Join The Las Vegas Writers Group
You'll get invited to our Meetups as soon as they're scheduled!
About The Las Vegas Writers Group
LVWG organizer: Richard Warren.................................................................................................Consiglieri Emeritus
Assistant organizer: Vic Cravello......................................................................................................Jay MacLarty
Program director: Mark Sedenquist ......................................................................................................John Hill
Publicity: Rosanna Eitniear
Quizmaster: Megan Edwards
Venue manager: William Fern Shaw
Critique-group organizer: Teri Rosen
Group scribes: Eric Miller & Ellen Sterling
Meet & greet supervisor: Carole Halford
Group photographers: Vic Cravello & Irene Hurwitz
Meet & greet team: Diane Johnson, Coffee Polk, Jae Gravley, Arlene Cohen, & Carol Patton
December:
The bar will be no-host
(you're on your own, for legal as well as monetary reasons).
(along with a guest or significant other).
one holiday-wrapped slightly used paperback
(or, one of your own, for those who have a published book)
for a grab-bag exchange of gifts.
(If you've read it, trade it - a mad exchange is anticipated.)
January: Please join us for an evening with bestselling author Chris Epting.
Chris is an avid roadtripper, cultural historian, and the bestselling author of sixteen books including The Birthplace Book: A Guide to Birth Sites of Famous People, Places & Things, James Dean Died Here, Led Zeppelin Crashed Here, Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here, Roadside Baseball, The Ruby Slippers, Madonna’s Bra and Einstein’s Brain and Elvis Presley Passed Here. Several of his books have been adopted in the curricula of major universities. He is a regular contributor to a variety of travel publications and the spokesperson and co-creator of Hampton® Hotels' Save-A-Landmark® program. Originally from New York, Chris now lives in Huntington Beach, California, with his wife Jean and their two children.
Mr. Epting will share his experiences building a global audience and brand and discuss how his lifelong fascination with pop culture grew into a career as author, spokesman, and radio host. He’ll also share tips about managing new media and talk about his syndicated “Pop Culture Road Trip” radio show.
February: Please join us for an insider’s look into the world of book retailing with local expert Debra Belcoff.
Debra Belcoff’s career in the book retailing industry included a stint as manager of The Reading Room, the now-closed bookstore at the Mandalay Bay resort on the Strip. She also managed the Borders Express store in the Meadows Mall until it closed in January, 2009. Still actively involved in the world of book retail, Ms. Belcoff lives in Henderson with her husband.
The publishing industry is in a state of revolution, but many bookstores, both chains and independents, continue to thrive in spite of the turmoil and the tougher economic climate. Ms. Belcoff will provide an insider’s look at how bookstores operate and interact with publishers, distributors and authors. From “dumps” to “end caps,” she’ll share insights about the role bookstores play in the book industry and how they influence which books become best sellers and which ones end up on the remainder table.
March: Please join us for an evening with author, publisher, historian and journalist Geoff Schumacher, who will share his observations about the future of newspapers.
Historian and newspaper executive Geoff Schumacher has lived in Southern Nevada for thirty-two years. He is the author of two books, Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia & Palace Intrigue, and Sun, Sin & Suburbia: An Essential History of Modern Las Vegas. A columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Schumacher is also Director of Community Publications for Stephens Media, Publisher of CityLife and Editor of CityLife Books. He lives in northwest Las Vegas with his wife and two daughters.
The news about newspapers sounds grim. A few prominent papers have ceased publishing. A few others have filed for bankruptcy protection. Still others survive only on the Internet. Have evolving reading habits doomed the great American newspaper to the recycling bin of history, or are recent developments only a temporary setback? What about the thousands of reporters, columnists and editors who draw their paychecks and feed their souls by chasing the news? What will become of them if the industry continues to crumble? Veteran local journalist and author Geoff Schumacher will tackle these issues and others, suggesting a brighter perspective than the doom and gloom that pervades the industry.
April: Please join us for an evening with Andrea Brown, President of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc.
Andrea Brown has been securing publishing deals for her clients for 29 years and has sold over 2,000 titles. Her firm, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc., is a California-based literary agency with eight agents. Also the author of Writers and Artists Hideouts: Great Getaways for Seducing the Muse. Ms. Brown is the executive director of the Big Sur Writing Workshops for children’s books and adult fiction.
Andrea Brown, will discuss the role of an agent, how to find the right agent, and what questions to ask an agent. She will also discuss current trends in publishing and how to make yourself “rejection-proof.” LVWG members are welcome to bring first pages of manuscripts and synopses if they’d like some feedback.
May: Join us to welcome Stephen Bates, professor at UNLV’s Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies.
A Harvard Law School graduate, contributing editor of the Wilson Quarterly, and author of five books, Bates will discuss the evolving role of journalism schools in the 21st century and the enduring importance of telling a good story, regardless of platform or genre. Bates will also share insights he gained as a principal writer of the Starr Report, the investigation into the Monica Lewinsky affair during the Clinton administration. He’ll also share insider tips for how to jump start your own writing career.
June: Please join us for an evening with LVWG’s newest best-selling author, Deborah Coonts.
Deb's new book, Wanna Get Lucky?, a “Sex and the City” meets Elmore Leonard in Las Vegas, tale is scheduled for publication in May by Tor/Forge books. Deborah writes: As far as a bio . . . my mother tells me I was born in Texas a very long time ago, but I'm not so sure---my mother can't be trusted. These are the things I do know: I was raised in Texas on barbecue, Mexican food and beer. I've lived in every time zone in the US, the most memorable being my years here in Vegas, where my husband, Steve (a bestselling author in his own right) spends a lot of mental energy trying to convince himself I can't get into too much trouble. Silly man. I've spent more time in school than any sane person should. I've built my own business, practiced law, flown airplanes, written a humor column for a national magazine, and survived a teenager--all wonderful grist for the writer's mill. I've been writing for fifteen years--Lucky is my third complete manuscript--and I have been actively involved in the editing process for Steve's books for fourteen years, hopefully picking up a few tips along the way.
Deb will share insights and observations about being an “overnight success” after working as a writer for fifteen years. She will discuss why she thinks Wanna Get Lucky? sold and some of her earlier manuscripts didn’t. In particular, she will share some tips about when to “break the rules” and which ones are worth following. She’ll also share first-hand information about negotiating a three-book deal and explain how she structures her workday to make sure she’s able to deliver manuscripts on time and still meet her other obligations.
July: Please join us for an evening with long-time LVWG member Jay MacLarty.
Jay is a successful novelist, having recently completed a series of thrillers published by Simon & Schuster.
- The Courier: finalist for a BARRY AWARD as Best Paperback Original,and an ANTHONY AWARD as Best Paperback Original Mystery, in 2004.
- Bagman: finalist for a BARRY AWARD as Best Paperback Original, and Best Thriller in 2005.
- Live Wire: finalist for a BARRY AWARD as Best Paperback Original in 2007.
- Choke Point: finalist for a BARRY AWARD as Best Paperback Original in 2008.
It's a question every writer has struggled with at one time or another, and Jay promises to give us the answer.
August - November: to be announced
December:
Recently updated pages
| Page title | Most recent update | Last edited by |
|---|---|---|
| About this Meetup Group | November 20, 2009 9:21 AM | Richard Warren |
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