News And Announcements

“[A] remarkably fresh, intense thriller, and Lily Wong is one hell of a new hero,” enthuses New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison (Tear Me Apart) of Tori Eldridge’s The Ninja Daughter (Agora Books). Murder, She Wrote Series author Jon Land calls it “a riveting, rollicking, roller-coaster ride … Eldridge’s stunningly ambitious debut juggles sub-plots as deftly as it does cultures. As beautifully realized as it is emotionally wrought, The Ninja Daughter is both striking in its originality and shattering in its ultimate impact.” Available for pre-order now, the book drops in November and Tori herself will join us in February as a Special Guest Speaker to discuss how it came to be.

Pre-registration Open

Discounted Early “Bard” Pre-registration is now open. Do so by September 15, 2019 and save a whopping $150 on Full Conference attendance. Regular updates will begin following our Irvine event, September 20-22, 2019. (Check out all the latest on it here.) In the meanwhile, here’s what you need to know now…

SCWC*SD34 LOCATION: The conference will again be held at the Crowne Plaza Hanalei resort, located mere moments away from Lindbergh Field International Airport, Sea World, Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, historic Old Town, downtown and its famous Gaslamp District, along with beaches galore. Discounted lodging is available to SCWC conferees. Phone 800-972-2802 to book your reservation, or click here to do so online. Deadline for discounted hotel registration is January 13, 2020.

SCWC*SD34 SCHEDULE: Rest assured that plenty of craft- and business-centric sessions, read & critique workshops, one-on-one consultations and more will fill out the weekend. Though we’ll not start plugging things in until later, you can get an idea of the overall shape of the conference on the Schedule page.

SCWC*SD34 STAFF: Along with the many authors, editors and other professionals joining us, agents from Bookends, Liza Dawson, Sandra Dijkstra, and TriadaUS literary agencies have been confirmed with more to be announced. Check ’em out on the staff page beginning in October.

Be sure to subscribe to our periodic .COMmunity updates to receive all the latest news in a timely fashion. And engage with our greater writing community by joining the well-moderated conversation in our Facebook Group.

Until next time, aim for excellence and settle only for exceptional.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

What an exceptional gathering our 33rd annual San Diego conference turned out to be. The rain abated, wind blew down, sky lit up, and the writers—as they inevitably will when given a chance—the writers shined. And while each Special Guest Speaker spoke truthfully about their individual journey, sharing quality insight on the publishing business we are navigating today, Joe Ide, perhaps more than any other, reminded us all on Saturday evening of the most important thing that sometimes gets lost in the din; he reminded us of recapturing the joy of writing.

Our workshop leaders, of course, were their usual notable, generous selves. They are the spine of the SCWC, providing the essential tools, information and feedback to those conferees who entrust us with their work, distinguishing us from all the curious babble so many events distract and disappoint with. Special shout out to the Rogue Read & Critiquers. Once again, Melanie Hooks and Laura Perkins vivaciously shouldered the heavy load, leading their scribes into the naughty wee hours. I believe that picture there to the left was taken at 3:34 a.m. one morning. Could’ve been any morning, since that’s about the time they tend to mass-selfie. Kids today. Braggarts. Thank you for your efforts, all!

Awarded a few more than usual in San Diego. Totally warranted:

SCWC*SD33 Award Recipients

OUTSTANDING PROGRESS
David Reed of San Diego, CA

OUTSTANDING VOICE
David Hwa of Dillon, CO

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Cozy Mystery)
Murder Most Foul
By Wanda McLaughlin of Vista, CA

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Horror/Supernatural)
The Hurt Book
By Greg Mollin of Huntington Beach, CA

OUTSTANDING FICTION (Historical Fiction)
The Other Round Table
By Randolph Quiroz of Colton, CA

Each SCWC we also hold a contest in which all conferees 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 topic announced Friday night. The topic for SD33 was “Suck Less,” or alternatively “Suckless.” Here’s the winning entry…

OUTSTANDING TOPIC
Suck Less
By John Mullen of Poway, CA

An old gray bronc might buck less

His barnyard stall might be muckless

A DUI’d teamster might be truckless

A benevolent employer, struck less

A hoarse hen might be cluckless

A frozen pond duckless

A dead-broke gambler might be luckless

An exhausted hooker might F*ck less

And GMO corn might be shuckless

But for certain, SCWC alumni will suck less

Congratulations, everybody.

Dates for our 34th annual San Diego conference will be Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 14-16, 2020. Limited to 175 writers, discounted pre-registration opens August 1. Between now and then, be sure to join us for our 17th annual fall event in Irvine. Dates are September 20-22, 2019. Discounted pre-registration opens March 1st. Limited to 150 writers, full details can be found here.

And remember that our Facebook Group  is a great place to continue the conversation, luxuriate in and celebrate fellow SCWCer successes, and all around keep fully up to speed on what’s up in today’s publishing world, as well as seek needed support on how to cope with it. Till next time… Be your best. Write even better.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

Between First Reads, Kindle Unlimited, e-book subscription services, and all the many other exclusive tools at its disposal, it is estimated that Amazon.com reaches 10 million or more readers with any given book’s release. Instantly. “The Seattle-based giant houses 15 imprints in the U.S. under the Amazon Publishing banner, turning out everything from thrillers to romance novels to books translated from other languages … [publishing] 1,231 titles in the U.S. in 2017, up from 373 in 2009, the year it entered the $16 billion-a-year consumer book publishing business,” reports The Wall Street Journal. Featured prominently in the piece is imprint Lake Union, publisher of such blazingly hot releases as Mark Sullivan’s Beneath a Scarlett Sky, Helen Bryan’s War Brides, and Janis Thomas’ All That’s Left of Me.

Alicia Clancy is an acquisitions editor at Lake Union Publishing, shepherding book club, historical, commercial and upmarket women’s fiction, psychological suspense, family drama, and the occasional literary project, to completion. Also the author of Be My Galentine: Celebrating Badass Female Friendship (St. Martin’s Press), an illustrated humor book celebrating the more positive nature of friendship between women, Alicia will join the SCWC as our fourth Special Guest Speaker for SD33, parting the digital divide to provide a needed fresh peek at yet another new publishing reality.

The Schedule is nearly complete. As usual, minor adjustments will no doubt be made over the next few weeks. If you haven’t yet done so, now is the time to Register to ensure your shot at getting the work you’ve written the attention it deserves. There will be at least one more update before Writersweekendtime. Between now and then, be sure to reach out via email, phone or our SCWC Facebook Community with any questions.

Also, many Advance Readers, as found on the Staff page, remain open at this time and will be accepting a limited number of submissions over the next couple of weeks. Be sure to email or call me directly to ensure availability before registering for any reader(s).

By all accounts, we’re looking at yet another fantastic conference. It’s winter in San Diego. Be there or be … ware!

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

2019 is nearly upon us, which means another year of writing, rewriting, reading, rewriting, rewriting some more and, finally, hopefully–through fate, hard work, great storytelling and exceptional crafting–your book lands a passionate advocate, finds a good home, gets published and reaches an ever expanding readership. As always, your words, your stories, and your publishing options will remain our focus in February. So many new workshops are being introduced, drawing from issues many of us are finding rife in manuscripts as of late. Also, we’re paying a lot of attention to publishing trends that have emerged over the past year, and the dilemma so many writers are now having to contend with: Traditional, small press, hybrid, vanity, or self-publishing. Which route is best for your book?

Short answer: It’s complicated. We’ll unravel it.

The working Schedule-at-Glance has been posted. There will no doubt be tweaks over the next few weeks. For details on each session, please visit the Workshops and Events page.

The advance submission deadline is January 15, 2019. Am sure a few of the readers–especially agents and editors–will begin selling out before then. Visit All About Advance Submissions to learn more.

The deadline for discounted lodging at the Crowne Plaza Hanalei San Diego, the longtime home of the conference, is January 15, 2019. Details here.

The 2-part “Best Foot Forward: Polishing to Impress” workshop, conducted by editor Jean Jenkins, is limited to the first 12 participants that sign up. Submission of required materials is due by no later than February 1, 2019. Complete details can be found here.

“The Publisher Is In: Your Post-Conference Publishing Plan,” a one-on-one time strategizing consultation with Acorn Publishing co-founder Holly Kammier, is also limited to 12 slots, available to conferees on a first come, first served basis. Details here.

Recent Good “Muse”

What a better way to close out 2018 than with the recognition of so many book recently out from SCWCers. Among them: Roger L. Liles’ The Berlin Tunnel, a Cold War thriller … Eugene (E.A.) Fornier’s novel Still Breathing, the aspirational story of two women whose cultures collide in Uganda … Maiden: Book One of Teresa A. Harrison’s young adult fantasy Lightwalker Series.

Death Opens a Window, Mikel J. Wilson’s second installment in the Mourning Dove Mysteries, and follow-up to his nationally bestselling Murder on the Lake of Fire … David Kennedy’s action thriller Ricochet, which introduces readers to Brenda Roseberry, kick-ass dispenser of her own particularly potent brand of justice … Matthew J. Pallamary’s latest, AfterLife: The Adventures of a Lost Soul, a supernatural occult thriller “inspired by real life events, William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist, and the dynamics of demonic possession.”

Brain Stages: How to Raise Smart, Confident Kids and Have Fun Doing It, by Patricia Wilkinson and Jacqueline Frischknecht, grade-by-grade guide through the formative elementary school years for parents and caregivers … Poetry of Peace, by A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing author Cherie Kephart (who’ll be conducting “Soul Therapy: The Spiritual Side of Writing Memoir” and a read & critique workshop devoted to memoir and narrative nonfiction).

Coming out January, we’ve got Lori Oliver-Tierney’s Trudge: A Midlife Crisis on the John Muir Trail, chronicling her struggle to overcome overwhelming obstacles to achieve the extraordinary … Robin D. Kardon’s novel Flygirl, an action adventure that’s heavily informed by her career as a corporate and airline pilot.

Out February: The Winner’s Circle, a novel by PJ Colando, follows a trio of gal pals mired in middle age, Middle America, and other people’s problems, who long to escape, and get the chance … And Mary Vensel White’s long awaited follow-up to The Qualities of Wood, Bellflower is “a novel-in-moments.” Mary will also be conducting a couple of new workshops at SD33.

Congrulations, and best of success to all!

Until next time. Discounted pre-registration remains open. Do so by January 1st and save $75 off Full Conference attendance. Your work is worth it. You’ve earned it. Join us.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

“The hip-hop generation’s answer to Sherlock Holmes returns fast and furious in the third installment of [his] celebrated series … And Isaiah Quintabe remains an engaging, fascinating protagonist,” raves Kirkus about Joe Ide’s Wrecked. The breakout sensation that introduced us to this powerful new voice (and his mesmerizing characters), IQ. won the Anthony, Macavity, and Shamus awards for Best Debut Novel, and was hailed New York Times Critics’ Best of the Year. Its follow up, Righteous, was also declared One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, Washington Post, BookRiot, Suspense Magazine, Amazon, South Florida Sun Sentinel, and LitHub. It’s been a rollicksome ride, and the man himself will tell us all about it as we welcome aboard our third Special Guest Speaker, Joe Ide.

While we know that there is no single right way to write a great book–only an infinite number of wrong ways–the same holds true for publishing a great book. Today, more than ever before. In addition to our Path to Publication sessions, come February we’re introducing a unique opportunity for writers to spend 15 minutes of one-on-one time strategizing with industry expert, Holly Kammier, co-owner of the highly respected hybrid publishing imprint, Acorn Publishing, on which path is specifically viable for them. “The Publisher Is In: Your Post-Conference Publishing Plan” will be available to conferees on a first come, first served basis. Details here.

As usual, Jean Jenkins’ 2-part “Best Foot Forward: Polishing to Impress” workshop will be limited to the first 12 participants that sign up. Submission of required materials is due by no later than February 1, 2019. Complete details can be found here.

Visit the Workshop and Events page to find out where we’re currently at for February’s line-up.

Discounted pre-registration is now open. Do so by November 1st and knock $125 off of Full Conference participation. Your words are worth it. You’ve earned it. Join us. And if you missed her at our recent Irvine event, here’s author Sara Gran explaining why writers are such special people.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS

Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera, VIDA Review, the Offing, and elsewhere. Now a new memoir, First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story (Prometheus Books), dedicated to the themes of love and sexuality as experienced by an Muslim-American, is out. Faith Adiele, author of The Nigerian Nordic Girl’s Guide to Lady Problems, calls it, “An honest, often amusing, account of one young woman’s quest to balance the traditional Muslim values she acquired from her Iraqi immigrant parents with the romantic fantasies she acquired from American media. Her story is both unique in that the devout, overachieving narrator is not the rebellious first-generation daughter we’ve come to expect from immigrant narratives, and universal in its instructive journey from youthful hubris and naïveté to learning how to make a marriage work.” Jasmin Darznik (The Good Daughter) calls it simply, “A wonderful book.” Huda Al-Marashi joins us for the first time as a Special Guest Speaker, and we’re delighted to welcome her aboard!

Among the other additions to our SD33 staff already confirmed, Demetra Brodsky, Nikki Katz, and Gwendolyn Womack–all past Special Guest Speakers–will be returning with some nifty new workshops. Gwen has a new book out spring, 2019 called The Time Collector. The novel follows two psychometrists—“people who can sense the history of any object they touch.” Cool.

Recent Good “Muse”

Lots of SCWCers with new titles now out or dropping shortly. Before we get to that, let’s luxuriate for a moment in this particularly bright item: Deadline Hollywood reports that the “The Jim Henson Company has acquired the rights to Stacey O’Brien’s bestselling memoir Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl, with Dolphin Tale co-writer Karen Janszen attached to pen the adaptation.” Stacey’s story became a beloved, international sensation after being discovered at our LA5 or LA6 conference. It will likely play out as the major theme of SD33: quality storytelling, determination, perseverance, and tenacity matters.

A fine western by Michael Dukes, The Avenging Angels, is now out … Also, A.K. Patch’s Journey From Delphi, the third volume in his Apollo Series … Gene Desrochers’ Dark Paradise, a Caribbean noir murder mystery … And Greta Boris’ Sanctity of Sloth.

Also out, Grim, by workshop leader Laura Perkins (writing as Mercy Hollow), and Andrew Peterson’s Hired to Kill, the seventh book in his Nathan McBride series, discovered way back at one of our Palm Springs editions of the SCWC.

Coming up fast: Webs of Perception, international award-winning author Darlene Quinn’s thrilling conclusion to her epic family saga, drops November, as does Christa Yelich-Koth’s Coiled Vengeance: An Eomix Galaxy Novel … And Matt Coyle’s fifth Rick Cahill mystery, Wrong Light, is out December. Best of success to all!

Your Voice. Your Story. Tell It. Sell It.

Housekeeping

We’re going to open up Advance Submission Reader selection earlier than usual, November 1st. If you’ve already registered for our winter event and chose “To Be Determined,” be sure to email Chrissie or Michael with your reader choice(s). It’s exceedingly important that you get up to speed on what to do, what not to do, what to expect, and more by reviewing the following link:

• All About Advance Submissions

 
Most important thing to remember? Do NOT submit multiple drafts of your manuscript pages. Submit the draft that’s ready to go, and only that draft. You have until the January 12 deadline to submit pages. Makes no difference to us if you submit them earlier than the deadline. If you’ve already selected your reader(s), you’re good to go. However, if you submit pages, then at a later date submit an updated version of those pages, your re-submission will be rejected. Be professional. Be smart. Be patient, and take the time to get it right the very first time.

That’s about it for now. Discounted pre-registration is now open. Do so by November 1st and save, save, save. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list for vital updates, because there’s plenty more to come. And in case you missed him at our recent Irvine event, here’s an excerpt from Henry Lien’s Saturday morning talk, where he dissects his approach to author appearances (the next Peasprout Chen book is out January).

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS