BOOKMARK: Star Tribune seeking unpublished fiction manuscripts

Last summer, the Star Tribune ran a serial novel in the Variety section by Minneapolis writer Mary Logue. "Giving Up the Ghost" appeared in print daily and was also available as an e-book, and it was so well-received that we hope to try this again. Between now and Feb. 1, we are soliciting original, unpublished manuscripts for consideration — but just the first chapter, for now. Because I am certain that you don't want to kill me (death by drowning in paper is not a good way to go), we have a few rules:

• Please just send the first chapter. If we're hooked, we'll contact you for the rest.

• Please send only original and unpublished work — unpublished on the Web, or in print, or on a blog, or anywhere.

• We cannot acknowledge or return submissions, so don't send us your only copy.

• We do pay a modest advance as well as royalties if your book is chosen; in return, we receive all rights to your book.

We are most interested in mysteries with a local setting, but we will consider other novels as well. We're a family newspaper, so keep the audience in mind. Please send your first chapter to BOOKS@startribune.com and write "SUMMER SERIAL" in the message field. Or send a printout of the first chapter to Laurie Hertzel, Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av. S., Mpls, MN 55488.

Also …

• The Good Thunder Reading Series continues this month with poets Sarah McKinstry-Brown and Christopher Howell on campus Jan. 30. They will lead a discussion at 3 p.m. that day, and read from their work at 7:30 p.m. that evening on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato. McKinstry-Brown is the winner of the Nebraska Book Award for Poetry and the Academy of American Poets prize, and Howell is a former Navy journalist in the Vietnam War and author of nine collections of poetry.