News And Announcements

Such a great weekend. From Wes, Chrissie and myself to all the staff, volunteers–and especially the conferees–thank you for making SD31 such a memorable affair. First-timers abounded this time around. And the severe storm predicted to last all weekend—50-mile-an-hour sustained winds on the coast, inches of rain, frigid hellfire on earth and East Coast literary agents sopping mad—proved a dud because the attending writers shone so brightly as to burn the clouds away. While the sky got gloomy Friday evening, by Saturday we were once again fully abloom in San Diego winter. What waters fell only cleansed and rejuvenated an indomitable spirit shared between all.

To say the least, it was an excellent conference rife with exceptional writers.

Now on to the awards, for the first time featuring a triple-winner…

SCWC*31 Award Recipients

OUTSTANDING FICTION
The Man Who Couldn’t Sleep
By Christopher Garrett of Chandler, AZ

OUTSTANDING FICTION
The Angel’s Share
By Christopher Garrett of Chandler, AZ

Each SCWC, of course, we hold 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 topic announced Friday night. The topic for SD31 was “Mirror.” Here’s the winning entry…

OUTSTANDING TOPIC STORY
Rear View
by
Christopher Garrett
of Chandler, AZ

“You know I can’t stand country music,” Samantha said. “Turn on NPR.”

Greg jabbed the button to avoid another argument. The voice of Terry Gross filled the car.

When he first met Samantha, Greg would have agreed to listen to Terry Gross all day long, simply for the sake of the great sex. He and Samantha disagreed on everything, except what happened between the sheets.

“You always keep it so cold,” Samantha said. “Turn up the temperature.”

But lust faded. Now their differences seemed to follow them everywhere, filling the back seat. Terry Gross sat behind him now, nodding as she listened to her own interview.

Greg preferred Willie Nelson to NPR.

Terry Gross scooted over for Willie. A slight smell of pot emanated from the back seat.

Or food. Samantha adored Thai food. Greg couldn’t stand it. Terry Gross bit down on a spring roll, peanut sauce dripping down her chin.

And politics? Don’t even start. Greg saw Willie Nelson surreptitiously elbow Trump for crowding him.

When had their differences become such intrusive baggage? Greg had hoped this weekend could be different.

“You know,” Samantha said. “Most of the books Terry recommends just aren’t very good. They’re about such small things.”

Greg looked at her. “That’s what I always say.”

“And I guess it is a little hot,” she said. She lowered the temperature. He had forgotten how Samantha’s hair shone in the sunlight. She smiled at him. “What?”

Terry Gross looked worried. “Umm…” she said. “How about a little heat back here?”

###

So there you go. For the first time in 49 SCWCs, one writer claims three awards in one event. And the rhino you’re looking at? Longtime conferee Marla Sink Druzgal had it specially made for the conference during her time in South Africa. There are only two in the entire world, and in addition to receiving a ceremonial hug for his win, Chris was bestowed one of them. Congratulations to all the… winner!

We’ll return to our longtime San Diego home at Crowne Plaza Hanalei for our 32^nd annual. Dates will be Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 16-18, 2018. Limited to 175 writers, discounted pre-registration opens July 1. In the meanwhile, next up is our Fall conference, which takes place September in Irvine, CA. Full details here.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Best-selling author of A Star for Mrs. Blake (Random House), an acclaimed novel chronicling the pilgrimage of five Gold Star Mothers who travel to France in 1931 to visit the graves of their sons, fallen in World War I, April Smith joins us in February with her latest. Publishers Weekly declares Home Sweet Home (Knopf), her latest, [A] terrific new novel … [Smith] illuminates the force of McCarthyism-generated fear in the Midwest and effectively personalizes it through the persecution the Kusak family endures for their liberal beliefs.” April is also the scribe behind five wildly popular contemporary thrillers starring FBI Special Agent Ana Grey. She’ll be our Saturday evening Special Guest Speaker.

For writers who are genuinely serious about elevating the quality of their work and distinguishing themselves from the crowd, who are committed to breaking the cycle of rejection–from agents, from editors, from readers–we’re crafting another singular event specifically for you. With only a handful of slots yet to be announced, the bulk of SD31’s sessions are now posted. Check out the Workshops and Events page to see where we’re at currently. The working schedule for our Presidents’ Day Weekend event will start being updated shortly.

Good “Muse” Abounds

Congratulations are in order for author Janis Thomas, co-workshop leader of our 5-part Novel Intensive. Just in time for the holidays, she signed a 2-book deal with Lake Union, the women’s fiction imprint of Amazon Publishing. The first title, What Remains, will be out November, 2017. A stark departure from the more lighthearted novels Janis is generally known for, I’ve read it. Mark your calendar. It’ll be well worth the wait.

Other SCWCers with titles recently out or soon to be released: From Douglas Bornemann, the follow-up to his fanciful The Demon of Histlewick Downs, Practical Phrendonics (The Dreamweaver Chronicles Book 2), is now available … A new Levi Hart Thriller from Richard Craig Anderson, Follow Apollo, is out from Hellgate Press … And from Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, Harlequin Nocturne is releasing her novella Wolf Bait in January, followed by Moon Marked in February, then Vampire Lover in March. Another full novel, Angel Unleashed, will drop come April. Congrats to all and to all, cheers to a healthful, bountiful New Year!

Deadlines for discounted conference pre-registration and hotel lodging are fast approaching. Also, Advance Submission Readers will likely start filling up in the next week or so. Be the writer you aspire to be and join us at the SCWC.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Matt Coyle is author of the hardboiled Rick Cahill Crime Thriller series, the first of which, Yesterday’s Echo, earned an Anthony Award, San Diego Book Award for Best Published Mystery and the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Silver Award. Library Journal called his sophomore effort, Night Tremors, “[A] clever blending of crime noir tropes with today’s culture.” When starting out, the SCWC was the very first writers’ conference Matt attended. Now he returns, like so many before him, as a Special Guest Speaker with his latest release, Dark Fissures. New York Times best-selling author C. J. Box (Joe Pickett novels) calls it, “An outstanding read!” We couldn’t agree more, and look forward to hearing all about his writer’s journey. Welcome back, Matt!

Post-Publication Perils

The execution of exceptional craft remains the thrust of any SCWC event. It will again in February. But beyond striving to become the best writer one can, we’d be remiss to neglect what many really want to know once they’ve published a book worthy of being read: how to reach an audience that will actually buy, read and review their books.

Yes, stories matter. And as I addressed in this SCWC blog post, good stories, great stories, matter even more. But if people don’t know such books exist, what’s the point? Good writers deserve good money for their work.

That we now live in an increasingly universal “gig” economy is nothing new for most writers. Writers have always been paid to play. Writing on spec? If it’s good enough for somebody to cut a check, you play. Under contract to deliver on something not yet written? Do so and you get paid. That’s the gig. Welcome to Writer Reality.

But even if you decide to go it alone, doing absolutely everything correctly — written a great book, had it professionally edited, invested in a terrific cover, landed laudatory blurbs from respected names and crafted compelling back jacket copy – when it still ain’t selling it’s frustrating. And simply spamming your book’s availability to writer’s groups on Facebook doesn’t much help. After all, if you don’t participate in the community of writers by joining the conversation, why would you expect any to spend money supporting you as a reader?

Marketing for most is tough; easier to do for a friend than one’s self, many would agree. So we’re going to hit the topic a bit harder than usual come February, exploring the proven strategies, tactics, tools and alternative publishing modalities available to authors today in service of selling more books. Be sure to check the Staff page to see who’s already confirmed.

Next update will include the bulk of workshops confirmed for SD31. That should be mid-December. Subscribe to SCWC .COMmunity news updates for periodic email updates. Join our Facebook community for more support and information. And be sure to gift yourself this holiday season with discounted pre-registration so you can join us for our Winter conference. Your words are worth it.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

So often it is we judge literary success only by the quality of our rejection – Hey, they spelled my name right on the rejection letter! – that it’s easy to lose faith in one’s path to publication. In and of itself, even publication won’t guarantee less rejection from book critics and book buyers, family and friends, whether traditionally published or not. Rejection is just part of the process of being a writer. Yet despite facing an industry awash in rejection, an industry in which incalculable competition already exists and grows exponentially each year, emerging writers glom onto hope. Truly, emerging writers remain the world’s most insufferable optimists. Why? Because stories matter.

Good stories matter even more. Good stories grant readers permission to escape. They allow readers to forget; or force them to remember. Good stories entertain us, or educate us, embolden us or make us think, even dare fill us with wonder, sometimes all at once. Because above all else, good stories make us feel. Something. Everything.

As a writer, and more importantly as a reader, I need desperately to feel. I demand it. We’re all suckers for a good story.

But a good story well told is more than words strewn shrewdly across a page; more than clean structure and dialogue that pops; vivid scenes and imaginative sequences; breathless action and rich, compelling characters. A good story – scratch that – a good author of an exceptional story recognizes the reader’s needs, embraces them and delivers. A good author crafts an exceptional story that makes us care.

Here in the thick of November, with so many SCWCers and over 40,000 other NaNoWriMo writers immersed in the challenge of committing 50,000 words to a rough draft, in a month, one can lose sight of the why, let alone how to, write a good story. Which is where the SCWC has historically fit in.

Once words are laid naked on the pages of that initial draft, now the real work begins.

Reality Check

Whatever you’re currently writing, be it a hard-rocking adventure, killer murder mystery, YA fantasy, NA rom-com, spellbinding sci-fi, literary, memoir, historical, transformative narrative, prescriptive nonfiction or anything else, you need to know what’s working, what’s not working, and possess the tools to ready it for commercial viability.

The SCWC provides a safe, welcoming environment to do just that. The SCWC prides itself on encouraging bold voices who strive to distinguish themselves by bolstering the quality of their work.

We are about the excellence of craft and clarity of message in your efforts. Your manuscript. Your career. And honesty is our policy. It’s a subjective thing, of course, but SCWC staff can only respond to what you’ve got. What you might think you’ve got doesn’t change that. That’s what makes writing hard. That’s what makes rejection sting. That’s why honest, empirically qualified, professional feedback is so intrinsically valuable to writers.

So, in the giddy haze that often follows the end of NaNoWriMo, or the grim wake of disinterest expressed at a recent pitch to an agent or editor, or yet another inexplicable rejection notification, do know that there is a place for you to get a reality check on where your work is now; figure what’s broken or not; what needs to be fixed and how.

Publishing a book is an affirmation of purposeful being. But publishing a good book, an exceptional book, a great book, requires a community. This is the time — your time, our time — to join the chorus of singular voices offering distinct perspectives on today’s world, yesteryears’, and beyond tomorrow’s to make a difference. A contribution. A declaration. Or just to give the reader one rip-snortin’ wallop of a good story well told.

Effectively communicating the movie in your mind to some faceless stranger across a page is a noble goal well worth making the effort to achieve. One that the SCWC is most proud in serving so many to do so.

Be the best writer you can be. Inform. Inspire. Entertain.

Because stories matter.

(You can read my take on an old favorite, “A Book Worth Reading,” here.)

Good “Muse” and More

Lots to report on San Diego 31, though most of it can wait ’til the next update – including some especially great news for one of our favorite workshop leaders. What’s important now is that the Advance Submission Readers are open for selection, including literary agents Leticia Gomez (Savvy Literary), Amanda O’Connor (Trident Media Group), Eve Porinchack (Jill Corcoran Literary) and John Rudolph (Dystel, Grosset & Dunlap). Do keep in mind that several more readers will be added as we begin finalizing the remaining staff for February’s event.

Now on to some of the most recent SCWC successes…

Frederick Ramsay’s tenth book in his long running Ike Schwartz Mysteries is actually a prequel to the contemporary series. Set in 1920, Publishers Weekly calls Copper Kettle, “a genuine pleasure to read.” It’s out February from Poisoned Pen Press… The third in workshop leader Claudia Whitsitt’s award-winning “Kids Like You” series, Broken Lines, is out January, also just in time for the conference.

In her third Meg Pennington novel, Nancy Churchill weaves a tale of lies, love, money, and murder in A Deliberate Lie, out now… And majorly longtime SCWCer and good friend Simon Mayeski has a fine contribution to the newly released science fiction anthology, Chronicle Worlds: Paradisi. It’s also out now.

Congratulations and best of success to all!

That’s it for the time being. There’ll be another update before we hit December, regarding workshops and additional staff. Be sure and subscribe to the SCWC .COMmunity for periodic email updates and announcements. And definitely join us on Facebook to be privy to all sorts of valuable insight and inspiration. Our winter event is limited to 175 writers. Discounted pre-registration is now open. Your words are worth it. Be there.

Now be sure to watch the video below to understand why and how you need to take control of your writing career.

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

Our extended Presidents’ Day Weekend conference takes place February 17-20, 2017. With over five-dozen workshops–including “Rogue” read & critique sessions that often go way, way late into the early morning hours–for the writer devoted to being the best storyteller s/he can be, this one’s for you. And though we’re still nearly five months out to SD31, there’s plenty to report …

Joining the SCWC for the first time as a Special Guest Speaker, Jeff Johnson will discuss his writer’s journey. Making quite a run of it in quick order, Jeff recently delivered feature screenplays to Sternman Productions and Cineville, respectively, and has another in pre-production slated for release next year; his debut horror noir novel, Everything Under the Moon (Soft Skull Press), dropped last month, while Knottspeed: A Love Story (Turner) is out February, 2017, followed by Lucky Supreme: A Novel of Many Crimes, from Arcade Publishing, in April. Jeff will also be conducting a couple cool, new workshops.

Former SCWCer James A. Misko returns with a particularly relevant author’s journey to share as a Special Guest Speaker. In somewhat of a coup, Square One Publishers, the excellent house known for its nonfiction titles, has acquired Jim’s first four previously published novels, and will release his latest just in time for the conference. The Path of the Wind tells the story of an idealistic young teacher cast to a remote lumber mill town in Central Oregon, where an intolerant school board and jealous superintendent conspire to break his spirit and destroy his career.

As evidenced yet again at our recent LA14(Irvine) event, a lot of terrific writers come through the SCWC. The improvement and overall level of quality many of us on staff see in those who attend the conference, then go on to apply empirical feedback or lessons learned and return to the next with often superior manuscripts, is inspiring. Writers who truly aim for excellence and settle only for exceptional is what we’re about–and every agent at LA14 noticed.

Speaking of staff, as usual, friends both familiar and new will be joining us in San Diego. While we’ll start rolling out exactly which authors, agents, editors and other publishing professional are aboard starting next update, I do want to confirm that, yes, Ara Grigorian and Janis Thomas are returning to conduct their enormously popular 5-part Novel Intensive. Though it will remain open for all conferees to attend, given it’s popularity this past Irvine, we will be tracking pre-registration attendance to ensure sufficient space.

Good “Muse”

SCWCers with new releases or books soon to be: the second in Megan Haskell’s Sanyare Chronicles, Sanyare: The Heir Apparent. If you enjoy thrilling adventures across unique realms filled with wise-cracking carnivorous pixies, check it out … Indy Quillen’s debut murder mystery, Tracker: A Fox Walker Novel. Of it, author Laura Taylor lauds, “Rich characterization, brisk pacing, graceful writing, and an in-depth knowledge of Native American spirituality and survival skills hallmark this novel.”

The eighth installment in Teresa Burrell’s compelling Advocate Series, The Advocate’s Homicides, has just been released … As has the ever-prolific Bethany Lopez’s latest women’s fiction, More than Exist … Also, from David Putnam, the fourth in his bad boy Bruno Johnson thrillers, The Vanquished, will be published in February, 2017 … And Jenny D. Williams’ literary thriller, The Atlas of Forgotten Places, will make its debut next July from Thomas Dunne Books. There’s plenty more to be announced, but for now let’s also give a shout out to a couple of titles that have recently earned special recognition … 

For Shelly Malone, her nonfiction Inflamed has been chosen by SELF Magazine as one of “7 Fascinating And Illuminating Books That Will Totally Open Your Eyes About Your Health” … And, finally, Aline Ohanesian’s exquisite Ohran’s Inheritance has been named one of six fiction finalists for the prestigious Dayton Peace Prize.

Congratulations and best of success to all!

That’s it for now. Be sure and subscribe to SCWC .COMmunity news updates for periodic email updates and announcements. Discounted pre-registration is now open for San Diego 31. Our winter event is limited to 175 writers. Shouldn’t you be one of them?

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC

And we’re off! Discounted Early “Bard” Pre-registration is now open for our 31^st annual winter conference. Do so by September 1, 2016 and save a whopping $125 on Full Conference attendance. While well over six months away, plenty of trusted, familiar friends are already aboard. Regular updates, of course, will begin following our fall event in Irvine, Sept. 23-25, 2016. (Check out all the latest news on it here.) As usual, our focus will be on getting you where you want to be with your work, be it with novels, narrative or practical nonfiction, short stories, essays or other writing aimed at commercial publication.

SCWC*SD31 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. Dates are Presidents’ Day Weekend, Feb. 17-20, 2017. Lodging discounts are 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 18, 2017.

SCWC*SD31 SCHEDULE: Rest assured that plenty of craft- and business-centric sessions, read & critique workshops, one-on-one consultations and more will bloat 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*SD31 STAFF: In addition to the many familiar workshop leaders, agents, editors and other publishing professionals returning in 2017, we’ll be rolling several new folks into the fold. Check ’em out on the staff page as they’re announced, beginning in October.

If you haven’t, do subscribe to our periodic .COMmunity updates to receive all the latest. Join the well-moderated conversation on our SCWC Facebook group for all sorts of publishing news and support, SCWC exclusives, announcements, and more.

That’s all for now. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego come February, if not before. In the meanwhile, go forth, write well, aim for excellence and settle only for exceptional.

Your words are worth it!

–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC