2011 Writing Workshops

Mary Jane Beaufrand: Write Your Heart Out

This is a workshop for teens about writing supernatural romance.

Mary Jane Beaufrand is the author of Primavera and The River, and several short stories. She has an MFA in creative writing from Bennington College. She lives with her husband, two kids, drooling Saint Bernard, and wussy Basset hound in Seattle, Washington.

Justina Chen:

Justina Chen will lead participants through three fun creativity exercises drawn directly from her novels to unleash dreams, voices, and self-images. Just as the characters in her novels have done, you will write your own Truth Statement about who you are, declare your most overboard lifetime goals, and finally create a Vision Board of your hopes and dreams.

Justina Chen is an award-winning author for young adults whose most recent novel, North of Beautiful, was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus and Barnes & Noble. Her other books include Girl Overboard (a Junior Library Guild premiere selections) and Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies), which won the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature. Absolutely passionate about teen service, Justina toured the country with Olympic Gold Medalist Hannah Teter to encourage young adults to change the world. Additionally, she co-founded readergirlz, a cutting-edge literacy and social media project for teens, which won the National Book Award for Innovations in Reading.

Melissa De la Cruz: How to Outline a Novel

The Students and Melissa de la Cruz will work together to outline a novel. Enjoy the fun with Melissa as you learn the essentials of any good novel.

Melissa de la Cruz grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl and Seventeen. She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.

Kimberly Derting: WRITING SUSPENSE: Crafting the Nail-Biter

Learn how to build tension by creating an atmosphere of anticipation.  Whether it's a first kiss, discovering unexpected news, or finding dead bodies, find out how to have readers hanging on the edge of their seats!

Kimberly Derting lives in the Pacific Northwest, which is the ideal place to be writing anything dark or creepy. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who serve as an endless source of inspiration for her writing. Her first book, The Body Finder, is about a 16-year-old girl who is drawn to those who have been murdered. Her second book, Desires of the Dead, is a sequel to The Body Finder. You can find out more about Kimberly at:

Alane Ferguson: Publishing Secrets: How to Make your Writing Sell!

Keynote Speech: From Picture Books to Forensic Mysteries: My Funny, Sad, and Unique Journey as an Author

Alane Ferguson was born in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1957. She attended the University of Utah and Westminster College where she studied journalism. Later, Alane became interested in writing for children, mostly, she says, to follow the example of her mother, successful author Gloria Skurzynski. Their novel, Wolf Stalker, was the first work of fiction National Geographic had published in its 109 year history. Wolf Stalker was nominated for the 1998 Mystery Writer's of America Edgar Allan Poe Award and the newest and 13th book in the series, Night of the Black Bear, was launched in spring of 2007. Alane was also a nominee for her third young-adult mystery, Poison. She received a 2007 Edgar nomination for her young adult novel, The Christopher Killer, the first in the Sleuth Forensic Mystery series.  Alane is currently completing her thirty-second novel.

David Patneaude: Once a Writer, Always a Reader

All the writers I know have one thing in common: We read! We read for enjoyment and inspiration and knowledge and because our fellow writers have asked us for feedback on something they've written. But we also read to make ourselves better writers. In this workshop I will talk about my journey as a writer and the development of ideas, and discuss an objective method for evaluating one's own writing, critiquing the writing of others, and using the results to focus the revising process and improve future writing efforts.

David Patneaude finally heeded the advice, "It's never too late to have a happy childhood," and began writing seriously (more or less) in the mid 1980's. His first novel, Someone Was Watching, was published in 1993. His books have been placed on more than thirty state young readers' lists and honored by the New York Public Library (The Last Man's Reward), the Society of School Librarians International (Framed in Fire), the Winnetka (Illinois) Public Library's "One Book, Two Villages" program (Thin Wood Walls), and the Washington State Public Library (Thin Wood Walls). His newest book, Epitaph Road, was published to strong reviews in March 2010. When he's not sitting in a coffee shop writing, or at a school or library or conference talking about writing, or out on the running trail thinking about writing, he's at home in Woodinville, Washington with his wife Judy, a junior high librarian.

Mary Pearson: Give Your Story Idea Legs to Run

Mary will discuss understanding and carefully considering the many components of story so your gem of an idea comes alive and doesn't lay there like a lump of clay.

Mary E. Pearson is the author of several award winning books for teens, including The Adoration of Jenna Fox, which has been optioned by 20th Century Fox for a major motion picture.  Her book awards and honors include the Golden Kite Award, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, the NYPL Best Books, IRA Choice Books, and The South Carolina Young Adult Book Award.  Her novels include, Scribbler of Dreams, A Room on Lorelei Street and her latest, The Miles Between, which was named to YALSA, Kirkus, and Bank Street College best of the year lists.  Her forthcoming book, The Fox Inheritance, which is a sequel to The Adoration of Jenna Fox, will be released in fall 2011. She is a native Southern Californian and writes full time from her home in Carlsbad, California where she lives with her family. When she is not writing, Mary enjoys reading, working in her garden, cooking for friends and family, and traveling with her husband.

Lisa Schroeder: Revision is a Wonderful Thing

The real story is often written during revision, but it can be overwhelming knowing what elements to tackle when. In this workshop, Lisa will break down the process of revision, looking at plot, character, and details as well as discussing how to avoid common mistakes. Lisa will also share some examples of how one of her novels changed revision after revision.

Lisa Schroeder is a native Oregonian, which means her childhood summers were spent camping, fishing, reading books (of course!), and playing in the sun, when it finally came out. These days, Lisa spends her summers, and every other part of the year, sharing all the wonderful things Oregon has to offer with her husband and two sons. She is the author of three novels for young adults published by Simon Pulse - I Heart You, You Haunt Me, an ALA 2009 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Far From You, a Texas high school reading selection, and Chasing Brooklyn, a 2011 ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults nominee. A fourth YA novel is scheduled to be released spring of 2011, called The Day Before. She is also the author of It's Raining Cupcakes, a middle-grade novel published by Aladdin.

www.lisaschroederbooks.com

Terry Trueman: Making Signals Thru the Glass

My work and my mission is to connect readers with one another and with their own attitudes toward people with special challenges and special needs.

Terry Trueman was born on December 15, 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama, but grew up in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington, where he received his B.A. in creative writing. He also has an M.S. in applied psychology and an M.F.A. in creative writing, both from Eastern Washington University. The father of two sons, Henry and Jesse, Terry Trueman makes his home in Spokane, Washington, where he has lived since 1974. Trueman's hobbies include his Sea Ray boat and his 1976 Corvette Stingray, and his Corvette, fiery red! One of his heroes is poet Charles Bukowski. He considers Terry Davis and Chris Crutcher two invaluable mentors.

Stephen Wallenfels: The 3 Cs of Writing: Character, Conflict and Change

This workshop covers three of the key elements of an effective story, how they are related, and how they keep readers turning the page.

Stephen Wallenfels served as a contributing editor to Club Business International magazine, a leading fitness trade journal, since 1989. During that time he has written over 50 feature articles, columns and interviews with leaders in the health and fitness industry. While Stephen enjoys journalistic writing, his first love is fiction. He has published short stories for adults and kids, and his first novel, POD (YA scifi), was published in April, 2010, by Namelos, and subsequently picked up by Putnam/Penguin for North American trade paperback publication in summer 2011.  Stephen is currently working hard and fast on the sequel, POD II.

site.stephenwallenfels.com

Rick Yancey: Believing in your Story

Rick Yancey discusses persevering through your writing. He encourages young people to keep pursuing their dreams and goals. Stories are shared from his experiences in writing the Alfred Kropp series and The Monstrumologist series.

Since he was quite young, Rick Yancey knew he wanted to be a writer. After earning a degree in English from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Rick returned to his native Florida to pursue a career in the arts. While teaching part time and dabbling in the theater, he decided to take a job with the Internal Revenue Service, where he served as a revenue officer for over ten years. He continued to pursue his lifelong dream of being a full-time writer, however, finally leaving the IRS in 2004 upon the publication of his critically acclaimed memoir, Confessions of a Tax Collector. Rick is the proud father of three sons. He lives in Florida with his wife, Sandy.