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/