Spring Ahead

Although we're ahead of the curve in Florida, May is traditionally the month where Mother Nature paints the landscape with a rainbow of flowering plants. For me, spring means raking the last of the leaves from my oak trees and wondering if those roots snaking through my yard would look better if I painted them green.

Spring is nature at it's finest. Hopefully, as writers we can learn from it and add fertilizer to our blossoming plot ideas, mulch our first drafts, and grow our expectations. Okay, these springtime allusions may be a bit overripe, but you get the idea. FWA is here to help your mental landscape with this month's regional meetings, and much more.

• River City Writers meet on Tuesday, May 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. Contact group leader Gregg Golson for details. 
• Amelia Island Writers gather at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach on Tuesday, May 15 at 6:15 p.m. Group leader Maggie de Vries has the answers to your questions. Call her at 904-321-6180.
• Learn to write dramatic scenes that pop off the page at this month's Clay County Writers meeting, Wednesday, May 16 at 6:15 p.m. at the Fleming Island Library. FWA Regional Director Vic DiGenti presents, "Let's Make a Scene," in which participants will learn how to write compelling scenes using a simple 3-part formula. And they'll have the opportunity to write their own scenes. Group leader Maureen Jung has more details.
• Sohrab Homi Fracis will help you get "Short Story Savvy" at this month's meeting of Ancient City Writers, Saturday, May 19, 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library. Fracis was the first Asian to win the Iowa Short Fiction Award for his book, Ticket to Mintos: Stories of India and America. He'll discuss both the craft and markets for short fiction.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA, meet each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the West Regional Library. FCCW President Lynn Rix has details on the meetings.
• Ponte Vedra Writers assemble on the last Saturday of the month, May 26, at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. Marketing consultant and author Tony Timbol makes a return appearance, this time presenting "Your Book Needs Word of Mouth! A Primer on Using Facebook and Twitter for Marketing." Learn how to best use social media to help you market yourself and your books.

More Happenings in the World of Writing

• Florida Sisters in Crime chapter meets Saturday, May 5 at 10:00 a.m. at the SE Branch Library. Attorney Kate Mesic, a member of the Florida Association of Women's Lawyers, is the guest speaker. 
• Children's Book Writers meet tonight, May 1st, 6:30 p.m. at the SE Library. Fran Keiser will be speaking on "Finding Your Book's Niche." Learn how to identify, target, and reach your niche market.
• North Florida Writers meet at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, May 12 at the Willowbranch Library. Linda Schilling Mitchell's new book, Dear Miss Schneider, Please Excuse Walter..., provides glimpses into the lives of Depression-era students and parents through a series of written excuses. The meeting is open to the public. 
• The First Coast Romance Writers also meet on May 12, 10:15 a.m. at the West Regional Library on Chaffee Road. They promise a workshop blitz on four subjects with four different speakers: Heather Nickodem, "Polishing a Contest Entry," Ava Milone, "Dialog & Point of View," Beth Szabo, "Feeling the Power of Writing," and Abigail Sharpe, "Facing Your Fear."
• Need more romance? Visit with the Ancient City Romance Writers, Saturday, May 26 at 12:30 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. This month's guest speaker Maria Geraci will address, "How to Write a Better Book – Finding Your Sweet Spot."
• Don't miss the May 15 deadline for FWA Collection #4, My Wheels. Get your submission in on any topic involving wheels of any sort. Julie Compton will select the top ten for the front of the book. Click here for guidelines.
• Entry fee for submitting to the Royal Palm Literary Awards is still $40 per entry, but that increases to a pricey $60 on June 1st so spring forth with your entry. Visit the FWA website for all the details.
• If you're dazed and confused about the various digital formats, but you have a manuscript you want to turn into an ebook, there's an answer for that. Sign up now for the July 14 workshop, "E-Publishing, The Future is Now," a 3-hour, comprehensive session with six pros who will walk you through it from beginning to end. Presented by the Florida Heritage Book Festival, the workshop will be held at Flagler College's Ringhaver Student Center in the Gamache-Koger Theatre. Early bird fee is only $50 (includes continental breakfast) through May 31, $60 through July 2, and $75 at the door. Online details and registration here.
• We were sworn to secrecy, but now can announce that Pulitzer Prize-winning crime writer Edna Buchanan will receive this year's Lifetime Achievement Award at the Florida Heritage Book Festival's Literary Legends Banquet on Friday, September 14. Buchanan has been with The Miami Herald since 1970, winning numerous awards for her reporting. She's written true crime nonfiction based on her crime reporting before turning to fiction. Read more about her here, and details on the banquet here.
• And speaking of the Florida Heritage Book Festival, this year's Writers Conference has been expanded to a day-and-a-half and moved to World Golf Villages. Registration is now open, so visit the website and register while the early bird fees are still in effect.
• One more plug for the Book Festival—Jeff Lindsay will kick it off with an opening night keynote talk. Not familiar with Lindsay? Maybe you're more familiar with the long-running Showtime series Dexter starring Michael C. Hall as a Miami-Dade blood spatter specialist who also happens to be a serial killer. But he only kills people who deserve killing. Lindsay is the author of the novels upon which the hit TV show is based. He's had a long and varied career which saw him doing stand-up, doing a solo singer-guitarist gig on the coffee house circuit, voice-over artist, steel worker, detective, sailing instructor and greeting card salesman. Oh, and he's also written 22 plays, TV sitcoms, and feature films with his wife Hilary Hemingway (yes, that Hemingway). Information about his appearance here.
• The Annual FWA Conference, "The Magic of the Pen," kicks off on Thursday, October 18 with a day-long "Celebrity Workshop" featuring internationally-renowned author R. J. Ellory. Sponsored by and benefiting the Florida Writers Foundation, Ellory walks us through "Writing Wrongs: A Workshop on Crime Fiction and Thrillers." Although a resident of the UK, Ellory's books are set in the United States. His books include A Simple Act of Violence, A Quiet Vendetta, and A Quiet Belief in Angels. Visit the FWA web page to learn more about Ellory and register for the workshop.
• Writer's Digest Popular Fiction Short Story Competition will begin accepting entries on June 1 in six genre categories. Deadline is September 14 and stories should be 4,000 words or less.
• Oak Tara Publishers is looking for great love stories for its next collection, Tell Us About...
• Penguin Group USA created Book Country a while back as a site where aspiring authors could post their writing and receive peer reviews and critiques. One of the early users was Kerry Schafer who began posting chapters from an unpublished novel. The chapters attracted dozens of comments but no nibbles (the story was about geriatric vampires in a nursing home) from agents or editors. She tried again with a new novel, Between, and this time caught the attention of literary agent Deidre Knight who was browsing the site for anything of interest. After reading the first ten pages she asked to see the mss and later signed her on as a client. She's since sold a two-book deal to Ace Books for Schafer. So lightning does sometimes strike in the most unexpected ways.

A word about Kaye Coopersmith. As many of you know, Kaye passed away unexpectedly last month. I knew Kaye before she became an FWA Board member, before she was tapped to head FWA's Editing Service, and before she was awarded the FWA Vice President's Award for being the "Welcoming Hands of FWA." As an FWA member since 2002, Kaye was at every FWA Conference I attended, volunteering for any job that needed doing, working long hours to ensure the conference's success. Her smile and enthusiasm was a fixture at conferences and the Tampa area writers groups she was so actively involved with. She will be missed. Here's a link to Kaye's memorial page.

Bobbie Christmas, known for her column, Ask The Book Doctor, volunteered to take over as head of the editing service. If, by chance, you had a manuscript in the editing system, please let Bobbie know so she can track it down and complete the editing service. You may contact Bobbie at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.

Until next time, keep writing and I'll see you on the book shelves,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Welcome to NE Florida where we skipped right past winter and spring into summer. Or so it seems. Let's use the rise in body temperature as an indication of how things are heating up for area writers. Take a look at this month's FWA meetings followed by news of other writing groups and activities.

• River City Writers meet on Tuesday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Rik Feeney has some excellent advice on how to "Sell Your Book in 30 Seconds: Elevator Speech Basics and Marketing Mechanics that Sell Books." Contact group leader Gregg Golson for more information.
• The Amelia Island Writers assemble around the stacks of Books Plus in Fernandina Beach on Tuesday, April 17 at 6:15 p.m. where group leader and store proprietor Maggie de Vries holds court. Give Maggie a call, 904-321-6180, if you need more information.
• Clay County Writers meet on Wednesday, April 18 at the Fleming Island Library. Major Domo Maureen Jung has details.
• Writers interested in learning more about epublishing will be interested in attending the April 21 meeting of Ancient City Writers, 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library. NE Florida FWA Regional Director Vic DiGenti presents "ePublishing 101," an overview of how digital publishing has changed the publishing landscape and how writers can climb aboard the e-bandwagon. 
• Ponte Vedra Writers welcome literary agent and author Holly McClure to the Ponte Vedra Library on Saturday, April 28 at 10:30 a.m. We're putting Holly to work, first as a speaker on the topic of "The Successful Submission." Holly says she'll tell us how to improve the odds of getting accepted; what keeps them reading past the first page and what sends a signal that your book isn't quite ready for prime time. In the next hour Holly will field a group pitch session, hearing your pitches and giving pointers on how to improve. Arrive early if you want to get a seat.

More for Writers:

• Learn how to work with the media to get publicity for your books from Brandy Hilboldt Allport, book page editor for The Florida Times-Union, tonight, Tuesday, April 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Children's Book Writers meeting at the SE Regional Library. The group meets on the first Tuesday of the month, and group leaders Jane Wood and Fran Keiser, welcome all children's book writers in the area.
• Marie Vernon headlines this month's Florida Sisters in Crime meeting, Saturday, April 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Regional Library. Marie turned from writing true crime to novels, and she'll discuss her newest endeavor, Graceland Express, which she calls "A crime caper with an Elvis twist." President Pam Wells has more information.
• North Florida Writers will critique manuscripts at their monthly meeting, Saturday, April 14, 2:00 p.m. at the Willowbranch Library. The meeting is open to all.
• First Coast Christian Writers meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Webb-Wesconnett Library, 103rd and Harlow Blvd.
• First Coast Romance Writers meet the second Saturday of the month, 10:15 a.m. at the West Regional Library on Chaffee Road. 
• "Take the Fear & Loathing Out of Twitter" is the title of Kellie Sharpe's presentation for the Ancient City Romance Authors, Saturday, April 28 at Village Bread Cafe at 12:30 p.m.
• It's not too late to register for FWA's Spring Mini-Conference, Saturday, April 21 in Altamonte Springs. Here's the conference flyer with all the details. 
• More FWA news: "My Wheels" is the theme for this year's FWA annual Collections. The deadline is May 15 and there's a 1,200 word limit.  Read the guidelines and enter today.
• Speaking of deadlines, we missed the 3/31 early bird deadline for entering the Royal Palm Literary Award Competition with a $30 fee. It's now $40 per entry, but you have until June 15 to submit in a wide variety of categories. Winners will be announced at this year's conference, The Magic of the Pen. RPLA details here. 
• The FWA Conference kicks off with a daylong seminar by noted crime author R. J. Ellery. "Writing Wrongs: A Workshop on Crime Fiction & Thrillers," Thursday, October 18 at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary. The workshop helps support the Florida Writers Foundation, FWA's charitable arm in support of literacy. Read more about it at Chris Hamilton's FWA Conference Blog.
• And if workshops are your thing, the Florida Heritage Book Festival has an expanded Writers Conference right in our own backyard. With more workshops, acclaimed keynoters, and a new location, it's worth checking out. The Writers Conference has moved to the St. Johns County Convention Center at Renaissance World Golf Village Resort (yes, that's a fancy name for the hotel), starting Thursday, September 13 with two concurrent 3-hour workshops presented by Adrian Fogelin and Sasha ZeBryk. That evening, also at WGV, bestselling author Jeff Lindsay will deliver the opening keynote address. Jeff is the author of the popular Dexter novels which served as the inspiration for the long-running Showtime series. The Writers Conference continues the next morning with a full day of workshops covering the craft and business of writing. More information next time, but all the details can be found on the FHBF website. 
• The deadline for the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition is May 15. The competition has a $15 entry fee if submitted by May 1, $20 after that date. There's a $1,500 cash prize for the first place winner plus publication in Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts. Visit the website for more details.
• And finally, there are children's book writers and children book writers. The New York Times reports on the growing trend of kid's as published authors (with the help of their parents). 

Keep burning up that word processor,
Vic

Victor DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

Time Marches On

Time does indeed march on, so let's not waste any of it. Here's the lowdown on FWA meetings and other happenings for writers in NE Florida.

• River City Writers meet on Tuesday, March 13 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. Group leader Gregg Golson will speak on "Creating a Setting that Both Defines and Confines Your Characters." Contact Gregg for more information.
• Sharon Y. Cobb has a message every published author needs to hear — "How to Market Your Books." She's the guest speaker at the Ancient City Writers meeting on Saturday, March 17 at 10:15AM at St. Augustine's Main Library. Sharon says it doesn't matter if you're traditionally published, e-published or independently published, you still need to sell books. Sharon is a screenwriter and writing instructor at UNF. Her latest venture is the novel, False Confessions of a True Hollywood Screenwriter.
• The Amelia Island Writers gather again on Tuesday, March 20 at 6:15PM at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. Email Maggie de Vries for details.
• Clay County Writers take up residence at the Fleming Island Library the next night, Wednesday, March 21 at 6:15PM. Group Leader Maureen Jung has more info.
• Longtime FCCW member Lynn Rix moves into the president's seat for the First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA. They meet each Thursday at 6:45PM at the West Regional Library. Visit the website or email them here.
• Last but not least, the Ponte Vedra Writers return to the Ponte Vedra Library on Saturday, March 24 at 10:30AM. This month's speaker is Flagler College Creative Writing Instructor Laura Smith who will talk on "Writing the Short Story." Laura, who has many short story publishing credits, and will see her first novel, Hearts of Palm, published by Grove Atlantic next year, will discuss strategies for getting your stories into print and turning rejection into inspiration. 

And other happenings:

• Florida Sisters in Crime take up the case tomorrow, Saturday, March 3 at 10:30AM at the SE Regional Library with an open house for all crime readers and writers. There will be refreshments, free books and doors prizes. Come and learn more about FSinC. Contact Pam Wells for information.
• FWA invites you to the spring mini-conference, Saturday, April 21 in Altamonte Springs. The daylong conference features acquiring editors Salitza Hernandez from the L. Perkins Agency, and Nicole Resciniti with the Seymour Agency. Aside from keynoter Tim Dorsey, there will workshops on editing, memoir writing, poetry and marketing. The registration fee is only $59 for FWA members, $79 for non-members. But hurry, it's filling up fast. Click here for all the details.
• If you're looking for a fun night out to support a good cause, then check out "The Golden Age of Piracy." And we're not talking about pirating films, music or books, but the "Ahoy Matey" kind of pirates. Dianne Jacoby will portray Anne Bonney, "Queen of the Pirates." There will be complimentary rum punch, tapas, door prizes, and you can come dressed as your favorite pirate if you want. The event benefits the Florida Heritage Book Festival, and takes place at the A1A Ale Works on Friday, March 30 at 5:00PM. Here's how to get your tickets.
• And speaking of the Florida Heritage Book Festival, the Writers Conference portion of the festival has a new home. It's moving to the Renaissance Resort Hotel at World Golf Village, providing more interior space as well as plenty of free parking. The conference is expanding as well with two "super-sized" workshops on Thursday, September 13 followed by an opening keynoter by bestselling author Jeff Lindsay, author of the Dexter novels which served as the inspiration for the noted Showtime series. Returning to WGV the next day, there will be nine workshops and lunch, with the Literary Legends Banquet that evening. Most of the information is already posted on the FHBF website. 
• The Douglas Anderson Writers' Festival continues tomorrow with readings and breakout sessions with 16 authors at UNF's Student Union Building, followed at 7PM with "An Evening with Margaret Atwood," at the UNF Robinson Theater. Atwood is much acclaimed as a writer of poetry, short fiction, novels and children's fiction. Read more about her on her website.
• FPA is hosting it's Spring Fling Conference, "DIY Book Power," Saturday, April 14 at the Orlando Marriott Downtown. Read all about it here. 
• The Nimrod International Journal announces a call for submissions to its 34th Annual Literary Awards. The competition covers both poetry and fiction and has a $20 entry fee, but offers a $2,000 first prize and publication, $1,000 second prize and publication. The Nimrod calls itself one of the oldest "little magazines" in the country.
• Author Tony Timbol, Cybil Raven Chronicles, has started the Julington Creek Writers Group. They'll meet on Tuesday, March 27 at the Bartram Trail Library at 6PM. Email Tony for more info.
• Circalit is having a science fiction short story contest. Find out more by clicking here.
• Clark Library (Lockhart, TX) is holding a "Scare the Dickens Out of Us" short story contest offering a $1,000 first prize. There's also a Junior contest for ages 12 - 18. Sounds like fun, and here's where you'll find out more.
• FSCJ offers a writers workshop at the Deerwood Center, April 9 and 10. Visit the website or contact Jenna Davis.
• Ancient City Romance Writers welcomes Barbara Cameron to its March 24 meeting, 12:30PM at the SE Regional Library. Barbara will speak on "How Not to Shoot Yourself in the Foot on the Way to Publication." Contact Kathryn Bain for details.
• Don't forget the Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is now open for submissions and ends on June 15.  Entry fees increase from $30 to $40 on April 1, and to $60 from June 1 to June 15. Now's the time to enter.
• You might also want to submit to the FWA Collection #4, My Wheels. Entries are limited to 1,200 words and can have anything to do with wheels, literally or figuratively. Suspense author Julie Compton will select her top ten favorites for the front of the book. There is no entry fee, but you must be an FWA member to enter. Submission deadline is May 15. Good luck.
• And finally, if you've thought about writing a mystery but wasn't sure how to get started, I'm teaching an Introduction to Mystery Writing 1-day workshop at UNF on Saturday, March 31. It runs from 9AM to 5PM and will cover the basics from identifying the genre to creating a compelling sleuth and villain. From how to plant clues and red herrings to building suspense. Visit the Learn Jacksonville website to register.

That will do it for now. I hope to see you at one of the FWA meetings or some other event. Don't forget to check the FWA NE Florida page on Facebook, and like us to keep up with breaking news.

Best,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

At Last

With a tip of the hat to the late, great Etta James, I say "At Last" the corrosive political ads have stopped, at least until the general election. I also say at last we can concentrate on our writing and make February the most productive month possible. Get a good jump on reaching your goals by attending one or more of these FWA meetings.

• River City Writers meet on the second Tuesday of the month, February 14 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. Contact Gregg Golson for details.
• Noted editor and writing instructor Lynn Skapyak Harlin talks about how to edit your own work more effectively in her presentation to the Clay County Writers, Wednesday, February 15 at 6:15PM at the Fleming Island Library. In her talk, "Catharsis to Crystallization: Editing Your Writing Toward the Final Draft," Lynn will show you why 90% of manuscripts are rejected on the basis of the first page. Bring your first page to receive feedback. Contact Maureen Jung for meeting info.
• Amelia Island Writers meet on the third Tuesday of the month at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. This month's meeting is set for Tuesday, February 14 at 6:15PM. Group leader and store proprietor Maggie deVries can answer your questions.
• There is no meeting of the Ancient City Writers this month.
• Freelance photo-journalist Susan D. Brandenburg has many interests but after she traced her own family history, she realized she had a gift for writing what she calls "legacy books." She's turned that interest into a thriving business as a professional biographer. Susan talks about "Writing Biographies for Fun & Profit" at the February 25 meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers, 10:30 AM at the Ponte Vedra Library. She'll talk about both the creative side of how to work with the subject of the biography, as well as the business end of it. 
• First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA, meets each Thursday evening at 6:45PM at the West Regional Library on South Chaffee Road. Tracy Redman has more information. 

Other happenings for writers of NE Florida:

• The 2012 RPLA Competition is underway as of February 15th, 2012 and ends on June 15th, 2012. Remember that entry fees are always lowest at the start.  Visit the RPLA page on the FWA website to download the packages for fiction and non-fiction, and best of luck.
• Florida Sisters in Crime, Saturday, February 4 at 10:30AM at the SE Regional Library. Guest speaker is Leighton Gage, author of the Chief Inspector Mario Silva Investigations, which are set in Brazil. FSiC also has a book club which meets the second Friday each month at 2PM at Panera's on Southside Blvd. in Arlington. Contact President Pam Wells for details.
• Noted South Florida author John Dufresne makes two appearances on the First Coast. On Saturday, February 11, John presents "Write Your Novel in Six Months," a workshop at Flagler College from 9:30AM to 12:30PM. Registration and info here. And Monday, February 13 at 6:30PM, Dufresne is the featured author at the PV Library's Book Talk Cafe. He's the author of Requiem, Mass, Love Warps the Mind a Little, and Louisiana Power and Light, among other notable novels and short story collections.
• If writing your novel in six months is too great a task, then sign up for Vic DiGenti's Novel in a Day workshop. It's scheduled for Saturday, February 11, from 9AM to 5PM, at UNF's Learning Center, and covers all the essential elements of writing a novel, from plot and structure, to character development and dialogue. Contact Valerie Murphy to register or check out the website.
• Lynn Harlin launches her next Shanty Boat Workshop on Saturday, February 22 with a new series of writing classes. 
• The Ancient City Romance Writers welcome Kelly L. Stone to its Saturday, February 25 meeting to tell you how to "Empower Your Muse." The meeting kicks off at 12:30PM at the SE Regional Library and guests are welcome.
• The Amelia Island Book Festival has a great line-up of authors and writers' workshop scheduled for its 11th annual Festival. Check out all the details here.
• Children's Book Writers  meet Thursday, February 9 at 6:30PM at the SE Regional Library. Guest speaker is Rik Feeney.

And finally, we all know that writers are curious by nature, and if you're like me, you've often wondered which literary works inspired the most ink — as in tatoos. Well, Publishers Weekly has the answer in this article listing the top 5 books which have inspired the most tatoos. Unscientific as the ranking may be, you'll have to admit it provides a piercing look at the subject.

FWA members in action: Current FWA members should send me announcements of new books, awards, signings, etc. for inclusion in this blog.

• FWA member Gary Zeiger has published Stingray: You Can't Hide Forever, a science-fiction adventure. It's available in print and ebook formats. Preview it on his website.

Until next time, keep writing and I'll see you at the library.

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

2012 — The Year of the Dragon

The apocalyptics are at it again. 2012, they say, is the year we say so long, world. This according to vague prognostications by Nostradamus and twisted interpretations of the Maya Calendar. For writers, we can use it as a story line for a thriller novel or motivation to finally get that book published before it's too late. I prefer to take the long view and ignore the doomsayers, looking instead to the Chinese calendar which proclaims 2012 as the Year of the Dragon, the dragon being a symbol of good fortune and immense strength. This portends great things for writers of fantasies, but all of us can do a little fire-breathing if we put our minds to it.

With that in mind, here's how the six NE Florida FWA chapters kick off 2012.

• River City Writers meets on the second Tuesday of the month, January 10, at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. Contact Gregg Golson for more information. 
• Readers and writers of thriller novels can get inside the author's heads when the Ponte Vedra Writers chapter presents, "How to Write the Thriller Novel."  A panel of four area thriller authors provide tips on how to infuse the thriller with white knuckle suspense and plot-twisting roller-coaster rides that make this genre so popular to readers. Panelists include Chuck Barrett, author of The Savannah Project and the upcoming, The Toymaker; Drew Berquist, a senior intelligence consultant for the U. S. government, is the author of The Maverick Experiment; Kent Holloway writes paranormal thrillers, including, Primal Thirst and Siren's Song; and Ron Whittington set his thriller, Second Strike, here on the First Coast. Because of early primary voting, the meeting has been moved to Saturday, January 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. The book sale continues this month with dozens of craft of writing/speaking books, as well as works of fiction. These will be sold for $1 each to benefit the local chapter.
• Amelia Island Writers meets on the third Tuesday of the month, January 17, at 6:15PM at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. Maggie de Vries has the details.
• The third Wednesdays of the month are reserved for the Clay County Writers, meeting January 18 at 6:15PM at the Fleming Island Library. Writers need to prepare to promote their books by giving presentations to various groups, so the spoken word is just as important as the written word. Joy Lewis shares what she's learned from delivering over 200 presentations to demonstrate how writers can deliver a strong message that gets results. Maureen Jung has more information. 
• Noted science-fiction author Joe Haldeman is the guest speaker at the Ancient City Writers meeting on Saturday, January 21, 10:15AM at St. Augustine's Main Library. Joe will discuss "Setting the Scene – Building Your Character's World," which is important in all kinds of fiction. His books have won multiple awards, including the coveted Hugo and Nebula Awards.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA, meets each Thursday evening at 6:45PM at the West Regional Library on S. Chafee Road. Email Tracy Redman for more information.

Other happenings for writers:

• Florida Sisters in Crime meets Saturday, January 7 at 10:30AM to hear from Lt. Bill Leeper, Public Affairs Officer for the Florida Highway Patrol. They meet at the SE. Regional Library. 
• I'm a day late in getting this out, but those of you who had been attending meetings of SCBWI will be  happy to know a new children's book writers group has been formed by Jane Wood and Frances Keiser. They will meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30PM at the SE Regional Library. Contact Jane for more info or to be placed on the email list.
• Readers of Steve Berry's bestselling international thrillers can meet Steve and hear about his upcoming stand-alone thriller, The Columbus Affair, when he speaks at the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Library's Book Talk Cafe program, Tuesday, January 10 at 6:30 p.m.
• The Amelia Island Book Festival is coming February 17 and 18 with workshops, a gale at the Amelia Island Plantation featuring Steve Berry and David Morrell, a luncheon with Paula McClain, author of The Lotus Eaters, and much more.  There's also a Festival Marketplace for independently published authors to sell their books. All the details can be found on the website.
• North Florida Writers meets Saturday, January 14 at 2PM at the Willowbranch Library in Riverside. The meeting will focus on critiques of up to 10 double-spaced pages of works in progress. 
• In case you missed it, there was a good article on a successful self-published author in the Wall Street Journal recently. Read about how Darcie Chan's debut novel became an unexpected hit in the article, How I Became a Best-Selling Author.
• Frank Green's Bard Society continues to meet each Wednesday at 7PM at Frank's home. 
• First Coast Romance Writers meets Saturday, January 14 at the West Regional Library for morning and afternoon workshops with authors Madeline Martin and Ava Milone. 
• The F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival will be held Saturday, January 14 at the Hilton Daytona Beach Resort. Festival Director Donna M. Gray-Banks has details.
• Central Florida publisher of Pulse the Magazine, Richard Huss, announces the 2nd Flash Fiction Contest with cash prizes, and first prize of A Day in Mt. Dora, including a night at a local B&B. The 650-word submission should be based on a visual prompt of a painting by Lauren Graham Cunningham. Visit the magazine's website for guidelines and the artist's work, or contact Huss at Rdhuss@aol.com.  
• Noted S. Florida Author John Dufresne will lead a workshop at Flagler College on February 11 on "Write Your Novel in Six Months." Contact Kim Bradley for more info.

FWA Members in Action  (Note: Current FWA members should send me any announcements of new books, awards, signings, etc. for inclusion in the monthly FWA blog post.)

• Cat lovers and readers of the Windrusher trilogy will have a chance to visit with the author at this weekend's Absolutely Abyssinian Cat Show at the Morocco Shrine Auditorium. DiGenti will also autograph copies of his mystery, Matanzas Bay.
• Congratulations to Jacksonville author Kathryn Bain who announced the release of her inspirational romantic suspense novel, Breathless, available January 13 as an ebook from the Pelican Book Group. Information on her website about how to obtain a signed print book.
• Screenwriter Sharon Y. Cobb signs copies of her debut novel, False Confessions of a True Hollywood Screenwriter, Saturday, January 28 at the Barnes & Noble, St. Johns Town Center, at 2PM. Visit her at http://www.sharonycobb.com/.
• Parker Francis, author of the FWA Book of the Year mystery, Matanzas Bay, will be signing his book at the Barnes & Noble at the Oglethorpe Mall in Savannah on Saturday, January 28 from 2:00 to 4:30PM.

That's more than enough to keep us busy as we breathe a little fire into our writing. Until next time, keep writing, and I'll see you at the library.

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

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

November Is For Writers

Not only is November National Novel Writing Month, it's a great time to get reconnected with that voice in your head that keeps telling you to sit down and write. Perhaps you thought you were suffering from multiple personality disorder, when it was only your conscience reminding you it had been too many days since you wrote a page.

If you need some motivation, come to one of these six FWA groups meeting this month.

• River City Writers meets Tuesday, November 8 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. Gregg Golson has details. 
• Amelia Island Writers meets Tuesday, November 15 at 6:15PM at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. Guest speaker is Mary Bright who co-authore Whistle for the Wind with her father, Proctor Bright. Mary also penned It's Your Story, Write It! a guide to help others write their memoirs. Contact Maggie de Vries for more information.
• Clay County Writers meet Wednesday, November 16 at 6:15PM at the Fleming Island Library. The meeting will be devoted to setting writing goals for the new year, and working on building a platform. Maureen Jung has details.
• Award-winning authors Jeff Swesky and Nancy Quatrano present a program on ghostwriting memoirs at the Ancient City Chapter meeting, Saturday, November 19 at 10:15AM at St. Augustine's Main Library. Contact the group at accfwa@gmail.com.
• A scheduling conflict due to the Thanksgiving holidays provides you with another choice for Saturday, November 19 as the Ponte Vedra Writers meeting will be held that day at 10:30AM at the Ponte Vedra Library. Instead of a speaker this month, you can take the stage as we'll have an Open Mic date coupled with a $1 book sale to raise money for the chapter. If you're interested in reading from your published or WIP, contact me at vicdig@mac.com to be put on the list. You'll have 5 minutes in the spotlight. Also bring any of your gently read books to add to the collection along with a few dollar bills to purchase any books of interest. More details will follow.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA, meets each Thursday evening at 6:45PM at the West Regional Library on S. Chaffee Road. The guest speaker for the Nov. 10 meeting is author Merrillee Whren. Tracy Redman has more info.

Congratulations to all the winners in the Royal Palm Literary Awards competition announced at the banquet last month. Among the winners from our NE Region were (and let me know if I've omitted you):

Mark Reasoner – First Place, General Book Length Fiction Category, Unpublished

Mary Ann Bator-Gray – First Place, Romance, Unpublished

Richard Hebert – First Place, Novella, Published

Judy Weber – Third Place, Flash Fiction, Unpublished

Hardy Jones – Third Place, Autobiography/Memoir, Published

Diane Mutolo – First Place, Short Story, Unpublished

Heather Nickodem – Third Place, Short Story, Unpublished
Melissa Kosciuszko – Third Place, Women's Fiction

Look What Else Is Happening:

• Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Bruce Thomason is the author of two police procedurals and the guest speaker at tomorrow's (Saturday, November 5) Sisters in Crime meeting, 10:30AM at the SE Branch Library. 
• Also Saturday at the Renaissance Center at World Golf Village, USF journalism professor Dr. Rick Wilbur presents a workshop on turning article ideas into novels. Workshop begins at 1PM and it's free for Florida Press Club members, $5 for non-members.
• First Coast Romance Writers host a "Super Saturday Master Class with Margie Lawson", Saturday, November 29 from 9AM to 5PM at Arlington Congregational Church. Advance registration required. Click here for more info and to register.
• The deadline for submissions to the Florida Book Awards is December 1. These may be submitted by publishers, authors, agents or members of the general public. Nominations may be made in multiple categories. Visit Florida Book Awards for complete details.
• The Melrose Library, with the support of the Florida Humanities Council, is sponsoring a free contest for writers and poets. Create a poem or prose around the theme, "Tales of Florida." Max 1,200 words or 21 lines of poetry, deadline is November 15. Submission by flash drive only (to be returned). For details call the Melrose Public Library, Tuesday - Friday, 352-475-3382, or check the website.
• The Nimrod International Journal has put out a call for submissions for the Spring 2012 issue. The theme is The View from Here, and they're looking for a variety of interpretations of that theme, including poetry, fiction and essays. Themed manuscripts accepted through December. Write them at nimrod@utulsa.edu for more information.

FWA member; —Let me know If you have a new book or an award to share with the world and I'll add it to my next post.

Until next time, enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and keep writing.

Best regards,
Vic

Victor DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

It's Conference Time

October means more than shopping for Halloween candy or getting ready for the annual Florida-Georgia beat down. It's a time when writers throughout the state gather for one of the best writers conferences of the year, the FWA Writers Conference. And this year marks the 10th anniversary of FWA, so you know the conference will be extra special. It's not too late to join your fellow writers in Lake Mary, October 21 - 23. Visit the web page to check out all the writerly activities, from Steve Berry's daylong workshop to benefit the Florida Writers Foundation on Thursday, October 20, to the RPLA Banquet Saturday night. You won't be disappointed.

You also won't be disappointed in the quality of the FWA meetings scheduled for this month. Check them out.

• River City Writers meets Tuesday, October 11 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. Contact Gregg Golson for more information.
• Ancient City Writers welcome literary agent Holly McClure to its Saturday, October 15 meeting, 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library. Holly will talk about what agents really want. So before you sit down to pitch the agents and editors at the FWA Conference, you might want to get some inside information.
• Amelia Island Writers returns to Books Plus Bookstore in Fernandina Beach on Tuesday, October 18 at 6:00 p.m. to hear from Ben Walker, author of Winds of the South. Ben stumbled upon his great-great-grandfather's journal and turned it into a novel. Contact group leader Maggie deVries for more info.
• If you've ever wondered how a critique group works and how you'd fit into it, then you should motor to the Clay County Writers group meeting on Wednesday, October 19 at 6:15 p.m. at the Fleming Island Library. Melissa Kosciuszko, Nancy Payne, and Lamar Thames, three longtime members of the Clay County Fiction critique group will explain how they operate to help one another become better writers. Maureen Jung has details. 
• First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA, meets each Thursday evening at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Branch Library. Contact Tracy Redman for more information.
• Ponte Vedra Writers will meet the week following the FWA Conference on Saturday, October 29, 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. If you missed the ePublishing Seminar at August's UNF Writers Conference, you missed a fine presentation by Tony Timbol he calls E-Book Primer. Not to fret, Tony is the guest speaker at this month's meeting and he'll present a how-to based on the lessons learned during his forays into the independent publishing of Cybil Raven Beginnings, a novelette serving as the lead-in to a series of Cybil Raven ebooks. Tony will give you the benefit of the hard lessons he learned in case you're thinking of jumping into the digital publishing pool.

Other happenings of interest to NE Florida Writers:

• First Coast Romance Writers presents two workshops this Saturday, October 8 at the Jacksonville West Regional Library on Chaffee Road. At 10:45 a.m. author Ava Milone presents, "Getting Your Muse to Come When You Call." And at 1:15 p.m. marketing strategist Maria Pinochet provides tips on "How to Brand Your Storytelling Online" and connect with your readers. Click on the link for more info.
• Ancient City Romance Writers meet on the 4th Saturday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. 
• For 35 years, Frank Green has hosted The Bard Society, quite a feat, not to mention that more than 50 published novel, many short stories, and a collection of short stories that won the Iowa Prize has emerged from the group. They meet each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at 1358 Tiber Avenue. Frank can be reached at 410-5775.
• Jacksonville's Community Read program has focused on The Power of Half during September and October. The book by Kevin Salwen is the story of how one family gave away half of what they had to help others. Salwen will make an appearance at Jacksonville's Main Library Hicks Auditorium on Thursday, October 20 at 11:00 a.m. The event is free if you register online.
• The Florida Literary Coalition Seventh Annual Other Words Conference, November 10 - 12 at Flagler College, pays homage to two Florida Literary Lights, Jeanne Leiby and Stetson Kennedy. The conference includes workshops for writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, panel discussions and readings by a variety of authors. More information can be found here. 

And writing instructors are fond of telling their students to "show, not tell." But perhaps Chekhov said it first and best.

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass.” ~ Anton Chekhov

See you in Lake Mary,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA NE Florida Regional Director

It's A Whole New Ballgame

You've heard it for the last month. The break is over. Time to get back to some football. If you've taken the summer off, put your writing goals on hold while you traveled, visited family, or just enjoyed the sultry weather, look at September as a whole new ballgame. Revisit your goals. Set new ones. Will you complete the first draft by year end? Will you publish by January? That's my goal for my second Quint Mitchell Mystery. What's your's?

It helps to join a community of dedicated writers, a critique group or the monthly FWA meetings. And here's what happening this month at an FWA group near you.

• Here's a switch. Instead of pulling up the rear, the Ponte Vedra Writers group is first this month, meeting on Saturday, September 10 at 10:30AM at the Ponte Vedra Library. The date change was necessitated by library conflicts, but we have an excellent program with multi-published Wendy Thornton talking about strategies for publishing your short fiction (and non-fiction) online and with literary magazines. Wendy is president of WAG, the Writer's Alliance of Gainesville, and has published poetry, fiction and non-fiction in numerous journals and ezines. She's been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, among others, and she'll tell us the best outlets for your works and what editors are looking for.   
• The River City Writers meets on the second Tuesday of the month, September 13, at 7PM at the SE Branch Library off Gate Parkway. Contact Gregg Golson for more information.
• Ancient City Writers meets on Saturday, September 17 at 10:15AM at St. Augustine's Main Library. Rita Malie, author of Goodbye America, describes the writing and marketing of memoirs. We all have a story in us, now's the time to learn how to tell it and how to market it. BTW, the Ancient City Writers now has a Facebook page. 
• Amelia Island Writers won't meet on its regular third Tuesday of the month meeting date. Instead the Local Authors Market Place on September 24 will take its place. The daylong book event features free workshops and book sales to benefit the Family Resource Center of Nassau County. Maggie deVries has details. 
• Join the Clay County Writers on Wednesday, September 21 at 6:15PM at the Fleming Island Library as Art Yeaman treats the group to a performance followed by a discussion. Art is a professional storyteller and performance artist best known for his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin. Sounds like a fun evening. Clay County Writers also has a Facebook page.
• FWA affiliate, the First Coast Christian Writers, meets each Thursday at 6:45PM at the Webb-Wesconnett Library. Contact Tracy Redman for more info.

Other Happenings

• Two deadlines have passed for early discounted registration of the Writers Workshops at the Florida Heritage Book Festival on Friday, September 23 at the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine. Registration is now $80 for advance registration through the 18th, and $90 at the door. 
• That evening, FHBF honors two of Florida's outstanding authors, Peter Matthiessen and Randy Wayne White. They will each receive the Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award at the Literary Legends Awards Banquet, 6 to 10PM at the Renaissance Center Resort at World Golf Village. It should be a great evening and includes the always popular Authors Reception and silent auction. 
• Stetson Kennedy, one of the first Literary Legends, passed away last week. Stetson was beloved by all who met him, just as he loved our planet and worked to make it a place of love and peace for all people. In the 1940s, Stetson infiltrated the KKK, writing about it in his book, I Rode with the Ku Klux Klan. The book was later renamed The Klan Unmasked. An ardent environmentalist, folklorist, and the author of 8 books, Stetson Kennedy was 94 years old.
• The Florida Heritage Book Festival continues on Saturday, September 24 with a day of free author presentations at Flagler College. The day begins at 9AM with a presentation by honoree Randy Wayne White, followed by talks by noted Florida authors like Les Standiford, James W. Hall, Mary Ann Evans, Robert Olen Butler and many more. Visit the website for Saturday's complete schedule.
• First Coast Romance Writers meets on Saturday, September 10 at 10:30AM at the West Regional Library on Chaffee Road. Romance author Eileen Ann Brennan discusses Goal, Motivation, Conflict. And after lunch, at 1:15PM, CPA Rich Shaifer talks about the business side of being a writer, and how to keep up with your taxes. 
• The North Florida Writers also meet on the 10th. They gather by the river at the Willowbranch Library, 2875 Park Street in Jax at 2PM. Author and FWA Regional Director Vic DiGenti is the featured speaker. Vic probes the essential building block of the novel—the scene, explains what it is and what it isn't, and provides a formula for writing compelling scenes.
• Ancient City Romance Writers meets on Saturday, September 24 at 12:30 at the SE Branch Library. Author Renee Ryan offers "The Art of Layering: From First Draft to Finished Manuscript." 
• FWA is extending the discounted registration period to September 30 for Steve Berry's workshop, "Writing Lessons from a Bestseller." This day-long workshop on October 20 at the Lake Mary Marriott precedes the annual conference and benefits the Florida Writers Foundation's literacy projects. A New York Times bestselling author, Berry has 12 million books in print. His workshop covers "The Fours C's of Story Structure,"effective dialogue, point of view, and Steve's "11 Rules of Writing." An added bonus is the Business of Writing session after lunch, presented by Elizabeth Berry, Steve's wife and literary manager. She's also the Executive Director of the International Thriller Writers Association. This will be followed by a Q&A session. 
• And it's not too late to register for FWA's 10th Annual Conference, October 21 - 23 in Lake Mary. Aside from the many valuable workshops, the RPLA Banquet, the fellowship and networking among fellow authors and publishing pros, you can pitch agents, editor and publishers,  have a manuscript critiqued, or sign up for a special consultation with one of the attending faculty members. All of this plus the Welcome Reception, silent auction, the bookstore, Open Mic Night, and the breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Believe me, you won't go home hungry. If you only attend one conference this year, make it the FWA Conference. 
• Don't forget the Riverside Arts Market's first Literary Day is set for Saturday, September 17, all day under the Fuller Warren Bridge. Dozens of area authors will be there to talk books, lead writing workshops and, hopefully, sell a few books. Over 5,000 people visit the market each week to enjoy the entertainment, arts & crafts, fresh produce, and will be there on the 17th to sample books by area authors. 
• Children's Writers Jacksonville, a group affiliated with SCBWI, meets on the third Saturday of the month from 1 - 3PM at the SE Regional Branch Library. Contact Janet Walter.
• Lynn Harlin's world famous Shantyboat Writers Workshop launches a new series of classes beginning September 21. For more information on all classes, email Lynn at lyharlin@aol.com.
• Drew Berquist is a senior intelligence consultant for the U. S. government who conducted multiple counterinsurgency operations during his 12 deployments in Afghanistan. He's written The Maverick Experiment, a thriller based on his experiences. Berquist will discuss his book and his experiences at the Ponte Vedra Library's Book Talk Cafe program on Monday, September 19 at 6:30 p.m.
• The Jacksonville Public Library and Community Connections present The Community Read, focusing on the book, The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back. The author, Kevin Salwen, will make an appearance at Jacksonville's Main Library Hicks Auditorium on October 20 at 11AM. Visit the Eventbrite page to RSVP.

Until next time, keep writing and I'll leave you with this smile from Terry Pratchett.

"There's no such thing as writer's block. It was invented by people in California who couldn't write."

Vic

Victor DiGenti
FWA NE Regional Director




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More News for NE Florida Writers

Summer will be gone before we know it, but August still offers a heat wave of opportunities for writers. Let's starts with this month's meetings of FWA groups in our area:

• River City Writers meets tomorrow, Tuesday, August 9 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library off Gate Parkway. Nancy Murray will talk about how to create your own book trailer. Nancy recently won the International Book Awards in Young Adult Fiction for her book, The Night the Elephants Cried–A Story of the Tsunami. 
• The Amelia Island Writers will meet on Tuesday, August 16 at 6PM at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. Contact Maggie de Vries for more information.
• Clay County Writers will host a panel discussion on what promises to be a very appealing topic to many of us old-timers. "Writing As A Second Career." The panel will include novelists Gary Showalter and Lydia Filzen along with biographer Susan Brandenburg. The group meets on Wednesday, August 17 at 6:15PM at the Fleming Island Library, 1895 Town Center. Contact Maureen Jung for other details. 
• Ancient City Writers tackles "The Power of Your Online Presence for Authors & Writers" at this month's meeting with Carol O'Dell.  Carol is the author of Mothering Mother: A Daughter's Humorous & Heartbreaking Memoir. She’s also an inspirational speaker and writing teacher. She tells us it's not enough just to have a website, and will teach you how to tap into the powerful online community and which tools to use to best access it. The Ancient City Writers meet on Saturday, August 20 at 10"15AM at St. Augustine's Main Library.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate FWA chapter, meets each Thursday evening at 6:45PM at the Webb-Wesconnett Branch Library. Contact Tracy Redman for details.
• Ponte Vedra Writers wrap up the month of FWA meetings on Saturday, August 27 at 10:30AM at the Ponte Vedra Library. Author and writing instructor Sarah Clarke Stuart will discuss her journey to publication in a talk titled, "The Fast Track: From Query to Publication in 12 Months." In her talk, Sarah will discuss how write a proposal for your non-fiction book, how to begin a work of non-fiction, and how to promote yourself with a strong online presence.

Other Happenings of Interest to NE Florida Writers:

• Congratulations to all who have been notified they are a finalist in the RPLA competition. The Awards banquet is Saturday, October 22 and we usually have a large contingent from NE Florida. Plan now to be part of the excitement by registering for the 10th Annual FWA Conference, October 21-23 at the Lake Mary Marriott. ALong with the RPLA Banquet, you can pitch to agents and editors, participate in valuable craft workshops, and network with your fellow writers.
• Also sign up for the special Foundation Day event with New York Times Bestselling author Steve Berry on Thursday before the start of the conference. In a daylong seminar, Berry will share much of what he's learned about how to be the best author you can be in his workshop, "Writing Lessons from a Bestseller."  The morning session covers "The Four C's of Story Structure," effective dialogue and POV, and Steve's Top Ten Rules of Writing. Following lunch he'll talk about the business of writing and answer questions.
• Children's Writers Jacksonville meet on the third Saturday of the month, August 20, at 1PM at the SE Branch Library. Janet Walter has the answer to your questions.
• The Florida Heritage Book Festival is fast approaching. Starting on Friday, September 23 with the Writers Conference at the Casa Monica Hotel, continuing with presentation of the Festival's Lifetime Achievement Awards to Peter Matthiessen and Randy Wayne White at that evening's  Literary Legends Awards at the World Golf Village Renaissance Center, and ending on Saturday at Flagler College with a day of talks and panel discussions by noted authors. All the details are on the website.
• The Ponte Vedra Friends of the Library is hosting a Book Fair featuring 11 area authors on Monday, August 29 at 6PM at the Ponte Vedra Library. Attending authors include Sigrun Buckley, Sharon Cobb, Ken Gorman, Karen Harvey, Richard Hebert, Bill Kerr, Mary Kohnke, Will Merrill, George Prom, Marie Vernon, and Ronald White. A portion of their sales will benefit the FOL. Come down and support your fellow authors.
• Ancient City Romance Writers welcomes author Nancy Haddock as their speaker, Saturday, August 27, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Nancy, author of La Vida Vampire and Last Vampire Standing, will do a workshop on characterization. 
• The Riverside Arts Market haas announced its first annual Literary Day for Saturday, September 17. RAM is that cool venue under the Fuller Warren Bridge attracting about 5,000 shoppers each Saturday.They'll be renting booth space to authors to sell their books on a first come-first served basis for $37.45 per space. And they'll allow up to 4 authors to share the 10' x 10' space. Books may be traditionally or self-published. Applications are now being accepted. Contact the RAM Director, Teri Coutu, at director@riversideartsmarket.com for an application, or contact me.
• Books Plus proprietor Maggie de Vries recently announced the first annual Local Authors Market Place to be held on Saturday, September 24 at the Atlantic Avenue Recreation Center in Fernandina Beach from 9AM to 5PM. Tables and chairs will be provided, but Bring Your Own Books. It's a traditional 60-40 split with Books Plus on sales, but the event benefits the Family Resource Center of Nassau County. Other sponsors include High Pitched Hum Publishing and The Book Loft. There will be workshops, a children's book area, and other activities. Please let Maggie know if you want to participate and plan to arrive early to set-up.
• One Book One Putnam, along with the GFWC Woman's Club of Palatka present An Evening with the Authors, Tuesday, August 16 from 5:30 - 7:30PM at the Woman's Club of Palatka, 605 S. 13th Street. Bob Lee can send you the details. 

Always something going on in the writer's neighborhood. Look for more in the mid-month update. Until then, keep writing.

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Beat the July Heat

One sure way to beat the heat is to stay indoors and write. Speaking for myself, it's easy to let life get in the way of writing. Errands have to be run, the lawn needs to be mowed, the plumber called for a leak in the ceiling (yep, just did that), and somehow the day gets away from us. If you attended last month's Ponte Vedra Writers group meeting you heard Sandra McDonald's 7-7-7 workshop in which she said to make a list of all the activities you consider to be essential in your life. Then decide what you're going to give up, because if you make a serious commitment to write on a daily basis you won't have time for everything else. Writing is either essential or it's not.

Here's what's happening at our FWA local chapters this month:

• River City Writers meets on Tuesday July 12 at 7PM at the SE Regional Library at Gate Parkway and Deerwood Park Blvd. Mystery writer June Weltman is the guest speaker and will address the topic of "Gripping Suspense." One of a writer's greatest challenges, June says, is to create a growing sense of suspense that ensnares the reader. June is the author of the award-winning novel, The Mystery of the Missing Candlestick, which features a teenage detective. She's also a writing instructor, and will teach a course on writing mysteries for children and teens at UNF in September.
• Mystery and romance author Maggie Toussaint talks about pacing at this month's meeting of Ancient City Writers, Saturday, July 16 at 10:15AM at the SJC Main Library. In her workshop, "Pacing: Why Do You Need It, How Do You Do It?" Maggie will discuss how to determine the correct pace for your book and how to build it into your manuscript. Maggie writes for three different presses. Her newest book, On the Nickel. was released in March.
• The Amelia IslandWriters chapter of FWA meets on Tuesday, July 19 at 6PM at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. Group Leader (and store proprietor) Maggie deVries, can be reached at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• How do you plan a virtual book tour? Find out at the Wednesday, July 20 meeting of Clay County Writers, 6:15PM at the Fleming Island Library. Paige L. Cummins, personal and professional coach and trainer talks about her experiences planning and hosting a virtual book launch party for the book, Transformation: Reinventing the Woman Within, which she co-authored. "The Ultimate 72-Hour Virtual Book Launch Party" will demonstrate how she did it.
• The Ponte Vedra Writers invites you to hear from a real live private detective at the Saturday, July 30 meeting at 10:30AM at the Ponte Vedra Library. Steven K. Brown began his career as an FBI agent, but for the last 25 years he's managed his own private investigative firm. He's also the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Private Investigating and the author of two unpublished mystery novels. Steven will give you his take on some of the most flagrant mistakes he sees fictional detectives make. If you're the author of any fiction involving private detectives or the police, then you'll need to hear and avoid these common mistakes. I know I'm looking forward to finding out what I got wrong in my PI mystery.
• FWA affiliate, First Coast Christian Writers, meets each Thursday evening at 6:45PM at the Webb-Wesconnett Branch Library. Contact Tracy Redman, tls172@yahoo.com.

Other Happenings of Interest To NE Florida Writers:

• North Florida Writers meets the second Saturday of each month at 2PM at the Willowbranch Library, 2875 Park Street. This month's meeting on July 9th will be a critique session.
• Florida Sisters in Crime didn't have a meeting this month due to the July 4 holiday, but make note of next month's special workshop with mystery/romance author Nancy J. Cohen. Nancy, author of the Bad Hair Day Mystery Series, will cover the topic, "Writing Fiction for Fun & Profit" on Saturday, August 6 from 10:30AM to 2:30PM at the SE Regional Library. The workshop is free, but registrations are required. RSVP to FloridaSistersinCrime@gmail.com.
• Children's Writer Jacksonville, an affiliate of SCBWI, meets on Saturday, July 16 from 1 to 3PM at the SE Regional Library (still the winner for the most popular branch library) for a Meet Greet & Critique session. Contact Janet Walter for details, jgwalter@comcast.net.
• The Ancient City Romance Writers meets on Saturday, July 23 at 12:30PM at the SE Regional Library.
• Only two days left to register for the full UNF Writers Conference, August 5 - 7. The deadline is Friday, July 8 if you want to be among those attending the entire conference, which includes Friday's workshops (3 tracks), Wine & Cheese Reception, Critique Workshops and the ePublishing Seminar. Critique Workshops cover a multitude of genres including General Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children's and YA, Romance, Poetry and Science-Fiction. You may register for the Friday Workshops or the ePublishing Seminar separately.
• It's never too early to get excited about the FWA Annual Conference. Especially this year since we'll be celebrating out 10th Anniversary. Officially, SOAR! Ten Years of Reaching New Heights kicks off on Friday, October 21 at the Lake Mary Marriott, but you might want to consider going one day earlier and signing up for New York Times Bestselling author Steve Berry's day-long workshop, "Writing Lessons from A Bestselling Author." The workshop is a benefit for the Florida Writers Foundation, a charitable organization in support of literacy projects in the state. Early bird registration runs through August 31.
• And speaking of early bird registrations, register for the FWA Conference before July 31 to avoid a late fee. The conference offers numerous pitch opportunities for agents and publishers, along with top flight workshops and the RPLA Banquet. Always a good time and valuable networking opportunities. Save money by registering now. Download the Conference brochure.
• Closer to home is the upcoming Florida Heritage Book Festival, September 23-24 in St. Augustine. The Friday Writer's Conference has a full day of workshops plus lunch with keynote speakers Les Standiford and James W. Hall at the Casa Monica Hotel. That evening the festival honors Peter Matthiessen and Randy Wayne White with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the Literary Legends Banquet at the World Golf Village Renaissance Center.
• A call for submissions has gone out for the 2011 Nonfiction Award from Jane's Stories Press Foundation. The award is for the best original and previously unpublished nonfiction work by a woman. Deadline is September 11. Entries should speak to the Foundation's special interest in work by and about women and the 2011 theme, "Bridges and Borders." Visit the contest website for more details.

FWA Members On The Move

• Clay County Writers leader Maureen Jung is presenting a 3-part workshop series entitled "Write Your Story, Find Your Voice." The workshop "incorporates breathing, guided meditation, vocalization, and writing tools to tap into your body's unique wisdom and develop your authentic inner voice." Click here for details on cost, times, and location.
• Mystery author Parker Francis signs copies of his first Quint Mitchell Mystery, Matanzas Bay, this Saturday, July 9 at the Barnes & Noble at St. Johns Town Center. Parker will be there from 1:30 to 4:30PM. He'll also be at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach on Saturday, July 30 at 1PM. As an unpublished manuscript, the book was named Book of the Year in the 2009 RPLA competition.
• FWA member George Prom is the featured speaker at the 5 O'Clock Whistle Talk, Friday, July 15 at the Beaches Museum & History Center, 380 Pablo Avenue, Jacksonville Beach. George will be talking about his latest book, The Thrift Store.
• Marie Vernon invites you to the book release party for Graceland Express, Saturday, July 16 at 5PM at the Harbor View Room at Kingfish Grill. Enjoy the music of Randy "Elvis" Walker and refreshments. RSVP by this Friday, July 8, to hrfeist@comcast.net.
• Author, writing instructor and general all-around good guy Vic DiGenti announces the follow-up to his popular Novel In A Day workshop. Creative Writing: From Manuscript to Publication takes writers through the various stages necessary to become published, from writing query letters and the synopsis, to building a platform, crafting a marketing plan, and includes an expanded section on ePublishing. The daylong workshop is set for Saturday, July 23 at the University of North Florida. Click here for details and registration information.
• Congratulations to Rita Malie, author of Goodbye America. She was invited to be a guest of the American Embassy in Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic. Rita will be doing a reading and presentation of her book, which takes place from 1919-1924 with a backdrop of the flu pandemic of 1918. Rita and her daughter are touring the country this month.

Until next time, keep your quill sharp and your ink well filled,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director