So...it turns out that the week after the conference is ALMOST as nutso as the week before. So much to do -- so many thanks to share, waves goodbye to flutter, kisses to blow -- well, you get the picture.

Kathy Chung has taken the reins of the position of coordinator, and you will see her around here a lot more, very soon. But don't think you've gotten rid of me completely -- no sirree. I'll still be around like a bad penny, turning up when you least expect it. I've accepted a position on the Board, and as the biggest resident geek in the place, I'll still be hovering around the blog, of course.

For today, I'd like to give you a taste of what some of the attendees have to say about SiWC 2009 on line. Didn't make it this year? Have a read of some of these blog posts, and get a feel for what you missed. 

Registration for SiWC 2010 is a mere 6 or 7 months away! But don't take MY word for how great it is...

Here are some reasons why you shouldn't miss NEXT year's festivities:

Gemma and Teresa LOVE the SiWC!

A Contest Winner Shares the Glow.

A Novel Woman Sees SiWC as a sign...

Photographer Don Denton shares a visual peek into the conference.

Cheryl wishes she'd stayed longer...

A sleepy [and short] message from your outgoing conference coordinator, bidding presenters, attendees and volunteers a fond farewell after  what I hope was a marvellous conference experience at the 2009 Surrey International Writers' Conference.

A reminder ... if you would like a copy of any of the handouts provided by presenters this weekend, please email me at kcdyer@siwc.ca . I'll send you a Word doc as soon as I can.

[This is in support of our Green Endeavour -- our attempt to ensure we don't run off more paper than is absolutely required.]

And on a personal note -- please accept my most humble thanks for all the gracious words of kindness directed toward me this weekend. This conference is the product of the work of literally hundreds of volunteers, and each and every one of them deserves a part of the credit for our event. 

A HUGE word of thanks goes out to:

...our presenters who generously gave their time and expertise.

...our volunteer crew, who shared their weekends and their muscle!

...our wonderful attendees, who brought their ideas and dreams!

...the absolutely amazing Board of Directors who worked tirelessly to pull things together.

Join us again next year from October 22-24th, 2010 for the 18th annual SiWC. 

And until then...keep an eye on this blog, as we find ways to connect our writing community throughout the year. 

Talk to you soon!

~kc

also blogging as leftwriter

sleepily tweeting @kcdyer & @siwc2009

This just in!!!

Independent Titles Score Top Honors in the  6th Annual National “Best Books” Awards

From 1926 to 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott committed at least 20 murders on a chicken ranch outside of Los Angeles. His nephew, Sanford Clark, was held captive there from the age of 13 to 15, and was the sole surviving victim of the killing spree. Here, acclaimed crime writer Anthony Flacco—using never-before-heard information from Sanford’s son Jerry Clark—tells the real story behind the case that riveted the nation.

Forced by Northcott to take part in the murders, Sanford carried tremendous guilt all his life. Yet despite his youth and the trauma, he helped gain some justice for the dead and their families by testifying at Northcott’s trial–which led to his conviction and execution. It was a shocking story, but perhaps the most shocking part of all is the extraordinarily ordinary life Clark went on to live as a decorated WWII vet, a devoted husband of 55 years, a loving father, and a productive citizen.

In dramatizing one of the darkest cases in American crime, Flacco constructs a riveting psychological drama about how Sanford was able to detoxify himself from the evil he’d encountered, offering the ultimately redemptive story of one man’s remarkable ability to survive a nightmare and emerge intact.

Congratulations, Anthony!!!

~kc

also blogging as leftwriter