Live Interview Schedule for the MWG Conference!

Live Interview Schedule for the MWG Conference!
By Brad R. Cook

The Missouri Writers Guild’s Write Time! Writer Place! Write Now! 2012 Conference starts today!

To showcase this great annual writing conference The Writers’ Lens has partnered with St. Louis Writers Guild and Missouri Writers Guild to host a series of live webchats with the conference speakers. It is our hope to expand the attendees' experience and highlight this wonderful conference. Not to mention give those people who can’t make it a chance to get an inside look.

T.W. Fendley, David Lucas, and I will conduct a series of short interviews with the Speakers and Organizers of the MWG Conference. We will then post the interviews here on The Writers’ Lens, as well as St. Louis Writers Guild’s Eliot Blog and perhaps even the MWG Conference Blog. Links to these sites will be posted next week.

Each interview will last about 10 minutes and will cover topics specific to each speaker.

Here is our interview schedule –
Friday, April 20, 3 – 4 pm and 9:30 – 10:10pm
Saturday, April 21, 3 – 5:30pm and 10:30 – 11pm
Sunday, April 22, 12:30 – 1:50pm

Scheduled Speaker Interviews – These times are subject to change
Rhonda Penders – Friday 3pm
Christie Craig – Friday 9:30pm
Ann Behar – Saturday 5pm
Christina Katz – Saturday 3-4:30pm
Paul Lesko – Saturday 3-4:30pm

Best of all, there are a couple of ways to participate.
If you want to watch the Webchats live, you will need to send an email with your name and email address to writerslens (at) gmail (dot) com you will then be sent an invite you can use to watch the interviews. People viewing the live webchats can ask questions via text chat.

If you’re not able to watch the live interviews but still want to ask a question – you can – just tweet your question. Please include our Twitter name @writerslens or we might not see you question.

If you can’t watch the webchats live, we will be posting them after the conference at no cost.

We hope you’ll join us!

You can still register for the Missouri Writers Guild Conference. Just sign up online or arrive at the conference and register. For more information please visit www.missouriwritersguild.org

You can also keep track of the conference on Twitter by following the hash tags #mwgconference and #SLWG

For more information about the Speakers we will be interviewing visit the MWG Conference Blog at www.mwgconference.blogspot.com

Short bios on our interviewees.
Rhonda Penders – Editor-in-Chief at The Wild Rose Press
Christie Craig – Author of Don't Mess With Texas, Hotter in Texas and AKA CC Hunter author of Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn.
Ann Behar – Literary Agent at SCG
Christina Katz – Author of The Writers Workout, Get Known Before the Book, and Writer Mama.
Paul Lesko – IP Attorney who manages the Intellectual Property Group at Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd LLC.

Huffman's Graffiti Party 4/21 at 6 North

Join Heather Huffman's “Leave Your Mark” Graffiti Party from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 21, at

6 North Café 

14438 Clayton Road

Ballwin, MO 63011

 (directions)

More than a book signing, graffiti parties are Huffman’s unique way to bring people of all backgrounds together, get to know her readers in a relaxed, fun setting, and discuss ways to get involved.

Heather is the author of TUMBLEWEED, THROWAWAY, TIES THAT BIND, JAILBIRD, SUDDENLY A SPY and RING OF FIRE. She shares the passion of her resilient heroines to make a difference, and so dedicates both her time and a portion of her book royalties to organizations that fight against human trafficking. You can find out more about her writing and charitable work on www.heatherhuffman.net.

In this long-anticipated prequel to international hit THROWAWAY, Heather Huffman takes her readers on a journey of friendship, love and family ties. The message is clear: Never stop fighting for the life you believe in. TUMBLEWEED, a romantic adventure of new beginnings, is Huffman’s sixth book and offers her readers a unique insight to two characters in her international hit THROWAWAY, which made the Top 10 Kindle Best Sellers List in September.

Online: http://www.booktrope.com

Live From The Missouri Writers' Guild Conference!

Live from the Missouri Writers' Guild Conference!
By Brad R. Cook

This weekend is the Missouri Writers Guild’s Write Time! Writer Place! Write Now! 2012 Conference. To showcase this great annual writing conference The Writers’ Lens has partnered with St. Louis Writers Guild and Missouri Writers Guild to host a series of live webchats with the conference speakers. It is our hope to expand the attendees' experience and highlight this wonderful conference. Not to mention give those people who can’t make it a chance to get an inside look.

T.W. Fendley, David Lucas, and I will conduct a series of short interviews with the Speakers and Organizers of the MWG Conference. We will then post the interviews here on The Writers’ Lens, as well as St. Louis Writers Guild’s Eliot Blog and perhaps even the MWG Conference Blog. Links to these sites will be posted next week.

Each interview will last about 10 minutes and will cover topics specific to each speaker. I’ll post the list on Friday. If you are watching live, there will be some down times between interviews, but that just means you’ll get to see some of the back stage magic.

Here is our interview schedule –
Friday, April 20, 3 – 4 pm and 9:30 – 10:10pm
Saturday, April 21, 3 – 5:30pm and 10:30 – 11pm
Sunday, April 22, 12:30 – 1:50pm

Best of all, there are a couple of ways to participate.
If you want to watch the Webchats live, you will need to send an email with your name and email address to writerslens (at) gmail (dot) com you will then be sent an invite to watch the interviews. People viewing the live webchats can ask questions via text chat.

If you’re not able to watch the live interviews but still want to ask a question – you can – just tweet your question. Please include our Twitter name @writerslens or we might not see you question.

If you can’t watch the webchats live, we will be posting them after the conference at no cost.

We hope you’ll join us!

You can still register for the Missouri Writers Guild Conference. Just sign up online or arrive at the conference and register. For more information please visit http://www.missouriwritersguild.org/

You can also keep track of the conference on Twitter by following the hash tags #mwgconference and #SLWG

A Storm Country Anthology Giveaway!

A Storm Country Anthology Giveaway!

This Monday, The Writers’ Lens is giving away a copy of Storm Country, an anthology assembled by Missouri Writers Guild to help support the recovery effort in Joplin, Missouri.

Last year, Joplin was devastated by a tornado that destroyed most of their schools. It took out a large section of the city too, but the schools lost almost everything. So Missouri Writers Guild sprang into action and put out the call for books. They collected thousands of books and school materials and transported them to Joplin. Deborah Marshall, President of Missouri Writers Guild put out the call for submissions. They created an anthology and donated the proceeds to the Joplin Schools.

Write Time! Write Place! Write Now! the MWG’s Annual Conference is April 20-22, and I’ll be spotlighting the conference and Missouri Writers Guild as the week continues – so stayed tuned for some very exciting announcements.

To enter, simply leave a comment or question on this post or any of the posts this week on The Writers’ Lens. You have until midnight March 21st, 2012 to enter. Please include your email so we can reach you if you win. The more comments you leave, the greater YOUR chance of winning the contest. The winner will be chosen after midnight on Saturday and the announcement made on Sunday, April 22nd.

One note about the giveaway: Due to shipping limitations, you have to live within the continental United States to win. Apologies to the international readers, we also have giveaways are fully online so anyone can win.

You can still register online, or at the event, for the Missouri Writers Guild’s conference this weekend. Visit http://www.missouriwritersguild.org/ all the information.

Thank you for entering, and be certain to check back on Wednesday for some exciting news about a collaboration between St. Louis Writers Guild, Missouri Writers Guild, and The Writers’ Lens!

The winner of Serial by John Lutz is . . .

Thank you everyone for commenting on The Writers' Lens this week!   

I have consulted the random number generator and the winner is:  Harrison Library.  Please email me at David@DavidAlanLucas.com with your mailing address (one where Fed-ex can deliver to) and I will ship your copy to you.

On behalf of myself and John Lutz, we hope you enjoy the book.

His next book in the series, Pulse, is due out in late June.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

Seewald's DEATH LEGACY latest mystery/thriller by award-winning author

I'm thrilled to welcome Jacqueline Seewald as my guest today. We met on our publisher L&L Dreamspell's Yahoo list and on Broad Universe. A multiple award-winning author, Jacquie has taught creative, expository and technical writing at the university level as well as high school English. She also worked as an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Eleven of her books of fiction have been published. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications. She enjoys spending time with family and friends when she isn’t writing. 

The Writers’ Lens is about "Bringing fiction into focus"–what brings your writing into focus, the characters, the stories, the love of words? What brings my writing into focus tends to vary. Sometimes it begins with a spark from something I’ve read like an interesting article in a newspaper or magazine. I’ll start to imagine a plot and characters that relate. With Death Legacy two things sparked the novel. First, I was intrigued by an article I read in a magazine about a provocative case of international espionage and murder that remained unsolved. That gave me the initial idea. The characters are imaginary, but share some characteristics with real people.  I don’t like formula fiction so I really try to make my main characters complex, realistic people with both faults and good qualities.

How do you find time to write? I cheated. I took an early retirement. My job was very demanding and although I wrote consistently, I really wanted a chance to write fulltime. I miss the paycheck, but other than that, I really have no regrets. I’m an early riser and like to work before the normal workday begins. I start at five a.m., take a short breakfast break around 8, and then continue to 10 or 11 a.m. I work again in the afternoon or evening as time permits. But I’m on the computer just about every day. I believe writers need to discipline themselves as if they were at a normal job. It’s the only way to accomplish anything worthwhile.

What do you think readers will like about your book? I gave ARCs out to a number of typical readers, not close friends or relatives, because I wanted feedback. Responses I got:
* This book is exciting, once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down.
*I really enjoyed the romance between the two main characters, the relationship was hot and there was also humor.
* It was a good mystery thriller; I didn’t guess the ending.

What's your favorite writing accessory or reference? I love dictionaries and encyclopedias. I actually read them for pleasure. I still like print editions best. 

What's your favorite way to interact with fans/readers? I enjoy blogging, reading the comments that are left for me, and responding to them. I comment on Facebook and enjoy interacting there as well. I also comment on Goodreads.

DEATH LEGACY, a fast-paced romantic suspense mystery/thriller, features Michelle Hallam who heads a unique consulting firm she inherited from her deceased uncle, a former intelligence agent. Called to the French Riviera for business under mysterious circumstances, Michelle meets Dr. Daniel Reiner, a handsome young psychiatrist. They have a strong physical attraction but Michelle remains wary of being involved with him. Daniel’s friendly, warm personality and urban wit stands in contrast to Michelle’s outward facade of cool cynicism. In New York, Michelle reconnects with Dr. Reiner when she sends him a referral, her client, Nora Parker, who has asked Michelle to look into the suspicious disappearance and possible death of her husband. The complex case involves both Michelle and Daniel in espionage, international intrigue, and murder, placing their lives in jeopardy. The novel combines elements of suspense, mystery, and romance.

Available from: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Legacy-Five-Star-Mystery/dp/1432825739
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-legacy-jacqueline-seewald/1107838092?ean=9781432825737
*Since Five Star/Gale is mainly a publisher that sells hardcover novels to libraries, you can request this novel at your local library.

Jacqueline Seewald also writes for L&L Dreamspell. Check out more of her books at:
http://www.lldreamspell.com/JacquelineSeewald.htm

Christy Smith at 6 North Cafe 4/14

Meet Christy Smith, author of FOREVER AND ALWAYS,  from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 14 at

6 North Café

14438 Clayton Road

Ballwin, MO 63011

(directions)

Christy Smith turned her lifelong passion of writing into a career; besides writing, she enjoys crocheting, reading, and helping others whenever and however she can. Christy lives in suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, Jerry, and their three cats. Their children and grandchildren live close by.

FOREVER AND ALWAYS tells of the ups and downs of the freshly discovered love of a young couple, Patricia Heifelmeyer and John McDougal, at the end of the Civil War. The location of the book is Orleans Parish, the year of our Lord 1864. The war was almost over. Love, laughter, learning, mystery, secrecy, and murder are all woven throughout the pages of this book.

The American Civil War rages from 1861 until 1865 and claims more than 600,000 lives. Is John McDougal among their number?

Online: www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com,
Publisher's link directly to Christy's book: http://tinyurl.com6yxkg4l