Five visitors joined an already sizable crowd at the May 19^th meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop.

In the news, Mike McMullen displayed the cover for his upcoming nonfiction work, I, Superhero. Carolyn Williamson has an article in the May issue of Heart to Heart, the North Texas Romance writers newsletter. Crystalwizard's  poem "Porker" was published in a magazine titled Pig in a Poke. Rosemary Clement-Moore has a book signing this Saturday, May 22 at the Hurst Barnes & Noble at 2 p.m. for the paperback release of her Young Adult novel Highway to Hell.

Speaking of books, Carolyn reminds all Workshop members they may check out the reference books for three weeks. After that, there is a twenty-five cents fine for each week the books are overdue. There are several books outstanding and members will be contacted soon if they don't return them.

The February 17 meeting of the Workshop saw a standing room only crowd as seven visitors joined the already large crowd of regular members.

Pat Haul­dren announced the Fort Worth Examiner recognized her for having the most online hits to her articles. Rosemary Clement-Moore displayed the British edition of her novel The Splendor Falls, or 'spendour' as the Brits spell it. Kyle White unveiled the cover artwork for his upcoming novel, Attack of the Crystal Spiders.

 Members were reminded of a series of Bylaws changes that will require a vote during the March business meeting. Also, President Russell Connor announced a special event to promote the Workshop on March 6 at the Hurst Barnes & Noble bookstore. Starting at 1 p.m., DFWWW authors will read samples of their work to a certain-to-be-enthralled public.

It seemed as if the news and announcements would never end at the January 20 meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop, but that's not a bad thing.

A. Lee Martinez' book, Monster, is now available as a mass-market paperback. Kyle White sold his first novel, Attack of the Crystal Spiders, a Middle Grade science fiction work, to Wild Child Publishing. The American Library Association named Rosemary Clement-Moore's novel Highway to Hell as a 2010 Best Books for Young Adults. One of Kenneth E. Ingles' short stories is a finalist in the current Writer's Digest contest. Candace Havens inked a three-book deal with Harlequin. She will also sign copies of her newest work, Take Me If You Dare, on Saturday, February 6 at 2:00 p.m. at Barnes & Nobel in Hurst.  

Finally, three new members were welcomed to DFWWW, and the Workshop's extensive reference library reopened after a year-end inventory. Books may be checked out for three weeks.

Many dedicated writers braved a cold winter night to attend the December 9 meeting of DFWWW, which proves that no hardship can keep good authors down.

Perry Curtis Bales announced that publisher Books in Motion requested the full manuscript of his Western novel Gunfighter's Star. Rosemary Clement-Moore submitted her newest novel, tentatively titled Texas Gothic, to her publisher Delacorte. Michelle O'Neal broke into the national magazine market when her article "Testing, Testing: Understanding Blood and Breath Alcohol Testing" appeared in the winter issue of MADDvocate.

Attendees were reminded that 2010 membership dues must be paid in order to vote in the Board of Directors election in January, or to participate in read and critique sessions next year. Two reference books aimed toward writers of children's and Young Adult literature were added to the Workshop's extensive library and are available to be loaned.

Finally, in conference news, it was announced that retailer Books-A-Million has agreed to run the official bookstore at the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference. As an added bonus, all registered conference attendees will receive a 20% discount on purchases of any Books-A-Million merchandise present at the conference center.

The November 4 business meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop saw another full house. Nominations for the 2010 Board of Directors were opened. Members have until the December business meeting to place their names on the ballot. The election will be held during the January business meeting.

In other news, George Goldthwaite announced the release of his Western novel From Youth to Vengeance by Books in Motion. The work is available on CD's, cassettes, and as a download to various media. Rosemary Clement Moore, along with seven other writers, will speak at the Mansfield Library on November 6 from 7 - 9 p.m. Carmen Goldthwaite stated her essay "Burgers n' Butterflies" was accepted by Chicken Soup for the Soul Thank You Mom to be released next year.

Would you like to make some extra money? Then sign up to be an affiliate of the DFW Writers' Conference and make $10 for each person you refer who registers. This program is open to anyone, not just Workshop members. For the guidelines, visit the affiliate program page.

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.

During the October business meeting, members of the DFW Writers' Workshop were reminded that nominations for the 2010 Board of Directors will be opened in November. The current occupants of each office described his or her duties.

Other volunteers needed to keep things moving smoothly are:  An elections coordinator (see Russell Connor), people to help with the registration desk during the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference (see Alley Hauldren), agent attendants (see Larry Enmon), and classroom monitors (see Carolyn Williamson).

In other news, Alley Hauldren's short story "Catsup" was selected to appear in the editor's choice edition of an upcoming issue of Bewildering Stories. Rosemary Clement-Moore has a book signing for her Young Adult novel, The Splendor Falls, on Saturday, October 10 from 1 p.m to 3 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble store in The Parks Mall. Candace Havens was featured on the front cover of last week's edition of DFW.Com Ink magazine.

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.

It has long been a tradition that when a DFW Writers' Workshop member publishes a book, he or she will donate a copy to the Workshop's Trophy Room. During the August 5 meeting, four recently released titles were received, bringing the number of traditionally published books to 291. In fact, there are now so many titles written by DFWWW members that a third display case had to be added to the room. Stop by to see the impressive collection.    

Announcements from the monthly business meeting:  Gabe Guerrero has been awarded the Glenn Bavousett Fund to attend a writers' workshop. Discussion continues about integrating the monthly poetry group into the weekly read and critique sessions. The Workshop welcomed eight new members in the last week alone. To keep up with membership growth, the Workshop is moving more services, such as paying the annual dues, online.    

In other news, Rosemary Clement-Moore announced she was selected to write a monthly column about the Young Adult genre for FreshFiction.Com. The Hook 'Em Writing Contest has been officially launched, and the tote bags for the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference have arrived. They look snazzy.

Exciting news from the Romance Writers of America conference held this past weekend.  DFWWW's own Rosemary Clement-Moore and Candace Havens were recognized.Rosemary Clement-Moore won a RITA (think Oscar for non-romance enthusiasts) for her Young Adult novel, Hell Week, book two in the Maggie Quinn series. Hopefully, she'll bring the golden statuette to a future Workshop meeting so we can all 'ooh' and 'aah' over it. 

 

Candace Havens won Pro Mentor of the Year. Candy said, "I was in such shock that I was only half listening when they gave it to me."  The award is no surprise for anyone who has read her books, or taken one of her free classes offered through Write Workshop.  

Congratulations, ladies. We're proud to have you both as members of the DFW Writers' Workshop.