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.