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Thursday, March 20, 20257 PM ESTBarrington Senior Center, 109 Shreve Avenue, Barrington NJor virtually on Zoom. Near-future science fiction is generally considered to be fiction that takes place in the next 50 years. As technology advances, climate changes, and political systems modify, our view of the future and what might be actual “fiction” changes rapidly. In the unusual times we’re now living in, join us for a panel discussion on writing near-future science fiction, and how to incorporate political and technological elements into your writing. Our panelists will be:– Author Jon McGoran, author of the Doyle Carrick environmental thriller series……(continued)

SJWG member Ellie Kirk‘s debut novel is now available for pre-order through most online booksellers. BONNIE BAILEY AND THE FAIRE OF WORLDS is a contemporary fantasy for middle-grade readers. To save her family’s honey farm, thirteen-year-old Bonnie Bailey agrees to join the magical Faire of Worlds. Bonnie is enchanted by the larger-than-life residents and fantastic creatures she meets but she soon learns that everything is not as peaceful as it seems. There’s world-ending danger hiding in the Faire’s shadows and it’s up to Bonnie and her newfound friends to save the Faire of Worlds from destruction. Publication date is set……(continued)

URLDavid W. BettertonPleasantville Stories: Sex, Dancing, and Shooting U.S. Navy Jets (Growing Up in South New Jersey in the 1960s) is a collection of short stories and poems all about growing up in small-town Pleasantville, NJ, in the 1960s. P’ville Stories is available at most retail outlets.

Max Burger’s published book, Even in Death, a mystery/thriller of the Irish Troubles, has received a favorable review from Midwest Book Review. In addition, an excerpt, “Lost and Found,” from another manuscript by Max Burger, My Father’s Father, for which he is seeking publication, has been published in The Jewish Fiction Journal. About Even in Death: After the Dublin car bombings in 1974, Harold Stokes, ME, and his new assistant, Samantha Monaghan, begin the last autopsy of the casualties. This unidentified victim is not an Irishman, but an Israeli, killed by a bullet, not a bomb. Before they can finish……(continued)

By Susan Rosenbluth On July 7, SJWG members were invited to spend the day at Bradley Beach at the Rosenbluths’ beach house. After a bagels-with-the-trimmings brunch, some of those who came used the time to enjoy the surf and sand; others spent the afternoon relaxing with ocean breezes on our porch. As the day wore on, those who had signed up to read my novel, Blurred Vision, as Beta Readers, were kind enough to share their thoughts about the book, and then we ate dinner at Kaya’s Kitchen, a vegan restaurant in nearby Belmar.

Gail Priest is excited to share that her latest novel, Soul Dancing, was selected as an American Fiction Awards finalist in Women’s Fiction. Firebird Book Awards awarded it first place in Cross Genre and second place in Women’s Fiction. It was also a Regal Summit Book Awards winner in Paranormal Fiction. About Soul Dancing: When ninety-year-old Shirlene Foster dies, she is shocked to wake up in another woman’s body. Even more astonishing, she’s in a hospital delivery room, about to give birth. Fearing no one will believe her, she attempts to hide her true identity, but acting like a twenty-year-old……(continued)

SJWG member Jennifer Cohen, publishing as Jennifer Leigh, has released Bridge Between Stars, now available on Amazon! About Bridge Between Stars: A girl living her life in the shadows is thrust into another realm where her identity is revealed, sparking an inevitable rebellion. Elora has lead a tragic life that has left her alone, unwanted, and yearning for more. A voice of love beyond the stars calls for her and she is thrusted into another realm where she learns her true identity. She is star-born; bearing the star of chaos and creation. The voice who she has longed to see……(continued)

By Susan Rosenbluth It’s a fair bet South Jersey Writers Group members lucky enough to attend the June 6th presentation by literary agent Andrea Cascardi left the meeting with perhaps the most important takeaway possible for an author trying to win representation: Make the first sentence of your query count. “Considering the number of queries most agents receive, you have only that one sentence to convince the agent to go on to sentence number two,” she said. This most sensible piece of advice flies in the face of what many in the industry consider the first of the quintessential “rules” of……(continued)

We’ve read middle grade by Amy Holiday and a witchy family saga by Noelle Gallagher. Now we’re moving into mystery/thriller territory with Susan Rosenbluth’s novel! The Beta Reader Book Club is a semi-monthly meetup for writers to submit their finished manuscripts to a group of willing readers, who will The RSVP deadline is June 2. Readers will be selected and manuscripts will be sent by June 7. Members will be offered the option of Kindle format, PDF, MS Word, or Google Docs. The Book Club Discussion Date is likely to be Sunday, July 7–a day at the beach at Susie’s……(continued)

Please join us for the launch of Gail Priest’s new book, SOUL DANCING, published May 7, 2024 by Red Adept Publishing! Kathleen Long, USA Today Bestselling Author, will be hosting and interviewing Gail. She’ll read a short passage from Soul Dancing, and there will be lots of giveaways! Books will be for sale (20% of the proceeds will go to the library), and Gail will personally sign them. (You can also bring books you’ve already bought to be signed!) Gail’s fourth full-length novel is Women’s Fiction with a paranormal twist.Visit www.gailpriest.com for her other titles. Congratulations Gail! We can’t wait to celebrate with you! RSVPs are……(continued)