Amazing Authors Ezine

February 1, 2000

Newsletter #3

HEADLINES: THE VOTES ARE IN!

(And we’re NOT talking politics, folks.)

The yearly Preditors & Editors poll has closed for voting on the 1999 Best Of The Web nominees. We would like to thank ALL of you for supporting the Amazing Authors Showcase and its authors with your hundreds of emails, instant messages and bouquets of cyberflowers. Your efforts to “get out the vote” have apparently paid off quite handsomely for our humble little group of writers, and particularly for this ezine.

Amazing Authors Ezine #1 among ALL nominated web publications

Pepper Raines: Santa Was A Trucker #1 among ALL nominated web short stories

Jon Baxley #2 among ALL nominated web authors

Jon Baxley: The Scythian Stone #1 among ALL nominated web novels

B. Colin Cubbage top ten among ALL nominated web authors

B. Colin Cubbage: The Pit top ten among ALL nominated web novels

These are not all of the results, by any means. At least one other Showcase author (Mark Jones: Wings Of The Valiant) received nominations and votes, and we will give you a complete run down of the final tally in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can view the vote tabulations at the following site:

http://www.critters.org/predpoll/tally.html

WE APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS!

We cannot adequately express our appreciation to you, the readers, for the colossal effort you made in helping us gain this kind of worldwide notoriety. By doing so, you not only helped us, but you also raised the standard of what the world wide web will demand in the way of quality online entertainment and reading material. You have fired another volley in the great epublishing “war” that we intend to continue waging with all the vigor we can muster.

The staff of the Showcase will take this standard you’ve raised and march forward into the “new” millennium, beating the drums and shouting to all who will listen that good writing doesn’t ALWAYS come in the form of a hardbound book, or a 100,000 word tome. It can come in the form of a teenager’s term paper, or a short story about Santa, or a thousand other unexpectedly delightful forms conjured by the endlessly creative urges of new writers the web is bringing together for the first time.

Though we may be at the head of that charge into the unknown, we now know that you are behind us. You, the hundreds of authors, writers, editors, and ezine supporters, have made The Amazing Authors Showcase truly AMAZING. Our applause goes out to you.

NEW STUFF IN THIS ISSUE

There are several new book reviews on the bookstore page, along with some very interesting contributed articles and a host of things to tickle your funny bone. All of this great material is still FREE, despite our greatly improved and enlarged web presence. That means everything you’re reading right now can be freely distributed to your online buddies. All we ask is that if you want to use something out of the Showcase or the ezine, please contact us or the original author for permission.

NEW AMAZING AUTHORS

We've added a number of exciting new writers to the Showcase since the last issue. Drop by the authors’ pages and leave a note in their guestbooks, or send them email and let them know you read their stories.

JANET C. BEAULIEU:

Ms. Beaulieu started writing in the 7th grade and was first published in her high school paper in her sophomore year. She has since "graduated" to the big times by publishing book reviews for The Bangor Daily News, Potato Eyes, ON THE BUS, and other publications. She has also published interviews with writers such as Stephen King and Carolyn Chute. Janet recently completed the novel, IN THE NAME OF GOD (currently being marketed) and has two other novels-in-progress. Ms. Beaulieu’s exposure here is a first time plunge into the realm of epublishing. In her own words, she says "...I had no idea how much fun epublishing was going to be!”

PATRICIA FISH:

Pat Fish writes about gardens, birds and politics. She can also churn out a cozy mystery. Her first book, Everything You Need to Know About Being a Woman Can Be Learned in the Garden can be downloaded at http://dlsijpress.com/fish/index.shtml. In addition, Pat has been published in all of the major birding magazines including "Birds and Blooms," "Wildbird" and "Birders World."

PETA (teen author-last name not published):

Peta is a 17 year old teen writer who spends her summer holidays in between high

school and the University in Melbourne, Australia. As a child, Peta moved around a lot, and that helped her view the world from a wider, more detailed perspective. In high school, she realized that one of the things she was naturally good at was writing. Peta plans to become a published author; something just as important to her as completing her college degrees.

MARK JONES:

Mark Edward Jones has been writing most of his life. He was first published in New Voices in American Poetry in 1977 and attended the University of Kentucky, majoring in journalism. Mark's new action/adventure novel, WINGS OF THE VALIANT is available in CD form from Books On Screen Publishing or through the links at the bookstore. A review of his book can also be read there.

JACK RIEPE:

Jersey City was the forge for Jack Riepe’s writing talents, but the wild Adirondacks of New York State proved to be the hammer. The lumberjacks, professional guides, and maple syrup miners made room for him there, and he will forever be in their debt for giving him the insights that make his writing so unique. Riepe’s humor tends to mirror two extremes: a wilderness perspective framed in asphalt. His book Politically Correct Cigar Smoking For Social Terrorists is available through links in the bookstore. Reviews of his book can be read on Jack’s Showcase page or in the bookstore.

RALPH VAUGHAN:

Ralph Vaughan has written approximately fifty short stories in the genres of science fiction, fantasy and mystery, appearing in such magazines as TEEN, AMAZING STORIES, MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY'S FANTASY MAGAZINE and AFTER DARK. He has written three books combining the literary universes of Sherlock Holmes and fantasy writer H.P. Lovecraft, all published by Gryphon Books.

WRITER’S CLUB CONTEST WINNERS:

First Place: 2K or Not 2K by Chelle Martin (Shell725@aol.com)

Second Place: How to Catch a Common Bug by Laura Furst (Lycida@aol.com)

Third Place: Y2Compatible by Patricia Ewick (PJCarlos@aol.com)

CHELLE MARTIN is a New Jersey native. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. She has a short story published in Romance Recipes for the Soul and she is currently working on a mainstream suspense, a western romance and a love story.

LAURA FURST loves to write, but she does so mostly because it gives her an outlet for another of her loves--research. In college she became known as "Laura the Look-Up Lady.” She now works as a freelance copy editor, researcher, and proofreader for scholarly and reference publishers in the New York area.

PATRICIA EWICK has written news and features for newspaper, radio, and television. She submitted a story to an AOL WCRG writing contest and won first place for her romance, "All's Fair." Her stories have since been accepted by Romancing the Skyze Magazine, Voyage Magazine, Neverworlds Ezine, At The Brink of Madness Ezine, and other places on the web. She also co-moderates an online writer's group, The Writer's Web.

MORE ACCOLADES TO OUR AMAZING AUTHORS

To Jack Riepe (BPowder@aol.com)

Hey Jack, these stories are a hoot! I love 'em.....your subtle brand of humor fits neatly alongside my treasured mementos from my days as a cold warrior. ....these tales are way too good to keep pasted inside a bunch of paper and cardboard books somewhere. Cyberspace deserves you, baby! Jon Baxley

BOOK REVIEWS:

RED WINE FOR BREAKFAST

by Robin Westmiller

Review by Pepper Raines

Ten years in the film industry never gave me a clue what "the sock test" was, or how to apply it to men. But thanks to Robin Westmiller's rollicking tale, Red Wine For Breakfast, I now feel up to speed with what the really "cool" people always seem to know. This is a fast, fun, and entertaining read. The phrase, "Lights, camera, action!" comes to mind immediately when you open this delightful contemporary novel of love triumphing over pain and betrayal.

Doris Cohen is a 34-year-old New York transplant in California, whose on-air personae as Jenny Reed, the top rated morning drive-time radio show host, pits her against slick Johnny King, her program cohort. King is the brother-in-law of Brian Allen, the station manager with whom Jenny has been intimately involved, which makes for some "hot" radio clashes and ratings to match.

Despite the soaring ratings, drug allegations and a murder suddenly thrust Jenny's show even more into the limelight. Behind the scenes, the drug scandal threatens to bring the station to its knees while the main characters' bizarre romance continues on-air.

Robin Westmiller knows her way around a radio studio, that can't be denied. This story is a believable, intriguing, and enjoyable inside glimpse of the business. It also has a quirky, comedic touch which is difficult for most writers to handle. The intricate plot, a host of layered events, and the exquisite dialogue will keep you reading and often laughing into the wee hours.

The author pulls it all together at the end, giving the reader a happy and very satisfying "climax." If you want a heroine who is real, who intends to take the world by storm and who won't be dissuaded by men or machinations, then this book is for you. If you also want a hero who starts out as a heal, then makes his metamorphosis by the end of the story, then you'll love Red Wine For Breakfast.

You can order a copy of Red Wine For Breakfast through the links provided here in the ezine bookstore, or by contacting the author at her web site. It is available in several different formats. This book rates four and half stars on the Five Star Pepper Scale.

THE BOTTOM LINES:

If any of you are interested in becoming a part of the Showcase’s all volunteer staff, please let us know. We are getting more email, more submissions and more requests for ebook reviews than ever before, thanks largely to our web-wide exposure on the P&E voting. This heavy volume of mail requires a lot of time and effort just to keep up with it, not to mention judging the new entries we receive daily.

In particular, we will have need for another qualified entry screener to help us pick the best of the best for “select” pages on the Showcase. This position will require you to read several 3,000+ word entries a week and then write a short evaluation on each. Our editorial staff will then make the final “cuts” for Showcase representation, based largely on what our screening staff selects.

We will also be needing book reviewers to read, evaluate, and write short reviews on the newest, hottest ebooks coming down the epubbed pipeline. Normally, reviewers will receive free copies of ebooks, either in the form of CDs directly from the authors or publishers, or they will be allowed to download stories at no charge. This is a great way to build a library of the finest epubbed books available today. Reviewers will also have the opportunity to submit their reviews to a master web content provider for possible sale or distribution to a paying audience estimated to be in the millions.

This is a great opportunity for aspiring ezine writers to take the plunge and get that first byline either as a reviewer, column writer, or contributor to Amazing Authors Ezine. Please let us know what you would like to contribute, or if you are interested in any of the volunteer staff positions.

As always, 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 asap. The next issue of the ezine should be posted around the first of March, but we will now be adding updates to the ezine as time and materials warrant. So, check back often to see what’s new on the Showcase. Until then, we wish you great success in all of your writing and creative efforts. Oh, and thanks again for the votes!

The (growing) Staff of the Amazing Authors Showcase

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