SiWC Blog
 It's been a terrific week for Surrey and for SiWC mentions this week. Check out some of these links.
Beloved SiWC MC and board member Carol Monaghan is profiled in the Peace Arch News here. Anyone who's seen Carol in her cape or her devil horns won't be the least bit surprised by the mention of an over-the-top sequined dress, but who knew she could bake, too? Multi-talented, our Carol.
Harvinder Sandhu profiles some of the great stuff Surrey has to offer - including SiWC; thanks, Harvinder! - in the Surrey Now here.
Longtime attendee and SiWC success story Jan Markely had the chance to attend Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) symposium in Bologna, Italy, followed by a few days at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. She's blogging about her adventures here.
SiWC presenter Crystal Stranaghan and her partner Jared Hunt are travelling around to offer a series of workshops, next up in Kamloops at the end of this month. Check out the details here.
And finally, former SiWC Storyteller's contest winner and regular attendee Christine Brant is using her blog post today to share why she keeps coming back to SiWC and why she thinks you should, too. Thanks, Christine!
Happy Friday!
Were you at SiWC 2004? Did you carry a camera around? We're on the hunt for the photographer who submitted this shot to our website:
Was it you? We're hoping to get a hi-res version, so if it's your shot, we'd love to hear from you. You can comment here or email me at kathychung at siwc dot ca.
Thanks!
 Today's short and sweet writing tip comes to us from 2010 presenter Joanna Bourne (thanks, Jo!), who offers a quotation:
Plot will get you through times with no prose better than prose will get you through times with no plot. James Macdonald
Share your thoughts about prose versus plot in the comments thread below.
Terrific SiWC board meeting last night. A little SiWC tidbit for you: Did you know that SiWC is run mostly by volunteers? They're an amazing bunch and give a huge amount of time and energy to make SiWC what it is.
On the way home in the car after the meeting, I was switching radio stations, looking for something I felt like listening to, and I happened across an interview with one of the actors from a brand new movie that's connected to one of our presenters this year. So instead of reaching in my hat for a name to bring you today, I decided to take my cue from that interview and introduce you to Luke Ryan.
 Luke Ryan is the Senior Vice President of Production at MGM.
He arrived in Hollywood in 2000 and has had a diverse career, working as a screenwriter, producer, instructor at UCLA extension, and studio executive at New Line Cinema and MTV Films before arriving at MGM in 2008 where he is Sr. Vice President of Production. His currently slate of films includes Robocop with Darren Aronofsky, The Three Stooges with the Farrelly Brothers, Poltergeist with Vadim Perelman.
When he sent me this bio, Luke was sitting on a mixing stage preparing for the release of Hot Tub Time Machine -- which comes out after this bio but long before this conference. He hopes you buy a full priced ticket and find it worth every penny. He will still feel this way when you see him in the future.
Welcome, Luke!
A quick post here, just to let those in the Vancouver area into a great opportunity. Long-time friend of SiWC [presenter, contest judge] James McCann is offering a workshop for adults who are interested in writing for kids and teens. You can read my blog post about it HERE or go straight to the source at James's blog HERE and find out more. The date is April 18th and class space is limited, so sign up soon!
~kc
also blogging as leftwriter
sweetly tweeting @kcdyer
Happy Tuesday to you.
To celebrate the beautiful sunshine coming in my windows right this minute (quickly, before it turns to pouring rain again!), I'm bringing you another of our 2010 presenters.
Agent Sally Harding will be returning to SiWC this October. We're so pleased to have her.
Sally Harding moved to Canada in 2001 after eight years in sales and marketing, editing, and bookselling in New Zealand and Australia. She began her career as a literary agent shortly after her arrival in Vancouver, and in 2005 started her own agency, The Harding Agency. The fledgling agency’s rapid growth led to the merger with Toronto-based The Cooke Agency in 2007.
She has always read widely, and that is reflected in the range of genres she represents. She is particularly drawn to books that present fresh perspectives and ask questions of their readers. This may be narrative non-fiction founded in ground-breaking research or offering a new take on what we thought we already knew. It may be speculative, contemporary, or romantic fiction that asks what-if. It may be children’s books that remind us to marvel.
She regularly travels to international book fairs and conventions, and is currently president of the BC Book Prizes. When she’s not at her desk, in transit, or engrossed in a book, you’ll find her in a contemporary art gallery, or in her kitchen cooking enough to feed twice as many as expected.
Welcome back, Sally!
I reached into my hat again this morning and pulled out another name to share with you. (This is so exciting. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am!)
This time, I'm going to introduce you to one of our brand new author presenters.
I first met this particular author online several years ago, and have continued to be impressed by her practical, well-thought-out, clear writing advice. She's terrific.
Meet Joanna Bourne .
Joanna Bourne is the author of four Historical Romances based on Napoleonic War-era espionage. Forbidden Rose, her most recent work, will be available in June 2010 from Berkley/Penguin. Spymaster's Lady was an American Library Association RUSA genre top choice and My Lord and Spymaster is the winner of the Romance Writer's of America's prestigious RITA award.
Joanna graduated from Goucher College and Georgetown University. She spent several years working as a Research Analyst for the Congressional Research Service in Washington, DC, then taught English in Africa, before joining the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer. She's lived in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Iran, and spent more than a decade in England and France, the settings for her novels.
After many travels, Joanna settled down in a small town in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. She lives with her family and the extremely furry dog and cat. She commits blog at http://jobourne.blogspot.com/ .
Welcome, Jo!
At SiWC, we never charge you for pitch appointments. They're included in our registration fees. You can line up for extra appointments at the conference itself, but when you register, you get to sign up for one (and one Blue Pencil, of course!) right then. No line-ups, no waiting, just a solid appointment with whatever agent you'd like to meet who has appointments available.
A little insider tip: if today's presenter is on your agent wish list, register early. His appointment slots fill up fast!
Meet Donald Maass. 
A literary agent in New York, Donald Maass’s agency sells more than 150 novels every year to major publishers in the U.S. and overseas. He is the author of The Career Novelist (1996), Writing the Breakout Novel (2001), Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook (2004) and The Fire in Fiction (2009). He is a past president of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, Inc.
Don is also a terrific teacher whose hugely popular workshops are often standing room only.
Welcome back, Don!
Always fun to see who won...and WAY more fun when a past winner of our contest makes the grade.
HUGE congratulations to Elissa van Struth for placing with her English-language short story DOWN TO THE ROOTS.[Elissa was the winner of our 2008 Storyteller's Award with her unforgettable story MALL GIRL].
Full list of winners is HERE .
In other CanLit news, you might care to check out my blog post today on the status of s/f writer Peter Watts's conviction. A fascinating and frightening story. Post is HERE.
~kc
Also blogging as leftwriter
Tweeting Sweetly @kcdyer
Happy Friday!
Time to introduce you to another brand new presenter, this time a Canadian who's part of the growing group of writers I know who avoid the dreaded effects of working at a desk all day by NOT working at a desk all day. Or at least not sitting at one. How do you write a book without sitting? I'll come back to that.
But first, meet ARTHUR SLADE.
 Arthur Slade was raised in the Cypress Hills of southwest Saskatchewan and began writing at an early age. He received an English Honours degree from the University of Saskatchewan, spent several years writing advertising and now writes fiction full time. He is the author of the Canadian Chills series of books, Dust (which won the Governor General's award), Jolted, and The Hunchback Assignments series. He currently lives in Saskatoon.
You can learn more about Arthur Slade at his website: www.arthurslade.com.
Welcome, Art!
Oh, are you still wondering about writing a book without sitting at a computer?
Rumour has it Arthur Slade is one of the many writers who work while walking on a treadmill. (Actually, it's not just a rumour. I heard about it in his podcast interview with "Authors Like Us" interviewers, authors, and SiWC presenter alums James McCann and Lee Edward Fodi here.)
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