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PARALLELOGRAM 3:  SEIZE THE PARALLEL is coming soon, but while you’re waiting you can enter to win a new adult…

Robin LaFevers wrote an amazing post at Writer Unboxed last month. It's the story of her years as a mid-list author and, with the release of her most recent book, GRAVE MERCY, marks the transformation of her writing career. Read what she has to say about writing below, and then head over to read the full post here.

The thing is, once we have reached a certain mastery of craft, craft is no longer the issue. In order to take our writing to the next level we must embrace our strange, unique, and often embarrassing selves and write about the things that really matter to us. We need to be willing to peel our own layers back until we reach that tender, raw, voiceless place—the place where our crunchiest stories come from. We need to get some skin in the game. It should cost us something emotionally to tell our stories. But many of us who come to writing do so because they were voiceless at some point in their lives, so doing that can be the most terrifying risk of all.

Second Chance: How Adoption Saved A Boy with Autism & His Shelter Dog by Sandra Gerencher

Reviewed by: Chris Singer

About the author:

Sandra J. Gerencher is a special education teacher in the Bangor Area public school system. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked at Lehigh University in a school-based program, as a Program Specialist for adults with disabilities. Over the past 20 years she has worked with children and adults with special needs in such areas as counseling, Behavior Specialist Consultation, behavioral research, crisis intervention and abuse therapy. Sandra graduated from Lehigh University with a M.Ed. in Special Education (2004) and from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia with an M.S. in Counseling Psychology (1999).

About the book:

Over the past 10 years, author Sandra Gerencher has been on a mission to save dogs from high-kill animal shelters. Her first rescue was P.J., the black and white Pomeranian in the story. She also adopted the orange Pomeranians Shelby and Lil Rascal, and of course, Chance, the big black Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix.

Her most significant adoption was her son, Terry. He was considered a special needs child because he was born with a genetic disorder known as Fragile X Syndrome. The disorder can cause many cognitive disorders, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mental retardation and depression.

All characters in the story are based on Sandra’s real life family.

Watch the book trailer:

My take on the book:

Second Chance is a beautifully written testimony to the power of love we can give to someone by offering them a second chance. Told from the unique perspective of the rescued dog Chance, young readers are the given the opportunity to learn about adoption and autism in a very simple yet beautiful way. The impressionistic photographs were fascinating for me and I thought were incredibly poignant as a metaphor for empathy and learning to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Sandra Gerencher’s lifelong commitment to rescuing dogs and her love of both animals and people is incredibly inspiring. It’s easy for me to say this is a must-read for adopted children but I want to go a step further and say it&rsq

We're back with Dianne Sagan for a few questions and answers.

Your story, Second Chances, is part of "The Tainted
Mirror An Anthology".  I've been told that anthologies are difficult to sell.  Do you find that to be true?

Anthologies like the Chicken Soup series, Cup of Comfort series, and others that are well known, have a ready made audience when they release new volumes because they already have a high profile. The anthology my story is in has had pretty good sales, but the key to selling anthologies is to have at least one well known writer who has a name that is familiar to people. Of course the promotion of all the writers who participate in an anthology makes a difference in sales.

What is the word count or page count on your typical short stories for anthologies?

It can vary, but the average word count in about 1200 words. You have to write tight for it to work well.

What advice can you offer writers interested in ghost
writing and/or contributing to anthologies?

Advice for writers interested in ghost writing would be that you need to decide for yourself if it matters to you that you will not get recognition for the books you write. In some cases, you have to sign a nondisclosure agreement. You're usually paid a flat fee for your work. If it bothers you that your name isn't anywhere on the book or article, then ghostwriting probably isn't for you. If that is okay with you, then you can make a good living at it. Bookpackagers use ghostwriters. I have information about ghostwriting on my website, http://dgsagan.tripod.com and have an article on ghostwriting in the article bank at Writing for Dollars. I also speak to groups about ghostwriting.

Advice for anthology writing is to stay informed about calls for writers. Go to the Cup of Comfort, Chicken Soup, and other anthology sites. See what they are looking for and follow their guidelines. You can also google "anthologies" or "calls for writers". anthologiesonline.com is a really good source and has a new list every month. As in all things, you want to check things out before you send to something you're not sure of. Reading other stories that have been published in anthologies can help you know what they usually publish.

Did your novel, Escape, find a home yet?

It doesn't have a contract yet, but with revisions the publisher says she will send me a contract. I'm not sure if I will get to keep the title, but I trust my publisher on title choices.

And finally, do you find that emails and groups you belong to steal precious time away from your writing?

I find that I have to discipline myself to spend some time with my groups and networking, but it can really take up all your time if you're not careful. Mondays are my day to do all the "cats and dogs" stuff - miscellaneous paperwork, the business part of writing, blogs, catch up on things and correspondence including email. Other days I try to limit myself to an hour and no more than an hour and a half for emails and business concerns. I try to do group emails and blog visits at least twice a week. I write at least 20 hours per week minimum.

Don't forget to get your copy of "The Tainted Mirror An Anthology:"
ISBN 13:978-0-9786066-1-9
It can be found on amazon.com and barnes&nobel.com

You can reach Dianne at:
www.diannesagan.wordpress.com
http://www.authorsden.com/diannesagan

Thanks so much, Dianne, for being my guest this week, and thank you for all the useful information you provided. It was certainly a pleasure having you here this week.

Virtual Book Tours next tour is scheduled for January 15th - stay tuned!

Karen