Dear Gulf Coast Writer:
It’s a very good week for our members. We’re celebrating three of our own who have won awards for their recent books.
Last Saturday at the annual conference of the Florida Authors and Publishers Association, Patti Walsh was awarded a Gold for her middle-grade Celtic fiction, Hounded. At the same ceremony, Ginger Wakem received a Silver for her mafia mystery-romance, Trust No One, Promise Nothing.
In a separate competition, Ed DeJesus won two awards for his new thriller, The Vulnerable. Ed received a Literary Titan Book Award and a PenCraft “Summer’s Best Book Award.”
Every honor received by any of our members adds luster to the reputation of Gulf Coast Writers. So we thank these three authors for helping us look good, and we join our voices to congratulate them.
Be sure to show your appreciation and congratulations to Patti, Ginger and Ed next time you see them at a monthly meeting.
And there’s more good news. We’re proud and grateful to welcome Mary Beth Leopold as our new GCWA Treasurer. Mary Beth takes office in October after working with outgoing Treasurer Mike Cole to learn the ropes. Every member will want to welcome a Treasurer who protects our assets, as Mike has done so diligently for many years. We’ll share Mary Beth’s experience profile in a later dispatch.
It’s the summer season and many of our members are away. But our amazing Program team continues to make each meeting interesting and relevant, even in the dog days of summer. We hope you’ll be there on August 16 when GCWA member David Kratzke helps us navigate the world of digital advertising. Dave, owner of the marketing and publishing company Big Kat Creative, will help authors learn how to develop a strategic campaign for advertising that helps authors launch their books.
I hope you’re inspired to write. Every day’s observation gives us stories to tell. Let’s tell them.
