Editor's Desk
 What you need for your Author's Website

Meet Maria Reyes-McDavis, the Web Success Diva!

We've heard time and time again from many of our interviewees about the importance of having an author website. Publishers and literary agents urge aspiring authors to start building their platform immediately. And one of the easiest ways to do that is to have an author website. It will reach a broader audience than if you were speaking at local engagements (although, both are recommended), and with the right components, marketing, and optimization, you will have a global marketing tool that works for you 24/7.

WOW! interviews Maria and finds out what exactly you need for your author's website and how to build your platform. If you're an aspiring author, make this your New Year's Resolution!

MORE >> 

 Lucky Girl, Nell Freudenberger
 By D'lynne Plummer

D'lynne Plummer interviews the author of Lucky Girls and The Dissident. You won't believe it, but this interview took almost a year to garner!

Nell Freudenbeger, a young writer whom salon.com once described as, "gorgeous and brilliant and poised and intimidating," created quite a stir with her debut of anthologies. (What a compliment!)

D'lynne Plummer tracks down the elusive Nell and chats with her for WOW! readers in this rare interview.

MORE>> 

 A Girl's Guide to Advancing Your Career
 An Interview with Kelly Love Johnson

Author Kelly Love Johnson shares her tips and tricks, and shows you how you can climb the corporate ladder in a skirt!

Learn how to break through the glass ceiling to earn the wages you deserve. Harness the power of your alpha female and you could become Microfamous...

Talk about a FUN interview with ATTITUDE! You're going to fall in LOVE with Kelly. Her positive energy is contagious!

MORE>> 

 Get the Dish from Author Laura Schenone
 Interview with the author of the Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken

Award-winning author, Laura Schenone, serves up more than ravioli with her latest food memoir, The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken. Learn what essential ingredients are needed to cook up the perfect book proposal, how to research a historical book without being a historian, how to balance being a mom with your writing life, and tips for freelance writers and travel writers.

If you have a family member that loves to cook and read, then award winning author Laura Schenone's books combine all the perfect ingredients for that holiday gift. Complete with antique recipes!

MORE>> 

 Time to Write! with Kelly L. Stone
 Interview by Annette Fix

No excuses. No distractions. No more blank pages!

Kelly L. Stone has talked to more than 100 professional writers and reveals how you can fit writing into your busy life in this motivational interview.

Kelly helps writers free up their schedules by providing solid tips that have worked for successful authors and published writers. She also gives great egg-timer advice! We can all learn from her expert advice.

MORE>> 

 20 Q: Rosemary Daniell
 Author and Founder of the Zona Rosa Writing and Living Workshops for Women

Author Rosemary Daniell founded Zona Rosa, the writing-and-living workshops for women over 26 years ago. Rosemary is also the award winning author of seven other books of poetry and prose--her memoirs, Fatal Flowers and Sleeping with Soldiers were forerunners of the current memoir trend. She has contributed articles and book reviews to numerous national publications, and has appeared on many national television and radio shows.

Join us as we chat with Rosemary about Zona Rosa, her journey as an author, how she uses writing as healing, and what she's doing to support all women writers out there.

MORE>> 

 Freelancer's Corner: International Resources
 By Beth Morrissey

Beth Morrissey reminds us that we have international resources at our fingertips, thanks to the internet and its vastly unlimited resources. Learn how to utilize these resources to your advantage like Beth has!

Beth provides freelancers with unique links to markets that I've never heard of. So, if you're a freelancer and hungry for your next published clip, check out these resources to get your feet wet in the international market.

MORE>> 

 Compete While Waiting for that Contract
 C. Hope Clark's Funds 4 Writers

Waiting for an agent to respond to your query takes time, but that doesn't mean you have to twiddle your thumbs!

Why not try submitting your manuscript or first chapter to a contest?

C. Hope Clark shows us that finding those contests aren't as hard as you think... plus she lists the resources you need to help keep you active and in the loop!

This article is a great follow-up to last month's column, and we applaud Hope again for always providing writers with the juice we need to boost our careers.

MORE>> 

 Networking Nightmares
 HOW2: SHAKE OFF THE HEEBIE JEEBIES

If the thought of networking with people at writers' conferences makes you squirm, here is a must-read from Maria Zannini. She offers sound advice and tips on how to fight them away and get the most out of your networking experience!

This is a fun how-to based on Maria's personal experience at writers' conferences!

As an attendee of many cons it's always interesting to hear another writer's take and advice on the subject. And Maria is truly honest in breaking down the various things that have caused her stomach to flutter, and gives readers professional solutions to combat the social jitters.

MORE>> 

 Inspiration: Wendy Miyake
 Interview by Pat Matsueda

One of my very favorite inspirational interviewees, Pat Matsueda, managing editor of Manoa, wrote me an email one day about a remarkable women she'd met, and asked if I wanted to do an interview with her. Just hearing Pat's words about Wendy Miyake inspired me... so much, that I had to ask Pat to do the interview herself. And boy, I'm thrilled I did. You ladies are in for a special treat! This is the most well-written interview I've read in a long time. But that's no surprise. Both Pat and Wendy Miyake make wonderful guests and their energy is fabulous!

Take an inspirational journey to Hawai'i and join Pat as she chats with author Wendy Miyake about her remarkable book, The Bodhisattva Club.

In addition to being the author of two books and the head of Lotus Moon in Love, Wendy is an adjunct instructor in fiction and autobiography, a self-described card-carrying Buddhist, and a multi-talented young woman who is teaching herself book and web design.

Get ready to be inspired and enlightened by Wendy Miyake and her beautiful, literary prose.

MORE>> 

 Give Yourself the Ultimate Gift that Gives Back
 ALL YEAR ROUND!

Are you tired of markets newsletters that simply "list" a bunch of markets without any personal guidance?

Get the Guide that Helps you Grow your Freelance Writing Career!

PREMIUM GREEN MARKETS

The Ultimate Guide for Freelance Women Writers

Will Show You the GREEN!

Premium-Green isn't just market listings, it's a guide with community benefits. For only $2 a month, you get a 100+ Page Ebook delivered to your inbox every month, and you'll have access to a private community of women writers just like you!

We know that becoming a freelance writer takes more than just market listings. You'll need the opportunity to network with your peers and have a support system to help you reach your goals. And that's exactly what your Premium-Green Markets Subscription will do.

Here's what you get when you subscribe to PREMIUM GREEN:

• Monthly 100+ page ebook in friendly PDF format: Easy to print, easy to save. No need for storing emails to find links and articles you missed!
• Articles to grow your Freelance Career: These are articles not found anywhere else: More than Your Magic 8-Ball, I.T.T. In the Trenches, Tips & Tricks, Meet Your Mentor, Get Writing Mamas!, Project Workbook, and more...
• Access to the PG Subscribers Group: Network with your peers, post discussions, ask questions, and receive insider tips.
• Documents for PG Subscribers: Upload, download, and share content with the group. We put up f*r*e*e* articles, contracts, and ebooks for the group each month, so take advantage!
• First Calls from WOW!: We give you immediate calls for what we need on the spot (or when we're in a crunch) to fill each issue. Get on the ground level and write for us!
• Pink & Green: Find women's markets only, and get insight from the editors and what their needs are right now.
• Markets, markets, and more markets. We provide markets for all aspects of freelancing. One example is, "Niche Quiche," which includes greeting card markets, slogans, and anything you can write a few words for and get paid! Check out our markets page for more details.

Spend less in an entire year than you would for a few cups of coffee, and get a real support team who will help you grow your freelance career.

This subscription price will last for a lifetime if you sign up now. In the future, we'll most likely have to raise it. Putting out over a hundred pages a month is quite time-consuming and expensive! But, as dedicated subscribers, you will always be in on the ground level.

We want to support you! Let's make this a banner year for all women writers. We can only do it by helping each other and creating a strong network and community for ourselves. Together, we can do it!

VISIT OUR MARKETS PAGE AND SIGN UP FOR PG >> 

 Writer's Retreats
 Must Haves

To honor all writers and authors, we're devoting this month's must haves to writing retreats. At one point in our writing careers, each of us "must have" time to escape. During the annual holiday hustles and hassles, we especially need to "getaway" from life to focus on our writing. That's not easy to do.

Want to write about your Must-Haves? We're collecting them all for compilation! For instance, C. Hope Clark wrote about a fabulous Must-Have last month, so, stay tuned! We're putting them all together. Write about yours by emailing us at: musthaves@wow-womenonwriting.com and tell us about your favorite product or website that's helped your writing.

MORE>> 

 Online Portfolios that Work
 By Susan Johnston

As a freelance writer, you'll need to build up your online clips to make things more enticing for editors. One easy way to do this is with online portfolios. But what makes them successful for some and not so successful for others?

Susan Johnston takes us on a stroll through several online portfolios from various writers and highlights what makes them work. After you visit each one of them, you'll know how much you need to create your own, and gain professional insight that will help you format yours. Not to mention, editors will love you!

MORE>> 

 WOW! BLOG: THE MUFFIN
 Find out the latest from the Bakers of WOW!

Have you checked out what we've been baking for you in the daily Muffin? We've stirred together some traditional ingredients with new ones to deliver more interviews, enlightenment, thought-provoking ideas, and inspirational messages to help you through those gray writing days.

Would you like to see your thoughts posted on the WOW! Blog? Join Friday Speak Out! Share your thoughts on writing, how you balance your writing and the rest of your life, or how you find and maintain inspiration. Of course, you might have another idea spinning in your mind. Go for it. We'd love to read your work and hear your voice.

This is a great free promotion for authors! Please submit your posts of approximately 500 words with a 100 word or less bio to: wowblog@wow-womenonwriting.com

New to The Muffin:

We have a new all-star lineup! We're thrilled that the WOW! Team has shown interest in blogging. That means you readers get a chance to find out more about the ladies behind WOW! It's always great to hear new voices on writing related topics. Check out the latest!

----------

Recent Baked Goods:

A Thousand Words About Nothing?
Carrie Hulce gives us a motivational boost by inspiring us to write about common household surroundings, which may seemingly be about "nothing," but end up being more than something.
(9 Comments!)

Interview with Daniella Barsotti--Summer Contest Runner Up!
Find out what inspired Daniella's wonderful story, "Sea Breeze Revisited."

Breaking All The Rules: Confessions of a NaNoWriMo Cheater
AnnMarie Kolakowski breaks all the rules and works on her novel-in-progress during the month of November, then gets sidetracked! I'm sure we can all relate!
(4 Comments!)

My Not So Secret Formula for Winning Writing Contests
Janet Paszkowski is a flash fiction expert. As a judge for another writing website, and several times over contest winner, Janet knows a few tricks! Find out what she knows...
(4 comments!)

Life After NaNo
Sally Franklin Christie has been giving us her play-by-play journal entries for her NaNo experience, and guess what? She's won a certificate to hang on her wall! Congrats Sally! Now, she's looking for a post-NaNo support group. Anyone feeling the same thing?
(3 comments!)

Notes from the Baltimore Writers Conference
Jill Earl takes us on a journey to her local writer's conference and finds some inspiration! And some more books for her loveseat...
(4 Comments!)

Write Anyway
Marcia Peterson reminds us that we're very close to the end of the year, and it's time to make those writing resolutions!
(5 Comments!)

The Usefulness of Writers' Guides
Del Sandeen helps us sort through the guides and reminds us to only pick out the information we need! She's so right.
(5 Comments!)

Meet Deborah Sharp--Summer Contest Runner Up!
Find out Deborah's inspiration behind her winning story, "The Worst Vacation Ever."

Burn the House Down
Susan L. Eberling reminds us of Ann Lamott and Ray Bradbury's wisdom on writing and encourages us to write that crappy first draft!
(3 Comments!)

Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors
In light of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Chynna Laird posts a call from the Cup of Comfort series, and shares her story.

Holiday Shopping? Here's a Resource for Discounts
As writers we need all the discounts we can get! So, check out this resource the next time you're shopping online, and save! It's f*r*e*e*
(2 Comments!)

Confessions of a Saving Queen
Margo Dill talks about most writers' worst nightmare... losing all your work because of a computer virus! Arg! You can hear the screams, right? Well, Margo has found a great solution and resource that works and protects your valuables--your writing.
(4 Comments!)

Blog Entry for the 21st of NaNo
What happens when you experience a crisis, such as an enormous cell phone bill, while NaNoing? Find out from Sally Franklin Christie as her journey continues...
(3 Comments!)

Interview with Runner-Up--Beth Blake!
Beth gives us some great tips for finding out about your characters and shares the inspiration behind her winning story, "Magic."
(2 Comments!)

Writing is like Mud Wrestling?
Sue Donckels finds her old students' assignments and shares some of their insightful similes! These are great to read, and funny!

Subject: Mid NaNo
Sally Franklin Christie continues her NaNoing, but stops for a moment when her stove catches on fire!
(4 Comments!)

Get off the Path of Self-Sabotage
I love Chynna Laird's posts because they are so heartfelt and personal. Just when she was feeling down, she met a woman who inspired her and shares that beautiful story with us.
(2 Comments!)

How to Manage Your Literary Agent
Literary Agent Wendy Keller tells us how to crack the whip and get the most from your agent!

Salaries from the Magazine World
Do you want to know what your dream job as Editor of a Huge Magazine pays? Um, well, maybe you don't...

Summer Contest Runner-Up--Shannon Schuren
Learn about Shannon's inspiration for her story "Wilde Women".

A Holiday Treat from Robin Garland Consulting
Looking for an editor for that NaNo manuscript you just pumped out? Well, Robin Garland is offering a 20% discount to WOW! readers for editing and creative services for manuscripts under 20k. Treat yourself!

Journaling for Better Health
Sue Donckels reminds us of the therapeutic act of journaling, and gives us some good tips!
(3 Comments!)

SEO SUNDAYS: How to Write Key Words
Angela Mackintosh gives a step-by-step approach to writing Keywords for Webmasters AND Freelance Writers!
(8 Comments!)

Do You See what I See?
Chynna Laird inspires writers to use their senses and gains insight from her descriptive little girl, Jaimie!
(3 Comments!)

----------

There's a lot happening on The Muffin!

Recently, we've just added a feedburner so you can receive blog posts by email! Visit The Muffin and sign up where you see the "Get posts by Email" and the feedburner button.

And as always we offer you some fabulous link juice: Provide a link to WOW! Women On Writing, either our blog or our website, and we will include you in our Blog Roll!

Spread the word, and we'll spread yours. Be sure to comment on our blog and let us know that you linked to us.

We only check once a month through two different sources, and sometimes they aren't as accurate as we'd like them to be. So, tout your flair! Tell us, and join the conversation. We always appreciate your comments, no matter how large or small -- your opinion matters greatly!

MORE>> 

 Quiz: What's your writing IQ?
 Time to exercise your brain

With all the bustle of the holidays, we thought it would be fun to take some time out and take this short quiz to test your command of the language.

I picked out a few questions from The Orange County Register's column, "Writing for Business," which is featured on Mondays. It's the only time I actually go out and get the newspaper!

Ready? Remember, no peeking below!

-------------

1. Do commas go before or after closing quotation marks?

a. before

b. after

2. Which of the following sentences contains a dangling modifier?

a. "When reviewing my French grammar book, the difference between cela and ceci came back to me."

b. "Having taken up the piano again after a 40-year hiatus, I decided to attend a fantasy jazz camp."

3. Which is the preferred spelling: "judgement" or "judgment"?

a. judgement

b. judgment

4. Which sentence requires commas for the "who" clause?

a. "Ask Susan who wrote this report to proofread it."

b. "Ask the person who wrote this report to proofread it."

-------------------

Answers:

1. (a.) Commas and periods go before, not after, closing quotation marks, "like this," not "like this".

2. (a.) "When reviewing my French grammar book, the difference between cela and ceci came back to me" dangles because the two clauses do not connect, as they do here: "When reviewing my French grammar book, I remembered the difference between cela and ceci."

3. (b.) The preferred spelling is "judgment."

4. (a.) Commas are used with "who" clauses that describe, as in, "Ask Susan, who wrote this report, to proofread it." They are not used with clauses that define, as in, "Ask the person who wrote this report to proofread it."

---------------

Want to submit your own quiz? Email the editors and we'll include it in our next newsletter!

 

 Promotional Tips for Authors
 From the WOW! Alumni!

Since this issue is entitled, "Fireside With Authors," we thought we'd recap some quotes from the WOW! alumni that touch on the subject of author-promotion. Enjoy!

The Alumni Weighs In:

"If your book fits the niche, they want you. It may take four, five, ten calls; one will bite. Brainstorm, think outside the box. Ask yourself where your book would fit. Is there a scene in a beauty salon or art gallery, a dog kennel, a museum, car dealership? Two HOT WATER parties here held in Mexican restaurants because of scenes late in the book. An unusual event stirs interest and sales for the business too. Often they'll do the advertising, especially in smaller towns."

-- Kathryn Jordan

"Some of the most useful things you can do if you're on a tight budget and can't travel far are set up local signing events, get a presence on the Internet, and do a few mailings. At local signings, you're doing much more than meeting local readers. You're getting to know the book buyers and sellers, which is crucial. They're the ones who'll make sure your books are in stock, and many will even place them in prominent places instead of sticking them on the shelf, spine out."

-- Deborah LeBlanc

"The Internet had a huge part in almost every one of my successful projects. I wouldn't have made so many writing-related contacts were it not for Inkspot, for example, and that led to writing sales, including my nonfiction book."

-- Debbie Ridpath Ohi

"As an agent, I am always interested in a writer's career, not just her one book, and so I'm always thinking about what comes next. For a writer, it's great if she has in mind her next projects. Keep building that platform and reminding others of why you're THE person to be writing about your topic! Create a public platform for yourself; a public identity."

-- Elise Capron

"If you've published with a major or fairly-major house and they're doing right by your book publicity-wise, it shouldn't cost you a dime. But if you decide to hire a freelance publicist, it can cost you up to $25,000 for a full-campaign. If you want to fund your own Web campaign, it can cost you anywhere from $2500-$5000 (double that if you also need them to build you a website). If you want to do a 20-market radio satellite tour or a 20-market TV satellite tour, add another $3500 or $15,000, respectively. A media coach can cost you a cool $5000. A lecture agent shouldn't cost you anything up-front, but they'll take 10-20% of any speaker's fee they get you. And if you want to fund your own tour, figure on around a thousand dollars per city (for airfare, hotel, and meals).though you can always keep it cheap by driving and staying with friends."

-- Lissa Warren

"Put your thinking cap on. What kind of marketing skills do you have that will help whomever publishes your work promote it? What kind of database lists have you built that will help them promote you? (Bookstore event planners, as an example, will probably be impressed if you have 300 local names to invite to a signing.)"

-- Carolyn Howard-Johnson

"With nonfiction, the author's platform is a critical ingredient. Your platform consists of your professional credentials and also your visibility-in other words, the extent to which you're known before you even approach the publisher."

-- Betsy Amster

"These days, having an online presence is extremely important. It's a valuable method of book promotion, especially for young adult authors. An author should start with a great web site, but there are many ways that they can and should exploit the cyber world to promote their books. There are tons of books to help authors with this, and they should try to do this ideally before the book even comes out."

-- Jennifer DeChiara

"Aw, heck. Don't tell your membership but I'd represent a goldfish if it could write and had a speaking platform."

-- Wendy Keller

----------

Those were just a few of suggestions from our archives--in random order!

Hint:

We have over 500 pages on the WOW! website, so, when you want to search for a particular topic, go to the google search box on every page in the left-hand sidebar.

Type in your keyword, and click "search" -- it only searches our site!

(If you're having trouble seeing this box, you can always go straight to the source: WOW! Search Engine and type in your key word) Cheers!

 

 A Contest from Lunarpages

This just in from Tiara:

The fabulous Tiara Rea, who interviewed me for lunarpages, sent me this offer to you WOW! ladies:

Hi Angela,

I hope you had a great holiday.

Just writing to let you know we launched a pretty amazing contest over here and I thought you might want to let your readers know about it. It's a WordPress Theme Design Contest, where contestants enter their best WordPress Themes for voting by our community and staff.

First prize is $1,000 and 5 Years Free Hosting

Second prize is $300 and 3 years Free Hosting

Third prize is $100 and 1 year Free Hosting

I'd love to garnish some interest from the talented gals over at WOW.

The contest starts December 10 and will end mid-February 2008.

Hope you're doing well!

-Tiara

Yes Tiara, I'm doing spectacular!

So, you heard it ladies! If you have the inclination and are familiar w/ blogging and wordpress, check it out! It sounds like a great contest with a lot of benefits.

Check it Out>>

 ANNOUNCEMENTS from WOW! ALUMNI:

You ladies have been busy! So let's kick off the congrats:

----------

Carolyn Howard-Johnson:

Carolyn is partnering with Amazon Shorts, a program that brings short pieces from published authors for the amazing price of 49 cents. Shorts include nonfiction and how-tos, short stories, poetry collections and more.

Howard-Johnson, the author of five published books available on Amazon, says, "I have consulting clients who hate to learn the proposal and synopsis process. There are many good books out there on the subject but I needed to lead these authors through the process easily and fast. Thus The Great First Impression Book Proposal was born. Amazon's short program seemed made for it. Amazon is a true publisher. They put the work out their and publicize it to the reading public."

Daniel Slater, editor at Amazon, and his team put together a cover and shepherded The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need to Know About Selling Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less through the process in less than six weeks. Howard-Johnson says, "They have been very responsive, excellent communicators."

Learn more about Howard-Johnson at http://carolynhoward-johnson.com or http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com

--------------------

Kris Carr:

Kris is back from her tour, and what an awesome tour it was! I'm sure you all got a chance to see Kris on Oprah. Amazing!! Well, here's the latest from Kris:

Join the Crazy S*e*x*y Blog Revolution!

Kris's blog has been visited by an average of 43,000 people since its launch and receives between 50-100 posted responses to her blog entries daily. Her website, http://www.crazysexycancer.com/ is visited by over 250,000 people a month. If you would like to interview Kris Carr on your blog, or syndicate her very popular blog, please contact Jaclyn Wilson at jaclyn.wilson@globepequot.com

Kris will be available from January 21-February 1, 2008 for blog interviews and guest blogging.

Check out Kris's blog: http://crazysexycancer.blogspot.com/

--------------------

Linda Wang:

Linda Wang proudly represented Chinese Americans in last week's 56th Annual Compton Christmas Parade. The Compton Christmas Parade is the biggest event on the City's calendar. The popular annual affair features floats, cartoon characters, marching units, local marching bands, drill teams, equestrian units and a wide variety of celebrity guests.

Ms. Wang was told by her representative that the Compton City's officials welcome her with open arms to represent Chinese-Americans across the nation to celebrate the city's most exciting annual event. This was Linda's first appearance on a float.

"At first when my agent informed me about the invitation, I was so surprised the City of Compton chose me to represent Chinese-Americans, across the nation. It seems someone noticed me, one of the relatively few Asian faces around, volunteering for years at the homeless shelter downtown. I am a proud American from a middle-class immigrant family in Queens, New York. America, the land of opportunities, had giving all of us so much hope and many dreams. I just wanted to give back a bit of my time and much love. Our country is rapidly changing, I just want to promote and celebrate diversity. Solidarity is the key to harmony for all of us." says Linda.

Congrats Linda on a great event! To find out more about our previous WOW! alumni member, please visit:

http://www.bomis.com/rings/lindawang
http://imdb.com/name/nm0910972/
Her Interview on WOW!: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/11-inspiration.html

--------------------

Are you an Alumni Member (previously featured on WOW!) who'd like to be in our announcements section?

We'd love to hear what you've been up to! Drop us a note: buzz@wow-womenonwriting.com

 WOW!'s Website Find of the Month

We actually have two websites for you this month from our new Premium-Green Member, Karen J. Gordon!

Karen offers writing and editorial services through her website: http://www.karenjgordon.com.

And she also turned us onto another great resource for freelance writers! Write from Home, http://www.writefromhome.com is a great resource that helps writers manage kids & clips under one roof! Karen is a co-moderator of their wonderful and supportive freelance discussion list. Write from Home has a lot of helpful articles for children's writing, balancing motherhood and writing, and even tax tips for freelance writers! Check it out!

FIND OUT MORE>>