Congratulations to the Cape Canaveral Branch of the National League of American Pen Women

The Cape Canaveral Branch of the National League of American Pen Women swept the awards at the Florida State Association 2009 Conference in Sarasota last weekend. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Cape Canaveral Branch, and this is a great way to celebrate.

Art:

Carmen Beecher - Award of Excellence for "The Graduate"

Music:

Melany Duquin Smith - First Place Music (Vocal) "Keep on Growing" AND she also won a Special Award: American Pen Women Scholarship for Continuing Education.

Letters:

Annette Clifford

- First Place (Short story) "The Children's Lesson"

- First Place (Unpublished Adult Fiction) "Menopause Rocks"

Elizabeth Fay Picardi - First Place Free Form Poetry "Stretching Curtains"

Mary Dall - First Place (Unpublished Young Adult) "Bob!"

Diana Etheridge - Second Place "Cook-n-Rhyme with Kids"

Anna Flowers - Second Place "Wanton Woman"

Newsletter - Only one award was given. It went to the Cape Canaveral Branch for an overall superior newsletter and the one that served its members best (Other branches asked for copies in hopes of improving theirs!). The judges especially liked the lively colorful format, Focus-On pieces and electronic delivery.

For membership information, contact Bev Huttinger at bevhutt@cfl.rr.com.

Melissa and Pat Conroy Event - New Information

Conroy Event Moved to Saturday, Feb. 13

Amelia Island, Fla. (Nov. 23, 2009) – The Amelia Island Book Festival is pleased to announce that the scheduled Melissa and Pat Conroy event, A Night With Poppy, has been moved to Saturday night, February 13, 2010 at 7 p.m. and to a larger venue, the Old First Baptist Church in historic Fernandina Beach.

Tickets, at $50 each and limited to two per person, are available at the Visitor Center/Train Depot in downtown Fernandina Beach, Books Plus and the Golf Club of Amelia.

Tickets available by mail:
AIBF/Poppy's Pants
PO Box 824
Amelia Island, FL 32035

Haiku for You by Nancy Clark

Nancy started writing in elementary school, where she had her first poem published in a school magazine. Her love of writing continued into her years in junior and high school, where she was on the school newspaper staff. She entered college with plans to major in journalism; as the story goes, things change. She married her high school sweetheart, and for the next 20 years they moved from the U.S. to Europe and back again. When her husband retired from the military, they settled in Palm Bay, Florida.

After many years away from writing, Nancy has written her first book. As well as being her initial book, it is her first attempt at the fine art of Japanese Haiku. The photos in the book are those she has captured on vacations with her husband over the past few years.

You can order Haiku For You by following the following link: PublishAmerica to secure your copy of the book, then click Add to Cart. We typically ship within 24 hours. If you would rather call, please contact PublishAmerica at (301) 695 1707 (business days, hours only).

Writing the Novel: A seminar with Connie May Fowler

Writing Below Sea Level
presents

WRITING THE NOVEL

Writing Below Sea Level is presenting a one-day seminar, Writing the Novel, with the acclaimed author Connie May Fowler on January 30, 2010, in Summer Haven, Florida.

Seminar Highlights

How to Begin Your Novel

How to Develop Characters. Plot, Arc, and Conflict

Point of View

Your Novel is Written: Now What?

The Business of Writing

~~
Work in the house that inspired Connie May Fowler’s The Problem with Murmur Lee
~~

The seminar is limited to twenty participants. Admission is on a first-come basis.

Tuition (includes the one-day seminar and lunch):

$150 before or by December 10, 2009
$160 after December 10, 2009

Deadline: December 15, 2009

Email your reservation to mail@writingbelowsealevel.com

Tuition must be received by the above dates. Mail checks (payable to Below Sea Level) to Writing Below Sea Level, PO Box 98, Panacea, Florida, 32346

For more information, including lodging options, please contact mail@writingbelowsealevel.com

“If writing is a gift, then Connie May Fowler must have been bestowed with the gift of ten muses.”—Amy Tan

Writing Below Sea Level: The Cedar Key Project, Winter 2010

Writing Below Sea Level:

Full Immersion Workshops for
Serious Writers

Announces
THE CEDAR KEY PROJECT
Winter 2010

Two Exclusive, Three-day, Workshop-Intensive Writing Conferences with Connie May Fowler (fiction) and Zilpha Underwood (creative non-fiction)

When: February 25--28, 2010 and March 25—28, 2010

Each manuscript-intensive workshop is limited to six people and will be held in beautiful, historic Cedar Key, Florida.

Conference Details

Tuition: $500.

Admission: by application only.
February applicants will be notified as to the status of their application by January 12, 2010.
March applicants will be notified by February 2010.

Conference Application
Your application must include:

1. An original manuscript no longer than twenty pages (see manuscript guidelines below).

2. A $40 application/processing fee made out to Below Sea Level. Past participants need
to apply again. If you attended the workshop in 2009, the application fee is waived.

3. A single sheet containing the following information:
-- Your full name.
-- Your E-mail address.
-- Your phone number.
-- The best time of day to call.
-- What workshop you are applying for (you must choose one):
----*Fiction workshop with Connie May Fowler
----*Creative non-fiction workshop with Zilpha Underwood.
-- Indicate which conference you are applying for:
----*February 25—28, 2010
----*March 25—28, 2010
----*Either (note your preference)
----*Both
4. Mail your application packet—postmarked no later than January 5, 2010—to

Writing Below Sea Level
PO Box 98
Panacea, Florida 32346

Manuscript Guidelines:

1. You may submit up to twenty pages of fiction or creative non-fiction. Please indicate which genre you are applying for (the manuscript should be written in the genre of the workshop you wish to attend).

2. The material should be unpublished works in progress.

3. Manuscripts must be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, rendered in 12-point Times Roman font.

4. Each page must be numbered and your name should appear on each page.

5. Please do not print double-sided pages.

6. If your manuscript submission is part of a longer work, please indicate this. A one page
(rendered in manuscript style) synopsis is acceptable for such submissions.

They are unable to return submitted manuscripts. Application packets must be postmarked by January 5, 2010. If accepted, you may submit for the workshop critique material other than your application manuscript.

More 2010 dates announce soon. Please visit http://www.writingbelowsealevel.com/ for more details.

"Below Sea Level was the most transformative event of my creative writing career. The manuscripts were simply amazing, as were the women who wrote them. I feel certain I developed friendships and relationships that will last a very long time. The faculty offered advice and encouragement both personal and professional, and made sure each one of us left the workshop with a clear plan of how to move forward with our writing careers. I returned home happily exhausted, but with a renewed commitment to myself and my future, and with high hopes of continuing to work with such talented, extraordinary women." Tricia Booker, 2008 St. Augustine Project Participant

“I can say sincerely: Cedar Key wasn't just valuable for my writing. It was fun!” Geri Throne, 2009 Cedar Key Project Participant

Woman Artist Changed History of Florida: Read about it in a book by Deborah C Pollack

Did you know it was a woman artist who changed the history of Florida? Laura Woodward (1834-1926), was a professional artist--one of merely a handful of female members in the Hudson River School.

Woodward came to Florida in the 1880s and from ca. 1888-1896 became one of the most extensively traveled artists in the state. She braved the alligator, panther and bear-infused jungles to depict Florida’s natural landscape in beautiful watercolors and oils. Woodward painted the Ocklawaha, Tomoka, Indian, St. Lucie, Banana, Withlacoochee and many other rivers. She was the one of the first professional women artists to paint in Miami and the Everglades and the inspiration to Henry Morrison Flagler in his development of the most magnificent resort in the world—Palm Beach.

Having been brought up in the Victorian tradition of modesty, she remained publicly silent about her accomplishments and it is only now that the breadth of her importance is finally known—as Florida’s greatest nineteenth-century woman artist and one of its greatest publicists.

Book Details:

Title: Laura Woodward: The Artist Behind the Innovator Who Developed Palm Beach

Author: Deborah C. Pollack

Published: with the Historical Society of Palm Beach County by Blue Heron Press

Price: $39.99
Length: 264 pages
Photos: 83 color, 118 B/W
Maps: 6
Format: Hard Cover
Size: 11 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches
ISBN: 0-9778399-1-5

For more information please visit www.laurawoodwardartist.com/woodwardbook.html

Available in Florida at the Gift Shop of the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum, Classic Bookshop, Main St. News, Lightner Museum Store, Jupiter Inlet Museum Shop, Museum of Florida History, Past Perfect Florida History, Inc., Henry Morrison Flagler Museum Store, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, and other shops as well as online.

“An engrossing and beautiful book” --Florida Monthly Magazine

Author biography:

Bestselling author, lecturer, and art dealer, Deborah C. Pollack began fine-art dealing as a hobby at the age of sixteen and graduated with honors from Temple University with a B.A. in Art History in 1973.

In 1981, Deborah married and merged her fine art business with husband Edward Pollack in New York. They eventually left their New York location in 1995 to establish a permanent home and gallery in Palm Beach, Florida.

Deborah is the author of Inspired Whimsy: The Genius of Orville Bulman (1904-1978), the best-selling monograph, Orville Bulman: An Enchanted Life and Fantastic Legacy; and the best-selling biography, art and history book, Laura Woodward: The Artist Behind the Innovator Who Developed Palm Beach.

Magazine articles include the March 2010 issue of Antiques and Art Around Florida, THE Challenge magazine, a forthcoming Tequesta, and others.

She has curated and hung art exhibitions at the Society of Four Arts and the Delray Beach Historical Society, and has presented various art lectures throughout Florida and in the Midwest. Deborah will be presenting Laura Woodward: The Artist Behind the Innovator Who Developed Palm Beach at several venues including the Museum of Florida History in conjunction with their Voices of Florida Women Exhibition.

To contact the author: Deborah C. Pollack

205 Worth Avenue, Suite 202
Palm Beach, FL 33480; 561-655-1425; dcpollack@bellsouth.net

Music Made Simple - The BabyStep Method

Mikayla Morin, a second grader along with her brother, Alex Morin a kindergartner, both students at Indialantic Elementary School in Brevard County, are conducting several book signings for their newly released book Music Made Simple-The BabyStepMethod www.wbc.fit.edu/bbsteps at Florida Institute of Technology and local libraries in Brevard County, in the hopes of generating enough funds. The sales of the book will to be used to purchase keyboards and books for children with life threatening illness that are hospitalized during the Christmas holiday season.

Last year the duo and their parents, gave 20 keyboards and 20 DVDs with hand-written notes to twenty children in Arnold Palmer Hospital oncology department. This holiday season they will give to Arnold Palmer again and also to Florida Hospital. The Morins objective is to add one hospital each year.

Jade Smith of the Child Life Program at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando said of their endeavor, "The gifts you brought for us will provide lots of enjoyment for the hospitalized children but more importantly, it helps them know there are people who care about them. This sense of caring and comfort gives them encouragement throughout their stay at the hospital. Giving something to help others is a rewarding thing to do. You should feel good about your good deed."

The book will be sold at all the Florida Tech home games and at the following book signings:

at 6:00pm on Dec. 10th at Martin Luther King Library; 955 East University Blvd.; Melbourne, Fkriuda 32905

and at 1:00pm on Dec 12th at the Melbourne Beach Library.

For more information, go to http://www.wbc.fit.edu/bbsteps

News from The Scribblers of Brevard

The Scribblers of Brevard are having a Presentation of
Their 2009 Anthology, The "Driftwood."

When: December 3rd, 2009
Where: 'Patrick Paperbacks' Book Shop
1680 Highway A1A # 3
Satellite Beach, Fl. 32937 (321) 777 0170
Time: 12:00 noon - 2:00 PM

Meet some of the writers and hear their readings. Discussions about writing and creativity. Invitation to visit EauGallie Meetings.
Contact: veridian@cfl.rr.com or (321) 259 4131 for Information.

Thanks to the Amelia Island Book Festival

Florida Book News thanks the Amelia Island Book Festival for placing an ad. You'll find it in the column at the right. Please click on it and read all about the festival.

The festival is scheduled for February and has many talented authors and interesting activities planned.

Thanks for your support.

Writers' Workshop with Yvonne Mason

On November 17, 2009, Yvonne Mason is holding a writers' workshop at the Jupiter Library at 705 Military Tr Jupiter Fl. from 6:30 pm-8:30pm

She will be discussing writing and marketing skills in the 21st Century. She will have handouts for the workshop and her books will also be available. Mason is the author of Brilliant Insanity, Tangled Minds, and Silent Scream as well as others.

It will be a great evening. As of right now there are over 20 signed up including one 13 year old whose mother insisted he attend the workshop.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about the event, contact the library at 561-744-2301

“Art for Books II” Celebrates Children’s Literacy Programs

Prize-winning Titusville area artists will join the Friends of the Titusville Library and the Dick-Doc Duo on Sunday, December 6, 2009 to raise money for the Friends’ children’s literacy programs. “Art for Books II” will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Titusville Public Library, 2121 S.Hopkins Avenue in Titusville. The indoor event is free to Friends of Titusville Public Library ($5 memberships will be available at the door, and earlier at Titusville Public Library). Refreshments will be served.

Award-winning local artists will display their work while guests enjoy elegant desserts and live music by violinist Marshall Frank and pianist Jay Barnhart. Artwork will be available for sale in all price ranges, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the children’s literacy programs at the Library.

The Dick-Doc Duo is a highly entertaining collaboration between Frank, a homicide detective, and Barnhart, a medical examiner. The two transitioned together in retirement from murder in Miami to music in Brevard County. Their eclectic repertoire includes gypsy, tango, Broadway, movie themes, ethnic and classical music.

“Our children’s programs are even more important as parents struggle in this economy,” says Library Director Pamela Boddy. “The Friends of the Library make it possible to continue to offer high-quality reading programs for our children at no charge.”

Long-time FOTL board member Sara Ann Conkling is thrilled that the first “Art for Books” event was so successful that the community immediately requested a repeat for the holiday season. “Hundreds of people enjoyed our last event and were able to bring home some beautiful, affordable art, while helping our children continue to improve their reading skills,” reports Conkling. “This year’s event will be even more special as we add the panache of the Dick-Doc duo, and a silent auction of high-quality donations from our participating artists.” Conkling is chairing the event with Joe Dunn, FOTL Vice-President who is himself a Titusville artist.


For more information, call the Titusville Public Library at 321-264-5026 and ask for the Library Director.

Amelia Island Book Festival - Jeff Shaara

Amelia Island Book Festival - Author Focus
February 11-14 – 2010

Festival Focus
A series of reviews of books to be featured at the Amelia Island Book Festival – 2010. Reviewers represent a broad spectrum of community readers and writers. Author Jeff Shaara will be a featured author at the Festival, Feb. 11-14, 2010.

The Steel Wave by Jeff Shaara
Reviewed by Cal Atwood

Jeff Shaara is a name to be reckoned with. Readers probably came across him early on when his first book, Gods and Generals, arrived on the scene as a major motion picture—released by Warner Brothers in 1995.

Shaara comes by his literary legacy honestly. His father, Michael Shaara, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1975 for his classic novel The Killer Angels, which became the motion picture Gettysburg in 1993. Readers may have seen Shaara’s fine baseball story, starring Kevin Costner, For Love of The Game.

So, it seems like we are always looking for another good book to read. If you like action locked into a history background, you might just want to light up your reading lamp and dive into a book by Jeff Shaara. He has written some mighty sturdy books about the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War, Civil War and World Wars I and II. I have read most of his works and found them always to be a sterling read.

The Steel Wave, of Shaara’s three books on World War II, begins with a commando raid in January 1944 to get sand and soil samples from the Normandy beaches. Later, we zoom into preparations for the invasion, the invasion in June, and continue on in battle form to the death of Rommel in September, 1944. Freighted with action, this novel centers around the parachute drops of the Airborne Divisions, the 81st and the 101st, behind enemy lines at Normandy. The reader is mesmerized by the terrible terrain of the landing zones and the extreme hardships of the drops. Dozens of vicious and deadly skirmishes take place against the formidable German troops within a few miles and in St. Mere Eglise. If anyone thinks they might want to wear the wings and boots of a parachutist, it would be a good idea to read this book first---the glamour disappears in a flash.

The terrain behind the lines is extremely dangerous as is Shaara’s voyage into the minds of some of the troopers on the ground: Adams, Thorne, Scofield, and Unger. Even more dangerously, we also visit the minds of combat leaders as they make pivotal decisions. For example: Gavin, Ridgway, Rommel, Patton, Eisenhower. Shaara is challenged to get in the minds of those in combat, difficult if not impossible to do.

Shaara obviously did the voluminous research and possesses the skill and power to present his characters in eminently believable form.

The reviewer, Cal Atwood, lives on Amelia Island with his wife Carol Ann. As a marine serving in WW II, he landed on Iwo Jima. He is active in the Marine Corp League. He was president of both the North Carolina Poetry Society and the Georgia State Poetry Society and currently serves on the board of the Amelia Island Museum of History. Atwood enjoyed a distinguished career as an educator and influenced many with his own life experience.

For more information about the Amelia Island Book Festival visit: http://www.ameliaislandbookfestival.com/

Patricia Marlett Releases Second Novel

COCOA, FL – Mystery and romance abound in local author Patricia Marlett’s latest book, Passionate Promises, a novel about two sisters whose only living relative is dead and has left a surprising legacy to the twin girls. As Sabrina comes to terms with the sudden unexplainable death of her beloved Aunt Millie – and shocking revelations about her aunt’s life – she feels no choice but to take a brief sabbatical from her fast-paced career as a photojournalist, allowing her to experience something she's never felt before: loneliness.

Ben, a local bachelor, would like to fill this place in her heart, but can Sabrina juggle her career and a relationship? To top it all off, Sabrina is plagued by a soft voice whispering messages in her ear and feels the presence of someone nearby, always with her. And then the dreams begin. These unusual experiences are daunting to Sabrina, but she remains determined to uncover the meaning held within the legacy. Marlett reveals who is trying to get Sabrina’s attention and why in this compelling novel.

Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, the book is available at any bookstore nationwide or can be ordered through the publisher at http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore, or by visiting http://www.barnesandnoble.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, or http://www.target.com/.

The book is also available as an audio book. It is an eLIVE title, meaning each book contains a code redeemable for a free audio version from http://www.tatepublishing.com/.

The Florida native is retired from a professional career in medical management and currently resides in Cocoa, Florida. She is also the author of The Talking Tee Shirt. To contact the author directly, you can reach her by email at patricia@patriciamarlett.com or visit her website at http://www.patriciamarlett.com/.

November 14, 2009
Georgetown, Texas

Patricia Marlett will be in Georgetown Texas on November 14 for two book signings. she will be signing copies of The Talking Tee Shirt, Young Reader Novel, at
Hill Country Book Festival
“Unleash the Magic”
402 West Eighth Street
Georgetown, Texas 78626
November 14, 2009 9:00 - 4:00 pm

and later that day, she will sign copies of
Passionate Promises, Adult Fiction Novel at
Hill Country Bookstore
719 South Main Street
Georgetown, Texas 78626
November 14, 2009 4:00 - 6:00 pm

For more information, please contact Terry Cordingley, Marketing Representative, at (888) 361-9473 or send an email to terry@tatepublishing.com.

Mysterious Woman on the Train by Kay Williamson

ADC abilities surge to forefront in new novel
Experienced author shares entertaining murder-mystery

Wisconsin college professor David Martin never knew he had the ability to communicate with those that had passed over. But in the Mysterious Woman on the Train (published by iUniverse) his psychic ability on board a train, on the anniversary of a murder, propels him into the mystery solving world.

Author Kay Williamson’s personal experiences, including those with her father after he passed over as well as interviews with friends and acquaintances weave the Mysterious Woman on the Train into a novel where psychic abilities play a key role in leading Martin and his mother, Kathleen, to the murder of Rosalind La Page.

“I believe this book will appeal to any murder mystery aficionado, and it will have extra appeal to readers who are interested in ADCs (after death communication) and psychic phenomenon,” Williamson said. “After I finished my novel, I read a book in which over 353 men, women, and children had shared their ADCs with the authors. I felt this book helped to authenticate the experiences that my friends had shared with me and my own experiences as well.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kay Williamson, a former elementary teacher, has had numerous romantic suspense and murder mystery novel published including: Ghostly Whispers, Time after Time, Bridge to Nowhere, Listen to the Heart and Murder at the Starlight Pavilion. A playwright and published songwriter, she wrote and successfully produced a romantic, musical comedy, "What’s Going on at the Mansion?" in Iron Mountain, Michigan where she and her husband, Don, spend their summers.

Residents of Florida, they display their watercolor paintings in juried shows during the winter months. A second marriage for both, they have seven grandchildren.

Visit http://www.kaywilliamson.com/ to see more of Kay's books.

May be ordered from http://www.amazon.com/, or your local book store.

Thanks to the Book Xchg

A group of writers from the Space Coast Writers' Guild has been meeting at the Book Xchg on Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Village on the first Saturday of the month for quite a while.

Sadly, the Book Xchg will soon be closing . They are in the process of a final sale -- all books $1.00.

It's a sad sign of the times when we lose these friendly neighborhood bookstores. Today, I want to thank the Book Xchg for their wonderful support of writers, for allowing us to meet there, for showing our books so prominently and for befriending all of us. We will miss you.

Thanks for everything.

Pat Conroy and Melissa Conroy at the Amelia Island Book Festival

Amelia Island Book Festival Announces Father/Daughter Book Event –
Pat and Melissa Conroy – A Night With Poppy

Amelia Island, Fla. (Nov. 7, 2009) – The Amelia Island Book Festival has announced a special appearance by best-selling author Pat Conroy for Friday, February 12, 2010. Conroy will appear with his daughter Melissa Conroy, author of Poppy’s Pants at 7 PM in Historic Fernandina Beach. A Night With Poppy will offer readings by the two authors followed by a book signing. A private reception will be held at a home in the historic district for Book Festival Sponsors and Donor Friends.

Conroy’s has gained fame with his novels, Lords of Discipline, Prince of Tides, Beach Music and The Great Santini. His most recent book, South of Broad, is enjoying great success.
Melissa Conroy began sewing at an early age and displaying her talent with a needle by repairing torn pants belonging to her father, Pat. She went on to develop the WoOberry line of dolls. Each doll had a story to tell. Sought after by publisher, Blue Apple, Melissa said that the concept of writing and illustrating a book was a natural and exciting progression. As a result, “Poppy’s Pants” was born. A series of books is planned.

Joining Pat and Melissa Conroy at the 2010 Amelia Island Book Festival are Pat’s wife novelist Cassandra King and close friend and novelist Janis Owens, who will be participating in the Friday Writers’ Workshop and a breakfast event Saturday morning.

Tickets for “A Night With Poppy” will be $75. Tickets will be available to Sponsors and Platinum and above level Friends of the Festival. Remaining tickets will be determined by a drawing to be held January 1, 2010. Drawing requests should be made to Poppy’s Pants, Amelia Island Book Festival, PO Box 824, Amelia Island, FL 32035 or to info@ameliaislandbookfestival.com. Requests must be accompanied by name, address and e-mail.

Lila, her mother Melissa Conroy and her grandfather Pat Conroy

Boca Raton Writer Deborah Shlian Wins Prestigious RPLA Awards

Florida Writer Deborah Shlian wins Prestigious RPLA Awards, Announced at Statewide Florida Writers Association Conference

The Florida Writers Association (FWA) has announced that Deborah Shlian of Boca Raton, Florida, won two prestigious Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLAs). Dr. Shlian’s winning entries, Rabbit in the Moon and "Second Chance" both won First Place awards for Published Thriller (the novel was co-written with her husband, Joel Shlian) and Published Short Story, respectively.

FWA is a statewide nonprofit trade association with some 1,000 members. Ms. Bridgman’s award was announced at the awards ceremony at FWA’s recent three-day annual conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference attracted nearly 300 member-attendees and offered a mix of workshops and opportunities to network with a faculty of agents, acquisition editors, publishers, and industry professionals from across the United States. The ceremony was the conference’s crowning event.

Other RPLA winners included Chris Roerden’s educational/information book, Don’t Sabatage Your Submission, and Erwin Wunderlich’s historical novel, Salvos on the Backwater, tied for 2009 Published Book of the Year.

This competition was RPLA’s eighth, and to date it is the largest. Some 236 entries were submitted for 23 categories of writing, including book-length nonfiction (six genres), short nonfiction (two genres), poetry, book-length fiction (twelve genres) and short fiction (two genres). Awards were given separately for published and unpublished works.

“RPLA is special.” said Chrissy Jackson, FWA’s vice president. “Like all writing competitions, it recognizes excellence, but this competition also provides comprehensive, constructive feedback to all entrants. I don’t know of any other competition that guarantees that at least three judges will read and thoroughly comment on all entries.”

This year, RPLA had 64 active judges, the largest number in its history. Each read an average of 12 submissions, for a total of 776 rubrics completed. The judges are current or retired teachers, librarians, professional editors, college professors, published authors, former RPLA winners, journalists, and leaders of writing and reading groups. A good percentage have advanced degrees. Most are Floridians, but others hail from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York. All entries were blind.

“The judging was first-rate,” said Chris Coward, RPLA’s 2009 chairperson. “Collectively, the judges donated thousands of hours of time to this competition, and because they’re anonymous, they got absolutely no public recognition for it. They truly live the FWA motto, ‘Writers Helping Writers’.”

The Florida Writers Association, 1,000 members strong and growing, is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization that supports the state’s established and emerging writers. Membership is open to the public, and membership forms are posted on FWA’s website, http://www.floridawriters.net/.

The Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is a service of the Florida Writers Association established to recognize excellence in members’ published and unpublished works while providing blind, objective, and constructive written assessments for all entrants.

For additional information about FWA, visit the FWA website: http://www.floridawriters.net/. For a list of 2009 RPLA winners, complete with submission summaries and author biographies, visit http://www.floridawriters.net/uploads/Awards_WWE_posting.pdf.

Building Trusting Relationships

Over the past two years, Marc O’Brien, a former South Florida Hunter/Jumper Association member and New Jersey Monmouth County Park System Special Person To Ride program student, has completed an interesting horseback riding novel that should be a must read for junior riders and an informative trip down memory lane for equestrians everywhere.

Special Person To Ride is a unique story that takes the concept of therapeutic horse back riding, mixes it with extracurricular activity ingredients to create a childhood relationship recipe that evolves into a communication dish that is very healthy to taste.

“Like riding, horse education can evolve through communication in a way that may not be in a text book,” said the author who spent nearly a decade and a half learning basic English horsemanship and represented the Garden State twice in National Competition. “This novelette allows the reader to understand what goes into understanding trusting friendships.”
As the tail spins Leprechaun 6 Equestrian Members Katie, Michelle and CC are handed a challenge from their horse trainer Mr. Hawthorne ‘to teach a special person to ride’.

“The three equestrian friends Katie, Michelle and CC only know Jason Michael Bates from school and the girl’s best friends, the horses, provide the setting for everybody to get to know each other,” said the disabled gold medalist who parlayed the experience into an opportunity to attend Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida and graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.

For other readers, that may include students and health care professionals, the simple social saga can provide a thoughtful message that may include remembering the importance of interaction between others in a relaxing situation.

“I really hope the book will allow college students, parents and health care professionals to reflect and interpret the story in varying ways in order to understand that life is just a book filled with conflicts while the climaxes are the ending until another episode begins,” said O’Brien whose equestrian life started with a leader and two side walkers then saw the final chapter played out on the South Florida Hunter/Jumper Association circuit while attending college. “Just as a good piece of art should evoke questions and thoughts, Special Person To Ride allows the reader to understand how to deal with simple sensitive scenes like riding a horse that can be very challenging for some students and easy for others.”

Books can be ordered @ www.bluenotepublishing.com or @ http://www.marcobrienauthor.com/.

“Cracks in the Sidewalk” Royal Palm Literary Award Winner

Florida Writers Association names
Cracks in the Sidewalk
Royal Palm Literary Award Winner

The Florida Writers Association (FWA) announced that Bette Lee Crosby of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, won the prestigious Royal Palm Literary Award for her novel, Cracks in the Sidewalk, in the category of Published Women’s Fiction.

Crosby’s award was announced at the FWA conference in Orlando, Florida. According to Chrissy Jackson, FWA’s vice president, “This competition was the largest the association has hosted to date. We had 236 entries and 64 active judges, many of whom are authors or professionals in fields of journalism and education.”

Cracks in the Sidewalk is Crosby’s second novel and follows on the heels of Girl Child which won the First Place Award for Published Fiction at the 2007 National League of American Pen Women Florida Biennial.

Crosby’s award-winning novels are based on female characters who are easy to like; women who have big hearts and strong backbones, women who have the reader rooting for them from word one. Claire McDermott, the storyteller in Cracks in the Sidewalk is just such a woman. In this touching story about a grandmother’s search for her missing grandchildren, Crosby delves into the dark secrets and painful experiences that exist in many family relationships. “Sometimes,” she says, “A loss destroys a family, sometimes it destroys a person, and sometimes it leads a person to discover the truth of what being a family really means.”

To say Cracks in the Sidewalk is inspirational is tantamount to calling Mount Everest a hill. The ending will leave you with a tear in your eye and an overwhelming amount of joy in your heart. It will most certainly have you scurrying off to hug your children as you remind yourself how fortunate you are to have them, despite sibling arguments, bad report cards and endless loads of laundry. According to Crosby, the novel is based on a true story that happened to a friend of hers, but as she explains, “everything an author writes, is colored by their own experiences and observations.”

Readers can visit Crosby’s website at http://www.betteleecrosby.com/ to learn more about the books she writes or read an excerpt from either of these award-winning books.

David W. Stewart launches his novel: Psychic Redemption, Spiritual Quest for Truth

About Psychic Redemption

Psychic Redemption absorbs the reader in suspense as a sixteen-year-old girl, Julie Gustafson, returns from the dead to find the baby she never saw. It is a novel, riveting and intimate, capturing the possibility that a restless spirit could possess a human soul to complete its journey.

Psychic Redemption opens when Bonnie McConnell suffers an unexplained seizure. After diagnosis, a psychiatrist and a hypnotist confirm that the seizure resulted from the invasion of Bonnie's soul by Julie's spirit. The search for Julie's baby leads Bonnie into escapades with a dangerous gang, The Swamp Rattlers, and the gang's leader, Cody Wilkins.

When the search concludes, Julie's quest is complete but Bonnie's life changes forever. Psychic Redemption is a gripping novel about spiritual fulfillment, child's innocence and a mother's love.

About the Author

David W. Stewart is a Florida author, resident since 1941. He based the character Julie on his daughter who was murdered in 1979. Stewart began writing in 1967 and has received several awards. The American Biographical Institute included him among leaders of world influence for the new millennium.

You can order Psychic Redemption through Ingram's Books in Print Database, directly from the publisher at http://www.trafford.com/ or through the book order hotline at 888-232-4444.

Nominations Sought For Lifetime Literary Achievement

Gov. Charlie Crist in March 2010 will present the first Florida Lifetime Literary Achievement Award to honor a living, nationally and internationally known Florida author. The annual award will recognize a distinguished body of work that has had major influence on the lives and thinking of Florida residents.

January 4, 2010 is the deadline for nominations, which may be made by publishers, agents, book sellers, or colleagues knowledgeable about the author’s accomplishments and influence. The author’s work can be academic, fiction, or nonfiction – or any combination of the three. Self-nominations will not be accepted. The honoree must be a writer living in Florida; residency will be determined by Florida driver’s license, voter address, and/or IRS filing.

“This award will honor authors who have dedicated their lives to telling Florida’s stories and inspiring readers throughout our world,” Crist said. “Florida’s beautiful landscape and diverse cultural influences create a rich environment that has inspired a wide variety of writers.”

The Florida Humanities Council will oversee the nomination process and convene a panel of judges who will recommend the award winner to the Governor. For details and a nomination form, visit the FHC website, www.flahum.org.

Local Writers Win Prestigious RPLA Award, Announced at Statewide Florida Writers Association Conference.

The Florida Writers Association (FWA) has announced that four local writers won prestigious Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLA). Martha Powers’ Conspiracy of Silence won Second Place for Published Thriller. Shara Pendragon Smock’s winning entry, Is This My Baby? won Second Place for Unpublished Essay. Kathryn Taromina’s The Legend of the Yule Log won Second Place for Unpublished Children’s Book. John White’s Prodigious Savant won First Place for Mainstream (unpublished) and an honorable mention for Talonfire for Unpublished Flash Fiction.

In addition, Karen Lieb earned the Vice President’s Award “In recognition of her commitment, boundless energy, and endless enthusiasm for FWA, With love and appreciation, Chrissy Jackson, Vice President, Florida Writers Association.” FWA is a statewide nonprofit trade association with some 1,000 members. The awards earned by the Melbourne writers were announced at the awards ceremony at FWA’s recent three-day annual conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference attracted nearly 300 member-attendees and offered a mix of workshops and opportunities to network with a faculty of agents, acquisition editors, publishers, and industry professionals from across the United States. The ceremony was the conference’s crowning event.

Other RPLA winners included FWA’s Northeast Florida Regional Director, Victor DiGenti, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, whose mystery, Matanzas Bay, won the award for Unpublished Book of the Year. This was the first year this award was made, and literary agent Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli of JET Literary Associates, a faculty member at the conference, has already expressed an interest in the book.

Chris Roerden’s educational/information book, Don’t Sabotage Your Submission, and Erwin Wunderlich’s historical novel, Salvos on the Backwater, tied for 2009 Published Book of the Year.

This competition was RPLA’s eighth, and to date it is the largest. Some 236 entries were submitted for 23 categories of writing, including book-length nonfiction (six genres), short nonfiction (two genres), poetry, book-length fiction (twelve genres) and short fiction (two genres). Awards were given separately for published and unpublished works.

“RPLA is special.” said Chrissy Jackson, FWA’s vice president. “Like all writing competitions, it recognizes excellence, but this competition also provides comprehensive, constructive feedback to all entrants. I don’t know of any other competition that guarantees that at least three judges will read and thoroughly comment on all entries.”

This year, RPLA had 64 active judges, the largest number in its history. Each read an average of 12 submissions, for a total of 776 rubrics completed. The judges are current or retired teachers, librarians, professional editors, college professors, published authors, former RPLA winners, journalists, and leaders of writing and reading groups. A good percentage have advanced degrees. Most are Floridians, but others hail from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York. All entries were blind with judges not knowing names of the writers.
“The judging was first-rate,” said Chris Coward, RPLA’s 2009 chairperson. “Collectively, the judges donated thousands of hours of time to this competition, and because they’re anonymous, they got absolutely no public recognition for it. They truly live the FWA motto, ‘Writers Helping Writers’.”

The Florida Writers Association, 1,000 members strong and growing, is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization that supports the state’s established and emerging writers. Membership is open to the public, and membership forms are posted on FWA’s website, www.floridawriters.net.
The Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is a service of the Florida Writers Association established to recognize excellence in members’ published and unpublished works while providing blind, objective, and constructive written assessments for all entrants.

For additional information about FWA, visit the FWA website: www.floridawriters.net. For a list of 2009 RPLA winners, complete with submission summaries and author biographies, visit http://www.floridawriters.net/uploads/Awards_WWE_posting.pdf

The next local meeting open to the public is Wednesday, Nov. 18, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the West Melbourne Library.

NaNoWriMo Has Started

Here's to all of you who have taken the plunge and are writing a novel in 30 days. Whether you have a plot all planned out or are just going to wing it, Florida Book News wishes you luck and speedy words in your endeavor. Feel free to tell us how you are doing by leaving a comment on this post.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, visit the site and learn of the hundred thousand of us attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November.

Good luck to all.....

"She Knew, Finally" by Cindy Michaud is available at Art and Antique Studio

The first printing of Cindy Michaud’s book “She Knew, Finally” was a sell out! The painting project that turned into a book has a special appeal to “women of a certain age” and everyone was stocking up for birthdays and Christmas at the Opening held on October 2. Friends and fans will be happy to know that the $12.00 book has been re-printed and is now available at the Art & Antiques Studio located at 1419 Highland Avenue in downtown Eau Gallie.

Meanwhile Cindy is off to do “book chats” in Williamsburg and Washington, D.C. as well as a special appearance at “Books & Crannies” a bookstore in Middleburg, VA. Contact Cindy at inquiry@cindymichaud.com if you know of a place you would like to have her discuss the project.