Have a Merry One

The holiday season can make it tough to concentrate on our writing efforts, but FWA is here to bolster your convictions to keep writing. So take some time during the mad holiday rush to attend one of these FWA group meetings.

• River City Writers group meets on Tuesday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Branch Library. Contact Gregg Golson for more information. 
• Ancient City Writers hosts a special holiday meeting on Saturday, December 15, 10:00 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library. Along with speaker John Boles, there will be refreshments and drawings for a gift basket and other goodies. Plus this is a joint meeting with the Ponte Vedra Writers group, so a good time will be had by all. John will discuss "The Keys to Story Structure." He'll cover the three-act structure, the use of plot points and turning points to build conflict and move the story toward climax and resolution. John is a writing coach, editor and book doctor. 
• Amelia Island Writers will not meet in December due to the holidays. Look for them next month on the third Wednesday at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach at 6:15 p.m.. Contact group leader and bookstore proprietor Maggie deVries at 904-321-6180 for details.
• Clay County Writers now meet at the Orange Park Library, 2054 Plainfield Avenue,  Wednesday, December 19 at 6:15 p.m. Veteran journalist and media expert Stephen Kindland presents, "What's New with the News? Media Relations Strategies that Still Work in a Rapidly Changing Environment." Group leader Maureen Jung has the scoop.
• FWA affiliate, First Coast Christian Writers, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m  at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.
• The Ponte Vedra Writers are on holiday this month, but will join the Ancient City Writers on December 15 for a jolly, holly gathering. We'll return on Saturday, January 26 with a special Indie Publishing Panel.
• The Jax Youth Writers of FWA's Youth Writers Program meets next on Thursday, December 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Branch Library. All youth under 18 and their parents are welcome. Contact Kimberly Smith for more information.

But wait, there's more ...

• Florida Sisters in Crime is in a holiday mood. They invite you to the annual chapter holiday party tomorrow, Saturday, December 1 at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Regional Library. There will be refreshments, door prizes, free books and a murder mystery to solve. Snacks are welcome.
• Black Horse Winery and Clay County Writers host another "Meet the Authors" event on Wednesday, December 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This month's authors include Lillian Kiernan Brown, a writer and journalist who has traveled the world but held on to her love for Boston, burlesque and show biz. She'll be signing her memoir, Banned in Boston, Memoirs of a Stripper. Carroll Wolverton is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. She'll sign her mystery, Boston Basement (Another Boston book. Coincidence? I think not) and her self-help manual, Method Weight Management: A Common Sense Approach to Weight Loss. And Vic DiGenti, aka Parker Francis, will be on hand to sign copies of his latest Quint Mitchell Mystery, Bring Down the Furies, along with his first mystery, Matanzas Bay. Black Horse Winery is located at 420 Kingsley Avenue, a block west of Park Avenue. Clay County Writers will have a table there and will be accepting donations for BASCA, Inc., a local non-profit dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Come and do your holiday shopping along with a glass of wine.
• FWA is offering an early release copy of bestselling author Mary Burton's upcoming romantic suspense novel, The Seventh Victim. This won't be on the bookstore shelves until February, but you can get your copy by visiting the Florida Writers Foundation shopping cart and purchasing one now. Mary will be presenting the Celebrity Workshop before the next FWA Conference, and will be the 2014 Person of Renown for Collection #6.
• Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 2nd when the Florida Heritage Book Festival presents Vic DiGenti's Novel in a Day workshop at Flagler College. This will be the only presentation of this workshop in the NE Florida area for at least six months. Details will be added to the FHBF website shortly.

And a final word of good tidings to all of us — however you celebrate the holidays, make it a merry and safe one. 

All the best from my family to yours (and from Santa Kitty, too) 

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director