2011 has been an exciting year for me! It was fun to be part of the Paul D. Camp Literary Festival again and I had the pleasure of speaking at Virginia Wesleyan College in Professor Bill Ruehlmann's class for the third time. He's such a pleasure to work with and quite an inspiration.
I had some book signings at a craft show and at the Simon Family Center in Virginia Beach. I also sold books at the Olde Towne Art gallery in Olde Towne Portsmouth. It's such a blast to be around such beautiful artwork. It inspired me to start painting again.
Releasing Poetic Dreamer made nearly every poem I've written now published. Guess that means I need to get busy writing new ones. I've re-released Being Frank with Anne and hope to get busy marketing that again. The new book has Anne Frank's picture on the front cover. I love it. Book Graphics did a great job with the design. You can see it on my widget.
A big thrill this year was publishing inkBLOT, a YA suspense novel with Nancy Naigle under the pen name, Johnson Naigle. I got quite a surprise this week when I found a wine bottle with an inkblot label (brand) and a note inside. It mentions knowing about a certain famous online novel titled inkblot and asked if it was the same vintage. Then it said- quite a plot, Happy New Year. There was no signature. I love mysteries and whoever left the bottle left me quite a mystery. That was so cool!
Another publishing effort this year was publishing Hall Pass, a collection of funny high school stories in ebook form. I hope you enjoy that book on your Kindle or Nook.
We're going to have a new addition in our family in April and we're happy about that. It's going to be a girl!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
909Reviews.com Gives inkBLOT a 5 Star Rating!
It's been a busy week. I've been taking a painting class and sat tonight working on a painting assignment.I just checked my email and saw that Angel of 909reviews has posted a review on inkBLOT. Go to www.909reviews.blogspot.com to check it out. She gave us a 5 star review! Woo hoo! She's also having a book giveaway on her blog!
Maybe if my painting turns out well enough, I'll photograph it for you to see. MAYBE...
Maybe if my painting turns out well enough, I'll photograph it for you to see. MAYBE...
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Highlights from the Killer Nashville, Suspense Writers' Conference
Whether you were a writer or a reader, the Killer Nashville suspense writing conference was the place to be. From forensics experts to advice from debut authors, there was much to be learned and a lot of networking going on. Founded by film producer, Clay Stafford, the event is growing in popularity and attendance.
Arriving at the awesome Hutton Hotel in Nashville, there was a wine tasting and a great way to start networking. inkBLOT co-writer Nancy Naigle and I quickly got to make some new friends and set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Friday was much awaited, as we had in our hands a long schedule of events and classes.
Friday morning, Dr. Bill Bass, forensics pathologist and founder of The Body Farm, gave a far from toxic talk on skulls and bones. At one point, holding a skull laced with a knitting needle, he described the source of bullet holes in the self made skull-kabob. “Was this a homicide or a suicide?” was a question he posed the attendees.
Stretching the mind further was a crime scene and a clue finding contest, explained by Mike Breedlove, from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Crime solvers and sleuths jotted down notes and did their best to solve the crime.
Among the most notable authors present were Don and Renee Bain, collaborators on the Murder She Wrote books. Don later wowed the crowd playing drums with the Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers band on Saturday night. You rock Don!
Marco Conelli was a pleasure to meet and talk beside on the Writing for Young Adults panel. His Matthew Livingston book won the Silver Falchion award. Way to go Marco! I missed his session on being an undercover officer and look forward to hearing the recording.
Workshop panels covered such topics as POV, public speaking, marketing, promo, writing sex scenes (woo hoo) and cozy mysteries. It was hard to choose workshops because there were so many good ones. The How to Plan an Author Event with Media Appeal was informative and fun. Other workshops included creating mood and atmosphere, pitching, writing young adult and info about contracts. I had the pleasure of learning more about making podcasts from the Library Police. The Mood and Atmosphere panel was enlightening and debut author Tracy March and other panelists gave good ideas on making a setting set the tone in a scene. One idea I took away was “The writer writes fifty percent and the reader writes the other fifty percent.”
I attended the panel on how crime literature can be a force for good. After all, justice does prevail, right? And speaking of crime, there was a lot of instruction on how law enforcement handles criminals. Interrogation techniques was one of the areas covered. A “No Body” Cases class showed how much of a challenge it can be when there is a missing person case. These cases can be opened years later when they are considered a cold case. Sgt. Pat Postiglione, Metro Nashville Homicide Detective shed light on this subject.
If you wanted to learn how to promote your book without spending a ton of money, the Publicity and Promotion for Writers with Little or no Budget class was the go to place. According to one of the organizers, Beth Terrell, most authors wanted to be on this panel.
All this learning and networking was coupled with festivity. There was a Mystery Writers of America party as well as a Sisters in Crime party. My favorite gathering was the Saturday night party featuring those Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers and one of the original members of the Grassroots. Awesome! The Electric Slide brought folks to the dance floor and I was soon dancing, along with Clay Stafford, Robert Dugoni and others. What a fun time!
Agent Jeff Kleinman and more panel notables lent their insight on the future of publishing. This was followed by a two hour class on writing, given by Robert Dugoni, one of the most memorable learning sessions of the event. He packed more great instruction on novel writing in those two hours than you can imagine.
This was a fantastic conference and I hope to attend again next year.
Arriving at the awesome Hutton Hotel in Nashville, there was a wine tasting and a great way to start networking. inkBLOT co-writer Nancy Naigle and I quickly got to make some new friends and set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Friday was much awaited, as we had in our hands a long schedule of events and classes.
Friday morning, Dr. Bill Bass, forensics pathologist and founder of The Body Farm, gave a far from toxic talk on skulls and bones. At one point, holding a skull laced with a knitting needle, he described the source of bullet holes in the self made skull-kabob. “Was this a homicide or a suicide?” was a question he posed the attendees.
Stretching the mind further was a crime scene and a clue finding contest, explained by Mike Breedlove, from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Crime solvers and sleuths jotted down notes and did their best to solve the crime.
Among the most notable authors present were Don and Renee Bain, collaborators on the Murder She Wrote books. Don later wowed the crowd playing drums with the Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers band on Saturday night. You rock Don!
Marco Conelli was a pleasure to meet and talk beside on the Writing for Young Adults panel. His Matthew Livingston book won the Silver Falchion award. Way to go Marco! I missed his session on being an undercover officer and look forward to hearing the recording.
Workshop panels covered such topics as POV, public speaking, marketing, promo, writing sex scenes (woo hoo) and cozy mysteries. It was hard to choose workshops because there were so many good ones. The How to Plan an Author Event with Media Appeal was informative and fun. Other workshops included creating mood and atmosphere, pitching, writing young adult and info about contracts. I had the pleasure of learning more about making podcasts from the Library Police. The Mood and Atmosphere panel was enlightening and debut author Tracy March and other panelists gave good ideas on making a setting set the tone in a scene. One idea I took away was “The writer writes fifty percent and the reader writes the other fifty percent.”
I attended the panel on how crime literature can be a force for good. After all, justice does prevail, right? And speaking of crime, there was a lot of instruction on how law enforcement handles criminals. Interrogation techniques was one of the areas covered. A “No Body” Cases class showed how much of a challenge it can be when there is a missing person case. These cases can be opened years later when they are considered a cold case. Sgt. Pat Postiglione, Metro Nashville Homicide Detective shed light on this subject.
If you wanted to learn how to promote your book without spending a ton of money, the Publicity and Promotion for Writers with Little or no Budget class was the go to place. According to one of the organizers, Beth Terrell, most authors wanted to be on this panel.
All this learning and networking was coupled with festivity. There was a Mystery Writers of America party as well as a Sisters in Crime party. My favorite gathering was the Saturday night party featuring those Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers and one of the original members of the Grassroots. Awesome! The Electric Slide brought folks to the dance floor and I was soon dancing, along with Clay Stafford, Robert Dugoni and others. What a fun time!
Agent Jeff Kleinman and more panel notables lent their insight on the future of publishing. This was followed by a two hour class on writing, given by Robert Dugoni, one of the most memorable learning sessions of the event. He packed more great instruction on novel writing in those two hours than you can imagine.
This was a fantastic conference and I hope to attend again next year.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
inkBLOT is finally here!
Our co-written suspense novel, inkBLOT is out! Nancy Naigle and I are excited that it's finally here! Written under our pen name, Johnson Naigle, this book is for young adults and anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel. In the book, Ronnie Wright is tired of being looked at as a geek. His virally successful website is making him money but the object of his attention, Chelsea Pressman, is what he really wants. Her interest lies in making a name for herself as a reporter. A series of crimes go down revolving around inkblot images. Who's the culprit? Ronnie or Chelsea? And where does this leave Tiffany, his good friend and co-worker? Read inkBLOT and find out! Join our street team to help give our bookmarks and other fun things. www.inkblotthenovel.com
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
On Being Inspired
How many of us have times when we think the Muse has left us? No matter how hard you try, the words just won’t come. Award winning multi-published author, Judi McCoy, author of Hounding the Pavement and other books in her dog walker mystery series advises us to keep trying. “No matter how silly the ideas are, something will lead to a good idea.”
What stimulates the Muse? A good glass of wine? The hammock in the back yard? Judi advises writers to meditate, listen to your favorite music, take a car ride, read a book that is in a genre other than the one you’re writing or record thoughts on a tape recorder. Go into the kitchen and cook something delicious.
The library is a good place to jumpstart the Muse too. And watching a movie will give you a wealth of thoughts as well. Many writers end a chapter at the end of a scene. Judi tells writers that it will make you want to return to the computer if you don’t end the chapter there.
Staying On Track
Along with keeping the Muse at your side, another issue in writing is whether or not you consider yourself an outliner or a “pantser.” Most of us know by now which category we fall under. You either generally outline and write by that, or you start writing and let it take you wherever it will. I confess to usually falling in the latter of the two types.
“If you don’t have some kind of an outline, you can write yourself into a corner,” says Judi. “At that point, some writers are tempted to quit the book they are on and start on another one. Don’t do that. Don’t give up on it. Keep writing. You can fix ‘crap’, but you can’t fix nothing. If you run into a wall and don’t know where to go next, mentally become one of your characters and he or she will tell you what to do next.”
What stimulates the Muse? A good glass of wine? The hammock in the back yard? Judi advises writers to meditate, listen to your favorite music, take a car ride, read a book that is in a genre other than the one you’re writing or record thoughts on a tape recorder. Go into the kitchen and cook something delicious.
The library is a good place to jumpstart the Muse too. And watching a movie will give you a wealth of thoughts as well. Many writers end a chapter at the end of a scene. Judi tells writers that it will make you want to return to the computer if you don’t end the chapter there.
Staying On Track
Along with keeping the Muse at your side, another issue in writing is whether or not you consider yourself an outliner or a “pantser.” Most of us know by now which category we fall under. You either generally outline and write by that, or you start writing and let it take you wherever it will. I confess to usually falling in the latter of the two types.
“If you don’t have some kind of an outline, you can write yourself into a corner,” says Judi. “At that point, some writers are tempted to quit the book they are on and start on another one. Don’t do that. Don’t give up on it. Keep writing. You can fix ‘crap’, but you can’t fix nothing. If you run into a wall and don’t know where to go next, mentally become one of your characters and he or she will tell you what to do next.”
Friday, July 01, 2011
Looking back over the last year...
Looking Back:
May 2011, Cover story, Tidewater Teacher, Teachers We Love, published Chesapeake, Virginia
May 16, Designed to Flourish magazine organizational meeting, Chesapeake, Virginia www.iflourishonline.com
Cover story- Divine Impressions
April 2011, Release of 4th poetry book, Poetic Dreamer
April 2011, Served on literary panel at 3rd Annual Paul D. Camp Community College’s Literary Festival, Suffolk, Virginia
February 2011, Romance writing talk at Virginia Wesleyan College, Professor Bill Ruehlmann’s class (3rd time doing this) Virginia Beach, Virginia
February 2011, Held Turn Your Journal into a Book Workshop ($25 fee) Chesapeake, Virginia
January 2011, Book signing at Shapin’ Up Conference at Point Harbor Church, Chesapeake, Virginia
November 2010, Chesapeake Romance Writers conference, Chesapeake, Virginia
November 2010, Cozy Corner bookstore, Virginia Beach, book signing and reading
November 1, 2010- guest blog at K. Dawn Byrd’s blog and book giveaway for Hot and Bothered by It
October 2010, Poetry, Prose and Pizza night, Russell Memorial Library, poetry reading
October 2010, 10-10-10 event at Olde Towne Art, Portsmouth, Virginia book signing and reading
September 2010, Books in the Park, reading and book signing (100 author event) Norfolk, Virginia
September 2010, Hampton Roads Writers Conference- reading and book signing Virginia Beach, Virginia
August 18, 2010 radio interview with Dr. Michael Cortson discussing Being Frank with Anne
May 2011, Cover story, Tidewater Teacher, Teachers We Love, published Chesapeake, Virginia
May 16, Designed to Flourish magazine organizational meeting, Chesapeake, Virginia www.iflourishonline.com
Cover story- Divine Impressions
April 2011, Release of 4th poetry book, Poetic Dreamer
April 2011, Served on literary panel at 3rd Annual Paul D. Camp Community College’s Literary Festival, Suffolk, Virginia
February 2011, Romance writing talk at Virginia Wesleyan College, Professor Bill Ruehlmann’s class (3rd time doing this) Virginia Beach, Virginia
February 2011, Held Turn Your Journal into a Book Workshop ($25 fee) Chesapeake, Virginia
January 2011, Book signing at Shapin’ Up Conference at Point Harbor Church, Chesapeake, Virginia
November 2010, Chesapeake Romance Writers conference, Chesapeake, Virginia
November 2010, Cozy Corner bookstore, Virginia Beach, book signing and reading
November 1, 2010- guest blog at K. Dawn Byrd’s blog and book giveaway for Hot and Bothered by It
October 2010, Poetry, Prose and Pizza night, Russell Memorial Library, poetry reading
October 2010, 10-10-10 event at Olde Towne Art, Portsmouth, Virginia book signing and reading
September 2010, Books in the Park, reading and book signing (100 author event) Norfolk, Virginia
September 2010, Hampton Roads Writers Conference- reading and book signing Virginia Beach, Virginia
August 18, 2010 radio interview with Dr. Michael Cortson discussing Being Frank with Anne
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
It's been a busy month. I spent a weekend on retreat with writer and friend, Nancy Naigle, working on final edits to inkBLOT, our co-written suspense novel. We squeezed in a visit to a new horse farm and a church bake sale. It was a great weekend! Not to mention the bake sale goodies and barbecue we ate there! Yesterday I met with Kelly, the editor of Designed to Flourish magazine. There's always something new to talk about where that's concerned too. I can't wait to see the July/August issue. I'm featuring Gail Fuhrmann and her gift for writing lyrics! See it in July at www.theflourishmagazine.com
Friday, June 17, 2011
K. Dawn Byrd chats about her new book, Mistaken Identity
Title: Mistaken Identity by K. Dawn Byrd
Today, I’m chatting with the author of Mistaken Identity, a young adult suspense. It’s great to have her with us today. First of all, Dawn, how did this story come to you?
1) Sometimes I get the strangest ideas! I wondered what would happen if a not-as-pretty good Christian girl and her gorgeous non-Christian best friend fell in love with the same guy. Who would get the guy?
Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I had already published several books with Desert Breeze Publishing when they opened a young adult line. I'd been writing romantic suspense and thought it would fun to try my hand at a young adult novel. It was so much fun that I'm signing a contract for a young adult mystery series that will debut in January.
Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1) I own two hairless Chinese Crested dogs.
2) I love sour things....pickles, lemons, sour candy.
3) I used to ride a Harley, but gave it up in order to have more time to write. (My husband always wanted to stay out way too long and take the scenic route home. He still has his bike, but I don't miss mine at all.)
What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I'm editing my October release with Desert Breeze. This Time for Keeps is an inspirational romance.
Parting comments?
Thank you for hosting me! For those of you who love Christian fiction, please check my blog for weekly book giveaways. I interview 3-5 authors a week who give away their books. www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com
Where can fans find you on the internet?
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geWeGQ6Ueu4
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-178/K-Dawn-Byrd-Mistaken/Detail.bok
www.kdawnbyrd.com
www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com
I'm also on Twitter (kdawnbyrd) and facebook (K Dawn Byrd.) I am the moderator of the Christian Fiction Gathering facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444) If you join this group, you'll get reminders about the weekly book giveways.
Today, I’m chatting with the author of Mistaken Identity, a young adult suspense. It’s great to have her with us today. First of all, Dawn, how did this story come to you?
1) Sometimes I get the strangest ideas! I wondered what would happen if a not-as-pretty good Christian girl and her gorgeous non-Christian best friend fell in love with the same guy. Who would get the guy?
Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I had already published several books with Desert Breeze Publishing when they opened a young adult line. I'd been writing romantic suspense and thought it would fun to try my hand at a young adult novel. It was so much fun that I'm signing a contract for a young adult mystery series that will debut in January.
Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1) I own two hairless Chinese Crested dogs.
2) I love sour things....pickles, lemons, sour candy.
3) I used to ride a Harley, but gave it up in order to have more time to write. (My husband always wanted to stay out way too long and take the scenic route home. He still has his bike, but I don't miss mine at all.)
What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I'm editing my October release with Desert Breeze. This Time for Keeps is an inspirational romance.
Parting comments?
Thank you for hosting me! For those of you who love Christian fiction, please check my blog for weekly book giveaways. I interview 3-5 authors a week who give away their books. www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com
Where can fans find you on the internet?
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geWeGQ6Ueu4
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-178/K-Dawn-Byrd-Mistaken/Detail.bok
www.kdawnbyrd.com
www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com
I'm also on Twitter (kdawnbyrd) and facebook (K Dawn Byrd.) I am the moderator of the Christian Fiction Gathering facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444) If you join this group, you'll get reminders about the weekly book giveways.
Monday, June 06, 2011
inkBLOT Bookmark Gets First Place at Lori Foster Author Get Together
Yay! Nancy Naigle and I were excited when our cute bookmarks for inkBLOT (our YA... well, actually crossover suspense novel) got a lot of attention and won first place at the Lori Foster Author Get Together last weekend. Can't wait for inkBLOT to get published now. It's right around the corner. We'll keep you posted.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
BEA Excitement and Sweet Tea and Secrets
My wonderful friend and co-writer, Nancy Naigle, recently went to the BEA Conference in New York where she was treated to a lot of great workshops. She also was at the Book Expo where her new novel, Sweet Tea and Secrets was showcased. Woo hoo, way to go Nancy! I have a new widget posted from Amazon where her book is shown. I love the front cover. Every time I look at it, I want to grab a glass of iced tea! Just finished reading Sweet Tea and Secrets and I totally loved this book! You've got to read it! It's packed with emotion, suspense and all around Southern charm. If you're not from the South, you'll want to be... :.) Lose yourself in the pages of this wonderful page turning tome of love, secrets and treasures.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Upcoming Book Signing at Olde Towne Art in Portsmouth
On Friday, June 3rd at Olde Towne Art gallery in Portsmouth, Virginia, I'll be signing copies of Poetic Dreamer from 5 to 8 p.m.. The cool thing about being at this art gallery is that a number of artists there inspired some of my poems with their artwork. Nothing moves me more artistically than seeing beautiful art and photography. I mention the names of some of the artists there in this new poetry book. Hope you can make it!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Paul D Camp Community College's Third Annual Literary Festival - Big Success
Besides music and visual stimuli, nothing inspires my Muse like hearing other authors read their work. I was blessed to once again be part of Paul D. Camp Community College's Third Annual Literary Festival. Emceed by poet and orator Nathan Richardson, it was well planned and organized by Professor and Literary Club Sponsor Ronette Jacobs and everyone on the staff of the literary club. Harriette Arrington, Dean of Academic Programs, engaged the children in another room with her storytelling. Paul D. Camp Community College President Paul Conco did some wonderful storytelling.
Author Annette Montgomery shared her book of history on African Americans in Suffolk. Lots of recognizable landmarks in the photos. Reginald Johns, a poet and motivational speaker, wowed the crowd with his words. I bought a hardback book of his, Love is Life's Lesson. It combines art and poetry. Love it!
As always, Nathan Richardson and Synnika Lofton delivered mighty words with just the right touch. I shared poetry from my newest book, Poetic Dreamer. One of the poems I shared is titled, Go Paint Yourself. In this poem, I imagine coming up behind Norman Rockwell as he paints his Triple Self Portrait. In my hand, I hold an ice cream cone as I await his reaction as he paints. My last comment in the poem as though he were speaking himself- "Just call me Norman Rocky Road."
Author Annette Montgomery shared her book of history on African Americans in Suffolk. Lots of recognizable landmarks in the photos. Reginald Johns, a poet and motivational speaker, wowed the crowd with his words. I bought a hardback book of his, Love is Life's Lesson. It combines art and poetry. Love it!
As always, Nathan Richardson and Synnika Lofton delivered mighty words with just the right touch. I shared poetry from my newest book, Poetic Dreamer. One of the poems I shared is titled, Go Paint Yourself. In this poem, I imagine coming up behind Norman Rockwell as he paints his Triple Self Portrait. In my hand, I hold an ice cream cone as I await his reaction as he paints. My last comment in the poem as though he were speaking himself- "Just call me Norman Rocky Road."
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Artwork of Lowell Boileau and My Poetry in Poetic Dreamer
I admired the artwork of Lowell Boileau and felt moved to write a poem about his artwork, Riverbend. Here is the resulting poem beside his art. He's a great artist from Michigan. This is the first poem in my new poetry book, Poetic Dreamer. http://bit.ly/i8JtYH See more of his artwork at www.lowellboileau.com www.phyllisjohnson.net 
Twelve Year Old Loves Being Frank with Anne
http://www.beingfrankwithanne.com Today I wanted to share one of the highlights of my day. I got a phone call from someone in Texas. Many times when I see a call coming in when I'm not expecting one from another state, I make the assumption that it's a solicitor. Today however, I answered the phone and to my delight, it was a twelve year old girl from Texas calling me about my book, Being Frank with Anne. A Holocaust Museum had purchased the book and this girl had read it and loved it. In the sixth grade, she had already read, The Diary of a Young Girl, and also enjoyed reading my poetic interpretation of the diary. It was a really gratifying phone call and I asked if she'd told her teacher about my book. She said that she was going to tell her about it soon. Thanks Miss Fisher for making my day!
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Poetic Dreamer, my latest book
Here is the cover for my newest book, Poetic Dreamer. One third was inspired by artwork of my artist friends. The second third was inspired by photography by Richard Bernabe. The last section was fueled by life in general. I've been collecting these poems for years and they are probably more of me than my first three books. Hope you enjoy this book! It can be found at Lulu.com and will soon be posted at Amazon.com
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
What's Happening
2011 is starting out to be a really busy year. I have a college talk coming up, a book signing at Point Harbor Community Church on January 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and am taking art and photography classes. Inspiration has come in the form of artwork by friends such as Robbie Younger and Laura Gibbs. I have lots of other artist friends at Olde Towne Art Gallery and teachers who constantly encourage and inspire me. My co-written book, Inkblot, written with award winning writer Nancy Naigle, has been entered in another contest. Wish us luck! The beautiful painted furniture shown here is by artist Robbie Younger, owner of The Painted Garden boutique in Smithfield, VA.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)