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Yeah, me too. So I am. I've read about writing retreats ( my blog Sister, Valerie, is on one right now), but as my kids are young, I thought a retreat would be something I'd do "later." Once the kids were grown, once I had more time, less responsibility, etc. Yet, through a series of random events, I ended up on the phone with the lovely Cicily Janus, published author of The New Face of Jazz...

...and intern to uber-agent, Scott Hoffman. I'll share the details below, because there are still a few spots left, but the bottom line is:

I'm spending 5 heavenly days here:


 "Here" is Breckenridge, Colorado where I'll get to write and talk shop with Cicily, 3 awesome editors, an amazing agent, an Edgar-nominated author, and 12-13 other fabulous writers. Attendees get critiques by all staff on the first 10,000 words of their ms, and have scheduled meetings with the staff during the week BONUS: Cicily is a gourmet cook (I'm listing sample menu items below), AND there's a hot tub.My awesome hubby, who may or may not be trying to redeem himself from his shocking betrayal (can you tell I'm still not over it?) encouraged me to go for it.

Important Info is below, but email me if you want the full brochure [drhelvig (at) yahoo (dot) com], or check out the Writing Retreats website (although the new brochure I have from Cicily reflects current pricing). NOTE: Cicily had a wait list from last year, so half of the spots are already taken, and the retreat isn't until October!

DATES: Oct. 13-17, 2011 If you've never been to the Rocky Mountains in the fall, that's reason enough to come right there. It's an easy trip for me since I live here, but she's had attendees from all over the world, including Australia and England. You'll get to meet some interesting people...ya know, aside from me. :)

2011 Staff of Awesome:
Literary Agent: Scott Hoffman
A refugee from the world of politics, Scott Hoffman is one of the founding partners of Folio Literary Management, LLC. Prior to starting Folio, Scott was at PMA Literary & Film Management, Inc.
My current list is about half fiction and half nonfiction. My fiction is about half literary, and half commercial (chick lit? Sure - if it's smart and fresh, and has a strong voice.) Nonfiction is spread out among
serious journalistic or academic nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, and quirkier pop-culture books. If your project doesn't fit one of the "established" categories, I'm probably your guy - I love projects that
can't be easily classified.

Editor: Anica Rissi
Anica Mrose Rissi is the Executive Editor at Simon Pulse, a YA imprint of Simon & Schuster. She looks for edgy, voice-driven fiction; unexpected or dark humor; smart writing; and characters that she can’t get out of her head. A

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