Deckle Edge

In February, a new literary festival, called Deckle Edge, after the frame used in manual paper-making that leaves a ragged or feathered edge, debuted in Columbia, SC. Thanks to a grant from the national SinC organization, the Palmetto Chapter was able to invite Hank Phillippi Ryan to participate in a panel and be interviewed by Cathy Pickens. The festival featured other chapter members, including J.E. Thompson and Sasscer Hill. Carla Damron’s recent novel, The Stone Necklace, was highlighted as a “One Book, One Community” read. I truly enjoyed teaching a workshop about “Plotting Strategies for Short Stories, Novels, and Plays.”

Sharing Good News with Carla Damron and Sam Morton

Two close friends who are members of the Inkplots, our local writing group, and fellow bloggers for Writers Who Kill, are celebrating terrific achievements.

Carla Damron, dedicated social worker and author of the Caleb Knowles mystery series, recently had her literary novel, The Stone Necklace, accepted for publication by USC Press Story River Books imprint, with editor-at-large Pat Conroy.
  
Sam Morton, whose adult novel Disavowed and young adult series are published by Echelon Press, attended Writer's Digest PitchFest and received SIX agent requests for his latest manuscript.

Both of these writers have worked diligently and deserve every success. Many congratulations!

New Year, New Website!

Karen and her grandson

I'm so excited to launch paulagailbenson.com. The designer is Karen McCullough (http://www.karenswebworks.com/), who also designed Carla Damron’s website (http://carladamron.com/). Karen’s artistry and understanding makes her a true delight to work with, and she offers individualized design options. She also provides excellent advice and education for people needing assistance in navigating this brave new world of Internet presences! In addition to web design, Karen is an author with two websites showcasing her work: http://www.kmccullough.com/index.php and http://www.marketcentermysteries.com/. The first describes her mystery and fantasy stories. The second features a mystery series that takes place at a trade show venue in Washington, D.C.