Posts Tagged ‘novels’

Coach Teresa, what happened when you hosted Plot Whisperer Martha Alderson on your blog?

Martha Alderson is one of the seven members of our mastermind group; my previous post included two other members–Job Seeker’s Writing Mentor Mary E. Knippel and Employment Counselor Rebecca Martin.

Hosting an author who is on blog tour (even when the author is beloved Martha Alderson) requires a series of publicity outreach, special invitations, and, of course being present on the day of author-arrival to my blog.

22 writers showed up for Plot Whisperer Martha Alderson!  Please read their wonderful questions about story plotlines and the Plot Whisperer’s helpful answers to authors of novels, memoirs, creative nonfiction.

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/writers-invited-to-camp-out-here-the-plot-whisperer-martha-alderson-to-arrive-october-18-2011-on-blog-tour/

Each writer who participated was eligible for the drawing.  The winner would get a copy of The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master. I had each participant’s name on a piece of paper, and all the entries went into a red bag.  After a few shakes . . .  one entry was pulled out.  The winner is Janet Kerr in Canada!  Congratulations, Janet!  Thank you, Everyone, for making my blog a fun place for The Plot Whisperer.

Coach Teresa here to say that  Martha’s new book The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master has motivated me to the point that I’m writing my second novel on public transit. Last night I even missed my stop because I was engrossed reading Martha’s “Some Final Thoughts” in her book. I am on fire writing and dreaming my next novel. Thank you, Plot Whisperer Martha Alderson!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Writing Career Coach/Manuscript Consultant

author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (print edition & eBook edition)
Author of Love Made of Heart (inspires adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families)

Hello Writers,

I am Teresa LeYung Ryan. My clients call me Writing Career Coach Teresa. Who are my clients? They are writers just like you:

• authors who have invested years writing their projects and needed to hook agents with a marketing pitch in their query letters.

• authors who have self-published their books, and deserve more readers.

• writers of fiction and nonfiction, tired of rejections, tired of publishers telling them that they don’t have a platform or fanbase.

What is a platform anyway?

Making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers who are likely to buy what you have to sell. Let’s hear that again.

Making your name stand for something (the themes/the subject matters/the issues in your writing)—to attract targeted consumers (people who buy the kinds of books you create ) who are likely to buy what you have to sell (your literary works).

Join the community of authors who write fiction (novels, short stories, graphic novels, novellas), narrative and creative nonfiction (autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, essays), prescriptive nonfiction (how-to books), poetry, speeches, and other genres . . .  and have gained a competitive edge with my workbook: Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

What these authors have to say:

Ruth Silnes is a published author of three books, one of them a how-to book. Ruth says: “Thanks to Coach Teresa’s workbook I learned how to contact a star. Carol Channing wrote a review for my latest book.”

Kate Britton is looking for an agent for her novel; she’s also considering self-publishing.  She says: “Through Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days . . . you’ll find out some pretty interesting things about yourself and what your platform is really all about.”

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

Lynn Scott, author of narrative non-fiction (memoirs), says: “Coach Teresa is a whiz in the ways a writer can get noticed.”

Join these successful authors today!

Go to Amazon and search for Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days.  After you order my book, contact me through this blog post (click on the title bar of this post scroll down to get boxes, filled in the boxes, and click the “submit comment” button) and you will receive a free tip on platform building.

In the meantime, check out the resources at my website http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

I’ll see there!

And remember, “Reach out, not stress out.  Help your readers find you!” with Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days

Sincerely,

Writing Career Coach Teresa 

General Rules for 2011 Writing Contests from San Mateo County Fair Literary Arts Dept.

Entries must be received by 7:00 pm, Friday, April 29, 2011 or postmarked by April 25^th, 2011

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/competitive-exhibits/departments/literary-arts

After you go to above link, look at left side of the webpage and click on [ Entry Book Pages ] for general rules.

The Literary Arts Department at the San Mateo County Fair offering contests in these categories:

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/guide_book/creative_arts.pdf for the list of writing contests & descriptions (scroll to pages 64 -  70)

DIVISION 342 – THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE: NOVEL, MEMOIR, OR SHORT STORY
Sponsored by Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of  Love Made of Heart http://lovemadeofheart.com

DIVISION 335 – “HEROES ARISE” SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY NOVEL CHAPTER
Sponsored by Laurel Anne Hill, author of  Heroes Arise www.laurelannehill.com

DIVISION 336 – SAN FRANCISCO/PENINSULA CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB:
THE MOST PROMISING WRITER OF THE YEAR SHORT STORY CONTEST

DIVISION 337 – THE VERNA DREISBACH “WHY WE RIDE” NONFICTION
Sponsored by Verna Dreisbach www.vernadreisbach.com

DIVISION 338 – THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MEMOIR WRITERS: THE POWER OF MEMOIR www.namw.org

DIVISION 341– “I’M DYING TO TELL YOU” MYSTERY NOVEL CHAPTER
Sponsored by Frank M. Kahren, author of  Brand Loyalty www.fmkahren.com

DIVISION 324 – CHILDREN’S NOVEL CHAPTER OR STORY CONTEST
Sponsored by Parenting on the Peninsula www.ponthep.com

DIVISION 323 – THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
Sponsored by the Peninsula Arts Council www.peninsulaartscouncil.org

The Capitol City Young Writers Award
Youth Grades 6-12  Sponsored by Verna Dreisbach, President and Founder http://www.capitolcityyoungwriters.org/ Young writers, also check out Capital City Young Writers’ website for other resources. For contest description and rules though, go to the San Mateo County Fair links:

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/competitive-exhibits/departments/literary-arts

After you go to above link, look at left side of the webpage and click on [ Entry Book Pages ] for general rules.

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/guide_book/creative_arts.pdf (scroll down to bottom of page 67 for this contest’s description)

Also, there are contests for essays, poetry, and more !

Thank you, Bardi Rosman Koodri, for orchestrating the Literary Arts Dept.:

LITERARY ARTS GENERAL RULES

PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for all literary contests (including the NDNU scholarship) is 7:00 pm, Friday, April 29, 2011. Registration to compete can be done online, but no literary entries via email will be accepted without three (3) copies of your written material as well, which can be mailed (must be postmarked by April 25^th, 2011) or delivered to the office by the deadline noted above.

GENERAL RULES:

1.   FORMAT: THREE (3) copies of your entry on 8-1/2″ x 11″ white paper with each page numbered and TYPED, double spaced.  Font point size may not be smaller than 12 pt.  Do not submit the original. For judging purposes, author’s name SHALL NOT appear on literary work.  For each piece, include a 3″ x 5″ card with the Author’s name, address, city, zip, home phone, day phone, email address, title, first sentence or line, word count, division, and class.  Literary arts entries must be contestant’s original work and written in English.  DO NOT RESUBMIT ANY LITERARY WORK PREVIOUSLY ENTERED INTO THE SAN MATEO COUNTY FAIR WHETHER IT WON A PRIZE OR NOT.

2.  NEW: Submissions can be made electronically as long as three (3) copies are also printed and mailed in time.

3.   JUDGING:  Literary arts will be judged off site.  Literary arts entries must have correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation in order for each entry to be judged on its own merit.

4.   RELEASE: Author retains all rights; however, the author agrees that all literary arts entries may be displayed; along with each division first prize winner’s name, title, and an excerpt of said winning work, and any/all may be used for publicity purposes at the sole discretion of the Fair management.

5.   RETURN: In keeping with current writing competition standards, no literary arts entries will be returned; for confidentiality, all printed material will be recycled.

6.   PRIZE RIBBONS: Ribbons may not be collected during the fair; they will be distributed after the end of the fair.

7.  AGE:  Age for senior citizen class (55 and older) is determined by having had a birthday on or before

April 1, 2011.

Even if work is electronically submitted, three (3) printed copies of each entry must also be mailed to:

San Mateo County Event Center/Literary contest submission

2495 S. Delaware Street

San Mateo, CA 94403

(650) 574-3247

Thank you, Bardi Rosman Koodrin, my fellow contest sponsors, and everyone involved in making these contests available.

I was a recipient of an award from the Jack London Writers Conference Writing Contest (category:  novel) in 1997.  Mentioning of that award attracted agents’ attention when I queried them.  I encourage writers to enter their work to reputable contests; I encourage writers to check out supportive organizations such as California Writers Club!

My best wishes to writers,

Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart, cheers for brave immigrants.

22-Day Coach Teresa

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW is available through Amazon.  Read success stories (on Amazon) from writers who have finished the 22-day workbook I created 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!  http://writingcoachteresa.com

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/is-there-a-book-to-help-a-writer-build-platform-and-fanbase/

Is There a Writing Contest for Novels, Memoirs, Short Stories that Invites the Theme of the Immigrant Experience?

YES!

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/competitive-exhibits/departments/literary-arts After you go to above link, look at left side of the webpage and click on [ Entry Book Pages ]  for general rules.

The Literary Arts Department at the San Mateo County Fair offering contests in these categories:

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/guide_book/creative_arts.pdf for the list of writing contests & descriptions (scroll to pages 64 -  70)

DIVISION 342 – THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE: NOVEL, MEMOIR, OR SHORT STORY
Sponsored by Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of  Love Made of Heart http://lovemadeofheart.com

DIVISION 335 – “HEROES ARISE” SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY NOVEL CHAPTER
Sponsored by Laurel Anne Hill, author of  Heroes Arise www.laurelannehill.com

DIVISION 336 – SAN FRANCISCO/PENINSULA CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB:
THE MOST PROMISING WRITER OF THE YEAR SHORT STORY CONTEST

DIVISION 337 – THE VERNA DREISBACH “WHY WE RIDE” NONFICTION
Sponsored by Verna Dreisbach www.vernadreisbach.com

DIVISION 338 – THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MEMOIR WRITERS: THE POWER OF MEMOIR www.namw.org

DIVISION 341– “I’M DYING TO TELL YOU” MYSTERY NOVEL CHAPTER
Sponsored by Frank M. Kahren, author of ?Brand Loyalty? www.fmkahren.com

DIVISION 324 – CHILDREN’S NOVEL CHAPTER OR STORY CONTEST
Sponsored by Parenting on the Peninsula www.ponthep.com

DIVISION 323 – THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
Sponsored by the Peninsula Arts Council www.peninsulaartscouncil.org

The Capitol City Young Writers Award
Youth Grades 6-12  Sponsored by Verna Dreisbach, President and Founder www.capitolcityyoungwriters.org

Also, there are contests for essays, poetry, and more !

LITERARY ARTS GENERAL RULES

PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for all literary contests (including the NDNU scholarship) is 7:00 pm, Friday, April 29, 2011. Registration to compete can be done online, but no literary entries via email will be accepted without three (3) copies of your written material as well, which can be mailed (must be postmarked by April 25^th, 2011) or delivered to the office by the deadline noted above.

GENERAL RULES:

1.   FORMAT: THREE (3) copies of your entry on 8-1/2″ x 11″ white paper with each page numbered and TYPED, double spaced.  Font point size may not be smaller than 12 pt.  Do not submit the original. For judging purposes, author’s name SHALL NOT appear on literary work.  For each piece, include a 3″ x 5″ card with the Author’s name, address, city, zip, home phone, day phone, email address, title, first sentence or line, word count, division, and class.  Literary arts entries must be contestant’s original work and written in English.  DO NOT RESUBMIT ANY LITERARY WORK PREVIOUSLY ENTERED INTO THE SAN MATEO COUNTY FAIR WHETHER IT WON A PRIZE OR NOT.

2.  NEW: Submissions can be made electronically as long as three (3) copies are also printed and mailed in time.

3.   JUDGING:  Literary arts will be judged off site.  Literary arts entries must have correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation in order for each entry to be judged on its own merit.

4.   RELEASE: Author retains all rights; however, the author agrees that all literary arts entries may be displayed; along with each division first prize winner’s name, title, and an excerpt of said winning work, and any/all may be used for publicity purposes at the sole discretion of the Fair management.

5.   RETURN: In keeping with current writing competition standards, no literary arts entries will be returned; for confidentiality, all printed material will be recycled.

6.   PRIZE RIBBONS: Ribbons may not be collected during the fair; they will be distributed after the end of the fair.

7.  AGE:  Age for senior citizen class (55 and older) is determined by having had a birthday on or before

April 1, 2011.

Even if work is electronically submitted, three (3) printed copies of each entry must also be mailed to:

San Mateo County Event Center/Literary contest submission

2495 S. Delaware Street

San Mateo, CA 94403

(650) 574-3247

Thank you, Bardi Rosman Koodrin, my fellow contest sponsors, and everyone involved in making these contests available.

I was a recipient of an award from the Jack London Writers Conference Writing Contest (category:  novel) in 1997.  Mentioning of that award attracted agents’ attention when I queried them.  I encourage writers to enter their work to reputable contests; I encourage writers to check out supportive organizations such as California Writers Club!

My best wishes to writers,

Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart, cheers for brave immigrants.

22-Day Coach Teresa

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW is available through Amazon.  Read success stories (on Amazon) from writers who have finished the 22-day workbook I created 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!  http://writingcoachteresa.com

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/is-there-a-book-to-help-a-writer-build-platform-and-fanbase/

What’s Happening February 17 – 21, 2011 For Writers and Readers?

Thursday, Feb. 17th, 2011, 6 to 9 pm- $149
Presented by Literary Agent Katharine Sands, author of Making the Perfect Pitch. Learn how to effectively pitch your project to the agents and editors at the SFWC…or anywhere!  http://www.sfwriters.org/pages.cfm?ID=206

Friday February 18, 2011 While Talking Tagline Mentor Elisa Southard author of  Break Through the Noise, 9 Tools to Propel Your Marketing Message & I (Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW) will be presenting “Get a Grip: Be Your Own Best Promoter” at the exciting San Francisco Writers Conference . . .

February 18, 2011, 11:00am PST / noon Mountain Time Author Judith Marshall (Judith & I were in a critique group with Lynn Scott and Marcia Naomi Berger!)  will be interviewed on BlogTalkRadio show Page Readers.  If you miss the live broadcast on Feb. 18th, you can listen to Judith Marshall (she’s delightful!) when the show is archived.  Go, Girlfriend Judith!!!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/show.aspx?userurl=page-readers&year=2011&month=02&day=18&url=judith-marshall-on-page-readers

Judith Marshall is a third generation native Californian, born in St. Helena and raised in Concord. After leaving a successful career as a human resources executive, her lifelong dream of writing fiction was realized with the completion of Husbands May Come and Go But Friends Are Forever, winner of the Jack London Prize awarded by the California Writers Club and recently optioned for the big screen. She is an active member of the California Writers Club and a regular participant in writing classes and workshops. She continues to hone her craft and is currently working on her second novel, Staying Afloat, the story of a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother who morphs into a sex-starved adulteress. She lives in Northern California with her husband. For more information, go to www.judithmarshall.net

MONDAY, February 21, 2011  FULL-DAY AND HALF-DAY WRITING INTENSIVES

Sponsored by San Francisco Writers University and the San Francisco Writers Conference  http://www.sfwriters.org/pages.cfm?ID=206

These classes will be held at the Mark Hopkins InterContinental Hotel on Nob Hill in San Francisco.

Each of these intensive workshops takes one subject and breaks it down
into parts to give attendees a deep understanding of the topic. Each
workshop is taught by an expert on the subject who is also a good
teacher.

Full Day Classes (9 am to noon, break for no-host lunch, 2 -5 pm) — $297 for either class

1. Social Media for Authors with social media gurus Tee Morris and Linda Lee
By the end of this nuts and bolts workshop, authors will know how to effectively use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Linked-In, how to create a website and blog and how to podcast your writing. And you’ll also know how to select which of these tools is right for you. A must have for writers in today’s online world.

2. Self-Publishing Boot Camp with Carla King, Alan Rinzler, Joel Friedlander, Mark Coker, Tammy Nam, Alexis Masters, Karen Leland and many more
Listen up, soldiers! Today is the best time ever to be a writer. With eBooks and self-publishing options never before available to get your book in front of a reading audience, you need to understand the whys, whats and hows of self-publishing. Taught by the creator of the Self-Publishing Bootcamp and a whole host of experts in every aspect of self-publishing. Go to Carla King’s Self-Publishing Boot Camp web site.

Morning Half-Day Classes (9 am to noon) –$149 for each class

1. Micro-Tension: The Secret of the Best Sellers with Superstar Literary Agent Donald Maass
This workshop has been given to rave reviews throughout North America by the man who wrote the book (and workbook) on writing the novel that will break you out of the pack. In the course of two decades Mr. Maass has arrived at a number of definite and highly perceptive conclusions on just what the differences are between an ordinary, pedestrian but enjoyable novel and an ostensibly similar work that catapults the book and its author into an entirely new plane of literary success.

2. Writing Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror
With best selling author Katharine Kerr, editor/assoc. publisher Gabrielle Harbowy and rising star fantasy author Philippa Ballantine

3. Writing Romance and Women’s Fiction
With literary agent Christine Witthohn and romance author Elizabeth Jennings

4. Writing Mysteries, Suspense and Thrillers
With NYT best-selling mystery and thriller authors Bob Dugoni and Sheldon Siegel

Afternoon Half-Day Classes (2 pm to 5 pm)–$149 each

1. How to Write a Book Proposal (non-fiction)
With the man who wrote How to Write a Book Proposal. literary agent Michael Larsen and Consulting Editor Alan Rinzler

2. Making Your Memoir Bigger Than The Story of Your Life
With writing teacher and memoirist Adair Lara, author of Naked, Drunk and Writing: Shed Your Inhibitions and Craft a Compelling Memoir or Personal Essay

3. How To Make Money in the Hot Young Adult Market
With author Doug Rees and Annette Pollert from Simon and Schuster

Self-publishing gets easier with online tools

Sunday August 1, 2010

I’m organizing photos from yesterday’s Northern California Storybook & Literature Festival.

Women's National Book Association members Margie Yee Webb, Mary E. Knippel, B. Lynn Goodwin, Sarbjit Rai, Teresa LeYung Ryan

I had a good time on the panel with other fiction authors. Gail, thank you for moderating. Nathan, thank you for taking photos. Delightful audience.

authors Jeff Carlson, Laurel Anne Hill, Tanya Egan Gibson, Teresa LeYung Ryan, Jack L. Parker with Library Specialist Gail McGrath & Library Advocate Nathan

Authors Susan Osborn & Margie Yee Webb cheer for the Friends of the Roseville Library

Also I presented “Transform Your Personal Experiences Into Potent Stories” Thank you to the participant-writers.  Here are some comments from them:

I asked: What did you value most about the workshop?

• “Verbalizing what my readers will learn from my story.”

• “Good comments & tools from Teresa for moving forward.”
• “Handouts so organized.”

Your next steps with your stories?

• “Bring my stories out and start again—with your ideas for tools”
• “Find a publisher.”
• “Re-read my favorite novel & mark it up. Thank you, Teresa!”

My colleagues  (Catharine Bramkamp, Laurel Anne Hill, Antoinette May, Susan M. Osborn) also presented their writing workshops.

Special thanks to Jamie Finley, Dena Grover, Gail McGrath, Lynn Brown and everyone at Roseville Libraries, Margie Yee Webb and colleagues at California Writers Club, Mary Knippel & Sarbjit Rai & fellow members of Women’s National Book Association, bookseller James Van Eaton of Winston Smith Books, friends old and new, readers and writers, and everyone who made the festival a celebration of literature.

Teresa LeYung Ryan, Mary E. Knippel, Margie Yee Webb advocate for public libraries.

http://www.roseville.ca.us/library/

3 branches in Roseville, CA

Maidu Library & Maidu Community Center

Martha Riley Community Library

Downtown Library

Gail McGrath (Library Specialist) holding Teresa's novel Love Made of Heart, Bob Quinlan author of Earn It: Empower Yourself for Love, and Margie Yee Webb author of Cat Mulan

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

As an author and community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan speaks out for public libraries, honors immigrant-stories, advocates compassion for mental illness, and helps survivors of violence find their own voices through writing.

“To comment on any of my columns (blog posts), just click on the color title-bar of the post, fill in the boxes and press ‘submit.’  Thank you.”

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

Exciting news!  Novels written by Judith Marshall and Margaret Davis have ingredients for the big screen–quirky characters, unusual circumstances, satisfying endings.

Sociologist Margaret Davis (author of Straight Down the Middle) offers a fresh take on the battle of the sexes.  

“The battle of the sexes is over,” according to Maria Shriver in a Forbes Woman article (by Heidi Brown, October 16, 2009).  But does anyone really believe that?

Davis tackles the subject in a different way. Straight Down the Middle tells the tale of Diane who finds herself unwillingly pitched into such a battle.  Diane wants to have a baby, her long-time lover Cindy agrees, and they ask a neighbor Sam to father the child.  But after the baby boy is born, Diane finds herself in the middle of a heated tug-of-war between a strong-willed Sam who wants to maintain contact with his son, and an equally strong-willed  Cindy, who wants him gone.  Diane’s attempts to keep the peace lead to lies, intrigues and cover-ups galore—until finally, she is forced by circumstances to “get out of the middle” and search out her own needs and desires.

The book is “A fresh take on the battle of the sexes.  A smart, modern comedy with a deep heart,” says Author and Screenwriter Frank Baldwin.

http://margaretdavisbooks.com

Glamour Gal Judith Marshall (author of Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever) celebrates fresh hopes, second chances, and the anything-but-simple art of relationships.

Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever is set in a small town in Northern California, in the spring of 2000 when the dot-com boom was at its peak. The story centers around Elizabeth Reilly-Hayden, a successful executive in her late fifties and a divorced mother of two. Emotionally armored and living alone, she wants only to maintain the status quo: her long-term significant other, her job and her trusted friends— five feisty women who first met in high school. Yet in a matter of days, the three anchors that have kept her moored are ripped away. The group of lifelong pals gathers at Lake Tahoe to attend to the funeral arrangements of their beloved friend, and tries to unravel the mystery of her death. Through their shared tragedy, Liz learns how disappointment and grief can bloom into healing and hope.

“Judith Marshall has written a book that, once you start it, you will not want to put down, and once you finish it, you will want to read again. It makes you remember that there is nothing quite so important as good friends.”—D.W. Buffa, author of Breach of Trust and many other legal thrillers.

http://judithmarshall.net/

Margaret & Judith,

I’m thrilled for the two of you. When your novels become Hollywood movies, I won’t wait for the release of DVDs; I will go to the cineplexes.

Teresa LeYung Ryan

New Year’s approaching, new year to give your writing project a new look.

Ask me, Writing Coach Teresa, to edit 22 pages at a time.
Gain tools from my coaching with each installment of your manuscript. Affordable too.

Learn how to use  archetypes, themes/universal messages, metaphors, hooks, foreshadows, pivotal plot points, seamless transitions, and poignancy to make your story a page-turner.
I like to edit fiction and narrative non-fiction with strong and quirky protagonists, memoirs, young adult fiction, and short stories.

Visit http://WritingCoachTeresa.com home page to find out what it means when an agent or editor tells a writer that his/her story is episodic.

Writing Coach & Manuscript Consultant Teresa LeYung Ryan who helps writers 22 pages at a time.

California Writers’ Club–SF Peninsula Branch Presents
“Build Your Name While You Write”
with Writing-Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

January 16, 2010, 10am to noon
Belmont Library, 1110 Alameda De Las Pulgas, Belmont, CA
Cost: $15  CWC members;  $18 non-members

Reservations are advised:
Call 650-615-8331 to leave a message or email Chris Wachlin at <reservations@sfpeninsulawriters.com> with your name and the meeting date.

More info & PayPal available on:  http://cwc-peninsula.org

Can you relate to any one of these statements?

* Agents and acquisition editors say publishers prefer to work with authors who are already celebrities or have established platforms (i.e. means to build fan base).  How do I compete?

* I am published. There aren’t enough hours in a day to write, let alone run around and network.

* I believe in my writing and I’m committed to building my career, but, my budget is limited.

Optional exercises before January 16:  http://cwc-peninsula.org/

On January 16, 2010 Teresa will debut her guide Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published

Teresa LeYung Ryan’s bio:  http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

Talk about writers collaborating and having fun… Barbara Whittaker, GM of The Axe & Palm Café, Stanford University, created a literary series and invited yours truly Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart, to kick-off the new program on November 12, 2009. Dear friend Elisa Southard, author of Break Through the Noise: 9 Tools to Propel Your Marketing Message, showed up to take photos and video. What a delightful evening.  My hubby was there to record and cheer.

Teresa LeYung Ryan shows Chinese word for "love" and Barbara Whittaker holds Teresa's novel Love Made of Heart

Stanford students Natalia, Chana Rose, Zach with Teresa LeYung Ryan (middle) and Barbara Whittaker (right)

Lyle Ryan & Teresa LeYung Ryan

Stanford students Natalia Birgisson, Chana Rose Rabinovitz and Zach O’Keeffe read scenes with me. These young people made a deep impression on me.

David, thank you for setting up P/A system; Anthony, thank you for tranforming space; Scott (Barbara’s hubby), thank you for helping with sound-check. Friends who couldn’t attend, thank you for sweet  emails and voicemails.

Stanford students & The Axe & Palm Cafe staff are memorable characters.

The heroes & heroines at The Axe & Palm Cafe with Teresa and Barbara, photo by Elisa

Everyone at Stanford who contributed their time and energy also deserve praise.

QUESTIONS that I answered:

• Is Love Made of Heart autobiographical?
• Where do you get your ideas for stories?
• What other genres do you write?
• What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
• You write about sobering subject matters; what do you do for fun?

A portion of the proceeds from book sales was donated to Save-the-Libraries.

Thank you, Barbara Whittaker, for further promoting literacy and sharing your brainchild with us!

Stanford student Mitchell Holt represented Marketing Dept. with authors Teresa LeYung Ryan & Elisa Southard