Meet Michael Ventrella – Writer, Editor, Lawyer, Musician, Wise Guy

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Editor, Legal Advice for Authors, Michael Ventrella, Pennwriters, Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Conferences, Writing Craft, Writing Workshops

Author Michael Ventrella, will be at the GLVWG Write Stuff Writers Conference™, “2020 Vision”, on Saturday, March 14, at the Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel & Conference Center.

He will offer three sessions.

How the Law Really Works

The Biggest Mistakes Made by New Authors

What Editors Look For

** Click “Continue Reading” for Interview and Course Details **

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Biography:

Outside of writing, Mike worked primarily as a public defender; however, he also was a lobbyist for the liberal group Americans for Democratic Action (and later served as the Massachusetts chapter President for a year), taught political science courses at Bunker Hill Community College, and was a campaign manager for a state representative. Mike also wrote songs and performed in two prominent bands, Agent 99 and Big House, which played the major clubs in the Boston area and received airplay on local college radio.

Mike also started a magazine about animated films called Animato in the mid 80s which grew to be quite prominent. He was quoted in many publications as an animation expert, including Entertainment Weekly and in the book THE DREAM TEAM: THE RISE AND FALL OF DREAMWORKS by Daniel M. Kimmel.

In 1997, Mike and his wife, Heidi, moved to the beautiful Poconos, where Mike now works as an attorney. Heidi is a Niche award-winning artist whose work can be seen in galleries around the country and in Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museums all over the world, as well as on ABC TV’s To Tell the Truth. They love the pitter patter of little feet (they have five cats:  McGonigal, Mrs. Premise, Mrs. Conclusion, Doctor Who and River Song).

Mike is a regular fixture at science fiction conventions on the east coast, where he appears on panels to discuss fiction, animation, and gaming. However, to many people, he’s known primarily as the Guy Who Predicted The Hodor Plot Twist.

Meet Victoria Selvaggio

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Editor, GLVWG "Write Stuff", Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, Writing, Writing Conferences

Once again, GLVWG’s Michelle Meeh spent some time interviewing Victoria Selvaggio, Associate Agent for the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.  Vicki has a strong background in business ownership and over six years of actively working as a volunteer and Regional Advisor for SCBWI: Northern Ohio. Drawn to the publishing scene first as an author writing all genres, with her most recent publication in the 2015 Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, Vicki’s passion for honing the craft carried over into reading manuscripts for the agency. Currently, she is excited to read compelling manuscripts that will resonate with her long after she’s done.

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Michelle: Who is your most memorable writer?

Veronica: Stephen King is my favorite writer. I find his path to publication fascinating, and I find his published works to be more than enjoyment for reading. For me, they’re instruments/tools—I’ve learned so much on mastering voice, playing with a manuscript’s structure, and even pushing those standard writing rules a tad.

His publications encouraged me to write about the sweet and innocent, while weaving in the crazy and unimaginable. They helped me push my own limits as a writer–learning to not hold back, writing about my deepest fears, while sharing those things that show my vulnerability. And mostly, they encouraged me to be me–to write what I need to write!

Michelle: Do you have a particular quote that resonates long after the book is back on the shelf?

Veronica: While I don’t have a particular quote after the book is back on the shelf, I do have a favorite motivational quote:

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman

MeetChristine Stroud

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Autumn House Press, Editor, GLVWG "Write Stuff", Writing, Writing Conferences

GLVWG’s Michelle Meeh had an interview with Christine Stroud, Senior Editor of Autumn House Press. Christine will be taking pitches at the GLVWG “Write Stuff” Conference on Saturday, April 9. (Advance registration is required.)

Christine Stroud is originally from eastern North Carolina, but currently lives in Pittsburgh and works as the Associate Editor for Autumn House Press. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Chatham University and a BA in Literature from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. She has a chapbook, The Buried Return, released by Finishing Line Press. Her poem, “You Called the Night it Snowed in April,” was published in Ninth Letter’s first web edition and she received the Best Thesis in Poetry award for her manuscript, Brick Wall.

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Michelle: What is it about poetry that resonates with you as a reader?

Christine: I’ve always loved the incisiveness of poetry. Even if a poem has long lines or spans for pages, I always find them acute because of the attention to language and structure. In a successful poem there’s a sense that after a great deal of thought, the poet found the right word. That being said, I love that despite poetry’s conciseness it’s also completely unrestricted—it can be fictional, it can be autobiographical, it can be both simultaneously. Even poems in very strict forms can be wildly imaginative and unconfined. A poem is a fun little puzzle, a quiet secret that pulls us in.

Michelle: As a writer, why is poetic expression so important?

Christine: The attention to language, for me, is the most vital aspect of poetry. We’re all talking and writing so much these days and I see that reflected in some of the literary work I read. Much of it is good, but lacks the love of language. I read very solid stories and poems that have interesting narratives or play with form, but the language falls completely flat. Poetic expression is important in keeping us focused on the necessity to connect with words, to push ourselves with language.

Michelle: What do you look for in a poem? In a fiction/nonfiction manuscript?

Christine: I look for something that takes me off guard—for work that displays a new way of engaging an idea or situation (This goes for all three genres). For instance, consider how many poems about nature have been written over the years. If you’re a contemporary poet you need to consider how to approach the subject in a fresh way. I come across a number of very well-written manuscripts that tell a story I’ve read before and don’t offer anything new to conversation.

Michelle: Not to restart the war, but how is southern poetry different from northern?

Christine: ((Ha, good question.))

Sometimes I’m not sure they really are that different in contemporary works except in evocation of place and the use of language/dialect. Other times I feel certain there’s a clear distinction. Even if we aren’t shaped by our culture (and I think we are), we’re responding to it.

I grew up in the South, but I’ve lived a large part of my adult life in Pennsylvania. At this point I don’t know if I would identify as a southern writer even though I write a great deal about my childhood there. Similarly, I don’t typically identify myself as a female writer even though I write about issues concerning gender.

Perhaps in the end, it really depends on the intent of the poet?

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Christine can be found at Autumn House Press, and her website, Christina Stroud.

 

Meet Lawrence Knorr

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Editor, GLVWG "Write Stuff", Sunbury Press, Writing, Writing Conference

GLVWG’s Tammy Burke had a chance to speak with Lawrence Knorr of Sunbury Press, publisher of hardcover, trade paperback, and digital books featuring established and emerging authors in many fiction and nonfiction categories.

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How delightful having you back at the “Write Stuff” conference again! And wow! Is it coming up fast. Anything new and exciting you can share regarding you and/or the Sunbury Press?

Lawrence Knorr: Yes! It is an honor to be asked back a third time. Sunbury Press just completed its best year ever from a sales perspective, nearly doubling. But, there are some interesting trends in the business. EBooks, which peaked at 13% of our business in 2012, have slipped to only 3%. We’ve been strong in nonfiction, but have seen an erosion in many fiction categories. We reintroduced hardcover books in 2014, and had a nice bump from them, but that has cooled a bit. Trade paperbacks remain the strongest format. We’re now at 400 titles and about 200 authors under management. Two of our titles have already been shot as Hollywood movies and another three are in the works. So, who knows what’s in store!

Based on your webpage, I understand the your company holds a “Continue the Enlightenment” mentality from the 18th century and the “Age of Reason.” Could you expand more what that means to you and to the Sunbury Press?

Lawrence Knorr: “Continue the Enlightenment” is a motto that represents our mission statement. Simply put, we are a publisher of diverse categories, but we are always seeking to bring new perspectives and voices to the marketplace. The Enlightenment was about a new order of things — not unlike what is happening in publishing today. The old order governed by a strong center of control is being challenged by more democratic ideals. This is what the independent publishing movement is all about — whether doing it yourself or with an independent publisher. We are experiencing an era of rapid democratization of the publishing industry. If only Hugh Fox had lived a little longer! I’ll never forget the day he called me – Hugh Fox – one of the founders of the Pushcart Prize. He revealed he was dying of cancer and offered me the opportunity to publish his remaining works. He said Sunbury Press was exactly the kind of publisher he was looking for. I was very grateful for his offer, and encouraged him to spread the dozen or so works around to other presses, keeping two of them for ourselves. Hugh liked the motto, and we think it is very appropriate at this time.