Carol Erickson To Be Keynote Speaker for North Wildwood Beach Writers’ Conference

NORTH WILDWOOD – The North Wildwood Beach Writers’ Conference Committee is delighted to announce that Carol Erickson will be keynote speaker at this year’s event, June 8-9 at the Wildwoods Convention Center.
Meteorologist Carol Erickson is one of the market’s most versatile television personalities. Erickson first came to CBS 3 in 1978 as a weathercaster, serving as weekend news anchor and New Jersey beat reporter before leaving the station in 1984. Erickson rejoined CBS 3’s news team in August 1991 and now forecasts weather for both CBS 3 and The CW Philly.
She began her career in broadcasting at Tucson, Arizona’s KOLD-TV as a weathercaster. Later, she moved on to WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas where she served as news reporter, weathercaster and talk show host until joining CBS 3 the first time.
Erickson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona. She also holds a certificate of approval for her weather forecasts from the National Weather Association (NWA) and serves on its Seal Evaluation Committee helping to select candidates across the nation seeking the NWA seal. Erickson has also earned a Seal of Approval from the American Meteorological Society as well as the new CBM (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) Seal from the AMS, considered the gold standard of accreditation in her field.
Active in the community, Erickson is a passionate advocate for family pets and other animals. She often includes “pet advisories” in her weather forecasts, hosts a “pet page” on CBS 3’s website and reports on animal-related stories. For years, she has also hosted the popular “Ask the Vet” segment with Dr. Jerry Geffen which airs on Eyewitness News Sunday mornings. Erickson even earned a diploma in Companion Animal Behavior Counseling – Canine Behavior from the American Institute for Animal Science, now the American College of Applied Science. In 2007, she was awarded the Pennsylvania SPCA Media All-Star Award for her stories on animals and for calling attention to the plight of animals.
Recently, Erickson expanded her media career by publishing a children’s book, “Not A Used Dog, At All,” a book encouraging adoption of shelter dogs. The book, released this year by AuthorHouse, is available at www.authorhouse.com. Profits from the book benefit animal shelters and rescue groups locally.
Erickson has been nominated for numerous Emmy Awards, including for weather anchoring, writing and spot news reporting. In 2004, she won an Emmy for “Carol’s Story,” her courageous reports on her personal battle with breast cancer. The series generated enormous public response and her online diary of her experiences is still available online. As a survivor, Erickson also volunteers her time locally to support the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure held each Mother’s Day in Philadelphia.
A native of Seattle, Washington, Erickson has made New Jersey her home. She resides in Burlington County with her daughter, Lexie, and assorted animals.
In addition to Erickson, the NWBWC line-up this year is the most impressive since the first one in 2003. Writers accomplished in a variety of genres—poetry, horror fiction, memoir writing, journalism, and screenwriting– as well as agents and publishers will present.
Nancy Viau, author of the children’s book “Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head” (Amulet Books, 2008), will discuss her work. She’ll also bring some of her children’s writer-friends, who will present lively panel discussions, addressing such topics as: procuring an agent and publisher for their particular audience.
Back by popular demand is Lorraine Ranalli, former Philadelphia radio personality and author of “Gravy Wars.” This year she’ll discuss her style of energetic marketing that takes advantage of social network technologies like Facebook and Twitter.
To the romantics among you: Who doesn’t love Jane Austen? Well, if you do, you’ve probably read the delightfully creative “Lady Vernon and her Daughter,” and loved it. Lucky for you, the mother/daughter duo, Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway, will discuss their collaboration.
The conference is not exclusively about listening, though; it’s interactive. For those who want immediate feedback on their own work, there are several possibilities.
Charis Conn, novelist and editor/journalist at Harper’s Magazine, will do a “critique of first pages.” Interested writers will send in a first page of their project, which Conn will evaluate—anonymously–in a group session. This way, not only the writer, but the whole audience will also learn from the exercise.
Or, you may submit your manuscript of up to 25 pages for a one-on-one expert evaluation.
Third, why not enter the contests? Enter your essay or poem and compete for first, second, or third prize. The Grand Prize is $700 towards publishing your work, offered by Infinity Publishing, whose author representative, John Harnish, will present a session on the self-publishing industry.
As we all know, authors cannot live by words alone. So, the committee has planned a luncheon where the speakers will chat informally with guests, a breakfast, an Ice Cream Social, and a sit-down dinner.
But wait…there’s more! Shopping!
Yes, all of the speakers are invited to sign and sell their books at the Book Bazaar, which will be open virtually throughout the two-day event. Attendees can add to their collection of signed books, while authors promote their work. Now, there’s a lesson in marketing!
The whole wonderful event is still only $75 (except for an additional, nominal fee for manuscript evaluation).
Deadline for registration is May 27. Deadline for first page critique, manuscript evaluation, and contest entries is May 15.
So, it’s time you went to NWBWC.com to find more detail and make your plans to attend. You’ll find an application there, too.