HEARTLAND WRITERS CONFERENCE SET FOR SIKESTON IN AUGUST

Paragon Pictures' Jim Harris, geophysicist Dr. David Stewart and best-selling author Robert Vaughan will mingle with attendees and conduct workshops at this summer's Heartland Writer's Conference.

The 1996 Heartland Writers Conference will be held Aug. 1-3 at the Coach House Inn in Sikeston. The conference will offer workshops by established writers and New York City-based editors and agents, along with writing competitions and critiques.

"The conference is a place to make contact with agents and editors," said Shirleen Sando, the Kennett-based conference coordinator.

"If you have the right product and can get it to the right person, they will read the work."

Sando, the managing editor of the literary journal at Arkansas State University, has three books of historical fiction coming out in the next few years.

Harris is the president of a company that is making one of Vaughan's screenplays -- "Colorado's Raid" -- into a movie. He will lead a workshop about writing for film.

Sikeston resident Vaughan has published more than 300 novels under his own name and 26 pseudonyms. Among them are the best-selling "American Chronicles" and "Andersonville," which became a made-for-TV movie.

Stewart lives in Marble Hill and is the former director of the Center for Earthquake Studies at Southeast Missouri State University. He has written or co-written 13 books, including "The Earthquake that America Forgot." That book is being turned into a stage play by the university's Department of Theatre.

This year's list of authors also includes:

-- Connie Bennett of Dexter, author of 19 contemporary and historical romances.

-- Virginia Brown, author of 39 historical romances and two men's adventures.

-- Valerie Freirich, author of the acclaimed science fiction novels "Becoming Human" and "Testament." She is from Chicago.

-- W.C. Jamison, author of 17 books and 200 magazine articles and president of Western Writers of America.

-- Joe Keene of Kennett, author of "Baby Grand" and former president of the Heartland Writers Conference.

-- Bobbi Smith of St. Louis, a best-selling writer of 20 historical romances.

-- Harry Spiller, a Vietnam Vet who was a recruiter in Cape Girardeau and wrote about those experiences in "Death Angel." He lives in Marion, Ill.

-- Linda Swift Reeder of Paducah, Ky., author of "That Special Summer."

-- Suzann Ledbetter, a columnist for a national magazine.

Among the editors on hand again will be Louis Daniel Brodsky of Time Being Books, author of 15 poetry and nine scholarly books. He will provide participants in his poetry workshop with a 20-minute one-on-one critique of their work.

A children's book editor will return to the conference lineup this year. On board will be Caitlyn M. Dlouhy of HarperCollins Children's Books.

Other editors are Todd Kiethly of St. Martin's Press, Harry Helms of Bantam Books, Paul Block of BCI and Amy Sheldon of Pocket Books.

Agents who will attend are Ruth Kagel of the Jane Rotrosen Agency, James B. Finn of the James B. Finn Literary Agency and Bob Robison of Bob Robison Associates.

Competitions will be held in both published and unpublished categories in fiction, nonfiction, children's books and poetry. Entrants in the competitions must attend the conference.

The conference is limited to 150 participants. The cost is $175 until June 1, rising to $185 until July 15, and $200 thereafter.

For more information contact Shirleen Sando at (573) 888-5589 or address inquiries to: Heartland Writers guild, P.O. Box 652, Kennett, Mo. 63857.