SCWA / The Quill / February 2023

February 2023

Message from the President

DISCOVER BLACK AUTHORS DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In 2018, I went on a tear of young adult books. I usually read over 100 books a year and that year was no exception. Sixty of them were YA fantasy novels. I read Sarah Maas and Leigh Bardugo. I read all the Caraval novels and all the Selection novels. I also read Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeymi's Hugo and Nebula awards-winning YA fantasy novel.
 
This book is so decorated, its Amazon listing's first 17 lines are accolades. It's like the Serena Williams of YA literature. It's a fast-paced, magical hero's journey with echoes of African mythology that NPR called "a feast for hungry readers." And it was her debut novel.
 
It blew me away. It was worthy of every single word of praise and more. It's an author putting on a clinic about strong characters, solid plot structure, well-crafted scenes, world-building and series-starters.
 
February is Black History Month and the usual outlets are promoting the usual authors: Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison - just go to Because of Them We Can to see. If you haven't read anything by these masters, make this the month you do so. Then discover one of these new, debut and up-and-coming authors: Nic Stone, Charmaine Wilkerson, Nikki May, C.J. Washington and Jabari Asim.
 
Then look to our own backyard as the Richland Library celebrates local Black writers and discover Savannah Friarson, Brian Barr, Jerlean Noble, Kym Davis Boyles and Catherine Fleming Bruce.
 
I invite you to also look into our own writing community to find C.J. Heigelman, Dr. Len Lawson, Dr. Walter Curry and Yvette Murray.
 
Also, be sure to check out the Black Authors Lab and Book Festival on Saturday, March 25, in Cheraw. The ticketed event, which is open to the public, includes storytelling, poetry, spoken word, jazz, books for sale, meet and greet with the authors and a writer's workshop. Its purpose is to encourage the reading and writing of African American literature. For details and to register, go to Black Authors Lab and Book Festival.
 
Just because it's Black History Month? Yes! Because the purpose of celebrating Black culture and heritage by designating an entire month is to remind us that there are voices we don't always hear singing every day.
 
Let yourself listen to them, read them, hear them, be changed by them.
 
Kasie Whitener
President, SCWA Board of Directors

Membership

LUCKY YOU!

Beginning this month, Membership will highlight a member, picked at random from our database, to feature in The Quill. It could be you! This is an excellent way to let others in the organization know more about you or to showcase a book release, a published poem — or whatever is important to you as a writer. Watch your email — you may be the lucky one next month.

FEBRUARY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ISSY MILLER

SCWA member Issy Miller is a writer, mom to a 15-month-old daughter and doggy mom to a 5-year-old lab/pit mix rescue baby.  She and her husband live in Mount Pleasant, where she also volunteers with the local Kiwanis chapter. Issy enjoys reading and experiencing the Lowcountry with her family.
 
About five years ago, Issy started writing a romance/thriller novel, but about two years ago she "pivoted to the supernatural world," her true passion. She is currently doing final edits on her first book, Survivor: A Hybrid Love Story, the first volume of The Shifter Pandemic Series, and has begun working on volume two.
 
Here is an excerpt from Survivor: A Hybrid Love Story:

"All I wanted was to be the Alpha heir but according to traditions I wasn't allowed. My twin brother would be our pack's next Alpha. I would settle for becoming a doctor and living my best life in the human world with my best friend. Everything changed on my 21st Birthday when I was attacked at my own party. From that night on, my semi-normal life began to slip between my fingers because of a little red pill, a stage five stalker and my True Mate.​

I, Olivia Smith, would protect my pack by any means necessary."

We wish Issy much success with her exciting new series!

CHAPTER LEADERSHIP

Chapters are the backbone of SCWA. They provide networking, support and critiques for improving our writing. Some of the chapters meet in-person, some virtually via Zoom or Skype, and some are hybrids that mix up their meetings between the two. No matter how they meet, chapters are a way to connect with fellow writers.

Some of our established chapters are nearing capacity and may need to split at some point. And some genres are yet to be tapped or need to be revived: mystery/suspense, screenwriting, essays, nonfiction, poetry and more. The genre-specific chapters typically meet virtually to pull from a wider audience across the state and beyond.

For chapters to continue thriving, we need you to step up and be chapter leaders. If you have an interest in forming a new chapter, review the proposal form on the chapters page of our website. About midway down the page, you'll see a link to "propose a new chapter." You'll have to be a member and log in to access the form. There are some requirements, which are explained on the proposal form. If you need help from Membership, we are here to help you, as is our Chapter Liaison. 
 
Raegan Teller
VP/Membership

Questions or suggestions about SCWA membership?
Email SCWAmembership@gmail.com.

Events and Education

SCWA OFFERS AUTHOR'S TOOLBOX
 
Want to write and publish a short story? Fine-tune your novel? Write memorable poems? Help is on the way. Starting this month, SCWA will launch Author’s Toolkit, featuring award-winning and bestselling authors working in different forms and genres, from literary fiction to poetry to edge-of-your-seat thrillers.
 
The authors will talk about pacing, character, dialogue, theme and plotting – things all writers struggle with. They’ll discuss their poems, short stories, novels and nonfiction, followed by a Q&A session.
 
You'll hear more about other events – novel- and memoir-writing classes, a self-publishing event and our annual conference – next month.
 
Meanwhile, visit the upcoming Events on the SCWA website and sign up for the talks below. Continue to check back for new events.
 

On Feb. 16, North Carolina author Ashleigh Bryant Phillips will discuss her breakout short story collection, Sleepovers, the winner of the 2019 C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize. Critics call her work "hard-core," "fearless" and "deeply human." Her stories have appeared in The Oxford American, The Paris Review, and others. She teaches writing at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Register for this session.
 

On Feb. 23, South Carolina author Andrew Geyer will reveal three secrets to writing and publishing great short fiction. He'll also talk about his interconnected story collection, Lesser Mountains. Geyer is a "contemporary master" of the short story, says poet Larry Thomas. The author, editor or co-author of 10 books, Geyer has won an IPPY, an INDIE and two Spur Awards. He chairs the English Department at the University of South Carolina Aiken. Register for this session.

On March 9, author Ashleigh Bell Pedersen will discuss her debut novel, The Crocodile Bride, published by Hub City Press. The book follows 11-year-old Sunshine Turner and her troubled father, Billy, as the secrets of their family's past swirl around them in Fingertip, Louisiana. Pedersen's fiction has appeared in New Stories from the South and the Kenyon Review. Her story "Small and Heavy World" was a finalist for both Best American Short Stories and a Pushcart Prize. Register for this session.

On March 23, South Carolina author Scott Gould will talk about his debut short story collection. Strangers to Temptation, a book that mixes “subtle humor with distinct moments of pathos,” says Booklist. Novelist Wilton Barnhardt compares Gould to Pat Conroy. Gould's work has appeared in Kenyon Review and New Stories from the South. He's won fellowships from the South Carolina Arts Commission and the state Academy of Authors. Register for this session.

All four talks are on a Thursday at 7 p.m. Don't skip them because you're working in another form. These Southern authors can teach you how to tell a story. Best of all, the talks are free to SCWA members and $25 for each session for nonmembers.
 
Want to read their books before they speak? Order Sleepovers, Strangers to Temptation and The Crocodile Bride at Hub City Press Catalog and Lesser Mountains from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Powell’s.

Paul Davis
VP/Events and Education

WOMEN IN PUBLISHING SUMMIT

Alexa Bigwarfe, SCWA member and frequent contributor to our own writing events, will host the biggest writing conference on the web. Join Write|Publish|Sell on March 1-4 for over 40 workshops on craft, publishing, marketing and querying in all genres. For details, go to Women in Publishing Summit.

WE WANT TO SEE YOU IN PICTURES!

WANTED: Photos and videos from past SCWA events! The Marketing Committee is putting together a promotional video and needs your help. COVID meant Zoom events and talking heads! Do you have something else? Any pics or videos of the last conference or any other events?
 
If you're willing to share and make them available for publicity purposes, please contact Robin Condon at momofella@hotmail.com or via phone/text at 843-345-1834. 
 
Don't be camera-shy!