News And Announcements

In Cherie Kephart’s new book, The Upside of Falling: Connecting to the Art and Heart of Being a Writer, she cites Chögyam Trungpa as an inspiration. The Tibetan Buddhist observed, “The bad news is you’re falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. The good news is, there’s no ground.” He also counsels, in his writings, “Don’t rush; everything is going to be okay…You don’t have to do a complete job, all at once.”

This is the plight of writers: Do it now, how, or ever; then where and why. What “complete job, all at once” can authors do who don’t even know what they don’t know to sustain commercially viable publication? Conflating urgency with importance is often the problem. We’ll address solutions, as usual, in San Diego.

First Up

Dennis K. Crosby, bestselling author, popular SCWC workshop leader, conference facilitator, and all around great guy who’s been charming the churn of indie publishing well while seducing the Big Five, will be our Friday evening Special Guest Speaker in conversation with Janis Thomas. Death’s Reckoning, the thrilling conclusion of his Kassidy Simmons urban fantasy series, is out November and we’re going to learn all about it, him, and swapping genres for his next books.

Disco Inferno

Hot dudes who charge into hot zones is the genre: “When Fire Captain Danny Russell saves Natalie Sands from a rampaging wildfire in Kern County, California, the passion that flares between them threatens to burn out of control.” Rick Ochocki’s debut novel, Out of the Fire, is a hot ticket for contemporary romance fans. Longtime SCWCers will recognize Rick and others at this past weekend’s launch party in San Diego by the picture.

Novel Boot Camp

It’s back! SCWC Director Janis Thomas will once again conduct her popular Novel Boot Camp in January. Limited to only 10 participants, this immersive, 8-workshop track requires pre-registration and tends to sell out sooner than later. Get in while you still can. >>Complete details

Plenty more still to announce, so be sure to subscribe and stay apprised. Dates for our 41^st annual winter conference are MLK Weekend, January 15-17, 2027. Discounted registration is going on now. Your work is worth it. You’ve earned it. Be there!

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

For over 40 years the SCWC has guided both aspiring and accomplished authors through an ever-evolving – sometimes confoundingly so – publishing landscape. Fostering craft and community, facilitating opportunity and encouraging market acuity, after four decades of doing so one constant remains: story sells. Also, celebrity. And efficient advertising. And book reviews. And word of mouth (especially word of mouth). Or pretty much anything that draws awareness to your work.

We’ll be all over that again come January. Updates on who’s in for 2027 begin shortly. Meanwhile, what with development of the new site underway, I’ve neglected kudos to SCWCers with new books out. So let’s catch up.

Good Muse

The seventh in her Fox Walker action-suspense series, Avenge, drops Indy Quillen’s resourceful tracker in a backcountry tactical tinderbox against a hitman and rogue FBI assassins … Conor Black’s Pain Killer, the follow-up to his Nate Vigil Thrillers debut, lands the nomadic vigilante in Los Angeles, which he discovers is no City of Angels … And again set in the early days of America’s Revolutionary War, former Colonial sea captain Jonas Hawke seeks revenge and redemption in the latest mariner adventure from Thomas M. Wing, Perilous Shores.

“[H]istorical fiction braided with present-day narrative,” from Jasmin Iolani Hakes, The Pōhaku is a multi-generational saga plumbing the perseverance and resilience of the Hawaiian people … In a California-set supernatural suspense authored by Elisabetta LaPera, a century-old secret awakens in the form of a mannequin who watches. Moves. Speaks. In Ghosts of Alhambra … Further along the creep factor front, Dennis Crosby and KC Grifant have edited and are among the two dozen who contributed stories to the Dread Coast: SoCal Horror Tales anthology, proceeds of which support recovery efforts of our recent Pacific Palisades and Eaton Fires … Fatal Destiny, the fifth entry in Tameri Etherton’s paranormal romance Fatal Fae series.

For young adult and coming of age readers, Amanda LaPera’s prequel novella to her Desert of Dreams series, Sway the Wind … From Finding Forward Books, which publishes short novels for all teens about issues faced by teens in effort to improve their reading skills, increase their success in school, and develop positive attitudes, Electro Blast, by Russ Thompson.

Finally, cherished memoirist, author, editor & SCWC workshop leader Cherie Kephart’s long-awaited The Upside of Falling: Connecting to the Art and Heart of Being a Writer. This comprehensive exploration of creative self reaches beyond the grammar rules, productivity hacks and word counts, to delve deeply into your relationship with personal epiphany.

Many more coming up soon. Congrats to all!

Discounted pre-registration is now open here.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Pinch ’em by the nose (with a pitch or query letter that demands attention) and kick ’em in the ass (with riveting prose that won’t let go)! Succeed at doing both and you’re halfway there with readers. Most writers don’t. At least not on their first go-round. Some never recover. Don’t be that sad writer. Be at the SCWC where craft is where it’s at and community is key.

Dates for our 41st annual San Diego event are Martin Luther King Weekend, January 15-17, 2027. Become the writer you aspire to be and join us.

SCWC41 LOCATION: Our 41st annual event will be held, as usual, in San Diego’s Mission Valley, mere minutes from Lindbergh Field International Airport, Sea World, Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, historic Old Town and downtown’s famous Gaslamp District

SCWC*SD41 SCHEDULE: To inform, inspire, encourage and reward both emerging and accomplished writers is what the SCWC has done since 1986. We’ll do so again come January.

SCWC*SD41 STAFF: Accomplished authors, editors, agents, and other publishing professionals will be there. Subscribe to periodic .COMmunity updates to find out who, along with all other SCWC news.

Discounted pre-registration is now open here.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, author of well over 40 novels rooted in contemporary, paranormal, and urban-fantasy, returns to the SCWC with a new workshop, “The Full Story: Tackling Beginnings, Middles, and Ends That Make Your Story Shine,” tackling how to craft openings that orient and entice, middles that escalate tension and deepen character, and endings that deliver resonance and satisfaction. As our Sunday Special Guest Speaker, she’ll join Janis Thomas in conversation about transitioning from relying solely on Big Five in effort to regain control of her work and publish better independently.

SD40 Weekend Schedule

Absent the inevitable minor tweak or two, the schedule has been updated so you can start planning your writerly weekend. One heads-up: a rare opportunity in that a slot has opened up to attend bestselling author Janis Thomas’ Novel Boot Camp track. Email me if you want in. >>Details

Legacy for Life

Legacy. For an author, it refers to a lasting impact cultivated through written words, relationships, and professional choices. It encompasses the stories left behind and what values and themes recur in your work. Not limited to fame or sales, legacy invites a long view of a path asking not just “What do I publish now?” but “What do I want my writing life to stand for over time?”

Determination and one passionate advocate is often what it takes to be the writer you aspire to be. The 40th annual SCWC*San Diego provides an opportunity to find The One.

Your work is worth it. Your legacy demands it. Join us for an incomparable in-person adventure and start the New Year, Write!

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

As writers, how do we get from here to that place we want to share with strangers across the page? Online events offer convenience, but they can’t match the impact of in-person interaction and support with like-minded souls devoted to doing so like the SCWC. So let’s get to it …

For SD40, New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, and editor of Weird Tales Magazine, Jonathan Maberry will be joining us for the first time. Sage storyteller that he is, he’s got a lot of insight on how to navigate the myriad aspects of today’s expanding transmedia marketplace, and we’re happy to welcome him aboard to share it.

Also a first-timer, historical thriller novelist and journalist Paddy Kirsch will address his effort to make complex subjects accessible. He’s worked with NPR’s The Indicator from Planet Money, Marketplace, and the BBC, earning honors including an Edward R. Murrow Award and a Knight Fellowship at Stanford. Maybe sounds staid, but he definitely is not. He’s a storyteller!

On the workshop leader front, many regulars return, along with some new folk we’ll be introducing. Will start announcing what authors, agents, editors and other publishing professionals shortly.

Discounted registration is open. Don’t get lost in the crowd or muted behind a screen. Be seen. Be heard. Get read. Join us.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

No foolin’… After a five-year absence and major renovation, the SCWC will return to our home of nearly two decades for our 40^th anniversary, the Crowne Plaza San Diego. While the Tiki motif is gone, in its place is a fresh environment that will further foster lasting personal connections.

One other big thing: we’re moving the San Diego event back to January. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend is when we held our winter event for the first 10 or so years, so it seems fitting that we get back to where we once belonged!

Regular updates will begin soon. In the meantime, here’s all you need to know now:

THE WEBSITE: WritersConference.com is currently wrestling back end code gremlins, most notably with the dates listed below the top banner and copy in the footer. Am working to debug.

SCWC40 LOCATION: Our 40^th anniversary event will be held at the Crowne Plaza San Diego, our home of 17 years prior to the pandemic. Newly remodeled and upgraded, its centrally situated mere minutes away from Lindbergh Field International Airport, Sea World, Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, historic Old Town and downtown’s famous Gaslamp District. Address: 2270 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108.

SCWC*SD40 SCHEDULE: To inform, inspire, encourage and reward both emerging and accomplished writers is what the SCWC has striven to do since 1986. Rest assured we will continue to do so in January. (And, yes, Janis Thomas’ Novel Boot Camp is slated.)

SCWC*SD40 STAFF: As usual, accomplished authors, editors, agents, and other publishing professionals will be there. Be sure to subscribe to our periodic .COMmunity updates to find out who, along with all other SCWC news.

Dates for our 40^th anniversary event are January 16-18, 2026. Discounted pre-registration is now open. If you’ve harnessed a dream of quality publication, be the writer you aspire to be and join us.

And for all planning to attend our inaugural conference in Central Oregon, October 17-19, 2025, details are here.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC