June 2015 FWA Post

Although the first day of summer is still three weeks away, Nat King Cole's 1963 hit, "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer" comes to mind. For those of you younger folks scratching your heads and wondering who Nat King Cole might be, please ask Mr. Google. But don't get too lazy because June offers many opportunities for writers to get involved. So let's start with scheduled FWA meetings in NE Florida:

• Joyce Williams Davidson is the guest speaker at the meeting of River City Writers on Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southeast Regional Library. Joyce, a retired teacher, has published three historical novels, short stories and poems. Her topic is ""You Are What You Write," and she asks the question, "What is the legacy you're leaving?"
• Clay County Writers welcome Howard Denson, author, former humanities professor, and editor, to the Wednesday, June 17 meeting at the Orange Park Library. Howard will speak on "How to Polish Your Draft: Simonize or Turtle Wax?" Howard will tell you how to correct the most common mistakes before you turn it over to someone else to read and turn them off. The meeting begins at 6:15 p.m.
• Writers by the Sea will gather at the Amelia Island History Museum, 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 18. Cheyenne Knopf, marketing director for OnLineBinding.com presents, "Book Production 101," and will walk us through the various stages of book production, the choices authors need to make about paper, printing and binding options.
• Award-winning author Elizabeth Sinclair presents, "Dialogue and How it Works" at the Saturday, June 20 meeting of Ancient City Writers. They meet at St. Augustine's Main library at 10:00 a.m.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an FWA affiliate, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.
• Marketing and publishing consultant RaffaelaMarie Fenn takes center stage at the Ponte Vedra Writers meeting on Saturday, June 27 at 10:30 a.m. Her topic is "Marketing Matters: Seven Steps to Getting Your Book into Readers Hands." Marie serves as President of Ottima Group and its subsidiary, Giro di Mondo Publishing Services. She's also the new president of the Amelia Island Book Festival. In her workshop, Marie will show you how to write an actionable marketing plan, unearth your own unique brand, and discover audience segments to help your book sales. 

But wait, there's more!

• New York Times best-selling author Mary Kay Andrews appears at Jacksonville's Main Library downtown at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2nd. If you miss her there, she'll be at The BookMark in Neptune Beach the next evening, June 3rd at 7:00 p.m. along with another bestselling author, Mary Alice Monroe. 
• On Saturday, June 6, Florida Sisters in Crime welcomes Robert Lassiter, Senior Investigator, Office of the Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The group meets at 10:15 a.m. at the Southeast Regional Library.
• The Masters Review is holding a short story contest for emerging writers (no published novels) with a $2,000 grand prize. No theme, up to 6,000 words. Click here for submission info.
• The annual FWA Conference has found a new hone at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista in the Walt Disney World Resort. The $119 room rate is good for three nights before and three nights after the conference, so you might consider adding an extra day or two and bringing the family. But you must make your reservations by July 16. Here's the link for reservations, and click here for conference details.
• Ancient City Romance Authors welcome Jennifer Fusco, author of Market or Die: A Down & Dirty Guide to Marketing Your Book, as their speaker at the Saturday, June 27 meeting. There's a BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch) gathering at 12:30 p.m. at the Southeast Regional Library, followed by Jennifer's presentation at 1:00 p.m.
• The BookMark in Neptune Beach has been serving book lovers for nearly twenty-five years under the ownership of Rona Brinlee. Her independent bookstore has developed a national reputation for hosting major authors and recommending books on NPR. Rona will be the guest speaker at the Ponte Vedra Library's Book Talk Cafe program, Monday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. She'll talk about some of the best summer reads, and what's coming up at The BookMark.
• FWA's final mini-conference of the year is Saturday, June 27 at the Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs. Tracks include Effective Writing Tools, How to Make Money Writing, and How to Land an Agent. Visit the FWA website for more details.

And that should get your summer of to a fast start. Enjoy these lazy, hazy, crazy days and keep writing.

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director