Bad Hair Day

Final selections are being made for A Shaker of Margaritas: Bad Hair Day. Authors will be notified soon about the status of their stories.

It has been a joy to read the submissions, and I look forward to working with the authors.

Linda Fisher
Mozark Press

Coming Soon - Happy New Year Emily Rose by Elizabeth Butler

After the holidays, Emily Rose Roberts is the first to arrive at the university to catch up on the stack of mail she knows will be waiting. She unlocks the door to discover the murdered body of Professor Stuart McBain in front of the mailboxes.

Victor Morales is the head detective in the local police department. He already has more cold cases than he wants, and McBain’s murder could be another unsolved crime. No matter what anyone says, Vic can’t imagine that petite Emily Rose, their only suspect, could be the killer.

Emily Rose could have been attracted to Vic if she hadn’t sworn off men. Besides, she carefully guards a secret she doesn’t want the detective to uncover. When a second murder has ties to Emily Rose, Vic has to decide whether he is falling in love with a murderer or a potential victim. He does know he must find the killer before anyone else dies.

Bad Hair Day Call to Submissions –Deadline Extended to July 25

Mozark Press seeks humorous fiction stories for A Shaker of Margaritas: A Bad Hair Day. For this anthology, a bad hair day is one of those days when things don’t go according to plan; in fact, it is as horrible as a bad perm or hair that turns green—unintentionally. Things go wrong, but with humor, stubbornness, and attitude—the female protagonist can survive any kind of bad hair day.

Submissions deadline is July 25, 2012.  Approximately 20-25 stories will be selected for the anthology and will be paid $20 upon publication.

For submissions guidelines visit the "Bad Hair Day" page on www.mozarkpress.blogspot.com or www.mozarkpress.com.

Bad Hair Day Call to Submissions - Short Deadline

Mozark Press seeks humorous fiction stories for A Shaker of Margaritas: A Bad Hair Day. For this anthology, a bad hair day is one of those days when things don’t go according to plan; in fact, it is as horrible as a bad perm or hair that turns green—unintentionally. Things go wrong, but with humor, stubbornness, and attitude—the female protagonist can survive any kind of bad hair day.

Submissions deadline is July 15, 2012. Approximately 20-25 stories will be selected for the anthology and will be paid $20 upon publication.

For submissions guidelines visit the "Bad Hair Day" page on www.mozarkpress.blogspot.com.

Check out the Missouri Arts Council feature on Storm Country! Midwestern Storms Roar Through New Book

Missouri Festival Features Storm Country: The Anthology

Linda Fisher 

The March 6, 2012, Governor’s Annual Verses and Voices Festival which celebrates Missouri’s poetry, music, and art featured readings from Storm Country: The Anthology published by Mozark Press for the Missouri Writers’ Guild. The program was performed in the rotunda at the State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri. The theme was “Remembering the people of Joplin in their time of pain and loss in the storm. Commemorating the help and hope that followed.”

Choirs from Benton High School, Jefferson City High School, Savannah High School, Missouri Western State University, and Joplin High School performed poetry set to music. Joplin High School premiered “Storm Country” by Susan LaBarr, Missouri’s Composer Laureate.

The “Storm Country” lyrics were adapted from “My Foundation” written by Bill Cairns and published in Storm Country: The Anthology. All choirs joined their voices for the ending to commemorate those who helped Joplin after the devastating May 22, 2011, tornado. The moving performance received a standing ovation.

David Clewell and Walter Bargen

Missouri Poet Laureate David Clewell read a poem he wrote for Joplin. He later read “Supercell” from Storm Country: The Anthology for Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Poet Laureate of Kansas, who was unable to attend due to illness. Walter Bargen, Missouri’s first Poet Laureate, read a new poem and “Harmony Tornado” from Storm Country. Claudia Mundell, President of Joplin Writers’ Guild read her poem “Weather Tantrum” from Storm Country.

Missouri Writers’ Guild President, Deborah Marshall, recognized Ms. Mundell for first proposing the idea of an anthology to benefit Joplin Schools. Ms. Marshall also recognized the Humanities Council for their support and Mozark Press for donating publishing and editing for the project.

Meet the Author: Kathy Page "Invisible Cougar"

Kathy Page dabbles in many things, writing being one of them. She also enjoys participating in the local community theatre, reading, painting, and spending time with family and friends. Traveling is a particular enjoyment, which is good as she does quite a bit for both her paying job and volunteer work. She is on the national Board of Directors and an FDA Patient Representative for the Ekbom Disease Foundation. Kathy also does advocacy work for the American Cancer Society. Kathy enjoys an occasional challenge to keep life exciting.

The Invisible Cougar

Kathy Page

T

wo major events happened on my fifty-fifth birthday; I started losing my invisibility, and I became a cougar. The birthday was inevitable; losing the invisibility was a mixed blessing, and at the time I had no idea what a “cougar” was.

Let me back up a little. Two years ago my husband Alvin left me for his secretary—his  much younger secretary. While I knew he had been unfaithful in the past, it still came as a hurtful surprise. Even more hurtful was our daughter Niki’s ready acceptance of the situation. Her words when he moved out were, “Well! You have let yourself go. Dad has a prestigious job and needs someone “glam” to stand beside him.” It was at that point that I started becoming invisible. Once the divorce papers were signed, I no longer existed for my ex-husband. Our daughter completely defected to her father’s side and became fast friends with the new wife.

Then I started noticing that friends stopped calling. When I passed them on the street, they looked right through me. During the long walks I started taking, not one person responded to my “hello” or smile. Sales people ignored me as I wandered the aisles and the Girl Scouts didn’t come to sell cookies at my door. I assured myself several times a day that I still existed by looking at myself in the mirror. Of course, that did nothing to make me feel better. Looking back was gray listless hair, a face with no make-up, frumpy loose clothing, and a defeated look about the eyes. I realized I was slowly fading away.

The rest of this story, and twenty other fiction stories, can be found in A Shaker of Margaritas: Cougars on the Prowl available in paperback and in Nook and Kindle versions.