SouthWest Writers is a New Mexico-based nonprofit dedicated to inspiring, nurturing, and supporting authors of both fiction and nonfiction throughout the world.  As a second-career novelist looking to break into publishing, it was through winning the SouthWest Writers International Writing Contest in 2010 that I landed my New York literary agent and, soon thereafter, contracts with both New York and London-based publishing houses.  You might say that I owe SWW my present career.

In 2012, the SWW offices in Albuquerque were severely damaged by flooding, forcing the organization both to move and to acquire new furniture, fixtures, and equipment.  In an effort to recoup some of the attendant costs, SWW decided in late 2013 to publish an anthology of original short stories, essays, and book excerpts.  All proceeds from the sale of The Storyteller’s Anthology will go to SWW and will allow them to continue their important mission.

I was pleased to be one of the 40+ authors – a distinguished group that includes David Morrell, Anne Hillerman, Jonathan Miller, and S.H. Baker – invited to contribute to the anthology, which was ably edited by Peggy Herrington.  I would invite all of my friends and readers to consider buying a copy.  When you do, you’ll be supporting SWW and guaranteeing yourself hours of quality entertainment.  And as an extra bonus, many of the contributing authors will be appearing live at Bookworks in Albuquerque (4022 Rio Grande Boulevard NW) at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 19, 2014 to sign copies of The Storyteller’s Anthology.

Great reading for a great cause.  What better way to kick off the new year?