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.
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?).
Like her name, Candy is a sweet six-year-old dog who never imagined life without her beloved human. When she finds herself up for adoption, she learns about the dark past plaguing the dog in the neighbouring kennel; hardships she hadn’t contemplated.
In this heartwarming short story, a dog’s point of view uniquely illuminates the human experience of overcoming hardship and heartache, establishing friendship, and the virtue of loyalty.
Inspiration for ‘Puppy Love’
Before writing this short story, I was talking to a family member about depression and the prevalence of anxiety in our society. (As an aside, I’m so happy that mental health is discussed openly. Have you seen Oprah’s 2020 Vision Tour Visionaries: Lady Gaga Interview? If not, do yourself a favour, and check it out. I hope that the stigma surrounding mental health issues comes to an end in my lifetime. Go, Gaga!) During our conversation, a re-run of Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation: Meet Me in St. Louis (season 1, episode 4) played. In that episode, they discussed the atrocity of puppy mills.
Combining these themes, I was inspired to consider how dogs from different backgrounds would be impacted by mental health issues (if they experienced life the way we do). Employing significant creative license (the story is in the perspective of a dog, after all), I wrote ‘Puppy Love’ (fun fact: I named the human character ‘Ellen’ after Ellen DeGeneres, as she loves animals).
The Power of the Internet
This is the first story that I’ve released exclusively to Amazon’s KDP Select publishing platform. It was on the #1 New Release List on Valentine’s Day (thanks for your support!), and it has a 5-star rating, which includes reviews from Canada and the UK. Extraordinary! Thank you for your kind words, Val and Julie!
Praise for ‘Puppy Love’ from readers in Canada and the UK.
Young Readers
‘Puppy Love’ has inspired me to write short stories for young readers, as my stories are intended to be enjoyed in thirty minutes or less, and they are inspirational and thoughtful. I hope that my words resonate with parents and teens alike, as I truly believe that- even when life gets you down- each and every one of us can have an impact.
2019 may be the year of the pig in East-Asian/Chinese astrology (it remains so until January 24, 2020), but for yours truly, it has been the year of the Phoenix (like that in ancient Greek folklore).
I burned my preconceived notions and tired formats to the ground through three major shifts and accomplishments in my professional life this year:
I started my own publishing company, It’s A Go Publishing, in order to self-publish electronic short stories available through Amazon (Kindle) and Kobo. Each story is/will be written with a message of hope, empowerment, and inspiration intended to permit each reader to enjoy, pause, and reflect. In time, I seek to build an online following that I will use to leverage a highly coveted publishing deal with a major publishing house for my first novel. Speaking of which,
I completed my first novel earlier this year, which is the first installment of a trilogy. In my pursuit of a literary agent, I have already been the beneficiary of great kindness from other writers and professionals in the publishing industry, who have served as learned cartographers as I continue to navigate my travels through the literary landscape.
I shifted and redefined the focus of my freelance writing business, The Write Results.
I emerge from the ashes with these experiences and sage lessons as a businesswoman with a new sense of purpose, an impregnable answer for the oh-so-necessary, “What’s my why?” and continued feelings of gratitude for all of those who have helped me along the way.
Whatever your business- whatever your purpose- I hope that you will join me as I bring the heat in 2020.
Extinguish the doubts and fears that have been holding you back and illuminate your dreams until your mission is ablaze. Like the Phoenix, rise from the ashes of your past lessons and welcome a renewed, revitalized version of yourself this new year.
**Author’s note: I started my own publishing company in late 2019 — It’s A Go Publishing — in order to distribute my electronic short stories online.
Rags to Riches continues to be free below, but at present, it remains incomplete. I look forward to reviewing, editing, and continuing this short story in the coming months.
If you happen upon this post, and you would like to provide your feedback before I continue, please comment below. As always, thanks for reading. It’s A Go!**
Hi everyone,
Thank you for joining me to read part 23 of my first Saturday Story:Rags to Riches.
Have a great weekend! Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!
