Tag Archives: ginny shephard

Blog, Conventions, New Releases

After Action Report: Write Stuff Conference 2025

The weekend before St. Patrick’s Day saw a new and improved venue for the Write Stuff writers conference, organized by the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group (GLVWG).  For 2025, our home was the beautiful Homewood Suites in Center Valley, PA.

I wasn’t able to attend on Thursday, so my conference began at 9AM on Friday with keynote speaker Tiffany Yates Martin teaching her excellent full day class on Mastering Backstory. I was interested in this topic given the fact that my first novel, Testing the Prisoner, is a poster child for backstory, memories, and flashbacks. I must have done something right since the book has won eight awards and continues to earn excellent reviews!

Tiffany Yates Martin teaching Mastering Backstory at the Write Stuff writers conference

Friday evening’s events began at 7PM with an excellent presentation on How to Go Deep with Point of View by writer pal, Dianna Sinovic and concluded with our traditional 8PM soiree starring Mark Twain (portrayed by Charles B. Kiernan) who regaled us with a brief anecdote of his writer’s  journey.

Writer pal Ginny Shephard as Professor Minerva McGonnegal

Saturday was the final day of the Write Stuff conference. In the morning, I attended two brilliant  presentations by Katherine Ramsland on Creating Mental Maps and Observation for Writers. In between, Tiffany Yates Martin discussed ways to avoid that Middle of the Book Sag after which, she delivered an inspiring keynote speech over lunch.

I skipped the afternoon classes to set up my table for the book fair.  At about 4PM, the classes ended and the shopping began as well as the judging and awards for the flash literature contest.

Phil's table at the Write Stuff 2025 Book Fair

In addition to the new hotel, another element that made this year’s conference special was the release of our 2025 anthology, Writing a Wrong, which included my 30th published short story, “Give Them Peace,” the first short story featuring psychic-medium Miranda Lorensen from my paranormal mystery novels. Special thanks to Dianna Sinovic for managing the anthology from start to finish. I hope to take over for the 2027 anthology.

Writing a Wrong Anthology Cover   Give Them Peace

It was a blast spending two days with so many friends and colleagues in the writing community including GLVWG president Angel Ackerman, Dianna Sinovic, Charles Kiernan, Ginny Shephard, Bob Gelik, Susan Kling Monroe, Carla Jones, Tammy Burke, GLVWG’s official photographer, Joan Zachary, Write Stuff co-chairs Charles Kiernan and Donna Brennan, Joanne McLaiughlin, and Ann Stolinsky from Celestial Echo Press, and so many more!

Onward to the next one…

Blog, Book Signings, Events

Easton Book Festival 2023

October is nearly upon us and with it, the Easton Book Festival, which will take place October 19-22 in downtown Easton, PA. The central hub of the festival is Book & Puppet Company at 22 Centre Square but programming is scheduled all over town including:

International Fusionism Museum
Nurture Nature Center
College Hill Tavern
Easton Area Public Library
Skillman Library
Quadrant Book Mart
Easton Farmers Market

The full schedule of impressive events can be found here on the festival website.

I’ll be participating on Sunday, October 22 in the following events:

Easton Book Festival Small Press Expo11AM – 5PM – Easton Small Press Expo. Author tables will set up in the Easton Public Market located at 325 Northampton St. Come on out to see local writers Angel Ackerman, Michael Stephen Daigle, Phil Giunta, Christopher Ochs, Ginny Shephard, Felicia Heath, Dianna Sinovic, and Tom Lubben.

Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin Book Cover11AM – Noon – Grit and Crime: The Art of Writing Noir with Albert Tucher, Suzanne Mattaboni, Dianna Sinovic, Phil Giunta (moderator).

Noir is a subgenre of crime literature featuring cynical characters and bleak settings. Dark in theme and subject matter, noir often features systemic corruption and a disturbing mixture of sex and violence. It is frequently associated with hard-boiled detective fiction, but they’re not exactly the same. Panelists will discuss the similarities and differences between noir and hard-boiled fiction, and what inspired them to write in these genres. Panelists will read excerpts from their stories in “Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin,” the latest crime noir anthology from Hawkshaw Press.

Dark and Stormy Night Gameshow2PM – 3PM – A Dark and Stormy Night: Game Show with Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. Host: John Evans. Participants: Phil Giunta, Bernadette Sukley, Michael Stephen Daigle, Suzanne Mattaboni, Dianna Sinovic, Charles Kiernan.

Storm clouds gather as the audience votes on their favorite excerpts read by three GLVWG authors in a literary “gameshow.” Each round showcases the authors’ mastery of an element of fiction: dialogue, setting, character with the audience as the judge. Expect audience participation, a literary trivia quiz, door prizes, and fun for all.

3:45PM – 4PM – I will be reading a 10-minute excerpt (unless I speak quickly and finish the entire thing!) from my short story, “Where Halloween Never Ends” at the Easton Public Market.