Nick Taylor’s first novel, The Disagreement, published by Simon and Schuster in 2008, has been compared him to Crane and Fitzgerald, and he has been acclaimed by Civil War historians. Nick is a graduate of the MFA program at the University of Virginia, and recipient of fellowships from the Virginia commission for the arts, the William R. Kenan, Jr., Trust for Historic Preservation and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. He is now an assistant professor in the department of English and Comparative Literature at San Jose State University, editor of the university’s literary magazine, Reed, and a participant in SJSU’s creative writing program.

Alice Wilson-Fried and Laurel Anne Hill were our speakers this month.

A native of New Orleans, Alice Wilson-Fried's first novel Outside Child is a murder mystery set in her hometown. Her first published work was a nonfiction, Menopause, Sisterhood, and Tennis. Website

Laurel Anne Hill's first novel Heroes Arise is an award-winning science fiction parable about the pursuit of honor and justice. Laurel also writes award winning short fiction. Website

Luisa Adams, author of Woven of Water, is no stranger to California Writers’ Club, Peninsula Branch. Her published memoir, Woven of Water, has its roots in CWC history. As a first place winner in the nonfiction category at the Jack London conference in 1997, she went on to become a board member and committee chair for future conferences. She is an advocate for the power of club membership to promote personal writing success and will share stories that illuminate that essential element in the writing life.

Luisa's website: http://rp-author.com/Adams/

In March, we had a special event:

Freelance Writing Workshop with Heather Boerner and Martin Cheek

Antoinette May is an old hand at the art of writing biography. The Adventures of a Psychic was on the New York Times Bestseller list for 42 weeks. The Pilate’s Wife: A Novel of the Roman Empire, published in 2006 and recently issued in paperback (as well as in 17 languages!), is a biography which  she turned into a fictional tale. The Sacred Well is her most recent sale and will be in the same genre.

Antoinette May's website

Writer and renegade entrepreneur, Christine Comaford-Lynch, is a "graduate" of our Open Mic when she was just getting started on her project. She endured multiple directions from many advisers on how to frame her position. 

She says it took a while to find her literary direction. She called upon multiple writer friends to help evaluate her work. She created a detailed questionnaire and sent it out to dozens of writer friends to critique each and every chapter. Her greatest challenge was over chapter structure and order, trying to cut the fat from early drafts. "You need a sharp machete to make it work."

Christine's website

Author Darryl Brock stresses the importance of narrative voice and certain other elements of commercially successful novels. 

Darryl Brock is the author of the best-selling If I Never Get Back, as well as Two in the Field and Havana Heat. His articles and reviews include pieces on baseball, Mark Twain, and sundry other topics. He lives in Berkeley with his wife and daughter.

Web page on Random House, Inc.

Seminar: Character Development 

ArLyne Diamond, Ph.D. has specialized in understanding people - their needs, attitudes, interpersonal relationships, and intra-personal dynamics. She was a nationally recognized forensic expert, a psychotherapist, and an educator of psychologists, teaching, among other things how to evaluate individuals. As a consultant to management, she brings these interviewing and evaluating skills to the workplace.

More information about Dr. ArLyne Diamond may be obtained by googling "ArLyne Diamond" and by visiting her website: www.DiamondAssociates.net.

Dipping your Toe into the Internet Writing Community

The Internet has been around for decades, but in the past few years, writers have made it their own. Have you been thinking about checking out some discussion forums or joining an online critique group? Should you build a website or start your own blog? Come listen to Becky Levine talk about her own experiences and find out some easy first steps you can take into this incredible network of opportunity.

Becky Levine is a writer of fiction and nonfiction, for children and adults. She is a member of the South Bay Branch of the CWC, The Society of Childrens Book Writers & Illustrators, and Sisters in Crime. 

For more information, see her website: http://www.beckylevine.com.

Special Workshop with Mary Knippel

Mary Knippel, President of the WNBA (Women's National Book Association) SF Branch gave a workshop at our September meeting on how to open up to your creativity and play. 

Mary's work has appeared in periodicals in Minnesota, Colorado and California. She has been a free-lance writer for CoastViews Magazine for the past six years and also writes and edits for a variety of businesses and individuals.  She is the current President of the Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter, a former board member of the San Francisco/Peninsula chapter of the California Writers Club, a member of the International Women’s Writing Guild, the National Association of Women Writers, the Bay Area Travel Writers, and a past president of the Coastside Women’s Club. 

Special Workshop with Anthony Flacco

We closed out our 2006-2007 with crime writer Anthony Flacco in a special two-hour workshop. The workshop focused on the essential elements of writing for fiction and non-fiction projects. Flacco also shared his behind-the-scenes knowledge of the absolute “do’s and don'ts” of seeking an agent or a publisher. 

Karen Stanton is a writer and illustrator of children’s books. She has two titles published through children’s publishers Boyds Mills Press and Golden Press (Papi’s Gift and Mr. K. and Yudi) and two more titles nearing completion. She also teaches children's book writing at City College in San Francisco and visual design in an elementary school to kids in first through fifth grade. 

Sal Glynn

Sal Glynn is the writer of The Dog Walked Down the Street: An Outspoken Guide for Writers Who Want to Publish, published in 2006 by Cypress House. Former managing editor of Ten Speed Press, he has edited and otherwise produced more than 300 books of fiction, humor, self-help, cookery, management, and social issues for publishers on both coasts. Sal has also been on faculty at the Big Sur Fiction Writer’s Workshop and the Mendocino Coast Writer’s Conference, and is a contributor to FOCUS: Fine Art Photography Magazine.

Check out who we had, what we did, and see the photos here.

Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D.

Linda Joy is the past-president of the Marin branch of the California Writers Club and is currently on the board of Story Circle Network. Her memoir Don’t Call Me Mother won the BAIPA Gold Medal Award for 2006. Linda Joy has been a therapist for the last 28 years in Berkeley , and teaches workshops nationally, online and in the East Bay . For more information, stories, and tips, visit www.memoriesandmemoirs.com.

Martha Engber  

Martha Engber is the author of “Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Nonfiction” published in 2007 by Central Avenue Press. She had a short story nominated for a Pushcart Prize as well as a full-length play produced in Hollywood. Her poetry and fiction have been published in Watchword, Anthology, Bookpress, the Berkeley Fiction Review, Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, Massage Magazine and other literary journals. Now a professional editor, she started her own critique group twelve years ago.