No Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer for Writers

Tempted to find a cool place, a cool drink, and relax with a good book? Not a bad idea during these summer days, but look what you'd be missing. FWA meetings continue unabated during the summer. The UNF Writers Conference is right around the corner. As is the Florida Heritage Book Festival, and the 9th Annual FWA Conference. And we all have some writing to do, don't we?

Still, there's always time to read a good book. In between, check out these happenings:

• First Coast Christian Writers meets each Thursday at 6:45 p..m. in room 513 of Christ's Church at 6045 Greenland Road in Jacksonville. Contact president Tracy Redman, tlsl72@yahoo.com, for more information.
• The next meeting of River City Writers is Tuesday, July 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. in Jacksonville. Gregg Golson, gtgolson@comcast.net, who leads the group, will present a program on the use of transitions, providing examples from a wide range of classic and contemporary fiction.
• Learn about developing fully-rounded characters at the Ancient City Writers group meeting, Saturday, July 17 at 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library, 1960 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd. Award-winning writer, producer, actor and writing coach, John Boles, tells us that it doesn't matter if you're writing fiction or non-fiction, every story is populated by characters. John will show us how to make your characters into living, breathing, and believable three-dimensional story people. BTW, longtime Ancient City Writers member and co-leader Jeff Swesky is helpingto launch a new FWA chapter in Palm Coast. The Palm Coast Writers group will begin in the next few months under the guidance of Jeff and Mike King.
• The Amelia Island Writers meet on the third Tuesday of each month, July 20, at 6:00 p.m. at Books Plus, 107 Centre Street in Fernandina Beach. Group Leader and Books Plus proprietor, Maggie de Vries, reports that this month's speaker is Arliss Ryan, author of The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare. As the author of two historical novels, The Kingsley House was her first one, Arliss has learned a lot about research. She shares her knowledge in this presentation, "How to Research and Write the Historical Novel." Besides her novels, Arliss has had her short stories published in more than 20 literary magazines. On a sad note, Maggie reports that longtime Amelia Island Writers member, Ray Madden, lost his battle with cancer recently. Our deepest sympathies go out to Ray's family on behalf of FWA.
• The Clay County Writers have a busy month with back-to-back meetings on July 21 and July 22. The group meets at the Fleming Island Library, 1895 Town Center Blvd. inOrange Park at 6:15 p.m. On Wednesday, July 21, meet the writing duo of Marie and Mac Vernon, the husband and wife authors of two true crime books, their latest being Deadly Charms. They will talk about the pros and cons of working with a collaborator. And the next night in a special Meet the Author library program, Arliss Ryan repeats her presentation on "Researching and Writing the Historical Novel." Contact group leader Maureen Jung, mjung@wordspringconsulting.com, for more information.
• As always, the final FWA chapter meeting of the month can be found at the Ponte Vedra Library onSaturday, July 24. The group meets at 10:30 a.m. and will hear from science-fiction author Chris Berman. Chris has been a SF fan his entire life, growing up on the works of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov and many others. The SF fantasy transformed itself into a love of science and astronomy. Chris even learned how to grind his own mirrors and lenses for his telescopes. He turned that fascination into a series of SF books starting with The Hive in 2009, which he wrote while recovering from an accident. This was followed by Red Moon, and his third novel, Star Pirates, is due to be released in the fall. Chris will talk about how he used current and historical scientific fact to weave a sense of realism and excitement into his books.

More news for writers:

• Aside from registering for the Annual FWA Conference, October 22 - 24 in Lake Mary, FL, you should also sign up for one of the pre-conference full-day workshops sponsored by the Florida Writers Foundation. The Foundation is a separate non-profit corporation established by FWA to promote literacy and enhance the writing skills of both children and adults. You may select from any of five excellent workshops, including "Warrior Writer" with Bob Mayer; "From Query to Pitch" with Molli Nickell; "Screenwriting: From Idea to Big Screen" with AJ Robinson, Chantelle Osman and John Castellano; "Novel in a Day" with Vic DiGenti; and "How andWhy to Use Social Networking Tools" with Mary Ann de Stefano and Chris Hamilton. Click on the link above for complete details on the workshops and registration, which comes with two snack breaks and lunch.
• And speaking of the FWA Conference, one of the highlights each year is the Royal Palm Literary Awards Banquet on Saturday night. There are a number of NE Florida writers who are finalists again this year. We try to make a point of sitting together for the banquet, so look for us at the table with the loudest cheering section. And time is running out to enter the competition. The deadline is July 26.
• The 2nd Annual UNF Writers Conference, produced in association with FWA, is filling up rapidly. The General Fiction Critique Workshops have added a fourth faculty member to accommodate the overflow. She is Sandra McDonald, who is also giving a Friday workshop titled, "7-7-7: 7 Skills, 7 Exercises, 7 Minutes. The conference runs August 6 - 8 and begins with Steve Berry's presentation, "What Every Writer Should Know," to kick off a full day of Friday workshops. Berry, pictured at left, is a mainstay on the NY Times bestseller list. Award-winning YA author Adrian Fogelin is the luncheon keynoter, and the day ends with a wine and cheese reception and author signings. And that's only the first day. On Saturday and Sunday, conferees will be part of intensive critique workshops where they will receive feedback on the first ten pages of their manuscripts. The workshops cover General Fiction with faculty members James Wilson, Sohrab Fracis, Vic DiGenti, and Sandra Mcdonald. Non Fiction, Carol O'Dell, Young Adult, Kristin Harmel, Children's Books, Frances Keiser, Memoir/Oral History, Thelma Young, and Screenwriting, John Boles. You may register for the full conference or Friday only. The full conference includes lunch each day and the opportunity to submit a pitch for the Book & Film Deal Connection, a unique way to reach agents, editors and film agents and producers. Last year's Pitch Book resulted in over 50 requests for work from the participating writers. Check out all the details by clicking on the link above, but hurry, the registration deadline is July 16.
• The Ancient City Romance Writers is now meeting at the SE Branch Library in Jacksonville, The next meeting is Saturday, July 24 at 12:30 p.m. and features author Sandra Madden speaking on, "New Paths to Publishing." Visit their website for more information.
• Sisters in Crime's Jacksonville chapter welcomes mystery writer Elaine Viets for a special workshop on Saturday August 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Elaine will be talking about "Character, Catching and Keeping an Agent."
• The Literary Legends Awards honors acclaimed Florida author Carl Hiassen, right, at a banquet set for Friday, September 24 at the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village. The cost for the event is $60 per person through September 10. Late registration is $75. Proceeds from the dinner and silent auction benefit the free Florida Heritage Book Festival's full day of author talks and programs on September 25. Visit the website for details, and while you're there, check out the line-up for the Friday workshops at the Casa Monica Hotel. Select from nine outstanding workshops by noted authors like Larry Baker, Robert Macomber and Bill McKeen, lunch and signings for only $50—$65 after September 11, and $85 at the door.
• North Florida Writers meet on the second Saturday of every month at 2:00 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconett Regional Library, 103rd Street near I-295. Their July 10 and August 14 meetings will focus solely on critiques. Contact Howard Denson for details, hdenson@fscj.edu.
• SCBWI Jacksonville leader, Janet Walter, jgwalter@comcast.net, announces this month's meeting, Saturday, July 17 at 1:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library, will be a "Meet, Greet & Critique." Bring your picture book or sample pages from your MG or YA novel to share.

Until we meet face to face at a conference or FWA group meeting, I'll leave you with these words of wisdom,

"And I think what I've always recognized about writing is that I don't put much value in so-called inspiration. The value is in how many times you can redo something." ~ John Irving, National Book Award Interview, June 3, 2005

All the best,

Vic

Victor DiGenti, FWA Regional Director

Lawn Cuttings & Procrastination

The deal I made with my wife is that I'll mow the lawn each week after I've written at least twenty pages. My goal is five pages a day, so I should be able to cut it every four days, but if I wait much longer, the neighbors will hold a candlelight vigil thinking I've passed away.

Some weeks are like that. Old Mr. Procrastination struts in and pulls me away to check my email or read the blogs of all the Lost fans wondering why they wasted six years following those goofballs around that island. Before I know it, the day is gone and the lawn has grown another inch.

What about you? Hopefully, you don't fall into the same trap and you're at home pounding out the pages on your first draft or revising and rewriting. If that's the case, you deserve a break, so read this month's post and see what's happening at the various FWA meetings and up-coming events for writers.

• First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA, meets each Thursday night at 6:45 p.m. in room 513 of Christ's Church on Greenland Road. Contact Tracy Redman for more information, tlsl72@yahoo.com.
• River City Writers meets Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. in Jacksonville. Yours truly is the speaker this month and I have a new presentation that should be of interest to many writers. I call it, "The Revisionist Warrior: Battle Plans for Attacking the Revision Process." In my talk, I'll present two strategies to help make the revision process more efficient and productive. Gregg Golson is the chapter leader and can be reached at gtgolson@comcast.net.
• Amelia Island Writers meets on the third Tuesday of the month, June 15, at 6:00 p.m. at Books Plus on Centre Street in Fernandina Beach. Guest speaker this month is James Weinsier, 2nd place winner in the 2009 RPLA children's division for his book, Where Do we Go? Contact Maggie deVries for details at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• Clay County Writers meets Wednesday, June 16 at 6:15 p.m. at the Fleming Island Library. Contact Maureen Jung for more information, mjung@wordspringconsulting.com
• Ancient City Writers chapter will meet on Saturday, June 19 at 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library, 1960 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Kent Holloway, managing editor of the recently founded Seven Realms Publishing, will talk about the new publishing venture, and answer questions about submission guidelines, genres, etc. Following the meeting, Kent and his partner, Kelly Boulos, will meet with anyone who wants to pitch their book one-on-one. Have a synopsis and first chapter with you. But you must register in advance by emailing Dianne Ell at dnell328@comcast.net.
• We round out the month, as always, with the Ponte Vedra Writers meeting at the Ponte Vedra Library on Saturday, June 26 at 10:30 a.m. You'll have an opportunity to meet Bobbi de Cordova-Hanks and her husband Jerry Hanks, two longtime Jacksonville journalists who turned a near-tragedy into an opportunity to tour the country as speakers and authors. They'll share the various paths they took to help them promote Tears of Joy, their book about cancer survivorship and caregiving. Sometimes we may ask ourselves, "So, I've written a book, what now?" Bobbi and Jerry will provide some unique answers for you.

Other Happenings

• The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) meets Saturday, June 19 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library. They'll here from children's author, Annette Simon. Contact Janet Walter for more information, jgwalter@comcast.net.
• Don't forget to register for FWA's 9th annual conference, "Go for the Gold," October 22-24. They've increased the number of agents and publishers attending, and offer 30 workshops covering topics ranging from "You're Never Too Old to Become a Writer," to "Why Did You Reject Me?" The Saturday evening banquet will reveal winners of this year's RPLA competition along with keynote speaker, Carlos D'Este, award-winning biographer of Gen. George Patton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Winston Churchill. Review the schedule and register online before the registration fees increase on July 31.
• Looking for exposure for your books? Here are two opportunities: The Historic Grounds Books & Gifts in Green Cove Springs is hosting local authors the second Saturday of the month. Manager Heather Harley-Davidson asks the author to provide wine and cheese, and offers to split the proceeds 50/50. Interested, contact Heather at hdharleydavidson@clearwire.net. Meade Coplan is coordinating "Lagniappe" for the City of Atlantic Beach. Held in conjunction with the monthly Art Walk on the third Thursday of the month, Lagniappe combines a variety show with a show and tell at the Adele Grage Cultural Center. The program will give 6 presenters 10 minutes to perform or talk about the subject of their choice. Meade is looking for authors to come and talk about their books and sell them as well. This month's schedule on June 17 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., includes authors Rudell Kopp and Vic DiGenti. Come out and enjoy the show and cheer us on. If you're interested, contact Meade at 242-0952.
• The early bird deadline for the UNF Writers Conference has been extended to June 15. Hurry and save $50 when you register before the deadline. The conference is launched with a dynamic day of writers' workshops on Friday, August 6, starting with a general session by Steve Berry on "What Every Writer Should Know." Others presenters include Carol O'Dell, Sharon Cobb, Adrian Fogelin, Darrell House, Sandra McDonald and John Byram. The conference continues on Saturday and Sunday with intensive critique workshops covering general fiction, YA, children's books, non-fiction, memoir/oral history, and screenwriting. The faculty includes, James M. Wilson, Sohrab Homi Fracis, and Victor DiGenti for Fiction; Kristin Harmel, YA; Frances Keiser, Children's' Books; Thelma Young for Memoir/Oral History; and John Boles, Screenwriting. Register for the entire conference or Friday only.
• The 3rd annual Florida Heritage Book Festival is scheduled for September 24 & 25, kicking off with writer's workshops on Friday at the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine. The festival moves to the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village that evening for the Literary Legends Banquet honoring Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen is also the keynote speaker Saturday morning at Flagler College. Other authors appearing on Saturday include, Larry Baker, Robert Macomber, Heather Graham, Marianne Berkes, Dr. William Slaughter, Arliss Ryan, and Diane Roberts.
• Speaking of Flagler College, they've set the date for this year's Other Words Conference — Nov. 4 - 6. The conference begins with readings by William Slaughter and Laura Lee Smith. Panel discussions, readings and creative writing workshops continue through the 6th. Read the linked blog for more details.
• S. Florida FWA Group Leader Robert Mykle has again made arrangements for an FWA Tent at this year's Miami Book Fair International, Nov 19 - 21. If you've never been to the MBFI, it's a huge event with thousands of people attending, Robert reports he still has room for more authors if you'd like to participate and share in the costs of the tent. FWA members pay $70, non-members $80. Contact Robert at robertmykle@worldnet.att.net or call, 561-966-8488.

I'll leave you with a quote from SF author Ben Nova:

"The writer's job is to be a troublemaker! Stir up as many levels of conflict and problems for your protagonist as you can. Let one set of problems grow out of another. And never, never, never solve a problem until you've raised at least two more. It is the unsolved problems that form the chain of promises that keeps the reader interested."

Have a great writing day,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

May has something for all writers

Before we settle into the summer doldrums, let's give thanks for air conditioning and word processing. With six active FWA chapters in NE Florida, we have ample opportunity to stay connected, inspired and on track to become better writers. Check out these FWA meetings this month:

• First Coast Christian Writers meet weekly on Thursdays at 6:45 p.m. in room 513 of Christ's Church on Greenland Road. Contact chapter leader Tracy Redman for more information: tlsl72@yahoo.com.
• River City Writers will meet on Tuesday, May 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Branch Library in Jacksonville, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. Gregg Golson leads the group, and can be reached at gtgolson@comcast.net.
• Ancient City Writers meet at St. Augustine's Main Library, 1960 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd. on Saturday, May 15 at 10:15 a.m. This month, local author and historian Karen Harvey will discuss "The Nit & Grit of a Publishing Project." With nine books in print, including her new release, St. Augustine Enters the Twenty-First Century, Karen has learned plenty about what it takes to get a book written and published. And she's happy to share her experiences with us.
• Amelia Island Writers now meet at Books Plus, 107 Centre Street in Fernandina Beach. Visit them on Tuesday, May 18 at 6:00 p.m. Contact Maggie deVries, chapter leader, at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• Clay County Writers meet on the third Wednesdays of the month at the Fleming Island Library. This month it will be on Wednesday, May 19 at 6:15 p.m. Chapter leader Maureen Jung can answer your questions. Email her at mjung@wordspringconsulting.com.
• Rik Feeney moves north this month on his around the world speaking tour. He'll be at the Ponte Vedra Writers Chapter on Saturday, May 22 at the Ponte Vedra Library, 101 Library Blvd., at 10:30 a.m. Rik's talk this month is "Your Book: The Primary Marketing Tool." In his show and tell presentation, Rik will talk about how to turn your book into a vehicle that encourages and motivates sales.

Other Writers Group Meetings

• The Florida Chapter of Sisters in Crime meets tomorrow, Saturday, May 1 at 10:30 a.m. at Jacksonville's SE Regional Branch Library. If you're a mystery/crime writer who wants to portray the use of weapons accurately and realistically, then be there to hear weapons expert Teresa Meares of Team DGG.
• The next SCBWI children's writing meeting is on Saturday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Branch Library. They are doing closed critiques and up to 10 pages of a picture book, children's MG or YA novel, or children's short story must be sent in advance to Janet Walter, jgwalter@comcast.net.
• On Saturday, May 8, the First Coast Romance Writers holds a full day workshop with novelist Alexandra Sokoloff on "Screenwriting Tricks for Novelists," at Arlington Congregational Church, 431 University Blvd. N. Visit the website for registration details.
• On the Same day, May 8, at 2:00 pp.m., North Florida Writers meet at the Webb-Wesconnett Library, 103rd Street near I-295. The group will hear from counselor-hypnotist Ben Edmundson.

Other Happenings:

• Our FWA region is again co-sponsoring the UNF Writers Conference, August 6 - 8, at the UNF Learning Center. Friday, August 6 is devoted to an outstanding line-up of workshops, including "What Every Writer Should Never Forget," presented by Steve Berry, Adrian Fogelin's "Writing for the YA Market," "Remember Me: What Makes a Powerful Memoir," by Carol O'Dell, "The Top Ten Reasons Why Editors Reject a Non-Ficition Proposal," presented by UPF Editor-in-Chief, John Byram, plus workshops on social networking for authors, playwriting, POV, mystery writing and marketing. Thirteen sessions altogether, plus a luncheon keynote by Fogelin, and a booksigning and wine reception. And that's just the first day. The other two days concentrate on intensive critique sessions covering fiction, non-fiction, memoir and screenwriting. There's even more so visit the website for all the details. You can register for only the Friday workshops or the entire three days.
• Registrations are now open for the 2010 FWA Annual Conference, Go for the Gold, October 22 - 24 at the Lake Mary Marriott. With strong workshop faculty and subject matter, agents and editors available for one-on-one interviews, and the newly-added manuscript critiques, this is one of the better writers conference of the year. Remember, though, you have to be a current FWA member to attend so be sure your membership runs through October 2010 or join now.
• The Florida Writers Foundation, Inc. was incorporated two years ago by FWA to promote literacy and enhance the writing skills of young people and adults. A major fund-raiser is the Pre-Conference Workshops on Thursday, October 21 at the Lake Mary Marriott. Select from five full-day workshops including Bob Mayer's "Warrior Writer Workshop," Molli Nickell's "From Query to Pitch," "How & Why to Use Social networking Tools," with Mary Ann de Stefano and Chris Hamilton, "Screenwriting from Idea to Big Screen" with Andrew Robinson, Chantelle Osman and John Castellano, plus Vic DiGenti's, "Novel in a Day" workshop." Registration information will soon be on the FWA website. For questions, contact FWA President, Chrissy Jackson, chrissyj@earthlink.net.
• If you're unsure whether you'll attend the Pre-Conference day on October 21, I'll conduct the "Novel in a Day" workshop one last time this month at UNF on Saturday, May 15. Part of UNF's Continuing Education program, you may also register for Sharon Cobb's screenwriting classes, John Boles' creative writing class, and Thelma Young's memoir writing class. Click on the link for registration info.
• Don't forget that the First Coast Register is planning to publish short stories by First Coast writers starting with the June/July issue. They will pay $100 for selected stories of 1,000 words or less. Contact editor Mark Pettus at mpettus@jcpgroup.com.
• The RPLA competition deadline is July 16. Seems like a ways off, but it will be here before you know it. Check out the submission guidelines and send in your entry. Again, you must be a member to enter. Good luck.
• The Florida Heritage Book Festival scored a coup when Carl Hiaasen agreed to appear and be honored at the Literary Legends Awards Banquet on Friday, September 24 at the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village. Hiaasen will also speak at the Festival the next day along with a host of other authors including Larry Baker, Heather Graham, Robert Macomber, Diane Roberts and many more.
• The Festival's Writers Workshops on Friday, September 24 at the Casa Monica Hotel is always a favorite for area writers. Early bird registration of only $50 runs through August 24, then it's bumped to $65 and $85 at the door. Check it out and register soon.

Have a great writing day,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Spring has finally sprung. Now it's time to regenerate our creative spirits, and grow as writers. You can start by selecting one of the six FWA meetings planned for this month.

• First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. in Room 513 of Christ's Church at 6035 Greenland Road. Contact Tracy Redman at tlsl72@yahoo.com
• River City Writers meets the second Tuesday of the month at the SE Regional Library in Jacksonville at 7:00 p.m. On Tuesday, April 13, freelance writer, Paul May, who has written dozens of articles and short stories for children, will address this in his talk, "Writing for Children as a Fulltime Career." Contact chapter leader, Gregg Golson at gtgolson@comcast.net.
• Ancient City Writers meet at St. Augustine's Main Library at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 17 to hear from book coach and publishing consultant Rik Feeney. Rik will present a program on how to grab the reader's attention with headlines, titles and subject lines.
• Moving to Nassau County next for the April 20 meeting of Amelia Island Writers. They meet at 6:00 p.m. at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach, 107 Centre Street. This month, editor Emily Carmain will lead the group in an editing workshop. Contact chapter leader Maggie deVries, maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• Clay County Writers will talk book promotion at their Wednesday, April 21 meeting. They'll gather at 6:15 p.m. at the Fleming Island Library to hear Vic DiGenti present "Book Promotion 101," in which Vic leads us on a fast-paced journey toward marketing success with tips on what obstacles to avoid, and how to plan your trip. Contact chapter leader Maureen Jung, mjung@wordspringconsulting.com.
• The Ponte Vedra Writers have a program for everyone trying to get published. On Saturday, April 24 at 10:30 a.m. in the Ponte Vedra Library, hear from a panel of authors and publishers addressing the subject, "The Many Roads to Publication." All writers learn quickly, often with the help of rejection slips, that there's no easy way to their publishing destination. Our panel has been there and done that, but they all ended up getting published via different routes. Panelists are Julie Compton, a traditionally published suspense author (Rescuing Olivia) with St. Martin's Minotaur; Erwin Wunderlich, who shared the Book of the Year honors in the published category at last year's RPLA for his historical novel, Salvos on the Backwater, published through Xlibris; Pamela Bauer Mueller, a multiple Georgia Writer of the Year, and her husband Mike Mueller, are a team of independent publishers who through their company, Pinata Publishing, have published all of Pam's books, including the latest, Splendid Isolation: The Jekyll Island Millionaires' Club; and Kent Holloway, author of a paranormal series and who, with Kathy Boulos, started Seven Realms Publishing, a new small traditional press located in St. Augustine. Each will respond to a series of question about their personal roads to publication and later sign their books to benefit the Friends of the Library. Light refreshments will be served at this special program. Contact Vic at vicdig@mac.com.

More writerly happenings, events & opportunities:

• North Florida Writers next meet on Saturday, April 10 at 2:00 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library where they'll hear from SF writer, Chris Berman.
• The First Coast Romance Writers also meet on April 10, but at 10:15 a.m. at the West Regional Library on Chaffee Road. Get ready for a steamy session as Cheryl Alldredge and Shelby Reed "Throw Open the Bedroom Door on Love Scenes." Sounds like this one is made for voyeurs.
• The First Coast Register, a general interest magazine published by The Ponte Vedra Recorder and Journal Community Publishing, will begin adding a short piece of fiction in each issue starting with the June/July issue. Editor Mark Pettus says he's looking for 1,000 words or less in a story by a First Coast writer, and one that preferably references the First Coast. They will pay $100 for the selected story. Since he expects a large number of submissions, he urges writers to only submit their very best work. Send your submission to mpettus@jcpgroup.com.
• Cinemania is a community-based group for filmmakers and film fans sponsored by Jacksonville.com. Led by Sharon Cobb, the group screens films, TV shows, videos, and more and supports local writers with staged readings held at the Five Points Theatre on the fourth Monday of each month. They find the actors who perform before a live (hopefully) Theatre audience. If you'd like to have your screenplay considered, contact David Pratt for all the details. He can be reached at drpratt@comcast.net.
• And if you're still struggling with your screenplay, you might want to attend Alexandra Sokoloff's master class on Screenwriting Tips for Novelists. Presented by First Coast Romance Writers, Alexandra, who won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel for The Harrowing, will present the full day workshop at the Arlington Congregational Church from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• There's still time to enter the Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition, but the July 16 deadline will sneak up on you if you're not prepared. Check out the guidelines online.
• And finally, for you mystery/thriller fans, author Wayne Barcomb, The Hunted, will be the featured author at the Ponte Vedra Library's Book Talk Cafe program on Monday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. The Sarasota author's latest thriller was praised by Kirkus Review, "...the warp speed of Barcomb's storytelling will keep you turning pages."

And that's all for now. See you on the bestseller's list.

Vic

March FWA Blog

Take your pick of a half-dozen FWA chapter meetings this month, plus many more for writers of all persuasions.

Here in NE Florida you have your choice of the following:

• First Coast Christian Writers meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. in room 513 of Christ's Church at 6035 Greenland Road. Affiliated with FWA, FCCW is open to all writers. Contact Tracy Redman at tlsl72@yahoo.com.
• River City Writers meets Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library. Guest speaker is writing instructor John Boles. John will present, "How to Turn Your Novel into a Screenplay." Contact chapter leader, Gregg Golson, for details – gtgolson@comcast.net
• Here's a twist on the same topic: Nadine Vaughn, author of Native Land, Lost in the Mystery of Time, will present "How to Turn a Screenplay into a Novel" at the Amelia Island Writers meeting, Tuesday, March 16 at 6:00 p.m. at Books Plus, 107 Centre Street in Fernandina Beach. Contact chapter leader Maggie deVries, maggie1948@yahoo,com.
• Clay County Writers keeps growing. This month's meeting, on Wednesday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fleming Island Public Library, will feature children's mystery writer, June Weltman presenting, "Dreaming About Writing a Kids' Mystery? Follow the Clues?" June will provide plenty of clues, including trends in today's kids' mysteries and writing tips for creating memorable characters. Contact Maureen Jung at mjung@wordspringconsulting.com.
• Head to St. Augustine's Main Library on Saturday, March 20 at 10:15 a.m. for a joint program of both the Ancient City Writers and the Ponte Vedra Writers. Vic DiGenti, yep, that's me, presents, "Put Your Writing into High Gear with Strong Narrative Drive." Find out what narrative drive is and why editors and agents prize it so highly. Vic will use examples from classic novels like To Kill A Mockingbird, Silence of the Lambs, Mystic River, and even the TV series, Lost, to demonstrate highly-effective techniques for creating strong narrative drive.
• As mentioned above, the Ponte Vedra Writers chapter will be meeting jointly with the Ancient City Writers this month, but mark your calendar for Saturday, April 24 for a very special program at the PV Library. The subject is, "The Many Roads to Getting Published," and we'll present a panel with a traditonally-published author, an independent publisher and author, a self-published author, and a new traditional publisher. More details next month.

Other groups to choose from:

• Florida Sisters in Crime meets this Saturday, March 6 at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Regional Library. Guest speaker is State Attorney Angela Corey.
• North Florida Writers meets on the second Saturday of the month at 2:00 p.m. at the Webb-Westconnett Regional Library at 103rd Street near I-295.
• Also meeting on the second Saturday of each month is First Coast Romance Writers. They meet at 10:30 a.m. at the West Regional Library on Chaffee Road.
• Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators meets on the third Saturday of the month at 1:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library.
• The Bard Society meets each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the home of leader/mentor, Frank Green. This is the longest-running critique group in the region, producing numerous published authors. Call Frank at 234-8383.

Reminders for Writers:

• You may now submit your entries for this year's Royal Palm Literary Awards. Click on the link for submission guidelines. Last year, more than a dozen NE Florida writers won awards. This could be your year.
• While you're on the FWA website, check out the guidelines for FWA Collections #2 – Slices of Life. Submissions are now being accepted. Remember you have to be an FWA member to enter the competition, submit to the anthology, and attend the October conference. So, while you're there, go ahead and join. You'll be glad you did.
• Details of the 9th Annual FWA Conference, Go for the Gold!, will be forthcoming soon. But you don't have to wait until October if you need a conference fix. The 4th Annual Do It Write conference in New Port Richey is scheduled for Sunday, April 11. It's a one-day affair with a great line-up of speakers. Register before March 20 for an early-bird discount.
• The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Contest is underway. Winner receives $1,000 and publication in the Saturday Evening Post. They're looking for original, unpublished fiction no longer than 3,000 words.
• The Tallahassee Writers Association presents the Tallahassee Festival of Books & Writers Conference, March 19-21.
• Florida Institue of Technology's Creative Writing Institute is set for June 6 - 13.
• Closer to home, the 2nd Annual UNF Writers Conference with a full day of workshops and a day and a half of critique workshops is ready for your registration. Co-sponsored by FWA, the conference offers the workshops, the Book & Film Deal Connection, two lunches, a reception and the First Page Panel.
• The Florida Heritage Book Festival will honor bestselling author Carl Hiaasen at their Literary Legend Award's banquet at the World Golf Village Renaissance Center on Friday, September 24. And speaking of the FHBF, their "Five Women of the Ages" is back by popular demand, Sunday, March 28 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Monica Hotel. Click on Events for details.
• Finally, First Coast News anchor Donna Deegan is also a published author. Her latest book, Through Rose Colored Glasses, chronicles her battles as a three-time breast cancer survivor. She's the guest author at Book Talk Cafe, a program of the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Library, and will appear at the library on Monday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. Donna is also the founder of 26.2 with Donna, the highly-successful marathon that drew nearly 8,000 runners recently in support of breast cancer research.

And I'll end with a quote from a guy who knew how to string words together, Sir Winston Churchill. "Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are best of all."

All the best,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

www.windrusher.com

February FWA Blog

We're entering the busy season for writers with numerous festivals and conferences coming our way in February and March. But every month is busy with six FWA chapters here in NE Florida, so let's get right to it.

• First Coast Christian Writers meet each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. in room 513 of Christ Church, 6045 Greenland Road. Affiliated with FWA, FCCW is open to all writers. Contact Tracy Redman, tlsl72@yahoo.com.
• River City Writers meet Tuesday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library off Gate Parkway. Group leader Gregg Golson will speak on "The Best of the SCBWI Miami Conference." Several area writers attended the regional children's author conference billed as a "meat and bones" affair. A critique session will follow Gregg's talk.
• Amelia Island Writers have moved to Books Plus, 107 Centre Street in historic Fernandina Beach, Florida. They meet at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 16. Lucy Beebe Tobias, author of Fifty Great Walks in Florida, will present a program based on her travel book. Contact leader Maggie de Vries for information, maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• Clay County Writers hold their second meeting on Wednesday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fleming Island Library, 1895 Town Center Blvd. Rik Feeney is the guest speaker. Contact Maureen Jung for details, mjung@wordspringconsulting.com.
• Ancient City Writers usually meet on the third Saturday of the month at 10:15 a.m. at the St. Augustine Main Library, but the IRS folks have booted them out this month. Look for them on March 20, same time, same place.
• Ponte Vedra Writers meet on Saturday, February 27 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library, 101 Library Blvd. Novelist Arliss Ryan will present a program on "How to Research and Write the Historical Novel." She promises to tell us 15 things every author needs to know to research and incorporate history into an engaging novel. Arliss, pictured at right, is the author of three novels, two of them historicals, including The Kingsley House (St. Martin's Press), and The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare. She's also the author of How (not) To Have a Perfect Wedding. Her short stories have appeared in more than 20 literary magazines.

Also happening this month:

• Thriller author Vince Flynn kicks off the Savannah Book Festival, February 5 - 7, Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Savannah.
• The Florida Chapter of Sisters in Crime meets on the first Saturday of the month, February 6, at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Regional Library. This month's speaker is Michael A. Knox, a forensic consultant and accredited traffic accident reconstructionist. All genders are welcome.
• First Coast Romance Writers have a full program this month with two speakers. They meet on Saturday, February 13 at 10:15 a.m. at the West Regional Library on Chaffee Road. The first speaker is Dawn Josephsen, who will speak on "Go from Hobby to Profession: Make Your Dreams a Reality." After a business meeting, the group will hear from Terri Odell on"Plotting for Non-Plotters."
• Amelia Island Book Festival has a full menu of tasty treats starting with the Friday Writers Workshop on February 12 at the Yulee campus of Florida State College. A full day of excellent workshops (including mine on Beginnings, Middles & Ends), plus lunch with keynoters Rick Bragg and Sonny Brewer. Saturday's events include a breakfast with Cassandra King and Janis Owens, a luncheon with keynoter Jeff Shaara, and "A Night with Poppy," featuring Pat Conroy and his daughter Melissa. Of course the free author talks and panels continue all day Saturday at St. Peters Episcopal Church at 8th and Centre Street.
• Much Ado About Books launches its 15th annual book festival with a five-hour writers workshop presented by New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry and his wife Liz. Together, they will cover key elements in the craft of writing, including the business of writing. The $100 fee goes to the Jacksonville Public Library where the festival is being held.
• SCBWI meets on Saturday, February 20 at 1:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library. They will also review the highlights of the Miami Regional Conference and hear from Gregg Golson. Contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• The 4th Annual Do It Write Conference in New Port Richey is scheduled for Sunday, April 11. Tor Books senior editor Claire Eddy is one of the featured speakers. I include this because it's a 1-day conference sponsored by FWA, but also because they picked up the literary competition we started here. If you're looking for another competition before the Royal Palm Literary Competition gets underway, visit them here.
• And speaking of competitions, the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition has issued its call for entries. The competition has been on-going since 1981 and it offers a total of $2,000 in prizes. Visit the website for details.
• And finally, my BSP Syndrome (Blatant Self Promotion) requires me to announce that the next two Novel in a Day workshops are open for registration now through the University of North Florida's Learn Jacksonville program. The full-day interactive workshops cover many of the essentials needed to write your novel. See also writing workshops presented by John Boles, Sharon Cobb and Carol O'Dell.

I'll leave you with this choice quote by none other than Abe Lincoln,

"The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read."

All the best,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

www.windrusher.com

vicdig@mac.com

A Fresh Start

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

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

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

FWA Chapter Meetings:

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

Mark Your Calendar:

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

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

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

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

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

All the best,

Vic

FWA Regional Director

vicdig@mac.com

www.windrusher.com

Holiday Happenings

This season of giving makes me think of Sol Stein's remark that, "Writing fiction is like preparing a gift for a stranger." Those of us who feel compelled to write – fiction or non-fiction – should keep that in mind throughout the year and offer our greatest gifts to the strangers who will, hopefully, purchase our books.

And even though this is the holiday season, there is still news for writers to share. First, the FWA meetings.

• River City Writers meet tonight, Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Regional Library at Gate Parkway and Deerwood Park Blvd. Chapter leader Gregg Golson, gtgolson@comcast.net, will host an interactive talk on "How to Bring Your Fiction to Life." Group critiques will follow.
• Amelia Island Writers meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida House Inn. This month's speaker is Cara Curtin who will discuss the importance of outlining. Cara's latest novel, Fernandina's Finest Easter, was just released. While this is a dinner meeting, it is not required. Contact Maggie deVries, maggie1948@yahoo.com, for details.
• Ancient City Writers meet on the third Saturday of the month, December 19 at 10:15 a.m at St. Augustine's Main Library. Romance author Elizabeth Sinclair presents a two-hour workshop on "Writing the Dreaded Synopsis." Condensing a full-length novel to a single page or even three pages, often seems like an overwhelming task, so this workshop should prove very helpful. Coincidentally, Elizabeth has a how-to book entitled, The Dreaded Synopsis, which will be available for sale. A holiday party follows the workshop. FWA members and visitors are invited to share the good cheer. And because the Ponte Vedra Writers meeting falls on the Christmas weekend, we're merging the two chapters for this meeting and encourage Ponte Vedra writers to attend the St. Augustine meeting.

Upcoming Happenings

• Amelia Island Book Festival– This regional favorite has moved to a new time of year – February 12 - 13 – several new venues, and new director Dickie Anderson has worked hard to provide a tasty platter of choice offerings. Included are Friday's Writers' Workshop, Saturday's free presentations, and several ticketed events including a luncheon with authors Rick Bragg and Sonny Brewer, and a special evening with Pat and Melissa Conroy. The Writers' Workshop has moved to the Florida State College Betty Cobb Center in Yulee, while the Saturday offerings remain at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Cost for the workshop is $90, and includes the luncheon with Bragg and Brewer. I'll be presenting a morning workshop – "From Great Beginnings to Effective Endings." Visit the website for complete details.
• Much Ado About Books – February 26 - 27 at Jacksonville's Main Library. Kicks off with an intensive five-hour workshop with Steve and Liz Berry Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The workshop covers story structure, POV, dialogue, the 10 Rules of Writing and much more. Steve and Liz are donating their time on behalf of their foundation, History Matters, to benefit the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation. Cost of the workshop is $100. Mary Kay Andrews is the featured speaker at the Keynote Luncheon on Saturday. More can be found on their website.
• Sleuthfest 2010 – February 25 - 28, Deerfield Beach, FL. An excellent conference for mystery writers or lovers of mysteries, produced by the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. This year's event features appearances by David Morrell, Stephen J. Cannell, PJ Parrish, James W. Hall, and many more.
• Learn Jacksonville – UNF's Continuing Education program in 2010 includes numerous writing workshops, including film, memoir and my own Novel in a Day workshop. Click on the link and scroll down to find the workshop for you.
• You may have read in the latest issue of The Florida Writer that longtime FWA President Dan Griffith has tendered his resignation. To quote from the article, "Dan began his presidency during a time of uncertainty for FWA, acting as a stabilizing force, a leader with strong convictions, and a personal mentor to many writers." In recent years, FWA has achieved unprecedented growth, now topping the 1,000-member mark, and added many new benefits and features for members. We thank Dan for his years of service and wish him the best in his retirement. Chrissy Jackson moves into the President's office, and FWA is seeking nominations for Vice President. As chair of the nominating committee, I welcome your nominations for this office. Email me at vicdig@mac.com.
• Finally, there will be a new Orange Park FWA Chapter starting next month. Orange Park Writers will meet at the Fleming Island Branch Library on an as yet to be determined time and date. If you're interested in participating in these meetings, contact chapter leader Maureen Jung at mjung@wordspringconsulting.com. BTW, Maureen will be the guest speaker at the January 23rd meeting of Ponte Vedra Writers.

On behalf of the Florida Writers Association, I thank each of you for the trust and support you've shown the organization over the years. Together we have made great strides. On behalf of the FWA Board, I wish you the very best during this holiday season.

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Off and running

I promised myself that in deference to friends and family who support the Georgia Bulldogs, I wouldn't make any football allusions or take any cheap shots at the Dawgs. So I won't — other than to say, I was happy to see the GA fans continue their revered tradition of leaving in the third quarter of the game.

But as writers, we can't quit in the third quarter. I've said it before that the race (getting published) often goes to the most persistent, not the fastest or most talented. My hat is off to those of you who keep plugging away, attend workshops and critique groups to improve your craft, and enter contests. Which leads me to this year's Royal Palm Literary Awards where First Coast Writers were very visible in the number of awards they took home. We accounted for 15 awards in 13 different categories. In my earlier email, I neglected to mention some of the winners. Here now is a more complete listing of the RPLA winners from NE Florida:

Poetry (Published) – First Place, Michael Ray King for Rendezvous

Creative Non-Fiction (Unpublished) – Second Place, June Lands for My Self and Peggy Lee

Short Nonfiction (Published) – First Place, Mary Bridgman for Growing Up Without Ken

Educational/Informational (Published) – Second Place, Mims Cushing with co-author Dr. Norman Latov, for You Can Cope with Peripheral Neuropathy: 365 Tips for Living a Full Life

Autobiography (Unpublished) – Second Place, Jeff Swesky, with Rabbi Samuel Cywiak for Flight from Fear

Short Story (Unpublished) – Second Place, Victor DiGenti, for Saving Sam

Short Story (Unpublished) – First Place, Mary Bridgman, for Snakes Alive

Flash Fiction (Unpublished) – First Place, June Lands, for The Leaving

YA (Unpublished) – First Place, Ellen Thornton, for The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis

YA (Published) – First Place, Randy Cribbs, for Ghosts: Another Summer in the Old Town

Children's (Published) – Second Place, James Weinsier, for Where Do We Go?

Mystery (Unpublished) – Honorable Mention, Judy Weber, for No Good Deed

Mystery (Unpublished) – First Place, Victor DiGenti, for Matanzas Bay

Historical Fiction (Unpublished‚ – First Place, Dan Dundon, for The Shanghai Madonna

Book of the Year (Unpublished) – Matanzas Bay by Victor DiGenti

I apologize if I left anyone out. We have so many wonderful writers in our region it's hard to keep up with all of them. I look forward to listing your name as one of next year 's winners.

And speaking of the winners, here's a shot

of all the RPLA winners who attended the banquet on October 24.

A number of area writers are represented in the first annual FWA Collection, From Our Family to Yours. The Collection of 60 stories and essays was released during the conference.

It's available at the online FWA Bookstore at a reduced price of $13.95. Congratulations to all the writers published in the book,

and look for details soon for Collections #2, Slices of Life. One of the biggest treats of the festival was finding other Collection authors and having them sign their entry. To the left is a group shot of some of the Collection authors.

Now a sneak preview of our upcoming FWA meetings for November:

• First Coast Christian Writers meet weekly from 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. every Thursday in room 513 at Christ's Church, 6045 Greenland Road in Jacksonville. This week, Thursday, November 5, the group will hear from Jerry and Bobbi Hanks, who together wrote Tears of Joy about Jerri's battle with cancer and their life together. They will give their "Top Ten Tips about the Write Stuff." FCCW is affiliated with FWA and American Christian Writers. Each meeting includes a speaker and critiques. The group is led by Dr. Lorraine Haataia.
• The River City Writers meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Branch Library located off Gate Parkway and Deerwood Park Blvd. This month's meeting on Tuesday, November 10 should be a must attend for children's authors who'd like to make a dent in the school market. Chris Rumble is described as an Author-Illustrator-Musician-Encourager. Kids love his highly-illustrated Adventures of Uncle Stinky series (especially designed for reluctant readers!). Chris has taken his “ALL-IN-ONE” author event to over 500 schools and libraries coast to coast in the last six years, and he'll tell us how he does it.
• The Amelia Island Writers meet on the third Tuesday of the month at Fernandina Beaches Florida House inn at 6:00 p.m. Chapter leader Maggie deVries, maggie1948@yahoo.com, reports that this is now a dinner meeting, although no one is obligated to buy dinner to attend the meeting. This month's guest speaker is Nancy Haddock, author of La Vida Vampire and Last Vampire Standing.
• Ancient City Writers meet on the third Saturday of the month at 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library, 1960 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd. This month, November 21, editor Emily Carmain relates the "Ten Treacherous Writing Traps and How to Avoid Them." Emily heads Noteworthy Editing Services and has edited hundreds of manuscripts, both fiction and nonfiction.
• Because of the Thanksgiving holidays, I've moved my Ponte Vedra Writers meeting from the fourth Saturday of the month to the third, providing a conflict with the Ancient City Writers. Sorry about that, but with over 500 writers on my distribution list, there should be more than enough bodies to go around. So on November 21st at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library,the guest speaker will be the ever-popular Rik Feeney. Rik's topic is "Your Book:The Primary Marketing Tool." Writing your book is only half the battle. Selling it is the other half. Rik will provide innovative ideas for maximizing the selling power of your book. We'll also get an early start on the gift-giving season with a Book Swap. If you're like me, you have hundreds of books you've either never read or have read and are now gathering dust. Why not trade them in for something you want to read. These can be books on writing or other genre, fiction or nonfiction. Bring two, three or four and we'll display them at tables and have an exchange party. We'll also have some refreshments on hand to make it a bit more festive. Please bring only gently read books, no thirty-year-old textbooks, please. Anything left over will be donated to the library's bookstore.

Other area meetings and items of interest:

• The Florida Chapter of Sisters in Crime meets the first Saturday of each month. That's Saturday, November 7, 10:30 a.m. at the SE Regional Library. Speaker is Mary Anna Evans, author of the Faye Longchamp mystery series.
• SCBWI will not be meeting in November or December. Meetings resume in January. Check their website for details.
• North Florida Writers meet next on Saturday, November 14 at 2:00 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Regional Library on 103rd Street. Guests are welcome and invited to bring a manuscript to be critiqued.
• Frank Green's Bard Society critique group continues to meet each Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. in his living room. Contact Frank at frankgrn@comcast.net for details and directions.
• Christie Ramey reports that she has started a critique group for Christian writers that meets at the Webb-Wesconnett Library every Monday at 2:00 p.m. Contact Christy at crladybug72@att.net.
• And John Tinney wants folks at the beach to know that his critique group is accepting new members, They meet at the Ponte Vedra Library the first and third Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. John may be reached at overlook2@bellsouth.net.

Upcoming Conferences:

• The 6th Annual Eckerd College Writers' Conference – Writers in Paradise, January 16 - 24, features a slew of best-selling authors on their faculty this year including Anita Shreve, Dennis Lehane, Sheri reynolds, Michael Koryta, and Laura Lippman.
• The Tallahassee Festival of Books and Writers Conference, March 19 -21, will include (for an additional fee) an advanced workshop with Donald Maass, New York literary agent and author of Writing the Breakout Novel. Advance registration is necessary for this. Email Donna Meredith at meredithds@comcast.net. The workshop is available only to conference attendees.
• My Novel in a Day workshop, part of the University of North Florida's Learn Jacksonville program, filled up fast last month. If you missed out, you'll have two more opportunities to enroll in the full-day novel writing workshop – January 16 and March 13. Sharon Cobb has two screenwriting workshops coming up this month, John Boles' Introduction to Creative Writing extends into January and February, and Carol O'Dell's Memoir Writing workshop has also added January and February dates. Go to the Course Schedule page to review dates and times. You may register from that page as well.

That's it for now. Here's a quote from Jack London, "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."

Best,

Vic