PNWA NEWS: Monthly Speaker Meeting Thursday, June 17, 2010 Downtown
Bellevue Barnes and Noble @ 7:00 P.M.
(626 106th Ave. NE, Bellevue, WA 98004)
Presenter: Janna Cawrse Esarey
Topic: Pitching to agents and editors
With PNWA's summer conference on the horizon, many writers are gearing up
to pitch to agents and editors. But how do you boil down an entire book to a few
compelling sentences? This hands-on workshop will tell you how. We'll cover the
elevator pitch, the extended pitch, pitching etiquette, and useful tips specific
to the PNWA Conference. Attendees will write, deliver, and get feedback on their
pitches. If you're planning on pitching this summer, be sure to join us.
Janna Cawrse Esarey pitched her book, The
Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman's Search for
the Meaning of Wife, at PNWA three years
ago. Her book came out with Simon & Schuster last summer. Visit her at www.byjanna.com. Conference Announcements/Updates There is
still plenty of space available for the One
Day Novel Writing Seminar on Thursday, July 22. This brand-new option is perfect for those
who would like to experience the summer conference but don't have the time or
money to attend it in its entirety.
Taught by bestselling author Bob Mayer, the seminar runs from 9:00am to
4:00pm on the first day of the conference.
Cost is $150 for PNWA members, and $200 for non-members. The registration form is available here. Please note
that registration for the seminar does
not include tickets to Thursday evening's conference keynote address by Andre
Dubus III. Speaking of
which, individual tickets to any of the
keynote or featured speaker events are also available for purchase. Prices are as follows: Thursday, July 22 - Keynote address by Andre
Dubus III / dessert: $65 each Friday, July 23 - Featured speaker Lisa
Gardner / dinner: $70 each Saturday, July 24 - Featured speaker C.C.
Humphreys / lit contest awards ceremony / dinner: $70 each Sunday, July 25 - Featured speaker Elizabeth
Lyon: $35 each Please
contact us at pnwa@pnwa.org to purchase
tickets. The
deadline for Book Doctor submissions
has been extended to June 8. This is a
great opportunity for conference attendees to have the first 25 pages of their
manuscripts critiqued by industry professionals. Cost is $50.
Details are available here. Pitch Doctor - brand new!
Tighten
that pitch at the conference before presenting it to the Agents and Editors! Each group
of four attendees will have half an hour to pitch their work to our very own
Pitch Doctor! Attendees will have a chance to get feedback and see how other
pitches may or may not work. A great way
to break the ice and get some honest feedback before stepping into that Agent
or Editor appointment! Sign up at the conference in the
Whidbey room on Thursday, 10:00am - 12:00pm; Friday, 8:00am - 12:00pm Limited slots available.
NO SIGN-UPS
AT THE DOOR. Check out
the Conference Brochure for more details! Volunteering at the conference is a great way for attendees to
support PNWA! As the hardest-working
non-profit in town, we rely on the support of our amazing volunteers to keep
everything running smoothly. If
you are already registered for the conference and would like to help in
one of the following areas, please send an email to anne@pnwa.org.
-Book doctor sign-ups -Pitch doctor sign-ups -Meal-time ticket-taking -Moderating sessions .
MEMBER NEWS
PNWA member Edward Clarkhas published his debut
novel The National Tree Brigade, which opens in the
Olympic Peninsula, and
which lampoons Reagan era political and environmental policies.
For more
information, see thenationaltreebrigade.com.
PNWA member Kaki Warner announces the June 2010 release of Open Country, Book II of the 1870s
family saga, the Blood Rose Trilogy; released by Berkley. Molly
McFarlane is desperate. Forced to flee
with her late sister's children, she must provide for her wards while
outrunning the relentless tracker the children's vicious stepfather has
set on their trail. Out of money and with no other options, she marries a man
badly injured in a train derailment, assuming when he dies, the insurance
settlement will provide the money they need to keep moving west. Except the
man doesn't die. Hank
Wilkins doesn't recall the accident he barely survived, and he certainly
doesn't remember marrying Molly. But as
he slowly recovers at the Wilkins ranch in New Mexico Territory, the idea of a
real marriage takes hold...until his memory returns and that fragile trust is
shattered, and the tracker follows Molly to the ranch. Then Hank and Molly must decide how far they
will go to protect the people they love. "...a compelling, emotionally intense read." - Romantic
Times "...a
beautifully spun tale." Top pick --Historical Romance Releases/The Season
"...a superb Reconstruction Era romance." 5 stars - Harstan Reviews "...thoroughly
enjoyable...a must read." Top pick --Night Owl Reviews Visit Kaki at http://www.kakiwarner.com for excerpts, book
trailers and information about Book I, Pieces
of Sky, released by Berkley January 1, 2010. PNWA member Shoshana Alexander and James Baraz, authors of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on
the Road to Real Happiness (Bantam, 2010) will be doing readings and talks
in the Northwest: June 3 Vancouver, BC, Banyen Books, 4 - 5 P.M. Vancouver, BC, Masonic Hall, 7:30 P.M. June 7
Seattle, WA, Be Luminous Yoga Studio, 7:30 P.M. PNWA member Michael Wenberg's second young adult novel, Stringz, is scheduled for release by Westside Books
next month. The story revolves around a gifted teenaged
musician whose only real friend is a cello he calls
"Ruby." His life is transformed when he and his mom move
to Seattle and he learns that going it alone isn't the best way to be, and
discovers that he has friends in the most unexpected places. Advance
praise for Stringz: "Stringz touched me very deeply. Michael
Wenberg's done something very special, and has rare understanding of so many
things - classical music, hip hop, black culture, and kids. His book has a huge
heart, and a great sense of humor. And most of all, a deep love of all kinds of
music."
-Greg Sandow, composer, blogger, columnist and orchestra consultant "Michael
Wenberg's vivid portrait of teen cellist Jace Adams is a revelation. As Jace
navigates the terrors of school bullies, the challenge of making friends in a
new high school, and overcomes a vividly disturbing home life, everything comes
into sharp focus when he plays his trusty cello. An inspiring and
emotional story that teens will especially devour."
-Mark Summer, Turtle Island String Quartet "Jace Adams
is a hero for this time, a surfer, cellist, survivor who figures out that 'It
is what it is.' A fresh sound in YA." -Robert
Lipsyte, host of the PBS series, Life (Part 2), and author of "The Contender," and "Center Field."
About the author:
Michael Wenberg lives with his wife, Sandy, an architectural color consultant,
and his teenage son, Lucas, on a mini-farm outside of Walla Walla, Washington,
near the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Wenberg has attended Seattle Pacific
University and Eastern Washington University and holds a Bachelor of Arts
degree in English from Gonzaga University. He is currently the CEO of the Walla
Walla Symphony, one of the finest small town orchestras in the country. When
he's not writing, spending time with his family, or playing his trombone, you
can find him backpacking, mountain biking, or snow skiing, depending on the
season. E-mail Michael at michaelcwenberg@hotmail.com.
Visit him on the web at www.michaelwenberg.com or www.michaelwenberg.wordpress.com.
PNWA member Patricia Weenolsen announces the publication of her new
book, Daughter of the Morning Star,
Book II of the series Remembrance of Things that Never Happened. In 1703,
Mary emerges from captivity by the Abenaki Indians and returns to Salem, where
she gathers together a band of abused children. These include Mary's niece, the
endearing five-year-old Sophie, whom her mother, Letty, accuses of being a
witch and locks up periodically without food or water. Letty also abuses her
slave, pretty fifteen-year old black 'Chuba, whom Letty shoots for secretly
feeding Sophie. Roaming the streets is Dorcas, the teen-aged, distracted
daughter of a hanged witch. And taking refuge in the Pest House are the
plague-scarred artistic ten-year-old Abigail and the inventive twelve-year-old
Thaddeus, both cared for by Elihu, a hideously cratered hulk of a man who falls
hopelessly in love with Mary. Her moral compass and spiritual knowledge guide
her to rescue many victims of societal and individual injustice. The new book is a
sequel to acclaimed Book I, The Cave of
Storms. The author:
Patricia Weenolsen, a psychologist, has also written Transcendence of Loss over
the Life Span and The Art of Dying, reviewed by Publishers Weekly, Library
Journal, Tacoma News-Tribune, Newark Star-Ledger, and others. She has
also published short fiction in TriQuarterly,
Southern Humanities Review, Confrontation, Buffalo Spree and many other magazines under the name Patricia
Otway-Ward. She has appeared on the Today
Show, the Joan Rivers Show, and
on National Public Radio. Available
from fine independent book stores, Barnes and Noble, Amazon (forthcoming) and
others. Information: www.RubythroatPress.com, www.CaveofStorms.com, www.DaughteroftheMorningStar.com. ISBN-13: 978-1-935420-06-4, priced
at $17.95 before discounts.
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