Carolyn’s Award-Winning Literary Works
As one of your biggest fans, I humbly nominate you for the next Nobel literature prize. In a world where women’s intelligence is often marginalized, “Imperfect Echoes” resounds with thoughtful and heartfelt desires to make sense of our world.”
~ Marlan Warren, Reviewer at Roadmap Girl
Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s first novel, This Is the Place, won eight awards and her book of creative nonfiction, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, won three.
Her fiction, nonfiction, and poems have appeared in national magazines, anthologies, and review journals including the prestigious Poetry Magazine founded in 1912. A chapbook of poetry, Tracings, published by Finishing Line Press, was named to the Compulsive Reader’s Ten Best Reads list and was given the Military Writers’ Society of America’s Award of Excellence. Carolyn Howard-Johnson started out as a journalist. She is proud to be accepted for inclusion in Poets & Writers prestigious list of published poets. At a time when most writers are considering retirement, she became a multi-award-winning novelist and poet.
Carolyn was an instructor for UCLA Extension’s renowned Writers Program for nearly a decade where she also studied poetry with California’s poet laureate of noir and persona poems, Suzanne Lummis. Carolyn believes in contests and reading literary journals as excellent ways to learn more about craft and branding writing careers. Most of her creative work is imbued with improving the human condition with acceptance, tolerance, and compassion.
Her favorite awards are Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment given by members of the California Legislature, “San Gabriel Valley Women Who Make Life Happen” given by the Pasadena Weekly, and an award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing given by Glendale’s Character and Ethics Committee. Her favorite poetry awards are from Writer’s Digest and the prize given by Franklin Christoph, manufacturer of fine fountain pens made in America. Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review called her “articulate, gifted, insightful, iconoclastic, and a truly impressive literary talent.”
Many of Carolyn’s poetry books are self-published in the tradition of poets for millenniums. In addition to the honor from Writer’s Digest, Imperfect Echoes is a USA Book News Award finalist and the Bronze in Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Awards.
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Imperfect Echoes Released to
RAVE REVIEWS AND PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS
“Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small.”
This poetry book was honored by the prestigious Writer’s Digest.
“Imperfect Echoes: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small is an inherently fascinating, thoughtful, and thought-provoking read that is very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Poetry collections.”
~Jim Cox, Editor-In-Chief of Midwest Book Reviews
And, Ta Da! Carolyn’s Multi Award-Winning
Celebration Series of Chapbooks Co-Authored with Magdalena Ball
Many of the Celebration Series e-books are FREE to Amazon Prime members.
Reviews are always appreciated.
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She Wore Emerald Then
A visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific inspired this poem that won the Franklin Christoph Prize for Poetry. Carolyn naturally included it in the Celebration Series’ book honoring our precious Earth, Sublime Planet. All profits from the book go to World Wildlife Fund.
(See the poem on right)
Endangered Species ©
(scroll to view full poem)
A dragon, hiding as dragons
do, to pounce upon prey, shock
them into submission with forked
tongue, spiked tail, blue-green
scales, brimstone breath. But not
a sea dragon, this—nearly misnamed
a seahorse—dainty—
disguises herself in briney
fronds, sways with the current.
her delicate horn-shaped
snout trumpets silence.
Long like a dragon,
long as a water-lily stem,
soft, and—presumably,
slick. She flourishes
her leaf-like fins, the translucent
shade of her underwater forest
of amber seaweed pads, exactly,
matches her dance to that of the kelp
—ballet in slow motion
so the visitor to her underocean
home will not see her. She will take
them by surprise
with tenderness.
Carolyn readily gives permission for others to print her poetry upon request.
Carolyn has been publishing poetry and fiction for years and loves passing along the tricks of the trade she learned from marketing those so-called hard-to-promote genres with her acclaimed HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers, including The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor. Both won awards from USA Book News. The Frugal Editor also won the Readers’ Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books and others including the coveted Irwin award. How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically launched to rave reviews from Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Reviews and others: This website includes the books in this series starting with the third edition of The Frugal Book Promoter published by Modern History Press and other resources for writers. Learn more about those on this website or on her Amazon Profile page: http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile
Carolyn returned to writing about the same time as Amazon.com was flowering and feels that the website is essential for a book to reach its potential. The authors’ profiles they offer through Author Central can include a feed from an author’s blog, a social network like Twitter, and lists of all the author’s books including those that are out of print like Carolyn’s early books listed below. It also includes a follow button so Amazon can notify readers who follow when that author publishes new books. Find hers at http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile
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Note: Amazon Keeps Books (usually used) available after they are out of print
including earlier editions. Authors do not get royalties from these sales
but most authors are honored when readers continue to buy them at very
frugal prices, read them, and even review them or write to the authors
with their comments.
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Carolyn Speaks at Conferences Everywhere and Anywhere
Authors Might Be Found
Publishers Association of Los Angeles
presentation with Editor Robin Quinn
and the legendary Dan Poynter
"Your talk was not only informative but also inspirational."
~ Libby Grandy, California Writers Club and author
Carolyn speaks at writers’ conferences, and tradeshows specializing in Utah’s culture, tolerance, book promotion, and editing and has appeared on TV and hundreds of radio stations nationwide. She acts commercially and has appeared on ads for entities like: Time-Life CDs, Lenscrafters, Marlborough, Blue Shield, Chinet, Princess Cruises (Japan). Learn more on her speaking and acting pages and editing page on this site.
Carolyn loves to travel. She has visited near 100 countries that have been frequent fodder for her poems. She has studied writing at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University, Prague. She admits to carrying a pen and journal wherever she goes.
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Carolyn writes and edits award winning poetry…
Carolyn has edited poetry for self-published poets and was honored to have a poem chosen for this anthology, Master Class Poetry Mystique: Inside the Contemporary Poetry Workshop edited by Suzanne Lummis. Both poets believe that studying other poets’ successes—and mistakes—is one of the best ways to hone their craft. She encourages poets to consider putting this text in their libraries and make it a habit to study one poem and critique a day. It is full of poems with great potential and includes Suzanne’s critiques and the final results for each.
Here is an excerpt of Carolyn poem chosen for this combination anthology/text:
Utah Child Borrows Her Song from the South
Mama (tired of trying to effect
his noise) skipped the part
where B’rer Rabbit, went
lippity-clippity,
clippity lippity,
only she didn’t fool me. I knew
its breath. How clever those B’rers!
Because
B’rer Fox,
he juz lay low
and B’rer Rabbit,
that moment
familiar,
when he knocks
that tar baby silly
’cause she didn’t behave
properly as he’d like.
A Carousel of Quotations and Haikus Inspired by Tibet
“Only it seems to me that once in your life before you die
you ought to see a country where they don’t talk in English
and don’t even want to.”
~ Mrs. Gibbs from Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Travel is not a vacation.
It is touching. Spirit to Spirit. Culture to Culture.”~Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Far, Far East
Chase dark shadows, West to East
One sunrise mislaid. ~ CHJ
Tibet’s True National Flag
blue, green red, white, yellow-earth,
each a quiet prayer.~ CHJ
Drepung’s Unseasonal Storm
Barren brown hills coax
icy nuggets from the sky.
Gentle persuasion.
Hail big as poplar
blossoms, covers barren hills.
High mountain magic.
Falling snow-pellets,
pretty beads for coats and hair,
melt on thirsty hills. . . CHJ
Several of these haikus were chosen for Luz Del Mes Tri-Anthology, a project to inspire
acceptance among peoples around the world through poetry and translation.
Translators: Agatha Rodi and Maritza M. Mejia
Get In Touch
If you need help with your writing career, let me share with you my experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, retailer, and as an instructor at UCLA. Of course, the most frugal way to get the information you need is with my multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. If I can help you with this or any of the other services I offer, please fill out and submit the brief form on the right.
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A Guide and Links to all of Carolyn’s Books
Great Fiction
Purchase THIS IS THE PLACE
and HARKENING at Amazon in their new and used feature.
Both of these books are out of print. They are available only on Amazon's New and Used feature for about $1.
Great Poetry
Purchase TRACINGS (Finishing Line Press) at Amazon.
IMPERFECT ECHOES: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small
Give the gift of poetry with
a chapbook from
Magdalena Ball's
and My Celebration Series
CHERISHED PULSE: Unconventional Love Poetry
IMAGINING THE FUTURE: Ruminations on Fathers and Other Masculine Apparitions
SHE WORE EMERALD THEN: Reflections on Motherhood
BLOOMING RED: Christmas Poetry for the Rational
DEEPER INTO THE POND: Celebration of Femininity
SUBLIME PLANET: Celebrating Earth and the Universe
HowToDoItFrugally Series for Writers
Purchase THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER, Third Edition,
published by Modern History Press
THE FRUGAL EDITOR Second Edition
GREAT LITTLE LAST MINUTE EDITING TIPS FOR WRITERS
an addendum to The Frugal Editor with more word trippers
GREAT FIRST-IMPRESSION BOOK PROPOSALS. Second Edition, published by Modern History Press
HOW TO GET GREAT BOOK REVIEWS FRUGALLY AND ETHICALLY
Survive and Thrive Series of HowToDoItFrugally Books for Retailers
A RETAILER'S GUIDE TO FRUGAL IN-STORE PROMOTION
Authors who understand what retailers need and want are more successful when they
pitch events (workshops, readings, seminars) to bookstores and other businesses.
FRUGAL AND FOCUSED TWEETING FOR RETAILERS
YOUR BLOG, YOUR BUSINESS
Note: Most of Carolyn's books are also available for the Kindle reader.
Did you know that with the Free app, Kindle can be adapted to any reader--even your PC
Note: Carolyn encourages authors to download her Multi-Use Media Kits at the top the Media Press Room Page, to use as a guide for writing their own Media Kit
in conjunction with the directions in the Third Edition of the Frugal Book Promoter, published by Modern History Press.