News + Events
We’re so proud that Melody by David Hoffer is the winner of the San Diego Book Award in the Published Magical Fiction category.
He is completely stunned, but we’re not. He worked hard on Melody and it’s a great book. Good thing his wife made him enter the contest!
Pick up Melody as an ebook, paperback, or audio book here. He’s currently working on the sequel.
The Inkwells: Steve Nickell (upper left), Valerie Power (lower left), Ramona Josephs-Horton (lower right), and in the upper right, clockwise from top left: John Walsh (Ruth’s hubby), Carol Pope, Ruth Roberts, Michelle Fogle, Sarah Beauchemin, and David Hoffer.
Michelle Fogle is retiring and moving away, so the vaccinated Inkwells got together at Ruth’s house for a proper sendoff, complete with champagne and tiramisu, and a guest appearance from founding member Will Barnes.
Michelle’s writing is gorgeous, compelling, and historically researched, and we wouldn’t want to be without it, even in its infant stages during read and critique. However, the bright side of the pandemic is that we’ve all gotten so used to virtual meetings, that we won’t have to really say goodbye. So we look forward to reading more of her work, and receiving her excellent insights into ours!
Another bright side was the re-addition of Ramona Josephs-Horton to the Inkwells group. She’s on the east coast now, but with Zoom, all things are possible.
We wish Michelle the best in her new home.
Congratulations to David Hoffer on a successful launch of Melody, his action-packed science fiction novel available in print, ebook, or Kindle Unlimited.
Check out that smile of accomplishment, and buy a copy of Melody here.
On Sunday, August 2, the Inkwells got together virtually for a day of writing. We meet every Thursday night for our critiques, but the day of writing is a time to actually work on our novels in progress. Our yearly Inkwells retreat, when we all rent a big vacation house and write all weekend, isn’t possible this year because of the pandemic. In the past, we had also done one-day mini-retreats at Ruth's house, where we also held our weekly critiques--back when meeting in person was a thing.
Hopefully, meeting in person will be possible again soon. But in the meantime, we needed the boost, the motivation, and the accountability to block out a big chunk of time to work without the usual weekend distractions and obligations pulling us away.
We decided that we would meet on Zoom from 10 am to 5 pm. At 10 o’clock we did a check-in. What did everyone intend to work on today? After that, some of us logged out while others just muted ourselves and went to work with the camera on, agreeing to meet back at 1 pm for a mid-day check-in. After that, it was back to work for another three and a half hours until our end-of-day wrap-up at 4:30.
So what did we work on? Carol brushed up the beat sheet for her historical mystery and wrote a new chapter to submit to us for critique this week. Dave did final copy edits on his finished sci-fi manuscript in preparation for querying or self-publishing. Michelle worked on “otter hunting”-- researching and writing a scene for her early-California historical mystery. Ruth organized pieces of her manuscript in the morning and then wrote a new chapter in the afternoon, also for critique this Thursday at our regular meeting. Sarah worked on revising the first part of her novel, speeding the pace, reducing word count, and polishing up the first couple of chapters in preparation for querying. Steve continued to draft scenes for the climax of his steampunk fantasy. Valerie did a fast read-through of her suspense novel on Kindle (to avoid the temptation to edit), taking notes on big picture issues, scene and chapter transitions that need improving, and plot holes.
All in all, a productive day of much-needed camaraderie and support from our fellow writers.
I think we can all agree. 2020 has been one rough year, and it’s only halfway through.
But, distracted and bewildered and sorrowful as we all might be, The Inkwells are forging ahead. We’ve been meeting via Zoom every week, and continuing to critique submissions from our members who are currently drafting chapters.
We also have one member, David Hoffer, who is actively querying his manuscript Melody.
I’m sure this screen looks only too familiar to many of you. Meeting by Zoom has become ubiquitous, and we all have a love/hate relationship with it at this point. There’s nothing like getting together face to face, but until that time, this is a decent substitute. Take a look at our faces as we smile through the pain!
Hope you all are getting some writing done too!
Michelle Fogle’s piece in the anthology is a chapter from her completed manuscript City of Liars, a historical novel set in Barcelona during the Spanish Inquisition.
The Inkwells met in a class at San Diego Writer’s Ink, which every year publishes an anthology of works from its members. Selection for publication in the Year in Ink is competitive, and four Inkwells were published in 2019!
Here they are after a reading at the City Heights Performance Annex, hosted by SD Writer’s Ink on June 10, 2019.
Congratulations Dave, Michelle, Ruth, and Sarah!
Left to right: David Hoffer, Michelle Fogle, Ruth Roberts, and Sarah Beauchemin
Tammy Greenwood -- accomplished author and our Novel Certificate Program Instructor at San Diego Writer's, Ink -- will be signing her new critically-acclaimed novel Rust & Stardust at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore on Monday, August 20, 2018.
This event is free and seating is first come, first serve. To get a book signed during the event, a copy must be purchased through Mysterious Galaxy.
Come down to meet and support Tammy, while mixing with other local bibliophiles and authors!
Location: Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, 5943 Balboa Ave #100, San Diego, CA 92111
Time: 7:30pm
Cost: Free for the event, $26.99 for a hardcover book copy
We're proud to share that David's and Ruth's fiction is included in 2018's A Year in Ink: Volume 11, an annual anthology published by San Diego Writers, Ink that features the creative work of San Diego County's diverse writers.
Come celebrate the release of the book and hear David and Ruth read their selected pieces aloud at A Year In Ink: Volume 11 Launch Party at San Diego Writers, Ink on June 19, 2018! Details below:
Location: White Box Theatre, 2590 Truxton Road, Suite 205, San Diego, CA 92106
Time: Doors at 6:30pm
Cost: $5 donation or unopened bottle of wine
Hope to see you there!
