Very little is more gratifying than celebrating the launch of another SCWCer’s book. This month, as seems appropriate in the immediate afterglow of NaNoWriMo fever–with so many writers now finding themselves both buoyed by a new work in progress and the promise of publication that might one day result, yet overwhelmed by the notion of so much hard work left to do–we’ve got more than a few authors with titles recently out, or are being released soon. To sustain your spirits and inspire you to write through it, remember it’s all about truly finishing what you start. So let’s have a look at our latest authors to have done just that …
As usual, Michele Scott’s been busy. A member of the “The Twelve” collective of mystery and thriller writers, her contribution to the Flight 12: An Evie Preston Thriller series dropped November. And for fans of her A.K. Alexander pen name work, a special release, The Judas Relic: An Evangeline Heart Holiday Adventure, along with the debut of a new series co-written with Jen Greyson, The Archangel Agenda, arrived this month. Michele, of course, will be joining us in February.
USA Today best-selling author Jennifer Coburn’s We’ll Always Have Paris: A Mother/Daughter Memoir is touching hearts everywhere, even in her hometown. San Diego Magazine calls it, “[F]unny, honest, sometimes kooky … to read the book is to experience Europe anew, and relive all the wonder that travel brings” … DeAnna Cammeron has craftily introduced readers to her forthcoming California Belly Dance series with a novella, Shimmy for Me, soon to be followed by the first novel, Dance with Me … “With” writer Robert Yehling’s When We Were the Boys: Coming of Age on Rod Stewart’s Out of Order Tour and Just Add Water: The Biography of Autistic Surfer Clay Marzo are going gangbusters. 
Linda Thomas-Sundstrom’s The Boss’s Mistletoe Maneuvers promises to put a little egg in your nog for the holidays. Wolf Born, her latest for Harlequin Nocturne, releases February, just in time for the conference … Workshop leader Matt Pallamary’s new near-future, science fiction thriller, CyberChrist, is also now available. As fate would have it, his sister and fellow SCWCer Colleen Pallamary just released her debut novel, The Vampire Preservation Society.
Coming up in January we’ve got Alan Russell’s follow-up to his long-awaited Burning Man. Guardians of the Night follows the further adventures of LAPD Special Cases Unit Detective Michael Gideon and his German shepherd partner Sirius … And finally, Margaret Dilloway, award-winning author of How to Be and American Housewife, returns with a poignant story of estranged sisters forced together by family tragedy. Sisters of Heart and Snow is out April, 2015 from Putnam. Congratulations, all! 
More Workshops, More Readers Added
No surprise, but a lot has occurred in the publishing industry since our September conference. Changes abound, impacting traditionally published authors, indie/boutique-published authors, and, of course, those who elect to go it alone and self-publish with the belief that their book is ready for prime time.
That said, regardless which path to publication elected, writers everywhere are asking one burning question: How do I sell more books? We’re debuting two workshops to address that.
- “Ready to Launch: A Publicist’s Take on How to Get Your Book Ready for Promotion,” with Paula Margulies
- “How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon,” with Penny C. Sansevieri
Both workshop leaders are longtime friends of the SCWC. So long as your book rises to a level of quality that readers will risk investing their time and money in, these two workshops will help.
To date, at least eight “Best Foot Forward: Polishing to Impress” writers have gone on to publication. Jean Jenkins is conducting this two-part workshop once again at SD29. Limited to 12 participants, pre-registration and advance submission of materials is required. Details here. Visit the Workshops and Events page to view all the sessions currently slated for February.
Next up: Advance Submission Readers are now open, with still a few more to add. The preliminary deadline for submission is January 10. Please wait until you’re certain that the pages you wish to submit are the final draft of what you wish to submit. Drafts revised and submitted to replace earlier submissions will no longer be accepted. Advance submissions for SD29 will be accepted via email.
Start the New Year—Write!
Remember that the SCWC is limited in size to ensure maximum accessibility to staff and attention paid to you and your work. We’ve still plenty more to announce, including our fifth Special Guest Speaker, so take advantage of discounted pre-registration now. A new year is nearly upon us. Resolve to reward your readers by writing the very best stories you can.
And don’t forget to join us on Twitter @scwriters and on Facebook for even more timely writing world resources and information.
–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC
