All you procrastinators have been warned and it’s finally happened: there are less than 40 seats left at the 2010 DFW Writers’ Conference. Once those are full, the Conference will close registration. This is for real, since the Conference Center limits the number of people who can be inside the building.
Also, as of today, appointments with literary agents Joshua Bilmes and Lucienne Diver are no longer available. They are both full and are unable to accommodate any more appointment requests. With several of the other agents approaching a full status, it’s important to secure your spot today.
Excitement ran high at the February 3 business meeting. In recognition of his years of service to the Workshop, Del Cain was granted a lifetime membership. Del accepted the honor with his usual poet’s grace.
In other news, because of her steamy romance novels the Fort Worth Star-Telegram called Candace Havens a person to watch. Jason Myers’ was named as a finalist in a competition called Genre Wars. His short story, titled “A Reply”, will be included in an upcoming anthology. Pat Hauldren displayed a published edition of a book she copyedited for Cyberwizard Productions. And DFWWW welcomed two new members.
Finally, as a testament to the power of social media, Twitter, FaceBook and blogs were abuzz this past weekend, and the 2010 DFW Writers’ Conference almost sold out. If you’ve been sitting on the fence, now is the time to register, before all of the seats are gone.
At 11:59 p.m. tonight, the registration price the DFW Writers’ Conference will increase from $185 to $235! You can save yourself $50 by registering today!
This year’s conference will feature New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas as keynote speaker. There will be 10 literary agents attending and 10-minute one-on-one pitch sessions are available. There will also be more than 40 breakout sessions on a wide range of writing and publishing topics, by a terrific lineup of published authors and subject matter experts.
Registrations are coming in fast, so if you want to get in in a pitch session, now is the time to register! Pitch sessions will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The conference will take place at the City of Grapevine Convention Center on April 10 & 11.
More information, and a link to register, can be found at www.dfwwritersconference.org.
The Ruth Millican Center was packed as 62 members and five visitors attended the January 27 meeting of the DFW Writers’ Workshop.
On Saturday, January 30, the Hallmark Channel will replay Bound by a Secret, a movie based on the novel Ida Mae Tutweiler and the Traveling Tea Party by Workshop member Ginnie Siena Bivona. Beginning February 15, Candace Havens will teach her “Fast Draft and Revision Hell” class online for the Orange County Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Also in February, Stephen Manning will teach a class titled “Blogging with Wordpress Deep Dive” through Texas Christian University’s Extended Education program.
Finally, everyone was reminded that 2010 membership dues should have been paid by January 1. In order to participate in the read-and-critique sessions, all outstanding dues must be paid.
It seemed as if the news and announcements would never end at the January 20 meeting of the DFW Writers’ Workshop, but that’s not a bad thing.
A. Lee Martinez’ book, Monster, is now available as a mass-market paperback. Kyle White sold his first novel, Attack of the Crystal Spiders, a Middle Grade science fiction work, to Wild Child Publishing. The American Library Association named Rosemary Clement-Moore’s novel Highway to Hell as a 2010 Best Books for Young Adults. One of Kenneth E. Ingles’ short stories is a finalist in the current Writer’s Digest contest. Candace Havens inked a three-book deal with Harlequin. She will also sign copies of her newest work, Take Me If You Dare, on Saturday, February 6 at 2:00 p.m. at Barnes & Nobel in Hurst.
Finally, three new members were welcomed to DFWWW, and the Workshop’s extensive reference library reopened after a year-end inventory. Books may be checked out for three weeks.
Using Twitter has been likened to “drinking from a firehose.” Are you feeling thirsty? A full understanding of how to get the most out of Twitter can help you as a writer do a better job of marketing yourself and your writing. Workshop member Stephen Manning will present a class on smart use of Twitter, 6–8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. The registration fee is $55. Please visit TCU’s Extended Education web site at www.lifelong.tcu.edu for more details and to register. Register by Monday, Jan. 18 to make sure you get a seat!
The January 13 meeting saw an influx of new members and an abundance of good news at the DFW Writers’ Workshop.
Carolyn Williamson has been asked to teach a class on point-of-view at the Silken Sands Writers’ Conference in March. Pat Hauldren has a new gig writing articles for North Texas e-News. Harold Clark won first place in the Dulce D. Moore Short Story Contest for his work “Almost Home”. Literary agent Dr. Uwe Stender requested the full manuscript of Emily Hildebrand’s novel Healer.
Jamie Harrington announced the most unusual item of the night. She will join a group of ladies as they drive a Camaro from Texas to Oklahoma — while Twittering and eating fried pies. It’s all part of a publicity stunt by General Motors. Follow her on January 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at her link.
Finally, everyone was reminded that the deadline to enter the Hook ‘Em Writing Contest is this Friday, January 15 at 11:59 p.m. Also, the discounted early registration fee for the 2010 DFW Writers’ Conference ends on Sunday, January 31. After that, the price goes up.
Only six days remain until the deadline for the Hook ‘Em Writing Contest. Only three weeks remain until the early-bird registration discount ends. Only 90 days … oops, there went another one … until the 2010 DFW Writers’ Conference!
Have you sent your entry for the contest? Are you practicing your agent pitch? Are you planning to wait until the last minute?
Why?! Register today for the conference and the contest. And don’t forget, all attendees are invited to participate in the free, on-line class “Agent Pitches 101″, scheduled to be conducted in March by Candace Havens Writer’s Workshop.
Election fever struck DFWWW during the January 6 business meeting as the 2010 Board of Directors was selected. They are:
Russell C. Connor, President
A. Lee Martinez, First Vice President
Carolyn Williamson, Second Vice President
Fred Campos, Treasurer
Kyle White, Secretary
Nik Holman, Director
Larry Enmon, Director
In other news, Jenny Martin received a full manuscript request from literary agent Robert Astle for her Young Adult novel Holy, Texas. Mike McMullen submitted his non-fiction book, I, Superhero, to his publisher Kensington Books. Pat Hauldren was a guest writer on the website Marketing Tips for Authors, and noted that her blog entry received the highest ever traffic for the site.
Finally, longtime member and fantasy author A. Lee Martinez announced his engagement to fellow Workshop member Sally Hamilton. Their wedding is tentatively planned for October. Congratulations to the both of you.
The deadline to enter the Hook ‘EM Writing Contest is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, January 15, 2010.
New at the 2010 DFW Writers’ Conference the contest focuses on those all-important first five pages. The best entrant in each category, as determined by a panel of judges independent of the DFW Writers’ Conference and the DFW Writers’ Workshop, will win a 10-minute appointment with an agent. The categories are:
- Literary
- Mystery / Suspense / Thriller
- Non-Fiction
- Romance
- Science Fiction / Fantasy / Horror
- Young Adult / Middle Grade
Contestants may enter in several categories, or have several entries in one or more categories. The contest is open to everyone, age 16 and older, regardless of registration to attend the 2010 DFW Writers’ Conference. There is a $35 fee per entry per category. A portion of the registration fee will be donated to the children’s charity, First Book.
Enter today to avoid the last-minute rush.
