Tallahassee Book Festival and Writers Conference

Tallahassee Book Festival

and Writers Conference

Holiday Inn and Monroe St.

Conference Center

May 4-6, 2012

This looks like a great conference. Steve Berry is scheduled to be the Keynote Speaker at the Saturday noon banquet. A Florida writer who has 12 million books in print admits that the road to publishing was not always easy.  He endured 12 years with 85 rejections before landing on the best seller list.  

Mark Mustain will be speaking Friday Evening. He is the author of the best-selling novel, The Gendarme. He lives in Tallahassee.

And there will be a variety of speakers on a diverse list of topics from thrillers to non-fiction. Have a look at their website and see if it's a conference that just might be the perfect thing for you this spring.

See the schedule and registration... click here

The Dolphin Watcher's Guide to Southwest Florida by Jo Anne Lowney

About the Book

Watch dolphins the way nature intended!

Southwest Florida offers endless opportunities for up-close and personal encounters with wild bottlenose dolphins. Spending time with dolphins is easy --- if you know where to look! This new e-book covers dozens of the best dolphin watching beaches, waterways, parks, restaurants, hotels, and boat tours on the Florida Gulf Coast.

You (and the kids!) can see wild dolphins on your next visit to:

* Marco Island ~ Isles of Capri
* Naples
* Fort Myers Beach ~ Estero Bay ~ Lovers Key
* Sanibel ~ Captiva
* Pine Island ~ Cayo Costa State Park
* Englewood ~ Gasparilla Island ~ Boca Grande
* Venice ~ Nokomis ~ Casey Key

This unique and fun Florida travel guide also includes tips for increasing your odds, suggestions for selecting Florida dolphin tours, advice on how to safely watch dolphins, and ways you can help protect them.

The link to the e-book on Amazon

About the Author

Jo Anne Lowney has been vacationing with Southwest Florida's wild dolphins for more than 20 years. During that time, she discovered a number of wonderful dolphin viewing locations and had some unforgettable encounters! After many years of visiting the dolphins, she decided it was time to share this dolphin viewing information with others. Jo Anne also writes a blog about wild dolphins at http://wherethedolphinsswim.wordpress.com.

Usher Orlop Mystery Series by Kee Briggs

One-through-Eight of the Usher Orlop Mystery Series by Kee Briggs are now available on Kindle.

The Golden Janus & The Pewter Masks

The Nickel Trophy & The Bronze Bones

The Brass Portraits & The Zinc Ormolu

The Silver Scepter & The Rhodium Dragon

Additionally, the following are also available on Kindle:

The Third Removed

The Painted War          

Finders-Keepers

Losers-Weepers

The Oregon Vortex (a new YA ScFi available only as an Kindle)

Write To Live Longer (A self-help ebook)

Go to Amazon (link to Kee Briggs)  for the complete list of writings, formats, covers, inside looks and prices. Don’t miss page two.

Kee Briggs is a long-time member of the Space Coast Writers’ Guild. He joined during the 1999 Writers’ Convention and published his first book in 2001. Since then he has published twenty-four more.  Now he is expanding them out into the various new formats.  Kee has formed his own house, Keescapes Publishing, to handle his work.

Note: Any thumbs up or submitted reviews would be greatly appreciated by the author.

From UCF Book Festival

There's still time to make it down to the UCF Book Festival at The Arena on the Orlando campus.

View of the exhibit hall from the Bloggers' Suite...

I think I talked with all of the authors exhibiting this morning.  The speakers  have book signings after their presentations.  Many of the authors exhibiting promised to send me information about their books, so you can look forward to that in the near future.

To start the author conversation... I ran into the Nardini sisters (below) at the book festival. They were exhibiting their book, The Underwear Dare... If you haven't seen it, you'll want to check it out... click here.

Come on down... Saturday 3/31 only...

Holly Fox Vellekoop.... to speak at Franklin T. Degroodt Public Library

  Holly Fox Vellekoop, author of Justice and Revenge will be speaking on the

topic of “Justice and Revenge in the USA” on Sunday, April 15, 2pm, at:

              The Franklin T. DeGroodt Public Library

              6475 Minton Road SW

              Palm Bay, Florida. 32908

     Holly will be discussing past and recent court cases which have been of concern 

regarding whether justice was really achieved. Revenge as practiced or shunned by 

different groups such as the Amish and others will be explored. 

     Justice and revenge is a timely topic in our country and begs the question, “Is it ever

moral to seek justice or revenge outside the court system?”

Today: UCF Book Festival in Orlando and the Brevard Authors' Book Fair in Cocoa

I'm on my way to the UCF Book Festival this morning to gather some blogging material about that event. If you get a chance, stop by the Arena at the UCF Orlando campus. The book festival will be going on all day. In addition to authors displaying their books, there are interesting presentations by featured authors throughout the day.

If you're closer to Brevard than Orlando, you might want to stop by the Brevard Authors Book Fair. Its at the Central Brevard Library in Cocoa....

Have a great day and I'll be reporting in later.

Brevard Authors' Book Fair

The Brevard Authors' Book Fair is fast approaching:  March 31, 2012.
Please plan to attend, spread the word, and bring your friends for an enjoyable day of book talks and networking with writers.

There are three spaces still available for authors to show, tell, and sell their books!
If you want to have a table, please send in your registration ASAP!

If you are unable to attend, you may want to take advantage of the Display Books Only option. This is an opportunity to display your book(s) and business cards/info etc. for the day and have more exposure.

The registration form and information can be found at www.AuthorsForAuthors.com.

March 31, 2012, 10:00 to 4:00.
Central Brevard Library & Reference Center
308 Forrest Ave, Cocoa, FL 32922

` Networking and ideas galore!
` 40 authors to sign, sell, and talk books
` Six writer workshops included FREE
` Cupcakes by Holly
` Gift baskets, door prizes
` Honor Our Educators giveaway
` FREE to the public

Presentations by Multi-published authors, including:

10:30 Mark Mynheir
Topic: Truth in Fiction

~ The Corruptible
~ The Belly of the Dragon
~ The Void
~ Rolling Thunder
~ Watchman

11:15 Holly Fox Vellekoop
Topic: What They Didn't Tell Us About Writing

~ Justice and Revenge
~ Stone Haven: Murder Along the River
~ How to Help When Parents Grieve

12:00 Marshall Frank
Topic: Converting True Life Into Fiction

~ Beyond the Call
~ Call Me Mommy
~ The Latent
~ From Violins to Violence
~ Dire Straits
~ On My Father's Grave
~ The Upside of Murder
~ Messages
~ Frankly Speaking
~ Militant Islam in America
~ Criminal Injustice in America


12:45 Ava Pennington
Topic: Writing for Anthologies: How to Craft a Winning Story

~ One Year Alone With God
~ Chicken Soup Anthologies
~ Do You Love Me More?
~ Will I See You Today?

1:30 Valerie Allen
Topic: Writing for Fun and Profit

~ Sins of the Father
~ Suffer the Little Children
~ Summer School for Smarties
~ Bad Hair, Good Hat, New Friends
~ Write, Publish, Sell! Quick, Easy, Inexpensive Ideas for the Marketing Challenged.

2:15 Carol Jose
Topic: Get It in Writing: Manage Contracts, Clients &Clear Up Confusion

~ You Are Not Forgotten
~ Evil Web
~ Guerrilla in Striped Pants
~ The Consul
~ Saved by Love
~ Sign of the Golden Grasshopper

UCF Book Festival - Saturday, March 31, 2012 - Orlando

You won't want to miss this book festival. It's at the UCF Arena from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM in Orlando, Florida.


There will be panels, author chats, a children's zone, a teen zone and much, much more.

The Keynote Author this year is James McBride (The Liberal Arts Life: From Jazz to Journalism to Novel to Script)

Meet the authors and enjoy the exhibit hall with much to see.

Florida Book News will be there most of the day and will report back in the next couple weeks about the event.

2012 Reader View's Awards

On March 7, 2012, Reader View’s,  announced that Bette Lee Crosby’s latest novel Spare Change was a First Place Winner in both the general fiction category and the southeast literature category. In addition to those awards, the novel was singled out as the recipient of The Jack Eadon Award for Best Contemporary Drama, an award based on the believability of characters and setting.

Crosby’s Spare Change is currently in the #1 slot on the Goodreads list of Best Unknown Books and has received numerous five star reviews. Goodreads, an international social media website dedicated to book lovers, boasts over seven-million members, and a bookshelf of over 250,000,000 books.  Books appearing on the Best Unknown Books list are nominated and voted on by members. 

Crosby’s novels, which generally involve affairs of the heart, have rapidly become a book club favorite because they feature such memorable characters as eleven-year-old Ethan Allen Doyle and his sidekick, Dog, in a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance.

Crosby is a featured author on Amazon and Goodreads and her novels are also available through Barnes & Noble. In addition to the print versions, e-books for Kindle and Nook are now available.

To read the reviews or purchase Spare Change, visit www.amazon.com  To learn more about Bette Lee Crosby and her novels, visit www.betteleecrosby.com

How to Write Killer Fiction... A Workshop

The Don Quixote Girls by Mia Crews and Karlene Conroy

Mia Crews' book The Don Quixote Girls is finally out in paperback! Mark your calendar for next Saturday: Fashion Bug's 2012 Spring Fashion Show, 2 PM, Saturday, March 24, Palm Bay next to TJMax at the corner of Palm Bay Road and Babcock Street.

It will be an afternoon of fashion and fun and a book signing with Mia Crews and Karlene Conroy, authors of The Don Quixote Girls, at Fashion Bug, 4711 Babcock St NE, #34, Palm Bay, FL. For more information about the event, call (321) 956-8989. Drop by to chat with Mia and fellow author Karlene anytime between 1 PM and 4 PM. Hope to see you there!

www.donquixotegirls.com

Book News from Sidney Andrews

Sidney Andrews  new book Journey into Thought  Awakening to Spirit, will be released this summer.

Excerpt: Journey into Thought will bring insight and renewal as you journey on a path to self discovery,

where you will see problems as opportunities, obstacles as stepping stones and life as a wonderful

challenge, rather than a sentence. It's time to live and enjoy life in its fullness, rather than merely exist or

survive through time. Living from spirit and changing your thoughts are the keys to living your authentic truth!

Amelia’s Gift by Debra John

About the Book

Amelia’s Gift is a captivating story from the heart, based on true events in the life of author Debra John. An inspirational love story on many levels, it portrays the life of Lisa Marie Anderson. An ever-smiling optimist who never misses a meal, she is the daughter of World War  I and Korean combat veteran Edward Anderson and loving mother and housewife Amelia. The  fourth of six children, Lisa relies on her positive outlook and sense of humor to cope with a father who abuses alcohol. When she later marries a man who also turns to alcohol after twenty   years of marriage, her patience and humor are eventually overshadowed. Lisa’s life becomes entangled yet hopeful with a spirit-guided message from her mother, ballroom dancing,  Caribbean cruising, and Alex, a guy who can’t seem to find the right wristwatch.

About the Author

Born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Debra makes her home in Cocoa Beach, Florida. After thirty-four years as an executive secretary for the US Government, she is using her writing skills and creativity to fulfill her dream of becoming a published author. An avid reader of books on romance and spirituality, she has combined both topics to create a unique story from the heart.

Balboa Press - December 2011 - 224 pages

ISBN: 6x9 Paperback (978-1-4525-4286-7)

6x9 Hardcover (978-1-4525-4288-1)

Suggested Retail Price:

$15.99 - Paperback

$33.95 - Hardcover

You can order

Amelia’s Gift

directly from the publisher at www.balboapress.com.

Typical Ordering Time: 7-10 Business Days

This book is also available at your local resellers.

A DIVISION OF HA Y HOUS E © 2011 Author Solutions, Inc.