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www.bksp.org Backspace News - March
2008 Backspace Writers Conference Update Several faculty members have been added to the conference program in recent weeks, including acclaimed novelist Caroline Leavitt, who also teaches novel writing at UCLA, Leora Skolkin-Smith, Trish Ryan, Pam Jenoff, Kristen Weber (editor, NAL), and award-winning mystery and thriller authors Reed Farrel Coleman and Chris Grabenstein. The tentative program schedule has been posted to the Agenda Page on the conference website. Highlights include a conversation with Simon Lipskar and Mark Tavani on agents and editors working together, a marketing discussion by M.J. Rose, a workshop from independent editor Jerry Gross on finding and working with a reputable book doctor, publicity advice from Bella Stander, agent and editor panel discussions, a panel on the young adult market, another on short stories, memoir, crime fiction, and more. The 2008 Backspace Writers Conference will be held August 7 & 8 at the Radisson Martinique (32nd and Broadway) in New York City. Cost for the conference is $355 for Backspace members and early registrations (through March 15), $395 for non-members thereafter, and includes a Thursday evening cocktail reception and awards presentation. Check the conference website frequently for updates. Backspace Member of the Year - Time to Vote! The following nominees have been selected for our 2008 Backspace Member of the Year award to be presented at the summer conference in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the discussion forums and the Backspace community as a whole: Mark Bastable Jon Clinch Kay Hooper Jackie Kessler Jeff Kleinman Marlys Pearson Backspace members may send their vote to Keith Cronin at
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. Voting will remain open until June 1. Battles & Browne "First 100" Writing Workshop Whether you're writing an article, a short story, or a novel, your opening 100 words are crucial. During the months of March and April, internationally published Backspace members Brett Battles and Robert Gregory Browne are offering to take a look at yours. Members are invited to post their first 100 words in the "Battles and Browne Writing Workshop" at the Backspace forums to find out what works, what doesn't, and what they can do about it. Each 100-word sample should be posted as a new thread, with the title of the work and its category ("non-fiction article," "literary fiction, short story," "thriller, novel" etc.) for context. Brett and Rob will log in and comment on the submissions as often as their writing and promotional schedules allow. Other writing samples with a specific focus will be considered in future months. This ongoing workshop promises to be a real boost to the overall quality of members' writing, and Backspace is delighted to be able to offer it to members in partnership with Brett and Rob. Bella Stander, Publicity Consultant - An Ongoing Q&A Publicity expert Bella Stander will visit the Backspace discussion forums on the 15th of every month as part of our ongoing guest speaker program to answer members' questions. Bella is a writer and consultant to the Virginia Festival of the Book. Formerly the book editor for Albemarle magazine and a long-time contributing editor at Publishers Weekly, she has also reviewed books for Entertainment Weekly, People, The Wall St. Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and other publications. She is a member of the Authors Guild, National Book Critics Circle, National Press Club and PubWest. See her writing website, BellaStander.com, and blog, Reading Under the Covers. Dave Kuzminski of Preditors and Editors Needs Your Help For over a decade, Preditors & Editors has been a valuable resource for writers, rating agents and publishers and offering advice for aspiring writers so they can know which agents and publishers are legit, and which to avoid. Now Preditors and Editors founder Dave Kuzminski is being sued in New Jersey and in federal court by an agent and a lawyer for PublishAmerica. If you appreciate the work Preditors and Editors has done over the years, and would like to make a donation in support of Dave's legal expenses, click here. Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites Should Backspace should be named to Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers list for 2008? If you think yes, please send an email to:
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with "101 Best Web sites" as the subject line. Backspace has made the list all three years of our existence (2005 - 2007), and we’d love to make it four for four! New Section on the Backspace Homepages A new feature has been added to the Backspace homepages: a list of Backspace members’ published and forthcoming books. If yours isn’t on this list, send your book information to Karen in the following format: Karen Dionne - FREEZING POINT (Berkley, September 30, 2008) Members’ New Releases Members who maintain a Backspace Bookshelf can add the following new releases this month to their collection:  Lauren Baratz-Logsted - ME, IN BETWEEN (Simon & Shuster, March 2008)
Lacey Underhill has what her Dutch grandmother refers to as luxe problemen: luxury problems. But Lacey's problems are very real and they are exactly two: her breasts. Twelve years old and in eighth grade, Lacey has developed faster than everyone else around her. The other girls -- even her own best friend -- are jealous, and boys won't stop teasing her.
Then Chad, a high school boy, starts talking to her at the mall, assuming she's older, and for the first time Lacey sees a positive side to her appearance. She keeps the flirtation -- and the lie -- going. Meanwhile, a childhood guy pal resurfaces and Lacey does all she can to hide her "developments" from him. Suddenly in every part of her life Lacey's torn between trying to look older and trying to look younger, trying to grow up and trying hard not to. How long will Lacey stay stuck in between?  Heather Brewer - EIGHTH GRADE BITES (Dutton/Penguin - paperback March 13, 2008)
Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he’s being hunted by a vampire killer.  Jon Clinch - FINN (trade paperback, Random House, March 11, 2008)
In this masterful debut by a major new voice in fiction, Jon Clinch takes us on a journey into the history and heart of one of American literature’s most brutal and mysterious figures: Huckleberry Finn’s father. The result is a deeply original tour de force that springs from Twain’s classic novel but takes on a fully realized life of its own.
Finn sets a tragic figure loose in a landscape at once familiar and mythic. It begins and ends with a lifeless body–flayed and stripped of all identifying marks–drifting down the Mississippi. The circumstances of the murder, and the secret of the victim’s identity, shape Finn’s story as they will shape his life and his death.
Along the way Clinch introduces a cast of unforgettable characters: Finn’s terrifying father, known only as the Judge; his sickly, sycophantic brother, Will; blind Bliss, a secretive moonshiner; the strong and quick-witted Mary, a stolen slave who becomes Finn’s mistress; and of course young Huck himself. In daring to re-create Huck for a new generation, Clinch gives us a living boy in all his human complexity–not an icon, not a myth, but a real child facing vast possibilities in a world alternately dangerous and bright.
Finn is a novel about race; about paternity in its many guises; about the shame of a nation recapitulated by the shame of one absolutely unforgettable family. Above all, Finn reaches back into the darkest waters of America’s past to fashion something compelling, fearless, and new.  E. M. Crane - SKIN DEEP (Delacorte, March 11, 2008)
If all the world’s a stage, Andrea Anderson is sitting in the audience. High school has its predictable heroes, heroines, villains, and plotlines, and Andrea has no problem guessing how each drama will turn out. She is, after all, a professional spectator. In the social hierarchy she is a Nothing, and at home her mother runs the show. All Andrea has to do is show up every day and life basically plays out as scripted.
Then one day Andrea accepts a job. Honora Menapace–a reclusive neighbor–is sick. As in every other aspect of her life, Andrea’s role is clear: Honora’s garden must be taken care of and her pottery finished, and someone needs to feed her dog, Zena. But what starts out as a simple job yanks Andrea’s back-row seat out from under her. Life is no longer predictable, and nothing is what it seems. Light is dark, villains are heroes, and what she once saw as ugly is too beautiful for words. Andrea must face the fact that life at first glance doesn’t even crack the surface.  Michael Haskins - CHASIN' THE WIND (Five Star, March 2008)
When officials sworn to uphold the law try to subvert it in Key West, journalist Liam Michael “Mad Mick” Murphy is compelled to react. He and a ragtag group of citizens confront failed justice, but are left with only revenge as an option. Except, perhaps a renegade deal with the Cuban government. Dodging treachery, Mad Mick Murphy goes headlong toward treason, dragging his team of "typical" islanders deeper into the mess they wanted to eliminate.  CJ Lyons - LIFELINES ( Berkley/Jove March 2008)
On her first day at Pittsburgh's Angels of Mercy Medical Center,L.A.-transplant Lydia Fiore, the new ER attending physician, loses a patient: the Chief of Surgery's son. Now, to save her career, Lydia must discover the truth behind her patient's death, even as it leads her into unfamiliar-and risky-territory. At least she's not alone. There's med student Amanda, a sweet Southern belle with problems of her own; Gina, a resident with a chip on her shoulder; and Nora, the no-nonsense charge nurse with a cool head but a fiery temper. Not to mention the paramedic who'd like to try out his bedside manner on Lydia. LIFELINES ia a gripping behind-the-scenes drama of four women who face life and death every day.  Lisa McMann - WAKE (Simon Pulse, March 4, 2008)
Not all dreams are sweet. For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime. She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control. Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....  Minnette Meador - STARSIGHT VOL. I (Stonegarden, March 2008)
Trenara never thought she would have to guide a student she loved to become a messiah, but it is the only way this second trial Starguider can salvage her world. "[Starsight] is one powerful and imaginative fantasy adventure novel with many nice touches...there is magic galore, and challenge galore; nothing comes easy. It's the first of a series, and it should do well..." --Piers Anthony  Tom Swift - CHIEF BENDER’S BURDEN (University of Nebraska Press, April 1, 2008)
The greatest American Indian baseball player of all time, Charles Albert Bender, was, according to a contemporary, “the coolest pitcher in the game.” Using a trademark delivery, an impressive assortment of pitches that may have included the game’s first slider, and an apparently unflappable demeanor, he earned a reputation as baseball’s great clutch pitcher during tight Deadball Era pennant races and in front of boisterous World Series crowds. More remarkably yet, “Chief” Bender’s Hall of Fame career unfolded in the face of immeasurable prejudice. This skillfully told and complete account of Bender’s life is also a portrait of greatness of character maintained despite incredible pressure—of how a celebrated man thrived while carrying an untold weight on his shoulders. With a journalist’s eye for detail and a novelist’s feel for storytelling, Tom Swift takes readers on Bender’s improbable journey—from his early years on the White Earth Reservation, to his development at the Carlisle Indian School, to his big break and eventual rise to the pinnacle of baseball. The story of a paradoxical American sports hero, one who achieved a once-unfathomable celebrity while suffering the harsh injustices of a racially intolerant world, Chief Bender’s Burden is an eye-opening and inspiring narrative of a unique American life.  Sue Thurman - INSIDE SCOOP: ARTICLES ABOUT ACTING AND WRITING BY HOLLYWOOD INSIDERS AND PUBLISHED AUTHORS
Articles about writing and acting from Hollywood insiders and published authors, many originally published in “The Golden Goblet” Newsletter, voted TOP TEN Finisher in the 2007 Preditors and Editors Readers Poll. First chapter is a lesson on patience that John Klawitter learned while working at Hanna-Barbera Productions. Following are chapters about writing, book promotion, and breaking into the acting profession, as well as a humor column by J. Richard Jacobs. There are also several interviews: 1.) Sue Thurman interviewing Allison Dubois, the real-life medium behind the hit TV show, “Medium” starring Patricia Arquette, 2.) Sue Thurman interviewing ghost hunter Debe Branning, and 3.) Marilyn Peake interviewing Carole Whang Schutter who wrote a screenplay in collaboration with Director/Producer Christopher Cain for the movie “September Dawn” starring actors Jon Voight, Trent Ford, and Tamara Hope. You can order the book at: http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/...=1-55404-543-6 Members’ News News in this section is a compilation of members news posted at the Backspace discussion forums. If you have news you’d like to share, send your announcement to
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Book/Film Deals: Japanese rights to NYT bestselling author Allison Brennan's SPEAK NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL, and FEAR NO EVIL, sold to Goma Books, by Misa Morikawa at Tuttle Mori Agency, on behalf of Lara Lea Allen and Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group. UK rights to KILLER YEAR, an anthology of the best new crime writers edited by Lee Child, sold to Catherine Burke at Mira, at auction, by Claire Roberts at Trident Media Group on behalf of Scott Miller. Backspace members Brett Battles, Allision Brennan, Rober Gregory Browne, Toni McGee Causey, J.T. Ellison, Patry Francis, and Marcus Sakey all have stories in this anthology. J.T. Ellison's next three thrillers, all featuring Nashville homicide detective Taylor Jackson and FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, sold again to Linda McFall at Mira, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group. Brazilian Portuguese rights to Ally Carter's I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU and CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY, sold to Record, in a pre-empt, by Jenny Meyer on behalf of Kristin Nelson. Australian and New Zealand rights to Ally Carter's I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU and CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY, in the Gallagher Girls series, also sold to Hachette Australia, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, by Jenny Meyer on behalf of Kristin Nelson. Leora Skolkin-Smith’s novel EDGES (which the late Grace Paley edited and published at Glad Day Books) will be a feature film shot on location Jordan and Jerusalem and released in 2009 under its original title THE FRAGILE MISTRESS. Lauren Baratz-Logsted's CRAZY BEAUTIFUL, a contemporary retelling of Beauty & the Beast about two teens starting fresh at a new school: a beautiful girl and a boy with hooks for hands, sold to Julia Richardson at Houghton Mifflin, in a very nice deal, at auction, by Pamela Harty of The Knight Agency. Kristina Riggle's REAL LIFE & LIARS, about a fading flower child who has her own idea about how to treat her breast cancer which doesn't include surgery, much to the dismay of her three grown children whose personal crises just might shake her resolve, sold to Lucia Macro at Avon, in a very nice two-book deal at auction, by Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency (NA) Marlys Pearson’s third novel, tentatively titled HELPLESS, sold again to Seventh Window for publication in the fall. Agent Signings Shana Silver signed this month with Dana Bacher at the Stephanie Tade Agency for her young adult novel THE ART OF SELLING MY SISTER. Awards/Nominations/Honors Harry Hunsicker was recently named Executive Vice President of the Mystery Writers of America. Shana Silver’s manuscript THE ART OF SELLING MY SISTER is a finalist in the 2008 RWA North Texas chapter's Great Expectations contest in the YA category. Final round judge is Karen Chaplin of Puffin/Speak. Results will be announced in April. Lisa McMann’s debut young adult novel WAKE is a Border’s Original Voices nominee for the month of May. Tish Cohen’s debut novel TOWN HOUSE is a finalist for the Commonwealth Prize "Best First Book Award" in the region of Canada and the Caribbean. Regional winners are flown to South Africa for final judging in May, and the final winners meet the Queen. Elizabeth Lett’s newly released picture book THE BUTTER MAN was chosen for The Dean's List, a program highlighting children's literature on Michigan Public Radio. Interviews Jackie Kessler was interviewed recently in The Albany Times Union. You can also listen to a podcast interview with Jackie at Tale Chasing. Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s podcast interview with Quiet on the Set is now online (episode 5). Patry Francis’s debut novel THE LIAR’S DIARY and the associated blog day effort on her behalf were featured recently in The Boston Globe and the Cape Cod Times. Jenny Gardiner’s backstory is available on Backstory, the website founded by M.J. Rose and co-hosted by Backspace’s Jessica Keener. Lisa McMann and Jenny Gardiner are featured in the April issue of Writer’s Digest Magazine. Susan Henderson interviewed Jessica Keener recently on Litpark. Amy MacKinnon and Lynne Griffin were profiled recently in The Boston Globe along with several other members of their writers group. Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Maureen McGowan’s THE MISEDUCATION OF APRIL HILLSON and John Ring’s WRECKING CIVILIZATION BEFORE LUNCH have both made the top 100 in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest. The winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin. Short Stories/Poetry/Anthologies A.S. King’s short story "I Am Mommy" is available now at Literary Mama. Cat Connor’s "Tracks" is in the 279th issue of Bewildering Stories. The current issue of the Smoking Poet features fiction pieces by three Backspacers: Mark Bastable, A.S. King, and Lauren Baratz-Logsted. Cathy DiCairano’s flash piece, "Sayonara," has been accepted to The Shine Journal for April. Articles/Columns/Essays Eileen Cook’s op-ed "Flip-flopper or ‘Agent of Change’" appeared recently in the Christian Science Monitor. Kim Stagliano has another essay at The Huffington Post: "What if Autism were Contagious?" Brian Palmer’s lead story "Blanketing Them With Love" appears in the February newsletter of a non-profit relief and development organization in Oregon called India Partners. Roberta Beach Jacobsen is now blogging with a regular column at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. J.A. Konrath’s article "The Long and the Shorts of Amazon" is in the April issue of Writer’s Digest Magazine. Backspace: The Writer’s Place www.bksp.org
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