Pacific Northwest Writers Association
PACIFIC NORTHWEST WRITERS ASSOCIATION
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OCTOBER 2012 E-NOTES:

E-Notes is your monthly electronic newsletter full of the latest news about the literary world. Our newsletter is a PNWA Member Benefit.


Please send us an email if you would like to place an announcement in next month's E-Notes: [email protected]
 

(However, please note that this email address is not regularly monitored.  For any questions or comments, please email [email protected])

  
(Announcements must be received by the 19th of
the previous month to be included).

PNWA NEWS:
 

October Member Workshop and Meeting

 

Thursday, October 11, 2012 @ 7:00pm    

NEW LOCATION:
Chinook Middle School's temporary location @ Ringdall

11650 SE 60th St.
Bellevue, WA 98006

 

Speakers:  M.J. McDermott, Michael Harris, Nicholas O'Connell 
Topic: Book Trailers - Digital Marketing of Your Book

A book trailer is a short video that markets your book, like a movie trailer. In this new world of digital marketing and self-publishing, a good book trailer is an essential tool to promote your book online. In this presentation, M.J. McDermott will talk about how she works with writers to create a book trailer, including working on camera; filmmaker Michael Harris will talk about the process of shooting and editing the trailer; and author Nick O'Connell will talk about how he has used his book trailer to market his new novel.

 

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PNWA's 2012 Fall Workshop Series

There is still time to sign up for this weekend's classes!

 

- "Breaking the Rules" presented by Terry Persun & Nicole J Persun (October 6th @ 10:00am)

- "Writing for a Living" presented by Terry Persun & Nicole J Persun (October 6th @ 1:30pm)

 

Please email us if you would like to attend either or both of this Saturday's workshops. Other classes offered this fall include:

 

- "Choose Your Words Carefully" presented by Lindsay Schopfer (October 20th)

- "Handling Writer's Block" presented by Lindsay Schopfer (October 20th)

- "An Author's Master Class" presented by William Kenower (October 27th)

- "How a Book is Born" presented by the Editors Guild (November 3rd)

- "Writing Sex: Breaking the Self-Censoring Barrier" presented by Sarah Martinez & Jack Remick (November 3rd)

 

All classes will be held at the Writers' Cottage in Issaquah.

 

PNWA MEMBER BONUS: buy three workshops ($50.00 each) and receive the FOURTH WORKSHOP FREE!

 

For workshop details and registration forms, visit our homepage.

  

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2013 Conference Proposals

We are currently acquiring faculty for our 2013 conference. If you are interested in submitting a proposal, click here for a copy of the application. All speaker applications must be submitted by November 1, 2012 to be considered.

 

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Member Book Signings: October 13

Join us on Saturday, October 13 from 1:00 - 3:00pm for a multi-author book signing at the Writers' Cottage!

The following authors will be selling and signing copies of their books:

Jason Black
Ken Coffman
Richard Hacker
David Hughes
Katherine Pym
John Trudel

Feel free to come by the Cottage anytime between 1:00 and 3:00pm to support your local authors!  (We also ask that you please bring cash or checks if you would like to purchase books.)  We hope to see you there!

 

The Writers' Cottage is located at:

Gilman Village

317 NW Gilman Blvd, space #8

Issaquah, WA 98027

MEMBER NEWS:

 

PNWA member Kenneth G. Bennett announces that his young adult series, The Gaia Wars (set in the North Cascades), was just optioned for film by Identity Films in Hollywood (press release available at http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118058388). Additionally, Kenneth has signed with Emily Keyes of the L. Perkins Literary Agency, whom he met at PNWA's summer conference. Congratulations, Kenneth!

 

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PNWA member Victoria Bastedo is pleased to announce the release of her first novel, Dear Miklos. A 'sweet' romance published by Black Lyon Publishers, it was released on August 1st. 

            Therese had her own pen pal, a special friend from the golden island of Crete. Miklos had been written on all of her thoughts and dreams from the time he had saved her life when she visited Greece as a child. Now he was threatening to come to Seattle, for he had picked up on the fact that she was in trouble by the tone of her letters.

            Recovering from an ancient illness, Therese decided to turn the tables and visit him instead. At 22, she could hardly wait to see him again, as well as the pure light of Greece. But a blond stranger with muscles of comic book proportions had been following her ever since her disease had been diagnosed in Seattle. She and Miklos barely had time to say hello before they were plunged into an odd game of pursuit and near danger, hideaway fortresses, and the discovery of her errant father. Through it all only one thing was certain: her determination to make Miklos more than just a pen pal for the rest of her life.

            Dear Miklos is available from the publishers website, online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and you can purchase it in both e-book and printed format. Here is a link and thanks for reading!

   http://www.blacklyonpublishing.com/Dear%20Miklos.html

 

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PNWA member Jason Black is pleased to announce the publication of his middle-grade adventure, Pebblehoof. Set in 1863 at the confluence of the Homestead Act and the Transcontinental Railroad, Pebblehoof follows the adventures of 10-year-old Maria Browning, who certainly never asked to be dragged from the streets of Chicago into the wilds of the Nebraska Territory, to work on a farm and live in a house made of dirt. Facing a new life in an unfamiliar land, Maria finds a friend and confidante in a wild prairie horse. But when the railroad bosses tell Maria's stubborn immigrant father that the family will have to leave their homestead to make way for progress, Maria finds herself in the middle of forces she scarcely understands. But she knows one thing: if she and Pebblehoof don't do something, the family will surely lose much more than their dreams of freedom in a new land. Available in paperback and e-book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Island Books on Mercer Island, Pebblehoof is a perfect holiday gift for nieces, daughters, and granddaughters who love horses.

 

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PNWA member Mary (M.J.) Moeller is pleased to announce the publication of her paranormal novel, The Devil's Apprentice. Megan Archer, whose restoration business on Whidbey Island, Washington, is verging on bankruptcy, accepts a stunning offer from a wealthy foreigner to buy her family's estate in a remote village in England. Ignoring psychic warnings about renovating the 12th-century church there into the client's personal residence, she focuses instead on the opportunity for financial stability. All goes well until Megan arrives in the village. That night, she experiences the first horrifying dream. Has her agreement to alter the church awakened a demonic entity? And has it resurrected a serial killer seeking his tenth victim? Megan hopes to piece together enough clues from her dreams to unveil the killer before it's too late. But are her enhanced psychic gifts more powerful than the evil entity? Or will the demon have the last word?

 

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PNWA member Vaughn Entwistle is proud to announce that he has signed a two-book deal with Keith Kahla at Minotaur for publication of The Paranormal Casebooks of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, an historical mystery pitched as a volatile cocktail of Sherlock Holmes-meets-the-X-Files with a dash of steampunk and a whiff of London fog. Scheduled for publication in Winter 2014, The Revenant of Thraxton Hall is the first in a series of Casebooks where two of the most creative minds of Victorian England, Arthur Conan Doyle and the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde, solve bizarre murders, unravel diabolical plots and unearth long-buried mysteries - each with a paranormal twist. The deal was negotiated by super-agent Kimberley Cameron of Kimberley Cameron & Associates. More details can be found on Vaughn's Blog at www.vaughnentwistle.com

 

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PNWA member Anne Hendren is happy to announce the release of her new book. Green architecture and a woman's desire to learn the truth about a friend's murder combine to inform A Dream of Good and Evil, a novel on crime, punishment and personal redemption. Architect Loisann "Lou" Cooper finds her world falling apart. A professional failure prompts her to quit her job, a man she loves is arrested in the brutal killing of a journalist, and her sister is in jail. Moreover, Lou's old boss and his socialite wife are not what they seem, and their actions directly affect Lou's life. Deliverance appears in the unlikely form of an architecture project that restores Lou Cooper's sense of justice. The book is now available in print and digital format from Ring of Fire Publishing

 

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PNWA member Barry Brennessel is pleased to announce that his novel, The Celestial, is now available from MLR Press.  The story, set in 1870s California, centers on Todd Webster Morgan, hardened beyond his nineteen years, and determined to find gold high in the Sierra Nevadas. But his dream is violently upended. Complicating matters even more, he meets a young Chinese immigrant named L�o Jian, whose own dreams of finding gold have been quashed by violence. But life back in Sacramento isn't any easier. Todd's mother struggles to make ends meet. His invalid uncle becomes increasingly angry. Todd seeks employment with little success. Meanwhile his friendship with L�o Jian turns to love. But their relationship is strained as anti-Chinese sentiment grows. Todd vows not to lose L�o Jian. The couple must risk everything to make a life for themselves, a life that requires facing fear and prejudice head-on. The Celestial, a finalist in the 2012 PNWA Literary Contest, is available from MLR Press, Amazon, Fictionwise, and OmniLit, in paperback and e-download.  www.barrybrennessel.com

 

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PNWA member Randall Platt announces the release of her newest young adult historical novel, Liberty's Christmas. A girl in search of an education, a draft horse in search of one last chance, a derelict tractor in search of a missing gear, and a young Mexican-American in search of a home: These unlikely compatriots join forces and risk everything for a small bit of something during a time when nothing was king: The Great Depression. Visit Randall at www.plattbooks.com

 

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PNWA member Jade Leone Blackwater's essay "Our First Language: Why Kids Need Poetry" appears in the September issue of WILD RIVER REVIEW. www.wildriverreview.com

 

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PNWA member Nancy Miller announces the release of Griefland: An Intimate Portrait of Love, Loss, and Unlikely Friendship (co-authored with Armen Bacon). Griefland: it's a place no one wants to visit - a place without borders where language is inadequate and pain is constant. It's a place where every morning, one awakens to the stark reality that a loved one will never be seen, heard, or embraced again. This is a place that Nancy Miller and Armen Bacon know all too well, for both of them, when they met, had lost a child to drug addiction. Both of them had also enjoyed a comfortable, middle-class life - until it was rocked by the sudden death of a son Alex, and a daughter, Rachel. Griefland provides an intimate portrait of what tragedy does to the human soul, how it changes one's life, and most importantly, how it can be survived. With achingly beautiful language, this book explores the acute moment-to-moment experience of grief. But it also transcends that and speaks to the redemptive power of friendship, trust, intimacy, and love. Together they discover a will and desire to move forward, recognizing that Life is the ultimate prize for those who survive this excruciating journey. Visit Nancy at www.griefland.com

 

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PNWA member Mary Brockway announces the release of Falcons Fly West, the third novel in her Falcon trilogy from Wings ePress. All of Mary's books are listed on Amazon, Wings ePress, Pubit and several other outlets.

 

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PNWA member John Trudel's first novel, God's House, continues to get "5-stars" on Amazon. His second novel, Privacy Wars, is now published to excellent early reviews. It is available in paper and eBook formats on Amazon now, and will be in the book store channels soon.  For information, check www.johntrudel.com. John loves to do signings and book clubs, so feel free to contact him. His third novel, Soft Target, will be out in 2012.

 

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Short story "Epaulets" by PNWA member Craig T Martin coming in October:

 

Craig wanted to refer to a website in his short story "Epaulets." Now www.bmyguy.com is his, and the short story is about to be published in the very first issue of T(OUR) Literary Magazine. In Seattle, the murder of a mutual friend brings two young gay men together, pooling their resources as they strive to solve the crime. Complimentary copies will be available at various Seattle locations. See the website to order a copy by mail. There will be a launch party for the magazine at Hugo House in Seattle on October 9 at 7 PM.

 

CLASSES/WORKSHOPS:

 

Take your novel to the next level

Workshops taught by Pam Binder, PNWA President, through the UW Extension Program.

 

Popular Fiction I

Autumn 2012

Explore the backbone of the commercial fiction industry. Examine the art of captivating readers through strong plots, powerful scenes and three-dimensional characters. Learn how to construct a suspenseful and complex storyline, write believable dialogue and hone your craft.

Start date: October 10, 2012

Location: UW Seattle

 

Popular Fiction II

Autumn 2012

Complete and edit your full-length novel. Strengthen your fiction-writing skills through lectures, guest speakers, in-class writing exercises and group critiques. Gain expertise in the revision process and learn self-editing tools. Learn the importance of marketing and social media as well as how to prepare your manuscript for submission to agents and publishers.

Start Date: October 9, 2012

Location: UW Seattle

 

For more information, visit http://www.pce.uw.edu/certificates/writing/

 

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Write Your Novel in a Month  

Saturdays, October 10th - December 1st

10:00am - 12 noon

No class 11/24

 

Is writing a novel one of your lifelong dreams? Join this 8-week Bellevue College class as it hooks up with 100,000 writers worldwide for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The first classes prepare you for the noveling process, with practice in characterization, setting, plot, voice, and dialogue. Then we're off and writing our 50,000-word manuscripts. During the last class we plan for revision. This is a great way to write your novel in a supportive environment.  Cost: $189  

 

Questions?  Contact [email protected]

To register go to Bellevue College continuing education:  http://www.campusce.net/bc/course/course.aspx?C=12256&pc=17&mc=81&sc=

   

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October Lock-Down Retreat at Captain Whidbey Inn in Coupeville

"First Write the Book; It's All in the Craft," October 12-14, is a retreat for writers who are serious about taking their work to the next level. Only twenty-four registrants can be accommodated; fees for the event include meals, lodging, manuscript critique, instruction and one-on-one mentoring by successful authors and popular teachers, Terry Persun, Bharti Kirchner and Stephanie Kallos.

 

Persun is a novelist and poet with a special expertise in book marketing, especially as it relates to social media. Persun's instruction will include insights gained from writing poetry, such as applying poetic devices to invigorate the telling of a story.

 

Kirchner is the author of nine books - five novels and four cookbooks. She will show retreat writers how to use food as a tool for plot movement and character development. Kirchner's classes will also emphasize the importance of setting in a novel or memoir, providing many tips and techniques that will help make the "place" in your novel vivid in the reader's mind.

 

Kallos challenges retreat participants to answer the question: "Are you sure this is the book you want to write?" Once devastated by this question herself, Kallos says before you write a word, think long and hard as to whether there may be a disconnect between the story you yearn to tell and how the reader may receive your intent - clarity between writer and reader is critical.

 

The retreat is designed to encourage writers of all experience levels - published authors as well as first-book writers. Discipline, craft, rewriting and how to take the work to final will be emphasized.

 

Registrants must submit 2,500 words of a prose manuscript or 5 pages of poetry by September 15, for review by the instructors. Individual attention and extraordinary camaraderie are key features of the Writers Lockdown Retreat. Last year's fees are available until September 10. Application forms and additional information are available at http://www.nila.edu/wiwa_retreat.htm or call 360-341-2910.

CONTESTS/SUBMISSIONS:

 

2013 Nautilus Book Awards

Now open for submissions! A prestigious Awards Contest for books that showcase new ways of thinking and healthy, natural options for living sustainably and peacefully together.

 

Benefits include cash prizes for grand winners, plus exhibit & marketing opportunities for all winners. Visit www.nautilusbookawards.com for details.

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