Time does indeed march on, so let's not waste any of it. Here's the lowdown on FWA meetings and other happenings for writers in NE Florida.
- River City Writers meet on Tuesday, March 13 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. Group leader Gregg Golson will speak on "Creating a Setting that Both Defines and Confines Your Characters." Contact Gregg for more information.
- Sharon Y. Cobb has a message every published author needs to hear — "How to Market Your Books." She's the guest speaker at the Ancient City Writers meeting on Saturday, March 17 at 10:15AM at St. Augustine's Main Library. Sharon says it doesn't matter if you're traditionally published, e-published or independently published, you still need to sell books. Sharon is a screenwriter and writing instructor at UNF. Her latest venture is the novel, False Confessions of a True Hollywood Screenwriter.
- The Amelia Island Writers gather again on Tuesday, March 20 at 6:15PM at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. Email Maggie de Vries for details.
- Clay County Writers take up residence at the Fleming Island Library the next night, Wednesday, March 21 at 6:15PM. Group Leader Maureen Jung has more info.
- Longtime FCCW member Lynn Rix moves into the president's seat for the First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA. They meet each Thursday at 6:45PM at the West Regional Library. Visit the website or email them here.
- Last but not least, the Ponte Vedra Writers return to the Ponte Vedra Library on Saturday, March 24 at 10:30AM. This month's speaker is Flagler College Creative Writing Instructor Laura Smith who will talk on "Writing the Short Story." Laura, who has many short story publishing credits, and will see her first novel, Hearts of Palm, published by Grove Atlantic next year, will discuss strategies for getting your stories into print and turning rejection into inspiration.
And other happenings:
- Florida Sisters in Crime take up the case tomorrow, Saturday, March 3 at 10:30AM at the SE Regional Library with an open house for all crime readers and writers. There will be refreshments, free books and doors prizes. Come and learn more about FSinC. Contact Pam Wells for information.
- FWA invites you to the spring mini-conference, Saturday, April 21 in Altamonte Springs. The daylong conference features acquiring editors Salitza Hernandez from the L. Perkins Agency, and Nicole Resciniti with the Seymour Agency. Aside from keynoter Tim Dorsey, there will workshops on editing, memoir writing, poetry and marketing. The registration fee is only $59 for FWA members, $79 for non-members. But hurry, it's filling up fast. Click here for all the details.
- If you're looking for a fun night out to support a good cause, then check out "The Golden Age of Piracy." And we're not talking about pirating films, music or books, but the "Ahoy Matey" kind of pirates. Dianne Jacoby will portray Anne Bonney, "Queen of the Pirates." There will be complimentary rum punch, tapas, door prizes, and you can come dressed as your favorite pirate if you want. The event benefits the Florida Heritage Book Festival, and takes place at the A1A Ale Works on Friday, March 30 at 5:00PM. Here's how to get your tickets.
- And speaking of the Florida Heritage Book Festival, the Writers Conference portion of the festival has a new home. It's moving to the Renaissance Resort Hotel at World Golf Village, providing more interior space as well as plenty of free parking. The conference is expanding as well with two "super-sized" workshops on Thursday, September 13 followed by an opening keynoter by bestselling author Jeff Lindsay, author of the Dexter novels which served as the inspiration for the noted Showtime series. Returning to WGV the next day, there will be nine workshops and lunch, with the Literary Legends Banquet that evening. Most of the information is already posted on the FHBF website.
- The Douglas Anderson Writers' Festival continues tomorrow with readings and breakout sessions with 16 authors at UNF's Student Union Building, followed at 7PM with "An Evening with Margaret Atwood," at the UNF Robinson Theater. Atwood is much acclaimed as a writer of poetry, short fiction, novels and children's fiction. Read more about her on her website.
- FPA is hosting it's Spring Fling Conference, "DIY Book Power," Saturday, April 14 at the Orlando Marriott Downtown. Read all about it here.
- The Nimrod International Journal announces a call for submissions to its 34th Annual Literary Awards. The competition covers both poetry and fiction and has a $20 entry fee, but offers a $2,000 first prize and publication, $1,000 second prize and publication. The Nimrod calls itself one of the oldest "little magazines" in the country.
- Author Tony Timbol, Cybil Raven Chronicles, has started the Julington Creek Writers Group. They'll meet on Tuesday, March 27 at the Bartram Trail Library at 6PM. Email Tony for more info.
- Circalit is having a science fiction short story contest. Find out more by clicking here.
- Clark Library (Lockhart, TX) is holding a "Scare the Dickens Out of Us" short story contest offering a $1,000 first prize. There's also a Junior contest for ages 12 - 18. Sounds like fun, and here's where you'll find out more.
- FSCJ offers a writers workshop at the Deerwood Center, April 9 and 10. Visit the website or contact Jenna Davis.
- Ancient City Romance Writers welcomes Barbara Cameron to its March 24 meeting, 12:30PM at the SE Regional Library. Barbara will speak on "How Not to Shoot Yourself in the Foot on the Way to Publication." Contact Kathryn Bain for details.
- Don't forget the Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is now open for submissions and ends on June 15. Entry fees increase from $30 to $40 on April 1, and to $60 from June 1 to June 15. Now's the time to enter.
- You might also want to submit to the FWA Collection #4, My Wheels. Entries are limited to 1,200 words and can have anything to do with wheels, literally or figuratively. Suspense author Julie Compton will select her top ten favorites for the front of the book. There is no entry fee, but you must be an FWA member to enter. Submission deadline is May 15. Good luck.
- And finally, if you've thought about writing a mystery but wasn't sure how to get started, I'm teaching an Introduction to Mystery Writing 1-day workshop at UNF on Saturday, March 31. It runs from 9AM to 5PM and will cover the basics from identifying the genre to creating a compelling sleuth and villain. From how to plant clues and red herrings to building suspense. Visit the Learn Jacksonville website to register.
That will do it for now. I hope to see you at one of the FWA meetings or some other event. Don't forget to check the FWA NE Florida page on Facebook, and like us to keep up with breaking news.
Best,
Vic
Victor DiGenti
FWA Regional Director
