CONTESTS

Note: Writers interested in entering literary contests should check out the Literary Contest Caution (http://windpub.org/literary.scams/index.htm), a site that lists poetry and creative writing contests known to rip-off writers.

Jan.25 deadline VESPERTINE POETRY CONTEST write a poem featuring the night in all its glory -- everything it offers and everything it hides. . Single space your poem, but place a double space between stanzas. No word length limit, but each entry must be titled. Paste your entry directly into the body of an e-mail and send to Contest@inscriptionsmagazine.com with the subject "Inscriptions Vespertine Contest." At the end of your e-mail, include your real name, pen name (if applicable), mailing address and e-mail address. Enter as often as you like. 1st place -- $75 gift certificate from Amazon.Com (or cash equivalent) and publication in Inscriptions.

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BOOK GOSSIP

Hollywood News Madonna is trying to stop her ex-boyfriend Andy Bird from publishing a tell-all book about their former romance. Bird's book will detail how their break-up led him to suffer a nervous breakdown. He also plans to discuss their "incredibly physical" sex life.

CHILD POET SIGNS DEAL WITH HYPERION Eleven-year-old poet Mattie Stepanek, who has drawn the attention of Oprah Winfrey, former President Jimmy Carter and Jerry Lewis, has signed a publishing deal with Hyperion. Although terms were not disclosed, unnamed AP sources speculated that the deal could be "worth millions of dollars." Stepanek has already published two best-selling volumes of poetry, and three more are scheduled for release this year. Proceeds for the pint-sized poet, who suffers from muscular dystrophy (which also struck his siblings and mother), will go toward medical expenses.

SEATTLE'S IMPASSIO PRESS LAUNCHES WITH THREE TITLES Seattle Writer and editor Olivia Dresher announced the formation of Impassio Press , an independent publisher dedicated to establishing fragmentary writing as a distinct literary genre, especially diaries, journals, notebooks and letters, as well as fiction and poetic prose written in fragment form. (http://www.impassio.com)

SENATORS HAWKING BOOKS Now that Congress is getting along better than it has in recent years, two Senators are hawking their books. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who has been in Congress since 1952, is currently offering the manuscript he's been writing for years to 10 publishers, agent Robert Barnett told the AP. Barnett is also handling books for Bill and Hillary Clinton. Although Byrd's book won't address the current crisis, it promises to be an interesting read, including stories about his "brief membership in the Ku Klux Klan to President Clinton's impeachment. He will also write about Watergate, the Panama Canal Treaties and his relationships with presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan," AP said. Meanwhile, Sen. James Jeffords is talking up his new book, My Declaration of Independence, in which he explains his reasons for and emotions during his switch from Republican to Independent earlier this year. While many of his Republican colleagues considered the move tantamount to betrayal, Jeffords says he felt the Republicans had too much power and he was worried about what would happen to the country if the conservative trends that were emerging at the time had continued. The book is the first of two Jeffords is writing for Simon & Schuster.

Legal News

Mineko Iwasaki is suing Random House and author Arthur Golden for defamation, breach of contract and copyright violations. Iwasaki claims Golden promised her anonymity when he wrote the book, "Memoirs of a Geisha," and yet included her name in the acknowledgments.

WRITING Q&A If you have questions about general writing issues, send your questions to acappub@aol.com with "Ask Pat" in the subject line. The questions with the greatest general interest will be answered here.

Q: I know many publishers won't accept simultaneous submissions. Is there a difference between simultaneous queries and simultaneous submissions?

A: First let's clarify terms. A submission is the idea you submit to a publisher. It can be in the form of a query (a brief letter that introduces the concept of the manuscript) or the manuscript itself. A publisher's guidelines should tell you whether that publisher accepts simultaneous submissions. If so, it's a good idea to indicate your submission as simultaneous when you send it. If the editor really likes your idea, this can prompt him to act more swiftly in acquiring it to ensure he doesn't lose it to a competitor. Also, if you get two offers for the same idea, you can use the other offer to negotiate better terms. However, if you want to submit your idea to more than one publisher and one or all of them do not accept simultaneous submissions, then my advice is to pay close attention to how fast each publisher's response time is to submissions. Send it to the publisher with the quickest response time first (this, too, should be in its guidelines). Then, if you don't hear within that time, call and request a verdict saying, "I want to send it elsewhere if you aren't interested." This will force the editor to make a decision and allow you to move on.

With publisher response times sometimes exceeding six months for a query letter alone, an author could grow old and never get published by waiting to find out--one publisher at a time--whether anyone wants to look at the manuscript. This may tempt you to simultaneously submit anyway, but I strongly caution you against that. There is nothing an editor hates more than to dedicate time and consideration to an idea, decide to acquire it, only to find the writer has placed it elsewhere. If you're looking to work with that publisher again in this lifetime, that isn't a good idea.

WEBSITES OF INTEREST

~ FictionAddiction.net (http://www.fictionaddiction.net), a network for fiction writers and readers

~The Romantic Writer (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/theromanticwriter), a writers community dedicated to the discussion of romantic fiction, debuted.) ( more info at the resources page on http:www.acappela.com

~Dictionary.com and thesaurus.com (http://www.dictionary.com and http://www.thesaurus.com) offer dictionary lookups and thesaurus resources, grammar, usage, and style guides from multiple sources, free!

~The World Flag Database (http://www.flags.net) offers color images of flags from around the world and facts and figures about the country. This site is incredibly timely. Multiple formats of the U.S. flag are available for free download.

~The National Association of Women Writers (http://www.naww.org) founded Feb. 2001 to support, encourage, entertain, motivate, and inspire women writers. "Where Women Unite To Write."

WORDPLAY

The Washington Post published a contest for readers in which they were asked to supply alternate meanings for various words. The following were some of the winning entries: (More next issue)

Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Notable quotes from those who've done it:

"A kid is a guy I never wrote down to. He's interested in what I say if I make it interesting. He is also the last container of a sense of humor, which disappears as he gets older, and he laughs only according to the way the boss, society, politics or race wants him to. Then he becomes an adult. And an adult is an obsolete child."--Dr. Seuss

Don't forget to send in your suggestions, feedback, and your writing questions and check our website (www.acappela.com) for our page of website resources

Patrika

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