As fans of DFWWW member A. Lee Martinez know, his first novel, Gil's All-Fright Diner, has long been optioned by DreamWorks Studio. This just in: A creative team has been assigned to the project, so the book is closer than ever to becoming a big screen feature film.

Read all about it at A. Lee Martinez's blog. Way to go, Alex. Speaking for everyone at the DFW Writers' Workshop, we're proud of you.

The October 28 meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop was a night of exciting announcements and scary Halloween-themed reads.

Jamie Harrington stated that she has signed a contract with literary agent Victoria Horn of the Lisa Dawson Associates. Jamie's book, Sketch, is a Young Adult superhero novel. Additionally, Mary Malcolm commented that the full manuscript of her romance novel, Texas Billionaire's Runaway Wife, was requested by Melissa Jeglinks of The Knight Agency.

In other news, A. Lee Martinez will speak at the monthly meeting of the Mystery Writers of America - Southwest this Saturday, October 31 at the Texas Land & Cattle restaurant in Richardson, Texas. Workshop members were reminded that nominations for the 2010 Board of Directors opens during the November 4 business meeting. Gabe Guerrero, winner of the Glenn Bavou­sett Conference Fund, gave a presentation about what he learned at the Bedford Writers' Workshop presented by fantasy author Sarah A. Hoyt.

Finally, several brave souls met in a dark room decorated with plastic skulls, tombstones, and lots of Halloween candy. They read to a glow of a flickering electric candle, and enjoyed this fun holiday tradition at the Workshop.

There was no red carpet at the October 14 meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop, but there should have been one. Dignitaries such as the Mayor, City Manager, Deputy City Manager, Parks Director and City Council members joined the Workshop to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of DFWWW meeting in the City of Euless.

President Russell Connor commented that the Workshop has existed for 32 years, 20 of which have been spent in Euless. During that time, DFWWW members have produced 292 traditionally published books. The Ruth Millican Center, home to the Workshop for all 20-years, was packed as everyone enjoyed a good meal to celebrate Euless' support of the arts.  

Since DFWWW members are always a busy bunch, there was also plenty of news. Yvonne Isaacs announced the publication of her book Seven Tiny Miracles. R. Douglas Weber, who will be featured in the Discovery Channel program "Hunting for the Lost Symbol", mentioned that the show has been moved to Sunday, October 25. The Burleson Star interviewed Glenn Norton about his work-in-progress, A Knight in Tarnished Armor. A. Lee Martinez commented that he is now a regular contributor at his publisher's website, OrbitBooks.net.

Rosemary Clement-Moore has an essay in the book A New Dawn released this month. Candace Havens bragged about the cover of her newest work from Harlequin, Take Me If You Dare, due in February 2010. Both Rosemary and Candace will teach a class at the Mansfield Public Library on November 6 at 7 p.m.



Of course, even with all the festivities the read and critique sessions still happened as planned. The dedicated authors of the DFW Writers' Workshop never take a break from honing their craft.

September ended with a full house at the DFW Writers' Workshop, but with little news.

A. Lee Martinez signed a new contract with his publisher, Orbit, for two as of yet untitled (and unwritten) novels.  Kenneth E. Ingle will sign copies of his work at the North Texas Book & Paper Show at Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall in Fort Worth this Saturday, October 3 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On the conference front, members were reminded that they still have time to catch the early-bird discount before the price goes up, and the Hook 'Em Writing Contest is open for entries.

At the September 23 meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop, members were advised that appointments with some of the literary agents are starting to fill-up.

For example, authors interested in pitching their books to Joshua Bilmes, Lucienne Diver, or Gina Panettieri had better register now. The slots for all three agents are over a quarter of the way full and going fast. Appointments with many of the other agents  are also filling quickly. This is definitely a case where if you snooze, you could lose, so register early to secure your place in line.  

Members were also told that the tenth, and final, agent had been named. Mary Kole, who represents children's picture books as well as Middle Grade and Young Adult authors, has been added to the roster. The agents attending the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference are:

Anne Hawkins | John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.

Gina Panettieri | Talcott Notch Literary Services

Joshua Bilmes | JABberwocky Literary Agency

Laurie McLean | Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents

Lucienne Diver | The Knight Agency

Melissa Shultz | Jim Donovan Literary

Paul S. Levine | Paul S. Levine Literary Agency

Victoria Horn | Liza Dawson Associates

Mary Kole | Andrea Brown Literary Agency

In other news, A. Lee Martinez signed the contract for the German rights to his upcoming novel, Divine Misfortune. (Those Germans sure do love his work.) Russell C. Connor has a book signing for his horror novels on October 3 at the Cat and the Candle Bookstore in Lake Whitney from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during Pioneer Days.

It seemed as if the announcements and news would never end during the September 9 meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop.

Leading the pack, A. Lee Martinez displayed the German audio version of his novel The Automatic Detective. Mike McMullen sold a flash fiction story to A Thousand Faces magazine. Kenneth E. Ingle's publisher has commissioned him to writer a thriller, and he has a book signing for his first release, First Contact, Saturday, September 26 at the University of Texas at Arlington bookstore.  

On Saturday, September 12, Candace Havens will teach two classes at the Heart of Texas Chapter of Romance Writers of America in Waco. Kyle White announced he's been selected to teach a class at next year's Books, Authors n' All that Jazz festival in Weatherford. Rosemary Clement-Moore's book, The Splendor Falls, arrived on shelves Tuesday, September 8, and the paperback version of her earlier work, Hell Week, is now out.

Finally, five new reference books were added to the DFWWW library. Members were reminded to take advantage of the many titles available to help them learn more about the craft of writing.

The August 19^th meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop was full of news.

A. Lee Martinez announced that his first novel, Gil's All-Fright Diner, will soon be available as an audio book for downloads to MP3 players and iPods. Additionally, a Chinese publisher has purchased the foreign rights to his first four books, which already are popular in Europe.

In other news, Kenneth E. Ingle announced that his publisher has requested a sequel his science fiction novel First Contact. Kristen Lamb has been appointed fiction editor at The Report, the newsletter of the Oklahoma Writers' Federation. Her Warriorwriters's Blog, written with Boy Mayer, was named a top website for writers by AndyShack.Com. Agent Caryn Wiseman, with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, requested the full manuscript for Kyle White's Middle Grade science fiction novel, Attack of the Crystal Spiders.

In Workshop news, two new reference books have been added to the library, and members may now checkout library books for up to three weeks. Due to time constraints, the conference committee will no longer meet on Wednesday nights preceding the Workshop. Also, conference committee meetings have been moved to the North Richland Hills library. Please contact chairperson, Jeri Burbage, for more details.

Finally, a unique event will be held in September. Tai Chi expert, Master Wong, will teach authors how to channel their energy to make them better writers. The event costs $90 and will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 19 in Richardson, Texas. Contact Robin Yaklin for more details.

While the August 12 meeting was a slow news night, Workshop members did announce two, upcoming book signings.

 Candace Havens will autograph copies of her newest title, Dragons Prefer Blondes, at Legacy Books, 7300 Dallas Parkway in Plano at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 22. Candace will be joined by two other writers. The event is billed as "a lively afternoon's conversation with a trio of authors behind hot, very popular paranormal romantic adventures".   

 A. Lee Martinez will autograph (and probably illustrate the inside pages with fire-breathing ducks or whatever else tickles his fancy) copies of his recently released novel, Monster,also on Saturday, August 22. He says the Borders located at 5500 Greenville Ave in Dallas has an impressive display of his books. In typical A. Lee Martinez fashion, the event starts "some time in the afternoon".   

Exciting things are happens to members of the DFW Writers' Workshop as evidenced by these announcements during the July 8^th meeting:

George Goldthwaite was offered a contract by Books In Motion, an audio book publisher, for his western novel, From Youth to Vengeance.  It is tentatively scheduled for a December release.   New member, Jenny Martin, received a request for the full manuscript of her novel, Holy, Texas, by literary agent Nadia Cornier with Firebrand.  Del Cain had a poem published in the Texas Poetry Calendar 2010.  A. Lee Martinez received a great review in Locus: The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy for his recently released novel, Monster.  Candace Havens newest work, Dragons Prefer Blondes, was released this week.  She will sign copies at the Barnes & Noble in Hurst this Saturday, July 11 from 2 p.m - 4 p.m.  She is also hosting a blog tour, with more information at CandaceHavens.com.

All proof that DFW Writers' Workshop members continue to publish a wide variety of works, despite the economic downturn.    

 

 

 

A. Lee Martinez brought the German edition of The Automatic Detective to show us at this week's meeting. Several of his novels have been translated into German.

And Rosemary Clement-Moore announced that her latest, Splendor Falls, has been licensed in Germany and England.