Fire up Your Fiction Is Now Recommended for Writing Programs!

I’m thrilled to share that my writing guide Fire up Your Fiction has recently been recommended by a Writer's Digest Book Awards judge for creative writing programs:

"This should be on the booklist for Master's Programs in Writing for Publication."

Fire up Your Fiction (formerly titled Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power) won a Silver Medal in the Florida Authors & Publishers President’s Book Awards for 2013 and an Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest Self-Published E-Book Awards for 2013.

This book has also recently been recognized as a finalist by (click here:) Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Awards.

“Foreword shines a light on a small group of indie authors and publishers whose groundbreaking work stands out from the crowd. Foreword’s awards are more than just a shiny sticker on the front of a book; they help connect the best indie books to readers eager to discover new stories written by previously unknown authors.”

Foreword Reviews 2013 Book of the Year medal award winners will be announced at the American Library Association conference in Las Vegas on June 27, 2014, and I've decided to attend the awards ceremony. Keep your fingers crossed for my book!

Fire up Your Fiction – An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Stories is also a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards for 2014, in the Writing and Publishing category. 

 This book has also been IndieReader Approved by the IndieReader Discovery Awards.


“Fire up Your Fiction is the Strunk and White for writers who want to be not just mere storytellers but master story-compellers.”

For the full review, click HERE or scroll down to the previous post here.



Excerpts from reviews of Fire up Your Fiction by contest judges:
"What a wonderful resource for writers at any stage of their career! I wish I had this book when I first started writing. ... I can't think of anything important that you haven't addressed succinctly and clearly. ... This should be on the booklist for Master's Programs in Writing for Publication. ... You must be a wonderful editor to be able to write such a readable, but comprehensive book."

~ Judge, Writer’s Digest Self-Published e-Book Awards for 2013  (More of this review HERE.)

“Jodie Renner’s Fire up Your Fiction is a handy manual for writers looking to make the biggest impact with their craft....
“Fire up Your Fiction is the Strunk and White for writers who want to be not just mere storytellers but master story-compellers.” (See more down in last post.)

~ Judge, IndieReader Discovery Awards

I hope you'll share my good news about this book! This recognition for my book is gratifying, and I'm so pleased that aspiring authors, published authors, and reviewers alike think Fire up Your Fiction is a worthwhile guide for helping writers take their craft to the next level. If you found this and/or my other book useful, I'd appreciate it if you could please pass along this newsletter to any aspiring authors or creative writing instructors you know, or even to college continuing education departments, libraries or bookstores. Thank you so much!

And if you haven't already, do check out my popular guide to adding tension, suspense, and intrigue, Writing a Killer Thriller – An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction.

The third book in the series, Captivate Your Readers, will be released in fall, 2014. 

Where to find the books: Both books are available at Amazon.com and other Amazon websites in both e-book and trade paperback, and from CreateSpace for the paperback versions. Fire up Your Fiction is also available in paperback through IngramSpark and Edelweiss online catalogue. The e-book will also be available for other e-readers in May.

ISBNs for trade paperback versions:
Fire up Your Fiction – An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Stories - 978-0993700408
Writing a Killer Thriller – An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction - 978-1490389943

Upcoming Presentations:
And by the way, I’m also available as a speaker for craft-of-writing workshops and online webinars. Upcoming presentations include a webinar called “Spark up Your Stories - Adding Tension, Suspense, & Intrigue” on April 11 at the Cyber Symposium for Editors & Writers; five workshops at the B.C. Youth Writers Camp, June 30 – July 5, 2014; and two workshops at When Words Collide – A Festival for Readers & Writers, in Calgary, Alberta on August 8-10, 2014.

Upcoming

Jodie Renner, a former teacher and librarian with a master’s degree, is a sought-after freelance fiction editor, presenter to writers' groups, and author of two books to date in her series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction. Jodie has also published numerous blog posts on writing captivating fiction, which appear on many blogs, including The Kill Zone, Crime Fiction Collective, and her own blog, Resources for Writers.

For more information on Jodie Renner and her books and editing, email Jodie at. Info@JodieRenner.com or visit her websites: www.JodieRenner.com and www.JodieRennerEditing.com; Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Jodie Renner-Editor-Author, Twitter: @jodierennered.
to your stories,

IndieReader's Review of Fire up Your Fiction

I'm thrilled with IndieReader's recent glowing review of my book, Fire up Your Fiction - An Editor's Guide to Writing Compelling Stories (formerly titled Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power).

I lost a couple of points for formatting glitches, as I erroneously sent them an e-copy I had uploaded to Kindle with formatting problems, a temporary situation I wasn't aware of at the time. Since then I've had the e-version of this book professionally formatted by BookNook.Biz. (The book, in its properly formatted form, has no typos!)

The reviewer, Lucy Wang, was very generous about the content of the book and its value to aspiring authors.

The review is below, in its entirety, and here's the link to the review on IndieReader.com: http://indiereader.com/2014/03/fire-fiction/.

And you can buy the e-book HERE and the print version HERE.

Fire Up Your Fiction      

By Jodie Renner         

Rating: 4.5 stars

IR Verdict: FIRE UP YOUR FICTION is the Strunk and White for writers who want to be not just mere storytellers but master story-compellers.

Jodie Renner’s FIRE UP YOUR FICTION is a handy manual for writers looking to make the biggest impact with their craft. Renner shows and tells: Each chapter offers precise rules of what to do, and what not to do, with plenty of concrete examples. A section at the end invites the reader to be the editor and apply all the knowledge imparted throughout the book.

While this manual may be useful to authors at any stage of their careers, it is probably best suited for the novice or the writer who has completed a first draft and needs to go back and revise. With a whole draft in hand, the chapters serve as a trusty map, practical checklist and action plan all in one.

Renner once specialized in editing thriller fiction – and it shows. This book is packed with cries for action (Don’t overexplain! Don’t lecture!) and moves at a brisk, no-nonsense pace. There is a certain rush in seeing the sloppy, awkward “before” transform into the lean, mean “after.” Chapters are clear and succinct. Some leave you breathless. Chapter 21 offers a priceless lesson in the importance of choosing the right word, by demonstrating alternatives to such ordinary choices as “walked,” “run” and “looking.”

A couple of minor flaws: Many points are needlessly repeated, and there are numerous typos and formatting errors, at least in the Kindle version. Still, this book belongs next to that other must-have classic, Strunk and White’s Elements of Style.

FIRE UP YOUR FICTION is the Strunk and White for writers who want to be not just mere storytellers but master story-compellers.

Reviewed by Lucy Wang for IndieReader

Added by IndieReader: << This book review was based on the e-version provided to IndieReader. Since the publication of this review, an updated version has been released. >> 

Fire up Your Fiction has also won two other awards to date: a Silver Medal from the Florida Authors & Publishers President's Book Awards, and an Honorable Mention from Writer's Digest Self-Published E-Book Awards. It is also a finalist in the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards (winners to be announced at ALA, June 27, 2014).

For more info, please visit Jodie’s author website or editor website, her other blogs, The Kill Zone and Crime Fiction Collective, and find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To be the first to hear when Jodie's next book is out and to receive links to valuable, timely blog posts, sign up for her newsletter here

Press Release from ForeWord Reviews - Finalists for 2013 Awards

Foreword’s 2013 Book of the Year Award Finalists Announced

Review journal narrows the field in its search for the best indie books of 2013

TRAVERSE CITY, MI, March 13, 2014 — Foreword Reviews, the only review magazine solely dedicated to discovering new indie books, announced the finalists for its 16th Annual Book of the Year Awards today. Each year, Foreword shines a light on a small group of indie authors and publishers whose groundbreaking work stands out from the crowd. Foreword’s awards are more than just a shiny sticker on the front of a book; they help connect the best indie books to readers eager to discover new stories written by previously unknown authors.

In the next two months, a panel of over 100 librarians and booksellers will determine the winners of these prestigious awards. A celebration of the winners will take place during the American Library Association Annual Conference in Las Vegas on Friday, June 27 at 6 p.m. with awards in over 60 categories, cash prizes for the best in fiction and nonfiction, and widespread recognition.
Ready to read the best indie books of the year? Here is the complete list of Foreword Reviews’ 2013 Book of the Year Award Finalists.

And here are the 7 finalists in the WRITING category, including Jodie Renner's writing guide, FIRE UP YOUR FICTION, which has already won two other book awards. Click HERE to go to the listing of Fire up Your Fiction as a finalist in this contest.

BOTYA 2013 Finalists in Writing (Adult Nonfiction)

• 
  Author YOU
  by Judith Briles
  Mile High Press
• 
  Find Your Story, Write Your Memoir
  by Lynn C. Miller and Lisa Lenard-Cook
  The University of Wisconsin Press
• 
  Fire Up Your Fiction
  by Jodie Renner
  Cobalt Books
• 
  Sound Ideas
  by B. Eugene McCarthy and Fran Quinn
  Hobblebush Books
• 
  The Tiferet Talk Interviews
  by Melissa Studdard, Donna Baier Stein (editor), and Diane Bonavist (designer)
  Tiferet Press
• 
  Word Up!
  by Marcia Riefer Johnston
  Northwest Brainstorm Publishing
• 
  Writing from Within
  by Bernard Selling
  Hunter House Publishers

---

About us: At Foreword Reviews, we love indie books and the art of great storytelling. We discover, curate, critique, and share reviews and feature articles exclusively on indie-publishing trends in our quarterly magazine and on our website. Foreword Reviews is distributed to librarians, booksellers, publishers, and avid readers and is available at most Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million newsstands or by subscription. Our website features a daily stream of reviews of indie books written by a team of professional, objective writers.
You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. Our office is located at 425 Boardman Avenue, Traverse City, MI 49684.
Contact: Jennifer Szunko, Director of Marketing/Circulation
Foreword Reviews jennifer@forewordreviews.com 231-933-3699

Cyber Symposium for Writers & Editors, April 11 & 12

by Jodie Renner, editor & author

Besides getting ready to move across the country, I've been busy preparing a webinar presentation for an exciting cyber symposium to be held April 11 & 12, which offers 8 excellent topics of interest to editors, writers, and self-publishers.

I think virtual conferences, which are showing up everywhere, are a win-win situation for everyone. Presenters and attendees alike save a LOT of money by avoiding booking flights or driving long distances, as well as on hotel and restaurant expenses. And we all get to participate from the comfort of our own homes!

8 Topics to choose from:
"Sentences with Style" by Frances Peck, "Spark up Your Story - Adding Tension, Suspense, & Intrigue" by Jodie Renner, "Write Your Way with Scrivener" by Gwen Hernandez, "Demystifying Self-Publishing" by Tammara Kennelly, "Adobe Acrobat X for the Wordsmith" by Donna Baker, "Beyond the Early Drafts: What Makes a Story Unique" by Beth Hill, "Wild about Wildcards in Microsoft Word" by Jack Lyon, and "Getting Started with FreshBooks Cloud Accounting" by Joele Ferreira. 

Here's a brief description of my own webinar, on Friday April 11 at 10:30 am to 11:30 am MDT (12:30 to 1:30 EST):

Spark Up Your Story - Adding Tension, Suspense & Intrigue

by Jodie Renner

We all know that thrillers and other fast-paced popular fiction need lots of tension, conflict, suspense, and intrigue to grip readers and provide a riveting, satisfying reading experience. But so does any other compelling story that will create a buzz and take off in sales. No matter what genre you write, it’s all about hooking your readers in, engaging them emotionally, and ensuring they keep eagerly turning the pages. Editor and author Jodie Renner presents a checklist of essential elements and effective techniques for ratcheting up the “wow” factor of any novel or short story.


Below is more info on the conference, plus the schedule of events.

Click HERE to go to the symposium website, read more, and sign up for webinars. Scroll down there for all the details.

Editors' Association of Canada - Prairie Provinces Branch (EAC-PPB)

Calgary Association of Freelance Editors (CAFE)

 

present

Cyber Symposium

PD Event for Editors & Writers

 

Create your own PD (Professional Development) experience.

There are 8 dynamic webinars to choose from.  

 

Register for as many webinars as you like. (Note: If you decide to register for 6 or more webinars, be sure to choose the “Full Symposium” rate. It costs the same as 6 individual webinars, and you can take in all 8 webinars.)
 

SCHEDULE:

Friday, April 11, 2014 – Note: Times are in “Mountain Daylight Time”

9:00 - 10:00 am	Sentences with Style (Frances Peck)
10:30 - 11:30 am	Spark Up Your Story: Adding Tension, Suspense & Intrigue (Jodie Renner)
1:00 - 2:00 pm	Write Your Way with Scrivener (Gwen Hernandez)
2:30 - 3:30 pm	Demystifying Self-Publishing (Tammara Kennelly)
6:30 - 11:00 pm	Evening Social Events in Edmonton & Calgary (details below)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, April 12, 2014 – Note: Times are in “Mountain Daylight Time”

9:00 - 10:00 am	Adobe Acrobat X for the Wordsmith (Donna Baker)
10:30 - 11:30 am	Beyond the Early Drafts: What Makes a Story Unique (Beth Hill)
1:00 - 2:00 pm	Wild about Wildcards in Microsoft Word (Jack Lyon)
2:30 - 3:30 pm	Getting Started with FreshBooks Cloud Accounting (Joele Ferreira)