Resources for Writers

An author attended a fan conference and was asked to sit on a panel about how to become a published author. The others on the panel talked about developing a brand, creating a web presence, marketing themselves. When it got to the author’s turn, she sighed and looked at the crowd and the rest of the panel.

“If you want to be a published author, you need the best possible story you can write. Nothing else matters if you don’t have that story.”

Writers and writer’s advice have been around as long as stories. The archetypes and tropes we use exist for a reason. They work. But the idea of a writer sitting in their lonely garret pounding out the next great novel, is only another trope, not reality. It takes a team to create a great story.

First of course, you need to write the story, and it helps when you are writing if you understand a bit about how stories work. K.M. Weiland has a blog Helping writers become authors. If you want to learn story structure, how it works and why it is important, you will want to bookmark her site.

I have some articles of my own on my editing site, celticfrogediting.com both on some of the technical aspects of writing, but also some tricks to edit your own work. Self editing will only take the polish on your story so far. That’s where hiring an editor to help comes in. I offer content editing, and I have links to other editors who do copy editing, proof reading, and content editing along with some suggestions about how to hire an editor.

While reading blogs is great, sometimes a video can open our eyes in a way the printed word can’t Trope Talks is a playlist of videos on the ‘Overly Sarcastic Productions channel. They are not only very useful breakdowns of specific tropes, but entertaining.

Mythcreants is another blog with a number of writers submitting. If you want to stay out of trouble with problematic tropes, you’ll want to check them out. They also answer questions, and other editing and other author services.

New for 2023

I’m going through and adding and updating the author pages. I should have them complete by mid-May

While they aren’t published under Celticfrog Publishing, I did work on these books by Tim Wourms:

The Boy Who Cried Soldier

Ghost Children

They aren’t up on the web for sale yet, but I’m helping Tim with that. I’ll update when they are available online.

A new children’s book Bernie and Joan will be available soon by the author of Splash! Marci Beauchamp

I have two new books being released in spring or summer. I’m waiting on the print proofs.

Shieldmaiden’s Quest is the second in The Fae trilogy and the followup to Hero’s Call

Books in 2021/22

I have a number of books recently released in 2021 and early 22:

Warrior Angel, a book about raising a son with disability by Susan Dunnigan.

C’mon Everyone, Let’s Boogie is a book created by Marci Beauchamp as a fundraising project for Boogie on the Bridge, an annual race supporting programs in Kamloops, BC

Eillen Bell has been busy with two new books and one being released this spring. Riverland and other poems, a collection of poems, many inspired by her childhood in Kamloops. Selkirk to Sagebrush, a novela about two brothers arriving in Kamloops and heading north to help with haying. And coming out any time now, Rachel and the Golden Glasses a young adult novella about glasses which may or may not change the weather, and how they affect Rachel and her family.

Don Barz wrote a book detailing his father and uncle’s adventures in the Yukon.

Michelle Pilluk has been busy with poetry. Her first book is mostly about Kamloops and the events there.

A children’s book by Esther Sellars Chye, Chye Skudigus, an indigenous tale told by Esther’s grandmother.

Still to come in 2022 are my books Victoria Run, third in the Blue in Kamloops series, and Shieldmaiden’s Quest, the follow up to Hero’s Call. I don’t have covers yet, but watch for them.

I am negotiating printing books for other people including a story about a Canadian Paratrooper from the Kamloops area, another children’s book by Marci Beauchamp called Splash!

Goals for 2021/22

I had a graphic novel in the works, but the creator pulled back from the project to redo her work. I am still interested in publishing a graphic novel.

I will be publishing several children’s book in 21/22 as well as I am still in negotiation for an adult colouring book.

In my own writing I will be working on the Blue in Kamloops series and the sequel to Hero’s Call.

After Mythical Girls, what’s next?

Mythical Girls I think can be called a success. The feedback on the book I’ve received is positive, and all the books are out to the supporters.

The only logical thing to do now is to start over with a new anthology. In the next month or two I will be splitting my newsletter into two parts, one will continue to be occasional news about releases and upcoming books. The other will be directed specifically to those interested in Celticfrog Publishing projects such as the anthologies. You will be able to join one or both streams.

Look for information about a Kickstarter to come in the new year, and a call for submissions shortly after that.

New Projects

I’m always hyped when I start new projects. I’m working on a memoir about the author’s father and uncle in pre-World War 2 Yukon.

There’s another person inquiring about a memoir. Someone very excited about publishing her first picture book.

Depending on what happens in the next month or so, I may close my fall list. So if you’re interested in talking to me about publishing, send me an Email

Spring List

Celticfrog Publishing is a small local publisher run by Alex McGilvery as a one frog operation.

He started the imprint to publish his own books and now has more than twenty titles available in print and e-book. 

Last year Christine Sanregret came to him for help putting together and printing her book “After my Friend was Murdered.” The slim volume helps the reader work through the grief process with her own stories and simple teachings from the medicine wheel. She has since put on several workshops centred on her book.

Eileen Bell brought out “The Keeper of the Shell” last spring, a middle grade fairytale/fantasy book about a girl, alone on a lonely island who finds a magical shell. It is beautifully illustrated by Norma Hoyle. Eileen grew up in Kamloops and after wandering a bit, came back to live here. She’s a talented poet, writer and artist.

This spring Eileen is publishing a book of poetry, “Riverland and other Poems.” The book is a collection of poems, some older and some new along with encaustic art by Eileen and two acrylic paintings by her daughter, Rachel Anderson.

Working on a book of poetry demands more than just putting poems on the page. Even after choosing the poems to print, one must consider the order and how they look on the page. Eileen worked hard to get everything as close to perfect as possible.

The cover has yet to be finalized, but the newest Interior Authors’ Group anthology will be coming out this spring. Written by members of the group, it is memoir, poetry, and story centred on the theme of Kamloops.

This project has been almost a year in the making with the editorial committee working very hard on decisions about the format to ensuring each work has been through two levels of editing. It is in proofreading now and will be a terrific addition to the IAG’s earlier anthologies.

June Powell is known as a viola player with Kamloops orchestras and groups. It isn’t surprising that her novel is set in the world of music.

This is “The Second Ending” revised version. The initial print ran into problems with viruses and wrong files leaving a book June wasn’t happy with. 

Celticfrog Publishing is delighted to release this freshly edited and updated book. Dana Ramstedt did the editing work. She has also worked on the IAG anthology.

Jack Jones has the privilege of being Kamloops’ only Poet Laureate. He retired from teaching here in Kamloops. He has several collections of poetry, but Dodo is a children’s book. It is a collaboration with his granddaughter Hannah Sutton, who presently is studying art in Florence, Italy.  

The story is of twins, Cleo and Nicolas who meet their L’Oncle Jacques and learn about the Dodo. They build a life-sized replica of the Dodo, but then it becomes a whodunit!

The story of the replica Dodo is inspired by the actual construction of a paper mache Dodo by a group of students some years ago. 

Three more books are on the spring list, but don’t have finalized covers at this time. They are:

Mythical Girls, a collection of fantasy stories bringing girls and mythical objects together to change the girls’ world. Four local authors, are in the collection: Alex McGilvery, Eileen Bell, Byrne Montgomery and Blazej Szpakowicz. It is being illustrated by Lucy Harnett, a young artist with a connection to Kamloops. The publication of the book was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Tranquille Dark is the first of Alex’s latest crime novel series – ‘Blue in Kamloops.’ It is set on the streets of Kamloops, mostly the North Shore in this volume, but sequels already in production will take place on Columbia and the Sahali area, and a third is slated tentatively for Aberdeen. 

Space Pug, a middle grade and up science fiction story of a man, his dog, and the moon. Illustrated by Mike Teichreb

Learn more about Celticfrog Publishing at celticfrogpublishing.com

All these books and more will be available in May or June 2020

Mythical Girls Update

After a very fun Kickstarter campaign we ended up with $3829, which allowed me to pay the contributors double what I’d promised them. The content and copy edits have been completed, and when the last of the second revisions come in we’ll begin the process of proofreading.

We are also fortunate to have a talented illustrator, Lucy Harnett, working with us. Here’s the first illustration she’s completed for us.

Keep watching this space for more updates on the progress of the book.

Mythical Girls Anthology

Submissions Closed. I will be contacting Authors over the next month.

 

Because I like to credit artists here’s a link to Jessica A. M. ‘s twitter: https://twitter.com/my2k/status/904826123783086080

You may remember a year or so back a girl found ‘Excalibur’ in Britain, in Dozmary Pool (where the Lady of the Lake lives), you may also remember a few months ago, another girl found a sword in Norway, which immediately made me think of Sigmund’s sword Gramr. This all got me wondering what other mythic weapons might be out there. Turns out there are a lot. So of course I had to wonder what happened if girls around the globe started finding these magical weapons.

I’m in the process of working on the book now, I have eleven great stories and will be launching a kickstarter soon. Watch for more information.