Welcome to the Halls of Olympus! We are the Muses- goddesses of the arts and proclaimers of heroes! (Just kidding! We are a misfit of writers who love Greek Mythology and supporting other writers.) You have found the Muse Magazine, home of the celebration of the beautiful art of literature. Join us and hear our tale...

Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see. - Confucius

LaneyInRed won 1st place in the Sunflower Awards for poetry.
HeatherSmith672's "Shadow of Twilight'' won 1st place in Phoenix Awards in the Vampire/ Werewolf category.
Bandit26139's poetry anthology "Into the Abyss" won 1st place in the poetry category in the Phoenix Queen's Awards.
HeatherSmith672's "Stars Ascending" has 5k views.
AmnerisTenjo won 1st place in the Creative Cappuccino Awards.
JC_Walker99 won 1st place in Golden Awards
HeatherSmith672's "Shadow of Twilight" has 4k views
WolfUnderTheMoon89's "Selected" has reached 30k views and 4k votes
ily_ari_grande's "Discover Soulmate" has reached 19k views
midnightcupofnoodles had a great month:
The Last Princess:
• Won 1st place in Horror/Paranormal in The Dream Awards
• Got into the finals in both The Diamond in the Rough and The Prime Awards
• Crossed 85k readers and 4k votes
SarahSchott's "Dark Country" won in "What A Chapter!" Contest for Chapter 11 in Romance.
solorzanowriter's "A Royal Internship" made it to 750 reads

The Spotlight Muse this month is: EliBees
Muse of House Euterpe

1. What inspired you to start writing?
I wanted to see myself in the novels I read. I wanted to create a magical girl story with black girls, then I wanted to write fantasy novels with people who looked like me and of course I love a good romance novel but I wanted all of my Female MCs to be just as strong or stronger than their male counterparts.

2. Do you complete research for your books? If so, what's your method?
I do research as I go for my books. I'm a panster at heart so I start writing and then I research the things I need to. Usually I just do an ad hoc method and google things as I'm writing. This isn't the best method as I didn't know too much about Stornoway before I set my novel there and I kind of wished I did a bit more research before that, but you live and you learn!

3. If you had to pick one animal or thing that would represent your writing, what would it be?
Umm....oh my I'm not really sure. I'd like to say penguins, because that's my favorite animal, but I love them because they mate for life (not sure if that's true anymore - but I still believe it) and all of my MCs tend to find their person, soulmate, lifemate, or just the person that 'gets' them.

4. What do you consider your writer's kryptonite?
Umm....another story popping into my head and deterring me from writing my current WIP hahaha, that's happened to me so many damn times. I can't fight it for a while, but if the MCs keeping yelling in my head - Looking at you Reyna and Lucian/ Nadia and Luca - then I have to stop what I'm currently writing and at least write down some notes to get them to shut up.

5. Any plans for books or a series?
Yes, Eyes of the Beholder is a series I'm slowly working on. I still need to finish Kova + Rey and Mercatija, but I'm hoping to write my first 4 novel epic fantasy!

6. What is your ultimate goal for your book? tv show? movie? best seller? Hobby?
All of the above. Haha I'd love to be trad published, see my novels become a movie or a tv show. I'd love an animated series or graphic novel for Kova + Rey. I've been writing as hobby for a long time so I don't mind continuing to do that but it's wonderful to dream big and imagine my novels in a store front or on the big screen

7. Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special?
Hmm...my favorite character would have to be Nadia from Me Too, she was one of my very first MCs I wrote when I was 16. She was the first adult character I wrote about. She'd been through some serious trauma but was such a strong and independent person that I think in a way I looked up to her.

8. Any last notes about your book for the readers?
My novels always feature a strong female lead with an equally strong male lead, their relationships aren't picture perfect, but they will always be healthy. I hope and I try to stay away from toxic relationship tropes and I try to make my characters seem as real and relatable as possible. I hope my stories are uplifting and inspire at least one person to pick up a pen and write.

Title: The Beast of Stornoway

Cover:

Blurb: wattys-bootcamp-2020

The Beast of Stornoway is a vague and modern retelling of the classic story Beauty and the Beast, however, it's not a story for sweet little girls.

LORD VAN BLARCUM is a businessman, landowner, and bachelor who prefers his isolated life on his Manor in Stornoway, caring more for his horses than any meaningful interactions with humans. When his latest personal assistant quits, he's forced to hire a new one. Yet, no one in bloody Scotland will work for him.

AMANI BLAKE is tired of working as a cleaner, stuck in Detroit with no use of her Master's degree in psychology. Her mother forced her to stay in the city and work for a less than favorable employer. When she finally has enough, she quits her job and takes her life in her own hands. Scotland being her dream country to visit, she jumps on the chance to be a personal assistant for a Lord in Stornoway.

Sparks fly when Van and Amani meet, but the formidable Lord doesn't know what to make of his feelings. He soon learns he's betrothed to another woman, Lady Rebecca Fife. His mother is forcing him to marry the socialite or she will take the one thing he loves most: his manor.

Amani and Van try to deny their budding feelings for each other and grow ever closer as friends. Angered by their closeness, Lady Fife and his mother desperately try to keep them apart.

But, the Beast can't live without his Beauty.

Small Review: This is one of the best books I've read in awhile. Read it now before it's on the Best Seller shelf of your local bookstore. -Sclark71517

Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/209018663-the-beast-of-stornoway-

This Issue we are doing things a little differently. We are spotlighting an amazing tips book for our Writing Tips Section. If you think we should continue this leave a comment below.

Title: The Things I Learned in Fiction Class

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Blurb: I learned so many great things in Fiction Writing, and it seemed like a waste not to share them. This book contains tips for both advanced and beginning writers, with examples!

Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/184440493-the-things-i-learned-in-fiction-class

Spotlight Author: CMF_Wright

What inspired you to start writing?
My biggest inspiration was reading a lot as a child. I was homeschooled, so books were my main escape. And once I started reading, I wanted to create worlds of my own!

How do you handle Writer's Block?
veryone has days when they just don't feel like writing, and it can be a real struggle to push past that. What works best for me is to figure out the source of the problem. If the issue is that I don't know where the story is going, then brainstorming ideas and outlining the next few chapters works wonders. If I feel like I've lost the story's voice, I either rereading my story from the beginning, or read excerpts from a story with a similar narrative style (for my current story, Harry Potter is my go-to reference) until I remind myself how I want the story to sound. If the issue is none of the above (i.e. pure laziness and distraction on my part), the only thing that works is to turn off my internet and force myself to open the document and write words. I know some people in my writing group have also found writing sprints useful for getting those words out.

What genre(s) do you write and why?
It depends. I write short stories in many genres (sci-fi, speculative, general, fantasy, humor). Short stories are where I experiment and try new things without having to commit to a longer work. For longer fiction, I gravitate toward fantasy. The stories may include plenty of other elements like adventure, mystery, romance, and humor, but fantasy is the main genre. I like the imaginative aspect of creating new worlds and magical creatures, and I know the genre well enough to poke fun at tropes.

This Month's Spotlights are:
Spotlight Author: swag_gerism

What inspired you to start writing?
I've always had a penchant for storytelling, and for me, writing was the only way I could tell people what stories I have swirling in this confusing brain of mine, haha. I was also an avid book reader, which grew the love of writing in me. I am also an avid poem reader, which makes me write a lot of poems. Even at midnight. With coffee. It's amazing, haha.

How do you handle Writer's Block?
I usually take a break from my writing to write other things, like randomly pantsing another plot idea or dabbling on other forms of writing. When I'm blocked, I write poems or experiment with play writing. I also wrote lyrics once. As long as you exercise your writing muscle, you can overcome the block. At one point you'll then reread your ongoing project and then be inspired to write again because you've always been on the groove anyways.
Ironic that I'm also going through a little bit of writer's block for my book right now, so I'm off to slay that demon!

What genre(s) do you write and why?
I am very much into contemporary, but I am open to incorporating it with any genre. I have a dystopian plot, a romance plot and a teen fic plot all at the back of my head haha. But all of them have a strong contemporary and literary feel to it because I've always been a fan of reading those books. My favourite book is the Life Of Pi, which is literary fiction -- it is a strong inspiration to how i write. 1984, one hundred years of solitude -- these books also inspire me a lot.

Title: The Road To America

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Blurb: Anbu, a South Indian village boy, concocts the ambition of living in America after his affluent buddy gets into an American university -- but poverty and harsh reality threatens to bury his dreams.
••
In the small South Indian fishing village of Ratthinampakkam, seventeen-year-old Anbazhaghan 'Anbu' Muthusamy daydreams about dropping out of school and striking fortune by catching a million mackerels. His reality, however, is far from the castles he builds. Cowering under a storm-ravaged roof and barely having enough to eat, every day is an unstable game of life and death that makes Anbu yearn to fill his heart and his stomach.
But when his best buddy Vetrimaaran gets accepted into an American university, the line between fantasy and reality starts to blur. And when two foreigners -- both with the deep blue ocean in their eyes -- appear with Vetri at their tiny village, Anbu realises that maybe, just maybe, the beautiful future he dreams of is waiting for him right across the seven seas.
But with a stormy life and an empty stomach, Anbu has more in his path than he can ever imagine.
𝐍𝐀 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 | 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐘 | 𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/225893669-the-road-to-america

Spotlight Author: pretentiousQ

What inspired you to start writing?
Well I always had a million worlds inside my head, and there was such a strong urge in me to share them with everyone! I started writing when I was fourteen and the pen and paper have been my best friends ever since!

How do you handle Writer's Block?
I try as much as I can to plot my story down to the micro details, so I can write with ease. Unfortunately, some days writing is a such a task and I find myself staring at blank pages, so I usually go and take a nap. Strangely, my naps allow me to refocus on the topic with a lot more clarity and I'm better off!

What genre(s) do you write and why?
I write Teen Fiction mainly, but I'm recently dabbling in the New Adult Romance section and trying to experiment more with my writing style. Predominantly Teen Fiction, because its a very confusing time in our lives and characters have a lot more depth than they are given credit for. They high school experience is a weird, confusing and strange time and it makes up for a very amusing plot setting.

Title: Crescendo

Cover:

Blurb: Alex Wilson is tired of being music prodigy Clara Winston's son. As Clara's gift for music drives her down a rabbit hole of insanity, her violent actions drive him away from home to the small town of Aspendale. In a new environment, where he is no longer bearing the burden of his mother's fame, Alex is ready to discover his life beyond the music sheets and the cello.

Lacey is a small-town girl with big dreams. With eyes set on Julliard, she needs all the assistance she can get, and who better than Clara Winston's son to help her with the piano? As their devotion to music pulls them together, they discover there is more to each other that is keeping them entwined, and losing each other would be harder than they could imagine.

Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/225254982-crescendo

Here is a pocket prompt to get your creative juices flowing:

Tell a story about an adversity you faced in life.

What is the Olympus Writing Group?
"It's a Writing Community with a unique twist on it. We create a positive environment in our Community and allow our members to be mentored by their Muses (House Leaders) in nine houses inspired by the Nine Muses of Greek Mythology. Writing is a journey and we recognize that. But just because you're taking a journey, doesn't mean you have to take it alone or that you can't ask for help. That's why we're here. Take your writing journey with us. Experience the mentorship of our experienced Muses (House Leaders). Be a part of a positive environment. Meet people who will support you on your journey. And above all, know that you do not walk this path alone."

The Houses are:
Clio (Historical Fiction)
Euterpe (Non-Fiction, (General Fiction: New Adult, Young Adult, Adult))
Thalia (Humour, Short Story, Poetry)
Melpomene (Thriller, Mystery/Suspense, Horror)
Terpsichore (Sci-fi)
Erato (Romance, Drama, Chicklit)
Polymnia (Fan Fiction, Teen Fiction)
Ourania (Paranormal, Vampire, Werewolf, Urban Fantasy, Magical Realism)
Calliope (High Fantasy, all other forms of fantasy aside from Magical Realism and Urban Fantasy, Adventure, Action)

If you are interested in joining the Olympus Writing Group, apply in the link below:
https://www.wattpad.com/story/220998019-olympus-writing-group-open-for-new-members-and