Happy 5th Burf Day Zumaya Publications...and many many more~!!

Join Elizabeth Burton and the authors of Zumaya Publications as they tour the blogosphere to celebrate their  fifth year anniversary with a month long birthday bash!  Zumaya Publications is a small press publishing house based in Austin, Texas, and has been the home of many wonderful and talented authors under the direction of the multi-talented editor, Elizabeth Burton.  Together they are celebrating five years of irresponsible reading with giveaways, chats and more at Pump Up Your Book!

 About Rie Sheridan Rose:

Rie Sheridan Rose has been writing professionally for the last ten years or so — though she has just added the “Rose” on the end. After putting up with her for the last eight years, she figured her husband deserved the recognition. Prior to last year, her work appeared under “Rie Sheridan.” 

In that decade, she has published 4 novels, 1 short story collection, 2 chapbooks of collected stories, and five poetry collections as well as contributing to several anthologies.

Her stories have also been published in The Eternal Night, ShadowKeep and Verge ezines, as well as the EOTU and Planet Relish websites.

Her poetry appeared in the print magazines Mythic Circle, Dreams of Decadence, and Abandoned Towers as well as the Electric Wine and Tapestry ezines.

The Half-Price Books 1999 “Say Good-Night to Illiteracy” Anthology contained her children’s story “Bedtime for Benny”.

Both her short story anthology RieVisions and poetry collection Dancing on the Edge were finalists in the 2003 EPPIE awards. Poetry collection Straying from the Path and Young Adult novel The Right Hand of Velachaz were finalists in the 2004 EPPIE awards.

Her most popular stories to date are the Adventures of Bruce and Roxanne, humorous horror shorts several of which have been collected into two print chapbooks by Yard Dog Press.
She has also written the lyrics to several songs for Marc Gunn. Their “Don’t Go Drinking With Hobbits” CD is due out in August.

Her latest book is The Luckless Prince, published by Zumaya Otherworlds.

Rie lives in Texas with her husband Newell and several cats, all spoiled rotten.

You can visit her website at www.riewriter.com.

Connect with Rie at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/riesheridanrose.

 The Luckless Prince:
The Luckless Prince is an epic quest fantasy. Prince Roland and his squire, Stefan, journey downriver to negotiate a fur deal for his father. But the seemingly innocuous mission becomes a nightmare as the raft is attacked by a band of raiders. And their troubles are only beginning.

As Roland tries to return home and reassure his father of his safety, he finds himself taken prisoner by the mysterious elves of legend. And, in the end, only by forming an uneasy alliance can their common enemy be defeated.

Happy Birthday to Us

By Rie Sheridan Rose

I am so happy to have a book with Zumaya Publications at last. I have wanted to be a part of Zumaya for many years now – even before the current organization took over. 

My first novel was published in 2001. New to publishing, and with stars in my eyes, I dove into the sea of marketing, self-promotion, and networking. Despite a theater background, this was hard for me. I am naturally a shy individual, and when I first began, I was unable to break out of that shell. So I taught myself to think of it as a production, complete with costume and props. Those first two or three years, I wore my Renaissance Faire garb to every convention. I could talk to people when I thought of myself as “Writer” instead of plain-ol Rie.

Networking with the publishers and writers I met at these conventions gradually eased me out of that persona and into the integrated Writer-Rie I am today. Influential among those publishers was Liz Burton, who will always tell you the truth about a situation and lend a sympathetic ear. I was impressed with her professionalism and the quality of her product, and I really, really wanted to be a part of Zumaya.

But for a while there, I didn’t have a novel that I felt would do her house justice. I thought about submitting one of my WIP, and got some great suggestions for polishing it from Liz…but never got all the research I needed done. So I put that dream on hold as I worked on shorter pieces and poetry for a time.

Then I realized when I found a writing partner with a keen eye for detail and no fear of telling me where my work sucked – or at least needed some alterations – that I had the perfect opportunity to correct some things I had been disappointed with in my first novel, now out-of-print. After the revision process was complete, and I had a manuscript worthy of shopping to the publishers, I realized that my dream of being a Zumaya writer had a shot at coming true.

I sent The Luckless Prince to Liz, and she accepted it. There was still a great deal to do – and editing it through Google Docs was one of my favorite activities all year – but I was now a part of the small press I consider one of the best in the business.

I am looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship, so “Happy Birthday”, Zumaya. And many more! I am glad that I got to share my birthday with you today.