My News
Happy Father’s Day to my husband and fellow writer, Barry Andrew Dimick. Barry’s parenting skills remind me of those of Andy Griffith, Opie’s Dad, on the Andy Griffith Show. He taught our son to fish, play tennis, and play baseball. He is still a great role model.
Who is your favorite father in literature? Atticus Finch is mine. He makes me think of my father, Albert Dean. Like Atticus, my dad taught me not to judge others until I’d walked in their shoes.
Dad appears in the photo with the memory quilt I made for him. Photos of Dad and our family appear on the quilt. I pray he is resting in peace because he was a hard-working man and a great father.
In my book, Blame, Jacob’s father goes through a mid-life crisis. His actions create the conflict. Jacob struggles to keep his family whole. Please read the book and tell me if you think he is a good or bad role model.
Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in our lives. Thank you for visiting My News.
Do you believe in karma? I thought it interesting that these Hemingway canvases were on the wall of the Copacabana Cafe where we ate on the way home from the SCBWI Conference in Orlando. Do you have an experience with karma you’d like to share?
SCBWI says good-bye to Linda Shute, the woman who put the I in SCBWI. Without the efforts of people like Linda, illustrators would not get the credit they deserve. The Society of Children’s Book Writers wisely added Illustrators to its name. As we all know we do judge a book by its color and illustrations.
I spent the weekend at the SCBWI conference in Orlando. I’ll be sharing more news from there this week.
In the second photo, my husband, Barry Dimick, is talking to Linda Rodriquez Bernfeld. Linda’s parting as the co-director of the Florida SCBWI is bittersweet. We shall miss her, but since I attended a workshop with her, I know she wants to spend more time on her work in progress. I wish her good luck with that. It sounds as if it’s going to be a super book set in Cuba.
My husband, Barry Dimick, finished his memoir and sent it to a publisher. Now he’s venturing into middle-grade fiction. The conference gave him pointers as he makes his move from non-fiction to fiction.
I’m preparing a poetry book to send to a contest.
New beginnings are great. What new adventures are you planning? I’d love to hear.
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Preparing to Do a Presentation
Dress for success. Whether you are doing a presentation at a conference, at a school, or at a business meeting, your presence is important. Know the appropriate attire for the event.
According to Lynn Hawkins, P. H.,D, a speaker must look professional. Even color matters. Did you know people wearing blue are considered trustworthy? If you have pale skin and gray or red hair, consider wearing a dark suit or dress color. If doing a television presentation, be aware prints and plaids tend to look as if they’re moving. Avoid them. French blue works well for most people. If you have an opportunity to see the venue ahead of time, use a color wheel so you don’t blend into the background. Opposites on the color wheel help make the speaker look energetic.
Spend time crafting your first sentence. It must grab the audience’s attention. If you are a writer, consider the first sentence of your speech equivalent to the first sentence hook of a book. If you have an audience of high school students, consider using music at some point in your presentation. Target your audience.
Posture counts. Don’t pace. Stay fairly still, but use gestures and direct your attention to individuals in all sections of the audience.
What else can you do? Avoid mumbling. Project your voice. Practice speaking loudly enough so you can be heard.
Maintain eye contact. Don’t look above the heads of audience members. Before you speak, take a moment to locate friendly faces in the audience. Look at those specific listeners first when you begin to speak, but don’t focus on an audience member long enough to make the person uncomfortable.
The most important component of a successful presentation is the content. Be sure you know your material. Research. Check your facts and statistics. Be the authority in the room. Organize the material to make the greatest impact.
A good speech should have an introduction, body, and dynamic conclusion. Leave the audience with a memorable quote or anecdote. If possible tie the conclusion to the introduction for the biggest impact. When writing a speech, prepare the body first. Then write the introduction and conclusion. After all, the purpose of the introduction is to lead into the speech. The conclusion sums up what you have said and drives your message home in an unforgettable manner.
Practice. Practice first in front of your cat, dog, or spouse if you are uncomfortable practicing before a live audience of your peers.
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Writers/Readers Helping Writers
Good Morning,
Thank you for visiting My News.
If you are a writer, I recommend you join a writers’ group. There are groups for writers of all ages. One can join an online group or a group that meets in person. I like to meet in person in some type of community center or building. Restaurants and cafes tend to be loud. Members of our group give each other constructive criticism. We need to be able to hear each other speak.
I’m the group leader of the Villa Writers. We belong to the Florida Writers Association. The motto of the Florida Writers Association is Writers Helping Writers. How can we do that other than critiquing each other works?
1. Review each others books. Every writer needs book reviews to improve his or her standing on Amazon. If you can afford to purchase a book and write a review, you are helping another writer.
2. Attend a friend’s book release party. Usually the author will offer a little swag. If you can afford to, purchase a book. If the author’s book isn’t in the genre of your choice, can it serve as a gift for a friend or relative? Would it make a nice gift to a local library? Would it be a perfect Toys for Tots gift? Your purchase could help more than one person.
3. Most conferences have a book store. Try to work it into your budget to purchase a minimum of one book from a fellow author. If we want brick and mortar books stores, readers must buy books. Writers and readers help writers.
4. If you can’t afford to buy a book, you can still help writers. Share writers’ posts on social media. Introduce your favorite authors to your friends.
5. Sponsor or attend book chats or other book-signing events. Even if you cannot afford to buy a book, try to support writers by attending their book-signing events.
Thank you. Have a great weekend. Make time to read. Reading can take you to places you can’t afford to go.
Choosing a cover page for a book you’ve poured your blood, sweat, and giggles into for months can be exciting. I’ve reached that point in the publishing process.
When I began writing, I had no idea that in traditional publishing, the author doesn’t choose his/her own cover. The contract may say something like this:
The author describes the book, genre, main characters, and setting. The illustrator then suggests a cover. I received the above three possibilities for my next book. Can you guess which one I selected? Do you want to read the book?
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Thank you for visiting my blog. Today, I’m reaching out to my followers for a little help. Hopefully, you’ll share your ideas with me. I’ll share them with other readers and give you credit.
What I’d like to know is how do you use Instagram? Do you use it to connect with friends or to increase sales of a book or other item?
How often do you post?
Do you create all of your own posts?
What should the beginning user do and avoid doing to get followers?
Thank you for your insight.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend. Stay safe.
There are a total of 1,710 members of the Florida Writers Association (FWA). Ninety-seven of the members are young adults. Every year the FWA sponsors a writing contest. This year the title of the collection book is Writers @ Work. The cover appears above. I’m happy to announce both my poem and my husband Barry Dimick’s short story will be among the sixty works selected for the collection. The book will be available on the FWA website in October.
Are you a writer? This contest is a perfect road to publication. Every year there is a different theme. I’ll announce next year’s theme when it becomes available in October. Keep writing!
Thank you, FWA & Arielle
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https://floridawriters.net/emotions-flow-like-hormones-rpla-showcase-melody-dean-dimick/?fbclid=IwAR38EwN5BYLLnejYXeu-X3xpqmIRfUkUBtvtLKX2reuyoQUn1Te_zvXva98 to read my interview following my RPLA award. Thank you.
My target audience is young adults. Since I no longer teach, it’s not as easy as it you used to be to talk to thirteen to eighteen year olds. When I go to book-signing events, I’m afforded the opportunity to meet teenagers. This beautiful young woman allowed me to take a picture of her holding my swag.
What is swag? Swag is the item or items you give or sell to your fans or potential readers at book-signing events, talks, or conferences. Swag should relate to your book. I give Do Not Disturb door hangers with pictures of my books on the back. I chose the Do Not Disturb hangers because the character on the front of my first book, Silent Screams, complains that her mother never gives her privacy.
Thank you for reading My News. I hope to see you at an upcoming event.