Tags
Critical First Pages, Writing, Writing Conferences, Writing Craft, Writing Effective Dialogue, Writing Workshops
Article by The Write Stuff Conference Chair, Dawn Sooy
Kathryn Craft writes stories that seek beauty and meaning at the edge of darkness. Rich with material for further thought or discussion, her novels make a great choice for book clubs.
Her first novel, The Art of Falling (Sourcebooks), grew from her 19 years of experience as a dance critic for The Morning Call newspaper. Set in Philadelphia, every page of the novel is infused with a dancer’s heightened awareness of the human body and its movement.
Her second novel, the IPPY award-winning The Far End of Happy (Sourcebooks), is based on the true events surrounding the 1997 suicide standoff that resulted in her husband’s death. It was these events that launched her interest working through troubling psychosocial issues by writing fiction.
Over the past decades she has served on the boards of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group and the Philadelphia Writers Conference and worked with the Women’s Fiction Writers Association; she hosts writing retreats for women and often speaks about writing. She is a regular contributor at two of Writer’s Digest’s Top 101 Websites for Writers, Writer Unboxed and Writers in the Storm.
Who is Kathryn Craft?
“I love the sound of snow crunching beneath boots, the taste of butter, and pumpkin pancakes with real maple syrup (What can I say? I was born in Syracuse, NY). Perfume isn’t for me. When I’m swimming in a northern spring-fed lake, and my nose is right down near the water–that’s my favorite scent in the world. The next is baking bread, which reminds me of my grandmother (I’ve spent every summer of my life at the same lakeside cottage, where I can still conjure her spirit).”
Kathryn was a favorite speaker at a past conference and we were delighted when she was available for us in 2019. She will be presenting the following sessions at the Write Stuff Conference, Saturday March 23.
- Those Critical First Pages
An agent’s request for a full manuscript is so exciting for an aspiring author—but how much of your novel will an agent really read? Perhaps only a few paragraphs—about all you would give a book when browsing in the bookstore. We’ll analyze opening pages that refused to let publishing industry pros go.
- Say That and More: Writing Effective Dialogue – Seating Limited to 24
In this two-hour workshop, you will participate in a series of exercises that will challenge you to improve your dialogue writing. Prepare to leave with a whole new respect for this multi-tasking tool—and perhaps the germ of a new story idea, as well.
- To take advantage of Kathryn’s experience and expertise join us at The Write Stuff
March 21 – 23, 2019
Kathryn lives with her husband in Doylestown. She is the proud mother of two sons: an opera singer and a traffic engineer.
To read more on Kathryn, visit:
- Kathryn’s Amazon Central page
- http://www.kathryncraft.com/
You can follow Kathryn on her Facebook Page KathrynCraftAuthor and Twitter @kcraftwriter
Interviews with Kathryn:
- with Debra Pinkerton on Good Day PA ABC27, January 2016 (TV)
- with Will Broaddus in The Salem News (MA), February 2014
- with Jaclyn Fulmer in Shelf Awareness for Readers, January 2014
- with George and Kate Scuffle, WDIY Arts Salon, December 2013 (radio)
- by Gwen Shrift, Bucks County Courier-Times (PA), December 2013
- by Milton D. Carrero, The Morning Call (PA), December 2013 (includes video)
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Article by Dawn Sooy, The Write Stuff 2019 Chair.
Dawn is a native of Eastern Pennsylvania, with plenty of experience the four seasons have to offer. Armed with a Computer Science degree, she worked in the tech industry until 2012. As an animal lover, she volunteers at the local animal shelter, sneaking in treats for the four-legged residents.
As a member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, Dawn fulfills the duties of Secretary, Conference Chair for the 2019 GLVWG The Write Stuff Conference™ and is part of the 2019 Anthology team. She has published six short stories, the most recent, “Love Knows No Boundaries,” featured in the 2017 GLVWG anthology, “Write Here – Write Now.” She plans to contribute a story to the 2019 GLVWG anthology “Rewriting the Past.”
“From the Darkness” is her first novel, self-published in March 2018. This is based on a true story about a woman with bipolar depression.
Dawn and her husband Bob reside in Kempton, PA. Between them, they have four children, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group 