Wild Child Publishing Releases and Reviews

We have a new release as of Tuesday, The Immortal Soul by Mack Mani, two new releases coming this Tuesday, Weirdly: A Collection of Strange Tales featuring such authors as C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp, Faith Bicknell-Brown, M.E. Ellis, James Cheetham, and many more, and Impressions by Matthew Babcock, great reviews, and some exciting news.

First the news: If you haven't already heard, on September 30, 2007, Wild Child Publishing will have a booth at the West Hollywood Book Fair. We will have print books available for purchase, a presentation on ebooks, author Jack Maeby will be dropping in, and you can meet me in person. I am also do a 45 minute presentation on ebooks at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library on September 27, 2007 at 7:30 pm.

---

The Immortal Soul by Mack Mani

Convinced that their new case will resolve to be just another missing person, Paul and Shaun, private detectives, dig around for clues. However, with a small bag containing strange smelling ash and a notebook of cryptic messages, Paul finds himself at the scene of a warehouse fire. Things take a sinister turn as toothless bodies are brought out one by one. Returning to the scene at midnight, Paul encounters someone who calls himself Father and wants to rule the world...

"A thoroughly enjoyable read. Well penned...excellent atmosphere and pace... I'll definitely be looking out for Mack Mani in the future."

5 Champagne Flutes by Bloody Mary
Reviewer for Cocktail Reviews
Read entire review.

Genre: Thriller/Crime Fiction

Book Length: Novella

Price: $4.75

Read an excerpt.

Buy now!

---

Iron Horse Rider by Adelle Laudan

"a remarkable story of grief and love... Filled with vivid description and unexpected surprises; scene after scene we are carried along for a wild ride to a shocking finish..."

5 by Gail
Reviewer for Night Owl Romance
Read entire review.

Genre: Biker Fiction/Romance
Book Length: Novel
Price: $5.95 -- ebook, 10.99 -- print

Read excerpt.

Buy now!

---

Coming September 18, 2007

From sci-fi to paranormal to weird, from chilling to odd to scary, Weirdly will sate your lust for strangeness in bite-sized pieces. Each tale weaves its own spell. Vampires, beasts, ghosts, evil creatures and, of course, every day people inhabit Weirdly's pages.

Harland's wife makes her presence known from the other side... The Beekeeper must come to terms with passing over... Heather and her mother join forces to disguise a murder... Lillie searches for missing children... Samantha finds out a school semester can be more than just schoolwork... All these tales and more. Dare you read them?

Authors: C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp, Faith Bicknell-Brown, James Cheetham, Marva Darsef, M.E. Ellis, Bernita Harris, Stacia Helpman, Rae Lindley, Iron Lions, Rosa Orrore, and Amanda Tieman.

Pre-purchase and receive the ebook via email on the 15th. That's three days early!

Genre: Paranormal/Science Fiction/Horror

Book Length: Novel

Price: $5.95

Read excerpt.

Pre-order your copy now!

---

Coming September 18, 2007

Impressions by Matthew Babcock

"There are magnificent touches throughout the book. The ending of the book had a brilliant ironic twist. I feel privileged to have read sun fine penmanship. A book I will never forget, Impressions has certainly left a lasting one on me.

5 Champagne Flutes by Bloody Mary
Reviewer for Cocktail Reviews
Read entire review.

Genre: Mainstream Fiction

Book Length: Novel

Price: $5.95

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Marci Baun
Editor-in-Chief
Wild Child Publishing

Editor's Creed

One of our editors, K.M. Frontain, wrote this. It is so wonderfult that I had to share it. :)

1. I'm not here to be your fan, but I will be your first fan the day your story is published. I am here to see the flaws in your submitted work. It's my job. Author, try to understand this when you get back your first revision, your second, or any of them. Flaws hurt and create upset, but it's not about hurting and upsetting you. It's about fixing a story. If I'm honest, if I'm any good at my job, you're going to hear about the flaws in your story. There's no getting around this.I'll try saying things as politely as I can, but I must say the truth. Author, try to remember blunt does not mean I want to hurt your feelings. Blunt merely means I'm working as hard as I can while being honest about what I see. I will not waste time writing advice full of apologies for doing so. Expect honesty from me. Expect directness. I do not go out of my way to attack you, the human being, when I make a request, say a character isn't sympathetic, give you a suggestion, tell you more than once to fix the same flaw. This is about getting a story edited and that is all.

2. My tools of the trade are words and grammar. Definitions, usage, punctuation, POV. I require knowledge of all these things and a skill for seeing the difference between a style choice and bad writing. Author: I will do my best to explain why something is bad writing. Please listen. I'm not here to change your style, but if I point something out, calmly look at your manuscript again and check for what I discussed. What if I'm right? You're the one who must live with the end results of your revisions. The editing process, a real editing process, can result in growth for an author. Try to welcome it.

3. Author, your tools of the trade are words and grammar. Definitions, usage, punctuation, POV. I expect you to use these properly. If I discover you require relearning the rules for any of them, I'm going to say so. I will insist that you learn to use them properly. Only when you truly understand the rules can you work the tools of your trade in a manner that defies the rules. When you reach that point, I will smile as I read your work, because I will admire that you arrived at that pinnacle.

4. Revision work is not my work. It's the author's. My work is looking for flaws. Flaws are misuse of the tools of the trade, misleading or unclear writing, mistakes in the plot, characters that aren't believable, poor story flow. Once I find these and point them out to the author, the author is the one that must do the work of patching, covering up, weeding, replacing. If I do the revisions for the author, it's unfair to me. It's unfair to the author. It's unfair to every other author waiting for me to spend time on their story.It's not my story. Author, the story belongs to you. Take pride in being professional and do your revisions. Don't expect me to fix the story for you.

5. Editing isn't about my vision of a story. It's about the author's. Author, remember that when I make suggestions, they are suggestions. The story is yours. The characters are yours. Tell me how you see your characters and your story, and I'll do my best to help you meet your vision.

6. Editing is about teamwork. I am a human being. I am like you. I make mistakes. I don't know everything. I miss things. I sometimes need things pointed out. Author, I won't take offence if you teach me something new, offer me a different way to view an idea, send me a link that shows you did your homework, or highlight a paragraph I may have missed that backs up the plot twist a few pages later in your story. Teamwork is about listening to each other. I listen.

7. I have a standard to live by as well. So does my publishing house. Author, remember that when you decide you disagree with my advice. People will know who edited your story, and if it leaves my hands in bad shape, shame on me. And that's why I'll insist on logic when we discuss fixes. Logic trumps opinion. I'll insist you explain your reasons so I can understand them, but if those reasons don't make sense, I'm going to say so.Author, if you have a good reason, I'll see it and agree. Author, if you don't have a good reason, I'll keep showing you why it isn't good. If we come to an impasse, I can consult other editors belonging to my publishing house. If they agree with you, I don't mind.Remember: I'm a human being. I don't expect to be perfect, but I do expect you to treat me fairly and to remember we are discussing a point about a story, not arguing to hurt each other personally.Author, I will do my utmost to be fair to your perspective. I promise. But I won't lower my standards. Expect to work and work hard. I want to see a story published that we can both be proud of.

Copyright K.M. Frontain, 28 August 2007. Permission to reprint granted to all.
The original may be found here.

Submissions Call

Wild Child Publishing and its subsidiary, Freya's Bower, are open to submissions. Interested in well-written, entertaining stories, Wild Child Publishing and Freya's Bower publish a wide variety of genres. While Wild Child Publishing focuses on mainstream fiction and non-fiction, Freya's Bower publishes romance and erotica.

Wild Child Publishing would love to see more mainstream romance, mystery, westerns, historical fiction, science fiction/fantasy, and suspense. Wild Child Publishing has also started a line of Biker Fiction, not seen anywhere else. What is Biker Fiction? Biker Fiction has a hero/heroine who is involved in the biker lifestyle. Wild Child Publishing currently has one Biker Fiction novel, Iron Horse Rider by Adelle Laudan, which will be available in print soon. To submit, please read the submission guidelines very carefully.

Freya's Bower is looking for a wide variety of genres from chapter book lengths to full-length novels. With a variety of lines available -- from T.R.O.U.B.L.E. to the Goddess Freya to the Valkyries -- and genres, it's easy to find a niche for your book. Please be sure to read the submission guidelines before submitting any manuscripts. Note: To submit to Freya's Bower, you must be 18 years of age or older.

Any questions can be directed to me.

Marci Baun
Editor-in-Chief
Wild Child Publishing
Freya's Bower