News And Announcements

Who woulda thunk? The years “post” COVID have been tough. Trepidation regarding in-person events remains high. Wildfires are prevalent. The moon is waning. Sun setting. Cocktail prices spiking. Personal lives, aspirations, even dreams, thwarted for many.

This past weekend, however, for the first time since February of 2020, the conference felt full-on back to its most robustly intimate form. Such a fantastic coup of wordsmiths. So many important stories being told. Thank you all those who are our SCWC community.

Beyond our extraordinary workshop & volunteer staff, special shout out to guest speakers Elle Jauffret, Henry Lien and Kristi Fox. Good job across the board. Next up…

SCWC*San Diego 39 Award Recipients

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Horror)
TBA
By
Chris Garrett
Of Phoenix, AZ

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Historical)
TBA
By
John Mullen
Of Poway, CA

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Commercial)
TBA
By
Daniel Axelrod
Of San Diego, CA

OUTSTANDING NONFICTION
TBA
By
Jennifer Becker
Of San Diego, CA

Each SCWC holds a contest in which all writers are invited to participate. The rules are simple: Write a piece in any form you wish of no more than 250 words based on the one-word topic announced Friday night. The topic for SD39 was “Rain/Reign/Rein.” Here’s the winning entry . . .

OUTSTANDING TOPIC STORY
Rain of Terror
By
Diana Fulton
Of Irvine, CA

FORECAST: CLOUDY

First workshop begins. Inciting incident? What the hell is that? Do I have one? Beats? As in vegetable or music? Perhaps, I don’t know as much as I thought. Oh Lord, I have a prologue. Only 80k words for debut authors? My baby is a plump 220k. The room cools. I huddle into my sweater.

FORECAST: SHOWERS

The writer to my right has written six novels. To my left, ten novels. The speaker, over 40 novels. One novel is nothing. Speaker recommends networking. Hello? Reigning Queen of Introverts here. I don’t even like to talk to myself. Social media presence? Are you fucking kidding me?

BREAKING NEWS: SEVER WEATHER. TAKE SHELTER

Meeting with agent not what I imagined. No A+, no happy face. Excess exposition. Avoid flashbacks. I dab at my coffee stained shirt and hold back tears. At the cage match, the gong brutally silences my words. The evening speaker performs a theme song he wrote for his book.

A writer has to sing too? I’m in trouble. Should I release the reins of this writing fantasy?

FORECAST: PARTLY SUNNY. RAINBOWS

Too many drinks. Head pounding. Writing virginity gone. Maybe my characters are flat, my settings nonexistent and tell overwhelms the showing. My baby will never be the same. She will be better. I bid farewell to my new friends. I can’t wait for next to do this again.

#   #  #

Congratulations, Diana! Don’t fret. You’re gonna do just fine.

Everything Old is New Again

For the first decade we held the SCWC on Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend. Now we’re going back to where we once belonged. The 40th annual SCWC*San Diego will take place January 16-18, 2026. Adjust your clocks accordingly.

A conference devoted to the writers in the room and not just those behind a podium (or computer monitor), our winter event is limited to 175 participants. Discounted pre-registration opens June 1. Till then, write well, write more, suck less, and be the writer you aspire to be. Your words are worth it.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Rounding out the Special Guest Speakers for our 39th annual San Diego event are two writers we especially like.

Ever-prolific USA Today bestselling novelist and short story writer Kristi (K.A.) Fox joins us. Writing across genres under a variety of names, spanning young adult urban fantasy to contemporary and paranormal romance, her latest is Hidden By Fate and Masks: A Cinderella Fairy Tale Romance (as Krysta Fox). Kristi will also be conducting workshops throughout the weekend.

Henry Lien, best known for his acclaimed young adult fantasy novels Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate and Sword and Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions, and an accomplished short story writer whose works have been nominated for the Nebula Award, will discuss his latest: the nonfiction Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling. Out February from W. W. Norton & Company.

Dates for SD39 are Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 14-16, 2025. Discounted registration remains open at this time. Do so today and save!

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Step into a vibrant sanctuary where your love of storytelling is not just understood but celebrated; where your writing journey takes center stage. That’s what’s in store for you at our 39th annual San Diego event–a weekend dedicated not just to honing craft, but turbo-charging careers with the vital information needed to navigate current publishing crossroads.

The majority of workshops slated for February are now available to peruse. Among the many:

• Against All Odds: Publishing WELL from Scratch
  with Tway Huynh
• Developing Captivating Series Characters
  with Matt Coyle
• For a Few Dollars More: The Cost of Selling Yourself Short
  with Jennifer Silva Redmond & Eric Peterson
• How to Craft a Strong & Believable Villain
  with Dennis Crosby
• Late Bloomers: Publishing After 50
  with Carl Vonderau & Linda Moore
• Networking for Introverts
  with Dennis Crosby
• Plot Your Novel Using Percentages
  with Jessica Berg
• Promoting Your Book on a Shoestring Budget
  with KC Grifant
• When is ‘Done!’ Done Enough?
  with Marla Miller, Jessica Berg, Jake Lovell & Cathie Hendrick-Armstrong

.
Complete details on nearly 50 sessions can be found on the Workshops & Events page.

Dates for SD39 are Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 14-16, 2025. Discounted registration remains open. Be the writer you aspire to be and join us!

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

The first release in a three-book deal, Elle Jauffret’s Threads of Deception is out November, 2024. Chronicling the travails of criminal attorney-turned-private-chef suffering with French foreign accent syndrome Claire Fontaine, USA Today bestselling suspense author Hank Phillippi Ryan calls it,  “A charming traditional mystery with a unique French twist … this chic, cinematic, and unpredictable story, revealed in a gorgeous setting, will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can.” Annette Lyon (Just One More) lauds, “Jauffret’s use of an unusual medical condition, fascinating backstory, and vivid setting add to the intrigue and interest, but her descriptions of scrumptious food will have you planning a visit to the nearest French bakery.” Elle is the first of our Special Guest Speakers to be announced for San Diego 39, where she’ll join Janis Thomas for a roundtable discussion.

While several SD39 authors, editors and agents have been posted on the Staff page, there’s plenty more to be added. We’ll also begin rolling out what’s in store on the workshop front later this week. One thing to be aware of, the Novel Boot Camp has already sold out and is on waiting list only. If interested in possibly participating, should a slot become available, be sure to email me to be added. The list is first come, first served.

Advance Submission Reader selection will open Monday, November 4^th. If you’ve already registered for the conference and selected a reader “to be announced,” email me directly with your selections so we can get you dialed in.

As always, San Diego’s shaping up to be another sensational weekend. We’re super excited about the new hotel, which we should have run-of-the-house of. Dates for our 39^th annual winter event are Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 14-16, 2025. Discounted registration is now open.

And speaking of Special Guest Speaker roundtable discussions, here’s Janis conducting one at our most recent San Diego event, with Jennifer Silva Redmond and Judy Reeves, on the topic of revealing intimacy in memoir: How much is too much? (Visit SCWC*TV for more.)

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Sheraton Mission Valley will be the physical site for our 39th annual San Diego conference. Conveniently located along the Hotel Circle corridor, where we’ve remained ensconced for so many years (though, this time, there’s a Denny’s within walking distance!). Much like our now defunct old home, writers will have run-of-the house and a bar that actually keeps proper hours. Discounted single and double occupancy rates are available for SCWCers staying at the hotel conference weekend. Booking details available here.

Now that we know where we’ll be, it’s time to focus on what we’ll be for SD39. As always, craft is where it’s at—getting eyeballs and ear wells on your work, addressing where you’re at now, exploring techniques, tactics and strategies to elevate material to its most commercially viable potential.

Prose. Plot. Profit. Pick Two?

There are myriad reasons why writers write. Most are earnest, aspirational even, some just mercenary. Regardless one’s motives, given the number of writers electing to eschew traditional publishing avenues, we’ll be devoting time to the nuts and bolts of alternative publication paths with workshops developed since SD38. Among them, author/editor Jennifer Silva Redmond will debut “For a Few Dollars More: The Cost of Selling Yourself Short.” Another, as yet to be titled, will be a deep dive into how the fairly maverick moves one author’s book production pipeline–from concept & execution through marketing & distribution—has impressed more than a handful of accomplished, longtime SCWC staffers, both trad and indie.

As always, the schedule will be replete with many other new in-person, extended workshops devoted to where you’re at with your work now, with ample opportunities to help connect you with that one passionate advocate that can make all the difference between achieving publication success or not.

Many author & publishing professional friends, both familiar and new, will be joining us February. On the agents front, those confirmed thus far for advance submission review and consultation include: Cathie-Hendrick-Armstrong, of Marsal Lyon Literary; Jessica Berg, of Rosecliff Literary; Sheyla Krigge, of High Line Literary Collective; and the latest member of Sandra Dijkstra Literary, Jake Lovell. We anticipate opening up the bulk of advance submission readers for selection November 1.

Recent Good “Muse”

Publishers Marketplace reports that longtime SCWCer and USA Today bestselling author Bethany Lopez landed a two-book international deal. From her Mason Creek series, Perfect Summer and Perfect Hideway sold to Alice Renzi at Ruby Ink (Italy) by Amanda Wooden at SBR Media.

Based on the lives of her ancestors, Kirkus Reviews says Laura C. Rader’s Hatfield 1677 “paints a stirring picture with the subtlest of brush strokes—this is no simplistic struggle between good and evil … An engrossing novel that challenges stale narratives of colonial America.”

Years in the making, Tway Huynh’s gorgeous Lessons of Kindness presents a diverse range of more than seventy contributors from around the world who donated their true stories based upon a common wish to share how they encountered goodness in times of uncertainty and despair.

Dates for our 39^th annual winter event are Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 14-16, 2025. Discounted registration is now open. Be the writer you aspire to be and join us.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Before we start regular conference updates proper, a heads-up that bestselling author and SCWC Director Janis Thomas will once again conduct her popular Novel Boot Camp in San Diego. Limited to only 10 participants, this immersive, 8-workshop track requires pre-registration and tends to sell out sooner than later. >>Complete details

Also, please be mindful that we’re still wrangling a few gremlins in our email server. Should be resolved soon, but do subscribe for updates if you haven’t received one over the past four weeks.

So Much Good “Muse”

What with wrestling tech since February, have neglected deserved props to all the SCWCers with new books…

Mustang to Paducah, A Zany Romp Into the Sixties, by Raul Ramos Y Sanchez (America Libre), mixes a stoner road trip and multiple murders with exuberant gonzo abandon … Pat Spencer’s Golden Boxty in the Fry Pan is a coming-of-age novel that brings to life the hardships and joys of a multi-generational Irish family struggling to stay together during the Great Depression … Post and Perilous is the third in Laura E. Akers’ Davina Glenn mystery adventure series.

From prolific author Teresa Burrell, the fraught trials of attorney Sabre Brown continue with The Advocate’s Nightmare, The Advocate’s Oath and The Advocate’s Phantom. The longstanding series (now up to 16 titles) draws heavily from T’s work as a lawyer in San Diego, whose private practice specialized in domestic, criminal, and civil cases. Also a former teacher, her work in juvenile court focused on representing abused minors and juvenile delinquents.

On the brink of World War II, Katharina Berger was the most sought-after stage and film actress in Germany. George (G.J.) Berger’s To Steal a Moment’s Time, explores his struggling mother’s remarkable diaries journaled while trying to survive Nazism and find his father during the first year of his life … The Diabolical, Book 11 in David Putnam’s Bruno Johnson thriller series. Janet Evanovich calls it, “Riveting, scary, but with plenty of wit and humanity” … Patrick Holcomb’s Where the Seams Meet plumbs the emotional depths of a desperately fractured relationship between a father and his son through their one common denominator: baseball.

“Spine-tingling […] deftly highlights the injustices of the American legal system regarding child abuse and parental rights all while presenting an engrossing cult thriller,” declares Publishers Weekly of of Mary G. Thompson’s young adult thriller, The Word … Book six of Indy Quillen’s award-winning Fox Walker suspense series, Perceptions, thrusts her expert tracker hero into a murder mystery that forces him to question his legendary bushcraft skills and world view … Shady Fortunes, Douglas J. Bornemann’s fifth installment in his historical fantasy The Dreamweaver Chronicles drops August 20^th.

August 27 sees the arrival of Melanie Doctors’ debut domestic drama Sleep in Peace. Of it, our own Ara Grigorian (Fortuny Bay series) effuses, “Wit, vulnerability, family saga, and love all come together in this story of self-discovery and second chances” … And from Christina Fong, the third in her YA fantasy Nightingale Songs Trilogy, ‘Til the Last Ember of Starlight, is out October, 2025.

Congratulations and best of success to all!

Dates for our 39^th annual winter event are Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 14-16, 2025. Discounted pre-registration is now open. Register today and save.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC