Stony Meadow Publishing - where dreams become words...

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 2 new titles due in 2010 and 4 more in 2011.

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.


CREATIVE WRITING CONTESTS!

 If you are a writer of the "horror" genre (short stories), there are several writing contests in progress at www.HorrorWritingContest.com. Otherwise, check out our current contests here at Stony Meadow Publishing. MORE INFO...


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

Inspiration for Songwriters: Tips and Tricks to Unlocking the MuseStan 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 working on a revision for 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! Look for it early 2011.

MORE INFO...


The Songwriter's Journal:

52 Weeks of Songwriting Ideas and Inspiration

The Songwriter's Journal: 52 Weeks of Songwriting Ideas and InspirationThe 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 2011. 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

The Dragons of ShadaraStan 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


Dark Moon Digest: The Horror Fiction Quarterly

If you don’t own a nightlight, maybe now’s the time to invest in one.

That’s because the first issue of Dark Moon Digest - The Horror Writer’s Quarterly is in the works. Dark Moon Books is proud to present this new and exciting publication geared toward horror fans and authors alike.

Published four times per year, this 100 plus page magazine will be a solid addition to any horror enthusiast’s library. Each issue will contain several short stories (many of them from new and emerging authors) that will tingle your spine and heighten your senses. Issues will also include horror poetry, columns, book reviews, contest information and more. Issue #1 will be available by October 1, 2010.

Dark Moon Digest will be available in e-publication format as well as hard copy. (Cover prices have not been established, but we intend to keep these as low as possible.) We just want to create a new marketplace for horror writers as well as a new venue for horror enthusiasts.

And now, better check to see if you have a nightlight that’s working…

MORE INFO...

1st Issue - October 2010

Visit The New DARK MOON DIGEST Website


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: 2011


Current Titles & Publishing Schedule

The Dragons of Shadara Out of Print
Inspiration For Songwriters Available Now
The Songwriter's Journal Available Now
The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck Available Now
Dragontooth: The Prequel Available Now
Every Death You Take (Amazon Kindle Edition) Available Now
A Velvet of Vampyres by Don Webb (Amazon Kindle Edition) Available Now
Forever Zombie: A Collection of Undead Guy Tales Available Now
Dark Moon Digest: The Horror Fiction Quarterly #1: Oct. 2010
Hobart Hucklebuck 2 - Pandemonium in Pennywhistle Early 2011
The Wind-Up Heart (a romance novella) 2011
Airship Academy (a young adult steampunk series) 2011
The Mix-And-Match Idea Book for Romance Writers Early 2011
The Romance Writer's Journal 2011
Garters and Gears (a steampunk romance) 2011

Dark Moon

Stony Meadow Publishing is now accepting submissions for horror novels under their new Dark Moon Imprint. Submission guidelines can be found here. You can also check out our horror writing contests here.

 

CREATIVE WRITING CONTESTS

Check here for our current contests for songwriters, poets and fiction writers!

Let The Muse Flow!

VISIT CONTEST INFO PAGES

 

Dark Moon Digest

The Horror Fiction Quarterly

Original short stories, poetry, columns, contests and more!

Check It Out Today!!!

 

The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck

Stan Swanson

The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck by Stan Swanson

If you are a pre-teen or have one in your family who enjoys fantasy tales, pick up this book. It's funny and packed with just enough action to trigger the reading bug in any youngster. -- K. Fontenot

 

The Songwriter's Journal

Stan Swanson

The Songwriter's Journal by Stan Swanson

I just wrote my first week's song, and I'm having a hard time keeping myself from reading ahead to next week. In fact, if I didn't have other things to do, I could just cuddle up with this book for the winter and write one song after another. -- S. Lick

 

Inspiration For

Songwriters

Stan Swanson

Inspiration For Songwriters by Stan Swanson

This book is packed with innovative jet fuel that will set your mind soaring into the creative stratosphere. There are hundreds of imaginative ideas here to unlock the imagination. -- Bob Lind

 

Forever Zombie

Stan Swanson

Forever Zombie caught me by surprise. There is a sinister humor here reminiscent of Edward Gorey, and a playfulness that echoes Roald Dahl. Forever Zombie is a hit! --Joe McKinney

 

The Poet's Journal

Stan Swanson

Available Spring 2011

 

Every Death You Take

Stan Swanson

Available in Kindle Edition

 

Dragontooth: The Prequel

Stan Swanson

Available Now

 

A Velvet of Vampyres

Don Webb

Available in Kindle Edition

 

Online Bookstores That Carry Our Titles

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Alibris

Books-A-Million

Powells

and many others.


Contact Information:

Stony Meadow Publishing

1690 Dunn Ave, #619

Daytona Beach FL 32114

386-366-0109

 

Listen to some of Stan's songs on MySpace! 

http://ypsiciti.com/

Visit Stan's MySpace

 

Copyright 2006-2009 by Stony Meadow Publishing

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES:

Books For Songwriters

Inspiration For Songwriters

Horror Writing Contest

Forever Zombie

Best Zombie Books

Joy Swanson's Art Gallery

Stan Swanson's Author Website