National News: Great Review of Get Known!

August is over but I still wanted to give a shout out to Karen McWilliams for her wonderful review of Get Known Before the Book Deal in the July/August issue of the SCBWI Bulletin. Here’s an excerpt:

“I recommend Get Known Before the Book Deal for every author to study whether you in the beginning stages of your career, somewhere in the middle, or seasoned but need to know more about publicizing yourself through the Internet.”

Local News: Time to Launch Season Five of The Northwest Author Series

Our first presenter this season is The Oregonian’s very own, Jeff Baker, speaking on the “Qualities of Critically Acclaimed Books: How To Write for Raves.” Jeff will address:

What’s the difference between a good book and a great one? How do editors select books for review, and how do reviewers combine enthusiasm and critical judgment to create a balanced review? Examples will be discussed, real-world situations will be explored, and any and all questions will be answered. A quiz will be given with prizes for correct answers. If you love literature and have ever wondered what goes on in the book department of a newspaper, this is your chance to find out.

Jeff Baker is the book editor at The Oregonian. He also writes about music and popular culture. He has won awards for criticism, feature writing, sports journalism, and arts and entertainment writing, most recently a first-place award in the Best in the West competition and two awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association.

Not only is Jeff Baker an awesome speaker to kick us off. We will also be doing a massive door prize giveaway on our series launch day. I will choose twenty attendees to win twenty books. (And there’s always coffee and cookies, of course.) Hope to see you there!

Writing Conference Corner: Another Keynote Invite!

I have been invited to keynote at another writing conference in 2012. I look forward to announcing it as soon as I have a signed contract (can’t overlook these important details). I’d like to take this opportunity to let every know that I may be able to come and speak at your favorite writing conference in 2012 if my schedule allows. If you are interested in finding out if your conference can fly me in, please recommend me to the current board member in charge of arranging speakers. So far, I’ll be at Associated Writer’s Conference and the Missouri Writer’s Guild Conference and this other one that I will announce soon. I always enjoy meeting folks at every writing conference I attend! Hope I get to meet you, as well, in 2012.

Writers On The Move Are Losing Unwanted Pounds & Inches All Around the Globe!

I hope that didn’t sound like an infomercial because I’m quite serious. I started a Facebook group called Writers On The Move in June and the inspiration factor is incredible. Furthermore, I was getting way too chubby from writing all these books. Now I’m running 2.5 miles three times a week. We range in commitment levels all the way from just getting back to exercising or getting in shape for the first time all the way to serious training like what Susan Ito is doing. So, if you need a supportive network of writers to help cheer you on as you commit to getting in shape and actually do it, feel free to join us. Just type “Writers On The Move” into your Facebook search bar.

New Twitter Practice: Watch for the Tag #DailyPlatform

I am getting tired of clicking through a million links on Twitter. So I commit to posting more meaty tweets with less links. I’ll still RT, but by far my favorite thing to do is listen to people who actually have something short and powerful to say. My new practice is called #DailyPlatform. I’ll use this tag to share a daily platform tip that is something I actually do that is helpful for platform building for writers. I’ll try to share at least one a day, but some days even more. And if you like what I have to say, feel free to forward my tweets. Thanks!

More news soon. Go inspire yourself!

A group of my husband’s theater kids from Les Miserables last year are on The Sing-Off on NBC beginning Monday, September 19th.

Don’t know my husband’s name? That’s funny because a lot of people around here don’t know my name either. They prefer to refer to me as “Mr. Katz’ wife.”

As in, “Hey, arent’ you,”…wait for it…”Mr. Katz’ wife?”

During the pause, I just usually offer, “Mr. Katz’ wife? Yup, that’s me.”

For the record, his name is Jason Katz. Otherwise known as, “Samantha’s dad.”

Anyway, back to the big news.

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you know that I spent a lot of time and energy last fall helping my husband with his production of Les Mis at Wilsonville High School.

And now, WHS’s a capella singing group (composed of all but about three kids from the cast of “Les Mis”) are going to perform on “The Sing-Off.”

If you watch the show, you will see what I was raving about on Facebook all last fall—the talented kids who played Jean Val Jean, Javier, Cosette, Eponine, Marius, and more.

Pretty cool, right? These are some pretty talented kids. But they weren’t just “born that way,” they have worked hard to cultivate and develop their abilities. Their regular rehearsal time was before school started last year. How many high school students do you know who are so motivated they would get out of bed and come into school early to rehearse?

And here’s the craziest part: they are the only high school a cappella group on the show. Everyone else is either a college student or an adult. So, I don’t imagine that they will necessarily win (especially since my alma mater’s male a capella group–the Dartmouth Aires–are participating and they are always AMAZING). Nobody knows how far they made it, the show was taped and they are not allowed to tell, so we are excited to watch and cheer them on.

Hope you can watch, too. Here’s an inspiring video preview of the show:

What would you be willing to get up early for? Could you handle the pressure of this kind of exposure? It’s easy to think you would and you could. But would you? Could you? Think about it.

We recently got back from a trip to Southern Oregon where Jason got to see several plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (he saw three, I saw two, and Samantha saw one). The purpose of the trip was for me to give a presentation at the Southern Oregon Branch of Willamette Writers and then to partake in the OSF while we were down there. Needless to say, in this case, a good time was had by all.

Now that I’m home, eying my to-do list, which includes so many tasks that I am thinking only a super-heroine could perform them all, I’m already looking forward to attending my next literary event next weekend: Wordstock. And then the weekend after next, it’s time for the Northwest Author Series again featuring Wilsonville’s very own Susan Fletcher.

We are crazy-lucky in Oregon when it comes to literary events. So fortunate that we can skip from literary event to literary event to literary event all year long. We are just incredibly, undeniably spoiled rotten when it comes to the variety of  writing-related events, organizations, and workshops. So I’m borrowing the tagline from the state of Virginia, and wondering aloud: if Virginia is for Lovers then maybe Oregon is for Writers?

Here are seven good reasons we might consider changing our state slogan from We Love Dreamers to Oregon is for Writers (although I have to say that I think We Love Dreamers is pretty good.)

1. Willamette Writers. Five branches for members all over Oregon including chapters in Portland, Eugene, Southern Oregon, Coast, and Salem. Annual membership is CHEAP (currently just $36 per year). I live right between the Salem and Portland chapters and I’ve traveled to all five chapters to give presentations and/or workshops. All are wonderful in their own ways and offer support, education and networking opportunities for writers in these areas. In addition to offering monthly speakers, Willamette Writers hosts the annual Willamette Writers Conference each August, sends out a monthly newsletter (this is my third year writing a column for them), offers workshops, writer’s and critique group referral services, and hosts an annual book drive, Books for Kids, which has donated over 25,000 new and used books to kids in the Portland area. If you haven’t yet joined, you really should. Visit the Willamette Writers website.

2. Wordstock. If you care about all things literary and you live close by, I bet you go to Wordstock every year. Likely you  would not even think of missing it. Originally dubbed “The Festival of Books,” and famously publicized by the same ad agency that is known for it’s work with Coca-Cola (and now Old Spice), Wieden Kennedy, Wordstock has morphed itself into a terrific annual community-building event for literary folks. About themselves they say, “We believe showcasing the artistic accomplishments of contemporary writers at our festival is one of the most compelling examples of writing’s power that we can provide.” I’ve taught workshops at Wordstock a couple of times, and although I didn’t apply to teach this year, you better believe I’ll be there, as usual. In fact, I’ll be at the Willamette Writers Booth with Cindy Hudson signing books from 10-noon on Saturday. Wordstock does an awful lot of programming including some for teachers, writers, communities, kids, and even a book-t0-film weekend. Visit the Wordstock website and hope to see you there this weekend!

3. Powell’s, City of Books. Within the city of Portland, you will find a city of books. Of if you visit, I  hope you have a some time to spare — maybe even a whole lot of time to spare. Because you will want to let Powell’s  swallow you up and spit you back out heavily encumbered with books. Or you could bring in a box (or ten) of used books after you clean out your library or get a new e-reader and trade some in for cash or a gift card. You could attend a book event. I just noticed that Nancy Pearl, whose platform I wrote about in Get Known Before the Book Deal, is coming this week to discuss her latest book. Or you could visit one of Powell’s many other locations, including Powell’s at Cedar Hills Crossing location, which also hosts lots of great authors. Go. Visit the Powell’s website.

4. The Oregon Writer’s Colony. There aren’t too many writing organizations I know of where you can join and gain access to a beach house! But that’s only one benefit you get when you join Oregon Writer’s Colony. And in keeping with out theme of this list, there is so much more. The Colonyhouse, dubbed “a quiet place for creative people” at Rockaway Beach is available for private or group use to the members of the association. OWC is currently holding a capital campaign to renovate the house and make it accessible to all. You can learn all about it here. Membership is cheap. Starting at just $40/year. Want to join? Visit the OWC website.

5. The Sylvia Beach Hotel. I spent a night in the Alice Walker room at the Sylvia Beach Hotel after a presentation at the Coast branch of Willamette Writers. (Which reminds me, check out the interview with Alice Walker — she on the cover of the latest Writer’s Digest magazine.) At the Sylvia Beach Hotel all of the rooms have a literary theme. The room themes are broken up into Classics, Best Sellers, and Novels. Classics include Agatha Christie, Colette, and Mark Twain. Best Sellers include Alice Walker, Dr. Seuss, and E.B. White. Novels include Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, and Robert Lewis Stevenson. If you are driving through Newport, definitely stop and check out the hotel. You can also browse the gift shop. Or stay awhile. The hotel is right on the beach and your stay includes breakfast. Visit the Sylvia Beach Hotel Website.

6. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Continuing to travel further South and then cutting over from Crescent City, California to Grant’s Pass, Oregon (a neat drive, if you’ve never done it), brings us to Ashland, Oregon. Or you can easily get there on I-5. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a gem among theaters and Shakespeare festivals. I’ve been attending regularly since 1999 and have enjoyed every show I’ve seen. If money is a concern, don’t let it be, you can get tickets in the Elizabethan outdoor theater from late spring to early fall for only twenty dollars each. OSF is a great place to expose your kids to Shakespeare because the productions are so well-done that even a kid can understand the story. Say “yes” to Shakespeare. Visit the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

7. The Northwest Author Series and other grass roots literary events like it are springing up all over Oregon. The NAS is the author series that I started here in the Portland ‘burbs over three years ago with the support of my local library. Sure, starting your own literary anything takes dedication, effort, and an ongoing commitment. Or you could just start something up and then hand it over to other volunteers. The literary series I co-founded in graduate school many moons ago still continues today. I offer how-to instructions in my book, Get Known Before the Book Deal, for how to start your own grass roots literary event have also inspired others to start their own literary events, like the Terroir Creative Writing Festival in McMinnville. Thinking about starting your own? Visit The Northwest Author Series.

So what do you think, should we change the state tagline? Chime in!

Tomorrow is the Northwest Author Series at the Wilsonville Public Library from 3:30 – 5:30. More info is available over at the Northwest Author Series blog.

In addition, the Library is getting in the NaNoWriMo groove! Check it out: