In conversation with Rick Riordan

 Alan Place - Children's Author

Angels Cried

Yesterday, I was contacted by bestselling author, Rick Riordan, writer of the Percy Jackson series, about the charity book Angels Cried. In 2011, I was asled to participate in compiling stories for a charity book to send money for the Sandy Hook massacre. I have stories in other antholgies, mainly for the Children's Charity books written by The Peacock Writers. As these were for charity, we didn't expect a payment.

One anthology of this time features two of my stories, but this antholgy left a bad taste with the writers, though the book sold out at a festival in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2012, none of the writers who contributed saw a nickel.

Alan Place - Children's author

 My Charity work

The Peacock Writers

I am not known as a chidren's author, though for several years I was a member of the charity, The Peacock Writers, who were mainly a group of writers in the USA, who wrote for charity.

With the sale of my eBook, Elfenmere, this may change.

I am used to changing the genre of my stories, a fact which amazes and and amuses some writers I used to know. I have always said, "I am a writer, not a genre-writer.

My lost Dragon story

 Alan Place - Children's Author

An Invitation to Write for Charity

13 years ago, a group of writers I used to chat to online, invited me to write some stories for books for charity they were producing for children in the USA.

We had been writing on a site based in Germany for several months prior to my invitation, so they knew my style, and capabilities; I was regarded by many people on the site as one of the best writers on the site.

One of the stories I wrote for the group was a romance about dragons. I thought I had lost all traces of my story, until today while clearing some bags, I came across the book I wrote in, and there was my story. The idea of adding dragons to the title is mine.

LinkedIn Scams

Alan Place - Children's Author

LinkedIn Verification

I am generally not recognised as a Children's Author, but I did write a couple of children's stories.

For several years, I was part of a charity group who wrote stories for children called The Peacock Writers.

I was approached on LinkedIn by a person "claiming" to be from a group of people looking for unknown talented writers, and artists. When this happens, I go into "safe" mode, why would someone wish to contact me about writing?

She asked for a sample of my work for group to examine for publication in an upcoming book they were publishing for children. At this stage, I was more than suspicious as few people know of my work with the charity, and I am not known as a children's writer.

Sensing the scam, I went along, in part, with it to see what was going on. I sent the lady the manuscript for Elfenmere, my children's book about the environment. I was not surprised when I was "ghosted," the term indicates when a person shows interest in your work, but does not reply to your reply.

I was not concerned about the loss of the ms, the eBook has been on sale for many years, and done nothing, much like the ms I sent to the "promoter" I think scammed me. A Sailor's Love is over a decade old, and has not sold, so I didn't see the loss of the manuscript as a loss.

Several other people have complained about this site "ghosting" people, and they are not the only site doing it.

I went through the LinkedIn Verification process for nothing; well almost nothing; my goal was to block payment for a service I won't require, which I did. Not that verification means a thing, the site doing the "ghosting" was verified; and I had a site which didn't have a profile image attempt to scam me later that week, so LinkedIn is no safer than any other site.