The long-awaited Coach's Midnight Diner is now available for Pre-Sales! This anthology of horror, mystery, crime, and paranormal goodness is highlighted by works in the Jesus Vs. Cthulhu category, as well as That One That Happens In A Diner. With an interior design by typography guru J. Mark Bertrand, this anthology is sure to delight, astound, and entertain you.
I am very pleased to announce to you the authors that will appear in Coach's Midnight Diner:
Go to a comic book convention with Jesus and Chris Mikesell
Visit the nexus of the universe with Kevin Lucia
Evangelize at gunpoint with Charles Browning
Get into a street fight with Matt Mikalatos
Take a whole new look at statutory violence with Caroline Misner
Blow up some asteroids with Jens Rushing
Take swimming lessons with Nathan Knapp
Get De-mused with Mike Duran
Drink a little absinthe with Melody Graves
Go to a strip club with R.M. Oliver
Have a chat with Elvis and Jennifer Edwards
Find a little help with Linda Gilmore
Buy a whorehouse with Robert Garbacz
Take a trip to the moon with Neil Riebe
Catch the Night Train with Suzan Robertson
Give a gift to get a gift from Paul Luikart
Look into the eyes of a gargoyle with J. Mark Bertrand
Take the case with S.J. Kessel
Find the worm in the apple with Rob Jennings
Become a hero with Mike Delloso
Take an Old Testament approach to New Testament problems with Mike Medina
I received many great Jesus Vs. Cthulhu entries, as well as many great entries for That One That Happens In A Diner. The category winner for Jesus Vs. Cthulhu is Chris Mikesell, for his story, "In R'yleh, Jesus Walks." The category winner for That One That Happens In A Diner is Kevin Lucia, for his story "The Way Station" (which also includes a cameo by everyone's favorite tentacled dreamer).
There are more Jesus Vs. Cthulhu stories that will be included in the Diner, including an authentic Lovecraftian adventure by Neil Riebe, and an outer space encounter by Jens Rushing. These two stories wowed me with their originality and craft, and deserved to be published.
I also received some great pieces for That One That Happens in a Diner that also deserved to be published, including a great time travel vignette from Jennifer Edwards and a beautiful work by Linda Gilmore. These two pieces uncovered unique facets of diner life that I think you'll really appreciate.
I'm still trying to pick an Editor's Choice winner from the rest of the works, but I have to tell you, it's a tough race, and I'm having a difficult time selecting a winner for that one.
I will post a more thorough discussion of what will be in the Diner a little later in the week.
Congratulations to all Diner authors, and thanks to everyone who submitted. Stay tuned!
Issue 3 is the only place you can read the Faith*In*Fiction/Relief Daily Sacrament Contest winning entries! This issue should ship May 20th.
Some of you who have visited our newly upgraded web store have probably noticed a new look and an easier navigation process. Due to the upgrade process, friends who have purchased from the web store in the past will need to create a new account in the store. Coach apologizes for the inconvenience, and hopes you will enjoy the new easier to use features.
New Submission Period Now Open
The Submission Period for Issue 5 is now open! Click here to jump to it! Submissions for Issue 5 will close August 1st. By the way, J. Mark Bertrand, our Fiction Editor, posted a series of great blogs called Getting In: A Guide for Fiction Writers Submitting to Relief over at the Relief Writers Network. Check it out!
Author Website Contest
Lisa Ohlen Harris took top vote for her site LisaOhlenHarris.com at the Relief Coffee and Conversation Event last weekend. Voters were taken by the simple majesty of her design.
MikeDuran.com took second place, wooing voters with a quirky but richly textured blog.
Honorable Mention goes to MaureenMcQuerry.com for classy artwork and clean design that accents her site.
The Author Website Contest was featured at our Coffee and Conversation Event held in Chicago at the new bLENd Coffee Shop at 1725 W. Division. Friends new and old voted on the sites as screenshots of each site rotated on a big beautiful flat screen TV. Thanks to all authors who participated in the contest.
And since we're on the topic....
Highlights from Coffee and Conversation at bLENd!
We had a great event last weekend, and had about 20 friends come out and visit throughout the day. Due to the small size of the event, we were able to meet and talk with everyone who came out and had a great time. We'll post more later on, but here's a few pics of the highlights!
We were honored to have Paul, Lisa Beth, and Lisa Ann read pre-published and published works at the event. Paul will be published in Issue 3 and in Coach's Midnight Diner, Lisa Beth was published in Issue 2 (one of Coach's favorites) and Lisa Ann read a fantastic original work (which she should probably submit).
Brad, Heather, Kimberly, and Coach answered questions asked both via email and from friends who came out to the event during the Editor's Panel.
We built in plenty of time for friends old and new to hang out, drink coffee, and get to know one another.
All in all, the event was a lot of fun, and we would like to thank everybody who came out for your support of both Relief and bLENd. For those of you who wanted to be there but couldn't, we'll have more, so stay tuned!
Relief Mugs and T-Shirts!
Be the first on your block to get a nifty matte finish Relief mug and a swell Relief T-shirt! We'll be posting them for sale in the Relief Store soon!
Coach's Midnight Diner
Accepted authors for Coach's Midnight Diner will be posted first at the Relief Writer's Network (membership has its benefits) and then right here on the front page very soon!
Nanowrimo Spring Training
Coach will be hosting Nanowrimo Spring Training over at the Relief Writers Network starting soon! Stay tuned to the RWN for details.
The Daily Sacrament Contest is now closed. The winner will be announced here and on Faith*In*Fiction, and published in Issue 3 of Relief. Runner up will be published at Faith*In*Fiction,
