July/August Newsletter

Events, Elections and Book Awards

          I have quite a few things for all of you to think about in the upcoming months.

2008 Book Awards

         Deadline for this year’s book awards is August 31.  If you have a book and want it reviewed, please send it in now.  Books received after this date will be considered for 2009 awards.

        Awards will be given out this November at the 2008 Conference and Awards Banquet in San Antonio, TX at the El Tropicano Riverwalk www.eltropicanohotel.com.  MWSA members are getting a reduced rate of $119 per night plus taxes if you make reservations by October 10.  The hotel is also providing the banquet room for our dinner and awards presentations.  To top things off, they will be installing a dance floor and MWSA will be enlisting the services of a local DJ.

Tables will be available for you to promote your works at a free afternoon program open to the public each day.  You can also sign up to speak or read from your book in one of the 20-minute author slots.  Please email me if you would like to participate.  We are in the process of selecting guest speakers for our morning program so attendees can learn more about alternative marketing, website use and tips on public speaking.

San Antonio has the largest community of retired veterans and I am extremely excited about our program there this year.  Newsletters and press releases will go out to ALL the local veteran and veteran friendly news publications.  If you are attending, please send me a short bio (50 words) by October 10 so your name, picture or book photo can be listed in our press releases and handout materials.  Registration fee is $125.00 ($95 early bird special if payment is received by October 10).

The registration form will be available on line the first week of August.

            There are other hotels in the area to fit a range of budgets if you want to make arrangements on your own.

 Elections

            Time to start thinking about whom you would like as the new MWSA President for the next two years.  My term will be up in December.  Terms will also be up for three Board Members.  Now is your chance to become more involved with MWSA!  Please submit your nomination (or YOUR name) and a short bio by September 1 to MWSA, PO Box 669, Larkspur, CA 94977 or email me at tlazzarini@earthlink.net.  Ballots will go out to all voting members in October and the election results will be announced at the ‘08 Conference in San Antonio.

 Attention Left Coast Members!

We still have space for three more authors at the Sonoma County Book Festival in Santa Rosa, CA. to be held Saturday, the 20^th of September.  This is a free event to our members.  MWSA rented two 10 x 10 booths for the day.  The Old Courthouse Square is cordoned off for this yearly festival and draws thousands of visitors to this one-day event.

To sign up, contact MWSA Regional Manager Bob Ruehrdanz at bobrue34@yahoo.com or check out their website at http://www.socobookfest.org/about.html for more details.

 Tony Lazzarini

President

May/June Newsletter

It looks like the new MWSA BookStore is starting off well.  We now have over 50 books listed with links to each authors website of choice.  This is a great service for Active Members.  Potential book buyers can now read reviews and bios just by clicking the author’s name or book title.  Thanks again Joyce for an excellent job!  Also, don’t forget to send in your book signing or appearance information to be posted for visitors to our site.

While recovering from my shoulder surgery, I decided to take a short trip to San Antonio, Texas and check out the site for the 2008 MWSA Conference and Awards program.  Dates for this year’s event are November 10th, 11th and 12th.  It will be held at the El Tropicano Riverwalk/Hoilday Inn Hotel.  What a great place it is!  The new owners invested 20 million dollars in the last couple of years to make it one of the outstanding Hotel and Conference Centers in San Antonio.  It’s just a few blocks away from the Korea/Vietnam War Memorial Park.  Just outside the hotel the famous Riverwalk parallels the North end where tour/taxi boats pick up passengers for a cruise.  One-dollar shuttle services in front of the hotel can take you to the downtown area where folks can visit the remains of the Alamo, see the many displays or shop for gifts.

I have been able to secure a special room rate for our members attending this years’ program.  This three-day event will include guest speakers and a chance for authors to talk about and sell their books.  An authors’ reception is planned for Monday evening, which will be free to the public.  Dinner at the Palm Restaurant on Veterans Day features a specially priced menu for MWSA members who would like to dine out one evening.  The first Palm Restaurant opened in New York City, NY in 1926 and was frequented by newspaper people, authors and artists, not to mention the many dignitaries of a multitude of nations.

I have also added a DJ for the Wednesday night Awards Banquet just in case you feel like getting up and dancing.

If you think you might attend any of these events, please drop me an email (no obligation) to tlazzarini@earthlink.net no later than September 1st so I can tell the hotel/restaurant how many people to expect.

Coming up on September 20th is the Sonoma Country Book Festival in Santa Rosa, CA.  The MWSA has two booths reserved so our authors can sell/display their books.  This is free to all MWSA members but we are limited to about 8-10 authors.  If you would like to attend please contact Robert Ruehrdanz at bobrue34@yahoo.com for more details.

April Newsletter

 The MWSA BookStore is up and running!  Joyce Faulkner did a wonderful job by cross-categorizing the books by title, author and topic.  So far we have about 30 books listed. This is a free program for Active Members so please fill out the form on the BookStore site and submit it to Joyce while she still has time to post your titles.  Once we get going, it will not take long for things to get backed up and delay your entry. Sign up now and get noticed!

Bob Ruehrdanz, Regional 1 Director is taking names of authors who would like to participate in the 2008 Sonoma County Book Festival in Santa Rosa, California to be held on Saturday, Sept 20th.  The MWSA has paid for two 10 x 10 booth spaces and will be able to accommodate the first eight authors who sign up.  Authors wanting to have their books displayed with order information may also contact Bob.  Please check out the Sonoma County Book Festival website at http://www.socobookfest.org/about.html and then contact Bob at bobrue34@yahoo.com if you would like to attend.

The official dates for the MWSA Conference and Award Banquet will be the 10th, 11th and 12th of November in the historic city of San Antonio, Texas.  This three-day event will include six guest speakers, a cruise down the famous Riverwalk, an authors’ reception, and an awards dinner and dance at a place to be announced in the future, in other words, details are still being worked out.

The August 1st deadline for entries into this years’ 2008 MWSA Awards Program will be here before you know it. Please email Andrew Lubin for information regarding titles you wish to submit. Andrew is the MWSA Lead Book reviewer and will have you send your book to the next available reviewer.

MWSA membership cards are still going out but now at a slower pace since I had surgery on my left shoulder.  The doctors assured me I would be 100% in about ten weeks.

Please feel free to contact me with any comments, concerns or suggestions.

Best wishes to all of you.

Tony Lazzarini, President-MWSA

March Newsletter

Membership cards are going out!

Anyone who has become an Active Member in MWSA since January 1, 2008 can expect or should have received their MWSA membership card.  Active Members who joined after July 1, 2007 will be receiving membership cards within the next two weeks.  Active Members renewing their memberships or Associate Members desiring to change status will have membership cards mailed to them as we receive their membership dues.

San Antonio, Texas will be the site of this year’s MWSA Conference and Awards Banquet. This is a great location because San Antonio has the largest community of retired veterans in the USA plus a whole lot of history.  The event will be held in November prior to Veterans Day. More information will follow as things become finalized.

The MWSA BookStore will soon open online.  Joyce Faulkner and I are setting up the format.  Expect to see it up very soon.  Forms may be downloaded from our site. Another free service for Active Members!

The nine Regions of MWSA across the states are now posted.  I am looking for folks to head up each Region.  Robert Ruehrdanz has stepped up to the plate and will head the Pacific Northwest Region One.  I’ve met with Robert and he is excited about contributing to MWSA and seeing it grow.

Tony Lazzarini

President

MWSA

February Newsletter

 Moving forward in 2008

          I received a few notes in the past few months regarding membership cards.  I have been conserving our fund for such things as keeping the website up, accounting fees for preparation of income tax returns, applying for our federal nonprofit status, purchasing awards and certificates and the multitude of costs associated with running a small business.

            I like the idea of having them so I will be working on a design within the next few weeks and hopefully have them out to Active Members by the middle of this year.

            In order to have MWSA events around the nation with the ability to have as many members participate, I created 8 regional areas, each with their own manager. The regional manager will be in charge of locating book events or locations in his/her area that would be receptive to an authors program. Events would be posted on our website under the region heading. Anyone interested in attending an event only need to contact the manager of that region. This accomplishes a couple of things. (1) Members in an area can meet other writers in their region. (2) I found that small groups of writers sell more books as opposed to competing for book buyer’s money in large events of ten or more authors. I feel a gathering of five to eight authors representing the MWSA will do well at targeted events. The MWSA will support these events by means of press releases, posters, and author information. This will also bring a greater awareness to the MWSA itself.

            For those of you who use a POD publisher and can not afford to give a book store the usual 40% off list price, our proposed regional programs at targeted or MWSA sponsored events will let you keep more of your book sales money in your pocket.

            I will be posting the 8 regional areas and looking for managers for those areas in the next week. Please keep checking our site for more information.

            If you would like to BE a Regional Manager, please contact me directly for more information.

            Also in the works is the MWSA Bookstore. Potential book buyers can view our web pages and see your book’s cover with a short description or a few chosen review quotes. A link will lead them to your personal website where they can purchase books directly from you. This is another great program for you POD authors! If you do not have a web page up yet, get one started NOW. This program is available to Active Members only! 

 Tony Lazzarini

President

MWSA

January 2008

Photo courtesy

The Monterey Herald

Donna Teresa, columnist for the on-line extension of The Monterey Herald Newspaper has been appointed to head the Military Writers Society of America’s Education and Speaker program for the organization’s west coast region.

The MWSA is a California based national authors and artists society devoted to education, recognition and promotion of works by men and women who have served their country through military service.

Her duties will include the management of the MWSA Vietnam War Library, author speaking engagements and the disbursement of free books to charitable organizations for fund raising events.

The MWSA Vietnam War Library is a collection of books written about the war by veterans of that conflict.  This is loaned out to schools for a specific amount of time so students studying that period in history can read accounts from those who were actually there.  This helps to clarify any misunderstanding or false conceptions related to our nations Vietnam Veterans.  Speakers and short films are also available to help generate a greater interest in this subject.

Although not a veteran herself, Mrs. Teresa has represented our country’s veterans well through her weekly columns.  I am very happy to have her as an active member of the MWSA and am confident she will add a great deal to the growth and recognition of our organization.

Members wishing to be listed as available guest speakers can contact Teresa at donnateresa@sbcglobal.net.

Regards,

Tony Lazzarini

President

MWSA