And awaaay we go! I'm ready to tell y'all about my mentorship program, started because I'm mental. I wanna help writers. I can't help everyone, but I can help ONE. It could be you.

I'll choose a writer and starting with chapter one of their finished manuscript, help them transform the work with the end goal being a contract for representation and the sale of the manuscript.
The mentorship program isn't meant for those with one foot in the door, but for someone with a great idea or voice, that ain't getting' pubbed until they learn all the fun rules we have.
The program is open to the first 100 applicants who satisfy the requirements TO THE LETTER. If ya can't follow simple directions, ya need more help than I can give.
I have a lot of friends, and I wanna keep it that way. I'll be judging blind. Your application will go to someone else, contest style. The only info I'll receive will be the genre and word count. Sooo, you haveta send something unrecognizable to me. Something you haven't submitted before.
You'll need to send the app form, one page of your manuscript (250-words computer program count, 250 words in Courier New font, or 300 words in Times New Roman font), and a one-page essay on why you should win the mentorship. If ya give me any clues to who ya are, you're outta there!
I'll be accepting the submissions from October 1-31, 2008. If ya send your app in a minute before, you're outta there!
The actual program will start in the second week of January.

That's all for now. Stay tuned. More info on the last newsletter before Oct. 1, and, of course, my blog subscribers will have the info on where to send their app the evening before. Sign up for the blog at: www.perilsofpublishing.com

ACFW Conference Looms

The American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference is comin' up. I'll be goin' to Minneapolis the week of September 15^th, so there won't be a newsletter. Hope to see some of ya there. This is a great organization, and I'm a proud member.

I'm Not an Old Bag...

Cuz I design new ones! I'll have a limited supply (very limited-starting work at 9:00 p.m. is getting old real fast) FREE business card holders made by moi, on the freebie table at the ACFW conference along with a one-sheet about 4 Gals Designs,

I wanna get the word out about my line of custom-made Handbags, Laptop Carriers, Briefcases (enough with the burgundy leather already!), Totes and designer Diaper Bags.

Neat concept. YOU pick the style of bag ya want, YOU pick the fabric from our higher-end DIVA line, or our kewl HIP line, and YOU pick the level of bling: Ban the Bling, Bring Some Bling, or Binge on Bling! Then I design the bag of your dreams. I'm sketching rendering of all the styles we'll carry, and with a click of the mouse, you'll be able to see your choice of bag in all the fabrics. I can't wait to dig into my store of vintage jewelry and embellishments, and all the sumptuous fabrics I've handpicked. Actually, My nine-year-old is currently helping me choose the HIP line fabrics. Great thing to take her shopping. She can now figure percentages in her head, and is learning about costs, price points, and the like.

The price of the bags will reflect the work put into them. Hint: They'll be expensive, but worth every penny, uh, dollar.

To get the notes on when we'll be open etc, sign up at: www.4galsdesigns.com (don't go to 4 Gals.com, unless ya like porn sites...).

Author of this year's biggest release Stephenie Meyer surprised her fans by posting on her web site that her "partial draft of Midnight Sun was illegally posted on the Internet and has since been virally distributed without my knowledge or permission or the knowledge or permission of my publisher"--and as a result, she has put the new manuscript "on hold indefinitely."

Meyer writes: "My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. Writing isn't like math; in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way you feel changes everything. If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely."

Saying "I'd rather my fans not read this version of Midnight Sun" and noting that it was "only an incomplete draft; the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes," Meyer decided to post what she has written on her site. "This way, my readers don't have to feel they have to make a sacrifice to stay honest. I hope this fragment gives you further insight into Edward's head and adds a new dimension to the Twilight story. That's what inspired me to write it in the first place."

Meyer tells fans "I have a good idea of how the leak happened as there were very few copies of Midnight Sun that left my possession and each was unique." While underscoring that it "the manuscript that was illegally distributed on the Internet was given to trusted individuals for a good purpose" she still "believe[s] that there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution."

But she emphasizes: "I think it is important for everybody to understand that what happened was a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being. As the author of the Twilight Saga, I control the copyright and it is up to the owner of the copyright to decide when the books should be made public; this is the same for musicians and filmmakers. Just because someone buys a book or movie or song, or gets a download off the Internet, doesn't mean that they own the right to reproduce and distribute it. Unfortunately, with the Internet, it is easy for people to obtain and share items that do not legally belong to them. No matter how this is done, it is still dishonest. This has been a very upsetting experience for me, but I hope it will at least leave my fans with a better understanding of copyright and the importance of artistic control." [Meyer site ]

Ya Want MY Opinion?

Harlequin is eliciting feedback from fans through the new site TellHarlequin.com. They call it "an online advisory panel designed to enhance Harlequin's relationship with its readers through an ongoing dialogue whose insights will help guide the evolution of the publisher's business and allow Harlequin to publish the best in women's fiction. Participants on the Tell Harlequin panel can make their voices heard on topics such as cover designs, new miniseries ideas, new series concepts, new promotional ideas and more. The staff at Harlequin will then consider Tell Harlequin suggestions along with the publisher's own plans as it develops editorial for the future. Contributors to Tell Harlequin receive free Harlequin novels and sneak peeks at upcoming books, participate in entertaining online surveys and exchange opinions and ideas with other readers." [PM]

Episcopal Priest Helps Former Prostitutes Pen First Book

by Jana Riess, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly

Becca Stevens may well be the fastest-talking woman in Tennessee. Although the Episcopal priest speaks with a gentle Southern accent, the velocity is rapid-fire New York, so it's no surprise to learn her parents hail from there. Tragically, her father-also a pastor-was killed by a drunk driver when Stevens was just five years old. That experience, she says, changed her life and made her more aware of the pain that women can feel. "We went from being this hopeful young family to looking for the Social Security check," she says. To add to her suffering, the senior warden of the church began sexually abusing her.

Today, however, Stevens has channeled that pain into a compassionate and unique ministry to women from the streets. In 1997, she founded Magdalene, a Nashville-based program for women with a history of prostitution and substance abuse. Most of those women, Stevens says, were physically and sexually abused as children. "Because women don't get to the streets by themselves-it takes all kinds of failed systems to get them there-they're not going to get off the streets by themselves. It takes a community to bring them back." Magdalene is that community, a two-year residential program that gives women job training, drug rehabilitation and a house of their own to live in. It has been so successful that there are now five houses in Nashville, two in Charleston, one in Chattanooga, and even one in Rwanda. Another is planned for

Ecuador

Once these women find healing, Stevens says, there's no holding them back. Magdalene has made a splash recently with its all-natural line of beauty products, Thistle Farms. All the women of Magdalene contribute time and talents to the business, and the proceeds are donated back to the organization. And now the women have something else to be proud of: the community's first book, Find our Way Home: Words from the Street, Wisdom from the Heart, which comes out in September from Abingdon.

Stevens says the book was four years in the making and is filled with personal stories of grace, healing and mercy. "The message is simple, but it's a hard message to let sink in," she says.

One of the book's contributors is Lisa Sanders, who graduated from Magdalene's program in October 2006 after being homeless, in and out of prostitution, and addicted to crack cocaine. Now sober, she is the product manager for Thistle Farms and has her own apartment and car. That's a far cry from the night she came in, when she had sat behind a liquor store ready to cut her wrists. "Magdalene gave me a new life," she says with tears in her eyes. "They need more programs like Magdalene for women like me who think there's no way out. All it takes is just a little bit of love from somebody, you know?" [PM]

Perhaps they are worried about inhibiting current sales, but Amazon spokesman Craig Berman provided a direct answer to a NYT blogger's question: "One thing I can tell you for sure is that there will be no new version of the Kindle this year. A new version is possible sometime next year at the earliest." [PM]

Portfolio's blog says that the author of the mammoth seller The Purpose-Driven Life is working with Reader's Digest to develop a magazine based on the book. "According to sources familiar with the details, RDA will publish the first test-issue of the magazine, whose working title is Purpose, as early as this fall. Joe Treen, a former editor at People and Discover, will edit it." [Portfolio]

National ambassador for young people's literature Jon Scieszka speaks at length to the LAT about getting kids, and boys in particular, to read. "My first tip is to include not just fiction in your idea of reading. Include graphic novels, include Calvin and Hobbes. Third- and fourth-grade boys devour those -- and they're really sophisticated, but parents will say, 'Oh, that's not really reading.' " He recalls that "I first saw fairy tales in 'The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show,' and they sounded kind of familiar. Then I read the fairy tales. Then I wrote my own books [in which he often, in a smart-alecky way, fractures traditional stories] and messed them all up for everyone."

Looking forward, "he is curious to see how Scholastic's forthcoming multimedia project, The 39 Clues, will fare, and he has his own project in the works ("Spaceheadz," scheduled for 2009), in which kids will have a say in the development of a story through reading blogs, examining pictures and offering feedback." [LAT]

Raging rapids aren't the only thing causing turbulence in the lives of a river rafting guide and an undercover FBI agent ... catching criminals is as dangerous as the undercurrent of attraction they have for each other.

Underdog Press is pre-selling Robin Miller w/a Robin Caroll's debut single title inspirational romantic suspense, Torrents of Destruction, available in trade paperback and scheduled for a mid-November release. (Note: Was scheduled for an October release, but we're trying to get a package deal from the printer. Sigh.)

Torrents earns an "E" rating. (Like a PG movie. Learn more about our rating system at www.underdogpress.com). We have an exciting video trailer (thanks to the efforts of the maaavelous Natalie Eggeman) for Torrents that takes just over a minute to view (I know y'all have short attention spans). Visit our secure site at: www.underdogpress.com to view the trailer and reserve your copy. Visit Robin at: www.robincaroll.com.

Underdog's second release, Celtic Sacrifice by Sheryl Brennan is on the site and the video trailer is waitin' for ya (thanks to the efforts of the D-lightful Dee Owens), so hop on over to watch it, then pre-order. This book is rated "A" for "Adults." (No, that doesn't mean like rated "X," but like rated "R.") Celtic Sacrifice will be in available in trade paperback, scheduled for a late November release. To buy your copy, visit our secure site: www.underdogpress.com