Tuesday, August 26, 2014

ONE HORN TO RULE THEM ALL, A Purple Unicorn Anthology



Dear Gentle Readers,
We have a real treat today.  One of our favorite authors and bloggers, Nathan Barra, has contributed to a great new anthology entitled One Horn to Rule Them All, A Purple Unicorn Anthology.  All profits from the sale of the anthology will go to an annual scholarship for writers trying to break into the business.  Nathan tells us a little about this scholarship fund.


"The Superstars Writing Seminar is a seminar designed to teach students the ins and outs of being a professional writer. Where other seminars teach craft, this one focuses on the business hat and how to make it as a professional. It has been one of the most enriching experiences of my writing career, but tied to fantastic value is cost. However, to make the seminar more accessible for writers who would not otherwise be able to afford it, the scholarship fund based on the Purple Unicorn Anthology was formed.  There's actually a good story there! All the items in the cover come from the stories within. :-) I think it's really cool. If you read my story and look on the cover, you'll see Sams' ComicCon badge, the PU belt buckle and some comics that Catalina painted.  I'm so glad the cover turned out as well as it did.

The scholarship fund is actually tied to the story of how the anthology came to be. You see, last year at the Superstars Writing Seminar, one of the instructors was trying to make a point about professionalism as a writer. "If you are hired to write a story about something ridiculous, say a purple unicorn," she said, "then you write the best damn purple unicorn story you can come up with!" That idea snowballed into what became the anthology. Since we (especially the publisher) didn't want to deal with the idea of splitting royalties 20 ways, we decided to start up a scholarship.

The Superstars Writing Seminar is a seminar designed to teach students the ins and outs of being a professional writer. Where other seminars teach craft, this one focuses on the business hat and how to make it as a professional. It has been one of the most enriching experiences of my writing career, but tied to fantastic value is cost. However, to make the seminar more accessible for writers who would not otherwise be able to afford it, the scholarship fund based on the Purple Unicorn Anthology was formed.


Synopsis:  Unicorns, with their single ivory horn, are elusive and magical creatures of myth. Yet even more elusive are the purple unicorns.


First sighted at the Superstars Writing Seminar, their legend has grown year after year until it could only be contained in this anthology. Nineteen storytellers, including Peter S. Beagle, Todd McCaffrey, and Jody Lynn Nye, as well as new and rising authors, invite us into worlds both near and far, across a desert oasis, a pet shop, a Comic-Con exhibition floor, and more, and show us the many variations of purple unicorns, from the imaginary to the actual—and one very memorable half-unicorn, half-potato.

One Horn to Rule Them All is an unforgettable collection of imagination and creativity. So, saddle up, and take a ride beyond the rainbow.

All profits benefit the Superstars Writing Seminar Scholarship Fund.

Nathan’s Contribution: The Girl with the Artist’s Eyes (Story 12)
When Walter Sams finds a horn of magical wish fulfillment, he uses it to turn himself into a golden-age superhero just in time to save Stan Lee from a crowd sourced kidnapping and ransom scheme. It is up to Catalina, and her best friend George, to manage Sams’ incompetence and save the day despite the hero’s best efforts.

Buy Link:
www.NathanBarra.com/books.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you, Nathan, for sharing your new project with us. It's always a pleasure to see you here. Come back anytime, like...maybe Friday?
    Hugs,
    Carol

    ReplyDelete