Hartley Stevens, author of the Tales of the Cable Counties Thriller series, presented the nuts and bolts of launching his first two books, Buck Wild and Absolute Bull. His April 2016 launch party, attended by more than 300 people, resulted in the sale of over 200 books. His book-launch event … Read More
From looking at thousands of manuscripts over the last decade, Belea Keeney has identified the five most common mistakes writers make. 1. Problems with point of view (POV). The writer must establish with the reader which character's head the writer is in. The omniscient narrator is out of fashion with … Read More
“Write what you know,” Fiordalisi said. Accurate details of the business or industry in which your book is set will increase your book’s credibility. You may think your work experience unworthy of a story, but others will disagree. Secretaries, for example, have a wealth of knowledge they can base a … Read More
Rebecca Heflin, Gainesville author of contemporary romance, revealed many secrets of writing for fun and profit in her March 12 PowerPoint presentation. Too bad we cannot include all of them here. She stressed the importance of voice, saying that "a bad editor can take away the author's voice; don't let … Read More
WAG member Mallory M. O'Connor and her co-author, Gary Monroe, discussed their book, Florida’s American Heritage River: Images from the St. Johns Region at the Matheson History Museum in downtown Gainesville at 4:00 p.m. on April 8. This event was held in conjunction with the museum's exhibit, River of Dreams: … Read More
Kassandra Lamb, retired psychotherapist turned mystery writer, presented seven lessons she has learned about including social issues in fiction: show, don’t tell; do your research; make readers care about the character; don’t stereotype; keep it balanced; expect some push back; and be open to learning from your characters. “Authors must show readers … Read More
Professor Emeritus Ronald W. Haase, who taught architecture for twenty years at the University of Florida, shared his experience of transitioning from the college teaching environment to creating fiction, while incorporating his respect for and knowledge of architecture. In his presentation, Haase explored with good humor the good, the bad, … Read More
