Chicken Soup Call Out: “Count Your Blessings.” 2 week deadline!

Recieved this email today:

This follow-on book to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times, Tough People continues Chicken Soup for the Soul’s focus on inspiration and hope in these difficult times. These inspirational stories remind us that each day holds something to be thankful for — whether it is having the sun shine or having food on the table. Power outages and storms, health scares and illnesses, job woes and financial insecurities, housing challenges and family worries test us all. But there is always a silver lining. The simple pleasures of family, home, health, and inexpensive good times are described.

We are looking for true stories and poems written in the first person of no more than 1,200 words. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both. They should not have been previously published by Chicken Soup for the Soul or other major publications.

Here are a few suggested topics:

How you count your blessings or express your gratitude
What made you realize that your life is good and that you are grateful
Silver linings that you have discovered in the midst of challenging events
What is really valuable in your life
Major life changes or events for which you are grateful
How you spread the message of gratitude to your family and friends
The joy of simple pleasures
The unexpected benefits of health challenges or other life changes

This book is in the process of being completed and will go to the printer in September for publication in October! It is a featured Chicken Soup for the Soul title for Christmas 2009. The deadline for submissions is soon, so if you can submit quickly you have a better chance than normal of being chosen.
If your story is chosen, you will be a published author and your bio will be printed in the book if you so choose. You will also receive a check for $200 and 10 free copies of your book, worth more than $100. You will retain the copyright for your story.

SUBMISSIONS GO TO http://chickensoupforthesoul.com/form.asp?cid=submit_story.

DEADLINE IS MONDAY AUGUST 3rd. THANK YOU!

New Writing Gig

Hey all,

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve just been hired as the “Portland Fatherhood Examiner” at Examiner.com. I’ll be posting several times a week, and linking here, so you should get those posts as part of the regular updates.

I’m pretty excited to get to be the “Voice of Dad” for our area. Here’s the link my first post:

http://www.examiner.com/x-16615-Portland-Fatherhood-Examiner

Please feel free to pass this link around (please, please) as I get paid “per click” on my page!

Blessings,

-Perry

Want both my novels in PDF e-book, no obligation?

Hey, I’m bored and I need to raise some dough quick, lol.

.

Here’s the deal…I’ll send you both of my novels as PDF e-books. You like ‘em…you PayPal me $2, if not…no worries.

That’s right…two novels…two bucks.

 

DM me on Twitter (PerksBooks), or email me here, and I’ll send you the PDF’s, a little extra somethin’, and my PayPal address, then I’ll delete your contact info. No lists or anything like that.

 

You can check out the first chapter of each in the “sample chapters” category on the right.

 

Mostly, I’m just interested to see what will happen.

 

Either way, can you do me a big favor and RT my original tweet? This is an experiment, so the RT is the really important part!

 

Blessings,

 

-Perk

Join me on Twitter!

Hey all,

Just signed up on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PerksBooks

I’ll follow you if you follow me!

Blessings,

-Perry

Oysters at the Moby

 

Hey all,

 

Just wanted to let you know that I’m now an “award winning travel writer…” LOL.

 

My article, “Oysters at the Moby” was a winner in the 2008 Travel Writing Contest at 52Perfectdays.com.

 

It’s a fun overview of one of my favorite places in all the world, Oysterville, Washington (and I threw in a couple of great recipes, too!)

 

Check it out if you get a chance…

 

http://52perfectdays.com/articles/oysters-moby

 

Blessings!

 

-Perry

 

(Oh, and make sure to check out the Google ads on that page…hint, hint…)

Endeavor to Eden

Hey everyone,

Well, it looks like my first sci-fi short story will be coming out next month!

“The Book of Exodi” is an anthology of science fiction stories.  The theme of the collection is mass exodus, with an emphasis on the planetary sort.

Here’ s the teaser for “Endeavor”:

“Scientific research can lead to the discovery of much that is good for humanity. But when does science go too far—when does the scientist become more god than human? In this tale by Perry P. Perkins, science goes where it perhaps should not have gone, and humanity must pay the price. “

Woo-Hoo!

-Perry

NaNoWriMo

Hey all,

 

For those of you who I haven’t already bored with the details, NaNoWriMo stands for “National Novel Writing Month.”

 

It’s a annual contest of caffeine-induced insanity that pledges the writer to writing a 50,000 world novel, start to finish, during the month of November. This is my second year as a participant. Chris Baty, the inventor of NaNoWriMo, has published a book titled, “No Plot? No Problem” A Low Stress, High Velocity Guide to Writing A Novel in 30 Days.”

 

Based on the suggestions in this book, I’m posting this blog, and sending this email.

 

My new novel, “Brother Rat” will be started on November 1, 2008. My goal is at least 50,000 words by November 30, 2008. To reach this goal, Baty suggests creating some external stimulus (as well as obscene amounts of caffeine.)

 

So, here we go.

 

Firstly…

 

The chart below shows my word-count goals. Any person who reads this post/email is invited, nay requested, to ask me where my word count on “Brother Rat” is at any point, and is hereby welcomed to mock me mercilessly if I am behind schedule…no excuses on my part to be allowed.

 

Secondly, I will be posting updates on my progress and the current synopsis of the story on my blog. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome, along the way.

 

Lastly, Baty suggests a “negative inducement” to keep me on track, so here it is…

 

If I have not reached a 50,000 word-count on “Brother Rat” by midnight on November 30, 2008…I will be contributing $100.00 to PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) a group that I have roundly mocked on this blog, and that I personally abhor as a bunch of tree-hugging, dolphin-smooching freaks.

 

If THAT doesn’t keep me on track, nothing will, lol!

 

Here we go.

 

-Perry

 

 

November 1, 2008: 1,667 words

November 7, 2008: 11,669 words

November 14, 2008: 14,338 words

November 21, 2008: 35,007 words

November 28, 2008: 46,676 words

November 30, 2008: 50,000 words

YouPublish.com

Fellow writers…

 

Mark Victor Hansen (of Chicken Soup) has just launched a very author-friendly e-book/multimedia content distribution site at YouPublish.com.

 

No fee to set up, no fee to upload your files, 50% commission on all sales, and you can set your own prices.

 

I’ve uploaded both Just Past Oysterville, and Shoalwater Voices as eBooks there.

 

Blessings,

 

-Perry

All About Oysterville

 Hey everyone,

I just read a great article about Oysterville, written by Amy King, titled:

“More Than Oysters: A Tour of Oysterville.”

If you’ve read “Just Past Oysterville” or “Shoalwater Voices” and would like to know more about the amazing history of Oysterville, Amy’s article is top-notch!

Another GREAT fictional resource is Jennifer L. Holm’s “Boston Jane” trilogy.

Though written for the young-adult audience, I greatly enjoyed these well-researched and well-plotted novels. Jennifer really brings the early days of Oysterville to life!

Enjoy!

-Perry

Rough Waters, a Novel.

Rough Waters
Genre: Christian Mystery
by Perry P. Perkins

Summary

Something bad is happening in the forests above White River…

Ex-police officer Garret Neighbors has come to the tiny logging community of White River Oregon to escape the horror of an accidental shooting.  Falling back on his seminary degree, he’s taken a job with the local community church. 

Garret, haunted by nightmares of his past, finds himself struggling under the leadership of a despondent pastor. After the rush and clamor of the big city, White River seems hopelessly backward and stagnate. Soon, Garret is befriended by Sirena, the young deputy sheriff, and T.J., a former elder of the church, now the community’s crusty recluse. 

Sirena has come home to take care of her troublesome younger brother, following the death of their parents.  Having given up hope of escaping White River herself, she now dreams of helping Shawn get out.

Garret begins hearing rumors regarding the disappearance of former assistant pastor, whose position he has replaced, and his relationship with local logging magnate Frank Barrons, who rules White River with an iron fist.

Soon, Garret’s police instincts take over and he finds himself embroiled in a mystery that reaches to the very heart of the community, threatening not only his life but also the lives of his new friends as well.  

With the help of his reluctant mentor, Garret must overcome the pain of his past and accept that not only has God forgiven him; he must forgive himself as well.

Only then can he hope to stop the terrifying events that plague his new home, and bring to light a web of murder and deceit that extends far beyond the borders of White River.