Surrey International Writers' Conference 2013

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the 21st Annual Surrey International Writers' Conference. To once again soak up the wisdom and inspiration from a diverse group of presenters and keynote speakers.

This was my second year at Surrey, and it was no less fantastic this year, than it was a year ago! Highlights included the witty Eileen Cook, multi-published author, who talked about subtext and layers; Robert Dugoni, New York Times best-selling author of the David Sloane series (legal thrillers), who shared precious insights and strategies for 'Power Editing'. 

'Managing Character Trajectories' was presented by best-selling mystery writer, Hallie Ephron; and in good company was the very funny Jane Porter (romance novelist) whose take on 'writing tight dialogue' was both invigorating and inspirational. In addition, best selling author, Susanna Kearsley shared her process and tips for writing and developing memorable heroines; Pam Binder, also a NYTs best-selling author, talked about those all important 'first three pages' in a novel; and the elegant Anne Perry, critically acclaimed historical mystery writer, addressed theme, character, and plot, with large doses of her passion and English charm. 


I also dropped in on a couple of the panel presentations, the highlights of which were: 'All About Research' with Jack Whyte, Ann Perry, Anthony Dalton, Diana Gabaldon, and Susanna Kearsley; and 'Rock That Boat!' where Victoria Zackheim (novelist, editor, screenwriter and essayist) paired with Ann Perry, to explore the idea: writer's should write what is important to them personally, instead of writing what others think they should write. Listening to their funny anecdotes and bantering was a delightful way to wrap up the conference. 

And these were just the classes and panels I was able to attend! There were so many others that I didn't get to see. But perhaps the next time around...


To say that SIWC: is to a writer, like being a kid in a candy store, may be a cliche', but nothing could be truer!

Then of course there is the meeting of like minds. Can you imagine seventy two hours of just talking about writing with a bunch of other writers. Yep, heaven on earth:) 


Of course this conference wouldn't be complete without the fun and entertainment that goes along with 'the work'.  And here are a few pictures~

My editor Nancy Bell, (a Senior Acquisition Editor for MuseItUp Publishing) with her jar of 'anguished writers' souls and their dying dreams:)

A little dress up fun, heroes and villains (I'm Blackbeard)

Michael Slade's infamous 'Shock Radio Theater' 

MuseItUp Publishing's silent auction basket

Got to hang out with these lovely Ladies of Lallybroch!

Made some new friends...

             Contest ~ Contest ~ Contest !!!

                       

                        

                         Enter to Win

             

              a $50.00 Amazon Gift Card       

                      

                      and an e-copy of

                        

                      The Lycan Moon

                                                                    

                                 and

                       

                        The Jaguar Sun

            

             over at Coffee Time For Romance

            

               

                          Enter here 

                       

                     

                                                    For the month of June only!

The ultimate step father...

While St. Joseph is known to be the patron saint of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice. He is also known as the patron saint of the dying, because it is assumed he died before Jesus' public life, and that Jesus and Mary were with him at the time of his death. 


Everyone have a blessed Holy Week and Easter!

Cover Reveal ~

Charlotte Volnek did a beautiful job of capturing the essence of my first short story ever to be published! Thank you Charlotte!

A contemporary short story ~ coming February 2013

                                         Stella ~ 

When Trina Needham, a socially out of control starlet, finds herself incarcerated in L.A.'s Century Correctional Facility, an unexpected friendship blooms between the young woman, and an older inmate. Trina is intrigued by the older woman's stories of Hollywood past, and her own tortuous career as a actress. 

I'm thoughtful this morning as I dive into the third installment of The Wild Magick Series. For me, that scene in The Wolf Man, where Lon Chaney Jr. offers up such a tortured expression, conveys such anguish across the movie screen, as the authorities are about to descend on him and kill him, has stuck with me for many years. So much so, the depth of Chaney's character influenced the writing of The Lycan Moon, Book One of The Wild Magick Series, and Calen Meer himself.

                                 * * * *

He watched from the dark as the whistling bastard exited the brothel. The smell of filthy sweat and semen rose off the man like an invisible mist. The smell of blood; some was the man’s own from an earlier altercation, but he also recognized Mary’s blood on the man’s knuckles and shirt. The bastard had struck her and bloodied her nose most likely. His keen ears heard her screams after all and the mewling sobs that followed. He seethed now as he imagined the f*** taking poor helpless Mary against her will.

The man stopped whistling and smiled at himself, revealing wretched teeth as he moved along the cobbles in a drunken saunter.

“Putrid swine,” Konrad hissed under his breath as he silently prowled after the man. The blood scent quietly drawing the beast within him to the surface. The lust filled every cell of his body; white hot rage coalesced inside of him, and the hunger for flesh burned brightly in his belly. He imagined tasting the man’s flesh and then...ripping that flesh to shreds. The hunger built as the doomed man approached the outskirts of town.

Konrad barely heard his own low growl as he leapt, so great was his temporary madness. The cry that would have escaped the drunkard’s mouth was muted as strong white teeth crushed his trachea and ripped out his throat.

An anguished howl tore through the night...

Calen bolted upright in bed. His body sweat slicked. Heart thudding in his chest, he lurched out of bed on legs feeling like rubber. He staggered a few steps and opened the back door to his deck.

The ocean’s distant but reliable roar offered him a sense of steadiness as he looked out over the inky bay. Dreams—dreams of past horrors. It can’t be happening again, he thought as an icy dread tickled his spine and told him otherwise.

“Not again...”  

                Happy 2013 Everyone!

To celebrate the new year, and the recent release of Book Two in The Wild Magick Series, I will be over at Coffee Time for Romance's January Book Brew with the crew next Monday, January 7th, from noon to 8pm (eastern).

Come over and give a shout for a chance to win an e-copy of The Jaguar Sun!

http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts

The Mayan Long Calendar ~ End of days?

Many of you know (if you haven’t been living in a cave somewhere over the last century) that the 21st of December, 2012 is the last day of The Mayan Long Calendar, which was created some 3114 years before Christ, and was designed to last 13 b’ak’tuns, between 3114 BCE and 2012 AD. 

Now while many end of days theories abound, whether it be an astroid or a planet colliding with the earth, a massive earthquake causing cataclysmic destruction, the earth being sucked into a black hole, or a monster sun flare torching our beloved terra, it turns out, as luck would have it...there is good news.

The Mayan Elder tribal council disabuses any and all end of world speculations by simply explaining that the panels found in El Tortuguero, (an archeological site in southern Tabasco, Mexico) with their complex Mayan glyphs and astrological numbers, do in fact represent an extended timeline, or a calendar of cycles or eras, and when this calendar ends, it will signify the beginning of a new era, much like the odometer turning over in a car. In other words a new cycle will occur, not the destruction of our planet. 

The Maya call it ‘the great change of Suns’. The coming out of a dark period of their current fourth world, into a new world. The calling forth of a transformation of world cultures, both by humane and spiritual means.
     
Certainly a spiritual rebirth is a far cry from the catastrophic dooms day prophesied by so many over the years, and I must admit, is a huge relief. After all I’ve got things to do, family to tend to, books to write:)

All kidding aside, and in light of recent events, I tend to embrace a spiritual renewal of our world, and all who reside therein. So whether you will celebrate the Winter Solstice, the birth of Christ, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or choose not to celebrate any deity or sacred day at all, I at least wish you all~ either a subtle, not so subtle, or perhaps even epic, spiritual transformation this coming December 21st! 

Now of course if you are still not convinced the world isn’t coming to end next Friday, then you might be interested in the ‘Apocalypse kit’ they are selling in the Russian city of Tomsk. The kit not only contains food and medicine, but has a bottle of vodka ~ or tequila, your choice:)

And finally...

Interestingly enough while writing my 3rd novel, The Jaguar Sun, I discovered another sacred date in the Mayan calendar ~ December 23rd. According to The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel (Chilam Balam: Spokesman of the Jaguar), Cheen or December 23rd is listed as a sacred day. So what with the cessation of the Mayan calendar occurring in December 2012, it was only natural to align the climatic ending of The Jaguar Sun, around this day of all days...

 ******Contest*****
    
To celebrate the release of my e-book, The Jaguar Sun, Wild Magick Series, Book Two, this coming Wednesday, December 19th, and the happy fact that the world is not coming to an end, I am running a contest on my blog starting today, Monday, December 17th, to run through midnight of Sunday December 23rd. 

*Simply leave a comment about what the new (Mayan) era means to you. 

**Post your comment either here, or on my Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/SDurham-Pacific-Northwest-Author-of-The-Lycan-Moon/127273387315797#   by midnight December 23rd, 2012 (with your name and email where I can find you) for a chance to win the choice of a $50.00 Barnes and Noble gift card, or a $50.00 Amazon Gift card, and off course a gift certificate to Muse It Up publishing!

Let the celebration begin!

For more on The Mayan Calendar and the Shift of ages ~