Christina Katz Recommends

Writer Mama Recommended Holiday Gifts

Well, I’m happy to report that Writer Mama has been featured in a couple of holiday gifts for writers lists, including:

The “Write Guide to Holiday Shopping” over at the Writer Inspired blog

And the Wow-WomenOnWriting Holiday Gift Guide (download the PDF when you click on the image)

A woman from overseas, who is not a mama, e-mailed me recently to say that she and a group of friends ordered a bundle of copies of Writer Mama so they could work through the exercises together in 2009. What a great idea!

If I were going to add to the holiday shopping list round up this year, I’d go for the practical stuff:

• Subscriptions to trade publications like Writer’s Digest, The Writer and Poet’s & Writers.

• Dues to a professional writing association.

• Books (like Writer Mama) that cover craft, selling, self-promotion and professional development basics. Other good ones to own (besides mine) include Ready, Aim, Specialize by Kelly James Enger and The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters by Wendy Burt. And I hear this book called Get Known Before the Book Deal is decent too (wink!).

• And a great class, like those I offer or any referred by a friend who can vouch for the quality of the experience.

• For stocking stuffers I’m all about the fun stuff: coffee mugs, travel mugs, baseball caps, Life is Good t-shirts, bath and body products in the scent of your choice, and of course, gift cards for Starbucks, iTunes, and your favorite bookstore. Check out the options over at the Writer Mama Cafe Press shop.

If you need more ideas, hop on over to Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s list of holiday gifts for writers, which also offers more lists at the end. Check out her shop too, for wonderful cards and t-shirts.

Amazon Spike Day on December 1st for Wendy Burt Thomas' New Book, The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters

 For any of you who don't know Wendy, she writes the "Ask Wendy" column for Writers on the Rise and is a long-time writing mentor of mine. In fact, I "met" my husband, Jason, in Wendy's "Breaking Into Freelance Writing" class nine years ago. (Thanks for teaching that class, Wendy!)

Enough about her match-making skills. Check out Wendy's new book!

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Queries; Landing articles, agents and book deals
By Wendy Burt Thomas

Who says query books can’t be funny? Beyond the basic structural “how-to” of other writing books, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Queries offers beginning and intermediate writers a glimpse into real queries that landed article assignments, agents or book deals. Though the title may lead some to believe it’s strictly to be shelved as a reference manual, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Queries is a smooth read from cover to cover.

The 30+ samples of good and bad queries walk writers through the “must-haves” and “don’t-even-think-about-it” with a balance of clear instruction, examples and humor. Where similar query books just tell you to write a hook – it gives insight into what makes a good opening paragraph for an article, novel or nonfiction query.

There are special considerations for book queries by genre (from Romance and Mystery to Speculative and Thriller – plus everything in between) and the FAQs come straight from the author’s experience as a writer, author, magazine editor and book copyeditor. The “what editors/agents/publishers like” and “what editors/agents/publishers don’t like” are incredible resources, offering a look into water coolers throughout the publishing industry.

Much of the book is taken from frequently asked questions from students who attended the author’s workshop, “Breaking Into Freelance Writing,” which ran for eight years. Unlike other books which focus on only one particular type of work (such as how to write a nonfiction book query), this book recognizes that writers often have several interests: articles, nonfiction, genre fiction, etc. The Writer’s Digest Guide to Queries is a great one-stop resource for anyone who wants to go beyond format and structure and into crafting unique queries to get you noticed – and published.

Bio:
Wendy Burt-Thomas is a full-time freelance writer, editor, copywriter and PR consultant. Her more than 1,000 published articles, essays and stories have appeared in such varied publications as Family Circle, American Fitness, ePregnancy, NYTimes.com, MSNBC.com, Woman’s World and Home Cooking. Wendy’s columns – on business, marketing, parenting, writing and healthy living – have appeared in countless newspapers and magazines.
Wendy’s previous two books, Oh, Solo Mia! The Hip Chick’s Guide to Fun for One and Work It, Girl! 101 Tips for the Hip Working Chick were written with co-author Erin Kindberg and published by McGraw-Hill.

Her workshop, “Breaking Into Freelance Writing” has led her to a variety of speaking engagements on the topics of writing, PR, marketing and copywriting. She taught a version of her seminar at the Pikes Peak Writer’s Conference and to numerous business and networking groups around the region.
On any given day, Wendy is editing magazines, drafting ad copy, working on a column, writing greeting card copy, or doing PR consulting. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband Aaron, daughter Gracie, son Ben and two black labs. Learn more at http://www.WendyBurt-Thomas.com.

Curl Up With A Great Book This Winter: Time of My Life by Allison Winn-Scotch

From the outside view, Jillian Westfield has a pitch-perfect life.  Her cherubic 18-month old daughter, her wildly successful investment banker husband, a four-bedroom, five-bath, lemon-scented home with landscaping and neighbors to match.  But that doesn’t stop her from mulling over the past, from pushing away the “what ifs” that haunt her when she allows them to seep into her consciousness.  What if she hadn’t married Henry?  What if she hadn’t abandoned her job at the first sign of pregnancy?  What if she’d never broken up with

Jackson

? What if she answered her mother’s letter? Because underneath the shiny veneer of her life, Jill waddles around in a faltering marriage, brewing resentment, and an air of discontentedness. 

But after an ethereal massage in which her therapist releases her blocked chi, she wakes up to discover that she’s been whisked seven years back, back to her old life, her old self, back to the moments in which she made decisions that charted her future course.  And now that she’s back, she’s faced with the same roadblocks and obstacles, only this time, armed with hindsight, she can choose a different path and finally lay to rest all of her “what ifs.”

Time of My Life is much more than a story about a real life desperate housewife.  Instead, it speaks to so many of our tiny, lingering doubts, the same doubts that send us googling old friends and exes or wistfully pulling out pictures of days gone by.  And through Jillian’s journey, in which she rediscovers the mother who abandoned her, reacquaints herself with the strengths she once deemed important, and may literally rewrite her future, we all get a chance to peek inside the windows of our own “what ifs,” and consider if the path we took was the one that has granted us the most happiness.
Visit http://www.allisonwinn.com/ for more info.

Want To Save Money By Buying in Bulk and Cooking in Batches?

Millions of shoppers save money buying groceries in bulk — trays of boneless chicken breasts, pairs of flank steaks, and flats of ripe tomatoes. But savings can quickly become losses if those bulk quantities spoil in the refrigerator or lie forgotten — unlabeled and unrecognizable under layers of ice crystals — in the back of the freezer.

Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik have built businesses teaching home cooks how to take advantage of bulk savings by shopping wisely; converting food purchases into delicious, healthful family dinners; and labeling and storing the meals for easy access on busy days. They share all their best recipes and organizational wisdom in Fix, Freeze, Feast, a cookbook every price-conscious shopper will love, and warehouse club members shouldn't be without. With their help, home cooks will have freezers stocked with easy-to-prepare entrées, ready to be defrosted and cooked for weeknight family dinners. Imagine the comfort of knowing a homecooked meal is always available.

Each recipe includes instructions for dividing, preparing, and storing the raw ingredients, and a second set of simple directions for thawing, cooking, and enjoying the food. Designed for the way people cook today, Fix, Freeze, Feast meals are lighter and fresher than traditional bulk-cooking recipes, with a focus on simple stews and stir-fries, quick grilled or broiled main courses, and popular ethnic meals such as Beef Fajitas and Cashew Chicken Stir-fry.

Add to the entrées ready-to-bake cookie doughs, warming soups and side dishes, fruit smoothies, and portable kids' snacks, and those warehouse club shopping trips begin to look more valuable than ever. This is a system that saves time, saves money, and saves families from the empty calories of takeout food. Make room in the freezer for next week's dinner!

About the Author
When Kati Neville went back to work after the birth of her first child, she learned to put home-cooked meals on the table every night by filling her freezer with make-ahead dinners. In 2002, she created Make and Take LLC, the first meal preparation service in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area.

Lindsay Tkacsik has always loved cooking with a wide range of foods and flavors. She brings her enthusiasm for bold tastes to both her meal preparation business, Mealtime Solutions, and her cookbook writing. Lindsay lives with her husband and three daughters in Washington.

More About Jennifer Keene's New Book: On Sale Now!

“DIVORCE! MUST SELL DOGS!”  This sad classified headline appeared recently in a major newspaper. With a national divorce rate at around 49%, it’s not the first plea of its kind.

A recent poll by US matrimonial attorneys revealed a steady increase in the number of pet custody cases heard by courts the first five years of this decade.  About 90% of those respondents cited dogs at the heart of their clients custody demands (5% involved cat custody).*

Nearly 75 million dogs are part of US households.  Roughly 40% of those households include two or more dogs.  By law, in most states, pets are considered property – like a piece of furniture or an automobile.  So, when things don’t work out, when love between a couple is gone, who gets Fido?

Finally, from TFH Publications, comes the first-ever self-help book to guide couples and the dogs who love them, through the confusing and painful process of breaking up.

New in bookstores this April – We Can’t Stay Together for the Dogs: Doing What’s Best for Your Dog When Your Relationship Breaks Up ($22.95; Hardcover; ISBN: 978-0-7938-0624-9; TFH Publications). Written by Oregon-based (and single-again) professional dog trainer Jennifer Keene, this unique self-help guide stresses problem-solving using “3 Cs” – helpful to any pet household: communication, compromise, and canine-centricity.

More coming soon...

Marc Acito's Book Trailer for Attack of the Theater People

It is 1986, and aspiring actor Edward Zanni has been kicked out of drama school for being "too jazz hands for Juilliard." Mortified, Edward heads out into the urban jungle of eighties New York City and finally lands a job as a "party motivator" who gets thirteen-year-olds to dance at bar mitzvahs and charms businesspeople as a "stealth guest" at corporate events. When he accidentally gets caught up in insider trading with a handsome stockbroker named Chad, only the help of his crew can rescue him from a stretch in Club Fed. Laced with the inspired zaniness of classic American musical comedy, Attack of the Theater People matches the big hair of the eighties with an even bigger heart.

A Book Review of Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon (Perigee, April 2008)

Edit Your Fiction For Publication
Review by Patricia Clement

Elizabeth Lyon makes the simple but stunning promise to both novice and experienced fiction writers that practicing the techniques in Manuscript Makeover will lead to publishable stories. And she has the credentials to back up this claim—experience as an editor, mentor and workshop leader and author of four previous books on the craft of writing.

A readable and well organized-style, spiced with humor, makes reading Manuscript Makeover an unusual pleasure. The book is divided into the four main areas of style, craft, characterization and marketing. Each chapter is sprinkled with descriptions of the most common writing problems of each chapter’s topic as well as clear explanations of the ways to fix each problem.

Examples from best-selling novels illustrate concepts and each chapter ends with a detailed checklist for easy reference. The style chapters present inside-out (“using your self knowledge to plumb the depths of your life experiences to improve your writing”) and outside-in (“tricks of the trade”) methods of revision.

Craft chapters address issues particular to each fiction genre, different types of story structure and movement, suspense, time and place.  The five chapters on different aspects of characterization present the most in-depth coverage I’ve ever read of that subject.

Chapters discuss point-of-view, character dimension and theme, character personality and voice, as well as character-driven beginnings, scenes, suspense and narration. After reading the characterization chapters I finally understand how to strengthen my book and create irresistible characters by weaving character development into scenes and narration.

The last chapters deal with how to market your manuscript, from delivering impeccable manuscript mechanics to writing synopses and query letters that will neatly take your novel from your first draft to your agent and editor’s desk.

Reading Manuscript Makeover has given me the skills and confidence to edit my clumsy first draft into a polished novel. Buy this book and let Elizabeth Lyon help you score an acceptance on your novel or story.

Pre-order Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe by Jennie Shortridge

My friend Jennie Shortridge has a new novel coming out in May called Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe. Here's a bit more...

When she learns that her college sweetheart husband has been seeing another woman, Mira Serafino’s perfect world is shattered and she wants no one, least of all her big Italian family, to know. She heads north—with no destination and little money— stopping only when her car breaks down in Seattle. She takes a job at the offbeat Coffee Shop at the Center of the Universe, where she’ll experience a terrifying but invigorating freedom, and meet someone she’ll come to love: the new Mira.

Get it while it's hot!

Whidbey Students Sponsor a Monthly Short Form Contest

From my friend, Nancy Boutin:

April is National Poetry Month and we'd like to celebrate. But, as we've come to appreciate, poetry can be found almost anywhere in the short form. And we at the Whidbey Writers Workshop adore the short form.

For April, send our judge something poetic--a memoir about the poetry in your life, a lyrical short story, or even something that rhymes--and she might send you $50 and a new honor for your writing resume. Just be sure to keep it short.

Please go to www.whidbeystudents.com for the contest link and full guidelines. While you're there, listen to our own David Wagoner recite his most anthologized poem, "Lost."

Helping Dogs Through Tough Times

Ever knew anyone who had to ask the question: But what about the dogs?

That's a pretty sad day. But it doesn't have to be the end of their world.

Jennifer Keene, dog trainer and all-around great gal, has had her first book published, We Can't Stay Together for the Dogs, Doing What's Best For Your Dog When Your Relationship Breaks Up.

Check it out, (even while hoping it doesn't happen to you).