Chattanooga Writers Guild

CWG News & Announcements:

Sunday, November 30, 2008
#94 Events - Writing Tips - GoodSearch

Amazon Invites CWG members to Submit their Novel
2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
To get you started with your contest preparations they have created a short introductory online video tutorial with important information to remember, such as key dates and rules, as well as what information youâ€™ll need during the registration process.

Submissions start on February 2nd 2009 at 12:01 midnight Eastern Standard Time, and end on February 8th 2009 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, (or when they receive 10,000 submissions, whichever comes first) so make sure youâ€™ve got everything ready to go by then.

You donâ€™t want to miss your chance to enter the contest. Just ask Bill Loehfelm, author of â€œFresh Killsâ€, who won the $25,000 Penguin USA publishing contract Grand Prize in the previous Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. His novel and those of several other finalists are available at the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award site. They will have online tutorials and events in the coming weeks along with tools to help you get your manuscript, excerpt and pitch ready for the contest.

Other helpful hints: Make sure to check out the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award forums to chat with other authors and ask questions about the contest.
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Shane Berryhill to have second book signing
Shane is having another signing for CHANCE FORTUNE IN THE SHADOW ZONE (and its precursor, CHANCE FORTUNE AND THE OUTLAWS) at A NOVEL IDEA bookstore in Chattanoogaâ€™s north shore district on 12/20/08.
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CWG member Peter Messmore has book signing planned
Peter will give a book talk and sign books at Rock Point Books on January 17, 2009 at 2:00 pm. The subject of the talk will be my two historical fiction novels: Philip & Olympias: A Novel of Ancient Macedon and also Alexander the King: The Sequel to Philip & Olympias
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Reading Writers Group
Reading Writers will meet at the East Ridge Retirement Center - Tuesday, December 2nd at 7:00 PM. we will discuss the published literature of Ron Rash.
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Chattanooga Charm is looking for writers.
For more information contact them direct.
http://www.chattanooga-charm.com/
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Timeline list for your published book
If you have a published book in your future here is a great time line of things you should be thinking about now and down the road to promote it to help it find readers. www.totheletter.com/timelines.php
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GoodSearch.com and GoodShop.com
We have made over $50 this year because members have set Chattanooga Writers Guild as their non-profit of choice. Check it out. We get paid for every search you do. Also get paid for buying things through their sister company GoodShop.com If you are going to shop online, check them out. When you shop list Chattanooga Writers Guild as you choice of charity. Every little bit helps.
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Jon Meacham author of American Lion
This famous TV personality and editorial augur of Newsweek will be at Rock Point Books December 4th signing his new book on Andrew Jackson. He will also tell you to continue to write because you also will have a bestseller one day.
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Friday, November 21, 2008
#93 All about Writing and Writing

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Non-Fiction Group
The non-fiction group will meet this Monday, November 24, at 7:00. The meeting has changed from Tuesday to Monday this month due to Thanksgiving. We will be at New Hope Presbyterian Church on Shallowford Road. Contact Sherry Poff with questions. poffmeister@comcast.net She also likes to know if you have something to share with the group.
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Guide to Literary Agents Writers Digest Blog
The best of the best. This Blog should be on your MUST READ list.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/
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Job Openings still Available
Play writers pay attention ---- Chattanooga Theatre Centre is looking fora House Manager. House Managers are in charge for one performance;responsibilities include supervising ushers and overseeing concessions sales. Compensation is two complimentary tickets. Ushers see the play at no charge on the night/afternoon that they take tickets and assist with concession sales. If interested contact Susan Brandenburgsbrand525@bellsouth.net
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POETS and WRITERS Contest
Don't forget to submit that poem or novel to a national contest that is only for Tennessee Writers.

Must have lived in Tennessee for two years
No more than one book published in genre
Both Poetry and fiction categories
Official Application must accompany all manuscripts.
Application must be postmarked no later than December 1st 2008
No application fee, \

Complete PDF with guidelines and application at: http://www.pw.org/files/WEXApplication08.pdf

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Shane Berryhill to have Book Signing
Shane will be signing books at the new Barnes & Noble at Hamilton Place Mall this Saturday, 11/22/08, beginning at 2 PM. Love 'im or hate 'im, TV/Radio personality Glenn Beck will also be there signing copies of his holiday tale, The Christmas Sweater, along with Chattanooga's own Susan Gilmore, author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, the tale of a Ringgold, GA woman's pursuit of her dreams.
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Are You a New Writer in Chattanooga
Looking for a quick overview of everything about Writers in Chattanooga. You might check out this great site run by Chattanooga State. http://www.chattanoogastate.edu/Humanities/RWC/creative.asp
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Of Interest to Poets
If you want to know more about being a poet before you start being a poet you might want to check out this web site. http://www.poets.org/state.php/varState/TN
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Best Idea Four Members Have Done Recently
Reggie Jay, Wendy Brown, Nansy Grill and Marsha Brantley have created a group blog (grog) that compliments their small critique group in Cleveland. They would like to invite members of the Chattanooga Writers Guild to view the new grog and leave a comment. http://thunderrockwriters.com/default.aspx
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Feed Your Brain
Poetry readings at Mocha Joe's Bistro in St. Elmo now have a presence on facebook. Join the Feed Your Brain group for updates. Their next reading is Saturday, January 10, 7:00 PM, and will be offered on the second Saturday of each month. (February 14 will be a valentines day special reading.)
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Barnes and Noble Open Mic
KB Ballentine's open mic at Barnes and Noble is on hiatus until January. The event will resume at the new Barnes and Noble store on the last Friday of each month.
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Holiday In St. Elmo
A new arts and music festival in St. Elmo will be taking place in the Historic St. Elmo business district at the foot of Lookout Mountain on Saturday, Nov. 29, from 11 a.m. â€“ 8 p.m.
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Christmas Party December 9th
East Ridge Community Center
Information to follow
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Dues are Due Annual $25
Mail to Chattanooga Writers Guild , P. O. Box 3087, Chattanooga, Tn 37404
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Notices for Newsletter
Send information to: cwg@chattanoogawritersguild.org with NEWSLETTER in the subject line.
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Sunday, November 16, 2008
#92 CWG News News and More News

Job Opening
Play writers pay attention ---- Chattanooga Theatre Centre is looking for a House Manager. House Managers are in charge for one performance; responsibilities include supervising ushers and overseeing concessions sales. Compensation is two complimentary tickets. Ushers see the play at no charge on the night/afternoon that they take tickets and assist with concession sales. If interested contact Susan Brandenburg atsbrand525@bellsouth.net
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CLAUDIA JOYCE'S NEW BOOK (Joyce Walters)
Redbird in the Snow, a collection of Christmas stories from Joyceâ€™s World War II childhood until the present, will be available at the next Guild Meeting on October 14. These stories from Christmases past will make you laugh, cry, or sigh. Some of the stories have a sense of true Christmas Spirit as weâ€™ve always known it, but others show different emotions and feelings that sometimes arise during the holidays.
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Southern Writing
Another quality E-zine to get your story published
http://southernwritersnetwork.blogspot.com/
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Amazon/Penguin Contest Returns
The e-tailer's Breakthrough Novel Award competition will return for a second year, open to new manuscript submissions as of Groundhog's Day, 2009, and once again they will partner with the Penguin Group. Amazon calls the first contest "enormously successful," despite the tepid response from the marketplace to the August release of winner Bill Loehfelm's FRESH KILLS. (Loehfelm's book has sold approximately 4,000 copies through outlets tracked by Nielsen Bookscan.) But Penguin has acquired rights to four of the other ten finalists: Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan (Amy Einhorn Books, July 2009); The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer (Putnam, August 2009); The Butterflies of Grand Canyon, by Margaret Erhard (Plume, January 2010); and Casting Off, by Nicole Dickson (NAL).

This year's contest will accept up to 10,000 submissions (double the number from last year) during a seven-day window. The professional judges reading and selecting from among the final three contestants include authors Sue Grafton and Sue Monk Kidd, agent Barney Karpfinger and Penguin Press editor-in-chief Eamon Dolan.

Last year the judges had to review the final top ten manuscripts. And though there will be twice as many submissions, half as many books as last year will get "reviewed" by Publishers Weekly (500 "quarter-finalists"). Hewlett Packard has not returned as a sponsor this year. CONTEST RULES
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World's Oldest Joke book republished
There is always hope that your writing will make it someday. If you are thinking about writing a joke book, this is one you need to read.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4AD2QS20081114?feedType=RSS=scienceNews
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Open Night Mic -- Feed Your Brain
Open mic this month is again not at the Library. We are holding it at A Novel Idea - bookstore at 38 Frazier Avenue in North Chattanooga.This will be the last open mic events until someone comes forward that will facilitate its production. Ray Zimmerman who has be the force behind Open Mic is moving on to take better care of Feed Your Brain event at Mocha Joe's in St. Elmo. It will be on the second Saturday of each month henceforth.
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

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CWG Member News and Success
Marla H. Thurman sold a short piece to Common Ties and her essay on death and dying will be featured in the January edition of Quiet MountainEssays.
Shane Berryhill's Chance Fortune in the Shadow Zone was reviewed by Portsmouth Teen Book Review. "I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy based book that takes place in a school setting. It is about a group of super powered teens who, while getting transported back to their school, are lost in the shadow zone. The shadow zone is an alternate dimension where the shadow prince reigns supreme, taking members from small gangs and turning them into his army of goons. Fast paced and not for the faint of heart (Shane's sidebar: 'Not for the faint of heart!' I love that! Yes, it's true: 'Shadow Zone is the REAL 'dangerous book for boys--and girls).' I give this 9 out of 10 stars."
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Vine Street Press
Literary ezine from right here in Chattanooga. Check it our. See if they will be interested in your latest project. http://vinestreetpress.com/
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Job Opening
Chattanooga Blue Cross looking for Writer
http://jobview.monster.com/GetJob.aspx?JobID=77316806&aid=53499486-10118&WT.mc_n=MKT000351
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Vote Chattanooga as a TOP ARTS city.
This is a contest by AmericanStyle magazine for the top city for the Arts. We need to do everything we can to get Chattanooga to win this contest. Please pass this web site on to all your friends and get them to click off Chattanooga in the mid size city division.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=o6LmU4UfNo_2b34D01peuiRg_3d_3d
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The Future of Writing ?
This is a short three minute that shows the scary state of the English writing in the near future. Or is it what will be and we need to change our craft to meet this challange?
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/rives_tells_a_story_of_mixed_emoticons.html
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The Writers Magazine's Web Site
It is amazing all the great things you can find on the Internet that will not cost you a dime. Of course they want you to buy their magazine, but with all this free stuff you learn so much about the craft of writing. Makes you want to go to a newstand and look at the magazine. http://www.writermag.com/wrt/
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Wednesday, November 5, 2008
#90 News for Writers and Authors

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CWG has Another Winner
Karen Phillips won an honorable mention for a feature article in the 77th annual Writer's Digest competition. Not coincidentally, Cec Murphey, our November speaker, had critiqued the piece for her.http://writersdigest.com/article/annualwinners77_feature

Don't forget to bring a friend to next Tuesday's meeting at the downtown library at 7 pm. It is free and open to all interested writers.

Next Meeting will have Cecil Murphey, a New York Times Bestseller writer will speak to the public meeting of the Chattanooga Writers Guild at the Downtown Chattanooga Library. Don Piperâ€™s story, 90 Minutes in Heaven, co-authored by Murphey, has remained a Times bestseller since 2006. Another of his numerous books, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, will air early next year as a TNT movie starring Cuba Gooding, Jr.
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Welcome New Members
We would like to welcome Rajivek Diwan, David Martella, Jessica Ashah, Amanda Stephens, Cynthia Marcotte, Tammy Neely, Kelle Riley, Tracy Cunningham, Mary Ann Johnston, Victoria Thurman, James Pfitzer, Lynne Lockie, Peter Messmore and Amber Nagle who are all new members to the CWG. We encourage them to post their bios on our web site soon and attend any of the small group meetings they might find helpful.
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Resources on the Web
Great list of writer's magazines and resources on the web
http://www.knoxvillewritersguild.org/writres.htm
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Glimmer Train Short Story
Write a Short Story for Glimmer Train
http://www.glimmertrain.com/shorawfornew2.html
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Etude: The Journal of Literary Nonfiction
is here
http://etude.uoregon.edu
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Compuserve
You thought Compuserve had gone to the happy hunting ground? Not for writers they still meet daily on Compuserve. A great place to listen to advice given by best selling authors without you knowing it.
http://community.compuserve.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=ws-books
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Another Paid Published Writer
John Kalabus' story, "Starr Mountain Buck" appears in the current issue (Nov/Dec) of "Muzzleloader" magazine. His picture is there, too, covering half a page. This is the first time that John has been paid for his writing. Congratulations.
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The New Yorker Caption Contest
Write for the New Yorker
http://contest.newyorker.com/?utm_campaign=1254421&utm_medium=email&utm_source=TNYS-Registrants&affiliate=NYS_10108_ccon2
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Poets and Writers email newsletter
All CWG members can sign up for their free newsletter.
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1102110443848&p=oi
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Literary Magazines
This is by far the most complete list of Literary Magazines that are looking for your writing that we could find. And yes it is from Poets and Writers
http://www.pw.org/literary_magazines?apage=*
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KB Ballentine: Poetry Writing Retreat
The Knoxville Writers' Guild will host a poetry writing retreat on November 15, 2008, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the former Orr Mountain Winery building between Sweetwater and Madisonville, Tennessee. The instructor will be CWG member poet and teacher, K B Ballentine.

In 2006 she was a finalist for the Joy Harjo Poetry Award and in 2006 and 2007 was awarded a prize from the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund. Her first collection of poems, Gathering Stones, was published in 2008 by Celtic Cat Publishing. She is a member of the Chattanooga Writers' Guild.The workshop is limited to 16 participants. The cost, which includes a catered lunch, is $95 for members of the Knoxville Writers' Guild and the Chattanooga Writers' Guild and $115 for nonmembers.

For More information 865-659-2651

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Judy DiGeorgio has new book
Celtic Cat Publishing of Knoxville has published Judy's collection of humor essays entitled Life Among the Lilliputians. Judy also has a new web site http://judyjabber.com
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