Links to Others:
Author's Assistant
Blog Book Tours
Ebenezer Scribe
Exile on Ninth St.
Diane Fanning
Graveyard Shift
Guide to Literary Agents
Lifescapes
Lila Guzman
Martha Miller
Mark Mitchell
Joe O'Connell
Plotters & Manipulators
Poisoned Pen Letters
Exton Quinn
Redneck Crime
Rick Riordan
Rose Fox Reads
Sylvia Dickey Smith
Spookycyn
Women in Crime Ink
Writer Unboxed
A Writer's Word
Writing Thoughts
Writing the Westward Sagas
Awards for Helen's Website or Blog:
Copyright: 1997-2008
2008:
2008 marks the beginning of the 9th year of publication for Helen's e-newsletter for writers, Doing It Write! Available free to writers across the world, Doing It Write has subscribers on every continent except Antarctica.
This year's Texas Book Festival is shaping up to be the best ever -- which is saying a lot about this fabulous event. Helen will once again chair the events at the Austin Museum of Art. Mark your calendars for November 1st and 2nd, to volunteer for a shift at the museum and to attend the many events taking place at the capital and beyond.
2007:
Helen finished out the year by being a volunteer wrapper (that's with a "w" since she would be no good at rapping) for the Bess Whitehead Scott Scholarship Fund. The BWS Fund awards two scholarships annually -- one to an undergraduate communications major at a Texas university, and the other to a student who must be at least 40 years old and studying writing or a related field.
November 2nd and 3rd, Helen chaired "The Book as Art" at the Austin Museum of Art for the Texas Book Festival. Two exhausting but exhilarating days of working with fabulous authors in a beautiful setting with tons of really enthusiastic readers and book lovers. If you're envious, you can join her next year by volunteering to work a shift.
On May 24th and 25th, Helen spoke at the Brazos Writers' This Business of Writing Conference in College Station, Texas. She lead the workshop, The Synopsis: Four Steps to the Ultimate SALEs Tool. By the end of this workshop, attendees know the steps to constructing a synopsis and then using that document to craft the blurb for their query, a one-on-one pitch and their elevator spiel.
In 2007, Helen once again worked with Texas Mystery Month in May, particularly with the Barbara Burnett Smith Aspiring Writers Events. Unpublished writers who sign up get to have a published author as a mentor, including a thirty minute one-on-one with them. But slots are limited -- only six aspiring writers can be accepted!
On March 24th, Helen led The Synopsis: Four Steps to the Ultimate SALES Tool at the North Texas Professional Writers conference. To find out about having Helen lead a workshop for your group or organization, visit her Workshops Page that will tell you about just a couple of the workshops she facilitates.
2006:
As Chair of The Book as Art at the Austin Museum of Art for the 2006 Texas Book Festival, Helen worked with artists, writers, photographers, and volunteers. Seven fabulous panels over two days, October 28 & 29.
Helen worked with the Sisters in Crime, Heart of Texas chapter, on the 2006 Texas Mystery Week. "Week" is really a misnomer since the committee coordinated events throughout the month of May, culminating in the Barbara Burnett Smith Aspiring Writers Event where aspiring writers are paired with published authors for mentoring. Helen's responsiblity, not counting monthly meetings leading up to TMW, was "Aspiring Writers ," those fabulous unpublished mystery authors.
On February 4, 2006, at the Story Circle Network national conference, Helen taught a workshop called "Marketing Your Book: Charting the Promotional Universe."
In 2005, Helen received a Fellowship from the Brown Foundation and the Vermont Studio Center. She spent the month of October writing, hiking, and meeting artists and writers from around the world.
An Owner-Partner in Legends In Our Own Minds ® since 1997, Helen handles women’s marketing as well as the company’s website – www.legendsinourownminds.com
A freelance book consultant since 1996, Helen continues to consult with authors on their manuscripts, synopses, query letters and other work.