfield in Make Believe Anthology from J. Taylor Publishing.
Apex, NC – March 9, 2012 – On December 3, 2012, J. Taylor Publishing will release Make Believe, an anthology of six short stories, ranging from contemporary romance to fantasy, written based on a photo prompt with a wintry setting and a woman in red.
“A photo prompt is one way to stir the imagination. As is evidenced by the six selected entries, each author brings a unique perspective, as well as to the twists and conflicts used to push the main characters one way or another,” says J. Taylor Publishing. “These difference, the broad range of ideas and writing style of each author determined their selection for the anthology.”
The anthology will open with Terri Rochenski’s Sacrificial Oath, a story of self sacrifice. J. Keller Ford’sThe Amulet of Ormisez will follow—a story of success in failure. From there, Birthright by Australian author Lynda R. Young will delve into secrets revealed. Kelly Said returns to this anthology withPetrified, taking the reader on a journey of finding one’s purpose. Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton finds us in a post-apocalyptic world where not all is as it seems. Rounding out the anthology is our headline author, J.A. Belfield, author of Darkness & Light and the to-be-released Blue Moon, withEscort to Insanity.
“While J.A. deviates from the Holloway Pack with her short story, her characters are just as engaging and full of the paranormal, and we’re excited to have a return anthology author as well. In choosing the stories, we looked for diversity, unique and intriguing stories and solid writing. In this set of authors, we found it,” says J.Taylor Publishing, adding, “In fact, the stories are as different as the authors themselves.”
About J. A. Belfield
One day, a character and scene popped into J. A. Belfield’s head, and she started controlling the little people inside her imagination as though she were the puppet master and they her toys. Questions arose: What would happen if …? How would they react if …? Who would they meet if …? Before she knew it, a singular scene had become an entire movie. The characters she controlled began to hold conversations. Their actions reflected the personalities she bestowed upon them. Within no time, they had a life, a lover, a foe, family … they had Become.
One day, she wrote down her thoughts. She’s yet to stop.
J. A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with her husband, two children, three cats, and a dog. She writes paranormal romance with a second love for urban fantasy.
About Jennifer M. Eaton
Corporate Team Leader by day, and Ranting Writer by night. Jennifer M. Eaton calls the East Coast of the USA home, where she lives with her husband, three energetic boys, and a pepped up poodle.
Jennifer hosts an informational blog “A Reference of Writing Rants for Writers (or Learn from My Mistakes)” aimed at helping all writers be the best they can be.
Beyond writing and motivating others, she also enjoys teaching her dog to jump through hoops—literally.
Jennifer’s perfect day includes long hikes in the woods, bicycling, swimming, snorkeling, and snuggling up by the fire with a great book; but her greatest joy is using her over-active imagination constructively … creating new worlds for everyone to enjoy.
About J. Keller Ford
J. Keller Ford is a quirky mother of four, grand-mother and scribbler of young adult fantasy tales. She has an insatiable appetite for magic, dragons, knights and faeries, and weaves at least one into every story she conceives. Her muse is a cranky old meadow gnome that follows her everywhere she goes and talks incessantly, feeding her ideas for stories 24/7.
When she’s not writing or blogging, the former Corporate Paralegal enjoys listening to smooth jazz, collecting seashells, swimming, bowling, riding roller coasters and reading. Jenny lives minutes from the beaches of the west coast of Florida with her husband of twenty years, her two sons and a pair of wacky cats and three silly dogs. The pets have trained her well.
About Terri Rochenski
Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with the fantasy genre.
Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her two young daughters allow. When not potty training or kissing boo-boos, she can be found on her back patio in the boondocks of New Hampshire, book or pencil in hand.
About Kelly Said
Kelly enjoys life near the foothills of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, in a city a mile closer to the sun than most. When she’s not hanging out with her Mr. S, binge reading on the weekends, or being pressed for playtime by the wet nose of her beefy bull terrier, she can be found tucked away in a quiet spot, huddled over her laptop, writing stories for young adults.
About Lynda R. Young
Lynda lives in Sydney, Australia, with her sweetheart of a husband who is her rock, and a cat who believes world domination starts in the home. Lynda has an adventurous spirit and has traveled the world.
As a chaser of dreams, she found success as a digital artist and an animator, and now as a writer of speculative short stories. She currently writes novels for young adults.
In her spare time she also dabbles in photography and all things creative.
The cover for Make Believe, and short summaries for each story, will release on May 21, 2012.
About the Publisher
J. Taylor Publishing is an Independent Publisher who, thanks to the Internet, has a worldwide reach. Our debut authors are in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The company produces print and electronic books. For more information about J. Taylor Publishing, please visit www.jtaylorpublishing.com.
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What if today never ends?
I woke up at 4:00 this morning with the most awesome idea for a short story in my head. It’s slated for a new anthology J. Taylor Publishing plans to publish the end of this year. I had started one a week or so ago but after this morning’s epiphany, the other one is outta here. It’s so strong in my head, I think I might actually have it written by the end of the weekend. I’m really, really excited about it!
Today I officially kick-off my blog Tour for the Make Believe anthology and I’m happy to say I’m not doing it alone. My fellow antho mate, 
YA Chit Chat 