Pikes Peak Writers Blog

Posted By Ron on December 4, 2009

From Janet Fogg, Author of Soliloquy–out January 15, 2010 from Wild Rose Press–regarding how her attendance at the media workshop at the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers Conference helped her prepare her social media marketing plan. (The media workshop was part of the optional Thursday advanced track.)

Hi, Ron! I attended the Thursday all-day marketing panel before the PPW conference this spring and thought you might be interested to learn that I took your words to heart, filming this Author Spotlight in anticipation of my book’s release in January. Also have a short teaser trailer and will launch my last bit of video in January when I release the full trailer. See, old students really do haunt their teachers – and we listen, too!!! Best regards and thanks again for sharing your words of wisdom regarding social networking. Janet

Follow Janet on YouTube , along with the the PikesPeakWriters Channel and watch for information on the 2010 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, coming soon. Save the dates April 23-25, 2010 at the Colorado Springs Marriott.

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Tags: 2009 conference, 2010 conference, add on, advanced track, marketing, social networking, YouTube

Posted By DeAnna on November 28, 2009

Congratulations to our Pikes Peak Writers who are being published this quarter!  Please let me know if you are having something published in the near future.  Thanks!

Fogg, Janet. Soliloquy.  The Wild Rose Press (January 15, 2009; ISBN 1-60154-588-6).  A time-travel romance novel for adults, in softcover and digital formats.  Purchase from the publisher’s website at www.thewildrosepress.com, Amazon, and other online sources.  Author website at www.janetfogg.com and www.jfoggblog.blogspot.com.

A tale of passion.  Of heroes, hope, and the consequences of creating extraordinary music amidst the dark nights of World War II.  Erin Lockhart Meyer’s sudden passage backward in time to World War II France forces her to use her music to protect members of the Resistance from the attention of a German officer.  A concert pianist and composer, now she’s performing for her life.  But what she thought was already an impenetrable maze of confusion becomes even more mystifying when she helps a wounded British pilot evade capture.  Arick.  Arick Ambrose.  She recognizes him; knows his name.  But she knows him from her own life and time.  How could he be here as well?  Does he remember her?  Erin’s attraction to Arick could prove deadly as the German officer demands more and more from Erin.  Will she learn how to return to her own time?  If she does return, will she ever find Arick again?  For Erin, time is running out.

Raised in Colorado, Janet Fogg’s interest in writing flourished in the 5th grade when  awarded bronze for a statewide essay contest.  The essay’s first sentence?  “George Washington was a great man.”  Definitely a winner!  Janet’s focus on novel-length fiction began while CFO for the coolest architectural firm in Boulder.  Three novels and numerous awards later, writing became her vocation when Janet resigned from OZ Architecture in 2008.  In addition to refining her marketing plans for Soliloquy, Janet’s currently at work on a SF manuscript and two collaborative, narrative non-fictions.  In her free time she has fun with cars with husband Richard.

Groundwater, Beth. The Epsiolon Eridani Alternative.  Virtual Tales (December 8, 2009; Paperback 1-935460-13-7; eBook 1-935460-19-6).  A hard SF novella for adults, in paperback, eSerial, and eBook formats.  Purchase from the publisher’s website at www.virtualtales.com/Science-Fiction/Epsilon-Eridani-Alternative.html.  Author website at www.bethgroundwater.com and bethgroundwater.blogspot.com.

What would you do if you were confronted with a “kill or be-killed” scenario? What if that meant that you had to kill an infant of an alien species to save your own life? And what if the future of the human race depended on your decision? Space colonists from Earth crash-land on a planet orbiting the star Epsilon Eridani and immediately wrestle with an ethical dilemma.  They emerge from their stasis pods 33 years older than when they started and must decide whether or not to harvest stem cells from alien infants to counteract the effects of human aging… even though the process will kill the infants. As factions develop among the astronauts, the scientists race ahead with experiments to restore their youthful vigor, and must face the unexpected consequences of their choices.

Beth Groundwater writes the Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series (A Real Basket Case, nominated for the 2007 Best First Novel Agatha Award, and To Hell in a Handbasket, May, 2009).  Beth also writes the Mandy Tanner river ranger mystery series (the first of which, Wicked Whitewater, will be released in 2010).  Her science fiction novella, The Epsilon Eridani Alternative, was published in November, 2009, and she has published eight short stories.  Beth lives in Colorado and enjoys its many outdoor activities, including skiing and whitewater rafting.

Houk, Mandy. “For Richer, for Poorer” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Counting Your Blessings:  101 Stories of Gratitude, Fortitude, and Silver Linings. Chicken Soup for the Soul (November 3, 2009; ISBN 1935096400).  A nonfiction story for adults.  Purchase from Amazon.  Author website at www.mandyhouk.com.

These inspirational stories remind us that each day holds something to be thankful for — whether it is having the sun shine or having food on the table.  Power outages and storms, health scares and illnesses, job woes and financial insecurities, housing challenges and family worries test us all.  But there is always a silver lining.  The simple pleasures of family, home, health, and inexpensive good times are described.  These stories of optimism, faith, and strength will make a great start to 2010.

Mandy Houk is a freelance writer and editor and creative writing teacher.  She is currently working on her second novel (not expecting the first one to see the light of day).

Wisgirda, Nancy, writing as Nancy Williams. Hawkmoon.  Loon in Balloon, Inc. (November 12, 2009; ISBN 978-0-9737497-7-9).  A Western novel for adults.  Purchase from www.looninballoon.com or Amazon.  Author website at nlwbooks.com.

Set on the frontier plains, Hawkmoon is a story of love versus possession.  Abandoned at a circus, orphan Sadie Hawkmoon is abducted by Ice, a brutal horse thief who has run a murderous gang up and down the plains since the end of the Civil War.  He claims her for his child, but one dark night, in the most vicious act of betrayal, he makes her his lover, and, over the course of the next four years, his protégé.  Sadie must find a way out or lose herself forever.  Escaping Ice’s clutches, she crosses paths with fiery Seth Wilder.  While driving a herd of horses to auction in Denver, they clash in their struggle to understand love, and whether they can find it in themselves and for each other.  All the while Ice looms like a storm on the horizon, obsessed with getting Hawkmoon back.

Nancy Williams is a graduate of Allegheny College in Meadville, PA.  Nancy grew up on a farm in Meadville, where she currently lives with two cats, two dogs, two cows and two horses.  Hawkmoon is her first published novel.  Nancy is a winner of the Paul Gillette Award in the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers’ competition for her novel Grace.

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Posted By Ron on November 2, 2009

We are excited to announce the following VIP judges, who will be judging the final round of the 2010 Pikes Peak Writers Fiction Contest: The Paul Gillette Awards.

Children’s:  Jennifer Rees, Scholastic
Historical Fiction: Rachelle Gardner, WordServe Literary Group
Mainstream: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary Agency
Mystery/Suspense/Intrigue: Kathleen Gilligan, Thomas Dunne (St. Martins) Books
Romance: Brenda Chin,Harlequin
Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary Agency
Short Story: Denise Little, Tor
Young Adult: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary Agency

Entry deadline November 15, 2009. Get Rules and Information Register.

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Posted By Ron on October 30, 2009

Special to the Pikes Peak Writers Blog from Mandy Houk, PPW NewsMagazine Editor.

Mandy Houk

Last year, I did not plan to participate in NaNoWriMo. I’d heard about it in years past and pretty much avoided even thinking about it. It was too huge of a thing for little old me to handle.

But I’d joined Pikes Peak Writers several months earlier, and the emails from NaNo participants were hard to ignore. They were so excited—the rookies and the old-timers alike. They were sending buddy requests, counting down days, outlining their plots, planning write-in parties. The excitement, the giddiness, the buzz—they were contagious.

To put it simply: I succumbed to peer pressure.

And by November 30th I’d turned an idea that had been rattling around in my head for two years into the first 52,000 words of my second novel. My first novel (which currently resides in the proverbial drawer) took me nearly a year to write, so nobody was more astonished at my NaNo accomplishment than I was.

This year, I wasn’t planning to participate again. I’ve got the NewsMag Editor thing to think about, along with teaching a Creative Writing class and home schooling my middle school daughter. And I don’t have a new idea—nor an old one that’s waiting for attention.

But I have promised my Creative Writing students (and both of my writing-loving daughters) to keep them informed about contest and publication opportunities for youth. When I saw the Young Writers Program within NaNoWriMo, I was thrilled to share the opportunity with them.

Then a funny thing happened. A bunch of them—including both of my daughters—signed up. So I had to sign up as the esteemed “Educator.” (Technically, I don’t think the esteem is automatic. But I can dream.) Turns out that when you sign up as an Educator, you’re automatically entered into the challenge.

At first, I was annoyed. I hadn’t planned to join the insanity again. Not because I hadn’t loved it last year—I really did. But last year, I had a ripe idea just waiting to drop off the tree. Even though it was tricky to work writing into my daily schedule (and holiday cooking, baking, cleaning, and hostessing), it was also a huge thrill. And it gave me a new vision of myself as someone who actually can do huge things, not just dream about them. That’s something that will last me a lifetime.

So I spent a couple of days being annoyed. Griping. Whining. It was a fun couple of days. And then I started looking at the YWP workbooks (they really are, as the site says, “non-lame”). And I started receiving emails from my students, who are absolutely boiling over with excitement. They’re setting cool word count goals (13,013 in one case). They’re asking me how to schedule their writing. They’re asking me about my novel, and telling me it sounds really funny. (It’s not supposed to be. It’s supposed to be poignant. I might need to rethink my logline.)
All of this is beginning to feel quite familiar. The group dynamics of sharing a common goal, a common dream. The contagion of excitement. The giddiness. The buzz.

Apparently, peer pressure crosses generational boundaries. Even by twenty or thirty years.

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Tags: Education, NaNoWriMo, PPW does NaNo, youth writing program

Posted By Ron on August 25, 2009

Elmer Kelton, icon in western fiction and faculty member at the 2002 Pikes Peak Writers conference, died Saturday, August 22 at the age of 83. (Read the full article)

Below is the bio material from the 2002 PPWC program brochure:
——————
Elmer is the author of 38 novels and his latest, Badger Boy, came out in January 2001. Three of his novels have appeared in Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. Four have won the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City. Six have won the Spur award from Western Writers of America. In 1987 he received the Barbara McCombs/Lon Tinkle Award for “continuing excellence in Texas letters” from the Texas Institute of Letters. In 1990 he received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western Literature Association. The Texas Legislature proclaimed Elmer Kelton Day in April 1997. In 1998 he received the first Lone Star award for Lifetime Achievement from the Larry McMurtry Center for Arts and
Humanities at Midwestern State University in Texas. He also received honorary doctorates from Hardin-Simmons University and Texas Tech University. He was given a lifetime achievement award by the National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock.
—————–

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Tags: passings

Posted By Ron on July 8, 2009

The 2009 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, including an interview with Jeffery Deaver, was featured in the premier episode of Infocus with Eden Lane on KBDI public television, and aired June 28. Here is the full episode! Thanks, Eden for the coverage and the link.

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Tags: Conference, Jeffery Deaver, PPWC, publicity

Posted By Ron on June 4, 2009

Reprinted from the Pikes Peak Writers NewsMagazine

October of 2008 tossed us, and six billion other people, some challenges.  As deadlines loomed for the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, our organization went after each of these challenges, only to be slapped by another one almost without delay.  Rumors of budget cuts in the New York houses brought concerns that some of our faculty, agents, and editors might not be able to attend.  Skyrocketing fuel prices drove concerns about transportation costs for faculty and guests.  For a number of reasons, we had more changes in faculty than ever in the history of PPWC, some within days of the conference start.

Bleak economic news, layoffs, bailouts, financial collapse, all became commonplace descriptors of the world around us, each being a harbinger of a potential PPWC disaster. To paraphrase Chief Dan George in the movie The Outlaw Josie Wales, “we endeavored to persevere…”

Should we increase conference fees in a rapidly receding economy?  Should we change our policies on faculty, and perhaps risk a potential drop in quality?  Could we add new programs to the conference agenda?  Should we?  We got news that a major sponsor had dropped sponsorship for 2009.  Were we on the path to catastrophe?  We no longer viewed The Hero’s Journey just as a formula for storytelling, but as a function of our quest for success.  With the help of valued partners, we took up the gauntlet.

April 27, the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers conference has ended-successfully.  Hundreds of smiling faces graced the halls, lobbies and conference rooms.  Hundreds of eager minds fed on the accumulated knowledge of esteemed, well-prepared faculty. Airplanes landed, meals disappeared to nourish the eager minds, bottles emptied.  Conversations created new friendships and solidified old ones.  Airplanes departed.  There was no catastrophe.

We did not increase conference fees, nor did we reduce the quality of our invited faculty.  We did add four new programs; a full day on Thursday, speed pitching, a large book signing and open mic readings, all of which were immensely successful.  And we did overcome the loss of a major sponsor.

At conference, we awarded significant players in our success, heroes in our journey whose stories appear elsewhere in this expanded edition of the NewsMag.  A web page, currently in development, will tell the tales of all the heroes who strode against operational challenges and the hordes of operational minutiae.  The space on this page, and another minute of your time are for another group of heroes are not those we see every day, but are indeed the behind-the-scenes magicians who pull the levers, pulleys and strings to make everything come together.  Those who enable us to beat back the demons of the 2009 economy.

Hotel Heroes: Stacy Peak and Kayla Conger of the Colorado Springs Marriott led a phenomenal staff, and worked for hours with us to provide value options and creative solutions for the hundreds of details it takes to mount a conference of this size.  Glenn Hodge, also of the Marriott, worked with us to form a joint venture as an innovative answer to our audio recordings and delivery of completed CDs and DVDs.

Travel Hero: When fuel costs began to soar, and last minute faculty changes occurred, Liz Mueller at Travel Travel worked some special magic to keep our travel costs within budget all the way to the end.

Publicity Heroes: Carrie Simison-Bitz, Jill Thomas, and the Colorado Springs Independent helped us to spread the word with out-of-the-box ways to expand our advertising messages in both depth and breadth.

Fundraising Hero: Dogosaurus Ruh Mandeville, and his mom Chris of course, went paws full out to chase down replacement dollars for our lost corporate sponsorship.  Ruh’s Boosters and the Pen Pal program (thanks to pens donated by Rainbow Editing and 150 gift donors) gained back those lost dollars, with a little to spare.

Faculty Heroes: Linda Rohrbough, Angel Smits, Susan Mitchell, and Deb Courtney showed up on the field of honor a full day early to do presentations in three optional tracks.

My quota of magic words is fading fast.  Please think a thought of thanks for those who helped us bring this all together.  With dedicated partners beside us, we picked up the gauntlet-and won.

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Tags: Conference, NewsMag, PPWC

Posted By Ron on March 17, 2009

We’re excited about the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, and are using YouTube to help get the word out. This is our first shot!

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Posted By Ron on February 5, 2009

By Dalys Timpanaro – Melbourne, Australia

[Editors note: We're happy to welcome Dalys as a guest blogger. She queried us last week about putting on a conference in Australia, I told her we'd love to but... In lieu, she accepted my offer to do some guest blog pieces about writing in her part of the world. Give her a warm welcome,  and some comments.  Ron Heimbecher, President Pikes Peak Writers]

Some of the world still does not know Australia exists. Still, many Australians are quite patriotic and opinionated. Her acquaintances, family and friends can easily misunderstand a woman who desires to have an artistic career. Also another dynamic in Australia is what is known as the “suburban mentality.” I think it’s called “small town syndrome” in the US. We also have a “tall poppy syndrome” where people like to knock those folks who become successful.

I was at a barbeque on the weekend; yes a typical “Aussie Barbie” is what we call it here in “Oz”, when the meeting and greeting began with words, “So what do you do for work?” Of course, feeling my insecurity bubble up, I answered, “I am a writer.” Which was predictably responded to with, “Oh, but I meant what you do for a job?” On the defence, my reaction was,  “Oh you mean a real job?” and then after long pause, “Seriously, this is what I do and I love it.”

One can’t help feeling here that often Australians don’t really enjoy seeing others succeed; unless there is no way you can deny a person’s success, such as the achievements of someone on a par with fellow Australian actress, Cate Blanchett! Australians seem to love to tear down anyone who is striving for a dream they are passionate about; waiting eagerly for the dreamer to fail so that they can feel better about their own fear of “doing!”

The advice I received when I started looking for ways to publish my books was do it for the love and not for the money as only 1% of writers make a good living from it. Well, at least someone is making money. Does anyone just write for the money? Or is it that we just can’t help but write? Words just come into the mind and they have to be let out, just as a cat has to be let out of the house whenever it feels the need. It’s about finding a way to clear out the clutter in the mind so that true inspiration can float in as my motivation to write.

The writing industry in Australia is similar to an undercover agency where no body really knows anyone unless they know “someone” and then if they know “someone” that means they know “everyone!” Suffice to say that networking is the key in any kind of Australian business. The Australian market is also considerably smaller than that of say New York, so to get funding on a project that is a little different can be difficult. It can be seen as being too much of a gamble to try to get an original concept off the ground and into the listening and embrace of the commercial audience, expanding what is possible and what people actually want. A perfect example of how small our market is how many commercial radio stations we have in Australia. We have around five FM commercial radio stations per state that offer very little options for different music. Carbon copy music play lists are on constant rotation.

The best thing about writing in Australia is the freedom to say what ever I want without anyone interrupting, or talking over me until they have read all or at least some of what I’ve had to say. Wonderful isn’t it? I can put all of my brutally honest feelings and wicked thoughts on a piece of paper and look at it later. I don’t have to make anything pretty or please anyone except myself unless of course I want to get paid, then it gets a bit tricky.

Then there is the idea that I need to be original and do something that no one else has thought of before, so that my book stands out in the crowded shelves. Should I be original and free with my wicked and weird thoughts or should I follow in the tracks of already successful writers and try to mimic what they do? Should I just forget about writing all together and stick to a real job, so as not to make my friends and family feel uncomfortable? I think not! I’d rather fight the odds and live a life that is extraordinary!

———————————————————————————————————-

Dalys Timpanaro

Dalys has always found situations and people fascinating. So much so, that the need to write was a natural and honest way to get things off her chest. Her way of putting words together and reading them out aloud to see which ones sound good next each other is similar to cooking. It has to be done with love.
Her work is inspired through culture and people watching. Finding out what make people tick, why they do the things they do, and how it in turn, affects those closest to them. Dalys is also very interested in encouraging children to develop their creative talents and has been involved in creating an arts and music department for the children at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
Her life purpose is to move, reach and inspire people through the magic of words, pictures and music.
Dalys has written plays, lyrics, TV and Film scripts as well as children’s books, and is currently working on a non fictional novel [ed: creative non-fiction].

Category: Guest Bloggers | 1 Comment »
Tags: Guest Bloggers

Posted By Deb Courtney on January 5, 2009

Apropos of nothing:

–”He’d been told the target was an ill-tempered dwarf of a woman, with a bad haircut and a worse disposition, but…”

Respond using the comments feature.  And don’t forget, our contest is still going on…read about it here.

Have fun writing — I always do.

Category: Blogroll, Contests, Deb Courtney, General, The Untimely Prompt, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Tags: Deb Courtney; The Untimely Prompt; writing prompt. Pikes Peak Writers; General Weirdness