Posts in Updates
Book Review: Mouse Trap
Book Review: Mouse Trap

If you like a bit of a fun cozy little scary read, I highly recommend Mouse Trap by Caryn Larrinaga. On the surface, it’s about the haunting of an ordinary house (or an ordinary family really), but it’s really about loss, grief, guilt, and anxiety.

The author does a brilliant job creating a mood of uneasiness, which builds the tension more and more. Larrinaga does a great job implanting dark imagery, setting up a little mystery, and providing just enough foreshadowing to keep you guessing.

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Authors, UpdatesEditing Meebook review, indie author, indie author blog, book communityComment
Write Better Fantasy: 3 Tricks
Write Better Fantasy: 3 Tricks

Most writers out there have an urge to commit the story in their heads to paper (or a hard drive, given the times). I want everyone to get those thoughts and images into words. I want you to get that story finished in the timeframe you desire and in a configuration that will please you.

While writing pace is something that can be altered by your schedule, focus, and typing speeds, we can always improve our craft. There’s more: you’ve probably already had several important lessons in high school, and all you need to do is reactivate them in your brain. Here are a few quick tips and tricks to unlock all that potential!

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Authors, UpdatesEditing Meeguest blog, fantasy blog, how to write a fantasy, tips and tricks on fantasyComment
Guest Post: How to Write a Fairy Tale Retelling
Guest Post: How to Write a Fairy Tale Retelling

Fairy Tale Retellings, or Modern Fairy Tales as they’re called, have become exorbitantly popular over the last few years. I have edited and read many of them, and if you type the title into a Google search bar, you will be sure to find access to literally lists of recommended reads. In essence, a fairy tale retelling is exactly as it sounds-it draws from a fairy tale or lends itself to the fairy tale trope.

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UpdatesEditing Meeguest blog, how to write a fairy tale, fairy tale retelling, fairytaleComment
Guest Post: How to Co-Write a Novel
Guest Post: How to Co-Write a Novel

Our co-writing journey began almost by accident—a joint story written for a school assignment over a decade ago that morphed into an entire series of collaboratively written novels. While co-authoring might not work for everyone, we are here to tell you that the experience can be rewarding, productive, and even make you a better writer. Here are our tips for writing a collaborative novel.

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UpdatesEditing Meeco-novel, writing together, writing community, guest blogComment
Guest Post: Creating a Podcast: Going from an Idea to Reality
Guest Post: Creating a Podcast: Going from an Idea to Reality

A year ago, if you had told me that I would be starting a podcast where I interview strangers about their writing processes, I would have laughed at you.

If you know me on a personal level at all, you probably know that having to talk to strangers is my worst nightmare. I’ve lost count of the number of times making a simple phone call to cancel a doctor’s appointment has sent me into a cold sweat.

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UpdatesEditing Meepodcast, guest blog, writing community, interviewsComment
Contest Announcement: Darkness 101
Contest Announcement: Darkness 101

Fall is here! It’s back to school time! And the start of Spooky Season!

We’re also celebrating the release of Deluxe Darkness in September! Be sure to check it out and order your own copy today: three horror books in one: the Amazon bestselling Collective Darkness, Little Darkness, and the brand new book The Darkness Between.

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UpdatesEditing Meeannouncement, contest, 101 mini book, mini ebook, prize, Halloween prize, Halloween contestComment
Meet The Authors: Alex Child
Meet The Authors: Alex Child

Here at Collective Tales Publishing, we want to celebrate our authors! This week we’re going to talk about Alex Child! Alex is one of our longest-standing authors. His first story was published in “Pond Scum,” and since then has been published in Little Darkness with “Backroads” and will be published in Collective Fantasy with his story “Poached Caladrius Eggs.”

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UpdatesEditing Meeintroduction, authors, author introduction, alex child, fantasy anthology, horror anthology, collective darkness, little darkness, collective fantasy, writing communityComment
Guest Post: What the Heck is an Audiobook Engineer?
Guest Post: What the Heck is an Audiobook Engineer?

You may be wondering, What the heck is an Audiobook Engineer?

I get asked this question a lot, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t heard the term before. That’s because an audiobook engineer’s job is to make the listening experience of an audiobook seamless and distraction-free. The goal of an engineer is to have the listener say, That was a really nice story, and not Dear Lord, what was that sound in the background? It sounded like someone tossing a cast iron skillet into a pile of cooking pots!

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UpdatesEditing Meeupdates, Audiobook, collective darkness, audiobookComment
Guest Post: Author Ashley Amber
Guest Post: Author Ashley Amber

I'm author Ashley Amber, here to tell you all about my debut novelette The Flip Side of Sad!

I've been writing since I was 14 years old and came up with this story idea when I was 16. Fast forward ten years, loads of writing, lots of learning, and a YouTube channel later, and I've circled back to this story about a singer who gets trapped inside his own album until he learns the lessons of his lyrics.

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UpdatesEditing Meebook review, authors, collective humanity, cute at first meet, romance, author introductionComment
Greetings from the publishers!
Greetings from the publishers!

Hello from the co-publishers of Collective Tales, Jonathan Reddoch and Elizabeth Suggs. We started CTP as an independent publication featuring new and upcoming authors in the speculative fiction genres. Our first book, Collective Darkness: A Horror Anthology, was the Amazon #1 bestseller for new horror anthologies. We have a follow-up called Little Darkness and more books on the way. Read more…

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UpdatesEditing Meegreetings, publishers, introduction, reading community, writing communityComment