Accurate Historical Fiction?

Have you ever read some historical fiction and realized the author had gotten it all wrong? Maybe the author should have taken the advice of our next speaker: Doug has expertise in all aspects of history. As an excellent resource for writers of historical fiction (and other related genres), he can teach us about all the details including weaponry, knighthood, titles, kingdoms, everyday life, customs, manners, dress, nobility, courtship, etc. We will be amazed at his wealth of knowledge.

As a master fencer, he has taught many members of the SCA, including a few who have gone on to be master fencers of their own, so, yes, he knows how to block out accurate fight scenes, as well as portray the folks on the sidelines watching.

You don’t want to miss this one! He might need some vict…volunteers to demonstrate what he’s talking about.

You’ve written it, but how will the world find out?

Danita Moon will be sharing with us many details of how to market your book. Having been a publicity assistant to Brenda Novak, Danita knows everything about how to market a best seller.

She is an avid reader and loves to find new authors. Living in Antelope, CA, she blogs about books and has two sites for reviews:
http://asyouwishreviews.blogspot.com/
http://overthemoonforbooks.blogspot.com/

Promoting Your Book Through Marketing and Advertising

Promoting through Marketing and Advertising is necessary and a useable talent.  Andrea will explain the slight differences in meaning and usage between the two, but they are relatable.

Your Next Great Idea…Where do you get it?

Peter Blueberry will present solutions to the omnipresent issue of getting ideas for your writing. He will also share some humorous poetry.

Peter is an author, poet, illustrator, publisher, and motivational speaker. He has written and self-published 32 books, sold around 3,000, read to over 18,000 people, and survived cancer four times.

Got an idea? Want to see it as a book??

Many of the varied steps required to get an idea into a book will be discussed when Westley (one of our own) will diagram the process. Many of the steps require the creative talent of the author, but there are some that either call for greater expertise in outside fields or are so tedious and time consuming that many authors gladly pass them off to others. As the ultimate creator of your work, you need to decide when to do it yourself and when you need to hire it out. Seeing the big picture certainly makes it easier to understand and makes the whole process at least predictable if not altogether pleasant.

Westley’s first career focused on maths and computer science, but when that field dried up, he turned his sights to more creative endeavours. Wanting to help others as they helped him, he found his attention to detail very helpful as he became an editor of stories, of books, and even of encyclopaedias. Learning by doing, he is now branching out into typography and audio books, never running out of challenges, wanting to learn to do it all.

Historical Research—Are you ready for it?

Cheryl Stapp, past vice-president of California Writers Club, will explain how research helped her create the accurate non-fiction California history she writes. Already the author of five books, ranging from Sacramento Chronicles – A Golden Past (2013) up to Rise, Ruin & Restoration – A History of Sutter’s Fort (2018), she continues to focus on pioneer women, frequently lecturing on this topic to historical societies and women’s organizations.

As a volunteer docent at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, she invites you to learn more about California history by visiting her website “California’s Olden Golden Days” at http://cherylannestapp.com/.

What do you know about Body Language?

Body Language—that one detail that will show both personality and mood. Come listen to Britt as she explains how, with just a few extra words, you can improve your writing. Learn tips and tricks for using effective body language in your stories.

Brittany “Tealya” Lord has been a writing stories since she was two years old when she created her first story with scribbles and read it to her mother. Since then, she has spent all her free time trying to perfect the art of story telling both the written form and pictures. Trying to perfect the use of body language instead of dialogue tags, she shares her experiences as much as she can. Her first book, Kithryn Mythrin, is available through Smashwords.com. You can also view some of her artistic work at https://www.deviantart.com/tealya

Doing historical research? Don’t get lost in the details

Whether you’re writing historical fiction or not, any time you reference actual events, even in a fictional sense, you need to have done the research to pin down the info accurately. Erika Mailman will guide us through the process of acquiring the specifics necessary to complete our stories without spending so much time delving into history that we never quite finish our story.

Erika Mailman is the author of four historical novels and has been a Yaddo fellow and Bram Stoker Award finalist. Under the pen name Lynn Carthage, she writes Y.A. fiction. She grew up in Vermont currently living in Northern California with her husband and children, close to where gold was discovered in 1848. Erika says, “I love history, David Bowie, Oakland, Vermont, domestic shorthairs, fairy houses, mochas, and movies.”

She reads voraciously, loves anything French, gets “itchy feet” to travel on a regular basis, and finds peace in the woods, in meadows, in nature. She has always been fascinated by the way history allows us to imagine how people of the past lived and breathed and felt.