Archive for the 'Writing' Category

teen writing workshop & book signing

On Saturday, May 19, I will be joining two other Apocalypsies to host a teen writing workshop at Chester County Book & Music Co.:

ATTENTION TEENS!
Sign up for a writing workshop

with three young adult authors,
members of the Apocalypsies,
and be eligible for a fabulous door prize!
K.M. Waltonauthor of CRACKED
Elisa Ludwig, author of PRETTY CROOKED
E.C. Myers, author of FAIR COIN
Saturday, May 19
Workshop 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ($10)
Signing 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 pm (free and open to the public)
Cost includes a buffet lunch.
Hurry!  Space is limited!
You MUST register in advance.
Chester County Book & Music Company
975 Paoli Pike
West Goshen Center
West Chester, PA 19380
For more information
call 610-696-1661, ext. 29
Please help spread the word! I hope to see you and/or your teen writers on Saturday!
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crits for critters!

I’m offering up a short story critique (up to 5000 words) or a critique of a query letter and the first 30 pages of your novel, in the Pens for Paws Auction to raise money for Fat Kitty City, a no-kill, cage-free cat sanctuary in El Dorado Hills that also rescues dogs (as foster homes allow). I am happy to aid our feline overlords, even at this great personal sacrifice.

If you’re wondering what makes me qualified to critique anything you write, that’s a very good question! I have at least a little bit of experience with writing and publishing short stories, through the rigorous Clarion West Writing Workshop (in the incredibly talented class of 2005); my participation in New York’s finest team of superwriters, Altered Fluid; and as a submissions reader for Sybil’s Garage and several editions of Ellen Datlow’s Year’s Best Horror. Many of the stories and novels I have critiqued have been published and received awards and critical acclaim, and I’m totally claiming some of that credit.

I also wrote a query letter and a novel that fooled at least one agent into taking me on as a client, which eventually resulted in my novel getting published, so let’s call that a 100% success rate, shall we? I’ve heard from more than one person that I’m pretty good at writing query letters, which are tricky things. My “specialties” are in science fiction, fantasy, and young adult fiction, but whatever your genre, this is a rare opportunity to get feedback from someone who should know better than to critique a stranger’s work. But hey, I’ll do almost anything for money that will support a good and worthy cause.

In any event, you’re almost guaranteed to get value for your dollar, depending on how much you bid and some definitions of value.

Bidding is open internationally through May 11, 11 p.m. EST. Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested and consider bidding. If you don’t have a story or novel ready yet, you can claim your prize whenever you do.

Best,
Eugene

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north, miss tessmacher! north!

I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but my next reading from Fair Coin will be this Thursday, May 3 at 7:00 p.m. at Water Street Books, 26 Water Street, in Williamstown, MA. This event is generously co-sponsored by the Religion and English departments at Williams College.

If you live anywhere near Williamstown, I would love to see you there! A discussion and signing will follow the short reading, and there will be plenty of swag for the taking. I expect it to be a fun event, what with all the smart college kids and teachers around.

Apparently Christopher Reeve often performed in theatrical productions in Williamstown and was married there, so that’s kind of cool. Other notable individuals with links to Williamstown include quantum physicist William Wootters (best name ever!), the Barclay Jermain Professor of Natural Philosophy at Williams College; songwriter Cole Porter; Welsh actor Roger Rees; actor Matthew Perry; and SFF writer Paul Park.

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The YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes, Part II

[ETA: As of 5/8/12, this giveaway is now over! Thank you to everyone who participated in any leg of the race and for sharing your comments and wishes. I will randomly select the prize winners in the next few days, and will post your wishes on Tumblr in the weeks and months to come.]

Hello! The previous YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes was so fun and successful, we decided to do it again. If you’re here at my stop on the blog hop, you probably know what it’s all about already. But if you’re lost or have no idea what I’m going on about, please visit the Apocalypsies website to read the complete rules and get started. Please note that the contest does not begin until Wednesday, May 2 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

FAIR COIN by E.C. Myers

Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott is horrified when he comes home from school and finds his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. The reason for her suicide attempt is even more disturbing: she thought she’d identified Ephraim’s body at the hospital that day.

Among his dead double’s belongings, Ephraim finds a strange coin—a coin that grants wishes when he flips it. With a flick of his thumb, he can turn his alcoholic mother into a model parent and catch the eye of the girl he’s liked since second grade. But the coin doesn’t always change things for the better. And a bad flip can destroy other people’s lives as easily as it rebuilds his own.

The coin could give Ephraim everything he’s ever wanted—if he learns to control its power before his luck runs out.

In addition to the signed copy of Fair Coin and the prize pack I’m offering in the Race, I’ll be giving away a signed bookmark, postcard, bookplate*, and custom Fair Coin coin case to three lucky winners on my own blog. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is flip a coin, then leave a comment in this post telling me whether it came up heads or tails. (Don’t worry, the outcome won’t have any effect on your chances of winning. And I’m just going to take it on faith that you actually flipped a coin; you’re the one who has to live with yourself if you fudge it.)

You can also get up to 5 additional entries by completing one or all of the following:

  1. Like my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/flipthecoin or, if you don’t do Facebook, link to this contest on your blog. (+1 entry)
  2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this contest. Be sure to mention me (@ecmyers) and include the hashtag #faircoin. (+1 entry)
  3. Add Fair Coin on Goodreads. (+1 entry)
  4. Pop over to my Tumblr page and make a wish! (+2 entries)

Make sure you tell me which of the above you do for extra points in your comment so I can tally up your entries correctly! And don’t worry, if you already follow me, you still get credit for it. I’ll use some randomizer-thingey to select the winners.

My blog contest will be open until Tuesday, May 8 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

When you’re ready to move on, click your heels three times (or this link once) to be whisked away to the quiz. Thanks for coming by, and good luck!

___________________________________________

*Still working on making those bookplates, but they should be ready soon!

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radio interview

If you missed it on Saturday morning because you were sleeping or watching cartoons or out enjoying beautiful, pre-monsoon weather, my interview with Barry Eva of A Book and a Chat is now online for your listening enjoyment!

I really enjoyed this one. We talked a bit about books and writing, of course, but we also covered a range of topics from Back to the Future to Quantum Leap, two topics I can discuss for hours. Barry even slipped in a reference to the classic SF film Short Circuit! Given that the format for the program is “a chat over a cup of tea,” you might be wondering what my beverage of choice was throughout the half-hour interview.

It’s obvious, really. I was, in fact, sipping Earl Grey.

Please give the program a listen and leave some feedback. It’s short, it’s entertaining, and perhaps even enlightening. Many thanks to Barry for the great conversation!

While you’re at it, you can also check out interviews with my fellow Apocalypsies, Sarvenaz Tash (The Mapmaker and the Ghost, due out this Tuesday, 4/24!), J. Anderson Coats (The Wicked and the Just, just released!), and Lynne Kelly (Chained, due out 5/8/12).

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