PEOPLE WHO NEED TO DIE serves up delightful vengeance

Washington, D.C. (October 8, 2014): Award-winning filmmaker Victor Rook gives us a rare glimpse into his wonderfully diabolical mind with this collection of satirical horror story shorts. In People Who Need To Die the year is 2021, and people are fed up. The World Order Alliance allows "selective" homicides to reestablish a more peaceful society. A few of the targets: Bad Drivers, Distracted Cell Phone Users, Spammers, Internet Trolls, Litterbugs, Horrible Bosses, Black Friday Shoppers, and more.

The book will be available on Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook, as well as paperback, in time for Halloween 2014 and beyond. 200 pp.

Review: "Clever, funny, shocking, and cheerfully vindictive." 

-Tom Shales, Pulitzer prize-winning TV critic

Author Bio:

Victor Rook has produced several award-winning films, as well as written and edited several books. His nature film Beyond the Garden Gate aired on PBS for four years and won two Telly awards. Recent books include People Who Need To Die, a collection of satirical horror stories; In Search of Good Times, a story about a man who believes that the TV sitcom families from "All in the Family" and "Good Times" are real; and Musings of a Dysfunctional Life, a humorous and poignant compilation of everyday mid-life musings. All books and videos are available on Amazon.com and victorrook.com.

Author Contact: victorrook.com Email: vic@victorrook.com

Award-Winning Judges Announced for Local Writing Contest

Award-winning writers and teachers are set to judge the first tier of the 2014 Golden Nib writing contest, sponsored by Write by the Rails, Prince William County’s chapter of the Virginia Writers Club. Entries are due July 31 and first-place winners elevate to the state-level competition.

Prince William Today/InsideNoVa. Sports Editor David Fawcett will judge non-fiction entries. His awards include 2013 Virginia Press Association’s first place for feature writing portfolio, second place for feature writing story and first place for sports writing portfolio. He’s has been recognized 20 times by the Virginia Press Association, the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Local Media Association for his writing and he’s covered Prince William County for 25 years.

Fiction entries will be judged by Osbourn High School’s Ann Marie Stippey, English teacher with Manassas City Public Schools for 10 years and the 2014 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

Recently named Prince William County Poets Laureate Dr. Robert Scott of Haymarket and Alexandra “Zan” Hailey of Manassas will co-judge poetry entries. Scott is a novelist, poet and English teacher at Osbourn Park High School and Hailey is an undergraduate at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The chapter deadline for Golden Nib is midnight, July 31 and—new this year—submissions will be required in email format in addition to paper format. Also new this year: Entries published in your personal blogs now qualify for consideration.

The original and one copy of each entry should be submitted by regular mail to: Maureen Arvai, The Brandt Group, P.O. Box 10102, Manassas, VA 20108 and ALSO by email to mjarvai@verizon.net . If using an overnight or private delivery service that requires a physical address use this: 9108 Church Street, #10102, Manassas, VA 20108. Please note all entries must be submitted to the local chapter for this first-tier process. Write by the Rails will recognize 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category. First place winners will advance to state level, if they are or become Virginia Writers Club members.

Other requirements:
Follow state guidelines, including format, as described here
One entry per category per entrant
Fiction category: 3,500 words maximum
Non-fiction category: 3,500 words maximum
Poetry category: 50 line maximum
No late entries—both paper and email must arrive by midnight, July 31, 2014
Manuscripts must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant, and a competition winner.
Entries published in your personal blogs are acceptable
Writing published in blogs other than your own or on social network sites or in an online publication are ineligible
Entrants must be in good standing of Write by the Rails, as evidenced by attending or volunteering for chapter events and activities. Information on joining available at: www.writebytherails.org

Released: Dan Verner's New Book ON THE WINGS OF EAGLES

On the Wings of Eagles has been released on Amazon.com with a bonus free short story download, "A Christmas for Mata," a "missing episode" from  "On Wings of the Morning."

As an early avid reader, long-time Manassas resident Dan Verner dreamed of writing a novel like the ones that engaged him so fully. Through the years, he wrote a number of short pieces, including poetry, reviews, essays, songs, articles, editorials and columns for local groups, newsletters, newspapers and magazines. After he retired from a 32-year stint as a high school English teacher, Verner had more time to write, but a novel proved elusive. “I just couldn’t sustain anything past 2000 words,” he recalled. “And I needed at least 40,000 for a novelette.”

In late 2011, he visited a local book signing and talked to a couple of local novelists who had just produced their first works. Encouraged by their advice and example, Dan drew on two continuing interests, World War II and aviation, to produce On Wings of the Morning, the story of Otto Kerchner, a Wisconsin farm boy in the 1930s who fulfills his dream of learning to fly and becomes a B-17 pilot in World War II. Kerchner is badly burned in a crash landing, but overcomes this tragedy and other heartaches to find acceptance and love in the post-war world.

“I have been very pleased and encouraged by readers’ reactions to the book. And I was especially pleased that several people wanted to know if I planned to write a sequel. I asked them to contact my publisher, eLectio Publishing of Texas, and ask them about a second book. They did, and eLectio not only agreed to a second book but also moved up the release date from November to late May.”

The second book, originally titled On Eagle’s Wings Upborne, will be available as On the Wings of Eagles on Amazon. com starting May 26 and include  a special free short story bonus, “A Christmas for Mata.” (Mata is Otto’s sister.)

“eLectio asked its novelists to come up with a short story based on a character or characters in their novel. Several readers had noted that I skipped Christmas of 1942 when Otto would have come home on leave. I did write a section about his visit home but didn’t like it. Christmas is hard to write about to begin with, but I thought this promotional work would be the perfect opportunity to fill in the gap. I originally planned to continue using Otto’s point of view, but had thought of rewriting the whole book and maybe the whole series from Mata’s point of view. So, ‘A Christmas for Mata’ is narrated by Mata as she waits on a cold train platform for Otto to come home. I hope readers will enjoy it.”

On the Wings of Eagles continues Otto’s saga as he, his sister Mata and the community of Pioneer Lake make their way in the brave new world of post-World War II America. The story harkens back to a simpler world in which family and community played a vital role. In the space of a couple of years Otto starts up an airline, experiences a wedding, witnesses another fiery crash, commands a bomber squadron in the Korean War, runs an air circus and tries to come to terms with someone from his past. Verner uses fifteen “beta readers” to evaluate manuscripts, and they agreed that On the Wings of Eagles featured the warmth and rich characterization readers of all ages enjoyed in the first book. 

Creative Brush Studios in Manassas will host a release party and book signing by Verner on June 6 from 5 to 9 PM as part of the start of their continuing exhibition, “Canvasing the Forties.” Mary Reilly and Kristine Raymond have enlisted artists from the area to portray people and events from the war abroad and from the home front, including Raymond's portrait based on a Library of Congress picture of a young bomber pilot which inspired Verner to write the first book. 

Verner plans a nine- to twelve-book series about Otto’s life called Beyond the Blue Horizon: The Story of an American Hero. Verner has finished Book Three, On the Wings of Angels and almost completed Book Four, On the Wings of Grace, and started Book Five, On the Wings of Hope. He expects to release a new book about every six months.

Contact:

Dan Verner

Danverner1@gmail.com

703-475-1441

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Calls for Submissions and Contests

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

SPEECHLESS AND ROUTE 66
Speechless the Magazine will be publishing a feature on poems pertaining to Route 66—opened in 1926, decommissioned in 1985—the highway that gave rise to the country’s first franchise (Fred Harvey Restaurants), played a large (and long) role in the Great Depression, served as a corridor for people fleeing the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, and has been immortalized in the classic The Grapes of Wrath. They want strong, accomplished poems with interesting takes on the “Mother Road”.
Deadline: Undetermined

POETS.ORG AND LINES THAT HAVE SHAPED YOUR LIFE
Poets.org wants to know what lines of poetry have shaped your life. As executive director Jennifer Benka recently said "It's poets who sculpt ideas, images, and experiences in language that reverberates across our lifetime and beyond; whose lines we turn to for a distillation of truth we can hold like a mantra in our mind." You can share the lines of poetry that have sustained you by emailing Jennifer at JenBenka@poets.org.
Deadline: On-going

HER STORY ANTHOLOGY: WRITE TO HEAL ABUSE
Writing is one way to make sense of our experience and turn pain into art. Your insight matters, to you and to other women who don’t yet believe they can get out. Pick one moment when you knew something had to give, and for once, it wouldn’t be you. This anthology will contain short stories, either non-fiction or creative fictionalized accounts, of your experience which demonstrate creativity and clarity.
Deadline: December 15, 2013

VOICES ISRAEL 2014 ANTHOLOGY
Voices Israel announces the opening of submissions to the 2014 Annual Anthology (Volume 40). Submissions are accepted from Voices members and non-members alike. There is no fee for submitting poems to the anthology.
Deadline: January 31, 2014

MONTEREY POETRY REVIEW
Their vision is to publish the highest quality of poetry online from the many talented poets in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, as well as from poets anywhere with a connection to the Monterey Peninsula.
Deadline: February 15, 2014

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CALL FOR PRIZES AND FELLOWSHIPS

WRITERS @ WORK FELLOWSHIP COMPETITION
Enter a series of poems, a short story, novel excerpt, or an essay. Winners in each genre receive $1000, publication in Quarterly West, a featured reading at the Writers @ Work conference, and 2014 conference tuition. The judges are Ellen Bass (poetry), Robin Hemley (nonfiction), and Michael Martone (fiction).
Deadline:January 15, 2014

GIVAL PRESS POETRY AWARD
A prize of $1,000, publication by Gival Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection.
Deadline: December 15, 2013

POETRY SOCIETY OF AMERICA CHAPBOOK FELLOWSHIPS
Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication by the Poetry Society of America are given annually for poetry chapbooks by poets who have not published a full-length collection. Two fellowships are open to poets 30 or younger living in any of the five boroughs of New York City, and two of the fellowships are open to poets of any age living anywhere in the United States.
Deadline: December 21, 2013

TUPELO PRESS DORSET PRIZE
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 88 pages.
Deadline: December 31, 2013

NEW AMERICAN PRESS POETRY PRIZE
A prize of $1,000 and publication by New American Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Jillian Weise will judge. Using the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages.
Deadline: December 31, 2013

THE FROST PLACE CHAPBOOK COMPETITION
A prize of $250, publication by Bull City Press, and a fellowship to attend the Frost Place Poetry Seminar will be given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner will also receive a week long writing residency at the Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire.
Deadline: December 31, 2013

Three local writers to represent Prince William in state competition

Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, recognized winners of the chapter writing contest – the first tier of the VWC’s annual Golden Nib Contest – at their Aug. 15 meeting.

Of 178 networking local writers, there were 20 entries in the chapter contest (eight fiction, five nonfiction and seven poetry entries).  The distinguished panel of judges included Lillian Orlich, a guidance counselor in the Prince William County Public School System with 60 years of service (fiction); Kari Pugh, editor of Prince William Today (nonfiction) and Sofia Starnes, the Poet Laureate of Virginia, who graciously gave comments to the winning poets. June Forte, adjunct faculty at NOVA-Woodbridge and a member of VWC’s Board of Governors, organized the local contest.

These winners were chosen:

• Fiction) First-Place: Cindy Brookshire, Manassas, “Woman of the Year”; Second-Place: R.P. Barr, Manassas, “Closing the Book”; Third-Place: Tamela J. Ritter, Haymarket, “Lima Beans & Barbie Dolls”
• Nonfiction) First-Place: Carol Bellacera, Manassas, “And the Day Went Downhill”; Second-Place: Carol L. Covin, Bristow, “Remember Me”; Third-Place: June Pair Kilpatrick, Gainesville, “Reverberation: September 11, 2001”
• Poetry)  First-Place: R.P. Barr, Manassas, “Seasons”; Second-Place: R. M. Goad, Woodbridge, “Bubble Wand”; Third-Place: Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt, Bristow, “Lincoln from the Grave”

First-place winning entries have been forwarded to the Virginia Writers Club (VWC) for statewide competition. Carol Bellacera, declined to go forward, so Carol L. Covin will advance in the nonfiction category. Statewide awards are presented during the VWC Annual Meeting in November in Richmond.  For more information about VWC, the Golden Nib Contest, the upcoming Teen Golden Nib Contest and Write by the Rails, visit www.virginiawritersclub.org/wbtr.

Women Authors Panel

Tuesday, June 18 | 10:30am-1:30pm QUARTERLY PANEL FORMAT: WOMEN AUTHORS featuring Ellen Crosby Ellen Crosby is the author of six books in the Virginia wine  country mystery series, as well as Moscow Nights, a standalone  mystery based loosely on her time as Moscow correspondent for  ABC Radio News in the late 1980s. Before writing fiction, she also   worked as a freelance reporter for The Washington Post and as an  economist at the US Senate. Her next book, MULTIPLE EXPOSURE, will be released on August 6, 2013  by Scribner. The first in a new mystery series featuring photojournalist  Sophie Medina, the story draws on her insider knowledge of Washington  politics, her journalism background, and her stint as a Moscow reporter.  After living overseas for many years--England, Switzerland, France, Italy,  Spain, and the former Soviet Union--Crosby, who has an undergraduate  degree in political science and a masters in international affairs, now  resides in the D.C. suburbs of northern Virginia. Visit her website  at www.ellencrosby.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Jeanne Dallman Jeanne Dallman has her MFA from UCLA and is the author  of novels, short stories and plays. She has been published  by Bantam Books, The BBC World Service Programme,  James A. Rock & Company Publishers, Brainstorm Books,  and Hersam Acorn Newspapers. Ms. Dallman has been an  Adjunct Professor for 23 years and has taught in the  English Department of several Connecticut colleges. In  addition, she is a national public speaker and a literary  consultant providing assistance in the writing and editing  of dramatic scripts and a wide variety of books. Ms. Dallman also served as a Copy Editor for the NBC  Network Press Department in New York City. In that  capacity she was responsible for editing forty press  releases a day, which she then sent out to various  media outlets nationwide. She also served as Official  Liaison between the Network Press Department and  Promotion Managers at the 210 NBC affiliate stations.  In that capacity she was responsible for fulfilling all  affiliate requests for press materials and programming  content. Ginger Moran A teacher, published writer and single mom of two boys, Ginger Moran's areas of expertise are in fiction and creative nonfiction, editing, coaching, and creative survival. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Houston in Literature and Creative Writing and Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English from the University of Virginia. She studied with Donald Barthelme, Phillip Lopate, Rosellen Brown, Jim and Mary Robison, John Casey, and Ann Beattie. She has published in Salon.com, Oxford American, Literary Mama, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Feminist Studies and other journals. THE ALGEBRA OF SNOW was nominated for a Pushcart Editor's Choice Award. She has written three novels, a collection of essays about her years as a single working mom, and a nonfiction book on custody. She taught at Spring Hill College and Fisk University and currently edits the University of Virginia Women's Center magazine, Iris, and serves as the associate director. The cost of the luncheon is $45.00 if you register by the Friday before the   luncheon and $50.00 if you register after the Friday before the luncheon.   No walk-ins please.

"God Bless Us, Every One"

by Dan Verner

As a cold Detroit wind swept around the corner, John Frederick huddled again the chilly brick wall of First Bank. He begged there because people came out with cash and sometimes threw a few dollars his way. He didn’t need much. In the past four years, he had learned how to dumpster dive, to find a warm place to sleep and how to stay safe. But man, it was cold today and people coming out of the bank, far from being in a Christmas spirit, were rushed and preoccupied. They were well-dressed and, judging from the additional pounds they packed, well-fed.

He smiled as he held out his hand. For each person who ignored him, he called, “Bless you! Merry Christmas!” and then muttered under his breath, “Asshole!”

He ought to relocate to Florida. His sister lived there, although she had been estranged from him for a long time. She was pissed because he never paid back the money she “loaned” him. NO need to get her knickers in a knot. He’d pay her back when he got back on his feet. It would just take a while.

Maybe he could somehow get to Tampa and look her up. It would be like that movie—what was it?—the one with Dustin Hoffman and the pretty cowboy guy. Anyhow, it showed them riding a bus to Florida at the end. “Goin’ where the sun keeps shinin’ through the pourin’ rain.” But the guy died in the movie. “Everybody’s talkin’.” That was the name of the song.

Well, no one was talking to him. He moved down the block to get away from the worst effects of the wind, pulled his dirty Tigers hat low over his face and stood by the liquor store. Maybe someone would buy him a drink, ha, ha. Maybe he would grow wings and fly to Florida. “Skipping o’er the ocean like a stone…” He’d like to be stoned about now. That would ease the pain.

A businessman in an expensive gray topcoat started toward the door. John lifted his cap. “Merry Christmas, sir. I don’t suppose you could spare—“The man made a face as if he smelled something bad and quickly pushed through the door. John muttered, “Up yours, Santa Claus.” He slid down the wall and sat there. The store manager would shoo him away if he stayed too long. He would call the cops if John didn’t move when he told him to. Hey, maybe he should get arrested and spend Christmas in jail. He bet the food was better there.

He dimly remembered a short story he read in school a long time ago, about a bum who kept trying to get arrested so he could have a nice warm, dry bed and three meals a day for Christmas. But he couldn’t get arrested. Finally he got a ticket to Florida but was arrested for loitering and ended up in jail. It was ironic.

Mr. Businessman bustled out of the store carrying a bag. John knew what was in it. Fat chance he’d be invited to have a drink of that. Just then Mr. B.M.’s phone rang. He answered it and set the bag down. Involved in his conversation, he walked off leaving the bag. He strolled down the sidewalk and turned the corner. John thought, I could be a real good guy and chase after Mr. Generosity. Or I can go over and see what’s in the bottle. He crawled over and found a big beautiful bottle of Jim Beam. Well, here’s to me, he congratulated himself. He scurried around the corner with his prize, twisted open the cap, and took a long, satisfying pull of the rich amber liquid. He raised the bottle and said aloud, “Here’s to you, merry gentlemen! And here’s to me!

Michael F. Mercurio Releases WbtR Promotional Recordings

The following are audio-visual recordings produced by Michael F. Mercurio.  Michael is reading work by authors who are members of Write by the Rails.  In addition, he writes and performs the background music.  (If interested in this very reasonably priced service, email katherine.gotthardt@gmail.com.)

Here's to teamwork!  

Dan Verner Reviews "The Poison Planters"

The Poison Planters

by Charles Sutherland and Jonathan Slevin

We might be poisoning ourselves.

No, not by drinking water contaminated by some terrorist group.

Nor by unseen drones spraying toxic chemicals over populated areas.

Rather, there’s good evidence that we are doing great harm to ourselves, our children, our livestock and our environment because of the food we eat.

That’s the sobering and compelling message of The Poison Planters (A Reality Novel) by local authors Charles Sutherland and Jonathan Slevin, who trace the history of chemical companies’ movement from chemical to agricultural products, chiefly through GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms). The story is couched in a modern day parable following the fortunes (and misfortunes) of Laura Brett, a young PhD biologist who becomes involved in a seminar on GMO’s at the University of Virginia led by former CIA Director Michael Riley after her nephew is diagnosed with cancer which is likely tied to the food he has consumed. Together Brett and Riley investigate the political, social and health ramifications of agribusinesses’ involvement in places as far afield as Africa, Mexico and China as the novel comes to a close with a climax worthy of any technothriller. Indeed, this might be a new form that could be called an “agrothriller.”

While a work of fiction, The Poison Planters is loaded with references to scientific studies questioning the safety of GMO crops. It uses incidents from current events, including giant seed companies suing farmers for replanting seed from crops grown from modified seeds. If the farmers do not pay for the “re-seeds,” they are often ruined financially and their farms sold to agrobusinesses.

I am not a biologist or a scientist, but I found the arguments in this book compelling. Of course organisms have been modified genetically for centuries through cross-breeding, but manipulation of genes is a different matter altogether. I certainly don’t discount the many marvels of science, but I think we do have to be careful. Our lives are at stake.

I came away from this book with a resolve to educate myself further about this matter, and to move to organic foods. The best advice I can give all of us when it comes to food (and other commodities) is to buy local. There are numerous farmers’ markets in the area which deserve our support. It’s best for them and best for us.