Next Meeting: Thursday, 29 January, at 6:30 p.m.
at the Tustin Marketplace Corner Bakery (13652 Jamboree Road, Irvine)
31 May meeting notes; 7 June reading list
31 MAY MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Burt, Glenda (read her short story “Visitor Obscura”), JoAnne, Jonathan, Lance, Maddie (read a reworked chapter from Hit Me), Marianna (read the opening chapter from Tzar Gold) and Shari.
News & Notes
Burt’s mystery novel Madness of March is available on Kindle through Amazon. Watch for upcoming promotions through KDP Select. Congratulations, Burt!
7 JUNE READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (5/10)
JoAnne (5/31)
Jo (5/17)
Dena (5/10)
Melodye (5/3)
Julia (5/10)
Rosie (5/24)
Burt (5/31)
Casey (5/17)
Jonathan (5/31)
Shari (5/31)
Lance (5/31)
Glenda (5/31)
Marianna (5/31)
Maddie (5/31)
24 May meeting notes; 31 May reading list
24 MAY MEETING NOTES
Seven people attended: JoAnne, Lance (read a chapter of Identity), Maddie, Marianna, Rosie, Shari (read parts of three reworked chapters of Lost in Dance) and potential new member Luba.
31 MAY READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (5/10)
JoAnne (5/24)
Jo (5/17)
Glenda (5/17)
Marianna (5/24)
Maddie (5/24)
Dena (5/10)
Melodye (5/3)
Julia (5/10)
Rosie (5/24)
Burt (5/10)
Casey (5/17)
Jonathan (5/17)
Shari (5/24)
Lance (5/24)
17 May meeting notes; 24 May reading list
17 MAY MEETING NOTES
Eight members attended: Casey, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Jonathan (read a reworked chapter of Bummin’ It), Lance (read a reworked chapter of Identity), Marianna and Rosie.
24 MAY READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (5/10)
JoAnne (5/17)
Jo (5/17)
Glenda (5/17)
Marianna (5/17)
Maddie (4/26)
Dena (5/10)
Shari (5/3)
Melodye (5/3)
Julia (5/10)
Rosie (5/17)
Burt (5/10)
Casey (5/17)
Jonathan (5/17)
Lance (5/17)
10 May meeting notes; 17 May reading list
10 MAY MEETING NOTES
Eleven members attended: Burt (read the ending of “Worry Man”), Casey (read a chapter of Francine Stein), Dena, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Julia, Lance, Marianna, Rosie (read a reworked chapter from On Thin Ice) and Stace.
News & Notes
Dena is leaving us! She’s accepted a promotion at Eastern Washington University in Cheney (suburban Spokane) and will be moving soon. Good luck in your new life, and keep writing!
17 MAY READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (5/10)
JoAnne (5/10)
Jo (5/10)
Glenda (5/10)
Marianna (5/10)
Maddie (4/26)
Dena (5/10)
Jonathan (5/3)
Lance (5/10)
Shari (5/3)
Melodye (5/3)
Julia (5/10)
Rosie (5/10)
Burt (5/10)
Casey (5/10)
3 May meeting notes; 10 May reading list
3 MAY MEETING NOTES
Twelve members attended: Burt, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Jonathan, Julia (read two reworked chapters from White Russian), Lance, Marianna, Melodye (read a reworked chapter from Can I Have a Witness?), Rosie, Shari and Stace.
10 MAY READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (5/3)
JoAnne (5/3)
Jo (5/3)
Rosie (5/3)
Burt (5/3)
Glenda (5/3)
Marianna (5/3)
Maddie (4/26)
Casey (4/26)
Dena (4/26)
Jonathan (5/3)
Lance (5/3)
Shari (5/3)
Melodye (5/3)
Julia (5/3)
26 Apr meeting notes; 3 May reading list
26 APRIL MEETING NOTES
Eleven members attended: Burt, Casey, Dena, Glenda, JoAnne, Lance, Maddie, Marianna, Rosie, Shari (saving the day with three chapters of Lost in Dance) and Stace.
News & Notes
Maddie told us that The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy SEAL Sniper Corps by her friend Brandon Webb is now a New York Times non-fiction Bestseller.
Rosie recommended Chip Kidd’s TEDTalk about book design. YouTube has a channel dedicated to TEDTalks, a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.
3 MAY READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (4/26)
Melodye (4/19)
JoAnne (4/26)
Jo (4/19)
Julia (3/29)
Rosie (4/26)
Burt (4/26)
Glenda (4/26)
Marianna (4/26)
Maddie (4/26)
Casey (4/26)
Dena (4/26)
Jonathan (4/19)
Lance (4/26)
Shari (4/26)
New York Times writing blog: The Draft
The New York Times website has added as of 17 March a new blog: The Draft. It’s described as “essays by grammarians, historians, linguists, journalists, novelists and others on the art of writing — from the comma to the tweet to the novel — and why a well-crafted sentence matters more than ever in the digital age.” Jhumpa Lahiri wrote the initial essay.
It’s behind the NYT paywall, so you can access it only a certain number of times per month without subscribing.
Los Angeles Review of Books
The Los Angeles Review of Books is a glossy website that, according to its mission statement:
“…was created in part as a direct response to the disappearance of the traditional newspaper book review supplement, and with it the great tradition of the comprehensive American book review, dedicated to full-range, long-form coverage of everything from architecture to young adult fiction, academic monographs to genre fiction, from the latest publications to classic texts. In our new, swiftly transforming world of books and publishing, the Los Angeles Review of Books stands for curated, edited, expert, smart and fun opinion written by the best writers and thinkers of our time.”
LARB is partnered with KCRW and UC Riverside. It’s not affiliated with the Los Angeles Times.
19 Apr meeting notes; 26 Apr reading list
19 APRIL MEETING NOTES
Eleven members attended: Burt, Casey, Dena, Jo, Jonathan (read two chapters from Bummin’ It), Lance (read two revised chapters from Identity), Maddie, Melodye, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
Jo told us about a new blog on the New York Times website: The Draft. It’s described as “essays by grammarians, historians, linguists, journalists, novelists and others on the art of writing — from the comma to the tweet to the novel”. It’s behind the NYT paywall, so you can access it only a certain number of times per month without subscribing.
Also new is the Los Angeles Review of Books, a glossy website that “was created in part as a direct response to the disappearance of the traditional newspaper book review supplement, and with it the great tradition of the comprehensive American book review.” It’s partnered with KCRW and UC Riverside.
26 APRIL READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (4/19)
Melodye (4/19)
JoAnne (4/12)
Jo (4/19)
Julia (3/29)
Rosie (4/19)
Burt (4/19)
Shari (4/19)
Glenda (4/12)
Marianna (4/12)
Maddie (4/19)
Casey (4/19)
Dena (4/19)
Jonathan (4/19)
Lance (4/19)
12 Apr meeting notes; 19 Apr reading list
12 APRIL MEETING NOTES
Ten members attended: Burt, Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), Glenda, JoAnne, Jonathan, Lance (read three revised chapters from Identity), Maddie (read a chapter from Hit Me), Marianna, Shari and Stace.
19 APRIL READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (4/12)
Melodye (3/29)
JoAnne (4/12)
Jo (4/5)
Julia (3/29)
Jonathan (4/12)
Rosie (3/29)
Burt (4/12)
Shari (4/12)
Glenda (4/12)
Marianna (4/12)
Maddie (4/12)
Lance (4/12)
Casey (4/12)
Dena (3/15)
5 Apr meeting notes; 12 Apr reading list
5 APRIL MEETING NOTES
Nine members abandoned their Easter eggs to attend: Burt, Casey, Glenda (read part 2 of her short story “Golden Shadows”), Jo, JoAnne, Lance, Maddie, Shari (read two chapters of Lost in Dance) and (after a long absence) Marianna. Maddie told us about attending the Dean Koontz appearance in Laguna.
12 APRIL READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (3/29)
Maddie (4/5)
Melodye (3/29)
JoAnne (4/5)
Jo (4/5)
Julia (3/29)
Dena (3/15)
Lance (4/5)
Casey (4/5)
Jonathan (3/22)
Rosie (3/29)
Burt (4/5)
Shari (4/5)
Glenda (4/5)
Marianna (4/5)
29 Mar meeting notes; 5 Apr reading list
29 MARCH MEETING NOTES
Twelve members attended: Burt (read part of his long short story “Worry Man”), Casey, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Julia, Lance, Maddie, Melodye, Rosie (read a chapter from On Thin Ice), Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
Maddie mentioned that Dean Koontz will appear at the Laguna Playhouse on 2 April, 5:30-8:00 PM. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $40 for Laguna Playhouse Women.
5 APRILREADING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (3/29)
Maddie (3/29)
Melodye (3/29)
JoAnne (3/29)
Jo (3/29)
Julia (3/29)
Dena (3/15)
Lance (3/29)
Shari (3/29)
Glenda (3/29)
Casey (3/29)
Jonathan (3/22)
Rosie (3/29)
Burt (3/29)
22 Mar meeting notes; 29 Mar reading list
22 MARCH MEETING NOTES
Ten members attended: Burt, Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), Glenda (read a reworked Part 1 of her short story “Golden Shadows”), JoAnne, Jonathan (read a reworked Chapter 1 of Bummin’ It), Lance, Maddie, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
Maddie mentioned that Dean Koontz will appear at the Laguna Playhouse on 2 April, 5:30-8:00 PM. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $40 for Laguna Playhouse Women.
29 MARCH READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (3/22)
Maddie (3/22)
Melodye (3/15)
JoAnne (3/22)
Jo (3/15)
Julia (3/15)
Dena (3/15)
Rosie (3/22)
Burt (3/22)
Lance (3/22)
Shari (3/22)
Glenda (3/22)
Casey (3/22)
Jonathan (3/22)
15 March meeting notes; 22 March reading list
15 MARCH MEETING NOTES
Twelve members attended: Burt, Dena, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Jonathan, Julia, Lance (read four chapters from Identity), Melodye, Rosie, Shari (read three chapters from Lost in Dance) and Stace.
News & Notes
Dena reminds us of the 6th Annual Literary Orange conference at UC Irvine (see seperate post).
Glenda forwards this year’s Southern California Writers’ Association speaker schedule (see seperate post).
Jonathan mentioned a Romance University post by agent Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency discussing the problems associated with representing a previously self-published novel.
The OC Romance Writers of America Romancing the Pages anthology will be released in late spring in ebook format. Rosie’s short story “Melting the Ice” will appear in this anthology, which showcases short romantic fiction of all subgenres.
22 MARCH READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (3/15)
Maddie (3/1)
Melodye (3/15)
JoAnne (3/15)
Glenda (3/15)
Jo (3/15)
Casey (3/1)
Julia (3/15)
Dena (3/15)
Rosie (3/15)
Burt (3/15)
Jonathan (3/15)
Lance (3/15)
Shari (3/15)
8 March Meeting Notes; 15 March Reading List
8 MARCH MEETING NOTES
Eight members attended: Burt (READ 3 CHAPTERS FROM WORRY MAN), Glenda, JoAnne, Jonathan (READ 2 CHAPTERS FROM BUMMIN’ IT), Melodye, Rosie, Shari, and Stace.
News & Notes
Glenda heard that Barbara DeMarco Barrett has a memoir-writing symposium coming up sometimes around May, possibly at the S.C.A.P.E. Gallery in Corona Del Mar. Stay tuned for more updates.
Melodye mentioned that our email list might need a little spring cleaning. This week, we will discuss the weaning process as well as an ethical approach to keeping and/or distributing the email list to members for our own marketing purposes WHEN we get published.
15 MARCH READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (3/8)
Maddie (2/23)
Melodye (3/8)
JoAnne (3/8)
Glenda (3/8)
Jo (3/1)
Lance (2/23)
Casey (3/1)
Shari (3/8)
Julia (3/1)
Dena (3/1)
Rosie (3/8)
Burt (3/8)
Jonathan (3/8)
Pure Fiction League 