Rhonda Penders Interview from the MWG 2012 Conference

Rhonda Penders Interview from the Missouri Writers Guild 2012 Conference

By Brad R. Cook

Write Time! Write Place! Write Now! The 2012 Missouri Writers Guild Conference took place over the weekend. The Writers’ Lens was there along with St. Louis Writers Guild and the Missouri Writers Guild to sit down with some of the amazing speakers from the conference.

Over the next few days you’ll be able to see and hear the interviews we conducted at the conference – we hope you enjoy them and that they expand what you learned at the conference or make you think about attending next year’s Missouri Writers Guild Conference.

There are several ways to view the interviews,

You can view the raw footage from the webchat, this is what was streamed online or you can listen to the podcast. A warning the live footage video is small due to the way the webinar software works – we do have video of some of the interviews and those will be posted at a later date. All the recordings are offered for free.

Today’s Interview

Rhonda Penders, Editor-in-Chief of The Wild Rose Press

The link to the raw webstream – http://www.anymeeting.com/stlwritersguild/EA57DF85804C

The link to the Podcast on The Writers’ Lens Tumblr page – http://writerslens.tumblr.com/

Better video will be posted soon.

More interviews will follow – one each day.

Christie Craig

Christina Katz

Paul Lesko

Ann Behar

Ann Collette and Carol Carr

The interviews were conducted by Brad R. Cook, T.W. Fendley, and David Alan Lucas II.

They were made possible by a collaboration between St. Louis Writers Guild, the Missouri Writers Guild, and The Writers’ Lens.

Many thanks to Tricia Sanders, the 2012 Conference Chair, and Deborah Marshall, President of Missouri Writers Guild in 2011-2012.

Thank you as well to all the speakers who participated.

Meet Maurice Parisien 4/28 at 6 North

Meet local author of ALIGNED, Maurice Parisien, this Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m.-noon at:

6 North Café

14438 Clayton Road

Ballwin, MO 63011

(directions)

Maurice Parisien is a principal with Digital Intersection, an integrated online and offline database marketing services agency located in St. Louis. He is an experienced marketer with 30+ years of consultative and management experience in marketing, sales and communications with both small and large corporations in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. He has worked for, or consulted with, companies across multiple industries from CPG, telecommunications, financial services, healthcare, high-tech and non-profits organizations.

ALIGNED is Mr. Parisien’s first published book.

ALIGNED…a story for improving sales & marketing effectiveness.

ALIGNED is the first non-fiction business book to offer a clear, narrative depiction of the value of sales and marketing alignment and the process of how to go about achieving it. Instead of promoting an academic sales and marketing theory, this book engages the reader with a story that presents the practical application of the sales and marketing alignment theory through the lens of two very different marketing services agencies and their prospective clients.

Autographed books will be available for purchase on April 28.

It's available online: http://amzn.to/Aligned-thebook

Writing: The roller coaster effect

Writing is a roller coaster ride. If I ever questioned that, this weekend dispelled any doubts when I attended the Missouri Writers' Guild (MWG) conference. During 24 hours, I experienced the peaks and valleys of the ride as I went from a book signing to slushpile readings to nightcap meetings to pitch sessions.

At MWG conference book signing

As I quickly learned after my debut book ZERO TIME came out last October, book signings can leave you thrilled from lots of sales or chilled from thinking no one wants your book. To get a thrill from signing when you don't sell much, it helps to have your expectations in alignment. For me, selling two books was an unexpected pleasure at a writers' conference where everyone is hawking their own books. It added to the fun of having "arrived" at the point in my career of actually having a book to sell. I also enjoyed getting to chat with others and learning more about their work. (I celebrated by treating myself to a couple of books.)

In the slushpile readings, MWG president Deb Marshall read from the first page of works attendees submitted to a panel of agents and editors (and an audience of conference goers). The agents/editors were asked to explain how they would react if the story appeared in their slushpile. Each raised her hand at the point she would've quit reading. When a majority had "quit," they discussed why. A similar scenario occurred in one of the breakout sessions with emedia and writing guru Jane Friedman, where I got feedback on the first page of my YA fantasy's (soon-to-be-gone) prologue. Only a few of the submissions in either of these readings made it very far, and mine didn't get past the first sentence. (Sigh.) My roller coaster went into a big dip.

Why? In my case, I tried to provide too much information too soon, and strange names made it even more confusing: "The Elders' warning echoed in One Reed's mind as the girl entered the museum's Music Room: Respect your body's wisdom."

Some other common problems with first pages included: over explaining, too much detail, interior monologue, flashbacks, a crisis without a unique hook, dialogue without context, info dump, character dump (have less than four), back story, and too many adverbs/adjectives.

The first night ended with a nightcap session--you could visit informally with the presenters, who held court in casual groupings in the hotel's hallways and lounges. Many had only one or two people in their group, but Curtis Brown agent Sarah LaPolla's query critique group blocked the hallway near the front desk. I only attended part of that crowded session, but saw the writers' reactions run the gamut. Some had peaks--afterward, one of the participants said his query got the agent's interest and set him up for a successful pitch session the next day--but many had dips.

The question is, what do you do with those dips? I think another of the conference attendees has the right idea. In a post-conference Facebook post, he said: "...a huge thank you to one person for a carrot and another for the swift kick in my A$$ that I needed right now." I find that sometimes we need to get kicked out of our comfort zones if we're going to move forward. After all, one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

On Saturday, the agents and editors spent a grueling day with pitch sessions timed seven minutes apart. As writers lined up outside the pitch room, waiting our turn, we got a running report from those who went before us. Many looked shell-shocked as they came out--some from actually getting a request and others from getting a rejection. Luckily, I had pitch sessions with two agents, and experienced both the valley of rejection and the peak of gaining an agent's interest.

I pitched my YA fantasy novel, which the first agent believed had too much adult involvement. She didn't want a few chapters or even a query--she was simply not interested. After a couple of hours, I finally "heard" what she said. It took me that long to get over the disappointment and realize that I'd pitched it wrong. By trying to condense the language and make it catchy, I'd started with the words "a family vacation" instead of "a 16-year-old girl on a family vacation." Although I tried to explain to explain to her that my teenage protagonist is central to everything that happens, I couldn't overcome that first impression. I switched the emphasis on the second pitch. Perhaps that's what made the difference or it could just be that my story was a better fit for her, but that agent requested the full manuscript. I was at the peak on the roller coaster, waving my hands in the air!

I'd love to hear your experiences on the writing roller coaster! Your comments will also enter you in this week's giveaway contest for an ebook of D.A. Bale's RUNNING INTO THE DARKNESS..

If you'd like to learn more about the MWG conference, check out the Guild's 2012 MWG Conference Notes and Linda Austin's report in the Examiner. Check back here on The Writers' Lens for podcasts and webchats with some of the presenters.

Thank you for reading and please visit me at www.twfendley.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @twfendley.

The Winner of the Storm Country anthology Giveaway!

Congratulations to Jennifer Burlock! The winner of the Storm Country Anthology Giveaway!

Jennifer won a copy of Storm Country, the Missouri Writers Guild’s anthology to benefit Joplin, MO.

If you would like to purchase a copy of Storm Country and help the schools of Joplin with their recovery effort please follow this link. http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Country-The-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0064FJY2K

Thanks, to everyone who entered.

For those who are looking for the interviews from the Missouri Writers Guild Conference – they will be posted soon! There was a lot to do!

Ebook giveaway of DA Bale's RUNNING INTO THE DARKNESS

This week's giveaway is an ebook of RUNNING INTO THE DARKNESS by D.A. Bale. I had the pleasure of getting to know D.A. after Heidi Ruby Miller introduced us. While RITD has been exclusive to Amazon via their Kindle Select program, it will soon be available in other eformats (in case you're the lucky winner of her ebook).

Death follows Dr. Samantha Bartlett throughout her life until it claims everyone close to her. There's one powerful man responsible on whom Samantha sets her sights for revenge. The price is her soul. For centuries, sex has been the weapon of men...now it's her turn. 
“I never intended to kill the President. As a doctor, I swore an oath to protect life – not take it. But that was before...”
Second year resident, Dr. Samantha Bartlett, is swept from the frigid New York winter to once again confront the sting of death back home – and face those she left behind. But she’s not alone. A strange man she dubs Shades haunts her every step as she seeks answers to the inferno which claimed her grandmother, an eerie reminder of her parents’ deaths. The secrets Samantha uncovers forever changes her image of those she only thought she knew. 
Confronted by Shades, Samantha joins a secret underworld known only as the Elite, where a web of power and control is woven deep within governments worldwide. Their sights are set on the power structure of the United States, and Samantha becomes the unlikely key to infiltrating the White House at its most intimate levels. 
The quest for blood threatens to destroy Samantha. From the darkness there is no escape.

The Writers’ Lens is about Bringing fiction into focus–what brings your writing into focus, the characters, the stories, the love of words? For me it's actually a bit of each.  First off, I love words - love how they roll off of the tongue when speaking and how you can fit them together just so when writing to convey deep emotion, to create incredible visuals in the mind, and to sometimes say what you really wish you could in life.  Second, the characters - deep, rich, realistic characters that have difficulties in their lives, either that they've already overcome or that they must learn to overcome before it destroys them.  Without good characters, in my opinion, there is no story.  Then there's the storyline, which also needs to be solid, have action and stakes so I don't bore my readers to death.

What inspired your latest book? Okay, now this may be a little weird, but most of my books in some way, shape, or form have been inspired by my dreams.  All of my life I've had these very vivid and weighty dreams that stick with me when I awake, leaving me with either a good feeling throughout the day or a very creepy or sad feeling.  To this day, I can still remember a very frightening recurring nightmare I had as a child.  Whoever said we don't dream in color has never visited my nighttime haunts.  The initial idea for my short story, "The Study" came about from an odd dream.

Other times I might be driving down the road, listening to a soundtrack on my car stereo and all of a sudden the music takes me somewhere into either my current book or a new place for a story consideration.  It's then that I grab my handy, dandy notebook out of my purse and jot down the thoughts before these ideas can escape.  Besides my purse, my house is filled with either notebooks or notepads so I can jot down an idea while I have it.  They lay around my bedroom, dining room, etc., etc., etc. just in case they're needed at a moments notice.

There's a scene in my coming sequel that was inspired by music from the "Tron Legacy" soundtrack.  The road disappeared and my mind followed the entire scene as if it were being played out on a projection screen.  It gave me chills!

Would you share a bit about your next project? Right now I'm working on the sequel to my thriller, "Running into the Darkness" - it's titled "Piercing the Darkness".  For the moment, this is slated as a three-part series.  Originally it was going to be two books, but the further I got into writing RITD, the more I realized this story had a lot more to offer than just the main arc, and thus the side stories needed further fleshing out, so it became three.  Who knows?  At some point it could become four. :-)

"Piercing the Darkness" continues to follow the surviving characters from RITD, especially the protagonist, Samantha Bartlett.  She's presently hiding out, fearing for her life and trying to sort out the pieces from RITD, what is truth and what are lies - then who she can trust.  We begin to see more back story for several of the side characters, who is good and who is evil, and how all of them collide with the main arc.  It's been tons of fun to write. 

What's the highest compliment someone could make about your writing? Oh wow - it has to be the fan mail I've received lately asking if "Piercing the Darkness" is out yet.  To me that is the greatest compliment I could ever receive - knowing there is even one person out there who anxiously awaits my next project.  Awards and industry accolades mean nothing when you have readers who enjoy your writing. 

What’s your favorite writing accessory or reference? Not sure if this is what you're going for, but it would have to be music for me.  Most of my writing takes place with soundtracks playing in the background.  They set the scene for me and get me in the mood to write.  When writing "Running into the Darkness" I used the soundtracks from "Spiderman 2" and "Transformers" primarily for various scenes.  "Piercing the Darkness" has definitely been "Tron Legacy" inspired. 

Fill in the blanks: Writing/Editing books is like _pregnancy and giving birth_.  You never know _when your water will break and how much pain and length of time it will take to obtain the gift at the end_.

How do you win a free signed copy of this novel?  To enter the contest, simply leave a comment or question on the Writers'Lens blog between now (April 23) and midnight April 28, 2012. 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. If you refer others to The Writers' Lens who mention your name in their comments, I'll enter your name again in our random number generator along with theirs, also increasing your chances at winning! The winner will be chosen after midnight on Saturday, April 28, and the announcement made on Sunday, April 29, Good luck, and comment often!

You can find D.A. Bale's books at:

• http://dabalepublishing.blogspot.com
• http://www.amazon.com/Running-into-the-Darkness-ebook/dp/B0063HIS26/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2
• http://www.amazon.com/The-Study-ebook/dp/B007JQ5OTA/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1
• http://www.readersmatrix.com
  
• dabalepublishing@att.net

Sometimes life emulates fiction.

Life is filled with tragedy and Ms. Bale's writing reflects this reality. However, there is always a silver lining...even if one must spend their entire life searching for it.

In her previous career, Ms. Bale traveled the United States as a Government Relations Liaison, working closely with Congressional offices and various government agencies. This experience afforded her a glimpse into the sometimes "not so pretty" reality of the political sphere. Much of this reality and various locations throughout her travels make it into her writing.

She dreams of the day she can return to visit Alaska.

Thank you for reading and please visit me at www.twfendley.com. You can also follow me on twitter @twfendley.

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