I am excited about this year! Things are moving forward and this year is going very fast also...it is a little bit too fast for me!      Here is a tidbit of news from my travels:   I spoke at the  Seasoned Womens division of the AZUSA Ministries Breakfast; I was the Motivational Speaker. (This was  in the South Mountain area of Phoenix...at least that's what I was told. :)  It was a great event! I enjoyedmyself and met so many nice people. They held a booksigning  for me immediately after the program. Wasn't that nice?   I returned from Houston  yesterday from the Black Expo. There were over 110 authors from all over, including me and Janice Reaves, another WRC author. They came from Southern and Northern California, and as far away as Alabama too.  It was quite a nice event!  There was a lot of networking and great contacts were made by all.    I plan to go there again next year.  I really enjoyed myself. My new traveling companion and writing friend, Janice Reaves and I had a blast together! As soon as we settled into the hotel we went on a spree searching for good food and entertainment. We wandered downtown to an outdoor concert featuring Lakeside!  What a wonderful treat!!  We stood in a long line to buy Cat fish and BBQ Ribs!  You know it had to be good... That entertainment was great and the food was good too as I said earlier :)!   Janice pointed out to me how well dressed the young men were.   They wore their shirts tucked in, (no sagging or dragging pants!!)  and the women were smartly dressed; The people as a whole were courteous and friendly. The hotel where we stayed, Club Quarters provided the best hospitality ever.   I was impressed with the young Black male writers in Houston; there were manners were off the top.  They spoke with such great eloquence. I discovered a few were fellow toastmasters too! Yippee!  "Yes, Ma'am, No Sir,"  were always used to address others. Their direct but friendly looks displayed sincere interest as we spoke; it was so graciously recieved by yours truly...  it was so nice to see this!!! One of the young men we met was Vincent Alexandria, Founder and President of the  Brother2Brother Synposium. After talking with him at the Book Expo, he invited Janice and I to sit on a panel of professionals slated for October 2, 3, 2008. in Houston.  Vincent is working hard to save the youths of today. He believes this forum will be a great asset to help them grow into responsible adults with great values.  H told us how he has been working with the youth in the Houston area. He is trying to show them the importance of  a high school diploma, continuing onto a college education, and a acquiring degree in a specialized field such as medicine, chemistry, public relations, etc;.   I am going to try to instill the values of reading, writing through my speech. They asked us to emphasize how reading good literature, attending fine art activities and/to illustrate ways the youth can become an active participant, if they so desire.  I am excited about being a part of this great venture.   The Brother2Brother Symposium  will October 3,4, 2008. I will send more details as they become available.    I don't know if you heard but  WRC is sponsoring a Romance Writers Workshop on  Saturday, June 14, 2008. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.     Writers Romance Workshop  Fairfield Senior Center 1200 Civic Center Drive Fairfield, Ca 94534   We are excited about this.   We have two up and coming new authors, Rachelle Chase, (Simon & Schuster) Wanda B Campbell. Self published Author. They are both from the Greater East Bay. It is going to be a great event. we are going to have a feature story about them in the local papers.  if you can, come out and tell others please! The donation is only $40.00 for members in good standing and $50.00 for non-members. We hope we have a large attendance. We need everybody's support. if you want to sign up in advance,  you can visit our website at www.writersresourcecenter.com   we will give non-members the same  discount as members in good standing.  Or you can send your payments to  The WRC: Starting in August,  I will be  preparing for my next trip on August 29-September 3, 2008  to the Maui Writers Conference with other members of WRC too. Kathy L'Ecluse,  Director at Large, Janice Reaves and I will be going there to bring back informationfrom the conference.       I will be talking to you soon. You know, I do not like to send out emails because of my poor typing skills but I am getting better!  Thanks and Love to you and the ZICA family.      Give everybody my love,  Janie

Janie P. Bess is off and running again  on the Promotion Trail.    Her first stop on her book tour will be is in New Orleans  where the Theatrical Group from The Black Repertory will be visiting.  She is traveling with the entourage to promote her book and her  theatrical adaptation, Visions..  The Black Repertory group is working on casting now! Janie is finishing   up the last scenes of the play, scheduled to debut in August 2008.    While in New Orleans, she will visit her long-lost relatives and friends  who are survivors of Katrina.  She will interview them for another novel,   She is working on: the  Partee-Lightfoot Legacy which is due out in  late 2009.    Janie has just finished her final revisions on Wife in the P.I. which is due  in the Fall/ Winter 2008.  After Janie returns from New Orleans, she will be off and running again  to speak at the  AZ USA Ministries in Phoenix, AZ.  on April 19, 2008.    The theme of the Conference, REFLECTIONS, appropriately fits the title of   VISIONS,  a memoir  which takes readers on her life journey of  faith and love for God.    Janie will speak about her past and how God changed her completely  through her  struggles and encounters she faced dealing with a society   that believed her disabled child should be institutionalized instead of  educated.  She explains in details the struggles, tribulations  and trials of her life.    She will give a moving testimony of her life from her childhood until  the present including the miracles and blessings God performed for her,  the family and her oldest son, David Jr. who is totally Deaf-Blind.   Once she returns home, she packs and will be be sky hopping again! Her next venture will be to Houston, Texas, on May 18-19, 2008, at The Houston Convention Center. Where she will be book signing at the Black Book Festival.     Janie has a full year of exciting promotions and trips  Keep checking her website for more on her ventures this year.    Janie states, " The non-profit organization WRC has truly been blessed  by Almighty God, with a wonderful board, members, volunteers and guest  speakers who has helped  me and others to reach their objectives.  I give thanks to our Father, Savior and Lord for all he has done for me."   Keep checking Janie's website for more on her travels to other cities, states and countries!!

ATTENTION! Update on the Toast Masters Table Topic Speech Contest. Janie won 2nd Place in the contest! She came home with a beautiful wall plague to add to her trophies and other accomplishments.     On Sept 22, Janie will be on another flight to St. Louis Missouri to The Write Stuff Conference slated for Sept 23, at a Historical Museum.  She already has two book signings scheduled. Immediately after the conference, Janie will  head over to the   UMaaja Maktaba Bookstore  4267 Manchester St. Louis, Mo. 63110       The next day, she will be signing books with her cousin, Vanessa, who has her own book stand and vendor booth right down in the heart of the Financial district.   Her cousin, Mattie, insists she stay at her house.  So Janie will be spared hotel expenses, etc;   She says. "I am truly blessed. I give all the glory and praise to God Almighty for allowing me to travel and for the wonderful opportunities he has given me.  God is truly watching over me."     Keep checking the website for more of Janie's Adventures!       Janie's Latest Adventures: On Friday, September 15, 2006.   Janie will compete in a speech contest at the Toastmasters Meeting in Vacaville at 6:30 p.m. at the Vacaville City Hall 650 Merchant St. (Conference rooms A& B )   This is Janie's first time competing in a Table Topics speech contest! It will be a 5-7 minute limit.   Janie is sending invitations out to all her family and friends. Please come out and give Janie moral support.       Janie P. Bess Author, President Founder of the Writers Resource Center will be in NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE ON  SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 2005. Janie is traveling the South promoting her novel-length memoir, VISIONS.  She toured Montgomery, Alabama,  Maxwell Air Force Base,  Fort Rucker, Alabama then onto Panama Beach Florida, then went on to Columbus, Ga.   She has been on the road all summer. She had attended the Deaf-Blind Conference in Baltimore Maryland at Townson University where she had an impromptu book signing. Janie tells her heartwarming--yet-amazing  life story as if she is sitting down at your kitchen table enjoying a mess of collard greens with ham hocks with hot water cornbread. Janie was raised by her Mississippi-Mom in  the East Bay (Oakland,California.) Her  adventurous story takes you from the cotton fields in Batesville, Miss to West Oakland California. Her story will take you on a faith-filled journey of the human spirit. If you would like to meet this pint-sized bundle of energy and enthusiasm, please contact her publicist at veronica@scronline.com or Janie  at her own email address!janie@janiepbess.com You'll be glad you did! She will make a personal appearance by special request while on book tour throughout the South. you can contact me on my cell at 707-712-2228 or you can speak directly to Janie while she is in Tennessee at 707-290-5390 Thanks,  Veronica Stone  Public Relations     Janie P. Bess is leaving with her husband, David, on Wednesday for Ft. Rucker, Alabama. Her son-in-law is retiring as a helicopter pilot from the Air Force.  Veronica Stone, her publicist,  is scheduling booksignings for her there at the library and the Military Base Exchange!  She is only 30 minutes away from Panama City, Florida. Their  friends retired there, (they were stationed with them at Clark Air Base in The Philippines). They will travel to Florida to see them for the first time after 20 years!  She plans to do booksignings there also. If not, she says she  will sell them from her rental car! Way to go!  Janie says. " You can Mix Business with Pleasure!" If you schedule your booksignings along with your vacations and other trips,  You can claim  some of your expenses as a tax writeoff.  After returning home, she will be teaching a writing class at San Mateo College in the Peninsula on Tuesday, August 1, 2006. 6- 9 p.m.  Look for more writing adventures from Janie P. Bess.   I am invited to be a speaker on a radio show in Maryland, Just About Books in September.  I will give you a definite date later :  This talk show is for Authors located in Baltimore. The host & producer is, Cheryl Robinson. She invited me to send her a copy of my book first then she will give me a speaking date.    I am now Vice President of Membership at the Fund Talkers Toastmasters in Fairfield, Ca.