News And Announcements

Following Saturday evening’s banquet our guest speaker will be Gregg Hurwitz.

Internationally bestselling author of The Tower, Minutes to Burn, Do No Harm, The Kill Clause, The Program, Troubleshooter, Last Shot, The Crime Writer, and Trust No One, Gregg is also the writer of such comic book favs as The Punisher, Wolverine and Moon Night, as well as an accomplished screenwriter and consulting producer on ABC’s current hit sci-fi series V.  It’s his first time with us and we’re happy to have him . . .

Back again with her ever-popular stand-alone writing track, New York Times bestselling author Drusilla Campbell will conduct her exclusive NovelCram: Building the Better Book. Geared not for the faint-hearted, this hands-on, one-of-a-kind weekend intensive is for writers just starting out — or just plain stuck — on their novels.  The Good Sister, Dru’s latest, is out October from Grand Central … Much more soon.

With a rough draft of what ultimately would become the internationally bestselling memoir Wesley The Owl landing  her both an agent and publisher at our LA4 event, author Stacey O’Brien returns to the SCWC to address the pivotal  lessons she learned on her way to publication success, from the rigors of polishing chapters to promoting a cause …

A New York and L.A. Times bestseller, Audubon Magazine  Editor’s Choice, People Magazine 4-out-of-4-star pick, and  Indie Top Ten favorite, Wesley’s precious story has touched  and inspired the hearts of millions worldwide.  Now out in  paperback and published in German, Chinese (both Mandarin  and Cantonese), Korean, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, and a  special U.K. (the Queen’s English!), the book just keeps  building momentum.  For those of you following The Owl Box  feed phenomenon on uStream.tv, be sure to check out Stacey’s  blog, where she’s addressing at considerable length  everything going on with Molly, McGee and all the little  ‘uns …

Another authorial sensation joining us in Newport Beach is  none other than Darlene Quinn.  Twisted Webs, the sequel to her multiple-award winning Webs of Power, is out September.  One of the most market-savvy writers we know, you’ll not want to miss what she’s learned over the past year that can make the difference between merely publishing books or selling them.

Many more announcements coming soon.

Woo-hoo, the brand spanking new SCWC website has arrived!  Took a smidge longer than hoped, and there’s a few buggy bits to iron out, but thanks to the venerable efforts of Write Click Media superstar Jeremy Lee James – wordslinging guru of all things social media and the web for writers – we’re live for LA8 (in Newport Beach).  There’s plenty to report …

The first of our special guest speakers to be announced is Ellen Bryson, whose highly anticipated debut novel The Transformation of Bartholomew Furtuno, described as Water for Elephants meets Geek Love, is out June in hardcover from Henry Holt and Co.  And a few of the other authorial types presently confirmed include award-winning writer/producer Erik Bork (HBO’s From Earth to the Moon, Band of Brothers, Rome), New York Times bestselling NovelCram: Building the Better Book queen Drusilla Campbell, acclaimed horror novelist Mark Clements, and writing provocateur Judy Reeves – celebrating the 10th Anniversary Edition of her Writer’s Book of Days.  Among the agents & editors joining us: Paul Fedorko (N.S. Bienstock), Mollie Glick (Foundry Literary & Media Agency), Matt Hudson (William Morris Endeavor Agency), Georgia Hughes (New World Books), and Sally van Haitsma, who only last month ventured out on her own after years of repping at Castiglia Literary (Best of success, Sally!) …

Some especially “good muse” to announce: Conferee Jane Howatt has signed a deal for her book, The Cop, The Killer, and Me, with Behler Publications editorial director Lynn Price, whom she submitted to at this past February’s SD24 conference.  Congratulations, Jane!  And no doubt Lynn will be back with us at LA8 …

Registration is now open for our September event.  Do so by June 1 and save $75.  Regular updates will continue from here forward as there’s plenty more staff to tell you about, along with the preliminary schedule.  For those who already know they’ll be signing up for optional advance submission critique, followed by one-on-one consultation with your reader(s), select “To Be Determined” on the registration form and we’ll email you when the full list becomes available in June …

Finally, as we endeavor to get the kinks out of the new site, please feel free to let Michael know what you think of the interface, any suggestions you have or problems encountered.  Check back often as there’s lots more coming.

The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, located a mere minutes from commuter-friendly John Wayne Airport in Irvine. Address: 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Phone: (949) 729-1234. Discounted lodging rates are available to SCWC*LA conferees. Conference dates are September 24—26, 2010. Be sure to book your room by no later than Sept. 1st to ensure the super-discounted SCWC rate. Just mention the writers’ conference.

Along with the rollout of our WritersConference.com redesign, pre-registration and the first news of confirmed authors, editors and agents joining us for LA8 (in Newport Beach!) will go live April 2nd. To tied you over, be sure to check out the remarkable MasterWriter software for creative writers. While we got to see it in action both last year and at SD24, only recently did we crack open the package and put it to work. Our verdict: next to a word processor, this comprehensive suite of writing tools is a must-have for wordsmiths of every ilk. Watch the demo and see for yourself. And we hope to see you back here April 2nd to find out what all things writerly are in store for Newport Beach.