Nicholas Dettmann's Debut Novel, A Life Worth Dreaming About

Carl Robertson, a 32-year-old man, did everything he could to move out of his small Midwestern town, losing many friends along the way. He dreamt of living the elegant lifestyle of New York City. He used his anger and hatred to move out of his hometown, discredit it and never wanted to think about it again. For a while, it worked. Then, he finds his life on the ropes and doesn't know why or how to change it. That is, until he meets a man who will change his life forever and in a way he never could've seen coming. Suddenly, he finds himself trying to catch up to a new reality, just in time to save his life and find his true love.

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Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: AuthorHouse (February 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1468543008
ISBN-13: 978-1468543001

About the Author

Nicholas Dettmann is a veteran journalist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has worked at daily newspapers in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Michigan City, IN and West Bend, WI. He has also appeared in numerous newspapers around the country, including the Houston Chronicle, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Baltimore Sun.

He has won writing awards at the local, regional and national levels. Nicholas graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a degree in journalism & mass communications. In 2010, Nicholas wrote a story about a high school swimmer who suffered from dwarfism. His dream was to become a Paralympian. The Wisconsin Newspaper Association said, “Good story and nice storytelling getting the reader into the story.”

Nicholas was first published in 2001 at only 19 years old when he wrote a poem, “Remembering,” honoring the death of a classmate. It received an Editor’s Choice award from Poetry.com.

Nicholas Dettmann is currently the sports editor of the West Bend Daily News. He has held many positions as a sports writer for various newspapers across the US, but his real passion is that of storytelling. His debut novel A  Life Worth Dreaming About tells the story of Carl Robertson, an egocentric and angry New York City executive, who grew up in poverty in the Midwest and suddenly finds himself searching for a better life after being given a second chance he didn’t know he needed or wanted. A Life Worth Dreaming About will appeal to the fans of Baxter C. Krueger’s The Shack.

His writing idols include Rick Reilly, Mitch Albom, John Grisham and Tom Hallman Jr. In his spare time, Nicholas enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.
Nicholas’ specialty is writing personality profiles.

Nicholas is married to his wife, Elizabeth, and they have two cats, Daisy and Dory.
Visit NickDettmann.com
and Blog: The Stratosphere

Wisconsin Writers Association Spring Conference Report with Greg Peck

http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/opinion-matters/2012/may/09/advice-for-would-be-writers/

Thank you, Greg, for a great write up!

Masters of Mystery: MJ Williams

I am Mary Joy Johnson (right), one half of the team writing under the pseudonym M. J. Williams; my sister-in-law Peggy Williams constitutes the other half. We teamed up to write mystery novels.

Peggy has been a free-lance writer most of her adult life, writing scripts for documentary films, magazine features, and online content. She has taught elementary school since graduating from Michigan State University. She also received a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Peggy and her husband, Mark, have two grown children and one new grandson, who, of course, is the light of their lives. When Peggy’s not teaching, she’s writing. 

When I’m not writing, I’m quilting. I retired from teaching writing at Bay College in Escanaba, Michigan several years ago. I earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree at Central Michigan University. I also have two grown children, but I beat Peggy in the grandparent department; I have three teenage granddaughters  Since my retirement, I tutor ESL and learning disabled adults and have become very active in Madison’s quilting community.

We’ve recently independently-published our mystery novel, On the Road to Death’s Door, the first in a series, featuring a retired small town public safety officer and her husband. Emily and Stan Remington inherit a used RV and begin their travels in Wisconsin’s Door County where they are thrown into a murder investigation involving an old college buddy of Stan’s. It is available for the Kindle and as a print-on-demand paperback from Amazon.com.

The next book in the series, which takes place in Boston, is in production (read that as “we’re still writing it”).

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Contests! $100 first place prizes

Wisconsin Writers Association is still accepting submissions for the Spring Contests

THROUGH APRIL 1

Visit http://www.wiwrite.org

WWA Contests
All mailed contest entries must be sent to the Contest Registrar:

(snail mail on the contest site)

contests[at]wiwrite.org

(to enter online, see below)

Eligibility Entry Requirements Entry Fees Prizes

Manuscript Preparation and Submission

Cover Sheet Cover Sheet Example First Page Example

Contests at a Glance

Florence Lindemann Humor Contest Al P. Nelson Journalism Contest
Jessica Nelson North Poetry Book Contest

School of the Arts-Rhinelander (SOAR) Scholarship

Jade Ring Contests General Information

Non-Fiction Short Fiction Poetry First Chapters Scripts

To enter online follow these steps:

1. Download and read the full 2012 Contest Rules
2. Click one of the contest entry links below
   • Al P. Nelson Journalism Contest (enter online)
   • Florence Lindemann Humor Contest (enter online)
   • Jessica Nelson North Contest (enter online)

If you have questions about entering any of these contests, please contact the Contest Managers below:

• Al P. Nelson Journalism Contest Manager ncmgr[at]wiwrite.org
• Florence Lindemann Humor Contest flmgr[at]wiwrite.org
• Jessica Nelson North Contest ctwg [at] wiwrite.org

More Writers and Book Festivals in Wisconsin

The Tenth Annual Spring Writers Festival at UW-Milwaukee
March 9-11

http://www4.uwm.edu/SCE/conference.cfm?id=561

Write Camp4 Milwaukee at Mercy Hill Church
May 19

http://www.writecampmilwaukee.com/


Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books at UW-Waukesha
June 15-15

http://sewibookfest.com/

Two Upcoming Conferences

Power of the Pen - Fox Valley Tech, Oshkosh Campus

The Oshkosh Area Writer's Club announces:

The 8th annual "Power of the Pen" will be held Saturdays, March 10 and 17, at a new location: Oshkosh Riverside Campus.

Sessions include Adventures with a Short Story, Character Development, Unearthing the Poem, Writing for Kids, Microfiction, and others. Classes are $16.29 each or $5.20 for those 62 and over.

For more information, or to register, visit Fox Valley Technical College or e-mail thull@fvtc.edu for a brochure.

Fox Valley Technical College
2320 Industrial Drive
Neenah, Wisconsin
phone: 920-720-6800
website: www.fvtc.edu/neenah


Geek Kon - Madison

1-17-2012 Pre-Registration and Hotel Reservations

 

Don't forget to pre-register for Geek.Kon.2012 on September 7-9! Online pre-registration is only $20 until March 15, so be sure to take advantage and register now. While you're at it, make sure to book your hotel room at the Madison Marriott West so you won't have to leave all weekend!

Waters of the Dancing Sky, a love story

"There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love - the only survival, the only meaning." Thornton Wilder

About the Book: Sometimes you must tiptoe across that bridge linking this world with the next. Sometimes, it is the only way to put the twisted pieces of one's life back together again.

Beth Calhoun is a middle-aged woman haunted by a tragic past - the drowning death of her young mother, the shame of having no father. Escaping from an abusive marriage, she retreats to her family's wilderness island home on Rainy Lake along the Minnesota/Ontario international border. Here she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery that flows through a series of wilderness adventures, past and present. As she delves into her mother's old diaries, she discovers long-held family secrets including the identity of her mysterious father. Spirits of the past emerge as she struggles through a complex web of emotions and shifting relationships. Can she forgive and put the past behind her? Can she learn to trust and to love again?

Waters of the Dancing Sky is an inspirational love story, an intriguing blend of fact and fantasy that weaves an appreciation of nature and local Ojibwe culture into mankind's eternal search for meaning.

About the Author: Janet Kay lives and writes on a lake in the North Woods of Wascott, Wisconsin. Drawn to nature since she was a child, she sees it wonders as a source of renewal, reflection, and connection with something greater than oneself. Her lifelong passions include creative writing, photography, travel, and spending time with family.

Waters of the Dancing Sky is her debut novel. It has earned excellent reviews and a 5-star rating on Amazon.com. It is available for $16.95 through her publisher, Llumina Press, via her website; Amazon.com; Barnes & Noble; Ingram; Baker & Taylor; and many bookstores. E-books are also available for $5.95 through Smashwords, Kindle, Nook, Apple, Diesel, Sony, and Kobo.

For more information, check out her website. It includes her blog, Janet Kay's Journey, a photo gallery, and opportunities to enter her promotional contest.

She is currently working on her next novel, tentatively titled Amelia 1868. It will be set in the antique country town of Walnut, Iowa and the old western ghost town of Virginia City, Montana. A sequel to Waters is also in the works, based upon numerous requests from readers.

What Others Are Saying About the Book:

"An elegantly told story filled with twists and turns, pain and tenderness, conflict and resolution. Touched by spirits of Native Americans long passed from this world, emboldened by the majesty of the North Woods, this is a story about the universality of life - a book about the magic of the human spirit and the often wisp-like will of the humann mind. Highly recommended reading for lovers of life everywhere." Don Bacue, Executive Editor, International Features Syndicate

"All great storytelling is about love, death, and birth. This book transported me into Beth's world, making me feel its mysterious magic and stark reality. Not since Tolkien's Trilogy have I fallen into a book so completely." Gary Hetts, Member of St. Croix Writers, Solon Springs, WI

"The hero seeking light in the fog of an unsettled past, in the swirl of a disturbing present, and finding courage to embrace the unknown future...all elements of a true mythic story. Waters of the Dancing Sky is a soul journey that unfolds like a plot of a Hallmark Channel movie." Frank Zufall, Spooner Advocate

"...a true communion of place, character, and plot. Waters of the Dancing Sky is a complete vision, one with reverberating depths and serious surprises." Laura Kasischke, author of The Life Before Her Eyes