Good news continues to roll in for DFWWW!

Congratulations to workshop member, Harry Hall!

Harry's book, The Pedestriennes: America’s Forgotten Superstars earned the Bronze Medal for History (US) from IndependentPublisher.com.

According to the announcement from Independent Publisher, "Gold, silver and bronze "IPPY" medals will be awarded in 78 national, 24 regional, and ten e-book categories, chosen from nearly 6,000 entries from authors and publishers in all 50 U.S. states, eight Canadian provinces, and 34 countries overseas. The winners make up a reading list that is extensive and diverse, featuring new voices and viewpoints passionately expressed through soulful memoirs, insightful self-help books, and penetrating critiques of our social and political systems."

More about the book:

"The Pedestriennes: America's Forgotten Superstars" tells the little-known story of a handful of late 19th century female athletes who dazzled America with their remarkable performances in endurance walking. Frequently performing in front of large raucous crowds, pedestriennes walked on makeshift tracks set-up in reconfigured theatres and opera houses. Top pedestrennes often earned more money in one week than the average American took home in a year. Newspapers reported on their achievements and interviewed the champions. Their walking outfits became fashion plates, their pictures were sold in stores and they made personal appearances as national celebrities. The pedestriennes' exploits reshaped the country's attitudes about what women could accomplish and established the foundation for modern sports, the revival of the Olympic Games and the suffragist movement.

More about Harry:

In his 20 year writing career, Harry Hall's work has appeared in several publications, including Runner-Triathlete News, Mayborn magazine and The Dallas Morning News. Along the way, Harry interviewed celebrities such as Robin Roberts, Earl Campbell, Jim Courier, and Chuck Norris. He's covered a variety of amateur and professional sporting events, including the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament, US Olympic Track and Field Trials, and the Boston Marathon. A long-time public speaking instructor, he wrote a book on overcoming the fear of public speaking, "Help! Everyone is Staring at Me." A one-time syndicated columnist and radio talk show host, Harry was named the Texas Dietetic Association's Media Personality of the Year, and is a member of the Mayborn Author's Guild.

Congratulations again to Harry.

Join us any Wednesday night at 7:00 pm at The Simmons Center in Euless to see how DFWWW authors keep bringing home the wins.

DFW Writers’ Workshop is very proud to announce that the Euless Public Library will be hosting the 2015 DFW Teen Writers' Workshop on Saturdays from 2 until 4 (ish). The program starts on June 13 and enrollment is limited, so don't delay.

This program is 100% free and at least twice your daily recommended amount of fun. We've got a great line-up of speakers - this year we will even cover comics and graphic novels - and we are working on some fun extras to make this a summer to remember.

All participants must:
* Be between 13 and 18 and not yet graduated high school
* Commit to regular attendance (audit/drop-in spaces are available-- see registration page)
* Pre-register (Click here to register)

For more information, be sure to check out our Facebook page as well.

Schedule and Speakers:
June 13  The Art of Critique taught by Melissa Lenhardt
June 20  Narrative Non-Fiction taught by Pamela Skjolsvik
June 27  Comics & Graphic Novels taught by David Doub
July 4     No Class
July 11   Self-Publishing taught by Russell Connor
July 18   World Building taught by Tex Thompson

July 25   TBD

Aug 1     Dialogue taught by Kat Cook
Aug 8     Hands-on Anthology Work

See you then!

This week marks the eagerly awaited release of long-time DFWWW Member, Jenny Martin's debut novel, TRACKED!

Jenny's release celebration will be held this Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Irving Public Library.

There will be food, book signing, swag, and lots of happy tears.

More about TRACKED:

The Fast and the Furious gets a futuristic twist in this action-packed debut!

On corporately controlled Castra, rally racing is a high stakes game that seventeen-year-old Phoebe Van Zant knows all too well. Phee’s legendary racer father disappeared mysteriously, but that hasn’t stopped her from speeding headlong into trouble. When she and her best friend, Bear, attract the attention of Charles Benroyal, they are blackmailed into racing for Benroyal Corp, a company that represents everything Phee detests. Worse, Phee risks losing Bear as she falls for Cash, her charming new teammate. But when she discovers that Benroyal is controlling more than a corporation, Phee realizes she has a much bigger role in Castra’s future than she could ever have imagined. It’s up to Phee to take Benroyal down. But even with the help of her team, can a street-rat destroy an empire?

According to Publisher's Weekly:

TRACKED is "a wholehearted adrenaline rush when it comes to the thrill of the run, making it easy to get drawn into a fast-paced, high-stakes story."

Congratulations, Jenny!

Remember, that's:

Date: Saturday, May 9th, 2015

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: South Irving Library Program Room

601 Schulze Dr.
Irving, TX 75060

Each year, area authors submit their first ten pages of their novel to the Henery Press First Chapter Contest, sponsored by the Frisco Public Library. Henery Press, an award-winning local publishing company, reviews the entries and selects the winner.

And for the second year in a row, a DFW Writers' Workshop Member has claimed first prize.

The 2015 First Chapter Contest winner is...(drum roll please)...our president and fearless leader... 

Brooke Fossey!

For those who don't know her, Brooke is a hard-bitten literary gunner who holds a Bachelors in Engineering from Texas A&M and a Masters of Technical Management from Embry Riddle, both of which she’s holstered in favor of raising her four kids with her hubby, Matt. She is also a blogger for Carve Magazine. Find Brooke on Twitter as @BAFossey.

Brooke's first chapter from her book, The Parting Hour, will be featured at friscolibrary.com and professionally reviewed by Henery Press. She joins last year's winners and DFWWW members, George Goldthwaite and Melissa Lenhardt.

Join us any Wednesday night at 7:00 pm at The Simmons Center in Euless to see how DFWWW authors keep bringing home the wins.

A funny thing happened on the way to the couch last week.

I got an email from Barnes & Noble, saying "hey, we're super excited about doing your book launch on the 28th, but apparently the book's on back-order from the publisher, so...we might not actually have any for the party."

At this time last year, I would have been on the ceiling, the phone, and then the bottle. This time, though, I just looked at the email and thought, "Huh. Wonder how that's going to play out."

And that, friends, is the difference between the first book and the second one.

I know everyone likes to use the whole "your book is your baby" metaphor, but I'd like to propose a new one here: your book is your bae (boyfriend or girlfriend, in traditional parlance) – and if you think about what you were like during your first-ever dating relationship, you might start to see my logic.

You know what I mean. When you're new, nothing is not a huge deal. There's the euphoria and giddiness and over-the-moon feeling, sure – but there's also insecurity, jealousy, awkwardness, possessiveness, overreaction, disappointment, and usually at least one emotional atom-bomb somewhere along the way. It's very, very rare to marry the first person you ever date, and rarer still to become a bestselling success on the first book you ever write... but try telling that to your endocrine system.

So here I sit on the eve of my second book release (or maybe not – I'm not exactly sure whether it's the 24th or the 31st, which is another on that whole long list of things that I'm so, so happy not to have to be ruinously anxious about anymore). And to be honest, I'm feeling r

ather zen about the whole thing. I'm sure it won't last – it's not like you're James Bond on your second time out of the gate either – and that soon I'll be right back to fumbling sweatily at my career's bra-clasps in the back of the family Subaru. But at this exact moment, it is just divinely delightful to have a reprieve from those huge, heartbreaking highs and lows of the first time around, and to get a sweet little taste of emotional equilibrium.

Because at the end of the day, what you learn from your first book makes you a better author for your second. Your second does likewise for your third. I'm not sure you ever get less invested or less passionate about your literary relationships – I certainly hope not! – but every step you make towards maturity and self-sufficiency brings you that much closer to writing happily ever after.

- Tex Thompson, DFWWW member since 2012