LLL-apalooza at the Virginia Festival of the Book

On Friday, March 20th, 26 members of the Literary Ladies Luncheon (okay, maybe some were guests -- I can't keep track of EVERYthing) gathered for lunch at Bashir's Taverna on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall.

At table #1 were (from left to right) Erika Raskin, Diane Nelson, Debby Prum, Jeanne Siler, Johanna Smethurst, Susan Wright.







Table #2: That's Kathy May who has sneakily leaned out of the photo, Karen Kostyal, Mary Cail, Linda Kobert, Elizabeth Howard, Kathy Pond, Susie Langenkamp.









Table #3: Polly Lyman, Laura Rydin, Sandy Houseman, and Lisa Provence.











At Table #4, Charlottesville LLLers mingled with visiting Denver LLLers. Deborah Clarke Grosvenor, Doreen Orion, Fran Cannon Slayton, Stefanie Newman, Jocelyn Johnson, Rachel Unkefer.






Yours truly and Bella Stander.








And there's Bashir himself, at the serving table.







Throughout the Festival, LLLers were busy appearing on panels (or moderating them), and attending the multitude of events offered at the Festival. (And let's hope there were lots of power-schmoozes.)

Jennifer Elvgren, Debby Prum (standing) and Fran Cannon Slayton are at their presentation, Great Beginnings: How to Hook an Editor on the First Page. (That's Fran's forthcoming novel When the Whistle Blows displayed on the table.)







At the panel Book Review Superstars, emcee Bella Stander awarded each superstar (Louis Bayard, Alan Cheuse, Michael Dirda and Bethanne Kelly Patrick) a laudatory golden garland. Michael Dirda is receiving one as Alan Cheuse watches.

White Elephants on Parade in Charlottesville

The tenth annual Charlottesville LLL White Elephant Exchange was held yesterday at the Gracious Home of writer and documentary filmmaker Elizabeth Howard. Some twenty Literary Ladies were in attendance. As the exquisite wrappings fell away, we were left with many truly wretched offerings. (Why, this is the best holiday EVER!)

My personal favorite was Susie Langenkamp's new "pump" soap.

Hearty congratulations to our first- and second-place winners, Laura Rydin and Sally Honenberger!

What's Your Book About?

If your answer to the above question is, "Um, well...it's kind of like Gone With the Wind meets The Wind in the Willows meets The Winds of War," then you might need LLL cofounder Bella Stander's "Polish Your Pitch!" seminar. She's coming back to beautiful Charlottesville to conduct it at WriterHouse next Saturday, October 18, 1-3pm.

You can read an interview with Bella (which includes the #1 mistake new writers make when describing their books) on the WriterHouse home page. There's more info about the seminar--and how to register for it--HERE.

Literary Ladies Awarded!

Charlottesville weekly newspaper The Hook won 6 first-place prizes at Friday night's Virginia Press Association awards in Roanoke. And two of those prizewinners were Literary Ladies Lisa Provence (headline writing) and Janis Jaquith (editorials). Hooray!

Full story: Hook Brings Home Bacon (16 awards)

L-R: Lisa Provence, Janis Jaquith & Hawes Spencer, editor of The Hook, whence this photo was lifted.

Superb Book Launch Party for Sleeping With Ward Cleaver

Jenny Gardiner's next book should be "How to Promote Your Book." Last night, a few hundred of Jenny's closest friends (in other words, le tout Charlottesville) gathered upstairs at the Paramount Theater, where Jenny and husband Scott hosted a fantastic book launch party for Jenny's first novel, Sleeping With Ward Cleaver. By the time I arrived, the book-signing line snaked out the door, and people were snapping up multiple copies.

The food was so good, I wondered who the caterer was. I was thinking how lucky Jenny was, to get this kind of support from her publisher. Turns out, Jenny and her friends provided the food and drink, and the entire wingding was the author's undertaking. There were clever decorations using the graphics from the cover of her book, and the volunteer waitstaff sported matching aprons and pink rubber gloves which evoked the June Cleaver, early-'60s zeitgeist so intrinsic to Jenny's novel.

The evening was a huge success, and I have no doubt that in a few hundred Virginia homes this Sunday afternoon, people are chatting in person or online with their friends about Jenny's book, and curling up with a copy of Sleeping With Ward Cleaver and enjoying every minute of it.

My hat is off to Jenny (that would be a pink pillbox hat) for talent and creativity that extend well beyond the pages of her book.

"Sleeping With Ward Cleaver" makes debut

Jenny Gardiner's novel, Sleeping With Ward Cleaver, has just hit the bookshelves. You'll recall that Jenny's manuscript for this novel won the American Title III national fiction contest last year. Order your copy at Amazon.com.

"A fun, sassy read! A cross between Erma Bombeck and Candace Bushnell, reading Jenny Gardiner is like sinking your teeth into a big frosted chocolate cupcake...you just want more."

-Meg Cabot, author of Big Boned and Queen of Babble Gets Hitched.

Congratulations, Jenny!

Sharon Leiter reading at New Dominion

An invitation from Sharon Leiter:

Dear Friends,

Please come and join me for a reading of my new book of poems, The Dream of Leaving, on Thursday, January 24, at 5:30 pm, at New Dominion Bookstore on the Downtown Mall. Afterwards, we'll convene at Jean Sampson's studio on the second floor of the McGuffey Art Center, for food, drink and conversation!

Will you let me know by January 17 if I may expect the pleasure of your company? You can email me at SLeiter at AOL.com.

wishing you a happy, healthy new year,

Sharon

Ghastly-Gift Gathering

Yesterday, the Charlottesville branch of the Worldwide Literary Ladies Luncheon gathered at Milan indian restaurant for the annual White Elephant gift exchange.



Going clockwise: that's yours truly (Janis Jaquith) with hand raised, Fran Slayton (who has wonderful publishing news that may not yet be disclosed), Jenny Gardiner, Laura Rydin Ventre, Marianne Sullivan, the intrepid Susan Wright, and Erika Raskin.










And lucky me, I got what has to get the award for "Most Desperate Gift, Ever." A can of beans, courtesy of Rose Elliott.













Marianne Sullivan having a "what the hell is this?" moment with a ghastly, multicolored ceramic bowl festooned with stuck-on ceramic fish. She decided it would make a good water bowl for the cat. (Although the ceramic fish could be cause for some feline frustration...)








That's Susan Wright holding her Hokie Napkins (unfortunately, the Hokie turkey doesn't show in this shot). Additionally, this tacky collection of Virginia kitsch included a snow and glitter globe of Jamestown, and a Hokie-bird golf tee.





Laura Rydin enjoys, temporarily, the painted-lady glasses that had been happily perched on a windowsill in my gracious kitchen for the past two years. (My gracious kitchen is painted the same periwinkle blue as the ladies.) My husband suggested last week that someone else's house -- anyone else's house -- would be a good place for the glasses. With a heavy heart, I wrapped them up for the LLL wingding. But Laura, the very soul of generosity, wouldn't hear of keeping the glasses, and they are now back home in my g.k.







Jenny Gardiner actually LIKES the collection of Christmas tree decorations she received.






I regret to report that the winner of the Tackiest Gift Prize (wrapped with panache by Erika Raskin) was not captured in a photograph. It was a plastic box (the kind a corsage should come in) filled with taupe satin rosettes. (Even if you could make a taupe rose, why would you?) Elizabeth Howard was the baffled recipient. ("Whatever would you do with THESE?" We suggested that she strew them on her sheets to wow her husband.) Although they didn't actually smell like some musty artifact from Miss Havisham's hope chest, they looked as though they ought to.

I raise my virtual champagne glass to Literary Ladies everywhere: Charlottesville, Denver -- wherever you may be. May 2008 bring inspiration, finished projects, wide distribution, and fat checks. Cheers!

(And many thanks to Elizabeth Howard, who took these photographs -- and had to take home those crappy roses.)

Charlottesville Editing Gig

This opportunity from craigslist was passed along to me today:
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Part-Time Editing Job Available (Comp: Hourly, no benefits, based on experience) (Charlottesville, VA)
job-390765237@craigslist.org : http://charlottesville.craigslist.org/wri/390765237.html
Person with editing experience in fiction writing or with good background in English needed for Fridays and Saturdays. Work involves taking dictation, assisting with editorial choices, and working on dialogue in novel in progress by experienced writer.
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Bein' as how it's someone in C'ville, I can't help but wonder who it is!