Liberty States Fiction Writers

This month's workshop is Buzz on a Budget: Smart Marketing for Every Author. Think you need a huge budget to market your book? Think again. Suzanne Uttaro Samuels walks writers through creative, low-cost strategies to connect with readers, from leveraging Substack and social media to partnering with bookstores, libraries, and community organizations. Practical tips and real-world examples will help you promote smarter — not just harder.

Guests are welcome! Meetings are held via Zoom and in-person at the Main Branch of the Edison Public Library.

About the Presenter: Suzanne Uttaro Samuels is a novelist, essayist, and legal scholar whose work explores identity, justice, and memory across generations and borders. Her award-winning stories and essays have appeared in anthologies and literary magazines. Seeds of the Pomegranate is her debut novel.

Suzanne was a finalist in the Women’s Fiction Writers Association’s Rising Star contest and the Historical Novel Society’s First Pages competition, and her work received recognition in the Thomas Wolfe Prize for Fiction. She is currently working on The Orphans’ Wheel, a prequel set in 19th-century Sicily during the Italian Wars of Independence. It follows young Rosina Inglese, the formidable Nonna from Seeds, as revolution and loss shape the legacy to come.

Born and raised in Staten Island, Suzanne spent most of her life in and around New York City. A former professor of law and political science, she is the author of highly acclaimed books on constitutional law, the Supreme Court, and the continuing fight for gender and racial equality. After years in academia, she turned to fiction to illuminate the human stories that are often obscured by legal opinions and government documents.

Happy Throwback Thursday! It's time for a throwback to one of our first meetings in September 2009 with the wonderful Michele Richter, a CPA who was speaking to authors about how to handle their taxes. It's been a wonderful ride in all the years since then and the many workshops we've had. This month's workshop is BOOK BUZZ with Suzanne Uttaro Samuels. We welcome guests to come and visit with us! For more info, please visit www.lsfwriters.com.

LSF Writers Member Joe Smalley had a short story published in the online journal The Rush Magazine. The story is called Wayward Son, and it's a microfiction story about a prehistoric child abandoned by his mother during a time of extreme drought, who is ultimately rescued by beings of an unfathomable origin. It's sort of a prequel to the middle-grade novel I'm pitching. You can read the story at https://www.therushmagazine.com/post/wayward-son. Joe writes as Rusty Arbor, and you can follow him on Instagram at .

LSF Writers Member Michael McLaughlin recently participated in the Author Meet & Greet at Classics Books & Gifts in Trenton and at the Local Authors Day event through Act 2 Books in Flemington. Michael was also interviewed on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, on the podcast Five Compelling Questions With Shawn. You can listen to it on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/0HEEeVEP02b2KTvkVmAh1T. To
learn more about Michael and his books, please visit:
https://mclaughlinbooks.com/.

LSF Writers Member Yvonne Ventresca was thrilled to serve as a panelist at this year’s Thrillerfest, discussing all things plot-related in the “Misdirect, Manipulate or Explode? Manipulating Your Plot” session on Friday, May 8, 2026. To learn more about Yvonne and her books, please visit: https://yvonneventresca.com/index.html.

Happy National Donut Day! What could be better than a donut or two? Maybe three? How about a donut, a nice cup of coffee, and a fabulous book from one of our LSF Writers Members? Check out our photos and stories to see what our members have published!

Lois Winston recently sat down with author Elle Hartford for a lively discussion on her
Cozy Alchemy podcast. It’s now available for viewing online at Cozy Alchemy on YouTube (https://youtu.be/pfKns_trakg), Authors on the Air (https://soundcloud.com/authorsontheair/lois-winston-embroidered-lies), and Substack (https://open.substack.com/pub/ellehartford/p/lois-winston-on-crafty-mysteries). To learn more about Lois and her books, please visit: http://www.loiswinston.com/.

LSF Writers Member Mary Kennedy introduces new authors to readers through her Fresh Fiction mystery column. In April, Mary featured Peg Cochran and the Murder, She Reported Mysteries. Visit https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=15732 today, and you’ll be whisked back to Manhattan in the 1920s! To learn more about Mary and her books, visit: https://www.marykennedy.net/.

Jennifer Wilck is jubilant to share that her holiday romance DEADLINES, DONUTS & DREIDELS won the Golden Leaf award. To learn more about Jennifer and her
books, please visit: https://jenniferwilck.com/.

LSF Writers Member Penelope Marzec is ecstatic to share her novel LOVE’S GIFT, which was published last year, won First Place in the historical category of the Golden Leaf contest for published writers. To learn more about Penelope and her books, please visit: https://penelopemarzec.weebly.com/.