Greetings

From The

Amazing Authors Showcase

December 15, 1999

Newsletter #8

As most of you know by now, the Showcase has a truly representative cross section of writers, editors and journalists who've joined our ranks to offer their stories to a web-wide reading audience. We would like to thank every one of you for your continuing interest in the Showcase, and for the favorable responses to our new E-zine format.

Unlike most things these days, the cost of admission for this great material is still FREE! That means everything we bring to you can be forwarded to all your online buddies. And while you’re at it, tell your friends about the Amazing Authors web site, including your "real world" buddies, or send them the following url so they can come to visit: http://members.aol.com/df4pepper/writers.html

This issue of the newsletter is packed with exciting new material, information, and things to make you smile. We've also added some exciting new writers to the Showcase since the last issue. Drop by their pages and leave a note in their guest books, or send them email and let them know you read their stories.

DECEMBER'S FEATURED AUTHOR: Alex Gabbard

Alex Gabbard is an internationally acclaimed, award winning author of numerous car and auto enthusiast books, as well as several novels and screenplays. He is also a contributing writer to over forty automotive and car magazines worldwide. His articles have appeared in Autoweek, Corvette World, Jaguar Journal, and Open Road to name just a few.

He has an illustrated automotive history due out in May from Penguin-Putnam and is working on a book to be released in 2002 for Ford Motor Company's centennial. For more information on Alex’s work, click on the links provided on his Featured Author page on the Showcase.

OTHER NEW AUTHORS:

Debbie McKinney (NOVLBee@aol.com)

Debbie has been writing poems and children's stories for several years. She is also a volunteer host in the Amazing Instant Novelist area of AOL and the Instant Cafe. Debbie hopes to make her Samuel T. Bear story line into a series of children's books.

Janice Williams (JWill12850@aol.com)

BROKEN FENCES, SHATTERED DREAMS is Janice’s first full length novel. Credits include articles in equine magazines, an online short story, "Lost on Mount Diablo" published by Bay Area Equestrian Network and a short story with Beanie Baby Stories, published by Starburst Publishing.

Rachel Wuertz (ShakeLRC @aol.com)

Rachel is making her way through college in hopes of eventually receiving a BA in Fine Art and Communications. She also enjoys writing poetry and has had several published already. In the spring of 2000, she will be independently publishing a collection of her poetry.

NEW PAYING MARKETS:

Short Story Anthology - Pays cash

We are putting together an anthology of short stories about the surviving family members and friends of the victims of a FICTIONAL plane crash. Stories can be 0-10,000 words and must conform to the base story. Selected stories will be bought outright. Please contact me via e-mail for more information.

Tammy Mackenzie

CBSHealthWatch by Medscape - Pays cash

http://www.cbs.healthwatch.com

Looking for ~900-word articles on consumer health topics in areas of arthritis, addictions, Alzheimer's, eye care, organ transplant, and hepatitis C. Articles should be conceptually sophisticated but written to attract a mass audience. Send pitches, a resume, and clips, please (email or FAX).

Bruce Cleary

Andy's Doghouse - Pays cash

http://www.andysdoghouse.com/writers

Exciting New Webzine (launching soon), Andy's Doghouse - 'Where Man's Best Friend Becomes Hers', is seeking talented writers for humorous, tongue-in-cheek, satirical treatment of relationships. We are for men who spend time in the 'doghouse' and the women in our lives who collect the rent.

Laura Joyce

I Am Parent - Pays cash

http://www.geocities.com/iamparent/guidelines.html

Accepts short pieces on parenting. Humor encouraged. Poetry about children; articles on effective methods of parenting. Pays on publication. See site for further details...

Angela Giles Klocke -

KIDS' HIGHWAY - Pays cash

http://home.att.net/~kidshighway/

A magazine for kids and their grown-ups that's edited by 2 high school students (and advisor). We accept submissions from adults as well as kids. We need fiction for our adult audience, and nonfiction for our CAREER WATCH series submitted by adults, who can tell kids about career prospects.

Pamela Garza

Source: Writers' Classifieds: Markets

OTHER NEWS:

The Writer's Club Romance contest for this quarter NEEDS ENTRIES. Please check for details on entering by visiting the Amazing Authors site or The Writers Club on AOL. Winners in this contest will be receiving their own pages on our site at the conclusion of the contest, along with a host of other prizes, including a publishing package through the Writer’s Club. Theme for the contest is a Y2K romance. For information, email Jackpoints@aol.com.

ONLINE POSITION AVAILABLE:

The Editor of the AOL Games Channel Newsletter is looking for people who can do online interviews with forum leaders in charge of specific games on AOL. Knowledge of the Games area on AOL helps but is not necessary as you can learn the area while you dig for information to add to the newsletter. If you or anyone you know might be interested in a CL account (FREE AOL) by working this online volunteer job, please contact GCEC Tendr@aol.com. Position requires a pristine account record with AOL for consideration. Put “Referral from WASP1946 for online position” in the subject line for quicker action.

RECENT ACCOLADES TO OUR AMAZING AUTHORS:

To: Mark Mann (Writeman3@aol.com)

From: TABADOO@aol.com

The story is amazing! I cried. You poured your heart and soul into this. I will definitely pass this along to the publisher of The Romantic Bower Magazine. I can't promise anything, but I believe she'll like it as much as I did.

To Pepper Raines (DF4Pepper@aol.com)

From: hallelujahjoy@PlanetAll.com

You did an excellent job on your <Santa> short story. If you don't really work as a trucker you have a good knowledge of the business. You certainly have talent as an author.

To: Pepper Raines (DF4Pepper@aol.com)

From: jburkhardt@adamswells.com (Judith Burkhardt)

Now I see what has kept you busy. That <Santa> story was TERRIFIC. You are a very talented writer. I really mean that. Do you write other things, and submit them for publication? If not, you should.

To: PepperRaines (DF4Pepper@aol.com)

From: hawkinz@zoomnet.net

I really enjoyed your <Santa> story. Thank you for sharing it with me! Margie Hawkins

RECENT ACCOLADES TO OUR AMAZING AUTHORS SHOWCASE:

From: missscarlett@earthlink.net (Margaret Marr)

I wanted to tell you what a GREAT job you did showcasing my short romance "An Eternity". It is absolutely beautiful! I love it! An editor from another magazine sent me an e-mail about it, and congratulated me. :) Thank you so much! I have several sites on the Internet, so I'll be putting a link to The Amazing Authors Showcase on all of them.

From: JWill12850 (Janice Williams)

The site looks wonderful. What is the URL for visitors to come to the site? Also, I just love the running horse graphic. Would you mind if I use it on my ranch site?

FYI: FAMOUS AUTHORS AND THEIR ADDRESSES:

Clive Barker

P.O. Box 691885

Los Angeles, CA 90069

Ann Blyth

P.O. Box 9754

Rancho Santa Fe, Ca 92067

Ray Bradbury

10265 Cheviot Dr.

Los Angeles, CA 90064

Mary Higgins Clark

210 Central Park S.

NY, NY 10019

Wes Craven

2419 Solar Drive

Los Angeles, CA 90068

Michael Crichton (www.michaelcrichton-official.com)

433 N. Camden Dr., #500

BH, CA 90210

Dean Koontz

P.O. Box 9529

Newport Beach, CA 92658

Larry McMurtry

Box 552

Archer City,TX 76351

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLES:

A DAY FOR RIDING

© 1999 Amanda Gillies

(Amanda Gillies is a published writer, editor and publisher. Her website and ezine,

The Writer's Brew Press, can be accessed at www.writers.brew@clara.net.)

Kids, who’d have 'em? Well me for a start, and all seven of my brood are loved to bits. However, I have to say that from a twiggy 60’s figure, to a rolly polly in ten years is a bit much for me so I decided to diet.

Not that I’m a big eater, but I did cut out anything in between meals and lost a whole five pounds in a month. Not very exciting and I never did figure out if I lost the fiver on the bus or I was shortchanged in the supermarket.

Anyway, whatever, the point is the diet didn’t work. So I decided on the next best thing. Exercise. Just the thought made me cringe. I hate activity which is why I gained the weight in the first place since the last three of my children decided that unless mum kept still for seven months they weren’t going to be born, so bed rest it was.

Back to the point. Exercise, but what type? I would have tried swimming but I could imagine the lifeguards, armed with harpoons shouting, “there she blows!” so I decided against that one. Aerobics? I booked the class then couldn’t find anything to fit. After a few sessions of showing my very ample cleavage, from both ends, I gave that up.

Horse riding was my final choice. I used to ride a lot when I was younger, right up until the last couple of kids. So, I phoned the stables, told them I wanted the biggest horse in the stable and embarked on my keep fit program.

Now, being six feet tall and weighing in at a healthy twenty stone, I knew I’d need a meaty mount. I turned up at the stable, hard hat in hand and was offered a pony. The stable girl took one look at me, laughed and said, “I’m sorry we’ve got nothing that could take you.”

Well, you can imagine, I was a bit upset; being laughed at isn’t my favorite pastime. I phoned around all the local stables and asked what size their biggest horse was. I managed to find one that was 16 hands, but when I turned up, and got into the saddle, the poor thing bowed so alarmingly in the middle I dismounted, gave him a sugar lump, and got back into my car.

My husband by this time was becoming angry. He knew how badly I wanted to lose weight and though it had never bothered him in the slightest, it bothered me. The following weekend he was home, which is unusual because he works away a lot. After taking four of the children to my mothers, and three to his, we got back in the car.

He didn’t tell me where we were going and I gave up asking. You guessed it; we went to a stable. This time, way out of town, in fact it turned out to be a two hundred mile round trip. When we got there, the stable hands didn’t laugh, they just looked at me, assessed what mount I needed and paraded a long line of handsome, very big, horses around the yard.

I tried four and chose a dappled grey mare that looked and felt wonderful. Out came the wallet and to my astonishment Christopher (that’s my husband) bought the animal.

“Have her delivered to Kinnet Stable, here’s the address.”

“The breeding rights go with her sir?” asked the very nice young lady who ran the stable.

“Yes," he said, as I stroked the grey and said a fond farewell.

“Why Kinnet Stable?” I asked as we got back into the car and made our way down the country lanes.

“It’s small, they have plenty of room and it’s the closest to home, but I’ll tell you this much. If you lose more than a stone I’ll sell that horse just as fast as I bought it. I love you the way you are, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

He stopped the car in a secluded lay-by. “Fancy a ride?” he asked with leering grin.

“Only if the suspension will take it!” I laughed. All in all, it was a very good day for finding the right mount.

••••••••••••••••••••

MY VISIT TO THE PETRIFIED FOREST

©1999 Kevin (Teen Writer-age 13)

The Petrified Forest is a very large national forest off of Interstate 40 just southeast of Holbrook, AZ. I think that The Petrified Forest is a great place to take your relatives when they are visiting or you just want to go on a family vacation. I went there in the summer of 1997. I thought it was a very educational trip. I would recommend it to anyone who has kids.

Petrified wood is wood that has been run down rivers, floods, and in all weather for hundreds of years and then it turns into a stone. It is still considered wood but it looks like a rock.

There are many trails you can walk. You can see all the petrified wood you want up close. There is one thing you have to remember, you must leave the forest the way you found it.

If you look on the walls of cliffs and on some large rocks, you can see ancient hieroglyphics. If you think about what you are looking at and use your imagination you can see some pretty cool things. I saw one that looked like it was people in space as if it were a book of the future.

You can also find some places where you can watch movies on the process of how wood becomes petrified. Kids can also become junior park rangers. Which I might add, I did fill out a workbook and got a junior park ranger badge. The workbook has selected age groups so that the book is not too tough for littler kids.

Outside of the park there are some shops where you can purchase souvenirs including little pieces of petrified wood. I bought some wood before I went home to add to my rock collection.

My trip to The Petrified Forest was great. I had the time of my life. I hope that the day will come that I will get to go again. I want to receive another junior park ranger badge. I really enjoyed the Petrified Forest and I hope you do too.

The LIGHTER SIDE of the news:

Here are several of Vincent van Gogh's lesser-known relatives:

- The grandfather who moved to Yugoslavia --> U. Gogh

- The brother who accidentally bleached all his clothes white --> Hue Gogh

- The real obnoxious brother -->Please Gogh

- The brother who ate prunes -->Gotta Gogh

- The uncle who worked at a convenience store --> Stop N. Gogh

- His dizzy aunt --> Verti Gogh

- The cousin who moved to Illinois --> Chica Gogh

- His magician uncle -->Wherediddy Gogh

- The cousin who lived in Mexico --> Amee Gogh

- and who also had a relative North of the Border --> Grin Gogh

- The nephew that drove a stage coach --> Wells Far Gogh

- The uncle who was constipated -->Cant Gogh

- The aunt who loved ballroom dancing --> Tan Gogh

- His ornithologist uncle -->Flamin Gogh

- His nephew, the Freudian psychoanalyst --> E. Gogh

- His cousin who loved tropical fruits --> Mang Gogh

- And he had an aunt who taught the power of positive thinking--> Way ToGogh

- His bouncy young nephew --> Poe Gogh

- His Disco-loving sister --> Go Gogh

- And his niece, who's been traveling the U.S. in a motor home --> Winnie BayGogh.

Things that make you go Hmmmm......

1. In Kentucky, 50 percent of the people who get married for the first time are teenagers.

2. Kotex was first manufactured as bandages, during W.W. I.

3. Einstein didn't speak much until he was nine. His parents thought he might be retarded.

4. In Los Angeles, there are fewer people than there are automobiles.

5. About a third of all Americans flush the toilet while they're still sitting on it.

6. You're more likely to get stung by a bee on a windy day than in any other weather.

7. An average person laughs about 15 times a day.

8. Mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.

9. Penguins can jump as high as 6 feet in the air.

10. The average person is about a quarter of an inch taller in the morning than at night.

THE BOTTOM LINES:

If you have news of your own writing exploits or something you think will be of value to the Amazing Authors readership, please send the information to be included with the next newsletter, which should be in the mail on the first day of the <cough, cough> new millennium, barring any unforeseen Y2K glitches <wink>. Until then, we wish you great success in your writing and creative efforts.

The Staff of the Amazing Authors Showcase

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