Greetings

From The

Amazing Authors Showcase

January 1, 2000

New Millennium Newsletter #1

Hello from all of us at the Amazing Authors Showcase. I’m assuming most of you are still out there, and that the alleged millennium “bug” didn’t bug you after all. This is being written several days prior to the big event, so who knows if you will even get to read it? (Just kidding of course---the show must go on!)

The AA Showcase continues to amaze us (and a lot of other people) with its growth and popularity on the web. Currently, we are 15th on the Preditors and Editors TOP Fiction Webzine poll. You can view the voting results, and cast your own ballot at the following site: Preditors & Editors Poll http://critters.critique.org/predpoll/

This is a very prestigious and important poll, and we are delighted to have even made the list, let alone jump into the top 20, thanks largely to YOUR voting. If you’ve not voted yet, by all means, take a run over there and stuff that ballot box. You have until the end of January to vote, and yes, you can vote with every one of your email addresses. I will humbly add that Pepper Raines and I have both made the list under author and novel categories, and so has B. Colin Cubbage (former Featured Author) should you decide to vote in those areas. Cloudy Mountain Books is also on the list under best epublisher.

Okay, now for a little more shameless self promotion, then we’ll get onto the fun stuff. And believe me, there's a LOT of stuff in this new issue, including a piece that author Charles Hackenberry submitted to a publisher he saw mentioned here in this newsletter---and the piece sold right away. You will also find book reviews, contributed articles and a host of things to tickle your funny bone. There's no doubt about it, this ezine is working! We have helped people publish pieces on the web and in traditional print as well.

This is the largest issue we've put out so far. That's because the Showcase continues to build on its broad cross section of writers, including editors, journalists, screenwriters, epublishers and now our first poet in the children’s area.

All of these people have joined our ranks to offer their stories to a web-wide reading audience that we can only guesstimate to be in the tens of thousands. We would like to thank every one of you for your continuing interest in the Showcase, and for the favorable responses to the new E-zine format.

The cost of admission for this great material is still FREE, despite our moving into new locations with more room and a whole new millennium in which to operate. That means everything we bring to you can be freely distributed to your online buddies. All we ask is that if you use something out of this newsletter or the ezine, that you properly credit it to us or the original author. 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

ON WITH THE SHOW!

We've added some exciting new writers to the Showcase since the last issue and taken a whole new approach to the Featured Author slot for this first day of the next thousand years (not really, but hey, that’s the hype). Drop by the author pages and leave a note in their guest books, or send them email and let them know you read their stories. You won’t be able to do that for the featured authors directly as in the past, but we have provided you with links to both Anne Rice's and Tom Clancy’s publisher pages. They are worth the time to explore.

JANUARY'S DYNAMIC DUO OF FEATURED AUTHORS: Anne Rice and Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy began his writing career as a humble insurance broker with a passion for naval history. He could only dream of writing books in those days. Finally, in 1984, his epic novel, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, catapulted him onto the New York Times best-seller list.

Since then, several of his books have been made into feature length movies while Clancy has almost single-handedly brought the literary genre known as the "techo-thriller" into the limelight. He has firmly established himself as the master of realistic fictional stories based on actual and theoretical concepts of modern warfare.

The success of these books has resulted in his virtual "adoption" by the U.S. military. High ranking officers regularly provide him with unprecedented access to information, technology and war planning venues that enhance the credibility of his stories. Several of his books are even on the required reading lists for our nation's military cadet and officer training schools.

Read his Featured Author page on the AA site for more details about this fabulously prolific writer. He is our hands down choice for male Featured Author of the Millennium. Your comments on this choice are invited.

ANNE RICE BIO

OTHER NEW AUTHORS:

Karen Byrum

Karen, AKA 'Katie Did the Grown Up Kid', is a 39 year old writer from Kansas City, Missouri and the creator of 'Katie Did and the Neon Peach' web site; a collection of original, illustrated rhyming stories for children. (http://www.neonpeach.com). She began writing in 1992 and found that her love of Dr. Seuss, and her passion for rhythm and playful words, compelled her to write rhyming stories for children.

"At first", she says, "I thought writing for children would be the easiest road to take. And knowing what I know now, I'd have to say I'll continue to stick with that!

Karen adds, "...when I get a rejection, I mope a bit, then I start again; whether that be to improve upon or completely change a story. And IF I think it is just fine, I leave it, because I know now, not every editor, publisher or $7 an hour reader knows everything.”

Editorial Comment: We applaud your philosophy, Karen! The entire Amazing Authors Showcase and ezine is based upon the principle that good writing comes from the heart. We are doing our part to ensure that writers from the heart get the exposure they need and deserve.

Miriam McDaniel

Miriam McDaniel lives in a small Midwestern town near Kansas City, Missouri. She has been writing poetry and prose since the age of 13.

"Writing," she says, "is like being held with the eyes closed. GOOD writing, however, is the point at which the eyes open to find that the person doing the holding is that one person you most adore in the whole wide world."

Miriam has been published by small presses both here and abroad. She is currently working on her first novel, tentatively entitled, "My Entrails On A Slide". You can view excerpts from it and her other works by visiting her personal website at:

WRITER’S RESOURCES:

What Is A Copyright?

The concept of the copyright has always been a confusing one to new writers. How do you copyright your work? What is considered intellectual property? What can you do if someone plagiarizes your work? Find the answers at: http://whatiscopyright.org/

FLESH AND BLOOD: QUIET TALES OF DARK FANTASY & HORROR

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Flesh and Blood: Quiet Tales of Dark Fantasy & Horror. 121 Joseph Street, Bayville, NJ 08721. Editor: Jack Fisher. Horror, dark fantasy fiction, interview(s), and occasional non-fiction articles.

FREQ: Triannual. CIRC: 500. SIZE: 44-52 pps/digest-size magazine.

AUDIENCE: Readers of horror, magic realism, dark fantasy, light fantasy.

NEEDS: Fiction, poetry.

LENGTH: Fiction up to 4,000 words; poetry must not exceed one page in length unless exceptionally good.

RTS: FNASR.

PAY: On acceptance. 1/2-1 cent/wd for unsolicited fiction/poetry, plus one contributor's copy of the issue in which the work will appear. Note: Anything under 1000 wds will be paid by means of two contributor's copies. Poetry- $5 per accepted poem, plus one contributor's copy. RT: Usually 3-21 days. Publication wait is about 10-15 months at present.

SAMPLE COPIES: Sample copies are available for $4.00 each.

SUBMISSIONS: Flesh and Blood will be open to fiction submissions in late December or early 2000. Electronic submissions are accepted. Send via email with the submission in the body of an email or as a .txt formatted file. Send mss with a SASE to: Jack Fisher, Editor-in-chief, c/o Flesh and Blood: Quiet Tales of Dark Fantasy & Horror, 121 Joseph Street, Bayville, NJ 08721. Include a SASE and cover letter listing previous publication credits and exact word count of your submission. Simultaneous submissions are not accepted. Reprints will be considered as long as work has not been printed in any more than one other publication. Name of publication must be included in cover letter. Multiple submissions accepted, no more than three stories and five poems at a time. Please see the guidelines on the Web site for more details. Write or email editor with other questions.

COMMENTS: "I don't want to see dime-a-dozen stories with the same old

storytelling, plot, ending, etc. Vampires and witches are all fine just as long as they're done differently--NO cliches. 99% of what I publish has some sort of powerful supernatural element in it. I publish NO splatterpunk, gothic, blood-and-guts work. The fantastic, surreal, bizarre, and strange are a must!” Email: ahhh@webtv.net

URL: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/3459/fnb.html

GL: http://www.angelfire.com/hi/zxcv/blood.html

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How to Be A Freelance Writer is FREE for download at: http://www.writersweekly.com/index-starterkit.htm

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Freelance Writers

El-hi publisher seeks freelance writers for grammar/composition test materials at the middle school and high school levels. Writers must have experience writing test items and/or curriculum materials. Teaching experience is a plus. E-mail a resume and two writing: samples to cheryl@bkschoolhouse.com

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What's Working Online, a twice-monthly paper newsletter for e-commerce executives, is seeking a freelance Assistant Editor to write two 450-word articles and eight 250-word short pieces per issue. Ideal candidate will have experience writing crisp clear copy for newsletters and/or web. Pays a monthly retainer. Reply with clips: editor@whatsworkingonline.com. Retainer is $500-1,000 depending on experience.

ACCOLADES TO AMAZING AUTHORS:

FROM: Ray E. Spencer (Raybon0826@aol.com)

TO: Pepper Raines

“Tender Nightmare” will soon be available at www.iuniverse.com, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com. ...I want you and Jon to know what a wonderful service you provide for writers like myself. The web site is very professional and the graphics and artwork are top notch. Merry Christmas to you both!

FROM: Janet (Awesmbl94@aol.com)

To: Pepper Raines

(Your Santa story) made my eyes leak!!! I loved it!!! Thanks for sharing it with us!!

FROM: Jo Hamlet (billyjo@iinet.net.au)

TO: Pepper Raines

G'Day Pepper:

Thought you might like to know I have been made Co Editor of an Australian Writer's Magazine. We are always looking for good manuscripts; short stories, poems and writing related articles. We are also running a short-short story competition (500 words max). Details can be found at web site www.readersworld.com.au.

I would like to take this opportunity of wishing you all a merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. You are doing a wonderful job!

FROM: Elemental Wiccan@aol.com

TO: AmazingAuthors

I don't know how I got on your list, but keep me. www.tarotreadings.net/fiction.htm

FROM: Robin C. Westmiller (www.westmiller.com/robin)

TO: Jon Baxley

If I had time to READ, I'd love a copy of your book! I'm over 12,000 words into THE POSTMAN and must write every free minute...but I kept your note and as soon as I'm done, I most certainly will buy THE SCYTHIAN STONE! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

FROM: Dee (GCEC Tendr@aol.com) Official AOL Games Area Staff Member

TO: The Amazing Authors Showcase

I have found two willing and eager new beavers to help me in this endeavor, and one is a web page creator pro!!! That truly makes me happy since I tend to post and hope in my web page creations. Your web page/newsletter is fantastic BTW !! I have marked it to return to for future updates. Again, thank you for your help Jon.

Editorial Comment: Contact Dee if you are interested in a CL position with AOL writing interviews in the games area.

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE

Holidays and Teenagers

(more insights from the classroom)

©2000 by L.M.W.

Imrite48@aol.com

We are now officially into the holiday season. In fact, it is nearly over. If you are around teens for very long, you come to realize that the holidays begin with Halloween and end with New Year's. We may not see it that way, but adults just don't see things the same way as their kids do.

Halloween is more important to teens than to any other group. They insist that they still deserve candy. In fact, they believe that they are the only ones who should really receive the treats because somehow they have reached the age where taking candy from strangers is no longer dangerous. They figure that crazies with poison are terrified of teens with unlimited access to rolls of toilet paper. What adults see as vandalism, teens view as one of their many rights of passage. It probably comes from the fact that they are not allowed to believe in very much any more. We have taken Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy away from them. In exchange we allow them to stay out late.

A few weeks after Halloween and football season, comes Thanksgiving. If you ask most people they will tell you that this is really their favorite holiday. They have all the food without having to worry about gifts. Teens love this holiday also, but for other reasons. Though they will probably not admit it, most of the kids I know love Thanksgiving because it is a mostly adult holiday. They feel more grown up at Thanksgiving than at either Halloween or Christmas. It is at this time they also realize that their childhood is winding down. They will soon have their own tables and families and turkeys. Adults see this holiday as a time for looking back on the year, but teens see it as a way of seeing the future.

Following the realization that they are growing up, comes Christmas. Most of my students tell me that they love the traditions more than the presents. They love the tree and the lights. Some even admit that they cry when they hear their favorite Christmas carols. Of course, they still get caught up in the greed of the season. They can't really help that, I guess. Who can? This year though, I wish we could all take a good look at those almost-grown creatures who live in our houses. Look into their eyes and you can still see the children who were and the adults who will be. The traditions that we have begun, they will continue. They will also add their own.

I'm not sure if I have made my point here or not. I just know that we need to hold onto these kids while at the same time, we must let them go. To me, this is as exciting in this new millennium as it is scary.

BOOK REVIEWS:

OF LITTLE VALUE

©1999 Mark Mann (Novelone4@aol.com)

(Under consideration for publication)

REVIEW BY: LeLienne@aol.com

In an industry where literary critics use hyperboles to endorse a novel and where fantasies are boundless, Of Little Value provides a refreshing story about one man's greatest adventure--life. With life comes pain, disappointment, and personal triumph. Recognition, self discovery and love are Mark Mann's themes in Of Little Value. Literature is attractive when the reader has the ability to do more than merely visualize. Mann's novel allows the reader to recognize him/herself in a character. Mark Mann masters this quality by developing more than mere characters on a page; he elucidates people we know, people we love, people like ourselves.

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THE SCYTHIAN STONE

© 1999 Jon F. Baxley (Wasp1946@aol.com)

(Available now in CD, floppy and download formats at Cloudy Mountain Books--see links in our Bookstore)

REVIEW BY: Jennifer Harvey (Jenorthar@aol.com)

The Scythian Stone is a captivating fantasy of revenge and purity. Jon Baxley has created a rich world of sorcerers, innocents, and evil. The plot grabs the reader immediately and hangs on until the end.

When Daynin finds a strange stone, his quiet life in the country takes an adventuresome turn. Fate, with a little help from sorcery, pairs him with a strange little man named Boozer, and they set off on the journey of a lifetime. Danger and new friends are thrown into their path at every turn. The story sweeps both the characters and the reader toward the ultimate battle. The quick read leaves you wanting more.

REVIEW BY: Patricia Cox (MsZaphod@aol.com)

"Jon Baxley has a way of making characters come to life. Daynin and The Boozer are surely off on what promises to be an exciting adventure in this story that wastes no time pulling the reader in to its magical premise!"

REVIEW BY: John Patrick Schmitz, Editor: The Door to Worlds Imagined

http://www.freeyellow.com/members6/tri46/Works.html

Jon F. Baxley's THE SCYTHIAN STONE is a singular, enchanting tale set within a convincing tapestry woven from the Arthurian legend. It is the story of Daynin McKinnon, a young farmboy who plows up a powerful magical relic and is swept into a fierce struggle as forces of good and evil fight for its possession. Under the cryptic guidance of Merlin's apprentice, Kruzurk Makshare, Daynin joins forces with a crafty barwench and a mysterious warrior and does battle with the wonderfully evil villain known as The Seed.

Filled to the ramparts with rich, detailed description and rapid, flowing action, THE SCYTHIAN STONE is sure to snare the hearts of true lovers of fantasy and carry them off into this captivating world. Jon F. Baxley has the style, wit, and imagination to become a legend himself in the world of fantasy fiction. So, tap a keg of mead and get settled into your favorite chair, because this story will have you clamped in the stocks right until the very end.

REVIEW BY: Debra L. Seabury (Wrdsmth54@aol.com)

Author of the Prentice Hall book EARTH SMART!

Center for Applied Research in Education

Jon F. Baxley's The Scythian Stone promises the fantasy lover an adventure filled with sorcery and suspense, and the author delivers with a full rich tale wrapped in this deceptively small package. A wicked curse, an innocent hero, and a whirlwind quest peopled by Merlin's apprentice, a beautiful wench and a mysterious soldier draw the reader into a mystical land where the final showdown between good and evil awaits. A treat for any lover of fantasy.

QUICKIES OF THE WEEK:

MORE Things That Make You Go, “Hmmm.”

• A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 600 m.p.h.

• The condom - made originally of linen - was invented in the early 1500's.

• The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C.

• A Saudi Arabian woman can get a divorce if her husband doesn't give her coffee.

• The Neanderthal's brain was bigger than yours is.

• Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

• The average bank teller loses about $250 every year.

• In 1980, there was only one country in the world with no telephones - Bhutan.

• Every person has a unique tongue print.

• Your right lung takes in more air than your left one does.

CONTEST RESULTS:

Well, at long last, we finally got a winner in our Amazing Lines contest. Night Writer1 from AOL got all 7 answers right, and Cerrasil of AOL came in second with 4 correct answers. Sheesh, people, I KNEW it was a tough test, but ONE correct entry in over a month? I guess the tests will have to be easier from now on, or you all will have to work harder on the next contest.

For those of you who are interested, the correct answers were:

A is from #5

B is from #3

C is from #6

D is from #1

E is from #2

F is from #7

G is from #4

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 around the middle of January. Until then, we wish you great success in your writing and creative efforts.

The Staff of the Amazing Authors Showcase

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