2015 Speakers
HANK SAROYAN
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December 12, 2015
Jess Ranch Community Church |
Writer, producer, director and musician HANK SAROYAN is a 40-year veteran of the television industry. He has won five Emmy Awards over his lifetime. Saroyan shares the distinction of being one of only two directors to win Emmy Awards for directing in both live action and animation (Tim Burton is the other director).
Saroyan shared anecdotes, film clips, and advice from his storied career in his professional, engaging, and down-to-earth style.
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Open Mic
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November 14, 2015
Jess Ranch Community Church |
A great meeting, with members sharing their recent books, poems, or projects. Only memberstook front and center to gain some practice pitching their books, fine-tuning their “elevator pitch”, or feeling how it is to promote a first-time novel to a live audience. The following participated: Freddi Gold, Jenny Margotta, Sierra Donovan, Marilyn Ramirez, Michael Raff, Bobi Sullivan, Jeanne Newcomer, Ivan Summers, Cliff Walker, Roberta Smith, Suzanne Holbrook, Evelyn Blocker, Mary Langer Thompson and her group, the Poemsmiths.
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Bonnie Barnett
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October 10, 2015
Jess Ranch Community Church |
The High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club hosted Bonnie Barnett, author of "Bobo's Daughter."
Bonnie Barnett first met her father (Chester “Bobo” Barnett) at the circus. She was a four-year-old spectator; he was one of the world’s most famous clowns, a veteran performer for shows like the Shrine Circus and The Ed Sullivan Show. Though his star persona was always present in the periphery of her life, she rarely got to see him in person, and the inconsistency of her mother, a former clown herself, only increased her loneliness. As she entered adulthood, put herself through college, and sought spiritual fulfillment, Barnett found herself seeking out her father at every turn. It wasn’t until she finally showed up at his doorstep that he stopped being a larger-than-life myth and became a very human father, full of faults, regrets, and love. "Bobo’s Daughter" recounts Bonnie’s quest for the affection and acceptance of her legendary father–and the lessons she learned along the way. Bonnie Barnett was born and raised in Southern California. She earned a BA in both art and psychology from California State University at Los Angeles and an MA in psychology from Pepperdine University. She currently works as a Marriage, Family and Child Therapist and Life Coach and lives near Durham, North Carolina. |
JILL AMADIO
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September 12, 2015
Jess Ranch Community Church |
Jill Amadio is a crime writer, ghostwriter, and biographer. Her latest award-winning fiction is DIGGING TOO DEEP: A TOSCA TREVANT MYSTERY whose amateur sleuth is a grumpy Cornishwoman exiled to California. Jill has ghostwritten a true crime and a thriller, and co-authored several memoirs including MY VAGABOND LOVER: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF RUDY VALLEE. Her biography of a World War II fighter ace, GUNTHER RALL: LUFTWAFFE ACE AND NATO GENERAL, remains a best-selling eBook in eleven countries. She writes a monthly column for the UK-based MysteryPeople ezine, and freelances for My Cornwall magazine and other publications.
Born and educated in Cornwall, UK, Jill Amadio worked for the Sunday Dispatch in London and for several English-language newspapers while residing in Europe, South-East Asia, and South America. In the U.S. she was a reporter and an editor for Gannett Newspapers and an investigative reporter for the Connecticut Sunday Herald. In Thailand she was a reporter and lifestyles editor for the British-owned Bangkok Post. In the U.S. Amadio was a monthly columnist for Entrepreneur, a freelancer for Orange Coast and Bespoke magazines, and wrote a syndicated automotive column for 115 newspapers that included The Washington Times, Newsday, and the Houston Chronicle. She has written for Conde Nast Publications, Los Angeles Times /Sunday Magazine, and Newsweek. She is a member of the Crime Writers Association (UK), Sisters in Crime Los Angeles, SoCal Mystery Writers of America, Biographers International, and the Authors Guild. Jill lives in Dana Point, California. |
STEPHANIE CARROLL
TECHNIQUES FOR RESEARCHING AND WRITING ABSORBING SETTINGS
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August 8, 2015
Jess Ranch Community Church |
Carroll taught the importance of using setting to transport the reader to a different time and place and, more importantly, how to do it. Whether writing historical, sci-fi, fantasy, or contemporary, both fiction and nonfiction writers can use these techniques to immerse readers into new and unfamiliar worlds. The setting enhances plotting and characterization as well as evokes mood and tone.
As a reporter and community editor, Stephanie Carroll earned first place awards from the National Newspaper Association and the Nevada Press Association. She holds degrees in history and social science and graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Fresno. Her historical novel A White Room was featured as a Notable Page Turner in Shelf Unbound Magazine and named 2013's Best Cross-Genre Title by USA Book News. Stephanie’s fiction is known for character-level settings and gripping historical details |
PENNY C. SANSEVIERI
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July 11, 2015
Jess Ranch Community Church |
Penny C. Sansevieri, Founder and CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME), is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU.
Sansevieri's company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative Social Media/Internet book marketing campaigns. She is the author of fourteen books, including “How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload” on Amazon, and “Red Hot Internet Publicity”, which has been called the leading guide to everything Internet. AME was the first book marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically harnesses social networking including Twitter, blogs, book videos, and relevant sites in order to push an author’s message into the online community. AME has had over eleven books top the bestseller lists, including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal. |
PAUL S. LEVINE
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June 13, 2015
Jess Ranch Community Church |
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Paul S. Levine is an entertainment industry attorney for over thirty years as well as being one of the few California Literary attorneys. He specializes in contract negotiation, contract drafting, and litigation.
As an entertainment lawyer, Levine has written the legal contracts for several books adapted as movies-for-television. With over a quarter of a century of experience in the entertainment and book industries, Levine is one of the few lawyers on the West coast who also understands the world of book publishing. As such, he is able to act as both literary agent and publishing attorney for his clients. |
PETER BOURRET AND BILL BLACK
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The regular Saturday meeting was held Monday May 11, 2015 at 6:00 PM at the
Hesperia Branch Library 9650 7th Ave Hesperia, CA because of construction at the Apple Valley library. |
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AUTHOR CHRISTOPHER J. LYNCH
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April 11, 2015
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Los Angeles native Christopher J. Lynch has written for numerous local and national publications. A lover of crime fiction, he also has published several short stories, and is the author of the One Eyed Jack series about a professional blackmailer who operates in and around the South Bay area of Los Angeles. The debut novel in the series was a 2013 Shamus Award finalist, and a 2014 Writers Digest honorable mention for genre fiction. It also was recently optioned for adaptation to a feature length movie with Lion's Gate Films. In 2014, Christopher wrote and published an authorized biography of the iconic child actor Ken Osmond, (Eddie Haskell from the TV series Leave it to Beaver).
When he's not writing, Christopher enjoys mountain climbing and has reached the summits of Mount Whitney, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, and most recently, completed a trek to Mount Everest Base Camp. He once trained and led eleven blind hikers to the summit of 10,000 ft. Mount Baldy, the highest point in Los Angeles County, and the third highest point in Southern California. A documentary film is being made of the adventure. Christopher's website is http://www.christopherjlynch.com |
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AUTHOR OF "FLY GIRL"
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March 14, 2015
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Syd Blue, commercial pilot and author of “Circle” and “FlyGirl” spoke at the March 14 meeting. As Chief Pilot running an aviation business specializing in aerial surveillance, Syd Blue lives a life in the skies from California to Texas. On the ground, Syd has also written, edited and produced for everything from TV stations to production companies; from book publishers to national magazines. Along with two books, Syd has had over 40 articles published, and supervised writing staffs around the world at magazines and a news service. She also produced an award-winning documentary, TV shows, commercials and short films. With two cats and one husband, she manages two corporations from her cabin in the woods.
For info on books, curriculum, and Syd Blue: SydBlue.com |
“SIX WAYS TO WRITE AND PUBLISH YOUR BOOK”
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February 14, 2015
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HDCWC Featured Panel of Published Authors at February 14 Meeting, from left to right:
Aaron Gansky, Mary De Santis, Mary Ruth Hughes, Holly LaPat, Dwight Norris, Mary Langer Thompson. Both fiction and nonfiction authors representing major aspects of successfully completing the work, and then getting it before the public.The February 14th HDCWC meeting was all about getting your book written and published, with a panel of six published HDCWC authors to explain how they did it. The forum featured authors who have approached the publication of their work in different ways. Conventionally published authors, self-published, online e-published, and those using different methods to get their blogs and books published and out there. |
SCREEN & TV WRITING - THINKING IN PICTURES: VISUAL STORYTELLING THAT CAN WORK FOR ANY KIND OF WRITING.
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January 10, 2015
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Guest Speaker was Tom Sawyer. He discussed TV & Film writing techniques that make you a better storyteller: From creating protagonists we root for, to enigmatic bad guys, to “writing to the money,” and more – non-theory stuff every writer should have in the bank.
Here is a little bit about him: Novelist, screenwriter, playwright, Tom was Head Writer/Showrunner of the classic CBS series, Murder, She Wrote, for which he wrote 24 episodes. Edgar & Emmy-nominated, Tom has sold then written 9 TV series pilots, 100 episodes - both comedy and drama. He has been Head Writer/Showrunner or Producer/Story Editor on 15 network TV series. He wrote, directed and produced the cult film comedy, Gosh Alice Goodbody. His documentary, Reunion, was honored by the New York Film Festival, the Rochester and Edinburgh Festivals, and received national theatrical release. Tom is co-librettist/lyricist of JACK, a Musical Drama about John F. Kennedy, that has been performed to acclaim in the US and Europe. His first novel: the bestselling conspiracy thriller about the JFK assassination, The Sixteenth Man. Tom's second thriller, the bestsellingNo Place to Run, deals with the conspiracy behind 9/11. Cross Purposes is Tom's new mystery/thriller, the first in a series about P.I. Barney Moon, a born-bred New Yorker w/attitude who doesn't drive and is stuck in L.A. -- a place hedefinitely doesn't get. He publishes Storybase 2.0 writer's software which, along with his book,Fiction Writing Demystified, is a Writers Digest Book Club Selection. Tom has taught writing at UCLA, at other colleges and universities, at numerous major writers conferences, and currently online at Screenwriters University where he teaches STORYTELLING: How to Write Stories That Will Grab and Hold Your Audience. |