Story Ideas
from
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
for
Editors, Staff Writers, Producers,
And Media Hosts

Looking for an Interest-Catching Feature?

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• Find a full media kit that includes seminar and workshop ideas, a published works list, and--in fact--lots of what is one this Web site but packaged with an easy Table of Contents for working ease.

Carolyn's Publishing, Marketing, and Business
Credentials at a Glance

Story and Feature Ideas
And Topics for Presentations

Topics related to Carolyn's award-winning fiction and poetry

The Corrosive Nature of Subtle Intolerance -- This one works well as a follow up story after a terrorist attack (Yep! Intolerance at work!) or an event of racial discrimination. We've had a lot of it among our political candidates with more, unfortunately, sure to come!

Why Do Words Count So Much? -- a slant on the subject of intolerance and protection of liberty.

Why Do Utahans Eat Green Jell-O? -- The state in which this author was born and raised is a unique culture in this country, an exmample of the diverse cultures found on the North American continent. The South has--from New Orleans to the Carolinas--is well known by most. Americans and others know little about Utah's culture and much of what they know they've gotten wrong.

The Passion of Journaling and How to Turn You Journal into a Memoir or Novel Did you know that interest in genealogy is deeply imbedded in both Utah's religion and culture. Carolyn has used it to advantage as inspiration and resource for much of her creative writing and helped memoir writers, scrapbookers, journalers, and even inveterate iPhone photo snappers with projects at writers conferences from Dayton, Ohio, to Los Angeles.

Topics related specifically to Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered,
a book of creative nonfiction

Truth in Fiction? Fiction in Truth? -- Harkening explores how memoirists and nonfiction writers bring their own truths to any topic. The next time an author gets busted for plagiarizing (and we know it's sure to happen) let Carolyn Howard-Johnson talk about how truth--in even the most basic of new stories--is filtered through more than one set of eyes, more than one writing technique.

Where Can Americans Find Freedom? -- Because Harkening is the story of one family's trek through several states and several generations to find acceptance, Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author to talk about privacy and acceptance issues.

Topics related to Carolyn's poetry

A Poet's Voice for Equality -- Sitting with Carolyn in-studio or on a back step can be a trip down memory lane with a voice that is innovative enough to renew and update old values for today.

Topics related to the author's publishing and journalism experience

Whatever Happened to the Old Journalism? -- Let's discuss ethics in light of the next Valerie Plame or James Frey case. Because Carolyn Howard-Johnson has worked in so many fields related to marketing and publishing, she can rant fantastic how public relations, journalism, and publishing have changed and how publishers and authors can benefit without fear if they know the ropes. 

Find Happiness in Your Second, Third or Fourth Career -- Carolyn has had several careers from writing-related professions to entrepreneurial pursuits (retailing) and back again--each time with new twists.

Seniors Aren't So Senior Any More! -- Growing old gracefully is hardly the major point. How about not growing old at all --at least in the ways that count.

Topics related to  the How To Do It Frugally  series of books for writers

Make A Go of Your Career -- Let Carolyn tear you away from the been there, done that attitude. You can too! learn to promote and do it professionally--regardless of the career you are building.  

Twenty Serious Mistakes Everyone Makes: Crawl up the ladder using revitalized English -- Carolyn, a veteran writer and editor, will help people write better queriy letters, submissions, cover letters, media kits, and resumes using a few important words that inspire action. And she can do it in a one-hour lecture to a four-hour workshop where attendees leave with a real, working template that can be translated to online applications.

Topics related to retailing 

Experience Counts! Even seemingly unrelated expertise never gets lost. Carolyn's class in geology as a Freshman at the University of Utah worked into freelance articles for the Salt Lake Tribune. With that same information she helped her fiancé buy her engagement ring. Later, in retailing, that knowledge made a jewelry department in her Palm Springs store sparkle!  Ditto for her background as a publicist. She acquired so many more inches of free publicity that she never needed to pay for display advertising.

If you have a special need for a feature or interview, ask Carolyn.
If she can't fill your request, she probably knows someone who can!

Click here for social media connections.

Links for More Information

Whether you are here to learn more about Carolyn Howard-Johnson,
to review one of her books,
to do a feature story or interview,
to engage her as a speaker.
or simply to learn more about promotion or writing,
you are in the right place.

Click here for a complete media kit focused on her speaking.

Click here for a complete media kit focused on all her writing.

Click here to know more about her events, appearances and teaching.

Click here to know more about all of her published works.

Media Kit for Program Directors for Radio, TV, Conferences, Radio Shows

Media Kit for Book, Entertainment and Feature Editors

Media Kit for Poetry and Other Literary Work

Media Kit for Reviewers

Recent Media Releases

Click here for Carolyn's first person essay, "Beating Time at Its Own Game."

Buy Links for Carolyn's Books

Find Carolyn on the Web

A Selection of Carolyn's Past Speaking Engagements

Presenter 2009, 2010

Presenter, 2008, 09, 10, 11

Panel moderator, 2007

National Span College
presenter 2002

Fellows presenter, 2007, 08

Co-sponsor and presenter,
2007, 08, 09, 10, 11

University of Dayton Erma Bombeck Writers' Conference, 2006, 2008

Sisters in Crime,
Pasadena, 2009

On the Los Angeles Valley College Campus 2012, Rancho Library 2013,
Valley College Spring 2014

Wisconsin Regional Writers Association
Presenter, Keynote 2010

Book 'Em, NC,
Three Panels 2013

Presenter, 2013

Seminar Speaker, 2014

Keynote, 2013; 2014

Secrets of Great
Dialogue, 2015

Digging Up Memories and Bringing the Dead Back to Life
2015

Frugal Book Promotion.
Judith Briles' Extravaganza,
Denver, CO, 2016

Learn more about Carolyn's conferences.

Carolyn's Blogs

Unsolicited Endorsements

"…enjoyable and informative marketing workshop last Sunday! You packed a lot of information and advice into six hours"
~ Laurie Dea Owyang, PENUSA Fellow

You're a wealth of experience and information. Wish I would have known about you before Silenced Cry came out last year. Better late than never, huh?  Marta Stephens, author of A Silenced Cry

Carolyn's Awards

The New Book Review
Named to
Master's in English.org Online Universities'
101 Essential Sites for Voracious Readers

Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites
for Sharing with Writers blog.

Best Book Award for The Frugal Book Promoter (2004) and The Frugal Editor (2008) and the Second Edition of The Frugal Book Promoter (2011).

Reader Views Literary Award for The Frugal Editor

New Generation Award for Marketing and Finalist for The Frugal Editor

Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award

Military Writers Award of Excellence for
Tracings, A Chapbook of Poetry.

A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotion wins author Military Writers Society of America's Author of the Month award for March, 2010

Gold Medal Award from Military Writers Society of America, 2010. MWSA also gave a nod to She Wore Emerald Then, a chapbook of poetry honoring mothers.

The Frugal Editor Named #! on Top Ten Editing Books list.

Finalist New Generation Book Awards 2012, The Frugal Book Promoter, Finalist 2010 The Frugal Editor,
Winner 2010 Marketing Campaign for the Frugal Editor

The Oxford Award
recognizes the alumna who exemplifies the Delta Gamma precept of service to her community and who, through the years, devotes her talents to improve the quality of life around her.

The Frugal Book Promoter is runner-up in the how-to category for the Los Angeles Book Festival 2012 awards.

Winner Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts
Glendale California's Arts and Culture Commission and the City of Glendale Library.

And more than a dozen other awards for Carolyn's novel, short story collection and poetry. See the awards page on this site.