Walter Joseph Schenck Jr. is no stranger to the struggle of writing. Yet how does someone who’s won many literary awards, been a featured writer in Publisher’s Weekly, and been on Kirkus’ coveted Recommended Read List more than once—a clear success—find writing difficult? Schenck took home three awards from the Royal Palm Literary Award banquet this year: The Dahris Clair Memorial Award for Plays, First Place Published General Catch All, and First Place Published Stage Play. He shares his thoughts … Read More »

The creative process between cartooning and writing is similar for this Royal Palm Literary Award winner. Dana Summers writes suspense when he isn’t working on his comic strips The Middletons and Bound & Gagged as well as editorial cartoons. His novel Downhill Fast won Unpublished Book of the Year in the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards after it won First Place for Unpublished Mystery or Crime and First Place for Unpublished Thriller or Suspense. Dana discusses his book and creative … Read More »

I’ve gone home from the Florida Writer Association’s Royal Palm Literary Award banquets with an armful of trophies and I’ve gone home empty-handed. Both euphoria at winning and a tinge of disappointment over not are valid emotions. But there is another set of powerful feelings that I have discovered that transcends my own personal outcomes in the contests. These I would describe under the banner of  “satisfaction.” When I look around the room I see hope in the eyes of … Read More »

Who would know antagonists better than a police officer? Micki Browning’s career in law enforcement and as a professional dive master have given insider knowledge and intrigue to her work. Her novel Beached won Published Book of the Year at the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards after it was already awarded First Place in the Published Mystery and Crime category. Micki shared about her book and her writing journey, along with some great tips for other writers. Micki’s Writing Journey … Read More »

An image on Facebook prompted me to write this post. The caption read: “A writer is working when looking out the window.” “That’s me!” my mind shouted. (I would have shouted out loud, but I was at work and being on Facebook during office hours is frowned upon.) Conscientious employee that I am, I logged out and began my other work, but my mind kept returning to that statement. Does a writer’s brain have an off switch? (Just for writing/creative … Read More »

On January 22, 1999, I attended a writerly event at the University of Central Florida: “Distinguished Author Series: Margaret Atwood.” Yes, THE famous Margaret Atwood. You may know that Atwood, a Canadian, authored the best-selling, horrifying, dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), which television producers — with their sights on America’s currently inflamed neurosis — are feeding the airwaves as a television series for all the world to watch. But in 1999 when I was standing in the aisle to … Read More »