Esquire Magazine Fiction Contest

Welcome to the new Esquire Fiction Contest

We encourage you to enter, but you have to follow the rules. The first and most important rule - besides, of course, that the story has to be original - is that the story must be based on one of three titles that we have provided. The titles are:

1. Twenty-Ten

2. An Insurrection

3. Never, Ever Bring This Up Again

A date, a thing, and a statement. No exceptions. Make of them what you will, do with them something great. But no taking an old story and slapping one of our new title on it. We'll know, and we won't be happy.

Second rule: Your story cannot exceed 4,000 words. We are serious about that too.

Other rules: You may submit only one story. The contest begins on May 1, 2009. All entries are due by midnight of August 1, 2009 and must be submitted electronically here.

Please note: The Esquire Submission Manager is for fiction contest submissions only. All other submissions will be deleted.

Submit here.

Beyond Viral Marketing: New Book Talks About World Wide Rave Marketing

World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories

David Meerman Scott begins his new book by telling us how lucky we are — incredibly lucky. We're lucky because we live in a time when we can reach the entire world. We can do so without having to spend huge amounts of money on advertising or media. As businesspeople, we're lucky to be able to reach buyers easily.

As luck would have it, we can create one of the coolest phenomena on the Web — a World Wide Rave.

A bit of that luck extends to having Scott's book, World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories. As a guide to Internet marketing, it is one of the best books we're lucky enough to have.

What is a World Wide Rave? It's a way to reach a vast audience and potentially find enormous success. A Rave can propel a brand, product or company to fame and fortune — for free. People around the world are talking about you and the online buzz is driving customers to your door. As Scott writes, "The World Wide Rave is the single most empowering tool available to marketers today."

It's like being at a sporting event and somebody starts "the wave," and suddenly 50,000 people join in. That's the same effect that happens with a World Wide Rave.

If you're an experienced marketer, creating a Rave requires a very different approach than what you've probably been using, Scott insists. Many of the Rave techniques are the opposite of what you've learned in your marketing experience or in school. If you're a business manager or owner, many of Scott's ideas will be exactly what your marketing staff or agency tells you not to do.

Read more about World Wide Rave here, or get a copy World Wide Rave now!

Atlantic Publishing Seeking Writers and Authors

Open Call for Authors to Write Nonfiction Books

Atlantic Publishing is looking for writers in various fields to write books on subjects such as: Building, Cooking, Farming/Animals, Gardening, Arts/Crafts, Recycling, Internet/Technology, Business/Investing, Real Estate, Finance, Parenting, Pets, Publishing, Education, and Self-Help. This position is a freelance opportunity. The payment varies from project to project. Writers are not required to reside in Ocala, FL, work may be done anywhere in the United States. If you are interested please contact Amanda Miller at amiller@atlantic-pub.com with your resume and writing sample.

Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 SW 6th. Avenue
Ocala, Florida 34474

By Phone: (352) 622.1825
By Fax: (352) 622-1875

Top Five Children's Books and Authors: A Summer Reading List

There are so many good children's books out there, it is hard to know where to start. We all want our kids to be readers, as science has shown that reading improves cognition, language development, and imagination, but which books should we start our kids reading? Below are five of the best children's authors and books. This summer, why not get your kids one of these books instead of letting your kid play another video game or watching TV.

1. Cynthia Rylantis the Meryl Streep of writers. She can do it all. Picture books, easy readers, chapter books—you name it, she has written it and written it well. A few of my favorite picture books are: In November, The Great Gracie Chase, Long Night Moon, Scarecrow, and The Thimbleberry Stories. She has written many early reader series including the fabulous Mr. Putter and Tabby as well as Henry and Mudge. And, she has written chapter books, including the Newberry Medal winner, Missing May, Gooseberry Park, and Old Town on the Green Groves (the lost years of the Little House series). Her writing is not only prolific, it is poetic and funny and warm and lyrical and really just wonderful stuff. Find all of Cynthia Rylant's books here.

2. Lloyd Alexanderis another writer who has run the gamut of age ranges and manages to write for them all equally well. Unlike Rylant, his work includes more chapter books than picture books, but like Rylant he is an incredible writer who gathered many awards in his career, including a Newberry Medal. His writing is intelligent and his stories are entertaining and high quality. His books are primarily fantasy for the 9 and up age group. A few favorites are the Chronicles of Prydain series, Time Cat, The Gawgon and the Boy, The Iron Ring, and, my favorite, The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio (this one is for 12 and up). Find all of Lloyd Alexander's books here.

3. Cornelia Funkeis an amazingly creative writer. She writes of people being read out of books, and boys finding magic in Venice, and princesses who want to be knights, and, best of all, about dragons looking for a home. She is inventive and unique, and I am so glad that her books were translated into English. I read Dragon Rider to my kids as one of our first chapter books, and even though it is 523 pages long, my three-year-old daughter hung on every word. I won’t list favorite books, as they are all good in their own right. Find all of Cornelia Funke's books here.

4. J.K. Rowling.I really don’t need to say anything about Rowling. Enough has been said and the books speak for themselves. Anyone who can create a world as complete and appealing as the one she created in the Harry Potter series is worth a read in my book. My son turns 11 soon and if he gets a letter from Hogwarts, I am going too. Find all of J.K. Rowling's books here.

5. Roland Smithhas a collection of great adventure stories that range from climbing Mt. Everest to hiding from Japanese soldiers in Burma to life on the trail with Lewis and Clark. Intelligent writing and realistically likeable characters make these books enjoyable for all and a real find for boys 10 and up. Find all of Roland Smith's books here.

Like I said, there are so many more that should be listed; Jane Yolen, J.R.R. Tolkien, Edward Eager, E. Nesbit, and on and on; but here are a few to consider. Happy summer reading.

The Best Festivals and Parties in America: New Book Gives Top 101 List

Party Across America: 101 of the Greatest Festivals, Sporting Events, and Celebrations in the U.S.

Not many people who are laid off immediately begin planning to party. But that's what Michael Guerriero did.

When the 32-year-old Fort Collins, Colo., resident lost his job in pharmaceutical sales and marketing in 2007, he loaded up the car and hit the road in search of some raging celebrations, using his severance pay to ease the way.

Out of that trip and many others he had taken before came his recent book, Party Across America: 101 of the Greatest Festivals, Sporting Events, and Celebrations in the U.S.

Guerriero, a native of Doylestown, Pa., fills the book with party-hopping across nearly all 50 states. While Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho and North Dakota don't make it to the fun, Maryland did. Guerriero names the Preakness Stakes and Honfest as the best parties in Maryland.

Don't agree? Too bad; it's his party and he'll leave out Artscape if he wants to.

In an interview, Guerriero, an avid traveler and partygoer, said the idea for the book had been on his mind for several years, but it was only when he found himself unemployed that he seriously began the project.

"I've never written, but I knew that I could," he said. "I found a publisher and convinced them I could be the nation's authority on good parties."

With Preakness and summer festival season fast approaching, we talked to Guerriero about how to get the party started.

What's your definition of a good party?

I gave myself two rules for the parties to be included in this book. The first rule is that it has to be annual event that happens in the same place every year. The second was that it had to have energy. What really makes a great party is it has to have an energy level that is through the roof and something that the entire city or county rallies around. [The book] has everything from sporting events to food festivals to Halloween to the weird and wacky celebrations. Have you been to all of the parties in the book? I'm still recovering. I've made it to about 80 of them. (There are 101 in the book.)

What's your favorite party spot?

I'm going to have to play the hometown favorite. The Tour de Fat in Colorado is hands down my favorite. It's the world's largest and craziest bike parade.

Read the rest of Michael Guerriero's interview here, or get a copy of Party Across America now!

Route 66 Writing Contest: Publisher Seeks Entries

Writer's Wanted for Publisher's First Annual Route 66 Writing Contest

EDMOND, Okla. (MMD Newswire) May 11, 2009 (Gondwana Press) - Gondwana Press of Edmond, Oklahoma announces its first annual Route 66 Writing Contest. Submit stories about Route 66, 3000 to 5000 words, any genre - short story, essay, poetry, etc., with up to 2 pictures (optional). Prize includes $50 per story and publication in Gondwana Press' upcoming book Tales of Route 66. There is no entry fee and the deadline is September 1, 2009. Submit entries by mail or email.

Founded in 2006 by geologist Gary Pittenger and his son Shane Bohl, Gondwana strives to publish the best in mysteries, short stories and science fiction.

Under the pen name Eric Wilder, Gary is the author of nine books, mostly fiction. He also contributes to several popular story blogs including Musings of a Dangerous Mind located on his website.

Shane's expertise is electronics, computing, and the internet. During his tour of duty in Anchorage, Alaska, the U.S. Air Force named him "Airman of the Year."

You can check out Eric Wilder at http://www.EricWilder.com

Interview Contact: Gary Pittenger
Telephone: 405-341-0076
email entries to: gondwanapress@yahoo.com
http://www.GondwanaPress.com

Mail entries to: Gondwana Press LLC
1800 Canyon Park Circle, Suite 401, Edmond, OK, USA 73013
Voice 405-341-0076 (USA 011). Fax 405-348-6727

New Legal Thriller: Confidential Communications

Confidential Communications

Dreams come true.

Allan Richards, owner of a major financial firm in Vermont, knows that one of his employees is doing something illegal inside his own corporation. But Brent Thompson is too smart and the head of Financial Investments can’t prove anything. Allan decides to hire a young and brilliant lawyer, Rebecca Lawson to investigate Thompson.

Rebecca is overjoyed when she is approached by Allan Richards. This marks the start of her corporate law career. But as luck would have it, her investigations lead nowhere. Still, the publicity she gets from being Financial Investment's corporate attorney is enough to build a respectable reputation and clientele.

An old flame reappears.

Charlie McCabe had swept her off her feet when she was still fresh out of law school. Rebecca had felt betrayed when he suddenly disappeared leaving no note, no warning.

Now, he’s back.

Charlie explains that he’s with the CIA. He warns her about her client, Financial Investments, and requests some of the firm’s documents for investigation.

Is it safe to believe him now… Or will she put her client, and herself, in jeopardy by trusting the man who had betrayed her once?

Filled with legal twists and turns, Confidential Communicationswill keep you on your toes until the shocking courtroom finale!

Confidential Communicationsis a legal thriller that takes the reader on a ride which evaluates the vulnerability of us all while witnessing the downfall of greed.

Boston native, Suffolk University Law School alum, and former partner of Saltzman & McNaught LLP, J.R. Reardon has practiced in many areas including civil and criminal litigation. She has taught insurance law with her father and is published in the Suffolk University Law Review. Reardon is admitted to practice in the federal and state courts of Massachusetts, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is also active in several legal associations in both Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.