Thursday, May 18, 2017

SoCal Member, Kay Presto Wins Prestigious Award!


We love to celebrate our members!!!! And, Kay Presto is one amazing lady...she sent us the below news from the New York Book Show.

'It is our pleasure to inform you that  your book cover entry, "Chasing The Checkered Flag," in the Children's Fiction Category, has received an award in the 2017 New York Book Show!
The Book Industry Guild of New York deeply appreciates your entry for this year's show. 

All winning entries will be on display at the 31st Annual New York Book Show, to be held Thursday, October 12, 2017. We hope that you will join us as we meet to review the "Best of the Best'' of book art, production, and manufacturing from 2016.'

 

ABOUT KAY (CATHERINE) PRESTO

Kay Presto is an award-winning book author, television and radio producer and broadcaster, photo-journalist, public relations expert, and owner of her own motorsports website, www.carsandcompetition.com.
She has covered motorsports for over thirty years, reporting on every type of racing from Formula One to motocross. She not only covers the competitive side of racing, but also is an expert on the technical side, covering such subjects as superchargers, downforce, and other items that make the race cars competitive.
Her photo-journalism has been published in the hardcover coffee-table book, High Octane. Ninety-eight percent of the photos in this outstanding book on CART racing are hers. She is also the author and photographer for the award-winning book Power Basics of Auto Racing, and was the co-producer of the video of the same name. Her photo-journalism has also been published around the world, in such famed magazines as Sport, Autoweek, Circle Track, Car Craft, National Speed Sport News, Corsa, Richard Petty Magazine, and many more.
Her stories are published in a variety of Chicken Soup books – Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul and Chicken Soup for the Soul: NASCAR, Chicken Soup for the Coffee Lovers’ Soul, Ultimate Christian Living, and many more. Other publications in which her work is published are Wake Up…Live the Life You Love – Giving Gratitude, which was No. 6 on the Barnes and Noble Best-Seller List, and various books in The Heart series.
She has been a television producer and on-air sportscaster for CNN and ESPN “Speedweek,” and has broadcast racing on many major radio networks, including Mutual, ABC, and NBC. She has done public relations for race teams, legal firms and businesses throughout the United States, and was the Director of Public Relations for the Ontario (Calif.) Visitors’ and Convention Bureau at the Ontario Convention Center.
Her love of writing has also led her into writing books for children. Becoming a member of the international Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), she has recently published the fast-moving Middle Grade go-karting adventure novel, “Chasing the Checkered Flag,” and has written twelve other books for children.
For her work in motorsports, Kay has received 103 national and state awards in television and radio broadcasting, journalism, photography, and website, and many other numerous national honors. Her achievements are currently listed in Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World.




Saturday, January 28, 2017

Lots of Opportunities for our SoCal Region

* We have a few spots left for our Sixteenth Annual Writer’s Retreat. If you are a Young Adult or Middle Grade Writer you won’t want to miss it!  May 5th - 7th, 2017. Work on your novel with the support of an agent, editor and published authors in a scenic mountain retreat of Idyllwild, Ca.  Dig out the gold in your manuscript and query letter. Polish your work in four critique group sessions lead by an editor, agent and two published authors. The retreat is limited to twenty three attendees. Grab your spot now.
Faculty Includes:
Kate Sullivan, Senior Editor at Delacorte Press, Random House Children's Books
Erin Young, agent at Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret
Estelle Laure, YA author
Steve Bramucci, MG author
* If you are interested in building your own website or blog, join us on February 22, 2017. This workshop will be led by John Dadlez, internet genius. His workshop is 
designed to help the novice, the savvy business person, moms, professionals, writers, artists, educators, and anyone else who wants/needs a 
website or blog but is concerned about maintaining it and saving costs.
Would you like to learn how to write a Picture Book?  On April 1st, 2017.9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, CSUF - Join Alexis O’Neill in her Writing Workshop
Creating a World in 800 Words or Less
Meet-up!
If you would like to meet up with other writers or illustrators locally please join one of our free SCBWI Meet Ups.
In the OC contact; Ernesto Cisneros at;  author.ernestocisneros@yahoo.com 
In the IE contact: Marilyn Donahue at; sanayeh@aol.com
In the Pomona area contact; Gina Capaldi at; socal-IC@scbwi.org
for Illustrators come out and join an awesome Illustrators group at CSUF with
Cliff Cramp. 
Contact Cliff at; cliff@cliffcramp.com
Mark Your Calendars.........
Additional opportunities are in the works and will be coming to you soon! Save the date; June 3rd, 2017. Salina Yoon will present a picture book workshop for both illustrators and writers. Details will be forthcoming.
If you have any good news to share please email me with your news at; socal-ra@scbwi.org 
Cheers, 
Francesca Rusackas 
SCBWI RA SoCal