What's the Secret to Becoming a Best Seller?

For our Thursday, Nov 9th Meeting, author & owner of Soul Attitude Press John Rehg will be speaking. We'll meet at the Main Branch St. Pete Library at 6:00 PM. Networking/mingling begins at 5:30 PM. This meeting is open to the public.

Topic: The Untold, Amazing, Shocking! Secret Formula for Becoming a Bestselling Author Finally Revealed

Details: Scamming the Dream - how others promise you the moon as long as you pay them. Includes an open discussion about writing and publishing.

BIO:

JOHN REHG has been writing and rewriting since 2006, after taking 30 years off to pursue a career. He's still working, fitting in writing at odd times of day or night. After getting several short stories published in various anthologies, he started his own publishing business, Soul Attitude Press, to control the revenue on his stories as well as to help others realize their dream of holding their own book in their hands. He has published his own short fiction and non-fiction, and has helped others publish their stories. His novel is currently in its second revision, which he hopes to complete this year.

www.soulattitudepress.com

Live Critique at FWA St. Pete February Meeting

For our Thursday, February 9th Meeting, writers are welcome to join us for a Live Critique Session. We'll meet at the Main Branch St. Pete Library at 6:00 PM. Networking/mingling begins at 5:30 PM. This meeting is open to the public.

Topic: One Page Critique
Moderator: Bria Burton

What to bring: A singe page of your novel, short story, or other writing (double-spaced, up to 250 words)
Who can participate: First-come first-serve, members and non-members

What will the critique look like:

• After the author reads their page, the critique will open up to the audience
• Audience will be encouraged to provide positive feedback and constructive criticism in combination
• Author will not be allowed to talk during the critique (a buzzer will be on hand--if the author talks, they will get buzzed)
• The critique will be timed for each author. At four minutes, the timer will announce that the critique is over and the next author will be allowed to read their First Page

Does everyone have to read?

• No. But the audience will be encouraged to provide feedback, even those who choose not to read their work to the group.

October FWA St. Pete Meeting

For our Oct 8th meeting, author, blogger, and St. Pete Writers Group leader Bria Burton will be presenting. As usual, we'll meet at the Main Branch St. Pete Library at 6 PM. Networking/mingling begins at 5:30 PM. This meeting is open to the public.

Topic: Writing and Running: Improving Craft Through Blood, Sweat, and Tears
What to bring: Something to write with (pencil/paper, stylus/tablet, etc)

Throughout her years as a writer and a runner, Bria has discovered that writing and running have quite a lot in common. She'll be making connections between the craft of writing and the art of running that will help writers cement some important truths about their craft. She'll also be leading the group through a few simple exercises (not the physical kind).

BIO

BRIA BURTON graduated magna cum laude from Flagler College with a bachelor's degree in English. In 2008, she joined the Florida Writers Assocation and began leading the FWA St. Pete group in 2015. She also serves as an FWA Board Member. At St. Pete Running Company, she's employed as a blogger and customer service manager. Her speculative fiction has appeared in over a dozen anthologies and magazines, such as The Prometheus Saga, Broken Worlds, Welcome to the Future, The Colored Lens, the Journey Into... podcast, and the Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine. In 2011, her manuscript, Livinity, won a First Place Royal Palm Literary Award (RPLA) in the Unpublished Fantasy Novel category. Her novella, Little Angel Helper, and her unpublished women's fiction novel, Sprinter, are currently RPLA finalists. While she writes, her dog and cat do their best to distract her, which is why they now star in her family-friendly short story collection, Lance & Ringo Tails.

Bria's website: www.briaburton.com

Great Sept meeting, a peek at October

At our September meeting last Thursday, author Ford Easton spoke about Targeting Your Audience. He had a wonderful presentation where he went through some of the steps he took to create his book, Stock Car Racing in the 50's, a self-published non-fiction work that has sold over 2,000 copies so far. His niche market has helped him be able to reach the people who want to buy his book. His passion came out during his talk as he shed a few tears while sharing some of the feedback he has received from readers who are overjoyed with the final product. This passion project, a labor of love, as he called it, was built on a lot of hard work and smart choices. While he shared what he learned with us, many people commented on how much they got out of his talk.

Next month on October 8th, author and FWA St. Pete Group Leader Bria Burton will be speaking about the craft of writing. Her topic: Writing and Running: Improving Craft Through Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Stay tuned for more details.

Royal Palm Literary Awards Deadline Approaching

RPLA Deadline May 15th

Have you ever entered a contest where two different judges provided detailed feedback on your work?

That's just one of the things that sets the Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLA) apart from other writing contests. The fee that you pay is rewarded with feedback and sometimes with an actual award.

I had the privilege of winning First Place in the Unpublished Fantasy Novel category in 2011~ Bria Burton

The RPLA is an FWA benefit that has helped numerous members improve their writing and gain recognition. The RPLA Banquet takes place every year at the FWA Annual Conference, and it's an exciting and inspiring event.

Any genre you can imagine is accepted into the RPLA. From fiction to non-fiction, from flash fiction to short stories to novellas to novels to memoirs, there is a category for you where you'll be able to enter your work (both published and unpublished) and earn valuable feedback from the blind judging process.

To learn more and to enter the contest, visit
https://floridawriters.net/competitions-awards/royal-palm-literary-award/

If you're not a member and you'd like to enter the RPLA contest, click HERE to first become a member.

New St. Pete Leader Bria Burton

Hi, my name is Bria and I'm the new Writers Group Leader for FWA St. Pete.

A huge thank you to Michael Nashleanas for stepping up into the WGL position for these past months. If you'd like to join me in thanking Michael, feel free to add your comments below.

Here's a little bit about myself:

Bria Burton has been a member of FWA since 2008. She's a blogger and customer service manager at St. Pete Running Company. She is blessed with a wonderful husband and two wild pets, a dog and a cat who keep her on her toes. They are the stars of her family-friendly short story collection, Lance & Ringo Tails. Her novella, Little Angel Helper, was written for her sisters, one of whom has special needs like a character in the story. She also writes speculative fiction and inspirational women's fiction. In 2011, she was awarded a First Place RPLA for her epic fantasy manuscript, Livinity. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies such as Welcome to the Future and speculative fiction magazines such as The Colored Lens.

The monthly meetings (open to the public) will continue to be held on the 2nd Thursday of the month at the St. Pete Main Branch Library. Networking/mingling starts at 5:30 PM and the meeting begins at 6 PM, typically ending no later than 7:30 PM.

I look forward to seeing you at the meetings!

FWA St. Pete Jan. 8th Meeting

Join us tomorrow at the Main Branch of the St. Pete Library for our monthly FWA St. Pete meeting. Networking begins at 5:30 PM, meeting begins at 6 PM.

Seth Hollen will be discussion and sharing technology aides for writers.

Seth is nearly a Florida native (lived here since he was 2) and spent four years in the Marines after high school. He's been a sleep tech for 16 years. He and his wife have three wonderful children all under the age of 5. He's finishing up a Sci-Fi Thriller tentatively called Dolan's War.