49 writers weekly round-up

Time’s running out: our Ode to a Dead Salmon contest ends at midnight tomorrow, Saturday, August 15. Check out the great entries we’ve received so far and send yours to debv@gci.net. It’s fun! It’s free! It’s easy! And you’ll have a chance to win an autographed Ray Troll t-shirt of your choice! Finalists will be announced early next week, with online polling to determine the winner.

Speaking of online polling, we’re gearing up for our quarterly 49 writers book club discussion. Next week I’ll ask for book nominations, and we’ll follow up with a poll to choose the book. Discussion will be mid- to late September.

On the horizon are some great opportunities for Alaskan authors. From the Alaska Writers Guild comes a reminder about the 2009 Alaska Writers Workshop to be held Saturday and Sunday, August 22 & 23 at the Coast International Inn in Anchorage. “Authors, agents, publishers, editors, and publicity professionals will be here for two full days of exciting, stimulating, helpful instruction and discussion about your writing,” says the Guild. “For the rock bottom price of $245 ($220 if you are a Guild member) you can rub shoulders with, eat with, and discuss writing with these professionals who can boost you along in your quest for better writing skills and publication.”

For writers and readers, the Alaska Sisters in Crime are hosting “No Rest for the Wicked,” a weekend in Seward. For a mere $50 (plus one night at the Hotel Seward; special rate of $89 if you register by August 21), you’ll learn craft from Alaska author Sue Henry, discover how to assess your scene’s “level of consciousness” and learn about police and prison procedures in Alaska and Seward. The event begins with a reception and no host bar at the hotel 8 pm Friday. The guest of honor is Sue Henry, and the guest lecturer is Diane Gedymin, author of Get Published: Professionally, Affordably, Fast!To register, e-mail info@aksinc and they’ll send you a registration form.

Also, great news from Ann Chandonnay, who’ll be one of our featured authors later this year. Her ‘Write Quick’ (Civil War) manuscript has been accepted by Winoca Press of North Carolina/Texas. ‘Write Quick’: War and a Woman’s Life in Letters, 1835-1867 is a collection of previously unpublished letters focusing on two men and one woman, before, during and after the Civil War. Ann and co-author Roberta Pevear are descendants of the authors of the letters. Ann is already busy compiling a master mailing list of libraries interested in Civil War topics as well as magazines and newspapers that might review the book, so any suggests you have would be welcome. The book will be about 600 pages, available in spring 2010.

Last but not least, Alaskan author Bill Sherwonit and his book Changing Paths: Travels and Meditations in Alaska’s Arctic Wilderness are mentioned in a post this week on the Sierra Club’s blog. As a reminder of how much that sort of thing matters, check out agent Nathan Bransford’s post “The Myth of ‘Just an Author.'”