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In This
Issue
From
Our Chapter President
Announcements
From
Our Literacy Liaisons
Author Spotlight
WNBA
National News
Link to
Renew Membership (General Member - $45)
Link to Renew Membership
(Senior/Student - $25)
From our
Literacy
Liaisons Dear WNBA Members and
Friends,
Patricia here. Last Tuesday
evening, WNBA put on another wonderful mixer. It was held at
Sinbad's at the Embarcadero. The speaker, Christine Comaford
Lynch was a true inspiration to both fiction and nonfiction
writers alike. Her book Rules for Renegades outlines creative ways to approach the
publishing business. I have a stack of reading material at
home and am sure that eventually this book will be placed on top of
it. The food, by the way, was great. The only thing
missing was the glorious view that was blotted out by the night
sky.
Teresa here. Wishing everyone a
delightful December (members are invited to the party on Dec. 16,
6:00-8:00pm at Michael's and Elizabeth's). See you on January 24th
(a mixer to network, share your success stories, and help
fellow-members). Oh, do email Vicki
Weiland if you can attend the board meeting
(usually the first Thursday evening of the month); build your
platform by serving as a committee chair.
Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan & Patricia
Costello
LiteracyLiaison@wnba-sfchapter.org
******************
Author
Spotlight
Bookworm
talks to Jamie and Sarah Jane
Kaserman
authors
of
Tales from Christmas
Trains
A
former staff sergeant, James F. Kaserman received a master’s in
educational administration at the University of Dayton. He has
worked as a newspaper columnist, teacher, coach and
administrator and is a professional racecar driver, winning the
2007 Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association’s Championship.
Coauthor Sarah Jane Kaserman earned a master’s degree in deaf
education from Kent State University. An educator for more than
thirty-five years, she recently retired as a teacher of gifted
students. A violinist and fiddle player, she arranged music and
played fiddle for the Civil War movie The Miracle Men.
They have written three
award-winning pirate novels: Gasparilla Pirate Genius: the Legend of
Gasparilla, A
Tale for All Ages and How the Pirates Saved
Christmas. Their latest title,
Pirates of Southwest
Florida: Fact and Legend, is used in their
teaching at the Florida Gulf Coast University ’s Renaissance Academy . Currently, the couple lives
in
Fort Myers
, Florida . Check out their web site
at http://www.sarahjameskaserman.
com
When did you
start writing?
(Jim)
Throughout my 36 year
educational career and also during my 10 years as an elected
official, I wrote Federal, State, and Local Grants as well as
various historical articles for newspapers and magazines.
(Jane) I also had to write a number of grant proposals and also
was involved in children’s stories as well as musical programs.
We first wrote together when we co-authored 38 states of
the United States
Accelerated Reader electronic books.
These bilingual books are
available as electronic books through http://www.isaveatree.com
on website, simply go to
catalog and click on The United States of America
. It was exciting and the concept
of insuring that both genders benefited equally from our
work inspired us to develop a writing style where all
readers understand and benefit from our combined
work.
Why did you choose your
particular genre?
Historical
fiction allows the reader to learn actual history, facts, and
events while engrossed in reading a greater story.
My former students scored
high on many standardized tests, and I credit the fact that I
used to have my social studies students research a period in
history and then have them write a story about the period that
included having many characters they created. Like all writers,
when you write a story, you actually are living in your mind
what you write and inculcate it in your mind. Likewise, people
who read our stories both enjoy and learn a great deal of
actual information because, like eating a gourmet meal, all the
components of the entire meal are in place and interrelated.
This is opposite of the way most history is taught in that rote
learning of each component is expected. At our book signings
and book discussions, we enjoy hearing the readers discuss and
describe their learning’s and understandings of our writings,
often from widely differing perspectives.
What
inspired you to choose your subject
matter?
In the case of
Tales from Christmas Trains, it amazed me as a history teacher,
as to how little people generally knew of the facts and
importance of railroads to the United States .
Of course, if you poll your audience you will find out that
almost no one knows that the first passenger train to run in
the United States
actually ran on Christmas Day, 1830 in
Charleston , SC and it was really painted red and
green! The reason
we need to know these things is that; in order to understand
our future, it is vital we know our past history, both real and
mythical. The Tales from Christmas Trains book illustrates our
philosophy in writing historical fiction. We must know and
remember our past, celebrate our present; and plan for and hope
for our future.
How
difficult/easy has your experience been as a published
writer?
The most important fact that any
writer must accept is that; as an author, you must really be
willing to put forth an effort and dedicate time and resources
to promoting your book after it is published.
Maybe writing the work
consumes 25% of your time with the other 75% used to promote
and make the book successful. In our case, we have made the
promotion a fun enterprise, appearing in costumes, becoming
experts in the field, using many props and handouts, and making
our promotional appearances an event unto itself…..people love
our performances. As to difficult, writing may well be the most
difficult work you can undertake; but, it can also be the most
rewarding personally.
What
advice would you give other aspiring
authors?
Decide what
type of genre you will specialize in writing. Always
remember that non-fiction, particularly self-help or how to
books, are the easiest to find a publisher. On the other
hand, fiction and poetry is the most difficult to find a
publisher. As a rule of thumb, it is generally true that
aspiring authors will have an easier time finding publishers
for non-fiction. On the other hand, due to technology,
writers of fiction can always self publish their work or use
one of the many print on demand publishers. But,
write everyday, if only for yourself….until you either find a
publisher or decide to go it on your own.
Anything
else you would like to share with the
WNBA?
The written
work, whether it be a love letter within the family structure,
a poem or a story written for someone or group, has always been
the most influential of any type of document.
We need written books and articles to
maintain our culture.
********************
**********************
Did you
know?
WNBA MEMBER ADVANTAGES:
Do you have a new book or service you would like to
promote?
Here are the ways WNBA
can help:
1: Link your website to
our SF chapter
site
2: List your book on our
National Site - under Author
books. The site gets
approximately 4,400 hits/month
(password
required)
3: List your name in our
national database of
members
4: Have your book
reviewed or noted in our National
Magazine, The
Bookwoman.
Published 3x /year The
Bookwoman is sent out to all
chapters and members (700+) and
industry professionals for a
total circulation of
3,000
5: Ask to present your
book at our Author’s Showcase -
contact Elisa Southard
/WNBA/SF
6: SIGN UP to
read/present your book at our
local sponsoring bookstore:
Bookshop West
Portal.
7: Work with all of our
8 chapters to network for
readings/mailings,
etc.
Have fun! Make new
friends and
acquaintances!
Sign up or renew (only
$45!) on our
website: www.wnba-sfchapter.org
and Use
PayPal.
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From Our Chapter
President
As we gather with
friends and family to celebrate the blessings of this holiday
season, I hope that the memories of all the good that has happened
this past year will be prominent in our minds and lift our spirits.
We are making plans for our annual Meet-the-Agents
event in March and the
Author
Showcase in April. Both
of these are wonderful networking opportunities for aspiring
authors wanting to find agents for their project, or learn how to
market the book that has become a reality. Watch our
website and newsletter for specific details
about these events.
May all the joy and
the beauty of this blessed season be yours.
Mary
********************
Announcements
'Tis the Season!
Celebrate the holidays surrounded by books and book
lovers in a cozy and intimate setting with your
fellow WNBA members on Tuesday, Dec. 16th,
5:30-8pm. Our hosts will be Literary Agents Michael
Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada. The location is
1029 Jones St, between California and Pine streets
and parking is available on Pine before 6pm. Come
share holiday stories from seasons past and create
new ones. This is a marvelous annual tradition.
Please bring a nosh to share and a wrapped book to
exchange.
********************
WNBA-SF Board Meeting,
Thurs., Jan 8 at 5 p.m. at Sinbad’s Pier 2
Restaurant, San
Francisco
All WNBA-SF members are welcome to
attend board meetings. This is a great way to
get to know other members and about the
organization. You can also have a direct
impact on the programs and events sponsored
by the organization.
As we are meeting at a new space
where we must make dinner reservations,
please RSVP by Jan. 5 to Vicki Weiland
at hospitality@wnba-sfchapter.org
.
********************
2009 San
Francisco
Writers'
Conference
Building Bridges to Better
Tomorrows
February 13 - 15,
2009
The 2009
Conference will feature nearly 100 agents, authors
and editors. Attendees have access to more than
fifty "how to" sessions, panels, and workshops
taught by authors you know and love.
Speed Dating
for Agents and
Ask a
Pro are unique one-on-one
opportunities to pitch your work directly to these
publishing professionals. Celebrity book signings
and social gatherings with other writers add to the
excitement of the event.
Remember to
register early for next year's conference.
Visit www.sfwriters.org
for more
information. Reduced Fee of $595 until January 1st,
2009.
************************
Interested in Being
Our
Newsletter
Editor?
We are
seeking a newsletter editor for our monthly
online newsletter.
Responsibilities:
-Review,
solicit, and select content for monthly
newsletter
-Send 1-2
eblast per month per President’s
request
-Attend
monthly board meetings
Qualifications:
-Editorial
“know how”
-Member of
WNBA
-Familiarity
with aweber, cpanel, and phplist a
plus
Please
contact Sara at
newsletter@wnba-sfchapter.org
.
**********************
EDITCETERA
Workshops
EDITCETERA, an association of
freelance publishing professionals, presents
the following workshops. For registration and
more info: www.edicetera.com;
510-849-1110; also learn about other educational
programs and freelance editorial
services.
• Electronic Editing, with Melissa
Stein
Improve your efficiency and
effectiveness as a copyeditor with the help
of a computer. Watch for details at www.editcetera.com.
WNBA-National
News
One of the benefits
of being a WNBA-SF member is that you are connected
to seven chapters nationwide.
Here a few benefits the National organization has
for you:
1: Permanent Collection of WNBA member books. In
2007 the Boston Public Library set aside a section
for a permanent collection of all WNBA authored
books. Please contact Katherine Dibble to have your
book included in the collection:
kdibble@att.net
2: Have your book listed on our National Web
site/WNBA Author's page. National web site member
password is included in your membership kit.
3: Get published in WNBA's National Newsletter, The
Bookwoman. Send us a short article on a favorite
book you read while traveling for our "Have Book
Will Travel" section. Contact Joan Gelfand
for more information about The Bookwoman:
joangelfand@pacbell.net
4: Nominations for our bi-annual WNBA award
are due in May. Please nominate your favorite
'bookwoman' for the award. See www.wnba-books.org for
more information on the WNBA Award.
Lastly, tell us about your successes with WNBA for
our endorsements page.
Joan Gelfand
National Women's Book Association
joangelfand@pacbell.net
Blog: http://jg.typepad.com/ciel
WNBA: http://www.wnba-books.org
********************
History
The Woman's National Book Association is a national
organization of women and men who work with and
value books. WNBA exists to promote reading and to
support the role of women in the community of the
book. The San Francisco Chapter of WNBA was founded
in 1968 by Effie Lee Morris, then coordinator of
Children's Services for the San Francisco Main
Public Library.
Membership has ranged from sixty to one hundred.
Our members are writers, booksellers, agents,
editors, publishers, publicists, librarians,
graphic designers, career coaches, marketing
specialists, conference planners, aspiring authors
and avid readers.
The San Francisco branch of WNBA is one chapter in
a vibrant organization with over 800 members across
the county. Each branch has its own flavor and
lively events to honor books, the creation of
books, the world of books, and allied arts.
The Women's National Book Association has been a
Non-Governmental Organization member of the United
Nations since 1959. An NGO is defined as "any
non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is
organized on a local, national or international
level. Task-oriented and driven by people with a
common interest, NGOs perform a variety of services
and humanitarian functions, bring citizens'
concerns to governments, monitor policies and
encourage political participation at the community
level."
In effect, WNBA members are to be ambassadors for
the UN. Our organization disseminates information
about the United Nations through all the means at
our disposal, especially through our national and
chapter publications and monthly programs.
************************
WNBA-SF Chapter Board
Members
Co-Presidents: Mary E. Knippel and Linda Lee
president@wnba
-sfchapter.org
Vice Presidet: Lynn H enriksen
vicepresident@wnba
-sfchapter.org
Treasurer: Allegra Harris
treasurer@wnba-sfchapter.org
Secretary: Sara
Cassella
Literacy Liaisons: Teresa LeYung Ryan and Patricia
Costello
literacyliaison@wnba-sfchapter.org
Membership Chair:
membership@wnba-sfchapter.org
Newsletter Editor: Sara Cassella
newsletter@wnba-sfchapter.org
Publicity Chair: Barbara Whittaker
Hospitality Chair :
Vicki
Weiland
Founding
Member: Effie Lee
Morris
WNBA
National Board Members
President:
Joan Gelfand
joan@joangelfand.com
Past President: Laurie Beckelman
lbeckleman@aol.com
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