More Pennwriters Memories

by Annette Dashofy

My dear friend Paula Matter sent me an SOS yesterday, asking me to fill her blogging slot for today. With it being last minute, I decided to simply dig into more of my photos from the Pennwriters Conference. Today's selection has a theme: Socializing. Schmoozing. Hanging with friends. Whatever you call it, there was a lot of it going on.

 In the Hospitality Suite Friday, Nancy Martin sits and chats with Catherine McLean and Ramona Long.

At Friday's keynote dinner, Pittsburgh area Pennwriters Stephanie Claypool, Cheryl Williams, and Carol Moessinger catch up.
                                   
                                       
 And Lee Ann Dawson, Candace Banks, Working Stiffs' Martha Reed get better acquainted.

The networking continued at Saturday's lunch.

Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller were two of the authors participating at the book signing.

CJ Lyons and Becky Levine took part in it as well.

Pennwriters President Carol Silvis and Sandi Hahn share drinks and a laugh at Saturday night's cocktail party.

 Fellow Working Stiff Joyce Tremel (on the right) chats with a new friend .

Two Davids: D.L. Wilson and Dave Freas.

Fred Connor, Don Jodon and Mercedes Goldcamp hang out at in the Hospitality Suite before Sunday's closing ceremonies.

Two Peggys and a Dave with a ton of tickets for the basket raffle.

So while the conference was a place to learn about craft and career, it was also a place to hang out with other writers, compare notes, and cheer successes. At Pennwriters, we're all family.

Drumroll, please....

by Jennie Bentley

The results are in for the first part of the Flash Fiction contest, better known as The Guessing Game. The other part, where you, gentle readers, post your own 200 word stories, starting with the sentence, “If you have to die, February is the best month for it,” in the comments section of a certain post you’ll find if you look to the right of this... that’s still ongoing. At the end of February, Wilfred Bereswill is graciously giving away a copy of his book, “A Reason for Dying,” to the guest story determined to be the best of the bunch.

This time around, the prize is one of my DIY books: “Fatal Fixer-Upper,” “Spackled and Spooked,” or “Plaster and Poison,” or an advanced reader copy of “A Cutthroat Business,” first in the Savannah Martin real estate mysteries.

You know, I had no idea when we started this that it would be so hard to match stiffs to stories. I figured everyone would get at least me and Will and John Lutz matched correctly, since our work is readily available even if you’re not familiar with it already. Imagine my surprise when no one – and I do mean no one – guessed that I wrote #2.

Yes, folks, the male POV 3rd person science fiction piece is mine. I figured if I wrote first person female like I always do, you’d know right off the bat that I wrote it. So I decided to be devious. Even so, to me, it still screams in my voice, loud and clear. The sentence structure, the rhythm, the flow... Yet even Will – whom all of you; every single person – thought had written it, told me that he if he didn’t know which entry was his, he’d have thought he wrote mine.

I’m going to take that as a huge compliment, y’all. Little old girly-girl me wrote male POV well enough to fool everybody!

Here’s the actual rundown of who wrote what:


1. Will
2. Jennie
3. Joyce
4. Gina
5. John Lutz
6. Pat R.


Nobody got’em all right. A few of you got a few. The person with the most matches, interestingly enough, was someone who doesn’t know any of us: Kris the Cajun Book Lady! Congratulations, Kris. Email me or DM me with your address and your choice of reading material, and I’ll get a book in the mail to you!

Thanks for playing, everyone! And don’t forget to post your 200 word Flash Fic pieces in the appropriate place for a chance to win “A Reason for Dying.”