Writing program success stories

"Weekend with Your Novel" is published
Richard Davidson, a 2008 participant in “A Weekend with Your Novel” held every fall in Madison, is the author of Lead Us Not Into Temptation. This is the first book of a mystery series starring former NASA engineer, Arthur Blake, who is a minister in the fictional Chicago suburb of Parkville. The book is available from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, and the author’s website, www.davidsonbooks.com. Richard is vice president of the Chicago-area Off Campus Writers’ Workshop group.

Write-by-the-Lake Retreat participant sells book
Ann Garvin, Stoughton, Wis., a professor at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, has sold her novel, On Maggie’s Watch, to Berkley (Penguin), to be published in November 2010. The book was formerly called A Congregation of Crocodiles when Ann workshopped her pages in Christine DeSmet’s June retreat section for first-time novelists. Ann’s agent is Eve Bridburg from Zachary, Shuster, Harmsworth Literary Agency. Ann’s humorous and poignant novel is about a pregnant Maggie Finley, who learns a lot about herself and the judgments she makes about others when she sets about ridding her neighborhood of a sexual predator.

Success for William Dollear
William Dollear's short story, "Tequila," that was workshopped at Angela Rydell's and Laurel Yourke's class, "Tricks Poets Can Teach Every Writer," was published in the online journal, Stockyard Magazine, or www.stockyardmagazine.com. William also attended the Write-By-The-Lake Workshop & Retreat this summer. He participated in the class, "Writing for Children," led by Kathleen Ernst. Keep on writing!

New author Joan Maze, from Minnesota, has two books out and more!
Joan Maze, from Minnesota, a past attendee of our Writers' Institute conference in Madison, just signed with Red Rose Publishing with her first mystery, Murder by Mistake, available as an e-book. (Paperback coming later on.) Red Rose will also publish her single title romantic suspense book, Framed In Fear, this spring. Murder by Mistake is the first book in the Mollie Fenwick Mystery Series, a "cozy" series. Joan is polishing her second cozy, Murder For Kicks. Congratulations, Joan!

Karen Bryson in screenwriting finals
Karen Mueller Bryson, of Gold Canyon, Arizona, has placed in the top 20 of this spring's Phoenix Film Festival screenwriting contest with her romantic comedy script, "Zak Goes Back to School," the story of a famous boy band member who can't shake his past when he returns to college. Winners will be announced March 18, 2009. Karen is a graduate of the UW-Madison online screenwriting course, "Write Your First Draft Fast," in which Christine DeSmet mentors writers on their scripts from the idea stage through the finished script's FADE OUT. Congratulations, Karen, and good luck in the finals!

Malta screenwriter and UW online student is semi-finalist
Philip Spiteri, of St. Julian's, Malta, is a semi-finalist in the Screenplay Festival contest in the action-adventure category with his feature film script, "The Cost of Redemption." Philip wrote his script in the UW–Madison online course taught by Christine DeSmet, "Screenplay: Write Your First Draft Fast." Philip's script is about a reclusive medical doctor who discovers his new neighbor and her young son must go on the run because of what they know about a murder plot implicating the White House. Congratulations, Philip!

Christine DeSmet in the EPIC finals
One of our very own learned today (Dec. 2) that her characters in little Moonstone, Wisconsin, are up for a national/international award.

Christine DeSmet's anthology of related humorous romantic mysteries, Mischief in Moonstone, published by Whiskey Creek Press, is a finalist for a 2009 Eppie Award from the Electronically Published Internet Connection (EPIC), the association for e-book authors and electronic presses.

The book is also available in trade paperback.

This is Christine's first anthology collection. Winners are announced at the spring EPIC conference.

Excerpts of the stories are available at the Jewels of the Quill website, www.JewelsoftheQuill.com.

Christine teaches fiction and screenwriting, and critiques manuscripts at UW–Madison Liberal Studies & the Arts. She can be reached at cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu.

Mary Hughes - new published author!
Congratulations go to Mary Hughes, West Bend, WI whose first novel, Biting Nixie, a paperback vampire tale, came out in time for Halloween from Samhain Publishing. The e-book version will be issued in January 2009. Mary has attended the UW-Madison "Weekend with Your Novel" and "Writers' Institute" conference.

Tina Russ a winner in Faulkner novel writing contest
Tina Russ, of Riverwoods, IL, past attendee of the Writers' Institute conference in Madison, has won the novel-in-progress category of the Pirate's Alley William Faulkner Society creative writing competition with her first novel, After Paradise. Tina's judge was Deborah Grosvenor, a literary agent from the Washington D.C. area.

Congratulations, Tina!

Published in fiction the first time! Kris Babe, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Congratulations, Kris! Trillium Literary Journal will be publishing Kris’s fiction for the first time (a short story), as well as a piece of creative nonfiction. This follows major successes for Kris in nonfiction: a profile of author Benjamin Percy, Nov/Dec 2007 Poets & Writers magazine; an interview with author Shauna Singh Baldwin, December 2007 issue of The Writer’s Chronicle; and an essay in the “My Wisconsin” column, Nov/Dec 2007 issue of Wisconsin Trail’s magazine. Kris has attended Writers’ Institute, A Weekend with Your Novel (offered again this fall), and School of the Arts in Rhinelander. She’s currently in Laurel Yourke’s weekly fiction critique workshop and credits Laurel’s fine teaching for getting her to a publishable level.

Bruce Noble poem accepted
Bruce Noble has just had the poem "Returning To My Hometown" accepted by the prestigious "Fox Cry Review," now in its 33rd year of continuous publication.

Tennessee's Moberg signs with agent
Kurt Moberg, Nashville, Tennessee has signed with agent Kristopher O'Higgins of The Scribe Agency, Madison, WI to represent his science fiction book, We Are Stardust. Interesting backstory: The agent told us he'd originally rejected the manuscript, but the author decided to go ahead with his private pitch meeting at the 2007 "Writers' Institute" conference and use the meeting to brainstorm the revisions. Kris said, "The new beginning is awesome and the rest kicks butt, too."

Teri Woods signs with agent
Teri Woods, Madison, winner of the fiction category of the "Poem or Page Contest" at the recent Writers' Institute, has signed for representation with Victoria Skurnick, Levine/Greenberg Literary Agency. Teri pitched her mainstream novel during a meeting with Victoria at the event. Teri used our critique services and workshops with Christine DeSmet and Laurel Yourke. Congratulations! -May 7, 2008.

"What Kindergarten Teachers Know"
A book by Lisa Holewa , Milwaukee,  and Joan Rice,  Cudahy, Wis., came out May 7, 2008, from Perigree (Penguin Group). Lisa had a pitch meeting with agent Marilyn Allen (Allen O'Shea Literary Agency) at the 2006 Writers' Institute. Congratulations, Lisa and Joan!

Critique Service grad Mary Lindsey signs with literary agent
Congratulations to Mary Lindsey, Houston, Texas, who on May 2, 2008, signed with  agent Elizabeth Jote of Objective Entertainment. Mary used our Critique Services to polish her writing. On her website, Mary calls Christine DeSmet of our staff her “critique goddess.” Mary’s written a fine YA book involving time travel, romance, and a true historical event. It’s the start of a series. See Mary’s interview at www.querytracker.net/maryL.php, and more about her writing at her website, www.marylindsey.com.

Judith Jones' memoir published
Congratulations go to a past keynote speaker at our annual conference, Judith Jones, on her new memoir, The Tenth Muse/My Life in Food, from Alfred A. Knopf. Judith was the editor of Julia Child, James Beard, and many other powerhouses in the food world, as well as fine fiction writers including Anne Tyler and John Updike. Judith was the keynote speaker for our 1999 (10th edition) Writers' Institute in Madison.

Screenwriting student wins award from BBC
Martin McSweeney, Cork, Ireland, a graduate of our UW online course in screenwriting, won a writing award from the BBC on Oct. 31, 2007, for a TV script based on his novel, Two Weeks In June. Martin now gets into BBC workshops and gets a chance at a commissioned script. Congratulations!

Writer Lisa Holewa finds agent and a sale at Writers' Institute
Lisa Holewa had a pitch meeting with agent Marilyn Allen (Allen O'Shea Literary Agency) at the 2006 Writers' Institute. That turned into a sale for Lisa's and Joan Rice's book, Elephant Ears and Marshmallow Feet, a guide for parents that takes tricks and activities developed by teachers and translates them into techniques parents can use at home to get their children organized, listening, and cooperating. The book sold to Maria Gagliano at Perigee (Penguin Group). Congratulations, Lisa!

Critique Service Writer gets published
Prayas Abhinav's short story, "The Secret Life of Superheroes," has been published in the literary magazine, Muse India. Prayas polished the story through our UW critique services and with Christine DeSmet as his writing mentor. Prayas retains the rights to the story and is re-submitting it to other magazines. The story takes on the theme of whether each of us could be a superhero and might actually have the strength to fly to save others when caught in the middle of horrific events. Prayas lives in Bagalore, India, and grew up in Ahmedabad. Congratulations, Prayas!

Screenwriting and short story news from Christine DeSmet
Christine DeSmet has learned that a romantic comedy she wrote with writing partner, Peggy Williams, made the top ten percent semi-finals in the annual Austin Film Festival contest. Called "Anyone Can," the story is about four slacker guys who think they can get rich quick by writing a romance novel but instead end up in the crosshairs of a real romance writer out to destroy them. Christine teaches the UW's online screenwriting course, and welcomes new writers anytime.

Christine DeSmet has two new short stories published this fall, including her first ghost story, "When the Dead People Brought a Dish-to-Pass," in the book, Shadows in the Heart/A Jewels of the Quill Halloween Anthology, published by Whiskey Creek Press. The light-hearted romantic mystery is about what happens for a troubled young woman when her dead relatives from centuries before decide to cheer her up by giving her a Halloween party and bringing food from each of their eras, as well as a possible suitor. The story takes place in fictional Moonstone, Wisconsin, on the south shore of Lake Superior.

Christine's other story takes place in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. "Stolen Pleasures," is in The Object of Romance Anthology, from new publisher, Beacon Books Publishing. In that romantic mystery, an art shop owner's bad luck with dating gets worse when the most recent guy turns up dead after eating her maraschino cherry cake.

Excerpts of Christine's stories are at www.JewelsoftheQuill.com

Online screenwriting course grad tops in two contests, options script
Mike Mason, Norwich, England, has finished in the top ten in the 2007 Scriptapalooza contest with his script, "LA Coincidental," a comedy send-up of film noir detective movies. He optioned the script to Hero Pictures. Mike wrote the script in our UW online course, "Write Your First Draft Fast," with Christine DeSmet, http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/lsa/online. An interview with Mike is online at the Scriptapalooza website. Mike also won first place in the Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum contest, where second place went to another of Christine's students, Pat Fitzgerald. Her script is "Kid," the true story of Billy the Kid.

 

 

 

 

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