Happy Holidays

Sending sleigh loads of good wishes to you from our household of two-legged and four-legged beings. In the picture above, my former editor, Duke, keeps a watchful eye out for St. Nick and dreams of the treats he'll receive. Here's hoping your dreams are fulfilled this year and next.

Two of our FWA writers groups are taking a break this month, so this will be a brief blog post. However, January promises a full round of exceptional meetings and workshops. Watch this space.

• Kathy Bain's River City Writers will meet as a critique group on Tuesday, December 14 at 6:30 p.m. This is your chance to receive (and give) valuable feedback on your work in progress. The meeting will be at the SE Regional Branch Library on Deerwood Park Blvd. off Gate Parkway.
• The Amelia Island Writers group is also meeting on Tuesday, December 14, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., at the Book Loft in Fernandina Beach. Group leader Marla McDaniel reports, "It's our annual happy hour book discussion, What Writers are Reading. Bring a book (or two or three) that has made a difference in your life this year. The books can be old or new, doesn't matter."
• From St. Augustine's Ancient City Writers, Judy Weber tells us that if it's December, then it's time for the group's annual Christmas meeting. They will gather on Saturday, December 18 at 10:00 a.m. at the Main Library where a panel of local members will each have five to seven minutes to discuss their writing journeys. There will be time for networking, holiday greetings, and, of course, refreshments.
• Both the Clay County Writers and the Ponte Vedra Writers are taking a break this month.

From our household to yours, best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Holiday Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

FWA November Blog Post

 

November brings to mind the annual Thanksgiving holiday, but did you know that every day is a celebration of some National Day and usually numerous ones daily. For example, we began this month on November 1 with not one but twelve National Days. They included National Brush Day, National Calzone Day, National Deep Fried Clams Day, National Vinegar Day, and my favorite, National Authors' Day.

Throughout the month you can celebrate National Housewive's Day, National Men Make Dinner Day, National Vanilla Cupcake Day, National Absurdity Day, and the list goes on and on. But today, and throughout the month, we'll celebrate FWA NE Florida Meeting Day, so let's get started.

• River City Writers group leader Kathy Bain continues her virtual meetings, bringing exceptional authors to Jax via Zoom. This month on Tuesday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. you may tune in for a presentation by author, vocalist, Delorean owner, and retired police officer Brian Paone. Brian speaks on "Beware of the Procrastination Demons," and you may join the Zoom meeting by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78702645782?pwd=ekRLbEpJOGtWbFUzNjZkbnNIRE5RZz09 Meeting ID: 787 0264 5782 Passcode: jUV40V
• After a successful "Halloween" meeting at the Old Jail in Green Cove Springs, the Clay County Writers return to the Orange Park Senior Center (414 Stowe Avenue in Orange Park) on Wednesday, November 17 at 6:30 p.m. Group leader Melanie Pronia reports this will be a brainstorming session with updates of current writing projects by group members. You don't have to be a senior to attend—all are invited.
• Thinking of committing a little espionage? Then you might want to attend the Ancient City Writers meeting on Saturday, November 20, 10:00 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library. Longtime CIA employee and prolific author Dr. Edward Mickolus will present "Spycraft for Thriller Writers" offering tips on how you can make your espionage thrillers more accurate and not get laughed at by intelligence professionals.
• It may not be a "National Day," but on Saturday, November 27, the Ponte Vedra Writers celebrate the return of the Annual Open Mic Day. This is the day when you take the stage and share your latest WIP or other work of fiction, nonfiction or poetry with your peers. Depending on the number of readers each person should have at least seven minutes to impress us with your talent. This will also be the last meeting of 2021 for us, so let's come together and celebrate the holidays. The Open Mic meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. If you're planning to be one of our speakers, please RSVP with an email to vicdig@mac.com.
• Head to the Story & Song Bookstore Bistro in Fernandina Beach for the November 30 meeting of the Amelia Island Writers. This will be a holiday-themed Open Mic session of sorts. Group leader Marla McDaniel tells us this is a time to share funny holiday stories, favorite memories, even embarrassing moments. Write it up in a 750-word piece—it can be any holiday and must be G-rated. Then read it to the group. Sounds like fun! The meeting runs from 3:00 to 5:00 on the 30th.

And now for the rest of the story...

• NE Florida Sisters in Crime meets this Saturday, November 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the SE Regional Branch Library on Deerwood Park Blvd. off Gate Parkway to hear from a member of the court on "The Effects of Technology on Trials." The group is for both crime writers and readers.
• Nate Hoffhelder continues his FWA blog posts on newsletters for writers with his latest on "How and When to Clean Up your Subscriber's List." Click here to read it.
• If you missed the Royal Palm Literary Awards virtual presentation, you can find all the winners here.
• The inexhaustible Edward Mickolus, whose motto is "Write like your life depends on it," has published the 19th in a series of chronologies of international and domestic terrorist attacks. Terrorist Attacks Worldwide 2019-2020 is available now from Amazon books.
• Gainesville's Hippodrome Theatre is accepting submissions for its 2022 playwright festival. Submissions of complete scripts must be received by December 3, 2021. Visit the website for Submission Guidelines.
• Delaware author John Riddle identifies himself as, among other things, a freelance author, ghostwriter,  and donut eater. He's also the founder of I Love to Write Day each November 15, where writers across the nation reach out to share the joy of writing with others. Here's the link for more information.
• If I send this out in a timely manner and you're so motivated, you may join Rik Feeny's Zoom webinar tonight, Wednesday, November 3, with Jane Wood. She'll share her experiences of marketing and selling books to schools. Her presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. Click on this link to join the fun. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89767599938  Meeting ID: 897 6759 9938.
• The Masters Review is hosting its first Novel Excerpt contest. Excerpts of a max of 6,000 words must be from a previously unpublished work and from any point in the novel. The winner receives $3,000 and online publication. Of course, there's an entrance fee. Learn more here.
• Tickets are on sale for the Amelia Island Book Festival's VIP Gala featuring celebrity authors David Baldacci, Mary Alice Monroe, Jennifer Niven, and Jeanette Walls. Ticket information may be found on the website.
• Congratulations to Lezlee Peterzell-Bellanich, a part-time St. Augustine resident, on the upcoming publication of her book Saved By A Stranger: Life-Changing Journeys of Transplant Patients. Lezlee wrote this book while awaiting her husband's liver transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, and interviewed other transplant patients. Her first book launch signing will be at the Marriott on the Mayo Clinic campus on Friday, November 12.

Since today is National Sandwich Day I have to hustle and send this post along before lunch. 

Happy Days to you,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

October Nights and Frights

 

It's October when thoughts turn to falling leaves and pumpkin pies. As the adorable Lucy Maud Montgomery of Anne of Green Gables said, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." But October also brings us Halloween and while the kiddies are collecting candy we can raise goosebumps by reading or rereading some of the more frightening novels ever written. I'm sure you have favorites that kept you up late and lingered in your dreams. Here are my top five in a list of the scariest novels I've read:

5. Rosemary's Baby, Ira Levin — you've seen the movie, but read the book for the real deal.

4. The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty — another classic film, but the book is even better.

3. The Rats, James Herbert — mutated giant rats. Need I say more?

2. The Ruins, Scott Smith — carefree travelers in Mexico stumble across an ancient evil. Will leave you shaken, not stirred.

1. Pet Sematary, Stephen King — many of King's horror tales could make this list, including The Shining and Salem's Lot, but I found Pet Sematary to be the most unsettling of them all.

Runners up in the horror category include Hell House by Richard Matheson, The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. What's on your list?

Take some time away from your reading and writing to visit one or more of these writing groups this month:

• The River City Writers go virtual this month with a Zoom meeting on editing with an actual editor. Marcie Bridges, a freelance editor with Elk Lake Publishing, presents "How to Chop Down a Redwood: Tools for Editing and Writing." Marcie will share with you how to work with an editor and different tools you can use to make sure your writing is the best it can be. Join group leader Kathy Bain and Marcie Bridges on Tuesday, October 12 at 6:30 p.m. through this link and passcode: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77462028675?pwd=dTBudXZsVERFK21SVU1Hd3U2eDQ4QT09 Passcode: h5FqkB
• The Ancient City Writers group meets on Saturday, October 16 at St. Augustine Main Library. The doors open at 10:00 a.m. to all who want to add a little humor to their writing. Author and poet Sandra Dempsey Madden presents "Lighten Up! Getting Serious About Humor." She will show how humor can be incorporated into most novels, from romantic comedy to mysteries, historicals - almost any genre. She will explain how, when, and why humor can be/should be used. Also the changes in humor through the years.
• The Amelia Island Writers next meeting is on Tuesday, November 30. More information in next month's blog post.
• Clay County Writers group leader Melanie Pronia has taken this scary month seriously by moving the meeting venue (just for this month) to the Old Jail in Green Cove Springs on Friday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. They will be discussing the horror genre and how history affects our writing. Set your GPS for 915 Walnut Street, Green Cove Springs 32043 to find the Old Jail.
• 
  The Ponte Vedra Writers group welcomes Nancy Quatrano to the Ponte Vedra Branch Library on Saturday, October 23 at 10:00 a.m. Nancy, one of the region's better speakers, will tell us how we can increase our fan base and improve our sales through public speaking. In her presentation, "Transforming Writers into Speakers," Nancy will show us how to how to pitch, prepare, and run a winning book signing event or develop topics that we can present to groups regarding something other than your book. Nancy is a multi-award-winning fiction author, columnist, developmental editor, speaker, and business owner. She's operated On-Target Words since 2009, offering writing services such as content editing, press releases, and basic marketing plan assistance. For more information go to www.NLQuatrano.com

And in other news ...

• FWA is preparing for the RPLA Virtual Ceremony on Saturday, October 16 at 7:00 p.m. Chris Coward and Chris Hamilton will do the honors and you can enjoy all the action by clicking on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83818117892. And here's a video of the finalists to put you in the mood. Are you in there?
• Even if you're not part of Collection #13, "Footpriints," you may pre-order copies now for a member price of $12 per book, which includes shipping. Contact Chrissy Jackson at cjackson@floridawriters.org with your order and enjoy the many varieties of stories, essays and poetry members wrote on the Footprints theme.
• Pam-Jam Jax continues throughout the month, moving to San Marco's TAC Gallery this Sunday for poetry and art. Click here for details.
• For more poetry and details about the meetings of A Gathering of Poets, please contact Sharon Scholl at sharonscholl527@comcast.net.
• If you wish to participate in February's Amelia Island Book Festival as part of the Authors/Expo/Reader's Extravaganza you need to get your application and payment in by the end of the month to reserve a table. Click here for the application.
• In the mood to combine traveling to a few exciting cities like New York City, Nashville (actually in nearby Franklin, TN), and Minneapolis to meet and hear top brand authors? Here's your chance. The International Thriller Writers presents ThrillerFest XVII May 31 - June 4 at the Sheraton Times Square. Featured authors in attendance include Diana Gabaldon, Alistair Burke, Joseph Finder, Frederick Forsyth, and more. Killer Nashville, which moved outside the city to Franklin this year, is scheduled for August 18-21, 2022, and spotlights Guest of Honor authors Lisa Black, Walter Mosley, and J. T. Ellison. And in Minneapolis this year you'll find Bouchercon 2022, September 8-11. If you're not familiar with Bouchercon it's billed as the annual World Mystery Convention for both crime writers and fans. It also moves from city to city each year and pulls in more than a thousand attendees. It's huge and they give away books. Lots of them. Future Bouchercons, which was named after mystery writer of the 40s, Anthony Boucher, will be in San Diego, Nashville, and New Orleans.
• Edward Mickolus is at it again. He's recently published The Creativity Sourcebook: The Daily Guide to Increasing Your Creativity. Now available on Amazon. Seriously, someone has to stop this man before he uses up the entire world's supply of ink.
• Kudos also to T. L. Williams on the publication of Book 5 in his Logan Alexander thriller series. Supreme Threat pits the CIA protagonist against North Korean agents determined to inflict major damage to our homeland. 

That will do it for this month. Happy October and keep frighting. Oops, I mean writing.

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Write Your Own September Song

 

“I’ve found you’ve got to look back at the old things and see them in a new light.”

    ~ John Coltrane

Music often accompanies me while writing. I'm listening to a Dave Brubeck classic—Blue Rondo a la Turk—at the moment, which may be why this is the second blog post referencing specific songs. Either that or a dearth of ideas. In July I focused on Summer Songs, and since we are about to enter the month of September my one-track mind naturally went to the classic, September Song. There are many September songs, including September by Earth, Wind & Fire, Wake Me When September Ends, by Green Day, and the haunting Pale September by Fiona Apple. I'm sure you can name others, but to people of a certain age (that means old) September Song voiced by the one-and-only Frank Sinatra reigns supreme.

Here's the opening stanza :

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn't got time for the waiting game

Admittedly, this is rather melancholy but it tells us that time waits for no one. We can't sit around hoping for the muse to arrive like an Amazon package on your doorstep. As Jack London was purported to have said, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” With that in mind let's get down to business.

• 
  The Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library hosts the first in-person meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers in nearly two years. We'll come together on Saturday, September 11 at 10:00 a.m. This is a special date for a special program where we welcome developmental editor and writing coach Heather Whitaker discussing The Opening Fifteen Pages. Heather tells us, "The opening pages of your story are the most important “real estate” in your manuscript. They are your first impression on agents, editors, and—most important—your readers. Not surprisingly, they have the most work to do. In addition to introducing the world and main character(s) of your story, they need to set the tone and hook the reader." We'll begin early for Heather's jam-packed presentation. All are welcome.
• The River City Writers are back! Join new group leader Kathy Bain at the SE Regional Branch Library off Gate Parkway on Tuesday, September 14 at 6:30 p.m. for another instructive program for writers. Kathy is the author of multiple novels and is well-prepared to talk about Your First Paragraph Hook. In this interactive meeting, Kathy will show a video on the subject, lead the discussion and help critique your first paragraph. To participate, send the first paragraph of your WIP (up to 100 words) to kathrynbain@comcast.net no later than Sunday, September 12, 2021, at 5:00 p.m.
• The Clay County Writers next meeting is on Wednesday, September 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Orange Park Senior Center at 414 Stowe Avenue. Group leader Melanie Pronia reports they will be discussing Self-Publishing and Marketing. "We will go into detail about Book Traliors, Blogs/Vlogs. Facebook Author Pages, book format, editing options, and book cover design. We will also be discussing our short writing assignment related to something that we have dreamed about."
• The meeting of Ancient City Writers takes place on Saturday, September 18 at St. Augustine's Main Library at 10:00 a.m. Yours truly, Vic DiGenti, is the guest speaker and I'll address one of the most important tasks a writer has—revision. My workshop, Attacking the Revision Process, rolls out specific strategies to make the process more efficient and productive while enhancing your manuscript.
• The Amelia Island Writers are back in action for their quarterly meeting on Tuesday, September 28 at 3:00 p.m. at the Story and Song Bookstore Bistro. Emerging from 2020, the theme of First Impressions continues. The program topic is the All-Important Cover Design, led by Nancy Blanton. Nancy's book covers are rich in color and detail. In addition to her award-winning historical fiction novels, find out how to Brand Yourself Royally in 8 Simple Steps by purchasing Nancy's quick guide to create your very own brand.

The beat goes on ...

• You may have heard by now that the 2021 Florida Writers Conference has been canceled due to Covid-19 concerns. This had to be a difficult decision for the FWA Board after the tremendous amount of work that went into the planning of the event. Having been the conference faculty chair for two years I know about the months of behind-the-scenes effort by so many people, particularly the longtime Conference Chair, Chrissy Jackson, to pull together all the disparate strands that make the conference possible. Hats off to Chrissy and all the others for their work.
• The cancelation announcement stated, "We ask for your patience as volunteers process full refunds for conference registration fees, guest meals, interviews, and headshots, and we remind you to cancel your hotel reservations." Also that the RPLA Awards will be announced in a virtual ceremony on October 16, 2021, via Zoom. Stay tuned for more details.
• And speaking on canceled conferences, Bouchercon 2021 was canceled this month. The mega-event for mystery writers and readers was to take place in New Orleans earlier this month, where in normal times it would have attracted close to two thousand people. But Bouchercon is making available a conversation between bestselling novelists Alafair Burke and her father James Lee Burke. You may watch it tonight at 7:00 p.m on this YouTube channel: James Lee Burke and Alafair Burke: https://youtu.be/qQF-CDc-zW0 Next year, if all goes well, Bouchercon 2022 will be held in Nashville, TN starting on September 1.
• A Gathering of Poets is on the move due to the heat and rain bombarding the library's gazebo. For details of future meetings shoot an email to Sharon Scholl at sharonscholl527@comcast.net.
• And speaking of poets, Pam Jam Jax features poets from North Florida Poetry Hub sponsored by Hope at Hand paired with artists from the Art Center Cooperative to present the Jax Showcase, October 3 - 29 at the Art Center Cooperative in San Marco. PAM Jam PVB features poets from A Gathering of Poets paired with artists from The Art Center Cooperative at the PVB Showcase at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library, November 1 - 30. Click here for more information.
• Congratulations to all writers in our region for being selected as semi-finalists in this year's RPLA. Be sure to tune in to the virtual awards ceremony next month.
• Congrats to Kathryn J. Bain on the release of her latest in her KT Morgan suspense series, Sucker Punched. It's now available on Amazon.
• Science fiction author and military historian Chris Berman has released his latest military history adventure, A White Star in a Red Sky. You can find it on Amazon.
• 
  The Alvarium Experiment, a consortium of accomplished and award-winning authors, is at it again. In The Light Fantastic, the nine authors unite to bring laughter, giggles, guffaws, and amusement to the masses amidst speculative twists and turns. In this collection, the authors explore every facet from dark humor to slapstick, deadpan to satire, dry humor to parody. The featured stories fall into fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres, but they do get up again and brush themselves off. This is the sixth project by the Alvarium Experiment, and individual stories will be available for Kindle readers in a few days with the anthology launching via a special Facebook launch party on September 9. I only mention this because one of my favorite authors, Parker Francis, contributed one of the stories. 

Here's another music-related quote. One I'm sure they wished they could take back.

"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." - Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962  

Francis Albert Sinatra had a traumatic birth, arriving blue and not breathing when yanked out of his mother with forceps. He grew into a bit of a bad boy, arrested twice, but went on to become one of America's first teen idols. The rest, as they say, is history. For those of you in a nostalgic mood, click on this link to hear Frank Sinatra crooning his version of September Song. You may skip the ads after five seconds. 

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

 

It's About Time

Time is the most precious commodity we've been given, and it's easy to fritter it away thinking there's always tomorrow. In fact, we have less time now than dinosaurs did when there were 370 days in a year. That's because the earth's spin has slowed due to the moon's gravity acting as a drag.

Don't obsess over that time fact since those extra days didn't help the dinosaurs, but when you're making time for yourself, be sure to put aside three or four days in October to attend the 20th Annual Florida Writers Conference in Altamonte Springs. Click here for all the details.

Here's another mind-blowing time fact: Everything we see is in the past because light takes time to reach us. The light you see out your window at this moment is eight minutes and twenty seconds old. I wonder if that means the scenes we write are really flashbacks? Hmm. Here's hoping all of this month's writers group meetings will begin on time. Or will they?

• Last month I put out a call for a stalwart volunteer to continue growing Jacksonvile's River City Writers chapter as a new group leader. I'm happy to say that author Kathryn J. Bain quickly answered the call and moved to keep the group in its established home base of the SE Regional Branch Library off Gate Parkway. Her first meeting is on Tuesday, August 10 at 6:30 p.m. and it will be a meet-and-greet to get your input on future meetings. Kathy is an established author of seven novels. She writes in the mystery-suspense genre, as well as humor and inspirational fiction. She's a past president of the NE Florida Chapter of Sisters in Crime and has been active in several other writers' organizations.
• Clay County Writers gather on Wednesday, August 18 at 11:00 a.m. at the Orange Park Senior Center at 414 Stowe Avenue. Jacksonville author John Maycumber will discuss a key component of fiction—the antagonist, who is just as important, if not more so, than the protagonist. He'll tell us how to create the best antagonists, and the group will review last month's writing assignment.
• Some beginning writers may think writing dialogue is as easy as talking. Something they've done all their lives. But there's an art to writing good dialogue and Nancy Quatrano is just the person to provide the answers to your dialogue questions. She anchors the meeting of Ancient City Writers on Saturday, August 21 at St. Augustine's Main Library at 10:00 a.m. with her presentation, "Let's Discuss Dialogue."
• Both the Amelia Island Writers and the Ponte Vedra Writers are on vacation hiatus this month but will return in September. The PV Writers open their first in-person meeting of the last sixteen months at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library on Saturday, September 11 at 10:00 a.m. with Heather Whittaker's timely workshop on the importance of those opening pages. Full details next time.

And in other news ...

• Rik Feeney's Orlando FWA group welcomes Nancy Quatrano (a very busy writer) to his meeting this Wednesday, August 4 at 7:00 p.m. Nancy will connect via Zoom on the topic of "The Power Behind Writing a Series." Here's the link to join the meeting: Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/85364073400?pwd=zNlRTlzQzE2TndPZkUyZTY2dmJmQT09         Passcode: 783088
• Congratulations to Sharon Scholl on the publication of another outstanding poetry chapbook, Remains, available now on Amazon. And Sharon leads A Gathering of Poets group on the first and third Thursday at 2:00 p.m. at the Ponte Vedra Beach Library. All poets are welcome.
• And a tip of the hat to prolific author Edward Mickolus for his latest effort, this time with co-author Susan Schjelderup. Together, they created a satirical scientific journal qualifying for having the longest title of the year. The main title is Scatterplot, Scattershots, and Scatterbrains. Access the complete description here.
• And while we're patting folks on the back, a big congrats go out to some area authors who took home medals in the FAPA (Florida Authors & Publishers Association) Book Awards competition. The Awards Ceremony capped off the two-day conference this past weekend and at my table were three winners: Nassau County author R. W. Herman won Gold for his memoir, The Unopened Letter, Sharon Goldman of Ponte Vedra Beach captured a Bronze medal for her children's book, The Land of NO. And Parker Francis (aka Vic DiGenti) scored a Silver for his short story collection Ghostly Whispers, Secret Voices. At adjoining tables, Ponte Vedra Beach resident Rhonda Goodall collected a medal for her book, Where'd Grandma Go, and Jeff Walton for his novel Divine Return. Congratulations to all the winners, and to other area authors I may have missed.

That does it until next time, but I'll leave you with one more time fact. Did you know that time passes quicker for your face than your feet (assuming you're standing up). Einstein's theory of relativity dictates that the closer you are to the center of the Earth, the slower time goes. At the top of Mount Everest, a year would be about 15 microseconds shorter than at sea level. I guess that's why the sale of facial rejuvenation creams is booming.

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Summer Songs

 

According to my friend Google, there are 323 songs containing the word SUMMER in the title. We all have our favorites, I'm sure. From Summertime to The Boys of Summer to Hot Fun in the Summertime, these songs help us celebrate a more laid-back time, possibly when we were young and we'd put school and homework behind us for a few months. As adults, summer still evokes memories of backyard barbecues, family vacations, and days at the beach.

Today, we can say summer is a time to move forward with our lives after many months of pandemic-fed apprehension. And as writers, we can use this time to replenish ourselves and discover new ways to capture those stories bouncing around in our heads.

This summer also means most FWA writers groups are returning to a more normal schedule. Keep reading to see what's happening in NE Florida for area writers.

•  Along with the heat and humidity, summer has brought change to NE Florida in the form of leadership for several writers groups. First, I'm sorry to report that Linda Feist has resigned from her position as group leader for Jacksonville's River City Writers. Linda is dealing with serious family issues so please join me in sending good wishes her way. While Linda didn't have a chance to really get started leading the group because of the pandemic shut-down, I want to thank her for volunteering and picking up the baton to keep the group moving forward. This leads me to ask who will be the next volunteer to take the baton of leadership? The group had been meeting at the SE Regional Library off Gate Parkway on the second Thursday of the month. Now that the libraries have opened their meeting spaces, it's a good time to schedule the meetings. If you are interested in being a group leader or have questions about a group leader's responsibilities, please email me at vicdig@mac.com.
• The Ancient City Writers resume in-person meetings at St. Augustine's Main Library on Saturday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. Rik Feeney is the guest speaker and he'll discuss media kits for authors.
• Amelia Island Writers meets Tuesday, July 20 for their third annual Summer Camp for Adults. Our project is titled "The Pebble," and it involves creative writing to prompts. Summer Camp will be held at the Amelia Island History Museum, 5-7 pm. RSVP to Lee Ann, jimlee.shobe@gmail.com by July 17.
• The Clay County Writers group is part of the other change previously announced. Author Melanie Pronia is the new leader for the group, which now meets at the Orange Park Senior Center, 414 Stowe Avenue in Orange Park. The group meets on Wednesday, July 21 at 3:15 p.m. and Cyd Hoskinson, a veteran news reporter with WJCT-FM, will talk about all the authors she's interviewed over her long career. This is a good time to learn how to best prepare for an interview about your book.
• After hosting more than a dozen virtual writers' meetings via Zoom over the past year-and-a-half, I'm avoiding the Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran—1958) and decided to enjoy Those Lazy-Hazy Days of Summer (Nat King Cole—1963) by taking July and August off. So there will be no meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers until Saturday, September 11 at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. But we're kicking off our in-person meetings with a Big Bang by welcoming Heather Whittaker as our first speaker. Heather is a developmental editor, author, writing coach, and fantastic speaker. If you attended either the 2017 or 2018 Florida Writers Conferences you probably attended one or more of Heather's standing-room-only workshops. She packs them in. Her topic is one of strategic importance to all writers, and that is "The Opening Fifteen Pages."  Watch this space for more details.

And in other news:

• Get your poetry fix at the bi-monthly meetings of A Gathering of Poets, back at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library on the first and third Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. All poets welcome.
  
• 
  If you're an F. Scott Fitzgerald fan, specifically of his acclaimed novel, The Great Gatsby, you'll want to join the Jacksonville Public Library's virtual Lit Chat on Tuesday, July 6 at 1:00 p.m. I'm moderating a discussion with historian and author Richard Webb Jr. about his book, Boats Against the Current–The Honeymoon Summer of Scott and Zelda.  Fitzgerald fans, historians, and devotees have for decades investigated and debated the origins of the Gatsby story and settled on Great Neck, Long Island, where Scott and Zelda lived for a time, as providing the spark for the novel. But Webb, after reading an article in The New Yorker proposing that Westport, CT provided the true inspiration for the book, embarked on a years-long investigative journey to find the truth. The book reads like a fascinating mystery story, and you'll learn about Scott and Zelda's five-month honeymoon stay in Westport and the reclusive multi-millionaire who lived nearby and threw elaborate parties just like Gatsby. Click here to read more about the Lit Chat and to register for the event.
• Here’s some good news for readers and writers: Jacksonville’s daily newspaper, The Florida Times-Union, is offering you an opportunity to be published on a regular basis as a book reviewer. Sunday book page editor Brandy Hilboldt Allport is seeking a few more reviewers to read and review current releases in both fiction and nonfiction. Your payment is in books and the experience and exposure you receive by appearing in print before tens of thousands of readers. Longtime reviewer Mims Cushing has all the details about how to select and obtain books. Contact her for more information at mimspvb@me.com.
• I don't know how many of you are on LinkedIn, but I've recently been receiving notices of job openings for writers. Here's a link to the latest openings in that field.
• And here's the recording link to the last Zoom session with Nancy Cohen discussing how to turn your book into an audiobook in case you missed it. https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/W4PQFN5pYJDX4sXKysNUuhuoRWIMdHBP0P_tNn-Mq72vwt6F2KCH4t7UrVA97Cxn.GJhfrjEj7c8pKAJT Passcode: E0#q@jrM 

That's all, folks. Enjoy the Summer Breeze (Seals and Crofts—1972) and Summer in the City (The Lovin' Spoonful—1966)


Cheers,
Vic

Vic DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

FWA June 2021 Post

After many months of living under a dark cloud, sunlight has finally burst through bringing with it fresh hopes and promises of normalcy. Most of our libraries have opened the doors to their meeting rooms, and life is returning to normal. So, let's see what the immediate future has in store for NE Florida writers.

• Change has become a way of life in the past year, and it continues with the Clay County Writers. Melanie Pronia has accepted the group leader position in place of the departing Paula Hilton. Thanks to Paula who had a brief tenure at the helm before everything was shut down last March, and thanks to Melanie for stepping up. She is the author of six novels and has moved quickly by first securing a new meeting venue and scheduling her first meeting. The group will meet for an introductory session on Wednesday, June 16 at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Senior Center, 414 Stowe Avenue. Contact Melanie for more information about the meetings. Her email address is melanie@melaniespronia.com.
• St. Augustine's Ancient City Writers will hold its first in-person meeting at the Main Library on Saturday, July 17. Rik Feeney will address "Media Kits That Work." More info next month.
• The River City Writers group will kick off its in-person meetings in September. Watch this space for more news.
• Some of you have been regular participants in the Zoom sessions I've presented for the past year, and all are invited for my last scheduled virtual meeting on Saturday, June 26, at 10:30 a.m. Award-
  
  winning author Nancy Cohen will show us how easy it is to turn our books into audiobooks using the Amazon ACX program. Audiobook sales are booming and you can be among authors streaming their books out to thousands of eager listeners. Nancy, who will be part of the faculty at this year's Florida Writers Conference, is the author of the Bad Hair cozy mystery series. She's written 16 books in that series, as well as fantasy romances and nonfiction. Use the following link to participate in the June 26 meeting. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83582105785?pwd=R3BORFpiYk9ibCtvVXpqVDFDM3ZYdz09  Meeting ID: 835 8210 5785Passcode: 183545
• Amelia Island Writers group meets Tuesday, June 29, 3-5 pm, at the Story and Song Bookstore in Amelia Park. Award-winning historical fiction authors Nancy Blanton and JR Sharp discuss "Methods in Research." They write historically with confidence backed by meticulous attention to detail. This program is applicable to any genre, as we strive to be accurate in our settings, backstory, and with our characters.

And in other news ...

• If you want to write modern romance that makes the readers blush, you might want to join Rik Feeney's Orlando Area Zoom meeting tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m. Author AJ Robinson will discuss the different levels of erotic and power exchange and which are right for you, as well as what to avoid. Use this link to join the Zoom meeting: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85364073400?pwd%3DYzNlRTlzQzE2TndPZkUyZTY2dmJmQT09&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw2Q6zn8sXU9Zyyc2x0S4ftB
• Also tomorrow night, FAPA, the Florida Authors & Publishers Association, presents "Designing Your Book Like A Pro" with publisher/designer Ginger Marks and designer/artist Elizabeth Babski. Email FAPA President Pat Stanford at pat.stanford@myfapa.org if you wish to attend.
• And speaking of FAPA, they will hold their annual conference, FAPACon 2021, next month, July 30-31 at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace. Steve Berry is a keynoter, and the FAPA Book Awards dinner will be that Saturday evening. Click here for details.
• Kudos to prolific author Edward Mickolus on the publication of his 43rd book, I Matter Too! Finding Meaning in Your Life at Any Age. This is volume two in the series he co-authored with Harlan Rector.
• FWA's Florida Writers Conference is back, celebrating FWA's 20th Anniversary with 75 workshops and panels, eight agents, and new offerings like a poetry slam, a First Night Meet the Agents Panel, Elevator Pitch Training, and more. Visit the site for more information and registration details. 

Enjoy your summer!

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Writers, May the Force Be With You

Using a popular movie quote as the title of May's blog post may seem a bit over the top, but the more I thought about the task writers face and the long, hard road to success (for most writers) the more I realized it takes a special force to keep plugging away. Look at the obstacles that some of the most successful writers faced to reach their lofty perch. Dr. Seuss has been in the news for all the

wrong reasons lately, but the beloved children's author and artist almost gave up. He'd been rejected by 27 publishers and was on his way home to burn his latest rejected manuscript when he ran into an acquaintance, who happened to be an editor of children's books. When asked about what he was carrying, Seuss (Ted Geisel) told him it was a children's book no one wanted to publish and he was going to burn it. His friend insisted on seeing it. The rest is history as the book was published to rave reviews and Seuss went on to write more than 60 children's books. This may have been serendipity, since, as Seuss later said, "If I'd been walking on the other side of Madison Avenue, I'd be in the dry cleaning business today." Still, other writers like J. K. Rowling, Agatha Christie, and John Le Carre were rejected multiple times and kept writing and submitting. So, take heart and keep on keeping on because the force is with you.

Here are this month's highlights:

• A website is one of the most important tools in a writer's toolbox, and I've invited tech wizard Nate Hoffelder to show us how to improve our author websites. "DIY Author Websites: From Blah to Boss" is the title of Nate's Zoom presentation on Saturday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. Here's how Nate
  
  describes his presentation: An author’s website is their online office and storefront, but it doesn’t have to be a stodgy one. In this session, you will learn how, with just a little work, you can rapidly transform your author website from blah to boss. A good website doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars; your site can be as simple as a single page and still present a professional face to reviewers and help you connect with fans. It all starts with knowing what you want to do, and why. In this session authors will learn:
• Tools and third-party services they can use (for free) to build their site
• How to revamp an existing blog to turn it into an author website
• What to put on the home page to win over new readers

        Use this link to join us on Saturday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. The Waiting Room doors will open at 10:20 a.m. All are invited.

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82994547970?pwd=UmtkRHNOZ3BZbmNBZktnbVlwNitvdz09

Meeting ID: 829 9454 7970

Passcode: 913701

• Admittedly, most of you won't read this in time, but tonight Rik Feeney will present his first in-person meeting of the Orlando Area Writers Group at the University Club in Winter Park. The subject: "Page to Stage: Read Your Writing for Perfomance." Performer and acting coach Jennifer Gregory will discuss how to best read your work to an audience. While we won't all be rushing to Winter Park for this presentation, Rik is also making it available via Zoom. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, May 5, and here's the link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85364073400?pwd=YzNlRTlzQzE2TndPZkUyZTY2dmJmQT09
  Meeting ID: 853 6407 3400
  Passcode: 783088
• FWA has announced the Royal Palm Literary Awards are now officially closed. Hopefully, you were able to submit your work for the competition in time, and we'll report the area winners after the October Florida Writers Conference and the RPLA Banquet. 
• And we're happy to report that the 20th Annual Florida Writers Conference is back on track with a solid line-up of old favorites like face-to-face meetings with agents, 75 workshops and panels, plus new offerings like elevator pitch training, and RPLA Readers Theater. Here's the link for info and registration.
• Author Nancy Cohen is our guest speaker next month. The celebrated author of the Bad Hair Mystery series will tell us how to convert our print and ebooks into audiobooks to reach a wider audience. Look for more information and the Zoom link in my next blog post.

And in other news ...

• The Amelia Island Writers group gathers next on June 29 at the Story & Song Bookstore to hear Nancy Blanton and JR Sharp discuss Methods in Research.
• We're sorry to report the loss of another of our area writers. Doris Manukian, who was a longtime attendee of the Ponte Vedra Writers group, passed away on April 14. Doris had a long and eventful life and will be missed.
• There's news of another passing of sorts. I was saddened to learn that after 14 years the Florida Heritage Book Festival is calling it quits. FHBF Board President Debra Rhodes Gibson sent out the
  
  announcement last month with highlights of the history of this fine event, which was birthed by a band of visionaries who believed the nation's oldest city was the perfect place for a book festival. Led by retired elementary school teacher and principal Kathy Dvornick and Margot Pope of the St. Augustine Record, the idea blossomed into a successful festival that attracted hundreds of authors, recognized annual Florida Literary Legends like Michael Connelly, Edna Buchanan, Carl Hiassen, and Michal Gannon, and raised nearly $100,000 for St. Johns County Friends of the Library groups, Bookmobiles, and more. Dvornick became the first Executive Director of FHBF and I signed on as Co-Director soon after and helped grow the festival with the day of writers workshops and the Literary Legends Banquet. There's an unwritten expiration date on all events, of course, so I offer thanks to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly over the past 14 years to make the FHBF a success.  

And since I began with Dr. Seuss I'll end with one of his most famous quotes.

    "You're off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way."

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

April Brings Showers of Possibilities

 

If you're a writer you know how important it is to take advantage of every opportunity to improve your craft. Much of it comes from continued writing and reading, but learning from our peers also provides benefits. And this month brings us even more of those special opportunities. Read on.

• Join us in welcoming FWA Executive VP Arielle Haughee (pronounced Hoy) for this month's NE Florida Zoom workshop. Arielle is an editor, author, and consultant, and owner of Orange Blossom Publishing. She will present a session aimed at demystifying two of the major indie publishing
  
  platforms: KDP and IngramSpark. They offer similar services but have different benefits. In this workshop, Arielle will compare publishing costs, user-friendliness, book options, publishing requirements, and distribution. You'll learn which service is better for experienced indie authors, who provides better distribution for bookstores and libraries, and how to get started on each publishing platform. Previously an elementary teacher, Arielle is the author of The Complete Revision Workbook for Writers, the children’s books Grumbler, Joyride, and Pling’s Party, and the editor of the How I Met My Other anthology series. Use the link below to access the meeting on Saturday, April 24 at 10:30 a.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82062856008?pwd=K1ZrRkl5eVQwLzVBZElUMlFTcldTZz09 Meeting ID: 820 6285 6008 Passcode: 539126
• Last month, we teamed up for a joint meeting with the Orlando Area Writers Group and group leader Rik Feeney presented a session on "Creative Writing Techniques." In exchange for his presentation, Rik demanded reciprocity and we agreed that I would be his guest for his meeting on Wednesday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m. My presentation will be "Seven Secrets to Writing the Thriller." During my talk, you'll learn the basic conventions of this popular genre, how thriller writers keep readers on the edge of their seats. To participate in this hour of thrilling talk, just use the following link. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89086781161?pwd=dnkzS2VUSzR3OFF2SnJuSVVWUGJZdz09 Meeting ID: 890 8678 1161 Passcode: 195493
• A Gathering of Poets continues to meet outside in the Ponte Vedra Beach Library gazebo overlooking Bird Island. Poets gather on the first and third Thursday of the month at 2:00 p.m. Contact Sharon Scholl if you're interested in joining the group. Email her at sharonscholl527@comcast.net.
• The Amelia Island Writers will hold a special workshop on "How to Build Your Author Platform" on Thursday, April 22 at 12:00 noon at the Story and Song Bookstore Bistro. Nanette Najimy of Beansprout Productions will give an overview of effective ways to build or strengthen your author platform. Registration is limited; social distancing required. Contact Katherine Hoehn to RSVP: kat@katwritesandsnaps.com.
• First Coast Christian Writers meet on the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at Jacksonville's Maranatha Church.

And in other news:

• 
  
  We're saddened to report that prolific local author, and all-around nice guy, Walter J. Schenk, Jr. passed away on March 31. Walter wrote in many genres including poetry, stageplays, fiction, and nonfiction, winning multiple awards for his many projects. In 2018, he won FWA's Dahris Clair Memorial Award for his play, Hamlet, Reimagined. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, April 15 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph's Historic Old Church at 4214 Loretto Road in Jacksonville.
• Find out how the pandemic has impacted how books are published, sold, and discovered during a special webinar panel discussion sponsored by IngramSpark. You may register for the April 14 presentation, "Covid-19 & The Book Publishing Industry: A Year in Review" by clicking here.
• Also on April 14 at 6:30 p.m., the Amelia Island Book Festival offers a free online presentation by bestselling author Steve Berry about his new Cotton Malone thriller, The Kaiser's Web. Registration is required. Find it here.
• The 2021 Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is nearing its cutoff point. Although the submission deadline is April 30, there is a limit of 500 submissions, and we have been alerted that they are getting close to that number. If you have a book, story, poem, or screenplay you had planned to enter, then there's no time like the present. Here's the link to register.
• The Authors League Fund has announced that money is available for struggling writers hit by the unexpected financial impacts of the past year. Writers experiencing hardship due to illness, COVID-related income loss, recent storms, and power outages, or other difficulties are encouraged to apply. Eligibility guidelines and a link to the application form are at www.authorsleaguefund.org/apply.
• The Florida Author Project has opened a competition for indie-published books by Florida authors. The novel should be in either adult or young adult genre, written by a Florida resident, and available in either ePUB or PDF file. Visit the site for more details.
• Paula Hilton served as group leader of the Clay County Writers for only a few months (replacing the inestimable Maureen Jung) when Covid shut things down. She has spent more time this past year with her family out of state and has decided she can no longer lead the group when it returns to in-person meetings. This leaves a void in Clay County that needs to be filled. If you live in Clay County and wish to see this group remain viable, I encourage you to contact me and we'll discuss the responsibilities of a group leader.
• Congratulations to retired naval officer and Fernandina Beach resident R. W. Herman for his newly released book, The Unopened Letter,  a coming-of-age book set during the Vietnam War.
• And kudos to Patricia Daly-Lipe on her historical, Miami's Yester'Years: It's Forgotten Founder, Locke Tiffin Highleyman. The book chronicles Highleyman's efforts at turning a swampy wilderness into a paradise.

Next month we'll welcome tech guru Nate Hoffelder talking about how to take your author website to the next level. Until then, I hope to see you at one of this month's Zoom sessions.

Cheers,
Vic

Vic DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

March Gladness

We're approaching the one-year anniversary of Pandemic Pandemonium, and I hope there's nothing but good news ahead. My wife and I have joined the ranks of the fully vaccinated and are counting the days until we can travel to visit loved ones again. That's one reason why I titled this blog post "March Gladness." The other reason is that we've continued to meet monthly via Zoom and receive excellent instruction and motivation to help us with our writing. As you'll see below, we have more great Zoom sessions in the months ahead, and I'll provide a hat tip to several of you who have been so productive during these months. So, read on.

• Tune in on Saturday, March 20 at 10:30 a.m for an eclectic session with Rik Feeney. Rik will present "Using Creative Techniques to Develop Story Ideas." We're billing this as a joint meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers group and Rik's Orlando Area Writers group. Here's Rik's description of his presentation: What can you do to give your book some pizazz, a sense of uniqueness; literally
  
  make it stand out from the crowd? It has been said that “…there is nothing new under the sun. It has been already in the ages before us.” (Ecclesiastes 1:4-11). It is only the unique spin your imagination puts on the topic that will draw the reader’s interest. In this talk, author, book coach, and speaker, Rik Feeney will show several creativity techniques you can use to kick your writing up a notch and make your books truly unique. After the presentation, we'll have some Q&A time so please come willing to share your ideas on creativity with other writers and authors. 

        As always, our waiting room doors will open at 10:20 a.m., and once the meeting begins we ask that you please mute your microphone. Here's the link to participate in the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82590941347?pwd=WitFMEZKc0hvU0F1MWd1WjlGM2VIdz09

Meeting ID: 825 9094 1347

Passcode: 430670

• We have two more outstanding Zoom meetings scheduled for April and May. On Saturday, April 24, FWA Executive VP Arielle Haughee (Hoy) will bring her expertise to the topic "KDP or IngramSpark: Which is Right for You?" And for those of you thinking about creating or upgrading your author website tech guru, Nate Hoffelder will present "DIY Author Websites: From Blah to Boss." Nate's scheduled for Saturday, May 29. Watch this space for details of these meetings in coming blog posts.
• Most of our NE Florida FWA groups are still hibernating because our libraries have still not opened their meeting rooms to the public. One exception is the Amelia Island Writers group. On March 30, 3-5 pm at Story and Song Bookstore, the group holds its first general meeting of the year, aptly named First Impressions, with the topic being 15 Title Types. Several authors will discuss how they arrived at their titles. Due to space restrictions still in place, rsvp to Lee Ann at jimlee.shobe@gmail.com by March 25.
• A Gathering of Poets continues to hold socially distanced meetings on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 2:00 p.m. in the gazebo behind the Ponte Vedra Beach Library. Contact Sharon Scholl at sharonscholl527@comcast.net for more information.
• The First Coast Christian Writers group is making a change to meet once a month on the third Thursday of each month. The time (7:00 p.m) and location (Maranatha Church) remain the same.
• Jacksonville Public Library presents another Writer's Lab series, this time with author M. M. Schill. She will present a four-part Zoom workshop on selling genre short fiction. The series begins Saturday, March 13 and you can register here.

Competitions and Opportunities

• I hope many of you are submitting your work to this year's Royal Palm Literary Awards competition. This is a great opportunity to have your work judged and receive valuable insights from the judges' rubrics. The deadline is April 30, the same deadline holds for the annual FWA Collection. This year's theme is Footprints. Visit the new FWA website for all the details.
• The Masters Review Anthology is open now through March 28, offering a $1,000 prize to ten finalists. Visit this page for details.
• The Women's National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter, is holding an Agent and Pitch event called Virtual Pitch-O-Rama 2021 on Saturday, April 10 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Click here for details. And if you have a short piece of fiction or nonfiction ready they also have a literary contest open until the end of the month. Herre's the web page.
• Craft Literary has announced another short fiction contest for unpublished works up to 5,000 words. The deadline is May 2. There is $2,800 in prize money and a $20 submission fee.

A Tip of the Hat

While some of us have been binging on Bridgerton and Yellowstone (so a friend tells me) others have been busy completing and publishing their books. A tip of the hat and an atta-boy to these writers.

• Melissa Kosciuszko (writing as Melissa Koslin) co-wrote a Christian romantic suspense novel with her former agent, Mike Nappa. Publisher Revell is offering a limited number of free copies in exchange for an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads. The novel, Never Miss, involves a former CIA sniper and bioterrorism. Contact Melissa at activevoice09@gmail.com if you're interested.
• Retired US Navy officer, physician, and prolific author Bill Yancey has published another novel. Exploded View: Nightmare Cruise takes us aboard the luxury liner Marilyn Monroe for a voyage that turns deadly.
• Dr. Debora G de Farias has published Standing Tall, historical fiction about a woman who beats the odds to become Argentina's first female physician.
• Neuropsychologist Dr. Norman Plovnick published a concise and easy-to-read guide to better mental health, AIYOBI: Act In Your Own Best Interest—Five Principles to Live by Because There is No Future in Staying the Same (Windrusher Hall Press).

Congratulations to these and all the other productive writers in NE Florida. Let me know if you have a recently published book and I'll highlight it in a future blog post. Until then, stay safe and keep writing.

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

February 2021Blog Post

We're charging ahead toward the new normal, whatever that proves to be. Virtual sessions have taken the place of in-person meetings for the most part, and we'll continue to provide you with high level speakers and workshops until we meet again. Here's what's on the February schedule via the Ponte Vedra Beach Writers:

• 
  We welcome award-winning author E. J. Wenstrom on Saturday, February 27 at 10:30 a.m. E. J. will be sharing tips on creating and managing your author newsletter. Who should have a newsletter? How can you tell if it's working? What if I'm not published yet? In this presentation, E. J. answers common author questions about newsletters and more. With a focus on a realistic approach to make a newsletter work for you, this introduction to newsletters for authors will explore what to put in your newsletter, offer an orientation to the tools available, how to grow it, and how to tell if it's working, so you can hit "Send" with confidence. E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye, and standing to the right on escalators. Her award-winning fantasy series Chronicles of the Third Realm War features a mashup of mythology, folklore, and a little chaos. It starts with the 2016 RPLA Book of the Year Mud. Copy and paste the following link to join us on the 27th.

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83784213396?pwd=MjlSSDBBR2FxRllPTllWaTFUMWVQdz09

         Meeting ID: 837 8421 3396 Passcode: 736644

And in other news ...

• Both the Royal Palm Literary Awards and the Collection anthology are now open for submissions for you early birds. They will both close on April 30, or 500 entries for the RPLA, whichever comes first. Footprints is the theme for this year's Collection. The RPLA submission process has been streamlined to make it easier and quicker to enter. Visit the new FWA website to learn more about submitting your work. You'll have to login to the Member Center first and then select either RPLA or FWA Collection from the Quick Links on the right hand side. 
• And speaking of the RPLAs, Chris Coward, the esteemed RPLA Chair, is always looking for judges. If you've been an RPLA winner in the past or have a good writing background, please consider being a judge. You may choose from the wide range of categories you're interested in judging. Here's the link to the judge-preference survey.
• A Gathering of Poets holds socially distanced gatherings on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 2:00 p.m. on the gazebo behind the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library (where we will one day return for our in-person meetings). Contact Sharon Scholl at sharonscholl527@comcast.net for more information.
• Rik Feeney's Orlando Writers group hosts author Nancy Cohen on Wednesday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. for a Zoom meeting. Nancy will explain how to turn your book into an audiobook using the ACX service. All are invited to participate by using this link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86572072199?pwd=UU4rWXNyTE9pNHg0aDB1VWtMVW4rdz0

Meeting ID: 865 7207 2199 Passcode: 188099

• If you can't get enough of Rik, then you'll be glad to know he is the March 20 guest speaker, discussing Creative Writing Techniques. Watch this space for more details next month.
• Some of you may be familiar with Dave Chesson and his website Kindlepreneuer. Dave is a marketing whiz and has a number of free resources for writers (plus many paid ones, of course) and not long ago he added an article about the pros and cons of traditional publishing and using an agent versus independent publishing. And he added a list of 30 publishers authors without agents may consider. View that article here.
• On the local front, Edward Mickolus wants you to know that his latest book, Spycraft for Thriller Writers, is now available on Amazon.
• The Jacksonville Public Library System presents another Lit Chat on Thursday, February 11 at 6:00 p.m. You can register to visit with Alexander Smalls, a true renaissance man, winner of Grammy, Tony, and James Beard awards. A visionary chef and co-owner of two Harlem restaurants, The Cecil and Minton's, Smalls will discuss his new cookbook, Meals, Music and Muses. Sounds like a tasty way to spend the evening. Click here to register for the Lit Chat with Alexander Smalls.

That will do it for this month's FWA Blog Post for NE Florida writers. Feel free to share with your writer friends who may not be on the mailing list. Stay well and keep writing.

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DIGenti

FWA Regional Director

Welcoming A New Year

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." ~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce

We enter the new year looking for a fresh start, moving on from what has been a historically horrible year in so many ways. I hope 2021 allows you the opportunity to write many chapters in your book. And I will continue to bring you meaningful workshops to assist you in becoming a better writer. Here's what's in store for this month:

• Have you ever thought about the sound and shape of the words you're writing and the impact they make on the reader? You'll gain a whole new appreciation for language when you attend Shutta Crum's Zoom presentation on Saturday, January 23 at 10:30 a.m. In "Sound, Shape & Sense: The Work of Our Words," Shutta will lead us in the study of creating soundscapes (music) with our words by taking a deep look at literary techniques and mentor texts. Sound will be explored in terms of how
  
  it intensifies voice, enhances characterization, and expands setting. Shape will be looked at in terms of how words and white space grace the page to further understanding. And sense will be studied in the way word choice amplifies the historical and cultural aspects of our work. Shutta Crum is the author of three novels, thirteen picture books, one volume of poetry, numerous individually published poems, and many magazine articles. And, currently, she is a regular blogger for the Florida Writers Association website. Here's the link to join the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86784512085
• Rik Feeney offers another fascinating workshop on Wednesday, January 13 at 7:00 p.m. "!0 Ways to Know You're About to Be Hacked" is the topic of computer expert S. Lamar Barnett. He says the three things to be learned by his presentation are 1) How can I prevent system breaches? 2) Can I rely on my antivirus software to prevent malware infection? And 3) How can I tell if my system has been breached? Join Rik and Lamar with this link:
  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87066056351?pwd=WHg2ejNkQlU3bjhaV3h4Tms3UGx5Zz09 Meeting ID: 870 6605 6351 Passcode: 610223
• Next month, on Saturday, February 27, we'll share virtual space with RPLA Book of the Year winner E. J. Wenstrom who will present "Newsletters for Writers." More on that next month.

And in other news ...

• The Amelia Island Writers group has announced it will hold quarterly meetings this year instead of its usual monthly meetings. They will still be held at the Story and Song Bookstore and begin at 3:00 p.m. The first meeting will be on Tuesday, March 30, and discuss choosing a title. Visit the group's website for more information.
• Tonight at 6:30 p.m. the Tampa Writers Alliance presents bestselling author Steven James discussing "Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules." You may join his workshop by following the link on this page.
• On Tuesday, January 12 at 7:00 p.m. the Jacksonville Public Library presents an online chat with historian and New York Times bestselling author Taylor Anderson. Anderson is the author of the Destroyerman series, a series of alternate history novels. You must register in advance to participate in this Lit Chat by clicking here.
• And finally, Margaret Nicholson is seeking another writer to join the online critique group she facilitates. The group is open to all genres and had been meeting in person until Covid-19 reared its ugly head. For more information contact Margaret at mysurprisefamily@gmail.com.

Here's to next chapters. Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti, FWA Regional Director