Category Archives: agents

Melanie Dobson on where historical novels come from and how they get to you, the reader

Melanie Dobson (https://melaniedobson.com/) who has been writing historical/contemporary novels for 25 years, published for 20 years, and is on the Sherwood library board. If you missed her talk, you missed a lively tour of history, research, and literary inspiration.

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Writers’ Mill Minutes Jan 2022

The first Writers’ Mill meeting of the year was well-attended with over 20 members present. If you missed it, you missed a lively discussion with best-selling author John Hoover generously talking to us and answering questions for the whole two hours! Where else could we get such well-qualified one-on-one advice without spending half a fortune? Many thanks to John, to Joe for inviting him, and to Jean for making sure we got him on the schedule.

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Research, a talk by Maryka Biaggio

Historical research

Maryka writes historical fiction based on real characters, so her talk began with the world of historical research. First, how do you prepare to write your historical novel? You’ll need to delve into the past, perhaps using:

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Writers’ Mill Minutes 202002

Writers’ Mill Minutes, Feb 16th 2020

18 members attended our “3 checkmark” meeting, allowing the organizers to learn a bit more about whether emails are  getting through, and whether we’re fulfilling our goal of being “writers helping writers.” But far more important than checkmarks on clipboard was  the talk from Maryka Biaggio, author of Parlor Games, published by a serious, BIG 5 publisher, and a seriously helpful speaker. You’ll find notes from her talk at the end of these minutes. Meanwhile, thank you Maryka!

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Writers’ Mill Minutes 201806

Minutes from June’s meeting with thanks to our speaker Beth Jusino, Lynne for obtaining the grant for her to join us, LaVonna for leading the meeting, Jean for taking minutes, and Judy for ensuring the minutes got sent out in a timely manner. With thanks to everyone else too — I’m still jetlagged; I’m sure I’ve forgotten someone! Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 201806

Beth Jusino – Pitch Your Book

Beth Jusino began her presentation with setting parameters for questions and stated that she will be happy to discuss individual projects in person following the two-hour session. With a slide presentation to highlight her talk, Beth presented “Pitch Your Book so That Publishers Pay Attention.” She showed us how to master the synopsis, the hook, and the verbal pitch to publishers and agents.

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