News And Announcements

Of her work legendary mystery novelist Tony Hillerman lauded, “Neat, suspenseful plots about the kind of people you worry about, written with skill.” L. C. Hayden (Harry Bronson Mystery Thrillers) calls her latest, “A must-read … A fascinating, well-written story.” Joining us for the first time, author of The Miner’s Canary, a who-done-it about a single mom haunted by a death she might have prevented, Barbara Pronin is our second Special Guest Speaker to be announced. She’ll also facilitate a new session, “Plotters, Pantsers and Approach.”

Speaking of new, we’re introducing a record number of workshops come February. From “Creating Characters that Suck / Screw Up a Lot!” and “Setting as Character” to “Using Tarot to Write Your Story & Demystify Your Process” and “Battle Plan: Everything You Need to Know Before Going Indie,” check the Workshops and Events page to see what’s in store.

Recent Good “Muse”

SCWCers with books recently out or will be soon … From George Berger, Chasing Justice, a legal thriller with split timelines … The ninth book in Matt Coyle’s Rick Cahill detective series, Doomed Legacy … A Fearsome Moonlight Black, the first in David Putnam’s new Bone Detective crime thriller series. (We detecting a theme here?)

Christina Mai Fong’s second in her Nightingale Songs children’s fantasy series, Ballads of Shadow and Light … Dior or Die, the first in a new murder mystery series by Laura Akers … From Kelley Gusich (writing as Kelly Kay Bowles) an urban fantasy, The Meld: Magic, Please.

The second in her historical fantasy Dragon Shadows trilogy, Gayle Carline’s Moon Dragon Falling … And with Book 5 in The Jilted Wives Club, Bethany Lopez’s Accidental Wife.

We’ll be opening up advance submission readers once remaining staff is finalized. In the meantime, Janis Thomas’ stand-alone “Novel Boot Camp” has a few spots open. It’s the only track that requires sign-up in advance and will sell out sooner than later. Also, discounted pre-registration remains open here.

Your work is worth it, join us!

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

In every major European invasion of the war, a force of volunteers on specialized duty that their own government projected would have a 50 percent casualty rate, led the way. Joining us for the first time, veteran journalist and New York Times bestselling author Scott McGaugh will discuss the story behind his upcoming release Brotherhood of the Flying Coffin: The Glider Pilots of World War II. His other books include the Civil War biography Surgeon in Blue, and Honor Before Glory, which takes readers on a riveting rescue mission by Japanese American soldiers and is in film development.

Mucho Good “Muse”

Have been remiss in reporting all the SCWCer books out as of late, so let’s get to it. From Barbara Pronin, The Miner’s Canary, a suspenseful thriller … Wanda McLaughlin’s romantic suspense High Desert Heat … From Gayle Carline, Blood Dragon Rising, the first in her historical fantasy Dragon Shadows trilogy.

Dana Hammer’s delicious comedic horror, The Cannibal’s Guide to Fasting …   Book four in his Physics, Lust and Greed Series, The Outlaw Gillis Kerg is Mike Murphey’s latest … Nell: Marshal of Bodie, a historical thriller, introduces readers to John Edward Mullen’s new Nell Doherty Mysteries.

Book 2 in USA Today Bestseller Bethany Lopez’s The Jilted Wives Club trilogy, Trophy Wife, explores the good, bad and ugly of dating again in your thirties and forties … Jennifer Coburn’s Cradle of the Reich is called by New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn, “The Handmaid’s Tale meets WWII” . . . and from Mikel J. Wilson, the 10th anniversary edition of his metaphysical novel Sedona: The Lost Vortex.

Reunion at Fortuny Bay, a contemporary romance, is the first book in Ara Grigorian’s Fortuny Bay Series … Writing as Mercy Hollow, Rubidium: Legions of the Claimed is first in a new dark urban fantasy series by Laura Perkins … Kathryn Atkins’ satirical take on “a gorgeous and painfully vain yet misunderstood member of heaven’s team, Deathlist.

From Indy Quillen, the fourth in her always suspenseful Fox Walker adventure series, Astray … And finally, Megan Haskell’s Aether Bound Book 1 The Rise of Lilith fantasy series.

Best of success to all!

Conference Registration Open

Fresh off our recent event in Irvine, we’ll begin rolling out the workshop staff, advance submission readers, two remaining guest speakers and more for San Diego 37 shortly. Steeply discounted pre-registration is now open here.

Until next time, remember that there is no single right way to achieve publication success – only an infinite number of wrong ways. Check out “What The SCWC Can Do For You” to discover how our community can help find yours.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

The conference kitty, Willis Wiggin Boyo, is ready and looking at you. Dates for our 37th annual winter event in San Diego are Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 17-19, 2023. Steeply discounted pre-registration is now open. Even this far out, it’s already shaping up to be another great gathering. While regular updates do not begin until October, here’s all you need to know now:

SCWC*SD37 LOCATION: We’ll be returning to our new home, the Marriott Mission Valley. 8757 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego, CA 92108. Such a great property. And the best thing? The San Diego trolley runs right by it!

SCWC*SD37 SCHEDULE: As usual, there’ll be plenty of craft- and business-centric sessions, read & critique workshops, one-on-one consultations and more that will round out our writers’ weekend.

Given the sold out success of Janis Thomas’ new immersive 6-workshop stand-alone “Novel Boot Camp” track this past February, she’ll be conducting it again at SD37. >>Details

Editor Jennifer Silva Redmond will also return with her 3-part “Constructing Compelling Nonfiction.”

Author Judy Reeves, always a conference favorite, will also debut another multi-workshop track yet to be named.

SCWC*SD37 STAFF: As always, authors, editors, agents, and other publishing professionals will be joining us. Be sure to subscribe to our periodic .COMmunity updates to find out who, along with all timely SCWC news.

Until next time, remember that there is no single right way to publication success – only an infinite number of wrong ways. The SCWC is devoted to finding your best way. You can join us in Irvine this September to discover how here.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

The view from our new home in San Diego at sunset. Pretty welcome after two wounded years away. Good job, everybody. Thank you. Take a well-earned bow. And major elbow bumps to our special guest speakers, Jeff Pollak (First Second Coming), Joe Ide (The Goodbye Coast), and Grant Farley (Bones of a Saint). Must admit that emotions ran rife through the weekend, being together again, but so, so worth it to be in the same room – in-person – with so many wonderful writers. Our new reality actually seems to … not suck as much as many predicted.

SCWC*San Diego 36 Award Recipients

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Rural Noir)
The Things That Let You
By Jason Hook of Lancaster, NH

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Urban Fantasy)
Where They Fall
By Katherine Jeffries of Valencia, CA

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Horror)
(TBA)
By Hannah Spraul of Kingsport, TN

Of course, each SCWC holds a contest in which all writers are invited to participate. The rules are simple: Write a piece in any genre you wish of no more than 250 words based on the one-word topic announced Friday night. The topic for SD36 was “Be” or “Bee.” Here’s the winning entry, written pristinely by hand and submitted to the front desk on a 6″ x 4″ scrap of paper which I was expected to read aloud, with glasses, and could not. (Eldering sucks.)

OUTSTANDING TOPIC STORY
Plight of the Bumblebee
by
Brett Linley
of Newtown, CT

Burt was very tired. He worked too hard, but never wanted to admit it. He hated the jokes. Making honey was hard enough work without all these would-be comedians. “Busy as a bee, eh Burt?” they’d say. If he had to hear it one more time, he’d sting himself.

But every day he got a little closer. A little closer to the breaking point. He went to sleep with nothing but buzzing in his head. The internal buzz of his hideous, mindless brethren. But it was them, and they were him. What he hated of them, he hated of himself. A mindless devotion to the monarch. The Collective. Mere acknowledgement of the fact didn’t set him above the rest.

But not tomorrow. Not when this despot visited the honey fields, as she often did. There she would see her busy workers. Busy, yes. And what was busyness, in such a hive? Forced labor. Oppression. Day in. Day out. Barely a second to rest one’s wings. The impoverishment of the few for the benefit of the one. Burt’s antenna twitched. “Busy as a bee,” he thought aloud, polishing his stinger. Busyness was his rage. His hatred. His drive. Busy as a bee, indeed.

And Burt was so, so busy.

Congratulations, all!

Dates for San Diego 37 are Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 17-19, 2023. Limited to 175 writers, discounted pre-registration opens August 1. Up next, our annual fall event in Irvine takes place September 16-18, 2022. Discounted pre-registration opens March 1st. Limited to 150 participants, full details can be found here.

That’s all for now. Regular updates should begin in August. Until next time…

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

In a starred review Booklist calls Bones of a Saint, “A celebration of the power of story … This ambitious debut invites serious contemplation as it examines the role of religion, a connection to The Canterbury Tales, and more … A compelling, unforgettable reading experience that is brilliantly executed.” It’s author, Grant Farley, an SCWCer himself, will be our Sunday afternoon Special Guest Speaker to discuss his years-long forging of what School Library Journal lauds as a “literary writing style [that sets] it apart from other young adult novels.” Grant will also be conducting a needed new workshop, “Crafting Voice in Young Adult Fiction.”

For those new to the SCWC who signed up for advance submissions, please note that the bulk of one-on-one appointments will take place on Saturday. When you check in to pick  up your name badge and final schedule, you will also be provided your scheduled meeting time(s).

All is looking excellent for our 36th annual San Diego event. The working schedule is posted, dinner plans have been made, and the bar will be open. Discounted registration ends soon. Your words are worth it. Be there or be … ware!

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

For the safety and general well-being of all, during the course of conference weekend, we’ll be requiring that masks be worn by conferees inside all ground floor level areas–SCWC meeting spaces, lobby, bar, restaurant–as well as inside elevators. I’m told the Marriott Mission Valley staff will also be masked.

As with our September, 2021 in-person event, additional measures we’ve taken include keeping conference attendance at half it’s pre-pandemic capacity; utilizing the largest breakout rooms available to us; removing at least the first row of 8’ roundtables from workshop leaders and keynote speakers to put as much distance between them and conferees; and keeping doors open to better ventilate rooms.

Given the halved capacity slated for San Diego, expected attendance of workshops, and  the ballroom that seats our general sessions, such as introductions, guest speakers, agents panel and banquet, all will be setup with fewer tables, distanced farther apart than in normal circumstances, as well as with fewer seats available at each, in effort to keep everyone as comfortably distanced as they wish to be.

While risk of exposure to the current COVID omicron variant contagion is expected to drop significantly going into February, the SCWC staff maintains that we’d all be better off sticking to what worked so well for us in Irvine. And we had a great Irvine conference!

All that said, the deadline for discounted pre-registration is fast approaching. Mask up for the task and join us. Your work is worth it.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS