If you have recently participated in NaNoWriMo, you've probably already heard that NaNoWriMo has officially stated they are shutting down the NaNoWriMo organization. I'm not going to go over everything here, but Literary Hub has a good breakdown of it and links to much rel evant information. What was NaNoWriMo? For those of you that didn't know. NaNoWriMo was short for Na tional No vel Wri ting Mo nth. It started in 1999 as a silly little challenge to try and write a 50K word novel in 30 days. Then in 2006 it became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and grew into a worldwide phenomenon. It also expanded to offer other challenges throughout the year, but the big one was the official November challenge, which often had hundreds of thousands of writers participating in NaNoWriMo (November) or Camp NaNoWriMo (April and July). This worldwide growth also spurred the creation of local writing groups and communities. We often had our own NaNoWriMo group here at the guild during November, and that tradition is likely to continue, we will just no longer be able to use the NaNoWriMo site. So what's the alternative? Several alternative tracking sites started up when NaNoWriMo started having problems in 2023 and I have checked many of them out. The one I liked the best is a FREE app called TrackBear . I've been using it almost since it came out (early beta user) and I must say it's pretty solid and a great app even just for general writing. It's almost identical to the NaNoWriMo dashboard and can even IMPORT your NaNoWriMo history, so for us veteran WriMo's with years of history, we can preserve it and continue on as normal. It also allows us to setup our own writing competitions and create groups to track everyone's progress, so we'll likely use it for any DVWG events. So what is TrackBear? TrackBear  is essentially a habit-builder for writers. Progress on a project can be tracked, interchangeably, by “words, chapters, pages, scenes, lines, or time.” You can even import your old projects from NaNoWriMo into TrackBear! The platform also explicitly states that “TrackBear is designed with privacy in mind and will always be free to use. TrackBear isn’t a social network, a chat platform, or AI-powered, and there is no premium tier or pay-to-play. There are no ads, no third-party tracking, and no data harvesting. It’s just a place for you to track your writing.” Sign onto TrackBear to IMPORT and SAVE your NaNoWriMo history!

Meeting called to order by President Michelle Bassett at 6:38 pm Pacific.

Meeting called to order by President Michelle Bassett at 7:32 pm Pacific.

February 21, 2026 @ 9:30AM Pacific Time presented by Jonathan Maberry Whether it’s a fantasy realm, an alien world, an unknown past, an apocalyptic future, or our very own planet Earth, the ‘world’ of any story should be real, interesting, unique, and useful. Building these worlds, including variations of our own can enrich any story and even serve as a kind of character. NY Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry will take you through fun and surprisingly easy steps to show how to build the perfect world that will bring your story to life. JONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, poet, and comic-book writer. He writes in multiple genres: suspense, thriller, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and action. V-WARS (Netflix) was based on his books/comics; Alcon is developing his teen post-apocalyptic novels for film; and Chad Stahelski, director of JOHN WICK, is developing his bestselling Joe Ledger thrillers for TV. Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER was partly based on his work. He’s president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales Magazine.

Your member profile page is shown to any visitors that click on something you wrote, such as comments you make on a meeting page or any blog post on the site. The more you interact with the site, the more likely your profile is to be seen! All we ask is that you please refrain from the 3-P's... No Politics, Proselytizing, or Pornography! Also, we are writers, please check your spelling and use proper grammar and capitalization. Also once you add any links, please test them to make sure they work. A. Display Name - Think of this as your pen name, this is the actual name that gets displayed to the public. We highly recommend using the name that people would see on any books you publish. You can change the display name at any time. B. Title - You could use this field to tell people something else about yourself. Such as Author, or a degree, or your military rank. C. First Name - Your actual real first name that people would call you when speaking to you at an event. All of the following fields are completely optional. Simply leave them blank if you don't want to use them. D. Last Name - Your last name E. City, State - Our members span the globe, it's nice to see where people are from. Please include your city and state (or province). F. Web Site - A website is an author's ultimate toolbox. Social media accounts are popular, but their content is fleeting. An author website provides one-stop for any fans to find out everything about your books, or other scrivenings. A site that you can always control. G. Other Social - There are fields for links to Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube, but there are so many other social sites you may have a presence on. If you use other social sites, you can link one of them here. As mentioned, an author website should contain links to ALL your social media sites. H. Facebook - You can cut & paste the complete URL to your Facebook profile. I. Twitter - Now known as X, you can cut & paste the URL to your X profile. J. Instagram - You can cut & paste the URL to your Instagram profile. K. Pinterest - You can cut & paste the URL to your Pinterest profile. L. LinkedIn - You can cut & paste the URL to your LinkedIn profile. M. YouTube - You can cut & paste the URL to your YouTube page. You can also click on the camera icons in the profile image and on the profile header to upload custom images and graphics to make your profile page look uniquely yours.

January 17, 2026 @ 9:30AM Pacific Time presented by Jana S. Brown You’ve finished writing your rough draft! Congratulations! Now what are you going to do? Before going out into the world, every manuscript needs a little love from its creator in the form of self-editing and revision. However, that can be a daunting task. Where do you begin? Join author and editor, Jana S. Brown, at her virtual table and learn the Steps to Self-Editing. Smooth out structure, plotlines, character arcs, and continuity while eliminating grammatical mistakes and wordiness to make your manuscript shine. Jana S. Brown entered the world of publishing in the mid-90s and has never looked back. She’s worked as a journalist, fiction writer, technical writer, editor, presenter, author coach, course creator, conference committee member, and a host of other positions. She’s assisted in the creation of bestselling and award-winning novels in the self-publishing space as well as working as an editor with small presses and as an acceptance editor for Book Cave, a book promotion company. She has over twenty books published across three pennames, as well as a host of newspaper articles (over 100 with the Deseret News alone!) and award-winning anthology tales. She runs Opal Kingdom Press , a small press and adores helping other creators reach their goals. Her amazing family and fuzzy sidekicks provide her with support, inspiration, and amusement, sometimes not in that order.

Next Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday March 10, 2026 @ 6:30PM All members are eligible and encouraged to attend. Your voice matters! Six times each year, the Diamond Valley Writers’ Guild Board of Directors meets to keep the wheels of the Guild moving in the right direction. During these meetings we handle the day-to-day business of the Guild, brainstorm ideas for improving the experience for all members, and finalizing details for upcoming speakers and events. Board meetings are ZOOM ONLY and open to all paid members in good standing. The input and participation of members is greatly appreciated... so we hope you decide to attend! If you are interested in attending, request a Zoom invite. NOTE: These meetings are NOT video recorded like our general meetings . The minutes of each board meeting are available for members to read, once they are approved!

Meeting called to order by President Michelle Bassett at 9:57 am Pacific and presided over by Vice President Kevin Kindle. A quorum was reached with 12 members in good standing and 5 guests. Annual DVWG Election Results: For the position of President, Michelle Bassett was nominated by Angela Little, seconded by Liam Bruce. Michelle accepted the nomination. With no further nominations, Kevin called for a voice vote. All present members in good standing vote “aye” by show of hands. Motion approved. Michelle informed the membership that the Board of Directors voted to amend the Guild’s bylaws, eliminating the term limit provision, due to difficulty in finding volunteers to run for open board positions. For the position of Treasurer, Jessica Bruce was nominated by Aedan VonWeckmann, seconded by Greg Porterfield. Jessica accepted the nomination. With no further nominations, Kevin called for a voice vote. All present members in good standing vote “aye” by show of hands. Motion approved. Meeting Adjourned at 10:04 am Pacific.

A Compilation of Stories, Poems, and Musings Animals are an integral part of the world we live in. Some share our homes as welcomed guests. Others as unwanted intruders. Still others coexist in the wild, separate yet connected at such deep levels that we can't help but pause whenever they're encountered. This eclectic compilation celebrates animals through stories, poems, and musings drawn from the creative wellspring of profound experiences, personal memories, and pure imagination. “MENAGERIE is a delight! Stories and poems about animals told from so many unique and insightful perspectives. Each is a gem and collectively they are a treasure trove! Highly recommended!” Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Red Empire and NecroTek "An eclectic menagerie of tales and poetry. Some will bring you to tears, while others will leave you with a heart filled with joy. It's time to explore."
 Lisa Diane Kastner, Author, Editor, and Founder of Running Wild, LLC. "Menagerie is a special book that will earn its way onto your shelf of much-handled favorites. In an eclectic collection of prose and poetry, anyone who has loved or lost a pet will find a contribution that echoes in their heart." 
Trond Hildahl "It's wonderful to see a writing group that not only encourages its writers, it provides an opportunity for them to showcase their work for others to see. And as a poet, I'm impressed that there are 14 poems in this collection, each one about a different  part of the menagerie. I especially appreciated Blessed Mercenary. And Roommates made me smile. Well done!" 
C. H. Lindsay, poet, writer, book lover.

October 18, 2025 facilitated by Jessica Bruce Elections will be held for the President , and Treasurer  positions on the Board of Directors. Then we wrap up another amazing year of meetings with our 6th Annual Prose Readings. Just like our April Poetry, this is an opportunity for members to share your hard work and creativity with the entire guild! Click here for submission guidelines.

Bound by blood and ancient markings, strangers forge a shared destiny. Twenty years ago, Qrodin found himself abandoned in an unfamiliar city after his mother was murdered and his twin was abducted. Unable to forget the past, he never stopped looking for his sibling—or for the killer who stole everything from him. Meanwhile, Qat woke up on a pirate ship at the age of eleven with no memory and no family. The only way forward was learning to follow in the footsteps of the captain. After all, becoming an assassin is easy when you have nothing to lose.When the estranged twins find themselves in the same tavern twenty years later, Qat is brought face-to-face with a missing past, and Qrodin ends up with more questions than answers about the mystery surrounding their mother’s death. To unravel the events of that night, they need each other. The only problem is, one of them needs to get out of town fast. The two hitch a ride with a traveling party—a mysterious elf with a past she can’t talk about and magic she can’t control, a monk who only speaks with his hands (and his fists), a dwarf with a battleaxe and an attitude; and a sweet little archer, who may be tiny, but has a knack for cooking up just what they need. As they race across the country, they discover a shared, powerful legacy—that of the Drakkaen Nakkla. The quest to outrun pasts, unravel ancient mysteries, and embrace their true purpose has only just begun.

In the near future, we make first contact with aliens. Not because they arrive in spaceships, but because they’ve been here for years—we just didn’t know it. Mark Phoenix, an old cowboy looking to retire out in the country after losing his business and his marriage, discovers the aliens while working on his friend’s ranch in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Central Alberta. Fate, however, has other plans for Mark—plans put in motion nearly a century earlier—his retirement is not part of the plan! The aliens, a group of female trade representatives that had crashed on their way to the home world of the Federation, use some alien technology from the crashed ship to restore his youth and virility. This inadvertently starts a chain reaction as government agencies take an interest in the aliens and those they’ve been in contact with—as does their Federation! Join Mark and his harem of sexy aliens as they embark on an epic adventure that alters everything we thought we knew about life in the universe—Earth may never be the same. Not exactly a spaghetti western, but there is spaghetti!