TOASTED CHEESE
Est. January 18, 2001
Editors
Stephanie "Baker" Lenz*
Theryn "Beaver" Fleming*
Amanda "Bellman" Marlowe*
Erin "Billiard" Bellavia*
Lisa "Boots" Olson*
Ana "Broker" George
Reviews Editor
Shelley "harpspeed" Carpenter
Forum Hosts
J.E. "jenoonan" Noonan
Erica "pinupgeek" Ruedas
*Founding Editor
Email: editors[at]toasted-cheese.com
Publishing news: news[at]toasted-cheese.com
Submissions: see the Submission Guidelines.
Contests: see the Contest Guidelines.
Article Queries: see Article Guidelines.
Book Reviews: see Review Guidelines.
In an effort to reduce the amount of spam we receive, we have replaced all the @ symbols in email addresses on the site with [at]. To contact us, replace [at] with @.
editors[at]toasted-cheese.com is our address for general editorial correspondence. To ensure your email is read, put a meaningful description in your subject line, e.g. Volunteering to Host at the TC Forums.
submit[at]toasted-cheese.com is for submissions only. Subject lines of submissions should be formatted as per the Submission Guidelines. Please note: Submissions sent to editors[at]toasted-cheese.com will not be read.
Our primary reason for creating Toasted Cheese is to provide a place where writers can get honest feedback on their work and honest information about issues important to writers.
Do we have an ulterior motive? Sure. We're all writers, and as you know, writing is a solitary profession. We want a place where we can get together with other writers and share information, talk about writing and get feedback on our work.
Just as one genre isn't for everyone, we know that one site isn't for everyone either. While we hope you will be happy with the writing community at Toasted Cheese, if not, we hope that the links at Mustard & Cress will help you find what you are looking for.
Toasted Cheese is committed to being an independent site, where all opinions are free to be expressed, as long as they are expressed in a polite manner. While we don't rule out trying to make TC self-supporting financially in the future, TC will never rely solely on advertising for revenue. You will always be free to post links to other sites and tell each other about useful writing tools.
Toasted Cheese is a site created by writers for writers. We are half-a-dozen struggling writers, not a corporation. We don't claim to have all the answers. While we've each published a short story or two, none of us have hit the big time— yet. TC is not about us teaching you, it's about all of us learning from each other.
We hope you'll join us in our campaign to Hunt The Snark, and polish your writing. Snark, aside from being a mythical beast in a Lewis Carroll poem, is what we call all those things in our writing that make it less than its best. Our mission is to hunt it out and get rid of it, and to help other people do the same. Whether you need to "charm it with smiles and soap" or to "threaten its life with a railway share" we at TC are dedicated to helping you— and we look forward to you helping us.
We hope that TC will help you achieve your definition of success--whether that's making the NY Times bestseller list, appearing on "Oprah" or getting a short story in a print magazine. Welcome to Toasted Cheese and best of luck with your writing aspirations.
The Snarkers
Snarkers Emeritus
Ronda Brink
Suzanne Wiles Chapman (Barrister)*
Teresa Hichens-Olson
Tawny McDonald (Butcher)*
Rhia Perkins (Kittlekatt)
Mollie "Bonnets" Savage
Steve "Macfisto" Simpson
Trina Talma (Banker)
*Founding Editor
Thanks to everyone who has supported us along the way!
Special thanks to our former hosts:
Jo Chandler
Sheila Gallant-Halloran
Jennifer (Peacefrog)
Dee Ann Ruffel
Janet Mullany (Elailah)
Erica Ruedas (Gargoyle)
Kelly (ibroker)
Jennifer Justice (Kyronae)
Scott Langston (scottasaigon)
J. "jaywalke" Walke
Lindsay Vaughan
Faith "fmwrites" Watson
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Snarkers and our Crew
BAKER
Stephanie 'Eden' Lenz
baker[at]toasted-cheese.com
Managing Editor, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
Calendar Editor
Forum Administrator
I engage with the Snark-- every night after dark--
In a dreamy delirious fight:
I serve it with greens in those shadowy scenes,
And I use it for striking a light
~Fit the Third: The Baker's Tale
People inevitably ask "What do you do?" I have a lot of answers: Girl Scout leader, soccer mom, and romance enhancement consultant, to name a few. The answer I usually give is "I'm a writer and editor." It pays nothing, at least for practical purposes. I can't trade a contributor copy for a latte (although what a great idea that would be, small cafes and booksellers).
In 2003 & 2005, I blessed my union with issue, which led to a kinda-sorta writing hiatus. Now that the younger is in school, I've eased back into writing & submitting.
My fiction has appeared in 5923 Quarterly, Bound Off, Northpoint, Journal of the Blue Planet, Flashquake, Blue Moon Journal, Kudzu, Amoret, Mind Caviar, and Abby's Realm, as well as the anthologies Harlan County Horrors and Best Women's Erotica 2003. I've won NaNoWriMo in 2007, 2010, and 2011 and one of my next goals is "obtain agent for novel."
@edenza | Writing Portfolio | NaNoWriMo | LinkedIn
BEAVER
Theryn Fleming
beaver[at]toasted-cheese.com
Editor in Chief, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
Absolute Blank & A Pen in Each Hand Editor
Forum Adminstrator
The Beaver brought paper, portfolio, pens,
And ink in unfailing supplies:
While strange creepy creatures came out of their dens,
And watched them with wondering eyes.
~Fit the Fifth: The Beaver's Lesson
Since I last updated my bio, I've completed my master's and started my PhD. My research focuses on print culture and new media; I'm interested in the interplay between narrative writing and technology. My favorite genres are life writing, literary fiction, young adult fiction, mysteries and thrillers. In addition to my other editorial duties at TC, I judge the A Midsummer Tale creative non-fiction writing contest. When I'm not reading or writing, I'm probably taking photos, cooking, or running. Sometimes I blog about these things. I like starting (but apparently not finishing) novels and running in the rain (it makes me feel hardcore). I dislike writing autobiographical blurbs and having my picture taken. LinkedIn | Twitter
BELLMAN
Amanda Marlowe
bellman[at]toasted-cheese.com
Editor, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
Forum Administrator
Technical Advisor
Friends, Romans and countrymen, lend me your ears!
(They were all of them fond of quotations:
So they drank to his health, and they gave him three cheers,
While he served out additional rations).
~Fit the Second: The Bellman's Speech
Me? Well, my mild-mannered alter ego is working hard at work and observing how all the world's a stage and all that good stuff… SuperBellman, on the other hand, is busy staring at the laptop all night long, and trying to write something longer than 1000 words, and wondering if the laptop is laced with kryptonite. My primary writing focus at the moment is children's literature, which is my favorite reading material, and poetry. It's possible I'm a member of the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators. Depends on when and how often you look at the list—I'm like Schroedinger's cat that way. I also read a lot. A week without a book finished is a week not worth living. My family keeps threatening to put me into a Readers Anonymous program. "Hi, My name is Amanda, and I'm addicted to Bujold and Pratchett…"
BILLIARD
Erin Bellavia
billiard[at]toasted-cheese.com
Editor, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
Newsletter Editor
The maker of Bonnets ferociously planned
A novel arrangement of bows:
While the Billiard-marker with quivering hand
Was chalking the tip of his nose.
~Fit the Fourth: The Hunting
Who am I?
I've been working on the answer to that question for 30+ years. I'll let you know if I ever come up with a satisfactory answer. ;)
I grew up in western PA and now live in Buffalo, NY where I am a substitute teacher and adjunct college instructor, teaching freshman composition.
I've spent most of my professional life writing in one way or another, writing for a newspaper, writing press releases (and various miscellany) for a non-profit organization, and now teaching writing. I've been a "writer" for as long as I can remember, though. In grade school, I used to carry around a notebook and make up stories about my friends. I've had short stories published in Woman's World, Journal of the Blue Planet, No Noun Sense, and of course here at Toasted Cheese. I've also had one nonfiction essay published in a collection called Inspiration for Greeks. I won NaNoWriMo for the first time last November. I'm currently thinking about revising my novel, and playing around with a nonfiction proposal. You can read my day-to-day musings and ramblings at erin-go-blog!
BOOTS
Lisa 'Deoris' Olson
boots[at]toasted-cheese.com
Editor, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
The Boots and the Broker were sharpening a spade--
Each working the grindstone in turn:
But the Beaver went on making lace, and displayed
No interest in the concern:
~Fit the Fourth: The Hunting
A writer without a writing degree, I usually write short stories or stories with a fantasy element to them. I dabble in the much-mocked fan fiction genre and spend most of my online time at an Amazon writing and role-playing group called Themiscyra. In real life, I'm from Portland, Oregon where I live with my husband, our two full-grown sons, one anime-friendly girlfriend, our ten cats and two dogs and occasionally one gorgeous granddaughter. I've had a few humorous short stories published at the Journal of the Blue Planet and have won NaNoWriMo three times. When I'm not writing about swords and the women who wield them, I can be found reading and commenting at Maxim Tremendous or hosting the fall Three Cheers contest with Ana. You can follow my tweets at @deoris1 where I spend most of my days when nobody at work is watching.
BROKER
Ana George
broker[at]toasted-cheese.com
Editor, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
Sunday Brunch Chat Host
The crew was complete: it included a Boots—
A maker of Bonnets and Hoods—
A Barrister, brought to arrange their disputes—
And a Broker, to value their goods.
~Fit the First: The Landing
Ana George is a pseudonym who cohabits with a distinctly middle-aged scientist in the Boston 'burbs. The fiction they write is published in her name; the science they write is not. This cozy relationship is, as you might imagine, the occasion for much oddity, some of which finds its way into the aforementioned fiction. Several Ana stories have been published by Toasted-Cheese.com (thanks!). There are a few sonnets and a half-finished novel also waiting to have something done with them.
Besides writing and science, making vocal music (especially polyphony from the Spanish Renaissance) helps pass the time. As does fixing stuff around the house, playing with the computer, and, of course, reading, often with three books in progress at a time.
Ana loves getting email related to writing.
HARPSPEED
Shelley Carpenter
harpspeed[at]toasted-cheese.com
Reviews Editor, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
Candle-Ends Forum Host
…Isn't it odd how much fatter a book gets when you've read it several times?" Mo had said when, on Meggie's last birthday, they were looking at all her dear old books again. "As if something were left between the pages every time you read it. Feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells… and then, when you look at the book again many years later, you find yourself there, too, a slightly younger self, slightly different, as if the book had preserved you like a pressed flower… both strange and familiar. —Cornelia Funke, Inkspell
Hello! I am one of those "late-bloomers" who came into writing at the advanced age of thirty-something. Then my mother corrected this untruth when she pulled out a few written keepsakes of mine from a forgotten drawer. Some of my old papers had a waxy sheen and yet were still quite legible, dated and endorsed by a much younger me: an animal flash fantasy story, reminiscent of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (still my very favorite picture book), some pretty awful poetry penned in parochial school, and a few colored pencil drawings from my time with Captain Bob Cottle, the TV artist.
Since then I have worked as a freelance writer and newspaper correspondent, a graphic designer and presently as a reading teacher, navigating children through the curious and fantastic parallel worlds of fiction and nonfiction. I have a B.L.A. in English and Art History and an M.Ed. I read and write fiction and non-fiction—novel, short story, flash, and essay, pulling out my pencils and paints in between.
I am delighted to be the Reviews Editor at Toasted Cheese and look forward to spending more time engaged in all of the above.
JENOONAN
J.E. Noonan
jenoonan[at]toasted-cheese.com
Forum Host
I spend most of my "real" time working as a network administrator for a major controls manufacturing company. Born and bred in upstate New York, have lived there happily all my life. I read voraciously (history—Civil War, WWII; thrillers; horror; actually just about anything on the printed page), write when possible.
Married for 25+ years to my lovely wife Linda, stepfather to John and Bryan, recently a father-in-law to Cheryl and grandpa to Jordan and Carissa. In addition to reading, I enjoy computer strategy games, painting in oils, walking and eating (not necessarily in that order).
I tend to write "straight" stories with the injection of a single fantastic element, so I guess the result would be termed fantasy. Currently working on my first full-length novel, presently 35000+, COLUMBUS.
Thanks for reading, everyone!
PINUPGEEK
Erica Ruedas
pinupgeek[at]toasted-cheese.com
Forum Host
I have been living in my imagination for as long as I could remember, and somewhere along the way, I decided to start writing some of it down. I have been writing off and on for more than 10 years, and after 3 successful Nanos, I decided that writing is not just for November. In my day job, I fix software and databases, but at night I am a dancer, writer, and photographer. I like to write about belly dancing and curly-haired anti-heroines. I've never published anything, mostly due to laziness, but writing is just one of those things I can't not do.
Retired Crew
BONNETS
Mollie Savage
bonnets[at]toasted-cheese.com
Editor, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
Calendar Editor
The maker of Bonnets ferociously planned
A novel arrangement of bows:
While the Billiard-marker with quivering hand
Was chalking the tip of his nose.
~Fit the Fourth: The Hunting
Creativity. It's everywhere, and something I revere. Whether it's the written word, a flower arrangement, a tasty meal or a homemade tool, I find joy in its creativity and its creator. One of the joys of an on-line community like Toasted Cheese is how we share and support our creativity. I'm delighted to host the non-fiction forum, because I both enjoy reading and writing non-fiction. Some of my work can be found in the print publications AB Bookman's Weekly, Cyclops, and The Ozark Organic Grower. Some of the ways I celebrate my creativity are organic market gardening, whimsical yard art, whole foods cooking, historic museum work and, of course, writing.
FMWRITES
Faith Watson
fmwrites[at]toasted-cheese.com
Forum Host
Everyone can feel comfortable posting in my midst; there's nothing to worry about when it comes to me. I have Zen freckles, and am happy to try to help everyone whose path crosses mine.
I have a primordial fear of things without eyelids, and/or with small bones. So, I humbly withdraw in advance from any critique involving vivid images of birds, fish, snakes, baby mice or tree frogs. Plus owl pellets, for related reasons.
I am usually barefoot but have a closet full of heels. And I'm not afraid to use them.
LINDSAY
Lindsay Vaughan
lindsay[at]toasted-cheese.com
Forum Host
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, and I started writing at the age of six. Short stories and poetry are my forte, although I do have one (unpublished) novel under my belt. I am working on a second one now, a YA novel inspired by a 9th century Irish legend, featuring monks and poets and pirates, oh my!
Although I now reside in Takoma Park, Maryland (a peaceful haven of old hippies and artists on the outskirts of D.C.), I spent the years between 2001 and 2007 in Ireland and England. While there I was co-editor of Dreamvirus Magazine, a journal of poetry and fiction, and I worked as a Collections Assistant at the Natural History Museum in Dublin, cataloging their collection of dead birds. This position inspired a bird-themed book that I am working on with my partner, a musician, artist and writer who is far more prolific than I am.
As well as our passion for writing, we share a forbidden love for run-on sentences and a small apartment with our two cats, Dexter and Milo (aka President Taft). While I am pursuing my undergraduate degree in Psychology, with the hope of eventually working as a gerontological social worker, he stays up late trudging toward his MAT in Special Education. We will never have the time to accomplish everything we would like to, but then again, who does?
MACFISTO
Steve Simpson
macfisto[at]toasted-cheese.com
Editor
Twenty-two years ago, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis yanked me away from the TV and showed me what the written word could do. A year later, I wrote a vampire story for seventh grade English class and the teacher told me, "Keep this up and you'll write a novel someday." I liked the sound of that, even if she was a crackpot prone to nicotine fits. I pursued journalism in high school and college until Someone gave me the idea of becoming a shrink. So I became a psychologist and even married another one. We while away our days speaking psychobabble and spoiling our dog in Sierra Madre, California, a nice little town in the only mountains around Los Angeles that haven't burned to the ground. I have a private practice and teach Clinical Psychology, but the words of my crazy English teacher haunted me. So I wrote a novel. Now I spend my nights rewriting the thing and chewing holes in the carpet as stress relief from writing 10,000 drafts of a query letter. I like running, college basketball, rock and roll, and video games. But I love writing.
JAYWALKE
J. Walke
jaywalke[at]toasted-cheese.com
Forum Host
J. Walke is a writer and actor who lives in the mountains of Virginia. This is hopefully the last stop on a tour that has covered twelve states over fifteen years. He writes travel stories, some serious literature that his characters insist on turning into sci-fi/fantasy, and clangs around in the various drama forms. In his spare time he backpacks on the Appalachian Trail, collects ghost stories and volunteers for the local search-and-rescue team.
