Writers Race to NC for World's First Ever Retreat of its Kind

Writers will be racing to Fontana Dam, NC on August 3, 2016 to attend the world's only writing retreat that also incorporates running a race as part of the agenda. Space is limited to 32 participants who think of themselves as writers and runners (or walkers). The culminating event of the 5-day, 4-night writing retreat is a 10k trail race on Sunday August 7 through the Nantahala National Forest of the Great Smoky Mountains. The race is limited to 250 participants and is also open to walkers.

The Writers Who Run (or Walk) Retreat combines the best of both worlds all in one trip, saving you time and money. One website visitor commented, "What an awesome concept. I cannot believe I've found this. It's like Goldilocks discovering just the right bed! Writing retreats are sedentary. Running retreats are exhausting. But this one sounds just right!"

The retreat promises to be rejuvenating, educational, productive, and social. The 10k trail race isn't just a race. It's an inspirational journey including some of the most popular racing elements that attract runners: adventure, costumes, charity, and bling!

• Rejuvenating: Write, run, and relax
• Educational: Hone your writing craft
• Productive: Time to work on your novel 
• Social: Connect with other writers and runners
• Adventurous: 62-foot bridge and 2.5 miles of narrow trails
• Thematic: Dress up as a book character
• Charitable: Donate a children's book for literacy 
• Braggable: Awesome finisher medal

Writers Who Run was founded by Christie Wright Wild, a writer who realized that the only time she ever traveled was to go to a writing event or a running event. There's finally a solution where you can do both in the same trip!

Can't make it? Join us virtually!

Keep on keepin' on...

Book Giveaway

I haven't done a book giveaway in a LONG time! And just in time for summer, too! It's a suspense thriller in Kindle format... PERFECT for some BEACH reading!!!

Resolve                 
Published 2013

​In the Pittsburgh Marathon, more than 18,000 people will participate. 4,500 people will attempt to cover the full 26.2 miles. Over 200 of the participants will quit, realizing it just wasn't their day. More than 100 will get injured and require medical treatment. One man is going to be murdered.  When Dr. Cyprus Keller lines up to start the race, he knows a man is going to die for one simple reason. He's going to kill him.​
*Finalist - 2014 International Thriller Writers Awards - Best First Novel

*Named one of the BEST BOOKS of 2013 by Suspense Magazine

​*One of the Best Books of the Year - Authors on the Air​

Interested? Click over and leave a comment on the ORIGINAL BLOG POST at www.writerswhorun.com. Thanks for reading, and good luck!!!

Keep on keepin' on...

What other books do you have on your summer reading list?

Walking is Perfect for Summer

Growing up, my friend Natalie always "went walking." Every summer, I'd go to her house or she'd come to mine (and yes, they were within walking distance, too!) and we'd jump rope, or play games, or watch a movie, or dance to the songs on the radio. It was grand!

But, when evening came, Natalie would have to go home or I'd have to go home... 

...because it was "time to go walking." Her family walked together every evening! What an amazing family tradition! And just a few weeks ago, I met an amazing woman on one of my morning runs. Gladys is a cancer survivor.

Gladys walks every single day for an hour. 

I feel lucky to get in a 30-45 minute run 2-3 times a week. So, whether you walk or you run, if you pound the ground and add your miles, today you have the opportunity to do it in a way that can help others and really make it count!

Summer can be a very dreamy time for a child. I always loved summers. In middle school, I immersed myself in the world of books. Today, I write books.

Being able to read it the stuff dreams are made of. 

Because a dad couldn't read, he was jobless and homeless. Because a single mom couldn't read, she never read her children bedtime stories. When people can't read, God's Word seems a million and one miles away.

Give people the ability to read -- and their whole world changes. 

They can learn to do anything! They can serve more people in life. They feel empowered. Because being able to read is the magical stuff that empowers people. They have dreams. And a way to reach them.

Writers Who Run has teamed up with Greenville Literacy Association to help people reach their dreams. ALL the proceeds go directly to GLA, an organization in South Carolina that helps people learn how to read, teaches people English, helps people get their GED, and provides free or low-cost books to the local community.

The "On the Road to Literacy Tour" is a 6-week walking or running challenge. Register online and log 150 miles in the next 6 weeks. You can join as an individual or as a team. Teams are limited to 3 people. If you're like me, and you only log 5-10 miles a week, you'll probably want to join a team. Otherwise, to complete 150 miles in 6 weeks, you'd have to accumulate 25 miles a week, which a lot of runners can do easily, but I'm not a lot of runners. Please consider joining me to help GLA help make the world a better place.

You never know whose dream might eventually bless your life.

Keep on keepin' on...

P.S. I'm on team Fancy Nancy. What team will you join?

Classic Toys for Summer

Don't you just love old toys? You know, the classic ones, that don't take batteries. With today
being the first day of summer, it just seems perfect to list these classic toys today. Imagine a room full of children, or a yard full of children, playing with some or all of these toys. What joy! Let your imagination SOAR!!! Go ahead, you can join them... You know you want to. See you at recess!

• the Rubik's Cube
• Legos
• Hot Wheels cars
• kites
• jacks
• marbles
• spinning tops
• jump ropes
• hula hoops
• bubbles
• pinwheels
• string (yes, string! Jacob's Ladder, anyone?)
• Silly String (I couldn't resist...)
• harmonica
• kazoo
• drums
• maracas
• tambourines
• dolls
• rocking horse
• tricycle
• bicycle
• trading cards
• puzzles
• frisbee
• balls (soccer, basketball, football)
• bouncy balls
• beach balls
• coloring books
• kaleidoscopes
• stuffed animals
• board games
• outdoor games (Freeze Tag)
• sidewalk chalk
• water guns
• even DANDELIONS!!!
• craft sticks and yarn (Remember making those God's Eyes?)
• sticks (pirate sword, magic wand, or just whittle it)
• boxes (a big ship, a race car, or a castle!)
• BOOKS (technically, I know it's not a TOY, but why not?! It might as well be!)

What's YOUR favorite summer time toy?

Keep on keepin' on...

Lucky Clover Picture Book Contest WINNER (Winter 2016)

It's time to announce the winner for the Winter 2016 Lucky Clover Picture Book Contest. A small handful of the Fall 2015 entries were included in this contest. After much reading, I have decided that the winning entry to receive this quarter's contest goes out to Meagan Friedman for her story,

PIPER PRETENDS

Congratulations, Meagan!!!

I'm running the summer contest a few weeks early and it will run until September 30. So, polish up those stories and send them on in!

Meagan, you will receive your critique this week. Just check your email.

Keep on keepin' on...

What's the Difference Between a Workshop, a Conference, and a Retreat?

You may or may not know the difference between a writing workshop, a writing conference, and a writing retreat. All three are wonderful places to continue learning the writing craft and meet new people. All three cost money. And all three will make you a stronger writer and help you learn more about the industry. However, there are a few differences.

Writing Workshop

A workshop typically lasts anywhere from 50 minutes to 8 hours. The shorter workshops of 1-2 hours are likely part of a conference or retreat. Other workshops can be half-day or full-day events, with 1-2 instructors to help you dive deeper into a specific topic related to writing, whether it be picture books, how to blog properly to maximize your marketing efforts, or world building for any kind of novel.

Workshops are a typical component of conferences and retreats. Workshops, no matter if they are stand-alone or part of a larger event, always dive deeper into the nitty gritty. You may learn more about how to woo editors and agents, or how to properly write a query letter with a fabulous pitch (and even get a chance to work on your own), or do writing exercises that can be a part of current manuscripts or simply to get the creativity flowing.

Writing Conference

Writing conferences typically last 2-3 days, and include workshops as a main portion of their schedule. The workshops can be small-group or large-group. Conferences usually focus on networking. There will definitely be lots of authors there, and more often than not, a good handful of agents and editors as well.

There may or may not be a few social events mixed in, such as trivia games, a book signing gala, or a dinner with live music at a local restaurant. With your days packed full of workshops, and possibly the chance to get a professional critique on one of your manuscripts (you would know this ahead of time), you likely won't have much free time to get any writing done, aside from any short exercises prompted as part of a workshop.

Writing Retreat

This option to learn the writing craft is hands down my favorite, though it is also the most costly. Writing retreats typically last anywhere from 4-14 days, usually 5 or 6. The main focus is on networking with other writers, learning the craft, and having the time to implement what you learn on the spot during free writing time.

Some retreats are in exotic locations like Peru, Mexico, the Bahamas, Italy, or Ireland. Other retreats are right here in the states, whether you choose Texas, Colorado, or North Carolina. Some have a focus on swimming, yoga, or exploring the lore of the land. There's even one that has a focus on running (that one's mine). Retreats usually don't have an emphasis on wooing an editor or an agent. Some are very small and you write all day in your own private cabin or cottage and convene in the evening to eat, socialize, and talk about your writing progress, maybe even critique each other's work. Other retreats are larger with a bit more structure and workshop instruction.

All retreats should be a chance to get away, learn more about the craft, get some writing done, connect with others, and relax and rejuvenate.

If you're thinking about going to a writing retreat, check out the Writers Who Run (or Walk) Retreat in the secluded mountains of western NC every June. The inaugural 2016 year was held in August. It incorporates a daily 2-mile morning run, jog, walk, or hike and even offers a 10k race on the final day. If this excites you, definitely go check it out!

Have you ever been to western North Carolina? Share in the comments!

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Keep on keepin' on...

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Are You a Scholarship Winner?

Last month, people entered the scholarship contest to win free tuition to the upcoming Writers Who Run Retreat. Thank you so much for entering the contest and spreading the word about this new event. Thank you for sharing your hearts with me. Every entry submitted was amazing! I have thought long and hard about who would win the scholarship and today is the day I am announcing the winner.

Whether you love children and want to instill a love for reading in them, you teach writing classes, or you are ready to get back to that novel you started long ago, we all love language and words and stories. We all have something to say and we know running (or walking or hiking) will help us find the right words.

So, without any further ado, please join me in congratulating this year's winner! The scholarship winner who will receive full tuition is awarded to...

Hillery Rubens of Riverside, California

Congratulations! Pack your bags, you're coming to North Carolina this August!

But, wait... there's more! I have decided to award two more entrants with a 50% off scholarship! These ladies were all so passionate, I couldn't stop with just one! For HALF the cost, the following two winners will also be able to join us in Fontana Dam, NC this August...

Tracy Cotton of Hendersonville, North Carolina 
Jackie Hoermann of Fort Worth, Texas

Congratulations!!! Can't wait to meet each of you on August 3!!!

In the meantime, keep on keepin' on...

High Five #34: Monster Hunter Rising

Here’s a big HIGH FIVE congratulations to you for your debut picture book. Thanks for being here today, Justin!

Title: Monster Hunter
Author: Justin LaRocca Hansen
Illustrator: Justin LaRocca Hansen
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Release date: October 2012
Word count: 560

Short summary:

Billy is a monster hunter. That’s because his home is infested with slimy, hairy, creeping, slithering, garbage-eating monsters! One week, Billy does battle with the monsters—in his bedroom, in the bathroom, even in the kitchen. But the problem is that monster hunting is a messy operation, and Billy’s mom isn’t so thrilled about all the messes she continues to find, whether it is water covering the floor, clothes thrown on the furniture, or food strewn about in the kitchen. So, when the hunting goes too far for Mom, Billy learns that monster hunting can—and must—be done with the proper tools. A vacuum or a rag with soapy water does wonders in defeating and cleaning up after a particularly troublesome Mud-Grass monster. With Billy’s new monster-hunting techniques, he and Mom come to an agreement, and Halloween (and the house) is never the same again!

Question ONE: What are three of your favorite picture books? Just three mind you.

Very hard to pick only three but let’s go with Ish by Peter H. Reynolds, Tuesday by David Weisner and because I love a good tear jerker, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

Question TWO: Despite not having any children of your own, how do you feel that you were drawn to write for them?

As a child I was always in love with stories, not just books and movies but people’s stories as well. Friends and family, I loved hearing people’s adventures and I loved sharing mine. When you’re young stories are fresh and new and leave a lasting touch. I still remember how I felt when ET lit his finger and said ouch, I remember the shock of Luke finding out about his father, the horror of Peter Pan when he finds Wendy has grown up, and the terror when Heckedy Peg is about to eat the mother’s children. When we get older we get more critical, we’ve seen and experienced so much, we don’t FEEL those moments as often or as much as we used to. I like the idea of telling stories that completely capture someone’s imagination. Just us other creators have influenced me, I want to tell stories and create moments that will stay with someone for their whole life. For me, those stories were from my childhood so I think that’s why writing for children comes easier than writing for adults.

Question THREE: How might teachers use your book in the classroom?

Monster Hunter has a lot of alliteration in it so it is great for teaching the repetition of those consonants. It is a fun read aloud with repetitious phrases that can be used for call and response. Children can also learn that it is important to clean up your messes and that you can use your imagination and have fun while you do it. I’ve also done presentations where a class of students will help me create a monster, they will tell me their ideas and then I will sketch their monster for them. The main point of the exercise is to brainstorm first, think about what your monster will look like, write those ideas down and then create it.

Question FOUR: What was your road to publication like?

The road to publication was long and windy for me. I initially was only submitting my illustration portfolio when I moved to New York in 2005 but I soon decided that if I really wanted to illustrate books, I was going to illustrate my own ideas. I had sketched out all of Monster Hunter in 2007 (I was calling it Monster Cleaner then) and finished three of the paintings (none of which would actually make it to the final book) and I made a book dummy and mailed it out EVERYWHERE. I got many rejections. Like a lot. One rejection came from Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic, however I happened to bump into an art director at Blue Sky and told her about the book. I was working at the Scholastic Store at the time with the sole purpose of bumping into editors and handing them my work. She asked me to send it to her personally, I did, and they were interested. This was very exciting I thought this was it! We went through several revisions of the book but nothing major; we changed the name from Monster Cleaner to Halloween Monster Hunter. I brought all of the sketches to fully penciled ready to paint drawings. Things were going along nicely but then I stopped getting phone calls and my emails weren’t being returned. We had not yet signed any agreements; the idea was to get the rough proposal as good looking as possible and then present to the acquisitions team. Now this was in 2008, right when the economy went down the toilet. It appeared that Scholastic, along with many other publishers, weren’t putting out any new authors it was just too risky. So just like that, Halloween Monster Hunter was dropped.

It was heartbreaking. Time went on, and I started developing a graphic novel which caught the attention of my agent Sarah Warner. We began developing my graphic novel, called Stretch and Brella, and I told her, “Hey I have this picture book dummy too.” She took a look; we undid a lot of the revisions from Blue Sky, changed the title to Monster Hunter and started getting a whole new pile of rejections. However on thanksgiving 2011 Sarah called me and let me know that Sky Pony Press was buying Monster Hunter. It was a heck of a journey but I’d finally done it. I got one in the books, and soon after Penguin picked up my graphic novel trilogy Stretch and Brella (which will be renamed) and should be out Summer 2015.

Question FIVE: What are your top three writing tips you can offer to writers seeking publication?

Write as much as you can, the more you do the better you get and when you get those golden ideas get them out of your head and onto paper, or your computer. Get that story out as fast as possible and then worry about edits.

Show people your work. Send to editors, assistant editors, agents, post the stories you like online, go to conferences, and send things to your friends. I truly feel that getting published has little to do with talent and lots to do with hard work and with getting your work in front of the right person at the right time and that can happen in a billion different ways. I got my agent because her child goes to a summer camp in Switzerland. A camp that a friend of mine works at and this friend had some copies of my work that she left out on a table. Sarah saw the samples and that was that.

Be happy. The whole point of any creative field is that you’re doing it because it makes you happy. So make sure whenever you are writing you are in a happy place, maybe you like to write with music, or by candlelight or with a bowl of candy next to you, do what makes you happy. Be proud of your work, you’ve created something and brought it into the world and, published or not, that is truly something.