News And Announcements

Our return to Irvine was more than worth it. Great weather. Great hotel. Great staff. And, most important, exceptionally great writers. So much so that we even introduced a new award just to lend proper recognition of the talent in our midst. A couple other new things debuted at LA13. Despite the latest “Rogue” workshop going until 3:30 in the morning, freelance editor Jennifer Silva Redmond threatened to kick off a read & critique session beginning at 6 a.m. for anybody who might wish to participate. Sure enough, participate they did (that’s them in the photo), so maybe we’ll make it a regular part of future schedules. Also, we unveiled the following:

SCWC Principles of Publication

1. Respect the reader
2. Aim for excellence
3. Settle only for exceptional
4. Don’t denigrate other writers for failing to meet your standards
5. Celebrate your success at each step of the journey
6. Don’t bitch about how hard writing is
7. Self-publishing is a viable option to be respected, when done responsibly
8. Don’t suck

 
Back to the awards. When the caliber of quality storytelling is as high as what we got coming through the LA13 advance submission readers (many of the agents did well this time around), the read & critique and other craft/execution workshops, it becomes a rather tortuous joy debating which manuscript pages are to be singled out for official recognition, knowing so many are deserving. But awards are awards, and only a handful can be given. Here they are…

The SCWC*LA 13 Award Recipients

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Commercial Fiction)
Medium of Exchange
By Elizabeth Harris-Moritz of Palm Desert, CA

OUTSTANDING NONFICTION (Memoir)
Going Native: Letters from Micronesia
By Bridget Dole of Long Beach, CA

OUTSTANDING TOPIC STORY
Bear
By Elisabetta Panzica of Mission Viejo, CA

OUTSTANDING IMPROVEMENT
Linda Rhoades of Redlands, CA

OUTSTANDING PROMPT EXECUTION
Gregory Kompes of Las Vegas, NV

Congratulations, all! We’ll be back in Irvine next September. Thanks to our special guest speakers, Stephanie Diaz, Stephanie Kegan, Ara Grigorian, Neal Griffin, and Aline Ohanesian. Yet another big shout out to all our workshop leaders, advance submission readers and front desk staff. And to all the conferees, some who traveled from as far away as New Zealand, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Italy, Canada and Palm Springs(!)—thank you for placing your trust in the SCWC and continuing to be its life blood.

Finally, as many of you know, the SCWC community Facebook wall vanished last Friday, just as the conference was kicking in. Over 1400 members now need to re-join our new one, where there’s always vital writing resources and vibrant conversation. Please do so today and share the word with the writers in your extended community so we can get back to where we once belonged.

We’ll return to Irvine next September. In the meantime, discounted pre-registration for our 30^th annual San Diego conference, taking Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 12-15, 2016, is now open. Register now, if only to keep somebody else from doing so!

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Fresh off the just-announced news of his winning the Gold in Sports Fiction at the 2015 Readers Favorite International Book Awards for his breakout success Game of Love (Curiosity Quills Press), Ara Grigorian rounds out our LA13 Special Guest Speaker slate. It’s been one helluva journey for Ara and his debut novel, and a bit of a whirlwind since its release this past May. An award well deserved, he’ll tell us all about the agonizing slog to publication, and the heady reception his book has received since it long-awaited publication. In addition to speaker duties, Ara will be conducting two workshops in our StoryCore track, “Finding the Beats of Your Story” and “Romance, Bromance and Beyond.”

Three other SCWCers on staff for our Irvine conference were also honored by the 2015 RFIRA. Kathy Porter Earth’s Ultimate Conflict scored Gold in Science Fiction. Darlene Quinn’s fourth installment of her popular Web series, Conflicting Webs, took the Silver in General Fiction. And in the Children’s/Fable, Sheri Fink’s enchanting The Little Seahorse landed a Bronze. Good job, everybody. Congratulations!

Less Than a Month Out

While the deadline has passed for optionally submitting material to Advance Submission Readers, a few have caught up on their workload and will remain open until September 15. If interested, be sure to contact the conference first to check a specific Reader’s availability. Those who are sold out are noted under their respective bio on the staff page.

We’re starting to fill up, but there’s still room to register for Irvine. Discounted pre-registration remains open at this time. We have a wonderful line-up of authors, agents and editors, a terrific schedule that’s nearly complete, and the usual surprises in store. Your work is worth it, so don’t miss out.

More Good “Muse”

On the good “muse” front, two more SCWCers with books due out soon. The jacket for Seamus Beirne’s debut novel, the historical adventure Breakout from Sugar Island, has been revealed by Fireship Press. We’re awaiting the publisher’s announcement of a release date and expect to have it soon. On the literary fiction side, Jill G. Hall’s The Black Velvet Coat tells the alternating stories of two women separated by decades, yet bound by a vintage coat and brass key found in its pocket. The novel will be published October 6 from She Writes Press.

That’s it for now. Be sure to join our .COMmunity by subscribing to periodic updates (under the navigation bar on the right) and never miss an important announcement. Those planning ahead for our 30^th annual San Diego conference, taking Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 12-15, 2016, register before October 1 and save a whopping $100 off Full Conference.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Joining SCWC for the first time, Stephanie Kegan, author of Golden State (Simon & Schuster), will be our Friday evening Special Guest Speaker. Named a Top Ten Must by Entertainment Weekly and declared “Riveting” by Kirkus, Stephanie’s haunting literary drama explores the extraordinary, ultimately disastrous impact a brother has on his younger sister’s life with ripped-from-the headlines urgency. “[An] intense, provocative novel … will resonate with anyone who’s ever watched a loved one self-destruct,” lauds People Magazine and we couldn’t agree more. Welcome aboard, Stephanie!

Our Saturday morning Special Guest Speaker is also a first-timer for the SCWC. An extraordinary success at an impressively young age, Stephanie Diaz had her debut novel, Extraction, published last year by St. Martin’s Griffin at the ripe age of 21. “A gripping tale of loyalty, heartache, and self-discovery,” is how Kasie West (Pivot Point) described it, adding, “Diaz’s debut had me invested from page one.” Rebellion followed early 2015. Evolution, the third in the series, drops in September, just in time for the conference. We can’t wait to hear about and learn from yet another exceptionally talented writer. Welcome Stephanie, too (two?)!

Readers, Workshops, Schedule and Deadlines

Internationally best-selling children’s book author and SCWC alumni Sheri Fink returns with a needed new workshop. “Author Marketing Secrets: How to Authentically Connect with Your Readers through Social Media & Beyond” promises to go where most so-called social media “gurus” fail to tread because Sheri has actually done it. By herself … Another author/SCWCer returning with a new workshop, Jeremy Lee James will be contributing “Infusing Your Prose With Confidence, Style, & Voice” to StoryCore. Darlene Quinn will fill out the track with an absolutely essential workshop every novelist and narrative nonfictionalist on the fence should consider: “In the Beginning: Who, What and Why of Story.”

Deadlines are coming up quick. Most notably, admission to the “Best Foot Forward: Polishing to Impress” workshops, conducted by Jean Jenkins, requires not only advance sign-up, but submission of material prior to conference weekend. Limited to only 12 participants, those wanting to get in need to do so before Sept. 1. Details here.

More Advance Submission Readers have been added to the slate. Deadline for submissions to Readers is Aug. 29. As of today, all Readers remain open, but be aware that that will likely change in the next week.

We’re still crafting the remaining few workshops that will best serve the LA13 schedule, and there’ll likely be more additions to the staff. Be sure to subscribe to our updates, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Tsu to keep up to speed on all things SCWC. And, as mentioned in last month’s “latest news,” author Suzanne Redfearn is conducting a workshop geared to those writers who prefer “pantsing,” versus plotting, their novels. We just dug up the below-posted clip of NY Times best-selling author, and longtime friend of the SCWC, T. Jefferson Parker addressing that very topic. Have a watch and share the view.

Finally, discounted pre-registration is now open for our 30th annual conference in San Diego. Dates are Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 12-16, 2016. Register before October 1 and save a whopping $100 off Full Conference participation. Limited to 175 writers. Register today.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Whether found in print or online, short stories remain a popular way for writers to reach new readers. In fact, some of our most memorable stories were written in the short form. But writing a great one can be tricky. So, given all the markets currently available–many of them paying markets—we’re pleased to welcome multiple award-winning fictionalist Kristin FitzPatrick to LA13. Her debut anthology, My Pulse is an Earthquake, is out September from West Virginia University Press, and was a semi-finalist for the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction. Kristin will conduct two new workshops, “Making Every Line Count: Dialogue in Short Stories” and “Writing Razor Sharp Description in Short Stories.”

Author Suzanne Redfearn, whose outstanding suburban thriller, Hush Little Baby, came out last year, returns to the SCWC with a needed workshop. Geared specifically to those among us who eschew plotting story in advance of sitting down to write it, through hands-on exercises “Pantsers: Keep the Creative Flowing” will inform how to allow story to develop organically, dictated by its natural flow, creating unexpected surprises and tension. Suzanne’s No Ordinary Life is out February from Grand Central and we’re looking forward to the read.

Of course, many more workshops have been added since last update. You can check them out on our newly expanded Workshops & Events page. The preliminary schedule is now posted. It is the working schedule, and will continue to evolve as we plug in the remaining sessions and adjust time slots.

More Good “Muse”

SCWCers with new books include Charisse Tyson. Born Again in a Biker Bar chronicles her spiritual odyssey from controlling co-dependent with an alcoholic husband to a sound marriage and miraculous salvation … Girlgoyle, by Evan Ramspott (writing as Better Hero Army), is out this month. The first book in his Hollow Mountain Butterfly series, it tells the tale of Tiffany Noboru, who awakens from her death only to discover she’s been drafted into the Gargoyle Ghost Hunter Corps … And come September, Solange Ritchie’s debut thriller, The Burning Man, sets FBI forensic pathologist Catherine (“Cat”) Powers on the hunt for an Orange County serial killer. Best of success to all!

Also, a hearty congratulations to Southern California Independent Booksellers Awards finalists David Putnam (The Replacements) and Don Winslow (The Cartel). Both are up for the T. Jefferson Parker Mystery Award, the winner of which will be announced in October.

Still more staff and workshops to announce. Be sure to join our Facebook .COMmunity wall and Twitter feed to keep up on all things SCWC. Now let’s see what author/workshop leader Ara Grigorian has to say…

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Joining the SCWC for her first time is Samantha Bremekamp, a rising star of New York’s Marisa Corvisiero Literary. Very much a hands-on agent, expanding her list, she’s interested in children’s, middle grade, young adult and new adult fiction. While open to any genre within those categories, Samantha is especially keen on speculative fiction, mystery, or the quirky romance. By her own admission, although there may be a difference between a three-year-old and a 33-year-old, Samantha finds that all of life’s challenges in these age groups offer the potential for great character growth and exploration.

We speak with a lot of emerging writers in the run-up to a conference. As with this past February’s San Diego event, premature e-publication remains a common topic. Upon realization of having done so, most lament that the books they’ve elected to self-publish really weren’t ready for prime time. Even those with quality prose and a story that warrants telling, with packaging, blurbs and ad copy that all managed to be “good enough,” the lack of an extensive backlist of traditionally published titles, or significant platform, or inability to devote the necessary time, marketing savvy and money, foiled their efforts to shine brightly.

Frankly, too many writers simply don’t know what they don’t know when it comes to succeeding in the current publishing environment. And the fact so many social media “gurus,” so-called “publishing services” and panel-centric writing events, offering little more than conflicting, sometimes utterly uniformed opinions by those thrashing equally in vain at the ether, trying equally hard to validate their purposeful being and sell a few more books (or services), can quickly make choosing the right course of action overwhelming.

Craft Matters

The only thing that remains constant and certain is that craft matters, and that a good story well told stands a greater chance of being successful—whether traditionally released or indie-published. That’s why the SCWC focuses on workshops, emphasizes excellence in craft, and strives to maximize as much personal attention to the development of the individual writer’s work, his or her unique challenges, in effort to ensure s/he’s sufficiently apprized by industry professionals to determine which path to publication to choose. More so, how and when.

To that end, beyond our regular tiers of daily and late-night read & critique workshops, here’s a few of the practical sessions currently slated for LA13:

• Jean Jenkins’ “Best Foot Forward” 1 & 2
• Claudia Whitsitt’s “Creating Tension Where There is None”
• Janet Williams’ “Everything You Need to Know about Sex Scenes”
• Lane Heymont’s “Setting: Creating a Believable Sci-Fi/Fantasy World”
• Marla Miller’s “Nonfiction for Newbies: Is it a Book or Not?”
• Stacey O’Brien’s “Memoir: Structuring Your Story and the Stories Within”
• Darlene Quinn’s “Authorpreneur: Managing YOUR Publishing Business”
• Gayle Carline’s “Self-Publishing from A to Z: The Nuts and Bolts of Making Your Own Way”
• Laura Taylor’s “Indie Excellence: Glocalization and the Key to Survival”

 
On the StoryCore track, all but two of the back-to-back workshops are now dialed in:

• Jean Jenkins’ “Defining Genre: What Are You Really Writing?” and “Promises to Keep: Rewarding Your Reader”
• Ara Grigorian’s “Finding the Beats of Your Story” and “Anatomy of Romance: New Adult and Beyond”
• Janis Thomas’ “Plot vs. Character: What’s Driving Your Story?”
• Darlene Quinn’s “Voice: Whose Story is it?”

 
The remaining StoryCore workshops will be devoted to either young adult/new adult fiction or transformative narrative in fiction and non-fiction. If you have a preference, let us know. If you’re interested in something else entirely, let us know.

Recent Good “Muse”

The fourth release in author/workshop leader Claudia Whitsitt’s Samantha Stitsill series, Inherited Issues, is out June 22nd … Bestselling author Andrew Peterson, an SCWCer from way back, whose first novel came out of one of our Palm Springs events, has his latest being released from Thomas & Mercer come August. Contract to Kill furthers the exploits of master marksman Nathan McBride … Another longtime SCWCer, humorist Paul De Lancey, has a new release from HumorOutcasts on June 2^nd. Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms? tells the story of Debbie Devil, the horny, estranged wife of Satan. Or in other words, pretty much everything we expect of Paul to write.

Cool New Tool

See that big red button that says “rec” inside, over to the right of the page? If you have a camera on your computer—or phone—click it and share up to three minutes of your personal SCWC experience. We have gobs of testimonials recorded from the conferences themselves, but thought this might be fun for those seeking a more contemplative way to express their love. (Don’t worry, anything you record will first have to be approved before going live.) Take a look below for an example.

That’s all for now. Much more to announce soon. Meanwhile, lots of topics being discussed and advice being procured on our Facebook .COMmunity wall. Jump in and join the conversation. Like your work, your voice matters.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC