Welcome to Stony Meadow Publishing
Stan Swanson formed Stony Meadow Publishing in 2005.
Having had no success with the traditional publishing route, (you know, sending out dozens of manuscripts to publishers and editors), he
realized that the only way to get published was to launch his own publishing
company. After nearly a year of research, he published his first book in 2006.
Stony Meadow Publishing now has five books available with at least 4
new titles due in 2010 and 4 more in 2011. Many of these releases will be
geared towards songwriters, pots and authors of fiction.
The world of print-on-demand publishing has made
it possible for the "guy" (or girl) next door to finally write and publish the
great American novel or that "how-to" book on building bird houses. If you
would like more information on having your book published, send us an e-mail at
StonyMeadowBooks@aol.com.
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CREATIVE WRITING
CONTESTS!
We are sponsoring a couple a of contests over the next
year. We currently have three contests going for creative writing types: this
includes contests for songwriters, poets and fiction writers. If you
are a writer of the "horror" genre, please visit
www.HorrorWritingContest.com.
(Winners of the Dark Moon Book Anthology: Zombies!
are available here.) Otherwise, check out our current contests here at Stony Meadow Publishing.
MORE INFO...
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Hints
and Tips for Writers
We've gathered a few hints and tips for writers over the
years. Check this area out for information and articles for songwriters,
poets, fiction writers and more. Discover how to use power words (and what
they are) in your writing. Do you use the word "said" too much in your
fiction? Well, here are some alternative suggestions.
Inspiration
for Songwriters:
Tips and Tricks to Unlocking the Muse
 Stan
Swanson's first book for songwriters,
Inspiration for Songwriters: Tips and Tricks to Unlocking the Muse
(ISBN: 978-0-9787925-0-3) was released in 2006 by Stony Meadow Publishing. It
provides thousands of inspirational ideas that could very well be the seeds to
your next song!
All in all, Inspiration for Songwriters includes over
2000 titles, tips, tricks and other ideas that will inspire you to create song
after song. It is available from
Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other major book stores and distributors
as well as the publisher.
UPDATE: Stan is currently hard at work on revising Inspiration
for Songwriters. The 2nd edition will contain more pages and lots of
additional material for songwriters at all stages of their careers. New
segments in the revised edition will include more power words (used in
alliterative phrases to show how powerful they really are), new songwriting
exercises, real thoughts from real songwriters on how they get inspired, a
greatly expanded Songwriter's Resource Appendix with dozens of listings of
songwriter magazines, books and software. A listing of 101 cliches you can
either use in your songs or re-write to make the cliche your own, as well as
an appendix of chords charts for guitarists. This newly revised and expanded
edition will definitely belong on your bookshelf!
MORE
INFO...
The
Songwriter's Journal:
52 Weeks of Songwriting Ideas
and Inspiration
 The Songwriter's Journal: 52 Weeks of Songwriting
Ideas and Inspiration (ISBN: 978-0-9787925-1-3) was written in response to readers of
Inspiration for
Songwriters and is our best-selling title. It is packed with the fuel
you need to ignite the imagination and provides you with more ideas than you
could ever hope to write about. With hundreds of entries designed specifically
to spark the muse within, the book should reside on every songwriter's
bookshelf or desk. It is available from
Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other major book stores and distributors
as well as the publisher.
MORE
INFO...
The Misadventures of
Hobart
Hucklebuck: Book One
 Stan
is just finishing up his edits on the second book in this series. Catch up
on
the series with the first book before the second hits the bookstores in 2010.
The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck is an juvenile fiction fantasy
book series aimed at ages 7-12 and initial reviews are guaranteed to make this a must
read.
MORE INFO...
READ AN EXCERPT
ORDER YOUR BOOK NOW!
Check out the book at
Amazon.
The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck
is also available at your local bookstore. If it's not on the shelf, ask them
to order it for you!
The second book in this exciting fantasy series,
Pandemonium in Pennywhistle, will be available early 2010. You can
see a preview of the new cover art by Michael Koch to the right. If you
thought things were a little wacky in Pennywhistle in the first book, well,
things even get weirder in the second book. Lots of fun and humor!
 Forever Zombie: A Collection
of Undead Guy Tales
This collection of short stories is now
available from our Dark Moon Books imprint. The current list of zombie-oriented short
stories for this new book from Stan Swanson includes:All In The Family, The
Good, The Bad and the Really, Really Ugly, Every Dreath You Take, Ozark Hicks
and Zombie Chicks, Playmate, The Oprah Book Club, A Night At The Zombie Museum
(which has been nominated for the 2010 Darrell Awards for best horror fiction
short story)
and more. Zombies and quick-witted humor? You bet! Check out the Forever
Zombie website at www.ForeverZombie.com.
Forever Zombie is also available through
Amazon and other online bookstores. The great cover artwork was created by
Carolin O'Neal.
"Forever Zombie caught me by surprise. There is a
sinister humor here reminiscent of Edward Gorey, and a playfulness that echoes
Roald Dahl. It's a curious mix, but it works great. Trust me: whichever way
your pleasure tends, whether it's a subtly placed bit of characterization or a
deliciously plotted twist ending, you're going to find something to love here.
Forever Zombie is a hit!"
--Joe McKinney, Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead
The Dragons of Shadara still available
 Stan finished his first novel,
The Dragons of Shadara in 1998 and finally had it published in 2003. The book is a fantasy novel for young adults
and is currently out-of-print although you can still probably get a copy
through Amazon. It has been re-released in 2009 as Dragontooth: The
Prequel in preparation for the next book in the series:
Dragontooth: Book One. You might want to grab this earlier version
while it is still available. Once Dragontooth is released, this
could be a collector's item. Well, probably not, but who knows?
ORDER FROM AMAZON
Dragontooth: The Prequel
 It
is time for a rare occurrence in the kingdom of Shadara. It is time for the
"hatching" of a White Dragon. This event signals a time to reaffirm
commitments made long ago between dragon and man. The ceremony also celebrates
the anointing of the kingdom's chosen heir. Under normal circumstances, this
is always the king's eldest son. Mostly pomp and circumstance, it still
carries great tradition and meaning. But something extraordinary happens at
this hatching ceremony when the newly born White Dragon anoints a common
stable boy as the next king. Timothy Bright is as confused as anyone when he
is chosen by the White Dragon. The menacing Lord Flagg, on the other hand, is
one of the few who knows the truth. We are also introduced to two members of
the Council of the White Dragon: Sebastian, an intelligent, quick-witted Cloud
Dragon and Clarence, a common (don't tell him that) Forest Dragon. Throw in an
evil Shadow Dragon (as if Lord Flagg isn't enough) and you have quite a cast
of characters. The Dragons of Shadara is an exciting adventure with heroes and
villains alike that will keep you turning pages long after "lights out." (Ages
12 and up) (NOTE: This is a re-print of The Dragons of Shadara
under a new title.) 
ORDER FROM AMAZON
 COMING
SOON!
Dark Moon Anthology: Zombies!
A great collection of zombie short
stories from both new and established authors. This one should be available early
2010. Look for it in March or April. It
will be available at Stony Meadow Publishing, Amazon and Barnes &
Noble online.
AVAILABLE: Spring 2010
Check out current and upcoming horror writing
contests at
www.HorrorWritingContest.com. Currently open contests include
Dark Moon Books: Monsters! and
the Dark Moon Books' "Scary Poetry"
contest. Contests scheduled to open for entries in 2010 include
Dark Moon Books: Vampires!,
Dark Moon Books: Ghosts! and
Dark Moon Books: Lycanthropes!
Check the site often for news of when the new contests will be
opening for entries.
 COMING
SOON!
The Mix-and-Match Idea Book for
Romance Writers
A unique approach to a system of
gathering ideas and thoughts for creating your next romance
novel. This book is
organized in such a fashion that you can choose a topic from one page and mix
it with two or three other ideas to create a new song. There are 9 different
topics and ideas per page which can be mixed and matched for literally
thousands and thousands of new ideas. The nine ideas per page include A Title
For Your Next Book, A Book Synopsis, Names For Your Heroine, Names
For Your Hero, Description For Your Heroine, Description For Your
Hero, Occupations For Your Characters, Character Traits and
Locales/Settings For Your Novel. Also includes a Best-Selling
romance novel excerpt. Also includes are Resources (books, magazine,
software, associations and websites), a complete list of hundreds of
character traits and moods, a list of romance novel categories, a
list of the hundred best-selling romance novels of all time,
Mix-and-Match Book Title Creation, Character Sheets, list of
hundreds of occupations and two mix-and-match lists for creating
character names.
AVAILABLE: March 2010
 COMING
SOON!
Do You Remember Frankenstein? (A Collection of Scary
Poems)
This one should be available in early
2010. It will include horror poetry from Stan Swanson. Although much
of the poetry included is "scary" and dark, many of the poems are
humorous. It will be a fun addition to your horror or poetry
collection. Look for it soon. It
will be available at Stony Meadow Publishing, Amazon and Barnes &
Noble online. You can catch a few of these poems at
http://www.scarypoems.blogspot.com along with several other
horror poet's work.
AVAILABLE: April 2010
 COMING
SOON!
The Book of Romantic Phrases:
A Dictionary of Descriptive Imagery for Romance
Writers, Poets and Lovers
The perfect handbook for romance writers.
Thousands of phrases and tags covering everything from head to toes. Also
includes a special "Naughty Parts" section for the "faint of heart" writer.
Romance writers, writers of romantic poetry and lovers of all ages will enjoy
this book. Authors will undoubtedly keep this guide handy at all times. Other
descriptive phrases include characters traits, moods, action and much more.
Includes thousands of phrases and tags.
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: 2nd Quarter 2010.
 COMING
SOON!
The Poet's Journal: 52 Weeks of Poem & Poetry Ideas
and Inspiration
This one should also be available early
2010. It will include Inspiration Quotes, Quotes from Poets, Poetry
Writing Exercises, Power Words, Power Word Exercises, Great Lines
From Great Poems, A Poet to Read for Inspiration, Poetry Terms,
Something to Write a Poem About, Poetry Resources (Toolkit),
Everyday Poets On What Inspires Them, Titles/Beginning Lines For
Your Next Poem, Types of Poems, Did You know Blurbs, Poet’s
Biography and Poet Laureates or Award Winners. Everything you need
to get that inspiration flowing the next time you set down to create
a truly inspiring poem.
AVAILABLE: Early 2010
 COMING
SOON!
The Romance Writer's Journal
Romance writer's will fall in love with this
book. Week-by-week content will include best romance novels of all-time, best
romance authors of all-time, an original idea for your next romance novel,
character traits to explore in your next romance novel, strong, romantic names
you can use in your writing, a beginning paragraph for your next book or short
story, historical areas to explore for your next romance novel, free romance
novels you can read for ideas and inspiration, writing tips for authors of
romance novels,2 writing exercises, some basic terminology for romance
writers, best-selling romance novels, excerpts from romance novels, using
modern slang for romance writers, romantic movies to watch for ideas and
inspiration, cities and settings for your next book, award-winning romance
novels and authors, romantic quotations, marketing your romance novel,
publisher's marketplace, literary marketplace, writer's resources for
magazines, books, software and websites aimed at romance writers and markets
for short stories. ESTIMATED RELEASE
DATE: 2nd Quarter 2010.
 COMING
SOON!
The Fiction Writer's Journal
Writers of fiction will make sure to have this
book at their side when they write or just to browse through for ideas.
Week-by-week content will include best novels of all-time, best authors of
all-time, an original idea for your next fiction book, creating character
traits, names for characters, a beginning paragraph for your next novel or
short story, strange-but-true stories to turn into a novel or short story,
historical events to base your next book on, free fiction books you can read
for ideas and inspiration, writing tips, 3 writing exercises, grammar
terminology lessons, all-time best-selling fiction books, great opening lines
from great novels, 'did you know' feature, best fiction writers of the modern
era, using modern slang and what it means, alternatives to the word 'said',
basic terminology for fiction writers, quotes by authors about writing,
marketing your fiction book, publisher's marketplace, literary agent
marketplace, writer's resources for magazines, books and software and markets
for short stories. ESTIMATED RELEASE
DATE: 2nd Quarter 2010.
Current Titles & Publishing Schedule
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(Amazon Kindle Edition)
