Tag Archive | Payson Book Festival
April 13, 2019  

President’s Message – April 2019

April, 2019

“Those April Showers bring May flowers.” What beautiful carpets of flowers we have throughout Arizona because of all the rain this year. On a personal note, the song was one my sister and I sang about three years in a row as children in Mt. Manor, Pennsylvania at talent shows each year. She recently passed away and that song and picture came to mind.

Bobbie Bennett, first VP and Event Planner, and I continue to work on the fall conference. The date is still fluid at this time and as soon as we select a venue and set a date we’ll let you know. It’s good to have members who know the history of the organization and Carol Osman Brown has been a wonderful help to these new officers in sharing the history and helping with the planning.

Since I reside in the Rim Country District I want to tell you what we are doing to promote literacy. Perhaps this will encourage other chapters to do more outreach. Many of you know about the successful Payson Book Festival, now in its 5th year. This year we have several pre-festival workshop projects. Elaine Votruba with the Gila County Library, Public Services is joining the Payson Book Festival on three projects. One project, with the non-profit Payson Community Kids, is working with youngsters to write their own books that will be sold at the Payson Book Festival for all to see. Proceeds will benefit the Community Kids. The older children are preparing a puppet show for the Festival in our “Kids Zone.” The children are excited to be part of the Festival.

Most of my activities these days are devoted to putting together media, planning radio interviews and writing articles to promote the Payson Book Festival.

We want to hear about your writing and new books. Let Jaimie Bruzenak, website and Facebook administrator, know about your projects. Let’s continue to share what we are doing.

There is much in the news now about journalists’ rights. How timely this is since the theme for our upcoming state conference is the First Amendment. We have not had a gathering of Arizona Professional Writers for several years and we are looking forward to meeting members this fall.

Keep Writing,

Marie Fasano

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February 21, 2019  

Susan Haught wins 2019 Best Writer Award in the reader’s choice Best of the Rim contest!

Susan Haught

Susan Haught: A member of the Arizona Professional Writers, Rim Country Chapter,Author Susan Haught, has received the 2019 Best Writer Award in the reader’s choice Best of the Rim contest sponsored by the Payson Roundup Newspaper. Susan’s response to the award.”There’s nothing more thrilling and humbling than for your work to be recognized in your home community. I’m forever grateful to those who took the time to vote. ”

Here is a little about Susan in her own words.

Hello, everyone. It’s early morning here in Payson and I’m deathly allergic to morning, so allow me to introduce myself before my coffee gets cold. My name is Susan Haught and I make things up, write them down, and call them novels. Besides being a mom, it’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, yet ranks up there with motherhood as the most rewarding. To hold months of hard work in your hand as a physical book never gets old, even after four novels. That moment makes months of joy, tears, and frustration worth it, and when a reader contacts me to say my words affected them in some way, I know I’ve done my job.

I consider myself a black liquorice connoisseur, coffee addict, wine sipper, and brown-thumb gardener who spends a great deal of time murdering the poor plants unfortunate enough to end up in my cart. I’m also an award-winning author who writes deeply emotional stories of family, friendship, and the healing power of love. I’m somewhat handier with stories than I am with a garden shovel. But I find gardening helps me to decompress and it takes my mind off writing, at least for a little while. Come to think of it, so does Australian or Finnish black liquorice!

I’ve been blessed to have received several awards for my work, the most recent the Rim Country Best Writer award sponsored by the Payson Roundup.

The Whisper of the Pines series consists of four novels and a companion book: A Promise of Fireflies, In the Shadow of Fate (A Promise of Fireflies companion), A Thousand Butterfly Wishes, The Other Side of Broken, and Outside the Lines. Three have gone on to win awards for excellence in independent publishing in women’s fiction and/or romance, are Reader’s Favorite 5 Star novels, and The Other Side of Broken was chosen by Writer’s Digest (judge 17) as “a novel not to be missed.” and Ink & Insight says, “This is what women’s fiction is supposed to be.” Outside the Lines is my newest baby, released Jan. 15, 2019, and I’m in the process of writing Book 5, Christmas Under the Tuscan Stars which will be released for the 2019 holidays.

I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, RWA-Women’s Fiction writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, APW, and APW Rim Country Chapter. I’ll be at the Payson Book Festival in July, and if you’re in the area or plan to attend, please stop by and say hello. I’d love to meet you!

February 4, 2019  

Payson Book Festival -save the date!

Save the date – July 20, 2019. For more information see the Payson Book Festival webpage.

November 14, 2017  

APW member Beverly Raphael Konik Dies

Beverly Raphael Konik, owner of Write Visions Communications, worked as a free-lance writer. She served for more than a decade as state treasurer of Arizona Professional Writers (APW) and was in this capacity on the APW State Board of Directors until her death on Nov. 6, 2017. Bev passed away in her sleep after battling cancer for a brief time. She enjoyed friendships with many APW members who appreciated her quick wit, great sense of humor and compassion for others.

Bev joined APW in 1995 and also was a member of the National Federation of Press Women. A respected freelance writer, she used her strong writing, organization and research skills as a volunteer working on many APW projects. These included APW high school student scholarships, educational programs for journalists and organizing state conferences. Bev was an avid reader with a strong curiosity and love of travel. She delighted in meeting authors and helped secure grants for the Payson Book Festival, an APW literacy project.

Born Dec. 28, 1938 in Pittsburg, PA, Bev came to Arizona in 1975. She worked for the State of AZ in labor relations where she helped resolve conflicts and then worked for the City of Phoenix for more than 15 years.before retiring in 1996 to take care of her father. She was a community activist who mentored youth and helped promote positive changes in education, environment, wildlife and social issues.

She is survived by her daughter, Rachel Harvey of San Francisco, brother Barry Konigsford, and his wife Kitty Konigsford of Mt. Prospect (Chicago,) IL, and their children Brian Konigsford and Janice Konigsford, and Sue Jaeger, sister-in-law. She was preceded in death by her brother, William Konigsford, and parents Evelyn Konigsford and Lewis Konigsford.

A memorial service/celebration of life for Bev is scheduled for 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Dec.2, 2017 at Christ’s Community Church, 3710 W. Orangewood, Phoenix, AZ 85051. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Arizona Community Foundation, 602-381-1400 or www.az.foundation.org .

If you have memories or photos to share, you can send them to the APW Facebook page and to an email address established by the family: bevsmemorial2017@gmail.com .

July 7, 2017  

Payson Book Festival featured on KTAR FM 92.3

The Rim Country District of APW is co-hosting the Payson Book Festival on July 22 at the Mazatal Casino in Payson. Check  the Facebook page for upcoming interviews with APW members and other authors on Payson’s radio stations KMOG and KRIM.

The Payson Book Festival and two of its authors will be featured on Saturday, July 8 on Glendale FM station KTAR.

KTAR – 92.3 will host featured authors Roger Naylor and Stella Pope Duarte on July 8 from 7:00 a.m. 5to 8:00 a.m. on the RosieontheHouse show, host by Rosie Romer. Listeners can listen live, online or via app.

Tune in! And we hope to see you on July 22 at the Payson Book Festival!

April 7, 2017  

April TypeRider

Editor Lynda Exley’s last issue – the April 2017 TypeRider is here. Find news about upcoming events including Rim Country’s April 19 meeting. Betty Webb talks about writer’s block in her column. And check the calendar for the many events coming up this month.

We are looking for a new editor. We appreciate all of Lynda’s hard work in producing an award-winning newsletter each month.

March 3, 2017  

March TypeRider

The March 2017 TypeRider is now available! Find out more about Patricia Myers who recently passed away with stories about the many facets of her writing life and photos of her wearing her wonderful hats. Betty Webb has a humorous account of one of her book tours, “Writer Abandoned at Truck Stop” and Glennis McNeal writes of turning her family story into a compelling memoir in “Kicking the journalism habit.” Plus find out more about the national NFPW convention and upcoming events.

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