Local Hero (I think she’s Local Angel) Bardi Rosman Koodrin asked me to remind everyone about:

The literary stage at the San Mateo County Fair in California. Second Annual Author Book Day on Saturday, June 18th, 2011, from 2 to 4 pm.  If you know authors who have a published book with an isbn, either fiction or nonfiction, including photography and art books, they are welcome to promote their work without paying a vendor’s fee.  All authors are responsible for his/her own sales and tax, etc.

As always, our motto is “Bring Your Own Audience!”  Network to fans and friends and family to support your pursuits.

Teresa LeYung Ryan, Martha Alderson, Luisa Adams answering questions from Tory Hartmann 2009 Literary Arts stage

Each author will be given a free ticket to the fair.  Parking passes are limited so we suggest carpooling.  After our event, people are welcome to stay and enjoy the fair.

Bardi

Sincerely,
Bardi Rosman Koodrin <artika@earthlink.net>
Literary Director
San Mateo County Fair

When Is the Annual Author Book Day at San Mateo County Fair California? Saturday, June 18th, 2011, from 2 to 4 pm

Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan here sending cheers to all the authors and participants that day!

Are There Poetry Events for Teens in the East Bay in California?

Join us for a Special Poetry Event Friday evening June 3rd, 2011 ! The Pleasanton Teen Poets Laureate Present:

Graduation Poetry Blitz!  Friday, June 3, 2011 6:30—9:00pm Century House, 2401 Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton, CA

Teen poetry presentation and Open Mic for teens, young adults and EVERYONE!!!

Celebrate the end of the school year and start of the summer with The Teen Poets Laureate—Noelle Malindzak, Mitch Grimes, and Vivian Tsai—will kick off the evening with a reading of their poems. During intermission, Karl Wente and “The Front Porch” will play music while free refreshments are served. Open Mic follows for teens, young adults and EVERYONE!!! You are welcome to read one of your original poems, two pages or less. Free soft drinks and snacks.

Admission is free for students with ID! Adults, $5.

Please share this note with your friends!

Best,
Deborah Grossman

Poet Laureate
City of Pleasanton, California
www.facebook.com/PleasantonPoetry
http://www.firehousearts.org/programs/literary-arts
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Deborah is friend/colleague who inspires me with her work / poetry in the community.  I hope to see more of her this year or next at Women’s National Book Association.

Cheers to all the poets!

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

How Do Authors Celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in San Francisco?

Saturday, May 21, 2011, 11:00am – 6:00pm Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC), organized by the AsianWeek Foundation

Two years ago author Margie Yee Webb helped me reconnect with the Asian-American community by inviting me to exhibit my book Love Made of Heart at the Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC). Thank you, Margie!

This year 2011 Margie Yee Webb (author of Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings), Lloyd Lofthouse (author of My Splendid Concubine), Patricia Tsang, M.D. (author of Optimal Healing: A Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine) and yours truly Teresa LeYung Ryan (author of Love Made of Heart and Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days) will share a booth.  Please stop by the California Writers Club booth and say hello if you’re going to the Asian Heritage Street Celebration on Larkin Street (between Grove St. and Ellis St.), San Francisco–close to BART Civic Center station.

Free Admission to Asian Art Museum Courtesy of Target – Throughout the day during the Asian Heritage Street Celebration May 21, 2011, Admission to the special exhibit “Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance” is $5.

How does protagonist Ruby Lin want to help her mother?

Teresa LeYung Ryan uses her novel Love Made of Heart (Kensington Publishing Corp NY 2002, 2003) to inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and to gain resources for their families.

First honoree in this video from The Media Center is Bardi Rosman Koodrin. In the interview, Bardi tells about her remarkable experience when she was five years old.

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Friday June 17, 2011 Literary Arts Stage at the San Mateo County Fair

4:00-6:00pm Mary E. Knippel presents “Coaxing Creativity” workshop

6:30-8:00pm readings from California Writers Club–San Francisco Peninsula Branch members, including contributing authors in the anthology Fault Zone.

8:00-9:00pm  author Teresa LeYung-Ryan (past president of CWC-SF Peninsula Branch) uses Love Made of Heart to inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and gain resources for their families. As Writing Career Coach Teresa, she helps fiction and nonfiction authors gain a competitive edge before and after publication with her workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days.

Visit Teresa’s blog at http://WritingCoachTeresa.com She is the sponsor for “The Immigrant Experience” Writing Contest and she hopes to meet the contestants at the fair.

How does protagonist Ruby Lin want to help her mother?

Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

What Can I Learn from the Stories in Anthologies?

Readers can learn about other cultures, other times, and even experience events through the “safety” of pages.  Readers who are also writers can learn how to craft stories from authors who contribute their work to anthologies.

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On May 5, 2011 while I was at the San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, getting ready for the Women’s National Book Association-SF Chapter celebration, I received a call from Christopher Wachlin of California Writers Club-SF Peninsula Branch. Chris is one of the talented authors in the anthology Fault Zone.  His news was that Kepler’s Books and Magazines (in Menlo Park, CA)  has sold out the anthology and Chris would be delivering more books.

“For readers who love engaging stories and poems, Fault Zone fits the bill.” –Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of the mother-daughter novel Love Made of Heart and the writer’s guide Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fan Base in 22 Days

I look forward to seeing the contributing authors, editor Lisa Meltzer Penn, and all the champions who made the anthology a reality.  Bravi! See you at the San Mateo County Fair-Literary Arts Department events June 11-19, 2011 (I, Teresa LeYung Ryan, will be presenting on Friday June 17, 8:00-9:00pm)

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Here’s my email to Editor-in-Chielf  Kate Farrell regarding her anthology Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother

May 11, 2011

Dear Kate,

I’ve read your beautiful introduction, Amber Lea Starfire’s and Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg’s, and the stories by Pat Jackson-Colando, Diane Hurles, Marilyn J. Curry,  Nancy LaTurner, Barbara Toboni, Ana Manwaring, and Laura McHale Holland.

The stories touched me deeply.

My praise:

“How daughters remember mothers’ lives, resurrecting maternal hold or finding courage through translations of their sorrows, dreams and triumphs.  Daughters answering the haunting question: ‘To be or not to be like them?’ The words and pages in the anthology Wisdom Has a Voice (Edited by Kate Farrell) touch the sometimes fragile oftentimes vibrant heart. Beautiful.”  Teresa LeYung-Ryan–author of Love Made of Heart and the Build Your Writer’s… workbook series

Too long? Let me know.

Thank you for including me in your labor of love; I predict great success for this anthology.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan

May 13, 2011 Kate emailed back. She transformed my three long sentences into two concise ones.  Thank you, Kate!

So, now my praise reads:

In Wisdom Has a Voice daughters answer the haunting question: ‘To be or not to be like mother?’ As they remember their mothers’ lives, they discover courage in touching translations of her sorrows, dreams, and triumphs. Beautiful.”               —Teresa LeYung-Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart and Build Your Writer’s…workbook series

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Cheers to all the hearts in these two anthologies!

Coach Teresa

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What does protagonist Ruby Lin want?

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**

Writers of Fiction and Narrative Nonfiction,

I gave this assignment to a hardworking client who had trouble describing what his protagonist wants.

“Do I Know What My Protagonist Wants?”

The assignment was to watch three movies and write a one-paragraph description on each.  My client had chosen movies I hadn’t seen (which made the assignment a perfect exercise)–his summaries/teasers had to “sell” (make me want to see the movies).

Below each summary written by my client are my comments/suggestions.

D,

I am so proud of you.

Your summary of Black Swan is the way to write a pitch / a book jacket / and what I’d call “author’s story-track for self.”  Bravo!

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest: Hacker Lisbeth Salander has been hospitalized as a child for trying to kill her abusive father, Victor. Ultimately, she kills him and stands trial for murder in Sweden. Her protector and advocate is investigation journalist Michael Blomquist, who runs down a string of corrupt government employees and criminals who have created and allowed a string of child prostitution and sex trafficking rings. Salander is acquitted because of her intrepid physical and hacker skills and moves on to help jail those guilty for the sex crimes.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest: Hacker (replace “Hacker” with “Friendless” or an adjective that signals her emotional-state) Lisbeth Salander has? or had? been hospitalized as a child for trying (replace “trying” with “attempt-to-kill” her father. Ultimately (“ultimately” is vague; also need transition–how many weeks, months or years later; what inciting-incident compelled her to “not fail” in her attempt this time), she kills him and stands trial for murder in Sweden. Her one? protector and advocate is investigation journalist Michael Blomquist, who runs down a string of corrupt government employees and criminals who have created (delete: and allowed a string of)  an empire of child prostitution and sex trafficking (delete: rings). Salander is acquitted because of her intrepid physical and hacker skills (doesn’t make sense–she’s acquitted because of her skills? what’s her journey in prison?) and moves on to help jail those guilty for the sex crimes (would be even more compelling to add what she does for victims).

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Black Swan: Ballerina Nina wants to be chosen as the greatest ballerina in New York most prestigious company, but is driven to perfection and to not only fulfill the role of the pure, virginal white swan but also the sensual, critical black swan while trying to please her obsessive stage mother and sexual predator director. When the director challenges Nina to lose control to play the Black Swan with the same ease as her rival, Nina’s self-destructive impulses take over with devastating consequences.

Black Swan: Ballerina Nina Sayers wants to be chosen as the (delete: greatest) principal dancer (delete: ballerina) in New York’s most prestigious company. She is driven by her stage-mother’s demand for perfection and the sexual-predator director’s bait to choose her over her rival . The message: “Not only fulfill the role of the sensual, (delete: pure), virginal white swan but also the  (what’s the opposite of virginal?) delete: critical _________” leads to Nina’s letting her self-destructive impulses take over with devastating consequences.

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The Social Network: Mark  Zuckerberg is obsessed with being invited to the right finals club at Harvard, but since he is Jewish and a nerd he has no chance. The hacker genius piggybacks off the ideas of two other Harvard students to build Facebook as a way to meet and critique girls, and is sued by them and his best friend. Ultimately he realizes that people are addicted to the darker and lighter motives of his site and moves to Silicon Valley to build the greatest social network device ever.

The Social Network: Mark  Zuckerberg is obsessed with being invited to the right finals club at Harvard, but since he is a nerd and because he’s Jewish he has no chance. The hacker genius piggybacks off the ideas of two other Harvard students to build Facebook as a way to meet and critique girls, and is sued by them and his best friend. Ultimately (the word “ultimately” doesn’t replace the transitional-sentence to show what he does during the journey of being sued) he realizes that people are addicted to the darker and lighter motives of his site and moves to Silicon Valley to build the greatest social network device ever.

You used the word “ultimately” in the first and third summaries instead of using words to show what the Hero wants or his/her obstacles along the journey.  Your write-up of Black Swan is best because you tell us who the protagonist is, what she wants, who/what the antagonists are, and the hook–she’s an active main character. You used action-verbs.

Starting today, I’m going to be a tougher coach. You’ve proven to me that you can write dramatic sentences/summaries. I want a new summary (one paragraph) of your novel by tomorrow. Write it the way you wrote Black Swan‘s summary.

Also, I suggest your changing the working-title of your novel. Often a new working-title gives new energy to the writing.

Cheers!

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW Available through Amazon.com   Check out the reviews!   Coach Teresa created the fun workbook to help fiction and nonfiction authors gain a competitive edge.  Whether you want to be your own publisher or sell rights to another publisher, attract readers and more readers now!   After you order Coach Teresa’s workbook, email her to receive an exclusive bonus on platform-building. Teresa’s email address is on her website WritingCoachTeresa.com

Need a model that demonstrates page-turning techniques? Order/click here:  Love Made of Heart through Kensington Publishing Corp. New York.  Reviews on Teresa’s book on Amazon.com  After you read Love Made of Heart, email Teresa and she’ll send you her “page-turning secrets.”  The document is only useful if you’ve read the book and can refer to pages. Coach Teresa’s email address is on her website WritingCoachTeresa.com

What does protagonist Ruby Lin want?

#####

Do Antagonists Have To Be People?

Coach Teresa here to answer the question with a question.  Colleague Mary E. Knippel and her husband rented the new movie The King’s Speech (starring Colin Firth) and I watched it with them.

Who can tell me what/who is the most frightening antagonist to the protagonist (main character) in this story?

Mary’s husband says: “The microphone!”  What do you think?  What does the microphone represent?

Sincerely,

Cheers from Writing Coach Teresa!

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW Available through Amazon.com   Check out the reviews!   Coach Teresa created the fun workbook to help fiction and nonfiction authors gain a competitive edge.  Whether you want to be your own publisher or sell rights to another publisher, attract readers and more readers now!   After you order Coach Teresa’s workbook, email her to receive an exclusive bonus on platform-building. Teresa’s email address is on her website WritingCoachTeresa.com

First, what is a writer’s platform? Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan here to answer that question–”Making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers who are likely to buy what you have to sell.”

” What are you selling? Your literary products—articles, columns, stories, poems, essays, speeches, scripts, books.”

“Making your name stand for something–the something being the subject matters, issues, and themes in your writings.”

“Targeted consumers? They are the readers who read the subject matters that you write about.”

My clients ask me: “Coach Teresa, How long does it take to build my writer’s platform?”

My answer: “When you stick to something for 21 days, you develop a new habit.  Do the exercises in my workbook for at least 21 days. On the 22nd day, you graduate with the tools to build your writer’s platform.”

So, how long does it take to build your writer’s platform? Only 22 days!

May 5, 2011:

Author Joan Gelfand asked me today: “Teresa, what happens after you build your platform?”

My response: “After I build my platform, I fortify it, then I retrofit it.  Building my platform and then abandoning it doesn’t serve me.”

Margaret Davis, author of Straight Down the Middle, says: “Instead of the usual pep talks, Coach Teresa’s workbook consists of a series of exercises which are thought-provoking, and always fun.”

Speaking of fun, I had a fun day fortifying my own platform and helping fellow members of WNBA.

Thanks to my pal Mary E. Knippel‘s lending me her Flip camera, I produced 4 short videos today–to share my expertise about platform-building for writers. I’ll post the videos on YouTube next week.

Then, I packed the Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter (WNBA) membership roster, name badges, name tents, the thank-you gift for our chapter president (Lynn Henriksen),  and went cake-shopping for tonight’s celebration. The event was at the San Francisco Public Library-Main Branch.

What an exciting meeting!  Established members (guiding lights) showed up; talented new members showed up:

Lynn Henriksen will mentor the new incoming chapter president or co-presidents

Kate Britton wishes to stay on as Membership Chair

Christopher Payne wishes to stay on as Treasurer

Teresa LeYung-Ryan wishes to stay on as Secretary, mentor committee chairs, and continue to show members how to build their own platforms with the help of the WNBA platform.

Mary E. Knippel wishes to stay on to mentor committee chairs and help them coax their creativity.

Birgit Soyka wishes to be WNBA Liaison to BookShop West Portal

Elizabeth Pomada, former chapter president, will continue to be a guiding light for WNBA, promoting our chapter through San Francisco Writers Conference, ASJA, and other affiliations.

Michael Larsen, former chapter president, will continue to be a guiding light for WNBA, promoting our chapter through San Francisco Writers Conference, ASJA,and other affiliations.

Leon Veal will continue being our liaison at San Francisco Public Library and San Francisco Project Read

Jane Glendinning is also affiliated with California Writers Club-Berkeley Branch

Patricia Tsang, M.D. is also affiliated with California Writers Club-San Francisco Peninsula Branch (and the Asian Heritage Street Celebration this year)

Janine Kovac is also affiliated with LitQuake (San Francisco’s Literary Festival)

Apala Egan is also affiliated with California Writers Club-South Bay Branch

Claudia Boutote is also affiliated with Harper One, publisher in San Francisco

Joan Gelfand is immediate-past president on national board of WNBA; she recommends our chapter sponsoring smaller events, and more of them, so that members get to co-chair one event in their region. This distribution of duties would benefit all members.

Linda Joy Myers, founder of National Association of Memoir Writers (NAMW), offered to share her expertise in teleseminars.

Linda Lee, our webmaster and cyberspace guru, offered to share her expertise in webinars and make webinars a benefit to members and a revenue tool when we sell the products to non-members.

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We honored Lynn Henriksen; she made the past 2 years fun for us. Thank you, Lynn!

Vicki, Leigh Anne, Kaye, Barbara, Judith, Ricky, Elisa, we missed you at this meeting/party. See you soon!

Cyberspace Guru Linda Lee and I had a chance to chat after the meeting.

Cheers from Writing Coach Teresa!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan, board member, San Francisco Chapter of Women’s National Book Association

Hope to see members in or near San Francisco on Thursday June 2, 2011,  6:00-7:30pm
Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter MEET UP
Mary E. Knippel (Creativity Mentor) & Teresa LeYung-Ryan (Writing Career Coach) will be present to mentor members and conduct “round-table MEET UP”
San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, Latino/Hispanic Community Room (you can bring food into this room) at lower level,
100 Larkin St.(or use 30 Grove Street entrance), S.F., CA 94102
http://wnba-sfchapter.org/
RSVP by emailing:  Secretary@wnba-sfchapter.org

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW Available through Amazon.com   Check out the reviews!   Coach Teresa created the fun workbook to help fiction and nonfiction authors gain a competitive edge.  Whether you want to be your own publisher or sell rights to another publisher, attract readers and more readers now!   After you order Coach Teresa’s workbook, email her to receive an exclusive bonus on platform-building. Teresa’s email address is on her website WritingCoachTeresa.com

How do I publish an anthology?

Colleagues at California Writers Club (CWC) have done it, again and again–organized “calls for submission”, created guidelines for the selection process, found editors, identified endorsers, lined up experts for book covers, layout, index, publishers, marketing and distribution channels (all with the help of their platforms fanbases).

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The CWC SF/Peninsula branch anthology Fault Zone: Words from the Edge is on sale at Kepler’s Books and Magazines in Menlo Park, both in-store and online. The cost is $7.00.

To purchase online: http://www.keplers.com/local-authors

To purchase in-store: Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Speaking of CWC San Francisco Peninsula branch–they meet at Belmont Library  . . . on May 21st, 2011, 10:00am–noon Scott James (a.k.a. Kemble Scott) will be speaking at that fabulous branch (yours truly is a member and past president).

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CWC Redwood branch has 4 anthologies, about to publish their fifth. Their meetings are in Santa Rosa, CA.

Take a look at their wonderful anthologies too.

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Kate Farrell is editor-in-chief for Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother

I’m about to read excerpts from the anthology before writing my advance praise.  Also,  I’m a fan of Kate Farrell’s literary works. Take a look at her young-adult novel Girl In the Mirror

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Cheers from

Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan http://writingcoachTeresa.com

To find out what a writer’s platform is and how to build yours and your fanbase, get Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (paperback) $22.00 through Amazon.com

May is Personal History Month

AMY GORMAN – Guided Autobiography class

Saturday May 22, 2010
PORTLAND, OREGON
Elders in Action and the Geezer gallery presents:
Grand Works Northwest Art Festival
~celebrating creativity in aging~
Amy Gorman offers:
Workshop in Creative Aging with the film, “Still Kicking”
The Mark Building, 1119 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR
www.eldersinaction.org
CONTACT: Brenda Morgan

Go to Amy Gorman’s website for other programs. She is the author of book Aging Artfully — about the twelve women aged 85-105 who inspired her work. It’s also about promoting positive healthy aging for the general public, and for advocating involvement with the creative arts in retirement years.

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Do you know about NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MEMOIR WRITERS?

Post your comment to NAMW founder Linda Joy Myers’s question: Why should I write my memoir?

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Saturday May 21, 2011 Asian Heritage Street Celebration in San Francisco, CA

Teresa LeYung Ryan will be with fellow authors Margie Yee Webb, Dr. Patricia Tsang, Lloyd Lofthouse at the California Writers Club booth at Asian Heritage Street Celebration “AHSC” on May 21, 2011.  Teresa uses her book Love Made of Heart to honor the Chinese immigrant experience and to inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and gain resources for their families.

As a writing career coach, Teresa uses her workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days to help fiction and nonfiction authors attract agents, publishers, readers, and media attention before and after publication.

Teresa LeYung is the sponsor of “THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE: NOVEL, MEMOIR, OR SHORT STORY” Writing Contest—entries must be received by 7:00 pm, Friday, April 29, 2011 or postmarked by April 25th, 2011. Winners’ names will be displayed at the June 11-19, 2011 San Mateo County Fair Literary Arts Department.

Cheers from Writing Career Coach Teresa