August 2016 FWA Post

There's something desperately poetic about the month of August. Summer is racing by, and we know the less playful days of fall and winter lie ahead. I guess I'm channeling my childhood when summer months were the next best thing to Christmas. But on this last day of July, it's time to look forward and see what August has in store for us.

• River City Writers group leader Gregg Golson delivers a workshop he calls, "Novel Writing A to Z" at the Tuesday, August 9 meeting. The group meets at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library off Gate Parkway.
• Ponte Vedra Writers have another off-schedule meeting due to venue conflicts. The group will meet Saturday, August 13 at 1030 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Branch Library. Attorney Deborah Reid discusses the fundamentals of copyright law for authors in her presentation, "Copywrite or Wrong." Deborah has over 36 years of experience helping artists and authors with contracts, trademarks, licensing and copyrights. Group leader DiGenti will be away on a secret mission to sample California wines. Author and former CIA man Edward Mickolus will fill in for him.
• Maureen Jung offers good advice for writers at this month's meeting of the Clay County Writers, Wednesday, August 17. Due to early voting they will meet at the Penney Farms Community Room from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. In a program titled, "To Give and to Receive: How to Read and React to Writing in Progress," Maureen discusses the most productive ways to react to feedback from critique group members, If you're interested in receiving such feedback, Maureen suggests bringing three copies of your work (up to 3 pages double-spaced). Contact Maureen for more information.
• If you're ready to climb aboard the audiobook bandwagon, but not sure how, then you might want to attend the August 18 meeting of Writers by the Sea. They will meet at the Amelia Island Museum of History at 6:00 p.m. to hear from David D'Ardenne, a professional sound recordist, whose career spans three decades in network TV news programming. Dave will provide a demonstration with professional actor Augie Butinelli. More information from group leader Nadine Vaughan-Williams.
• There's a story to be told, and you can be part of it when you attend the Ancient City Chapter of FWA, Saturday, August 20 at St. Augustine's Main Library, beginning at 10:15 a.m. Author and former ad writer Rick Jones shows how to "Create a Scene" using improv and interaction with the audience (that's you). The meeting will conclude with a short play complete with costumes, props and prizes.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an FWA affiliate, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Oakleaf Christian Fellowship 6195-7 Lake Gray Blvd. in Jacksonville.

Also in the area:

• If you act fast you can still take advantage of the early bird price for the FWA Annual Conference. The discount rate ends at midnight, July 31. Among the many benefits, the 3-day conference offers over 70 workshops and panels, keynote address by NY Times bestselling author John Gilstrap, the opportunity to network and pitch to agents, editors and publishers, and the Royal Palm Literary Awards Banquet. This is one of the best writers conferences of the year. Get details and registration info by clicking here.
• Florida Sisters in Crime moves to the beach for the Saturday, August 6 meeting. The group will meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library to hear from U.S. Postal Inspector Adam Schaefer.
• The Sisters (and brothers) will hold their annual Writers Workshop on Saturday, August 20 at the UNF Adam W. Herbert University Center. Bestselling author Hank Phillipi Ryan is the guest speaker. Click here for details.
• The Florida Heritage Book Festival & Conference comes our way September 15 - 17 in the heart of St. Augustine. Check out the writers conference schedule and the day-long book festival on the website.
• The Amelia Island Book Festival has announced a "Dream Team of Literary Stars" headlining the February 2017 event. In attendance will be Steve Berry, R. L. Stine, David Baldacci, Mary Kay Andrews and Joseph Finder. Details here, and you can also sign up for the Author Exhibitor's event.

And for those of you with a more fatalistic perspective, I'll leave you with this quote from Isaac Asimov, one of my favorite SF authors.

“If my doctor told me I only had six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.”

Enjoy summer's end to the very last day.

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

July 2016 FWA Post

No jokes about starting the month off with a bang because, like Alice's White Rabbit, I'm in a hurry. So here's what you need to know about our July meetings.

• Join the River City Writers on Tuesday, July 12 at 7:00 p.m. to hear about author Robyn Gioia's latest long journey to publication for her middle grade novel, The Siege, which is set in St. Augustine. The group meets at the SE Branch Library off Gate Parkway.
• St. Augustine's Ancient City Chapter of FWA meets Saturday, July 16 at the downtown Main Library. The guest speaker is writer Jeanne Moon Farmer who will speak on "How To Do What You Love and Love What You Do." The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m.
• On Wednesday, July 20, the Clay County Writers will gather at the Orange Park Library to review Lynn Skapyak Harlin's Shantyboat guidelines, "To Give and to Receive: Guidelines and Practice in Reading and Reaction." The group meets from 6:15 to 8:00 p.m.
• Writers by the Sea meets Thursday, July 21 at 6:00 p.m. at the Amelia Island Museum of History. Author, surfer, and environmentalist Paul Hayden will present "Having Fun in Different Genres: How to Write Adventure/Intrigue." Contact group leader Nadine Vaughan-Williams for more information.
• Ponte Vedra Writers group leader Vic DiGenti takes the stage for the Saturday, July 23 meeting, presenting a memoir writing workshop. In his workshop, "Life is Like a River," he'll talk about the best ways to start and finish a memoir, as well as using elements from the world of fiction to hook the reader. The meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library.
• The First Coast Christian Writers, an FWA affiliate, has changed its meeting place. They now meet at the Oakleaf Christian Fellowship at 6195-7 Lake Gray Blvd., Jacksonville 32244. The meeting schedule remains weekly, each Thursday at 6:45 p.m.

And in other news:

• Florida Sisters in Crime welcomes Rick Skinner, Duty Officer for the Florida Highway Patrol to its July 9 meeting. The group meets at 10:00 a.m. at the Bartram Trail Library in St. Johns County, 60 Davis Pond Road.
• And speaking of the Florida Sisters in Crime chapter, the group holds its annual Crime Writers Workshop next month on Saturday, August 20 at the UNF Adam Herbert University Center. The guest speaker is bestselling author and investigative reporter, Hank Phillippi Ryan. Click here for registration information.
• The Ancient City Romance Authors have a new location and time for its Saturday, July 23rd meeting. The group will meet at 1:00 p.m. (no lunch time planned) to hear from Pablo Creek Librarians Sara Roberts and Jackie Spirtas about "How to Get Your Book in the Library." The meeting will be held at the Pablo Creek Library, 13295 Beach Blvd. 
• The Florida Heritage Book Festival, September 15 - 17, has updated its Writers Conference and Book Festival schedules. Check them out here.
• Bestselling author Tosca Lee has been selected to present this years Celebrity Workshop prior to the FWA Conference on Thursday, October 20 at the Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs. Tosca is the New York Times bestselling author of The Progeny, now under development by Radar Pictures, as well as Iscariot, The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen, and The Book of Mortals series with Ted Dekker. The full-day workshop is titled, "10 Secrets of a New York Times Bestseller." Visit the Celebrity Workshop webpage for details and registration.

And that's all folks. Enjoy your July 4th holiday, and keep writing.

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director