Check out this blog post

http://judyteel.com/2013/02/08/streamline-your-writing-know-what-happens-next/

Review of “Guilia Goes to War” (Legacy of Honor Book One) by Joan Leotta

  In the novel “Guilia Goes to War,” book one in the Legacy of Honor series by Joan Leotta, Giulia (pronounced Julia but spelled in traditional Italian) DeBartolo of fictional Avocatown, Pa. wants to contribute her share to the war effort in the forties, but her parents construct a roadblock she has difficulty breaking. With their two sons already fighting overseas, they want to protect their daughter, but what lies underneath is their strict adherence to Italian culture, including spelling Julia the Italian way. They don’t want Giulia to have dates, although she has graduated from high school. They want her to stay close to home and work in the family store.

  Relatives convince the DeBartolos that Giulia is needed at the shipyard in Wilmington, N.C., and that’s where a new world opens up for this young lady. She makes friends, meets single men, witnesses subterfuge and confronts head-on conflicts with her parents.

  Romance, history and intrigue are interwoven with the historical data and cultural mores in this novel. Leotta, a professional storyteller, wraps her arms around facts not usually taught in history class, shows how important it was to the DeBartolos to maintain their cultural heritage, and demonstrates how Guilia acquires her independence.

  The book is a solid basis for understanding American families during World War II and a fascinating contrast to life in America today. Book Two, “Legacy of Honor: Letters from Korea,” is due out May 2013. Check out Joan's Web site at www.joanleotta.com.

The dilemma: Which writers' conferences to attend

Since I began writing professionally, I've been attending writers' conferences as often as I can. "Writer's Digest" offered the first one I ever attended, and I remember meeting others who were as passionate about writing as I am. I loved it and signed up for as many gatherings as I could afford. I enjoy the local ones because there's less travel time and expense, there are opportunities to meet writers from your area, and the speakers are often local as well.

The national conferences are fantastic because of their scope. People from around the country, who have similar goals, that is, improving their writing skills and getting stories and books published, attend. The National Federation of Press Women conferences I've attended in Richmond, Virginia and Chicago have helped me advance my career and added to my knowledge of the industry, besides adding new friends to my address book. I hope to attend this year's NFPW conference in Salt Lake City Aug. 22-24. Another conference I plan to attend is the Romance Writers of America one in Atlanta July 17-20. It is exciting to meet avid writers and have their enthusiasm permeate the conference. The Writers Digest East Conference is in New York April 5-7.

The only drawback to these national conferences is the expense. So why go?
* Meet other writers
* Meet editors and agents
* Advance your career
* Learn more about the industry
* Learn more about your craft

Enough said.

Ten reasons why you should enter contests

Entering contests is often a stressful endeavor. By the time you read the rules, go through your body of work, get the entry materials and complete all the necessary details, you may decide it's not worth your time. But that old adage, "You can't win if you don't enter," is absolutely true.

How is entering contest worth it? Let's count the ways:

1) You may have the perfect piece to enter.
2) You're proud of what you've written, photographed, edited, designed or completed.

3) You can determine how you measure up to others in your field.
4) You will meet deadlines.
5) Prizes range from a certificate or free book to a gift card to actual cash.
6) Once you gather everything together and send it off, you know you've  
    accomplished something.
7) Few contests prohibit people from entering again and again.
8) Some contests offer critiques.
9) At banquets where prizes are awarded, you meet others in your field.
10) You will improve your skills or at least learn something just by going through the process.

I've entered photography contests and writing contests, naming contests and word contests. I have won some, nearly won some and lost many, but the process helped me:
1) Develop organizational skills
2) Pay attention to details
3) Improve concentration
4) Manage time
5) Gain confidence

I say, go for it. Enter contests. You will come out a winner whether you get a prize or not. 

"Heads in Beds" Book Review

One of the most informative and enjoyable books I've read this year is "Heads in Beds" by Jacob Tomsky. He lets people see inside the confines of the hotel industry and does it with humor and irreverence. He explains that his entire career has been at hotel jobs from being in valet parking, being a bellhop, in housekeeping and at the front desk. He tells how hotel employees get back at recalcitrant guests and how he has managed to tolerate the foibles of the industry.

Tomsky graduated from college with a degree in philosophy, a rather difficult degree to explain to potential employers, and followed through on someone's suggestion to try hospitality. He landed a job in a luxury hotel in New Orleans, worked his way up the ladder, took a year off to travel Europe and returned with a need for a job. He settled in New York, and again landed a job with a luxury hotel.

He tells readers how to get exactly what they want and more when they check-in to a hotel and when they check-out, and it's not by screaming and demanding. Basically, money talks. The reader appreciates his honesty and devil-may-care attitude. Travelers and frequent hotel guests will be delighted with the tales out of school and think twice the next time they want to complain about the service they have received. An upbeat, fascinating account of an industry nearly everyone uses at sometime in their lives but one most people don't understand.

Joan Leotta, storyteller, shines at Dickens Festival

The Charles Dickens Christmas Festival in Southport, N.C.on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 included a variety of activities and presentations, and Joan Leotta, storyteller, gave one of them. She created her own version of "A Christmas Carol" she titled "Bah Humbug" that had a special appeal because she encouraged audience participation. The children particularly enjoyed shouting "bah humbug" with Joan's prompting, and the adults didn't hesitate to join in. 

Joan is a talented actress, storyteller and writer and understands how to make a story come alive. Ebenezer Scrooge became a real person with Joan's fresh approach to the story, and Charles Dickens' story became a modern tale.

The entire community participated in the Festival by submitting entries in the Christmas tree, wreath and gingerbread house contests. Children entered the art contest. Charles Dickens' England--he lived from 1812 to 1870--was brought to life in Southport. Hopefully, the Brunswick Arts Council will continue this new tradition, so people can be aware of Dickens' influence, which continues today.

"The Community of Writers," Guest Blog by Julie Steele

Polarization. Red versus Blue. Rich versus poor. Gender wars. Liberal versus Conservative. Christian versus atheist. The media is full of articles on our divided nation. Is it really? On some levels, yes, but often we find commonality in spite of differences.

I have a wide array of friends and some people seem shocked by the diversity. I spent the turbulent week post- election pondering what so many people from all ends of the political and religious spectrums have in common – besides friending me, of course. Freelance writer. Creative non-fiction writer. Romance-in-all-its- many-forms writer. Fortune cookie fortune writer. Politically, spiritually, economically, they run the gamut. What is the common denominator for so many of them?

Words. They love words, putting fingers to keyboard or pen to paper. There is something about the craft of writing, combining words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, that creates a community out of people who write for a living or who must carve out minutes in the middle of the night to write.

Creativity. Those who write are not just good writers. They are creative souls in other ways. Many of the writers I know use their hands to knit, paint, garden, cook, upcycle, build furniture or take pictures. Maybe all the words set fire to the artistic side of our brain. Maybe we need to make something three-dimensional because we throw out our words and never hear how they have affected readers. Whatever the reason, writers are blessed with an abundance of imagination and the need to produce things of beauty.

Generosity. Writers are givers. They share tips with others who may be writing a similar book, not fearing their ideas will be stolen. Their time is spent paying forward as well as paying backward in honor of those who have helped them.

Books. We all have heard it takes books to make a writer. Not books on the craft of writing but reading books, period. The love of reading is as powerful as the need to write. The best book clubs are those whose members don’t always agree on a book but they all find time to turn the page or turn on the Kindle.

Story. Leo Rosten wrote, “A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood.” I would add “the need to understand.” When life throws writers a curve, what do they do? They write it into their book (hence of the most popular memes on FB about ending up in someone’s book if they don’t treat the writer right!). Writers experience pain, suffering, and unexpected life challenges. They use words to reach the reader and heal themselves.

The love of words and joy in writing them down is a powerful thing, helping us to see another side, find new friends and new outlets for our craft. Think about your writing community. Are there other things, besides those I have listed, you share? Do you need a little more diversity in your writing contacts, creative outlets or reading to get the pump primed in your own writing?