Have A Merry Writing Month

Writers write and FWA meets (mostly) despite the craziness of the holiday season. So let's get right to it.

• On Tuesday, December 13, the River City Writers welcomes author Jessie Harrell providing tips on book promotion. Jessie's debut novel, Destined, launched last month and she will discuss her marketing strategies. They meet at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. Contact Gregg Golson for more details.

• There's a joint meeting going on Saturday, December 17 at St. Augustine's Main Library at 10:15 a.m. This is the time and location for the monthly Ancient City Writers chapter, but they will be joined by the Clay County Writers as group leader Maureen Jung presents, "Communicate with Purpose: How to Optimize Impact." Maureen (pictured at right) tells us about all the other communications necessary once your book is written, how technology has changed the way we communicate, and how we can take advantage of it. Clay County's regular meeting on the 21st has been cancelled, and members are invited to join Maureen in St. Augustine. And since there will be no meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers this month, let's make it a three-way meeting. This is a good time to network with other writers. 
• And while there's no meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers this month due to the Christmas holiday, look for a special meeting in January—and on a special date. On Saturday, January 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library (early voting at the library has pushed us out of our typical 4th Saturday schedule), we'll present "Writing the Thriller Novel," with a panel of, what else, thriller writers. Should be a good one. Look for more details in the next blog post.
• The Amelia Island Writers will not be meeting this month due to the Christmas holidays.
•  The First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the West Regional Library on S. Chaffee Road. Contact Tracey Redman for details.

Other happenings:

• Noted author Larry Baker, The Flamingo Rising and The Good Man, will speak at the Ponte Vedra Library's Book Talk Cafe program, Monday, December 12 at 6:30 p.m.
• June Weltman presents her "Writing Mysteries for Children & Teens" workshop, an 8-week adult education class starting January 19 at Mandarin High School. Information and registration at www.schools.org/mhs, or contact June.
• Coming in February – John Dufresne leads a workshop on "Write Your Novel in Six Months," Saturday, Feb. 11 at Flagler College. $50 for FWA members ($55 after Jan. 1), $60 for non-members ($65 after Jan. 1). Register online here, or call Kim Bradley at 904-669-1845. More details in the next blog post.

And don't forget to check the new Florida Writers Association—NE Florida Facebook page from time to time. You can brag about your writing accomplishments, interact with other writers, and keep up with details about meetings and other FWA activities. Be sure and "Like" the page while you're there. 

This abbreviated post will return in full in the New Year with more news of interest to NE Florida writers. From my house (and my cats) to yours, here's wishing one and all the happiest of Christmas, Hanukkah or what ever other season you may be celebrating.

Cheers,
Vic


Victor Digenti
FWA Regional Director

A Fresh Start

That old philosopher, Woody Allen, pegged it when he said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." At least I'd like to think so since I've been showing up for years waiting for success to come along. Now, we have a new year and a fresh start to look forward to with our writing, and FWA is moving forward as well.

FWA breaks records every day, with membership now topping 1,000 people statewide and in other states, as well. Chrissy Jackson is our new President, and the Board just elected Chris Hamilton as our new Vice President. Look for more exciting news in the near future.

Here in NE Florida, we have our own share of good news, as I'm happy to announce the launch of the Clay County Writers chapter. Maureen Jung will lead this group, starting with the initial meeting on Wednesday, January 20 at the Fleming Island Library. More on the meeting below, but Maureen is looking for input from Clay County writers so this is your opportunity to help shape the future of this chapter.

FWA Chapter Meetings:

• First Coast Christian Writers meets tonight (Thursday) and every Thursday at 6:45 p.m. in room 513 of Christ Church, 6045 Greenland Road. Affiliated with FWA, FCCW is open to all. Contact Tracy Redman, tlsl72@yahoo.com, for details.
• River City Writers meet Tuesday, January 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Chapter leader Gregg Golson reports that this month's program is "A Head Start to Publishing," presented by the writer-illustrator team of Hank & Jan Racer. They'll talk about their publishing journey via co-operative publishing and provide tips for anyone thinking of following their example. Together, Hank and Jan wrote and illustrated the children's picture book, Marky the Barking Bullfrog, and Hank is the author of the award-winning YA novel, The River Rats.
• Amelia Island Writers move into the new year with chapter leader Maggie de Vries leading a session on "How to Turn History into a Novel." The group meets Tuesday, January 19 at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. While this is a dinner meeting, it's not required that you buy dinner to attend the meeting. BTW, Maggie reports that she is the new proprietor of the Books Plus bookstore in historic Fernandina each. Great news. Contact Maggie at maggie1948@yahoo,com.
• Clay County Writers, as announced above, will hold an organizational meeting to discuss format and future programs on Wednesday, January 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fleming Island Library, 1895 Town Center Blvd. Leader Maureen Jung welcomes all Clay County writers and their ideas for future meetings. I'll be there to provide an official FWA welcome to the group, and would like to see a big turnout for Maureen's first meeting. Maureen, pictured at left, has written over a hundred articles for business, popular, and peer-reviewed publications, and provided editing or research on 15 nonfiction book projects. Since 1984, she’s been a Fellow of the South Coast Writing Project, a think tank for writing teachers affiliated with the National Writing Project. She’s taught writing classes at University of California, Santa Barbara, facilitated writing groups, and provided writing and speaker training programs for hundreds of individuals and organizations. Maureen is also the guest speaker at my Ponte Vedra meeting as you'll see if you keep reading. For more information on the meeting, contact Maureen at mjung@wordspringconsulting.com.
• Ancient City Writers meets on the 23rd of this month instead of the usual third Saturday because the library is closed on the 16th. But be at the Main Library in downtown St. Augustine to hear science fiction author Chris Berman talk about how to craft a story using research and facts to make the story credible and realistic. They meet at 10:15 a.m.
• Ponte Vedra Writers hosts Maureen Jung at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 23 at the Ponte Vedra Branch Library. With her business writing and speaker training background, Maureen will provide meaningful insights to improve the communication process for writers and speakers. “Communicate with Purpose: How to Optimize Your Impact” is an inter-active workshop focusing on how technology has changed today’s communication environment, how this affects our messages, and what we can do about it. Maureen explores the use of five key communication tools for greater clarity, better tone, and increased power in print, in person, and in electronic communication.

Mark Your Calendar:

• Amelia Island Book Festival As reported in last month's blog, this year's AIBF has an ambitious schedule of workshops and events for both writers and readers. The Writers Workshop offerings on Friday, February 12 offer 16 different session on various topics concerning the craft of writing from poetry to memoir writing, from journalism to screenwriting. Plus there's a luncheon with two keynote speakers. All for $90. Check out the website for all the details, including the panels and author talks on Saturday, February 13, and the special event with Pat Conroy, right, and his daughter Melissa.
• Much Ado About Books has always been one of NE Florida's favorite book and author events. This year's cranks up on February 26 with an intensive 5-hour writers workshop by Steve and Liz Berry. The NY Times bestselling author will cover key elements of the craft of writing, including POV, dialogue, plot structure, Steve's 10 Rules of Writing, and the Business of Writing. If you've seen Steve in action before, you'll know this is going to be a special day. Steve and Liz recently formed a foundation called History Matters, and they are donating their time. The workshop fee of $100 goes to help the Jacksonville Public Library. The Keynote Luncheon on Saturday features bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews. Again, details at the website.
• Florida Sisters in Crime meets this Saturday, January 9 at 10:30 a.,. at the SE Regional Library. Guest speakers are Mac & Marie Vernon, discussing their new true crime book, Deadly Charm. Next month the group will hear from Michael Knox, Traffic Accident Re-constructionist. They have a new website. Check it out at the above link.
• The Florida Heritage Book Festival is hosting a special fundraising event that is both unique and appealing on Wednesday, January 27 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Monica Hotel. "Five Women of the Ages" celebrates five women from St. Augustine's storied past in both a dramatic reading by Karen Harvey, and an exhibition of paintings. Billed as an Afternoon Tea at the Casa Monica, the event costs $30 per person and all proceeds benefit the FHBF. Send your check, made payable to FHBF, to Kathy Dvornick at 1261 Paradise Pond Road, St. Augustine, FL 32092. Kathy is the co-director of the festival this year with Karen Harvey and reports that they have already scheduled several big name authors for the September event. More news will follow.
• North Florida Writers meets on the second Saturday of every month at 2:00 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Regional Library off 103rd Street.
• The Scribbler's Retreat Writers Conference in St. Simon's Island, GA, February 11 - 13, (is it just me, or are there a lot of writing events in February?) will feature Haywood Smith, author of The Red Hat Club, as well as Adam Davies, Anna DeStefano and others.
• SleuthFest 2010 slinks into view, February 25 - 28 at the Deerfield Beach Hilton in north Broward County. Always a super conference for writers and lovers of mysteries, the conference will include presentations by David Morrell, the creator of the Rambo franchise, and Stephen J. Cannell.
• And don't forget UNF's Learn Jacksonville Program is back from holiday recess with a number of excellent writing workshops, including Sharon Cobb on screenwriting, Carol O'Dell's memoir writing class, John Bole's creative writing, and my Novel in a Day workshop on both February 20 and March 27. Click on the above link to find details of each of them in the course catalog.

If you're looking for a critique group, check out the Bard Society for fiction writers. It meets in the home of Frank Green on Thursday evenings. Frank has been leading the group for several decades now and had at least one bestselling author emerge from the group. Contact Frank at frankgrn@comcast.net.

Christine M. Ramey leads a group meeting at the Webb-Wesconnett Library on the first Monday of the Month from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. You can reach Christine at christineramey72@att.net.

The Ancient City Writers conducts critique sessions after their speaker each month, as does FCCW.

That's all the news that fits for now. Check out the FWA meeting, the conferences and stay involved with your writing brethren. This could be the year success finds its way to your front door.

All the best,

Vic

FWA Regional Director

vicdig@mac.com

www.windrusher.com

The Busy Season

The last two months of the year are usually associated with holidays, family gatherings, and travel. For the published author, it's also a good time to be selling your books since everyone knows books make wonderful holiday gifts. Personally, I call these two months the busy season because there's so much devouring our time we might not have time for ourselves.

Because of "the busy season," the FWA Ponte Vedra Writers Group will be on hiatus in November. I'll be at the FWA Conference this weekend, and traveling much of the rest of the month. Because of my travels and the holidays, our regular 4th Saturday meeting is cancelled. I encourage you to attend one of the other FWA meetings in the area and take advantage of some of the other many happenings listed below. Let's get right to it:

• FWA Annual Conference, November 8-11 at Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort. This year's conference is jam-packed with outstanding workshops and speakers. Usually, NE Florida FWA members take home more than their share of honors from the Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition. I'll report on the conference in my next blog posting.
• The St. George Writers Retreat has put out a last call to register for the week-long writers retreat, November 12-16, with YA author Adrian Fogelin. The in-residence event is for women only and held in a large home on St. George Island. Call Perky Granger, 352-463-3089 for details or go to http://www.fictionamongfriends.com/.
• The Central Jax Writers Group meets on the second Tuesday of the month, November 13, at 7PM at the Southeast Branch Public Library is located at 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd, on the southwest corner of J. T. Butler and Gate Parkway. This month, Jacksonville children's author June Weltman will discuss "Clues to Writing Mysteries for Children and Young Adults." Weltman is the author of Mystery of the Missing Candlestick, a young adult mystery. Contact Judy Connolly for details – judy.connolly@comcast.net.
• The Ancient City Writers Group meets on the 3rd Saturday of the month, November 17, at St. Augustine's Main Library at 10AM. This month's speaker is Karen Harvey, who has been writing about St. Augustine for a quarter century. Karen's latest book is Daring Daughters: St. Augustine's Feisty Females, and she'll be speaking on “Fashioning Fact into Fiction.” Critique groups follow the speaker. Contact Jeff Swesky– sweskys@comcast.net.
• The Amelia Island Writers Group meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 6PM at the Florida House Inn. They won't be having a speaker this month, but interim group leader Maggie de Vries reports she will present a list of potential speakers and topics to the group. So if you live in Nassau County, this is the time to make your interests known. Maggies' email is maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• Ponte Vedra Writers Group - As I reported at the top of this post, this month's meeting is cancelled due to the FWA Conference, the Thanksgiving holiday, and my own travels. I'll be in San Francisco on the 4th weekend as one of the presenters at the annual Cat Writers Association Conference. I urge you to attend either the Anicent City meeting or one of the others. For information on all the Writers Groups, you can always go to the FWA website and click on the Regions link then scroll to North Eastern FL. http://www.floridawriters.net/.
• I have the large room at the PV Library reserved for December 22, our usual meeting date, but haven't booked a speaker due to the holiday season. I'm considering hosting a social for area FWA members and others who attend our meetings if there's enough interest. I thought also we might hold a mini-book sale. Stealing an idea from the Ancient City chapter, I thought if everyone brought a couple of gently-used or new books from their libraries, we could sell them for $1 each giving us lots of bargains and last-minute gifts. The proceeds would go into our chapter treasury to be used for monthly expenses. Before I do too much work on this, please let me know if you'd like to be part of a December 22 social event. The other option is to cancel the December meeting as well.
• Acclaimed Florida author Mary Anna Evans will discuss her latest archaeological mystery, Effigies, as part of the Ponte Vedra Friends of the Library program, Book Talk Cafe, on Tuesday, November 13 at 10:30 a.m. It's free and open to the public.
• The Pasco County New Port Richey Writers Group, led by Dahris Clair, has a nifty online E-Zine that's open for submissions from any of the the state's writers. You can check out The Infinite Writer at http://mysite.verizon.net/resockeb/e-zine/. BTW, Dahris is so organized she already has the April 6 one-day conference schedule completed. More on that later.
• Put this date in your calendar - Saturday, May 17, 2008. That's the date of the 2nd Annual NE Florida One-Day Conference. This year's will be held at the PGA Tour Senior Community Center in Palm Valley. It's a larger facility than the library which will allow more people to attend. You may recall that last year we had to cut off the enrollment at 75 people.
• In conjunction with the conference, we will again be conducting the Lighthouse Book Awards for unpublished manuscripts. We're starting earlier than last year and will announce the winners at the May 17 conference. Central Jax Group Leader Judy Connolly has agreed to helm the contest. The deadline is January 18, but look for details in the near future.
• The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) is meeting on Saturday, November 17 from 1-3, at the Southeast Regional Library. FWA members Hank and Jan Racer, will discuss their first year with a published book, a picture book called Marky The Barking Bullfrog. For more information, contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• Speaking of deadlines, two of them are rapidly approaching. First, The Florida Times-Union Holiday Short Story Contest deadline is November 16 and it's open to both adults and young writers. This year they provide the start of the story and it’s up to you to finish it. For more information: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/100707/lif_205575872.shtml . The St. Augustine Record has their own holiday short story contest called Twelve Stories of Christmas. Entries should be about the holidays, directed to children and uplifting in the spirit of the season. This is a short-short story since it's limited to 500 words. Entries must be postmarked by November 24 and mailed to Anne Heymen, The St. Augustine Record, POB 1630, St. Augustine, FL 32085 or emailed to anne.heyman@staugustine.com. Good luck.
• Author Lydia Filzin who write historical novels as Lydia Hawke reports that a movie has been made from her book, Firetrail, and it will be screened at the Orange Park Community Theatre on Friday, November 30 at 7PM, as well as December 1 at 7PM and December 2 at 3PM. Admission is $5.
• The Ancient City Chapter and the Friends of the Library-St. Johns County Main Library are hosting the first in a series of programs on Saturday, December 1 from 1PM to 3PM. I will moderate a panel discussion titled A Writer’s Journey—Where Ideas Come From. Former WG Leader Randy Cribbs will introduce the five panelists–Dr. Allen Bohl, Back Porch Swing, Karen Harvey, Daring Daughters: St. Augustine's Feisty Females, Jay Humphreys, Uncle Sam's, Nancy Quatrano, Crime Scene: New Jersey, and Jim Mast, Bloody Sunset in St. Augustine. The authors will sell and autograph their books after the discussion with the library receiving part of the proceeds.

I hope to see some of you at the FWA Conference this weekend. If not, enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday. That's it for now. I'll see you on the book shelves.

Vic

Victor DiGenti, FWA Regional Director

http://www.windrusher.com/

Don't Fall Back

Today marks the unofficial passing of summer, a transition into fall. To be more precise, we now have only four months to complete our 2007 goals. I'm not quite there yet, but closing in on most of my goals. How about you? Do you have written goals? Are you completing a manuscript? Looking for freelance jobs? Sending out query letters? Creating a marketing plan? Whatever's on your plate, keep in mind the saleman's motto to Plan your work and work your plan. Don't despair if you've fallen behind because you still have four months until 2008 so make them count. And don't do like some cats I know and snooze away the day.
Fall is an exceptional time for writers with more conferences and writing opportunities. Those opportunities begin with our own monthly FWA Writers Group meetings and the upcoming annual conference in November. Look below for highlights of this month's WG meetings and other items of interest.

NEWS FROM NE FLORIDA FWA WRITERS GROUPS
Remember you don't have to be a member to attend any of our meetings, but if you find them of interest and helpful, the speakers valuable, and most of all, if you keep coming back, then we expect you to join the other 150 FWA members in NE Florida. Membership is easy, only $45 per year with loads of benefits. Go to http://www.floridawriters.net/ for details.
Central Jax WG - Meeting on Tuesday, September 11 at 6PM at the SE Regional Library, WG Leader Judy Connolly welcomes poet and author Bonny Barry Sanders. Bonny will provide insights into both of her writing worlds, discussing the process of submitting poetry to journals and magazines, as well as finding a publisher. She'll also talk about her recently published historical novel, Kiss Me Goodbye. Bonny is also the author of the Royal Palm Award-winning poetry collection, Touching Shadows. Contact Judy at judy.connolly@comcast.net for details.
Ancient City Writers Group - This large and active chapter meets at the Main Library in downtown St. Augustine on the 3rd Saturday of the month. Their next meeting is Saturday, September 15 at 10AM and will feature author Jay Humphreys. Since 1999, he has served as Communications Director for the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau. Jay is also the author of Seasons of the Sea, a non-fiction book which became a hardcover bestseller, and Uncle Sam's, a WW II novel set in St. Augustine which received the 2005 best Adult Fiction Award from the Florida Publishers Association. He will address the problems writers encounter when moving from non-fiction to fiction. Contact Mike BonDurant, Mikebd1@bellsouth.net, for more information.
Amelia Island WG - Meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6PM at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. Jim Morgan leads this group and you may address questions to him at drjpm1999@yahoo.com.
Ponte Vedra WG - Our next meeting is Saturday, September 22 at 10AM at the Ponte Vedra Library. Non-fiction writres will find this meeting to be of particular interest since our speaker was formerly a Senior Editor with John Wiley & Sons, one of the leading business publishers in the world. He has edited exclusively in the non-fiction area. His national best sellers include Multiple Streams of Income by Robert Allen and both The Resume Kit and The Perfect Cover Letter by Richard Beatty. Mike will present an overview of all the steps involved in preparing your first book proposal and in turn submitting it to a publisher for consideration. Topics to be covered include types of book proposals, preparation, submission, contract negotiation and advances.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• One more time: Don't forget to register for the 6th Annual FWA Conference, Nov. 9 - 11 at Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort. NE Florida is the home for the largest number of FWA members so let's represent our region well. Go to www.floridawriters.net for the conference schedule and to register.
• September seems to be a good time for writer's conferences. Here are two happening simultaneously — It's a bitter little world, baby-at least it is at the Second Annual Florida Noir Festival. The festival, which celebrates the noir film and literature of the Sunshine State, will take place Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007 in Panama City, Florida at Gulf Coast Community College. The Festival will include noir script and novel competitions, panels, presentations, readings, and film screenings.
• The Gulf Coast Writers & Storytellers Conference is the same day and place and will feature workshops, lectures and panel discussions. Go to http://www.gulfcoastwritersconference.com/ for details.
• The Amelia Island Book Festival, October 4 - 7, has added bestselling author Stuart Woods to its list of presenters. Woods will be the closing speaker on Sunday afternoon, joining Claire Cook (Must Love Dogs), and Tim Dorsey (Hurricane Punch) as featured authors. Saturday and Sunday sessions are free, except for lunch, and Just Write It, Friday's day-long series of writing workshops require a ticket. Friday afternoon's Books by the Beach Party at Sliders Restaurant is free and features many area authors. Go to www.bookisland.org for the complete schedule.
• For more than 20 years, the First Coast Writers Festival was a fixture on the First Coast. But that may be a thing of the past. Produced by Florida Community College Jacksonville, festival organizers recently announced that due to statewide budget cuts the festival's budget has been eliminated. We share their disappointment and hope it returns in the future. In the meantime, Dr. Dana Thomas says they will continue to host the writing competitions. The contests cover most genres of writing– novels, short fiction, poetry, playwriting, and this year they've added memoirs. Check out the wedsite for deadlines and submission requirements, http://www.fccj.org/wf/.
• The St. George Island Writers’ Retreat on St. George Island, Florida, is set for November 12-16. Adrian Fogelin, author of award-winning novels for young adults (she is also featured at the Amelia Island Book Festival), once again serves as author-in-residence at the Fiction Among Friends Writers’ Retreat, offering daily workshops on various aspects of writing, as well as private consultations with the writers who attend. Complete details about the retreat, rates and terms are available at www.fictionamongfriends.com, or by phoning Perky Granger at 518-623-9305.
• The Jacksonville Public Library will kick off the 5th Jax Reads on Wednesday, September 5th, at 6:30 p.m. on the first floor of the Main Library with a dramatic performance by noted actress, Phyllis McEwen, in Zora Live!. This year's Jax Reads book, is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston. The September 5 presentation is the first of a month-long series of lectures, book discussions and other activities in all Jacksonville branch libraries.
• If you're attending the Riverside Arts Festival this coming weekend, September 8 & 9, look for The Writer's Tent featuring many area writers who will be talking about and signing their books. I'll be there on Saturday along with Randy Cribbs, Rita Malie, Terri Ridgell, John Robinson and Jane Wood. Sunday's authors include Andrew Bachman, Allen Bohl, Mary Kohnke, Rita Malie, Jim Morgan, Nancy Murray, and John Robinson.

Some writers hate to edit their perfect prose, which is why editors were invented. Here's what Ernest Hemingway had to say about editing, "The best books are those that leave out the most."

That's it for now. Keep writing, and I'll see you on the book shelves.

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

www.windrusher.com

Lighthouse Book Award Winners

It took nearly six months from start to finish, but the 1st Annual Lighthouse Book Awards competition is now history. Some thirty-five people gathered at the Ponte Vedra Library on Saturday, July 28 to learn the final results. While it may not have had the tradition and glamour of other awards ceremonies, we more than held our own. Recipients were surprised and appreciative, pictures were snapped, and everyone went home feeling a sense of achievement.

Here you see the smiling faces of the prize-winning authors. From left to right: Jeff Swesky, Honorable Mention – Fiction-General; Gertie Poole, Honorable Mention – Young Adult; John Holley, 3rd Place – Fiction-General; Jean Osborn, 2nd Place – Mystery/Suspense; Mary Kilgore, 3rd Place – Mystery/Suspense; Karen Harvey, 1st Place – Young Adult; William Barbour, 2nd Place – Fiction-General; David Pereda, 1st Place – Mystery/Suspense/Thriller.

Other winners not pictured include Leonard Emmel, 1st Place in the Fiction-General category, Bill Dougherty, 2nd Place, Young Adult, and Suki Litchfield, 3rd Place Young Adult. Congratulations to all our winners, and to everyone who submitted an entry. Remember each step gets you closer to your goal.

David Pereda, winner of the Mystery/Suspense prize with his book, Who Killed Fidel Castr0?, drove from his home in Asheville, NC to be with us and claim his prize. This was the second award for Fidel. It was a finalist in the National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards. Best of luck to David and the other winners as they move toward publication.

News from the NE Florida Writers Groups

Central Jax WG - Meeting on Tuesday, August 14 at 6PM at the SE Regional Library, WG Leader Judy Connolly welcomes guest speaker Eileen Ann Brennan speaking on Point of View. Everyone is welcome. Contact Judy at judy.connolly@comcast.net for details.

Amelia Island WG - This group now meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6PM at the Florida House Inn Conference Room. Group Leader Jim Morgan has the details: drjpm1999@yahoo.com

Ancient City WG - This robust group is under new management but still adhering to the motto of Writers Helping Writers. If you missed Sandra McDonald at the May 19 conference, here's your chance. Sandra will be presenting on Plot and other Essential Writing Ingredients at this month's meeting, Saturday, August 18 at 10AM at the downtown St. Augustine Library.

Ponte Vedra WG - The PV WG returns to its regular schedule at the PV Library meeting on the 4th Saturday of the month. This month, August 25 at 10AM, we welcome writer/editor Lynn Thompson who will speak on Editing for Continuity. In her talk, Lynn will illustrate how writers can track the characters, locations and other details in your book and reduce the time spent on rewriting. Lynn has her own writing and editing company and writes regularly for magazines and newsletters. She's also ghostwritten two books.

News You Can Use

• FWA member Beth Davis reports she has been appointed the Moderator Coordinator for next year's Much Ado About Books festival. She's looking for input to take back to the Library Foundation committee. Contact Beth at bethdavisfl@hotmail.com if you have any ideas on how to improve the book festival or suggestions for session moderators.
• Terri Ridgell is the new executive director of the Amelia Island Book Festival, http://www.bookisland.org/. The Nassau County Writers & Poets Society, in conjunction with the festival, is conducting a poetry contest for unpublished poems. There's a $5 per entry fee, but first prize is a $100 gift card. Length is limited to 500 words, and winners will be able to read their poems at the Books by the Beach Party at Sliders Seaside Grill on Friday, October 5th. Contact Belinda or Bob for more information at bookislandpoetry@yahoo.com.
• Speaking of contests, I received an email from Anne Holt, president of the Tallahassee Writers Association, announcing they are now accepting submissions for their annual Seven Hills Contest for writers. Memoirs, short stories, and children's literature entries must be no more than 2,500 words. In the essay category, entries should be 1,000 words or less. Manuscripts must be postmarked by Sept. 30. Please see the TWA website (http://www.tallahasseewriters.net/) for complete contest rules and entry fees.
• Published authors looking for ways to promote their signing events might want to check out BookTour.com. It's a way to find authors and events online. Authors can sign up and list all of their appearances and other events. Book Tour gives each author their own page with photo, bio and book information. You can sign up by going to this address http://booktour.com/signup?referrer=1999. In the interest of fair disclosure, note that using this referral link gives me credit for your signing. This is important since those authors with the most referrals can win a spot on the front page of BookTour.com. If you want to see what it looks like, check out my page: http://booktour.com/author/victor_digenti
• Don't forget to renew your FWA membership. This is especially important if you've entered the Royal Palm Literary Competition as you must be a current member to participate in the contest. Go to http://www.floridawriters.net/ to renew. Also sign up for the 6th Annual FWA Conference if you haven't done so yet. And don't forget to register for one of the four-hour Signature Presentations on Friday morning, November 9. These sessions will give you new insights into genre, technique, creativity, and the professional side of publishing. For only $40.00, you can be part of one of these four special presentations: 1) How to Successfully Pitch Your Project, led by Janice Pieroni, which will benefit those trying to sell a completed project, or have a firm idea in mind. 2) Jamie Morris hosts a session about the Amherst Writing Method Workshop, which will teach you new ways to approach genre fiction. 3) Find Your Passion. Energize Your Story – Sandra Kischuk demonstrates how to focus your creative energies to help mold your work, and touches on how to incorporate real life experiences into your writing. And finally, 4) an exciting new presentation featuring the two keynote speakers - William F. Nolan (author of Logan's Run) and Richard Paul Evans (author of The Christmas Box). This will be your chance to find out how they succeeded in writing and marketing their best sellers.
• Finally, we send our condolences to the family and friends of FWA member Cherie Blanton. Cherie, who lived on Amelia Island, passed away unexpectedly last month.

That's it for now. Keep writing, and I'll see you on the book shelves.

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

http://www.windrusher.com/