Newsletter - Palm Springs Writers Guild

June Meeting.

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:01:00 +0000

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD MEMBERS:
BECAUSE OF THE UNAVAILABILITY OF VENUES, THE JUNE MEETING IS CANCELLED. SEE YOU IN OCTOBER. HAVE A GOOD SUMMER.
-DAWN SPITZ, PRESIDENT

June 2008 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 24 May 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
June 2008
MEETING TIME: Sunday, June 1, 2008, 2:30-4:30 P.M.
Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA

Heeee?s back!
Hi all, it has been a while since I?ve been an active part of the Guild, and
have missed the wonderful sessions and camaraderie of our writer?s organization.
Vicki is off on a well deserved Europe vacation. So, and just who is this
Heee?s back? It?s me, Bill Clark, past Guild president, past newsletter editor -
and now privileged to once again edit the Guild Gram for this year-end issue. As
you receive this newsletter, I?m back in Mammoth Lakes, California, at a
California Welcome Center glad-handing visitors from ?round the world that are here
to explore West Coast highlights: San Francisco, Yosemite, Mammoth Lakes,
Death Valley, Las Vegas etc.

ABOUT BEING A VOLUNTEER - there are few things more rewarding than serving a
worthy organization as a volunteer. To volunteer becomes a learning, and social,
experience to treasure forever, and you gain far more then you give. I speak
from personal adventures.
Mavis and I visited Mary Barrer and Joanne Hardy recently. There were hugs
and reminiscences from these fellow volunteers - both have volunteered with the
Guild and Pen Women for many years. While with Joanne we bought the wonderfully
informative book she and fellow Pen Women volunteers produced - it is a series
of short personal bios of many members we are proud to know.

HOW TO GET STARTED - today our Guild leaders need assistants and replacements.
The starting point is: lift of the telephone, ask the question, ?How can I be
a part of ... ??
--- Bill Clark

BECOME PART OF THE TEAM
Doing a newsletter can be fun and an incredible learning experience - just ask
Vicki Mills or Bill Clark. And, they are always available as mentors. Imagine
the computer hands-on experience which can transfer to your personal book
publishing! Bill Clark has self-published ten books as a result of the how-to gained
directly from newsletter experience. Consider the personal contact
possibilities! ... Hmmm? Still not convinced? Go to Bill?s web site: www.clarkscripts.com.
As writers we learn something every day, and it always has transfer value.
Little bits and pieces accumulate into tons of information. The following areas
represents those bits and pieces that can be added to your personal data bank for
use in writing pursuits.

NEWSLETTER PURPOSE:
? Communicate with members
? Publicize Guild to media
? Attract new members
? Reinforce the Guild Statement
? Spur word-of-mouth referrals
? Network organization allies
? Inform and educate
? Establish expertise and credibility
? Bring back lost members
? Unify a ?community? of readers

PUBLICITY CHAIR
Team players are also needed in this area. WOW! An opportunity at learning to
do promotions. Would you be thrown into the position with no guidance?
Absolutely not! Imagine, a chance to work with radio, TV and all local publications! So
how is that done: you learn the format of press releases and are given contact
names, phone
and fax numbers, email addresses and all important posting times. Then you
electronically send out Guild information. If there are media questions, they
usually get back to you becoming your personal contact. New members are also
welcome on board. Think of serving as being a privilege.

PRESIDENT?S MESSAGE
Dawn Spitz

Grace and Norman Marks, a gracious double bill of talent in many fields,
entertained at the May meeting with their lively stories of writing and marketing
their work, as well as the vicissitudes of collaboration. The Guild is fortunate
to have them as new members and we enthusiastically welcome them.
As the Guild year draws to a close, I wish to thank all those who have served
as officers, chairs of committees, in contributing to the Guild Gram and in
taking on special assignments. The work of the Guild would not be possible were it
not for the cooperation and willing spirit of all these volunteers. We have
grown in size and influence in the past year but we still have a great need for
more participation from our members. It is not enough to merely attend meetings.
We need your help on book sales, the Guild Gram and in attending workshops and
functions where the Guild is a participant, as in the recent Palm Springs Book
Festival. It is also vitally important that Guild members attend the literary
events sponsored by the Rancho Mirage library. If we are to accept the library?s
hospitality for future meetings, we must support its programs.
I am happy to announce that our meetings from now on will be at the Rancho
Mirage library. Because the library is not open on Sundays in May, June and
October, meetings in those months will be on Saturdays. Our last meeting of this
season, therefore, will be Saturday, June 7 at 2 P.M. We will have special
refreshments, the presentation of the Buddy Kaye Award and readings from our members?
own works. We will also have installation of our new officers. It has been a
privilege to be your president for the last two years and I look forward to
continuing service to the Guild.
I hope to see you at the June meeting in our new home and I wish you all a
healthy and productive summer.
--- Dawn Huntley Spitz

REMINDER
NEXT MONTH (JUNE) SCHEDULE CHANGED
Saturday,
June 7 at 2 P.M.
at
Rancho Mirage library

Dr. Stephen Linsteadt has been listed. He will be our speaker in November. Our
program for next month will include
Installation of the Board, Open Reading, and Ice Cream Social.
Rules for Open Reading : Call Phyllis Costello for space. You will read in the
order your calls come in. Two minutes of reading allowed. No more. Read
something you have written. This leaves time for 30 readings.
Phyllis Costello
321-6173

SPEAKER REVIEW
Joanne Hardy

Norman
and Grace Mark

Guild members were treated to a writing duo presentation in the persons of
Grace and Norman Mark
Grace had a career in publicity in San Francisco but left for an assignment
in Chicago. Her husband Norman, who had left his heart in Chicago, told her to
get acquainted with the town. She did a bit more than that. With in-depth
research the old days of the late 20?s and 30?s began to come to life. It was a
time of desperate poverty when the great depression gripped the nation, when
there was no Social Security or unemployment to cushion the lose of a job or health
benefits if there was a job related injury. It was a time, also, that would
prove a watershed for the coming decades. The Chicago World?s Fair attracted
huge crowds, escaping dismal daily lives; they came to see the wonders of the
modern age. Audiences were awed as the arena was suddenly flooded with electric
lights.
It was against this backdrop Grace created Hannah and Joseph of The Dream
Seekers. Through them the reader experiences the extremely challenging times they
lived through. Woven through the story of Hannah and Joseph we meet real life
individuals who left their impact on that period of time -- Jane Addams, who
started the first settlement house for the poor; Eugene V. Debs, labor
organizer; George Pulliam, who built sleeping cars for trains; and others.
Norman, well-known wine expert whose column appears in The Desert Magazine
each month, discussed his book, The Lure of The Long-Legged Blonde. It is a spoof
of the modern detective. It began with a real life situation in which a
detective was given an assignment to watch a wife suspected of having an affair. In
fact, the detective himself has an affair with the wife.
With this scenario in mind, Mark decides to create an eager, although
untested young man who decides to go into the detective business. He will be a great
detective, he decides. He will solve great crimes. He will be ranked with Miss
Marple, Sherlock Holmes, even Colombo. We are told in The Hero?s Journey that
all good stories have a mentor and Tony Tasco, the young detective, has a
great one in his Uncle Guido. Guido, straight from gangsterdom, mentors Tony away
from his innocence with golden bits of advice such as, ?You?re only one bullet
from the top. With Uncle Guido to help, Tony begins his new career.
Norman worked for the Chicago Daily News for 15 years. In addition, he
was a radio talk show host and conducted walking tours of Chicago. He has
written a total of six books.
The Marks say they have tried writing together and with non-fiction it
can be done, but with fiction, well, says Grace, it?s a bad idea.
Norman and Grace Marx can be reached nmark@dc.rr.com or 760-568-3059
cell 760-285-3057

SUMMER THOUGHTS
How can a writer bring variety into a story with use of the following? What
else can be added to these lists?

BODY LANGUAGE OF YOUR
CHARACTERS INCLUDE:
? Personal Presentation
? Manner of Movements
? Facial Expressions
? Twitches & Ticks
? Positioning of Appendages
? Eye Contact
? Aggression of Space

TYPES OF DIALOGUE:
? Interpolated
? Directed
? Misdirected
? Modulated
? The Query
? Negotiation
? Scientific
? Quarrel
? Person and Group Gestures
From CHARACTERS IN CONFLICT
by Bill Clark

SAD PASSINGS
OLIVA KENNEDY LAB

Oliva passed away April 19 after a long battle with cancer. During her
childhood years in rural North Dakota, she traveled by horse and sled to school.
Oliva, a school teacher, and her husband Walter Lab, an art professor, visited
Europe during their summer vacations. In Italy she found inspiration for her
prize winning, historic novel, ?UNDER THE PORTICO?. An earlier non-fiction book,
?MY LIFE IN YOUR HANDS?, relates to her late son?s Cystic Fibrosis. Her other
published works includes ?IMMIGRANTS MAKING IT IN AMERICA?, and DILIMMA and
OTHER STORIES?, a compilation of short stories dealing with senior citizens.
Despite her life threatening illness, she wrote every day and completed a
contemporary novel before her passing. In addition to her husband of 62 years,
she is survived by a son and daughter, three grandchildren and two great
children.
Olivia was a dedicated member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild for many
years and she will be missed by everyone.

JOHN JAMISON

What is it that makes someone a really true friend?
It is not necessarily the guy you play golf with three times a week. Or the man
with whom, you and your wife have dinner and drinks with occasionally.
It?s someone that you look forward to seeing, however often, who you can talk
to and listen to openly without reservation.
I eat breakfast out every day and have for twenty years. I enjoyed my
newspaper, an occasional look at the stocks on television and my privacy.
About two years ago, I saw a handsome, blond, well built man who occasionally
looked over and gave me a wave, ?hello.? After about a year, we introduced
ourselves. From that day on, we sat together and chatted about our writing, our
family, our history, our views.
John was a good listener. There aren?t many people I know who have that
quality. When I had finished my thoughts, he usually had a jovial rejoinder and a few
words of understanding. He had a joke for every occasion, or an appropriate
story.
John called himself a Mountain Man. He was born and raised in what he called
?hillbilly country? in North Carolina. He wrote a number of short stories and
novels about the family and people he knew there. He wrote them in dialects he
remembered and occasionally demonstrated for me when the subject came up.
Some months ago, I asked him to join the Palm Spring Writer?s Guild where my
wife Dawn was President. I spoke to the Program Chair, Phyllis Costello, about
asking him to speak at one of our monthly meetings and he did so in March. His
speech was full of humor and much too short. This man graduated from Vanderbilt
University, Cum Laude, spent two years at The University of British Columbia
and studied at Harvard for a year.. He was a former Baptist minister and now had
an important job in the financial sector. Only in the question and answer
segment of the meeting did he reveal more about his life and accomplishments.
I had not seen him in a few days. I knew he frequently drove out of town for a
business meeting. This day, Monday, I made sure to arrive at 7:45 when he was
sure to be there. I sat in my usual chair at the counter where he could take his
place next to me.
He did not arrive. One of the waitresses came over and took my hands in hers.
?I have some very bad news for you. John was involved in a fatal car crash
yesterday on 1-10. I?m so sorry. I know what a good friend he was to you.?
Knowing John so well, I imagined his saying to me, ?Go ahead and enjoy your
eggs. I?ve had a wonderful life and enjoyed most of it. You do the same with
yours.?

REMEMBERING
BUDDY KAYE
by Mary Burgess Barrer

The PSWG annual award honors the legendary songwriter, lyricist, author, band
leader and film producer. Many Guild members recall Buddy as the Guild
president, a teacher and great friend.
Buddy Kaye?s popularity as a Tin Pan Alley songwriter soared in the 40s, 50s
and 60s. Among his most memorable and acclaimed works were: ?Getting to Know
You,? ?Till the end of Time?, ?A You?re Adorable?, ?In the middle of Nowhere?, ?I
Dream of Jeannie,? ?Full Moon and Empty Arms?, ?The Last Goodbye?, ?Quiet
Nights and Quiet Stars? plus 400 others he penned during his 60 year career.
Buddy completed a book, which he turned into a musical stage play on the life
of reclusive Hollywood actress of the thirties, Greta Garbo. It never made it
to the Broadway stage. However, his works were recognized by the Motion
Picture Academy with one Oscar and two nominations.
He created original pieces for the big stars of that era including Frank
Sinatra, Perry Como, Barry Manilow, Lawrence Welk and Pat Boone. He sold over 4
million records during one ten-year period.
Buddy was no stranger to academia. He taught method song writing at UCLA
and wrote the song writing text book he used. When he moved here, to the Desert,
he was tapped for a staff position at College of the Desert.
Dennis Boos was a student of Buddy?s at the L.A. University and later when
they met at the Palm Springs Writers Guild, Buddy became his mentor and warm
friend.
Dennis recalls Buddy as a firm taskmaster who admonished him to ?write a page
a day or he was no writer.? He urged Dennis to exceed that minimum.
The Buddy Kay Award will be presented at our June meeting to the member who
has made the most outstanding volunteer contributions to the organization as
established by the Executive Board. Be in attendance to applaud our winner and to
help memorialized that great American song writer, Buddy Kaye.
Past Guild president Graham Smith originated the BK Award, past president
Bill Clark was the first recipient of the award.

ANITA KORNFELD SENDS GUILD A GREETING

?I wish you all good writing luck, and send along a deeply-felt wish that the
Guild will have at the top of its priority list a deepening focus and strong
thrust toward honing the craft of good writing first. Today, there?s such a rush
toward self-publication?and there is, of course, some gratification in that.
But all too often I hear? ?How do I get an agent? Find a publisher?? when they
aren?t by a long shot, ready!?.If writers reach inside honestly?enduringly?their
focus dead-set on the truth of what they want to write about, who consistently
hang in there, willing to try and wrap their flailing arms around this
sometimes elusive and whale-like thing called ?craft? (and there is a craft and ART for
all categories of writing, from fiction with its many variables to commercial
article, essays, poems, etc.) even if, in this arena of professional publishing
that is increasingly hard to find an open door, and their work may never make
the upper level of publication, any writer will have had great moments of
gratification, of rewarding soul-searching. And if they remain a part of the Guild
or other group striving toward excellence, they can find companionship, empathy,
and rejoicing over shared victories.?
Anita also mentioned that she would enjoy some communication from our members.
Her email address is anitakornfeld@aol.com.

CONTEST TIME
The Guild Short Story Contest for this year is still open. The deadline is June
15th. Winners will be announced at the November meeting at the Rancho Mirage
Library. It is open to Guild members only. Prizes are $200 for first prize, $100
for second and $50 for third. Entry forms will still be available at the next
meeting!
CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES
By
Mel Harter
* * *
CONTESTS

TEACHERS AND WRITERS BECHTEL PRIZE
PRIZE: $2,500, honoraria and possible publication
SUBMISSION: Unpublished essay or article about creative writing education,
literary studies and/or the profession of writing; maximum 5,000 words. Contact:
Bruce Morrow, 212-691-6590 or editors@twc.org
ENTRY FEE: Free!
ADDRESS: Teachers & Writers Collaborative, 520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 2020, New
York, New York 10018
DEADLINE: June 30, 2008

* * * *
DRUE HEINZ LITERATURE PRIZE
PRIZE: $15,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press under standard
royalty contract
SUBMISSION: Unpublished book length (150-300) pages) collection of short
fiction. Stories and novellas, any genre. Contact: Kelley Jahovic, 412-383-2456 or
press@pitt.edu For detailed Guidelines go to website;
www.upress.pitt.edu/renderHtmlPage.aspx?srcHtml=htmlSourceFiles/drueheinz.htm

ENTRY FEE: Free!
ADDRESS: University of Pittsburgh Press, Eureka Building, Fifth Floor, 3400
Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
DEADLINE: June 30, 2008

* * * *
ALMOST ENDLESS LIST OF CONTESTS AND WORKSHOP RETREATS WINNING WRITERS
NEWSLETTER: Free at www.winningwriters.com
POETS AND WRITERS MAGAZINE: $17.95 subscription: bimonthly, one year to; see
www.pw.org or write Poets&Writers, P.O. Box 543, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-7463.
Ask for introductory discount.
* * * *
ACTIVITIES

Dear Readers:
As the summer approaches, the crowds and enthusiasm wanes. For the first time
since
starting this column, my search yielded no activities of special interest to
our members. Whereas usually I have at least one or two
letters, emails, calls or press releases a month. I
had none this month. So, until the next issue of the Guild Gram (probably by
email or on our website,) I wish you all a great writing summer.
Au revoir until fall!

Your humble correspondent,

Mel Harter.

May 2008 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:49:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
May 2008
MEETING TIME: Sunday, May 11, 2008, 2:30-4:30 P.M.
Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA

Mother's Day -- remember Mom and other mothers and then come on to our Guild meeting!

GRACE AND NORMAN MARK: GUEST SPEAKERS

This couple has such a long list of awards that I can't begin to list them all. Grace is the author of a best seller The Dream Seekers. She has written two books with her husband, Norman Mark. Ignorance of the Law is No Excuse, an easy to read book on the law. They collaborated on A Flaw in the Design, a novel based on the love affair and murder of the mistress of Frank Lloyd Wright.

In addition to raising a child as a divorced mother, Grace created a successful advertising agency in San Francisco that handled accounts such as LA Express Football Team and the University of Calif SF Medical Center.She has written films for McDonald's, the National Safety Council, and Firestone Centers. She has developed training seminars for women and minorities in the work place.

Norman is the author of six books. He is also a wine columnist, movie reviewer and talk show host. Some of his awards: Emmy winner, Pulitzer Prize nominee three times, Discovery award for his novel Twisted Prayers at the Hollywood Film Festival in 2000.

What a powerhouse couple we are privileged to present. Don't miss it!

Submitted by Phyllis Costello, Program Chair

PRESIDENT'S LETTER by Dawn Huntley Spitz
Our April meeting shone with the star power of Shelly Saltman and his amazing stories of his promotional work in the field of entertainment and sports. Those of us who heard him speak were dazzled by his energy and fascinating experiences. For the benefit of those who were unable to attend the meeting, I hope the Guild will invite him to speak again.

I wish to remind you of two exciting upcoming events:

Open House at the home of Lina Simoni in Palm Springs for Guild members on Friday, May 2. Please respond to Lina soonest at linasimoni@yahoo.com

Palm Springs Book Festival at Palm Springs High School on Baristo Road, Sunday, May 4 from 10-6.

Anyone wishing to participate in the Book Fest please contact me at dawnlspitz@aol.com. We are in need of a bookcase and people to help set up.

Authors who wish to display their books, either get them to me in advance or bring them on the morning of the Fest. Further information about the Fest can be found on our website palmspringswritersguild.org.

The Rancho Mirage library will present another of its Writing from the Desert Series on Thursday, May 15 at 1:30-3:30. John Putch, director, co-writer/producer will discuss "The Mohave Phone Booth." I urge you to attend the library programs. Not only are they informative and entertaining but since the library is soon to be the new home of the Palm Springs Writers Guild, it is imperative that we support it.

The Guild year is winding down and we are still in need of a Publicity Chair, and a Recording Secretary. If you have not yet volunteered your services to the Guild, now is the time to do so. It is a rewarding responsibility.

Since no one has come forward to take over the position of editor of the Guild Gram, an online newsletter may become necessary. Many organizations are now taking that route. Anyone interested in working in that capacity, please contact me.

The Guild is only as strong as its membership. Keep active! Everyone is needed.

SPEAKERS REVIEW By Jim Misko
Subbing for Joanne Hardy
Shelly Saltman
Go to www.shellysaltman.com to view the guy who called himself Art Sheldon in the early days of radio, sitting in a hospital bed bandaged to the neck from a beating delivered by one of his clients -- Evel Knievel. That and much more as Shelly attested to his over fifty years of promotions, shows and four books that came from them.

Shelly entertained the Guild members for over an hour with tales of his youthful days as a Boston radio announcer using the name Art Sheldon; the many events he promoted including women in the Olympics, women's tennis, Mohammad Ali and Frazier fight, Andy Williams tours and meetings with Boris Yeltsin and Grace Kelly.

His advice on writing included the oft mentioned 'catch them in the first chapter' theme but especially his revelation that your books and programs need to play to the audiences in the back of the room. Andy Williams taught him that when he bought and used the best sound equipment he could get to be sure it reached the less expensive seats in the back of the auditorium; the folks who bought his records.

When it came to self-publishing he advised working hard to get an agent and go the traditional publishing route due to the questionable work and tactics of some of the self-publishing companies. However, he did say that the traditional publisher of his book "Fear No Evel" pulled the book from retail stores after the sale of 115,000 copies because of the beating he took from Evel -- an unwise decision in his thinking. He wanted the royalties.

"Ideas are precious." That theme runs through his entire life. Once he was offered a large sum of money to sit in a corporate office and come up with ideas for an organization. He explained to the owner that ideas are not something you can force. He turned down the lucrative offer but continued producing and selling his ideas as they came to him.

"Creativity is everything -- think outside the box." Shelly has made and lost fortunes but still has his own hair and teeth and can drive after dark -- admirable achievements for this energetic, intelligent, remarkable man of seventy-eight years. Go to www.fearnoevel.com for a look at his book on inside Hollywood from a guy who immigrated to Hollywood from Boston -- a cross country trek that he does not regret for one moment.

The Crow's Nest by Dodie Cross
PSWG GuildGram columnist Mel Harter reports that his thriller, SOME KIND OF ANGEL has just been released. He says the book is a fast-paced pursuit of a different kind of terrorist who, with a very secret weapon of mass destruction, threatens civilization. Controversial social issues of late life pregnancy, genocide, artificial prolongation of life, and the second amendment (right to bear arms) are explored.

Mel says that getting the novel to market was like having your first baby: terrible prolonged labor pains all but forgotten when the beautiful offspring is born. He's sure everyone will enjoy reading this tale and refers us to his web site which features a video clip with a sharp hook. Please visit www.somekindofangel.com Great going, Mel. Hope you sell a million!

Got something to Crow about?
E-mail me at
dodiecross@dc.rr.com
www.abroadinthailand.com
and inspire others.

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

No ads are going to be put in the Gram this month or next. Some changes in the Gram are going to be taking place, and, in the interim, we won't be able to run them.

Member Profiles by Mary Barrer
Judy Fabris, 2008 Scholarship & Outreach Chair.
Judy Fabris' creative ideas often become successful, lucrative projects. As president of a branch she previously led, she introduced a community program that brought in big dollars for the branch fund.

Likewise, when she joined the National League of American Pen Women, she proposed a similar plan to our local branch. Judy's husband was gravely ill so she could not work on it, but the energetic Penwomen grabbed the opportunity. Last year, through the Women of Distinction fund raising idea that Judy suggested, they made enough money to award six one thousand dollar scholarships. Their recent fund raising lunch was attended by 140, another crowning success.

Upon the passing of her husband, she moved permanently to Palm Springs. She has been a member of the Writers Guild for five years. She appreciates the help she obtains from her critique group as she is writing a historic novel.

No stranger nor novice to publishing, she is the co-author of two non-fiction books produced and marketed by the New American Library. A third solo book was self-published.

This bright, attractive lady was born in California and graduated from Anoakia High School, near Pasadena. College presented exciting challenges. She attended USC, Mary and Williams, and earned her BS from San Jose State. She went on to be awarded a degree in Law from Western State College in Fullerton, Ca, although she never practiced as an attorney.

Her career choices encompassed many fields. She was a magazine editor, a stringer for Copeley News Service and she worked with an advertising agency. She spent forty years in the securities field and was licensed to manager a major brokerage firm. Despite this hectic pace, she found time to marry and raise and son and daughter. She boasts four grandchildren.

Judy is an enthusiastic, willing volunteer. She is corresponding secretary of the local branch of the National League of American Penwomen; she dedicates many hours as a chaplain at Eisenhower Medical Center, and is an extraordinary minister for her church in addition to her duties with the Guild.

Judy relates how she was standing in line at a Guild meeting and happened to turn around and look at the woman behind her. To her amazement it was a school chum who also lived next door to her during her early marriage. Time and circumstances had parted them since 1975, but then Judy and Mary Ladoris met at the Guild!

CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES by Mel Harter
CONTESTS

WRITER'S DIGEST ANNUAL WRITING COMPETITION

PRIZES: Grand Prize $3,000 and trip to New York to meet editors and agents. First Place in each of 10 categories: $1,000, manuscript critique, marketing advice, and $100 worth of Writer's Digest Books. Second through One hundredth Place: scale of cash prizes and other gifts.

SUBMISSION: Categories, guidelines, and entry form, see website www.writersdigest.com/annual/

ENTRY FEE; $10 first poem, $5 each subsequent. $15 first manuscript, $10 each additional in same online session.

ADDRESS: Online at website (above) with entry form(s); by snail mail: printable entry form with manuscript(s) to: 77th Annual Writer's Digest Writer's Competition, 700 E. State Street, Iola, WI 54990

DEADLINE: May 15 (add $2/manuscript through June 2, 2008)

* * *

LOST HORSE PRESS IDAHO PRIZE FOR POETRY 2008

PRIZE: $1,000 plus publication in Lost Horse.

SUBMISSION: 48 or more pages of poetry (one poem per page.) in minimally 12 point type, easily readable font. Poems may have been previously published but not in single author collection. Name, address, email, telephone, title of collection only in cover letter. Include SASE.

ENTRY FEE: $25.00.

ADDRESS : The Idaho Prize, Lost Horse Press, 105 Lost Horse Lane, Sandpoint, ID 83864

DEADLINE: May 15, 2008

* * *

ACTIVITIES

ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS BOOK FESTIVAL 2008

Palm Springs High School, 2401 East Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Sunday, May 4, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM, (Palm Springs Writers Guild is co-sponsor)

Numerous genres are represented. Exhibitors include small independent bookstores, publishers, literary non-profits and poetry groups. There are 6 stages of author panels and special guest speakers, 2 stages for poetry, performances, music, readings, open mic, and exhibitors, interactive activities, and book signings.

Website: www.psbookfestival.com

* * *

College of the Desert Pollack Theatre, 43500 Monterey Ave., Palm Desert

Wednesday, May 14, 12:45 PM-2:00 PM, Student Fiction and Poetry Readings by The Creative Writing Class of Amy DiBello, Associate Professor of English. Free admission, For more information call Student Services, 760-773-2590

* * *

Wiens Family Cellars, 350 Via Del Ponte, Temecula, CA

Saturday, May 3, 12:00 PM-6:00 PM, Art, Music and Literary Walk in the Vineyards. Renowned artisans, artists, and authors show and sell their works. Cost: $25 presale. $30 at the door, includes appetizers and wine tasting. More info, phone 951-302.3837, email Dorland@ez2.net or see website at www.dorlandartscolony.org

* * *

Melvyn's Restaurant st the Ingleside Inn, 200 West Ramon Road, Palm Springs

Wednesday, May 7, 6:30 PM, "Dinner With. . ." series. Gloria Greer, society columnist and veteran journalist, Cost $35 includes discussion, Q&A, and 3-course dinner. Reservations, call 760-325-0710.

* * *

PLEASE SEND ME REFERENCES TO SHARE! 760-777-1391 and harter@dc.rr.com

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Upcoming Writers Guild Meetings

JUNE 1 STEPHEN LINSTEADT Author books, films; naturopathic doctor; nutritional consultant; will talk on the process of getting your film made by a major studio.

CONTEST TIME AGAIN!

The Guild Short Story Contest for this year is now open. The deadline is June 15th and the winners will be announced at the November meeting at the Rancho Mirage Library. It is open to Guild members only. The prizes will be $200 for first prize, $100 for second and $50 for third. Entry forms will be available at the next meeting as well as included in this Gram issue!

Are you on our email list? If not, please send email address to: note719@aol.com.

2008 BOOK SALE A ROUSING SUCCESS by Bob Hurlbert
In a few short hours of selling books-and-stuff at two Sunday meetings, the Barbara Seranella Scholarship Fund gained $146.65.

To the author/members who donated their books, and to the donors of used books and items -- an appreciative "Thank You." A special "Thank You" goes to Carolyn Sollano for her assistance on both days. Those who helped me unpack/pack boxes from and to my car get a "Thank You." And a hug-a-mungous "Thank You" to each of the purchasers who gave so generously in support of the Scholarship Fund!

The Palm Springs Writers Guild donated eight boxes of leftover books to the United Services Organization facility at Palm Springs International Airport. The USO representative voiced a heartfelt "Thank You" to our organization.

Limerick by Cynthia Slater
Writers who know what to say
Use metaphors in their word play
Make your rhymes fit the scene
But just keep it clean
Or there will be all hell to pay

-One man couldn't follow the directions to "press any key" -- he couldn't find the "ANY" key on his keyboard!

-One lady's problem in operating her mouse was solved by taking the dust cover off -- the plastic bag in which the mouse was packaged.

-Another lady had difficulty controlling her mouse -- she had been using it on the floor like a foot pedal because that was how her electric sewing machine worked!

-And then there was the frustrated student with a mouse that wouldn't work in coordination with the arrow on the screen who said: "Now I know why they call it a "cursor!!" "*!*/>&#\^!"

Excerpted from the book Coffee and a Byte by Vicki Mills

And you think YOU have computer challenges...

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

PS Book Fest.

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:05:00 +0000

The third annual Palm Springs Book Festival will be held May 4th from 10:00 to 6:00 at Palm Springs High School, 2401 E Baristo Road, Palm Springs. Authors attending include Cloris Leachman, Chalmers Johnson, Barry M. Goldwater Jr., Dan Boyle, Gayle Brandeis, Trebor Healey, Alistair McCartney and Lydia Millet. Guild authors who want to rent booths can find a form on the bookfest website to send in their checks. (psbookfestival.com) An author must rent a booth to sell their books, but we hope to have a bookcase where our authors can exhibit their books. Authors are not allowed to share booths. Profits will benefit the Arts Institute of Palm Springs High School.

April 2008 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:35:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
April 2008
See you in Palm Desert at our "other location"...
Meeting Date: Sunday, April 6, 2008, 2:30-4:30 PM
Meeting Location: Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA

Shelly Saltman: Big Name Promoter/Manager

Shelly has over 50 years working all over the world in fields of entertainment, sports, humanities & politics.

His client list reads like a celebrity night at Kennedy Center. Here's a small sample of some of those he has promoted: Andy Williams, Evel Kneivel, Mohamad Ali, Jonas Salk, Boris Yeltzen, US Olympic Team. His record speaks for his expertise. A master of his craft, Shelly will have much to share.

PRESIDENT'S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz
Our second meeting at the Rancho Mirage library was another resounding success. We are looking forward to the time when we will have most of our meetings at that venue. Our speaker, John Jamison, mountain man, noted author and former minister, among a variety of other pursuits, gave us a fascinating account of tracking down a story. He also reminded us that the best place to look for ideas is within our own lives and experiences. We welcome John as a new member of the Guild.

The Guild will be taking part in the Palm Springs Book Festival at the Palm Springs High School on Sunday, May 7. I encourage our authors to participate. Renting a booth provides an excellent opportunity to sell your books and make contacts. Judi Weigel, who is in charge of the program, has a varied and enticing lineup of speakers for the day. For further information on the festival, look at the website www.psbookfestival.com.

Member and author Kathryn Jordan gave an excellent workshop on research this month. What we learned is that research is not only necessary but can be fun. Those who attended the workshop gave it high marks. Kathryn is also a participant in the writers forum at the Rancho Mirage Library on March 30. These are highly worthwhile programs deserving of your support.

The Guild is fortunate to have a group of excellent and capable nominees for the 2008-09 board. We are still in need of a treasurer, Guild Gram editor and publicity chair for the upcoming year. If you have not contributed your services in some way to the Guild, here is your opportunity. Serving on the board is an excellent way to incorporate your own ideas in giving the Guild direction. You will be rewarded with the satisfaction of making a contribution while at the same time making new friends. Anyone interested in any of these positions, please contact me.

We are pleased to announce the winner of the Barbara Seranella Memorial Scholarship for 2008. It is Adrian Rivas from Palm Springs High School. He will receive a scholarship of $750 at the high school award ceremony on May 22. We look forward to meeting Adrian at an upcoming meeting and hearing his winning submission. Our thanks to Tod Goldberg at UCR for his help in selecting a winner.

Please remember the Guild is YOU! Please support Guild activities and encourage others to join.

SPEAKERS REVIEW
By Joanne Hardy
John Jamison spoke to Guild members without his mountain-man voice, only treating us to the North Carolina mountain dialect for a few sentences. His varied career has taken him from the mountains to the academic world, to Wall Street, to the ministry, and back to his North Carolina roots with the development of the book The Backside of God.

People ask him how he gets ideas. He says "from you and me -- we're all a little bit weird." He quoted his friend Robert Waller, author of The Bridges of Madison County, who told a friend to give his son (who wanted to be a writer) $5,000 and tell him to wander around America -- in bars, restaurants, shopping centers, watching people.

Another basis for a story is to consider what we did, failed to do -- the worse thing we ever did, the most hurtful thing.

An event may trigger a book. He read about a human remains found in a campground. First official consideration was foul play. He began to investigate. It was found to be a suicide. He followed other leads discovering more and more about this man. He continued until all questions had been answered about a man who didn't want his life -- a man Jamison did not know. This search became the book Answer to Hell.

When asked how he writes, he says some people make scene after scene on index cards then arrange them into crisis and transitional scenes. Some people write with a free flow not knowing exactly where they will go. He says he is somewhere in between. He may start with a character or an idea. He may write a chapter which may end up being in the middle or he may write the first or last chapter before he gets going.

He suggests you use characters that will "most likely do anything." It is best when characters take control.

Regarding self-publishing, he says he has done it three times and the first thing to consider is what you want to do with the book you have written. Do you want to market it or keep it a personal memoir, for family and friends? iUniverse creates a good book. Xlibris helps more with marketing.

His advice on editing was interesting. He says he can write a book in 90 days, but it is not a finished product. He leaves it for about six months, and then reads it, looking for content and flow. He then lays it aside for six more months. This time he reads it aloud. The real key is to hear it as if it were new. Then with this self-critique, he goes to work completing the story.

John Jamison can be reached at
jamisonrayburn@att.net or 760-202-9924.

The Crow's Nest
by Dodie Cross
Member Jenny Gumpertz has something to crow about: "I have just won 3rd prize in Jane's Stories Press 2008 Flash Fiction contest for my 74-word story "High Achiever." My picture, bite-size bio, and the story are now on www.janesstories.org. Click on "latest contest winners" to read Jenny's story. She also has a little belated crowing to do from last December when she won an honorable mention in New Millennium Writings contest for her story "Peeling Onions," which will appear along with a bio and picture in their Oct-Nov edition. Jenny says it's her "...first publication in a literary magazine." Kudos, Jenny, that's perseverance for you!

Julie A. Gorges writes: "My new book, A Time To Cast Away, my second young adult novel, will be released in April 2008. The book can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com."

In a note from Carol Mann, we learn that Guild member Cyndy Muscatel has been busy wearing three hats: teacher, mentor, and editor. Her Mizell Center Creative Writing Class is publishing an anthology entitled The Road Taken. Twenty-five class authors have contributed fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to the project, including guild members Dolores Carruthers, Phyllis Costello, Virginia Cummings, Martin Goldberg, Gitta Gorman, Carol Mann, Cheryl McFadden, Mary Olson, Dawn Spitz, Eric Spitz, and Kay Virgiel who are enrolled in the class. The book is now in the hands of iUniverse.

Carol has recently had her short story "The First of the Season" published in the literary journal RiverSedge, published by The University of Texas-Pan American Press. "The story is set in Germany during WWII; two young American soldiers fight weather and thoughts of home."

And, speaking of crowing: two members, Debbie Madison and yours truly, Dodie Cross, came in as finalists in "ForeWard" Magazine's Book of the Year Award. Winners will be notified at the BookExpo of America at the Los Angeles Convention Center on May 30th.

Got something to Crow about?
E-mail me at
dodiecross@dc.rr.com
www.abroadinthailand.com
and inspire others.

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Ads accepted pertaining to writing. Anyone wishing to advertise for editors, ghost writers, or offering similar services, please send your copy to Palm Springs Writers Guild, Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. Enclose a check for $5 per ad. Copy limited to 35 words. Deadline--13th of each month. Send money and written ad to P.O. Box and then email a copy of your ad to Vamills@aol.com so that Vicki Mills can put it in the Gram. Write GRAM AD in the subject line of the email, please.

Kathryn Jordan, author of the novels:
Hot Water and The Glad Girl
Editing
Story Consulting
Careful Constructive Advice
All Aspects of Writing/Publishing
M.A. English, U.C.L.A.
30+ published articles
28 years teaching writing
Katejor@earthlink.net (760)345-0569

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 11:30 AM at Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert. For reservations please contact Marge Dodge at Margedodge1@aol.com or 760-564-9329.

Member Profiles
by Mary Barrer
CHERI BENTLEY-BUCKMAN, HOSPITALITY CHAIR
It's often the dream of serious writers to live in the Left Bank of Paris where many of the world's most colorful and successful authors reside. Our Cheri Bentley-Buckman achieved that goal when she made her home there for a decade, not far from Ernest Hemingway's digs.

A Texan by birth, music became the focus of her life at the early age of five when she began piano lessons. She continued with this study during her elementary and high school years, yet was able to take time out to become her high school's cheerleader. Instead of choosing a mainstream university, she attended the Converse Conservatory of Music in South Carolina where she studied to become a concert pianist.

Following a brief, unhappy marriage, Cheri looked to other horizons. She presented herself as a strikingly elegant young woman and soon became a high fashion model showing top designer clothes. This led her to discover the glittering world of international travel where she enjoyed the friendship of top European diplomats and luminaries. She studied writing with a private tutor and often joined other jet setters on the slopes of the French Alps for skiing.

When she returned to the States, she settled in Huntsville, Alabama. She began work on her first novel based on her experiences on the international scene. This is a work in progress.

Romance blossomed in her life when she met Charles Buckman, a prominent California educator who was attending a seminar at the Hilton hotel in Huntsville. The couple's whirlwind courtship lasted less than six months. On a trip to Hollywood to met his family, they decided to marry. They choose the Moorton Botanical Gardens in Palm Springs for their nuptials. Patricia Moorton arranged a fairy tale wedding.

When Charles retired they bought a condo in Palm Springs and now divide their time between here and their spacious new home in Huntsville where they spend time with their family.

Poetry has become another creative outlet for Cheri. Her "Rosa" was published in the 2007 San Diego Poetry Annual. She is preparing 30 of her original poems for a chapbook to be produced in July.

Cheri was recently named to the Board of Trustees of the Idylwild Arts Academy. She is member of the Palm Springs Film Festival Committee, the Palm Springs Branch of the National League of American Pen Women, Romance Writers of America, and the Writers Guild, along with other civic organizations.

Cheri's philosophy is never give up on your goals and it is never too late to realize your dreams.

Cheri and Charles have generously provided the delicious refreshments for our meetings this season. The Guild extends its thanks and appreciation to them for their gracious hospitality.

CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES
by Mel Harter

ALASKA WRITERS GUILD 2008 RALPH WILLIAMS PRIZE
SPECULATIVE FICTION CONTEST

PRIZE: $5,000 Grand Prize (best of contest); $1,000 each category: Sci-Fi, Horror, Humor by teens, young adults.

SUBMISSION: Up to 25 pages double spaced, 12 pt. Courier, one inch margins. For guidelines and Application Packet see: www.akwguild.alaskawriters.com/book10.html

ENTRY FEE: $50.00 per story entered, unlimited number..

ADDRESS: Ralph Williams Speculative Prize Contest, Alaska Writers Guild, 9138 Arlon St., Ste A-3 Box 910, Anchorage, AK 99507 DEADLINE: April 15, 2008

* * *

16TH ANNUAL WRITER'S DIGEST INTERNATIONAL
SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS

PRIZE: $3,000 Grand Prize + magazine promotion; $1,000 each of 9 First Place winners

SUBMISSION: All printed and bound English language books published or revised and reprinted between 2003 and 2008. Entry form/details: www.WritersDigest.com

ENTRY FEE: $100 First entry; $50 each additional entry

ADDRESS: See website: www.WritersDigest.com DEADLINE: May 1, 2008

* * *

ALMOST ENDLESS LIST OF CONTESTS AND WORKSHOP RETREATS

WINNING WRITERS NEWSLETTER: Free at www.winningwriters.com

POETS AND WRITERS MAGAZINE: $17.95 subscription: bimonthly, one year to; see www.pw.org or write Poets&Writers, P.O. Box 543, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-7463. Ask for introductory discount.

* * *

ACTIVITIES

Rancho Mirage Public Library, 73300 Fred Waring, Rancho Mirage

Thursday, April 24, 1:30 PM: Author T. Jefferson Parker Winner multiple Edgar Awards and L.A. Times Book Prize ( Stories of Murder & Mayhem in Southern California.)

* * *

UCR Palm Desert, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, Palm Desert

Gneiss Poetry Series, Tuesday, April 8, 7:00 PM Poet Lola Haskins

(Call 760-985-0853 for further info.)

* * *

La Quinta Entertainment & Cultural "Meet The Author Luncheon,"

Salon de Flores Ballroom, La Quinta Resort, 49499 Eisenhower Drive, La Quinta

Wednesday, April 16, 11:30 AM: Authors Anne Newton Walther (Loss of Innocence) and Norman Mark (Lure of the Long-Legged Blonde) Cost: $45 for lunch and lectures; Reservations: Terri Keating, 760-771-0115 or Diane, 760-771-0577 or email LQECO@aol.com

* * *

Know of good contest or activity for this column; contact Mel Harter at 760-777-1391 and harter@dc.rr.com

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Upcoming Writers Guild Meetings
MAY 4th or 11th -- to be announced NORMAN MARK Author; wine columnist; movie reviewer; talk show host; nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize; winner Discovery Award for novel at Hollywood Film Festival.

JUNE 1 STEPHEN LINSTEADT Author books, films; naturopathic doctor; nutritional consultant; will talk on the process of getting your film made by a major studio.

All we need is a helping hand....
No costs to you involved. The Guild pays for the refreshments. We just need a refreshment host/hostess for May and June because Cheri Bentley-Buckman, our usual hostess, will be out of town. Please contact Cheri to see what is needed at 760-321-8211 or cbook59869@aol.com.

CONTEST TIME AGAIN!
The Guild Short Story Contest for this year is now open. The deadline is June 1st and the winners will be announced at the November meeting at the Rancho Mirage Library. It is open to Guild members only. The prizes will be $200 for first prize, $100 for second and $50 for third. Entry forms will be available at the next meeting as well as included in this Gram issue!

Enter Short Story Contest - click here

BOOK PROMOTION 101: From the Stakeout to the Kill by Dodie Cross
Okay, here's the deal. We have to promote ourselves! There's only one person who knows the book and thinks it's the Greatest Story Ever Told; and it's the author. I have no shame when it comes to promoting myself, selling myself or getting in someone's face (or dinner plate at a restaurant) and selling my book.

The first thing I did after my cover was designed was to design and make a bookmark. It was easy. All I had to do was set my margins on my word document to the size of a normal bookmark (2"x7") and then start typing...."In this laugh-out-loud memoir, Dodie Cross...yada, yada, yada. You'd a thought I had just been awarded the Pulitzer by the way I bragged.

But, why not? Who's going to walk up to you and say: "Hey, I read your book, and it wasn't a "Laugh out loud."

Next I called around and got some quotes on 500 bookmarks; some prices were higher than my mortgage payment, some companies took six weeks to deliver. Then I found Office Depot. They were fast, did the work in-house, and the bookmarks turned out lovely. Then I began my attack.

The Stakeout: Every time I left the house I made sure I had at least 50 bookmarks stuffed into my purse. The second I saw a straggler, a woman sitting alone, two or more women together, or husband and wife, I began reaching into my purse. "Hi," I'd say, giving my best local author smile, "I'm a local author and this is a bookmark for you." "Oh, thanks," most would mutter as they haltingly accepted it, hoping I wasn't a rabid cult member trying to lure them into my church.

The Assault: I can't tell you how many times my cheapo little cards sold a book for me. In restaurants: I'd scope out the room looking for happy faces; crinkles around the eyes showing a propensity for laughing; women chattering over a glass of wine (I always approach drinkers, they're happy people). I've left the restaurant with two people trailing me to my car for an on-the-spot purchase. I suspect it might have looked like some sort of a drug-buy, but hey, you've got to market at any cost! On airplanes: I walk the aisles looking for women reading. They're easy prey. "Hi," I say brightly as I check out the name of the book they're reading. "You look like you'd enjoy this type of book," as I insert a bookmark into their book. There's really no way to avoid a sales pitch on a plane. Where are they gonna go to get away from you?

At the post office: Lines of women, just waiting to get their minds off of the dreary duty of picking up "held" bills. I think they're the easiest marks. They have no book with them; they are bored beyond endurance; and their eyes light up when I tell them that the back of my bookmark is "for women only." Then I lurk just outside the door, knowing I've interested a few of them, and sure enough, I have captured at least one to three bored housewives longing for some excitement in their lives, and honey, I tell them, this book will do it. Once I ran out of bookmarks before the line of women ran out, and I actually had a lady look ticked off. "Where's mine?" she asked. Doctor's offices: Another sure-fire captive audience. They're all reading; either books, or magazines left over from the pterodactyl period or boring health leaflets. "Hi," I say, giving them the "local author" bit, "I'll bet this book might be more interesting than reading about seborrhea and the heartbreak of psoriasis."

Coming in for the kill--The Guarantee: "This is a woman's book," I tell them. "Very funny, fast reading, and if you don't laugh out loud I'll refund your money." "Oh!" some would reply, suddenly interested. "Well, gee. Okay. Um, where can I get it?" they'd ask while turning the card over and reading the hilarious synopsis I devised to trap such hold-outs. "Well, if you're interested in saving some money in shipping and handling costs, I have copies in my car for just your type of smart shopper. Plus, I can autograph it for you if you purchase it right now." I do believe I have sold more from my trunk than from my web site.

I guess what I'm trying to say with all this is: don't be a bunch of nattering nabobs of negativism. Get out and be a self-promoter!

FINAL USED BOOK SALE
We had a tremendous success in February. This month's sale during the meeting April 6th should be even more exciting. Bring your books, cash, and checkbook for the final sale of this project. The Silent Auction is fun. Try it, you'll like it.

Last chance: Bring books for sale, and dollars to buy.

THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE BRAVE
Might sound corny, but it DID catch your attention, didn't it? Do you want free tutoring in newsletter creation? Would you like to serve the Writer's Guild by writing and editing the newsletter? Feel free to talk to Vicki Mills about what benefits there are. My editorial skills have skyrocketed since doing this Gram. Call or write to discuss if this branch of service is for you! Vicki 760-250-1897 or Vamills@aol.com. It's not for everyone, but I do want YOU!

"A book is a friend...
...who will wait patiently until you want to meet, speak when you want to listen, teach when you want to learn, introduce you to heroes and heroines, make you laugh, touch your heart, send you traveling in time and space, tickle, trick, tantalize you.
Cozy up, day or night, to a companion you can count on for a lifetime!"
Excerpted from Coffee and a Byte by Vicki Mills

Are you on our email list? If not, please send email address to: note719@aol.com.

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

March 2008 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:10:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
March 2008
MEETING TIME: Sunday, March 9, 2008, 2:00-4:00 P.M.
Rancho Mirage Library
71-100 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA

PRESIDENT�??S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz
The Guild had its own Super Bowl on Feb.3 in the presence of our dynamic speaker, Claudia Suzanne. She had the energy and acuity of a quarterback, leaving us all with the feeling that our team had won. Since so many missed hearing her, the Guild would be wise to invite her to speak again.

I want to remind you that the meeting next month will be at the Rancho Mirage Library at 2:00 p.m. on March 9th (the second Sunday.) A new time and a new place. We are looking forward to hearing John Jamison, a noted author. I have had the privilege of reading his new book, not yet published, and it is a fascinating and entertaining collection of southern mountain stories.

Although we have four more months in our Guild year, it is time to think about electing new officers. I have very much enjoyed being your president these last two years and will be sorry to step down. But it is time for new ideas and fresh energy. I think I can speak for all who have served the Guild in any capacity, that it is a rewarding experience. Contributing our time and energies to the Guild enables us to more fully experience its benefits, by giving us a greater feeling of participation and broadening our associations with other members. Some members have been contributing their time to the Guild for years�??on the board, on committees, in critique groups, and for the Guild Gram. I am deeply grateful to those who have been so supportive and I treasure the new friends I have made.

At the next meeting, we will have sign up sheets for volunteers. Open are positions for president, vice-presidents in charge of program, publicity and membership, recording secretary, treasurer and editor of the newsletter. The Guild cannot run without responsible leadership. If you have not yet taken a role in contributing your time to the Guild, please consider doing so now. As with anything, you will get out of your membership what you put into it.

The Guild has grown in the past few years in influence, services to the community and membership. It is truly an organization of which you can feel proud to be a member.

Please support it!

SPEAKERS REVIEW
By Joanne Hardy
Claudia Suzanne promised a presentation on ghost writing but gave Guild members a much wider picture of the experiences of a writer. In addition to her book, This Business of Books, which is used as a text in colleges, Suzanne has written nearly 100 books. It wasn�??t always so. She used to be a drummer. She wrote a book called For Musicians Only with her husband and with that, a new career began, first as an author and then as a ghost writer.

There are two kinds of ghost writing, traditional and modern, she explained. The traditional type of ghost writer may seek out celebrities, or other prominent individuals and do biographies, expert books, etc. The ghost writer does all the research, writing and editing. The modern ghost writer takes a piece of work at a given point where the author has already developed and researched the material and begins work on the project. The ghost writer in both cases brings the manuscript to marketable quality.

Suzanne says there are three kinds of editing.

The book �??doctor�?? or line editor. This editor may look at structure, content, sometimes changing passive voice into active prose, etc. They are less involved in the work than the author and more involved than the copy editor.

The copy editor looks at spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

The proofreader makes sure there is a pristine copy in final form with no typographical errors or repeated words.

She said there were two kinds of publishing, traditional and subsidy. The difference is that with traditional, the publisher pays you to publish your book and with subsidy you pay someone to publish your book. Aside from that, the big problem with subsidy publishing is that, after it is published, you do not have a distribution engine.

Subsidy publishing is best for memoirs, family genealogies, etc. Two other advantages to subsidy publishing are, you own your own ISBN and you own the rights to your book.

Another negative about self- publishing or subsidy publishing is a lack of authorial accountability. Authorial accountability is an absolute with traditional publishing. It means the work has been edited and brought to professional quality.

In discussing the publishing world she said, there are five major publishing houses with several subsidiary companies in each. Random House, she said, almost owns the industry.

The biggest reason non-fiction does not succeed is because of faulty structure �?? or flow of information. The main reason fiction does not succeed is plotting.

Structure means one idea flowing into another in a logical way. In fiction, the plotting should not be a sequence of events in linear form. It requires highs and lows in the story, and the events must build into a larger connected purpose for the story and ultimately conclusion. Fiction stories that last have extensive character development. It is all about character, she said.

The Romance genre makes up 48 percent of the industry.

When she begins editing a manuscript, she uses a chart book and action map. Then she goes to copy editing. Punctuation and grammar, she says, is all a matter of style.

Suzanne feels that the first step is to get an agent. Suzanne recognized this is not easy. She has started working as an agent, and now has one novel and three non-fiction books.

Claudia Suzanne can be reached at Claudia@wambtac.com or http:/www.wambtac.com or 714-439-9105.

Attention, Please !!
March Guild Meeting: changed date, time & location
Sunday March 9, 2008, at 2 PM, the 2nd Sunday of the month! The RANCHO MIRAGE LIBRARY 71-100 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage

The Crow�??s Nest by Dodie Cross
In October, Jim Duggan submitted his historical novel, THE POWER, a story of voodoo and slavery in 19th Century America, to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. He reports that: �??On January 15, I heard that I had been advanced to semi-finalist status.�?? Congrats Jim, for getting so far along in their contest.

Member Frank Thornburgh notifies me that he�??s �??been invited to be one of the entertainers at the cowboy poetry event sponsored by the San Ramon Valley Horsemen's Association. (I do my stories and poems for any group that asks.) The location is up in the east bay. There will be a cowboy Poetry gathering/ social/ dinner on Friday March 14, 2008 at the Alamo, California Women's Club 1401 Danville Blvd. It's sponsored by the San Ramon Valley Horsemen's Association and the public is invited. A RSVP is required to get an accurate head count plus attendees need to receive the potluck dish assignment. Last year was a sellout so the early birds get the best assignments. A cowboy good time is assured.�??

Got something to Crow about?
Email me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com and inspire others
www.abroadinthailand.com

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Ads accepted pertaining to writing. Anyone wishing to advertise for editors, ghost writers, or offering similar services, please send your copy to Palm Springs Writers Guild, Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. Enclose a check for $5 per ad. Copy limited to 35 words. Deadline--13th of each month.

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 11:30 AM at Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert. For reservations please contact Marge Dodge at Margedodge1@aol.com or 760-564-9329.

Member Profiles
by Mary Barrer
CAROLYN SOLLANO, VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLICITY
Carolyn Sollano has lived an international life on three continents. Although she was born in California, her family moved to Arkansas when she was a small child. Here she attended elementary, high school and Henderson State Teachers College. She did not have a chance to finish as her Dad was recalled to the military and the family moved to Germany.

She worked with the Girl Scouts of America and visited neighboring countries learning their different cultures. When she meet a handsome soldier on a Halloween date something magical happened and they fell in love. The couple saw each other every day thereafter and married in May. Upon Joe's discharge from the military, they settled in a Long Island New York suburb where they raised two sons and a daughter. Carolyn attended Queens College and Dowling College in Sayville, New York.

Joe became a Culligan Water dealer and developed a highly successful business as a government contractor in the Philippines and Hawaii. Since they spent many months in these areas, it gave Carolyn an opportunity to experience these exotic cultures. Their oldest son joined his dad in business but tragically died at age 40 in the Philippines.

Joe and Carolyn retired and moved to the desert seventeen years ago where Joe operated a Culliigan Water Agency until his death a decade ago. Carolyn's daughter and two grandchildren live in San Diego and her youngest son resides in Palm Desert. There are three teenage children in the Philippines who visit her often. The other member of the Sollano household is Honey, a beautiful apricot Poodle with distinctive white boots.

Carolyn's membership and loyalty to the Guild dates back twelve years ago when she was a member of Bill Clark's screenwriting critique group. She attributes her interest in the film industry to being surrounded by the aura of tinsel town as her Dad operated theaters in Arkansas while she grew up. Carolyn has made an important contribution to the Guild as publicity chair. There are over 700 organizations vying for free space in the local media. Through her relentless effort in sending out news releases and articles, she has kept the Guild name prominent for many months.

CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES by Mel Harter
760-777-1391 or harter@dc.rr.com
CONTESTS
ANOTHER TREASURE TROVE: WOW! Check out Winning Writers Newsletter at: www.winningwriters.com They say, �??Winning Writers finds and creates resources for poets and writers. Get access to detailed profiles of over 150 quality free poetry contests when you subscribe to our free email newsletter. Our larger premium database, Poetry Contest Insider, profiles over 750 poetry contests. We directly sponsor the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee) and the War Poetry Contest. We also assist the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest, the Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse and the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest.�?? That�??s right, MORE THAN 150 LISTINGS AND IT�??S FREE!

* * *

LORIAN HEMINGWAY SHORT STORY COMPETITION

PRIZE: $1,000 First Place; $500 each Second and Third Place

SUBMISSION: (Limited to writers whose fiction has never been published in national publication with circulation of over 5,000.) Fiction, 3,000 word limit. Withhold author�??s name from manuscript. Submit with coversheet stating author�??s name, address, email address, title of story and word count. Visit: http://www.shortstorycompetition.com or write to calico2419@aol.com for more details

ENTRY FEE: $12.00 if postmarked before May 1, 2008; $17 from May 2, 2008 to deadline.

ADDRESS: (NO EMAIL SUBMISSIONS) Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition,

P.O. Box 993, Key West, FL 33041

DEADLINE: May 15, 2008

* * *

2008 Independent Publisher (IPPY) National & Regional Book Awards

PRIZE: Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards in several genres, Fiction and Non Fiction, National and Regional plus credibility and exposure to book markets.

SUBMISSION: (ELIGIBILITY: Independent, university, and small presses; self-publishers, demand publishers; copyright and/or released in 2007.) For 65 categories, guidelines, and entry form visit IPPY website at http://www.independentpublisher.com

ENTRY FEE: $85 per title per category (National Contest & $45 to also enter Regional Contest)

ADDRESS: Submit with entry form and fee (instructions at website above.)

DEADLINE: May 1, 2008

* * *

Pikes peak pen women flash fiction Writing contest

PRIZE $60 First; $25 Second; $15 Merit Award

SUBMISSION: Fiction less than 100 words, any genre, Theme: �??Beneath The Bed�??

ENTRY FEE: $8.00 per entry

ADDRESS: Website; http://www.americanpenwomen.org/branches.html

Contact: Pamela Cosel, Contest Chairperson, 18930 Augusta Dr., Monument, CO 80132

DEADLINE: March 1, 2008

* * *

ACTIVITIES
La Quinta Resort & Club, 49499 Eisenhower Drive, La Quinta

Wednesday, March 19, 11:30 AM, MEET THE AUTHOR LUNCHEON: Ken Ehrlich, author of

�??At The Grammys.�?? Cost: $45.(Luncheon & speaker.) Reservations: Diane Adolph, 760-771-0577

Rancho Mirage Public Library, 73300 Fred Waring

Thursday, March 20, 1: 30 PM: California Desert Literature: �??From Arid Land to Literary Bounty�?? Featuring authors Ruth Nolan, Malcolm Margolin, Kathryn Jordan, and Rebecca O�??Conner.

Melvyn�??s Restaurant at the Ingleside Inn, 202 West Ramon Road, Palm Springs

Dinner With�?�Series

Tuesday, March 4, 6:30 PM: Andrew Niederman, AKA V.C. Andrews, popular world-wide author.
Tuesday, March 18, 6:30 PM Edd �??Kookie�?? Byrnes, star of 1960�??s �??77, Sunset Strip.�??

Four course dinner and speaker, $35 (tax & tip included.) Reservations required; call 760-325-2323.

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

EDITORS �?? still looking...
I am looking for an editor for my memoirs. Please call me at 760-345-1663 or email me
mariascuisine@verizon.net
Maria Woelfl

Upcoming Writers Guild Meetings (see more activities & workshops on pg. 6)

APRIL 6 SHELDON SALTMAN Well-known promoter for over fifty years: sports, politics, entertainment, business; he has the inside knowledge.

MAY 4 NORMAN MARK Author; wine columnist; movie reviewer; talk show host; nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize; winner Discovery Award for novel at Hollywood Film Festival.

JUNE 1 STEPHEN LINSTEADT Author books, films; naturopathic doctor; nutritional consultant; will talk on the process of getting your film made by a major studio.

Mark your Calendar! Sat., Mar.1st �?? Workshop on �??Doing Research�?? by Kathryn Jordan

We all know what a critical part research plays in good writing. Research can make or break your book or paper. Learn from a successful author. Kathryn is now working on her third novel. Her first novel, Hot Water is selling world wide; A&E is considering it for TV. She was invited to write the love story of Gladys Walton and Al Capone, by their son. It was recently released under the title The Glad Girl. Don't miss this special opportunity on Saturday, March 1st, from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Mizell Senior Center, 480 S Sunrise Way, Palm Springs. $10.00 Guild Members Non Members $20.00 Reservations Phyllis 760-321-6173

Are you on our email list? If not, send email address please to: note719@aol.com.

WILL YOU HELP US EAT DRINK AND BE MERRY?
We need a refreshment chair for April, May and June because Cheri Bentley-Buckman, our usual hostess, will be out of town. Please contact Cheri to see what is needed at 760-321-8211 or cbook59869@aol.com.

John Jamison, The Mountain Man, Speaks!
Mountain Man, Wall Street Banker, author, and former minister: sounds like several people! These descriptions all belong to one person, John Jamison.

Coming from humble beginnings, he graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt. He also attended Harvard and the University of British Columbia. He holds degrees in philosophy and the psychology of religion. His articles appear in national publications. His first novel Chair Dreams won first prize in the Yachats Literary Festival. The Backside of God presents a man returning to his mountain roots and all the problems he encounters untangling from the past.

This promises to be a gifted speaker with an unusual message. He has skillfully fictionalized parts of his life and has much to share and will keep you laughing.

Can you write or play for recorder/piano.
Let's duet.
327-3279 Marion

I need ride to Guild Meetings from South Palm Springs. 327-3279 Marion

My face is furrowed now
In fact, it's really rutty.
Revlon & Clinique don't help
I need a can of putty.
By Phyllis Costello

February Book Sale a Success
In spite of a relatively low attendance (34 persons) on Sunday, the PSWG Book Sale was surprisingly profitable. In competition with the pseudo national holiday �?? Super Bowl football game, donors�?? books filled the tops of four tables and were swept up by charitable buyers; thank you. The sale generated $58.15 for the Barbara Seranella Scholarship Fund. Thanks to the member/authors who donated their penned works for the Silent Auction, and to the bidders who competed for them. A special thanks to Carolyn Sollano, who devoted her time at the meeting assisting with the sale of books and things. This event will be repeated on April 6, 2008.

Writer�??s Workshop Open to Anyone Who Would Like to Sign Up
Sponsored by The National League of American Pen Women
March 18, 2008 The art of writing the short story. Workshop leader is Mike Foley, of Writer�??s Review. Mike has helped hundreds of aspiring writers and business people strengthen their writing skills, promote businesses and improve their chances at success. He is the editor of Dream Merchant Magazine and author of more than 600 published stories and articles. In addition to his editing services, Mike also teaches fiction and nonfiction writing in the extension program at the University of California--Riverside..

Workshop: 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert
Reservations: Marge Dodge, 333-0733 or margedodge1@aol.com Cost $30 each.

Keep up the good work! The top of the mountain is reached one step at a time!

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

February 2008 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:26:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
February 2008
MEETING TIME: Sunday, February 3, 2008, 2:30-4:30 P.M.
Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA

GHOSTWRITING * * * LEARN FROM THE WINNER
Multitalented could describe Claudia Suzanne. She began her business in 1988 after a successful career as a professional drummer and vocalist. Since that time she has ghosted over 90 fiction and nonfiction books. She has written three of her own titles, including This Business of Books, a Complete Overview of the Business from Concept through Sales. This book is in its 4th printing. Many schools use it as a text, including universities in China. Editing, life coaching and motivational speaking are also among her bag of tricks. She serves on many boards including Pen Women, CA State Extension Board, Founder Southern CA Professional Writers. Plan to be entertained as well as educated. She knows the business. by Phyllis Costello Program Chairman

THE LONG-AWAITED BOOK-AND-OTHER-WRITERLY-THINGS SALE
Donate your unwanted books, magazines, and other items of writer interest to a good cause. Bring them to the Guild meeting on Sunday, February 3, 2008.

Also bring dollars and quarters or your checkbook to buy from the table. One person's trash is another's pleasure; you will not find treasure at a better price. I will price them; I will sell them.

All proceeds will be donated to the Barbara Seranella Scholarship Fund.
Bobhurlbert@hotmail.com

PRESIDENT'S LETTER by Dawn Huntley Spitz
Those of us who heard our January speaker, Jeff Kaye, tell of his lonely and dangerous life as an undercover agent in the drug trade, were deeply moved by his account. He is yet another of the courageous people who daily risk their lives for the safety of others. His fascinating story can be found in his book, "Two Faces Have I."

One of the Guild's exciting events is soon to get underway again as we look forward to another year's challenging short story contest. The winners of last year's contest were of high caliber and with our increase in membership, we expect even more high level entries this year. Bob Berk, the professional actor who so effectively read our winning short stories last year, has joined the Guild and has kindly volunteered to be the program chair for the 2008 contest.

Despite the scheduling conflict with the Super Bowl game, I hope you will all endeavor to attend the February 3rd meeting when our speaker will be Claudia Suzanne who will speak on ghostwriting among other things. Since the Guild often gets requests for a ghostwriter, this should be a topic of great interest to our membership.

Also on February 3rd, Bob Hurlbert is graciously holding a sale on used books and magazines of which we can avail ourselves for a token fee. The proceeds of the sale will go to the Barbara Seranella Scholarship Fund. Please participate by bringing in your donations. You can stock up on new reading material and contribute to a worthy cause at the same time.

Although dues were payable in October, a significant number of members were still in arrears as of this month. To save having to call nearly forty members individually, a reminder was sent to the general membership. Since the due date had been changed from January to October, the dues were prorated to $30. The dues will again be $40 as of October 2008. A return envelope will again be included in the October Guild Gram for your convenience.

The Guild continues to grow in membership and influence. Our Guild Gram has wonderful new features and contributors. Be sure you do your share! Donate! Volunteer! Participate!

SPEAKERS REVIEW by Joanne Hardy
Author, policeman, undercover agent, instructor and now speaker, Jeff Kaye gave Guild members a glimpse into the shadowy world of under cover work. Recently retired after 24 years in law enforcement, he knew he had unique stories to tell. His wife said, "Write a book." The result is Two Faces Have I. When he first wrote out his experiences, it was twice the size of the final manuscript. He had so much material in his head, it was hard to cut it. His main character was not considered a likeable guy by the first "test" readers, but toward the end of the book they changed their opinion. He found he loved to build his characters and tell a story. The book is fiction based on fact, and embellished "quite a bit." Lots of things in the book actually took place.

He does not like the cover, but explains it represents two sides of a policeman, the one side, the idealistic youth just out of the academy, and the other the jaded, experienced, sometimes damaged undercover cop.

He says nobody knows what the undercover police officer goes through. He is under both physical and mental pressure just to stay alive. In the early 80s, a lot of rock cocaine began to come into the Reno area. That is where he dedicated his career, doing mainly undercover work in narcotics

In the late 80s, early 90s, they took him out of police work and gave him a new identity. His was Jack Hays and Jack Hays was set up with a new driver's license, social security number, credit cards, and lived in dive hotels. Working under cover, he was not allowed to associate with police officers, couldn't drive his own car, or go out in public except as his "alter ego." In his book, he shows what life is like when you are living part time with your "alter ego," and coming home to live as yourself. He was single at the time with no family to come home to. Sometimes, at the end of the day, he said, it is hard to turn off who you are playing. The sacrifices undercover agents make in their personal and professional life are huge and difficult. Since his work involved spending up to ten hours a day in bars to make criminal contacts, he said it is easy to become a borderline-alcoholic.

There are long-term and short-term assignments. No one knew where he was until he checked in. He writes about the detrimental effects of narcotics on the criminal but also the undercover police officer who associates and sometimes lives with them. He shows that with the life he must live; sometimes there is not much difference between the police and the people they try to police.

The powers that be in the profession don't take into consideration that you can't easily turn off your assumed identity at the end of the day and that can turn you into something you didn't want to be.

He did self publishing, print-on-demand with Two Faces Have I, because he wanted to get the book out but he says he doesn't recommend it and won't do it again. He has been able to promote it through speaking engagements with follow-up book sales. If you don't have a marketing package, he says, "You're in trouble." One advantage to print-on-demand is you keep all your rights. Although he has received 32 rejections from agents, he feels traditional publishing provides the best means to market a book.

Jeff Kaye can be reached at twofaces@sbvglobal.net or 760-619-2948.

The Crow's Nest by Dodie Cross
Member Carol Mann sends us this posting: "In December, I gave a poetry program to a local La Quinta group. The reading was mostly pieces by established poets. I included two of my own. The evening was themed around memories and hope. About 50 attended."

Also, our Guild Gram editor, Vicki Mills, has been recruited as a monthly columnist for The Desert Woman magazine, starting in the February issue. Her subject of course... "Any Body Can Enjoy Computers."

Got something to Crow about? Email me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com and inspire others
www.abroadinthailand.com

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Ads accepted pertaining to writing. Anyone wishing to advertise for editors, ghost writers, or offering similar services, please send your copy to Palm Springs Writers Guild, Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. Enclose a check for $5 per ad. Copy limited to 35 words. Deadline--13th of each month.

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 11:30 AM at Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert. For reservations please contact Marge Dodge at Margedodge1@aol.com or 760-564-9329.

Member Profiles by Mary Barrer
CYNTHIA SLATER, AUTHOR-PIONEER MEMBER
Who writes a book with animals as the main characters? It relates how they express their unique personalities, positive and negative attitudes and what methods of communications they use.

Our Cynthia Slater created just that in her novel QTUTU geared to young readers from junior high upward as well as dog lovers everywhere. It will be available in late February published by Author House. Her story is based on her friendship with the family of a Basenji. This rare African breed does not bark and was originally used to hunt lions.

Cynthia was born in Los Angeles, attended L.A. High and UCLA. Here she met her husband, Ev. They wed in l942 and moved to Dayton, Ohio, as Ev was stationed with the U.S. Air Force at Wright Patterson Field.

After the war they settled in Alhambra and raised a son and daughter. When the children were in school, Cynthia found work as a professor's assistant at CAL State. From the extra income she earned, she was able to pursue a childhood dream to learn to fly. She took lessons in a Cessna 150 at El Monte airport when it was just a strip and no control tower. After logging the necessary hours to qualify for a private pilot license, she passed her FAA written with the high score of 90. Because her husband lacked interest in her continuing, she dropped aviation before she obtained her license.

She devoted her time and energy to art and won several show awards. Her works were exhibited in galleries in Southern California. When Ev and Cynthia moved into semi retirement in Palm Springs, they bought a printing shop. Cynthia jumped in and learned most facets of the small enterprise. Soon business thrived and the hours became longer and longer. Far from the easy lifestyle they envisioned, the hectic pace was so demanding, they made a mutual decision to bail out.

This move allowed Cynthia time to pursue her avocation, writing. She enrolled in a creative writing course at COD and joined the Palm Springs Writers Guild as one of the early members. During the past years, her short stories have won top places in the annual Guild competitions. She credits her critique group with providing inspiration and guidance.

Cynthia is a person possessed with a strong will, fierce determination and a burning passion for writing. Stricken by a major stroke two years ago, despite the handicap that remains, she is undaunted and has continued to keep pace with her writing schedule. She is forging ahead with her newest project, a historic novel set in the Victorian era. This has required long hours of research. Cynthia has an interest in history she attributes to her pioneer family. Her ancestors came over with the Quakers in the 1600s and she has traced her roots to those early settlers.

What happens when Queen Victoria encounters a handsome, bold gypsy? The intriguing tale is told in her next novel!

CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES by Mel Harter
760-777-1391 or harter@dc.rr.com
POET'S AND WRITERS GRANTS AND AWARDS
A treasure trove: Check out POETS & WRITERS bimonthly. About 50 competitions with deadlines within the current two month time frame. Minimum prize: $1,000. Also each issue runs display ads for contests and activities. (Research their legitimacy.) Contact: www.pw.org; email: editor@pw.org; : Snail mail: Poets & Writers, P.O. Box 543, Mount Morris Il 61054-47463. Ask for introductory offer, $11.95.

* * *
Colorado Review; Nelligan Prize
PRIZE: $1,000 and publication in Colorado Review
SUBMISSION: Submit a stor any length. See guidelines: nelliganprize.colostate.edu or email: creview@colostate.edu or send SASE to address below. Telephone: (970) 491-5449 ENTRY FEE: $10.00
ADDRESS: Colorado Review , Nelligan Prize, 9105 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523.
DEADLINE: March 15, 2008

* * *
GLIMMER TRAIN PRESS VERY SHORT FICTION AWARD
Prize: $1,200 and publication in Glimmer Train Stories
Submission: Short story < 3,000 words. See www.glimmertrain.com Telephone: (503) 221-0836 Entry Eee $15.00
Address: Editors, Glimmer Train Pres, 1211 NW Glisan Street, Suite 207, Portland, OR 97209
Deadline: February 29, 2008

* * *
The Interpreter's House Short Story Competition
(Ed. Note: This could be fun and open new vistas. MH)
Prize: First £300 (± $600.00); Second: £200.00 (±$400.00)
Submission: Fiction < 2,500 words. Guidelines: http://interpretershouse.org.uk
Entry: £5.00 (± 10.00) Check Dollar-Pound exchange rate at: www.xe.com Purchase and send International Postal Coupon to cover Air Mail SASE postage.
Address: (No email submissions; Specify AIR MAIL) IH Short Story Competition, Upper Flat, 251 Abingdon Road, Oxford OX1 4TH, UK Deadline: February 28, 2008

* * *
ACTIVITIES
Rancho Mirage Public Library, 73300 Fred Waring, Palm Desert

Thursday, February 5, 1;30 PM: Authors Reza Aslan ("No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam") and Laili Lalami ("Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits")

FAMOUS AUTHOR SPEAKERS SERIES PLUS DINNER at Melvyn's Restaurant in Palm Springs. Bill Marx, son of Harpo, Jan 29; Marshall Terrill, celeb biographer Feb 13; Shelly Saltman, Fear No Evel (Knieval) Feb. 20; Andrew Neiderman, aka V.C. Andrews, world-renown, Mar 4. Call 760-325-2323 or 760-325-0046 for info and reservations.

* * *
National League of American Pen women WORKSHOPS

February 19, 2008: Writing for children. Leader: Marci Stillerman ,("Nine Spoons; A Chanukah Story") Featured in Highlights, Cricket, Shofar. In 1992, she won the Educational Press Association of America Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Educational Journalism.

March 18, 2008: The art of writing the short story. Leader: Mike Foley, of Writer's Review. Mike has helped hundreds of aspiring writers and business people strengthen writing skills, promote businesses and chances for success: Editor of Dream Merchant Magazine; published 600 stories and articles.. Mike also teaches fiction and nonfiction in extension program at UC Riverside. Each Workshop: 2:00-5:00 PM Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert. Reservations: Marge Dodge, 333-0733 or margedodge1@aol.com Cost: $30 each workshop.

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

LOOKING FOR AN EDITOR...
I am a new author and I am looking for an editor for my memoirs. Please call me at 760-345-1663 or email me at mariascuisine@verizon.com.
Maria Woelfl

Screenwriting needs? Script Editing needs?
Esther Luttrell at your service. With expertise honed over the years at two major studios, and having written and sold many successful screenplays, Esther is not only an excellent teacher in the field of screenwriting, but she can personally edit yours so you can be a success as well. You can contact her at www.luttrellscripts.com.

If you prefer to learn how to do it from her, Scriptwriting A to Z and Screen Writers Q & A are the books that give the inside scoop on how to write for today's rapidly changing Hollywood market. "What Esther teaches is 100% right ... every screenwriter should know what she has to say." Paul Mason, former Viacom Senior Vice President Production."

Order them through www.AuthorHouse.com.

Upcoming Writers Guild Meetings (see more activities & workshops on pg. 6)
MARCH 9 JOHN JAMISON, Mountain man; Wall Street banker; former minister; author; very funny.

APRIL 6 SHELDON SALTMAN Well-known promoter for over fifty years: sports, politics, entertainment, business; he has the inside knowledge.

MAY 4 NORMAN MARK Author; wine columnist; movie reviewer; talk show host; nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize; winner Discovery Award for novel at Hollywood Film Festival.

JUNE 1 STEPHEN LINSTEADT Author books, films; naturopathic doctor; nutritional consultant; will talk on the process of getting your film made by a major studio.

Remember to come early for the big book sale to benefit the scholarship fund! Bring your books to donate and bring your checkbooks or cash!

A great way to help future writers!

WRITERS GUILD Workshop on How to Do Research by Kathryn Jordon, March 1st, 9 AM to 1:00 PM. She has lots of experience in this field researching her two books, The Glad Girl, the story of Gladys Walton and Al Capone as told to her by their son, John Walton, and Hot Water, her previous novel that has gone world-wide that took place at the old Capone hideaway in Desert Hot Springs. $10.00 members $20.00 non members. For questions, location details and registration call 321-6173.

Personal Hospital Stay Limericks by Dawn Huntley Spitz
Confined to a hospital bed
I write limericks all night in my head
With the needles and such
I'm not sleeping much
But I guess it beats being dead.

Kathy, the pretty night nurse
Has numerous cures to disperse
Though you're poked 'til you bleed
She provides what you need
So that you will get better, not worse.

The man who runs the Cat-Scan
Keeps you waiting as long as he can
'Til the range of your panic
Can match the Titanic
And you're worse off than when you began.

A man by the name of Walter
Found his ticker beginning to falter
But then all the duress
Of the nuclear stress test
Made his heart like the Rock of Gibraltar.

Laughter is still the best medicine!

Are you on our email list? If not, send email address please to: note719@aol.com.

Writer's Destiny by Phyllis Costello
I am here to write
My writing will teach and entertain
My writing will cause others to think
My writing will cause the world to change.

My writing causes me to think,
to laugh and to cry.
My writing fulfills me and brings me joy.
My writing is the meaning in my life.

I write because that is what I came to do.
I write because I do not know how to stop.
I write because I must.

Limerick by Elm Battersby
One dark day my aortic valve crashed
And my jig on life's dance floor had dashed
Said dear doctor, "Your jig
Needs the valve from a pig."
Now the pig and I jig unabashed.

Limerick by Cynthia Slater
When the raven of E. Allen Poe
Croaked the now famous word "nevermo"
He became so well known
Mr. Poe he outshone
Mr. Poe should have writ: "just say 'No'"

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

January 2008 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 13:30:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
January 2008
MEETING TIME: Sunday, January 6, 2008, 2:30-4:30 P.M.
Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA

KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR WITH SUSPENSE AND ACTION!
JEFF KAYE WILL SHOW US HOW!
We hear a great deal through the media about a campaign issue centering around keeping our borders protected and restricting drug trafficking. Jeff is the man to let us in on the real story.

He has been an undercover agent for most of his twenty years in police work. He is considered an expert in undercover operations, along with street level drug enforcement.

His book, Two Faces Have I is a fascinating account of the life of an agent and his problems both personal and professional. Want more action and suspense in your tales? Come and hear how Jeff Kaye does it. Jeff Kaye is a timely choice for our speaker to begin this New Year!
by Phyllis Costello Program Chairman

PRESIDENT�??S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz

Happy New Year to all!

We have great expectations for the Guild for the upcoming year. As you know, we are gradually shifting our meetings to the Rancho Mirage Library which has been generously offered to us for the months which are available. Our next meeting at the library will be the second Sunday of March. After that, we will continue to meet at the Community Center until November 2008.

I wish to remind you that the library has several programs during the year of interest to writers, some in conjunction with UCR. I urge you to attend these programs not only because you would enjoy them, but because I think it is important for the Guild to support both the library and UCR. We all have, after all, the same goal�??to promote the craft of writing in the Coachella Valley. Please check Mel Harter�??s column for dates of upcoming literary events.

I regret that I was unable to attend the December meeting, but know that Judi Weigle made a characteristically informative talk on Networking. I was glad to hear of the many suggestions that were made. Perhaps the most important again is the need to support each other as writers. We need to spend more time exchanging ideas and offering suggestions. I urge you to take the opportunity during refreshment break to network and to welcome new members.

I especially want to emphasize the importance of acknowledging our new authors. Those who have put in the backbreaking effort to bring out a book, need your support. You are not required to buy every book that is offered for sale, but please take the time to give our proud authors recognition.

I also wish to thank all of you have taken on responsibilities in the Guild this year. You are the ones who keep us moving ahead.

SPEAKERS REVIEW
by guest reviewer Eric H. Spitz
�??What do you think is the purpose of this group?�?? Judi Weigle asked as she began her talk at the Guild in December. Her topic was �??Networking.�?? She spoke naturally without notes and her voice carried easily without aid of microphone.

�??To make money and get published,�?? someone offered.

�??Actually, to further the art of writing is the goal,�?? Judi said.

Networking involves asking questions, inviting new people into our group, volunteering for jobs within the group, and above all really trying to get to know each other. We must overcome our modesty, she said, seek each other out, introduce ourselves to one another and share our goals.

�??Ask ourselves, why do we write?�?? Judi said. If we can, she suggested, we should try to mentor someone and research projects for each other.

Judi has been successful in her marketing efforts, telling us that she personally went from nothing to $800,000 in sales with her networking efforts in the last years.

She opened the discussion to the floor and some of the members expressed their thoughts on how the group could be improved. Someone thought we might consider meeting evenings to encourage more attendees, i.e. people who are still working and younger members. Most felt that meeting at the library is a better option than the community center because of the ambience and because of the cost of the current place.

When her talk was concluded, it was noteworthy that the group engaged in lively conversations while enjoying refreshments and the networking began with vigor.

We thank Judi for her insightful talk which gave us all some new ideas on how to improve our involvement within the group.

The Crow�??s Nest
By Dodie Cross
Here�??s a happy start to the New Year! Jean Lee Porter's book The Stone Must Break �?? a historical novel �?? has just been published. Jean Lee is having a book signing on January 19, 2008, at Melvyn's Restaurant from 3-5 PM. Also a book signing at the Palm Springs Air Museum the 2nd and 3rd of February from 10 AM to 4 PM. Her third crowing is about a radio interview on KPIX on January 27th between 9 and 10 AM. You may order her book at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Another member heard from: Debbie Madison says she�??s �??proud to announce my newest published book: Modeling 101. It's a factual step-by-step guide on how to become a model at any age. It teaches, informs and explains the ins and outs of the modeling industry. With my novel: Rider Down... that makes 2 published books in less than a year!�?? You Go, Girl.

Another member, Greg Niemann, author of Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS, was interviewed on tape for a CNBC special half-hour television show about United Parcel Service. The show, called �??Industrial Strength: UPS�?? will air nationally on CNBC on December 25, at 8:30 p.m. PT. Please notify others who might be interested. For more about the book and author, see: www.gregniemann.com.

Mel Harter has become a regular Contributing Writer for Going Bonkers, a quarterly self-help, humor magazine available at Border�??s. The website is www.Gbonkers.com His articles are also published periodically in Today�??s Senior Magazine www.today's.com, a monthly circulated primarily in Northern and Central California. Mel�??s sci-fi, med-legal thriller, Some Kind of Angel, is in final edit stages and is expected to be released by iUniverse early in 2008. He is also author of the Contests and Activities column in our own GuildGram.

Got something to Crow about?
dodiecross@dc.rr.com
www.abroadinthailand.com
and inspire others.

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Ads accepted pertaining to writing. Anyone wishing to advertise for editors, ghost writers, or offering similar services, please send your copy to Palm Springs Writers Guild, Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. Enclose a check for $5 per ad. Copy limited to 35 words. Deadline--13th of each month.

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 11:30 AM at Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert. For reservations please contact Marge Dodge at Margedodge1@aol.com or 760-564-9329.

Member Profiles
by Mary Barrer
TONY O�??DOHERTY
Tony O'Doherty, the Guild's talented cartoonist and bookkeeper, has led an eventful life on two continents. His fearless Irish spirit has dominated the bold decisions he made at every juncture.

As a youth, Tony was caught up in the Rock and Roll wave that swept the music world in the sixties. He wrote original pieces and dreamed of performing. However, like many young men and women, they often suffered rejection and disappointment. For every great star like the late Rory Gallagher, there were hundreds who never made it.

Tony returned to his day job. He married Brenda and they raised four children while his business career flourished. He served as a life long Boy Scout master. His fearless Irish spirit kicked in when he became director of a hot political campaign against home tax. He made stirring speeches and won supporters throughout Ireland.

While Tony devoted most of his energy to his work, he still found time to satisfy his creative urges by writing songs and drawing cartoons. He penned articles for the island's business journal and often served as its editor.

At a time when most men were looking down the road to retirement, that fearless Irish spirit again dominated his movements. He packed up his wife, kids and dogs and moved to New York where he immediately found work. However, the hectic Manhattan pace was incompatible with this lifestyle. Like his ancestors before him who crossed the country in wagon trains, Tony sought his future in California. One of the most important events of his life occurred on St. Patrick's Day, year 2000 when Tony became a U.S. citizen.

After thirteen years of a lucrative finance career, he slowed down. He and Brenda moved to the Valley where he joined the Writers Guild. He participates in weekly critique sessions and he has produced several interesting short stories. His entries in the past two years' Short Stories Contests won him second place.

With his passion for writing combined with that fearless Irish spirit, Tony is getting set to invade the literary world with the same energy and wisdom that has marked his life.

CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES by Mel Harter
Thanks to Guild Officers and members who provide me with good, reliable leads. Keep them coming. The feed back on this column is great and, to me, heartwarming. 760-277-1391 or harter@dc.rr.com

ERIC HOFFER SHORT BOOK AWARD
PRIZE: $1,500 and distribution of book to libraries, schools, and hospitals.
SUBMISSION: Self-Published Book copyrighted in last 2 years; one of several categories (get list and Entry Form at website http://hopepubs.home.comcast.net/~hopepubs/HofferBookForm.html) ENTRY FEE: $40.00
ADDRESS: Hopewell Publications, LLC, P.O. Box 11, Titusville, NJ 08560
DEADLINE: JANUARY 15, 2008

* * *

ERIC HOFFER SHORT PROSE AWARD
PRIZE: $500. 00. Winner and runners up published in Best New Writing anthology.
SUBMISSION: Fiction or Creative Non-Fiction, 10,000 words or less; unpublished (or published with less than 500 circulation.) Place story in body of e-mail, personal contact info at end of story) Visit webpage http://hopepubs.comcast.net
ENTRY FEE: None Stated ADDRESS: E-mail only; place the word �??Submission�?? in e-mail subject line. Send to: BestNewWriting@comcast.net DEADLINE: MARCH 31, 2008

* * *

FOREWORD MAGAZINE 2007 BOOK OF THE YEAR
PRIZE: $1,500.00 each Fiction and Non-Fiction
SUBMISSION: Only books copyrighted in 2007 and published by independent or university presses in North America, including print-on-demand and eBooks
ENTRY FEE: $70.00 per title per category; 60 categories; check online : www.forewordmagazine.com/publishers/
ADDRESS: Register online at ForeWordConnections, upon completion submit book(s) with copy of receipt to: Book of The Year Awards. ForeWord Magazine, 129½ E. Front Street, Ste. C, Traverse City, MI 49684.
DEADLINE: JANUARY 15, 2008

* * *

FRIENDS OF RANCHO MIRAGE PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL MEETING AND LUNCHEON
At Westin Hotel, Mission Hills, Rancho Mirage
Monday, February 4, 2008, Luncheon: Oprah Book & Pulitzer Prize winning author of Middlesex Jeffery Eugenides sponsored by Friends of the Rancho Mirage Library. Telephone the library for reservations (760-341-7323; www.ranchomiragelibrary.org)

* * *

Writing From the Desert Series
At Rancho Mirage Public Library, 71-100 Hwy 11, Rancho Mirage
Thursdays, January 24, February 14, March 20, April 24, 2008@ 1:30-3:30 PM
Presentations by numerous distinguished authors (For speakers each date pick up brochure at the library, or check website www.ranchomiragelibrary.org) sponsored by The Rancho Mirage Public Library & UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center.

* * *

BOOK FAIRE at Hovanian�??s Four Seasons, 1800 Sand Canyon Way, Palm Springs
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2008: Chance to sell your book! Contact Cindy Hayward at 760-323-3008 or cindyh@euclidmanagement.com

* * *

THREE WRITERS WORKSHOPS Open to Anyone Who Would Like to Sign Up
Sponsored by The National League of American Pen Women

JANUARY 15, 2008 Tapping into authentic source of creatitvity, expressing yourself and freeing the stories that swirl within you. Workshop leader is Gayle Brandeis, author of Fruitflesh; Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write, a writing guide structured around the growing cycle �?? seeds, roots, trunk, branches, leaves, buds, flowers, and fruit.

FEBRUARY 19, 2008 Writing for children. Workshop leader Marci Stillerman, author of Nine Spoons; A Chanukah Story. Her work has appeared in Highlights, Cricket, Shofar and other children's publications. In 1992, she won the Educational Press Association of America Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Educational Journalism.

MARCH 18, 2008 The art of writing the short story. Workshop leader is Mike Foley, of Writer�??s Review. Mike has helped hundreds of aspiring writers and business people strengthen their writing skills, promote businesses and improve their chances at success. He is the editor of Dream Merchant Magazine and author of more than 600 published stories and articles. In addition to his editing services, Mike also teaches fiction and nonfiction writing in the extension program at the University of California--Riverside..

Each Workshop: 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert
Reservations: Marge Dodge, 333-0733 or margedodge1@aol.com Cost $30 each.

GREAT PROGRAM LINEUP THIS YEAR
FEBRUARY 3 CLAUDIA SUZANNE Author; ghostwriter; publishing and marketing; motivational speaker; she will speak on ghostwriting; humorous.

MARCH 9 JOHN JAMISON, Mountain man; Wall Street banker; former minister; author; very funny.

APRIL 6 SHELDON SALTMAN Well-known promoter for over fifty years: sports, politics, entertainment, business; he has the inside knowledge.

MAY 4 NORMAN MARK Author; wine columnist; movie reviewer; talk show host; nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize; winner Discovery Award for novel at Hollywood Film Festival.

JUNE 1 STEPHEN LINSTEADT Author books, films; naturopathic doctor; nutritional consultant; will talk on the process of getting your film made by a major studio.

Are you on our email list? If not, send email address please to: note719@aol.com.

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

REMEMBER OUR FUND-RAISING BOOK SALE in FEBRUARY

Contact Bob Hurlbert at bobhurlbert@hotmail.com if you�??d like to donate books that we will sell at our February meeting. All proceeds will be donated to the Barbara Seranella Scholarship Fund. Bring your books to the February meeting and help others benefit from your good work!

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

December 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 03:50:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
December 2007
MEETING TIME: Sunday, December 2, 2007, 2:30-4:30 P.M.
Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA

JUDI WEIGLE "Super Savvy Networking"

Some of the best help we can get for creative writing, research, story ideas, publishing and book promotion is within our very own Writers Guild membership. Judi Weigle, a savvy network artist, will present a host of opportunities, specifically designed for the Palm Springs Writers Guild, for author-to-author connections. The more we connect with each other, the greater our author universe grows, resulting in a higher quality writing experience. A highly motivating speaker, she captivated us last year. Come and pick up many new pointers on using your Guild.

We will be celebrating the Holidays after the talk. Bruce Singer will entertain with music. Special treats will be furnished by the Guild. It will be your opportunity to begin networking. At the very least this will be time to slow down and enjoy your fellow members. Happy Holidays!

PRESIDENT'S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz

Gala is the word to describe our November meeting at the Rancho Mirage library.

Andrew Neiderman was a gracious and illuminating speaker and Bob and Patricia Berk read the winning short stories to perfection. The refreshments, thanks to the Bentley-Buckmans, and the lovely autumn decorations, provided by Roberta Dinow, contributed to an elegant affair. We had a record turnout of members and several guests.

Special thanks also to Kristin Johnson, Ken and Karen Lummus, Phyllis Costello and Dodie Cross for their help with the short story contest. And, of course, to Jim Misko who masterminded the event all the way from Alaska.

I want to remind you that the December meeting will be back at the Palm Desert Community Center at 2:30 P.M. We're looking forward to hearing our own dynamic Judi Weigel speak on networking. In addition, we will have a holiday celebration with special refreshments and entertainment. Come prepared for a festive event.

I am happy to announce that our membership is continuing to grow and now stands at 177 members. Remember that each of you is an ambassador in introducing the Guild to prospective members. Be active! Attend the meetings! Enjoy our fellowship and excellent programs and share them with others.

I also want to remind you that dues were payable in October. If you have not yet paid your dues, please get them in now. Contributions to the Barbara Seranella Scholarship Fund are also welcome. We will be having a special scholarship fundraiser later on in the year. Details to come.

Happy Holidays to all!

SPEAKERS REVIEW
by Joanne Hardy
Andrew Neiderman

Andrew Neiderman must live in a time warp not available to regular mortals. He has written 98 novels, six movie scripts and is now working on a Broadway play. He taught high school for 23 ½ years and wrote 18 novels during that time. That's not all: he does it as two people, V. C. Andrews and Andrew Neiderman.
He started early. In kindergarten he liked to tell stories and his family encouraged him to write. He added that the secret to writing is reading. Reading a good book, he says, inspires him more than anything.

His first novel was found in what was once a viable possibility, the slush pool. It was picked up but not published for eight years. He got a reputation as a terror writer �?? more psycho-thriller than graphic violence. In the early 80s, he wrote two romance-suspense novel and that put him in the terror niche. Once in a niche, he said, it is hard to break out.

He taught writing for 20 years, enjoyed it and continued with his own writing during the time. He is considered the most successful ghost writer in history. Neiderman was asked to continue the reputation of V. C. Andrews, the English writer who died. He read all she had written, studied her style and wrote under that name. He also writes under his own name.

He offers these comments on writing as a profession:

1. Perseverance. He said a high school student asked him, "Am I going to be a writer?" and he said, "You asked the wrong question. You should say, �??I am going to be a writer, what is the next thing I should do?'" If you are meant to do it, you have to have the push and keep at it. He, also, suggested you have some faith that you will succeed.

2. Write what you know about. He says writers always carry their baggage with them, the baggage of their childhood, life experiences, people they have known and all the emotions they have experienced. He grew up in the Catskills, his grandmother read him stories and he became interested in words and stories. His uncle owned a movie theater and what he saw on the screen added to his love of story and drama.

3. Publishers are in business to make money. You have to think in terms of that. Everything is measured by what is selling today.

4. Talent Ask yourself, "Can I write a sentence? Is it visual? Can I write so people will want to turn the page? Can I create a hook?" If you are not happy with a sentence while you are writing, think, "It could be better." You will get better as time goes by.

Regarding the hook, he suggests looking at people who are planning to buy a book. It is something in the first few lines that makes them interested.

Ideas for stories begins with the "What if...?" question. You must also create a character at this time and continue to ask, "What if..." About character, he says, readers want to know "Where is this guy?" so you need to place him in a setting. Regarding names, he says, the name should fit the character or provoke an image.

5. Process He works from four to six hours a day and starts by reading what he wrote the day before. This picks up the emotional threads and story line. He does some editing on yesterday's work and then goes on to create more of the story.

Consider what you do as "work," he says. Respect it as work. When you finish for the day, he suggests do something physical, work out or take a walk.

Regarding memoirs -- try to get some distance from what has happened to you or you will be too involved.

A query letter is an art form in itself.

Regarding a pitch line to an agent or editor, it should be powerful and brief. He gave this example using the character's voice, "I am a lawyer who represents only guilty people, and I never lose."

Andrew Neiderman can be reached at www.Neiderman.com

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

The Crow's Nest
By Dodie Cross

Hi fellow writers! I just heard from member Jack Griner, who tells me has several children's books on www.authorsinprint.com. Jack says: "They have a nice page regarding me and my books; Listen Wife With Thought Tones, which is new, so not sure they have it yet. What you can see is Cowboy Dust, and six books which are all in poetry. They are: Kid Stuff #1, Kid Stuff #2, Don't You Just Love The Golden Years and Creature Or Critter, which is a children's book with 50 illustrations." He adds: "Oh, I'm 82 years old and still writing." Well, Jack, you've put us all to shame. Hey gang, let's get going!

Member Frank Thornburgh, sends me this email: "My story Andy was just published in the anthology, Livermore Wine Country Literary Harvest. It's a tribute to my police partner killed on duty. November 9th I did cowboy poetry and stories for the reception at the Napa WriteStuff Writers boot camp and conference. On December 8, I will be one of the guest speakers at the California Writers Club Luncheon in Lafayette, California. I now have two artists doing pen & ink drawings for my series of anecdotes and vignettes to be published next year. Look for my description of the 4th St. Studio Salon on the Writers Digest Magazine blog site."

Wow, Frank, but what have you done lately? Good work!

My turn: Got a couple wonderful reviews from online book reviewers that I must share. "�?�Dodie Cross' memoir is an unbelievably wild anecdotal ride. Her wit, wisdom and writing style belong to the Erma Bombeck school of humor. This broad will have you laughing until you cry�??all the while wishing you were in Thailand with her. Armchair Interview says: This author tells a good story�??hers!" Reviewed by Claire Vath, www.armchairinterviews.com and: "If you're in the market for a good laugh, I heartily recommend A Broad Abroad in Thailand by Dodie Cross, newly wed and an expat in Thailand. She writes of adjusting to a new culture (the chapter on the Eastern Squat Toilet had me laughing uncontrollably). Cross calls Thailand The Land of Smiles, filled with tiny people willing to oblige. Happy with their lives and the future that surely awaits them in the hereafter. Her problems don't center on her change in lifestyle. She embraces Thailand with great pleasure..." Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth, www.bookloons.com.

I will be having a book signing on December 3rd at PostNet Mailing and Gift store on Country Club in the Ralphs Shopping Center, 10-4. Y'all come!

Now that's what I call reward for the work we go through as writers.

Got something to Crow about? E-mail me and inspire others
dodiecross@dc.rr.com
www.abroadinthailand.com

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Guild Gram will accept personal ads pertaining to writing. Anyone wishing to advertise for editors, ghost writers, or offering similar services, please send your copy to Palm Springs Writers Guild, Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. Enclose a check for $5 per ad. Copy limited to 35 words. Deadline--13th of each month.

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert. For reservations please contact Estelle Shanley at 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

Member Profiles
by Mary Barrer
JEAN LEE PORTER

Jean Lee Porter, whose first novel has just been published, is an inspiration to those struggling with story and book projects. Jean spent over 12 years researching the background information. Her aim was to provide a completely accurate account of San Francisco during World War II. Like all writers, she weaves her own experiences into the plot.

Jean came a long way from her roots in Springfield, Mo. Her girlhood dream was to become an actress. She studied drama at San Jose State College. With the advent of World War II, she left school and became a band singer. She worked with large bands in upscale clubs and hotels in the Bay area.

After three years, her yearning for Hollywood took over and she departed to make her name in films. Her first production was financed by John Wayne and it was shown throughout the country. In the film she wore the same dress Linda Darnell used in "Forever Amber." Jean became a part of the Hollywood celebrity scene and continued to find roles in movies and television shows.

Despite her success, when love entered her life she gave up her career. Although the marriage ended in divorce, she raised three sons from the union. A new and daring challenge caused her to enter yet another field, California real estate. She worked successfully in the field for 23 years. After she remarried, eight years ago she and her late husband moved to Palm Desert.

Jean is a member of a prominent, pioneer family. Her uncle was William Seward, the Secretary of State, who purchased Alaska from Russia in l867 for $7 million. Her aunt owned the magnificent Reforma Hotel in Mexico City. Her aunt was murdered at the hands of a serial killer. Her tragic tale will be Jean's next writing project.

Congratulations, Jean, on the publication of your novel. Her book, The Stone Must Break, will be available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobel by the 15th of November.

CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES
by Mel Harter

CONTESTS

POETS' AND WRITERS' GRANTS AND AWARDS

The current issue (Nov./Dec.) of Poet and Writer's Magazine lists 40 writers' contests for most genres in its print and online mag: http://www.pw.org/mag/0711/deadlines.htm.

Prizes are at least $1,000 ($500 if no entry fee.) Deadlines fall between November 15, 2007 and January 15, 2008. Check magazine ($4.95) for guidelines and details.

POETRY SOCIETY OF AMERICA CHAPBOOK FELLOWSHIPS

PRIZE: $1,000 and publication/distribution of manuscript by the PSA.

SUBMISSION: 20-30 pages, one poem per page; title page with contest name, your name, address, telephone & email, title page with only title of manuscript, acknowledgement page of previously published poems, SAS-postcard; Table of Contents. View further details at www.poetrysociety.org/psa-chapbook.php

ENTRY FEE: $12.00

ADDRESS: PSA Chapbook Fellowships, Poetry Society of America, 15 Gramercy Park, New York, NY 10003. (No email submissions!)

DEADLINE: December 21, 2007

* * *

INDIE EXCELLENCE 2008 BOOK AWARDS

PRIZE: Announcement at National Book Expo in L.A., June 2008; Indie Excellence 2008 Book Awards website listing; Nation media & industry exposure (press release to national print media and radio contacts.; Promotion at Expo America in L.A; Promotion as "Award-Winning Title! and gold cover stickers to purchase, along with completed entry form (procure at website www.indieexcellence.com or call 866-406-4352. or email support@indieexcellen.com

SUBMISSION: Any Print-on-Demand/self-published, or small press book; fiction, non-fiction any genre (See website list). Mail-in submission with check.

ENTRY FEE: $49.00/entry/category

ADDRESS: Awards, Indie Excellence, 269 S. Beverly Dr., Suite 1065, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.,

DEADLINE: June 1, 2008

* * *

PALM SPRING INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION

PRIZE: $1,000 and full stage production for winning long play; certificate plus full stage production of short play winner. For others selected: staged readings by playwrights' circle, free to public; short plays presented at Palm Springs national short play festival; fully staged production; entry into national competition.

SUBMISSION: Original never professionally produced long plays (no more than 2 hour and 7 actors) and/or short plays (no more than 30 minutes and 5 actors.) bound, but easily separated manuscripts (no staples). View detailed guidelines at www.playwrightscircle.com/submission.htm, or call 760-327-4877; title page with name, address, telephone, email; letter size SASE.

ENTRY FEE: $15.00/play.

ADDRESS: playwrights' circle, 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Suite C, Palm Springs, CA 92262 (No electronic submissions!)

DEADLINE: ONGOING

*

ACTIVITIES

At Palm Desert Public Library, 73300 Fred Waring Dr., Palm Desert

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 6:00 PM: David Pelzer, author of A Child Called "It," The Privilege of Youth, and Help Yourself for Teens.

We welcome your input �?? contact Mel Harter at 760-277-1391 or harter@dc.rr.com

GREAT PROGRAM LINEUP THIS YEAR

JANUARY 6 JEFF KAYE Author; police officer; undercover agent; present book subject: drugs coming into the country through Mexico and money going back across the border to fund terrorist cells.

FEBRUARY 3 CLAUDIA SUZANNE Author; ghostwriter; publishing and marketing; motivational speaker; she will speak on ghostwriting; humorous.

MARCH 9 JOHN JAMISON, Mountain man; Wall Street banker; former minister; author; very funny.

APRIL 6 SHELDON SALTMAN Well-known promoter for over fifty years: sports, politics, entertainment, business; he has the inside knowledge.

MAY 4 NORMAN MARK Author; wine columnist; movie reviewer; talk show host; nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize; winner Discovery Award for novel at Hollywood Film Festival.

JUNE 1 STEPHEN LINSTEADT Author books, films; naturopathic doctor; nutritional consultant; will talk on the process of getting your film made by a major studio.

by Phyllis Costello

FREE TUTORING for you!

I'll teach you how to use Publisher Software as you assist me in creating and designing this newsletter!

Publisher software is easy to use �?? I created my own book covers, designed many graphics for my books, my own business cards, stationary and much more using this software. Enjoy learning how to publish!

Contact Vicki Mills for details.
760-250-1897 Vamills@aol.com

BOOK SALE

Most of us writers have novels, magazines -- fiction and non-fiction -- around our work areas. Don't throw them in the trash. Let's recycle them.

At the Guild's February 2008 meeting, we will make a table available for you to donate such items for resale to members and guests at the meeting.

So get your items together, and bring them to the meeting in February -- not before, please.

Items will be sold at the Feb. and April meetings only. All proceeds will be donated to the Barbara Saranella Scholarship Fund.

Contact for this project is Bob Hurlbert at bobhurlbert@hotmail.com.

I WOULD LIKE TO START OR JOIN an ADVANCED CRITIQUE GROUP in PALM SPRINGS �?? any day but Monday.
Please contact Judy Fabris
jgfwrite@dc.rr.com
760-327-9435

ARE YOU ON OUR EMAIL LIST? Besides the Guild Gram, we keep you up to date on Guild activities through email notices. Be sure that we have your email address so you don't miss out on any important information.

If you're not on our list, send your address to note719@aol.com.

Mentor a friend �?? bring him or her to visit the Writers Guild meeting �?? you never know what will be sparked!

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

Winners...

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:20:00 +0000

of the Palm Springs Writers Guild Short Story Contest 2007:

HONORABLE MENTIONS: (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
GOLDIE KOSSOW - "THE SOFTBALL GAME"
CYNTHIA SLATER - "SAUL THE BALL"
JACK STILLERMAN - "REAL MONEY"
MARTIN KRASNOV - "A BIRTHDAY"
IRENE TRITEL - "THE TEACUP CHRONICLE"

THIRD PRIZE: ($50) PATTI WILLINGHAM - "SOME IDENTIFICATION"
SECOND PRIZE: ($100) TONY O'DOHERTY - "IF YOU CAN'T LICK 'EM..."
FIRST PRIZE: ($200) GORDON DAVIS - "THE PROJECTIONIST"

November 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:25:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
November 2007
CHANGE of MEETING LOCATION and TIME!
Sunday, November 4, 2007, 1:00-3:30 PM
RANCHO MIRAGE LIBRARY
71-100 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA

PRESIDENT�??S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz

Greetings Guild Members!

Well, if our opening talk of the season is any indication, this year�??s Guild programs are off to a rollicking start! Chris Lopez, managing editor of The Desert Sun, charmed us with candid accounts of his career covering news events, from elections to the tragedy of Columbine for which his team won the Pulitzer Prize.

His will be a hard act to follow but next month�??s program will be equal to the task. It will feature Andrew Neiderman, author of 86 books, six of which have been made into screenplays. How could anyone think up 86 plots? We�??re looking forward to learning some of his secrets.. In addition, Neiderman will disclose the news we�??ve all been waiting for�??the winners of the Guild Short Story Contest! It will be of great interest to hear the three best stories read by professional actor Bob Berk.

November�??s meeting will be a departure from our usual format. It is being sponsored by the Rancho Mirage library and we expect a large number of guests. We hope that when they see the caliber of our program, it will pique their interest in the Guild. To top off the afternoon, we will have a special catered reception following the program. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING WILL BE AT 1 P.M., NOT THE USUAL 2:30! I urge you to come on time to be sure to get a good seat and preferred parking. You won�??t want to miss any of this special event.

Because of the number of guests expected, I ask each of you to make the newcomers feel welcome. The Guild�??s purpose is to promote and nurture the craft of writing. We can best do that by encouraging potential writers with good programs and good fellowship. I�??ll see you on November 4.

SPEAKERS REVIEW by Joanne Hardy

Christopher Lopez of The Desert Sun began his address to Guild members by saying that he was not a public speaker, after which he quickly warmed to his subject, hit his stride and delivered an hour�??s worth of solid information in journalistic writing.

First, be organized. You have to learn how to open a story �?? a lead �?? then write it from the top to end. You can always go back and edit, but get it down.

Organization comes from the material found in your notebook after an interview. During an interview he writes what it feels like around him, sounds like, smells like �?? in the setting of the interview as well as what the subject of the interview says. All of this goes into the notebook. He says he �??dumps�?? information in the notebook. Once back at his desk, the organization aspect begins. �??If you put everything in that you dumped in your notebook, you overwrite.�?? A writer should pick the best from his notes. You are in control of your story. Try to do it without direct quotes; you are the authority of the story. Writer often uses �??loaded�?? words or phrases; this takes a news story into the writer�??s perspective.

Regarding the interview itself, usually you want to put the subject of the interview at ease. The more comfortable, the more they will trust you and reveal themselves, like peeling back layers. In some cases you do not want them to be at ease. If you are interviewing someone who has broken a public trust and the interview is to hold them accountable, put them on the hot seat. A good ploy in this circumstance: use two reporters and play �??good reporter, bad reporter.�??

Self-editing is a very important skill to learn. A newspaper reporter does not have time to write in depth, always pressed for time.

He said he has had good editors and bad editors. Bad editors can take critiquing to criticism and break the writer�??s spirit. A heavy-handed editor may want to take over the story �?? make it his own. They take away your style and voice. He said he never considered himself a great writer, rather he thinks of himself as a good writer, but he is a great reporter.

As part of a reporting team at The Denver Post, he covered the Columbine School massacre. That team received the Pulitzer Prize. Two weeks later, however, he covered the National Rifle Association Convention. In both cases, he said you have to tell the story with fairness in mind, expressing all points of view.

Advice to new writers: write, write, write �?? anything. Do not try to make every story the �??great�?? story. Get it down and get it out. About being �??objective,�?? he says, a writer should be objective, but when you write you have to have your own slant or idea. Don�??t let editors rob you of your voice or style. Fairness works best rather than objectivity.

Christopher Lopez can be reached at Christopher.lopez@thedesertsun.com or 760-285-8487.

The Crow�??s Nest
By Dodie Cross

Hi fellow writers: As our members slowly return to our warm climate, I hope we will get more emails telling of the wonderful things they wrote or published over the summer.

Here�??s one of the first from Mardiyah Tarantino: She was published in the Pen Journal and got an Honorable Mention for a nonfiction piece on the occasion of Ashville's (Pen) 70th anniversary.

Member Cynthia Slater has commissioned original art for her book "Q-tu-tu Follows Through" -- a story of an African Basenji who is a sleuth. She is correcting the galley now and hopes to have the book out at the end of October.

Another success story from Greg Neimann, who sent this to us: �??My book Palm Springs Legends has been so well received that publisher Sunbelt Publications is currently doing a second printing less than two years after initial publication. My newest book, Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS, published by Wiley & Sons, is already in its second printing, and some foreign rights have also been sold. Thought members might want to know that a retirement hobby can eventually reap benefits.�??

Thanks Greg, that�??s got to stir some of us into action!

Vicki Mills brings humor to our techie age with her poem �??Computerese�?? in the October issue of The Desert Woman magazine.

Marci Stillerman strikes again! The editors of Long Story Short have accepted her story, Blackbird, to be published in their November issue. The newsletter and e-zine are published the 7th of each month, so you can view her story at that time. Marci tells me the L.A. Times ran her MR. NONSENSE--BIO of EDWARD LEAR on Sept 16th in the LA Times Children's Page. You Go Girl!

Kathryn Jordan writes: �??I've been in my writing cave, but now have crawled out into the light. After 13 months and 328 pages, Gladys and Capone is done! Now for publication (and a gala launch party) hopefully by the end of '08 or early '09. Stay tuned. The launch will be at Two Bunch Palms, of course. I'm thinking a Roaring Twenties / Gangster theme - what else? Get out your flapper dresses. :)
Meantime John Walton, Gladys Walton's son for whom I wrote the book, is producing a pre-publication collector's copy for sale at our Two Bunch talks.
Through all this, Hot Water is still hot! Keeps selling out at local book stores. Recent articles in the Indio Desert Sun, soon to be in the Features section of the regular Desert Sun. Plus an online video of a reading, footage of Two Bunch spliced in. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=video

Got something to Crow about? E-mail me and inspire others
dodiecross@dc.rr.com
www.abroadinthailand.com

Special Meeting this month!
Celebrity author! Contest awards!
Rancho Mirage Library Meeting place! Reception afterward!

Mark your calendars, Sunday, November 4 -- 1:00 PM. Don�??t miss this one. Andrew Neiderman is the author of 36 published novels and one screenplay. He has 62 published novels as V.C. Andrews. Numerous feature films and movies are also a major part of his experience. A few titles: The Devil�??s Advocate, Perfect Little Angels, Rain, The Maddening, and Duplicates.

Maybe he will reveal a winning formula. With that kind of a record, he�??ll have lots to share. Always exciting, we will be announcing this year�??s contest winners. Stories of the three top winners will be read by a professional actor. Finally, we will end the afternoon with a reception for Mr. Neiderman and our contest winners.

Don�??t forget, we will meet at the lovely new Rancho Mirage Library at 1:00 PM. Bring guests. It will be an outstanding meeting.
by Phyllis Costello Program Chairman

SHORT STORY CONTEST
Winners will be announced at the November meeting.

With the next issue, the Guild Gram will accept personal ads pertaining to writing. Anyone wishing to advertise for editors, ghost writers, or offering similar services, please send your copy to Palm Springs Writers Guild, Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. Enclose a check for $5 per ad. Copy limited to 35 words. Deadline--13th of each month.

Critique Group Requirements:
Must be a paid up, current member of the PSWG. Many published authors credit their Critique Groups for the support and excellent feedback that helped them write on to success! We welcome new and current members of the Writers Guild to all critique groups!

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is Nov. 20, 11:30 a.m. at Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert. Kathryn Jordan will be speaking about her research for Gladys and Capone. Come hear her tapeworm story. To sign up call Joan Petit-Clair at 760-341-7265 or Estelle Shanley at 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

GREAT PROGRAM LINEUP THIS YEAR
DECEMBER 2 JUDI WEIGLE Author, publishing and entertainment marketer will share information on how to network; another opportunity to buy her book Sell Your Book with a Winning Marketing Platform.

JANUARY 6 JEFF KAYE Author; police officer; undercover agent; present book subject: drugs coming into the country through Mexico and money going back across the border to fund terrorist cells.

FEBRUARY 3 CLAUDIA SUZANNE Author; ghostwriter; publishing and marketing; motivational speaker; she will speak on ghostwriting; humorous.

MARCH 9 JOHN JAMISON, Mountain man; Wall Street banker; former minister; author; very funny.

APRIL 6 SHELDON SALTMAN Well-known promoter for over fifty years: sports, politics, entertainment, business; he has the inside knowledge.

MAY 4 NORMAN MARK Author; wine columnist; movie reviewer; talk show host; nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize; winner Discovery Award for novel at Hollywood Film Festival.

JUNE 1 STEPHEN LINSTEADT Author books, films; naturopathic doctor; nutritional consultant; will talk on the process of getting your film made by a major studio.

Member Profiles
by Mary Barrer
COLIN WEBSTER-WATSON

A veteran Guild member, Colin Webster Watson, passed away in his New Zealand home in September where he had gone for medical treatment.

Colin left his native country to perform on the London stage as an actor and dancer. During that era, he dated Sarah Churchill, daughter of Sir Winston Churchill, wartime prime minister. He soon changed careers and began his life work in art and sculpture. He gained international fame with his art, having exhibited in galleries in Europe, U.S. and South America. He maintained studios in New York and Rome, Italy.

In l990, when his wife passed away, he joined our community in the desert and soon became a dynamic, creative force. As a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild, he was both inspiring and motivating. He won first place in the Guild's short story contest in 200l.

His literary endeavors include four plays, 18 short stories, a novella and 50+ poems. He performed one-man shows, reading his plays to enthralled audiences here and in Los Angeles.

Colin hosted a memorable Christmas party that drew wall-to-wall revelers. The ceilings and walls of his home in Palm Springs were filled with thousands of programs, props, art, reviews, and other mementos. It was a startling combination of a Fellini film and movie museum. Colin prepared the gourmet party food, drinks, music and co-hosted the event with his faithful canine companion, Andrew, and welcomed each guest as they arrived.

Miss T, who is preparing an anthology of his art and literary works, reports that his last public appearance was in Welllngton, New Zealand in June. He appeared at a children's theater, performing one of his colorful puppet shows.

Colin's memory will live on in his words and works. We will remember him as the brilliant genius who graced us with his presence.

CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES
By Mel Harter

I�??m pleased to report that this column has survived. So far it has even thrived because some of you have called and emailed me with great leads for this month�??s column. In particular, I want to thank Fran Kaplan and Marcie Stillerman. Surely more of you have leads for me to assure survival for another month. I�??m waiting to hear from you at 760-777-1391 and harter@dc.rr.com. I welcome fresh leads on upcoming contests and activities of interest to our members as well as suggestions on how to make this a better column. And now, it�??s Showtime:

CONTESTS

CEZANNE�??S CARROT �??RETURN OF THE LIGHT�?? CONTEST
PRIZE: $100 each (literary fiction & nonfiction fitting theme �??RETURN OF THE LIGHT�??) and publication in CEZANNE�??S CARROT.
SUBMISSION Fiction, (1,000-3,000 words); Flash Fiction: (100-1,000 words); Creative Non-fiction: (100-3,000 words.) Multiple submissions welcome, none previously published. Visit website www.cezannescarrot.org/contest.html for definition of theme.
Entry fee; $10.00 per story.
ADDRESS: Must be submitted with completed submission form on website.
DEADLINE: November 21

* * *

POINT OF LIFE LITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES CONTEST*
PRIZE: $500 and publication in The Point of Life Global Newsletter and on Point of Life website: www.pointoflife.com/goody-contest.html.
SUBMISSION: Story about anyone who does compassionate act of kindness and requires no thanks.
ENTRY FEE: None
ADDRESS: Email story with your name, address and telephone number to mikmiki@aol.com
DEADLINE: December 31
*Reprinted from �??The Book Marketing Newsletter,�?? a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http:/www.amarketingexpert.com

* * *

WRITERS DIGEST POETRY AWARDS
PRIZE: First: $500, publication of name & title in August 2008 Poet�??s Market
Second: $250 publication of name & title in August 2008 Poet�??s Market
Third: $100 publication of name & title in August 2008 Poet�??s Market
Fourth through Tenth: $25 publication of name & title in August 2008 Poet�??s Market Eleventh�??Twenty-Fifth: $50 plus gift certificate for WD Books plus free 2008 Poet�??s Market
SUBMISSION: Maximum of 32 lines, self-contained & titled; in English, not previously published. On separate sheet: line count; name and address, contact phone(s) and email. (No contact information on poem.) (More details and entry form at: www.writersdigest.com/contests/poetry/
ENTRY FEE: $10 first submission/$25 each subsequent submission.
ADDRESS: Snail Mail with completed downloaded form to: Writers Digest Poetry Awards, 4700 Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
DEADLINE: DECEMBER 20

* * *

WRITERS DIGEST SHORT-SHORT CONTEST
PRIZES: First Place: $3,000, publication in May/June WD and free �??Best Seller Publishing Pkg. from Trafford Publishing plus free 8th Annual WD Novel & Short story Competition, Markets and Agents, Editors & You,
Second: $1500 plus 8th Annual WD Novel & Short story Competition, Markets and Agents, Editors & You.
Third: $500; Fourth-Tenth: $100; Eleventh-Twenty-Fifth: $50 WD gift certificate.
All winners�?? names and story titles in AD and 20% discount on Trafford publishing packages.
SUBMISSION: Maximum 1,500 words in English and unpublished. On first page type your name, address, phone and email. Visit webpage for details: www.writersdigest.com/contests/short short story/
ENTRY FEE: $12.00 per manuscript
ADDRESS: By snail mail with completed downloaded form: Writers Digest short, short story competition, 4700 Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. (Enclose self addressed postcard for notification of reception.)
By email: Visit website for address of email www.writersdigest.com/contests/shortshortstory/
DEADLINE: December 3

* * *

ACTIVITIES
At Peppertree Book Store, 111 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 @ 7pm Thomas M. DeFrank, author of Write It When I�??m Gone: Remarkable off-the-cuff conversations with Gerald R. Ford.

* * *

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 @ 3pm Irene Spencer, author of Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist�??s Wife.

Doctors Agree
Word doctors recommend joining a Palm Springs Writers Guild critique group as the right tonic for improving your writing health. Get rid of those stale verbs, pale nouns, and overworked adjectives. Reinvigorate your prose. Email pscritgrp@yahoo.com, or call Gordon Gumpertz at 346-3429.

Membership forms can be found on our web site.

FREE TUTORING LESSONS in Publisher Software for someone willing to assist me in creating and designing this newsletter once a month!
Publisher software is easy to use �?? I created my own book covers, designed many graphics for my books, my own business cards, stationary and much more using this software.
Contact Vicki Mills for details. 760-250-1897 Vamills@aol.com

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

New BOARD Fall 2007 -- Summer 2008 - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

October 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:55:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
October 2007
MEETING TIME: Sunday, October 7, 2007, 2:30-4:30 P.M.
Meeting Location: Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA

Sharpen those pencils! It's time to write!!!

FIRST MEETING OF SEASON!!
Pulitzer Prize winner opens our year: Chris Lopez, Managing Editor of Information and Interactivity for The Desert Sun as well as General Manager of its magazines, will share his journalistic experience. Chris has logged over 20 years on newspapers. His experience has been varied: sports writer, reporter, staff writer, assistant city editor, state and city editor.

Imagine some of the stories he has covered! While at The Denver Post, he was a part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Columbine shootings. You can expect an exciting opening talk from Chris!
by PHYLLIS COSTELLO Program Chairman

GUEST POLICY
We always welcome guests! To help defray the costs for our larger facility, we will be charging $5 per guest per meeting. This can be applied toward the annual $40 dues for the Guild membership if guest decides to join the Guild.

If you have a book to sell at the meeting contact Eric Spitz (760-770-4708) or note719@aol.com Include your name, name of book, and short blurb. It will be announced before the meeting.

PRESIDENT'S LETTER by Dawn Huntley Spitz
Greetings Guild members and welcome to the new 2007 season. Once again program chair, Phyllis Costello, has come up with a full palette of interesting and varied speakers for the year. Our first meeting, October 7, will give us a journalistic slant on the craft of writing. We are fortunate to have Chris Lopez, editor of the Desert Sun, as speaker. In November, we'll have the eagerly awaited announcement of the Short Story contest winners and in December a new holiday format. You won't want to miss any of the meetings.

Please note that the schedule for payment of dues has been changed. They are payable now at the beginning of the Guild year. For those who paid their dues in January, a prorate of $30 is due now. Dues will not have to paid again until next October. New members will pay the regular rate of $40. A membership form and return envelope have been enclosed in this newsletter for your convenience. Please return it with your payment promptly. It is important that the Guild be able to plan a budget for the upcoming year. Late dues delay this process.

I also urge each of you to make a contribution to the Barbara Seranella Memorial Scholarship Fund. We are hopeful of maintaining an ongoing fund substantial enough to provide one or more scholarships to promising students each year. It will help to fulfill our stated goal to "nurture and promote the craft of writing" in the Coachella Valley. It will also help us to achieve tax-exempt status. Please be generous.

Finally, Peppertree Book Store will be sponsoring its annual Book Festival on Sunday, November 11, to be held at the Camelot Theatre on Baristo Road in Palm Springs. Tony O'Doherty has been gracious enough to chair the event. Volunteers, and authors who are interested in selling their books, please notify Tony O'Doherty, Festival Chair (todoherty@dc.rr.com, 772-3582) or me (dawnlspitz@aol.com, 770-4708.)

I am sure you will find the upcoming events of the Guild calendar both interesting and stimulating. Please support the meetings, the festival, and pay your dues on time. And PLEASE volunteer your services. It is your Guild. Help to keep it strong!

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:30. Contact Estelle Shanley for details. 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

SPEAKERS REVIEW by Joanne Hardy
The Guild kept to its tradition for the last meeting of the year - a salute to its own authors as well as fortifying all for the coming heat with -- what else, ice cream.

Vice President Phyllis Costello, in the absence of President Dawn Spitz, reminded members about the Book Festival sponsored by the Peppertree Book Store which is scheduled this year for November 11 in La Quinta. In addition, she invited authors who had books for sale at the meeting to stand and give their book titles.

A motion was made, seconded and carried to change the calendar for dues to cover the period from October 1st to September 30 - a time frame more accurately paralleling the Guild's season.

The Vice President then introduced the new board as well as committee chairmen. She then recognized outgoing members for their efforts.

The Guild had inaugurated a new tradition this year, that of offering the Barbara Seranella Memorial Award to a high school senior who had shown promise as a young writer. Mary Barrer introduced Alyssa Johnson from the Coachella Valley Unified School District. She is a Native American from the Torres-Martinez tribe. Alyssa has published four articles and she plans to attend UCLA and become a journalist.

Phyllis Costello then opened the microphone to members and magnificently choreographed the reader lineup with the precision of a flight controller. First up was Judy Fabris who read "Fishing with the Men in my Life," which was about the annual fishing vacation before WWII. Then Carrie Hutson shared "Poems" about students, dogs and life decisions. Kathryn Jordan read from her work-in-progress "Gladys and Capone," which opened with ninety-year-old Gladys dipping back into her memories of meetings with Capone. Mary Olsen recounted a trip through a million years of miracles on the way to a birthday party. Dennis Boos read poems about "how to live." Mel Benjamin with his "Ape Art" read about the unusual mixed-media used to make the ape art famous.

Vicki Mills tried to convince us that "Anybody Can Enjoy Computers," a poem using every new "tech" word available. Fran Kaplan in "Peticure" tells of a girl who pushes the conversation just a bit too far. Harold Kaplan followed with "Picking up Butts in the Alley," which told us about a doctor's quick cure for a cough. Linda Smith's poems covered the spectrum from "Peace" to "Root Canal." Selma Fishman read "A Perfect Day at the Spa" or "We Only Get One Body." Jenny Gumpertz reminded us it is all in the point of view in "Peeling Onions."

Judy Davis led us to the other side with "Messages from Those in Attendance." Bill Eads gave us antidotes on what to do after a grueling experience. Mel Harter showed the irony life sometimes presents with "Growing Up in America" -- about a writer being mugged on the night of kristallnacht (Crystal Night.) Jack Griner in his poem, "Highway to Age," saluted aging.

The open mic was a good idea, well done and gave many an opportunity to showcase their work.

The Vice President thanked all who came - a very substantial number - for the last meeting. She then invited everyone to enjoy ice cream and cookies.

Now y'all come back, y'hear. (October 7)
Joanne

New BOARD Fall 2007 -- Summer 2008

Guest articles from members are welcome.
The subject must be on some aspect of writing and no more than 500 words.

Hi members! A lot to crow about!
Dawn Spitz, has some crowing to do. "My verse 'Where Lilies Grow' was set in bronze in a memorial garden at my college, Skidmore, in Saratoga Springs, NY. "

Also, hubby Eric Spitz has some crowing to do as well. His new novel "Different Animals" will be released the middle of September. Dawn tells me the book is about the rehabilitation of prisoners through the training of service dogs; how two men of different races are sent to a prison in Tucson for their crimes--both guilty of murder. The story is about their reconciliation with the world and their bonding with each other through the experience of training dogs for service.

Kathryn Jordan's Hot Water is still hot nearly two years after publication. Two Bunch Palms did a Hot Water Weekend Package in July, "The Pen Women Journal" did a fabulous review, and Denise Goolsby of The Desert Sun did an interview article in September In October 6 - 7 Home Furnishings and Art Show at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, featuring HOT WATER and Spanish edition AGUA CALIENTE and on October 23 1:30 PM Local Author Panel, Rancho Mirage Library.

Fran Kaplan also can crow. She's one of seven desert women authors invited to the Palm Valley Country Club, October 13, 2007 for the Desert Woman luncheon. She is speaking about The Prettier Sister, the title of the book she'll be talking about and selling.

Gordon Gumpertz' short story "The NBA" won the national Writers Journal silver award (second place) and $200 in the Journal's annual short fiction contest, and was published in their July/August 2007 issue.

My Turn: My book, "A Broad Abroad in Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles" is out and ready to purchase on my website; also Amazon.com by the end of the month. I plan on being a self-promoting slut at our November "book sales" meeting. Beware!

Got something to Crow about?
E-mail me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com
www.abroadinthailand.com
and inspire others.

Your limerick here�?�..

BEING A MEMBER OF THE GUILD HAS JUST BECOME EASIER AND MAKES MORE SENSE THAN EVER!

The membership (and fiscal) year will begin in October rather than January to clear up confusion about when dues are payable. If you have paid your dues this year, they will be payable again in October 2007 at a prorated amount of $30. They will not then be due until the following October at the regular rate of $40. New members will still pay $40 for the upcoming year.

TIME TO PAY YOUR DUES! FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE ARE NOW COLLECTING DUES ACCORDING TO HOW WE HOLD THE GUILD MEETINGS -- FROM SEASON TO SEASON, OCTOBER TO OCTOBER.
CURRENT MEMBERS WILL PAY $30 FOR RENEWAL OF DUES,
NEW MEMBERS WILL PAY $40.

Member Profiles by Mary Barrer
Mary Olson
Did you know that the charming, gracious lady who greets you when you sign in at the monthly meeting is a retired medical oncologist? Gentle, low key Mary Olson put her MD on the shelf when she retired. She opened a new page in her book of life. She realized a long hidden secret ambition to become a writer. When Mary joined the Guild five years ago she took the first steps towards realizing her dream. Her critique group served as a motivation to start producing. Since cooking is her hobby, she created a cook book that combines recipes with stories. It's complete and ready for market.

Mary never wrote anything but medical reports while in practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota between 1969 and 2001. Her husband Robert is also a retired MD and internist. Their son is a co-pilot with Mesa Airlines and their British daughter-in-law is a certified flight instructor and teaches flying to foreign pilots at a Phoenix based school.

Mary and Robert love animals and have two canines, two cats and a bird. The dogs swim with Mary everyday in the family pool. Mary's education included college in Indiana, an internship at the Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and a Fellowship at the prestigious Mt. Sinai Hospital in NewYork, N.Y.

We look forward to reading the forthcoming, intriguing medical novel written by an authority whose career was devoted to saving lives...our Mary Olson.

Critique Group Requirements:
Must be a paid up, current member of the PSWG. Many successful published authors credit their Critique Groups for the support and excellent feedback that helped them write on to success! We welcome new and current members of the Writers Guild to all critique groups! We'll cheer you on to success!

Need to find good subcontractors for writing help? Come to the meetings ad look for the sign-up forms for resources and network with those who use them.

GREAT LINEUP FOR THE COMING YEAR
OCTOBER 7 CHRIS LOPEZ Managing Editor/information and interactivity for The Desert Sun; over twenty years journalistic experience; part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team.

NOVEMBER 4 ANDREW NEIDERMAN Author thirty-six published novels; sixty-two published novels as V.C. Andrews; has had several movies and screenplays produced.
Also SHORT STORY CONTEST AWARDS!!

DECEMBER 2 JUDI WEIGLE Author, publishing and entertainment marketer will share information on how to network; another opportunity to buy her book Sell Your Book with a Winning Marketing Platform.

JANUARY 6 JEFF KAYE Author; police officer; undercover agent; present book subject: drugs coming into the country through Mexico and money going back across the border to fund terrorist cells.

FEBRUARY 3 CLAUDIA SUZANNE Author; ghostwriter; publishing and marketing; motivational speaker; she will speak on ghostwriting; humorous.

MARCH 9 JOHN JAMISON, Mountain man; Wall Street banker; former minister; author; very funny.

APRIL 6 SHELDON SALTMAN Well-known promoter for over fifty years: sports, politics, entertainment, business; he has the inside knowledge.

MAY 4 NORMAN MARK Author; wine columnist; movie reviewer; talk show host; nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize; winner Discovery Award for novel at Hollywood Film Festival.

JUNE 1 STEPHEN LINSTEADT Author books, films; naturopathic doctor; nutritional consultant; will talk on the process of getting your film made by a major studio.

CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES By Mel Harter
This is the first of an exciting new column to appear regularly in the GUILDGRAM. The mission is to present to our members upcoming writers' contests in all genres as well as announcements of forthcoming book fairs, education programs, speakers and book signings of interest in our general geographic area. It is the place for each of you to share with your PSWG colleagues any and all of such activities you know of and trust to be legitimate. Simply send me the relevant details by email, harter@dc.rr.com or snail mail, 47115 Via Orvieto, La Quinta, CA 92253.

Here's the way it works:
CONTESTS

DOGWOOD POETRY AND FICTION PRIZES

PRIZE: $1,000 each (single poem and short story) and publication and literary journal of Fairfield (CT) University.

SUBMISSION: Up to three poems (totaling no more than ten pages) or a story of up to 30 pages. Send SASE, call (203) 254-4000, ext. 2795 or visit the website www.faculty.fairfield.edu/dogwood for detailed guidelines.

ENTRY FEE: $10.00

ADDRESS: Kim Bridgford, Editor, Dogwood, Poetry and Fiction Prizes, Department of English, Fairfield University, 1073 North Beacon Rd., Fairfield, CT 06824-5195

DEADLINE: October 15

* * *

KORE PRESS SHORT STORY FICTION AWARD
(Short Story by a woman)

PRIZE: $1,000 plus publication by Kore Press and chapbook run of 500 copies.

SUBMISSION: Limit of 8,000 words; SASE, email kore@korepress.org or visit website www.korepress.org

ENTRY FEE: $15.00

ADDRESS: Shannon Cain, Executive Director, Kore Press Short Fiction Award, P.O. Box 3044, Tucson, AZ 85702-3044 -- Telephone: (520) 882-7542

DEADLINE: October 31

* * *

BRIAR CLIFF REVIEW WRITING CONTESTS

PRIZE: Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Briar Cliff Review for a short story, a poem and a work of creative nonfiction.

SUBMISSION: Single poem up to one page or up to 6,000 words of prose. Call (712)279-1651, email: tricia.currans-sheehan@briarcliff.edu or visit website www.briarcliff.edu/bcreview for complete guidelines.

ENTRY FEE: $15.00

ADDRESS: Tricia Currans-Sheehan, Editor, Briar Cliff Review Writing Contests, Briar Cliff University, 3303 Rebecca Street, Sioux City, IA 51104

DEADLINE: November 1

* * *

DEL SOL PRESS ROBERT OLEN BUTLER FICTION PRIZE

PRIZE: $1,000 - all finalists will be published in a Del Sol Press anthology.

SUBMISSION: 2,000 to 8,000 word short story (published or unpublished,) SASE. For guidelines email robcontest@webdelsol.com or visit website www.webdelsol.com/dsp

ENTRY FEE: $ 16.00 (plus $5.00 per additional story.)

ADDRESS: Del Sol Press, Robert Olen Butler Fiction Prize, 326 Lake Ontario Hall, Grand Valley State University, One Campus Drive, Allendale, MI 49401

DEADLINE: November 1

* * * * * *

Remember PSWGers, your communication with this column will make it work better for all of us. We need your input on upcoming contests and activities.

Helpful Tidbit
Google has a project (since 2004, I think) that seeks to digitalize every book in the world. Over one million books are on-line now. Access to them is free using Google Book Search. Books that are in the public domain (like Moby Dick) are available to read on-line in total. Other books not published completely due to what publishers allow. In any case, you will be able to access many books already from the Library of Congress, universities, libraries etc. The search also allows for a word search like "Chicago Skyscrapers" for architects and every book with that reference in it and on line will be referenced for you. Enjoy!
Submitted by Judy Joyce

Note: Debbie Madison is looking for an author to share a booth at the Duarte book festival on October 6th. (324-0103).

Alaska Writers Guild Report by Jim Misko
Whoop-de-doo! The Alaska Writers Guild was formed on May 13, 2007 based on the forged in fire Palm Springs Writers Guild charter and by-laws. Twelve brave people signed up and seven were chosen as the Board in a parliamentary fashion as suggested by Tony O'Doherty. The Board then chose the various officers amongst themselves and the Guild breathed to life wondering what to do next.

The first chore was to sponsor the Alaska Writers Workshop which featured seven faculty consisting of authors, editors, agents, publishers and marketing people. About 100 writers representing all levels of the art showed up for the three-day workshop in August. Attendee evaluations had high praise for the faculty, the workshop program and the individual meetings with the faculty. And it set the ground work for the 2007 Writers Conference on Speculative Fiction.

The Guild meets monthly at Barnes & Noble in Anchorage; has a short business meeting and a good speaker. The membership is now at thirty-five and moving towards fifty by Thanksgiving. The Guild is co-sponsoring, with B&N, a three author book signing every three months. Authors from different genres will talk about their books and read a short scene, then have a signing. The idea is intended to expose readers to new genres. The three author's books will be featured by B&N and a discount offered during the meeting only.

I'll tell you more about it when I get back to La Quinta in November. May it go well with you. Alaska Jim

SHORT STORY CONTEST
Winners will be announced at the November meeting.

Doctors Agree
Word doctors recommend joining a Palm Springs Writers Guild critique group as the right tonic for improving your writing health. Get rid of those stale verbs, pale nouns, and overworked adjectives. Reinvigorate your prose. Email pscritgrp@yahoo.com, or call Gordon Gumpertz at 346-3429.

PEPPERTREE BOOK FEST
The third annual Peppertree Book Fest will be held Sunday, November 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Camelot Theatre (inside and out) on Baristo Road in Palm Springs. The Guild has reserved a tent which will be prominently placed in front of the theatre, with a table and approximately thirty chairs. It will be used for authors to make presentations of their books to be followed by a book signing. Each author will have a scheduled time period of twenty minutes, starting at 10 a.m., for a nominal cost, to be announced at the October meeting. There will be a fifteen minute interval between presentations for the purposes of setting up. The schedule for presentations will be published in the festival literature and widely distributed. Anyone interested in making a presentation, contact Chair Tony O'Doherty @ todoherty@dd.rr.com (760 772-3582)

Sites for individual booths for book selling will also be available. For information as to cost and location, contact Charles Lago at Peppertree Book Store (authorsontour@aol.com ) (760 564-3112.)

Based upon attendance at previous book fests, the turnout is expected to exceed 5000 people. It should be well worth your while to participate.

Early registration will provide the best location for book sale booths and preferred time slots for presentations! REGISTER NOW! Volunteers are needed for setting up.

Contact : Tony O'Doherty at todoherty@dc.rr.com (760-772-3582 ) or Dawn Spitz at dawnlspitz@aol.com (760 770-4708)

The Desert Woman magazine is sponsoring a Luncheon and Mini Book Fair on Saturday, October 13, 2007 from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the Palm Valley Country Club, 39205 Palm Valley Drive (off Country Club Drive between Cook and Washington). Cost is $30 for partners of The Desert Woman and $35 for guests. Contact Cheryl McFadden (760-327-3983) Mon.-Sat, from 9 AM to 6 PM for details and menu choices or send your money and contact information to The Desert Woman, 73091 Country Club Drive, #A440, Palm Desert, CA 92260.

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

June 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Thu, 24 May 2007 13:25:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
June 2007
MEETING TIME: Sunday, June 3, 2007, 2:30-4:30 P.M.
Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA

BEING A MEMBER OF THE GUILD HAS JUST BECOME EASIER AND MAKES MORE SENSE THAN EVER!

Your board has decided to change the membership (and fiscal) year to begin in October rather than January for the following reasons:

1. To clear up confusion about when dues are payable. If you have paid your dues this year, they will be payable again in October 2007 at a prorated amount of $30. They will not then be due until the following October at the regular rate of $40. New members will still pay $40 for the upcoming year;
2. It will facilitate budgeting.

Since this will require a change in the by-laws, there must be approval of the membership. A vote will be taken at the June meeting. Please attend and vote.

PRESIDENT�??S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz

Kudos and thanks to Phyllis Costello for bringing such a varied array of outstanding programs and workshops to the Guild this year. We were both entertained and inspired by May meeting speaker, author/poet/songwriter Steve Peterson, who generously shared his life stories and songs.

This has been an eventful year for the Guild. We have been saddened by the loss of some of our members and heartened by the success of others in having their work recognized and published.

We have increased our membership, have become members of two Chambers of Commerce and have found a new home at the Palm Desert Community Center. Our meetings were well attended and, thanks to Ted Pannell, are now an organized venue for Guild authors to sell their books.

We have established the Barbara Serenella Memorial Scholarship Fund and plan to award a $500 scholarship to a promising young writer this year.

Under the chairmanship of Mary Barrer, members Jack McLaughlin, Judy Fabris and Kristin Johnson recently contributed their time and talents to the Authors and Artists Day at West Shore High School in Salton City.

Our short story contest brought in a substantial number of entries and our new contest is off and running under the aegis of Jim Misko and his staff.

Our critique groups are meeting regularly thanks to Gordon Gumpertz, chair, and those in charge.

We owe the success of the Guild to all those who have taken on the responsibilities of serving on the board, the committees, and as contributors to the Guild Gram.

To all of you, I extend my profound thanks. I have enjoyed being president this year and look forward to another successful Guild year of continued growth, and service to the Coachella Valley.

I wish you all a pleasant and productive summer.

See you in October. And KEEP WRITING!

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:30. Contact Estelle Shanley for details. 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

SPEAKERS REVIEW by Judy Fabris

Steve Petersen is a man full of life, full of love, full of poetry and music. He is the epitome of a self-taught person with a passion for living that transcends any difficulties. His smile is infectious, and his laughter makes one laugh with him.

For those of you who did not come to the May 6 meeting, you truly missed a wonderful afternoon. Steve was not only inspiring but he entertained us as well. He is a poet/singer/songwriter/author/actor having started his career in entertainment shortly after September 11, 2001. After that most fateful day, Steve stepped into the unknown to follow his dream.

Steve�??s song �??These Colors Don�??t Run�?? was part of the Operation Iraqi Freedom program made available to all radio stations in the USA and our troops.

Steve grew up in Long Beach. When he was around ten, his Dad gave him a guitar, and told him if he learned to play it, �??The sky is the limit.�?? Steve wanted to be a surfer, and spent many an hour surfing the waves rather than attending school. So much so, the truant officer picked him up and put him in the California Youth Authority for a day. He decided there were much better places to be�??so he returned to school.

His mother attended college at a later age, and became a speech therapist. She taught him a song, and asked that he serenade her every night with the �??House in New Orleans.

When Steve met his wife, he had a complete religious transformation. His wife-to-be was Mormon, so Steve joined the Mormon Church, and for two years he was a missionary of the church. It was at this time in his life that he took the opportunity to explore other religions from FourSquare to Snake Handling, which was part of one religion.

Steve and his wife have four daughters that are the apples of their eyes. But as their girls grew older, Steve and his wife drifted apart. Eventually they separated and divorced and he left the Mormon Church.

Steve believes that one of his gifts is the ability to be observant, and that remembering one�??s dreams can be critical to writing, having the ability to communicate one�??s own thoughts and words.

Donovan Taylor, the owner of the Palapas Gardens in Palm Springs, asked Steve to be the Poet Laureate in the Palapas Artist Garden. Steve was given a place under a seemingly dead tree that he tended lovingly until it returned to life and leaf and yellow blossoms. He called it the Poet Tree. He hung poems in frames from the limbs of the tree. People brought their own poems and hung them, and gifts would regularly appear at the base of the trunk. Unfortunately Palapas Gardens closed in 2004, although the owner hopes there will one day be another. The Poet Tree is still in existence .

As the number of poetry items grew, the city asked him to put a poet tree in front of the library. One was built in 2006, and 170 poems graced the branches within the first week.

Steve helped the youth of Cielo Vista School to learn how to create positive forms of communication. He began to put his poems into songs even though he can�??t read music. He began playing the guitar in earnest, even if only a few chords and progressions.

Steve waited half a century to share his creative spirit. He walked away from corporate America to pursue his passion. He told us a bit about his first book Healer, written in 2001 after the planes crashed into the twin towers. Steve has a new album and new book coming out soon. You can buy it, and his music on Amazon.com. Steve Petersen can be reached at xoxrox@earthlink.com

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

GUEST POLICY
We always welcome guests! To help defray the costs for our larger facility, we will be charging $5 per guest per meeting. This can be applied toward the annual $40 dues for the Guild membership if guest decides to join the Guild.

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Sunday June 3rd 2:30-4:30 PM
OPEN READING�?� ICE CREAM...COOKIES�?�!!!
Do you have something you have written and want to share with others? You're in luck! We will be conducting Open Reading at the final meeting of this year on June 3, 2007. Each reader will be allowed five minutes to read.

Open readings, in the past, have been great fun with hilarious, poignant and scary selections!

If you wish to participate, please call Phyllis at 760-321-6173. You must have a reservation in advance to read.

We will also be installing officers. Following past tradition, we will share ice cream and cookies for this event.

See you there!

by Phyllis Costello, Program Vice President

If you have a book to sell at the meeting contact Dawn Spitz (dawnlspitz@aol.com or 770-4708). Include your name, name of book, and short blurb. It will be announced before the meeting.

Guest articles from members are welcome.

The subject must be on some aspect of writing and no more than 500 words.

The Crow�??s Nest By Dodie Cross

We have a new member, Jeff Kaye, who has some crowing to do. Jeff and his family recently moved to La Quinta from Nevada, where he worked with the Reno, Nevada Police Department for 24 years.

Jeff tells me he has one book published, and is looking to find a publisher for the second: �??My first novel, Two Faces Have I, is a fact-based police mystery/fiction, loosely based on a two-year undercover operation I was involved in. It was published by the Xlibris Co., and released three years ago. It is available on Amazon, booklocker.com, barnesandnoble.com, and Xlibris.com.

�??My second novel, Mainline, was completed three months ago. The story line is also fact-based fiction. It covers drugs coming into the country through Mexico, and cash going back across the border to fund terrorist cells. Two years of research went into this book.�??

Welcome to the Guild, Jeff, and we look forward to you speaking at one of our meetings in the future.

Mel Harter is having his article on laughter published in the next issue of Eceptional Magazine, an E-zine published monthly by Monica Davis in Washington, D.C. He can also crow about his article �??How to Read a Person like a Book�?? which is being published in the fall edition of Bonkers, a Borders bookstore publication.

Got something to Crow about?
E-mail me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com and inspire others www.abroadinthailand.com

Limerick by Dawn Huntley Spitz
A writer, not to his credit,
Refused his ms. to edit
But the joke was on him
'Twas the publisher�??s whim
To return it without having read it.

Member Profiles
by Mary Barrer
Kristin Johnson - author, screen writer, journalist

Kristin Johnson, our youngest member, is our most accomplished. Shortly after receiving her Master's in Professional Writing from USC, her first novel, Butterfly Wings, was published. Next she joined with one of America's top scientists, Dr. Rupert Perrin, in co-authoring his book, Ordinary Minds. It is a best seller both in the medical community as well as with mainstream readers.

Kristin's talent is like a diamond with many facets. She joined her childhood friend in compiling and publishing a cook book, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving, which was popular during the holiday season both in the U.S. and Canada.

Kristin did not rest on her laurels. She constructed a web site for her poetry and marketed poems for special occasions. Many were used by brides and grooms at their weddings.

In her critique group, she often shocked other members with the gory details of her first screen play, Bloody Mary. It is yet unsold but it led the way to Hollywood. A well-known producer of horror films contacted her with two assignments, which she completed ahead of deadline. Her first film was completed and premiered in Hollywood. It is being distributed by Ravor Digital Exit nationally. A short time later, her second screen play, Pirates of Ghost Island , wrapped and again was premiered in Hollywood to enthusiastic audiences. It is being handled by Lion Gate for national distribution.

As with a diamond, another facet is shinning brilliantly. A serious screen play is ready for marketing to Hollywood. It deals with a man imprisoned unjustly and the hardships his wife faced visiting him in California jails.

Kristin's newspaper articles have appeared in The Desert Sun, Desert Post, Bottom Line and in the newest Valley publication launched this month, Dune. Her article �??The New Philanthropists�?? is an in-depth piece on charitable organizations.

This lovely young lady with sparkling eyes and a soft voice dreams of higher goals. She plans to produce her own full length feature film, possibly in the horror genre, being script writer, producer and director. Her goal is to film it here in the Valley, giving work and creative opportunities to actors and behind-the-scenes technicians as well as enhance the Valley's image as Hollywood East.

SHORT STORY CONTEST
Deadline: postmarked by June 10, 2007
Mail to PSWG, P.O. Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
Winners will be announced at the second meeting of the new season.
Many exciting announcements upcoming!
For information contact Jim Misko
Jim@jimmisko.com
Enter Short Story Contest - click here

BUT IS IT FUNNY?
By Melvin M. Harter

In America people don�??t laugh appropriately anymore. Isn�??t that funny?

When I first learned the panderers of television and radio comedy inserted pre-recorded laughter into what they felt were humorous scenes I felt insulted if not violated. If the skit or joke isn�??t funny enough to elicit a laugh from a live audience, it probably isn�??t funny, I thought. Not getting a chuckle should have been enough for the producer to cut out the �??gag.�?? It is my position that spontaneous laughter ought to be the acid test of comedy.

I was appalled to observe over the years that as self-proclaimed humor became less funny, the technology of �??canned�?? laughter (as pre-recorded howls are known in the industry) progressed from monaural to stereo, from analog to digital, in depth, breadth and height not to mention volume. The contrived electronic reflex seems like a booming voice from heaven set in motion by the Wizard of Oz himself: �??Thou shalt find this funny!�??

Recent events in my life however have cast doubt on the phenomenon and given me pause to reflect on it.

In the theatare recently my wife elbowed me rather sharply. She either does this or she kicks me under the table to alert me to some social boo boo I commited that may subject me (her?) to being noticed in a crowd. Mea Culpa! I had laughed out loud!

I thought it was a very good comedy scene in a neighborhood presentation of Sondheim�??s �??A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.�?? With expert vaudevillian flair corpulent and elfish slave Psuedolus, a manipulator of everyone�??s life grimaced and vibrated grotesquely as Likus�?? comely courtesans advertised their wares by dancing their goodies in his face. For me that was comedy at its cunning best, a mocking demonstration that since antiquity little has changed regarding irrational sexual vulnerability of the male.

What troubled me was that in an audience of a thousand or more I was the only one laughing loudly. Did they need canned laughter to alert them to the humor?

Reflecting on this later, I became equally troubled by the fact that when we go to see a horror story and the satanic villain is about to cannibalize the heroine, the audience laughs. I don�??t find that funny!

By then my brain was churning. I began to doubt my own ability toknow for sure what is and what is not funny or even if it matters. Why do we need to laugh at all, I wondered? No other species on earth laughs, appropriately or otherwise. I tried to figure it out. What is the use of laughter?

A recent local newspaper column reminded me of one good reason to laugh. The author addressed the benefit of bringing laughter to self-help groups of cancer and grief victims.

But this Is not news. More than a quarter century ago Norman Cousins, UCLA Professor of Medical Humanities, wrote �??Anatomy of an Illness�?? in which he convincingly described the benefits of laughter in the treatment of diseases.

I realized that it is probably not a coincidence that many of our greatest comedians emerged in therapeutic response to the tragedy of The Great Depression. Laurel and Hardy film festivals continue to highlight summer entertainment programs in the smallest hamlets of Europe. Jack Benny and his cohorts Burns and Allen cast the comedy mold for the future to build on. Jerry Lewis who was inducted into the French Legion of Honor by presidential decree participated in the first �??Laughter and Healing�?? seminar at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. I�??m beginning to sound like an old curmudgeon who drops names to prove he didn�??t fall asleep on life. Forget the names! What I�??m trying to say is comedy used to be funny, the audience used to respond with live laughter and it all worked without electronic assistance. Laughter tempered the pain of poverty and the tears of tragedy.

Perhaps I�??m now getting depressed about the evolution of laughter in our society. Social values seem to change faster than the politicians who preach them. Certainly they change faster than I.

Laughter is not alone. Romance also seems to be on its deathbed. Guys don�??t seem to get more thrills out of the process than the conquest anymore. Good manners and common courtesy seem to have gone the way of the necktie. Fashion and decorum? Forget it. Conversation? All distilled into a dozen four-letter words.

Still, I think that regardless of whether our civilization is on the rise or on the fall, genuine laughter heals and sustains us. It lives only in our very souls. It cannot be flash frozen, vacuum packed or canned.

In America people don�??t laugh appropriately anymore.

Isn�??t that funny?

SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS

June 3, 2007 Ice Cream and Cookie Social; OPEN READING by members (contact Phyllis at 760-321-6173 to sign up); new officers installed; scholarship recipient announced.

No meetings in July, Aug, or Sept.

Keep writing and have a productive enjoyable summer!

Oct 7 , 2007 First meeting of the season!! Watch for our exciting opening program news!

Nov 4, 2007 Short story contest winners announced�?�.and much more!

We have tabulated the questionnaires from last month and are aware of the direction you want us to go. We have many exciting programs lined up for next year!

by Phyllis Costello

Critique Group Requirements:

Must be a paid up, current member of the PSWG. Many successful published authors credit their Critique Groups for the support and excellent feedback that helped them write on to success! We welcome new and current members of the Writers Guild to all critique groups! We�??ll cheer you on to success!

Limerick by Cynthia Slater
For whatever they use as a reason
In spring, winter, fall, any season
Good lim�??rickers all
Will answer the call
Writing sentiments funny and pleasin�??.

Book Review
by Cynthia Slater
Reading Like a Writer �?? A Guild for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them
by Francine Prose

Professor Prose has taught literature and writing for more than twenty years at major universities including Harvard and Columbia, and has authored over twenty books.

After I read the first twenty pages of this book that I had checked out of the library, I was so pumped up I started to do a fourth rewrite on a supposedly finished manuscript I was working on. By page thirty I was determined to have my own copy and called Barnes and Noble.

Chapters are entitled: �??Words,�?? �??Sentences,�?? �??Narration,�?? �??Character,�?? etc. Each subject covered has an example, an excerpt from a famous author. Thus we are also learning from Kafka, Chekhov, Joyce, Dickens, Eliot, Roth and many more. In this book you�??ll learn as much as you would in a weekend seminar and you won�??t have to drive, get out of your bathrobe or floss your teeth.

A copy of Reading Like a Writer is available at the library, but you may have to wait your turn. Sorry, only my dearest friends may borrow mine.

Need to find good subcontractors for writing help? Come to the meetings and look for the sign-up forms for resources and network with those who use them.

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

May 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 14:05:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
May 2007
MEETING TIME: Sunday, May 6, 2007, 2:30-4:30 P.M.
Meeting Location: Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA
SPEAKER/ ENTERTAINER/AUTHOR Steve Peterson
Multi-talented, Steve Peterson left a prosperous job in the construction industry and stepped into a lifelong dream. His temples were already gray. But the creative spirit within urged him forward. He is an author, poet, actor, songwriter, singer.
His song "These Colors Don't Run" was part of the Operations Iraqi Freedom Program made available to all radio stations in the USA and our troops. Come and hear his story and listen to him sing his original music. He is bringing his guitar to entertain us.
His first novel is titled Healer. Steve will have much to share with his many talents. It will be a delightful afternoon.
by Phyllis Costello

PRESIDENT'S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz
How fortunate the Guild is to have Judy Weigle in its membership! She gave an outstanding presentation at the March meeting and attendees were unanimous in their approval. Thank you, Judy, for an informative and entertaining talk.
Those of us who attended Cyndi Muscatel's workshop on writing memoirs were equally enthusiastic. It was an afternoon not only of developing technique but also of sharing poignant memories. Thank you, Cyndi, for your ongoing contributions.
I want to remind the membership of our newly established Barbara Seranella Memorial Scholarship Fund. Next month we will be awarding a scholarship to a deserving student. We need contributions to this fund so that the Guild will be able to make a substantial award. Promoting the craft of writing means not only providing opportunities for Guild members but encouraging local young talent (and hopefully future Guild members).
Don't forget to enter the Short Story Contest. There are cash prizes and the prestige of having the top three stories read by professional actors, both at the Guild meeting and at the new Peppertree Book Store. Thank you, Jim Misko, for making all these arrangements.
I want to encourage all of you to arrive on time for the general meetings. It is a time to visit with other members and welcome guests as well as to enjoy a cup of coffee and some treats. Late arrivals also prevent the meeting from starting on time.
We will announce our new slate of officers at the May meeting. We'll also have an unusual program from Steve Peterson who is not only a first-time author but an entertainer as well. Don't miss it!

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:30. Contact Estelle Shanley for details. 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

SPEAKERS REVIEW
by Joanne Hardy
Judi Weigle author, promoter, corporate speaker, public relations guru and sometimes Dancing Bear spoke on the all important factor of promotion.
"There are three things to remember," she said, "sell your book, sell yourself and it is a business. To accomplish this, you need a real marketing platform. Marketing is everything you bring to the table to promote your book and yourself. The time to start marketing your book is during the writing process. While you are writing, consider places and companies that will be a source to build a relationship and therefore a place to promote. When the book is done, first send the query letter, and then with an outline, submit a marketing platform. Regardless of your publishing medium you will be the one executing and managing your marketing plan. You are in charge.
"First ask yourself, why you are writing the book. Be clear about your agenda for writing the book. Are you writing it for a legacy, an artistic endeavor, an educational vehicle, for a credential for something else, or to make money?
"Second, truly evaluate your currency. What do you have as credentials? What organizations do you belong to, your background experience, contacts, relationships? Consider everything you can bring into one giant promotion platform."
When she decided to become a public speaker and extended herself into the corporate event arena, she found that speakers who had books to sell made more money. They have more credibility. She emphasized the maxim, "Lead with your strength."
"Her strength," she said, "was she had worked with a circus for eight years" �?? marketing director, booking agent and performed as the Dancing Bear. She decided to write her book and describe things that happened to her, everything they all (she and seven other marketing directors) experienced in their own jobs. She got the idea for her book, "My office is a Three-Ringed Circus" and used this as a vehicle for it.
Print-on-demand books, as well as traditionally published books, means you have a product to market and you need a giant promotion which includes how you are going to package it. She used a sack with POPCORN labeled on the side. Inside was a clown's red nose, a head shot of the author, business card and list of questions for interviewer.
She calls the questions a media synopsis. It is questions you want the interviewer to ask at a particular show or speaking event because people don't read the book. Consider when preparing the questions the demographic of your reader audience. The questions become the blueprint for a magazine or a newspaper article.
Play with your own creative ideas on how to market your book. For example, when she got into airport bookstores she called herself the "Airport Author."
Build an event around an author's signing. She decided to create a business minute called "Stop Clowning Around Business Briefing," a take-off on Paul Harvey's radio show or a "No Clowning Around Radio Show." She suggests investigating Blog talk radio.
Pitches are an essential part of promotion. She says, never introduce yourself, say, "This is an extremely brief sales pitch. Do you have the time?" Then do a one minute pitch. Be extremely sensitive to audience." Look for area stores that might sell your book.
Try different things. E-books, author signings, create events around the signing, write small articles.
When putting your marketing platform together consider four things: creative media coverage, creating a personal appearance presence, creating a sales presence, and creating a marketing internet presence.
Know how to handle the internet. Regarding interviews and reviews, she says, the internet is very favorable to authors. There are many Blogs you can use. Ask for a category of Blog. You write a short version of your story -- all free material -- and it will drive people back to your web site to buy your book. Pod cast is a broadcast version of a blog.
Geographically target the country to promote. Target a small area, and build.
Her book has been re-done and given a new title. It was first called "It's a Circus out There, Feed your Fears to the Lions." She realized it didn't say what she wanted it to say. It was edited, given a new cover and new title. Title has to be very clever. "Hire someone to edit your book," she says. "You need to feel confident when you sell your book that is without errors."
When making a presentation, she comes out in bear costume and as she talks, she takes pieces of the costume off to reveal business clothes. "In your presentation remember image and manners," she emphasized. "Dress up, look successful."
Own your own web site: she has three e-mail addresses, and a web site. On your web site you can have newsletters, games, your book, and audio versions of your books.
Regarding agents, don't be afraid to call. You have the right to make the call and ask, "Should I call once a month?"
Her web site is Circusoutthere.com. There is a menu at the side with a pod cast. Judi can be reached at judi@judim.com or 323-1156.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE for Spring 2007
by Phyllis Costello
May 6 Steve Peterson, author, poet, singer, performer; relates a new author's adventures into publishing a first novel. Election of officers.
NOTE: The May 26th workshop has been cancelled due to setup complications.
June 3 Open reading by members; new officers installed; ice cream social.
First meeting in the fall: OCTOBER 7, 2007

Need to find good subcontractors for writing help?
Come to the meetings.
There will be sign up lists for resources and those who need them.

GUEST POLICY
We always welcome guests! To help defray the costs for our larger facility, we will be charging $5 per guest per meeting. This can be applied toward the annual $40 dues for the Guild membership if guest decides to join the Guild.

If you have a book to sell at the meeting contact Dawn Spitz (dawnlspitz@aol.com or 770-4708). Include your name, name of book, and short blurb. It will be announced before the meeting.

Guest articles from members are welcome.
The subject must be on some aspect of writing and no more than 500 words.

The Crow's Nest By Dodie Cross
Here's another crowing from member Ric Goodwyn: "My middle-school workbook and text is rolling off the presses at Trafford Publishing Co. The draft of Let's Learn Latin is currently being used at Marywood-Palm Valley School in the eighth-grade Latin classes. "I am about 45,000 pages into my novel Headin' Home to Hell, and still going; not in a hand basket, I hope.
And here's some extra loud crowing from member Donna Bevans: her book, Whatever It Takes is finally published. "To all my friends and acquaintances who kept asking �??How's the book coming,' here it is! For those of you, too numerous to mention, who have encouraged me, I want to thank you. Also, many thanks to all of you from the Tuesday Critique Group who helped me through the process." Donna will be in the desert over the Memorial Day weekend and will be interviewed on the Dan McGrath Show, EZ-103.1 during the 9 o'clock hour on Friday, May 25th. She is also planning on doing a book signing that weekend; listen in for that location. You can check out her new book on her website: www.donnabevans.net.
Member Marci Stillerman, never one to sit idle, has informed me that her book Swimming Lessons is now available on Barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com.
Got something to Crow about?
E-mail me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com and inspire others
www.abroadinthailand.com

Limerick
If for writing you have quite a flair
But your idea cupboard is bare
You'll never get by
Unless you apply
The seat of your pants to the chair.
By Dawn Huntley Spitz

A Few Notes On
The Jack London Conference
By Frank Thornburgh
The conference on Saturday March 24 at the Crown Plaza Hotel Foster City sold out to the maximum capacity of 300 this year. The San Francisco/Peninsula branch of the California Writer's Club organizes the event every other year. They hope to grow into a larger space next conference in 2009. Such growth is a result of many volunteers working six months on publicity, organization, and an efficient web site service that made registration easy.
Many factors made this conference effective and successful:
· helpful conference volunteers
· a great map and schedule in the registration package which facilitated timely movement between events
· a wonderful addition I saw for the first time at any conference: time proctors who were volunteers assigned to each workshop, guest speaker, and lobby to introduce workshop leaders, then stay to indicate when time was running out or ring a little bell out in the lobby to tell the crowd that schmoozing time was over
· the wireless sound system that allowed audience members to ask questions from the floor
· Crown Plaza Hotel's great food service team
· table settings that were works of art
· a feature everyone liked was the use of writer's genre signs on each table attracting birds-of-a-feather. If folks didn't get their money's worth out of networking, it was their own fault.
Keynote speaker Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) gave the crowd a nice personal background story not only about the writing life but the book-to-movie life. Forty nine million books in print are impressive numbers.
Christopher Moore, author of nine horror/humor novels, gave a hilarious personal story about his first success as a writer while working as a food server, living in a friend's basement room, and writing in a noisy coffee shop.
Mystery writer and closing keynote speaker Steven Hockensmith gave a personal story all writers relate to, that of distractions and conflicts.
The conference website is the best place to go for questions and updates.
See: writersconference@hotmail.com.
It was the best run conference I have ever attended.

There's No Business Like�?�
Why the Art of Lawyering could be a book that shouldn't sell
By Judy Joyce
When a California Appeals Court justice's opinion on a case states "the prosecution of criminal cases and entertainment enterprises are best kept separate," any screenwriter worth her copyright sits up and takes notes. Is it any wonder that such a remark would come out of the pages of Jesse James Hollywood v Superior Court of Santa Barbara,*
In other words, this court believed lawyers should stay out of the media business, especially prosecutors handling criminal matters with a book deal or screenplays in mind.
When you hire a lawyer, remember, if the stakes in your case are high enough, you and the case might wind up on the front pages of any newspaper. Who knows - your lawyer might decide to write an article or a screenplay about you. This may even help you if your lawyer is seeking a change of venue.
Are we singling out lawyers from "writing what we know?" Is writing a book about a case the lawyer has handled turning the courtroom into too much entertainment?
In the Haraguchi v. Superior Court, ** a prosecutor wrote a book creating a story line exactly duplicative of a case in which she was currently engaged. It has been pointed out that those who identified the characters with the case would glean a result based on the plot and thereby be influenced.
This raises the tainted jury pool question in yet another way. According to rules of professional ethics, lawyers owe clients loyalty and former clients confidentiality. After that, unless the lawyer turned author gets sued for an invasion of privacy or breach of fiduciary duty - you (the client) take your chances in a high stakes case if you waive your rights as you likely know.
So the next time you sit down with that legal novel or watch your favorite law enforcement TV show, remember that when a lawyer writes these intrigues, it could be someone you know or could even be you.
Judy Joyce (Tomsic), Esq. is Corresponding Secretary for the Palm Springs Writers Guild and an International Conflict Resolution Specialist.. Her research and writing includes a treatise entitled "Legal Metaphysics in an Age of Disbelief" submitted on the call of the question of the High Tech Law Institute in the Silicon Valley and Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Judy received legal credits attending Oxford University Law School in 2006 and taught legal ethics at U.C. Riverside Desert Campus in 2007. Recently sworn in as a temporary judge for the Superior Court of Riverside County, she wishes to thank Diane Karpman of the California State Bar Journal for inspiring this article. *2006 Cal App. LEXIS 1545; **2006 Cal. App. LEXIS 1543

Member Profiles
by Mary Barrer
Vicki Mills Profile
When Vicki Mills, as a teenager, lay on the Lake Michigan beach in Chicago, she watched the fluffy cumulus clouds drift by and dreamed of life as an adult. She longed for new horizons and far off places.
While attending high school, her career goals were to be a governess and to help people. Going on with her education, she chose a small Bible-based college in Pasadena, Ca. Here she met Dick Mills who would become the love of her life. At first it was friendship, then romance blossomed and they married.
Again looking for a new life, they moved to Seattle where they lived for twenty-five years. Dick founded a successful home remodeling business. Sons blessed their marriage and Vicki remained a stay-at-home mom with the boys and at the same time handled her husband's administrative work. Vicki treasures her four sons.
When the young men left home, the couple followed another dream. They packed up and moved to Palm Springs. Dick resumed his business and Vicki had time to pursue her long delayed interests.
Computers were new to Vicki but she took to them with ease. She credits her brother-in-law with being her mentor. She found new joy in learning how to navigate cyber space.
Her services are in demand by the scores of men and women who are intimidated by the monster. She feels great satisfaction in helping others overcome their fears and become proficient. Oftentimes people needed more than tutoring. To answer this need, she wrote an instruction manual: Any Body Can Enjoy Computers. Two years ago it was also translated and published in Spanish.
Vicki is a member of a Guild critique group and has stretched her creativity into other categories of writing. She is very generous with her time and talent, serving as the Guild's recording secretary and editor of the monthly newsletter.
The young girl on the beach has come a long way. She has realized her ambition of helping people, has two books published, and looks forward to other literary achievements.

To All Critique Group Members
Palm Springs Writers Guild Critique groups are sponsored by the Guild. Many successful published authors credit their Critique Groups for the support and excellent feedback that helped them write on to success!
We welcome new and current members of the Writers Guild to all critique groups. In order to be a member of the Critique Groups, each of us must have paid our annual dues.
Please send in the renewal/joining form or at least your check and current contact information so that you can continue being registered in and participating in the critique groups.
We cheer you on to satisfying success!

GUESS WHAT? THIS IS GONNA KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!
By Jim Misko
You better be marking your calendar right now for the November 4th meeting of the Palm Springs Writers Guild or you may not get a seat. Big doings afoot.
The winning authors of the short story contest will be announced and receive their awards from one of the most prolific writers in the Coachella Valley�??Andrew Neiderman. His writing career includes almost 100 books and two films based on his books. He is now adapting one of his novels, which was made into a movie, into a Broadway Musical. He will also speak to the Guild on the "The Most Important Thing I learned in My Writing Career."
Cripes�??I'd give five years of my life to know that.
The 70 or so short stories, which will have been judged by four highly competent out-of-state judges, will have been narrowed to the top seven. The first three place winners and four honorable mentions. The winning stories will be read at the November 4th meeting by Bob Berk, a member of the Screen Actors Guild and a grand orator who recently ended a long run at Fantasy Springs Casino.
Mr. Berk will read the stories again at a reading and Guild book sale at the new Peppertree Book Store in La Quinta where each winner will be presented prior to the reading. In conjunction with this event, Palm Springs Writers Guild members will hold a sale and book signing during the evening. Charles Lago, co-owner of Peppertree Book Stores has promised a wonderful event and they certainly know how to put one on.
There remains fond hope that the Desert Sun will print the winning three stories in their Sunday editions in succeeding weeks, but it remains unconfirmed as of this date.

Enter Short Story Contest - click here

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

April 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:30:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
April 2007
MEETING TIME: Sunday, Apr. 1st, 2007, 2:30-4:30 P.M.
Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA

Located just north of Fred Waring on San Pablo (2 blocks east of the Palm Desert Library where we used to meet).

PRESIDENT'S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz
Those of us who attended the March 11 Guild meeting received a double bonus. Not only did we hear two informative and entertaining talks by the father/daughter team of John Hacker and Julie Gorges but they donated several of their books to the Guild which received the proceeds from their sale. We are most grateful to our speakers for their kindness and generosity.

Several of our members brought books to sell at the meeting. Since there was no one actually in charge, it was not as successful as it might have been. Fortunately, Ted and Sylvia Pannell have agreed to help organize further book sales. We need to know in advance how many authors will be participating. Anyone interested in selling their books at meetings, please notify me at dawnlspitz@aol.com or 760 770-4708.

The Guild has established the Barbara Seranella Memorial Scholarship Fund, in memory of a beloved member who passed away last month. Each year the Guild awards a scholarship to a promising young student in the Coachella Valley. By creating this fund, we hope to increase the Guild's potential to encourage more talented young writers. Please support this fund. Checks should be made out to the Palm Springs Writers Guild and designated for the Barbara Seranella Scholarship Fund. They should be sent to the PSWG, PO Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270.

The Guild is here to support you as writers. Do your share by supporting the Guild!

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:30. Contact Estelle Shanley for details. 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

SPEAKERS REVIEW
by Carol Mann
Daylight savings time and real estate selling weather didn't deter members and guests from the monthly PSWG meeting. They were treated to a dynamic father/daughter duo, two enthusiastic writers of non-fiction and fiction.

Julie Gorges (yes, she affirmed it's pronounced gorgeous) writes novels for young people. She began writing short stories in her early twenties while at home with young children. She improved her craft by attending College of the Desert, taking correspondence courses, and submitting for publication. She became a freelance writer for magazines, her work appearing in such publications as Parent's Magazine, Jack and Jill, and Cricket. She worked also as a reporter, receiving three awards for journalism.

Some ideas for her recent novel for young people, Just Call Me Goody-Two-Shoes, came from her diaries and journals. She suggested writers look for material from their own lives, dreams, turning points, jobs, hobbies, and their children. She read the novel's first chapter to illustrate hooking the reader. In it the main character Jade likes order, but her life is out of order. As the story unfolds, Jade learns life is not neat, choices are not simple.

Her goal is not to preach to young people, but educate them for life, allowing them to figure it out for themselves. A touch of humor helps. She writes for young people because adolescence is often a traumatic, emotional, and insecure time. She hopes to touch a child or teen facing a difficult life hurdle.

John Hacker, a civil engineer with a sense of humor, states he became an author by writing Environmental Impact Reports and breaking a leg while jumping from a sailboat. His first book, Residential Steel Design and Construction, was co-authored with his daughter. McGraw-Hill picked it up and gave them a $5,000 advance and a 6 month deadline. The book sold for $60 a copy.

He then began his next book, Laughing at Growing Old. After examining costs and profits, he formed his own publishing company, I-Form Ink Publishing. He secured Morris Printing in Nebraska as a printer and Baker-Taylor as a distributor. Now a family endeavor, the company publishes his books, his daughter's, and other authors, and has access to major book chains.

His current book, Be Cool Despite Global Warming, deals with rising energy costs for residential consumers being levied by local power companies. He discusses global warming, destruction of forests, alternative building products, ways to keep a house cooler, and lowering your utility bills, to name a few. His presentation illustrated both promoting a book and hitting the "What's in it for me" button of potential readers.

Both authors stressed the need for aggressive promotion. Miss Gorges has a publicist, speaks at schools and for various organizations such as the Guild, and does book signings. To get a book reviewed, lists of reviewers can be found in books on self-publishing. She suggested membership in The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. As a resource she suggested An Author's Guide to Children's Book Promotions. Her website is www.juliegorges.com.

Mr. Hacker speaks at senior centers, homeowners' associations, etc., where he then offers books for sale. More ideas are in his pamphlet How to Self-publish Your Own Book for Less than Ninety-Nine Dollars. His website is www.i-form-ink.com. He may be e-mailed at wimp@hackergroup.com.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE for Spring 2007
by Phyllis Costello
April 1 Judy Weigle, author, publishing and entertainment marketer brings to us Sell Your Book With a Winning Marketing Platform.

May 6 Steve Peterson, author, poet, singer, performer; relates a new author's adventures into publishing a first novel. Election of officers.

May 26 Workshop �?? Speaker to be announced

June 3 Open reading by members; new officers installed; ice Cream Social.

Need to find good subcontractors for writing help?
Come to the meetings.
There will be sign up lists for resources and those who need them.

GUEST POLICY
We always welcome guests! To help defray the costs for our larger facility, we will be charging $5 per guest per meeting. This can be applied toward the annual $40 dues for the Guild membership if guest decides to join the Guild.

Palm Springs Writers Guild Annual
SHORT STORY CONTEST
Open to All Writers!!!
DEADLINE: June 10, 2007
WINNERS ANNOUNCED: November 4, 2007
1st Prize $200.00 2nd Prize $100 3rd Prize: $50
In addition to prizes, 1st place winning story may appear in a local publication.
CONTEST RULES AND GUIDELINES - click here

YOU HAVE WRITTEN YOUR BOOK AND GOTTEN IT PUBLISHED.
NOW WHAT?
Sell Your Book with A Winning Marketing Platform!

Judy Weigle, author, publishing and entertainment marketing expert, will give us the answers.

She brings a myriad of credits and varied experiences to the Guild. Her rich background includes marketing the Clyde Beatty Circus and a Children's Opera Company, and handling sales and marketing for West Coast Music. She has a wealth of experience as an entrepreneur, publicist, entertainment producer, even a Dancing Bear.

She has written a practical guide to business, laced with humor, My Office is a Three Ring Circus.

Judy's information is entertaining as well as practical. Don't miss this one!

SUNDAY, APRIL 1st, from 2:30 to 4:30

Attention Authors With Books to Sell:
If you have a book to sell at the meeting, be sure to notify Dawn Spitz (dawnlspitz@aol.com or 770-4708).
Include your name, name of book, and short blurb. It will be announced before the meeting.

Sir Umpety Dumpety Dee
Writer of great poems was he
One day he got stymied
Couldn't find words that rhymied
From a wall he jumped to the sea.
Mel Harter

Guest articles from members are welcome.

The subject must be on some aspect of writing and no more than 500 words.

The Palm Springs Air Museum is sponsoring a History/Military/Aviation book fair on Sat. and Sunday, April 14 and 15. Several of our members are participating. It is free and open to authors whose novels or non fiction fit the categories. Anyone who would like information may phone Mary Barrer at 760 324 269l.

by Linda Chandler Smith
There once was a student of Zen
His practice was work with his pen.
He'd sit in a pose,
And never would doze,
And compose again and again.

The Crow's Nest By Dodie Cross
Reeni Fischer just got published! Her story "Licking the Platter Clean" appears in the winter issue of Gastronomica The Journal of Food and Culture. Congratulations!
Got something to Crow about?
E-mail me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com and inspire others.
www.abroadinthailand.com

Member Profiles
by Mary Barrer
JIM MISKO
Jim Misko ventured far from his birthplace in Ord, Nebraska. His parents moved to the beautiful coast of Oregon while he was still in school. He finished college here and obtained certification as a teacher. His restless spirit led him out of the classroom and into real estate. The lure of Alaska brought him to Anchorage.

It wasn't just the satisfaction of a new career but also he found happiness among the towering peaks of the Alaskan Range. Here creativity surfaced and he embarked on a part time writing career. His first book, Creative Financing of Real Estate, sold over 15,000 copies. A revised edition is in its third printing.

He turned to fiction writing. The first two novels remain unpublished. The inspiration for his third What He Could Become came from conversations with an Alaskan Indian who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and later confronted his own demons of addiction. It's an exciting read.

Not one to be stalled by snow drifts and bad roads, Jim took up flying, earned a private pilot license and over the years owned and flew four different single engine aircraft.

He has been married for 53 years, is the father of three daughters and four grandchildren. He has been a loyal and enthusiastic member of the Guild and this year graciously accepted the chairmanship of the writing contest. He plans to start a writers group in Anchorage.

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

March 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:59:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
March 2007
LOCATION for meetings:
Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA
Located just north of Fred Waring on San Pablo (2 blocks east of the Palm Desert Library where we used to meet).
Meeting Location Map
Next Meeting is March 11th -
the second Sunday of the month!
Please note the different week for our March meeting and also note that Daylight Savings Time starts - so please set clocks ahead!!
2:30 to 4:40
(please add daylight savings time!)
Daylight savings time starts at @2 AM Sunday so please set clocks ahead so you'll be there for the entire meeting!

PRESIDENT'S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz
Considering we were running interference with the Super Bowl, we had quite a respectable turnout for our February meeting. Our speaker, Raymond Strait, speaking about the business end of writing, was warmly received. His talk elicited a large number of questions from interested members.
Well, it's time to sharpen your pencils and warm up your computers again. The annual Short Story Contest is about to begin. I am delighted to report that Jim Misko has agreed to chair the contest and Kristin Johnson will be the coordinator. The deadline is June 10 and winners will be announced at the November 4, 2007 meeting. Guidelines for entering can be found elsewhere in these pages.
The Guild has been saddened by the untimely death of another member, Barbara Seranella. Barbara was deeply admired for her talent and her resilient spirit in overcoming the adversities in her life. She will be truly missed.
As we lose these friends, we are reminded once again of how precious life is. What a privilege it is to be a writer and to have a forum in which to share ideas with others of like interests. The Guild is a blessing. Keep it strong with your attendance and participation. The Guild is YOU.

The Crow's Nest
By Dodie Cross
Member Greg Niemann sends an email that he'd like to crow abut. His book, Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS is being shipped from his publisher to retail outlets on 2-9-07. To read reviews and more about this, go to http://www.amazon.com/Big-Brown-Untold-Story-UPS/dp/0787994022 or you can get info from his web site www.gregniemann.com.
Kristin Johnson's horror flick Blood Mask was produced in Hollywood and premiered there. Kristin's Guild critique group attended the stellar event. They included Mary Barrer, Dennis Boos, and friends Brian Beard and Dr. A.M. Krasner. Kristin's parents James and Catherine Johnson were also on hand to congratulate their daughter. The director introduced Kristin and she received a big round of applause. Kristin's second film is in production and will be screened for the first time in Santa Monica in the Spring.
Your Crow's Nest old crow, Dodie Cross, would like to crow about an article just published in the Monterey Bay Parent Magazine: "Stress-Free Love: The Art of Being a Grandmother."
Got something to Crow about?
E-mail me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com and inspire others. www.abroadinthailand.com

Member Profiles
by Mary Barrer
BARBARA SERANELLA
One of our most dedicated members and successful authors, Barbara Seranella passed away recently.
Barbara served as vice president and program chair a few years ago providing the Guild meeting with stimulating and dynamic speakers. She also held the office of vice president of The Palm Springs Branch of the National League of American Pen Women. On the national level she was a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
Barbara was born in Santa Monica and grew up in affluent Pacific Palisades. After a restless childhood she became a runaway at age 14. She joined a hippie commune and rode with outlaw motorcycle clubs.
She overcame these problems and focused on a stable career as a woman auto mechanic. She worked in this field for 17 years and then married her boss, Ron Seranella. She retired and began a full time writing career in l993. She received high praise for her 10 mystery novels which were many times on the L.A. Times best seller list. Her final work will be released in April 2007. Barbara's life is an inspiration to all who believe in their dreams as she went from a teenage problem child to a happily married woman and acclaimed author.

Barbara Seranella
I remember beautiful eyes, a wide, engaging smile and a keen, intelligent mind.
I remember a resilient spirit transcending a past that served as inspiration for an author who evolved as a writer, and as a woman.
I remember a quirky viewpoint and turn of phrase, humor and laughter even in her darkest days.
I remember a generous heart, graciously sharing her time and talent with her friends, an encouraging mentor.
For five years I was in Barbara's critique group. But it became more than that. It became a chance for friends to share their experiences and what they had learned or accomplished, an excuse for a potluck supper or Christmas party. And then we would get down to business. No messing around! Barbara ran our critiquing sessions as she ran her life, directly, honestly, with candor, kindness, and always with humor.
Barbara leaves a legacy of memories and inspiration.
Submitted by Rachel Druten

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:30. Contact Estelle Shanley for details. 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

SPEAKERS REVIEW
by Joanne Hardy
Raymond Strait, who has authored 28 celebrity biographies, says there is more to writing than writing. Once you have completed your book or product, he explains, you must sell it. You cannot think, I am a writer, not a salesman. First, he says, you sell yourself on the idea of writing something, then you sell an agent, the agent has to sell the acquisition editor, who has to sell the editorial board of the publishing house and they sell it to the marketing commission, then it goes to the public relations department, then it goes to the sales people who then sell it to the distributors, who sell it to the book stores and they sell it to the public. It is all business.
Regarding taxes, he says any writer who is writing with the intentions of being published has something to write off. Check with a tax expert..
In negotiating a deal, whoever owns the materials you wrote, owns the right to make the deal. If you make a certain kind of deal you give away some of those rights to your property. The 1986 copyright law states that the minute you put it down on paper, it is yours. He always recommends you have an attorney look at your contract, to protect your rights. He says he never gives up any rights except the rights to the publisher to publish. Don't give up foreign rights. Deals with agents or editors are based on what each party can get: for the product you own and what they can get from you and what they can get for it in the market.
Sometimes agents say when they are drawing up a contract that they want the option of the second book. He suggests you should agree in the contract to give the agent the "first right of refusal." If they make you the best offer on the second book that is fine, but if someone makes you a better offer, you are not bound by your original agreement. You might have a blockbuster success with your first book and then you are bound by a contract with a small agency. Don't jump in if a publishing house offers you something. It is business. Take time to check it out with your agent or your lawyer.
The main point, he says, is first time writers want the book so bad they jump in and make a deal that is not advantageous to them. Writers have to consider whether they want to get published more than they want money.
Don't be turned off by a low advance. It may to be to your advantage later on. Agents know what is going on in the publishing industry, they don't know about the public and it's the public that buys books. If you choose to take a smaller advance in order to get a book tour or to get more publicity, be sure it is stated in the contract that the money you are giving up as an advance will be used for promoting and designate what that will be. If you are given a book tour, suggest that they put you in less expensive hotels and that they use the money for promoting.
There is money in ghost writing but ghost writers generally are work for hire..
When you sell hard cover, up to 7,500 copies will give you 7½ percent of the sales, 10,000 you get 10 percent, above that 15 percent. Your percentage is based on retail price. Then you go to paperback. If you are marketable, your price goes up. A bargaining tool is "what can you do that will make it sell."
If you have a book going out of print and you want to see another agent or publisher, you have to get the rights from the current publisher before you can go with another publisher.
Some people write under a pseudonym. Your contract must be in your legal name, but you can write under any name you choose.
Raymond Strait offers a three hour workshop to groups with a minimum of five people at $20 each to discuss the "business of writing." He can be reached at cooze1@verizon.net, (951) 929-0176 or P. O. Box 5313, Hemet, Ca. 92544-0313.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE for 2007
by Phyllis Costello
Mar 11 Julie Gorges and John Hacker, father/daughter team; she writes for young people and he writes humor about aging.
March 24 Workshop with Cyndi Muscatel, author and writing teacher, on writing memoirs
to be held 1-4 PM at the Joslyn Center, 73750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert, 760-340-3220
April 1 Judy Weigle, author, publishing and entertainment marketer brings to us Sell Your Book With a Winning Marketing Platform.
May 6 Steve Peterson, author, poet, singer, performer; relates a new author's adventures into publishing a first novel. Election of officers.
June 3 Ice cream social; new officers installed; writers' open readings.

Need to find good subcontractors for writing help?
Come to the meetings.
There will be sign up lists for resources and those who need them.

BOOK TABLE at meetings:
Book table will be set up - bring your books to sell! One volunteer each meeting is needed to be at the table to collect money for the authors. Only paid members can sell their books at the meeting.

GUEST POLICY
We always welcome guests! To help defray the costs for our larger facility, we will be charging $5 per guest per meeting. This can be applied toward the annual $40 dues for the Guild membership if guest decides to join the Guild.

Guest articles from members are welcome. The subject must be on some aspect of writing and no more than 500 words.

Dear Board and Guild Members,
I am deeply honored to receive the 2006 Buddy Kaye Award for Service. It is exciting to be a part of the Palm Springs Writers Guild as it continues to grow and assist Coachella Valley writers.
I am a true product of the Guild; of its educational speakers, workshops, critique groups, and kindly mentors.
The award hangs in my office with pride. The beautiful pen set sits on my desk and is used to write notes such as this. Thank you.
Most sincerely,
Carol Mann,
Member-at-Large 2005-2007.

Membership dues are DUE!
No dues? Pay $5 per meeting. No dues? No Guild Gram newsletter next month.
This is YOUR Guild and we need YOUR support to provide YOU service!
Please mail them in or bring them to the next meeting. Thanks!!!

Limerick
An old writer was almost in shock
When he found he could not beat the clock
So he called on his son
Who got the job done
Like a chip off the old writer's block.
By Dawn huntley Spitz

There once was a tale by a writer,
Who was told to make his words tighter.
He went back to his garret,
And worked on its merit.
And now his story's much lighter.
by Bob Hurlbert

LIMERICK
By Dodie Cross
A clever old gal in her prime,
To her loft each morn she would climb;
Where she wrote of her life,
Telling tales of past strife,
But lo' could not write without rhyme.

A peddler one day did arrive,
With mags she might want to subscribe;
She ordered the bunch,
After having a hunch
Their contents might help her contrive.

The pages she quickly inhaled,
Making notes of all they entailed;
Now she writes with no rhyming,
Without too much priming,
And submits day and night via mail.

DOUBLE HEADER FOR MARCH PROGRAM:
ON March 11 we will present Julie Gorges and John Hacker
Father and daughter appear together talking about the young and the old of life. Julie has a novel for young adults called Just Call Me Goody Two Shoes. She also co-authored a nonfiction book on construction with her father. She has won three journalism awards and many magazine credits: children, young adult, child care and parenting, and professional magazines.
John, her father, has written a book Laughing at Growing Old, now in its second printing. In 1998 Hacker was honored with the Oprah Angel Award for pro bono work with Habitat for Humanity. John says, "You know as people get old, you are going to have your share of problems. You have got to laugh. What else are you going to do?"

WRITING MEMOIRS SEMINAR
On March 24th will be a Guild Sponsored workshop with Cyndy Muscatel on Writing Memoirs. Cyndy is a long time member of our Guild. She has taught Creative Writing for several years at Mizell Center. Many Guild members are part of this class and know how inspiring she is. She also is an instructor at the University of California at the Palm Desert Campus, where she taught a class in Writing Memoirs.
Her personal writing includes writing both articles and fiction for local papers as well as national literary publications. The workshop will be held at the Joslyn Center , 73750
Catalina Way, Palm Desert (760-340-3220) from 1:00 to 4:00. Cost will be $5.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members.
Please call 760-321-6173 to pre-register. Space is limited.

Palm Springs Writers Guild
Annual SHORT STORY CONTEST
Open to All Writers!!!
DEADLINE: June 10, 2007
WINNERS ANNOUNCED: November 4, 2007
1st Prize $200.00 2nd Prize $100 3rd Prize: $50

Fellow Authors!
You'll notice that we are now officially going to be having a book selling table at all our meetings!
That is the good news! Please bring your books ready to autograph and sell!
There was a misunderstanding at one of our recent Writers Guild meetings where Vicki Mills had her books on display for sale. Someone must have mistakenly thought that the books were there for free because one was missing but no money left for the purchase. Oops! Sorry! She is happy to help you enjoy your computer (hence the name Any Body Can Enjoy Computers, the Clear and Simple Basics) if you'll please pay for the book as well! Please contact her at 760-250-1897 or email Vamills@aol.com to make arrangements to pay for the book.
Thank you, fellow writers!

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

February 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 06:00:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
February 2007
REMEMBER: NEW LOCATION for all meetings!!
Palm Desert Community Center
43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA
Located just north of Fred Waring on San Pablo (2 blocks east of the Palm Desert Library where we used to meet).

Next Mtg: Sun. February 4, 2007 2:30 - 4:30 PM

PRESIDENT'S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz
At our January 7 meeting, the Guild was fortunate to have an outstanding speaker, Dr. Edward Gordon, whose subject was writing non-fiction. All who heard him gave him high marks. We look forward to hearing Dr. Gordon again at a future meeting.

What did not please our attendees, however, was the difficulty in finding a place to park. The problem was caused by a sports event nearby at the same time. We do not expect to have that conflict at our February meeting. Several members have questioned our reasons for moving from the Palm Desert library to the Community Center.

After a thorough search of available facilities in the valley, we found the Community Center best fits our needs at this time. We need more space for our growing membership than the room at the library afforded. In addition, the library is never available any time during the month of December. We are also now permitted to charge a guest fee at our meetings which helps us to meet expenses. The charge for the room is very reasonable and includes a staff who sets up the chairs and tables, an onerous task which fell to the board in the past.

Whether or not we must compete for parking space, I urge all of you to arrive a few minutes early for meetings. I think it is important to take the time to network with each other and especially to greet our new members. They will be recognizable by the red borders on their name tags.

We must not only be ambassadors in recruiting new members for the Guild but in making sure they feel welcome. However many services the Guild offers to writers, the ultimate goal is to create a sense of community in which to work.

In this, each of us bears a responsibility.

The Crow's Nest
By Dodie Cross
This month I heard from Carol Mann with some big news to crow about. She had a short story accepted for publication by RiverSedge, a literary magazine. The story, titled "The First of the Season", is set in France during World War II.

Member Frank Thornburgh has a lot to crow about this month. He writes: "Five of my short stories are included in the just released anthology Livermore Wine Country Literary Harvest, published by WingSpan Press.

"The past year was good to me with stories in the Livermore Independent and the Danville Weekly newspapers, plus feature articles in Reminisce and Better Beagling magazines. The AAA auto club magazine VIA also included a short piece of mine.

"The members might enjoy knowing that open-mic and other public events allow writers to present their short humorous stories. I have done this for two years now while recording them to catch the audience reaction. Several are currently being produced on three CDs."

And, from our newsletter editor, Vicki Mills, comes this: "I had one of my poems published this month in "The Desert Woman" magazine. The poem title is "If Words Were Missiles of Peace."

Ted Pannell had his most recent book, The Pocket Guide To Hold'Em Poker, published by a nonfiction-publishing house.
In 1980, he had self-published Hold'Em Poker Guide for Beginning Players. It received moderate success, though the game wasn't well known at the time.
With the resurgence of the game becoming popular, on a whim he sent his poker guide to the publisher, inquiring if they'd be interested in reprinting it with a new name and cover. They not only wanted to, but also requested Ted to revise and update it. Ted signed a contract, received an advance, and started writing.
Ted says it wouldn't be a complete success story without including his wife, Sylvia. They worked as a team with Ted doing the rewrite, adding information and personal advice, and Sylvia doing the editing, and content collating. He also credits the Palm Desert Critique group's input for their tremendous help. He's previously published magazine articles, including one that Swim magazine ran on his nonfiction story that dealt with overcoming adversity. It was about his wife's recovery from a life-threatening stroke by using water therapy and eventually winning the gold medal swimming in the Senior Olympics.

Okay, I'll do some crowing. This past summer, Dodie Cross (must insert author's name in bold here) had articles that appeared in the Palm Desert Sun: "Thanksgiving in Iran During the Revolution;" The Seattle Post Intelligencer: "Sailing with the P.I." and was promoted to "guest columnist" for the Lake Chelan Mirror in Washington State for two articles that they published.

Excerpts from my soon to be published memoir, A Broad Abroad in Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in The Pearl of the Orient, have been accepted by an "Expat" E-zine. Also, an article that I submitted to the University of Texas' publication, The RiverSedge, was accepted and should appear in February or March of this year.

Whew! That's pretty exciting. So, gotta close now and get back to writing so that I can (hopefully) crow in the next issue.

Thanks again, members, for sharing your exciting news with us. Now, come on, the rest of you shy, retiring types, let's hear from you!
Got something to Crow about? E-mail me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com
and inspire others.

SEASON YOUR WRITING AT THE FEBRUARY MEETING!!
Raymond Strait, our entertaining speaker this month, is a seasoned novelist and author of 28 celebrity biographies, many of which have been optioned for films. A veteran in the world of films, his contacts in Hollywood are legendary. He recently published a book on Bob Hope. He has written a syndicated column related to Hollywood. He was Jayne Mansfield's press secretary for ten years. Ray has been a frequent guest on radio and television. He often appears on the staff of writers conferences. His manner is both pragmatic and fun, filled with information for all levels of skill!

His talk will be about "The Business of Writing." Now that your book is done, what will you do with it? As we know, this is the difficult part and we can't ever learn too much in this area. So be sure to attend to take advantage of Ray's years of experience and knowledge.

I Was a 90 Pound Weakling
Then I joined a Writers Guild critique group.
I'm still a 90 pound weakling, but my writing
is really showing some muscle.

Strengthen your writing skills. Join a
critique group. To inquire about meeting
times and openings, call Gordon Gumpertz
at 346-3429 or email:
pscritgp@yahoo.com

Sharpen up your pencils!
The Guild Writing Contest will begin again in April. However, we still do not have anyone to take the helm. We now have seven readers, but no leaders! We need volunteers!

Like a bank account, if you want to get something out of the Guild, you need to put something in. There are guidelines available.

Let's hear from you!

MEMBER PROFILE: CAROL MANN
by Mary Barrer
Carol Mann has been honored with the Buddy Award for her outstanding, dedicated service to the Guild for the year 2006. See box below. Carol Mann's membership in the Guild dates back to the mid-nineties. She belongs to Fran Kaplan's critique group and appreciates the mentoring and encouragement she receives. She has been a member of the Executive Board as Member-at-Large for the past two years.

As a young woman, Carol aspired to become a teacher. To pursue her goal, she earned a B.S. in education with a minor in English from SUNY University in Buffalo, NY. Later she was awarded a Master's Degree in Theater Literary Criticism from Cal State at Fullerton, CA.
Her career in education encompassed 34 years as an elementary school, junior high school, high school and community college teacher. Her work was nationally recognized in l975 when she was inducted into The National Teachers Hall of Fame.

While still teaching, she embarked on an acting career and over time participated in several community theater productions. Again, her talent outshone scores of others when she won the Best Supporting Actress Award in Orange County for her role in Once Upon a Mattress. While in education she chaired her high school Theater Department and her one act plays were commended by the Southern California Education Theater Association.

Love came into Carol's life when she met handsome Tony Mann. The couple have been married since 1980. Carol is the stepmother of two sons with three grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

As a result of her affiliation with the Guild, Carol began fiction writing. She won first place in the Guild's 2005 competition and most recently received an Honorable Mention from the national Writer's Digest competition. Her short story "First of the Season" was accepted for publication in a national literary contest.

In addition to the Guild, Carol was voted into the Palm Spring Branch of The National League of American Pen Women.

Guest articles from members are welcome. The subject must be on some aspect of writing and no more than 500 words.

GUEST POLICY
We always welcome guests! To help defray the costs for our larger facility, we will be charging $5 per guest per meeting. This can be applied toward the annual $40 dues for the Guild membership if guest decides to join the Guild.

MEMBERS: Membership dues are DUE TODAY!!
No dues? Pay $5 per meeting.
No dues? No Guild Gram newsletter.

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:30. Contact Estelle Shanley for details.
760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

BUDDY KAYE AWARD
The Buddy Kaye Award for outstanding service to the Guild in the year 2006 has been awarded to Carol Mann. For the past 14 months she worked to win from the Federal government our 50l-c-non profit status. As a willing volunteer, she gave countless hours in preparing by-laws, minutes of meetings and volumes of paperwork. She presented documents for all Board members with meetings often held weekly.

She has been active in every phase of Guild work -- as a member of a critique group, as a winning participant in the writing contests, as an ongoing member of the Board and as general factotum, willing to fill in wherever needed. She was instrumental in the Guild's incorporation and in establishing its tax status. Toward this end, she has shown relentless determination and endless patience with the paperwork involved in her dealings with the State Franchise Board and the IRS. The Guild is indebted to her for her diligence and her dedication.

Attention: LIMERICK WRITERS
I am delighted with the limericks that are coming in. You are getting better and better at writing them. I am sure there are still members who have not yet discovered their talent in this genre. I urge you all to try your hand. It's not only a challenge but a lot of fun.

Remember that the subject must have some connection with writing, and hopefully have a point.

Oh yes, it helps if it's humorous.

There once was a writer so bad
A friend left a note at his pad
Your skills you must build
Now go join the Guild.
He did and was soon very glad.
by Carol Mann

My muse demands that I write
About life, be it somber or bright
But what makes me crazy
Is my butt is so lazy
What I write comes out shallow and trite
By Mel Harter

A diligent writer named Snelling
Whose rejection slip volume kept swelling
Stacked them ceiling to floor
From front to back door
And wrote himself out of his dwelling.
By Gordon Gumptertz

SPEAKERS REVIEW
by Joanne Hardy
With a new year and a new place to meet, Guild members listened to just the right speaker for those who have made that golden new years resolution, TO GET PUBLISHED THIS YEAR. Author Edward E. Gordon said he could not tell you how to get published in the non-fiction field, but he could tell you the elements of getting published. You can learn from other writers, he said, and try not to make the same mistakes.

Dr. Gordon is a history major, teacher, and consultant plus the author of 16 books. He has been a writer since becoming the editor of high school newspaper.

First, he said, decide what you are going to write. It should be a hot topic. But how do you know what will be hot by the time you finish the book? You don't, he said. You are betting on a topic. It took ten years to write Literacy in America, because a great deal of primary research was involved. In 2010 Meltdown took five years.

You have only a few seconds for a potential buyer to decide if they want your book. There are about 4,000 book publishers in the United States and there will be about 180,000 books published this year. Of those, about 500 will be considered successful; that is, they will sell 5,000 or more copies. Writing that book clearly becomes a labor of love. Short books are in vogue now. The younger generation does not read books; they read articles.

The title is of paramount importance and will probably change before it reaches the final form. The book title In 2010 Meltdown was changed several times.

Use a simple style. If you are going to write for a general audience, use a journalistic style. You will use different styles to reach different reader audiences. Read. The more you read the more you can change your style to fit your target audience.

You need a platform. Platform means marketing. Many writers are solitary souls, but you need to acquire some type A personality traits to sell your work. If you cannot present your idea in a clear, articulate way, you will not sell your book. An editor will ask how many speeches you have made. Most engagements, Dr. Gordon explained, come from websites, networking and marketing to organizations. He has three websites. People will Google you and find you on your website.

Promoting your book means speaking, traveling and writing articles on your subject. (You may need to join Toastmasters.) Radio and television shows are looking for writers to interview a person who is an expert in a given area. You will be an expert once you have written the book and done the necessary research. You will have established a niche. If the editor knows, from your proposal, that you are capable of speaking, doing media interviews, traveling and writing articles it will help you get your book published. It means you are capable of promoting your work. Staying published means selling not only your work, but yourself.

You need a press kit and articles you have written in your promotional endeavors. Prepare press questions (and answers) for the interviewer. Assume that they have not read your book

Although perseverance counts, there is another element - luck. The right place at the right time. You can enhance your luck, however, by building a network. Join organizations to create a network, for example the Author's Guild, the Society of the Midland Authors - and the Palm Springs Writers Guild. Spend time researching and networking.

An essential ingredient is talent.

You need an agent. Most successful agents are in New York. It is the capital of the publishing market. Dr. Gordon is with a small agency, which he prefers -- more individual attention. It takes about six months to write a good proposal. His agent helped him put together a good proposal for presentation to editors.

You need to consistently send articles you have written to your agent. Some newspapers and publications own the words you have written. You can rework your article and sell it again. Often you need to update the original article. If you use an article you have written in a book you are working on, be sure it is updated and reworked. The cover of the book is important. Publisher will ask if you have any ideas. Give them your ideas. The better the cover, the better the sales potential. People have to be grabbed in a split second.

Endorsement of books come from web sites and network groups. Send out pre-published books to get reviews. Pre-published books look like a paperback. Publishers will want a short synopsis.

You have to be able to accept constructive criticism. If an editor tells you to address an issue, to modify the proposal or cut a given number of words, do it. The name of the game is money.

Dr. Gordon can be reached at Imperialcorp@juno.com, imperialcorp.com, tutoringliteracyresources.com, historypresentation.com or (760) 346-6364.

FYI for future calendar planning:
Please note that our March meeting date is going to be the SECOND Sunday of the month, not the first.
The date will be March 11th at 2:30 - 4:30.

Special note of thanks to Cheri Bentley-Buckman for her help in folding, stamping, labeling and sealing of our Guild Grams.

Thanks to those others who offered after Cheri - your volunteer spirits are also much appreciated.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE for 2007
by Phyllis Costello
Feb 4 Ray Strait, author, biographer, 28 books; his experiences; how to find your way in the maze of publishing, selling, and the entertainment business.
Mar 11 Julie Gorges and John Hacker, father/daughter team; she writes for young people and he writes humor about aging.
March 27 Workshop with Cyndi Muscatel, author and writing teacher, on Writing Memoirs
April 1 Judy Weigle, author, publishing and entertainment marketer brings to us Sell Your Book With a Winning Marketing Platform.
May 6 Steve Peterson, author, poet, singer, performer; relates a new author's adventures into publishing a first novel. Election of officers.
June 3 Ice cream social; new officers installed; writers' open readings.

Barbara Seranella
We recently heard through the Sisters in Crime network, an association of mystery writers, that Barbara Seranella died last Sunday, January 21st, 2007.

Barbara will be greatly missed, both here at the Writers Guild and in her wider circle of writers, readers, and friends.

Barbara Seranella lived a rich and heartfelt life. She was filled with drive, determination and an optimism that made her stand up and fight against the huge obstacles in her path. She was a no nonsense person who never flinched from telling it like it was. This resonated in her perfect pitch writing. But we won't remember her just for her work. It was her generosity of spirit, her humor, her tough tenderness, and her friendship that we will never be able to replace.

Next Guild Gram we hope to share a little about her life and writing successes.

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

January 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 19:00:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
January 2007
NEW LOCATION for all meetings!!
Palm Desert Community Center 43900 San Pablo Palm Desert, CA
Located just north of Fred Waring on San Pablo (2 blocks east of the Palm Desert Library where we used to meet).

NEXT MEETING:
Sun. January 7, 2007 2:30 - 4:30 PM

SPEAKERS REVIEW
by Joanne Hardy
DECEMBER PARTY
When December comes around, the old year winding down, Guild members start to think of our annual Christmas party. Although the party was held in a new place, the atmosphere was warm and familiar. Guild members are friendly any time they get together. Musician Bruce Singer was beginning to work his way up to Jingle Bell Rock but there would be several Christmas favorites on the way. Poinsettia centerpieces went to the guest at the table who had had the most recent birthday.

We listened to the skit, a radio show from Santa's Workshop about Santa's difficulties getting published. Amid the conversation, table-hopping and nibbling on candy and hors-de-oeuvres, the larger question came to mind. Why is Santa trying to get published anyway? Isn't there enough out there? Isn't the competition tough enough? He already has world recognition and adulation - and he can fly. What more does this guy want?

It was all great fun and we applaud Phyllis Costello and Dawn Spitz who wrote it -- with a little help from their friends. We applaud, also, the performers, Phyllis, Carol Mann, wannabe published-writer, Santa, otherwise known as Bob Hurlbert, musician Bruce Singer and announcer Dick Mills.

Mary Olson donated the hors d'oeuvres, recipes from her work-in-progress cookbook, Feast and Fantasy. This is no ordinary cookbook. It includes twenty-four whimsical stories told by the food. The recipe in the story is then presented. Catering for the party was done by Hector Salvatierra, Executive Chef from Camelot Café.

To present an evening's entertainment there is much invisible work that goes on behind the scenes. Special recognition goes to Phyllis

Costello, Bari Maddox, Judy Joyce, Mary Olson, Carol Mann, Bob Hurlbert, Tony O'Doherty, Dawn Spitz and Vicki Mills for all their efforts.

And now, 2007. Happy New Year to all!

PRESIDENT'S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz
My profound appreciation to all the members of the Board and those others who worked so hard to make the holiday party such a success. Special thanks to Program Chair, Phyllis Costello, for taking the brunt of the responsibility in my absence. (I had to be in New York to welcome in a new granddaughter.)

The party was the first affair held in our new venue, the Palm Desert Community Center. I am happy to report that the reason we have made the change is that we have outgrown our former facility. The Community Center is not only larger but is also centrally located for our meetings.

Even as we celebrate this holiday season, the membership has been saddened to learn of the passing of former Guild president, Grahame Smith. Serving a two-year term, Grahame shepherded the Guild through perhaps the most challenging period in its growth. A tribute to him appears elsewhere in these pages. It seems to me, however, that the greatest tribute we can pay to Grahame Smith is to continue his work and his vision for the Guild. This involves not just leadership but membership participation. I urge you all to attend meetings and workshops. Volunteer to help when needed. And tell your friends about what the Guild has to offer. In gratitude to those who have done so much to promote the Palm Springs Writers Guild, let us each do our share to keep the glorious craft of writing alive and well in the Coachella Valley.

I wish you all a festive holiday season and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

GUEST WRITER Column
By Kristin Johnson
Excerpted from the MuseItUpClub Online Conference presentation:
Blame it on Amazon, but now there is no excuse for not researching your nonfiction competition or exceptional nonfiction writing--you can do it from your computer. Read Jon Krakaeur, Patricia Cornwell, Erik Larson, Diane Ackerman, Virginia Postrel. Study how they use the five senses and observation. I am always amazed by the way great nonfiction writers make me feel as though I am in the scene. I try to paint the scene with senses and details.

Sensory details not only put you in the scene, they can mirror the action in the scene or complement the emotions. Think of the wild and free washing of the waves over the lovers in "From Here to Eternity," or a single cloud raining over Charlie Brown after another defeat at baseball or another football Lucy van Pelt has pulled away. In a horror movie, for example, a character might utter the line, "Storm's coming," and we know by the thunder that the power is about to go out, or that the heroes will face an onslaught of gruesome jump-out-of-your-seat moments soon.

Erik Larson describes the pollution from coal furnaces and the constant noise from carriages in turn-of-the-century Chicago as the backdrop for Dr. H.H. Holmes' reign of terror with anonymous young women, and for the chaos that plagues the development of the Chicago World's Fair. Patricia Cornwell goes into great detail to place us in Jack the Ripper's London, the seedy, squalid conditions she describes a fitting backdrop to explore the mind of history's most notorious serial murderer.

If you think these details are irrelevant in a world of digital and interactive media (the billion-dollar video game business) and twenty-four-hour news and video on demand, think again. Even the supermarket tabloids (some articles, written, supposedly, by creative writing grad students) thrive on reporting the smallest details from the infidelity du jour. Was there the distinctive heavy odor of whiskey in the boudoir? The Hollywood gossip shows do have writers whose job it is to document the dirty deeds.

I don't mean to dwell on the sordid side (even though we all know sex sells). But sometimes digging with the senses leads to new ways of thinking that illuminate important social issues and truths. Writers Jon Samsel and Darryl Wimberley describe a brainstorm of French writer �?mile Zola in Writing for Interactive Media. While touring coal mines, Zola discovered donkeys working underground and discovered that the animals were lowered into the mines where their offspring were born in filth, with no sunlight. The donkey, for Zola, became a symbol of the plight of the French working class, which Zola portrayed in his fiction and nonfiction. Zola's research took him beyond books, and as a result, he made us able to see and feel what it must be like to be a donkey toiling in darkness. If you're an animal lover, would you ever forget that image?

The Five Senses
Taste
Often ignored unless writers are writing about food. Air has a taste. Water has a taste. Examples: spicy, sweet, flat, bitter, tasteless, foul. The air in a coffin tastes different than the air on a summer porch in Georgia, and the air in Georgia isn't the same as the air in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Smell
A staple of good writing, yet how little we rely on it. "The air smelled sweet" doesn't put you in the scene as much as "The air smelled of cotton candy and cinnamon elephant ears." Also, there's a difference between odor, scent, aroma and smell. "Smell" is neutral. "Scent" is most closely associated with perfume and human pheromones, but you could use it to describe a barn with hay. "Aroma" should only be used in connection with appetizing food. "Odor" only applies to unpleasant scents--rotting flesh, garbage, sewage, vinegar, the inside of any junior high boys' gym locker. When virtual reality incorporates smell, you'll learn to tap into this sense in background research for, say, the Iraqi desert.

Sound
"Cacophony" isn't necessarily a mix of city sounds--although it can be. You can talk about the "cacophony of rap music" if you mean that rap music is unpleasant. You can talk about the harmony (or euphony if you want to kick it up a notch) of rap music as well. Sound and sight are the two senses writers rely on most, yet Roy H. Williams, "The Wizard of Ads," has demonstrated in his lectures that we subconsciously process sound first, then text and images. Think of the sound of traffic in 1890s Chicago, or birds in a tropical jungle. I described the way it sounded when Sir Perrin milked cows in his childhood. Comic books are full of sounds: "slam, hiss, whish, screee." Remember the original Batman title sequence: "Biff," "Bam," "Pow." For a multimedia world, you have to provide the right sound cues.

Sight
How many times have you written about "flaxen hair" or "blood red lips"? They work, but they give your subject a cookie-cutter, even vampish light. This may be intentional, but if you want to portray a supposed man-eater in a more objective light, you may note that "her blood-red lips were chapped from kissing her five children goodbye in ten-below-freezing temperatures." Or, "Her flaxen hair did not resemble Rapunzel's pulled back in a hasty ponytail secured with a neon-green scrunchie, but she'd only had time to give it a perfunctory combing that morning." Take note of color, visual textures, the whole picture. Maybe her cheeks are stained from finger paint.

Touch
A terry cloth robe feels different than a silk negligee. Suppose you describe your subject's skin as "like terry cloth"? Terry cloth is comfortable, in some cases soft and luxurious, but doesn't evoke the same image as skin like a silk negligee. What if your subject is a dog, such as a terrier or a working dog? Rather than simply saying "sturdy, springy fur," you can say "terry cloth fur." If the dog is named "Terry," you get a sense of how Terry's owners think. Is Terry a comfortable robe, almost a security blanket for them? What other tactile clues can you find in their daily lives? As a mattress product description writer, I had to focus on how mattresses felt to the touch. While most mattresses are comfortable, I used words like "cloud-like" to entice the buyer to buy a specific mattress brand and model. We often forget the power of touch. A chestnut tree is hard in a different way than a Razr cell phone.

The best newspaper and magazine writers don't just write "what, who, where, when, why, how"--they use the five senses. Imagine September 11 coverage without poignant descriptions of weeping, shouting, sirens, the towers collapsing, or the odor of acrid smoke and the taste it left in the mouth. To get the sensory details right, it isn't enough to just read about Ancient Greece--going to the Parthenon, for example, and feeling the stones, or (if you're not able to travel) listening to ancient recordings, or tasting the foods Pericles ate will make your manuscript more authentic, and transport your readers to places you can't even imagine.

Start fulfilling your New Year resolutions immediately!

See you at the first Writers Guild meeting of the year!

PLEASE NOTE!
There is a new time for all meetings:
2:30 to 4:30
Next meeting: Sunday January 7, 2007

Grahame Smith
The Oxford English Dictionary defines grief as deep mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss. It is with that feeling of grief that we share the news of the passing of Grahame Smith. He died peacefully, at 64, at home, on December ninth, 2006.

Grahame became president of the Palm Springs Writers Guild in 2001. With his intelligence, charm and humor the Guild flourished during the two terms of his presidency.

Grahame was born in South Australia. After completing his B.S. with honors at the University of Adelaide, Australia he was awarded a scholarship to Cornell University where he received his M.S. and PhD. in Biology. He taught at Brown University, Boston University, and Babson college.

He and Richard Bentley had been partners for 33 years. A celebration of his life will be held in 2007. Donations in his honor should be sent to

VNA Hospice, 42600 Cook St., Ste. 202,
Palm Desert, CA 92211.

Submitted by Fran and Harold Kaplan

The Crow's Nest
By Dodie Cross
"We do our utmost to promote the success of our fellow members" as Bob Hurlbert says. We can promote you in our Guild Gram if we have your success stories emailed to me by the 15th of the month so that they can appear in the next month's issue.

Bruce Singer has something to crow about with his book. Three years in the making, Swami Sez Trade the Blues for Brownies is about 365 ways to "beat the blues" or depression with wit, wisdom and laugh-out-loud humor. The most comprehensive book out there, including 365 positive affirmations plus jokes. You'll laugh... You may cry.... You WILL get well.... You will see! If you got the blues......order right away at Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com, or dial Bruce Singer direct at (760) 272-0049.

This from Kathryn Jordan: John Walton's father was the legendary gangster Al Capone! Live from Two Bunch Palms Resort & Spa in Desert Hot Springs in front of the Al Capone suite, Mr. Walton will "go public" with the story he tells weekly on his Hidden History Tours at the lush resort. Al Capone met silent screen star Gladys Walton on the set of her film "The Untamable" in 1923. Gladys was 20, Al was 24. Capone's desert hideaway became their love nest. Born in Chicago in 1929, John Walton is the love child of Gladys and Capone. And that's the title of the novel Mr. Walton is working on now with author, Kathryn Jordan, GLADYS AND CAPONE.

From Debbie Madison, who is crowing about her news: "Hello everyone! My newest novel, Rider Down is (finally) finished. The good news is, it's just in time for Christmas and is the perfect gift for anyone who has or who has had horses! It's filled with horses-adventure-romance-humor. You can purchase it and read excerpts at: www.Riderdown.info. I hope you enjoy this novel as much as I have enjoyed writing it."

Got something to Crow about?
E-mail me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com
and inspire others.

"Waiting Women"
(A tribute to artist R. C. Gorman
1931 to 2005 "Waiting Women" A Lithograph 1976)
Wrapped in blankets of patience, women

wait and watch--stoic survivors
bearing wisdom of ages timeless
a sisterhood of earth mothers
knowing sun gods carry fire
wind spirits breathe gusts of fury
wolf moons beckon the hunter's stealth
rain pulls growth from the struggling seed
singing songs of an earth capricious
etched by drought, awash in flood
bare with famine--cleft by war
stained by cries of lonely childbirth
and sun climbing from desert crags
carrying the day in its ample pouch
scooping dollops of nurturing goodness
on barefoot children running, laughing
by Carol Mann

Popular speaker returns!!
Penny Sansevieri will be with us on Saturday, January 20 for a workshop to be held from 1:00 to 4:00.

Penny is an author as well as CEO of Marketing Experts, Inc. The workshop is called Red Hot Internet, and will enable attendees to use the Internet to best advantage for marketing and book sales. She will also include a short instruction on entering contests. Location will be announced later via email.

Don't miss Penny! She was a winner last spring.

DYNAMIC SPEAKER JANUARY 7th for our first meeting of the year!!
We begin our new year with an internationally recognized consultant, Dr. Edward Gordon who has published 15 books, written 200 articles for major newspapers, popular magazines, business and educational journals. He has appeared on The Early Show, CBS, CNN, NBC and numerous other media stations. He will give you much to take home about publishing in today's world! More details on page 2!

GUEST POLICY
We always welcome guests! As of our January 2007 meeting, to help defray the costs for our larger facility, we will be charging $5 per guest per meeting. This can be applied toward the annual $40 dues for the Guild membership if they decide to join the Guild.

Limerick by Carol Mann
There once was a writer who said,
"I'm not getting out of my bed
Until I have got
An end to this plot!"
And he pulled blankets up o'er his head.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE for 2007
by Phyllis Costello
Jan 7 Dr. Edward Gordon, author 15 books; Business Consultant; speaking on publishing.
Feb 4 Ray Strait, author, biographer 27 books; his experiences; how to find your way in the maze of publishing, selling, and the entertainment business
Mar 4 Julie Gorges and John Hacker, father/daughter team; she writes for young people and he writes humor about aging
April 1 Judy Weigle, "My Office is a 3-Ring Circus"; self-publishing promotion
May 6 Steve Peterson, author, poet, singer, performer; relates a new author's adventures into publishing a first novel. Election of officers.
June 3 Ice cream social; new officers installed; writers' open readings.

Limerick
Kathryn Jordan
A serious writer named Kate
Feared her novels were too darn sedate,
So she conquered her hex
By switching to sex
Now they're calling her Kathryn the Great!

Jenny Gumpertz
Sunday January 7th 2:30 - 4:30
Dr. Edward Gordon: further credentials
We begin our new year with an internationally recognized consultant, Dr. Edward Gordon, the president of Imperial Consulting Corp., based in Chicago and Palm Desert. Recognized as an expert on training, career and educational issues, he has worked with Microsoft, Motorola, Pricewaterhouse, U.S. Dept. of Education and Labor, many state agencies as well as universities and non-profit organizations. With 20 years teaching business, education and history at DePaul, Loyola, and Northwestern universities, he ties education to tomorrow's workforce. He is also interested in keeping people reading!

How does all of this fit into our program? Come and find out!

By Phyllis Costello
"Marci Stillerman has copies of the short stories submitted for the 2006 contest. Anyone who wants their copies back should contact her at marciess@aol.com or call her at 760-346-7956. She will be discarding them after the January meeting."

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:30 at Palm Valley Country Club. Contact Estelle Shanley for details. 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

Renew Membership or become a Member - click here

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

December 2006 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 16:00:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
December 2006
We are now at a NEW LOCATION for all meetings!!

Palm Desert Community Center, 43900 San Pablo, Palm Desert, CA
Located just north of Fred Waring on San Pablo
(only two blocks east of the Palm Desert Library where we used to meet).

SPEAKERS REVIEW
by Joanne Hardy
One of the Guild's favorite traditions is the meeting in which we learn the winner of the Short Story contest. From Homer to Winnie the Pooh, listeners have followed, enchanted, the travail and triumph of characters that capture their imagination. Everyone loves to be carried along through a good story.

This year Marci and Jack Stillerman chaired the contest and as Marci called the winners forward, members settled back for story time. They were not disappointed.

First Prize went to Gordon Gumpertz for "The NBA." The audience silently cheered as a compulsive con artist, "missed the boat" on his latest con.

Tony O'Doherty, Second Prize winner, came next with his "Gifts Inter Vivos," a story about a life-changing secret at last revealed. Reeni Fischer took Third Prize with "Where'd You Go, Joe," a story of a nice Jewish girl who loves a nice Catholic boy but they do not live happily ever after.

First Honorable Mention went to Graham Smith for "The Drunk's House." Second Honorable Mention was Ralph Spencer's "Dead Cat Bounce." "Has Anyone seen My Car?" and "Hearts Lost and Found" gave Dawn Spitz the third and fourth Honorable Mention. Marge Dodge won fifth Honorable Mention with "Secrets."

Special kudos goes to Marci and Jack Stillerman for all the work that goes into coordinating this project. At first the entries don't come, finally they do come ... like an avalanche. Then it is time to prepare the entries for judging and dispatching groups of stories from one reader to another ... no easy feat in the summer with judges often gone from the desert. There were 66 entries with eight judges. The stories were rated from 1-10 by each judge based on plot, character, voice and format.

Marci said the judges felt that "the eight stories selected were worthy of publication and we hope the authors will submit them." She thanked Dodie Cross for the graphics on certificates and the judges for giving of their time and talent to make the appropriate decisions. Judges were Jack Stillerman, Harf Windsor, Mavis Clark, Jenny Gumpertz, Dee Windsor, Esther Segal, Dodie Cross and Marci Stillerman.

Not a dull moment crept in during the November meeting's "story time".

Congratulations to all the winners!

Short Story Contest Winners are:
Gordon Gumpertz "The NBA" 1st prize
Tony O'Dougherty "Gifts Inter Vivos" 2nd Prize
Reeni Fischer "Where'd You Go, Joe?" 3rd Prize
Grahame Smith "The Drunk's House" 1st Honorable Mention
Ralph Spencer "Dead Cat Bounce" 2nd Hon. Men.
Dawn Spitz "Has Anyone Seen My Car?" 3rd Honorable Mention
Dawn Spitz "Hearts Lost and Found" 4th Hon. Men.
Marge Dodge "Secret" 5th Honorable Mention

GUEST WRITER Kathryn Jordan
Writing Rainbows...
Or How To Make Friends With The Monkey
As you may know, my personal writing saga is about never giving up, not just holding onto the dream, but carving out hours every day to work toward it. It's about getting up at 4:00 a.m. and writing until 8:00 before going to my "day job" teaching high school English. Years and years. There's no self congratulations for this diligence. I write because I have to. To stay sane... sort of. I simply can't not write.

I hear murmurs of recognition. This monkey on our backs is no cute little guy curled up on a shoulder, occasionally reaching his tiny hand into your pocket for a gum drop. No, this is a ninety-pound, ugly-assed baboon with two-inch fangs and breath that reeks of the last small animal he ate. Or maybe one of those South American howler monkeys that sets you bolt upright in the middle of the night with his air-raid screeches.

Rainbows, yes, I'm getting to the rainbows.

My saga is also a "sex sells" story. My fourth novel, HOT WATER, sold in three weeks to Berkley/Penguin, a major New York publisher, and set me on a path beyond my wildest dreams. HOT WATER takes place in one weekend here in the desert at a lush spa resort with an uncanny resemblance to Two Bunch Palms.

Little did I know where those half-price summer weekends at Two Bunch Palms would lead. Well, wandering Europe was hardly an option, not with a ninety-pound baboon growling, "School's out, you ain't going nowhere! Now, sit yourself down and write eight hours a day instead four!"

I suppose I could've killed him somewhere along the line, but he was... sexy, in a primal, obsessive way. So I kissed him and followed his flashy rump into the jungle and made my bed in his furry arms. I stopped caring what anyone thought and wrote a sexy, fun page-turner that didn't compromise style or substance.

Next, I was reading terrific reviews of HOT WATER and touring resorts with "the ultimate spa novel," seven states, 60 book events and still counting, and meeting wonderful people and getting emails from women who read it in one sitting and my agent saying we just sold world Spanish language rights to a publisher in Spain. Oh, and that best seller list where HOT WATER was #2 and Da Vinci Code #4. Suitable for framing.

Then one day, delivering books to the Two Bunch Palms gift shop, I met John Walton whose mother was silent screen star, Gladys Walton and Al Capone's girlfriend. Mr. Walton asked me to write his mother's - and his father's - story. John Walton is Al Capone's son. (Made me an offer I couldn't refuse). We do presentations Saturdays at Two Bunch Palms, not far from where I made my peace with the baboon, who, by the way, lost a lot of weight while I was off touring.

Now I'm writing the sequel, STEAM, and a Roaring Twenties gangster novel called, GLADYS AND CAPONE.

Rainbows. Follow them! There may not be a pot of gold, but there is treasure, believe me.

HOLIDAY PARTY
Dec. 3rd, 2006 4 to 6 PM

Entertainment by the board
fun and a great buffet have been planned. An opportunity to meet others in the Guild, this event always proves to be a winner. Get your reservations in before November 22. Spouses and guests are welcome.

Holiday Party catered by Gourmet Chef Hector Salvatierra of the Camelot Café. For details on his theme dinners and catering, please call 760-325-6588.

No tickets will be sold at the door.
See you there!

PROGRAM SCHEDULE for 2006-7
by Phyllis Costello
Dec. 3 Annual Holiday Party: Board provides entertainment; food catered
Jan 7 Dr. Edward Gordon, author 15 books; Business Consultant; speaking on publishing non-fiction.
Feb 4 Ray Strait, author, biographer 27 books; his experiences; how to find your way in the maze of publishing, selling, and the entertainment business
Mar 4 Julie Gorges and John Hacker, father/daughter team; she writes for young people and he writes on humor about aging
April 1 Judy Weigle, "My Office is a 3-Ring Circus"; self-publishing promotion
May 6 Steve Peterson, author, poet, singer, performer; relates a new author's adventures into publishing a first novel. Election of officers.
June 3 Ice cream social; new officers installed; writers' open readings.

PRESIDENT'S LETTER
by Dawn Huntley Spitz
A CORNUCOPIA OF CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the Guild writing contest. The stories were all well crafted and it was enjoyable to hear them read at the meeting. The first, second and third winners read their own work, and I was privileged to read the story which took first honorable mention. It was by Grahame Smith, a gifted and highly regarded former president of the Guild. We already have a group of readers primed to work on the next contest which begins in April. So put on your creativity hat for the next go-round!

Be sure to get in your reservations for the Guild holiday party by November 22. It promises to be a very special event with a catered dinner by one of the valley's top caterers, games, and a hilarious original show featuring some of our most talented performers. Bruce Singer will add to the festivities with musical entertainment. Don't forget the new time and place. The party will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 3 and will be at the Palm Desert Community Center.

We are proud to say that the Guild is growing in membership. But the work of keeping a high profile in the community is never ending. I urge each of you to continue to be an Guild ambassador and share the news about our workshops and programs with the community. Help BUILD THE GUILD!

I am happy to report that we have received some limericks which fit our qualifications -- perfect rhyme and meter, and on the subject of writing. Keep them coming, limerick writers! Dawn

A Limerick by Elm Battersby
It's a challenge to write or define
Perfect beats in a limerick's design
Writing triplets is tough
And I've labored enough
So have come to the end of my line.

There once was a writer too wordy,
Who worked to make sentences sturdy.
But when he got stuck,
And down on his luck,
His language really got dirty.
Bob Hurlbert

Phyllis Costello Profile
by Mary Burgess Barrer
Phyllis Costello's interesting career encompasses many occupations, enterprises and serious avocations. Because her newspaper writer Dad moved from job to job and city to city frequently throughout her childhood, she attended different schools and had many acquaintances throughout the midwest.

Phyllis' writing honors date back to her high school days when her essay won the national Parker Pen contest after her English teacher, impressed with the quality of her work, submitted it.

After high school she attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa where she obtained a teaching degree. Instead of seeking a job in a school, she embarked on a diverse business career. She earned a living as a fashion model for a time. This left her unfulfilled and she opted for her own business as an antique shop owner. When she saw the abuses by antique dealers in scamming the public with fakes, she decided to fight the practice. She bought the replicas, produced a display for Antique Shows and traveled five states with it throughout the Midwest.

In personal life, she was evolving spiritually through her attendance at the Unity Church. Though she did not seek a church position, she was ordained a minister at St. John's University in New Orleans.

Phyllis' other creative interests are varied. She wroter, produced and conducted her own radio show in Omaha, Nebraska. When she took up art as a hobby, she became a professional mural painter and had many commissions in homes.

She enjoyed a stint as an actress in little theater productions and also wrote and produced plays for the Unity Church.

Phyllis married in Des Moines, Iowa and raised two sons and two daughters. Although the union ended in divorce, she is still on a friendly basis with her former husband.

After moving to the Valley three years ago, she joined the Guild and attends Cyndy Muscatel's writing classes. She finished her first novel recently. She classes her characters as outrageous people. Her novel caught the attention of a New York agent at the Palm Springs Writers Conference last month who took it to New York and is now submitting it to publishers.

As Program Chair of the Guild, Phyllis' talent, creativity and energy have produced a line-up of speakers and programs that promises to provide enjoyable, exciting meetings.

The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:30 at Palm Valley CC. This month Michael Craft will speak on mystery writing. Contact Estelle Shanley for details 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com.

The Crow's Nest by Dodie Cross
Another of our great writers, Francine Kaplan, has a novel coming out in ... The Prettier Sister and will be published by Infinity.

Kristin Johnson's short story "Quicksand" appeared in the MuseItUpClub Anthology ALEATORY'S JUNCTION, a spooky Twilight Zone-ish collection of stories about a small town where you take the right fork out of town...IF YOU DARE. (I've attached the cover.) She also presented a workshop "Picasso, Pistachio Ribbon bars, Pizzazz: Research in Nonfiction" at the October 9-13 MuseItUpClub Online Writers' Conference (where she won a year's subscription to Writers Digest!) Kristin will be featured in a future DESERT WOMAN Nods and Applause column by the mother-daughter writing team of our own DeAnn Lubell and Tanya Trefry. Kristin completed a piece on "The New Philanthropy" for the inaugural issue of "DUNE" Magazine, which hits desert newsstands mid-December with actress/poker champion Jennifer Tilly on the cover. She's working on the autobiography of a retired black military officer who has some interesting stories about World War II and North Korea.

Carol Mann really has something to crow about. She just received a letter and certificate telling her that she received an Honorable Mention in the Writer's Digest 75th Writing Competition in the Non-rhyming Poem category. The poem is called "Waiting Women." This year's contest attracted 19,000 entries. Wow, Carol, I'd say you really have some crowing to do. Good Job!

Got something to Crow about? E-mail me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com
and inspire others.

Grahame Smith
Past President
and friend to the Guild
by Bill Clark
"I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the organization at this time", wrote Grahame Smith when he accepted the position of Guild President in 2001, and then served a second term as well. He took on the job - and it was a job - after a sad occurrence in the Guild's history. He turned the Guild around, laying a foundation for what members are experiencing today. At the end of that year he wrote, "As the year started, we were bloodied but unbowed. We picked ourselves up and, with the generosity of so many, we have emerged much stronger than ever. We have 200 paying members!! What's next?"

Grahame came to the US from his native Australia to attend graduate school at Cornell University, earning a PhD in insect ecology. He taught at Brown University, then at Boston University. Moving into the world of publishing, he acquired Medical books for G.K. Hall and Co, later headed the Life Sciences Division of the MIT Press. He worked in the consulting world for many years, commissioning and writing reports on the business implications of technology; clients included large companies in the food and agribusiness industries also the Office Of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress.... I always enjoyed talking bugs with him, since I minored in entomology - but that's another story.

His bibliography includes publication in scientific journals, trade magazines, Saturday Review and Harbrace Collage English Reader. He was primary author of a book "Our Ecology Crisis," Published by Macmillan and has written more than 40 major proprietary consulting reports. Two of his delightful short stories have won prizes in the PSWG contests.

Grahame wrote in his President's Report, "... each of you has a contribution to bring to the Guild. This is a collegial organization: share experiences, help design programs to advance the writing craft, discover outlets for our work, and, together, let's make the Guild an important part of the literary scene in the Coachella Valley."

"While writing is ultimately a solitary experience, many of us flourish under the encouragement of our peers. Networking with colleagues at monthly meetings offers a delightful way to connect. Friendships and intimacies take time to develop; I have found my critique group to be an invaluable support and source of camaraderie. We need to function as a community of involved members."

Thanks to Grahame's early leadership the Guild has moved forward and expanded through the Coachella Valley to its far ends.

He honored another past president, songwriter Buddy Kaye, by introducing the "Buddy Award", named for the late Buddy Kaye who was a driving force in the growth of the Guild in the past, and played a big role in getting it moving again following the troubles of recent years. The award is to acknowledge outstanding service to the Guild, and it is my hope that this will become as coveted as an Oscar for our members as years go by." I was privileged to be the first recipient of the "Buddy Award."

Grahame also realized the importance of venues for writers to share their works within the community. He writes: "I laughed, I cried ... The readings of the Borders Writers Theatre have begun and are well received. What a great way to showcase the capabilities of our members. The stories are as varied as our writers, and it is wonderful to see how diverse these talents really are. For the first several evenings, the cafe was almost full, with perhaps 35 or 40 people listening attentively."

Grahame's longtime partner, Richard, has kept many of us updated on Grahame's cancer struggle over the past months. Grahame Smith is now home and has been visited recently by Hospice representatives. Hospice is a wonderful organization, and the PSWG can proudly say that a member was once the National Hospice Director in Washington DC.

You are in good hands, Grahame. Be assured you will always be an important name in the Guild's record book.

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Renew Membership for 2007 or become a Member for 2007 - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

November 2006 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 17:00:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
November 2006
The 2006 Short Story Writing Contest
Are You the Winner?

MEETING TIME: Sunday, Nov. 5th, 2006, 2-4 P.M.
Palm Desert Library
73300 Fred Waring Dr., Palm Desert, CA

Come to the November 5th meeting of the Guild to find out if you are one of the lucky contestants to catch the judges' eye!

The prize money this year was enticing --$500 for the grand prize, $250 and $100 for the runners-up.

You'll enjoy hearing the winning entries. Not only will they be excellent stories but it will be interesting to learn what determined their choice. The Guild is in debt to the judges, Dodie Cross; Jack Stillerman, Harf Windsor, Mavis Clark, Jenny Gumpertz, Dee Windsor, and Esther Segal for their efforts. And a fusillade of thanks goes to the Chairs, Jack and Marci Stillerman, for their conscientious and painstaking leadership.

DON'T MISS THIS MEETING! Be there to give (or receive) a hearty hand of congratulations for a job well done!

PROGRAM SCHEDULE for 2006-7
by Phyllis Costello
Nov 5 Writing Contest Awards!
Dec. 3 Annual Holiday Party: Board provides entertainment; food catered
Jan 8 Dr. Edward Gordon speaks about the business
Feb 4 Ray Strait, author, biographer 27 books; his experiences; how to find your way in the maze of publishing, selling, and the entertainment business
Mar 4 Julie Gorges and John Hacker, father/daughter team; she writes for young people and he writes on humor about aging
April 1 Judy Weigle, "My Office is a 3-Ring Circus"; self-publishing promotion
May 6 Steve Peterson, author, poet, singer, performer; relates a new author's adventures into publishing a first novel. Election of officers.
June 3 Ice cream social; new officers installed; writers' open readings.

PRESIDENT'S LETTER by Dawn Huntley Spitz
Outstanding! That was the word used to describe our first meeting of the season where our speaker, agent Sally van Haitsma, attracted a large turnout. She gave many excellent tips on how (and how not) to get an agent. After her talk, she offered personal advice to several of our members, encouraging a lucky few to actually send her proposals on their work!

Eighty-eight people attended the meeting, of whom thirty-three were guests. Obviously the word about the Guild's exceptional programs for writers is getting around. Our goal is to see that all writers in the Coachella Valley learn about what the Guild has to offer.

Our thanks go to Chairs Jack and Marci Stillerman and all the readers who helped judge the stories in our writing contest. It is one of the Guild's most important events and we are grateful to all involved for their part in making it a success.

We continue to encourage you to send in articles of not more than 500 words on some aspect of your experience as a writer. Your contributions not only make interesting reading, but help to keep us connected.

Be sure to put Saturday, November 18 on your calendars, when our first workshop of the season will be presented by veteran writer Bob Hurlbert on the subject of writing for the cinema. It is guaranteed to be lively and informative.

The Board is working hard to keep the Guild growing. But we need your help. As the Guild increases in numbers and influence in the community, we all benefit. Stay active, volunteer your skills and talents, and spread the word!

Cyndi Muscatel who was scheduled for the November program will be teaching a workshop on writing memoirs later this year.

I Was a 90 Pound Weakling
Then I joined a Writers Guild critique group.
I'm still a 90 pound weakling, but my writing
is really showing some muscle.
Strengthen your writing skills. Join a
critique group. To inquire about meeting
times and openings, call Gordon Gumpertz
at 346-3429 or email:
pscritgp@yahoo.com

Prospective New Critique Groups
If interested in a group that meets weekends or evenings, please contact Coordinator Gordon Gumpertz at pscritgp@yahoo.com or 346-3429.

Also, anyone wanting to be in a group for members living in Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley, Landers, Joshua Tree, and the general Morongo Basin area, please contact member Karely Brown at 760-369-2819.

Guest Column by Kurt Sipolsky
Recently I had the opportunity to study writing at the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped (NTWH.org) in Belfast, Maine.

As the song goes, "I must have done something awfully good" because I attended on a scholarship for the month of July, and I heard what a miserable month it was here.

The class was profound and I will remember it forever. To work with disabled Afghan and Iraqi vets, all young, one with no eyes, one with terrible scars, one with MS from Sarin nerve gas, etc. and to see their courage as they rehearsed their original monologues for days, and performed to Cole Porter on the final night moved me so much.

I encourage anyone who is handicapped with an interest in acting or writing to look into the program offered every summer. The Desert Sun printed my editorial, "Second-Hand Soldier" and it can be read online for those wanting more information.

GUILD POSTS: Tony O'Doherty was kind enough to step in for Mel Harter as Treasurer; Martin Goldberg stepped in for Bruce Singer as Executive Vice President and Bob Hurlbert is now our Communications Chairman. Thanks to all!

GUEST WRITER WHY I WRITE By Dr. Mel Harter
I find everything on earth symmetrical and steadfast, standardized by rules of nature and regulations of nations. It is as bland and boring as an unpolished toenail. Median, mean and mediocre are extolled.

Most people seem to blend into their landscape like daffodils on yellow wallpaper. Most don't complain. If not happy, they seem content. But me, I just don't fit.

When I came into the world in spite of birthing difficulties the doctor wrung his hands and said, "If he doesn't fit any better into what's ahead, he'll have problems." That was my first warning. The doctor was so right! I just don't seem to fit.

I'm dyslexic, hyperactive and compulsive. Short on grace and rhythm, I'm long on obnoxious opinion and I talk too much. In spite of good upbringing, religious education, post-graduate training and stints in both the military and the Boy Scouts, I still don't fit.

Thank goodness, I found a way out. I found the door to the rabbit hole. I unlock it with my pen. I write.

I leave the monotony and discomfort of here to go the excitement and joy of there.

At my whim, the sky is purple or green, the sun orange or brown. I inflate molehills and flatten mountains. I find peace and love, valor and courage, intrigue and treachery. There I am a sleuth, a hero or a victim. I'm a hunchback haunted by hell or a hunk harassed by hotties. I live plots where every climax is better than the one before it, every resolution more rewarding.

And if, in my world of the written word, what works for me today doesn't work tomorrow, I'll edit and rewrite it. Here, I'm a perfect fit.

The pen is mightier than the Prozac!

The Crow's Nest by Dodie Cross
I thought some of you might be interested in hearing what our current guild celebrities are doing now. As the saying goes, once your manuscript is finished, the real work begins.

Sherry Halperin tells me she's trying to get into her latest novel, Just Call Me Lady, but having trouble finding the time to write. She's working on a TV pilot called Live From Borders Books in Rancho Mirage - it's all about books and everyone is invited to drop by and watch the taping on Oct. 29th between 9 AM and 2 PM. Some bystanders may even be used and asked about their writing. She is also in the selection mode for the perfect script writer for Rescue Me, He's Wearing A Moose Hat, slated for production in 2009 - yes, that's right! It takes that long to get a film done. She's also optioned a script called Ronnie Finkelhoff, Superstar and also working on getting a film and television deal on that project. She's just completed a radio interview on the new Greenstone Media Network that Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem and Rosie O'Donnell started, and will be going to Scottsdale in a few weeks to be the keynote speaker at a book conference. Other than that, she says, "I'm watching the grass grow and looking for a date." I'll keep an eye out for you, Sherry.

HOT WATER goes international! Kathryn Jordan tells me she recently sold the world Spanish language rights for HOT WATER to a publisher, Editorial ViaManga, in Spain. She is also busy writing a sequel to her book called STEAM, which takes up right where HOT WATER left off. She is also busy researching and writing another novel based on the true story of silent screen star, Gladys Walton, who was Al Capone's girlfriend. The title will be GLADYS AND CAPONE. The two met on the set of her 1923 movie, "The Untamable," when Gladys was 20 and Capone was 24, partied at Two Bunch Palms with such Roaring Twenties stars as Charlie Chaplin, Valentino, and Gloria Swanson. Got a match, Kathryn?

Jack and Marci Stillerman picked AuthorHouse as their publisher of choice for their new books. Jack's book is titled YANKEE DOODLE BOYCHIK GROWS UP and is due out around January. The book covers his memories of growing up in1928, through the prosperity of Coolidge, the Great Depression of Hoover and the New Deal of FDR, ending with the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. Marci has put together a collection of her wonderful short stories in SWIMMING LESSONS, many of which are reprints that have been published over the years.

Got something to Crow about? Inspire others: email me at dodiecross@dc.rr.com

SCREENWRITING SEMINAR RETURNS!
Bob Hurlbert will conduct a free screenwriting seminar at Cathedral City Library Community Room, Saturday, November 18th, 2006 between 1-4 P.M.

In this seminar he will discuss aspects of writing that are important to tell a story for the screen and televison. As before, the program will include the analysis and discussion of at least two well-known screenplays. This session is designed to help novice and intermediate screenwriters tell their story.

If you are bringing a friend or associate, include that person's information as well. Due to limited time and printing costs, handouts will be distributed during the seminar only to those who respond not later than 5 P.M. November 13, 2006.

If you plan to attend, please send an email with "Screenwriting" in the subject line, and include your name, address, phone number in the body of a message to:
pswgmembers@hotmail.com.

Or you can mail your name, address, and phone number to:
Screenwriting
Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

The Palm Springs Writers Guild became a non-profit corporation Dec. 6, 2005. The next step was to file for tax exempt status. Data was collected and prepared; new by-laws adopted; the board restructured; financial statements readied, a scholarship program launched, etc.

Tax exempt applications went to the state and federal levels in June 2006 for a 501(c)(3) classification. The application is under assessment now with a federal Exempt Organizations Specialist. The state generally follows the federal government's determination.

In the event we are denied a 501(c)(3) at this time while our program grows in its intent, we will seek a 501(c)(7) classification. This gives us tax exempt status as a writers' club with charitable, educational, and literary emphasis.
by Carol Mann

The posts of chairs for the 2007 Short Story Contest are open.
Volunteers NEEDED!

Anyone wishing to be a part of the Publicity Department, we would welcome your participation in any regard or capacity. Thanks!

Renew Membership for 2007 or become a Member for 2007 - click here

ON WRITING LIMERICKS; We have received some very clever limericks, although they have not met the requirements. The limerick must deal with some aspect of WRITING. Not so easy. For the uninitiated, a limerick has a specific rhythm and rhyme scheme. The first, second and last lines must rhyme and the third and fourth must rhyme. The first, second and last lines have a rhythm of two triplets (one-two-three) preceded and/or followed by one or two syllables. The next two lines have one triplet, followed by one or two syllables, depending on how it fits into the verse. Got it? Now get to work. Meanwhile, I've written another to give you an example. Dawn Huntley Spitz

Contributors Welcome!

LIMERICK CORNER
There once was a writer named Morrow
Who chose someone's idea to borrow
But the fellow who coined it
Learned who had purloined it
And sued Morrow, much to his sorrow.

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

November Events:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 14:00:00 +0000

November 5, Sunday -- The Palm Springs Writers Guild meets 2-4 p.m. at Palm Desert Library -- Community Room -- 73300 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA, free to members, guests, and public.

During the program, the winners of the PSWG 2006 Short Story Contest will be announced. The top three stories will be read, and the judging process will be explained. This is certain to be exciting as well as entertaining.

Members who would like to make announcements at the meetings, please send or give your notices to President Dawn Spitz who will read them.

Limerick writers are still encouraged to send in their work. Remember the subject must have something to do with writing.

We continue to welcome brief articles by members about their writing experience.

Visitors/Guests must SIGN IN at the Hospitality table.

Visitors/Guests are encouraged to apply for membership in the Guild at the meeting, or visit www.palmspringswritersguild.org to download a Membership Application for mail-in.

Members CHECK IN at the Hospitality table. Renewal is due on January 1, 2007.
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OTHER DATES IN NOVEMBER, RELATED TO OUR WRITING:
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Mark your calendar:
NOVEMBER 4, Saturday
Join us at the free BlogFest, beginning at 8 p.m., on November 4, Saturday, at Borders Books and Music at The River in Rancho Mirage. Blogger/Writers will read 5-8 minutes of their own material. Guaranteed to stimulate the listeners.

Check www.BlogFest.org for last-minute updates.
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Mark your calendar:
NOVEMBER 14, Tuesday
Lynn Price from Behler Publications in Orange County will give a talk at Border's on Tuesday, November 14 7-9 P.M. on "What Every Writer Should Know Before Querying and Submitting a Manuscript." She'll also be signing her new book, "Donovan's Paradigm."
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Mark your calendar:
NOVEMBER 18, Saturday, SPONSORED BY PSWG --
Bob Hurlbert will conduct a free screenwriting seminar at Cathedral City Library Community Room, 1-4 pm. on Saturday, November 18. In this seminar, we will discuss aspects of writing that are important to tell a story for screen and television. As before, the program will include some analysis and discussion of at least two well-known screenplays. This session is designed to help novice and intermediate screenwriters tell their story.

If you wish to attend, it is preferred that you send an e-mail to pswgmembers@hotmail.com with "Screenwriting" in the Subject line -- AND --
Include your name, address, phone number in the body of your message
OR
Mail your name, address, phone number to:
Screenwriting
Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

If you are bringing a friend or associate, include that person's information, as well.

Sign-up DEADLINE is 5 p.m, November 13, 2006. The seminar is free, but attendees must meet this deadline in order to receive handout material at the workshop.
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Reminder:
You can save $50 for Robert McKee's STORY seminar, January 19-21, 2007, if you register at UCR, Palm Desert Campus, before November 1, 2006. This event is not affiliated in any way with the Palm Springs Writers Guild.
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'Writing Memoirs' by Cyndi Muscatel will be a later workshop.

October 2006 Guild Gram Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 21:00:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Since 1977
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
October 2006
MEETING TIME:
Sunday, Oct. 1st, 2006, 2-4 P.M.
Palm Desert Library
73300 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA

PRESIDENT'S LETTER
Welcome back, Guild members!
Isn't the opening of a new Guild season a refreshing thought after this summer of record-breaking heat?

Program Chairman, Phyllis Costello, has planned a myriad of exciting programs and workshops this year to pique your interest and develop your writing skills. Critique groups will also be meeting weekly. The Guild will continue to sponsor its annual writing contest (this year's winners to be announced at the November meeting.) And watch for our new short-length writing contests. They will challenge and entertain you at the same time.

Thanks to the planning of last year's board, the Guild continues to grow in numbers and influence in the Coachella Valley. We are now members of both the Palm Springs and La Quinta Chambers of Commerce. These memberships will enable the Guild to be more active in the community and to reach out to prospective members.

The Guild welcomes the opportunity to award another scholarship this year. Mary Barrer and her committee will again be on the lookout for gifted young writers in local high schools. As announced earlier, the first recipient of a Guild scholarship is Kaylene Sutton, a student from West Shore High School in Salton City. Look for a poem written by this young talent in these pages.

If you are anxious to get a head start on your writing, I recommend you attend the Southern California Writers Conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Palm Springs the weekend of September 29 to October 1. The conference last year was loaded with practical information on writing, finding agents, and publishing. Go to www.writersconference.com/ and click on Palm Springs to register.

The new board and I look forward to greeting you at our October 1 opening meeting. And we invite you, our new members, to come up and introduce yourselves. We expect to have a productive and stimulating year and encourage your participation in all meetings and workshops. You will find lots of camaraderie and plenty of ideas to inspire your muse.
Dawn Huntley Spitz

October 1st, 2006
Writers Guild Meeting
Our first meeting of the season opens with exciting speaker Sally Van Haitsma!

Sally is an agent with Castiglia Agency on the West Coast. This international agency has successfully placed significant non-fiction and fiction titles with major publishers since 1993, many of those by new authors. The agency also places rights to film, audio, foreign, commercial and electronic media.

Sally actively seeks unrecognized authors. She recently sold Hick, a debut novel by Andrea Portes, to Unbridled Books, a prestigious literary New York publisher. Illumination by Mark Tompkins received terrific reviews in "Publishers Weekly".

Sally is interested in commercial, literary and women's fiction, offbeat mysteries, narrative nonfiction, education, business and current affairs.
Don't miss this!
by Phyllis Costello

SPEAKERS REVIEW
by Joanne Hardy
The last meeting of the Guild for the season, which saw the retiring board welcome the newly-elected officers to their positions, was orchestrated graciously by President Bill Clark.

The President treated the audience to a power-point review of a very active year filled with several "firsts." His narration provided the opportunity for recognition and praise to all who contributed to creating the life of the Guild through the last season.

Each officer then presented his/her successor with a notebook of material to continue the work. Bill, who has carried the double roll of president and newsletter editor, was given a clock, "to remember us by." Many kudos, also, went to Mary Barrer for providing excellent speakers and programs, not to mention presiding over the Christmas program and party. Mavis Clark was also thanked for her many hours of work on behalf of the Guild. Bill, in his last comments as president before turning over the gavel to the new president, said he had had the opportunity to work with a "dream team."

Five years ago the Guild was confronted with the challenge of re-starting itself. We started from scratch, with some members contributing checks to refurbish a depleted treasury. Larry Todd stepped in as interim president until an election could be held. Grahame Smith provided the steadying leadership needed to rally the members and revitalize our pride. John Harrell continued to build, nurture and add members. Bill Clark continued to bring opportunities for writers to hone their craft.

In that time, many programs have been developed. Seminars, contests, workshops and outstanding speakers have made the Guild an organization that people want to join. Now the Guild looks forward with confidence and a membership of over 150 as a new president and board take the reins.

The "firsts" for the Guild include becoming a member of both the Palm Springs and La Quinta Chambers of Commerce, moving forward in the process of being a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and serving as the coordinating entity for local authors participating in the Book Fest. We have come a long, long way and now have a much higher stature in the community. Shirley Hammer, our co-founder, can be proud of her brain child.

Dawn Spitz, the new president, in her acceptance speech, said she hopes to be as innovative and dedicated as the members of the board that just retired. Our support and good wishes go with them for the coming year.

Then it was time for ice cream!

BIG OPPORTUNITY WEEKEND FOR WRITERS!!
The third annual Southern California Writers Conference will again convene with professional authors, agents, & editors presenting two and a half days of total immersion into current writing and marketing trends for all genre. Over thirty-six workshops and critique reading sessions. Get answers and encouragement as you join the crowd at the Southern California Writers Conference, Hyatt Regency Suites in Palm Springs Sept. 29 and 30 and until noon on October 1st. Cost is $340. Guild members receive a $25 discount by indicating their membership on the registration form. Register at 619-233-4651 or visit www.writersconference.com.
Submitted by Marge Dodge

Member Profiles
by Mary Burgess Barrer
Dawn Huntley Spitz:
Guild President
Following a long line of male predecessors, Dawn Spitz broke Guild tradition and became the first woman to be elected to the top post in several decades.

Dawn's aspiration for the Guild is to strengthen membership, provide scholarships, and offer stimulating, informative programs in an atmosphere of good fellowship.

Multi-talented, Dawn is a writer, singer, actress and director. She attributes her talent to her mother, who was a member of the American Pen Women and who wrote a limerick for a national TV contest which won the grand prize of a ten-day trip to Mexico.

Dawn wrote plays for her elementary school students and directed musicals for high schools in Westchester County N.Y. She had a professional act called "The Headliners" and performed leads in several off-Broadway productions such as "The King and I," "The Music Man," and "Carousel." She and her husband met in "Guys and Dolls" and have been performing together ever since in NY and local venues. They did "Cabaret" at the Top Hat Theatre in Palm Springs, and musical revues at the Rancho Mirage Library, country clubs and homes for assisted living. In 1999, Dawn won the title of Miss Senior America of Southern California.

In addition to performing, Dawn worked as a researcher for World Book, as secretary for Norman Cousins, editor of the "Saturday Review" magazine, and even tried her hand at NY real estate. Her verse "No Lunar Tunes" was accepted by the "Journal of Light Verse" and she won first prize for her humorous piece, "Redemption", at the Palm Springs Writers Conference last year.

Dawn's philosophy reflects her leadership qualities. She believes everyone has some kind of talent within them and only need encouragement. Dawn hopes that under her leadership this year, the Guild will increase not only in numbers, but in enthusiasm for the craft of writing.

AWARDS for the SHORT STORY CONTEST will be presented at the Nov. 5th meeting.

DECADENCE
I lost myself, hallucinate
A vision that would indicate
I have finally become deranged
Demented, disturbed, and mentally changed
I lost myself, these secrets hide
From the truth that's been denied
The honest is now fraudulent
A liar's favorite accompaniment
I lost myself and what it means
As nothing is ever what it seems
I wish to find the missing link
Written in invisible ink
Images I cannot place
Dance across this empty space
In my mind, I'm all alone
The king of hope is overthrown
No one willing to lead this cause
To perfection, seen through flaws

Poem by SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
Kaylene Sutton
West Shores High School, Salton Sea

PROGRAM SCHEDULE for 2006-7
Oct 1 Sally Van Haitsma (see front page)
Nov 5 Cindy Muscatel, writing instructor for UCLA Palm Desert Campus and Writers Group at Mizell Center; in many publications
Dec. 3 Annual Holiday Party: Board provides entertainment; food catered
Jan 8 Dr. Edward Gordon speaks about the business today
Feb 4 Ray Strait, author, biographer 27 books; his experiences; how to find your way in the maze of publishing, selling, and the entertainment business
Mar 4 Julie Gorges and John Hacker, father/daughter team; she writes for young people and he writes on humor about aging
April 1 Judy Weigle, "My office is a 3-ring circus"; self-publishing promotion
May 6 Steve Peterson, author, poet, singer, performer; relates new authors adventures into publishing first novel. Election of officers.
June 3 Ice cream social; new officers installed; writers' open readings.

LIMERICK CORNER
A man with a story to boast
Was a pitiful writer at most
But the writer he hired
Was so uninspired
That he finally gave up the ghost.
by Dawn Huntley Spitz

Contributors Welcome!

We'd like to announce 5 new members who have joined the Guild over the summer: Donna Bevans , Linda Hisayasu, Charlene Langfur, Frank Thornburgh, and Ken Waschin. Welcome!

SCRIPTS NEEDED!
The Performing Arts Club of Sun City Palm Desert is looking for a script for their next musical. Please submit script by Sept 30th to:
Harriet Licht
760-345-9634
78437 Willowich
Palm Desert, CA 92211

Writers Guild Board and Committee Members - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

Attention All Writers!

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 21:00:00 +0000

The opening meeting of the Palm Springs Writers Guild will be Sunday, Oct. 1 at 2:00 P.M. at the Palm Desert Library. The speaker will be Sally Van Haitsma, an agent with the Castiglia Agency on the West Coast. She actively seeks unrecognized authors so polish up your manuscripts. Bring guests.
See you there. Dawn Spitz, President PSWG

June 2006 Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Tue, 23 May 2006 16:45:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
June 2006
End of the term social
Gavel turnover to new Guild Executives - and we adjourn for the summer.
*****

*PALM SPRINGS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE*

We, of the Palm Springs Writers Guild are now all members of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce. The following letter is to Guild members.

Dear Members of the Palm Springs Writers Guild:
Since 1938, we have played an important role in the history of the Coachella Valley and the success of our local economy.
The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce is one of the most cohesive business organizations in the Coachella Valley. Our Board of Directors, Staff and many volunteers are distinguished leaders dedicated to the success of our members and our community.
Members of the Palm Springs Chamber enjoy the connection with more than 1000 business and community leaders who share their commitment to success. The investment made by our members allows us to carry out our Programs of Work in four critical areas:
1) Create a Strong Local Economy; 2) Support the Community; 3) Provide Networking Opportunities and Business Referrals; 4) Represent the Interests of Business with Government
The Palm Springs Chamber holds 12 mixers, eight Breakfast Forums and four luncheons annually, which draw over 2,000 attendees. These events offer our members the opportunity to network with other business and community leaders. Our annual business expo and consumer showcase provides networking opportunities with 140+ vendors and approximately 1,2000 attendees.
The Chamber office receives up to 150 phone calls and walk-ins everyday asking for information about Palm Springs businesses. A members only visitors guide is provided in addition to individual referrals. Brochures and business cards are on display in the chamber lobby.
The chamber Website provides direct links to members at no cost. With more than 86,000 hits monthly, this is a tremendous source of prospects for our members.
The annual business resource guide provides member listings by category and in alphabetical order. The chamber distributes more than 25 relocation packets monthly, which includes the member directory.
The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce reviews issues of local, regional and state interest to determine the affect on business. The Chamber Board or Executive Committee may take a position on measures that could have an effect on the business climate.
The Chamber enjoys a strategic alliance with the Palm Springs Economic Development Corporation, the Hospitality and Hotel Association, MainStreet, Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism and the City's General Plan Committee. In addition, a designated representative from the Palm Springs City Council attends board meetings and Breakfast Forums to provide updates on City Hall.
Sincerely, Bert Kronmiller
Director of Communications,
Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce

IN THIS ISSUE
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 2
SPEAKER REVIEW 3
LETTERS 4
BOOK REVIEW 5
BOOK FEST EPILOGUE 6

MEETING TIME:
Sunday: June 4th, 2006
2:00 to 4:00 pm
Palm Desert Library
73300 Fred Waring Dr.
Palm Desert, CA

No meetings scheduled during summer months.

NEXT MEETING: October 1st. 2:00 pm at the Palm Desert Library

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Bill Clark
Welcome to the new PSWG Executives who will take office at the next meeting. They will have our continuing support with the PSWG concept: communications and education.
The Guild's new Executives include:
�?� Dawn Spitz - President
�?� Bruce Singer - Executive Vice President
�?� Mary Olson - Vice President, Membership
�?� Phyllis Costello - Vice President, Programs
�?� Judy Joyce - Secretary, Corresponding
�?� Vicki Mills, Secretary, Recording
�?� Mel Harter - Treasurer
�?� Carol Mann - Member At Large
�?� Bari Maddock - Member At Large
�?� Arlene Howard - Historian (not an official office)
�?� Gordon Gumpertz - Critique Groups (not an official office)
A big thank you to all Guild members who have made this past year my highlight year. ... Now I move on to personal writing projects with tools of experience I didn't have a year ago. Each day has been a learning day. Each member has shared and each member has gained something. It is what the Guild is all about. What critique groups are all about. ... And what life is all about.
Mavis and I are looking forward to a summer of serious writing for me, and watercolor painting for her, in the High Sierra. A happy and productive summer wish goes out to all Guild members.
Regards, Bill Clark

Have a wonderful summer
See you in October

All PSWG members are eligible to participate in PS Chamber activities.

SPEAKER REVIEW
by Carol Mann - for Joanne Hardy,

Penny Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., gave a power packed presentation to the Guild on Sunday, May 7, 2006. The Community Room of the Palm Desert Library had few empty seats and a very attentive audience. Ms. Sansevieri's message stressed that writers must be educated about today's publishing and marketing business. Only then can they realize the promotion opportunities literally at their fingertips.
An author can pursue traditional publishing or self-publishing. No matter which choice is made, the author still has to do marketing. In self-publishing, the author keeps more creative control. But the self-published book must look polished; it is the writer's resume. The competition is too fierce to place a book in the marketplace that is poorly edited and assembled. 500 new books a day hit the market, and it takes a potential reader just 3 seconds to judge the front and back cover. Before any marketing plan is implemented, the author must have a professional, available product.
Authors need to know their audience, to whom they are marketing, and where they are. A reader profile is available; email penny@amarketingexpert.com A first place to target is an author's hometown or region or a book's setting �?? Ms. Sansevieri referred to one of her romance novels set in Connecticut. The campaign was launched there.
The biggest focus in marketing a book is not to sell the book but to sell what the book can do for the reader. Non-fiction makes this point more readily than a work of fiction. For increased recognition and leverage, the author must work on building a platform. In other words, the author needs to have a marketing plan. Typically, authors pursue marketing for 90 days and then tire, or use the "spray and pay" method that doesn't work. An effective plan has 1 to 5 goals a day. New ideas and opportunities emerge along the way.
Readers are found in more than just bookstores. A blended campaign covers many venues. An author can speak about the book at clubs, organizations, on local radio and TV. The Third Tier Media such as trade publications, ezines, or niche publications offer another opportunity. The author can do an article to show expertise or ask for a peer review. A good campaign for a book takes about a year to work into the mainstream.
Internet promotion, another option, begins with a website. It's the road that leads to the author and the book. The most valuable space on the web page is top center. This is where the benefits of the book should be posted. The book cover should be top left, the next most valuable space. The reader needs a reason to click further into the site: a chapter from the book, a newsletter, a place to sign-up for something. DearReader.com posts book chapters. People will still buy the book.
An author can find websites that have blogs �?? online journals, opinion pieces, a particular focus group �?? and pitch the book to them. Google has a ranking for every site. If it is less than a 4 or 5, disregard. Ideal is to find 20 to 100 strong sites. The posting is the author's platform; a place to keep readers informed and current. The author is urged to stay on the message. A blog, which may be syndicated, is a place to sell, and attract traditional media. Ms. Sansevieri began Virtual Author Tours, taking the author on tour on the internet. On a pie chart, internet marketing takes 70%.
A Book Hook around a current event, movie, celebrity, calendar date, an area of expertise, etc., helps to reach the author's market. A press release to CNN, or a letter to a reporter or station offering the author as an expert, available anytime, are other choices. Lastly, Ms. Sansevieri offered this: find where the reader is going and follow them.

AN END OF SESSION NOTE:
I enjoyed serving the Guild this year. The good ideas, lively discussions, and effort of dedicated fellow Board members, always with the goal to make the Guild a better place for writers, have produced positive results. The work of the Committee Chairs and committee members - Membership, Publicity, WebPage, Hospitality, Scholarship, and Book Festival has been wonderful. To all members who supplied information and materials for the incorporation and tax exempt application, thank you. Bob Hurlbert, I appreciated your magic files and special meetings with me to shoulder through some exciting stuff. The application process is a lengthy procedure and will encounter some bumps. The incoming Board will continue the process.
To outgoing President Bill Clark, thank you for your creativity, energy, and commitment to the Guild, and for a newsletter that always kept us informed. To the incoming Board, many good wishes for a successful year. And to the members: your fellowship and support are always enjoyed and appreciated.
Happy summer to all,
Carol Mann

BOOK REVIEW
by Mary Barrer
"For What He Could Become"
James A. Misko has lived in Alaska for over two decades and his writing reflects the deep research he has done in capturing the spirit of our 49th State. Not since Robert Service and Jack London has an author expressed the realities of life in a land where many places have 24 hours of darkness and the Northern Lights crackle forming shapes of giant curtains illuminating the cold world as they fall across the sky in an unforgettable, dazzling light show.
In his compelling novel, the hero, an Alaskan Indian from a remote village north of the Arctic Circle, is challenged as he struggles for survival and later must adjust to military life as an infantry soldier in World War II and the battle of the Bulge. Upon his return to Alaska he suffers many frustrations and set backs including the loss of the love of his life who marries his brother. His big moment comes when he is asked to drive a dog team in Alaska's famous Iditarod dog race despite his lack of training. We cheer our hero as he fights the Arctic below zero snow storms and darkness. He expresses terror traveling alone across the ice laden trails while trying to keep his concentrations focused and maintain the dogs and get the most out of them.
This novel is a page turner that captivates and holds the reader's interest until the very last page. Most of all it acquaints the reader with how different life is in Alaska from the lower 48. Even if many readers will never experience travel to Alaska, they will remember this land where the mountains are nameless and the rivers all run God knows where. Get acquainted with Alaska. Live the adventure in this very exciting book.

PSWG AWARDS A SCHOLARSHIP
The Palm Springs Writers Guild has approved the awarding of its first scholarship to recipient, Kaylene Sutter, a graduating senior at West Shore high school in Salton City. Recommend of the award was made by Guild's Scholarships committee, Mary Barrer, Judy Fabris and Kathy Hueong. Kaylene will attend California State University, Dominguez Hills. Her goal is to become a writer. The $250 grant will be used in the University Bookstore.
Kaylene and her sponsor, Sam Messler will be PSWG guests at the June 4th meeting and Ice Cream Social - Palm Desert Library.

MY FRIENDS.
I want to thank you for your help in making my term in office a truly wonderful experience. Everyone has been cooperative and positive. I want to say how much I really appreciate two individuals who in the eleventh hour in January jumped in and solved the big problems of directing 150 people from one location to another in a short period of 24 hours. Thank you Kurt and Cynthia. I look forward to supporting the Guild's new officers and Board. I will gladly continue writing the profiles and will volunteer to handle the Christmas party. I am very happy to see our increase in membership and the high profile image we now have in this community, thanks to our officers and board members. Keep waving our banner high.
Mary Barrer

EDITOR'S NOTE:
Mary Barrer lived in Alaska for ten years and as a writer and editor traveled throughout the State to remote villages and outposts. She flew with the bush pilots - landed on glaciers and frozen rivers. As a side note of interest, Mary Barrer has been voted into the Palm Springs Air Museum Hall of Fame for her dedicatory service to the museum.
Mary Barrer, the PSWG Vice-President, was recently also named to the national Executive Board of the National League of American Penwomen, as Chair of its National Scholarships Committee. She has served as Penwomen's branch president for the past four years and is also retiring as state president, an office she has held the past two years.

EPILOGUE TO PALM SPRINGS BOOK FESTIVAL
Judith Weigle
The statistics are in: 14 partcipating authors, 8-10 new Guild members, and a panel discussion on marketing self-published books that drew about 30 attendees. It was a good day for the Writers Guild at the 2nd Annual Palm Springs Book Festival on April 22nd. These are particularly impressive numbers considering that the festival itself only drew about 1000 people.
Peppertree Bookstore asked the Writers Guild to serve as the arm for local authors to be connected to the festival. The Guild was given a large, complimentary booth. The relationship cemented a productive bond between these two entities, and hopefully raised the level of respect for the Writers Guild in the Palm Springs literary community and with the bookstore, for obvious reasons of stocking our books.
Author Steve Scott was the big winner in terms of number of books sold: 20. Cafe Respect is a murder mystery; Scott's second book. When asked why he thought his book sold well Scott responded, "I have a background in advertising, so it could be the way I communicate my message. I have a great looking poster, and an easily definable genre. Plus, I have an organized marketing approach." Possibly Steve would agree to conducting a program for the Writers Guild on marketing and advertising books?
The panel "Inside Industry Tips to Market Your Book" consisted of our corporate sponsor for this event Carol Ash; Marketing Director for POD publisher iUniverse.com, Genene Miller Cote of Digital Pulp Publishing representing eBooks; Pen on Fire author, talk show host, and university professor Barbara DeMarco-Bartlett; Los Angeles media specialist Ken Wilson; and author/ghostwriter and corporate speaker Claudia Suzanne with her book This Business of Books. Author and marketing specialist Judith Weigle of My Office Is A 3-Ring Circus! Must I Take Orders From Clowns? organized and moderated the panel. One of the most important topics that was broached was quality control of the finished product by POD publishers. The question was directed to iUniverse specifically and Digital Pulp to ascertain why, in a democratically established publishing system, can't the publishers insist on quality before the book is released to the pubic. This is such an important aspect of sales and distribution that it could be an entire panel topic. No real conclusions were drawn, but the subject was at least tackled.
Thank you to all the volunteers who participated in this successful endeavor: Judy Weigle, Gordon & Jenny Gumpertz, Mavis & Bill Clark, Bruce Singer, Dessa Reed, Judy Fabris, Toni Strassberg.

MAVIS CLARK AND JENNY GUMPERTZ have a moment to relax between gusts that sent papers flying - oh yes, and the over-head canopy nearly lifted Bill Clark off the ground. On the positive side, the rocks collected not only served as anchors, but proved to be of interest in themselves. If those rocks could only speak of their very old history!

DANIEL MCALLISTER, new Guild member, shares his father's book, The Tooth Fairy Legend with Senator Barbara Boxer.
This is a wonderfully illustrated, (by Dan's brother, Stan,) children's book about the world-famous ToothFairy.
It's just one of the many children's stories written by the late Dr. Mac and now being promoted by Marcella Roth, who is working on a movie deal. Watch for another Dr. Mac book, Snowflake, about a water drop's journey through the water-cycle.
Marcella has a story of her own, as she spent many years in Sri Lanka and had returned to the States just prior to the giant wave of water that killed so many people. Her dear friends.

BOOK SIGNING AT BORDERS
Saturday, June 10 @ 2PM
Secret of the Amazon Queen
"I write dark adventure fiction -- a throwback to pulp adventure for adults who like genre entertainment not catering to 12-year-olds.
Secret of the Amazon Queen is the first of five. Tropic Of Despair is due out later this year, and the third will follow soon," writes Walter Bosley (E.A. Guest) "As a resident of the area, I am always available for speaking with groups."

HI FELLOW GUILD MEMBERS,
I am a new member of the Palm Springs Writer's Group. You put me in touch with Ted Parnell and I am now a member of that group which I think is very good. However, most people leave in the summer months. I would love to form a group of those of us stuck in the summer heat, a group as small as three people, as large as eight to 10. Not everyone would have to come every time as they might go away for a week or so here and there. I would love to have them meet casually in my home in Rancho Mirage ( preferably on Tuesdays) after lunch for as long as they want to stay. They could come and go at their own conveniance. Or, if they prefer, they could come around eleven a.m and we could have sandwiches or salads and eat them here at my house. Anything that would be good for anyone who is interested. It does not have to be too structured as to time and day. Is there a way I could put this in the newsletter? Or, perhaps you know people of the same mind. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Judith Klausner
( new, happy member of the PSWG)
judithklausner@msn.com or 328-1920

GHOST WRITER WANTED
Hello, my name is Scott Silverman. I live in San Diego, and have a home in Palm Desert. I am in great need to meet A Ghost Writer. I have a book in me and need help getting it out. Can you help/guide/suggest my next steps - someone who might interview me initially to help get the thoughts on paper and guide me through the process. I have never done this before.
Thanks in advance, Scott
ssilver1@san.rr.com

QUOTH THE EXPERTS:
"WRITE SOME MORE"
(With apologies to Mr. Poe)
By Dodie Cross

Do you find that you are dreaming,
with your mind so busy scheming,
When of course you should be gleaning,
gleaning from your self-help books?
Help lies waiting for the wordless,
simply open your thesaurus,
Packed with pages full of meaning
that you simply can't ignore:
Quoth the Experts: "Write some more."

Are you blocked with eyes so bleary,
shoulders taut and body weary,
Not equipped to stop the daunting
doubts that gallop through your mind?
You must still the mindless chatter
that drones on in negative manner,
Lest you miss it when your writer's muse
raps softly on your door:
Quoth the Experts: "Write some more."

Do you find that you are staring
at the screen so often bearing
Endless phrases going nowhere
that should morph into a poem?
Then you surely now must cling to -
and so carefully adhere to
All the rules that you have learned to-
lean upon them as before:
Quoth the Experts: "Write some more."

Do you lie awake near midnight,
with a pencil, pad and bedlight,
Finding words that have more meaning,
with a mind aroused and teeming?
Then it's time to leave the confines
of your bed and do a stair-climb
To the window of your soul
that can no longer be ignored:
Quoth the Experts: "Write some more."

Do you fear the end result
of editors who want no part of
All your energy and love
of the creation that you wrought?
Fear no longer, you are stronger
as you write, submit, and ponder
When the mailman might come knocking,
knocking on your chamber door:
Quoth the Experts: "Write some more."

PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Meetings are open to all writers. The Guild aims to nurture and promote the craft of writing. We meet on the first Sunday of each month. For more information regarding The Palm Springs Writers Guild, please contact a Board Member - see back cover.

BOARD MEETING
Open to all members. Contact a Board Member for information, often the Board will meet informally at Borders Book Store. Please feel free to join us and our brainstorming sessions that bring forth ideas to improve our Palm Springs Writers Guild. We are able to meet informally only until our incorporation has been finalized. Member input is very important at this pre-incorporation time.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
WRITTEN CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEWSLETTER are welcomed, but subject to editing and possible delay in publication. Topics should be of interest to writers and content related to the Arts. Word count up to 600. Art and (or) photographs are accepted.

�?�Bill Clark ----------------- President's Message �?�Mary Barrer ------------- Member Profiles
�?�Joanne Hardy ----------- Speaker Review

GUILD GRAM
Edited and produced by
Board and Committee Members
Palm Springs Writers Guild Board

THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WRITERS' CONFERENCE - Palm Springs
Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2006
Featuring dozens of read & critique, Q&A and interactive troubleshooting workshops. Two specialty immersion tracks are also available this year. Novelist Drusilla Campbell's popular "Novel Cram" returns to empower writers with the tools and understanding to beat out an entire novel from scratch, and videogame writer Aaron Conners will conduct a Saturday-only immersion track devoted to writing interactive stories for the century's new cinema.
With plenty of authors, agents and editors aboard, the third annual SCWC*PS will be held at the Hyatt Regency Suites, 285 N. Palm Canyon Drive. Discounted rates for full conference registration is available through July 1.
Visit www.WritersConference.com
or call (619) 233-4651 for full details.

Officers - click here

Newsletter by
Board and Committee Members

PUBLISH * READINGS * WRITING CRITIQUES * MEETINGS * NEWSLETTER * CONTESTS * SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

Membership Renewal - click here

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

WEBSITE - PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org

May 2006 Newsletter:

noreply@blogger.com (Webmaster) — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 01:00:00 +0000

Guild Gram
PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley
MAY 2006
IN THIS ISSUE
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 2
SPEAKER REVIEW 2
MEMBERS IN NEWS 2
PSWG SLATE 3 & 4

PALM SPRINGS BOOK FESTIVAL
April 22nd, Saturday
�?� Display your book
�?� Sell your book
�?� PSWG Panel discussions

MEETING TIME:
Sunday: May 7, 2006
2:00 to 4:00 pm
Palm Desert Library
73300 Fred Waring Dr.
Palm Desert, CA

VOTE
It is time to vote for new Guild Executives.
Ballots will be distributed at the May meeting. Write-ins are acceptable.

MAY 7th SPEAKER
Penny Sanevieri
Market Your Book -
STRIKING INTERNET GOLD
Penny Sanevieri, author, publicist, freelance writer and instructor has been instrumental in creating several highly successful marketing and publicity campaigns for author events and book launches. She is President and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. and has developed and implemented countless marketing and publicity strategies. She has worked with such high profile clients as world renowned psychic and ghost buster, Jane Doherty, Jac Flanders (of the original Fantastic Four) and Tammi Menendez, wife of Erik Menendez. Her clients have been featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, Essence Magazine, More Magazine, The Bridal Guide, National Public Radio, MSNBC, Something You Should Know, The Heloise Show, many others.

She has been featured on KUSI TV-9/51, The NBC Morning Show, The Fox 6 Morning Show, KNPT Talk Radio in Oregon, Fox Talks KGWY in Wyoming, 760 AM KFMB The Internet Show, Book Nook, Mix 95.7 in San Diego, KFNX in Phoenix, KMZY in Hawaii, and many more. Copies of these programs are available upon request.

Penny's innovative marketing strategies have been featured in Writer's Digest Magazine, Book Marketing Update, The Publicity Hound, The San Diego Union Tribune, Working Writer Magazine, Vision Magazine, Writer's Web, New Book Reviews, Romance Writers of America, RW of Europe and many more. She also Editor for the e-newsletter The Book Marketing Expert which has a subscriber base in excess of two thousand.

She successfully authored her first book, The Cliffhanger, which was released in 2000. After a strategic marketing campaign it soared up the ranks at Amazon.com and held the #1 spot for three months. Her most recent book, From Book to Bestseller has been called the roadmap to publishing success.

You can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.com

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Bill Clark
The Palm Springs Writers Guild is now a member of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce. Why did we join? Because we support the Chamber mission statement: "...provide effective networking venues, educational programs and community projects, etc." We have expanded across Coachella Valley and, as writers, we can identify with and benefit from the Chamber's mission.

The Second Annual Palm Springs Book Festival is at our doorstep, April 22nd (Saturday). The PSWG is representing all local published authors. Walmart has graciously donated a book display unit for our use - all member authors are invited to display their books and posters at our booth that has been provided by Peppertree Bookstore. iUniverse has donated $500 to cover costs incurred. At 2:00pm Judy Weigle will Chair a panel at the PSWG booth: (see enclosed flier) Inside Industry Tips to Marketing your Book

It has been my pleasure to serve the Guild as President this year. Now it is time for my replacement and I am very pleased with the slate provided by the Nominating Committee under the leadership of Melody Fleming assisted by Carol Mann and Bob Hurlbert. We all look forward to another great year. Vote at the May 7th meeting.

The gauntlet will be passed on at the June Ice Cream Social meeting.

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Mary Barrer
Kurt Sipolski has been offered two scholarships this summer to study theater. Each program is for ten days. The first is "Introduction to Theater", and the second is "Wounded Warrior" which teaches playwriting in Belfast, Maine. It is designed primarily for wounded Iraq veterans.

Our treasurer Bob Hurlbert signed on as an extra for the movie, Next, being filmed here in the Valley. Bob was picked to play a scene with the star Nicholas Cage. Maybe Bob will tell us of this experience at our next meeting.

Kathy Houng, our talented author from Viet Nam has opened her own enterprise, a pet grooming salon in El Paseo. The Pampered Pet will give creative hair cuts, wash and groom all sizes of dogs and cats from the tiny Maltese to a big German Shepherd.

A warm welcome to Robena Schaerf, our newest member. She is a well known romance author and president of the Los Angeles Romance Authors.

Melody Fleming is teaching a weekly course in humor in San Bernadino. With Melody's flair for comedy that should be a hoot.

SPEAKER'S REVIEW
Joanne Hardy
Dessa Reed, whom President Bill Clark referred to as The First Lady of Poetry, helped Guild members celebrate Poetry month by sharing excerpts from her two books of poems, her experience in becoming a poet and discussing the craft of writing poetry.

She said when she learns a poet has come to town; she always goes to see them. She quoted Guild member, Carol Mann as saying, "I can't tell you what poetry has done for my prose." Other quotes came from February speaker, Larry Wilde who, in his speech said he asked Paddy Chayefsky how he kept his writing fresh. Chayefsky replied, "I read poetry." Last month's speaker, Thomas Sawyer suggested that in writing prose, descriptive passages should be poetic.

Dessa presented ten points to help writers create and use poetry.

First you should learn to be observant. She learned this lesson herself by closely watching a butterfly. "I had never really looked at a butterfly before." This experience found expression in her poem, "Butterfly Touch." Later, it became the title of her first book.

"Learn to think in metaphors, it will change your writing," she said.

"Believe there is poetry in everyone. Sometimes," she continued, "both poets and writers of prose experience the feeling of knowing 'it' is in there, but can't get it out.

"Look out from the eyes of others. What does an inanimate object feel or think." "Museum Muse" was a poem that resulted from an awakened appreciation for a piece of modern art.

"Poets tighten up the language. Writers tend to use too many words to say what they mean.

"Learn about the art of alliteration."

In writing fiction, you write about universal truths. When she interviewed her 107 year-old mother, who has experienced drastic social changes during her lifetime, she saw "eyes that pierced with an inner vision."

"Writing poetry is an emotional outlet."

She developed a motto. "Don't give and don't take unsolicited advice." This is the theme behind her poem, "You Should."

"Seven Bridges is a metaphor for the bridges we cross through life. What we write about is from our view as we cross our bridges.

"Poetry helps to put forth the big idea with an economy of words. Poetry can say a lot with a little.

"Sometimes you need to read a poem two or three times to really understand what the author wanted to convey."

Dessa was recently a delegate to the United Poets Laureate International World Congress in China. She was awarded a gold medal with the title of "Cultural Ambassador." Dessa lectured at the university in Beijing and in two high schools in Shanghai. She discovered that "students are very eager to learn English."

Dessa Reed was a nominee for the 2005 Poet Laureate of California. She is Poetry Editor for The Desert Woman Magazine, serves as a motivational speaker, teaches poetry workshops and is the author to two books, "The Butterfly Touch" and "Seven Bridges." She can be reached at DessaReed@aol.com or www.dessabyrdreed.com or phone 341-4510

ELECTION OF NEW OFFICERS
Please review the slate below. There is still an opening to fill, if interested, Melody Fleming can be reached by phone or e-mail:760-564-6841 laffingmatters@aol.com

PSWG '06 - '07 SLATE
FOR PRESIDENT:
DAWN SPITZ
DAWN HUNTLEY SPITZ: Graduated Skidmore College - Bachelor of Music Education, New York University - M.A. in Education, Famous Writers School. She taught elementary and high school music. Director of Creative Children's Theatre Workshop. Researcher for World Book Encyclopedia Dictionary. Correspondence Secretary to Norman Cousins. President of Scarsdale Congregational Church Guild.Church soloist and entertainer in clubs and libraries, etc. And, she wrote and produced musical revues and plays in the New York area.

Her verse, Where Lilies Grow, was used for a brass plaque in memorial garden at Skidmore. The verse, No Lunar Tunes, was accepted by the Journal of Light Verse. Her story, Redemption, won Southern California Writers Conference contest June 2005.

FOR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT:
BRUCE SINGER
Rev. Dr. Swami Sez is the alter ego and satire/parody persona of BRUCE E. SINGER, Humorist, Professional Entertainer, Marketing Entrepreneur, Songwriter and Voting Grammy Member.

Bruce performed in the original Legends of Rock 'n' Roll Shows impersonating Little Richard, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs, and Cat Stevens (ahh... the magic of makeup), being the warm up act for B.B. King, Tower of Power and Billy Preston. Crediting his comedy skills to his instructor of a Hollywood Comedy Class in the '70s, teacher and mentor was then-struggling comic, Jay Leno. Playing off of Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificent's clever "topic" and funny "punch line." His LAUGH-OUT-LOUD book (399 pages) is a humorous companion reader for all political humor lovers.

FOR VICE PRESIDENT, MEMBERSHIP:
MARY OLSON
First I focused on education, college and medical school at Indiana University, internship and residency at Detroit's Harper Hospital and fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at Mt. Sinai in New York City. I next moved to Minneapolis and devoted myself to keeping my husband and children happy and thawed out while I practiced medical oncology. After thirty-two years my husband and I retired and relocated in sunny Rancho Mirage.

I love desert retirement, golf, water aerobics, house guests, Living Desert classes, traveling, and most of all learning to write. I am writing a cookbook with stories linked to recipes and a novel about a family fighting hereditary breast cancer. I hope someday to get them finished and published.

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY:
JUDY JOYCE
Entertainment Attorney and former member of California Lawyers for the Arts. She represented a variety of artists for low fees or pro bono as a Conflict Resolution Specialist to insulate them against litigation as her own private contribution to their creative talent.

Most recently, Judy Joyce Tomsic was a delegate in International Conflict Resolution to New Zealand and Australia in 2002. She was a Judiciary Law delegate to South Africa in 2003. As the first Californian to meet with the Constitutional Court, the High Court of Appeal, and the Magistrate Court post-apartheid, JUDY traveled with 32 U.S. Federal and State judges.

FOR TREASURER:
MEL HARTER
Graduate of University of Illinois, went to medical school in Geneva, Switzerland where he married. Then trained, practiced and taught in Chicago.

Mel's writing credits include an illustrated audiotape patient education program, and a sex manual for his practice. Chicago's 1967 snowstorm and tornado drove him to Los Angeles, and in 1993 he retired and went back to his first love, writing. He was active in L.A.'s Southwest Manuscripters, Surfwriters and several writers' workshops.

As a retiree he incessantly rewrites two novels and a screenplay. He wrote a monthly humor column for Today's Senior Magazine (www.todaysr.com). His essays have appeared in local newspapers.

�?� RECORDING SECRETARY: VICKI MILLS (NEEDS A BACK UP BUDDY)

�?� MEMBERS AT LARGE: CAROL MANN AND BARI MADDOCK

�?� HISTORIAN: (NOT AN OFFICIAL OFFICE) ARLENE HOWARD

Stage And Screen Writing
EVENT - May 20th
2:00 to 4:00 pm at Cathedral City Library
Bill Clark and Bob Hurlbert will share some how-tos of writing for stage and screen that will include formatting with and without computer writing programs.

PUBLISHED AUTHORS
Bring your books early, by 9 am, to the PSWG Book Fest Booth.
The Guild has a book display rack for member use.
Display of the books only - no sales at the Guild booth.

APRIL 22nd, 2006, Saturday
2nd ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS BOOK FESTIVAL
FRANCES STEVENS PARK
538 N. Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
www.psbookfest.com
Peppertree Bookstore, 325-482

PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD
Meetings are open to all writers. The Guild aims to nurture and promote the craft of writing. We meet on the first Sunday of each month. For more information regarding The Palm Springs Writers Guild, please contact a Board Member - see back cover.

BOARD MEETING
Open to all members. Contact a Board Member for information, often the Board will meet informally at Borders Book Store. Please feel free to join us and our brainstorming sessions that bring forth ideas to improve our Palm Springs Writers Guild. We are able to meet informally only until our incorporation has been finalized. Member input is very important at this pre-incorporation time.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
WRITTEN CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEWSLETTER are welcomed, but subject to editing and possible delay in publication. Topics should be of interest to writers and content related to the Arts. Word count up to 600. Art and (or) photographs are accepted.
�?�Bill Clark ----------------- President's Message
�?�Mary Barrer ------------- Member Profiles
�?�Joanne Hardy ----------- Speaker Review

GUILD GRAM
Edited and produced by
Board and Committee Members
Palm Springs Writers Guild Board

Officers - click here

Newsletter by
Board and Committee Members

PUBLISH * READINGS * WRITING CRITIQUES * MEETINGS * NEWSLETTER * CONTESTS * SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

Palm Springs Writers Guild
P.O. Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

WEBSITE - PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org