Mystic Ink Publishing Voices of the Masters Series - Santa Barbara Writers Conference 2024 -Novel Panel
Mystic Ink, Publisher of Spiritual, Shamanic, Transcendent Works, and Phantastic FictionShow Notes
Moderator: SBWC faculty member, Trey Dowell, is a novelist and a short story aficionado. His expertise in writing effective query letters has helped numerous writers get their projects reviewed by agents and publishers. Margaux Dunbar Hession is a funny, off-beat, award-winning writer of dark humor stories that balance darker subjects with audacious wit and off-the-wall scenarios, many inspired by her own escapades. Her first novel, Soaring to New Lows springs from her life as former wife of Journey Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer, Aynsley Dunbar. Her writing has appeared in multiple journals and publications. She resides in Kailua Hawaii, where she paddles on a 6-person, co-ed, outrigger team. David Starkey, served as Santa Barbara’s 2009–2011 Poet Laureate. He is founding director of the Creative Writing Program at Santa Barbara City College, co-editor of the California Review of Books, and the publisher and co-editor of Gunpowder Press. Over the past thirty-five years, he has published 11 full-length collections of poetry with small presses and more than 500 poems in literary journals. His novel Poor Ghost was released March 2024. Candi Sary graduated from the University of California, Irvine. Her novel, Black Crow White Lie (2012), won Reader Views Literary Award, a CIBA, and was first runner-up in the Eric Hoffer Book Award and made into a short film by Chase Michael Wilson. Her latest, Magdalena (2023), also won a CIBA. A mother of two adult children, she lives in Southern California with her husband, a dog, a cat, and several ducks. She can often be found surfing and paddle boarding in the waters of Newport Beach. James Darnborough grew up in London, UK, before spending 30 years in the media business in South Africa, Australia and the USA. He resides in LA. His historical saga, The Gambler’s Game, is set in the twilight of the 19th Century, as the Old West collides with the opulence of the Gilded Age. One man embarks on a journey that redefines his life. His audacious spirit leads him from dust-chocked plains to the refined ambiance of English garden parties and the allure of Belle Epoque Monte Carlo. Nancy Klann-Moren was raised in North Hollywood. Her novel, The Clock of Life, is an award-winning story of friendship and struggle at a time in our history when American protests changed the status quo. In her short story collection, Like the Flies on The Patio, she brings us fallible and human characters who live on the page and gently break your heart. Her new novel, Love and Protest, begins with the chance discovery of a diary. This is a coming-of-age-story about two young women’s paths toward becoming activists.
More from Mystic Ink, Publisher of Spiritual, Shamanic, Transcendent Works, and Phantastic Fiction
Marla Miller, moderator, wrote for OC Register magazine before becoming founding editor-in-chief of an OC lifestyle magazine. In 1999, Simon and Schuster published her first book, All American Girls, the authorized biography of the World Cup/Gold Medal winning US Women’s National Soccer Team. Miller’s experience in traditional publishing inspired her to launch MarketingtheMuse Workshop at SBWC. She works with writers on the road to publication. Rachel Sarah Thurston, is the founder of State of Sparkle, Author Branding, Platform Building, and Book Marketing Coaching for Authors. She has 24 years of experience in event promotion, website design, marketing, accountability coaching, writing, photography, video editing, social media, music/entertainment, and communications. She’s been involved with the SBWC for 22 years and holds a master’s in professional writing from the University of Southern California. Lida Sideris writes soft-boiled mysteries and was a winner of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America scholarship award. The third installment in her Southern California Mystery series, Murder: Double or Nothing will be released in June by Level Best Books. She’s also wrote The Cookie Eating Fire Dog, a picture book for ages 4-8. She lives in the northern tip of SoCal with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens. She teaches “Be Your Own Best Publicist” at SBWC with Melinda Palacio. Lisa Angle, earned a master’s degree in computer-based education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Her self-published historical novel, Whiskey and Old Stogies, landed on the long list for the 2021 MARK TWAIN Book Awards for Humor and Satire. She likes to combine her writing skill and tech knowledge in helping writers complete their writing projects and build their author platforms. She offers developmental editing for novels and memoirs as well as helping writers expand their online presence with websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and video. Melinda Palacio is an award-winning poet, author, and speaker. She’s the current Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, she holds 2 degrees in Comparative Literature, a BA from the UC Berkeley and an MA from UC Santa Cruz. She’s a 2007 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow and a 2009 poetry alum of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. Her latest poetry collection is Bird Forgiveness, 2018. She is a master of author self-promotion. Rick Shaw is a recently retired technologist, data scientist, and is now a full-time writer and author of two novels he self-published. In addition to writing, editing, designing and mastering the art of the various publication platforms, he makes public appearances promoting his novels. He exemplifies the successful do-it-all-yourself published author. He consults during the week of the conference, helping writers to decide if self-publishing is their best option, and, if so, what is needed to accomplish this.
Podcasts & Audiobooks Lois Phillips, Yvette Keller, Claudia Dunn, Matthew J. Pallamary Audiobooks and podcasts are a fast-growing area of publishing. Join this team for an insightful seminar on how to accomplish the goals of getting your book and book promotion into the audible range.
Learn how to collect research, organize it, and develop a coherent narrative. Yvette Keller will introduce 8 successful authors telling research stories with time for Q&A and discussion. Yvette Keller writes fiction and is a working voice actor.
Caitlin Rother has authored 14 books. Her latest, Death on Ocean Boulevard: Inside the Coronado Mansion Case, which is in development for a TV limited series with Rother as executive producer, explores the mysterious death of 32-year-old Rebecca Zahau, who was found hanging from a second-floor balcony of her multimillionaire boyfriend’s San Diego mansion in 2011. An award-winning investigative journalist, Rother weaves stunning new details into a personal, yet objective, examination of the sensational case, exploring its many layers.
Moderator, Perie Longo, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, 2007-2009, has published 4 books of poetry, the latest Baggage Claim (2014) and poems in numerous literary journals. This June was her 40th year teaching poetry at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference. She’s thrilled and awed to be still poeting and standing. Paul Willis, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2011-2013 is an emeritus professor of English at Westmont College. His poems, stories, and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, and he’s been featured on Verse Daily and The Writer’s Almanac and nominated five times for a Pushcart Prize. His YA Elizabethan time-travel novel, All in a Garden Green, was released in 2020.