SJWG Member Roundup for July 2015

Compiled by Jessica A. Walsh, Mieke Zamora-Mackay, and Glenn Walker

There is so much talent in the South Jersey Writers Group, and as we've mentioned in the past, so many bloggers. And many of these bloggers produce content on a fairly frequent basis, so we thought it would be a cool idea to highlight some of each month's more intriguing and interesting blog posts and present them here.

Please give a click and a read, and we hope you will like the samples enough to become regular readers. Check them out!

Kristin Battestella shared links to recent vampire podcasts and interviews she was a part of on her VampFan blog. She also reviewed several movies and series this month on her I Think, Therefore I Review blog including Walt Disney's Return to Snowy River; several older vampire and mummy movies, including The Nude Vampire; the second season of "Thriller;" and the complete series of "The Hollow Crown."

Dawn Byrne wrote about what it's like to always have a home under some form of construction in "Fun Houses."

Joanne Costantino was busy in July, reviewing the television series "Wayward Pines," reflecting on 30 days of yoga, and sharing a family matter and how she handled it in "Perspectives and Snap Decisions" over at her blog, The Life we Claim we Didn't Sign Up For.

Frederick Doot provided his readers with an update on his writing activity, as well as some early reviews of his work in progress in this post.

Jennifer M. Eaton shared three more posts in her "Ger Your Manuscript Past the Gatekeeper" series on her website, with Donna Galanti. She also recapped events from the flash storm that slammed down on South Jersey recently in her post, "The Day the Storm Hit - A True Story."

MK England shared a great idea in her post, "Collaborative Prompt Building."

Mark Galarrita wrote four more drafts of short fiction stories for his website.

Marie Gilbert shared some advice on how to identify and handle negative, energy-draining people in "Negative Energy." She also reviewed the movie Frailty, and also wrote about two recent trips, one to the California wine country and one to The Big Apple. Marie has also been busy reviewing the television series: "Defiance" and "Twin Peaks" at Biff Bam Pop!.

Barb Godshalk kept us updated on her comings and goings at her blog, Momsanity.

Sarah Hawkins-Miduski has been doing a fair bit of traveling recently and has written three more travel posts full of wonderful photos from her trip to California. Check them here.

Amy Holiday reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman. You can read the review here.

Jim Knipp updated his readers on his comings and goings over at KnippKnopp, including his appointment as President of The Philadelphia Writers' Conference. Congratulations, Jim! He has also been reviewing the second season of "True Detective" for Biff Bam Pop!.

On her writing blog, Adventures in Writing, Victoria M. Lees wrote about the need for universal questions or themes in memoir. On her Camping with Kids blog she wrote about what to do when the power goes out.

K.A. Magrowski brought her readers up to speed in her post, Catching Up...

Emmy Martin shared a personal story about the negative stigma surrounding mental health on her blog, Finding Stastie.

Lisen Minetti wrote four posts this month on topics such as bucket lists (click here to see what's on here), and a negative Etsy experience and how it creeped into her writing.

Editor extraordinaire, Patti O’ Brien, has an unfortunate tale from a visit to her dentist

Randy Ribay speaks the truth about what real writing is… revising.

Kevin Stephany reviews The Wedding Singer by the Haddonfield Plays and Players. You can read it here.

Loretta Sisco does some time at the Burlington County Prison… Museum, that is.

The Elephant Journal was good to Vince G. Sparks this month. Check out his articles, “The Stigma of Mental Illness," and “The Discrimination No One Talks About, Even Now.”

Cassandra Ulrich shares an excerpt of Love’s Intensity on the Paranormal Romance Blog Hop.

Rich Voza instructs on choosing the right word, and how variety is not always better and posts Chapter 25 of his novel in progress, Dreamlands.

Our very own Membership Trustee, Glenn Walker, takes on this year’s Lay’s Do Us A Flavor contest at French Fry Diary and appears on screen with fellow SJWG member Kristin Battestella on Morning Coffee.

Jessica Walsh continues her journey into self-discovery, understanding, and self actualization with on empowering blog, The Cracking Nut.

Janice Wilson reflects on finding beauty in nature despite being in an industrial wasteland.

Our Outreach Trustee Mieke Zamora-Mackay reviews her 2015 so far – and shares with us what propels her to do everything she does.

We hope you liked this month's selections from SJWG member blogs, and will not only read more at their respective sites, but also come back here next month for more. Don't forget to 'Like' the South Jersey Writers at Facebook, 'Follow' us at Twitter, and check us out on Pinterest. Thank you!

SJWG at the Philadelphia Writers' Conference

Mark Doenges, Gail Priest, Amy Holiday, Mark A. Smith, Betsy Heinz, Dean Dobkin

Several members of the South Jersey Writers' Group attended the writing event of this area - the Philadelphia Writers' Conference. In attendance from our group were president Amy Holiday, Gail Priest, Patti O'Brien, Betsy Heinz, Vincent Sparks, Mark Doenges, Mark A. Smith, new members Frederick Doot from the Garden State Speculative Fiction Writers and Dean Dobkin, PWC registrar Jim Knipp, and membership director Glenn Walker. Here's what some of them had to say about the PWC experience:

"The most valuable part of the conference for me was hearing about the successes and struggles other writers and realizing I was not alone. I enjoyed talking with people and hearing about their works and getting to know the folks from SJWG who attended. Thanks to all who made this conference such a success!" ~ Betsy Heinz

"This was my first experience attending the Philadelphia Writers' Conference. I'm grateful for the opportunity to get to better know the other members of the South Jersey Writers' Group better. They made me feel welcome, and we shared a lot of laughs. I met many new people, too. The schedule offered enough free time to chat, network, and support. The energy from everyone was very positive.

"Don Lafferty's Social Media/ Marketing three day workshop was a highlight for anyone fortunate enough to have signed up for it. The wealth of knowledge he shared was inspiring and a bit overwhelming, but his personality made it fun, too.

"Another highlight was the Open Mic during lunch on Saturday. Autumn Stephens Konopka facilitated, and she also set an encouraging and upbeat atmosphere which put people at ease. I enjoyed hearing writers share their work. I felt supported by the audience when I read. There were several authors on the wait list, and by some miracle everyone had a chance to share. I hope they offer two days for the Open Mic next year. I think more people will want to take advantage of the opportunity to read and listen to others.

"Both the Self-Publishing workshop taught by Merry Farmer and the Research workshop taught by Janice Gable Bashman were extremely enjoyable and informative. Both these instructors knew their stuff and how to communicate well. Their students were appreciative.

"Those are just a few of the many highlights. PWC2015 was a great experience for me." ~ Gail Priest

Mark A. Smith and Frederick Doot

"One of my favorite experiences of this past weekend was the opportunity to network and get to know not only others within the Greater Philadelphia Writers Community but the folks that are members of the SJWG. I knew most of the folks from the meetings but it was just recognizing who they are and a brief hello and goodbye. Having our 'own' table or meeting spot was great because I really had some good conversations and got to know the members of our group a little bit better.

"I thought the seminars, the speakers and the whole 'vibe' of the conference was a positive experience that has definitely given me an incentive to keep writing and working harder to improve my writing. The speakers were extremely helpful and informative. Since this was my first writing conference I have ever attended, the bar has been set and it is high. After all, what better place to start than Philadelphia and the longest running writers conference in the country?

"As we say in Boston, 'that is my story and I am sticking to it!'" ~ Mark A. Smith

" When I woke up Monday morning my brain hurt from knowledge absorption, but I was exhilarated. It felt appropriate, because I attended the 67th Annual Philadelphia Writers’ Conference this past weekend. There was much to learn, and I soaked it up.

"As a scholarship winner and first time attendee, I knew it would be a good place to network and meet other writers. What I discovered was so much more than I anticipated. From Friday through Sunday, there were opportunities to learn, share, discuss and explore a ton of information about the art of writing.

"Sitting in a conference room of peers at all different stages in their careers, with the common goal to learn, was inspiring. At last, I felt established and validated as a professional. Although writing is a very solitary process, it is great to know that from published author to novice, we all struggle with similar issues.  
"The conference schedule allowed me to choose what workshops best served my particular interests. I attended outstanding sessions on developing social media skills, plotting and outlining your novel and self-publishing essentials. 

•  I’ve learned that I don’t know enough about metadata and marketing myself, but now I have resources.  
• Book Architecture is an excellent way to plot my work and that I’m a “Pantser” – I write by the seat of my pants without a written outline. 

• Self-publishing is on the rise, and Smashwords is my friend. 

Mark Doenges, John Fahl, Amy Holiday, Vince Sparks, Gregg Feistman, Patti O'Brien

"I emerged from the conference with valuable information and solid resources. Also, having a chance to connect with fellow members of South Jersey Writers’ Group was a bonus. Being together gave everyone a chance to get to know each other better. We discussed our work, shared stories, had lunch and chilled with a few drinks.

"I certainly look forward to attending the conference again, and would urge everyone looking to perfect their craft to add it to their calendars. There’s nothing like the support of other writers to remind you to just keep writing. 'Get out of your head and put it on the page - WRITE.'" ~ Vince Sparks

The Philadelphia Writers' Conference was a whirlwind of excitement, information, and networking. If you're a writer in this area and haven't attended, you have no idea how much you're missing. This is the best writing opportunity around. Make your plans for next year as soon as possible!