"Writing is just having a sheet of paper, a pen and not a shadow of an idea of what you are going to say.” —Francoise Sagan

The nomination form is easily located on the National website. Go to www.wnba-books.org and click on Awards, and then WNBA Award. If two or three people want to nominate one person, that's fine, too. This is a great opportunity for many of us to participate, to help guide WNBA history, and to have and bestow a wonderful experience! Please mail your nominations to Katherine Turok, WNBA Award Chair, RR 1, Box 204C, Johnson Point, Penobscot, ME 04476.

On the topic of literacy: It is not surprising that over half of the members of San Francisco Chapter of WNBA are actively pursuing a writing career. Our group provides great networking opportunities and professional development. But one of the primary missions of WNBA is literacy - the advocacy and pursuit of bringing books, reading and writing to children all over the globe.

Two items about literacy have grabbed my attention this month. The first was the call for books from New Orleans libraries trying to restock after Katrina. Details here: www.nyfa.org/opp_detail.asp? The next was an ad for Target's Literacy Program, "Ready. Sit. Read." I checked out the website and it is fabulous. The idea is to inspire kids to start their own book clubs and reading groups. sites.target.com/site/en/readysitread.

A new feature: As a dedicated blogger, I would like to institute The WNBA-SF Chapter Blog Roll. Send us your blog address and we'll keep an updated list on our website and in our newsletter.

Finally, as the next months progress keep in mind that the current board's tenure expires this coming June. There will be openings on the board for those members wanting to get involved in shaping the chapter over the next two years.
—Joan Gelfand

Published in eight countries, The Virgin's Knot, a lyrical tale of a Turkish carpet weaver's journey from innocence to knowledge, was a Contra Costa Times Book Club Pick 2003, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection 2002, a Border's Original Voices Book 2002 and nominated for The First Novelist Award by the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program of Virginia Commonwealth University. Holly's second novel, The Sound of Blue, is a powerful tale set during the Balkan conflict, chronicling the heroic journeys of three strangers who find refuge in music and each other. The novel has received high praise for its painstaking depiction of a tragic struggle that has exacted a staggering loss of human life, yet remains relatively unknown to many of us.

Holly is on the faculty of CCA, where she teaches screenwriting and story development. She is also the founder of the Skywriter Series Fiction Workshops and Skywriter Ranch, a summer fiction workshop held annually in Crested Butte, Colorado. She received a MFA from the Master of Professional Writing Program at USC. She is currently writing a third novel set in her native Amish country.

When did you start writing?

I started to write poetry when I was a little girl. Mostly cards with acrostic poetry like 'HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY" etc. I always responded to poetry as a kid: something about the music, the rhythms. My mom started me on a summer reading program at our public library in Pennsylvania and, because she fed my brothers and I mostly health food, I wanted to read as many books as I could to earn free pizzas at a place called Pappy's, where you could stand in the window and watch the guys fling dough in the air. My teachers were also big on writing; we wrote poems and kept journals throughout grade school. This was a huge influence on me because, when I was eleven, I started to write fables. I remember the night when I sat at my desk and wrote three short stories in a row, one about how the alligator got to be preppy, why the raccoon has rings around its eyes, and I can't remember the last one. But I do remember racing down the stairs to show my mom. She read over them and said, "You have a way with words." Just hearing that from her made me want to try again and see if I still had a way with words when the story wasn't right. I submitted those fables and won an honorable mention in a writing contest. It was the only award I'd ever received for my writing; it made me realize I had a gift, which prompted me to study journalism throughout high school and college.

Why did you choose literary fiction?

My first professional writing assignment came from the local newspapers in Lancaster, PA. I wrote about the local La Leche League, even though I knew nothing about breast-feeding (looking like Olive Oil myself with braces on my teeth and no promise of breasts at all). I covered a lot of city council meetings, etc. and then moved to more hard news stories and features, and eventually theater reviews. It was the best part of my internship as a reporter. I got to see plays, write about them, and got paid for it. I realized my passion was about people, not facts, and I quickly learned facts are not always the truth. I believe there is often more truth in fiction, and that's what I seek when I read it: I want a story to give meaning to my life, make me understand why I do what I do and how that affects my relationship with other people. I had no idea that I would be choosing this form of writing. It sounds almost cliché to say it chose me, but that's the only way I can describe it. Every day, I stare at the pages and wonder if I would be better off writing mainstream fiction or non-fiction, but no matter what, I want to write fiction because it is within this medium where I find the most vital truths about what it means to be human, what it means to be alive.

What inspired you to choose your subject matter?

Traveling. A year I spent living in Hungary changed my life. I visited Turkey that year, which lead me to write about the weavers and Islam in The Virgin's Knot. I had met a Serb refugee when I taught English in Hungary. His story of escape inspired me to write The Sound of Blue, which is set in Dubrovnik, Croatia. I grew up in Amish Country, which I'm writing about that now, which is the first time I've even considered writing anything about my own life. Two weeks after I graduated from college, I was struck by a drunk driver. The Amish are a people who are taught to forgive those who trespass against them; and although I am not Amish, I think I'm writing this to forgive the drunk driver. It's the first time I've ever written a story and am conscious of the reasons behind it. There are elements of survival that are present in my first two novels, too, so it doesn't come as a surprise anymore that this is a recurring theme in my work. Inspiration is all around me. I love to meet people when I travel and listen to their stories. I think it's so important for writers to remember to feed their own story, their life story. Thoreau said it best: "How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live."

How difficult / easy has your experience been as a published author? 

Wow. This is a loaded question. I could write a book about it. What I will say is that it's not easier once you're published. You're tested every day to see how much you really want it. You have to want it so much that you're willing to make a lot of sacrifices around your time and your focus. I think the hardest part is navigating the business side of publishing, trying to stay on top of the market while not being a slave to it and staying true to your heart. I like to think of publishing as a kid who dreams about getting to Fenway Park, and once he's admitted, he's slapped on the back and ‘welcomed' with an order to do 100 pushups every day and he's thinking, "Wait a minute. I've never even done a pushup.” But you adapt. You put time into marketing and selling. You put time into promoting your books and yourself, which is the hardest thing for most writers to do because all most of us want, really, is to sit like I'm doing now in a quiet space and write to know what we think. But publishing is a business. I've realized that after I finish a book, I must switch my thinking and slip into the mind-set of a business person because I have something to bring to the marketplace and, once I get there, I want to sell it.

What advice would you give other aspiring authors?

Keep writing. Trust your gut. No matter what anybody tells you, let the story guide you. Be of service to the story. Don't try to guess the market. You are the market. Be persistent and respect the practice. If you write a page a day, you'll have a novel in a year. Write the story that makes you feel most alive when you are inside it, living it first as you tell it. Write because you love the process. Write because without writing, your life would have no meaning. Write as if you were going to die, because you are. You have a responsibility as a storyteller to share what living means.

Anything else you would like to share with the WNBA?

Thank you for this interview. You have helped me procrastinate on my new book! I'm in one of those Transition Days. You know, when you've finished a chapter and you're banging your head on the desk (or taking a very long bike ride) to figure out where the next portal is for the new chapter? See? I, too, write with fear and doubt every day, but I've learned to manage them, like annoying office mates. I've learned to love them for their faults and work, despite them.

Are you a WNBA-SF member and published author? Would you like to share your story with WNBA-SF? Contact the editor for the chance to be featured in our Member Profile section of BookWorm!

• Annual Body and Soul Writing Retreat in Calistoga with Linda Joy Myers, PhD
   
  WHEN: March 31- April 2
  PRICE: $350, 5% discount before March 15.
  TO REGISTER: Register at: www.memoriesandmemoirs.com or write to writeforlife@earthlink.net or call 510-524-3898.

  This retreat offers a chance to immerse yourself in your thoughts and ideas, and explore your deepest being. Whether you write memoir or fiction, our retreat gives you time to focus on yourself and capture your stories.

  • You will be received with full presence and unconditional acceptance.
  • Visualization, memory exercises, drawing, and group sharing open up the well of stories for us to draw from. You will leave with several new stories, a timeline, and a plan to develop your work.
  • During the retreat there is time for mud baths and walks, individual writing time, and consultations with Linda about your work.
  Linda is an experienced retreat and workshop leader who creates a safe, sacred space through which to explore writing and creating in an ideal setting, spring in the Napa Valley. She is Vice-President of WNBA-SF, and conducts ongoing writing workshops in the Bay Area.
• Sell Your Book! Another channel for authors to sell their books is Cafepress.com. Go to www.cafepress.com, click "Start Selling" and set up a Free Basic Shop account.
• Bay Area Independent Publishers Association's Get Published! Seminar
  Date: March 11, 2006, 8am-5pm
  Location: San Anselmo's St. Francis Theological Seminary
  Price: $89 (Members, pre-registration; $99 after Feb. 26); $105 (Non-members, pre-registration; $115 after Feb. 26) $50 Manuscript Consultation Price includes continental breakfast, lunch, beverages, break snack, and a six- month membership in BAIPA, including SPEX, our monthly newsletter, a $25 value.
  A registration form plus more info can be found here: www.baipa.net/2006seminar.pdf.
  This year's Get Published! seminar concentrates on marketing—for authors, publishers, and writers as well as newcomers to the field of publishing.
• Considering a get-away this summer? How about a writer's conference in Paris, with our own WNBA member, author Ellen Sussman (On a Night Like This)? This intimate event in Paris features workshops and writing intensives with Ellen and several other award-winning writers. For more information, go to: www.wice-paris.org/courses2/creative/pww/pww.html.
• Publish Thyself: A seminar hosted by the American Society of Journalists & Authors Northern California Chapter.

  Self-publishing has entered a whole new phase. Some authors find they make more money when they publish their own books; others see self-publishing as a useful first step to attract the attention of a major house. This seminar will show writers the advantages of new technologies and business models for self-publishing.

  The exceptional panel is experienced in all areas of book development, printing, distribution, and marketing:

  • David Cole, owner/principal of Bay Tree Publishing, author of The Complete Guide to Book Marketing, and founder of the San Francisco Bay Area Book Festival.
  • Don DeHart, president and founder of DeHART's Media Services in Santa Clara, is widely regarded as one of the top quality printers in the world of self-publishing.
  • Cynthia Frank, president of Cypress House, Lost Coast Press, and QED Press, has more than 25 years experience in writing, publishing, and book shepherding.
  • Carla Ruff, book-marketing consultant, has served as sales and marketing director at Nolo Press, Chronicle Books (special sales), and Sierra Club Books.
  • Shari Steiner, moderator and ASJA member, author of two books with major houses (Putnam and Dell) and two self-published.,

  WHERE: The Mechanics Institute, 57 Post Street (3rd floor) near Market in San Francisco
  WHEN: Thursday, March 23, 6-9 pm
  COST (includes a delicious buffet and beverages, catered by Whole Foods): $20 members, $25 nonmembers, $30 at the door
  GETTING THERE: Just a few steps from the Montgomery St. BART on Post and Market. One-fourth of a block up Post from the Market Street bus lines. On-street parking on Post and neighboring streets, free after 6 pm. Garage parking 3 blocks away in the Sutter Stockton Garage, 330 Sutter.
  RESERVATIONS: Deadline—5 pm, Mon, Mar 20, email Shari@MoveDoc.com
  INFORMATION: Call Nancy Faass at 415-922-6234 or Shari Steiner at 415-643-8600