Elizabeth Seckman, Author: Short Stories for Shannon

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Short stories. I love them. Not only are they like a delicious box of chocolates where each one is its own sweet treat. Grab and go snacking that satisfies the appetite until there's time for a meal. Short stories are also wonderful ways to connect. In our email back and forths, Shannon (the author of the wonderful new book listed below) asked me about my favorite short story. My first thought was- how would I ever choose? The beauty of the short is the variety to choose from, like those chocolates I mentioned. My favorite changes with the mood of the day. Some days, nutty wins. Other days, something sweet and chewy. Then there are those times when the bitterness of a dark chocolate is the pick.

How would I choose just one?

Then I thought of a trip with my parents back when I was in junior high. We were traveling home from the beach through the mountains of southeastern West Virginia in the middle of the night. It was back in the 1970s and our car didn't have a tape deck (or air conditioning, hence the night travel). I don't think we had FM on the radio dial either...there was only AM radio, which gave you the options of static-filled talk radio, nighttime evangelists, or blue grass. My mother, nor myself was fond of any of the options. My dad would have listened to static talk radio for days, but he was out voted in the car.

So, what were we to do to stay awake so that we were certain the driver was also staying awake.

My mom always bought books as her travel souvenir. That year, she'd bought a book about the many mysteries and ghostly stories from the Outer Banks. With no other entertainment, my mother grabbed a flashlight from the glove box and started reading the stories aloud. My mother was an excellent reader, always having considered herself a bit of a thespian. She read short story after short story and my dad and I stayed awake for every page.

To this day, the story of Nags Head, the one where the pirates walked the old nag back and forth across the beach fooling seafarers into believing they were passing a lighthouse offering safe harbor. Instead, they were being lured onto the beach to be plundered.

Good times...reading with my mom. Not so much good times for the duped sailors.

Book: The Business of Short Stories: Writing, Submitting, Publishing, and Marketing

Author: Shannon Lawrence

ISBN: 978-1-7320314-5-6

Format/Price: Print ($13.99) and e-book ($3.99)

Release Date: February 1, 2022

Pre-order E-book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PFSTJ2V

(**Note: I'm waiting on the pre-order for the paperback, and will send that out when I get it)

Will also be available after the release date from Ingram, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and other sites.

Blurb: Whether you're looking to add short stories to your repertoire as a solo pursuit or in addition to novel writing, The Business of Short Stories covers every aspect from writing to marketing. Learn the dynamics of short story writing, where to focus your editing efforts, how and where to submit, how to handle acceptances and rejections, what to do with reprints, and how to market yourself and your stories online and in person. The information in The Business of Short Stories has been distilled from over a decade of short story publishing experience so you don't have to learn the hard way. You'll find information on submission formatting, cover letters, querying a collection, sending proposals to writing events, how to create a website, SEO, social media, and so much more. This is an invaluable resource for short story writers.

There's never been a better time to get into short stories!

Author Bio: Shannon Lawrence has made a career of short stories, with over a decade of experience and more than fifty short stories published in magazines and anthologies. In addition, she's released three horror short story collections with a mix of new and previously published stories. Her true crime podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem is going into its third season.