Meetings

Karen Joy Fowler, Kissing The Blarney Stone – Tips from a Professional Liar

February 20, 2012 By trivalleywriters

Karen Joy Fowler will focus on how to bring a sense of authority and believability even to the most preposterous of stories with “Kissing the Blarney Stone – Tips from a Professional Liar.” The key is in the details.

Ms. Fowler is author of The Jane Austen Book Club, which spent thirteen weeks on the New York Times best sellers list and was a New Your Times Notable Book. Her previous novel, Sister Noon, was a finalist for the 2001 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction. Her debut novel, Sarah Canary, was New York Times Notable Book, as was her second novel, The Sweetheart Season. In addition, Sarah Canary won the Commonwealth medal for best first novel by a Californian, and was short-listed for the Irish Times International Fiction Prize as well as the Bay Area Book Reviewers Prize. Fowler’s short story collection Black Glass won the World Fantasy Award in 1999. Her most recent release is What I Didn’t See and other stories. Fowler and her husband, who have two grown children, live in Davis and Santa Cruz. Visit her web page at www.karenjoyfowler.com.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Four Points by Sheraton, Karen Joy Fowler, The Jane Austen Book Club, Tri-Valley Writers, What I Didn't See and other stories, writing advice, writing technique

Veronica Rossi, Writing High Concept Fiction

January 23, 2012 By trivalleywriters

What exactly makes something high concept fiction and why are agents and editor searching for it? How can you apply the tenets of high concept fiction to your own writing? Novelist Veronica Rossi, author Under The Never Sky, will show you what you need to know to make your own writing more appealing to agents, and more exciting for readers. Under The Never Sky was just released by Harper Collins, and it has already been optioned for a movie. New York publishers, and Hollywood, love high concept stories like hers.

Veronica Rossi writes young adult fiction from her Bay Area home. She is a member of the California Writers Club Mount Diablo Branch. Under The Never Sky is her debut novel. Her blog can be found at www.veronicarossi.com.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: debut novel, Four Points by Sheraton, high concept fiction, new fiction, Tri-Valley Writers, Under The Never Sky, Veronica Rossi, writing advice, writing technique

Winterfest

January 11, 2012 By trivalleywriters

We’re starting the new year with a celebration of writers – our own! Join us to hear our members read their recently published work from Voices of the Valley: First Press, the very first Tri-Valley Writers anthology. We’re also featuring members who have been published in Tapestries and the Los Positas College anthology. In addition, we have planned a little contest to test how well you know your fellow writers. We’ll read a section from a mystery piece, and see how many of you can identify the author. There will also be time to socialize over dessert. Join us to relax and re-energize, and start out 2012 on the right writing foot.

Voices of the Valley: First Press is available at www.amazon.com or www.createspace.com/3739063.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: author readings, Four Points by Sheraton, Tri-Valley Writers, Voices of The Valley: First Press

Adina Senft, World Building Through Your Character’s Eyes

December 17, 2011 By trivalleywriters

Building a world is more than paragraphs of description of a prairie town or the mean streets of steampunk London. It’s how your character sees your story world and how it in turn reflects him. It’s how the environment influences and changes your character—and how your character changes her environment—during the events of the plot. Award-winning author Adina Senft will show you how to build a setting from the top down and from the inside out so that your world becomes as much a character as your people. She’ll also talk about how to research a believable setting, even if you’re making it all up.

The author of 18 novels published with Harlequin, Warner Books, and Hachette, Adina Senft holds an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, where she teaches as adjunct faculty. Writing women’s fiction as Shelley Bates, she was the winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award in 2005, a finalist for that award in 2006, and, writing young adult fiction as Shelley Adina, was a Christy Award finalist in 2009. Three of her books have shortlisted for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Award for book of the year. Of her books, publisher and industry blogger W. Terry Whalin says, “Readers will be lost in the vivid world that [she] paints with incredible detail and masterful storytelling.” A transplanted Canadian, Adina returns there annually to have her accent calibrated. Between books, she enjoys traveling with her husband, playing the piano and Celtic harp, and spoiling her flock of rescued chickens.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Adina Senft, Four Points by Sheraton, Shelley Adina, Shelley Bates, Tri-Valley Writers

Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada, 6 Cs for becoming a successful writer in the digital age

November 19, 2011 By trivalleywriters

Ready to take your writing to the next level by learning from and networking with experts? Want to get your dream book published? Legendary West Coast literary agents Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada (www.larsenpomada.com), who are members of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, will spend a humor-filled day with writers and others wanting to tell their story. You will gain first-hand insight into how agents, editors, and publishers work; how to develop and refine your work; make a commitment to achieving your goals, and understand why now is the best time ever to be a writer. Best of all, the last part of the event will be devoted to 3-minute, one-on-one sessions in which you can pitch your book, get feedback on the first page of your proposal, and ask questions.

Since 1972, the renowned Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents has sold adult fiction and nonfiction to more than 100 publishers. Working in a beautiful Edwardian Painted Lady atop San Francisco’s historic Nob Hill, the husband-and-wife team is eager to find new writers. Mike handles non-fiction; Elizabeth represents memoirs, and commercial, literary, genre, and women’s fiction including romance, mysteries, thrillers, and suspense. (Their colleague Laurie McLean handles romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, westerns, mysteries, thrillers, suspense, children’s middle-grade and young-adult books.)

Michael is author of How to Get a Literary Agent, now in its third edition, and How to Write a Book Proposal (fourth edition, Writers Digest). He co-authored Guerrilla Marketing for Writers: 100 Weapons for Selling Your Work. Mike and Elizabeth are co-directors of the Nineth San Francisco Writers Conference, which will take place February 16-20, 2012, www.sfwriters.org, Michael’s blog: sfwriters.info/blog.

Included in the cost for this full-day seminar is continental breakfast, buffet lunch, and twenty pages of valuable hand-outs.

Sign me up for 6 Cs for Becoming a Successful Author in the Digital Age!

Name:___________________________________________________________________________________

Address:_________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip:____________________________________________________________________________

Email:________________________________________ Phone:____________________________

Amount enclosed: ___$99 ___$85 Member, CWC Branch:________________________________

Clip and submit with payment to: California Writers Club, Box 10993, Pleasanton, CA, 94588.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: agents, editors, Elizabeth Pomada, Four Points by Sheraton, Michael Larsen, Tri-Valley Writers, writing advice

Catherine Coulter, “Stranger in a Strange Land: Publishing Today”

October 15, 2011 By trivalleywriters

Catherine Coulter will present an insider’s look at the publishing industry and how to join the game in her talk, “Stranger in a Strange Land: Publishing today.” She has written 67 books and has over 70 million books in print worldwide. Moonspun Magic, a historical romance, hit the New York Times Bestseller List in 1988 and she has continued to hit The List 65 times. False Pretenses, her first contemporary suspense, appeared in hardcover in 1988. Her widely popular FBI suspense thriller series got its start with The Cove in 1996, and the 15th book in the series, Split Second, came out on July 19th, 2011. Coulter continues to write both historical romances and the FBI suspense thrillers, enjoying humor and mysteries equally in both the present and the past. She and her husband love to travel and ski and watch professional football. They live in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area with their three cats Cleo, Peyton and Eli.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Catherine Coulter, Four Points by Sheraton, publishing, Tri-Valley Writers, writing life

Nora Profit, Why Your Book May Never Get on the Shelf

September 17, 2011 By trivalleywriters

Nora Profit, director of The Writing Loft, will reveal the clues that mark the difference between trained writers and amateurs. Publishers and editors are willing to look at new writers, but they are leery about taking a chance on a writer unfamiliar with the rules of the craft. “With the right information, anyone can write well and get published,” says Nora. She has had more than 400 articles printed. Her broad experience in the world of writing includes everything from books, articles, newsletters, and short stories to newspaper columns, interviews, pamphlets and brochures. She is a featured author in Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul, and Chicken Soup: Living Your Dreams. Her own books include 10 Glaring Mistakes Amateur Writers Make and How to Avoid Them, The Ultimate Novel Writing Workbook and numerous how-to booklets on the craft of writing. She graduated with honors from San Jose State University with a degree in Journalism.

“Writers are on the forefront of bringing meaning and significance to the events that influence our lives. That’s why writing well and with impact is so important.” This belief is the cornerstone of The Writing Loft, Northern California’s only creative writing school, founded by Nora in 2001. The Writing Loft is a unique writing school with a practical approach to skill and craft that is easy to internalize and easier to implement. It is a place where she is changing the way would-be writers think about their artistic abilities, the craft of writing and the business of being an author.

Please note this will be the first meeting at the Four Points by Sheraton, 5115 Hopyard Road, in Pleasanton. Reservations are required. Call Annette Langer at (925) 484-5924.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Four Points by Sheraton, Nora Profit, publishing advice, The Writing Loft, Tri-Valley Writers, writing advice

Summer and TVW

August 15, 2011 By trivalleywriters

TVW members have been busy writing, regardless of the obstacles (read Annette Langer’s blog below for proof). The anthology is on-track for publication this fall. It will feature short stories, memoir, poetry and children’s stories from over forty members. The authors have been working all summer on the pieces, while the anthology committee has been preparing for publication and publicity. Watch for more information about readings and other events.

While the club takes a break from general meetings in July and August, critique groups continue through the summer. The stem critique group is open to all members, with smaller groups developing from this one to meet the needs of those working on longer pieces or in specialty genres.

Plans for 2011-12 meetings include an all-day writing conference, lectures, and a critique session. Tri-Valley Writers next meeting will be Saturday, September 17.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: anthology, members, Tri-Valley Writers

Nina Amir, “5 Things Every Nonfiction (and fiction) Writer Needs to Publish a Book”

June 18, 2011 By trivalleywriters

Nina Amir is a seasoned journalist, nonfiction editor, author, consultant, and writing coach and publishing mentor with more than 30 years of experience in the publishing field as well as the founder of Write Nonfiction in November, a blog and writing challenge. Currently, she also serves as the national Jewish Issue Examiner and a staff writer at Grocery Headquarters magazine.

As a publishing mentor, Amir teaches workshops, teleseminars and classes on how to get published. She also speaks to organizations, writing groups and at conferences on topics related to writing, getting published, building platform, and realizing the dream of becoming a published author. She works with individual aspiring authors not only on their manuscripts but on staying inspired as they maneuver their way through the sometimes long and arduous path to becoming published.

Filed Under: Meetings, Uncategorized Tagged With: Nina Amir, non-fiction, Oasis Grille, publishing, Tri-Valley Writers

Chris Baty – No Plot, No Problem

May 21, 2011 By trivalleywriters

A resident of Berkeley, California, Chris is the founder of National Novel Writing Month and the Executive Director of its parent nonprofit, the Office of Letters and Light. With his startlingly mediocre prose style and complete inability to write credible dialogue, Chris has set a reassuringly low bar for budding novelists everywhere. Chris is an anthropologist by training and a freelance writer by trade; his work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Believer, and Lonely Planet guidebooks. When not bossing strangers around, Chris spends debilitating amounts of time in coffee shops. His mercilessly pants-kicking book, No Plot? No Problem!, is available at your favorite bookstore.

Chris started his novel writing project in July, 1999 with 21 participants in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2000, it was moved to November “to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather,” and an official website was launched. That year 140 participants signed up for the event, including several from other countries, and 21 completed the challenge. The following year, Baty expected similar numbers but 5,000 participants registered. In 2010, it was 200,000.

But does it work? Ask Sara Gruen, who wrote the first draft of her award-winning best-seller, Water for Elephants, during NaNoWriMo.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Chris Baty, NaNoWriMo, Oasis Grille, Tri-Valley Writers