The company facilitates fee-based book publication and marketing for local authors,
organizes writer's retreats, and sponsors a television talk show.
Recent Blog Postings
Elaine's Blog
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"Write by the River" Writer's Retreat is Sept. 29
Written by Elaine Ambrose
The 4th Annual "Write by the River" Writer's Retreat sponsored by Mill Park Publishing will be Saturday, September 29 at Elaine Ambrose's cabin in Garden Valley. To keep costs down, the retreat only will cost $50 to cover speakers, materials, lunch, an awesome canvas tote bag and snacks.This year's theme: Get Published: On Your Own and by the New York Big Guys.
Speakers include New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Basye Sander and national humorist Stacy Dymalski.
The retreat will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end around 4:00 pm. For an additional $20, participants can attend a private reception with the speakers on Friday evening, September 28.
Former speakers have included Tony Doerr, Lance Olsen, and Alan Heathcock. Past participants who are now published authors include Gretchen Anderson and AK Turner.
Registration details will be added to this site as soon as possible.
Written on Saturday, 21 April 2012 21:07 in Elaine's Blog Read 67 times -
Drinking with Dead Women Writers - New Book!
Written by Elaine Ambrose
DRINKING WITH
DEAD WOMEN WRITERSImmediate Release: April 17, 2012
Contact: Elaine Ambrose, Author/Owner of Mill Park Publishing
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Boise, ID: Idaho authors Elaine Ambrose and AK Turner share their talents for storytelling in a sassy new book about 16 famous dead women writers. The Premiere Party for DRINKING WITH DEAD WOMEN WRITERS is Saturday, May 12 from 3:00 – 6:00 pm at Asiago’s Wine Bar, 1002 Main in Boise.
Most early female writers used pen names because women weren’t regarded as competent writers. Margaret Mitchell wrote only one published novel in her lifetime, but Gone with the Wind won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 and sold more than 30 million copies. Emily Dickinson was so paranoid that she only spoke to people from behind a door. Carson McCullers wrote The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter at age 22. Her husband wanted them to commit suicide in the French countryside, but she refused. Ambrose and Turner explore these and other intriguing facts about the most famous women in literary history.
“I was completely enthralled by DRINKING
WITH DEAD WOMEN WRITERS, as Elaine Ambrose and AK Turner took turns in a fantastical romp through literature and drink, tossing back cocktails with some of the greatest female voices in literary history, cracking wise, prodding for answers to insightful questions, allowing us to know these writers and their minds in essays both hilarious and thoughtful. A rare mix of cleverness and intellect, and a total blast to read.”-- Alan Heathcock, award winning author of VOLT
-- AlanHeathcock.com
Ambrose is the author of Menopause Sucks and an author of five other books. Her short stories and feature articles appear in several anthologies and magazines. Turner is the creator of “The Writers’ Block” on Radio Boise. She writes a humor column for the Boise City Revue and served as a Writer-in-Residence. The book is published by Mill Park Publishing.
Written on Tuesday, 17 April 2012 23:41 in Elaine's Blog Read 94 times -
Idaho Writers & Readers Rendezvous
Written by Elaine Ambrose
Mill Park Publishing is a sponsor of the Idaho Writers & Readers Rendezvous on May 3-5 at The Centre in Boise. Other sponsors include The Idaho Writers Guild and The BSU Story Initiative.
MPP owner Elaine Ambrose will speak on a panel for "Small Press" on Friday, May 4. On Saturday, Elaine will moderate a panel titled "Publishing Today." Elaine also will judge entries in the fiction competition. Of course, she'll also be an eager and borderline-obnoxious participant in the evening's festivities. Why don't you join us?
Find registration information at www.idahowritersrendezvous.com
Written on Tuesday, 17 April 2012 03:12 in Elaine's Blog Read 97 times -
"Write by the River" Writer's Retreat will be Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012
Written by Elaine AmbroseWritten on Monday, 16 April 2012 23:42 in Elaine's Blog Read 90 times
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Cowboy Poetry: Using Imagery to Write a Poem
Written by Elaine Ambrose
Cowboy Poet Ernie Sites brought his energy, humor, and talent to Boise over the weekend,
and Mill Park Publishing sponsored his workshop titled “Writing the Songs of the West.” Participants were entertained and enlightened as he discussed the various ways to write and recite
poetry. He added some lively guitar playing to demonstrate how he turns his stories into songs.For one exercise, he showed the group various western paintings: agitated horses in a corral, a medicine woman, a Conestoga wagon crossing a river. Then he allowed 15 minutes for the attendees to write a poem. We all were amazed as each one stood to recite her or his poetry. Clearly, the assignment sparked some creative writing within the group.
Ernie instructed us to use free verse or rhyme, and I chose to write a poem about the
river crossing. I wrote in iambic tetrameter, a style I have used since my high
schools days (which happened about the same time as the wagon trains coming
west on the Oregon Trail.) Here’s my poem:Crossing Over
The raging river shoved the wagon.
Pa yelled at us to hang on tight
but Samuel fell into the water.
He screamed and then slipped out of sight.
My mama held the baby close
and glared at Pa to save their child
but he was struggling with the horses
to get across the river wild.
We reached the bank, he jumped back in
but all he found was Samuel’s shirt.
My mama didn’t smile for years
‘cause life was hard, and she was hurt.
Written on Monday, 13 February 2012 18:09 in Elaine's Blog Read 254 times
Here Comes the Bride's Wedding Dress Book
Today with the simple click of the send key, 133 pages of our new book, Little White Dress, are magically traveling through cyberspace to the printer, less than one month from the evening we gathered to write about “the dress.”
Technical details: The book will be 4-3/4 inches by 7-7/16 inches, with a perfect binding, black ink on 60# white paper, and have a four-color cover with gloss UV coating. ISBN is 978-0-9728225-7-2. Price is $10.
Creative details: The book shares cheers, tears and fears from 24 women whose relationship with a wedding dress (or two) made a profound impact on their lives.
The book’s authors include physicians, photographers, television producers, best-selling authors, filmmakers, professors, and stay-at-home moms. We have never-married, divorced, gay, and happily married women, and even a former nun. Ages range from a high school teen to grandmothers. The stories will touch, inspire, and surprise.
Little White Dress will be printed, bound, packed into cartons, and delivered in October, less than two months after Liza Long wrote a post on Facebook about finding used wedding dresses at thrift shops. Liza’s message prompted powerful responses from women who wanted to write about “the dress.” So, of course, we decided to write a book and invite other authors to contribute. With an added hook, we decided to write it in one day and complete publication by October. Done.
Liza set up a Facebook page and sent a call for entries. Then we met at my house on August 8 for the initial writing. Some of the authors are from out of state, so they emailed their stories and poems. Liza formatted the text and designed the cover with a dynamite photo from local photographer Amber Daley. I secured a printing bid and other publication details and then laughed and cried my way through the stories. Our talented friend Amanda Turner assisted with copyediting. We expanded the book by 33 pages, and decided to donate a portion of the proceeds to Dress for Success. We finished the final edit at Liza’s house on September 1.
Our stories and poems about wedding dresses incorporate our passionate dreams, some fulfilled, some destroyed. The stitches of our dresses create significant pieces in the fabric of our lives. (Cue Carole King singing “Tapestry.”) Stay tuned for book signing events and festive holiday parties. Wedding dress, optional.
Mill Park Publishing
Mill Park Publishing - Sassy but Classy Reading and Writing
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Facilitates fee-based book publication and marketing for local authors
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Organizes writer's retreats
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Sponsors a television talk show
Mill Park Publishing of Eagle Idaho was created in 2003 by author Elaine Ambrose.