Upcoming Events

   December 1
Santa Cruz Chapter Authors' Book Fair @ 1PM
Green Valley Library Santa Cruz Chapter website

   December 8
Arizona Mystery Writers @10-2PM
Morning—Dr. Goggy Davidowitz, UA Dept of Entomology, speaks on Forensic Entomology. Afternoon—writing assignment based on morning speaker. El Parador Restaurant 2744 East Broadway Blvd.
RSVP at www.arizonamysterywriters.com.

   December 16
SSA Forum @ 11am—2pm
Tucson City Center InnSuites
"Hoƒ Ho... Ho... Let's have fun! The Holidays are coming!" with many fun events
(see article this page)

   January 20
Arizona Mystery Writers @10-2PM
Morning—India Davis is a Corrections Captain at the Pima County Adult Detention Complex—find out what itÍs like to be a guard in a large jail. Afternoon—writing assignment based on morning speaker. El Parador Restaurant 2744 East Broadway Blvd.
RSVP at www.arizonamysterywriters.com.

   January 12
Santa Cruz Chapter @ 11am—2pm
Sixth annual Authors' Showcase and Luncheon at the Lavender Restaurant
Santa Cruz Chapter website

   January 20
SSA Forum @ 11am—2pm
Tucson City Center InnSuites
Alexis Powers - "Make Your Writing Dreams Come True"
(see article this page)


To R.S.V.P. SSA Forum
Leave Phone Message
at 546-9382
or e-mail: ssabrunches@gmail.com WEDNESDAY before the Forum
$25 with reservation or
$30 paid at the door



this invitation to all SSA members, families and guests to join us at the Tucson City Hotel Inn Suites on Sunday, December 16th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm for our holiday forum.

   Please bring your own books to sell, and a gift wrapped book that will go to the Salvation Army Hurricane Sandy Children's Relief. Tape the age range of the child reader on the outside. Gift wrapped books for adults are welcome also. Gender and Genre on the outside please.

   Openings for volunteers who would like to read a poem or two, a short story or an essay, sing, dance or entertain are still available. We welcome any Creative Talent, as long as it has to do with Christmas, Hanukkah, etc. Surprise us with an old family favorite, a video, anything that will rock our hearts for the coming holidays. Presentations should be seven minutes or less.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyeaux Noel, Felice Navidad!                  


   Novelist/columnist and SSA member Alexis Powers will address the January 20 meeting in Tucson on the topic of how writers can publish and promote their books. Her presentation begins with her adventure in self-publishing that happened over twenty years ago when self-publishing was not an everyday occurrence. After receiving rejection after rejection from agents and publishers for her first mystery novel, Kiss My Tattoo, Alexis got depressed. Then she got angry. When a colleague at her law firm offered to publish the book by Xeroxing it, Alexis went for it.

   Her escapades in writing have taken her many places she never dreamed of going, one of them a writers' conference at Asilomar. While promoting Kiss My Tattoo, Alexis wrote the second novel in the Leah Gordon series, Kiss Daddy Goodbye. Although working full time at a law firm, she was relentless in selling her first novel and learned how to promote herself. Newspaper coverage gave her an edge and she was asked to be the main speaker at a Writer's Conference. That led to other speaking engagements.

   In addition to two mystery series, Alexis published a non-fiction book entitled Paths to Freedom, wrote a children's book, Madi's Dollhouse, and recently published her memoir, Don't Die Before Paris. Besides being a prolific author, Alexis writes a weekly column for the Arizona Daily Star. For more than a year she has been conducting a Writers' Workshop at the Oro Valley Library every other Wednesday. Alexis has helped many authors accomplish their dream of getting published.

   This author's talk promises to be lively, and filled with amusing anecdotes. She will be prepared to answer any questions you have regarding writing, publishing and promotion of your product. You can see a list of her books on her website, www.alexispowers.net.




Successes

Wendy (Philomena) Green announces her newly published memoir, Mirror Image.
"When the silence of my childhood was let out in the sun, everything exploded around me and I was propelled back to the bastard child living in poverty-stricken rural Ireland during and after WWII. They called me Lily McCarthy, but I didn't look like a McCarthy, and I never felt I belonged in the family. All my young life, I waited in fear for the woman in the motorcar to come and take me to the orphanage. It was many years later, when my children pursued their Irish heritage, that I discovered my true identity and met my mirror image."
Mirror Image was published by Createspace in print form and by Smashwords in ebook form. It is available on www.Amazon.com, www.Barnes&Noble.com, and in all ebook formats.

Alison Holt announced the release of her newest fantasy fiction, The Spirit Child, which is available in both eBook format and paperback. It has white wolves, swords, strong women and adventure. What more could anyone want? Check it out at www.alisonholtbooks.com

Kris Neri is "so excited!"—in Albuquerque, NM, her book, Magical Alienation, number two in the Samantha Brennan & Annabelle Haggerty Magical Mystery series, featuring a questionable psychic who teams up with a modern goddess/FBI agent, won the 2012 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award. It's also been both a Lefty Award nominee and an International Book Award nominee.
"There is nothing like when they announce the category and call your name…sigh…a moment like no other. I wish this experience for all of you." Right now it's on sale (and can be personally signed) at www.wellredcoyote2.com/pd_magical_alienation.cfm through 12/31. You can get more info and read an excerpt at www.krisneri.com/MA-about.html "They'll make great holiday gifts for your friends and family, or even yourself (hint, hint)"

D.R. Ransdell's short story "Slow Learner" was just published in the recent Chicken Soup for the Soul book titled I Can't Believe My Cat Did That! Read more about her cats at www.dr-ransdell.com

Bonnie Willemssen's Rocky Road is Not Just an Ice Cream is a collection of columns that have been printed in newspapers in both Minnesota and Arizona. Bonnie finds a way to make the mundane seem comical and the ordinary seem amusing. These anecdotes on youth, middle age, and the slippery slide to elderhood are laugh-provoking tales with which so many people will identify. You can order both the Kindle and paperback versions from AMAZON.COM. Visit Bonnie's blog at BonnieWillemssen.Wordpress.com




The Write Word
published bi-monthly by the Board of Directors
of The Society of Southwestern Authors
P.O. Box 30355, Tucson, AZ 85751

Board of Dirctors

President
Carroll Rinehart:
c.rinehart48@gmail.com

Vice President; Membership Chair
Penny Porter: wporter202@aol.com

Treasurer
Jay McCall: jmccall415@msn.com

Recording Secretary
Danette Young: dmyoung3@gmail.com

Corresponding Secretary
Concy Richardson: concy@comcast.net

Forum Program Chair
Penny Porter: wporter202@aol.com

Forum Reservations Chair
Duke Southard: dukesout@dukesouthard.com
Reservations: 546-9382 or
E-mail: ssabrunches@gmail.com

Members at Large
Steve Adelson (advertising manager of events):
Adelson2001@gmail.com

Gayle Martin
(publisher & owner—Good Oak Press, editor, author, book cover designer):
info@lukeandjennybooks.com

Jan Holmes Frost: janholmesfrost@gmail.com

Cynthia Roedig: cynthia_33@msn.com

Committees

Conference Co-Chair
TBA

Writing Contest
TBA

Speaker's Bureau Coordinator
TBA

Writing Group Coordinator
Barry Webb: Barrywebb3@yahoo.com

Write Word Editor
Mike Rom: (520) 410-1294 (beep)
e-mail: writeword@ssa-az.org


SSA Home Page:

http://www.ssa-az.org

Webmaster
Mike Rom: writeword@ssa-az.org

NOTE: Deadline for next issue is the 15th day of November