Here's a quick summer look at what's happening at the various FWA writers groups this month, as well as a reminder about upcoming events of interest.
- First Coast Christian Writers meet each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church on Greenland Road. This week, July 16, author, speaker and trainer Snowden McFall is the speaker.
- River City Writers meets Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Former MP officer Henry Stevens became a UNF faculty member and developed advanced criminal investigation training courses for the school's Institute of Police Training & Management. He'll discuss basic crime investigations and interrogations techniques. Sounds like a good one for all you mystery writers out there.
- Ancient City Writers meet this Saturday, July 18 at 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library. Arliss Ryan, the author of two historicals, including The Kingsley House, will discuss "How to Research and Write the Historical Novel."
- Amelia Island Writers meet on Tuesday, July 21 at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. Contact Maggie deVries at maggie1948@yahoo,com for details.
- The Ponte Vedra Writers round out the month on Saturday, July 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. Returning to the area is former resident and editor Camille Cline. Camille, a former senior editor with Cader Books in NY and senior acquisitions editor of Taylor Publishing in Dallas, now leads her own editing firm, The Literary Spa. Camille has more than ten years of real editing and book publishing experience. She will have a two-pronged talk (although she does as much listening to authors about their projects as she does talking) focusing on the numbers: Ten Tips for Self Editing & Five Keys to Getting Published.
And don't forget about these upcoming events:
- There's a new writers conference in town — The UNF Writers Conference. This 3-day conference, August 7 - 9, is unique in that it combines writer's workshops with comprehensive critique sessions and a pitch and query panel designed to help writers get their work before agents and editors. The first day begins with twelve 1-hour workshops keynoted by NY Times bestselling author Steve Berry. The workshops cover craft, marketing and expanding your writing horizons. For registration and all the info, click on the above link.
- The Florida Heritage Book Festival rolls out three blockbuster events you won't want to miss. The first is coming up on Thursday, August 27 at the Sawgrass Marriott Hotel in Ponte Vedra Beach. That night, the FHBF bestows three outstanding Florida authors with the Literary Legends Award. Michael Connelly, Harry Crews and Michael Gannon will be the recipients honored. Read about it and reserve a seat by clicking on this link.
- The Florida Heritage Writers Workshop follows on Friday, September 11 at the Casa Monica Hotel. Literary agent (Knight Agency) Lucienne Diver will deliver the luncheon keynote and one of the workshops – "Getting an Agent's Attention–The Right Way." The cost, including lunch, is only $50, but it rises to $65 after August 14 and jumps to $85 at the door. Use the same link as above to register.
- Don't forget to register for the annual FWA Conference, Lighting the Way, October 23-25 in Lake Mary. Always one of the better writers' conferences around, it's a good way to hone your skills, build your network and get published. You can also sign up for a Masters Class with Maggie Lawson on Thursday, October 22. Maggie is the developer of innovative psychologically-anchored editing systems and techniques. She'll teach us how to empower characters' emotions. The cost for the class is not included in the conference, but the $50 fee (for FWA members) benefits the Florida Writers Foundation to fight illiteracy. Visit the webpage to details and registration information.
That's it for now. Look for your FWA update newsletter in a few weeks.
Happy writiing trails to you,
Vic
