FWA June 2021 Post

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

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

And in other news ...

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

Enjoy your summer!

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Writers, May the Force Be With You

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

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

Here are this month's highlights:

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

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

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

Meeting ID: 829 9454 7970

Passcode: 913701

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

And in other news ...

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

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

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

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

April Brings Showers of Possibilities

 

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

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

And in other news:

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

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

Cheers,
Vic

Vic DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

March Gladness

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

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

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

Meeting ID: 825 9094 1347

Passcode: 430670

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

Competitions and Opportunities

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

A Tip of the Hat

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

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

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

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

February 2021Blog Post

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

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

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

         Meeting ID: 837 8421 3396 Passcode: 736644

And in other news ...

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

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

Meeting ID: 865 7207 2199 Passcode: 188099

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

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

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DIGenti

FWA Regional Director

Welcoming A New Year

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

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

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

And in other news ...

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

Here's to next chapters. Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti, FWA Regional Director

A Socially Distanced December

"The ear tends to be lazy, craves the familiar and is shocked by the unexpected; the eye, on the other hand, tends to be impatient, craves the novel and is bored by repetition." ~ W. H. Auden

Athletes and artists know that repetition leads to greater skill, but the sameness of these stay-at-home days can open the door to boredom if we're not careful. This is why the merry month of December will be a time to count our blessings and look to the future. And like your favorite high school teacher, I'm giving you the month off to start counting.

There are no indications that the libraries in either Duval, Clay, or St. Johns Counties will allow meetings in the coming months, so we'll be Zooming into the New Year.  I haven't scheduled a December Zoom workshop, but we'll pick it up again on Saturday, January 23 with award-winning novelist, picture book author, and poet Shutta Crum presenting "Sound, Shape & Sense: The Work of Our Words." More on that fascinating topic next month.

And some groups have managed to meet with safe, social distancing, like the Amelia Island Writers meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 4-6 pm at Story and Song Bookstore, Fernandina Beach. Attend and listen for book tips, or participate by sharing a book or two that held special meaning for you this year. RSVP required due to space planning and capacity. Reserve to Lee Ann, jimlee.shobe@gmail.com, by Sunday, Dec. 13. ameliaislandwriters.org

The Gathering of Poets group is also conducting in-person meetings on the first and third Thursday of the month at 2PM on the back porch of the Ponte Vedra Branch Library. Masks and social distancing observed. Contact Sharon Scholl if you're interested in joining the group.

Until next year, here's wishing you a safe and happy holiday season.

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA NE Florida Regional Director

FWA November Blog Post

2020 certainly didn't turn out the way we had expected when we celebrated New Year's Day on January 1st, but most of us have soldiered on and continued working on our craft. Perched on the eve of November with Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays ahead of us, I'm looking ahead to brighter days for us all.

And that includes two Zoom workshops for NE Florida writers, and other opportunities to stay involved. Here's what's coming.

• On Saturday, November 14 at 10:30 a.m. we welcome Margaret M. Nicholson, Ph.D. to our virtual meeting site (your home) as she tells us how to "Enrich Memoirs and Historical Fiction
  
  with DNA Testing & Genealogical Research." Margaret will share her story of how her research into her family history led to the surprising discovery of a biological father and led her to write, My Surprise Family: Find Your Ancestry Story, a mystery, a memoir, and a manual. She will show us how to add historical accuracy to both fiction and nonfiction by using DNA testing and genealogical research. Margaret tells us she began college after spending ten years as a wife and mother, eventually earning her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Her working experience includes the field of social services, a technology corporation, and university education. After living abroad for some years, Margaret returned to Pennsylvania, her home state. After taking the plunge into DNA testing and discovering an unexpected birth father, Margaret stopped work on her travel memoir Foreign Encounters, yet to be published, to write My Surprise Family: Find Your Ancestry Story. Here is the link to join the Zoom meeting with Margret on November 14:
  
  

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85447274479?pwd=NXlXenNtYm1WNitSeWRXOHd0WXpTdz09

Passcode: 201693

• Clay County group leader Paula Hilton invites you to join her Zoom meeting on Wednesday, November 18 at 6:30 p.m. when Elaine Smith presents, "Story Structure and the Hero's Journey." In this session, Elaine will discuss the archetypal characters and stages of the Hero’s Journey and reveal one simple way to strip your story structure down to outline the bare essentials. Elaine Smith is a writer, actor, director, and producer. She is the founder and producing artistic director of the Clamour Theatre Company, a nonprofit with a mission to bring professional theatre to Clay County, Florida. Click here to register for this meeting.

What else is new?

• A Gathering of Poets continues to meet on the back porch of the Ponte Vedra Library at 10 a.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month. All poets are welcome to join. They email their poems to members and meet to discuss suggestions for change. To add yours, email to sharonscholl527@comcast.net.
• FWA has announced a new holiday writing competition to benefit the Florida Writers Foundation. As you probably know, the Foundation's biggest fundraiser is the silent auction conducted at the Florida Writers Conference each year. But that was not possible this year, so the FWF team has created the Colors of the Holidays writing competition. A $10 donation is requested to enter either a 1,000-word max short story or a 40-line max poem.  Visit this page for all the details.
• If you're like me, you probably missed the glamour of the RPLA Banquet this year. Well, FWA has the next best thing. You can watch the awards presentation via YouTube with the two Chris hosts: Chris Coward and Chris Hamilton. And remember you can still register and watch the conference because all the content will remain up through November 15.
• A few months back we announced that Ed Mickolus was prospecting for writers to contribute to an anthology he and Harlan Rector were producing. Many writers stepped up and are included in I Matter: Finding Meaning in Your Life at Any Age. Look for it on Amazon.
• Richard and Lucy Lipari announced they have completed their novel, The Genghis Code. It's an international thriller mixing history with contemporary twists and thrills. Congratulations to the writing partners. 

And since I started out mentioning Thanksgiving, I'll share with you the answer to a mystery that's bothered me for years—exactly why is the great American bird called a Turkey? This fowl is found on no other continent but our own, yet it's named for a Eurasian country. NPR's Robert Krulwich had the same question. He asked Mario Pei, a Columbia University professor of Romance languages, who told him in the 1500s when the American bird first arrived in Great Britain, it was shipped in by merchants in the East, mostly from Constantinople (who'd brought the bird over from America). Since it wholesaled out of Turkey, the British referred to it as a "Turkey coq." In fact, the British weren't particularly precise about products arriving from the East. Persian carpets were called "Turkey rugs." Indian flour was called "Turkey flour." Hungarian carpet bags were called "Turkey bags."

What, you may wonder, do the Turks call our bird? They call it "Hindi," short for India.

And now, you've heard the rest of the story, and you can enjoy your turkey (or whatever you wish to call it) when you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner.

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

The October Bubble Report

October rolls into our lives tomorrow, and we're still living large inside our respective bubbles. Other than the surprising start of a fall football season that had been in doubt, there's not a lot of news to make me giddy with anticipation. But life goes on. Here's what we know:

• The 19th Annual Florida Writers Remote Conference is swiftly approaching, October 15 - 18. Enjoy four days of workshops and key sessions with National Guest of Honor Greg Pincus and Florida Writer of the Year Robert Macomber. You can also learn about queries and more from agents, get new writing techniques, and learn from the pros. All from the comfort of your home, and for only $57. If you can't make these dates all the sessions will be available for one month after the conference. Register now and don't miss out on this special deal.
• Just in time for Halloween, the Clay County Writers welcome horror author Armando Rosamilia for an online event on Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 p.m. Armando's topic is more than timely, "Oh, The Horror of It All: Writing Horror Stories in 2020." Learn how 2020 will affect the horror genre in years to come, why you should or shouldn’t use 2020 in your writing, and how to write horror as escape. Group leader Paula Hilton tells us the session is free and open to all, but you must register in advance by clicking here. After you register you will receive a confirmation email with details.
• The Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library—like many area libraries—is now open, but the 
  
  meeting rooms are still closed for the foreseeable future. But keep your despondent thoughts to yourself because your fearless leader has another exceptional speaker lined up for Saturday, October 24 at 10:30 a.m.  Award-winning author and all-around good guy Ken Pelham will join us from his home in Maitland, FL to educate us on "The Evolution of Genres (And Why It Matters)." Ken calls this workshop, "An entertaining and provocative look at genre fiction, how it responds to the world and evolves, and how it, in turn, changes the world, often in profound and unexpected ways." The Zoom session requires advance registration here, and you will be sent a follow-up confirmation with sign-in details.
• And join us on November 14 when Margaret Nicholson will discuss, "Enrich Memoirs and Historical Fiction with DNA Testing & Genealogical Research."
The Gathering of Poets continues to meet on the back porch of the Ponte Vedra Library at 10 a.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month. All poets are welcome to join them. They email poems to members and meet to discuss suggestions for change. To add yours, email to sharonscholl527@comcast.net.

And I'll leave you with this that I lifted from Steven Colbert: 

"Quarantine has finally given me time to clean out my garage. I haven't done it, but the time is there."

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

 

Of Books, Storytelling, Marketing and More

We're approaching month #6 of living in the time of the pandemic.  Some of us are still sheltering in place, others not so much. But writers gotta write. Am I right? And they have to read. A librarian stayed busy assembling a special collection of books. You'll have to enlarge the photo but read them starting at the top left.

Locally, a lot of writing is going on. A tip of the hat to the following authors for their accomplishments:

• Congratulations to Bob Black who published two books in June. He tells me Age Successfully was published June 3, 2020, and Life 401 was published on June 15, 2020. He had been working on the books for some years and when he went on a 77-day cruise to South America, Antarctica, and the Amazon early January to late March he was able to finish both.
• Ancient City Chapter award-winning author Jeff Walton's second book has just been released by Sunbrook Publishing. Divine Return picks up where Final Departure left off.
• Nicholas A. Marziani Jr.'s sequel, Fool's Journey: The Showdown, was released on May 30 by WC Publishing. Journey picks up where Holy Fool, Holy Father left off.
• N.L. Quatrano and writing partner D.K. Ludas have a new Ebook out of short mystery stories, released on Jul 4 by Twisted Hair Publications.
• Harlan Rector, author of the recent Once Upon the Corner in Detroit, and Ed Mickolus, author of 36 books, are compiling a collection of micro-memoirs around the theme of Finding Meaning in Life at Any Age. This shared, limited autobiographic project is organized by incidents or periods of life such as childhood, elementary school, high school, adulthood, work experience, marriage/children, career, retirement. Each life period will feature 2-3 incidents or memories from a variety of people, of various ethnicities, ages, religious preferences, and economic pursuits, along with our own memories. Ed and Harlan are looking for contributions of one to five pages. For further information, please contact hrector234@aol.com or edmickolus@hotmail.com.
• And speaking of the prolific Mr. Mickolus, a former CIA operative, he's added book numbers 37 and 38 to his tally. More Stories from Langley: Another Glimpse Inside the CIA is available from Potomac Books, and America's Funniest Memes—Coronavirus Edition may be ordered from Amazon.
• Congratulations to Jacksonville author Kathryn Bain. Her novel, Fade to the Edge was selected as one of the finalists for the 2020 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards in the Suspense category. Also making the cut is area writer Maggie Toussaint for Dreamed It in the SF/Fantasy and Horror categories. You may see the complete list of finalists and vote for your favorites by clicking here.
• Patricia Daly-Lipe has published Miami's Yester'Years, Its Forgotten Founder, Locke Tiffin Highleyman, the story of the founding of Miami, and one man's vision of paradise in the early 1900s.
• Lucy Cortese reports that her writers group, known as TWINKYs, will launch a new children's book on August 4. Do You Know Me? Poems About the Sea is a book of playful poetry, imaginative illustrations, and science facts for children. It highlights sixteen animals to promote a child's curiosity about their natural world. The book will be available on Amazon and in local bookstores.

Our past Zoom writing workshops have been quite successful, with excellent presentations by Kristin Durfee, Jane Wood, and Charlene Edge. On Saturday, August 22, April O'Leary, the author of five books and founder of O'Leary Publishing, will present "Proven Social Media Book Launch Success Strategies (that cost nothing!)." During her presentation, April will show you exactly what she has done to launch six first time authors to #1 in their category on Amazon this past year. While there are no shortcuts to a successful career as a writer, this is one tool you'll want to have in your book marketing toolkit. Look for the Zoom registration link coming your way in the next few weeks.

I had planned to have another marketing workshop via Zoom, but Tara Alemany, the publisher of Emerald Lakes Books, had serious time constraints. Instead, she offered to share an interview she did with Dave Chesson, a book marketing pro and creator of Kindlepreneuer. In this 48-minute interview, Dave talks about how you can best use Amazon ads to improve your book sales. My thanks to Tara for sharing this interview. Click here to access the interview.

Don't forget FWA's 19th Annual Florida Writers Remote Conference, October 15-18. For only $57, you have access to four days of workshops, plus the Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition.

Here's one final item before I release you to return to your writing life. I will be doing a series of three Zoom workshops for the Jacksonville Public Library. A condensed version of my Novel in a Day workshop, they cover three consecutive Saturdays starting August 29 at 10AM. I've titled the sessions, Storytelling 101, and we'll cover the key elements of the novel, from plotting to characterization, to writing scenes, and more. The workshops are free but you need a JPL library card, which you can acquire online. I'll have more information soon.

Until then, keep in mind these choice suggestions from the Boy Scout Law and remain Helpful, Courteous, Kind, Clean, Cheerful, and Brave.

Cheers,
Vic

Vic DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

Tips of the Hat & Tips for Writers

It's been two months since my last FWA blog post. Although I've written direct emails to all the NE Florida writers on my list I thought it was time to post online again. As I sat down at my iMac to create this post my mind pulled up one of Willie Nelson's poignant songs, Funny How Times Slips Away. I'm sure you've heard it many times, but I Googled the lyrics and the first stanza seems to have been written for our time in the coronavirus bubble.

Hello there, my it's been a long time.

How am I doing? Well, I guess that I'm doing fine.

It's been so long now, but it seems now it was only yesterday.

Ain't it funny how time slips away.

That's enough maudlin introspection, let's get down to the writing business. The pandemic has closed libraries and prevented our FWA writers groups from meeting since February. In response, we had two Zoom presentations in June—one by Charlene Edge on memoir writing, and one by Jane Wood telling us how to market our books to schools. Both were excellent workshops and well attended.

You'll be happy to know I've scheduled another Zoom meeting for this month, and two more in August.

Some of you may remember Kristin Durfee, who presented a workshop on firearms at the Ponte Vedra Writers group several years ago. I invited Kristin to return and she has agreed to present a new workshop on plotting the novel. Register for Kristin's Zoom presentation, "A Novel Approach: Plotting Your Way to Success," which will be presented live on Saturday, July 18 at 10:30 a.m.

Kristin, who is the author of the Four Corners Trilogy as well as many short stories, describes the workshop this way:
"Plot like a pro and get that novel finished! Learn systematic tips and tricks to set yourself up for success. Attendees will learn how to incorporate outlining in their writing, what research can and should be done prior to starting your story, and some troubleshooting techniques to help if you get stuck. The presentation should leave you with a good framework for how to tackle and complete that first draft."

Here's the invitation to register for this meeting:

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jul 18, 2020 10:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vc-qoqj8qHNSQt6468SY-Qni1H_sN7OSv
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

And as I mentioned above, in August we'll have two more Zoom meetings, both focusing on marketing; one using Facebook groups and the other using Amazon ads. Watch this space for more information.

I've heard from a few people who have used their time productively. A tip of the hat to:

• Ponte Vedra Beach writer Ken Overman. His new book, Intrusions, When God Shows Up in Your Life Unexpectedly has been picked up by CrossLink Publishing, a top U.S. traditional Christian publisher. The book will be out in about 7 months. Congratulations Ken.
• I also heard from Richard and Lucy Lipari, who decided to use their home alone time to jointly write a mystery novel. Rich wrote to tell me, "We decided to purchase Scrivener when the virus began and we knew we would be homebound. We learned about this software from meetings we attended in Ponte Vedra, and decided to give it a try. We found the program very user friendly and a great organizer. Since we had absolutely no distractions, we started jointly writing a mystery using the program. We began as pantsers but as we were going along, we evolved into plotters. Happy to report, since March we wrote over 75,000 words, 45 chapters, 275 pages. We’re excited now, as we know how the mystery will resolve, and it’s just a matter of writing it down." The novel is titled The Genghis Code. Congratulations to you both.
• Sharon Scholl has kept her poetry group active since the shutdown by also using Zoom meetings. She invites any and all poets "to join The Gathering's Zoom sessions, we will send the meeting data to whoever requests it at accidentals@comcast.net. Usually the first and third Thursdays of the month at 2 p.m."
• The Amelia Island Writers are also active. Group leader Marla McDaniel tells me that George Weinstein will be the virtual guest speaker on Saturday, July 25 at 3:30 p.m. Weinstein is a published author and coordinates the Atlanta Writers Group. He will talk about his writing journey and his latest thriller, Watch What You Say. Click here to register for that meeting.

Tell me what's gong on in your writing life, and I'll report it in the next FWA blog post. In the meantime, if you're looking for inspiration, guidance, or a way to productively pass the time, I've assembled a few online sites you might want to check out if you haven't seen them already.

1. The first is a fun exercise that purports to analyze your writing and tell you what famous writer you write like. I entered the first paragraph of my thriller, Hurricane Island, and was informed I write like Mario Puzo. Oh, to have been as successful as the author of The Godfather. Here's the link.
2. Stephen King is one of America's favorite (and wealthiest) writers based on the number of bestselling books and films and TV series that have come from his creative mind. CBS is curently remaking The Stand into a limited series. His latest offering, If It Bleeds, gives us four  novellas, including the title story featuring Holly Gibney, which picks up after the conclusion of The Outsider. The four stories are a mixed bag, but I expecially liked Rat, which deals with a writer struggling to write s novel. I thought you might like to watch this YouTube video with King talking about his writing. You can skip the ads after a few seconds, and if you search you'll find other King interviews and talks.
3. Check out this page if you're looking for writing tips from successful authors. In it you'll learn that John Irving always starts by writing the last sentence on a blackboard. Whatever works, right?
4. And finally, here's an oldie but goodie from The Writing-World.com listing the Top Ten Mistakes New Fiction Writers Make.

Until next time, stay involved and stay healthy. This thing is far from over. And don't forget to register for the July 18 Zoom workshop with Kristin Durfee.

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

What Day Is It?

When I was a child, sometime between the end of the Civil War and the Woodrow Wilson administration, I recall watching a program that always opened with these words: "Hey kids, what time is it?" And the answer was always—say it with me—"It's Howdy Doody time!"

Today, that refrain has changed to "What day is it?" Most of us are stuck inside working from home or staying safe at home, and it's easy to lose track of the days. And since I'm retired, every day seems like a weekend day. But I look forward to the time when we can gather together at libraries for our FWA writers group meetings. However, it looks like June won't be the month for those gatherings.

But I have good news. In June I'll host not one but two Zoom workshops with writing pros addressing valuable topics for writers. Here's what you have to look forward to in June:

• On Saturday, June 13 at 10:30 a.m. Charlene Edge will present the memoir writing workshop she would have given in person in May. "Open a Vein: Writing Your Memoir and Publishing It"  takes us through the steps Charlene took to write and publish her award-winning memoir, Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International.
• And on Saturday, June 27 at 10:30 a.m., tune in for Jane Wood's presentation detailing strategies for selling your books to schools. "Schools: A Niche Market for Authors" will show us how to contact schools, and what makes a book marketable to schools. Jane has sold thousands of books to schools, so you don't want to miss this.

I'll send out the Zoom meeting link and password the week before each session. There's a limit of 100 people for each of these webinars, so if you're interested you should sign up right away.

And in other news, Rik Feeney, who has done a great job keeping writers connected with Zoom meetings, has scheduled another one for Wednesday, June 3 at 7 p.m. This one is with Linda Hollander, who calls herself the Wealthy Bag Lady. Her topic is "Corporate Sponsorship for Books." She's the author of Corporate Sponsorship in 3 Easy Steps and the CEO of Sponsor Concierge. Here's the link to that Zoom meeting: www.SponsorZoomWithLinda.com

I had asked you to keep me informed of any news on the writing front, and two of you came forth to let me know their books are being published. Congratulations to Kaye Schmitz on the publication of her suspense novel, On Deadly Ground. Also to Melissa Kosciuszko on the publication of her Christian suspense novel, Within A Dream. And thanks to Jack Orth for sharing some of his fine writing with me.

I'll leave you with this quote and image I ran across some time ago and only recently uncovered as I was cleaning my file cabinet. They're both from artist Vincent Van Gogh, but if you replace the word painter with writer you'll see that Van Gogh is talking directly to us.

"If you hear a voice within you saying, 'You are not a painter,' then, by all means, paint, boy, and that voice will be silenced. One must undertake (work) with confidence, with a certain assurance that one is doing a reasonable thing, like the farmer who drives his plow, or like our friend in the scratch below, who is harrowing, and even drags the harrow himself. If one hasn't a horse, one is one's own horse."

Cheers,
Vic

Vic DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

Groundhog Day All Over Again

Today marks Day 50 of sheltering at home in the time of the coronavirus. As Dana Carvey's Church Lady might have remarked, "Well, isn't that special?" Of course, it's not that special since most of the country is facing the same Groundhog Day scenario, where the days blend together, separated only by the news we're watching, which also seems pretty much the same, and whatever Netflix series has us glued to the telly.

But there is light at the end of that tunnel. Am I right? Our beaches are open for most of the day now, and the restaurants are slowly allowing a few customers inside. And I hope we're all making progress on our writing projects.

There's little new to report on the FWA Writers Group meetings front, however. All libraries are still closed. All speakers are following the same social distancing guidelines as the rest of us and remaining home, and it might be some time before larger groups of people will feel comfortable gathering for meetings. But not to fret. If you utilize online tools like YouTube, you'll find a wealth of recorded information and workshops by experienced authors. Like this one by British children's and sports novel writer Tom Palmer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUScPnDwzPU. In this ten-minute video, he shows us how to edit a short paragraph, taking us through it step-by-step. You'll find much more on YouTube to educate and entertain you, plus you might make your own YouTube videos and I can report them next time. Just let me know.

Ted Talks and podcasts are two other excellent tools to stretch your brain. If you have a smartphone, there's a good chance it came with a Podcast icon, giving you access to hundreds of fascinating programs covering almost every subject imaginable.

What else is available? Rik Feeney is a popular speaker at writers groups here and around the state. He also leads his own group in Winter Park and arranged for the Penny Sansevieri Zoom workshop last month. BTW, if you missed Penny's workshop on how to sell a truckload of books on Amazon, here's the replay link: https://bit.ly/3aFCz7x

Well, Rik has done it again, and he has orchestrated another live Zoom webinar this Wednesday, May 6 at 7PM with

Rocky and Cheryl Detwiler, authors of the best-selling book, The Samson Effect. They are experts on the Positive Power of Words, have been highlighted on A&E, ABC, ESPN, FOX, and NBC. Reality TV stars and authors, Rocky & Cheryl Detwiler have learned to monetize their message and love helping authors deliver their message to the world by selling more books.
Go online early on Wednesday, May 6th via the link listed below to learn from Rocky & Cheryl, professional coaches, who teach authors how to get paid speaking engagements, create workshops and sell your books in bulk. This webinar is free and open to the public, but space may be limited. Here's the information you'll need to join the meeting:

Topic: Transforming Lives with the Power of Words
Time: May 6, 2020, 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
Click below to join the Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86482585218?pwd=SGlndTRaTjZybzRkcXRNT3NBQkhHZz09

Meeting ID: 864 8258 5218
Password: 212330

And here are a few more items of interest:

• April was National Poetry Month and Loretta Leto is collecting poems for the Mayo Clinic's Humanities in Medicine program. Although April has passed us by, this first week of May honors Florence Nightingale and all nurses, so that's a good theme to work on. The poems are given to health care workers to carry in their pockets. The poems should fit on one page, so no more than 30 lines. Send poems and questions to Loretta at lmleto58@gmail.com.
• While the RPLA submission period has closed, you may still submit to The Florida Writer and join the team of bloggers. Plus there are many webinars available for viewing. The links may be found on the home page.
• Here are a few other competitions still open for submissions: The Austin Film Festival has extended its screenplay competition deadline to June 1. Click here for details. 
• The Masters Review, which bills itself as the platform for emerging writers, has a May 31 deadline for its Flash Fiction Contest, paying a top prize of $3,000. Here's the page with the details.
• The 35th Annual Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival is seeking submissions of original Fiction, Short Fiction, Poetry, and One-Act plays for its 2020-2021 Writing Contest. Fiction and One-Act Play deadline is October 1, 2020. Poetry and Very Short Fiction deadline is October 15, 2020. For complete guidelines and submission details, please see the website. http://tennesseewilliams.net/contests/  
• Former NE Florida writer Lorraine Haataia is now a California resident and working to connect writers with her new site, Prolific Writers Life. It's a way to connect with writers and readers, schedule Zoom meetings, and more. Check it out.

I'll leave you with a favorite quote from Mr. Anonymous.

“Make no little plans. They have no magic with which to stir blood and soul, and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work. Remember that our children and grandchildren will do things that would stagger us. Remember that when you create a situation that captures the imagination, you capture life, reason, everything.”  

I'll see you on the other side,
Vic

Vic DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

FWA March 2020 Blog Post

No bad puns about Marching toward your writing goals. Instead, we'll charge ahead into this month's group meetings.

• Judith Erwin discusses the "Basics of Self-Publishing" at the River City Writers group on Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library off Gate Parkway. Judith is a retired attorney who has penned six indie novels and is working on her memoir.
• This month the Clay County Writers celebrate retiring group leader Maureen Jung's ten years of service and welcome incoming leader Paula Hinton. The celebrants will gather at Mackey's Munchies, a New Orleans style cafe, on Wednesday, March 18 at 6:00 p.m. Mackey's is located at 868 Blanding Boulevard in the Ollie's Bargain Center shopping plaza. Come for the food, the good times, and to thanks and offer your best wishes to Maureen. Paula is also seeking ideas for future meetings.
• Saturday, March 21 is the day of the Ancient City Writers meeting at St. Augustine's Main Library. Be there when the doors open at 10:00 a.m. to meet Rik Feeney, who will discuss "Creating Your Digital Media Kit."
• Selecting a title for your book can be agonizing. The Amelia Island Writers hope to make that task easier as they talk about how to choose a title and offer 15 types of titles with examples for each. The group will meet on Tuesday, March 24 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Story and Song Bookstore Bistro in Fernandina Beach.
• Brad Kuhn returns to the Ponte Vedra Writers group meeting to discuss self-publishing, something he's become well-versed in during his 20 years as a writer, publisher, and publicist. He's titled his talk "Self-Publishing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." As always, Brad has some good advice to share. The meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28 at the Ponte Vedra Beach Library.

And in other news ...

• Submissions are open through April 30 for FWA's Royal Palm Literary Awards competition and the 2020 Collection anthology. Make plans to submit your work to either or both of these prestigious outlets recognizing outstanding writing. Click here to visit the pages for details.
• A Gathering of Poets meets on the first and third Thursday of the month at 2:00 p.m at the Ponte Vedra Beach Library. And congratulations to Poet-in-Chief, Sharon Scholl, on the release of her new chapbook, Seasons. Her poems reflect the various life stages of a long life well-lived. You'll find Seasons available on Amazon.com.
• Former FWA Conference Florida Writer of the Year thriller author Steve Berry holds forth at the Bookmark in Neptune Beach this Friday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m. He'll reveal some of the secrets behind his new book The Warsaw Protocol.
• Goodreads is back with its annual Reading Challenge. Reading authors you admire helps you recognize tones and styles that work in each genre, broadens your vocabulary, and helps inspire you to work toward becoming a better writer. Click here to take the Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge.
• NE Florida Sisters in Crime meets on Saturday, March 7 at 10:00 a.m. at the Bartram Trail Library. Speaker Nancy Quatrano advises on "The 13 Questions a Writer Should Ask."

"You can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page."  ~ Jodi Picoult

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA regional Director for NE Florida

February 2020 FWA Blog Post

We're charging full speed ahead into the new decade. In February, we can look forward to a trio of national holidays like Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, and let's not forget Groundhog Day. And then there's the biggest holiday of all, the Super Bowl this Sunday.

It's also time for more FWA group meetings, and here's what you have to look forward to in NE Florida.

• The River City Writers convene on Thursday, February 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library off Gate Parkway. Guest speaker Claudia Oltean presents, "Adventures in Writing a Debut Novel." Claudia will discuss her experiences and lessons learned writing her novel, Another Chance to Die, based on her grandfather's exploits during the Prohibition-era.
• Ancient City Writers chapter takes its annual February holiday due to AARP volunteers helping folks prepare their taxes in the meeting room. They'll be back in March.
• Writers of mysteries and suspense are in for a treat when award-winning author Michael Wiley holds forth at the Clay County Writers meeting, Wednesday, February 19 at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library. Wiley has just released the first in a new series, and will address "The Dark Side of the Sunshine State: Writing Noir."
• Do you want to know more about using Scrivener for your writing? Then head to the Ponte Vedra Writers meeting, Saturday, February 22 at 10:30 a.m. when Michael Carlson presents "Scrivener Basics." The group meets at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library.
• The Amelia Island Writers meets Tuesday, February 25, 4:00 p.m. at the Island Art Assn. Ed. Bldg., in downtown Fernandina Beach. Dr. Diann Schindler will discuss aspects of podcasting, its importance to writers, and share one of her own episodes as an established podcast host.
• The Bold City Writers critique group meets on the second and fourth Thursday at 11:00 a.m. at the Panera Bread on Atlantic Boulevard near Regency Square. Contact group facilitator Rod Sullivan for details.

But wait, there's more!

• Susan Kiernan-Lewis offers smart advice on the outlining process as the guest speaker at the Florida Sisters in Crime meeting this Saturday, February 1 at 10:00 a.m. at the SE Regional Library. Susan asks the rather surprising question, "Are You Ready to Take Your Pants Off?" as the starting point of her talk.
• A Gathering of Poets meets on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 2:00 p.m. at the Ponte Vedra Beach Library.
• February 1 marks the start of submissions for the 2020 FWA Collection: Create An Illusion. the Collection is open to works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Click here for more information. 
• The Amelia Island Book Festival is another big event happening in February. Headlined by David Baldacci and other bestselling authors, the event features a Gala Dinner, writers workshops, and more. Visit the website for details.
• This year's Florida Heritage Book Festival presents three days of writers workshops on February 20—22 at the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village. The workshops feature presentations by Craig Pittman, Janice Hardy, Sharon Cobb, Steph Post, Brad Kuhn, Elizabeth Sims, and Rich Wickliffe. Have your writing critiqued on Saturday afternoon. Award-winning journalist and author, Craig Pittman will be honored at the annual Literary Legend Reception on Friday evening. Visit the website for details and pricing information.

Happy trails to you,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director