FWA Sarasota Writers Group

Literature

2008-08-28T11:30:00.010-04:00

Literature is regardless of its size.
The format of the work could be in a poem or novel.
It is written from blood and/or tears of the author.
It allows the blind to see.
It becomes the pigment of the imagination.
They can be whimsical to serious.
Some become hindsight's present to the reader's future.
......

So many hear the rain claim its rain, but only a few look and see the rain fall to claim its raining.

James A. Geimer©28-Aug-08

Great Week For Our Group!

2008-08-28T10:33:00.009-04:00

Our Sarasota FWA Group had a roaring end of summer boost into fall and a new season. The week launched with a full-page feature story, replete with photos, crafted by John McCafferty in the Venice Gondolier Sun. This, along with some interest in the FWA website resulted in six new people attending our meeting last night.

Mike Durr who's been working on a program to encourage active participation here on our FWA blog, presented his plan last night. It was met with interest and enthusiasm, especially by the new attendees who were immediately shown a way to become active participants. Simply put, everyone is invited to write seventy-five word thoughts, ideas, stories, news items or anything they just want to say. The object being exercising the skill of using words powerfully but succinctly. We can note whether our message is to share a concept with hope of feedback or make a powerful statement. Those requesting comment will provide the fodder for discussion at the next meeting. It's a great way to offer critique, get to know one another, and also the opportunity to learn writing skills.

Your post entries should be emailed to
miked@thebusinessofthinking.biz.

You Can’t Change Course on Autopilot

2008-08-01T14:46:00.006-04:00

Su Haley recently sent me an article on thinking. The writer commented that he’s “less concerned with what [people] think than that they think.” He’s right on.

We’re all aware that we don’t have to think. Our brains run on autopilot just fine using intuition. That’s okay unless we want to improve; that requires thinking.

Mike Durr

Link to Mike's website

Madeline's New Jewel

2008-07-30T21:37:00.002-04:00

Madeline Mora-Summonte just had a story published on Everyday Fiction. It's called A Quarter For Your Thoughts. This story is amazingly concise and yet filled with feel-able details, excellent dialogue, and poignant insights plus a couple full-bodied characters. How does she do it with such a small number of words?!

Congrats, Madeline, for another highly polished gem!

To read this story go to Madeline's website, www.madelinemora-summonte.com and follow the link to Everyday Fiction.

Submitted by
Russ Heitz

Elder Statesman Celebrates 96th Birthday!

2008-06-26T11:58:00.002-04:00

Ed Lyman, our Honored Elder Statesman of the FWA-Sarasota Literati celebrated his 96th birthday (yes, 96, that is NOT a typo) on Tuesday, June 24th. At our FWA-Sarasota meeting last night, Ed gave US a gift by sharing another one of his sly, dry, witty and humorous stories, this one titled "VIAGRA FALLS". For the members who weren't there, Ed's story was about
... uh ... well ... it's kinda hard to explain. I guess you just had to be there, know what I mean?

Belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ED!!! And best wishes for at least another 50 years of writing!

For anyone who wants to send a birthday wish to Ed, his email address is elyman24@comcast.net.

Submitted by
Russ Heitz

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Copyrights

2008-06-14T14:32:00.002-04:00

At our recent FWA meetings there have been a number of questions about Copyrights: when do you need them? Why do you need them? How do you get them? And so forth. The following website of the Copyright Office should answer all your questions, plus a lot of questions you haven't thought of yet. Check it out:

http://www.copyright.gov

Posted by
Russ Heitz
www.russheitz.com

Mind-boggling Publishing Statistics

2008-06-12T17:11:00.002-04:00

The Dan Poynter newsletter recently had a blurb about publishing statistics and referred the reader to the website: http://bookstatistics.com. Here are just a few of the stats. There are literally dozens of amazing statistics that can generate both enthusiasm and depression, depending upon the stat and also upon your current writing/publishing situation. Here are just a few examples.

A new book is published every 30 seconds.

78% of the titles come from small/self-publishers.

80% of the book sales are controlled by five conglomerates: Bertelsmann (Random House), Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., Time-Warner, Disney, and Viacom/CBS.

Lightning Source grew from 3 employees in 1997 to more than 500 today; the company digitally scans about 2,000 books a week and prints 1.2 million books a month. "It took us 7 years to print 10 million books," says Lightning Source VIP Kirby Best. "This year we published 10 million books in the first 11 months."

Contributed by Russ Heitz
www.russheitz.com

Florida Writer Magazine

2008-06-04T14:47:00.002-04:00

To All the Sarasota Group

All of the paid up members of FWA should be receiving their copy of the The Florida Writer in the mail. The group leader no longer receives a separate copy by mail in addition to the alloted copies sent UPS so I'm not sure when they'll be arriving. If you are paid up and do not receive your magazine, you'll have to let me know so we can get the problem fixed. You are entitled to it as one of your member benefits. For those that do receive it, if you'd like to comment about the magazine or any specific article you found helpful, please email me your comment for my column by the 20th of the month. Nuther way to get your name in print! Too, it is YOUR magazine, please feel free to make submissions and showcase your work or your latest news.

Speaking of latest news, Michael Durr, "My Brain My Future" and myself are scheduled to be interviewed on Http://radioearnetwork.com next Tuesday, June 10th at 7am and again at 11am. Susan Klaus of Authors Connection has included the FWA members in this opportunity. To hear the broadcast, go to Radio Ear and click on Author Connection. If you have a book and would like to be interviewed on the air, contact Susan at furryklaus@aol.com I'd also like to congratulate Susan on her election to president of the Sarasota Fiction Writers. She, too, is one busy gal.

Inside News From The World of Publishing

2008-05-31T19:33:00.002-04:00

For those of us who are still in the "outside world" of small presses and independent publishing, it is often difficult to find out what's going on inside the world of traditional publishing. One professional writing group -- Sisters In Crime -- recently published an article that at least provides a glimpse of what's in the present and also what may be in the future of publishing in general. Sisters In Crime is a group of professional writers who specialize in mystery or crime-related novels and non-fiction books, but their interviews with traditional publishing insiders can benefit all of us, regardless of what genre we specialize in. Check out the following site. You may find it interesting, helpful, and certainly informative.

http://sisters-in-crime-sinc.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html.

Submitted by Russ Heitz
www.russheitz.com

Melanie's New Video

2008-05-23T18:21:00.002-04:00

Melanie Bowles, who spoke at our April meeting, has a new video posted on YouTube. It'll give you some idea of what her Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary family is all about. The video is also an example of why some people (including me) think a herd of horses running free is just about the most beautiful sight anyone could ask for. At least it is for those of us who love animals in general and horses in particular. Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crBUioqs3j8

Haley's Work Honored Nationally

2008-05-09T16:47:00.002-04:00

The National Indie Excellence Book Awards are dedicated to celebrating and promoting the outstanding work of independent publishers and authors. It has just been announced that one of our own FWA Group Leaders, Susan Haley of the Sarasota Chapter, was honored as runner-up Finalist in the 2008 Indie Excellence competition for the Audio Book version of her novel Rainy Day People. The audio was produced by Spoken Books Publishing.

In addition to now being able to affix the 2008 Gold Award Sticker on her books, Susan will be included in a National Publicity Campaign that reaches over 700 publishers, buyers, editors and producers culminating in recognition at the 2008 Book Expo America in Los Angeles, California in July.

Congratulations, Susan!

For further information about Susan's work, experience her beautiful website at http://www.sucarha.com.

Russ Heitz
FWA-Sarasota

Amazon's "New Deal"

2008-04-24T18:21:00.004-04:00

You've probably heard that Amazon.com is now jumping into the Print On Demand world with all four feet! As a result, the news and rumors are flying from one end of the publishing world to the other. And that includes traditional publishing, do-it-yourself publishing, vanity publishing, POD publishing, cooperative publishing, and just about every other kind of publishing. It could have an effect on anyone who now has a book listed for sale on Amazon.

One of the most comprehensive collections of explanations about this new development can be found at http://www.writersweekly.com/amazon.php/. Check it out. And if you have any questions about how your OWN Amazon-listed book will be affected, check with your own publisher.

Russ Heitz
http://www.russheitz.com/

Best Selling Author to Visit at April Meeting

2008-04-04T22:34:00.002-04:00

Melanie Sue Bowles, the best selling author of "The Horses of Proud Spirit", will be the guest speaker at our April 23rd meeting. Melanie and her husband Jim are retired Sarasota Firefighters who started their horse rescue operation on fifty acres in Myacca City. They have since saved over 100 abused and abandoned horses and have now moved to a new facility in Mena, Arkansas. Her new book, "Hoof Prints - More Stories From Proud Spirit" has just been released by Pineapple Press and already honored to be the featured book at Jacksonville's Literary Fair the weekend of April 26th-27th.

The PBS Documentary filmed at the Myacca City location has since went on the win an Emmy and is now shown Nationally.

Melanie, the most down to earth lady you'll ever want to meet, will capture your heart with stories of her horses. A special event for our Sarasota Group. You won't want to miss it! She'll also be signing her books at Barnes and Noble on Saturday, April 19th. Call the store for the exact time. That, I don't have yet.

Adult Tutors Needed

2008-03-12T13:13:00.002-04:00

Dear Sarasota FWA Members -

I received the following email from Kristin Szafraniec, Executive Director of the Sarasota Literacy Council in response to a query I made concerning volunteering after seeing an ad in "Betty Says". Since the FWA takes an active role in Literacy, I thought this may sound interesting to our members or as a group project. I'll bring handouts of the information I receive from Kristin to the next meeting on March 26th. Look forward to seeing you then.

Dear Susan

Adult and family literacy is an extremely important need in our community and I’m hoping to join forces with area organizations like FWA to work on literacy initiatives.

We are celebrating our 30th year anniversary this year, and the need for our programs is growing. We have three programs with over 150 tutor/student pairs and need additional help. Although we do have students from other counties/areas, our organization services learners in the City of Sarasota and the northern half of Sarasota County. LCS is a not for profit 501c3 and we are supported by volunteers, members and donors/small foundations.

I will send you a sheet via email that will provide you with more information about who we are and what we do. In the meantime, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to meeting you and collaborating together.

Warm Regards,
Kristin Szafraniec

Executive Director
The Literacy Council of Sarasota, Inc.
Tel: 941.955.0421
www.sarasotaliteracy.org

Borders Enters POD Market

2008-02-26T12:13:00.003-05:00

Borders announced on Valentine's Day that it is now entering the "publish it yourself" independent publishing market with their new BORDERS PERSONAL PUBLISHING imprint. They will be working with Lulu and will also offer editorial support, book design, printing, e-commerce, and other features, for a fee, either bundled or ala carte.

One of the most attractive features of this program is this. Borders Personal Publishing books can also become eligible to be carried by Borders both online and ON THE SHELVES of hundreds of Borders stores. A recent press release stated, "By using the strength of its worldwide chain of bookstores, Borders is offering writers the potential of getting their work featured on the shelves of real bookstores -- a very attractive feature, compared to services that only make books available to order online. Basic prices start at $299 to $499."

For details, go to http://publish.bordersstores.com/?u-pub.

ARTICLE RE PROS AND CONS-AMAZON SHORTS

2008-02-20T11:06:00.002-05:00

Author J.A. Konrath (http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/) has an article over at http://writersdigest.com/articles/konrath_amazonshorts.asp
those of you with books for sale on Amazon might be interested in. Check it out!

Madeline Mora-Summonte
www.MadelineMora-Summonte.com

Two Quick Announcements

2008-02-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

John P. Strelecky, the International Best-Selling author of The Why Café, and now a highly sought after Inspirational speaker will be the Keynote at Dahris Clair's Pasco/NPR Mini Conference at the New Port Richey library on April 6th. Through John's writings and subsequent appearances on television and radio, he has positively impacted the lives of millions of people.
In addition to being translated into seventeen languages and sold in over forty countries on all seven continents, John’s inspirational book has been distributed to employees of numerous companies including IBM, American Express, Boeing, American General Finance, USANA Health Sciences, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and others. It has also been made required course reading at universities around the country.
With a full roster of workshops and activities, this is an FWA event worth marking your calendar for. Sunday, April 6th! Contact Dahris Clair for more information as to early bird fees and special rates for FWA members. dclair@verizon.net

Also, congratulations to our own Michael Durr on the publication of his new book "Your Brain, Your Future" This is an excellent exploration into the 'realm' of the power of critical thinking. Available on Amazon.com and Bbotw.com in addition to local bookstores.

Excellent Crime Writer's Book

2008-02-08T21:17:00.000-05:00

With the publication of POLICE PROCEDURE & INVESTIGATIONS by Lee Lofland, Writer's Digest Books has a sure-fire winner on their hands. The subtitle for this book indicates that it was written primarily for the writers of crime books and crime-related short stories. But that is a much-too-narrow focus. This book is for anyone who is interested in police work, criminal investigations, and all of the aspects that fit under those two general categories. And it delves into these areas to a much greater depth than the ever-popular and every-growing list of television programs that claim to be "reality-based" crime shows.

Nearly everyone is now familiar with terms such as crime scene investigation, autopsy, the exclusionary rule, blood spatter analysis, flash-bangs, DNA evidence, and the Miranda warning. But if you want to know what kind of equipment crime scene investigators need, what kind of training goes on in police academies, how long rigor mortis effects a corpse, what a "sally port" is, what kind of chemicals are used to make meth, or the difference between ASPs and shock sticks, this is the book for you.

Author Lee Lofland is well known to writers of crime-related books mainly because of his expertise in the field, but also because of his clear, concise, and jargon-free writing style. He is a writer's writer, but he is also a reader's writer. His prose is clean and direct, his organization logical, and his coverage comprehensive.

I highly recommend this book for anyone--writer or non-writer--who wants to know what REALLY goes on during a criminal investigation, inside a courtroom, or behind prison walls.

Russ Heitz
www.russheitz.com

FWA FORUMS

2008-02-05T10:17:00.000-05:00

Writing is often a solitary endeavor, but as a member of the FWA, you are not alone. Go on over to www.floridawriters.net and check out the FWA Forums. Some of the forums include topics such as Self Publishing, Traditional Publishing, Query Questions, and Goals & Process. Reach out to a fellow Floridian writer! Offer some encouragement, advice or expertise, and get some in return. We're all in this together, after all!

Madeline Mora-Summonte
www.MadelineMora-Summonte.com

Breaking News!!

2008-01-08T22:02:00.000-05:00

Pretend this is MSNBC! Breaking News! Breaking News!

Our own Russ Heitz is the winner of The Infinite Writer Book Of The Year Award for his novel "Crosshairs" published in June. Congratulations Russ!!

I've been priviledged to read some of Russ' early work in short stories and this award is an example of his destiny. That being the recognition he deserves for his talented writing ability.
"Crosshairs" is the first of his crime/mystery saga and I understand he's hard at work on the second installment. Time now to read the first one if you haven't already. Check it out at his website linked to the left in the link column. Keep on keepin' on, Russ!

Your Story = $500 ... maybe

2007-12-18T14:18:00.000-05:00

The Sarasota Fiction Writers is sponsoring a Short Story Competition that is open to anyone, whether or not you're a member of SFW. The competition is also open to any genre: literary, mystery, romance, science fiction, 'slice of life,' whatever. It MUST, however, be FICTION. No memoirs or non-fiction articles will be accepted. And there is a limit of 2,500 words. The stories will be professionally judged by published authors.

Your name, address, word count, and email address should appear on the TITLE PAGE ONLY. On the rest of the manuscript pages there should be a header with ONLY the title and page number on each page.

Mutiple submissions are permitted but please submit only your absolute best stuff. There is a $10 reading/submission fee for each entry. Checks or money orders should be payable to: Sarasota Fiction Writers. Deadline for submissions is March 31st, 2008.

The Winner-Take-All Grand Prize is $500!

Mail your entries to: Joanne Lally, 15040 Faulkner Avenue, Port Charlotte, FL, 33953. Check www.myspace.com/sarasotafictionwriters for any updates. If additional information is needed contact Joanne Lally at sfwnewsletter@hotmail.com.

The winner will be announced at the July 2nd, 2008, meeting of the Sarasota Fiction Writers and will be posted on the SFW blog and on the SFW MySpace page on July 3rd. International fame and unbelievable riches SHOULD follow shortly thereafter ... maybe.

Russ Heitz
www.russheitz.com

Simon & Schuster Seeks Rights Forever -- Is This A Sign of Things To Come?

2007-12-11T11:42:00.000-05:00

(The following article excerpt was taken from the SCBWI BULLETIN. The statement was originally released by the Author's Guild. The SCBWI is the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.)

"Simon & Schuster has changed its standard contract language in an attempt to retain exclusive control of books even after they have gone out of print. Until now, Simon & Schuster, like all other major trade publishers, has followed the traditional practice in which rights to a work revert to the author if the book falls out of print or if its sales are low.

"The publisher is signaling that it will no longer include minimum sales requirements for a work to be considered in print. Simon & Schuster is apparently seeking nothing less than an exclusive grant of rights in perpetuity. Effectively, the publisher would co-own your copyright.

"The new contract would allow Simon & Schuster to consider a book in print, and under its exclusive control, so long as it's available in any form, including through its own in-house database -- even if no copies are available to be ordered by traditional bookstores.

"Other major trade publishers are not seeking a similar perpetual grant of rights."

(To which I might add, "Yet." -- Ed.)

"The Author's Guild puts it bluntly: 'Your book will live and die with this particular conglomerate.' Until an agreement can be reached, the Author's Guild advises authors to proceed with caution."

Russ Heitz
www.russheitz.com
www.crimespace.ning.com/profile/1essej

New Story Published by Madeline

2007-12-08T09:31:00.000-05:00

Madeline Mora-Summonte's humorous new story, THE WEDDING CRASHERS, has recently been published by http://www.everydayfiction.com/ and is now available to the whole country. Nay, to the WHOLE WORLD! (Thanks to the wonderful Internet.) When you go to the everydayfiction site, just check out the December Table of Contents. The publication of this cute little story is another step upward in Madeline's writing career and a step we are all pleased to see. She has also updated her website, http://www.madelinemora-summonte.com/ so check that out, too. And keep your fingers crossed. Madeline has been shopping around for an agent and one of these days one of them is going to wake up and see the potential. Keep the faith, Madeline! As the barber said when he shaved Britney's head, it won't be long now.

Russ Heitz,
http://www.russheitz.com/

Madeline's Conference Experience

2007-11-14T12:58:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone! Just wanted to take a minute to tell you all about my great experience at this year’s FWA Conference in Orlando.

It was my first writing conference, and although I was looking forward to it, I was also anxious. Like most writers, I am an introvert, preferring my cozy home office and quiet time reading to rooms full of people and having to making small talk. But, like my husband reminded me, I already had one thing in common with everyone there - we were all writers! And, as it turned out, among the crowd two familiar faces rose to greet me - Russ and Tuck. We sat together during the FWA lunch meeting, chatted as we waited for different sessions to begin, and even sat together in a few of the workshops. I’m sure they were sick of seeing me by the time it was over!

Speaking of workshops, I had trouble deciding which ones to attend. So many choices! Some focused on craft, such as “Write a Thriller Right Now” and “Make Bright Ideas Sparkle: Tools of the Poet’s Trade” while others, like “The Story About Contracts” and “Publicity and You: Sixteen Mistakes to Avoid” focused on the business side. Three of my favorites were “The Five Things You Must Know Before Submitting to a Publisher”, “Agents, Acquisition Editors, and Publishers Panel” and “You’ve Got an Agent: Now What?” By the end of the conference, my brain hurt - in a good way, of course.

Besides the presentations, the opportunity to talk one-on-one with agents and publishers was also offered. I took advantage of this and met with an agent to pitch my latest manuscript. Talk about being anxious! But she was so nice and encouraging, it ended up feeling more like a chat about a book (granted, one that I had written, but still) than a pitch session. At the end, she asked me to send along my query and sample chapters. Keep your fingers crossed!

By the end of the weekend, I was exhausted but quite pleased with my new social self (okay, let’s not get crazy here - handing out three business cards does not a social butterfly make!) and the experience as a whole. I encourage my fellow writers and members of the FWA to attend next year’s conference. The conference offers so much - a bookstore for you to sell your books, door prizes, an open mike night, a banquet, an awards ceremony - but even if all you do is attend the workshops, like I did, even if you only attend one out of the three days, you’ll still come away with knowledge and encouragement and inspiration. And maybe a couple of business cards. And maybe a door prize or two.

****

Thank you, Madeline! I'm glad it was a rewarding experience for you. Everyone should experience a major Conference at least once. Some like it, some don't, but you owe it to yourself to experience at least one. I love them. My problem is, I've got to curtail just how many I can attend. I missed this year's Orlando Conference having just returned from the 'big one' in Philadelphia which my publisher puts on every year. I'm glad I was well represented by our great Sarasota group. Madeline, Tuck, Russ, and Tucker Mayer, thank you!

Try it, you might like it

2007-10-16T20:34:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are still wondering whether to buy my fast-moving suspense novel CROSSHAIRS, check out my website (www.russheitz.com). The first nine chapters can now be viewed FOR FREE. The whole book is available on Amazon, of course. It is also available locally at Circle Books on St. Armands. And it will soon be available at the Bookshop in Venice. Check it out. And enjoy the ride!
Russ