Connections and WFWA Rising Star and Star Awards

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Connections with other writers is key to the wellbeing of the day-to-day writer. Sure, it can be a lonely business, but it doesn't need to be. Find your tribe, your buddies, your fellow genre writers. Next, figure out where you can hang out face-to-face. I promise you won't be disappointed. You'll return to your daily writing rejuvenated and energized.

Romance writers have the RWA conferences. Christian writers have the AFCW Conference. You name the genre and I predict there is a connection point for you.

If you write Women's Fiction like I do, it's the Women's Fiction Writers Association yearly retreat. We met last week in Albuquerque. I promise I'm raring to go back into my work now.

Add the announcement of the finalists of the 2016 Rising Star and the first ever STAR award to the excitement. I'm honored to be able to share these winners with you.

Albuquerque, New Mexico – September 23, 2016 – The Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) announced the winners of the Star Award given to authors of published women’s fiction. This is the first year Star Awards have been bestowed, and are the start of an annual tradition.

The Star Award General winner is Scott Wilbanks for The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster. Wilbanks is an American living in Auckland, New Zealand.  His book was published in August 2015.

The Star Award Outstanding Debut winner is Kelli Estes for The Girl Who Wrote in Silk. Estes lives near Seattle, Washington, and her book was published in July 2015.

Albuquerque, New Mexico – September 24, 2016 – The Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) today announced the winners of the third annual Rising Star award given to authors of unpublished women’s fiction.  This is an annual award, and agents active in acquiring women’s fiction chose the winners.

       The First Place Rising Star winner is “The Substitute Princess” by Kathleen M. Basi.  Basi lives in Columbia, Missouri.  Her book is about a woman who takes on an actress gig as the substitute princess for the Prince of Monaco’s fiancée to save her family’s deeply in debt Christmas tree farm, and learns that fairy tale love can’t replace love with family connections.

The second place Rising Star winner is “By Accident” by Laura Levin, who lives in Nyack, New Jersey.  This book reveals life’s choices that are made by a family regarding love, marriage, unintended pregnancies, guilt behind a friend’s death and the secrets that are kept as a marriage and lives are tested by a stranger’s phone call.

The third place Rising Star winner is “Shelter Me” by Gabrielle Luthy.  She lives in St. Kilda, Australia.  The character in Luthy’s book is an in-debt surrogate mother who returns to the father of her child for financial help, but entry into the financial world of investors leads to an accusation of embezzlement which forces her to make decisions regarding family, love and honor.

Here's a few pictures to give you a flavor of the conference and the connection I shared, the beauty of Albuquerque and the lovely sky of the area. Enjoy!

Next Week: the IWSG October post!

September Links

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Don't sneer at genre fiction. Let James Preston share Three Tools for Reading and Watching Genre Fiction with you.

Kate Moretti explains why we have genres at all in Does Genre Dumb it Down or Make it Rain?

There are Craft Books for Pantsers--that's what they say. I'm still on the fence. ;-)

And another post about thinking it through or getting it down. Join Kristin Hoffman in Making a House a Home (and What It Taught Me About Writing)

Next Week: All about the WFWA Retreat in Albuquerque!

The Book Pusher for September: K. Brown, S. Chefalo, D. Gabaldon, K. Lonsdale, P. McLinn, F. North

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Read and Enjoy!

COME AWAY WITH ME Karma Brown: Women's Fiction

This vivid exploration of love and grief will make you cry, but it's worth all the tears in the end because the resulting life is more valuable than the journey.

GARBAGEBAG SUITCASE Shenandoah Chefalo: Memoir

This harrowing memoir is also helpful. Chefalo has some amazing suggestions for fixing out disaster of a foster care system. Her personal experience make them all the more important to consider.

OUTLANDER Diana Gabaldon: Historical fiction with elements of romance, SF, and adventure

Here's the book that started it all--over 12 books and a TV show. If you haven't read OUTLANDER, you should correct that now. Gabaldon's amazing universe will draw you in and keep you coming back for more.

EVERYTHING WE KEEP Kerry Lonsdale: Women's Fiction

This amazing, twisting suspense will keep you turning pages and guessing wrong. What a ride! Must read!

LAST DITCH Patricia McLinn: Mystery (Caught Dead in Wyoming #4)

Last Ditch is deliciously twisty--and it's not just the whodunit that's in play. Great characters and sharp writing are hallmarks of a McLinn mystery.

THE TURNING POINT Freya North: Women's Fiction

This is a beautiful story of deep love and longing. What love truly means and how its absence hurts is key. Go slow and savor the shifts in POV, but it's so worth the read.

Next Week: Links--you know you love them! ;-)

IWSG: How do you find the time to write in your busy day?

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Insecure Writers Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Our Co-Sponsor's this month are: C. Lee McKenzie
Rachel Pattison
 Elizabeth Seckman
 Stephanie Faris
 Lori L MacLaughlin
Elsie Amata!

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I'm baaaack! July and August were Real Life months if you know what I mean. Between my two cataract surgeries and my mother's fall and her developing congestive heart failure, I've been out of commission when it comes to IWSG. In fact, this is my first post with the new (and let me cheer this development) monthly questions.

This month's is "How do you find the time to write in your busy day?"

The short answer is: I retired from teaching ;-)

The long answer is much more complex, as it so often is. I have a fatigue syndrome and that makes my writing time limited on many days. I've found through much trial and error since I retired twelve years ago that my best time is mid morning to early afternoon. From 9 AM till 3 PM, you'll find me writing, editing, polishing, or researching. That sounds wonderful. And it is, until you factor in fixing lunch, walking dogs, and general aches and pains from various joints and the sundry migraine. That said, I've polished a MS for submission and partials are out with the two agents I pitched in February. There are four more WIPs in the works. They're at various conditions of completion. I'm still working on the sequel to the book that's out in the cold, cruel world, but know I might need to shift to one of the standalones if I can't find traction with the first.

I've yet to research a list of target agents. I'm still quaking at the thought of doing that.

How on earth do you write if you have little children and/or a full-time job? I don't know the answer. But I know a ton of productive writers who do.

Next Week: The Book Pusher's September post!

Pitching Report

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I think this is one of the hardest lessons of writing. No matter how hard you work, write, edit, and polish, there's another step to go on the long list of to-do's for hunting agents. You need to following:

• log line or pitch--also known as an elevator pitch--no more than fifty words
• short pitch for conference pitches in person--usually about 3 sentences
• query
• synopsis of varying lengths
• outlines as requested (even if you don't write from an outline)
• snips from the manuscript of varying lengths

In the interest of feedback, here's my elevator pitch for MOTHER'S DAY. What do you think? Would you want to read this book?

A retired teacher, childless and recently widowed, defies her narrow-minded family and her small Southern town when she opens her home to an abused twelve-year old, little realizing that the girl is the key to long-buried family secrets.

Next Week: IWSG--I'm back... ;-)

Vision

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Vision has been on my mind lately. After two cataract surgeries in two weeks of each other this July, it's no wonder. My dominant eye is now my distance focus and it's happy with anything that's a few feet to any distance. My weaker eye is my close focus--reading. If you've followed my blog at all, you know reading is key to my happiness. My brain is still figuring out how to shift from one focus to another and how to blend them to create depth perception. I'll be honest, the lag of my brain getting the message is a bit disconcerting.

But, I'm getting there. The journey has me thinking about visual detail and how to use it better to draw my readers into the scene. My characters' view points matter. What Laura Grace sees in a home or garden would be very different from Mack. Or Rosemary.

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Diana Gabaldon describes using the close and far views to draw readers into what she wants them to see. I like that idea. Now, I need to use my personal experience to utilize visual details more effectively.

What about you? How do you use the visual detail in life or your writing?

Next Week: Pitching Report

August Links

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Jane Friedman offers "5 Steps to a Killer Book Talk." Now, we know what we have to do once we have a book to talk about.

And here's good link for about copyright myths: "'Busting' Some Popular Copyright Myths" by Susan Spann.

I don't know about the rest of you, but setting is one of my weakest points, so I really enjoyed Becca Puglisi's "4 Ways to Choose the Right Story Setting."

Chuck Sambuchino offers up "10 Tips on Landing an Agent at a Writers' Conference."

And just when you want to be proud of your accomplishments, Emily Ross warns about "The Seven Deadly Sins of Debuts."

You won't look at genre the same after reading "Ursula K. Le Guin talks to Michael Cunningham about genres, gender, and broadening ficiton."

Ruthanne Reid gives us "All About Commas."

Of course, you knew this already--"Can Reading Make You Smarter" by Ceridwen Dovey.

I dare you not to laugh: "What I've Learned About Heterosexual Female Desire From Decades of Reading" by Mallory Ortberg is the perfect place to end this link list. ;-)

The Book Pusher's August Mini Book Reviews: V. Diffenbaugh, J. Kibler, C. Martin, P. McLinn

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THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS Vanessa Diffenbaugh: Women's Fiction

 An amazing journey of a foster child into love, loss, and growing up with all of life seemingly against her. Her one solace gives her a voice--flowers and their meanings. This is an absolutely must read.

CALLING ME HOME Julie Kibler: Women's Fiction

A poignant story of love and loss, and what we sacrifice for both. Calling Me Home is a deep, enriching story that shows racism in all its facets, but also tells how love can heal. The lovely characters live and will steal your heart. Must Read!

THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US Charles Martin: Suspense

The Mountain Between Us is an amazing testament to enduring love and the stamina and faith required to maintain it. Must Read

SHOOT FIRST Patricia McLinn: Mystery (Caught Dead Wyoming #3)

McLinn continues her charming mystery series with another twisty story.




Next Week: August Links!