A kind word for a great editor

Our friend and writers' conference faculty member Judith Van Gieson got a nice mention in a recent Sunday book section of the Albuquerque Journal. One of the authors she has published through ABQ Press, Harlan Campbell, is signing two of his novels later this month at a popular Albuquerque bookstore, Treasure House Books in Old Town.

Campbell's story of persistance inspired me. It took 17 years from the successful release of his first novel to the publication of the new books, in part because of the tremendous changes in the world of publishing.

In the Journal story Campbell says, "It's not necessary to have huge (publishing) organizations anymore when anyone can have a Web presence." He stressed that another piece of the puzzle involves crucial collaboration between authors and publishers to create top-quality books.

I haven't had a chance to read Campbell's new books, Jennifer's Weave and Sea of Deception but the reviewer compared him to Raymond Chandler. Not bad! And a credit both to Campbell and to editor/publisher Van Gieson.

Editor/publisher Van Gieson, the author of two mystery series, knows the writing business from crucial details of the creative process to marketting the finished book. WORDHARVEST was delighted that she agreed to join our November writers conference, the Tony Hillerman Writers Weekend, to help potential authors with a first chapter and synopsis critique and one-on-one consultation. She's also teaching a class in writing an effective first chapter and synopsis on Thursday Nov. 11th. That session is open to all ($75) as part of the Tony Hillerman Writers Weekend.

We finally did it! Thanks to the miracle of computer software and a patient and brilliant web advisor (who also makes wonderful plum jelly), the Tony Hillerman Conference is now accepting registrations for the Nov. 12-13 writers weekend. I love web stuff. Really. And especially when I can get it to work. The challenge puts the problem-solving side of my brain to use in a different way that writing. Jean Schaumberg served as point person on the registration stuff while I spent the day crafting the newsletter and re-learning all the bells and whistles of our email program, Constant Contact. Actually, a child could do this...probably easier than a grandmother like me. I've asked the writers who get our newsletter to send their good news for the next issue, and the same is true for any writers out there who happen across this post. Just email it to us at WORDHARVEST with NEWS in the subject line. A photo is fine, too.

Hillerman Conference in Santa Fe

When Jean Schaumberg and I offered the Tony Hillerman Writers Conference in Albuquerque, N.M. each November, we always heard "Please do the conference in Santa Fe." So, for 2010, we've made the big move!

Our headquarters this year is the beautiful Inn and Spa at Loretto, pictured here. After much begging, we were able to get a great room rate, and free valet parking at this lovely, full service hotel. Loretto has special meaning to Jean and me. Both of us went to school on this very site, when it was home to Loretto Academy, a girls' school run by the Sisters of Loretto.

To make sure that our guests have time to enjoy Santa Fe, we've fiddled with the schedule a bit to give folks some free time between morning and afternoon sessions to walk to the Plaza (just two short blocks away), shop, visit museums and soak up Santa Fe's historic ambiance. And the hotel will offer the lower rate both before and after the conference, too, for those who want to combine a lilttle vacation with the conference.

We hope those of you who wanted to come to Santa Fe will use this opportunity. Jean and I are delighted to have the chance to show you our hometown.

November 12-13, Tony Hillerman Writers Conference, Santa Fe, N.M.

Hillerman Prize on the horizon

I know it's only April, but please start thinking about entries for the Tony Hillerman Prize. WORDHARVEST'S Tony Hillerman Writer's Conference presents the award in cooperation with the founding partner, St. Martin's Press. Deadline for submissions is June 1, but you don't have to wait that long. The winner receives a $10,000 advance and publication with St. Martin's. The book has to be a book length mystery set in the Southwest. The author can be a published or unpublished writer, as long as he or she has never published a mystery. We get a lot of questions about on-demand publishing, self-publishing, etc. Usually, those books are allowed. (Our partners at St. Martin's make the final call). For full details, go here, to the novel contest link our WORDHARVEST website.

We've had two winners in the three previous years of the contest. Christine Barber won for The Replacement Child, a wonderful book set in Santa Fe. Roy Channey received the Hillerman Prize in 2008 for The Ragged Edge of Nowhere, a mystery set in Las Vegas. I thought both of them were good reads.

So, don't be shy. Get your manuscripts shaped up and mail them off to St. Martin's. You never know....The winner will be announced at the Tony Hillerman Writer's Conference Nov. 13.

Lunch with Valerie Plame Wilson

Jean Schaumberg and I had lunch today with Valerie Plame Wilson, our keynote speaker for the Tony Hillerman Conference's Writer's Weekend, Nov. 12-13 in historic Santa Fe. We'd never had the honor of meeting before. Valerie is fascinating: smart, articulate and full of life. We talked about what would be good topics for her on Nov. 13. Perhaps First Amendment issues. Perhaps the movie being made of her experiences with the Bush administration. Perhaps her new incarnation as part of a team writing thrillers. We'll come up with something wonderful!

Valerie's talk will we one of the highlights at the dinner where the Tony Hillerman Prize for best first mystery is set to be awarded. Remember to submit your manuscrips by June 1. You can find the rules on this website. The winner gets a $10,000 advance from St. Martin's Press and publication. We're hoping the winner will be able to join St. Martin's editor Peter Joseph in Santa Fe for the award.

Please save the date! November 12-13, 2010 in Santa Fe, N.M.

The Tony Hillerman Writers Weekend

• Create Compelling Charac ters and Dynamic Dialog with author Margaret Coel
• Show me the Energy: Start/Finish/Sell Your Book with author and motivational speaker Bill O'Hanlon
• Optional First Chapter critiques with author Judith Van Gieson
• Valerie Plame Wilson speaks at the Award Banquet for the annual Tony Hillerman Prize for best first mystery (St. Martin's Press)
• Conference headquarters: The beautiful Inn and Spa at Loretto in downtown Santa Fe

Registration information available soon. Please save the date!

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2010 9AM – 4 PM

Create Compelling Characters and Dynamic Dialog
with award-winning novelist Margaret Coel

WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE IN YOUR HEAD? Author Margaret Coel will guide you through the steps of identifying and getting to know the characters in your imagination and transporting them into your story. You will learn how to give them distinct personalities, viewpoints, and motivations that will make them come alive on the page. Writing exercises will help participants grasp the techniques to allow characters to act, react, suffer, change, prevail and, finally, live on in the minds of the reader.

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING? Coel will also focus on dialog as a crucial devise for character development. Again using hands-on practice, she will work with students to develop the craft of writing dialog that feels like conversation and keeps the story moving. By the end of the day, participants will have tools to create dialog that transforms characters into multi-dimensional people.

Margaret Coel is an exceptionally skilled and openhearted teacher, encouraging class participation, discussion, and questions. This workshop is appropriate for beginning writers as well as the more advanced. The New York Times best-selling author of the acclaimed Wind River mystery series. Margaret Coel sets her stories among the Arapahos on Wyoming's Wind River Feservation. The latest is "The Silend Spirit” Her novels have won many awards and been on numerous bestseller lists including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News. Among her honors are five Colorado Book Awards and the Rocky Award for Best Mystery Novel set in the American West, presented at the Left Coast Conference. Here work also is featured in the new anthology, "A Doven on Denver," a collection of short stories celebrating Denver, Colorado, first published in The Rocky Mountain News in 2008 to mark the city's 150th anniversary. She was among 12 of the area’s top writers invited to contribute.

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2010 9AM – 4PM

Show Me the Energy!
Find the Fuel to Start, Complete, and Sell Your Writing Projects
with author and featured Oprah guest Bill O’Hanlon

In this fun session, author Bill O’Hanlon will show participants how to:

• FIND the fuel to begin, persist, and complete writing projects
• FREE more time in our busy lives to ensure that the writing gets done
• UNSTICK your creative impulses when you stall
• ENERGIZE yourself to do the platform building, marketing, and sales parts of your writing lives
• SELL your book before you write it
• GET a literary agent in one day (he will teach you his secret)

Bill O’Hanlon is the talented author of 30 books, including Write Is A Verb. He wrote his first 10 books when he had four kids at home, a private practice in psychotherapy, and a speaking career on the side — he speaks from experience! A much sought-after teacher, Bill is known for his entertaining yet meaty content. This workshop will have you itching to get back to writing and energized about applying the new tools and inspiration you have picked during this special writers weekend.