Wednesday, January 24, 2007

First St. Philomena's Workshop

Last Friday, 1/19/2007, I went to Karin Lord's writing class and helped kickoff her 6th graders project. We broke down the two classes of 25 students each into groups of five, where kids brainstormed about a fantasy setting, protagonists, antagonists, weapons and armor, and magical items. The kids had a ball! Their assignment for the next two weeks is to flesh out their ideas and them come up with three solid plot lines, which we'll go over at my next visit on 2/2/2007. Karin has also inquired about creating a hardcover book for the kids and we're hoping to get that information real soon.

March Into Reading Update

Salve Regina University, in conjunction with the local schools on Aquidneck Island, is sponsoring their March Into Reading celebration. I will be running a Creative Writing Workshop on Saturday, February 10th from 9:30 to 10:15, followed by a book signing from 11:15 to 12:00. There will also be other artists giving lectures and workshops as well -- a real treat for the kids in the community. The events will be taking place at the O'Hare Center on the Salve Regina University campus, and all events are free to the public. Hope to see you there!!!!

Holy Trinity School Book Fair

I've added another book signing event to my schedule, this one being at the Holy Trinity School in Fall River, Massachusetts. Holy Trinity is sponsoring a book fair in conjunction with Parent's Night. I'll be there from 6:30 to 8:00 on Thursday, February 1st. Stop by if you're in the area.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Talisman of Unification Update

I've just completed final edits to chapter 12 of The Talisman of Unification. As I finish a chapter, I append it to the final document of the story. As of today, the twelve chapters turn out to be 299 pages of double-spaced, 12-pitch font text. In comparison, Legend of the Treasure ended up being 680 pages before going to the publisher. On to chapter 13!

Custom House Coffee Book Signing

I've just set up a book signing event for Saturday, January 27th from 11:00 - 2:00 at Custom House Coffee, a new, trendy coffeehouse located at 600 Clock Tower Plaza, West Main Road, Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The place is really cool -- it has a wi-fi area with a fireplace and couches, and a variety of coffees from around the world. Stop by, buy a book, and say hello!

Friday, January 12, 2007

St. Philomena's Consultations

It's official -- I'll be a consultant to Karin Lord's 6th grade writing classes at St. Philomena's School in Portsmouth, RI. What I'll be doing is helping the students create a story from scratch, then help the kids put together their own novel, piece by piece. The first day will be a brainstorming session where the kids will create their worlds, good and evil characters, weapons, armor, magic, vehicles, etc. This should be a fun time for all, and I really hope that the kids understand that writing can be a whole lot of fun. My first session is January 19th, 2007. I'll keep you posted!

Talisman of Unification Update

I'm up to chapter 11 in my third pass of edits for the second book in The Overlords series, The Talisman of Unification. As of today, I have 35 chapters, so I'm a little less than a third of the way done. I'll be putting more effort into this since my self-imposed deadline is April 1st of this year to be finished with this task. I'm hoping to get the "final" version of the story to my editor in April, and be ready to start the self-publishing effort over the summer. Stay tuned ...

Sunday, January 7, 2007

Upcoming Event -- March Into Reading

I just heard word this weekend that I'll be holding a Creative Writing Workshop at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI on Saturday, February 10th from 9:30 to 10:15. I'll also be holding a book signing event after the workshop from 11:15 to 12:00. This is a big event for me because it coincides with my profile appearing in the February issue of QuadAngles, the University of Rhode Island alumni magazine. Those of you on my newsletter list will get more details, as well as local advertising.