With her latest thriller out this week, White Shotgun (Knopf), April Smith delivers her fourth pulse-pounding installment of the life of FBI Special Agent Ana Grey. Booklist’s starred review calls her, “[A] credible, fascinating heroine, both worldly and rueful about her unsettled life. Tight suspense and fascinating background.” And People Magazine gives the novel three stars, proclaiming that “the adrenaline is nicely balanced by the heroine’s grappling with loyalties to both blood and Bureau.” Also a television writer and producer, having worked in espisodics and longform, April has done adaptations for Stephen King, Anna Quindlen, and Nora Roberts. She’ll be joining us as Saturday evening’s special guest speaker to tell all about it.
More workshop leaders and advance submission readers to announce as we’re still piecing the working schedule together. Before that, however, is this bit of extremely good “muse” that’s just come in: longtime SCWC director Wes Albers has signed with ZOVA Books for the publication of his debut novel, Black & White.
“We are honored to have Wes Albers join ZOVA Books,” says ZOVA Partner and CEO Matthew J. Pizzo. “Wes has been helping the entire Southern California literary community as the director of the Southern California Writers’ Conference and we have seen Wes’ proactive and positive impact on writers for years. His novel, Black & White, is gritty, raw and will set the standard for modern noir. Black & White isn’t just any police story–it is written with the real world knowledge that only someone of Wes’ caliber can create. To have this powerful voice in our house is a tremendous honor for ZOVA Books and solidifies our sustained partnership with the Southern California Writers’ Conference.”
Couldn’t agree more. Congratulations, Wes. You’ve earned it!
More soon.
