Hello Everyone!
The excitement of Christmas is now behind us and 2014 is right around the corner. For those that celebrate Christmas I hope you had a wonderful and a memorable holiday.

With the New Year descending upon us so quickly I try to use this time to reflect on the year ending and the one coming up. For many years I’ve used this holiday time to make any necessary changes in my life. I’ve started countless exercise regimes, classes, courses, diets and new hobbies and most seem to go by the wayside by the time summer comes around. Psychologically the New Year is like a fresh start, although in reality it’s just another day on the calendar.

As I look back on 2013 I realize how lucky I am. I’m back doing what I love to do and with so many ideas and projects on the horizon, I’m far more confident than I ever have been.

2013 was a comeback year for Pages Of Stories. We started the year by announcing our new magazine and new name and finished by publishing our 2^nd  issue. In between these two events we collected some fantastic stories by some pretty talented authors from all over the world. We made the magazine available on both Android and Apple devices and started to print out the magazine so that all markets can enjoy this little piece of literature. A good friend agreed to be the editor, we found a talented young man to create illustrations and another talented young man to create the cover. There are people that have graciously agreed to read and rank stories on a volunteer basis and we coined a new term: "bookazine". It’s been quite a year and I’m proud of the accomplishments we’ve made so far.

 

2014 is shaping up to be even more interesting. We’re going to stay the course for 2014 and stick with two publications in May and November next year.We also plan to do a special issue of stories based on ABBA songs. I’ve written to the company that holds the copyright for the ABBA songs and they’ve declined my request to reprint the lyrics but I’m undaunted. There are also plans to get the magazine in more retail locations as well as on digital newsstands. We’ll be working harder to promote the magazine in more physical and online locations and all things going well, we hope to be able to start the process of book publishing by late 2014 or early 2015. It’s going to be a busy and exciting year ahead.

　

On a personal level 2013 was a significant year for me as well. Gary and I realized our dream of visiting St. Lucia and it is such an awesome country. There is just so much beauty in the Caribbean - you can’t go wrong whichever country you decide to visit down there. I realized a dream of seeing Phantom of the Opera in London England. I was breathless almost the entire time and I owe much thanks to my cousin Karen for making that happen. I also was able to visit a beautiful little place called Harrogate that’s worth a second visit.

　

　

Gary left the bank earlier this year and started his own company. This was exciting for us as well as he finally is living his passion of helping others figure out what their vision for retirement is and motivating them to make that dream a reality. He’s also a motivational speaker and has kindly provided an article for this newsletter.

Don’t forget…the next story deadline is coming up quickly! February 14, 2014 is the new deadline for your stories to be considered for the Spring issue.

If you want a printed version of the Winter issue of Ficta Fabula, just send an email to info@pagesofstories.com.

Please feel free to send an email or comment on our blog or Facebook page (Pages Of Stories FB page) about what you love to read or write.

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher, Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination
A wholly owned subsidiary of Pages Of Stories, Inc.
www.fictafabula.com
www.pagesofstories.com

Find our Apple app through their app store by searching on Ficta Fabula.
Our Android app is available through this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.yudu.ReaderAIR3922302

Words Matter

Hello Everyone!
"Words matter." This revelation came from the current mayor of Dallas, Texas when he was giving a speech commemorating 50 years since the assassination of JFK. He’s right, words do matter. The words you choose to speak in conversation matter. The words said in anger matter. And the words written down matter the most of all. That’s because readers can go back to them time and time again and those words won’t change. The tricky thing with words on paper is that they can be interpreted in so many different ways because on paper or in an email you miss the body language of the speaker. For a book of fiction, that’s ok. It’s the reader’s imagination that will create the entertainment, but the words they read guide them through the story in their own way.

While it’s great for fiction, it’s not so great when you’re promoting your business and / or product. The reality of the words I speak and write came back to slap me in the face on Friday. Gary and I went to a workshop on marketing and that’s where I discovered I’ve been using words that were unclear and open to interpretation. I am enormously proud of the fact that authors from all over the world submit their stories to us and get published. In my enthusiasm to relay this fact, I’ve given the impression that this is a magazine to appeal to authors – actually not a magazine – but a book. I love the fact that authors read this magazine and enjoy it. I’ve received all sorts of compliments on behalf of the authors that have been published so I know that these are good quality stories.

The market I’m looking for are the readers of the world. These are men and women who have busy lives - their careers, family and any other interests. They are the ones that don’t have time to devote to a full length novel but still need that escape – if only for a few minutes during the day.

This magazine is available throughout the world at a reasonable cost so that anyone anywhere can buy a copy. The app for Ficta Fabula has been downloaded in Pakistan and China (as well as Western Countries) and this fact tells me that people everywhere are looking for a distraction. A good read is often that distraction.

　
Everyone needs an escape from their lives – that’s what fiction is there for. That’s the responsibility of authors of fiction stories. The challenge is to write something that has a compelling story line as well as interesting characters – all in fewer than 5,000 words. It’s no easy task you authors have because readers of fiction have a lot of options. But it can be so rewarding.

I’ve always believed that good fiction can inspire creativity and imagination, and that’s what I want to do with Ficta Fabula and Pages Of Stories Publishing. Because fiction isn’t held back by the rules of the real world , anything can happen. When Gene Roddenberry had Captain Kirk talk to Enterprise on his communicator in the 1960’s Star Trek TV Series – I don’t think anyone realized that 40 years later that would be a reality with flip phones.

Gene Roddenberry’s imagination didn’t end there. It was shocking to see a woman in a significant role with Lieutenant Uhura as the Communications officer on the Enterprise. Of course the shock was not just her role but the fact that she was African American at a time when the U.S. was transitioning to a non segregationist society. I’m going to overlook the fact that her costume showed more leg than it covered – that’s a subject for another day. Since then we’ve had a number of women in leadership roles although the percentage is still far too low. While Great Britain has had women leaders in the past – those were Queens born to the role; Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to become a leader of a Western nation. Since then there have been more and more women running countries, businesses, and holding other highly influential political positions.

Because someone put the idea out there, it sparked the imagination of others. If even the most far out crazy ideas aren’t put forward, then we won’t know what we can do next. All great inventions started with someone with an idea and you never know where that idea comes from.

So, do words matter? You bet they matter. Words can help people enjoy their day just that little bit more; words can inspire people to make goals they never thought possible; words can hurt and words can soothe; and words can educate. My goal is simple – I want to help people enjoy their day and get a few minutes of pleasure by reading a really good story.

If you would like to read the rest of the newsletter and learn about some upcoming and exciting projects then send an email to info@pagesofstories.com. Or you can go to our website at www.pagesofstories.com.

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher
Ficta Fabula Magazine

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.       

John McCrae

---Thank you to all those that have given so much of themselves so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have.

Second Printing!

Hi Everyone,

A quick announcement that we are now going to a second printing of the inaugural issue of Ficta Fabula. We have officially sold out of the first printing and have received some excellent feedback.

The second printing should be ready the week of November 4th. Stay tuned for the exciting developments.

If you missed out on the first one, you can get your name on the list for the next one by sending an email to info@pagesofstories.com.

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher
Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination
www.fictafabula.com
www.pagesofstories.com

Find our Apple app through their app store by searching on Ficta Fabula

Our Android app is available through this link:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.yudu.ReaderAIR3922302

October Newsletter

What a month it’s been! Between travelling to England and starting work on the December issue of Ficta Fabula and promoting this awesome magazine, I’ve been loving every minute of it.

It’s been such an eventful last few weeks I’m having difficulty getting everything down to share with you.

The deadline for the December issue has come and gone now and submissions are now open until December 31, 2013 for the March issue. The stories for the December issue have been culled down to 25 and and are now in the hands of the story selection committee. As always, this wasn’t an easy process. For those that won’t be published, please know that your efforts are appreciated.

Both the Apple and the Android apps are now available and it never ceases to surprise me where people hear about us. The app has been downloaded in several Asian countries as well as North America, South Africa, Australia, UK and Western Europe.

You can find our Android app by clicking on this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.yudu.ReaderAIR3922302 and our Apple app can be found by searching for Ficta Fabula in their app store.

While in England I was fortunate enough to visit some fairly stunning places. Going to see Phantom of the Opera in London had been a dream of mine for decades and to see it realized on Monday September 9^th at Her Majesty’s Theatre - well, I had to pinch myself several times to ensure I wasn’t dreaming. I fell in love with London – the beautiful buildings, the availability of shops, the activity and the ease with which you can walk around. I’m looking forward to exploring it more in the future.

　

A little bit of Old London

Besides spending time in my Dad’s home town of Grimsby / Cleethorpes (the two are separated by a line on the road) I also went to Durham and York and of course Harrogate where I met with some members of the Harrogate Writers’ Circle.

The Pier at Cleethorpes

　
Durham is an ancient city that I’ve been fortunate enough to climb the Cathedral steps (325 up and 325 down) twice with my cousin Lynn. When climbing the steps you appreciate the workmanship that it took all those hundreds of years ago to achieve. The steps were actually carved and as you go higher and higher, the narrower the staircase gets. I can assure you though that the view from the top is worth the effort of climbing up 217 ft . The countryside is beautiful with so much going on in such a small place. Durham town centre was also wonderful with all the market stalls and tiny little alleys - you can definitely see why this country is the backdrop to so many fabulous stories.

　

Durham Cathedral

The city of York has got to be one of the most ancient and storied cities of north England. Going back to medieval times, many a British monarch felt the best way to hold on to their reign was to forge an alliance in some way with the leaders of York. York was also quite often the first city that Scottish kings and queens looked to conquer when planning an invasion of their southern neighbour. In this wonderful and highly historic place there is the magnificent York Minster. York Minster, while massive in size, doesn’t overwhelm the city but sits there like a steady beam of support. Of course sitting in behind the fabled Shambles, one can see why it’s not as imposing as it might have been.

　

The Shambles in York　

　
Harrogate is one of the most enchanting places I’ve ever seen. It oozes the English charm that I’ve always imagined and was incredibly picturesque. It wasn’t that difficult to navigate either as I only got a little lost a couple of times.

　

A lovely street in Harrogate

　
I had a very enjoyable evening with the Writer’s Circle where I had an opportunity to speak face to face with authors. The Writers’ Circle has been around for over 60 years and has much to boast about. They have many published authors in their midst and a strong and supportive environment for budding authors. Their website is: http://harrogatewriters.weebly.com/index.html.

Some members of the Harrogate Writers' Circle. L to R: Joan Reed, Rodney Noon, Me, John Chilton

 Having the opportunity to meet with some of the group face to face, I was able to hear about some of the trials and tribulations that authors face when trying to either hone their craft or promote their work. I’m not sure that I could offer much by way of suggestions but could only talk to what I see as a publisher for this magazine. Authors, rightfully so, want to to know why their work wasn’t accepted by a publisher and I can honestly tell you that’s a difficult question to answer.
　

In the case of Pages Of Stories Publishing and Ficta Fabula, if the story doesn’t meet the criteria (word count, essays instead of fiction stories, etc.) then I will give that feedback. I believe every story has the potential to be published and there can be a myriad of reasons why it hasn’t been picked up. The story may not be complete and have left some unanswered questions, there may not have been enough character development, and in the case of a short story - perhaps the characters went through a change too quickly. Keep in mind that publisher’s make mistakes too - J.K. Rowling went to 13 or 14 different publishers before she found one wise enough to see the potential in Harry Potter.

The publishing business is particularly tricky right now. We have major publishers struggling to stay afloat, we have small independent publishers trying to make a go of it and in amongst it all we have a new way of distributing stories through electronic media. We’re all trying to find our way through this new environment and for authors and publishers alike there are some commonalities to be successful.

1) Believe in yourself and your product.
2) Be persistent.
3) Be open minded when you get feedback.

Actually, I think that applies to many areas of life. There are so many talented authors out there and so much need for highly imaginative and creative work, my goal is to link the readers of the work with the people that create it.

Getting back to the challenges that some authors face, all I can suggest is to get feedback from fellow authors, editors, family and friends. Every story has potential with the enough work and the right environment, they’ll all find their place in the sun.

Please feel free to send an email or comment on our blog or Facebook page (Pages Of Stories FB page) about what you love to read or write.

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher, Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination
A wholly owned subsidiary of Pages Of Stories, Inc.
www.fictafabula.com
www.pagesofstories.com

Magazine Now Available!!!

Hi Everyone!

I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping the blog up to date so there's a lot of news to share.

The inaugural magazine - Ficta Fabula is no available in both print and an Android app. The Apple app is in the works and coming soon.

These 14 short fiction stories feature authors from all over the world - Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and France. All genres of fiction are covered in this awesome magazine. This is a great read during your commute to work (on a train or bus) or during your daytime break. Who doesn't need a fiction fix during the day.

You can get the printed magazine by emailing info@pagesofstories.com, or you can download the Android app from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.yudu.ReaderAIR3922302 .

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher
Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination

Time Just Keeps On Flying!

 I just can’t believe that it’s been over a month since I was last in touch. But what a month it’s been!

There is much to do and I enjoy doing these things so much that I lose track of time. But one of the things that I most enjoy is keeping in contact with everyone.

The deadline for the Ficta Fabula story submission has now passed. We received in a lot of good stories in varying lengths and genres. It was tough to cull it down to 25 to send off to the story selection committee, but they have them now and the results should be in shortly.

This is a really exciting part of the process because at this point I don’t even know which stories will be published and which ones won’t be. I know some people will be disappointed and some will be happy but all the efforts of everyone who submitted a story is appreciated.

I’ve taken a chance and sent off a couple of the stories to our uber talented illustrator, Dan Webster, to start coming up with ideas. I’ve seen one and he does a good job of picking just the right scene to draw out.

The mobile application is still a work in progress. I’ve recently discovered that having an IT background and using this new technology isn’t exactly the best mix. As I discover other features that can be added I want to try to incorporate them into the application, which adds to the time line. But I’m back on track now and this will be done within the next week.

I’ve also decided to join the ranks of authors as I’m writing a book. I’m not the one publishing it and I’ve got the good fortune to work with some very talented people.

The subject of the book is something I’ve had an interest in for some time and decided I’d really like to explore it. I’m writing about Fairy Tales, which have been around for centuries, but they started out life much differently than the final product we look at today.

Before the days of the Internet and televisions (hard to believe such a time existed!) and even before the days of the written word being common, stories were an evening’s entertainment told by very gifted orators. While many stories had some of the common themes that we have today, each story teller put his own spin on the story and with each telling it changed over time.

Both Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm took these stories and put them to paper. While they weren’t intended as children’s stories, many of the very graphic details were edited out in order to make them more appealing to children. Here’s a hint of what’s in the book: Rapunzel was pregnant.

My book is a light hearted look at the origins of fairy tales and how they’ve changed over time. In doing this research I knew some of the fairy tales that had changed, but I sure didn’t know the full extent of some of the original details.

　

Please feel free to send an email or comment on our blog or Facebook page (Pages Of Stories FB page) about what you love to read or write.

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher, Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination
A wholly owned subsidiary of Pages Of Stories, Inc.

Sorry for the delay!

There’s a lot in the world I don’t understand. I’m 43 years old (turning 44 next month – YIKES!) and living the most exciting decade of my life, but I’ve discovered there’s so much I don’t understand. And yet with each new tragedy we also hear inspirational stories of surviving and thriving.

But going back to those things I don’t understand here are some. For instance: what is the value of taking someone else’s life? How does that improve anything? What has happened to someone’s moral compass that walking into a daycare that had 53 children under the age of 5 with a shotgun was an acceptable course of action? Or how about shooting older children in an elementary school, days before Christmas? Or even the young man that thought he would die a martyr if he put an axe in the head of a Canadian soldier? At what point did these people think that such extreme actions were acceptable? What could have possibly led to this?

Some of you may have noticed that I’m a little late in getting this newsletter out. It’s because – surprise, surprise – I was reading a book. The book was about a very accomplished, intelligent and skilled man who went over to Afghanistan because he wanted to help and his extraordinary wife. As a Canadian soldier serving with the NATO forces over there he was given the task of trying to help Afghan communities to rebuild, educate and shake off the influence of the Taliban.

This was usually accomplished by sitting down and having tea with the village elders in what was historically a safe environment. Sadly, the Canadian soldiers on one particular day were double crossed by the village. Unbeknownst to the soldiers, a young man came to the meetings with an axe and as Trevor Greene was just starting to speak, put that axe in his skull.

The injury was horrific but amazingly he survived until help could arrive to transport him. His journey ahead was now going to be the most challenging of his life. Without the incredible strength and fortitude of his wife Debbie, he likely wouldn’t have made it nearly as far. She is just as much a hero as Trevor is as a soldier.

Trevor should have died immediately, then he should have never come out of his coma, then he should have remained in a vegetative state, then he should never walk again. He defied all these odds and on his wedding day stood up.

I relay this story because it moved me. I remember the reports of his injury and was astounded at the severity. Over the years a news crew has followed them, documenting their challenges and recovery. I’ve watched everyone and almost always with tears in my eyes.

This is a situation where medically he’d been written off several times because that’s what the science told the doctors. But what science never seems to take into consideration is the power of the mind. With Debbie’s fierce support and his own desire to recover, Trevor defied the odds.

That leads me to something else I don’t understand. If Trevor’s recovery is a medical anomaly simply because he decided he wanted to be better – what can the rest of us do if we decided we wanted to achieve our own dreams? Why aren’t we all working to achieve our dreams?

Trevor and Debbie Greene are my heroes. They have provided me with the inspiration to continue my dream. If they can accomplish all that they have, starting from where they did, what can I do starting from where I am? My vision is to inspire creativity and imagination by providing high quality reading entertainment in any electronic or printed format for people all over the world. My belief is that if people have their imaginations inspired by the creativity of others, then they can use their imaginations for a better world. I need your help in being supplied with good quality, highly imaginative stories and to send these stories out into the world. The more people that read, the better off we all are.

If you would like to read more about Trevor and Debbie Greene, they’ve written a book March Forth. It’s worth the read.

Please feel free to send an email or comment on our blog or Facebook page (Pages Of Stories FB page) about what you love to read or write.

You can keep updated with all the exciting developments on this blog:

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher, Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination
A wholly owned subsidiary of Pages Of Stories, Inc.

St. Patrick's Day Issue

Top O’ the Morning to Ya!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day or Lá Fhéile Pádraig to all those that celebrate it! Enjoy your Guinness or Green Beer on this day celebrating the awesome Irish.

It’s been a whirlwind two weeks and I can’t believe it’s Sunday … again. On Thursday and Friday I spent at a publishing conference and learned so much.

This is a dynamic industry with many players - big and small. There are many different kinds of mediums to deliver publications through. Technology has come a long way and is in a constant state of change. As such, everyone is trying to figure out how best to deliver the content that they have and reach the most number of people possible. There are mobile apps, mobile friendly websites, there’s Android and Apple and now BB10. How to deliver and on what? What part does Social Media play?

As most of you know, I embrace technology and all the exciting options that come with it. Which is why it might be surprising to discover that the message that stuck with me the most is: regardless of medium - paper or electronic - content is king. If you don’t have a product that people are interested in, then it doesn’t really matter what the medium is.

I’m fortunate to be in touch with so many amazingly talented authors that are willing to provide the content for this magazine. The stories that will be published in this magazine are highly entertaining, thought provoking and in some cases a bit risque. In the fiction industry, stories never get old or dated. A classic novel can live on for centuries if it is a well crafted, entertaining story.

As I think about all the stories that have been published through Pages Of Stories and all that will be published through Ficta Fabula, I am so excited for the future. I know that this content will survive and we’ll keep working with the technology of the day to deliver it in the best possible format to reach even more people. But we won’t forget traditional mediums either. So that we can ensure that everyone can enjoy the talent within the pages, the magazine will also be offered in print as well as online.

And speaking of amazing fiction writers, we have the pleasure of a guest article from Allan Kalupar. In our continuing examination of different genres of fiction, Allan is discussing Horror. We’ve published 3 of Allan’s stories - and one of them is Gary’s absolute favourite. Read through to the end of the newsletter. There’s a surprise there for you.

Please feel free to send an email or comment on our blog or Facebook page (Pages Of Stories FB page) about what you love to read or write.

You can send an email to info@pagesofstories.com to get the whole newsletter. It's Free!

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher, Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination
A wholly owned subsidiary of Pages Of Stories, Inc.

New Logo and Westerns

Hello Everyone!

If you would like to receive the entire newsletter, please send an email to info@pagesofstories.

The third month of the year has now begun and for us it’s coming in like a lion. We are in the middle of a blizzard and I’m quite happy to stay put and send this out to you.

I’ve found a company that will be able to publish a mobile app the way that I would like to see it done and fairly cost effective as well. I wouldn’t have thought that it would be so challenging but I’ve learned so much about the whole mobile application process that the next time it should be a breeze.

The new logo for Ficta Fabula is included. I’m so excited to have this done, and it was all thanks to the wonderful interpretation of what I was asking for by Zenna, owner of Zen Garden Graphic Design (zengardengraphicdesign.com) . Let me know what you think of it!

Laura and I have our 1 day workshop (http://123yourepublished.eventbrite.ca/# ) approaching. This is such a jam packed 1 day session that it will be tough to fit everything in. This is a good workshop regardless of the stage of writing that you are at.

To date, we’ve received 45 story submissions with more on the way. I’ve read some of them and have been entertained. Just a quick reminder, we have a minimum 1,000 word count.

In this issue of the newsletter, we’re examining Westerns. I’d never read a Western before this past week and I can honestly say I was surprised. Without giving away the whole article I’ve written, I was expecting something fairly formulaic and action oriented, so I was a little surprised by what I read.

The Western genre isn’t one that would appeal to many people, on the other hand I think 20 or 30 years ago it was a good way to get many boys interested in reading, similar to what Harry Potter did 10 years ago. From what I’ve seen it’s a huge challenge getting many boys to read, but it seems they are among the perfect audience for this genre.

What do you think? If you’d like to share your thoughts about the Western genre, we’d love to hear from you.

If you are an avid reader of all things fiction, what is your favourite genre to read? Why? I’d love to get a discussion going about this so please feel free to send an email or comment on our blog or Facebook page (Pages Of Stories FB page) about what you love to read or write.

We are now accepting story submissions to our new magazine.

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher, Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination
A wholly owned subsidiary of Pages Of Stories, Inc.

Interview!

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to tell you about a little interview I did with Susan Palmquist.

http://thiswriterslife.com/2013/02/18/my-chat-with-darlene-poier-publisher-of-pages-of-stories/

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier
Publisher
Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination

Romance is in the Air!

Hello Everyone!

We’re already halfway through February! This is a good month with lots going on: it’s a fairly romantic month as countless marriage proposals are made at this time, it’s the shortest month of the year and for those of us in the northern hemisphere, it’s the last full month of winter. There’s much to celebrate.

As always, it’s been fairly active here in our publishing company. The logo is almost ready to , the mobile app won’t be too far behind, and Laura and I are inching ever so much closer to our 1 day workshop (http://123yourepublished.eventbrite.ca/# ), and the website will also be coming very soon. There’s a lot to do and somehow 24 hours in a day just isn’t quite enough.

To date, we’ve received 39 story submissions with more on the way. I haven’t yet had a chance to read through them yet, but we have a long weekend coming up so I think I’ll take advantage of that time.

In this issue of the newsletter, we’re fortunate to have Susan Palmquist give us her take on all things Romance. In the last issue I’d mentioned that we were going to be examining different genres of fiction and Susan has generously provided us with our first instalment.

There’s a lot of good in romance novels. I like reading them from time to time if I need to turn my mood around to a happier disposition. Besides which, growing up they were a useful source of information about those "romantic moments" in life.

I went on to the Harlequin Romance website a few weeks ago and was surprised to discover that there were many sub genres inside the romance genre. There must be a great demand and I applaud all the authors that aim to fill it.

If you are an author, what is your favourite genre to write in? Have you tried something different? Is the genre you’re writing in the one you enjoy the most?

If you are an avid reader of all things fiction, what is your favourite genre to read? Why? I’d love to get a discussion going about this so please feel free to send an email or comment on our blog or Facebook page (Pages Of Stories FB page) about what you love to read or write.

We are now accepting story submissions to our new magazine.

Take care and happy reading!

Darlene Poier

Publisher

Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination

A wholly owned subsidiary of Pages Of Stories, Inc.

More News!

Hello Everyone!

It feels so good to be getting back into the publishing swing of things! Much has happened since we were last in communication and my only challenge is where to begin.

In the initial announcement, mention was made of Laura Crowe who will become the editor of Ficta Fabula. Laura’s been able to find time out of her busy schedule to write an introductory article for this newsletter.

We’ve been able to get some wonderful exposure thanks to Vanessa O’Loughlin of the writing.ie website (http://www.writing.ie/resource-types/submission-opportunities/). There’s a lot of good and valuable information there suitable for everyone that loves the written word.

Another website that has some very useful information for authors has been created by Phil Aston and he also has an interview with a publisher that we’re all familiar with. You can find it at: http://www.informationforwriters.com/#!interview-with-a-fiction-editor.

As well, we now have an illustrator. The plan is that each story will have an accompanying illustration and Dan Webster will be the one doing it. Dan lives and works in Calgary and I know him from my IT world. One day I walked into the lunch room and there he was, drawing away on his sketch pad. We started talking and he brought in more of his work. One thing led to another and I asked him if he would be interested in doing this and voila! we have an illustrator. You’ll see his work on the Welcome page of the new Pages Of Stories website when it goes live.
　
　

That is actually a good lead in to what I wanted to talk about. You see, Laura and I also put on a one day workshop together called ‘1,2,3 ... You’re Published!’. We spend a day going through writing and editing exercises and I spend some time talking about some things an author could do to get a more positive response from an editor/publisher. We’ve been going around and promoting it to as many non-writers groups as we have writers groups.

After more than 20 years of working in the corporate world, it’s my belief that when many people go home from their day job they do what they really enjoy. It could be reading, writing, wine or beer making, cooking/baking, woodworking ... really anything. It’s those people that go home and write that I want to reach, to tell them to keep their dreams alive. Everything starts with the first step.

This unique 1 day workshop has many great learning tools regardless of where you are in the writing process. Please check out the information in this newsletter.

I’m a big believer in people following their passions. The tricky part for many is finding out what that passion is. For me, I always new I wanted to be involved with books. I thought it would be writing one, but I found I much prefer reading and publishing to writing .

I’ve also come to the realization that there is a very important place in the world for fiction. Fiction drives creativity and imagination. Without creativity and imagination, there would be very limited innovation and I believe it is innovation that is one of the cornerstones of society. If Gene Roddenberry hadn’t given Captain Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew "Communicators" what would our flip phones have looked like? I could go on, but I just wanted to give this one example.

I’m fortunate enough to be following my passion, and I hope that you are too. Please feel free to comment on our blog or Facebook page (Pages Of Stories FB page) about what you love to do.

We are now accepting story submissions to our new magazine.

Take care and happy reading!