Opal Writers Magazine May 2022
MAY 2022

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May Articles

Opal Writers

COVER FEATURE AUTHOR: Terry Shepherd

“Mystery Bug was a true labor of love,” he says. “Kids of all ages can be frightened by the unknown. We began to see those fearful looks in our grandkids’ eyes, so we decided to present the science surrounding germ theory and the habits that help keep us healthy in language they could understand. We specifically wrote the book without mentioning Covid.

Keep reading
by Cindy DeJager (Opal Publishing)
Opal Writers

INSIDE FEATURE AUTHOR: Boris Glikman

The biggest influences on his writing are Franz Kafka and Jorge Luis Borges. Dreams and imagery are also an important source of creative inspiration to him and many of his stories originate from the scenarios and ideas in his dreams, or are inspired by images that he comes across on the internet.

Keep reading
by Cindy DeJager (Opal Publishing)
Opal Writers

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep…

When I die I want to take along a book, but not just any old book. It has to be one with an ending so strong that it stopped my ticker for good.

Keep reading
by Cindy DeJager (Opal Publishing)
Train into the Valley of Madness E8
Opal Writers

TRAIN INTO THE VALLEY OF MADNESS E:8

Trevor Morris ran. He had no idea where he was going. All he cared about was Anna. They had boarded the train together. They were just married. She could not have died a year ago, they had only met six months before getting married.

Keep reading
by Cindy DeJager (Opal Publishing)
Opal Writers

38 CREATIVE WAYS to IGNITE Your Writing Mojo

38 Creative ways to ignite your writing Mojo!

Keep reading
by mandyevebarnett
Opal Writers

Writing Midrash for the Book of Ruth

Midrashim take the form of giving speech or utterance to biblical characters whose behaviors, actions, or words raise unanswered questions. The Midrashic process lives on today as writers and speakers continue to elaborate on biblical sources in poems, narratives, songs, and sermons that illustrate the text’s vitality and universality.

Keep reading
by sharonlederauthor
Opal Writers

THINK Like a WRITER

Ideas are always circling us. Like young children with butterfly nets, it is our job to catch a few and develop them into stories with strong leads, robust middles, and fabulous endings.

Keep reading
by sheilahudsonwriter
Opal Writers

Don’t Drag Out Your Novel Ending

I used to make fun of mystery novel climax scenes, where the killer has the sleuth trapped and, instead of shooting him and escaping, the bad guy explains the reasons for the murder, giving the sleuth time to capture him. This is clearly a device to inform readers rather than realistic bad guy behaviour. But when I wrote my first mystery novel, A Deadly Fall, I understood the value of this literary trope.

Keep reading
by Cindy DeJager (Opal Publishing)
Opal Writers

I WROTE THE STORY OF MY LIFE BUT NEVER ONCE DID I STOP TO READ IT

Words, plots, characters gushed out of me yet never once did I take the time to see if the words were apt; if the plot had inner consistency; if the characters were realistic and likeable.

Keep reading
by Boris

Opal Writers Magazine – PUBLISHING CALENDAR

June 2022

Articles are published every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 AM Pacific Time.

May 31
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Panel 1

Our Writers

Our Writers Opal Expert Writer logo

Our Expert Writers

Opal Writers Magazine boasts some pretty great writers! Some of our writers are published authors, and a they all have great credentials.

Our Writers Allison Gorner

ALLISON GORNER

Before becoming a short story author and screenwriter, Allison has been a librarian, production assistant, art director, and coalminer. She has diplomas in Cinema, Television, Stage & Radio, and Writing For Children, and is a member of Alberta Romance Writers’ Association (ARWA) and Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF). She finds time to write when she can extricate herself from her four kids and their pounding on the bathroom door.
https://allisongorner.wordpress.com/

Our Writers Barbori Garnet

BARBORI GARNET

Barbori Garnet is a Creative Arts professional – writer, artist and musician – based in Calgary, AB. She finds lots of inspiration from and enjoys being in her family’s fruit, vegetable and perennial garden and likes to spend time in the mountains.

Barbori has a BFA in Painting & Drawing and an MA Communications in Public Relations.

Visit Barbori online at www.barborigarnet.com, www.bgmountainstudio.ca or www.sunnybayarts.ca.

Our Writers Mandy Eve-Barnett

MANDY EVE-BARNETT

Mandy Eve-Barnett is a multi-genre author writing children’s, YA, and adult books. Her passion for writing emerged later in life and she is making up for lost time. With nine books published since 2011, she indulges her Muse in creative fiction as well as freelance writing. Mandy regularly blogs at www.mandyevebarnett.com and is a writing community advocate. As Secretary of her local writer’s group and the Alberta Authors Cooperative, as well as past-president of the Arts & Culture Council, she lives her creative life to the fullest. She hosts the monthly writer sharing meetings and creates writing prompts for the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County. Mandy also presents various writing topics at conferences and seminars. Originally from England, Mandy now resides in Alberta, Canada. You can find Mandy across social media and her books through all the online purchasing sites and her publisher, Dream Write Publishing.

www.mandyevebarnett.com

My Writing Services
Our Writers Sheila S Hudson

SHEILA S HUDSON

Sheila S. Hudson is an award winning writer of cozy mysteries. Her current series is Crimes from the Crypt. Others include Silent Partners, The Thursday Club, and Ministry Can Be Murder. She is co-president of Southeastern Writers Association and Vice President of Sisters in Crime (Monroe). Sheila has been writing and teaching writing workshops for more than 25 years. She and her husband have 2 daughters, one son, seven grandsons, and one cranky chiweenie.

www.sheilashudson.com

sheilahudson.writer@gmail.com

Our Writers Cappy H Rearick

CAPPY HALL REARICK

Cappy Hall Rearick is a syndicated humor columnist, novelist and popular public speaker. She is an award winning short story writer and author of the column, SIMPLY SOUTHERN. She has written sixteen published novels and collections of short stories and one collaborated cookbook. She is past president of the Southeastern Writers Association.   Cappy lives in Saluda, North Carolina with her husband and a spoiled rotten cat named Igor.

https://www.facebook.com/CappyHallRearick/

Our Writers Sharon Leder

SHARON LEDER

Sharon Leder, Professor Emerita of English, Women’s Studies, and Jewish Studies, SUNY-Nassau Community College. Author The Fix: A Father’s Secrets, A Daughter’s Search, Silver Winner Benjamin Franklin IBPA Award, Best New Voice in Fiction (2018), co-editor with Milton Teichman Truth and Lamentation: Stories and Poems on the Holocaust, nominated for the National Jewish Book Award (1994), and author or editor of fiction and books on: women writers, literature of the Holocaust, women in academia, and family dynamics. Founder Creative Outlets: Finding Your Voice Through Arts at Cape Cod Museum of Art (2017-21)

The Book
Our Writers Donald H Roberts

DONALD HARRY ROBERTS

The characters in my quirky little short stories and Novelettes are all developed from aspects of myself and my imaginary friend. In real life, this mundane world with tunnel vision reality I have endeavoured to live it out in many ways. I have been a sailor and soldier, a farmer, a hobo, musician, mountaineer, hunter-gatherer, fisherman, author, editor, teacher and student, to mention only a fraction of my experience. It has been a beautiful life and I hope for more decades to learn and experience a great deal more.

I hope your life has been equal to or more than mine.
Amazon.com

Our Writers Boris Glikman

BORIS GLIKMAN

is a writer, poet and philosopher from Melbourne, Australia. He says: “Writing for me is a spiritual activity of the highest degree. Writing gives me the conduit to a world that is unreachable by any other means, a world that is populated by Eternal Truths, Ineffable Questions and Infinite Beauty. It is my hope that these stories of mine will allow the reader to also catch a glimpse of this universe.”

You can follow him on Facebook

Our Writers Susan Calder-Arnold

SUSAN CALDER-ARNOLD

Susan Calder grew up in Montreal and moved to Calgary in 1996. She is the author of four novels: A Deadly Fall, 2nd edition (BWL, 2019), Ten Days in Summer (BWL, 2017) and Winter’s Rage (BWL, 2021) books 1, 2 & 3 of the Paula Savard mystery series set in Calgary, and a standalone literary/suspense To Catch a Fox (BWL, 2019).

Susan has also published short stories, poems, and articles. Her short story, “When a Warm Wind Blows off the Mountains,” was turned into an art book and is part of the Print(ed) Word permanent display in the Calgary downtown library. Susan has a degree in Urban Studies from Concordia University and worked as an insurance claims examiner. She honed her writing skills at the Banff Centre for the Arts, The Sage Hill Writing Experience and Booming Ground. At Mystery Writers’ INK and the Calgary Citizens’ Police Academy, she learned about crime, police work, guns, poisons and assorted ghoulish matters useful to mystery writing.

She has taught writing courses and workshops at the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society, served on the board of Calgary’s annual When Words Collide Festival for Readers and Writers, and participated in numerous panels, presentations and literary readings. In her non-writing time, Susan enjoys traveling and hiking.

Website: www.susancalder.com

Contact: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susan.calder

Our Writers Liz Betz

LIZ BETZ

Liz Betz is a retired rancher, from Alberta, Canada, who loves to write fiction. Her pastime seems to help her days go by, her brain to stay active and sometimes keeps her out of trouble. An overactive imagination is a wonderful thing to harness, but left alone…! Her publication credits are many and varied as she explores the fictional world of mostly somewhat older but not necessarily mature characters.

Our Writers Suzy Vadori

SUZY VADORI

Book Coach, Editor, Public Speaker, Young Adult Author

Suzy is a Book Coach, Editor, Public Speaker and the Calgary Bestselling Author of The Fountain Series (The Fountain, The West Woods, Wall of Wishes). This fantastical Young Adult Series has received two Aurora Nominations for Best Young Adult Novel, as well as Five Stars and a bronze medallion from Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. She is represented by Naomi Davis of Bookends Literary Agency.

Suzy lives in Calgary, Canada with her husband and three children and is an involved member in the writing community. She is a Program Manager for Calgary’s When Words Collide (WWC), teaches writing at Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society, and is a touring member of the Young Alberta Book Society. Suzy is also the founder of WriteIt! creative writing programs in schools.

Suzi Vadori

Panel 2

Submissions

Magazine Content Description

Opal Writers’ Magazine:

Articles on the craft of writing that show the reader the different styles and genres in both fiction and non-fiction. If you are a published author or you just have experience writing and you have these experiences to share with our readers, we welcome your submissions. The Opal Writers’ magazine also accepts short fiction, poetry and prose, and book reviews.

Suggested word count: 300 – 1200 words

Article Guidelines

Articles inform and educate, or entertain our readers.
An article does not promote any product, service, or brand.
Articles don’t have any logos or business links in them and your byline does not have your business name.
An example of your byline might be: Jane Doe, Author; or Jane Doe, Reiki Therapist

Photos: We will often provide a stock photo to accompany the article if one is not provided.

Word count: 300 -1200 words

Your Bio: Please send us a short (up to 100 words) bio with your article. You may also include a photo of yourself.
The bio appears at the end of your article.

*If you are looking for an opportunity to brand your business or service with us by writing monthly advertorials or becoming a SPONSOR WRITER, see our Advertising page.

Be An Expert Writer

Opal magazines strive to provide content that is not only relevant for writers and authors, but is also a deeper dive into a subject. Our Expert Writers are typically professional writers and published authors who provide this ‘deep dive’ into the subject that they are experts in. A benefit to being an Expert Writer in the Opal magazines is establishing rapport with your readership.

Want to use links and logos in your article?

Find out more about our Advertorial package .

Rights:

First Serial Rights, and Digital Rights that include the publishing of your submission on the OPAL PUBLISHING website for one full month, and then the rights return to the author. Your article will continue to be displayed until you ask us to remove it.

*All submissions are subject to approval. Opal Publishing reserves the right to refuse any submitted content.

Submission Deadlines

Opal Writers’ Magazine
January ISSUE

November 30th

To Query or Submit
Email:
opalwritersmagazine@gmail.com

Panel 3

ADVERTISE

Your success is our success. We believe that consistency in exposure improves your success . It takes time and consistency to build that trust and rapport with your readers. We recommend that you advertise your product or service for no less than 3 months with an optimum of 12 months.

SPONSOR a Page or an Article
For only $40

your Leaderboard AD will appear on the Top of the page
Contact me at cindy@opalpublishing.ca

Opal Magazines Online DIGITAL PRICING!

(*Prices do not include Design Fee)

Ad SizePrice per MonthLocation Fee
ONLINE ADS
Leader Board AD
728x90px
-these Ads appear at the top of the page.		$40/monthadd $5 for each additional location
Large Rectangle AD
940x788px
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Medium Box AD
300x250px
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Wide Skyscraper
160x600px
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COVER / INSIDE FEATURE
– Includes your profile photo on the Cover (if available)
– Article (600 words max)
– Images (up to 3)
– Links, Logo, promotional content
– Includes a JPG or PNG of the Cover (if you purchase the cover plan).
– Includes an AD in any size and location on the page.		With Cover $300/Month
Without Cover $225 /Month
ADVERTORIAL PACKAGE
Includes:
– 600 words (you may use links, and product/business/services)
– Large Rectangle AD will appear with your article.		$150 / Month CAD
3-Months $277
6-Months $577
12-Months $1007

*A Design Fee of $25 will apply if you do not have a print-ready advertisement.

Ad Copy Guidelines
Book your advertisement

DIGITAL AD SIZE SAMPLES

Large Rectangle AD
Example: Large Rectangle AD 900x788px
Leader board AD
Leader Board AD 728x90px
Medium Box AD 300x250px
Small Square 200x200px
Wide Skyscraper AD 160x600px
Skyscraper AD 120x600px

PROMOTIONAL TOOLS

Buy the Cover

Purchase a digital magazine cover or any inside page(s) to use in your marketing campaigns.

Cover $87

*prices may change

View Our Advertising and
Submissions Guide

Panel 4

Testimonials

Your Reviews and Testimonials are Welcome and Most Appreciated!

Wanda St. Hilaire; Author, Freelance Writer, Storyteller, Blogger

Cindy is a dynamic force in publishing and highly supportive of writers and authors. I had the pleasure of writing briefly for Opal Magazine and look forward to future collaborations.

Boris Glikman, Independent Writing and Editing Professional

I have worked with Cindy DeJager for a number of years now, submitting my stories, poems and articles to her Opal Magazine and Opal Publishing website. I have enjoyed being a part of her publications, and of having a professional relationship with her. I am always impressed by how much she manages to accomplish on her own, and the meticulous attention that she gives to all aspects of magazine production. She has been very supportive of my creative endeavours, and I am very grateful for the opportunities that she has given me to share my writings with the online world. I look forward to my continuing association with her and her publications.

Jean Leggitt, Games and Edtech CEO

Cindy DeJager is a detail-oriented and driven storyteller who loves to empower others through the work she does. I met Cindy through her work on Opal Magazine – she profiled our company twice, having conducted thorough and professional interviews of our projects. Having worked with journalists and editors of dozens of publications in the last 5 years, Cindy impressed me with her care for the details that matter. She’s knowledgeable, approachable, and determined to make everyone look good.

Suzy Vadori, Author, Book Coach

Cindy gave me my first big PR with a cover of Opal magazine when I published my first book, The Fountain, back in 2016 and I’ll be forever grateful. Now, I’m lucky enough to be doing all things writing full-time and I’m thrilled that Cindy and Opal are stronger than ever. Opal takes pride in paying its writers for content. Opal lifts writers’ voices so that they can be heard. And Opal provides amazing perspective and content on the changing publishing industry. I can’t wait to see what Cindy and this next iteration of Opal do next.

Liberty Forrest, Mindset Mastery Coach

Cindy DeJager is highly skilled at anything she puts her hand to doing. As the owner, editor and creator of Opal Magazine, she is a force to be reckoned with! She has a wealth of knowledge and experience in various aspects of the writing and publishing world and her magazine is nothing short of a work of art. Covering a wide variety of topics that help indie authors and publishers, she is a fantastic source of information and support. Her magazine is also filled with excellent articles, short stories and more to inspire and entertain. I recommend her and Opal Magazine highly!

Jenny Hoops, Audiobook Producer

Cindy DeJager is a powerful force in publishing world! Opal Magazine (both the print and the online community) is a remarkable resource for writers, publishers and allied professionals. As an audiobook production house, my business relies on connecting with indie writers and publishers. Cindy’s Opal Publishing is one of those rare spaces where professionals can get together to share information, creative efforts and news in a safe, respectful way. I highly recommend Cindy DeJager and Opal Publishing! 

M.J. Preston, Author

Very professional, and fantastic to work with. Her publishing house and magazine are high on my list of recommended reading. Highly recommend.

If you would like to add a testimonial, you can add a comment to this page or send your testimonial to me at opalpublishing.calgary@gmail.com