Follow the Yellow Brick Road

There are amazing and wondrous sights to behold along the Yellow Brick Road. There are talented writers to meet and wonderful stories to read. New friends and acquaintances abound on the road leading to the Emerald City. The turnouts along the road are filled with contacts, opportunities, and timely warnings. You might on any given day see friendly Munchkins, cute little dogs cavorting with shy lions, tin men and floppy scarecrows escorting pretty enchantresses with magic wands, or members of the Lollipop Guild bearing -- what else? -- lollipops in every flavor. Beware of wicked witches and their flying monkeys, though. And if you see a house flying low, get out of the area. It's witch-seeking, guided by a lost girl in ruby slippers.

Once you enter the Emerald City, there's plenty to see and do. Stay away from the red-brick building with a curtain in the main room, though. There's a wizard behind the curtain, running computers and spell-checks, cooking ledger books, and wreaking havoc with the novels it's taken some authors years to write. The wizard's name is PublishAmerica. Sooner or later, the little girl in the shoes will get her bearings and set a house down there. On that day, all the bells in town will peal in unison, "Ding-dong, the witch is dead..."