Willing to share the secrets of her successful career as well as the knowledge she learned in her travels, Vijaya speaks at national conferences and gives workshops, seminars and forums on the writing craft and other areas of interest for authors, aspiring writers, and the public at large. She can custom-design any of the following topics to fit your particular audience. She can also create an original talk for your particular needs.
Vijaya lives in Phoenix and will travel when airfare and hotel are provided.
Contact her by email HERE 

AUTHOR SELF PROMOTION
Promotion starts before you begin writing and never ends. The time when publishers felt responsible for promoting their authors is long gone. Whether a multi-published novelist, a self published non-fiction author, or a fledgling writer, promoting your work has become your responsibility. Your ability to self promote may determine whether or not your next book will be published. Even best selling authors still hire publicists. But in this changing world of multimedia, there is much you can do on your own to promote your name and your work, and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Come and learn how you, too, can efficiently promote yourself and launch or re-energize your writing career.

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DYNAMIC  WRITER'S  WEBSITE

Whether you have a website or not yet, whether you are published or not yet, whether you design your own or pay professionals to do it for you, your website is your first line of marketing.  But the best tool to attract new readers, brand your name and your books, keep in touch with your fans, establish a platform, and launch or propel your career to greater heights, could be wasted if you don't use it efficiently.  Learn to avoid the pitfalls and make your website work overtime to reach your goals.

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Sensuality in the Subtle Romance - Making Scenes Sizzle Without Graphic Sex
As erotic romance becomes more popular, authors and readers often wonder about what constitutes a sensual romance as opposed to an erotic romance. What does an editor mean by making an action scene hotter? Romance has branched into many subgenres, even the least expected, like sci-fi and thriller romance. But how do you keep the sensual factor going in a suspense scene? How do you keep your audience hot and bothered without taking any clothes off? How do you negotiate the curves of a steamy love scene without falling into the abyss of XXX adult rating? It’s an art that will widen your audience and keep your readers turning the pages and yearning for more. Come and find out how it’s done.

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TWELVE SECRETS FOR WRITING COMPELLING FICTION
In the talk like in the booklet, Vijaya shares her personal award-winning secrets and those she gathered from bestselling authors she interviewed on her radio show about writing, "Authors Secrets Radio."

What makes a novel unforgettable? What keeps the reader turning the pages? Learn to create intriguing characters your readers will love.  Punch up your dialogue, devise brilliant plot twists, generate conflict or suspense, improve your style, all in your own voice, to produce your most compelling fiction. This two-hour workshop can be condensed or lengthened.
 

A LUCRATIVE CAREER AS AN E-BOOK AUTHOR?  IS  IT  FOR  YOU? - There is a new breed of publishers out there eager to read your manuscript even if you don't have an agent.  They take chances with new authors, they love their work and will help you get your name out there. They are just as tough on good writing as their New York competitors but open-minded about new ideas and cross-genres, and if they like your work, their editors will help you make your manuscript even better.  The money is there, too.  This is the best news in the publishing industry in many years.  Yes, there is hope for talented authors ignored for too long. The future is already here.  Don't miss this great opportunity.

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WRITERS' BLOCK, NEVER AGAIN!
This is the chance to find out what hinders your writing and solve that problem once and for all.  Is it your insecurities, or is it the story?  Is it the characters? Why don't they want to do what you planned for them? Learn twenty ways to boost your creative juices, regain enthusiasm for your writing, understand what's happening in your mind and in your story, and keep your butt in the chair.

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BRAINSTORMING - THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF A GREAT STORY - How much should you know about your story and characters before you start writing?  What hooks, plot twists, external and internal conflicts and other elements do you need? How do you pace the story?  And where do all these elements belong for maximum effect? Learn the brainstorming techniques that will bring the perfect story together every time.

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FROM  BOOK  TO  FILM - WRITING THE NOVELS HOLLYWOOD WILL LOVE - How to write your novel in a way that will easily adapt to the screen and appeal to movie directors.  Learn the techniques and avoid the pitfalls to increase your chances of selling your novel to Hollywood. Two hour workshop, can be shortened to one hour.

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SECRETS FOR A SUCCESSFUL  LIVE INTERVIEW - How to get the most of  a live interview on TV, Radio or Newspaper - How to get the interview, what hosts are looking for. Avoid common mistakes, learn to build up self-confidence. Also learn about preparation, clothing, etiquette, behavior, marketing prior to and after the interview - How to make a friend of your host, get invited again, etc. Two Hour workshop, can be condensed to one hour.

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VILLAINS YOU LOVE TO HATE - VILLAINS YOU HATE TO LOVE - Develop believable villains who will enhance your heroes. The modern villain is complex and his motivations understood. Learn how to create wonderfully twisted villains. Shorter workshop - 1/2 hour - can be combined with other short topic.

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FIVE  KEYS  TO  UNFORGETTABLE  DIALOGUE - These secrets will make your dialogue sizzle The greatest line of dialogue is nothing out of its all important context. "He's looking at you, kid." is not about the words, but about the emotional conflict tied to the situation.  If you want your dialogue to remain etched in the reader's mind, learn how to give it the intensity and emotional charge that will make it unforgettable. One hour workshop

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MAKE IT TO THE TOP - MANAGING YOUR WRITING CAREER - Success does not happen by chance. Have you planned your career?  Set your goals? Do you know what the next step is?  What it entails? Have you done your homework? polished the new skills you will soon need? Are you ready for the changes to come? (one or two hours)

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SPEAKING SKILLS FOR AUTHORS AND WRITERS - Sooner or later you will have to stand up and speak. It could be at a book signing, in a library, pitching your book to an editor, an agent, at a marketing group meeting, making a speech upon receiving an award. Do you know how to captivate an audience? Can you control the butterflies in your stomach? Will you remember what to say?  Are you prepared to shine? It can all be learned. (one to two hours)

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WRITING TO ENTHRALL - Mastering the action scene - Anyone can learn to create suspense and tension in their scenes, but the action scene is a ruthless animal that must not be tamed.  Learn the techniques to produce fast-paced scenes that will leave your reader breathless!

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STARTS,  HOOKS,  AND  CLIFF-HANGERS - Keep the reader turning the pages - It's a technique, and you, too, can learn it. (short workshop)

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MASTERING THE METAPHOR and ASSIMILATING THE SIMILE - a hands on workshop on creating original images that will make your writing unforgettable. (one hour or less)

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SPRUCE  UP YOUR STORYLINE  - How to improve your plot, heighten conflict, reinforce the theme, and achieve good pacing for a story the reader cannot put down - One hour workshop

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HAVE  YOU  MASTERED  POINT-OF-VIEW  YET? This key to fiction writing is easier to handle than you think yet holds many subtleties. Most writers struggle with it, but a clear and simple workshop may be all you need to master it and use it effectively to give your characters a stronger voice and your stories an edge to seduce editors and readers. One hour workshop

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APPEAL  TO  THE  SENSES - Learn how to include powerful sensory tools to make your writing unforgettable - one hour or less

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BELIEVABLE  HEROES, CORRUPT  VILLAINS - And a host of memorable characters in between - Developing believable characters can go a long way in getting your story published. One hour workshop

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WRITING   STYLE   AND   LITERARY   VOICE - How to find your own and polish it to a shine - One hour or less

Vijaya is no newcomer to Public Speaking.  At age three, she corrected her elders on their failing grammar and enunciation. After Drama-school and a seven year acting career in France (stage and television), she traveled and became a translator, and later worked as a tour guide in Hawaii, doing presentations and entertaining tourists. More recently, she hosted a radio talk show about writing in Phoenix Arizona and on the WEB.  As an award-winning novelist, Vijaya speaks regularly at national writers conferences throughout the United States. The media is always glad to interview her (like recently on Good Morning Arizona, and on Arizona WEB TV), as she always delivers a lively performance.

Vijaya Schartz is an award-winning novelist, a book reviewer for various magazines, and she writes occasional articles for the View Highlife. She is the editor in chief of the Arizona Literary Magazine, a book doctor, and a favorite speaker on good writing. She was president of the Arizona Authors Association for seven years.  She hosted a radio talk show on the writing craft and the writing life for three consecutive years, and interviewed many best-selling authors. She regularly gives workshops at national writers conferences.