Whether it’s Happy Valentine’s Day or Happy Galentine’s Day, love is in the air!
While people are preoccupied with love stories and Cupid’s arrow, we’d like to give a special shout-out to those who love us unconditionally year-round — our furry, four-legged family members.
Issue 7 of Second Draft Journals: Love Notes & Paw Prints is the puuurfect journal for pet lovers everywhere. Whether you journal about your day-to-day life and goals, or you keep a record about your fur baby (because there’s just too much to tell if you have to rely on someone else to care for them), we hope that you love the original works of art, the short story, Puppy Love, and the poems about self-care and our four-legged friends. With white and rose-tinted lined pages, this Second Draft Journal is meant to be soothing and sweet long after the Valentine’s Day candy is gone.
Issues Of Second Draft Journals (scroll for links)
Second Draft Journals are created by A.F.S. Green (writer) and Dixie Roach-Foxton (artist), a mother-daughter duo in Ontario, Canada. This series of paperbacks is titled Second Draft Journals because those who will remember the COVID-19 pandemic will likely think of their life in two parts: what happened before the pandemic (our first draft) and what happened after (our second draft).
At the time of writing, the COVID-19 pandemic continues but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Whatever you desire from a journal, I’m confident that we have an issue for you!
Issue 5 of Second Draft Journals: A Dignified Collection
This is a celebratory issue that includes all of the original art and short stories featured in the previous four issues. Printed in vibrant colour, complete with goal-setting and lined pages (white and tinted pages), this journal is perfect for you and your loved ones.
Issue 4 of Second Draft Journals: For The Child In You
Second Draft Journals: For The Child In You (our first black-and-white issue!)
This is our first black-and-white issue. Enjoy the original works of art as printed or colour them in. (Which is great for stress relief!) It has lined pages, goal-setting pages, and blank pages (in case you like to doodle).
Enchanted Outlines (the short story in this issue), explores the secret world of colouring books as the characters in little Easton’s colouring book come to life! It’s for the child in all of us and is great for kids.
Issue 3 of Second Draft Journals: Fly In The Face Of Fear
Second Draft Journals: Fly In The Face Of Fear (our first issue with tinted pages!)
This issue is available in two sizes (8.27″x11.69″ and 6″x 9″). Printed in colour, it is the first one that has both white and tinted lined pages! With lots of lined pages, goal-setting pages, and original works of art throughout this issue, it’s one of our favourites.
Take Flight, the short story offered in this issue follows human and avian characters as they face their fears and an unlikely friendship forms. Fun for kids and adults alike!
The Storytellers’ Compact Size (6″x9″) is available on all marketplaces, including Canada, the USA, Australia, the UK, and Japan as well.
Issue 2 of Second Draft Journals: A New Beginning
Second Draft Journals: A New Beginning (Issue 2)
This issue is available in two sizes (8.27″x11.69″ and 6″x 9″). It is printed in colour with original works of art, goal-setting pages, and lined pages for you to journal, brainstorm, and take notes as you please. It’s perfect for the serious writers in your life!
The short story included in this issue reminds readers that Looks Can Be Deceiving (which is its title), as a group of friends examine the snap judgments that they make when they see an elderly lady sitting at a bus stop in their community. Heartfelt and hopeful, you’re sure to enjoy Looks Can Be Deceiving.
Issue 1 of Second Draft Journals: A Time Capsule For Hospitality
Second Draft Journals: A Time Capsule For Hospitality (Issue 1)
This issue is available in two sizes (8.27″x11.69″ and 6″x 9″). Published in the spring of 2021, our first Second Draft Journal was inspired by the plight of small-business owners (restaurateurs, in particular) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If These Walls Could Talk (the short story in this issue) follows a restaurateur and his group of friends that is narrated by the very walls of a restaurant itself.
Second Draft Journals: A Time Capsule For Hospitality is printed in colour, with original works of art, goal-setting pages, and plenty of lined pages to use as you please.
Life is a work in progress. Enjoy your second draft!
A.F.S. Green
Staycation For The Soul: A Collection Of Short Stories
Staycation For The Soul: A Collection Of Short Stories by A.F.S. Green
Female reindeer fight for equality and respect in the North Pole after a multi-generational cover-up is discovered. A masterpiece narrates its journey through time. An atheist talks to God. A premature baby decided when to be born. A mature dog finds a new life after the death of her beloved owner.
In Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories, each story is imaginative and heartfelt. A.F.S. Green’s first collection is for anyone looking for a short break from their day-to-day life with messages of hope that are sure to reverberate long after the last page is read.
*Intended for readers who are 8-years-old and up (at the discretion of their parent or guardian).
Available on all Amazon marketplaces, including Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia.
The Ties That Bind
The Ties That Bind by A.F.S. Green (18+)
It was unfathomable that Angel would lose her twin sister, Eve, to an underground community in early 2009, but after Eve was attacked, things started to change — quickly.
The Ties that Bind is the premiere novel in a series about sisterhood and friendship, lust and affluence, and control and loss. When a seductive woman and a man with smouldering good looks present the twins with the keys to a world where lines are blurred between tradition and an alternative culture, professionalism and desire, and loyalty and a sexy, taboo lifestyle, which path will each sister choose?
*Intended for a mature audience, 18+.
Available on all Amazon marketplaces, including Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia.
I’ve started publishing under the pen name, A.F.S. Green (formerly, ‘Amber Green’) and I’m excited to do everything in my power to ‘make it’ as an author (because if not now, when?).
Pre-pandemic, I thought that signing a deal with a major publishing company was my only ticket to literary success, so I started publishing short stories in hopes that I would attract their attention and build an audience while I focused on my freelance writing business. Then COVID-19 hit.
All of a sudden, publishing my own full-length novels was a better idea than to wait for professionals to take notice of my work, so I started writing a novel I thought would be enjoyed by a mature audience (likely adult women).
I turned the short story that started my foray into publishing, Musings of a Masterpiece (which is available in Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories) into a screenplay and my work has been sold and enjoyed by people in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, and Japan. (Which is incredible! Thank you to everyone who has read and purchased my work.)
What’s on the Horizon?
Throughout 2020, my focus has shifted from merely wanting to attract attention from people in the industry to a desire to become a respected professional in publishing as time goes on. (I would like to help other writers as I progress and grow, so I am starting a writers’ group in 2021.)
Though The Ties That Bindis the first novel I published, it’s not the first novel I wrote. I completed my first novel (an untitled work of fantasy intended for readers 16+) in the summer of 2019.
Since we’re in a 28-day lockdown in Ontario, I am focusing on editing and publishing it as soon as possible.
If you’d like to receive updates and special offers as I continue on my journey, please join my mailing list.
I’m sure that you’re familiar with the saying, “Hindsight is 20/20″. (It’s poetic that we are looking forward to leaving 2020 in the dust.) When we reflect on this year down the road, I wonder what the most important lessons will be when 2020 is firmly in the rearview mirror? (That includes lessons from the hard-won and heartbreaking to the industrious and adaptive lessons learned globally, within our communities, and individually.)
This year has initiated a tailspin as many of us have been forced to focus on the urgent matters and what’s before us (rather than reflecting on the past or the distant future) as we struggle to maintain our balance… but (once you’ve adjusted and attended to you and your loved ones’ immediate needs) there’s something special about taking stock in what you want from this life (if you’re able to do so) while remembering that each day is precious.
Pre-pandemic, it was my goal to be a successful author, but I thought it best to build a portfolio (including self-published short stories) slowly that would be attractive to literary agents and publishers down the line.
When COVID-19 hit and we didn’t know what was to come as industries changed quickly and businesses struggled to adapt, I focused on writing fiction that will allow readers to escape the day-to-day grind.
I am pleased to announce that I have two works (Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories and The Ties That Bind, the premiere novel in a series for mature readers, 18+) available on Amazon (and through KDP Select).
Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories
Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories; cover links to listing on amazon.ca
Female reindeer fight for equality and respect in the North Pole after a multi-generational cover-up is discovered. A masterpiece narrates its journey through time. An atheist talks to God. A premature baby decided when to be born. A mature dog finds a new life after the death of her beloved owner.
In Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories, each story is imaginative and heartfelt. A.F.S. Green’s first collection is for anyone looking for a short break from their day-to-day life with messages of hope that are sure to reverberate long after the last page is read.
*Intended for readers who are 8-years-old and up (at the discretion of their parent or guardian).
Available on all Amazon marketplaces, including Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia.
The Ties That Bind
The Ties That Bind; cover links to listing on amazon.ca.
It was unfathomable that Angel would lose her twin sister, Eve, to an underground community in early 2009, but after Eve was attacked, things started to change — quickly.
The Ties that Bind is the premiere novel in a series about sisterhood and friendship, lust and affluence, and control and loss. When a seductive woman and a man with smouldering good looks present the twins with the keys to a world where lines are blurred between tradition and an alternative culture, professionalism and desire, and loyalty and a sexy, taboo lifestyle, which path will each sister choose?
*Intended for a mature audience, 18+.
Available on all Amazon marketplaces, including Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia.
I’ve started publishing under the pen name, A.F.S. Green (formerly, ‘Amber Green’) and I’m excited to do everything in my power to ‘make it’ as an author (because if not now, when?).
Since I sell my e-short stories on Amazon, I thought I’d show you how easy it is to add to your library with their one-click purchasing.
The Details:
Navigate to your Amazon marketplace (I’m Canadian and I prefer to pay in Canadian currency, so my marketplace is Amazon.ca)
Sign in to your account
Have you received an Amazon gift card? You can add it as a payment option and/or ensure that your payment information is up to date in ‘Your Account’ a. b.
Search for the Kindle edition/e-book you’d like to purchase and click the ‘Buy Now with 1 Click’ button
Click ‘Place your order’
“+Follow” the author to receive notifications
Navigate to your Kindle app on your desired device and download your new e-book to your library
Happy reading!
Give life the green light. It’s A Go!
Amber Green
Looking for a great short story? You’ll really enjoy:
A work of art narrates its journey through time in this short story.
In the centuries since its creation, it has witnessed the joy of love and companionship, the heartache of loss, and hardship. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but what if the masterpiece you so admire silently muses at the countless wonders of humanity?
Before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, I wrote the below short story inspired by the speech competitions that occur at every level of Toastmasters. (Our district competition was cancelled due to COVID-19, which was a wise decision.)
I’ve been a member of two different Toastmasters groups throughout the years. (If you’re unfamiliar, Toastmasters is an international non-profit organization that provides its members with the opportunity to develop their public speaking and leadership skills. )
To my fellow Toastmasters — regardless of where you are — this story is for you.
Pass the Mic
Clammy palms and a long exhale before walking out on stage. This is not my first speech competition, not by a long shot.
You would think that I am an experienced speaker: that people pay attention to my words and gestures; that my storytelling techniques are always on point; that everyone waits with bated breath when I pause. But you’d be wrong.
In fact, I can’t speak at all. I am merely the microphone that helps to amplify your message.
As tens of thousands of Toastmasters prepare to compete in speech contests, I wait in storage, reflecting on the contestants and the countless speeches I’ve heard over the years. From the novice speaker, who was encouraged by a mentor to participate in their very first club competition, to the seasoned Toastmaster, who looks forward to competing at the highest level. As an accomplished speaker, they look back fondly to the early days when nerves rattled them; their voice was shaky, heartbeat raced, and the pounding of their pulse felt as though it radiated through their very fingertips.
Of the many speakers I’ve assisted throughout the years, they’ve all had a message to share, a story to tell. Though I amplify their words for but a moment, they create a lasting impact that will live in the memories of those who hear it. Whether it’s a moment of laughter that reverberates off the walls, scoffs of disbelief, or gasps of surprise that unite a crowd, I take great pride in knowing that I contributed to the success of these speakers in some small way.
After all, I helped their message reach a person in the back of the room; a person who hadn’t expected to be moved, but they resolve to make changes in their life because of something said. Because they heard. Because they felt akin to an experience illuminated in a speech so carefully crafted and practiced by the dedicated Toastmaster on stage.
I wish I could amplify my own message. If I could, I would remind you of our history and how far we’ve come. Throughout the decades, our membership has grown to include women and people of every race, ethnicity, gender identity, ability, sexual orientation, and creed, which signals progress, marking important societal shifts.
Even if figuratively speaking, the mic is passed from Toastmaster to Toastmaster in clubs around the world. Each member is a gatekeeper to their unique story or perspective that has the power to make a lasting impression, to alter perception, and shake loose stagnant thought.
So tell a tale. Use your voice. It is yours to employ as you inspire, entertain, lead, and educate.
If you’re ever told to keep quiet, I’ll be there to raise the volume and amplify your voice.
A work of art narrates its journey through time in this short story.
In the centuries since its creation, it has witnessed the joy of love and companionship, the heartache of loss, and hardship. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but what if the masterpiece you so admire silently muses at the countless wonders of humanity?
