ADVICE FOR WRITERS

Darrell Case - on rejecting naysayers and dream breakers. If I can encourage one author to never, never, never give up. 

Darrell Case is an American Christian writer who has been creating stories for some 26 years. He has worked hard over the years to perfect his craft, reading numerous books on writing and taking several courses. With 12 books in print, 10 in audio and 6 that appear in other languages, he has won best mystery 2020 with Author Elite Awards. 

Junot Díaz - The Artist and Their Critical Self  or How I Wrote My Novel "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao." 

Junot Díaz is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and This Is How You Lose Her, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist.

Díaz is currently the fiction editor at Boston Review and the Rudge and Nancy Allen Professor of Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Andrew Fitzgerald is a native of Ireland and now resides in Oceanside, California. He’s the author of How Did I Get Here? 

Andrew faced many challenges and fears. In his book and in this video sesison he talks about resiliency and how he faced adversity.

 A father, husband, and author, Andrew speaks on what it takes to be successful and how to overcome health crises and other losses. His experiences allow him to show others how to recover in order to flourish and thrive with resilience.

Catherine DeVrye - Drawing from her presentation to 1600 delegates at the World Airline conference on 9-11, exactly 20 years ago, in this virtual presentation today, she shares the importance of hope and persistence—why books matter! She will also talk about “Resilience for riters – and others who can’t spell”. She’s had multiple rejections and was expelled from English in high school so describes herself as an accidental author with minimal literary skill who specializes in persistence and resilience-on both a professional and personal level…which she’ll share with us. 

Catherine deVrye is author of 9 books, including three #1 best-sellers translated into over a dozen languages. Her memoir was nominated for the Australian Biography prize. 

Nicola Pierce - author of historical fiction for children describes her writing journey, her books and how she works. 

Nicola Pierce published her first novel, Spirit of the Titanic, to rave reviews. She went on to bring her knowledge of this great ship, and all who sailed in her, to a non-fiction work: Titanic: True Stories of Her Passengers, Crew and Legacy. Nicola’s latest book, a history of Dublin’s O’Connell Street, arrives in book shops in September 2021. 

Dr. Lisa Nezneski - Seven Mindful Questions brings mindfulness to the stressed-out working professional who is juggling multiple priorities. 

Dr. Lisa Nezneski is a leading authority in the field of Integrative Medicine, bringing the benefits of traditional medicine, meditation and alternative modalities in a well-rounded approach to health and healing. Dr. Nezneski is a board-certified pharmacotherapist, Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, professional healthcare consultant, Botanical Medicine specialist, Reiki Master, Intuitive, author, and speaker. 

Geraldine Brooks talks about her favorite novel from her own acclaimed list, about character development in her novels, provides advice for writers and talks about how the pandemic affected us as writers. 

Geraldine Brooks worked for The Wall Street Journal, where she covered crises in the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans. In 1990, with her husband Tony Horwitz, she won the Overseas Press Club Award for best coverage of the Gulf War. Geraldine was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for her novel March. Her novels, Caleb’s Crossing and People of the Book, were  New York Times best sellers. Her first novel, Year of Wonders is an international bestseller, translated into more than 25 languages and currently optioned for a major motion picture starring Andrew Lincoln. She is also the author of the nonfiction works Nine Parts of Desire, Foreign Correspondence and The Idea of Home. 

Aileen Castellano - Author and Life Coach will present “Writer’s Block 911…Creating Creative Breakthrough When You Hit A Wall.” What keeps us in the state of creativity? This session will provide 5 Tips and Steps that will keep the ideas flowing including breakthrough exercises you can straight away. 

A.G. Billig - writer, author coach, founder of Self-Publishing Mastery, will teach us how to “Write More, Stress Less. How to Increase Your Productivity and Thrive as an Author Using Mindfulness”. You’ve put long hours into your novel until you’ve squeezed out the last drop of inspiration, yet you’re far from typing “the end.” Or maybe you have an amazing first chapter, but writer’s block makes you stare in frustration at the next blank page. In both scenarios, stress robs you of your innate creativity and the joy of pursuing your passion. This session is designed to help you thrive as an author, be more productive, and fully enjoy the writing process. It will empower you to become a better writer and give you the mindfulness tools to stay healthy and always be connected to your muse. 

Niamh Campbell - Author and Sunday Times Best Short Story Winner 2020,  the richest prize for a single short story in the English language. Niamh will speak on Cultivating a Sense of Self Belief. Her debut novel This Happy from Weidenfeld and Nicolson is out now. 

Niamh Campbell won the 2020 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award with her story Love Many. This is the richest prize for a single short story in the English language. Her debut novel This Happy from Weidenfeld and Nicolson is out now. 

Heather Richardson - writer and lecturer, will talk about Teaching Creative Writing Online. Heather Richardson draws on the Open University’s expertise in teaching Creative Writing online, and considers the benefits for teachers and learners in a post-COVID world. 

Heather Richardson is a Belfast-based multi-genre writer. Her work has appeared in journals and anthologies in Ireland, the UK and Australia. She is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at The Open University. 

Martina Carroll - author and lecturer at University College Dublin, will give a talk about “A World on Fire: making sense in the 21st Century”. As a psychologist, who has worked with artists in distressed communities in Ireland, Martina will speak about the current crisis facing Western Civilisation. 

Phil Featherstone - on his addiction to writing.