News And Announcements

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.

While we’re a long way off from our 8th Annual SoCal Writers’ Conference *LA(ish), just wanted everybody to know that we’re moving to a new location this time around, one that exudes the wonderful island getaway resort vibe of our San Diego event: Hyatt Regency Newport Beach. Dates are September 24-28, 2010. Updates and pre-registration will begin on the site in a few months. Meanwhile, we hope to see you at SD24.

So many terrific memories of LA7. What with such an unprecedented turnout of SCWC first-timers pumped up and rarin’ to go, it’s tough to know where to begin. For starters, how ’bout… what a crowd! What a wonderfully spirited, talented bunch of writers who chose to join us in Irvine. Genre writers, nonfictionalists, poets (Haiku, even) and screenwriters — all were there kicking it with the authors, editors, agents and other publishing professionals on staff and nary a one who didn’t bring material to bare that didn’t warrant the effort. Congratulations all.

SCWC*LA 7 Award Recipients:

OUTSTANDING FICTION
Lori Hartman Gervasi for Untitled
from Rancho Cucamonga, CA

OUTSTANDING FICTION
G.M. Lawrence for The Q Awakening
from Dallas, TX

OUTSTANDING FICTION
Alwyn Martin Pinnow for Untitled
from York, PA

OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAY
Jeff Michaels & Jill Q. Weiss for A Father’s Love
from Huntington Beach, CA

TOPIC
Paul Durant for Shoe: A Memoir (read here)
from Long Beach, CA

TOPIC
Walter Golden for Untitled (read here)
from Placentia, CA