HARK!
I hear … pitches…
“Phoenix Writers Club: Writers Helping Writers Since 1926.”
Hmmm … That’s almost 100 years. Here in the Boring ‘20s, it’s hard to fathom HARK Valley in the Roaring ‘20s.
Anyway, this is the perfect time for writers/readers to tune into this group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/phxwritersclub or the website
Both have info on a big summer event:
“Join us Saturday, August 21, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom for award-winning author Isabella Maldonado. Email navissak@hotmail.com to rsvp.
This is one bad-a$$ author.
Write what you know?
Dude, she knows the crime game!
According to her bio, “Award-winning author Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. The first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her police department, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander.”
Her latest book is “The Cipher,” which she plans as a new series that sounds like it should be Julianne Moore’s next movie (I don’t have any special knowledge, just inserting a favorite actor):
“FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera escaped a serial killer’s trap at sixteen. Years later, when she’s jumped in a Virginia park, a video of the attack goes viral. Legions of new fans are not the only ones impressed with her fighting skills. The man who abducted her eleven years ago is watching. Determined to reclaim his lost prize, he commits a grisly murder designed to pull her into the investigation…but his games are just beginning. And he’s using the internet to invite the public to play along.”
If you miss the Phoenix Writers Club event, you can check in with the cop-turned-writer at 11:15 a.m. September 10 at a Tempe Library-hosted Zoom.
https://tempepubliclibrary.libnet.info/events
And, on Sept. 11, Maldonado is a panelist at the Write Now! Annual Workshop & Conference webinar.
Info: https://desertsleuths.com/2021conference/
This is a must-attend event for rejected writers of all genres.
Named the Best Writers Conference in Arizona by The Writer Magazine, general admission is $25 ($15 for Desert Sleuth members).
The timid wallflowers can just peek in Sept. 11 for stories about how Maldonado and other writers “made it.”
Guest of Honor is Ann Cleeves, who has only published 30 books in 30 years (with adaptations of Raven Black and White Nights, among others). She will be interviewed by Shannon Baker, a Tucson-to-Flagstaff powerhouse author, named Writer of the Year for 2014 and 2017-18 (Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers); she’s known for The Desert Behind Me and the Kate Fox series, along with the Nora Abbott mysteries.
Others talking the writer talk Join Gary Phillips, Kelli Stanley, and Eric Beetner (“as they talk about blurring genre lines”).
The rejected writers club will want to tune into:
Publishing Industry Panel: What You Need to Know Now
Join Bronwen Hruska, Jenna Jankowski, and Brett Battles as they talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly in publishing today. Whether it’s large, traditional publishers consolidating into fewer and fewer corporate entities, independent publishing, or the rise of hybrid publishing, our panel will catch you up.
And those who really want to get in the game will want to fork out for $30 “consultation sessions” Sept. 10.
EditNow! with Connie Dowell (Book Echoes Media)
$30 for first 5 pages edit
5 Page Edits (Via Track Changes/Comments) provided by Freelance Editor Connie Dowell of Book Echoes Media
There will be no Zoom or face to face meetings. All feedback will be provided via email by Sept 25.
PitchNow! with Agent Madelyn Burt (Stonesong Literary Agency)
$30 for 10 minute pitch/consultation
Dedicated time to pitch and discuss your completed manuscript with Agent Madelyn Burt of Stonesong Literary.
She is focused on adult mysteries, crime, & thrillers, although she is interested in both adult & children’s fiction. She is drawn to character-driven stories that feature tight-knit groups & strong friendships, quests & heists, & unique voices. She is also particularly interested in fiction & select nonfiction that is able to make a historical person or period accessible.
PitchNow! with Agent Christina Hogrebe (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
$30 for 10 minute pitch/consultation
Dedicated time to pitch and discuss your completed manuscript with Agent Christina Hogrebe of the Jane Rotrosen Agency.
Her focus is on commercial adult fiction, especially domestic suspense, mystery, romantic comedy, women’s fiction, historical fiction, and anything British.
PitchNow! with Asst Editor Jenna Jankowski (Sourcebooks)
$30 for 10 minute pitch/consultation
Dedicated time to pitch & discuss your completed manuscript with Asst Editor Jenna Jankowski of Sourcebooks.
Jenna acquires both adult fiction & nonfiction, with an emphasis on diverse voices. Mystery/suspense/thriller categories, including psychological suspense, cozy mysteries, & contemporary crime fiction; mainstream contemporary fiction with a literary edge; speculative and horror; and engaging narrative nonfiction with revealing history, science, and social science.
MarketNow! with Hailey Dezort (Kaye Publicity)
$50 for 30 minutes, $100 for 60 minutes
For a 30 minute session, you will have your website evaluated by publicity and marketing professional, Hailey Dezort of Kaye Publicity. You will need to provide your website information when prompted.
Book two back-to-back 30 minute sessions to total 60 minutes and add the evaluation of 2 social media sites and author pages (ie. Bookbub, Amazon, and Goodreads). If booking 60 minutes, please also provide the links to your social media sites/author pages when prompted.