WELCOME

When we decided on the theme The Big House, we knew what we wanted to find. Heart (you know us), integrity, professionalism, wisdom, drive, dedication to authors and the books we write, etc.
The trickle-down theory accepted; we went to the top. We contacted three well-respected and esteemed women, leading ladies, from the NY publishing world. They were happy to have the opportunity to share anything that would be of help to you. Every quality I listed above was found in each publisher we interviewed, and more.
Of course, we understand that as authors we must develop these qualities within ourselves—making us the rest of the package that produces a best seller. We're providing a Print Friendly Version of the interviews so it is easier to continue to go over what all the publishers have to say, and make it our own; so we can take the book within us to the heights it deserves. We sincerely hope these interviews mean as much to you as they do to Angela and me.
And we can't close without saying welcome to our great freelancers. Enjoy and learn from their submissions. Mandy Vicsai (How 2 column) sheds light on the hard task of cutting our word count down. Barbara Shine (Freelancers Corner) shares information on the importance of writing groups, how to find one and the part we play in making it a successful venture. In addition, we have talented women that reveal what inspires them to write, thank you Carrie Hulce, Heidi K. Brown, Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Annette Fix, and Feng Feng Hutchins.
In fact, we thank each of you very much for contributing to this month's issue. We're looking forward to hearing more from you in the future.

Angela owns a graphic design business in Orange County, is an award-winning artist and a published short fiction writer. She is currently working on a collection of intertwined short stories for a novel.

"Writing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I wrote short stories when my creativity kicked in, which was usually around midnight and beyond. After I married, my husband told me that wasn't working for him. So, I turned to creating business plans, presentations, brochures and everything else we needed as business owners.during the daytime. Close to three years ago, my husband of thirty-six years died, and I returned to writing."

Beryl is a published non-fiction writer, a writer of flash fiction, personal essays and is currently working on a novel.

RECAP OF EVENT:
OC MEETUP GROUP THE VALUE OF ATTENDING WRITING EVENTS

By Beryl Hall Bray

Step with me into a room filled with ones who dream of writing, work at writing, plus a speaker with 25, count 'em, 25 books published! Writing can sometimes reek of isolation and life keeps us busy with so many necessities; so what's a woman to do to receive a clearer view of her goals, have an interchange of encouragement, and learn, learn, learn more about the craft she so loves?
Come along with Angela and me as we reflect on the O(range) C(ounty) (CA, USA) MeetUp Group 's event, hosting WOW!' s (we had her first) Patricia Fry. And be really glad you weren't literally with us when we pulled into the parking lot. Inadvertently, we parked as far as away from the event room as possible—and still be on the facility's property, that is.
However, we must tell you that it was well worth the walk. Such a great group of people (including the hardworking organizer, Russell Traughber), an assembly of diverse and delightful writers as you could hope for; the beauty of this is that everyone is at a different place on their journey to being published. There are enough already published ones there to let you know that this goal is attainable. Very important experience, if you wish to persevere toward seeing your byline, your book...
No two people's lives are the same; but their experiences can help you. Listen carefully to others, because they are all telling you what works and doesn't work. But who can share the most? We got out our paper, Patricia started talking and we were writing.
There are various ways speakers share, Patricia's way is to speak from her heart and tell you what she knows best, sharing experiences from her life. And her life lessons became the canvas for us to see all that can be accomplished. Circumstances that could hold one back, she made the reasons she could succeed. She spoke of being a mother and knowing a lot about horses. Now, some might consider that a difficult place to start writing and getting published! Not Patricia Fry.
Thankfully, as she began her journey to success, she was logging things she tried—that worked and didn't work. Within her heart, the desire began to grow—to save others from making the same mistakes and wanting to share what works. This event was another way to continue in her life's work—to let us be beneficiaries of her wealth of experience and knowledge.
We had a wonderful time, listening and having a multitude of questions answered. There isn't any way that we can share all she had to say; so I will direct you to her WOW! column. You can learn much from there and at the bottom click on her website and feast! Take in enough to keep you on your goal's journey and we look forward to reading your published work!
Thanks for reminiscing about this important event with us.