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*** CALENDAR ALERT ***SAVE THE DATE

WRITING IN THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Field’s End Writers’ Conference 2008

WHO: This year’s line-up of authors and speakers includes: Roy Blount, Jr. (keynote speaker), Stephanie Kallos (opening speaker), Knute Berger, Alice Acheson, Lyall Bush, Laura Kalpakian, Thomas Kohnstamm, Rosina Lippi aka Sara Donati, Jennifer Louden, Nancy Pagh, George Shannon, Charley Pavlosky, Sheila Rabe aka Sheila Roberts, Suzanne Selfors, David Wagoner, and Timothy Egan (closing speaker). Professional actor Ron Milton will be on hand for the Page One sessions.

WHAT: Third annual Field’s End Writers’ Conference, “Writing in the Garden of the Gods.”

WHEN: Saturday, April 26, 2008
9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE: Kiana Lodge
14976 Sandy Hook Rd. NE
Poulsbo, WA 98370

DETAILS: This one-day conference, held at the spectacularly beautiful Kiana Lodge near Bainbridge Island, is a combination of lectures and breakout sessions presented by an eclectic group of people in the literary world.

The day offers three groupings of breakout sessions. Guests will select three workshops to attend according to their interest (literary fiction, poetry, nonfiction, screen writing, dialogue, genre, travel writing, editing, journalism, historical fiction, and commercial fiction). Each breakout session will also offer a Page One workshop, where conference guests can anonymously submit the first page of something they’ve written for possible live reading and critique by the guest authors.

Lunch is provided and there will be an early evening wine and cheese reception and book signing providing conference guests, authors, and speakers a chance to mingle. Shuttle buses will be available to carry walk-on ferry passengers to and from Kiana Lodge.

Registration begins February 1, 2008. Early registration is recommended as the conference is limited to 250 guests and has sold out in the past. Cost to attend is $135 if you register before February 28, 2008 and $150 after March 1, 2008. Groups of 5 or more can register for $130/person. To register for the 2008 Field’s End Writers’ Conference, visit www.fieldsend.org.

Founded in 2002, Field’s End is a writers’ community whose mission is to inspire writers and nurture the written word through lectures, workshops, and instruction in the art and craft of writing. Located across the Puget Sound from Seattle on beautiful Bainbridge Island, Field’s End is an affiliate of the nonprofit Bainbridge Public Library, which is located at 1270 Madison Avenue on Bainbridge Island. For more information, call (206) 842-4162 or visit www.fieldsend.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kirsten Graham
Concept 2 Launch
(206) 890-3435
kirsten@concept2launch.net

kirsten graham
c o n c e p t 2 l a u n c h, LLC
creative consultants
innovation.connections.results
t.206.890.3435
e:kirsten@concept2launch.net
www.concept2launch.net

For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.

–Ernest Hemingway

I nearly forgot a career milestone this month. It’s the tenth anniversary of my first book with Mira Books, my current publisher. The Lightkeeper was a seaswept, Beauty-and-the-Beast-style romantic epic that takes place on the Washington coast in the 1870s. The setting is literally the ends of the earth, on the Long Beach peninsula at the mouth of the Columbia River, an area notorious for raging seas and terrible shipwrecks. The original title of this book was The Edge of Forever, a title I still love (and a tribute to the Star Trek episode “City on the Edge of Forever”), but The Lightkeeper is probably stronger and definitely more straightforward.

The Cape Disappointment lighthouse still stands. When we visit this area, we love to stay at the dog-friendly Lighthouse (where else?) or the Klipsan Beach Cottages. A walk through Oysterville is a trip back through time. Every time I go there, I feel like writing stories misted in spindrift. It’s a place where I find myself writing better than I can.

This book has one blooper that I know of–there’s no way the characters can be drinking marionberry cordial, since marionberries weren’t introduced until the 1950s. Thanks to alert readers, that will be corrected in future reprints.

Happy 10-year anniversary to me and Mira Books!

I used to really not like Donald Maass, an author, literary agent and lecturer on the art and craft of writing. He had a habit of saying things that annoy writers, like, “Who cares?” and “How can you make this matter more?” Why didn’t I like him? Why did I get annoyed? Because his insights and questions, outlined in his books and workshops, forced me to work harder than ever on my novels.

His directness forces a writer to take a cold, hard look at her own work. And painfully often, to spot its weaknesses.

Then, as I internalized the lessons in Don’s books and workshops, I noticed a deeper understanding of craft, and I started liking this guy. A lot. I used to be stuck in a quandary about some of the most fundamental aspects of the novel–stakes, antagonists, theme, premise. Particularly building high stakes and creating a compelling antagonist. I used to think my books were lacking in that area. There’s no fate-of-the-world-hanging-in-the-balance. No evil overlord or great battle of good v. evil. Then, reading Writing the Breakout Novel, I had an epiphany: These elements were all present in my fiction. I could make the reader believe it by using techniques of craft like building high human value–making the reader care deeply about my characters.

Donald Maass’s upcoming book, The Fire in Fiction, further explores the concepts that consume a fiction writer. He offers practical methods of bringing passion to fiction writing—every day, every page. The book is slated for publication in 2008 by Writers Digest Press.

He also discusses a topic near and dear to our hearts–how to write not just one terrific book, but to build an entire body of work with consistent quality.

“You know how some novels by your favorite authors disappoint?” he asks. “You wonder, did the author rush or have a bad year?” Not only does he pose these tough questions. He has some answers for us.

“Then there are other writers whose every book is a powerhouse,” Maass observes. “Every novel feels passionate. How do such authors stay on top of their game? More to the point, how does passion find its way on to the page? What does ‘passion’ mean when you’re creating characters, or building the world of the novel?”

Field’s End, an affiliate of the Bainbridge Library, is bringing us an exclusive preview of The Fire in Fiction on Saturday, October 13 at the Bainbridge Pavilion. Both the book and the workshop are geared for professional, published novelists…and for fiction writers who are on their way.

All of Maass’s works have guided writers through the process of making a career out of creating fiction. The Career Novelist addresses the writer’s journey from creative dreamer to published pro. Writing the Breakout Novel and The Breakout Novel Workbook contain practical advice for marrying good writing with good storytelling, elevating craft to the level of art.

Maass is one of the most well-read professionals in the industry, and his books cite techniques from a range of writers, from Barbara Cartland to Margaret Atwood to James Patterson.

“I’m a literary agent in New York City,” Maass explains. “I opened my agency in 1980, after working as an editor. Today my company represents more than 100 novelists and sells more than 100 novels every year to major publishers here and overseas. I…teach workshops all over the country. I’m a past president of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, Inc., the national trade association for literary agents. I’m also a fan of the Northwest. My wife [independent editor Lisa Rector-Maass] is from Vancouver, B.C. I spend a lot of time out here.”

He’s been a library patron from birth–or maybe even before that! “My mother is a librarian. She worked at Yale University most of her life, but in retirement she works part time at her local town library. Now, my mom is proud of me but doesn’t completely get what I do. One day the head librarian at her library asked me to come give a talk on getting published. I did, and the place was packed. It was the largest turnout they’d ever had. My mom stood in the back, beaming. I’ve written seventeen books, have sold hundreds of others to major publishers, run a multi-million dollar business…but it was a talk at the local library that finally convinced my mom that I’m for real.”

You can find out more about Donald Maass at his web site, www.maassagency.com, and about the upcoming workshop at www.fieldsend.org.

So join us, if you’re in the area. Registration info and directions are here.

Maybe he’ll annoy you. But–no maybe about it–he’ll make you a better writer.

Reminder–registration is about to close for both the online workshop, Making a Good Book Great, and the live one on Whidbey Island, Washington. Hope to see you there!

Today’s the day! The wonderful folks at Bookreporter.com are giving away another crop of brand new, hot-off-the-presses books, and Dockside is one of them. You can’t beat that!

Some of my favorite authors are featured in this contest–Lisa Tucker, Lisa Jackson, Marian Keyes, Meg Cabot–and others that look fantastic, and I’ll surely be trying them. This week, Dockside is the featured title. Enter to win this book and a sack full of other great reads by submitting your name here. Good luck!

Real quick–there’s an excerpt of Dockside online here. Let’s just say we all have a Shane Gilmore somewhere in the past. Here’s hoping he stays there. Enjoy!

That’s entertainment–Levy Home Entertainment: I attended the Levy National Meeting last month. Outside of publishing, people might not be familiar with this firm, but it is one of the biggest players in the industry. And once a year, they have a meeting at a great resort. [Note: This year, the locusts were out in their 17-year cycle, which I'd never seen (or heard) before. These bugs are so huge and fly in such impressive force that they look like alien invaders. In fact, at the airport, they would periodically explain the phenomenon over the PA system, so people wouldn't look out the window and panic that something very Old-Testament was taking place.]

Back to business–My publisher arranged for me to attend the Levy meeting. Think about it. A week of meetings completely dedicated to getting books into readers’ hands. Meetings attended by people at the highest level of publishing and book distribution, like Louise Burke of Simon & Schuster and Donna Hayes, president of Harlequin–every major publisher sent their top people. The workshops and seminars were designed to maximize the exposure of our book to readers. That’s what Levy Home Entertainment, based in Illinois, is all about. If you bought a paperback at a big discount store, chances are, it was placed there by Levy. Their main warehouse, in the appropriately-named Romeoville, is the size of an airplane hangar and staffed by the nicest people you’d ever want to meet. I know. I was lucky to meet them when I went to the warehouse to sign 6000 books.

That’s not a typo. I signed 6000 books. Levy is going to distribute them to their accounts so 6000 readers can have a signed book. Then I rushed back to the hotel for–wait for it–a booksigning.

I didn’t know whether or not I could survive signing so many books. On my best day, I’ve written maybe 5000 words in longhand. But the Levy people made it easy. They had us set up assembly-line style so helpers would open the carton, sticker the book, open it to the title page and put it in front of me for my hasty–but legible–signature. Picture the candy-factory scene in “I Love Lucy,” and you get the idea. To make the time pass, we took breaks to dance to the incredibly cheesy disco music being piped into the room. We played with my screaming monkey slingshots. We guzzled bottled water. Tamar Kipper of Levy showed me some chiropractic exercises for hands and I am none the worse for the wear. There is something so special about meeting people whose entire job involves getting my books to readers. Also about attending a banquet with fellow authors Dave Barry, Carol Higgins Clark, Mary Jane Clark, Joanne Fluke, Laura Lippman, Ridley Pearson, Deanna Rayburn, JR Ward. We were all privileged to hang out with the Levy people.

God, I love this business.

Would you please see if you get “Sunrise Earth” on your telly? …And then set your DVR to capture it every day, preferably in High Definition? It’s the sort of program to put on while you’re fixing your morning coffee and then staring dully around, trying to figure out what to write for the day. That’s how it works for me, anyway. I have the prettiest sunrise view in the world, right here (see photo above) but I seriously love getting up with the bison of Wyoming, or with frogs on the Amazon, or the fisherman of Sri Lanka. The only sound track is the natural sounds that take place in the scene. Anyway…check it out. There’s nothing else quite like it on TV.

I wish I had more time to work in my garden. But–come to think of it–things are coming along quite nicely without me. Here are some scenes from my yard in the springtime.

 Gardening is good for writers because it doesn’t occupy the same channel in the brain as writing does. I should do more of it. There is more power in the plotting done while pruning the box hedge than in staring at a blank page for hours.

I’m not a very technical gardener. In this climate, you don’t need to be. Things tend to grow on their own. However, there are two things I always wear while gardening–my Chooka Rockabilly gumboots–because trust me, there is nothing grosser than stepping barefoot on a slug. I also wear those stretchy gloves that look as though they’ve been dipped in rubber–again, it’s the slug thing.

On the other hand, here is a tidbit of writerly wisdom for the day: If you step on a slug with your bare foot first thing in the morning, then you can be pretty sure nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.

So I promised the folks on my message board that when the registered members there reached 300, I would post something special, just for them. We hit the magic number on my birthday, so here it is–everything you need to have a fabulous summer: a beach (or a lawn chair will do), a drink, a snack, and my can’t-miss, something-for-everyone list of suggested beach reads, old and new, fiction, nonfiction and food. Enjoy!  

Greetings from the Island

 If once you have slept on an island, you’ll never be quite the same;

You may look as you looked and go by the same old nameYou may hustle about in street and shop you may sit at home and sew,But you’ll see blue water and wheeling gulls wherever your feet may go,You may chat with neighbors of this and that and close to the fire keep,

But you’ll hear ship whistle and lighthouse bell and tides beat through your sleep,

And you won’t know why and you can’t say how such a change upon you came,

But once you have slept on an island you’ll never be quite the same!

–Rachel Field

www.susanwiggs.com

I made a donation to Brenda’s auction. The winning bidder gets a weekend stay in my guest house, where you’ll see I’m not exaggerating about “The View From Here.” I’ll even make you cranberry-orange muffins for breakfast and take you for a boat ride, weather permitting. You can hide away and work on your novel, take a walk on the beach to the day spa or just hang out and do nothing, which is way underrated, if you ask me. So take a look at Brenda’s auction and make a bid on this or other fabulous items. Why? Because she’s raising money to find a cure for juvenile diabetes. I learned quite a bit about Type 2 diabetes (the auction is for Type 1 but everyone can benefit) while writing Lakeside Cottage; the disease touches so many lives. I can’t begin to tell you how important this is, so I’ll let Brenda tell you herself:

Help Brenda Novak make a difference to her son and others suffering from diabetes—shop at her 3^rd Annual On-line Auction, May 1 – May 31^st at www.brendanovak.com where you can bid on over 600 items, many of which can’t be found anywhere else. It’s easy (works like E-Bay), it’s fun, and all the money goes to research. As an added incentive, the person who places the most bids over all will win a $1500 prize package that includes a brand new laptop computer and a digital camera. So bid early and bid often! Here’s just a sample of what you’ll find:

*R/T Airfare for two to Seattle (from any city Alaska Air flies), hotel stay in downtown Bellevue, $100 to spend at the mall, a trip to the day spa and an invitation to Jane Porter’s launch party for her new book, ODD MOM OUT

*Trips and stays to many places, including a two-night stay in NYTimes Bestselling Author Susan Wiggs’s Guest Cottage in the beautiful Pacific Northwest

*Lunch in NYC at the posh Five Points Restaurant with historical romance author Kristina Cook and her agent, Marcy Posner of Sterling Lord Literistic

*The opportunity to be swept away in a limo at the RWA National Conference in Dallas this summer to have dinner at an elegant restaurant with Brava Author Diane Whiteside

*A handmade quilt featuring the autographs of many NYTimes Bestselling authors, including, Meg Cabot, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Janet Evanovich, Julie Garwood, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Suzanne Brockmann

*Elegant High Tea for Six with NYTimes Bestselling Author Debbie Macomber at the landmark Victorian Rose Tea Room in Port Orchard, WA

*A gourmet dinner with NYTimes Bestselling Author Christine Feehan served in the home of Brenda Novak.

*A Web Site design of up to five pages, including a Flash header element from Stonecreek Media

*A Month’s Worth of Mentoring for any aspiring writer from Bestselling Author Roxanne St. Claire*A Limo Wine Tour for Five with NYTimes Bestselling Romantic Suspense Author Allison Brennan (Napa Valley)

*A designer bookbag stuffed with so many goodies it’s worth nearly $400 from talented author Dianna Love Snell

*Hundreds of gift baskets

*Hundreds of Autographed books

*Critiques and/or lunch/breakfast/tea with agents, editors and multi-published authors

 

*Much, much more!

‘Tis done. We talked, sang, laughed, cried, created, learned, ate and had an incredible day at the Field’s End conference. Thanks to all the amazing speakers and writers who participated. Special thanks to the Bainbridge Island Beach Cottage for providing accommodations. There’s a slide show of the event here. Happy writing to all!

Authors Carol Cassella, Michael Donnelly, Mickey Molnaire at Kiana Lodge.

I went away for the weekend–to Klipsan Beach–to find a title for my new book. My ever-wise editor wants it to reflect a) a sense of place and b) a feeling of escape. So I escaped to a place with a strong sense of place and I’m waiting for a lightning bolt of inspiration. You’d think after 30 books, I’d know better.

 The book will be published in February 2008. It’s another of the “Lakeshore Chronicles” books about the made-up Catskills town of Avalon.

How do you find the right title for a book?

Field’s End presents a one-day writers’ conference at the legendary Kiana Lodge on Saturday, April 28, 2007. Owned and operated by the Suquamish Tribe, in whose language “kiana” means “garden of the gods,” Kiana Lodge is a historic waterfront conference center surrounded by gardens, with its own private dock and beach, overlooking Agate Passage between Bainbridge Island and Poulsbo, Washington. This is a rare opportunity for anyone who loves the written word, a chance to spend the day in a very special place with other writers who truly care about the craft of writing.

“Hearing authors of this caliber just talk, just relate why and how they do what they do lifted me up. Thank you, thank you. Also, the Kiana Lodge is amazing. Being here with such good spirit in a place that has worked so hard to heal gave me something I can’t explain–no, I can–a grace, a feeling of grace.”  –2006 Conference Attendee

Past guests at our events include Dorothy Allison, Ivan Doig, Tim Egan, Karen Joy Fowler, Gail Tsukiyama, Elizabeth George, Erik Larson and Field’s End co-founder, David Guterson. This year’s conference features keynote speaker Malachy McCourt, conference opener Debra Dean, moderator George Shannon, workshop leaders Robert Dugoni, Clyde Ford, Mary Guterson, Priscilla Long, Kelli Russell Agodon, Katherine Ramsland, Veronica Randall, Garth Stein, Elsa Watson and Susan Wiggs. Eagle Harbor Book Company, a Booksense affiliate, handles book sales for our events. 

The commute from downtown Seattle is easy and scenic, via ferry and shuttle to Kiana Lodge. Overnight accommodations on the island abound. Our events receive exposure on NPR and in the local and national press as well as on the Web. Here we are in Publisher’s Weekly:

Picture of the Day

Writer’s Camp Writers abound at the first annual Field’s End Writer’s Conference, at a writer’s community founded in 2003 by novelist David Guterson on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. Pictured (l. to r.) are novelists Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club), Susan Wiggs (Table For Five), Gail Tsukiyama (Dreaming Water) and Bharti Kirchner (Darjeeling).

You’ll enjoy a day of inspiring workshops, the company of writers and Kiana’s incredible food. A full schedule of events is posted here. It is just a short distance to Chief Seattle’s grave and the Suquamish Museum, if you’re so inclined, or you can just relax somewhere with a good book. In the late afternoon, there will be a panel discussion followed by a wine & cheese reception and booksigning. Everything wraps up by 6pm.

Early registration, until March 1, gets you a $15 discount. After March 1, registration is $150. The conference is filling fast, so join us soon.

A quick reminder - Booklovers’ weekend at the Ocean Lodge is coming up! There’s an article about it here.

News flash and a huge, huge thank you to readers–The Winter Lodge is on the New York Times Bestseller list , Publishers Weekly and the USA Today list. On to our regularly-scheduled program….

I write the first drafts of my novels by hand. I’m just as particular about the paper as I am about the ink. I use only a Clairefontaine notebook–wire-bound, graph ruled–and peacock blue ink, which has lamentably been replaced by “turquoise.” The pastel-tinted paper is thick, with a silky writing surface, and putting the words down is a meditation and a pleasure for whole minutes at a time (I’m not one of those writers blessed with effortless first drafts). In French, the notebooks are called “velin veloute,” a reference to the smooth texture of the paper.

 When I’m working on a book, I tend to drag this notebook around with me everywhere. When it’s not with me, I try to keep it in a safe place, like in the freezer. So if there’s a fire, it’ll survive.

 The U.S. distributor put up a list of writers who use Clairefontaine notebooks, including yours truly, as well as the main character of Passing Through Paradise:

“Best selling author Susan Wiggs, in her recent novel, Passing through Paradise, devised a heroine who uses Clairefontaine tablets and peacock-blue ink. This is no surprise, since the author herself always writes her first drafts with a special fountain pen, peacock-blue ink, and, yes, Clairefontaine notebooks.”

 Author Anne Tyler once said that writing a book in longhand is like “knitting a book.” Maybe, but I don’t think that hard when I knit.

News Flash! We’ll be talking about this event live or on the Web on KINK-FM on Thursday, February 8, at 9:00a.m. Tune in to 102FM in Portland, or listen on the Web. See you on the airwaves.

Sometimes, serendipity is the best travel guide. I had never heard of The Ocean Lodge  in Cannon Beach, Oregon before the manager, Wendy, contacted me several years ago. She had read The Lightkeeper which takes place in the vicinity, and was inspired to create a theme weekend for guests, called “Romance and a Storm.” My job was to be author-in-residence for a long weekend, chief Eater of Chocolate Waffles and head letter-writing guru. Since Valentine’s Day was approaching, I decided the writing exercise would be “How to Write a Love Letter.”

For this writing exercise, the only assumptions were that a) everybody loves someone and b) everybody can write. In our diverse room full of people, we had women of all ages, a couple of well-behaved young husbands (any guy who would attend a workshop called “How to Write a Love Letter” automatically falls into the “well-behaved” category) and a kid who was more interested in the chocolate-syrup pump in the breakfast room than any stinkin’ love letter.

In the back of the room was a burly man in a plaid flannel shirt, a red knit cap on his head and lace-up boots, with his sleeves rolled back to reveal beefy forearms. He held his pen like a blunt instrument. He was easily more than six feet tall and had the body of a linebacker. So I’m thinking, this better be good, because this guy could hurt me.

The writing process for a simple love letter starts with brainstorming and visualizing. I encourage people to picture their loved one (sweetheart, mom, child, pet, anyone they like) and to jot down some key phrases and feelings that come to mind. Ultimately, the goal is for them to put their heart on paper in their own unique, sincere way. Everyone went about it with gusto. I looked at Paul Bunyon in the back of the room and was amazed to see him weeping. He wrote and wrote, longer than anyone else, his big shoulders shaking as his pen moved steadily across the page. Then he blew his nose, gruffly thanked me and ducked out.

I found myself envying the recipient of that letter.

The Ocean Lodge tends to have that effect on people. It’s a place so close to the edge of the world that you feel as though you can touch infinity. People who don’t ordinarily write things pick up pen and paper. Unartistic people grab or pastels and sketchbook, and non-athletes find themselves taking a beach walk or hike with a camera. That’s what an Ocean Lodge Event is all about. I have one coming up later this month.  

Please join me for a reception, booksigning and writing workshop in this magical place, February 23-25.