January 2022 Meeting — Stephen J. McGuire

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Speaker: Stephen J. McGuire
Topic: Challenges of Self-publishing

January 15, 2022, 10 a.m. to Noon

stephen j mcguire

Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919

Stephen J. McGuire, retired Chief Judge of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), wrote Prior Restraint, a political thriller.

Steve will discuss how he wrote the book, challenges of self-publishing, and his inside perspective about DC which influenced the storyline. Steve will also provide tips on how self-publishers can market their books.

Prior Restraint--America’s most famous news anchor is brutally murdered by terrorists on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC and the entire media establishment is paralyzed by the fear of who may be next. Seemingly overnight, a pernicious wave of self-censorship grips the airways and no one dares to further criticize religious fanaticism. When a leading newspaper columnist and her editor are soon thereafter kidnapped and murdered in New York, the media hysteria reaches a frenzy.

When Chief Judge of FTC,  Steve presided over well-publicized, antitrust enforcement proceedings. He was honored by President George W. Bush for his service to the nation’s judiciary and received the FTC’s Distinguished Service Award. Now a full-time resident of Naples, Steve has been coming to the area since the mid-1980s. He has traveled extensively to over 65 countries, including memorable trips to Africa, India, Vietnam and Japan. He and his wife Doris taught English to high school students in the Fujian Province of China in July 2019. His letter on the culture and lifestyle of Havana, Cuba was published by Cigar Aficionado magazine. In addition to writing, he enjoys classic cars, fine wine, and sharing life with his wife Doris, their golden retriever, Henry, and their mini goldendoodle, Alftie.

More about Steve

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Angelina Assanti — Speaker February 2022

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Speaker: Angelina Assanti
Topic: Turning a Book into a Movie
February 19, 2022, 10 a.m. to Noon

Angelina Assanti

Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919

Angelina Assanti is an award winning author. Her humorous non-fiction cancer book is being made into a documentary. Writers don’t realize their books can be made into film, right here in Florida. Angelina will give writers information about finding sponsors, producers, and grants to make a movie in Florida.

“My name is Angelina Assanti and I am a humor writer. My first book, The Lottery Heiress came out in 2013. My second book, Mark Taylor’s Checkered Past came out in 2014. While I was writing the third book in that series, I was diagnosed with cancer and wrote my most-successful book to date, Thank God I Got Cancer…I’m Not a Hypochondriac Anymore! which won two national awards and was a finalist in the International Readers’ Favorite contest. It’s also an Amazon Bestseller.”

Angelina’s website: https://angelinaassanti.us/

Brenda Spalding — Speaker March 2022

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Speaker: Brenda Spalding
Topic: How to Publish Children’s Books
March 19, 2022, 10 a.m. to Noon

brenda spalding

Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919

Brenda Spalding is the founder and president of ABC-Books, Inc. a networking organization to help other self-published authors connect and share information. They are a 501c3 and promote literacy in the area.

Brenda is an award-winning author of many children’s and adult books. She is past president of the Sarasota Branch of the National League of American Pen Women, and a member of the Sisters in Crime, Sarasota Authors Connection, and the Florida Writers Association.

MWA/Minotaur Best First Novel Competition

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2022 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of MWAAmerica Best First Novel Competition

Welcome to the 2022 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Novel Competition!

Please read all of the rules and guidelines before submitting your entry. You can find the complete rules and guidelines at us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/writing-competitions.

To enter, you must complete this form and upload an electronic file of your Manuscript.

Only electronic submissions, uploaded through this entry form, will be considered; do not mail or e-mail
manuscript submissions to Minotaur Books.

  • Before uploading, please ensure that your Manuscript is formatted as follows:
  • 1) The Manuscript must be either a Microsoft Word document or a PDF
  • 2) Text must be double spaced
  • 3) Pages must be numbered consecutively from beginning to end
  • 4) The Manuscript must be saved as “Manuscript Title_Entrant Name”

Because of the great volume of submissions we receive and the fact that judges are volunteers with full-time responsibilities elsewhere, it is important that you submit your Manuscript as early as possible. Submissions will get a more careful reading if the judge does not have to contend with a flood of last-minute entries.

To be considered for the 2022 competition, all submissions must be received by 11:59pm EST on December 17, 2021.

If you have questions or need further clarification regarding the rules and guidelines of this competition, you may contact us at MB-MWAFirstCrimeNovelCompetition@StMartins.com.

Thank you for participating, and good luck!

Announcement on Mystery Writer’s of America

Submisson at Minotaur

Next Generation Indie Book Awards

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indie book awardsCall for Entries: 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

If you would like to receive greater recognition, monetary prizes, awards and exposure for your books, here is an opportunity not to miss. Enter the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Calling all indie book authors and publishers – including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors who have a book written in English released in 2020, 2021 or 2022 or with a 2020, 2021 or 2022 copyright date to enter the most rewarding book awards program.

Offering 80+ Categories – More than 80 Awards – with over 80 monetary prizes totaling more than $10,000 in cash, including $1,500 cash prizes plus trophies for best fiction book and best non-fiction book, $750 cash prizes plus trophies for second best fiction book and non-fiction book and $500 cash prizes plus trophies for third best fiction book and non-fiction book!

Final entry date for the 2022 awards program – February 11, 2022

Big Moose Prize — Black Lawrence Press

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The 2022 Big Moose Prize

Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The Big Moose Prize for an unpublished novel. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The winner of this contest will receive book publication, a $1,000 cash award, and ten copies of the book. Prizes will be awarded on publication.
The annual deadline is January 31.

Early bird special: Submit your novel by November 30 and save $5 on the entry fee.

Black Lawrence Press accepts submissions exclusively through our online submission manager, Submittable. We are not able to accept submissions via email or postal mail.

Click here to submit

New Novel by M. E. Roche

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M. E. Roche’s new book, The South Spit Murders, will be release November 15, 2021.

It’s during the early morning hours on a rainy night when the sound of gunshots brings sheriff’s detectives to a lone campsite on the south spit—that remote strip of land separating the Pacific Ocean from William’s Bay. There they discover three, seemingly unrelated murder victims and a case taking them from the seedier areas of their town to those of the most affluent, where hostility, greed, and jealousy seems to drive each of their suspects to act.