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Writing Your Novel
SSA welcomes bestselling novelist Nancy E. Turner as our forum speaker on Sunday, October 16th along with our annual writing contest winners. Nancy's presentation focuses on writing your novel and provides the "how to" kind of information writers need to get moving and succeed. Nancy will share the story of her own success, but more importantly, she guides listeners in a way that gets the juices of success flowing and leaves those "I was just lucky" type presentations in the Arizona dust.
"I'll include some interesting things I've encountered along the way as well as a short reading of my new novel," [her fourth], Nancy said. Born in Grand Prairie, Texas near Dallas, Nancy currently lives in the Tucson foothills. She started college when her children were grown, and completed a bachelor's degree in fine arts at the University of Arizona with a triple major in creative writing, music, and studio art.
"It took me seven years to complete my four-year degree," Nancy says with a smile. But during that time she worked diligently on her first two novels. Her bestselling These is My Words: the Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine appeared in 1998, the year before she received her degree. These is My Words earned Nancy the Arizona Author's Award and became a finalist for the Willa Cather Award. Nancy's second novel, The Water and the Blood followed in 2001. Her third novel, Sarah's Quilt, the sequel to These is My Words, hit the stacks this past spring. Nancy will have copies available. Her forth novel carries on the story of heroine Sarah Agnes Prine. She may even be willing to share the source of her inspiration for the new book.
Although all three Sarah Prine books are based on family stories about own great-grandmother, Nancy blends reality into fiction so skillfully that readers can't help but turn the page to follow the fast-paced frontier excitement that follows Sarah Prine across the West.
Don't miss our October forum speaker, award-winning and bestselling novelist, Nancy E. Turner.
Uses and Abuses of Humor
in Writing
SSA welcomes humorist and satirist Robert "Bob" Flynn as our forum speaker on Sunday, November 20. Bob's presentation focuses on the uses and abuses of humor in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, metaphor, metaphysics, marriage, funerals, weddings, political campaigns, raves and riots. It's guaranteed to keep you in stitches and provide a wealth of information.
Robert Flynn is a native of Chillicothe, Texas; despite its size, the best known Chillicothe outside of Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. Chillicothe is so small there's only one Baptist Church. Chillicothe is so small you have to go to Quanah to have a coincidence. Chillicothe is fairly bursting with truth and beauty and at an early age Flynn set out to find it, discarding along the way seven novels: North To Yesterday; In the House of the Lord; The Sounds of Rescue, The Signs of Hope; Wanderer Springs, The Last Klick, The Devils Tiger, co-authored with the late Dan Klepper; and Tie-Fast Country, a dramatic adaptation of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying; a two-part documentary, "A Cowboy Legacy," shown on ABC-TV; a nonfiction narrative, A Personal War in Vietnam; an oral history When I Was Just Your Age; three story collections, Seasonal Rain, Living With The Hyenas, Slouching Toward Zion and a collection of essays, Growing Up a Sullen Baptist. He also contributes to The Door: The World's Pretty Much Only Magazine of Religious Satire.
His life and work could be described as The Search for Morals, Ethics, Religon, or at least a good story in Texas and lesser known parts of the world.
Don't miss our November forum speaker, Bob Flynn.
(NOTE ON FORUMS: NO CREDIT CARDS-
processing fees are too high,
we do not make a profit on the luncheons-
what you pay is what the hotel charges us.Also, if you R.S.V.P. please attend-SSA pays full fee if you don't!)
Sam Barone's novels, Sargon's Wall (2006) and Road To Empire (2007) will be published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in the US, and Century-Arrow in the UK. Represented by Dominick Abel Literary Agency, rights have also been sold to Spain, Italy, Czechoslovakia, and other countries.
Sam hosts a weekly critique group in Scottsdale, AZ for novelists that have completed (or are near completion) a full length manuscript. He also gives a presentation on the importance of a strong critique group for developing writers.Ruth Burke had a new book out in July-Yuma County Lines, which includes stories of what is now LaPaz County.
"As a historian my special period of interest is the Great Depression-which I've never got out of."Bea Carlton's new suspense novel, Toby's Baby, has recently been released. At the same time Genesis Comes to Life was reprinted by SonLife Publishing, with a new cover.
Besides writing, Bea teaches the Suspense Novel Class for Writer's Digest Correspondence School and speaks at writing workshops and conferences.LaVerne Harrell Clark's article, "Mari Sandoz & Her Legacy," was featured in the recently-released Summer issue (Vol. 35, No. 1) of Wispering Wind, a magazine focused on the American Indian: Past & Present, published in the New Orleans area. Four of her B&W photos accompanied the article about the contributions of the famous Nebraska author, Sandoz, in her writings about Plains Indians-especially concerning the Battle of the Little Bighor-with Indian accounts and records of the events. LaVerne has devoted 14 articles and two books on Sandoz.
Jane Candia Coleman has won the Willa (Cather) Award from Women Writing the West for her historical fiction novel, Tombstone Travesty: Allie Earp Remembers.
Coleman was runner-up for the Award in 2004 for her novel, Matchless, and runner-up for her Southwest memoir, Mountain Time, in 2002.
Coleman is the only woman to have received three Western Heritge Awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and has also won two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America.
She will be signing books - the re-issue of Doc Holliday's Woman, and Tombstone Travesty at Borders Books on Oracle and in Park Mall on September 23 and 24th.Stan Gordon's historical fiction novel, Moon In The Water, based on a real Apache woman in the 1800's, is almost sold out of the first printing. And that's just from July 24th until September 15th. Gordon has gotten the book into the Heard Museum in Phoenix, and the Arizona State Museum gift shop in Tucson. In addition, it is being considered by the American Indian Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington. Gordon still has some first edition copies for sale. Hardcover, published by Five Star. $26.95. Order by contacting Stan at: stansalsa@yahoo.com or call 326-4815.
Marilyn Haight's new business-nonfiction, career-advice book, Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Boss? 13 Types and How to Survive Them, was published on September 16, by Infinity Publishing. "Bad bosses" are managers who intentionally harm their employees and employers. The book explains how employees can survive these bad bosses unharmed. The project took eight years, including five years of undercover research, working as an employee while spying on bosses to observe their uncensored behavior; and three years to write and publish the book. More information is available on the book's web site at http://www.bigbadboss.com. You may contact Marilyn at marilyn@wordedwrite.com.
Carolyn Harris wrote an original short story that has been published in the newly released Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, the most recent book in the #1 NY Times best selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series. This book contains all new real stories about real cats-and the special people who love them.
Carolyn's story is titled "Patches" and tells about a long-haired calico who thinks she's been abandoned for the second time. It was selected from thousands of other potential stories to be included in Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul.Mabel Leo has seen what authors often dream of; her book transformed into an award-winning play. Phoenix playwright, Terry Earp, took Leo's book, The Saga of Jack Durant, and wrote In My Humble Opinion. The play opened January 6, 2005, ran for 22 sold-out performances. On September 26, 2005 the play won four ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence; best supporting actor, best stage design, best lighting, and best original production. The play re-opens November 3, 2005. As Mabel says, "Write that book. You never know what can happen!"
Eleanor Whitney Nelson's story of courage and loyalty, "The Telltale Woof," is being published in Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. The book is scheduled for release on September 27, 2005.
Charline Profiri's first book, Counting Little Geckos, published June 2005 by The RGU Group sold 1,800 copies the first month and a second printing has already been ordered. The book makes a perfect gift for babies through age five. Charline's website, www.cprofiri.com, has a free downloadable Teaching Guide with 48 activities to accompany the book.
The Write Word
published bi-monthly by the Board of Directors
of The Society of Southwestern Authors
P.O. Box 30355, Tucson, AZ 85751
President
Chris Stern: cstern@us.ibm.com
Vice-President
Dale Adams: 2dale@dakotacom.net
Treasurer
Carol Costa: starlit@theriver.com
Recording Secretary
Bill Pohlman: billpohlmann@hotmail.com
Member Chair
Penny Porter: wporter202@aol.com
Corresponding Secretary
Ruth Beach: rbeach930@theriver.com
Conference Co-Chair
Barbara Stahura: barbara@clariticom.com
Directory Editor
Sam Turner: clearskys@cox.net
Conference Interview Chair
Sharon Landeen: SLLandeen@theriver.com
Forum Program Chair
Rob Raine: rmskraine@msn.com
Reservations Chair
Randy Ford: info@randyfordplaywright.com
Writer's Contest
Mary Ann Hutchison: douglashutchison@comcast.net
Write Word Editor
Mike Rom: (520) 410-1294 (beep)
e-mail: writeword@ssa-az.org
SSA Home Page:
http://www.azstarnet.com/nonprofit/ssa
Webmaster
Mike Rom: (520) 410-1294 (beep)
mike_rom@hotmail.com
Deadline for next issue is
the 21st day of November