Make it a summer to remember–write something

I still remember looking forward to those carefree summer months, a vacation from school and homework. Although there's no school or mandatory homework these days, summer still is a favorite time of year. While sun and fun are in the plans, June marks the halfway point in another year, a time to assess the progress on my latest writing project. This June is also a good time to visit one or more of our FWA meetings. Here's what you have to look forward to this month.

• The Amelia Island Writers are back at Fernandina Beach's Marina Seafood Restaurant on Tuesday, June 3 at 6:15 p.m. Group Leader Maggie deVries will discuss her new historical novel, Amelia Island's Golden Years, Silver Tears. Please RSVP to Maggie at maggie1948@yahoo.com or call her at 904-321-6180.
• River City Writers meet Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Group Leader Gregg Golson has details.
• Visit the Clay County Writers on Wednesday, June18 at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library. Contact Group Leader Maureen Jung for more information.
• The Ancient City Writers group is back at St. Augustine's Main Library again, meeting on Saturday, June 21 at 10:00 a.m. Author Elizabeth Sinclair will speak on "Goal, Motivation, Conflict or How to Sustain a Book-Length Work of Fiction."
• If you're looking for pointers on historical research, join the Ponte Vedra Writers on Saturday, June 28, 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. Novelist Arliss Ryan, author of Sanctuary and Confessions of Anne Shakespeare, presents "How to Turn Factual Research into Astounding Fiction No Reader Can Resist."
• Kimberly Smith's Jax Youth Writers are taking June and July off. They'll return with a program at the SE Branch Library in August.
• As always, FWA affiliate First Coast Christian Writers meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.

But wait, there's more!

• If you're looking for ways to inject more suspense into your stories, join Parker Francis, aka Vic DiGenti, at this month's meeting of Florida Sisters in Crime, Saturday, June 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Regional Library. Parker has titled his workshop, "The Suspense is Killing Me," and he'll share some of the secrets bestselling authors use to hook the reader with suspense and keep them in a constant state of anticipation. 
• Attorney Carolyn Herman has formed the Entertainment & Arts Collaborative of Northeast Florida in hopes of bringing low cost or free legal and business services to creatives along with networking opportunities. They're planning their first information and planning meeting this Monday, June 2nd at Royal Palms Wine and Tapas in Atlantic Beach from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. All interested parties are invited to attend. If you're interested in learning more, email Carolyn Herman. 
• The Bartram Trail Branch Library hosts three romance writers in a special program titled "The Art of Falling in Love,"on Saturday, June 7 at 1:00 p.m. Authors participating in the program are Valerie Bowman, Alyssa Day, and Lena Diaz. They'll discuss their books and answer any questions you might have.
• And speaking of visiting authors, Larry Baker returns to NE Florida with his latest St. Augustine based novel, The Education of Nancy Adams. Although Larry now lives and works in Iowa City, and is honored on the Iowa Literary Walk of Fame, he keeps coming back to St. Augustine as the setting for his novels. Larry will be at the Ponte Vedra Library on Monday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. as part of the library's Book Talk Cafe program series. He's probably best known for his first book, The Flamingo Rising, which was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie.
• FWA's Non-Fiction Mini-Conference is set for Saturday, June 28 at the Hilton/Orlando/Altamonte Springs. Click here for the complete conference schedule.
• Kaen Hudgins talks about Settings at this month's meeting of the Ancient City Romance Writers. They will gather at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 28 at the very popular SE Branch Library. Visit the website to learn more.
• And to keep abreast of all the happenings at this year's Florida Heritage Book Festival & Writers Conference, visit the website and sign up for the enewsletter. FHBF has just announced
  a multi-media special author event taking place on Thursday, June 26 at St. Augustine's Southeast Branch Library, 6670 US1 South, at 6:00 p.m. Daniel Wallace is the author of five novels, and his first, Big Fish, was made into a movie by Tim Burton. After a showing of the movie, Wallace will meet the audience and answer questions in a live Skyped interview. A $5 donation would be appreciated.
• In each of the FHBF enewsletters, you're introduced to one of the Featured Authors or Writers Conference faculty members through a post they've provided for the event's blog. Bill DeYoung is the latest guest blogger. Bill is the author of Skyway: The True Story of  Tampa Bay's Signature Bridge and the Man Who Brought it Down. Read his post here.
• One last reminder that the Royal Palm Literary Awards competition deadline is fast approaching. The competition closes on June 15, so hurry to get your entries in.

And that does it for our June post. Visit the FWA NE Florida Facebook page (and Like Us) for future updates and news.

Vic DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

What to do and where to go in May 2014

The weather folk tell us the rain will be gone by Sunday, so you can put down your hammers and saws. You won't need to finish work on the ark just yet. But it is a good time to stay indoors and write, and make plans to attend any of this month's FWA meetings. Here's what you can expect in the merry month of May and beyond.

• Maggie de Vries informs us that the Marina Restaurant will be closed the week following the Shrimp Festival, so the May meeting of the Amelia Island Writers is postponed until June 3rd at 6:15 p.m. Does that make the meeting in July the June meeting? I'm confused.
• River City Writers leader Gregg Golson is using technology to hook up with his guest speaker, Lee Strauss. Lee is the author of 20 books in various genres including romance, fantasy and YA. Lee will deliver her talk on "Structure and Creating a First Draft" via Skype on Tuesday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library off Gate Parkway.  That's Lee pictured above.
• The Ancient City Writers have good reason to celebrate this month as they're back at their home base of St. Augustine's Main Library. The library had been closed for nearly three months while undergoing a much needed facelift to its interior and restrooms. Michael Ray King will be there to host the celebration with his talk, "Go Write and You Won't Go Wrong: Writing Your Book in 30 Days." Michael is the author of nine books and a five-time Royal Palm winner. Join him at the new and improved Main Library at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 17.
• Another Michael Ray will speak to the Clay County Writers on Wednesday, May 21. Michael Ray FitzGerald, Ph.D., will speak on "Journalism, Realism and Writing." Michael is a media historian, journalist and musician who has been chronicling and participating in the Southeast regional music scene for over 30 years. Be there to hear what should be an engrossing talk at the Clay County Library at 6:15 p.m.. Contact group leader Maureen Jung for more information.
• Do you want to write a children's book and get it published? It's a competitive genre, but many writers and illustrators are doing it successfully. We'll address this topic at the May 24 meeting
  
  of the Ponte Vedra Writers, 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. Our special panel discussion, "Writing & Publishing Children's Books," features four authors of children's books who have found success via different paths. The panelists are Jules Coffey-Santella, Frances Keiser, Jennifer Swanson, and Jane Wood. Jules, and like Cher and Madonna, she's known by and writes under her first name, has written stories and articles for children's magazines and authored the middle grade chapter book, Daniel and the Jumbies. Fran and her husband founded Sagaponack Books in 1999 as the home press of their jointly-produced Pelican Pete environmental books. Fran is the author and husband Hugh the illustrator. Jennifer is the author of over 20 nonfiction and fiction books for children. She's received numerous awards, and her books in the "How Things Work" series were named to the 2012 Booklist's Top Ten Books for Youth. And Jane is a well-known writer of juvenile fiction with both local and historical ties. She's active in numerous organizations, including the Florida Authors & Publishers Association, and is a frequent speaker at schools. Each of them will share details of their road to writing and publishing books for younger readers.
• The Nassau County Youth Writers meet on the first and third Tuesdays at the Peck Center in Fernandina Beach. Contact James Weinsier for details.
• The Jax Youth Writers meet on the last Thursday of the month at 6:45 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Kimberly Smith leads the group. 
• And, finally, don't forget about FWA affiliate First Coast Christian Writers. They meet each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.

And That's Not All:

• Florida Sisters in Crime welcomes the co-authors of the mystery novel, Above the Fold. Judy Weber and Marie Vernon write pseudonymously as Amber Adams, and will speak on the art of collaboration. You can hear this team-talk tomorrow, Saturday, May 3 at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Branch Library.
• The Ancient City Romance Writers welcome author Abigail Sharpe to its meeting on Saturday, May 24 at 1:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library in Jacksonville. Ms. Sharpe's topic is "Writing Tight," not to be confused with "Writing While Tight." A BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch) precedes the workshop at 12:30 p.m.
• The publishers of Highlights magazine have extended a 10% discount to FWA members to attend any of its workshops for children's book writers and illustrators. Visit them here for more information.
• It's not too early to register for the Florida Heritage Book Festival's Writers Conference, September 25-26 in St. Augustine. It's been moved to the heart of the Ancient City at Flagler College, and provides two distinctly different experiences for writers of all persuasions. On Thursday the 25th, register to be part of small group critique workshops. Led by working professionals you will critique up to ten pages of each person's WIP, and receive a written evaluation of your work by the group leader. Friday's conference offers a full day of one-hour workshops covering the craft and business of writing, plus a luncheon keynoted by bestselling author Lisa Black. Click here to read all about it and register. And you can be part of the Festival Marketplace on Saturday, September 27 to sell your books to the Festival crowd. More information here.
• And speaking of conferences, the annual FWA Conference will be here before you know it. Have you registered for "The Stars of Florida Writers?" As they say, it's bigger and better than ever. Have you submitted your work to the Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition? As my good friend and former neighbor Ben Franklin once told me, "You may delay, but time will not."

That's it for now. Keep your head above water, and to quote Mr. Franklin once again, "Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing."

Have a happy May. I'll see you at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director for NE Florida

April Showers Bring April Taxes

April showers have apparently started early. As I write this the rain has been steady for over two hours. Maybe Mother Nature is celebrating the opening weekend of the new "Noah" movie. Since I'm confined to quarters, it's a good time to update the FWA blog with a new list of area meetings and events.

• The Amelia Island Writers return to their first Tuesday meeting date, April 1. I'm sure it's a coincidence that is April Fool's Day, as group leader Maggie deVries is sure to have another fine program lined up. They will meet at 6:15 p.m. at the Marina Seafood Restaurant in Fernandina Beach. Please contact Maggie to RSVP at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• River City Writers meet Tuesday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library off Gate Parkway. They'll hear from Jennifer Shannon, author of Awakenings, about how she used social media to get an agent and get published. She'll also provide a brief tutorial on using Twitter. Contact group leader Gregg Golson for more details at gtgolson@comcast.net.
• Clay County Writers meet on Wednesday, April 16, 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library. Retired journalist Lamar Thames will speak on "Just the Facts, Ma'am." He'll share some of his secrets for getting the best interviews from your subjects. Contact Maureen Jung for more details.
• The Nassau County Youth Writers, under the direction of hard-working James Weinsier, meet on the first and third Tuesdays at the Peck Center in Fernandina Beach at 4:45 p.m.
• Ancient City Writers continue to meet at the Anastasia Island Branch Library due to ongoing renovations at the Main Library. They'll meet at 12:00 Noon on Saturday, April 26, to hear from Nancy Quatrano speaking on "Editing for the Sale."
• And due to conflicts in all meeting spaces at the Ponte Vedra Library, the Ponte Vedra Writers will not meet this month. We'll return on Saturday, May 24 with a special panel discussion on children's books—writing and publishing.
• Kimberly Smith leads the Jax Youth Writers on the last Thursday of the month at the SE Branch Library beginning at 6:45 p.m. Please contact Kimberly if you're willing to help coordinate the meetings.
• FWA affiliate First Coast Christian Writers meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.

But wait, there's more:

• The Florida Heritage Book Festival and Writers Conference last week announced this year's schedule of workshops and author presentations, September 25 - 27. Headlined by Literary Legend honoree Robin Cook, the Festival will also honor posthumously master crime writer John D. MacDonald. The Writers Conference will include critiques workshops on Thursday, September 25 and a full day of one-hour sessions on Friday. Featured Authors appearing on Saturday include Lisa Black, Jon Jefferson, Scott Eyman, John Dufresne, Connie Mae Fowler, and many more. Visit the Festival website for details.
• Mystery author Michael Wiley, one of the Featured Authors at the Florida Heritage Book Festival, is the speaker at the Florida Sisters in Crime meeting, Saturday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Branch Library. Brothers and sisters are welcome. Visit the website for more information.
• Editor/author Nancy Quatrano (On-Target Words) announces she is doing a fundraiser for Sisters in Crime. She will content edit ten pages of manuscript, either fiction or nonfiction, for $20, half of her regular fee, and donate it all to the local Sisters in Crime organization in celebration of the 10th anniversary this August. If interested, contact Nancy at ontargetwords@gmail.com 
• April 26 seems to be a popular date. FWA is holding its Writer's Nest Mini-Conference on that date at the Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs. It features multi-million seller Davis Bunn as keynoter. Check it out at http://www.floridawriters.net/FWA_Upcoming_Events.html
• Closer to home on April 26, Jane R. Wood and Frances Keiser present a workshop on how to publish a children's book. "Oh, the Places You'll Go" will take place from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Event Hall at the Fair Trade Cafe, 4882 Palm Coast Parkway NW, Palm Coast. The fee is $59. Register at www.getbooksavvy.com, or call Jane at 904-268-9572 for more information.
• And even closer, Ancient City Romance Writers welcome author Diane Burke to their April 26 meeting to discuss "Gems from the Treasure Chest—Words of Wisdom from Successfully Published Authors." The meeting is from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. More info here.
• If you're looking for a Beaches critique group, Mary Kohnke says they're looking for a few more writers for the Ponte Vedra group meeting twice a month at the PV Library. If interested, contact Mary via email or by phone: mfkohnke@mac.com or 904-285-3452.

The rain has stopped for now, but even more dire things await: April 15 is income tax deadline. So I'll leave you with this bit of wisdom from Terry Pratchett, who said of death and taxes that taxes are worse, "because at least death didn't happen to you every year."

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Forward March

With thanks to Howard Denson, I'll begin this month's FWA blog post with his quotation: "March will either come in like a line from Spillane or go out like Helen Steiner Rice…or vice versa." 

Looking at tomorrow's weather forecast it seems Helen has the edge as it should be a sunny day with temps in the low 70s. But enough about the weather, there's writing business to attend to. Here's my forecast for March.

• Gregg Golson and Melissa Koscluszko lead the River City Writers group on Tuesday, March 11. They meet at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library to hear from Nancy Payne-Olewiler who will speak on "Grammar and Punctuation Pointers to Let Your Work Shine." Sounds like a topic many of us would benefit from.
• The Amelia Island Writers are changing dates once again, but only for this month. They'll meet on Wednesday, March 12, still at 6:15 p.m. at the Marina Seafood Restaurant in downtown Fernandina Beach. The reason for the move is to accommodate the publishers of Heartland Books of Canada, who will present a program on the ins and outs of getting published. Contact Maggie de Vries for reservations and information at maggie1948@yahoo.com, or call 904-321-6180.
• The Clay County Writers meet on Wednesday, March 19 at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library, 2054 Plainfield Avenue off Kingsley Avenue. Contact Maureen Jung for details.
• Memoir guru Patricia Charpentier takes the Ponte Vedra Library stage to address the Ponte Vedra Writers chapter on Saturday, March 22 at 10:30 a.m. Patricia will tell us how to "Write Your Life Stories" in new and innovative ways. If you've ever thought about writing a memoir, then this is the meeting for you.
• Renovations are under way at St. Augustine's Main Library, and the Ancient City Writers have moved to the Anastasia Island Branch Library, 124 Sea Grove Main Street. They've also moved their meeting date to Saturday, March 22 at 10:00 a.m. and will hear from Cheyenne Knopf, Marketing Manager of OnLineBinding.com. Cheyenne will address the business side of writing with her talk, "Financials of Book Selling: A Sales & Income Tax Workshop." Perfect timing as we approach April 15.
• Kimberly Smith leads the Jax Youth Writers on the last Thursday of the month, 6:45 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Kimberly is reaching out to find someone to help her lead this group of young writers. Contact her at kmsmithwrites@yahoo.com.
• The Nassau County Youth Writers meet on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 4:445 p.m. at the Peck Center in Fernandina Beach. Contact Jim Weinsier for details.
• FWA affiliate First Coast Christian Writers meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconett Library.

And in other news:

• The Douglas Anderson Writers' Festival presents "An Evening with Richard Ford," the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Independence Day and Canada. The event is on Saturday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the UNF Andrew Robinson Theater. Tickets are $20. Click here for more information on the writers' festival.
• There will be featured workshops for the writing community as part of Florida State College's 25th Annual International Conference on College Teaching and Learning. April Eberhardt, who bills herself as a Literary Change Agent, will conduct three workshops on March 24 and 25 at the FSCJ Deerwood Campus. The sessions are "The New Era of Publishing–How to Make It Work for You," "ePublishing: Who, What, Where, When, How–and Why," and "Writing Effective Short Stories." There's also a session on screenwriting, plus two keynote presentations, including one by theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku, PhD. You've seen him on morning television and he'll be at the Sawgrass Marriott on Thursday, March 27 to talk about "The Future." Details and registration at http://www.teachlearn.org/index2.html, or contact Jack Chambers at jchamber@fscj.edu.
• Local author, screenwriter and generally all-around ebullient person, Sharon Y. Cobb, presents two March writing workshops as part of the UNF Learn Jacksonville program. On March 1, "How to Publish You E-book," and "Marketing Your Books" on March 8. Visit the Learn Jacksonville website for registration details.
• The Florida Sisters in Crime chapter meets tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Regional Library. Brothers, as well as sisters are welcome. Their Book Club meets on the second Friday of the month, 2:00 p.m. at the Panera's at Atlantic and Southside Blvd. They will eat and discuss this month's book club selection, A Time to Live, A Time to Die, by Edith Maxwell. Visitors are welcome.
• Lynn Shapyak Harlin announces registration is now open for the next Shanty Boat Workshop classes commencing March 26. Contact Lynn for details at 904-778-8000 or email her at lyharlin@aol.com.
• The Ancient City Romance Writers welcome author Cheryl Norman as their speaker on Saturday, March 22at 1:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. She'll discuss "Active Voice vs Passive Voice (AKA Show Don't tell).
• The Florida Authors & Publishers Association holds its Spring Conference on Saturday, March 8 from noon to 5:00 p.m. at Nova Southeastern University in Orlando. The theme of the conference is, "Book Marketing Sizzle! Igniting Your Writing and Publishing Sales. Click here for more information.

And since we opened with a quote alluding to the March weather, I'll end with another climate quote, this one from none other than Mark Twain.

"Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company."

Enjoy the first day of spring and Daylight Savings Time. More light to write by.

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Anyone who remembers the heyday of folk music is telling the world they're definitely not of the Justin Beiber generation. But with Pete Seeger's recent passing, it brought to mind how many of my favorite folk songs were written and performed by Seeger. I remember listening to these songs in my dorm room at the University of Florida—Turn, Turn, Turn, If I Had a Hammer, and particularly, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, which was covered by the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary, among many others.

The song is also relevant this very day as we endure another arctic blast and I look out on a yard with frost-bitten hibiscus bushes. Thanks for the music, Pete, and rest in peace. I'll plant more flowers in the spring, and think about you as I bang away on my latest project. The more immediate project is completing this FWA post and getting it out to the many writers in NE Florida. So, without any more nostalgic flashbacks, here's what's happening in what I hope will be a warmer month of February.

• Amelia Island Writers group leader Maggie de Vries reports she had 22 people for last month's meeting at their new time and location. A very good turnout, so they'll do it again on Tuesday, February 4 at 6:15 p.m. at the Marina Seafood Restaurant in Fernandina Beach. The group will meet for a critique session. Again, the restaurant needs to know how many to prepare seating for in advance so RSVP to Maggie at maggie1948@yahoo.com, or call 904-321-6180.
• Jim Weinsier's Nassau County Youth Writers group has been amazingly busy. They recently had an article published in the Fernandina Beach News-Leader, and are working on a children's book for their local library. They've been so busy and successful that the group is adding a second meeting date. Starting this month the Youth Writers will meet on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 4:45 p.m. And they're moving to the Peck Center, 516 S. 10th Street in Fernandina Beach. Contact Jim at jimmyfw@bellsouth.net for details.
• Melissa Kosciuszko joins Gregg Golson as the co-leader of the River City Writers, who will meet on Tuesday, February 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Please welcome Melissa, a traditionally published author of romantic suspense novels (writing as M. S. Kaye) as well as other genres. Thanks for stepping up to help out, Melissa. At the February meeting, the group will hear from Kerry O'Malley Cerra who will speak about her journey to traditional publication of her upcoming middle grade novel, Just a Drop of Water.
• There will be no meeting of St. Augustine's Ancient City Writers chapter due to the closure of the Main Library for renovation. Look for them in March at the Anastasia Island Branch when OnLineBinding.com Marketing Manager Cheyenne Knopf will be the speaker. Cheyenne will talk about "The Financials of Book Selling: A Sales and Income Tax Workshop."
• If you can attend the meeting of the Clay County Writers on Wednesday, February 19 at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library you'll hear from novelist Arliss Ryan. Arliss is a masterful storyteller, and the author of Sanctuary and The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare, so she knows how to write historical fiction. Her topic is "How to Turn Factual Research into Astounding Fiction No Reader Can Resist."  For more information contact group leader Maureen Jung.
• The Ponte Vedra Writers FWA group meets on Saturday, February 22 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. The special guest speaker is none other than noted editor, writer and poet, Lynn Skapyak Harlin. After years working as a teacher, reporter, corporate and government trainer, Lynn now conducts writing classes aboard her shanty boat as well as working one-on-one with writers.  Lynn's topic is "How Setting, Tone, Mood and Pace Enhance Your Story and Move Your Plot." Come and learn from a real writing pro.
• The Jax Youth Writers continue to meet on the fourth Thursday of the month, 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library.
• And FWA affiliate First Coast Christian Writers meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.

Looking for even more meetings and events?

• Florida Sisters in Crime members gather this Saturday, February 1 at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Branch Library to hear from writers Kathy Bain and Delores Wilson, teaming up to talk about "How to Write Funny."
• SF & Fantasy-Jax meets twice this month: 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 5 at Rain Dog Cafe in Five Points, and again on February 19 at the Beaches Library in Jacksonville Beach. T. S. Robinson has more information.
• First Coast Romance Writers welcome bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann and her husband, screenwriter Ed Gaffney, to their Saturday, February 8 meeting at Jacksonville's West Regional Branch Library. In the morning workshop, Suzanne talks about the differences between objective and subjective point of view. After a lunch break the workshops continue at 1:15 with both Suzanne and Ed talking about control freak-friendly collaboration, sharing lessons learned from their co-writing adventures.
• Ancient City Romance Writers move to 15610 Tison Road in Jacksonville for the Saturday, February 22 meeting due to a scheduling conflict at the SE Branch Library. Starting at 11:30 a.m.  the group will lunch and then have fun with "The Nuts and Bolts of Writing."
• Writing, publishing and editing pros Rik Feeney, Michael Ray King and Nancy Quatrano lead the day-long Kindle Publishing Seminar on Saturday, February 15 at the Fair Trade Cafe, 4883 Palm Coast Pkwy NW in Palm Coast. The seminar covers both the technical details, as well as the creative process—content and editing, titles, covers, marketing of your ebook, and more. Special guest speaker is Professor Leonard Birdsong, who published five Kindle books in the last six months. For information and registration contact Rik at usabookcoach@gmail.com or call him at 407-529-8539. 
• FWA presents the Lady Lake Memoir Mini-Conference on Saturday, February 22 at the Hampton Inn & Suites at The Villages. Patricia Charpentier, author of Eating an Elephant: Write Your Life One Bite at a Time, headlines the conference with her workshop on how to write your life stories. OnLineBinding.com Marketing Manager Cheyenne Knopf will be there to talk about how to turn the completed memoir into a book. Click here for the complete program.
• Here's another reminder about the Amelia Island Book Festival, February 21-22. Headlined by NYT bestselling author David Baldacci, the festival includes writers workshops, a Readers Luncheon and a Kids Fun Zone.
• Over the past seven years, hundreds of people have helped flatten the writing learning curve by attending Vic DiGenti's Novel in a Day workshop. For the first time in a year, he'll lead the popular workshop in Jacksonville at the Summer Key Clubhouse off A.C. Skinner Parkway. The full-day session includes a continental breakfast and a boxed lunch. For registration and details, click here, or email me at vicdigenti@gmail.com.
• Rhonda Riley, author of The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope, speaks at the Ponte Vedra Library's Book Talk Cafe program on Monday, February 24 at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome.

Still waiting for the flowers to return. Until next time, keep writing,
Vic

Vic DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

Make a splash in the New Year

The new year has arrived with a splash, trailing damp footprints and puddles. Perfect weather for staying inside and writing. NE Florida is jumping with meetings and events for writers, so let's get started.

• Maggie de Vries, the Amelia Island Writers group leader, reports the group has changed the date and location for its monthly meetings. Meetings will now be held on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:15 p.m. at the Marina Seafood Restaurant, 101 Centre Street in Fernandina Beach. This is just two doors down from Books Plus where they had been meeting. This month's speaker is Harold Voyles, author of the play, Shadow of a Man. You don't need to order a meal, but the restaurant needs a head count, so if you're planning to attend please contact Maggie at maggie1948@yahoo.com and let her know you'll be there.
• Gaby Triana is the author of five traditionally published YA novels. Her newest book, Summer of Yesterday, has been described as Back to the Future meets Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Gaby is the guest speaker at the River City Writers meeting, Tuesday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library. Her topic is "Beefing Up the Narrative During Revision." Contact group leader Gregg Golson for details. 
• Clay County Writers meet Wednesday, January 15 at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library. Award-winning SF writer Chris Hejmanowski, M.D. talks on the topic, "Writing is the Easy Part." Chris, whose first novel, Collider, won the 2013 USA Book News Science Fiction/Fantasy Book of the Year, discusses the importance of the editing process, and the all-important marketing process. Group leader Maureen Jung has details.
• On Saturday, January 18 at 10:00 a.m., St. Augustine's Ancient City Writers welcome Bob Lucas, VP of Events and Professional Development for the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. Bob will talk about "How to Capitalize on Your Writing Strategies for Recognition and Making Money." You'll find the ACW chapter meeting at St. Augustine's Main Library. This meeting will run for 75 minutes.
• The Jax Youth Writers will meet on Thursday, January 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library.  Contact Kimberly Smith for more information.
  

  

  Richie Levine
  
  
  

• Book trailers can help pique a reader's interest, particularly if they're well done. If you're considering producing a book trailer to spur your books sales, then you might want to attend the Saturday, January 25th meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers. Award-winning filmmaker Richard Levine will demonstrate how book trailers can enhance marketing, showing examples and providing details of what's involved. Richie has been a writer and editor for 25 years. His short films have won awards at the Park City Music Film Festival and the Crystal Reel Awards.  The Ponte Vedra Writers meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an FWA affiliate, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.

But wait, there's more.

• Florida Sisters in Crime meets this Saturday, January 4, at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Regional Library.  This will be a meet and greet meeting, with members taking 5 minutes each to tell about themselves. More information needed? Contact FSinC President Audrey O'Neil.
• First Coast Romance Writers meets on Saturday, January 11 at 10:15 a.m. with the first of two workshops. The morning session will be an an overview of the year ahead by President Priscilla Kissinger and board members. The afternoon session features a talk show format to answer the hard questions from writers who want to explore all their publishing options.
• The Ancient City Romance Authors meet on Saturday, January 25 at 11:30 a.m. at the SE Regional Library to hear from Priscilla Kissinger and Charlee Allden discussing "Critical Emotion in Your Writing."
• The first FWA Mini-Conference and Book Festival of 2014 takes place next week, January 10-11 in downtown Bradenton. More information here. This will be followed by the Lady Lake Memoir Mini-Conference on February 22nd.
• Retired Miami/Dade police detective/captain turned crime writer, Marshall Frank, will hold a seminar entitled "So You Want to Write a Book," at the Palm Coast Hampton Inn on Saturday, February 1. More details here.
• Lynn Skapyak Harlin presents another round of Shanty Boat Workshops starting Wednesday, February 5 and continuing each Wednesday night for six weeks. The workshops are for writers of both fiction and non-fiction and cover a wide variety of craft essentials. For registration or more information, call Lynn at 778-8000, or email her at lyharlin@aol.com.
• The North Florida Writers group has moved the time and location for their meetings. They will meet on Saturday, January 11 at noon at the VyStar Credit Union at 760 Riverside Avenue to hear from Dorothy Fletcher talking about her new book, Local History: Lost Restaurants of Jacksonville.
• Kudos to FWA members Marie Vernon and Judy Weber on the publication of their co-authored murder mystery, Above the Fold. Writing as Amber Adams, the story is set in St. Augustine and is the first in a series.
• The Amelia Island Book Festival is right around the corner, February 21-22. The Festival includes a writers conference on Friday, with a talk by David Baldacci, and the Readers Festival on Saturday. Visit the website for details.
• Looking for a critique group? You're in luck because Susan Kiernan-Lewis is forming one. Contact Susan at suekier27@me.com for more information.
• Award-winning novelist Vic DiGenti (aka Parker Francis) brings his popular Novel in a Day workshop back to Jacksonville on Saturday, March 1 for the first time in a year. The full day class covers many of the essential ingredients for writing a compelling novel in a fast-paced interactive session. It will be held at the Summer Key Clubhouse. Details and registration can be found on his Parker Francis site.

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

Victor Digenti
FWA Regional Director

Make it a December to remember

If you're an unpublished author looking for inspiration to get on next year's book-buying gift list, then visit one of the following area FWA group meetings.

• River City Writers meet Tuesday, December 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library to hear from Ellen Thornton, author  of The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis. Ellen's book was awarded a Bronze Medal by the Military Writers Society of America, and she will speak about writing historical fiction and how she markets her book.
• The Nassau County Youth Writers meet Tuesday, December 17 at 5:00 p.m. at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. 
• There will be no meeting of the Amelia Island Writers this month, but they will return in January in a new location and meeting date, the first Tuesday, January 7 at 6:15 p.m. at the Marina Restaurant.
• Embedded in Clay is the title of the Clay County Writers anthology project, and it's the subject of the group's December meeting on Wednesday, the 18th at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library. Each writer will have three minutes to summarize their project and get feedback. Great project! Contact group leader Maureen Jung for more information.
• Saturday, December 21 at 10:00 a.m. is when the Ancient City Writers Chapter meets at St. Augustine's Main Library. They'll hear from ebook production specialist John Simmons talking about the differences between ebooks and tree books. If you have questions about what's involved with formatting your book, John has the answers. The annual Christmas party follows John's presentation with refreshments, door prize drawings, and lots of books.
• The Ponte Vedra Writers group will not meet this month due to the holiday. Instead, you are invited to join the Ancient City Writers meeting on the 21st. Join us in January when Richard Levine will kick off the New Year with an eye-opening presentation on book trailers.
• The Jax Youth Writers will gather the day after Christmas, Thursday, December 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Contact group leader Kimberly Smith for details.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an FWA affiliate, continue to meet each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.

More of interest for writers::

• An earlier post listed FWA RPLA winners from NE Florida, but we neglected to list the top award—the Published Book of the Year for 2013—which went to J. Rivers Hodge for his novel, The Legend of Anne Southern. Jim, an FWA member and a Jacksonville resident, is married to his writing partner, Brenda. Congratulations to Jim and Brenda for being honored by his peers for his novel, which also took first place for Historical Fiction.
• FWA is hosting a number of mini-conferences in 2014 starting with the First Annual Mid-Winter Conference West and Reading Festival to be held in downtown Bradenton, January 10 and 11. Click here for all the details.
• Look for these other FWA events: The Lady Lake Memoir Mini-Conference, February 22, 2014; Southeast Mini-Conference in Plantation, FL on March 29; the 3rd Annual Writer's Nest Mini-Conference at Altamonte Springs, April 26th; a Poetry Mini-Conference on May 17th in the Sarasota/Venice area; the 2nd Annual Nonfiction Mini-Conference in Altamonte Springs, June 28; and the 6th Annual Florida Writers Foundation Celebrity Workshop, October 23 at the Lake Mary Marriott.
• If you're still looking for a critique group, FWA member Susan Kiernan-Lewis is seeking writing partners for a new group she is forming in Jacksonville. Interested? Contact Susan at suekier27@me.com.
• Florida Sisters in Crime holds its annual Christmas party this Saturday, December 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Branch Library.
• The Ancient City Romance Writers will not meet this month.
• IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association) issued its last call for submissions for the Benjamin Franklin Awards. The deadline is December 31. Visit the website for guidelines and details.
• The 2013-2014 Los Angeles Book Festival has issued a call for entires to its annual celebration of books deserving more attention. The competition covers most genres and is open to independents and self-published works as well as those from traditional publishers. It offers a $1,500 cash prize and trip to L.A. for the winner. Guidelines can be found here.

And while we hope the holidays are not only bright for all of us, but warm as well, an old Inuit

proverb seems to fit the season: "May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp, and peace in you heart."

Happy holidays, 

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Get ready for NaNoWriMo

Last year 341,375 people decided they'd write 50,000 words during the 30 days of November. They were part of the National Novel Writing Month challenge which kicks off today, Friday, November 1. There's a NaNoWriMo website where you can register and track your progress on a daily basis, if you wish. They also have a forum divided by geographic regions where you may chat with others and/or get together to encourage one another. Believe it or not, there are more than 400 writers already registered from the St. Augustine area. The official kick-off was midnight today, November 1. Jump in and give it a try. Good luck.

When you're not knocking out your 1,666 words a day you might visit one of this month's FWA writers group meetings for even more motivation. Here's what's planned for November:

•  Chris Berman will be the speaker at the River City Writers group meeting on Tuesday, November 12. The group meets at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library to hear Chris talk about how he incorporates historical figures in his novels. Gregg Golson has more information.
• Learn how to build more suspense into your fiction at this month's meeting of the Ancient City Writers, 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 16 at St. Augustine's Main Library. Award-winning mystery author Parker Francis (aka Vic DiGenti) presents, "The Suspense is Killing Me," an interactive workshop providing clues on how to stretch the tension, raise the stakes and layer on the suspense to keep the reader hooked. 
• The Nassau County Youth Writers meet on Tuesday, November 19 at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. The youth group meets at 5:00 p.m., followed immediately at 6:15 p.m. by the adult FWA group, the Amelia Island Writers.
• Maureen Jung, the Clay County Writers group leader will facilitate the Wednesday, November 20 meeting at the Orange Park Library. Meeting at 6:15 p.m., the group will discuss "Goal Setting for Writers," There will be an exercise on mapping your goals, and the group will also discuss the anthology project that's underway. Contact Maureen at  mjung@wordspringconsulting.com.
• FWA affiliate group, First Coast Christian Writers, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.
• There will be no meeting of the Jax Youth Writers this month due to the holiday. They will return on December 26.
• Because this month's date of the Ponte Vedra Writers meeting falls on the beginning of both Thanksgiving week and Hanukkah, plus the fact the group leader will be MIA, you are encouraged to join the Ancient City Writers on the 16th to get your writing fix. Or you may attend any of the other meetings if you wish.

In other news:

Chrissy Jackson

• You missed a good one if you missed this year's FWA Conference several weekends ago. The good news is FWA will have six mini-conferences in 2014 all over the state starting with a two-day Reading Festival January 10-11 in Bradenton. Other mini-conferences will be held in  Lady Lake, Plantation, and two in Altamonte Springs. Two others are in the planning stages set for Tampa and Sarasota. 
• In other FWA news: Our esteemed leader Ms. Chrissy Jackson serves out the remainder of her second term this year and will be replaced by Chris Coward. Chrissy has done a phenomenal job leading our organization as both VP and President, and she will stay on the board as Director Emeritus assisting with the conferences. Chris Hamilton was elected as Executive Vice President and the treasurer and secretary positions retitled as Vice Presidents.
• You can stay on top of all  FWA news via the FWA Network. If you haven't registered as a member of the network you're missing out on a great resource.
• Congratulations to all the RPLA winners, including several from our Northeast Florida region: Dean Lohse, Heather Hamel, Kimberly Smith and Melissa Kosciuszko were among the winners from our area. Also Jeff Swesky and Bridget Callaghan, formerly from St. Augustine and Palm Coast, won for Best Screenplay (Unpublished) and also received the Dahris Clair Memorial Award for the screenplay, Thornetta: The Musical.
• Florida Sisters in Crime members gather around the crime scene this Saturday, November 2 at the SE Regional Library. They'll hear from Susan Kiernan-Lewis, author of over 15 books. Susan will present "Birth of a Series" in Meeting Room A.
• First Coast Romance Writers meets Saturday, November 9 at 10:30 a.m. at the Chaffee Road Library to hear cookbook author Belinda Hulin present two workshops: "Cooking Up Spicy Romance Fiction: Enriching Fiction Through Food Imagery," and "Secrets of Print and Digital Media." Belinda was the former editor of SKIRT! Magazine and the former Times-Union Food Editor.
• The Ponte Vedra Critique group is looking to add a few more writers to the group. They meet twice a month at the Ponte Vedra Library. If you're interested contact Mary Kohnke at 904-285-3452.
• The Attic Girls, a S. Florida critique group led by Jade Kerrion (she won three RPLA's at the recent conference) is hosting a short story contest deadlined November 15. The contest is open to any genre with a limit of 1,500 words. There's a $5 entry fee. Read the contest guidelines here.

Until next month, keep writing, especially if you're hoping to complete a novel in a month. I'll leave you with this final quote by the late, great Ray Bradbury:

"Write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens. Most of my friends who are put on that diet have very pleasant careers.

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

October Rocks

Writers may be forgiven if they give in to flights of fancy and grandiose phrases, so when FWA selected as its conference title, "The Greatest Writers Conference on Earth," it was an understandable piece of marketing hyperbole. That's not to say FWA's 12th Annual Writers Conference, October 18 - 20, won't be great. They usually are, and with so much more to offer this year they just might live up to the title.

As usual, writers may pitch agents and publishers, network with bestselling authors and learn from the pros. Bestselling romance/suspense writer Mary Burton precedes the conference with her day-long Foundation Celebrity Workshop, "Writing Your Book ... The First Step." In the workshop, Mary reveals her real world secrets to writing success. Mary has been dubbed "the queen of modern-day romantic suspense." The workshop benefits the Florida Writers Foundation which helps promote literacy and enhance writing skills throughout the state. Read more about the workshop by clicking here.

The conference also includes all the craft and marketing workshops you could hope for, plus the annual Royal Palm Literary Awards dinner. And for the first time, FWA is holding a youth conference for writers under the age of 18. The deadline for registration is October 9. After that you'll have to register on site. So visit this site for all the information and to register.

Here's what's happening at our FWA NE Florida Writers Groups this month:

• River City Writers meets this month on Tuesday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Group leader Gregg Golson reports that author Jamie Engle is the guest speaker. Jaime, pictured at right, recently launched her debut novel, Clifford Chase and the Arrow of Light. She'll talk about her writing process and how she's marketing the novel. For more information on this meeting please contact Gregg at  gtgolson@comcast.net.
• Nassau County Youth Writers meets on the third Tuesday of the month, October 15 at 5:00 p.m. at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach.
• Amelia Island Writers have their meeting immediately following the Youth Writers on the 15th at Books Plus, around 6:15 p.m. Maggie deVries, proprietor of Books Plus, is the group leader.
• FWA's Clay County Writers group meets on Wednesday, October 16 at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library, 2054 Plainfield Avenue, behind the Dairy Queen. Group leader Maureen Jung has another intriguing program, "The Art of Book Trailers." Richard Levine discusses the what, why and how of book trailers. 
• The Ancient City Writers of St. Augustine will not have a meeting this month as they will be attending the "Greatest Conference on Earth" in Lake Mary. They invite you to join them at the conference, and attend the Ponte Vedra Writers meeting on the 26th. While you're waiting, check out their new website created by Sharon Buck.
• Jax Youth Writers meet on Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library to hear FWA Regional Director and mystery author Vic DiGenti (aka Parker Francis) talk about the importance of becoming a good storyteller. Contact group leader Kimberly Smith for more details.
• First Coast Christian Writers, an affiliate of FWA, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.
• If you enjoyed Bev Browning's double session on writing humor at last Friday's Florida Heritage
  
  Book Festival Writers Conference, you'll want to be at the Saturday, October 26 meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers. Bev returns to present her popular "Shimmer" workshop. Bev says, knowing how to craft a sentence to manipulate response and amplify meaning is a technical amalgamation of art and science. Once mastered, it's the difference between a good piece and a great one. The technique's name, "Shimmer," refers to the transparent layers that create subtle dimension in written work. There will be a few writing exercises so bring your writing supplies, and did we mention there's chocolate involved?  What's not to like?

More happenings for writers:

• Florida Sisters in Crime meets Saturday, October 5 at 10:30 a.m. at the SE Branch Library to hear from psychologist Linda Willson. Her topic, "The Therapist Goes to Jail — Often."
• First Coast Romance Writers offer two workshops on Saturday October 12 at the Chaffee Road Library. Catherine Kean conducts the morning session starting at 10:30 a.m. with a workshop on "Figurative Language." She'll show you how to use figurative language to enrich your characters and stories. Catherine hangs around for the afternoon session and is joined by T. Elliott Brown and Caro Carson talking about their radio show for writers and indie publishers. Visit the website for more information.
• Register for the Ancient City Romance Writers 2013 Fiction Writer's Conference On the Beach, October 25-26 at Hampton Inn St. Augustine Beach. The conference welcomes authors Elizabeth Sinclair, Kathryn J. Bain, Nancy Quatrano and Delores J. Wilson. Visit the ACRA website for more information.
• If you're looking for a reason to visit lovely Southwest Florida, the Pine Island Chamber of Commerce is hosting Matlacha Authors Days, November 30 and December 1 in Matlacha Park. It's billed as an opportunity "to promote your book, your writing and yourself." Each author will have a chance to talk about, sign and sell their books. There's a per author cost of $75. More details can be found here.
• Frances Keiser and Jane Wood, aka "Get Book Savvy," announce the start of the Authors Network, a place to network with other writers and have your questions answered by professionals. Their first meeting is Tuesday, October 29 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Applebees in St. Augustine, 225 State Road 312 near US 1. There's a $20 per person cost. Contact Jane at jane@getbooksavvy.com for more information.
• For those of you who plan ahead and like to travel, novelist, short story writer and creative writing professor John Dufresne will be at the Seaside Institute's Academic Village, February 6 to 8, 2014 for a short story workshop. It's limited to only 12 participants. For more information and to register for the workshop, visit the Seaside Institute's website.
• And while we're planning ahead, FWA is hosting a two-day Reading Festival in downtown Bradenton on January 10-11, 2014. The event is open to the public and will include workshops, agents/publishers interview, and author readings. Visit the FWA Conference page for details.

I'll see you at the "Greatest Writers Conference on Earth."

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Registration Time Is Here

As writers we should take advantage of the excellent workshops and conferences around us. FWA's annual conference is coming up in October, and we need to support that. There's another conference coming next month in St. Augustine, and it also offers first rate speakers and the opportunity to learn and network with your fellow writers.

Here's a look at the Florida Heritage Book Festival Writers Conference, September 26-27 at the St. Johns County Convention Center at Renaissance World Golf Village. It kicks off Thursday afternoon with two "Super-Sized" 3-hour workshops. "Stories from Your Life" is presented by award-winning short fiction author Philip Deaver, pictured, who will show us how to adapt real-life situations and characters into fiction. The other workshop, "Quieting Your Inner Critic," with writing and yoga instructor Lezlie Laws, covers specific ways to turn your life around if you're feeling frustrated and find it hard to write.

Conference registration includes the reception that evening and keynote talk by New York Times bestselling author Andrew Gross. Gross wrote six #1 thrillers (Judge & Jury and Lifeguard, among them) with James Patterson before going on to write his own bestselling thrillers including Eyes Wide Open and 15 Seconds. He's titled his keynote talk "Why Thrillers Matter." The reception and keynote may be purchased separately by the general public, but are included with the conference registration.

Friday's workshops include two tracks: the craft of writing and the business of writing. Writing workshops include writing short stories, memoirs, travel writing, and humor writing. On the business side are workshops on

establishing your own independent publishing business, and several marketing sessions. One of the key features is the luncheon with keynoter Tim Dorsey. Dorsey, pictured at left, is the bestselling author of the Serge Storms thrillers, and his talk is titled, "Florida: A Target Rich Environment for Writers.".

Registration covers lunches for both days, Friday's continental breakfast and the Thursday evening reception and keynote by Andrew Gross. The Early Bird discount price of $125 covers both days and is available through September 10 only before increasing to $150. So it's best to register now.

Or you might consider the Complete Package registration which includes Friday night's reception and Literary Legends Banquet honoring internationally known author John Jakes. Jakes is the author of more than 50 novels and 200 short stories, including the acclaimed series, The Kent Family Chronicles and North and South, both of which were made into television miniseries. The Early Bird registration fee for the conference and banquet is $195, and increases to $215 after September 10. Visit this page to complete your registration.

And here's what's happening at September's FWA meetings:

• River City Writers meets Tuesday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the S. E. Branch Library. Group leader Gregg Golson has more details.
• Nassau County Youth Writers meets Tuesday, September 17 at 5:00 p.m. at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. Open to all young writers. See below for some of the exciting activities Jim Weinsier's group is undertaking.
• Amelia Island Writers assemble for their monthly meeting immediately after the Youth Writers on Tuesday, September 17, 6:15 p.m. at Books Plus. Contact group leader Maggie deVries at 904-321-6180 with questions.
• Be part of the Clay County Writers meeting on Wednesday, September 18 at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library when author and former FSCJ writing instructor Howard Denson presents, "The Wrong Stuff: Findings of a Forensic Grammarian."
• Because the FWA Conference falls on the weekend of the Ponte Vedra Writers meeting and
  
  your fearless leader will be in Lake Mary, there will be a combined meeting of the PV Writers and the Ancient City Writers on Saturday, September 21, 10:00 a.m. at the St. Augustine Main Library. Our special speaker is Mark Ari (call him Ari), a very creative man who wears many  hats. Ari is leading a Flash Fiction workshop he calls "The Wink of Immediacy." Flash covers a wide range of possibilities in fiction and creative nonfiction, and Ari will lead us through some of them. Be sure to bring paper and pen with you. Ari publishes fiction, poetry and nonfiction. His work has appeared in many literary journals and he edits and produces a series of digital audio chapbooks, along with teaching creative writing at the University of North Florida.
• Jax Youth Writers will gather on Thursday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the S. E. Branch Library. Kimberly Smith has more information.
• FWA affiliate First Coast Christian Writers is still meeting each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.

More happenings:

• As mentioned above, the Nassau County Youth Writers group is staying busy this summer. Group leader Jim Weinsier reports the young writers will be writing a regular column for the Fernandina Beach News-Leader, as well as working on a pre-K book to be distributed by the library and Family Support Services. Contact Jim if you know a young person who would like to be involved.
• Florida Sisters in Crime members meet Saturday, September 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the S. E. Branch Library to hear from Jimmy A. Holderfield, Director of Dept. of Corrections, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Visit their website for more information.
• First Coast Romance Writers meets Saturday, September 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the Chaffee Road Library. Romance author Amy Atwell will present two workshops beginning with "Staging the Multiple Character Scene," and ending with "All About Amazon."
• Ancient City Romance Writers welcomes JSO Detective Tommy Herrington for a Q&A session on Saturday, September 28 at 11:00 a.m. at the S. E. Branch Library.
• Did I mention FWA is staging its annual conference October 18 - 20 in Lake Mary. It offers all the bells and whistles you've come to expect, including agents, editors and publishers, plus the Royal Palm Literary Awards dinner and much more. On Thursday, the day before the
  
  conference officially cranks up, bestselling romantic/suspense novelist Mary Burton, pictured, leads the pre-conference workshop. Also, for the first time ever, FWA is holding a conference for Youth Writers to be held on Saturday, October 19 at the Orlando Marriott in Lake Mary. One more item of interest: Jacksonville's own Michael Wiley, award-winning author of the Joe Kozmarski Mysteries, is this year's Person of Interest for FWA Collection #5, It's A Crime. He's selected his Top Ten and will be a keynoter at the conference as well as presenting a crime writing workshop on Friday morning. Check out the schedule and be sure to register for "The Greatest Writers Conference on Earth."
• Clay County Writers and Black Horse Winery present another Meet the Authors evening on Tuesday, September 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the winery, 420 Kingsley Avenue in Orange Park. Featured authors are Howard Denson, Timothy Gilmore and J. Dianne Tribble.

Etc.

• Janet Walter, the former leader of the local chapter of  SCBWI, Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, is looking for a critique partner to exchange manuscripts and offer critical feedback. If you're interested, contact Janet at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• Editor Beth Mansbridge facilitates the Professional Writers Group on the first Thursday of each month (except December) from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the St. Johns County SE Branch Library, 6670 U.S. 1 South in St. Augustine. To learn more, contact Beth at beth@mansbridge.net.
• Congratulations to FWA members Terry Williams and Vic DiGenti (writing as Parker Francis) whose books are finalists for the 2013 President's Award from the Florida Authors & Publishers Association (FAPA). Terry was recognized for his military thriller Cooper's Revenge. Parker's second Quint Mitchell Mystery, Bring Down the Furies, was chosen in the Adult Fiction — Mystery category. The winners will be named at the President Awards Banquet on September 21 at the annual FAPA conference in Daytona Beach.

Until next time, keep reading and keep writing. Hope to see you at one of the upcoming meetings or conferences.

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

So much to do. So little time.

Chapters to write. Edits to make. Conferences to attend. And guests are on the way. Somehow, it looks like August may be one of the busiest months of the year, so let's not waste any time. Here's what's happening this month and beyond for NE Florida writers. Dive in, the water's fine.

• River City Writers meets Tuesday, August 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the S. E. Branch Library. Group leader Gregg Golson can give you more details. Email him at gtgolson@comcast.net.
• The Ancient City Writers welcome the return visit of Rik Feeney on Saturday, August 17 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library (next to the carousel). Rik's topic is "Titles, Covers, & Back Cover Copy Blurbs." He'll talk about these keys to good design and how they help sell your book.
• Nassau County Youth Writers meet Tuesday, August 20 at 5:00 p.m. at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach. All young writers under the age of 18 are welcome.
• Adult writers can join the Amelia Island Writers at Books Plus on August 20 immediately following the Youth Writers at Books Plus at 6:15 p.m. Bookstore proprietor Maggie deVries is also the group leader. You may reach her at 904-321-6180.
• If you're an Orange Park writer, then you'll want to join the Clay County Writers meeting on Wednesday August 21at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library. Area author Chris Berman presents "Believable Fiction Using Fact-Based History to Build Your Story." Contact Maureen Jung for more details.
• Jax Youth Writers, under the leadership of Kimberly Smith, meet Thursday, August 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the S. E. Branch Library.
• FWA affiliate First Coast Christian Writers meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.
• There will be no meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers at the Ponte Vedra Library this month due to extenuating circumstances involving too much to do and to little time. Please attend one of the other FWA meetings.

But wait, there's more ...

• It's being called "The Greatest Writers Conference on Earth," FWA's 12th Annual Conference, October 18 - 20, 2013. Perhaps a bit of hyperbole in the title, but FWA's conference always offers quality workshops by qualified professionals. You may pitch to agents, publishers and editors and attend the Royal Palm Literary Awards dinner. Once again held at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary, it's an easy drive of less than two hours and definitely worth the investment of time and money. Register now. Click here for more information.
• Closer to home and one month earlier is the 6th Annual Florida Heritage Book Festival & Writers Conference, September 26 - 28. The event combines writers workshops, opportunities to meet bestselling authors and much more. The Writers Conference, September 26-27, offers extended 3-hour workshops on Thursday and a full-day of 1-hour workshops on Friday covering both the craft and marketing of writing. Conference registration includes lunches, breakfast on Friday and keynote talks by Andrew Gross and Tim Dorsey. The literary Legends banquet on Friday evening will honor John Jakes, award-winning historical author of mega-selling books like the North and South trilogy and The Kent Family Chronicles. All of this takes place at the St. Johns County Convention Center at Renaissance World Golf Village Resort in St. Augustine.  Here's the conference schedule and registration information.
• In case you're looking for even more conferences to attend, FAPA, the Florida Authors & Publishers Association, presents its Fall Conference, September 20-21 at the Daytona Beach Resort and Conference Center. More info here.
• If you haven't made your RSVP already, it may be too late to attend the Florida Sisters in Crime workshop with Georgia author and former police officer Jaclyn Weldon White this Saturday at the S. E. Regional Branch Library. Jaclyn will present two workshops on writing suspense and true crime beginning at 10:30 a.m. with a break for lunch. Contact Pam Wells for additional information.
• If you're thinking of writing a romance novel you may want to attend the August 10 meeting of the First Coast Romance Writers. The group is holding an open house to acquaint writers with the Romance Writers of America and the First Coast Chapter. It starts at 10:15 a.m. at the Chaffee Road Library. Beth Irwin has the details.
• The Clay County Writers group teams up with Black Horse Winery once again to present another Meet the Authors program. This one starts at 6:30 p.m. at the winery, 420 Kingsley Avenue in Orange Park, and features authors Russ Kamradt, Sandi Gordon, Sonserra Hayden and Tracy Maxwell.
• Ancient City Romance Writers welcomes editor Kathleen McMajon on Saturday, August 24 at 1:00 p.m. at (you guessed it) the S. E. Branch Library. Kathleen's subject is "Editing the Way an Editor Sees It, AKA: Don't Shoot the Messenger." Kathy Bain has more info.
• June Weltman teaches her mystery writing class again, starting September 12 at Mandarin High School. The 8-week course, "Writing Mysteries for Children and Teens," is part of the Duval County School Systems Adult Education program. Email June at mirandamanning@aol.com about registration details.
• The Florida Book Awards is accepting entries for this year. Any Florida author with a book published in 2013 is eligible. Check out all the categories and submission details at their website.

Kudos to area writers:

• Former diplomat and consul John Tinney's memoir, From the Inside Out, has been published by the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training and New Academia Publications.
• Nancy Murray's newest book, The Madonnas of St. Augustine, is a finalist in the 2013 International Book Awards, and has received the Seal of Approval from the Catholic Writers Guild.
• Cheri Roman announces the launch of her debut novel, Descent (Book One of the Raphaim Series) with a launch party on Saturday, August 31 at 2:00 p.m. at the Bartram Trail Branch Library.
• And congratulations to St. Augustine thriller writer Steve Berry. Steve was honored at the International Thriller Writers annual conference with the 2013 Literary Silver Bullet Award.

Time is short so I'll leave you with these short cuts. W. Somerset Maugham said, "There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

Enjoy the last month of summer, 2013.

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

What's the password?

Living in the cloud era has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantage for me is having to remember countless user names and passwords to access my various accounts and devices. Just this week I was locked out of my online bank account, my Apple account and my iPhone account because my passwords were not recognized. Even worse, Apple didn't accept the answers to my security questions.

My wife tells me not remembering passwords is a sign of creeping senility, but I'm sure it's all part of a government conspiracy to drive me bonkers. There must be a story here, and I'll write it as soon as I find the password for my Word software. In the meantime, here's what's happening for July and in the coming months for area writers. You're invited to join us ... and you don't need a password.

• River City Writers meets Tuesday, July 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the S.E. Branch Library. Group leader Gregg Golson has secured noted "Book Buzz" specialist Sandra Beckwith to deliver a talk via Skype on how best to market your book before and after publication. Contact Gregg via email for more information.
• Nassau County Youth Writers assemble at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach, Tuesday, July 16 at 5:00 p.m.
• Amelia Island Writers will meet immediately after the Nassau County Youth group at Books Plus. Contact Maggie deVries with questions at 904-321-6180.
• Guest speaker Robert Lucas, VP of Florida Authors & Publishers Association, presents "Capitalize on Your Writing Strategies for Recognition and Making Money," at the July 17 meeting of Clay County Writers. The meeting takes place at 6:15 p.m. at the Orange Park Library, 2054 Plainfield Avenue in Orange Park.
• The Ancient City Writers continue this month's marketing theme on Saturday, July 20, 10:00 a.m. at St. Augustine Main Library when they hear from marketing and PR specialist Holly Feist. Holly's talk, "How to Guarantee Your Book Won't Sell," enumerates the seven deadly sins authors should avoid when marketing their books.
• Not to be outdone on the marketing front, the Ponte Vedra Writers, meeting Saturday, July 27 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library, welcomes Matt Bracken to discuss his
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  success as an independent author. Matt is a former Navy Seal who has written a series of what he calls "semi-dystopian" novels set in the near future. The books have caught the eye of many readers to the tune of selling 100,000 books. And Matt's done it all himself as an independent publisher. He'll track his 100,000 book journey from print to e-books to audiobooks. Among the things we'll learn from Matt are these three things: 1) Why this is the golden age for independent publishers; 2) Nuts & Bolts: What works and what doesn't— some tricks of the trade and some insights, and 3) Niche marketing in the digital age.
• Also this month, Jax Youth Writers will meet on Thursday, July 25 at 7:00 p.m. at the S. E. Branch Library. Kimberly Smith has more information.
• And finally, FWA affiliate First Coast Christian Writers meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library.

In other happenings:

• The Clay County Writers and Black Horse Winery present another in the "Meet the Author" series on Tuesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Black Horse Winery, 420 Kingsley Avenue in Orange Park. The featured authors include Rodney Hurst, It was Never About a Hot Dog and a Coke: A Personal Account of the 1960 Sit-In Demonstrations and Axe-Handle Saturday. And Robert W. Lucas, Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit-Making Strategies for Authors.
• First Coast Romance Writers prepare for the annual RWA National Conference with two workshops at its Saturday, July 13 meeting, beginning at 10:15 a.m. at the Chafee Road Library. The morning workshop will deal with the conference itself, networking suggestions, choosing the proper workshops, etc., while the afternoon workshop covers the art of the pitch.
• North Florida Writers meets Saturday, July 13 at 2:00 p..m. at the Webb-Wesconett Library.
• Take advantage of the early-bird discount fees and register now for September's Florida Heritage Book Festival Writers Conference. The day-and-a-half conference is packed with workshops by
  
  seasoned pros and award-winning authors. Starting Thursday, afternoon, September 26 at the St. Johns County Convention Center at Renaissance World Golf Center with two three-hour workshops by Philip Deaver and Lezlie Laws followed by a panel discussion about "This Writing Life" and a reception and keynote talk by New York Times bestselling author Andrew Gross. Friday's workshops follow two tracks, one on the craft of writing, the other track on marketing. The Friday luncheon promises to be most entertaining with a keynote talk by Tim Dorsey. Register for either day individually, or both days or a complete package which includes the Friday evening Literary Legends Banquet honoring John Jakes, pictured above. Here's the link to the registration page.
• Short fiction and novel writing are the topics of the full-day "Lake Annie Workshop" presented by Laura Lee Smith and Kim Bradley in Hawthorne, Florida on Saturday, September 14. Visit the website for details.
• The Jim Henson Company and Grosset & Dunlap of the Penguin Young Readers Group will be accepting submissions to find the author of a new novel set in the world of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal. Click here for details.
• The Florida Author's & Publishers Association holds its Fall Conference September 20 and 21 in Daytona Beach. The conference theme is "Money Making Strategies for Authors and Publishers.  Details at the FAPA website.
• And while we're talking conferences, let's not forget the annual FWA Conference is right around the corner, October 18 - 20. Billed as "The Greatest Writers Conference on Earth," it will be held once again at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary and feature agents, publishers, editors and great workshops of all kinds. Prior to the conference, bestselling romance/suspense celebrity author Mary Burton will give a daylong workshop to benefit the Florida Writer Foundation.

Until next time, I'll leave you with one final word about passwords from Clifford Stoll, The Cuckoo's Egg, who said, "Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don't let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months."

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director