APPEARANCES	Several years ago, my sister, Georgia, killed herself. It was the worst day of my life. But hope can spring from tragedy. Recently I was interviewed by Dr. Reef Karim, a Los Angeles psychiatrist on the faculty of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. We discussed depression -- a theme that runs throughout my mystery/suspense novel "Fast Track," drawn, in part, from my sister's suicide. The interview is now available as a podcast sponsored by The Depression is Real Coalition, a group dedicated to helping people who suffer from depression. Here's the link to our conversation: http://www.depressionisreal.org/podcast/archive_2008_01.php It's show #34. I hope you'll give it a listen. Thanks.
2009   Saturday, May 16, 2009 8am to noon Colorado Independent Publishers Association Red Lion Hotel 4040 Quebec Street Denver, CO 80216 Tel: 303-321-6666 Agenda: 8 – 8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast 8:30 – 9:15 a.m. Announcements, Star Time, Committee Chair Updates 9:15 – 10 a.m. Networking 10 a.m. – 12 noon Program ------------------------------------ Sunday, June 28, 2009 2pm - 4pm "From Journalist to Novelist (Or How I Learned to Stop Telling the Truth and Start Making it Up)" Foundry Gallery 1314 18th St. NW Washington, D.C.   _______________________   Friday, July 24, 2009   Noon Rotary Club Utica, New York   _________________    Sunday, October 11, 2009   3pm  Masonic Home - Acacia Village 150 Bleecker St. Utica, NY  13501   www.masonichomeny.org   ____________________________  Wednesday, December 16, 8:30am Eastern   "Catch That Book" BlogTalkRadio Interview Listen Live and Call in.....or Listen Later http://www.authorexposure.com/2009/12/interview-with-john-dedakis.html -------------------------- Sunday, December 20, 2009   Rector's Forum  10:45-11:45am (MacColl Auditorium)   St. Thomas' Church (Episcopal), Whitemarsh Bethlehem Pike and Camp Hill Road Fort Washington, PA 19034 http://www.stthomaswhitemarsh.org/   --------------------------------------    April 23-24, 2010 The Writers' Institute University of Wisconsin-Madison      April 23-25, 2010 - University of Wisconsin-Madison I'll be speaking and leading two workshops: Friday, April 23 3-4pm: From Journalist to Novelist with John DeDakis Think you're too busy to write a novel? Veteran CNN editor John DeDakis traces the arc of his 40-year career -- from getting tear gassed covering an anti-Vietnam War riot on the U.W. campus in 1970 to his current job as a Senior Copy Editor on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" and how it all led to a parallel career as a published novelist and manuscript editor. Saturday, April 24 2:15-3:45pm How to Write a Novel A practical 15-point plan that takes you from the mere germ of an idea all the way through the creative process, with an eye on getting a finished book into the hands of potential fans. We'll discuss how to transform the nub of an idea into a book-length project, populated with interesting characters, a twisty-turny plot, snappy dialogue, and an interesting setting. We'll also look at strategies for finding an agent and marketing the finished product. Saturday, April 24 4-5:30pm Buffing and Polishing You've finally finished your manuscript and now you're ready to tell Oprah all about it. Not so fast. The best writing is REwriting. In this session, you'll learn practical ways to put your writing on a flab-burning diet so that your copy is tight, trim and hot -- and all without even having to step onto a treadmill. John DeDakis is an editor and writer on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” John began his journalism career by getting tear gassed while covering an anti-Vietnam War riot for a campus radio station while still a student at UW-Madison in 1970. During his award-winning, 40-year career in journalism (21 years at CNN), John has been a White House Correspondent, interviewed such luminaries as Alfred Hitchcock, and taught journalism and writing at American University in Washington, D.C. and Regent University in Virginia. His mystery-suspense novel Fast Track (set in Wisconsin) is the first book in the Lark Chadwick series. A native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, John now lives in Washington, D.C. Hope to see you there. Forward this to your friends who might be interested. Click on the Writers' Institute link below for more details and registration information: The Writers' Institute _______________________________________       I'll be the keynote speaker Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 4pm -  See you there! Scribbler's Retreat Writers' Conference  May 13-15, 2010 Scribbler's Retreat Writers' Conference - St. Simon's Island, Georgia