March 8, 2025 Programming Announcement

The Best Publicity Steps for New and Aspiring Authors

Jessie Glenn, Director of Mindbuck Media Book Publicity, and Deborah Jayne, Mindbuck Publicity Specialist in queries, proposals, and publishing, will discuss the best publicity tactics for emerging and aspiring authors.

Jessie Glenn will discuss an overview of the objectives and specifics of author social media, the concept and purpose of Literary Citizenship, the steps between finishing a manuscript and submitting it to agents and publishers, and the value of publishing short pieces.

Deborah Jayne will discuss how authors can make themselves more attractive to agents and publishers through self promotion, literary accolades, and connections within the literary community. She will also discuss how to avoid common pitfalls when querying and pitching, and how to create a proposal package that will spark interest within the publishing marketplace.

The discussion will be followed by a Q&A.

Bios:

The director of Mindbuck Media Book Publicity (established in 2006), Jessie Glenn is also an essayist with clips in NYT, Salon, WaPo, and elsewhere. Jessie has taught publicity at Portland State University’s Masters in Publishing program and has had Mindbuck Media’s publicity work highlighted in Poets & Writers magazine, AWP, Publishers Weekly, and elsewhere.

With an MA in Publishing from Portland State University, Deborah Jayne is a literary editor and publicist with twenty years of experience in the publishing industry. Former director of publicity at Tin House Books and special sales manager at Timber Press, Deborah now focuses on freelance work, often specializing in the creation of proposal packages, query letters, award submissions, and event management.

February 8, 2025 Programming Announcement

Gemini Writer’s Studio

Ask an Editor Panel

Eva, Romy and Julie are the owners of Gemini Writer’s Studio where they offer online workshops, the Rough to Revised: Self-Editing for Impact program, and one-on-one editing and writing consulting to “Make your next book your best book.” Together, they have the combined experience of over 25 years in the writing, editing and publishing business. They have seen it all. Join us as we gain insight from them followed by a live Q&A session where you may ask about all things editing

Presenter bios (in order of pictured)
Eva Fox Mate
Eva Fox Mate is a published romance author of the Hughes Brothers Trilogy, and is a literary consultant based out of beautiful Denver, Colorado. She delights in helping others with their literary journeys, from blank page to finished manuscript. Her eight years of experience as an author, writing coach and editor are valuable assets to the both the newbie writer and the seasoned professional. 

Romy Sommer
Romy Sommer is the author of seven contemporary romance novels published by HarperCollins London, and she has also indie-published a further eight books under her own name and a pseudonym. With her Hollywood romance novel, Not a Fairy Tale, Romy became the first South African to be nominated for the prestigious RWA Rita award in 2016.

As the founder and first chairperson of ROSA (Romance writers Organization of South Africa), Romy discovered a passion for working with and growing aspiring writers which led her to a new career as a writing coach and developmental editor. She pioneered writing courses for Savvy Authors, Now Novel, and RWA (Romance Writers of America) before joining Gemini Writer’s Studio.

Find out more about Romy and her books on www.romysommer.com

Julie Cameron
Julie Cameron is an author of award-winning contemporary romance novels and screenplays with diverse experience in content editing, consulting, writing, blogging, screenwriting, and self-publishing. Through her company, Landon Literary and her partnership with Gemini Writer’s Studio, she has established herself as a successful mentor and coach with over ten years of experience working with both published and non-published authors.

November 9, 2024 and January 11, 2025 Programming Announcement

Eric Witchey

Title of presentation

November 9th, Fluency in Writing, Reading, and Internalized Story

Description of presentation

The seminar will include a writer’s summary of the neurophysiology of reading in a way that allows understanding of why a powerful, emotion-based tool works to keep readers engaged. Mr. Witchey will demonstrate the tool and how it affects every aspect of narrative craft. This fairly simple tool supports development of all stories, from flash fiction to complex multi-POV, multi-timeline novels. Participants will use the tool in the seminar and leave the seminar with a handout that will allow review and support further practice. Mr. Witchey has committed to answering follow-on questions in the order they are received the week after the meeting. Depending on the nature of and volume of questions, it may take longer than a week for him to provide useful answers.

January 11th, Fluency with Dramatic Scenes, The Building Block of All Stories

During the seminar, he will demonstrate use of a powerful emotion-driven tool for the development of four-layered dramatic scenes that keep the reader fully immersed in emotional lives of the characters in the world of your story. The seminar will include brainstorming and hands-on writing, and Participants will leave the seminar with a handout that will allow review and support for further practice. Mr. Witchey has committed to answering follow-on questions in the order they are received the week after the meeting. Depending on the nature of and volume of questions, it may take longer than a week for him to provide useful answers.

Bio

Eric Witchey has sold stories under several names and in 13 genres, including sweet romance and suspense romance. His tales have been translated into multiple languages, and his credits include over 170 stories, including 5 novels and two collections. In addition to supporting aspiring writers by teaching hundreds of conference seminars, his Fiction Fluency seminars have helped many writers rise to paid publication. His work has received recognition from New Century Writers, Writers of the Future, Writer’s Digest, Independent Publisher Book Awards, International Book Awards, The Eric Hoffer Prose Award Program, Short Story America, the Irish Aeon Awards, and other organizations. His How-to articles have appeared in The Writer Magazine, Writer’s Digest Magazine, and other print and online magazines.

Official Site for Eric Witchey and the Fiction Fluency creative writing programs:  ericwitchey.com

October 12, 2024 Programming Announcement

M. L. “Matt” Buchman

Title of presentation

Finding Your Author Voice

Description of presentation

The Author’s Voice is not an elusive magical snowflake that you simply have—or don’t! It’s there already, lying just beneath the surface. What’s missing is how to open your eyes to see it, discover it, and polish it to shine. Learn ways to delve in and see how to do more of what you’re already doing.  

Bio

A USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestseller M. L. “Matt” Buchman has 70+ novels, 125 short stories, and 50 read-by-author audiobooks. From the very beginning, his powerful female heroines insisted on putting character first, then a great adventure. “Like Robert Ludlum and Nora Roberts had a book baby.”

A project manager with a geophysics degree, he’s designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, solo-sailed a 50’ sailboat, and bicycled solo around the world…and designs quilts. He and his wife presently live on the North Shore of Massachusetts. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.

Check out Matt’s Non-Fiction, the Strategies-For-Success-books which include “Beyond Prince Charming” and “Narrate and Record Your Own Audiobook.”

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September 14, 2024 Programming Announcement

Terri Reed

Title of presentation

Layering Isn’t Just For Cakes!

Description of presentation

Stories are made up of many different layers coming together. Without each layer, your story will fall flat. Join multi-published, bestselling author Terri Reed as she walks attendees through the various layers of story construction to create a delicious and memorable piece of work.

Bio

Terri Reed’s romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publisher’s Weekly top five, Nielsen’s Bookscan’s top fifty, have been Amazon Bestsellers, Terri Reed’s romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publisher’s Weekly top five, Nielsen’s Bookscan’s top fifty, have been Amazon Bestsellers, and featured in USA Today. Her books have been finalists in the Romance Writers of America RITA contest, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, as well as a three times finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers The Carol Award contest.  http://www.terrireed.com

August 10, 2024 Programming Announcement

Eva Fox Mate

Title of presentation

Crafting Character Depth: Creating Emotional Wounds in Fiction

Description of presentation

How do you create characters your reader will care about? Simple! Make them suffer. In this webinar, Eva Fox Mate of Gemini Writer’s Studio takes a closer look at the importance of character wounds in fiction, including how to choose one that fits your character and how to invest your reader in a character’s growth in a un-put-downable way.  

Bio

Eva Fox Mate is a romance author and literary consultant based out of beautiful Denver, Colorado. She delights in helping others with their literary journeys, from blank page to finished manuscript. Her years of experience as a writing coach and editor are valuable assets to the both the newbie writer and the seasoned professional. Eva@GeminiWritersStudi

July 13, 2024 Programming Announcement

Romy Sommer

Title of presentation

Showing vs. Telling

Description of presentation

“Show, don’t Tell” is one of the golden rules of writing. But, like with any rule, it’s important to understand why the rule exists, how to do it – and when to break it. In this workshop we’ll discuss techniques to make your writing more Showing to create a more immersive experience for your readers, and when to use Telling.

Bio

Romy Sommer is the author of seven contemporary romance novels published by HarperCollins London, and she has also indie-published a further eight books under her own name and a pseudonym.

With her Hollywood romance novel, Not a Fairy Tale, Romy became the first South African to be nominated for the prestigious RWA Rita award in 2016.

As the founder and first chairperson of ROSA (Romance writers Organization of South Africa), Romy discovered a passion for working with and growing aspiring writers which led her to a new career as a writing coach and developmental editor. She pioneered writing courses for Savvy Authors, Now Novel, and RWA (Romance Writers of America) before joining Gemini Writer’s Studio.

Find out more about Romy and her books on www.romysommer.com

June 8, 2024 Programming Announcement

Bernadette Marie

Title of presentation

Navigating Publishing Paths: Traditional vs. Independent

Description of presentation

Are you unsure which publishing route is best for you? Join us for an insightful workshop to illuminate the differences between traditional and independent publishing. Learn the fundamental differences between these publishing models and what’s involved. Examine the pros and cons of each and be well-equipped with the knowledge and tools to make an informed decision about the path to take for your literary endeavors.

Bio

Known for her bestselling contemporary romances, Bernadette Marie is a fervent advocate of Happily Ever Afters. As a devoted wife and mother of five, she cherishes the notions of love at first sight, whirlwind romances, and the power of second chances. Beyond her literary pursuits, Bernadette is a dedicated martial artist with a 3rd-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and holds certification as an instructor. Her passions extend to the tranquility of Tai Chi, exploring Disney parks, and indulging in lunch outings with friends. When she’s not crafting compelling narratives or overseeing her own publishing house, 5 Prince Publishing, Bernadette can often be found immersed in a beloved Rom-Com, effortlessly reciting cherished one-liners.

May 11, 2024 Programming Announcement

Maggie Lynch

Title of presentation

The Unvarnished Truth About Marketing: What Works and What is a Waste of Time

Description of presentation

Most authors are emotional people. They become best friends with their characters and that leads them to craft wonderful books that tell those characters’ stories. The problem is that marketing cannot be an emotional journey for the author. To be good at marketing you have to be analytical. You have to be the person who can look at your book and honestly decide if your baby is ugly. If it is ugly—defined as not an easy sell because it doesn’t meet the general criteria—then you have to convince the reader that your baby has a special value they can’t live without.
 
Book marketing is about convincing your potential readers of the value of your book. That value is not the story, not the price, not the genre.  That value is the experience of reading your book. You need to understand what experience your readers want to have and capitalize on that. This workshop will discuss how to identify that value in your own book(s) and then how to use specific techniques to exploit that value.

Maggie Lynch is a cross-genre author of 27 published books, as well as numerous short stories and non-fiction articles. Her books have been both traditionally published and indie published. No matter the genre, her fiction tells stories of people making heroic choices one messy moment at a time. She has titles in romance, suspense, science fiction and fantasy, as well as contemporary and science-fiction children’s middle-grade books. Her past non-fiction titles were academic and student-based texts on creating, managing, and using online learning systems. Her current non-fiction titles are focused on helping career authors succeed in the business side of writing, publishing, and marketing.  She is also the founder and CEO of Windtree Press, an independent author’s cooperative currently carrying over 300 titles. 

April 13, 2024 Programming Announcement

A.M. Lau

Title of presentation

Storytelling Tips from East Asian Dramas for Modern Romance Writers

Description of presentation

Standing at the crossroads of your writing journey and unsure of which publishing path to take? As the world of indie-publishing has grown, so have the opportunities it From Korean romance dramas like Crash Landing on You to Chinese wuxia epics like The Untamed, East Asian narratives have won over fans worldwide in ways that all writers can learn from. This presentation delves into some of the elements that make these narratives so appealing. We’ll dive into the most popular conventions in East Asia, and see how they’ve attracted audiences both in the East and West. Explore the secrets of subtext and examine how the “female gaze” taps into an underserved pop culture niche. Join us as we discover how familiar story elements are being utilized in fresh ways to make uniquely specific stories feel universal.

A.M Lau is a Vassar College and Clarion West Writers Workshop alumna who spent over a decade reviewing for Publisher’s Weekly. As a successful indie author with several secret pen names she is a member of various writing organizations, including the National Book Critics Circle and the Science Fiction Writers of America. A.M. also serves as an email content strategist for Silicon Valley startups and story consultant for game developers. Her pen names have spoken on various topics including indie author marketing and newsletters at events such as the Willamette Writers Conferences and Romance Author Mastermind. She offers marketing and editorial services at pomegranateauthors.com. 

March 9, 2024 Programming Announcement

Veronica Yager

Title of presentation

Navigating the World of Indie-Publishing: A Guide for First-Time Authors

Description of presentation

Standing at the crossroads of your writing journey and unsure of which publishing path to take? As the world of indie-publishing has grown, so have the opportunities it offers to authors – especially to those new to the publishing scene. Whether you’re still considering which publishing route to take or are curious about the opportunities that self-publishing presents, this session promises to enlighten, inform, and inspire. Join us and equip yourself with the knowledge to take the next big step in your writing career!

Veronica Yager

Veronica Yager is the founder of Journey Bound Publishing. She been in the publishing and design industry for over 15 years. She is also the former president of CIPA. Veronica’s mission is to help make publishing a book as painless and easy as possible for indie authors. To help this mission, Veronica hosts twice a month group self-publishing mastery sessions via Zoom – you can learn more at https://www.authorsnookwithveronica.com/

February 10, 2024 Programming Announcement

Title of presentation

Ask An Editor

Description of presentation

Eva, Romy and Julie are the owners of Gemini Writing Studios where they offer online workshops and one-on-one editing and writing consulting to “Make your next book your best book.” Together, they have the combined experience of over 25 years in the writing, editing and publishing business. They have seen it all. Join us as we gain insight from them followed by a live Q&A session about all things editing.

Presenter bios (in order of pictured)

Eva Fox Mate
Eva Fox Mate is a romance author and literary consultant based out of beautiful Denver, Colorado. Her Hughes Brothers Trilogy will be available soon! She delights in helping others with their literary journeys, from blank page to finished manuscript. Her eight years of experience as an author, writing coach and editor are valuable assets to the both the newbie writer and the seasoned professional. 

Romy Sommer
Romy Sommer is the author of seven contemporary romance novels published by HarperCollins London, and she has also indie-published a further eight books under her own name and a pseudonym. With her Hollywood romance novel, Not a Fairy Tale, Romy became the first South African to be nominated for the prestigious RWA Rita award in 2016.

As the founder and first chairperson of ROSA (Romance writers Organisation of South Africa), Romy discovered a passion for working with and growing aspiring writers which led her to a new career as a writing coach and developmental editor. She pioneered writing courses for Savvy Authors, Now Novel, and RWA (Romance Writers of America) before joining Gemini Writer’s Studio.

Find out more about Romy and her books on www.romysommer.com

Julie Cameron
Julie Cameron is an accomplished, dynamic, and energetic author of award-winning contemporary romance novels and screenplays with diverse experience in content editing, consulting, writing, blogging, screenwriting, and self-publishing. Through her company, Landon Literary, she has established herself as a successful mentor and coach with over ten years of working with both published and non-published authors.

January 13, 2024 Programming Announcement

M.L. “Matt”Buchman

Title of presentation

Beyond Prince Charming: One Guy’s Guide to Writing Men in Romance

Description of presentation

Why are men so often clichés on the romantic page? They don’t need to be. Not even when real-life men appear to be clichés of themselves. Come join the male author of over fifty romance novels (including numerous Top 10 of the Year accolades from B&N, NPR, and various industry reviewers) and a hundred short stories as he explores: tropes, guy speak, male emotions and more.

M. L. “Matt” Buchman

USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestseller M. L. “Matt” Buchman has 70+ novels, 125 short stories, and 50 read-by-author audiobooks. From the very beginning, his powerful female heroines insisted on putting character first, then a great adventure. “Like Robert Ludlum and Nora Roberts had a book baby.”

A project manager with a geophysics degree, he’s designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, solo-sailed a 50’ sailboat, and bicycled solo around the world…and designs quilts. He and his wife presently live on the North Shore of Massachusetts. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.

November 11 , 2023 Programming Announcement

Shirley Jump

Title of presentation

Conflict: More Than An Argument

Description of presentation

Are you struggling to increase the conflict and tension in your scenes? Is your book feeling flat, or editors and readers are saying there isn’t enough conflict? This interactive workshop will cover the difference between conflict and tension, how to create conflicts that aren’t just arguments, and developing conflict from your characters’ internal emotional wounds. If you are in the middle of a book and feeling stalled, this workshop will help you get the novel back on track. Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Presenter bio

Shirley Jump, author of Writing Compelling Fiction, is an award-winning, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and USA Today bestselling author who has published more than 80 books in 24 countries.

She has spoken all over the world about the power of narrative and how to create compelling books. A former reporter and communications director for a marketing agency, she uses her diverse background to help clients create impactful books that readers can’t down.

October 14 , 2023 Programming Announcement

Scott Eagan

Title of presentation

Is it Women’s Fiction or Romance?

Description of presentation

Scott will focus on defining the genre of women’s fiction and how it differs from that of a traditional romance. I recent years, these lines have been blurred a bit as people try to market to an ever-changing publishing climate. The emphasis will be to identify the characteristics of each so authors can better place their stories with editors and agents.

Presenter bio

Scott Eagan opened Greyhaus Literary Agency in 2003 with three goals in mind: 1) To remain a small agency focusing only on romance and women’s fiction; 2) To provide educational opportunities for writers in these genres and to make efforts to enhance the romance and women’s fiction genres; and 3) To assist with increasing communication between the professional publishing community and the writers. He earned a bachelor’s in English literature, a master’s in literacy and a master’s in creative writing. Scott is an active member of the Romance Writers of America and still dabbles in writing as a hobby outside of the agency. He is also an instructor with the UCLA Extension Program teaching courses in developmental editing, marketing in publishing, and networking as an agent.

September 9, 2023 Programming Announcement

Jo Bartlett

Title of presentation

Writing the rainbow: Considerations when writing LGBTQIA+ characters

Description of presentation

Diversity and inclusivity in fiction are vital. LGBTQIA+ readers need to see themselves well represented on the page to know they have a place in the world and find a sense of belonging. Cis straight folks need accurate windows to understand what those experiences might be like. As important as it is for diverse characters to exist in all books, it may do more damage than good when that representation is done poorly and perpetuates harmful stereotypes. If your gender identity or sexual orientation doesn’t fall under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, how do you achieve accurate, truthful, realistic representation? JY Bartlett, a queer, non-binary, award-winning writer and author will share tips, considerations, and points of possible hazards as you create rich worlds of diverse people.

Presenter Bio

JY Bartlett (pronouns: they/them) teaches and writes about grief, loss, childhood adversity and learning to trust yourself again. They often escape to their writing shack in the woods to calm down their nervous system. They’re the author of several books on intuition and mediumship development and have been an award-winning professional writer and marketer for two decades. Originally from England, they now live in Eugene, Oregon. Learn more at jybartlett.com.

August 12, 2023 Programming Announcement

Title: A Short Guide to Research

Speaker: Delilah Marvelle

About the workshop:

Writing requires far more than great characters and a great story. It requires accurate research, organization and world-building skills that make it challenging but if done right, results in a masterpiece. Whether you write historicals, mysteries, contemporaries or any other genre that requires research, being able to wedge in the details of your research can be daunting and disastrously affect the pace of your story. This isn’t a workshop about how to write. This is a workshop on how to conquer the research demons while weaving it seamlessly into your book which will transport your readers to a place no one can visit without you.

Join Delilah Marvelle for a tell-all about everything it takes to world-build using the details of your research.

Bio:

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Delilah Marvelle is the winner of the Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Historical Romance of the Year and has had Booklist name her historical romance FOREVER AND A DAY one of the best romances of the past decade. When she isn’t writing, she’s digging through research books and archives of history having to do with fascinating details and facts about history that never made it into college textbooks.

July 08, 2023 Programming Announcement

Title: Tech Tools for Authors

Speaker: E.J. Russell

About the workshop:

As a dyed-in-the-wool geek girl, E.J. Russell likes to keep all her writing tools at her electronic fingertips (which may be because her handwriting has become virtually illegible lately…). She’ll share her favorite digital goodies for a book’s lifecycle–everything from brainstorming a new story to tracking book sales. (She won’t judge you if you take notes on…shudder…actual paper.)

Bio:

E.J. Russell (she/her), author of the award-winning Mythmatched paranormal romance series, writes LGBTQ+ romance and mystery in a rainbow of flavors. Count on high snark, low angst, and happy endings.

Reality? Eh, not so much.

She’s married to Curmudgeonly Husband, a man who cares even less about sports than she does. Luckily, C.H. also loves to cook, or all three of their children (Lovely Daughter and Darling Sons A and B) would have survived on nothing but Cheerios, beef jerky, and Satsuma mandarins (the extent of E.J.’s culinary skill set).

E.J. also writes traditional cozy mystery as Nelle Heran. She lives in rural Oregon, enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

June 10, 2023 Programming Announcement

Title: The Beginning and the End—How to Hook Readers and Create a Satisfying Arc

Speaker: Sarina Dorie

Length: 1 hour

About the workshop:

This is a hands-on workshop full of exercises to help us practice making engaging hooks—and more exercises to wrap up a story.

How do writers get started and make the beginning of a story interesting enough to keep their audience reading? Just importantly, how do writers wrap up a story in a way that feels satisfying? We will look at examples from books we love and figure out what those authors did right so we can do the same thing in our stories. Be prepared to do writing exercises and try new techniques for practicing a story arc

Bio:

Sarina Dorie is a science fiction, fantasy, mystery, humor, horror, and romance author. She has sold over 200 short stories to markets like Analog, Daily Science Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, and F & SF. She has over eighty books up on Amazon, including her bestselling series, Womby’s School for Wayward Witches.

A few of her favorite things include: gluten-free brownies (not necessarily glutton-free), Star Trek, steampunk, fairies, Severus Snape, and Mr. Darcy.

You can find info about her short stories and novels on her website: www.sarinadorie.com

May 13, 2023

Title: From 0 to 1,000+ mailing list subscribers

Speaker: Evan Gow of StoryOrigin

Length: 1 hour

About the workshop:

In this presentation, you will learn how to build your mailing list, write a welcome sequence, arrange cross-promotions, and vet potential reviewers.

Bio: Evan Gow is the indie developer of StoryOrigin, a marketing tool and community of authors that work together to find reviewers, build mailing lists, increase sales, and stay on top of deadlines.

April 8 2023

Title: The Business of Ads & How it Affects your Business

Presenter: Michael Beverly of Adverly

Description: When Amazon began monetizing their product pages and search results with PPC ads, it changed the nascent indie book business and created new challenges for authors. This presentation will be a discussion about how to plan (or alter) your book business to best navigate the expensive landscape of Amazon Advertising.

Bio: Michael Beverly moved to Mexico in 2017 to work on his dream to become a full-time career indie novelist and through a series of events ended up co-founding an Amazon ad’s management business for indies. He’s written ten novels and a few novellas, a handful of them as a ghostwriter. He loves to discuss everything and anything book or story related. He lives with his girlfriend and a bunch of pets in Guadalajara.

March 11 2023

Title: Keys To Unlocking A Great First Chapter

Presenter: Julie Cameron

Description: Whether you are planning to traditionally publish or self-publish, this workshop will examine the importance of a first chapter in grabbing (and keeping) the attention of your audience. We will walk through what to do, and what not to do, when writing your first chapter or prologue

Bio: Julie Cameron is an accomplished, dynamic, and energetic author of award-winning work with diverse experience in content editing, consulting, writing, blogging, screenwriting, and self-publishing. Through her company, Landon Literary, she has established herself as a successful mentor and coach with a proven track record of working with both published and non-published authors.

February 11 2023

Title: Worldbuilding by Evoking the Senses

Speaker: Cat Rambo

Length: 1 hour

Learn how to use the senses to make your world come alive for a reader. A mix of lecture, discussion, and in-class writing will let come back away with tools and tricks for creating evocative, immersive worlds.

Bio:

Cat Rambo’s 250+ fiction publications include stories in Asimov’s, Clarkesworld Magazine, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. In 2020 they won the Nebula Award for fantasy novelette Carpe Glitter. They are a former two-term President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Their most recent works are space opera You Sexy Thing (Tor Macmillan), as well as anthology, The Reinvented Heart (Arc Manor), co-edited with Jennifer Brozek.

January 14 2023

Presentation: Query Letters

Presenter: Ann Leslie Tuttle, agent

Description

The presentation will focus on what makes a compelling query letter and what are some of the common mistakes that writers can make.  The presenter will also elaborate on some reasons why a query may result in a pass from an agent—even when the project seemed like a perfect fit—and Ann Leslie Tuttle will briefly elaborate on what happens if an agent does request your project.

At the end of the presentation, Ann Leslie Tuttle will allow up to 3 writers to pitch to her. She cannot stay past 12 noon, so that means each person pitching gets 5 minutes each.

Presenter Bio
Ann Leslie Tuttle is an agent at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret and has spent over 25 years in the book publishing industry.  Prior to joining the agency, she worked at Harlequin Books (part of HarperCollins) for twenty years and acquired and edited a variety of titles in the romance and women’s fiction genres.  Ann Leslie is looking for romances, especially historical romance and romantic comedy; historical fiction; women’s fiction with a focus on relationships within a family or among female friends; MG and YA nonfiction and fiction, including YA rom coms, and, in general, stories which often focuses on popular science and hidden figures; and narrative nonfiction.  She is especially drawn to stories that show empowered women and have a positive and uplifting message for readers and welcomes submissions from writers at all stages of their career. Some of her current romance authors include Elizabeth Everett, Lauren Kung Jessen, Nancy Robards Thompson and Tara Taylor Quinn.

Presenter: Ann Leslie Tuttle

Paypal address to send $75

[email protected]

Link to sign up for pitches—only the first three will be possible: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjR3fjwrZ3ykj4e9QaHp42lp0P3tcc0J3mjLV0nnDnWp8ZUg/viewform

November 12, 2022

Title: Turn Your World Building Into Marketing

Speaker: C Morgan Kennedy

Title: Handcuffs Teach Trust: Writing the Best BDSM of Your Life

Speaker: Linda Mercury

September 10, 2022

Title: Maximizing Profit for the not Prolific

Speaker: Daniela Romero

April 2022 Program

Title: Weddings, Underwear, and Dinner: Crafting Historical Details for Fun and Profit 

Speaker: Martha Bayless

About the workshop: “The past is a foreign country — they do things differently there.” Setting a novel in a different time period offers a wonderful chance to use the details and rules of another time to craft an exciting story. This talk and Q&A will discuss ways to use historical detail to write lively and absorbing fiction. It will include little-known (and amazing!) facts about weddings, underwear, and dinner (and more) of past times, and how a few fresh details can make your fiction stand out.

Bio: Martha Bayless has a PhD in medieval culture from Cambridge University and is professor of English and Folklore at the University of Oregon. in addition to academic works on medieval food, games, magic, and humor, she is writing a non-fiction account of 19th-century society, and is the author of several works for popular audiences, including a Farscape tie-in novel. In academia she is known for her book Sin and Filth in Medieval Culture: The Devil in the Latrine.

March 2022 Program

Title: Being a Journeyman Writer, Writing Longevity/Keeping It Fresh, and Making a Living Without Being a Superstar! 

Speaker: Katherine Garbera

About the workshop: Over the past 25 years, I have been a published author and have learned some tips and tricks along the way to both roll with the punches and find success navigating changes in the publishing market, editors, tropes and storytelling. This 60 minute workshop will offer you proven techniques, advice, and skills you can use for your own path as a working writer.

Bio: Katherine Garbera is the USA Today best-selling author of more than 120 books. Writing is the chief focus of her time after her family and the only thing she likes more than working on her own books is reading other authors. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and loves the opportunity to talk about writing with anyone who’ll listen.
Her latest release THE WEDDING DARE launches the Destination Wedding series a spin-off from HER ONE NIGHT PROPOSAL. 

January 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: Identifying and Adapting Your Core Story
Speaker: Nicole Helm
Length: 1 hour 

In IDENTIFYING & ADAPTING YOUR CORE STORY, you will learn about what core story is, how to identify it in your own work, and then how to think about the creative side & business side of your brain to adapt your core story to the market. A workshop suitable for all career phases that will help you get started or refocus on why you started writing in the first place, and how to use that to move on to the next step of your career.

Nicole Helm is the national bestselling author of over 50 romance novels. She currently splits her time between writing fast-paced romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue and down-to-earth contemporary western romance. Her books are known for their emotional depth and complex, believable protagonists…and the occasional mischievous farm animal. She lives in Missouri with her husband and two sons.

February 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: Putting Tension in your Writing so your Reader Keeps Turning the Page
Speaker: Maisey Yates
Length: 1 hour

We all know that romance novels are going to end up happily. So what is it that keeps a reader turning pages even when they know the inevitable end? Tension is the thing. Tension is not fighting, or only about sex, tension should be the thread pulling readers through your books, keeping their emotions engaged. In this workshop Maisey will give examples of types of tension and explain how she uses it in her books, and how you can use it to create a more compelling read!

Bio: Maisey Yates is a New York Times bestselling author of over one hundred romance novels. Whether she’s writing strong, hard working cowboys, dissolute princes or multigenerational family stories, she loves getting lost in fictional worlds. An avid knitter with a dangerous yarn addiction and an aversion to housework, Maisey lives with her husband and three kids in rural Oregon. Check out her website, maiseyyates.com or find her on Facebook.

March 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: Layering Conflict for an Emotionally Compelling Story
Speaker: Lucy Monroe
Length: 1 hour

A retake on Lucy’s “Layering the Onion” workshop on conflict. Layering Conflict for an Emotionally Compelling story will cover the art of adding to/morphing both the internal and external conflict, with examples of what this means and how it leads to emotional depth and can help with hooks and sagging middles. She will discuss the difference between the external and internal conflict and how they can each raise the stakes for the other. If there is enough time, Lucy will lead a brainstorming session with volunteer participants about the conflict in their own current WIPs and how it might be layered for greater depth and pacing.

Bio: With more than 8 million copies of her books in print worldwide, award winning and USA Today bestseller Lucy Monroe has published over 70 books and had her stories translated for sale all over the world. While she writes multiple subgenres of romance, all of her books are sexy, deeply emotional and adhere to the concept that love will conquer all. Lucy has been giving workshops to local RWA Chapters, libraries and at National Conferences for two decades. She loves talking writing, but adheres to the motto that there is no one right way to write a good book. If you attend her workshop, you will always be encouraged to protect your own process because it is far too easy to lose the compass to our own creativity.

April 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: Pumpkin Patches to Christmas Cookies: How to Write a Heartwarming, Hallmark-Sweet Romance
Speaker: Teri Wilson
Length: 1 hour

Hallmark Publishing author Teri Wilson discusses the rising popularity of low-angst, Hallmark-style sweet romances and what specific elements set these stories apart from other varieties of closed door writing. Participants will learn how to craft a Hallmark-style story and why these feel-good romances have such mass appeal. They will also learn how to generate conflict and romantic tension in a softer, hot-button-free world and how to craft “filmable” scenes that translate well to movie adaptions.

Bio: Teri Wilson is a bestselling author of heartwarming, whimsical contemporary romance and romantic comedy. Three of Teri’s books have been adapted into Hallmark Channel Original Movies by Crown Media, including UNLEASHING MR. DARCY (plus its sequel MARRYING MR. DARCY), THE ART OF US and NORTHERN LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS, based on her book SLEIGH BELL SWEETHEARTS. She is also a recipient of the prestigious RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction for her novel THE BACHELOR’S BABY SURPRISE. Teri has a major weakness for cute animals, pretty dresses and Audrey Hepburn films, and she loves following the British royal family. Visit her at www.teriwilson.net or on Instagram @TeriWilsonauthor.

May 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: The History of Heroic Archetypes with AMY LANE

Speaker: Amy Lane

Length: 1 hour

People have been telling stories of heroism and romantic love since the beginning of time–but as our lives have gotten more complex, so have our heroes! Amy Lane takes you on a historic journey in which she puts our most tried and true heroic archetypes in modern context, and explains how to identify what kind of hero you’ve written by the things he must do to finish his story! Warning–there are lots of comic book heroes in this presentation, and the presenter may swoon a bit when talking about Batman and Captain America. 

Bio: Amy Lane has two kids who are mostly grown, two kids who aren’t, three cats, and two Chi-who-whats at large. She lives in a crumbling crapmansion with half of the children and a bemused spouse. She also has too damned much yarn, a penchant for action adventure movies, and a need to know that somewhere in all the pain is a story of Wuv, Twu Wuv, which she continues to believe in to this day! She writes fantasy, urban fantasy, and gay romance–and if you accidentally make eye contact, she’ll bore you to tears with why those three genres go together. She’ll also tell you that sacrifices, large and small, are worth the urge to write.

June 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: Playing The Short (Story) Game for the Long-Term

Speaker: M.L. Buchman

Length: 1 hour

USA Today and Amazon #1 bestseller M. L. Buchman has made a third of his living giving away short fiction. Over the last decade he has written over 100 short stories, multiple novellas, and 70 novels–primarily in contemp rom and romantic suspense. We’ll be talking about: how to write short romance, series thinking, and various marketing tactics.

Bio: USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestseller M. L. “Matt” Buchman has 70+ action-adventure thriller and military romance novels, 100 short stories, and lotsa audiobooks. Booklist declared: “3X Top 10 Romance of the Year.” PW says: “Tom Clancy fans open to a strong female lead will clamor for more.” A project manager with a geophysics degree, he’s designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, solo-sailed a 50′ sailboat, and bicycled solo around the world…and he quilts. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.

July 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: Using Social Media and Networking to Advance Your Writing Career

Speaker: Kenya Goree-Bell

Length: 1 hour

This immersive class on using various social media platforms to advance your writing career was created to help utilize ever evolving media platforms and networking to take you to the next level. 

• Face Book ~ an author’s best friend
• Twitter ~ creating authentic engagements that sell books
• Instagram ~ the hidden jewel 
• Tik Tok~ New kid on the block with the biggest bang
• Networking ~ real people real rewards 
• Do & Don’ts ~ Don’t get dragged and don’t become a #hashtag

Bio: Kenya Goree-Bell lives in Alabama with her former warrior husband and three kids. She is the author of the Harem Diaries Series and the bestselling Mogul Series. When not writing she is a romance novel influencer, lifelong bibliophile and can be seen weekly on Instagram and Facebook Live interviewing other authors on her vlogcast; TheKGB– The K’s Grown and Sexy Book Club. She believes that Happy Ever After belongs to everyone and writes about worlds where everyone has a chance at love. 

August 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: Anatomy of a Sale

Speaker: Addison Fox

Length: 1 hour

Have you ever wondered how it works, from the spark of an idea to the development of a proposal to a sale? How do you craft a proposal that will sell and can stretch to accommodate all the ideas you have for a series? What are some of the common tropes publishers are looking for and how can you use tropes to create a compelling story for readers and a compelling pitch for editors?

Often, the difference between a selling proposal and a rejected one is a shift in perspective. How you position your hero and heroine. Where you set their story. What is the spark that threads multiple books in a series together. That same shift can often make the difference in what readers are looking for when they’re deciding what books to buy.

Addison Fox will take you through some tips and tools for developing your ideas through to the proposal stage. Come with your questions and ideas and look forward to an interactive session with your fellow chapter members!

Bio: Addison Fox can’t remember a time when words weren’t a part of her life. In addition to being an avid reader, she loves writing novels about strong-willed and exciting heroes and heroines – individuals who are meant for each other and who deserve their happy ever after. After she makes them work for it, of course!

September 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: The Secret Life of Pantsers: Magical Tricks and Delightful Games

Speaker: Kathleen Baldwin

Length: 1 hour

Plotters and Pantsers alike will benefit from Kathleen’s tricks, tools and delightful games that make a writer’s life easier.

Bio: Award-winning speaker and author, Kathleen Baldwin, has been in the writing business for decades. More than 600,000 copies of her books are in the hands of readers around the globe. A Japanese publisher even made one of her books into a manga.New York Times called her work, “enticing from the first sentence.”-

Kathleen Baldwin has a BA in Art/Design and a minor in psychology, plus enough credits to graduate in Secondary Education with teaching minors in History and English. This enabled Kathleen to work with emotionally disturbed teens using art therapy. She loved college and would still be there if it weren’t for the siren call of money. During her college years she participated in groundbreaking studies delving into how the brain functions during the creative process. 

October 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: Getting Personal-techniques to deepen the emotional investment in your story.

Speaker: Wendy Warren

Length: 1 hour

Bio: Wendy Warren likes to write books that remind her of the movies she grew up watching with her mom–stories about ordinary people who find the courage or the love or the humor or the faith (or all of the above) to make their lives extraordinary. She lives with her bustling two-and-four-legged family in a (too-) small house previously owned by a woman named Cinderella, who bequeathed them a garden of flowers they have cruelly murdered and a pink GE oven that makes them feel as if they’re in an I Love Lucy episode. Which is just fine by them!

November 2021 Programming Announcement

Title: Self publishing for fun and profit

Speaker: Our own Wendy Clark!

Length: 1 hour

Is self-publishing for you? Where do you start? And once you’ve gotten started, how do you keep going? In this beginning to intermediate-level workshop, Wendy will guide you like a Sherpa up the mountain of self-publishing with practical resources, timely tips, and examples of what’s working currently for six- and seven-figure indie and hybrid romance authors. Take your career to the next level or just get inspired by the view as you create your own path to a fulfilling career.

Bio: Wendy Clark has been self-publishing since 2014. She’s gone down plenty of side trails and had to bushwhack her way back to the path. Her current success is her six-figure, USA Today bestselling paranormal and science fiction romance pen name Starla Night.

December 2021 Programming Announcement

Title:  Engage Your Fans by Writing a Multi-book Series with Individual Character and Book Arcs

Speaker: Rebecca Zanetti

Length: 1 hour

Returning to a series, in any genre, is like coming home after a time away—both for authors and readers.  Writing a series is rewarding because it allows an author to return time and time again to a created world, it helps to build a faithful fan base, and it’s a good way to make money.  Fans enjoy returning to well-crafted worlds and checking in on those characters they fell in love with in earlier stories, but that new story has to be good enough to draw in new readers…and keep them.  We’ll explore how to build, what to add, and what to delete with character, book, and series arcs.

Bio: Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over twenty-five romantic suspense, dark paranormals, and contemporary romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Upcoming series are: The Blood Brothers, The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome. Find Rebecca at: www.rebeccazanetti.com