Showing posts with label Susan Snowden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Susan Snowden. Show all posts

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Netwest Member Susan Snowden’s New Book Launches at Fountainhead Books

              

     
The Fountainhead Bookstore in Hendersonville NC will launch 
Susan Snowden’s new book,A Closet Full of Masks, on Friday, Oct. 2, at 
5 p.m., with refreshments and door prizes. Susan will also give a talk 
and sign books. (Call the store at 828-697-1870 to reserve a ticket.) 


Published by Archer Hill in Columbia, SC, the book is a novella and fifteen short stories, most of which are set in western North Carolina. From the back cover: “Susan Snowden’s wry humor suffuses even the most poignant of these stories, all set in the South—from south Georgia to the southern Appalachians. Thematically, she treats readers to a smorgasbord of tales whose  characters—young, old, affluent, poor—are struggling in various ways. Presented with a rare opportunity, an artist must face his insecurity; an uneducated woman searches for a way to win her son’s respect; a reclusive librarian seeks solace after the death of her father . . .”

            Susan’s been a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network since 1995 when she moved to the mountains from Atlanta. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies, and her first novel, Southern Fried Lies, won a 2013 IPPY Award for Best Fiction in the Southeast.

            A Closet Full of Masks is available at indie bookstores and from online sellers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.


Friday, March 7, 2014

Author of Southern Fried Lies, Susan Snowden, on Fiction

Meet Susan Snowden, author and editor who will be a presenter at the Netwest Writers Conference on May 10 in Sylva, NC.

An Atlanta native, Susan Snowden moved to the mountains of western NC in 1995 to have more time to write. Since then her work—fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry—has been published in more than forty literary journals and anthologies. She has received seventeen honors and awards for her writing, including a gold medal in 2013 for her first novel, Southern Fried Lies (IPPY Award; Best Fiction, Southeast Region). 

Susan has taught writing at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and at Blue Ridge Community in Flat Rock, NC. She’s also worked as a freelance book editor since 1985, editing fiction and nonfiction for publishers and authors. (www.SnowdenEditorial.com).  

The conference will be a one day event at the beautiful public library of Jackson County. This building is the former majestic courthouse sitting on a hill that can be seen for miles around the picturesque little town of Sylva. Recently renovated, it is now the Jackson County public library and event center.
Registration information for the conference will soon be available at www.netwestwriters-west.org


Sunday, October 27, 2013

Thanks to the writers in Henderson County for the 2014 Netwest Picnic

It was a good day and lots of fun when we gathered for the Netwest picnic in Hendersonville recently.
photo by Ellen Schofield
 In spite of a slight drizzle most of the afternoon, under the cover of a large pavilion at Jackson Park, the writers, including Jack Prather, Emilee Hines, Susan Snowden, Lana Hendershott, Pat Vestal, Betty Reed, Paul M. Schofield, Susan Lefler, Martha O. Adams, Karen Luke and others enjoyed the array of sandwich fixings purchased from Ingles, which included their cold cuts, artisan breads and condiments, along with chips, fruit and cookies.

When Lana gave a quiz on NCWN and NCWN West, long time members knew most of the answers, but Ellen 
Schofield, Program Coordinator for NCWN West, and I had the highest scores. Surprised?

A number of books had been donated as prizes and I was delighted to win a copy of Jack Prather's book, Twelve Notables of Western North Carolina. I learned that we can expect another book on notable women. I look forward to reading that one.

My thanks to Lana, Pat, Martha and all the writers who helped with the picnic, and who made me and my guest, Rebecca Gallo, feel so welcome. Once again I was reminded that the writers of NCWN West (Netwest) are some of the nicest and most supportive people I've ever met.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Blue Ridge Writers Conference in Blue Ridge Georgia - Friday Night Reception


Tonight I sat with Robert S. King and Carole Thompson at a book table upstairs in the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Center in Blue Ridge, Georgia. The room was small, but besides our long table loaded with Robert's many poetry books, copies of Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Now Might as Well be Then, my poetry chapbook and Carole’s new book, I think 8 other writers were displaying their novels.
Glenda Beall, Scott Owens (standing in back) Robert S. King

I found that several of them were new in the area. I used this opportunity to tell them about NCWN and NCWN West. I gave out brochures with the application form on them, but the phone number for NCWN on the brochure is incorrect. We need to update our literature.

I feel sure we will soon have three new members. One of them is an author who lives in Macon County NC. I had friended her on Facebook. (Friended- what a weird word) Her name is Linda Rue Quinn, author of The Cyrano Game and another book soon to be in bookstores. She is trying to get some writing events started in Macon County, and I hope she will soon be a member of NCWN West.

Linda Rue Quinn and her husband
Another lovely author who is new to our region, only been here a few weeks, is Sharon. She has a novel and I’ll tell more about it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I am in bed trying to get rid of the terrible headache I developed from sitting near someone who wore perfume. Having MCS makes it very difficult to attend writing conferences.

I am also ready to get back to Southern Fried Lies by Susan Snowden. So far, I am really enjoying this novel.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Susan Snowden's Novel moving on up


Editor and writer, Susan Snowden's new novel is moving to the top.


The Hendersonville Times-News reported that Susan Snowden’s new novel made Fountainhead Bookstore’s bestseller list for 2012. Although it came out in August, it captured spot No. 2 on the list. Here’s an excerpt from the Jan. 6 article:
“In the No. 2 slot is another local author, Susan Snowden, with her debut novel Southern Fried Lies. Although Snowden has been published in many literary journals, this is her first novel. Through word-of-mouth alone, Southern Fried Lies quickly climbed the best-selling list, even beating out Fifty Shades of Grey."
Ann B. Ross’s Miss Julia to the Rescue was No. 1. Her Miss Julia stories are perennial favorites nationwide.
Susan has been a NCWN member since 1996, when she moved to the mountains from Atlanta.

Congratulations, Susan. We are proud that you have joined the ranks of other successful writers in our Netwest region.


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Congratulations to Susan Snowden

Atlanta native, mountain writer, Susan Snowden's novel,  Southern Fried Lies is on shelves at your local bookstores.





Southern Fried Lies (a novel)

Author: Susan Snowden
Publisher: Archer Hill Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9853301-0-1
266 pages; soft cover
$16.95

Available in bookstores and from online booksellers


Told in the clear, strong voice of Sarah Claiborne, a precocious teenager who reads Kafka and Camus, Southern Fried Lies is the story of a well-to-do Atlanta family in crisis.
The Claibornes appear picture-perfect: Edward, a successful architect; Catherine, active in the church and community; four model children. But life at “Tara” is not what it seems. Catherine’s sole focus has always been her oldest son, Ben; it is as if her other offspring and husband are invisible. When Ben suddenly moves away and refuses to communicate with his mother, Sarah becomes the target of Catherine’s wrath. Her father is too busy to help, and when Catherine’s behavior threatens the safety of all her children, Sarah takes on the task of “fixing” her.
The novel is set in Atlanta and New Orleans in the early 1960s.


About Susan Snowden:
An Atlanta native, Susan Snowden has lived in the Asheville area since 1995. Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. A grant from the NC Arts Council
supported this project.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Anthology Reading in Hendersonville, NC

On Wednesday evening, November 3, six poets and authors from Henderson County read their work from the new anthology Echoes Across the Blue Ridge at the Henderson County Public Library in Hendersonville. A book sale and signing by the writers, who are all Netwest members, followed.
The evening was sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and Lana Hendershott, Netwest’s representative in Hendersonville, handled the publicity for the event. Tom Hooker, Susan Snowden, and Lana Hendershott read their short stories (fiction); Charlotte Wolff and Cecily Wells read their poems; and StarShield Lortie read her creative nonfiction piece.
It was a misty, chilly night and we wondered if anyone would attend. We were pleasantly surprised when more than fifty people turned out and received our work warmly.
Ten books were sold and the Friends of the Library presented the group with a check for $100 for the reading. The check was signed over to Netwest at the request of the six members who participated.

Lana dressed as character in her story



“We especially want to thank Lana Hendershott for her efforts to make the reading a success,” said Susan Snowden. “It’s not easy to get things published in the Hendersonville newspaper, but Lana stuck with it and we got great coverage.”

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Susan Snowden's Guidelines for Critique Groups

Guidelines for Writers’ Critique Groups

Susan Snowden has participated in writing critique groups since 1994. Her fiction, nonfiction, and poems have been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies. Susan offers these tips for Netwest members interested in forming a critique group.

Participants - It’s important to limit the group to people who have a similar amount of writing experience. It’s also beneficial if they have the same goals. In my group, we all want to improve our writing and to submit our work for publication.

Size of group - No more than six or seven is best, so that everyone can get feedback. Usually someone is on vacation, sick, at a doctor’s appointment, etc., but when just four or five show up, you will still have plenty to do.

Focus on one genre - Don’t try to mix poetry and prose, unless every member writes both. I belong to a poetry critique group and a separate prose group (fiction, creative nonfiction, personal essays).

Where to meet - If you meet in a public place, such as a library or book store, you may be required to open the group to the public, which rarely works. Writers need to feel safe when they receive critique, and someone wandering in from the street may not be “diplomatic” in delivering criticism. Fire departments in some small towns have community rooms you can sign up for. Janisse Ray, prize-winning author and sought-after speaker, met for years with several like-minded writers in the back room of a hardware store! Avoid restaurants. They’re messy, noisy, and don’t feel safe. My group meets in our homes. We rotate and provide tea, coffee, etc., and sometimes a plate of cookies to munch while critiquing. (If you have six members and meet monthly, you will have to host only twice a year.)

How often to meet - If everyone is retired and has plenty of time to write, twice monthly may work. Most groups meet once a month, which allows members plenty of time between meetings to write.

Length of sessions - One hour is not long enough for everyone to get feedback. Two hours seems just right for many groups.

Format - For poets, a couple of short poems each is about all you can cover. For prose writers, limit your piece to no more than 2500 words (10 pages, 250 words per page, double-spaced copy). At least 24 hours in advance, e-mail your work to all members. They print out and read the piece and make notes on the pages. In this way, you’re ready to discuss the work at the meeting. It takes far too long to read the work out loud at the meeting; it’s also hard for people to deliver thoughtful critique on a piece they’ve just heard.

– Go around the circle. Members should make comments one at a time. Tell the writer what you liked about the piece (praise first!). Then tell her/him if there was something you weren’t clear on, if a character didn’t seem believable, if dialog sounded stilted, etc. Be honest but kind; this is valuable feedback for the writer. (If someone has joined the group just to receive praise, he/she will drop out quickly.)

– Don’t use valuable time telling the person about misspellings or punctuation errors. Simply mark those corrections on the copy and give the person the pages at the end of the session.

– Set aside a time at the beginning or end of the session to share leads about places to publish, or about journals or magazines that are hard to deal with. Recently one of our members heard about an editor who was calling for stories for an anthology. Six of us submitted and four had their work accepted and published in the book. (This information sharing is very helpful.)

– If you have not written something to be critiqued, don’t skip the meeting. Attend in order to give others the benefit of your input. (In my group, if someone can’t come, she e-mails her comments to the others on their work for that month.)

Spirit of the group - The group should provide a “safe container” in which to share your work, learn from others, grow as a writer. Competition should not be a factor. Don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t put yourself down. Celebrate each other’s successes. Offer praise when you really like a piece; don’t praise it simply to stroke someone’s ego. It’s not helpful to them; writing is a craft that takes practice. In my group members listen openly to comments; we revise our work in response to suggestions that resonate with us. We almost always acknowledge that the final product (sometimes revised numerous times) is better—more powerful, clearer, funnier, whatever!

Comments, suggestions, criticism should be offered in a kind, gentle manner. Harsh, mean-spirited criticism should not be tolerated. When you receive critique, don’t argue or defend your work. Receive the criticism with an open mind. You don’t have to accept suggestions. On the other hand, if no one in the group “gets” what you were trying to convey, you may want to go back to the drawing board!

Susan Snowden
Snowden Editorial Services
©2009

Susan Snowden’s work has appeared in numerous anthologies and literary journals, including New Orleans Review, Pisgah Review, Now and Then, Emrys Journal, Aries, and moonShine review. She has received awards from Writer’s Digest magazine, Appalachian Writers’ Association, the NC Writers’ Network, and others. Susan is a book editor based in Hendersonville, NC. (SnowdenEditorial.com)