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 A Whole Harvest of Iowa Authors
  Sometimes, good great ideas just slap you in the face. That happened in October when I participated in the Iowa Author Fair 2009 with 53 others. Always a little slow to arrive at a conclusion, but getting there nevertheless, I realized that Iowa grows corn, beans, grapes, cattle, hogs and authors. We tell the world to buy our corn, beans, grapes, cattle and hogs, but don’t do much to promote Iowa authors and their books. SO:
1. Thank you to the Des Moines Public Library, the Iowa Center for the Book and the Iowa Library Association for It’s All about Books! Iowa Author Fair. You made us feel good about ourselves.
2. Beginning now, this Web site is profiling one of those 53 Iowa authors every few weeks. Most of us find self-promotion difficult since our mothers told us not to talk about ourselves. But promoting your peers is easy. So, please, click on Worth Reading. Otherwise, how will you know what good books to buy?

The Authors:
1.  Jan Blazanin:

Jan says: After I spoke recently to a women’s group about to my writing journey, a friend said, "Well, your story certainly discouraged anyone here from becoming a writer." Although my purpose wasn’t to talk people out of being   read more from Jan...

2.  Sherry Ellis

A Handbook Worth Your Time
Now Write! Nonfiction [Tarcher Penguin] offers superior exercises from writers, best-selling authors, Pulitzer Prize winners, icons, top memoirists AND ME! But I’m not the reason why I’m jabbering on. Now Write! Nonfiction can come become your writerly bible. It was edited by Sherry Ellis, who gave us Now Write! who answered some questions for us:

Who is your reading audience?
Budding and developing writers of nonfiction who want to hone and enhance their craft, as well as nonfiction readers curious to learn more about the writers they love and the craft of nonfiction.

How should people use your book?
It doesn’t matter where you begin. Just plunge in, pick a page and get started. What do you want readers to glean from your book?
That the craft of writing of nonfiction is palpable, available and can be understood and implemented by all.

How did you get writers to contribute?
I was lucky. Now Write! Fiction had already been positively reviewed, so nonfiction writers were eager to sign on for this one.

What did you, as a writer-editor, learn?
That the contributing authors of nonfiction exercises are dedicated to submitting clear and useful writing exercises.


 
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