Natural Selection by Nina Munteanu Now Out

My collection of nine short stories was recently released through Pixl Press (Imprint of Starfire) in an anthology entitled "Natural Selection". The nine stories touch on various iterations of evolution, spanning a 20-year writing period starting in the 1980s with "Arc of Time" first published by The Armchair Aesthete in 2002 to "Julia's Gift" written in 2007, a significant year in my personal evolution.

Here's the book jacket description:

A man uses cyber-eavesdropping to make love. A technocratic government uses gifted people as tools to recast humanity. The ruins of a city serve as battleground between pro-technologists and pro-naturalists. From time-space guardians to cybersex, GMO, and biotech implants, this short story collection by science fiction novelist Nina Munteanu promises a journey of great scope, imagination and vision.

Of one of the stories, Tangent Online says: "Angel's Promises is a stunning example of good storytelling with an excellent setting and cast of characters."

"Natural Selection" is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other quality bookstores near you.

Cover illustration is by Anne Moody and cover design is by Costi Gurgu

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.

The Journal Writer by Nina Munteanu Now Out

The second book in my Alien Guidebook Series The Journal Writer: Finding Your Voice was released in March 25, 2013 by Pixl Press (an imprint of Starfire World Syndicate) and is now in bookstores around the world, including Chapters, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other quality bookstores.

The Journal Writer: Finding Your Voice is a guidebook for anyone who writes. It provides steps on how to get started in journaling, how to keep going and how to keep safe. I discuss the full range in expression from writing on the computer, the use of social media and sharing on the Internet to the benefits of good old-fashioned handwriting on paper.

Here’s a small excerpt of the book taken from the Introduction:

There are as many reasons for writing a journal as there are people in the world: to express, to heal and clarify, to create, learn and influence, to record, to celebrate, to share with friends or the world even...and everything in-between. The journal is a way to connect—to yourself and to others—with gentleness, compassion and deeper understanding. It’s a “safe home” where your deepest thoughts can reside without fear of judgment, blame or need for justification. A place where you can be just you. 

From the private locked notebook to digital files to global blogs and Facebook, writers today have so many choices for expression. We are all writers and there is something out there for you. 

This guidebook will help you make the right choices. I go over the tools you need to consider before you get started. I also show you the steps on how to get started and—just as important—how to keep going. I cover how to get the most out of your journal writing experience and discuss safety issues. To help, I provide you with examples and practical exercises. References appear at the end of each chapter. There’s also a bibliography at the back in case you want to read more and an index to find things in here.Enjoy, learn and, above all, have fun!  

The Alien’s Guidebook Series is dedicated to helping and empowering men and women through writing and

the creative process. Whether you’re writing fiction or expressing yourself through “life” or “wellness” writing, my hope is that The Journal Writer—like its predecessor The Fiction Writer: Get Published,Write Now!—will help you and others achieve your goal.

If you think The Journal Writer can give you and others important life skills, please tell others about it! You can provide a review on Amazon or email me (nina.sfgirl@gmail.com) with a testimonial that I can use to help promote this book on helping others journal and write expressively.

The Journal Writer was commissioned by Romanian publisher Calin Vlasie of Editura Paralela 45, who had already translated and published The Fiction Writer in 2011 (Manual de Scriere Creativa. Scriitorul de fictiune).  I attended the launch of The Fiction Writer in Bucharest in November 2011 and drank copious amounts of Romania’s national drink Tuica (plum liquor that packs a punch!) with my publisher.

Scriitorul de Jurnal: Descoperirea vocii interioare (The Journal Writer: Finding Your Voice) was published by Editura Paralela 45 and launched at the Gaudeamus Book Fair in Bucharest in November 2012.

Romanians can buy Scriitorul de Jurnal:Descoperirea vocii interioare (The Journal Writer: Finding Your Voice) on the Editura Paralela 45 site and various other online bookstores.

About Editura Paralela 45:

Editura Paralela 45 Publishing House was founded in November 1994 by Calin

Vlasie. Over the years, the company specialized in the production of books, magazines, newspapers and copybooks. Their main branch offices in Romania include Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca.

They originally focused on educational books and contemporary Romanian literature. Since 2000, editorial production diversified; they currently publish Romanian and foreign literature, social and human sciences, philosophy, history, religion, law, economics, science books, art books, practical books, literature for children and teenagers, university textbooks, didactical methods books, handbooks and auxiliary books.

Currently, Editura Paralela 45 Publishing House develops three series and 54 collections, covering over 90 editorial areas including: biography, business, children, Christian, college, fiction, computer, cookbooks, criticism, cultural studies, diet, drama, education, enternainment, erotica, essays, family, fitness, food, foreign languages, health, history, how to, language, law, lifestyle, literature, mathematics, medical, memoir, parenting, philosophy, poetry, psychiatry, reference, relationship, religion, school, science, self help, software, spirituality, sports, teaching, technology.. Most of these collections are registered with the State Office for Inventions and Trademarks (OSIM). From 1994 to 2011, they have published over 3200 titles in over 13 million copies.

The publishing house participates in key book fairs in Europe (Paris, London, Frankfurt, Bologna, Geneva, Tel Aviv, etc.) and has won numerous awards, both for editorial work and its published books. Awards include: International Book Fair "Gaudeamus" ("Excellence Award" in 2001 and 2008), the Writers Union of Romania, Association of Professional Writers in Romania, Romanian Academy, the Writers' Union of Moldova, Romanian Publishers Association, magazines "Cuvantul" "Romania literara", etc., the "Francophonie Award”, the Prix Saint-Exupery / ValeursJeunesse (2006).

Editura Paralela 45 has translated and published numerous foreign books (from English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Swedish and so on). Foreign publishers that they worked with include: Harper Collins, Ebury Press, A. M. Heath & Co, Hay House, MacMillan, Simon & Schuster, Transworld (from UK), Curtis Brown, Facts On File, Grand Central Publishing, Hyperion, Knopf Doubleday Group, Pearson Technology Group, Penguin Group (USA), Albin Michel, Actes Sud, Calmann-Levy, Bayard, Robert Laffont, Tallandier (France), Bertelsmann, Ullstein, Eichborn, Rowohlt (Germany). And now Starfire World Syndicate (USA)!

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.

The Fiction Writer Now on Amazon.com!

“The Fiction Writer is at the top of the required reading list for my students. With its engagingly direct, conversational style and easily accessible format, it is a veritable cornucopia of hands-on help for aspiring writers of any age…the quintessential book for the soon-to-be published.”—Susan H. McLemore, Director of Glynn Academy Language Arts Department

WOOT! My fiction writing guide, “The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now!”  (Starfire World Syndicate) is now available for sale on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca (in Canada) and Amazon.co.uk (in England). So, now you can buy it easily; no excuse! LOL!

Seriously though, I’m kind of proud of this book, which only took me a few months to write. I drew from my own twenty-odd years experience in writing and publishing, from struggling aspiring writer to established internationally published author. I include personal examples of queries and synopses that worked, actual rejection letters and hilarious but educational stories (well, they were funny at the bar) about my publishing misadventures. For instance, in Chapter "R" not only do I show images of my actual rejection letters but I relate an embarrassing story in the section entitled, "Something Worse Than Rejection". What could that possibly be, you may very well ask. You're just going to have to read Chapter "R" then tell me if you agree!

I also borrowed from the wisdom of many experts in writing and publishing, notably Robert J. Sawyer, Elizabeth Lyon, Jack Bickham, Sol Stein, Janet Fitch, Tobias Bucknell, Ansen Dibell, Margot Finke, Marg Gilks, Crawford Killian, Ralph Keyes, Victor Frankl, among others. I mixed their erudite advice with my educational experiences to produce a guidebook that fills a rare niche: a guidebook that seriously educates but is entertaining and fun to read.

I’ve been delighted to see The Fiction Writer and its associated course materials adopted by schools, colleges and universities throughout North America.

Here’s what writing instructors, published authors and writing students said about The Fiction Writer so far:

“I’m very impressed…Nina shares the hard-won knowledge she’s accumulated…I’m thoroughly enjoying the book!”—Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Wake.

“Nina is…lively and knowledgeable…approachable, relevant and humorous.”—Pamela Richardson, University of British Columbia

“Although aimed at the writing student, this is a handy book for the emerging or mature writer as well…a great resource to refresh one’s mind on every aspect of the writing process…I am keeping this book at my desk as I plunge into the writing of my next chapter.”—Shane Joseph, author of After the Flood

“Thanks, Nina! My songs, stories, and screenplays…can all benefit.”—Colin Wiebe, musician/writer

“Great writing lessons! They are practical and simple for any budding writer.”—Graham Seager, writer

“Nina Munteanu’s The Fiction Writer is the book I wish I had 15 years ago. Writers young and old can find ways to improve their work, with the book’s fun, easy to read format.”—Theresa Vinson, bookseller

“Nina Munteanu’s book, The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now is a terrific resource in my professional library. I started reading it almost as soon as I got home after purchasing it. Nina shares tips and techniques from many great writers and I loved soaking all that up. I highly recommend it.”— Zoe M. Hicks, author of The Women’s Estate Planning Guide and Dream Catcher, the Power of Faith

“The Fiction Writer improves with each read. it reminds me of those ‘For Dummies’ books, back when they first were great – except without the ‘you are a dummy’ humor, which I greatly appreciate”—David Merchant, Louisiana Tech University

The Fiction Writer packs twenty-six chapters of relevant, well-researched and easy to read instruction that encompasses virtually all the topics one needs to get published: beginnings and endings; characterization; dialogue; exposition; setting; plot; scene; metaphor & language; grammar; voice and point of view; research; query letters; rejection letters; synopses and outlines; showing vs. telling; writer’s block; attitude, inspiration and passion in writing.

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.