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Jacqueline Davies has been organizing and facilitating
retreats for years. Here are the voices of some of the
people who have attended her retreats.
Cynthia
Lord
author, Rules, winner of the 2007 Newbery honor
I
have attended three writing retreats organized by Jackie,
and I can honestly say they've been the most helpful
retreats/workshops I've ever attended. The combination
of focused time to write and Jackie's thoughtful critiques
are a wonderful mix.
Each
retreat I've attended was very well organized and comfortable.
Jackie sets an overall tone of productive, creative
community that I greatly look forward to every year.
Franny
Billingsley
author, The Folk Keeper
(excerpted
from an email)
Thanks a million for your comments! I cannot tell you
how much they've helped me. You are so kind, and such
a brilliant critiquer—not a combo you find everyday.
Now that you've made me feel so safe and well-cared-for,
would you consider looking at the next draft?! (See
what you've gotten yourself into . . .)
Barbara
O'Connor
author, Moonpie and Ivy
Jackie is
the most organized, high-energy, thorough, and professional
person I've worked with. She understands the value of
group support, shared knowledge, focused work, and critique.
Her retreats are a joy—the perfect balance of
hard work, camaraderie, and fun.
Jennifer
Richard Jacobson
author, Stained
Jackie
is, without a doubt, one of my favorite and most trusted
readers. She has that rare skill of responding to an
author's deepest meaning (conscious or not). She'll
articulate your theme, identify the structure (pinpointing
the places where the trajectory falters) and share ideas
that will make you shake your head and say, "Of
course, why didn't I see that?" I've restructured
an entire novel based on a single observation of Jackie's,
and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Carol
Antoinette Peacock
author, The Pilgrim Cat
I've
gone on retreats with Jackie for years and have always
found my time with her incredibly helpful. Here's what
Jackie brings to a retreat—great accommodations,
fabulous feedback, and a very supportive atmosphere
for writers of all genres. I can't recommend her retreats
enough!
Sarah
Lamstein
author, Hunger Moon
From
personal experience, I can attest that Jackie's critiques
are remarkable. Not only does she grasp the whole of
a piece, astutely analyzing its structure, she also
suggests "fix-its" that are well within the
author's powers and are often astonishing. What more
can we ask as writers than a sympathetic, intelligent
critique?
Associate
Editorial Director
a New York publishing house
The
novel retreat Jackie oranized in Nashua was not only
packed with serious writers eager to learn more about
craft, it also featured two amazing speakers (both accomplished
children's book writers) and discussion sessions that
were as fast-paced as they were heartfelt and real.
As an editor, I found the weekend instructive and inspiring.
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