June’s Rendezvous produced several new members, who brought several questions to the table. Some were answered in person, and some have responses in the update.
I’m thrilled to be moderating a live event hosted by my favorite indie bookstore, Byrd’s Books, at the Bethel (CT) Library on June 26 at 7pm. I’ll be talking to the two wonderful sisters who together form the writing team of Liv Constantine about their latest book, The Next Mrs. Parrish, which launches on June 18. Register here for your chance to meet them in person and snag your own signed copy of this brand-new book!
Gotham Writers Workshop in New York is offering the chance to take a free class or two on Zoom next week Tuesday, June 25, and Wednesday, June 26. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in a Gotham class, check out their Summer Open House next week when they’ll be offering a slew of free one-hour classes, covering every topic from Fiction Writing to TV Writing, from Stand-Up Comedy Writing to Memoir. Other offerings include Creative writing, memoir, Fiction, screenwriting, and more. It will give you a chance to meet their instructors, do a little writing, and see what their classes are like, firsthand. Sign up here.
On Saturday, August 24, Connecticut Book Festivals will be hosting the Norwalk Book Festival at the Norwalk Senior Center, Norwalk, CT. Authors will be selling signed copies of their books. All genres are welcome. If you are a published author wanting to take part in this event, please contact Andrea Petitte by June 30.
Jane Friedman runs a number of virtual inexpensive two-hour workshops on topics of interest to writers, including the craft and the business aspects of publication and marketing. Coming up on July 10 is Mastering Suspense, Structure and Plot with Jane Cleland, author of the Josie Prescott Mystery series and a number of books on writing. The class will discuss how to create spine-tingling suspense by escalating conflict and raising the stakes, the four kinds of conflict, and how to write a killer opening that lays out the conflict and stakes in a way that immediately engages your readers’ interest and fuels suspense. You’ll find out how to integrate plot twists, plot reversals, and moments of heightened danger using Jane’s Plotting Roadmap to help build suspense while controlling your story’s pace. All Jane’s classes include a recording of the event in case you sign up and can’t make it in person. Register here. $25
On Wednesday, July 17 at 7pm, the Westport Library will be presenting an evening featuring authors Aline Weiller (FUN: Essays on a Life Embraced) and Tim Manners, (Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero). They’ll be talking about their new books in an event titled Fun & Games. Register here.
If you have finished writing your mystery, Authors Publish can point you in the direction of 30 mystery publishers that accept direct submissions. Most of the listed publishers focus on one or two sub-genres of mystery, although other companies are much larger multi-genre publishers that are open to mystery books, as well as books from other genres.
Other online workshops from Jane Friedman include: July 18: Will Your Nonfiction Book Sell?with Jane Friedman ($89) July 20–21: Zero-to-Platform Bootcampwith Allison K Williams ($199) July 25: Run a Paid Newsletter That Actually Payswith Jane Friedman ($25) and August 8: Establish (or Improve) Your Email Newsletterwith Jane Friedman ($89)
Since 2018, She Writes Press has played a role in the much-needed elevation of women writers of color. They run the annual She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing (STEP) contest to offer two women authors of color a publishing package (valued at $10,000, plus a 500-book print run) to publish on either She Writes Press or SparkPress. This year marks the seventh annual contest launch, with submissions open through July 25. No entry fee.
To encourage new writers, the South-East Chapter of CAPA (the Connecticut Authors & Publishers Association) is holding a First Impressions Writing Contest for unpublished authors. The judges will be looking for the first 200 words of an article or book that makes them want to turn the page. Entry fee: Members-$5 Non-members-$10. Entry fee including a critique: Members-$20 Non-members-$25. Deadline is August 15. The first 100 entries received will be accepted. Full submission guidelines and entry form here.
More to come on Monday!
