Suite101.com’s Real People, Real Stories

Long-lost lovers rekindling their romance. A doctor rediscovers life after dying four times. A young man finds the courage to overcome an alcohol addiction with the help of a woman he's never met ... and will never meet.

Richelle Putnam has long been a lover of writing contests. She won her first contest in May 2000, and in less than a year, built quite a résumé on winning and placing in writing contests. She is a two-time graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature, has completed Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Course, and Coffeehouse for Writers Flash Fiction Course. She is an online writing instructor and will also teach creative writing at Meridian Community College Spring 2002. She speaks to literary clubs and hopes to introduce southern literature into the local arts programs. She is a regional representative for National Association of Women’s Writers (NAWW) and the Children’s and Young Adult Editor for Gotta Write Network (www.members.aol.com/gwnlitmag) Her middle-grade fiction

Currently, she has one agent-represented picture book. Two non-fiction series (“Heroines of the Civil War Era,” and “Animals You Love To Love”) are being considered for agent representation. A large publisher requested her young-adult novel, You Are My Sunshine, and is considering it for publication. She is in the revision stages for two more young-adult novels, and working on two adult manuscripts. She has published many short stories and articles in both print and electronic magazines. Currently, many of her short stories aree entered into various writing competitions.

Her website is updated daily.Go to Richelle Putnam’s page The content for Suite101.com’s first anthology was harvested from the Suite101.com community and involved the community in the entire publishing process. Suite101.com sponsored an online writing contest (the Short N Suite Writing Contest) and writers from across North America submitted their stories on how the Internet has touched their lives. The contest garnered over 600 entries.

The resulting anthology, Real People, Real Stories , contains 30 stories: the three winning entries selected by a panel of well-known judges, 17 entries that were short-listed by Suite101.com’s Editors, and 10 entries selected by the Suite101.com community at large. The stories in the anthology were read and judged by more than 2,000 members of the Suite101.com community. In less than 100 working days, Suite101.com collected the content, vetted, judged, and edited the stories, and then published the anthology as both an ebook and a print-on-demand trade paperback. Real People, Real Stories was showcased at Suite101.com’s booth at BookExpo America with the prize-winning authors hosting scheduled book signings. Free copies of the anthology are available for download at Suite101.com (www.suite101.com) and Barnes and Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com ). Trade paperbacks are available from major online bookstores.

While unraveling this anthology’s inspiring stories, readers learn how real people have reached out for help in the virtual world of the Web, faced their adversities, and found the courage to change. Real People, Real Stories was the focus of Suite101.com’s booth at the BookExpo America, the world’s largest book industry trade show in Chicago, IL, from June 1 to 3rd this year.

“Suite101.com recognized early on that the Internet was the first medium that allowed real people to have a say,” said Julie Bradshaw, Managing Director of Suite101.com.

“The Real People, Real Stories anthology is a perfect example of real people literature -- bringing together readers and writers who identify with a passion, who really want to share, and who really care,” Bradshaw said.