Writing

4 Ways to Make 2014 Your Best Year Yet

Image by Dan Moyle via Flickr/Creative Commons

Happy New Year!

2013 was a big year for See Jane Write Birmingham. We hosted panel discussions on blogging and community journalism, publishing, and social media. We started Bloggers Who Brunch. And we launched an online magazine!

Even though 2013 was great, I want 2014 to be even better and not just for me, but for you too. Here are four ways you can help make 2014 your best year yet.

1. Set writing goals for the New Year. These goals will motivate and guide you throughout the year. If you need some inspiration check out the writing resolutions of some See Jane Write Magazine readers.

2. Develop helpful habits. I know you may be skeptical about making a New Year’s resolution. You may be thinking, “Been there. Done that. Didn’t work.” But let’s take a different approach this year. Instead of just drafting a list of lofty goals, decide on things you can do daily, weekly, and monthly that will help you accomplish those goals. By doing this you’re breaking down your big goals into small manageable steps. That’s exactly what I’m doing. You can read about my writing resolutions on SeeJaneWriteMagazine.com.

3. Find a writing accountability partner. As Natalie Goldberg states in her book Writing Down the Bones, writing is a communal act. We need someone in our lives to give us honest feedback and to hold us accountable for the goals that we set for our writing careers. My hope for the next See Jane Write event — a mixer set to be held Thursday, Jan. 9 at the Wine Loft — is that attendees will find a writing accountability partner for 2014. This mixer is free, but registration is required. Click here to sign up today.

4. Give back. While you should definitely take out more time for yourself this year to work on your writing, don’t forget to give back to others too. You can kick off the new year doing just that at the Serve and Strut Brunch, set for Saturday, Jan. 4. At this event you will enjoy a three-course meal, live entertainment and a chance to win door prizes and you will have the opportunity to give the gift of style. Attendees are asked to donate a pair of new or gently used women’s shoes which will be given to Birmingham-area women’s charities. Learn more about the event and its organizer, Cydni Robertson of ItsHerStrut.com, in this week’s edition of See Jane Write Magazine.

What are you goals for 2014?

See Jane Write 2014

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T.K. Thorne to give book signings for Last Chance for Justice

 

Here in Birmingham, residents and city officials all year have been  commemorating the events of the 1963 civil rights movement. The hope is that we will pave the path for a better future as we reflect on our past. 50 Years Forward has been the theme, the mantra, of the events held this year. 

Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the infamous bombing at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church that claimed the lives of four little girls. Tomorrow and on Saturday, Sept. 28 author T.K. Thorne will be at local bookstores signing her new book Last Chance for Justice: How Relentless Investigators Uncovered New Evidence Convicting the Birmingham Church Bombers.

Thirty-seven years the bombing, the FBI reopened what some thought was a hopeless case.  In Last Chance for Justice,  Thorne gives readers an inside look into the investigation from the perspectives of police detective Sergeant Ben Herren and FBI Special Agent Bill Fleming.  Publisher’s Weekly says, “Thorne’s story is a stunning reminder of just how tough the fight for freedom—and justice—really is.”   

Upcoming book signings by T.K. Thorne, author of Last Chance for Justice: How Relentless Investigators Uncovered New Evidence Convicting the Birmingham Church Bombers:

 
T.K. Thorne
Reed Books
Friday, Sept. 13, 2013
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
2021 3rd Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203
 
Books-A-Million
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013
1 – 3 p.m.
Brookwood Mall
757 Brookwood Village
Birmingham, AL 35209

Liza Elliott of Red Camel Press

Sponsor Spotlight: Red Camel Press

Liza Elliott 1
Liza Elliott of Red Camel Press
You could say that author Liza Elliott thinks like a rock star.
“Just like a musician can set up their own production company to write, produce, and sell their music, I thought, why not authors,” Elliott says. And two years ago she started Red Camel Press, a small publishing house based in Birmingham, Ala.
“Movie stars set up their own production companies to write, direct, and star in, too,” Elliot says. “Since the technology has developed where writers can use print-on-demand printing and/or  electronic book formats, it seemed worth a try.”
Elliott says she had already had a positive experience being published by an independent press, HOPE Publishing House, and this further encouraged her to start Red Camel Press.
“Working with a small press means there are less layers of bureaucracy,” Elliott says.  “The writer works with one or two persons at most and all contracts and details are done via email and is very straightforward.”
The first book published by Red Camel Press was Elliott’s mystery novel, 30-A Supper Club.  “This was the book Red Camel Press used to learn the trade,” she says.
The second was a coffee table book by John Lonergan, an artist from Pell City, Ala.  John Lonergan Painter is biographical and features images of Lonergan’s paintings. This fall Red Camel Press will publish a cookbook that coincides with 30-A Supper Club.
Red Camel Press has plans to publish a number of other titles in the future including works of fiction, non-fiction, and more picture books.
Red Camel Press is not a vanity press.  Authors must send queries and Elliott makes it clear that only works with excellent writing, good character development, and interesting plots are considered.
“Because it is so small, very few books are selected because there has to be a ready market for the story,” Elliott explains.  “For a writer whose work is chosen, in addition to publication, they will get a press packet in electronic format they can use for marketing and an initial press release to relevant media.”
Writers working with Red Camel Press will be responsible for doing the bulk of their own marketing, but Elliott says that’s the case with nearly any publishing company.
“Large publishing companies do very little marketing of books of new authors. They concentrate on their big, best selling authors, or celebrity authors,” she says.  “Small presses simply don’t have the budget to do marketing. So authors must engage in this. The only way to sell books is to do marketing.”

Visit RedCamelPress.com to learn more.

Liza Elliott to host mixer for local bloggers, authors, and poets

Birmingham-based author Liza Elliott

If you’re a blogger, author, or poet you need to be at Little Professor Book Center on Sunday at 1:45 p.m. Birmingham-based author Liza Elliott is hosting a B.A.P. (Bloggers Authors and Poets) Mixer for local writers. This event is a great chance to meet other Birmingham-area literary artists. 

Elliott is the author of 30-A Supper Club (Red Camel Press), which follows sociologist Harley McBride on her quest to identify a gold coin she finds on a Florida beach near County Road 30-A. McBride’s search leads her into a murky world where her longtime friends and members of the 30-A Supper Club protect deep family secrets dating back to the Civil War. A complicated pursuit of the true meaning of the coin begins drawing Harley into secrets about illicit affairs, murders, and more.

Read on to get to know Elliott and be sure to come out to Little Professor on Sunday. 






30-A Supper Club seems very different from books you’ve written in the past. What was the inspiration for this novel?


The beach.  On my first trip to Cape Cod when I was a child, I fell in love with the sand and water, the thrill of digging out a partially hidden shell, and the ever-changing sound of the sea, from big waves to gentle slaps on the shore. 

A few years ago, I was strolling along the beach in Seagrove Beach, Fl, and thought, “What if I discovered a gold coin in the sand?  How did it get there?  What if it was old?” Then, I began to imagine the theme of the book. What if identifying the coin led to lost Confederate gold? By the end of my walk, I had the plot.

Tell me about your writing process. Do you write daily? Do you write in a certain place or at a certain time of the day? What do you use to keep yourself inspired?

I write everyday in my home office and prefer the early morning.  In the afternoon, I critique my draft, make notes, and problem solve story dilemmas.  

All my characters have bios, which I hand-write on an index card.  These have details such as hair and eye color, where they went to school or college, their occupations, their hometowns and favorite music, sports teams or movies — in short, a brief back story. I tack them on a bulletin board, which hangs over my desk.

As for what inspires me, it is people, their stories and the contexts of their lives.  How persons individually, in a community, or in a society, interact alone and together under a variety of circumstances presents endless story possibilities.  The true ones are often more fantastic than any made up story. So I listen to or read about people with stories of good times, bad times, heroism, or foolishness.  Mix it all up and voilá — a story.

Why did you decide to publish 30-A Supper Club with a small press?

Small presses take risks.  That is their strength.  They give new writers a chance to showcase works that might be a potential mass audience blockbuster, but more often are smaller niche market books.  In addition to working with the writer to produce the best manuscript possible, a small press will handle the details of the cover, the ISBN, and so forth.
                
What are your thoughts on self-publishing? 
Self-publishing, to me, is no different than a musician setting up his or her own label and producing their own albums, CDs, and singles.  Many A-list actors set up their own production companies to write, star, and direct.  Each succeeds on the basis of the quality of the work and their efforts.  Technology and the Internet has made this possible for writers.  Writers should explore all options and decide what is best for them. 

The B.A.P. Mixer is a great networking opportunity. Why do you think it’s so important for writers to meet and build relationships with other writers?
It is always good to see what is going on in one’s field.  The energy from discussions of all sorts of topics can inspire and motivate those who participate.  Writers can exchange thoughts on new styles of writing, the future of ebooks, and so forth.  Being part of a community of writers reduces the sense of isolation writers sometimes feel.  Writing is solitary work.  Knowing you can call another writer for input, problem solving, or just to vent about something is valuable.
               
Liza Elliott will host a mixer for bloggers, authors, and poets
Sunday at Little Professor Book Centers in Homewood.
Do you think Birmingham is a good city for writers? 

A writer can be anywhere and write about anyone or anything. That said, Birmingham is a good city for writers.  It has a complicated rich history that can be mined for great stories.  

Birmingham still has bookstores, from the big chains to important independent bookstores with loyal customers and supporters. Professional recognition and support between local writers and local bookstores can be a match made in heaven.


Birmingham also has a terrific literary magazine, the Birmingham Arts Journal, edited by author Jim Reed.  He is the godfather of writers around here and is a longtime leader in the Alabama Writers Conclave. 

The Birmingham branch of the National League of American Pen Women, of which I am a member, is a longstanding organization of women writers, artists and musicians where collaboration, exchange and support has existed for many years.  Its national scope and activities helps local writers reach a national audience.

With coffee shops to suit your every mood, universities, sports fields, museums, concert halls, small club venues for music, theatres for plays and dance, there is no shortage of settings, people, and activities, here, that can inspire a writer from non-fiction to fantasy, and everything in between.

Join Liza Elliott for The B.A.P. Mixer Sunday, May 19 from 1:45 to 3 p.m.  at Little Professor Book Center, 2717 18th St. South in Homewood. A light brunch will be served.