October 2018 Blog Post

It's not too late to register for this month's Florida Writers Conference and take advantage of the many cool offerings. There are still seats available for Chuck Sambuchino's full-day workshop, "Everything You Need to Know About Agents, Submissions, Queries, and First Pages." Register now because the price for walk-ups is even higher. Aside from the nearly 70 workshops and panels, and the lineup of agents, editors, and publishers, did you know you can get a professional headshot and have a "Meet the Author" video made while you're at the conference?

Don't forget you may sell your book in the conference bookstore, and attend the Royal Palm Literary Awards Banquet. There's so much more, so check out the conference site and join your writer friends at the 17th Annual Florida Writers Conference. But hurry, online registration closes on the 8th.

And now for the rest of the news:

• Contact Gregg Golson to learn what the River City Writers are up to on Tuesday, October 9 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library.
• Elaine Smith returns for another act at this month's meeting of the Clay County Writers on Wednesday, October 17 at 6:15PM at the Orange Park Library. Smith, founder and director of the Clamour Theatre Compny, will present, "Let's Make a Scene: In Plays or Fiction."
• The Ancient City Writers chapter assembles on Saturday, October 20 at St. Augustine's Main Library. Fran Kaiser is the featured speaker, and she'll discuss, "The ABCs of Publishing a Children's Book." Kaiser is the owner of Sagaponack Books & Design, and has authored two children's book series.
• Writers by the Sea has changed its October meeting date to the fourth Thursday of the month instead of the third to allow its writers to attend the Florida Writers Conference, October 18 - 21. They will meet on Thursday, October 25 at the usual time at the Amelia Island Museum of History in Fernandina Beach. This is a Halloween-themed event, so come dressed as your favorite fictional character. And all are invited to share a two to five minute piece of your favorite short story.
• Popular speaker, writer, and developmental editor Nancy Quatrano returns to the October 27 Ponte Vedra Writers meeting, 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Branch Library. Nancy's topic is "Backstory: When, How, and How Much." She will tell us how to present backstory in a way that propels the story forward, deepens the characters, and helps build connections between the story and the reader.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an FWA affiliate, is continuing meeting at the Oakleaf Christian Fellowship, but they've moved to a new facility at 7550 Collins Road in Jacksonville. They will continue to meet every Thursday from 7:00 to 8:45PM. Contact group leader Lynn Rix for more information.

And in other news:

• NE Florida Sisters in Crime meets tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 10AM at the SE Branch Library. The tentative topic is "Premeditation." Be advised that the November meeting has been canceled.
• Speaking of cancellations, the Ponte Vedra Library will be closed for up to four months for a major overhaul of the overhead piping system. They will close on November 2, and not reopen until sometime in March. The Ponte Vedra Writers will take both November and December off to recharge batteries and enjoy the holidays, and return in January at a new location for the next three months. They will meet at Christ Episcopal Church at the interection of Solano Road and San Juan Drive in Ponte Vedra, just a few blocks from the library. The first meeting at the church will be on January 26. Look for more details later.
• The Jacksonville Public Library has announced the date of the 2019 Jax Book Fest will be Saturday, February 23. There's a $35 non-refundable application fee, and the deadline is November 30. Visit the website for details.

And now back to work. At least I'm further along than Steven Writght, who proudly boasted, "I'm writing a book. I have the page numbers done."

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Executive VP

NE Florida Regional Director