Guadalupe Radio interviews member Nancy Ward

Dave Palmer of KATH 910

Here’s my recent interview with Dave Palmer  on local Catholic radio KATH 910 about the fifth annual Catholic Writers’ Conference LIVE and our local Catholic Writers Group.

The Catholic Writers’ Conference LIVE provides Catholic authors with a prime opportunity to meet and share their writing and their faith with editors, publishers, fellow writers, and bookstore owners.

From Wednesday, August 7 at 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Friday, August 9, we’ll meet at the beautiful Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, NJ. We’ll enjoy the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show and social and entertainment events with publishers and bookstore owners

The theme of this year's conference is “The Year of Faith.” Speakers include authors Patti Armstrong (Stories for the Homeschool Heart), Teresa Tomeo (Ave Maria Radio, Wrapped Up, Extreme Makeover), Award-winning author Michelle Buckman (Rachel's Contrition, My Beautiful Disaster), Randy Hain (The Integrated Catholic Life), Ellen Gable Hrkach (Stealing Jenny) and Ann Margaret Lewis (Murder in the Vatican), and author, blogger and podcaster Pat Gohn (Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious).

Patti McGuire Armstrong gives our keynote on “Writing for God, Marketing for the World.” We’ll hear from many inspirational speakers such as Pat Gohn on “Your Word is My Delight” and Randy Hahn on “Finding Your Voice in the New Evangelization.”

We learn the craft of writing in a Catholic fiction workshop and a session on plotting. We get inspired with a panel on Faith in Fiction. We discover how to tailor our fiction or non-fiction submission to the ideal publisher and make a good pitch to the publishers who are available

Then there’s the business of writing: the ins and outs of the marketing publications with a session specifically for Kindle. A panel of writers and editors teach us about the author-editor relationship.

The Social Media Marketing Panel with Teresa Tomeo and other high-profile media people will draw a crowd as well as the blogger's summit with a panel of experienced bloggers and professional authors.

Advanced registration is required for the group critique session and the pitch sessions with publishers’ representatives. This conference is fun, spiritual and educational. There’s something for all writers from beginners to professionals with lots of book signings, and the chance to see (and purchase at deep discounts) the largest collection of Catholic books and gifts in North America.

The Catholic Writers Guild has fabulous resources and support for writers and all the details for the 2013 CWGLive conference. Check them out at CatholicWritersGuild.org.

Download member's book for Free

Download Kindle version
free June 14 & 15

I wanted anyone interested to know that my Kindle ebook on diatomaceous earth, "Mother Earth's Best Kept Secret," will be available as a free download again for a couple of days, Saturday, June 15, and Sunday, June 15. There is also a paperback version available , but that'll cost you.

Those who have been a member of the group for a while may remember that I published this little book a few months ago as a "trial balloon" to test out the process of Kindle publishing. Since then it has been selling well -- much better than I had expected, at any rate.

Publishing the Kindle version was so easy that I couldn't resist also testing Amazon's "publish on demand" capability, by redesigning and publishing the Kindle book as a paperback. I am quite pleased with the quality of the printing and binding, and am happy to report that the paperback version is selling even better than the Kindle version, rising to 17th best-selling title in Amazon's "green housekeeping" category. (Rank changes from day to day, however.)

Anyone who would like to know more about Amazon's publishing capabilities should take a peek at their Kindle Direct Publishing site (for Kindle ebooks) or their Create Space site for self-published physical books. You're also welcome to ask me about my own experience with these two (easy! and free!) ways to publish your work through Amazon.

Why not join us at our next meeting, Friday, 14 June?

Like our Wordle? Make your own
at www.wordle.net.

We would love to see some new faces, and welcome back all our current members, at our next meeting of the Dallas/Fort Worth Catholic Writers group.

The meeting will be held Friday, June 14, 11:30 a.m. to 1-ish. Come and share your own writing plans, projects, and aspirations. Each meeting is a new opportunity to get friendly support and (if you like) critiques or feedback on your current writing projects. If you don't have any writing to share, you can just come for inspiration and encouragement -- current members are working on a wide array of projects, both fiction and non-fiction.

Our Friday meetings are held at Half-Price Books, 5803 E. Northwest Highway near Central Expressway in Dallas. Click here for a map and directions. Look for our group in or near the Community Room at the far left back corner (just past the Hollywood Lights). Feel free to bring your lunch or pick something up at in-house café.

We hope to see you there!

Join us at the Catholic Writers Conference this August!

The fifth annual Catholic Writers’ Conference LIVE will take place August 7-9, 2013, at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, NJ. Sponsored by the Catholic Writer’s Guild and the Catholic Marketing Network (CMN), and held in conjunction with CMN’s annual retailer trade show, the Catholic Writers Conference LIVE provides Catholic authors with a prime opportunity to meet and share their faith with editors, publishers, fellow writers, and bookstore owners from across the globe.

The theme of this year's conference is “The Year of Faith.” Speakers include authors Patti Armstrong (STORIES FOR THE HOMESCHOOL HEART), Teresa Tomeo (Ave Maria Radio, WRAPPED UP, EXTREME MAKEOVER), Award-winning author Michelle Buckman (RACHEL’S CONTRITION, MY BEAUTIFUL DISASTER), Randy Hain (THE INTEGRATED CATHOLIC LIFE), Ellen Gable Hrkach (STEALING JENNY) and Ann Margaret Lewis (MURDER IN THE VATICAN: THE CHURCH MYSTERIES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES), and author, blogger and podcaster Pat Gohn (BLESSED, BEAUTIFUL AND BODACIOUS).

The conference will give authors an opportunity to meet personally with publishing professionals and pitch their writing projects. Some participating publishers are Ignatius Press, Full Quiver Publishing, Ave Maria Press, Christus Publishing, Tuscany Press and Servant Books.  In addition, attendees have the opportunity to sign up for critique workshop with award-wining short fiction writer Arthur Powers, and attend a writing workshop with award-winning novelist Michelle Buckman. Information for these events can be found on the conference web site.

“I did not know what to expect at first,” says 2012 attendee Maurice Prater, of Missionaries of the Holy Family. “But, what I gained from attending the Catholic Writers Conference, in terms of personal contacts and what I learned, has proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.” Author Ann Frailey, concurs. “I met writers, publishers, artists and a whole host of other people whose mission it is to transmit the message of truth and hope to the world in a living, vibrant manner.  It was an exciting adventure!”

 
The Catholic Writers Guild, a religious non-profit organization affiliated with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, sponsors this conference in August, an online conference in March, and a writers' retreat in October to further its mission of promoting Catholic literature. "With members all over North America, these events bring our diverse membership together for fellowship and networking to promote our mission of creating a rebirth of Catholic arts and letters,” says CWG President Ellen Gable Hrkach.

Registration costs $80 for CWG members, $85 for non-members and $45 for students. There's also a discounted combined membership. To register or for more information, go to http://www.catholicwritersconference.com.