The Write Stuff
The Official Newsletter of Mobile Writers Guild
May 7, 2013
Volume 3 Issue 12

From the President:

It’s time to close down the 2012-2013 season of the Guild. Thanks for your support over the past year, I couldn’t have done it without the guidance and help I’ve received from members and friends. At our meeting last Thursday we voted in new officers for 2013-2014 so June marks the beginning of new leadership and fresh ideas. In just a few weeks, Angela Quarles takes over as president, with the help of Michael Snow as vice president. Both are published authors with great things on their horizons. Candice Conner will be treasurer and Mike Reimer secretary. The two of them have been active in MWG since before I joined four years ago and we’re pleased to have their input. I’ve agreed to head the Young Author’s Committee so I’ll still be actively involved in MWG events like the Tracy Hurley Memorial Writing contest in the fall and Metro Mobile Reading Council’s spring Young Author events. Here’s to a great summer and a bright future! I’ll catch you later.
-Carrie Cox
2012-2013 MWG President

Upcoming Events:

The next MWG Open Mic is Thursday, May16th, at Serda’s Coffee on Royal Street. No pre-registration is required, but we suggest arriving between 5:30-5:50 to sign-up to read. We’ll do as many readings (ten minutes or less) as possible between 6-8pm. You do not need to be a member to read. This event continues year round.

Member and former officer Stephanie Lawton will be hosting a book launch party for her latest release, NEED, Saturday May 18 at 7 p.m. at The Blind Mule at 57 North Claiborne Street in downtown Mobile. This is the adult companion novel to WANT.
We’ll have the courtyard to ourselves, and chips and salsa will be provided. Other items and drinks are available from the menu, plus The Mule will be offering a mojito drink special to tie in with the book. A limited number of paperbacks will be on hand if you’d like a signed copy.
Fun favors will also be provided.
RSVP at: https://www.facebook.com/events/352980534803934/

Local writing retreats by Mahala Church are offered in multiple sessions over the summer. For more information about the “Barefoot Writing Academy” classes visit www.lyricalpens.com

MWG will once again host monthly Drink-N-Scrawl events at the Blue Gill Restaurant this summer for all local writing groups. Food/drinks are up to individuals to purchase but the networking is free. Dates for these Saturday afternoon socials will be announced soon.
Our next monthly meeting is THURSDAY, September 5th, in the first floor meeting room of the West Regional Library from 6-7:30pm. Topic is TBA.

Member News:

MWG donated $250 to Mobile Public Library to be used toward eBook purchases.

Faye Nunnelee Byrd attended the Alabama Writers Symposium, April 25-27 in Monroeville, AL and a copy of her book Hope Restored, The Fork in the Road, Following a Traumatic Brain Injury was placed in the Alabama Southern Community College Library. Nick Harrison, Senior Editor of Harvest House Publishers, will be using a quote from her book in one of his up-coming books.

Continue to send in your writing news and author events to mobilewritersguild@gmail.com so we can share your milestones with the community.

MWG Needs:

Be sure to support our new officers!

Where to find us:
http://www.mobilewritersguild.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mobile-Writers-Guild/132422949536?ref=hnav
On Twitter: @MobileWriters
Email: mobilewritersguild@gmail.com

Remember that comments, suggestions, and questions are welcome—both online and at the meetings. Thanks for your continued support!

Name: Laura Reese (writes under pen name Lauren Clark)
Place of birth/hometown: Akron, NY (near Rochester)
MWG member for how many years: 1 year

Website/blog/fan pages:
Lauren Clark Books Website
GoodReads Lauren Clark
Twitter Lauren Clark
Facebook Lauren Clark

Books:
Stay Tuned
Stay Tuned
Stay Tuned Nook

Dancing Naked in Dixie
Dancing Naked in Dixie for Kindle
Dixie for Nook

Stardust Summer
Stardust Summer Kindle
Stardust Summer Nook

At the Eufaula Pilgrimage

What was your first writing-related gig? I wrote for my college newspaper, The Clarion Call, and remember being thrilled with my hard-hitting assignments, which included riveting topics like the changes to the cafeteria menu, new offerings in the English Department, and interviewing campus visitors and dignitaries.

Who are your top five favorite authors right now? I admire author Jodi Picoult for tackling sensitive issues with a balanced, brutally honest insight. I just finished her latest novel about the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, The Storyteller, and couldn’t put it down! My other favorite authors include Chris Bohjalian (Midwives, Sandcastle Girls), John Green (The Fault in Our Stars – a must-read!), Jessica Park (Flat-Out Love), and Veronica Roth (Divergent, Insurgent).

What is your literary guilty pleasure? I’m a huge fan of chick lit novels! I’m especially smitten with Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series and I am positively beside myself waiting for the release of her new novel, Wedding Night. Kinsella crafts smart, witty books that are laugh-out-loud funny—perfect for a day at the beach, a balmy evening on your front porch swing, or curled up in your favorite chair with a glass of wine.

Where is your favorite place to write? My Zen place to write is actually in the library of Spring Hill College. The third floor offers a lovely view of the college campus and downtown Mobile. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in a lot of light, and the space is peaceful and oh-so-quiet for brainstorming, plotting, and writing.

What books inspired you as a child? My parents are huge readers and I was handed my first library card at age 4! My favorite books as a child included anything written by Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, and the Berenstains (Berenstain Bears series). As a teenager, I loved the Nancy Drew series, Little House on the Prairie books, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and classics like Little Women.

Laura after her presentation at the Mobile Writers Guild meeting in 2013, with President Carrie Cox and Vice-President Angela Quarles.

Official Bio: Lauren Clark writes contemporary novels sprinkled with sunshine, suspense, and secrets. A former TV news anchor, Lauren adores flavored coffee, local book stores, and anywhere she can stick her toes in the sand. Her big loves are her family, paying it forward, and true-blue friends.

Lauren is a member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association, the Mobile Writers Guild, and a regular contributor to Parents & Kids Magazine’s Mississippi Gulf Coast Edition. Check out her website at http://www.laurenclarkbooks.com.

The Write Stuff
The Official Newsletter of Mobile Writers Guild
April 2, 2013
Volume 3 Issue 11

From the President:

Everything seems to move quicker this time of year. Though there is more daylight, there never seems to be enough hours each day. As your calendar fills with sporting events, milestones, and other commitments, don’t forget to schedule time to read, write, and learn.

-Carrie Cox
2012-2013 MWG President

Upcoming Events:
Our next monthly meeting is this THURSDAY, April 4, in the first floor meeting room of the West Regional Library from 6-7:30pm. We’ll hear from Vice President Angela Quarles about using social media to increase our writing platform. This will also be the final meeting to nominate members to serve as board officers for the 2013-2014 MWG season because we vote in the new officers at the May meeting. Reminder: refreshments are potluck style, so bring something to share if you can.

Carolyn Haines’ Daddy’s Girls’ Weekend workshop and literary event is this weekend, April 5-7th at the Battle House Hotel downtown. Get the scoop at http://www.daddysgirlsweekend.com
The local RWA chapter is hosting their monthly event this Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 11:00am in Carpe Diem Coffee & Tea Co. on Old Shell Rd. Join GCCRWA member and professional editor Don McNair for “Don’t Sneak Up on Your Story!” as he discusses tips for editing your own manuscript; based on his book Editor-Proof Your Writing: 21 Steps to the Clear Prose Publishers and Agents Crave.
IMPORTANT! Please bring the first chapter of your work in progress, or of the story those editors insist on sending back to you. We’ll work on it during the session.
The Event page is https://www.facebook.com/events/535017453216701/

The next MWG Open Mic is Thursday, April 18, at Serda’s Coffee on Royal Street. Since April is National Poetry Month, we are encouraging reading from local poets. No pre-registration is required, but we suggest arriving between 5:30-5:50 to sign-up to read. We’ll do as many readings (ten minutes or less) as possible between 6-8pm. You do not need to be a member to read.

Member News:

Candice Conner won first place in the February “Stuff & Nonsense Contest” at http://www.lyricalpens.com

MWG Needs:

Officer nominations for the 2013-2014 year close this month. We need volunteers to keep the guild going.

Where to find us:
http://www.mobilewritersguild.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mobile-Writers-Guild/132422949536?ref=hnav
On Twitter: @MobileWriters
Email: mobilewritersguild@gmail.com

Remember that comments, suggestions, and questions are welcome—both online and at the meetings. Thanks for your continued support!

•Name: Marilyn Johnston. I write non-fiction under that name and fiction under the name of “cj petterson” — no capitals, no periods, no spaces in cj. I know. It’s a pain. I wanted something different, and now I have to explain it all the time.

•Place of birth/hometown: Brady, Texas
•MWG member for how many years: Since its inception almost. I was a charter member, maybe the first charter member after founders Mahala Church and Tracy Hurley. I was also the first treasurer.

•Website/blog/fan pages: I don’t do a lot of social media yet. My excuse is that it takes a lot of time away from writing. In reality, I’m not that up on it. However, I am on Facebook and Goodreads, and have a bit of a Facebook author presence—I’ll let you know when I fully develop that page so everyone can “like” it. I also have a shared blog-site at http://www.lyricalpens.com

•Books/articles/poems published: Short Stories, fiction and non-fiction, in anthologies: Christmas is a Season 2008, Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes, Cup of Comfort for Divorced Women, Christmas is a Season 2009, University of South Alabama’s literary magazine, Oracle, and Tributaries 2012. Poems: Two poems ePublished by The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. Book: Deadly Star (2013) eBook available from the publisher Crimson Romance, Amazon.com, BN.com, iTunes, and Sony. The paperback is due out around June 2013.

•What was your first writing-related gig? I spent a few years working in corporate communications as a journalist and associate editor of the company newspaper. The article that got raves was one I wrote when I was assigned to participate in a Jeep Jamboree on the Rubicon Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Exciting stuff … I watched a Jeep roll wheels-up in a rock-strewn sluice and a helicopter fly in a grand piano for the night’s entertainment. I turned the article into a personal short story for Cup of Comfort for Divorced Women (“Don’t Ride The Clutch”).

•Who are your top five favorite authors right now? Robert B. Parker, Robert Ludlum, Tony Hillerman, Jacqueline Winspear, and the poetry of Robert Frost and Billy Collins. Okay, I cheated. That was six.

•Where is your favorite place to write? I take notes everywhere on little pieces of paper that often get lost, but I have to be in front of a keyboard to truly write. I don’t think my brain works unless my fingers are typing. Some kind of linkage thing, I guess.

•What books inspired you as a child? I didn’t read much as a child, and have to admit I still don’t (sorry). The one book I remember is Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. Action, romance, sorrow, fictionalized history. Loved it. I spent many winter evenings crunching through the snow to Detroit’s Gothic-style Mark Twain Library to find a corner and read it, over and over again.

•Is there a genre or style of writing that you are afraid to attempt? I have a fantasy YA work-in-progress. I like the premise; it shows promise (ha!). I completed three or four chapters a couple of years ago. Though the research is ongoing, I haven’t gone back to the writing because I’m afraid I can’t properly capture the voice of the teenaged boy I want as the protagonist.

The Write Stuff
The Official Newsletter of Mobile Writers Guild
March 5, 2013
Volume 3 Issue 10

From the President:

Welcome spring—and pollen and allergies! Spring in the guild means new faces and opportunities. During the next two meetings our members will be nominating officers for the 2013-2014 year, which officially begins in June. I’m excited about my final weeks leading MWG. During the past several months, we’ve experienced growth as a whole and some amazing milestones as individual members. Here’s to continued progress!
-Carrie Cox
2012-2013 MWG President

Upcoming Events:

Our next monthly meeting is this THURSDAY, March 7, in the meeting room of the West Regional Library from 6-7:30pm. We’ll be doing SPEED CRITIQUING, but feel free to come and watch if you aren’t ready to join in the fun. Free and open to the public, as always.
To participate, bring ONE POLISHED PAGE (this critique isn’t about line edits, but about the big picture/emotion/characters) of your writing in 12pt font, double spaced. (Exception: poetry–you don’t have to double space.) The first page is usually the best option.
You will spend 5 minutes with another writer reading over each others’ page and then discussing your ideas before moving on to the next person.
Reminder: refreshments are potluck style, so bring something to share if you can.

The next MWG Open Mic is Thursday, March 21, at Serda’s Coffee on Royal Street. No pre-registration is required, but we suggest arriving between 5:30-5:50 to sign-up to read. We’ll do as many readings (ten minutes or less) as possible between 6-8pm. You do not need to be a member to read.

Southern Literary Trail Trailfest 2013 March 24-25 features Mobile writer Mary McNeil Fenollosa. Check http://www.mobilearts.org for more information on these events at the USA campus.

Carolyn Haines’ Daddy’s Girls’ Weekend workshop and literary event will be April 5-7th at the Battle House Hotel downtown. They will have YA and mystery author Chris Grabenstein and NYT bestseller Miranda (Dean) James as special writer guests, as well as agent Debbie Carter (she handles all genres) and the featured editor will be Mallory Cass from Scholastic Books. And of course, the wonderful Big Daddy candidates. Get the scoop at http://www.daddysgirlsweekend.com

Member News:

Kat Kennedy author of FLAMINGO FUNERAL has a TV interview TODAY at noon on WPMI channel 15 and a book signing on Friday, March 8th at the LoDa Artwalk downtown Mobile.

Faye Nunnelee Byrd attended the Christian Writers Guild Conference “Writing for the Soul” in February at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs. Her book, HOPE RESTORED: The Fork in the Road, Following a Traumatic Brain Injury was published by West-Bow Press and is available in print and e-book.

MWG President Carrie Cox has an article titled “Our Tithing Came First” in the March issues of The Ensign and Liahona international magazines.

MWG Needs:

Officer nominations for the 2013-2014 year are happening now. We need volunteers to keep the guild going.

Where to find us:

http://www.mobilewritersguild.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mobile-Writers-Guild/132422949536?ref=hnav
On Twitter: @MobileWriters
Email: mobilewritersguild@gmail.com

Remember that comments, suggestions, and questions are welcome—both online and at the meetings. Thanks for your continued support!

Name: William L. Walker

Place of birth/hometown: Mobile. Raised in Robertsdale, AL.

MWG member for how many years: this is my second year.

Books published: Under the Raven’s Shadow. Short stories in “Collected Visions In Words” published from the Senior center.

What was your first writing-related gig? Children’s Sunday School newsletter.

Who are your top five favorite authors right now? Jane Austen, Pamela Aiden, Sir Author Conan Doyle, Dashal Hamit, and Robert Morgan.

Where is your favorite place to write? My office and with a bit of quiet Music.

What books inspired you as a child? Banner in the Sky and The Scarlet Pimpernel.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer and how did it affect your life plans? Very late in life, I’m afraid. It opened up a whole new world for me. It was something I never knew I was capable of doing.

Is there a genre or style of writing that you are afraid to attempt? Poetry without a doubt.

If you could meet any literary character who would it be? Why? Sir Percy Blakney in The Scarlet Pimpernel or Rhett Butler. They suit the genre of which I am most fond.