Come What May

Here we are in the middle of the merry month of May, only days away from the 2nd annual Regional Writers' Conference. In the midst of preparing for the conference, and the big Ponte Vedra Book Fair that precedes it, what would you consider to be one of the poorest choices I could make? How about buy a new computer. Not only that, but move from a PC, which I've used since right after stone tools were invented, to a Mac. But all is well now and here is the latest blog update just in time for all the excitement for area writers.

You won't lack for excellent events in the coming weeks. Here are some of the happenings in our area.

• 3rd Annual Ponte Vedra Book Fair - Nineteen regional authors will share their books and talk about their personal journeys to publication at the Ponte Vedra Library on Friday, May 16 from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Seven of the authors were recently featured at Much Ado About Books, and they'll sell and sign their books as well as participate in panel discussions. The authors include Jeannine Auth, Lynn Coleman, Kay Day, Victor DiGenti, René Fix, Rodney Hurst, Sr., Lora Inman, Mary Kohnke, Rita Malie, Pamela Bauer Mueller, Carol D. O'Dell, Arliss Ryan, Hank & Jan Racer, Diane Till, David Tuttle  Cara Curtin, Michael Wiley, and Jane Wood. The Book Fair is presented by FWA and the Friends of the Library. It's free and refreshments will be served.
• 2nd Annual Regional Writers' Conference - If you've been reading my past blogs and attending any of the area FWA chapter meetings then you already know all about the conference. It's this Saturday, May 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center in Ponte Vedra Beach. Eighty-plus people are already registered, but if you're just learning about it you can go to www.windrusher.com to read all the details. Check-in and registration begins at 8:00 a.m. 
• Book Talk Cafe with Lucy Beebe Tobias - We're back at the Ponte Vedra Library Monday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. with Gainesville author and gad-about, Lucy Beebe Tobias. Lucy is the author of 50 Great Walks in Florida (University Press of Florida), and she'll take us on a photographic tour of the Sunshine State. So put on your walking shoes and come down and meet Lucy.

 FWA Regional Chapter Meetings

• Ancient City Chapter has no meeting this month as it's on the same day as the Writers' Conference. Next month's meeting will be on Saturday, June 21 at 10:00 a.m. at the Main Library in downtown St. Augustine. Freelance copy editor and proof reader Beth Mansbridge will offer editing tips.
• Come to beautiful downtown Fernandina Beach for the next meeting of the Amelia Island Chapter, Tuesday, May 20 at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida House Inn's Conference Center at the corner of Ash and 4th Streets. I'll be filling in for group leader Maggie de Vries who is vacationing in Holland. She also tapped me to be the program speaker and I'll be talking about a fact of life for every published author -- book promotion. I've titled it Book Promotion 101 and we'll look at what every new author needs to do to launch their book successfully, including marketing plans, promotion kits, book signings, collateral materials, mailing lists, and media interviews.
• Michael Hamilton returns to the Ponte Vedra Chapter on Saturday, May 24 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. Note the new time because of the revised St. Johns County library hours. The library now opens at 10:00 a.m. instead of 9:30, and we'll move our meeting to 10:30 a.m. to give us time to brew the coffee. Mike is a former senior editor with John Wiley & Sons, one of the world's leading business publishers. He'll be advising us on how to get our first non-fiction book published. Among the areas he'll cover are preparing a book proposal, contract negotiation, advances, and contacting agents. 

There's much more going on in the wonderful world of writing, but that's all the time I have. Hope to see you at either Friday's Ponte Vedra Book Fair or Saturday's conference.

See you on the book shelf,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

www.windrusher.com

Even More Conference News

If there's a constant in this life it's change. We're faced with change on a daily basis. Sometimes we're happy to see it, other times change rocks our life.

Nothing so drastic as that, but change has come to the May 17 conference in the form of switching out one of the presenters. Unfortunately, Teri Youmans Grimm has had a family conflict and is unable to do her poetry workshop. But as they say, when one door closes, another springs open. We've been very fortunate to recruit Amy Gorelick to take her place. Amy is the Senior Acquistions Editor for the University Press of Florida (UPF). Amy specializes in non-fiction and will provide practical advice on how to catch the eye of an editor and get your book published.

UPF is not part of the University of Florida as some may think, but is the official publisher for the State University System. UPF has published over 2,500 volumes since its inception in 1945 and currently releases nearly 100 new titles each year. Many of the finest books covering Florida history, the environment and culture have been published by UPF.

If you've been wavering about whether to register for the conference or not, now you have a powerful new incentive — the opportunity to hear and speak with a Senior Acquistions Editor at a major press. Another incentive is the approaching deadline for early registration. Remember after April 30, the conference fee increases to $55 for FWA members and $75 for non-members. Go to http://www.windrusher.com/Conference.html for all the details including a conference schedule, a list of the presenters and that all-important registration form.

And in other news:

• FWA will have a table at this month's Much Ado About Books. The literary conference attracts hundreds of readers and writers to hear presentations and panel discussions by such noted authors as Carl Hiassen, Steve Berry, Betsy Carter, William Dietrich, Martin Dyckman, Tim Dorsey, and many more. We'll be located in the Grand Foyer where authors will be signing books giving us maximum exposure. I'll be there most of the day, taking time off to moderate one of the panels, but I could use a little help if anyone is planning to attend and can spare an hour. Basically, we will be using this opportunity to promote the May 17 conference and tell people about FWA. Let me know if you can help.
• The Ponte Vedra Library is having a Book Fair on Friday, May 16 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. You'll have the opportunity to meet nearly 20 regional authors including Rodney Hurst, Lora Inman, Diane Till, Hank & Jan Racer, Jane Wood—all of whom will be at MAAB this year. Also joining them are Kay Day, Michael Wiley, Arliss Ryan, Pamela Bauer-Mueller, René Fix, Jeannine Auth, Carol D. O'Dell, and others. The event is free and open to the public and co-sponsored by the PV Friends of the Library and FWA. I'm told light snacks will also be on hand. Authors will be autographing their books and participating in panel discussions throughout the afternoon. Get there early and grab a cookie before they disappear.

• Speaking of Michael Wiley, the much-traveled mystery author has another gig this month. Wiley participated in the Ancient City Chapter's Mystery Panel last month as well as spoke about writing the first page at last month's Ponte Vedra Chapter meeting. This time he'll be discussing his debut novel, The Last Striptease, a private eye thriller set in Chicago, at the PV Library's Book Talk Cafe program on Monday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. The Last Striptease won the Private Eye Writers of America and St. Martin's Press prize for best first private eye novel in 2006.
• Carol D. O'Dell, author of Mothering Mother: A Daughter’s Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir (Kunati Publishing) is presenting a pair of workshops. The first will be a Query, Synopsis, and Logline Workshop scheduled for May 24 at Mega Bite Coffee Shop in Fernandina Beach. The cost is $85. The other workshop covers proposal writing and is set for June 14, also at Mega Bite. Contact Carol for details at writecarol@comcast.net.
• The Royal Palm Literary Award contest is now open for entries. There have been many welcome changes in this year's competition including a new chairman, Terri DuLong, a new evaluation form and a pledge that all evaluations will be returned by the Sunday following the November conference. Go to http://www.floridawriters.net/ for all the details.
• Noted writing coach Lynn Skapyak Harlin is launching another one of her Shanty Boat Workshops for beginning writers starting May 7. The 6-week course costs $100. Follow-up with Lynn at Lyharlin@aol.com.
• Mystery lovers will love Mystery Florida, June 6-7 at the Lido Beach Resort near Sarasota. The gathering is limited to only 100 people who will have a chance to hear Michael Connolly and rub elbows with Tim Dorsey, James O. Born, Blaize Clement, Bob Morris, Jonathon King, James Swain, and David Hagberg, among others. Find out more at http://mysteryflorida.com/index.htm.
• First Coast Christian Writers continue to meet weekly on Thursday evenings from 6:45 – 8:45 p.m. Room 204 at Christ’s Church, 6045 Greenland Road (I-95 and 9A). Visitors are always welcome. For more information: http://firstcoastchristianwriters.blogspot.com/
• The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) is meeting on Saturday, April 19 from 1-3, at the Southeast Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. (904) 996-0325. Young adult author and Newberry Honor recipient, Audrey Couloumbis, will discuss the life of a working writer. For more information, contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net
• Hettie Jones on The Beat Poets 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6 at the Jacksonville Public Library Main Library, 303 N. Laura Street, Jacksonville. For information and other events call (904) 630-2665 or visit: http://www.jaxpubliclibrary.org/ or http://www.poetrybranchingout.org/.
• First Coast Romance Writers meet on the second Saturday of the month at the West Regional Library: 1425 Chaffee Road. 11:00 a.m. On May 10, Elizabeth Sinclair aka Marge Smith, will discuss "GMC" (Goal/Motivation/Conflict). Marge has written numerous novels for Kensington and Harlequin American and won the National Readers Choice Award in 2006.
• Every Wednesday: 7:30 p.m.; Bard Society critique group run by Frank Green for the past 25 years. Call 234-8383.
• Orange Park Writers meet on the first Friday at 7:00 p.m. at the Orange Park Library; Email: pyvan@bellsouth.net.

FWA Regional Chapter Meetings

• Amelia Island Chapter meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at The Florida House Inn, located at 31 South 4th Street in Fernandina Beach. At the April 22
  meeting, they'll hear from editor Beth Mansbridge. She's worked on many books in both the fiction and non-fiction fields and will address the editing questions authors face while writing their short story or book and she will offer tips to become a better self-editor. Contact group leader Maggie Carter-de Vries: maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• The Ancient City Chapter meets on the third Saturday of the month at the St. Augustine Main Library at 1960 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd. This Saturday's meeting at 10:00 a.m. will not have a speaker, but will devote the entire meeting to critiques. If you wish to participate, please contact Mike BonDurant at mikebd1@bellsouth.net.
• Ponte Vedra Beach Chapter meeting on Saturday, April 26 is cancelled and everyone is encouraged to attend Much Ado About Books at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Next month's meeting is on May 24, and the speaker is TBA.
• River City Writers meet on the second Tuesday of the month at the Southeast Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. from 7:00-8:45 p.m. The May 13 meeting has been cancelled due to that week's regional conference. Everyone is encouraged to attend the June 10th meeting for a discussion of the hero's journey in literature by Vic DiGenti.

That's it for now. See you on the book shelves,
Vic

Victor DiGenti, FWA Regional Director http://www.fwapontevedra.blogspot.com/ http://www.windrusher.com/

Are You Ready to Conference?

To paraphrase a memorable line from the movie, The Graduate, "I just have one word for you — conference."

Okay, maybe it's not as memorable a word as "plastics," but conference still has a nice ring to it. Especially when you see the line-up for this year's 1-day conference scheduled for Saturday, May 17 at The Players Community Senior Center in Ponte Vedra Beach. We're calling it Swing for the stars–Be the best writer you can be since The Players Community Senior Center was paid for in large part by a grant from The PGA Tour. But more than that it's a call to all writers to open themselves to the possibilities available when we prepare for success.

And success is what we have in mind with workshops covering everything from avoiding common blunders that many new writers make to finding innovative ways to market your books.

In the morning, you'll hear a keynote address from award-winning short-story author Philip F. Deaver. Deaver is Writer-in-Residence at Rollins College. He's the 13th winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction and has held fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts and Bread Loaf. Later in the day, he'll talk about how to identify the story hiding inside each of us in a workshop entitled, "Three Hours to the Story of Your Dreams."

At lunch, Jack McDevitt will take the mic to tell us, "Emerson's right: Learn to Believe in Yourself and You Can Do Anything." An acclaimed science-fiction author, McDevitt is a former English teacher, naval officer, Philadelphia taxi driver, customs officer, and motivational trainer. His work has been on the final Nebula ballot ten of the last eleven years. In a later session he'll give a talk I wish I'd heard years ago: "How To Guarantee Rejection: Common Blunders by New Writers."

For those of you thinking of dipping your toe into independent publishing waters, Pamela Bauer Mueller and her husband Mike will share their secrets of success. Our final session will be a general one as we read submitted first pages and hear on-the-spot constructive criticism by a trio of talented authors.

But that's not all. If you're among the crowd, you'll be the first to hear us announce the winners of this year's Lighthouse Book Awards Competition. You don't have to be present to win, but recognition is so much better received in person.

Go to http://www.windrusher.com/Conference.html for all the details including a conference schedule, a list of the presenters and that all-important registration form. Remember we were forced to close registrations early last year because we had more people than we could handle. The deadline for early registration is April 30 so don't delay in sending in your registration.

Now let's look at what our NE Florida FWA Chapters have to offer this month.

• River City Writers meet on the second Tuesday of the month, March 11 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. This month's speaker is award-winning writer, producer, director, editor, and actor John Boles who will offer insights on Screenwriting for television and the cinema. John is a popular workshop presenter and has led an independent Screenwriting Workshop Group for the past five years that has nurtured more than a dozen talented screenwriters. Contact group leader Judy Connolly at judy.connolly@comcast.net for more information.
• Ancient City Writers meet on Saturday, March 15 at 10AM at the St. Augustine Main Library with an intriguing topic for new novelists. Author and marketing coach Rik Feeney challenges you to write your book in 60 days. If you are struggling, he'll provide you with the tools needed to complete it within 60 days. He will show how to use the "Top Ten Writing System" to break a book down into byte-sized chunks that are easy to accomplish, and depending on the determination and desire can help you write a book within sixty days or less. Note that the 60 day-deadline ends the same day as our May 17 conference and we'd love to acknowledge who has actually completed the minimum 65,000-word novel. If you're interested, go listen to Rik, and register with Jeff Swesky at sweskys@comcast.net.
• Amelia Island Writers meet on the third Tuesday of the month, March 18 at 6PM at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. Novelist Terri Ridgell will discuss one of the key rules of fiction writing — "Show don't tell." Terri is also the executive director of the Amelia Island Book Festival, coming October 3 - 5. Contact group leader Maggie de Vries for more details at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• Ponte Vedra Writers meet the fourth Saturday of the month, March 22, at 10AM at the Ponte Vedra Library. Michael Wiley, author of The Last Striptease (winner of the Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martin's Press Best First Private Eye Novel prize), will talk about writing first chapters and about how how first chapters can open the minds and checkbooks of agents, publishers, and readers -- or close them. Note that there will not be a meeting of the Ponte Vedra Writers next month because it falls on the same day as Much Ado About Books. FWA will have a table there and I'll be looking for a few volunteers to help staff it.

Other happenings of note:

• Florida Writers Association is sponsoring the 2008 Royal Palm Literary Awards and is seeking judges in all genres and categories. You may read as much or as little as you like. Rubrics are provided to assist you in scoring and postage will be provided to return the work and scores. If you’re a writer or an avid reader and would like to help, please contact Terri DuLong at 352-543-0807 or ParisTJD@bellsouth.net
• The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is meeting on Saturday, March 15 from 1-3, at the Southeast Regional Library. Robyn Gioia, a reviewer for The School Library Journal, and an award-winning author of a nationally recognized and controversial book America's Real First Thanksgiving will speak. For more information, check the website at http://home.comcast.net/~janwalt/scbwijax.html or contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• Back in St. Augustine, the Ancient City Writers present another in their Writer's Journey series in cooperation with the Friends of the Library. This one is called "Murder They Wrote" and focuses on—what else?—mystery writers. Panelists Mary Anna Evans (Effigies) detective is an archeologist, Rene Fix (Informed Consent) writes legal thrillers about an attorney, Michael Wiley’s (The Last Striptease) is a private investigator, and June Weltman’s is a teenage sleuth in The Mystery of the Missing Candlestick will talk about their detectives, the crimes and clues they create that make for exciting novels. Take a clue and mark your calendar for Sunday, March 30 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the main downtown library at 1960 N. Ponce De Leon Blvd. They will be signing their books following the discussion and a portion of the proceeds benefits the FOL.
• Speaking of author June Weltman, she will teach an eight-week workshop on “Writing Mysteries for Children and Teens” through the University of North Florida’s new LEARN Jacksonville program starting Wednesday, April 2, 2008 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the University Center Building. The class is open to beginning and experienced writers ages 18 and older. It covers the development of character, plot and setting. Students are invited to bring manuscripts in progress. For more information or to register, call 620-4255 or visit: http://www.ce.unf.edu./
• Progress is being made for the launch of the newest book festival in NE Florida. The Florida Heritage Book Festival, September 12 & 13, will celebrate Florida authors or those who write about Florida. Friday's first edition features a writer's workshop at the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, following by a Meet the Authors Reception that evening at the Markland House on the Flagler College Campus. Saturday's schedule will feature author presentations, panel discussions, poetry readings and children's events. Although the website is not yet complete, check out details on http://fhbookfest.com/. A fundraising dinner is planned for Thursday, March 20 at Amici's Italian Restuarant in St. Augustine. Tickets are $25 each. If you'd like to attend and support the festival, please contact Marie Cashat at reejoice@bellsouth.net.
• First Coast Christian Writers meet weekly on Thursday evenings from 6:45 – 8:45 p.m. Room 204 at Christ’s Church, 6045 Greenland Road (I-95 and 9A). Visitors are always welcome. For more information: http://firstcoastchristianwriters.blogspot.com/
• As mentioned before, Much Ado About Books falls on the same day as our April Ponte Vedra Writers Group meeting. We'll cancel that meeting and encourage everyone to attend MAAB. Along with Carl Hiassen and R.L. Stine (who appears on Friday for a special Young Writers presentation) are Steve Berry, The Venetian Betrayal, Random House, Tim Dorsey, Atomic Lobster, Harper Collins, Deborah Johnson, The Air Between Us, Harper Collins, William Dietrich, The Rosetta Key, Harper Collins, and Rody Johnson, The Rise and Fall of Dodgertown, University Press Florida. Again, please let me know if you can hang out at the FWA table for an hour or two as we spread the word about FWA here in NE Florida.
• Sisters in Crime meets at 10:00 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month at the Southeast Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. Brothers and Sisters in crime gather to gain insight into criminal elements useful for their mystery writings. The Writers' Critique Group meets immediately following the monthly meeting at 12:00. Contact President Darlene Myers, dfm1973@comcast.net, for more information.
• The deadline for submissions to the 2008 Amelia Island Book Festival has been extended to the end of this month. For an author to be considered, the festival must receive a copy of a book, author bio and suggestions or proposals for a talk or workshop. More details are on the Submit a Book page at http://www.bookisland.org/
• First Coast Romance Writers meet on the second Saturday of the month at the West Regional Library: 1425 Chaffee Road. 11:00 a.m. For more information: http://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com/workshops.htm
• Rodney Hurst, author of It Was Never Just about Coffee and a Coke, will speak to the FCCJ North academic community at 11 a.m. Mar. 19 in Room E-235. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 12, he will speak to the North Florida Writers at the Webb Wesconnett Library (103rd St. and Harlow Blvd.). The public is invited to attend both events. When he was eleven years old, Rodney accepted the invitation of his American History teacher Rutledge Pearson to join the Jacksonville Youth Council NAACP. The book recounts the events leading up to and the fallout from the bloody events of Aug. 27, 1960, in downtown Jacksonville when black youth who had been staging sit-in demonstrations at downtown lunch counters were set upon by 200 whites wielding ax handles and baseball bats.
• Douglas Anderson School of the Arts is hosting its annual Writers’ Festival on March 15, 2008. This all-day celebration of writing will include hands-on workshops and an evening reading by former Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Other daytime workshops include award winning poet and writer Diane Glancey (American Book Award, the Minnesota Book Award in Poetry, the Native American Prose Award and a Sundance Screenwriting Fellowship), playwright Jackie Reingold (currently on the writing staff for Law and Order), journalist Anne Driscoll (People Magazine contributor), young poet Billy Merrell (who at 22 was the youngest author to be published by the PUSH imprint of Scholastic for Talking in the Dark), writer/performer Al Letson (one of three national finalists currently in contention for NPR’s new programming slot), and a host of other writers and publishers who have agreed to participate. For more information: http://www.dawritersfest.com/.
• First Coast Romance Writers, a chapter of the Romance Writers of America, is hosting the 15th annual Southern Lights Writers Conference Mar. 28-30 in Jacksonville at the Marriott at Southpoint. Editor/agent appointments will be available with representatives from Berkley, St. Martin's Press, Ellora's Cave/Cerridwen Press, the Highlands Press, the Axelrod Agency, the Knight Agency and Caren Johnson Literary Agency.
  New York Times best-selling author Suzanne Brockmann is the keynote speaker on Saturday, March 29. For more information, go to http://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com/.
• Praised for the moving quality of his prose, Jacksonville novelist Charles Martin discusses his fifth literary novel, Chasing Fireflies–A Novel of Discovery at the Ponte Vedra Library's Book Talk Cafe program, Monday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.

That's all for now. I'll leave you with this final word from SF master Ray Bradbury,

"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out."

See you on the book shelves,

Vic

Victor DiGenti
FWA Regional Director
http://www.fwapontevedra.blogspot.com/
http://www.windrusher.com/

Write something every day

Last year I was surprised when we received over 90 submissions for our first Lighthouse Book Awards Competition. This year I'm flabbergasted. We ended up with 120 entries stuffing coordinator Judy Connolly's mail box (thankfully, not all at once). Judy reports that we received entries from all over the map. All of them are now residing with our preliminary judges—a huge THANK YOU to all who "volunteered" to be a judge this year—and the finalists will be sent on to the acquistion editors sometime next month. Of course, the big announcement of the winners will be made during the May 17 conference at the Players Senior Community Center in Ponte Vedra Beach. It's actually in Palm Valley, but PVB has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Mark your calendars for that date as you'll want to be there to not only hear first-hand who the winning authors are, but enjoy a first rate writer's conference. We already have several speakers lined up including award-winning science fiction author Jack McDevitt. More on the conference schedule in my next posting.

There's so much going on of interest to writers that you could go from one meeting to another, one conference to another, and never have to write a word. But all things in moderation. And while you may have sympathy with the writer's strike (thank goodness, there were more LOST episodes in the can for the new season to begin), don't go on a strike of your own. Remember what Gore Vidal said, "Write something every day, even if it's a suicide note." Pick and choose how you spend those precious moments of each day, but keep writing.

This Month's FWA Chapter Meetings

• River City Writers meet on the second Tuesday of the month, February 12 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. This month's speaker is acclaimed poet Teri Youmans Grimm. A recipient of a Nebraska Arts Council Fellowship, Teri received her MFA from Vermont College and was a former instructor in the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Teri mined her family memories and southern ancestry to create a highly-acclaimed collection of poems entitled Dirt Eaters, which has been called "a mystical journey back through her ancestry." Contact Judy Connolly for more information – judy.connolly@comcast.net.


• Ancient City Writers meet on Saturday, February 16 at 10AM at the St. Augustine Main Library. Join Elizabeth Sinclair as she discusses a story's Inciting Incident, the proper hook and the story question that will keep editors, agents and readers turning your pages. Elizabeth sold her first romance to Silhouette Intimate Moments in 1993. Since then her books have sold in 17 countries and been translated into 7 languages. For more details contact Jeff Swesky at sweskys@comcast.net.


• Amelia Island Writers meet on the third Tuesday of the month, February 19 at 6PM at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. Novelist Terri Ridgell will discuss one of the key rules of fiction writing — "Show don't tell." Terri is also the executive director of the Amelia Island Book Festival, coming October 3 - 5. There are more changes in the works for this growing festival. See the announcements below for a more on AIBF. Contact Maggie de Vries for more details at maggie1948@yahoo.com.


• Ponte Vedra Writers meet the fourth Saturday of the month, February 23, at 10AM at the Ponte Vedra Library. This month, Merrillee Whren, the award-winning author of six inspirational romance novels, will address the challenges of writing for the inspirational market. Inspirational romance is a growing market, according to Merrillee, and is seeking new authors in almost every sub-genre. She will discuss different inspirational markets and publishers and take questions about writing in general. You can contact me for more information, vicdig@comcast.net.

And now, for the rest of the story...

• The Ancient City Chapter of FWA and the Friends of the St. Johns County Main Library present the second in their series of panel discussions titled The Writer's Journey. A Book from the Heart is a discussion of romance and women's fiction in celebration of Valentine's Day and is set for Saturday, February 9 at 1PM at the Main Library in downtown St. Augustine. Panelists include Shannon Greenland, Tracy Montoya, Elizabeth Sinclair, Heather Waters, and Delores J. Wilson. Nancy Quatrano will moderate.
• The Amelia Island Book Festival, October 3-5, is seeking authors for the 2008 festival. For an author to be considered, the festival must receive a copy of a book, author bio and suggestions or proposals for a talk or workshop. Submissions must be in by March 1, 2008. Please mail books and materials to: Amelia Island Book Festival, P.O. Box 824, Amelia Island, FL 32035. For more information, visit www.bookisland.org, e-mail the Festival planners at info@bookisland.org or call the information line at (904) 491-8176.
• Much Ado About Books is scheduled for April 25-26 with Saturday's activites at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Key authors scheduled include Carl Hiaasen, R. L. Stine, William Dietrich, Steve Berry, Tim Dorsey, and many more. Congratulations to local author Rita Malie who has been added to the line-up with her book, Goodbye America. For more information on MAAB, go to http://www.muchadoaboutbooks.com/.
• The North Florida Writers monthly meeting, 2:00 p.m. February 9 at the Webb Westconnett Library, 6887 103rd St. See news about the First Coast Regional Poetry Anthology Word Trips: http://northfloridawriters.org/
• Also on February 9, First Coast Romance Writers at the West Regional Library: 1425 Chaffee Road. 11:00-12:30 p.m. Writing Erotic Romance with Eileen Goldman and Marianne LaCroix; 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Business Meeting. For more information: http://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com/workshops.htm
• Speaking of the First Coast Romance Writers, they will hold their 15the Annual Southern Lights Writers Conference, March 28 - 30, at the Jacksonville Marriott. New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann will be the keynoter. They have a huge line-up of presenters. Check them out at http://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com/conference.htm
• The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) is meeting on Saturday, February 16 from 1-3PM, at the Southeast Regional Library. They will cover highlights of Miami and NYC Regional Conferences earlier this year, as well as a discussion of agents. For more information, contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• Investigative journalist Susan Thomas has written a compelling book examining how marketers exploit infants and toddlers and the broad, often shocking, impact of that exploitation on our society at large. Formerly a senior editor at U.S. News & World Report and a co-host of public television’s Digital Duo, Thomas and will be at the Ponte Vedra Library on February 19 and 20 to discuss the findings in her hard-hitting book, Buy, Buy Baby. Presented by the Friends of the Library, she will speak first on Tuesday, February 19 at 6:30 p.m. in a presentation aimed at adults. The next morning, Wednesday, February 20 at 10:30 a.m., she will speak to parents and their children. In her book, Thomas explores the notion that infants and toddlers can be made smarter with exposure to the right products and TV programs. Toy and media corporations manipulate the insecurities of parents to sell their products. In Buy, Buy Baby (Houghton Mifflin) Thomas reveals that there is no evidence that any of these products provides any educational benefit at all. The programs are free and open to the public.
• The Friends of the Ponte Vedra Library resume their monthly Book Talk Cafe programs this month with the opportunity to meet and hear Bob Morris, author of three Caribbean-based mysteries, including BERMUDA SCHWARTZ, Monday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the FOL Community Room. Future meetings will present talks by Charles Martin, Michael Wiley, Pat Duggins, and Solon Timothy Woodward.
• There's a new book festival in the works in the nation's oldest city. The Florida Heritage Book Festival will celebrate Florida authors and those who write about Florida. It's scheduled for September 13 & 13 of this year and will be held at the Casa Monica Hotel and Flagler College. More next time.

That's it for now. I'll leave you with this tidbit from E. L. Doctorow,

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."

I'll see you on the book shelves,

Vic

Victor DiGenti

FWA Regional Director

Don't Delay, Enter Today

As I write this there are less than three weeks left before the January 25 deadline for this year's Lighhouse Book Awards Competition. Have you started putting your entry together yet? If not, what's keeping you? Awards competitions are one of the best ways to evaluate how far you've progressed with your writing skills. Each entry will receive feedback from two preliminary judges.

Another advantage is the opportunity to get your work before an acquiring editor. This is sometimes an insurmountable obstacle for many writers, but finalists in the Lighthouse Book Awards will have their entries judged by legitimate acquiring editors for each of the categories. Wondering who these editors are? Well, wonder no more:

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Barbara Moore is the acquiring editor for Midnight Ink, an imprint featuring mysteries that she helped launch for Llewellyn Publications. Midnight Ink publishes suspenseful tales of almost all types.
Fiction – General
Julie Doughty is an acquiring editor for Dutton, an imprint of the Penguin Group of publishers. She specializes in fiction, particularly commercial women's fiction, historical fiction, and literary fiction.
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Claire Eddy is a Senior Editor at Tor Books, the largest publisher of science fiction in the world, and has been with the company for over twenty years.
Young Adult
Vicky Holifield is a senior editor with Peachtree Publishers in Atlanta. For the past eleven years she has acquired and edited fiction and nonfiction titles for preschool, elementary, middle-grade, and YA audiences.

You can read more about these editors at http://www.windrusher.com/FinalJudges.html. From there you can click on the Contest Rules and Entry Form. Be sure to read the guidelines carefully, and whatever you do, don't put your name on anything except the entry form. But don't wait until the last minute. Competition Coordinator Judy Connolly doesn't like to be kept in suspense.

• My cat often helps me write, but even cats need to take a break from their writing once in a while. Now, let's see what's happening in the NE Florida area and elsewhere that's of interest to writers.

Writer's Group Meetings

• River City Writers meet on Tuesday, January 8 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. Lynn Thompson will be discussing memoir writing and co-authoring. Contact Judy Connolly for more information – judy.connolly@comcast.net.
• Amelia Island Writers Group meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month (January 15) at 6PM at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. Maggie de Vries has a good line-up of programs planned for 2008 starting with this month's look at Queries and Proposals presented by Carol D. O'Dell, pictured to the right, author of the acclaimed memoir, Mothering Mother. Contact Maggie for more details at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• The next meeting of the Ancient City Chapter is on Saturday, January 19 at 10AM at the Main Library in downtown St. Augustine. The ubiquitous Carol D. O'Dell will present a program entitled Learn How to Write Book Proposals that Sell.
• The Ponte Vedra Writer's Group returns after a two-month hiatus on Saturday, January 26 at 10AM at the Ponte Vedra Library. The topic should be of interest to all published authors and those about to be published–Cheryl Alldredge will provide insights into owning, developing, and promoting your website.

Other Happenings

• Congratulations to Darlene Myers, the new president of the Jacksonville chapter of Sisters in Crime. The group meets on the first Saturday of the month at 10:30AM at the SE Branch Library.
• The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) is meeting on Saturday, January 19 from 1-3PM, at the Southeast Regional Library. Local picture book author, Nancy Murray, will discuss marketing. For more information, contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• There's a new group of Christian writers meeting weekly on Thursday evenings from 6:45-8:45 PM at Christ’s Church starting on January 24, 2008. Lorraine Haataia is spearheading the effort. Contact her at Dr.Lorraine@comcast.net.
• January 8 -10 is the registration period for the Adult Education Workshop on Writing Children's Mysteries by local author June Weltman. She will teach an eight-week workshop on Writing Mysteries for Children and Teens through Mandarin High School's Adult Community Education starting Thursday, Jan. 24. Registration will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 8, 9 and 10 at Mandarin high school, 4831 Greenland Road. For more information visit: www.dreamsbeginhere.org/mhs. Telephone: 260-3911, ext. 207.
• You may also register for three creative writing classes at Englewood and Terry Parker High with instructor John Boles. Check with the individual schools for details.
• First Coast Romance Writers meets at the West Regional Library: 1425 Chaffee Road. 11:00-12:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 12. Sandra Madden presents a program on Do You Know Your Point of View?
• The North Florida Writers Group monthly meeting is also on the 12th, 2:00 p.m. at the Webb Westconnett Library, 6887 103rd St. See news about the First Coast Regional Poetry Anthology Word Trips: http://northfloridawriters.org/
• Poets and Writers Submissions Calendar for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry competitions by publications and organizations. http://pw.org/mag/0801/submissioncalendar.htm
• The deadline for the Literary Spa Memoir contest (part of the Florida First Coast Writers competitions) has been extended to February 3. For more information and submission guidelines: http://www.fccj.org/wf/contests/index.html
• The Pasco/New Port Richey Chapter of FWA will hold their 2nd Annual One-Day Conference on Sunday, April 6 at the Main Library in New Port Richey. Early-bird registration through February 28 is $39. They have a good line-up of speakers and agents. For complete details, go to http://mysite.verizon.net/resockeb/id79.html
• Acclaimed mystery author Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone, Baby, Gone–coming soon to the big screen) will give a reading at Flagler College Auditorium at 7PM on Friday, February 8. This is part of Flagler's Writers-in-Residence program. Lehane will be followed on February 11 by poet Mark Jarman. For more on the program, go to http://www.flagler.edu/page2.aspx?id=1585.
• Mystery writers might be interested in crimescenewriter@yahoogroups.com. It's a forum for asking and answering crime scene investigation, applied forensics, and police procedure questions for fiction or non-fiction writers, administered by a retired crime scene analyst. Go to Yahoo Groups to register.
• The Hippodrome State Theatre presents the 2008 Florida Senior Playwright Festival open to all Florida residents over the age of 50. These must be original works and cannot exceed 30 minutes or have more than five characters. No musicals. Deadline is February 11. Go to http://thehipp.org/programs/seniorplaywright/2008/intro.php for complete guidelines and registration form.

That's it for now. I'll leave you with this bit of bumper sticker philosophy —

Get Involved – the world is run by those who show up.

I'll see you on the book shelves,
Vic

Victor DiGenti
FWA Regional Director

Lighthouse Book Awards Competition

The last six weeks have disappeared faster than my receding hairline. Days after last month's 6th annual FWA Conference weekend, I traveled to San Francisco for the Cat Writer's Association conference (yes, Virginia, there is a Cat Writer's Association). Shortly after returning home, I enjoyed a little medical procedure that put me out of commission for a few days.
All of this, along with my natural tendency for procrastination, delayed this new posting. But here it is, and just in time to announce the 2nd Annual Lighthouse Book Awards Competition.

Like last year's successful competition, this one is open to all writers with unpublished manuscripts in the following categories: Mysteries/Suspense/Thrillers, Fiction-General, Young Adult, and Science Fiction/Fantasy.
Once again, the finalists in each category will be judged by acqusition editors from major publishing houses. Please note that the contest deadline is January 25. For the contest rules and the entry form, go to http://www.windrusher.com/ContestRules.html. Or email me and I'll send them to you: vicdig@comcast.net.
One of last year's winners was asked to send his entire novel to the acquiring editor. This could happen to you, but first you must enter. We will be announcing the winners at our regional 1-day conference on May 17, 2008. Look for more information in the future. And many thanks to Judy Connolly for agreeing to be the Contest Coordinator.

Here's a quick look at other items of interest for area authors:

• Speaking of contests, congratulations again to our NE Florida FWA members who were winners in the Royal Palm Literary Competition—Scott Benyacko, Betsy Lee, Jean Osborn, Nancy Quatrano, Hank & Jan Racer, and Deborah Thompson.
• And while we're in the contest mode, you should know that the First Coast Writers Festival contest deadlines have been extended. January 7 is the new deadline for each contest except the Literary Spa Memoir Contest, which has been extended to February 3. Go to www.fccj.edu/wf for details.
• Hats off to the Ancient City Chapter for a successful inaugural program presented with the Friends of the St. Johns County Main Library. The Writer's Journey: Where Ideas Come From—was the first of three panel discussions with area authors. There were about 45 people in attendance. The next one focuses on romance writing and is scheduled for February. The last one in March will spotlight mystery authors.
• A free poetry reading with free refreshments is being held Monday, December 17 at 7PM at the Haskell Center in the Plaza Cafe, 111 Riverside Avenue, to mark the release of the First Coast Regional Poetry Anthology. This is a project of North Florida Writers and Hidden Owl Books.
• Mystery writer June Weltman announces the start of her "Writing Mysteries for Children & Teens" class will start again at Mandarin High School on January 24. The class costs $45 and you can learn more at www.dreamsbeginhere.org/mhs.
• I've heard from several people that they have not been receiving FWA's quarterly magazine, The Florida Writer. If that's the case with any of you, please contact editor Sammy Smith and let him know. You may write him at thefloridawriter@aol.com. Sammy is also looking for feedback for his Reader Response column, as well as submissions for future issues. This is a good way to get published.
• Shara Smock is updating the listing of member websites on the FWA site. If you're a member and want your website listed, send the URL to Shara at fwasmock@cfl.rr.com.
• SleuthFest 2008 is scheduled for February 28 - March 2nd at the Deerfield Beach Hilton. A must conference for mystery and crime writers, this year's key speakers are Lee Childs, author of the Jack Reacher thrillers, and Dr. Doug Lyle, forensic expert and author of the award-winning Murder & Mayhem: A Doctor Answers Medical & Forensic Questions for Mystery Writers. Also in attendance will be bestselling author Heather Graham. http://www.mwa-florida.org/sleuthfest.htm
• Kudos to Robyn Gioia for her promotional coup. Her book, America's Real First Thanksgiving, was spotlighted in a USA Today feature last month.
• The next Much Ado About Books festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 26. Noted author Carl Hiassen will be the keynote speaker, and I've heard that mega-popular children's author R.L. Stine (Goosebumps series) will also be there.

Upcoming FWA Chapter Meetings

• Ancient City Chapter – Saturday, December 15 at 10AM at St. Augustine's Main Library. Proving once again that everyone else is too busy to speak in December, I'll be giving my world-famous presentation on writing effective scenes. "Let's Make a Scene," together tomorrow. This will be followed by holiday cheer and an open mic time.
• Amelia Island Chapter – Tuesday, December 18 at 6PM at the Florida House Inn. Maggie de Vries is looking for input from Nassau County writers as to what kinds of programs/speakers they'd like to see in 2008. So go and make your wishes known or contact Maggie at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• Ponte Vedra Chapter – There will be no meeting this month, but get ready for a new season of excellent programs in the New Year. We'll start off on January 26 with website designer Cheryl Alldredge talking about — what else? — designing websites for writers.
• River City Writers Chapter (formerly the Central Jax Chapter) — Tuesday, January 8 at 7PM at the SE Branch Library. Lynn Thompson will be discussing memoir writing and co-authoring.

That about does it for this posting. Here's wishing everyone the happiest of holiday seasons for you and yours.

Vic

Victor DiGenti, FWA Regional Director

http://www.windrusher.com/

The Busy Season

The last two months of the year are usually associated with holidays, family gatherings, and travel. For the published author, it's also a good time to be selling your books since everyone knows books make wonderful holiday gifts. Personally, I call these two months the busy season because there's so much devouring our time we might not have time for ourselves.

Because of "the busy season," the FWA Ponte Vedra Writers Group will be on hiatus in November. I'll be at the FWA Conference this weekend, and traveling much of the rest of the month. Because of my travels and the holidays, our regular 4th Saturday meeting is cancelled. I encourage you to attend one of the other FWA meetings in the area and take advantage of some of the other many happenings listed below. Let's get right to it:

• FWA Annual Conference, November 8-11 at Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort. This year's conference is jam-packed with outstanding workshops and speakers. Usually, NE Florida FWA members take home more than their share of honors from the Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition. I'll report on the conference in my next blog posting.
• The St. George Writers Retreat has put out a last call to register for the week-long writers retreat, November 12-16, with YA author Adrian Fogelin. The in-residence event is for women only and held in a large home on St. George Island. Call Perky Granger, 352-463-3089 for details or go to http://www.fictionamongfriends.com/.
• The Central Jax Writers Group meets on the second Tuesday of the month, November 13, at 7PM at the Southeast Branch Public Library is located at 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd, on the southwest corner of J. T. Butler and Gate Parkway. This month, Jacksonville children's author June Weltman will discuss "Clues to Writing Mysteries for Children and Young Adults." Weltman is the author of Mystery of the Missing Candlestick, a young adult mystery. Contact Judy Connolly for details – judy.connolly@comcast.net.
• The Ancient City Writers Group meets on the 3rd Saturday of the month, November 17, at St. Augustine's Main Library at 10AM. This month's speaker is Karen Harvey, who has been writing about St. Augustine for a quarter century. Karen's latest book is Daring Daughters: St. Augustine's Feisty Females, and she'll be speaking on “Fashioning Fact into Fiction.” Critique groups follow the speaker. Contact Jeff Swesky– sweskys@comcast.net.
• The Amelia Island Writers Group meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 6PM at the Florida House Inn. They won't be having a speaker this month, but interim group leader Maggie de Vries reports she will present a list of potential speakers and topics to the group. So if you live in Nassau County, this is the time to make your interests known. Maggies' email is maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• Ponte Vedra Writers Group - As I reported at the top of this post, this month's meeting is cancelled due to the FWA Conference, the Thanksgiving holiday, and my own travels. I'll be in San Francisco on the 4th weekend as one of the presenters at the annual Cat Writers Association Conference. I urge you to attend either the Anicent City meeting or one of the others. For information on all the Writers Groups, you can always go to the FWA website and click on the Regions link then scroll to North Eastern FL. http://www.floridawriters.net/.
• I have the large room at the PV Library reserved for December 22, our usual meeting date, but haven't booked a speaker due to the holiday season. I'm considering hosting a social for area FWA members and others who attend our meetings if there's enough interest. I thought also we might hold a mini-book sale. Stealing an idea from the Ancient City chapter, I thought if everyone brought a couple of gently-used or new books from their libraries, we could sell them for $1 each giving us lots of bargains and last-minute gifts. The proceeds would go into our chapter treasury to be used for monthly expenses. Before I do too much work on this, please let me know if you'd like to be part of a December 22 social event. The other option is to cancel the December meeting as well.
• Acclaimed Florida author Mary Anna Evans will discuss her latest archaeological mystery, Effigies, as part of the Ponte Vedra Friends of the Library program, Book Talk Cafe, on Tuesday, November 13 at 10:30 a.m. It's free and open to the public.
• The Pasco County New Port Richey Writers Group, led by Dahris Clair, has a nifty online E-Zine that's open for submissions from any of the the state's writers. You can check out The Infinite Writer at http://mysite.verizon.net/resockeb/e-zine/. BTW, Dahris is so organized she already has the April 6 one-day conference schedule completed. More on that later.
• Put this date in your calendar - Saturday, May 17, 2008. That's the date of the 2nd Annual NE Florida One-Day Conference. This year's will be held at the PGA Tour Senior Community Center in Palm Valley. It's a larger facility than the library which will allow more people to attend. You may recall that last year we had to cut off the enrollment at 75 people.
• In conjunction with the conference, we will again be conducting the Lighthouse Book Awards for unpublished manuscripts. We're starting earlier than last year and will announce the winners at the May 17 conference. Central Jax Group Leader Judy Connolly has agreed to helm the contest. The deadline is January 18, but look for details in the near future.
• The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) is meeting on Saturday, November 17 from 1-3, at the Southeast Regional Library. FWA members Hank and Jan Racer, will discuss their first year with a published book, a picture book called Marky The Barking Bullfrog. For more information, contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• Speaking of deadlines, two of them are rapidly approaching. First, The Florida Times-Union Holiday Short Story Contest deadline is November 16 and it's open to both adults and young writers. This year they provide the start of the story and it’s up to you to finish it. For more information: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/100707/lif_205575872.shtml . The St. Augustine Record has their own holiday short story contest called Twelve Stories of Christmas. Entries should be about the holidays, directed to children and uplifting in the spirit of the season. This is a short-short story since it's limited to 500 words. Entries must be postmarked by November 24 and mailed to Anne Heymen, The St. Augustine Record, POB 1630, St. Augustine, FL 32085 or emailed to anne.heyman@staugustine.com. Good luck.
• Author Lydia Filzin who write historical novels as Lydia Hawke reports that a movie has been made from her book, Firetrail, and it will be screened at the Orange Park Community Theatre on Friday, November 30 at 7PM, as well as December 1 at 7PM and December 2 at 3PM. Admission is $5.
• The Ancient City Chapter and the Friends of the Library-St. Johns County Main Library are hosting the first in a series of programs on Saturday, December 1 from 1PM to 3PM. I will moderate a panel discussion titled A Writer’s Journey—Where Ideas Come From. Former WG Leader Randy Cribbs will introduce the five panelists–Dr. Allen Bohl, Back Porch Swing, Karen Harvey, Daring Daughters: St. Augustine's Feisty Females, Jay Humphreys, Uncle Sam's, Nancy Quatrano, Crime Scene: New Jersey, and Jim Mast, Bloody Sunset in St. Augustine. The authors will sell and autograph their books after the discussion with the library receiving part of the proceeds.

I hope to see some of you at the FWA Conference this weekend. If not, enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday. That's it for now. I'll see you on the book shelves.

Vic

Victor DiGenti, FWA Regional Director

http://www.windrusher.com/