All Star Tribute to Nick Nixon on Sunday, October 28

On Sunday October 28 at 1 p.m., local country western entertainers, as well as a couple guest stars from the Grand Old Opry, will show their support during an all star tribute and fundraiser for Nick Nixon at the Stegton Regency Banquet Center, 1450 Wall Street in St. Charles.

Nick is a legendary local country and western star and a treasured member of Coffee and Critique writing group.

In the 1970s Nick had more than a dozen top 100 hits on the Mercury label, including "Rocking in Rosalee's Boat," which climbed to No. 28 on the U.S. Country Charts. The Nick Nixon Tribute and Fundraiser is being held to help support Nick with medical expenses in his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Headliners include: Johnny Rodriguez, Barb Allen, Leona Williams, Curtis Lyn Cook, Doc Holiday, the Well Hungarians, and an all star house band.

General admission tickets are only $10 per person and can be purchased at the door. Other highlights include a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, a live auction, and some special surprizes.

For more information, or to make a donation, e-mail Elmo Linton, who planned and organized the event, at elmojllinton (at) wildblue.net.

Hope to see you there!

Coffee and Critique Group Members Win Big at Ozarks Creative Writers Conference

Last weekend, three Coffee and Critique group writers won big at the Ozarks Creative Writers Conference in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

C&C member Lou Turner is on the board of OCW, and Lou and the rest of the board do an outstanding job putting on this conference each year.

The OCW conference is attended by writers from all over the United States, and the contests include dozens of entries in each category. Winning at Eureka is quite an honor, and here's what some C&C members won:

Marcia Gaye took home these awards:

1st: Las Manos Bella de Elizabeth for short story
2nd: Giving Love a Chance for memoir essay
2nd: My Volkswagen for Creative Nonfiction essay
2nd: Lost Hope Missouri for Literary Novel
3rd: Geese for Japanese Tanka Poetry
HM: Mother of the Painted Desert for free verse poetry

Nick Nixon was recognized for:

1st: Little Red Rider for Storyteller Magazine award
3rd: Bless u Dexter for humorous short story
3rd: Old Dempsey for Ozark Nostalgia
3rd: The Teacher's Paleo Pecker for Jim Richardson Memorial Award

Doyle Suit received awards for:

1st: Tales of a Misspent Youth for The High Hill Press Book Award
1st: A Loose Sole for Search for Excellence Award
1HM: Hale's Law for the Oxbow Award
3HM: A Pig for Sarah for OWL Award

Doyle also received lunch with agent Cherry Weiner for winning the synopsis award

Congratulations to all the winners!

Congratulations, Alice Muschany

Coffee and Critique writers' group member Alice Muschany has two recent publication credits to add to her portfolio.

Two of her inspiring true stories are included in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hope & Healing for Your Breast Cancer Journey by Dr. Julie Silver of Harvard Medical School.

Alice also has an essay in the Pass it On section of the October 2012 issue of Guideposts.

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, Alice has donated a copy of the Chicken Soup book as a giveaway on Coffee and Critique Writers' Group co-founder's blog, Donna's Book Pub.

If you would like to win a copy of the anthology, leave a comment on the post announcing Alice's giveaway on Donna's Book Pub during the month of October.

And, congratulations, Alice. You make the members of Coffee and Critique proud!

YA Writing Contest for YA Writers

My author friend Ripley Patton is having a YA writing contest to celebrate the release of her YA novel, Ghost Hand, which is coming out in November. If you are a young adult who writes YA, you could win cash and be published in the sequel to Ghost Hand.

You must be a young adult (ages 13 - 19) to enter the contest. Check out the deets here and good luck to everyone who enters.

Coffee and Critique Kudos and Announcements

Several members of Coffee and Critique have been recognized recently for their writing accomplishments. I e-mailed our members last week and asked them to send me their Kudos, and the following writers answered. Wow! Here are the responses I received.

Please join me in congratulating them on their writing successes.

* Marcia Gaye won the 2012 Deane Wagner Poetry Award for “Apology” and was invited to read her poem at the award ceremony. Her short essay on first love, “A Relatively Innocent Love,” was published by Spruce Mountain Press in Heartscapes Anthology.

 

* Jack Zerr's poem "Grah Nade" won 10th place in the Writer's Digest annual poetry competition.

 

* Doyle Suit's poem "I'm in Good Shape for the Shape I'm In" has been published in Storyteller Magazine in September. His YA novel BAKER MOUNTAIN is scheduled to be published by High Hill Press later this year.

 

* Alice Muschany's true stories "Hats Off to Betty with Love" and "Forever and Ever" have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul HOPE AND HEALING FOR YOUR BREAST CANCER JOURNEY, released September 2012.

 

 

Announcements

 

Speaking of Chicken Soup, today Donna Volkenannt has posted links to submission call outs from Chicken Soup for the Soul and Panera Bread on her blog Donna's Book Pub 

 

PLEASE NOTE: Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, September 4, Coffee and Critique will start meeting half an hour earlier--at 9:30 a.m.

 

Announcing New Hours for Coffee and Critique Starting in September

Due to growth in our membership and the number of writers who want to read each week, beginning with the first meeting next month, September 4, we will start our meetings at 9:30 a.m. and wrap things up around noon. Everyone is welcome to join us for lunch afterwards.

Our meetings will continue at the Rendezvous Cafe on Main Street in O'Fallon.

Support Ghost Hand - A Young Adult Novel by Ripley Patton

My writer friend Ripley Patton is using Kickstarter to raise money to publish her young adult novel. Kickstarter is a genius website that helps us starving artists raise money to finance our projects. The artists offer rewards to their backers, and everyone who backs a project becomes a patron of the arts and helps talented people make their dreams come true.

Check out this gorgeous cover for her novel Ghost Hand! Here is the info on this soon-to-be-published book.

WHAT IS GHOST HAND ABOUT?
There are secrets we keep hidden deep inside of us. Secrets of abuse and abandonment and self-harm. No one can see them. No one can find them. No one can touch us there.

But all that is about to change.

Olivia Black just discovered that her ghost hand, a genetic defect, can do more than light up a room. It can reach into people and pull things out. Things from the darkest depths of the human psyche never meant to exist in this world.

Olivia can pickpocket the soul.

But she can't control her ability, or the strange items it extracts, and the only thing between Olivia and the men bent on taking the power of her hand is a boy she barely knows and doesn't trust.

Check out Ripley's video appeal:

I've read the first few chapters of Ghost Hand, and I love this book. You can read them yourself here. Her talent is obvious. Please join me in supporting her campaign so I can finally read the whole thing! She is already 76% funded with just 5 days left to go. But if she doesn't make her goal, she doesn't get anything. That's how Kickstarter works.

Every little bit helps, and the minimum pledge is only $5. Also, check out this excellent blog post on Karen Woodward's blog on why Ripley decided to self-publish. I think it will resonate with all you writers out there who are thinking about self-publishing. If you are interested in self-publishing, check out my new blog, Should I Self-Publish.