Boo! We’re back. Despite considerable technical challenges (addressed below the jump), SD28 is shaping up nicely. Our latest Special Guest Speaker to announce is Laurence O’Bryan, winner of the SCWC*SD21 Outstanding Fiction Award for the manuscript that became his debut international conspiracy thriller, The Istanbul Puzzle, the first in a multi-book deal with HarperCollins UK. The Jerusalem Puzzle followed and now the third in the series, The Manhattan Puzzle, has just been released, along with a special e-book edition that includes interactive links that allow readers to further explore the story beyond its pages. Larry is traveling all the way from his home in Northern Ireland to join us again, and we’re happy to welcome him back.
What’s Up with SCWC Communication?
It’s fitting that this update falls on Halloween. What we thought would be a fairly routine move of the SCWC’s physical offices following September’s LA11 event has turned out to be pretty much a nightmare. For well over a month now we’ve been besieged by ghosts in the machine and gremlins on our wing, all as a result of the move. Picture pretty much every technical problem imaginable and we’ve been tackling it.
While we’re almost fully back online today, only email addressed directly to SCWC directors Wes Albers and Chrissie Barnett is reliable and secure. Michael’s address remains un-functional, though will likely be fixed by next week. Also next week, should all go well, our phone answering system will be properly ported and operational. If you’ve called and left any messages over the past month, there’s a very strong likelihood that we haven’t and cannot retrieve them.
The SCWC prides itself on good communication. We apologize for the breakdown and all frustration it’s causing. Please be patient.
More to Come
There’s lots more staff announcements to come, along with the opening up of the Advance Submission Readers and posting of the preliminary schedule. In the meantime, be sure to visit us on the SCWC Community Facebook page to keep up to speed and join the conversation.
