This is my last post until after the New Year, so I want to take the time to wish all my readers Happy Holidays. I hope you have a joyful, peaceful holiday season — and make time for some enjoyable reading and writing.
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Less Than Three Press is putting together an LGBTQ romance anthology, “Silver and Gold”, featuring love stories in which the age difference between characters plays a major role in the story. The main characters should have an age difference of at least ten years. Stories should be between 10,000 and 20,000 words. Payment is $200 and the deadline for submissions is February 28, 2015. For more information, see the guidelines here.
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YLVA Publishing is compiling a collection of women’s erotica stories for an upcoming anthology. Stories must feature F/F sex. 4,000 to 8,000 words. Payment is $60. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2015. Find the details here.
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Dark Hollows Press is putting together a Valentine’s Day Anthology, “A Touch of Love.” Editors Shannon West and Ashley Kain are looking for romance stories of over 10,000 words that focus on Valentine’s Day. All heat levels welcome. Payment is $50 and the deadline for submissions is January 17, 2015. Find the details here.
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Alloy Entertainment, the company responsible for the Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries series for young adults, is searching for new ideas and talent. To that end, they’ve formed The Collaborative, which will focus on acquiring books from authors.. The Collaborative is not a publisher, per se, but a development company that will work with the author to shape a project and decide the next step — which may be submitting to a traditional publisher or e-publishing. Alloy is owned by Warner Brothers Entertainment. ” As part of Warner Bros., Alloy has the ability to exploit each property in film, television, and new media for the benefit of its authors. ” The Collaborative is interested in young adult, middle grade and chapter books, and women’s fiction. They hope to acquire twelve complete or partial manuscripts a year. Find out more about The Collaborative and Alloy Entertainment here.
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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. Please give me credit as the source, and include a link to this blog. To find out more about me and my books, visit my websites here and here. Or find me on Facebook.
This week I present my annual list of Gifts for Writers. These items would delight the writer in your life. Or perhaps you’d like to leave this list somewhere for your own personal Santa.
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I’ll start with the more obvious and practical gifts. Most writers I know would love to receive a gift basket of office supplies — cool notebooks, beautiful pens, sticky notes, paperclips, envelopes, etc, etc. For some gorgeous writing materials, check out Levenger.
Other practical ideas: gift cards to bookstores or office supply stores, a gift certificate for a massage, books of all kinds.
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How about some gifts you can give that are free or low-cost? Coupons for child care or free 
meals would be much appreciated by most busy writers. Or how about this free “Don’t Break the Chain” calendar to help the writer keep track of writing goals? Download it, laminate it and present it to your favorite writer, perhaps with a pack of colorful Sharpies.
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How about some clothing items to inspire the writer in your life? Out of Print Clothing has a wonderful selection of literary-inspired Tshirts 
for men and women, including this Pride and Prejudice shirt.
Or how about a pair of fingerless gloves? In winter, typing can be cold work. If you’re crafty, you can knit or crochet a pair, or how about a literary-inspired pair, like these Jane Austen fingerless gloves?
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Tea is my drink of choice. Many writers prefer coffee, but we can all agree on the need for big mugs to hold our hot beverages. The Literary Gift Company has a fantastic se
lection of mugs, including this one.
If you prefer a stronger drink, how about a set of literary inspired shot glasses, from the Unemployed Philosopher’s Guild, another great source for writerly gifts.
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Every writer needs a nice set of notecards, for sending old-fashioned thank-you notes to booksellers and others who have helped us along the way. How about gifting a writer with a set of notecards featuring famous writers, also from the Unemployed Philospher’s Guild.
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Writing books such as market guides, or writing 
software, such as Scribner, make great gifts for writers. I also like toys and other items that inspire creativity. The Writer’s Toolbox, from the Literary Gift Company, features a number of activities to help in building plots and characters and getting unstuck.
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Finally, writers like to eat, and most of the writers I know love chocolate. You could whip up some homemade brownies or truffles, or you could give them some Writers Block chocolate from Writers Workshoppe.
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Those are my suggestions. How about you? What do you think would be a great gift for a writer?
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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. Please give me credit as the source, and include a link to this blog. Thanks. Cindi.
Cindi Myers Market News's Blog 